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Malavika Kannan head shot - Teen Vogue

Malavika Kannan

Malavika Kannan (she/her) is a novelist, cultural critic, and Aquarius! She’s the author of the upcoming gay campus novel UNPRECEDENTED TIMES and working on her first essay collection, RAGE BAIT, about Gen Z feminism. Mal also writes about identity, power, and culture for The Nation, Teen Vogue, Washington Post, and other places. She spends all her free time dreaming about community, friendship, and queer love in all its forms and is very excited to navigate the mysteries of young adulthood with you!
Identity

Should I Tell My Friend I'm in Love With Her?

Our latest Can I Vent For a Sec? advice column answers your burning questions about love.
Relationships

‘Can I Vent for a Sec’: Am I Supposed To Be Sexy Online?

Teen Vogue columnist Malavika Kannan answers your burning questions.
Politics

For Deja Foxx, It Was Crashout or Congress. She Chose Congress.

The 25-year-old is running for a seat in Arizona.
TV

In "Never Have I Ever" Season 2, Flawed Brown Girls Are the Point

In this op-ed, writer Malavika Kannan unpacks the complicated relationship between two Indian-American teens in the new season of Netflix’s Never Have I Ever — and how it harkens to her experience as a teen.
Culture

Karens Being Karens: White Women Need to Stop Using the Term

“The second white women caught on, things became less fun.”
Books

How Toni Morrison Changed Me As an 18-Year-Old Author

“I grew up on a literary diet of J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan, avidly devouring stories of white children whose heroism I never once questioned.”
Politics

For This Pulse Survivor, Dance Is a Source of Healing

“It allows you to express yourself; to free yourself.”
Skin Care

This Is How It Feels to Face Colorism as an Indian-American Woman

"It’s been 11 years, and I still remember the day I decided I was cursed."
Campus Life

We’re Teen Journalists, and We’re Fighting Gun Violence

"We’re telling our stories, and now the world is listening."