Atlas Magazine: Spring 2016 Online Issue

Spring 2016 online issue

A LAS magazine

Co-Editors-in-Chief: Marlo Jappen & Lindsey Paradis Creative Director: Bella Wattles Design Assistant: Samantha Harton STYLE Editor: Antonia DePace Writers: Sara Henke, Sidney Lee, Casey Tsamis HEALTH Editor: Annette Choi Writers: Emma Dunn, Olivia Woollett CITY Editor: Samantha Harton Writers: Jessica Filippone, Hannah McKeen GLOBE Editor: Suchita Chadha Writers: Maria Garcia, Lala Thaddeus, Katja Vujic ONLINE ISSUE WRITERS Writers: Caitlin Smith, Jackie DeFusco, Sarah Hope COPY EDITORS Head Copy Editor: Allyson Floridia Copy Editors: Caitlin Muchow, Caitlin Smith, Alysen Smith, Katrina Taylor PHOTOGRAPHY Photo Editor: Evie Hansford Photographers: Jacob Cutler, Nick Vigue, Nora Wilby MARKETING TEAM Marketing Director: Shelby Carney ATLAS ONLINE Blog Editor: Charlotte Slota Bloggers: Lauren Lopez, Caitlin Muchow, Margeaux Sippell

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Meet the Editors

Lindsey Paradis

Marlo Jappen

A couple months ago this issue was only an idea, a concept we, at Atlas, had never executed: a mid-semester online issue of 31 articles and photo editorials completed on a shorter timeline, all in addition to our spring print issue. So I want to thank the Atlas team for making this happen. This issue is dedicated to the executive board members who voted yes to this crazy idea of mine, the copy editors and photographers who had their workload doubled, our assistant designer Samantha Harton who cranked this issue out and the writers who crafted beautiful content.

This issue means a lot to me, my proverbial baby. Thank you for reading.

Spring is finally here. The once bare trees scattered across the Boston Common are sprouting lush, green leaves and the days are becoming longer and warmer. Spring is the season of growth, and I couldn’t think of a better time to introduce Atlas’ first ever online-only issue. We wanted to expand our content and reach as well as give more Emerson students the opportunity to share their talent with us. In my past three years with Atlas, I’ve had the pleasure of watching the magazine strengthen and develop. My hope is that you’ll enjoy the fruits of our latest endeavor.

Lindsey Paradis Co-Editor-in-Chief

Best, Marlo Jappen Co-Editor-in-Chief

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Bella Wattles Creative Director

meet the staff Evie Hansford Photo Editor

Samantha Harton City Editor, Design Assistant

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Annette Choi Health Editor

Allyson Floridia Head Copyeditor

Shelby Carney Marketing Director

Suchita Chadha Globe Editor

Antonia DePace Style Editor

Charlotte Slota Blog Editor

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IN THIS ISSUE

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pg. 10

CAMPUS

CITY

The EVVYs pg. 10 Kiera Wilson, the Creative Aesthetic Executive Producer for the EVVYs, shares what it’s like behind the scenes at the country’s largest, student-produced live production.

The How to Have a Parisian Experience Right Here in Boston pg. 18 Can’t fly over to Paris? No worries. These Boston locations give off serious Parisian vibes.

A New Emerson Major pg. 12 Yuri Cataldo gives Atlas the inside scoop on Emerson’s new Business of Creative Enterprises major.

Survey Says pg. 14 Emerson’s Polling Society has been busy predicting the presidential election.

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Adult Coloring Books Trend Report pg. 20 Trend report: adult coloring books are in and taking over Boston.

Pop Art and Pop-Tarts pg. 22 Local artist Chris Galo shares his pop art inspiration.

Masked Editorial pg. 24

pg. 22

GLOBE Tourist or Traveler pg. 34 Halfway through her semester at Kasteel Well, Globe writer Katja Vujic gives tips on traveling abroad ethically.

Defining Kerala pg. 36 Globe Editor Suchita Chadha reflects on her time traveling the Indian state of Kerala.

The Chai Tea Conundrum pg. 39 Chai-tea? Chai-chai? A look at the history of chai and the conundrum of chai-tea.

SPRING 2016

pg. 36

pg. 46

STYLE

HEALTH

Behind the Scenes with Daniela Peštová pg. 42 Style writer Casey Tsamis sits down with Czech model Daniela Peštová.

No Whey: Skip the Protein Powder pg. 56 An exploration of supplements and whether they do more harm than good.

Brow Filling Made Easy pg. 44 Experts advise on a new element in the eyebrow game: brow filling.

Mixing Patterns pg. 46 Two Boston fashion bloggers give guidelines on the tricky trend of mixing prints.

In the Long Run pg. 58 There was a time when women weren’t allowed to run the Boston Marathon. Now, two Emersonians share their experiences as female Marathon participants.

The Benefits of Saunas and How to Maximize Them pg. 60 More than just a relaxing steam, saunas provide substantial health benefits.

pg. 18

ABOVE PHOTOS: Evie Hansford, Nick Vigue, Jacob Cutler, Chris Galo, Suchita Chadha COVER PHOTO: Evie Hansford SECTION PHOTO: Evie Hansford STAFF PHOTOS: Evie Hansford Get a Bit Fit with the Fitbit pg. 62 A look at one of fitness’ hottest accessories: the FitBit, replacing pedometers everywhere.

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CAMPUS The EVVYS // pg. 10

A New Emerson Major // pg. 12 Survey Says // pg. 14

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The EVVYS: Insight From the Show’s Creative Aesthetic Executive Producer WRITER: Lindsey Paradis PHOTO: Jacob Cutler The EVVYs might only be one night, but some Emerson students have been preparing for it since last April. We sat down with Creative Aesthetic Executive Producer Kiera Wilson for insight on what to expect at The 35th Annual EVVY Awards.

WHAT ARE THE EVVYS? The EVVYs are the largest student-produced live production in the country. We are an award show that celebrates the works of Emerson students in fields from film and theater to marketing and journalism.

WHO RUNS THE EVVYS? The EVVYs are run by four Executive Producers (Isabella Boettcher, Kristen McLaughlin and Daniel Sheehy in addition to Wilson), who are helped by advisors Eric Fox, Diana Barton, and Kevin Bright.

WHEN DOES PREPARATION FOR THE EVVYS START? The four of us started preparing for the EVVYs last April.

We worked on the concept of the show aesthetically and content-wise, created some marketing videos/photos and worked with each other to figure out who would be overseeing which departments. Over the summer, we hired our table staff, which consist of our department heads, of which there are about 40.

Once the year began, we hit the ground running by making marketing graphics, casting our hosts, hiring assistants and crew for various departments and working with certain departments that take a long time to work on—such as scenic, the line producer, the costume designers, the tech managers and the writing staff. Since the beginning of the year, the whole EVVYs team has worked tirelessly putting out marketing videos, graphics, photos, conceptualizing and creating the Gala, designing lighting, sets and costumes, scouting performances, writing both the Gala and the Majestic show script, managing talent, managing the budget, designing trophies, working on camera plots, choreographing, etc etc. It’s a lot of work and a lot of things happening at once.

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HOW CAN SOMEONE GET INVOLVED IN THE EVVYS? Throughout the course of the year we hire over 300 students, so there are plenty of opportunities. The best ways to figure out which departments are hiring is to come to our general meetings held at the beginning of each semester.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE EVVYS GALA AND THE SHOW? The Gala happens first on April 17, and then the EVVYs show happens after on May 6. There are two separate shows because we have so many award categories that it would take far too long to go through all of them in just one go. The Gala features awards that are more print-based, like political communication, marketing, fiction/nonfiction and journalism awards. The Majestic show features more multimedia-based awards, like film, theater, TV, etc.

They have very different feels—the Gala is more intimate, personal, with a dinner and a more closeup interaction with the hosts.

The Majestic show, since it’s at the Cutler Majestic, is meant to feel larger than life.

WHO ARE THE HOSTS THIS YEAR AND WHAT ARE THEIR ROLES? Our Gala hosts are Joey McManus and Peyton Dix and our Cutler Majestic Hosts are Jesse Lynn Harte and Marty Miller.

The Executive Producers pick the hosts at the beginning of the year after holding open auditions and callbacks. It’s a long process—we discuss every single person who auditions and at callbacks, pair different people up to see who works well off of each other. This year we got incredibly talented, funny and hardworking hosts who we couldn’t be happier with. The four of them work really well together and in their pairs. We know everyone will really enjoy watching them.

WHY ARE THE EVVYS SO IMPORTANT? The EVVYs are important because they show off the amazing work that Emerson students do every year. There is no other place in the world where students work so hard to create beautiful stories and professional level content not just for class but for pleasure. Emerson students deserve to have a night where they can sit back and say, Yeah, I deserve to be recognized for the hard work I’ve done. We all come from different backgrounds and majors, but the one thing that binds us is our love of the things we create.

Everyone should get an opportunity to show off what they make and experience the work of their peers.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT THIS YEAR? This year is going to be huge. We have amazing hosts with a hilarious script for both shows, with musical numbers for both the Gala and the Majestic. Our theme this year is “Creativity,” so we’re showcasing the creativity of Emerson students and what they put out. We’re aiming to have an old-Hollywood feel, so the show will feel super glamorous and fun. It’s going to be amazing.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE SHOW OR PROCESS? My favorite part is EVVYs week, when everyone working on the EVVYs stays after finals end to build the set in the Majestic every day, all day. There’s nothing like the energy of 300 plus students working their asses off to build something they believe in.

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A New Emerson Major Connecting the Dots ” in a Freelance Economy “

WRITER: Jackie DeFusco PHOTO: Nick Vigue

A few years after completing his MFA at Yale University in production design, Yuri Cataldo found himself holding a sign for Verizon Wireless in Indiana. When it comes to careers in the arts, things don’t always work out as planned.

This is precisely why today, as the director of Emerson College’s new Business of Creative Enterprises major, Cataldo wants to teach students how to practically apply their creative passions in the midst of an evolving economy.

He says, “Businesses today are in need of creative, adaptive employees. To teach an artist—who is already prone to this kind of thinking—basic business skills is a much easier transition than the reverse. It is very difficult to teach creativity.”

While designing the BCE major, Cataldo kept the

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shortcomings of his own education in mind. The only business advice he ever received was to get an agent, he admits.

“My education was very traditional, very A + B = C, and that’s simply not how it works anymore in the workforce.”

The BCE major is specifically geared towards integrating business and art classes, but will also pull classes from Emerson’s existing majors. With a basic understanding of marketing and business tactics, students will then get to choose a creative focus such as publishing, theatre or even video game design.

“It’s kind of a ‘choose your own adventure’ major,” he explains.

While there are colleges that offer similar majors, Cataldo says that many of these programs are more narrowly focused and that Emerson’s will teach broader skills

that can be applied to a variety of fields. Students coming out of this program will be more attuned to changes in the economy and will be flexible enough to play off them.

In fact, Yuri himself is a perfect example of how creative skills can translate into business advantages. He was able to talk his way into a job in 2011 as a TV sales representative despite his lack of marketing experience. “I had no idea what I was doing,” he admits. “But I was able to convince them that I had sales chops by translating my ability to sell myself in the design world to selling a product.”

Yuri was also able to apply his skills to jump-start a highly successful water bottle company, IndigoH2O. He says, “I was already well-rehearsed in dealing with uncertainty, as many freelance artists are, so I was able to just jump in and figure

it out…I learned marketing and social media tactics along the way.”

Like Yuri, Emerson students are determined to forge their own path as the economy switches gears. Exploring Entrepreneurship, a class that was launched in the last year, proved popular among the student body. Several students chose to complement arts majors with the school’s Entrepreneurial Studies minor as well as the Emerson Accelerator Program, which allows students to create a company with mentors, seed money and the goal of eventually launching it. Cataldo hopes to respond to this demand in the coming years by opening up BCE classes to students of all majors.

He says, “We’re not really reinventing the wheel. We’re just connecting the dots.”

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WRITER: Marlo Jappen PHOTO: Evie Hansford PICTURED: Christian Allen, Chris Kane, Marion Kinosian, Emily Bazydlo, Hannah Ritter, Matthew Couture, Nathan Rollins.

The Emerson College Polling Society (ECPS) asks public questions about the current political race as well as relevant national and local issues. Some of its findings have been published by notable media outlets including The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo! News and The Huffington Post. We turned the tables and put co-president Hannah Ritter, political communications ’16, in the hot seat. Ritter joined ECPS in the fall of 2013 as a freshman and became co-president in spring 2015.

DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE AS CO-PRESIDENT OF ECPS. As co-president, I work closely with my co-president, Chris Kane, and our advisor, Spencer Kimball, to coordinate the schedule of all elements of writing, analyzing and releasing a poll. We work to manage our team to make sure every aspect is completed and no efforts are duplicated.

WOULD YOU SAY THAT THIS ORGANIZATION IS WELL-KNOWN AROUND EMERSON? I think we are well-known within the Communication Studies Department. We have also been featured in The Berkeley Beacon. But throughout the entire college, I don’t think many people know who we are or what we do.

WITH THE ELECTION APPROACHING, IS THIS A BUSY AND EXCITING TIME FOR ECPS? Working on our primary polls has been overwhelming and exciting. Having a great team and getting some public recognition of our results keep me motivated and excited about our work.

WHEN DONALD TRUMP REFERENCED ECPS ON-AIR IT GENERATED A LOT OF BUZZ FROM EMERSON STUDENTS. WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION? Immediately, I was very proud of our organization. And I was also happy that my peers at Emerson started to be curious about ECPS. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE EMERSON STUDENTS WHO WANT TO BECOME MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT POLITICS? DO YOU SUGGEST ANY RESOURCES? The best way to stay involved is to always be connected.

Watch all the debates and read a variety of sources. I suggest

getting updates to your phone or computer from a few news outlets that you trust. Morning briefings from theSkimm and The New York Times really keep you in the loop.

IN YOUR OWN WORDS, CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE POLLING PROCESS? DOES THE TEAM MOSTLY RELY ON PHONE CALLS AND FOCUS GROUPS? After our ECPS team writes the survey, the poll is distributed through an automatic call system that provides us with our raw results, which we analyze through a software to create a representative sample. Then we perform our qualitative analysis, press release writing and media distribution.

THERE’S A NOTORIOUS GENERALIZATION THAT EMERSON STUDENTS HATE MATH. HOW MUCH MATH IS INVOLVED IN ANALYZING THE DATA? Honestly, the computer software does most of the math.

We rely on excel equations to help us out.

WHAT HAVE YOU GAINED FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE AT ECPS? ECPS has taught me how to be a good team member.

From that, I learned the importance of getting work done efficiently and communicating professionally.

WHAT TRIPS HAVE ECPS GONE ON? ANY PROJECTS OR EVENTS PLANNED FOR THE FUTURE? ECPS is included in most of the Communication Studies adventures. We have traveled to Washington DC, Iowa and New Hampshire. We have no plans right now for the future!

HAVE ANY POLL RESULTS OR TOPICS SURPRISED YOU? When we asked about domestic violence in some polls last winter, we had some surprising results. I always like to see our results on issue questions.

HOW CAN EMERSON STUDENTS BECOME INVOLVED WITH ECPS? Email me! hannah_ritter@emerson.edu. Our meetings have not been regular this year because of the primaries but we always love new members! Also check out our website and Twitter page at www.theecps.com and @emersonpolling.

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CITY

The How to Have a Parisian Experience Right Here in Boston // pg. 18 Adult Coloring Books Trend Report // pg. 20 Pop Art and Pop-Tarts // pg. 22 Masks Editorial // pg. 24

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How to Have a Parisian Experience Right Here in Boston WRITER: Margeaux Sippel PHOTO: Nick Vigue Imagine a day in Paris. Just one day in which to experience the best parts of the city. A day far, far away from all troubles and responsibilities—enough time to relax, enjoy and be back in the blink of an eye.

Alas, weekend trips to Paris aren’t the easiest thing to do for most college students. Study abroad opportunities are always possible, but after that semester, it’s a bit of a hike from Boston to Europe. If only it were possible to visit where you wanted for just 24 hours, as if it were all a daydream. The perfect day in Paris would be just the right kind of adventure to relax during the middle of a long semester. This may come as a surprise, but it’s possible to have a beautiful, dreamlike Parisian day while staying in Boston.

If you use your imagination, a day in Paris can be a reality.

The only thing missing will be the Eiffel Tower.

10 a.m. Brunch. Neighborhoods Coffee and Crepes Your day begins just an eight-minute walk from the Fenway T stop. Located at 96 Peterborough St. is a lovely cafe called Neighborhoods Coffee and Crepes. Sit at a wood-finished table across windows adorned with red gingham curtains and windows boxes with fresh flowers. On the wall, the coffee

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specials are written on an antique, ornately-framed mirror.

Old China print wallpaper and exposed bulb-hanging lights give off a distinctly French atmosphere, a look completed by clean, simple countertops and tableware. The space screams simple, elegant, chic. A place to enjoy the “joie de vivre” with a handmade crepe and an iced coffee served in a mason jar. Have a lemon and sugar crepe with an iced latte or maybe a croque monsieur (a Parisian speciality with ham, gruyere cheese and dijon mustard) with an espresso and a macaroon.

1:00 p.m. Sightseeing. Old City Hall When you are ready to venture back into the world, visit the Old City Hall at 45 School St. Built in 1865, it was designed by Arthur D. Gilman and Gridley James Fox Bryant in the architectural style of the French Second Empire. Riddled with arched windows and ornate columns, it harkens back to a time when architecture was an art form. At the top is a domelike structure faded a pleasant seafoam green over its 150 years of guarding the city of Boston. Though it is now used for commercial purposes, the outside is still reminiscent of its heyday, when the French style was used by the highest in society.

4:00 p.m. Shopping: Roche Bobois Down the street and around the corner at 2 Avery St. is Roche Bobois, a furniture store based out of Paris that features “contemporains et nouveaux classiques.” Step inside and explore the modern side of French style and design. Browse their wide selection of products and furnishings, featuring pieces

by Jean Paul Gaultier. As you take in the unique aesthetic, imagine that you are walking through the home of a friend in Paris. Surrounding yourself with designer sofas, armchairs and bookcases will make you feel right at home in the city of love.

6:00 p.m. Reading and Conversation at the French Cultural Center So you’ve tried some classic Parisian street food, seen the sights and experienced a modern, chic French home setting. Now it’s time to have a French conversation. Visit the French Cultural Center of Boston, which you can find nestled amongst the brownstones at 53 Marlborough St., just past the outermost edge of the Public Garden. Prepare to be greeted with a grand staircase as you enter, at the foot of which you can find the front desk where someone will be waiting to point you in the right direction. To your left will be the gallery, where contemporary French artwork is shown once a month. To your right will be the ballroom, where some language classes and events are held. The center offers private tutoring, weekly group lessons, one-day weekend immersion classes as well as conversational meetings held in a coffee shop with native French speakers. Up the stairs is the library, which houses books only in French and is the 2nd largest of its kind

in the United States. For the best experience here, talk to the Library Director Marie Lalevee. She describes the Cultural Center as offering “the true Francophone experience,” with numerous classes, activities and events designed to accommodate everyone from beginners to seasoned French speakers.

The library orders copies of current magazines, literature and graphic novels as they gain popularity. “We try to spotlight the big things happening in France as of late,” Lalevee says.

8:00 p.m. Dinner. Ma Maison The proper end to any Parisian adventure is undoubtedly a dinner in which one simply closes their eyes and enjoys. At 272 Cambridge St. in the historic neighborhood of Beacon Hill, there awaits a dimly lit, classic French bistro called Ma Maison. Stepping inside feels like being teleported to the heart of Paris. With luck, you may have the fortune of being served

by Denis (pronounced “duh-nee”) Vallet, who is from Burgundy. “This place is like the classic bistro you would find in Paris,” says Vallet. He recommends traditional dishes like duck pâté, boeuf bourguignon, steak frites and escargot if one is seeking an authentic French meal. For those seeking a more familiar option, Ma Maison claims home to the best french onion soup in town, and not without earning it. Denis went on to explain that if one wanted to be truly Parisian, then sweetbreads would be the best option. Contrary to the name, this dish generally consists of the throat, neck, gullet or pancreas of a calf or lamb.

“That’s very French, very Parisian,” Denis says with a smirk.

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Adult Coloring Books TREND REPORT WRITER: Caitlin Smith ILLUSTRATION: Tricia Sullivan Coloring books have gotten a makeover. Instead of blank space with a simple character outlined in the center, geometric designs and intricate jungles are now filling the pages. These are not your children’s coloring books; these are for adults to pick up their crayons once again.

In 2013, Johanna Basford published her first adult coloring book, “Secret Garden.” More than a million copies were purchased within the coming two years. In February of 2015, “Enchanted Forest,” Basford’s sequel adult coloring book, hit shelves and sold out almost immediately. Due to their rise in popularity, a variety of coloring books filled with different designs and themes are being sold and colored.

Of the current top 20 book best sellers on Amazon, three are coloring books including “Calm the F*ck Down: An Irreverent Coloring Book” by Sasha O’Hara, “Adult Coloring Books: A Coloring Book for Adults Featuring Mandalas and Henna Inspired Flowers, Animals, and Paisley Patterns” by Zing Books, and a Dr. Who themed book. Nationally, the trend is only growing.

Locally, Boston has its own coloring book culture. Trident Booksellers, a local cafe and book shop located on Newbury Street, has taken advantage of the trend by hosting coloring book events about twice a month. “We don’t post [the coloring book events] too much in advance, the problem is people buy tickets [and] then people go on the waitlist and then people don’t show up,” states Michael Lemanski, presently General Manager and employee since 2004, on the coloring book events. They occur in the early evening, with tickets sold for $10. This price includes food, drinks, coloring supplies, a movie playing in the background and a 15 percent off coupon on any of Trident’s stocked coloring books. Trident carries a large va-

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riety of coloring books and have begun hosting coloring book events during the rise of the trend last year. When asked their prediction about the coloring book trend, Lemanski states, “Who knows. We’re going to ride the wave.” Expect more coloring book events from Trident within the coming months.

The trend has even spread beyond book retailers. Coloring books have become shelf staples in other niche stores, such as Urban Outfitters and Newbury Comics. Rebecca Crandall, an employee at the Newbury Comics on Newbury Street says, “At first there were only a few. They were all based on shows or movies [and] they sold really well. Then we just kept getting more in. Then we got colored pencils to sell with them. I was talking to a customer once and they were telling me they thought it was nice, being able to go back to such a simple place, one from childhood, in order to meditate and relax.”

Students here at Emerson College follow the coloring book trend. Delia Curtis, writing, literature and publishing ’19, is one of those who finds the activity nostalgic. Curtis has experience using coloring books as a vehicle for social connection; sitting down with a friend to color separately frees one’s mind of any inhibitions. “The conversation just goes wherever,” says Curtis.

Yael Assaf-Gruzman and Ravit Kobliner-Nissim have modeled their business, Brighton’s Muse Art Therapy Studio, on the concept of art therapy. Both women are educated in art therapy and share a combined thirty five years in the business.

Gruzman looks at adult coloring books as potential stress relievers. She says coloring book patrons are “focusing on the moment without doing something else at the same time.”

Coloring books have integrated themselves into the culture of Boston.

Pop Art and Pop-Tarts CONTRIBUTING WRITER: Jay Alba COURTESY PHOTOS: Chris Galo

“My room is not normally this clean,” says Chris Galo. He plops into a chair next to an unfinished painting too large for the table it rests on. “My stuff is everywhere, you know? I like people to see the process of it all.” Contemporary artist Chris Galo, 28, lives in a mess of color. His jeans are almost completely coated in paint splatters. His bedroom is cluttered with stained art supplies and empty paint jugs. Large canvases cover the walls: caricature-esque portraits, a gigantic blueberry PopTart. Shoved into a corner is a stack of smaller canvases featuring humorous pop art works that Galo plans to sell in Harvard Square, including a depiction of the “American Gothic” farmer holding a lightsaber.

Galo started selling his paintings in September 2012 as a way to earn money while he was still adjusting to Boston. He had just moved to Somerville from his hometown—Bolton, Connecticut—and hadn’t yet found a job. He learned that his friend was making $60 a day playing guitar on the sidewalks of Harvard Square. One day, Galo sat down beside him and displayed a few of his paintings.

“I started selling those in Harvard Square because I just wanted someone to come along and offer me a job,” he says, nodding to his pop art canvases in the corner. “They’re expensive business cards. It’s got a painting on one side and all my info on the other side.” Galo thought selling his art could pay the rent for a few months. Instead, painting became his full-time job.

Galo supposes that he was always creative as a kid, but he never thought of himself as an artist. He didn’t start painting until he went to college at Central Connecticut University.

His graphic design major required him to take drawing classes, which was where he developed his skills.

“I was very bad,” he says. “I would do abstract pieces because I couldn’t really paint. I just wanted to see what I could do. How far I could push it.”

He took a class on creating street art, which required some “vandalization,” as Galo describes it. It was essentially creating art in a public space. Uncomfortable with defacing public

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property, Galo instead hung small canvases inside random buildings. His artwork featured Steven’s Spielberg’s “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” as the new subject of famous paintings like the “Mona Lisa” or “Whistler’s Mother.” These were some of the first pieces that would end up defining Galo’s pop art style: a clash of pop culture and classical art. He says, “Basically, I’ll think of the character I want to use first, then I’ll find a painting that is very famous and very recognizable and juxtapose it as well as I can.”

Now that Galo sells his artwork in Harvard Square, his collection has expanded to include more pop culture mashups.

Most of them are prints that Galo paints over with acrylic.

He starts by laying a printed image over a canvas, a process he repeats with upwards of 50 canvases. Over the next few days, he paints over the original print with paint, almost like tracing the image. These pieces are part of a business Galo describes as “mass production.” Passersby enjoy the paintings, especially younger customers who recognize the pop culture references.

During his first year, he managed to sell about two to five canvases a week. As he slowly learned the tricks of the trade, his sales rose each year. Now, Galo can now sell about 35–40 paintings on a busy day, which is usually during the summer months.

With the income from his pop art collection, Galo is free to create his own passion projects on the side. His personal artwork shows more of his personality, his friends and his childhood. They are drawn on larger canvases and take much more time and effort, about 40–50 hours for each piece.

“I basically paint things I think are really funny, but also really complicated at the same time,” says Galo. “I put a lot of my friends in my artwork. A lot of childhood references like Nintendo and Star Wars.”

He displays his more personal pieces in galleries, mostly in Connecticut, where he has a large following. He hosted a series of shows called “The Ruggles Art Show,” that featured local artists’ work and attracted audiences of over 1,500. Galo’s work has also been shown in restaurants, painting competi-

tions and even a yoga studio in Hartford, Connecticut.

It’s especially rewarding to see people genuinely interested in his art, although he admits that it’s a difficult industry. “The art world has its ups and downs. There’s certain times when it’s super popular and there are other times when it falls behind,” he says. “It’s like everything. People get really into something for a while and then it goes away and no one cares.”

He boils it down to 50 percent luck, finding the right person who will take a chance on an artist’s work. But forging a career as an artist is too risky for Galo to recommend for anyone else. “I mean, I can barely say I do it as a career,” he says. “I can make enough to support myself, but is that technically a career?”As for his own prospects, Galo doesn’t see fame and fortune in his future. Nor does he see himself selling art in Harvard Square for the rest of his life. He’s satisfied with the idea of finding a more traditional job as long as it still allows him to be creative. Maybe he’ll end up as a graphic designer like he originally intended. Painting can be a hobby; it doesn’t have to pay his rent.

“I like to classify myself as a real artist because I am messy.

I am colorful,” says Galo. “And I think I exude that with what I wear and also how I paint. I like to resemble my artwork. So that’s it.” He drops the imaginary mic. “Boom.”

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MaskED PHOTO: Evie Hansford MODEL: Diego Rosende, Yiling Luo

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GLOBE Tourist or Traveler // pg. 34 Defining Kerala // pg. 36 The Chai Tea Conundrum // pg. 39

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tourist or traveler Protips and Ethical travel WRITER: Katja Vujic ILLUSTRATION: Tricia Sullivan

What distinguishes a tourist from a traveler? It’s a subjective question, but the answer is simple. A tourist observes; a traveler absorbs, entangles, involves. Tourists are sometimes thought of by residents of oft-touristed cities and countries as an annoyance, while a traveler is usually something to aspire to be, a descriptor people wear with pride. There is nothing wrong with being a tourist. However, there are ways for tourists to avoid fulfilling the negative stereotype.

Tourists are equal parts despised and appreciated by residents of the toured city; those who rely on tourists to put bread on the table tend to have a more positive attitude while others

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scoff the moment they see a fanny pack and camera.

Why, though, do tourists sometimes get a bad reputation?

The economy boost seems like something that all residents would appreciate. It mainly has to do with disrespect; not every tourist and traveler is disrespectful, but those who approach traveling with an air of arrogance and entitlement create a negative reputation that can affect any foreign visitor. The U.S. does not have the best track record in terms of foreign relations, which can create resentment that may not have anything to do with a particular individual. Tourists who enter a new country expecting to be catered to, living no differently from the way

they do at home, also add to that stigma. One of the biggest benefits of traveling is the opportunity to experience something different from your own life at home. Doing the same thing you normally do, just in a different location, will not enrich your life.

Moreover, some economies are actually heavily burdened by tourism. In Croatia, many residents of coastal cities and towns complain that the rise of cruise ship tours has badly harmed the local economy. Cruise ships are often gateways to bad tourism; they allow tourists to stroll around to their heart’s content, seeing the sights, maybe purchasing a postcard or a figurine and then returning to the comfort of their hotel on the sea. They eat most meals, sleep and interact there, and the local food and lodging economy loses business. Corporations get richer while locals lose essential revenue.

So how can you travel in a way that doesn’t negatively impact locals and that gives you something more than a new profile picture? The most important first step is to come to terms with yourself and your position. There’s no need to pretend you aren’t American or go to great lengths in order to hide the fact that you are a visitor. Instead, concern yourself with representing the country you come from positively.

Hiding behind a forged identity will inhibit your connection with your surroundings and pretending to be more “cultured” than you are is only going to draw attention to your pretense.

If you are excited to be traveling for the first time, trying a food you’ve never eaten or seeing a monument you’ve only read about, don’t feel like you have to hide that. Excitement is what traveling is all about.

HELPING HAND Don’t be afraid to ask for help. As long as you approach correctly (i.e. a polite greeting, a smile, asking as opposed to demanding), most people will be happy to help you. Google maps is great, but it doesn’t always know the tricky details that come from living in a place. Sometimes a request for directions turns into a restaurant recommendation or even a new friend.

“I think tourists shouldn’t be afraid of asking questions, and they should adapt to the rhythm of the town,” says Emine Bozman, a student born and raised in one the world’s most popular tourist destinations: Paris. “Sometimes in the subway or the train, it’s hard for them, so they sometimes stand in front of doors and we can’t get out. Besides little things like this, and as long as they keep places clean, everything is okay. I think people in Paris are so used to tourists that we see them as regular Parisians. They don’t bother us. They are just traveling.

We’ve all been tourists, so I can understand them. And Paris wouldn’t be Paris without them!”

SPEAKING TONGUES A little effort goes a very long way. Wherever you go, it’s not difficult to look up at least how to say “Hello,” and “Do you speak English?” This kind of approach is a lot more likely to garner a positive response than a presumptive demand spoken in English, with the expectation that the other person will both understand you and know the information you need, as well as be willing to share it with you in a language you understand. Side note: be aware of gestures, as well. In Greece, Spain and Brazil, for example, the OK sign is seen as offensive; it

means you’re calling someone an a**hole. In Belgium, making a fist and sticking a pinky out is an easy way to order a beer in a noisy, crowded restaurant. Just Google “hand gestures in _____,” and if there are gestures to be found, you will find them.

INSTARUDE Don’t take pictures of strangers without their permission.

Taking a cool traveling picture is never worth disrespecting someone else’s privacy. Consider your reason for taking the picture. If the subject of the picture is a person, it’s oftentimes an act of exoticization. It’s saying, “Hey! Look at this person who is different from me! They’re so foreign and mysterious!”

Alienating people is never okay, but it’s especially not okay when you yourself are the foreigner.

SCRAM, SCAM Scammers are everywhere. Many business owners and employees are kind and helpful, but some will try to shortchange you, sell something for the wrong price or manipulate you into buying something you don’t need. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. Be alert, but don’t make assumptions about everyone you come into contact with. Most people have good intentions. Trust your gut feeling.

CONTEXT CLUES In any given situation, be aware of context clues. If something seems wrong or doesn’t make sense to you, there may be a very simple explanation that you are unaware of because it requires an understanding of local culture and customs. Your customary behavior may be strange to the person you’re encountering, so give people the benefit of the doubt; not everyone is out to get you. Above all, try not to be shocked by everything that’s done differently. What’s normal in America is not normal everywhere.

There is no shame in traveling. Don’t be afraid of the stereotypes; instead, defy them with kindness and a willingness to live life a little differently. Bozman recommends that travelers express what they’re experiencing. “When someone likes the town you are from, it’s always nice to talk together about it, show them good places and good restaurants. It’s good to see diversity in Paris, different people from different countries.”

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Defining Kerala WRITER: Suchita Chadha COURTESY PHOTO: Suchita Chadha

I may have been born in India and have even spent time growing up in the Middle East, but when I think of December, I think of the snow falling past my apartment window in Mississauga, Canada. I think of the biting wind that sneaks between the buttons of my coat and whips my hair back and forth. I think of gray, white and brown landscapes, dotted with red, blue and pink holiday lights. I think of hot chocolate warming my hands through mittens and steaming up my glasses. The one thing I don’t think about? Green. And yet there I was in Kerala, surrounded by the colors of spring and summer in the middle of December.

For me, green and white were the defining characteristics of my week-long visit to the southwestern Indian state. My first real road trip, everything we did and saw was always on the way to our destination of the day—the place we’d be sleeping for the night. It’s safe to say we saw a lot, visiting six cities in four days and driving through many more. None of it was unexpected per se—I’d done a decent amount of research beforehand—but it was still a bit of a shock to my system. From the heat to the landscape, it was all around very different from my usual winter at home.

Kerala is located along the southern tip of India, along

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the western Malabar Coast and with the Laccadive Sea on its western shore and the Western Ghats along the eastern. Its geographic positioning gives the state three distinct regions despite it being such a narrow land, with mountains, rolling hills and coastal plains.

Historically, Kerala has been a renowned spice exporter since 3000 B.C. It is this spice trade that later enticed the Portuguese and the Dutch to set their eyes on India, paving a way for the European colonies prevalent in 15th century South India, while the Islamic dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate and then the Mughals conquered North India. Although the cultural influence of those Europeans—who only conquered a fewer minor regions in comparison to the Mughals—is still somewhat evident, it’s the British legacy from the late 19th century that truly changed the face of India. In the Western Ghats mountain region, particularly around Munnar, a hill station in the east Kerala Idukki district, tea plantations cover near 60,000 acres of the sloping hillsides.

When the British East India Company set about establishing rule on the continent, mass tea production became integral to Indian economy. Tea, while native to some parts of India, had been scarcely used. Even then, it was only for the pur-

pose of Ayurvedic medicine. The company’s goal was to outdo the Chinese, where tea bushes are an indigenous plant, and they did so by planting imported Chinese tea seeds. Though the East India Company initially began creating plantations in the North East (Assam and later Darjeeling), the tropical climate of Kerala made it an ideal location for further expansion. Today, alongside coconuts, coffee and a whole range of spices, tea plays a big role in sustaining the agricultural economic growth.

Though there is a copious amount of natural beauty in the state, it is the tea gardens that give off an almost ethereal feeling to landscape.

Green and white. There’s just something about the blurred tea and approaching mist that defines Kerala in a very special way. A lot of the green we saw as drove to different cities was just the standard shrubbery and grasslands found in countless other places. But it seemed that every time I looked out the window, I would see the clouds come down to kiss the tea plantations. The slogan given to Kerala is “God’s own country” and it’s these kind of moments, when there is no sky and no land, that places it beyond the world we live in.

To further jostle my notion of winter and summer, the rain

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was plentiful during our visit to Munnar. While it kept us in the car, it didn’t deter the tea pickers from working through trails carved into the plantations: a mosaic showing the history of their land. The trails have created a puzzle-like quality to the gardens and the women who weave through the maze, still harvesting by hand with plastic veils to fight of the heavy rains, are experts at navigating the grounds.

What’s interesting about this scene is the sense of gender disparity that persists despite the fact that women in Kerala generally have a higher standing in society as compared to elsewhere in India. The democratic nomination of the Communist Party of India in the state brought about many educational and social reforms. In conjunction with the matrilineal tradition that puts the woman at the head of the household, Kerala is also the only state where women outnumber the men, which has been important in increasing opportunities for women.

However, upward social mobility is still influenced by gender and there is much to do before proper equality is achieved. The women in the fields also demonstrate the economic hardships of working within the tea industry and the exploitation of poor laborers by large corporations. Kerala in particular was recently in the media when nearly 6,000 women under the name of Pempilai Orumai (“women’s unity”) pro-

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tested against the plantation company and male trade union leaders alike. They successfully shut down Munnar, one of Kerala’s most popular tourist destinations, and the women’s initial demands were met after nine days. Their fight continues. Notably, they have entirely separated from the male-dominated union leaders to represent themselves. It is, in part, a testament to some of the state’s better policies that enabled the women to mobilize as they did. Through the education reforms in place from the Communist Party, as well as the mass education drives initiated by the government and private organizations, the literacy rate in Kerala—93.91 percent according to the 2011 census—is the highest in India. This is a characteristic shared equally by men and women.

The rain scarcely stopped while we drove through the hills, but the women were just as unrelenting in their work, standing strong amongst all the green and white.

There were other colors, of course. Whenever South India is portrayed in films, the colors are vivid and saturated. But the green that’s lacking in my usual December was so plentiful that it dominates my memories of Kerala. For a state that is teeming with flora and fauna—some natural, some imported—it seems fitting. There was so much I saw and yet so much was left unseen that I’m determined to go back, if only to find more colors hidden in pockets of green.

The Chai-Tea Conundrum WRITER: Suchita Chadha PHOTO: Nora Wilby

The chai-tea craze has been a big trend in the past few years. From Oprah to your local “hipster” tea and coffee place, everyone wanted to jump aboard the oh-so-very-exotic train of this aromatic and arguably healthy tea from India. There are, of course, many problems with this situation, jam-packed as it is with issues of exotification and appropriation. But the biggest thing? “Chai” means “tea.” So when you ask for a chaitea, you’re actually just asking for “tea-tea.”

What you actually want to ask for is “masala chai.” Masala is the word for a miscellaneous blend of spices, and most commonly includes ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and clove. As the word implies, there could be many other spices involved as well, and the recipe can vary not only regionally across India, but even house-to-house. If you’re making it the authentic way, all of these spices are in their natural form, unlike the powdered blends you’ll find in stores.

Set to boil in a milk and water mixture, this masala, then combined with loose black tea, forms what’s now become—to Indians and outsiders—the “drink of India.” There are several varieties of tea grown in India, but the most popular are the Assam tea from the eponymous state in northeast India, Darjeeling tea from a similarly northern region or Nilgiri tea, from the Western Ghats mountain range in the southern state of Kerala. Though coffee is immensely popular in India, putting the nation in the top 10 of coffee producing countries, India competes with China for the title of largest tea producer, with an average of 900,000 tons of tea each year. It falls a bit behind in the race of exporters though, since nearly 70 percent of India’s tea is consumed by the nation itself.

Interestingly, chai itself was largely foreign to India as a casual drink; instead, it was primarily used for its healing properties as part of Ayurvedic practices—an ancient Indian holistic tradition of medicine. In fact, it wasn’t until the late 19th century, when the British East India Company sought to edge out the Chinese monopoly on tea production and export, that chai entered the daily life of an Indian. As inseparable as it from the current culture, it’s a very new and modern addition relative to how old the region is. Nonetheless, Indians quickly adopted chai as their own, adapting the British style of drinking tea to invent something better suited to them: tea and scones became chai and samosas.

There are other, more regionally specific variations in presentation and recipe. A staple to Mumbai is the call of “chaiwallahs” serving a “cutting-chai” at every street corner and railway platform. Simply put, it’s a regular cup of chai cut in

half, making it cheaper, smaller and perfect for the fast-paced bustle of the city. Of course, filled to the brim of a tiny glass with no handle, your option is to either down a scorching gulp of chai or let your fingers dance on the rim as you pass it from hand to hand.

Likewise, in other parts of India, chai is served in a small, handleless steel cup with a steel bowl placed directly on top it, trapping the heat inside. Together, the cup and bowl are flipped upside down before being given to the customer.

When you’re ready to drink, you have to slowly lift the cup— essentially peeling it off—to escape the suction. There’s a kind of art to it, with both the cup and bowl being extremely hot to the touch.

So that’s chai. In fact, they’re all types of chai. You can imagine why chai-tea would create some confusion. What kind of chai? Masala, “aadrak” (ginger) or “ilaichi” (cardamom) are just some of the most common requests. It’s true that in South Asia, you could easily get away with simply asking for a chai—it’s generally assumed you mean a masala chai. But that said, there’s still no reason to add “tea” after the word.

Once we reach Starbucks and their “chai-tea latte,” we’ve entered a whole new set of oddities. The point of a latte, of course, is the addition of milk. Except, chai already includes milk. Now you’re just saying the same thing three times. And though the current understanding of latte is the milk foam, in Italian, latte just means milk..

At this point, “chai-tea latte” is ingrained in every Starbucks chai lover. And in the long run, it’s not even that big of a deal. Sure, it’ll draw a few chuckles or even a shake of the head from the South Asian person standing behind you in line, but the question becomes, how far do we let this ignorance run?

It’s all fun and games when it comes to something as trivial as chai, but the trend of appropriation has a long history that’s steeped in the discrimination, racial violence and marginalization of minority groups.

To make things clear, it’s not the adoption of chai in the Western Hemisphere that’s appropriating Indian culture. It’s the ignorance of the language and a desire to make things sound exotic that’s problematic with the chai-tea fad. While you could argue that adding “tea” makes it apparent for someone new to the world of chai, somewhere down the line you had to learn exactly what an espresso or a cappuccino was, What is it about chai that’s different or more difficult? Let’s be real. Why would you want to ask for a chai-tea latte, when you could just ask for a chai?

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STYLE

Behind the Scenes with Daniela Peštová // pg. 42 Brow Filling Made Easy // pg. 44 Mixing Patterns // pg. 46

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Behind the Scenes with Daniela Peštová WRITER: Casey Tsamis

COURTESY PHOTO: @DanielaPestova Daniela Peštová, 45, from Teplice, Czech Republic, is a supermodel best known for her work with Sports Illustrated and Victoria’s Secret. Pestova was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated three times and also wore the $5 million Dream Angel Fantasy Bra for Victoria’s Secret in 1998. She was voted #8 on Men’s Fitness “Victoria’s Secret’s 10 Hottest Angels Ever” list.

YOU STARTED MODELING AT THE AGE OF 19, GOT PICKED UP BY MADISON MODELING AGENCY AND LIVED OUTSIDE OF THE U.S. IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC. WHILE YOU HAD PLANS OF ATTENDING COLLEGE TO BECOME A TEACHER, YOU ENDED UP WINNING A MODELING CONTEST AND MOVED TO PARIS TO START YOUR JOURNEY IN THE INDUSTRY. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT CONTEST WAS THE BREAKOUT OF

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YOUR MODELING CAREER AND WHAT WAS THE ULTIMATE DECIDING FACTOR OF TAKING THIS ROUTE AS A PROFESSION? This modeling contest was advertised on TV. I remember watching the commercial and thinking, This is interesting, but I could never go. I don’t have what it takes. A few days later, I went to the movies and, by sheer accident, the Czech lady who worked as a scout for Madison Models saw me. After the movie, it was “Wall Street” by the way, she stopped and asked me to come and try. So I went. And I won. Without her approaching me I would have never found the courage on my own, so meeting her was one of the most important moments of my life. But the breakthrough moments didn’t happen until a bit later—meeting Patrick Demarchelier, who’s a French fashion photographer, and him taking me under his wing, working my first year for Sports Illustrated and landing the cover and, of course, being a Victoria’s Secret model and one of the original Angels.

THE VICTORIA’S SECRET ANGELS ARE KNOWN FOR HAVING GREAT BODIES. WHAT WAS YOUR FITNESS AND DIETARY PLAN BEFORE WALKING IN THE SHOW? Now you make me laugh. The only way I could walk that show these days is if they make a “vintage division.” Nonetheless, I do try to stay fit even if I put down my Angel wings a long time ago. This year I was able to watch the show from first row and it was lots of fun and fond memories for me.

You wore the $5,000,000 Dream Angel Fantasy Bra in 1998.

What was that experience like?

DP: It’s cool and awesome and all that, but a bit surreal too. I mean, who is going to buy a bra with that kind of a price tag?

But again, it’s one of those special one-of-a-kind experiences because I guess you could count the girls who got to wear this special edition piece of lingerie, which is one or two at the most.

YOU’VE BEEN FEATURED ON NOT ONLY THE INSIDE OF SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, BUT ALSO THE FRONT COVER. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE FOR YOU? I love Sports Illustrated. Love, love, love. It’s always a great team, great location, great pics. It’s an honor to be featured inside, let alone on the cover. I was lucky to have three and I’m really proud of that.

YOU’VE WORKED WITH SOME OF THE TOP MODELS IN THE WORLD SUCH AS TYRA BANKS AND NAOMI CAMPBELL. DID YOU MAKE A LOT OF YOUR FRIENDSHIPS THROUGH MODELING? Although we do spend a lot of time together on shoots and trips, I am a very reserved and shy person that tends to keep to herself. But yes, with some of the girls, as well as hair and makeup people, we are good friends even if we don’t see each other very often. These days it’s super easy to stay in touch and see each other’s kids grow via Instagram, etc, so it feels like we are still hanging out.

HAVE YOU LEARNED ANYTHING ABOUT THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY WHILE BEING INVOLVED WITH SO MANY DIFFERENT COMPANIES? AS IN MAKEUP TIPS, MAKEUP OR LIFE LESSONS, ETC. I have worked for all the major cosmetic brands. L’Oréal, Revlon, Garnier, Avon, Dior, to name a few. But of course, after so many years in the business and working with some of the best people in the industry—Kevyn Aucoin, Fran Cooper, Fulvia Farolfi, Brigitte Reiss Andersen—I have learned a trick or two. And to work with such big clients is a lesson in itself, especially in patience. Imagine a set where, apart from the talent, the photographer and his crew, you have not only the client, but the advertising agency responsible for the image you are working on. Some of these jobs you could easily have 40–60 people in the studio.

YOUR SKIN LOOKS AMAZING. WHAT STEPS DO YOU TAKE IN YOUR DAILY ROUTINE TO MAINTAIN A FLAWLESS FACE? ARE THERE ANY BEAUTY TIPS YOU LIVE BY? Thank you. I swear by drinking lots of water. My diet is pretty clean and healthy, and I’m sure that helps too. I also like the way my skin looks like after a workout. I think it’s good to get your blood pumping. I am also a big believer in exfoliation and I use a good hydrating cream morning and night.

IN A LOT OF YOUR MODELING SHOOTS I NOTICED YOU SPORT THE MORE NATURAL LOOK WITH A BOLD LIP. WHAT MAKEUP PRODUCTS DO YOU FIND MOST BENEFICIAL? If I have an event to go to, I like to use a primer. I like quite a bit of foundation, but I don’t want it to look like it, so after powdering I like to use facial mist or a cream blush to make the skin lush. I also like a strong brow as I think you can achieve a lot of different looks just by shaping it differently.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO WORK IN THE MODELING INDUSTRY? I would say go for it. Don’t waste time thinking you are not good enough, pretty enough, skinny enough, etc. Give it all you got, be nice and polite, be professional and on time, but also remain yourself. Be prepared for disappointment. Countless go-sees without getting the job. Bunch of people dressed head to toe in black looking you up and down and whispering amongst themselves while shaking their heads. Remember, modeling is not for the faint of heart. But don’t let anyone push you into doing something you don’t want to do, stay grounded and enjoy the ride. Modeling is a great experience, but remember—it’s fashion, not a matter of life and death.

And not a rocket science either.

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Brow Filling Made Easy WRITER: Casey Tsamis PHOTO: Evie Hansford MODEL: Camila Zagarzazú MAKEUP: Victoria Jamieson

In the early 2000s, the trend was to have thin eyebrows.

Then Cara Delevingne’s thick brows took the brow game by storm and started a whole new trend: thick, full eyebrows. The secret is brow filling. Sephora Beauty Adviser Natalie Kurpeski and makeup artist Megan Mistretta explain how to do it correctly.

Delevigne’s mother told her to never touch her brows when she was younger, and if she did she would regret it in the future. We all remember our middle school selves plucking half of our eyebrows off because it seemed cool, and that’s what everyone else was doing. When Delevingne’s brows started to become popular, many people realized that thick brows made someone look younger. This soon became the trend that everyone wanted to achieve and it’s so simple.

Kurpeski uses precision pencils such as the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Whiz because you can use it to draw hairlike strokes. For someone who has really sparse brows you can use gels. “It allows you to create shape if it isn’t there naturally.”

Powders are good for someone who already has full brows and just needs to fill in a couple of areas. If your hair is light, gel is also an option.

When you’re deciding on what color to use to fill in your brows, you can go by your hair color or brow color. If you go by your hair color, keep in mind that sometimes your brows are a much different color than your hair, especially if your hair is dyed. By going with your brow color, you’ll get the exact shade you need to match your brows. If you’re having a hard

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time trying to find the exact color, Megan Mistretta, musical theater ’18, is a certified makeup artist and uses eyeshadows from the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette.

The first step is to start with a spoolie brush. A spoolie brush looks like a mascara wand, but has soft bristles that gives you the ability to comb your brows and put them in the right place. Brush the brow hairs in an upward direction so it reveals if you have any sparse areas. You should start where your brow needs the most filling. Using your pencil or angled brow brush, flick instead of drawing the hairs and then brush it through with the spoolie so the product is blended into your brow.

Mistretta follows the natural shape of her brow when she fills them in. She starts in the inner corner of her brow and creates hairlike strokes all the way to the end of her brow, stopping where her brow finishes.

If you over-waxed most of your brows or just have very short brows, Kurpeski says to use a cream brow filler or a pencil since you’re creating a shape that is no longer there. You can take an angled brow brush and sketch in what is missing.

Some people will actually wax part of their brows off intentionally to get the shape they want. By doing this, you’re able to create your own brows with the shape you desire. Once you’re completely finished with your fill-ins, using a gel to hold it in place will top off your look. It’s almost like a hairspray for your brows. They won’t move all day.

With that, your look is complete and your brows are on fleek!

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WRITER: Lindsey Paradis PHOTO: Evie Hansford MODEL: Savannah Strange and Eastin Ashby STYLIST: Camille Serlin

Seventies fashion has found its way back into the mainstream, with interpretations of the decade’s most popular looks—fringe, flared jeans and the peasant silhouette—being found in fall 2015 runway collections by designers such as Karen Walker, Jill Stuart and Derek Lam. Boston-based fashion bloggers, Elissa Garza of style-wire. com and Celina Colby of trendsandtolstoy.com, attribute the current trend of mixing prints to the resurgence of 70s fashion.

“Back in the 70s, psychedelic prints were the big thing, along with bright colors and just really large prints,” says Garza. She believes that the trend is coming back in a new way and is now “more about the art.” For Garza, the trend

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works because it creates a more interesting outfit and allows a bolder personality to shine through.

For Colby, mixing prints successfully can only elevate an outfit, bringing “your look to the next level.” The key word here is “successful.” When done so, it looks chic. If done wrong, the end result is an unflattering eyesore.

Due to the trend’s tricky nature, a lot of people are intimidated by the idea of mixing prints. After all, it’s a style that’s so far been featured on celebrities and models who have professional stylists to polish off the look. “The way to get around that is to check out local bloggers,” says Colby, “people that are more like the average man or woman.”

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How To: In order to mix prints successfully, Garza advises to pay attention to size. A larger print should be paired with a smaller and more subtle pattern to add balance to the outfit, like a garment with a large windowpane print matched with a small polka dot piece.

Color can really make or break a mixed-print ensemble. “If you have one pattern that’s vibrant and then you pair it with something that has a more neutral tone, that’s a way to get them to work together,” says Colby.

Pairing neutrals with other neutrals is also an easy way to make the trend work. For example, Garza suggests mixing black and white prints. She says, “Whether it’s a stripe, a graphic, a plaid or a gingham, they all tend to work really well together.” Another easy way to match patterns is by keeping to a color family. This means all pieces should be variants or different shades of the same color.

In order to break up printed separates, both bloggers recommend using a solid-colored belt. Wearing a crop top and showing a sliver of skin is another way to add some distance between patterned pieces. To ground the look, add other solid accessories such as a plain scarf paired with a patterned top or tights to dilute a printed bottom.

With so much going on in a mixed-print outfit, accessorizing can seem even more difficult. A trick is to pull a color from the print and base accessories off that.

Garza advises not to pick the pattern’s dominant color, but rather, one of the design’s more subtle hues.

While accessories can work with prints, they should not be overdone. Stud earrings and bare-bones pendants are perfect pieces when it comes to jewelry. Garza warns, “Keep it simple, minimal.”

Even with guidelines on how to mix prints, the trend can seem intimidating. Garza recommends using Pinterest to help craft and imagine outfits. And the inspiration doesn’t necessarily need to be clothes related.

Garza admits that she often finds inspiration from table settings, the combination of printed napkins and menu cards showing how different patterns can compliment each other.

She also suggests to take pictures of different looks.

Assemble an outfit and photograph it. A couple days later, look at the photo and reevaluate the outfit. “I’m a huge fan of ‘if it’s not perfect take a picture and look at it later,’ ” says Garza.

Plus, some patterns are easier to conquer than others. Start with classics like stripes or polka dots that are available in a lot of different sizes and colors.

The trend has already come back into style once and with the fashion industry’s track record of reimagining and recycling old looks, it’s a style that’s sure to come back around. Might as well master it now.

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HEALTH No Whey: Skip the Protein Powder // pg. 56 In the Long Run // pg. 58 The Benefits of Saunas and How to Maximize Them // pg. 60 Get A bit Fit with the FitBit // pg. 62

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No Whey: Skip the PrOtein Powder WRITER: Lala Thaddeus PHOTO: Evie Hansford

Between attending classes, working part-time jobs, completing school assignments, being involved in extracurricular projects and hanging out with friends, all of which often results in ordering delivery for food, proper nutrition tends to take the backseat on a student’s list of priorities. It may seem like a simple—even healthy—solution to start taking supplements in order to fill the gaps in an unbalanced diet. However, research into supplement regulation and words of caution from nutrition experts may make you think twice before purchasing that tub of protein powder.

The use of protein powders and other supplements has become increasingly popular as people grow more and more health conscious. Scooping protein powder into a morning milkshake or ingesting a single multivitamin pill containing an entire day’s worth of fruit and vegetables are two ways to easily incorporate a daily dose of protein to a diet.

To understand what’s in supplements, it is crucial to first understand what they are. According to the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements, a supplement is “intended to supplement the diet; contains one or more dietary ingredients (including vitamins; minerals; herbs or other botanicals; amino acids; and other substances) or their constituents; is intended to be taken by mouth as a pill, capsule, tablet or liquid; and is labeled on the front panel as being a dietary supplement.”

This definition was agreed upon by CongresAs in 1994 in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. While it may seem that this act ensures the safety of these products, in reality the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows any supplement that has been sold since before 1994 to continue being sold on the market now.

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The reasoning behind this is that the FDA assumes a supplement that has been in circulation for over two decades has proven it is not harmful based on its user history. This means that the FDA does not test any product that has been on the market since before 1994. The administration does, however, require proof of specific safety information from developers of new supplements.

While this may seem reassuring, the FDA does not keep an exact record of dietary supplements that were in circulation prior to 1994, meaning developers of a new supplement can easily find a loophole to circumvent FDA regulation of their product.

With over 85,000 dietary supplements in distribution and an FDA staff in charge of supplement industry regulation comprising only 25 employees, there is no way to know what’s in the bottle you’re buying. Emerson’s Clinical Dietician and Sports Nutritionist Elizabeth Avery discusses the risks of supplement use. She says, “Supplements have caused cardiac arrest, hemorrhagic strokes and hundreds of liver injuries necessitating liver transplants. Certain megavitamins increase the risk of cancer and heart disease and should have black box warnings.”

Besides causing a shutdown of one’s organs, certain supplements are completely ineffective. A study conducted by New York’s Attorney General’s Office found that only 21 percent of the supplements bought from Walmart, Walgreens, Target and GNC contained what was on the label. Perhaps it is best to pocket that cash and spend it on fresh, real food from the supermarket.

Avery holds steadfast on her view on the value of ingesting real food over receiving nutrients through a powdered shake.

She recognizes that certain people, such as vegans and vegetari-

ans, may have difficulty reaching their daily protein needs. Even in this case, it is preferable to stick to eating real food as much as possible and only use protein supplements as a last resort.

For body builders and athletes, she says, “The protein in a supplement is no superior to the protein found in a food such as chicken or fish.”

For those wishing to learn about their nutrient intake, she recommends using a nutrition tracker app or website in order to understand what they’re eating versus what they need to be eating. All nutrients a person needs can be found in real food, whether you’re a Boston Marathon runner, a student athlete or someone who only ever walks from a dorm to class and back.

“People should get their vitamins and minerals through whole grains, low-fat dairy, fruits, vegetables and lean protein sources, such as chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, beans, tofu, skim milk, yogurt and quinoa,” says Avery.

Many of these foods are already present in a student’s dayto-day diet and, if not, can easily be added to a daily routine by choosing to build better meals at the dining hall, cooking meals at home and gradually cutting out, or at least decreasing, the ingestion of unhealthy foods.

Understanding what your daily requirements are is a good starting point. Avery states, “Carbohydrates should make up 50–60 percent of your calories, fat should make up 20–30 percent and protein,15–20, [but the last] varies depending on your activity level and health. An inactive person needs 0.8–1.0 gram of protein per kg. body weight and an active person needs more.”

Although Emersonians aren’t big on math, a little simple arithmetic can improve health and save money on risky, unregulated supplements.

For personal advice on nutrition, exercise and healthy campus eating, set up an appointment with Elizabeth Avery by calling Emerson’s Center for Health and Wellness at 617-824-8666.

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In the Long Run WRITER: Jackie DeFusco PHOTO: Nora Wilby Forty six years after women got the right to vote, Roberta Gibb became the first woman to participate in and finish the Boston Marathon. Yet it wasn’t until five years after that, in the fall of 1971, that a women would compete in the race legally.

When the first Boston Marathon was held on April 19, 1897, the Olympic Games and the Amateur Athletics Union (AAU) had yet to allow participation of women in long distance running, which was widely believed to be too strenuous for them at the time. In fact, women were excluded from track and field competition altogether until 1928, when the longest race for women was only 800 meters long.

Gibb, who hid in the bushes near the start of the Boston Marathon in order to compete, was one of the front-runners in the effort to prove women belonged in long distance competition.

A year after Gibb’s groundbreaking, Kathrine Switzer was issued a bid number by not registering female on the marathon application and it wasn’t until mile four that an official tried to forcibly remove her from the race. Despite the adversity, she went on to finish the marathon—a victory that went on to generate an abundance of media attention that would bring the issue to light.

In the long run, the AAU began to allow women entry to its sanctioned marathons in the spring of 1972. That year, eight women participated in the Boston Marathon and all eight finished.

Today, women are of nearly equal representation in this famous marathon. In 2015, 45 percent of over 30,000 participants were women. Of these women, 87 percent of them completed the race, compared to the 88 percent of male participants.

Oh, how times have changed.

Among these 2015 participants was Cristina Ashbaugh, political communications ’18—an athlete who shatters the stereotypes of women in long distance running.

When it comes to running, Ashbaugh stood out at a young age and continued to compete at a high level throughout middle school and high school. “I always found myself being the last one out there after we were told we could stop,” she says.

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So it was as no surprise when Ashbaugh’s collegiate cross-country coach, John Furey, a professional marathon trainer and former competitive marathon runner, suggested she consider running in the Boston Marathon; it was surely no surprise when she chose to take him up on the challenge. “I just really wanted to push myself because I had never run that far before,” she says. “Now, I don’t even get satisfaction from running half marathons.”

In contrast, Hannah Perrin, journalism major ’16, never imagined herself running in a long distance competition.

Today, she is in the process of training for her second Boston Marathon. “I love running and I never wanted it to become a chore. As long as I finish, I’m happy,” she says.

During her freshman year, Perrin was cheering for her friends at the finish line when the second explosion of the Boston Bombing went off. Less than six feet away from bombing, she suffered a concussion, dented muscle and hearing loss. “It was a long time before I could even walk down Boylston,” she says. “Even then, I did it with my dad holding my hand.”

After the bombing, One Fund Boston and the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance wanted to help victims reclaim the finish line. Perrin, among other injured observers, received a bid to run in a future Boston Marathon. With this, she would go on to run in 2015 and plans to run again this year. “Needless to say, crossing the finish line last April was the most rewarding experience of my life,” Perrin says.

In order for a woman in the age group 18–32 to qualify for the Boston Marathon under normal circumstances, one has to run a qualifying marathon in 3 hours and 35 minutes or under—a pace of about eight minutes per mile. However, for people who have never run a full marathon, like Ashbaugh, or are incapable of achieving such a time, there is an option to join a charity team. Those who run for such a team have to raise a minimum of $5,000 for their respective charity. Cristina raced for Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, for which she raised a total of $9,500. “Raising the money was probably equally as hard as running the marathon,” says Ashbaugh.

As one would expect, marathon training is physically demanding and requires an immense amount of dedication. Yet for Ashbaugh, it is simply a part of her day-to-day routine.

“Now that I have been running for so long, it definitely has an impact on my mood if I don’t run,” she says, “Even at 7 a.m. on Saturdays when I want to keep sleeping, I know that if I don’t run I’ll feel bad about myself. It’s worth it to me to wake up and put in the effort.”

Proof of this came when she suffered a stress fracture in her left tibia, which forced her to take nine weeks off from running this past fall, missing almost the whole cross country season with the exception of the first meet. “I was literally so depressed,” she admits. “It was a really difficult adjustment to not have exercise as an outlet.”

Though the injury is still a cause for discomfort, Ashbaugh says it won’t stop her from competing in 2016, where her goal is to achieve her age group’s qualifying time.

In last year’s race, her finishing time was nearly an hour over the qualifying time at 4 hours and 34 minutes, although

she was on pace to achieve her goal for the first 13 miles. The week before last year’s Boston Marathon, Ashbaugh suffered from tendonitis in her hip that forced her on crutches. “I knew the pain was going to kick in at some point. I just wasn’t sure when,” she says. Unfortunately for Ashbaugh that pain came around mile 18—the start of a three-mile stretch known as Heartbreak Hill.

Despite last year’s disappointment, Ashbaugh assured that running in the Boston Marathon was unlike anything she had ever done before. Though she was alone on the starting line, she soon found herself running with a man with a prosthetic leg. She believed he was either injured during the Boston Marathon bombing or a war veteran. “There were a lot of wounded people in the race who were finally cleared to run. It was incredible to see their determination,” she says.

Looking back on the experience, the community feel of the race in particular stood out to her. With her name written on her shirt, people she had never met before cheered for her from beginning to end.

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The Benefits of Saunas and How to Maximize Them

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WRITER: Alysen Smith PHOTO: Nick Vigue MODEL: Jack Bushell, Andrew Romano, Nick, Vigue For many people outside the northernmost countries of the world, using a sauna means sitting inside a small, wooden room heated to somewhere between 160 and 180 F until a deep sweat is achieved. Feeling relaxed and cleansed, the sauna bath is often followed by a shower or a swim before the day continues as planned. However, with this routine, the benefits of sauna bathing are sparsely achieved.

The use of saunas is a centuries-old phenomenon which originated in Finland, where around 2 million saunas now reside for a population of 5.4 million people. Sauna bathing is an important element of culture in Nordic and Scandinavian countries and its popularity has spread across the globe in recent decades, especially in Europe and North America, where organic health and wellness methods have become increasingly popular. Some of the world’s healthiest countries (ranked by Forbes.com), including Iceland, Finland and Sweden, are also among the most common places to find sauna bathing as a cultural staple.

These benefits, which create the incentive to sit in a stiflingly hot room to generate a profuse sweat, are reasonably well-known. Saunas help users to sweat out toxins in the body, maximizing sweat production in a short period of time and stimulating cleansing processes. In tandem with detoxification, sauna bathing is also good for the heart: intense heat dilates the capillaries and increases blood flow, which are two aspects of healthy cardiovascular function.

Additionally, sauna use has been proven advantageous in the pursuit of both physical and mental relaxation. Physiologically, the fluid that allows our joints to move becomes thinner when using a sauna and joint mobility is improved, allowing skeletal muscle to relax. Moreover, sauna use has been proven to release endorphins in the brain, resulting in improved mood, energy, calmness and pain tolerance. Quality of sleep can also be enhanced with regular, proper sauna use.

Experts on sauna bathing tend to argue that many sauna users generally don’t take the measures necessary to maximize the benefits of sauna bathing. In order to utilize saunas in the most beneficial way possible, a few underutilized steps must be added to the common 20-minute routine that sauna users often engage in.

First, before and during the process of sauna bathing, it’s essential to be aware of your body’s limits and to ensure that you’re healthy enough to endure the extreme heat. According to Eero Kilpi, president of the North American Sauna Society, “There is never a no pain/no gain situation inside the hot room. When your body tells you to get out, get out!”

Kilpi also says that one of the most fundamental ways to maximize the perks of sauna bathing is to treat a sauna experi-

ence like a spiritual ritual or a form of meditation. This means that when entering a sauna, it’s necessary to leave behind anything that may deliberately occupy the mind and impede relaxation: books, cell phones and other forms of mental distraction.

Beyond leaving such diversions outside of the sauna, it’s also essential to become mindful while inside. Whether by way of meditation or simply being passive and allowing the mind to wander, psychological benefits of sauna bathing can increase drastically when the focus is deflected from what takes place outside of the mind and concentrated instead on abstractions within the mind.

Perhaps the most essential part of proper sauna use is also one of the least-practiced. In order to gain the most from sauna bathing, it’s crucial to cycle between sitting in a hot sauna for 15–20 minutes and immersing oneself in a cool shower or bath—and to do this at least three times. Risto Elomaa, president of the International Sauna Association, says that the benefits of sauna bathing are optimized by leaving enough time for the entire experience: ideally three hours, but not less than two.

Kilpi says that a proper sauna experience follows this formula: “You take a shower and then you enter a well-heated sauna. When you start feeling too hot, take a break. You can shower again or, if there’s a swimming pool, you can take a dip.

You need to have some water and just relax until you have a feeling that you want to repeat the cycle. You do this as many times as your body tells you to. When you are done, you take a final shower, wait long enough that you don’t perspire anymore and get dressed. By now, you should feel unbelievably good.”

Submerging oneself in cool water after using a sauna closes the pores, which are opened in the heat, and circulates blood back to the core organs, boosting natural defenses. The improvement of circulation by way of intense heat is magnified twofold when it’s countered with the shock of cool water. This conditioning of the immune system is where the immediate, short-term benefits of sauna bathing meet long-term advantages. Understandably, maintaining a sauna routine properly and with relative frequency and regularity is the key to taking full advantage of its benefits.

One of the reasons why this vital element of effective sauna bathing is often neglected is, undoubtedly, the time-consuming nature of it. When the process of using a sauna is extended from one 15–20 minute session to a minimum of three 20–30 minute cycles, the level of commitment needed to achieve a fully beneficial sauna experience can become overwhelming.

But when the quality of the sauna bath increases just as much as the length of time required, it’s well worth the dedication.

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Get a Bit Fit with the FitBit WRITER: Sarah Hope PHOTO: Evie Hansford

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A new breed of pedometer has arisen and it’s putting bulky clip-ons to bed. The high tech, sleek and savvy fitness tracker, FitBit, is working wonders in the realm of health.

The convenient little device comes in the form of a water-resistant watch with a digital display. Johnny Dunbar, a Fitness Specialist at Emerson College, says “It’s very sleek and very unassuming. You see people wearing one and your first thought is ‘what is that?’ and ‘it does look kind of cool.’ ” It can be synced to your mobile device via an app that has even more activity-tracking features. FitBit knows when you’re exercising, sleeping and awake. This information is all monitored using the heart rate and movement data which the watch tracks. “As specific as you want to get, it’ll track that information,” Dunbar says. Depending on the model, it also tells you other important information like heart rate, calories burned, miles traveled and even more useful information.

One of the resources that seems to be a big pull-in for customers is the the goal setting feature offered on certain models. Allison Moltz, communication sciences and disorders ’19, uses her FitBit to track weight loss goals. She says the way it works is it tells you how many calories you should be eating based on your average daily activity.

In order to achieve those goals, you need to be motivated, which is another attribute Moltz treasures.

“The first moment that it motivated me was the first couple days I had it, I never realized how much I didn’t move until I got it and I’d look at the end of the day and it’d say ‘you only walked 2,000 steps today,’ ” says Moltz. This is an experience that probably happens to most first time fitness trackers, but as Moltz said it was not discouraging.

Rather, it’s inspiring. “Since the New Year I’ve been getting 10,000 steps every day,” she says. “Even if I don’t have time to go to the gym, I try to just pace around the halls and get my steps in, in anyway I can.”

In fact, first timers are exactly the demographic FitBit is most appealing to says Dunbar. “It’ll be very helpful for people just starting out and it’ll be helpful for people who are at the apex of their career.”

The simplicity of a pedometer, the style of a watch and the motivation of a personal trainer seems to be the perfect combination of beginner fitness necessities.

Not only is the FitBit a sleek, trendy tool for staying fit, it’s also an interface, a way to interact and compete with other friends and FitBit owners in your network. Users find this a fun and easy way to stay motivated. Dunbar, says his wife, who’s a teacher and regular wearer of the gadget, enjoys the motivational social perks.

The watch and application combination allows users to visit the pages of those in their friend circle, to see their averages and statistics.

According to Dunbar, she’ll walk around the house with their child in an effort to catch up with her fellow school teachers.

“It’s very motivating if you do it with a group of people,” says Dunbar. “Now it doesn’t make you do things, but it actually gives you the tools to be very good and be very efficient at what you’re trying to accomplish, which I like.” His wife and her coworkers have competitions to see who will reach the daily goal faster and who is achieving them the most consistently.

“It kinda ties into the social media aspect of our generation right now. So I think it’s helpful because they can engage in competition between students,” says Dunbar.

However, FitBit’s best quality is easily the satisfaction users get when goals are achieved. The device has a personality of its own. 10,000 steps. Good job.

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From The Blog: Atlas Online How To Transition Your Wardrobe for Spring WRITER: Margeaux Sippell It’s that time of year again–though the bitter winds of winter may still be pushing us down Boylston, spring is right around the corner.

Maybe it’s just me being optimistic, but in my head, March is synonymous with spring–and it’s only a blink away! That means the days of ski jackets and snow boots are almost over, and all of Boston can breathe a collective sigh of relief. This brings us to an impasse–what are we to do with all of our lumpy sweaters, our thick socks and hats and mittens? It’s high time that we all begin the happy transition into milder days. Spring break is just around the corner and so is the season it’s named for!

First thing’s first: we’ve got to check the trends. The Pantone Fashion Color Report, for Spring 2016 tells us that “Colors this season transcend cultural and gender norms. Vivid brights give way to excitement and optimism, though quiet stability prevails in this season’s palette.” The top colors are as follows: rose quartz, peach echo, serenity (very similar to periwinkle), snorkel blue (cross between navy and royal blue), iced coffee, lilac grey, limpet shell (kind of like aquamarine), fiesta (fire engine red), green flash (lime), and buttercup (you can see pictures of all these colors by following the link above). This is an exciting lineup for springtime fashion, considering it has traditionally been a time for muted tones and pastels. 2016 is proving to be a fierce, fearless year.

Read more at https://atlasmag.wordpress.com/2016/03/03/howto-transition-your-wardrobe-for-spring/

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Se-paw-ration Anxiety: How to Deal with Being Away from Your Pets WRITER: Lauren Lopez I didn’t realize I was homesick or missing my pets until I got a text from my dad with a picture of Dexter, my fluffy gray cat, staring straight into the camera. My dad had ice cream and my cat’s only mission was to get in on the treat. I immediately wished he was with me so I could pet and hold him but spring break still seemed so far away.

When I left my home in New York for college in Boston about a little over a year ago, I left a lot of things behind. I left behind family members, some of my possessions, friends and, probably the worst of all, my pets.

Whenever I go back home for break, I always find myself looking forward to seeing my two cats or my aunt’s dogs the most. I think it might be because I can always communicate with my friends or family while I’m away, but obviously the opportunity for communication with pets is limited.

For all those missing their pets, whether it’s just while you’re away at work for the day or away at college, here are some tips to help manage the pain of separation.

Read more at: https://atlasmag.wordpress.com/2016/02/15/se-pawration-anxiety-how-to-deal-with-being-away-from-your-pets/

The Importance of Voting in Primaries WRITER: Caitlin Muchow The presidential primaries have begun and are fast approaching in many states. People, especially those in the younger demographic, often do not vote because they see politicians as a bunch of old, primarily white men, arguing with one another. Although it may seem like voting can’t really change anything, voters actually do have the power to change the conversation.

Political primaries are the elections of each party’s candidates that then go on to run in the general election. A few states have a different form of voting system, called a caucus, which you can read more about here. These were created in order to give the population more influence over which candidates were running in the general election, instead of the party leaders deciding who would run for their party. If only a few vote in the primaries, the candidates in the general election and the issues that they are fighting for do not truly represent the majority’s values.

The issues that are important during the primaries define the issues that will be important during the general election. Though it sometimes seems like all the candidates from each individual party must have the same stance on the same issues, they actually vary widely. By being aware of the issues and voting for the candidate who most closely represents your ideologies, you are showing all the candidates, and all politicians, what issues matter to you.

Read more at: https://atlasmag.wordpress.com/2016/02/17/the-importance-of-voting-in-primaries/ 65 | Online

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