Editor’s Note

LETTER FROM THE

EDITOR

Honoring SHEI tradition, my team and I began contemplating how we would appr oach this semester’s issue early—in the ripe heat of August. We began sifting through our favorite publications for inspiration and looking to history for context. As we discussed potential starting points for the issue, we were certain of one fact: Fashion is political. Throughout history, clothing has been tailored, trimmed and leveraged to NQ\IXWTQ\QKITIOMVLI One glaring example of this is the role of fashion in the feminist movement. In the ;MKWVL?WZTL?IZ[KWZM[WN _WUMVTMN\\PMPWUM\WI[[Q[\\PM_IZMٺWZ\8IV\[JMKIUM their garment of choice, symbolizing women’s critical place within the workforce. In \PM![_WUMVLMUIVLMLI[M`]ITZM^WT]\QWVIٻZUQVO\PMQZZQOP\\W\PMQZJWLQM[ Skirts became shorter, symbolizing women’s rebellion against norms of modesty and [PIUM<WLIa_WUMVKWV\QV]M\WÅOP\NWZMY]ITQ\a?M\ISM\W\PM[\ZMM\[_ZQ\MJWWS[ and blogs, and hurl our voices towards a more promising future. We wear pink pussy hats. We ditch the bra. We transform the t-shirt into our political weapon. We make fashion a tool NWZ rebellion. As is the case with most forms of art, fashion communicates an inherent political message. To ignore this fact is to shy away from the great opportunity of the art form.           ?Q\P this issue, we wanted to use our platform to take advantage of this opportunity and contribute to the political conversation. To aid us in accomplishing this task, we employed the help of student activist Emily Kaufman. Emily has done a myriad of important work to advocate for women’s and LBGTQ rights both on campus IVLWNN7]\OWQVO_IZUIVL_Q\\a[PM[XMV\ILIa[PWW\QVO _Q\P][QV\PMQKWVQK UMMA. Her gorgeous, vintage-inspired shoot is accompanied by a movingly honest interview conducted by Kate Cammell (Emily Kaufman: In Her Own Words, page 58). 1V discussing women’s and LBGTQ rights, we felt inclined to also discuss the role of UI[K]TQVQ\a QV W]Z K]T\]ZM .MI\]ZM[ _ZQ\MZ 8PWMJM ,IVIPMZ Y]M[\QWV[ _Pa UI[K]TQVQ\a and makeup are often regarded as antithetical in her piece Masculinity and Men Who Wear Makeup (page 22). We are astonished (and frankly ashamed) that it took us until 2017 to feature a male model in a print beauty shoot. In Flourish Freely, fashion editors 4Q^>MTIZLMIVL)TIVI>ITSWUIOVQNQKMV\Ta JZQVO\PQ[ ;0-1 NQZ[\\WNZ]Q\QWVXIOM?Q\P\PMPMTXWNUWLMT[2]IV5IZY]MbIVL/ZIKM+W]LIT \PM XIQZ KZMI\M[ IV invigorating world of nature, vibrant colors, and a hint of 60’s sensibility. ,M[XQ\M\PM LQٻK]T\a WN \IKSTQVOM`XTQKQ\Ta XWTQ\QKIT\PMUM[QV\PQ[Q[[]M W]Z\MIU was determined to try. I have grappled back and forth with whether or not we will be successful in our execution. A person can express their identity in a countless number of ways, and it seems nearly impossible to encapsulate them all in one issue. The problems _Q\PQVW]Z_WZTLZMOIZLQVOOMVLMZQLMV\Q\a[M`]ITQ\aIVLMY]Q\aIZMW^MZ_PMTUQVOIVL [MMUQVOTaQVÅVQ\M*aI\\MUX\QVO\WKWVNZWV\\PM[M[]JRMK\[PMILWV_MIZMQVI[MV[M setting ourselves up for failure. After much thought, we have decided that we would much prefer to fail through an PWVM[\MٺWZ\\W_IZL[XZWOZM[[\PIV[]KKMML\PZW]OPKWUXTIKMVKa

Maggie O’Connor Editor in Chief