December 2016 // Issue #9
credits editor-in-chief/creator/designer: Sarah Kendric featured writers: Alivia Cooney, Lauryn Oliver featured photography: Jenna Bianco featured artists: Tamsen Simpson playlist coordinator: Tamsen Simpson
About: Sawyer is an online magazine for those interested in fashion and beauty, art, photography, pop culture, and life in New York. Each bi-monthly issue of Sawyer has a different theme, main idea, or point of inspiration. The theme this month is ‘Grease’ (1978). The outfits, art, and photography you will see in this issue are centered around the movie, as well as the decade that it was filmed in (the 70’s) and inspired by (the 50’s). sawyermagazine.com / sawyermag@gmail.com fb: Sawyer Magazine / twitter: @sawyermag
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a letter from the editor The holidays are here yet again, and with the new year comes a new start. What better way to start fresh than with the innocence of the 50’s- ‘Grease,’ to be specific. There’s something special about the 50’s that makes us all nostalgic: the big skirts, the saddle shoes, the seemingly endless supply of milkshakes. As much as we long for that past era (and pretty much every era of the previous millennium), there’s something to be said for the progress our culture has made, and all of our great societal advances. In general, we’ve progressed in terms of accepting the differences of others, even when we may not completely understand them. We’re willing to learn about different walks of life. As seemingly sweet as an era like the 50’s was, we can’t overlook the not-so-nice aspects of the time, like racial segregation. No matter what your political involvements are, I think we can all agree that 2016 was not the best year for us as a society. There’s tension everywhere, and I think that acceptance is a good place to start the new year. If we can have civil, respectful conversations about our perspectives and really listen when others do the same to us, we can probably understand each other and act with everyone’s feelings in mind. It should be our goal to educate instead of look down upon, and learn instead of dismiss. In the meantime, look back on the past and enjoy this classic for what it is (a movie musical with a big heart and seriously catchy songs) and put some extra happy into your holidays and new year. See you in 2017!
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table of contents 7 what to watch 9 serving looks: pink ladies/greasers 13 the sandy dilemma 15 women who weep 20 journey to self-love 21 the top 8 diners in nyc 25 teen angel: best highlighters 31 share a coke with me 38 your new lock screen 39 time travel: 50’s and 70’s
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some background about this month’s theme! ‘Grease’ is a musical movie set in the 50’s and released in 1978. The film is actually an adaptation of the 1971 show of the same name. The story centers around the love story of main characters Sandy Olsson and Dany Zuko, summer sweethearts who reconnect when they discover that they are enrolled at the same school: Rydell High. Sandy, a new student, befriends a girl gang called the ‘Pink Ladies.’ Danny, on the other hand, is a greaser in a group called the ’T-Birds.’ The movie follows the high school misadventures of the couple and their friends, complete with slumber parties, school dances, carnivals, beauty school, and racing. ‘Grease’ is known for its catchy, classic songs, and nostalgic imagery and setting. As Michael Callahan of Vanity Fair puts it, the movie brought everyone back to a time of “greasy hair, greasy engines, and greasy food.” This issue dives into evoking that same vibrancy and updating the highlights of the time in which the movie was set, as well as reflecting upon the 70’s (when the movie was conceptualized and released).
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’10 Things I Hate About You’ (1999) ’10 Things’ is widely considered to be one of the best teen movies of all time. Starring a young Heath Ledger as a seemingly frightening bad boy and Julia Stiles as an annoyed, outspoken feminist. When a bet brings the two together, they also begin to bring out the best in each other.
’Sing Street’ (2016) Set in 1980’s Dublin, ‘Sing Street’ tells the story of a boy who seeks self expression (and to impress the model-next-door) through his music. This movie is so poignant and reminiscent of the rock culture of the decade.
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‘Big Eyes’ (2014) This biographical movie (directed by Tim Burton) tells the tale of Margaret Keane, an artist whose extremely successful paintings were sold by her husband, who took credit for her work.
‘Hairspray’ (1988) Nothing gets people into the holiday spirit quite like a musical. Set in the turbulent 60’s, the romantic comedy follows ‘pleasantly plump’ Tracy Turnblad as she attempts to make it as a dancer on a popular tv show. ‘Hairspray’ will hit the small screen again on December 7 as ‘Hairspray Live,’ which stars familiar faces like Kristin Chenoweth and Ariana Grande.
‘Too Young to Die’ (2015) A tv documentary that offers interesting insight into the deaths of young stars such as River Pheonix, Heath Ledger, Natalie Wood. and more. It sheds light on their troubled lives and warns against the dangers of substance abuse.
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serving looks: pink ladies
L to R: Eva Chen, Giovanna Battaglia, Altuzarra, Jing Wen, Priyanka Chopra, Desigual, unknown, Karrueche Tran, Teddy Quinlivan
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greasers
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🌹 💋 🌟 🍒 🌹
🌹 💋 🌟 🍒 🌹 💋 🌟 🍒 🌹 💋 🌟
🌟 🍒 🌹 💋 🌟 🍒 🌹 💋 🍒 🌹 💋 🌟 🍒 🌹 💋 🌟 🍒 13
🌹💋🌟🍒🌹💋
💋🌟
🌟 🍒 🌹
The Sandy Dilemma Grease. A relatively family-friendly whirlwind full of romance and spontaneous musical numbers. There’s really not much to complain about when it comes to this classic…save for one unsettling transformation. At the end of the film, good-girl Sandy undergoes a pretty drastic image and attitude change in order to win back her summer fling, Danny Zuko. For many people, this overnight personality shift raises a few red flags. Some think that Danny only seemed satisfied with being with her when after this change, which isn't good for obvious reasons. There’s ample evidence that Sandy succumbed to peer pressure because she was put under the impression that she wasn't ‘good enough’ as is. Why else would a sweet, new student do a 360? Changing yourself just to please a man is widely frowned upon in the modern day, but there are a few other factors to take into account when examining this issue. A lot of people also forget that Danny also made changes in an attempt to ‘get’ Sandy. He did join the track and wrestling teams in an uncharacteristic move, after all, showing that both were willing to change to make the other happy. There’s also the argument that Sandy really came into her own with a little bit of makeup and some new clothes. Who’s to say that a makeover wasn't exactly what Sandy needed to boost her selfconfidence and make her feel, well, like herself? Who’s to say that Danny wasn't just as impressed with her newfound conviction in herself as he was her outfit? You decide. #thesandydilemma
-sk
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“Men hate women who weep.” This is an actual quote from Coco Chanel, the most influential designer in fashion history, the feminist icon of the twentieth century. After researching her, and finding empowerment in her accomplishments, discovering this quote was disappointing. There’s only one reason I’ll let a quote like this slide: science wasn’t as developed or readily knowable in her time. How would she know that a woman’s tear ducts are naturally smaller than a man’s, making literal emotional overflow more natural and possible, disillusioning the myth that women “just can’t keep it together”? Well yeah, we can’t, and you can’t stop complaining about it. Only one of the two has a justified physical pardoning. How would she know that the frontal lobe, including the limbic cortex (the emotional regulation center of the brain, within the memory center) is larger in women? Have you ever been stressed over an ex for months, harping on the emotional turmoil he put you through, whilst he only avoids you and seems to have moved on completely? This is where the “crazy ex-girlfriend” trope comes from: a misunderstanding of basic differences in brain structure. As much as you want to, you cannot call the pain he’s caused you post-break-up a reflection of his cruelty; he literally does not remember what happened. How would she know that women have larger networks of interconnectivity between the two hemispheres of the brain, whilst men are mainly connected within hemispheres? This makes multitasking natural for women, and grants us the intuition to know people’s intentions and such along the way. These increased pathways make us more fine-tuned, and thus, more sensitive. Can this be overwhelming? Totally. We can’t just take one task, focus on it entirely, and then call it a day’s work. While completing one task, we take into account the history of past tasks, complete with all failures and triumphs and reflections. Men do not put this much thought into their actions, because they literally have less memory of prior attempts. Evolutionarily, this is because men who hunted would not logically hunt again if they had a strong memory of the fear they felt the last time. There are practical reasons for such major differences in brain structure, neither side of which should be dismissed.
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How would she know that women have 60% more prolactin than men, a reproductive hormone that makes up the foundation of human tears? When boys fight due to excess testosterone, they’re given the “boys will be boys” pass. In fact, men acting out of hormonal impulse is widely encouraged and accepted as the way to “be a man”. Ladies, notice, has anyone ever told you to “be a woman”? I will not even address the influence of other hormones and hormonal cycles in its relation to women’s emotions because honestly Coco? You knew about that. We all know about this, yet too many men still cannot accept this. A shame. My sincere advice to these men? Grow up. Men and women alike often dismiss what they don’t understand. Considering that men lack such hormones, excess pathways, and our unique life experience, they literally can never understand what it’s like for us. (Actually, it’s much easier for women to understand men, because they are literally more simple: they have fewer interconnected brain pathways). Fearing the unknown (pretty ironic for the masculine values of heroism), men will never encourage us to be something, to go to a new territory, that they themselves are unfamiliar with. Studies have proven that seeing women cry makes men feel powerless and uncomfortable, so they reject such women because they cannot accept their own lack of skill in this regard. They cannot keep up with us, so they dismiss us. They silence us. They make it so that women feel the need to de-feminize themselves in order to be respected in their world. To this thought? I take action. I draw the line here, because when men choose to draw the line at feminine emotionality, it is a choice; they are no longer acting out of helpless brain structure or ignorance. Rather, they are making a conscious, harmful, and immature social choice based on an oppressive culture built by them, for them. This is a choice that I cannot excuse, much less forgive. I make it my mission to challenge the idea that a woman of femininity, who takes pride in her neurological differences, cannot accomplish more and touch the lives of more people than any fearing man. The secret? We women do not fear our basic human heart. What makes our lives more relatable, more approachable, more heartbreakingly human? We weep.
by
Alivia Cooney
ig: @alivia.co / FIT Guest Blog
a journey
and bea
To those who feel they are trapped at the bottom of an ocean of
differenc
negativity in this corrupt world we live in: I understand. Two years
understa
ago, I never thought that I would be writing about my journey to
going th
achieving a positive mindset, but I'm very different from that miserable,
stranger
mean girl I was. The transition into high school is tough for anyone,
most im
especially when your new friend group is filled with toxic people who
to me fo
constantly make unnecessary negative comments, stab each other in the
shows e
back, and think all of what comes with that is okay. There was constant
much ea
fighting and conflict, and for my first half of high school I dealt with
weird st
being laughed at and pushed aside by the few people I thought had my
feel love
back. My whole life, I had desperately tried to fit in Being a girl who
love in w
dreams of success and fame isn't really the norm in a sleepy suburban
different
town that nobody leaves. I mimicked the ways of my friends and lost
making
myself in the process. I was judgmental and closed off in an attempt be
because
accepted by people who don't even matter and at the end of the day. I
Changin
wasn't even happy, but life turned around. I realized that if I left my
friendsh
school, I wouldn't deal with the backlash alone, and that even if I was
where I
alone, it was better than giving into the these girls' negativity everyday.
control
I started being kinder, recognizing the negativity in them that I had
best thin
become so used to. I worked on myself for a while, and it was lonely not
wouldn'
being able to turn to people I depended on for such a long time. In the
incredib
end, I was so happy with who I had become. My changes in myself
from de
made me distant from my old group, and by the summer of 2016 I had
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made ne
ew friends and sort of started a new life filled with beautiful people
autiful opportunities. My change took months, but making little
ces go a long way. The number one thing that helped me was to be
anding of others. You never know what someone is dealing with or
hrough and how your attitude could affect their wellbeing…smile at
rs, help out someone in need, never be quick to judge someone, and
mportantly love yourself. Loving myself was such a foreign concept
or such a long time, but finding a nurturing place where everybody
each other love and kindness like the fashion institute made it so
asier. I was being myself, not having worrying about judgment or
tares, and sharing my passion in a place where it could grow and I
ed. It gave me motivation and a desire to be my best self and finding
who I was made it so easy to strive for that everyday. I love being
t and standing out, I love having a passion, I love being kind and people's days even if I don't know them at all, I love being myself
e I am someone who tries to make a difference each and every day.
ng yourself isn't easy- and neither is leaving an emotionally abusive
hip- but leaving is half the battle. I don't know who I would be or
I would be in life if I had stayed and let those awful people still have over my life, but I do know that breaking away from that was the
ng I ever did. They made my life a living hell for two years, but I
't be the person I am today without those experiences. I’m
bly happy and proud of who I am, thanks to the lessons I learned
ealing with that hardship. -anonymous
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Authenticity is a really difficult thing to hold onto, especially if you're a high school student. It’s so important to stay true to yourself and to stick with your passions: the things that not only entertain us but feed our souls and keep us going. The first thing to do is to eliminate any fear you have about expressing your interests to others judgment, while pretty toxic, is sadly common in high schoolers for a myriad of reasons. its a way to deflect insecurities, and its just how some people know how to communicate The people who judge you for your interests shouldn't be important to you, and don't worry about them anyway- I can pretty much guarantee that sometime a little further along the line that you'll be able to relate to and who will accept you. Find people that share your interests! Seek out people in your school community who love the same things as you. Look into clubs and start conversations with the people in them. If you feel totally alone in the things you love in school, the internet is such an awesome resource internet is such an awesome resource when it comes to finding your niche. Search social media or online forums…you're sure to find a group of people who feel the same way as you do. Social media is also surprisingly useful in staying authentic. the pictures you post and how you edit them is a really interesting way to express yourself that previous generations didn't have. By making sure that all your interests are evident on your feeds, the confidence to express yourself online will translate to your everyday life. If you're struggling with staying true to yourself during school hours, take time out of your day at home to nurture your passion, whatever it may be. The things that set you apart from the crowd may very well be your strengths later in life. To wrap it up, know that you're not alone in feeling a little lost. Everyone feels out of place at one time or another. The important thing is not to lose yourself. Don’t feel the need to change in order to blend in- that cliche about our differences making us special is actually true. -anonymous
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1226 Lexington Ave, New York, NY This bubbly cafe is a perfect stop for a sweet tooth looking for a quick bite. What to Order: • cinnamon french toast with malted coffee ice cream • fresh hand squeezed orange juice
782 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY You may recognize this basic local coffee shop for its recurring cameo on the classic TV sitcom Seinfeld! What to Order: • Danish pancakes with home fries • Lemon ricotta pancakes (make sure to order them with blueberries!)
1650 Broadway, New York, NY Known for it's lively atmosphere and amazing entertainment, Ellen's is a great lunch spot to unleash your inner broadway lover! What to Order: • Go small and simple at Ellen’s- it’s more for the experience rather than fine dining.
163 W 23rd St, New York, NY A great spot for anyone in a rush who can't start their day without a classic diner-style breakfast. Where quality quantity finally are balanced. What to Order: • The hungry man breakfast • Malibu Diner omelette
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by Lauryn Oliver
232 E 64th St, New York, NY The service is quick and accommodating. The decor will bring back precious childhood memories and the gourmet burgers will leave you stuffed. What to Order: • BLT with steak fries • guacamole turkey burger
1634 York Ave, New York, NY The Local eatery known for it's burgers & fountain sodas, plus a huge menu & no-frills dining room. What to Order: • Artisanal French Toast • York Avenue Special Breakfast
641 2nd Ave, New York, NY This family-owned diner is open a whole 24 hours waiting for your timeless hunger to roll in. What to Order: • pizza burger • Egg white vegetarian omelette • Belgian waffle sundae
2532 Broadway, New York, NY The Retro decor sets the scene for traditional diner fare from egg creams to pork chops. What to Order: • French Toast with scrambled eggs and pork bacon • Classic chocolate chip pancakes with fresh strawberries
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Don’t be a beauty school dropout‌ shine from the inside out with these 6 gorgeous highlighters!
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by sk
photos by Jenna Bianco edited by Sarah Kendric
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rizzo
sandy
danny
marty
kenickie
frenchy jan sonny
doody patty
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a tumblr-style “Grease” collage…take a screenshot and make it your lock screen if you love the movie and our December issue! (made to fit iPhone 6) -by sk
your new lock screen
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time travel: 1950s
1970s Sawyer Magazine / 40
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