Arts & Entertainment

F shion Sen¢e with Raigan Clay

The epidemic sweeping the fashion world is … “heroin chic.” The New York Post says that “booty is out, and heroin chic is back.” Heroin chic is the body type that lacks curves and naturality. The unspoken narrative being pushed by the media and public is that girls look their best when they’re at their smallest. This toxic trend has potential for even further damage on especially young teens and adults developing into their bodies. This notion that the beauty standard must change often or be one specific form is extremely toxic and often creates anxieties and body dysmorphia within women. Heroin chic is especially a scary trend to me because it pushes the idea that to be accepted and desirable within society, you must change aspects about yourself and even lose weight. And the trend is called heroin chic because when people became addicted to heroin, they lose excessive amounts of weight to the point of looking underweight and sick. This “trend” not only glorifies the tiny shape but takes it to the level of even looking ill, which is completely unhealthy and often comes with girls thinking that they need to eat less and workout more. Ultimately, the trend is toxic for developing minds and bodies. Celebrities like Khloé Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, and Bella Hadid come to mind when I think of “heroin chic.” There

Bella Hadid emulates the Heroin Chic archetype high end labels are currently enamored with. Photo courtesy of cnn.news.

Sequel to Black Panther satisfies

is even speculation surrounding whether Khloé and Kim got their Brazilian butt lift surgeries reversed to fit the heroin chic trope. The problem is celebrities this big are often culture drivers in society. In a way they can deem what’s cool and what’s not, and unfortunately set toxic beauty standards. As a member of the modeling industry, Bella Hadid has been directly exposed to this notion of skinny

Raigan’s Radio

RAIGAN CLAY Features Editor

Should rappers be allowed to say whatever they want in their songs? To me, the answer is yes, in accordance with freedom of speech. Music is an art form and should not be something that has to conform to society’s standards. So why are rappers’ lyrics being used against them in the court of law? Monday, May 9, rappers Young Thug and Gunna were arrested on 56 charges including violating RICO, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, which means alleged crime leaders are charged with taking responsibility for crimes they ordered to be committed by others in the organization. According to Britannica, since 1970, the act has been used extensively and successfully to prosecute thousands of individuals and organizations in the United States. Young Slime Life (YSL) is a record label Young Thug owns and runs. Prosecutors believe that YSL is an organized crime ring or involved in gang-related activity. The issue here is the courts are allowing Young Thug and Gunna’s music to be used to find them “guilty” of their crimes. At what line is freedom of speech taken away? Using their lyrics to find them guilty doesn’t necessarily support any of the charges against them. The courts are reaching for anything they can in the hope of putting these two black creators away, which isn’t just. Black creators have dealt with this for years. If art and entertainment are being created for the world, it is desirable and tolerated, but society is quiet when things like this arise, and it affects these artists’ personal lives. The justice system owes these rappers a fair judgement, and the fact that they are using their lyrics in a criminal case just isn’t right.

MARK-ANTHONY MEY

Staff Writer

is better and having to conform to those ideals held among that community. During Paris Fashion Week in October, Bella closed the show at Coperni wearing nothing but undergarments, and the designers spraypainted a dress onto her bare body, and that was what she walked in the show with. It was like her body was the thing being put on display, romanticizing her small shape.

Kim Kardashian, American socialite, unintentionally promotes the negative self image of many young girls due to her unattainable figure Photo courtesy of glamour.com.

Noteworthy and enthralling, the long-awaited sequel to Black Panther, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, recently took box offices by storm, breaking annual Billboard records across the globe. Despite the loss of lead actor Chadwick Boseman (T’Challa) in 2020, Marvel Studios continued the franchise through a shift of focus to other members of the character’s family and their actions in a world without him. The movie focuses on Shuri, T’Challa’s younger sister, and her shelter from grief within the world she knows. Change once more hits hard and fast, and Shuri must work with her mother, Queen Ramonda, and General Okoye to neutralize threats soon to be plaguing Wakanda and discover hidden secrets along the way. With many twists, turns, and heart-wrenching moments, the story is one you can’t look away from. Longtime fans of the Marvel franchise seem to support the storyline direction the studios took in creating a sequel without the established protagonist, greatly appreciating the work the entire movie crew put in to honor Boseman’s memory and Wakandan story. As the conclusion to Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universes, moviegoers rushed to the theater in past weeks and established it as the seventh top grossing film in 2022 with over $675 million in ticket sales. The movie’s success can be attributed to the hard work put in by production and post-production teams along with the easily observable personal connection returning members have to the series and characters. Overall, the film’s stunning sets, detailed costumes, beautiful musical score, and powerful scenes satisfied viewers globally.

Eugenides’ novel meditates on youth

JALYNN WOOLEY

Production Editor

Jeffery Eugenides’ Virgin Suicides is an exquisitely crafted book that unravels the beautifully eccentric and unique personalities of the five Lisbon sisters as the boys of their past investigate the reason for each girl’s untimely end. Although at first glance, one can assume that the story’s tale is an exposé of the oppression of creative and individual expression that occurred behind the Lisbon family’s very walls, when really the story reveals how much the devastating events of one household can have a reciprocating impact on the community that surrounds it. Eugenides’ debut novel explores femininity and proves the importance of freedom of choice in the development in any young child’s life. While exploring an extremely dark central theme, the author’s timeless tale reveals the struggles of adolescence as each sister attempts to grow and develop in a household in which they are restricted. Young readers can often find themselves relating to the sisters as they begin to tackle many of the same struggles in their developing lives. It is through these shared moments that they learn that life’s obstacles can lead to personal development when presented with the correct outlet for one’s frustrations, and how one bold decision can devastatingly impact the lives of loved ones.