The Current Summer 2023

CURRENT SUM MER 20 23

THE CURRENT

221 W. Saginaw St., Lansing, MI 48933 Phone: 517.203.0123

Fax: 517.203.3334

Publisher

Tiffany Dowling

Account Managers

Melissa DeMott

Megan Fleming

Austin Pabian

Kim York

Senior Editor

Kate Birdsall

Graphic Designer

Victor Sawicki

Project Coordinator

C Rose Widmann

Editorial Team

Yazzy Amjad, Logan Bry, Kalynna Davies, Kara MacKenzie, Sarah Munson, Jenna

Piotrowicz, David Seddon

A LETTER FROM

THE EDITOR

Dear Reader,

As we race to craft the ideal resume and fantasize about our careers, it can be easy to disregard the people around us. Fortunately, callousness doesn’t thrive in the warmth of Michigan State’s department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures (WRAC)–conversations are punctuated with laughter, you see the same faces you’ve seen since your first semester and professors remember names. This imagery is what you can expect from WRA480. Tucked into a corner of Bessey Hall, it’s an environment where students discover their passion for journalism as they nurture a little digital magazine called The Current.

However, there are times when a hidden gem like WRA480 can be arduous–while the number of staff downsized to only five students this past semester, The Current’s expectation of excellence remained the same. Although we faced an intimidating workload, there was a serendipitous benefit to our limited team. Rather than hide under the security blanket of an editing role, everyone adjusted their writing to daunting style guides and learned the tools for effectively informing an audience.

The Current is not a source of fluff entertainment; you won’t find a questionnaire or gossip column here. The articles in this issue are part of a journalist Socratic seminar between our staff and readers. We put a spotlight on books, whether it was the demand for a niche genre, representation, removing bans or reviving the appeal of reading itself. We also acknowledged the ever-present role of social media in our careers, hobbies, clothing choices, the pictures we share and our beauty standards. We even covered vulnerability in the entertainment industry and gaming community.

Thank you for joining our conversation. Thank you for taking the private world of WRA480 and making it your own. You may not be present for our pitch meetings or design process, but you were in the back of our minds as we prepared everything to ensure the same standard of quality you saw in previous seasons. We hope to offer some relief from the stress of an intensive college schedule and a reminder that there is more to our lives than credentials on a resume.

Sarah Munson

BLACK HISTORY HOLLY WOOD

There are many notable styles within America’s film history, but throughout all of them “Classical Hollywood Cinema” has remained a dominant style. This style was defined by David Bordwell, Janet Staiger and Kristin Thompson, who are all notable film theorists. In their shared text titled “The Classical Hollywood Cinema: Film Style & Mode of Production to 1960” published in 1985, all three theorists seek to break down the methods of production, style, and technology of American cinema. Classical hollywood=money maker because it’s white, and teases the POC part of it.

This style was developed as a response to an influx of filmmakers moving to Hollywood in the late 1890s to 1900s–and was forged over a large number of years. The style was mostly developed in the 1910s to the 1960s. “We can characterize the classical Hollywood style

by its stylistic elements, its stylistic systems, and, most abstractly, by the relations it sets up among those systems,” Bordwell, Staiger and Thompson detail, attributing elements like narrative logic, time, and continuity editing to the most dominant style of American cinema even to this day.

Many film theorists attribute D.W. Griffith with the title of “Grandfather of Hollywood,” as “he was the first filmmaker to realize that the motion-picture medium, properly vested with technical vitality and seriousness of theme, could exercise enormous persuasive power over an audience, or even a nation, without recourse to print or human speech,” says an history article written by Britannica.

Griffith takes advantage of this in his 1915 film “The Birth of a Nation,” which preyed on America’s history

Kalynna Davies

of blatant racism in order to garner a large response from the public. It was seen by over 3 million people during the time. While it is true that this film is one of the first to utilize continuity, time, and space, in order to paint a narrative that is meant to tug on heartstrings, but the appeal to racism and white nationalism is another reason it found such wild success.

In the midst of a stereotyped depiction of insatiable Black, male lust for virtuous white women, there’s a story of twisted love, and the lengths we would go to for family. This was an appeal to keeping white families “pure” and “strong” and frames the formation of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) – a massive white supremacist group in the United States– as a response to the “immoral nature”

of freed Black people in a post-slavery South, rather than an irrational hate group that took many innocent lives.

The film promptly faced backlash from groups like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), as Griffith’s aim to have persuasive power over a nation through film worked a bit too well. After it was released, not only was there a rise in NAACP membership, there was also a major resurgence of the KKK.

These early roots of American cinema may seem irrelevant now, with people of color on the big screen, placed in major roles both in front of and behind the camera, but in order to properly move on from Hollywood’s racist past, it’s

important to shed light on the ways it’s influenced film today. In “Classic Hollywood, Classic Whiteness,” an essay titled “Dark City” by Eric Avila stated, “Although Griffith did not invent the stereotypes of Black or mulatto men as lustful monsters preying upon the virtue of white women, he popularized those stereotypes, which, in turn, informed the work of subsequent generations

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of filmmakers.” Yasmeen Amjad, in her article “The Typecasting Tax” begins fleshing out some of these issues–but typecasting is not the only consequence of racial profiling in Hollywood.

By posing Black folks as threats to whiteness on screen and in life, they “are used to prop up the grandiose image of the white self,” according to Hernana Vera and Andrew Gorden in an essay titled “Sincere Fictions of the White Self in The American Cinema.” It’s an undeniable link to the idea that film has been, and continues to be highly political.

This bolstering of the ‘white self’ is what encouraged film during the time to feature mainly white people in front of the camera and behind it. The reliance on people of color in order to garner success is not a new idea, and reaches back in time with Vaudeville–the main method of entertainment for crowds prior to

the invention of the video camera in 1890s. With the return to minsterley over and over, the reliance on Black folks to be the funny one, the support, the help is what reaches out and touches the span of film history, from conception to today.

In other, underground circles, there was a lively scene for Black film, despite the fact it was not consumed by the masses. Names that were popular in Black homes, such as Oscar Micheaux (credited with being the first major Black filmmaker) Lena Horne, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Dorothy Dandrige and, catching on to the tail end of the Golden Age, Sidney Poitier–were all movie stars in their own rights, even if they weren’t given that title.

Now, there are plenty of actors who are classified as “movie stars,” but they don’t hold the same amount of star power as older, classical stars used to. This extends into actors from all kinds of cultural back-

grounds. People can recognize and be fans, but names and associated movie studios are not what brings crowds in anymore.

This is partly due to the shift in Hollywood that focuses on character and story instead of actors. One really good franchise to look at this shift through is the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Prominent filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino have said that the popularization of Marvel has caused the death of the movie star, and MCU’s very own Anthony Mackie, who played Falcon, and more recently took up the helm of Captain America, agrees.

“There are no movie stars anymore,” Mackie explained at a 2018 London Comic Con. “Like, Anthony Mackie isn’t a movie star. The Falcon is a movie star. And that’s what’s weird. It used to be with Tom Cruise and Will Smith and Stallone and Schwarzenegger, when you went to the movies, you went to see the

Stallone movie. You went to see the Schwarzenegger movie. Now you go see: X-Men. So the evolution of the super hero has meant the death of the movie star.”

Mackie goes on to say that movies are now being made to target specific audiences rather than being made popular by big names in the industry despite the story.

But is that a bad thing? Or is it a result of a pushback against centering White superstars in the film industry?

Instead, the story is the focus, and stories can belong to any community. While whiteness in Hollywood is all about exclusivity, stories offer

more inclusivity because experience belongs to no one person. Focusing on stories over stars is a relatively new concept, and gives life to indie filmmakers who do not have to rely on Hollywood or actors within it to find success.

Within Hollywood, however, stories are being treated like stars–they need to be branded in order to garner popularity. This could be athe contributing reason for the influx of live action remakes, and the insistence that a good movie needs a sequel, prequel, and five movies down the line. By making the industry more about the stories and less about the people within it, audiences cling to familiarity they have left in the plots and worlds left behind.

Movie stars in Hollywood were created during a time where racism was rampant, putting a stop to people of color starring in and making films that were admitted to the public consciousness–so the

deviation from a classical movie star cannot be that bad. After all, it was this deviation that allowed for more diversity among actors and stories told on screen.

It was this deviation that also generated a lot more interest in movies made outside of Hollywood, and shared on streaming platforms like Tubi and Peacock–which both spotlight lesser-known indie films with diverse stars and directors who are not known at all.

The reliance on Hollywood to showcase diverse, original and compelling media is a mistake – that’s not what Hollywood is interested in. They’re interested in making sales, and will do what they must to accumulate them. Sewavi said, “a lot of people are interested in going with the trends. That’s why a lot of ideas about stardom are changing–everyone wants to go with the trends.” For Hollywood, this might look like only producing superhero content

or live-action remakes, but in each instance Hollywood fails to accurately capture the tastes for movie-goers, there’s another instance in which independent filmmakers do the opposite.

The death of the movie star has both closed Hollywood in, while expanding the realm of movies far past their reach. “It’s great because there are more stories being told and discovered,” Sewavi stated, “But at the same time, there are stories that are there just to get the check.”

The issue of artistry is a big one amongst stars and directors alike. “There’s definitely a hierarchy of stars, like, you won’t see Leonardo DiCaprio and Ansel Elgort in the same film–so in that sense there’s definitely exclusivity amongst stars and the movies they’re in–but the modern day has made it easier to deviate from that classical idea of Hollywood and Hollywood stars,” Sewavi stated.

It seems that no matter how big the star, more and more there are crowds drawn to films, filmmakers, and studios that focus more on genuine storytelling, concerned with making the film rather than making the check.

This has decreased the amount of star power available to actors today, who more closely align to the title of “celebrity” more than “movie star.” In a modern world where day to day people are less and less interested in the constructed image of these people, the more and more their mystique declines.

David Thompson, a film critic, touches on this idea in an NPR interview titled “The Death of the Movie Star” way before Marvel overtook the movie industry, in 2006. Stardom, “It’s that notion that these people really are somehow more blessed, not just more beautiful but more blessed, and that they exist on some plane between ours and that of the gods.”

So it’s partly the inability to access these people that makes them so big and powerful as movie stars–but thanks to social media, celebrities and their thoughts are closer than ever before. With the realization that these celebrities are just peo-

ple, the following obsession with them has seemed to decrease in the following years.

Instead, stories and celebrities take the place of a movie star–and as long as they’re on trend, they can garner popularity not just in theaters, but on social media platforms like Twitter and TikTok.

It seems that the decline of the Hollywood mystique began when it became more accessible to people–people of color, women, and those who make movies in their backyards and basements with a few close friends.

You do not have to make a “The Birth of a Nation” epic film to garner success anymore, but that doesn’t

mean Hollywood isn’t covered in all kinds of red tape. The best way to break away from the historical past of Hollywood is to acknowledge the collective efforts of modern filmmakers, who aim to highlight all walks of life with diverse casts, crews, and even a deviation from the classical style of film that is so popular here in the United States and around the world.

“Film will probably never return to the level of exclusivity it used to be,” Sawavi details. “But I don’t think we’ll be able to fully get away from it, either. There’s Hollywood, with all its intricacies, and then a community of filmmakers with movies that break away from that tradition, by giving people who don’t fit the norm a platform of their own.”

Kalynna Davies is an English major in her senior year. She has a concentration in creative writing and a minor in film – these are both activities she enjoys outside of the classroom, as well. In the future, she intends to use these skills to cultivate counterstories in an array of media – from novel to film.

The TYPECASTING TAX

As a minority, having representation in the media is all one could ever ask for—that is until the same roles and expectations are assigned to your community time and time again. At that point it’s doing more harm than good.

Opportunities for people of color and other minorities are limited in the film and television industry— from the roles they play to their jobs behind the scenes to perceptions in the media. Minoritized folks have been neglected in the industry, simultaneously underestimated and held to higher standards, making any action outside of those expectations a swift return to racial and gender-based stereotypes.

When this is done repetitively it becomes typecasting, which Merriam-Webster defines as “[casting an actor] in a part calling for the same

characteristics as those possessed by the performer” or “[casting an actor] repeatedly in the same type of role.”

Since its beginning Hollywood has negatively portrayed people of color, who have quickly fallen victim to this pattern, encouraging heavy stereotypes about their community and the perception of the actor’s ability. One of the most prominent examples being “The Birth of a Nation,” which utilized blackface and pushed Black actors into subservient roles such as slaves, maids and butlers, and pushed the idea that Black people were inherently violent. The film’s depiction and treatment of Black people encouraged white viewers to treat Black people horribly and caused Black viewers to beg with officials to ban the film. Despite the negative impacts, these were the only roles available to

Black actors. So, in order to succeed at all in the industry, falling into a caricature was simply a matter of time.

The continuous production of movies that depict slavery and the oppression of minority groups can take a toll on the communities that are being represented. By providing a constant reminder of the trials and tribulations that both previous and modern generations have endured, it promotes the idea that people should always feel sorry for oppressed groups. It promotes the idea that these groups are always in need of help, rather than take accountability or educate themselves on these matters. Though based on history, actors and viewers can begin to feel crammed in this space, and the production of these movies can’t fully grasp the horrors endured by Black people at the time.

Yasmeen Amjad

This isn’t the only example of actors of color being crammed into a specific character arc. Early Hollywood films and those from the 1950s and 60s often misrepresented people of Asian descent. An example of this includes the beloved film, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” which reflects an anti-Asian standpoint through the portrayal of Mr. Yunioshi, a whitewashed character that reinforced eurocentrism.

During this time some actors, such as Anna May Wong, had to fit certain tropes of their culture. Wong specifically had to take on roles that fulfilled the “dragon lady” and “China doll” caricatures associated with East Asian women, as these were the only jobs offered to her.

More recently, in the 1990s and early 2000s many films put male African American actors in dresses for their films. Well known examples of this include Martin Lawerence’s performance as Big Momma, the

Wayans brothers in “White Chicks” and the renowned Madea, played by Tyler Perry.

For many comedians, this became the turning point in their careers, putting them above and beyond the level of fame they had before playing a woman-presenting character—almost ritual-like as comedians approached their turn for such a role as their fame escalated.

Though the intentions of such a role are meant for comedic purposes, it does more harm than good. It perpetuates stereotypes of Black men and women through the overemphasis of Black men being “macho” or strong and intimidating to breaking them down to make them more approachable through the performance of femininity. It also makes those who wear dresses and are masculine-presenting the butt of

the joke, showing viewers that people who have traditionally masculine features should not be in such an outfit, that it is unacceptable and shouldn’t be taken seriously.

Eventually when a community’s representation harbors the same role and characteristics, one can begin to feel hyper-aware of the subtle implications of representation. This is the case for Loren Safta, a student at Wayne State University, who notes the following, “as a Jewish person it’s really not hard to pick up on subliminal messaging but to the general public I see how it’s easier to overlook some of those things because it’s not like an in your face kind of utilization of Jewish stereotypes in media.”

She states this after explaining the depictions of the goblins in the “Harry Potter” franchise, which are contingent on negative stereotypes of the Jewish community, such as having a hooked nose and being good or stingy with money. This depiction contributes to long-running anti-Semitic stereotypes such as Jewish people being in control of money and the banks or holding significant and impactful roles. On the rare occasion that Jewish people are included in the first place, the

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majority of depictions for the community in film and television, lead to tokenizing these traits in Hollywood.

Such narratives surrounding the Jewish community exist despite “the founding producers of the film biz [being] Jewish, most of them Eastern European immigrants, excluded and ostracized from virtually every other industry in America,” as Marina Saval writes for Variety. Hollywood can feature Jewish culture, but it can’t be too Jewish.

Regardless, niche genres have been created, allowing for more representation of communities that have been casted aside in the industry. Examples include the recent uptick in Jewish representation in television, with shows like “The Marvelous Ms. Maisel,” “The Goldbergs”

and “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.” Such a category has featured a Jewish family or main character as the front runner and unapologetically proud of their background.

Another example and phenomenon of niche groups in the industry includes Blaxploitation, a genre created in the 1970s featuring African American casts and crews creating storylines geared towards Black audiences. The movies in this genre touched on controversial topics like drug use, prostitution and other political conversations, which reflected the climate of the times. Some films, such as “Shaft,” gained so much popularity that audiences from different backgrounds found themselves in theaters waiting to watch the newest film from the Blaxploitation genre.

audiences from different backgrounds found themselves in theaters waiting to watch the newest film from the Blaxploitation genre

Though the genre has since faded away, movies made with specific audiences in mind are still being created, such as Tyler Perry’s “Madea” films. Productions like this still harbor stereotypes of minority groups, as did the Blaxploitation genre, but have still gained popularity with people of many backgrounds. The only difference here is that the film is created by someone from the depicted culture who is aiming to create satire for his audience.

Movies now are beginning to include race without weaponizing it and negatively perpetuating biases. For example, “Crazy Rich Asians”

involves race, but certain characters aren’t demonized; it’s simply a story of celebrating love and culture. To simply exist in a film or television show without negatively focusing on someone’s ethnicity—as seen in Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air,” or “Black Panther”—is becoming the new norm. Though the journey to accurate and positive representations of minorities has been a long one, the door to opportunities for minorities to bring their perspective and talent to an industry that has been overlooking them for so long is opening.

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Yasmeen (Yazzy) Amjad is a senior pursuing degrees in psychology and professional and public writing. She hopes to use her knowledge of rhetoric and psychology to effectively edit and write stories. Yazzy is passionate about all forms of storytelling. In her free time, she enjoys baking, watching movies and TV shows, listening to podcasts, and reading for hours on end.

GLAM glossed over +

A new hairdo and freshly done makeup can change someone’s entire attitude, help them put their best foot forward and boost their confidence. In the case of actors in Hollywood, hair and makeup can be the difference between a great performance and a mediocre one. But there’s an easy fix for this issue: start hiring more Black hair and makeup artists.

For years, Black celebrities have walked into trailers prepared to be disappointed by the hair and makeup team provided for them. Teams that are predominantly white may not be trained or reluctant to learn how to work with textured hair and deeper skin tones. Black actors end up having to do their own hair and makeup or bring in their own team of artists.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Natasha Rothwell, known

for working on the show “Insecure,” says, “There’s nothing [more] dehumanizing than sitting in a hair and makeup chair and watching your co-stars go through the works and leave, and you’re still there because someone’s moving very slowly because they’re scared.”

This is about more than just hair. It’s an issue of alienation and making Black actors feel like they are the problem and an industry wide issue that has resulted from years of exclusionary acts, nepotism and gatekeeping. One reason this happens is the difficulty of joining the Make-Up Artists & Hairstylists Guild.

Chartered in 1937, the Make-Up Artists & Hairstylists Guild is a labor union that represents make-up artists and hairstylists in film, television and theatrical productions. The union has been a great resource for those lucky enough to be accepted

into it, being one of the first places producers and hiring staff go to when finding a beauty team. However, entry into this establishment is highly difficult for some.

Jamika Wilson, a professional makeup artist, says in an interview with NBC News that “the union will deny even the most qualified applicants on technicalities. Union membership requires either 60 days of nonunion work in the industry for three of the last five years or 30 days of union work in the last year.” Though this sounds easy enough, there is a catch: this work must be done entirely within one production. In other words, the artist’s hours cannot be split between multiple jobs.

Additionally, the guild is predominantly white, making entry for Black artists and other artists of color more difficult. When talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Black actress

Yasmeen Amjad

Laci Mosley says “a lot of the people who spend the most time with Black and brown skin find it difficult to get these opportunities because the [unionized] makeup and hair industry is nepotistic in nature. Friends are hiring friends, and when it’s an overwhelmingly white industry, nine times out of 10, those people’s friends are white as well.”

Because the majority of its members are white, not only are opportunities for artists inherently insufficient , but the chance to learn how to style hair of different textures and do makeup for deeper skin tones are limited as well. Members of the union are confined to practicing on or working with other members in the union, who are primarily white. According to an article from The Hollywood Reporter, the chances for learning only decrease as the union cannot legally require the enrollment in courses geared

towards textured hair or darker complexions.

Beyond that, regulations on the industry require producers to hire artists who are registered in the union. In an interview with Allure, Rhonda O’Neal, an Emmy-nominated hairstylist, says, “the producers do the hiring, but their hands are tied. If you pull somebody in who’s not in the union, that’s a red flag and it could be a fine.”

The opportunity to work as an artist within this industry seems to follow a pattern. One either gets into the field by way of the labor unions or by meeting the right people who can get them work. At the end of the day, connections are the name of the game, which is the case for Monica Lusk, a Black and transgender hairstylist, and makeup artist Seven Moore, both of whom work in film and television.

Moore found himself learning from his idols like Sam Fine, Reggie Wells and Kevyn Aucoin, and later put his acquired skills to the test by working with photographers to create prints of his work for his portfolio. He later met Shannon Thompson, a department head for hair and makeup in New York City, who got him his first job as a makeup artist on a movie set. “She brought me in as a key as opposed to an assistant

artist, so that really showed me the business around being in a straight line, running a department,” Moore says.

Lusk, on the other hand, began her journey doing hair for beauty pageants and owning two hair salons when a friend in the industry encouraged her to try working in film and television. “I actually came in and I started doing background

[makeup artist and hair assistants.]

… My third week after doing background I ended up getting a spot in the trailer, and I came in as a third. … So, it moved really fast for me,” Lusk says.

Though their entry into the world of Hollywood may have been swift and a great experience overall, it has not been without its own set of challenges. Moore, for example, was the only Black and gay makeup artist when he began working and putting his portfolio together. He says, “I was the first of so many things at such a young age. I didn’t know there was such a thing as ‘code switching.’ I just knew that the Mississippi me couldn’t hang with the Tennessee me.”

In order to navigate the industry, Moore “had to know how to integrate into these new surroundings.” Doing someone’s makeup was now more than just getting “dolled up”

for a night out; it was about working with brand names, such as Laura Mercier and Chanel, and making sure clients looked their best for the red carpet or a pivotal scene in the newest feature film. It was about making others feel comfortable and being able to interact with them.

Similar to Moore, Lusk never saw people like her. “I’ve been to a lot of sets, you know, just doing background or day clean, and I never technically saw anyone of trans experience like myself,” she says. Because of the lack of diversity among artists in the industry, Lusk felt she needed to be a trailblazer for trans, specifically Black trans artists, in the field.

Being the only people like them in their field made the two work harder to prove themselves capable of working in the industry, open doors for others and change the perspectives of their clients, specifically clients from a white and privileged

background. Black actors and artists have to work harder to prove that they are capable of doing the same work their white counterparts do.

Because Hollywood’s hair and makeup industry is so exclusionary, it’s not uncommon for Black talent to bring makeup kits to set or bring in their own artists to do their hair and makeup in a flattering way. Cynthia Erivo, an Oscar-nominated actor, reveals to NBC News that she often had to fix her hair and makeup after a white artist worked with her or told her that her “‘hair looks lovely, we’ll just leave it like that.’ … They do the very bare minimum and really know what to do.”

Black artists in the industry have to know how to do everyone’s hair or makeup regardless of their race or ethnicity, “whereas maybe a white makeup artist is learning when she gets a Black woman,” Seven Moore says. Working with brands such as Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent and

Laura Mercier, Moore has had to prove he can work with people of all ethnicities and skin types, especially since these brands were frequented by white customers and clients.

On the topic of working with white clients and breaking expectations, Monica Lusk says she “[wants] to change your whole mindset, because I think a lot of people, what they don’t understand is that hair is hair, it’ll do what you make it do whether you’re Black or white.”

Lusk had to prove her talents when a white celebrity walked into the hair and makeup trailer with a team of artists prepared to watch her work. Rather than be defensive, Lusk took this as an opportunity to change the actor’s perspective.

“She sat in the chair and I didn’t ask her any questions, or anything, I just started doing her hair. .. I turned her away from the mirror on purpose and when I turned her back

Black actors and artists have to work much harder to prove that they are capabale of doing the same work “

after I was done she told her hair stylist that she was going to fly him back and she was just going to go ahead and use me,” Lusk says.

Experiences like this make artists, such as Lusk and Moore, think to themselves, “If I were not in this skin, you would just trust me and go along with it,” Moore says.

When they’re not combating stereotypes in their work, Black artists and stylists receive the opposite reaction when a Black actor walks into the hair and makeup trailer. “We get a lot of [Black] actors that come into the trailer and they see us and they’re like ‘Whoo, oh my god! I feel so good to be wrapped in the arms of people that I know know my hair,” Moore says.

Having representation on set can change the entire experience of crew and cast members. In the case of hair and makeup, it can change

a cast member’s worry about their makeup looking ashy or their curls lacking moisture and definition. Instead of worrying about how they look, they can focus on their performance and have the confidence to do so because they know their appearance isn’t holding them back.

Despite their struggles, Black hair stylists and makeup artists are pushing forward and opening doors for others. Companies such as the Black Beauty Roster, which works towards creating more equity in the industry, are being created. Even the hair craft president of the Make-Up Artists & Hairstylists Guild, Rhonda O’Neal, has established a school known as Beyond the Combs Academy, which aims to offer “relationship-building opportunities for aspiring talent as well as training for hairstylists who want to learn how to work on all types of hair, especially textured hair,” as shared in an article with Allure.

Though the beginnings have been difficult, the future looks bright for people of color makeup artists and hair stylists working for film and television as actors request their presence, diversity focused companies are established and more diverse films and shows are created.

Yasmeen (Yazzy) Amjad is a senior pursuing degrees in psychology and professional and public writing. She hopes to use her knowledge of rhetoric and psychology to effectively edit and write stories. Yazzy is passionate about all forms of storytelling. In her free time, she enjoys baking, watching movies and TV shows, listening to podcasts, and reading for hours on end.

STARS LING

Content Warning: Mentions of Sexual Assault and Suicide

Generations of people have grown up watching their favorite TV characters make them laugh and cry. But oftentimes, people lose sight of the real person behind the character. Brought on by an industry full of abuse and neglect, beloved childhood actors fall from their stardom into a much darker place. Seeing these former child stars going into rehab and turning to drugs and alcohol is a much more common occurrence than people would prefer.

There are many examples of this, but two that caught special attention in recent generations were stars Miley Cyrus and Amanda Bynes. Generation Z grew up watching Miley Cyrus and Amanda Bynes in their titular roles on “Hannah Montana” and “The Amanda Show,” and then in hit movies like “Bolt” and “She’s The Man.” But later in their teenage years, both stars fell into a downward spiral that left audiences shocked.

Jenna Piotrowicz

Bynes debuted on her first show at just 12 years old. At such a young age, she was exposed to the Hollywood lifestyle and pushed into the spotlight. During those formative years, many teenage girls discover themselves and come into their own skin. The spotlight constantly on her, Bynes quickly began to dislike acting and her own self image, and she retired at the age of 24. After stepping away from acting, which had been her whole

beloved childhood actors fall from their stardom into a much darker place

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life, she quickly lost motivation and began her heavier use of drugs. In April 2012, Bynes was arrested for a DUI and refused testing for drugs and alcohol. Many other incidents followed, including arrests, car accidents and Bynes wearing a messy platinum blonde wig to her court appearance.

After an array of angry and nonsensical tweets went out, it was clear she was not in the right frame of mind. Tweets—now deleted— include, “Barack Obama and Michelle Obama are ugly!” on July 8, 2013, and “Chris brown beat you because you’re not pretty enough” on May 26, 2013. On the same day, Rihanna tweeted, “Ya see what happens when they cancel Intervention?” in response.

“I just had no purpose in life,” Bynes said in an interview with Paper magazine. “I’d been working my whole life and [now] I was doing nothing.”

Bynes’ mother was granted conservatorship in August 2013 following her clearly poor mental state and drug use, and it was not until February 2022 that it was filed for dismissal.

Unfortunately, there were many more fallen stars to come after Bynes, suffering the same aftermath of spending time in the industry.

Cyrus was known to many children as Hannah Montana from the hit Disney show of the same name. Like Bynes, she felt intense pressure

from the industry and Hollywood to be the perfect popstar with the perfect image. Years later, however, fans began to see a new side of Cyrus as she began to explore herself outside of her Disney star persona. She made headlines as she began wearing more provocative clothing and embracing her sexuality. For a young adult, these things are rather normal, but in the view of the industry, lost innocence is a headline for every tabloid.

Oliviah Brown, a Michigan State senior who grew up watching Cyrus, noted the change she remembered happening in front of her eyes. Brown said, “I always knew her as this country, down-to-earth girl, and around the time she released her album ‘Bangerz’ she just changed.

But I thought that’s just what they all did. In my teenage brain I just assumed that it was normal that Disney or Nickelodeon stars just always went a little crazy after leaving the studio. I never thought too much about what really could have been causing these differences.”

Actors such as Macaulay Culkin, Lindsey Lohan, Jeanette McCurdy and Drew Barrymore are also included in the list of children who were let down by the entertainment industry at such a young age.

Perhaps the most heartbreaking story about child stars in Hollywood

involves the abuse of Corey Haim and Corey Feldman. Known as the “Two Coreys,” both debuted in Hollywood at an incredibly young age.

The two completed many productions together, all while battling drug addiction.

In an interview with PEOPLE in 2016, Feldman said, “I was basically a slave child. I started working at 3 years old, and it wasn’t my choice.” Feldman also noted that he had been sexually assaulted by men in the entertainment industry for years.

After the death of Haim in 2010 at the age of 38, Feldman came out with a film, titled “(My) Truth: The Rape of Two Coreys,” which claimed that notable actor Charlie Sheen (19 at the time) had raped Haim at the age of 13. The film also included statements mentioning other perpetrators of sexual abuse during their time in the spotlight.

Tracy Koski, an MSU alumni who grew up watching “The Lost Boys” and other productions with the Two Coreys, said, “It’s absolutely horrifying what people in Hollywood can get away with. These are children, being abused by people with in-

credible power. In that scene, I can’t even imagine the amount of manipulation and grooming that goes on.”

Clearly there is a trend, and it is nothing new. The Hollywood industry is one of the most toxic and abusive places to be, especially for a child. Being exposed to that harsh environment has an effect on their lives and their developing minds.

According to the CDC, about 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys experience sexual abuse as a child. They also state that 91% of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by someone known by the child or the child’s family members.

The CDC also says that in the long term, children who are abused or neglected are “at increased risk for experiencing future violence victimization and perpetration, substance abuse, sexually transmitted infections, delayed brain development, lower educational attainment, and limited employment opportunities.” They also state that chronic abuse can even change brain development and increase risk for PTSD and memory issues.

A factor that can affect the downfall of many child stars is their parents, who sometimes use their children for fame or much worse. Culkin, a child star known for his role in the “Home Alone” movies, appeared on the comedian Marc Maron’s podcast, “WTF,” on Jan. 22, 2018, to explain his life during his childhood career. Culkin stated that his father was jealous of his success at such a young age, something that his own career never achieved. Culkin mentions that his father controlled most of his career and he didn’t have much say in what was happening. He also stated that he was often mentally and physically abused by his father.

This parental management is something that many child actors have faced, some even losing most of their earnings to greedy parents and family members. Culkin’s fortune was put up for grabs during his parent’s separation in the 90s, both hoping to receive the sum of money, resulting in Culkin taking them to court and receiving financial emancipation. At just 15 years old, Feldman also took his parents to court after finding a mere percentage of his earnings in his bank

account and was also granted emancipation.

California’s Coogan Act, revised in 2000, is one meant to protect child actors by putting away their money until they become of age, requiring a minimum of 15% of their earnings to be placed in a trust fund. The income of the child actor is now seen as their property, and no longer the parent or guardian’s.

In a statement with PEOPLE, Feldman spoke up about the ever-changing industry, and how social media has made these issues in Hollywood even worse. “We should be talking to the district attorneys

and the lawmakers in California, especially because this is where the entertainment industry is and this is a place where adults have more direct and inappropriate connection with children than probably anywhere else in the world,” said Feldman.

If change is going to come about, it should start with the laws protecting children in the entertainment industry. Maybe one day, the world will see justice for the past child stars whose childhoods and innocence were stolen from them, as well as make the industry a safer space for present and future aspiring young actors.

Jenna Piotrowicz is a senior majoring in professional and public writing, aspiring to be a writer or editor in her future. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies, TV shows and working on her own screenplays, hoping to create the next big feature film.

She

Any fiction reader has probably encountered a male author describing a female character in meticulous, borderline-creepy detail. Descriptions that characterize fictional women as thoughtless, powerless beings with giant, expressive breasts and appearances that seem to substitute for personalities are all too common — so common, in fact, that many readers have become desensitized and do not even notice them.

The hugely popular subreddit r/ menwritingwomen helped to bring this problem to the public consciousness, but it has existed for decades. Bad examples of men writing women can be found from the classic Jack Kerouac and Ken Kesey to the more contemporary George R.R. Martin and Stephen King, who,

to the Stairs

in his 1986 bestselling horror novel “It,” describes an 11 year-old character’s breasts as “small like peaches, sweet like peaches.” Not only are these descriptions of female characters unnecessary and disturbing, they also reveal the deep levels of objectification and dehumanization that women face in both media and their everyday lives.

Grace Carney, an author and avid reader of fiction, says this problem is nothing new. “I have definitely noticed that a lot of male writers put way too much emphasis on breasts, which always makes me extremely uncomfortable because it is done so naturally.” She adds that she doesn’t think that this is always done on purpose, but that doesn’t mean it is harmless. “I think a lot of male authors don’t understand

how talking about [a character’s] boobs for way too long is extremely offensive. To me it comes across as a power play in the sense that [the female character] is so casually being sexualized and reduced to the purpose of serving men. ”

There are many reasons for this dilemma, one being a long-standing and pervasive patriarchy that has been extremely harmful toward women. Historically, female-presenting people in Western society have been the victims of intense objectification, defined by scholars Fredrickson and Roberts as “whenever a woman’s body, body parts or sexual functions are separated out from her person, reduced to the status of mere instruments, or regarded as if they were capable of representing her.”

Kara MacKenzie

Women have been treated like this for centuries, being controlled and stripped of their humanity, treated like property and objects and sex dolls. Because of this history and its continuing influence on current society, male authors (whether consciously or subconsciously) may not think of women as fully human, autonomous beings with complex thoughts and emotions. Instead, they project their views onto their female characters, describing them in the same one-dimensional and vulgar ways that they have been taught to think about women in the real world.

Carney agrees that this is a leading cause of the problem, saying, “I feel that men objectify women more often because they are used to it [and] it was normalized in society

for so long. Everyone is taught to objectify women, even women themselves.”

Author and reader Sydney Savage also sees the problem as stemming from the historic objectification of women. “Things like that [from] society then show up in literature. I think this makes men think they’re allowed to do it to women.”

Journalist Jade King describes this in an article for An Injustice! magazine, explaining that this tradition of objectification leads to unnecessary and disturbing portrayals of female characters. “Instead of listing out a woman’s features in a grounded and realistic way, men will [reduce] them to their body parts in an objectifying, fetishistic and condescending manner. Men’s obscene

sexual fantasies are often reflected in their work.” It seems that male authors often forget that physical traits are not personality traits, and their female characters and readers pay the price.

“It makes me really sad,” says Savage. “It makes me feel disrespected. It may seem harmless to the people doing the sexualizing at first, but it does a lot of damage.”

Women have been treated like this for centuries, being controlled and stripped of their humanity

“

She is right; one 2020 study from Vassar College found that seeing themselves or another woman be objectified can cause lower self-esteem and self-confidence, increased feelings of shame and anxiety, and even decreased cognitive performance in women. Male authors that do this may not realize it, but objectifying their own characters, even in fiction, reinforces the negative effects of objectification in their readers’ everyday lives.

Another reason that male authors feel so comfortable describing their female characters this way is because they write through the male gaze. This means that instead of considering a wide audience of all genders, sexualities and ages, much of the media that is created today targets heterosexual, cisgender

men. Because of this, male authors are not taking into account non-fictional women’s bodies, thoughts or feelings — rather, they are writing what they would want to read. Unfortunately, what men want to read is often a flat, oversexualized woman with long hair and huge breasts where her personality should be, which leads to male authors creating characters like this over and over again.

This also results in strange, inaccurate self-descriptions from female characters, like in the novel “Reader for Hire,” where author Raymond Jean has his female protagonist introduce herself the following way:

“I’m on the tall side, slim in my upper body, wider lower down. … Even if I do have a slightly hooked nose,

I actually have full, very cushiony lips, and I think my complexion is more like peaches than feathers. To get back to my body, my neck rises tall above my shoulders, my arms are slim, my waist is slim and my breasts are nicely separated.”

It is not uncommon for a male author to write about a woman looking in the mirror, appraising her own body by observing how sexy she looks, even though most women would be more likely to comment on their own perceived imperfections. But it is not what real women would do that matters to the author: All that matters is how

he is looking at this female character. If he is imagining a scantily-clad woman with a slim waist and perfect breasts because that is what he wants to see, then that is what his character will see too, no matter how unrealistic or objectifying it may be.

The historic lack of female representation in publishing also contributes to the problem of male authors objectifying and dehumanizing their female characters, and explains why there are not nearly as many examples of female authors egregiously sexualising and dehumanizing their male characters in the same way.

According to one article from BookRiot, a study of almost 200 bestselling fiction books published from 1300–2015 found that over 70% of the books were written by men. Additionally, only 25.6% of these books had female protagonists, and men were far less likely to write a book with a protagonist of a different gender than themselves. Finally, and most notably, books with male protagonists sold an average of 10 million more copies than those with a female protagonist. Clearly, most literature — especially classic literature — is focused on the experiences, thoughts and

needs of men, which means that women grow up reading these things. Exposure to male-centric literature from a young age makes it easier for women to write male characters, as they have been surrounded by examples of this for their entire lives.

However, there is a lack of accurate female-centric literature, especially in school curriculums. Without exposure to positive examples of female characters, men often do not have the experience and representation necessary to write detailed, three-dimensional women into their stories.

“What we consider to be literary canon does not seem to benefit oppressed groups, and it’s important we value the books that can benefit those oppressed groups and broaden perspectives,” says Carney. “Publishing people outside the norm would not only diversify the writing people today consume, but it would also encourage people with different perspectives to become writers and destroy stereotypes.”

Platforming female authors is certainly one solution, but there is another simple way for male authors to fix this problem: by listening to women.

“The best thing you can do is just talk to the women that you know,” says King. “Ask them questions. Ask

for their opinions and advice. These types of conversations are essential in order to educate and understand each other. We just need to find men who are willing to listen.”

If male authors really do listen to the women around them, they can begin to understand how disrespectful and offensive their objectification of female characters is. With a bit of patience and effort, they can strive to do better.

And for female readers who are bothered by the unnecessary and disturbing descriptions of their favorite female characters, the best way to cope is to educate the men around you, scroll r/menwritingwomen for a laugh, and write what you want to read.

Exposure to male-centric literature from a young age makes it easier for women to write male characters

Kara MacKenzie is currently a senior studying Professional & Public Writing and Women’s & Gender Studies. She is interested in the intersections between rhetoric and social justice, and hopes to one day use her communications skills to benefit a nonprofit organization. In her personal life, she is an intramural volleyball player, plant mom, artist, and avid reader.

FICTION FANS

How a Stellar Combination IMPACTED PUBLISHING

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In fan spaces (fandoms), “fanfiction” has become a staple of fan-based production for many popular pieces of media, like books, television shows or movies. This kind of literature has been around for much longer than most modern fans are familiar with, and has a wide-spanning history and set of influences that are heavily felt by pop culture and the publication industry.

On the opposite side of media consumers, there are those who do not participate in fandom, do not even know what fanfiction is. Fanfictions, as defined by Merriam-Webster, are “stories involving popular fictional characters that are written by fans and often posted on the internet.” The dictionary claims that the very

first use of the word is from the year 1939, but all the examples are modern, from 2022. After a bit of digging, Jeff Prucher gives an example from the 1930s in his book “Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction” reading ““B. Tucker” “Le Zombie” (Aug. 19) 2: And Milt is to be congratulated on the story … it is definitely pro and not fan fiction.”

This example describes a work of amateur fiction versus pro-fiction, and while it is technically correct, it barely scratches the surface of what fanfiction is to the modern reader.

Fanfiction has not been limited to just the sphere of the fictional — it has extended into fictions about ce-

lebrities and religious figures. While this specific term was not applied to works like “Inferno” (1472) by Dante Alhigieri or “Paradise Lost” (1667) by John Milton, both could be interpreted as fanfiction of the Bible. They also both predate the first known use of the word by hundreds of years.

More academic members of the literary community would prefer to label these works as pastchies, which are defined as “literary, artistic, musical, or architectural work[s] that imitate the style of previous work.” There’s no reason that fanfiction shouldn’t be housed under this term, but many people find the word pastchies much more professional to use.

The distinction is only important to those who have more classical ideas about literature, and insist on using arbitrary lines to separate “classics” from “fanfiction.”

Kalynna Davies

Fanfiction as we know it, composed of niche groups with individual writers, really began taking off in the 1960s, with the rise of media like “Star Trek.” Fans began reimagining the source material for themselves, creating and publishing it at home and passing it around to their friends. One product of this was an uptick in “fanzines,” unofficial publications made by fans of a particular cultural moment.

Although fanzines were first introduced by the science fiction community in the 1930s, it wasn’t until 1940 that the word was coined by Russ Chauvenet in his sci-fi publication titled “Detours.” This development touches self-publication to this day in the form of zines. According to the “Zine Basics” written by Barnard College, “A zine, short for fanzine or magazine, is a DIY subculture self-publication, usually made on paper and reproduced with a photocopier or printer.” This is just one example of how science

fiction communities pioneered modern fandom spaces — they’re even attributed with creating the word “fandom.”

One member of this community is Lily Richardson*, a 64-year-old woman who was an avid “Star Trek” fan during her teen years. Although Richardson is very hesitant to describe her experience due to the stigma she received during her time in the fan space, she gave very valuable insight into the nature of fandom in the 1960s. “Being involved in fandom, fanzines, and fanfiction, and a woman on top of all of that, was considered really quite odd,” she said. “A lot of us only shared it amongst friend groups, all kinds of little drawings, and fiction and poetry — long before the internet was a popular thing.”

Even without official publication on their sides, fans carved out a space for their own creations to thrive — mostly among those with shared interests. Zines, used to develop a culture of unofficial publications,

changed the way that fans could interact with the characters. They didn’t have to buy official merchandise or wait every week for these pieces of media — instead, they made them.

Something that shifted the nature of this production was the development of public access to the World Wide Web in the 1990s. Richardson recalled that “there were definitely some early fanfic pages for popular media. ‘Star Trek,’ ‘X-Files’ — there weren’t any huge databases with fanfiction from every kind of show, or movie, or musicians. I think the internet really changed the landscape of fanfiction because, now, you can go on a fanfiction website and see a little something from everybody, from all corners of the world.”

Since then, the internet realm of fanfiction has only become more prominent, with early collectors of fanfiction being websites like Quotev, LiveJournal, Tumblr, and Fanfiction.net, which were only re-

cently surpassed in use by websites such as Wattpad or Archive of our Own (AO3).

While the creators of AO3 — a nonprofit organization called The Organization for Transformative Works — stated they were “established by fans to serve the interests of fans by providing access to and preserving the history of fanworks and fan culture in its myriad forms.” On AO3, there are over 53,650 fandoms, 5,152,000 users, and 10,160,000 works. Fanfiction.net boasts an impressive number as well, with 2,570 fandoms and 1,649,532 works in the “Book” section alone. It’s clear to see that both sites, no matter how old, host an array of writers, media, and diversity amongst fan spaces.

While many have opinions that fanfiction isn’t “real” literature or is only for amateurs, many mainstream readers, along with the publishing industry, have begun to realize that is not entirely true. The popularization of this activity has allowed for

fan communities to flourish, and allows writers to be seen as authors, hobbyists, and even artists instead of weirdos.

However, widening up the space has also allowed for it to take on a business element. Scouts have taken to scouring the internet for talent, looking for stories that can be converted to the page. A prominent example would be the well-known book “Fifty Shades of Grey” by E.L James — or, as known on fanfiction. net, “Master of the Universe” by Snowqueens Icedragon.

The original tale was a fanfiction novel between Edward Cullen and Bella Swan from the “Twilight” Series — but after garnering so much attention online, the book was able to go in for publication after a few slight tweaks on the names and locations of the fictional characters. Edward Cullen became Christian Grey, Bella Swan became Anastasisa Steele — and E.L James became rich. After this very successful mod-

el, other fanfiction writers began doing the same thing — modifying or taking down their old works from websites in order to put them on shelves instead.

Wattpad has become particularly adept at this, the proof being Anna Todd’s series “After,” which was originally published in 2013 under the pen name imaginator1D and was recently adapted to film in 2019. The story told a sordid affair between characters Tessa and Harry Styles, whose name was later changed to Hardin in order to avoid a lawsuit prior to production.

It has over 20 million readers and a fair amount of watchers — enough that the franchise has four movies already, the most recent being “After Ever Happy,” released by Voltage Pictures in September of 2022.

In both instances, the fiction was created by taking real people or characters and reimagining their lives — and since they have found

“ “

such mainstream success, there are bound to be more examples cropping up in the years to come.

Blueburns_01, a reader on Wattpad since 2013, stated, “It’s normal to see works being taken down or changed because they’re going to become books instead. It’s really great to see all of these authors being appreciated for their work, but it also kind of takes away from

the fandom space created on these websites.”

It has become common practice to have entire novel-length fanfictions downloaded on one’s computer, just in case the author decides to go forward and publish. Since copyright is a serious issue everytime one of these fanfictions go to print, they often end up changing the spirit of the story, to appeal more to

the masses instead of a niche group of people.

The publishing industry learning that these kinds of stories sell is what leads them to move forward with making them into books, and eventually movies. But it does infringe on fandom space, where people usually put massive efforts into art, literature and costumes just for the enjoyment of it.

Publishing fanfiction is not particularly a bad thing — in fact, it provides more of a double-edged sword than anything else. On one hand, people are starting to get recognized, and their work is being accepted in literary communities, which is traditionally a very serious and stern field regarding what literature is and is not.

On the other hand, introducing capital to these spaces has done its fair share of damage, as authors are not interested in keeping their original fanfiction up if it can be changed and modified for mass and public consumption.

Blueburns said, “Sometimes I can kind of tell when a book used to be fanfiction. If they describe the main couple’s eyes as really, really green and really, really blue, then that’s Supernatural’s Dean Winchester and Castiel. If the main couple are a know-it-all with bushy hair and a snob with a sleek, blonde look, that’s Harry Potter’s Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy.”

connections, as they are heavily reminiscent of specific tropes used in specific fandoms.

This transition shouldn’t be seen as an entirely bad thing, though. Some authors never disclose the history of their fanfiction-based novels because they don’t want their professional career to have those listed as examples. This is a perfectly rational move for budding authors, and, ultimately, is good for them. Whether the work is taken down or modified, most readers empathize with their choice, and wish them the best.

Some authors, such as Ali Hazelwood, find their roots worth sharing, and use that appeal in order to garner a certain kind of crowd or fanbase. Her novel, titled “The Love Hypothesis,” took inspiration from Star Wars. The original form of the novel was titled “Head Over Feet” in 2018, and is no longer available on any of these fanfiction platforms but can be found circulating Reddit in PDF form.

this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof.”

These are the kinds of details that go unnoticed by regular consumers, but those who participate in fandom spaces, or, more specifically, the reading and writing of fanfiction, can point out these kinds of

However, Hazelwood hints at its past with a rather obvious summary, reading “As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn’t believe in lasting romantic relationships — but her best friend does, and that’s what got her into

With the character Olive Smith based on Rey, and her love interest Adam Carlsen based on Kylo Ren, this seems like a very pointed nugget for those who might have come across the fanfiction before it was repurposed to become suitable for shelves.

Through the journey of fanfiction — old or new, unofficial or self-proclaimed — it’s clear to see that fanfiction has made a change in publication. In earlier years, this influence was largely unseen or scorned by mass media, but, in more recent years is seen as a genuine foray into the writing world, a hobby and, for some, a viable career.

With fanfiction becoming less stigmatized in the publishing industry, it is expected there will be similar

Kalynna Davies is an English major in her senior year. She has a concentration in creative writing and a minor in film –these are both activities she enjoys outside of the classroom, as well. In the future, she intends to use these skills to cultivate counterstories in an array of media – from novel to film.

instances in years to come. That is not to say that all of them will be good — after all, there are a lot of works that heavily rely on the idea of tropes. However, there is also a budding group of writers who are developing their craft by re-imagining characters they love, and developing community with like-minded people.

This, in the very least, could be seen as a good exercise for authors to practice character interactions, world building and even dealing with less-than-ideal readers. Over the years, many authors have left fanfiction to create worlds and characters of their own — and whether they take the characters along with them or leave them behind on websites like AO3, their creations have changed the face of publishing in some way or form.

With fandom and fanfiction growing to encompass anime, bands and politicians, along with movies, shows, TV and genres from horror to comedy, the collective efforts of fanfiction writers from the past and present have given future writers a chance to evolve their work into printed publications. Even if the introduction of business to fandom space could encourage more trope-littered stories in hopes of garnering public attention, there are an equal number of writers dedicated to their craft, their fandoms, and telling good, complex stories.

And who knows? Maybe 10 years down the line, there will be new fanfiction for those stories, too.

HUMOR: Gen Z

Older generations often have comments about the peculiar humor of Gen Z. Whether it be a completely absurdist image or using dry or dark humor, Gen Z will laugh until tears well up in their eyes.

Although the laugh is lighthearted, some aspects might be darker than one would imagine. Oftentimes, Gen Z is ridiculed for desensitizing serious topics such as 9/11 or suicide. Looking at the root of all this makes these jokes much clearer.

Generation Z has grown up surrounded by horrific historical events. Between 9/11, the 2008 recession, climate change, school shootings, rising sea levels or even a global pandemic, Gen Z has seen it all. It’s easy to assume that Gen Z has likely grown up incredibly numb to such serious situations. With the secondary trauma from parents and a world impacted by such tragedies

Laughing About Our Demise

Jenna Piotrowicz

at such a young age, many have grown up with no heartfelt or direct emotion about the events.

Humor is often used as a coping mechanism for Gen Z, a generation that has blown the cover off and globalized the importance of mental health. Their impact has made the world more aware of people’s feelings. Gen Z’s overly aggressive jokes and self-deprecating remarks may seem alarming to some, but to them, it is a form of expression. Phrases like “I literally look like trash today” and “Kill me now” are just some responses that frequent Gen Z’s common language.

With the world burning and melting right beneath the surface and the economy falling apart, something like dropping a coffee on the ground might gain a response from a Gen Z of “OMG, I’m literally gonna off myself.” Harsh but meaningful,

Content Warning: Mentions of Self

Harm

these jokes and comments express Gen Z’s numbness towards aggressive and violent behaviors. Without dark humor, many don’t have any other way to express how grim the world’s circumstances are.

An interview with Michigan State student Ally Gilbreath furthered this idea. Gilbreath said, “I feel like our humor is our escape. It’s the best we can do to cope with the world we have inherited, and having self-deprecating or dark humor is just another way of getting through the day. I’d say it even allows you to connect to other people.”

“Absurdism and Generation Z Humor,” a study in the Journal of Student Research (JSR), stated, “much of their generated content online reflects nihilism and existentialism—both ideas parallel to

absurdity in the idea that life has no meaning but the individual is a free agent.”

The concept of absurd humor is one that a high percentage of Generation Z is in touch with. The more incomprehensible the image, the funnier it gets. Instagram account @ lolhylian, which has 487,000 followers, is dedicated to posting this kind of humor. Putting it simply, half a million people acquaint themselves with these absurdist images daily.

This phenomenon reflects many beliefs that Gen Z holds, including the mindset of thinking that life is meaningless and humans live on a floating rock in a never-ending expanse. And hey, maybe it doesn’t matter if a student can’t finish that assignment since they could get hit by a planet-killing asteroid tomorrow.

The study in JSR also found that “absurdist humor does, in fact, influ-

ence humor rankings for Generation Z students as compared to less absurd content,” meaning that in the eyes of Gen Z, the more meaningless, the better.

Many workplaces and companies find this humor inappropriate and too dark, but when appealing to Gen Z, using these humor tactics is the best way to sell a product or advertise a business. This humor is realistic and transparent, and many Gen Z consumers are more likely to buy something when they connect with the selling tactic.

For example, many major companies and organizations now have official TikTok pages. It has become a common humor tactic for these company accounts to comment on viral TikToks, even if unrelated to their product. These comments gain massive likes, replies and laughs from users. This form of branding is something that Gen Z connects with, and relates to.

Gen Z humor has taken hold of social media, especially TikTok. By liking certain videos, the algorithm may even send Gen Z-savvy users to feeds such as “Deeptok,” a For You Page that gives users absurdist humor and content.

Humor is an easy way to relate to an audience while still expressing emotions. The sense of escapism evoked from expressing themselves through comedy may keep them going, even if they genuinely struggle with mental illness and serious conditions. They are poking fun at a real part of their lives and, again, expressing themselves.

An article from The Current’s 2020 Winter edition magazine, titled “Passing Down Trauma to Kids: A Personal Essay” by Kate Snider, addresses this trauma and the trauma cycle, stating that “[her] story, among many others, seems to demonstrate that parents can, intentionally or unintentionally, pass

The more incomprehensible the image, the funnier it gets “ “

their own childhood trauma to their children. While this ripple effect can extend generations, it is completely possible for it to begin with [one’s] immediate family.”

Snider also states, “While growing up, we believe our parents are invincible. Parents show us the difference between right and wrong, and slowly their parental knowledge begins to become our own. Everything they do is a model to replicate.” This occurs when adults are parenting children after experiencing horrible tragedies and historical events. They pass on that worry, that anxiety, but it is not the child’s own.

But humor can be made one’s own. And oftentimes, Gen Z turns to humor as a means of coping with the lingering worries left behind from their childhood environment.

So although they may be dark jokes and self-deprecating remarks, society can recognize that the factors that nurtured Gen Z’s childhoods cause them to feel both everything and nothing all at once, resulting in humor that may represent both nothing and deep emotion simultaneously.

Because no matter how dark Gen Z humor may be, nothing is darker than the past, present and future that has been laid out for their generation.

humor that may represent both nothing and deep emotion simultaneously “ “

Jenna Piotrowicz is a senior majoring in professional and public writing, aspiring to be a writer or editor in her future. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies, TV shows and working on her own screenplays, hoping to create the next big feature film.

Image by Ryan McGuire from Pixabay

NOSTALGIA

Oliviah Brown

From the creation of Pikachu and numerous well known creatures in the Pokémon franchise to Tom Nook and the gang in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the reigning powerhouse of the video game industry has been and continues to be Nintendo. Ever since the very first video game in 1958, people have been enamored by these electronic and virtual games.

As technology progresses further and advancements are made to the video game industry, users cannot help but feel a sense of nostalgia, not just from older games and systems but also from what it brought to their relationships with family and friends.

Nintendo was founded in Kyoto, Japan, in 1889, far before video games were even a thought in anyone’s minds, as a company selling playing cards. It was nearly 100

years later that they developed the Game & Watch series, which host ed a range of handheld electronic games. This was then followed by their iconic release of “Donkey Kong” in 1981, only a year later.

From then on, our favorite characters—Mario and Luigi, Pikachu and Charizard, Link and Zelda, and many others—were born and began their rise to popularity.

But these characters and their associated games aren’t the only thing that Nintendo is known for; their wide range of consoles throughout the years keeps things fresh. These continuous releases, however, made it easy to look back and remember what kept us occupied growing up.

Joshua Smith is an avid video game player and has kept up with the company and each of their newest

soles ranging from the classic Nintendo 64 to a range of the Nintendo DSs to the newest Nintendo Switch.

There is a certain appeal that Nintendo holds that gamers notice and appreciate. Smith said, “I tend to be drawn to Nintendo’s game design and art styles. They tend to stand out from other gaming developers in their variety of gameplay. Nintendo isn’t known for one specific kind of game. I feel like that’s why I have always been drawn to them, because I have a range to choose from.”

But Smith isn’t the only one who enjoys Nintendo and everything that makes it what it’s known for today. From its beginnings the company has drawn in its crowds not only for the range in game designs and game play but also for its ability

to bring people together to create memories that are remembered longingly for decades which derives the feeling of nostalgia.

Nostalgia is a tricky thing to completely understand and even more so when it comes to why people get nostalgic over something like playing video games. Dr. Krystine Batcho, a professor of psychology at LeMoyne College in New York, explained what nostalgia was in an interview with the American Psychological Association (APA). She defined nostalgia as “the notion of longing for or missing aspects of a person’s personal lived past.”

Batcho also mentioned that “it’s part of what bonds us to the most important people in our life: our parents, our siblings, our friends. As we go through life, it can broaden out and extend to a wider sphere of the people we interact with. It’s a social connectedness phenomenon and nostalgia is in that sense a very healthy pro-social emotion.”

On a smaller scale, nostalgia with video games can stem from the fact that many people used to use games as a form of bonding experience with siblings, parents and friends. Michigan State University student Jenna Piotrowicz said that

she remembered clearly playing Super Mario games with her siblings. “Playing Super Mario games, Wii Sports and Mario Kart reminds me of playing with my brother and sister when we were young; it’s something that I have a fond remembrance of.”

Another video game fan and lover of the classics, James Brown, remembers using games as a way to spend time with his friends. “Back in the 80s, they had video arcades, which were the ‘go to’ things for teenagers, but you don’t see many of them nowadays. My good friend in middle school and I used to go to the arcade in the mall close by to play ski ball and arcade games like Qbert and Pac Man.”

This feeling of connectedness is one that also binds society together on a larger scale which can be seen in a few different ways, from fashion trends returning to the rising interest in vinyl records. In this case, the return of retro or vintage editions of favorite games has been connecting adults back to their video game roots. This phenomenon is called “retrogaming.” Retrogaming is attributed to the RetroGames company created by Robert Frasure in the 1990s that had a hand in classic gaming systems, and it means

that older games and consoles are being “revamped,” so to speak, and are making their comeback. Games such as The Legend of Zelda, Sonic The Hedgehog, and Mario Kart are all considered retro video games, and each of them play on the nostalgia that comes with them.

One device that Nintendo created to profit off of the feeling of nostalgia is the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) Classic Edition. This console was released in 2016, briefly discontinued due to higher demand than expected and made a well received comeback a year later.

Being an affordable console with pre-downloaded games that many remember playing during childhood—examples including Galaga, Kirby’s Adventure, The Legend of Zelda and more—there is no question as to why it was popular. These

games hold nostalgia because of the design, the characters and just being something that older individuals remember as something well loved when growing up.

It isn’t just the NES Classic Edition that is satisfying the nostalgia in gamers. There are plenty of older games that are being revamped on modern devices such as the Nintendo Switch. Michigan State student Savannah Harris commented, “Since they created Nintendo Switch recently, I’ve seen so many people play their nostalgic games in a different format and love it.”

For example, with the release of the newest Pokemon Scarlet and Violet video games on the Nintendo Switch, gamers are feeling the same joy that came with every new Pokemon release. Smith commented, “Pokemon has always

been around. I remember playing Pokemon Pearl on the DS. They have a way of making the gameplay different each time while continuing to make it old school.”

But this new Pokemon generation has its advancements that keep it exciting. “It’s the first open world that Nintendo has made. They keep the old concepts of catching pokemon and battling the gym leaders while also opening it up with a new world with new pokemon, routes and story lines. They’ve kept the game fresh while also scratching that nostalgic itch.”

Whether a person enjoys playing something made by Nintendo or another popular gaming company, nostalgia in video games continues to hold strong because of the memories of the classics and the idea of longing for the simplistic. Nintendo of America’s mission is said to be “to put smiles on the faces of everyone we touch. We do so by creating new surprises for people across the world to enjoy together.” It is easy to see how they’ve upheld their mission for generations as individuals of all ages look back at their childhood with nostalgia and see the continuous face of Nintendo.

nostalgia in video games continues to hold strong because of the memories of the classics

Oliviah Brown is a 5th year senior double majoring in English and professional writing, and minoring in digital humanities. Her aspirations are to use her studies to pursue a career in editing. When she’s not studying, she is usually reading or figuring out new recipes to bake.

JUNK

Xeidler W. Trayling

Personal Art to

Reduce, reuse, recycle is a phrase ingrained into many individuals since childhood. But try as we might, it feels like it isn’t quite enough when it comes to combating pollution or reducing the amount of plastic accumulating in landfills across the country. What if there was a way to not only reduce the amount of plastic being thrown away, but also where you can enjoy a hobby that allows you to create something of your own. This is where kitbashing comes in.

What is that?

Well, kitbashing is “a practice whereby a new scale model is created by taking pieces out of commercial kits. These pieces may be added to a custom project or to another kit. For professional model-makers, kit-bashing is popular to create concept models for detailing movie special effects.” There are differ-

ent forms of kitbashing such as scrap-building, scratch-building, and junk-building.

With the subject of recycling, we’ll only focus on junk and scrap building since those two are the ones that focus the most on leftover plastic that normally would be put into recycling for it to be remade into another plastic byproduct. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case once you look into it.

Why is that?

According to research done by Greenpeace, they found out that “While 52% of recycling facilities in the U.S. accept that kind of plastic [cups and containers], the report found less than 5% of it is actually repurposed — and the rest is put into a landfill.”

Now the reason for this might be due to two things in my opinion, one being leftover food residue left

on plastic containers like that for milk and the other might have to do with that not all of the plastic in a container can be recycled. Putting that thought to the side, there is the more important fact of the matter when it comes down to how the state of Michigan is doing their part on recycling.

As stated in an article done by the Detroit Free Press, “Michigan’s statewide recycling rate is around 18%, with Wayne County at 25%. The national recycling rate is 32%.” That alone is alarming when you also read that “Statewide, more than $435 million a year in recoverable materials are thrown away and buried in landfills, according to 2016 report by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE).”

With that alone, one has to wonder if we can do any better. I believe there is something that can get us

at least one small step in the right direction; though it being one of possibly many directions.

This is where we circle back to the idea of kitbashing; or the sub categories of it being scrap and junk building. Now scrap building is pretty simple, where it is simply just left over scrap that one can reuse for a future build. Junk building, while pretty self-explanatory, is where one keeps leftover containers and broken items and reuses them to build something. Typically, those items range from broken printers to yogurt containers and later those things get reused to build things like models, anime characters, dioramas, display cases, cosplay pieces, and many other creative outlets.

Studson Studio made a model of a robotic elephant from Horizon Zero Dawn using an old plastic pretzel barrel as the base.

Now, you might be wondering one of two things. Firstly you might think, “how much junk could a person who does that for a living have?” And to that I say, it can vary; oftentimes people who do junk building for a hobby have either one or two boxes full of leftover junk or a closet full of it. Secondly, you might be asking “will this be enough to reduce the amount of plastic waste we have?” Well, for that it seems to be unclear since no one has done any research into it or written anything with regards to it. Who knows, maybe we can all

find out if we try while also making something that we want but can’t afford or can’t find anymore. I know I am.

Xeidler Trayling is currently a senior studying Technical Writing. He is interested in the Editing side of Technical writing, and hopes to use that for a career in that avenue so he can hope to focus on publishing his own fictional stories in the future. In his personal life, he is a gamer, kitbasher, sketcher, and avid reader.

Kara MacKenzie

ARE NOT THE PROBLEM

Some music fans would say that anyone with powerful connections, a foggy background or a suspiciously familiar sound must be an industry plant. Others would argue that only those who have purposefully deceived their fans qualify for the label. No matter what their definition, most people agree that industry plants steal the spotlight from smaller, more deserving artists, and that they are bad for the industry as a whole.

The term “industry plant,” which originated from rap and hip-hop

message board culture in the early 2010s, is generally used to describe “an artist who has a major/indie label backing their movement but presents themselves as a ‘homegrown start-up’ to create the illusion of an organic following,” according to Bubblegum Club Magazine.

Amin Koumaiha, a self-proclaimed hip-hop geek, defined an industry plant as “an artist whose rise in the music industry was largely manufactured or funded, likely by the record label or another third party.” He added that “there is a distinction

between a co-sign or artist development as opposed to someone coming out of nowhere who was funded to be there.” This distinction is important to music fans, but it is often hard to tell which artists fall into which category.

Examples of artists who have been accused of being industry plants range from Lizzo, Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo to Drake, 50 Cent and Travis Scott. It seems that any artist who frequently gets their music on the radio and their face in the media is likely to be called an industry

plant, and the rise of social media has made it easier than ever for these accusations to spread, whether or not there is evidence to back them up.

On some level, society’s recent obsession with outing so-called industry plants is understandable. “I think society dislikes industry plants because fans recognize how difficult it is to have success in the music business, so seeing someone with an unfair advantage having success will raise some eyebrows,” said Koumaiha.

He is right; independently producing music is easier than ever, so new artists suddenly winning awards and sponsorships with seemingly no previous industry experience is suspicious. There is something strange about a debut music video with noticeably high production value or a debut album with high-profile artists featured — something that makes audiences feel uncomfortable.

People, especially music fans, tend to highly value authenticity and relatability. Seeing an artist start at the bottom and work their way up feels like a success story that fans can relate to and confidently support. Music fans like to believe that their favorite artists have worked hard to get where they are and deserve the success that they have.

Artists who lack a clearly organic backstory risk seeming distant, cliche and worst of all, unrelatable. So when a brand new artist appears to have unfair advantages behind the scenes, fans can’t help but wonder where they got those advantages. People are hesitant to support artists who they believe did not earn their place in the industry, and so they label artists who are unrelatable as industry plants.

Unfortunately, women are much more likely to be given the label. One example of this is Clairo, a 22-year-old lofi pop artist who gained fame in 2018 after the

for Clairo, who told the New York Times that she saw them as blatant evidence of sexism. “The fact that there has to be a man behind my success when I genuinely have worked so hard is frustrating. At the end of the day, when people say, ‘Oh, she’s an industry plant,’ I’m like, ‘No, I just have representation, like every single other artist you listen to.’ I’m not the first person to get a manager.”

Another example of the misogynistic refusal to accept women’s success in a male-dominated industry appears on the popular forum

website Lipstick Alley. In a thread that asks for “Examples Of An Industry Plant And Why Are They A Plant,” responses accuse 20 female artists of being industry plants but only 12 men. When prompted to provide evidence or justification for their accusations, one poster responded by saying “No explanation really ... we just KNOW.”

It seems likely that sexism and misogyny play a role in determining who is targeted for being an industry plant. It is also impossible to

know an individual artist’s complete background, and most people do not understand the complexities and nuances involved in the music industry. Unless a person admits to being an industry plant, nobody can know for sure.

Besides, any artist who wants to become part of the music industry is forced to rely on record labels to gain popularity. As journalist Josh Terry pointed out in an article for Vice, “most everyone else with a sizable audience either has the back-

ing of a label, a publicist, a manager, a booking agent, a team of people helping them release and write music — or all of the above.” The job of a music label is to develop an artist, providing connections and resources to help them reach fame. Taking advantage of that should not invalidate the hard work that an artist put in behind the scenes.

But if it is impossible to tell who is an industry plant, there is no real definition, and misogyny and sexism often influence accusations, then why do people still love to hate industry plants?

Ultimately, seeing someone represent themselves as homegrown and self-made, when in reality they had privileges that some artists do not, can feel insulting to truly indepen-

dent artists with no industry connections or financial backing. People don’t like to believe that their favorite artists are privileged or are part of a biased, unfair industry, so they attack anyone who they think is an industry plant. However, artists who sign to labels and take advantage of the power and influence that they provide are simply trying to follow their dreams. Instead of attacking individual artists for taking the opportunity that was provided to them, music fans should question why the industry doesn’t provide that same opportunity to everyone who is deserving of it.

The fact is, it takes talent, luck and privilege to make it in such a large and historic industry. It takes time

and money, both of which are resources that many independent artists do not have, to support a music career. As Koumaiha pointed out, “Not everyone with musical talent will even get a chance.”

As Bianca Bucholtz writes for The Current, many have targeted Taylor Swift, whose parents moved their family from Pennsylvania to Nashville to help her enter the country music industry. The opportunity to move to the capital of country music and devote the time and money it takes to make it in the industry is definitely a privilege, one that was likely a main reason that she was able to become so successful. However, it seems unfair to blame Swift for pursuing her dream career, when the real problem is that it is much more challenging for those

The fact is, it takes talent, luck and privilege to make it in such a large and historic industry “ “

without the privileges she had to do the same thing.

The music industry also has a long list of structural problems and predatory practices that warrant suspicion and further investigation. For one, it has a legacy of racism, sexism and homophobia that still exists today, creating biases that make it harder for members of minority groups to gain fame.

Labels and executives are also known to practice suspicious signing practices and predatory royalty deals, which can take advantage

of artists with less experience. Finally, the rise of social media has meant that labels value PR, media buzz and publicity over talent and growth, which can put some artists at a disadvantage. These problems are all real and worth pointing out, but individual artists have little control over them.

Koumaiha said he has “much less respect for artists [he] considers to be industry plants,” and of course every consumer can decide for themselves which artists they choose to support. However, instead of targeting individual indus-

try plants, which is inaccurate and often influenced by misogyny, fans should consider examining the industry that privileges the people with money and connections in the first place. Audiences hate industry plants because they reveal the inequality and hierarchy within the music industry, but industry plants aren’t the problem: the industry is.

fans should consider examining the industry that privileges the people with money and connections “ “

Kara MacKenzie is currently a senior studying Professional & Public Writing and Women’s & Gender Studies. She is interested in the intersections between rhetoric and social justice, and hopes to one day use her communications skills to benefit a nonprofit organization. In her personal life, she is an intramural volleyball player, plant mom, artist, and avid reader.

JUSTIFICATION BUYING

Fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy— these are the foundations of a healthy diet and a large portion of what goes into our bodies. But those who invest in eating organic would argue that the produce we buy from grocery stores aren’t made equal—that some items are better than others.

In the produce section of any local or chain grocery store, a smaller subsection of shelves supply organically grown fruits, vegetables, and other fresh items that are labeled as such. Meat and dairy items are also included in USDA-officiated organic labeling. These products might not look any different from anything else around them, but it is how they’re grown and produced that makes up the difference.

According to the U.S Department

of Agriculture (USDA), in order to be considered organic, produce and other products must be grown and processed in a specific way. For fruits and vegetables, they can only be certified organic “if it’s certified to have grown on soil that had no prohibited substances applied for three years prior to harvest.” These “prohibited substances” would include most pesticides and herbicides.

As for meat products, the USDA writes that “regulations require that animals are raised in living conditions accommodating their natural behaviors (like the ability to graze on pasture), fed 100% organic feed and forage and not administered antibiotics or hormones.”

Anyone can follow these regulations in order to produce foods organical-

ly—many home grown foods and family farms produce foods and animal-made products in an organic way —but the USDA certified “organic” label requires a thorough checklist of specifics needed to receive the stamp of approval. This could ultimately lead to the betterment or detriment of local businesses, farmers and communities overall.

But buying organic food seems to be worth the effort being put into the stamp of approval from the USDA; this is because organic foods are all around holistically and economically better for both the consumer and the producer. While there are drawbacks to having the organic label, such as requiring a heavy price tag for farmers pursuing certification, there are benefits

Oliviah Brown

that come with being financially supported by local consumers and communities.

A local neighborhood grocery store called the Eastside Lansing Food Co-Op (ELFCO) is a market that sells produce and baked goods sourced from local farmers and makers in the Lansing area. Sally Potters, ELFCO’s general manager, stated that a big reason for selling local produce is that farmers are paid more than what they would get in a larger grocery store. “[One goal] is to pay farmers directly for their goods three or four times what they would selling it to another party.” She also said that “if someone is going to grow food, they should be rewarded and they should get a fair price for their food.”

This idea of paying farmers directly is a universally shared view when it comes to community building in

farming communities. In a University of Vermont article written by Vern Grubinger, “wholesale prices that farmers get for their products are low, often near the cost of production. Local farmers who sell [directly] to consumers cut out the middleman and get full retail price for their food — which helps farm families stay on the land.”

This extends not only to farmers and their families, but also to the communities themselves. In smaller towns, neighbors are tight knit, creating a unity amongst each other whenever one needs it. “This is an opportunity to create a food store in what is called a food desert because there’s not a full range food store within about a mile and a half of this location, so [we are] a place where people can walk and get what they need … and to benefit farmers and makers and the community,” said Potters.

A FoodTank article, “Study Reveals Organic Farming is Financially Sustainable Around the World,” written by Emily Nink, writes that “the labor-intensive nature of organic farming has the potential to revitalize rural economies, providing an added economic benefit outside of the farm-level scope of the analysis. Organic farming can redistribute resources in rural areas and promote economic stability through job creation.”

While consuming organic foods is promoted as a better alternative for the environment, for farmers, and for local communities, consumers are not always stuck buying higher priced goods at franchised grocery stores.

Farmers markets provide ample amounts of locally grown produce from locally sourced individuals.

consumers are not always stuck buying higher priced goods at franchised grocery stores

One such market is the Allen Farmer’s Market. Located in Lansing, the Allen Farmers Market provides yearround fresh produce and foods from a variety of local growers. Not only does it allow for the community to support local businesses and consume more fruits and vegetables, but the market accepts payments through SNAP/EBT and other food assistance programs. This just goes to show how individuals are supported as a whole from growing to buying to consuming local and organic foods.

The question of whether or not someone should be buying organic and/or local food over commercially grown products is a question that should only be answered by the consumer themselves. But with all hope, local and organic farmers will continue to be able to provide fresh foods for their communities in an environmentally and economically beneficial way.

“ “

Oliviah Brown is a 5th year senior double majoring in English and professional writing, and minoring in digital humanities. Her aspirations are to use her studies to pursue a career in editing. When she’s not studying, she is usually reading or figuring out new recipes to bake.