“I feel very disheartened at the results of the election and what it could possibly mean for the future of our nation. I'm still in shock that the people would vote for a candidate who has been denounced by basically all of his former advisors and who's economic plans would cause such a massive economic downturn. That being said, I'm grateful that I'm part of such a progressive and positive community and I think that we will get through this together.” -- anonymous Scripps student
“I am disappointed that people would vote for Trump, especially after his last term and his attacks on democracy. I am especially concerned about how his administration's lack of care for the environment will impact the entire world because the next few years will determine the fate of the planet.” -- anonymous Scripps student
It's devastating, and heartbreaking. We're looking at losing many features of the administrative state, like environmental protection and food safety, as well as purges in the bureaucracy, and trans people and immigrants being targeted. It took a lot to build a system that, very imperfectly and partially, worked to provide some protections for people. Now we're on our own, and I guess we look to those whom the state never protected for guidance on how to organize. But we should not 'obey in advance,' and must stand up to fascism, with civil disobedience if necessary.” -- anonymous Scripps student
“I'm devastated and terrified by the results of the election. People may think we're relatively safe because we live in California but complacency will only be to our detriment. Just like I would have done if Kamala had been elected, I will continue to advocate for reproductive rights, for equal rights, and do my best to push for positive changes. Our voices do matter, even if things seem out of control and unstable. We have to keep fighting, finding solace in our communities, and advocating for respect, equity, and equality!” -- Athena Lewin ’25
“Disappointed, disgusted, and shocked are the first words that come to mind. I am still struggling to comprehend how this could have happened. How did we elect a convicted felon, rapist, homophobic, racist, misogynist, fascist, failed businessman into the most important office of our country? The fate of America is unclear, which I have never felt.” -- Katelyn Sewell ’27
Scripps hosts Roman Polanski defender
“What you've got to remember is everyone you're looking at is also you. You could be that person. You could be that monster. You could be that cop. And you have to decide in yourself not to be. That's James Baldwin. And I say we can't let ourselves despair. I think we need to really channel our ancestors and those who wanted a better life for us that came here, that have struggled for centuries to give us hope and when and how we watch them struggle … And, and to me it's this whole farce. You know, the system itself, the voting system, the electoral college is broken, broken. It's a broken system, and we have to think of new ways. So we can't despair. We have to, more than ever, build our communities around us on the ground and find ways of building the world we want to see, you know? We have to keep going. There's nothing else to do, you know? And it's okay to mourn for a little while, but dust yourself off and let's go, you know?” -- Professor Martha Gonzalez
“I am deeply saddened by this election — I am in mourning for the America that I had imagined this nation could be. I am angry that so many people could not bring themselves to vote for an intelligent, judicious, and competent woman; instead they found some excuse to vote for a man who has proven himself time and again to be incompetent, malicious, and destructively self-centered. At the present moment I cannot see a way forward, yet I hold on to the hope—the belief—that we'll overcome someday.” -- Professor YouYoung Kang
“I'm so saddened by this news because it's obvious to me that people will believe anything Trump says if it means they can maintain the white supremacy agenda. I don't even know if Trump supporters know what his policies are, but that doesn't matter to them. What matters is that the power remains in their hands.” -- anonymous Scripps
Trump Elected to Second Term: Scripps Community Responses
“I am horrified. Being from a southern state, I have already experienced what it is like for my reproductive rights to be stripped away, but I mourn for those in other states who now share this experience. I am scared for myself, but mostly for those who are less privileged than I am, for immigrants, for black and brown women who will be disproportionately affected, for lower and middle class folk, for trans people, for everyone who values democracy. I truly can not believe that a man convicted of 34 felonies, a rapist, a racist, someone who tried to overthrow our country and disregards our constitution, could possibly be elected for the second time. I mourn the safety I thought would be guaranteed by moving to California” -anonymous Scripps student
“I am disappointed that people would vote for Trump, especially after his last term and his attacks on democracy. I am especially concerned about how his administration's lack of care for the environment will impact the entire world because the next few years will determine the fate of the planet.” -anonymous Scripps student
“As an international student, I know that Trump’s election may not directly impact me as much as others, but I’m still deeply concerned. I’m a person of color, a queer woman, and an advocate for women’s and LGBTQ+ rights. Having Trump back in power feels like a setback for marginalized groups across this country. My heart goes out to queer youth, to the victims harmed by Trump’s abuse who now see him reclaim such power, and to women who are denied basic reproductive healthcare. It’s hard not to feel that this country is facing dark times ahead.” -- Rochelle Lu ’28
“Disappointed, disgusted, and shocked are the first words that come to mind. I am still struggling to comprehend how this could have happened. How did we elect a convicted felon, rapist, homophobic, racist, misogynist, fascist, failed businessman into the most important office of our country? The fate of America is unclear, which I have never felt.” -- Katelyn Sewell ’27
“I am genuinely fearful for this country. The degree of out-ofsync that liberal academic spaces and media are from the actual pulse of the working people in this country is shocking, and the feeling of shock felt about the election results in these circles proves that. The degree to which working-class, rural Americans are genuinely fearful for their livelihoods, to the point of selfishness and aligning with hatred, is a scary fact. There is a vulnerability in American life that liberal democrats have not addressed. As privileged members of the educated elites here at this college, we, too, have allowed ourselves to turn a blind eye to the reality of this nation's political opinions. Fear has been allowed to be stoked into hatred and bigotry. We cannot diagnose the Trump phenomenon as the result of a few extremists. I feel like people in places like Scripps College think of people who vote for or align with Trump as foreign, completely misguided, and impossible to understand. That is our biggest weakness, and it is the weakness that caused the Democratic party to lose across the board. We need a new approach– the whole "if you vote for Trump, you're a bigot, you hate women and want to strip their rights" approach was not resonant. Clearly, a deeper understanding needs to be developed, and that has to start from an empathetic approach, in my opinion. We can be firm in denouncing those beliefs that we find irredeemable, but we must begin to understand the masses of people who were compelled to vote for Trump.” -- anonymous Scripps student
“Disillusioned once again.” -anonymous Scripps student
“It's devastating, and heartbreaking. We're looking at losing many features of the administrative state, like environmental protection and food safety, as well as purges in the bureaucracy, and trans people and immigrants being targeted. It took a lot to build a system that, very imperfectly and partially, worked to provide some protections for people. Now we're on our own, and I guess we look to those whom the state never protected for guidance on how to organize. But we should not 'obey in advance,' and must stand up to fascism, with civil disobedience if necessary.” -- anonymous Scripps faculty member
“I am genuinely so scared for my future.” -- anonymous Scripps student
Scenes Behind the Greens: A review of lawn conditions
Halloween Costume Couture: A peak into 2024 Halloween fashion
Scripps hosts Roman Polanski defender
By Ellen Wang ’25 and Belén Yudess ’25 Editor-in-Chief and Copy Editor
French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy gave a talk on Nov. 5 in the Hampton Room titled “Populism on the Left and Right” at a joint event sponsored by the Scripps Humanities Institute, European Union Center, and Claremont Hillel. The event intended to “explore [Lévy’s] insights on global conflicts and democracy” through a moderated discussion by Pomona College professors Mietek P. Bodusyński and Oona Eisenstadt.
Lévy’s event as part of a North American college campus tour shocked many Scripps students and faculty due to his condemnation of survivors and support of perpetrators of sexual violence. Most notably, Lévy gained attention for his defense of director Roman Polanski, who was convicted in California for the rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1977.
In response to the decision to host Lévy at Scripps, Cassidy Bensko ’25 said, “You have the freedom of speech to be a rape apologist wherever you want, but like, why are you bringing that to historically women’s college?”
Additionally, Lévy has faced public backlash for statements that a woman’s decision to wear any type of veil or face covering is a “sign of inferiority,” and, specifically in regards to Muslim women, “an invitation to rape.”
An anonymous Scripps Advocate commented on the organization’s shared concern regarding this event and how Lévy’s presence on campus may affect the campus community.
“It was shocking to me, because I would have thought that the people hosting this event would have done a little more research into who they were bringing in,” she said. “It definitely sends a message of whether we are welcoming to survivors ... Because I feel like up until now, the community we’ve cultivated on campus definitely is in that direction, but it’s very questionable when something like this happens.”
Following the news, Scripps Advocates contacted Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Dr. Sha Bradley on Nov. 1 to discuss possibly canceling the event. Bradley referred Advocates to Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty Dr. Mary Hatcher-Skeers. On Nov. 4, Skeers responded to the organiza-
tion’s email explaining the college’s rationale for allowing the event.
“Mary Hatcher’s Skeers email acknowledged that while there may be concerns for the speaker’s views and past comments, they uphold the “academic freedom” of the host organizations to hold the event,” said an additional anonymous Scripps Advocate.
The Scripps Advocates member noted how the administration’s disregard for Lévy’s past imbued a sense of doubt. “It gives me less faith in our administration to do what’s right and put the community first,” she said. “It’s disappointing because it was a complete shutdown of our concerns without further opportunity to discuss or meet about our frustrations, but we acknowledge the fact that we comparatively voiced our concerns late.”
According to her email response to Advocates, Hatcher-Skeers reasoned that the college’s decision to host Lévy, despite his previous statements, aimed to “uphold academic freedom” on campus.
After the Elizabeth Hubert Malott Public Affairs Program asked Washington Post columnist George F. Will to speak at Scripps in 2014, he was disinvited following a Washington Post column in which he described survivors as craving a “coveted status,” and compared trigger warnings to censorship.
Former Scripps President Lori-Bettison Vargas affirmed this decision in a letter to the Scripps community. “Sexual assault is not a conservative or liberal issue. And it is too important to be trivialized in a political debate or wrapped into a celebrity controversy,” Bettison-Varga said. “For that reason, after Mr. Will authored a column questioning the validity of a specific sexual assault case that reflects similar experiences reported by Scripps students, we decided not to finalize the speaker agreement.”
Bensko echoed Vargas’ words from 2014, highlighting the implications of hosting Lévy. “I don’t know if it’s some perverse stab at supporting freedom of expression, to say that it is free speech to bring someone who has outwardly supported rapists and sexual assaulters to a women’s college campus, as if women need to be told again … that their bodies are not their own.”
Shivom Parihar CM ’28 expressed similar feelings about colleges’ responsibilities to maintain certain societal boundaries. “I’m not saying plat-
forming someone is necessarily an endorsement, but I do think platforming someone is at the very least saying that … they should have a voice in the conversation, and I think this does cross the line of people who should have a voice in the conversation.”
During his talk, Lévy mentioned recent experience with censorship, referring to the electronic newsletter Shelf Awareness’ decision to dismiss an advertisement for his newest book, Israel Alone
Bensko illuminated the blatant hypocrisy behind Lévy’s claim and the recent censorship occurring across the Claremont Colleges, specifically the suspension of 12 Pomona students in response to the Oct. 7 takeover of Carnegie Hall.
“I’m proud of the institution I go to because of my peers and the faculty members that work really hard to make being an intellectual retain its meaning,” Bensko said. “I found it to be honestly insulting to Scripps students.. when he’s a pseudo-intellectual media celebrity who’s built his career out of scandal mongering, and he came and talked a whole bunch about free speech and how he specifically was being censored, and by censored, he meant not being picked up by a single advertising agency, which I find to be deeply ironic, considering that there are … 12 students at Pomona that have been suspended without any sort of [Judicial] Board hearing.”
Aside from Lévy’s perspectives on survivors and women, his invitation surprised some community members due to his lack of scholarly credibility.
“I am surprised that Scripps would have someone like Lévy invited as a philosopher,” said Professor of Spanish, Latin American and Caribbean Literatures and Cultures Marina Perez de Mendiola. “He.. unfailingly advocate[s] for systematic military intervention in non-Western countries.”
Bensko shared a similar sentiment regarding Lévy’s reputation. “From talking to Francophile faculty and friends, I realized that this guy is pretty widely dismissed in France because of allegations of plagiarism, of using ghost writers, but also because of Islamophobic [comments and] his defense of child rapist Roman Polanski [and] the director of the IMF, Dominique Strauss-Kahn.”
As she assessed the room, Bensko observed a lack of Scripps students in attendance, a fact she correlated with how challenging it was to find infor-
mation and register for the event.
“It wasn’t on the [Scripps Humanities Institute] Instagram, even though they had an event happening the exact same day that they did publicize for.. and the only email I received was from Monday, the day before, which would have been after the RSVP closed,” she said. “I definitely didn’t recognize a lot of the people in the room, which was something that I found to be a bit odd. So it makes me wonder who the event was really for, because if they were making an event for Scripps students, I imagine that they wouldn’t bring a rape apologist in.”
Another qualm with the event was concerning the purpose and subject matter of Lévy’s talk, which was promoted as a discussion around “global politics and democracy.”
“[They] failed to mention in any sort of advertising that this was an extension of his highly politicized book tour for his book Israel Alone,” Bensko said. “It’s honestly cowardly that the Humanities Institute wasn’t at least willing to say what they were doing.. bringing this deeply problematic pseudo intellectual onto campus without any sort of transparency or making that information available to the student body, who, I think, if they had known who he was, would have been deeply critical.”
Lévy spent a considerable amount of time fielding questions surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict. In response to one of the questions, Lévy said, “there may be, again, social inequalities [in Israel], there may be class struggle, as the Marxists would say, but there is no apartheid between [Arabs and Muslims] and the Jews.”
The United Nations International Court of Justice found Israel responsible for apartheid on July 19.
Bensko commented on the perceived dishonesty embedded within Lévy’s discourse and how his statements felt contradictory to the supposed purpose of the Humanities Institute’s speaker series: “Can We Escape the Echo Chamber?”
“‘[Can We Escape] the Echo Chamber’ is the name of the series and yet it felt deeply ideological.. he was saying things that were absolutely not true,” she said. “But he was in a room full of people who had clearly been.. selectively advertised to agree with him. I didn’t feel as though there was really any room for dissent or it felt like the event was de facto not open to Scripps students.”
Boil(er Room), Toil, and Trouble
By Frances Walton ’26 and Charlotte Korer ’27
Editor-in-Chief and Copy Editor Intern
Scripps Associated Students (SAS) hosted “Boiler Room,” a Halloween party open to Scripps students and 4C guests, on Nov. 1. “Boiler Room,” inspired by trendy clubs DJed by artists like Charli XCX or Fred again…, featured two DJ setups, one at the top of Bowling Green and the other in the middle of Elm Tree Lawn.
“I think that SAS really did a great job with the parties,” Maia Gutmann ’27 said. “And I really enjoyed the two DJs [booths]. I thought the music was great. And overall, I just love Scripps parties in general, because of all the women there. It’s such a safe space.”
To many, this was considered the first successful Halloween in two years. In 2022, there was the infamous storming of the gates at the “Halloween: Claremont After Dark” Scripps party. The party was promptly shut down after students pushed down the metal fence, and Campus Safety started asking students to leave at 10:45 p.m. Most Halloween
events in 2023 were canceled out of respect for the loss of a Pitzer student and students who were grieving.
“I thought it was nicely organized, and the music was fun,” Megan Yee ’26 said. “The two stages were a little weird, but it was chill … I was just there to have fun and be with my friends. And so I think it was nice, especially considering in past years, we’ve never actually had a Halloweekend. I think it was nice to actually have something at Scripps and have a fun little party.”
Many Scripps students seemed excited to be out on Halloween after the two-year-long hiatus, and the turnout reflected student excitement for nightlife events.
“Compared to other years, we actually had a party, which was cool,” Alina Hernandez ’26 said. “It was really nice to see everyone out. Maybe the only people who’ve had a 5C Halloweekend are the seniors, and they were still coming off COVID.”
SAS 5C Event Chairs Sarah Paper ’25 and Alex Hamilton ’25 planned the “Boiler Room” event, working closely with Scripps administration and outside vendors to create a cohesive and successful event.
“We wanted to provide two stages
for a dynamic environment at our event,” Paper and Hamilton said in a message to The Scripps Voice. “In addition, having this larger space allowed us to have a larger available capacity. The 1C + guest decision about this event was made by administration.”
SAS went all out with the Boiler Room to build off the success of the Sept. 7 “Brat Rave” party, and students matched their enthusiasm. The lines for wristbands were long, reaching from the start of Bowling Green Lawn to the steps of Malott. Student energy and excitement were high for “Boiler Room” wristbanding as other 5C students walked the wristband line asking to be a Scripps student’s plus one.
“I think everyone was really excited to go out, because especially as a sophomore, we didn’t have that last year, and so it was fun to see everyone dress up,” Adina Veloz-Remis ’27 said. “I think everyone really got into the spirit. I loved seeing everyone’s costumes. I think it was a good year.”
Scripps students went all out with their costumes this Halloween. Featured in the Costumes Column, group costumes were as elaborate and often handcrafted, with some using 3D
printed accessories made in Harvey Mudd’s Makerspace.
“I love costumes,” Gutman said. “I think that they really spice up the parties. I loved seeing everybody’s take on Halloween. I think that everyone’s costumes really allowed me to see a new side of them.”
Halloween provided a time and situation for students to take themselves less seriously, dressing up and dancing for a night.
“I feel like dressing up allows you to express yourself in a way that maybe you normally wouldn’t; allows you to get into a character, and really just like get into the spirit of Halloween,” VelozRemis said.
The successes of “Brat Rave” and “Boiler Room” set a high standard for nightlife at Scripps, and SAS continues to work on more events for the student body.
“I am very excited about how Scripps events have been going,” SAS President Melina Durre ’25 said. “We have received amazing feedback, and Sarah and Alex are visionaries that are always pushing the limits for what an event can look like within a very limited budget. I am having so much fun working with them!”
Scenes Behind the Greens: A Review of Lawn Conditions
Angela Zhang ’28 Staff Writer
Green, the representative color of Scripps College, is inextricably associated with the school’s vast carpets of green and the devoted sustainability effort. As Scripps students, we are incredibly fortunate to enjoy such a verdant and vibrant campus, where one can witness people slacklining on Elm Tree Lawn at dusk or stargazing on Bowling Green at night. Yet, striking a balance between preserving this pleasant view and upholding Scripps’ sustainable values is far from easy.
Campus lawns have become some of the most iconic elements of any American university, being highly associated with vibrant student life. However, with global warming on the rise— as seen in Claremont, where summer temperatures, according to the Weather Spark database, have gradually exceeded 100°F over the past few decades — we should reconsider these campus staples.
According to Marc Los Huertos, Stephen M. Pauley M.D. ‘62 Associate Professor of Environmental Analysis who specializes in soil, lawns control surface dust and cooling ground temperature, allowing for a more resilient and self-repairing environment. But compared to other plants, the benefits of lawns are quite limited.
In comparison to lawns, trees provide massive amounts of shade, mitigating the effects of global warming. Even though, according to the 2023 Annual Sustainability Report, our campus is home to 960 trees of 97 different varieties, the fact that we often are exposed to intense sunlight while walking around campus shows that the number of trees is still insufficient in regards to climate change.
It is for this reason that students have pushed for Scripps to reduce lawn areas, asking for some lawns to be completely removed and others improved to be more sustainable. Similarly, Pomona College, which also has extensive lawns, has been removing underutilized lawn areas as recently as last semester.
Landscape Operations Manager Joya Salas explained that more sustainable lawns can employ warmseason turf, such as the hybrid grass Bermuda, which uses 40 percent less water than cool-season turf. The only downside of this kind of lawn is that it presents as an unattractive yellowbrown color in cold weather. However, as said in a 2011 Scripps College website blog post on the renewal of the Alumnae Field with Bermuda, the sustainability benefits make the brown “the New Green.”
Scripps College has also been continuously improving the irrigation system used to water lawns. To address the droughts of 2021 and 2022, the school upgraded the irrigation system. As a result, according to Salas, the irrigation system for maintaining campus lawns now includes new drip lines, sub-surface lines, isolated tree bubblers, rotary sprinklers, fixed spray heads, and micro sprays. While the latter four are traditional irrigation sprinklers with varied water pressures and spray ranges, the drip lines and sub-surface lines are a revolutionary change.
Dripline irrigation is a system of tubes and emitters that reduces water usage by directly delivering water to the plant’s roots. This irrigation system reduces soil erosion and root exposure as water is delivered with little pressure, and saves energy because water doesn’t need to be sprayed out at high pressure. This system is pro-
Image and statistics from 2023 Sustainability Annual Report
grammed according to factors such as plant material type and weather to avoid water waste.
The drip irrigation system also has a rather fatal flaw, which is that it limits the deep development of plant roots. Because plant roots typically grow towards areas with abundant water and nutrients, they usually remain in the top layer where these irrigation systems are located and don’t extend sufficiently downward. Additionally, these irrigation systems can sometimes become clogged due to root growth. To combat the high temperatures and dry climate we face in the long term, the most enduring method is still to maintain the health and depth of the plant’s root system itself, as well as the quality of the soil. A high-quality soil environment and a strong root system can greatly reduce the amount of watering and fertilizer needed. However, the soil qualities of certain regions on campus seemingly do not support deep-root development. One indicator of healthy soil is
its looseness, which is suboptimal in areas like the lawn connecting Bowling Green and Elm Tree Lawn. Noticeable bald patches and visible dryness indicate shallow roots of nearby grasses and compactness of the soil. According to Los Huertos, such conditions are possibly caused by the trampling of the lawn or the inherent shallowness of the soil layer due to construction.
Subsurface line irrigation is very similar to driplines, but instead of being placed on the ground surface, they are buried underground. This advancement offsets the flaw of regular drip line irrigation, such as promoting deeper root system development. However, it also is the most expensive irrigation systems.
Significant efforts have been made to maintain the lawn while improving sustainability at Scripps. However, there’s still much work to be done, and this article only scratches the surface of the efforts devoted to sustaining our beautiful campus landscapes.
A Home Away From Home: 7C International Students Celebrate Fall at Cal Poly Pomona’s Pumpkin Festival
Rochelle Lu ’28 and Emily Mito ’28
Staff Writers
On Oct. 12, under a sunny autumn sky, around thirty international students from the Claremont Colleges gathered at Cal Poly Pomona’s Pumpkin Festival. Organized by the 7C International Student Community Programming Council (7CISPC), the trip provided international students staying on campus for Fall Break with a festive outing. For many, this event offered a taste of American fall traditions, a chance to connect with peers, and an uplifting escape from campus.
The festival, hosted by Cal Poly Pomona’s College of Agriculture, has been a cherished community tradition for over thirty years. This year, it ran for five weekends, from Sept. 28 to Oct. 27, featuring 40,000 pumpkins, sunflower fields, corn mazes, and autumn-themed activities. Festivalgoers explored AGRIscapes, the college’s 20-acre educational farm, browsed booths from local vendors, enjoyed country music, and tried seasonal treats. Cal Poly student organizations also offered workshops, including face painting by the Pre-Vet Club, adding a creative touch to the day’s events.
Becky Kyles, the Scripps international student advisor and member of the 7CISPC, was instrumental in coordinating the trip. She explained that the idea was sparked by the council’s desire to expand their offerings and not simply repeat past events.
“The 7CISPC met this July to plan the fall semester calendar of events,” Kyles said. “One of the council members, Shino Simons, Dean of Students at
Keck Graduate Institute, suggested a trip to a pumpkin patch and specifically mentioned Cal Poly Pomona’s Pumpkin Festival.”
Kyles supported the idea, having participated in the festival both as a student volunteer and as a staff member. “Cal Poly Pomona has one of the larger pumpkin patches in the area and is relatively close to Claremont, so we all agreed to give this trip a go,” she said. “I volunteered to chair this event as I was familiar with the campus and the event itself.”
As Kyles explained, the 7CISPC is committed to bringing the international student community together and providing them with a range of experiences across all five campuses. Since its formation in 2021, following the dissolution of the prior international events committee I-Place, the council has aimed to present new opportunities for international students to connect.
“We work to ensure that our off-campus events offer equal representation and access per campus,” Kyles said. “Each campus has ample time to register for events, and any extra seats are dispersed only after that initial period. All of us on the committee are passionate about providing enriching experiences that help students feel connected within the Claremont community and beyond.”
In addition to planning inclusive and accessible outings, the council considered logistical challenges that international students often face, including limited transportation options.
“Much of the international student population lives on campus, and most do not have vehicles, so integrating
off-campus events is important,” Kyles said. “The Claremont Colleges is a beautiful place with a vibrant campus community, but it’s also positive for students to connect with the surrounding neighborhoods, sightsee, and experience life outside of campus. Southern California offers a diverse range of activities and cultures, which we want our students to experience.”
For many international students, the Pumpkin Festival was their first introduction to a classic American fall celebration. “The Pumpkin Festival was a great way to start my fall break and a nice getaway from campus,” Jiwon Hyung ’27, who attended with a friend, said. “Getting a coconut ube and pumpkin cheesecake ice cream was the highlight of my day.”
The trip was particularly meaningful for students who lack personal transportation and seldom venture beyond the Claremont area. “I wanted to do some fall activities and get out of campus, which was a really good experience,” Charlotte Pisor ’28 said. She also emphasized the impact of the international student community on her sense of belonging at the 7Cs: “At the pumpkin carving, I got to meet people from Pomona as well.”
As Cal Poly Pomona’s Pumpkin Festival continues to grow in popularity, trips like these foster a sense of belonging among international students by giving them a chance to bond, share traditions, and find “a home away from home.” For those who stayed behind while others returned home for the break, this festive outing offered a comforting reminder that community can be found wherever they are.
TSV Editorial Staff 2024-2025
Ellen Wang ’25 Editor-in-Chief
Juliette Des Rosiers ’26 Editor-in-Chief
Frances Walton ’26 Editor-in-Chief
Belén Yudess ’25
Copy Editor
Ishita Jayadev ’26
Copy Editor
Amy Jayasuriya ’26
Copy Editor
Charlotte Korer ’27
Copy Editor Intern
Elita Kutateli ’26
Head Design Editor
Hannah Fawley ’27
Design Editor
Nawal Hassan ’27
Design Editor
Anna Grez ’27
Design Editor
Carah Allen ’26
Webmaster
Anna Odell ’27
Social Media Manager
Halloween Costume Couture: A Peek into 2024 Halloween Fashion
By Ainsley Harris ’26 Staff Writer
Halloween can be an uncertain time at the 5Cs. Are all the official 5C parties going to be shut down? Are you going to make it into Rocky Horror? However there’s always one constant: fantastic Halloween fits. Don’t make the mistake of thinking Scrippsies’ fabulous fashion is just reserved to streetwear! This post-Halloween column highlights several spooky, silly, and sexy costumes that debuted at Scripps this Halloweekend.
Although my friend group was not nearly coordinated enough, group costumes were prominently featured this Halloweekend. Eva Lagrant ’28, Winnie Dong ’28, and Lily Bretana ’28 kicked off their first Scripps’ Halloween with a group costume inspired by the video game Hades (pictured below).
Lagrant (left) dressed as the goddess Selene in a long, shimmering, silver dress with moon earrings, a headpiece, and body stickers. Dong (right) went as the goddess Artemis in a short green dress accented with a leather belt, horned helmet, furlined cloak, and an arrow and quiver. Bretana (not pictured) was the main character, Melinoe, in a short orange dress with a felt-leaf headpiece.
Curating these detailed costumes required a combination of thrifting, the Makerspace, and, naturally, a little bit of Amazon. “It’s about finding the right balance between money and time,” Lagrant said.
Making their dresses would have been far too time consuming, so the trio went to DeeLux in the village to thrift Dong and Bretana’s dresses. Lagrant re-used a dress she already owned. Once they found the base elements, the group turned to Harvey Mudd’s Makerspace for the accessories.
“A lot of these are 3D printed. Winnie found online that someone had
made 3D designs of Artemis’s accessories so we just printed those out. It can sometimes take a really long time, but it’s all free. The 3D Printing is free, the felt is free, the paint is free; it reduces the cost of making a costume so much,” Lagrant said.
Other elements of their costumes including jewelry and Dong’s cloak were ordered from Amazon and embellished at the Makerspace. Lagrant utilized Hypafix: an adhesive that people with diabetes use to decorate their insulin pumps, as well as heat transfer vinyl for their shimmering, skin-safe body stickers.
To any upperclassmen like myself who have been to the Makerspace exactly once (or not at all), we need to take this as inspiration to utilize its resources before graduation!
Of course, first-years are not the only Scripps students with Halloween spirit. As a last hurrah for Scripps Halloweens, Skye Curren ’25 (pictured above, center) and her friends did a group costume as Erin, Michelle, Orla, and Clare from the iconic TV series Derry Girls. Curren dressed as Erin Quinn in burgundy corduroy pants, a striped collared T-shirt, jean vest, and clogs.
Derry Girls , or more specifically, Rock the Boat, became part of Curren’s friend group lore last fall.
“We rewatched Derry Girls throughout the semester, and we watched this one episode where they danced Rock the Boat. We were like this is the most iconic thing ever, and started learning the dance. It just seemed like an obvious costume choice,” Curren said.
For Curren and her friends, sustainability never takes a back seat, especially not for Halloween. In fact, it was a driving factor in how and what they bought for their costumes.
“We just went to the thrift store one night. We wanted to get stuff that we would continue to wear. We didn’t want to go for their classic school girls outfits cause that’s not the most
friendly for our earth. We just went for their more everyday clothes –things we thought they would wear,” said Curren.
Curren notes a certain flexibility is required to remain sustainable during the Halloween season. “You need to be able to embrace imperfection. If you have your mind set on one exact thing then it’s harder to find,” said Curren.
Though they embraced imperfection, their costumes definitely captured the Derry Girls vibe and were cute to boot!
A group costume can also be your friends all going as the same character. Ellen Chapman ’27 and her friends sported Magic Mike costumes this Halloween: black ties and unbuttoned jeans, white tank tops, Calvin Klein underwear, red bras, and backwards baseball caps. The look was completed with (very clearly!) fake money poking out of their clothes. “We’re all Mike,” Chapman told me.
In a striking pivot from last year’s Strawberry Shortcake group costume and initial Wizard of Oz idea for this year, Chapman and her friends decided to go for a more unprecedented costume route. “We kinda wanted to do something both funny and a bit risqué which is how we landed on Magic Mike,” Chapman said.
Like many featured in this costume column, Chapman and her friends were mindful of ethical consumption throughout the costume curation process.
“All the elements of the costume are like normal clothing that we’re gonna rewear. We’re not going to spend a lot of money on something that you’re never gonna rewear. Buying something you’re never gonna wear again is just too wasteful,” Chapman said.
Students aren’t the only members of the community to showcase their Halloween costumes at Scripps.
Denison Library goes all out for Halloween with elaborate decorations, Spooky Spines rare book events, and costumed staff. Jennifer Martinez Wormser ’95, the Denison Library Director, and Cecilia Contreras, the Denison Library Archivist, both wore costumes to Denison on Halloween. Martinez Wormser (pictured below) dressed as the Statue of Liberty in an oxidized-copper-green gown and crown. The outfit was completed with a rubber torch and a tablet, painted to match her dress, that read July 4, 1776 in Roman numerals. The costume is timely with the presidential election happening just five days after Halloween.
“It’s an election year and since the library has a current exhibit about artist books and politics I thought it seemed appropriate to come to work dressed as the Statue of Liberty,” Martinez Wormser said.
Continued on page 5
Ainsley Harris ’26 • The Scripps Voice
Ainsley Harris ’26 • The Scripps Voice
Ainsley Harris ’26 • The Scripps Voice
Gay and Ghoulish: Tierney O'Keefe
Delivers a Killer Thriller Dance Show
By Belen Yudess ’24 and Leah Gorence ’28
Copy Editor and Staff Writer
Tierney O’Keefe ’25 has once again sunk her teeth into an extraordinary display of dance in her “Spooky, Scary, Gay, Halloween Show.” The show hosted two performances in Pomona’s Rose Hills Theatre on Oct. 25 and Nov. 3 and featured four numbers choreographed by O’Keefe: “The Purge,” “There Once Was a Girl Named Jenny,” “Capgras Syndrome,” and “Cravings.” There was an additional piece, “Jeepers Creepers” choreographed and performed by Christian Lopez PO ’25.
O’Keefe’s show was not only a testament to her genius on the stage but also her talent for creating a vibrant and welcoming environment amongst her dancers that permeated throughout the audience.
When digging up the idea for her next project, O’Keefe originally found inspiration in her Catholic upbringing as well as her personal development over the past year.
“I had this idea for a piece called purgatory that comes from my Catholic roots and the liminal space between life and death,” they said. “In the spring, I was feeling like I was in purgatory all the time because of the nature of my health journey with long Covid and feeling kind of in the deep end with symptoms and I really turned to music and choreography [because I wasn’t sure I’d have the capacity to dance as I used to].”
O’Keefe continued: “When I came here in the fall, I originally had this piece in mind that was going to be complicated and complex and explore the psyche, and then I was like, fuck it, I want to do “Lunch” by Billie Eilish and [have] gay vampires.”
The opening number began with a chilling video announcement, declaring the beginning of “The Purge.” The dancers then emerged wearing LED Purge masks and performed, as O’Keefe described, “a fun, groovy hip hop,” kickstarting the evening on an equally spooky and spirited note. The dance concluded when one of the dancers emerged with a baseball bat, scattering the rest of the dancers into the crowd.
“There Once Was a Girl Named Jenny” perfectly encapsulated O’Keefe’s great talents as an artistic director. This piece, which initially served as O’Keefe’s senior thesis this past spring, balanced telling a harrowing story through beautiful, gentle movement
that kept the audience on the edge of their seats. The piece ended with a chilling twist.
“Capgras Syndrome” leaned into a darker energy. “The name of the dance is Capgras Syndrome, which I learned about in my neuro class,” O’Keefe said. “Basically, you think everyone around you is an imposter because something happened in your brain where there was a disconnect between the facial recognition part of the brain and the limbic system.”
People with Capgras Syndrome believe that their loved ones have been replaced by an identical impostor. The dance incorporated those motifs of distrust and fear through fast, convulsive movements, with the two dancers clad in hospital gowns.
As a brief interlude between O’Keefe’s work, Lopez soloed an incredibly energetic and dynamic piece that combined intricate movement and moments of humor that caused an uproar throughout the theater. Set to a medley of songs, including Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, Lopez’s piece was a testament to their skills as a dancer, highlighting their technical mastery of body control.
The finale was a fun, jazzy performance of “Lunch” by Billie Eilish, featuring, of course, the awaited gay vampires. A contrast to some of the spookier dances, “Lunch”, was unapologetically sexy and bold.
O’Keefe described her creative decision to make the roles gay. “I’m listening to the song and waiting for the spirit to move me,” they said. “And I’m like, oh, that makes sense. We’ll just do this. I was listening to “Lunch”, and I was like, this would be so fun to do at Scripps because it’s so gay.”
When asked about their creative process with this piece specifically, O’Keefe shared the concept for the dance and the song came to them simultaneously. “Sometimes my brain is just creating, creating, creating.”
Sitting amongst the audience, there was a pervading sense of belonging. Each time a new dancer came on stage, there would invariably be shouts of encouragement. There was so much love in the audience for O’Keefe and the dancers, stemming from the larger culture of Scripps dance that prioritizes inclusion, support, and pride.
“Working with all the dancers at this school is so epic and crazy,” O’Keefe said. “Everyone’s so fucking talented.”
O’Keefe has been an integral participant in the Scripps Dance program for the past four years and has had plenty of experience interacting with her peers as a fellow dancer and choreographer. Throughout their experiences, O’Keefe has formed lasting relationships with the community on a personal and professional level, which allowed them to fit each person to specific pieces.
“The more you work with a cast, the more you see how everyone’s body moves,” she said. “I love seeing people find more freedom in their bodies. Then sometimes they’ll do something and I’ll be like, oh, I really like that, we’re going to do that. It’s a combination of me creating and seeing what their movement style is.”
As part of her effort to prioritize the well-being and joy of their dancers, O’Keefe strives to create an environment that values effort over perfection.
“I don’t believe in pushing my dancers really hard just so that they can do amazing on stage, because they’ll just burn out and walk away from dance and I don’t want that,” she said. “I have a really awesome relationship with my body and movement, and making people hate rehearsal and each other and themselves is so unnecessary. Especially when we could create and have fun along the way.”
O’Keefe spoke about the importance of continuing the ethos of the program as an uplifting space. “I love Scripps dance,” they said. “I love Scripps dance, and I hope that it stays sacred and noncompetitive.”
O’Keefe also highlighted the collaborative spirit of the “Spooky, Scary, Gay, Halloween Show” and the skill of the dancers in it. “There is a magic that happens when everyone is on board and wants to perform and give to the audience and it’s amazing.”
A Peek into 2024 Halloween Fashion
Continued from page 4
Dressing up for Halloween at work is a longstanding tradition for Martinez Wormser, and one she plans to continue.
“I love to dress up on Halloween at work,” Martinez Wormser said. “I worked at a few libraries where people didn’t dress up and that was very sad. A few years ago I decided I would always dress up on Halloween no matter what. Even if no one else was doing it. If it’s a way I can bring a smile to the students’ faces then
it’s all worthwhile.”
Contreras dressed as Enoch from Over the Garden Wall , a little black cat who masquerades as a giant pumpkin person. The top half of Contreras was the cat – a black long sleeve shirt, face-paint whiskers, and a cat ear headband. Held up by suspenders was a giant paper mache pumpkin with a felt face. Light and dark green strips of felt hang from the pumpkin head making the pumpkin person’s body. This elaborate costume was made entirely from
scratch.
“I saw a video on Instagram of someone making a paper mache soot sprite, and I took that to make my costume. I got a 36-inch balloon and wrapped it in paper mache to get the shape. Then, I let it dry and cut out holes on the top and the bottom. I covered everything in felt and then I created the details with felt. I braided yarn to make the suspenders,” Contreras said.
Contreras is famous at Denison for her love of Halloween. She was the
driving force for many of the decorations that adorn Denison. “There’s something about the spookiness of Halloween – there’s this nostalgia,” Contreras said. “Every year as it comes around, the way a kid feels at Christmas that’s how I feel at Halloween.”
I hope everyone had a fantastic Halloweekend and that this snapshot of a few Scripps costumes brings back that Halloween festivity as we move into the more brutal academic weeks to come!
Ellen Wang ’25 • The Scripps Voice
Communal Living Needs to Be More Cooperative
By Juliette Des Rosiers ’26 Editor-in-Chief
On the off chance you find yourself in Austin, Texas, and you decide to take a stroll through the twenty-somethinginfested West Campus neighborhood, a breezy walk down 21st St. reveals a vital contribution to the University of Texas’s student life: housing cooperatives.
In just a couple blocks, you can spot seven of the 16 student housing co-operatives in West Campus. The other nine are also all within a few blocks from this route. The co-ops are home to anywhere from 17 to 122 residents, and each has a robust history, from name changes to housefires to celebrity performances.
Over the past two summers, living in the Taos and Pearl Street Co-ops revealed to me that communal living is not the inconvenience it can feel like in college dorms. Instead, communal living is an opportunity to empower fellow students, regardless of your relationship with them, to achieve the goal of finding shared joy.
The co-ops are a simple concept: provide students with low-cost housing that includes rent, utilities, and meals, and in exchange, ask that they share upkeep duties among themselves. Students made decisions through a house vote during biweekly meetings, and houseelected officers organized responsibilities such as labor, events, food, and membership.
The people build a co-op community. Upon entering any cooperative house, you feel taken care of and immediately recognize that co-opers share an inherent value of forming connections. The people provide everything in the house, from cooking meals, cleaning common spaces, and throwing parties. You meet friends while chopping onions or weeding the garden and strengthen these bonds during random hallway chats or impromptu kitchen raves.
Conversations are fun but also engaging, pushing people to grow beyond the status quo both in their humor and intellect. One day, you may walk into the living room to see a group watching videos of competitive pig racing while someone cleans out the community fridge. Another day, people are helping each other with homework while someone in the kitchen makes lemonade to sell at the mutual aid art market the house is hosting that evening. Co-ops are a space that redefines what “living” can look like and exemplifies what it means to build a home collectively.
Though the non-profits that formally own the houses provide support for operations, having peer officers was incredibly empowering and efficient. It set the expectation that members looked to their housemates for assistance and collaborated to solve house problems
instead of jumping to those who would police or discipline them. This was incredibly important when, say, a vent exploded, or dinner cooks were simply missing an ingredient for a meal. Calling on our peers for help fostered patience and compassion since someone was not waiting on an ambiguous entity (read: office) to answer their need, but a fellow full-time student worker with whom they bump elbows at the dinner table or share a bathroom.
That is not to say, however, that this cooperation is unconditional. One misconception about the co-ops, probably due to their unique structure, is that we live in kumbaya-esque harmony. Quite contrary to this, there were almost weekly spats. Like any group of 65 young adults, some people didn’t like each other, work together, or even speak to each other. This dislike, however, did not prevent them from living respectfully and cooperatively together.
Pearl Street Co-op does not shy away from holding friends accountable. I could give someone a “red card” for missing their labor or send a message in the #shame channel of our Discord about leaving the kitchen a mess and still share a nice, cold [redacted] or freshly rolled [redacted] at our weekly Bougie Tuesday festivities on the balcony. Coopers understand that accountability is necessary for maintaining a community that relies on each other for their home, thus embracing healthy, respectful confrontation.
At a particularly tense house meeting, I witnessed multiple people argue over whether to remove the house ban on a former friend of the house. The discussion was respectful but obviously emo-
tionally turbulent, and the result of the house vote did not satisfy all parties. However, the co-opers involved did not let this disagreement prevent them from cheering each other on at the house Fight Night or throwing the other in the pool in congratulations for a well-cooked meal. Ultimately, their compassion towards each other as human beings and understanding of shared cooperative values outweighed differences.
These cooperative values also act as a safety net during times of need. For instance, when someone sent a message in Discord requesting a ride, whether it be to the airport or hospital, anyone in the house would step up. Co-opers shared personal resources, such as painkillers, clothes, or makeup, to ensure their neighbor felt secure and cared for. A crucial moment that comes to mind is when a low-income member needed monetary assistance for vet fees. When his cat got mysteriously sick, co-opers from the entire Austin community rallied together to cover almost 75 percent of the vet bill. Additionally, Pearl Street members cleaned his room while he was gone, made a card, and bought him pet supplies to help with the cat’s recovery. When living structures reinforce compassion and cooperation, residents’ actions prioritize these values beyond the house responsibilities tasked to them. People care for people, regardless of whether they are asked to.
Although not self-governing entities, Scripps dorms are not too far removed from Austin co-ops. We also have student living facilities supported by student leadership, and Scripps students, in my experience, share many similar values with co-opers. Therefore, I be-
lieve we can collectively make dorm life feel less impersonal. It is imperative to embrace opportunities to get to know other dorm residents. Introduce yourself to your neighbors and invite them over. Advertise open kickbacks in the dorm group chat. Attend RC and CC-sponsored events. Share your love for cuisine by proposing a hallway community cook and meal. Don’t shy away from respectfully and compassionately holding peers accountable or reinforcing boundaries, even when confrontation is uncomfortable. Incorporating cooperative habits into our communal living structures would benefit the entire dorm as well as strengthen individual sense of self.
Multiple times throughout the summers, I marveled to myself, “This is how human beings are meant to live.” Living in a community and dedicating time to caring for each other felt so natural. After living alone, I realized how much easier it was to find the motivation to clean and cook when I knew my housemates would benefit as well as myself. Co-opers embrace the house’s quirks, such as the dented kitchen pots, halfbroken oven, and extra bedframes scattered around. Arguably, they advertise it, proudly shouting, “Pearl is Shit, Shit is Pearl,” at most social functions. Co-opers are fearless in exercising love and acceptance. They are unapologetic in their ideals and open to reconnecting with humanity. Pearl Street Coop feels like one of the safest places in the world because members make it so. While the broader social order promotes individualistic actions, it is essential to remember that we should strive to embrace our neighbors and build community resilience in the places we call home.
Crossword: Everything But The Kitchen Sink
By Juliette Des Rosiers ’26 Editor-in-Chief
Clues:
Across
1. Food with a variation that may share the title of this crossword
8. “Slime” made from common pantry items that may distress a famous physicist
10. Those present at a family meal
Down
2. Exclamation abbr., when the knife slips *just* too close to your finger
3. First course in some countries, second in others
4. Vessel for jams, pickles, sauces etc.
6. What a favorite Star Trek character may autocorrect to 9. “___ appetit!”
Juliette Des Rosiers ’26 • The Scripps Voice
Forging Passions: Exploring family, Tourettes, and the art of creation in “All Things Metal”
Lauren Chong ’27 Staff Writer
In the heart of Santa Barbara, an unassuming forge hums with the rhythm of clanging metal and a legacy built by family. All Things Metal, the debut documentary from seasoned commercial filmmaker Motoki Otsuka, dives into the lives of the Patterson brothers and their raw, artful world of metalwork. The film is not only a celebration of family and music, but also sheds light on the universal pull of creative passion, regardless of one’s age or life circumstances.
The story of All Things Metal began in an unlikely place – a quest to build a home gym during the COVID-19 lockdown. With much of the world on pause, Otsuka was seeking a blacksmith’s shop to build his gym equipment. It was during this search that he stumbled upon Santa Barbara Forge.
When he drove up, he discovered the doors wide open with heavy metal music reverberating from within. “So, I peek in and it’s like, this really gritty and raw workshop,” Ostuka said. “I was immediately smitten by the place.”
Inside, he met Joel Patterson, the middle of three brothers behind the forge’s creative vision. As they began to chat, Otsuka felt an instant connection, fueled by their shared passion for metal music. This growing intrigue hinted at potential for a documentary, setting the stage for All Things Metal to come to life.
Otsuka approached All Things Metal with a vision to capture the Patterson brothers’ world as he had first experienced it: raw, textured, and unexpectedly enchanting. To bring the forge to life, he framed it with a “dreamy” aesthetic, balancing its industrial grit with a touch of wonder.
“I wanted the viewer to go through that same experience in a way I did,” he said. “Visually, I thought it was such a dreamy place and dreamy kind of relationship that they've cultivated … it’s just so rare.”
The documentary starts with dramatic scenes of “beautiful metal work, and hammers and flames and sparks.” But as the film unfolds, layers peel back to reveal more: the brothers’ shared love of music and their archive of family YouTube videos, which adds a sense of warmth and depth to the rawness of their craft.
At the documentary’s heart is the Patterson family’s unwavering commitment to creativity, resilience, and each other. This creative drive, Otsuka soon found, wasn’t just limited to the brothers but spanned generations, rooted in a shared love of expression and a desire to pass it on to their children.
“During production, my driving question was what makes these guys do what they do, because I think it’s so rare to see middle-aged guys.. putting in the time to make these films when it’s really just for them and their family,” Otsuka said.
By including their children in the documentary, he highlighted how the kids embody their family’s values of art, humor, and resilience.
“The importance of their kids was not something that I really saw in the beginning,” he said. “But once you see how they create, and why they create, it’s really obvious. It’s such a crucial part of them being artists.”
However, the brothers’ lives carried an additional layer: all three brothers have Tourette’s syndrome.
“The big themes are music, metal, work, family, and Tourette’s,” Ostuka said. “This film was never.. about Tourette’s, but I think it's a huge part of their identity and explains why these other things mean so much to them.” Hence, Otsuka faced the challenge of acknowledging this important element without centering the entire narrative around it.
In the film, the interplay between metal music, family bonds, and Tourette’s syndrome adds unexpected depth and relatability. Otsuka was captivated by this duality, which mirrored the raw yet tender aspects of their lives.
“There’s a duality to [metal music],”
he explains. “It’s super heavy and talks about the sadder themes in life, like death, loss, tragedy, but it’s also extremely campy sometimes, and self-aware.” This dichotomy reflects metal itself: a material that is both hard and durable yet malleable and beautiful when heated. Balancing these themes was an intuitive, trialand-error process he navigated in the editing room.
For Otsuka, a huge part of making this documentary was having these contrasting elements be relatable to viewers. At its core, All Things Metal is a call to pursue creative passions. His main message is that it’s “never too late to pursue your passions and just make art for art’s sake,” regardless of life’s demands. Watching the Pattersons dedicate themselves to both their craft and their families, Otsuka found himself inspired to return to his own roots in music.
“I used to be a drummer,” he said. “And as soon as I saw these guys making the time to play the music they love, that inspired me to pick up the drums again.” This journey back to music can resonate with anyone: “It doesn’t have to be music,” Orsuka said. “It’s just about self-expression and a reminder that.. we don’t need to grow up.”
As my interview with Otsuka drew to a close, I asked if he had any advice for college students, to which he laughed and admitted that the only things that came to mind were clichés.
“I think if you want to do something, you really have to pursue it,” he said. “If I kept waiting to do a passion project, it never would have happened. I was lucky enough to find a subject that made me think I wanted to start immediately.”
So, a message to all 5C students: embrace the moment and seize your opportunities – carpe diem!
The Body Horror and Beauty Politics of “The Substance”
Frances Walton
Editor-in-Chief
’26
Three weeks ago, my friend’s mom came to visit Scripps. Instead of wandering the campus with her daughter or going to The Motley, her mom wanted to rewatch "The Substance" with her at a matinee showing. I got a text immediately after: You have to see this movie. "The Substance" follows Elisabeth Sparkle, a 50-year-old aerobics TV show host, played by Demi Moore. In one of the first and arguably most grotesque scenes, Elisabeth’s producer Harvey (Dennis Quaid) devours shrimp and ogles younger waitresses at a meal with Elisabeth while casually delivering the firing blow: “People always ask for something new. Renewal is inevitable. At 50, well, it stops.”
Searching for a solution to her fading glory, Elisabeth embarks on a journey with The Substance, a black market drug with restrictive conditions that allows Elisabeth to live as a younger, prettier version of herself.
The film was built on strong visual and artistic foundations, with makeup and special effects that do not overpower the film's message. As a movie with intense body horror, there is extensive use of prosthetics, yet they all look natural and are in line with the general aesthetic of the film. These tasteful effects showcased the grotesque impact of society’s aversion to aging women as well as the horrors women go through to achieve societal beauty.
Similarly, the film’s sets, like Elisabeth’s apartment, have a cohesive aesthetic and allow the characters to mold and change their environment in meaningful ways as the film goes
on. There are many deliberate nods to Kubrick’s sets that I didn’t even notice until after finishing the movie — they probably meant a lot to the film bros in the audience.
Demi Moore does an excellent job capturing Elisabeth Sparkle's emotions as she suffers from the disgust and disinterest people show in her aging body. Moore likely drew this performance from her own experience as a female star in Hollywood who was known for her desirability, especially in her youth. Margaret Qualley, who appears later in the film, did a similarly good job of encapsulating the conceit and vitality of an emerging, youthful, beautiful star. And, as much as I hate to admit it, Dennis Quaid performed incredibly, perfectly toeing the line between a satirical portrayal of smarmy TV producers and an overly caricatured performance.
"The Substance" was well worth watching, and by the end of the movie, my friend who was rewatching it for the second time, was bawling her eyes out at a horror movie.
SPOILERS:
The crux of "The Substance" is the relationship between Elisabeth and her younger alter ego, Sue. The Substance requires Elisabeth to switch off between being herself and Sue every seven days. As the film repeats, “Respect the balance,” I found myself wanting to smack some sense into Elisabeth/Sue. Yet, my frustration points to the impossibility of women seeing themselves, younger and older, as the same person, worthy of the same amount of respect and humanity as the other.
Sue’s disregard for Elisabeth and her self-destructive tendencies horrifically exemplify how young women often do things that disrespect the personhood
of their older selves (think smoking, drinking, eating unhealthy). Yet, at least for me, it's hard to see how living it up now should take a back seat to an older person when she (or I… ”you are one”) couldn’t possibly be doing anything as important or fun.
While the movie uses Elisabeth’s aging body to encourage the audience to feel horror, it does so with selfawareness, challenging us to remember that she and Sue are the same person with the same consciousness. It asks us, especially women, to look inward and question why these images—aging skin, wrinkled hands, thinning hair— frighten us so profoundly when these are our inevitable future.
Although Elisabeth is famous, I don’t think the movie feels preoccupied with how she, a star, is clinging to relevance as much as it displays how Elisabeth and all women despise themselves as they age. Elisabeth’s fame shows how her self-worth, and in turn self-hatred, stems from the words of the male producers she interacts with and how the audience she caters to begins to reject her.
The only time Elisabeth addresses other people is to gain the approval of the male-dominated industry and the faceless public, underscoring both her fear of intimacy and fear of herself. She doesn’t speak to any woman other than Sue (herself) for the entire movie. Instead, Elisabeth prioritizes societal approval, as we all tend to do, over her self-actualization and worth. This is epitomized when she chooses to spare Sue from termination, calling her the “best part” of herself—a tragic irony given that Sue is her, but the only part men, the public, and she, herself, loves.
One of the most heartbreaking scenes of the film is when Elisabeth, trying to make the most of her week
without Sue, plans and then fails to attend a date with a high school friend. As she gets ready, she becomes increasingly dissatisfied with her appearance, applying more and more makeup before violently smudging it across her face. Although this man saw her worth outside of her appearance, even as a fifty-year-old woman, Elisabeth cannot be satisfied with herself or overcome her internalized disgust at aging. It broke my heart to watch Elisabeth deny herself human connection due to agonizing over her self-image and made me recognize the feeling exemplified in the older women around me.
The stark contrast between the numerous objectifying shots of Sue’s youthful body and the single, unglorified butt shot of older Elisabeth serves as a visual critique: it forces the audience to confront the inherent objectification of women’s bodies and question why the audience easily watches gratuitous shots of Sue’s body and revolts at an aging one. While watching the movie, audience members laughed during multiple scenes nearing the end as they scorned Elisasue for her monstrous appearance. I fear they missed the point entirely. Instead of feeling empathy for women who destroy themselves to please beauty standards, laughs erupted at her putting on earrings in the mirror: women are dehumanized even during the watching of The Substance. In the final scene, Elisabeth’s fleeting moment of genuine happiness occurs when she is devoid of a body altogether, signifying a release from the suffocating pressures of self-image and societal judgment. The scene encapsulates the movie’s haunting truth: Elisabeth’s only escape from her torment in a world that idolatrizes appearances is to shed her body entirely.
Lauren Chong ’27 • The Scripps Voice
Know-your horoscope-ember!
By Belén Yudess ’25 Copy Editor
Aries (March 21 – April 19)
Thinking about Thanksgiving break plans?
Trying to find that balance between adventure and relaxation? A mental break and getting ahead on work? Well, dear Aries, the answer is clear: spend your entire break watching every Timothee Chalamet production. There is nothing more exhilarating, mind-numbing, and thought provoking than Timmy-T pining over Saoirse Ronan (like fair enough).
Taurus
(April 20 – May 20)
Are you on a path of self-discovery, darling Taurus? Deciding what person you want to be? Try embodying the 5C personality you would inhabit in another multiverse! Whether that’s a sleep-deprived Mudder running on three cans of Celsius or a super cool Pitzer bisexual who (surprisingly) loves the outdoors, let your multi-faceted 5C self shine!
Gemini
(May 21- June 20)
Unsure of what your favorite marsupial might be sweet Gemini? Unable to decide between a kangaroo or a koala? The mighty wombat has come to your aid! These furry little rascals make excellent cuddle buddies and will defend you as you brave the Malott afternoon rush; they can chomp into human flesh you know…
Cancer
(June 21 – July 22)
Feel as though you’re constantly racing against the clock, Cancer? Instead of wasting time trying to establish a healthy work-life balance, just break the clock. It can’t tick-tock in your direction if the hands are nonexistent. Remember, your time is timeless and this race is yours to win.
Leo (July 23 – August 22)
People may advise you to “slay the day away” but now it’s time for you, Leo, to “cliche away all day.” Think outside of the box and respond to every statement in a good oldfashioned cliche! Good things come to all who wait and there is nothing better than sneaking a cliche into the conversation. It’s the perfect storm of wit and thoughtfulness!
Virgo (August 23 – September 22)
There is nothing more fulfilling, vibrant Virgo, than snuggling up in a cozy lounge chair with a nice book. But, it’s time for you to change it up and make your reading experience more dynamic! Next time you are looking to settle in for some reading, find a trampoline and bounce to the beat of “We’re All in This Together,” while annotating in at least three different colors! Even if you don’t remember the storyline too well, it will be an unforgettable experience!
The Kind of Love I Couldn’t Put a Name To
By Belén Yudess ’25 Copy Editor
I thought today how your name means something to me. It’s the moment I feel the first rain drop break through the clouds, it’s the sweet but not always sound sensation of your hand in mine.
Your name is combustion.
It’s the song I heard you singing when you thought I was asleep on the drive home.
Your name is a name I didn’t know before I met you; the same way you are the type of person I didn’t know existed before I met you.
Words have the power to reveal the unknowable, even if it is only to affirm that which can never be understood. Therefore, even if I can’t put a name to the kind of love I have for you, I can write your name on a blank piece of paper and bask in that love. Your name means something to me because you do, and I don’t need to understand much else to understand that.
Libra (September 23 –October 22)
Fall into fall by listening to “Falling for Ya” from the seminal classic Teen Beach Movie on loop. Instead of kicking off sweater season with The Cranberries or Noah Kahn, it’s time for you to fall-ow your heart, lovely Libra, and fall into the arms of your true artistic love: 2010 Disney hits.
Scorpio
(October 23 – November 21)
Happy Birthday sweet Scorpio! November is the time for you to observe the most mystic of moments: the witching hour! Witching hour, celebrated from 2 a.m. to 2:59 a.m., is your opportunity to pay tribute to the ghost that haunts the Froutt fire alarm in the hopes of sleeping through the night before the three midterms and five essays you have to finish the next day!
Sagittarius
(November 22 –December 21)
Sagittarius, have you been experiencing a touch of writer’s block lately? Do you find yourself staring blankly at your screen overtaken by your most recent delusions? Well, fret not, for the solution is in the problem. Give into your delusions and turn that unrequited crush into your Intro to Fiction Writing short story! And while you’re at it, maybe ask a special someone for feedback on the plot; it’s all for the plot anyway!
Capricorn
(December 22 –January 19)
Capricorn, it’s time for you to pursue your longawaited dream of collecting the weighted plushies from Target! That blush axolotl-looking creature and the blue dragon lizard thingamabob are calling your name. Next time you’re feeling stressed, let your weighted dino sit on your test (you can’t take your exam if it’s being sat on)!
Aquarius
(January 20 – February 18)
Feel like there are no good movies out there Aquarius? Have you been sitting alone in the dark, tumbling down the abyss that is Netflix’s “Recommended for You” list? There is only one solution to your dilemma: Glee: The 3D Concert Movie! Imagine how much happier you’ll be after watching the greatest pop group of our generation! Glee is the literal and figurative definition of pure joy.
Pisces
(February 19 – March 20)
Do you ever find yourself wondering what’s the best cracker to enjoy with hummus? If not, then it’s time to start. Although Triscuits, Ritz, and Trader Joe’s Garlic Naan crackers are strong contenders, there is an obvious winner, Pisces, and it’s time for you to stock up before the rest of the world catches on! That winner is Wheat Thins, with an extra serving of salt.
Dreaming While Dancing
By Rebecca Allen ’25 Staff Writer
Several rising suns And a saddle blanket.
A field of mustard blossoms
And blind faith.
Two tabs of acid.
At the park, I inhaled until the grass sang, Until I loved you again. I put a dandelion in my hair And gave away dollar bills.
In that world of Buddhist smiles and neon clouds, I swam to you, through the smoggy LA air And I forgave you for not being eternal. In that world, My legs stretched on forever And time lay beside me
