SMU Look Magazine Volume 7 Issue 2

LOOK SMU

WINTER 2023 / 2024

Timeless

Meet the SMU alum who promotes sobriety.

Will Ozempic end size inclusivity?

How Taylor Swift uses fashion to unite fans.

Fall/Winter 23 • 1

BURBERRY

2• SMU LOOK

Fall/Winter 23 • 3

IVÁN NAVARRO, THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND, 2014. NANCY A. NASHER AND DAVID J. HAEMISEGGER COLLECTION.

Photography by Morgan Hellebusch

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MADDIE CRISP MAGAZINE MANAGING EDITOR LIZZIE SEXTON ASSISTANT EDITOR CRISTIANA MONTALVAN SENIOR EDITOR CHELSEA EMMICK MAGAZINE WRITERS CAROLINE PIERCE, AVERY ZOLFAGHARI DIGITAL DIGITAL EDITOR SHAE WALKER ASSISTANT DIGITAL EDITORS TYLER MARTIN, MEIGHAN ASHFORD WRITERS REES SINNOTT, MARI SATO, SOPHIA PARDO, ELIZABETH WHELESS, KENDYL KIRTLEY FASHION CREATIVE DIRECTOR IVY NIELSEN ASSISTANT CREATIVE DIRECTOR SARAH STEINHOUR, BETTY JANE THOMAS FASHION EDITORS LEIGHTON COTTRELL, LAUREN HASTINGS PRODUCTION COORDINATOR OLIVIA LANNING MODEL COORDINATOR HOPE WHITCRAFT FASHION ASSISTANT ELECTRA FORD, EVA GUERREE, EMMY KAY JENSEN ART & DESIGN ART DIRECTORS MADDIE MILLER, JUAN SILVA ART TEAM ROSHAN GUPTA, ANGELICA KOUTSOUBIS, QUINCY NELSON, ROSS YENERICH PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR ELLA MCDONALD PHOTOGRAPHERS ARDEN EILAND, HELEN TRAN, MORGAN HELLEBUSCH 4• 2• SMU LOOK

MARKETING MARKETING DIRECTOR CLEMENTINE MARCOGLIESE SALES DIRECTOR FRANKI PALMER SALES TEAM ANNA BARBIERI, CLARE COLEMAN, KATHARYN MITCHELL, MARGO WASHBURNE, CAROLINE STILES EVENT DIRECTOR KRISTEN DILLARD EVENT COORDINATORS AINSLEY BOOTH, JACKIE O’ HARA, KATHRYN ORR, MADDIE WAGNER DIGITAL PROMOTIONS COORDINATOR MORGAN PERRY CIRCULATION COORDINATOR LUCY HALLINAN SOCIAL MEDIA SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR CHARLOTTE KOLMAN INSTAGRAM DIRECTOR ATHENA MAMATAS INSTAGRAM ASSISTANTS OLIVIA ATHERTON TIK TOK DIRECTOR EMMA GLASER CONTENT CREATORS CAROLINE CORCORAN, LIA DOMENECH, LILLY JAMES, EMMA CLARKE, MAYA BASRA ADVISORS FACULTY ADVISOR JENNY B. DAVIS, JENNYD@SMU.EDU ADVISING EDITORS ETHAN LASCITY, ANDREA ARTERBERY, JAYNE SUHLER EDITORIAL SUPPORT CANDACE BARNHILL, LISA GOODSON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MELISSA CHESSHER

Contents

VOLUME 7 ISSUE 2

LOOKING OUT

BEAUTY

WHAT’S TRENDING

08 Clear Favorite by Caroline Stonnington 16 Click to Skinimalism by Maddie Crisp 18 Beauty on Lock by Sofia Roman

05 Editor’s Letter by Maddie Crisp

10 Less is More by Lizzie Sexton 11 Shady Ladies by Avery Zolfaghari 12 Clocking In by Caroline Pierce 13 Leveled Up Leather by Cristiana Montalvan

QUICK LOOKS 07 Influencing Without the Influence by Leighton Cottrell 14 SMU Style Watch by Staff

FEATURES

20 A Fine Line by Leland McInerny 22 Fast Goals by Bo Rubinstein 26 Micro Trends, Major Consequences by Shae Walker 28 Big Changes by Mara Weinstein 30 We Never Go Out of Style by Sarah Braun 34 Some Enchanted Evening by Ivy Nielsen

LOOKING BACK

Contributors 40 Last Look by Ella McDonald

Sofia Roman Writer Grade: Senior Major: Journalism & Fashion Media Three words to describe your future self: Ambitious, Compassionate, Resilient

Leland McInerny Writer Grade: Senior Major: Advertising & Fashion Media Three words to describe your future self: Creative, Compassionate, Outgoing

Bo Rubinstein Writer Grade: Senior Major: Fashion Media Three words to describe your future self: Determined, Passionate, Playful

On the Cover Model Alexa Anderson Photography by Ella McDonald For more images from this shoot, see page 34 Winter 23 / 24• 3 v Fall/Winter 23 • 5

6• SMU LOOK

EDITOR’S LETTERI

BY MADDIE CRISP

n middle school, most students’ fears fall into the bugs, snakes and heights trifecta, but I spent my younger years paralyzed by the fear of being a lousy writer. My brother (who was and remains my greatest academic inspiration) would spend hours with me at our round glass kitchen table, painstakingly reviewing my schoolwork, helping me “fix” my writing. It was often embarrassing and always frustrating.

One day, after many, many tears, it finally clicked — only after I learned that practice makes perfect. We stopped writing together and started editing together instead. Eventually, he left for college, and I did, too. Sometimes I still can’t believe that I ended up majoring in journalism and fashion media — two writing-heavy majors – and leading SMU Look Media for the past year.

That’s the thing about time: it’s a force that propels us forward, whether we are ready or not.

This issue represents time because of how it shapes us as individuals.

We grow up, and the years passing leave their mark on us. For me, time reveals itself in the form of scars from learning to ride a bike, academic success after years of struggling and a stress-induced patch of prematurely grey hair.

Beneath the surface, though, I think that who we are remains relatively constant. Our character, core values and passions persist through the changing seasons of our lives. Every stage of life serves as a stepping stone to shape us into who we are meant to be, and sometimes, it’s important to look back to see how far we’ve come — personally and as a society.

The passage of time often prompts a sense of reflection. We look back on the moments that define us, such as the triumphs and failures that shape our character, the people who have helped us along the way and the many moments in history that have sparked change. In this issue, we explore the concept of time, and we try to touch on many of these themes. Like the growing connection between luxury fashion and women’s sports teams or the problematic backstory of the “clean girl” beauty aesthetic. Then there’s the obvious element of time in the fashions of old Hollywood Glamor – that story starts on page 34. If you would have told me three years ago that I would be writing this letter, I’d never have believed you.

When I applied to join the staff of SMU Look Media the summer before my freshman year, I got rejected. But I didn’t give up.

Time gifts us with perspective and wisdom to adapt, grow and evolve.

We learn from our mistakes and build on our successes. Because I am graduating in May, I can say that I have been beyond privileged to have spent my college years at SMU. As I continue to grow, I plan to do so with gratitude for the moments and people who have shaped me, specifically, being part of this staff and serving as the editor-in-chief of the SMU Look Media this year.

Winter 23 / 24 Fall/Winter 23••5v 7

Photography by: Morgan Hellebusch

MADE YOU Look STAY IN THE KNOW Follow us on Instagram & TikTok @smulook Check out the site at www.smulook.com 8• SMU LOOK

Influence Without The Influence I SMU alumna becomes TikTok famous for her mocktail recipes and alcohol-free lifestyle.

By Leighton Cottrell Photo Courtesy of Morgan Reed Photography

magine socializing all evening while drinking fabulous beverages, then waking up the next morning feeling refreshed and ready to seize the day. That’s the appeal of mocktails – mixed drinks with all the flavor but none of the alcohol. This year mocktails have taken over the Dallas nightlife scene and content creator Katie Butler is in the middle of the mix.

Butler has devoted an entire TikTok account, @alcoholfreeindally, to covering all things alcohol-free. So far, Alcohol Free in Dally counts 20,500 followers thanks to Butler’s engaging content, which mixes practical tips and mocktail recipes with deeper reflections on drinking and being sober – plus plenty of comical anecdotes to keep viewers entertained.

In her most popular video, with 2.2 million views, Butler packs a drink cooler for the lake, but with her own twist: she fills the cooler with all of her non-alcoholic favorites.

Butler says she never intended to become a social-media influencer, much less a sober-living advocate. After graduating from Southern Methodist University in 2017 with a journalism degree, her first job was in digital marketing at Highland Park Village. The role required her to manage the luxury shopping center’s Instagram page, where she learned the ins and outs of social media success, which came in handy when she decided to start Alcohol-Free in Dally.

In 2021, she decided to cut out alcohol to improve her emotional and physical well-being, she says. She witnessed a close friend experience a dramatic downfall with alcohol during to the pandemic, and knew she didn’t want to fall into the same trap.

Living alcohol-free in Dallas wasn’t easy, she admits. “The first six weeks were the hardest — I was figuring out what to order at restaurants, how to navigate telling friends and family that I was taking a break from alcohol, and how to approach everything from dating without alcohol to going to work events without alcohol,” Butler says.

She suspected others might be interested in what she’d learned since becoming sober, so she channeled her experiences into @alcoholfreeinDally, which she launched on “New Year’s Day, 2023.”

“Many of the people I spoke with had an interest in cutting down on their alcohol intake, and I found myself saying, ‘If only everyone knew that everyone else was feeling the same way,’ ” Butler says.

Butler hopes that her TikTok account conveys to everyone that you don’t have to be sober — or under 21 — to enjoy a mocktail. It’s her goal to spread the word that this drink category exists for everyone — even college students. “Sometimes it felt like alcohol and the college experience were so intertwined that they could not be separated,” Butler says. “I did not have the confidence to give up alcohol in its entirety until I was 27.”

Small changes can be powerful, she says, such as swapping your favorite drink with a non-alcoholic version on a night out. Butler also urges us to remember that giving up alcohol is not one size fits all. Everyone has a different relationship with alcohol, she says, and we have to do what works best for us, “whether it is a damp or dry lifestyle.”

Winter 23 / 24 • 7 v Fall/Winter 23 • 9

CLEAR FAVORITE

The clean girl aesthetic is classic, but is it classist?

By Caroline Stonnington Photography by Morgan Hellebusch Models Dorcas Bachunguye and Annie Liu The “clean girl aesthetic” is having a moment. The look — a fresh, flawless face illuminated by subtle touches of highlighter and lightly glossed lips — is the latest Generation Z obsession, capturing billions of views on TikTok and the endorsement of “it girls”and makeup influencers like Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber, XO Lizah and Nyma Tang.

Southern Methodist University senior Clementine Marcogliese admits that she’s a fan of this easy, effortless look, but she confesses it’s neither easy nor effortless. “The whole clean girl thing is about being clean and being natural, but honestly, when you look at it, you have to put almost more work into it than with regular makeup,” she says.

Marcogliese isn’t alone in her concern that this trend requires more than meets the eye. In fact, critics say the clean girl aesthetic has a dirty secret: it’s classist.

Despite its initial allure of simple elegance, the clean girl aesthetic incorporates long-held assumptions associated with the socio-economic elite. For Ph.D.-level candidate Averyl Gaylor, the trend exemplifies a type of performance hygiene that is “entangled with ideas of class and race.” It all goes back to 19th century England, where rapidly expanding urban areas resulted in unsanitary and unhealthy living conditions, a situation that created a connection between poor hygiene and poverty, she explains in a 2023 article she wrote for The Conversation, an Australian nonprofit that publishes academic work with popular appeal.

Around the same time, clean skin also became associated with morality, says historian Dr. Abbey Stockstill, who teaches about race and gender in visual culture at SMU. “People believed you could see someone’s intentions and character through how clear or blemish-free their skin was, how thick or nice their hair might look, and of course, even in the Victorian era, we have instances of no-makeup makeup making the rounds,” Stockstill says. “You’re not supposed to get caught putting on makeup at all. If you do so, you’re

10• 8• SMU LOOK

cheating — you’re telling a lie about your moral character.”

Stockstill also notes that there’s an important difference between the “good girl” minimal makeup look of the Victorian times and the “no makeup-makeup” required by the clean girl aesthetic— the latter is “actually a lot of work,” she says. “There’s this idea that you, too, can buy into this; you, too, can look just like us if you do all of these things,” says Stockstill.

That’s because celebrities known for their clean girl beauty looks like Hailey Bieber “have access to very expensive dermatologists and expensive supplements,” she says. “This is the underlying assumption, that a base-level entry point to even employing that look requires you to have this time and disposable income to participate in it.”

Dallas makeup artist Kaitlyn Sogga agrees. “People spend the same amount of time doing clean or full glam because you’re doing all the same steps,” she says. Sogga, who specializes in natural makeup looks, ticks off a short list of products required to achieve the clean girl aesthetic: foundation, bronzer, blush, concealer, powder and eye shimmer.

Gaylor believes it’s only natural that a trend connecting looking clean with an abundance of time and money would be trending right now.

“The COVID-19 pandemic put matters of personal hygiene and cleanliness front and center, and the world was starkly reminded that poverty and wealth have a direct impact on health outcomes,” she says on the podcast. It’s no wonder, she continues, that “aesthetics that value practices of cleanliness and the attributes of wealth have emerged as aspirational trends in recent times.”

“YOU HAVE TO PUT ALMOST MORE WORK INTO IT THAN WITH REGULAR MAKEUP.”

Fall/Winter 11 Winter 23 / 2423• •9v

FASHION IN FOCUS

Strengthen your style with these trends.

Photography by Arden Eiland and Ella McDonald Production and Styling by Ivy Nielsen Additional Styling by Leighton Cottrell,Olivia Lanning, Betty Jane Thomas and Sarah Steinhour Models Charlotte Pompa and Briton Bioardi For Where to Shop, check out page 39

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10• 12• SMU LOOK

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Fall/Winter Fall/Winter23 23••15 13 v

SMU Style wATCH Five Fashion Moments Capturing Attention on The Hilltop.

Looking for the latest in student style? Just scan the campus to discover the top trends at our au courant institution, Southern Methodist University. Here are five of the boldest style directives we found.

Celebrities, influencers and SMU students — you might wonder what could possibly connect the three. One word: Sambas.

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The coveted title for the “it sneaker” of the moment belongs to Adidas, an athletic brand popular for its affordability and versatility. Founded in 1949, Adidas developed the first Samba in 1950, and it’s been a staple shoe for soccer players ever since. So, how did it make its way from the pitch to the popular crowd?

Blame celebrities and influencers, says Jennifer Nisan, founder of FrontRowLive, an international styling and sourcing company. They started wearing Sambas last year, “which initiated the trickle,” she said. “By spring, mainstream had caught on and you couldn’t even get them.”

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Sambas appeal to everyone who wants to be “comfortable and cool,” says Molly West, the CEO and founder of StyledBuy, a New York City-based personal styling company. “It makes sense people love these,” she says. “They’re practical but cute and something everyone can wear, and anytime a trend is as easy as that, people will of course love it and continue to buy.”

Sambas would be an even bigger trend on campus, but they remain hard to find. Vera Celaj, a senior, says she got lucky and found her pair while shopping abroad.

“I wore them all summer and I still wear them almost every day.”

–Maddie Crisp

16• SMU LOOK

trucker hats

bows

Trucker hats serve as both a canvas for self-expression and a bridge between past and present. Once given out by farming supply companies to long-haul truckers as promotional items, they’re like a stiffer version of a baseball cap, with a generously sized sun-shielding brim and plenty of room on its structured front for a brand logo (Dairy Boy and Siegelman Stable are both uberpopular at SMU).

Bows are everywhere this fall, adding flirtatious and fun accents to apparel, accessories and handbags. Just look to the fall/winter fashion week runways: LoveShackFancy models had bows in their hair, Miu Miu’s models had bows on their ballet slippers, and Simone Rocha had bows on her gorgeous gowns.

The Los Angeles-based fashion brand Von Dutch made the trucker hat cool in the early 2000s, and celebrities like Paris Hilton, Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears were rarely seen without one. Now, however, the trucker hat has become better than cool —it’s become an icon. While celebrities and influencers use their trucker caps to add a relatable edge to classic tailored suits and designer dresses, at SMU, fashion media major Eva Guerree thinks they add a friendly touch to any outfit. “I love when I see some of my favorite brands being worn on campus,” she says. “It gives me a chance to reach out and talk to a new person.”

–Clementine Marcogliese

MONOCHROMATIC

If you’re familiar with the term “little black dress,” you understand the power of monochromatic style. But the trend isn’t limited to black or white— it can be any color, so long as it’s the same one, head to toe.

At SMU, the trend plays out most often with athleisure looks, with students coordinating similarly colored fits that also include sneakers in the exact same shades.

For junior Talulah Balboa, sporting a monochromatic style just makes sense. “I wanted to wear something comfortable but also cute,” she says. “I put black on black because it always looks good, and when I am getting ready in the morning, I want to grab something quick and something that I know will match.”

–Bayley Kumpf

SMU student Caroline Downing appreciates these designer ideas, but she has plenty of ideas of her own, including adding them to handbags and using them as belts. “I love to use ribbons to make bows because it feels romantic and relaxed,” she says.

Another way Downing says SMU students have made the trend their own: adding them to cowboy boots, the staple shoe for campus Boulevard events. “I like to use white lace ribbon on my red boots for game day,” she says.

The bow trend is also a style with staying power. It made an appearance on the September runways, meaning this spring will be another season that showcases big bow energy.

–Emily Castle

maximAlism

Maximalism began in the 1980s with the clash of colors, the expansion of bold prints and the elevation of elaborate accessories. Designers like Gianni Versace and Christian Lacroix ruled over an extravaganza of gold, glitter and overall excess. All fashion trends must come to an end, and maximalism remained dormant until the mid-2010s, when Alessandro Michele, the creative director of Gucci at the time, helped it roar back into style, across the world and definitely at SMU. For SMU student Mckenna Owen, the maximalism trend is the perfect way for her to take what she wears while competing in rodeo events, including giant belt buckles, silver and turquoise jewelry and boots, and make it fashion. When it comes to everyday wear, she says, “I love to showcase my love of the rodeo and cowboy culture.”

–Hope Whitcraft

All Images Courtesy of Freepik

Winter 23 / 24 Fall/Winter 23••15 17v

Natural beauty loading…

By Maddie Crsip

No-makeup makeup, strawberry makeup and the clean-girl aesthetic — TikTok beauty trends come and go, but we’ve seen enough of them to know they have one thing in common: enhancing your natural beauty. Whether it’s a touch of shine or a natural flush, flush, three products reflect your beauty. herehere are are three products thatthat cancan helphelp reflect your truetrue beauty.

18• SMU LOOK

Bottled beauty Gone are the days of old-fashioned cakey powdered blush. A better choice is a creamy color like the Nudies Blush Stick from Nudestix. Available in 12 shades, this stick highlights undertones for a natural-looking flush for all skin tones. Each shade is formulated with an emphasis on pigment, making a little go a long way. Plus it’s got a built-in buffing brush to aid in application (follow buffing with a damp beauty sponge to ensure a diffused, natural result). Worn by stars like Margot Robbie, this product is hard to come by, so if you can snag one, you’ll definitely feel – and look – flush. $35, nudestix.com

Loaded luxury

Unlock effortless beauty with MERIT Beauty’s Great Skin Instant Glow Serum. This ultra-hydrating and lightweight product supports healthy skin, and because of its noncomedogenic formula, your skin will be left feeling plump and ready to take on the day (or night). For best results, massage two to three pumps into the skin after cleansing and before moisturizing. Made with unique ingredients like Japanese goldthread root, it stimulates active blood flow while supporting a balanced complexion, giving your skin a radiant and youth-inspired finish. $38, meritbeauty.com

So cheeky Take your glam from drab to fab with Westman Atelier’s Super Loaded Tinted Highlight. This game-changing product, created by renowned makeup artist Gucci Westman, is a luminous, clean highlighting cream for cheeks and eyes that delivers warmth in four adaptable, flattering shades. The formulas themselves are creamy, melty and incredibly easy to work with — aka, it’s makeup for dummies. Westman often uses her products to paint several celebrity faces including Jennifer Aniston and Anne Hathaway. This award-winning highlighter is known for its blendability and chameleon-like color shifting, making it the perfect product for any skin tone or texture. It’s well worth the splurge. $75, westmanatelier.com

Fall/Winter 23 • 19

BEAUTY BEAUTY BEAUTY Author Sofia Roman shows off her newly treated locks.

20• SMU LOOK

ON LOCK Keratin treatments gave me the hair texture of my dreams, and they can work for you, too. Here’s what to expect.

By Sofia Roman Photography by Helen Tran

A

s a girl, I dreamed of having silky, polished hair. I yearned to break free from claw clips, elastic bands and ballet buns – the easy-yet-uninspired tools and techniques I relied on to tame my frizzy, unruly mane. While my hair was always managed, I would never say it actually looked good, and I started every morning feeling frustrated and insecure.

Over the years, I tried every kind of chemical treatment, from the 24 Karat to the Chocolate Brazilian, before I finally found the one that worked for me: the protein-based keratin hair treatment. This salon service smoothed and strengthened my hair, while also making it look shiny and healthy.

Turns out, I’m not the only one who loves keratin hair treatments.

Celebrities like Meghan Markle and Jennifer Aniston regularly receive them, and so do many of my friends at Southern Methodist University.

For senior Kimberly Vollmer, keratin hair treatments are a fall-semester must-have that give her peace of mind, especially at social events.

“I no longer have to worry so much about my hair, and instead I can live in the moment and enjoy the company around me,” she says.

Rachel Morrow, also a senior, says keratin treatments have reduced the time she needs to get ready in the morning. “It used to take me 30 minutes to blow dry my hair, but now, it only takes about 10,” she says.

So, are you keratin-curious? Would you like to know if these salon treatments can take your hair from frizzy to fabulous, too? If so, here’s what you need to know.

WHY IT WORKS

Keratin is a structural protein that occurs naturally in hair. When it’s applied to the hair in a certain way, it makes hair texture appear smoother, straighter, healthier and less frizzy.

Infusing the hair with the benefits of keratin requires chemicals, and these are not without risk. The Food and Drug Administration warns that the application of keratin treatments can cause side effects like eye irritation, headaches, dizziness and coughing. So if you have chemical sensitivities or just want to be cautious, it’s wise to discuss the treatment with your stylist before making an appointment. (Experts recommend that if you’re pregnant, you should skip this treatment, just to be safe.)

Some keratin treatments contain formaldehyde, a chemical the American Cancer Society warns is a known carcinogen. There are formaldehyde-free options out there, so it’s important to ask questions and do research before you book the service.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Your hair stylist will start by washing your hair twice with a specific clarifying shampoo to deep cleanse the hair cuticle and remove all impurities that often get stuck to hair strands. Immediately after blow drying, the stylist will use a color brush to apply the keratin treatment cream to each strand. They’ll work in sections, painting from root to tip, until your entire head is drenched. Yes, your head is wet, and it’s probably going to feel cold, but don’t worry: The discomfort only lasts about 15 minutes. The next step is the sealing process, and it’s much warmer.

The sealing process begins with a second blow dry. After that comes the straightening process, and this is the part that takes the longest because the stylist must diligently pull every strand taught, starting from the root, at least four times to ensure the treatment locks the hair so it’s smooth and straight as a result of the chemicals in the treatment.

Don’t be surprised if your eyes start to water or your nose tingles because of the chemicals. The feeling eventually goes away as the sealing phase of the treatment ends, and your hair is transformed.

After leaving the salon, there are two important after-care steps that can help you extend the effects of the process. Number one: flat iron your hair on high heat once or twice a day for four days. Number two: wait at least four days before getting your hair wet in any way, including washing, sweating, swimming or going to the beach.

HOW LONG

The overall treatment can range from two to five hours, depending on how much hair you have. On the bright side, though, the treatment typically lasts anywhere from three to five months, depending on the type of keratin treatment you received and on the texture and amount of hair that you have.

I’ve found that my hair looks smooth and flat for a week or so, but after the first couple of washes, it starts to transform into a style I’d describe as a natural beach wave. Although it’s different from the way it looked when I stepped out of the salon, it’s still glossy and sleek — a far cry from the frizzy situation I started out with.

HOW MUCH

Prices can vary depending on the type of salon and its location. My treatments, which I get when I am home in Laredo, Texas, typically cost $300. Vollmer pays $350 in San Antonio, and Diaz’s cost about $380 in the Dallas area. Be sure to budget extra funds for shampoos and conditioners made without sodium lauryl sulfate. These brands can be more expensive, but they’ll extend the life of your treatment.

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A Fine Line

Botox use among 20-somethings is becoming more common. Is it too much, too soon?

By Leland McInerny

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sabelle Crawford, a senior at Southern Methodist University, got her first Botox injection when she was 19. She considered those first injections in her already smooth forehead a preventative measure, designed to delay wrinkles. The following year, she included the eyebrow area, and this year, Crawford turned to Botox to soften smile lines around her mouth. “I don’t need that much because I’m only 21,” she reasoned. “But I love my Botox.”

Botox is the most common cosmetic procedure in the world. Whether it’s used as a noun, a verb or more correctly as a brand name, each injection contains neurotoxic proteins that temporarily block the release of neurotransmitters, putting a temporary freeze on muscles in targeted areas for up to six months.

“INCREASED PRESSURE TO MEET THESE NATURALLY UNATTAINABLE STANDARDS AND LOOK A CERTAIN WAY.”

“IF YOU ARE IN YOUR 20S, SHOULD YOU RUSH TO YOUR PLASTIC SURGEON FOR THE LATEST AND GREATEST PROCEDURE SO YOU CAN KEEP UP APPEARANCES? NO.”

Botox and similar drugs like Dysport are effective treatments for a wide variety of conditions, ranging from excess sweating and neck muscle spasms to overactive bladder and migraine headaches. The most common uses, however, address cosmetic concerns – visible signs of aging like brow furrows, crow’s feet and laugh lines.

Increasingly, these are the signs of aging that young people are worried about. According to a recent study of undergraduate students at the University of Southern California, 65% of respondents planned to get Botox between the ages of 20 and 30, and nearly 60% had already considered the procedure.

This study isn’t a one-off. Over the last 13 years, Botox and dermal filler use has risen more than 30% among 20 to 29-year-olds, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ 2022 annual statistics, and nearly 65% of the professional organization’s members said they’d seen a “dramatic increase” in under-30 patients requesting facial procedures, including Botox. Pop culture has even created a phrase to explain why young people seek out age-erasing injections: “Prejuvenation Botox.” And of course there’s a popular procedure designed specifically to address just-emerging signs of aging: “Baby Botox.”

But sought-after doesn’t equal safe, and 20-somethings trying to inject away barely visible facial lines should take note of the risks. All prescription drugs carry the possibility of side effects, and Botox has some concerning ones. Also concerning is what motivates young people to use it in the first place. Hint: It’s not about turning back time.

The most common side effects surrounding Botox typically occur at or near the injection site.

In the eye area, the most common side effect is a drooping eye, says Dallas-based Dr. G. Hunt Neurohr, president of the Texas Society of Plastic Surgeons. Other side effects can include uneven eyebrows, dry eyes and excessive tearing, according to a 2005 Healthline article.

Just using a lot of Botox over a long period of time can cause unintended results. “An early start and heavy-handed approach can leave a face looking frozen over time,” Dr. Sophie Shotter told Harper’s Bazaar in a 2022 article about the Baby Botox trend.

There’s also a limit to what Botox can do, Neurohr says —it’s not designed to fix every issue. For example, Botox isn’t the best choice to change or lift the face. Inject too much, he says, and a face “begins to look bizarre.”

“AN EARLY START AND HEAVYHANDED APPROACH CAN LEAVE A FACE LOOKING FROZEN OVER TIME.”

When it comes to understanding why so many 20-somethings willingly face the risks of these injections, researchers point to beauty standards. Young people, particularly women, feel pressure to adhere to unrealistic societal beauty standards, which leads to Botox use, according to a 2023 article published by University of Southern California Annenberg Media.

Botox can make such standards seem attainable for “ordinary people,” especially on social media, says Alida Liberman, Ph.D., a philosophy professor at Southern Methodist University. The result can be “increased pressure to meet these naturally unattainable standards and look a certain way.”

Even the American Society of Plastic Surgeons recognizes the issue. In an opinion article on the professional medical association’s website, Dallas plastic surgeon Dr. Rod Rohrich calls out social media and the “selfie generation” as the reasoning behind the 20-something Botox boom.

“If you are in your 20s, should you rush to your plastic surgeon for the latest and greatest procedure so you can keep up appearances? No,” Rohrich writes. “Having a cosmetic procedure is a personal choice and should be made for the right reasons, not to achieve a social status.”

Leland McInerny is a senior studying fashion media and advertising.

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FASHI GO Women’s sports are more popular than ever. If luxury fashion brands want to score with this growing fan base, they need to get in the game and sponsor women’s teams.

By Bo Rubinstein Illustrations by Angelica Koutsoubis

Nearly 4.5 million people tuned in to watch the U.S. women’s national soccer team play in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in August. Although the games took place in Australia — meaning a 3 a.m. kickoff for fans watching stateside — the games set a viewership record for the team.

But the team wasn’t the only beneficiary from World Cup fan engagement. Los Angeles loungewear brand Samii Ryan also came out a winner. It partnered with the team on a limited-edition capsule collection, releasing a satin tracksuit, a T-shirt, a body suit and a bucket hat the month before kickoff. The collaboration earned the brand national press coverage and sales, with the collab’s T-shirt quickly selling out. Mejuri, a Toronto-based jewelry brand, also collaborated with the U.S. women’s national team before the big game. In July, the brand released a special edition necklace with a hexagonal pendant inspired by a soccer ball. It sold out by the end of the month.

Of course, the merger of fashion brands and sports teams is nothing new, and it’s certainly not exclusive to any type of team or genre of game.

The Chinese women’s national team also got chic suits, theirs coming courtesy of the legendary Italian fashion house Prada. Chinese players rocked “a black Prada blazer and matching dress pants, a crisp button-down shirt and sleek loafers,” according to a Women’s Wear Daily article about the deal.

While the connection between professional women’s sports teams and fashion brands in general is just getting warmed up, deals with fashion brands that specifically cater to a luxury clientele have a particular potential for success. Audience engagement is setting new records every season, resulting in skyrocketing awareness of sponsor brands. Even better, many fans of women’s sports are not only aware of the brands, they want to buy them because they’re both affluent and willing to spend.

“INVESTMENT IN WOMEN’S SPORTS CAN BE THE BEST DOLLAR SPENT IN SPORTS TODAY.” Women’s sports have never been more relevant

“We are living in the most fashionable time of sports,” says Mitchell S. Jackson, author of Fly: The Big Book of Basketball Fashion.

Jackson writes about the importance of fashion for athletes, specifically those in the NBA, but the fashion-team connection actually dates back to the 1948 Olympics.

That year, a hurdler named Ottavio Missoni — yes, that Missoni —designed a ribbed knitted wool tracksuit for his teammates. Today, the list of luxury labels that have dressed sports teams includes Ralph Lauren for the US Olympic teams and Thom Browne for FC Barcelona men’s soccer team. Dior and Fendi dress European men’s soccer teams as well (Paris Saint-Germain F.C. and A.S. Roma, respectively).

Sports brands like Nike and Adidas are major sponsors of women’s sports, but it wasn’t until recently that women’s teams began to get their moments with marquee fashion labels. The 2023 Women’s World Cup marked the first time that multiple luxury fashion brands worked with teams. London-based luxury fashion designer Martine Rose partnered with Nike to get into the game, creating custom suits that the U.S. women’s national team wore as they arrived at the stadium.

Rose designed navy blue suits for the team featuring the national team crest and the players’ initials. She finished the look with yellow-tinted visor-style sunglasses

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and vibrant ombre sneakers. Rose also sold items from the collection to the general public, and when they hit Rose’s website and high-end retailers like Ssense and Dover Street Market, sell-throughs were instant. The swiftness of sales was a surprise to Rose, she told Business of Fashion at the time, but she said she understands the hype: “You are now seeing women’s football at the forefront of the cultural zeitgeist.”

than they are today. Female athletes are gaining more television exposure, and an increasing number of fans are tuning into women’s athletic events — even choosing them over similar men’s games. For example, 3.4 million people watched Coco Gauff, the 19-year-old tennis star, win the 2023 U.S. Open women’s final, whereas viewership for the men’s final only reached 2.3 million, according to Nielsen Data. The WNBA also announced that its 2023 season was its most-watched season in 21 years, with viewership up over 20% across ABC, CBS, ESPN and ESPN2.

That could be good news for luxury fashion brands affiliating with women’s teams, says Ryan Kota, a sports management professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. “If you are up on the podium sporting Prada, then people will think to be fast, you have to wear Prada.”

These benefits aren’t limited to the times these athletes are actively competing. Fashion brands continue getting an assist even after the game, thanks to social media.

ON ALS Fans of female athletes want to know everything about their lifestyles, so they’re following them to find out about their fashion preferences, including what they wear and where to buy it, says Beatrice Livioco, senior director of marketing at Rain the Growth Agency in Portland, Oregon. Livioco and her agency frequently broker deals between fashion brands and women athletes, and she says such partnerships bring brands goodwill and revenue growth. “Brands looking to reach new audiences can benefit from getting in front of this growing and very engaged fan base,” she says. Statistics support this engagement. The Collective, a division of the global consulting firm Wasserman, which works exclusively within the categories of sports, music and culture, released a study in August called “The New Economy of Sports.” The report in part measured the “unprecedented and powerful impact that women athletes have over their fan bases.”

The study found that, while male athletes have more social media followers, those followers aren’t necessarily engaged in a meaningful way. Women athletes were two times more likely to actively engage with their fans through likes, comments, shares and clicks, leading the report to describe the women athletes as “social media powerhouses.” This engaged fan could benefit fashion brands targeting affluent consumers because women’s sports fans possess two very valuable qualities — the ability and the willingness to spend money. Statistics from the Wasserman study support this. One-third of women’s sports fans earned more than $100,000 a year, which is nearly 70% higher than the number of men’s sports fans earning that amount.

And when it came to supporting brand sponsors, these high-earning women’s sports fans were in it to win it. They were nearly twice as likely to be able to recall the brands by name that they saw while watching the games, and more willing to buy from a brand that sponsors women’s sports — 45% more willing, in fact, compared to fans of men’s sports.

“Investment in women’s sports can be the best dollar spent in sports today,” concluded The Collective’s vice president Thayer Lavielle in the report.

Will more luxury fashion brands decide to play ball with women’s teams? Perhaps the biggest

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opportunity to level the playing field lies ahead with this summer’s 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. For the first time in Olympic history, there will be the same number of female athletes as there are male athletes, meaning there will be more female athletes and female athletic teams than ever before. The International Olympic Committee even adjusted broadcast schedules to ensure that there will be an equal number of men’s and women’s games underway during prime North American viewing times.

In July, luxury brand conglomerate LVMH announced that two of its brands, Louis Vuitton and Dior, will participate in some way, but no specific team affiliations were mentioned, according to Reuters. The field is clearly wide open for luxury fashion brands, and Kota says that any brand willing to take the plunge — or the swing, kick or step — “is going to be reaping the benefits.”

Bo Rubinstein is a senior studying fashion media.

“WE ARE LIVING IN THE MOST FASHIONABLE TIME OF SPORTS.”

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TEAM STYLE LOOKING TO SHOP WHILE ALSO SUPPORTING WOMEN’S TEAMS? THESE COLLABS BETWEEN WOMEN’S SPORTS AND INDEPENDENT FASHION BRANDS BRING STYLE TO ANY ARENA. Samii Ryan x USWNT https://bysamiiryan.com/collections/u-s-soccer The independent, women-owned loungewear company Samii Ryan released a collection in collaboration with the US Women’s National Team for the 2023 Women’s World Cup featuring team branding mixed with fashion-forward style.

Birdies x Angel City Football Club https://birdies.com/products/angel-city-football-club-swift-game-changersneaker When Los Angeles professional women’s soccer team Angel City Football Club debuted in 2022, it did so with $35 million in sponsorship revenue — including a deal with the independent, womanowned footwear brand Birdies to be the team’s founding fashion sponsor.

The deal included the release of this limited-edition slip-on shoe called “The Game Changer.”

Sprints x Orlando Squeeze https://getsprints.com/products/orlando-squeeze-major-league-pickleballhat-unisex Major League Pickleball team the Orlando Squeeze is co-ed and is equally divided, featuring two men and two women. The collab with Sprints, an independent and sustainable fashion brand, launched prior to the MLP tournament in September and includes this stylish unisex cap.

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Micro Trends, Major Consequences TikTok’s viral content seems harmless, but they may have serious repercussions for people and the planet.

By Shae Walker

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taying up-to-date on TikTok microtrends can feel like a momentous task. On any given day, the TikTok obsessed could be racing to the nail salon to get “glazed donut” acrylic nails a la Hailey Bieber, only to find it’s been replaced by Sofia Richie’s just-posted “blueberry milk” manicure. Then there’s the near-constant cavalcade of cores: Barbiecore, cottagecore, goblincore and more.

This viral content comes and goes so fast, it’s hard to keep up with what’s current, says Nicolette Glass, a senior at Southern Methodist University.

“I don’t think I would feel as inclined to follow trends if I didn’t have the constant reminder from social media showing me that ‘all the girls are doing it,’” she admits.

Love it or hate it, TikTok matters. Owned by the Chinese technology firm ByteDance Ltd., TikTok rose to prominence during the pandemic and now has been downloaded upwards of 672 million times, according to Statista data published in 2023. Thanks in part to a unique proprietary algorithm, the app has made going viral – the holy grail of engagement easier than ever.

“TikTok is a powerful channel that can create social media fashion stars literally overnight if the message resonates with a targeted audience,”

“MICROTRENDS ARE ALL ABOUT DETAILS.” says Professor Roseanne Hart, who teaches communications and fashion media at SMU. When it does hit right with the intended group, the resulting popularity can transform the message into a microtrend.

Generally, a fashion trend can last a few years, but microtrends flame out much faster, says Jenny Davis, a fashion media professor at SMU. “Microtrends can rise and fall within a single season, and sometimes even shorter than that when social media is involved and there’s nothing connecting it to popular culture or a pervasive sentiment,” she says.

Experts and scrollers agree that the easiest way to identify a TikTok microtrend is to look for a kitschy title like “tomato girl” or the suffix “core,” as in balletcore. These names aren’t just catchy, they’re also lucrative, becoming memorable search terms that make it easy to find specific content to shop, Amy Francombe notes in a 2023 Vogue Business article about microtrends in marketing.

In fact, microtrends have become so important that marketing firms have created entire departments dedicated to staying up-to-date, Francombe adds. This allows clients to adjust their sales strategies so they can insert themselves into the latest trend to help their product go viral, too.

While it’s tempting to explain away TikTok microtrends as harmless fun for fashion-lovers, some critics are sounding the alarm. Microtrend

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mania is bad for people, they say, lowering self-esteem and erasing individuality, and it also fuels the cycle of fashion overconsumption, which is polluting the planet.

Human beings are driven by a desire to conform and feel accepted within a community, according to a 2016 Psychology Today article. TikTok influencers end up becoming leaders of their own fan communities (there’s a reason they’re called “followers,” after all), which triggers “a psychological conformity effect on viewers through their position of authority and perceived tie to popular culture,” writes Bradley Hoos in a 2019 Forbes article about the psychology of influencer marketing. This compels followers to compare themselves to others and to alter their behavior to achieve societal approval, Hoos adds.

This pressure doesn’t just erode selfesteem, it also can deprive followers of their

“TIKTOK IS A POWERFUL CHANNEL THAT CAN CREATE SOCIAL MEDIA FASHION STARS LITERALLY OVERNIGHT IF THE MESSAGE RESONATES WITH A TARGETED AUDIENCE.” sense of originality, fashion writer Frances Solá-Santiago suggests in a 2022 Refinery29 article. As a result, she writes, followers can perceive influencer content not as an inspiration but rather as a necessity to solidify one’s sense of belonging.

For the TikTok generation, personal style has decoupled from confidence and instead has become a performative act contingent on the ability to follow the most popular microtrend, says Solá-Santiago.

A recent Vogue magazine article provides the example of Barbiecore to show how summer 2023’s hottest trend, bubblegum pink, can go viral when influencers connect it to a blockbuster movie.

People then assume they’re rocking the hottest TikTok microtrend when actually it’s not that special – it was simply the convergence of several other continuing trends, including the simple fact that pink’s a popular shade for summer. Following the Barbiecore trend, the article concludes, isn’t “running against the grain; it is the grain.”

Of course, keeping up with TikTok’s latest and greatest requires some serious shopping, which is why critics charge that microtrends fuel the clothing over-consumption cycle that’s polluting the planet.

While TikTok isn’t directly producing the clothing that’s being dumped into landfills and burn pits at alarming rates across the global south, each TikTok microtrend has its own specific aesthetic, often requiring its own specific wardrobe.

“Microtrends are all about the details,” according to a 2023 Nylon article on TikTok fashion trends. Case in point, the Coastal Grandmother aesthetic that emerged in early 2022. The look required “cozy yet refined summerinspired pieces – crisp, white button-ups, linen pants, simple linen blouses and straw hats,” according to the article, which also noted an 833% increase in searches for “Coastal Grandmother” on Google Trends between April and May of 2022 alone.

All those microtrend searches? They’re definitely moving merchandise, says Erica Larsen, executive vice president and partner at Shadow, a New York City-based marketing agency in a recent Business of Fashion article.

“People are typing in Barbie, if you have something on your website that says Barbiecore, you can easily capture that.”

Compounding the problem are influencers who are actively selling merchandise connected to the microtrend or who are promoting vendors who do.

“As advertisers and people who impact the culture, influencers need to be aware of their social responsibility,” says Professor Myles Ethan Lascity, the director of SMU’s Fashion Media program, whose research focuses on consumer culture. “If you expect a company to consider sustainability and ethical fashion, then you should expect influencers to as well.”

A TikTok Microtrend Trio Curious about the microtrends that have made TikTok microtrend culture the phenomenon it is today?

Here’s a trio of favorites.

Tomato Girl

This look came into the spotlight in the summer of 2023 thanks to TikToker @bemusedbeanie. A tomato girl loves summering in Italy and sipping on an Aperol Spritz.

Must-haves: linen maxi dress, cork sandals, puff sleeves, sweetheart necklines, any piece from Lisa Says Gah featuring a vegetable-related graphic.

Coastal Cowgirl Why choose between ocean-tides and country vibes, when you can have both? The coastal cowgirl aesthetic, which rose to popularity in the summer of 2022, is known for combining the effortless, beachy look of the coastal grandmother aesthetic with typical Southern staples Must-haves: flowy midi-dresses, denim vests, delicate detailing such as lace, and eyelet, and of course, a good pair of cowboy boots.

Vanilla Girl

The vanilla girl is a controversial, food-inspired aesthetic.

The look came to popularity in 2023 and has gained over 650 million views on TikTok, according to an article published on Today.com.

Must-haves: matching knit sets in neutral colors, minimalist make-up looks and anything vanilla-scented.

There’s no telling which TikTok microtrend will catch fire next. But SoláSantiago predicts that the algorithm will quickly generate a new one for fashion people to follow, no matter the cost, and that concerns her. “When billions of us are served up the same looks over and over, what do we lose?”

Shae Walker is a senior studying fashion media and corporate communications and public affairs.

Fall/Winter 23 • 29

BIG changes Now that weight loss is an injection away, will size inclusion matter anymore?

By Mara Weinstein

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zempic might just be the most popular prescription diabetes drug in the world.

Bravo exec and late night host Andy Cohen is posting about it. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel opened the 2023 Oscars with a joke about it. And #Ozempic has gone viral on social media, with 1.3 billion views on TikTok alone.

More recently, the movement has gained popularity through social media: #BodyPositivity has been used almost 12 million times on Instagram and has garnered nearly 43 billion views on TikTok.

are happy to oblige. For example, the youth-oriented Australian fashion brand Princess Polly used to carry only the XS-XXL size range, but in 2022 it launched a Curve collection. Kim Kardashian created her line Skims with a core value of size inclusivity; Kim’s sister Chloe did the same with the brand she founded, Good American. Other brands cashing in on the popularity of inclusive sizing include Asos, Abercrombie and Fitch, and Aerie.

“The body positivity movement is needing to accept oneself but also needing to embrace body diversity at all levels,” explains Holly Lowery, chief operating officer of It seems everyone from movie stars to suburban moms is Ophelia’s Place, an Oregon-based nonprofit that supports on it — or denying they’re on it. teenage girls impacted by eating disorders, diet culture, and However, an October Bloomberg article titled body oppression.

“Clothing Stocks Seen as Latest Winners From For anyone not already in the know, Ozempic is a Weight—Loss Drugs,” suggests that GLP-1 drugs prescription drug made by the Danish pharmaceutical GLP-1 drugs, Lowery says, do nothing to help the company Novo Nordisk that lowers blood sugar by movement. If culture and the way it treats people in larger might discourage brands from launching and maintaining their extended sizing and plus-size lines. helping the pancreas make more insulin. Its generic name bodies is a disease, these drugs are a symptom of this is semaglutide, and it was approved by the U.S. Food and disease. “It’s a symptom of a biased and unjust culture and Drug Administration in 2017 as a long-term treatment really placing value based on the presentation of someone’s In the article, luxury retail analyst Adam Cochrane for adults with Type 2 diabetes. body versus what they are bringing to this planet,” she says. called these drugs a “structural tailwind”— a rare market force that could bring significant change and increased revenue. The article predicts they could But Ozempic doesn’t just cut blood sugar. shift fashion’s current focus back to smaller sizes.

Pharmaceutical companies found that the once-a-week injection also causes weight loss, and that attractive “Slimmer people will likely need to purchase smaller side effect had the potential of enticing an even larger sizes,” he says in the story. market to the drug. Soon after its FDA approval, Novo Nordisk began a clinical trial designed to test whether He also noted that newly slim shoppers an Ozempic reformulation would be effective as a diet will be “motivated to exercise more drug. In 2021, the FDA approved that reformulation for to keep the weight off,” which could weight loss, leading to the launch of Wegovy. Generic correlate to an increase in athletic and versions of these semaglutide drugs, often called GLP-1 athleisure sales — in smaller sizes only, after a type of peptide involved in their function, also hit of course. the market around the same time.

It doesn’t help that celebrities and influencers who once While these seem like heavy Demand for GLP-1 drugs was both immediate and championed body positivity on social media have been implications, the future remains significant: More than nine million prescriptions for rushing to use GLP-1 drugs to shed sizes. In February, uncertain — as uncertain, perhaps, as such drugs were written in the last three months of 2022 2023, New York Magazine ran a cover story called “Life the ability of those on GLP-1 drugs alone, a 300% increase since 2020, according to a 2023 After Food” that addressed this issue. to maintain their weight without report on healthcare trends from analytics firm Trilliant the meds. Schneier writes of a Health. The prescription surge sent Novo Nordisk’s “Ours was supposed to be the feel-good era of Lizzo recent Novo Nordisk study on what earnings soaring more than 30% in the first half of and Ashley Graham and Adele,” wrote author Matthew happens when people stop taking 2023, raising its market value above the size of the entire Schneier, who serves as the magazine’s chief restaurant Danish economy, according to The New York Times. Eli critic. “How quickly we’ve abandoned our contortions and Ozempic. Within a year, he writes, Lilly, the American company behind a similar diabetes commitments to acceptance as soon as a silver bullet comes those once-slim study participants had regained most of the weight drug, Mounjaro, also saw sales jump nearly 30%, even around, and how fulfilling some seem to find it to be the they thought they had lost though its drug is still not FDA-approved for weight loss. thing they swore they’d overcome.” forever.

While it seems that thin is definitely in, some observers But it’s not just body positivity beliefs that are affected by Mara Weinstein is a senior are expressing concern that these drugs could have GLP-1 drugs. There might be a very real impact on the studying fashion media. serious implications for society and its acceptance of fashion industry and whether it continues to offer more larger bodies. Specifically, they’re concerned about inclusive sizing options. a setback to the body positivity movement and the rollback of recent size-inclusive initiatives in the fashion Gen Z embraces body positivity. More than 60% of industry.

American women in this demographic and over half of the men want companies to promote a positive body image, The body positivity movement goes back to 1969, when according to a 2022 study published by Statista Research it was known by the moniker, the Fat Rights Movement. in 2023, and fashion brands catering to these consumers

“THE BODY POSITIVITY MOVEMENT IS NEEDING TO ACCEPT ONESELF BUT ALSO NEEDING TO EMBRACE BODY DIVERSITY AT ALL LEVELS.”

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go out of STYLE How Taylor Swift used fashion to take her tour to the next level.

By Sarah Braun Illustrations by Juan Silva

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hese are just some of the numbers behind Taylor Swift’s current Eras Tour. Then there’s the other set of numbers — the money.

An August CNN Business article predicted the American singer-songwriter’s global concert tour, which started in March and isn’t scheduled to end until November of 2024, could end up grossing $2.2 billion in North American ticket sales alone. That would put it on track to be the highest grossing tour of all time.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Swift had been set to tour her 2019 platinum album, “Lover.” When it was canceled, she used the downtime to record and release three new albums in less than three years. This was the promise that propelled the success of the Eras Tour: four albums-worth of music that Swift had never performed live.

But Swift did more than just picking from that extended songbook or focus her attention on a single release. Instead, she created a blockbuster show that encompassing nine of her 10 albums and followed the arc of her career from her self-titled debut through to her most recent, 2022’s “Midnights.”

It was quite a reward for Swifties, as her dedicated fans call themselves.

It also helped that early demand during a poorly executed presale crashed the Ticketmaster website; the perceived scarcity fueled an obsession that took the average ticket price of around $250 and launched resale prices into the stratosphere – in one case, hitting $11,000, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.

While these factors easily explain how the Eras Tour became the event of the century, one overlooked aspect is how fashion contributed to this success because it helped Swift create community and a cohesive, compelling story.

From the very first concert dates, fashion became a connection point between fans that created instant community.

It started with sharing outfit ideas on social media, and quickly escalated. “It seems ‘community’ is the key element of the Eras Tour’s electricity, and Swift seems to understand that,” says Mercedes Viera, Refinery 29 author in a September 2023 article about what fans wore to the shows.

Writer Kitty Guo saw the same thing happening. “There were so many Instagram photos and ‘Get Ready With Me’ TikToks surrounding the tour,” says Guo, who covers beauty and fashion for New York magazine’s the Strategist. “Lots of people posted about the outfits they were wearing, even including links to the specific pieces so other fans were able to copy/take inspiration from them.”

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That connection continued offline, too, Guo says. “When you’re on the train heading to the concert and you spot another group wearing glitter and sequins and cowboy boots, you know you’re heading to the same destination and immediately have something in common with them.”

Swift also inspired fans to trade beaded bracelets at the concerts.

In her song, “You’re On Your

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Own Kid,” she sings, “Make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it.” Fans took these lyrics literally and began to make dozens of friendship bracelets to bring to the shows with colorful beads, song lyrics, and Taylor Swift references.

At the shows, fans traded bracelets with each other, serving as conversation-starters and connection-makers.

“The Eras Tour fashion and bracelet trading definitely created a community unlike anything I’ve ever seen before at a concert,” says Alex Antocides, a Swiftie TikToker with nearly 70,000 followers. “It brought a sense of unity for all attendees and definitely made the atmosphere even greater than any previous tour.”

But fashion wasn’t just a focus for the fans. Swift used costumes — between 11 and 16, depending on the concert— to bring the storytelling of her songs to life, an element of her performance that took the tour to the next level.

“Each look was carefully considered and designed to represent the feel of each album,” Jessica Davis wrote in a recent Harper’s Bazaar article about the outfits. From her early country songs to her pop songs, each new look set a new tone, says Davis.

Eras Tour 2023

being widely scrutinized online, she wore a one-shoulder snake catsuit. At the time Swift’s social media was flooded with haters using the snake emoji, inspiring her to reclaim the symbol of the snake in a message to her fans. A People magazine article breaking down every look in the Eras tour said this one “spoke for itself,” but just in case the message wasn’t clear, Swift explained it from the stage, stating that she “wanted to send message to you guys that if someone uses name-calling to bully you on social media, and even if a lot of people jump on board with it, that doesn’t have to beat you,” according to Vogue magazine.

Swift fans and followers agreed that her costumes made the show come to life. “She always ushers in a new era with clothing, nails, hair styles, accessories, and jewelry, said Jessica Slocum, a Swiftie TikTok influencer with 29,400 followers. “A lot of her looks are extremely nostalgist because they bring us back to an era. She’s so good at capturing emotions.”

Whether it’s onstage, online or in real life, Guo notes that “clothing has always been a way to signal what kind of group you belong to.” For now, at least, that group is more like an era.

Sarah Braun is a senior studying fashion media and public relations.

The costumes ranged from sparkly bodysuits to flowy dresses, each look handcrafted to embody the given era.

During her Reputation era, the album she released in 2017 when she was

Photos courtesy of Sarah Swift, Livie Byrd, Maddie Crisp and Juan Silva 32• 34• SMU LOOK

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TORN APART:

Punk + New Wave Graphics, Fashion & Culture, 1976–86

February 8 – May 10, 2024 Hawn Gallery, Hamon Arts Library Southern Methodist University Fall/Winter 23 • 35

Alexa Anderson

Jacket: Alice + Olivia, $795, Alice + Olivia Highland Park Village Skirt: Alice + Olivia, $440, Alice + Olivia Highland Park Village Bag: J.W. Anderson $950, MARKET Ring: Jenny Bird, $108, MARKET Earrings: Jenny Bird, $138, MARKET Photography by Ella McDonald

Jackson Young

Sweater: Zegna, $1,290, Neiman Marcus NorthPark Photography by Ella McDonald

36• SMU LOOK

Some

Enchanted Evening Old world glamour starts with shimmering fabrics, dapper jackets and over-the-top accessories.

Photography by Ella McDonald, Arden Eiland and Helen Tran Styling by Ivy Nielsen Additional Styling by Olivia Lanning and Emmy Kay Jensen Model Coordination by Hope Whitcraft

Shot on Location at Drake’s Hollywood, 5007 West Lovers Lane, Dallas, DrakesHollywood.com

Fall/Winter 23 • 37

LEFT PAGE: Niki Glass

Ring: Jenny Bird, $108 Dress: Staud, $695 Ring: Jenny Bird, $108 Bag: Staud, $250 All from MARKET Photography by Ella McDonald

Niki Glass

Trench: Simon Miller Branch Coach, $595, Neiman Marcus NorthPark Ring: Jenny Bird, $108, MARKET Bag: Cult Gaia, $328, Neiman Marcus NorthPark Photography by Helen Tran

Arielle Uyugar

Dress: LoveShackFancy, $695, LoveShackFancy Heels: Michael Kors, $145, Dillard’s NorthPark Ring: Shourouk, $65, LoveShackFancy Bag: Judith Leiber, $1,295, Neiman Marcus NorthPark Photography by Arden Eiland

RIGHT PAGE: Arielle Uyugar

Dress: LoveShackFancy, $695, LoveShackFancy Heels: Michael Kors, $145, Dillard’s NorthPark Ring: Shourouk, $65, LoveShackFancy Bag: Cult Gaia, $328, Neiman Marcus NorthPark Photography by Ella McDonald

38• SMU LOOK 36•

Fall/Winter 23 • 39

Jackson Young

Above Sport Coat: Brunello Cucinelli, $4,995, Neiman Marcus NorthPark Tie: Cremieux, $59.50, Dillard’s NorthPark Shoes: Cole Haan, $180, Dillard’s NorthPark Photography by Ella McDonald

Niki Glass

Right Dress: Staud, $695 Bag: Staud, $250 Ring: Jenny Bird, $108 All From MARKET Photography by Helen Tran

RIGHT PAGE: Alexa Anderson

Dress: A.L.C., $595, MARKET Bag: Judith Leiber, $1,295, Neiman Marcus NorthPark Heels: Laurence Dacade, $940, LoveShackFancy Ring: Jenny Bird, $108, MARKET Photography by Ella McDonald

38• 40•SMU SMULOOK LOOK

WHERE TO SHOP: Bachendorf’s 8400 Preston Rd. Dallas bachendorfs.com Uncommon Man 6609 Hillcrest Ave. Suite B Dallas shopuncommonman.com Neiman Marcus NorthPark 8687 N. Central Expy.

Dallas neimanmarcus.com Tootsies 8300 Preston Rd. Dallas Tootsies.com MARKET Highland Park Village 26 Highland Park Village Dallas markethighlandpark.com Dillard’s NorthPark 8687 N Central Expy.

Dallas dillards.com LoveShackFancy Highland Park Village 29 Highland Park Village Dallas Loveshackfancy.com Alice + Olivia Highland Park Village 7B Highland Park Village Dallas aliceandolivia.com

Winter 23 / 24 Fall/Winter 23• •39 41v

Shot on Location at the Meadows School of the Arts Pointe 1 class with Leslie Peck DANC1018 at 10:30am Photography by Arden Eiland

By Ella McDonald

Last Look

One Moment in Time

Southern Methodist University applauds the pursuit of academics, but it’s important to remember that many students work just as hard in the pursuit of beauty. Here, Lily Malloy and Alyssa Gaines run through a pointe exercise in their DANC1018 class, held in the Owen Fine Arts Center. This photo captures the essence of their athleticism, dedication and determination as they strive to achieve aesthetic excellence.

42• SMU LOOK

4603 West Lovers Lane

@clovergirlsdallas Fall/Winter 23 • 43

ALEXANDER McQUEEN ALICE + OLIVIA AUDEMARS PIGUET BALMAIN BANDIER BERETTA GALLERY BRIONI BRUNELLO CUCINELLI CAROLINA HERRERA CARTIER CELINE CHANEL CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN DIOR FENDI FRAME GOYARD HADLEIGH’S HARRY WINSTON HERMÈS JIMMY CHOO LA VIE STYLE HOUSE LE LABO LELA ROSE LELE SADOUGHI LOEWE LORO PIANA LOVESHACKFANCY MADISON MIRON CROSBY MONCLER PANERAI PETER MILLAR RAG & BONE RALPH LAUREN ROLEX ROLLER RABBIT SIMKHAI TOM FORD VALENTINO VAN CLEEF & ARPELS VERONICA BEARD ZEGNA

44• SMU LOOK

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