ITALY: UNFORGETTABLE CUISINE, FASHION AND HEART
FROM THE RUNWAYS: TRENDSETTING GLOBAL STYLE
ON STORYTELLING IN
CLEOPATRA: THE ANCIENT QUEEN WE CAN'T STOP TALKING ABOUT
Multicultural, multiethnic, mixed-race and geographically mobile populations (like immigrants, refugees and Third Culture Kids).
BECAUSE EVERYONE SHOULD FEEL LIKE THEY MATTER
If you are interested in great stories, amazing adventures, upscale retreats, in/depth personal accounts and interviews on experiences from around the world, and delicious international cuisine then you should definitely follow Doni Aldine and all things Culturs Global Multicultural Lifestyle Media and Events!!! You will not be disappointed. Doni has traveled the globe and immerses herself, her guests and readers, and her tribe in all the amazing culturs she encounters.
—
R. Coleman via LinkedIn
I can definitely identify with Disenfranchised Grief. As a person who have experienced losses of a spouse, possessions, my pet and my freedom in more ways that I ever imagined. I experienced the sleepless nights, feeling lost and without purpose. In addition to those feelings, I had to keep most of my feelings private so that I could protect my daughter and granddaughter whose world was also devastated when I lost my husband, their father and grandfather. I truly appreciate this article. It´s ok to grieve and still be normal. Thank you Dr. Bethel.
— L. Peterson via email, regarding "Disenfranchised Grief: When others don´t understand your loss and how to cope with it" article
Sooooo incredibly excited!!! Got the magazine today!!! Thank you for making this happen, Doni!!! What an honor to be featured in Culturs
— K. Brum via Whatsapp
You're amazing, Doni! The best ambassador yet for letting others know their "culturally fluid" ( I love yout term! ) lives are more normal than they ever realized before!
— R. Van Reken via LinkedIn
I'm very proud of representing CULTURS and don't take it for granted. I love sharing my business card to promote what we're about. I actually need to order more!
— A. Bazoin via Whatsapp
Beautiful story — thank you for sharing
— M. Jo via email , regarding "An ItalianIranian finds belonging in his grandmother´s first hello" article
Thank you so much for your support and kind words, Judy! I'm so grateful for everything you and your team do at Culturs.
— L. Lee via LinkedIn
Just got the Culturs Magazine with the Irecho article. Loved it!
— T. Miyamoto via Instagram
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Judy Howard Ellis
MANAGING EDITOR
John Liang
SENIOR EDITOR
Tammy Matthews
Fall 2023
www.CultursMag.com
Volume VI, Issue XXI
GURU
PUBLISHER & CEO
Doni Aldine
EDITORIAL
CONTRIBUTORS
Adam Abbasi-Sacca
Romita
Bulchandani
Lydia Cavaliere
Lena Lee
Koya Nyangi
PODCAST
PRODUCTION
EDITOR
Sofia Ressel
ART DIRECTION
Diana Vega
ILLUSTRATION
Diana Vega
PHOTOGRAPHERS
PRODUCER
Katie Mitchel
CREATIVE
Doni Aldine
John Packman.
Getty Images
WEB DESIGN
Internet Growth Systems
SUPPORTERS
Federico Vaccari
Bruna Evangelisti
COLUMNISTS
Andrea Bazoin
Paulette Bethel
Hayden Greene
SPECIAL THANKS XOTV
McMillion Multimedia
SOCIAL MEDIA
Kahlea Wright
KSW Social Media
ADVISORY BOARD
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Gregory Moore
Donna Musil
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Connect with Culturs on social: @CultursMag
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n the 21st century, assessing someone’s background from outward appearance isn’t enough as hidden, rather than visual, diversity means people increasingly bring more to the table than meets the eye.
Whether through nationality, travel, race or ethnicity, many straddle culture in myriad ways. From Cultural Fluidity, to Third Culture Kid, Expat, Third Culture Adult, Cross-Cultural Kid and more, the language to describe our in-between community is of
A term coined by author Ruth Van Reken in 2002, is a person who is living, has lived, or meaningfully interacted with two or more cultural environments for a significant period of time during the first 18 years of life. This includes minority individuals living within majority culture.
An adult who grew up as a Cross-Cultural Kid.
A term coined by Culturs founder Donnyale Ambrosine to characterize hidden diversity created by people who don’t or didn’t grow up in a homogenous cultural environment. Culturally Fluid individuals may straddle nationalities, ethnicities, race or culture. The fluidity created allows understanding between or among their foundational areas of meaningful experience. It also may hinder sense of belonging to any one area.
Children of missionaries who travel to missions domestically or abroad.
utmost importance. Knowing the vocabulary creates understanding and deepens our sense of belonging and connections to others with similar experiences. Here’s a quick overview so you can follow along any of our articles with ease:
Coined by Sociologist Ruth Useem in the 1950s as a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the parents’ culture. The first culture is considered an individual’s passport culture, while the second culture consists of the culture(s) in which the individual has lived. The third culture is a result of the person’s life experience; this is the culture to which they most belong. The third culture often is where individuals feel community with others of similar experience.
Children who moved to various regions within the same country while growing up, often having to re-learn ways of being, especially as regional differences in dress, speech and action are heightened in formative years when it is important to be accepted.
An adult who grew up as a TCK.
Coined in 2002 by Psychotherapist Paulette Bethel to signify individuals who travel extensively and are immersed in, or live in global locations after the age of 18 (after identity has been solidified).
Internationally nomadic group not characterized by a parent’s occupation. Displaced from their homeland forcibly or by choice, often having fled for varied reasons — violence, politics, religion, environment, etc. Refugees typically do not return to their origin country.
People who, for varied reasons, immigrate to a country different than their homeland to stay permanently. Many return to their home countries to visit, though some do not.
As defined by Merriam Webster — to leave one’s native country to live elsewhere; which also sometimes means to renounce allegiance to one’s native country.
Children of military who move with parents to different places within or outside of their home country. They often experience other cultures within the confines of a military installation or compound that possesses traits of the home country.
Children traveling with their parents to various countries in non-military government roles, diplomatic corps, civil service, foreign service, etc.
Children whose parents are members of the home country’s political framework while living on foreign soil.
Those who travel expecting differences among intra-international or international culture, however, not immersed in these cultures for extended periods of time, or long enough to integrate local cultural norms as their own.
Children whose parents work with multinational corporations that take them to faraway lands, often in professional fields surrounding oil, construction and pharmaceuticals.
Described by author Ruth Van Reken in the book
“Third Culture Kids,” a borderlander is a citizen of one country that lives close to another. Often the norms, customs and traits of each country’s culture seeps into the other, creating a cultural experience separate from either original culture, while allowing inhabitants keen knowledge and insight into their own culture as well as the other.
People whose family consists of two or more races to which the individual identifies. With race often come cultural norms, slang language and attitudes that can greatly differ. Many multiracial children, though not all, have the unique opportunity to learn norms of all the cultures they comprise.
People whose family consists of two or more cultures to which the individual identifies. Even when belonging to the same race, differences in culture may exist between ethnicities, tribes and other cultural contexts.
ADAM ABBASI-SACCA is a proud Italian-Iranian Australian writer and commentator whose work can be found in a range of publications. Contact him on Instagram, Twitter or his website.
ANDREA BAZOIN (say “Bah-Zwah”) is a human resilience activator, which means she works with individuals and teams to identify and dismantle the practical and personal barriers that keep them from thriving in our ever-accelerating future. Her family ties span the globe and include the U.S., Chile, Argentina, Australia, and France. She currently lives in Colorado, U.S.A. with her French husband and culturally fluid son. Learn more at www.andreabazoin.com.
PAULETTE BETHEL, PHD is a career U.S. Air Force officer, trauma recovery coach, global transition expert and a mother to Third Culture Kids. Culturally and racially blended, Dr. Bethel is our expert on the importance of transition and its effect on relationships. She is CEO and Founder of Discoveries Coaching & Consulting.
ROMITA BULCHANDANI, a.k.a. Glitter Explorer, is a former Fortune 200 leader turned Spiritual Life Coach. She leans in on her 15+ years of leadership experience for Fortune 200 companies like The Walt Disney Company and Marriott International. She left the corporate space to conquer her own mental health. She has been traveling (28+ countries) worldwide, exploring mental health from various perspectives. Inspired by her travels, Bulchandani founded Glitter For The Soul to help depleted humans reconnect and master their souls so they can build wealth and change the world.
LYDIA CAVALIERE was born in Barcelona, Spain and grew up in Sicily, Italy, her homeland. At 18, she left for Milan to study fashion as a designer before specializing in fashion journalism and becoming a stylist. Over the years, she has committed to collaborating as a consultant in the fur design sector. COVID and life experiences led her to reflect on what she really wants to be. Cavaliere changed industries and now focuses on food: to be taught and lived as an experience.
HAYDEN GREENE is a pop culture columnist and director of multicultural affairs and student development at Manhattan College in New York City, U.S.A. Known as Brooklyn’s favorite polymath, he is a prize-winning fine art photographer, voice over talent and Trinidadian from the U.K.
LENA LEE is the author of Girl Uprooted, a memoir about her global upbringing as the daughter of a diplomat and the ensuing search for a sense of identity and belonging. As a Third Culture Kid, she has lived in Seoul, Paris, Oslo, Kuala Lumpur and New Jersey. After studying Human Sciences at Oxford University, Lena has been living in London, a place she now calls home(ish).
JOHN LIANG is an Adult Third Culture Kid who grew up in Guatemala, Costa Rica, the United States, Morocco and Egypt before graduating high school. He has a bachelor’s degree in languages from Georgetown University and a master’s in International Policy Studies from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Liang has covered the U.S. military for two decades as a writer and editor for InsideDefense. com, and is also managing editor of Culturs Magazine. He lives in Arlington, Va., U.S.A.
KOYA NYANGI was born and raised in Kenya and lives in the United States. She describes herself as a full-fledged African who is very proud of her heritage. She is also the CEO and Founder of Let Me Show You Different. As Koya immerses herself in different cultures, she realizes she also has a strong need to share her culture. She wants to talk about African creatives and advocate for their work as well as talk about how Africans are innovating in tech, fashion, literature, art, design and music.
FEDERICO VACCARI is an Italian tourism designer who has spent the last 11 years in the Netherlands. As someone passionate about the impact of tourism on culture and the environment, he won a national award for his thesis regarding commodification of ethnic diversity and urban tourism. As a digital marketing freelancer, he participated in the launch of DesignWanted magazine and founded the Instagram profile @ladolcevitaly, focused on highlighting the hidden wonders of Italy. When he’s not hosting guests on his vintage Fiat 500 experience to put people in contact with the real and unknown Milano, you’ll find him at his local luthier workshop handcrafting classical guitars.
DIANA VEGA is a Third Culture Adult. Born in Mexico and passionate about design, they studied architecture and started a small business after college. Interested in entrepreneurship, Vega moved to Colorado, U.S.A. to earn an MBA at Colorado State University. Now repatriated to Mexico, they are a graphic designer and illustrator for Culturs Magazine.
In fact, about the same time Lee received the Cannes Lions honor, his solid-gold classics “Do The Right Thing” and “Malcolm X” reached No. 8 and No. 22 respectively on “The New Republic‘s” list as among the 100 most significant political films of all time.
Let’s take a moment to pay mad respect to Spike Lee.
Cannes Lions named him the Creative Maker of the Year during its International Festival of Creativity this past summer. Lee, an acclaimed actor, director, producer and screenwriter, is the first to receive the award.
From the brownstone steps in “Crooklyn” to the throes of war memories in “Da 5 Bloods,” to his famously energetic courtside presence cheering the New York Knicks to his creative skill in advertising to his willingness to tackle the toughest cultural and racial subjects, Lee’s vision, gifts and cultural influence have achieved iconic status.
Italy is our featured destination in this issue. We guide you through a neighborhood in Milan, explore driving tours with vintage cars, invite you to bring the tastes of Italia into your kitchen, and present a primer on Milanese fashion design. When I honeymooned in Rome 15 years ago, I was smitten by Italian cuisine, history and street fashions that whispered haute couture at every corner. These Italian stories take me right back.
Speaking of more swoonworthy style: Get a global fashion view through Koya Nyangi’s “Let Me Show You Different” event where African designers define rich, imaginative renderings mindful of African culture and sustainability. In Andrea Bazoin’s story, learn how cross-cultural designers use their fashion platform to challenge potential inequality in retirement savings.
In our “Must List,” we note the upcoming Martin Scorsese film “Killers of the Flower Moon,” inspired by the wrenching story about the murders of wealthy Osage people in 1920s Oklahoma. As she discussed the tragedy and her film role, actor Lily Gladstone’s words at a Cannes Film Festival news conference smoldered. Just imagine what her portrayal will be on screen.
Lastly, we feature Adam Abbasi-Sacca, a new Culturs contributor who writes a touching piece about his IranianItalian roots and meeting his paternal grandmother for the first time in Varzaneh, Iran.
This fall issue soars because of art and style, heart and soul.
Enjoy!
Judy Howard Ellis Editor-in-Chief
Whether business, fashion,
history or food are your passions – Milan, in the Lombardy region of Northern Italy – has it all. A few days in this bustling metropolis, along with the serene beauty of nearby Lake Como, is all you need to create a satisfying trip that fulfills those passions.
Here, we’ll take you from Milan to Como in two different vintage cars with local drivers who also are well traveled abroad. We’ll also take you on a Journey with an Italian Adult Third Culture Kid Chef who shares her passion for food with the world by treating them to classes when they visit her beloved city.
Get ready to cruise with us along the streets and canals of Milan and into the scenic byways along Lake Como in a Northern Italian Adventure that is sure to bring a smile to your face.
Photo courtesy of Fabio Morelli.
According to Fabio Morelli, founder of WeGo, classic car rentals are one of the best solutions for vintage motor enthusiasts to experience passion and become fully immersed in unique experiences.
One such experience was the less-than-one-hour drive from Milan to Como, which was made special by cruising in a gorgeous vintage car. It is an amazing way to explore the lake, in a once-in-a-lifetime tour abord a pristine vehicle.
Known locally as Lario, Lake Como is the third largest in Italy, and has a bonus of being located at the foot of the Alps. Home to towns like Bellagio and Menaggio, Lake Como offers some of the most romantic and picturesque scenery in the world, not to mention world-class food and a serenity that makes it feel like the only place on earth.
The lake has a characteristic shape like an inverted Y, created from melting glaciers combined
with the erosive action of the ancient Adda river. According to Lake Como Travel, this led to the formation of the two southern branches that culminate in the cities of Como and Lecco, in the middle of which lies the famous Bellagio (which you may have heard of from its romantic replica in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A.).
Though many know of Como due to celebrity weddings like those of Chrissy Tiegan and John Legend, or Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, people often are surprised to find that the lake is made of many small towns, often with enchanting villas and gardens. Como is the busiest (and most “city-like”) of these, with other towns around the lake providing a more relaxing, local vibe and outstanding scenery closer to the lake itself.
There are hundreds of hiking trails, relaxing boat tours and even a ferry that can help guide you to the varied areas to explore around the lake. A car is recommended, though scooter and bike rentals abound in many of the towns as well.
Next stop on our Adventure: A TASTE OF ITALY.
Photo courtesy of Fabio Morelli. Lake Como.Meet chef Bruna Evangelisti. As a child with her dad’s diplomatic passport. As an adult for work. Today, she is only three countries away from completing a trip around the world and can say that she has been everywhere else at least 10 times.
For all her life, she arranged corporate travel for the most important companies in Italy and abroad by visiting the best restaurants, including those with Michelin stars.
While traveling, she developed a passion for cooking and tasting food with curiosity. Her cooking skills have improved over time in the best Italian and international cooking schools, including the Paul Bocuse Institut in Ecully, France. She loves to share her passion for Italian cooking, teach the secrets of her family recipes, meet people from all over the world, and speak and cook with them. Now that she’s retired, instead of traveling the globe, the world comes to her doorstep.
Evangelisti loves to open her home, a unique and historic house where she works surrounded by a large secret garden overlooking Milan’s rooftops, enjoying — in pleasant weather — dinner or lunch.
After four years, the Cooking Class in Italy has become Milan’s most popular cooking class. Guests meet in her house, learn, share meals, talk, and live for some hours in a real union between different cultures in peace and harmony.
A
CRAFTED
DELECTABLY ROASTED CUTS MAKE YOUR TASTE BUDS QUAKE WITH YEARNING?
© 2023 Tyson Foods, Inc.
Enjoy this hearty Milanese dish of braised veal shanks as the meal’s centerpiece. Pair with cauliflower rice, polenta or mashed potatoes.
INGREDIENTS FOR L’OSSOBUCO:
1. 2 2/3 pounds of veal marrow bones
2. 2 cups of meat broth
3. 2 yellow onions
4. 1/3 cup of flour
5. 1/4 cup of white wine
6. 1/4 cup of virgin olive oil or pancetta
7. 3 tablespoons of butter
8. Salt and pepper to taste
9. 2 garlic cloves
10. 1 parsley sprig
11. 1 whole lemon peel
01 Prepare the meat broth.
Peel and dice the onions.
Add half the oil and heat it in a pan. Add the onions and cook for over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add half of the white wine, and cook for 10 minutes.
Remove the browned onions from the pan that you will use for the veal shanks. Set the onions aside.
Season the shanks with salt and pepper, and dip into flour.
Take the remaining oil and place it in the pan where you prepared the onions. Cook on medium heat. Add the butter. Let the butter melt. Brown the shanks in the pan. About 5 minutes for each side.
Add the remaining white wine, the broth and the onions.
Cook for about 35 minutes at medium heat. Turn over the shanks and cook again for another 25 minutes.
Turn off the heat.
Add the parsley, garlic cloves and grated lemon.
Serve.
Make spaghetti night special with authentic La Carbonara.
INGREDIENTS FOR LA CARBONARA:
1. Spaghetti
2. Guanciale
3. 3 large eggs (room temperature)
4. Pecorino Romano
5. Fresh black pepper
Prepare spaghetti al dente. About 7 minutes.
In a hot skillet, fry the guanciale until crispy. Keep the fat in the pan.
Whisk Pecorino Romano, eggs and pepper in a bowl as the guanciale cooks.
Take the skillet from the heat one to two minutes before adding the cooked spaghetti.
Use tongs to place the spaghetti in the pan with the guanciale.
Toss throughly.
While tossing the spaghetti, add the egg mixture. Combine well.
When the dish appears creamy, add more Pecorino Romano and pepper.
Serve.
Brighten the wine glass with an orange slice.
This is the extra-special thing you need for garlic bread, pizza and any other dish you want to dress up with an Italian flair.
1. 2 cups of fresh basil leaves
2. 1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
3. 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4. 1/3 cup pine nuts
5. 3 cloves garlic (minced)
6. 1/4 teaspoon salt
7. 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve over toasted bread or baked potatoes.
A classic dessert in Italy, Le Tiramisù can be paired with a fresh cup of espresso.
INGREDIENTS FOR LE TIRAMISÙ:
1. 12 egg yolks
2. 1.1 lbs sugar
3. 2.2 lbs mascarpone
4. 60 pcs Savoiardi ladyfingers
5. Italian espresso or coffee
6. Cocoa powder (unsweetened and sifted)
01 Make your espresso or coffee. Put aside to cool.
Whisk the egg yolks with sugar. When they’re light, blend in the mascarpone cheese. It should become a smooth paste.
Dip the ladyfingers into the cooled espresso or coffee. Don’t soak too much.
Place half of the ladyfingers in a single row on a serving plate. Add the cream over them.
Create a second layer with the remaining ladyfingers. Cover with the cream mixture.
Dust with cocoa powder.
Refrigerate for six hours or more before serving.
Who can resist a pizza with fresh basil and buffalo mozzarella? Not us. No way.
INGREDIENTS FOR LA
1. Fresh pizza dough
2. Fresh shredded basil leaves
3. Buffalo mozzarella
4. 2 cups of peeled tomatoes
In this global melange, places — and especially cities — become a fascinating laboratory in which the most significant changes manifest.
These are reflected in the most diversified spheres, including architecture, design, art, traditions and everyday ways of living.
Through the journey, we have the extraordinary opportunity to get in touch with these realities profoundly.
Every community always has been characterized by continuous flows of interactions between people that have allowed us to savor one of the most precious and extraordinary things we have: diversity.Photo courtesy of Federico Vaccari.
By Federico Vaccari
This can happen provided we put aside what sociologist Daniel J. Boorstin has defined as “The Environmental Bubble: that protective attitude a tourist can assume when visiting a community with customs and traditions different from their own, leading them to look for familiar actions and activities rather than opening up to the new, or rather, to the different.”
The locals, in addition to being the active representatives and creators of the authenticity of a place, are also those who can help us get in touch with these diversities, and there are more and more cities in which many
experiences emerge that serve as real cultural bridges with visitors.
Milan is certainly an example in this sense.
Often known only for its image as a “business city,” and mainly linked to two events that characterize it on a global level, namely Design Week and Fashion Week, Milan has a long-lived history dating back to the Celtic era of 560 B.C. and has seen many changes.
The city is full of culture and secret places ready to be discovered perhaps simply by strolling through its streets, or riding in a vintage Fiat 500 together with a local resident, in an original and unforgettable way. Not a bad idea, right?
This is how you can, for example, discover a place deeply appreciated by the Milanese people, namely the Navigli area and the Darsena, which are some of the last remaining waterways after most of the centuries-old canals that had been in the city were removed starting from the 1930s.
Today, it is a place to stroll and visit the beautiful hidden courtyards where there are shops of local artisans, but also come across the smallest gin distillery in the world, as well as try the famous aperitivo, a quintessentially Milanese concept to discover.
The uniqueness of these places is because of their style of “living in the open air,” sitting along the shore of the Darsena or among
the ancient Columns of San Lorenzo dating back to the Roman period, enjoying a drink and local delicacies, lost in the sweet chatter of people nearby and the melodies of musicians who, sometimes, find in this place a way to involve people.
Walking through these areas also allows us to be surprised by places that hide truly astounding secrets, such as the fascinating and strange decorations with human bones present in the chapel of San Bernardino alle
The uniqueness of these places is because of their style of “living in the open air,” sitting along the shore of the Darsena or among the ancient Columns of San Lorenzo dating back to the Roman period, enjoying a drink and local delicacies, lost in the sweet chatter of people nearby and the melodies of musicians who, sometimes, find in this place a way to involve people.
Ossa, or by the remains of the relics of the three Magi present in the Basicilia di Sant’Eustorgio.
A little further on, a stone’s throw from the crowded Piazza del Duomo, right in the center, it is possible to find the total peace of the “Quadrilatero del Silenzio,” emblem of the “Art Nouveau” or “Milanese Liberty” architecture that the bourgeois-class Milanese left us in the first two decades of the 20th century.
Here, among fascinating decorations, ornaments, courtyards and gardens of sublime beauty, it’s also possible to find an exotic oasis unimaginable for many: the flamingo garden of Villa Invernizzi, a place where these
animals have lived freely since the 1970s and which fascinate people of any age.
But Milan is also the hub city of the economic boom of those years, and so our journey can continue with the beautiful colored houses of Via Abramo Lincoln, also known as the “Burano of Milan” and still unknown to most today, where seeing the colors, hearing the rustling palm leaves, and smelling the scents of jasmine in spring offer the feeling of being in the Caribbean.
Photo courtesy of Federico Vaccari.
Photo courtesy of Federico Vaccari.
And how can we fail to mention the beautiful design districts, where works and architectural icons, including the Bosco Verticale, emerge in all their majesty, creating that mix between the past and the modern that only Milan can give.
What more can be said?
Milan, considered frenetic by many Italians and calm by many foreigners, is ready to surprise us at any moment, and it’s there that it awaits to be discovered, making us a part, if we wish, of the constant change that distinguishes it.
And all of this is there at your fingertips, perhaps aboard a vintage Fiat 500.
To access links to the places mentioned in this article, scan the code below. cultursmag.com/discover-the-secrets-of-milan-
By Lydia Cavaliere
Let’s not make a rhetorical or retrograde speech
about the old days. Although the old days have gone, for better or worse, they still “color” a period and enable other moods and trends to develop.
I want to give you my vision and take on Milanese fashion, as I see myself as someone who has dedicated most of her life to fashion as a journalist, stylist and fashion designer for the last 20 years. Thanks to a master’s degree, various school courses, books and endless research, I have become inspired and passionate by the stories and creations of many designers who have shaped the history of fashion worldwide. Unfortunately, fashion is an art that is no longer seen as such.
I would like to bring you back in time to relive fashion’s evolution, starting from the idea to the dress, along with the stories, anecdotes, perfumes and movements that all wonderful stylists created while still being the ones dictating fashion before it merged with the movie industry.
Artists, music, art and stylists have created icons, movements and poems that traveled in unison to convey a dream to those who wanted to dream. Cultural movements of the 80s were examples of how to
communicate fashion.
Nowadays, even fashion shows and fashion parades all over the world live a life of their own. The accelerated times of modernity have overshadowed the strict rules of the past.
The advent of social media, a faster pace of life and the internet have pushed for a revolution in the “past” fashion world, which once offered much slower shows that dictated the currents of collective fashion.
The vision and take on Milanese fashion, from someone who has dedicated most their life to fashion as a journalist, stylist and fashion designer for the last 20 years.
More sensible stylists, who are attentive to the evolution or involution of humans, tend to work more practically and free of frills. As Milanese-born Miuccia Prada states: “In serious moments, one has to work seriously and responsibly. There can be no room for useless creativity. Creativity makes sense and is only useful when it discovers new things.”
During difficult times, creativity is called upon to make new discoveries, as it is useless to bring futile things on the market. While fashion experts and masters are trying to meet the needs of the global market, some still follow their own principles. I invite you on a journey of true
fashion with its poetry and its creative and deep-rooted facets, while making you savor some real, juicy and magnificent fashion.
“Made in Italy” is a guarantee of quality and experience, and the pursuit of beauty is the key to creating an amazing future.
To view this story online, scan the code below. cultursmag.com/new-fashion-vision-overcoming
By Koya Nyangi
Photos courtesy of Koya Nyangi.
Model wearing South African brand Laaniraani.
Africa has a long rich history of culture,
brimming with opportunities. The lands are as rich and rooted in as much diversity as their people.
Its fashion is so unique you cannot quantify it. It’s freeing and bears no labels.
It mixes tradition with modernity; its fashion is the epitome of sustainability just like how the people live: being creative and innovative, turning sacks into outfits made for kings and queens, raffia into bags, cowrie shells into gowns and turmeric into paint. Everything is luxurious and handmade while simultaneously preserving the land around them.
African fashion gives hope and is rooted in community, showing the people’s capabilities and transforming perceptions so ignorantly made about its people. African fashion gives hope and is rooted in community.
Model wearing South African brand Laaniraani.African culture cannot be manufactured somewhere else. African creativity is inspirational and has informed a world that has not yet fully seen and witnessed that creativity.
Fifty-four countries yet ignored and left out in the global world. How could this be and for so long? A continent that has inspired great minds (read Picasso) in terms of creativity, yet African creativity is questioned. Is it good enough, is it worth the money?
African culture cannot be manufactured somewhere else. African creativity is inspirational and has informed a world that has not yet fully seen and witnessed that creativity.
You see, the stories of Africa have for so long been told through the lens of another. The time for that is over. Africans are now telling their own stories.
In June, the company Let Me Show You Different (LMSYD) hosted its first African Designers show that celebrated African creativity and gave African creatives an opportunity on the global platform.
Africans are now telling their own stories.
The show featured five different African designers: Adele Dejak, an Anglo-Nigerian designer based in Kenya; Kiko Romeo from Kenya; Sevaria from Kenya; the Saba Label from Kenya; Margaux Wong from Burundi; and Laanirani from South Africa.
The event celebrated by indulging in the cuisines of South Africa provided to us by Taste of
Soweto and enjoying Senegalese food from Chef David of Pikine Grill. There was music from Mbira and marimbas being played by Obert and his Zimbabwean family.
Guests played the djembe taught by Francis, a Ghanaian. And Africans danced as if they were back home, all in unison!
LMSYD created an event that was not African-inspired but African-led. It showcased Africans as the authors of their story, sharing their beautiful fashion with this special gathering and spreading their culture.
Much more than a fashion show, this event showcased African identity and creativity.
Africans are now telling their own stories.
Scan the code below to access the links in this story. cultursmag.com/celebrating-african-creativity Model wearing Kenyan brand Kiko Romeo. Model wearing Kenyan brand Kiko Romeo.
In the world of fashion, a “statement piece” is an article of apparel
meant to help the wearer stand out and express their unique personality and style.
To that end, some fashion designers are leveraging their craft to create head-turning pieces to convey a deeper message. Meet three cross-cultural designers who are redefining the statement piece.
The Dre$$ Campaign, as presented by The Martin Agency in an official Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity entry.First-generation GrenadianAmerican fashion designer Fe Noel wants women to express their full, multifaceted, colorful selves. Combining the vibrancy of the Caribbean with the glamour of New York, Noel creates show-stopping pieces designed for jet-setting women with style.
In 2023, Noel, who holds a degree in finance, partnered with financial services firm TIAA and the Martin Agency to create The Dre$$, shown on the opening night of New York Fashion Week. This couture robe was stitched with US$1.6 million of artificial money, to highlight the potential gap in retirement savings due to gender-based wage gaps, unequal share of caretaking responsibilities and lack of financial education.
The campaign, #retireinequality, makes a powerful statement. It was part of a series of TIAA marketing
campaigns featuring high-profile women leaders across various disciplines to highlight the problem of gender-based retirement inequality. Women, on average, retire with 30% less income than men.
In a video featured on the campaign’s website, Noel says, “Being a fashion designer for me was always more than making really beautiful clothes. It’s also the story I’m telling. I wanted to
not just make women feel beautiful, but also feel powerful. I want it to be life-changing for them. If we have retirement inequality, it’s hard for us to do that. We’re serious about making this statement and we’re making it in fashion. We’re serious about closing the gap,” says Noel.
In June 2023, Noel celebrated her fashion label’s 10-year anniversary by opening the doors to her Brooklyn-based boutique: Fe Noel Little Carribean. The boutique is situated in the very neighborhood where she grew up, which is home to the “largest and most diverse CaribeanAmerican-LatinX community outside of the West Indies.”
In the world of fashion, a “statement piece” is an article of apparel meant to help the wearer stand out and express their unique personality and style.
Without a single Kenyan shilling to spend on advertising, Zeva Designs Founder Eva Zinzi created a line of clothing that not only reached 2.8 million social media views and earned $125,000 in media exposure, but it is literally saving the lives of women and girls in her home country of Kenya.
How? By exposing the critical harm of period shaming.
Zeva Designs launched in 2020. Primarily advertising through Instagram, the colorful designs caught the attention of marketing executive Megha Dutta, head of Creative for JWT Scanad.
As Zinzi explains, “We were in contact for a while, and I got to know her [Dutta] and her passion for advertising. When Senator Gloria Orwoba got period shamed in parliament, it was a no-brainer to come together and speak up against such a despicable act. So, we brainstormed and came up with the idea.”
Dutta elaborates, “When the parliament incident happened on February 14, 2023, it inspired or rather shocked us into action. We co-created this campaign to normalize the sight of period stains through her clothes and rally the government to make period shaming a punishable offense.”
The #stainnotshame campaign was officially created through a
Stain Not Shame campaign.partnership between Zeva Designs and SCANAD Africa and launched in 2023, on International Women’s Day.
Within the first three weeks of launching the eight-piece “Stain Not Shame” capsule collection, which featured colorful clothing with custom-printed bright red pops of color representing period stains (designed by Jesse Okumu), Kotex officially joined the campaign.
COLLECTION is a collection of eight designs launched on the eighth of March to celebrate
women and to bring awareness to the plight facing young girls and women in Kenya.
Fast forward to 2023: The Stain Not Shame campaign has had massive success, in both the marketing industry and within Kenyan society. The campaign took home a Silver Lion for PR Culture, a Bronze Lion for Social and Influencer Culture, and a Bronze Glass Lion for Social Change at the prestigious Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June 2023.
It also contributed to an important decision within the Kenyan government. Just one month after the launch of the
Orwoba got period
shamed in parliament, it was a no-brainer to come together and speak up against such a despicable act. So, we brainstormed and came up with the idea.
— Zeva Designs Founder
Eva Zinzi
campaign, Honorable Harriette Chiggai, advisor on women’s rights to Kenyan President Dr. William Ruto, announced an official pledge to create an anti-period shaming policy under the Kenyan Penal Code.
Both Zinzi and Dutta have been quite moved by the experience.
“This campaign evoked in all of us a strong sense of sisterhood of shared shame,” Dutta says. “We saw so many women and men come together to support this action, from influencers to students to senators. The campaign really gave everyone a symbol of solidarity. Professionally, [the campaign] brought home Kenya’s first Glass and PR Lions and Scanad’s first Social and Influencer Lion. But there is a lot still to be done, so here’s hoping, and celebrating!”
Zinzi echoes, “Personally it’s been life-changing. I didn’t expect it to go viral. I was simply using my skill as a form of activism and hoped that the campaign would spark a conversation around period shaming, something that has plagued my country and tormented girls and women for a long time (an extreme instance leading to death). This campaign
allowed me to look at fashion not just as a business but also as a tool I can use to speak up against the ills plaguing society. Businesswise, this was a step in the right direction. The designs were worn by some of the most popular influencers with millions of followers. This, in turn, came with a lot of media coverage, an increase in followers, and the growth of my brand equity.”
Turning street style into haute couture, Colm Dillane, owner and founder of KidSuper Studios, combines print, collage and plenty of color into every design. The aesthetic feels like watching a fast-paced pickup game of basketball on a hot Brooklyn court or playing tag inside a Basquiat painting — totally intense, playful and boundlessly creative.
The rebellious and rulebreaking nature of KidSuper has attracted the attention of some of the biggest global brands in the world including Louis Vuitton, UGG, Suicoke, the NBA, Tommy Hilfiger and Meta.
According to Esquire Magazine, Dillane was highly influenced by his cross-cultural upbringing. His mother was a Spanish artist-turned-teacher and his father was an Irish fisherman.
A Third Culture Kid (TCK) born in New York, Dillane’s family moved to Mexico, Chicago, Ill. and Beloit, Wis., U.S.A. before returning to New York when he was 13.
As an adult, Dillane’s passion
This campaign allowed me to look at fashion not just as a business but also as a tool I can use to speak up against the ills plaguing society.
for soccer took him to Brazil and later back to Brooklyn where he opened a 10,000-square-foot creative factory that includes retail space, a cafe, a gallery, a performance space and even a soccer pitch.
“Live. Life. Super” is Dilane’s motto. Forget conventions and bring back the kid inside that just wants to break all the rules and play!
Fashion has always been used to make a statement without saying a word. In today’s social media landscape, it’s never been easier to wear your heart on your sleeve and make a bold statement that reaches the masses.
What kind of creative statement will you make today?
Learn more about each of these designers, scan the code below to access the links in this story. cultursmag.com/three-remarkable-cross-cultural
KidSuper Founder Colm Dillane, Meta Beach Activation.
Photo courtesy of Meta.
“Live. Life. Super.” Forget conventions and bring back the kid inside that just wants to break all the rules and play!
By John Liang
For Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee, even though there’s
been an uptick in the number of multicultural storytellers in movies, “the struggle continues,” he says at a press conference during the 2023 Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in France. Asked how he’d seen multiculturalism grow and change over the decades, and how it’s affected his art, Lee mentions his first feature film, 1986’s “She’s Gotta Have It.”
“There’s definitely been a growth,” he says, adding that at the time “She’s Gotta Have It” came out, multiculturalism wasn’t a thing.
Spike Lee at Cannes Lions.“It’s like, we didn’t even know the word existed, that term,” he says. “So we’ve grown.” At the same time, “We see that many different voices have not been given a chance to tell their story.”
That said, “I think that the powers that be are being more open to other stories being told,” Lee adds. “But we’re not there all the way. So the struggle continues. The struggle continues.”
Lee was at The Lions to accept the inaugural honorary Creative Maker of the Year award.
When the festival was founded in 1954, the original Lion was created to recognize world-class creativity in TV and cinema advertising. Seventy years later, the new award honors that heritage and will celebrate an increasingly broad mix of creative makers who bring ideas to life into the future.
“We know that world-class creative work takes so much to deliver,” says Simon Cook, CEO of Lions. “Since its inception, The Cannes Lions has always been about the makers and the creatives who walk through walls to realize their vision. Going forward, this award will honor creative makers, from any discipline who are inspirational beacons for our whole community. In our 70th year, it seems appropriate that the inaugural Creative Maker award should go to a director. It’s a huge
honor to present Spike Lee, one of the most influential figures in contemporary cinema and culture, with this accolade live at the Festival. Spike embodies the spirit of this award as a maker that strives to make creative stories and show the world what they can only see in their imaginations.”
The award, supported by Black At Cannes, honors Lee. And as the founder of his own creative agency, Spike DDB, his mission has been to help brands change the world by keeping pace with culture.
In a statement commenting on receiving the award, Lee says: “I’m honored to accept the inaugural Cannes Lions Creative Maker of the Year award for my
I think that the powers that be are being more open to other stories being told,” Lee adds.
“But we’re not there all the way. So the struggle continues. The struggle continues.
contributions to the advertising industry, but a reminder: ‘We keep having these obstacles, these hurdles, we have to face and we have to keep knocking them down.’ I said this in 1997 and still say it today.”
Lee’s career spans over 30 years, receiving Oscar nominations five times, among them “Do The Right Thing,” “4 Little Girls” and the critically acclaimed hit feature “BlacKkKlansman” that he co-wrote and directed and subsequently won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2018.
Lee was also awarded an Honorary Oscar in 2015 for his lifetime achievement and contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences.
The award, supported by Black At Cannes, honors Lee. And as the founder of his own creative agency, Spike DDB, his mission has been to help brands change the world by keeping pace with culture.
Beyond his film work, Lee is also known for his legendary Jordan Brand TV commercials and marketing campaigns with Michael Jordan.
Commenting on the award and Lee’s legacy as a worldrenowned creative maker, Shannon Watkins, chief marketing officer at Jordan Brand, says his focus on telling stories “combined with his ability to capture the pulse of Black Culture sets him apart from others in the industry. Spike created iconic memories and helped to build the soul of what Jordan Brand represents. Maybe the shoes on our feet wouldn’t make us jump as high as MJ, but just for a moment, we might feel the confidence and self-belief of the greatest to ever do it.”
Peter Ukhurebor, founder of Black At Cannes, adds: “Spike Lee is a creative role model who has paved the way for so many black creatives. The Creative Maker of the Year award inspires us to continue spearheading the creation of pathways for diverse voices and promoting inclusion and equity across the global creative industry. We applaud the partnership.”
Spike Lee with Black at Cannes founder Peter Ukhurebor.Lee also talked about making sure that when working on a brand like Jordan that the creatives are on the same page as the producers.
“I really don’t have a lot of complaints because a lot of the work I’ve done, especially with Nike and Brand Jordan, it’s been great,” he says. “But you are going
to have those creative differences and that’s just the nature of the beast and you gotta work it out.”
A lot of times, according to Lee, “this stuff happens when the basic conversations aren’t had before you start the work. You gotta be on the same page before you start to shoot.”
Lee talked about how there have been instances where the ad agency and the brand wanted to go right when he’s trying to go left.
“But again, to emphasize that, that stuff has to be worked out at
the very first meeting before you get the job,” he says, adding that the problem is if these issues aren’t worked out at the beginning, one runs the danger of shooting the commercial and winding up being in the editing room afterwards and “arguing.”
I really don’t have a lot of complaints because a lot of the work I’ve done, especially with Nike and Brand Jordan, it’s been great,” he says. “But you are going to have those creative differences and that’s just the nature of the beast and you gotta work it out.
Another anecdote Lee shared was being asked by the late singer Michael Jackson to direct the music video for Jackson’s song “They Don’t Care About Us.”
Regarding the song, Jackson has said:
“The song is in fact about the pain of prejudice and hate and is a way to draw attention to social and political problems. I am the voice of the accused and the attacked. I am the voice of everyone. I am the skinhead, I am the Jew, I am the Black Man, I am the White Man. I am not the one who was attacking. It is about the injustices to young people and how the system can wrongfully accuse them.”
Lee says Jackson hated the term “music video” and always
adamantly referred to them as “short films.”
“Because of my films, [Jackson] wanted me to do ‘They Don’t Care About Us,’” Lee says, adding that Jackson’s trademark high-pitched voice would go down an octave when he was angry or irritated.
Additionally, Lee shot two versions of the music video: one in a U.S. prison and another in Salvador, Brazil.
Shooting in Brazil was “one of my most memorable moments,” according to Lee. “We had so much fun, and every time I go to Brazil, I get love.”
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The Culturs Awards celebrate the best and brightest of our inbetween community. From Third Culture Kids and Military B.R.A.T.s, to immigrants, mixedrace, multi-ethnic and Expats, we want to uplift and amplify the brightest minds, talents and visions of those often overlooked.
Whom do you want to celebrate? Nominate the best of the in-between at cultursmag.com/introducingthe-culturs-alchemist-awards
From Military B.R.A.T. Deidre Hardin, who designed the CULTURS AWARD:
As an artist, the spark of creativity is fickle at best. I tend to start a concept, set it aside, then come back when it calls for my attention.
I spent a day playing with ideas meant to express the meaning of the CULTURS award. Keywords like belonging, family, culture and food were some of the broad concepts I considered. By the evening, I had drained my mental toolbox and settled down to listen to an audiobook. “The Alchemist,” by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, was to be the catalyst that brought my efforts into fruition.
My initial hesitation was with using copper to create the piece, my assumption being the award should be an elaborate material. This anxiety was swiftly laid to rest after a few sentences in the book stated, “There is no need for iron to be the same as copper or copper the same as gold … copper and iron have their own legends to fulfill.”
Birthed from this unexpected inspiration came “The Alchemist Heart,” the title for the copper heart sculpture. The book is a metaphor for life: A story about a personal journey and how to listen to your heart and follow your dreams.
The secrets of alchemy are said to exist on a small emerald tablet that can’t be expressed in words. The Alchemist can transmute lead into gold and uses a solvent called the elixir of life to cure all ills.
The chaotically twisted copper design is an interpretation of a personal journey through travel, decisions and career paths. The top of the heart is left open to represent one’s courage to embark upon their possibilities. Therefore, I placed the faux emerald that symbolized the Philosopher’s Stone as the eye of the fish.
The fish symbolized not only food but a biblical proportion in sharing a skill with others. The base, as referenced in the book, can be the elixir of life or the oceans of the world.
As a whole, the piece may be interpreted as ocean-crossed global citizens who find home, happiness and belonging within their hearts. No heart suffers while pursuing its dreams using lessons learned in discovering its legend.
Ultimately, there is no magic panacea to one’s heart’s desire.
Entries
From shows to watch and songs to hear, to artistry, shopping and things to explore, know and do, here’s a specially curated list of things we recommend as MUST experience items for the culturally fluid.
the service because TCKs adapt easily to cross cultural environments which is described as being a “Chameleon” in the best-selling book “Third Culture Kids: Growing up among worlds.” Chameleons change their color to blend into their surroundings.
In short, since TCKs are masters at blending into the current scene (just like chameleons) it can be ideal when it comes to cross cultural dating.
With the proliferation of dating
websites and services in recent years, it’s not that surprising that eventually one would be formed specifically with Third Culture Kids (TCKs) in mind.
Enter Chameleon Vibes.
It’s founders created
Since TCKs are individuals who have been raised globally/ across cultures they often have this remarkable ability to analyze their surroundings and adapt quickly, whether that is switching language, behavior, clothes or cultural practices, etc.
Scan the code below to connnect with Chameleon vibes access the links in this story. cultursmag.com/chameleon-vibes
David Grann’s bestselling book “The Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI” inspired the movie. The book was a National Book Award Finalist in 2017.
The highly anticipated film, “Killers of the
Flower Moon,” will be released in October. Directed by Oscar winner Martin Scorsese, the film recounts the brutal killings of members of the Osage, whose oil-rich lands in Oklahoma White settlers wanted to take during the 1920s.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone in “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
Photo courtesy of Melinda Sue Gordon.
During a Cannes Film Festival news conference in the spring, Lily Gladstone, who stars in the film, gave a moving description about why the tragic story demands to be told. Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Scorsese and Chief Standing Bear, Principal Chief of the Osage Nation also participated.
“Native peoples are used to having anthropologists come in curious about everything that we do,” says Gladstone. She is of Siksikaitsitapi and NiMíiPuu heritage.
“These artistic souls on this stage here cared about telling a story that pierces the veil of what society tells us we’re supposed to care about and not,” she continues. “Who else is going to challenge people to
Native peoples are used to having anthropologists come in curious about everything that we do.
challenge their own complicity and White supremacy.”
David Grann’s bestselling book “The Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI” inspired the movie. The book was a National Book Award Finalist in 2017.
Linda Hogan, a Chickasaw author, preceded Grann’s book with a related fiction work, “Mean Spirit,” in 1991. “Mean
Spirit” earned a Pulitzer Prize nomination in 1991.
The murders of the Osage also are featured in the 1959 film “The FBI Story,” starring James Stewart.
To view the links featured in this story, scan the code below. cultursmag.com/killers-of-the-flower-moon
These artistic souls on this stage here cared about telling a story that pierces the veil of what society tells us we’re supposed to care about and not.Photo courtesy of Melinda Sue Gordon. JaNae Collins, Lily Gladstone, Cara Jade Myers, Jillian Dion in “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
Just stand in your local bookstore and read the
opening pages from “Yellowface.” R.F. Kuang’s novel will lure you in with the irresistible bait of a solid, culturally wrenching plot.
Kuang boldly interrogates literary hot-button issues like privilege, appropriation and authenticity, leaving it open for readers themselves to decide where to draw the line.
Kuang writes in direct hits that leave the reader spinning.
Zakiya Dalila Harris, bestselling author of The Other Black Girl, says “Yellowface” is “one of the most transfixing novels I’ve read in ages.” Adding, “Kuang boldly interrogates literary hot-button issues like privilege, appropriation and authenticity, leaving it open for readers themselves to decide where to draw the line.”
Constance Wu, author of “Making a Scene” and star of “Crazy Rich Asians” says: “Reading ‘Yellowface’ felt like being inside a wild, brutal, psychological knife fight with a
deranged clown. A merciless satire that left me screaming inside … from both its horror and humor.”
A read to dive into. If you dare.
“Yellowface” is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble or your local independent bookstore.
Scan the code below to read more about “Yellowface” online. cultursmag.com/yellowface
Author R. F. Kuang.
The GAVLAK Palm Beach gallery in Florida, U.S.A. received an overwhelmingly
positive response when it exhibited Afro-Caribbean artist Awilda Sterling and her “Unbound Rhythms” artwork.
Sterling is an acclaimed painter, performance artist and
dancer who explores themes of identity, gender, diaspora, language and migration, challenging conventional notions of culture, national and gendered boundaries.
“Unbound Rhythms” is Sterling’s premier exhibition at a U.S. art gallery since April 15 and has been showcasing her new works, including, “…blindfolded,” her most ambitious and impactful work to date.
The Whitney Biennale 2022: Quiet as It’s Kept featured Sterling’s work “…blindfolded” that was created at the museum, on site. This work is part of an ongoing series of dance-drawings, fusing Afro-Caribbean dance, music, drawing and performance.
During the “…blindfolded” performance, Sterling blindfolded herself while listening to improvisational jazz, composed by Miguel Zenón, one of the most influential and innovative jazz musicians of his generation. Moving freely, she translated the music through her body into dance movements on the surface of the paper with sharp actions and a sense of playfulness.
Sterling’s dance-drawings resonate with life, visually expanding and exploding with different colors, lines, textures and depth. Marks of bright pastel extrude past the boundaries of the black construction paper onto the walls. The abstract choreography of pastels act as a kinetic record that utilizes the imaginary.
“In the moment, while making those images, I don’t have a sense of what I am doing, but I am enjoying grasping the concept,” Sterling says.
“Abstraction gives me that openness and that freedom; from there, I can go further, be riskier in how I work.”
Sterling is an acclaimed painter, performance artist and dancer who explores themes of identity, gender, diaspora, language and migration, challenging conventional notions of culture, national and gendered boundaries.
Sterling’s
Sterling adds that she’s been forcing her brain “to push ideas for so long that I don’t need to see what I am doing. To me, this is what is most abstract. Precisely because this information is encapsulated in my body, I don’t have to see what I am building on. I just have to feel it first.”
Sterling’s experience as a woman of color and her AfroCaribbean upbringing in Puerto Rico work deeply informs her work. Improvisation and abstraction are key elements in her art. She does what feels honest, and centers herself in a vocabulary rooted in traditional Afro-Caribbean dances, cultures and religions. She aims to bring these traditions into a more contemporary focus.
Building from these traditional religious dances, Sterling creates a vocabulary of movement and gestures that translates to active abstraction filled with joy.
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experience as a woman of color and her Afro-Caribbean upbringing in Puerto Rico work deeply inform her work.Awilda Sterling.
“I was born in Palermo, and moved almost right away to Ethiopia. I spent the first six years of my life there. Then we went to Rome, then Palermo again and then back to Rome, then to Milan and to London. I feel the most important aspect of being a filmmaker is to be really aware of what forms you as much as what’s in front of you.”
— Filmmaker Luca Guadagnino as quoted in The New York Times
An Egyptian portrait of a Ptolemaic queen, possibly Cleopatra, c. 51–30 BC, located in the Brooklyn Museum.
The world often recognizes ancient Egypt as a
civilization characterized by its openness to other cultures. Many consider a melting pot of different civilizations and ethnicities, and one of the ancient world’s premier civilizations because of its legendary history, culture, art and ethnic fashion.
The nation also was a crossroads where people from all over the world converged. As a trader or traveler in Egypt, one might have encountered a diversity of people, including Greeks, Romans, Nubians and others.
Over Egypt’s long history, this cultural amalgamation resulted in a vibrant society that embraced diversity and nurtured a sense of shared heritage during more ancient times.
In the West, Egypt is often used as a flagship banner, a culture foundational to western civilization, although the nation sits on the African continent.
Amid this rich tapestry of Egyptian culture, the illustrious Queen Cleopatra for centuries has captivated the imaginations of people worldwide. Her racial identity has been the subject of speculation, debate and intrigue, often intertwining history and mythology into the enigmatic stories of her life.
Over Egypt’s long history, this cultural amalgamation resulted in a vibrant society that embraced diversity and nurtured a sense of shared heritage during more ancient times.
As a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, Cleopatra was born in Alexandria and traced her lineage back to Macedonian Greeks. Scholars largely agree that Cleopatra went to great lengths to align herself with Egyptian customs, religious beliefs and attire, gaining proficiency in the language and portraying herself as the living embodiment of the Egyptian goddess Isis.
According to historians, her Ptolemaic ancestry may have included intermarriage with Egyptian and Nubian individuals, and possibly those of Persian or Syrian ancestry.
This intricate mixture of influences has fueled discussions in modern times about Cleopatra’s racial identity, with some suggesting she may have had African or Black ancestry.
During her reign, Egypt’s population was multicultural and multiracial, but Cleopatra’s race was unlikely to be documented, and the identities of her mother and paternal grandparents weren’t known.
In a groundbreaking Netflix docuseries produced and narrated by Jada Pinkett Smith, controversy over its depiction of Queen Cleopatra VII as a Black African stirred a hotbed of discussions and interpretations about the biological racial identities of ancient Egypt.
According to Zachary Morgan of Western Carolina University, interpretations of the biological racial identity of ancient Egypt
This intricate mixture of influences has fueled discussions in modern times about Cleopatra’s racial identity, with some suggesting she may have had African or Black ancestry.An Egyptian statue of either Arsinoe II or Cleopatra as an Egyptian goddess in black basalt from the second half of the 1st century B.C.
have played a critical role in forming various ethnic, cultural and political groups’ perceptions of their heritage and identity. This has led to “creating uses and abuses of history that have been directly linked to the political and cultural concerns of the time.”
The Netflix docuseries takes its viewers on a fascinating journey through the life and reign of Cleopatra, from her childhood in Egypt to her death.
The docuseries is notable for its representation of Cleopatra’s racial identity because it reimagines the iconic figure as a woman with partially Nubian heritage.
This docuseries explores the rich tapestry of ancient Egypt and the diversity that shaped its last pharaoh, questions the long-held Eurocentric lens that dominated interpretations about the traditional portrayal of Cleopatra as solely Greek-Macedonian and fair-skinned with a facial features being more aligned with whiteness (i.e., casting Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra), and seeks to shed light on the possibility of Cleopatra having African or black ancestry.
Perhaps, it’s not just that I’ve directed a series that portrays Cleopatra as black, but that I have asked Egyptians to see themselves as Africans, and they are furious at me for that.
Director Tina Gharavi’s decision to cast mixed-raced British actor Adele James as Cleopatra was a creative choice. As Gharavi says in the Daily Mail, she wanted to explore depicting a strong Cleopatra with African roots.
“Perhaps, it’s not just that I’ve directed a series that portrays Cleopatra as black, but that I have asked Egyptians to see themselves as Africans, and they are furious at me for that,” she says. “I am OK with this.”
While some viewers may appreciate the Netflix series for its emphasis on Egypt’s diversity and the exploration of alternative narratives, the Queen Cleopatra docuseries has resulted in a fast and furious fallout.
Scholars, lawyers, politicians and Egyptians in general have alleged that the portrayal of a Black Cleopatra is an appropriation and misrepresentation of their culture.
Egyptian lawyer Mahmoud El-Semiry filed a formal complaint
with Egypt’s public prosecutor about Netflix’s docuseries.
CBS News reports the lawyer as saying: “We have known for thousands of years that Cleopatra is of Greek origin and was born in Egypt. This is a fact. Our main objection is the falsification of these facts. It is not about being Black or White or even Yellow. Let’s say they wanted to portray Cleopatra as a man; we would also object to that.”
Critics further accuse Netflix of trying to erase the Egyptian identity by “blackwashing” to promote Afrocentric thinking.
Mohammed asserts that, while concerns about accuracy and erasure are valid, the use of the phrase “Afrocentric thinking” is, in effect, a form of racism.
Questions of historical inaccuracy and cultural appropriation — peppered with a predictable dose of racism — have made international headlines since the first trailer for the show dropped, introducing Cleopatra as a mixed-heritage Black woman.
peppered with a predictable dose of racism — have made international headlines since the first trailer for the show dropped, introducing Cleopatra as a mixedheritage Black woman.”
Mohammed asserts that, while concerns about accuracy and erasure are valid, the use of the phrase “Afrocentric thinking” is, in effect, a form of racism.
Egyptian historian Islam Issa, guest expert on the Netflix docuseries, has studied the legacy and history of Cleopatra. He writes in an opinion column for
Al Jazeera that the queen’s Macedonian Greek background, that her ancestors intermarried, and that nearly all of them would have been fair-skinned, transcend dispute.
However, Issa further writes that today’s racial terms are anachronistic, since Egyptians of Alexandria recorded nothing that would be normative for race, given that genetic makeup varied across the region from Europeans to Nubians.
However, to claim that “there are no dark-skinned Egyptians or to claim that “Egyptian civilisations were fundamentally sub-Saharan African are essentially both forms of erasure,” he adds.
In an opinion piece for Vogue, Sagan Mohammed writes: “Her casting was met with heavy-handed backlash almost immediately after it was announced — with certain scholars and both the Greek and Arab press enraged about what they described as the ‘blackwashing’ of Egyptian history.”
Mohammed further posits that “questions of historical inaccuracy and cultural appropriation —
A granite Egyptian bust of Cleopatra from the Royal Ontario Museum, mid-1st century B.C. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.The docuseries and its interpretation of Cleopatra’s racial identity have resurfaced ongoing conversations and debates within Egyptian society, reflecting the dynamic nature of historical interpretation and the diverse perspectives that shape cultural discussions.
The question of the race of ancient Egyptians was raised historically as a product of 18th and 19th century concepts linked to models of racial constructs and hierarchy.
And contemporary views on race can’t shape scholarship either, says Professor Maarten Larmuseau, a genetic genealogist at the Laboratory of Human Genetic Genealogy in the Department of Human Genetics at KU Leuven in Belgium.
“In the science of human genetics,” he tells Culturs Magazine, “most anthropologists and genetic researchers have come to reject the notion of race as a construct; it holds no validity in the study of human biology.”
No matter what side of the fence you see yourself, one thing is for sure: the story of Cleopatra encompasses an intricate web of culture, race, and identity in ancient and modern-day Egypt.
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As a man of Iranian and Italian ethnic roots, Adam Abbasi-Sacca has experienced two things: mixed-race romanticism and the physical dispersion of my family around the world.
The latter has always been a challenge, made more noticeable by hard border closures during the peak of the Coronavirus pandemic and the brutality of Iran’s oppressive regime. This was less troublesome on his mother’s side, who is Italian.
Adapted from a text submitted special to Culturs by Adam Abbasi-Saccabassi-Sacca grew up surrounded by
his Italian relatives. Long Sunday lunches brimming with pasta al forno and lemon granita, card games like Scopa and harvesting tomatoes for future passata sauces, and generously topping up red wine with Coca-Cola, a secret family “invention.”
But when Abbasi-Sacca’s father (Baba) came from Iran more than 40 years ago, he was alone.
The Iranian Revolution commenced while he was studying abroad. Fearing what he would be returning back home, Baba opted to charter a new path. He settled in an unfamiliar landscape without his brothers, sisters and parents.
A difficult decision when you’re the youngest of eight, and the uncle to 50 nieces and nephews.
Abassi-Sacca was raised without a deep Iranian cultural heritage, connecting only with his Italian roots.
Many times, he was corrected in quest of full cultural authenticity.
Proudly boasting his Persian heritage was often met with comments like: “What country is Persia? I didn’t know you could be an empire.” Or, “So, you’re Lebanese, right?”
This encouraged him to find other ways to explore his culture.
Abassi-Sacca would visit Persian grocery stores in the suburbs known for being “little Iran.” He hoarded dates, marinated olives and spices. Any money spent made him feel like he was making up for lost time.
During these visits, AbassiSacca would observe the shop
A man of Iranian and Italian ethnic roots, I have experienced two things: mixed-race romanticism and the physical dispersion of my family around the world.
Proudly boasting my Persian heritage was often met with comments like:
‘What country is Persia? I didn’t know you could be an empire.’ Or, ‘So, you’re Lebanese, right?’
owner and how he interacted with other customers in the Iranian language Farsi:
“Salam, chetori? Khoobi?”
“Hello, how are you? Good?”
While paying, Abassi-Sacca longed to be recognized as one of his own (rather than as an ethnically ambiguous creep holding eye contact for far too long). But that never happened. Instead it was: “Thanks mate, have a good day.”
Moments like these reinforced the racial imposter syndrome he has often felt growing up, disconnected from his father’s homeland. These feelings manifest when one’s internal sense of racial connection differs
from the perception of those around you.
It can make you question, arguably, the most significant, grounding aspect of you: your identity.
To unpack this struggle, Abassi-Sacca recently traveled to Iran for the first (and only) time.
Like any maverick, he proceeded to the beating pulse of his Iranian roots: his grandmother’s house.
Grandma’s name was Shahrbanoo, Baba called her
Know we didn’t have a traditional mamanigrandson relationship. How could we after only spending 48 hours together?
recounted her pilgrimages to Mecca (in that order).
I imagined her every day from my home. Her style, her smell, her voice.
Imagination made up for the limitations of digital communication in these parts of Iran. Abassi-Sacca’s mind was kept alive with vignettes; glimpses of a life lived with his Iranian bloodline in his father’s birth country spun around like the gentle cycle inside a washing machine.
Baba often told stories about what it was like growing up in their hometown of Varzaneh – it wasn’t easy.
unprotected in cotton fields, and weaving carpets, would be forcefully removed from the family’s humble garments.
When Abassi-Sacca visited Varzaneh, the rivers his father spoke of had dried up. Replacing them was a salty, arid landscape. He saw no cattle.
Shirley. She was a 92-year-old warrior.
Abassi-Sacca announced his arrival at her house with three large bangs on her rusted, corrugated iron door.
Mamani slid it open, crying. Armed with a bouquet of plastic pink roses and the warmest smile he had seen during his travels, she grabbed his face. She held his hands and never let them go. He did not speak her language; their connection ran deeper than words.
“I know we didn’t have a traditional mamani-grandson relationship. How could we after only spending 48 hours together?” he says.
Their time was spent on the pressing matters requiring their immediate attention: eating, and listening as she proudly
Varzaneh is a largely agricultural, working-class Iranian town with 12,000 residents. Its small size and remote location makes it easy to disregard. Tehran, the country’s capital, and Isfahan, the cultural capital, are best known.
“I recognize it comes with the territory of being a byproduct of a parent that moved, seeking a new beginning and greater opportunity. The minority who escaped became an ethnic minority in their new home,” Abassi-Sacca says.
During his youth, at 4 a.m. every morning, Abassi-Sacca’s father walked to the local river with his mother and their cattle to wash the clothes. Mamani wore no gloves, her hands numbed by the unmistakeable sting of freezing cold rapids.
She would scrub and scrub the dirt away. The stains of toiling
Silent, mountainous sand dunes were certainly one of Varzaneh’s drawing cards. But so too were its traditions; they are unique to this ancient town in central Iran. Water, one of its sacred resources, was collected by cows. These cows would only
Unlike my previous encounters back home, I was embraced by this town; protected by the strength of my family.
push and pull the well’s windlass if an elderly man sang to them.
“No song, no work, no water. (I like a cow that knows what it wants and goes for it),” says Abassi-Sacca.
One thing he noticed about the locals was a strong sense of belonging. Neighbors befriended their neighbors. Store owners knew their customers. Taarof, the Iranian form of extreme hospitality, was in full force.
“Unlike my previous encounters back home, I was embraced by this town; protected by the strength of my family,” he says.
Mamani was chair-bound, so 4 a.m. laundry sessions were off the
cards. But her love was no less agile and transcendent. Her first words to him echoed this: “You are my blood, my love. I dreamt of this day. I will now die at peace.”
“And I hope you did,” AbassiSacca adds.
He discovered that Mamani recently passed away, and he didn’t get to say goodbye.
“Possibly more important, for me, was that I had the opportunity to be hugged and accepted in the warmth of her hello, to have my roots firmly planted in the ground as an Iranian-Italian,” he says.
To read more about Abassi-Sacca’s heritage in his own words, scan the code below.
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I had the opportunity to be hugged and accepted in the warmth of her hello, to have my roots firmly planted in the ground as an Iranian-Italian.
As the daughter of a Korean diplomat, she
had a privileged global upbringing. She studied at Oxford University, then started a promising career working at a Big Four accounting firm in London.
“On paper, I had everything going for me,” she says.
But behind the scenes, Lee was suffering from depression and drinking throughout most of her twenties.
“In truth, my mental health issues started much earlier; it seemed maybe I was just born this way,” she adds.
Lee’s epiphany happened when she came across the book “Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds.”
“I imagine many readers may already be familiar with what’s widely recognized as the TCK bible, but I’d never heard of the term ‘TCK’ before. And boy, was it eye-opening — and so validating — when I did!” Lee says.
As someone who moved countries every three years growing up, Lee was a “classic” TCK. She exhibited all the hallmark personal characteristics and relational patterns. For
Adapted from text written especially for Culturs by Lena LeeI imagine many readers may already be familiar with what’s widely recognized as the TCK bible, but I’d never heard of the term ‘TCK’ before. And boy, was it eye-opening — and so validating!
or a long time, author Lena Lee didn’t know what was wrong with her.
instance, her tendency to dive deep into friendships, which she’d always assumed was a personal quirk, proved in fact to be a TCK thing.
But there was one section in particular that really spoke to Lee: the bit about unresolved grief among highly mobile people like her.
“At first, I winced,” she says. “Grief sounded melodramatic. No
one had died. But then I started to recognize the many significant losses and abrupt endings in my life that I hadn’t come to terms with, even all these years later.”
Growing up, everything changed every three years. Not only my house, school and friends but the food, the language, the culture, the climate, the color of people’s skin —everything.
And with change came loss. None of Lee’s friendships lasted over three years. Three years was
their shelf life. After that, with one flight, she’d be on the other side of the world trying to make new friends. Rinse and repeat.
Lee vividly remembers saying her final goodbye to her friends in the United States when she was fourteen.
“My mom came to pick me up after our last sleepover, and I sulked in the backseat,” Lee says. “My friends huddled around, leaning into the car. They tried to hold on as my mom gently stepped on the accelerator. It was like a hearse driving away. My
Photo courtesy of Lena Lee.
Author Lena Lee.
Growing up, everything changed every three years. Not only my house, school and friends but the food, the language, the culture, the climate, the color of people’s skin. Everything.
friends wept, and it felt like a part of me really had died.”
Although Lee’s mom would praise her for how well she adapted and how easily she made friends in each country, these losses accumulated in her and manifested themselves as the various stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression. She needed to grant herself permission to grieve, to mourn her losses, so that one day she could reach the final stage: acceptance.
For Lee, the healing process took the form of writing. As the first lockdown hit the United Kingdom in March 2020, she tried to disentangle the big mess that was her thoughts, feelings and memories and arrange them into words, sentences and paragraphs. The writing was terrible, and the timeline jumped all over the place. But none of that mattered. She just needed to get it all out.
As part of the process, Lee looked through old photos and memorabilia and was surprised to find herself crying while rereading old letters, some written to her nearly two decades ago. This was unresolved grief.
“I’m proud to say that three years on, the messy first draft has evolved into a published book, ‘Girl Uprooted,’” She says. “It’s my deeply personal story of being uprooted many times over and finding a sense of identity, belonging and home. It’s also my story of healing from unresolved grief.”
Lee’s book is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
To learn more about her journey, scan the code below. cultursmag.com/a-classic-tck-living
Although my mom would praise me for how well I adapted and how easily I made friends in each country, these losses accumulated in me and manifested themselves as the various stages of grief — denial, anger, bargaining, depression.
olite Society” is a playful romp from writer/director
Nida Manzoor, who previously directed two episodes of the new run of “Doctor Who.” The story
follows Ria (Priya Kansara) and her sister Lena (Ritu Arya, last seen in “Umbrella Academy“) in England.
Ria is a bright high schooler determined to go viral for her martial arts and Lena is struggling to find herself after dropping out of art school.
When Lena suddenly is courted by the town’s most eligible bachelor, the rich and successful Salim (Akshay Khanna), Ria engages in a mission to save her sister from what she believes to be a terrible decision.
Ria enlists her two best friends and one frienemy and a battle between the motley crew and Salim’s mother, Raheela (Nimra Bucha) ensues.
The movie feels like a mix between “Kill Bill” and “Kick Ass.” It doesn’t seem to take itself seriously and the twist at the end adds to the ridiculousness of the storyline. The characters seem believable even in their unbelievable situations, and Manzoor has infused Pakistani culture throughout the film. In fact, it’s a great depiction of the immigrant story in England.
Pakistani people are the second largest ethnic minority in the United Kingdom (U.K.) The vast majority of the families originated from the Azad Kashmir and Punjab regions of Pakistan. The U.K. was a common destination for Pakistanis after World War II because of British colonization of India.
When Pakistan became independent, the country remained a member of the British Commonwealth and a small group came over to work in steel mills and as doctors to work in the National Health Service (NHS).
Ria is a bright high schooler determined to go viral for her martial arts and Lena is her sister still struggling to find herself after dropping out of art school.Seraphina Beh as Clara, Priya Kansara as Ria Khan, Shona Babayemi as Kovacs and Ella Bruccoleri as Alba in “Polite Society.” Photo courtesy of Parisa
Growing from an initial community of 10,000 in 1951, there are now 1.5 million Pakistani-British nationals, mostly in England, with London having the highest density.
We have covered this trope in past columns: the immigrant parent with very high standards for their children.
This is a theme that runs throughout this film. We see it in the conversation about Lena going to art school as opposed to going into medicine or law. She even verbalizes it when asked about what she does. Her response is “I disappoint my parents.”
We see this repeatedly in films about Chinese moms, or African parents or any culture that was formerly colonized. The descendants must prove that they are worthy, lest they bring shame to the family name.
In “Polite Society,” the director seems to poke fun at this idea, but the reason the wedding is a big deal is that it raises Lena’s profile, and therefore the family status. It causes them to cast a blind eye to the red flags. All except Ria.
During one scene, Raheela mentions Ria’s menstrual cycle in front of Salim, mortifying Ria. Raheela encourages her to be comfortable talking about her body and its biology (we later find out that Reheela and Salim are very interested in women’s biology).
It’s a plot vehicle for the movie, but it’s a genuine issue for women around the world to discuss their bodies freely and what’s happening to them.
We have covered this trope in past columns: the immigrant parent with very high standards for their children.
The conversation ranges from the economics of menstrual items to female circumcision in certain countries, which is still current practice. Manzoor seems to reiterate that when you demystify women’s health, you lessen the chances for atrocious medical practices.
Eunice Huthart, the woman that Ria idolizes, is a real-life stuntwoman. A world-class level Judo fighter, she was a contestant on a show called “Gladiators” and was the only U.K. woman to go from contestant to gladiator, assuming the name Blaze.
Afterward, Huthart pursued a career as a stunt woman working on films such as “GoldenEye,” “Titanic” and “The Fifth Element.” She rose through the ranks and became the stunt
coordinator for “Alice in Wonderland,” “V is for Vendetta,” and “The Rise of Skywalker.”
• Someone describes Lena as “looking very pale and not in a good way,” which is a hint of colorism among formerly colonized nations. European pigmentation is considered to be more desirable, causing darker-skinned members of society to be shunned and discriminated against.
• We see matchmaking referred to often in the movie and one could argue the twist in the end is the ultimate attempt at matchmaking. Arranged marriages are still very common in Asian and African countries.
• The soiree at Raheela’s house is the celebration of Eid, which marks the end of Ramadan, a month of fasting for Muslims.
• Salim is the ultimate mama’s boy, but we love this line: “Behind every successful man is a tired mother!”
Nimra Bucha stars as Raheela and Priya Kansara as Ria Khan in “Polite Society.”We love shorts at “One Layer Deeper.” An artist is given a restricted amount of time to express a complex idea and has to get in, make a point, and get out fast. That’s why we adore “Only You: An Animated Shorts Collection.”
“Only You” offers a range of stories — from battling one’s demons to being the new neighbor, in around six minutes each. The series draws from the minds of young, diverse directors and the animation styles are as varied as the topics.
The most engaging aspect of the series is the brave way that the directors infuse their cultures and identities into the storylines. There is imagery from Asia, the Middle Easter, the LGBTQI community and inner city life. It’s a rich tapestry of stories and here are a few favorites:
From director Chris Fequiere and writer Dara King, “Burning Rubber” is an authentic showcasing of handball in New York City. It totally captures the energy of the game and culture around the sport. The anime battle style is perfect for the fast-paced competition and that will have you craving glizzy dog, a NYC-style hot dog!!
“Leech” represents the toxic cultures of body imagery in social media as a vampire. It deftly portrays a young Arab woman struggling with her body and navigating the pressure to look a particular way. Along the way, she abandons plants, family, and favorite activities. Eventually, she finds her way back to center, but it’s definitely a cautionary tale. Delivered by writer/director Aalaa Mohamed.
Favorite Animation Style
Writer/director Miriam Presas gives us “Aroon.” Her use of vivid colors and ode to stop-action animation using paper dolls are very creative. The battle tones are brilliant red. When the hero embraces his humanity, they cool to blue tones.
“Welcome to 8th Street” is hilarious. It follows a young couple moving into a town in New Jersey, U.S.A. from California. Between Jimmy selling steaks out of the back of his truck to the old ladies gambling with their medication to a wild turkey getting knocked out of the sky, the randomness of the block feels familiar and possibly a reason to flee or possibly a reason to embrace the quirkiness. Kudos to writer/director Yoo Lee.
The most engaging aspect of the series is the brave way that the directors infuse their cultures and identities into the storylines.
Link to these productions by scaning the code below. cultursmag.com/one-layer-deeper-polite-society-
The most engaging aspect of the series is the brave way that the directors infuse their cultures and identities into the storylines. There is imagery from Asia, the Middle Easter, the LGBTQI community and inner city life.Director Nida Manzoor and actor Ritu Arya on the set of the film “Polite Society.”
Before we delve into how to change your outlook, it’s essential to understand the science behind it. Our outlook is a product of complex interactions between psychology, neuroscience, genetics and environmental factors. So let’s break it down a bit.
Our thoughts and emotions are deeply rooted in our brain’s neural pathways. These pathways are responsible for creating connections between different experiences, memories and emotions.
Over time, these connections become stronger and more automatic, shaping our overall outlook on life. For instance, if you’ve constantly faced disappointment, you might develop a habit of expecting adverse outcomes in new situations.
Changing your outlook and embracing a more optimistic perspective is possible. So, let’s discover how you can transform the way you perceive the world around you.
But what about genetics? Well, research shows that genetics play a role in determining certain personality traits, such as optimism and pessimism. But don’t worry; this doesn’t mean you’re destined to have a specific outlook for your entire life. Environmental factors, such as upbringing, social circle, and personal experiences, also significantly shape your perspective.
So, while some predispositions might be at play, it’s important to remember that our outlook is not set in stone. With the right strategies and determination, you can train your brain to adopt a more positive view of life.
To effectively change your outlook, it’s helpful to understand the various factors that contribute to shaping it. Here are some key elements:
• Personal experiences: Our past experiences have a significant impact on our outlook. If you’ve faced numerous challenges or disappointments, developing a more cautious or pessimistic view of new situations is natural. On the other hand, positive experiences can foster a sense of optimism and confidence.
• Surroundings: The people we interact with daily, including family, friends and colleagues, can greatly influence our outlook. Surrounding yourself with positive individuals who uplift and inspire you can help cultivate a more optimistic mindset. Conversely, being
around negativity can reinforce pessimistic thoughts and feelings.
• Mental health: Mental health plays a crucial role in shaping outlook. Conditions such as depression or anxiety can make it challenging to maintain a positive perspective. Addressing any underlying mental health issues is essential to change your outlook effectively.
• Media consumption: The types of media we consume, including news, social media and entertainment, can shape our worldview. Constant exposure to negative news or social media content can reinforce pessimistic thoughts, while uplifting and inspiring content can encourage a positive outlook.
• Cultural influences: Our cultural background and upbringing can also determine our outlook. Different cultures may place varying levels of importance on optimism or positivity, impacting how we perceive and respond to life events. Now that we’ve identified some factors that can affect our outlook, let’s move on to strategies that can help you change your perspective for the better.
So, while some predispositions might be at play, it’s important to remember that our outlook is not set in stone. With the right strategies and determination, you can train your brain to adopt a more positive view of life.
Ready to take charge and transform your outlook? Here are some tried-and-tested strategies that can help you cultivate a more positive perspective:
• Mindfulness and meditation: Practicing mindfulness allows you to become more aware of your thoughts and emotions, making it easier to recognize and change negative patterns. Meditation in particular can help train your brain to focus on the present moment, reducing anxiety and fostering positivity. This can also include beginning your morning with grounding and shielding practices and setting your intentions for the day with a mantra, such as “I am in charge of my outlook, and today I choose happiness.”
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT is a powerful therapeutic approach that helps you identify and change negative thought patterns. By working with a trained therapist or using self-help resources, you can learn to challenge and reframe pessimistic thoughts, ultimately improving your outlook.
• Gratitude: Cultivating gratitude involves focusing on the positive aspects of your life and appreciating what you have. Keeping a gratitude journal or taking a few moments each day to reflect on the things you’re grateful for can help shift your focus from negative experiences to positive ones.
• Setting goals: Having clear, achievable goals gives you a sense of purpose and direction. Working toward these goals can boost your confidence and
Ready to take charge and transform your outlook?
Here are some tried-andtested strategies that can help you cultivate a more positive perspective.
self-esteem, leading to a more optimistic outlook. Break down your goals into smaller, manageable steps and celebrate your progress.
• Surrounding yourself with positivity: Create a positive environment by surrounding yourself with uplifting and supportive people. Seek friends, family members or colleagues who inspire and encourage you. Additionally, be mindful of the media you consume – opt for content that promotes positivity and personal growth.
By consistently applying these strategies, you’ll be well on your way to adopting a more positive outlook and improving your overall well-being. Change takes time and effort, so be patient with yourself as you embark on this transformative journey.
Changing your outlook may seem like a daunting task, but with determination and the right strategies, it’s entirely possible to cultivate a more positive perspective.
Embracing a more optimistic perspective
can lead to a happier, more fulfilling life, so why not try it? The power to change your outlook lies within you – it’s time to unlock it.
By understanding the factors that influence your outlook and actively working on incorporating mindfulness, gratitude, goalsetting and surrounding yourself with positivity, you can transform the way you view the world and improve your overall well-being.
Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor is a new outlook on life. Be patient with yourself and celebrate the small victories along the way.
Embracing a more optimistic perspective can lead to a happier, more fulfilling life, so why not try it? The power to change your outlook lies within you – it’s time to unlock it and start living fully.
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