Barnard Bulletin February 2018

February 2018

IMANI RANDOLPH '18 & claudia levey '19 Editors-in-Chief ali mcqueen '18 Managing Editor

EVENTS DIRECTOR JUDY LIU '19 SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR letty dileo '18 SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS emily wong '19 erica harreveld '18 ALUMNAE RELATIONS DIRECTOR demme durrett '19

FEATURES EDITOR Emma Yee Yick '19 ASSOCIATE EDITOR collier curran '20 STAFF WRITER Aliya schneider '20

NEW YORK CITY LIVING EDITOR veronia suchodolski '19 ASSOCIATE EDITOR pavi chance '20 STAFF WRITER orit guggenheim katz '21

POLITICS & OPINION EDITOR Sara Hameed '20 ASSOCIATE EDITOR naava ellenberg '21 STAFF WRITERS annabella correa-maynard '20 hadassah solomson '20

HEALTH & STYLE EDITOR isabella monaco '20 STAFF WRITER emma bellows '20

CREATIVE DIRECTOR sharon wu '18 LAYOUT DIRECTOR anna li '19 PHOTOSHOOT DIRECTOR judy liu '19 PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR Peyton ayers '20

ONLINE EDITOR lilly kallman '20

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Allisen Lichtenstein '19 ASSOCIATE EDITOR JULIA TACHE '19 STAFF WRITER anette stonebarger '21

Thank you to the ruth bayard smith '72 memorial fund for its support of the bulletin BARNARD BULLETIN 3009 Broadway New York, NY 10027 TheBarnardBulletin..Com LIKE US ON FACEBOOK: FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: Follow us on instagram:

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2 - FEBRUARY 2018

A Letter from the Editors

H

ey Readers,

Don’t you just love that new semester smell? Every new semester means a few months of new possibilities, new adventures, and, of course, new issues of the Bulletin. As the bitter chill of winter fades to the slightly-less-bitter chill of early Spring, we bring you an issue jam-packed with some sappy Valentine’s Day content, some tips and tricks to keep you looking and feeling great, and some must-see movies, TV shows, and art exhibits to fill every last minute of this short month.

We hope your February is off to a great start, and here at the Bulletin we’re excited for all that February has in store for us. It’s a month made for celebrating and for reflecting, for love and for friendship, for remembering and for looking forward, and for buying all the on-sale Valentine’s candy you can carry on February 15th. So enjoy this February issue of the Barnard Bulletin, which includes all of the above (well, not the candy. You have to get that yourself). Happy reading!

XOXO, Claudia and Imani Co-Editors-in-Chief

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3 // Letter from the Editors 5 // Behind the Scenes 6 // Trending & Playlist

Health & Style

Arts & Entertainment

8 // BTS Beauty 9 // back & it's better 10 // an ode to journaling 11 // best brands on instagram 12 // the dos and don'ts of coconut oil

34 // gallery galavanting 36 // meet me at the museum 37 // art's place in the metoo movement 38 // lady bird review 39 // the bachelor 40 // readings 'round the city

Features 13 // centerpiece: the feminist utopia: the city as designed by women 18 // one semester down 19 // abroadnard 20 // in her words: living la vida zen 22 // love letters 24 // hair: an extension of self

Politics & Opinion 26 // women in politics 27 // the pod squad 28 // why i marched 30 // going for the gold 31 // bail, barriers, and the broken system 32 // she said / she said 33 // the meaning of "unfit"

New York City Living 41 // bites beyond the bubble 42 // barnard in the outer boroughs 43 // Landmark loves 44 // must see music 46 // a tinder guide to nyc 47 // fine dining

ehind he cenes Model

jamie sutton Photography: peyton ayers photo Direction: judy liu editing sharon wu

An awesome meditation app, good for quick meditations between classes

Teddy Jackets Not only are these jackets fluffy, but they're also back in style!

“Food 4 Thot� Podcast the musings of four queer writers, talking about everything from making it as a writer to last weekend's hookup

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Headspace

What Do You Meme? put those hours you've spent scrolling through the "columbia buy sell memes" page to the test with this hilarious game

1.

4.

after the storm

myth

kali uchis, tyler the creator, bootsy collins

2. rental

beach house

5.

elated grace weber

brockhampton

3.

6.

sheep

oh devil electric guest

mt. joy

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H&S C

BTS Beauty

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iara O’Muircheartaigh has crafted her daily skincare routine to a tee. She’s learned what does and doesn’t work for her complexion, and has found an arsenal of products that work together to maintain her healthy skin. She pays close attention to quality and ingredients, guaranteeing that the products she uses are reputable.

Morning

Ciara starts her morning with the Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser. She raves about this product and says that it “changed the game” of her cleansing and makeup removal. She can’t recommend it enough, and you can snatch up a bottle of your own for $18.

Next is another Glossier find, the new “exfoliating skin perfector” called Solution. This product makes Ciara’s skin feel toned and balanced, and you can try it out for $24. Both Glossier products are available online at glossier.com or at the Glossier Showroom. After cleansing and exfoliating, Ciara moisturizes with the Origins GinZing Energy-Boosting Gel Moisturizer. This product is key for early mornings, as it wakes Ciara up with its “fresh and delicious” scent.

When moisturizing, Ciara pays special attention to her nose, forehead, and under eye area. These areas tend to be the most sensitive, dry, and problematic for her, but this moisturizer gives them the extra boost they need.

This moisturizer retails for $28.50 and can be found at origins.com or in stores.

by Lily Kallman

After completing her morning skincare routine, Ciara applies her makeup - but that’s a story for another day!

Night

After a long day of being amazing, Ciara never neglects her nighttime skincare routine. She again begins with the Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser. In her own words, this product is “seriously such an amazing makeup remover,” and she highly encourages you to give it a shot. Next, Ciara loves to treat her skin to a mask, two of her favorites being the Borghese Fango Active Mud Mask and the Boscia Luminizing Black Charcoal Mask.

Face masks are all the rage right now, and you can pick these up for $48 and $34 respectively, either online at borghese.com and boscia.com or in stores. I think I speak for many people when I say that finding the best acne medication for problematic skin is more difficult than securing yourself a ticket to Bacchanal. However, Ciara finds her ideal match in a combination of clindamycin phosphate and benzoyl peroxide. She describes the product as a mild antibiotic/drying agent that keeps her skin clear.

In order to prevent unnecessary dry skin, Ciara focuses the cream solely on her problem areas. Everyone’s complexion is different, so to find the best acne medication for you, be sure to consult your dermatologist. To moisturize, Ciara switches from her rejuvenating morning moisturizer to the Ultra-Hydrating Body Lotion from ACURE. This moisturizer is THE BULLETIN -

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fragrance free, organic, vegan, and paraben/sulfate/cruelty free. Although this product is technically a body lotion, she finds that it works extremely well on her skin and the trustworthy ingredients make her feel comfortable applying it to the sensitive parts of her face and neck. This moisturizer is a steal at $9.99 and can be purchased at acureorganics. com. Last, but certainly not least, Ciara moisturizers her under eye area and her lips with the The Essentials Moroccan Argan Oil from ACURE. Again retailing at $9.99 at acureorganics.com, this product is cheaper than a lot of the more upscale brands sold at various beauty retailers, but just as effective. This product marks the end of Ciara’s daily skincare routine, so now it’s time to get some beauty sleep and let the products work their magic.

Back and It’s Better

by Emma Bellows

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T

his season in fashion, the phrase, “New year, new me” is so much more than a cliché Instagram caption for your winter break posts; rather, it relates to this winter’s most unexpected trends– the vintage comebacks with modern improvements. If you are anything like me, your entire winter wardrobe probably has your mom baffled. Why would you ever want to wear a scrunchy?

Or even more surprisingly, kitten heels?

Trends that have been deemed passé for decades are back but with modern twists that make them trendy and fresh for more than just nostalgia’s sake.

The scrunchy is probably the easiest vintage trend to rock this winter.

Previously a jazzercise class accessory, the scrunchy has been promoted from 1980’s athleisure wear to high fashion. Most notably, models on Mansur Gavriel’s New York 2017 Fashion Week runway each donned a low ponytail tied with a plain black scrunchy. While the 1980’s favored neon, this season the hair tie has taken on more sophisticated, muted colors and fabrics; think velvet and chambray.

Another unexpected comeback is the return of the kitten heel. These deli-

cate shoes were a 90’s red carpet staple, paired with gowns and couture. This season, kitten heels have become more casual and incorporated into street style. They have been all over the runways this season, from Faragamo to Topshop. Wear them with bootcut jeans and a chunky sweater, or like an off-duty model with fun socks underneath.

Previously a satire on French elegance, berets were seen as a classy winter accessory at best. This season, the hat got a total makeover. Now available in slouchier styles, with patches, or in bright colors, berets are a go-to accessory for fashion bloggers this winter. Pair them with fun overcoats, 90’s-inspired cat-eyed sunglasses, and sock boots and you’ll be the trendiest girl in Paris and beyond.

Another fun and unexpected throwback this season are fishnets.

While they reached their peak in the 70’s and

80’s, we have seen some reverberations of the trend since in punk and goth style.

This season, fishnets have been paired with items other than the expected mini skirt and concert tee, or leather jacket and studded boots. Instead, they have been toned down, so they are a lot more wearable. Show a peak of them under ripped jeans, or, if you’re still intimidated, rock fishnet socks with oxfords or mules and look totally current.

If this season’s trends could teach us anything, it’s never say never. Be mindful when cleaning out your closet and creative when reoutfiting.

Anything and everything comes back in style at some point; it’s just about how you wear it.

by Sukanya Pusey

S

ometimes the hardest person to be honest with is myself. Classes, activities, and a social life do not always leave the amount of time that we need to sit and simply be with ourselves, distraction free. These moments, though increasingly fleeting, have become important in the way I reflect on where I am and where I want to be within the context of goals I’ve set for myself. These moments of honest self-reflection also provide a much needed mental refresher from the day that goes beyond a simple “okay” that has become a go-to response when my friends ask how things are going. My journals throughout the years have reflected my growth as a person learning and experiencing events I would later understand as transformative.

Entries range from anything like lists of songs that I loved at that moment to angry rants about things that now seem so inconsequential. These entries provide me with insight into the way that I process

the events that I am a part of in a way that is unfiltered as it may not be when trying explain it to someone else.

Devoting time to journaling is an act of self-care and one that is extremely accessible. Writing (or typing) down anything and everything that is taking up a lot of space in your mind can help you to understand the cause and begin to lead you to the solution. Whether it’s a conversation that you need to have with a friend or roommate or just some tasks that you’ve been putting off, having a physical manifestation of the things that are important to you in that moment give you an impetus to accomplish them. Releasing your thoughts can provide the space necessary to work through personal stresses because having to write them down helps to put them into perspec-

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tive. Maybe you’ve been playing around with an idea for a song, film, or theme for a photoshoot. Taking a moment to write down some lyrics or creating a mood board in your journal could be the the beginning of a larger project. Journaling can help in the creative process and itself become a way to channel creativity that otherwise may not have been brought into fruition. Collaging, using multicolored pens, pretty stationary, and adding pictures can also help to make journaling more interesting and speak to the more individualized way that people interpret their emotions and passions.

If journaling is something that you’ve alway been interested in starting, then the first step is to just set aside some time and free write. Starting small, with a ten minute timer for example, will help acclimate you to actively being with yourself and self- reflecting.

Getting some journaling materials that you’re excited about, such as pens or marker, can also help get you started, because who doesn’t love the feeling of new supplies? Journaling as a self-care practice can become anything that you want or need it to be. It reaffirms your feelings while creating a space for reflection. Journaling is a release.

It is a chance to let go of who or what you project simply because there is no reason not to be your most honest self--your journal is yours.

Illustration by Lillian Zhang

Ode to Journaling

Best Brands on Instagram

by Ficara McDoom @ColoringPins

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Founded by Essence Hayes, Coloring Pins, is an innovative accessory brand that promotes the necessary representation of people of color. Through the creation of pins, patches, keychains and stickers, Coloring Pins reintroduces and stylizes the culture and thoughts of mis- and underrepresented communities. You can don pins of righteous Black women with crowns rightfully placed on their fros, medium to dark foundations sets that spell out M-E-L-A-N-I-N, or even a jar of coconut oil. Stretching beyond another Instagram brand, Coloring Pins responds to the embarrassingly shallow representation of communities of color in the market. As Hayes states, “Coloring Pins was birthed from my wanting to wear pins, but not seeing any for me on the market.

There are tons of cute pins, but none of them resonated with me or made me feel like I had to have them. I wanted a pin that was an extension of me, and I wanted to be able to walk with a pin that spoke before I did.” Follow and support not only the brand, but the sheer craft and talent of a woman of color who is really out here pushing for the visibility of our community.

@FilthyCosmetics

Coming straight out of Atlanta with a wholly cruelty-free, vegan flair is the flawless cosmetic brand, FilthyCosmetics. The founder and sole owner, Oya @creepybadwitch, handcrafts all of her products with century-old beauty ingredients. They are 100% natural and formulated to give you clear, golden skin, as well as banish negative energy. The line is affordable and

has a variety of skincare products, ranging from facial cleansers and toners, to bath bombs and body masks. Aside from the overall integrity of this brand, the product packaging and theme design is fantastic. The motto’s letters, Shop Filthy.

Get Clean., can be seen hugging a woman of color shining in all of her unbothered glory–nails, tattoos, and carefree magic.

Along with this powerful imagery are the creative product names, which make your shopping experience that much more meaningful. Some notable titles are Safe Space (toner), Bronze Baddie (setting spray), Black Magick (body scrub), and “Spirit Says Nah”(Ritual Candle). Heighten your beauty ritual with this satisfying and effective cosmetic brand, while supporting a small business headed by a Black woman.

@TheDriveNewYork

Based in Brooklyn, the collective behind The Drive–a concept shop–strives to create a unique spin on minimalism fused with streetwear. The team carefully curates its brand to create outfits that relate visual, fashion narratives. The brand houses a rich collection of jewelry, clothing, accessories and shoes from hard-tofind labels. On their social accounts these multi-brand

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looks present a very simple, streamlined aesthetic. Some of the designers carried

by TheDrive are Ajaie Alaie, Anyone girl, Mondo Mondo, Nandi Naya, Paloma Wood, Vere Verto, and a handful more.

The prices are split from mid- to highrange, but the pieces are definitely worth the investment. The intentions of the brand are to gain the trust of its customers through the promotion of quality items.

@Bylolitajewelry

Layered gold chains, chunky pendants and wavy, gold rings should always have a place in your personal collection. ByLolita is a glamorous jewelry line that delivers quality pieces to satisfy any ice obsession. Building off of her own childhood fascinations with accessories, Dominican jeweler, Melina @lolitayang, founded the brand in 2015. The line features a variety of accessories: diamond bracelets, emerald-stained rings and dainty, gold necklace sets with pendants of virgencita marias, sagrado corazones de jesus pieces, and rosaries. As we are accustomed to seeing symbols such as crosses and Virgen de Guadalupe’s swinging from the length of a single gold chain, ByLolitaJewelry incorporates the layering of diamonds, crystals and colored stones to create an even more striking visual. The pieces are, simply, gorgeous and will spice up any look.

The Dos and Don’ts of

W

Coconut Oil

by Erin Bronner

hat comes from a tree, resides in many a pantry, and could be the answer to your beauty routine? If you guessed coconut oil, you are most certainly correct! Long-heralded by the beauty community as virtual ambrosia, this substance has piqued my curiosity for years. A natural, vegan, cost-effective replacement for multiple regimens at once? Sign me up! Without further ado, here are some tips I’ve compiled from both research and prior experience to help you live your best ~organic beauty~ life.

As we endure winter in full swing, the need for a trusty moisturizer becomes more dire, and coconut oil is here to be your hero. Use it in place of a body butter, hand cream, or even lip balm. Not only does it smell really nice, but it also has antimicrobial properties according to a plethora of studies– perfect for use on the go! In the summer, you can use it as sunburn relief.

Alternatively, mix

the oil with brown sugar for a tasty exfoliating lip scrub all year round.

Don’t: Introduce It to Your Face

Although coconut oil has been known to be a tried-and-true moisturizing method on anywhere that is not prone to breakouts, avoid putting it on your face if you have oily or combination skin. Despite the appeal of its antimicrobial properties, this oil is commonly given a 4 on a 1-5 comedogenic (pore-clogging) scale by specialists. If you’re searching for a natural skincare alternative, jojoba oil and argan oil are popular alternatives, with respective ratings of 2 and 0.

Do: Care for Your Hair

From taming frizz to concealing split ends, a little bit of the stuff goes a long way when it comes to solving a host of hair woes. When applying, it’s best not to overdo it in terms of the amount and to avoid the roots because, after all, your scalp does produce its own oil. That being said, coconut oil is a helpful supplement when it comes to moisture retention, detangling, and an allover shine.

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Don’t: Leave It Hanging in the Heat

As I have learned from my first purchase of coconut oil while staying in an unairconditioned dorm, coconut oil has a melting point of 76°F. Although this won’t be a problem during fall and winter, this property can become quite cumbersome once temperatures start rising again, especially in Reid, Brooks, and the 600s.

Do: Shave the Day Coconut oil is a great substitute for shav-

ing cream, so if you want super smooth legs look no further. Since coconut oil is not water-soluble, it won’t wash off in the shower like many shaving creams or gels, allowing you to avoid rushing under the water and focus on shaving at the optimal, nick-free angle every time. However, keep in mind that unless you always take really hot showers or are responsible for cleaning your own shower, skip this method and use a traditional, water-soluble product. Coconut oil clumps if the water isn’t hot enough to melt it, so while you might have smooth legs, you’ll also have a clogged drain to worry about.

Don’t: Pick the Plastic Jar

Go for glass instead! Coconut oil distributors package their product in glass with good intentions; glass is more eco-friendly than plastic, won’t leak like plastic does, and indicates a higher-quality (less likely to be mass-produced) oil. When given the option, choose coconut oil in a glass container instead of a plastic one. The Earth will thank you!

Illustration by Letty DiLeo

Do: Solve the Dilemma of Dry Skin

Feminist

features Utopia:

The City as Designed by Women

“

T

he city had been a male space since its founding. You had studied nineteenth-century urban planning some in college, and read planning, government, and journalistic reports about new cities in the Western world. To you, and to your revolutionary foremothers, the cities they described had so much potential: democracy flourished, opportunity abounded, and through the anonymity offered in the vast urban crowd, social life was set (at least partially) free from the rural constraints of the family and the domestic sphere. For women in that time, this new vast public space could have lifted a centuries-old veil of oppression that kept their lives and their sexualities confined to the private world. But page after page, all these unique new liberties were burnished in anger and fear. The city was a hellscape, they said. It is ripe with crime, rebellion, insalubrity, and untrammeled sexuality. It was a hostile, dirty, dangerous place, certainly no place for a woman.

New urban leaders sought to “protect” (and by that they meant exclude) their precious women from this infernal urban space. The new urban consciousness was a “male consciousness,” which rendered the very existence of women in cities a problem.

”

—Anna Sugrue, No Man’s Land: Imagining a Feminist Urban Utopia

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Photographer | Peyton Ayers Photoshoot Director | Judy Liu Model | Jamie Sutton Editing | Sharon Wu

by Kalena Chiu

I

n her 2014 piece for The Guardian, art and design writer Zaha Hadid visited with several London-based female architects to discuss the gender dynamics of the architecture industry: Fiona Scott said women in the industry often go uncredited and that she “would go to networking events that were full of guys who had a way of talking I found exhausting.” Catherine Greig professed “Even when you’re training, you realise this field is so male-dominated! My entire relationship to myself as a professional architect was tied up with the realisation that I was in a minority.”

This present day male domination of the architectural sphere is not new, in fact, most—if not all —urban infrastructure that began to comprise the first cities, states, and countries were imagined, designed, and built by men. In 1879, Mary Louisa became the first woman in North America to graduate from college with a degree in architecture. Up until that point, there were no women in the industry here. Accordingly, the modern world as we know it was created largely by men: the cities of today are built on the foundations and ideals laid by male architects and urban planners who, in their time, felt no need to give thought to creating space for women in the public sphere. This trend, unfortunately, continues even today: in 2011, a $105 million courthouse opened in Ohio featuring a beautiful crystal-clear glass staircase. The design team was made up of only men, none of whom considered the females that worked (and wore skirts and dresses to work) there.

Male control, however, doesn’t simply stop at architecture and urban planning; men dominate our public spaces. Even here, amongst never ending hustle and bustle, women can’t catch a break. Despite the anonymity promised by large cities, whistles, stares that seem to pierce through our clothing, and a fowl slieu of uncomfortable calls and phrases plague women wherever and whenever we go. We learn to make ourselves small and to slip by unnoticed in a fruitless effort to remedy the demeaning jeers.

“

They were haunted by the beady eyes outside the grocery store, the hovering presence in the bus seat behind them, the shadow just behind them that they swore had reached out its groping fingers. Their urban public space was fraught. Hands, words, and lingering threats followed them down the street, through parks, and onto buses and trains.

Public space was male conquered space.

Men and their oppressive gaze dominated the city, bring the patriarchy beyond family trees and gender studies books and into the lived environment. The outside world actively reinforced gender inequalities, unsettled your ancestors’ essential ontological security, and oppressed them socially and politically. It was not a good time to not be a man.

What would it look like if women reclaimed and dominated public space? If we no longer needed to compulsively apologize for a slight bump on the sidewalk, for fear we might end up injured or dead? If we didn’t have to compact ourselves into tiny and tinier spaces? If we could be large, loud, and unapologetic?

“Each of you takes turns sharing our opinion.You debate, you argue, you interrupt, you don’t apologize, you yell, you take up space, and they interrupt, they don’t apologize, and they take up space. Nothing is trivial, everything is loud. Other women, strangers, begin to slowly form a circle around you and listen in.Take up space.There is tension between you all, heated and dense, but there is no tension between you and the voice in your head. She doesn’t want you to be quiet anymore. And there is no tension in the air, no disquieting stares from passerby, no hegemonic buzz in the crowd, murmuring that you should not be, you cannot be.You are.You must be.”

But how do we create such a space if women are chained to the limiting sphere of the domestic world? Suburbia is often depicted as a community for stay-at-home mothers, when realistically, the suburbs are anything but communal—they lack opportunities for social interaction and restrain women to their own single-family houses. Traditionally female roles in the household, such as cleaning, cooking, and laundry tie the woman to her home. Perhaps in a female-crafted world, those deeds could be outsourced.

Increased public services would cut the tether be tween the woman and the home, increase employment opportunities, and build strong communities. “[T]he right to the city meant more than subway car. It meant full and complete use of creation of public space. They founded com

Public transportation has proven itself Subways, trains, busses, and ferries compose highly by the American Public Transit Association says that ers are female. A Stanford study showed that wom children under the age of five use public transit discovered that women often make multiple hold tasks (such as running errands and and that a greater number of women stops when travelling on statistics, mass trans failed to effectively in these cityscapes. multiple stops on fare? Should the travelled rather ther is the ques mothers and dis stairs, slim turn and the gap im with wheels.

just having a few women architects or having a women-only public space and full and complete participation in the munity centers to outsource formerly private, womanly, as an integral part of the modern urban city. efficient mass transit systems. A 2017 survey across the nation, 55% of public transit usen in the care industry and women with more than men do. Additionally, they short stops in order to perform housedropping off or picking up children) compared to men make multiple public transit. Despite these clear portation systems in cities have cope with the way women exist Should transit users making one trip be charged reduced users be charged by distance than per swipe in? Even furtion of if transit systems fail abled users alike: skinny stiles, thin walkways, pede those who travel

“You walk briskly to the train station.You get caught up in the morning rush, the commercial street bustling with Monday morning activity.

It slows down, as you funnel into the station.The crowd hums, circulates, the elevator click-clicking in the background. Some women head to the sides of the station, to the restrooms, the water fountains, and the benches, taking a moment to collect themselves, or, like you, organize into vague lines in front of the turnstiles.You know turnstiles might not be a good word for them but you don’t know what else to call them.

They are wide, with two sliding Plexiglass panels. Open and close, open and close. No metal bars. No revolving doors.You swipe in. Beep.

Beside you, a woman pushing a stroller does the same. Beep.”

Transit systems affect the way women traverse the city. If deserted bus stations, dark streets, and unmonitored metro stops were made safer, women would inhabit the city more freely (and, not to mention, the city in general would be safer). Subway rides aren’t comfortable—we squish and shove as doors close and trains jolt forward.We’re rudely snapped at for minute mistakes such as smushed toes or off-balance stumbles. Additionally, a constant state of wariness and high-alert pervades almost every female’s mind during a subway ride; an endless scan for threats repeats over and over in our minds.

A 2009 survey in New Delhi, India, reported that 95 percent of women were afraid to use mass transit for fear of harassment. In 2012, a woman was gang-raped and murdered on a public Delhi bus. In 2014, a survey conducted in Kenya stated that over 50% of the 381 women interviewed had experienced gender-based harassment while using public transportation. A 2014 Reuters survey found that 6 out of 10 women in Latin American cities were physically harassed on public transportation. In Mexico City, 90% of women feel unsafe on local mass transit. Ana Guezmes, the UN Women’s representative in Mexico, stated that “From a very young age women experience sexual violence and harassment in public spaces, in transport, walking on the streets, and it consists of anything from rude words, unwanted touching, obscene glares, to rapes, murders and feminicide.”

If public transit were more safety-oriented, metro rides would be safer and more enjoyable for every passenger, regardless of gender: “The car is packed, wall to wall But the crowded train car is hum of it, enthralled by the through the crowd with center pole, hand to hand ers and strangers. The You look around, make acknowledge, admire, ...

Then, the train be street, and the stops murmurs, the person the woman seated in laugh.”

The Feminist Utopia does not yet exist, and it won’t be easy to get there, either. A city oriented towards female needs doesn’t just stop at architecture and urban planning; the inhabiting citizens must embody a different mindset—one which views women as equals worthy of respect rather than bodies to be objectified.

commuters, bags, wheelchairs, strollers. comfortable. You are devoured by the richness, bored almost.[1] You push ease. Find a spot nestled against a to hand with strangers and strangdoors close, the train begins to move. casual, accidental eye-contact, and look, keep your gaze moving. gins to slow, nowhere near 8th with a jolt. The crowd jostles, next you falls, hands first, onto front of you, and they apologize,

“

[Your] new city was built as a rebellion against the tyranny of racialized, class-segregated, and gendered urban public space. It freed you. You had lived long outside the shadow of catcalls or dark alleys or city councilmen or towering, phallic, skyscrapers.

You were not safe, one can ever be safe, but you did feel secure in yourself, in your body and your words and in each step you took.

Just liked your foremothers dreamed, you fi nally felt at home.

�

“S

o how’s college?” asks my cousin from across the table at Christmas dinner. I’ve been asked this question so many times that I already have a list of answers at the ready:

College is great.Yes, my roommates are nice. I love living in New York.Yes, I’m friends with some boys. Some of them are even in my classes.Yes, I know. It’s cold. I miss Grandma’s cooking the most. And my dogs.

But no matter how many times I’m asked how college is going, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully articulate how much I loved my first semester at Barnard. Sure, it’s tiring having the same Q&A session with every family member that is old enough to say the word college, but my first few months at Barnard have been amazing and I try to get that message across every time.

For me, everything about Barnard is a change. For 18 years of my life, all I’ve known is the sunny-sunny southern Californian city in which I grew up. While the city was too big to know everyone, I

by Maya Sanchez

felt like I knew a decent amount of people and those decent amount of people knew a decent amount of people as well. On top of that, I knew almost every hidden place in town and would drive through the city streets with my windows down and my music blasting.

Now, this city is too big for me to know everything about it. Once I think I have a grasp on the general neighborhoods, someone will mention one that I’ve never heard of before and then I’m back to square one. I’m still trying to figure out the best places to study on campus (Avery, I’ve grown fond of you.), let alone every spot downtown. And now, my music is still blasting, but it’s through my headphones as I ride the subway, squished so closely to the people around me that I’m surprised that no one has voiced their discomfort. But it’s rush hour and we’re all people trying to make their way back home.

Home. No, that’s not a misprint.

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Barnard has become my second home, the people that I’ve met my second family. Of course, transitions don’t happen without a few hiccups. There were nights where I felt like everyone but me had already formed forever-lasting friendships, already knew what they were going to do in the future, already had their lives together. It is isolating to be the only one in my three-person dorm room and to sometimes have only my phone as a study buddy.

But those down moments are just that, moments. They pass and I’m left with the bigger picture: here I am, now 19 years old, and truly enjoying the path that I’m walking. I still have no clue in what I’m majoring in and my extracurricular activities fluctuate with my mood, but I don’t once regret coming to Barnard. A year ago, Barnard was my first choice and now I can call it my college, my home.

Here’s to one semester down, and the many more to come.

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One Semester Down

n New Year’s Day I waited outside Peri’s Bar surrounded by long grey-haired bikers downing the last of their beers and revving the engines of their Harleys. Ayana and I were going to Spirit Rock, a meditation center about 20 minutes from downtown, set back into the hills, expansive farmland, and nature reserves of the northern California coast.

Although I don’t feel justified in calling myself a Buddhist, like every good northern Californian (especially one raised in a small, liberal town known for its population of Summer of Love hippies forced out of San Francisco by rent increases), I was introduced to meditation at a relatively young age. So here we were, on the first day of the New Year, hoping for some inspiration for the next few weeks by attending a talk by one of the monks who visited the center.

In the spirit of New Year’s resolutions, I assume, he started out by talking about finding what he called your “edge” which, according to him, is a sort of personal place you come to, at the edge of your comfort zone and on the way to becoming the person you want to be. “You know you’ve found your edge,” he said, “when at the same time the thought of what you’re about to do terrifies you, but

by Kate Lida

you know you need to continue anyway.”

When he said that, I remembered the way I’d felt during the last weeks of August before my freshman year at Barnard. Sitting in the car with my mom and waiting for the light to change I’d said that it felt strange to be in a position where I couldn’t picture what my life would be like less two weeks from then. “Every year before this,” I said, “I’ve been able to have at least some sort of an idea of what things will be like, who my friends will be, what I’ll spend my time doing. But now, when I think of what my life will be like, I draw a total blank. When I think about the future all I can picture is this hazy emptiness, this uncertainty.”

In the weeks leading up to my move to Barnard, that inability to have a sense of what would lie ahead became more intense. Moving to New York City from a small, rural town of just over 7,000 people was definitely a dramatic change, and it took awhile for me to get used to the feeling of having uprooted so completely. But somehow I still had this feeling that it was something I had to do.

Now, when I think about my upcoming semester abroad in Peru (and I’ve had a lot of time to think about it, since classes don’t start until March) and yet again draw a complete blank, those same

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fears I felt in the weeks before my freshman year come back. But when I consider the possibility of not going, I get this overwhelming feeling that I need to do this.

There are plenty of ways I could explain this, but none that seem to totally add up.

Maybe it’s because I want to see Lima, where my dad grew up. Maybe by living there I’ll come to understand him better, and maybe, by extension, myself?

Or perhaps it’s wanting to feel fully confident speaking Spanish, a language I’ve always felt embarrassed that I didn’t know well. I’m not really half Peruvian if I’m not fluent, right? Maybe it’s because I want to do something like people from my childhood I admired, like Alyssa, three years older than me, who took a year off between high school and college to live and work in Patagonia. The explanation I give most people who ask is simple: I want to visit the archives, because I’m hoping to do a history thesis on early 20th century movements in Latin America.

These are all reasons I want to go, of course, but not one of them or even their combination explain the feeling I have. Study abroad, like moving across the country to go to Barnard, is an edge; it’s something I feel I need to do, despite the uncertainty. Maybe when I’m there, I’ll start understanding why.

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O

AbroadNard

Living la Vida

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F

or some, meditation is an occasional hobby or perhaps a required postyoga relaxation technique, but for others, meditation is a way of life. This piece will be written by someone who practices meditation in their day to day life and intentionally manifests the practice in their person and their lifestyle.

Discussing their first encounters with the art, their progression, and its impact on their life, the author will give a personal account on the powers of this restorative and mindful healing technique.

Photography by Aliya Schneider

It seems that mindfulness is a growing trend on social media platforms.

Mindful eating, mindful journaling, mindful walking, etc. are all advertised as ways to slow down and live in the moment by bringing more gratitude and awareness into your life. But how can we remain mindful in every part of our day? Instead of just carving out a minute here and there to reconnect, how can we make mindfulness and meditation a way of life?

Two years ago, for the first time, I said yes to an activity I perceived as exclusive to those well versed in the culture of ancient India and to those who had already achieved spiritual enlightenment.

Apprehensive about being packed in a room with strangers, performing poses named after animals and sweating...a lot, I had never wanted to practice yoga. But, during my first class, it took fewer than fifteen minutes for me to realize the pow-

erful impact of this physical and spiritual discipline. My first yoga class is where I discovered the centering capability of my breath. Since then, the strangers with whom I was wary to share a class became a community.

Yoga and meditation started out as what felt like a reprieve from chaos.

When I felt overwhelmed I would head down to my favorite studio or practice some breathing exercises. It was in those moments that I felt most grounded and in control. My practice experienced a major turning point after reading a book my teacher often quoted in class called “A Path With Heart” by Jack Kornfield. This book deals with turning meditation into a lifestyle. Rather than setting aside time to meditate, make your life a meditative practice: going through life with greater intention with your thoughts and actions.

This meant that when my teacher would assign a large homework the night before a test, I would say a loving kindness mantra in my head instead of indulging in negative thoughts. Or if my brother was being especially annoying I would try and put myself in his mind to generate empathy for his frustration rather than resorting to anger. I realized that the way I reacted to things I perceived as stressful or upsetting was entirely up to me, which was extremely empowering and inspiring.

Meditation and yoga are referred to as practices because they are processes.

Some days it is much harder to control

destructive thoughts, and other days it is easy to be filled with light. The most important part of a practice is not the outcome, but is the act of showing up. So, in trying to make meditation a more integral part of your life, don’t stop just because it doesn’t feel like it’s working. Just like anything worth working at, meditation takes a degree of devotion in order for it to alter your life for the better.

Today my relationship with meditation and yoga is the most important one in my life. Last spring going through yoga teacher training transformed the way I now move through my life. Before yoga teacher training, my practice was very dependant on the teachers I learned from; it felt as though my teachers possessed some kind of elusive magic. I now feel that the magic is in the practice and it is expressed in my life in the moments I am not meditating even more so than the moments I am.

Rather than planning mindfulness around my schedule, I welcome meditation into my life where it seeps in.

It takes the form of morning stretches, afternoon meditations, tranquil subway rides to work, or taking a breath to feel more present in a nerve-racking situation.

Meditation and yoga are not activities that should feel like they take up space in your life, but ultimately should help you create space, often in surprising ways.

In Her Words

by Kayla Koffler

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Love Letters

by the Barnard community

I love to watch you sleep.

I love to watch the peaceful serenity that envelopes your face. I love the way your eyelids flutter ever so slightly. I love the way your mouth hangs half open.Your heat radiating towards me.

I love to watch the way your chest rises with each new intake of air. I love the rhythm of each breath. I love the way the hot and stuffy air rushes in and out.Your hand against mine.

I love the safety you bring me, like I am here and nothing else matters.You’re here.

You’ll never know what it was like before I met you. It’s the kind of thing you don’t notice until it’s just not like that anymore, and the way you felt before is just not how you feel anymore.The way you saw things, your perception of the world, of people, it’s just not the same anymore.

Every day felt like walking through this heavy fog - blurry and confusing. (And that’s not just because I never wear my glasses or contact lenses by the way.)

Every day felt like I was walking through water. The weight of each new step seemingly unbearable, gluing me back to the step before, never moving forward, never moving backwards, never moving at all. No direction.

Every day was also like floating. Like my body kept rising higher and higher off the ground, my pulse racing, my arms reaching out for the earth that grew smaller and smaller with each minute I rose higher, but I could never reach it.

I never noticed, I was so used to it. But then there was you. It was like seeing clearly for the first time; like walking freely and towards something; like feeling my feet touch the solid ground. Knowing that I wouldn’t lose myself anymore.

Knowing things. I never knew like this before. I just know now.You have no idea the things I just know now, because of you.

I love to trace the cracks of your hand with my fingers. I how the tiny collection of triangles and pentagons connect together creating little streams and pathways.Your touch.

I love it when your eyes slowly open. I love the way you look at me. The way you totally know I’ve been watching you sleep, but not for how long.

I love the small smile and chuckle you let out. I love the way you reach over and pull me into your chest. I love feeling the rhythm of your breathing against my cheek. I love the way the sound of your breath lulls me to sleep, the way my eyelids droop, the way I drift off in your arms.

I love you.

My Dearest Nantucket,

Every so often, when clouds and cold wind encroach on the bustling city of New York, I look at pictures of you and sigh in contentment knowing that I only have to miss your warmth and beauty for a few more months. Every year, you set the stage for the best week of my summer with your periwinkle hydrangeas, historic lighthouses, and delicious homemade ice cream (you know I had to mention it).You always manage to make me feel at home from the second I step off the plane and traipse down the stairs onto the tarmac. I spy the single small building, dressed in uniform gray shingles, of Nantucket Memorial Airport and have to physically slow myself down. Life is more leisurely here; people take their time wandering the cobblestone streets, taking in stores, restaurants, and stunning views of the water with purpose, as one nurses a fine wine. The locals, though they lack the starry-eyed wonder of tourists stampeding off the ferry, bask in the beauty of a New England summer with the same fervor as their recently transplanted counterparts. Nantucket, I walk to class and eye skyscrapers and yellow cabs while imagining your intimacy and simplicity, and I anxiously await returning to the land with one movie theater.

I am thinking of you always, and I can’t wait to be reunited.

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All my love, Collier

Dear New York,

Illustration by Letty DiLeo

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Perhaps that’s why I’m missing you so dearly, so much it makes my heart sob, while I’m across the ocean studying in Ireland for the semester.

But I’m not sure that’s quite it. New York, you’ve become more than a city to me.

You’ve become even more than a dream, more than the mythology I was determined to find in you when I first stepped on your streets.

You’re the city where I learned how to be alive. And you’re the place that opened up your streets and led me to my love.

Across you I took trains endlessly, from the Upper West Side down to Brooklyn — 1 train to 14th, tunnel to the L down to the DeKalb stop, seven minute walk to the apartment where I looked into a pair of blue eyes and fell into them, down a rabbit hole that landed me in the sky.

You are the bone structure of my love, you are the embodiment of the electricity I feel for my love.You and them are tangled up, anemones lashing together at the bottom of an ocean.Your drive, your beat, your endless inspiration, the seismic shifts and vast dimensions within you and around you, all of them are inextricably connected in my mind to my love.You are a living thing, in the same way that my love is a city of light and smoke and stars.

When I kissed my love at the Chelsea Hotel it was a symbolic gesture, perhaps in reference to the dreams you’ve given me, the churches and temples, bookstores and beaches you opened to me. I spent so long living in the past, but I felt I at last jumped out into the present at that moment, hit the ground running on your gasoline-stained pavement.

The Chelsea is closed; the 60s are gone. Warhol’s Factory is shut down. There are new battles to be fought and so many new songs to be written, new gleaming dresses to be worn and new walls to be torn down. So many new walls to be torn down.

But that’s what you do, NewYork, like love, like true love — you break down walls.You are a place where millions of people with nothing in common except geography and humanness itself live together as one.

You are not what you used to be.You are the moment, you are real, you are here, holding us, showing us pockets of starlight amidst a chaos of clouds.You are protests, you are rockets glinting towards the sky, you are hidden inscriptions on bathroom stalls, you are incense burning in subway tunnels and walled gardens, rusty amusement parks and groundbreaking art.Your existence is a testament to the irrational power of love.

Please take care of my love while I’m away, NewYork. Hold them softly, sing them love songs. Show them colors and cosmic light. Lead them down pathways towards magic, rock them gently on your subways, let your sunsets smile out, drip gold onto the river.

And don’t you worry. I’ll be back.

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Love, Eden

Hair: I

n between kisses I had to awkwardly laugh and pull my hair out of the space between our mouths. I leaned down to kiss him again, and my hair fell into his face again.

“So much hair!” he exclaimed, partly in frustration, partly in awe.

“It’s my best feature and my worst feature.” I said with a laugh.

My hair usually gets stuck in people’s mouths, armpits, shirt buttons, tree branches, chair backs… and I love it. My hair is all over the place, just like me.

But it didn’t always feel that way. I straightened my hair every morning in sixth grade; my flat iron was my prized possession. It burnt my ear, fingers, cheek, and even foot countless times, and added time to get ready in the morning. My hair had to be perfect.

It took me awhile to give my natural hair a chance. Once I started high school, around the time I stopped wearing makeup, I started wearing my hair naturally. As time has gone by, my curly hair feels like my defining physical feature and makes me feel myself.

I love how tangly it gets. I love how the wind throws it around. I love how it normalizes messy.

Our identities have different layers to them, but because of connotations that come along with different hairstyles, often times people’s images and sense of self are radically altered based on their hairstyles. Many others have had experiences like my own where it took them time to understand and accept their hair, which can be an empowering experience. But beyond insecure middle school reactions to Victoria’s Secret ads and Pantene commercials, people’s relationships with their hair often intersect with defining features of their identity, such as gender, religion, race, and age.

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Leah Kenney (School of Social Work‘18), explained how people identify her ethnicity and sexuality based on whether her hair is long or short. When her hair is long and wavy, people disregard her Japanese identity, assuming she is Pacific Islander or Mexican. When her hair is short, people do not notice the waves, and focus more on her queerness. “I guess I have changed my hair to fit more with my identity based on societal notions....

I cut my hair because I identify with the queer community and I like how it looks because I like that I look queer.” Kenney pointed out that she took some offense to someone telling her that she “should have always had short hair” because it “suits [her] better.” She explained how she didn’t feel “emotionally ready until now to have short hair” and that “the fact that [she] can rock short hair now is because [she has] grown up and evolved as a person.”

Rahma Elsiesy (BC ‘20) shared the visibility she has as being muslim because she covers her hair. “I automatically become less anonymous because people can make immediate assumptions about who I am and what my beliefs are…. This made me hyper-aware of my appearances and my external behaviors; you constantly feel like you are observing yourself from an outsider’s perspective, which definitely affects how I conduct myself in public. In high school for example, people saw me as the poster child/’good girl’ which made me wonder if the actions I did came from myself or came from I thought I was expected to do. This also affects how I assess my relationship with others. For example, I always wonder if the way people act towards me, whether positively or negatively, is because of my hijab or because of who I am as a person.”

In the 2014 New York Times article “When Black Hair is Against the Rules,” Ayana Byrd and Lori L. Tharps write about the former unfair policies in the U.S. Army regarding natural hair.

The article points out that recent policy assumed that “all hair not only grows the same way but can be styled the same way.”

The authors point out how one style allowed is a bun, but due to the texture of many black women’s hair, it is necessary to put their hair in twists before putting into a bun, but the policy called dreadlocks and twists “faddish and exaggerated.”

Anna Fondiller (BC ,19) shared that when she straightens her hair, people tell her she looks like a “Republican.” My aunt dyes her hair, because she doesn’t want to be perceived as old by having grey hair.

An Extension of Self

by Aliya Schneider

P&O Women in Politics Chelsea Manning uring the 2016 election, the poem “I Want A President” by Zoe Leonard — always popular, but especially anthemic at the time — reemerged as a powerful counter-narrative to the current mainstream candidates. “I want a person with AIDS for president and I want a fag for vice president and I want someone with no health insurance and I want someone who grew up in a place where the earth is so saturated with toxic waste that they didn’t have a choice about getting leukemia,” the poem ruminates.

It’s no secret that the United States has never had a female president, and only one president that is a person of color. Congress remains overwhelmingly white, overwhelmingly male, overwhelmingly heterosexual, overwhelmingly upper class, and overwhelmingly cis-gendered.

While it’s unlikely Zoe Leonard imagined Chelsea Manning as the answer to her poem’s call for action, Mannings’ January 14 announcement of her plans to run for U.S. Senate in Maryland are a start.

Sure, Manning possesses considerable political hurdles: while serving as an army intelligence analyst, she was sentenced to 35 years imprisonment for violation of the Espionage Act after disclosing nearly 750,000 classified documents to Wikileaks in 2013, with one of her 22 charges being “aiding the enemy.” According to the BBC, Manning claimed she had released the documents to “spark a public debate in the US about the role of the military and about US foreign policy” as well as to help end the Iraq War. As Manning told the New York Times, “Let’s not

hide missteps. Let’s not hide misguided policies. Let’s not hide history. Let’s not hide who we are and what we are doing.”

On January 17, 2017, on his very last days in office, President Obama shortened Mannings’ sentence to seven years of confinement, allowing her to be released.

He claimed she had been sufficiently punished for her crimes.

To add to her controversy, Manning also came out as a trans woman in August 22, 2013, requesting hormone treatment from the US military, which was eventually granted to her two years later. She was housed in a men’s prison for the entirety of her sentence, causing her twice to attempt suicide and once to go on a hunger strike.

Despite the fact that Mannings’ candidacy represents a variety of firsts for American politics — never has a senatorial candidate violated the Espionage Act before, nor has there ever been a trans woman in U.S. congress — her candidacy announcement video is infectiously hopeful.

In fact, for voters alternately alarmed and devastated by the nation’s swerve toward neonazism and conservatism, Mannings’ platform is sure to be one of the most liberal up for election in 2018.

Although she has yet to create an official campaign website, (there is currently only a link on her Twitter page for donations), Mannings’ social media posts and outspoken activism suggest the same sort of spitfire passion for open access to government that originally landed her in prison.

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demilitarization of US borders, LGBTQ rights, and prison reform.

Manning demonstrates some of the same anti-establishment government spirit that so many flocked to Trump for, yet on a markedly different political spectrum. “We need to stop expecting that our systems will somehow fix themselves, we need to actually take the reins of power from them,” Manning says in her campaign announcement video. About current legislators, she orders, “We don’t need them anymore, we can do better.”

In fact, despite Mannings’ party alignment on the ticket as a Democrat, her policies split considerably from typical Democratic neoliberalism. On Twitter, she compares U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to Gestapo, and is unapologetic when she states “fuck the police.” All the same, her established campaign hashtag is #wegotthis and she utilizes a plethora of bitmojis in all of her Twitter posts (her favorite seems to be the rainbow one, possibly tying back to her LGBTQ pride and policies).

With Mannings’ considerable political baggage comes a certain edge of infamy that shouldn’t be underestimated.

Perhaps most impressively, after dealing with US corruption caught on tape in confidential government files, undergoing seven years of intense (and sometimes solitary) prison confinement, as well as a public gender transition that incited ruthless criticism, Manning still believes enough in the system to want to change it.

And that, at the very least, is admirable.

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D

by Caitlin Mccormic

The Pod Squad I Disclaimer: The Bulletin does not own any images on this page

f you’ve ever found yourself in the gender neutral bathroom on the third floor of Sulzberger Hall at around 9 am on a weekday morning, you’ve certainly heard the crisp, yet soothing tone of Michael Barbaro thoughtfully delivering the world news, emanating from the center shower stall. This podcast, called “The Daily” from the NewYork Times, has quickly become part of my regular routine. And it’s perfectly designed for that: “Only what you want to know, none of what you don’t… Twenty minutes a day, five days a week, ready by 6 am,” as its description reads.

As #5 on the podcast app’s top charts, this is one of the most popular examples of a new trend in journalism: political podcasts. Today, we have seemingly infinite choices for how to consume news.

From listicles to talking heads on cable TV to YouTube clips of John Oliver, there is a barrage of information coming at us from all sides and perspectives. While podcasts like “The Daily” could easily just add to the chaos, they may instead be adding some much needed order and awareness.

by Juliet Emerson-Colvin Makaria Y. ‘21 has experience with both strictly news-based and more loosely structured podcasts. Before the hecticness of college that consumes us all, she listened to Voice of America (VOA) and BBC Africa, in order to connect her to East African news that was hard to come by on mainstream news sites. “Whenever I would look through online news, it was very Westernized and I didn’t know anything that was happening in Africa, which is important to me because I’m from Ethiopia.”

Now, she finds herself listening to “Call Your Girlfriend,” which is essentially a long-distance phone conversation between best friends Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman covering everything from, as Makaria puts it “Donald Trump to black feminism to cats.” Even this combination of topics makes a political statement: nothing is outside the purview of these womens’ unapologetic wit. The medium of a podcast adds to this alternative way of looking at the world: “You wouldn’t have these kinds of conversations with a written article. Writers feel like they have to be so formal. When you listen and hear their voice it’s more personal, like a friend talking to you. I like listening to conversations people are having around me and I often feel like

you can learn a lot from them. All these women are so brilliant!”

Both Makaria and Colette J. ‘21 expressed that they love being able to multitask while listening to podcasts, which is a relief for busy college students with no free time. Colette also appreciates how most podcasts are run by millennials and small companies rather than huge news conglomerates, which she thinks contributes to their popularity with our generation. However, she adds that it’s still an imperfect news source because people often listen to hosts with perspectives they agree with, reinforcing their preexisting biases.

Colette enjoys them though, especially “Pod Save America,” a show hosted by former aides to President Obama with prominent guests from around the political world. She also listens to “More Perfect,” a series from Radiolab and WNYC about the stories behind the Supreme Court. Colette likes that “even when it doesn’t seem like anything is happening in the other two branches of government, you can learn about the Supreme Court, which has always been so mysterious.”

I was excited to learn that I’m not alone in my love for “The Daily.”

Maya L. ‘20 also gets her news from Michael Barbaro as she’s making breakfast or walking to class. Like me and many in our generation, she feels that it expands her awareness of current events and broadens her horizons in a totally unique way.

To conclude...

Add “The Daily” to your morning routine!

Try “Call Your Girlfriend” for a little the-personal-is-political self-love!

Gain some global perspective with VOA and BBC Africa!

Get the news straight from politicians on “Pod Save America”!

Learn the crazy stories behind SCOTUS with “More Perfect”!

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Why I Marched

by Aliya Schneider

I

couldn’t believe I had been at the Women’s March in Washington D.C. a year earlier. This year, I marched the streets of my own city. As my best friend and I approached Columbus Circle, what had been a peaceful waltz in the Big Apple became overwhelming. People held their middle fingers up at Trump Tower, and an old man was followed by a group of young adults pointing, yelling “Shame.” A woman dressed as a middle finger preached with her fingers up as a person in a dinosaur costume posed in front of her.

This was a shift from the liberating dancing my friend and I had lead on the sidelines of the streets leading to this area. I took it all in.

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M Photography by Aliya Schneider

arching with people of so many different backgrounds was beautiful, but I couldn’t tell if it felt more like a celebration of women or a desperate mourning. We were ready to leave, and decided to take one more look at the crowd hustling by us.

As my friend started to get up onto a platform, a man came right behind her, put his hands on her waist, and tried to hoist her up with no warning. I told him that I appreciate his efforts to help, but he did not ask before touching her and should not just go up to people and grab them. Of course he responded with an outburst, calling me slurs and rolling his eyes at the Me Too written on my forehead.

This is why I marched.

I grew up battling the images of women sexualized and demeaned by the media. I struggled with having to navigate

how to feel at home in my own body, and how “pretty” should fit in with who I am.

I have been gaslighted, taken advantage of, harassed, silenced, and assaulted too many times, and I am not unique in being able

to say that. It does not sit well with me to keep quiet when I can speak up. Check out MILCK’s anthem I Can’t Keep Quiet while walking down the streets of your city - which also happens to be the city of perpetrators of sexism and harassment,

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and you’ll feel ready to join me.

I know that it is hard to speak up, especially when the problems women face have been the norm for so long.

So many women have been used and do not even know it. That’s why movements like the Women’s March, TimesUp, and #Metoo are giving me hope. Last year, the Women’s March felt like a revolution. Today, it feels like a routine. Exposure of the wrongs against women has increased, and as a woman who has recognized and faced assault and sexism, the pushback feels like a daily obligation. Hopefully, a shift in standards will stretch the norms that have pushed women down so far that they will break and need to be recreated. It is sad that these movements have to exist, but it is hopeful, and beautiful, that they have been born.

Going for the

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H

Gold

istorically, sports are a means through which people come together to share in the common experience of rooting for their athlete or team in a friendly exchange of skills.

Both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games that occur every 4 years, respectively, offer athletes perhaps the greatest platform to showcase their talents, skills, and hard work. Additionally, like any good competition, the Games foster a national pride in each country’s citizens. The host country in particular gets to proudly present its traditions, culture, and values to the rest of the world. Along with the exchange of culture comes the posturing characteristic of any international gathering. The world stage encourages countries to demonstrate their authority (as a country’s sporting success is equated with a country’s position of power), and some take advantage of the opportunity to protest the state of geopolitical-affairs. Not only does this occur on a state-sponsored, national level, but individual athletes, whether intentionally or inadvertently, often react to national or international incidents or affairs of states with which they disagree.

Occasionally the games can become incidentally politicized when real world international tensions are imitated in individual matches or events. For instance, Egyptian Judo martial artist Islam El Shehaby refused to shake hands with his Israeli opponent, Or Sassoon, after losing the match. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) condemned El Shehaby’s behavior. On an international level,

by Hadassah Solomson

countries use the Games to make political statements regarding behavior found to be of international concern. Although technically, the Olympic Charter prohibits all “form[s] of publicity or propaganda, commercial or otherwise,” and, “No kind

of demon s t r at i o n or political, re l i g i o u s or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other area,” South Africa was prohibited from participating for multiple decades by the IOC because of its apartheid regime. Additionally, during the height of the Cold War, in 1980, the Western countries boycotted the Moscow Games and in turn, the Eastern Bloc boycotted the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

An article by Jonathan Grix and Donna Lee entitled “Soft Power, Sports Mega-Events and Emerging States:The Lure of the Politics of Attraction,” posits that “By hosting international sporting events [emerging countries] can show the world that they are guardians of universal norms and, in so doing, can construct THE BULLETIN -

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attraction by illuminating truths such as fair play that have universal appeal.” The authors argue that international sporting events are, in actuality, instances for states to demonstrate diplomatic power.

Famously, Germany’s hosting of the 1936 Games was extremely political as it was an obvious attempt to garner the approval of the international community.

South Korea has the opportunity to demonstrate such influence this winter. Given the current geopolitical climate surrounding North Korea’s recent escalation in nuclear capabilities, the 2018 Winter Olympics may be rife with political overtones as South Korea prepares to host.

Despite these tensions, however, North Korea will be sending a delegation of athletes to participate. To assume utterly sincere, neighborly collaboration would be naive, given each country’s disparate goals and values. Furthermore, North Korea has consistently supported violent activities prior to sporting events whenever South Korea hosts. Yet, North Korea offers a different trend when their athletes are participating, namely, peaceable cooperation, seemingly supportive of the international platform. By taking advantage of the world’s attention and presenting themselves positively, South Korea has the opportunity to elicit world-wide sympathy and support for their cause. Using the Games as political propaganda, perhaps the “shared cultural value of sport” will serve as the much needed distraction from today’s complicated state of global affairs for both countries. For now, diplomacy has prevailed, notwithstanding volatile tensions.

Bail,

BARRIERS,

AND THE BROKEN SYSTEM

by Lillian Zhang

W Disclaimer: The Bulletin does not own any images on this page

hile the United States represents 4.4% of the world’s population, its incarceration rate is the highest in the world - 100 prisoners per 100,000 people! Nearly 2.2 million people are behind bars, and in New York alone, about 88,000 people.

Nationally, that’s an increase of 500% over the last 40 years, according to The Sentencing Project, an organization that aims to reform criminal justice policy.

Mass incarceration is a persistent problem that politicians across the ideological spectrum have tried to solve, but it seems that many policy experiments have been conducted without much emphasis on sustainable goals. For instance, the New York Rockefeller Drug Laws introduced in the 1970s targeted the sale and possession of narcotics with the intent to round up “king-pins”. However, the laws were designed by short-sighted policymakers and many nonviolent or first-time offenders wound up in prison for long periods of time due to strict sentencing laws.

Although drug law reforms in 2009 attempted to lower rates of mass incarceration, this serious problem persists in New York State prisons. This is not because of increasing crime rates - in fact,

crime rate is at its lowest since the 1950s.

It’s also not because of the controversial mandatory-minimum sentencing, because research demonstrates while the laws appear harsh, around 50% of inmates serve around 2 or 3 years. The root of the problem is the inadequate prison bail system.

In New York City Jails about 75% of inmates are incarcerated while still waiting for trial. Across the world, many justice systems rely on the same bedrock safeguard: “Everyone charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed innocent until proven guilty according to law.” But this protection is not executed; the current system punishes the innocent prior to a conviction. Additionally, the system reinforces racial and economic disparity because most incarcerated people are people of color or low-income and lack the economic means to avoid the temporary detention.

Recently, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced a progressive proposal to reform the New York State’s criminal justice system. One of the key proponents in the new legislation is to eliminate monetary bail for people facing misdemeanor and non-violent felony charges. This removes the economic barrier that many prisoners from low income backgrounds

faced because they could not afford bail.

The dramatic move ensures the cash bail system isn’t founded on economic ability, but on justice. In time, incarceration rates in New York prisons may go down, leading to the first time in decades that New York will see a decline in incarceration rates and overwhelming costs of operating prisons.

Cuomo stated, “This sweeping overhaul will transform our criminal justice system by removing critical barriers, reaffirming our beliefs in fairness, opportunity and dignity, and continue our historic progress toward a more equal society for all.” The new legislation demonstrates that lawmakers are finally aware that the criminal justice system has predetermined outcomes based on economic status. It aims to reduce incarceration time, simplify court proceedings, and assist individuals transitioning from incarceration back to their communities.

It appears the New York criminal justice system is finally headed in the right direction, but if these sustainable reforms aren’t fully implemented, policymakers will face even more public doubt in future reforms.

For more info, check out these sites: http://www.prisonstudies.org/country/united-states-america https://sentencingproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Trends-in-US-Corrections.pdf http://www.criminaljustice.ny.gov/drug-law-reform/documents/dlr-update-report-may-2014.pdf https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-unveils-22nd-proposal-2018-state-state-restoring-fairness-new-yorks-criminal THE BULLETIN -

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She Said/She Said Should celebrities be president?

PRO

F

by Sara Hameed

ollowing an inspirational speech at the 2018 Golden Globes, Oprah Winfrey’s name has made its way onto a recent twitter hashtag: #Oprah2020. What began as a simple joke has led to numerous fans theorizing Winfrey’s chances of landing the Oval Office and current President Trump weighing in on the prospect of a future opponent in Winfrey. While Winfrey has previously declared that she would never think to run, she once gave a 1988 interview with Trump in which he stated on the presidential candidacy, “I probably wouldn’t do it.” If Trump’s victory has taught us anything, it’s that the words celebrity and politician are not as dichotomous as originally thought.

Although President Obama was once criticized for being too young and inexperienced to lead the nation, political inexperience no longer seems to be a precursor for landing the presidential job. While Winfrey and other celebrities often lack experience in office, career trajectory and educational background could provide businesspeople, authors, and other celebrities with the ability to lead and inspire a city, state, or even a nation. The talent to inspire and bring change could come from a figure as familiar, welcomed, and loved in America as Oprah Winfrey.

Winfrey has proven herself to be a force in presidential politics in the past, with her endorsement of Obama in the 2008 primary estimating to have generated more than a million votes. Winfrey received honorary degrees from multiple universities, has been ranked the greatest black philanthropist in American history and the most influential woman in the world, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Obama himself. Winfrey appeals to women, African Americans, and a younger demographic, perhaps a group of people who could carry her into office.

Whether Oprah or another popular figure, it is not unfathomable that the U.S. may see another celebrity president, just as America has seen businesspeople, radio broadcasters, engineers, educators, and television personalities make it into office. Winning the ballot for these career types may be the easiest task, however, as they transition into their new role.

// T

THE BULLETIN -

by Stephanie Stifelman

CON

he American political climate is one of intense polarization. Republicans and Democrats villainize each other, and there exists almost no middle ground between the two. Most recently, the government shut down due to both sides being unable to compromise on key issues. As the extremes of both parties gain traction, it is increasingly imperative to elect a president who can reunite the country under a shared platform. In order to do that, this person must have experience. Experience, and complete knowledge of the situation, is arguably the most crucial part of a future leader.

This lack of experience, and subsequent furthering of extremism, is embodied by President Trump. During Trump’s campaign, he advertised his lack of political experience as a virtue. However, his ideas were shoddily planned, and he walked into office needing additional assistance from former President Obama, because he had not realized the scope and intensity of his duties. The issues that have arisen from this presidency are not things that can be fixed with another politically oblivious person in the office.

While I do not want to descredit young and passionate leaders from heading campaigns to reunite the two parties, I think that it is crucial that these leaders also have political experience to back up their statements. And no celebrity would have the experience necessary to enter the presidency head-on. This is no fault of their own, it is simply that they have spent their lives working towards another goal. Even though they might have accomplished that goal, and achieved the fame that comes with it, does not mean that they are fit to run the free world. Giving a good speech does not make someone a good president.

There is a reason that presidents become unpopular - they have to make difficult decisions that many people will disagree with. If we insist on choosing presidents that can make us feel, rather than think, then we are doomed to an increasingly dysfunctional two-party system.

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The Meaning of

T

his month marks a little over a year since the inauguration of President Donald Trump in January of 2017. Since his inauguration, Trump has questioned the fundamental characteristics of presidential behavior, behavior so unexpected, that even his supporters couldn’t have predicted its extent. And unlike a pair of ill fitting jeans that can be hemmed or refurbished -- between the late night tweets, insecurity of West Wing staff positions and contradictions of previous statements, Trump’s code of conduct does not seem finite.

To be fair, there is no presidential handbook. In fact, the past five presidents have all been haunted by controversial statements and actions. George H. W. Bush was once caught on camera whispering into the ear of a confidant that he “kicked [an opponent’s] ass”. Bill Clinton barely survived impeachment after denying any sexual relationships with Monica Lewinsky; George Bush’s track record with alcohol addiction and cocaine use haunted him deep into his presidency, and Barack Obama was forced to apologize after calling former attorney general Kamala Harris the “best looking attorney general”.

However, no controversy initiated by previous presidents elicited any requests for cognitive or neurological exams-- until now. The sole act of inquiring after such exams while Trump continues to occupy the oval office implies doubt

that the president is mentally capable or, in the most extreme circumstance, able to prevail as president of the United States.

The demands for a cognitive or neurological exam followed the recent publication of author Michael Wolff’s book, “Fire and Fury,” which detail the very unorthodox approach Trump has taken to the west wing. The book suggests that Trump has little to no perception of White House operations and cares even less about appropriate code of conduct, further implying a lack of mental fitness.

However, the Trump administration has refuted these allegations. In a Twitter response early December, the president posted that he was, in fact, not only a genius, but a stable genius at that.

Quick to aid, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders stated in a press conference that any notions of mental instability were a “complete fantasy.” And later in January, Dr. Ronny Jackson, the president’s physician, confirmed that Trump was in excellent health, and showed no cognitive impairments.

Much of the American public, including psychologists and psychoanalysts, seem to disagree. And with each passing week in the west wing where unprecedented actions trump the previously unprecedented, their inquiry for further mental responses show little signs of waning. There is some merit to their inquiry.

Never has a person shown such blatant disregard for respect while represent-

ing the American public. But his behavior as president isn’t any different from his behavior as president-elect, or any more different than his behavior during the campaign. This is the same man who claimed that the people entering from Mexico into the United States were drug lords, rapists and bad people. This is also the same man who, in 2005 had an audio recording of him claiming that grabbing women by the crotch was an advantage of his job and status. Both of these examples describe someone who is not only a racist but also a sexual predator. They don’t, along with the many other actions that Trump has committed since being elected to the White House, describe someone who is mentally unstable. And yet Trump was still elected to be 45th President of the United States in November of 2016.

It seems as though this problem supersedes mental incapacity, and as though Trump stands as an exception of someone who shows no signs of cognitive impairments but is still considered “unfit” to be president of the United States. That is not to completely negate any mental or personality disorder that Trump may be refusing to admit for his own sake. Instead the focus should be on whether or not the president is “unfit” to serve given his previous statements, and his administrative agenda, rather than focusing on his mental capacity.

"Unfit"

by Annabella Correa-Maynard THE BULLETIN -

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A&E

Gallery Galavanting

W

These families are not real, but imagined by the artist as a way to explore identity, and challenge both gender and racial stereotypes, as well as commonly held beliefs about immigrants. It is a way for her to negotiate her own experiences as a Nigerian born, Alabama raised artist.

“I hope people walk out of that not thinking so much that this is a fiction, but that this family very well could have been real—if not for the 600 years where there wasn’t a choice . . . “ Odutola told Vice Magazine. “I wanted to show a family that exists in a parallel universe of some kind where there was never the interference of colonialism or of slavery.

And that is a fiction. I wanted to explore that in terms of historically oppressed people: how would it look, if for one second we could suspend this history and could think, ‘oh, of course there would be a landed gentry Nigerian family who would lend their collections to a museum . . .” These portraits imagine what black wealth would look like.

She subverts traditional notions of black bodies in roles of servitude, placing them in positions of luxury and domesticity. A young man rises from bed, sheets curled along his torso. A man lounges on a bench, holding a scarf. Their posturing THE BULLETIN -

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indicates they are at ease, with no where else to be. In other scenes, women are decadently dressed, draped in gold jewelry and pearls. It is the gaze in these portraits, though, that most challenges these stereotypes. In Representatives of the State (2016-2017) four women stand in front of a large window, regally gazing down at the viewer. Ojih Odutola places such emphasis on skin, drawing the skin with such texture and color, using chalk, pastels, and graphite.These characters hold striking expressions of ease, of privilege meant to contrast the reality in which the viewer lives.

Prior to the Whitney exhibit, Ojih Odutola was recognized for her black ballpoint pen portraits that rendered black skin with such life. “The skin for me, that’s where my career kind of started. The skin was an access point,” says Ojih Odutola in a statement to the Whitney. “Whenever I create the skin, it’s sort of like a world, this idea of the multifaceted self, the layered self, and how we are so many selves in so many different ways.”

Toyin Ojih Odutola: To Wander Determined is on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, through February 25, 2018

Photography by Sharon Wu

hen you enter into Toyin Ojih Odutola’s, who is Barnard College’s Orzeck’s Artist-in-Residence, exhibit “To Wander Determined,” you are entering a world; a fictional world in which slavery, colonialism, and the oppression of black individuals for the last 600 years has not occurred.

Lush and almost life size portraits of opulently dressed black individuals line the space. They pose languidly dressed in rich colors, bright yellows and millennium pinks and. In Surveying the Family Seat (2017), a man gazes at his surroundings from the top of a hill, looking out over green hills and pastures. In another work, The Missionary (2017), a woman sits l on a porch while houses enmeshed in greenery are positioned behind her.

Wall text written by the artist provides a narrative framework through which to view these decadently dressed people. They are part of two families of Nigerian nobility, drawn together by the marriage of their two sons, Marquess of UmuEze Amara, TMH Jideofor Emeka, and Lord Temitope Omodele from the House of Obafemi. They slouch in pastel suits, hands brushed against each other in their portrait, Newlyweds on Holiday (2016).

by Courtney Devita

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Meet Me at the Museum M eet Meet Me at the Museum (MMatM), a Barnard and Columbia club and non-profit founded two and a half years ago, changes the way public school students experience visiting a museum. Alexandra Pass (BC‘ 17) and Audrey Matrullo, a fifth grade teacher at PS-96, founded MMatM with the intention of making school field trips to the museum more accessible, more interesting, and more relevant to the student’s lives.

Since its founding, MMatM has expanded its reach to include six schools, primarily in Harlem and Bronx. Currently, there are 62 trained guides that specialize in providing programming to children aged 3-14. Some 2,000 students have received tours from MMatM guides and that number has continued to grow exponentially. As MMatM continues to expand, it hopes to train Spanish speaking tour guides to work with Emerging Language Learners (ELL) students, so that ultimately MMatM is accessible to all students regardless of language.

MMatM currently offers programming at The MET, The Cloisters, MoMA PS1, The Cooper Hewitt, and the Harlem Museum. For many elementary and middle school students involved in

this program, MMatM tours have been their first time in a museum. Through these museum tours, students are given an incredible opportunity to experience their studies being brought to life through art and by knowledge of their guide.

The current president of MMatM, Alice Rowland (BC ‘20) shares her goals the club: “we want to make museum visits accessible to everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status or race. I see the effects of how art history and socially sharing art can have on a group of people as a bonding experience and a cultural unifier.”

The MMatM tour guides are encouraged to make their tours fun, as well as educational and relevant to what the students are learning. The goal is that students not only enjoy and appreciate their visit to the museum, but that they also gain an understanding that they can come back to any museum and find their own way to appreciate art.

Classroom teachers, who in some cases, have never been to the museums themselves, also have the opportunity to learn alongside their students. As a result of meeting and getting to know both the teachers and students prior to their museum visit, the guides are then able to tailor

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their tours specifically to classroom interests as well as the curriculum.

Through their training with MMatM, each guide is qualified to tour an entire public school class at a time, which can be as many as 35 students. Tour guide Ariel Fishman (BC ‘20) shares her favorite memory at MMatM: “I loved giving the tour to the 4th graders of PS 96 because I was able to bring them to the exact artifacts that they were learning about in class - they were engaged and interested in the material, in a way that made me realize how important the work we do is at MMatM. It goes to show that not all children find museums inherently boring, but the way the material is presented in crucial.”

Director of Social Media & Marketing, Paloma Raines (Barnard ‘20) shares “Arts education is essential because it encourages kids to engage with arts and culture, and through this, their community. Thinking about artwork also fosters so many wonderful skills, including critical thinking. MMatM really strives to get kids involved with cultural institutions that are accessible to them and to help them feel comfortable doing so.”

Disclaimer: The Bulletin does not own any images on this page

by Gabriela Martin

Art's Place in the

#MeToo Movement T

by Olivia Miller

Illustration by Maria Laura Jijon

he #MeToo movement is no longer a movement confined to our phone screens, nor is it only visible on our Twitter and Facebook feeds.

Though vital in providing support, it is not solely a form of solidarity for women who have been sexually harassed, abused, and assaulted by men. Long before the “me too” hashtag was created and widely, bravely used, activist Tarana Burke started the “Me Too” movement in 2006. The hashtag was revived in October of 2017 by actress Alyssa Milano after the release of accusations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

It has since been altered to apply to specific groups and languages, as seen in the hashtags #MeTooK12, #MeTooMilitary, and #YoTambien. The #MeToo movement has inspired Hollywood red carpets to be used as modes of protest, prompted the removal of controversial artworks in prominent museums depicting female sexual objectification, and bolstered the creation of petitions of equal pay for lowincome, minority jobs.

Inspired by this movement, the #TimesUp initiative took physical form at the 2018 Golden Globes. The #TimesUp initiative lobbies for equal pay in the workplace and fights systemic gender inequality, focusing on minority women by funding legal help for sexual harassment allegations if women cannot afford it. The act of wearing black at the Golden Globes was symbolic of this fight, proving that the red carpet has power beyond setting fashion trends and epitomizing glamour. Renowned actors brought activists as guests along with them, opening up a platform that was once not accessible to them in speaking out against these injustices.

On November 30, 2017, a New Yorker by the name Mia Merril started

an online petition to take down Balthus’s “Thérèse Dreaming,” a painting in the Metropolitan Museum of Art depicting the artist’s 11 year old neighbor who modeled for his paintings. In the present climate of heightened awareness of sexual misconduct in the workplace, Merril believed the Met should take down the painting for possibly and unintentionally supporting child pedophilia and the objectification of women. Not only in Bathlus’s painting, but in numerous works of art, male artists have and still paint women with idealized, objectified bodies. The petition failed based on the argument that this act would be over-censoring, when art history in its essence helps us to understand modern perceptions and where they came form.

The #MeToo movement has created an overarching lens of awareness of the mistreatment of women by men in Hollywood, and in numerous other industries.

Acts such as those taken by celebrities at the Golden Globes and by New Yorkers against major art institutions, while not equivalent to the scale of the Women’s March on January 21st or to the Time Magazine’s 2017 Person of the Year giving voice to “The Silence Breakers,” are a form of political and social protest, and open the opportunity for conversation and informed discussion. The #MeToo movement intersects Hollywood, the art world, and the political world in more ways than one, ultimately showing the magnitude of the issue of sexual harassment, abuse, and assault by men in the workplace and how this cannot be ignored any longer.

L

a d y Bird has all the quintessential elements of a coming of age story - conflict about leaving home, a school musical, relationships that go astray, clumsy firsttime sex - but Lady Bird never feels trite.

The film pulls aspects from director Greta Gerwig’s (Barnard ‘06) adolescence. Set in her hometown of Sacramento, CA, the film tells the story of Lady Bird (a name she has chosen for herself after rejecting her given name ‘Christine’) focusing her senior year of high school. While all the elements we expect to see in a coming of age film are present, Lady Bird is innovative in its focus on breaking down ordinary moments. It’s little moments like the reference to Sacramento as “the midwest of California” or seeing Lady Bird (played by Saoirse Ronan) argue with her guidance counselor about her desire

to join mathletes that contribute to the film’s charm and relatability. Feminist elements are woven throughout the film. Lady Bird takes agency over her life and decisions, advocating for her needs and wants, while simultaneously trying to fit the mold of a typical high school student and being a daughter.

Lady Bird isn’t about a single moment; it focuses on different relationships in Lady Bird’s life as she navigates applying to college, feeling trapped in her Catholic school, dating, and gaining independence from her parents. Gerwig herself attended a Catholic school, leaving Sacramento behind as she went off to Barnard. However, Gerwig has been quick to mention in interviews that while she shares some aspects of Lady Bird’s upbringing, Gerwig played by the rules much more than Lady Bird does in the film.

Each character in Lady Bird is full and complex. Julie, Lady Bird’s best friend, (played by Beanie Feldstein) has her own complications with her family and navigating senior year - and Lady Bird’s dad (played by Tracy Letts) comes to terms with losing his job and is also a strong advocate for Lady Bird and her desires to explore life beyond Sacramento.

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by Julia Pickel

film is the mother daughter relationship, one that is important to Gerwig in her own life as well.

Gerwig has also written fairly extensively about her close relationship with her own mother. Like Lady Bird’s mother in the film, Gerwig describes her mother as a true New Yorker, possessing grit, charm, and intelligence. Despite Lady Bird and her mother (played by Laurie MetCalf) having a challenging relationship, the two are very close. Lady Bird defends her mother as being both “scary and warm,” evoking the way in which Gerwig speaks about her own mother. The moments between Lady Bird and her mother are some of the most heartbreaking and heartwarming of the film. The two flip flop from fighting to rejoicing in a split second - in the car after visiting colleges, or in a thrift shop shopping for the perfect Thanksgiving dinner dress. It’s the zig-zag of emotion in these scenes that make Lady Bird as relatable as it is.

A true Barnard alum, Gerwig doesn’t end the film by tying everything up with a neat bow and rather challenges notions of what it means to break away from home. At its core, Lady Bird shows us what it means to learn to live with a sense of agency, pride, and confidence without having to embody perfection.

Illustration by Tuesday Smith

Review

The Bachelor Illustration by Lillian Zhang

Love to love it or love to hate it?

I

love The Bachelor.There, I said it. Now before the gasps and dropped jaws that I am all too familiar with, let me explain myself. For those of you who are not caught up on the premise of the show and this particular season, let me give you the low-down.

We are currently in the midst of the 22nd season of The Bachelor. Yes, that is correct. 22 seasons. The basic idea of the show is that one man, the Bachelor, is presented with 25 women and must gradually eliminate them until he is left with two and chooses one to be his wife.

This season, our bachelor is Arie Luyendyk Jr, otherwise known as “the Kissing Bandit” for all of the passionate kisses that he stole on a previous season. This 36 year old silver fox was a contestant on season 8 of the Bachelorette as a potential suitor for Emily Maynard, but as goes every tragedy, the former racecar driver turned real estate agent was left in the end with a broken heart. I first want to say that Arie is the worst. Every season each bachelor

by Annette Stonebarger surprises me with a new all-time-low for his treatment of women, however thus far Arie has surpassed them all in just the first few episodes. To date Arie has sent a woman home for talking too much and has expressed his need to feel like “the man” in the relationship by having women feel weak. The worst. With leading men like this I wasn’t sure what drew me to the show, and I especially wasn’t sure what kept me coming back. After some soul searching, I believe that I have found the reason that keeps me coming back to ABC every Monday at 8pm.

The Bachelor is my refuge. When watching the Bachelor I am able to get away from my own hectic life for 2 hours a week, and at this point I will take any escape that I can get. Being able to forget about my workload and the political climate is one of the greatest gifts that The Bachelor has given me. Of course it is necessary to do my homework and fight to make the world a better place, but no one can go nonstop all the time. EvTHE BULLETIN -

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eryone has their vices. Mine are terrible reality TV shows. But are these “reality” shows an accurate depiction of real life?

I know that the women are portrayed in unfavorable lights and are almost certainly not as incompetent in real life as they are on camera. Somewhere deep, deep down I know that. These women however are specifically cast to entertain an audience and are hired to put on a persona to keep the 9.5 millions viewers returning. I think that there is something both comforting and disturbing about knowing that none of it is real. These women are fulfilling the stereotype of the jealous, catty woman.

While it is upsetting to see their blatant compliance with society’s gender roles, the show points out the blaring difference between the way that women in the show act and the way that the women in my actual life act. I am lucky enough to be surrounded by strong women. This show serves as a reminder of my own reality and is what keeps me coming back to my not-so-guilty pleasure week after week.

Readings ‘Round the City S

by Emma Hoffman

Charleston, and Hafizah Geter, who will read from their own works. All three poets explore the intersection of race and identity in their works, and the evening will certainly prove to be thought provoking.

Poets House

10 River Terrace Located deep in Battery Park City, Poets House has provided as a space for poets to hone and perform their craft for 30 years, partnering with the New York Public library to spread poetry around the city. Notable upcoming events include a tribute to poet Thomas Lux featuring Billy Collins and Amber Tamblyn among others, and a reading by notable avant-garde poet Erica Hunt of her own work dealing with themes of time and mysticism. Stick around after the readings to peruse Poet House’s extensive poetry collection.

Nuyorican Poets Café

263 E 3rd Street Nuyorican’s roots run deep; founded as a poetry salon, the Café came to grow into a hub for urban Latino and African-American poetry, jazz and hip-hop, and theater.

The Café hosts an open mike every Monday at 9pm and poetry slams every Friday at 9:15. On Friday February 15, the Muslim-Jewish Solidarity Committee, a grass-

roots movement seeking to eradicate Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, and will hold an evening of storytelling seeking to answer the question “What is Love?” Members of the committee will share their stories followed by a guided storytelling workshop.

Berl’s Brooklyn Poetry Shop

141 Font Street Nestled in DUMBO, Berl’s is a small, family-owned bookstore dedicated to selling contemporary poetry and chapbooks. Additionally they host intimate readings for the poets’ whose works line their walls.

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Women Poets at Barnard

Nard If you want to be exposed to the best of poetry without stepping outside of the quad, Barnard’s English department regularly invites established Women poets to conduct free, public readings on campus.

Past luminaries who have graced campus with their words include Sharon Olds and Saskia Hamilton. Upcoming readings will feature Eleanor Chai, whose, raw confessional debut poetry collection “Standing Water” has been making waves in various reviews, and Barnard’s own Jennifer Finney Boylan. Stay tuned for readings by creative writing major readings and other department sponsored events throughout the semester.

Illustration by Maria Laura Jijon

ometimes the word on the page becomes stale. We spend too much of our time hunched over books and PDFs racing through words instead of savoring them as we should. It’s often hard to be moved when we ourselves move too fast. So how does one refresh words on a page? It’s simple: live readings.

New York is home to some of the most creative minds on the planet with a rich literary history that aspiring writers yearn to join. With such a wide array of venues it may seem like a daunting way to get your literary fix, but a world rich with creativity and ideas waits for you. Here are four venues to get you started:

NYCL Bub b lE

B i t es

B

d n th o y e e

HAPPY BOWLS

T Photo Illustration by Art Board

he spring semester has just begun, and it is easy to feel bogged down by the rigorous workload after a relaxing winter break. But don’t worry, because Happy Bowls has your back!

Located in Astor Place, Happy Bowls is the perfect place for a downtown weekend getaway from Morningside Heights.

This eatery recently opened in 2017 and aims to promote active and healthy lifestyle options for everyone. Happy Bowls’ creator was inspired by the açaí bowls he discovered while surfing in Puerto Rico, South America. Hence, it makes sense that Happy Bowls serves bowls filled with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. A few examples of their commonly used superfoods include açaí berries, pitaya (aka dragon fruit), and kale.

I came across Happy Bowls when searching for a place for a light treat before going to the movies with a friend.

The bright cyan-colored storefront on the street is hard to miss. Inspired by the beachside, surfing, and the ocean, white wooden benches line the walls and there are colorful pink and cyan metal chairs along with plants for décor. The bright colors and fairy lights will surely lift your mood. The place is very photogenic and

by emma chen

the bold colors in the bowls make any photo very Instagrammable.

The store offers various signature açaí and pitaya smoothie bowls, but you can also create a custom bowl or choose from oatmeal bowls. We ordered their signature Pink Dragon ($9.75), a bowl of pitaya blended with pineapple juice and topped with granola, banana, kiwi, and coconut flakes. We both found the bowl to be very delicious and the coolness of the blend was quite refreshing.

The smoothness of the pink pitaya paired with the crunchiness of granola and coconut flakes, the chewiness of the banana, and the tartness of the kiwi made for a great combination of textures and tropical flavors that brought us to the beachside despite the cold weather outside. In terms of serving size, one bowl is perfect to share between two people, especially if you have had a meal already. All the ingredients are healthy, though, so do not feel guilty about indulging in one by yourself! While the bowls may seem small and slightly expensive, the positive outcome is that they satisfy your hunger (and sweet tooth!) without weighing you down. Additionally, the price is definitely worth your while because the bowls have fruit THE BULLETIN -

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that we do not typically have the luxury to eat on campus.

Primarily known for its sweet bowls, Happy Bowls also offers customizable poke bowls. All you need to do is simply choose your protein, base, seasoning, and toppings. Like the sweeter bowls, each bowl is undoubtedly packed with all the nutrition to leave you feeling energized and ready to get back to work. Not in the mood for a bowl? Choose from signature smoothies with fun names such as “Yes! Whey” containing whey protein and “Nutty Professor” with the classic combination of banana, vanilla yogurt, and peanut butter.

There were only a few customers while I was there, although the quietness might be due to the store’s recent opening. I am confident that with its healthy values and fantastic flavors, Happy Bowls will become a popular eatery in no time, especially because it is not easy to find those soothing ocean vibes in NYC’s bustling atmosphere. Happy Bowls is a great way to fuel up on nutrients to get through the rest of your day while addressing sweet cravings in a healthy way!

Barnard in the Outer Boroughs

Park Slope pect Park West. If you walk down 9th street and are in need of a coffee or some food, there are plenty of options. Visit Dizzy’s Diner, located on the corner of 9th Street and 8th Avenue, if you’re in the mood for some upscale diner food. Smil-

ing Pizzeria, located on the corner of 9th Street and 7th Avenue, serves a good slice if you’re in the mood for some NY Style pizza. A sweet bakery that serves a mean iced latte called Colson Patisserie will definitely keep you energized to continue your Park Slope exploration.

In terms of some retail therapy, there are a few places that I would recommend checking out. If you’re looking for some upscale second hand clothing, one great place is a small boutique located in the South Slope, on 7th Avenue, between 15 and 16th streets, called M.a.e. Although it is on the pricier side, sometimes you can find a great deal on designer wear.

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Beacon’s Closet and L Train Vintage. Both are located on the opposite side of Park Slope, close to Flatbush Avenue.

And finally, when it comes to restaurants, Park Slope is filled with them.

My favorite restaurant is Fonda, located on 7th Avenue and 15th Street, which offers a wide range of Mexican flavors.

I’ve enjoyed everything that I’ve ordered there, but for starters I recommend the taquitos as well as the guacamole and chips.You have the option of choosing your prefered level of spiciness of the guacamole, which makes the experience even more enjoyable. For a main course, my personal favorite are the enchiladas de mole negro oaxaqueño. The mole is the perfect balance of spicy and sweet. To finish off your dinner, I would recommend the citrus tres leches. It’s not too heavy so it’s easy to fit after a filling meal and the combination of the citrusy taste and the milky base is surprisingly delicious.

So, although Park Slope is somewhat of a trek from campus, the park, the multitude of coffee shops and restaurants, as well as the chance to get a taste of one of the most historical neighborhoods in NYC won’t disappoint!

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ark Slope is the best neighborhood in Brooklyn, although I am a bit biased since it’s where I was born and raised. From parks to thrifting destinations to restaurants, this neighborhood has everything to make your weekend away from campus worth the trip.

One of the gems of New York City is Prospect Park. Prospect Park touches a couple of Brooklyn neighborhoods, but flanks the Eastern part of The Slope. You can enter the park by various different streets, but if you’re traveling from campus it’s best to take either the 2 or the 3 train to Grand Army Plaza. The Park, especially on a blustery spring day, is the perfect place to take a stroll, rent a city bike, set up a picnic in the big meadow and take in some long deserved sunrays. The Brooklyn Museum is also a great place to visit here.

If you travel to Park Slope on a Saturday, which I recommend, there is a fabulous farmer’s market that sells seasonal produce, baked goods, fresh cut flowers, and many more goodies. The market conveniently sets up right outside the entrance to Prospect Park, located on the Southeastern corner of the Plaza.

After enjoying the park for as long or little as you desire, I would recommend exiting on 9th Street and Pros-

by Aoife Henchy

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Landmark Loves

by Orit Gugenheim

hile all of us bold, beautiful Barnard students are unique and different from one another, I think it’s safe to say that we can all relate to the saying: “I fell in love. His name is New York.” I’m a sucker for New York. Not just any city in the world would have lured me into studying away from my homeland (Mexico), but New York is worth every minute of

the sacrifice.

Whether you’ve traveled to be here, or you’ve just moved a couple of blocks, you have to admit that living in New York is one of the best luxuries that a Barnard student enjoys. What is it about this city that makes us fall in love with it over and over again?

Walking in the streets amidst the energy of city lights, dressing up fashionably to reach that high New Yorker standard, and reading in beautiful parks are all respectable answers. I propose another one: its magnificent skyscrapers. They each embody a different personality, present a unique aesthetic and add something special to our city’s skyline. Since every New Yorker holds these buildings so dear to their hearts, we might as well compare them to every New Yorker’s significant others.

MET

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This Upper-East sider represents the snobbiest person you’ve ever had a crush on. With the Gossip Girl crew adorning its steps, it doesn’t need anything else to state its glorious position in Manhattan’s society. Placed amidst an elite neighborhood, the MET will always be that unattainable, irresistible crush that is genetically blessed and might be kind of a jerk (which doesn’t stop us for falling head over heels for them).

The New York Times Building

This building stands for all those intellectual, intelligent (slightly intimidating so), really tall gals out there.You can sense their mind buzzing with information, and you anticipate their clever heads scheming the success of yet another enterprise. Picture a Sheldon Cooper but less socially awkward (it is situated, after all, in one of the most socially bustling parts of Manhattan, Midtown).

Empire State

Oh, the Empire State; what would our skyline be without you? This building represents none other than that incredibly popular, funny, social, hot—basically perfect—bae (Troy Bolton, anyone?). This person knows everyone (like the Empire State), they’re the poster kid at school (this building basically represents Manhattan), and deserves the admiration and patriotic cheer of every passionate student (New Yorker).

Lincoln Center This is the fancy, creative, avant-garde persona we’ve all had a crush on at some point.

Picture someone hipster yet elegant, interesting and attentive, and who’s that type of artsy that’s only borderline crazy. With this person, you’d probably go on many, many dates that involved some sort of performance art, but maybe they’d throw in a museum once or twice to “change things up.” When dating this person you’d have hour-long discussions on the definition of art, the meaning of color and the role of interpretation. This person embodies New York’s finest culture.

Now you have another reason to be madly in love with your city. Go out, explore it, and find even more!

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Must See Music G

by Ficara McDoom

ood music will hold a tight spell on you–whether you were looking for it or not. NewYork is always swelling with the heat, highlighting a range of sounds from Outkast-inspired bops to Beach House charged melodies.

However, it can be hard to keep up with every new concert at the endless venues, so here are some shows for your calendar. Be sure to catch these brilliant artists who will be blessing New York soon.

Brockhampton

Photography by Jamie Sutton

Reimagining the sounds and face of the American boy band, Brockhampton stands 14-strong in one of the most striking music collectives of our day. Founded by visionary, Kevin Abstract, Brockhampton’s members found each other surfing through Kanye West’s KanyeToThe fan forum in 2012. The dynamic group includes its own musicians, producers, videographers and graphic illustrators. Through and through, Brockhampton speaks to the uninhibited language of hip-hop, R&B and alternative pop. From their multigenre mixtape All-American Trash to their chorus-heavy Saturation trilogy, the group

fuses euphoric beats with layers of honest narratives concerning Queerness, Blackness, and masculinity. The crew will be performing at this year’s Governor’s Ball Music Festival on Saturday, June 2nd. Festival tickets are on the market for $115.

ping against surfaces or breathing. Tycho’s three albums, Awake, Dive, and Epoch, create an audiovisual narrative that climaxes from soft, euphoric bumps to a full shoegazing roar. Tycho will be showcasing a fresh DJ set at Output, a nightclub in Brooklyn, on March 8th.

Phoenix

Characterized by sounds that whisper glossy soft pop, the French-based band Phoenix will be performing at Brooklyn Steel from July 5th to 7th. Although the band is most notoriously known for its singles “Lisztomania” and “1901” from Wolfgang Amadeus, do not be fooled into thinking that the same fervor carrying these hits cannot be replicated. Phoenix’s most recent studio album, Ti Amo, was released in 2017.

The undeniable, romantic undercurrents are woven through this 10-track breath of energy. Marked by dazzling synths, Phoenix’s music translates so well to their live performances. Check them out!

Ticket rates start at $55.

Tycho

Upheld by composer, producer, and songwriter Scott Hansen, Tycho DJ sets are best known to fill any space with their intelligent dance mixes. This genre is very specific to Tycho, as its musical traits are marked by electrifying synths, which are beautifully overlaid with human elements like water tap-

SZA

While we still pay homage to the R&B records that made our childhoods more dramatic than necessary, we must make space for the artists who are challenging the age-old Brian McKnight’s and Floetries. Breaking through R&B’s barriers, SZA’s most recent album, CTRL, is calling attention to a major transformation in one of music’s major genres. Her honeyed voice melts into the crevices, synths and melodies of this album. An ode to modern romance, CTRL is more than a millenial’s short-lived anthem—it carries a timeless resonance that is beautifully haunting. She will be performing at Madison Square Garden on May 29th. Tickets are currently selling for $50.

Jorja Smith

Hailing from Walsall, United Kingdom, Jorja Smith’s velvety voice is enriched by hypnotic, hi-fi mixes. Her first EP, Project II, strings us through washes of percussion-soaked, vintage soul tracks, followed by rich singles such as “On My Mind” and “Teenage Fantasy.” Because of this, Smith’s style can easily be likened to that of Lauryn Hill or Amy Winehouse. Her music is powered by the blues of jazz, simmering and drumming in all of its warm, sugary glory. Experience this world of sound and satisfaction at Brooklyn Steel on May 12th. Tickets are on sale for $30.

A Tinder Guide to NYC

A

by Haley Kane & Priya Barchi

wise woman once said that Tinder is a whole lot like real estate. People, trends, tastes, and dating experiences vary immensely by location; the tendency toward self-parody, unfortunately, does as well. Before you go swiping around Manhattan and beyond, here are some particularly striking cliches to be aware of.

Chances are that your Hamilton Heights match is a Midwestern transplant, and they will have a difficult time letting you forget it.Within the first hour of your date — at the local, Warby-Parkers-only bar — they will comment on Jim Harbaugh’s coaching tactics at least three times. They will also show up wearing a Sufjan Stevens “Feel the Illinoise” shirt and immediately order a craft beer. They will continue on about the remarkable pilsner brewed right outside of their hometown, and you will soon discover that this “leisure activity” is only a feeble cover for a drinking problem.

Later into the evening — if it is going well — you will head back to their apartment and pass the house from the Royal Tenenbaums along the way, which is so obviously the most stylistically-grounded of the Wes Anderson films.You spend the rest of the night listening to Vulfpeck and dodging questions about David Foster Wallace’s repertoire.

texting, they introduce themselves to you.

(Their beanie is olive green). You are seeing some sort of indie rock conglomerate that sounds pretty standard, but apparently has some “sick bassist” with distant (but important) ties to LCD Soundsystem. After the concert, you all end up at a rooftop party with an incredible view of

This “East-South Williamsburg” date will likely include an extensive familiarization with the J train, an obscure dystopian movie projected onto a carefully undecorated bedroom wall, and a cigarette and scotch session on a fire escape. The cigarettes are hand-rolled, because duh, and the scotch sits in the comfortable space between cheap and sophisticated (Johnnie Walker Red Label). Jazz (think: Coltrane’s A Love Supreme) plays softly in the background while your date rants about how despicable La La Land is as an entity. They will not link you to their Soundcloud, as even that is a bit too mainstream for them, but they most definitely will invite you to their next underground jam session.

Murray Hill

Williamsburg

One Friday night after thrifting, you will match with a Williamsburg resident who recently migrated to the area after graduating from NYU Steinhardt the previous year. You will decide to see a show at Rough Trade on Saturday. It is difficult to distinguish your date in the sea of Carhartt beanies, but after some time and some

Bed-Stuy

the skyline, but it is made very clear by your date that you are only there for the sheer irony of it all.

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Miraculously, this date somehow managed to make the fishing picture work; they invite you to dinner at a middle-class fancy steakhouse downtown, and you accept.

They almost certainly wrestled in college, own 7-10 pale blue buttondowns, and have never heard the phrase “emotional labor” in their lives. After dinner and that chocolate lava cake that every steakhouse has on their menu, they offer to Uber you back to campus.Ten minutes into the ride, you get a notification informing you of your new LinkedIn connection.

Digital Design by Sharon Wu

Hamilton Heights

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Fine Dining

f the many reasons why living in New York City is such a joy, the availability of so many worldclass restaurants just a few stops away definitely stands out. Of course, since these restaurants charge high prices for their high quality, making this opportunity a reality on a student budget can be quite the challenge. But fear not, all you foodies!

New York Restaurant Week has arrived again, providing the special chance to have multi-course meals at New York City’s finest restaurants for amazingly affordable prices. This year, Restaurant Week ran from January 22 to February 9, with the promotion available weekdays and Sundays. As part of the deal, a three-course lunch cost $29, while a three-course dinner cost $42 (excluding beverages).

To make a reservation at a participating restaurant, all you have to do is Google “nyc restaurant week” and the official website will pop up, where you can search out of 374 participating restaurants using filters such as “Notable Chef,” “Trending Now,” and “OpenTable Diner’s Choice.” All of the booking is done through OpenTable-- a website on which you can make reservations-- and I recommend booking at least a week and a half

by Erin Bronner

in advance (two weeks for larger parties), as that was the soonest I could book my table and still find the time I wanted. For my first-ever Restaurant Week adventure, I decided to pick Butter Midtown, established in 2002 by Barnard alumna Alex Guarnaschelli, who uses greenmarket offerings to create a seasonal menu. Having been a fan of hers on Food Network as a judge on Chopped and Iron Chef on Iron Chef America for years, I had always wanted to visit Butter, and I was so excited to finally go!

When I walked into Butter (located on West 45th Street under Cassa Hotel), I was immediately struck by the warm ambiance. All around were woodpaneled walls adorned with scenic outdoor photography. A communal table made a nice addition, and charming decorative accents-- such as a metallic, studded faux moose head by the entrance-topped it all off. For my three courses, I ordered the Maine Peekytoe crab cakes with classic tartar sauce; the Grilled Portobello Mushroom “Sandwich” with herbed goat cheese, caramelized onions, and spicy upland cress; and the Satsuma Orange Cheesecake with kumquat marmalade and salted butter shortbread. Every THE BULLETIN -

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dish was composed beautifully. The crab cakes were the optimal size, and the addition of bell peppers to both the cakes and the tartar sauce tied the dish together. Before I saw the portobello “sandwich,” I had no idea the mushrooms would serve as the buns-- what a delightful surprise! The light char on the portobellos was certainly a plus. In the dessert, the zestiness of the marmalade really complemented the silkiness of the cheesecake-- definitely a combination I’d love to try again. Throughout the meal, impressively speedy service served as yet another reminder of the overall excellence.

Out of curiosity, I pulled up the menus on Butter’s website when I got home and found out that the average total of a three-course lunch on a typical day would be $57: $18 for a small plate, $25 for the main course, and $14 for dessert.

The finding that the meal came at nearly half the original price made an already unforgettable experience that much sweeter.

I would certainly recommend experiencing Restaurant Week, and especially Butter Midtown, to anyone at Barnard looking to get an exceptional taste of New York’s restaurant scene.

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