HERCULTURE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018
A BRA HISTORY The evolution of the undergarment
MEGHAN MARKLE
Getting to know the soon-to-be Royal
#METOO it's more than just a hashtag.
HER CULTURE MAGAZINE
FOUNDED 2013 www.herculture.org
| @herculture
letter from
THE FOUNDER DEAR CULTURE GIRL, We live in a time where women are being empowered more than ever. We live in a time where women are building each other up, rather than tearing each other down. Our 22nd issue is here, and we're here to conquer the world! As always, I'm so excited to be on this cultural journey with all of you. Thanks for reading our latest issue. Keep sharing your story. Keep raising your voice. Keep standing side by side with your fellow woman. She appreciates it more than you may realize! xoxo, Kate
MY TRAVEL LOG FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018
This month, I will travel to: _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ Next month, I plan on going to: _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ I’ve always wanted to travel to: _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________
The countries I’ve been to are: _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ My favorite article from Her Culture this month is: _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ 5 things I’ll remember for my next trip: _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ I can start a #CultureRevolution by: _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________
xoxo
ISSUE NO. 22
FEBRUARY
/MARCH
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MEGHAN MARKLE
LOGAN PAUL
“DEAR WHITE PEOPLE”
WHEN JUSTICE IS NOT JUST
#METOO
INDIANA’S ABORTION BILL
TASTE OF BANGLADESH
GETTING FIT IN WINTER
CANARTIC MUSIC
12
27
43
18
34
51
22
35
61
LADYBIRD
GLOBAL CITIZENS FEST
MODERN STAR WARS
“I, TONYA”
EVOLUTION OF THE BRA
ELDERLY FRIENDS
CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT
PUBLIC EDUCATION
DIVERSITY IN FASHION
64
78
98
68
86
100
74
92
106
MORE TO LOVE…
SEEKING ARRANGEMENT…108 EXPLORING THE HUSHED RACISM OF INDIA…116 FINDING COMMUNITY IN COLLEGE…120 WOMEN AND THE U.S. REFUGEE CRISIS…122 HONORING THE HUMAN COMPUTER…124
MAGAZINE STAFF EXECUTIVES Kate Avino - Chief Executive Officer Alexis Neuville - Chief of Staff Katie Collins - Chief Marketing Officer Sareana Kimia - Director of International Development Cameron Oakes - Director of Partnerships
EDITORS Elizabeth Meisenzahl Alana King
April Federico
Julia Biswas
Ambika Sood
Manaved Nambiar
Felecia Farrell
WRITERS Kathleen Wang Annie Zhang Rebecca Rashid Emma Murray Tatianna Sims Mia Carey Gayatri Sood Elie Docter Sara Mermelstein Alexzandria Simmons Alice Jetin-Duceux Anushka Thora Gabbie Ballesteros Elizabeth Meisenzahl Sue Kim Maanasi Natarajan Sumaita Mahmood Delisha Mehta Tasfia Wahid Annelise Bell Nicole Anderson Deana Barrus LaTasha Bunting Shaye DiPasquale Alexandra Koch
OUR PREVIOUS ISSUE:
NEWS CULTURE
THE NEW BRITISH PRINCESS MEGHAN MARKLE’S MAKING HER MARK ON THE ROYALS by emma murray
HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 22
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F
or the second time in this decade the world has turned into a frenzy of excitement over another royal wedding. Despite this auspicious event marking the introduction of another member to the British Royal Family, countries across the globe are seeking to wiggle in on the action and uncover the new princess’s secrets and unconventional desires for the next royal wedding. Meghan Markle is no stranger to the tabloids, enjoying a successful career as an actress known primarily for her role in U.S. hit series Suits.Entering the Royal Family as a commoner and actress would be noteworthy enough, however this 36- year-old Californian is biracial and divorced, which, according to British media, is monumentally shocking. Even in the 21st century, divorce is still deemed unpalatable for some, especially for those that regard themselves as avid religious followers. For the Church of England, divorce is possible. Nevertheless it is not uncommon for divorcees to be refused re-marriage in the house of God. Interestingly, the impending marriage will not be taking place in Westminster Abbey, as Prince William and Katherine Middleton’s nuptials did. The divorcee and her prince will tie the knot in St.
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George’s Chapel, part of Windsor Castle. Possibly, this is a personal choice, or perchance a nod to Meghan Markle’s previous marriage, as the chapel also marks the location of Prince Charles’ second wedding. Markle recounted to Elle UK that “I wasn't black enough for the black roles and I wasn't white enough for the white ones, leaving me somewhere in the middle as the ethnic chameleon who couldn't book a job.” The media as a whole has certainly chosen to comment and highlight that an “ethnic chameleon”,as Markle defined herself to Elle UK, will be entering the Royal Family. Thankfully the commentary has been largely positive, with many welcoming a change to the whitedominated palaces of the United Kingdom. Nonetheless, during this time when right-wing politics are thriving across Europe and the United States, a select few are declaring their unsavoury prejudices towards Ms. Markle. One such example is the 25-year-old girlfriend of UKIP leader, Henry Bolton, who now finds herself evicted from the politician’s home, as her racist remarks were branded across the press.
HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 22
Although the glamour model denounced Markle to be a “scrubber,” “obsessed with race” and “gender equality,” for the majority these comments define the future princess as a commoner and thus one of the people, whilst promoting diversity and women's rights, all excellent attributes in a future member of the Royal Family. So, entering the Royal family will not be the fairytale adventure that many young girls expect it to be. The Queens herself presents a list of rules to her family members and extended relatives that must now be followed by Meghan Markle. One such royal dressing rule, constantly upheld by the Duchess of Cambridge, is that no family member at a Royal event will appear “bare-legged”. And so, when the actress appeared
without tights for her engagement photoshoot within the grounds of Kensington, the unconventional nature of the bride was affirmed exquisitely. Aside from the rigorous rules implemented by Her Majesty the Queen, Meghan Markle must also immediately adopt British citizenship after the wedding. Perhaps this is not the most outlandish request for the future princess to execute, but it is also essential that Ms. Markle be baptized under the Church of England, in keeping with the Queen's position as Defender of the Faith and Head of the Church of England. Arguably for many a demand to renounce one’s faith would be unacceptable; nevertheless, in this instance, the request seems to be tolerable.
Even the date of the wedding has proved to be a point of great contention in the British Isles. It seems unlikely that the lovestruck couple were contemplating Anne Boleyn’s execution when selecting the 19th of May, a date that marks the anniversary of a commoner queen’s death. However, much more consequential in the minds of the British public is a clash between the televised wedding and the FA Cup Final, a sporting event that captures an audience of over seven million annually. It would appear that this wedding date was selected for the pleasure of the entities involved rather than the tax paying public, which provides many members of the Royal Family with a substantial pension. Of course, for a regular wedding, the desires and wishes of the bride and groom would certainly be elevated above the requests of others. Nonetheless, when an individual accepts a royal pension funded by the people, as Prince Harry does, it becomes a significant responsibility to integrate the people that are “ruled” over into your existence. The Royal Family has declared that the cost of the upcoming wedding will be funded by their private funds, at no cost to the taxpayers of the United Kingdom. However, one does have to pose the question as to how the Royal Family attained their great wealth in the first place. So perhaps it is not so free after all.
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THE FALL OF PAUL & THE CULTURE OF SHOCK by sara taylor mermelstein On December 31, 2017 - barely a few hours until the new year - Logan Paul, the famed Vine-turnedYouTube star uploaded a daily vlog like he normally does to his 16 million plus subscribers. Only this video seemed to be chillingly different. Entitled “We found a dead body in the Japanese Suicide Forest…”, it leaves little to the imagination of what a young viewer may find, but nonetheless, Paul assures us that “this isn’t clickbait” and unfortunately, he’s right.
known but oft hidden “Suicide Forest,” named such due to the amount of reported suicides there over many years. In the contents of the video, Paul and co. end up “stumbling upon” the hanged dead body of a man, whose face is only spared from the camera. Immediately, Paul’s demeanor changes, in an effort to conclude how to react to such a thing. Paul spiels about how “suicide is not a joke” and the like, but continues to film the body on and off for the next view minutes. He claimed (painstakingly) the video was not monetized, and the description listed phone numbers for Suicide Prevention. But unsurprisingly, while the reaction was understandably acerbic, it garnered over 6 million views within the first 24 hours.
Paul and friends visited Japan in a number of vlogs around this time, where they acted like their typical goofball selves, and they continue in the majority of this video. The trip turned dark, however, when Paul visited Aokigahara, Japan’s well HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 22
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Shock videos (and by further extension, clickbait) exist for the sole purpose of getting someone, anyone, to click on the video out of (morbid) curiosity. It’s happened many times before on YouTube and it’s bound to happen again. The bigger problem with Paul’s situation lies in his young, impressionable viewers. Older browsers of YouTube probably won’t be able to stand watching a Paul vlog for more than a minute, but to his wide audience of young teens, he is a messiah of new media. There’s no reason to expect otherwise the contents of his vlogs being any different than funny comedy (even if his comedy ability is questionable, and it’s likely that those who clicked the video assumed the same. Unfortunately, this type of shock video was a long time coming.
and thumbnail, while waiting for the views to pour in. The point is that Paul, in every step of the way to creating and finishing a video, had time to think to himself, “Maybe this is not the content I want to be putting out to my viewers.” Rather, in delusional fashion, Paul believed this would start a conversation about suicide and mental health, shown in his unapologetic first apology letter he posted on Twitter. Paul claimed to not do it for the views, amongst blaming other things, but it’s obvious that it was either a PR move or a headline move, because Paul or someone had to know that this would garner public notoriety. Forget the days of sexual objectification for views - now, the mainstream is to show graphic content.
The culture of YouTube is positively intriguing, with stars being born from nothing to something, and fast, in recent years. The push for getting views no matter what the cost - i.e., clickbait titles, thumbnails in excess - has driven us to the point we are at today. Paul recorded a large chunk of this man in the forest, and subsequently, his and his friend’s reactions; he or someone of his team edited the video, placing carefully targeted sad piano frills; and he
The internet is vast, and if you wanted to find videos or pictures of dead people, it’s quite easy. There are sites and forums dedicated to it. The difference is, you have to manually search and find the content, and you have to have a good stomach to do so. In addition, children are barred from the sites. That’s not saying if they wanted to look, they couldn’t lie and do it, but most children, even in our internet age, wouldn’t actively look for such a thing. And they shouldn’t. But when something like this is brought to the
uploaded the video and chose the title
forefront for young children to see, it’s
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it’s almost unavoidable. The mixture of disgust and intrigue makes a finger click, and every smart YouTuber knows this. It’s why the news is often skewed to show only the disturbing content views. What does this say about our world today? Almost too much.
own opinions and thoughts. It’d be impossible to screen these new celebrities for a bad seed, and it’d stifle general creativity on the platform, so that is not a solution. Rather, we as a society need to take a step back and consider the voyeuristic nature of vlogs and the heavily edited facade showcased to an audience. Rarely are the true colors of a YouTube star are revealed to the general public. In an age of manufactured, expertly targeted content, we need to constantly reevaluate the media we consume - and hope that someone else won’t glorify, exploit, and capitalize on something as serious as suicide.
The fact that Paul attempted to pass this video off as a springboard for mental health discussion is sickening. Paul may not possess malice towards this rhetoric, but it sure as hell didn’t seem that way. Other large YouTubers have used their platform in a positive way to spread word about mental health awareness, even among their similar clickbait-filled videos. How anyone assumed this would fit into that role is baffling. It was an insensitive and horrid thing to post, and luckily there have been repercussions for Paul following the fiasco, including being dropped from a YouTube Red show and removal of Paul’s channels on Google’s preferred ad program. However, the impact and sheer explicitness of the video and its subsequent public reaction remain the poster child for what not to do on the net’s main stage.
Let’s hope the rest of 2018 brings us something better.
YouTube possesses the extraordinary ability to create ordinary people into idols and millionaires. Behind every camera lies an individual, with their HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 22
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DON’T PASS IT UP:
WHY NETFLIX’S “DEAR WHITE PEOPLE” IS NOT TO BE SLEPT ON by anushka thorat
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HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 22
Whether you love it or hate it, it is impossible to deny the heat Netflix’s Dear White People prompted the moment the show was announced. People argued that the very title of the show was racist and overly aggressive, causing many Netflix users to eagerly delete their accounts and display the proof proudly on Twitter. Even though the controversy has caused it to be pushed aside, Dear White People continues to be a necessary form of entertainment in today’s society.
because of its name emphasizes the message it strives to make clear: people are willing to push aside and further ignore marginalized voices simply because they deem them to be threatening. Furthermore, the show tackles the notion of reverse racism that many people bring up when people of colour attempt to address any form of discrimination or come together to create safe spaces. The show succinctly sums up reverse racism, explaining that “black people can’t be racist. Prejudiced yes, but not racist. Racism describes a system of disadvantage based on race. Black people can’t be racists since we don’t stand to benefit from such a system.”
The show narrates the lives of black students on a predominantly white, Ivy League college campus, depicting their various perspectives on the ongoing events mingled with their own personal struggles with race and identity. However, many perceive the show to a be an angry rant targeting white people. Sam, the lead character, sums it up best on her infamous college radio show ‘Dear White People’ that the Netflix show surrounds by claiming that the title Dear White People is a misnomer, and that “[the] show is meant to articulate feelings of a misrepresented group outside the majority.” Ignoring the show solely HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 22
People who argue reverse racism intend to prove that they, the privileged, have worse and that those actually deprived of true equality are over-reacting. The show perfectly captures the situation blacks and other POCs are in as others claim that the characters are just ‘crying wolf’ despite the obvious shades of bigotry present around them.
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It stresses how no one truly benefits from a system that pits races against each other in a competition of ‘who has it worse’ except for those who are at an advantage. It proves that mocking and belittling these prevalent racial issues simply enforces the existing system and power structures. Evidently, the show has diverse black representation often missing in popular culture today.
Dear White People is a refreshing change from black characters written solely as punchlines without genuine arcs or personalities. By boasting a rich backstory for its lead characters, it works to drive people away from the stereotypes of black men and women he characters all grapple with an array of issues;the only similarity is how they embrace their blackness and deal with whiteness. These struggles are most accentuated when characters deliver PAGE 24
heartbreakingly honest lines like “people take one look at my skin and they assume that I’m poor or uneducated or ratchet. So yeah, I tone it down.” The black students on the show are so spread apart that most do not even have similar perspectives on racism: some actively and passionately protest for better treatment, some choose to ignore it, treating it like something ‘fixed,’ and others are shown to have given up on any form of improvement or reform altogether. Glued together by the colour of their skin, the show subtly and cleverly highlights how they are all ulimately products of colourism and systemic oppression one way or another. The buzz surrounding Dear White People may have elapsed, but the arguments are still relevant. It is important to allow the oppressed to voice their ideas and attempt to understand their varying struggles because only when we acknowledge them can we begin to truly fix them.
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WHEN JUSTICE IS NOT JUST. THE STORY AND FIGHT FOR CYNTOIA BROWN by sue kim
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I
n December 2016, a 29-yearold student graduated with an associate’s degree from Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. Any graduation is a cause for celebration, but what makes this story particularly special? The student’s name is Cyntoia Brown, and she’s currently serving a life sentence in prison for killing a 43-year-old man when she was 16 years old.
sexually abuse Brown and prostituted her out for his own financial gain. On the demand of Kutthroat who wanted Brown to “make money”, the then 16-year-old Brown eventually met 43-year-old Johnny Allen, who wanted to pick Brown up for sex. The pair went back to Allen’s house, where Brown felt frightened for her life and shot Allen, killing him. Brown was then arrested, prosecuted as an adult, and received a life sentence for the crime.
Although Brown’s trial ran over a decade ago, her story is far from over. She gained significant attention in 2011 when PBS produced a documentary on her life, called “Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story” and is currently gaining further widespread attention, with a hashtag (#FreeCyntoiaBrown) circulating on social media platforms. Most notably, celebrities such as Rihanna and Kim Kardashian West took to her aid in sharing her story in the now-widely circulated tweets:
The prosecution pinned Brown for robbery -- Newsweek states, “Prosecutors say Brown killed Johnny Allen, 43, in order to steal from him — she took several firearms and his pants, which contained his wallet. They also pointed to her past drug use and criminal juvenile record in an attempt to show a pattern in her life.” The jury eventually found her guilty of premeditated murder and aggravated robbery. Brown is currently incarcerated at the Tennessee Prison for Women and will be eligible for parole only when she is 69 years old.
Cyntoia Brown, now aged 30, ran away from home in her young teenage years and met a man named Kutthroat, who began to psychologically, physically, and HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 22
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This story is far from being an isolated instance of a young girl who committed a violent crime. Cyntoia Brown’s story is but one example of America’s failing criminal justice system and its complicity to violence against women. Was it just for Cyntoia Brown to be tried as an adult? Had Brown been charged as a juvenile, which she was during the time of her crime, the Department of Children’s Services would have lost custody of her at age 19. After three years, Brown may have been able to return to some semblance of a normal life – maybe she would have gotten her Associate’s degree or graduated in a different context.
figures in her life such as her father and Kutthroat, would have been conditioned to fear for her life in a situation such as the one she was placed in. What about the conditions Brown had been in before her encounter with Johnny Allen? At 16, Brown was placed in various situations that she felt she would not be able to get out of safely, or even, alive. While the truth may never be settled upon, the question is whether or not a child, who vehemently claims to have shot the man out of self-defense, deserves to receive a lifelong punishment instead of rehabilitation. In addition, Brown is only eligible for parole after she will have spent most of her years in prison.
Was it just for Cyntoia Brown to be tried as an adult?
No certain action is so terrible that it should ever result in homicide; however, Brown, with a long-listed history of abuse by prominent male PAGE 30
Is the justice system really doing the right thing keeping a bright, motivated woman who is working HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 22
to receive her Bachelor’s degree even within the confines of her prison? The crime of killing another human is as serious as any crime can get; however, the situation was never as black-andwhite as Brown being a coldblooded killer. In fact, even Preston Shipp, the prosecutorturned criminal justice reform advocate who worked on behalf of the Tennessee state in Brown’s case, stated:
The revival of interest in Brown’s case is especially fitting in current times, as news of sexual assault by several prominent male figures in various industries of America is breaking. Although these two events seem to live in different worlds, separated by differences in class, they are connected – violence against woman, especially sexual violence, is a theme that runs throughout our society.
“We must not be content to simply warehouse and forget about our children who commit crimes. Instead, we must invest in rehabilitative programs that bring about lasting change because we know children have great potential to improve and move beyond the worst moment of their young lives.”
The contexts of each case differs according to what each victim experienced, but in the end,
Violence such as the one experienced by Brown exists because our society has failed to address the debilitating
For Brown as well as other children and women who were and are in a vulnerable environment and need positive reinforcements, the criminal justice system is failing to truly be just. HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 22
and violent effects of the rape culture that threads itself into our society’s norm.
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Brown cleverly highlights the complicity of this society that turns a blind eye to the detrimental effects of male supremacy, during an interview for the 2011 documentary. When asked about the similarities between all the men that have been in her life, Brown insightfully answers: “Selfish…they’re all selfish. They do whatever to get what they want. Makes them happy. They don’t think about other’s happiness. And everything that they do they feel they’re justified. They don’t ever accept fault.” The interviewer then asks, “What did Johnny want from you?” Brown answers, “Sex. For money –“ Then, after a beat, she changes her answer. “No. They all wanted acceptance and admiration. Hell yeah. That’s what they wanted… Then, you got Johnny. What did he say? ‘I want a woman to make love to me with desire.’… he [wanted] to be accepted. Hell yeah…”
her father as she grew up, abused by Kutthroat in her teen years, and fearful of her life in the presence of another older man, Brown made a decision that impacted the rest of her life. Her story is not only her own, but also the story of other women and children who were failed by the criminal justice system and our society’s inability to eradicate widespread violence against women. As our society moves forward and progresses, it is imperative that the volume of stories like Cyntoia Brown’s diminish and that justice will be weighed by what will create the fairest outcome to produce the greatest amount of well-doing citizens, instead of creating the outcome that will produce the greatest amount of prisoners. Brown may have committed a crime, but she is also a victim and if true justice is not delivered soon, she might as well have lost her life that fateful day as well.
Justice for Cyntoia Brown, until now, has not truly been just. Abused by
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“Her story is not only her own, but also the story of other women and children who were failed by the criminal justice system and our society’s inability to eradicate widespread violence against women.”
A TURNING POINT IN GENDER NORMS by katherine chacon
W
atching the Golden Globes this year, I could sense that the mood was different. It was more political, and many celebrities used it as an opportunity to bring attention to gender discrimination in the workforce. The open conversation about sexual assault and power dynamics that has been occuring in Hollywood is indicative of a larger shift in how sexual harassment victims are viewed. Now, women feel more comfortable sharing their PAGE 36
stories, and real action is starting to be taken, as shown through campaigns like #MeToo and Time’s Up. However, there is still a lot more work that needs to be done to address the problem. The Harvey Weinstein allegations and the expose published by the New York Times is what exposed, and brought attention to the problem of sexual harassment in the workplace, which has been occurring for decades. These allegations gave more HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 22
women the confidence to publicly share their stories. Women involved in radio, gymnastics, TV, and politics started to talk about their own experiences, and men who abused their power were starting to feel retribution.
full weight of these problems because they have never experienced it, but in order for there to be real change in the workforce, men have to stand in solidarity with women, and be open to listening to what they have to say. Wearing black, and a Time’s Up pin at an awards show is not enough to show that you support women, and their stories.
The fact that more women are speaking up has changed how victims are perceived. Rape culture will never be completely gone as long as we live in a patriarchal society, and it will take time to make a substantive shift in gender norms and the way that women are percieved. However, women have started to be taken more seriously when they speak up, and large companies have started to take some action, such as fire employees that have been accused of assault.
One thing that has not been as talked about is how to change the legal aspect. It is very difficult for rape victims to be successful in court because there is often little evidence, and even if there is evidence, the sentences given to abusers are often short, and don’t fit the crime. I hope to see movements, such as Times Up address this, and make an effort to change that aspect of sexual harassment as well.
In response to this, some men have felt that women are on a witch hunt, and are not celebrating men who haven’t sexually harassed women. However, comments like these miss the point, and don’t understand the importance of sexual abuse, and the effect that it can have on women, both mentally and physically. Many men are not able to understand the HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 22
Overall, the openness of victims indicates that change is being creating in our society. Even though the issues of gender violence can’t be solved over a short period of time, the recent action taken show that people are taking sexual harassment more seriously.
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Breaking Down Indiana’s Abortion Bill and What it Means for Women by alexandra koch
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HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 22
Indiana House Enrolled Act No. 1337, also known as the Indiana SexSelective and Disability Abortion Ban, was one of the most discussed bills of 2016. Authored by Representative Casey Cox and coauthored by Representatives Peggy Mayfield, Ronald Bacon, and Chris Judy, it stirred major controversy across the United States due to its dealing with a woman’s right to have an abortion. The bill includes strict regulations on women’s healthcare providers and their ability to perform an abortion based on a multitude of factors. HEA 1337 was signed into law after much debate and controversy.
Sections 12 and 14 further explain what pregnant women must be told prior to an abortion. Section 14 begins by saying an abortion cannot be performed unless the women has given ‘voluntary and informed’ consent. The bill outlines what voluntary and informed consent is over five subdivisions. Eighteen or more hours before the abortion procedure or dispensing of an abortion-inducing drug, the pregnant woman must be given the physician’s license number, a 24/7 emergency phone line, and follow-up information, made aware of the risks dealing with abortion and pregnancy, and must be given the option to see the fetus via ultrasound or hear the fetus’s heartbeat if it is audible.
House Enrolled Act 1337 affects women mostly by what certain things they must be informed of before having an abortion and under what circumstances can a woman in Indiana not have an abortion. The first thing to understand is what a fetus technically is. Section 4, subsection 128.7 defines a fetus as, “an unborn child, irrespective of gestational age or the duration of the pregnancy.” The bill sets all unborn fetuses to the same regulations no matter if the fetus is six or 24 weeks. HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 22
Subdivision (K), which was later added to the bill, states, “That Indiana does not allow a fetus to be aborted solely because of the fetus's race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, or diagnosis or potential diagnosis of the fetus having Down syndrome or any other disability,” which was one of the most controversial parts of the bill. Besides all of the above, which only
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pertains to Subdivision (1), Subdivision (2) deals with the legal costs that come with having a child or receiving an abortion, such as adoptive parents being able to pay for prenatal and neonatal care. The subdivision also mentions that, unless in the case of rape, the biological father must help support the child. The woman must be given information regarding the final disposition of the fetus. The parent or parents of the aborted fetus have the right to decide the final disposition of the fetus, but they must inform the healthcare facility of their decision before the fetus is discharged. They must also be given information regarding counseling options available. The other type of women this chapter speaks on are those whose children have been diagnosed with lethal fetal anomaly. These women must be given all of the above, plus additional information.
state department has designed a brochure with information regarding lethal fetal anomaly including options for counseling and a list of all perinatal hospice care providers in Indiana. Sections 12, Subsection 6 and 14, Subsection 5, Subdivision (b) both require that a pregnant woman be given these materials both orally and in writing at least 18 hours before an abortion is performed. Women must certify on forms developed by the state department that they have received this information.
Lethal fetal anomaly, as described in Section 12, Subsection 2, is a fetal condition that is diagnosed before birth that will result in the death of the fetus either in-utero or before the child reaches three months. The
The only instance in which this is inapplicable is if the abortion is performed in a medical emergency, and it’s the only way to save the mother’s life. Abortions performed after 20 weeks must have
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The last section to be covered is under which circumstances an abortion is illegal regardless of any outside factors, such as the gestational age of the fetus. Section 13, Subsection 1(a) says that the women must have filed her consent to the physician who is performing her abortion before the procedure occurs.
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documented reasons as to why the physician believed the procedure was necessary to save the mother. So long as this information is written down before the abortion, but after a thorough examination, abortions after 20 weeks are still legal. If the abortion is to happen through the use of a drug, then it must occur before the fetus has reached a postfertilization age of nine weeks unless the drug used is FDA approved. Length of gestation does have a large bearing on when or in what way an abortion can be performed under this law.
of some risk factors that might be caused by a disability are present. The amount of factors is not specified nor is what can be done to definitively rule out the presence of a disability in the fetus. Sections 5 through 8 all explain how a healthcare provider cannot perform an abortion anytime during the pregnancy if it is knowingly occurring because one of the aforementioned factors. This chapter of the bill does not target women—Subsection 9(b) states that a woman whose abortion violates the sex selective and disability abortion ban cannot be charged or prosecuted for committing or trying to commit a crime. On the other hand, Subsection 9(a) says that a person who does perform the procedure having known why it was sought is subject to disciplinary sanctions and/ or a civil liability for wrongful death. All of the bill together lead up to Section 22 which was the main controversy of the bill.
Section 22 of the bill, which also starts Chapter 4.5, is called the Sex Selective and Disability Abortion Ban. The point of this section is to make it illegal to obtain an abortion for the sole reason of the fetus’s sex, race, national origin, or disability/ possibility of a disability. Disabilities covered by the bill include any physical or mental disease or disability, a physical disfigurement, Trisomy 21, Down Syndrome, and Dwarfism. It is also stated that lethal fetal anomaly is not considered a disability. A “potential diagnosis” as defined in Section 3 is the presence HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 22
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The purpose of House Enrolled Act 1337 is to prohibit abortions based on unchangeable factors, discourage fetal-cell research, ensure that all abortions in Indiana are performed legally, and that data can be compiled on abortion in the state. The bill gives the state power to regulate abortions more closely than they did previously, and some people feel that it takes away a woman’s right to choose what can or cannot happen to her body. It is significant because it does affect healthcare providers in Indiana and makes Indiana one of the states with the strictest abortion laws. The bill also makes Indiana one of only six states to all but completely outlaw abortions performed after 20 weeks. Other states with laws such as HEA 1337 include South Dakota, South Carolina, Texas, and Louisiana. There has also been a rise in bills regarding abortion in the recent years. Ohio’s Heartbeat Bill (House Bill 493) which would have banned abortions as soon as a fetal heartbeat can be detected was recently vetoed by Ohio governor John Kasich, though he signed into
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law a bill that bans abortion after twenty weeks. After many House and Senate meetings, HEA 1337 passed and on March 24, 2016, then-governor Mike Pence signed the bill into law; however, an injunction was put in place before it went into effect on July 1. Many publications wrote in opposition to the bill, such as Nuvo, whose editors published, After Pence Signed HEA 1337, Women’s Rights in Indiana are Dead, but many individuals wrote in support of the bill. St. Joseph County Right to Life wrote letters to Pence thanking him while another group of women started Periods for Pence, which urged the former governor to veto the bill.
This bill caused a divide both nationally and in-state. HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 22
So, what does this bill mean for the women of Indiana? Legally, not much. The bill is not meant to punish women who have an abortion for any reason—they cannot be jailed or fined for doing so. On the other hand, it can have damaging effects on women and parents who decide to have an abortion for any reason. It is important for women to be informed before they have an abortion as they have a right to know what will happen to the fetus, but there is also argument that this bill is simply a way to make women have to jump through extra hoops before allowing them this procedure; and therefore, it infringes on women’s rights. At the end of the day, it’s important for women to feel safe, comfortable, and educated when deciding to undergo an abortion procedure. If that is taken away by the passing of this bill, the bill is not in the best interest of women. The debates around abortion will not cease, but to understand the bills that directly affect us is one of the most important steps to ensuring both rights and safety.
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WELLNESS
CULTURE
THE TASTE OF BANGLADESH: 3 RECIPES TO SPICE UP YOUR LIFE by tasfia wahid
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Whenever I’m home from college, I find myself indulging in savory cultural snacks, which are an essential part of Bengali cuisine. I always amp up the flavor by adding way more spices than I need to and end up torturing my taste buds. Am I ever going to stop? Probably not. Now you maybe wondering why I’m so keen on putting my mouth on fire whenever I snack. The truth is Bengali food is irresistible and it’s impossible for me to stay away from it. The word jhal, which means spicy in Bengali, is often used to describe the food of Bangladesh. Our dishes are packed with packed with immense flavors containing a wide array of South Asian spices. The significance of Bengali cuisine doesn’t just stop at its fiery taste as it goes
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beyond to make the perfect addition to your Instagram feed with its blend of smooth, crunchy and colorful ingredients. If you’re looking to give your tastebuds a little flare, take some aesthetically pleasing photos of food, and experience the taste of Bangladesh, you should try out these recipes I have compiled straight from my family’s kitchen. They’re all easy to make and contain just the right amount of heat. However, if you’re a daredevil like me, feel free to adjust the amount of spices to your liking. The best part is, these recipes are vegetarian, healthy and the ingredients can be found at most big name supermarkets. What are you waiting for? Go get your jhal on!
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JHAL MURI Jhal muri, or spicy puffed rice, is a popular street food found all across Bangladesh. Vendors wearing a box around their necks containing the ingredients for this flaming concoction frequently get bombarded by pedestrians eager to try this snack. Go ahead and mix up your own version of this recipe at home. Ingredients: 2 cups puffed rice, 1/2 cup cooked chicpeas, 1/2 small cucumber, chooped, 1/2 small onion, finely diced, 1/2 of a small tomato, finely diced, 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder, 1 teaspoon red chili powder, 1/2 a lime, 2 teaspoon mustard oil, 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Directions: In order to make jhal muri, we are going to start with the base. Add the puffed rice and the cooked chickpeas in a large bowl. Proceed to mix the two ingredients lightly so the chickpeas don’t get squished. Add in the cucumber, onion, chilli pepper and tomato. Continue mixing with a light hand and set aside when done. Next, we are going to move on to the dressing for the jhal muri. Squeeze out the lime juice in a smaller bowl and add the mustard oil. Put the cumin powder and red chilli powder into the dressing and mix thoroughly. Drizzle the dressing over the puffed rice mixture. Make sure it’s evenly spread out before mixing thoroughly. Garnish with cilantro.
CHOTPOTI Perhaps one of the most delicious Bengali dish is chotpoti, which is another popular street snack. It contains the perfect combination of hot and sour flavors guaranteed to make your taste buds go wild. Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup white peas, 1 1/2 tablespoon chaat masala, 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder, 1 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder, 1-2 teaspoon red chili powder, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 chopped hard boiled eggs, 1/2 chopped small onion, 2 diced boiled potatoes, 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, 1/2 tomato finely diced, 2-4 chopped green chili peppers, 5-7 teaspoons tamarind sauce
Directions: Start by soaking the white peas in room temperature water overnight (at least for 5 hours) and cook until the beans are tender. You can find the ingredient at South Asian grocery stores, but chickpeas work as an excellent substitute if you don’t live near one. Once the peas are cooked, drain half of the water and add the eggs, onions and potatoes. Add in the chaat masala, cumin powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, black pepper, and salt. Mix well. Chaat Masala is also sold at South Asian Grocery Stores. Double the other spices used if you can’t find it. Add in the hard boiled eggs, onions, potatoes, tomatoes and green chilli to the base and mix well. Garnish with a few teaspoon of tamarind sauce and cilantro. The dish is ready to be served.
BORHANI No meal is complete without a drink. Borhani, one of the spiciest yet refreshing beverages known to humankind, is often accompanies biriyani and other rice dishes. Although this recipe may not be for the faint of her, it’s extremely flavorful. Ingredients: 3 cups plain yogurt, 3 teaspoons chopped mint leaves, 2-3 chopped green chillies, 2 teaspoons chopped cilantro, 2 teaspoons ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, teaspoon sugar, 1/2 cup water
Directions: Add yogurt followed by the rest of the ingredients in a blender and blend until it reaches a liquid consistently. Keep the drink refrigerated for at least an hour before serving.
GET TIN IN T G HE F WIN IT TER by s
ara t
aylo
r me
rmel s
tein
It’s the New Year, and here’s where all the soon-to-be broken resolutions start to form. You make promises to yourself countless times that “this will be it” and “tomorrow will be the beginning.” Then, you look outside and see blankets of snow covering the ground and the thermometer reading
healthy in this weather?
which I am currently enacting in my own life. The most important thing to remember when you begin any sort of healthy journey is that it is just that - a journey. This will not have a concrete start and end for the most part, and you always have to push yourself to move forward. I compiled a list of things to do during this frigid time to make sure that resolution becomes a habit which becomes a lifestyle.
Even if it’s too cold outside, there are so many small steps to take that can help you get healthy in the winter, of
It may take a long time, but you’ll never get to where you want to be if you don’t take that first step!
in the single digits. How on earth am I supposed to get
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1) THE EXERCISE DILEMMA
to stand in for a workout (even if it’s backbreaking labor…) No gym? No problem! You don’t need fancy equipment to exercise, especially indoors. I’ve taken many exercise classes in my life, and my favorite one only uses weights and school yard equipment (like jump ropes and cones) occasionally. The majority of the workout was using your own body for strength training, stretching, cardio and fat burning, and general movement! And believe me, it’s as tough as a treadmill or elliptical is, perhaps even moreso just try a minute of planks and see how your abs feel afterwards. Cold weather doesn’t have to bar you from moving your body and building stamina, endurance, or just getting your heart rate up.
The typical excuse of winter time is that it’s too cold to exercise or get to the gym. If you don’t live in an area that routinely gets hit with the remnants of the Arctic, then this may not apply to you - though the universal “winter blues” feeling might. Regardless, there’s many options to combat this. If you want to brave the open air, walking, running, and other outdoor sports are excellent ways to burn calories and strengthen your body. In high school, I used to run winter track, and I actually loved the cool weather because it would refresh me while I run, as opposed to jogging in sweltering heat. If you bundle up with the right gear, outside can be a fruitful way to burn some cardio. Don’t forget that even simple tasks like shoveling snow is taxing, enough
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But, if you find it hard to do it by yourself…
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2) FIND A HEALTHY SUPPORT SYSTEM I will be the first to admit how difficult a healthy lifestyle is to maintain on your own. The motivation comes and goes, and you lose accountability on yourself. It’s never easy to ask for help, but a healthy journey’s success rate (and for that matter, a resolution’s) can only improve when you build a support system. The effects are massive - now, there is an internal motivator for the other, and people to turn to when things get bad.
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Working out is never fun, but with the help of a buddy it can make the time go by faster. Here, too, is where the motivation and accountability come into play. Journeying together, keeping tabs, and celebrating small and large victories increase the success of reaching your goal, no matter how small. I know without my family’s help, and their neverending belief in me, I wouldn’t be able to so much as think about being healthy. Because of them, I’m able to have someone to back me up and inspire me. It’s a priceless and vital tool to reaching your goals.
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3) JOIN ONLINE GROUPS
4) BEGIN AN EATING AND EXERCISE PLAN
If the physical support system is not probable for you, the online world is. There are tons of websites dedicated to healthy lifestyle help, with groups and forums and messaging galore that can help you. Virtual support is just as beneficial, and there’s so many resources to absorb. Meal ideas, help during tough times, exercise ideas and more are easily accessible. Instagram is a great place to see transformations of everyday people, together with varied meal and exercise ideas. It’s a welcoming community all over, you just have to do a little searching to find it.
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Of course, doing a structured program will help you reach your goals and start on a healthy journey, if you stick with it. But the question is - which? That’s up to you to decide, but for me, structure is important, because if I let myself think too long about food, I’ll make the wrong decision, as much as I don’t want to. Therefore, I’ve embarked on a regimen that maps out meals and exercises each day, and I’ve found it to be really helpful. There are copious amounts of plans available, in person and online, and if you are one to prefer structure like me, this may be a great solution for you. Grocery shopping is mainstreamed, too, which brings me to my next tip:
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5) TRY MEAL PREPPING The many fitness and health Instagrammers I follow boast about how great meal prepping is. It requires planning, but in return, you get foolproof, ready-made meals for the entire week. If you don’t like thinking about food or counting every tiny macronutrient, meal prepping may be a solution to try out! I have started to do it with breakfasts, since I never have enough time in the morning to make something from scratch, and with the prep, I know that I’m eating something healthy and it’s one less thing to worry about.
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6) BET ON YOURSELF… REALLY!
when you see others competing. It awakened some fighting spirit in me! You can also do this without handing over money on the internet - for example, set a goal for yourself in a certain amount of time, one that’s reasonable and achievable. Decide on a reward to strive to if you should reach that goal. It’s a great motivator and a segue into goal setting, which I find most important in seeing through a journey. Rewarding yourself along the way for small victories and seeing the bigger picture helps
So, you have all this knowledge, but still no motivation. Frankly, what’s better motivation than money? I just finished a game on Diet Bet, where you bet money on yourself (usually a set amount) and are given a goal to reach by the end of the game. If you reach it, you win all the money in the pot, and if not, you still have a community at your fingertips and satisfaction of completion. For me, it was excellent motivation, especially
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7) LOVE YOURSELF NO MATTER WHAT Even with all the necessary information, the support system, the desire and want, sometimes it’s not enough. I’ve been in that mindset, and the resulting up and down, for years. The important thing to remember is that it is perfectly okay. You may not be ready this time physically, mentally, emotionally - but it doesn’t mean you have to give up. The most important piece to remember is that a part of your goal should be to love yourself, however you may define it. Whatever that looks like for you is what you should strive for whenever you can. It’s so
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easy to get upset when things go wrong, and dismiss everything you’ve done based on one mistake. But this is all part of the process. This is the reason that calling a “New Year’s Resolution” is faulty - it cements you into a short time period, when in reality, this process is unfinished. You are constantly changing and growing, and with that comes bumpy times. Our darkest days can overshadow the good, but know that it gets better. Stay positive and never lose sight of what you want most.
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ART
CULTURE
THE HISTORY OF
CANARTIC MUSIC by maanasi natarajan
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M
usic has always been a significant part of Indian culture and is something that many Indians who immigrated to the United States still connect with from their homeland. When people think of Indian music, what generally comes to mind is the image of Indian woman dancing in a Hindi film to a catchy soundtrack song. However, many don’t realize that there are numerous styles of music in India dating back to the 12th century - and they are very much still alive and thriving. One of these is Carnatic music, a divine art form that is said to have originated from the praise of Hindu gods and goddesses. This style consists of three major components: swara, raga, and tala. Swaras are major notes, similar to solfege in Western music. However, the position of the note differs depending on the raga, which defines the key of the song or exercise. The raga is set to a tala, a set of repeating beats that the notes are to be played in. In the 11th and 12th century, Persian and Islamic influences set
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precedents for the techniques of music in India, which eventually split into two distinct styles: Hindustani music, commonly associated with North India and sung in languages such as Hindi and Gujarati; and Carnatic music, typically connected to South India and sung in languages such as Tamil and Kannada, among many others. Although both styles are built on the same musical foundations, they have prominent nuances that clearly distinguish them from one another. While Hindustani music thrived in North India, Carnatic music saw monumental popularity in Vijayanagara, the historic capital city of the Vijayanagar empire. It was around this time that Purandara Dasa, said to be the father of Carnatic music, created his curriculum for the basic teachings of Carnatic music (now compiled into numerous songbooks). That system is as popular today as it was then, and is still widely used all around the world to teach Carnatic music. Perhaps even more impressive, Purandara Dasa lay the foundation for composers to create additional songs and exercises.
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18th century composers such as Syama Sastri, Muthuswami Dikshitar, and the infamous Tyagaraja, known as the Trinity of Carnatic Music due to their outstanding musical ability, are accredited with molding South Indian classical music into the challenging yet melodious art form it is known as today. Tyagaraja alone composed more than one thousand pieces, and his songs are performed in aradhanas (concerts) devoted solely to his compositions annually.
But the road to being a professional Carnatic instrumentalist or vocalist is not easy, especially in the competitive atmosphere that music hubs like Chennai, Tamil Nadu provide. Because of the popularity of Carnatic music in this area, many talented musicians come from all over the world to follow their dreams of being successful. And for good reason, as Carnatic music training requires years of practice, focus, and consistency before a student can transition into a professional.
Carnatic music is typically performed through vocals, and originally emphasized voice as the principal mode of the musical form. As the style evolved, however, it began to be more popularly learnt on instruments like the violin and mridangam (a percussion instrument from ancient India). Although performed on instruments, the songs are meant to have the same nuances as the singing style. And while many instrumentalists perform alone, they are often seen accompanying accomplished Carnatic music singers, as this profession has proven to be a steady and respected job in South India.
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It can be a tough business, but many feel it is worth the effort, as the outcome is doing what you love with a large audience supporting you almost everywhere you perform. And although many may argue that Carnatic music is a dying art, areas such as Chennai and Bangalore say otherwise. Within their metropolitan skins are the dreams of aspiring Carnatic musicians whose love for the genre has not faltered. And with the rich history Carnatic music carries with it, it’s safe to say it never will.
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LADYBIRD: A FILM GROUNDED IN REALITY by elizabeth meisenzahl
Ladybird isn’t a fantasy. It’s real. When Christine “Ladybird” Macpherson sits in the principal’s office discussing her college essay in one scene of Ladybird, her principal remarks on Ladybird’s clear love for Sacramento. Ladybird responds by saying that she just pays attention to her home city. Her principal notes that those two might be the same thing. This scene is an accurate depiction of the way director Greta Gerwig treats the relationships between Ladybird and the female supporting characters, her mother and her best friend. What makes Gerwig’s portrayal of the motherdaughter relationship around which the film focuses feel so grounded in reality is her refusal to cast either one as purely right or wrong. Gerwig shows the audience both Ladybird and her mother being petty, immature, and even cruel to one another. However, she also portrays the relationship as more nuanced than that, a realistic depiction of the seemingly hot and cold nature of their
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relationship. In one scene, Ladybird and her mother bicker over Ladybird’s dragging of her feet while they shop, growing increasingly frustrated over what is clearly a minor annoyance. However, as soon as her mother holds up what they agree is the perfect dress for Ladybird’s Thanksgiving at her boyfriend’s house, both immediately drop their attitudes, and fawn over the dress as if nothing had happened at all. Perhaps the best example of Gerwig’s realistic portrayal of the mother daughter relationship is the disconnect between how the two of them treat one another in contrast with how they act when the other is not around. For all Ladybird’s yelling and fighting with her mother, when Danny insults Ladybird’s mother, Ladybird instantly comes to her defense, saying she is only hard on her because she loves her. Similarly, while her mother appears to have a heart of stone when refusing to even speak to her daughter before Ladybird’s crosscountry flight to college, the audience gets to see something Ladybird herself does not: Ladybird’s mother weeping as she drives through Sacramento, before running into the airport in an attempt to catch her before the flight takes off.
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Gerwig takes a trope of how women are supposed to act and gives the audience the real version, which stands in opposition. While the idea that women are inherently nurturing and motherly still affects roles women are expected to have in society, Gerwig shows that a woman does not necessarily have to project this image to be a good mother. Although Ladybird’s mother is at times overly harsh, Ladybird is exactly right in arguing that her mother is hard on her because she cares. In depicting this, Gerwig shows that the societal ideal of women as purely nurturing is neither entirely accurate nor even an ideal to which women should strive.
chaperones. However, their friendship as portrayed in this instance not only serves the purpose of breaking up some of the heaviness of the rest of the film, but shows a side of female friendship that so many movies or television shows about high school neglect. When the girls are at prom, they don’t care about how they look, or how different they seem from everyone else. The ultimate goal of this is not for either of them to attract the attention of a boy, but rather as a final hurrah for their friendship before Julie leaves for the summer and Ladybird takes off for college. In doing this, Gerwig shows not only what a real teenage female friendship looks like, but also that this is valuable in its own right, and not merely as a means for getting the attention of a boy or gaining popularity.
Similarly, Ladybird explores the relationship between Ladybird and her best friend, Julie. In a film full of poignant scenes, one that is filled with pure joy is Ladybird and Julie attending prom. After reconciling a break between the two caused by Ladybird’s abandonment of Julie to climb the social ladder, the girls attend prom as friends, dancing and laughing together the entire time. At their Catholic school, the close dancing raises eyebrows from the HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 22
Gerwig’s framing of the film through Ladybird’s evolving relationships with her mother and best friend give the film its strength, both through its realistic depictions and a refreshing departure from female stereotypes.
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Global Citizens:
How You Can Make a Difference One Music Festival at a Time by tasfia wahid
O
n September 26th, 2015, I found myself standing in the middle of the Great Lawn at Central Park surrounded by more than 60,000 concert goers. The funny thing is if anyone told me I’d be graced with the presence of Beyonce, Coldplay, Michelle Obama, and dozens of other celebrities and activists earlier that day, I never would’ve believed them. I can thank my niece for inviting me to attend the festival with her two hours before it started and introducing me to the world of Global Citizens. After jamming out to Ed Sheeran and listening to Malala Yousafzai’s heartfelt speech on education, I was immediately drawn to the cause.
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The Global Poverty Project is an international organization dedicated to bringing an end to poverty. They’re the mastermind behind the festival through the Global Citizen platform, which is a project that intends to bring awareness to worldwide issues such as poverty, women’s rights, and access to clean water and food. The Global Citizens Festival was inaugurated in 2012 and has taken place in New York City every September ever since. This is one of the few events where you can see influencers like Rihanna, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Malala all take the same stage. You haven’t heard the best part yet - this festival is 100% free!
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Even though the Global Citizens is a free event, you still have to earn your tickets by completing simple yet impactful tasks and having your name entered in a lottery. Most of these tasks involve sending a message to representatives and international leaders about important issues plaguing the world through Twitter, Instagram and phone calls. In order to win tickets, you must get the Global Citizens app on your phone and sign up. Afterwards, you can start earning points by completing the aforementioned tasks. Once you have enough points, which luckily doesn’t take too long to earn, you’re eligible to enter the drawing. Don’t let the fact that there’s a lottery deter you from earning tickets. This process usually begins in mid-July. There are four drawings to give away thousands of tickets, and you can enter all of them. Winners receive two tickets every time their name is selected. I can assure you that from personal experience that the chance of winning is quite high. For the 2016 festival, I entered all four drawings, and I won three times, giving me a total of 6 tickets. The following year, I
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won multiple times once again. The odds will (most likely) be in your favor. Ticket season may be a few months away for the Global Citizens festival, but there are other perks for signing up for a Global Citizens account and completing tasks ASAP! The company also gives away tickets to concerts and sporting events throughout the year. Recently, Global Citizens gave away Ed Sheeran and Fall Out Boy tickets. Also, these events aren’t limited to just New York City. As a matter of facts, they’re actually international so definitely check it out! After attending my very first Global Citizens Festival in 2015, I was empowered by the beliefs this movement stands for. I recall how Malala Yousafzai and former First Lady, Michelle Obama delivered powerful speeches in which they called for free secondary education for all girls worldwide. Although I always found this issue significant, I was under the impression that a person my age couldn’t do much to help. After attending hearing these wonderful ladies speak, I realized I was wrong. Calling your government to ask for support and tweeting about
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the cause goes a long way. The movement for educating girls gains momentum as you spread awareness. According to Global Citizens, the result of education is higher income, democracy and stronger human rights.
Sunidhi Chauhan took the stage and performed some of her greatest hits. It was heartwarming to see thousands of people dancing along to Indian music although many of them were unfamiliar with it. A year later, the Kenyan Boys Choir played their rendition of Selena Gomez’s “Kill Them with Kindness.” Barriers were nonexistent and almost a hundred thousand individuals were united under one influential music festival.
The Global Citizens Festival is also great in the sense that it appreciates and brings attention to various cultures of the world. For example, in the 2015 event, Bollywood singer HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 22
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The best part about this whole experience is definitely the memories. In 2016, I ended up waiting on line for a good few hours (be prepared for that). However, instead of being annoyed at the amount of people and the summer heat, my friends and I cracked jokes as we excitedly waited for the show. We were extremely lucky to get a spot close to the stage. It was exhilarating to see some of my favorite celebrities such as Kendrick Lamar and Priyanka Chopra from a close distance. The following year, I attended the Global Citizens with my best friend and we were forced to
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duck from flying water bottles, courtesy of MSNBC. To put it simply, my experience at the past three festivals was unforgettable. I highly recommend the Global Citizens Festival. You’ll be getting the best of both worlds by bringing great changes to the world and enjoying amazing performances. Plus they also give out free high quality water bottles to those who attend. The Global Citizen Festival is truly a magical and life changing experience no one should miss out on!
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THE SHIFT:
MODERN STAR WARS CULTURE
by elie docter
The first Star Wars film came out in 1977.
Wars at a fairly young age. My dad grew up in the era where kids had Star Wars lunchboxes and made their own films with Super 8 cameras; Star Wars was a crucial part of his childhood, and wanted it to mean as much to us as it did to him then, Thus, Star Wars became normal in my home.
The original trilogy, confusingly given the subtitles of episodes IV, V, and VI, created a galaxy for generations to come. The second trilogy, the prequels of episodes I, II, and III, were more universally panned. Last year, the second film of the third trilogy came out. Each film within their sets of trilogies has their own name, each trilogy their own nuances. It all seems like it should be fairly simple, but it isn’t.
The famous twists and plot lines of the original trilogy were always a facet of my knowledge, we had no special first-time viewing. I was born in 1998, the year before the first of the prequels came out. Even then there was a disparity between the original trilogy and the newly released prequels; I remember watching certain scenes from episode I with my brother, but the family would sit down together to enjoy any of the episodes in their glorious entirety.to catch her before the flight takes off.
There are a number of confusing aspects to a newcomer to the Star Wars universe: the nonchronological release of the films, the new Star Wars story films such as Rogue One, the shift in effects throughout the years, and the baffling amounts of passion and love for these films.
The original trilogy is magical. Each element was hand made in some way, between intricate models to puppet space creatures. To me, this is what I truly love about Star Wars. While the stories are fake, everything you actually see is real.
I don’t remember not having Star Wars in my life to some respect. I don’t know the exact dates, but my dad showed my brother and I Star HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 22
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Spaceships aren’t created by computers, but master model makers and slow camera pans. The actors actually interacted with aliens, space creatures are puppets or animals dressed up in some manner. I’ve heard from some new adult viewers that the effects can be hard to move past in our modern era of excellent CGI, but to me that’s what makes it so good. Watching hours of commentaries from the filmmakers and learning how the franchise grew excuses the plot holes and bizarre moments. Maybe it helps to have grown up with them, but there are many great lessons to take away from the original trilogy. The prequels of the early 2000s are completely different. My brother and I enjoyed the first film’s pod racer chase, but following that I think we only watched the other two films once. The writing lost its charm, the creepy character choices became intentional, and need to create more unique worlds led the filmmakers to rely on CGI. Ultimately, we just pretended they didn’t happen. When The Walt Disney Company bought Lucasfilm in 2012, they
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acquired the rights to the Star Wars universe. Which essentially meant more films would be released. With the number of generations of fans that existed, it would be confusing to not make more. Yet the trends in the filmmaking and consumer culture that began with the prequels continued; some characters lost their charm, audiences gravitated towards nitpicking, and heavy reliance on CGI. As a fan myself, I have heavy and intense thoughts and feelings about both films, but will attempt to refrain from speaking about what I liked and disliked about the new films specifically. That would take a long time, and I don’t care to submit others to pages upon pages of my opinions. Yet what I have seen and felt as an audience member does trouble me. On the filmmaking side, there is a conflict between creating something new, moving on from the past, and sticking to the trusty old. Within the new trilogy, the story of episode VII closely mirrors that of IV. To some, this was frustrating because it was similar to that of a remake. Yet episode VIII varied greatly from any other Star Wars film, which received backlash in that it was too different,
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and forgot many elements of the originals that made them so good. There is no real end message to the shift occurring in the Star Wars fan universe. Many love the new films, others clamber over their issues and continue to berate them. Yet ultimately, there are a few things to take away from the unrest that bubbles on the discussion forums of the internet. Star Wars teaches us to love, to be in the moment, to find likeminded people and to create. So perhaps its time to celebrate Star Wars as it is in the most truthful way possible, to accept and honor the films as they are, and to create a Star Wars of the modern era; a film completely unrelated to anything in any galaxy too far away.
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THE PRESS, THE SKATES, AND TONYA by emma murray
D
espite being labelled a dark comedy, I, Tonya is in fact a thrilling biopic that explores a range of serious themes currently at the forefront of society, the entertainment industry, and of course, the press. Craig Gillespie’s cinematic presentation is enhanced by a preeminent cast, expertly led by The Wolf of Wall Street star Margot Robbie, who charms audiences despite her characters’ wayward bangs. Many are aware of the incident that engulfed PAGE 80
and abruptly ended the career of Tonya Harding. Nonetheless, this movie, produced by Robbie herself, explores the conflicting narratives around the case. Whether one believes that Harding actively requested her husband to initiate an attack on Nancy Kerrigan with the assistance of his feckless friend, Gillespie presents a film that provokes contemplation on the matter, and a new appreciation for the struggles of Ms. Harding.
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One of the predominant subjects illuminated during the picture is the significant class discrepancies that diminished the success of a young and talented Harding. The ice skating community was engulfed by upper class idealism during the early nineties, and Margot Robbie effortlessly presents an ever familiar struggle that the underprivileged of today can almost certainly relate too. Director Craig Gillespie interweaves Marxist notions that illuminate the socio-economic discrepancies between two rival female skaters, Ms. Harding and the pristine Nancy Kerrigan. While Harding and her mother spend what little disposable time they possess to design and hand-stitch dilapidated costumes in garish greens and violent pinks, Kerrigan sauntered onto the ice in custom-made outfits designed by Vera Wang.
is a heartbreaking moment for Harding and audiences alike, as the realization hits that talent will fall second to money and pristine family values. Ever persistent, Harding wholeheartedly pursued a figure skating career, enduring great hardships and domestic abuse from childhood, which provides a bleak interlude in the sometimes humorous film. I, Tonya focuses on the aggression and violence in Tonya’s life and highlights the young woman's ability to embrace these disadvantages and incorporate the negativity into her skating performances, thus creating beauty and success from adversity. Script writer Steven Rodgers perfectly replicates the 1991 US National Championships during the movie, even mirroring the commentary heard during the original competition. Experts inform audiences in 1991 and, subsequently, 2017 of the great power and athleticism Harding exhibits during every skate, attributes which made her the first American female to execute the notoriously difficult
A poignant moment arises in the movie when Harding questions a figure-skating judge after receiving another low and arguably unfair score during competition. His response, “You’re representing our country, for f—’s sake. They need to see a wholesome American family,” HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 22
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triple axel. So, money may buy you elegant costumes, superior coaches and prosperous sponsorships, but raw talent prevails during this brief moment that made history. The triple axel was Harding’s moment and cannot be diminished, even by the infamous incident. “It's about time we had a world-class feminine lowlife to root for, and this, at long last, is that movie,” film critic Owen Gleiberman stated for Variety, and who could disagree with that conclusion after viewing? Without a doubt the motion picture offers a sprinkling of comedic relief. Indeed, a cackle of laughter erupted throughout the cinema as Allison Janney ,portraying Tonya Harding’s callous mother, received a wicked nibble on her ear from a persistent pet budgie, while puffing mindlessly on yet another cigarette. Nevertheless, the dark comedy generates the majority of its humor by mimicking real-life interviews from the time of the incident. Actor Paul Walter Hauser is sensational as Tonya Harding’s fatuous “dumb as a post” security “expert” Shawn Eckardt. Audiences will snicker as Hauser replicates a sweaty Eckardt at
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at home living with his parents, recounting to the world his foundation in counterintelligence and espionage during a reenactment interview, which is humorously shutdown by an exasperated reporter. A segment from Sports Illustrated published in 1994, praises the “world class imagination” of Eckardt, saying “His résumé would have put James Bond’s to shame. Never mind that little of it appears to have been true.” However, it is not until the film’s conclusion that Janney and Hauser’s presentations can be appreciated entirely, as their almost identical recreations are placed side by side with the original footage from 1994.
and restraining orders, Harding executed sensational artistry on the ice, attaining a spot at two Olympic Games, and of course making history with an ambitious triple axel. Did she know what Gillooly and his idiotic friend had planned? Perhaps, but in some respects that does not diminish the respect that this movie forces audiences to bestow upon a downtrodden Tonya Harding. The figure-skater lost everything, and without a high-school education, employment after her skating ban was almost impossible. In the final scenes, Gillespie presents a melancholy conclusion, that all Harding has left after the incident, is the aggression and violence that epitomized her childhood.
Ms. Harding was a flawed but inspiring athlete, an “anti-heroine” as Alyssa Rosenberg for the Washington Post defined. Tonya was abandoned by her father as a young girl, and left to endure a merciless upbringing controlled by her mother, Lavona Golden. It is unsurprising that Harding ran towards an abusive relationship with the moustache adorned bad boy Jeff Gillooly. Despite punches, shotguns, knives
Certainly, there is a reason why both Margot Robbie and Allison Janney became entirely immersed in the Harding plot, both declaring in press interviews that they discovered a newfound respect for the athlete, with Janney disclosing that all she wanted to do upon meeting Harding was give her a hug. And so, finally, Harding has escaped the damning appraisal of her character plastered across the tabloids in 1994.
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And yet, this movie adopted a brand new sentimental quality after the January 2018 Golden Globe Awards. The ceremony marked an important transcendence in the fight for gender equality, and female empowerment, as beautiful actresses from across the globe stood in unity with their black attire. The “Time’s Up” campaign, along with by an emotional speech from Oprah Winfrey, littered the tabloids in the immediate aftermath of the event, but a gentle nod by Allison Janney integrated I, Tonya PAGE 84
into the equality campaign. After being awarded Best Supporting Actress, Allison Janney thanked an emotional Tonya Harding, who sat tearful in the audience, for her bravery and honesty in sharing her story. The transition from 2017 to 2018 marks a celebratory period for strong women gaining the courage to speak out and inform the world of their difficulties. And a forty year old Tonya Harding is no exception to this whistleblowing campaign.
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LIVE
CULTURE
THE EVOLUTION OF
THE BRA by shaye dipasquale
W
omen have been covering, restricting, restraining, and modifying different parts of their bodies with various garments for hundreds of years. Breasts are no exception. How women dressed to handle their chests throughout history says a lot about the changes in social norms and gender roles that have transpired over the years. From sheer bralettes to padded push-up bras, the modern woman has the ancient Greeks to thank for inventing the earliest precursor to the famed undergarment. The women of Classical Greece are often depicted in flowy, romantic materials with little structure that tended to leave one breast exposed. Along with the loose clothing, these women wore an apodesmos or a “breastband" made of wool or linen that wrapped across the chest and tied in the back. When worn under the breasts, the apodesmos accentuated a woman’s chest, which has led some scholars to
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believe that the garment may have had some type of erotic connotation. The Romans also wore compressive bands around their breasts, known as strophia. Young girls were fastened into the bands to prevent the growth of large, sagging breasts. In the Roman culture, a large chest was associated with an aging or an unattractive woman. For a long time, it was believed that women in the Middle Ages did not wear any particular garments to support or restrict their breasts. There was no physical evidence to support the notion that this type of an undergarment had been part of the culture. However, a recent archaeological find at the site of Lengberg Castle in Austria may have unearthed remnants of medieval lingerie that will change the way clothing historians think about dressing habits in the Middle Ages. In an article for BBC History Magazine, researcher Beatrix Nutz examines the ground-breaking evidence of “breastbags” and their social acceptance in the 15th and 16th centuries.
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“We don’t know if all women in the Middle Ages wore ‘breastbags’—but some definitely did,” Nutz states. “But while it might have been socially acceptable to do so in order to flatten the bosom, the complaints and satirical comments on breastenhancement suggest that it was not generally approved of.”
cylindrical shape, achieved by flattening and lifting the bust line. This strict compression of the breasts forced them so far upwards that they nearly spilled out the top of a woman’s dress. The corsets were stiffened with paste and buckram to create the look of a flat-torso shape. Almost three centuries later, Victorian corsets drastically drew in the waistline to emphasize the breasts and the hips, creating an hourglass figure. Beneath layers of petticoats and hoop skirts, the corset left Victorian women unable to move as freely as they may have liked.
For the most part, breasts in the Middle Ages were minimized by dresses with straight bodices and high necklines; however, these were designed for function and not to emphasize aspects of a womanly form. By the dawn of the Renaissance, décolletage was in and so were corsets. Gone were the days of loose materials that glided over and molded to the curves of one’s body. The 16th century brought rise to the creation of garments meant to conform the body to size and shape that was considered fashionable. Early corsets during the Elizabethan era were meant to draw the body into a
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The clothing reform movement brought about an end to the days of the restrictive corset. Health professionals’ concerns regarding the safety hazards of the corset’s constraints coupled with the voices of women seeking greater participation in society helped to free women from the physical bonds of corsetry. By doing away with this undergarment, women were in need of a new way to support and enhance their cleavage.
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For the remainder of the 19th century, various designers would create new bra-like devices. Luman L. Chapman patented the "protobra." Dressmaker Olivia Flynt designed the Flynt Waist for largerbreasted women. Herminie Cadolle invented the corselet gorge, a two piece undergarment with a short corset for the waist and an upper piece to support the breasts with shoulder straps. Marie Tucek created a clothing piece that consisted of separate pockets for each breast that sat above a metal supporting plate, with shoulder straps that fastened by hook-and-eye.
undergarment in 1914. While not the first bra ever created, her “Backless Bra” design was the first to be patented and later mass produced by Warners Brothers Corset Company after Crosby sold them the patent. By the 1930s, the term "brassiere" had been shortened to "bra" and manufacturing companies were beginning to correlate the size of a woman's breasts to letters of the alphabet—A through D rather than relying on sizes such as small, medium, and large. Around the same time, adjustable bands were introduced using elastic and various eye and hook positions.
With the onset of the 20th century came the biggest game changer in bra fashion history. Mary PhelpsJacobs, later known as Caresse Crosby, was a 19-year-old socialite who used two silk handkerchiefs and some ribbon to fashion a new
World War II greatly impacted the basic construction of bras thanks to material shortages. This era marked the first time that underwire was used to create a more supportive garment that emphasized a “lift and separate” design.
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The 1950s and the baby boom saw a demand for maternity and nursing bras. Television marketing increased the sales of bras and encouraged manufacturers to experiment with new colors, patterns and styles. Hollywood fashion influenced the desires of everyday women who were interested in wearing the coneshaped bullet bra famously worn by actresses like Marilyn Monroe. For the first time, bras were marketed for girls about to enter puberty.
But by the end of the 1960s, cleavage was a buzzword. The first Wonderbra campaign marketed a bra that pushes breasts forward and up to create the look of a little more fullness and a lot more cleavage. This was the beginning of the push-up bra. Since the 1960s, dozens of new bra trends have come and gone, but a handful, including the sports bra for athletic activity, lace camisoles for lingerie, and t-shirt bras for everyday wear, have stuck around . The bra industry has been booming for decades now, and it doesn’t seem like the demand will die down anytime soon.
The famous line, “burn that bra,” emerged in the 1960s when women began to question whether bras were just another way to oppress women and turn them into sex objects. While few women actually burnt or even abandoned wearing their bras, they indicated a want for bras that were no-fuss and not overly feminine. Rudy Gernreich designed the “No Bra,” a soft-cup, seamless, sheer nylon, and elastic bra, manufactured by Exquisite Form. This minimalist bra design helped move the trends towards more natural shapes and soft, sheer fabrics.
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Whether you love or hate your bras, whether you value their support or prefer the #freethenipple route, the undergarment has gradually revolutionized women’s roles in society throughout history and that is something we can all be grateful for.
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THE BENEFITS OF HANGING OUT WITH THE ELDERLY by elie docter
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t’s as easy to start as asking a question. “Do you remember anything about WWII?” “Where were you when the Berlin Wall fell?” Or “What do you remember hearing about JFK’s assassination?” Without assuming anything about their age, asking about a historical event is an easy place to start a conversation with an elderly person. You could start by asking them about themselves; where they were born, what high school was like, when they met their spouse. But I like starting with a historical element, as it’s something you have some knowledge of from school, but now you can gain some personal knowledge to really bring it home. It brings the conversation to a more intriguing middle ground. It also gives you some chronological context if you decide to ask about their life. I’ve found it quite enjoyable to hang out with the grandparents of my friends. Typically grandmothers are the most fun; they give the love and interest of your own grandma, but without the quirks that typically frustrate you from your own family. And it’s amazing how genuinely excited they get when you ask a
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question. I was fortunate enough to have grown up with all four of my grandparents for my whole life, which means that I am able to get to know my familial history, but it also means I’ve heard my grandparents tell all of their favorite stories more times than I could care to. Last year, I house sat for my friend’s family when they went out of town. In the meantime, my friend’s grandma would come by the house, to grab food and hang out. Nana would say hi, stop and chat for awhile. At first it felt strange hanging out with my friend’s grandma; without any shared familial history, I assumed we wouldn’t have much to talk about. At this time I was starting to watch the old TV show M*A*S*H, and told her how much I was enjoying it. From there, we started talking about the Vietnam war, which led us to World War II. I tried to skirt around the heavier aspects of death by asking about her memories of protests and rations, which was closer to her anyway, having not been fighting the battles herself. From there, I asked follow up questions which brought her to tell me a great amount of her life story,
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how she was born in England, lived in Australia for awhile, and eventually got engaged after only one date to her husband of over fifty years. She told me off handedly that she knew Chuck Yeager and his wife quite well. As a big fan of The Right Stuff book and film, I had endless questions for her. We ended up talking every day, often for hours at a time. I realized that I was able to listen to her tell her favorite stories for the first time, which her kids and grandkids were tired of hearing. When my friend and his family came back to town, I found myself making excuses to stop by and say hi to Nana
again. Now when I come back from college, I make sure to ask my friend if Nana will stop by sometime. Since then, I find myself gravitating towards elderly people when I can. I’ve found that it’s often much easier to converse with them than my peers. Typically you can ask just a few questions and they’ll have a number of stories, memories, or thoughts. It becomes easy to simply sit and absorb their thoughts. There’s always something interesting that comes up, be it the brother that died in Vietnam, the old friendship with Al Franken, or going to Disneyland just
a month after opening. Even when encroaching on sensitive topics or opinions I might not personally agree with, practicing my listening skills and questioning abilities allow me to hear what they have to say. As opposed to the faceless bold opinions I see online that I instantly oppose and label as “wrong” and “uninformed,” here I can ask why they feel that way, see how their life has shaped their opinion to be right to them, and understand. I learn from their life experiences, and prepare myself for the (hopefully) long road of life ahead of me. From health choices to personal experiences, there’s a lot of lessons to glean from the elderly. Society is so quick to cast aside the elderly and label them as out-dated, but it is clear that we need to learn from the past. I learned a lot from hanging out with Nana. Not only different aspects of major events in history, but the past of my friend’s family life, an in-depth history of Nana’s life, and how to listen. My holding eye contact and asking questions brought her great amounts of joy, nearly as much as it brought me.
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CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT… by LaTasha Bunting
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or as long as I can remember, that has always been the phrase. If I wanted to know more information, it was fine as long as I remembered that “Curiosity killed the cat”. So, it seemed like being curious was so dangerous that it came with its own warning label. I can even remember my best friend using that phrase when I was curious to know more about something. This quote instills fear and anxiety. It’s a constant reminder to be careful, that curiosity can lead to trouble. This quote hinders the creative and curious soul. How can I know the truth if I’m not curious enough to find the answer(s)?
throughout college. I wouldn’t have found something that I really enjoyed doing if I hadn’t been curious enough to try it. How can we learn something new if we aren’t at least curious about it? And if you really want to be the best at anything you have to learn new ideas or processes. If you really want to know about something or someone, you have to ask questions. Sure, you might not get the answer you want sometimes but at least you tried. Which leads me to the quote that I do like, “Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back.” This quote instills wonder and not fear. Being curious can sometimes get you into trouble, but being content and satisfied when you find out the answer is worth the trouble you have been through.
Curiosity is a strong desire to know or learn something and I’m constantly curious to know things, especially when it comes to the arts. I can be curious about a new opportunity, a new challenge, a new song, a new dance, a new painter/artists, a new poet/ poem, etc.
Today, one of my coworkers wanted to know the answer to a statement made earlier in the week. To which another coworker responded, “Curiosity killed the cat.” They were both surprised when I responded with “but satisfaction brought it back”. Neither of them heard of it before and to be honest, I hadn’t heard of it until recently myself. How did I find about it? I was curious about the phrase “curiosity killed the cat” and googled it. And here we are!
For example, when I was in high school, I was an avid debater. I loved going to the tournaments to compete and I enjoyed looking through evidence to prove our case. The best thing about debate is that you have to be open minded and curious to the arguments that may come up during the debate in order to dispute them. You have to be curious enough to look at both sides of the argument to find out the truth.
So, what are you curious about? What is something that you want to learn more about? Follow that curiosity, it may end up being the best thing that you have ever done. And if it’s not, at least you won’t have to wonder about it.
This same curiosity later lead me to Oratory speaking and later theater. They were doing the Wizard of Oz at school and I loved the Wizard of Oz movie and I was curious about it, so I auditioned. I ended up being casted and was a part of theater my senior year and HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 22
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The Public Education Of Our Common History by mia carey
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s someone who was raised by two public school U.S. History teachers, the importance of the history of this country and its promise of universal education were both stressed to me from a young age. I was fortunate to attend public school in a state (Massachusetts) ranked 5th in the nation on the quality of their public education. Had I been raised in South Dakota, ranked ? , maybe I would have a different impression.
be addressed in new ways. But, public schools gave me the resources I needed to get into the only college I ever wanted to go to and I am, thankful for that and it also taught me the lessons of our history that prepares me to be an informed voter. Public schools are a microcosm of society. They open doors to their communities to educate the masses. This is an enormous task, but a crucial one. These schools are charged with the duty to teach ‘reading , writing , and arithmetic’ along with science, health, arts, technology and history. NYU Law Professor Philip Alston said, “Reality now in the United States is that if you are born and live in a certain zip code, you will probably forever be linked to that income level,
I do not claim that my public school education was perfect. Alternatively, my very expensive private undergrad school wasn’t perfect either. There are many reforms that need to be made, many curriculums that need to be refined and many issues that need to
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so if you are born poor, you won’t escape it.’ This is a problem that has everything to do with how we run our public school systems. Children from poorer neighborhoods are not given the same resources as children from more affluent areas. Quality free public education to all is the key to providing all children the opportunity to succeed. And, a solid knowledge of history is integral to an informed citizenry that values education for all. It is imperative that public schools are able to impart knowledge to children of all socioeconomic statuses, beyond just educating the next generation of our workforce to go out and add to society through labor. These schools are entrusted with equipping the youth of this country with the knowledge they need to go out and be an informed generation of voters. To accomplish this, history is a vital part of the American education system. Nearly everything that has ever happened can be used to predict and govern future situations. A thorough understanding of history would benefit all citizens in to critically interpret our current politics.
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In times of what feels like profound change, we are quick to label something as “unprecedented”. Yet, I can almost assure you that there is a good historical indicator, or precedent, for how any situation may play out. Trump is not the first of his kind. This is not the first time where there has been such a division of public opinion in regards to a President. In our U.S. History there was a president heralded by half the country as the ‘everyman’ and the other half as a ‘king’. This president blatantly overstepped his political bounds. He set a horrible precedent by bypassing an entire branch of our government, thereby ignoring the checks and balances set in place to protect our citizens from tyranny. This president was responsible for the death of thousands of Native American. This President was Andrew Jackson. Andrew Jackson and Donald Trump have many notable differences, yet it is the blatant disregard for the lives of citizens and the constant threats to overstep power that lead me to try to learn from the history of our country before there is another sad chapter in our collective history.
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The comparison between Donald Trump and Andrew Jackson rings true to me because I believe they will have ultimately the same effect on the country. Donald Trump’s need to assert his power over the government and the people of the nation is largely reminiscent of Andrew Jackson’s need to ignore a judicial order, and to impose his will onto the nation . Just like with Jackson’s Trail of Tears, it is my belief that people will die. Most likely it will be marginalized people primarily. Immigrants or those too poor to afford basic needs once public services are cut may perish. What is so disheartening about this is that we haven’t learned our lesson. If all children were taught our own country’s history in school may be our country would be in a different place right now.
Often in my high school years I heard other students, particularly those with a preference for math or science courses complaining that history was not necessary to them. While history may not be necessary to the majority of Americans daily lives in terms of figuring out how to cure a disease or send a rocket to Mars, I think it is the only subject that is relevant to guide us in how we want our country to reflect our values. I have always been aware that this great country has never been perfect, but instead working towards perfection. If we learn from our past mistakes, we can make this country great for more than just the straight, white, able, and male majority of people. We can not be bystanders as history has taught us that corruption flourishes when people say nothing.
In order for this society to function, there must be a populace of educated voters. Not just educated in a broad sense, but educated in the sense of making an informed decision for the good of the country. If public school history education was taken seriously by the educators and administrators and in turn taught to be taken seriously by their students, they may be better equipped to analyze modern politics through the lens of political history. This would empower a whole generation of voters to be able to form educated opinions with the knowledge they themselves possess about how our country is run now and has been in the past. Blatant lies would not be as readily accepted unrefuted by the common knowledge of the populace. Public education is power. If only the wealthy are educated the voters will continually be easily duped. If you don’t hold the power of knowledge yourself, your ignorance will be exploited against you.
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The Lookout for Diversity In Fashion by alexzandria simmons
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remember when I was younger my first exposure to modeling was the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. At the time, I was so young, and didn’t notice just how many white models were walking down the runway. It’s not typical for young kids to think about that, but as I grew older, I started to see that this was the pattern with fashion magazines, ads I saw on television, and more. I always saw a girl who looked just like me dominate the runway and media, so I wondered what did that mean for the girls who didn’t look the same? Why did it take so long for the fashion industries to finally start portraying women of color as much as they did
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white women? Where is their representation? Fortunately, fashion industries in New York such as Rio Uribe and Chromat saw the most nonwhite models, according to TheFashionSpot. For Rio Uribe, 87% of models were nonwhite, and Chromat came in at 77%. The inclusion seen here is the diversity we need, not just a favor of one race. In a world filled with beautiful women of all colors and sizes, there should never be a problem with displaying this on the runway or in the media, yet TheFashionSpot found that out of 241 shows and 7,035 model castings for the fall 2017 season in New York, London, Paris, and Milan, 27.9% of the models were women of color and
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and 72.1% of the models were white. Those numbers don’t fairly represent the amount of beauty in the world, and they highlight the lack of diversity in the modeling industry. Because of this, girls of color grow up thinking that they aren’t and can’t be the girl they see on television. Many girls begin to hate their skin because of the simple fact that the representation of girls like them is little to nothing. Yes, all women are beautiful, but all women are not shown they are beautiful. Today, the media plays a huge role in self-esteem, but what a girl of color constantly sees is a white woman on the cover of her favorite magazine. Or, like I saw: white women going down the runway. She
doesn’t see girls like her, and what she is being taught is that you’re only beautiful if you look a certain way. Why is there not more portrayal of our women of color? What does that really say about our world? It’s upsetting to see how engrained racism is into our world even if it is subtle and not blatant. For example, there is no excuse to not wanting to cast a diverse set of models for a show although some claim that it “ruins a brand” or some other bogus reason. By doing so, companies and media are ruining women of color’s self-esteem. In this world, we can only hope for more innovative and open minds that bring fashion and diversity together once and for all.
SEEKING ARRANGEMENT:
YOUNG WOMEN DATING RICH & OLD by alice jetin-duceux
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Last September, in Belgium, ten trucks displaying huge, eye-catching billboards, toured Brussels’ universities with the purpose of delivering a single message: « Hey les étudiant(e) s ! Romantique, passion et pas de prêt étudiant. Sortez avec un sugar daddy ou une sugar mama. » (Hello students! Romantic, passionate and debt-free. Go out with a sugar daddy or a sugar mama.) In October, the trucks reached France, where they parked in front of the Parisian university of Pierre et Marie Curie, provoking ire among members of the City Hall and many French student associations. Within a week, the French government condemned the company responsible for the ads— Rich meet Beautiful, or RmB—for encouraging prostitution and going against public order. Soon after, the billboards were dismantled. Likewise, in Belgium, the government was swift to remove the ads and the trucks. Organizations such as JEP, the Belgian jury pour l’éthique dans la publicité (committee for ethics in
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advertising), ruled that the RmB ads perpetuated "stereotypes on women and men that go against the way society is evolving” and violated the principles of “human dignity.” In France, prostitution is not a crime, but pimps face up to seven years in prison and a fine of 150,000 euros. Furthermore, organizations that aid, abet, or procure prostitution can face sanctions of 3 million euros. Websites like Rich meet Beautiful, however, avoid such repercussions by explicitly condemning prostitution on their welcome page. This legal loophole allows them to fake ignorance of any sexual relation practiced by their members. Technically speaking, sex is neither compulsory nor tariffed—only “mutually beneficial relationships” between sugar babies and their daddies or mommies are on the agenda. "It's a classic misunderstanding," Vedal (the RmB boss) claimed to the news agency AFP. "We are like a normal dating site, but financial [sic] is part of the checklist.”
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Perhaps this is an indication that governments should seek to prosecute clients instead. In France, for example, men and women using the services of a prostitute face criminal charges. But unfortunately, bargaining for sex only happens through private messaging, making it impossible for the competent authorities to find out which members are indeed paying for it. Seizing the data through legal means is impossible as the websites, like Rich meet Beautiful, which is run from Norway, are all hosted abroad. In this way, sugar dating websites
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remain in the legal limbo and prosper; RmB believes it can expand its membership base in Belgium to 300,000, and Seekingarrangement, the most popular website in France, boasts 40,000 sugar babies. One possible reason for the popularity of these websites is that sugar dating does not look or feel like the trashiness and desperation we expect from “classic" prostitution. Becoming a sugar baby does not entail kneeling on the side of a road in the Boulogne Woods, where most Parisian sex workers gather, while an
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unknown man unzips his jeans and fishes out fifteen euros. The young women meeting their older dates at restaurants for dinner might view themselves as mistresses or actresses rather than crass hookers. "Every “Real Housewife of Some Place” dated and then married for money,” points out the Huffington Post, before asking: “how about the several rags-to-riches stories we read every year about some student, maid or waitress who married a millionaire shortly after meeting?”. An ex-sugar baby, Chloe, argues that “If I meet a rich man tomorrow at the cinema and he decides to help me out financially, it doesn’t mean I’m a prostitute.”
She adds that the people who think sugar dating is only about money are “very narrow minded” and “judge without knowing.”
SeekingArrangement describes sugar babies as “individuals seeking mentorship”, which could mean anything from coaching to help for employment and business contracts. “Sugar dating was a very positive experience for me,” explains Rachel, a British sugar baby, in an interview with Konbini. “I met a lot of very smart and successful men who are now part of my professional network. Meeting these inspiring people opened a lot of unexpected doors.”
Young women like Chloe
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There is also a glamorous, Channel and Louboutin side to sugar dating. Some sugar babies earn close to 6,000 euros a month—twice the pay of a university professor in France— along with getting invited to expensive dinners, luxury hotels, and black-tie events. “And you get addicted to the money,” laments Chloe. She further explains that “at first, [she] didn’t go on so many dates, but then it got to the point where [she] hesitated to stop [her] studies and[AJ1] work full time.”
often register on websites like Seeking-Arrangement because they can not afford to feed themselves or are crippled with student debt. “If my parents could have supported me, I wouldn’t have done it,” says Chloe.
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The High Council for Equality between Women and Men, a French institute, has repeatedly found that job insecurity and poverty are the leading causes for prostitution. Unfortunately, in France, women are both more likely to occupy unskilled jobs and be unemployed than men. In other words, they are likelier to be poor. Evidently, this reveals the motives for Rich meet Beautiful to target college students and why the majority of the young people HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 22
registered on these websites are sugar babies and not “toy boys.� As such, sugar dating is not a testimony to how sexually liberated young women are free to choose any means they please to succeed. Instead, it demonstrates how destitute young women are left with no choice but to suck on old pigs for survival.
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“I was sleeping with a guy as old as my father who had at least ten extra kilos, and I had to make him believe that I was getting off when in reality I was thinking about which bills his check was going to pay for,” relates ex sugar baby Pauline T. Sugar dating websites institutionalize relationships where one party concentrates all the power and the wealth while the other is impecunious. “These sites exploit hardship: financial hardship [and] emotional hardship . . . But in no way is [sugar dating] about pleasure,” says Paris-based attorney Henri de Beauregard. This type of prostitution remains hidden under a glamourous veneer most likely because sugar daddies are extremely wealthy and discrete.
workers and toughened access to unemployment benefits. Additionally, despite making gender equality one of the “great cause[s]” of his years in office, the “feminist” president not has added any new funding to the previously approved 2018 national budget. Women will remain disproportionately poor and vulnerable in France—expect sugar dating to be a lasting phenomenon.
Addressing sugar dating and prostitution requires directly targeting and resolving the issues that cause poverty, but aiding the poorest classes of France is not on President Macron’s agenda. His government has just enacted housing benefit cuts affecting more than 800,000 students whereas major labor laws voted in parliament have simultaneously made it easier to fire
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Exploring the Hushed Racism of India by anushka thorat
C
onsidered to be one of the most diverse lands in the world, India encompasses states that each have a unique blend of cultures and traditions. Different shades of melanin run from Kashmir in the north to Kanyakumari at the southern tip, yet racism and colourism run rampant in the land of colours, and the country remains in blissful ignorance of its deep-seated race issue.
amongst the hues of lighter skinned Indians inhabiting the region. Over the years, many instances of hate crimes have surfaced only to be buried deep and forgotten about as the Indian government turns a blind eye to the atrocities faced by the immigrants. Four Nigerian men were attacked at a mall in Noida, a Cameroonian MBA student had her car banged up, a Rwandan woman was gang raped in Delhi, a group of women who alleged to have been harrassed, groped, beaten and told to leave from Uganda and Nigeria were illegally raided, a Tanzanian student had her clothing ripped off, was brutally assaulted in the middle of the street, and had her car set on fire by an angry mob, and
India’s racism is seen most prominently in the citizens’ treatment of Africans who immigrate there, often for higher studies and job opportunities. Bigotry is at its worst in the North of the country, where Africans stick out like sore thumbs
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posters flashing “A Nigerian- free Noida" cropped up - just a few incidents among the plethora of oppression that these immigrants face on a daily basis. How did such an incredibly diverse country come to this?
Surprisingly, India has been a colourism infested country for generations. Its colourism manifests itself from the oh-so popular skin lightening products, which are among the largest industries in the country, to the bullying of darker skinned children on playgrounds. Furthermore, fairer men are considered more "appealing" for marriage, the statues and pictures of Hindu Gods are dipped in white, and women apply bleaching creams like paint on their skins. Bollywood, India’s film industry, further promotes whitewashing,casting lightskinned actors in blockbuster movies and having darker skinned actors portray villainous caricatures. India’s relationship with colourism has curated a culture wherein those with darker skins are oppressed and PAGE 118
deeply marginalized. Thus, colourism is deeply ingrained in India, and it unknowingly meshes into outright racism and bigotry when given the chance. Even native Indians are hated by their own peers and families for having darker skin, and this toxic practice enforces the “dark as evil/bad” mindset that Indians employ to justify their racist and oppressive acts. This prevailing culture has led to numerous Africans testifying that they are unsafe and at risk in their environments and feeling as though they have been ‘demonized’ by those around them. Unfortunately, Africa has been unfairly stereotyped for decades, with Africans being considered a symbol for underdevelopment and poverty all over the world. Similar harmful stereotypes have made their way into the minds of the Indian population with Africans being associated with prostitution and illegal drug use. Many of the perspectives and biases stem from colonial discourses such as Europeans associating Africa with cannibalism and “apes” in the 1800s, apparent in the slurs that Indians hurl at Africans on streets today.
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Additionally, remnants of the caste system also encourage these xenophobic tendencies, making it easier for people to accept exclusion as a norm and cultural practice. Bigotry for the “other� is presented in a multitude of forms, targeting groups of religion, gender, caste and region. This is also apparent in the internal prejudices and hatred against the Dalits, darker skinned people who were originally called the untouchables in the Indian caste system. Together, these factors have caused marginalization to become a part of Indian culture and led to a lifestyle of free racism. Dismantling these beliefs and prejudices which are present in the Indian society is pertinent to the progression of India as a country. This disease of colourism and racism has been plaguing India for centuries, and only when we acknowledge the real issue can we begin to truly fix it.
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FINDING COMMUNITY IN COLLEGE by gabbie ballesteros
I
It’s no secret that the transition into
In the end, I found myself in two groups: a
college can be a daunting one – moving
drama club that put on student-written
out of your childhood home (sometimes
productions and an all female a capella group.
hundreds and thousands of miles away),
It was amazing how much these two clubs
living on your own, and adjusting to life
enriched my college experience. Not only
without your friends and family around you
were the other people involved interested in
every day. It’s enough to make any incoming
the same things I was, but getting the
first year a bundle of nerves, wondering how
opportunity to expand my circle while doing
it’ll go and whether or not they’ll be able to
something I loved was incredible. More than
handle it. I was no exception. Although I was
that, having regular meetings and practices
ecstatic to be going to school in my favorite
outside class allowed me to meet and interact
city and excited for my impending
with these people on a regular basis,
independence, I can’t deny how anxious I was
facilitating my ability to build friendships and
going into my first semester. I was lucky
close relationships.
enough to have a few high school friends moving into the city with me, but I of course
I’m not sure how my transition to college
wanted to make friends in my own school,
would have gone without joining these
and find a community there.
extracurriculars, but I’m incredibly grateful that I did. Having a supportive community
I didn’t have long to wait. Soon after all my
related to things you enjoy can make all the
suitcases were unpacked and the last of my
difference when making a big adjustment. Not
drawers filled to the brim, I found that one of
only did it distract me from my homesickness
my suitemates and I shared all the same
and separation from my friends and family
interests; from TV shows to favorite snacks
back home, but it alleviated my anxiety at
and musical theatre obsessions, I knew I had
living alone for the first time. My advice to
found a firm friend. We went together to the
anyone making a major transition would be to
“Club Fest” my school had organized, where
find and build your own community. There’s
all of the student and faculty run
no shortage of clubs, activities, and
organizations were gathered to pass out
organizations at any college or university -
information and recruit members for the
whatever interests you is sure to have an
upcoming year. I found myself signing up for
outlet. If a club doesn’t already exist, it’s often
anything that caught my fancy - poetry
very simple to start your own! And
societies, drama clubs, service organizations,
community does not have to be found
everything under the sun. For the next few
through organized groups; it can be easy to
weeks my inbox was flooding with
expand your circle through your classmates,
enthusiastic welcome emails and details about
roommates, or even people you run into on
meetings and getting-to-know-you activities.
campus. Taking the first step can be tricky, but
Overwhelming was an understatement.
it’s unbelievably worth it in the long run to cultivate a community that can last a lifetime.
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WOMEN & THE U.S. REFUGEE POLICY by elizabeth meisenzahl
I
n the United States, women account for nearly ž of all refugees welcomed into the country. In 2018, the number of refugees granted asylum in 2018 will be lowered to 45,000 from the previous 110,000, a more than 50% decrease. With the global number of displaced people rising, this means that women of all ages, a particularly vulnerable population, will continue to live in unsafe and violent conditions, whether they be in refugee camps in developing nations or an area for displaced people within their own borders. Many of the women who fit the description of refugees are subject to sexual and gender-based violence in their home countries. This is particularly true of women and girls fleeing the war-torn country of Syria, where rape is used as a weapon of war. Even when these women find placement in refugee camps in nearby PAGE 122
countries, the violence continues. Sexual violence inside refugee camps in Lebanon has been reported by Amnesty International. The overwhelming majority of refugees, 86%, remain in the place to which they are first resettled. When refugees, particularly women, are resettled in unsafe refugee camps, like those in Lebanon, their chances of resettling to a third country, like the United States, drops to 1%. Due to the decrease of refugee acceptance as part of American policy, it is more likely than ever that more refugee women and children will remain in these camps without the hope of resettlement. In these situations, females lack basic necessities, with healthcare chief among them. With camps quickly being forced to hold more than they were meant to, the living standards for their residents has dropped HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 22
precipitously. One camp in Lebanon, the Shatila camp, was originally built for 3,000 people. It currently holds 15,000.
who have experienced trauma and those living in poor conditions are more likely to have complications. Both of these factors describe women living in refugee camps, placing them in serious danger when it comes to childbirth.
Even when relief efforts attempt to help with the healthcare crisis in refugee camps, women’s needs can be ignored. When the United Nations health center in the Shatila camp distributed hygiene kits, no menstrual products were included.
With no end to the violence in Syria in sight, the international community must find a way to help civilians who have been caught in the crossfire. Women and young girls in particular find themselves with few resources when they are displaced by this violence. In order to assist them, countries like the U.S. must be willing to allow them asylum and safety.
Additionally, the lack of reproductive healthcare places many of the female residents in danger. With little contraception available and ensuing high birth rates, the infant and maternal mortality rates have increased. During childbirth, women HER CULTURE MAGAZINE | ISSUE NO. 22
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HONORING THE HUMAN COMPUTER by sumaita mahmood
A teacher drones on endlessly about logarithmic functions in the front of the classroom. The heads of students droop down onto the desks in soft thuds, while others scratch their papers with silly, little doodles. One student sits back in his chair, arms crossed across his chest, staring blankly at the chalkboard. It dawns on him that he will never need this complex math knowledge and does not really need to know it all. In a world where calculators and complex computers are taking care of our mathematical needs, the “M” in STEM is beginning to look less attractive to young people everywhere.
prodigy-like mathematical skill. At the age of three, Shakuntala Devi became a performer under her father’s guidance (who was once a performer herself), showcasing her intense powers of memorization and mathematical calculation. On stage, she would do fun tricks for the audience such as guessing the day of the year one was born on or reciting the roots of incredibly large numbers. While her early show days superseded the days of the computers by many decades, upon calculation of every problem she was asked, Shakuntala Devi was never wrong. In this manner, she earned the nickname “The Human Computer.”
Why would we pursue studies of a field that is being beaten by the computer? For many of us, it is difficult to see a career in solely mathematics. However, brilliant Indian mathematician Shakuntala Devi, it became her livelihood. From a young age, Devi was discovered for her mathematical ability. Her father
As her father has quit the circus to invest in his daughter’s talents, Devi became the main source of income for her household and would do amazing shows across India. Her first major performance was at the University of Mysore, signaling a series of successful shows to follow. Later,
appreciated and invested in Devi’s
she even did shows in England, providing
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herself money for her tuition and sending as much money as she could back to India for her family (Pandya). Her role as a pioneering female in mathematics and thought paved the way for other strong women leaders and thinkers in the young country of India. Later in her life, scientists went onto studying Shakuntala Devi as she did her rapid calculations, multiplying fourteen digit numbers together or famously taking the square root of a two-hundred digit number in less than a second. Computers could barely keep up with her in the 1980s and special programs were written just to check if she was correct. Of course, she was. While Devi passed away in April 2013, the legacy she leaves behind is every bit astounding as the mathematical genius she was. She has held many Guiness World Book record titles and to this day, we can’t figure out how she did it (despite her writing a book entailing her various numerical methods). Her written work transcended just her world of numbers and mathematics with her publication of her book, The World of Homosexuals, in 1977. The publication, which studied homosexuality cases, followed her divorce with her husband, who himself was gay (Hingorani). In a time in India where LGBTQ rights were
understanding words of Devi go a long way to demonstrate the compassionate human being at the heart of a brain filled with numbers. Even today, it is very difficult to be homosexual in India, but the words of Devi are a comfort that people are truly understanding and the LGBTQ community will be given their right to be seen as equals. With her refined mathematical abilities, it is clear that Shakuntala Devi was fortunate that her talent was discovered and that she had a lifelong passion that she continued to pursue throughout her life. But, the portion of her legacy that should continue to inspire us the most is her commitment to mathematics. It illustrates a passion that many of us search for our entire lives and it encourages us to look for that in things that we might not like as much such as numbers. Devi proves that even when machines could have taken her job, resilience is all that she really needed. Even the processing powers of computers improved over time, Shakuntala Devi was continued to be admired for her mathematical ability and resolve. Her legacy should inspire us to find our own lifelong passions and exploit our own amazing talents.
viewed in an unfavorable light, the
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THANK YOU! Thanks so much for reading Her Culture's 22nd 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, Alexis Neuville, Katie Collins, Sareana Kimia, Cameron Oakes, 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, H.E.R.
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HER CULTURE MAGAZINE www.herculture.org @herculture New York, NY FEBRUARY/MARCH Issue No. 22
