Youth: May 2020 Issue

EDITOR IN CHIEF Lauren Chung

DEPUTY EDITOR Elise Andersen

DIRECTOR

Konz

WUD PRESIDENT Tanvi Tilloo

DIRECTOR Carlo Romagnolo

WUD

ADVISOR

Farley ON THE COVER Anya Dayneko photographed by Maria Dayneko

ART CURATOR Channing Smith

Ide

DIRECTOR

Katie Herrick

Emily

COORDINATOR

Perry

STAFF

Katz

Quinn

Troy

ART Abbey Meyer Channing Smith Jade Christensen Julia Bulat Katie Herrick Keely Bradish PHOTOGRAPHY Annika Ide Audrey O’Neill Jessica Tenenbaum

Moody Molly Jacobs

DeGier

Bushong

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MAY 2020

FASHION

FROM JUSTICE TEES TO STYLE WITH EASE

How to develop a sense of personal style

INSTAGRAM’S TINIEST TREND-SETTER

The kid fashionista everyone wishes they could be

REDESIGNED DIYS

Return to your childhood crafting sessions with these trendy clothing DIYs

CULTURE

INNOCENCE DOESN’T EQUATE TO STUPIDITY

Preserving one’s innocence may be important to their happiness

2007 BRITNEY

The lifelong toxicity of being a child star

DELIVERING THE YOUTH

What is means to be a midwife in the words of Tehmina Islam

LIFELONG STUDENTS

Societal assumptions of continued education compared to reality

SHAPING YOUTH, ONE PIROUETTE AT A TIME

An interview with Kate Moody on the impacts of dance education on youth

LIFESTYLE

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

An examination of the effects of growing up too fast

LOOKING BACK

Reflecting on excerpts from my high school journal

YOUNG LOVE

How young is too young to talk about the future?

WORK AND PLAY

Embrace your inner child

ARTS

THE BEST COMING OF AGE MOVIES

BLUER NEIGHBORHOOD

The albums and songs that defined my youth

WE NEED TO READ MORE YA NOVELS

Why the best books I’ve read are the ones written for kids

A CHILDLIKE IMAGINATION

Creativity in our current climate

FEATURED

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PRIMARY YOUNG & BEAUTIFUL PIXEL

Dear Readers,

Growing up, my favorite pastimes included scrapbooking, playing with my American Girl Dolls and tending to my Nintendogs on my Nintendo DS. I played every sport un der the sun, not caring about the fact that I wasn’t too great at any of them. I made up dances with my friends at recess to the latest Hannah Montana hit and woke up at 8 a.m on the weekends in order to claim the TV to watch cartoons (Spongebob, of course). I created imaginary worlds with my neighbors with sidewalk chalk and didn’t pay much attention to the state of my hair or whether or not my outfits matched.

This all seems so long ago but, at the same time, like it was just yesterday. It’s always interesting reflecting back on our youth, trying to pinpoint exactly when that childlike inno cence and carefree spirit dissipated. There was a moment when we all logged into our Webkinz accounts for the last time without even knowing it. There was a time when we said a simple “see you later” to our childhood best friend, not realizing it would be the last time we saw them.

Looking back, I’m sure we can all relate to the feeling of wanting to grow up as quickly as possible. Especially in my angsty middle and high school days, I wanted noth ing more than to get out of my hometown and have my “real” life begin. Now, as a recently graduated 22-year-old, I would do just about anything to experience one more middle school band concert or high school football game (although, I could do without the side bangs and ill-fitting skinny jeans). When we’re young, we often fail to appreci ate the very things we’ve learned to cherish with age. I

still have so much left to learn and experience, but I finally think I understand what Kanye West meant when he said “Don’t you grow up in a hurry”.

While there’s no way to physically relive those moments, I’ve found the value in reflecting back on both the good and the bad of my youth. I might not have the same hobbies, music taste or best friends that I had when I was young er, but every aspect of who I was has inspired the person I am today. Every heartbreak, mistake and embarrassing moment has made me a wiser, stronger and better person. It’s in these moments of self-reflection that we’re able to better respect our past selves and be hopeful about where we’ll be in the coming years.

Whether it be through listening to an old playlist, revamp ing the pile of clothes in the back of your closet or reading journal entries from years ago, I encourage you all to incor porate something into your routine to honor the youthful spirit inside each and every one of us. As life continues to throw us curve balls and bad days, choose to maintain that childlike sense of wonder—regardless of your age. Be bold. Be curious. Don’t be afraid to dream big. As playwright George Bernard Shaw once said, “Youth is the most beau tiful thing in this world—and what a pity that it has to be wasted on children.”

Xoxo,

Elise Andersen, Deputy Editor

INNOCENCE DOESN’T EQUATE TO STUPIDITY

PRESERVING ONE’S INNOCENCE

MAY BE IMPORTANT TO THEIR HAPPINESS

By Shannon McManus, Culture Staff Writer Illustrated by Katie Herrick, Culture Editor

I’ve always been known as the “inno cent one.” In middle and high school when everyone began to swear, I felt bad about it. My parents weren’t even strict about me doing so—I just didn’t like to.

I also didn’t like making sexual jokes, or even reading certain cards while playing Cards Against Humanity. This wasn’t because I thought these were the worst things to do, I just genuinely didn’t want to. But, I also didn’t look down upon people who did them, be cause we ll have a right to live our life the way we want—“innocent” or not.

People liked to make fun of me grow ing up, calling me immature or dumb and saying that I should just “grow up.” But, I believe you can “grow up” in different ways—you don’t have to morph into someone you are not.

As defined in the Cambridge Dictio nary, “innocence” is “the quality of not having much experience of life and not knowing about the bad things that happen in life.”1 From personal experience, however, I have always felt that “innocence” meant that I chose to embrace my younger self.

I should not be shamed for that, nor should anyone else. Everyone is al lowed to experience life at their own pace. There is nothing wrong with people who enjoy swearing and mak

1 “Innocence.” Cambridge Dictionary. 2020.

ing sexual innuendos—the problem is when people shame others for enjoy ing life without them.

Kids start making fun of others for being innocent from a young age. It is “cool” to grow up, which many kids allude to by swearing or making crude jokes. They perceive such activities as a sign of maturity, and while there is nothing wrong with these actions, they are not the definition of “being mature.” In reality, maturity comes from different experiences and reac tions to life.

Experiences are something that peo ple cannot always control. One may naturally be innocent and just dis like crude or mature topics, or one may have faced an experience that brought them to rely on innocence for their own happiness. Kids should not feel pressured to do something they normally would not just to fit in with their peers.

Some people may be uncomfortable participating in discussions of more mature topics or participating in cer tain activities that others may think prove their “maturity.” Just because they don’t want to talk about certain topics doesn’t mean they are unaware of them. Even if they aren’t, who are we to force them to be? They may not be ready to talk about these things, and pushing them to participate inval idates their feelings.

At the end of the day, it’s up to each person to decide their comfort lev el with certain topics, not the people around them. Making fun of others and telling them to “grow up” will not actually make them grow up any fast er. In fact, making fun of others has an impact on how they view themselves.

I never saw my innocence as making me better than anyone else. Rather, innocence was a comfortable place for me. Still, some people brought my confidence down due to my hesitation and failure to join in. I was not affect ing them in any way, yet they still felt the need to tease me like I was a child.

For some reason, I was lesser, and it made a long-lasting impact on my confidence. Why do people do this? I was not able to find one succinct reason—maybe people just need to assert dominance over others in any way they can.

I’ll admit, I have grown less innocent over the years. Those who do not, however, should not be treated any differently. Maturity is defined differ ently for each person. We should not control other people’s way of life, as we do not know the circumstances that have influenced their mindset. It is time we allow others to embrace their childhood innocence, free from judgement and criticism.·

FROM JUSTICE TEES TO STYLE WITH EASE

HOW TO DEVELOP A SENSE OF PERSONAL STYLE

By Emily Fleming, Fashion Staff Writer Illustrated by Julia Bulat

Picture this: it’s 2011 on a Sunday af ternoon and you’ve somehow man aged to convince your mother that, amidst running errands and picking up groceries, it is absolutely imper ative that you stop at your favorite clothing store. She reluctantly agrees, and the second you step in this magi cal place you already know she is go ing to have to drag you out by your pigtails. I must give credit for my long-lasting shopping addiction and obsession with style to one store and one store only: Justice.

It all began with sparkly graphic t-shirts and bright-colored dresses in funky patterns, which gave me a very distinct style in middle school. I’d call it “Hannah Montana wannabe meets neon sharpie.” Al though layering jeans under a skirt was not my best look, I am happy I learned to ex periment with clothing and have fun at a young age. While my style has changed significantly since then, I’ve always tried to keep the same principles when it comes to fashion: if it feels good, it looks good.

Throughout high school, my style stayed pretty consis tent after I discovered my all-time favorite trend: ath leisure. During those four years, my wardrobe consist ed of a variety of dark-col ored leggings, matching sports bras, black or white hoodies and crewnecks with minimal designs and white run ning shoes. I have always prioritized comfort, and I still believe that is one of the most important rules to remem ber when shopping for new clothes. If I don’t feel good in it, no matter how cute it is, I won’t buy it.

Since coming to college, I have learned how to elevate the mono chrome athleisure look, starting with jewelry. From big earrings to layered necklaces and chains to stacked

rings, layering on accessories has become a staple for my wardrobe. In addition, due to my (slightly prob lematic) shoe obsession, my go-to “It’s Monday and I just rolled out of bed” look is an all-black outfit with a statement sneaker. Hints of animal print—snakeskin boots to cow-print jackets to cheetah-print crop tops— have become my favorite addition to any ensemble. If I’m wearing jeans, I never leave the house without a fun belt. By adding more color and state ment pieces to my outfits, whether that be through bright-colored pants and painted jeans to pastel-colored crop tops and leather jackets, my

mind the next week when I’m inspired by something entirely different).

Danielle Bernstein has been my favor ite influencer for years because she embodies so many of my personal goals. Bernstein is a designer and en trepreneur whose style is the perfect mix of neutral colors, inexpensive ba sics and touches of designer accesso ries. Between inspiration from her and similar influencers, staying up-to-date with my favorite magazines (Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar), and listening to my favorite podcast, “Fashion Un zipped,” I am able to incorporate ev erything I observe and learn into my own personal style.

What I’ve realized, however, is that often our day-to-day outfits may not necessarily reflect our ideal style, and that is perfectly okay. Bud get, lifestyle and motivation can all affect how we dress, yet there are always ways to experiment and follow trends at the same time. A few ways I keep my closet fresh is by opting for less expensive, yet still trendy brands, such as Adika, Lov estylize and Shein, to name a few. I also love to thrift and paint, crop or bleach my findings to add life to old apparel.

style no longer fits under one catego ry. My style reflects my current mood and it is ever-changing as I collect in spiration from the world around me.

Instagram serves as a huge source of inspiration for me, as I can spend hours on the “Explore” page gather ing ideas for outfits or new brands to try out. Sometimes I’ll screenshot a bunch of different photos from var ious influencers that I’m feeling par ticularly inspired by and will create my own mood board for how I want to dress (until I inevitably change my

I used to put pressure on myself to find a unique aes thetic, and I’ve only now realized that there is no point trying to fit into a certain style. The most important as pect of finding your own style is rec ognizing that it’s okay if it changes. It’s important to experiment with dif ferent types of looks before you find what you feel most yourself in. Take it from 11-year-old me who wore One Di rection concert t-shirts and sequined Uggs to school with pride: if you feel confident in what you’re wearing, you will always look good.

“THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF FINDING YOUR OWN STYLE IS

THE BEST COMING OF AGE MOVIES

Coming of age movies have become an established genre and classification. While the new millenium has brought us hundreds of these heartwarming flicks, they can be traced back decades with films such as “Rebel Without a Cause” (1955) and “The Breakfast Club” (1985). While today’s coming of age movies no longer feature Molly Ringwald, they do carry over some of the same tropes and symbols: the tortured teen, misunderstood prom queen, abrasively strict parents and dreams of escaping the suffocating hometown.

Here are a few must-watches, new and old.

Written, Illustrated & Designed by Channing Smith, Arts Curator

BIG TIME ADOLESCENCE

Stream on Hulu

A new release this month, John Orley’s first film, “Big Time Adolescence,” is a gut-wrenching portrait of an unlikely friendship that is destined to implode. Mo, played by Griffin Gluck, is a sweet 16-year-old who finds himself having no interest in the doings of his classmates. Instead, he passes his time with Zeke, played by Pete Davidson, a planless millennial sustaining himself on cereal, beer and weed. Davidson seems to play an extension of himself, which is what makes the film feel so authentic. Though Zeke and Mo’s older sister broke up years ago, Mo didn’t want to lose Zeke as the brother he never had. But as Zeke’s guidance and lifestyle pushes Mo down a path he never intended to follow, he begins to question their relationship and future together. While the plot is pretty simple, Davidson and Gluck’s genuine performances add so much raw emotion and candor, pulling endless compassion and commiseration out of the viewer.

CLUELESS

Stream on Netflix

While this ‘90s classic is an easy and reliable laugh, you’ll be surprised to know it is actually loosely based on another classic, Jane Austen’s “Emma.” Cher, played by Alicia Silverstone, plays the impeccably dressed teen queen. While the popular girl usually comes paired with a quarterback boyfriend, Cher finds highschool boys beneath her— because seriously, “as if!” While on the surface “Clueless” is a brightly colored teen flick, it shows that even the girls who seemingly have it all are struggling to find themselves as well.

JUNO

Available on Amazon Prime Video

“Juno” remains one of my favorite movies, not just because of the adorably indie soundtrack or the sheepish performance of Michael Cera, but because it maintains surprising emotional depth throughout light-hearted jokes and humor. Idiosyncratic high schooler Juno (too

couple Vanessa and Mark (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman) in a newspaper ad who are revealed to be much more complex than the whitewashed immaculate mini-mansion they live in. “Juno” is a heart-warming depiction of what it’s like being forced into adulthood at a time when you feel especially young and naive.

EIGHTH GRADE

Included with Amazon Prime Comedian Bo Burnham’s freshmen film “Eighth Grade” is funny in a different way. The movie follows Kayla, played by Elsie Fisher, as she attempts to navigate through middle school. Painfully shy and awkward, Kayla still has dreams of being popular, despite being voted “Most Silent” in her middle school yearbook. In the meantime, Kayla makes YouTube videos about how to be liked and confident. These video sidebars are both cringeinducing and heartbreaking, as Kayla just can’t manage to take her own advice. Burnham has mastered taking seemingly insignificant moments— putting on a bathing suit, going to a birthday party, hanging out at the food court—and injecting so much meaning and emotion as the viewer experiences it all through Kayla’s uncertain and sheepish eyes. While uncomfortable to watch, Burnham’s most impressive scene is when Kayla finds herself caught up in a pressured game of truth or dare alone with an older boy (Daniel Zolghadri) who insists she takes her shirt off. Raised by her single dad (Josh Hamilton) Kayla feels as isolated as ever. Simultaneously uplighting and tearjerking, “Eighth Grade” is the closest thing to going back to middle school.

LADYBIRD

Included with Amazon Prime While Greta Gerwig has been out in the writing and directing scene for a while, “Lady Bird” is her first solo-directing gig. The fast-paced film follows Christine, self-declared “Lady Bird,” played by Saoirse Ronan, as she grows up with a lovingly abrasive mother in sunny California. With a fierce sense of self and unavoidable naivety, we see Lady Bird fumble through her first relationships and sail troubled waters when it comes to making new friends. However, the heart of the film is the relationship between Lady Bird and her mom, played by Laurie Metcalf. Lady Bird is eager to escape Sacramento and go to college on the East Coast despite her family’s financial trouble, exasperating her already overworked mother. “Lady Bird” does not succeed because of its plot, but because of the complex relationships and sentimental details that make the movie all the more authentic and warm.

ALMOST FAMOUS

Available on Amazon Prime Video “Almost Famous” is on the favorite movie list of every aspiring journalist. The story is inspired by director Cameron Crowe’s own experience as a young journalist during the ‘70s. William Miller—based on Crowe, played by Patrick Fugit—is constantly trying to prove himself despite his age, lowering his voice on the phone and swiftly exiting his mom’s car when she drops him off at concerts. Finally, William gets his big break: an assignment from Rolling Stone to go on tour with Stillwater. Accompanied by a brilliantly vintage soundtrack, “Almost Famous” weaves heartbreak, ambition and youth into a visually satisfying and ever engaging film. Growing up with rock and roll—fueled by sex, defiance, drugs and revolt—William works to establish himself not only as a writer, but as a man. “Almost Famous” is an absolute triumph, decorated with stars such as Kate Hudson, Zooey Deschannel, Phillip Seymour Hoffman & Billy Crudup. ·

Directed by Audrey O’Neill, Assistant Photography Director Sylvie O’Neill and Daphne O’Neill photographed by Audrey O’Neill Layout design by Channing Smith, Arts Curator

THE ALBUMS AND SONGS THAT DEFINED MY YOUTH

By Gylf Forsberg, Culture Staff Writer Illustrated by Jade Christensen

When you first listen to Troye Sivan’s new single, “Take Yourself Home”, you hear a subdued dance track with a backing chorus and gritty house outro. When you take a second listen to the lyrics and begin to dissect them you come to realize that this is much more than the happy tune it seems to be.

The hook of the single reads, “Tired of this city, scream if you’re with me... If I’m gonna die, let’s die somewhere pretty.” This single line is representa tive of the overall state of despair that is found in the lyrics of Sivan’s new est single. While the song lyrics have a darker tone, the synthy house beats of the track seem to cover it.

The song perfectly encompasses the melancholy of your early 20s and echoes my inner thoughts relat ing to growing up. It seems like Siv an’s releases always perfectly line up with the current state of my life. My senior year of high school and my sophomore year of college were soundtracked by Sivan’s previous al bum releases, 2015’s “Blue Neighbor hood” and 2018’s “Bloom”.

“Blue Neighborhood” was full of hap py synth-poppy tracks celebrating the excitement of youth, exploring themes of young love and moving out of the small towns you grew up in. You feel a sense of urgency to outgrow your surroundings and move to the next bigger and better thing.

This album blends into Sivan’s next studio release, “Bloom”, which con tinues themes of young love and ex ploration. Songs dealing primarily with the ups and downs of relation ships take a starring role in the body of the lyrics.

Sivan’s newest single starkly contrasts these ideas of idealistic love and yearning for big cities. The lyrics posit the reality of loneliness creeping into the blissful picture of growing out of adolescence. This song takes an intro spective turn, illustrating the desire to return to a simpler time, the neighbor hoods and people we so wanted to distance ourselves from in our “Blue Neighborhood” era.

This transition seems to perfectly line up with my current outlook. In a time that feels so uncertain, I feel an over whelming need to connect back with my youth. Music is something that for me—like many others—is constant ly providing a soundtrack to our life events, big and small.

Personally, several artists’ discog raphies provide this backing music, with some of these similar themes of growing up and being hit with the starkness of reality. Artists like Lorde, Chance the Rapper, Ryan Beatty and H.E.R. seem to have soundtracked the majority of my early life.

Lorde’s debut album feels very similar to Sivan’s “Blue Neighborhood”—with respect to context. Lorde masterfully paints a vision of suburbia, perhaps most vividly in the lead single “Roy als.” It conjures up visions of subdi visions and summers that smell like chlorine. “Melodrama”, Lorde’s fol low-up album, leaves these ideas be hind in order to deal with the thoughts and concerns that come with being a young adult—the “melodrama” of our early 20s.

In high school, I yearned to grow up and move to the big city, so natural ly Chicago native Chance the Rap per took center stage of my playlists. Chance expertly weaves his experi ences growing up on the south side of Chicago into several of his albums. In “Acid Rap,” Chance chronicles his youth and brings to light specific el ements of his upbringing, highlighting several incidents, including the mur der of a friend.

The weaving of genres—classic soul, juke, gospel, blues-rock, drill, acid jazz, house—is reflective of the exper imentation many find in the crux of growing up. Late youth is often char acterized by the breaking away from the patterns set by your families. You spend your high school years finding new music and new genres that per fectly encapsulate your teen angst.

This experimentation leads to a con tinual reinvention of your perception of the world and yourself. Through his

subsequent releases, Chance has con sistently reinvented himself, all while retaining the youthfulness of Chancel lor Bennett, the young boy who wrote and crafted his first mixtape while suspended from high school.

This reinvention is a critical part of our adolescence, one that can be seen throughout many other albums. A prime example of this reinvention can be seen through the comparison of Sivan’s “Blue Neighborhood”, which has minimal references to homosex uality, and “Bloom”, the title track of which is explicitly about gay sex.

Ryan Beatty—yes, the same Ryan Beatty who adorned your teenage walls on a Tigerbeat poster next to the Jonas Brothers—showed his re invention when he released “Boy in Jeans” several years after his Bie ber-esque debut. “Boy in Jeans” is completely different musically than the bubblegum pop of his first re leases—it chronicles growing up and is unapologetically gay.

With songs that feel like stories in stead, he tells of yearning for some one who won’t love him back and chronicles leaving his date on the dance floor at prom to meet a boy in the bathroom. Longing for the free dom of youth flows throughout this album, bringing listeners back to a simpler time. His songs allow you to reminiscence on the uncertainty of ex ploring yourself: “do I kiss the guy in the bathroom at prom, or do I kiss the girl I came with?”

Music has an overwhelming power of ambiance and nostalgia, with songs, artists and albums becoming repre sentative of not only each artist’s era, but also our own eras. I feel I am not alone in saying that I wanted to grow up too fast. Now sitting at the end of my senior year I want to go back, even if just for a few songs. When I want to forget about growing old, I go back to the albums I listened to when I was growing up; Troye, Lorde, Chance and Ryan filling my speakers like it’s 2015. ·

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

AN EXAMINATION OF THE EFFECTS OF GROWING UP TOO FAST

By Sydnie Albert, Lifestyle Staff Writer Illustrated by Channing Smith, Arts Curator

I remember when I was little, I couldn’t wait to be a teenager. I wanted to be able to go out with my friends, stay home alone and have my driver’s li cense. Now, I wish I listened to my par ents and enjoyed my time more when I was young and carefree.

I was bullied in middle school, and it was hell. What made the situation worse was that in seventh grade my sister went off to college and fell into the wrong crowd. She started getting into trou ble with my parents more, starting drinking and experi menting with differ ent drugs and made some terrible and ques tionable friends. Then she started getting into trouble with the law.

Back then, I kept everything to my self. I didn’t want to lose the amazing friends I met in high school, so I told no one about my home situation. I would have loved for someone to un derstand my situation without the fear that they would leave me or tell the entire school. My family at home was the only place that knew the good and the bad things in my life.

My parents were running themselves ragged, and I didn’t want them to wor ry about me. They worked so much that I would walk home from the bus, do the chores, make dinner, and do my homework before seeing them at night. I didn’t go out because I didn’t want them to think I was going to go down the same road as my sister.

Our family situation only got worse with time, but my parents never stopped fighting for my sister. Their love for my sister got her on the right track—to a life filled with support, laughter, kids and joy.

I finally told my two best friends about my sister and what was going on in my personal life. They didn’t know everything, but it felt good to finally open up to the two people who are my sisters in everything, but blood. It felt like a weight lifted off my shoul ders. I could tell them anything, and they would still be there for me.

Having positive relationships and ex periences in your youth are the foun dations for growing up and moving forward in life. While I don’t regret growing up the way I did, I wish I had taken the time to experience more of life with my friends. The people whom I’m still friends with to this day are some of the best people I know. Those five years with my sister as she struggled changed my perspective on life. It changed how I think about my decisions and how I look at risks. It changed what I truly value in life: my faith, love, people and the small mo ments over the big ones. ·

LOOKING BACK

REFLECTING ON EXCERPTS FROM MY HIGH SCHOOL JOURNAL

By Shelby Evans, Lifestyle Staff Writer

Being back in my childhood home with absolutely nothing better to do led me to my old high school journal. Being three years removed, I feel com fortable enough to share the thoughts I recorded. Some entries were ideal istic, some were embarrassing, some were sad and others were just ridic ulous. In a way, they represent every thing that being young is about.

Since high school graduation I have called three different places home, I have made friends from all over the country, and I’ve learned to wear my heart on my sleeve a bit more. This taught me that what I thought was really bad in high school, wasn’t that bad at all.

Because of this, it feels like a good time to reflect on just how melodra matic I was, while learning some les sons from past me.

“I am no epic hero in a tale. I cannot call the muses to help. I have no muses.”

This was most definitely from sopho more year after we read “The Iliad” in English. I felt ridiculously trapped in my hometown which left me feeling helpless. That’s what this was about; I was feeling bogged down by the high school drama and couldn’t com prehend that I still had two and a half years till graduation. It felt like I was never going to have the happy ending that all heroic stories have.

“My heart can’t break anymore. To be promised

the world and to be disappointed day after day when I was so young. I could never be naive about love again. This heart of mine can only be protected and nourished by myself.”

This is from the first part of my junior year, and, believe it or not, it’s not about a boy. Over the summer a new friend group had splintered off from the larger one we had had for the past two years. Three of my closest friends were now hanging out together all the time with this other group instead of with me, and I felt very betrayed. I was clearly being very melodramatic be cause spoiler: I did love again.

“I’m beyond excited for my next adventure but I am so frightful it will go wrong.”

Another spoiler: it did go wrong. I packed up my bags and left for D.C., and within a year I realized it wasn’t working. So, I packed up my bags again and moved to Madison. I learned that there really isn’t a wrong way to take an adventure, or simply do life. I felt very trapped in my Minnesota suburb and I was eager for any excuse to leave—col lege was the best option. It took a long time to become comfortable in my childhood home while visiting. But, the Midwest is home, and I couldn’t shake that. Running away doesn’t work—I had to learn that the hard way.

anything but ordinary. I am Everything But ordinary.”

This was written at a time where I had bright purple hair. I did not feel like I belonged in my hometown and really took it upon myself to outwardly ex press that. The feeling of needing to stand alone was very unique to being a teenager. I tried so hard to belong and to have friends but I felt as though no one ever understood me, and I think that’s something that is very common for teenagers. Most teenagers don’t go and dye their hair purple, though.

I always felt very wronged by my high school experience. I was aware that what was happening wasn’t going to matter in five years but I hated how unhappy I was day-to-day. I was con stantly battling with how to make my peace in the now. A lot of that was fig uring out how I was going to get away from the ugly feelings I associated with my hometown and high school. I did run away, and I did try to never look back. Unfortunately, I have had to look back. It’s been uncomfortable but I’m learning to separate the feel ings I had when I was younger from the place that I’m in now.·

“Call me ugly, ignorant, stupid, and childish is you, please. Call me

“I hate that I live in a never-ending circle of hating it here but doing my best to love it...Fuck it all, I’ll probably never look back.”

THE KID FASHIONISTA EVERYONE WISHES THEY COULD BE

By Corbin Woessner, Contributing Writer Illustrated by Abbey Meyer, Associate Arts Curator

From babies in beanies to toddlers in graphic tees, fashion-forward kids are taking Instagram by storm. There is one star the social media world can’t seem to get enough of: pint-sized Instagram fashion icon Coco.

Around the world, Coco is known to her 670,000 Instagram followers as Coco Pink Princess. At only nineyears-old, this Japanese girl has already made quite the career for herself as a style icon.

Coco’s love for fashion can be traced back to her parents’ vintage store called Funkique, located in the heart of Tokyo’s vibrant Harajuku district. Harajuku’s out-of-thisworld and cartoonish street style is what drew the couple in. After the couple fled the 2011 earthquake in Fukushima, they decided to set up shop in the area when Coco was two years old.1 Coco spent her early years in her parents’ store, surrounded by the eccentric wardrobes of the people of Harajuku. Since Coco was exposed to this style before she could even dress herself, it wasn’t a shock to her parents when she began to show interest in fashion.

In her early days of social media, Coco’s mom and dad snapped pictures of the little girl’s dress-up looks and began posting them to their own Instagram accounts. Instead of taking fashion cues from Disney princesses like other girls her age, Coco has always preferred a high-fashion look that screams “influencer” rather than “infantile”.

It wasn’t long before Coco’s photos on her mom’s Instagram account began to gain some attention and requests for an account dedicated solely to Coco. Coco’s mom Misato started the infamous Coco-dedicated Instagram account under the handle @coco_pinkprincess in 2015.2

Since the creation of her Instagram account, Misato has given Coco full control of her image. After Coco and her dad choose a theme for her outfit, they then pick the clothes that she will wear. Before each photo is posted, Coco selects multiple options and edits the photos to her liking.3

Coco loves to post editorial style pictures of herself striking a pose in all things high fashion. In particular, photos where she is wearing hypebeast clothing (Supreme beanies, Helmut Lang tees) are a fan favorite. People already love little kids, but when you have little kids wearing tiny versions of adult clothing, people can’t get enough.

This tiny style star has always been determined to get a “K” in her Instagram following count (when one’s number of followers switches from all numeric to “10K” once the follower count reaches 10,000).4 Although it might seem odd for a young child to desire such things, it

is simply part of our ever-changing, social-obsessed world.

In the five years since the birth of Coco’s Instagram account, her style has gone through many evolutions. When Coco was five-years-old, she posted her first ever Instagram picture sporting a flower-print short-sleeve dress, white socks and her signature bangs. Most of her early posts have a similar vibe, featuring pictures of Coco with friends or out on the streets of Tokyo. In the short amount of time that Coco has been on Instagram, she has reached over half a million followers and has become the style icon for the Instagramobsessed generation.

Coco’s most recent pictures on Instagram have a more professional look, and feature her in the classic #OOTD poses. In these posts, Coco can be seen wearing the trendiest, coolest brands like Gucci, Fendi, Chanel, Balenciaga and Gosha Rubchinskiy. As you scroll through her feed, you’ll see that Coco still looks like every other nine-year-old, but just the coolest nine year old you’ll come across in your life.

Coco’s massive following has gained her the opportunity to be featured multiple times in Vogue and Elle.5 Although Coco often dresses the way that a lot of adults wish they could, her parents make sure that her looks are always age-appropriate.

A lot of the outfits that Coco wears are looks that we all remember wearing as kids such as t-shirts, shorts, tube socks and sneakers, with the exception that Coco’s are adorned with the Gucci logo.

Coco’s fame is a reminder to follow your passions, no matter your age. Whatever Coco chooses to do in her future, we know that her outfits will keep her followers coming back and wanting more. ·

5 Laia Garcia, “Meet Coco Pink Princess, The Coolest 7-Year-Old on Instagram”. 2017

1 Veronique Hyland, “7-Year-Old Instagram Star Coco Pink Princess Styles Her Own Accessories Shoot for ELLE”. 2018

“AS YOU SCROLL THROUGH HER FEED, YOU’LL SEE THAT COCO STILL LOOKS LIKE EVERY OTHER 9-YEAR-OLD, BUT JUST THE COOLEST NINE YEAR OLD YOU’LL COME ACROSS IN YOUR LIFE.”

2007 BRITNEY

THE LIFELONG TOXICITY OF BEING A CHILD STAR

Written and Illustrated by Katie Herrick, Culture Editor

Everyone remembers that icon ic Britney Spears moment. I see a tweet from someone claiming they are “one inconvenience away from pulling a 2007 Britney” at least once a week.

Rising to stardom after releasing two hit albums back to back, Britney Spears was a household name at just

17-years-old.1 To me, it’s no surprise that at the young age of 25 she had a full-on mental breakdown resulting in her shaving her head. While she also dropped the incredible album “Blackout” during that same year, 2007—and much of her subsequent career—is forever marked by that one moment.

1 “Britney Spears.” Wikipedia. May 02, 2020.

Spears isn’t the only child star to have an iconic, and very public, meltdown— Lindsey Lohan’s prison stint in 20102, all of Amanda Bynes’ tweets in 20133 and Miley Cyrus’ twerking at the 2013

2 Koul, S. “What Happened To Lindsay Lohan?” Buzzfeed News. Jan 18, 2019. ; Harwood, E. “Amanda Bynes Finally Explains Her Infamous Drake Tweet.” Vanity Fair. June 9, 2017.

3 Harwood, E. “Amanda Bynes Finally Explains Her Infamous Drake Tweet.” Vanity Fair. June 9, 2017.

VMAs.4 Being a child star is definitely not all it’s cracked up to be.

From a young age, famous women like the Olsen twins, Bella Thorne, Hillary Duff and Selena Gomez have been un der constant scrutiny for every single aspect of their lives. Headlines broke when they gained or lost any amount of weight, made new friends, broke up with an ex or wore anything that showed skin.

Day in and day out, young stars have to cope with rejection, jealousy, self-scrutiny, obsessive thoughts and the nonstop need to be perfect. If that wasn’t enough, because of the nature of fame, child stars are often exposed to drugs, alcohol and sex at a much earlier age.5

If someone asked you in elementary school if you wanted to be famous, a lot of us probably would have said yes. Why? Because we were all too young to comprehend exactly what fame means. As an adult, you are able to think through the decision to become famous, and you have the chance to consider all of the pros and cons that come with it.

You are also much more developed in your understanding of yourself and your confidence. If middle or high school Katie Herrick was thrust into the spotlight, I would not have been able to handle ANY commentary on my appearance, not to mention my weight or my skin.

So, it’s no surprise then that, after a decade or more in the spotlight, these stars have a mental break down—or two. Science has shown that child stars are at higher risk of becoming emotionally unstable or becoming addicted to drugs, alcohol, sex or all three.6

It’s not just science that makes these claims. Child stars themselves have admitted to the struggles of their up bringings as well. Mary-Kate Olsen told Marie-Claire in 2010, “I would nev

4 Kroll, K. “Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke’s VMA Display.” Rolling Stone. Aug 22, 2014.

5 Behrens-Horrell, W. “The Child Performer.” Psychology Today. June 22, 2011.

6 Ibid.

er wish my upbringing on anyone… but I wouldn’t take it back for the world.”7

Is it possible for a child star to devel op normally? It all depends on sever al things: the motivations of the child and their parents, their age, the length of time they spend in the spotlight, their level of commitment, their work environment and their financial gains.8

Tia and Tamera Mowry, Hillary Duff and Ashley Tisdale are excellent ex amples of stars that grew up famous and came out on the other side “un scathed.” Stars like Drew Barrymore and Macaulay Culkin, while they may have tripped up, are still considered “normal” today as well.

Some celebrity couples, such as Be yoncé and Jay-Z, Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard and Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, have decided to keep their children out of the spotlight all together, avoiding the risks from the start.9 Not all famous babies are so lucky, though.

Growing up overprotected, and of ten pampered, stars may struggle with tasks such as scheduling, do ing laundry, budgeting or cooking meals—skills that most of us master very early on. In other ways, however, they are overdeveloped as a result of having been exposed to mature top ics and situations early on. They can feel awkward trying to socialize with “normal” people and often develop an ego or sense of pride regarding their fame.10

Why choose fame then? Sometimes the motivation for fame doesn’t come from the child at all. The Olsen twins, for example, were famous at just age one.11 There is no way those babies looked at their parents and cooed in a way that their parents knew they “wanted to be famous.” This was a path their parents chose for them.

7 US Weekly Staff. “Mary-Kate Olsen: ‘I Would Never Wish My Upbringing on Anyone’.” US Weekly. Aug 4, 2010.

8 Behrens-Horrell, W. “The Child Performer.” Psychology Today. June 22, 2011.

9 Sutton, S. “32 Celebrity Parents Who Keep Their Kids Out of the Spotlight.” CafeMom. Jan 18, 2019.

10 Ibid. 11 Ibid.

Other children were simply born into fame, having parents like Kim Kar dashian and Kanye West or Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. When a child’s fame and success is just them living out their parent’s unfulfilled child hood dreams or a result of their par ents’ status—rather than something they actually want—so many things are more likely to go wrong.

And while every single celebrity fac es intrusive media coverage, exposure to dangerous substances and possi ble negative mental side effects, child stars are at an age that make these influences much more dangerous to their overall development.

The opportunity for fame at a young age is only becoming more possible with the rise of family and child in fluencers on YouTube, TikTok, Twit ter and Instagram. Stars like Charli D’Amelio, Loren Gray, Addison Rae and Baby Ariel are all in the top 10 most followed accounts on TikTok with over 154.9 million followers combined.12 With ages ranging from 16 to 19, these stars have millions of eyes watching—and critiquing—their every move.

Already famous YouTubers like Aspyn Ovard, KKAndBabyJ, OKBaby and The ACE Family use their newborn ba bies for views and clicks on social me dia. While not considered child stars, these babies grow up with millions of people seeing their highs, lows and embarrassing moments. By the time they are just 10-years-old, followers and viewers have preconceived no tions about who they are, what they like and what they should do.

Growing up behind cameras, whether on a movie set or in your own home, is clearly dangerous for a child’s de velopment. Kids need time to learn who they are and grow into their personality and appearance without constant commentary or stress. We spend so much time highlighting the best celebrity breakdowns that we ignore why they are occurring in the first place.·

12 Pope, L. “The 10 Most Popular TikTok Users in 2020.” Learning Hub. Nov 7, 2019.

DELIVERING

THE YOUTH

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MIDWIFE IN THE WORDS OF TEHMINA ISLAM

By Ariana King, Culture Editorial Assistant Illustrated by Katie Herrick, Culture Editor

As soon as we learn to walk, it seems we’re asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” While many of us have no idea how to answer this great, big question, this uncertainly wasn’t true for Tehmina Islam, the owner of the Access Midwifery and a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM). As a young human rights activist, Islam was inspired by her work with Amnesty International and the Free Tibet Movement to go into a health-centered profession.

Originally, Islam thought she would become a physician, and even shadowed one in high school. It was there that she learned that doc tors spend a lot less time with patients than one may believe. After watching the physician spend most of their time doing behindthe-scenes work, she began to recon sider her career.

What really propelled Islam to homebirth midwifery was ac companying her best friend to her hospital birth at the age of 16. As Islam recalls, “She did an amazing job of giving birth to her baby, but she wasn’t treated very well.”1

1 Tehmina Islam, telephone conversation with author, March 26, 2020.

Doctors questioned her friend’s ex periences and credibility, which left Islam startled. She couldn’t believe that people in such a “powerful and vulnerable” experience didn’t receive better quality care.2

This experience, combined with her pre-existing interest in a medical career, drove Islam to train to be a midwife. When I asked her why she chose to become a midwife instead of, say, an OB/GYN, Islam replied that while both midwives and OB/GYNs help people give birth, the midwifery model differs significantly from the medical model and aligned more with her values.

Continuity of care is a key principle of midwifery. Unlike in hospitals, the same midwifery provider is there for prenatal care, labor and birth and postpartum visits.3 This means midwives have more opportunities to build a personal connection and sense of trust with their patients.

Another key principle of midwifery is caring for the whole person and “acknowledging that a human is so much more than blood pressure and pulse.”4 This means paying attention to not only physical needs, but also understanding how mental and emo tional wellbeing play into physiologi cal health—something that is empha sized much more in the midwifery community than in mainstream hos pital settings.5

Education and informed choice is another tenant of midwifery that helps midwives dismantle the power dynamic that often exists between healthcare providers and patients. They give their clients as much infor mation as possible so that they can choose what tests and screenings they want to do—or not. In midwifery, providers are responsible for refer ring patients to an OB/GYN’s care if needed.6 Homebirth is safe for low-

2 Ibid.

3 Wijayasignhe, Sheila. “Midwife, family doctor or obstetrician: Who should handle my prenatal care?” The Globe and Mail. April 8, 2017.

4 Tehmina Islam, telephone conversation with author, March 26, 2020.

5 Birthlink. “Midwife vs Medical Models of Care.” Birthlink.

6 Mayo Clinic Staff. “Home birth: Know the pros

risk pregnancies, but, if problems arise, families have to have enough knowledge and trust in their provid ers to decide when to head to the hospital or not.

If midwives’ clients may have to be referred to the hospital anyway, why practice midwifery care? Most times midwives don’t actually have to refer folks to hospitals. Homebirth is safe for low-risk pregnancies and midwife ry even lowers incidents of C-sections, preterm births and infant mortality.7

For Islam, there is a natural fit be tween midwifery and marginalized communities of color, who expe rience these incidents—preterm birth, low-birth weight babies and other negative maternal health out comes—at a disproportionate rate to white people.

People of color (POC) also tend to have better outcomes when their providers are of the same race. This is a legitimate phenomenon called “race co-coordinated care.” While le gitimate, however, it’s also something that is difficult to make a reality due to the institutionalized racist cam paign against midwives of color by the medical establishment.8 Current ly, only about 4% of nurses and mid wives are POC—Islam herself a part of that 4%.

When I asked Islam what is different about being a midwife of color, she said her clientele is a lot more diverse than those of her white mentors. This is because POC purposely seek out POC midwives. Islam also uses her personal experience as a POC, and someone who grew up in a low-in come household, to guide the busi ness aspect of her practice.

While many midwives have caps on the number of clients they take us ing BadgerCare or Medicaid—com mon insurance providers for low-in come folks—Islam does not. As of 2017, 75% of her clients are covered and cons.” Mayo Clinic. October 13, 2018.

7 “Benefits of Working with a Midwife for your Pregnancy & Birth.” NCHS Health.

8 Terreri, Cara. “The Importance of Black Midwives, Then, Now, and Tomorrow.” Lamaze International. February 13, 2019.

by BadgerCare and pay on a sliding scale of $0-$900.9

Of course, these policies don’t make Islam rich—but she didn’t set out to be. For her, being able to bill insur ance (even if they don’t pay well) is an important part of giving her cli ents dignity and honoring the fact that most of them “work so hard to pay [her] as much as they can.”10 Is lam does this because, above all else, she seeks to be an ally.

“It is challenging sometimes when you belong to a marginalized group,” she admits.11 In her mind, there’s a camp of people who are so impacted by their one identity that they don’t see intersectional oppression beyond that. Then, there’s the camp of peo ple that understand how oppression is interconnected and seeks to work together as a collective. While she belongs to the second group, Islam says she’s still trying to improve ev ery day.

For her, allyship and activism are all about looking out into the world and asking questions: “[It’s about] what has been normalized and allowed to be normal—[the] ‘default’ in this country and knowing that I have been part of that conditioning, too.”12

This is why people like Islam are so important for marginalized commu nities. They take their experiences in the world and use them to ques tion why certain kinds of oppression are acceptable. For POC communi ties in particular, midwives of color challenge both the medicalization of pregnancy and the normalization of significantly higher death rates for POC mothers.

Not only that, but they help give POC the satisfying birth experience they deserve. Under the care of midwives of color, POC’s voices grow stronger and are no longer silenced by white medical authority.·

9 Tehmina Islam, telephone conversation with author, March 26, 2020.

10 Ibid.

11 Ibid.

12 Ibid.

WE NEED TO READ MORE YA NOVELS

WHY THE BEST BOOKS I’VE READ ARE THE ONES WRITTEN FOR KIDS

By Josie Brandmeier, Arts Staff Writer Pali Mukhtar photographed by Seth Degier, Staff Photographer

As a child, I read purely for fun. I would walk into the public library, skim over the shelves and pick up any books with the bright yellow ‘YA’ sticker that seemed interesting to me until my mom came to pick me up. Now, as a college student, I don’t al ways take such a simple approach.

Outside of school readings, I still read for enjoyment when I have the time, but it does not feel so carefree. When picking out a book to read, I feel like I need to pick a book that’s going to make me more well-versed in literature or improve my mind. It’s as if when I turned 18 I graduated from reading “kid books,” like Percy Jackson, and stepped into the world of “literature,” pressured to choose from a list of top AP Lit contenders.

With more free time on my hands, I’ve been re visiting some of those Young Adult (YA) novels that inspired me so much when I was younger, and I’ve come to a realization: more adults need to read young adult fiction.

There’s a common miscon ception that young adult or children’s literature is somehow lesser than what’s written for an adult audience. If something is older, longer and harder to understand, people often consider it as “high-art.” This mental ity makes sense—our schooling and critical institutions teach us to value this kind of inaccessible work. Mean while, John Green, an author that most people have enjoyed at some point in their life, is not regarded with the same level of respect.

In reality, the only difference between “adult books” and “kids books” is the audience. YA books are general ly written for a target audience of 12 to 18-year-olds. Because of this, the style and themes are often juvenile. The characters are generally younger,

and the stories center on more hope ful, coming-of-age plotlines. Whereas adult-targeted books are more likely to be existential in their themes, YA novels often cater to the youthful de sire to find yourself out of your situ ation, to realize you’re important and to discover your place in the world— ideas that don’t always appeal to cynical adults.

The language in YA books is generally simpler in order to cater to a younger audience. However, simpler language and plots does not mean a less pro found story. A characteristic I noticed after revisiting certain YA novels is the

This quote is brilliant because it’s so ordinary. It reflects one of the most common sentiments in the world. As a young person, when you feel very strongly about something, it’s often as though you’re the first person in the world to ever feel that way. The author’s ability to simmer that emo tion down into one gut-punching line is a characteristic I love about great YA novels.

Part of the reason that people grad ually read less YA novels as they get older is because people become a little less hopeful as they age. YA novels are some of the most opti mistic, glass-half-full sto ries on the bookshelves— even the sad ones. Based on the books I read when I was in middle school, I fully believed that as a 12-year-old I was pre pared to tear down a dystopian government. I also believed that I was a wizard, a demigod, a secret child genius or all three (see “Harry Pot ter,” “Percy Jackson” and “The Mysterious Bene dict Society”).

emotional rawness, something that be comes more powerful from the blatant sentence structure and is not masquer aded behind flowery language.

One novel that has stuck with me over the years is Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s “Aristotle and Dante Dis cover the Secrets of the Universe,” a book about two Mexican-American teens who grapple with their identi ties and place in the world. A great quote from the novel is this: “This is my problem. I want other people to tell me how they feel. But I’m not so sure I want to return the favor.”

That’s not to say that YA books are naïve. Many YA books tackle difficult re al-life topics, which is im portant because it helps young people find the language to understand their actual hardships and experience empathy for others. But, even the saddest novels for children often emphasize the idea that you matter and you’re important, which is an essential promise for young peo ple to hear.

As a college student, I’m slightly more cynical than I was when I was 12, and so are the people around me. We don’t always feel the promise of a bright future from watching the news. But, the stories in YA fiction promise a brighter future. They may be fiction—overly hopeful and idealis tic—but we could all use that.·

“AS A YOUNG PERSON, WHEN YOU FEEL VERY STRONGLY ABOUT SOMETHING, IT’S OFTEN AS THOUGH YOU’RE THE FIRST PERSON IN THE WORLD TO EVER FEEL THAT WAY.”

YOUNG & BEAUTIFUL

Anya Dayneko photographed by Maria Dayneko, Creative Director Edits by Annika Ide, Photography Director

REDESIGNED DIYS

RETURN TO YOUR CHILDHOOD CRAFTING SESSIONS WITH THESE TRENDY CLOTHING DIYS

By Manon Bushong, Contributing Writer Manon Bushong photographed by Soren Bushong

From Rainbow Loom to cutting fringe on the bottom of that oversized camp t-shirt, DIY fashion was all the rage growing up. DIYs provided a fun and entertaining craft while simultane ously producing an end product that your 9-year-old self could flaunt the next day at school. At a young age, you were able to begin cultivating a personalized style of your own: you had the creative freedom to choose between dumping every color on your tie-dye shirt or simply sticking to a monochromatic color scheme.

Although Rainbow Loom should probably stay behind in 2012, there is absolutely no reason why this funky DIY spirit can’t be incorporated into your wardrobe today.

At some point, we’ve all examined our closet and just sighed out of ut ter boredom. That “nothing to wear” despite having an overflowing ward robe feeling has plagued everyone.

A natural reaction to this sense of clothing dissatisfaction would be to jump on your computer and fill up an online shopping cart at your favorite store. However, there are a number of different ways to add life to the uninspiring shirts at the bottom of your drawer or to take an inexpen sive pair of thrifted jeans and trans form them to match a trend you’ve been eyeing.

Popular brands with a primari ly youthful audience, such as LF and Revice Denim, concentrate on clothing that looks reworked and sometimes almost unfinished. This includes patchwork jeans, tie dye, uneven buttons on pants and

bleached clothes. However, these labels tend to charge a lot for this “reworked vintage look,” a style that can easily be replicated with thrifted or old clothes in your closet. Recent ly, I chose to amp up some pieces of my own that hadn’t been getting much wear.

I started with a boring pair of medi um wash jeans. Gathering inspiration from several styles of two-tone jeans I’ve seen in stores and on numer ous celebs lately, I decided I would bleach half of the pants to recreate that fun, asymmetrical look. I care fully duct taped along the seam at the top center of the pants and fold ed one leg into a plastic bag in or der to preserve the original coloring. While my mom refused to let me use the normal bleach, she saw no prob lem with me taking some of the Clo rox toilet bowl cleaner. As I leaned over my bathtub, scrubbing pungent toilet cleaner on a pair of previously perfectly fine jeans, I began to lose a bit of my originally overpowering sense of “I’m crafty and trendy!” in spiration. After letting the jeans sit for approximately 20 minutes and then washing them, I was amazed at the result of these once-bland pair of pants.

For a while, I’ve been envying tie-dye sweat suits I’ve seen around campus and on social media. Not only are they super cute, but they make it possible to look trendy and put-to gether while still in sweats. Using a white hoodie and pair of joggers, I got to work on my next masterpiece. I wasn’t exactly looking for the typ

ical carefully articulated spiral tiedye look. Instead, I crumpled the sweats into a ball secured by rubber bands and haphazardly squirted dye in my favorite shade of pink all over. Despite my fingers being stained with dye for a few days, once again, I was pleased with the results. I ab solutely adore going to online class in my custom tie-dye sweatsuit, and it’s even better knowing it did mini mal damage on my wallet.

The third and final project I tested out involved a plain denim jacket that I thrifted a while back but had not worn as much as I’d hoped. I decided to be pretty ambitious and break out the fabric paints for this piece. After curating a Pinterest bored of different painted denim jacket masterpieces, I was ready to begin. I found the act of painting to be very therapeutic. Although I kept it simple and just scattered several stars across the jacket, the experi ence made this preowned piece of clothing feel much more personal.

There’s something satisfying about taking an old piece of clothing and making it your own. Fashion is a form of self-expression. Incorporating per sonalized pieces into your day-today looks is a perfect way to truly showcase who you are through your clothes. While this can end up lead ing to a crafty final product, it can also be sophisticated, fashion-for ward and, most importantly, a reflec tion of whoever is wearing it.·

:

Written

by Arella Warren, Arts Editorial Assistant

As adolescents, we’re often bursting with energy. Our minds engage with countless curiosities and the insatia ble desire to learn, grow, explore and invent. This creative instinct drives our species forward, from the artis tic innovations and philosophies that spurred the Renaissance Age of En lightenment to our modern revela tions in science, politics, music and most aspects of life. Even so, there is an apparent disparity between the value of design and creativity and the value that’s actually given to creative individuals in contemporary society.

In childhood, we’re regularly encour aged to explore our artistic spirit and imagination, receiving “gold stars” when we channel our energy into fin ger paintings and play dough proj ects. Yet, in college, when we declare art or another creative-based field as our major, we’re often met with stares of awe and concerns about making a livelihood as a “starving artist.” Where, then, does this discrepancy originate? How can we continue to maintain our youthful imaginativeness when soci ety tells us it’s not practical?

Some might argue that children, yet untouched by the monotony of conformity and the expectations of social norms, are simply more spon taneous. In some ways, I think this is true, but not because creative spon taneity naturally dissolves with age; rather, I find that this apparent dis taste for difference and idiosyncrasy is socially learned.

Once we enter the school system and begin our formal education, we become products of the institution. Those who speak out against author ity are typically deemed rebellious and social outcasts, while those who abide by authority are praised and given the resources to further excel in their academics. Of course, as with anything, this isn’t true in every stu dent’s case. It is, however, true that since the Industrial Age, American academic institutions have reflect ed the factory model of education.1

1 Audrey Watters, “The Invented History of ‘The Factory Model of Education.’” Hack Education, April 25, 2015.

On the whole, American schools use practices that enforce assembly-line, standardized learning, which is a surefire way to kill divergent thinking.

In one very insightful TED Talk, Ken Robinson directs his audience’s at tention to a central question: “Do schools kill creativity?” Robinson ar gues that every child is born an art ist, yet school educates the capacity for creative thought out of children through standardized testing.2 As someone who has gone through the American school system, I can at test to this. Standardized testing is a method of measuring “intelligence” by requiring students to select the single best answer for any given question. It is used in the majority of schools, from in-class quizzes to AP tests to college entrance exams.

Not only does this form of testing privilege those who are skilled at complying with guidelines and rep rimand those who aren’t, but it also propagates the ideal that there is only one correct answer—only one correct way. Some are fortunate enough to be adaptable, which means respond ing with the “right” answers while still maintaining a separate sense of self and free-thinking. Others are pulled into the system and become prod ucts of the dominant social narrative.

Why is this problematic? As we can see in our current social and political climate, this century-old practice of standardization facilitates convergent thinking, in-group bias, like-minded ness and a distaste for other people and parties. When we teach people there is only one right way, it not only destroys their ability to think outside of the box, but influences their ability to empathize with those who are dif ferent from them—to accept that their own social, political, economic, ethical or other biases may be wrong. When we lose our creativity, we lose our af finity for difference.

Although our country has been largely divided into parties, each of which strongly conforms to their 2 Sir Ken Robinson, “Do schools kill creativity?” Ted, February 2006.

own rigid beliefs, all is not forlorn. As with anything, change starts with the individual.

In his famous Model of Creativity, Psychologist J.P. Guilford defines di vergent-production as a vital compo nent for creative thinking.3 This refers to the abstract, non-linear cognitive activity stimulated by the right-brain, often dubbed the “creative side” of the brain. While some are naturally prone to divergent thought process es, anyone can trigger creative think ing by stimulating synaptic neural connections in the right brain.4 To restate this in a less scientific way, by avoiding extreme levels of stress, sleeping and eating well, exercising, exposing oneself to new sensory experiences, challenging the mind, practicing relaxation, meditation and visualization, you can mentally and physically engage your neural system more and encourage your own brain to think creatively. Moreover, these activities can be implemented every day in order to stimulate more diver gent thought patterns in the brain on a regular basis.

On the whole, our society likes the arts, certainly; we value music, the atre, literature and all things of the like. I think that this may be because visual aesthetics are pleasing, and are seemingly innocent on their own. Yet, the artist or author behind the creation actually has a voice—they have a statement to make—and this doesn’t always sit as well with the world as the work that someone pro duces. Perhaps this is why so many brilliant artists only become famous after their deaths, when they no lon ger threaten the routine of the mod ern world.

To that, I say we should threaten the routine: we all have the power to make art, we all have the power to make a change. We have the power to think creatively; to think like a child.·

3 Boris Forthmann et al., “A New Perspective on the Multidimensionality of Divergent Thinking Tasks.” Frontiers, May 3, 2019.

4 Paul Thagard & Terrence C. Stewart, “The AHA! Experience: Creativity Through Emergent Bind ing in Neural Networks.” Wiley Online Library, October 12, 2010.

PIXEL

Inspired by Vogue Italia’s April 2020 FaceTime photoshoot with Bella Hadid

Sarah Troy, Fashion Editor photographed by Molly Jacobs, Staff Photographer

LIFELONG STUDENTS

SOCIETAL ASSUMPTIONS OF CONTINUED EDUCATION COMPARED TO REALITY

By Olivia Peters, Culture Staff Writer Illustrated by Abbey Meyer, Associate Arts Curator

The second we come into this world we’re learning—how to get attention, when we’re hungry, what hurts and so on. These things come to us through trial and error in our first experiences. Of course, everything is brand new for a baby, so every experience results in learning. But what about a 50-yearold? New experiences are harder to

come by, so how actively are 50-yearolds learning?

At the age of three or four most kids are enrolled in preschool, a so cializing primer before entering the wonderful world of public or private education. After preschool comes 13 mandatory years in the education

system, whereupon students are pre sented with their high school diploma at graduation.

After high school, students have a choice: further their education or join the workforce. At this point, the gov ernment and general society are no longer monitoring individual academ

ic progression so, family aside, no one cares what you do next. All of your re quired academic learning is complete. Higher education—college or universi ty—is an option, but presents two ma jor barriers that hinder students from attending: admissions requirements and tuition costs. A student, if ad mitted, must pay to attend. Although there are many financial aid options in place across the country, tuition is a large, anxiety-ridden burden on the majority of students.

If you want the highest salary and the best job prospects possible, higher education can feel like a necessity. The Federal Reserve reported that the median wage of a worker with a bach elor’s degree is $15,000 higher than the median wage of a worker with just a high school diploma.1

Say you decide it’s worth it to seek out higher education. You have an enlight ening time and tailor your curriculum towards the career you want to have. Once you receive your diploma—and likely a monthly reminder of your whopping student loan debt—you have a choice to make again. Continue your learning with graduate school or join the workforce?

At this point in your life, you’re around 22-years-old and the oppor tunity cost of starting a job versus pursuing further education is stag geringly high—$48,400 is the me dian salary of a graduate with 0-5 years of work experience.2

Switching from education to work is a major transition, arguably one of the largest in your entire life. You go from dependent to independent. You stop actively learning—besides what you’re taught in order to perform your job. Usually, this change is welcome and graduates are ready for the next stage of their adulthood. After all, it’s been almost 18 years of schooling.

This begs the question: in your early 20s, fresh out of school, do you pos

1 “The Labor Market for Recent College Grad uates.” Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

February 12, 2020.

2 Hess, A. “College Graduates Expect to Earn $60,000 in Their First Job...” CNBC. February 20, 2019.

sess the highest level of mental acuity you will have in your lifetime? Is this your intellectual peak? Although we’re capable of pushing further in our edu cation or having a career as a scholar, the majority of us do not choose this path—only two master’s degrees are received for every five undergraduate degrees received.3

The Massachusetts Institute of Tech nology reports that our early 20s are the peak of our fluid intelligence, or our ability to process information and recall memories. They also state, how ever, that vocabulary—the words we use to represent the facts and knowl edge we possess—will peak in our 70s.4 That’s a hope-instilling fact.

As a 20-year-old student, I want to absorb as much information as I can from the short part of my educational career that I have left. I don’t want to slow down, I don’t want to stop be ing mentally pushed forward in my thoughts and opinions. There’s some thing crushing to me about thinking through the transition from educa tion to work. In a world as vast as this one, how could I be even remotely close to reaching the point of know ing “enough”?

If the part of our intelligence com monly referred to as “wisdom” peaks in our 70s, it’s odd that, for most of society, this is 50 years after we’ve stopped being referred to as stu dents. Society doesn’t care if this age group continues to learn in the same way they care about a 5-yearold’s learning. Obviously no one can know everything—and no one ever will—but is the day we get a diploma really the day we know “enough” to stop being students?

I think the diplomas we’re presented with are deceptive because they con vey a feeling of finality. They represent that our education has come to a con clusion. The education system has spit us out and we’re done. We don’t have to be, though.

3 Marcus, J. “Universities Increasingly Turn to Graduate Programs to Balance Their Books.”

The Hechinger Report. April 23, 2019.

4 Trafton, A. “The Rise and Fall of Cognitive Skills.” MIT News. March 6, 2015.

A recent study found that after enroll ing a group of 58 to 86-year-olds in three to five classes for one and a half months, their short term memory and cognitive switching abilities improved to the average level of a 30-year-old— or younger.5

Although society and science both have us brainwashed to think we’re a lost cause once we’ve “peaked” in our 20’s, this just isn’t true. We are capable of learning for the rest of our lives— and I’m not talking about being able to figure out how to work the newest Apple product in our old age. We can continue pursuing our academic inter ests alongside the work we do for a living throughout our whole lives.

We’ve all read things that talk about ways to “stay sharp,” insinuating that everything in your brain is on a down hill trajectory. Scientific American suggests that instead of doing sudo ku puzzles or brain teasers to try to maintain your intelligence, you should instead focus on growing new skills as the key to mental acuity after manda tory education ends.6

This could entail auditing a college course because you’ve always want ed to test your hand at Calculus II. It could be going to a community cen ter to learn how to make pottery. Even simpler than that, continued educa tion could be just picking up a book. A book is a teacher that accommodates any busy schedule, and slows to what ever pace you’re most comfortable with.

Once we transition into “real life” after mandatory schooling, our education falls into our own hands. Although the education system eventually hands us a fancy piece of paper and strips us of our lifelong identity of “student,” you don’t have to accept that you know “enough.” Education has the potential to be an uphill battle if we just choose to continue on.·

5 Ditta et al. “The Impact of Learning Multiple Real-World Skills on Cognitive Abilities and Functional Independence in Healthy Older Adults.” The Journals of Gerontology. June 14, 2019.

6 Strickland-Hughes, C. & Wu, R. “Think You’re Too Old To Learn New Tricks?” Scientific Ameri can. July 17, 2019.

SHAPING YOUTH, ONE PIROUETTE AT A TIME

AN INTERVIEW WITH KATE MOODY ON THE IMPACTS OF DANCE EDUCATION ON YOUTH

By Gabrielle Gronewold, Culture Staff Writer Photos provided by Kate Moody

Adolescence is an influential and pivotal period in our lives. It’s a time for newness, growth, mistakes and impressions. It’s a time that Kate Moody, Owner and Artistic Director of Liberty Dance Center, does not take for granted.

“I see youth as our future, and my role [is] a chance to help [students] devel op their skills and turn them into the leaders of our future,” Moody shared.1

Moody, better known to her students as Miss Kate, opened Liberty Dance Center in 2008. Since then, the studio has gone under two expansions, al lowing Moody and her team to impact the lives of hundreds of students.2 Moody accredits the dance communi ty she has been able to harvest and grow to the impact dance had on her own childhood.

“[Dance] kept me focused, it kept me in line, it gave me my support system, it gave me an emotional and physical outlet in the time of life where you’re fragile and just finding your self,” said Moody, “Dance was my anchor.”3

The lessons Moody teaches within her studio go beyond pointed toes and pirouettes.

Moody believes dance can pro vide a good foundation of work ethic and responsibility. By helping kids grow as technical danc ers, Moody aims to give students vi tal lessons that they can implement in other areas of life as well.

“I’ve always said most of our students will never go on to dance after high school, if they even make it that far, but I feel like the lessons you learn in the classroom 100% translate into ev erything you do after.”4

The biggest thing she hopes to leave students with is self-confidence.

“We can all coexist within our own things, it’s not a competition,” Moody beamed. “I really want our students to

2 Liberty Dance Center. About LDC. 2019.

3 Ibid.

look at themselves and find their own special uniqueness.”5

During our interview, Moody shared just how much she marvels at her students and the special things that make them the dancers they are. Moody herself believes in the spe cial uniqueness of each dancer, and it shows.

The atmosphere Moody has created in her dance studio is far from ordi nary and nothing but remarkable. When parents sign their child up for a dance class they may be expect ing a great way for them to exercise and have fun, but I can attest that the quality of instruction goes far beyond leaps and turns.

and values I learned in dance class. Moody acknowledges that the activ ities within the studio are something students will carry with them through out their lives—whether good or bad: “Decisions on our end can have a last ing effect positively or negatively on the youth and that’s something we don’t take lightly.”6

That is why Moody has put her mon ey where her mouth is and become a Youth Protection Advocates in Dance (YPAD) Certified Studio. YPAD is built off the philosophy of putting the danc er before the dance, and committing certified studios to protect the safety and wellbeing of students.7This certifi cation means Moody and her staff are all background checked, YPAD trained and certified, CPR certified and adhere to age-appropriateness for dance materials.8 Moody and her team have created a space that is committed to the safety, wellbeing and growth of all students.

The secret to her success lies in both her humility and re sponsibility. Owning a dance studio may have been her life long dream, but Moody has proved that teaching dance is not about her—it’s about her dancers futures.

In my own youth, I was lucky enough to be taught by the amazing Miss Kate and the rest of the Liberty faculty. I learned a lot about dance, but the les sons I learned about teamwork and empathy were far more important.

To be in an environment where every one is celebrated for who they are and encouraged to be the best they can be is powerful. I hold distinct memories of walking into the dance studio and be ing surrounded by uplifting signs about self-confidence and supporting your peers. Having these qualities champi oned in my youth has shaped who I am in adulthood. I am confident in myself when in an interview. I find myself ask ing for feedback within my studies and job—skills I can accredit to the lessons

“I think it’s something that can get overlooked, that we’re ‘just teaching dance class’—but no. I’m teaching the next future ER doctor or political journalist. It’s an honor to be involved so heavily.”9

While many of Liberty’s students will not continue to dance forever, they have learned how to be a great people in between lessons of pirou ettes and splits. It is critical that we support our youth like Moody, in the hopes that our future will be filled with strong, kind and intelligent lead ers, much like her.·

6 Ibid.

7 “About Us.” Youth Protection Advocates in Dance. 2020.

8 “Liberty Dance Center.” Youth Protection Ad vocates in Dance. 2019.

9 Ibid.

“BY HELPING KIDS GROW AS TECHNICAL DANCERS, MOODY AIMS TO GIVE STUDENTS VITAL LESSONS THAT THEY CAN IMPLEMENT IN OTHER AREAS OF LIFE AS WELL.”

YOUNG LOVE

By Kora Quinn, Lifestyle Staff Writer

Illustrated by Abbey Meyer, Associate Arts Curator

Young love. This is a phrase I’ve heard before—it’s even one I’ve said before. Although the word “young” seems to apply only to age, pairing it with “love” has more negative connotations than positive. It classifies the love young people feel as innocent and naive, applied to relationships that are per ceived as undeveloped and entangled in fantasy.

A possible reason we associate these ideas with the term “young love” is that undergraduate-age relationships

can sometimes be seen as immature. Who knows if they’ll last? In fact, most believe they won’t.

In an article on teenagers and dating, Professor Kate Fogarty states that by age 16, relationships last an average of 2 years. However, this is also the time in which young adults are looking for intimacy, companionship, affection, and social support—all aspects of a mature and healthy relationship.1

1 Kate Fogarty. “Teens and Dating: Tips For Parents and Professionals”. University of Florida IFAS Extension, 2013.

There’s a stigma around couples in their late teens to early 20s who seem to already have their entire future planned out: when they’ll get married, where they’ll live, what they’ll name their kids and so forth. These couples are dismissed with statements such as “they’re still so young, they might want to experience the world before committing” or “they aren’t emo tionally mature enough.” All of these assumptions are potentially true be cause some people do want to expe rience life individually before bringing

HOW YOUNG IS TOO YOUNG TO TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE?

someone else into the picture. Our youth is an opportunity for constant growth, and limiting ourselves to just one relationship can be potentially harmful to that process.

In recognizing these assumptions, accusations and facts, one can only wonder: are we too young to talk about the future with a partner?

I asked four young adults this very question: Mackenzie (age 18, current ly in a relationship), Lindsay (age 19, single), Kalynn (age 20, single) and Katie (age 21, single). Although each had their own reason, all four agreed that no, we are not too young to discuss the future with a partner.

“This is actually a really import ant time to talk about [the fu ture] because people are at such different points in their life at this age. Some people are really searching for the person they’re gonna marry and others just want to casually date. If you don’t talk about it, it could lead to con fusion or someone getting hurt,” said Mackenzie.

It’s crucial to establish a line of clear and open communication early on in a relationship, regard less of whether or not you plan to share a future. Beyond this, if you are at a point in which you plan to get married, having similar values is crucial.

My partner once told me a story of a close family friend and his wife who encountered issues in their relation ship on how they planned to raise their children. Each had different values and ideas of what parenting looked like, and it created conflict because they didn’t open the con versation until they were already en gaged and had dated several years. Although they worked everything out and are happy today, they both admit that the discussion should have hap pened earlier in their relationship.

If you are imagining a life with your partner, conversations about life goals and the future are important to

explore to at least see if you’re com patible in that way.

“A lot of young people in college/ around that ‘college age’ will talk to their partners about the future be cause they feel like it’s the next logi cal step,” Kalynn said. She explained that society works in the forward momentum of childhood, college or a full-time job, marriage and then children. To Kalynn, talking about the future as you progress on that path makes sense, because, “what is the next step in your life? Sharing it with someone.”

when you’re young than when you’re living together for the first time. It all depends on the couple.

“[We are] not too young but I think it depends on the maturity of the peo ple and the dynamic of their relation ship . . . for a lot of people my age, they aren’t mature [or] deep enough in their relationship for that next step,” Katie said.

That is to say you don’t need to be making concrete plans three months, let alone a year into your relationship. You may want to discuss mutual ideals such as where you want to live or ca reer goals, and that’s okay. Intro ducing non-hypothetical possi bilities for a shared future should come as your relationship both deepens and grows with time.

While having open communication about the future is healthy for a re lationship, it may also prove that a future together is not the next logi cal step. If each partner has opposite ideas of where they want to be in five, 10 or even 20 years, that is a conver sation you want to have before you make any big decisions. It could be as simple as one partner pursuing a career that only exists in larger cities, but the other partner wanting to live in a rural area. Or, maybe each partner has opposing values when it comes to money. If one is mindful of expens es and has frugal habits, but the oth er doesn’t think twice about where they spend their money, it would be easier to come to a middle ground

Time is important, as every deci sion in life should take careful con sideration. There is a difference between discussing the future to get a sense of your partner’s values versus getting married at 18. Having conversations about marriage and a shared life when you’re young are about seeing if you and your partner can grow alongside one another. It does not mean making quick and rash decisions. Deciding when to get married or have children are im portant conversations to have, but when you should have that conversation varies from couple to couple.

As long as all partners are comfort able with the idea of long-term com mitment, but have the maturity to ac knowledge the future is uncertain, it’s acceptable and even healthy to open conversations about the future. While it’s important to individually define yourself, people are continuously changing and part of being in a re lationship is growing together. Lind say phrased it as, “There is no [set] age when you can experience love... This is the perfect age for individu al growth and experience, but if you have the right person, who says you can’t grow together?”·

“WHILE HAVING OPEN COMMUNICATION ABOUT THE FUTURE IS HEALTHY FOR A RELATIONSHIP, IT MAY ALSO PROVE THAT A FUTURE TOGETHER IS NOT THE NEXT LOGICAL STEP.”

WORK & PLAY

EMBRACE YOUR INNER CHILD

By Jessica Katz, Lifestyle Editorial Assistant Illustrated by Keely Bradish

I’m 19 years old, and I still sleep with a stuffed animal unicorn. A chubby, pink unicorn with a shiny horn and a fluffy purple tail may be childish, but cud dling up next to it every night brings me joy.

I may technically be a young adult, but sometimes I still feel like a child. I love cartoons and stuffed animals. I enjoy going to waterparks and having snow ball fights with friends. Heck, I’m still the world’s biggest boy band fangirl.

As children, we were curious and play ful. We created imaginary worlds in our minds, believed in mythical crea tures and every place we went to be came a new adventure. As we grow up, we become more mature and reprioritize what we like to do as new responsibilities emerge. It’s easy for us to lose our spunk and instead focus on more serious aspects of life.

Here are some ways to keep that child like spirit alive, even as you grow older.

“I dance around in my living room to my favorite songs! It makes me happy because I can just let loose anything I’m worrying about in that moment and enjoy the music. I started doing it probably around my freshman year of college but I’ve always danced around when I was stressed!” -Abby Koss

“I sometimes play air guitar/air instru ments. I’ve kinda done it my whole life, and it makes me happy just because so much of myself is fully invested in music and I spend so much time im mersed in it, whether it’s making it or just listening to it.”-Matt Blaustein

“I watch SpongeBob regularly, and I think it makes me happy because it gives me a sense of nostalgia and reminds me of when I was a kid and everything was carefree and relaxed. I started watching SpongeBob prob ably when I was five or so and one of my best friends is the same way.”-Ami ra McBeath

“Something that’s considered child ish that makes me really happy is my swing set or any swing set. I remem ber my parents pushing me on the swings when I was really little, then them teaching me how to swing be cause I was jealous that my brother knew how and I didn’t. I feel like the kind of things I did on swing sets throughout the years was reflective of where I was in life. When I was little and I needed my parents to push me on the swings, I was super dependent on them. When I could finally swing by myself, I gained a little more indepen dence. When I was in middle school, my best friend and I would always go to the park by her house and sit on the swings and talk about boys and gos sip. In high school, my swing set be came a spot for my friends and I to set up blankets and fairy lights and watch movies. A few days ago my boyfriend and I sat on opposite ends of it and had a bunch of blankets so we could still be with each other.”-Dani Bosse

“When I was a freshman in high school I started reminiscing on my favor ite games to play when I was really young. My cousin and I used to play dolls, and I missed it a lot so I start ed playing the game Sims 4 on my computer. It’s really just glorified dolls for adults. It has a sense of nostalgia

and I think that’s why I like it so much. My best friends in high school used to play it with me too, and now even my boyfriend joins in sometimes. It’s a way to relive parts of your childhood and really use your imagination as you get older!”-Kora Quinn

“I like to take my dog on walks when it’s raining outside and play fetch or something, he really loves it and it makes me feel spontaneous and excit ed. I remember how when I was a kid, I loved to play outside and just experi ence all different kinds of textures and senses, just like exploring everything. So I guess that doing this is a way for me to reconnect with that childlike sense of curiosity and adventure, just by going outside and getting soaked and also getting my dog to exercise and get all his energy out. I started doing this a couple of years ago. One day it was raining and I was bored and I decided to go outside with my dog in the rain and I was like, hey, this makes me happy!”-Ida Tello

As children, we all had playful hobbies —silly, yet simple activities that made us happy. So, why did we abandon these interests as we got older? Char acteristics such as maturity and re sponsibility are important in our adult lives. But, if we deny that inner child, our minds too focused on the work ahead of us, we can forget how to en joy the little things in life. Even if we can’t recapture our youth, we can try to recapture our sense of childlike hap piness.1 From time to time, you have to stop your work, hop on a unicorn and soar through the rainbows. ·

1 Awosika, Ayodeji. “7 Childlike Traits We Should Recapture To Live A Happier Life.” Thought Catalog, July 16, 2015.