Crescent Magazine Issue 6: Seven Deadly Sins by Crescent Magazine

winter 2024/Issue 6

CRESCENT

SEVEN DEADLY SINS

EDITOR’S NOTE

t’s simply amazing how all of the world’s sins can be boiled down to just seven things: gluttony, wrath, greed, lust, envy, sloth, and pride. We worked on this issue during what was most likely the hardest year of my life, and I am so grateful to everyone who helped out and showed immense patience. Working on the magazine has always added structure and joy to my life, but this issue emphasized how important healing and producing art can be. Creating a magazine cannot be done alone (as I have learned from the past), and so I would like to give thanks to people who dedicated so much time and energy to the magazine:

The original board–Olivia, Ashley, Bella, & Sara. I feel like we are more than coworkers; we are friends who can enjoy the little moments together. The new board members-Courtney, Peter, Ethan, & Kat. You were all able to jump in and offer support. All of the art directors–Hannah, Jackson, Christina, Eva, Sophie, Rachel, Bella, Ethan. This was the first time that we had art directors, and it went even better than I could have imagined due to the immense talent of everyone. All of the photos are so wonderful. All of the graphic designers-Kat, Heather, Natalie, & Valentine. Graphic design is always the hardest part of the magazine, but everyone again had a lot of patience and talent. I could never create the beautiful design that we have present-ly in the magazine. I cannot thank everyone enough. Working on Crescent can be draining, but working with people who see the vision and want it to come to life creates the most magical creative experience. Thank you to everyone who believed in me and believed in Crescent.

CREDITS Editor in Chief–Sarah Huth Vice President–Olivia Snoddy Article Editor–Ashley Wilson Photo Editor-Bella Lekas Head of Events–Sara Johnson Social Media Committee– Courtney Cleaveland and Peter Navarre Head of Fashion–Ethan Silk Head of Graphic Design– Kat Tlapek

EDITOR’S NOTE

t’s simply amazing how all of the world’s sins can be boiled down to just seven things: lust, greed, gluttony, envy, pride, sloth, and wrath. We worked on this issue during what was most likely the hardest year of my life, and I am so grateful to everyone who helped out anwd showed immense patience. Working on the magazine has always added structure and joy to my life, but this issue emphasized how healing and important producing art can be. Creating a magazine cannot be done alone (as I have learned from the past), and so I would like to give thanks to people who dedicated so much time and energy to the magazine: The Original Board–Olivia, Ashley, Bella, & Sara. I feel like we are more than coworkers; we are friends who can enjoy the little moments together. The new board members-Ethan, Peter, Kat, & Courtney. You were all able to jump in and offer support. All of the art directors–Hannah, Jackson, Christina, Eva, Sophie, Rachel, Bella, Ethan. This was the first time that we had art directors, and it went even better than I could have imagined due to the immense talent of everyone. All of the photos are so wonderful. All of the Graphic Designers-Kat, Heather, Natalie, & Valentine. Graphic design is always the hardest part of the magazine, but everyone again had a lot of patience and talent. I could never create the beautiful design that we have presently in the magazine. I cannot thank everyone enough. Working on Crescent can be draining, but working with people who see the vision and want it to come to life creates the most magical creative experience. Thank you to everyone who believed in me and believed in Crescent.

CREDITS Editor in Chief–Sarah Huth Vice President–Olivia Snoddy Article Editor–Ashley Wilson Photo Editor-Bella Lekas Head of Events–Sara Johnson Social Media Committee– Courtney Cleveland and Peter Navarre Head of Fashion–Ethan Silk Head of Graphic Design– Kat Tlapek

01.

02.

03.

04.

05.

06.

07.

Table of Contents 01.

05.

02.

06.

03.

07.

Gluttony Wrath Greed

04.

Lust

Envy Sloth Pride

GLUTTONY Art director Rachel Stansberry Photographer Jessica Goska

Model Sarah Nguyen

Fashion Advisor Kylie Honniball Nail Tech Princess Caraballo

Writer Rachel Stansberry

Graphic Design Natalie Schneider

Gluttony is about the overabundance of not just eating and drinking, but of anything and everything. In this photo shoot, I do stick with the traditional perspective of gluttony (foods and drinks) but I also include an abundance of jewelry, pearls, and overall lavishness. I do this not to confuse gluttony with greed, but to show how too much can be both a bad thing and a luxury. Food is something not everyone can afford very easily, and the most affordable food options are unhealthy, mass-produced, and non-nutritional.

Therefore, while I do stick to a sweeter tooth in this shoot, I wanted to have a conversation regarding wealth as a way to remind people that to be able to eat so carelessly and generously is a privilege.

Outside of the money struggle surrounding food, there is also a gendered one. I use a pastel palette and sweet foods, as they are soft and traditionally seen as feminine. I remember growing up in a household with 2 brothers who would typically eat much larger portions than me. However, when I ate extra food, it was given more attention. I began to feel subconscious about my body, as I would be called a chipmunk or a pig for the way I inhaled my “large” portions of food. It was deemed “unladylike,” and I know a ton of other people who have gone through this experience and have body image issues because of comments like these. While this isn’t exclusive to just women, there is a higher expectation for women to maintain their bodies to fit a certain image.

When their image doesn’t comply with society’s expectations, they are shunned and made to believe that even a little bit of food can be “too much.” My team and I agreed early on through the process that it would be fitting to have the model in pink, to represent the pig who “eats too much.” I want this shoot to empower people to eat what they want and to eat with these ideas in mind. Also, to present the idea that gluttony can be dangerous for both what it is and what it is thought to be.

WRATH

Art Director Christina Eagleson

Art Director Eva Epley

Photographer Mathilde Laporte

Model Payton Michelle Day James

Stylist Nora Williams Writer Mecca Terrell

Graphic Designer Stephanie Robles

The last and arguably most fearful of the Seven Deadly Sins is Wrath, an emotion defined by extreme and vicious levels of anger. But, contrary to its denotative meaning, Wrath as a sin is about more than being angry; it is about having the inability to suppress extreme emotions and opinions, to the point where one is prone to boiling over. In fashion, this boiling point is constantly reached as we see designers and other fashion-obsessed individuals push the envelope to create looks that capture uncontrollable levels of emotion, ambition, and flare. Wrath in its purest form is extreme anger. It is a destructive, allconsuming rage. Its nature as a deadly sin implies it is something inherently bad and that it can only lead to ugly conclusions. But how often do we consider the cases when it leads to something beautiful? Whether it be interpreted literally or conceptually, Wrath seamlessly ties with creative expression through fashion. For such an emotion to escalate, an outlet must be utilized to relieve that pressure. To the untrained eye, it is just undirected rage; but it takes those who are able to tap into this unbridled emotional buildup to create beautiful pieces.

It’s m o s t o f t e n t h a t p r o j e c t s f u e l e d b y a n g e r result in some of the most rugged and powerful executions. Creativity in fashion offers endless avenues for the expression of wrath and other extreme emotions that may accompany it. S u b j e c t i v e l y, t h e l a t e V i v i e n n e We s t w o o d i s a designer who comes to mind when I think about this extreme emotional expression. While not all of her designs may have been created to express anger s p e c i f i c a l l y, h e r j o u r n e y b e a u t i f u l l y e n c a p s u l a t e d a s p i r i t r o o t e d i n Wr a t h a n d r e b e l l i o n . H e r b o l d looks in collaboration with Malcolm McLaren in the 70s, including the controversial “Destroy” t-shirt denouncing fascist political agendas, conveyed overt messages of punk rebellion

a n d a n g r y s p i r i t . We s t w o o d ’ s spectacles continued even into the 2000s and 2010s, an era defined by ambitious levels of environmental activism and a blatant rejection of gender norms within the fashion i n d u s t r y. After considering the extreme silhouettes, angry editorial posing, and r o u g h t e x t i l e s o f We s t w o o d ’ s l e g a c y, t h e r e ’ s n o d o u b t i n g t h e c o n s i s t e n t p re s e n c e o f Wr a t h throughout her work.

Keeping in mind the rugged, angr y details driving fashion-rel a t e d e x p re s s i o n s o f Wr a t h , t h i s a s s o c i a t i o n i s m o s t o f t e n a c c o m p a n i e d b y v i s i o n s o f b r i g h t , a n g r y re d t o n e s . N a t r u a l l y, red has been a bold statement color for generations, symboli z i n g f e e l i n g s o f e n e r g y, p a s s i o n , a n d a c t i o n . S u c h e m o t i o n s often intertwine with anger or even happens as a result, and the photos within this section showcase how red can convey

e v e n t h e m o s t s u b t l e d e p i c t i o n s o f Wr a t h . W i t h t h e s e v i s u als in mind, it’s easy to see how fashion utilizes the collision of the intense emotions, offering creative expression that allows audiences to feel this “anger” just as strongly as the p h o t o g r a p h e r, d e s i g n e r, o r m o d e l o r i g i n a l l y f e l t i t . - M e c c a Te r r e l l

GREED Art director Bella Lekas Stylist Jack Riley Model Lissi Brau Writer Nadia Hernandez Graphic Design Heather Wright

Greed is a sh He is small enoug word but grows clear He’s shadowing my and never misses a

He’s corrupting Nothing can b only insa

I can feel his like chains around m even when I think

His mark is a sta begging me More of m my mo my atten

If Greed had a true black h He’s pulling ever influen but is made of not time And if he were to

I don’t think I wo

hapeshifter: gh to hide in my ds, in my actions. every movement, chance to strike.

my thoughts: be innocent, atiable.

s influence my hands and feet, k he’s not there.

ain on my soul, for more: my time, oney, ntion.

e form, he’d be a hole. rything into his nce, hing at the same e. truly pull me in,

ould ever stop.

LUST Photographer Mathilde Laporte BTS Photographer Lily Do

Art Director Sophie Thongvanh Lighting Assistant Lily Do

Stylists Jack Riley & Sophia Petridis Models Simi, Jack Riley, & Sophia Petridis

Writer Harper McCoy Graphic Designer Natalie Schneider

“Lay with me”, he says hazily. I tuck into him as he pulls me close, so my back is up against his chest. He sprinkles kisses on my neck and weaves his hand into mine. I turn to face him, and he pets my head and kisses my forehead. I cling to his arms and run my nails up and down the skin. He kisses down my nose and I lean my head up so our lips meet. His breath hitches, but we keep going. Our kisses grow deeper and deeper. Tongues and teeth mingle in the familiar yet dangerous land. He swivels around to get on top of me and I encase him in my legs, so there is no space between us. “I want you” he says in a sultry octave. “I need you” I respond.

Lust is defined as strong sexual desire. A hunger, a need, an ache. But really, lust is weakness. Manifestations of sexual desire and lust are unavoidable in fashion. Sex sells, and designers know this more than anyone.

Take McQueen’s Spring/Summer 1999 runway show. Shalom Harlow rotates in the middle of a wooden floor. Two robots spray her with black ink, tainting her white baby doll dress as a mezzo belts out a titillating vibrato. Harlow plays up the lustiness of this show by exuding fear and desire in the way she moves her body. The phallic spray on the innocent silhouette is pure sex, but McQueen and Harlow make it beautiful.

But how did sex in fashion start? Before mass tailoring, both men and women of elite status dressed lavishly and modestly. It was the Great Masculine Renunciation of the 18th century that popularized the idea that men should dress plainly to avoid vanity, which was considered a feminine trait. In his book Dress Codes and within a chapter titled “Sex and Simplicity”, Richard Thompson Ford described that the renunciation “transformed the more decorative surface embellishments that had been the markers of elite privilege into signs of anachronistic values and social backwardness—or of the female sex” (Ford 110). Thus, these ideas formed lust for and within clothing into a womanly virtue. The visual drama of clothing can create the illusion of an altered body for the purpose of sexual desire and fertility, and thus it was looked down upon for godly men to meddle in this practice. By the turn of the 20th century, Chanel and her provocative flapper silhouettes mirrored the progressing mindset of women taking charge of their sexuality, which has become more and more experimental.

McQueen is not the first to utilize lust in fashion. Half of fashion is a curiosity for what’s underneath, and as history progresses, the boundaries become blurred for better or for worse. And thus, I leave you with a quote from American poet Adrienne Rich, “I’d call it love if love didn’t take so many years, but lust too is a jewel” -Rich.

ENVY Photographers Mathilde Laporte, Ethan Silk & Tylia Kennedy

Art Director Ethan Silk Graphic Design Kat Tlapek

Photo Editor Mathilde Laporte

Writer Parin Sensenbrenner Stylists Sophia Petridis & Ethan Makeup Artists Silk Elizabeth Roessler & Ethan Silk Models Jaret Ledford, Kay, Mathilde Laporte, Sara Johnson, & Elizabeth Roessler

ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY ENVY

Envy

Parin Sensenbrenner Envy, envy, envy. There is truly nothing worse than having your dream laid out in front of you and being forced to watch while someone else uses and abuses it. Clean girl, ballet-core, coastal cowgirl, Y2K, you name it - I want them all. Each of these aesthetics requires a complete closet renovation to stick with the persona you choose. How can one person afford to keep up with the trends and the perfect outfits time and time again? They can’t. I scroll for hours on my phone, watching celebrities my age wearing clothes I could only imagine. They are never seen committing the cardinal sin of “outfit repeating”. Runways, premieres, award shows. Dinners, outings, photoshoots. Envy, envy, envy, emanates from me. Perfectly curated, perfectly unique, perfectly branded pieces of clothing that only they can have. A physical and emotional barrier separates who I am compared to them. So much is nonverbally communicated through one’s appearance, especially the things they can choose - like what they wear. It is the clearest form of personal expression, and yet all I can express is envy. Realistically I know I can’t keep up with the rapid carousel of fashion, and yet I still crave the closet I can’t have.

SLOTH Art Director Hannah Darlene Photographer Haydon Mayer

Lighting Assistant Evergreen Winters

Hair and Makeup Audrey Quist Writer Eshna Sarkar

Graphic Design Natalie Schneider

Models Lily Mulcahy & Mathilde Laporte

Fashion is a reflection of our society. It projects emotion, history, and revolutionary moments of significance. It’s timeless. If one were to pay attention to the historical prevalence of fashion, it clearly impacted the way society perceived and was perceived. The 1920s was a decade that elicited significant shifts in what fashion was at the time. Beneath evident differences between the 20s and previous eras, there is also a hidden connection between this time in history and one of the Seven Deadly Sins: Sloth. The Roaring Twenties, distinguished by ebullience and emphasis on high society, was an era of liberation, wealth, and overindulgence. Post World War I, there was a fresh and shocking atmosphere of freedom, which manifested in liberation in fashion. With this looming feeling that the future was not guaranteed, people decided that they might as well dress the way they feel. The era of the jazz age flappers and prohibitionists, fashion embodied rebellion against the previous shackles of societal norms.

Bodies were draped in simplistic, slinky slip dresses, which contrasted heavily with the way generations before wore extravagant clothing that illustrated their opulence. Instead, that lens shifted from complex and convoluted to simple and unembellished. There was too little time to worry about extravagance, which allowed the idea of “easy” fashion to skyrocket. People sported dark, short, and sleek bobs that stopped at their chins, along with soft, sleepy makeup that highlighted sad, A slight adornm droopy eyes. allowed them

Drop waist hem corsets of pre T-strap shoes and stability fo

ment of fringe and very subtle shine with rhinestones on simple slip dresses to catch the light and draw very slight attention. mlines became exceedingly common, differing from the tight waistlines and evious generations that showed off more shape and drew attention to the body. were worn on the daily, as they were extremely comfortable, allowing support or standing on tired feet.

Sheer fabrics were desired as well, symbolizing lounge or “lazy” wear. The 1920s indulged in pleasure and desire while utterly disregarding standard regulations. Those who lived in this historical era were prone to neglecting their responsibilities and obligations, and instead indulged in the pursuit of hedonism. The emphasis on external appearance and immediate gratification reflected that of the sin of Sloth, which in turn contributed to the avoidance of fulfilling personal duties. Clothing at that time took this approach and projected onto society’s pursuits with excessive partying, indulgence in prohibited drinking, freedom in clothing, etc. Social life consumed people of this time, allowing them to easily forget their priorities.

The sin of Sloth is inherently indifferent and lacks motivation, and what better way to ignore responsibilities and act indifferently than to drink, party, feed off the feeling of unshackled constraints, and have these feelings reflected through clothing and the way people present themselves to society.

The superpower of fashion and its ability to control a society as a whole is unique. It’s just as fascinating how during the height of the Roaring Twenties, the sin of Sloth is tied to this timeless decade through the expression of clothes, jewelry, and makeup. The Roaring Twenties encompassed pure freedom and neglecting one’s own duties: post WWI, post women gaining the right to vote, and post living in fear.

PRIDE Photographer Nadia Freitag Stylist Hannah Darlene Graphic Designer Valentine Nikolayev

Art Director Jackson Coates

Model Jaret Ledford

Lighting Technician Jacob Frost Writer Olivia Baczkowski Hair and Makeup AJ Walls

Pride The Birth

It is said that the first sin of Pride came when Satan renounced God’s authority and “fell”, as seen in Isaiah 14:12–15. Throughout history, Pride has had negative connotations, and is often associated with seeing oneself as superior and being blinded into social disconnect. In the fashion world, though, Pride can be seen as a sense of self actualization; and the use of Pride as rebellion can actually be a powerful tool and start great

movements. ‘rational dress’ of the Victorian era As long as people have wanted railed against the restrictive dress to rebel against politics, the gov- of the day to allow women more ernment, societal norms, and the freedom of movement and indefashion industry itself, there has pendence”, and anti-fashion movebeen anti-culture and anti-fashion ments have shaped the public eye’s apparel. As early as in the 18th and version of “fashion” and even the 19th centuries when “the so-called runway’s trends.

The Rise

This trend has been repeated throughout the decades and could be making an important resurgence in recent times as, the anti-fashion movement is often tied to hardship and a need for pride in self. This was seen with the bobbed hair and flapper dresses of the 20s as women fought feminine expectations; handmade hippie culture in the 70s against

the Vietnam war and the spread of sex positivity, and the working streetwear grunge of the 90s in support of drug culture. It spans from the rebellious nature of leather-clad punks to the passion of bra-burning feminists; everyone staking their Pride and rights on their fashion choices. Anti-fashion has been a result of creative innovation but also an outward defiance for what is expected. Pride in apparel can be seen highlighting

The Legend

today’s suffering and suppressed identities. With the recent pandemic, along with the rise of the unknown and working from home, functional dress now makes more sense for the average civilian. More cost effective and comfortable clothing have become the priority. The spike in thrifting can be tied to this, as people have become a bit more prideful and cherish well-made pieces.

This also acts as a sort of rebellion against consumerism and the toxic fashion industry. Similarly, with the exponential growth of social media and its influences on society, many seek to express themselves in a way that is not forced upon them by constant online pressure. This seems to be the perfect mix for an anti-fashion movement to start. Vogue writer Laird Borrelli-Persson states, “If we’re going to create a values-driven industry, we need to believe that style must come with substance, and that individuals are more than the sum of the objects they have collected or ‘liked’”. True fashion Pride isn’t expressed through a trend but, through authentic cultural representation, inclusive clothing, and comfortable pieces that make parts of an individual feel seen.

The Fall

Anti-fashion can create a sense of Pride in the self and transcend trends in media. Pride can be used to protest the unjust, participate in global movements, and re-instill a sense of self when used in an anti-fashion style. And who knows, maybe the rebellious choices you make now will be Met Gala trends in the future.

COVER SHOOT Makeup Artist David Moir Photoshoot Manager Sarah Huth

Art Director Bella Lekas Set Design Hannah Darlene Graphic Design Heather Wright

Photographer Kelsey Kurz Lighting Assistant Mason Attarian

Stylists Jack Riley, Shua Shores, Bella Lekas, & Sarah Huth Models Amanda Fong, Megan Hammond, Frieda von Huene, Sara Johnson, Harper McCoy, Samantha Noel, & Evergreen Winters

Seven Deadly Sins @Crescent_Magazine