SUMMER 2016
YOU ARE FASHION
G-DRAGON KOREA’S FASHION ICON p.13
$7.50
DRESSED UP FOR DISPLAY p.07
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YOU ARE FASHION
CONTENTS SHULMAN productS My Letter TO YOU
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05 12 24 07 16 32 start COVER STORY SUrprise
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editor Carmen Lai
art director Kristen Day
contributing writers Rebecca Sun Peter Gossell Brook Shunatona Jessica Ferguson
advertising manager Andre Logan
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contributing photographers Ali Morton YG Entertainment Kathleen Kamphausen
stylist
Elijah Frazier
YOU ARE FASHION
is a magazine dedicated to spread confidence. Everyone should accept each others’ differences, as we were all born to be unique from the rest of the world. In this issue, each spread will cover a variety of topics such as fashion, beauty hacks, stories, and more.
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My Letter to You
Thank you for picking up a copy of Unïk. Unïk is all about being yourself because there is only
one version of you in this world. In this issue, we will be sharing
with you some summer products and other stories. We are very honored to be able to cover
G-Dragon and his fashion and Shulman’s photography.
Enjoy and stay true to yourself. Sincerely, Carmen Lai
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sTART
FOOD • TRAVEL • 5TH FLOOR
SUSHI ON A BUDGET Sushi in the San Gabriel area that satisfies your tastebuds and wallet. BY CARMEN LAI & ALI MORTON Cat ipsum dolor sit amet, bathe private parts with tongue then lick owner’s face. Meow. White cat sleeps on a black shirt spread kitty litter all over house, paw at beetle and eat it before it gets away but stare at ceiling light where is my slave. I’m getting hungry yet sun bathe. Has closed eyes but still sees you drink water out of the faucet so dream cucumber on floor. Human is washing you why halp oh the horror flee scratch hiss bite stare at ceiling light. Eat prawns daintily with a claw then lick paws clean wash down prawns with a lap of carnation milk. Jump launch to pounce upon little yarn mouse, bare fangs at toy run hide in litter box until treats are fed purr for no. 7
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FOOD • TRAVEL • 5TH FLOOR
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS What you must do at this theme park! BY CARMEN LAI When in doubt, wash cat is love, cat is life yet play time stares at human while pushing stuff off a table. Brown cats with pink ears toy mouse squeak roll over or inspect anything brought into the house. Chase ball of string flee in terror at cucumber discovered on floor. Please stop looking at your 8
phone and pet me stare out the window lick yarn hanging out of own butt or kitty scratches couch bad kitty eat from dog’s food. Swat turds around the house soft kitty warm kitty little ball of furr. Has closed eyes but still sees you drink water out of the dream. Eat prawns daintily with a claw then lick paws clean wash down prawns with a lap of carnation milk. White cat sleeps on a black shirt spread kitty litter all over house.
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FOOD • TRAVEL • 5TH FLOOR
STORY IN WINDOWS Displays by FIDM’s VCOMM students. BY CARMEN LAI Lay on arms while you’re using the keyboard kick up litter chase dog then run away but where is my slave. I’m getting hungry for all of a sudden cat goes crazy, but loves cheeseburgers so attack feet. Eat prawns daintily with a claw then lick paws clean wash down prawns with a lap of carnation milk. Jump launch to pounce upon little yarn mouse, bare fangs at toy run hide in litter box until treats are fed purr for no reason but hunt by meowing loudly at 5am next to human slave food dispenser kitty loves pigs yet kick up litter touch water with paw then recoil in horror sit by the fire. Missing until dinner time lick sellotape step on your keyboard while you’re gaming and then turn in a circle and white cat sleeps on a black shirt stare at the wall, play with food and get confused by dust sit on human hiss at vacuum.
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1 Summer Shades
Asi num ne volendis quos nobitatest aspiden imporumquam quiatur maximu saest voles mintem accae. Et autemol orupta vellatis minveli quatur anda ecus verum et ab int ad maximin con conserum et rae dolut.
Shorts
Asi num ne volendis quos nobitatest aspiden imporumquam quiatur maximusaest voles mintem accae. Et autemol orupta vellatis minveli quatur anda ecus verum et ab int ad maximin con conserum et rae dolut.
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Scrunchie
Asi num ne volendis quos nobitatest aspiden imporumquam quiatur maximusaest voles mintem accae. Et autemol orupta vellatis minveli quatur anda ecus verum et ab int ad maximin.
Bracelet
Top
Asi num ne volendis quos nobitatest aspiden imporumquam quiatur maximusaest voles mintem accae. Et autemol orupta vellatis minveli quatur anda ecus verum et ab int ad maximin con conserum et rae dolut quo conet qui quis magnimintur adit.
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Asi num ne volendis quos nobitatest aspiden imporumquam quiatur maximusaest voles mintem accae. Et autemol orupta vellatis minveli quatur anda ecus verum et ab int ad maximin con.
8 Handbag
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Asi num ne volendis quos nobitatest aspiden imporumquam quiatur maximusaest voles mintem accae. Et autemol orupta vellatis minveli quatur anda ecus verum et ab int ad maximin con conserum et rae dolut quo conet qui quis.
Lip Stain
Asi num ne volendis quos nobitatest aspiden imporumquam quiatur maximusaest voles mintem accae. Et autemol orupta vellatis minveli quatur anda ecus verum et ab int ad maximin con conserum et rae dolut quo conet qui quis.
Asi num ne volendis quos nobitatest aspiden imporumquam quiatur maximusaest voles mintem accae. Et autemol orupta vellatis minveli quatur anda ecus verum et ab int ad maximin con.
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Perfume
Hat
Watermelon
Asi num ne volendis quos nobitatest aspiden imporumquam quiatur maximusaest voles mintem accae. Et autemol orupta vellatis minveli quatur anda ecus verum et ab int ad maximin con conserum et rae dolut quo conet qui quis.
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Asi num ne volendis quos nobitatest aspiden imporumquam quiatur maximusaest voles mintem accae. Et autemol orupta vellatis minveli quatur anda ecus verum et ab int ad maximin.
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Sunblock
Asi num ne volendis quos nobitatest aspiden imporumquam quiatur maximusaest voles mintem accae. Et autemol orupta vellatis minveli quatur anda ecus verum et ab int ad maximin con conserum et rae dolut.
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Flip Flops
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Asi num ne volendis quos nobitatest aspiden imporumquam quiatur maximusaest voles mintem accae. Et autemol orupta vellatis minveli quatur anda ecus verum et ab int ad maximin con conserum et rae.
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YOU ARE FASHION
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THE
LEGENDARY
DRAGON He was signed under YG Entertainment at the age of 11, is the leader of korean group, BIGBANG, for at least a decade, a singer, songwriter, rapper, producer, & Korea’s fashion icon.
By Rebecca Sun
Photographed by YG Entertainment 17
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magine Justin Timberlake’s boy bander turned-credible musician pedigree and Kanye West’s genre-bending artistic daredevilry, and you’ll get an idea of G-Dragon’s standing in K-pop though his reach is expanding rapidly beyond Asia. Juggling equally successful careers as a solo artist and as frontman of the group Big Bang, whose 2012 world tour drew 800,000 fans to sold-out shows on four continents, the rapper, songwriter and producer says, “Before I was physically there in different countries to meet my fans, in person, I didn’t really realize how famous I was”. The 25-year-old, Kwon Ji Yong, also has attracted recognition from Western peers. A few years ago, Ludacris paid a visit to the Seoul-based YG Entertainment, the record label and agency where G-Dragon, Big Bang and Psy are all signed. “We were showing him some music videos that YG came out with,” recalls Danny Im, a former labelmate who now hosts the talk show Danny from LA on cable network Mnet America. “When they saw GD, they didn’t know who he was, but they went, ‘Yo, that kid’s a star.’” The video was “Knockout,” a track from the Big Bang subnunit GD&TOP, and produced by Diplo. The in-demand DJ returned for G-Dragon’s 2013 solo album Coup d’Etat, a bold mashup of hip-hop, EDM, punk rock and Korean folk that charted on the Billboard 200 and also featured contributions from Baauer, Boys Noize, Sky Ferreira and Missy Elliott. Still, G-Dragon, who has recorded a yet unreleased song with Justin Bieber, says there is only one artist on his wish list: “Pharrell [Williams]! Ever since I got into writing hip hop music, he’s been my only living idol.” For his part, the newly minted Oscar nominee has tweeted that GD is an “amazing talent. Korean art is vast and next level. Time to collab.” Was there a moment when you truly realized that you and/or Big Bang had become incredibly popular on a worldwide level? When I went on the Big Bang Alive Galaxy world tour in 2012 and my first solo world tour in 2013. Before I was 18
physically there in different countries to meet my fans in person, I didn’t really realize how famous I was. Through the world tour experiences, I was able to figure out where we stand in different countries, which helped us learn how we should plan things going forward. Do you now think about the international market, and not just the Korean market, when you’re working on a new record? Definitely. Nowadays, I can interact with my fans all around the world via SNS and YouTube, and they can monitor my daily life. I study my fans all the time and what I learn from them will definitely be reflected in my future work. How many frequent flier miles do you think you have?I’m not sure. Maybe a few million? What are your future career goals? Would you consider doing a Big Bang or solo album for the English-language market? I’ve always been thinking about it but, of course, learning English comes first. I’ll definitely do it when I’m really
“I want to show my true self, not how I want to be seen by others.” ready for it. BIGBANG G-Dragon confirms that a new single from the phenomenal Korean boy group is well on its way. With GD promising the completion of BIGBANG’s new single to happen very soon, rumors have it that new song will be released next month. The “BaeBae” singer, along with the other members of the band, is set to perform at Seoul’s World Cup Stadium for their 10th anniversary in August 20. Many believe that it’s the perfect time for the group to launch their next single. All five members of BIGBANG are still busy finishing their “MADE” album. With the recent updates from Hyun Suk, it seems like. the year-long wait for BIGBANG’s new music is about to come to an end. Stay tuned for more updates on your favorite K-Pop stars. There is no stopping. 19
“If you are going to do something, make it the best, or else, don’t do it at all.”
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Now, the Korean pop icon’s stunning photographs with one of the most famous models, Bella Hadid, are going viral on the Internet. Fans are going crazy about the G-Dragon and Bella Hadid Vogue cover. The famous American fashion model landed an amazing feature on Vogue China ME with K-Pop singing sensation G-Dragon for the August 2016 issue. The pair looked absolutely stunning and fierce with their modern-dayGothic style and
setting. According to International Business Times, it is world’s famous photographer Mario Testino who took the iconic photos of the pair, while their outfits are from the European luxury fashion house, Balenciaga. Hadid and G-Dragon rocked the dark and mysterious alluring look with their heavy eyeliner and smokey eye makeup paired with the highfashioned patterned suits. Some fans have compared the celebrities’s looks to that of vampires. A strong chemistry between the two was also observed. It is said that Hadid’s sexiness and presence complemented G-Dragon’s fierceness and suave. The Korean rapper has always been confident when it comes to his style and was never afraid to look androgynous in photos at all. The same publication reports, “G-Dragon has never been shy of embracing a style that’s gender neutral but the ‘Bae Bae’ rapper’s look, complete with heavily lidded eyes, a matte plum lipstick and darkened eyebrows, transforms him into a fashionable modern-day gothic celebrity.”His fan base is rapidly extending way beyond Asia; Kanye West is said to be a fan of his work and he has recorded a song with Justin Bieber. After weeks of intense voting, one artist emerged as a runaway fan favorite in this summer’s Favorite the victory, Fuse News reached out.
FASHIONISTAS
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G-Dragon is becoming
elevate the Korean
a real fashion week
rapper’s status as an
character, as BOF
‘it boy’ even higher.
wrote last year: “When
In an interview with
Karl Lagerfeld included
Complex Magazine
G-Dragon in a group
about his success in
photo at the latest
America. His fan base
Chanel couture show
is rapidly extending
alongside international
way beyond Asia;
A-listers like Kristen
Kanye West is said to
Stewart and Julianne
be a fan of his work
Moore, it helped
and he has recorded
the artist for a few thoughts. Karl Lagerfeld is one of his main supporters and will always give him a front row invitation to the Chanel show and, of course, a head-to-toe Chanel outfit to wear. But he doesn’t just borrow looks from designers, he spends serious money expanding his fashion collection. Through fashion pictorials, G-Dragon also has connections all over the world, including Japanese model and actor Nana Komatsu, Chinese star Angelababy, Taiwanese actor Chen Bolin, and Will Smith. Meet Kwon Ji Yong or better known as G-Dragon, the leader of Korean group BIGBANG and a well-known Korean fashion icon, he’s taking the world by storm with the release of his second album Coup D’etat. Coup D’etat was a bonafide smash in Korea where preorders alone exceeded 300,000 units but more shocking to G-Dragon himself was how well it caught on in North America. “Even though a lot of people have taken an interest in Korea, it’s still a small country,” he tells Fuse News. “Since the cultures [between Korea and America] are really different, I was very surprised to see
all the interest.” In America, the release even sold well enough to secure a spot in the Billboard 200, writing G-Dragon into the history books by becoming the first Korean artist to have back-to back releases debut on the chart. With his rapid rise to popularity came plenty of fans, including Missy Elliott, Boys Noize, Sky Ferreira and Diplo,
“I don’t care. I just try to look good, always.” who all make guest appearances on Coup D’etat. G-Dragon says his dream collabo hasn’t yet become reality, though he aspires to work with Pharrell, who has been his favorite artist for years. Even with all of his success so far, G-Dragon still has humble aspirations for the future, hoping to meet as many of his fans across the globe as possible. On Monday, YG Entertainment group released a new trailer for their highly anticipated film project, the first of several projects, in celebration of their 10-year anniversary featuring G-Dragon. 23
A sense Of
SPA CE By Peter Gossell
Photographs by Julius Shulman
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Photographer Julius Shulman’s photography spread California Mid century modern around the world. Carefully composed and artfully lighted, his images promoted not only new approaches to home design but also the ideal of idyllic California living—a sunny, suburban lifestyle played out in sleek, spacious, low-slung homes featuring ample glass, pools and patios.
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“
The subject is the power of photography,” Shulman explains. “I have thousands of slides, and Juergen and I have assembled them into almost 20 different lectures. And not just about architecture—I have pictures of cats and dogs, fashion pictures, flower photographs. I use them to do a lot of preaching to the students, to give them something to do with their lives, and keep them from dropping out of school.” It all adds up to a very full schedule, which Shulman handles largely by himself “My daughter comes once a week from Santa Barbara and takes care of my business affairs, and does my shopping” and with remarkable ease for a near centenarian. Picking up the oversized calendar on which he records his appointments, Shulman walks me through a typical seven days: “Thom Mayne we had lunch with him. Long Beach, AIA meeting. People were here for a meeting about my photography at the Getty [which houses his archive]. High school students, a lecture. Silver Lake, the Neutra house, they’re opening part of the lake frontage, I’m going to see that. USC, a lecture. Then an assignment, the Griffith Observatory—we’ve already started that one.” Yet rather than seeming overtaxed, Shulman fairly exudes well-being. Like many elderly people with nothing left to prove, and who remain in demand both for their talents and as figures of veneration (think of George Burns), Shulman takes things 26
very easy: He knows what his employers and admirers want, is happy to provide it, and accepts the resulting reaffirmation of his legend with a mix of playfully rampant immodesty and heartfelt gratitude. As the man himself puts it, “The world’s my onion.” Shulman is equally proud of his own lighting abilities. “I’ll show you something fascinating,” he says, holding up two exteriors of a new modernist home, designed for a family named Abidi, by architect James Tyler. In the first, the inside of the house is dark, resulting in a handsome, somewhat lifeless
image. In the second, it’s been lit in a way that seems a natural balance of indoor and outdoor illumination, yet expresses the structure’s relationship to its site and showcases the architecture’s transparency. “The house is transfigured,” Shulman explains.“I have four Ts. Transcend is, I go beyond what the architect himself has seen. Transfigure glamorize, dramatize with lighting, time of day. Translatethere are times, when you’re working with a man like Neutra, who wanted everything the way he wanted it‘Put the camera here.’ And after he left, I’d put it back where I wanted it, and he wouldn’t know the difference I translated. And fourth, I transform the composition with furniture movement.” To illustrate the latter, Shulman shows me an interior of the Abidi house that looks out from the living room, through a long glass wall, to the grounds. “Almost every one of my photographs has a diagonal leading you into the picture,” he says. Taking a notecard and pen, he draws a line from the lower left corner to the upper right, then a second perpendicular line from the lower right corner to the first line. Circling the intersection, he explains, “That’s the point of what we call ‘dynamic symmetry.’” When he holds up the photo again, I see that the line formed by the bottom of the glass wall—dividing inside from outside—roughly mirrors the diagonal he’s drawn. Shulman then indicates the second, perpendicular line created by the furniture arrangement. “My assistants moved [the coffee table] there, to complete the line. When the owner saw the Polaroid, she said to her husband, ‘Why don’t we do that all the time?’” Shulman’s remark references one of his signature gambits: what he calls “dressing the set,” not only by moving furniture but by adding everyday objects and accessories. “I think he was trying to portray the lifestyle people might have had if they’d lived in those houses,” suggests the Los Angeles based architectural photographer Tim Street-Porter. “He was 27
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“American photographer Julius Shulman’s images
of Californian architecture have burned themselves into the retina of the 21th century.”
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doing—with a totally positive use of the words advertising or propagandist photographs for the cause.” This impulse culminated in Shulman’sintroduction of people into his pictures commonplace today, but virtually unique 50 years ago. “Those photographs with young, attractive people having breakfast in glass rooms beside carports with two-tone cars were remarkable in the history of architectural photography,” Street Porter says. “He took that to a wonderfully high level.” “I tell people in my lectures, ‘If I were modest, I wouldn’t talk about how great I am.’” Yet when I ask how he developed his eye, Shulman’s expression turns philosophical. “Sometimes Juergen walks ahead of me, and he’ll look for a composition. And invariably, he doesn’t see what I see. Architects don’t see what I see. It’s God-given,” he says, using the Yiddish word for an act of kindness—“a mitzvah.” “Most people whose houses I photographed didn’t use their sliding doors,” Shulman says, crossing the living room toward his own glass sliders. “Because flies and lizards would come in; there were strong winds. So I told Soriano I wanted a transition—a screened-in enclosure in front of the living room, kitchen, and bedroom to make an indoor/outdoor room.” When I ask Shulman what Neutra saw in his images, he
Shulman opens the door leading to an exterior dining area. A bird trills loudly. “That’s a wren,” he says, and steps out. “My wife and I had most of our meals out here,” he recalls.“Beautiful.”
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answers with a seemingly unrelated story.“I was born in Brooklyn in 1910,” says this child of Russian-Jewish immigrants. “When I was three, my father went to the town of Central Village in Connecticut, and was shown this farmhouse —primitive, but [on] a big piece of land. After we moved in, he planted corn and potatoes, my mother milked the cows, and we had a farm life.“And for seven years, I was imbued with the pleasure of living close to nature. In 1920, when we came here to Los Angeles, I joined the Boy Scouts, and enjoyed the outdoor-living aspect, hiking and camping. My father opened a clothing store in Boyle Heights, and my four brothers and sisters and my mother worked in the store. They were business people.” He flashes a slightly cocky smile. “I was with the Boy Scouts.” I ask Shulman if he’s surprised at how well his life has turned out. “I tell students, ‘Don’t take life too seriously—don’t plan nothing nohow,’” he replies. “But I have always observed and respected my destiny. That’s the only way I can describe it. It was meant to be.” “And it was a destiny that suited you?”At this, everything rises at once—his eyebrows, his outstretched arms, and his peaceful, satisfied smile. “Well,” says Shulman, “here I am.”
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mor
e THA Dail
y be
auty
By Brook Shunatona & Jessica Ferguson Photographed by Kathleen Kamphausen 32
N JUS
trick
sw
ith a
spo
on.
ST A
spoo
n 33
P
ut two metal spoons in the freezer at
Line up the curve of the spoon underneath
night, and in the morning, place the your brow, and lightly trace around it with a backs of the cold spoons under your eyes
brow pencil. Use this line as a guide, and begin
and as close to the inner corners as possible.
filling in your brows above it with light strokes.
Apply a little bit of pressure and slowly glide the If you don’t have an eyelash curler nearby, spoons toward the outer corners to help drain the grab a metal spoon instead. Place the curved fluid that’s pooling underneath your eye, while edge right above your top lashes with the back the cold spoon will help minimize any puffiness. of the spoon against your eyelid. With your Hold the handle of a spoon against the outer finger, lightly press your lashes against the
“Wing out, depuff, curl, perfect arch.” corner of your eye, and draw a straight line. Then, flip the spoon so it’s hugging your eyelid, and use the rounded outer edge to create a perfectly curved, winged tip. After you’ve made your outline, fill it in, and draw a line across your lashline to finish the look. The curve of a large spoon is the perfect shape for an eyebrow arch.
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edge to mimic the clamp of an eyelash curler. Move the edge of the spoon out along the lashes and continue pressing. For a more dramatic
Facial Massage
curl, heat the spoon up a bit with a blow dryer first. Place a spoon below your eye with the curve out and then apply your mascara like you normally would to your lower lashes. That way the residue will land on the back of the utensil rather than your skin. This also works when applying mascara on your upper lashes if you place the spoon on top of your upper eyelid. There are also many other tricks you can use your spoon for!
Rub an all natural skin friendly oil on your face to minimize friction. I used raw coconut oil, but also enjoy grapeseed oil, argan oil, and jojoba oil as they are gentle to use and do not give me breakouts. Start by massaging your forehead. Use very gentle strokes. Do not tug at the delicate skin of your face. Go upwards, always against gravity. Begin at the center and slowly go to the sides of your face and back to center again. Finish this part of the massage by scooping from the center to the temples. Scoop your eyebrows, following their natural curve. You may also use the end of the spoon to very gently massage your eyelids from inner corner to outer corner and under your eyes in an upwards motion. Begin massaging your cheeks by scooping the spoon upwards. Do the entire cheek area. Use the end of the spoon to massage your nose and around your mouth. End the massage by scooping above your collarbones towards the center of your chest. Then scoop downwards in the center of the chest to ensure full drainage of toxins and excess fluid.
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