em Magazine S/S 2016 "Instinct"

Photography: Mia Schaumburg

Volume 21 S/S 2016 Instinct

Editors-In-Chief Carina Allen Austin Wilder Design Director Carly Miller Photo Director Darren Samuels Fashion Director Blythe Bruwer

Assistant Editorial Director Marisa Dellatto Assistant Photo Director Adam Ward Writers Tyler Breen Conner Dial Luke Gibson Jenny Griffin Tommy Higgins Daniel Kam Caroline Long Courtney Major Jillian Meehan Kendall Stark Rebecca Szkutak Mia Zarrella Copyeditors Amanda Gutierrez Katherine Hildebrandt Design Casey Denton Julianna Sy Fashion Daniel Riva Beauty Clarissa Acosta Catherine Amoriggi Courtney Kaner Madeline Kawalek Peri Lapidus Sydney Orason Marissa Robinson Jessica Wei On The Cover Priscilla Ndikwani wearing Jeremy Scott from Riccardi

Editorial Director Jacqueline Weiss Beauty Director Cassia Enright Marketing Director Alex Sieklicki Web Editor Nicolas Damasio Photographers Lauren Cabanas Hannah Carpenter Becca Chairin Matthew Chauby Daniel Clemens Vishwang Gowariker Nydia Hartono Yasmina Hilal Matthew Lewis Ebrima Manjang Allison Nguyen Andri Raine Mia Schaumburg Marketing Kimberly Gonzalez Jesse Huang Kaylee Largay Sapni Ponguleti Julianna Sy Alice Yuan Special Thanks Joe O’Brien Mary Kovaleski The Tannery Riccardi Boston The Allen Family Emerson College

Contents

4• Letters From The Editors 6• The Theory Behind The Theorist 8• First Impressions 10• Following Instinct, Not Trend 14• Selfie 16• The Rocky Road To Discovery 18• A Modern Alpha 20• The History of Fashion 22• Atelophobia 25• Emotional Instinct 28• Written In The Stars

32• Squad Goals 34• Style by Instinct 36• The Joy Of The Frame 38• Ooh Daddy 40• Tarantism 42• The Animal Inside (The Club) 44• Human Nature 52• Chameleon 62• Shrouded 70• Transfusion 78• Through The Looking Glass

Letters From the Editors Not long ago, I was on the train to Danielle Brizel’s apartment to meet with the em Magazine executive board and plan the “Lies” issue.

The time in between that first meeting and now has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. This was my fifth semester with em, and third as Co-Editor in Chief. I’d like to think I have it figured out by now, but I am still constantly amazed at the work generated by our staff. Working alongside Carina Allen this semester has been an amazing experience.

She has a strong passion for what she does and is extremely talented.

This semester, we focused our work on the theme of “Instinct”. Instinct is something each and every one of us possess. It drives our decision-making and gives us our uniqueness.

In this issue, we analyze and discuss human instincts, and how they affect who we are. Our visuals are the results of creative instincts in which we act upon to make things that will captivate and inspire others.

From its inception, em Magazine has served as a voice for the students of Emerson College.

21 issues later, we continue to serve as the premiere lifestyle and fashion publication on campus. The experience one may gain from being a part of our staff can truly inspire them to pursue their passion. Many people have been in our shoes before, and have gone on to do great things. Not only am I excited for my own future, but also for my peers who I’ve work alongside for the past few years. You are all so talented and I can’t wait to see where your journeys take you.

I am so excited for all of those who have been a part of “Instinct”. You should all be very proud of the work you have accomplished.

My time with em Magazine comes to an end with this issue, but I’d like to think that my work ethic will live on, and that someone will keep making the call sheets. Keep writing, shooting, and creating this amazing content, and keep it classy.

Touring Emerson as a high school senior, em Magazine was shown to me as an example of the high caliber work that students create every semester. I was blown away and upon arriving at Emerson, I made it my priority to get involved with this publication. From day one as a photographer to working closely as Photo Director with Andrea Fernandez and Austin Wilder, last year’s Co-Editors-in-Chief, I have always held so much respect for all the students who contribute their hard work, time, and talent to this magazine. Andrea and Austin really took over em Mag at it’s biggest turning point, doubling the size of staff, introducing a website, and beginning with a brand new Executive Board. Working closely under their wings, I watched the magazine grow, learned how to overcome challenges, and made sure to always put out a magazine we were proud of, no matter what. I owe so much to them for taking the reigns when no one else was going to, and paving the way for me to step up and feel confident that I can now help lead this staff with Austin and with the support of an amazing E-Board.

Our staff this semester has been the strongest ever, and I would like to send them a million thanks for relying on their instincts, whether it be contributing creative insight, making quick judgement calls, or improvising when faced with obstacles. With the support of such a strong staff, my job this semester has been a lot easier than anticipated. For this semester’s issue, our photo and design staff created artistic works that remained unique from initial idea to final production, and the topics explored by our writers both question our impulses along with the ways we interact with ourselves and others. Once again I am impressed and intrigued by the work that students at our school have been able to come up with for this publication. Best wishes to Austin as he says goodbye to the em team, and I look forward to starting again with a fantastic team and some blank pages in the fall.

- Austin Wilder

- carina allen

The theory behind the theorist

Reed Kneski doesn’t skip a beat as he pulls up an interview with President Bush and Vice President Cheney following the 2001 terrorist attacks. The link is already purple— he’s done this before.

We’ve covered a lot of ground already with 9/11’s bizarre discrepancies, and it will segue into conversations of the Federal Reserve, mass shootings, and clandestine meetings with the world’s most powerful people. However, our conversation is anything but haphazard. Through our evolving web of conspiracies, there’s a mantra that keeps appearing: “Follow the money.”

Do you think that’s why we’re constantly being lied to?

Yeah, money, that’s what most of it comes down to. 9/11 happened so we could go to war in Iraq. People don’t really know about the Federal Reserve profiting... because they’re making so much money.

For Reed Kneski, Emerson VMA, class of 2018, this is only a recent hobby, though his knowledge of these subjects is intricate. To be well-versed in conspiracy theories is to be knowledgeable of economics, history, and government policy.

Reed isn’t anything like the stereotypical image of the fanatic conspiracy theorist. He exhibits a calm, level-headed demeanor as he gives me a tour of his room, but we hit the ground running. In our discussion revolving around lies and government trickeries, Reed is enigmatic and passionate. He a problem solver by nature—all he wants to know is the truth, which is more complex than you might think.

When did you start getting into conspiracy theories?

It was really only last year, freshman year. My friend and I. It was actually kind of bad, we made 9/11 posters like “Oh yeah the government did this” and hung them up. But... we didn’t actually think that. Then for College Writing I had to write an essay...it was just like: choose a controversial issue and pick a side. And I just thought it’d be fun to look into, and it just kinda

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Words: conner dial Photos: hannah carpenter

happened [laughs].

Does anybody in your family share this interest?

My dad goes along with it, sometimes. But my mom’s always like, “why are you telling me this? I’m too old for for this now, I can’t do anything about it.”

She’s like, “What are you doing putting me on a list?”

His room is where it all happens: you open the door to a typical boy’s bedroom (if a bit neater). But next to the dresser there’s a web of pictures and index cards with quotes and notes on them pasted to the wall with strings connecting everything—this is where Reed compiles the conspiracies he finds most fascinating.

How do you organize your wall?

I wanted to put like false flags and hoaxes, that sort of thing, right there and in the middle—the idea of the illuminati. And then modern politics on the right, and the corruption in that. And I recently started the history on the left.

What aspects of history?

[The] whole idea of the fascist police state end goal is that there’s a perpetual war going on and that’s what a lot of people theorize is the Middle East right now, that we’re trying to accomplish. Just always trying to have a war going on...

There’s also a lot of fishy stuff about the World Wars. We always talk about how we didn’t expect Pearl Harbor, and things like that, but Roosevelt increased aggressions on the Japanese and gave troops to the British on, I don’t know the specific date, but they broke the Geneva Convention by doing that, which gave Japan the right to attack us.

And they had to wait a specific number of days, and from the date we broke the Geneva Convention, after that specific number of days,

the day after was Pearl Harbor. So, I mean, to maybe the people didn’t expect Pearl Harbor to happen, but Roosevelt was itching to go to war.

He wanted to get in there, and make money for the Military Industrial Complex. Then, well, we dropped the hydrogen bomb on them.

How do you sort out the farfetched and legitimate theories?

It’s really the amount of evidence. Something like 9/11: every single component of it, there’s something weird going on. But I try not to be so definitive, like, “Oh, this is definitely an inside job.” Well, [with] 9/11 I am that, I do believe that.

With these theories, do you pick apart the elements of truth in them?

Yeah definitely. There’s so many components that go into them, and you really have to look at all the evidence that people say about a certain topic. If there’s one thing, then there’s not really enough to push you over the edge, so you do have to break it down and look at everything.

What makes Reed so reliable is his haunting sense of uncertainty—his reluctance to accept things at face value makes him stand out in a world that revolves around a philosophy of “all or nothing.” This characteristic is something that turned me, a skeptic, into a full blown believer.

How do you go about looking up conspiracy theories?

I usually use Reddit—/r/conspiracy. I use Twitter. There’s one called “Mass Deception” which is really cool. There’s a lot of informative pictures, but it can get a little (crazy). There’s like a conspiracy spectrum, where it can start passing the legit conspiracies into kind of the crazy ones.

What does your process look like?

It’s a lot of Google searches, that’s what it really comes down to. It’s a lot of watching YouTube videos. Everything you watch, everything you read, you have to take with a grain of salt, obviously. You have to check sources—which a lot of people don’t do and that’s what discredits a lot of conspiracy theorists. That’s what I think is a big problem of why people won’t accept, at least what I think, are legitimate conspiracy theories—because they get tied in like Michelle Obama’s a man, people think “obviously Michelle Obama’s not a man, obviously 9/11 wasn’t an inside job,” things like that. A lot of it has to do with back and forth between other people—if you can find them. It’s a lot of back and forth, noticing things that other people don’t or listening to other people who notice things you don’t.

What’s the burden of this knowledge?

I probably do get frustrated, and more angry at times than if I didn’t know this. I guess on the whole, ignorance is bliss, but I feel like most people, even if they aren’t going too in depth, realize that there’s a lot wrong with the world today.

Anything else?

Ted Cruz is totally the zodiac killer [laughs].

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For the first time I wish that all of the people I’ve ever fallen in love with on the train would line up outside my window. One by one, I would tell them how I’ve named them all after poets, artisanal cheeses, and my Webkinz pets from 2006. I would recite to them their backstories, shocking all of them with my accuracy and dainty footwork as I skip down the line past the glorious gaggle of people I know everything about. We would replay the seven-second eye lock we experienced on the train and laugh like a woman eating salad in a stock photo. Then the dreadful moment would come where the mysterious-looking one I had named “Sylvia Plath” (she was not love, I will realize, simply lust) will look at me and call me weird, explaining that I do not know her at all— in fact, I do not know any of them.

This slightly psycho vignette from my life is due to magical miniscule moments in time called “first impressions”; those supernatural, seven-second suspensions of time and space where millions of sparks and thought bubbles jumble around like pinballs, desperately forming fairytales, personalities, and coulda-shoulda-wouldas. This imperative window of time can dictate the way a relationship will work out. The stakes are high and we, the people, have no control over this type of judgement day as everything that goes on within those crucial moments is subconscious. It is very easy to make excuses when first meeting someone and brush off their antics as nervous laughter or shy syndrome; however, listening to your friends when they tell you that he isn’t good for you is a smart and sassy move because first impressions are surprisingly accurate—so please believe them when they tell you that he sucks, because he probably kicks lap dogs and thinks Billy Joel is for sad moms.

“When a person presents themselves in even a slightly genuine way,” explained my gal pal and social psychology guru Morgan Anne Donegan, “the one making the judgement detects the truth, forms a solid opinion, and the impression, probably spot on, evolves from there.” Listening to her speak, my mind wandered to my first impression of her. As I listened to Donegan, my now-best friend, I thought back to the day where she brushed against me during my first day of college. She was gentle, and looked at me with eyes that seemed to have a “welcome home” doormat draped above them. This first glimpse I had of her was a trait that she has explained she reflects intentionally. While it is almost impossible to have control over the impression you make of others, it is shown that you may be able to manage what others get from you. “Every time you meet someone new, you are fully aware of what impression you want to give off,” Donegan said.

I thought to myself in this moment, Fuck, I wonder what she thought of me—Jenny Griffin, Human Disaster. “I remember you in an oversized

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Words: Jenny Griffin Illustration: Julianna Sy

brown sweater, glasses and high pony tail,” she said. “You told me all about your illegal escapades and I thought to myself, ‘that’s the one, that’s my Jenny girl.’” Cute, right? This flavor of first impression is limited edition. It is the kind that only happens when Jupiter is aligned with the ocean and the sky is every shade of pretty. Some of us just get lucky on these days and make perfectly accurate first impressions, usually mutually positive. These are the times we meet our soulmates, our role models, and our gal pals/social psychology gurus/best friends.

In some cases, it is easy to enter the first impression boxing ring on the defense, with prior speculation before the actual seven-second showdown begins. “When you meet someone for the first time, and you already have been given insight on them, everything they project onto you will be jaded by the information you already know,” said Donegan, with a been-there-done-that tone. This can unfortunately spiral into a misrepresentation of the person and ruin a relationship that was judged too quickly—basically, when you hate all of the people that your best friend hates just from a skewed story passed through too many grapevines and games of telephone.

A side of impressions that I have been skillfully avoiding is the influence of stereotypes.

Ah yes, the poison that runs through the veins of our culture and masterfully puts up walls of unnecessary speculation. People are fairly good at assessing personality traits of others in general, but there appears to be a difference in initial judgments between older and younger adults. A study about first impressions says, “Older adults made rash impressions due to stereotypes influenced by race, speech, and physical attractiveness, while younger adults slightly focused more on whether the person showed levels of kindness or hostility.”

The moral of the story in this case is that you should make sure you aren’t an asshole at orientation week, and never forget to straighten your hair before interacting with great aunts you’ve never met.

I’m not telling you to change yourself, but as someone who is 40 percent asshole and 60 percent frizzy hair, I recommend at least trying to be aware of what is happening when you are making a first impression. Try not to talk about your Brita filter, your anger regarding the plastic Easter candy Peeps, or how you haven’t changed your sheets since August 27. It may seem funny for seven seconds, but from personal experience, I have learned that the best first impressions are made with a simple smile and the full intention of letting all of the people that you’ve ever fallen in love with on the train know how weird you are at a later date—hopefully your wedding date.

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Following Instinct, Not Trend It’s comparable to the feeling of attraction. You see somebody and you’re drawn to them: their eyes, their mouth, their movements. You like them, but you also like how they make you feel. This feeling, for some people, is caused by retail.

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Instead of features and mannerisms, it’s details and threads, material and fit. It’s a full body experience when a person finds a special garment. Their fingers tingle while touching the fabric, and their eyes attentively focus on the pattern

Words: Mia Zarrella Photos: Vishwang Gowariker

of the threading. The garment’s color renders comfort and confidence in its consumer, and the consumer knows it’s right because it feels right. This sensation extends beyond simply liking the clothing: it’s an intuitive desire. The piece of

clothing appears as a piece of theirself.

“It’s really a gut thing where I’m drawn to some colors and patterns and shapes--it’s a certain feeling,” said Visual and Media Arts major Lorenzo Rossi, ‘18. “It’s a visceral thing.

It’s not something I can really label.”

Rossi prefers shopping in second-hand stores, enjoying the diverse and unique inventory. His hands swiftly skim through fabrics as his eyes examine the pieces, not stopping until something provokes a reaction.

“I think my thinking is that’s how people view things.

Somebody passes you on the street, and you see their clothes and then you don’t,” said Rossi.

Whether or not the passerby’s fashion leaves an impression reveals if we automatically like their style.

There’s something interesting, though, in noticing that multiple passersby have similar styles.

The tendency for diverse groups of people to follow the same looks seems to go against intuition. Falling victim to the common style

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is easy when we are persistently taught what’s “hot” or what the “Top Ten Looks are for Summer” are. Marketing ploys, along with the lavishness that the fashion industry projects, can be held responsible for trend-setting. Then again, the idea of an abundance of people being drawn to high quality and high fashion products isn’t necessarily inconceivable—things are popular for a reason.

“I think growing up with all these media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, people always put the best versions of themselves out there, and they are too scared to show anything else. And that makes people scared to be themselves. If all they see is one image, that’s what everyone is going to think is the normal,” said Communications Studies major Shoshana Baraschi-Ehrlich, ‘18.

Because of how accessible it is to self-advertise, the growth of the self-referential dresser, whose wardrobe is determined by Insta-celebs, the Kardashian-West-Jenner clan or New York Fashion Week, is seemingly exponential as long as media exists. Overexposure overwhelms the consumer and either fosters mimicry or challenges them to adopt and alter the trend, or avoid it altogether. The media lends a hand in homogenizing fashion, but it can also widely exhibit and motivate the different and unique.

“I really do enjoy separating myself, but I don’t think it’s entirely conscious,” said Baraschi-Ehrlich whose style is heavily influenced

by Parisian fashion, stemming from her background and experiences living in Paris.

Our distinctive appearance, how we dress and present ourselves to the world, is our style. Two forces impact style: our identity, an inner force, and our environment, an external force. The external force could be a parent or friend, your culture and surroundings or the retail world. The inner force is our truest identity, an identity we may or may not be fully in touch with, but nonetheless impacts our decisions in numerous ways every day. How and why we pick the clothes we wear carries an ambiguous significance.

“I think that there are some times when I think that I’m picking what my style is, and I think I’m being innovative or cool. But if I think about it, there is something in my life that happened or something that changed in me that inspired the change [in style],” said Baraschi-Ehrlich.

Perhaps we can’t know our true style until we know our true selves.

After all, fashion is a utility for expression. Solely wearing diluted versions of store mannequins muffles what’s boiling within us. Style is our own distinctive appearance: something that cannot be mass-produced because it is innate. It is a statement, not a product.

Rossi said, “I think you can tell a lot by how people dress. If you ever try and say, ‘Can’t judge a person by the clothes they wear,’ that’s just

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rubbish. Even if you can tell that a person doesn’t care about their clothes, that says something.”

“The Greats” of individual style are the people who created an exterior that matched their interior, styling themselves as a way to represent their personality. Designer Diane Von Fürstenburg, style icon Iris Apfel and music icons David Bowie and Elton John may come to mind as people whose styles are famously individual and unmistakably them.

Time eventually reveals our patterns in dressing and our evolution as people. My extensive collection of Aeropostale graphic T-shirts in sixth grade is proof of how I dressed to fit in with what advertisements told me a girl my age should be wearing. I didn’t have a sense of my own style because my sense of self was still developing. Clothing can give impressions—false or accurate—but when used expressively and honestly, clothes manifest as unspoken stories.

“I think what you wear really affects how you are, how you feel, how you move, how you exist. So I think it is important, in all aspects of life, to vary and step out of your comfort zone,” said Rossi.

Stepping out of our comfort zone could entail shopping in either the men’s or women’s department until we find what we feel good wearing and determine how far we are willing to reach outside our comfort zones.

“It has to be a stream of consciousness to pick that item. It can’t be something that you’re stressing over,” says Barashi-Ehrlich. “You have to feel good in it. I think that a lot of people are scared to do that because you can get criticized.”

Maybe “style nirvana” is reached when we know we’ve aesthetically represented ourselves, when we don’t feel self-conscious, and when we can appreciate other people’s attire without second-guessing our own.

The necklaces we never take off or the bracelets we wear through the seasons: from swimming pools to snowball fights, grow and evolve with us. These special pieces of our wardrobe end up being special pieces of us. Their coloring may change as our aura may change.

It takes a strong sense of character and, moreover, the ability to recognize what embodies us, to dress instinctively. It implies feeling comfortable enough in our own skin to wear clothing that will act as an extension of us, as if an additional membrane of our own design.

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Selfie

photoset by Nydia Hartono

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The rocky road to discovery Allaire Rae Conte has found her home.

This discovery came after a period of unrest and uncertainty in Conte’s life. A softball injury to the knee left her with complex regional pain syndrome, or the misfiring of nerves resulting in continuous pain. After a rejected spinal cord transplant, she found herself bedridden and unsure if she would ever achieve her college dreams.

After an intensive two-week clinic, however, her condition changed from night to day. Feeling much better with a quick acceptance into Northern Arizona University, her collegiate journey began.

Studying everything from statistics to criminology to geology, the now Emerson senior Writing, Literature, and Publishing major had quite the journey from “looking at rocks” to finding where she belonged at Emerson.

What originally made you decide to study geology?

[At Northern Arizona University] I switched around majors a lot, and I took

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Words: Rebecca Szkutak Photo: adam ward

a class in geology. My professor took me aside one day and she was like “You’re really good at this, and I think you should consider majoring in it.” I was like, “That sounds cool,” so I took more classes, and I was like “Yeah, this is amazing.” I really loved it because we got to hike all the time.

Other than hiking, what were your favorite parts? What drew you to it?

It’s really surprisingly fascinating. It’s so complex how much geology influences our everyday life. When you think about natural disasters, that’s all geology. Even hurricanes. We would study weather patterns and all that good stuff. Volcanology is so fricking cool - it’s amazing. The Earth has the most incredible capacity to destroy itself. We are on a ticking time bomb. It’s cool just to be able to learn about that kind of stuff in the classroom, and NAU is in a mountain town. There are a lot of volcanoes around, so we were just right there, and we were immersed in it. We could see what we were learning

about, which made it that much more interesting.

What made you realize it might not be for you?

In an ideal world, I would love to study geology, but all of the jobs you can get with a geology degree are mostly working for the oil industry and going out and exploiting the things that we were learning about. That was hard to reconcile with my environmentalist agenda, and I don’t want to imply that I’m prejudiced against geologists who work for oil companies, because a lot of what geologists do is keep us safe, but it’s just not something I could see myself doing.

Tell me about the transition to deciding what you wanted to do after that.

It was so random. My uncle was like, “You need to get out of Arizona,” and my uncle is from Phoenix, too.” He was like, “I left and never looked back. Get out of there. It’s going to destroy you,” and I thought he was being really dramatic.

He was like, “Just apply to transfer,” and

I was like, “I’m not going to get in anywhere.” He was like, “Just do it and see what happens.” I applied to all of these random programs. I applied to geology programs, I applied to criminology programs and I applied to creative writing programs. I got into my two top programs, which were Emerson and University of Puget Sound. My uncle was like, “Awesome. I’m going to fly you out to these colleges. Check them out and see what you think.” I went to University of Puget Sound [located in Tacoma, Washington], it was really cool, but it seemed really comparable to what I was experiencing at NAU. But then I came here, and I was like, “This is where I was meant to be.” There was just something about it; I instinctively knew.

Can you remember what about Emerson made you specifically want to come here?

It just seemed so radically different from what I was used to, and really focused.

I was really taken aback by how many resources they give us here. Like how nice the computers are in the library, like how nice this room is right now—I was really taken aback by that specifically. Also, I met this guy on my tour, Harry. He showed me around Boston

“The Earth has the most incredible capacity to destroy itself. We are on a ticking time bomb.”

afterwards and was just super friendly.

He answered all of my questions, and that kind of personal connection was really helpful. He was going to be [a] WLP [major], and we talked about books all day. It just seemed like a place where I was going to fit in.

So you are saying that you might want to do some kind of writing surrounding geology. Have you done any of that yet?

I did a little bit. I wrote for a geology blog. It was pretty science-y. It was pretty bland, but I would love to read it now. In the Pacific Northwest, there is a subduction boundary of plates where one plate is slowly going under another. That creates the tectonic environment that will eventually trigger a major earthquake - a huge earthquake that will trigger a tsunami. It’s called a megathrust, and geologists know this: they know it’s a one-in-three chance it’s going to happen during our lifetime. Even though they know all that, they know, politically, nothing is being done to prepare. It would be very similar-scale as that tsunami, but Japan was so much more prepared for that. They have sensors on their gas valves that would automatically go off as soon as the P-waves went through the plates.

We don’t have anything like that. So, if we were in the same circumstance, the damage would be much, much worse. I would love to be able to write about that and bring attention to that issue and other issues like that. Geologists know all of this stuff, but they don’t really have a platform to share that info, so I’d love to.

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A Modern Alpha It’s morning by the time the last guest leaves. Meeker spews drunken goodbyes to anyone who will listen as my friend begins to usher him out. I flew in just 12 hours ago. 11 hours ago, Adam Simon decided we were throwing a party; 30 minutes later, what felt like every young, successful, and beautiful person in New York City showed up, and it has been a wonderful blur of handshakes and shared drinks ever since. Throughout this journey, Adam guides me through the sea of unknown faces—he doesn’t even know everyone here, but he doesn’t care; everyone here already knows him and wants to be known by him. As the Uber driver saves the last drunken soul, Adam grabs a cigarette and a seat on the couch across from me as I try to figure out what makes him the man.

“In every group there’s going to be an alpha,” Adam says.

“There’s always going to be someone that is going to dominate the group and have control over the others.” Adam is a director and the type of man that everyone wants to be friends with. No matter where you go with him he is good friends with someone there and will show you the time of your life. He has boyish good looks and arrogant charm that you either fall for or want to strangle him over, but, regardless,

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Words: Daniel Kam Design: Carly Miller he demands your respect and attention.

Adam believes that this is all just “a part of our nature, our desire to follow an alpha is no different to any animal.” And he is right. Embedded in the backs of our minds are the survival instincts from millions of years of ancestors—to live, they all had to work together and follow the alpha while still trying to become him. To get that position, one would have to kill the older leader and prove that they are the strongest and the toughest. Today we pretty much do the same thing, just with slightly less bloodshed. We all still want what the alpha has: power, influence, and the desire and envy of both men and women. Since killing has become less acceptable, we have moved on to other ways of establishing dominance through more civil means.

One of the more obvious ways we prove our worth is through the way we dress, and according to Adam, “it’s a direct representation of your dominance; it’s the reason you have some people spending thousands of dollars on clothes, to look better than others.” Like a peacock strutting its feathers, the flashy clothes people buy are their way of showing they’re worth more than you and that they deserve your admiration. Adam doesn’t personally believe

this but knows how important “flexing” is to some people’s identities. In his definition of “alpha,” the way a person carries himself is the most important, and according to Amy Cuddy, a social psychologist at Harvard University, this is correct.

A trait that has stuck with us since the beginning of time is the way we react to body language. In the animal kingdom, the alpha tried to appear as big as possible so show off their strength, and that mentality sticks around today.

The people who walk around with their shoulders back and head held high not only establish dominance over others, but also convince themselves that they are powerful by having that alpha posture. From simply standing in a powerful position for a few minutes a day, Cuddy and her team discovered that subjects saw an increase in their testosterone that led them to act in more alpha ways, such as showing a willingness to take more risks and feeling more outgoing. The subjects faked confidence until it became real and their minds were convinced that they were truly as powerful as they felt.

This is what makes someone truly an alpha in the eyes of Chris Mojumdar; it’s not about how others perceive you, it’s about how you feel about yourself.

“If you think about other people and what they think about you, then you’re not an alpha,” Chris said. “An alpha shouldn’t pay these people any mind and just focus on themselves.”

Chris is a student nurse and has the build both men and women dream of: broad shoulders with a seemingly inhuman amount of muscle. He’s done every sport from the floor of the ocean to the inside of the cage. If we still established alphas through fights to the death, I would put my money on him. Although he has the ability to establish his dominance over others through sheer force, Chris believes that an alpha is one who cares only about his own opinion. “It’s total freedom,” he said. “You don’t even think about what other people have to say, they aren’t in your thought process.”

While many seek the validation of others to prove their alphaness, Chris believes that doing that is the least alpha thing you can do. By acting for others, he said, “you lose what being an alpha is all about—acting for your best interests and having others follow your confidence and leadership.” According to Chris, an alpha does not have a moment of realization where he is an alpha, because when one is truly alpha, “you won’t care about how others label

you, or whether or not they think you’re alpha.”

Despite both displaying alpha tendencies, neither Adam nor Chris described themselves as an alpha male, stating that they were too aware and self-conscious of their flaws to truly be alphas. While they have not become alphas yet, they’re closer than most people, as many have lost the true meaning of being an alpha. Somewhere along the way, the term “alpha” has become an excuse for people to act like tools—it became a word thrown around by frat stars and those who idolize Jordan Belfort to justify their animalistic urges to party, fuck, and fight.

While these tendencies still exist in all of us to some extent, we are no longer the animals that killed each other to establish dominance; we’re better than that, and our leaders should reflect that. A modern alpha is not someone who has something to prove, a modern alpha cares about self-improvement and the bettering of their community, and takes action to reach their goals.

An alpha should no longer be this brute force who fights their way to the top. An alpha should inspire others and be the guiding force a group needs.

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Why we wear

“Wearing clothes is what made us have to wear clothes,” said Mary Harkins, matter of factly. She sat leisurely at her desk, adorned in all black aside from her chic silk scarf effortlessly placed across her bosom.

The woman knew what she was talking about. With a master’s and Ph.D. in theatre, she came to Emerson as a costume designer.

Harkins wears many hats: one as a member of the Professional Designers Union, one as the head of the theatre design tech program at Emerson and another as a part of the academic administration teaching the influence of society and culture on clothes.

I stared wide-eyed at the vessel of knowledge sitting across from me. She continued on, breathing out a long-winded response to my not-so-simple question - why do humans wear clothes?

“It’s a commonly held theory that [humans first] wore clothes to decorate, for adornment, not to protect,” Harkins explained.

The human body should be able to adjust to many circumstances.

Through our cotton coddling, it’s no longer able to.

The need to beautify and embellish ourselves does not serve a merely aesthetic purpose. As Harkins puts it, “It’s all about making one look different from and a part of. Humans want to be part of a community, a social group or country, but we also want to be separate.” Clothes, says Harkins, are this unifier and differentiator.

“Something about who you are is expressed in what you are wearing. Every day we make psychological decisions,” she explained.

Opening up another can of worms, she sat back in her seat and smirked. “That’s why humans wear clothes. But clothes are not fashion, fashion is an ever-changing cycle.” Harkins explained to me the simple circle of fashion: a trend is initiated by a group, it is adapted by another, it goes out of style and then we start anew.

While clothes have existed for centuries upon centuries, fashion did not. “Clothes can exist without fashion,” said Harkins, surprising me. Think Imperial Rome. With a rigid class structure, so rigid that

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Words: Marisa Dellatto Photo: ebrima manjang

the only way you could enter the high class was to be born into it, there wasn’t much movement within the ranks. “You have a class that is able to control what each class [below it] can wear,” she explained.

“What it takes to have a cycle of fashion is a middle class,” said Harkins. Think England during the Middle Ages: the first time a middle class was able to exist. “You have a middle class - folks who have income who want to look like the upper class,” she explained, her southern charm radiating with every word she spoke. The technical term for this influence on fashion is deemed “trickle down” - when a trend starts at a high class, is copied by the middle and then goes out of fashion.

The royals and elites weren’t too pleased with this. Up until that point, you could simply identify a person’s class with a glimpse at their outfit. The peasants were complicating this. Sumptuary laws were put in place to dictate who could wear what. Only royalty could wear the color purple.

They didn’t last too long, though.

“You can’t govern that kind of human behavior,” said Harkins.

Flash forward to the 20th century, and the elite were not the only ones making a lasting statement.

Tr i c k l e - a c r o s s fashion - “when a style appears simultaneously across social structures” - was

“What it takes to have a cycle of fashion is a middle class.”

first established at this time, according to Harkins.“Because we had mass production, we had mass consumption.”

As part of an effort to aid World War II, the government encouraged factories.

After the war, the factories “re-tooled” to make consumer goods, such as clothes.

Because of this, a style was able to emerge across all social constructs. “The Mad Men look, the Christian Dior ‘New Look’, Marilyn Monroe, the hourglass look - large bust, small waist, full hip -” illustrated Harkins, “It was relatively simple to produce in a factory.” Everyone from housewives to stars of the silver screen were seen in this curvaceous and classic silhouette.

“H&M is a perfect example of trickle-across,” said the fashion expert, bringing it back to something I could grasp.

“They take trends and reproduce them in a low-cost way. [Their clothes] are not designed to last in your wardrobe, just to stay until a new trend comes in.”

“Trickle-up comes from a subculture group that comes into the mainstream,” Harkins explained, switching gears to the third translation of fashion. “Hippies had a huge influence on mainstream America.” This “youth culture” of the ‘60s infused itself into every aspect of society. The group identified with what they saw as “real and honest cultures, with the working class and Native Americans,” said Harkins.

Blue Jeans came into play in the meeting of the 19th and 20th centuries as a laborer’s pant. They were built to outlast anything. Because of the hippies, jeans are now a staple in every wardrobe.

“Fringe, suede, beads, long hair, these are all from Native Americans,” said Harkins of the psychedelic influence.

Hip hop culture has found it’s way up into our lives and fashions of today. “Oversized t-shirts, baggy jeans, oversized sneakers, that’s all hip hop,” commented Harkins.

Nowadays, things are a little different.

Current fashion can’t be explained by a simple trickle-up or

down scenario. “Things are going on in the fashion world today that speak volumes to American Culture,” commented Harkins, reminding me that she says this as a part of that culture. “We’re obsessive and acquisitive,” she said.

Instead of buying what we like, we’ve become obsessed with one or two specialty goods. With influence from social media stars who post what they have, shoppers now feel the need to copy and hunt down a golden ticket item.

“Two years ago, Louis Vuitton released the Pochette Metis [handbag]. It caught the attention of the fashion Youtubers.

Getting a bag became impossible. You couldn’t buy it in the store. It became a price point that it shouldn’t be, and you had people that shouldn’t spend that money on a bag [spending it],” she explained. Through the corner of my eye I spotted a LV printed bag on her desk.

Think of the Birkin Bag, an exclusive “It” item by Hermes since the eighties.

Named after Jane Birkin, it is the epitome of a celebrity-only steal. You can’t buy this bag in stores. Even if you have the tens of thousands of dollars to drop on the handmade leather status symbol, it’s not for everyone. Birkin bags can only be obtained by knowing someone who can put you on a list. From there, the wait could be years. Those who have it walk around as if they are medieval queens adorned in purple.Very few people have the opportunity to look the way they do.

“Because of the acquisitive nature of this country and social media, people have something that wouldn’t have belonged in his or her class. As a result, the prices have gone up [to maintain eliteness], but the quality has gone down, at least in my opinion,” said Harkins, laughing at the reality of the situation.

Instead of royalty, we have celebrities. Their connections and star power dictate the ways of the fashion world.

Social media serves as the looking-glass by which the everyday Joe is able to see into the lifestyles “above” them. We are able to reach high - just enough to get one or two items from outside our own world. To stay elite, designers use price to keep their products for the high-andmighty. And then we start anew.

“Class is still an influence, but it is not a barrier,” Harkins said. “Chanel is trying to become the same league as Hermes.

But it’s nowhere near the esteem and prestige.” The race continues.

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Atelophobia

I’m not afraid of public speaking, I am slightly terrified of mice, but am I afraid of not being liked? I want to say no, but then I asked myself: Do I worry if I’m appreciated, liked, hated, tolerated, or maybe even adored by others? Yes. Definitely. All day. Every day.

The fear of not being loved or not feeling good enough is atelophobia. Occasionally, some days more than others, I suffer from atelophobia. “Ateles,” the greek root word for meaning imperfect or incomplete, defines this shallow phobia of mine. But I was not born thinking about my image, and self-centeredness is not a quality of either of my parents. So where did this phobia come from, and why do I care so much what others think of me? Everywhere I look, I see fellow atelophobes, people scared of unacceptance.

Especially at Emerson, your image is everything. It’s rare to see someone whose richness of character, or general personality precede their style or their talents. It’s so much a part of our culture now, and something certain people thrive in. I feel the vapidness surrounding me, pushing me to try something new, wear

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Words: tommy higgins Photos: adam ward

something else, and it tells me that the current “me” in this very moment, isn’t good enough. My style is not fresh, not edgy, not “something” enough.

This is part of the terror waged against us all on a daily basis. And it’s fake terror. My insecurities are an insult to the kids my age and younger who face real violence everyday, and yet I

still fall into same materialistic, psychological bullshit. All I want is to feel good enough, to be loved, free from society’s threats against my state of peace and love. What is society, though? And how is my own perception of love under fire?

If you grew up watching any Disney Princess movies, you will understand.

My favorite “tale as old as time” love

story is Beauty and the Beast. It challenged every movie I had seen before where you needed to have rich ancestors or prince-like looks to find love.

And Belle and the Beast’s love was undoubtedly special. In a way, there was “ateles” or feeling of incompleteness throughout the story. Despite all of

the public’s general opinion about the Beast, and his animal appearance, Belle loves him regardless. The story is one of the only Disney stories that gives you a complete picture of love, giving you a glimpse into the total imperfection that is love. To me, Disney represents society and its’ movies idealize a false

kind of love. Yes, they’re for children but they conditioned us 90’s kids into thinking as long as you find a “prince” or “princess” and the right circumstances, then it’s all good.

The movies end, and the picture is complete. The climax is all you need.

And yet, here we are today, where

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relationships are compromised for climaxes, people having sex with no circumstances with no strings attached and the few who do break through the strictly sex pal status, those end poorly too. It’s because we accept the wrong kind of images as the ideal image.

What I want, is not to hear about celebrities lives, and not to endlessly think about what I need to change about myself.

Instead, I’m mentally and emotionally dying to find out the secrets to life that can’t be solved with a 12 minute Ted Talk.

Something tells me I need to start exploring less online, and surfing the web of my inner self. My peaceful self, the self who is okay with wearing my own clothes, inspired by me.

When I try to revisit of the purest moments of atelophobia in my life, I go back to the days of starting college. I think back to a younger me, ready to cement myself as a man, with a new and slightly better image. So much of what I think is cool, funny, or interesting about the me that I already know so well, aren’t necessarily things a prospective friend will be able to pick up on. This scared me. Life was going

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to be different, but would I be different? I fantasized about a slightly more attractive me. Every single day I imagined myself in outfits I would never own with friends I hoped I would have. Years of disney channel prepped my 18 year old mind for this. Like talented guy friends who thought I was funny, and pretty hipster girls who thought I was cute and smart. Those two groups lined my fantasies.

When you free yourself from these harmful narratives, life gets more simple. You can see the oppressive Dinsey society that molded you into the hopeless lover that you are, but you also what a classic like Beauty and the Beast may have shown you. Next time you meet someone you like, think about the wise words of the singing teapot. Remember no one is perfect, no love is perfect, no one is normal. She sings about the love and meeting of Belle and the Beast “Just a little change, small to say the least, both a little scared, neither one prepared, Beauty and the Beast.”

Emotional instinct Photoset by Becca Chairin

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Written In The Stars Words: jillian meehan Illustrations: Carly Miller

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From the moment you’re born, your life is predetermined.

Your personality, your relationships, your career, and even your health are all put into place according to the position of the planets at the exact moment of your birth. Astrology defines your entire life for you, so you might as well just sit back and let it happen.

At least, that’s one perception.

For some, astrology is a ride-or-die religion—horoscopes should be checked daily before making any major decisions, people born under certain “sun signs” should be avoided at all costs lest personalities clash, and certain precautions should be taken during phenomena like “Mercury retrograde,” a period of time that occurs three to four times a year during which Mercury appears to start moving backward. It’s big stuff.

For the uninitiated, astrology is the study of the relationships between the planets, the sun, and the moon. If you’ve ever checked your horoscope in the back of a magazine, you probably already know your sun sign, also commonly referred to as your zodiac sign, which is based on what day of the year you were born—in astrology, this is the strongest representation of who you are. But everyone’s personality is multifaceted, and that multifacetedness can be explained by examining a person’s full natal chart, which acts as a map of the planets relative to the time and location of their birth. So, while you have a sun sign, you also have a rising sign, a moon sign, and other planetary placements, each of which has a special meaning based on where it appears on your chart.

If it sounds confusing, that’s because it is. Astrology is not easily explained, just like no person can be easily understood. Obviously, it takes a bit more than just knowing a person’s birthday to know who they are as a person. And obviously, not even a full natal chart will be able to accurately predict someone’s life—nor is it meant to. Joanna Martine Woolfolk, author and astrologer, says it best in her bestselling book The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need: “Astrology cannot transform your life—only you can do this.”

Still, everyone’s perceptions of astrology are different. While some do subscribe to it, not everyone believes the practice is legitimate. Mia Miller, a

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freshman BFA Acting major and Capricorn, said, “I know it’s not accurate because I can literally relate to all of [the horoscopes], they’re all blanket statements.”

Take the horoscopes from Broadly’s website, which are written by astrologer Annabel Gat, for example. On March 28, my horoscope—for Scorpio—read, “The Moon has entered lucky, abundant Sagittarius, and you’re ready for some luck and abundance in your financial life. It’s a great day to think about your relationship to money, especially around how you feel it allows you to have fun or be creative.” This is good advice, but is it specific to me? If I read a different horoscope—like the one for Sagittarius, which advises, “eat all your favorite foods today, Sagittarius!”—it doesn’t feel any more or less relevant to my life.

“For the most part, astrological predictions feel random,” Lala Thaddeus, a sophomore Communication Studies major and Gemini, said. And it’s true—you can claim that horoscopes are based on the position of the planets on a given day, but in the end, the interpretation of that might apply to anyone, regardless of when they were born.

However, this doesn’t mean that astrology has no effect on your life. A horoscope may not be able to accurately predict your day, but reading it may contribute to how you approach certain situations in your life, lending a new aspect of mindfulness to your day. For example, if your horoscope mentions experiencing money problems or relationship trouble, regardless of whether you experience either, you might end up paying more attention to your spending habits and how you communicate with people. Thaddeus agreed with this, saying that astrology “can, to some extent, have an effect on our lives by encouraging us to do things, sometimes even things that we wouldn’t normally do,” but she also pointed out that this can create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

“Let’s say you read your horoscope in the morning and it tells you that you meet someone cute at a coffee shop today. Later on that day when you’re at the coffee shop, you’re going to feel the courage to go up and introduce yourself to someone because that’s what you think you were ‘meant’ to do today.

So in the end, the horoscope turned out to be true only because you made it into a reality,” she said.

Jess Filippone, a sophomore Journalism student and Aries, confirmed this. As a middle-schooler, she used to write horoscopes for her school’s newspaper. “It’s all pure bullshit,” she said, from her firsthand experience. Still, checking her horoscope is part of her nightly routine. “I might read something and then the next day think back and be like, ‘That kinda made sense, that kinda resembled my day.’”

Horoscopes can, in this way, be a source of comfort. Filippone said that reading her horoscope

“Astrology is not easily explained, just like no person can be easily understood.”

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helps put her at ease and has helped with her anxiety. “Someone’s telling me it’s going to get better,” she said. Miller feels similarly, and said, “Horoscopes kind of make people feel like some hidden force knows what they’re going through, so that’s helpful to some.”

Jake Schwartz, junior VMA major and Gemini, feels differently. “It’s okay if it makes you happy,” he said, “but that’s a cop-out for being like, ‘Well my problems aren’t my problems, my problems are planets’ problems.’ That removal of responsibility is not okay.” The danger in believing in astrology, he said, comes in the tendency to rely on the planets to fix things in your life when, in reality, they cannot help you.

This goes back to what Woolfolk says in her book—only you can change your life. Looking to astrology for guidance, or just for fun, is one thing.

Choosing to rely on astrology is quite another, and not only can it negatively affect you, it can affect the people around you as well.

“It shouldn’t affect other people. God forbid you hire people and you get the person’s application and you’re like, ‘Oh, they’re a Sagittarius, they’re not going to get along with anyone here.’ That’s so far from being okay,” Schwartz said. “I think it’s super weird that someone could go, ‘Oh, you’re born in this month so clearly we can’t be friends’ or ‘We’re going to get along really well because you were born in this month.’”

“There’s no scientific evidence to prove that it at all has any truth to it,” he said. “To say that you can judge someone based on when they were born is a very strange concept and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”

That being said, exploring the traits of your sun sign or looking up your natal chart to gain insight into yourself can be fun and interesting; with horoscopes, you may find yourself giving a second thought to how you handle certain situations, or paying more attention to certain personality traits. In this way, astrology encourages a degree of mindfulness and self-awareness that can only be unlocked by putting your faith in the planets. “If anything,” Filippone said, “it just makes you think.”

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Squad goals You never quite realize the harrowing fear of eating alone in a high school cafeteria until you live it. Of course, I’d seen it in the movies and TV shows, where the transfer kid hasn’t quite broken into the social scene of the school and is forced to sip their chocolate milk in the company of a deserted table.

But suddenly, I was in the middle of it: gripping that blue tray to myself and scanning the crammed canteen for any open offers. As a new kid who had just moved from another country, I didn’t care about missing the bus or keeping up with classes. I just wanted to find people to eat my damn lunch with. I just wanted to find a pack.

The pack mentality spreads into almost every crevice of human function.

We’re social animals. We once hunted, built shelter, and fought together. And we can never quite shake the need to belong. I’m a creature of the modern world with easy access to a shower and a supermarket, but unfortunately that’s not everything I need to survive. There’s no escaping the nagging instinct to

Words: Luke Gibson Photo: Matthew Chauby

be part of something bigger. It drives us to find groups where we can define ourselves - through sport, bloodlines, or just by who’s cool and who isn’t. It

different. In high school, being different is cause for becoming a lightning rod,” said Benson.

Benson explained that the lightning rod is a key position in every social pack. While most groups have an alpha, the leader, and a handful of betas, there’s also a space reserved for this appropriately named role. To put it simply, the lightning rod attracts the brunt of the mockery and criticism from other members. At the end of the day they’re still in the pack, but they hold the least power. So why would anyone put up with that?

“A lot of it also has to do with the fact that, in high school, your friends are the ones who live around you. You don’t have as much say in who you hang out with because location plays a big part in it. High school is a pretty small place. Then competition plays a lot into it. Everyone wants to have the power in the group,” said Benson.

He’s right. And while the pettiness of cliques is easily shed after the 12th grade, it doesn’t mean we lose the

“The lone wolf might live free, but it also dies first.”

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drives our behavior and permeates reality. Everyone has a pack, even if it doesn’t feel like one.

Packs might be support groups or safe spaces, but they can also get vicious. High School continually lends itself as the best example - In the midst of so much hormonal angst, friend groups can become an animalistic power struggle. Emerson College sophomore Matthew Benson has experienced this dynamic first hand while he attended a Catholic military high school in Manhattan.

“I didn’t quite realize how much I was suffering from [pack mentality] until I came to college. [At Emerson] people were a lot more open to being

persistence of the pack. Group roles, be it the leader or the lightning rod, remain, but they become less accentuated. People grow up.

When I think of the quintessential college pack, nothing seems more glaringly obvious than Greek life. Quick to put an asterisk on my assumption, however, is Serena Koo, a junior member of Kappa Gamma Chi. “[It’s] more of a support system. Even the girls [in Kappa] who are acting majors like myself: I don’t feel like I’m in competition with them for anything because I’m my own person. For me, it’s not so much pack mentality, but I see where Greek life can be that. But I feel like it’s more with frats,” said Koo. Despite some of its shortfalls and stigmas, Greek life is emblematic of a successful pack. Competition morphs into collaboration, and hierarchies exist only superficially while everyone is given an equal voice. It points to an idea that maybe the best packs are the

ones we choose ourselves.

“It’s so hard to know your place with yourself if you don’t know your place with other people,” said sophomore Liza Wagner, speaking about the first time she remembers choosing her pack of friends.

“How I see it is, I know these people that love and support each other and have nothing but unconditional friendship, and that’s something so weird to me. I think I left a pack mentality situation. And I moved on. And it took me a while to assimilate, but I have this core group of people. I guess that’s kind of like a pack, but a healthy pack of people,” Wagner said.

When I asked people to tell me about their packs, there was an unshakeable pattern that emerged in every single interview: those who felt rewarded by their pack were hesitant to describe it that way. Sorority girls were fond of calling it a “support system,” pointing out that I might look to our school’s

fraternities if I wanted to find a solid example of a pack. Outside of Greek life, those who had left a catty high school pack preferred to call their new crew a “friend group.” I could tell that calling it a “pack” has a connotation, and language matters when the connections are strong.

Packs, or whatever the right word is, go through it all: sports teams share the rush of a win just as much as they work through a loss, friends laugh together just as much as they grieve and vent.

It’s easier to comment on others’ groups than to open up about our own because the modern pack mentality is more about internal support than competition. Whether it’s a crew, or a team, or a squad, the bonds of a pack strengthen out of experience. Yes, calling it a “pack” might be giving us and our friends less credit than we deserve, but you can’t deny the presence of instinct. The lone wolf might live free, but it also dies first.

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Style by Instinct Whether we want to believe it or not, there is a psychology behind what we decide to wear each day.

Our instinct to communicate ourselves through what we wear is in no way new. Since the popularity of fashion as a commodity exploded in the 20th century, people have used style as a way to evoke their personalities and accommodate their lifestyles.

Fashion labels have caught on to this and continue to perpetuate certain styles that allow us to nurture an affinity with not necessarily the clothing, but ourselves.

Like the designers, the loyal consumers of globally-recognized brands are almost always drawn to something more than an affordable price tag. Sometimes it’s what the designer represents or the message a garment sends.

Eddie Lemonier, who is a professional model based in New York, said he believes that a successful brand is one that continues to innovate while also staying true to its founding values.

“One thing I’ve noticed in every brand I’ve worked for is that they try to differentiate themselves from their competitors,” he said.

“Whether it’s a high-end luxury brand or a more affordable one, they’re all trying to create something that no one else has.

Fashion is an art form and like most artists, brands strive to be unique.”

Despite the unique artistic vision of some designers, many who remain loyal to more highend brands are often criticized by others for superficiality. “Why would you pay $200 for a scarf you could buy at H&M for $20?,” he said. It almost seems illogical.

But looking at fashion through the lens of artistry, it makes perfect sense. Draping an Alexander McQueen signature skullprint scarf around your neck is far different from wearing one from Primark—not just because of quality, but also because of representation.

The late McQueen in particular

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is representative of designers who have worked their way up in the competitive industry, considering his work at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001 before he launched his own brand.

Sub-brands, or diffusion lines that arise from esteemed names like Giorgio Armani and Ralph Lauren, have become increasingly prevalent. Take the 15-year-old, Toronto-based label LINE Knitwear, for example. Well-known for its luxury sweaters and cardigans, the company launched its diffusion line, John & Jenn, in 2012. While LINE offers more sophisticated pieces intended to be long-term investments, John & Jenn targets the millennial crowd with more affordable fast fashion.

Some brands aren’t born from others, but acquired and reshaped. Club Monaco, for example, is a high-end, midpriced retailer now owned by Ralph Lauren. Club Monaco is known for debuting a new collection each month with a heightened focus on “affordable luxury with modern sensibility.”

Simone Tuffy, a senior at Emerson College, said she began working at Club Monaco because she is a fan of their unique style elements.

“Being from London originally and going to school in Boston now, I was really keen to work at Club Monaco because it’s so based off of old European fashion and city style,” said Tuffy. “Additionally, the clothes here are extremely well-made. I used to shop a lot at H&M and Urban Outfitters, but since I’ve started working at Club Monaco I’ve realized what a difference it makes to wear clothing that is really delicately made with extremely long-lasting material.”

Nowadays, it’s not uncommon for upscale brands to differentiate themselves not through quality, but by asserting a defined set of values. The company Kit and Ace for example, arose in 2014 after Lululemon founder Chip Wilson made the decision to focus on his own endeavors.

Like Lululemon, Kit and Ace

Words: Kendall Stark Illustration: Julianna Sy

plays upon the athleisure trend, but stresses that the clothes are for people who live a “full contact lifestyle.” In other words, activewear that can be worn both at the gym and a dinner party.

Liza Hsu, a junior at Emerson College, said she decided to join the team at Kit and Ace when a shop director reached out to her, saying that the company wanted to hire individuals whose style matched their minimalist aesthetic.

“People are really drawn to the brand because of the fabrics we use for our pieces, the comfort level is out of this world,” she said. “They have excellent transitional pieces that you can take from the office to a night out.”

What makes one brand more desirable than the other? For some, it’s the name. For others, the hype, or maybe an identification with the look. Or maybe it’s something more instinctive than that.

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The Joy of The Frame Within the relatively small socialsphere that is Emerson, junior Alex Sibirzeff is a towering, pleasant, and boisterous extrovert. Going up or down Boylston, he’s hard to miss, with his Scandinavian blonde hair and blue eyes, and his confident stride and manner of living.

Alex is an absolute blast to converse with: His voice rises and falls in an excited staccato of expressed enthusiasms, he uses hand gestures and often becomes physically restless with energy. He is passionate, and among his many passions is photography.

After spending a winter afternoon trailing after Alex in the Financial District, as he bounced ecstatically from one point of interest to the next, taking pictures of architecture and shouting about symmetry and form while I was blindingly conscious of how cold my hands were, we settled at last in

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a snug and warm coffee shop in the Seaport District. There, I learned that Alex had been shooting all afternoon on his grandmother’s old camera, and that photography was something of a family tradition that had been passed down to him.

The way he took photos appeared to be instinctual, with such ease and confidence that the action of his fingers pressing down on the shutter had been embedded in his genes.

At what point did you get the camera that your grandmother passed on to your father?

This thing came out in 1976. It’s a Nikkormat ELW, it has been used and abused. I got this camera about five months ago after my grandfather died, and they were cleaning out his entire apartment [in Sweden]. My dad found this camera, and it’s not my camera

Words: Tyler Breen Photo: Daniel Clemens - it’s not my camera - my dad is very strenuous on the point that this is not my camera, it’s the family’s camera. My dad has shot a few rolls with it, I’ve shot a lot more rolls with it, but I’ve had it in my possession for about five months.

She’s under my ward so to say, you know what I mean? It’s under my protection for the moment, so I’m allowed to use it, but should my dad ever call, he gets to use it too. I’ve grown incredibly attached to it.

Do you talk photography with your dad a lot?

All the time. All the time.

Does your dad have the same interests as you, like light, for example?

No, no that’s the really interesting thing. He doesn’t pay attention to frame as much as I do. I was raised in the passion of film, and what you’re taught in film is every single thing in the frame

has importance, every single thing in the frame has importance, so it made me have a much keener eye. It made me study the frame a lot harder before I take the actual picture myself. His portraits: a few are fine art, but most are just snapshotted memories. But some are, “This looks cool, I should take a picture of that,” and [mean]while I’m saying, “his looks cool, how do I build an image with it.”

How do you feel when you take photos with your grandmother’s camera? What’s the emotional significance of that to you?

[Exhale] Here’s the interesting part. She died when I was two of breast cancer, and I have no memories of her. I’ve been told all my life the ways that I resemble my grandmother. I eat ice cream in the

“I am creating memories of my own visual inspiration, I’m creating my own visual memories from my own memory of her.” winter. That’s what she does. I love dancing. She loved dancing. I have a similar smile. She was never without this camera, and she was always taking pictures. Part of this is looking through life through the same lenses she did, pressing my eye and fingers against the same cold steel that she did. It’s really interesting that I’m interpreting my life in a way she did, but what’s more interesting than that is that I am creating memories, and I am creating memories of my own visual inspiration, I’m creating my own visual memories from my own memory of her. Because this is [holding her camera in front of my face] a memory of her, and it’s the only tangible object I have of hers that I can call my own, that I can touch, that I can feel, that I can remember her by, and when I do shoot, I do have her with me, so to say. It’s really a wonderful experience. It’s just so weird to have something so tangible about a woman who was so intangible to me.

Have you ever taken a picture and wondered if she took a similar picture or if she looked at something the way you looked at something?

Oh yes, Yeah. Yeah. So I was taking a roll of color over winter break, and I was mainly

doing portraits of some of my friends, and one was motivated by light around a dinner table and it was just gorgeous because I knew, and I knew for a fact, that she had taken pictures of her friends and the people that she loved around that dinner table in the same way, in the exact same fucking way. For her, it was always sharing the memories with her friends, so she would always get them printed. We’re different in that sense. For her, it was a means for communicating love through friendship and love for at least her life.

And when we were out shooting, I took [photos] very similar to my dad’s that I noticed, and that’s just great. It’s a different connection you have with them.

What would you ask your grandmother about photography, if you could?

Oh, that’s a tough question. I wouldn’t ask her to show me her favorite photo. I wouldn’t ask her what she thought about when she was behind the camera. We’re too different in that I’ve seen it. But I’d tell her, “Let’s go through your albums. I want to see everything; I want to see how you saw.”

Is there anything about your photography that you’d be particularly proud to show her? Like maybe a single photograph, or a method of behavior in how you take photos?

No. I’d just tell her how thankful I was for her inspiring my dad and helping him keep the tradition alive, and inspiring me more than anybody, to continue shooting, and let her know what joy I have taken from it. That’s all that she cared about. It’s the joy of the frame. And that’s what I’m talking about. It’s not about the post[-production], it’s not about anything. It’s the joy of taking the picture. And I’d let her know that I really have that joy.

Are you going to carry that tradition onto your kids – the joy of the frame?

Oh yeah, dude. I’d be doing them a disservice if I didn’t, but then again I wouldn’t be genuine with them, because if they don’t like it, they don’t like it, but I’m going to tell my kids who I am, and, chances are, they’re going to like a little bit of what I like. So, I’m definitely going to keep this tradition alive if I have kids, which I probably will.

So some day maybe someone will be flipping through your albums?

Yup. That’s the fucking point, dude.

Although! It’ll be digital! It won’t be the same shit! That’s going to be annoying!

Going to have to make some more prints.

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ooh daddy Your father held you in his lap and put his hands over your eyes during scary movies, and your boyfriend pulls your waist close to his when a man on the corner of the street calls you “sexy.”

Your mother tied your tie for your first homecoming dance, and your girlfriend rubs your shoulders before your big job interview. As children, we wanted love and protection; it’s not crazy to think that young adults desire the same sense of security.

Like with people who have a “type”—dark eyes and dark skin, freckles and blue eyes, or even someone older—there’s an ease that comes with familiarity and consistency in an environment where you can’t be entirely sure what tomorrow will bring. This is why we are drawn to those who are similar to our parents; it’s why people meet a potential partner and say, “I feel like I’ve known them my whole life.”

Being attracted to someone because they resemble the person who changed your diapers can be an uncomfortable topic. Discussing sexual attraction to one of our parents in today’s society is— for lack of a better term—a cringeworthy topic.

However, the emotional attachment and general attraction in our contemporary relationships can still be connected to the people who raised us. Jack Demick, a practicing psychologist and professor at Emerson College, says that our ideas about relationships were first formed during infancy.

“Based on the attachment relationship that we develop with our primary caregiver, in some ways that attachment, whether it’s secure or insecure, is going to become

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Words: Caroline long Photo: Andri raine

a prototype for relationships that we learn very early on.”

If you were a baby that couldn’t leave mom or dad, then you would have been a securely attached child, and, subsequently, you would be likely to form strong emotional attachments for any significant other who could provide the sense of familiarity and comfort that your parents or caregivers initially gave to you. Lillian Mcmurrer, an Emerson student, can relate to Demick’s psychoanalysis. She said, “I have extremely high standards for how I deserve to be treated because my dad always made me a priority and treated me with respect and love and now I settle for nothing less when I’m dating.”

Some couples develop pet names for each other, and these terms of endearment mimic the “sweeties,” “honeys,” and “babies” that we were once referred to as during childhood. A similar trend that has been sweeping social media and romantic current relationships is the use of “daddy” as a term of affection, which is a blatant connection to those who called their fathers “daddy.” Like most sexual kinks, many shy away from open discussion about the use of the word. One Emerson student, who has chosen to remain anonymous, said that his own experience with being called “daddy” left him confused. “I once had a boyfriend who would call me

‘daddy’ during sex. I don’t know what he would get out of it and I was always too scared to ask … it’s not the type of thing you talk about casually.” Online message boards act as safe havens for men and women who are curious about the sexual satisfaction that comes from calling their partner such a name. An anonymous, female Reddit user ties her interest in the pet name to her desire for comfort. “I

to the scene of the crime, so to speak, and resolve that parental relationship through a marriage. The unfortunate stereotype of women with “daddy issues” going after emotionally unavailable men may ring a bell. Equally, men raised by hypercritical moms, might be drawn to wives who pick on them. A Northeastern University student, who has also chosen to remain anonymous, “definitely has mommy issues,” as he put it. He said,“I was in a long-term relationship where I was totally dominated by her mentally and emotionally.

She always gave me a hard time about being lazy and not doing shit, but since my mom was always on my back as a kid, I saw it more as motivation and being cared for rather than being whipped.”

While there are new scientific studies coming out every week about the science of pheromones, testosterone levels, and facial ratios, the emotional security that we feel from our parents and our partners is a sensation that cannot be matched to anything else. We may not be actively swiping right for older men on Tinder, but Professor Demick says that we are simply looking for protection. “When you get down to it, people want partners who will understand and care for them like our parents, siblings, and caregivers once did. Birds of a feather flock together.

“the emotional security that we feel from our parents and our partners is a sensation that cannot be matched.” would never fuck my own dad, as if I even have to say that. But it’s like an energy thing. I can’t really explain it easily. If there was a two-syllable consonant heavy word that meant creative male energy that lifts me up, makes me feel safe, and wraps me in warm lady-feelings, I’d yell that instead.”

Oftentimes it is not comfort, but discomfort that sways us toward those who remind us of our parents.

Sometimes, people choose mates who resemble their parents not because of fond memories, but to make amends for an unhappy childhood. If you felt rejected or abandoned by a parent and still haven’t worked through it, your psyche might want to go back

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Tarantism

Words: Courtney Major Photo: lauren cabanas

(n) The incontrollable inpulse to dance Dance.

For some, dance is a second language. It comes easily, seamlessly as the mind quiets, allowing the body to take control. If there is music, it exists in the subconscious of the dancer informing the body on how to move. Dance, whether in a group or solo, naturally comes from a place within.

Dance is a way for the body to translate emotions and feelings, or at least that is how Maria del Mar Fernandez Gonzalez views her dancing.

The Emerson College BA Theatre Studies: Acting student has looked for ways to utilize her body as an instrument her whole life. She started and stopped ballet classes at 3, but it wasn’t until her freshman year of high school that she found dance again. She took a ballet class and used her years of gymnastics training and flexibility to help her catch up to students with more experience.

Gonzalez describes dance as liberating. She said, “You can follow your body, follow your instincts. You don’t get stuck in your head.” She found a natural translation for her body in that first ballet class, which has carried over to other areas of dance as well, especially in movement pieces. Movement pieces, and dance that is less structured from formal ballet, allow Gonzales to feel comfortable. When acting out a scene, doing improv, or even just talking, people have the tendency to get caught up in their own thoughts and the feeling can be lost. But with dance the feeling exudes naturally from the movement. “If I am genuinely just moving like I want to feel. It won’t be wrong,” she said.

For some, utilizing their body as a translator remains elusive––it’s like the way certain people with access to the left side of their brain are naturally more logical and rational as opposed to creative. Bodies, for some people, are simply not wired to dance. However, Gonzales conceded, “The natural instinct of dancing and doing it in a way that is appealing is, for some people, very hard.” She said, “Gratefully, for me, it’s come easily.

It’s fine, just because I’m comfortable to just move … I’m comfortable to struggle.”

Dancing, both individually and as part of an ensemble, gives the dancer the strange sensation of feeling entirely liberated yet wholly vulnerable by the exposed openness that accompanies their movement. This contrast is highlighted in less-structured dances, which are often modern or movement pieces, or at least that is how sophomore BA Theatre Studies: Acting major Mary Frances Noser views her experience with dance.

Noser started dancing at four years old, but says that she didn’t fall in love with dance until the sixth grade, when she took a movement class as an elective. This class taught her to view dance in a completely different context, through the

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For some, utilizing their body as a translator remains elusive–it’s like the way certain people with access to the left side of their brain are naturally more logical and rational as opposed to creative.

lense of freedom.

“You’re communicating a story and a feeling through your movements.

We would channel the elements,” she said. “It was sweeping and it was expressive.”

This new way to think about dance was a stark contrast to how rigorous her former ballet training had been, but once she realized that dance gave her a space to move her body however she chose, she didn’t turn back.

She said, “Modern dance for me is a way to express either side of myself. I don’t have to put words to this, I can just do it and get it out.” Dance has become an outlet for her to truly feel and live emotions without having to describe how she felt in words. She said, “Or music as story, finding a story in that emotion—in the music. Like, ‘Oh! I’ve never felt that before; lets just throw myself headlong into.’”

Paradise Lost: A Movement Collection in Boston, created by two Emerson alums, became a place of refuge for Noser. For her, it was a sacred, quiet spot outside the constant chatter of the city and the humming of cars and trains. Paradise Lost holds monthly open jam sessions where everyone is welcome to come and experiment, and as Noser described, “make art with people in a room.”

The dancers at the open jam sessions dance together, but are also given the freedom to choose to dance alone or with complete strangers. “It’s a chance to be in a room and just move without any judgement attached to it,” Noser said.

Dance, unstructured and free, is a way to momentarily silence the mind. Forget about deadlines, work, the ever creeping responsibilities that await, and allow yourself to fully live in the moment. Put on a song that makes your still body itch; give yourself the space to allow your body to make the decisions, and simply move.

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The animal inside (The club)

Reaching your twenty-first year is a milestone that brings with it more than just the notion that you have been a conscious being for over two decades.

You can take the first step into parenthood and apply to be a foster parent.

You have the freedom to blow all your money on black at the casinos and begin the downward spiral into bankruptcy from this crippling addiction.

More importantly, you are now able to join the elites of the world in the darkest and dingiest of venues. Now, at twenty-one, you are able to fulfill your destiny and go clubbing.

Clubbing, referred to as a “subculture”

by Wikipedia’s all-knowing contributors, has been a constant in the downtowns of cities around the world for decades. Clubs, Nightclubs, Discos and Discotheques, are where the young (and those who believe they aren’t too old for the club), can flaunt their wealth with tables and bottle service, all the while making those standing without bottle service feel like filthy peasants.

Like any subculture, there exists a certain jargon and criterion. A coded language necessary to communicate properly with those in the same venue.

Unspoken but understood guidelines that must be met to successfully club.

Almost instinctual and animalistic tendencies that ensure proper execution of this modern art.

What follows is the definitive guide, which countless silver spooned young adults and Ibiza veterans alike, follow each time they embark on a mind-altering evening of well dressed, alcohol-and-music-fueled frivolity.

1. Consider Options* Every club has different vibes, clientele, and rules. How many dollar signs does the club have on Yelp? Does cash rule everything around you? Do you want to be seen or see others? Will they let you wear the Bodega-exclusive hat you copped that morning? Is it a themed night**? Is the DJ spinning some next level Cosmic Disco or the worst of 90’s R&B? 2. Squad Mentality (squad: noun | skwäd - Crew, posse, gang: an informal group of individuals with a common identity and a sense of solidarity.)

Like the instinctual pack mentality of wolves or schools of fish, there’s an advantage to the more modern, squad mentality. Do you require a wing woman/man? If the answer is no, consider changing it to yes. No one wants to talk to the creepy club loner (esp. those

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30+). Leave your lightweight friends at home. Like in nature, the club is an example of survival of the fittest. Do not worry about them, for natural selection will ensure they do not survive. Be sure to have at least one DUFF and one Anti-DUFF. This will allow for a constant state of equilibrium and increase your chances of attracting a mate.

3. Attire Must Be Straight Fire This step holds a lot of weight in how your evening plays out. Your outfit says a lot about you. Colors are good for catching the attention of others, such as potential mates. Your dress can resemble that of the male peacock, flashy and bright to show yourself off. Or you could take the alternative route and dress in neutral tones. Like many female species of bird who use this as survival instinct to camouflage themselves, it’s better to go unnoticed by prey as they protect their eggs. Not sticking out at the club is beneficial for the same reason: trying not to attract predators and protect your eggs. Also take into consideration natural things out of your control that can ruin an outfit: sweat, tears, or vomit.

4, Pregame Now that you are in the squad mentality and have chosen the appropriate clothing for your instinctual desires, it is time for the pregame. If you are familiar with Jersey Shore this would fall between “t-shirt time” and when you yell, “cabs are hea!” This is when you prime yourself for the execution that is to come. Only you know your alcoholic limit, be sure to not exceed it before even leaving your home. If limits are exceeded during this step, it is recommended to return to Step 2 and reevaluate your pack’s strengths and weaknesses.

5, Get Organized Have your I.D. ready for the UV or scanner-spotlight. Bouncers are fickle beings that don’t like to be kept waiting. If you’re legal in your heart of hearts but not in the eyes of the government, be sure to have a next level fake to ensure entrance. Turn on your device’s location services, in the event you lose your phone or your belligerent friend.

6. ~The Line~ This is where things can get hairy if not careful. All eyes are on you. If the pregame got out of control, keep it together as bouncer instinct is some of the most keen on this planet. If denied, return to Step 1. If access is granted, enjoy your last breath of fresh air. You are now entering a humid atmosphere

Words: Nic damasio Photos: matt lewis & Charlie EMerson

comprised of Tom Ford cologne and rancid stilettos.

7. Choose Your Weapon Forget what they told you in D.A.R.E., no club experience is complete without ample drugs and alcoholic beverages. Choose your alcohol carefully for they each serve a different purpose.

Whiskey makes you frisky. Gin makes you sin. Tequila… makes you fight everybody. How your night progresses from here is dependant on your choice.

7a. There is no need to be a kiss-ass when ordering from your bartender. They hate you regardless.

7b. Once your tab is closed out, immediately back away from the bar so others may perform this step and the bartender doesn’t hate you more.

7c. This step is also known as the Point of No Return (PNR), there is no repeating this step and you must continue with your night.

8. Modus Operandi*** This is when instinct takes over to establish you as one of the club archetypes. Some classics include: Sleazy Hetero Guy, Arms-Too-Big-For-HisOwn-Button Down Guy, The “I Just Smoked the Wrong Side of a Cigarette!!” Girl, the bottle-service table of foreigners basking in their own cologne, and everyone’s favorite Looking-For-Her-Friends-While-Simultaneously-Crying-On-The-Phone Girl. Don’t be discouraged if you or your friends change at the club. It is part of the natural clubbing progression. Your body reacts instinctively to this new environment in order to survive. Do not try and fight this change. Who you are at the club does not define you as a person.

You will regain your humanity once the sun rises.

9. Finish Strong Get out while you can. Leave before the lights go up, you don’t want to see what that’s like. If you were foolish enough to bring a coat, get in line before you end up behind the girl whose Canada Goose got lost in the third ring of hell. Be wary not to speak to any girls outside the club. Their big, brooding boyfriends are most likely nearby to assume you were hitting on their girl. Assume until you are in the safety of your home, you are not safe from club aftershocks.

10. Morning After Think about your sins, ask for forgiveness, REPENT REPENT REPENT. Get Plan B if you wake up next to a stranger whose genes you would never mix with your own. Immediately check your

social media to see if there is something you wouldn’t want your mother to see and delete it. Now that you have regained your sense of self, it is time to forget your mistakes and remember to the best of your ability, the positives that came from your animalistic evening. The club is, at the end of the night, a game of survival of the fittest. If you made it out with at least some semblance of decency, then consider yourself a survivor in Darwin’s eyes. *This should all be done before the pregame **Be aware, Emo night is a terrifyingly real thing ***Post to your Snapchat Story

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Human Nature

BAILEY STORMS WEARS DESIGNS BY DEVAN FREEDMAN IN THIS EDITORIAL SHOT

BY CARINA ALLEN 44

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“As a designer and creator, I find inspiration through my everyday encounters of nature and humankind coexisting in a dichotomy. The hegemonic structures of society police the world into living an unnatural lifestyle, but nature lives within every human being. My designs accept civilization while challenging the inclination to rid nature from everyday routine. This challenge is derived from reflective characteristics between the dichotomy, and invites the viewer to acknowledge our instinctual devotion to nature.�

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Chameleon

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Priscilla Ndikwani and Alex Sibirzeff wear pieces from Riccardi Boston with makeup by cassia enright in this editorial shot by adam ward

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Sweatshirt:Saint Laurent

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Tops and Skirt: Vivienne Westwood

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Dress: Jeremy Scott

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Shrouded

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Robert leach and Hana Antrim wear pieces from The Tannery with makeup by courtney kaner in this editorial shot by Darren Samuels and styled by blythe bruwer and daniel riva.

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Tops: Tim Coppens, Mara Hoffman Sweatshirt: Zanerobe Skirt: Nicholas

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Jacket: Baldwin Dress: Alexander Wang

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Jacket: Rag & Bone

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Transfusion

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Hamad Al Badi and Kal Ousseimi wear pieces from The Tannery with makeup by Courtney Kaner for this editorial shot by Allison Nguyen with design by Casey Denton. The shoot was styled by blythe bruwer and daniel riva.

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Top: Public School

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Top and Short: Rag and Bone Pant: JBrand

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Jacket: 3.1 Phillip Lim Short: Helmut Lang

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Through The Looking Glass

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Catherine Yamashita wears clothing from the tannery with makeup by sydney orason for this editorial shot

by Yasmina Hilal and styled by blythe bruwer and daniel riva.

Jacket: Iro Dress: Pfeiffer

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Jacket, Top: Tibi Pant: ReDone

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Tops: Jonathan Simkhai and Road to Awe

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Photography: Mia Schaumburg