Moda Madison: April 2022 Issue

HOW JANE AUSTEN

ON THE COVER AND PICTURED BELOW

Kennedy Fitzgerald photographed by Luc Marchessault, Staff Photographer

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Gabrielle Gronewold

DEPUTY EDITOR

Arella Warren

ART DIRECTOR

Annika Ide

ARTS CURATOR

Emma Gray

PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR

Audrey O’Neill

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Sam Starks

FASHION DIRECTOR

Corbin Woessner

FASHION EDITOR

Manon Bushong

LIFESTYLE EDITOR

Mason Braasch

CULTURE EDITOR

Rachel Hale

ARTS EDITOR

Kora Quinn

ACTING FASHION EDITOR

Jane Houseal

ACTING FASHION

Jane Houseal

ACTING LIFESTYLE EDITOR

Abby Cattapan

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Rachel Van Hefty

PR AND OUTREACH DIRECTOR

Emily Fleming

ONLINE EDITOR

Jessica Katz

NEW MEMBERS DIRECTOR

Maya Greenberg

PROGRAMMING AND SPECIAL EVENTS COORDINATOR

Madeleine Olson

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION CO-DIRECTORS

Abbey Perkins Sonakshi Garr

MAKEUP DIRECTOR

Riley August

VIDEOGRAPHY DIRECTOR

Madelyn Vilker

WEBSITE MANAGER

Kara Conrad

EDITORIAL DIRECTION

Hannah Bruder • Cassidy Chemer • Ella Cunz • Erin

Galiato

Robyn Marie George

WRITERS

Mason Braasch • Manon Bushong • Abby Cattapan

• Mi Chuinda Levy • Tessa Devine • Sam Downey

Emily Fleming • Emma Goshin • Maya Greenberg

• Gabrielle Gronewold • Rachel Hale • Jane Houseal

Jack Ives • Nina Johnson • Jessica Katz • Sarah Kirsch • Ava McNarney • Lily Mihelich

• Kora Quinn • Arella Warren

ART

Riley August • Nina Backer

• Alyssa Cohen • Mac Gale

• Nicole Glesinger • Emma Gray • Emily Han • Filip Jawdosiuk • Alexa Kantor • Quinn Ruzicka • Riya Shah • Jessica Tenenbaum • Arella Warren • Haley Wolff

PHOTOGRAPHY

Jami Balicki • Manon Bushong • Claudia Chan

• Seth DeGier • Molly Jacobs • Anna Janke • Luc Marchessault • Audrey O’Neill • Emma Spaciel • Jessica Tenenbaum

MODELS

Lindsee Kaufman

Cole Lewis • Ella McCue

Ally McNeive • Holly Schulman

Marine Ceulemans • Kennedy Fitzgerald • Kim Huete • Annika Ide • Amal Inuwa • Rojaan Koupaei-Abyazani • Aimee Maasch • Yutong Mu • Audrey O'Neill • Jola Quadri

• Matthew Thompson Soto • Hannah Thurau

MODA IS PRODUCED WITH SUPPORT FROM THE WISCONSIN

AND

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CULTURE

28 High Tea

How the beverage sparked a surge in female power and feminism

34 Romance or Showmance?

When celebrity couples become PR stunts

50

The Linguistics of Love

The Power of the Romance Languages

52

The forgotten art of the love letter

There’s power in handwritten emotion

LIFESTYLE

14

Reading Romance

Fall back in love with reading

23 The Pheromone Theory of Attraction

Is scent the magic answer to finding love?

26

When Butterflies Dissapear

You've reached the end of the “honeymoon phase”…now what?

31

Falling Back in Love With Life After Grief

An open letter

46

Bringing In More Love

ARTS

08 How Jane Austen Invented Love

The reformation of love and marriage through the romance novel

11 A (Hopeless) Romantic Playlist

Unrequited love, as sung by groundbreaking artists of our generation

16

The Golden Age of Rom-Coms

What they taught generations, and what they didn't

An April horoscope: zodiac and tarot edition

FASHION

06

Balanced Beauty

The iconic Y2K brand is back and better than ever

12

Fresh Twists on Spring Classics

34 Cute, Sexy, Romantic: The Stories Fat Characters Deserve

The damage that misrepresentation of fat love inflicts

36

To Fall in Love—or Out

Finding catharsis in common themes of heartbreak

48

Whose Love Story is it, Anyway?

Disparities in who gets to see themselves love and be loved

24

The Resurgence of Blumarine

Spotlight on the ethereal designer, Peng tai

47

Your Guide to the Opera Glove

The return of the evening glove, and how to wear it this season

FEATURED

18 Adore

38 Flutter

MODA | 4 April Trend Report

FROM THE

Let in the Love

Dear readers,

We hear a lot of things about love: That it is everywhere; that it is everything; that it is dead; that it always prevails. We’re obsessed with love—even when we claim to despise it or to not be lieve in it. It’s wrapped up in our wild est dreams, daily exchanges and most daunting fears.

When I wrote my very first Letter From the Editor in September’s Flirt Issue, I shared that I had sworn off dating. I wasn’t having it and I wouldn’t have it. I wanted nothing to do with love. I was against it—so much so I couldn’t shut up about it. My mom would sit and lis ten to me go on, and on and on about how I simply would never get into it again. Our relationships with love are complex, ever-evolving and symbolic

of our current state and our potential as humans.

For the romantic within us, we can turn to Kora Quinn’s “How Jane Austen In vented Love.” Austen loved to love with such force that she wrote stories that rejected societal norms and cre ated storylines where women married for true love, not for money, status or security. We can’t help but feel the butterflies in our stomachs when we think about love like this.

Similarly, Nina Johnson’s “The Gold en Age of Rom Coms” reminds us of our favorite comfort movies and the storylines that birthed the hopeless romantic in many of us. Whether it’s “Pretty Woman,” “Sleepless in Seat tle” or “When Harry Met Sally,” these classics contribute to our cultural un

derstandings of romance and allow us, even if only for a little bit, to put on our rose-colored glasses. Yet main stream stories like these aren’t the only kinds of love or experiences out there. Sam Downey’s “Whose Love Story is it, Anyway?” discusses underrepresented love in the media and how certain indi viduals never get their fair or well-in tended cultural representation of love.

I am proud of this issue because it por trays the complexity of romance well— not just butterflies and rainbows but thought-provoking statements and raw emotions. Maya Greenberg’s “Fall ing Back in Love With Life After Grief” invites us in on her experience after losing her boyfriend to cancer. Loss is complex, confusing and unprecedent ed but Maya sheds light on the beauty in knowing and loving someone—and learning to love life even when they are no longer here.

After working with this issue, I was re minded of love and romance’s true po tency. The way these forces follow us around and creep into our lives with out us realizing it—even when we try to avoid it. The love-hater in me secretly enjoys this. How beautiful that some thing with such beautiful intentions can’t seem to leave us alone even when we push it away. How beautiful that we desire love, consume love and send our best wishes to those who find love. My relationship with these matters is still fluctuating. I am still figuring it out, but I am having fun with the silly thoughts of romance and I hope you are too.

This issue is for the love birds, the love-obsessed, the heartbroken, the grieving, the hopeless romantics and the literal hopelessness in us all. And this issue is for Moda’s own, Annika Ide, a lover of love, a muse of romance and the visionary behind bringing these emotions to the forefront of our minds this April.

I wish you all love and romance.

Warmly,

GABRIELLE GRONEWOLD EDITOR IN CHIEF

Balanced Beauty

SPOTLIGHT ON THE ETHEREAL DESIGNER, PENG TAI

Written by Ava McNarney, Fashion Staff Writer Graphic by Riya Shah, Contributing Graphic Artist

“Metal

is for sewing, water is for washing and fire is for dyeing,” said Parisbased designer Peng Tai.

The purpose of Peng Tai’s collections serves to balance the five natural Chi nese elements (earth, wood, metal, fire and water) with humankind. He has never left tradition out of his creative process, even after leaving his childhood home in Tai wan to design apparel in Paris.1

Peng Tai’s collections include mostly women’s dresses and some gen der-neutral pantsuits in various natural textures and tones. He doesn’t leave any part of his pro duction process to the imagination. Peng’s not afraid of verging into the unusual, sometimes tarnishing his pieces with rust, burns and dirt. These elemental ac cents enrich his designs with the kind of history that has grown rare in a world of fast fashion.

rics might remind you of the ancient Yellow River. Peng walks the walk in his appreciation of the natural world, mak ing each garment by hand alongside a team of 10 in his Paris atelier.

Peng’s journey to working in womens wear is just as unique as each of his pieces. Entering the world of fashion

Peng’s designs are touchingly romantic, drawing on his fairy-tale love story as inspiration. Distressed, gauzy layers in shades of pink and

While Peng’s romantic ideals may seem very different from the earthy core of his collection, his diverse in spirations are codependent. Love could not exist without Earth; life on Earth is nothing without love. Howev er, there’s an edgy gray area between the collection’s ethereal romanticism and realistic earthiness. Peng’s art gains an unmistakable hint of grunge by uniting these two forces.

reflect the delicacy of love.

No two of Peng’s pieces are the same.2 The artist applies his avant-garde elemental touch to all of his creations differently. On one linen trench coat, he delicately drew smudg es of dirt to give it a unique character. And for one of his daintier pieces, a mesh headpiece and robe, he covered it in artisanal burn marks. His collections are more than just clothing lines—they tell a story.

Understanding the meaning behind Peng’s collections adds to the mysti cal appeal. Each whimsical piece listed on his label’s website leaves the eyes hungry for more. Cascading waterfalls of silk and velvet bring shining Chinese mountains to mind. Twisted beige fab

¹ Pakke Tan, “The new vanguard: Peng Tai looks to traditional Asian heritage for inspiration for the future,” Vogue, Dec. 2, 2020.

² Debby Kwong, “Peng Tai Cretes Womenswear

With Traditional Chinese Philosophy,” Female, Sept. 19, 2021.

design with a master’s degree in mens wear, he always planned on working as a pattern cutter for a larger label. How ever, moving to Paris and meeting his wife, Isa Kwai, changed everything.

“That was the first time I wanted to make clothing for someone,” Peng said.

Now the manager of Peng’s atelier, Isa serves as a muse for his designs to this day.3

Peng’s designs are touchingly roman tic, drawing on his fairy-tale love story as inspiration. Distressed, gauzy layers in shades of pink and white reflect the delicacy of love. The designer often sneaks lacy or floral detailing in his flirtier garments.

³ Ibid.

The designer illustrates edginess with a range of rough materials and drooping silhouettes. In photos of Peng’s work, women adorned with loose choker necklaces and dark makeup gaze somberly into the camera. He balances every pose and prop in the spirit of his label. Each of his sea sonal showcases exhibit stability according to its designated element. In a particularly theatrical col lection, “Season IV Metal Project,” Peng counters images of models in frilly champagne dresses with a backdrop of raw dirt and ragged wire sculptures.

Delicately balancing each crucial aspect of his pro cess to create meaning, Peng is in a league of his own among small designers. His label is impres sive in its global reach—it’s currently stocked in 23 cities worldwide, a num ber that’s bound to increase.4

Our world needs environmentally aware labels like Peng Tai now more than ever. It’s a beautiful thing to ro manticize our Earth and support brands that do the same—remember this the next time you purchase cloth ing. Let Peng’s precious story inspire you to make even the smallest deci sions with love. The beauty of balance lies in the little things.

You can find Peng Tai on Instagram at @pengtaiofficial.

⁴ Ibid.

How Jane Austen

Invented Love

THE REFORMATION OF LOVE AND MARRIAGE THROUGH THE ROMANCE NOVEL

Written by Kora Quinn, Arts Editor Graphics by Alyssa Cohen, Contributing Graphic Artist

The institution of marriage has long been driven by political, financial and social motivations, with women as passive participants, perceived to only have a transactional purpose in life. Historically, women’s role from childhood on was to be passed from father to husband so as to produce children and then raise said children. Marrying for love and not material or social gain didn’t come about in the Western world for a long time, and even when it did, it wasn’t very popular.1 But in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, there was a pioneer of love who helped propel this modern notion into the mainstream: author and icon Jane Austen.

Jane Austen invented love. At least, she invented marrying for love, according to one of my English literature profes sors. In a class that spent the first unit exploring the duality of Austen when it came to her opinions and portrayals of marriage, the professor claimed, “It is because of Austen that marriage is the expression of personal sensibility, a manifestation of individual will, the ex ercise of free choice, and at the same time, a culturally significant event, an assumption of community and duty and a reaffirmation of the social order.”

While Austen didn’t invent nor write the first romance novel—that honor goes to Samuel Richardson’s “Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded”—today she is credited with making them popular.2 Prior to Austen’s debut in the 1800s, the romance genre was reflective of 1700s societal norms, in which women bore no value beyond ¹ Stephanie Coontz, “The Radical Idea Of Marry ing For Love,” The Sun Magazine, Sept. 2016. ² “Evolution of the Romance Novel,” Cristin Harber.

their husbands’ status.3 But when Aus ten began publishing anonymously, people knew her books were written by a woman, and she was able to earn a profit from them.4 From this point on the romance genre was dominated by female authors, who in turn altered previous trends established by male ro mance writers.

Through Austen, the classic definition and structure of the romance novel was established. The two core guidelines and current industry standards that make a romance plot are the devel opment of a romantic relationship be tween two or more characters and the culmination of this romance in a happy ending, or the “Happily Ever After.”5 Ev ery Austen protagonist gets their Hap pily Ever After, from Elinor and Edward in “Sense and Sensibility” to Fanny and Edmund in “Mansfield Park.”

Although Austen’s portrayal of love aged like a fine wine for 21st centu ry romantics, she was a woman living through the 18th and 19th centuries, and there is a glaringly obvious mark er: women in Austen’s world only find their Happily Ever After through mar riage. It’s confusing, knowing that Austen never married herself, yet she exclusively wrote marriage plots that implied settling down and entering motherhood was the pinnacle and fi nale of a woman’s experience.

Amanda Pagan, a children’s librarian, writes, “Although modern romance novels have expanded to include both authors and protagonists of different genders, races, sexualities, and abilities, historically, romance novels separate themselves from other genres by being primarily written by women, for wom en, and about women.” For this reason, many women find solace in a genre that exists almost entirely to capture their unique struggles and experiences accompanied by an emotionally satis fying conclusion—something that was hard to come by in the 1800s.

³ Ibid. ⁴ Ibid.

Sophie Gilbert, a writer for The Atlan tic, says, “No one did more to chal lenge the conventions and strictures of marriage for women in the 19th centu ry, while simultaneously enshrining it as the ultimate happy ending for her worthy, intelligent, and independent characters.”6 It all comes back to the duality of Jane Austen, a woman com pletely aware of what it meant to be a woman in the 18th and 19th centuries and wanted to challenge it in a round about and satirical way, yet somehow managed to romanticize the very insti tution she critiqued.

⁵ Amanda Pagan, “A Brief History of the Ro mance Novel,” New York Public Library, Feb. 15, 2019.

⁶ Sophie Gilbert, “Making Peace With Jane Aus ten’s Marriage Plots,” The Atlantic, July 20, 2017.

According to Gilbert, Austen chose to write marriage stories because, “Nar rative conventions in comedy require happy endings. Austen obeyed the rigid strictures of the marriage plot, but she also subversively forced her readers to see the awkward reality of marriage for women … She used the rituals of romantic comedy to expose what marriage really meant for women who had no other means of economic improvement, hoping that we’d see the injustice of it. She gave her heroines a kind of power and agency that she herself lacked.”

But the theme that threads all of these stories together and gives us the justi fication to claim that Jane Austen in vented love today is choice. Austen was the first person to convey marriage for women as a personal choice and not as a responsibility to anyone else.

A woman’s right to choose the path her life takes is exemplified no bet ter in any other Austen work than in “Pride and Prejudice.” In this sarcastic whirlwind of a story, Elizabeth Bennet refuses to marry only for comfort and security, evident when she denies both Mr. Collins’ and Mr. Darcy’s proposals (the first time, at least). Although this decision could have had dire conse quences, at the time, Austen’s portray al of choice—surprisingly supported by the men in her life—was revolutionary. For the first time, women could see in fiction a character who reflected all their real struggles with expectations and familial obligations and actually had a say in her future.

Yet Austen was fully aware that Eliza beth’s exercise of free will was a privi lege. She wanted Elizabeth to be per

Austen was the first person to convey marriage for women as a personal choice and not as a responsibility to anyone else.

ceived as headstrong, independent and spirited, but she was also fully aware of societal rules, how cruel and ridiculous the world of marriage could be and the risks it posed for women.

For this reason, Austen wrote the char acter of Charlotte, later Mrs. Collins, as a foil to Elizabeth. Charlotte doesn’t have Lizzy’s beauty and young age and therefore doesn’t have the power of choice and refusal in a 19th-centu ry society. She has to marry someone she doesn’t love, or even like, to ensure herself a secure future.

Austen was completely grounded in re ality, despite creating stories in which her female protagonists all get their Happily Ever Afters (with conveniently rich partners). She depicted the world with accuracy, yet still wanted to offer an alternate perspective on love and marriage through Lizzy’s story, until it eventually became the norm in the real world. Following the fame of her many timeless and beloved novels, pursuing love and not social or economic gain became the standard for modern ro mance. And in result, we can thank Jane Austen for her contributions in inventing love. ■

UNREQUITED LOVE, AS SUNG BY GROUNDBREAKING ARTISTS OF OUR GENERATION

Written by Jack Ives, Arts Staff Writer Photographed by Jessica Tenenbaum, Staff Graphic Artist

A (Hopeless) Romantic Playlist

Love

is everywhere. In our storylines, our daydreams, our friendships, our hobbies—and our music. Whether it’s “At Last” by Etta James, “Love Story” by Taylor Swift or the best Adele romantic tunes, our audio tracks our drenched in love. These songs help us put on our rosecolored glasses and see love in an idealized way—but this isn’t the only way love goes. Some of our strongest romantic emotions come with pain and sorrow when feelings of said love go unrequited. This experience requires a different kinda of playlist—one that allows us to feel love but grief its potential at the same time. Introducing “A (Hopeless) Romanatic Playlist” sporting the most iconic unrequited love songs of our era.

“TEARDROPS ON MY GUITAR”

- TAYLOR SWIFT

An artist who seems to have our whole generation in the palm of her hand, Taylor Swift knows exactly how to write a love song. Imagine any emo tion you’ve ever felt: chances are she’s written a song about it. While “Drew” may not have consciously rejected her, he’s clearly in love with another girl. So if you’re in love with someone but are too scared to tell them, grab some tis sues because Taylor’s been there too.

“LIABILITY”

- LORDE

What makes someone a “liability” lies in the eye of the beholder; what can

be agreed on, however, is that rela tionships can sometimes be a one-way street. Lorde reaches into the depths of her heart and relays her experience with unrequited love in this ballad. In doing so, she also reveals a newfound vulnerability. This tear-jerker softly fades out with a message of self-love, reminding us that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and not all is lost.

“HEATHER”

- CONAN GRAY

We’ve all had a “Heather” in our lives at some point. You love someone, but it’s evident that all of their love is going to someone else: this is your Heather. Conan’s experience is just one account of this heartbreaking, gut-wrenching jealousy we’ve all experienced. What makes Conan’s account so relatable is that the man he loved seemingly led him on. Sweater or no sweater, there’s no doubt this song deserves a spot on our playlist.

“GOOD DAYS”

- SZA

A refreshing bop in a soundtrack of gloom, SZA provides us with a more optimistic outlook. “Good Days” trans ports the listener into an efflorescent dream filled with optimism that good days are soon to come. As the song progresses, she learns that moving on from the one who doesn’t love her is the first step on the path toward heal ing. This timeless song never disap points and is sure to lift your spirits.

“CHASING PAVEMENTS”

- ADELE

Communicating her feelings through song has always been a strong suit for Adele, and this song is no exception. The development of her internal strug gle throughout the song is something many of us can relate to. Will things ever go anywhere, or is the relationship doomed to fail before it even begins? Whether you’ve given up entirely or are still chasing uncertainty, this song provides an outlet for those feelings to be explored, earning its rightful spot in the mix.

“ENOUGH FOR YOU”

- OLIVIA RODRIGO

In the wake of the massively successful song “Driver’s License,” Olivia Rodrigo spilled her heart out in this hard-hitting ballad. She writes of how she learned the hard way that sometimes, noth ing will ever be good enough for the one you love. She tried a multitude of things to make him love her. She wore makeup, memorized his favorite songs and even read his self-help books to try and earn his love. Written on her bedroom floor, the final track in this playlist is a heavy reminder of the pain that comes with unrequited love.

■

Fresh Twists on

Spring Classics

MODA'S APRIL TREND REPORT

Written by Emily Fleming, PR & Outreach Director Graphics by Alexa Kantor, Staff Graphic Artist

Florals for Spring? Groundbreaking. While floral prints are synonymous with the season, there are many pieces to choose from that offer a fresh take on spring fashion. Many garments highlighted here have been a staple in womens wear since the 1800s or earlier, but present a modern spin on even the most classical of styles. Especially with the rise in popularity of Regency-era aesthetics due to series like “Bridgerton,” high-fashion designers are drawing inspiration from years past and consumers are following suit. I have been particularly inclined to explore prints and patterns beyond typical florals—whether that be 3D embellishments, Toile De Jouy patterned pieces or opportunities for DIY renditions. See below for my top picks for a romantic and inspiring spring wardrobe.

1

Floral Crop Top

ZIMMERMANN - $695

A contemporary take on florals, Zimmermann offers a crop top made of linen and silk that features 3D floral embellishments of various colors. The spaghetti straps are lined with delicate floral cutouts, making for an intriguing and feminine state ment piece. This top can be worn with Zimmermann’s matching midi skirt, light denim bottoms or a simple white skirt. While this top is on the pricier side, it serves as an aspi rational piece that can inspire DIY iterations or shopping sprees for a similar aesthetic. Etsy offers many handmade pieces with 3D embellishments and detailing that are sure to make your look stand out.

Puff Sleeve Dress

SELKIE, $389

The female-owned start up brand, Selkie, is the embodiment of all things romance. With many of their designs akin to the costumes of “Bridg erton,” this dress specifically was inspired by the famous “curtain style gowns” of Marie Antoinette. With exaggerated puffy sleeves, ruffle trim, ribbons and more, this dress is the epitome of indulgence and the perfect piece to be paired with pearls and a pair of strappy heels. Think picnic in a park in Naples or strolling down the streets of Par is; this look is sure to dazzle those around you and bring a bit of ro mance into your wardrobe.

Pearl Necklace

PETIT MOMENTS, $35

There is something so inher ently romantic about pearls, whether in a necklace or a pair of earrings. Petit Moments offers a freshwater pearl necklace with a pink heart pendant and gold accents. Try wearing this piece with a low-cut or strapless dress, allowing eyes to be drawn upwards to the necklace. For a unique and handmade option, check out Sarah Troy Designs, owned by our very own talented Moda alum. Cap sule six, specifically, is called “Aph rodite,” and the blue and white floral beads used in this collection perfectly encapsulate the romantic aesthetic.

White Nap Dress

HILL HOUSE, $125 Nap dresses are de fined as dresses that incorporate features such as “heavy smocking, exaggerated puff sleeves and typically a long, slightly pleated skirt.” Inspired by house dresses, a style that has been in existence since the 1800s and originated from Victorian gowns, nap dresses have had a moment after being popularized by the brand Hill House. Many brands have also jumped on the bandwagon, creating their own it erations of the classical, flowy and feminine style of dress. The best part of this style is its versatility— it can be worn during weekdays to work and transitioned to the weekend for a romantic date or activities with friends. Try pairing this dress with simple espadrilles and a pink purse to add a pop of color. Perhaps even add a ribbon to your hair to tie in that last dain ty detail.

Lingerie Set

FOR LOVE AND LEMONS, $89

High-quality lingerie sets are often an investment that come at a steep price, and For Love and Lemons has designs that are worth the splurge. With sets ranging from light pink to baby blue to a mix of multicolored patterns, these looks are bound to leave you feeling flirty. Wearing lingerie is a choice often mistaken as an act for others, when it can truly be about loving how you look for yourself. You may also opt to wear this bra under a sheer white top or an off-the-shoulder sil houette, with the lace peeking out for a covertly seductive look. For other options that are as affordable as they are cute, check out Aerie or Parade.

Toile De Jouy Corset

ETSY, $52

The iconic Toile De Jouy pattern has become almost synonymous with Dior, as it was heavily featured in the Fall 2019 swim collection, Dio riviera. Yet this print extends beyond Dior, with its effortlessly stylish pattern consisting of blue-and-white or pink-and-white detailed depictions of horse-drawn carriages, hot air balloons and more. The drawings are often so in tricate it looks as if it was drawn directly on the fabric in ink. The nostalgic print originated in a town outside of Paris in the 1700s, and now has over “30,000 iterations of the pattern” in existence. For an affordable and modern twist on the classical print, try the sustainably made corset from Nature’s Grace Studio Co on Etsy.

Mini Dress

BARDOT, $179

A simpler alternative to the Selkie puff sleeve dress, Bardot offers a beautiful and flattering pastel pink mini dress with statement sleeves and a built-in cor set. For the perfect daytime look, try pairing this with neutral flat sandals and a white or pink purse to match. In addition, I love a pink and red color combination year-round, and pairing this dress with a red purse could make for a sexy and sweet look. For more floral dress options, check out Holly Shulman’s piece, modamadison.com/ latest/shopping-for-spring-dresses.

Heeled Sandals

JEFFREY CAMPBELL, $180 Neutral sandals are a sta ple for warmer Spring days, and Jeffrey Campbell offers unique, colorful twists on the clas sic daytime heel. Try this sage green suede pair with acrylic bauble heel detailing. These heels can be paired with just about anything from light wash jeans and a simple t-shirt to a flowy dress. For other similar styles, check out Dolce Vita or Schutz, with both brands having multiple offerings of strappy heels, sandals and espa drilles under $150.

Reading Romance

FALL BACK IN LOVE WITH READING

Modeled by Annika Ide, Art Director

Written by Mason Braasch, Lifestyle Editor

Photographed by Luc Marchessault, Staff Photographer

Styled by Ella Cunz, Fashion Team Member

Videography by Ethan Risch, Staff Videographer

Ifyou asked me what I was reading this time last year, the answer would have consisted of an autobiography with a clever, punny title and a photo of the author smiling on the cover. I would have followed my answer with “I love autobiographies, they’re the only books I read!”

I loved to read autobiographies be cause they felt important. Reading about a president’s childhood or a movie star’s college experience made me feel like I was gaining something extra rather than simply reading madeup stories for fun. I also liked the way that others reacted when I mentioned that my current read was an autobiog raphy—I was validated by the fact that the books I was reading were respect ed and made me seem intelligent.

However, it came to a certain point where I grew tired of reading exclu sively about the challenges and les sons that others faced throughout their lives. The books that I once “read for fun” felt more and more like an as signment, and I lost motivation to read altogether. It wasn’t until this winter, when I bought my first romance nov el, that I realized reading wasn’t the problem—the books that I was read ing were.

In my autobiography phase, I scoffed at romance novels; “what were they contributing?” I would ask myself as I saw others enjoying the genre. I felt that if I wasn’t learning how to over come struggle or reading about the ways that successful people created a life for themselves, the book wasn’t worth my time. In my experience, a lot of people are the same way; they are dismissive of romance novels and have no problem sharing that opinion. However, as I dove into the beautifully written pages of the brightly covered book that obviously hinted at the ro mantic content inside, I realized that for years, my approach to reading had been wrong.

Reading is an influential and interest ing hobby. It allows us to take control of our own knowledge and expand our understanding of important topics. However, reading can also be just for fun. It doesn’t need to contribute to anything other than your own person al joy if you don’t want it to. Romance novels allow readers a joy that is indi vidual to them and provides an escape from busy schedules, deadlines and other stressors. There’s no reason that there should be any shame surround ing the types of books that you read for pleasure.

Romance novels aren’t for everyone— and neither are autobiographies—but in order to truly “read for fun,” you have to find what you like and embrace it. The ridicule and belittlement of ro mance novels held me back from them for years. Now that I have discovered that they bring me joy, it makes me sad thinking about all of the books I could have read if I had let myself browse through the romance section at Barnes & Noble.

Reading is an individualized activity, and what you read should reflect what brings you joy. Reading for fun should be exactly as it sounds—fun. Whatev er you love, allow yourself to get lost within a book that makes you happy, without any thought to how you may be perceived by others.

MASON’S RECOMMENDATIONS

• “Writers and Lovers” by Lily King

• “The Idiot” by Elif Bautman

• “Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller

• “The Viscount Who Loved Me” by ```Julia Quinn

• “City of Girls” by Elizabeth Gilbert ■

The Golden Age of Rom-Coms

WHAT THEY TAUGHT GENERATIONS, AND WHAT THEY DIDN'T

Written by Nina Johnson, Arts Editorial Assistant Graphic by Jessica Tenenbaum, Staff Graphic Artist

IfJane Austen’s writing invented love, the romantic comedy film industry showed us the feelings that come with it. Anxious excitement, wholesome and intoxicating crushes, heartbreak, romance: it all comes with tricky emotions that we entrust to beloved film characters—ideally ones as hopeful but as confused as us.1

“Notting Hill.” “Pretty Woman.” “The Holiday.” “Bridget Jones’s Diary.” “When Harry Met Sally.” Sound famil iar? It has grown increasingly clear that a sweet spot came out of the beloved romance genre of film over the years, stretching from the late 1980s into the early 2000s, that now contains the flicks that we keep coming back to.2 But, why?

There are some quick answers to this question: They offer an escape be cause they remind us of youth, second chances and true love. Rom-coms are quick to be dismissed as a non-legit imate genre, demoted to the realms of female hysteria, hobbyism or “less serious” endeavors.3 They’re rarely included in prestigious film awards, perhaps due to their simplicity. A “sim plicity” that I argue requires a certain ¹ Arabelle Sicardi, “Why Do We Love Teen RomComs so Much?” Elle, Nov. 29, 2021.

² Ibid.

³ Alex Vitti, “The Tepid Relationship between Romantic Comedies and the Oscars,” Film School Rejects, Mar. 14, 2021.

intelligence, peace and understanding to grapple with, where lessons on love and a life well lived are often found in the quiet relationships between char acters. Or, the lessons within many of these worthwhile and well-worn mov ies are not meant to be earned after an individual’s endured pain or trauma, because good is deserved anyway.

So what’s up with the bulk of new love media feeling like a cheap imitation? Even if we don’t know exactly what a new film is referencing, they sit with us like satire. When rom-coms started coming out 20 to 30 years ago, they were loved for their magical original ity, but the past 15 years have proved rather stagnant. It’s not a comfortable nostalgia, but a tacky one.

Media analysts have worked to provide reasons for the change. Unsurprisingly, fingers point to the economics of Holly wood.4 “Tentpole pictures,” the term for explosive and widely palatable movie franchises, replaced the romance genre, along with many others. These new money-making, drawn-out productions could better be turned into events out side of the theater, thus facilitating un precedented profit margins for studios, producers and networks.5

⁴ Andrew Romano, “The Romantic Comedy Is Dead,” The Daily Beast, July 12, 2017. ⁵ Ibid.

Yet, we elect to continue to revere our old favorites.

The intelligence behind simple plea sures is represented well in rom-coms, which is the basis of their appeal. Plots consist of dialogue, dreamy, well-lit spaces and the desire for simplicity. It’s natural to associate the word “hyg ge,” Danish for the quality of coziness that makes a person feel content and comfortable, with the settings of these rom-com classics.6

Think: “You’ve Got Mail.” Who would I be without seeing Kathleen read her fa vorite books, make her bed, enjoy the sun, smile out the window, stroll leisure ly around New York and stumble upon love in the midst of it all?7 She found love unknowingly—inadvertently—while she was enjoying the life that she’d made for herself. While a life of ease comes with privilege, it was more than the simplicity to be admired for Kath leen—she had love to give because of her ability to be grateful for the smallest things that made her happy.

This is not to say that a partner falls into one’s lap only when life is perfect. Quite the contrary: Kathleen’s bad days were still bad days, and her life was no

⁶ “Hygge Definition & Meaning,” Merriam-Web ster, accessed April 2022.

⁷ Nora Ephron, George Fenton, Nick Meyers, & Jeff Atmajian, “You’ve Got Mail,” USA, 1998.

where near “perfect.” The comfort of this story and those similar to it have many bases, one being that those that belong to the rom-com genre bests often have an intoxicating, meditative quality to them. The characters are flawed, just like us, but seek and find peace and mindfulness in the every day—something not always touched on in other genres. It’s admirable and grounding. These films, some reaching their 30th birthdays, give us keys to leading a life with love, without stop ping to consider if a partner’s neces sary for that (short answer—it’s not).

Whatever bittersweet lanes these films take us down, there’s still reason to push for a carefully constructed re vamp within the genre. In the rom-com classics, heterosexual relationships

and predominantly white casts are the unfortunate standards. One devoted rom-com fan and Vice Editor denoted the experience of being queer in the 2020s and having a complicated rela tionship with these movies. The gender binary and the idea of eternal monog amy can feel distant, like “peering into a parallel universe occupied by people who are adhering to a set of rules you can’t fully grasp.”8

Much of life is in the minute particu lars—in the small, precious moments of being in love with, as well as the challenges of, the complexity of life. Grand adventures consume our ideas of the future and are at times how we measure our past, but it’s most notably the small things that end up consum ⁸ “The Bittersweet Experience of Being a Queer Fan of Rom Coms,” VICE, Aug. 13, 2019.

ing most of our moments. Partners, heartbreaks, grandparents, neighbors, professors and our sacred time alone all make up our daily perception of the life we’re living. And, try as we might, we only have one version of our life to live. So, sometimes, watching a familiar face on the screen helps remind us that life is beautiful.

Making compromises between past loves and present beliefs is a compli cated game to play. For this reason, it’s comforting to trust that new clas sics will one day replace the old ones as their antiquity continues to surface. Newer and critically-acclaimed releas es such as “The Big Sick,” “The Worst Person in the World” and the series “Modern Love” prove that media about love and the 21st century can coexist.

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Adore

Directed by Jane Houseal, Acting Fashion Director and Acting Fashion Editor, Emily Fleming, PR & Outreach Director and Gabrielle Gronewold, Editor in Chief

Assisted by Ella Cunz, Robyn Marie George, Erin Galiato, Fashion Staff Members and Holly Schulman, Contributing Fashion Member

Photographed by Luc Marchessault, Staff Photographer, Seth Degier, Assistant Photography Director and Abby Cima, Staff Photographer

Makeup by Syndey David, Staff Makeup Artist

Modeled by Kennedy Fitzgerald

Special thanks to the Wisconsin Masonic Center

301 Wisconsin Ave. Madison, WI 53703 • wisconsinmasoniccenter.org

The historic Wisconsin Masonic Center, located in the heart of Madison, has 6 rent able spaces on multiple floors that are perfect for events like wedding ceremo nies, graduation parties, performances, fashion shows and more. They also have onsite catering, onsite parking, Wi-Fi, experienced event staff, and more. Guests will enjoy the unique style of their grand foyer, large theatre, and art deco style decor throughout the building. For more information, contact Valerie HofmaierEvent Coordinator & Marketing Manager: vhofmaier@wisconsinmasoniccenter.org - 608.256.5734 Mon. - Fri. 9am-5pm Sat. - Sun. By Appt. @madisonmasoniccenter

Dit

comes to love? Some experts believe so, and their reasoning revolves around pheromones.

A pheromone is a chemical produced by animals excreted through sweat and saliva.1 Their purpose is to send signals in hopes of attracting a mate. When received by a potential suitor, pheromones can stimulate arousal, desire, lust and even fertility.2 It’s no surprise then that people have looked toward pheromones as the answer in the quest for love.

While scientists are unsure if humans have these exact chemicals, we do have odor-producing glands that have the capacity to attract suitors.3

A study done in 2018 examined the odors of 28 healthy women with nat ural menstrual cycles at reproduc tive age. Researchers measured their natural body odors at peak fertility and asked 57 men to rank the women based on their attraction to the smells. The men in the study had no knowl edge of their appearances. Results showed that women with higher levels of the oestradiol hormone were ranked greater on the attraction scale than those with lower levels.4

Oestradiol, also known as estradiol, is an essential hormone in the female re productive system, especially when it comes to fertility in women. Because oestradiol reflects a woman’s repro ductive abilities, high oestradiol lev els are a trait that many men subcon sciously react to. In result, researchers

¹ Yvett Brazier, “What are pheromones and do humans have them,” Medical News Today, Feb. 16, 2018.

² Rachel Videa Maclynn, “Pheromones and Attraction: The Real Sixth Sense,” Vida, accessed April 2022.

³ Ibid.

⁴ Lobmaier, Fischbacher, Wirthmuller & Knoch, “The Scent of Attractiveness,” The Royal Society, accessed April 2022.

The Magic Potion of Love

ARE PHEROMONES THE MAGIC ANSWER TO FINDING LOVE?

Written by Abby Cattapan, Acting Lifestyle Editor Illustrated by Filip Jawdosiuk, Contributing Graphic Artist

concurred that scent does play a role in attraction for men because it acts as a sign of reproductive fitness.5

Pamela Dalton, a cognitive psycholo gist at Monell Chemical Senses Center, studies scent and sexual arousal more in-depth. Dalton points out that while scent does play a role in attraction for men, women tend to pick up on chem ical signals more often.

“The idea that females have to be more selective about mating means that they would probably be paying more attention to not only what they can see and what they hear from the com mon, but what they’re smelling or what they’re perceiving in terms of chemical communication6,” Dalton says.

For women and people who can bear children, sex posseses greater conse quences. While men experience 30 sec onds of bliss during orgasm, sex could lead to nine months of bodily discom fort and pain if a child is conceieved. This imbalance of risk explains why nature gifted women or child-bearing individuals with a stronger ability to sniff out worthy mates.7 Women gen erally possess much stronger olfactory receptors, which are responsible for scent, and men’s body odors tend to be more poignant.8

Even though humans possess their own scents for finding partners, peo ple have developed “pheromone per fumes” in hopes to replicate the way that animals attract mates. Similarly to animals, pheromone perfumes are sup posed to stimulate sexual attraction for the people who smell you.9

⁵ Ibid.

⁶ Ibid.

⁷ Ibid.

⁸ Jesse Bering, “Armpit Psychology: The Science of Body Odor Perception,” Scientific American, May 13, 2019.

⁹ Ibid.

According to Kerry Hughs, an ethno botanist and clinical herbalist in private practice, the ingredients in pheromone perfume include chemical compounds found in the bodies and sweat glands of animals.10

It’s possible that these pheromone perfumes, which have re cently risen in popularity after becom ing trendy on TikTok, contain artificial animal musk from animals such as bea ver, pigs and deer.11

Dalton is skeptical of these supposed love perfumes, sharing, “I don’t think there is a scent that is going to be uni versally [attractive].” She adds, “We can never find something that is uni versally attractive for anyone.”12

According to Dalton, the placebo ef fect may play a role in the success of these perfumes. “If I give you a bottle that says, ‘this is going to enhance your attractiveness to people,’ it’s going to change the way you present yourself,” she says. “You’re going to feel more self-confident, maybe more outgoing. Your whole personality could change [and]—as a consequence—make you more attractive.”13

Rather than focusing your time—and money—on how you want others to perceive you, search out a perfume that appeals to your senses. Whether it’s a Bath and Body Works spray you bought at the mall, the designer per fume you dreamt of owning or your own natural scent, find what smells good to you and wear it confidently. In this, you may just find the confidence to be all the magic you need. ■

10 Ibid.

11 Ibid.

12 Ibid.

13 Ibid.

The Resurgence of Blumarine

THE ICONIC Y2K BRAND IS BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER

Written by Jane Houseal, Acting Fashion Editor and Acting Fashion Director Graphic by Nina Backer, Contributing Graphic Artist

Flirty

mini dresses, hues of pink and dainty butterfly motifs ran the fashion world at the turn of the century. One brand in particular, Blumarine, was ruling the runway and celebrity fashion during this era. Everyone from Paris Hilton to Britney Spears flaunted Blumarine pieces.1 Through the ‘90s and into the early ‘00s, there was no brand that did sexy-but-sweet better.

However, Blumarine began to fade as styles changed. The brand continued to create collections, yet their recogni tion diminished and their garments did little to impress. That is, until now.

The new creative director of Bluma rine, Nicola Brognano, was appoint ed near the end of 2019.2 Brognano brought the brand back to their roots by fusing Y2K inspiration with a mod ern twist. This resulted in stunning col lections that feel sophisticated yet fun.

“My Blumarine is more dirty, bitchy, sexier,” Brogano said.3

The new collections do not hold the same romanticized, dainty aesthetics that Blumarine initially built its identi ty on. Rather, the new pieces are bold and flirtatious. Broganao has trans formed Blumarine and allowed them to establish themselves as the latest cool-girl brand.

The Fall 2021 Ready-to-Wear col lection featured low-rise mini skirts, chunky belts with butterfly buckles and colorful fur-trim cardigans. Many of the looks were completed with satin newsboy caps, an unexpect ed yet now on trend accessory. The Y2K influence was clear and a variety of modern trends were combined to inspire funky, surprisingly refreshing

¹ Liana Satenstein, “The New Blumarine Collec tion Is My Perfect, Kitschy ‘00s Fantasy,” Vogue, Feb. 25, 2021.

² Tiziana Cardini, “Blumarine Pre-Fall 2022,” Vogue Runway, Jan. 20, 2022.

³ Tiziana Cardin, “Blumarine Fall 2021 Ready-toWear Collection,” Vogue Runway, Feb. 25, 2021.

outfits. Flouncy slip dresses, bedaz zled accessories and 3-D floral em bellishments also helped to give the show a feminie edge.4

Celebrities, nostalgics and new fans alike have all celebrated and admired Blumarine’s comeback. Kendall Jen ner wore a patterned beaded Bluma rine set to her Christmas celebration in 2020, and has continued to profess her love for the brand’s recent work.5

2022 collection.7 Less than a month later, she posted a series of insta gram pictures wearing a head-to-toe Blumarine look including figure-hug ging cargos, a matching cardigan and fluffy shoulder bag.8

Brogano’s work for Blumarine is noth ing short of impressive. The glamorous looks, cohesive identity and cult-like following is sure to secure the brand’s place in the spotlight moving forward.

Blumarine’s Pre-Fall 2022 Ready-toWear collection was another show that truly packed a punch. Models walked the runway in layered pink and red monochrome outfits. They wore tight low-slung cargo pants, extravagant faux-fur and hyper-feminie ruffled dresses and tops.6 Despite the flam boyant details of the collection, it still had a polished, cohesive look. This col lection is sure to cement Blumarine as a fan favorite for many.

One of Blumarine’s biggest fans is singer Dua Lipa. Lipa has donned Bo rango’s work on several occasions, as it aligns perfectly with her nos talgic style. On “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Lipa wore a black chiffon halter dress from the pre-Fall

⁴ iBid.

⁵ “Kendall Jenner Wore Blumarine Celebrating Christmas Eve 2020,” Fashion Sizzle, Dec. 28, 2020.

⁶ Ibid.

Brogano has flawlessly meshed Bluma rine's classic motifs, such as the but terfly, with current trends and innova tive new designs.

Take inspiration from Blumarine by in corporating unique Y2K trends and un expected clothing combinations into your closet. Try styling colorful cargos with a bedazzled belt and ruffled slip top. Or, pull out your frilliest mini dress and pair it with a fur trimmed cardigan and newsboy cap.

Y2K trends are sure to last for a bit longer, and Brogano’s creativity is cer tain to carry Blumarine to success. Be sure to look out for this brand as they continue to create new pieces and col laborations, supplying you the best style inspiration.

■

⁷ Carolyn Twersky, “Dua Lip Can’t Stop Wearing This ‘90s Inspired Brand,” W Magazine, Feb. 4, 2022.

⁸ Ibid

Through the ‘90s and into the early ‘00s, there was no brand that did sexy-but-sweet better.

When Butterflies Disappear

YOU’VE REACHED THE END OF THE “HONEYMOON PHASE”…NOW WHAT?

Written by Tessa Devine, Lifestyle Staff Writer Illustrated by Quinn Ruzicka, Staff Graphic Artist

Beginnings

of relationships are beautiful; late-night phone calls and first-date jitters are absolutely addicting. Your “special someone” quickly starts to take up space in your mind, and before you know it, you’re swept off your feet, caught in a whirlwind of fiery passion.

This well-known (and well-loved) “honeymoon phase” typically occurs in the beginning stages of a relation ship when everything is exciting and new.1 It seems as if the sun shines brighter because, at that moment, it feels like you’ve hit the jackpot: Every thing is easy.

But as all highs go up, they must even tually come down.

Once that “honeymoon” feeling starts to fade—usually a few months to a year into the relationship—new feelings may start to surface.2 Dates and conversa

¹ Alyson Krueger, “What Is the Honeymoon Phase and How Long Does It Last?” Brides, Feb. 2, 2021.

² Carleigh Ferrente, “This is How Long the Honey moon Phase Actually Lasts in Relationships,” The

tions with your partner might not feel as exciting anymore. You may care a little less about your appearance when you’re around them. You may even find feelings of boredom or irritation start to arise.3 It’s very common for people to ask themselves at this point: “Is it bad that it doesn’t feel the same as it did before?”

This is a normal transition in most re lationships. The good news is that the end of the honeymoon phase can result in a deeper, more mature connection. The relationship may not be as exciting and new, but the opportunity to grow a deeper bond has the potential to be much more fulfilling in the long run.4

This change in pace can be a worri some transition nevertheless. So, the question remains … Now what? How

Everygirl, Sept. 15, 2021.

³ Suzannah Weiss, “8 Signs You & Your Partner Are Officially Out Of The Honeymoon Phase,” Bustle, Jan. 12, 2022

⁴ “The Honeymoon Phase: Why Does It End and What Happens Next?” Relationship Counseling Center of Austin, Aug. 4, 2017.

can you deal with these doubts and ac curately decide if you’ve fallen out of love or fallen out of infatuation? Here are some things you can try that might give you more clarity:

Have a conversation with your partner Talking openly with your partner about expectations of the relationship and general future goals can not only alle viate doubts and fears but can make you feel closer to your partner as well. These conversations are also good checkpoints to reflect on how the rela tionship has been and where you want the relationship to go. The more time you spend having honest conversa tions with your partner, the more likely you are to see them in a new light and gauge your honest compatibility for the future.

DON’T FEAR SPACE

You know what they say: “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Often during the honeymoon phase, couples become attached at the hip, soaking

in every possible second together. However, just because you and your partner don’t text all day or you hav en’t seen each other as often as you used to doesn’t mean the relationship is doomed. Space is really important in relationships as it allows both peo ple to develop independently outside of the relationship.5 If you notice more space than there used to be, don’t fear it and don’t fight it. Instead, embrace the alone time and use it as a way to grow as an individual.

PRIORITIZE TIME TOGETHER

This may sound contradictory to the advice above, but if you’ve ever reached this point in a relationship, you’ll know that it’s easy to fall into a routine. You might go on fewer dates and stop trying new things with your partner simply because life gets in the way. It helps to plan fun activities a few days in advance to rekindle the spark.6

Make an effort to continue to date your partner, and be present with each oth er during the times when you are to gether. You’ll be reminded of why you fell in love in the first place.

SHIFT SOME OF YOUR FOCUS ON OTHER RELATIONSHIPS IN YOUR LIFE

Remember that your partner is just one person in your circle. They should add to your life, not be the only thing that brings you joy. Gaining some perspec tive by spending time with friends or family might keep you from stressing too much about any changes in your romantic relationship.

Reaching the end of the honeymoon phase often feels like a fork in the road. You have to decide for yourself if growing alongside the relationship and your partner is worth it, or if you’d be happier on your own.

A loss of butterflies can mean you’re feeling more comfortable and more se cure. The relationship is probably nev er going to feel the exact same way it did during those first few dates—and that’s okay. Although the honeymoon phase of your relationship is over, there are even sweeter moments to come. ■

⁵ Sandy Smith, “Forget sex, the secret to a long-lasting relationship is space,” The Sydney Morning Herald, Nov. 6, 2012.

⁶ Dianne Grande, “Date Night: Not a Luxury, a Necessity,” Psychology Today, March 30, 2017.

High Tea

HOW THE BEVERAGE SPARKED A SURGE IN FEMALE POWER AND FEMINISM

Written by Lily Mihelich, Contributing Writer Photographed by Jami Balicki, Staff Photographer and Emma Spaciel, Contributing Photographer Creative Direction by Ally McNeive, Cassidy Chemer, Creative Staff Members and Tracy Pham, Cre ative Contributor

Videography by Elizabeth Kallies, Staff Videographer Makeup by Riley August, Makeup Director and Staff Graphic Artist Modeled by Amal Inuwa and Aimee Maasch

Whenone thinks of tea parties today, one might picture the ballgowns and the elaborate dining of “Alice in Wonderland” or Marie Antoinette’s pretentious garden parties, distinguishable by powdered wigs and rococo gowns. Tea’s influence on politics, economics and gender norms might be an afterthought today, but behind the opulence of fine china and raised pinkies lies rich feminist history.

Long before it became commonplace to see the product lining shelves at Trader Joe’s or Target, the historical taxations on tea made the drink acces sible primarily only to lavish and elite classes of the United Kingdom. Much of tea’s significance in this early pop ularization period in Western Europe can be attributed to powerful women such as Catherine of Braganza. Cather ine was the queen of England married to Charles II in 1662, who popularized the beverage by suggesting the com bination of tea and pastries to satisfy her hunger between lunch and dinner, which was becoming later and later due to industrialization.1 Anna Maria Russell, the Duchess of Bedford to Queen Victoria, further legitimized its role in royal settings by drinking tea at royal events and in court settings, making the practice chic.2

In a society that otherwise centered women’s lives around male power structures, tea drinking became a way to establish a daily tradition designat ed for women. Relishing in elegant clothing developed into a form of cul tural enrichment and exploration as elite women’s opulent lifestyles and admired garments appealed the pub lic. The fashion of women morphed in tandem with the freeing nature of tea parties; corsets became looser, fabric loosened and comfort became a pri ority. The course of womanhood di verged from male expectations in both lifestyle and clothing.3

¹ UK Tea and Infusions, “The History of Tea,” UK Tea & Infusions Association, accessed April 2022.

² Tasha Marks, “The tea-rific history of Victorian afternoon tea,” The British Museum, 2016.

³ Ibid.

Tea time was not simply for the roy al, though. The drink soon became a shared phenomenon among a range of social classes, spreading through male coffee houses that prohibited female entry in the mid-1600s.4 These restric tions excluded women from the cru cial business-oriented conversations and debates that occurred at the meal houses. Instead, women were subject to judgment and risqué presumptions if they were unattended by men in these social settings.

It’s hard to imagine being ridiculed for dining without a male escort, but this was the reality for centuries. The excruciating sense of ownership wom en faced made tea rooms desirable because they were female-oriented.5 Coverture laws, which stated that women were legally bound to their husbands in terms of property and earnings, were prominent until the mid 19th century.6 Rather than dining in settings with the possibility of ostra cization without male company, wom en found comfort in curating their own parties to dine with. They explored alluring fashion without being sexu alized, traveled to the homes of their peers, creatively decorated spaces and talked politics—liberated from patriar chal shackles.7

Tea rooms were spaces for import ant political discussion on topics like women’s rights, taxation and race. Ex amples of significant female forces in the tea sphere include Penelope Bark er, a leader in the all-female Edenton Tea party in 1773, which opposed Brit ain’s Tea Act and encouraged boycotts against the British in colonial America. Oura Kei, a Japanese businesswom an, became the pioneer of Japanese tea sales in the late 19th century, rep resenting female-run tea sales on a

⁴ UK Tea and Infusions, “The History of Tea,” UK Tea & Infusions Association, accessed April 2022.

⁵ “The Rise of the American Tea Room: Serving Women’s Rights with a Cup of Tea,“ Destination Tea, Sept. 21, 2016.

⁶ President and Fellows of Harvard College, “Women and the Law,” Harvard Business School, 2010.

⁷ Cara Strickland, “The Top-Secret Feminist Histo ry of Tea Rooms,” JSTOR Daily, March 6, 2019.

global scale.8 The NAACP Women’s Auxiliary held its gatherings at Afri can American-run tea rooms through out the 20th century. Still, not every one had a seat at the table—early tea rooms in America often perpetrated segregation, and African American tea rooms and their connection to wom en’s rights are often underrepresented in history. Despite this, community tea rooms thrived due to their political in vitations and delectable goods.9

Women prospered in tea houses, not only in defiance of male standards but because ownership gave women entrepreneurial power.10 Female shop owners hired female staff members and began showcasing appliances such as plate ware, dining sets, finger foods and entertainment—introduc ing several new means of income. For example, women without husbands found independent economic suc cess through running these tea hous es. Women’s strong roles in the food industry grew amid the Temperance acts and Prohibition movements that intended to minimize the consumption of alcohol. On the contrary, much of the alcohol industry turned toward the relaxed, discussion-oriented nature of tea houses.11

Tea helped women gain a seat at the table politically, economically and so cially. It yielded an opportunity to relish in elegant freedom and explore cultur al change. Tea parties are proof that when women gather, we can reform social narratives—and do it in fashion. ■

⁸ Peter Keen, “Off the Record: The Women Inno vators of Tea,” Tea Journey, Sept. 10, 2017.

⁹ Jan Whitaker, “African American Tea Rooms,” Restaurant-ing Through History, Feb. 2, 2011.

10 “The Rise of the American Tea Room: Serving Women’s Rights with a Cup of Tea,“ Destination Tea, Sept. 21, 2016

11 Cara Strickland, “The Top-Secret Feminist Histo ry of Tea Rooms,” JSTOR Daily, March 6, 2019.

Falling Back in Love With Life After Grief

AN OPEN LETTER

Written by Maya Greenberg, New Members Director Graphic by Nicole Glesinger, Contributing Graphic Artist

To the reader,

To begin this piece, I have to disclaim something very im portant to you. Although I will be writ ing to you about my experiences of falling back in love with life after loss, in no way do I claim to be an expert on the matter. I have found myself thrown into a whirlwind of grief at 21 years of age, and I can consider myself noth ing more than an experiencer of that which has happened to me—just an other person trying to figure it all out.

In the spring of 2020, I met Sam. We were both in our hometown of Wau watosa at the time; him for treatment and me due to Covid kicking me out of my dorm. I knew from the very begin ning that Sam had Leukemia, but the seriousness of it was never something that deterred me. Sam was more full of life than any person I have ever met. As a reader, you are at a disadvantage when it comes to Sam because there are truly no words that I could write which can properly encompass who he was as a human. He was annoying ly perfect at everything he attempted. He was charming, funny, strong, warm and passionate about so many things; from architecture to cooking to his pet

cats. More than anything, he was my best friend.

When Sam passed away in January, my life was altered forever. Grief is an all-consuming emotion, but it is also so much more multifaceted than peo ple tend to describe it as. It isn’t just sadness; it’s regret, anger, ache and remorse. It’s losing a piece of you and trying to keep yourself together while the world moves on around you. And, eventually, you have to try to move on with the rest of the world.

It quickly becomes unsustainable to live life by simply going through the motions. It would be untruthful to all of you to say that I do not still experi ence many of these passive days—far more than I care to admit. However, over the past few months, I have been trying my best to fall back in love with the world around me. It’s hard to try to focus on the happy things when it all just feels like a distraction from a cruel reality, but in one of my last conversa tions with Sam, he had me promise him that I wouldn’t let anything in life stop me. I intend to keep my word to him.

While I do not believe that everything happens for a reason, I do believe that

you can take something good from any situation. From Sam, I choose to take love. I find myself admiring nature more than I did before. I work harder now for my dreams than I ever had in the past. I tell my family and friends that I love them with more frequency. I live every day with more love in my heart than I had before.

One of the things in life that makes it easy to love is the reminder that I carry Sam with me no matter where I go. So, today, I choose to do my absolute best to love life. I choose to do more than go through the motions. I choose to continue to love intensely, even though I know loss. I choose to be full of life, the way Sam always was.

Although I can’t give any universal ad vice on dealing with grief, I urge every one, whether they hold sadness in their hearts or not, to take a minute each day and fall in love with the world around them. Appreciate nature, tell your peo ple you love them and, as I learned from Kurt Vonnegut, “please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, ‘If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.’”1

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¹ Kurt Vonnegut, “A Man Without a Country,” Seven Stories Press, 2005.

Romance or Showmance?

WHEN CELEBRITY COUPLES BECOME PR STUNTS

Written by Jessica Katz, Online Editor Graphic by Emma Gray, Arts Curator

Nowadays,

teams and agencies will do anything to promote their stars. Public Relations (PR) relationships or “showmances” are less about love and more about fame. It makes sense, strategically speaking, for the rich and famous to date other rich and famous people.

Showmances benefit celebrities in earning money, fame and recognition, and they work in many different sce narios: two actors may play love inter ests in an upcoming, highly anticipat ed film, a celebrity may be launching a brand or the two exist to distract from other public drama.

There’s also a history of stars engaging in bearding showmances, or relation ships meant to conceal one’s sexuali ty, and maintain desirability within the industry and to the public.1 Think of constant co-stars Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, a power couple in the Golden Age of Hollywood—the two never married and conducted same-sex affairs throughout the entirety of their ¹ Grace Medford, “Why Celebrities Fake Relation ships to Help Their Careers,” VICE, 2016.

relationship, and the public never had a clue. Nonetheless, this type of PR ar rangement has become less frequent as attitudes toward LBGTQ relationships have become more accepted.

When it comes to promotion or brand ing, two celebrities work better than one; not only do their appearances to gether spark attention, but the event leads to a rush of headlines question ing the authenticity of these duos. Here are some of the most famed showmances from recent years.

SHAWN MENDES AND CAMILA CABELLO

Shawn Mendes and Camilla Cabello met in 2014 and quickly formed their friendship.2 A year later, the duo col laborated on a hit single, “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” This is around the time Mendes appeared to be dat ing Hailey Baldwin, although the rela tionship lasted a maximum of five min utes before Justin Bieber swooped in and married her. Many were skeptical

² Andrea Taylor, “Romance or Showmance? Hollywood’s Rumored PR Relationships,” Celeb Magazine, 2020.

of this duo, left to believe this strange situation was just a PR relationship. Soon after Mendes and Baldwin split, he and Cabello increased their flirt factor, gushing over each other in in terviews and on social media. In June 2019, they released their second col laboration, “Senorita.” By July, Cabello joined Mendes on tour where the two were spotted on numerous occasions holding hands and kissing.3

Was it just a coincidence that the two began dating only weeks after the re lease of their single and at the begin ning of Mendes’ big tour? Probably not. What gave it away was the multi tude of public declarations of love and paparazzi shots of major PDA.

When the pandemic began, the couple were quarantined together, which left us with daily paparazzi photos of the two taking walks together, and looking very much over their “relationship.”4 Throughout their supposed romance, many noted that the singers seemed more like friends who were really bad at acting … and really bad at kissing.

³ Ibid.

⁴ Ibid.

HARRY STYLES AND TAYLOR SWIFT

Haylor: Harry Styles and Taylor Swift. Queen and king of pop. The couple that nearly broke the internet and many fans’ hearts.

Styles and Swift were first linked when paparazzi spotted them in identi cal paper airplane necklaces in Nov. 2012.5 The rumors of their relationship seemed to be confirmed when they met up for a very public stroll in Central Park a month later. With the recent re leases of Swift’s “Red” and One Direc tion’s “Take Me Home,” as well as One Direction’s upcoming show at Madison Square Garden, the timing of this new romance seemed very suspicious.

This is when things began to heat up. The two broke up while vacationing to gether in the British Virgin Islands, just days after sharing a passionate New Year’s kiss in New York. This situation was a win-win for both parties, giving Swift lots of material for her next al bum, sparking more attention on One Direction, and keeping their names in the headlines for months to come.6

Although we will never really know the truth behind this relationship, fans got two Swift songs out of it, includ ing the infamous “Style.” Four years after their breakup (or the end of their contract), Styles shared in an inter view with Rolling Stone that dating Swift was difficult due to all of the at tention. He continued to praise Swift while declining to spill any details about their time together.7

JAKE PAUL AND TANA MONGEAU

Influencers have taken showmances to a whole new level, promoting these relationships in crazier, more confus ing ways. The prime example of such is none other than Jake Paul and Tana Mongeau-—two of the most controver sial internet celebrities.

The duo made a flurry of headlines in 2019 when they started dating, got en gaged and married all within the same

Ibid.

Ibid.

Ibid.

year.8 They took millions of fans on the journey of their relationship and even tual wedding. Capturing their relation ship on camera worked in their favor, as they both gained hundreds of thou sands of subscribers from the ordeal.9

Many questioned whether Paul and Mongeau were faking their entire re lationship for publicity, including the two themselves. After their break up in 2020, the two seemed to be friends, until Paul made a TikTok referring to Mongeau as a “sloth” when talking about the “L’s” he’s taken in his career.

Shortly after, Mongeau revealed in an interview that although the ro mance was for “clout,” she had feel ings for Paul and was devastated by the breakup. She said, “What hurts me even more is it’s like, okay you can look at it as clout playing, you can say I played my part and he played his part. But also who was there every night when he was crying? Who was there over his family? Who was there

⁸ Georgina Smith, “Tana Mongeau explains how Jake Paul relationship pushed her to therapy,” Dexerto, 2021.

⁹ Lindsay Dodgson, “Timeline of Jake Paul and Tana Mongeau’s Relationship,” Insider, 2020.

every single day, every scandal, who was sitting there?”10

HOW TO SPOT A PR RELATIONSHIP

We love love, and we love when onscreen romances fall in love while working together. Nonetheless, offscreen their publicists are working a little harder. Here are four questions to ask yourself when questioning wheth er your favorite celebrity couple is a romance or a showmance:11

1. Do they have a song, album or mov ie coming out or one that was just re leased? (Extra points if they collabo rated on it.)

2. Are there constant quotes from var ious “insiders” or “sources” who spill details about the relationship to the media?

3. Are either people trying to divert attention from a recent scandal or some bad press? (Think of the Kar dashian-Jenners with this one.

4. Are there endless paparazzi shots of the two on dates, holding hands and engaging in PDA?

■

10 Ibid.

11 Ibid.

Cute, Sexy, Romantic: The Stories Fat Characters Deserve

THE DAMAGE THAT MISREPRESENTATION OF FAT LOVE INFLICTS

Written by Emma Goshin, Culture Staff Writer Graphic by Emily Han, Contributing Graphic Artist

Thebody positivity, and body acceptance, movements have grown tremendously over the last several years thanks to the speedy spread of information and ideas that social media provides. Every day, creators on apps such as Instagram and TikTok bring to light the persistent social habit of monitoring, scrutinizing and surveilling our bodies, accompanied by feelings of societal pressure to literally alter and adjust our bodies to fit narrow, and often unrealistic, body expectations.1

Standards of “attractiveness” have shifted over time, although it is a sub jective term. In the past, the concept of attractiveness was divorced from weight, but today, the words are synon ymous. Despite this, social media has been the arbiter of the body positiv ity and acceptance movements—and other forms of media need to catch up. “Fat” has had a historically nega tive connotation, commonly framed as an insult.2 “Fat” is not a bad thing, and it is not something to be ashamed of. For characters in television and mov ies who are considered fat, there is so much focus on attempting to lose weight, boxing them into one-dimen sional roles and often serving as come dic relief. Creators in the film and TV industry aren’t viewing fat characters as people but as plot devices.

¹ Olivia Seaman, “How Tiktok’s Body Positivity Movement Overshadows Body Shaming,” The Torch, Dec. 14, 2021.

² Ashley Austrew, “When Did “Fat” Become An Insult,” Dictionary.com, May 1, 2019.

The beloved ‘90s show “Friends” ex emplifies this idea with its depiction of Monica’s past self, “Fat Monica.”3 Only appearing in a few episodes, Fat Monica was made out to be tragic, ex isting purely for comedic relief. In one present-day scene, Monica and Rachel argue over a guy they knew in high school. Monica argues she should go on a date with him because “The fat girl inside of me really wants to go. I . . . I owe her this. I never let her eat.”4 Af terward, the laugh track plays and the episode goes on, but the remaining im pression on its audience is frightening. By including this line, “Friends” pushes the idea that getting “revenge” by los ing a ton of weight is a way to appear desirable to men.

Since then, the representation of fat love in TV and movies has increased. Yet even when fat love is represented, it’s often in outside avenues, or the re lationships are not taken seriously.

“Pitch Perfect,” for example, is an iconic trilogy that 2000s kids love to rewatch for its depiction of the college expe rience. It centers around the Barden Bellas, an all-female acapella group at Barden University known for being an old-timey and tired act before they make a comeback as modern, catchy, award-winning stars.5 “Fat Amy” (are ³ Emma Specter, “25 Years Later, Friends’ Fat Monica Still Hurts My Feelings,” Vogue, May 27, 2021.

⁴ “Friends,” season 4, episode 2, “The One with The Cat,” NBC, Oct. 2, 1997.

⁵ Jason Moore, “Pitch Perfect,” United States: Universal Pictures, 2012.

we sensing a pattern here?) is an ex ample of a curvier character serving as comedic relief. When she falls in love with Bumper, their relationship takes off as an amusing side-plot. In the sec ond movie specifically, Fat Amy real izes she has feelings for Bumper and decides to confess by serenading him in a boat she paddles across a lake. As “We Belong” is performed, the two come together in a hilarious scene that ends in a makeout.

This example speaks to the type of relationship that the producers and directors of “Pitch Perfect” believe fat women are capable of having, as is the case with so many TV and film creators. While we can appreciate that “Pitch Perfect” weaves love into a fat character’s story, it is no coincidence that the only relationship portrayed in a comedic way is Fat Amy’s.

Another weight-centric issue plaguing the film and TV industry is when rela tionships between fat characters fo cus largely on losing weight. This is the case with “Mike & Molly,” a show about a couple who found love at an Overeat ers Anonymous meeting. The CBC Fall 2010 TV schedule release states, “For Mike and Molly, thanks to their mutu al love of pie and the desire to resist it, finding each other may have been worth the ‘weight.’”6 The entire basis of their relationship is on cutting “extra” pounds instead of just being a show about a couple who happens to be fat.

⁶ “New CBS fall comedy deals with battle fat vs. thin,” Balance of Food, May 21, 2010.

Though losing weight can be a personal goal, making it the primary plot device of a show sends the message that fat people can only find and maintain a re lationship if they are actively striving to change their appearance to conform to unrealistic beauty standards.

In another realm of entertainment with an equally problematic treatment of fat actors and characters lies reality TV, which has long been a pinnacle of pop culture. Often, reality shows cen ter around finding love and relation ships. Think “The Bachelor,” “90-day Fiancé,” “Married at First Sight” and many more. “Too Hot To Handle” is a relatively new reality show that follows a group of 10 hot singles living in a luxurious villa with one rule: no sexu al contact. The aim of the show is to form meaningful connections, and ev ery time the contestants commit a sex ual act, money is subtracted from the $100,000 prize fund.7

Yet through each of its three seasons, the “Too Hot To Handle” producers have rounded up the thinnest and most conventionally attractive indi ⁷ Molli Mitchell, “Meet Netflix’s ‘Too Hot to Han dle’ Season 3 Cast - Here’s How to Find Them on Social Media,” Newsweek, Jan. 18, 2022.

viduals to compete for prize money, speaking volumes about the extreme lack of representation of different body types in reality TV. How can the entire object of the show be to devel op emotional connections beyond a physical attraction, yet completely ne glect bodies of different shapes and sizes? This show sends the message that being “too hot to handle” means you’re stick-thin, and that fat people can’t be sexy or desirable.

Even so, some shows have become the force behind a new movement of prop er representation of real bodies and avoid the tropes that the aforemen tioned examples were riddled with. For a realistic depiction of fat love, look to shows like “Orange Is the New Black,” an incredible representation of body positivity in which characters’ complex stories dive into themes of activism, poverty, reproductive justice, sex, love and betrayal instead of centering on “fixing” their bodies.8

There are so many different figures out there who have the power to make change happen. Portraying fat love in the media in a positive, and realistic, ⁸ Mariana Viera, “10 Body Positive Shows to Watch,” TeenVogue, Sept. 5, 2018.

light starts with the people creating TV shows and movies: casting direc tors, writers, producers and directors. With the amount of power they hold, creators can completely change the way we represent bodies on TV. Fat ac tors cannot be blamed for taking roles that wrongly portray fat love when it’s often the only option. Attention needs to be pulled away from a character’s body size and instead put towards their actual character traits. Ultimately, the blame is on the show makers for improperly representing such a large community of people who have fought for proper depiction in the media for too long.

The negative portrayal of fat charac ters and fat couples sends the detri mental message that fat people are one-dimensional, defined by their phy sique. It is far past time to change this narrative. So, dear creators: Show us fat people getting the cute, sexy, ro mantic stories they deserve! ■

FINDING CATHARSIS IN COMMON THEMES OF HEARTBREAK

Writing and graphic by Arella Warren, Deputy Editor

Humanshave suffered from heartbreak as long as our hearts have beaten. Finding love, then losing it, is one of the oldest stories in the book—and one of the most common stories explored throughout the arts.

When we talk about romantic love, we often talk about “the fall.” This is an in teresting figure of speech since we use it to refer to both the start and the end. Falling in love, then falling out of it: ei ther slowly or all at once, reciprocated or not. It almost presupposes risk. To fall in love is a double-edged sword: it’s enticing and erotic, but it also conveys urgency and unpredictability.

Haitian-American poet and publisher Pierre Jaunty explores this concept in one of his musings: “‘How did we fall out of love?’ she asked. ‘The same way ashes are made,’ I replied. ‘We never fed our flames.’”1 The simplicity of this verse captures the tragic nature of fall ing into a state of infatuation, which is all honey and roses while it’s happen ing, but the plunge into romantic titil late is never enough on its own to sus tain something real.

To be in love; devoted; supported; trusted; that’s real. It’s also bitter sweet—because even when we find it, there is still the possibility of fallout.

Commonly, the aftermath begins with shock. Relationships are consistently rated as the greatest joys of life, with endings and breakups ranked as the most painful life events alongside the passing of a loved one.2 Even under am icable terms, breakups may come with feelings of emotional loss and empti ness. And under harsh circumstances, heartbreak can hit with waves of hope lessness, a desire for vengeance, spells of depression and deep-rooted notions of rejection and betrayal.

The words of Japanese author and businesswoman Mineko Iwasaki reso nate loudly with this notion: “Stab the body and it heals but injure the heart and the wound lasts a lifetime.”3 Iwa

¹ Jonathan Blair, “The only direction you can coast is down,” Blair Psychology, Feb. 7, 2021.

² Florence Williams, “Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey,” Norton & Co, Feb. 1, 2022.

³ Mineko Iwasaki, A-Z Quotes, accessed April

saki speaks for those who have lived through it. She reminds us that while the pain of a broken heart is unique to each individual, the devastation it may incur is not unusual, inappropriate or over reactionary—it is valid.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is the for mal name for Broken Heart Syndrome, describing the diagnosis for the se

American novelist Toni Morrison em braces the repercussions in her decla ration, “Don’t ever think I fell for you, or fell over you. I didn’t fall in love, I rose in it.”8 Morrison turns against the victim mentality of “the fall” and in stead reminds us that to love is both a treasure and a choice. Love will always be vulnerable. When we can change our narrative and acknowledge that

And at the end of the day, the human desire to continue loving prevails.

verely wounded heart, which can phys ically bend and warp just as we experi ence severe emotional pain.4

Somali British writer Warsan Shire is another who shares this pain in her re flection, “Loving you was like going to war; I never came back the same.”5 It is true, we might never be the same af ter living through heartbreak—but art ists and authors share that this doesn’t have to be something we regret. In the same excerpt, titled “34 Excuses For Why We Failed at Love,” Shire ends with the realization, “I belong deeply to myself.”6 Sometimes, these failures in love can bring us closer to our own hearts and selves, and open our eyes to greater possibilities.

Once we are able to recognize we are safe and move past the initial feelings of shock, hopelessness or vengeance, we can begin to mourn. Effectively moving through the stages takes time and a willingness to intentionally grieve our losses.7 It is through this mourning that we learn to live again.

2022.

⁴ Suzanne Degges-White, “Dying of a Broken Heart?” Psychology Today, Oct. 27, 2017.

⁵ Christina’s Words, “‘34 Excuses For Why We Failed at Love,’ by Warsan Shire,” Words for the Year, Oct. 19, 2016.

⁶ Ibid.

⁷ Chamin Ajjan, “7 Steps to Heal a Broken Heart,” Psychology Today, Feb. 10, 2019.

we choose that vulnerability, knowing it may end in heartbreak or lack of re ciprocation, we can find that agency Morrison speaks of and empower our selves to be resilient in our emotions.

And at the end of the day, the human desire to continue loving prevails. It is Irish playwright Oscar Wilde who said “The heart was made to be broken.”9 Accepting the unstable, whirlwind na ture of life, Wilde reminds us that love is worth opening ourselves up to heart break. Let us honor love for what it is: something fragile, yet incomparable. Trusting the uncertainty is worth the pleasure of engaging with deeper con nections, even if that time is fleeting.

The sorrow of our losses, be it roman tic, platonic or familial, may seem un bearable. Yet herein also lies beauty: We can look to these great works of mourning to soothe our own souls and find a place of mutual comfort and be longing among the brokenhearted. It is often in this pain of ending we find the power to birth new appreciation for what was and what now has the possi bility to become.

■

Toni Morisson, A-Z Quotes, accessed April 2022.

Oscar Wilde, Quotepark, accessed April 2022.

Directed by Sam Starks, Creative Director and Hannah Bruder, Assistant Creative Director Assisted by Cassidy Chemer, Cole Lewis, Ally McNeive, Lindsee Kaufman and Ella McCue, Creative Staffers

Photographed by Molly Jacobs and Jami Balicki, Staff Photographers Videography by Yejin Kim, Staff Videographer Makeup by Nicole Escobia, Staff Makeup Artist

Modeled by Hannah Thurau and Rojaan Koupaei-Abyazani

ARIES

Cards Pulled: Page of Cups, Eight of Wands and Hierophant

Aries, it is time to follow your instincts. You have been stagnant for way too long and scared to make a move to ward what you’ve wanted. It is time to change things. Do not be afraid to ap proach life with the childlike curiosity you possess. Not only do you have an abundance of potential waiting to be released this month, but you also have the wisdom to responsibly search for the truth you have been seeking.

Special Push: “Energy flows where my intention goes.”

BRINGING LOVE THIS

AN APRIL HOROSCOPE: ZODIAC AND TAROT EDITION

Written by Mi Chuinda Levy, Lifestyle Staff Writer Graphics by Mac Gale, Staff Graphic Artist

For this month’s Horoscope, I pulled a four-card tarot spread can be shuffled, randomly selected and interpreted to provide meaning (when the card is upside down). When paired with more prevalent.

The decks that I used for these readings were The Fountain Tarot and basis for the reading. The Universe Has Your Back was used and quoted guidance or perspective the person should take into account.

For each reading, the general question addressed is, “How can this tain Tarot until three cards came out. After those cards were selected, card. Lastly, I cleansed the decks of any past zodiac’s energy before

TAURUS

Cards Pulled: Five of Wands, Judg ment and King of Cup Taurus, do not get further entangled in the chaos of your past. Reconciling with past connections (familial, platon ic, romantic, etc.) does not necessari ly mean you need to give that person another chance to be in your life. In stead, it can be an opportunity for you to move boldly away from a toxic situ ation while maintaining your kindness and compassion. Begin your new jour ney by taking initiative and creating your own path in life! Above all, protect your peace and follow your instincts.

Special Push: “When I am in alignment with the love of the universe, peace cannot be disrupted.”

GEMINI

Cards Pulled: Eight of Coins, The Em press and The Sun Gemini, water your own garden. You have the ability to create abundance and lushness that will only happen if you allow yourself to commit to growth and submit to learning. Not every movement you make must be noticed by others. Sometimes, your largest moves might appear insignifi cant to others—and that is okay. Stand confidently in your decisions and use the duality of your personality to find liberation for yourself.

Special Push: “I do whatever it takes to get closer to consciousness.”

CANCER

Cards Pulled: The Tower

Cancer, things and people are only giv en importance in your life when you dedicate time and energy to them. Deep down, you know there are as pects in your life that are no longer serving you in a beneficial way. Cutting out what no longer serves you might be painful, but chances are, you have seen this coming for a while. Do not be apologetic with this ending; end it with confidence and know that a new and more balanced future awaits you.

Special Push: “I am unapologetic about what I desire and trust that what I focus on will grow.”

BRINGING IN MORE THIS SEASON

EDITION

for each zodiac sign. Standard tarot decks consist of 78 cards that provide answers and advice. Each card has its own upright and reversed with other cards, certain meanings and themes can be observed as

and The Universe Has Your Back. The Fountain Tarot was used as a quoted to give each zodiac a special push or a last piece of advice,

zodiac sign bring more love into their life?” I shuffled the The Foun selected, I used The Universe Has Your Back to select one oracle (advice) before continuing onto the next reading.

LEO

Cards Pulled: Two of Wands, The Lov ers and Four of Wands

Leo, great satisfaction is ahead of you. You are often faced with choices, and sometimes you take too long to re spond. Do not miss out on valuable opportunities because they aren’t the most convenient or easy option. Say ing “yes” can open a world of possibili ties. The world is in your hands as long as you recognize that you are not the center of it or above everyone else in it.

Special Push: “I surrender to a power greater than me.”

Cards Pulled: Queen of Wands, The Magician and Queen of Swords

Virgo, show more of your soft side this month. You are powerful and graceful, yet guarded. Lowering your guard to love will allow your inner charisma to truly shine. You might find it rewarding to watch other people learn and grow, but do not neglect yourself. Do not be afraid to materialize what you want into reality. You have the mentality and tools to succeed.

Special Push: “At any moment, I can surrender to the powerful presence of love through prayer, contemplation and stillness.”

Cards Pulled: Five of Coins, Knight of Coins and The Emperor

Libra, dare to live away from the main stream. Finding structure from the cha os of the world will do wonders for your success. When you are able to retreat into a place of calm and quiet, you be come more self-aware, more intentional in what you invest your energy into and a better advocate for yourself.

Special Push: “The more energy and intention I bring to my faith, the more fearless and free I am.”

Cards Pulled: Eight of Wands, The Hermit and Strength

Scorpio, tame your fire. You are a pas sionate firecracker but it is time to nim bly handle situations in your life. You have the ability to withdraw into your self without getting lost in your shad ows. Such powers allow you to uncov er what you truly want and find out what peace means to you. Let go of the grudges and fixed views you have held onto. Reassess your situation and re-prioritize yourself.

Special Push: “The moment I embrace my inner peace and surrender to the outcome is the moment that the uni verse can truly get to work.”

CAPRICORN

Cards Pulled: Ace of Wands, The Star and Knight of Swords

Capricorn, seize the opportunity to take this time to heal. You move with great boldness and rapid action in your daily life. You enjoy challenges, and by using your passion and intellect to solve them, you can find new, lively en ergy. You are often one to take calcu lated risks, and this is one you should take. Understand that healing will be uncharted territory, but remember that you will be guided by the Universe even when you feel uneasy or like your strong exterior is faltering.

Special Push: “When I lean on certain ty and faith I change my mind about the world I see.”

SAGITTARIUS

Cards Pulled: Knight of Cups, Three of Cups and King of Coins

Sagittarius, bring back your sponta neity. You were once a deeply pas sionate person, often mistaken as im mature or impulsive. Consequently, you have morphed into someone who values tradition over innovation and would rather stick with practicality. This month is the perfect time for you to reignite the passion and idealism that once brought you fulfillment and unexpected joy.

Special Push: “When I focus on my in ner light I see the world through the lens of love.”

AQUARIUS

Cards Pulled: Nine of Coins, Queen of wands and Justice

Aquarius, enjoy your success. You have accomplished many things, but you have not taken the time to enjoy and reflect on them. You can be such a compassionate being to others, yet you neglect yourself. This month, it is only fair that you treat yourself with the same warmth and generosity you treat others with. Trust that doing so is not selfish or misguided; it is finding a much-needed balance.

Special Push: “In every moment the universe is conspiring to bring me to ward right-minded thinking and the energy of love.”

PISCES

Cards Pulled: Ten of Cups, Nine of Cups and The High Priestess Pisces, share your happiness. You are typically very private and secretive be cause you are hyper-concerned about how others will perceive your joy and how it will affect them. Sharing joy for the harmony and well-earned abun dance you have cultivated in your life is not taboo. Welcome others to em brace the abundance in their life by in viting them to sit at your table.

Special Push: “Hope is the conduit for miracles.”

■

YOUR GUIDE TO THE

OPERA GLOVE

THE RETURN OF THE EVENING GLOVE, AND HOW TO WEAR IT THIS SEASON

Written by Manon Bushong, Fashion Editor

Photographed by Anna Janke, Staff Photographer, and Manon Bushong, Fashion Editor

Modeled by Yutong Mu

OldHollywood glamor has proven itself as a timeless source of fashion inspiration. This, in coherence with the fact that an era of post-Covid isolation has pushed us toward a tendency to overdress and gravitate toward maximalism, has served as the perfect combination for the latest “it” accessory: opera gloves.

Opera gloves, or evening gloves, have been an institution in women’s fashion for centuries. Gloves once represented wealth and class, serving to keep their wearer’s hands soft and delicate. Long gloves also existed as a key accessory to pair with short sleeve dresses, cov ering skin and maintaining a sense of modesty during a time when this was heavily valued.1

The most iconic reign of the opera glove was in the mid 20th century, as Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe paved their way as the faces of the highly influential Hollywood Glamor era. Coordinating a dress with gloves that went past one’s elbow became a classic look of this period.

Although there is less societal pres sure for women to conceal their arms in 2022, we are seeing an exciting re surgence of dramatic gloves in the fashion sphere. Evening gloves have been highly characteristic of this sea

¹ Hannah Militano, “Fashion’s Enduring Love for the Glove,” L’Officiel, 2021.

son’s award show looks. At the Gram mys, Olivia Rodrigo sported a black Vivienne Westwood corset dress with a pair of matching gloves that almost touched her shoulders. She wasn’t alone in flaunting this iconic accesso ry at the event, as Dua Lipa, Saweet ie, Billie Porter and Allison Russel also arrived at the 2022 Grammys wearing opera gloves.2

While opera gloves have undoubtedly been a red carpet staple this year, they are not exclusive to black-tie events. We encourage this accessory for any day when you simply want to reap the psychological benefits of dressing, well, “extra.” NastyGal currently has a pair of faux leather gloves on sale, an accessory that would pair perfectly with a black tank top and leather pants for the most extravagantly cool “going out” look.3 Cult Gaia, ASOS and Sav age X Fenty also offer different variet ies of elbow-length gloves to add a sul try and glamorous twist to any outfit.

Next time you feel yourself in the mood to upgrade your look, give the opera glove a try. Whether you color coordinate this Hollywood Glamor-in spired accessory with your outfit or pick a clashing pattern to create a maximalist look, the evening glove is sure to make you feel cool and sophis ticated this spring. ■

² Kelsey Garcia, “Opera Gloves are the Accessory of Choice at the 2022 Grammys,” Popsugar, 2022.

APRIL 2022 ³ Nadia Erbahim, “12 Opera Gloves that Exude Main Character Energy,” Refinery29, 2022.

Whose Love Story is it, Anyway?

DISPARITIES IN WHO GETS TO SEE THEMSELVES LOVE AND BE LOVED

Written by Sam Downey, Arts Staff Writer

Photographed by Seth DeGier, Assistant Photography Director and Claudia Chan, Contributing Photographer

Creative Direction by Cole Lewis, Lindsee Kaufman and Ella McCue, Creative Staff Members

Makeup by Nicole Escobia, Staff Makeup Artist

Videography by Madelyn Vilker, Videography Director

Modeled by Kim Huete and Jola Quadri

Formany people, what makes the romance genre so attractive is the possibility of it all—the daydreams and somedays and that-could-be-mes. But what about the possibilities that rarely get shown?

I love a love story as much as the next person, but one has to admit that the love stories available in media only represent a small fraction of people’s actual experiences. Love stories that feature queer, disabled and non-white characters are still underrepresented, though progress is slowly being made.

According to GLAAD’s Where We Are on TV 2021-2022 report, there has been a record high of queer charac ters on primetime broadcast this year, with 11.9% of series regulars belonging to the LGBTQ+ community.1 Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, comments that significant changes have been tracked over the 17 editions of this report: the first edition counted only 12 queer series regular characters; this year’s edition counted 637 in total.2

Some might view this improvement as purely profit-driven. After all, GLAAD’s report also highlights how queer audi ences are more likely to be on social media and drive buzz for TV shows.3

However, the motivation behind the boardroom decisions matters much less than the joy and hope in queer kids’ hearts the first time they see themselves represented onscreen. Ob

¹ “Where We Are on TV,” GLAAD, 2021.

² Ibid.

³ Ibid.

viously, queer characters are more than their romances, just as queer people are more than our relationships. However, being historically underrepresented, love-story-wise, the growing number of gay romance arcs serves to normalize and celebrate the queer community.

Similarly, while an argument could be made that placing women in “love in terest” roles devalues them, it must be taken into account that, for women of color, there have not been the same plethora of stories that feature them as beloved princesses and love interests— on the contrary, they are often pigeon holed into the role of the strong, invul nerable badass.4 This kind of portrayal may be revolutionary for white women, but for women of color and specifically for Black women, being automatically assigned “manly” attributes doesn’t disrupt stereotypes, it reinforces them. Characters like Candice Patton’s Iris West and Zendaya’s MJ, both of whom are loved and valued by their partners, are vitally important.

Stereotypes can also play out when one considers the forms of love that are represented. Almost every romantic relationship on TV is monogamous, for example. The alternative, by the way, isn’t a cheating storyline—there’s more than enough of those—but a depiction of healthy, communicative polyamory.

Occasionally, polyamory will make a brief, comedic appearance in sitcoms, almost always framed as exotic and strange.5 Worse, it will fall into the “depraved bisexual” trope, in which bisexual characters’ inability to con fine themselves to one partner feeds into their villainous and/or degener ate qualities.6 Think Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, or any character from a Mirrorverse episode of “Deep Space Nine.” Needless to say, such depictions often come from a place of moral sen sationalism and reinforce negative ste reotypes about polyamory, bisexuality and queerness more generally.

⁴ Clara Mae, “Why It Matters When Women of Color Play Love Interests,” Nerds of Color, 2016.

⁵ Alex Mell-Taylor, “Pop Culture Seems To Think Polyamory Is Just About Sex,” Medium, 2021.

⁶ Ibid.

Another relationship structure that rarely sees the spotlight is asexual re lationships. While many asexual peo ple desire neither sex nor romance, some still experience romantic attrac tion and enjoy the non-sexual aspects of romantic relationships.7 These re lationships are woefully underrepre sented: the GLAAD report found only two asexual characters out of the 637 LGBTQ+ characters counted.8

That’s not to say asexual representa tion doesn’t exist at all. The first “sin cere” asexual character appeared in 2007 on a New Zealand soap opera, and since then there have been asex ual characters on shows from “Game of Thrones” to “BoJack Horseman.”9 However, there is a tendency to con fer asexuality onto characters who are figuratively or literally alien: different enough to not be sexually desirable by normative standards and thus stripped of their own potential sexual desire.10

A little bit of representation goes a long way; it always has. But in the age of constant content production, not to mention the endless contact between fans and creators via social media to hold studios accountable, I don’t think it’s too much to ask that this repre sentation be as diverse as audiences themselves. The only thing wrong with having a strong, badass Black female character is her automatic represen tation of all Black women in the ab sence of any others being featured in the show. The same goes for an os traicized asexual character or even a depraved, polyamorous bisexual. The problem with characters that reinforce stereotypes is that, for now, they’re almost all we have. By considering a wider range of love stories and rela tionship structures, media can more authentically present daydream-mate rial to all audiences. ■

⁷ “About Asexuality,” asexuality.org, 2022. ⁸ “Where We Are on TV,” GLAAD, 2021.

⁹ Sara Ghaleb, “Asexuality is still hugely misun derstood - TV is slowly changing that,” Vox, 2018.

10 Sennkestra, “Aliens and Asexuality: Media Rep resentation, Queerness, and Asexual Visibility by Sarah E.S. Sinwell,” Next Step Cake, 2015.

THE LINGUISTICS OF LOVE

THE POWER OF THE ROMANCE LANGUAGES

Written by Sarah Kirsch, Culture Staff Writer Graphics by Riley August, Makeup Director and Staff Graphic Artist

Howmany languages can you say “I love you” in? Ti amo, Je t’aime, Eu te amo, Te amo and Te iubesc are everyday ways to express adoration for someone across cultures.1 These phrases all have one thing in common—they belong to the Romance languages and IndoEuropean language family.2 While Latin is no longer spoken, it has influenced hundreds of languages, including some of the most popular ones in the world.3

The word “romance” originates from the Latin word “romanicus,” mean ing “of the Roman Style.”4 As Latin spread throughout the Roman Empire, two forms were established: Classical Latin and Vulgar Latin. Classical Latin was primarily spoken by an elite group consisting of philosophers, poets and officials. Vulgar Latin, or Common Lat in, was used by regular civilians and was adopted after the downfall of the Empire. From Vulgar Latin evolved the myriad of Romance languages, the five most common being Spanish, Portu guese, French, Italian and Romanian.5

¹ “Top 10 Most Romantic Languages to say ‘I Love You,’” eTranslation Services, Feb. 12, 2021.

² Marius Sala, “Romance Languages,” Britannica, July 26, 2021.

³ “Is Latin a Dead Language? Let’s Explore Why?”

The Language Doctors, Jan. 4, 2021.

⁴ Marius Sala, “Romance Languages,” Britannica, July 26, 2021.

⁵ “What Are The Romance Languages? - Top 5 Languages,” The Language Doctors, Feb. 12, 2021.

SPANISH

As the most spoken Ibero-Romanian language,6 Spanish is understood by a lot of the world’s population—over 7% to be exact, or roughly 580 mil lion people.7 Spanish developed af ter Latin-speaking Romans arrived at the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe, but most of its words come from Greek and Arabic.8 It is primarily spoken in Spain, Central America and South America but is also the official language of 22 countries.9

PORTUGUESE

Sharing many similarities with Spanish, Portuguese also developed in the Ibe rian Peninsula. There are two primary dialects within the language: that from the Iberian Peninsula and that from Brazil. When Islamic Moors conquered Portugal and Spain in the 8th century, the Arabic language they spoke further influenced Portuguese; many words of Arabic origin are still part of the lan guage today.10 Although Portuguese is mainly spoken in Portugal and Bra zil, it is popular around the world with over 200 million speakers,11 making it the second most spoken Romance lan guage.12

⁶ Ibid.

⁷ “Spanish in the World,” Language Magazine, Nov. 18, 2019.

⁸ “Romance Languages: History of Languages that Derive from Latin,” MI Translations, Oct. 16, 2019.

⁹ “Romance Branch Structure & Dialects,” Must Go, accessed April 2022.

FRENCH

Part of the Occitan-Romance group,13 French developed after the Roman Em pire conquered Gaul, or modern-day

10 Euan Marshall, “11 Fascinating Facts About the Portuguese Language,” The Culture Trip, July 14, 2017.

11 “Romance Branch Structure & Dialects,” Must Go, accessed April 2022.

12 “What Are The Romance Languages? - Top 5 Languages,” The Language Doctors, Feb. 12, 2021.

13 Ibid.

From Vulgar Latin evolved the myriad of Romance languages, the five most common being Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian and Romanian.

France. The language itself evolved from Old French to Middle French to current French and has several major dialects and regional differences.14 The language is widely popular around the world; it is primarily spoken in France, Canada and Africa and is the second most commonly taught language.15

ROMANIAN

ITALIAN

As a member of the Italo-Romance group, Italian is mostly derived from Latin. When the Roman Empire fell, different regional dialects emerged across the Italian Peninsula. Only 3% of the area spoke standard Italian during the Unification of Italy in 1861, and many people were considered il literate because they only spoke their respective regional dialects. With ra dio, mass media and World War II, standard Italian and Italy itself were unified. Regional dialects still exist, but standard Italian is most prominent in Italy today.16

14 “Romance Languages: History of Languages that Derive from Latin,” MI Translations, Oct. 16, 2019.

15 Marius Sala, “French language,” Britannica, July 18, 2018.

16 “Romance Languages: History of Languages

Known as the “forgotten Romance language,” Romanian is a part of the Balkan-Romance group.17 The lan guage developed when Dacia, mod ern-day Romania, was conquered by the Roman Empire. Instead of re sisting, the country accepted Roman culture as its own. When the Romans eventually left, Slavic civilians from Eastern Europe migrated to Romania and subsequently influenced the lan guage. Romanian is commonly spo ken in Romania and Moldova, known as the Moldova language.18

Despite the name and common asso ciations, romance languages are more connected with culture and communi cation than with love. With Latin stems, the Romance languages have created harmonious communities based on location, language and similar roots.

that Derive from Latin,” MI Translations, Oct. 16, 2019.

17 Ibid.

18 “Origins of Romance Language,” Akorbi, July 30, 2018.

This allows for basic conversations and deeper connections, both culturally and personally.

The Romance languages have influ enced more than just European coun tries; French and Latin account for 58% of English vocabulary today.19 Learning one Romance language makes learn ing another easier because they’re so dialectically and linguistically close to each other; phrases like “Ti amo” in Ital ian and “Te amo” in Spanish are hardly different. Although the Romance lan guages diverged after the fall of the Roman Empire, especially dialectical ly,20 their connection and influence on each other are unmatched.

A majority of the Romance languag es are more alive today than ever before. Whether you buy a graphic tee with “C’est La Vie” on it, take up Romanian on Duolingo or enroll in an Italian course, appreciating language is an exciting way to discover new worlds, cultures and people. UW-Mad ison teaches a long list of languages, providing many ways for students to immerse themselves in a language, such as studying abroad, joining clubs or pursuing a degree. By appreciating the words we speak, we can fall more deeply in love with a new language, culture or person. ■

19 “Does English Have Germanic Roots?” ProLin go, Sep. 27, 2016.

20 “Romance Branch Structure & Dialects,” Must Go, accessed April 2022.

The Forgotten Art of the Love Letter

POWER IN HANDWRITTEN EMOTION

Deartreasured reader,

When’s the last time you re ceived a handwritten letter? How long has it been since you wrote one? Long before email, text or Snap chat, expressing thoughts with quill and papyrus was the standard way to convey emotion. Though considered a dying art today, there’s still a place for love letters in our written vernacular.

THROUGHOUT HISTORY, LOVE LETTERS SERVED AS ACCOUNTS OF CULTURAL NORMS AND IDEALS

The earliest references to love letters are connected to religious texts. The 5000-year-old story of Rukmini and Krishna as told in the Bhagavata Pu rana, a revered text in Vaishnavism,1 depicts goddess Rukmini’s bold de parture from an arranged marriage in pursuit of true love. As the daughter of the king of Vidarbha, Rukmini’s family arranged for her to marry the crown prince of Chedi, Shishupala. Rukmini, however, desired Shishupala’s relative, Lord Krishna, instead. In a letter car ried by a messenger, Rukmini boldly asked Krishna to take her away before her marriage.

Located in the middle of the Old Testa ment and dating back to the 10th cen tury BC during the Davidic monarchy, the lyrical dialogue between a man and a woman in the Song of Solomon is another early account of love letters. Historians and religious scholars have interpreted the letters describing spir itual, emotional and sexual love as an ode to God’s love for the Israelites or as describing the covenantal love be tween the church and God.2

As time and language evolved, so did the art of writing love letters. At the turn of the century, Roman statesmen Cicero and Pliny wrote to their wives about political events like elections and trials,3 depicting how love let ters serve both as expressions of de sire and a historical record of cultural norms. The innovation of the printing press and spread of literacy through out the Catholic church led to a period

¹ “Rukminī’s Message to Lord Krsna,” chapter 52, Bhaktivedanta Vedabase, The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.

² Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Song of Solomon,” Encyclopedia Britannica, Sept. 19, 2013.

³ Erik Gunderson, “Catullus, Pliny, and Love-Let ters,” Transactions of the American Philological Association (1974-) 127 (1997): 201–31.

Written by Rachel Hale, Culture Editor

Photographed by Audrey O’Neill, Photography Director

Modeled by Audrey O'Neill, Matthew Thompson Soto, and Marine Ceulemans

of prolific writing during the Renais sance era, and the writing style of the Romanticism movement that followed emphasized heightened emotions and an appreciation for beauty.4 Letters from the period include the passion ate, jealous and tumultuous writings between French General Napoleon Bonaparte and Joséphine Bonaparte while Napoleon was away at war, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s infamous “Im mortal Beloved” letters, written but never sent to a mistress who remains nameless in history.

Throughout the 20th century, letter writing became an important record of history. During both World Wars, postage was made free so that sol diers could write to their loved ones. So many letters were sent that the mil itary post used a “V mail” process to microfilm letters for compact storage. From the heartbreaking “Dear John” letters written to soldiers from women who found someone else at home, to notes between mothers and their chil dren, these letters became cherished objects and vital historical documents.

During New Orlean’s 75th anniversary, the National WWII Museum highlight ed thousands of love letters between soldiers, sailors and their wives and girlfriends, revealing how the severi ty of war often drove people to deep honesty and emotion in their writing.5 In the years following the Holocaust, letters discovered by family and his torians provided insight into the dire conditions of those in concentration camps and inspired literature includ ing “Steal a Pencil for Me: Love Letters from Camp Bergen,” “The Last Let ter: A Father’s Struggle, a Daughter’s Quest, and the Long Shadow of the Holocaust” and “The Letters Project: A Daughter’s Journey.”

The love letters of politicians, celeb rities and artists, often found post humously, give insight into high-pro file relationships that were otherwise closed off from the public. Throughout the 1920s, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzger ald’s letters to each other depict their struggles with mental illness and al coholism, and were later cataloged in the 2003 book, “Dear Scott, Dearest Zelda: The Love Letters of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.” A plethora of let ters between high-profile writers also

⁴ Jared Keller, “The Handwritten Love Letter Is Dying - Here Are All the Wonderful Things We’ll Lose,” Mic, Feb. 9, 2015.

⁵ Maria Cramer, “Love Letters from World War II Reveal Promises Made and Broken,” The New York Times, Feb. 13, 2020.

reveal the homophobic culture that members of the LGBTQ+ community were subject to, including those of Em ily Dickinson with Susan Gilbert, Vita Sackville-West with Virginia Woolf and Oscar Wilde with Lord Alfred Douglas.

Writing between Frida Kahlo and Di ego Rivera gives further insight into the tumultuous relationship of artists, including the betrayal of Diego by Kah lo’s own sister. In a 1934 letter in which she said she was willing to accept his adultery, she ended her letter: “Love me just a little. I adore you.”6 Others, like Johnny Cash’s 1994 birthday card to June Carter, feel deeply personal: “You still fascinate and inspire me. You influence me for the better. You’re the object of my desire, the #1 Earthly rea son for my existence.”7

Even as the physical art of writing de creased, love letters began to enter the cultural diaphragm in literature, including Mariana Zapata’s “Dear Aar on” and Cecelia Ahern’s “P.S. I Love You.” Letters have also served as the plot point for a slew of movies—from heart-wrenching romances like “The Notebook,” “Dear John” and “Bright Star,” to the more lighthearted “Can’t Hardly Wait,” “You’ve Got Mail” and “Letters to Juliet,” all the way to the recent “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Be fore” franchise. Across these mediums of storytelling, it’s clear we still value the sentiment of written emotion.

MAKING THE LOVE LETTER MODERN

Romantic writing has continued in the form of GIFs, emojis and late-night Tin der notifications, while technology has given us the ability to shift seamless ly across modes of photo, video and text. The surplus of online chat ven ues, though, has decreased the value of simplicity. In a handwritten note, the medium—the stationary a letter is written on, the print of the wax stamp it’s sealed with or the lingering scent of cigarette smoke on its pages—is just as important in conveying a mes sage as the writer’s syntax. The inabil ity to easily edit handwriting results in scratched-out phrases, slanted lines and heavy ink marks that are just as telling as the words themselves. Most importantly, perhaps, is the value in the ⁶ Jaime Moreno Villarreal, “What Can We Learn about Frida Kahlo from Reading Her Letters?” Google Arts & Culture.

⁷ “‘You’re the Object of My Desire, the #1 Earthly Reason for My Existence’. Who Wrote the Most Romantic Letter of All Time?” Marie Claire, Feb. 11, 2015.

time spent writing a letter amid a work culture that demands constant atten tion. There’s the heartfelt sentiment behind the physical act of addressing a letter and bringing it to the post office, as well as an increased gratification that comes with waiting for a tangible item in the mail.

We’ve long moved past the archaic Old English and Shakespearean prose that dominated the eras of romantic writing’s prime, but we can apply the same concept to our modern devices. Leave a sticky note at a significant oth er’s desk or make a personal playlist for your partner. Write a birthday card or thank you note to a parent. Make Valentine’s cards for your friends or write a love letter to yourself to open in five years.

With more stationary options and sources of inspiration than ever before, it’s never been easier to pen a love let ter. Whether writing to a friend or starcrossed lover, the next time you find yourself drafting a message in your head, consider the old-fashioned art of writing a letter by hand. These re lationships will change over time, but the sanctity of a written memento will remain in the ink and cellulose fibers of manila envelopes and long-forgotten Hallmark cards shoved into desk draw ers, waiting to be re-discovered.

Affectionately, Rachel XOXO ■