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INSIDE SCOUT
GROUP PUBLISHER Bea J. Ledesma EDITOR IN CHIEF Cai Subijano MANAGING EDITOR Anika Ventura CREATIVE DIRECTOR Niña Muallam ART DIRECTOR Patrick L. Jamora EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Romeo Moran INTERN JV Gonzales
Culture Class
Girl Crush
Schooling you on the latest books, shows, music and more
o le o stalk crush-worthy person
Folio
Space Craft
Spotlight on a young artist’s work
Cool spaces and their curious details
Extracurriculars
The Munchies
Fun hobbies to check out
Edible ideas and recipes
Checklist
Awkward Question
A monthly list of things
Our advice on sticky situations
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Gabby Cantero, Tammy David, Jelito de Leon, Jay Mitra CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS Pergy Acuña, Kristine Caguiat, Archie Cayamanda, Claudine Delfin COPY EDITOR Naz Noor EDITORIAL CONSULTANT Ria Francisco-Prieto
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Culture Class Interview with Young Adult author, E. Lockhart and a cultural roundup of what to read and the latest in art, theater and music in Manila
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Folio
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Extracurriculars
Graphic artist Paulina Ortega on her inspirations, illustrations and more
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p
o d i
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Checklist
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Girl Crush
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Space Craft
e opening o
nil s
s
on e e s
Before making a permanent mistake, hear us out on the 10 Worst First Tattoos
Introducing teacher/artist/occasional DJ Jel Suarez
10 A Alabama—a venue for art fairs and resurrected furniture
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The Munchies
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Awkward Question
A spin on Girl and Boy Scout cookies by The Dough Dealer’s Mano Lotho
Question of the month: Can I date my friend’s ex?
ep
BOARD CHAIRPERSON Alexandra Prieto-Romualdez FINANCE ADVISOR AND TREASURER J. Ferdinand De Luzuriaga LEGAL ADVISOR Atty. Rudyard Arbolado HR STRATEGY HEAD Raymund Soberano VP AND CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER Imelda Alcantara SVP AND GROUP SALES HEAD, INQUIRER GROUP OF COMPANIES Felipe R. Olarte SALES DIRECTOR Ma. Katrina Mae Garcia-Dalusong EXTERNAL RELATIONS OFFICER Sophie Villanueva KEY ACCOUNTS SPECIALIST Angelita Tan-Ibañez SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Ram Daniel Tan Nanette Bonifacio ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Abby Ginaga Andie Zuñiga Sarah Cabalatungan SALES SUPPORT ASSISTANTS Rechelle Endozo Mara Karen Aliasas PRODUCTION MANAGER Noel Cabie PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Maricel Gavino FINAL ART SUPERVISOR Dennis Cruz FA ARTIST Archie Cayamanda JR Larosa
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INSIDE SCOUT
18
Thinking Cap
Style Scout
Societal issues explored by way of pop culture
A guide to your sartorial predicaments
Throwback
Squeaky Clean
A personal take on a nostalgic matter
Grooming 101 for guys and gals
Cover story
Get Handsy
Who you need to know, now
D.I.Y. projects
Fashion Editorial
Cut and Paste
Style inspiration
Our theme of the month, expressed in a mood board
Thinking Cap Slutty and Sluttier
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Style Scout
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Squeaky Clean
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Get Handsy
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Cut and Paste
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Slut Shaming—what it is, why it’s wrong
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Thinking Cap On Selfie�Love and Loathing
Basic tips to beat troubled skin
Examining our love/hate views on gratuitous self-promotion
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Throwback
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Cover story
31
Fashion Editorial
Revisiting one girl’s initiation to the male gaze
Internationally acclaimed but locally low-key, we share how bedroom beatmaker Eyedress made it in London
How to make a smartphone sleeve out of scrap leather
The books, babes, and Bazooka bubblegum of yesteryear
Sometimes dreadful, always memorable— e eli e e s d o s ool in s le
we’re online! i l
e si e www.scoutmag.ph
@scoutmagph www.scoutmagph.tumblr.com
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www.facebook.com/scoutmagph
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Dear scouts, When I was in high school, I attended a talk by writer and magazine editor Kristine Fonacier and she said that every time she got something published, she would “sweat bullets.” I’ve been writing professionally o ep s e e s nd ne e ne s e me n n il no . e ll e ones n e m ing o is s iss e o Scout, a lot of the time, we all felt pretty unsure of what we were doing. We didn’t know if we were getting the look right or if the words we chose sounded okay. (No, really, do they sound okay?) pe son s s ime e pe ien es e s pposed o e e semin l momen s de ne o e e l e on in li e don’t think it’s as simple as that. How much you care about your s e pe ien e o some ing ill s lo o o o e. n is iss e e e plo e e e ing om e ig s o o s d o s ool ion les o s oos o ini i l e ions o e on sing onset of puberty and sexuality. We’re also proud to have a creative cast of characters share impo n ee ss i s on ese p ges. d is i . . . ed ess ppe s on e s o e o Scout as the most blogged-about ilipino m si i n o ll ime nd e s one o n e o d de l with UK record label, Abeano. The cover was shot in London, where he was touring and doing press, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to share with you how it all unfolded. We also showcase the folio of Singapore-based graphic artist Paulina Ortega, who also designed Scout s logo. nd es i is e s m g ine logo. e lso n in o collage artist Jel Suarez and asked her to share her favorite things with s. el s o ed e o o e s ime is e in e where all her collages ended up selling out. Not bad, eh? e s ime o some ing o o e ne e going o be entirely sure if you’re doing it properly. So unless you’re a natural (and very few of us are), you’re going to fumble, furrow your brow, and you might have to live with a few regrets. And that’s cool because being a scout is about being brave enough to forge ahead in search of new experiences, new knowledge, new perspectives.
ED's note With that, forward march!
Cai
and the Scout team P. S.
We’d love to know what your think of the issue! Send your rants, raves or curious queries to scoutmag@hip.ph.
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WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU DID SOMETHING FOR THE FIRST TIME? Yan Yuzon
Jaton Zulueta
Writer
Writer
Jaton is learning how to write. He works in a shampoo company and ns non p o o ids lled A-ha! Learning Center. He also n elie e o ool d is i (a.k.a. Eyedress) was.
@jatooon
@yanyuzon @yanyuzon
“I DID AN OPEN MIC STAND-UP COMEDY GIG ONCE. IT WAS HORRIBLE, BUT REALLY FUN. THERE WAS DEAD AIR FOR MAYBE THREE VERY LONG MINUTES.”
“I RODE ON THE OUTRIGGER OF A FISHING BOAT IN PALAWAN LAST GOOD FRIDAY, SWAM IN 157-FOOT-DEEP WATER, DODGED A SEA SNAKE, AND ACTUALLY WENT FISHING AND CAUGHT TWO BARRACUDAS AND A GALUNGGONG .”
Vinny Tagle
Coco Quizon Writer
Writer
en inn isn pe ing ll m s o lim ing mo n ins in ng e s o e o ld o mig nd im in is room doing a number of things: listening to old records, having books fall on his e d om is o e o ing s el es o playing mysterious music on his keyboard.
@vincenzotagle
@cocoquizon
@vincenzotagle
@cocoquizon
“LAST DECEMBER, I VISITED SOUTH AMERICA FOR THE FIRST TIME AND SAW MACHU PICCHU!”
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n is i e m si i n lmm e and actor. He is simultaneously an overthinker and an underthinker. He is en l i ing is s e e length screenplay.
Coco is a recent Melbourne transplant who is a part-time writer, illustrator, holly hobby DJ, impulse shopper and a full-time homie, lover, friend. You n nd e i ed o se in hand at Today x Future or on Twitter abusing the 140 character limit.
“AS A LONG-TIME FEARER OF PHONE CALLS, I CALLED KFC TO ORDER DELIVERY FOR THE FIRST TIME THE OTHER WEEK. I HAVEN’T ORDERED BY PHONE IN ABOUT EIGHT YEARS.”
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Tara Lim
Sam Potenciano
Tara is an audio engineer who works on commercials all day everyday, every damn day. At night, she eats beef cubes and drinks cheap beer. She also likes Britney and hates Beyoncé.
Sam is a former fashion editor at Candy magazine, currently working as a freelance stylist to supplement her insatiable addiction to matcha.
Writer
Stylist
@tallertara
@sampotenciano
@tallertara
“NOVEMBER 2013: WHEN I ATE A KFC ZINGER FOR THE FIRST TIME. IT WAS OKAY.”
“TWO WEEKS AGO I GOT A PUPPY FOR THE FIRST TIME, WHICH IS A HUGE DEAL. YOU KNOW IT’S LOVE WHEN YOU’RE WILLING TO TAKE ITS POOP OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.”
Julius Valledor
Ralph Mendoza
Julius is a photographer, director and musician. While more commonly known as the singer and guitarist for his band, Bee Eyes, he also owns the most comprehensive olle ion o s l l effe s.
Ralph is a portrait and fashion photographer based in Manila. He believes in bros and puppies who are bros.
Photographer
Photographer
@beeeyes
@ralphmendo
@beeeyes
“GOING ON TOUR THIS YEAR HITTING VENUES ACROSS LONDON, PARIS, AMSTERDAM, LIVERPOOL AND GLASGOW WITH EYEDRESS, WHO I PHOTOGRAPHED FOR THIS ISSUE.”
“I TOPPED MY HOTDOG SANDWICH WITH KIMCHI FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS MORNING AND REALIZED I SHOULD TOP MORE THINGS WITH KIMCHI.”
CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS The thing with new perspectives is, we need yours. We’d love to know what you want to see in Scout or if you want to contribute anything to our pages—articles, photos, even videos! This issue is all about “Firsts,” but the next one is about “Film.” Like, really, ny hing ou fi . So ee in ou h ye h i us s ou g hi . h.
SUBSCRIBE TO SCOUT
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Like what you read? Why, thank you. You can now get 12 issues of our free magazine at your doorstep for a delivery fee of P250. That’s as much as you’d spend for a late-night pizza. Subscriptions are available only in Manila. Call (+632) 403 8825 or email subscription@hip.ph to know more.
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A Cautious Navigation Scoutsive! of Young Adulthood
E.
Pensive discussions with a Young Adult author
Lockhart has refreshed the young adult fiction scene since she released her first novel, The Boyfriend List back in 2005. Her crackling wit and irreverence made her stories stand out from the ever deepening pool of YA novels that have proliferated bookshelves since the resurgence of YA fiction. In 2008, E. Lockhart released The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, a firecracker of a book that showcased Lockhart’s style and dark sense of humor. The book’s protagonist has been cemented as a new wave feminist icon for the younger generation. At once beautiful and whip-smart, Frankie is at the crux of it all, deeply relatable. She may have a knockout figure, but like many, she’s navigating through life while bearing the weight of other people’s assumptions of her—something that Lockhart herself can relate to. “If you write for kids, you will not get respect from universities, and you will not get it at literary-type cocktail parties, either. For a long time, I wanted that kind of validation more than anything else, even after I began publishing my stories,” she admitted in an article she penned for the Los Angeles Times. Lockhart’s new novel, We Were Liars, promises to thrill and delight even the most jaded. Scout recently caught up with the author to find
INTERVIEW BY TARA LIM COLLAGE BY PATRICK L. JAMORA
out how she feels about writing for young adults, this “post-feminist” world we live in, and how to deal with cranky people. Scout: In The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, the main character is a pretty awesome prankster. Are any of her pranks based on some real-life experiences? . o h r I researched the history of college pranks and read how-to books and read a lot of urban exploration blogs. Frankie’s pranks derive from those sources. I am not a prankster at all! Too timid. Scout: Frankie has to navigate people’s assumptions of her all throughout the book. Did you ever feel underestimated when you were growing up? How do you think young readers should cope with the feeling of being constantly sized up? . o h r People constantly underestimated me and sometimes they still do. I underestimated myself, some of the time. You can’t control people’s reactions to you. But you can control how you view yourself and the things of which you believe yourself capable.
Scout: You’ve written nine young adult novels. Was writing for the YA category a conscious decision? How do you feel when people often dismiss the genre as “for kids” or assume it’s romantic fluff, like Twilight? . o h r Young adult is an age category, not a genre. There are many genres of fiction within that age category: mysteries, literary fiction, paranormal, thrillers, romances, comedies and so on. Judging YA fiction by Twilight is like judging adult fiction by The Notebook. Underinformed. I’d call We Were Liars a romantic literary thriller. Kind of. Scout: YA readers are usually at an age where they’re still impressionable, yet young people like to pretend they know everything. (Didn’t we all?) What are the important life lessons that you try to impart in your books? . o h r Fiction is not a vehicle for life lessons. It is a vehicle for exploration of things that are impossible to summarize in another form—complex and sometimes contradictory elements of human emotional life.
E Lockhart photo courtesy of www.heatherweston.com
Exclu
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Scout: Are there any books that particularly influenced your writing? And do you have certain books that you go back to every now and then? . o h r Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh influenced We Were Liars and The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. I re-read P.G. Wodehouse for comfort and Patricia Highsmith for terror. Scout: Any books you think YA readers should get on now? . o h r Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith. My favorite YA so far this year. White Cat by Holly Black, one of my favorite YA novels ever. Scout: Your new book We Were Liars works best when the reader goes in blindly with no idea about the book at all. Did you start writing the book with that in mind? . o h r That was a marketing campaign designed by my publisher after We Were Liars was completed. But I adore it. Don’t tell! Scout: Did you find it a challenge to keep everything under wraps given that leakage and spoilers are high currency these days? . o h r So far, people have been amazing about keeping the secrets of the novel. They just pass it on to their friends and say, “Read this. Trust me.” My publisher studied similar campaigns for the novel Little Bee and the movie The Crying Game. Scout: Speaking of leaks, do you feel that authors today have it extra hard because of piracy? You can Google practically everything nowadays. . o h r If you wouldn’t steal the book from a book shop, don’t steal it on the Internet. But piracy is more an economic problem than a spoilers problem, from my personal perspective. Scout: Jonathan Franzen is a staunch hater of e-books and has said that the instant gratification of reading your books on electronic devices is damaging to our society. Any thoughts on this? . o h r Oh, Jonathan Franzen. You seem cranky about a lot of things. Can I buy you a cupcake?
SANTOS FAMILY SHOW
DITO: BAHAY AY SINING
Feast your eyes on the endless visual delights of the Santoses (Soler, Mona, Luis, Carina and Isabel) as they mount their first family exhibit entitled “Gathered Narratives.” The must-see show ends this July 5, so drop everything and head on out to Silverlens ASAP to catch it. www.silverlensgalleries.com
KAI HONASAN
Relaxation pro tip: spend a lazy afternoon with a cup of hot chocolate and Kai Honasan’s album for a guaranteed refreshing experience. The singer-songwriter’s album “In Your Face and Other Songs About Other Faces” (which came out last March with help from veterans, Buddy Zabala, Sancho Sanchez and Shinji Tanaka) is filled with eight original, ukulele-driven ditties that will whisk you away from the city. www.facebook.com/kaihonasanmusic
DEAR KILLER
VENUS IN FUR
The Necessary Theatre’s staging of David Ives’ Venus in Fur is coming. Expect to feel the tugs of the darkly funny and erotic power play between Thomas Novachek, a director, and Vanda Jordan, an aspiring actress, as Novachek casts for a play based on Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s novel, Venus in Furs . She reads to audition and the lines between the “play” and “reality” become blurred. Set in modern New York City, the production will run from July 25 to 27 at the Tanghalang Joseng Batute at the CCP. Directed by Bart Guingona. www.facebook.com/TheNecessaryTheatre
DANI GIRL
Snap up Katherine Ewell’s Dear Killer if you want something juicy to bite into. This gritty thriller is about Kit, a seemingly average high school student who moonlights as a serial killer with no remorse. Her cautiously calculated life unravels when she starts befriending a targeted victim. Available at National Bookstore.
PP A S ’ T I WHERE
Try something new and head on over to DITO: Bahay ay Sining. In this little-known café/art gallery in Marikina, you can grab a cup of coffee, play some board games, look at some art or check out their in-house theater. Drop by randomly and you might get a pleasant surprise. If you’re not that spontaneous, check out their Facebook page for their schedule: www.facebook.com/ DitoBahayNgSining.
Catch the maiden production of The Sandbox Collective— an Off-Broadway musical about nine-year-old Dani Lyon’s battle with leukemia. After undergoing chemotherapy, Dani embarks on an imaginary adventure with her teddy bear, guardian angel and geeky roommate to win back her beloved hair and answer the question, “Why is cancer?” The play runs from July 11 to 27. www.thesandboxcollective.com
Delightfully Foul-mouthed Where The F*** Should I Go to Eat (WTFSIGTE) aims to end all debates on where to get some grub. The app churns out suggestions based on your location, but humorously weaves in some choice colorful words. It’s free as a web app, but an iOS version is available for $1.99.
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Blank expression? Inspired by fashion blog images, Paulina painted this person sans a face and limbs to symbolize how personalities are deduced “solely on
Smoky art inspired by
Tommy Ton's
what [people wear] and how they present themselves.“
photography
A Career of Curiosity Watercolor illustration inspired by
The Sartorialist
Paulina's album packaging for Philippine rock band, Peryodiko, was a final nominee for Best Album
Packaging in the NU Rock Awards (2009).
Peeking into art that keeps alive the creative adult Paulina Ortega: Graphic Designer, Illustrator Grew Up In: The Philippines. Currently: An Art Director at Tremendousness, a boutique creative shop in Singapore. Age: 24. On designing Scout’s logo: “It was my first magazine logo to design. I’ve done logos for bakeries, restaurants, a private equity fund, a rock band—all around really!” Design Inspiration: “Alan Fletcher’s book The Art of Looking Sideways opened up this exciting world to me. It talked about purple cows, how one plus one could be three, and the power of manipulating space. It presented everyday things with a sense of wonder and curiosity, and I thought, if I could hone such a skill, sharpen my eye and make a living out of it, that would be the dream.” Signature Style: “For my personal pieces, I have a very feminine tone. I love fanciful and wild motifs, but presented in a more minimalist way. I like to keep things simple.” o nd “Ursula Le Guin said, ‘The creative adult is the child who has survived.’ Always keep alive the part of you that is curious, a little reckless and full of wonder.” —AGV
Hand-drawn
invitations for an Alice in Wonderland and Great-Gatsby-themed wedding
Flyers as part of a branding project for
New York-based bakery, Sur www.scoutmag.ph | Scout July 2014 | 10
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ROLLING WITH THE HOMIES With a new park, skating is now in session PHOTOS BY JAY MITRA
I
f you’ve ever wanted to pick up a board, Manila’s first concrete skate park is now open. Designed by Flux Design Labs and ASEA Design Group, the Mountain Dew Skate Park is built for beginner, intermediate and expert skaters. Its features include a skate bowl, fun box and an eight-foot high quart for drop-ins. The park’s operator, We Legendary, offers skate tutorials every Saturday, 9 to 10 p.m. where seasoned skaters can teach basic skills from pushing and stopping, to doing the basis of all tricks— the ollie. The park is open every day of the week; peak hours are from 3 to 7 p.m. Entrance fees range from P50 to P100 for three hours. For updates on skate tutorial rates and other park regulations, visit welegendary.com/ mtndewskatepark. —AGV The Mountain Dew Skate Park. Circuit Makati, Brgy. Carmona, Makati City. Circuit is at the tip of Ayala Ave. through South Ave., with entrances from A.P. Reyes and Hippodromo Street.
How do you drop-in on an eight-foot high quart? We Legendary skater Akuma Franco shows us how it's done.
The Mountain Dew Skate park offers 1,000 square meters to flip, kick and coast.
GE
T
G TIN
G
R NA
LY If you’re a noob, here’s the skating Gear You’ll Need: • Helmet (mandatory); around P3,000 • Skateboard • Elbow and knee pads (optional); around P3,000 for all pads
Parts of a Skateboard: • Deck: the board itself • Trucks: metal axles under the board that hold the wheels • Bearings: a wheel’s rotating mechanism that allows the wheels to spin on the axles • Grip Tape: similar to sandpaper, this is stuck on your board to provide grip
For a brand new skateboard, the entire set-up will cost around P7,000. Note that the Mountain Dew Skate Park is designed and exclusive for the use of skateboards. Longboards, although consisting of the same parts of a skateboard, are built for cruising and racing at higher speeds.
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10 Worst First Tattoos POINTS TO CONSIDER BEFORE GETTING INKED BY COCO QUIZON ILLUSTRATION BY PERGY ACUÑA
1. Chinese symbols
Con: You can never really be sure what they mean. Pro: Not only is it a good throwback to ‘90s stock tattoos, you can always tattoo the symbol of your favorite Chinese dish and have it with you at all times.
2. Barcodes
Con: You will live the rest of your life like a grocery store item, unless you opt for removal. Pro: If it’s your favorite item at a particular grocery store, you will never have to worry about price check.
3. A loved one’s face
Con: If the tattoo artist messes it up, you’ll have a tattoo of a stranger. Pro: You will always have someone smiling at you fondly from your arm, whether in color or in black and white.
4. Religious symbols from religions you’re not that familiar with
Con: If your tattoo is easily visible, you risk offending some people. Pro: It might make it easier for you to join that particular religion at some point.
5. Ssssh! on your index finger
Con: You won’t really be able to get anyone to be quiet. Pro: You will be one step closer to accurately dressing up as Rihanna or Lindsay Lohan at a costume party.
6. “Only God Can Judge Me”
Con: You run the risk of others playing God and judging you anyway. Pro: There’s a daily motivational right on your body.
7. Personal beliefs or preferences like “Vegetarian” or “Straight Edge”
Con: A plate of bacon or seeing people roll their eyes at you can make this an easily regrettable decision. Pro: If you’re really into it, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a little pride.
8. Teardrop tattoos
Con: Depending on how many you get, and on which side, you may end up looking like an emoji. Pro: In places with gangs, no one will cross you because they think you’ve killed someone. Or if it’s really your thing, you may look like an emoji.
9. Actual emoji
Con: You may not enjoy the irony when emojis become obsolete. Pro: You may enjoy the irony when emojis become obsolete.
10. The name of the person you love right now in a questionable font
Con: You can fall out of love with a person, even if you love yourself so much you tattooed your own name. Pro: When you meet another person with the same name you can tell them it’s fate and that you’re made for each other.
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w ee ke nd
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At Vinyl on Vinyl gallery’s two-show night. Excited for my first collab exhibit here this August!
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JE OLL L AG SU E C A UT RE IE: Z
Ic h a fr n rea o d ma m o ma te ga ld t d a ad zine extb e c lo ver s a oo o t tis nd ks, l a of em v vin g en int ta es t a g
at e earrinntg!s it r o v a f y Wearingimma’s PaperClub eve He “
I
’m always a bit awkward when people refer to me as an ‘artist,’” says 23-yearold Jel Suarez, whose childhood favorite artist is Eric Carle. “Collaging was something I did to play outside of the stress of work and night school. After I started posting them on Instagram and Facebook, I got invited to this year’s Art in the Park.” She ended up selling all 12 of her collage art pieces. During the day, she’s a preschool teacher who’s finishing up an MA in Special Education at De La Salle University, a fact that makes her even more adorable when you meet her in person. “My job’s quite a bonus because every day is arts and crafts time with the kids,” she adds. She’s currently working on a double-bill show with Chalk Zaldivar for a show in Vinyl on Vinyl in August, technically her first formal art show. In the meantime, check out her other work at jelsuarez.tumblr.com or on Instagram @jelsuarez. —CVS
Usual weekend hang-out spot:
Today x Future!
An afternoon at my favorite ukay-ukay place along Emilio Aguinaldo Highway in Tagaytay! I scored some leather bags and long skirts.
lari ’ shis l a M y of Jo Fair. T
close-up his year’s Arst, a current a g Takin tion at t ed Doll Eyeavorite. Illumisintaalso cre’as tstorybook f art o children Filipin
At Booksale, there’s no such thing as low-EQ buying, a thing I learned from Shinji Manlangit a.k.a. Booksale King.
CURRENT READS! Boyfriend purchases: Sad
Comics for Dirty Lovers by Rob Cham, Lost at Sea by Bryan
O’Malley, and
Art Work
by Ivan Vartanian.
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Additional photos by Anika Ventura
's 10 A Alabeama entranc
This House Has Gone Wonky An artist community comes alive in this Manila home PHOTOS BY JELITO DE LEON
N
eckties as curtains? Golf clubs as curtain holders? The imagination’s the limit at 10 A Alabama. Home to Resurrection Furniture and Found Objects Gallery, you can shop for everyday objects reborn into pieces like a drawer made from a CPU to a table transformed from an electric fan. The team behind it is architect Leah Sanchez, interior designer Binggoy de Ocampo, and collage artist Arlene Barbaza. 10 A Alabama is an actual house that functions as a showroom, workshop, and three times a year, the venue for an arts and crafts fair. The fair is Etsy come to life. Showcasing the work of independent artists, products range from embroidered artwork and quirky terrariums, to homemade Harry Potter wands. —AGV —
Piano pieces used as wallpaper
Wall piece by Mary Velmonte of the Takatak Project
Embroidery by Nikki Abelardo of Junk Studio
10 A Alabama. 10 A Alabama Street, Quezon City. alabama10a@gmail.com. www.facebook.com/10aAlabama.
s ker
Stic by Ella Lam a
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Notebook decorated witrdh math flashca
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Stackable boxes by Mary Velmonte of the Takatak Project
Drawers refurbished from an oven
Resurrection Furniture and Found Objects Gallery’s showroom
Utilizing a
fan grill as
doubles as a space for independent artists to sell their work during art fairs.
a
table top
A window repurposed as an art piece by Resurrection Furniture and artist Buccino De Ocampo www.scoutmag.ph | Scout July 2014 | 15
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SCOUT AS A COOKIE An edible intepretation of our scrappy magazine PHOTO BY TAMMY DAVID
Y
ou can’t talk about Girl Scouts without even mentioning Girl Scout Cookies, and it’s pretty unfair that Boy Scouts hawk a product that doesn’t even begin to compare— who’s ever heard of Boy Scout Popcorn? Locally, though, not too many are familiar with Thin Mints and Samoas, so we teamed up with The Dough Dealer’s Mano Lotho to create Girl Scout and Boy Scout Cookies, based on his best-selling products. Since Mano spent two years on his Chocolate Chunk Cookie recipe a.k.a. the perfect chocolate chip cookie—crisp on the outside, gooey and oozing with 72% Belgian dark chocolate and 53% Javan dark chocolate on the inside—we thought it would make the perfect Girl Scout Cookie. The surprise hit,
though, is his Boy Scout Butter Popcorn Cookie, where each batch contains three bags of microwaved butter popcorn (natural popcorn just doesn’t taste as buttery and um, microwave-y, he says) and two sticks of his Butter Popcorn Butter. Since his Boy Scout Butter Popcorn Cookie takes four hours to make, you’re probably better off ordering them from him, but if you want to know how he makes his Girl Scout Chocolate Chunk Cookie, head over to www.scoutmag.ph and check out The Munchies video we made with him. —CVS The Dough Dealer. (+63917) 895-4157. doughdeal@gmail.com.
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can i date my friend's ex? YOUr platonic dilemma, OUR HONEST EXAMINATION ILLUSTRATION BY CLAUDINE DELFIN
Bros before hos Chicks before dicks
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t’s the rule of friendship: Put your friends first. Exes are off-limits. But if you really can’t find that there’s plenty of other fish in the sea, ask yourself the following: Do you really like this person? Don’t do it for a fling. You’re not trying hard enough if your pick for a make out buddy is someone who used to make out with your buddy. Now if it’s more than a fling, don’t rush into it. Get to know one another. Your friend is that person’s ex for a reason. Find out whether their issues
A GUIDE TO POST-21 ST CENTURY MANNERS
will be an issue for you. Hang out. Maybe even see other people to know if you really want this. Still interested? Now the sh*t gets real. Are you willing to lose your friend? “Meh, we’ve never even spent our birthdays together”—you’re cleared. “I get invited to family gatherings”—youch. “I’m listed as their emergency contact”—you douchebag! If you’ve made your decision, something’s gotta give. Be prepared for a possible fallout. At this point, all there is to do is treat the situation with sensitivity. Give ample time before things get serious with their ex. What is ample? Six months? One year? Until your friend is over their relationship? Probably. You are their friend for a reason. Know their personality and make the judgment call. Make the news come from you. Sure, you’ll probably tell a few people at
Who used the toilet last? Will the real slob please come forward? For the men, we hate it when you leave the seat up, especially if you have bad aim and there are pee droplets everywhere. Or worse, leaving remnants of your pubes. Those don’t have legs, okay. They stay where you left them. Unfortunately, we then have to either wipe them off or go an uncomfortable distance to blow them away from the seat.
first, but have the decency to ensure your friend doesn’t find out through Facebook. There’s nothing worse than being the last to know. Once it’s out, give your friend some space. Allow them to be furious, frustrated, whatever. They have the right to be. Ah, but what if you share a barkada? You got the girl or boy, give him or her the comfort of your friends—but don’t shut yourself out for too long. They’re your friends, too. One girl we know dated two guys from the same barkada and at first there was heat about it, but then one time they had to attend their common friend’s despedida, and after the weekend, all was forgiven. At the end of the day, as with all rules, if you break this one, just make sure it’s worth it. P.S. Don’t lose sleep over an awkward question. Send them to scoutmag@hip.ph for an answer.
For the ladies, it’s annoying enough that you go to the bathroom in packs, must you talk about your period or the way your date is going for everyone in the other cubicles to hear? Pee pee time is quiet time. If it’s that time of the month, please learn how to dispose of your napkin without it peeking open. We can’t even… Just, no! People say personality is who you are when no one is watching. Let’s not abuse the privacy we are privileged with within the walls of our bathrooms.
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Slutty and Sluttier Studying the act and implications of slut-shaming BY VINNY TAGLE ILLUSTRATION BY KRISTINE CAGUIAT
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few months ago, I noticed my Facebook feed abuzz with many female students taking issue over some comments made anonymously on a Facebook group called “Ateneo de Manila Secret Files.” A series of posters implied that women who dressed “sluttily” on campus shouldn’t feel bad if they are treated rudely because their outfits practically invite catcalls and leers. For example, someone said: “Note to girls: Kung ayaw niyong mabastos, wag kayong magsuot ng pekpek shorts o spaghetti strap o kahit anong revealing sa campus. Tapos maiinis kayo kapag may nangmanyak sa inyo. Malamang? Humihingi yung outfit niyo, eh.”
guilty of doing it; sometimes women do it to other women too. But while slut-shaming is faced by many women, each experience varies based on her background. A woman’s race, class, sexual preference and religion are all factors that influence her level of sluttiness and how we react to it. For example, the way a high-earning personality like Miley Cyrus is labeled a “slut” for dressing provocatively and swinging naked on a wrecking ball is completely different from how a foreign man might shout “slut” at a lower-income Filipina walking alone at night, the latter insult taking on a more threatening and assaultive undertone.
(Come on, admit it. That bit of gossip stuck.) Like an enabler who has no qualms about slipping Lindsay Lohan a bump of coke, the media has been more than willing to give us access into the intimate spaces of famous women. And every time they do anything remotely scandalous, their entire lives become a fixture in our daily conversations, as if by virtue of being public figures, we automatically have the right to be privy to and be judgmental of their private lives as well. Unfortunately, these stories don’t just titillate—they also inform and feed into our social standards on how women should act and behave, especially with
IF A ‘SLUT’ IS DISRESPECTED IN ANY WAY, IT’S BECAUSE SHE DESERVED IT. IT’S LIKE BLAMING SOMEONE FOR CARRYING A BAG RATHER THAN THE SNATCHER WHO ACTUALLY STOLE IT—WE CONDEMN AND LAY BLAME ON THE VICTIM RATHER THAN THE PERPETRATOR OF THE WRONGDOING. Apparently, if girls don’t dress like nice, proper ladies, they should expect to be treated accordingly. What a lot of people don’t realize is that this type of attitude encourages slut-shaming. Whenever a girl is judged for wearing revealing clothes, flirting openly with men or sleeping with multiple partners, it’s an instance of slut-shaming. Sadly, this kind of thinking also reinforces the idea that if a “slut” is raped or disrespected in any way, it’s because she deserved it. To put it another way, it’s like blaming someone for carrying a bag rather than the snatcher who actually stole it—we condemn and lay blame on the victim rather than the perpetrator of the wrongdoing. And it isn’t only men who are
In order to broaden the way we look at slut-shaming, we need to understand how our other prejudices come into play whenever we condemn women. THE PEOPLE VERSUS DENIECE CORNEJO When the scandal surrounding Deniece Cornejo first broke out, I wasn’t surprised when the story became everyone’s favorite obsession. Didn’t we want the real baby daddy of Andi Eigenmann to please stand up? Because Albie Casiño wouldn’t. Didn’t we stay at home looking up the NSFW sex tapes of Katrina Halili and Hayden Kho a.k.a. The One Perv to Rule Them All? Who didn’t hear about that thing that happened between John Lloyd and Shaina
regard to their sexuality, and often for the worse. So when Cornejo shot to infamy overnight, I was disturbed at how her story quickly turned into a morality tale meant to police overt expressions of female sexuality: That is why women shouldn’t sleep around and let men into their apartments. That is why women shouldn’t come off as “easy.” She probably had it coming. This is in the same vein of how we treat women who come out as rape victims. When Kat Alano came out as another of Vhong Navarro’s alleged rape victims, some commenters online called her an attention-seeker or someone who was paid to taint Navarro’s oh-so-pristine image. But what bothered me more about the Cornejo and Navarro scandal was
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the way the media framed her story. One recurring fixation was on her economic and family background. Many reports mentioned how she is the poor daughter of a seaman working abroad. Others focused on how she acquired her apartment and questioned whether or not it was given to her, and by whom. Further, the media endlessly speculated on her exact relationship with the various men that played a part in the whole scandal, from the enigmatic Greg Binunus, the Malaysian businessman who owned the condo unit, to the equally infamous Cedric Lee. And because Navarro was an actor attached to ABS-CBN, it was no surprise that it was his home network that did a lot of this reporting. “Deniece’s demeanor doesn’t suggest she was raped,” read one particularly biased headline. All the reports seem to dance around a sensitive question without explicitly asking it: Was she underprivileged, and thus a literal whore? For a woman from a humble background now connected to several powerful and rich men, and currently involved in a sexual assault case—it is all too easy for us to jump to the conclusion that she is a social climber at best and a prostitute or an escort at worst. Never mind that she vehemently denies those rumors or that there is no incriminating evidence to suggest that; the “facts” just seem so compelling, right?
THE MANY LOVES OF KRIS AQUINO Looking at the Cornejo case, we see that sexism can be linked to class prejudices. In effect, the media finds pieces about her past to fit into the public’s preconceived stereotypes. They provide a narrative that we can anchor our judgments upon: Maybe she was a prostitute, that’s why this whole thing happened. Let’s compare that to how another woman is often victimized for her sexual decisions: Kris Aquino. As someone who comes from a politically prestigious and wealthy family, the nature of slut-shaming towards her is markedly different. For most of the men who were romantically attached to her, it’s perceived that in terms of social status, she is “above” them on all accounts. Yes, even while she goes on national television announcing that Joey Marquez gifted her with an STD. Because of that, we condemn Kris not for selling her body in literal terms, but for allowing herself to be used for more than her body in exchange for filling her sexual appetites. The class difference between James Yap and Kris Aquino must mean that he used her for her money. Kris Aquino’s proximity to power must mean that Herbert Bautista wanted to use her political connections in preparation for 2016. And each time she finds herself in a messy fallout from a failed relationship, the blame is assigned to her: She should not have slept around and let herself be used. She
should not be tainting her family’s reputation by sleeping with different men. In this instance, even when the woman is already more powerful to begin with, her stature is used against her. She is portrayed as naïve and feckless. WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SLUT-FACED HOBAG? Knowing how we slut-shame is important for us to know how to stop it. What’s interesting about these two cases is that there are different manners in the slut-shaming of Deniece Cornejo and Kris Aquino based on their class standings. Being consciously aware of what’s going on and how to check ourselves is important to stop this sexist act from continuing. After all, slut-shaming and victim-blaming comprise the culture that stops women from coming out as victims of abuse. It is the ideology that entrenches women into positions of subordination. And ultimately, it is one of the forces that inhibit women from taking full control of their sexual identities and their bodies. So the next time we think of calling out women who step beyond the lines that we artificially drew around them, we must take a step back and examine what it is about their behavior upsets us so, and whether there really is something to take issue with. It’s the least that we all could do.
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D T O #O
On Selfie-love and Loathing or why it's not cool to make fun of other people's selfies BY YAN YUZON COLLAGE BY NIÑA MUALLAM “
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e takes too many selfies…” That was a friend’s actual response when asked why she seemed unimpressed by our common friend’s new boyfriend. “Too many selfies for a guy,” she adds, so I humor her and ask, “Do I take too many selfies for a guy?” She says, “You take a selfie for every eight posts; you’re okay.” Okay for her, but standards differ; out there someone’s probably unfollowing me—or instead might be scrolling down to one of my 1:8 selfies, and in an almostsneering Shakespearean aside go, “He takes too many selfies. For a guy.” When those gadget-makers added a user-facing camera to the smartphone, they never sat in a council to discuss the many social repercussions of what they’ve inadvertently given advent to: The Selfie Age. And maybe they should have, those irresponsible inventors, before they wreaked more havoc on an already troubled planet. I say this as sarcastically as possible because I honestly don’t understand why selfies, selfie-quality, selfie-frequency, and what they reveal
about one’s vileness or virtue are even worth all the freaking drama. All this judgment, disdain, resentment—the earthshattering weight placed on the whole “to unfollow or not” question—is surely, not the sort of stuff we should be wasting time, energy and taas-kilay on, right? Except, guess what? We do. I went ahead and stalked this new boyfriend’s Instagram—and true enough, he was taking too many damned selfies for a person of any gender. Now I’m keen on proactively taking a “walang basagan ng trip” stance when it comes to harmless human activity, but upon seeing this dude’s feed, I had to crank the tolerance ante up a notch because hell yeah, for a good 17 seconds, I judged. And if I posted the guy’s username, you’d probably judge too. His selfie to non-selfie ratio was possibly 1:1.25, and I am already being kind. SELFIE-TOLERANCE Now I’ve gotten myself into this predicament of having to mull over the social implications of the nationwide selfie
blitzkrieg—Makati being the epicenter of this madness, said a link many shared— on a matter of principle: People should be allowed to celebrate how they look with whatever means and in whatever form, even if such a celebration manifests itself in a self-taken smartphone photograph, uploaded. Go ahead and post away, you have license to. You want to use a pound-shedding, look-enhancing app (i.e. Skinneepix)? Go for it. You want to go asis-where-is with a deliberate #uglysefie? Step right up. Damn them all to hell, those who would call you vain, conceited, self-centered—ugly, even. So what if you’re #GGSS (gandang-ganda sa sarili)? In a free country, shouldn’t a selfie be received with tolerance? And yet some selfies seem easier to tolerate than others. The Travel Selfie (“Look at me, I’m in a faraway place!”), the Hardcore Travel Selfie (“Look at me, I’m eating bugs/ jumping off a cliff/getting kidnapped by bandits in a faraway place!”), and the Achievement Selfie (“Look at me officially unemployed!”) are more “justified” and
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! O L O Y
better received than the Workout Selfie (“Look at me, I’ve got obliques, whatever these are!”), the #OOTD Selfie (“Look at me, dressed in free stuff while millions starve!”) and the worst kind, the Nothing Selfie (“Look at me! PERIOD.”) There are good selfies and bad, and you, (yes, you), have your own selfie grading system, admit it. Ever wonder where this selfie-guilt you project on to others actually comes from? SELFIE GUILT I take selfies, like any normal person nowadays. Much like masturbation—which is normal human sexual behavior (and if you think about it, masturbation is on some level a “selfie”)—the activity of taking selfies stays within normalcy so long as it stays within a socially acceptable range of frequency and purpose. Woody Allen often gets credit for the quote that goes, “Don’t knock masturbation; it’s sex with someone you love.” Now how different would a selfie be from the occasional wank—shouldn’t a selfie, in essence, be considered a picture of someone you love anyway? Wait, could the distinction be because (aha!) selfies occur in and are experienced in public—on feeds, tweets and walls, while masturbation occurs (ideally) behind closed doors? Propriety aside—and I’m not about to advocate public masturbation—such a distinction begs us to examine why an act of self-love, or self-appreciation,
because it is posted, shared and dare I say celebrated in public, must be received with all this negativity. Let’s go there: Why can’t people post a photo of their own correctly-angled smiling face, or the abs they worked so hard on cultivating, or their new haircut/tattoo/piercing/zit online without being called a narcissist? (Narcissus, by the way, drowned in a pond he fell into while staring endlessly at his own image—he never called out to any of his buddies to say, “Hey guys, check out my killer looks…” His killer looks killed him and him alone.) PEOPLE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO CELEBRATE HOW THEY LOOK, EVEN IF SUCH A CELEBRATION MANIFESTS AS A SELF-TAKEN PHOTOGRAPH.
For me, it comes from basic latent insecurities that readily occur in our values and culture—the hogwash of false modesty and the belief that an individual is or should be subservient to the greater good of the bigger social institutions. You are a cog in a machine. Cogs must not take selfies. Selfish pursuits are demonized as, well, selfish. Indulgent. Vain. Conceited. Less desirable than thoughts, deeds and actions that service the greater good of many. However, most of us are too damn westernized and no longer live to service the tribe. We live in another age: The #YOLO age. That’s “You Only Live Once,”
for those of you who’ve been living under a rock, and it has become a creed, a call, a hashtag. Have you seen a #WOLO hashtag? No, you haven’t because you only live once—not we only live once. And as finite beings who live but once, shouldn’t there be equal opportunity for indulgence in, say, a pottery class, a two-hour massage, new boots you’ll never wear in our tropical heat, a phones-off, don’t-bother-me holiday, masturbation—or, dare I say it, a selfie? #SELFIESOWHAT I love that freaking hashtag. It is simultaneously apologetic and defiant. It taunts the viewer to judge, and yet declares, “You have no right to judge.” It is culturally aware of the crab mentality that pervades the postage of peoples’ photographs, and then decides to utterly disregard. Do you need it to justify your selfie-shness? Use the hashtag. Or don’t. But post your selfie, do so if it emancipates you, empowers you, makes you feel beautiful, or really, wala lang. Post your selfie if it liberates your soul, post it if it does not. Post it because you want to. This country should be as free as its cyberspace, and vice versa. And to those against: Unfollow. Now. My friends’ selfies have turned into couplies (as in, couple selfies), in case you were wondering. I am happy for them both. I do not check their ratio.
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Britney Spears and My Initiation to the Male Gaze In the world of pop culture, puberty isn’t always pretty BY COCO QUIZON
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he first time I ever had to see my body portioned into different, analyze-able parts was when I was nine. I was sitting at home watching MTV’s Most Wanted, and someone wrote in and requested Britney Spears’ ...Baby One More Time. I hadn’t seen anything like it before. My eyes and ears didn’t know what hit them. Each frame conditioned my eyes to seeing her body in parts—her boobs, her abs, her legs—and then having opinions on them individually. I became so engrossed in the video. My only opinion on each body part was “Wow, she has them and now I want them too,” changing my ways as a tomboy almost instantly. I was blissfully unaware that I was learning, quite conventionally, how to look at women the way men do. In other words, through the perspective of the male gaze. Apart from Britney’s major debut, another pivotal moment in my experience of the male gaze was first hearing O-Town’s Liquid Dreams. The eventual failures born from the beginnings of reality television (Making the Band, if you were born after 1995—ed.) sang of their dream girl as a collage of body parts from different beautiful women of the time: I dream about a girl who’s a mix of Destiny’s Child Just a little touch of Madonna’s wild style With Janet Jackson’s smile, throw in a body like Jennifer’s You’ve got the star of my liquid dreams
I guess you could say that people had been doing this sort of thing long before O-Town did, but I never heard it in a more graphic way than I did then. It was around the time I was hitting puberty. I was growing boobs and not really feeling too good about myself. It didn’t help when I learned what “liquid dreams” meant shortly after. It took the mental imagery to a whole different level with implications I couldn’t yet understand completely. It also reinforced the idea that the female body was not greater than the sum of its parts. If guys thought certain parts of your body were better looking than others, that’s where you would get your perceived value. A woman was not what she did with her body, but what her boobs or her thigh gap did for her. Consequently, this led me to subject myself to a similar standard that still sticks to this day. After I completed puberty, I ditched my Lizzie McGuire tendencies and went to high school. I was starting to settle into my own identity around this time. I knew I liked random things and I knew it was okay to like the things I liked, but I still wanted to get people’s attention—boys and girls. I did stereotypical things to try and be the subject of the Atenean or La Sallian male gaze: I plucked my eyebrows, shaved my legs, wore shorter skirts and ate a lot less food when I started bulging in
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the belly, all in an effort to get some guy at a soirée to like me. When I moved away to Australia for college, I started watching more live bands, went to more art exhibits, drank more obscure alcohol, and watched more films that probably had more “artful nudity” than what was required. These became the things I really liked to do. Readjusting my focus on the gaze, I posted skinny girls with bangs and top buns dressed in expensive basics and boys’ sneakers on my Tumblr almost daily. Put most pretentiously, I was finding the way I wanted to look, so I could be the object of desire for the niche crowd that I wanted to attract. I wanted the “discerning male gaze” and looking back, very little sounds more ridiculous. In between that time and as I write now, I have seen more boobs, butts and other jiggly female bits than my brain could probably store. I’ve put myself in situations where I could’ve even ended up enjoying a lot of this imagery. For a time, I worked in streetwear and screen printing an image of a girl with nothing but socks and a snapback on was common practice. A lot of people I know work in fashion and publishing, where the male gaze is standard procedure, despite the content being directed at both sexes. Sex sells, and it’s hard to find content that doesn’t
have parts of a woman in focus. To borrow a phrase from the fur trade, when the selling of sexual imagery stops, the objectification can, too. But I don’t think that’s happening any time soon. This year, I watched Beyoncé and Rihanna walk around in fishnets and denim shorts that went up to their buttcracks, and I reveled in how good they looked, even when their legs were thicker than the socially accepted norm. Is it really okay for them to consent to the male
TO BORROW A PHRASE FROM THE FUR TRADE, WHEN THE SELLING OF SEXUAL IMAGERY STOPS, THE OBJECTIFICATION CAN, TOO. gaze? Does this really adjust the focus of the gaze and return control to the woman? I can argue that it does—that it shows men that you only get to see, in whatever level of glory, the body of the woman not as separate parts but as a single, highly capable being. But I can also argue that it doesn’t—that it reinforces gender stereotypes of women still abiding by patriarchal rules on altered terms. What about guys being subject to the female gaze? Does a woman’s lingering eye on certain body parts elicit the same feelings of discomfort? The same feeling of having to conform to the requirements of looking aesthetically pleasing? It seems likely that it does. In this year’s Under the Skin, Scarlett Johansson plays a hot, extraterrestrial creep. The movie, filmed documentary-style, features a scene where
Scarlett’s character picks up unassuming males from the streets of Ireland to sleep with her in a nondescript van. These prospects were regular people made to sign release forms after the shoot, but all of them shared a common experience. Despite Scarlett’s conventional attractiveness, they weren’t as accepting of her advances as we would’ve thought. They felt the same level of fear a woman would if the gender roles were swapped. They spoke of the fear of being raped and killed, the same fear of one’s body being wasted more typically felt by women. If the media flipped the male gaze on its head, would we see more warnings for males to steer clear of suspicious women? Would we see more products and fashion campaigns that zoomed in on male chests and crotches? Perhaps, but it will take some time and some more people to unfortunately fall victim to the ills of the gaze. Now, is the male gaze really that bad? There’s a lot of undeniable evidence that points to “yes,” even if women have been naked in media since people could first be painted on canvas. Were the women of the Renaissance conscious of their curves or lack thereof? Probably, and they were probably taught to hate other women who were more often seen as desirable under the male gaze of potential suitors, a social stress that rings true even now. Why should young girls be required to associate how many catcalls and “likes” on their selfies to measure their beauty or self-worth, especially when this puts excess pressure on them to meet unachievable standards? Do more catcalls and more “likes” really mean one girl is worth more than another? No, it doesn’t, and it shouldn’t.
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FROM Q
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You may have never heard of him, but the international music scene has. Find out why 24-year-old Eyedress is a big deal for Manila—and making its music known to the world.
BY JATON ZULUETA PHOTOS BY JULIUS VALLEDOR
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Filipino musician Idris Vicuna started recording as Eyedress when the bassist of his band Bee Eyes left for Spain, giving him time to focus on himself and the kind of music he wanted to make. He is seen here from his flat in London while on tour for his solo act.
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Hanging out in the living room of his London flat. When asked about his debut mixtape “Hearing Colors,'' Idris shares that he was listening to Girls, Dirty Beaches, Chromatics, Drake and Nosaj Thing when he made it.
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DAZED
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Passing through Warwick Park, London
TO
e were emailing 23-year-old music producer Idris Vicuña for a week when his letters started to feel more like postcards: Amsterdam was “mad futuristic,” Colette was where he almost met Drake, and Paris had the most amazing food. Vicuña was in the middle of his European tour, with his solo project Eyedress, and he couldn’t have been happier. “Touring has been pretty crazy but it has been fun. It’s a mix of wanting to have more time to sleep and more time to explore.” That this dream started in Vicuña’s cramped bedroom in Quezon City is nothing short of amazing. His father Gorio Vicuña was a filmmaker and animator who raised him in a creative household. “He’s always kept an open mind, as if possibilities and dreams were always tangible. The vibe was always creative growing up because he’s so damn talented. He taught me everything I know, from drawing to learning video editing software. He’s always been supportive. Bass, guitars, drums, he let me try it all. I’m very thankful for that.” Armed with a laptop given by his father, Vicuña made beats using the computer program Fruity Loops and uploaded them to the Internet for free. His erstwhile collaborator Julius Valledor, frontman of the dream pop group Bee Eyes, directed his music videos. Upon the prodding of local promoter Joff Cruz, he’d eventually collaborate with singer Skint Eastwood. “The energy was all about killing it because that kind of music sounded so new to me and everything was magical,” he said. In the last month, he’s met Earl Sweatshirt, hung out at King Krule’s house, chatted backstage with Tennis, and did a sold out show with the Rat King.
S HEf FIE L D.
“
In the last year, he got married, came out with two critically acclaimed releases, and has been living in London. He is arguably the most blogged-about Filipino musician of all time—with news outlets like The Guardian, Pitchfork, and i-D magazine raving about his tracks. NME has called his work “far from the cliché of a bedroom producer as it’s possible to imagine—it’s punk, weird and utterly compelling.” Dazed said that Eyedress was “set to do to Manila, what Arcade Fire did to Montreal and Pulp did to Sheffield.” SPIN called his track No Competition “an evil lumbering track of a tune.” Vicuña’s most recent triumph was the deluge of solid reviews that met the online release of his free mixtape “Hearing Colors.” His signature sound, hauntingly beautiful vocals coupled with lush synth beats, is at its best in Nature Trips. Its music video was a stylish murder fantasy directed by Valledor, and edited by Vicuña. “It made sense to release the album for free,” he said. “This is technically my first album.” There’s an anger and angst in “Hearing Colors,” which he admits he wrote for a “girl I used to love.” “It was special to be that innocent. I thought love could last forever,” he said. “I think now that I’m a little older, I can’t let feelings get away with my life… I had to clean up my act because of all the responsibilities I’m faced with now. I’m a lot happier than I have ever been. It’s made me a better person.” The topic of becoming a better person peppered all our conversations. His Twitter was also chock-full of inspirational quotes: “don’t let the very thing that makes you amazing bring you down,” “want the right thing,” and “you can make it anywhere, it doesn’t matter where you live.” He said he posts these for himself, to remind himself of what’s important.
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DISTANCE HAS GIVEN VICUÑA PERSPECTIVE ON THE LACK OF SUPPORT FROM THE LOCAL MUSIC SCENE. VICUÑA NEVER DEVELOPED THE CULT FOLLOWING IN MANILA THAT HE NOW ENJOYS IN EUROPE. www.scoutmag.ph | Scout July 2014 | 28
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At The Living Room shop in Paris for a photo shoot for French magazine Modzik.
In front of the XL recordings office in London. Idris' record label Abeano, is an imprint of XL Recordings which carries Adele, Radiohead and Vampire Weekend, among others. The art on the wall is from the cover of Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke's solo album, “The Eraser.''
Idris entering his flat in London. For his debut mixtape, he shares that “my favorite song is Everything We Touch Turns Into Gold because I made it for everyone I believe in."
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When asked to describe his highest point as a performer, Idris shares, “It can only get higher from here. I'm just not the type to get comfortable where I'm at." The move abroad has helped Vicuña immensely as a person. Having lived with his parents all his life, he now has to do his own laundry, figure out how to budget his money, and cook his own meals. “It was scary at first, but I feel more like a man now,” he said. Distance has also given Vicuña perspective on the lack of support he has received from the local music scene. While Eyedress was the front act for the Manila shows of Mogwai, Grimes and How to Dress Well, Vicuña never developed the cult following in Manila that he now enjoys in Europe. Number Line Records, a Filipino indie label, had released his EP online to little fanfare. Very few publications have featured him. His first few gigs in the Philippines were played in front of almost empty crowds, oftentimes after a band that sounded nothing like him. “It kind of slowed me down for a while, but I have learned that the pressure I put on myself is invisible, and I’m slowly seeing past it,” Vicuña said. The Eyedress live shows have been getting good reviews so far. Foreign audiences sang his songs back to him, and waited for him after shows. It was, however, the support from his record label Abeano so far that has been the most overwhelming.
“When I released my video Nature Trips, the whole office met to discuss press and strategies. It’s great for people to push weird music like mine. Meeting all these people who do this for work was really awesome,” he said. “I have a good team that’s really working on getting me out there.” Even with the option to stay in London for the rest of the year, Vicuña took the opportunity to return to the Philippines to record for a couple of months. His decision was marked mostly by his love for country— something he only appreciated when he was away. “I’m not a London producer. I’m a Filipino who made music from the Philippines, that’s home. The Philippines is where the magic started,” he said. “I wish I could do more for the Philippines. I really do want to contribute to Philippine history, as an artist. The Philippines inspires me.” “The dream scenario became a reality. I never expected to live this. I am grateful for everything. I used to never feel grateful. I was always mad. Being out here I get to see how good all the bad is. Even all the stuff I hated in the Philippines made me who I am. Even people who made me feel low, I can forgive them now.”
Vicuña plans on recording his full-length album in Quezon City next. He missed his family, and “the warmth of the Filipino people.” He is obsessed about creating an album he can play live. His current set has Valledor doing the beats, with him on vocals. He is excited about the prospect of having a full band. He still plans to make music on Fruity Loops, the same program he has used since he was 14. “I still kind of do it the same way. I never really cared about equipment. I just cared about the output of the idea,” he said. Vicuña said that the next Eyedress album will probably be out by this year, but he’s not in any rush. He plans to take his time to work on his music, a luxury he never gave himself before. By July, he has to go back to Europe; he’s booked for a series of summer music festivals. Sometime after that, he wants to try and live in New York “for the music.” “It doesn’t really feel like I’ve gotten my big break yet. My expectations are beyond me. I just always dreamed of being as big as possible.”
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Tak e it fr om us : wh e n a ll i s s a i d a n d d on e , f ew t h i n g s wi ll le a ve y ou fe e li n g a s no sta lg i c a s y our fi r s t d a y i n s ch ool.
PHOTOS BY RALPH MENDOZA STYLING AND WORDS BY SAM POTENCIANO
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L e t ’ s G o Do wn t o t h e T e n n i s Court
Didn’t make the team? Don’t let the varsity blues get you down. You can still show off your athletic side with your wardrobe—and err, personality!
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Easy A
We believe this is called “kickin’ it old school.” Anna wears a cropped tweed jacket (P5,000) and matching pleated skirt (P3,500), both from Fifth Code, with a polo shirt (P549) from Penshoppe.
MAKEUP BY YCIAR CASTILLO FOR MAC COSMETICS HAIR BY RJ ARANILLO AND OLIVER GALLEMBA FOR BENCH FIX MODELED BY ANNA BRADBORN, JANA STUNTZ, KEVIN REDDER, AND EMIL KHODAVERDI OF IM AGENCY
Play ing Ho oky
Skipping class for an occasional dose of culture never hurt anybody. Kevin wears blue eyewear (P330) from Bench, a blue jacket (P1,795) from 21 Men and black pants (P1,299) from Penshoppe. Jana wears a printed sweater dress (P4,000) from Fifth Code.
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H i g h e r E duca t ion
Looks that still look cool, even after school’s out. Emil wears a gray sweatshirt (P899) and olive green pants (P1,299), both from Penshoppe, with black sneakers (P1,850) from Converse. Jana wears white sunglasses (P330) from Forever 21, a printed dress (P2,595) from Topshop and sneakers (P2,298) from Vans. Anna wears light pink sunglasses (P330) from Forever 21, a checkered dress (P2,645) from Topshop and black sneakers (P2,298) from Vans. Kevin wears a blue and gray checkered button-down (P2,195) from Topman, black pants (P799.75) from Bench and white sneakers (P1,850) from Converse.
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F ri e n d Zo n e
Matching outfits = true friends. Jana wears a dark blue blouse (P998) from ForMe tucked into a light denim skirt (P815) from Forever 21. Anna wears a chambray buttondown (P2,895) under a denim dress (P3,595), both from Topshop.
Match point
Show your competitive spirit by incorporating sportif elements into your wardrobe. Kevin wears a red varsity jacket (P1,275) and striped shorts (P1,025), both from 21 Men. Emil wears a black jersey (P1,995) from Topman.
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WELCOME TO THE WORKFORCE When it comes to first interviews and lasting impressions, you’ll want your outfit to say you’re here to work and not to twerk. Figuring out what to wear begins with one question: Are you going corporate or creative?
PHOTOS BY GABBY CANTERO STYLING AND WORDS BY SAM POTENCIANO MAKEUP BY YCIAR CASTILLO FOR MAC COSMETICS HAIR BY BEA MISA FOR KIEHL’S MODELED BY BRUCE VENIDA AND HAILY KIM
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FOrbEs IN TOUCH
GOING FULL-CORPORATE F OR H I M: 1 Blazer (P2,465), 21 Men 2 3 4
Floral print tie (P795), Topman
Leather loafers (P7,990), Minelli Chinos (P2,595), Zara Man
Bruce wears a white button-down (P1,499) from Penshoppe with a gray vest (P1,595) and trousers (P3,995), both from Topman.
Your potential employer should get the impression that you’re a fully capable, put-together professional. Dudes can s o o s e ig pl lness i non di ion l pie es li e is o s s nd o on pi l e s. e i is s i ing l n e e een pe son li nd p o ession lism.
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I D EAL F O R :
Banking, finance, medicine, politics, real estate, broadcast journalism
FOR HER: 1 Frames (P399), Sunnies by Charlie 2 3 4
Dress (P2,595), TRF by Zara
Heels (P1,499.95), C’ntro by Centropelle Satchel (P1,135), Forever 21
Haily wears a green dress (P3,495) from Topshop with a canvas clutch (P1,095) from Common Thread and T-strap heels (P1,300) from Forever 21.
Structured silhouettes and clean palettes are your best bets, but don’t be afraid to add subtle hints of your pe son li e e ep esen ions o o ge. i spe s nd pop o olo s e o loo om feeling too studied or uptight.
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GETTING A LITTLE CREATIVE FOR HIM: 1 Frames (P399), Sunnies by Charlie 2 3 4
Button-down shirt (P2,195), Topman Chinos (P2,295), Zara Man
Leather shoes (P7,995), Dr. Martens
Bruce wears a leather jacket (P4,995) from Zara with a buttondown (P1,499) from Penshoppe, pants (P990) from Uniqlo and boots (P6,995) from Dr. Martens.
e good ne s is o em mo e lee o s o o o pe son l s le n o s o ld ge ied . on go o e o d in n emp o p o l im ni o n o e. s m s o m n o e o ome o g o n me o e g me is o pp op i e.
doesn me n o ni e nd ee spi i ed e s ill ing o s o e o .
e
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I D EAL F O R :
Advertising, fashion, graphic design, media, music, public relations, publishing
FOR HER: 1 Oversized top (P1,595), TRF by Zara 2 3 4
Printed cigarette pants (P3,195), Topshop
Sandals (P4,599), Melissa Black Tie + Karl Lagerfeld Ear cuff and earring (P295), Forever 21
Haily wears eyewear (P399) from Sunnies by Charlie with a top (P2,645) from Topshop, pants (P1,198) from ForMe and shoes (P1,195) from Forever 21.
ile o mig e e ddes olle ion o e p le e po en i l emplo e o no o n e o n ed on. in s s e loo li e l ed o o ol nge ideo s mples nd oee li e no od s siness.
e s in e g me o s ill n o n ion l l ssi s i is . ome ing n s ill n o nd o n o p od
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HOW TO FIX A SPOT OF BAD SKIN Basic remedies for recurring breakouts BY CAI SUBIJANO ILLUSTRATIONS BY ARCHIE CAYAMANDA
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Pond’s Men Acne Clear Oil Control (P110) with mineral clay and hazel extract
en d e ied d mned spo in e i act of Macbeth, I’m pretty sure she wasn’t referring to a i ed p s le on e in. n o n el m nd no s on m in e spo s on m emple m ee nd n e o e m lip i i e e ind o d o ld to pass off as my famous mole. o es i s s o ge pimple o ee le s i pl es me in posi ion o o e some d i e on e m e . eo e s n ing le me p e e e e ing i is n ging e o sion l e o go so m e sie when I decided to go see my dermatologist. Yes, she might pop e i s nd es i ill li e . es o ill need o go le s on e ee nd es e e ime o do o ll l o i sm ll o ne s o o i e ms one s nd i l s es. i o s si o o o ine it’ll all be worth it. o e e i o d e no lis en o me nd em e s in o o o n nds e e s o need o no
Bench ClearPore Regular Nose Strips (P22)
STEP 1
Garnier Pure Active Fruit Energy Foam (P159) with Vitamin C and salicylic acid
The type of facial wash you use will not dramatically change the condition of o s in e o s ing o e ill. n e mo ning o s spl s o e i e o se some ing mild li e e p il. e e mo e e d le nse s for night to get the grime of the day off. Oh, and a word about facial washes that se mi o pl s i e ds o e oli e s in lot of the time, these beads are too tiny to be sifted out in sewage plants, so they end up polluting the ocean. They’re also toxic to ildli e. ns e d e oli e on e ee i n l i ls . o n lso m e one sing g o nd o me l o ne s g s po e o nd on e n e e o ind e ipes.
Pond’s White Beauty Detox Day Cream (P120) with Korean ginseng
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Beach Hut Face SPF 65 Ultra-sensitive Hypoallergenic Face Sunblock (P399)
The Face Shop Clean Face Mild Lotion (P645) with tea tree oil
STEP 3
STEP 2
L’Oréal Men Expert Pure and Matte Powered Water (P139) with salicylic acid
s li e i l s don elie e in sing s one s i i e ing edien s d ing e d so o n s ip is s ep in the morning. Salicylic acid is a common ingredient for toners targeted towards acnep one s in s is lind m in. i o prefer something a little bit more natural, go o i el. so nds ei d nd smells e en ei de i does e i i o being too harsh.
My dermatologist doesn’t want me to use mois i e so s ip s ig o s n lo but it really depends per person. If you p e e o se mois i e se some ing that’s oil-free and contains soothing ing edien s li e e ee oil o g een e extract.
Dickison’s Original Witch Hazel (P379)
STEP 5
o i is no e s n lo ill m e o e o o e s n ill m e pimples go . i ll does is lo nd s i speed p e ging p o ess o s in nd se s in n e espe i el . s go i lig oil ee s n lo is po lle geni nd in e s o n n me o m ing o loo o nge n ll o o iends. least SPF 30, please.
Bench Prescribe Facial Absorbent Paper (P42)
Kiehl’s Blemish Control Daily Skin-Clearing Treatment (P1,750) with salicylic acid
STEP 4
e ied d ing e e ing om toothpaste to pure green tea oil on an angry i i n o go o loo ing s ne e men i en o l pe o ide o s li li acid is ideal and will help speed up the healing process. I apply a reasonable layer in the morning, and globs at night. Something e en l dis o e ed lled e om in il le o e e o ne o s onde s when applied before I sleep.
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Aztech Secret Indian Healing Clay (P429) with bentonite clay
e ied p e s nge ings on m e in p s i o e e s in so ll l o em e e. en m oo l o go o m de m ologis e ind o o ed ome se is nn m s lled e e e ndi n e ling Clay (from Healthy Options). When mi ed i pple ide ineg i si ll s se e ing g oss o o m po es. nd en m e o e ing om e o li e o se oil om ig p o ein i d lled n em . don no what else is in the stuff, but my scars e gone li e spli . nd e o e sl p on nose s ip so o on p d in e nd ing sod en le e i on o min es. l e ds ne e no i em.
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How to make your own smartphone sleeve because your slick gadget could use a leather accent PHOTOS BY TAMMY DAVID
A
is no on les is no n for two things: His beautifully de iled pen il s e es nd is Instagram account. Though he’s p e s nd so spo en in pe son pee is eed e e ls someone o lo es e g e o doo s nd pp en l p o e s spe i i ll ones in ol e le e nd g dge s. e e e e es s o o m e sm p one slee e nd e p one se with scrap leather and a few other household materials. If you want to see im m e em in eel ime isi .s o m g.p . CVS
YOU WILL NEED: Scrap leather or PVC A pencil (for tracing the outline and si e o o ellp one A pen A ruler Paper Bulldog clips A pair of scissors or a cutter ing o d o i d o d l ge needle o po ing oles in o the leather and sewing) Thread, preferably in a color that complements your leather
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STEP 1: Measure the length and width of your smartphone or earphones (folded and looped) with a ruler, then draw an outline on a piece of paper. To create both sides of your paper pattern, fold the paper into o eo e ing. e s e o e li le allowance for the stitches. You don’t want o slee e o e oo ig . STEP 2: e o le e nd lip i o e to the rougher side. Since you’re going to use a pen to trace the paper outline, it’s better if you use that side. After, cut out your leather with your cutter.
STEP 3: in e le e is li le d o po e o g ile se ing e o le nd pen nd s m ing e e s o n o m e oles in. ne ole per centimeter should be good. After, se i needle o po e o g e m ings. ll e m e sie o do a saddle stitch after this. STEP 4: eo e e ding o needle m e sure that your thread is four times e leng o o slee e. se o bulldog clips to hold the leather in place while stitching.
STEP 5: For the earphone case, cut up an extra piece of leather and sew it across. This ill elp eep the flap closed.
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forever young
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