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Top 5
In my nightly search for a new reality show on Netflix, I came across a show called “The Circle.” In this show, contestants compete for popularity through a social media platform called The Circle to win $100,000. They are all put in separate rooms and must gain the most popularity to compete for the highest rating. The tricky thing is, they can be anyone they want in the Circle; they can come in as themselves or they can be a catfish to be the most liked through deception. Through strategies like flirting, guilttripping, and little white lying, contestants gain alliances and trust, and also create enemies. In the ratings at the end of each day, the top two highest-rated players are named “influencers” and they collaborate to send one person home. With various plot twists, like adding new people and sending multiple players home in one night, it keeps you on your toes. Cliffhanger after cliffhanger, I found myself finishing three seasons in a week and a half.
- ELLA CALHOUN
One of the most incredible experiences I was granted the opportunity to have was attending South By Southwest. A huge interactive conference with several film, music, and comedy festivals in Austin, Texas, it was an amazing experience. The festival goes on for 10 days and it is a yearly occurrence, so if you could not go this year, you always have next year. I was able to meet so many people in the music industry, attend film premieres, and go to concerts. Honestly, the number of things you can do there is limitless. Austin also has some of the best food ever, so you can get a great variety of food because the streets are lined with restaurants. You can go to many panels to hear different people speak on all sorts of topics. I was able to hear Lizzo speak, and many of my friends saw Dolly Parton perform. I have never been to such an interactive conference, or anything like this for that matter, and the opportunity to attend was amazing. I cannot express enough how fun of an event this is. It is also a great way to meet people in the entertainment and media industry. Austin is a beautiful city and I was pleasantly surprised by the city, considering it is in Texas. Everyone should try and attend this conference! I know it is very expensive, and I was able to go through a program at the school, but it truly was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
- AMY SZMIK
My everyday go-to hairstyle has recently been curtain bangs. Maybe it is because all I see on TikTok are people using their Dyson Airwrap to create the perfect blowout look, or maybe it is because I want to live out my overly-voluminous hair dreams. However, I do not have the money for the Dyson Airwrap – sad – but I do have the InfinitiPro by Conair that works well for me. Curtain bangs are exactly what is needed in order to shape my face and make it look like I tried that morning. They remind me of Matilda Djerf and her perfect hair and style. The bangs make me feel like I can show my personality even with my mask on: they are a great conversation starter even. I think hair has a big part in how a person identifies, so curtain bangs are a fun way to do just that.
- KAYLA BENNETT
It is not a new show by any means, but I have become even more obsessed with “RuPaul’s Drag Race” since my roommates allowed me to mooch off their shared Paramount Plus account. RPDR is a reality competition among 13 to 15 drag queens who compete to be crowned the winner of the season they compete in. In each episode, the queens face a maxi challenge, such as having to impersonate a celebrity for the show’s Snatch Game (a play on the show “Match Game”) and occasionally a mini challenge as well. The show ends each week with a themed runway walk in front of a panel of judges and a lip-sync battle between the two lower-performing queens of the week to determine who stays and who goes home. Other than the reality TV competition show element bringing me great personal enjoyment, I appreciate the messages of self-love preached in the show. Throughout the many seasons, RuPaul encourages contestants to shut out the comments of their own “inner saboteur” to be the successful drag queen he knows they are, and RuPaul says at the end of each episode, “If you can’t love yourself, how the hell are you going to love anyone else?”
- JILLIAN CRAIG
Music and specific albums have shaped seasons of my life for as long as I can remember. I go through phases of a genre, artist, and even specific albums depending on where I am in life both mentally and physically. Recently an album that I have had on repeat is the debut album by Gracie Abrams, This Is What It Feels Like. This album tells stories of heartbreak, moving on, healing, and questioning everything you know about life. Gracie's songwriting and vocals take me to a dreamy and glowy space that has honestly gotten me through some of my toughest times over the past couple of months and helped me feel not so alone. One of my favorite tracks from this body of work is “Hard To Sleep.” This is a song about struggling with feeling stuck in a place where you do not feel like yourself, and that is something that I think we all struggle with sometimes. I highly encourage everyone to give it a listen because you will most definitely not be disappointed. This album makes me feel seen, related to, and absolutely and perfectly human.
- HUNTER GIBSON
