On the Cover of the Rolling Stone

Playing with both femininity and masculinity in fashion is nothing new, in particular, to the men of Rolling Stone. The biggest pioneers of feminity in men’s fashion include David Bowie and Prince. Recently, Harry Styles has become a more modern feminine men’s fashion icon after wearing a dress on the cover of Vogue in December 2020 and making headlines. Harry Styles also appears several times in Rolling Stone in feminine fashion. In 2022, he appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone as the “king of pop,” wearing a white fur coat and sparkly pink shorts.

Rolling Stone holds the top position for consumer music magazines and has over 16 million readers (Hay, 2004). Rolling Stone is very progressive and has always targeted the youth as its audience; “We cover rock music and if that’s your beat, you stay young by definition,” said the managing editor of Rolling Stone, Robert Wallace. When discussing the change of audience for the magazine, Wallace states, “If we decided to age with our initial reader, we’d be covering the music they liked 20 years ago.”

Jann Wenner started Rolling Stone during the “Summer of Love”, a.k.a the summer of 1967. At the time, Wenner was living in his mother’s basement with his girlfriend, Jane. Wenner felt most music magazines used their platforms to gawk at musicians rather than truly explore and cover the music. In Wenner’s words, “Rolling Stone is not just about music, but also about the things and attitudes that the music embraces.”

Magazines, such as Rolling Stone, have greatly affected the media’s representation of gender. Often, the media portrays masculinity and feminity in a rigid manner. However, the fashion in Rolling Stone portrays masculinity and femininity in a more flexible way. Playing with femininity in men’s fashion allows for more creativity because it goes beyond the stereotypical masculine standards. The representation of masculinity in media is an athletic, financially successful, and powerful man. Beauty and fashion are a choice rather than something that is expected of the archetypal man. Therefore, a man in feminine clothes may feel beautiful and sensual in a way that he can’t achieve in masculine clothes. When a magazine with such a widespread platform, such as Rolling Stone, includes feminine men’s fashion, it defies typical gender representation.

Male musicians who have stepped out in feminine style in recent years have been highly celebrated. In the Rolling Stone article “The 25 Most Stylish Musicians of 2022”, Lil Nas X was named #1 on the list. Lil Nas X is known for rocking neon colors, mixed prints, and flashy accessories. One of his best outfits includes his VMA look in September 2021, in which he wore a lavender Versace suit-gown hybrid, paired with sparkly butterfly jewelry. Lil Nas X also had three stunning outfit changes at the Met Gala in 2022, during which he pushed fashion boundaries and turned heads. His three outfits included a long golden cape, a suit of armor, and finally a glittery catsuit. There is no doubt that Lil Nas X is dedicated to his fashion and was one of the most original celebrities at the Met Gala.

Another artist featured on the list was Tyler the Creator. Tyler’s “Le Fleur” fashion has inspired countless street style trends by merging preppiness with California skater style. Nothing is off limits for Tyler’s “cool guy image”. Often found wearing cropped pieces and pastel colors, Tyler sometimes appears in a bleach-blonde wig for fun. His style is laidback and trendy, with the ability to pull off bold pieces effortlessly.

Despite the impact of feminine men’s fashion and its presence in Rolling Stone, there is a very limited market when it comes to buying these pieces. Some sellers on Depop, a website where people can buy and sell trendy clothes, specifically market their pieces as androgynous. Musicians like Bowie, Prince, and Styles have been wearing feminine fashion and now we’re seeing it beyond the stage. Although there is a lack of androgynous brands, Rolling Stone is one of the most influential magazines in the world— and their impact has been inspiring men to express their feminine side in the ways that are available.

WRITTEN BY FIONA ENGLISH

PLAYLIST CONNOISSEUR ALI BEDINGFIELD

Separating The Artist From The Art: Is It Possible? #cancelculture

8:30 PM March 7, 2023

WRITTEN BY EVAN HUNTINGTON DESIGNER STELLA RANELLETTI

Iwas quite the rebel in elementary school. Well, that is if “rebellious” behavior meant sneaking in a second generation iPod Nano in my pocket to listen to a couple songs during silent reading time, in which case, I was often guilty. As I hid in the back corner of the classroom, swallowed inside a large bean bag trying my best to conceal my wire earbuds, I always resorted to the same song — “Stronger” by Kanye West. Even with the novelty of having 1,000 songs in my pocket, the 2007 smash hit was always my first click.

In the following years, my fascination with the groundbreaking Chicago rapper and producer never halted. His consistent experimental and forwardthinking sound felt lightyears ahead of its time, enthralling millions of fans like me and inspiring a generation of new artists to blaze their own creative trail. Throughout his career, it hasn’t been uncommon to hear his name and the word “genius” uttered in the same sentence.

But within the past few years, West’s so-called “genius” status became forever tainted when he crossed a line. Well, many lines.

West has never been a stranger to public controversy. Since his infamous interruption of Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, his impulsive and reckless behavior has been amplified through many alarming instances — calling slavery a “choice,” targeting the Jewish community with inflammatory hate speech, questioning the real cause of George Floyd’s death, and even endorsing Adolf Hitler. His reputation took the shape of an extreme duality — ingenious musician and problematic egomaniac all in one.

West is far from the only globally revered artist in the public eye to expose the controversial facets of who they truly are. These issues go all the way back to Pablo Picasso, who is widely considered one of the most celebrated painters of the 20th century. His distinct style is internationally acclaimed, yet many are unaware of his misogynist and sadist behaviors, as well as his emotionally abusive treatment of women. Picasso took pleasure in physically and mentally torturing the women who loved him and used it as part of his creative process, according to his granddaughter, Marina Picasso. He even stated in an interview that women are “machines for suffering.”

Despite these appalling remarks and actions, many artists who have a history of problematic behavior are still highly esteemed and glorified for their work. Even if people are aware of their wrongdoings and the harm they cause, some still choose to overlook or completely ignore these harsh truths about the people they admire. We inherently know their actions are wrong, yet it can be hard to dismiss our love for their work and contributions to the craft. In these scenarios, the critical moral dilemma reveals itself — can we really separate the art from the artist? Or in other words, is it possible to distinguish our appreciation for one’s work from our condemnation of their actions?

This question in itself can be hard to approach, but no form of art can come without the artist. Art ultimately reflects the creator’s identity and is often an extension of who they are. Experiences, emotions, and personal stories all come together to influence creative expression, so taking the artist away from the equation removes any sense of meaning and context. Removing Picasso from his art means ignoring the fact that many of his pieces depicted underage women, whom he often had relationships with and would exploit to make a profit. In cases like these, making a distinction between the creator and their work is nearly impossible.

It can be hard for someone to suddenly push away a piece of art they loved, even when the artist remains controversial. Many attempt to justify their continued consumption of one’s art by claiming their work doesn’t explicitly reflect or state the problematic actions and contentious values they hold in reality. One could argue that West’s 2008 hit song “Heartless” does not directly depict any harmful or questionable lyrics that coincide with any real inflammatory behavior. Thus, differentiating West and his personal values from the seemingly harmless song can be achieved. Whatever the case, showing support for an artist can come in many forms, and all consumers have a responsibility to acknowledge and understand the weight of one’s actions before proceeding with a moral decision.

Everybody absorbs art differently, and everybody has their own moral codes by which they lead their life. At the end of the day, there are no clear-cut answers for how to approach moral dilemmas as they pertain to art and its innovators, but we must confront these uncomfortable situations head on. At the very least, these questions should not serve to provide people with the “right” answer with binary justifications, but rather they should ignite discussion and provoke conscious reflection. It’s up to the individual to decide how to deal with these predicaments, but regardless of which side one leans, they must hold artists accountable for their actions. It is only when we recognize and address the weight of an artist’s behaviors that we can make a decision about how, or if, we want to further consume their art.

It’s hard to bring myself to listen to West like I used to in the iPod era of my elementary days. Admittedly, it’s been difficult to deal with one of my favorite artists going down such a deplorable path, forever affecting how I hear the music I loved for years. But perspectives change just as people do. So as tragic as it may be, his music will never sound the same anymore, and my days of blasting “Stronger” in my earbuds will have to take a long hiatus.

The Latest Language

Toexist in girl world you must adhere to a set of unspoken rules of female friendships known to be the sacred acts of girl code. One of the crucial requirements is the ability to talk “girl talk”. Girl talk involves a set of ethics that focuses on banding together under the commonality of the female experience. Coming with its own forms of morphology, syntax, and semantics, girl talk is its own language. However to understand the covert language of girl talk, one must first understand the way in which female friendships themselves are formed.

Linguist and New York Times bestseller Debroah Tannen has dedicated her research to how everyday language affects relationships. In a podcast with American linguist John McWhorter, Tanner is interviewed about her research in which she describes the baseline for female and male friendships.

“Men tend to try and one up each other in conversation where women will try and find similarities,” Tannen said.

For example, a sample conversation between two young girls: One says “you know my babysitter called Amber has to wear contacts?” And the other says “My mom and dad have to wear contacts” and they get so excited and exclaim “The same?!” After this conversation the two girls have created a bond between them.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARY GROSSWENDT

DESIGNER ALLY WOODRING

WRITTEN BY EMILY ROGERS

MODELS LANIE WEINGARTEN & LILY POAT

This bond based on similarity can also be seen in adult women’s lives. For example, if you go into the women’s at any party you will find copious amounts of girls and their friends drunkenly complimenting each other and committing the sacred acts of “girl code”.

This bond under the commonality of the female experience, which is one of constantly fighting misogyny and proving yourself worthy beyond appearance, lends itself to a girl code that is mainly focused on raising each other’s confidence and staying together. Due to this, common phrases in the girl talk language are eye and hand signals of warning or excitement, always telling a girl if her hair is out of place or if she has something in her teeth, and raising each other’s confidence with phrases like “You’re gorgeous, you can do so much better.” While these signals and phrases may seem trivial to others who do not actively participate in girl talk they are vital to female friendships.

Girl talk is a constantly evolving language in the age of Tiktok and Twitter. Slang phrases like “slay”, used often in girl talk today lend themself to the idea - this is for the girls, gays, and theys. Which means it is a term commonly used by women and the LGBTQ+ community. Previously meaning to kill someone in Old English or to make someone laugh in the 1920s, slay has taken on a new meaning: to do something particularly well especially in relation to fashion, artistic performance, or self-confidence, given by the queer ball culture. Queer ball culture is an African-American and Latino underground LGBTQ+ subculture that originated in New York during the postCivil War era, creating a space for trans and queer people of color. Words like slay represent the intersectional relationship between gay culture, fashion, and the drag scene. What all of these words have in common is the understanding or the attempt of understanding girl code. Gay culture and the feminine experience can be related to the same form of bonding Tannen discussed in her interview. Both women and the LGBTQ+ community can understand the perspective of being seen as “the other ‘’ and the fight to prove themselves worthy in a cis gendered heterosexual male dominated society. This commonality creates a bond between them allowing both communities to be fluent in girl talk. As the phrases used in girl talk are for the purpose of evaluating someone’s confidence in a world that is perpetually against them.

Even complimentary phrases like slay are under sexist policing for being too feminine or ditzy. In retaliation to this grammar expert Emmy J. Favilla, who wrote a guide to internet language, A World Without “Whom”, stated, “(The fact is) language has been going to hell in a handbasket for centuries,The policing of women’s language is misguided and harmful because it says to women you’re doing something wrong. (…) It is simply a form of sexism.... It is actually young women who are leading language change. So if a woman is saying something and you want to get upset at her for it, turn around and high-five her because she’s in the vanguard.”

Girl world is open to all who aim to actively participate in the uplifiting of women while forming friendships in the process. However, like travelling to any new country to get around you must really know the language.