ROCKET SPRING/SUMMER 2023

Rocket

SPRING/SUMMER 2023

FASHION ART PHOTOGRAPHY

ZARIELLE ANTHONY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

NINJIN GANKHULEG

ASSOCIATE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ANNA VAN MARCKE

DEPUTY EDITOR

RUTH BEKELE

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

CHARLOTTE DAUM, ANNA WERSHBALE ART CO-EDITORS

LAUREN DRZALA, LEXIE FARRIS, MELANIE LLOYD, KIRIN MACKEY, HOLI RAPARAOELINA, ELISE TSAO ART TEAM

BELLA ORTIZ-MILLER BEAUTY EDITOR

NEVAEH GALLUCCIO, EMILY HAN, VIC KIM, DANELL MONTES, MAK PETERSON, MIA K. REGINELLI, BREYONNA ROCK, SOPHIE RUSH, JASMINE TURKSON BEAUTY TEAM

LIVIA MARTINEZ DIGITAL EDITOR

KATIE FITZGERALD, SOPHIA MAURO, GWEN SARGENT, CLARA WHITNEY DIGITAL TEAM

HARPER MCCALL, KATIE TAGUCHI FEATURES CO-EDITORS

LILLY TANENBAUM, SYDNEY SHOULDERS, SOFIA WARFIELD FEATURES TEAM

CAROL GRACE ANDREWS, MONICA BAGNOLI, ALEXA CARMENATES, CHARLOTTE DAUM, KATIE FITZGERALD, ANNA HARSHMAN, JORDAN LERNER, ANNA VAN MARCKE, SHELBY MUNFORD, HENRY NETTER, ELISE TSAO, CLARA WHITNEY LAYOUT TEAM

HENRY NETTER MARKETING EDITOR

CAROL GRACE ANDREWS, SAM GASTEIGER, SHELBY MUNFORD, ELISE NORQUIST MARKETING TEAM

MONICA BAGNOLI, HANNAH MONTALVO PHOTO CO-EDITORS

DANA ABRAHAM, SELAH BALL, DAWN BANGI, GARRETT GOLTERMANN, SARAH KIM, JORDAN LERNER, RACHEL PERKINS PHOTO TEAM

ALEXA CARMENATES, ANNA VAN MARCKE PRODUCTION CO-EDITORS

AVA HAGEE, MADELINE PUDELKA, SHARON SANDLER, SAIRA YUSUF PRODUCTION TEAM

YASMIN SLIMANI PUBLIC RELATIONS EDITOR

EMILY CAMPBELL, ABBY INDARSINGH, KEVIN LENG PUBLIC RELATIONS TEAM

BLAZE BANKS, DYLAN DAVID STYLE CO-EDITORS

JENNA ASHTAR, ERIN CHAN, NIKITA CHELLANI, BELLA GRACE FINCK, LAILA HAMER, HANNAH MCMINN, CALEB STREAT STYLE TEAM

TIFFANY NGUYEN WEB EDITOR

CHIDY AKUNWAFOR, ROSHNICA GURUNG, CHEYENNE HWANG, KAILYN PUDLEINER, GELILA YIMTATU WEB TEAM

letter from the editor

Reflecting on my 4 years spent with the magazine, I notice just how far it has come with regards to quality and inclusion since it first began 12 years ago, in 2011. I particularly take pride and joy in the efforts and consistency I’ve had in ensuring diversity was to the forefront of our pages. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the talented team of editors and staff who have worked tirelessly, alongside me, to bring readers this Spring/ Summer 2023 issue. This semester’s Theme: The SelfTitled Issue, features a range of faces, perspectives, and stories that are engaging, thought-provoking, and inspiring. With the “no theme” theme, we put focus on ROCKET’S vibe and essence with no limits or constraints.

As I write my final letter as Editor, I am filled with gratitude for the experiences, lessons, and memories that have come with this role. With mixed emotions, on one hand, I am proud of what I have accomplished during my time here, and on the other hand, I am sad to say goodbye to this community that I have come to love. It has been an honor to serve in this position as the 2nd Black Woman Editor-in-Chief of ROCKET.

As I pass the torch to the next editor, I am excited to see where this publication will go. I have no doubt that it will continue to grow, evolve, and make a positive impact in the lives of our prospective readers. As you look through this issue, I hope that we have stimulated and expanded your understanding of the different spreads, artwork, and features inside. I am grateful for the trust and support that you have given me, and I look forward to being a reader of this publication in the future years to come.

Zarielle Anthony

paper dolls

perfect pair

DARK FAIRY

white lotus WARDROBING temptations

THESe arE THe Elements

art by LEXIE FARRIS

modeled by VIC KIM

photography by JORDAN LERNER, RACHEL PERKINS production by ALEXA CARMENATES, ANNA VAN MARCKE, SAIRA YUSUF beauty by ISABELLA ORTIZ-MILLER, NEVAEH GALLUCCIO, DANELL MONTES, EMILY HAN style by BLAZE BANKS, BELLA GRACE FINCK, CALEB STREAT, ERIN CHAN, LAILA HAMER, HANNAH MCMINN, DYLAN DAVID, NIKITA CHELLANI, NINA HADLEY

modeled by JOMEL CAGUICLA

modeled by GELILA YONAS

HOW INDIGENOUS CULTURES CAN HELP SLOW TODAY’S FASHION

written by SOFIA WARFIELD tapestry by CHARLOTTE DAUM

At an age when the clothing industry is prioritizing profit over the planet, it’s important to remember that long before fast fashion came into play, there was harmony between nature and clothing. In fact, the global environmental impact of fast fashion as we know it didn’t truly begin until the 90s – so it’s safe to say that from the beginning of human civilization until about thirty years ago, fashion satisfied customer demand without placing a detrimental cost on its resources. Fast fashion in of itself is about rapid transitions between trends and styles, but the time it took to become the environmental disaster it is today was just as quick. As consumers cycle at record speed between new looks and aesthetics, urged on by pressures from social media and the clothing industry, the lifespans of trends grow shorter and shorter.

It is often said that fashion is in constant evolution, but this sentiment extends beyond the changes that clothing itself has undergone throughout the centuries. In many ways, it can apply to the manufacturing process as well. Long before outlet malls and store-to-home shipping, clothing was typically handmade by a family member or small businesses. The entire process was personal, and the attire was designed specifically for its customer. Thanks to the Industrial Revolution, the introduction of factories and textile machines changed the fashion game completely. Today, fashion means sweatshops, and it utilizes toxic materials that poison our water-systems and our bodies. It fills our oceans with microplastics, pollutes our air with carbon emissions, wrecks ecosystems, and overwhelms our landfills.

Fashion is one of the most polluting and unethical industries in the world.

Fiber arts, especially knitting and crochet, have grown in popularity over and after the pandemic. Notably, crochet, unlike knitting, cannot be reproduced by a machine. If you buy cheap crochet, know that the garment worker was not fairly compensated for their effort.

We cannot all make the effort to save the planet due to time and income restrictions. If you have the means, please consider purchasing ethically — or purchasing less — in the name of our home.

Even though clothing plays an important role in individual expression and, of course, modesty, the current practices of the fashion industry are one of the biggest contributors to our world’s climate crisis.

Given the state of our environment, it becomes all the more important to recall that though the majority of us have adapted to the convenience of fast fashion, the majority of Indigenous cultures still continue with their traditions of producing and buying ethically-made clothing. If we support and learn from such practices, their methods might be the key to restoring the balance we have all so quickly forgotten.

There are thousands of distinct Indigenous cultures, but despite differences in traditions, customs and religions, they are united by a profound respect for the natural world. At the heart of each culture is the belief that the Earth must be preserved, and their fashion is a reflection of this sentiment. Their indigenous clothing is made from natural resources using ancestral techniques passed down through generations. In other words, it’s eco-friendly, biodegradable, non-toxic, and zero-waste.

All around the world, indigenous cultures continue to utilize their unique methods of manufacturing sustainable attire, using traditions created by their ancestors. Even something as simple as dye can be manufactured in hundreds of different ways. You’ll find that the harsh, pollutant chemicals used in fast fashion don’t quite compare to the rich color that is derived from natural resources. In India, for example, certain groups

achieve the renowned Indigo dye by soaking leaves from the indigofera tinctoria plant until it ferments and forms a clay. The hands of the workers are stained blue from the process, but seeing as the ingredients are completely natural, there is no impact on their personal health nor the health of the land. For an additional touch, they apply wax, mud, or lime onto the fabric to lock in the dye.

In Mexico, groups such as the Zapotecs and Mixtecs obtain the vibrant red, pink and orange dye by crushing an insect called the cochineal into paste. Once dyed, the newly-colored wool is used for weaving, and is made into their beautiful, handmade textiles. In New Mexico, the Zuni tribe uses the riparian tree to make brown, red, yellow, or orange to stain materials used in basketry and to dye cloth. The Quechans, primarily native to Peru, use plants like Q’olle, Q’aqa Sunka, Ch’illca, and Yanali to create a vast array of colors for their artistry.

These are only a fraction of examples, which goes to show that the environmentally-conscious alternatives to fast-fashion practices aren’t in short supply. Beyond natural dyes, there are solutions for manufacturing just about every type of clothing from natural resources. Taking a quick look at the ways in which various indigenous cultures produce fabric from their given environments, it’s known that groups in China turn to

bamboo stalks; in the Philippines, durable banana peels are converted into cloth; and in Africa, wax fabric is used in fashion. By implementing procedures and recipes used by such cultures, these alternatives to synthetics have the potential to change the fashion industry for the better.

As we consider how to ease the environmental impact of manufacturing clothing for 8 billion people, it’s clear that consuming less will not be enough. Supporting companies that implement practices used by indigenous people is just one way consumers can redesign the fashion industry. The intention behind this is not to steal or appropriate their traditions, but to learn from those who are willing to share what methods can be adopted into our current fashion manufacturing system. Restoring the balance between producing what we need to live comfortably and shepherding our environment back to a healthier state is a philosophy we must eventually return to. By listening and learning from indigenous people and cultures, we can take the first steps toward eradicating the most devastating environmental impacts of fast fashion.

QUEERING COUNTRY MUSIC

written by HARPER MCCALL photography by HANNAH

REDEFINING A GENRE FOR THE MODERN AGE

MONTALVO

production by ANNA VAN MARCKE, ALEXA CARMENATES, AVA HAGEE, SHARON SANDLER, HANNAH NEIMAN beauty by JASMINE TURKSON, NEVAEH GALLUCCIO, DANELL MONTES, BREYONNA ROCK style by BLAZE BANKS, BELLA GRACE FINCK, CALEB STREAT, ERIN CHAN, LAILA HAMER, HANNAH MCMINN, DYLAN DAVID, NIKITA CHELLANI, NINA HADLEY

don’t think I have ever seen two people fight over a car’s radio more than my parents. It honestly didn’t matter if we were just going to the grocery store, or driving to a far away vacation destination–if we were in the car, my parents were inevitably going to disagree over what should be on the radio. I was always secretly partial to my mom’s music choices. There was something so intriguing about alternative 80s music and its ability to make me feel nostalgic for a decade I wasn’t a part of. Well, what was my dad’s music taste, you ask? He listens to two genres: whatever Sirius XM decides to play that day and country music. God, I absolutely hated country music as a kid. I will never forget sitting in a hot Honda minivan on Sundays after long travel baseball tournaments. All I wanted to do was sit in silence, as I had been practicing and playing for the entire week. I would physically get headaches when I heard the lyrics, “red solo cup,” or, “you can take a ride on my big green tractor.” As you can imagine, my dramatic past reactions suggest that I would never listen to country music after I wasn’t forced to. Weirdly enough,

quite a bit of country music has made its way onto my playlists full of Lucy Dacus, Lana Del Ray, and Taylor Swift Indigo de Souza. Now, I know what you’re probably thinking: Harper, how can you listen to country music after talking about how much you hate it? Country music, for me, was always linked to the parts of Southwest Virginia culture I wanted to leave behind: patriarchal structures, religious extremists, and the idea of always returning to the area you’re from. These constructs also support the overwhelming embodiment of heteronormativity that made it difficult to feel accepted in my hometown and cultivated the resentment I still have towards both the area I’m from and the country music genre. Nobody that deviated from heteronormative lyricism was getting attention in the country music genre. The lack of representation strengthened the correlation between my hatred of the genre and the constructs and memories that cultivated my disliking. It isn’t until recently when there has been a shift towards queering country music, which made me want to listen to a genre that I have always hated The first time that I remember my hatred of country music being challenged was when I heard Kacey Musgraves’ song, “Follow Your Arrow.” When her music would come on my dad’s Pandora country station, I never felt the sudden urge to tell him to turn off the radio. However, it was a random day during the summer of my sophomore year that my opinions were really challenged. We were eating dinner on our deck outside and I faintly heard the lyrics, “Kiss lots of boys / Or kiss lots of girls / If that’s something you’re into.” Never in my life had I ever heard that kind of lyricism in conjunction with country music’s twang. Naturally, I did a deep dive into Kacey Musgraves’ discography after dinner and found that her music wasn’t just different– it was also kind of catchy. God, I really hated admitting that to my dad about two days later when he caught me singing along to “Space Cowboy.” Obviously, he asked what caused my change of heart. I remember quoting Kacey Musgraves’ interview with CBS New York as my response:

modeled by EMILY DECOTIIS

“Regardless of your political beliefs, everybody should be able to love who they want to love and live how they want to live.”

Kacey Musgraves had done it. I was officially a ‘fan’ and had put multiple country songs on my current spotify playlist. At this point, it is important to state that I had only added one artist and wasn’t open to all country music–I was more interested in artists that embodied Musgraves’ queer nuance in country music. For example, shortly after finding Musgraves’ music, I started

listening to Orville Peck. Before you ask, yes, I did get into his music after watching Euphoria season two. However, it only took hearing “Dead of Night” once to convince me to listen to his whole discography. Damn, two whole country artists on my Spotify station, and it wasn’t by accident– I was shocked. Though, I couldn’t stop listening to his music. Listening to a queer ballad alongside a modern-take on the traditional country sound made me weirdly nostalgic. My grandparents used to listen to authentic country music (as they called it). It was honestly like I was listening to the music I grew up around, but with a narrative that made me feel welcome to listen to it.

After that, I started to listen to some country musicians I had grown up listening to. I couldn’t remember the names of the ones my grandparents listened to, so I revisited my time in the Honda minivan on a Sunday after a baseball tournament. I still hate both Luke Combs and Luke Bryan, but I weirdly loved Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton. When I heard Dolly Parton’s music specifically, a different kind of memory came to mind: the many weekends I spent at Dollywood with my family and friends. It was odd to have such a happy memory associated with country music, as I assumed I would always hate the genre and what it represented for me. I guess that my opinion had coincidentally changed.

Although, it may not have been a coincidence. Country music originated in the Appalachian mountains. The genre started as a blend of fiddle tunes and evolved into a narrative for the early working class. These songs functioned to create a sense of community, which would influence the prioritization of ‘home’ in Southern culture. Regardless of how I feel about my area, there is an undeniable comfort I feel when I go home and see the same ole’ mountains. While I am at school, however, the strongest reminder I have is inevitably country music. The same music that originated as a tool to establish community was the music that reminded me of how much I hated Southwest Virginia–how ironic. With this new type of country music, however, people in the

“IT WAS LISTENING GREW UP

WAS HONESTLY LIKE I WAS LISTENING TO THE MUSIC I UP AROUND, BUT WITH A NARRATIVE THAT MADE ME FEEL WELCOME TO LISTEN TO IT.”

“QUEER COUNTRY MUSIC HAS

HELPED ME FONDLY REMEMBER MY CONNECTION TO THE NOSTALGIC SOUNDS THAT FORMED MY EARLY MEMORIES OF WHERE I GREW UP.”

L

GBTQ+ community who share these simultaneous feelings of resentment and yearning for their area could find a weird solace in queer country music. In a Billboard interview, Peck read a message from a fan that said, ‘It wasn’t until I listened to you that I felt like I could embrace that side of my culture because I felt really outside of it growing up.” With Dolly Parton’s outspoken support for the LGBTQ+ community and a new narrative introduced by artists like Orville Peck and Kacey Musgraves, artists are opening ways for southern queer people to feel connected to their area. Though there will always be memories that I want to forget, queer country music has helped me fondly remember my connection to the nostalgic sounds that formed my early memories of where I grew up. As the genre continues to embrace this new narrative, the genre may function similarly for other members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Since the iconic queer country musician Orville Peck’s first album, Pony, debuted in 2019, I’ve fallen in love with his artistry and dedication to telling avant-garde yet achingly authentic stories about the LGBTQ+ community His work has satisfied a hunger for representation I hadn’t even realized I’d been starved of. Playing with this “hunger” theme, I was inspired by traditional American dinner table scenes of the Rockwellian nuclear family. However, here they are gathered together not by any communion of socio-economic class or faith, but by the art Peck is “serving.” So– this is Bon Appétit.

art by ANNA WERSHBALE

eat your heart out, kid. you’ve been served.

Reflections

art by HOLI RAPARAOELINA

photography by DAWN BANGI, HANNAH MONTALVO production by AVA HAGEE, ANNA VAN MARCKE, ALEXA CARMENATES

beauty by BREYONNA ROCK, NEVAEH GALLUCCIO, MIA REGINELLI style by BLAZE BANKS, BELLA GRACE FINCK, CALEB STREAT, ERIN CHAN, LAILA HAMER, HANNAH MCMINN, DYLAN DAVID, NIKITA CHELLANI, NINA HADLEY

modeled by ROCHELLE QIN

UNDER

CONSTRUCTION

CONSTRUCTION

photography by DANA ABRAHAM, SELAH BALL

production by ALEXA CARMENATES, MADELINE PUDELKA

beauty by BREYONNA ROCK, DANELL MONTES, NEVAEH GALLUCCIO

style by BLAZE BANKS, BELLA GRACE FINCK, CALEB STREAT, ERIN CHAN, LAILA HAMER, HANNAH MCMINN, DYLAN DAVID, NIKITA CHELLANI, NINA HADLEY

modeled by AUBREY LAY

WORKING THROUGH THE WORKWEAR TREND

written by SYDNEY SHOULDERS

Workwear worked its way into the wardrobes of many in 2022. Shopping carts, both online and physical, were filled with Dickies 874s, Carhartt Detroit Jackets, and Wrangler’s carpenter pants. The pants were straight legged, some with a panel on each knee, and others made from raw denim. TikTok style guides for “fashion beginners” cite these items as the gateway drugs for those looking to enhance and develop their personal style because of the varied, versatile ways in which they can be styled.

These items still remain in the closets and drawers of our peers. The definition of workwear is clothes intended to be worn to work. In this context, it specifically refers to work that involves exceeding amounts of manual labor. These clothes are constructed with the needs of their clientele in mind; it is built to last in tough conditions for long amounts of time.

In many ways, workwear exists conversely against the pushes and pulls of the fashion industry. Instead of being designed with aesthetics clearly in mind, functionality and durability take precedence. As a result, the colors, cuts, and styles are limited to the offer only what is most necessary. It is common to buy multiples of the same piece instead of buying one piece in varying adjacent styles. These customers are looking to create a uniform, not a wardrobe. Consistency and efficiency are the objectives. The fit and mobility of the clothing is significantly more important than the visual appeal of these pieces.

People are becoming increasingly more individualistic, and consumerism is often touted as being “the cure” that helps people feel unique to their peers. If you own more clothes, you can put together more outfits, thus differentiating yourself from the crowd of others who consume your very same influences. Quantity and rapidity define the habits of customers and designers. Workwear and its developmental ethos are a rejection of these standards. There are very few trend cycles within the workwear style. Because of their materials, these garments cannot be as easily reproduced as a t-shirt or sweater, meaning consumers must buy from pre-established workwear brands as opposed to turning to fast fashion retailers. It is priced relatively accessibly and made for all bodies in order to cater to its wide working class audience, all things that the wider fashion industry seemingly avoids.

This is not the first time workwear has made its way into the public eye. Rappers in the 90s, like Tupac, wore Carharrt and Timberlands. Many followed in his bootshaped footsteps. Today, workwear can appeal to many kinds of people, outside of the mere fact that it is trending. It is androgynous by design, not emphasizing the bodily features of sex/gender, meaning all genders can wear it. For those who wish to dress more formally than sweatpants but less formal than black tie, workwear is the perfect medium. It is casual yet constructed with a clear, defined silhouette. Since

workwear is intended to look cohesive together, it makes the wearer look sharp and intentional in their outfit selection with little effort. So long as you buy the essential pieces, workwear is an easily replicable trend that looks good on mostly everyone.

However, the workwear craze is so much more than a trend for those whose jobs necessitate the wearing of this clothing. At a certain point, the consumption of workwear can be appropriative and can have negative ramifications on the working class population. Demand may increase the quantity of clothes available, but it also means an inflation of prices and subsequent inaccessibility to those who need it. When the trend inevitably makes its way out of popular consensus, cargo pants and heavy duty tees will either be resold at higher prices than they were initially purchased at or sent to the landfill to burn, neither avenue allowing these perfectly utile clothes to reach the people who benefit most from their quality. Contractors and mechanics, for example, could be heralded as “unfashionable” and “out of style”, when it is not their fault that mass media co-opted their uniforms to be the image of the moment to follow.

Classism is weaved into the fabric of modern society. We are taught to look down at what is “cheap”, even if that is someone’s only realistic option. Work that does not require a career is regarded as “lessskilled.” People are taught that socioeconomic status is an indicator of one’s ability to work hard, with little regard for the individual’s personal circumstances.

You cannot transform someone’s workwear into some sort of “work-core.” Blue-collar workers have always been the backbone of society. We would be nothing without their ideas, contributions, and lives.

However, it is possible for workwear to be consumed consciously. Clothing can be worn by all; it is just important to be mindful of what you are wearing and its implications. Social media pushes us to distill and commodify our identities into pre-packaged, simplified, marketable personas. When adopting clothing with historical and cultural contexts into your style, it is crucial to do so mindfully. Considering how pieces fit into your personal mode of self-expression is more authentic than trying to be an imitation, especially when that imitation is associated with a subordinated lifestyle that you may not live. To wear workwear without any vague awareness of its history is a display of ignorance reserved only for the most privileged.

Fashion is growing and changing. Trend cycles that might have lasted years now only last months. As a result, the quality of products is reduced to meet customer demand in a timely manner. People want alternatives to this cycle. On its face, workwear seems like that sustainable alternative. Its newfound trendiness has caused workwear to do more than address the utilitarian needs of its consumers. The bigger workwear brands have become status symbols to younger demographics, just like how other traditional clothing brands are seen.

“People will maintain these hostile attitudes toward working-class people, yet still wear their clothes and aestheticize the experience of wearing them. ”

What started as a trend that rejects the traditional industry is now just as commodified, leaving behind these brands’ original audiences and messages.

Capitalism and its principles are wearing us down. It dictates the way we live our lives. Like how the fashion industry is driven to establish trends in order to sell the most amount of clothes possible, capitalism instills a need to be productive at all times, even when not at work. Every feeling and human experience has already been capitalized upon. The intersection between advertising and entertainment has never been more blurred. Our fashionable return to workwear heralds a shared recognition of our circumstances; we are all feeling the same consequences of living within the same debilitating system. Workwear is both an escape and a result of the impact of capitalism. Together, we don the clothing of an exploited working class. Some do it for fun, some are following the herd, and others are just

trying to survive.

modeled by SAIGE STINSON

modeled by KIRA STOTTS, AMINA SEYE

Get creativE

yours to cut, paste, & style

Yellow color block shirt

Floral flowy skirt

Baguette purse designed with love by ROCKET art team

Floral flowy

Yellow color

block shirt

Baguette purse

Black purse

Red leather pants

Classic denim jacket

Frilly pink dress

Big red boots

additional photography by SARAH KIM art by CHARLOTTE DAUM, ANNA WERSHBALE, KIRIN MACKEY, ELISE TSAO, LAUREN DRZALA, LEXIE FARRIS style by BLAZE BANKS, BELLA GRACE FINCK, CALEB STREAT, ERIN CHAN, LAILA HAMER, HANNAH MCMINN, DYLAN DAVID, NIKITA CHELLANI, NINA HADLEY

Red leather

Navy shimmer

Frilly pink

Big red boots

Classic denim jacket

ROCKET letter jacket

Color block baby tee

Color block

photography by JORDAN LERNER production by ANNA VAN MARCKE, ALEXA CARMENATES, AVA HAGEE beauty by NEVAEH GALLUCCIO, MIA REGINELLI, DANELL MONTES, VIC KIM style by BLAZE BANKS,BELLA GRACE FINCK, CALEB STREAT, ERIN CHAN, LAILA HAMER, HANNAH MCMINN, DYLAN DAVID, NIKITA CHELLANI, NINA HADLEY

DARK DARK

FAIRY FAIRY

art by LEXIE FARRIS

gen z fashion&

the

written by LILLY TANENBAUM art by LAUREN DRZALA

white lotus

In conversation with "White Lotus" costume designer Alex

Over winter break, I binged The White Lotus, an HBO series centered around wealthy guests at a luxury resort whose stay culminates in a mysterious death. I got so into the show that I tracked down the Instagram of the costume designer, Alex Bovaird, and sent her a message. The subject of my message was one specific character, Portia, whose outfits inspired an array of think pieces and countless tweets. Unlike the other guests at the White Lotus Resort, Portia is not funding her own stay. She is there as a personal assistant to Tanya, a wealthy, complicated heiress played by Jennifer Coolidge. I fell in love with Portia’s character when she first stepped off of the boat bringing her to the resort in a brightly patterned sweater vest. The internet was quick to point out that the sweater vest worn by Portia was also worn by influencer Emma Chamberlain. Depending on who you ask, Emma Chamberlain is either the decider of Gen Z fashion or just another skinny white girl who gets away with wearing clothes that wouldn’t be considered fashionable on the average person. With this first outfit, Bovaird introduces two key concepts of Portia’s character: that she looks to social media, where Emma Chamberlain’s power finds its source, for fashion inspiration and that she is more focused on her self-presentation than on actually enjoying the world around her. A sweater, even in vest form, is neither comfortable nor traditional beach resort attire. But Portia’s fashion and practical shortcomings do not make her pathetic; rather, they make her real. The reason Portia’s outfits are jarring and sometimes downright absurd is because they express the process young people must go through to understand their identity and how they want to express it - a process made harder by the relentless, expensive trend machine that is the internet. For the internet haters of Portia’s Emma Chamberlain cosplay, the next episodesprovided even more to hate. Portia later wears an oversized, strangely cropped Polo shirt with a crochet bucket hat, a zebra bikini with a boldly patterned bolero, a couple of brightly patterned mini dresses, a bowling shirt, and a galaxy printed tube top set. Her closet seems to have come entirely from TikTok recommendations and Instagram ads. Bovaird said in an interview that she sourced Portia’s outfits from “those brands that they advertise to you on Instagram,” the Urban Outfitters sale section, and thrift stores. Portia’s character is “young, she doesn’t really know who she is, and she’s trying on different ideas.”

Bovaird

portia

beaded necklaces

bucket hat

denim cut offs

graphic

sweater vest

converse

Young adulthood is often characterized by this concept of trying on different ideas. We are formed by the mistakes we make while we are learning who we are, and this process leaves a person with an identity in flux. It is natural that someone who has not figured out who they are has trouble figuring out how they want to dress, especially because how we dress often serves to express and present our personality. Bovaird said the young characters on The White Lotus “are expressing themselves in a really adventurous, chaotic way.” Portia’s character makes a lot of mistakes throughout the show - some trivial and some dangerous. She longs for adventure, but does not always seem ready for it. Portia tries on different ideas for herself with the same con fusion with which she tries on different outfits.

Portia is not the only one who is trying to figure out what her style is - our whole culture seems stuck in this cycle. The term it-girl has lost all meaning: ‘it’ implies a singular way to be at the center of style and culture, but ask ten people who the current fashion it-girl is and you might get half as many answers. Itticle from L-Officiel lists Julia Fox, Naomi Biden, and Matilda Djerf as the fashion itgirls of 2022, among others, forming a list that leaves no real sense of what the dom inant style of the year was. This is possibly because there wasn’t a dominant style. Julia Fox’s edgy, often experimental style is a sharp contrast from the casual, Scandinavian style that earned Matilda Djerf enough followers to launch a clothing line. And then there is our third ‘It-girl,’ Naomi Biden, who tends to lean towards traditional and preppy style. Portia’s style is an amalgamation of the influences of the internet-appointed style icons, pulling in

spiration from a new aesthetic every day. Portia’s chaos contrasts with the poised, expensive outfits of the other guests at the resort. Portia’s boss, Tanya, has expensive taste and favors extravagant dresses with matching heels and accessories. The resort manager, Valentina, has a rotating wardrobe of matching pantsuits and heels. The older guests at the hotel are not only put-together, but consistent. The cohesion of their style between different days and situations implies that they have a stable sense of self and know how to express it. There is also Daphne, one-half of a

“Portia’s outfits express the process young people must go through to understand their identity and how they want to express it— a process made harder by the relentless, expensive trend machine that is the internet.”

perfect marriage, whose wardrobe feels straight out of ads about an Italian summer vacation. Her dresses and matching sets serve as armor to project the woman she needs people to believe she is: poised, wealthy, happy.

Daphne and her husband, who works in finance, are focused on money - having it, getting more of it, showing it off. Her wealth is what allows her to seem fashionable, even though her outfits are not particularly full of personality or style. Both Naomi Biden and Ivy Getty, who made the L’Official list of Itgirls, are the grandchildren of people with nearly-endless supplies of money. (Biden is the granddaughter of President Biden and Getty is the granddaughter of philanthropist Ann Getty). Tanya, Portia’s boss, is also wealthy because of family money. These women have the ability to curate impressive outfits not necessarily because of their sense of fashion but because of their funds. Without any White Lotus to binge over spring break, I watched the newest season of the Netflix series Next in Fashion, on which Portia’s fashion icon Emma Chamberlain makes a cameo as a guest judge. Judge Gigi Hadid (a fashion It-girl in her own right) often praises outfits specifically for looking “expensive.” If the mark of true style is ‘expensive,’ then Portia and most other people her age have no way to look stylish. Not only is Portia “completely lost,” as Bouvaird-Sprouse put it, but she’s also broke. Unlike most of the other guests at the resort, who clearly have money to spare, Portia is trying to outfit herself on a budget.

illustrationbyKIRIN MACKEY

As I told Bovaird in my message in December, I was struck by how well Portia’s character portrays “how fluid and unstable our conception of ourselves feels while we are young.” As I finish this article I, like Portia, am wearing an outfit I saw Emma Chamberlain wear online. I am aware that if a picture of my outfit was sent into the twitterverse or the world of the opinion writers at Vogue, I might get the same online bullying that Portia got. But what the well-paid fashion writers and millennials on twitter don’t understand is that many of them have something Portia and I don’t - money and maturity. Alex Bovaird, who did me the honor of responding to my message, represents the realistic process of trial and error in a way that media often fails to do. We are not born fully formed, and we must be allowed time to try on outfits and versions of ourselves.

“But what the wellpaid fashion writers & millennials on Twitter don’t understand is that many of them have something Portia and I don’t — money and maturity.”

art by KIRIN MACKEY

TEMPTATIONS

REIMAGINING EVE & THE APPLE

written by KATIE TAGUCHI photography by HANNAH MONTALVO

beauty by BELLA ORTIZ-MILLER, NEVAEH GALLUCCIO MAKINNA PETERSON, SOPHIE RUSH, VIC KIM production by ANNA VAN MARCKE, ALEXA CARMENATES, AVA HAGEE, SHARON SANDLER, SAIRA YUSUF style by BLAZE BANKS, BELLA GRACE FINCK, CALEB STREAT, ERIN CHAN, LAILA HAMER, HANNAH MCMINN, DYLAN DAVID, NIKITA CHELLANI, NINA HADLEY

Whether or not you believe the Bible to be divinely inspired, the story of Adam and Eve is one that has deep, inescapable roots in Western culture. The story of the first woman goes like this: When Adam and Eve entered Eden, God only gave them one rule - whatever you do, do not eat from this one tree. Do not touch the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That’s it. But of course, as the book of Genesis goes, the first woman ever created gives into temptation and eats the forbidden fruit. She tempts Adam into eating it as well, and they are cast off of Eden, forced to live on Earth instead and face eternal punishment. Ultimately, Eve is the woman who ruined everything for all of us. She is solely responsible for the fall of humanity. For thousands of years, Eve was thought to represent the inherent nature of all women: women are weak-willed, disobedient, seductive, and untrustworthy. Eve is woman, and she was responsible for the original sin. Adam would not have succumbed to sin if not for Eve’s dangerous sexuality; women are temptresses who can lead their husbands away from all that is righteous. Women have been suffering for her mistakes for centuries. In many ways, Eve has become a symbol of the endurance of female oppression. However, we’ve begun to reassess our image of Eve and consider how she was wrongly villainized. Feminist movements have used Eve iconography for decades, flipping the story of Eve and the apple on its head, positioning Eve as a role model instead of a curse to womanhood. Eve was a victim to her thirst for knowledge, and she refused a paradise that kept that knowledge from her. Eve rejected complacency and asked the question: is a place where curiosity is condemned really a paradise at all? She exposed the illusion of paradise, encouraging us to question orders and challenge male hegemony. Perhaps she was not duped into doing something sinful - rather, she committed the first act of personal choice. She is not weak-willed, disloyal, and guileless. She is unflinching, inquisitive, and self-reliant. She is not the mother of original evil; instead, she is the mother of freedom, of knowledge, of exploration. She gave us a desire for wisdom and introspection. By eating fruit from the tree of knowledge, she gave us full human awareness. She is not who cursed us - she is who saved us.

I’ve always been interested in recovering well-known women from misogynistic interpretations and understandings, and Eve is of particular interest to me as the theoretical first woman. Eve’s image has inspired the femme fatale, the seductive temptress, and the fallen women archetypes. There are echoes of Eve everywhere, and we’ve finally begun to confront Eve’s complexities. Through modern interpretations, Eve’s curiosity and sexuality become powerful rather than sinful. We keep coming back to the creation story to expand our understanding of womanhood. In the spirit of reclaiming Eve, I decided to search for Eve in some of my favorite stories. Here’s a brief list of some of my favorite Eves and their respective apples:

DAISY JONES as 70s MANIC PIXIE DREAM GIRL

EVE

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s bestseller Daisy Jones and the Six was recently adapted into a TV show, and the 70s rock n’ roll it girl came to life on screen. The book and show follow the rise and fall of a fictional 70s rock band, centering on Daisy Jones, its ultra talented and ultra beautiful frontwoman who is addicted to drugs for much of the story. With the apple as a symbol of juicy temptation, Daisy’s “apple” is drugs, sex, and the world of rock n’ roll. Daisy gives into this temptation because of her desire to prove herself and make authentic art. By eating her symbolic “apple,” Daisy realizes her full artistic potential and becomes one of the most famous women of the decade. Because of her beauty, many men misinterpret and misunderstand Daisy, just as Eve has been misunderstood. Daisy is determined not to be merely the muse of men - she wants to be seen as more than the ideas that men project onto her. Throughout the book, her co-lead singer Billy tries to resist the temptation of drugs as well as the temptation of Daisy herself. Billy is of course Adam in this scenario, but ultimately, both Adam and Billy are responsible for their own choices. The complexity of Daisy reminds us that Eve is more than just a symbol of temptation - she is a woman with her own complicated thoughts and desires, and she shouldn’t be constructed based on the interpretations of men.

as SAPPHIC MI5 EVE

The most explicit example on this list, MI5 agent Eve Polastri of the show Killing Eve allows temptation to completely upend her stable life. Here, Eve’s “apple” is her desire for and obsession with Villanelle, a psychopathic assassin played by Jodie Comer. In the show, Eve is associated with religious imagery, with Villanelle even gifting Eve an apple in one of the episodes. Eve loses her husband and her job because of her complicated desire to hunt down Villanelle; she allows temptation to uproot everything. Villanelle and Eve’s attraction to each other subverts the traditional heterosexual Adam and Eve narrative. By the end of the show, they are not ashamed of their desires. They are both morally flawed and complicated, but they are set free by acknowledging their temptations - just as the first woman was. They are celebrated and shameless, as the original Eve should have been.

“WE SHOULD TAKE THE LESSON FROM EVE & EAT OUR RESPECTIVE APPLES.”

PANDORA as CURIOUS GREEK EVE

One of Eve’s most famous echoes finds itself in the Greek myth of Pandora. In the myth, she is the first mortal woman on Earth, and she is given a jar containing all the evils in the world - this is her “apple.” She is not supposed to open it, but her curiosity overtakes her and she does so anyway, directly paralleling Eve eating the apple. Before she is named in Hesiod’s Theogony, she is called “beautiful evil.” She takes on the blame for the presence of evil in the world, just as Eve takes the blame for the fall of humanity. However, it was Zeus who put all evil into this one jar in the first place. Pandora was a pawn, a victim of Zeus’ plans. She was a victim of her vibrant curiosity, and can she really be blamed for that? Plus, hope managed to remain in the jar, so maybe the takeaway of the myth shouldn’t be about assigning blame to women, but instead about the persistence of hope.

Q UINN F ABRAY as ALTO TEEN MOM EVE

Glee’s Quinn Fabray works remarkably well as an Eve archetype. Finn (or even Puck) would be Adam here. Quinn’s “apple” could be sex, but it could also be her desire to be at the top of the McKinley High social pyramid. As a Christian who preaches abstinence, Quinn desires something she shouldn’t - sex. She gives into temptation, and faces the consequences when she becomes pregnant. Eve is the same - she desires something she shouldn’t and is later punished. Quinn could be seen as a weak-willed temptress, supposedly like Eve, but she could also be interpreted in a much more interesting light as a woman who goes after what she wants and relishes in her power over men. After the pregnancy, she falls from grace, losing her social status and getting kicked out of her home. However, her pregnancy also allows her to find acceptance and community within the Glee Club. Quinn finds her confidence again, learning to be unapologetic and unashamed of her decisions. Her punishment is her liberation - same as Eve.

modeled by RUTH BEKELE, ZARIAWN ANTHONY, JAI SONI

There’s a piece of Eve in all of these characters, and that’s what makes them interesting. I think we can all see a bit of Eve in ourselves, too, and that’s something we should revel in rather than shy away from. Our instincts and desires are complex and fascinating and deserve careful inspection, not shame and punishment. We should take the lesson from Eve and eat our respective apples. It just might set us free.