In November of 2016, photographer Al Kamalizad worked with filmmaker and journalist Aaron Ohlmann to document the effects of ongoing war in Iraq on those displaced by the conflict.
War As A Way Of Life
Some people call for help. Others take selfies
By Al Kamalizad,
Al Kamalizad
Al Kamalizad is a filmmaker, animator, and photographer in Los Angeles by way of Tehran. His recent projects include a portrait of young journalists changing their field, a fictional documentary about a love story between a space shuttle and Planet Earth, and an animated holiday card about a Syrian family in harm’s way. He’s currently curious about how a social media feed can become the next iteration of long-form journalism.
Aaron Ohlmann
Aaron Ohlmann is a filmmaker who has lived and worked in Hollywood, Bollywood, Nollywood, and Hillywood. He produced the feature documentary Viva Cuba Libre in Havana, shot episodes of VICE's Black Market: Dispatches in West Africa and Japan, spent a year working with the UN's Rwandan Genocide Tribunal, sometimes lectures at the Beijing Film Academy, and directs projects for brands, bands and NGOs worldwide.
Rice grain and white rice.Image via 
Person eats rice.Image via 
Washing and rinsing rice. 
Mother and daughter eating rice meal.Image via 
Janitor mops a hallwayCanva
A group of volunteers clean up trash from a fieldCanva
A monkey looks at its reflection in a mirrorCanva
A happy woman holds up a smiley face balloonCanva
Father talks with son.Image via 
Dad and son sit on the floor flexing muscles.Image via 
"Now I'm intrigued." 
Celebrate the wins.Image via 
Surprised and happy mother.Image via 
Problematic homework question
A student’s brilliant homework answer outsmarted her teacher's ridiculously sexist question
From an early age, children absorb societal norms—including gender stereotypes. But one sharp 8-year-old from Birmingham, England, challenged a sexist homework question designed to reinforce outdated ideas.
An English teacher created a word puzzle with clues containing “UR.” One prompt read “Hospital Lady,” expecting students to answer “nurse.”
While most did, Yasmine wrote “surgeon”—a perfectly valid answer. Her father, Robert Sutcliffe, shared the incident on X (formerly Twitter), revealing the teacher had scribbled “or nurse” beside Yasmine’s response, revealing the biased expectation.
For Yasmine, the answer was obvious: both her parents are surgeons. Her perspective proves how representation shapes ambition. If children only see women as nurses, they internalize limits. But when they witness diversity—like female surgeons—they envision broader possibilities.
As Rebecca Brand noted in The Guardian: “Their developing minds are that little bit more unquestioning about what they see and hear on their screens. What message are we giving those impressionable minds about women? And how might we be cutting the ambitions of little girls short before they've even had the chance to develop properly?”
X users praised Yasmine while critiquing the question. Such subtle conditioning reinforces stereotypes early. Research confirms this: a study found children as young as four associate jobs with gender, with girls choosing “feminine” roles (e.g., nursing) and boys opting for “masculine” ones (e.g., engineering).
Even preschoolers avoided careers misaligned with their gender, proving sexist conditioning begins startlingly young.
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The problem spans globally. Data from 50 countries reveals that by age 15, girls disproportionately abandon math and science, while boys avoid caregiving fields like teaching and nursing. This segregation perpetuates stereotypes—women are underrepresented in STEM, and men in caregiving roles—creating a cycle that limits both genders.
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This article originally appeared last year.