Drake Mag Winter 2019 by Drake Mag

RESERVE PHOTO STUDIO SPACE AT THEWHISTLERSTUDIO@GMAIL.COM

STUDIO

WHISTLER the

FEAT URES FEATURES DRAKE MAG WINTER 2020 16

COMFORT CUISINE

Not your average mac and cheese and pizza.

REBRAND YOURSELF Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s switch things up.

RIDESHARE RELATIONSHIPS: A NEW KIND OF THERAPY How Ubers and Lyfts can serve as rolling confessionals.

THE REJECTION FOLLOWING This writer reflects on her and many others relationship with Mormonism.

THE WAKE OF CANCELLED CULTURE Can you separate art from the artist?

DEPART MENTS DEPARTMENTS DRAKE MAG WINTER 2020

FASHION & BEAUTY 22

CARE FOR YOUR HAIR

DIY treatments for maintaining healthy locks.

ON THE COVER

Image by Alex Peralta Cornejo of Tyrek Washington from the story “Embracing Natural Hair.” See page 24.

SKINCARE SAVERS We’ve got solutions.

EMBRACING NATURAL HAIR “My hair is my crown.”

BITS & PIECES

HEALTH & SEX

DRINKS FOR DEBATE

WINTER PODCAST PICKS

LOVE SPEAKS MANY LANGUAGES

DIY CANDLES

NEW WORLDS OF BIRTH CONTROL There’s more to it than just the pill.

Which one is yours?

CHEST BINDING 101 Safe and inclusive binding options.

Our favorite pods of the season.

THE MOVEMENT MINDSET We’re over toxic workout lifestyles.

Raise your glass for democracy.

DATING BEYOND THE BINARY Misgendering, the trials of Tinder, and beyond.

Let’s get lit.

FOOD & DRINK

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

OAT TO JOY

COZY CONCOCTIONS

ONE PAN WONDERS Dinner doesn’t have to be complicated.

THE RISE OF YEEHAW CULTURE Pulling country up by the bootstraps.

Dessert before dinner? We’re about it.

TOKENISM IN TELEVISION More diverse storytelling. More characters.

Not your average oatmeal.

CHANGING THE TUNE The money’s in the music.

Letter from the Editor

ART DIRECTOR Nick Ellis

PHOTO EDITOR Michaela Spielberger

ASST. ART DIRECTOR Kate Segler

ASST. PHOTO EDITOR Anna Niedermeier

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sarah Clarke

ILLUSTRATOR Hannah Cohen

MANAGING EDITOR Hannah Nuss

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Kaili Miller

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Emma Brustkern

ASSISTANT EDITOR Emily Postlethwait

ART

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Madi Koetting

WORDS

DRAKE MAGAZINE STAFF

MEDIA

t’s been a very long winter. At times, making this magazine was the last thing I wanted to do, and I’m pretty sure I speak for the entire staff when I say that. But when challenges rise and your strength is tested, throwing in the towel just isn’t an option. Which is why we’re bringing you this issue a little later than usual. We just weren’t ready to send it to press last fall because we wouldn’t be doing our stories justice, and we wanted to make this issue the best one yet. This issue was all about trying new things, and publishing at the start of a new decade was just one ingredient to this recipe. When it comes to big ideas, we embrace them wholeheartedly. Whether it’s our staff deciding to take a new route with our food feature or a writer coming to us with their own concept for styling a fashion feature (pg. 28), we take new ideas and we run with them. We learned about different comfort foods from around the world to keep us warm all winter long (pg. 16). We even made some Cozy Concoctions (pg. 12) to keep us going when the winter blues started taking over. Producing compelling stories isn’t always easy. To turn good ideas into outstanding narratives, we look for writers who are deeply passionate and want their voice to shine. In “Embracing natural hair” (pg. 24), we get a first-hand look into how white beauty standards have created a long history of race-based hair discrimination. In a feature about religion, we hear about the pain-staking difficulty of leaving the Mormon Church (pg. 40). And in our Health & Sex department we learn about the unique challenges of dating beyond the binary (pg. 54) and how to cultivate communities that respect non-cis dating norms. As we start producing our spring issue, Drake Mag is looking for voices that want to make some noise. We’re conversation starters so, chime in and help us create the next issue of the magazine, one story at a time. Reach out to us at drakemag@gmail.com and continue reading at drakemagazine.com. MADI KOETTING, Special thanks to: Catherine Staub, Jeff Inman, Sarah McCoy, Kathleen Richardson, Mick EDITOR IN CHIEF Schnepf, Madison Kelly, Christian Edwards Printers, The Whistler Studio, Drake University School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and all of our models.

EXEC. ONLINE EDITOR Cheyann Neades

ASSISTANT EDITOR Abby Schindel

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Nikki Lund

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Kim Bates

PHOTO Anthony Arroyo Alex Peralta Cornejo Ale Diaz Josie Lie Mollie Ryan

DESIGN Fatima Calderon Ellie Detweiler Emma Kerr Melissa McElin

Emily Bondura Savanna Bous Zack Brown Bailey Coronis Sawyer Elwell Katelyn Farebrother Ashley Flaws Zoe Hanna

Peyton Johnson Sophia Lacy Emily Larson Natalie Mechem Annie Peterson Madyson Sklar Taylor Vos Elizabeth Weyers

Copyright 2020 by Drake Mag and Drake Magazine. Drake Mag is published with the support of the Board of Student Communications. Opinions expressed in the magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of Drake University. Letters to the Editor are encouraged and may be published online at www.drakemagazine.com. Please direct any questions, comments, or concerns to drakemag@gmail.com

BITS & PIECES

FOR DEBATE

E B AT

WHETHER YOU’RE SUPPORTING A CANDIDATE OR THEY’RE THE REASON YOU DRINK, THIS GAME TAKES THE EDGE OFF. WORDS SAWYER ELWELL ILLUSTRATION KATE SEGLER

TAKE A SIP IF… Bernie Sanders says the “1%”

A candidate mentions Trump’s impeachment Joe Biden says, “Listen…” Elizabeth Warren mentions her humble beginnings Donald Trump is mentioned, ever

TAKE A SHOT IF… Amy Klobuchar says she needs a “viral moment” Your candidate talks over the moderator Bernie Sanders says billionaires shouldn’t exist Pete Buttigieg talks about his time as mayor You know nothing about the candidates

WINTER 2020 | DRAKE MAG

HAND OUT A SIP IF… Your candidate stays out of the argument The audience laughs after your candidate speaks Tom Steyer is your candidate and he actually gets speaking time Your candidate says, “On my first day as President…” Donald Trump tweets about your candidate

FINISH YOUR DRINK IF… The microphone goes out during a debate Yang says, “Make America think harder” Your candidate doesn’t really answer the question Elizabeth Warren says “I have a plan” There’s an awkward silence between speeches

Our Winter Podcast Picks LIFESTYLE, COMEDY, FITNESS, AND MORE. HERE’S FIVE PODS WE’RE LOVING THIS SEASON. WORDS EMILY POSTLETHWAIT

HOW TO FAIL WITH ELIZABETH DAY From interviewing business owners to pop culture icons, host Elizabeth Day turns failure on its head by celebrating the times where things don’t always go as planned. This podcast is a must-listen for anyone who needs a little inspiration and pick-me-up amidst their defeat. Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

T love

ROBINHOOD SNACKS, SNACKS DAILY

SPEAKS MANY LANGUAGES

MY DAD WROTE A PORNO

WORDS NATALIE MECHEM ILLUSTRATION HANNAH COHEN

e talked to Dr. Echo Leaver, associate professor of psychology at Salisbury University, to help break down the five love languages. As Leaver puts it, we might gravitate to one or more languages, but understanding how they’re received is essential to maintaining healthy relationships.

QUALITY TIME

In 15 minutes or less, hosts Jack Kramer and Nick Martell give listeners their daily dose of financial news—minus the jargon. Through their humorous comments and banter, they break down the financial complexities facing major corporations like Nike, Target, White Claw, you name it. Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

WORDS OF AFFIRMATION Verbally expressing your feelings or simply letting someone know they are supported can be essential to making a relationship thrive. Just because actions may speak louder than words doesn’t mean words should go unspoken.

RECEIVING GIFTS

This love language is all about showing your undivided attention. Whether its spending one-on-one time or being there for the moments that matter most, making time for loved ones—minus the distractions—can tighten a bond in extreme ways.

Whether it’s treating a family member to their favorite meal or surprising someone with a gift, thoughtful presents here and there can be extremely special for someone who responds to this love language. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant—it’s the thought that counts.

ACTS OF SERVICE

PHYSICAL TOUCH

Actions speak louder than words, and this love language is all about the extra steps you can take to show your love in concrete ways. Cooking a spontaneous meal, cleaning someone’s space, or helping calm someone’s stress are just a few ways you can express this language.

A simple touch on the shoulder or a warm embrace can be the very thing to boost someone’s mood. For romantic relationships, the rules are a bit more playful, but non-romantic relationships are still able to express this type of love in a variety of ways.

If the title alone doesn’t intrigue you, just wait until the first episode. Each episode explores a new chapter of Belinda Blinked, the erotic fiction novel written by the host’s dad. This podcast will make you cringe, laugh out loud, and question what your parents are really doing behind the scenes. Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

YOU NEED A BUDGET (YNAB) This podcast takes financial planning to a new level by offering practical advice for living a life free of financial stress. Host Jesse Mecham shares real, hardhitting stories about getting out of debt, and offers four rules of thumb to help transform the way we think about money. Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

THE BODY-LOVE PROJECT With the help of wellness coaches, dietitians, and authors, host Jessi Haggerty rewrites the body narrative and introduces new ways of thinking about our physical health. This podcast is everything you need to start ditching negative selftalk and combatting stigmas surrounding the body. Listen on Apple Podcasts

BITS & PIECES

THESE EASY TO MAKE CANDLES WONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T BURN A HOLE IN YOUR WALLET. WORDS EMILY BONDURA PHOTOS MOLLIE RYAN

WINTER 2020 | DRAKE MAG

DEPARTMENT

INSTRUCTIONS Put a small dot of hot glue on the inner bottom of the mason jar. Place wick on glue, and hold for 5 minutes or until wick is secure. Lay a pencil across the top of the jar. Lightly pull the wick up from inside the jar and wrap it around the pencil. Tape the top of the wick to the side of the jar to hold the wick in place.

MATERIALS Candle wick Beeswax or soy wax (amount will vary by desired candle size) Mason Jar Essential oils* Pencil Spoon for stirring Medium cooking pot Small jar or glass for pouring wax

TO DECORATE Sticker labels Twine Ribbon Pen or marker

ESSENTIAL OIL COMBINATIONS *The following essential oils can be found on Amazon

SPICY CINNAMON

Cinnamon Bark | 4 drops Vanilla | 8 drops Clove | 3 drops

AUTUMN AIR

Frankincense | 5 drops Fir Needle | 4 drops Lemon | 6 drops

PUMPKIN PIE

Cinnamon Bark | 8 drops Nutmeg | 5 drops Clove | 2 drops

APPLE ORCHARD

Frankincense | 6 drops Copaiba | 6 drops Douglas Fir | 3 drops

Cut wax into small chunks and add to a medium jar or glass.

Fill a medium pot with Âź cup of water and boil over medium to high heat. Place the jar containing the wax in the water. Mix the wax until it melts. Remove wax from water and add essential oil scents as desired. Stir oils in well.

Holding the wick in place, pour melted wax in mason jar about Âž full. Let sit for 2-4 hours, or until wax hardens.

Once the wax has hardened, remove tape and pencil from jar. Cut excess wick. Decorate with a sticker label and twine for a personalized touch.

WINTER 2020 | DRAKE MAG

COMFORT COMFORT COMFORT CUISINE COM-

FOOD & DRINK

COMFORT FOOD DOESNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T STOP AT MAC AND CHEESE AND PIZZA. WITH THE HELP OF A FEW SOURCES, WE GATHERED THE BEST COMFORT DISHES FROM AROUND THE WORLD. WORDS DRAKE MAG EDITORS PHOTOS MICHAELA SPIELBERGER

WINTER 2020 | DRAKE MAG

FOOD & DRINK

ONDEONDE ONDEONDE ONDEONDE RECIPE COURTESY OF SARAH STEPHEN

ABOUT THE DISH Onde-onde is a Malaysian delicacy typically served by neighborhood street vendors. This glutinous rice ball dessert is wrapped in palm sugar, offering a melt-in-your-mouth sensation after each bite. Onde-onde is eaten as a snack or dessert and serves well with pulled milk tea.

WINTER 2020 | DRAKE MAG

DEPARTMENT

KIBBEH BI LABEN KIBBEH BI LABEN RECIPE COURTESY OF MALAZ KREIKER AND ARABIC CLUB

ABOUT THE DISH Kibbeh is a classic dish in middle eastern countries, and many cities in Syria make their own variations of this comfort food. The dish is served with a yogurt sauce and is made from finely ground meat, cracked wheat, onions, and various spices.

PAV BHAJI PAV BHAJI PAV BHAJI PAV BHAJI

RECIPE COURTESY OF SWAPNA KOWKUNTLA

ABOUT THE DISH Pav Bhaji is a flavorful dish made with a mix of spicy vegetables topped with lemon juice and onions and served on Pav bread. This dish is a popular Indian street food meal and is the ultimate warm and cozy dish to savor all winter long.

WINTER 2020 | DRAKE MAG

FOOD & DRINK

ENCHILADAS VERDES ENCHILADAS VERDES ENCHILADAS VERDES RECIPE COURTESY OF ALE DIAZ

ABOUT THE DISH Enchiladas are a classic Latin dish from Mexico dating to the Mayan era. This chicken enchilada dish is served with a verde salsa and is an “irresistible cheesy baked dish coated in a delicious mild, spicy, flavorful green salsa,” Ale Diaz says.

WINTER 2020 | DRAKE MAG

PREP TIME 30 minutes

COOK TIME 10 minutes

SERVINGS 4

PREP TIME 1 hour

COOK TIME 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS KOFTAS (MEATBALLS) 1 lb. lean ground meat, grinded well 1 ½ cups fine #1 bulgur, cracked wheat ¼ onion, finely chopped 2 tsp. paprika ½ tsp. black pepper 7-8 cups of water or broth of choice

INGREDIENTS ½ lb. glutinous rice flour ¾ cup pandan juice ¾ cup palm sugar, finely chopped - substitute for sugar, molasses, or syrup ½ cup coconut, grated 1 pinch sea salt In a large bowl, combine glutinous rice flour with pandan juice and knead lightly. Pinch a small piece of dough and add to boiling water. After dough rises to the surface, remove it with a slotted spoon and shake off excess water. Mix back into dough mixture and knead well to form a smooth texture. Cover dough in plastic wrap and set aside for 15 minutes. Pinch a small piece of dough and flatten lightly. Fill the center of the dough with palm sugar. Roll dough to form a smooth ball and cook in boiling water. After dough rises to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon and shake off the excess water. Mix grated coconut and sea salt in a small bowl. Coat the rice balls with the grated coconut mixture and serve.

SERVINGS 6

YOGURT SAUCE 2 Tbsp. butter 1 Tbsp. cornstarch 2 tsp. dried mint 1 egg, beaten 1 lb. plain Greek yogurt 1 ½ cups water 2 Tbsp. chicken bouillon

KOFTAS (MEATBALLS) Soak bulgur in water for 4-5 minutes or until soft. Drain water from bulgur. Knead bulgur for 2 minutes or until it sticks. Add chopped onion, paprika, black pepper, and meat to wheat. Knead well and add water as necessary. Continue adding meat to the bulgur mixture until all ingredients are combined, kneading well. Take a portion of the mixture and roll into a small ball. Repeat until the entire mixture has been shaped into meatballs (koftas). Refrigerate for 10 to 12 minutes. Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a deep pot and sprinkle salt. Add koftas to pot and remove once koftas float to the surface. Set pot aside. YOGURT SAUCE In a separate pot, add yogurt and whisk with a handheld mixer. Mix cornstarch with ½ cup water and beaten egg. Add mixture to yogurt, whisking well. Turn stove to medium heat and continue mixing as yogurt boils. Using a ladle, add left-over water from the pot used to cook the koftas (meatballs). Add bouillon and continue mixing. Add more left-over water and stir with a large spoon to keep yogurt from curdling. Add koftas to the yogurt mixture and simmer over low-medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Melt butter in a frying pan and add mint. Stir well and pour over yogurt sauce. Pour yogurt sauce in a bowl and add koftas (meatballs). Add paprika to kibbeh and serve in a bowl. Add seasonings to taste.

PREP TIME 15 minutes

COOK TIME 15 minutes

SERVINGS 4

INGREDIENTS: BHAJI

PAV BUNS

1 cup potatoes, diced

4 to 6 pav buns or sweet dinner rolls

1 large tomato, diced

2 Tbsp. onions, chopped

2 medium onions, finely chopped

½ Tbsp. butter

½ cup green peas

½ tsp. paprika

½ cup cauliflower ½ cup bell pepper, chopped 3 Tbsp. butter 2 Tbsp. coriander leaves 1 Tbsp. masala powder 1 tsp. garlic paste ½ tsp. red chili powder ¼ tsp. turmeric 1 lemon wedge PAV BUNS Slice pav buns in half. Heat butter in a pan, and toast pav for 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle paprika and seasonings of choice to taste. Set aside.

PREP TIME 25 minutes

COOK TIME 40 minutes

SERVINGS 4-6

INGREDIENTS ENCHILADAS 6, six-inch corn tortillas 1 ½ cups shredded chicken breast 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese ½ cup Mexican crema or sour cream ¼ cup vegetable or olive oil Black pepper to taste

SALSA VERDE 9 tomatillos, husked and rinsed ½ medium white onion, sliced 1 serrano chile, sliced 1 yellow chile, sliced ½ cup cilantro leaves 2 cloves garlic, minced

SALSA VERDE Add tomatillos, onion, serrano chile, yellow chile, and ¾ cup water to a medium saucepan. Boil ingredients over medium-high heat and cook for 10 minutes, or until tomatillos turn an olive-green color. Blend tomatillos, onion, chiles, garlic, and cilantro. Set aside. ENCHILADAS Preheat oven to 350 F. Fry tortillas in a small skillet over medium-high heat, about 10 seconds per side. Transfer to a flat, clean surface and divide shredded chicken among tortillas and roll up like a cigar. Spread 1/3 cup of salsa verde in a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish and arrange enchiladas in one layer across the dish. Pour

BHAJI

remaining sauce and drizzle Mexican crema and cheese over enchiladas. Bake

Add cauliflower, potatoes, and peas to a pot or pressure cooker. Pour water over

for 30 minutes or until cheese starts to brown. Serve immediately with toppings

ingredients and cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, or until tender. Set

of choice.

aside. Heat butter over medium heat in a skillet and add chopped onions. Cook until translucent. Add garlic paste and chopped bell pepper to onion and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and salt, and cook until tomatoes turn soft. Add chili powder and masala powder to the mixture. Cook for 2 minutes, mixing well. Add potatoes and mashed veggies. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the bhaji thickens, add water as needed. Ladle bhaji into a bowl. Garnish with coriander leaves and spices. Serve with onions, lemon wedge, and pav buns.

FASHION & BEAUTY

SKINCARE SAVERS FINDING THE RIGHT PRODUCTS TO TREAT YOUR SKIN IS A STRUGGLE. FROM PORES TO PIMPLES, WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED. WORDS SOPHIA LACY PHOTOS ALE DIAZ

1. ENLARGED PORES

3. ACNE SCARRING

Keeping pores clean of impurities and toxins while protecting skin from the sun can minimize the size of pores. “Gentle exfoliation, cleansers, and using products like retinol keep pores from being clogged,” Dr. Missy Clifton, a founding partner at Premier Dermatology, suggests. “Facials can make a big difference in the appearance of enlarged pores.”

Acne scars can develop from picking untreated cystic acne or deep pimples, and depending on their severity, some scarring may require professional treatment. While there is no one cure-all, treatments like chemical peels and laser resurfacing can minimize the visibility of scars.

Our Pick: Bliss Pore Patrol Clay-to-Foam Purifying Cleanser, $12, Ulta

Our Pick: The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%, $8, Sephora

2. DRY SKIN/SPOTS

4. ROSACEA /REDNESS

Dry skin or dry patches is often caused by a lack of moisturizing or over-exfoliating with harsh ingredients. Using a soothing cleanser, enriched mask, or a natural hydrating cream can help promote hydrated, fresher looking skin.

Rosacea is mainly caused by environmental and genetic factors. Dr. Missy Clifton, suggests using “non-irritating products that are non-comedogenic” to cleanse and moisturize skin.

Our Pick: Aveeno Ultra-Calming Nourishing Night Cream, $19, Ulta

Our Pick: DR. JART+ Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment SPF 30, $18, Sephora

CARE FOR

YOUR HAIR SHOW YOUR SCALP SOME LOVE WITH THESE HASSLE-FREE HAIR MASKS. WORDS ANNIE PETERSON ILLUSTRATIONS KATE SEGLER

DEEP CONDITIONING

DAMAGE REMEDY

CLARIFYING/ ANTI-RESIDUE

Papaya and coconut oil moisturize hair while yogurt controls frizz. Honey treats split ends to prevent brittle hair and damage from cold weather.

Pumpkin contains Vitamins B and C to promote healthy hair and growth. Mayonnaise keeps your hair soft and lustrous while coconut oil strengthens hair follicles. Honey locks in moisture and prevents breakage.

Apple cider vinegar gets rid of dandruff and excess oils while lemon juice strengthens hair. Baking soda breaks down product buildup and residue. Tea tree oil helps cover the vinegar smell.

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar 1 Tbsp. lemon juice 1/3 cup baking soda 2 drops of tea tree oil

INGREDIENTS 1 papaya, chopped 2 Tbsp. coconut oil 2 Tbsp. plain yogurt 1 Tbsp. honey

INSTRUCTIONS Blend papaya until smooth. In a small bowl, mix papaya, yogurt, coconut oil, and honey. Apply mask to wet hair from mid lengths to ends. Cover hair with a shower cap and let sit for 45 minutes. Rinse well and lightly shampoo/condition.

1 cup mayonnaise Â½ cup pumpkin puree 3 Tbsp. coconut oil 2 Tbsp. honey

INSTRUCTIONS In a small bowl, mix ingredients and apply to damp hair, focusing on the ends of each strand. Cover hair with a shower cap and let sit for 20 minutes. Rinse well and lightly shampoo/condition.

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS In a small bowl, mix baking soda and apple cider vinegar to form a paste. Add lemon juice and tea tree oil. Wet hair and massage mask into scalp. Cover hair with a shower cap and let sit for 3-5 minutes. Rinse well and lightly shampoo/condition.

WINTER 2020 | DRAKE MAG

FASHION & BEAUTY

embracing

THIS WRITER SHINES A LIGHT ON HER NATURAL HAIR JOURNEY AND THE DISCRIMINATION SHE AND MANY OTHERS HAVE FACED FOR LOVING THEIR LOCKS. WORDS MADYSON SKLAR PHOTOS ALE DIAZ + ALEX PERALTA CORNEJO

rowing up, my mom always embraced the beauty of my hair. Each curl had its own unique way of growing, and every strand enhanced a beautiful crown of natural hair. The styles I created were rooted in the culture of my ancestors and were part of what made me feel beautiful. When I was young, I never understood the idea of assimilation, but it was very clear to me that people didn’t want me to express my culture through my natural hair. When I wore braids, I could never just wear braids. People stared and made stupid jokes about what movie character I resembled most. Comparisons to Alicia Keys or Zoe Kravitz were made, both of whom are beautiful women, but this was yet another comparison playing into the stigma that all black girls look the same. I was an elementary school kid who just wanted to look cute wearing her braids, but it wasn’t that simple. Soon, middle school was upon me and I started flat ironing my hair. First it was just for fun, and then it became a weekend obligation. People gazed at the length of my hair and seemed to acknowledge

it more this way. Before I knew it I was straightening my hair every day. I thought I was more beautiful with straight hair, and in the process I started neglecting the health of my natural hair. I straightened my hair because I thought that’s how I would be accepted by society. But I didn’t realize that it was society forcing me to conform to white beauty standards. Today I see things much differently.

THE “LEGALIZATION” OF NATURAL HAIR In July 2019, California and New York became the first states to ban race-based hairstyle discrimination. These bans created a brick wall to anyone who limited opportunities for women who embrace their natural hair, especially in the workforce. This discrimination speaks to women who wear protective styles such as braids, twists, locs, hair extensions, weaves, or “sew-ins.” When Zara was under fire in 2016 for firing a sales associate after wearing box braids to work, the store received some well deserved backlash. Two years later, H&M was targeted for featuring a young, black model with what many thought looked like

inappropriately styled natural hair. These are just two instances part of a much larger story that continue to highlight the issue surrounding hair discrimination towards men and women of color. For most, the bans California and New York created cultivated a feeling that states are (finally) acknowledging a women’s identity and natural hair. To no longer have my natural hair be my sole definer is relieving, but my natural hair is so much of who I am that it’s hard to see bans like these created. We don’t see bans created for discriminating against blonde or permed hair, so what makes my natural hair so different?

ALL NATURAL To be clear, natural hair refers to hair unaltered by chemical straighteners like relaxers or texturizers. It speaks to the texture of hair that is naturally coiled, tightly curled, and beautifully kinky. Natural hair is diverse, and there’s a wide spectrum of curl patterns women identify with, ranging from straight to kinky. I remember watching Youtube videos as a kid to learn about all the different curl

WINTER 2020 | DRAKE MAG

FASHION & BEAUTY

QUESTIONS LIKE, “IS THAT ALL YOUR REAL HAIR?” AND “CAN I TOUCH IT?” ARE ASKED TIME AND TIME AGAIN, BUT THAT DOESN’T MAKE IT OKAY. types. There are 4 types of hair: Type 1, straight; Type 2, wavy; Type 3, curly; Type 4, kinky. From there, subcategories a, b, and c can be added to the curly hair types. Type 1 is the straightest a hair can be. Type 4c is the curliest a curl can be. My hair is type 3c4a, so I have all the curl patterns you could imagine. Natural hair is still discriminated against today—unless there’s a Kardashian involved. African American women are described as lesser for wearing box braids or cornrows. But when white women and pop culture get ahold of them, things are different. The Kardashians are idolized by some for wearing them, though recently. Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian have both received major heat from women of color for wearing these hairstyles that aren’t their own—and rightfully so. Cornrows are culture. The ancient African cornrow dates all the way back to 3500 B.C. The way a person wore the cornrows symbolized their kinship, age, ethnicity, and religion. During the slavery era, many of those enslaved braided their hair tightly into cornrows to maintain a tidy appearance. There’s even an old folk tale about enslaved people braiding escape patterns into their hair in order to find their way to freedom. There’s so much more meaning tied to cornrows than likes on an Instagram post. But it’s not just cornrows. This type of appropriation also applies to those who wear afro wigs as a costume or trend. Afros were a part of the unofficial uniform during the Black Panther Movement and became a symbol of Black Power—they are not your costume.

Black men are often conditioned to believe their locs are unprofessional or unpresentable. These locs are typically referred to as dreadlocks, but they’re in no way associated to dread or suffering, so we’re going to call them locs. This conditioning completely takes away from the cultural piece of a man’s identity, which is something many people grow up with for choosing to wear locs. For men who wear their natural curls, they deal with their own attacks from society. Growing up, they’re not always taught how to style their natural hair, and unless they go to a black owned salon or barber shop, not many stylists will understand how to properly care for their natural hair. The struggles facing my own natural hair journey are great, but they’ve almost become normal. Questions like, “Is that all your real hair?” and “Can I touch it?” are asked time and time again, but that doesn’t make it okay. The idea that the crown on my head is not all my real hair is rooted in the stereotype that black women can’t grow large amounts of hair. People typically don’t mean any harm from these questions, but it’s tiring. To hear doubtful thoughts about what I call the crown on my head and asking if you can touch my hair, it’s dehumanizing. I am not an animal. Please do not pet me. My hair is a part of my cultural history as a black woman and it means much more to me than just serving as a purpose of touch. It’s important to recognize that when talking about natural hair, white women with curly hair have a very different experience navigating society than women

of color with curly hair. Women of color tend to spend more time maintaining their curls, and white women with curly hair don’t face the same discrimination as women of color. Their hair is not described as unprofessional, nappy, or animal-like, and they haven’t experienced the shaming feeling of not being accepted because of their hair.

THE NATURAL HAIR MOVEMENT Still, I have hope. I believe young women with natural hair will grow up more confident in their identity. In Minnesota, there’s an annual Natural Hair Expo in August. The Expo was founded by Tephanie DeLaney and Kelley Eubanks whose mission is to provide women of color with a comprehensive and unique networking outlet. They serve as an outlet for black women to promote their businesses, host free workshops, and listen to speakers who openly talk about their natural hair experience. While the California and New York legal bans give me hope, should they have really been put in place? It’s important to recognize that not every woman with natural hair has the same experience. We all go through different struggles, so generalizations just won’t suffice here. If you or someone else doesn’t know much about natural hair, find a way to educate yourself. But most of all, understand that bans were created to stop people from discriminating against my right to natural hair. My hair is an integral part of my personality, and it doesn’t diverge from the path of professionalism. My hair is my crown. It’s a linkage to a rich history of love and sisterhood. My curls wind down from my head and weave tapestries of spirit, intelligence, self-love, and cultural pride. Natural hair is a man or woman’s crown, and it should be seen as nothing else.

WINTER 2020 | DRAKE MAG

ON BAILEY Shirt: H&M; jacket: model’s own; pants: GAP; shoes: Nike Air Force 1.

REBRANDING: IT’S NOT JUST A TACTIC FOR COMPANIES TO REFRESH AND REVIVE THEMSELVES. THIS KIND IS JUST FOR YOU. CHECK OUT THESE LOOKS TO REVAMP YOUR STYLE WHEN CLOSET OPTIONS BECOME DULL AND LIMITED. WORDS BAILEY CORONIS PHOTOS ALE DIAZ + MICHAELA SPIELBERGER

FASHION & BEAUTY

ON ANNA Shirt and dress: Urban Outfitters; belt and shoes: modelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own.

Oh Boy, Corduroy Grab your thriftiest corduroy finds and use this brand to keep you warm and trendy all winter long. From a vintage jacket to a button-down dress, the options are endless.

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Make it Colorful This look is rooted in chromatic hues and stripes. Experiment with colorful eyeshadow and blush to fully embrace this rebrand.

ON MADISON

Sweater and jeans: Old Navy; jacket: Honey Punch, Depop; shoes: modelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own.

ON TONI

Shirt: modelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own; jacket: Ross; skirt: Forever 21; shoes: Converse.

Make it Vibrant This look is rooted in chromatic hues and stripes. Experiment with colorful eyeshadow and blush to fully embrace this rebrand.

ON TONI

Shirt: jacket: Ross; skirt: Forever 21; shoes: Converse.

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FEATURES

RIDESHARE RELATIONSHIPS: A NEW KIND OF THERAPY

IT’S A SATURDAY NIGHT AT 2 A.M. AND YOU’RE HEADED HOME FROM THE BAR IN THE BACKSEAT OF YOUR UBER.YOU FIND YOURSELF IN DEEP CONVERSATION WITH YOUR DRIVER, TALKING LIKE YOU’VE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR YEARS. HERE ARE THOSE STORIES. WORDS ASHLEY FLAWS ILLUSTRATION KATE SEGLER

“I

f love is, you go to bed at night, you close your eyes, and you’re thinking about this person, I was in love with him.” Caitlin Langelier sat attentively in her seat, taking in the words of the old man in front of her. If she were a therapist, perhaps she would have been jotting down notes as the man spoke, inserting “and how do you feel about that” as necessary. But she wasn’t a therapist. She was a random passenger in the backseat of some random Lyft driver’s vehicle. And she hadn’t asked him a thing; this confession was entirely of his own free will. It had started with small talk about current events: a serial killer targeting the gay community in Langelier’s home of Toronto had finally been caught. Then, things got personal real quick. “There was something on the radio about the police; people were very upset with the police about the response to the crime, so he started talking about it,” Langelier says. “My defenses kind of went

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up being like, ‘Oh no, please don’t say something weird…’ I was just like OK, usually the best defense in those situations is to tell people that I’m gay so they start to watch their behavior. So I was like, ‘Oh, well for my community, the gay community, this is how we feel about it.’” Expecting the conversation to come to an abrupt halt or land in more neutral territory, Langelier was shocked when her driver suddenly confessed his crush on a friend from his boyhood. Only two minutes into their drive, she already knew the stranger’s deepest secret, one that had never been shared with anyone else—not even his wife. Langelier’s experience isn’t unique. Harvard Professor of Sociology, Dr. Mario Luis Small, explains that strangers are actually likely confidants. “We found that for recent experiences in a national sample, about half the time [people] confided in somebody, it was somebody they were not close to,” Small says.

The confined nature of an Uber or taxi cab often creates the sense of security people need to reveal their secrets. While definitely not the holiest of places, it somehow still serves as a rolling confessional. Add a priest, and you’re all the way there.

BUMPS IN THE ROAD According to data compiled from SherpaShare, a platform focused on bettering the rideshare community, the national average trip distance in an Uber or Lyft is 6.4 miles. So depending on the driver’s route, passengers can be spending anywhere between five to 20 undisturbed minutes with their drivers on a typical ride. And as Langelier found out, it only takes one minute for someone to open up. But more often than not, it’s not the drivers with loose lips—it’s the passengers. And Small says drivers often just happen to be in the right place at the right time. “One of the ways to think about this is that over the course of our lives, we all have

DEPARTMENT

some number of things that are troubling us that we probably would benefit to talk about, but we’re not always actively looking to talk about it,” Small says. “What happens is, I’m in a conflict and the opportunity presents itself, and I just capitalize on the opportunity. Cab drivers are often, if they’re good at this, a great opportunity.” Nathan, now an experienced driver for both Uber and Lyft in Bloomington, Indiana, learned about oversharing first hand only a few weeks into his new role as a driver. A simple “Hey, how’s it going” from Nathan prompted his passenger to reply, “Well, you tell me. My wife met my girlfriend tonight.” The passenger proceeded to detail how he had taken his wife out to the restaurant his girlfriend worked at as a waitress. His wife was furious. She took their vehicle back home, leaving her philandering husband to fend for himself—until Nathan came along. “What was going through this guy’s head, I don’t know,” Nathan said. “When we approached his house, he told me to not pull in the driveway because she might be throwing things out the window, so I dropped him a bit down the road from his house.” While Nathan never got to see how the conflict resolved, he had been privy for just

a few moments, to a very private experience in this man’s life. He simply listened, drove, and tried to avoid being hit with random flying objects, a role he has now grown used to after four years on the job. “I think some people just think it’s kind of a half-anonymous thing, like I’m going to ride with this Uber driver, and I’m never going to see them again anyway, so what does it matter what I tell him?” Nathan said. Small agrees. In some instances, such as when a passenger has committed an infidelity, they may be too ashamed to tell their partner, but not too ashamed to tell their Uber driver. “And yet, that is the kind of thing for which many people would find the need to talk, to find catharsis,” Small says. “You’re never going to see [them] ever again. You’re in there, and you’re out of there. They won’t even know your name. It ends up being a great opportunity to just unload all sorts of things with a stranger that you wouldn’t want to unload with someone you actually care about.”

PUTTING THE “DR.” IN DRIVER If drivers really do just happen to be in the right place at the right time, there are pretty good odds they’re outside

a bar. According to a report by Uber, the demand for rides spikes around 2 a.m.—closing time for many bars. And a disproportionate amount of their late-night weekend requests come from within 50 meters of businesses with liquor licenses. This means that drivers are likely to have interactions with drunk passengers—and we all know drunken escapades can lead to some serious regrets. Most of us have been there, done that. But we don’t always realize how often our drivers are the ones consoling us in these states, rather than someone we know and trust.

YOUR THERAPIST IS 5 MILES AWAY...

DEPARTMENT FEATURES

Sara, an Uber and Lyft driver in St. Louis, Missouri, found herself doubling as a couple’s counselor after picking up a drunken pair from Oktoberfest. The conversation quickly became uncomfortable, but she was a captive audience, stuck listening to a silly fight between husband and wife about a $500 purse. But that wasn’t the worst part; they wanted her to chime in and kept involving her in the conversation. This was not part of her job description. “[The car ride] was only 10 minutes, but it felt like it was an hour,” Sara says. “She’s like, ‘Are you single?’ I was like, ‘Yeah.’ [She said], ‘Well when you date somebody, just get ready for them to shit over everything that you want.’” Sara couldn’t help but sympathize with the husband who was trying to calm his wife down, but she knew better than to

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argue with the drunk woman. The ride was a short one, so nodding along and letting the woman rant was about all she felt she could do. She figured it was probably the alcohol talking, anyway. But what does she know? She’s not a certified therapist, after all. A specialist in drunk personalities, Dr. Rachel Winograd from the Missouri Institute of Mental Health, adds to the conversation: “We have breaks in place to stop us from saying or doing certain things that we maybe know better than or wouldn’t otherwise do, but alcohol releases those breaks or destroys them altogether,” Winograd says. “We move forward doing things that if we were sober we wouldn’t otherwise do. That can be anything from vandalizing a building to sharing a secret with a cab driver.” Or starting World War III over a purse in

the backseat of an Uber. All jokes aside, there are certain instances where a cab driver just can’t fulfill what a person needs. If it’s fleeting friendship—a quick release—then sure, let loose. But not all issues can be pushed aside so quickly. Holly, a full-time Uber driver in Atlanta, Georgia, recalls a moment with a passenger who opened up about having been sexually assaulted by a family member. She had recently told her mother, who had just pushed it under the rug. Holly was the only other person who heard her story, and she knew it was important to connect with her passenger in this moment by sharing a similar story of her own. “When I pulled up to her house, I turned my Uber ride off for about 45 minutes,” Holly says. “We sat, and we got out of the car, and we cried and we hugged; I felt like I made a

friend for a moment.” And a moment was all it was. A profound moment, yes, and a very fulfilling moment for both parties involved. But drivers like Holly can only listen for the duration of the ride; once the passenger steps out of the vehicle, they can’t provide lasting support or be there for closure. That’s why Small recognizes that it’s still important for individuals to have a strong network of support that can be there for the long-term. “There are times when you just need someone to listen to you, or there are times when you need more,” Small says. “You might need advice about how to proceed from someone who knows you well. Or you might need support on an ongoing basis. In those circumstances, a stranger you never see again cannot help you.” It’s also important to realize that strangers are unpredictable. They may respond negatively by judging you or somehow making you feel worse. If something’s weighing on you, getting it off your chest while in the backseat of a driver’s car might be exactly what you

“WE SAT AND WE GOT OUT OF THE CAR, AND WE CRIED AND WE HUGGED; I FELT LIKE I MADE A FRIEND FOR A MOMENT.” — HOLLY, UBER DRIVER

FROM GEORGIA

need. But there has to be a balance so you know there are people out there you can trust when you need them. “There is something to be said about the sense of emotional security and emotional safety from knowing that you have people to rely on when you need them,” Small said. “That’s not something that you can expect from a cab driver or another stranger.”

A TWO-WAY STREET But—and there is a but—how can we be real with someone close to us when we can’t even be real with ourselves? Danielle Green, director of the student counseling center at Drake University, says that many people are ashamed, not just to share their emotions, as Small indicates, but to feel them at all. To combat these instincts, Green says it’s important to simply recognize our emotions instead of judging them. “We don’t really control how we feel; we just have control over how we respond and how we act on [our] emotions,” Green says. “Instead of being critical, just be like I can feel sad right now, that’s OK for me to feel sad. Oftentimes we’re way more compassionate with other people than we ever are with ourselves. There’s no wrong feeling. You can’t feel wrongly about something.” And in reality, the emotions we feel guilty about are emotions that many other people can reciprocate. “When we’re vulnerable and honest in how we deal with others, we’re almost always rewarded with returned vulnerability,” Green says. “[It’s like] ‘I felt that way, too,’ or ‘Thanks for sharing with me.’” Sometimes, the comfort of knowing you’re not alone is all you need to open the floodgates, and when it comes down to it, the people you’re closest to are going to the be the people who can give you what you need. But, if all else fails and you totally can’t even with your demons right now, there’s always an actual confessional with a priest. Jesus can take the wheel from there.

MORE FROM THE BACKSEAT Cringe-worthy. Ridiculous. GutCringe-worthy. Ridiculous. Gutwrenching. Heart-warming. These wrenching. Heart-warming. These are the types of stories that emerge are the types of stories that emerge from the backseat of an Uber, Lyft, from the backseat of an Uber, Lyft, or cab. But don’t just take our word or cab. But don’t just take our word for it. These platforms share bits and for it. These platforms share bits and pieces of passengers’ stories that pieces of passengers’ stories that will make you laugh, cry, or want to will make you laugh, cry, or want to tip your driver a little extra next time tip your driver a little extra next time for everything they put up with. for everything they put up with.

WATCH TAXICAB WATCH TAXICAB CONFESSIONS CONFESSIONS RE-RUNS ON HBO RE-RUNS ON HBO

Hidden cameras document how Hidden cameras document how much information passengers are much information passengers are willing to divulge to their drivers. willing to divulge to their drivers. Spoiler alert: the drivers are actually Spoiler alert: the drivers are actually producers of the show steering producers of the show, steering (pun intended) the conversation to (pun intended) the conversation to uncover juicy details. uncover juicy details.

FOLLOW FOLLOW @OVERHEARDUBER @OVERHEARDUBER ON INSTAGRAM ON INSTAGRAM

JOIN THE R/UBER JOIN THE R/UBER SUBREDDIT ON SUBREDDIT ON REDDIT.COM REDDIT.COM

It’s amazing what can be overheard It’s amazing what can be overheard when ridesharing an Uber. Fellow when ridesharing an Uber. Fellow passengers and drivers submit passengers and drivers submit hilarious—sometimes traumatic— hilarious—sometimes traumatic— tidbits that they pick up during a ride. tidbits that they overhear during a @OverheardUber shares the best ride. @OverheardUber shares the so the rest of us can get a kick out of best so the rest of us can get a kick them, too. out of them, too.

Reddit is an anonymous forum to Reddit is an anonymous forum to share anything on your mind. The share anything on your mind. The r/uber subreddit is dedicated to r/uber subreddit is dedicated to all-things Uber, so passengers and all-things Uber, so passengers and drivers alike can post about their drivers alike can post about their relatable experiences—for better relatable experiences—for better or worse. or worse.

REJ ECT ION

THE

FOLLOWING

RELATIONSHIPS WITH RELIGION ARE COMPLICATED. GROWING UP THEY CAN BE A SAVING GRACE, BUT AS THE YEARS GO ON CERTAIN TRUTHS COME TO LIGHT THAT MAKE US QUESTION THE BELIEFS WE ONCE HELD TRUE. THIS IS TAYLORâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S STORY ABOUT GROWING UP MORMON. WORDS TAYLOR VOS PHOTOS MOLLIE RYAN

FEATURES

hen I found out, I started tearing up at the bar. A drink in one hand, my phone in the other, with a local band playing in the background. My boyfriend looked at me and asked if I was okay. “I got the email,” I told him. “I’m officially not Mormon anymore.” “Well, I guess it’s time for shots then.” He smiled at me then walked over to the bar and ordered some lemon drops.

GROWING UP MORMON I grew up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), as they prefer to call it. I was pretty into it too. I went to girl’s camp every year, went to youth conferences when I was old enough, and even accepted some volunteer positions within our congregation. But as I grew up, I noticed a lot of gaps for a church that claimed to be “the only true and living church.” The first time I began questioning the church started with “The Great White Shirt Debate.” My brother had just gotten a new suit—navy blue with a light blue shirt, nice shoes, and a good looking tie. My brother, looking sharp one Sunday morning, went to pass the sacrament, or communion as other religions call it. He was sitting up front with a few other kids his age, all of whom were wearing white shirts, some with dirty hoodies over the top. A few minutes after the service started, my brother went back to sit with our family. He had been asked to refrain from passing the sacrament because his shirt was blue and not white. Thus began a long debate about whether or not white shirts are required. My brother started to get bullied. The other boys saw him as an easy target. Leadership spoke openly about offering to buy my brother a white shirt if he couldn’t afford to get a new one. My mother talked to the regional president about it, and all he said was, while he personally didn’t care, it wasn’t up to him to make the decision. For a church that is supposedly led by direct revelation from God, there sure seemed to

be a lot of politics involved. from that point on, 14-year-old me starting living by my grandpa’s age old advice: “The gospel is true but the church is not.” This kept me attached to my faith— just barely. I continued attending church and church activities to respect my parents’ wishes, but my attachment to the Mormon faith was lost. By the time I was 16 and had a job, I stopped attending church on the regular. When my college years arrived, I stopped attending altogether. But just because I didn’t go to church didn’t mean I wasn’t a Mormon. What ended up “breaking my shelf,”—a term used by the ex-mormon community to mark the moment where members finally realize the church isn’t true—was in 2015 when the church’s anti-LGBTQ+ changes were leaked. In short, the changes stated that members with same-sex parents couldn’t be baptized unless they denounced their parents. For a church that claims children aren’t responsible for their parents sin, nor the original sin, this new anti-LGBTQ+ statement contrasted starkly with the pillars of the church I grew up believing. While the original source of the 2015 leaks is still anonymous, Ryan McKnight, the founder of MormonLeaks—the Wikileaks of the Mormon church—was the one to publish the documents to a wide audience. “The source approached me in 2015 because they didn’t feel comfortable sharing it,” McKnight says. “I didn’t mind having my name attached to it. I was already out at the time.” Since 2015, MormonLeaks has evolved into two organizations: FaithLeaks and The Truth and Transparency Foundation. McKnight and his partner, Ethan Gregory Dodge, created the platform to include leaked information about various religions. Thanks to their work, thousands of Mormons have left the Church. Recently, the Mormon Church reversed

the 2015 “revelation,” reverting to their original stance regarding same-sex relationships—you can be gay, you just can’t have gay sex. This reversal caused many “true-blood” members of the church to question whether or not God really was revealing this information. And while this “revelation” broke my shelf, it wasn’t what made me leave—but more on that later.

HORSES VS. TAPIRS The history of the LDS Church is complicated, so here’s everything you need to know in a nutshell. As told by the church, founder Joseph Smith prayed to God asking which denomination was “the one true church.” God supposedly responded by proclaiming that none of the existing churches were true. This led Smith to found Mormonism, using Golden Plates to translate the new Book of Mormon. Moving from New York to Ohio and all the way to Missouri, the Mormons settled in Nauvoo, Illinois. Soon after, Joseph Smith was killed in jail in 1844 before fully Jim Jones-ing, as many theorized he would’ve. That’s when the Mormons set out West to exit the present borders of the U.S. They then settled in Salt Lake City, Utah, where the new prophet, Brigham Young, famously noted, “This is the place!” Since then, people have poked holes in the whole Mormon story. Horses were mentioned in the Book of Mormon, but there were none in the Americas until the Europeans came. The church’s explanation is tapirs: 3-foot tall pig looking creatures. And that’s not the only inconsistency— the temple covenants are taken almost directly from the Freemasons. There was never a stance about whether blacks could be offered the priesthood until well after The Civil Rights Movement. Plus, how could Joseph Smith, an uneducated man who could barely read, translate an ancient language by looking at a rock called the seer stone in a hat—yes, you read that right, he literally stuck his face in a hat with the plates glowing in the dark for only him to see.

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FEATURES

As with most cults, there’s some weird sex stuff. Polygamy, the most famous of the church’s fatal flaws, goes even deeper than just multiple wives. At 37 years old, Brigham Young took a 14-year old as one of his many wives. Ironically, when the U.S. government told church leadership they wouldn’t let Utah be a state if they still practiced polygamy, the church quickly conformed.

AND THE SHELF BREAKS A 2014 Pew Research Center study found the LDS church holding the sixth highest retention rate of all religions studied, with a 64 percent retention rate for those who grew up in the church. The General Social Survey found a similar retention rate over all generations, but with millenials the retention rate was only 46 percent. “I loved the church,” Sophie Jensen, a former follower of the LDS church, says. “I even went to summer seminary, I just loved it that much.” For Mormons, seminary is an hour of scripture every school day. Sophia willingly spent some of her free time in Mormon summer school. Sophia never fit the typical Mormon style of messy buns and colorful chevron skirts. She preferred a darker, bolder look that always included bright red lipstick. When she was 15, she dyed her hair bright pink. That’s when things started going downhill. “My young women’s president pulled my mother and I into a classroom and proceeded to explain that I was being ‘too different’ all because of my hair,” she says. “She told me I wasn’t pretty. I didn’t ‘fit in anymore’ and ‘this is why the other girls won’t hang out with you anymore.’” And while that was bad enough, she was told that her theatre friends were a bad influence because of their involvement with the LGBTQ+ community. In the middle of her senior year, Sophia decided not to attend seminary anymore and threw herself entirely into theatre. When she found out that she would be

receiving the highest honor from the International Thespian Society, her mother told her that it didn’t matter because she wasn’t graduating from seminary. Instead of going to Sophia’s drama awards banquet, her mom went to seminary graduation and threatened not to go to her high school graduation. “This all showed me that religion shouldn’t give me such negative emotions and experiences,” Sophia says. “Happiness is not being forced to conform or not being recognized for accomplishments.”

GETTING OUT IS EASIER SAID THAN DONE To leave, members have to talk to their preacher and justify their desire to withdraw. Next comes months of trying to convince members to stay while the preacher completes the exit paperwork. Even after leaving, the church will still try to contact ex-Mormons. At least, that’s how it used to be. QuitMormon now exists to stand as the attorney between the exiting member and the church. Mark Naugle launched it after he graduated from law school, initially in an effort to help his friends and family. “I’m just a step in the middle,” Naugle says. “[The church] has to go through me as the attorney. They can’t contact the person leaving directly.” Naugle started this service in 2015, seeing about 200 resignations a week. When the anti-LGBTQ+ stance was leaked in October 2015 he saw 2,000 resignations in 72 hours. Nowadays he’s managing anywhere from 40 to 50 every morning, with over 1,300 after General Conference weekend—a bi-annual televised conference to “announce new revelations” regarding church policies. QuitMormon widdles six months of work down to about four minutes. All you need to do is submit your information to their online form. Naugle takes it from there, doing all of the otherwise gruesome tasks pro bono. Recently, the church has tried making this method even harder by

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requiring a scanned copy of your license and a notarized letter because of “fraudulent requests.” “The church itself is a nightmare. Sometimes they would just sit on the phone silently,” Naugle says. “I know what they were thinking. About how I had hate in me and how evil and terrible I am.”

THE FUTURE OF THE CHURCH Since 2015, the future of the Mormon church has looked rocky. Even recent revelations are causing members to question their faith. Most recently was the declaration that “Mormon” is a slang term, even after millions of tithing dollars were spent on the “I’m a Mormon” campaign. While membership is still going up, the number of people attending services is going down. Recently, a few meeting houses were put up for sale in Denver, going for about $1.85 million, just in case you’re curious. To McKnight, the church is done. “With the internet, everything is out there about the history of the church,” McKnight says. “I think they are beyond the point of no return. Even if they dial back on the ‘all or nothing’ rules and change their tune about LGBTQ+ issues.” From the outside, you can tell the church is struggling to maintain membership. Every month there seems to be a new revelation that is a direct response to what the members want. Women can wear pants to church. Missionaries can call home every week instead of just on Mother’s Day and Christmas. Members can now have civil wedding services that their non-member families can attend instead of temple weddings. The list goes on.

LEAVING IS HARD

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What finally pushed me over the edge was when leadership started preaching that it’s unholy to take the sacrament with the left hand. This comes from an ancient Jewish tradition about the left hand being

the dirty hand and the right hand being the clean hand. Before modern handwashing, this distinction could literally save lives. But fundamentalist Mormons continue to latch to this idea, bringing up the issue every few years. Funny thing is, as a left hander, my right hand is my dirty hand. At this point, I hadn’t been to church in over five years, so leaving the church didn’t make much of a difference in my life. But many others don’t have the same luxury. Scroll through the ex-mormon subreddit and you’ll read heart-wrenching stories of parents kicking out apostate children, old friends backstabbing those who leave, and intense divorces over a spouse leaving. “My life has changed drastically since leaving,” Sophia Jensen says. “For a while,

“MY LIFE HAS CHANGED DRASTICALLY SINCE LEAVING. FOR A WHILE, I FELT REALLY LOST. A LOT OF ‘FRIENDS’ STOPPED SPEAKING TO ME. I DIDN’T HAVE A MOTHER WHO SUPPORTED WHAT I DID.” — SOPHIA JENSEN

I felt really lost. A lot of ‘friends’ stopped speaking to me. I didn’t have a mother who supported what I did.” She has since moved in with her sister, as she could no longer stay with her mother. But she in no way regrets her decision to leave the church. “I received so much more love and support from leaving than I ever got from being active in the Church,” Jensen says. “So many negative parts of my life stemmed from the Church. I still get really insecure if I’m not dressed modestly. I’m really judgmental toward other people without even realizing it sometimes. I wish I never had that heavy of an influence in my early teenage years.” McKnight left because he found issues with church history. He was alone in his endeavor to leave, as his wife still believed at the time. He found solace in support groups like the ex-Mormon subreddit. “In the beginning of your faith crisis,” McKnight says, “There’s a lot of emotional pain and cognitive dissonance. This is normal. You’re not alone. It gets better. Find outlets to express yourself and judgmentfree areas.” Naugle was young when his family left the church. Up until that point, his life was saturated with religion. But at 14, when his dad told him they were leaving, he was relieved. “If you’re LDS and you’re angry about what I do, just imagine what your life would be like if it wasn’t true,” Naugle says. “Take 10 minutes and think about whether or not it might be a cult. Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes for 10 minutes.” When I left, I had it lucky. I was entering the normal world with plenty of support. But months later, my brain is still reprogramming itself out of the cult mindset. But to those who want to leave, it’s worth it. There is a community out there willing to support you. Naugle’s family celebrated with a sigh of relief. McKnight celebrated by doing his taxes. Jensen celebrated with a bottle of wine. And I—well, I took a few shots.

THE WAKE OF

CANCELLED

CULTURE FOR MANY PEOPLE, MUSIC MEANS EVERYTHING. BUT HOW DO YOU PROCEED AFTER YOUR FAVORITE BAND IS SUDDENLY “CANCELLED?” THIS WRITER EXPLORES HOW FANS RESPOND TO THEIR FAVORITE ARTISTS AS THEY COME TO THE LIMELIGHT FOR A WHOLE SPECTRUM OF OFFENSES. WORDS HANNAH NUSS PHOTOS MICHAELA SPIELBERGER

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FEATURES

t’s my last day being 18 and a motorized needle is jabbing into the flesh of my ribs. Like thousands of other teenagers before me, I’m getting my first tattoo. It’s for my favorite band: Brand New. The design is simple—an outline of a lime wedge. It’s an allusion to the band’s song “Soco Amaretto Lime.” Real creative, I know. Hours later, news breaks about lead singer Jesse Lacey for allegedly sexually assaulting underage girls. I had a whole five hours of post-ink joy, and then none. A Facebook post started going viral about Lacey’s actions. Nicole Elizabeth Garey, a former fan of Lacey and Brand New, opened up about the harassment and abuse she endured from Lacey as a minor. In the days that followed, more women came forward with similar accusations. Soon after, Brand New was cancelled. Just like that.

MUSIC AND CANCEL CULTURE AS WE KNOW IT The music industry has experienced major shifts in the last few years, specifically when it comes to their handling of sexual misconduct and assault. Since the #MeToo movement, artists are being called out more and more for a whole spectrum of offenses ranging from romantic coercion to rape. Thus, “cancel culture” was born out of a steady recognition of shitty actions. You may be familiar with the term “cancelled.” The term essentially translates to a shunning from the public, a collective condemnation, a mass boycott. After being exposed for misconduct, people are typically “cancelled” through online condemnation and are consequently removed from their platforms—no longer being booked for tours, signed to labels, or hired as actors. Cancelled culture is definitely amped up by the social media age; anyone can discover and condemn something in a matter of seconds. People might’ve been generally aware of the problematic things

musicians were doing decades ago, but it spread as rumor, if at all. Now allegations go viral instantaneously, and people who shame artists have a stark public platform to utilize. In the aftermath of being cancelled, many fans are left unsure of what to do. It’s an odd place to exist, when enjoying your favorite band suddenly becomes political. Fans wonder how to proceed as listeners, or whether they should continue to listen at all.

THE MORALISTS Anna Jacobson was defensive at first. She’s a diehard fan with friends crawling in the Kansas City DIY scene—the do-ityourselfers of the music industry. She grew up with music that has since been tainted. She wanted to believe art could be separated from the artist, but she soon realized this wasn’t the case. “I was making an exception because I liked it,” Jacobson says. “I was letting myself believe I was doing the right thing, but I was doing the easy thing. If my rule is that you can’t separate art from the artist, that has to apply even to art that I really like.” Part of what changed her mind was taking a hard look at the messages behind post-cancellation apologies. For Anna, a good apology should have no excuses. It should directly acknowledge the misconduct without dancing around it. It should come from a place of genuine regret, not out of defense. “If their goal in [apologizing] is so they can have their platform back, they’re missing the point. They’re not actually wanting help, they’re wanting to check a box,” Jacobson says. St. Louis native Austin Strifler is a fan and a musician. He’s a feel-it-in-his-bones diehard. And when he sees something like Brand New, it’s visceral. It hurts him, and it hurts the music. “If someone abuses or harasses people, it taints everything. It’s hard to ignore that and just pretend that it didn’t happen.”

In Strifler’s eyes, music is what gives artists their platform and power, and thus places them in a position to abuse it. It’s difficult for him to separate the art from the artist. The allegations are too interwoven in the music, so ignoring the issue just isn’t possible. “It’s hard to just pretend that the art was not in any way involved, that it can be separated from the person and what they did,” Strifler says. Still, he’s not unsympathetic towards fans who find themselves struggling in the wake of a cancellation. But for Strifler, it’s a problem when fans continue to directly and financially support artists who’ve done bad things. Some artists are continuing to make a living despite allegations, and that doesn’t sit well with him. “Even if a band is really small, it does in some ways put you on a pedestal and give you a platform and it also gives you a literal stage,” Strifler says.

“IT’S HARD TO JUST PRETEND THAT THE ART WAS NOT IN ANY WAY INVOLVED, THAT IT CAN BE SEPARATED FROM THE PERSON AND WHAT THEY DID” — AUSTIN STRIFLER

WINTER 2020 | DRAKE MAG

TO CANCEL OR NOT TO CANCEL It’s been difficult for Rebecca Elliott to let go. She built her career as a concert promoter at The Rino in Kansas City, Missouri. Music is more than personal for her—it’s professional. As a concert promoter, she feels responsible for fostering safe spaces at her shows. A lover of emo and punk, she’s had to make tough calls in—literally— cancelling acts after hearing about allegations. Victims have reached out to her privately about their abusers taking the stage, and she doesn’t take that lightly. “I will believe you. If you tell me that happened, who am I to say it didn’t? It’s my place to keep people safe and to hold that standard,” she says. While Elliott fully supports fostering safe spaces, cancelled culture as it exists now doesn’t sit right with her. “I don’t think [cancelled culture] should ruin people’s lives. I don’t think it should make people not be artists,” she says. “I think it should push them to be better, to make them pull the breaks and get help.” Scott Heisel, former Managing Editor for Alternative Press magazine, also has some issues with cancelled culture. He sees a major problem with the spectrum of offenses being handled all the same. The formula is the same no matter what— allegations, public outrage, then banishment. “Now that people are talking more about sex and sexuality in general, it raises the question of, ‘Well hey, is this mistreatment, is this miscommunication, or is this something much more serious?’” Heisel says. Many fans feel a similar confusion. One band facing backlash for using their platform to meet women is being equated to other bands who are sexually abusing their fanbase. Often, there’s little consideration or investigation as to what happened. All it takes is a tweet to ostracize an artist, which also bothers

Heisel. He doesn’t agree with blindly banishing people as a punishment for misconduct—at least not universally. “If you do something wrong, whether it’s a criminal act or an immoral act, you deserve the chance to rehabilitate yourself,” he says. “And there’s a corner of the scene that says, ‘No, you’re done forever.’ I think that’s a very dangerous and militant approach.”

THE APOLOGIST Daniel John is one of many who doesn’t feel guilty. He’s been a fan of Brand New since the group first came onto the scene in the late ‘90s. He was able to relate to most of the things Lacey was writing about—self-loathing and depression, among other things. John is fully aware of the allegations against Lacey, but it doesn’t faze him. It hasn’t affected his ability to listen or relate to the music. “The thing that we loved about him was the thing that was breaking him,” John says about Lacey and the emo genre as a whole. In John’s eyes, we love music for the pain and edge imbedded within it, especially in counterculture genres. He doesn’t expect this type of music to come from perfect people. When reflecting on the recent rise of cancelled culture, John sees much of the criticism as selective. He believes young people are quick to condemn certain artists while willfully ignoring the sins of major music icons. “If they actually learned about the past, looked in on what Bowie did, or what Jagger did or what Lou Reed did, would it change their approach to that music? Would you not go out in that Rolling Stones shirt?” he says.

THE DOUBLE-STANDARD There is a definite double-standard in cancelled culture. Rock music has never been a bastion of purity. It’s why we’ve loved it for decades. The music is rooted in a desire to push boundaries; to go against the grain. The

FEATURES

quintessential rock star is simultaneously a sex god, and that’s no coincidence—but it’s not an excuse either. Sexual abuse has always existed in rock, even if we didn’t always know it was there. Mick Jagger allegedly drugged and raped under-aged girls. Jimmy Page had a fourteen-year-old girlfriend. David Bowie had sex with underage fans. Chuck Berry paid off child prostitutes. John Lennon beat both his wives. Steven Tyler made himself the legal guardian of his sixteen-year old girlfriend whom he forced to have an abortion. As long as there’s been music, there’s been an abuse of power. Here’s a more current example: in 2019, two power-house artists were exposed as serious predators. Michael Jackson and R. Kelly both had documentaries made about their sexually abusive histories. While R. Kelly has remained “cancelled,” the allegations against Michael Jackson have been met with extreme skepticism and denial. “Michael Jackson was clearly a pedophile. But we’re still going to hear ‘Billy Jean’ on the radio every day,” Heisel says. “It’s crazy that someone would defend a rapist, or a murderer, or a pedophile because they like their music. It’s a wild, wild world we live in.” So why is it that only some artists are cancelled following allegations while others are left unscathed? Does their pop-culture footprint overshadow their immorality?

THE EMO-PUNK ROCK TREND Cancelled culture has hit counterculture hard, and it’s especially rampant in genres such as emo, punk, and DIY scenes. To understand why these scenes are seatpools of misconduct, it’s important to remember that they’re fragile by nature. that they’re fragile by nature. DIY scenes are supported by small communities building a scene completely on their own, and when the foundation rests solely on the shoulders of toxic individuals, the

music genre itself can easily buckle. What’s more, the kind of people who make emo music are often deeply troubled individuals with lots of internalized self-hate and insecurity. Traits that are also prevalent in the kind of people who hurt other people. It makes sense, but it’s not an excuse. Elliott attributes the rampant misconduct within counterculture to its hyper-masculine energy. But in her mind, the scene is still salvageable if an active effort is made to foster safety and inclusivity. As a concert promoter, she’s especially passionate about maintaining safe spaces in smaller scenes. People often tell her that music spaces have helped shape them, have helped them become who they are. “It’s important for young people who are coming into themselves to find those spaces. Whether its music spaces or coffee shops or schools, it’s important for them to have that kind of place to go and be where they are and be comfortable in who they are.” Still, some emo-aligning bands have been able to bounce back, even if they aren’t always welcomed with open-arms.

THE REDEMPTION STORY It was a unique situation. You don’t see many bands dethroned only to be welcomed back to the spotlight. Pinegrove did it. Evan Stephens Hall has been the front man and songwriter for Pinegrove since the band’s genesis. And I say genesis because that’s what this music is to so many of their fans. It’s far more spiritual than other emo groups. It’s more meditative and reflective and lacks the melodrama. It’s honest, and for years, fans couldn’t get enough. Then came Pinegrove’s fall from grace. The alleged victim of Hall’s romantic coercion never wanted to go public with her pain but was outed by a friend. Still, Pinegrove was mindful and coordinated with the woman in question to make

WINTER 2020 | DRAKE MAG

amends. They agreed to take a year off from touring and to shelf their then-upcoming album “Skylight”. Hall went to therapy. They dealt with the rest privately. Pinegrove has since been welcomed back into the music scene with mostly open arms. This past September, the band released “Skylight” and continued touring with the woman’s permission. All proceeds have been donated to organizations such as the Voting Rights Project, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and Musicares, which offers mental health resources to musicians among other services. Their tours feature tabling for similar organizations with bystander intervention seminars often held before shows. “That to me is the best possible scenario if you’ve done wrong...I’m glad they’re back,” Heisel says. Other (former) fans haven’t expressed the same sentiment. And that’s more than okay. Jenn Pelly wrote a feature on Pinegrove’s return for Pitchfork. Hall expressed an amount of sympathy and indignation, of humility and hurt: “We don’t want listeners who are like, ‘We don’t care about this sort of thing,’”

NOT MANY ARTISTS EXPRESS A SIMILAR DEDICATION TO DO RIGHT BY THEIR FAN BASE. BUT MAYBE THEY SHOULD START.

Hall adds. “We care about this sort of thing. I’m way more sympathetic to people who are like, ‘I don’t understand this situation, it seems fucked up, fuck this band,’ than people who are like, ‘I don’t understand this situation, fuck this situation, I love this band.’ We are thoroughly in favor of the dismantling of patriarchal structures, and the movement right now to elevate survivors and victims of abuse. And we are not interested in a listenership that doesn’t care about that.” Hall proved that you can bounce back—at least to some extent. But why is Pinegrove an anomaly? It’s worth wondering if other cancelled artists can learn something valuable from Pinegrove’s on-going redemption arc. To be fair, some artists aren’t so redeemable. No one expects Jesse Lacey to return to the scene or for R. Kelly to drop a new album. What’s more, not many artists express a similar dedication to do right by their fan base. But maybe they should start.

THE SEPARATIST Elliott wondered for a long time whether she could separate art from the artist. In seeing some of her favorite musicians exposed for cruel misconduct, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss for the art. “It’s like an ex-boyfriend who gaslights you,” she says. “You walk out of that wanting nothing to do with them, everything that reminds you of them, you throw away because it hurts. Its painful. I feel so deeply connected to music, but it’s the same idea. It’s just tainted.” Adam Billau expresses a similar sentiment. A college student and classic emo fan, he finds his personal investment in the music he loves to be troubling. “I don’t want to relate to someone that I see as a predator,” he says with a heavy sigh. “Connecting so deeply to their music humanizes them, but you wish it didn’t.” He doesn’t think continuing to listen means he fully stands behind everything the artist has done—or that it reflects on his

own character. It just means that he likes sad songs. He tries to convince himself listening isn’t a reflection of himself, though he still feels twinges of guilt. “I try to not think about it too much,” he says. “I like to think that just because I can relate to them in one aspect doesn’t mean that I have to be that person.”

WHAT’S BEING DONE? There’s a clear epidemic of sexual assault occurring at concerts. Many organizations are seeking to combat it. One of them is the OurMusicMyBody campaign. It was launched in 2016 as a collaboration between two non-profit organizations, Between Friends and Rape Victim Advocates. They promote anti-harassment and work to diminish instances of assault in Chicago’s live music scene. The campaign has been involved in major music festivals such as Pitchfork, Lollapalooza, and Riot Fest, as well as local venues. There are multiple similar organizations all around the world working to promote safe spaces for concert attendees. Safe Gigs For Women operates out of the U.K. and spreads awareness of how to stay safe at festivals. Safer Scenes teaches anti-racist bystander intervention. Calling All Crows aims to educate the masses on how to fight sexual violence at shows and festivals. A lot is being done, particularly at the fan level, but the epidemic of misconduct in the music industry itself still persists. Many still say that intervention from extraneous organizations isn’t enough to affect the scene. Change still needs to come from within and from the demographic largely contributing to assault: men. Strifler elaborates.“It’s important that men in the music industry are helping to spearhead that fight,” he says. “Many women and non-men can share their experiences and demand change, but we’re still at a point where the music industry is very much controlled by men. If men are not holding each other accountable, things

FEATURES

just aren’t going to change or will change at a glacial pace.”

THE AFTERMATH Music can be a hard thing to give up, even in the face of hard truths and ugly realities. It can feel like a genuine loss when a song you’ve loved for years, that you have memories attached to and love for, gets tainted. “[The music] doesn’t mean the same thing it meant to me anymore,” Jacobson says. “It’s just not fun to listen anymore.” Heisel sympathizes with the struggle most other fans face in deciding how to proceed in listening: “What do you do? What do you do when [music] you’ve attached so much of your life to turns out to have been harming people along the way? That’s a tough thing to reconcile yourself with.” It’s important to remember that for mental illnesses, music can make all the difference. When you’re 15 and your brain suddenly stops working right, it can be terrifying and isolating. Having a musician articulate what you’re enduring when you don’t even understand it yourself is invaluable. Sometimes songs are a road map, other times it just reminds you that you’re not the only one. I’m not frustrated that the music is suddenly off limits. I don’t think there’s room to accept abusers into the limelight. Rather, I’m frustrated that the artists I once idolized never deserved to be celebrated in the first place. Frustrated that I’ll never be able to listen to some of my adolescent relics, my music, the same way again. It’s impossible to ignore the hurt its caused— hurt that deserves to be acknowledged and respected. When Brand New comes up on my shuffle, sometimes I don’t even notice it’s playing. I forget to feel offended or noble. I simply listen and almost enjoy it, momentarily oblivious to the voices in my head telling me I’m wrong for still feeling attached and moved. But most times, I just skip to the next song.

WINTER 2020 | DRAKE MAG

HEALTH & SEX

THE

MOVEMENT

MINDSET

WORKING OUT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE A CHORE. IT CAN BE AS SIMPLE AS MOVING YOUR BODY.

WORDS KAILI MILLER PHOTOS MOLLIE RYAN

orking out: two words you either love or hate. It can be the very thing that gets us going in the morning, but it’s also become a space flooded with unhealthy thoughts surrounding our bodies. Influencers and fitness gurus swarm our social media feeds with before and after pictures from two weeks of dieting, and posts with captions like, “I still get to eat the foods I love like normal,” all while wearing the trendiest athleisure. But maintaining a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to mean exhausting workout routines four times a week—it can be as simple as moving our bodies. The first step in having a healthy regard for fitness is shifting the mindset from “Am I working out?” to “Am I moving my body?” It’s all about doing what works best for your body in a particular space and time. And sometimes that’s not going to be sweating like crazy in a gym or trying to mimic a 10 minute workout video you see online. Dr. Justin Behnke, a chiropractor at

West End Chiropractic, encourages his patients to move more to combat the low energy feeling that comes with sitting for hours on end. “Moving our bodies stimulates muscles and blood flow which move oxygen to the brain,” Behnke says. “Moving allows us to have more focus, clarity, and thought analysis so that we can continue to function during the day.” Getting the body moving doesn’t require hardcore exercise. Things like taking the escalator, daily stretching, and walking inclines instead of flat surfaces are all subtle ways to become more active without thinking about it. Mindy Cathcart, director of wellness at Grand View University in Des Moines, explains that working out can be intimidating because we think we have to expend all our energy to receive immediate satisfaction. “They see it as this big mountain they have to get to the top of on the first day,” Cathcart says. “But it’s a journey, and you’re gonna go sideways and you’re gonna go backward. We want people to feel good at the end of the day.

We want them to feel more confident.” Moving our bodies is the least we can do to keep up with a healthy routine, but it’s easy to feel as if our lifestyles aren’t adequate when all we see are influencers in trendy athleisure killing the workout game. But so much of what we see on social media is smoke and mirrors. Often, the pictures and videos are shot to manipulate how people look: the angles, the contour lighting, the clothes. Falling into the trap of comparison—especially when it comes to working out—is hard to avoid, but it’s important to remember that fitness looks different for everyone. There are going to be days when you’ll want to go on a run or try a heavy lift. But there will also be days when all you feel like doing is a fifteen-minute walk—and that’s okay. Whatever suits your body at that moment is what you should be doing. If we can consciously remind ourselves to simply move our bodies, we can take on fitness at a pace that’s just right for us.

“MOVING ALLOWS US TO HAVE MORE FOCUS, CLARITY, AND THOUGHT ANALYSIS SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO FUNCTION DURING THE DAY.” — DR. JUSTIN BEHNKE

Gender dysphoria plays a huge role in the psychological well-being of many trans men and gender non-conforming individuals. Chest binding helps combat this gender dysphoria, which is the practice of using clothing or tight fabric to make one’s breasts appear flatter, but finding what works best for you can be a daunting process. We spoke to Dr. Ilana Sherer, pediatrician and founder of the Child and Adolescent Gender Center, and explains that binding is safe and effective as long as you’re using the proper equipment. “If it doesn’t seem like it fits right, return it and get a new one,” Sherer says. “It can be challenging to size, so you shouldn’t be afraid to try on many different ones before you find one that fits.”

THINGS TO REMEMBER Test the binder before buying to make sure it’s not too small Do not layer binders with other forms of compression Take your binder off before bed

Check out our recommendations below for affordable binding options that won’t break the bank:

GC2B Founded in 2015, gc2b is a trans-owned and operated business, specializing in gender-affirming clothing. The company recently released new binders in a variety of shades and sizes ranging from XXS-5XL. Find at gc2b.co, $33, prices may vary

UNDERWORKS These binders mimic the appearance of a sports bra and help people bind safely and subtly. Find at underworks.com, $35, prices may vary

TRANSTAPE If you’re not a fan of traditional binders, TransTape might be a good option. TransTape is a waterproof and sweatproof alternative to traditional binders that can be worn for up to five days in a row. Find at transtape.life, $20, prices may vary

Do not wear your binder for more than 12 hours

FREE BINDERS

Avoid ace bandages because

If you’re not able to spend money on a binder, free options are available online. The demand for free binders is high, so there may be a waiting list. Find at pointofpride.org

they are designed to constrict your movement

WE SPOKE TO DAWN HEABERLIN, AN ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSE AT MCFARLAND CLINIC, TO BREAK DOWN THESE FOUR ALTERNATIVES TO THE PILL. STORY ANNIE PETERSON

TRANSDERMAL CONTRACEPTIVE PATCH This convenient patch can be placed on the stomach or buttock and is worn for three weeks at a time, with the fourth week patch-free. This prescribed patch distributes estrogen and progestin into your bloodstream, keeping ovulation from occuring. Aside from regulating your cycle, the patch can also help calm acne, treat iron deficiency, and reduce PMS symptoms. Tip: The patch stays on while showering, bathing, and swimming. If it falls off or becomes loose, throw the patch away and replace it with a new one.

INTRAUTERINE DEVICE (IUD) This small T-shaped piece of plastic is inserted in the uterus and comes in two types: copper and hormonal. The copper IUD contains no hormones and is wrapped in a small piece of copper, which is a natural repellent to sperm, and the hormonal version releases progestin. Irregular bleeding is a common side effect for both IUDs, and the copper IUD can lengthen periods. If you want to have a regular cycle, Heaberlin suggests using the copper IUD. Tip: The copper IUD can be used as an emergency contraceptive if inserted by a doctor within five days after unprotected sex.

VAGINAL RING

BIRTH CONTROL IMPLANT

This at-home contraceptive is inserted in the vagina and stays in for three weeks at a time with the fourth week ring free. Periods are typically lighter with the ring, and you can choose from different options. Similar to the pill, consistency is key. For best results, it’s important to insert and remove the ring on the same day every month and leave it in at all times. Tip: If you prefer to skip your period, keep the ring in place for four weeks instead of three.

One of the longest lasting options, the implant is a flexible plastic rod inserted just under the skin on the inside of your upper arm. This contraceptive is more invasive, but lasts up to five years and has a 99 percent effective rate. Soreness, bruising, and irregular bleeding are normal, but the body will slowly adjust over time. Tip: The implant is rarely felt or seen and can be removed at any point. Heaberlin explains that infections are extremely rare.

WINTER 2020 | DRAKE MAG

HEALTH & SEX

DATING BEYOND THE BINARY

THIS WRITER EXPLORES THE UNIQUE DATING CHALLENGES FACING GENDER NON-CONFORMING AND TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS. WORDS ZOE HANNA

ILLUSTRATION KATE SEGLER

ating is difficult, and with the vast amount of apps flooding the market, it’s hard to navigate the daunting world that is dating. But for people who identify outside of the gender binary, dating presents its own unique challenges for non-cisgender individuals that often go unnoticed.

MISGENDERING Misgendering is a significant obstacle that many gender non-conforming () and trans individuals face in and out of dating. It takes courage to be open about your identity, and when someone is finally able to be honest with themselves and others, misgendering can reverse their progress. “All of a sudden society, peers, teachers, coworkers, don’t recognize who you truly are, and that can be traumatizing to a lot of individuals,” Joby Holcomb, a mental health counselor in Des Moines, Iowa, specializing in LGBTQ+ and trans patient care, says. “It can lead to a lot of depression, it can lead to a lot of anxiety, and it can lead to a lot of different mental health issues.” As a result of misgendering someone, as Holcomb explains, it makes it that much harder for the individual to confidently form healthy relationships and social networks.

WINTER 2020 | DRAKE MAG

THE DATING APP BOUNDARY While it’s important to use a person’s preferred pronouns and acknowledge their gender identity, many dating apps still don’t provide an inclusive platform for gender non-conforming and trans individuals. Apps like Tinder and Bumble ask for your gender identity, but they also require users to select a binary preference. So, even if an individual identifies outside of the binary, they are still expected to abide by its boundaries. Many dating apps allow people to list their identity, but the requirement to choose between the very binary that many are trying to escape can be counterproductive. Binary boundaries like these keep GNC and trans individuals from feeling fully accepted in an already complex dating arena. “Typically, individuals experience dysphoria in a depression, a state of sadness,” Holcomb says. “Maybe at times they feel hopeless because of recognition of who they truly are in terms of gender, and all the things that comprise gender, and how they look physically.” So, how can feelings of gender dysphoria be avoided, and how can cis people get in on the conversation?

HER

A dating app for queer women and assigned females at birth (AFAB).

GRINDR

One of the most iconic queer dating apps. Grindr is for queer men and assigned males at birth (AMAB).

OKCUPID

A queer friendly dating app with a large variety of gender identity and sexuality options.

HINGE

This app is “made to be deleted.” Hinge encourages more exclusivity than typical dating apps such as Tinder while using more personalized methods for igniting new relationships.

CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION Validation is the first step in acknowledging any individual and can come in a variety of ways. If you are dating or have a close relationship with a trans person, be sure to use their preferred pronouns and recognize when you do slip up. Avoid gendered language—if you know someone is more masculine or feminine, use adjectives that align with it. Above all, be a good friend, partner, and family member. Every experience is unique, and it’s important to acknowledge the difficulties facing many gender non-conforming and trans individuals to continue making progress.

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

TOKENISM

IN TELEVISION TOKEN CHARACTERS HAVE SERVED AS TRIEDAND-TRUE TEMPLATES TO INCREASE DIVERSITY, BUT THEY’RE DOING MORE HARM THAN GOOD.

WORDS PEYTON JOHNSON ILLUSTRATION KATE SEGLER

elevision and film have long been marketed to a Caucasian audience. Think of characters in your favorite shows: Stanley Hudson from “The Office,” Teddy from “Full House,” Angela Moore from “Boy Meets World”—the list goes on. These crumbs of diversity, also known as token characters, are used to give the look and feel of a diverse cast, but often with little regard to accuracy across storylines. As the television industry has progressed, more and more threedimensional characters have emerged. But that’s not an excuse for the shows who still struggle to get it right. Tokenism is the effort to create diversity by recruiting a few people from underrepresented groups to give the appearance of equality on screen. Tokenism is often paired with offensive tropes, doing a massive disservice to culture as we know it. The character of Jodie Landon from the ‘90s show “Daria” says it best: “At home, I'm Jodie; I can say and do whatever feels right. But at school, I'm The Queen of the Negros, the perfect African-American teen, the role-model for all the other AfricanAmerican teens at Lawndale.” Tokenism is an attempt at diversity, but more often than not writers will try to cram so much of a minority’s background into a character. The result: a plethora of stereotypes and lazy, unfulfilling scenes. “The story suffers if you just have this side character that just says the things that need to be said in order to motivate the main character’s story. They’re not three-dimensional, they’re not interesting and I think the story does suffer,” Rachel Collins, a reality TV producer in Los Angeles says. “You have the opportunity there to

make the story deeper if you take the time to give [the character] more background and personality.” Characters representing people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those with differing abilities have a history of not being in positions of leadership, which can put a burden on the backs of these individuals in everyday life. Incorporating more diverse characters and storylines isn’t just an on-screen issue. It’s just as much an issue behind the screen as well. Collins explains that shows like “Insecure,” “Atlanta,” and “Fresh Off The Boat” are succeeding in the television industry largely because the people behind the scenes are able to accurately represent diverse, three-dimensional characters. They’ve lived that experience. “With ‘Transparent’ and its showrunner, Jill Gordon, you have people telling the stories who are familiar with that experience, instead of just some writer’s room that’s probably predominantly white and male saying ‘Oh, we need to throw in this character because we need it,’” Collins says. There’s been some progress made, of course. But certain issues still remain. The answer to our prayers for more diverse characters is relatively straightforward: a diverse room of writers across the board. Again, we’re seeing progress, but these things take time. Landon was one of the first black teenagers depicted in a cartoon. She was well written, smart and aware of her role in society, but she was not content. In one episode, Jodie turns to her black fellow classmate Mack and says, “Oh, what the hell. We may be tokens, but we're damn good looking ones.” Here’s to more minorities in pop-culture who get the stories they deserve. We will be here waiting.

WINTER 2020 | DRAKE MAG

the rise of

YEE-HAW culture

ARTISTS LIKE LIL NAS X AND BLANCO BROWN ARE LASSOING THE SPOTLIGHT IN THIS NEW CULTURE OF COUNTRY MUSIC. WORDS ZACK BROWN

PHOTOS ALEX PERALTA CORNEJO

ountry music has often been tagged as the “worst genre” in the music industry. Country-culture as we know it has long been characterized by beer, farming, and tractors, which has often turned people away from the soul roots of the genre. But increasing popularity with meme-worthy music and inclusive artists is putting this genre back on its high horse. Dance and EDM collaborations with big country stars are becoming a trend of their own. Major hits like “The Middle,” “This Feeling,” “One Thing Right,” and many others have crossed the country-pop boundaries, and audiences are wanting more. Two of the biggest names in pop music, Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus, both recorded albums embedded in their country/folk roots. Lady Gaga’s “Joanne” and Miley Cyrus’ “Younger Now” both had radio hits that were loved by all types of music-lovers. This genre break-down has made it easier for unexpected artists to rise in the country music industry, which is influencing outsider genres to include their own country twang in their tunes. Two new artists whose hits recently dominated the radio include Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” and Blanco Brown’s “The Git Up.” These meme-worthy hits may have gotten their first 15 seconds of fame from TikTok, but they’ve lassoed the hearts of music lovers across the globe. Blanco Brown and Lil Nas X are just a few voices who’ve helped promote more country-pop crossovers. And they’ve also inspired groups that are often left out of the conversation: African American country artists. African American artists have been in the country music business for quite some time. And

their integration of blues, soul, gospel, and rhythm in the genre has long been silenced by the white men who only choose to sing about beer and women. “I don’t know if we would have country music if we didn’t have blues and gospel music,” Seth Hedquist, a music historian in Des Moines, Iowa, says. Hedquist has studied the influence of country music on other styles, explaining how the genre can be so versatile while still holding on to its roots. A recent PBS music documentary featuring Bill Malone—a well-known country music historian— elaborates on how African Americans have been singing country tunes for most of American history. Quintessential white country singers were influenced by African Americans who sang while working on railroads and playing their music on street corners. But Malone explains that African American artists were, and still are, overlooked today. African American country artists were often overlooked because they didn’t fit the “general stereotype” of what a country artist “should be.” Lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish, Darius Rucker’s successful solo career has helped defy the stereotypes of typical country artists. Successes like his are just a few leading to hits from Lil Nas X, Blanco Brown, Jimmie Allen, and others who’ve been waiting far too long for their time in the spotlight. The music industry is always changing, and so is the face of country music. Stereotypes are being broken down and booted out the door. So put on your boots, grab a sarsaparilla, and jam out to some dreamy country-pop from Kacey Musgraves with your windows down. The stereotypes are leaving, and the “yeehaw culture” is here to stay.

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

WINTER 2020 | DRAKE MAG

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

changing

THE TUNE

SPOTIFY AND APPLE MUSIC ARE TRANSFORMING THE MUSIC INDUSTRY AS WE KNOW IT. WORDS SAVANNA BOUS ILLUSTRATION KATE SEGLER

e’re all just islands in the music steam. In the past eight years, the music industry has been flipped on its head. What used to be a world accustomed to buying CDs at Radio Shack is now dominated by the streaming industry—and the disparity in physical sales is blatant. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), streaming accounted for just nine percent of all revenue generated in 2011. Today, it’s the opposite. According to Nielsen, Taylor Swift’s “Fearless” was the best-selling album of 2009, selling over 3.2 million

STREAMING HAS MADE IT INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT FOR MUSICAL ACTS— ESPECIALLY SMALL ONES—TO EXIST, LET ALONE THRIVE.

WINTER 2020 | DRAKE MAG

physical copies. Swift’s “Reputation” was the best-selling album of 2017, but barely sold over 1 million physical copies. In 15 years, streaming has taken over the music industry as we know it, but it’s butchering sales for rising artists. Tobi Parks, former director at Sony Music and current executive director of Station 1 Records, witnessed the evolution of streaming first-hand. “Back in the day before there was streaming services in artist recording contracts there were things called mechanical maximums,” Parks says. “Basically, they said [to artists], ‘we’re only going to pay you for X number of songs on it,’ and the mechanical maximum was usually 10 songs. In the digital world, they changed that and removed the ability to apply a mechanical cap on a digital download.” Streaming has made it increasingly difficult for musical acts—especially small ones—to exist, let alone thrive. A musician’s revenue from streaming has been slashed in the era of Apple Music and Spotify and they’re suffering to make a name for themselves. According to the research conducted by Digital Music News, streaming services pay anywhere from 0.019 to 0.00069 cents per stream depending on the artist. Musicians would need anywhere from 77 thousand to 2 million monthly streams to earn just over

$1,000–a monthly salary equivalent to minimum wage. While rising artists are struggling to produce money in the age of streaming, large recording companies and labels are not. “It doesn’t matter if it’s one track getting a million streams or a million tracks getting one stream, they’re able to flood the market,” Parks says. Independent artists don’t necessarily have the option so they’re not making money off streaming.” Since the rules for making money have shifted, the way music is created has also changed—largely due to the need to generate more streams in order to stay relevant in an erratic forum. To capitalize on this new system, artists have started shortening songs to under three minutes to increase the number of streams gained per song. Essentially, albums are getting bigger and track listings are spanning 2030 songs—making it easier to obtain gold and platinum certifications or debuting at number one. Beyoncé’s “Homecoming” includes 40 songs and is almost two hours long. What’s more, artists are releasing singles left and right. Ariana Grande has released nine singles and two full-length albums since 2017. Streaming is changing the way music is heard around the world, and the struggle for rising artists isn’t stopping anytime soon.

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