OH! M A G A Z I N E
GEN Z Activists and millenials
ANJA RUBIK The modern day super model defines a class by her own
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CONTENTS FASHION 14 Romantic Notions................................................ 16 The land down under............................................ 19 On cover: Anja Rubik........................................... 20 15 Spring essentials.............................................
BEAUTY 30 All that glitters..................................................... 32 Tan-a-holic.......................................................... 36 Beauty Vanity with Jamie Lee Reardin......................
LIFESTYLE 38 10 woman pro equal rights.................................... 42 How to vacation like a proper adult........................ 46 Foodies ..............................................................
GEN - Z Generation Z’s world impact.................................. Sarah Sophie Flicker.............................................
ART Discovery: Buscabulla............................................ Ana Kras.............................................................
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THE SPRING TRENDS ISSUE W
elcome to the spring ‘14 issue! As it is well known from our readers, every year, OH! in the spring issue highlights the most important objects & celebrities and it girls from the fashion world. The start of a new season brims with excitement: new trends, new muses and the possibility of a new you. This issue is inspired by this moment of transformation, rooted in the new acitivism and social media movements that encourage self image, self respect, and equal rights for every condition. That is why we have choosen Anja Rubik as the cover girl; a model that is a new class by her own, trendy, chic, classy and most importantly who is not afraid of her thoughts, convictioins and of saying them out loud. proving that spring’s sensual mood is about much more than sex appeal; it is about strength, passion and a confident attitude. Woman no longer want to be bombarded with a bevy of nameless teenagers barely out of school. We want a character before
us, someone to inspire us and most of all, not to feel bad about ourselves when we look at a beautiful image; that was the point of also standing out 10 of the many women who fight for equal rights. Our fashion team has also selected and pointed out our best picks for the season, some of there being: The 10 spring essentials to fight the moody climate, beauty problems and their arrenged solutions, trends to take your home style to a new level, who to follow for a fancy foodie hunt, how to travel in a mature way, the best music festivals, and our featured artist Ana Kras. With this information our team provided you, wether material , spiritual or cultural, we hope you find inspiration in this issue and it sparks a transformation all your own! XX,
CREATIVE DIRECTORS & EDITORS ON CHIEF
SPRING ESSESNTIALS
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FROM TOP TO BOTTOM, SHORTS: ZIMMERMANN BRICK SANDALS: ALDO SUNGLASSES: KOMONO CLUTCH: POPPY LISSIMAN KIMONO: ANNA SUI BRICK SANDALS: MQC SANDALS: J-M CAZABAT
LEFT, TOP TO BOTTOM, CLUTCH: ANYA HAT: EUGENIA KIM SANDALS: GIULIETTA TOP: THREE FLOOR CROP TOP: SALONI SKIRT: RIVER ISLAND SUNGLASSES: KAREN WALKER SANDALS: BANANA REPUBLIC
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ROMANTIC NOTIONS JEWELRY TRENDS FROM SPRING 2015
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e have seen the nail trends and now it is time for the jewelry. On the runway the style of the jewelry varies and there are all kinds of newbies on this year’s market. Many rings, bracelets, different color earrings and lot’s of stuff that is worth scrolling down for. The main idea here is that more is more, with colorful jewels, pearls and metals imbued on earrings, necklaces and rings with a medieval nod.
Right and left: Dolce & Gabbana
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f you are a jewelry addict this post will fill your little heart with satisfaction. There is a lot to choose from this season, don’t be behind with the brand new happening on the runway- from pendants to chokers, mismatching, different sized earrings and lot’s of other crazy jewelry that are worth laying your eyes upon. Dolce & Gabanna really focused their attention to creating jewelry with romantic notes that would fit perfect with special moments.
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THE LAND DOWN UNDER: STREET STYLE FROM AUSTRALIAN FASHION WEEK
Diego Zuko snaps the chicest looks from Australian Fashion Week.
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Anja Rubik may have cheekbones that can cut glass and an incredible presence in front of the camera, but the game-changer from Rzeszów is an icon not just because of her countless covers and numerous campaigns: Anja is a perfect representative of the new breed of model. As anyone will tell you, the industry has changed, and where 20 years ago it would have sufficed to have a stunning face and incredible posing skills, today it takes more. Beauties are a dime a dozen, and the women who ascend to the highest levels of success go beyond the call of duty. Blessed with an unforgettable look and a tireless work ethic, Anja has distinguished herself across a variety of platforms, pushing her namesake brand into the pop cultural sphere. When you have Kanye West name-dropping you alongside Anna Wintour, and Karl Lagerfeld listing you among his favorites of all time, you’re in a class by yourself. · OH!MAG.COM ·
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DOP: Santiago Gonzalez Photography: Barnaby Roper Styling: Keegan Singh Makeup: Lisa Houghton Hair: Esther Langham Dress: ﾃ］gel Schlesser
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DOP: Santiago Gonzalez Photography: Barnaby Roper Styling: Keegan Singh Makeup: Lisa Houghton Hair: Esther Langham Dress: Versace Jewelry: Bvlgari
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JAMIE LEE REARDIN BEAUTY VANITY
Talking beauty, skin care and makeup with the canadian fashion illustrator
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Tell me about your makeup routine now. I do a cat eye every day. And then eyebrows are actually one of the first things I put on. I don’t leave the house without putting a bit of shape and color to my eyebrows. And then maybe lip color, maybe not. That’s pretty much it. Does your talent for illustrating help when it comes to applying makeup? Yes actually, because I analyze faces a lot in my art because I like to do portraits. I always start with the eyes because I think they’re most important, so that’s why I always make sure my eyes stand out if anything; I always wear eyeliner and mascara. And then the brows, too; brow shape kind of defines everything. Tell me about how is your skin care routine organized The biggest skin concern for me is keeping my skin clear, because I’ve had issues with breakouts before, and I still have them now, which is annoying because I’m thirty. I wash my face twice a night with two different cleansers: I use CeraVe because it’s very mild and then I use the Proactiv exfoliator. Then I use my Galénic night serum and Galénic night cream. I always put Vaseline around my eyes. That’s a big thing. My mom puts it all over her face and it’s kept her looking young. I just
“I ALWAYS MAKE SURE MY EYES STAND” circle it around my eyes and let it be. How do you prep your skin in the morning? I always wear my moisturizer for daytime. I put that on before my primer. Then I use a tinted moisturizer to even out my skin tone. I kind of just let the moisturizer sit under my eyes while it takes away the darkness under my eyes. What’s your first beauty memory? My mom wears a Fendi perfume, one of their classic ones from the ‘80s, and I think they discontinued it for a while and then brought it back and she was thrilled. So that smell—she still wears it to this day— for some reason always reminds me of her getting dressed up to go see Phantom of the Opera with my dad.
What about your hair? I color it sometimes, but it’s mostly naturally brown. I had a phase where I did that whole ombré thing a few years ago and was a lot lighter and blonder, but I went back to dark. I feel more like me. Allie Paronelli at the Jonathan and George Salon in Beverly Hills cuts my hair and I can trust her. My hair is frizzy naturally, but I let it air dry sometimes, I’m learning how to do that, and I blow it dry if I’m in a rush. And then straighten it. And then wave it.. It’s a whole process. What’s on your mood board? I put up a lot of magazine images and I put up my own artwork, sometimes that can inspire me in a weird way. I love Tim Burton, so a lot of my inspiration is him and his illustrations. And I love Picasso—I have some of his prints in my house and lots of books on him. Your art has such a distinct style. Did it take a long time to develop? Yeah, it took a lot of time to be able to put on paper what I see in my head. That was my biggest challenge and I think I worked on that for about a year. Finally one day I was just able to see something in my head and put it on paper. I used a lot of reference images of models, to exaggerate them. I love long necks. I mean, some drawings I just rip up and get frustrated and start over.
BEAUTY ESSENTIALS
Rosy Glow blush, Dior
lait creme concentre Embryolisse
Rouge Royale, Dior
Sephora browpen
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ALL THAT GLITT ERS
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lowy skin adorned by leafed & liquid gold, complements for a shiny skin, showing us that in this season, all that glitters IS gold
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Model Anya Lyagoshina photographed by Benjamin Lennox.
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TANAHOLIC BRONCE FIXATION
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or years, I always had a tan, until I finally had to face how much I hated how I looked without one—and get over it. I got addicted to tanning while working as a lifeguard the summer after my senior year of high school. This was at the height of my teenage insecurity. After that summer, I fled for college in Florida, where I slow-roasted myself at the pool every chance I got. I’d lay in the sun with my laptop for six hours at a time. As the pigment on my skin intensified, so did my general feelings of self-worth. Being tan made me look smoother, brighter and overall better—my face and my body appearing more defined. I craved the feeling of baking in the sun. I rarely burned, but even the toasty sensation on the tops of my cheeks gave me comfort—it meant the transformation was working. The next day would be the only I would be able to pass for pretty. While other people seemed at ease with their complexions, I never gave natural beauty or that “be yourself” philosophy much thought. The idea of going more than one day without the sun made me anxious. When it rained, I’d drag myself to a tanning bed. I still spent my summers in New York as a lifeguard, so keeping a death grip on my perpetually dark skin. fter graduation, I returned to the East Coast. A part time position lifeguarding was no longer a feasible career path. I had to come to terms with my pale skin when there weren’t school-free hours to laze on a lounge chair. In time, my contoured cheekbones were gone—and all my flaws resurfaced. Suddenly, I had dark circles, bumps and lumps. Bronzer couldn’t replace my old sun-kissed glow. I barely recognized and despised this new girl. She was killing my confidence. If those melatonin injections didn’t cause the whole death side-effect, I’d have lined right up. Every addict finds a
way—so I found my new vice at a Brazilian day spa that served supermarket wine. Pale and Vitamin D deprived, there was nothing else to do but pay a beautiful Polish woman to gun me down with dark brown St. Tropez spray. I loved how she turned me the color of hot chocolate. ometimes, it looked perfect, like my tanning glory days. But if the spa was closed, I’d have to settle for places that made me look ridiculous. I’d try to touch up with self-tanner at home, but it spread to my palms and armpits. Mysterious orange zebra stripes would appear on my neck after a few days. I smelled like microwaved roses. On a particularly orange day, a colleague from Guyana made fun of women who are obsessed with tanning. “Oh Ashley, love yourself,” she said. What I heard was that I needed to rush home, shower, and then go back out to get sprayed that night if I wanted to maintain my hue. One night, a few years after college, I was feeling very unattractive in a short dress, so I had my whole body sprayed and went to an amusement park the next day. Shortly after arriving—actually glowing—a storm erupted. There was nowhere to retreat. The pummeling rain left haphazard clumps of spray along my arms. The diluted brown liquid dripped down my legs until my fake tan revealed itself to be just that. I was exposed. I finally laughed at how ridiculous I had become. I miss how I used to look. I still have a tough time facing my reflection, especially on really sleep-deprived days. But tanning stopped being important to me. Accepting my skin without sun damage or a faux tan has made life simpler. I’ve learned to appreciate the act of using soap and water on my face. I discovered that I liked how clean my skin felt. I’m not begging for skin disease anymore now, and I can work out without melting my mask off. Buying makeup is less of a conundrum. I don’t have to find seven shades of foundation for the various states of my identity crisis. I can be me.
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“Love your self, she said. What I heard was that I needed to rush home, shower, and then go back out to get sprayed”
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Model: Laura Bartley Photographed by Mario Sorrenti 路 OH!MAG.COM 路 37 Dress: Max Azria
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FOODIES TO FOLLOW
#CHICEATS
@lilly_vanilli_cake @c her
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WOMAN PRO EQUAL PAY
Here are 10 women who have fought and continue to fight for equal pay, a list that just scratches the surface of the many who have waged the war to close the pay gap.
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. Lilly Ledbetter: Known to many as the face behind the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which was signed into effect in 2009, Ledbetter didn’t just face wage discrimination but also sexual harassment in her workplace, due to a boss who didn’t believe women should be working at the Goodyear Tire plant. She took her lawsuit to the Supreme Court, but lost in a 5–4 decision in 2007. Luckily, Congress stepped in and fixed what the courts got wrong. Thanks her, employees have more opportunity to file suit should they realize they have been receiving discriminatory wages based on gender or race.
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. Kangela Moore: Moore, a New York City safety agent, sued after learning she was making $7,000 less than men in the same type of work, and her lawsuit eventually brought about a $38 million settlement for herself and
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others affected by the pay gap, and a new contract with a 33 percent raise.
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. Rev. Addie Wyatt: A civil rights and women’s rights activist, Wyatt was a groundbreaking labor union leader and one of the original founders of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW). Wyatt fought for and won a number of “equal pay for equal work” provisions in local union contracts.
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. Betty Dukes: When Dukes decided to take on Wal-Mart for gender discrimination, roughly 72 percent of WalMart employees were women. Despite being the vast majority of workers in chain of stores, women only held about one-third of the management jobs and far less than that at the higher management levels. The supreme court decided that it wasn’t general.
T he wage gap may still be around 20 cents per dollar, and even more once you add in race, age, geography, and immigration status, but it has been decreasing, thanks in to the efforts of female activists.
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. Rosa DeLauro: Few elected officials have dedicated as much time to promoting equal pay policies as DeLauro. She introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act every session and has said she will continue to do so until the gap disappears. “I will continue fighting until equal pay for equal work”
Allaster told the Washington Post.
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. Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Long an advocate for equal rights, Ginsburg brought those beliefs to a court dominated by men. She has fought against discrimination in all forms. Despite often being in the minority of equal pay rulings, Ginsburg had ensured that it is a vocal minority that cannot be ignored she told the Institute for Women’s Policy Research in 2013, adding, “Women should be recognized for their skills, talents, and intelligence on an equal playing field as men.”
. Mika Brzezinski:How large can a pay gap be? Mika Brzezinski learned the hard way, when the co-anchor of MSNBC’s Morning Joe found out she was earning a staggering 14 times less than co-host Joe Scarborough. Appealing to the president of the network initially did nothing, Brzezinski told The Huffington Post in 2011. Scarborough apparently tried to smooth the gap by putting one of his performance bonuses in her account instead, but that just made her resolve that she would get her raise or walk off the set for good. That final threat, and the fact that she “knew her value,” according to Brzezinski, helped her negotiate into a new salary that was somewhat closer to that of Scarborough.
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. Stacey Allaster: Women in professional sports, earn far less in salaries or championship prize money in comparison to male. That is no longer the case is in professional tennis, where, since the 2007 year, the male and female winners began receiving equal amounts. Much of that success came from the work of Stacey Allaster, the head of the Women’s Tennis Association. “This issue of parity is not a women’s issue. It’s a societal issue that needs to be resolved by men and women,”
Hendricks’ Funny or Die video “Modern Office,” which spoofs her Mad Men character Joan trying to fit into today’s workplace, while citing pay inequity statistics like a boss. “I figure, if we are going to run our businesses like it’s the 1960s, I’m going to act like it is,” Hendricks deadpans, after pouring a martini and blowing cigarette smoke at an officemate.
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. Beyoncé: Not one to shirk from proclaiming her feminism from the rooftops, it’s no surprise that Beyoncé is using her brand to promote pay equity as well. Perhaps her most memorable comments came from a 2013 GQ interview, “You know, equality is a myth, and for some reason, everyone accepts the fact that women don’t make as much money as men do. I don’t understand that. Why do we have to take a backseat?” In 2014 she wrote an essay about gender equality for the Shriver Report, demanding that men join with women to demand fair pay. “Today, women make up half of the U.S. workforce, but the average working woman earns only 77 percent of what the average working man makes. But unless women and men both say this is unacceptable, things will not change.”
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. Christina Hendricks: Patricia Arquette may have brought the equal pay discussion into the spotlight during her Oscar acceptance speech in 2015, but Hollywood actresses have long been battling for equal pay for their work. Gillian Anderson fought to close the pay gap with David Duchovny on the X-Files set, and Charlize Theron renegotiated when she realized how much less she was being paid for an upcoming film than her male co-star, Chris Hemsworth. Few public awareness campaigns have been as spot-on as Christina · OH!MAG.COM ·
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VACATION LIKE A PROPER ADULT
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Pack Like A Pro
Begging the flight attendant to cut you some slack for overweight luggage is not fun. We’ve had enough of these humbling moments at the checkin counter to learn the hard way: When it comes to packing, it’s always wise to stick to a list of bare essentials. That cute yet impractical romper just isn’t worth the real estate in your suitcase. It’s all about the comfy, functional separates that can double as cover-ups or even makeshift pillows. Oh, and flat shoes only. Ain’t nobody got time for blisters.
Get Your Paperwork Ready
The nightmare of arriving at Customs only to realize your passport is expired or you don’t have the proper visa can be easily avoided. With organization apps like TripIt, there’s no excuse for not getting your ducks in a row. Still, keep a hard copy of everything, since some airport scanners are still finicky with scanning QR codes from a phone. As a backup, place all your important documents in a handy plastic envelope folder and keep it with you at all times.
Value Word-Of-Mouth
Doing some online vetting of your destination is important, but you should place a heavier emphasis on recommendations from friends and family than what’s top-rated on TripAdvisor. After all, the well-traveled people you’ve actually met IRL know you
Opening Ceremony Perspective Pools Romper Kenzo Kalifornia Clutch, Karen Walker One Meadow Sunglasses Brittany Metallic Sandal Finlay & Co. Hudson Sunglasses
Practice Self-Restraint
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Don’t Skimp Or Overspend
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As much as you want to showcase all the gastronomical wonders that landed in your path, your followers (other than your mom) don’t really want to see every minute detail of your travels — especially if they’re trapped in a cubicle themselves. We’re not saying that you should abstain from technology altogether, but a sophisticated traveler knows when to put away the phone. The best moments on a trip always happen off camera, anyway.
While we’re on the subject of moderation, that also includes the financial decisions you make en voyage. You should be perceptive of the right means to display gratitude — whether it’s via a customary tip or a thoughtful token of appreciation. When you do splurge, it should be for an experience over a commodity. You’re gonna get a lot more out of that snorkeling trip than an expensive crystal souvenir. Trust. COS Cropped Printed Top Mansur Gavriel Large Tote Tumble Rebecca Minkoff Sylvie Shoes VEDA Lazer Classic Jacket Joe’s Jeans The Skinny.
Skip The Pre-Trip Crash Diets
Crash dieting before a big day just so you can indulge later on was a bad idea before prom, and it’s an even worse idea when you’re about to go on vacation. Pair that with jet lag — where loss of appetite is a common symptom — and you have a recipe for disaster. With all the sensory overload, you might forget that your water intake should be at an all-time high — especially if you’re traveling by plane. Avoid dehydration by signing up for reminder apps like Waterlogged and Daily Water. Sometimes, admit-
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Let Your Adventurous Flag Fly
Whether it’s a Sex and The City fan tour or a solo trip across Southeast Asia, don’t be phased by looks of concern or unsolicited comments about your plans. Your protective aunt might be skeptical about how you’re holding your own in a foreign country with language barriers, but flying solo can result in a huge self esteem boost. According to a survey released by Booking.com, two-thirds of women feel more confident, energized and refreshed when vacationing on their own. Bounce that stat to the naysayers and keep doing you.
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GENERA TION Z
WORLD IMPACT 50 路 OH!MAG 路
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“CHANGE HAPPENS WHEN WE’RE TOLD STORIES THAT PROVOKE AND INSPIRE US”
hen it comes to social issues and politics, the activists in this issue agree: the internet has helped us in making the world a better place. It’s our generation’s ears and eyes, giving us the knowledge and tools to implement change. Change happens when we’re told stories that “provoke and inspire us”, according to Tamsin Omond, a young and experienced environmental activist and Green Party candidate. “The fact of these stories being told, from the other side of the planet, direct to our phones, is the best story of all.” In other words, we’re most attuned to what’s going on in the world today because we can reach more of it. 40 percent of the world are connected to the internet and more than one in four people have smart phones.“The internet is often painted as a black hole of activism,” says Rowan Davis, a 19-year-old transgender activist. But she is quick to defend it: “In my experience, the internet has been transformative in the way I understand the world. It gives us the tools to think about why there is oppression in the first place.” We can no longer be in denial about the social inequality or the political unrest because in an information age it’s thrust.
T hese forms of online awareness-raising are often termed “clicktivism”, and have come under fierce criticism for their marketing tactics, minimum effort requirement and emphasis on qualitative results. But they also have their advantages. “Real life activism is hugely important,” says No More Page 3’s Lisa Clarke, “but it can be difficult for supporters to access for numerous reasons - geography, time, disabilities, even lack of confidence.” For No More Page 3’s campaign, online activism was an integral way to lobby for change: “In the time it would take you to have a nap you could send a tweet to an advertiser and be part of an action that prompts an immediate change of policy,” ryony Beynon is the co-director of Hollaback, an organisation that aims to break the silence and stigma around street harassment and put an end to the idea that catcalling is something that has to be “put up with”. While she acknowledges that “sharing stories is what social media is all about”, she also reckons that “there’s really no substitute for getting out into the streets and meeting other activists doing good work”. Her advice to young activists is to get out there, share tactics and stage actions. “Make sure you have the tough conversations in the real world.”
uromaidan demonstrations that had place in in Ukraine kicked off in November 2013, on the internet, sites like Facebook and Twitter became not only the arena in which events played out for the rest of the world to see, but a locus for Ukrainian protesters to share information, keep abreast of developments and exchange medical or legal advice. In the first eight days of its creation, the Euromaidan Facebook page accumulated around 80,000 likes. Similarly, over the course of Turkey’s Gezi Park protests that same year, Turkish citizens reacted to the traditional media’s poor coverage of events by turning to social media and posting from the ground. In this sense, the hashtag is increasingly replacing old guard media as a democratic way to raise visibility and call people to action.
nother criticism of web-based activism is that it’s insular. In a 2010 article for the New Yorker, titled Small Change, author Malcolm Gladwell criticised social media activism, writing that, “The platforms of social media are built around weak ties.” However, the No More Page 3 activists say that social media has helped them form invaluable ties, particularly when enlisting the ongoing support of journalists and MPs. In our online lives we’re exposed to those we might not be able to reach in person - people of power, people from the other side of the world, people with different political imperatives. Those relationships made online can inform our lives.
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or Generations Y and Z, the internet can help to form a collective conscious, and there exists dedicated sites and campaigns that aim to capitalise on the same momentum. Charity fundraising platforms like Change.org and Justgive.org make it easy for us to donate, sign petitions and lobby for change, and demonstrate our willingness to give online. In 2014, #nomakeupselfie raised over £8 million for cancer awareness and #icebucketchallenge has raised over $100 million for the ALS Association. Problem is, a lot of these fundraising sites take a cut.
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nline, you have to wade through a lot of crap to get to the good. London punk band Skinny Girl Diet are keen to change this. “The internet gets used in the wrong way,” says Delilah Holliday, the guitarist and vocalist. “Often the people who get the most attention use it for vacuous reasons rather than saying ‘we need to change shit’. Shopping haul videos get more views than political rants. Or that white and gold dress. There are people missing in the world and the colour of a dress makes headlines!” Bandmate Ursula Holliday agrees. She says that your medium shouldn’t matter if you’re saying something worthy: “Go to protests, form a band with political lyrics, make art - be active with your opinions”. · OH!MAG.COM ·
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SARAH SOPHIE FLICKER MAKING ACTIVISM COOL AGAIN
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arah Sophie Flicker doesn’t have a job title. Not an official one, anyway. She’s got her hands full enough saving the world to spare even a minute worrying about what to spout off at a dinner party. “We live in a world where so many people don’t have official titles anymore, but there’s this pressure to explain what you do, or know what you’re gonna be when you grow up,” the activist, performer, writer, accomplished acrobat, and mother of three tells us. “The thing that’s cool about life is that that changes all the time.” Between performing with The Citizen’s Band, her political cabaret, producing political PSAs, penning pieces for the likes of Rookie and Cosmopolitan, campaigning for reproductive rights, serving as a muse to pals Katie Hillier and Luella Bartley’s most recent Marc by Marc Jacobs collection, and picking her
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little ones up from school, Flicker is paving the way for women everywhere to kick ass on their own terms. What were your earliest experiences with activism? My mum is from Denmark and her grandfather was the Prime Minister who brought socialist democracy to the country, so this history was really embedded in my family. My dad is an attorney who’s worked on voting rights stuff as well, so I grew up with that energy and spirit. I went to my fair share of marches and lectures as a kid. After moving to the Bay Area when I was young, I went to Mills College and officially became a feminist. At that same time, I was going out with a guy in a pretty big rock band, so when I wasn’t at school, I was going on tour. That’s not the most feminist world to be in when you’re young, finding your voice, and dealing with a super misogynist culture. I just remember going up to girls and being like, “Don’t show
Wow, what happened after that? Tell us more I went to law school and figured out I didn’t want to be a lawyer. I decided to get back into theater and dancing, moved to LA, met my husband [Girls director Jesse Peretz], moved to New York, and started the Citizens Band, our political cabaret that’s about to gear back up for the next election. I have a production company called the Department of Peace with Tennessee Thomas, Rebecca Fernandez, and Maximilla Lukacs where we produce political films and PSAs. I also work on a women’s rights, get out the vote, educational juggernaut called Lady Parts Justice with Lizz Winstead and Arun Chaudhary. I write as well. I mostly just try to get real with myself and whoever is listening. Has being a mom impacted your sense of activism? When you become a mom, you want your kids to see you in a powerful, confident light, and I’ve tried to become those things because it’s a legacy I’d like to leave. Also, I feel really passionately that there’s a missing area of conversation in a feminist motherhood sense. Reproductive rights isn’t just the right to not have children, but the right to have the kind of births we dream of having, the kind of pregnancies we dream of having, even just being able to raise our kids with financial stability and without the threat of violence or racism. Those are all reproductive rights issues, but they often get lost amidst all this controversy about contraception. Lady Parts Justice is working to change . It seems fashion is having a real moment exploring the intersection of feminism and activism. Do you feel the runway is a credible form of protest? My two friends Luella Bartley and Katie Hillier designed Marc by Marc Jacobs. This past season, I had a vague idea the collection would involve those themes because they kept asking me if I was coming to the show and I was like, “Okay, obviously they want me there for a reason!” Luella and Katie have been outspoken and badass since day one; they’re two feminist women designing a feminist collection and that’s amazing, especially considering how many young girls look to Marc by Marc Jacobs as a platform. Fashion that makes women curious can only be a good thing. What role does social media play in today’s activism? If we’re using social media as a platform to inspire smart dialogue and it’s cutting across all sorts of barriers, that’s great, but I don’t think we can quite pat ourselves on the back about feminism’s trending just yet. Something amazing we forget about social media is all these voices always existed, but if you look at news platforms, it’s always been white men. In the Black Li-
ves Matter movement, all these activists made amazing shit happen, but a lot of the women are still getting hit with, ‘You’re angry and aggressive.’ Of course women, people of color, members of the LGBT community, and lower income people are all angry—we’ve had no platform! But alongside this legitimate anger, we also have to remember that there are human beings on the other end of the phone or computer; we need to treat each other kindly and with respect. Instagram is still a pretty snuggly place, but Twitter is a little more aggressive. Women on Twitter get trolled with things that if someone said to you on the street, you’d call the cops. What advice would you give younger people looking to take a stand? Being an activist or getting into politics can seem so intimidating, but whatever you’re passionate about, there’s a place for you to do it. You’ll never sound stupid if you’re interested, curious, ask questions, and just get in there and do it. If someone’s inspiring, write them a letter or an email and say you’d like to intern for them. There’s just so many ways to be involved, whatever we can do to connect to each other and put ourselves out there makes a real difference. Before I could even vote, I volunteered for National Organization of Women and canvassed door-to-door for the Barbara Boxer campaign. All that stuff matters. We just have to make it cool to be an activist again You recently co-directed and appeared in a fashion film for Samantha Pleet. How do you approach the storytelling process of a project like this? I work with Maximilla Lukacs on everything from fashion films to political PSA’s. With the more fantastical work, we usually start with images we love or a quote ~ something small and build up from there. With Samantha Pleet, she usually has a story she wants to tell. Samantha is a dream to work with because her vision is so clear and her drive is so passionate. She wanted to tell a story incorporating The Never Ending Story with Joan Of Arc! Naturally, this made a ton of sense to us. You can see the film HERE. You’re a performer, writer, actress, activist, aerialist, director and absolute fashion icon! Creatively, what are you yearning to do that has not yet been a possibility? Oh geez. I’d love to write a book or two. I get asked a lot about pregnancy, birth and parenting while maintaining a life as an artist. I have a lot to say on this topic. I suppose that may be my next challenge! In general, I’m just trying to keep my head above water with three kids. A big part of this is satisfying my own creative goals while being the best momma I can be.
“YOU’LL NEVER SOUND STUPID IF YOU’RE INTERESTED, CURIOUS, ASK”
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n the streets of Puerto Rico, buscabulla is slang for troublemaker. The two people behind the Brooklyn-based band Buscabulla, however, are rabble-rousers in name only. Together, girlfriend-boyfriend team Raquel Berrios and Luis Alfredo Del Valle make music that is 100% appealing: slinky, sexy, Spanish-language. They’ve been perfecting their signature sound—an irresistible, retrotinged mix of psych, soul, Caribbean music and everything in between— for about three years.The band won a contest to have their new EP produced by the artist also known as Blood Orange. Self-titled and out on Kitsuné, the fateful combination of Dev Hynes’s deft touch and the band’s already developed, super-silky sound.
because we use a lot of live bass and stuff like that. We do sample, but it’s kind of a hybrid. So somewhere in between. It’s so hard to categorize it. Maybe let’s just call it “Caribbean music of the future.”
WHAT’S IN A NAME Buscabulla is a slang word in Puerto Rico. I guess I’ve always been kind of attracted to slang words or the words that people in the street use. It kind of has a bad tone to it, but if you break the word apart - busca means ‘to look for’ and bulla means “cheer” or “upheaval.” I think it’s kind of like the band The Upsetters in Jamaica, where it could be either a good thing or a bad thing, so I kind of liked that. I liked the fact that it ended in an “a,” which in Spanish is a feminine word.
SEX APPEAL Maybe I’m saying something in a sexy way but then I’m talking about something that can be deep, or maybe that people wouldn’t expect to be sung in a sexy way. “Métele” is kind of a love song, but the words are really lewd, because they come from reggaeton and I’m twisting that around in that song. Music is kind of like this virtual reality sort of thing for us, almost as if it’s not really happening. It’s the year of two babies, our EP and our baby girl. It’s pretty cool.
THE EP
SINGING IN SPANISH I always think, if I sing in English, first of all what am I really contributing to the landscape? This is what’s real to me, [Spanish] is my first language. There’s always that doubt—if you sing in Spanish are you limiting your audience? Well, I don’t know. At the end of the day I think it actually makes it more exotic or it just makes it different. I think that other bands that have come before have paved the way to make music that’s still beautiful and still in their language.
BUSCABULLA SONICDESCRIPTORS People have put it in so many ways, I like to think of it more as a new generation of Caribbean —Caribbean music that is at the same time worldly. But then there’s dashes of psych, there’s dashes of soul, there’s dashes of electronic music. Some people say electro-psych, but then I don’t think that we’re totally electro,
AGE 33 HOMETOWN Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico CURRENT LOCATION Brooklyn
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ANA KRAS THE DESIGN OF SELFISHNESS
“I’m fomop h o b i c,” says Ana Kraš, composing herself on a couch in a SoHo café The designer, 30, describes herself as proudly anti-party, anti-nightlife, “I don’t think I’m even using the fact that I’m in New York at all,” she says. “I could do the same work in Belgrade or L.A.” Could and has: born and educated in Serbia, Kraš moved east from California three years ago, and her creations—like the playful bonbon lampshades that stole the show at last year’s “NYC Makers” biennial at the Museum of Arts and Design— display a penchant for simplicity and off-thecuff inspiration that doesn’t seem tied to any fixed point, cultural or geographical. “It sounds terribly selfish,” she admits, “but a lot of the work I make is really about me having fun.” It’s a pursuit she seems better able to achieve
on her own than as part of the madding crowd. Drawing, in particular, has become an integral part of her cheerily solipsistic practice, with her semi-abstract sketches getting a public viewing last summer at the Ed. Varie gallery in the East Village. Still, Kraš is no shut-in. Alongside her very private studio work, she’s also kept busy as a photographer and illustrator. This level of activity, combined with her retiring habits, might account for the spitfire style of her work—”I don’t make design statements,” she says, “just words, short sentences,” the kind of ideas that can be tossed off in a stolen moment of solitude. Next on the agenda: a trip to Haiti to work with local artisans on designs that draw on traditional craft and materials, and then a series of tables, created by Kraš in collaboration with downtown retailer-manufacturer Matter, set to debut at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair New York this spring.
FAMOUS WORK From left to right; MALA album for Devendra Banhart (2013) , Devendra portrait (2013) and Bonbon Lamp (2012)
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