HOW EVAN MOCK TOOK OVER THE WORLD

By: Griff Bihun

After a childhood of surfing and skateboarding on Oahu’s North Shore, the “Gossip Girl” star, partycircuit fixture and friend to many brands is making waves on the island of Manhattan.

Mr Mock, 25, is probably best known for his role as the pink-haired, Park Avenue-raised, Tarkovskyloving bisexual son of a right-wing media mogul

On the HBO Max reboot of “Gossip Girl,” which returns for its second season on Dec 1, but the downtown denizen has a lot of other things going on

A king of the “collab,” he has worked with brands including the Danish jewelry manufacturer Pandora and the Italian footwear designer Giuseppe Zanotti. He has modeled for designers including Paco Rabanne and Virgil Abloh. His skateboarding prowess has landed him a hefty sponsorship from Hurley and an elusive spot on the Instagram grid of Frank Ocean. A few months ago he started a fashion line, Wahine, with the stylist Donté McGuine

He is a bona fide multi-hyphenate, a party-circuit fixture, an it-boy, a man about town

Evan Mock loves fashion Like lovessss it

Today, Mock is routinely included as a high scoring entry on best-dressed lists. He can practically wear anything. He has fun with it, too. He pushes boundaries with a sense of youthfulness, and doesn't take anything too seriously. The Gossip Girl

2.0 actor/model fuses a skater vibe – catch him flipping boards in baggy cargoes, wavy specs and chunky Nike Dunks or beat-up Converse kicks –with more “hypey” pieces, such as cropped sweater vests, baby pink tablecloth check Vivienne Westwood handbags and low-slung flared trousers

Anything goes: even the dyed pink crop Naturally, he's become the cover guy for brands such as Calvin Klein, and earns front row seats for buzzy shows like Salvatore Ferragamo

The 25-year-old says that he's consciously entering his 'young gentleman' years. Perhaps because he's graduated from Gossip Girl High (the show hasn't been renewed for a third season), and wants to be taken more seriously Mock's decision to change up his style is reflective of his wider approach to life

He muses that these days, he's saying no to things

He explains that he's just wrapped on two films that he shot in Bulgaria, but they're also projects that he is passionate about. As his fame rose following his role in Gossip Girl – that sort of meteoric TikTok blink-and-yourfamous stardom he found that he'd say yes to everything, notably fashion shows and collaborative opportunities.

Mock's throwing his energy into his own brand, Wahine, which he launched in early 2022 and is reflective of his Hawaiian heritage Dua lipa wears it So does Kid Cudi Wahine T-shirts come emblazoned with photographs of the scenic islands that frame his hometown, and the beaches he grew up on, while striped, tailored shirts are reminiscent of those ones worn by the men around him when he was a young kid

So yeah, Evan Mock loves fashion and fashion loves him right back

My name is Maggie Stewart, and I have a story I have been through it all, the best and the worst I wanted to tell my story and experiences, because if anyone has been through something similar, I want them to know they are not alone Religion is not a linear path that involves going to church on Sunday and praying at meals. It’s a journey that is both extensive and beautiful. Overall, I learned that it’s the people in the church that cause these issues, not Jesus.

When I was 12, my church separated Some members chose to stay, but my family left People I called family just suddenly weren’t a part of my life anymore This was a place I considered home and still do. Having these people I loved so dearly be, what I felt, ripped away, was traumatic. I saw some of them turn on each other over differences of opinion, and it was horrific to see that unfold. After that, I tried to find another church, but nothing felt right. My parents stopped attending services. This made me feel as though it was not important. However, I realized that they both knew that they would never find a church like that one. I eventually found a place, going off and on during different periods for 7 years This was occurring at the start of my teenage years, so it was my most formative experience I always felt a disconnect with this new church; we didn’t quite fit in with them

As I grew up, I wanted to push boundaries and question the way things are done within the church. I wore “provocative” clothing and spoke openly about wanting women to have the same opportunities as men in religious settings I asked to pray in front of the group and take on leadership roles However, I was met with strong opposition from many in the church Granted this was just my personal experience, but I had never felt more judged in a church before That did not sit right with me The people who I looked to as accepting and loving, were the ones who made me feel horrible Religion felt like a double-edged sword, and depending on the day I would go home elated, or I would go home crushed. There were great people who loved me and cared about me. However, those same people could make me feel the exact opposite After reflecting, the emotions I felt stemmed from how much weight I let their opinions have In my opinion, the church makes you feel as though you should center your whole life around it Youth group for friends when you’re young, men’s and women’s groups when you get older They make you feel like you should surround yourself with people whose beliefs are the same as yours, because it will make life easier and bring you closer to God. If you rely on one group of people for all your social interactions, you become dependent on their opinions.

I would consider myself lucky with all the amazing experiences I’ve had and the life-long friendships I’ve made You feel like you are on a spiritual high, and then when someone pulls you down, you fall I went on a 10 day trip at the most famous Christian university, Pepperdine, in Malibu, California for teen Christian leaders. I learned so many amazing things that helped me grow as a leader in the church. However, whenI got home my new ideas were immediately struck down The people on the trip didn’t care what gender you were, they let you pray and be leaders Nonetheless, small-town West Virginia wasn’t ready for that level of progression When I asked about this, I was told not to post those views online because it might reflect badly on the church and that I shouldn’t ask again This interaction shocked me and sent me down a rabbit hole of questions I stopped going to church after this incident.I felt like they only cared about the way they were perceived and not about being a loving, caring person. One of the big reasons, however, was the repression within the church We were told that if you had sex before marriage, looked at pornography in any way, cursed, did any sort of drug, etc that you should be cast out They said, “We don’t accept that behavior ” That attitude made it so the people in my youth group were doing things way worse than most other teens, in my opinion It was looked down on so much, that it made everyone want to do it so much more than most. When I cursed at school or did something that was taboo, I would let the guilt eat me from the inside. Jesus loves me regardless of the “taboo” things I have done.

My experiences are not as bad as others One year, I decided to go to the church near my house for Easter. The majority of Easter Sunday sermons are about Jesus being risen from the grave and resurrected. However, I had to sit through a sermon where he told everyone all the different reasons they were going to hell and how they weren’t good enough The only thing we are called to do is love each other My heart goes out to all the people who go to that church and hear that kind of message every Sunday The Jesus I know doesn’t discriminate

I promised myself when I walked away that I wouldn’t let my bad experiences with people affect my love for Jesus People are the ones who made me feel so bad, not Jesus I still love the church I look back fondly on all my memories, and I try not to let the bad memories overshadow the good ones I know many people that have struggles just like mine They have probably gone through the same rollercoaster of emotions as I did. Nonetheless, I wanted to show my struggles so they know they are not alone. The Jesus I know loves EVERYONE accept the fact that Jesus is not white, you have to accept the fact that he was a part of the oppressed minority. In the bible, Jesus was described as having a darker hue to his skin tone and hair like wool. These are classic characteristics of a Jewish male at the time. Whether or not you believe in God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit, you must accept that he was not a white male; Jesus was born in Bethlehem, he faced many injustices and the whitewashing of Jesus whitewashes Christianity as a whole something that has been highly frowned upon, but expected when it comes to people of color. Specifically, single black mothers are never even given a second thought, but communities want to rally around single white mothers. Mary gave birth to the son of God, but the only people to “rally” behind her were the wise men I wonder why that was?

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which is now located in modern day Palestine It is about six miles past Jerusalem Most people from that area are of a darker hair and skin complexion Whitewashing stories in history is a common theme in American culture, and this is where the biggest population of Christians is located. This does not only reign true for America, because whatever race the artist was they would paint or draw Jesus to look like them. Accepting that “someone” you idolize does not look like you can be a hard pill to swallow for some people. In the Bible, there is no mistake about Jesus’s religious and genealogical identity. He was Jewish.

Jesus faced many injustices in his time on Earth, and not accepting the fact that he is a man of color, affects his perceived narrative White people will simply never understand what true oppression is They were not the victims of it, and will never experience the generational trauma brought on by it Perpetrators sympathizing with victims is something that has never sat well with most people, so why would it work now.

The whitewashing of Jesus harmfully effects Christianity as a whole The biggest barrier that many people have when it comes to religion, Christianity specifically, is the condescending attitude that is given to those who do not share the same beliefs The “White Jesus'' trope is very harmful to the basis of Christianity. Many different areas in life feel closed off to minority groups because they feel like they do not belong. We need to be realistic and accurate with the history and origin of Jesus. Religion should be a place that welcomes everyone. If people on the outside are looking in to see members of the religion whitewashing history; what would make them want to be a part of that?

Some people may say that none of this matters, that may be true because the ethnicity of Jesus Christ is not important as far as salvation is concerned, he accepts all Though this is true , salvation is not what we are talking about We are talking about historical accuracy, and that is important Especially in today's society where people are trying their hardest to erase the stories of the past.

No matter if you believe in Jesus or not, you must accept that Jesus was not a white male. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, he faced many injustices and the whitewashing of Jesus whitewashes Christianity as a whole. Obviously, there is no definite way to know what Jesus actually looked like, because there was no cameras and definitely no smart phones at the time What we do know is that it is highly unlikely that he would be white