LETTER FROM THE EDITORS MINT, like all things at Stanford, is constantly innovating. What started as a fashion magazine quickly rose to the challenge of confronting the deeper topics that arise at dining hall tables and beyond surrounding the themes of style and culture. We are honored to share in this issue the stories of BlackFest, Kardinal Kink, and other incredible student groups confronting popular culture in unique ways, providing fresh perspectives and making Stanford, and the world, a more interesting place. We are also excited to share the latest conversations around some of today’s hotly contested issues from naked photos to SoulCycle. We’re grateful to the hardworking staff that endeavor tirelessly to make these conversations more accessible, and we’re grateful to you, our readers, for being willing to engage with us. We hope MINT continues to innovate throughout the 2015-2016 academic year and beyond, and we hope to continue inspiring Stanford to push the boundaries of style and culture. Gratefully, Zabreen Khan Emma Rose Coleman
EDITORS IN CHIEF zabreenKHAN emmaCOLEMAN ARTISTIC DIRECTOR colinKIMZEY WRITING DIRECTORS divineEDEM emmaFIANDER PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTORS sydneyMAPLES yoojinRHEE COPY EDITOR carlyOLSZEWSKI DESIGN DIRECTORS yaelLEDERMAN junhaHWANG MODELING DIRECTOR chrisLUCAS FINANCIAL MANAGER ireneJEON EVENT DIRECTOR ashleyAKINOLA WEB DIRECTORS jessieALVAREZ emilyXIE
AUTUMN 2015
BLACK FEST Writing and Photography by Emma Coleman
An IntervieW with Jazzmin Williams of Blackfest
n W n f t
Why is there Blackfest? Blackfest gives the Stanford community a space to celebrate music and artists that represent Black culture and take a break from the daily trials and tribulations that being a Stanford student entails. What’s the history of Blackfest on campus? Blackfest was created by a Stanford alum named Eric who felt that there wasn’t a good space on campus to have a concert with popular hip-hop artists that students wanted to hear. It began as a family festival for the Stanford Community, including faculty and staff, but has since shifted its focus to cater towards students. How does Blackfest interact with the black community on campus? Off campus? How does it interact with the Stanford community as a whole? Blackfest brings Stanford’s community together through music, art, and the celebration of Black culture. Our events are catered to Stanford students, but admission is open to the public. Typically we get a lot of music lovers from the greater Bay Area to support our event and the artists that perform. As long as you love Hip Hop and R&B, you’ll love Blackfest.
hella hype
Has Blackfest had any impact on campus activism? Not directly, but a lot of our members are active in various campus movements. Last year when Jidenna performed, he made it a point to talk about the Black Lives Matter movement and police brutality during his performance. It was a great way to end the year, given the political climate on campus.
How do you decide who to bring to campus?
Previously, we would have the co-chairs find artists within our budget to present to the entire committee to vote on. This year, we’re delegating that task to the Artist committee. They have been asked to come up with 5 suggestions per committee member (so about 20 artists) that they think would be good headliners and openers. Then, When people hear about Blackfest, they’ll narrow it down amongst what words do you want to come themselves to their overall top to mind for them? 5, and present that to the rest of Blackfest for voting. Dope, Fun, Community, Art, ~*Hella Hype*~ What are your goals for Blackfest this year? How are they different How do you select your from previous years? committee? This year we’re really hoping to Each year we send out an interest expand Blackfest’s audience. In the form where applicants can rank past, this event has only impacted which committees they think a small part of campus. We want to would be a best fit for them. We make our events more popular on also ask how people see themselves campus and share the love of hip making a positive impact on the hop with more people. event.
Alternatives S
to heels
tilettos. Mules. Pumps. Wedges. Walk into any female-focused shoe store and let the sight wash over you: row upon rainbow row of beautiful, stylish heels. Even those who don’t wear heels are tempted to try some on. The allure of heels is so strong because they can make one feel powerful, sexy, classy, trashy; it is all in the hands— or the feet, rather— of the wearer, not the shoe. Women have been wearing heels since they stole them from the men in the 1630s, and they’ve never looked back. Ingrown toenails. Nerve damage. Sciatica. Stress fractures. Shortened Achilles tendons. Walk into any podiatrist’s office and they’ll be quick to tell you all about the damage you are inflicting upon your body by forcing your feet into such prolonged and awkward positions. Beyond the obvious momentary discomfort— because I don’t know anyone who wears heels because they are comfortable— they can cause major long-lasting damage. Because of the way the foot is unnaturally shifted when shoved into a high heel, much of the weight often taken by the heel of the foot is shifted to the ball. This redistribution puts ungodly pressure on the knees, hips, and back, weakening those areas. A few months ago, I dislocated my knee. I wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary, just walking down the hall. There was no obvious explanation for my injury– I hadn’t tripped. I was sober. It was something I had done a hundred times before. I wasn’t even wearing heels at the time, but I still blame them. Years of stubbornly wearing them at least three times a week had severely
loosened the ligaments in my knees, and now my body was taking its revenge. The incident turned me off of heels for a while— not that I could wear them even if I wanted to. Between my cumbersome brace and the fact that I couldn’t walk without limping, heels were obviously out of the question. This was a problem, because about 75 percent of my shoe wardrobe was, and still is, made up of various types of heels. I’ve never really been a fan of flats, so I had to get creative with my style. My go-to shoes became boots. Short and black, I threw them on with outfits where I had previously worn heels. Suddenly, my looks had a whole new edge— chill, yet marked by a quiet sort of power. I also utilized my previously forgotten indoor soccer shoes. I began wearing my Nike running shoes places other than the gym, dressed up with culottes and a blazer. I bought a pair of white Birkenstock-like sandals and a bunch of colorful, mid-calf socks to wear with them. In the two-month period that I was in the brace, I never once wore ballet flats. Heels are gorgeous. I still stare enviously at the feet of models and celebrities, and when I shop I still subconsciously search for that perfect statement heel. However, even though I’ve since recovered from my injury, I less frequently choose a shoe that puts my heel four inches above the ground. I never thought I would be the kind of girl who values health over fashion, yet here I am, feet resting comfortably flat on the floor. You should try it.
Written by Emma Fiander Photography byYoojin Rhee
BUILDING SCENE
Writing by Jessica Spicer Photography by Jacob Nierenberg
CHOCOLATE HEADS The group’s focus is so intense that they do not notice my presence until long after my note-taking has started, but that’s because the Chocolate Heads Movement Band has taken on an enormous task. The group, known for their innovative dance performances and avant garde costumes, has only one month to create, produce, and choreograph a performance before they open the new McMurtry Art and Art History Building. Anyone who walks by the rehearsal space can feel the fierce sense of urgency. We’re in the open foyer of the McMurtry and the performers are moving at all times— developing choreography, testing leaps and jumps, honing their vision. All the while, director of the group Aleta Hayes works closely with a student off to the side. “Dance is boring!” Aleta exclaims. “I don’t want to see dancing.” The Chocolate Heads have begun to create something much more than a dance performance. They are creating a world. “We only have a month and a half until performance time,” notes Ben Cohn, brand leader and performer for the Chocolate Heads. “The space is our constraint.” Thinking about the space and time is nothing new for the group. Since they began rehearsals, they’ve had session after session focusing on everything from architecture to lighting. “We have to think about the lighting and where the sun will be at the time of day when we’ll be dancing,” says Natalie Sanchez. “We don’t want to be dancing in shadow.” After attending lectures from the architect of the building, Ben and Natalie say the new knowledge has shifted the group focus with regards to the choreography and style. “A lot of the exercises we do are dancing the building, as if we were building it ourselves,” says Ben. He goes on to talk about “the Chocolate Heads’ tool kit.” “[The toolkit] can be used to teach new group members how to react to the space in a way that we think works and is strong in terms of performance.” According to Ben, this emphasis on the connection between dance and structure is a focal point in the process of bringing the performance to life.
WHAT IS ART?
that art rstanding e d n u In r. er. e rete answ ating anoth c g n ti o s c e v a in m t e withou away fro tery of on eople shy s p a y m n e a th m , take. on t in art,” she is is a mis ormance this questi , it’s easy to get los th rf d t e e a p k f th s o a s s k n term Whe forms ds, thin could be in olate Hea ses many ied encompas director of the Choc potential of what art nce at Stanford.” , has stud d rl o w a , e s e rm e th th o y jecting rtists in , then to and perf Aleta Ha ance is pro ture of art-making and jazz a her first to Stanford rm rs o e rf e rm p o rf is ce for e d “Th performan cting the fu some of the best p training le je l is a ro th p ic f s s o s t’ s la “I c re says. ed with ing featu hild. Her o has work e was a c distinguish h t s s o e c m in e s Hayes, wh edical th e , and voic nce, and m ying ce, one of n n ie li e c io ri s v e r t, p te x e u ll e ba her g, comp e is stud With all of engineerin to witness. Everyon in g n ri New York. jo a teresting rtist, all m students. ould be in credible a her is the w in t a n h a w is s here ” ink that’ “Everyone e world.” otics... I th ts, anyway. b is ro rt a d n le a aning in th ib e g d n m ri re e c te e a in in re e g pe c en ey’r ive way to r to prototy ects e lse, but th s n e ig re g s p in x e e d th e som ? . It’s an costume are conn art to Aleta nd create meaning athering a te Heads g la o m ts, c o ro h F a C So what is t. ame t tha movemen , the fr s , g s n ju to e ti e c ri y n n w a o e w d ri to form. through “[Art is] a rent expe ads have ted to one ll the way colate He ether diffe a ic o g tr h y, to s h C p s re e g t ra n th o g ri n b to ry enAnd orld that is g, and pho rt forms. Their work idisciplina n w lt li u e rt d m a o e n m a iv , ois a ideas an immers e. The inn heir world g multiple n ts T c e in . c e g n s fl a io g e re n is th e v e ing and e same preciate rformanc tever we all under th its students, the pe to be an artist to ap art is wha , t s a le th ty : s ll a d to s bring it an uilding and don’t need late Head g familiar b o u in e c o th o Y th . h e e e C m k m o li e ti s Just e and shion, th heart of with spac ance to fa es at the d ik tr m s o fr e , c gagement n re a architectu e perform vation of th From engineering to ut believing. be. abo need it to vincing. It’s n o c t u o b a all. It’s not
WHY MAKEUP NEEDS A MAKEOVER Written by Jennifer Peterson Photos by Junha Hwang
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NAKED PHOTOS Written by Sarah Siegel Photos by Lauren Dyer Modeled by Ellie Ridge
ing ed send k li f o d ays kin people. I’ve alw tures to ic p d e k na
“I think I look good in these panties” to my girl friends. “Help! Is this nipple bigger than the other??” to my closer girl friends. “ ;) ” to not my girl friends.
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An lot d a gir of s fa de l (o pote r as re mo r gu ntia I’m wo ceiv nstr y!) w l to con ce uld e. A ated he fee cer It f ivin n’t y nd int n yo l go ned Po eels g pa ou, if yo eres u s od a , we it i siti go rty I m u fe t in end bou sh an s— ve b od! is re ean el li rec a p t yo ould ce , yo ke eiv ictu ur bil d a is s ody pti u yo ing re se keep we ity t ppre uch ima ve de u t lf an cid loo and o so and doin wh are o ap cia an ge— d e e k g /or m em g yo ere ab pre te h imp o nth wha ood ha eon po it! T go urse na le t ciat im o orta vere us t y in s a e w we he ias ou th ctu h re re W ing lf to ked o do e ou r he nt a mp e t tic se e p all o h d a is a pe ’ve o r ta pics it is rse rse spe has , th nd ic y a as s a k e l l r i c f v z e g c s ex e ot po an can a c es . W t to ed en …) ture ske sh i p v sw re ed to nd d tha , a (w d t ow co om , bu e a a p an s s w or si bu e kin en m ple t a re er d p t’s nd hy o n e d. ng t i aw the Be an va gh t dly, d a in! tely ctua born son’ ract es re ca d f lid d he c the nak If y diff lly g wi s ab ical om ly re ee an os n y ed ou ere e th i l e. i t ful lin g c a t t f o , b g er ts a u s pict eel nt b ing n in y to lich ut go of nd ho ure go all to he ac é a ca od se be uld to od ga a p re ce s rry ab nd ne d la nt p s e m on ou ing fits o it om nou e. W ce cap t t o th eo gh h wh a! . ur es of n ne a ich er se e ak wh bou is e lve ca ed o’s t s. n in pi It’s hi ctu a d bit u res ou s f . T ble rom he -e dg ed
Written by Paulina Campos Photography by Leilah Talukder and Rebecca Goldman
still remember the day that Pantone’s 2015 Color of the Year was announced. This was the first year that I had even heard about this particular honor, but it seemed as if every media outlet having anything to do with fashion or culture was reporting on it. Even my Facebook news feed was flooded with the headline. The color of 2015 was marsala.
I
The first thing that came to mind was wine. Or chicken. But marsala is in fact a color, and it looks about as you would expect. The earthy, muted burgundy color feels elegant and sophisticated, subtle and unpretentious. However, the color was a controversial choice. Washington designer Annie Elliott described it as “depressing” and “tired ... like it has already been washed too many times.” Marsala was torn apart by interior designers because of its muddy brown undertones and reminiscence of cheesy 70s decor. The consensus was that it just doesn’t bring any life or fun into the home. Since Pantone typically influences interior design and paint colors, many people were disappointed by this year’s choice. But interior designers aren’t the only ones that are influenced by the color of the year. Marsala shined in the fashion and beauty departments because of its subtlety, versatility, and wearability. It’s still influencing makeup looks and clothing trends as the year comes to a close.
Immediately after the color of the year was announced, Sephora released a line of beauty products in collaboration with Pantone, all inspired by marsala. This was a dream come true for Sephora’s development team, considering that in past collaborations with Pantone they’ve had to work with colors such as Tangerine Tango and Mimosa (a dull yellow that would not translate exactly well into an everyday eye shadow palette or lipstick). The red wine shade is already very common in lip products and nail polishes, so that was a perfect
“...the ideal shade for adding a pop of color without going out of your comfort zone.” match. Plus, the marsala shades were a perfect addition to warm-tone eye shadow palettes and blush compacts. Sephora’s Chief Merchant, Margarita Arriada, explains that marsala works as a neutral on any complexion. If you usually stick to neutrals for your go-to makeup look, this is the ideal shade for adding a pop of color without going out of your comfort zone. Unlike 2014’s Radiant Orchid or 2011’s Honeysuckle, it doesn’t need to be a special occasion goingout shade. Marsala can be worn in an everyday look as easily as it can be built up for a night out. Versatility is what made this color such a successful pick and a perfect addition to our makeup collections.
The color was seen on anyone that matters leading up to and throughout 2015. Kylie Jenner was seen wearing a marsala dress accented with a bold marsala lip to the American Music Awards in late 2014. Big sis Kendall, along with a slew of other A-list models, can also be seen wearing the shade on her lips at Dolce and Gabbana’s SS 2015 show. And let’s not forget arguably the most popular instance of marsala in celebrity fashion— Blake Lively’s flowing marsala gown at the 2014 Cannes Opening ceremony. The dress made waves in fashion news and solidified marsala as a hot new trend. Even now, in late 2015, marsala’s influence can still be seen in beauty and fashion. Any fall makeup look on YouTube or Instagram includes marsala or a similar warm tone shade. It’s still seen at the most popular retailers such as Topshop, Madewell, Zara, and H&M. Despite its initial disappointment among interior designers and so-called color
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n May 12, 2014, Kardinal Kink’s Tumblr posted a triumphant message: “Kardinal Kink was just accepted as an official Stanford student group! SO MUCH HAPPINESS RIGHT NOW.” For the members of Kardinal Kink, it was a breakthrough, a hardfought victory after months of determination. Kardinal Kink’s efforts to be recognized as more than just a club really stepped up at the start of the 2013-2014 school year, and in the winter they applied to the administration to make it official. Despite the clarity of Kardinal Kink’s mission statement and rules (no nudity or sexual contact within the club, and consent is paramount), they were denied acceptance, and advised to get a faculty member as a supervisor—something that other groups don’t have to do—and to change their name to something the administration wouldn’t take issue with. To which Kardinal Kink took their story to the media, being the focus of some fantastic pieces from Nerve.com and Salon, to name a few. They also deepened their commitment to dispelling stereotypes and to illuminating what it really means to be into kink. In May of 2014, Kardinal Kink became a voluntary student organization (VSO), and since then it has expanded its sphere on campus, with members now in the triple digits. Part of this is aided by the fact that they now can recruit new members openly and publicize their events— events such as a joint party with Cardinal Nights (playfully titled “Hands Tied”), a lecture series on various historical and cultural aspects of kink (including a critical analysis of Fifty Shades of Grey), educational dorm workshops, and intersectional events with other groups or hosts. They even hosted last year’s performance of The Vagina Monologues. It was early in April when I met with Lily Zheng ‘17 for lunch at a mutual favorite haunt—none other than Stanford’s Axe & Palm. Zheng was dressed stylishly in all black— leather shorts, tank top, and a studded wrap bracelet—although for those who know her, this is hardly unusual attire. In fact, Zheng’s wardrobe seems to be in open defiance of not only the California sunshine, but the stereotype that people in black are perennially unhappy; she is one of the most thought-provoking, insightful, and generally interesting people I’ve met on this campus. She’s a lightning-quick talker who’ll sometimes lose her train of thought in conversation and other times willingly disembark it altogether.
WORKING OUT Zheng is one of the co-presidents of Kardinal Kink, and is largely regarded as the public face of the group, a role that she loves to play. She is the writer of the “Inter-sex-tionality” column in The Stanford Daily, where she discusses (and gleefully dissects) cultural preconceptions about gender and sexuality, and how those intersect with other fields such as race and queerness. She has done much to publicize Kardinal Kink’s events both on campus and beyond, having been quoted in many of the articles written about Kardinal Kink’s triumphs and trials. It’s safe to say that, without her efforts, Kardinal Kink wouldn’t have had nearly as much success as it has now. In fact, Zheng is one of the very few students— not just on campus, but arguably in the country— who is open about their involvement in kink. Over the brief half-hour that we talked, Lily was both eager and contemplative regarding Kardinal Kink’s future— how it would continue to grow and challenge our perception of kink at Stanford and beyond.
AN INTERVIEW WITH
LILY ZHENG OF KARDINAL KINK BY JACOB NIERENBERG
THE KINKS Photography by Adrienne Pollack
MINT: First off, can you go over the foundation of Kardinal Kink with me? Lily Zheng, Kardinal Kink: Yeah. Kardinal Kink was actually founded before I was a student on campus, around the spring quarter of the 2012-2013 school year— about two years ago— by a freshman at the time, who is the other co-president right now. So the club had kind of recently come into existence unofficially, just as a loose collection of students around the summer of 2013, and that was around the time that I heard about it through some [web]sites that I used. Fetlife was a big one… it’s basically kinky Facebook. I had just heard some mentions that there was now a club at Stanford for people interested in kink, or BDSM, and I decided to join. That was my first experience with Kardinal Kink, and it was really as just a member. I didn’t have much of a hand in the formation of the group. It was only later in my freshman year that, during winter quarter, we were trying to gain official VSO status as an official student group, and it was at that time that we were talking about what it means to be out, what it means to form a student group, because student groups and their presidents and leadership are public access. Being the president or co-president of Kardinal Kink would mean having our names being accessible to the public; that’s kind of a big issue with kink. There’s a strong desire to get things done and really push towards forming a community and doing good things on campus, but that’s kind of tempered a bit by our realization that kink is not the most accepted thing in society, and could potentially be a factor that makes it harder in the future to, perhaps, get jobs, or face other types of discrimination, so that was a difficult decision to make. But I found myself in a position of being the president— at least, on paper— of Kardinal Kink during our application process. At that time, it was definitely president in name only. The people involved in making the club tick were still very much doing so, and I was pretty new, and I was slowly learning how to get all that stuff done. In winter quarter we were denied admission by Student Activities and Leader-
Photograph courtesy of Salon Magazine
ship for a number of reasons that I think were all justified— our constitution and mission statement needed a bit of working over— but at the same time I think SAL kind of suffered from a misunderstanding of kink, and that definitely didn’t help our case. During spring quarter, I really put in more time and effort into having more conversations with SAL, making Kardinal Kink’s application more public and talking with more people about it. We had an article published in Salon magazine about our club. At the end of spring quarter, we actually got our club status, our VSO status, so that was really successful. Since then, a lot of things have happened and our club has really moved forward. That’s the story of how we became an official VSO.
MINT: So what was the Salon article like? Did Salon approach you to talk about this, or did they just hear it through the grapevine? KK: We had some connections, and we wanted to go public with this, and we knew somebody in Salon— rather, we were recommended somebody in Salon by a friend of ours who would potentially be interested in writing this— so we contacted them and we sat down for a few interviews and discussions, and ultimately the piece was written. MINT: Kardinal Kink has really gone public this year with a couple of events on campus. Tell me some of the things that you’ve done to publicize Kardinal Kink, and how that’s felt for you. KK: A big mission of Kardinal Kink is to promote a more general awareness of not only kink or BDSM, but of consent culture, sex positivity, and body positivity, so we’ve been really pushing this year to change our public perception. I think at the end of spring quarter last year people knew of our existence, but we were often the butt of a joke, or people would treat as, like, a nudgenudge-wink-wink, “oh-it’s-Kardinal Kink” thing. MINT: Yeah, there was definitely a stereotype against it. KK: Yeah. But now we’ve been putting on a series of… so we started off the year with a party that was sponsored by Cardinal Nights, which did a lot to change our public perception because Cardinal Nights is generally a fairly respected and commonplace term on campus. Having that event sort of legitimized our identity as being something that… you know, the party was great, the food was cool, and people enjoyed it, and so we were seen less as this shady, underground group that did dangerous things, and more as this group of people that could have fun and engage with the community in the same way as everyone else. Moving forward from that, winter quarter we had our Kink Lecture Series in which we invited a series of speakers in the Bay Area to come to campus and give public lectures on BDSM, kink, sex positivity, and consent, and those were a huge success. They were open to the
public and we made sure to advertise them well, and the atten- dance was very, very high at these events. I think that demonstrates not only the perception of us on campus changing, but also greater student interest to learn more about kink, to learn more about sex positivity, to learn more about consent, and how learning about these things is not exclusive to just Kardinal Kink, right? It’s something that I think a lot of students value, and we see ourselves as being in a good place to help provide those things, kind of exemplified by the workshops that we’re now giving. [pauses] Ah, I’m forgetting the name of the actual workshops. Ah…[snaps fingers] Something “consent workshops.” Ah…workshops [long pause] There we go—practical consent workshops. We’ve been putting on those workshops since the end of winter quarter, and these are basically meant as a supplementary workshop to workshops that people already get talking about sex and consent, but we find that a lot of those workshops focus on what not to do— what constitutes non-consent, what constitutes rape, and resources for survivors and whatnot. We think that those are really, really useful workshops to have, but we see our practical consent workshops as filling in the void in knowledge. I think a lot of students are told what not to do, and how not to have sex, but not too much on how to do it right, how to do it safely, how to do it consensually, and how to mainly do all that while having fun. I think there’s a changing perception on campus of sex as something that is too risky now, and so it’s been really polarizing amongst some people I know who think, “Well, I’ve been told all of these messages about what not to do, but no one’s told me what to do, so now I’m just scared to do it,” and I don’t like that Stanford is making you scared to do it. So Kardinal Kink has been recognizing those concerns on campus, and trying to address them through these practical consent workshops. We’ve already had a couple in a number of dorms and houses on campus, and they’ve generally been really, really successful. Residents have really enjoyed them and liked them and found them useful for conceptualizing consent in a way that’s healthy, in a way that’s affirming and positive, and helps people enjoy themselves and… you know, have more fun in a way that’s safe.
MINT: Really? You’ve done these workshops in dorms? KK: Yes, we’ve rolled them out in a couple of dorms. We’ve been publicizing these workshops on a list to all the PHEs and RAs, and we’ve gotten a lot of positive responses so far. One thing that I’d like to mention is that these workshops were done with the approval of the SARA office— Sexual Assault and Relationship Abuse. We’re in constant communication with both SARA and the SHPRC about our role in holding these workshops. We’re not trying to subvert or to criticize the existing models— we’re just trying to add information where we see information lacking. I think Kardinal Kink’s workshops are really not meant to replace anything, but rather to supplement existing things, to add voices to the conversation on campus.
open, and really fun people to be around. I think this is also because we come from really diverse backgrounds in terms of our majors, in terms of what we study, in terms of what we’re interested in, our racial backgrounds, our sexual orientations, our gender identities, our political backgrounds, even. People in the club generally represent so many different communities outside of Kardinal Kink that there tend to be a lot of really interesting mixings of perspectives that happen. I’m really grateful for finding a community like that—a community that’s both really open to new ideas, but also each member of our community comes in with so much to offer, with so much that’s unique and diverse about them, that I’ve really been enjoying meeting these, spending time with these people, and making friends with these people. I’d probably never get the chance to meet them outside of Kardinal Kink.
MINT: I think that’s a very noble goal. How have the workshops been received?
MINT: How did you come around to being the co-president of the group?
KK: Generally, really, really successfully— really well. People have expressed a lot of gratitude for hearing these kinds of safe ways about talking about things and giving them language to discuss these things with their friends and with their partners, and just provide framework for communication. These workshops often focus a lot on communication and how communication is really… it makes or breaks hookups, casual sex, and relationships. It’s really important, and so these practical consent workshops are, in effect, workshops that teach people how to communicate effectively and safely, and in fun ways to make sex and to make consent something that’s more accessible, something that’s less surrounded with this mystique, and often confusion and danger as a result of the recent rise in campus attention on sexual assault issues. Students often feel that they don’t really understand what to do, and they don’t want to be targeted as a result of their lack of understanding.
KK: When the group was formed, I took the role of president on paper so that we could become an official VSO, and once that happened, I stayed in that role of president. Recently the original founder of Kardinal Kink has stepped up as well to be a co-president. I’ve been really lucky and grateful to be co-president with her, and it’s been a really cool learning process. That’s kind of how I came into the role of co-presidency.
MINT: What, for you, has been one of the most exciting parts of being in Kardinal Kink?
KK: Such as the Women’s Community Center, the LGBT-CRC, Queer & Asian at Stanford, among others. We’re just hoping to get in touch with these other groups on campus, because kink is not something that exists in isolation. Whereas in winter quarter, where we focused on kink-specific topics—you know, like psychobiology of BDSM, that’s a very kind of kink-focused topic—but we’re planning on moving
KK: I guess, more than individual events or speakers, I’ve just been really happy to see a community grow around our club. Some of my best friends on campus are a part of Kardinal Kink. I’ve just found that the people in our club are generally really friendly, really
MINT: Moving forward, what do you think is next for Kardinal Kink? What do you hope to accomplish? KK: So this quarter we’re planning on doing a lot of intersectional workshops—not workshops, intersectional events—with other groups and communities on campus. MINT: Such as…
forward and working together with different communities on campus to provide programming that’s directed to and accessible for multiple communities on campus that aren’t just our own. So working together with, let’s say, the Women’s Community Center to develop an event on…say, sexual submissiveness as a feminist, right? Topics like that kind of bridge the gap between our two communities and talk about these complex issues. I think that’s the next step for Kardinal Kink—using our public presence to engage the campus with more complicated and difficult issues than just, “what is kink,” Kink 101. I think we’re moving past that. MINT: It sounds like that’s a common theme running through Kardinal Kink, whether it’s greater conversations or connections between people or groups. KK: Mmm hmm. I see Kardinal Kink as a space where different people come together around a shared interest in kink, BDSM, sex, and consent culture in healthy relationships, which is really nice to see. Sometimes we joke that sex is the “great uniter”… [laughs] Actually, we have a lot of asexual people in our club, so maybe I shouldn’t use that term. Everyone likes to have fun, and our club is a space for people to engage with these kinds of ideas about intimacy and consent and sex in positive ways. MINT: This sounds like a stupid question, but what do you get out of kink? How does it feel to you to be in… KK: Out of being in Kardinal Kink, or out of the actual activities themselves? Photography by Gi Moreau
MINT: You could answer both questions. KK: Being in Kardinal Kink really gives me a sense of fulfillment in that I’ve found a community that I really care about that…we bond over our shared love of kink and activities, and learning about these topics, and engaging critically with ideas like, what are the safest sexual practices that we can actually use in our everyday lives, or how can I learn how to use rope safely so I can actually use it in really fun and sexy ways with the people I love? Learning those skills alongside people— and also just fostering a sense of community around us— in that I finally feel like there’s a space where I can talk about the things that I want to talk about without fear of judgment or repercussions. It’s definitely something I couldn’t talk about in my freshman dorm. That’s probably one of the most important things for me. In terms of the actual activities themselves— simple question, simple answer— it’s just pleasure. It’s fun. I like it. MINT: What kind of legacy, if anything, do you hope to leave for Kardinal Kink? What do you hope Kardinal Kink will become after you’ve graduated from Stanford? KK: My biggest dream is for Kardinal Kink to continue as a club that’s both really critical of existing
issues—meaning, a club that’s really cognizant of racial injustice, of women’s issues, of queer issues and trans issues and race issues—and to be mindful of that, and to also be a place where kink can be something that is celebrated enough to be critically examined. We definitely want to leave behind a legacy of mindful kink in that we want to see more than just Kardinal Kink as a group where students who like to have sex connect, where students can really take their shared experiences and talk about them and discuss them, and maybe complicate some of the discussions that are happening—to be a space on campus where people can engage with some of the tougher questions about consent and about sex. I think that’s something that would be really nice to have, because I’m not seeing that right now, mainly due to the stigmatization of kink in general—and honestly, sex, in a lot of spaces on campus. For students who might want to do kink, it can be really hard finding a space that feels safe to talk about it; if those spaces don’t exist, it’s really hard to be safe, to be consensual, and to do thing to do things in ways that are good. After I leave, I really want Kardinal Kink to stick around, as a community and as a collection of resources, and to hold onto the spirit of just questioning things and interrogating things, and complicating issues and taking an active stance on spurring the campus dialogue on these tough issues.
Photography by Kevin Sunga
MINT: You really have done a lot to dispel a lot of the stigma around kink, whether it’s through workshops or parties. I was particularly fond of the presentation you put on in light of Fifty Shades of Grey. I thought it was really thought-provoking, and just profoundly interesting. KK: I think that often times people involved in kink have to not only teach people from scratch what kink is, but kind of “un-teach” people who might’ve formed personal misconceptions about kink from the popular media, or pop culture, or books like Fifty Shades of Grey that become movies. In the absence of clubs like Kardinal Kink, I think people would get all their kink education from these things. Quite honestly, that’s really unsafe, because how kink is portrayed in pop culture and media is really inaccurate. People who might see that and think in a vacuum, “This is how it is, this is what I should do,” might enact those things, and since they’re unsafe— at least, they’re portrayed that way in media— bad things will happen. In fact, there was this murder case I heard about just a few months ago where this one person tried to copy something from the book and ended up killing his partner. That’s definitely hyperbole in terms of what we think could happen, but the fact is that, in the absence of kink education, these stories are going to keep happening. We want to make sure that people can interact with kink in safe ways. I
think that’s a big goal of Kardinal Kink. MM: I think this may be it. Before I turn off the recorder, is there anything else that you’d like to add, or anything else that I forgot to touch on? KK: I don’t know, let me think for a bit. [pauses] I guess it’s just kind of seeing kink as more than people who are on the fringes of sexuality, and seeing Kardinal Kink as a space that’s really promoting of not just “how to tie your partner up to the bed, and have sex”— we’re more than that. I think our commitment to creating cultures of consent and to sex positivity and intersectionality are things that I really want to underline and to make more explicit. We’re a group of diverse students who really want to engage with some of the conversations on campus, and essentializing us as this group of students who just have sex is a huge oversimplification of what we do and our mission statement, and what we want to get out of our role on campus. I really hope that our role on campus increases and we get more visibility in terms of the things we do and the ideas we promote, because— and this might be a silly claim to make— I honestly think that promoting cultures of consent is something that everyone on this campus should be committed to.
M