Issue No. 13: December/January 2015

HERCULTURE Issue 13 / December 2015

Pure Winter treats! holiday snacks for your sweet tooth

Through the Snow Cozy up to some new cultures to celebrate the holiday season

LINDA AINOUCHE Changing the dreadlocks world, one 1documentary at a time

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letter from THE FOUNDER Dear Culture Girl, As we enjoy this beautiful holiday season, I’d like to share my gratitude to have you all as readers and Her Culture friends. Thank you for taking this incredible journey with us as we learn, grow, explore, and accomplish.

The Winter is a great time to appreciate those who support us infinitely, so consider those closest to you around the holidays. I hope you enjoy what our 13th issue has to oer.

As always and with much love,

Kate

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Culture Features

LIFE 40

Why are smart girls scary?

Society should do better at recognizing the strength in educated girls.

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Modern-Day Feminism

What it means to have equal genders in America.

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TOP 5: Places for Wildlife

We all have a wild side. Find out where you can find some of the best of nature out there.

DECEMBER

COVER 28

Linda Ainouche

NEWS 12

Asian Collaboration

How one woman is fusing her interest in dreadlocks culture and filmmaking to change the world

How some Youtube stars are changing the way Asians are represented in the media

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Tiramisu Cups

Impress your friends and family this holiday season with the mini version of this Italian classic!

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Syrian Refugees

Learn the facts and join the movement

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Deck the Halls

Some of our sta and readers share their holiday traditions. What are some of yours?

ISSUE NO. 13

/JANUARY

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Her Culture Magazine Sta

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executives KATE AVINO

ALEXIS NEUVILLE

Founder & CEO

MATT MAGGIO

Chief of Staff

NEELAM PATEL

Chief Marketing Officer

Chief Financial Officer

TUHFA BEGUM

Chief Marketing Officer

DAKSHAYANI SHANKAR

Chief Content Officer

editors and writers DANIELA FRENDO

GINA DIPAOLA

SHAYE DIPASQUALE

ALICIA LALICON MIA CANTU

NOORHAN AMANI

KARA PRICE CLAIRE TRAIN

NIKKI CAMERA

SHUBHAVI ARYA

RANDHIKA ATURALIYA

HALEY SAMSEL

JESSICA ZHOU

SHERTY HUANG

ANJALI PATEL

MARAM ELNAGHEEB

RICHA LAGU

NAVPREET KHABRA

ANNIE TRESSLER

MORGAN PAK

DAKSHA SHANKAR

SHERAH NDJONGO

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ALLA DELI

news 10

culture 11

ASIAN COLLABORATION

By Shaye DiPasquale

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: new channel promotes representation on YouTube and beyond

by Haley Samsel

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It started as a phone call, then endless Skype conversations, and finally a meetup in a New York City cafe, hunched over a laptop for hours watching YouTube videos.

The pair had to make sure that they picked the right candidates for their newest project, a collaboration channel meant to bring Asian faces to YouTube’s unique brand of comedy.

They had to ensure that these creators were ready to make Lunch Club a reality.

Alison Zhao, 19, and Josh Alvarez, 16, have called YouTube their creative home for years.

The friends have built sizable personal audiences for themselves, but wanted to see a channel where up-and-coming Asian YouTubers could be heard just as loudly. Out of their conversations came Lunch Club, a new channel bringing young Asian voices to the forefront in the format of short, comedic vlogs.

“What I want to showcase on this channel, specifically, is how, regardless of race, regardless of the fact that you’re Asian, you can have unique experiences and insights to offer,” Zhao said. “We’re not all one and the same. I think what you see a lot in the media is the Asian stereotype, the Asian character portrayed one way. What this channel is about is real experiences from real people who do identify as Asian, but are each different and offer something different to the platform.”

When Zhao first opened auditions on her personal channel in July, she faced backlash from commenters who accused her of excluding other races or failing to represent all people of color on YouTube.

“I really wanted to seriously consider those comments,” Zhao said. “I wanted to keep in mind the implications of what I say, especially if it is for this cause of creating a community. I freaked out on the phone with Josh, saying ‘I don’t what I’m doing and it might not be right.’

But ultimately I have a lot of conviction about what I’m doing because this is what I can do as an Asian YouTuber. Also, it’s just six spots. Six

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spots with Asian YouTubers can’t cure media representation, but it feels like it’s a step in the right direction.”

According to Zhao, the pair received an overwhelming response from their viewers.

Over seventy videos were submitted for consideration, with a majority coming from people who had never posted videos before.

Eventually, after watching every video together, Zhao and Alvarez decided on four creators from across the globe: Maddie Hah, 17; Garrett Yee, 24; Julianne (Jem) Mariel, 16; and Varun Gupta, 19.

“We chose the people who, after we watched their videos, we felt like we knew them better,” Zhao said. “We feel very strongly about these four, and because each person is so unique, you can’t really pin them against each other.

That's why we decided to go with four instead of three.”

Monday through Saturday, the six creators post videos surrounding a common, one-word topic.

Past topics have included wealth, love, and home. Guests from outside of Lunch Club have appeared on Sundays, highlighting the voices of creators not regularly featured on the channel. Now that the channel has garnered over 1,800 subscribers, Zhao said the group is focused on posting comedic videos for the masses.

“I started this project keeping media representation in mind, but now that we’ve got our feet off the ground, we just want to make good videos,” Zhao said. “We want to make videos that people enjoy. We want to make content that is available to everyone. It’s comedic storytelling for everyone, we just happen to be Asian.”

Zhao emphasized the potential for the channel to resonate with young Asian viewers seeking to see people like them on YouTube.

“I really want this channel to have a sizable impact on the YouTube community,” Zhao said. “Even if my personal channel never blows up, that’s fine. I didn't and don't expect it to. But I feel like this channel has so much potential and importance, and that it could really have an impact on kids who were like me growing up. Wiith that being said, if this channel crashes and burns, for whatever reason in the next month, I will still be happy that we got it off the ground and that we went through the audition process.”

According to Zhao, the audition process affirmed the need for the channel when she saw almost 80 percent of the videos were submitted by brand-new creators. The auditionees have formed a community and still talk often, tweeting at Zhao and the other Lunch Club creators.

“There was someone who made a video outside of this audition process who said that for a long time, they felt a lot of self doubt for the way that they looked and for the culture that they came from,” Zhao said. “The person said that seeing other people make videos who looked like her and came from similar backgrounds really encouraged her to be creative and to speak up and amplify her voice.”

“The Lunch Club community realizes that YouTube is a platform for anyone and everyone,” Zhao said. “That’s the best part of this experience.”

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IT’S TIME TO START A #CULTUREREVOLUTION Her Culture is the first magazine to explore culture through a woman’s eyes. Join us as we celebrate what makes us all unique, and make a change in the world.

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help SYRIAN REFUGEES visit the UN Refugee Agency to donate

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you can help!

visit www.herculture.org for more information

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This is a series of four articles about my experiences as a Filipino American.

Each article will focus on a certain core value believed to characterize Filipinos. The inspiration for this series comes from Filipino American Psychology by Kevin L. Nadal, an influential professor, psychologist, activist and author who has brought attention to the lack of representation and academic research on the Filipino community.

ADVERTISE WITH US!

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Learn about our advertising through kate@herculture.org

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DECK THE

halls The Winter season is wonderful for gathering close to family and friends. For this issue, we asked our readers and sta about their favorite holiday traditions.

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“Every holiday, my family celebrates by saying what we were most thankful for this year, as a way of commemorating a year well spent while preparing for an even better one ahead.�

- Julia California, USA

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“My mother and I go to the movies and Starbucks while my brother and dad play golf.

Every holiday, every year.”

- Mandy North Carolina, USA

“Every Christmas Eve my father still reads The Night Before Christmas to my sisters and I (plus Mom) even though the youngest of us is now a sophomore in high school! It's just a tradition they aren't ready to let die yet.”

- Aspen Massachusetts, USA

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“Every year we throw a huge Christmas party for less fortunate kids and bring in presents.

Instead of just giving them away to the kids, they come and pick out presents for their friends and family. We give them the gift of giving.�

- Hadassah Michigan, USA

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LINDA AINOUCHE changing the world, one dreadlocks documentary at a time interview by Kate Avino 30

Tell us a bit about yourself!

I’m primarily an Anthropologist Researcher who has turned Documentary Director and Producer. I live in New York City. I was born in France and have spent my life studying, working, and traveling around the world. I’m enthusiastic about adventurous fieldwork and I love immersing myself in misunderstood and indigenous communities. I also truly enjoy synthesizing my background in research with my passion of documentary.

After almost twenty years working in public, academic, and governmental sectors, I founded my production company, Look At My Productions’ to follow my creativity in documentaries about the fascinating topics I studied as an Anthropologist, and continue that journey to this day.

I have always thought that the best way to deeply appreciate and closely exhibit the complexities of behaviors, loves and emotions would be penetrated reality through image.

Academic ethnographic description not only attempts to freeze the situation described, but if those situations are about adversity, as they are most of the time, it is by leaving the participants to express themselves that we can discover a means of escape.

Once I met certain conditions, I started becoming a filmmaker. I found that documentary allows me to ‘shoot’ the reality as it is, that provides the unique opportunity to break down barriers and allows for a direct connection with people in their environment.

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This reason is why I feel that filmmaking can be the best medium to combine my attraction towards ethnography and research.

What inspired me is the background I was born into. My parents are both from different cultures.

I have always been exposed to cross cultural connections, not only from them but also from their friends they had and even the way we traveled over the world, the way we lived, the way I was raised, educated and exposed to the world.

That is to say I was born in this field, in this rich anthropological and bridge of cultures context, hence I was naturally, or rather flagrantly, passionate about it! As I grew up, it was almost came like second nature to being surrounded and awarded by a mosaic of cultures all the time.

What was your inspiration for Dreadlocks Story?

The idea of Dreadlocks Story is a convergence of many things: my relentless observation and awareness of what is surrounding me, my longing to become an ethnographic filmmaker, my interests for cross cultural, India and Jamaica culture as well as the goal to stress a conscious of criticizing the system of colonialism rather than any nation specifically. In conversations about oppression, our rhetoric should reflect the belief that colonialism is an immoral system that is an atrocity and harmful for all.

I did live and travel extensively within India. And I am strongly tied to India and its spiritualities. On another hand, I don’t remember when I have started having accointances with Rastas and their lifestyle but it was a while ago. And, after staying in Jamaica, it was quite obvious to me that Indian influences were deeply rooted into the local culture, especially Rastafari even though the knowledge of it was lacked.

Combining these elements together, it became clear to me that I had to do a documentary on the links between Rastafari and Hinduism to restore some thoughts and understanding of our World History.

I was inspired by the ignorance on Indian enslavement to the Caribbean basin, because Indians had never been anything else than oppressed by the Colonists. Plus, I feel that as an educated person with the means to express myself as I wanted, and still do, through many mediums I must enlighten on what shocks me in this world, such as the many misconceptions and judgments people have of History and Culture, the links between Hindu and Rasta culture. Few, however, have taken the time to

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understand their past and explore the powerful symbol of perseverance that these cultures represent.

In terms of making the film, part of the sadhu and rasta life is “living as with nature”, nature meaning all: the environment, humans and plants, without judgements, to let things “go with the flow”, or to not interfere with the way nature goes. This applies not only to hair, but also to food and many other things. One must not consume or create anything fake (or/and process) - one must “take it as it is.” My goal was, and always, to let people talk about themselves and what they wanted in front of the camera— in a very natural way. Some spoke without answering to my initial questions. I tricked them a little bit in the conversation in order to discuss about what I thought it could have been interested for Dreadlocks Story. This is not easy to speak in front of a camera and less again about his own experience in general.

There are no good or wrong answers to questions. It was more important to capture how people expressed themselves — some were singing, some laughed, some did not even answer the question asked but started telling a story! That is what combines improvisation with the use of the camera to unveil truth or highlight subjects hidden behind crude reality. It is a kind of ‘direct’ cinema mainly without a narrator’s voice over. People give answers that are authentic to them. I figured out how I can make people comfortable so that they will talk about what they wanted, and that is how we learned things from people! It is not by forcing them to answer exactly the questions, like on a test or an exam. It takes skills to tell a story from a variety of unexpected answers.

What is your favorite part of the documentary and why?

There is no particular part that I like. I see the film as a whole, one piece. But what I like is to hear people laughing when I attend one of my film screenings. I love laughing, and I want to take for granted that everyone too! So, I have insured to create a little fun although the subject od Dreadlocks Story is quite serious. No matter what, a good mood is vital to live well.

What can women take away from Dreadlocks Story?

I would say to everyone, not only to women, and this is not limited to Dreadlocks Story: go for what you want to achieve! Don’t be afraid to attempt to do what you like. Life is bestrew of issues and critiques but everything is possible with patience and confidence, stone after stone to form amazing things.

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Who has helped you get to where you are today?

Many women inspire me, and not necessarily those who are well known. I simply admire and get inspired from people who struggle with integrity, honesty and respect. It is so easy to be bad, corrupted and nasty!

Now, if I must name one person in particular, I say my mother, or rather my parents. Their unconditional supports are endless without judgement and full of encouragement. They have helped me to get where I am today, and they continue with the same spirit.

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TIRAMISU CUPS! 36

TIRAMISU CUPS

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Impress your friends this holiday season and make delicious and delectable Italian tiramisu cups.

Ingredients 6 egg yolks 250 ml fresh cream

1 cup white sugar

250 g marscarpone cheese

2 packets lady’s fingers

1.5 cup espresso

1 cup shaved dark chocolate

cocoa powder

Directions In a double boiler mix together egg yolks and sugar in low heat, cook for about 10 minutes while constantly stirring. Remove from heat and whip yolks until thick.

Add the mascarpone into the yolk mixture and beat until combined.

In another mixing bowl whip cream until it forms stiff peaks.

Fold the whipped cream and mascarpone mixture together then set aside.

Put the coffee into a shallow dish or plate then dip in a lady fingers one at a time, soak only for a few seconds and make sure they are not soggy.

Place a layer of coffee soaked lady fingers into the bottom of your serving dish, then scoop some of the cream filling, and then place chocolate shavings on top. Repeat this process until you have 2 to 3 of these layers then finishing it with a cream filling on top and garnishing with chocolate shavings.

Chill well, top with cocoa powder then serve.

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LIVE 38

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Why are smart girls so scary?

by Shaye DiPasquale

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Imagine little girls surrounded by books and papers, sitting at desks in front of a blackboard, chattering about their day and what they have learned. This is how I envision girls’ education: harmless yet powerful and influential in the long run. To most Americans, there is nothing alarming about a school age girl reading Shakespeare and solving a math problem. We view education as a universal right granted to everyone within our country, whether male or female, young or old, black or white. Education is valued because it is seen as a way to empower citizens and ensure a better future for the whole of society. Unfortunately, many countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East do not cherish education in quite the same way, and these countries especially do not value girls’ education. But, why? Why can’t girls learn and become educated? What is so scary about a smart, informed girl?

The answers to these questions are complex and multi-folded.

When you educate a girl, everything changes.

She has a voice and an opinion. She gains courage and strength. She begins to understand the rights that she is entitled to.

She becomes self-aware of her role in society and in the global community. She begins to think for herself. In societies where girls have always been confined to housework, it is hard for people to understand just how impactful an educated girl would be on their community. She would be independent and able to fend for herself. She wouldn't need to be married off at a young age because she would not financially

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burden her family. She could have her own life of self-discovery before choosing whether motherhood is for her or not. She could be free.

She could be confident in her knowledge. It's very hard to oppress someone who believes in herself.

Smart girls pose a threat to tradition and to cultural norms. They threaten the way society has ran for hundreds of years. Change is scary but has it not proven to be worth it? Clearly, many countries across the world are missing something, as they can't seem to develop at the same pace as other countries.

Development is usually spurred by utilizing an internal resource and taking advantage of something that a country already has. Girls are the world's greatest untapped resource and every country’s secret internal resource. Girls make up over half of the population and yet many countries fail to utilize them. The world has come so far on male- power, but imagine how much farther we could advance if that power were doubled. Imagine what young educated girls could accomplish.

It's not that girls in underdeveloped countries are incapable of completing the tasks and achievements of their male counterparts. They are simply never given the opportunity or the means to do so. But given the opportunity, girls are bound to surprise the population. Terrorist organizations such as Boko Haram fear Western education and the possibility that young girls could receive that same education as young boys. If the goals of these organizations are to prevent female empowerment, then they should be scared of smart girls who are already beginning to change to world as we know it for the better. But the rest of the world’s population has no excuse for its fright. Instead of living in fear of the day when girls rise up and lead, the global community should fear a future in which girls remain an untapped natural resource.

Hey there,

culture girl!

DON’T MISS A THING! Read all of our archived issues:

herculture.org/archives

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MODERN-DAY Many people think that the women’s suffrage in the United States was the end of the feminist movement. However, they are definitely mistaken because feminism is still an important movement today, all over the world. In developing countries, feminism saves lives. In many places, women still don’t have equal rights like being able to attend school, drive, or vote. Even in developed countries, women may not be paid the same for equal work or cannot determine their own reproductive rights.

Feminism is especially needed in places where women’s rights are not equivalent to human rights. For example, in Yemen, women cannot leave the house by themselves or seriously testify in court.

There are many groups, such as Human Rights Watch, that are advocating for women’s right in Yemen. For now, Yemen remains the worst place in the world to live as a woman. Even without legislation against women, they still are unequal in some parts of the world. In developing countries, only 33% of girls are in school.

This leads to an economic disparity that puts women at even more of a disadvantage, and doesn’t allow them to think for themselves and lead their own lives.

Even though the problems in developing countries seem much more pressing than

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anything that could possibly be affecting women in the United States and similar places, it’s crucial to understand that progress in women’s rights isn’t a subjective matter. In the United States, a country in which women have been able to vote in for 95 years, women still are paid an unequal amount (to men) for equal work.

The U.S. stands at 20th in the world, in terms of equal pay, but women are still paid only 78% of what men are paid, for the same work. As mentioned earlier, women also still cannot determine their own reproductive rights. Legislation regarding abortion and contraception is led by a predominantly male congress, only 19.1% are women.

It’s important to understand that feminism advocates for political, social, and economic equality between the sexes. Until these things are achieved, feminism will remain a significant part of American culture. It’s crucial that feminism is 100% inclusive, it important to take note of third wave feminism, which includes women of color and LGBTQ+ women. Feminism will not become a vestige of the past until its goals are thoroughly achieved and all women are treated equally to men.

by Prathusha Yeruva

FEMINISM “Feminism advocates for political, social, and economic equality between the sexes”

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Get cultured!

Check out our new culture programs for 2016!

Book of the Month Get reading this January

Live, Learn, Lien Reimagined for October 46

TOP 5: Places for Wildlife Spotting

by Shubhavi Arya

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Observing wildlife outside of the context of a zoo can be an incredibly rewarding experience. Many places across the globe are rich in their wildlife. Take a virtual journey and explore some of nature’s most beautiful creatures.

BOTSWANA Botswana stands out for its various ecosystems: on a natural wildlife carnival and safari in Botswana, you’re on no account confined to just one transport mode. Apart from sporttracking by means of four wheel drive, you’ll be exploring Botswana’s combo of salt pans and savannahs with the aid of mokoro (dugout canoe, Botswana area of expertise) and riverboat.

Locations no longer to overlook incorporate the Chobe countrywide Park, house to the arena’s largest herds of elephant, and the Okavango Delta, a remarkable wetland region. Botswana hotels are additionally world category, ordinarily determined within the coronary heart of African desert.

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SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa’s distinction over the other nations is that besides flora and fauna safaris, its cities have even more to offer: cultural routine, ethnical history and cosmopolitan metropolis existence. Kruger National Park, its biggest and most diverse sport reserve, is home to all of Africa’s Big five. Several other sport reserves are said to be malaria-free, particularly KwaZulu Natal, Madikwe recreation Reserve and the Waterberg.

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MADAGASCAR

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Some 65 million-strange years ago, this African island broke off from the Gondawana supercontinent, and the flora and fauna of Madagascar developed in isolation.

Thus, nearly the entire island’s plant and animal species are discovered nowhere else in the world.

Dozens of species of lemur, Madagascar’s most iconic animal, roam these forests. One can find ample marine species living in the coral reefs around the island, too.

BORNEO Borneo is home to a few nations and one of the crucial oldest rain forests on the earth. As you might assume, the island is without doubt one of the most ecologically varied on the earth, and is home to hundreds and hundreds of plant and animal species that can be seen nowhere else. You’ll to find some tremendous mammals — apes, elephants and rhinos, along with flying squirrels, sluggish lorises and dozens extra.

Borneo is so wealthy in wildlife, in fact, that about 3 species are discovered there each month.

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TANZANIA A nation bursting with unspoiled magnificence, Tanzania has a few of Africa’s most coveted flora and fauna observing spots. At daybreak, because the mist dissipates, you’ll see silhouettes of elephants, rhinoceros, lions and buffalos. The lengthy drive by means of Serengeti national Park is an extravagant one, as you get to witness the gigantic wildebeest migration.

Whether you’re looking for a luxury safari or a basic tenting safari, a commute to the wildlife epicenter of Africa is a main part of your trip to

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THANK YOU! Thanks so much for reading Her Culture's 13th magazine issue. Without a community of dedicated, sophisticated, culture-enthusiastic women, we would not be where we are today.

To keep up with all the latest news and culture stories, please visit www.herculture.org.

Special thanks to: the Mulloy family, the Miller family, issuu.com, Linda Ainouche, Alexis Neuville, Matt Maggio, Neelam Patel, Tuhfa Begum, Dakshayani Shankar, World Reader, The Prospect, MissHeard Magazine, Luna Luna Magazine, Humans of Vietnam, The Wannabe Scientist, Hello Perfect, New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, Molly and Fox Magazine, The Fem Lit Magazine

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