Alexandra Svokos
asvokos.com
Alexandra is a News Editor at Bustle. She previously was the Senior News Editor at Elite Daily and worked at HuffPost. She has been published in The Daily Beast, Vox, Glamour, Playbill, Refinery 29, Mic, Cosmopolitan, and Quartz. Find her on Twitter / FB @asvokos and at tinyletter.com/asvokos

My Grandmother's Italian Cooking Is What Brings My Family Together — Even When We're Apart

On Christmas Eve this year, like every other year, my family will start with the clam dip fresh out of the oven. As the clam dip cools down there's the "pizza" (really just bread with stuff on it) and some salami to snack on, as well as two plates…
By Alexandra Svokos

This NHL Network Host Really Wants People To Stop Asking If She "Actually" Likes Sports

I'm nervous about writing this article because it's about sports — and primarily men's sports, at that. I've been going to New Jersey Devils games since I was 6 years old, but I'm also a woman on the internet, and that makes me a target for men who…
By Alexandra Svokos

All The Beto 2020 Hype Ignores The Gains Made By Women & People Of Color in 2018

In this op-ed, Bustle news editor Alexandra Svokos questions the hype for Beto 2020 in the aftermath of huge gains for women's and people of color's representation in government. Within hours of it becoming clear that he'd lost the Senate election…
By Alexandra Svokos

This Project Will Champion Women Of Color In Texas — And Wendy Davis Is Involved

Beto O'Rourke did not win his Senate election in Texas last Tuesday. But Veronica Escobar and Sylvia Garcia won their House races, becoming the first Latinas to represent Texas in Congress. Meanwhile, in Harris County — where Houston is located — 19…
By Alexandra Svokos

A Shooting At A Bar In Thousand Oaks, California Left Many Dead

On Wednesday night, a person shot multiple people at Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, California. At least 12 people were killed, according to The New York Times. The gunman entered the bar late at night, when the bar was having an event…
By Alexandra Svokos

This Is How A CBS News Anchor Prepares For Election Night Coverage

On Tuesday night, it's possible you'll be sprawled out on your couch stress eating pizza and letting broadcast news veterans explain to you what's going to happen to the country. By Wednesday morning, you might be exhausted from following the…
By Alexandra Svokos

Sexual Assault Onstage At The Opera Has Only Become More Complicated In The #MeToo Era

On Friday, Oct. 19, onstage at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, a man manipulated and attempted to rape a woman. It's a scene that occurs in so many operas, it's practically a trope (even the "comedy" Marriage of Figaro revolves around a boss…
By Alexandra Svokos

I'm Just Gonna Sit Back & Let John Legend Explain Why You Owe It To Others To Vote

John Legend and Jared Kushner have at least one thing in common: Both had a parent who was incarcerated, and in the past decade, both have stated that they're driven to act on criminal justice reform because of that experience. But that doesn't mean…
By Alexandra Svokos

3 Women Running For State Legislature Explain Why Local Races Deserve Your Attention

With less than a week to go until Election Day, many Democrats are laser-focused on just 23 seats that are up for a vote in Congress. That's the amount of seats the party needs to flip in order to gain the majority in the U.S. House of…
By Alexandra Svokos

How Language Barriers Keep Latinx People From Getting The Reproductive Care They Need

Kristyn Brandi remembers being indirectly cautioned by her family against speaking Spanish in school when she was younger "because that was thought to be a defect" — due to "systemic and internalized racism." But as she trained to be a gynecologist,…
By Alexandra Svokos

These Family Separation Activists Discuss The "Rage" & "Hope" Of Their Work

Paola Mendoza, an artist who is also part of the Women's March, and Jess Morales Rocketto, an organizer who also works at the National Domestic Workers Alliance and Care in Action, met this past spring to organize Families Belong Together, an…
By Alexandra Svokos

Read The Messages People Are Sending Christine Blasey Ford After The Kavanaugh Vote

On Saturday, the Senate voted 50-48 to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court after a contentious month of public testimonies and meetings. After it was clear that Kavanaugh had the votes to be confirmed, people began sending tweets to…
By Alexandra Svokos

Mallory Hagan Took On Miss America's Leadership — Now, She's Taking On The Country's

One year ago this week, the #MeToo movement hadn't become a national force, and former Miss America Mallory Hagan had no idea she'd be running for Congress in her home state of Alabama. Her run started — as all great political stories do — with…
By Alexandra Svokos

This Woman Is Challenging What A Politician Is "Supposed" To Look Like With Her Tattoos

Imagine Rep. Nancy Pelosi removing her suit jacket to show off a half-sleeve tattoo. American politics has been filled with staid figures of "traditional" appearance, but one 42-year-old Purple Heart Air Force pilot is looking to challenge that…
By Alexandra Svokos

This Is Who Can Call For An FBI Investigation Into The Brett Kavanaugh Allegations

The idea of an FBI investigation was brought up repeatedly this week during testimonies and meetings surrounding Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court. Democrats have been calling for an FBI investigation on Christine Blasey Ford's…
By Alexandra Svokos

Photos Of Anita Hill Vs. Christine Blasey Ford’s Hearings Have Haunting Similarities

You couldn't ignore the echoes of history this week in the Supreme Court confirmation process of Brett Kavanaugh. After an initial Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with the judge at the start of the month, a psychology professor, Christine Blasey…
By Alexandra Svokos

A Third Woman Has Come Forward With Serious Claims Against Kavanaugh

A third woman came forward accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual violence. This time, the accuser went public as a client of attorney Michael Avenatti, who also represents Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against President Donald…
By Alexandra Svokos

How To Get Through The Kavanaugh Allegations News Cycle If It's Triggering For You

With sexual assault allegations leading the news cycle yet again in the Supreme Court confirmation process for Brett Kavanaugh, it's a tough time to try to remain an informed individual — especially for survivors of sexual assault. Bustle spoke with…
By Alexandra Svokos

This ‘TIME’ Cover Of The SCOTUS Nominee Is An Eerie Reminder Of The Past

The parallels between the current Supreme Court nomination process for Brett Kavanaugh and how it went for now-Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas are hard to overlook. In both cases, the men with conservative-leaning opinions were nominated by a…
By Alexandra Svokos

Trevor Noah Perfectly Explains Why A Certain Defense Of Brett Kavanaugh Doesn't Work

On The Daily Show on Wednesday night, host Trevor Noah took some time to dive into the week's biggest headline story. Instead of talking explicitly about politics, though, Noah took it as an opportunity to explain a universal — and, as he calls it,…
By Alexandra Svokos