Strike Magazine Nashville Issue 02 by Strike Magazines

by Brittany Polevikov The power of a traditional “breadwinner” was gained through monetary control. The ability to make decisions, control households, maintain leverage, was maintained by a high-achieving income. But the age of the breadwinner is evolving. Social mobility is more fluid than it’s ever been: technologically, generationally, socially, the parameters of power are thinning and expanding to include groups who’d been previously banned from any pedestal of control. 2020 demanded transparency: nip nepotism at the bud, find space for female empowerment in the workplace, integrate intersectionality into conversation. For many, the rose-tinted glasses we’d donned so comfortably were abruptly removed; we realized change was necessary. Strike Nashville’s Issue 02 is an investigation of the qualifications of a “breadwinner,” and the double-edged sword that is a self-empowered existence in a hypercritical society. As with confidence, the perception of a breadwinner’s power is in its performance. With any performance comes a pressure to please -- and at what cost? Is there a means to express cultural identity and gender fluidity within the confines of the white-washed, heternormative ideals of the West? Is materialism necessary in performative wealth? Is emotional connection our solution to a consumerist society which pushes an obsessive attentiveness to material goods? These questions demand our attention as we seek social consciousness through our expression of identity and empowerment in our unique bodies.

I am beyond proud to be able to bring you all Issue 02: Breadwinner. This second issue from Strike Magazine Nashville is bold, bright, powerful, vulnerable, and real; all things we hope to showcase through everything Strike Magazine does. The process of creating takes courage, and I am so immensely grateful to our staff for all they have done to create this piece of art, and for courageously put themselves out there along the way. Thank you to the Strike Collective for being the most supportive and kind group of people I have ever met. I am so incredibly honored to have served as Editor-in-Chief of Strike Nashville, a position where I have been implored to dare greatly. In doing so I have struggled, I have failed, I have made mistakes, and I have consistently been pushed to grow. But beyond all that, I have learned what it means to be striking in all that I do. I cannot express my gratitude enough to the people who have supported me through this process and showed me such kindness and empathy. While exploring this issue I challenge you to look, and then look again. I challenge you to both appreciate, and question. But above all I challenge you to think about what being a “Breadwinner” means to you. So go on, open her up, and peak into a little glimpse of our striking world here in Nashville… Strike out, Karina Popowycz, Editor-in-Chief

TAFF LIST EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Karina Popowycz ASSISTANT EIC Sophie Ashley CREATIVE DIRECTORS Brittany Polevikov Grace Brady EXTERNAL AFFAIRS DIRECTOR Isabella Tyminski Assistant EAD Josh Kwon INTERNAL DIRECTOR Alina Yu WRITING DIRECTOR Sophie Ashley WRITING TEAM Alex Brooks Aparna Srinivasan Becca Morency Lauryn Gayles Lexi Tuch Macy Browning Rachel Lee Stuart (Jonas) Waller Victoria Cruz

BLOG DIRECTOR Molly Rosenthal WRITING AND BLOG ASSISTANT Daniel Martinez

Carter Schaffnit Isabel Heuer Jessica Du Meagan Martin Richard Harrison

BRAND AMBASSADOR DIRECTOR Michelle Lee BRAND AMBASSADORS Amelia Muir Donyea James

BOOKINGS DIRECTOR Sona Dixit BOOKINGS ASSISTANT Ann-Carol Yesso

DESIGN DIRECTOR Siena Zarrell BEAUTY DIRECTOR Audrey Miller BEAUTY TEAM Lauren Scott Lia Vargas Meagan Martin Stella Wang STYLING DIRECTORS Amanda Lu Ava Gottschlich STYLING TEAM Avalon Dalesandro Bryce Tatum

CASTINGS DIRECTOR Stella Wang CASTINGS ASSISTANT Becca Morency PHOTOGRAPHERS Adam Alwan Alex Ward Ashton Gurrola Elisa Wang Hallie Williams Lydia Thomas Shun Ahmed Sophia Yan Harrison Smith VIDEOGRAPHERS Josh Lipsey

CONTENT DIRECTORS Emma Kane Sophia Yan CONTENT TEAM Alex Ward Avalon Dalesandro Bryce Tatum Isabel Heuer Kay Shao Rachel Lee GRAPHICS DIRECTOR Grace Pulliam GRAPHICS TEAM Alexa Madsen Asya Azkin Elisa Wang Hallie Williams Jana Li Lucy Britto MARKETING DIRECTOR Stelio Kanaras MARKETING TEAM Evan Monk Gracie Tucker Guillermo Quintero Isabelle Simmons Susan Hollenbeck FINANCE DIRECTOR Roshni Srivastava FINANCE ASSISTANT Caroline Rosa SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Lauren Elson

SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM Skylar Hooley Susan Hollenback Lucy Britto MERCHANDISE DIRECTOR Penina Jeter MERCHANDISE ASSISTANT Yasmeen Minniefield PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR Sarah Baldino PR TEAM Andres Gonzalez Caroline Ambriano Lina Waseem PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Shun Ahmed PD TEAM Carol Ham Evan Monk Kristen Nutter

Featured fur jacket and blue pants provided by Ashe Cain

Featured blue dress provided by Laura Citron, neutral dress provided by Ashe Cain

by Jonas Waller Natalia Castro was born in Columbia and moved with her family to Nashville, Tennessee, where she was raised. From a kindergartener with dreams of working for Dior, to becoming an award-winning fashion designer, Natalia has come a long way. Though, it seems her journey is just beginning. While her passion is fashion, Natalia is the embodiment of a true artist. She begins her design process by doing research – assembling a collection of inspiring images from magazines, online websites, and everything in between. I asked her to describe what a collection might look like, in which she flipped her camera (we were on a Zoom call) to an entire wall of varying pictures, writing excerpts, and materials. It looked like a whole basement evidence collage room from a detective movie … but artsy. I had no clue what was going on, but from the way she discussed it so precisely, there was clearly a method to her madness. In Natalia’s latest, exclusive Stay @ Home collection for Nashville Fashion Week 2020, her versatile craftsmanship was put on full display as she persevered through the pandemic. Natalia used recycled, on hand materials such as curtains, quilts, and deadstock fabric to bring her vision to life. Never afraid to cut something up or sew two things together, Natalia enjoys a playful, experimental approach to identifying what works and what doesn’t. Without a world of materials at her disposal, she was forced to exercise her creativity – a challenge she very much enjoyed. In addition to the independent cultivation of her playful, exaggerated, and whimsical designs, Natalia photographed the entire collection herself. While Nashville Fashion Week 2020 was cancelled due to the pandemic, she was excited to hear from Strike as she would finally get to see other people model her collection. Natalia’s pieces are universal, designed to be worn by all genders and sizes. A lot of clothing is very gender specific, but Natalia believes fashion should be accessible to everyone. She hopes that people wearing her garments are able to use them to surpass expectations and create a new understanding of themselves and the people around them.

Featured jacket, dress, vest, hat, purses, and black heels provided by Natalia Castro