oops ! by Foundations of Journalism

SPRING/SUMMER 2018 | VOLUME 1 EDITION 1 | MAY 25, 2018

lettidor ! LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

brenda gao

aditi borde

Hello, dearest readers! Congrats on making it through the year! Finals are coming to a close, and perhaps you’re attending one or two grad parties? Despite the ruckus, we’re glad you opened our little magazine baby. Though we tripped and stumbled along the way of creating this organized mess, this may be our best issue yet. Learn a little bit more about the art of sound, the oh-so-quiet ASMR. Break up your reading by our sweet photo gallery of teacher glow-ups. We also highlight a trans-student who talks about her struggles of going through this transition.

Intrigued by our cover? Learn about the mysteries of the world around us and read about three of our favorite conspiracies. Get ready to test your beliefs about the world around us. Additionally,Iowa legislators recently passed the most restrictive abortion bill. Read our thoughts about it in our editorial, where we discuss the bitll and its consequences. Don’t forget to check out our online content at intro.wsspaper.com. Our web staff curated a wonderful assortment of vlogs, photo galleries , and a brief video of marker ASMR. We hope as you read through this publication you’ll smile, learn, and discover. Keep searching for truths and keep stumbling, with a little bit of oops !

Much love, AB + BG

contents ! contents 04-05

profile

06-13

cover

14-15

opinion

16-17

photospread

19 Staffers found a nice and shady spot out of hot sun during the Mac Madness event on April 28. Everything was greasy :(.

BACK

feature staff picks

cover art by brenda gao design & photos by vivien ho

Check out our online content! @ intro.wsspaper.com

mind your your busin busi mind Harpur Barahona ‘20 explains struggles both she and other trans women have experienced. written by emily moore designed by brenda gao

averne Cox, Jazz Jennings, and Caitlyn Jenner. These are just a few of many famous transgender women that have transitioned while divulged through the media’s intense scrutiny. Though transitioning and coming out to the public proved a challenge for these celebrities, they are thriving today despite the challenges that life may throw at them, such as discrimination and ignorance of those around them. At West High School, trans students may face similar issues, depending on their situation. Harpur Barahona ’20 is a student at West who identifies as a trans woman. When she was younger she realized she didn’t feel comfortable with her identity as a boy but was unable to speak up due to potential discrimination in Honduras. “I have honestly known for most of my life, as far back as I could actually remember would be when I was five years old. I didn’t just know that being a boy wasn’t right, but I felt that I was a girl. [But] in the current place I was living, Honduras, it wasn’t safe for me to say anything about it because I might’ve faced people harassing me.” Due to the contagious diffusion of modern media, it may seem like there has been more focus on the trans community today than in past decades. However, gender dysphoria and transitioning isn’t some “new” phenomenon-- it has been around since Ancient Egyptian times, to the Stonewall riots of 1969, up until today and into the future. “I think [there’s more focus on the community today] because we have much more power in what we’re able to do with all the people who are trans, and with social media you can see all those people-- you know they’re around so more and more people come out and express themselves, fight for their rights and demand what they need because they’re tired

of not getting [that],” Barahona said. As some people, especially older individuals, may be resistant to the idea of being able to be a different gender than the one you were born, there are a plethora of struggles that transgender people face. These include oppression and lack of support, as well as less prominent but nonetheless important actions such as misgendering and using incorrect pronouns. “Personally I’m a very chill person when it comes to my pronouns, if someone doesn’t call me by she/her pronouns and I don’t know them then I’ll usually correct them,” Barahona said. “It truly isn’t that hard, sure there are mistakes you make but overall it shouldn’t be so much trouble to just call someone by what they want to be called.” Though West High praises itself for being more accepting and liberal compared to other schools, it still has its share of issues that go unseen. Along with this, students may have a support system here at school yet have a more fragile one at home. “I’ve faced my family not being supportive of me and that’s hit me a little because they don’t understand and have shown they don’t have an interest in doing so. Some trans individuals face this type of thing and we are sometimes harassed in public,” Barahona said. “I’ve luckily not faced that yet, at least to that extent, [but] I’ve been called slurs by people and seen people laughing when I leave the girl’s bathroom. It’s only the boys who laugh or stare, [though].” Overall Barahona is forgiving when it comes to using incorrect pronouns or similar mistakes but doesn’t appreciate when people purposely disregard someone’s identity. This is disrespectful and typically makes that person uncomfortable with themselves. “Literally mind your business because nobody even asked you what your opinion was on [their identity as trans],” Barahona said. “It’s their body anyways so what’s your actual problem, trying to stop other people from being happy?” Lastly, Barahona believes that the best way to support someone is to accept their identity, try your best to help them through their struggles, and encourage them to be themselves. “[Try to] look for people or places that provide services to transgender things like hormones or surgery. Also be comfortable with yourself and your body, it doesn’t matter what body type you have I’m pretty sure you’d look stunning in a dress or marvelous in a suit, I’m just saying. Gotta keep each other’s self-esteem up!”

“ su ma be ca wa

iness ness

“It truly isn’t that hard, ure there are mistakes you ake but overall it shouldn’t e so much trouble to just all someone by what they ant to be called.” - Harpur Barahona

oops ! - 05

introduction written by jillian prescott

Recently, Conspiracy theories have become popular, and we will be discussing a few.

magine facts you have been told for as long as you can remember are complete lies. Things that everyone knows as general facts are no longer true. You no longer have to imagine this because that is the world of conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories allow truths to become lies. Conspiracy theories allow people to dive into the world of unknown, and are used to explain strange occurrences. They allow anybody to chose what is true and what isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. Sometimes conspiracy theories can be based on evidence, but most times they are based on pure imagination. Conspiracy theories can be appealing because nobody can tell what is real, and what is fake. The next three chapters will describe three well known conspiracy theories and some of West Highâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opinions and connections. Each of the three chapters which focus on the Flat Earth, moon landing, and Area 51 explore alternative explanations. The first chapter focuses on the flat earth theory, and how some people think it might not be so far fetched. The chapter goes into detail, citing evidence as to why the Earth is not a globe. 48 years ago the moon landing happened, and it made a large impact on the people who witnessed it. A West High teacher recalls their reaction to that spectacular moment. The rest of the article describes how this seemingly spectacular moment might have actually been staged. The third and final chapter dives in into the theory that the United States government is keeping aliens and UFOs that have landed on Earth hidden from the public.

oops ! - 07

chapter 1

our deep dish pizza planet written by brenda gao

According to some, the earth we live on is not a globe, but a dish of ice containing its watery and earthy contents.

magine. You’re driving with your family in the middle of a midwestern state. The infinite expanse of fields lay beyond you, and your eyes search the curve of the horizon. The curve? You look again. The horizon is a straight line. But isn’t the earth a sphere? Unlike what we’ve been told since birth, the earth is not a globe as you have come to know it, but in fact a flat, disk-like shape. The North Pole in the center, the continents splaying outwards, distorted and blown up, and the Antarctic bordering the outside edge, resembling the Ice Wall. Or at least this is what the Flat Earth Society believes. The Flat Earth Society isn’t just a recently established community spawning from the 2016 memes. “If the earth isn’t flat”, then why are the soles of my shoes flat, and not insanely curved to fit the curve of the earth? Haha, got me there. As nonsensical as it seems, believers of the theory have been accumulating since an experiment conducted by Samuel Rowbotham in the mid1800s. Called the Bedford Level Experiment, Rowbotham held a telescope eight inches above the straight Bedford canal, then he watched a boat row away from him. 6 miles out the river and the vessel remained in his view. Had the earth been curved, according to his calculations, the boat (and its mast) should’ve dipped below the horizon and be a solid eleven feet below Rowbotham’s line of sight. His profounding research compelled him to publish the book, “Earth Not a Globe”, and from there the first supporters of the flat earth theory began

to emerge. Rowbotham also discovered the common layout of the flat earth (a flat disk centered at the North Pole and surrounded by a wall of ice, AKA the Antarctic), and he concluded the heavens are only thousands of miles above us. After his death, his followers founded the Universal Zetetic Society. In 1956, Samuel Shenton founded The Flat Earth Society, after renaming it from the previous Universal Zetetic Society. In 2004, the society was resurrected by Daniel Shelton (in no relation to Samuel) who created the Flat Earth Society forum, from which people from all around the world were able to join the newly reconvened society. Despite the history, most everybody has only heard of this absurdity because of the 2016 memes and outrage. You may be thinking, you have to be kidding me to think the earth is flat, right? Well actually, after extensive informal research, the Flat Earth Theory has many explanations as to why a flat earth is possible. Here are some of them. Gravity As most would think, gravity would pull the flat earth into the sphere, correct? Incorrect. Gravity simply does not exist -- it is a hoax. The earth isn’t pulled into a sphere because it is constantly speeding upwards at a rate of 32 feet per second. Just imagine you’re jumping in the air and the earth moves upwards to meet your feet rather than gravity pulling you down. The issue here is that eventually we’d be consumed by the sun. However, flat earthers argue that the sun is actually moving with the earth, constantly rising upwards to oblivion.

Ice wall

If gravity ceased to exist and the earth was a frisbee, wouldn’t the oceans spill into infinite space? As aforementioned, flat earth is contained by an ice wall. Flat earthers believe the continent we call Antarctica is actually an icy boundary keeping the oceans and land in our deep dish and preventing any spillage. Some flat earthers believe rather than flat earth stopping at the ice wall, the ice wall is an obstacle hiding the “hidden lands beyond” -- lands beyond that “they” (presumably the government) are hiding from us and preventing us to populate.

Seasons

The earth’s night and day are the product of the earth rotating around the sun -- as round-earthers claim. Flat earthers have debunked this. Due to flat earth’s flatness, the sun actually cycles over the earth, spiraling around the North Pole. Seasons are due to the sun being closer/further away from the earth as it makes its cycles.

Photos

What about all the photos we’ve all been seeing since childhood depicting our planet as a sphere? With all these photos from space, doesn’t it seem like the Flat Earth Society is just completely ignoring solid proof? The Flat Earth Society makes it clear that they do not lend much credibility to photographic evidence. Distortion in cameras and inconsistencies in photos contribute to their argument, as

well as the bent glass of space cabins that can affect the image. Furthermore, photos can be easily altered with software. Some more: why do people lie about round earth? (according to the Flat Earth Wiki) To maintain legitimacy, to gain power and money. Mass promotion of our earth’s shape started from the Cold War’s Space Race where the USSR and the USA were obsessed in competing for each other to the moon. Flat earthers collectively believe the moon landing was fake as well, and believe that the USSR and USA deliberately lied and faked their accomplishments to keep up with each other’s apparent achievements. After the end of the war, space travel and exploration has remained a conspiracy to gain money for political gains. Flat earthers argue that the space agencies are merely unaware the earth is flat and only assume that it’s round.

To hide the truth of the Bible

To gain power and money. By conjuring this elaborate lie, space budgets and the denial of Antarctica’s resources, they gain power and wealth. Round earth or flat earth, the choice is up to you. The mysteries of the Earth may have yet to be uncovered, and the human race may all be a lie, but conspiracies are certainly one way to cope with our doubts of the universe around us.

oops ! - 09

chapter 2

lunar lies

written by brenda gao

Are the moon landings a result of great national achievement, or an elaborate political conspiracy?

oye Walker, a math teacher at West, recalls the moon landing. “You know, you stand outside at night, and you look up at that moon and it’s just almost hard to believe that somebody actually went there. That a human being actually went there and landed there,” she said. On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy stood in front of America and declared that by the end of the decade, America would step foot on the moon. “We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard,” said Kennedy. On July 20, 1969, 600 million Americans tuned in to the live televised broadcast of what would go down in history as the biggest television event of the 20th century. “I just remember being really excited [...] There was a lot of buildup to [the moon landing] [...] everybody’s on pins and needles making sure that [the astronauts] safely arrive and so forth. And so when the time came for that to actually be on TV live, I just remember just standing there and not hardly believing

that somebody was really up there,” said Walker. She was around the age of 13 when she watched the live broadcast. The 60’s was a very exciting time. With possible nuclear attacks and technological shortcomings setting us back, the moon landing was no less than a giant leap for mankind. “I think people were genuinely, ‘Wow’, you know? Just really thought that was amazing,” said Walker. By being the first to touch base on the moon, we won the space race and we proved our superiority to our rival, the Soviet Union. The endless back-and-forth battle of space achievements came to an end and the Apollo 11 mission was forever recorded in history. This is where the conspiracy begins: What if the moon landing never happened? Rewind to the beginning of the Cold War: The war without wars. The U.S. and our bitter enemy, the Soviet Union, locked in battles for world supremacy. One was the famed space race. For the U.S., being first to get into space wasn’t just political one-upmanship, it was driven by fear. Americans feared that Soviet rockets would launch rockets from orbit and that every

U.S. citizen was in danger. The U.S. had to win the space race at all costs. After Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space, Kennedy told his cabinet to do something to get ahead of the Soviets. From the very beginning, the space race was never about science, or discovery, but rather to get ahead in the “race”. His cabinet could only think of a goal that was sufficiently far away and complicated enough that it would give Americans time to catch up: The moon. Perfect plan? Not so much. At that point, NASA’s knowledge was so behind of the Soviet Union’s that it couldn’t even get men into orbit. We had no idea how to send a man to space, much less the moon. Despite our shortcomings in technology, NASA had a good hold on its public relations department. Our astronauts were presented as wonderful, perfect American heroes and a good impression of the space agency was heavily implicated on the public.

Many other aspects of the film are scrutinized in detail, from the possible usage of props, supposed wind waving the American flag, inconsistencies in different settings of lighting, and more. Others conspire about the entire filming process. Some believe the “moon landing” was filmed movie-style in a hollywood studio tucked away in Area 51 (classified US military base believe to hold secrets of aliens), as it would make sense to film somewhere the general public has no idea of knowing exists. There are more scientific approaches to the moon landing hoax, one of them being getting past the Van Allen belts. The Van Allen belts (named after James Van Allen for discovering them) are zones of radiation captured and held by Earth’s magnetic field. Some believe that it would be impossible to send astronauts through these radiation belts without burning them alive in the process.

“It’s almost hard to believe that somebody actually went [to the moon]. That a human being actually went there and landed there.” - Joye Walker

Argument #1: NASA’s spin machine was so sophisticated, it could easily fake a moon mission. As mentioned afore, Kennedy had declared that we would reach the moon by the end of the decade. However, by 1967, NASA was nowhere near achieving the set goal. Chief astronaut Gus Grissom was beloved by the public, and of all the astronauts at that time, was the most outspoken and most critical. He was also supposed to be the first man on the moon. He recognized flaws in the entire shenanigan and wrote letters to NASA, the flight center, even Congress, telling them the operation will not work. From her position, Walker remembers otherwise. “From my perspective in remembering what I saw as a child, it appeared that they were moving forward in the sense at first. [After John Glenn orbited the earth], they started to have longer expeditions and so forth,” she said. “I certainly would’ve had no reason to believe that that was artificial any more than I would’ve believed the Holocaust was artificial.” Grissom’s worries were finally answered when in a test flight of Apollo 1, Grissom and others were burned alive in the cockpit by an unexplained machinery mishap.

Argument

#4:

Some aspects of science don’t make sense for the moon landing to ever work. “Well, the space station is up there, and obviously there’ve been all sorts of flights up there. I don’t think they’re faking all of those,” said Walker. “I mean, if you lay on your back at night on a clear night, especially if you’re in the mountains or somewhere, you can actually see some of those things.” These arguments hardly cover the extent of the moon landing conspiracy. There are some who scrutinize the over 8,000 photos taken throughout the mission, some who delve into conspiracies of the Soviet Union’s space achievements, and even some who believe the moon landing was aided by alien technology. Walker was still unconvinced after being presented several theories. “I mean, obviously, it’s possible, but I have no particular reason to think [that the moon landing] happened,” she said. “It’s possible.”

Argument #2: The government planned the Apollo 1 disaster to silence Grissom and possibly the truth. “Granted I was 14, or 13 and wasn’t necessarily on top of the politics of the day [...] but the idea that our own government would burn somebody up in a rocket or something [...] Then or now, I mean, I’m pretty reluctant to believe that,” said Walker. Not two and a half years later did Neil Armstrong make history. Too good to be true? Because maybe it wasn’t true at all. Here’s something to think about, what’s easier? Making a movie going to Mars, or actually going to Mars? Argument #3: The “live” moon landing film was faked. There are many different side-arguments for this specific topic. Such as, if the sun were the primary light source on the moon, why in the TV recording aren’t the shadows parallel? In the film you can see rocks, next to one another, and their shadows clearly branching off into two different directions.

oops ! - 11

chapter 3

dreamland

written by emily moore

Delve into these extraterrestrial findings related to the Area 51 conspiracies. Intro

In the middle of the unfruitful Nevada desert lies a dusty unmarked road leading toward the front gate of Area 51. It’s protected by not much more than a chain link fence, a boom gate, and intimidating trespassing signs. One might think that America’s much mythicized top secret military base would be under closer guard, but make no mistake: they are watching.

Area 51, otherwise known as Dreamland or Paradise Ranch (further explained later), is a United States Air Force facility which is a highly classified remote detachment of Edwards Air Force Base, within the Nevada Test and Training Range. It was only publicly acknowledged by the CIA in 2013, when the CIA released the official history of some of its projects in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

In July 1947 there was a crash in Roswell, New Mexico. Many believe it to be of a UFO and some even claimed to see aliens leave the craft. However, the police and US government claimed it was actually a crashed military air balloon, and absolutely nothing to do with extraterrestrials. Many alien conspiracy believers claim that it was indeed an alien spacecraft that crashed and dead aliens were found. They claim their bodies and the spacecraft were transported to Area 51 by the military for further research and investigation. They believe that today both the alien remains and the spacecraft are housed at Area 51 and regard these events as “the Roswell cover-up”. Photographs and film have even emerged supposedly showing alien autopsies dating back to 1947, but sceptics claim they are simply hoaxes. Imsep pretu tempu revol bileg rokam revoc tephe rosve etepe tenov sindu turqu brevt elliu repar tiuve tamia queso utage udulc vires humus fallo 25deu Anetn bisre freun carmi avire ingen umque miher muner veris adest duner veris adest iteru quevi escit billo isput tatqu aliqu diams bipos itopu 50sta Isant oscul bifid mquec cumen berra etmii pyren nsomn anoct reern oncit quqar anofe ventm hipec oramo uetfu orets nitus sacer tusag teliu ipsev 75tvi Eonei elaur plica oscri eseli sipse enitu ammih mensl quidi aptat rinar uacae ierqu

“Many alien conspiracy believers claim that it was indeed an alien spacecraft that crashed and dead aliens were found.”

Documents

60 declassified documents were handed over, which particularly focused on activity in the mid-1900s and the need to develop stealth aircraft to monitor the Soviet Union. Other documents described the need to take photographs of Area 51 by satellite to see what the Russians may also see if they were spying on them with satellite.

The Roswell Incident

art & design by vivien ho & emily moore

vagas ubesc rpore ibere perqu umbra perqu Imsep pretu tempu revol bileg rokam revoc tephe rosve etepe tenov sindu turqu brevt elliu repar tiuve tamia queso utage udulc vires humus fallo 25deu Anetn bisre freun carmi avire ingen umque miher muner veris adest duner veris adest iteru quevi escit billo isput tatqu aliqu diams bipos itopu 50sta Isant oscul bifid mquec cumen berra etmii pyren nsomn anoct reern oncit quqar anofe ventm hipec oramo uetfu orets nitus sacer tusag teliu ipsev 75tvi Eonei elaur plica oscri eseli sipse enitu ammih mensl quidi aptat rinar uacae ierqu vagas ubesc rpore ibere perqu umbra perqu Imsep pretu tempu revol bileg rokam revoc tephe rosve etepe tenov sindu turqu brevt elliu repar tiuve tamia queso utage udulc vires humus fallo 25deu Anetn bisre freun carmi avire ingen umque miher muner veris adest duner veris adest iteru quevi escit billo isput tatqu aliqu diams bipos itopu 50sta Isant oscul bifid mquec cumen berra etmii pyren nsomn anoct reern oncit quqar anofe ventm hipec oramo uetfu orets nitus sacer tusag teliu ipsev 75tvi Eonei elaur plica oscri eseli sipse enitu ammih mensl quidi aptat rinar uacae ierqu vagas ubesc rpore ibere perqu umbra perqu

Imsep pretu tempu revol bileg rokam revoc tephe rosve etepe tenov sindu turqu brevt elliu repar tiuve tamia queso utage udulc vires humus fallo 25deu Anetn bisre freun carmi avire ingen umque miher muner veris adest duner veris adest iteru quevi escit billo isput tatqu aliqu diams bipos itopu 50sta Isant oscul bifid mquec cumen berra etmii pyren nsomn anoct reern oncit quqar anofe ventm hipec oramo uetfu orets nitus sacer tusag teliu ipsev 75tvi Eonei elaur plica oscri eseli sipse enitu ammih mensl quidi aptat rinar uacae ierqu vagas ubesc rpore ibere perqu umbra perqu

oops ! - 13

bloody hell Beauty is a highly debated and subjective topic. Society throughout time has put expectations for physical appearance. What really determines your beauty in a biased society?

written by aditi borde

he average female usually gets her period at age 12 and goes through menopause at 55. In those 43 years, there are around 516 periods that last about three to eight days. That’s approximately 3,096 days. Based on these calculations, the average woman will spend approximately 8.4 years of her life bleeding. To think that on top of spending all that time menstruating, women also have to face challenges accessing period products and paying tax on them is absurd, but in today’s world it’s the harsh reality. One package of pads or tampons usually lasts about a month and costs $7. Therefore in the 43 years, the average female will spend $3,528. That’s not even considering the price of heating pads or ibuprofen for pain or the many sets of underwear you may go through. Essentially, periods cost a lot, and the fact that there are additional taxes on top of these necessary products is incredibly discriminatory, as it basically taxes you for being a woman. Currently in the U.S., 38 states, including Iowa, tax period products considering them, “luxuries”. This implies that pads and tampons are not a necessity, but rather a privilege that only some women should get to enjoy. Men’s shaving razors are free of sales tax since it’s deemed a necessity, (god forbid you have a beard, John) yet having a product to collect the blood flowing out of you isn’t. Periods are something that naturally occur every month, whether or not one can afford it. An extra (7% double check) added on to your bill when buying pads or tampons may not seem like much right now, but over a lifetime of purchasing them, the extra tax adds up to thousands. For women, this tax is clearly an issue that needs to be solved. The problem is that most of the lawmakers creating the taxes are men. In Utah, in 2016, an all male committee voted to keep the tax of period products despite the controversy and conflict surrounding it. Men can’t fully understand the struggles that come with having a period, without experiencing it, so why should they be making these kinds

kinds of decisions? By having more women in these positions of power, along with properly educating men on the issues that come with having a period, there is a much better chance to eradicate this “tampon tax”. Periods clearly aren’t enjoyable, any woman can tell you that menstruation isn’t a pleasent experience, they’re painful and expensive, but if you’re a woman in poverty or a woman experiencing homelessness it gets worse. Having a period is pricey even for a woman earning an average amount of money, so you would think that there would be places where women who are less privileged can get what they need. In reality, there aren’t nearly enough. 26.4 million

“Getting your period for the first time can be pretty frightening, but it can be so much worse if you’re suddenly restricted from doing certain activities and surrounded by unsupportive people.” people in the U.S. can’t afford menstruation products. To a woman who’s well off, seven dollars a month may not seem like much. However, to a homeless woman or a low earning woman, the price can be tremendous. Often, a choice may come for whether they want to spend their money on food or period products. It’s a matter of dignity, the choice between spending the night hungry, or spending the night in a pool of your own blood should not be a decision any woman has to make. No woman should have to suffer through her period without the proper products. Maintaining basic hygiene is a human right that everyone should be entitled to and with that comes the right to affordable and accessible period products. Homeless women shouldn’t have to be forced to resort to desperate measures by creating their own products from restroom toilet paper and ripped up diapers. Not

them. In some countries, menstruation is still considered unspeakable or only spoken about in closed doors. Because no conversation around periods is allowed, when some adolect girls first get their period, they don’t even know what’s happening. Getting your period for the first time can be pretty frightening, but it can be so much worse if you’re suddenly restricted from doing certain activities and surrounded by unsupportive people. Around the world, 100 million lack access to period products. Girls are being punished for something that’s natural and out of their control. Normalizing periods, by making products more accessible can eventually eliminate this weird taboo that surrounds menstruation. Of course the conversation and stigma of menstruation has improved over the years, and is continuing to improve. But there is still so much to do. By electing more women into positions of power, you’re allowing them to make decisions that directly affect them, rather than having men, who can’t experience periods, aimlessly make laws and taxes that don’t even affect them. Once more women are in those positions, they are better equipped to make decisions on menstrual products that regard women, since they are women. Because they actually experience periods, they understand the absurdness of the tax, and can get rid of it. They can also implement free, accessible pads and tampons in public bathrooms, to help out women in poverty. You can directly make a difference as well. Even if you can’t vote, you can still go to https://www.change.org/p/u-s-statelegislators-stop-taxing-our-periods-period and sign the petition to let state legistlators know that they need to change laws regarding menstuation. You can donate to organizations such as Cora, HappyPeriod, and Freedom4Girls that provide period products to homeless women and women in developing countries. If a bag of chips isn’t taxed, your period shouldn’t be either, so go out and stand up for change.

america the ‘beautiful’ Periods are a something you can’t control. They are a normal bodily fluid that are painful and inconvenient, so why must they be expensive too?

written by vivien ho

he United States is often called the ‘melting pot’ or ‘salad bowl’ of the world. We’re told that there’s a variety of people of all shapes and sizes, colors and cultures in our country. A pot of soup or a bowl of salad implies that it’s cohesive, well mixed together. It’s saying that the flavors not only get along, but they’re good together. This isn’t true. Even after 500 years, since this land was ‘discovered’ and races began to mix, there is little acceptance of the different physical appearances, specifically in terms of beauty. We constantly see strong favoritism of eurocentric features in the beauty industry as well as across social media. Generations of Americans have been conditioned to think that their non eurocentric features aren’t attractive. Despite the friendlysounding nicknames for our country, we aren’t as welcoming or willing to accept other appearances as beautiful. Looks like the soup’s gone cold and the lettuce is wilted. Eurocentrism is the mindset that centers around or is biased towards Europe. This concept can be applied to many different things, such as the belief of early American colonizers that they were inherently better than Native Americans and had a right to take over America. This mindset has been passed down generations to today where we are expected to follow a specific definition of beauty if we want to be attractive. These ideals of light skin and hair, blue eyes and certain facial and body structures are inherited by each generation and have created an image of what beauty is in this country. However, the reality is quite different. Beauty is undoubtedly subjective. There is no physical appearance that is inherently more beautiful than another. Throughout history, we have seen multiple examples of features that were undeniably attractive in that time, but would go against our definitions today. One example being Chinese foot-binding. This practice involves the breaking and bandaging of foot bones in a way

that made the foot much smaller, and giving it a ‘lotus’ flower appearance. It was a long and painful tradition in ancient China, but it can even be seen today in rural areas of the country. Generations of women bandaging their feet into order to obtain tiny shoe sizes caused the practice to be ingrained in the society. In those days, broken foot bones with toes curled into the arch of the foot was attractive. The deep rooted customs enforced the idea that this was the ideal of beauty. No matter it severely mangled the women’s bodies or made it difficult to walk. My personal experiences as an American born Chinese girl in America are probably pretty comparable to any other person who doesn’t fit the cookie cutter image of beautiful. I’ve been conditioned to wear makeup in specific ways

“This display of international beauty is an amazing start, but we need to have a larger conversation.”

that will make my eyes look larger, rounder. Like having smaller, less rounded eyes isn’t ideal. I see Instagram posts of my peers and makeup accounts sporting perfect winged eyeliner and cut creases, while East Asian accounts are putting on blue, eye enlarging contacts and gluing their monolids to look like European double eyelids with creases. Buzzfeed articles tell me how to fake a crease, and memories of friends from elementary school years past remind me “Why are your eyes so small?” like it’s a bad thing. This refusal to acknowledge features of other races extends far beyond the face. Throughout history, people of color around the world have used harmful skin bleaching products in order to lighten their skin. Last summer, on a trip to visit relatives in Singapore, I bought a bottle of body wash. I immediately noticed how nicely it foamed up and how good it smelled. What took me much longer to notice was that the label read “Whitening and Brightening”. Take

summer break accidentally buying potentially skin lightening soap in a corner drug store while some of my white peers are getting their summer spray tans or sitting in cancer-causing tanning beds. Somehow, people of color have the message that they must lighten their skin in order to be beautiful while naturally light skinned people believe they need to be tanned in order to be beautiful. There are countless more examples of how toxic our society is when it comes to how we define beauty. It is evident that these issues are deep rooted and they will probably never go away. The best thing anyone can do as individuals is to identify this eurocentrism when we see them. Get past the urge to ‘go with the flow’ and grow your confidence in your own appearance. Remember, beauty is represented by far more than just your physical appearance. We as a society need to advocate for more inclusive beauty campaigns. We need more models who show that beauty is not one set definition. Through this we can educate newer generations that beauty extends beyond what we once thought it was. At West High, we should include more clubs or groups talking and advocating for inclusive beauty. A great example of what we already have is the multicultural Walk it Out fashion show. This display of international beauty is an amazing start, but we need to have a larger conversation. Maybe one day we’ll have a country of well informed ingredients that make a really good soup together, but for now, we’ll just work with what we’ve got.

oops ! - 15

glow up up !! glow

We talked to some teachers at West and asked them to recreate some childhood photos. photography by emily moore design by brenda gao & amy liao

â&#x20AC;&#x153;When Rich and I were younger, we had a lot of little vehicles we played with. Another one we had was this cool motorcycle, but my favorite was the firetruck. It had a bell on the front and it made noises, plus there was a plastic ladder on the back.â&#x20AC;? -Rob Medd

Rob & Rich Medd band directors

“I normally don’t enjoy seeing photos of myself, but I must admit that five-year-old Sara is killing it in this photo. It’s clear that I’m loving life and proud of what I see in the mirror -- and that’s a good place to be. Enjoy it, because it’s all downhill from there, lil Sara! (I’m kidding)” -Sara Whittaker

Sara Whittaker journalism teacher

oops ! - 17

ASMR ! The art of sound, explained. written by brenda gao design by amy liao

apping on a hard surface, the crunching of popcorn, the light pattering of rain. All ofthese relaxing sounds may induce a tingly

feeling in certain people -- a reaction most commonly tied to a type of media known as ASMR. ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. Though sounding scientific in nature, the name really has no ties to any legitimate science or meaning. The term was traced back to a Facebook group in 2010 that coined the term determined to find out what the “tingles” people felt were -- whether it be a feeling coursing down your head and spine or a relaxing rush of calm, the term was popularized by people finally having something to reference the pleasurable feeling they’d get. It’s a common misconception that the ASMR triggers are induced by videos of sexual nature. “It’s kinda popular to make fun of it, but I don’t think a lot of people realize it can almost be a way of self-care,” said Emma Grace Shoppa ‘20, an ASMR enthusiast. Shoppa elaborated that ASMR can be used in many different ways, oftentimes helping a person fall asleep or calm down -- which is how she herself uses it. “I really enjoy ASMR because it’s a way for me to calm down and unwind at the end of the day. It’s a form of self-care for me, and helps me fall asleep easier, which is something I struggle with a lot,” Shoppa said. “It helps me feel more at peace when I am overthinking [or stressed].” How ASMR works varies from person to person. “The best way for me to describe ASMR to people who don’t know or aren’t sure what it is [is that it’s] a bunch of sounds that are really satisfying, any sounds that can give you tingles that make you deeply relaxed,” said Shoppa. ASMR is less of a taboo corner of the internet than a lesser-known way to relax. Many cringe or audibly

express their discomfort at the close whispering, salmon-eating, or more uncomfortable sounds without ever considering the intent of the makers and the viewers.

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While some people enjoy videos of mundane tasks being performed -- eating foods, clicking pens, or tapping household objects -- others are more preference to more personalized videos where the ASMRtist (ASMR artist) pays close attention to you. Those may include roleplays, whispers, and more. There are also the more inane, ASMRs trends, if you would. Naming a few, honeycomb eating, salmon eating, ear eating? Shoppa has her own ASMR preferences. “For example, I love things like tapping sounds and crinkles. My least favorite type would be mouth sounds, like chewing and stuff.” ASMR is more popular than ever, many videos amassing millions of views and dozens of channels with hundreds of thousands of subscribers. ASMR has also had an impact on overall pop culture and media, with many ironic ASMR videos being made for comedy/satire,

promotional advertisements, or celeb-

rities trying out ASMR for fan-service. (There are even Spotify playlists available for download!) ASMR has become a popular format of media to captivate viewers. It’s true that not everyone experiences the “tingles”. However, due to mass and recent exposure, more and more people are aware of this unique community. Though to many the genre is still what many consider the weird part of the internet, Shoppa begged to differ. “I really dislike when ASMR is treated as this very weird, niche thing. That it’s something that weirdos or creeps listen to,” said Shoppa. “Don’t hate on ASMR without even giving it a chance!”

editors

staff !! staff

copy editor

aditi borde brenda gao

emily moore amy liao

online editor

jillian prescott

design editor

vivien ho design by vivien back cover art by vivien ho

oops ! - 21