24 minute read
True Dark
editor: hannah eiserman aandc@carillonregina.com the carillon | april 1 - june 29, 2022
Supporting women in the tattoo industry
Advertisement
Why it’s more important now that ever
hannah eiserman
a&c editor
It’s no secret that the tattoo industry is one that is deeply ingrained in misogyny. In a time that is often over-simplified as the “#MeToo era,” the media is beginning to hear a lot more about how that misogyny manifests – and too often, stories of sexual assault have come to the surface. Frequent call-outs on accounts like national Victims Voices social media pages or the long-terminated Survivors Stories Regina Instagram page have led to a lot of inappropriate behaviour coming to light all around, not just in tattoo spaces. But in the fall of 2020, there were some major allegations tossed out in Regina.
In a popular Instagram post from April 5, 2021, artist Anna Gabrielle (@curlsjrtattos) writes: “A message to my young clients who are just starting to explore getting tattooed. Tattoo artists are not that fucking cool. We are all people, and we are all just like you… Please stop putting these people on a pedestal just because the long running idea has been that tattooers are somehow cooler than the average person. They’re not. Especially not these basic ass boys club White men who don’t care about you unless you’re a cute petite White girl they can mess with. Respect yourself, leave the minute you feel like the behaviour of your artist is unprofessional… You are a client, this is a service. A permanent service I might add.”
While one shouldn’t assume only young White girls are targets, Anna Gabrielle powerfully sums up something that seems to contribute to this culture, and that’s the power position tattoo artists are put in because of their social standing. But stories emerging of sexual assault in tattoo parlours isn’t just the abuse of artist-client power dynamics, but representative of a toxic culture within the industry at large. Many artists have also come forward with stories of harassment and assault from their male coworkers.
One awesome way to help adjust this culture of toxic masculinity and sexual violence, in addition to speaking up about it and calling out the behaviour as not acceptable, is to support women-owned tattoo businesses. More and more female artists are going into business by and for themselves and making their shops safe spaces for all. One of them is CJ Pannell, the owner of True Dark Tattoos here in Regina.
In full disclosure, Pannell has done two of my tattoos, but I wanted to talk to her about her work and the industry because I have always admired her vision for True Dark Tattoo as a “femme-centric” space. True Dark coincidentally emerged around a year and a half ago, during the heavy time when many of these sexual assault allegations were brought forward and Pannell was one of the artists who offered to help victims cover up work done by abusers.
As far as I can tell – because it’s incredibly hard to track – True Dark is the only shop in Regina that is owned by a woman. Saskatoon has three women-owned
spaces: Painfully Pretty Tattoos, Mama Tried, and Honey Bee Tattoo Collective. In Prince Albert, there’s Yokai Tattoos, owned by Janie Rose and Skylar Ink. In Fort Qu’Appelle, there’s Obsidian Tattoos (formerly Custer’s tattoos), which Cindy Kenway took over her from father, Ken Kenway. Yet, as recently as 2015 (or, even right now), woman-owned tattoo shops are still news.
True Dark is a stellar little space tucked in the back of a building on Scarth Street, just outside of Cornwall Centre. It lives up to its name with black walls which are covered with art in gilded frames. Pannell wants to support as many non-men as possible, and that extends to the décor of her shop, featuring many artists from across Canada. It also extends outside the realm of ink and skin. In opening True Dark, she partnered with Women Entrepreneurs in Saskatchewan
CJ Pannell
Sneeze, I dare you.
else. There wasn’t really any opportunity for that because we’re in such a small centre.”
“I feel like, in a way my hand was almost forced to produce the space that I needed for myself and was needed for a lot of others that I’ve spoken with,” she adds. “I wanted to create an environment that was healthy and happy
and professional too.” As is evident, this isn’t the case in many shops.
On the industry, Pannell says “it’s not just the individuals, obviously like with most things when we get into things like the patriarchy and misogyny, it’s a culture. And as a male-dominated industry the culture is very misogynistic. And even like, as an individual, even if I didn’t endure things that were as severe as other women, I still had to put up with the culture and the attitude.”
Men in the industry are often “gatekeepers,” according to Pannell. “If I wanted to succeed I kind of had to, you know, shut my mouth and take a lot of it, or just not speak up. And that gets exhausting,” she says with an exasperated laugh. “So that’s one of the reasons for my space: to create a female or femme-centric space, where femmes can not feel like we constantly have to be on guard and listen for whether someone is making derogatory comments.”
Feeling comfortable and safe in a tattoo space is, of course, going to enhance the experience for anyone. Beyond that, Pannell’s best advice for newcomers is “when selecting a tattoo, look for a shop and look for an artist that fits your vibe and then delve into the styles you want.” She acknowledges her work “might not be the best fit for everyone,” but the tattoo community, all the way across Canada is just that: a community. “I’m always happy to be able to direct people towards other artists I feel like share the same values as I do,” Pannell adds.
Pannell echoes the sentiments put forth earlier by Anna Gabrielle, to consider that your new tattoo “is something permanent.” This seems obvious, but it goes beyond the visual aspect of the actual piece. “You have to put a lot of thought into everything else that’s attached to that permanency,” Pannell says. “Your experience in a shop is just as important as the actual piece you walk out with.”
– CJ Pannell
(WESK). She found help from the organization with writing a business plan as well as finding financing, an accountant, a real estate agent, and an attorney. It’s been a hard road and a lot of work, but Pannell has had a solid community of support.
When asked what the decision was behind opening True Dark and going into business on her own, Pannell said that “if there was a shop in town that was up to [her] standards as far as personal values go, as well as that quality of art, [she] would have gladly worked under someone
Saying goodbye to the McBass family
Everyone’s favourite problematic family announces they’re leaving Youtube
jorah bright a&c writer
Popular YouTube family channel “The McBass Fam” recently announced the end of their time on the platform. Over the past seven years, they have raked in 15 million subscribers and over two billion views. They are beloved by their fans, and not-so-loved by everyone else. Through those seven years, parents Chase and Kayla McBass have faced repeated controversies which they handled in different ways.
The McBass family consists of parents Chase and Kayla who met in 2013 after they began “allegedly” cheating on their partners with each other. Prior to marrying Chase in 2014, Kayla had a daughter, nine-year-old Luna, with her previous partner Daniel Johnson. Together, Chase and Kayla have four additional children: five-year-old twin girls Fable Mae and Poet Leigh, threeyear-old son Jupiter Mercury, and 14-month-old Kaerysel Opal. In one of their more recent videos, Kayla announced that she’s three months pregnant with her sixth child.
Kayla and Chase treat their children very differently and make choices about their children that seem like they’re mostly for views. The children are money-makers first, kids second. In an Instagram story video, Kayla admitted that Fable and Poet are behind in their schoolwork, saying “they’re supposed to be on level six by now and they’re only on level two, so their teacher sent me an email, and she’s like ‘um, your daughters are a little behind on their reading app.’ Shoot, I didn’t know they were going to notice.” In addition, the twins have speech delays. Both have rarely acknowledged this or admitted that the girls should see a speech thera-
Herry Lawford
The extended McBass Fam. Aren’t they just picture perfect?
pist, instead opting to hope it’ll go away as they get older.
Jupiter is treated as the golden child for being the first boy in the family. Luna is put in almost every video thumbnail because she was young when the family started posting on YouTube and was a huge reason why the channel grew so quickly. Kaerysel is just kind of there. They give her way less attention compared to the other four, likely because she didn’t bring in as many views as their twins, first son, or the breadwinner stepdaughter.
Recently, Kayla took Fable, Poet, and Kaerysel on a trip to Disneyland for Kaerysel’s first Chase are already busy enough with four young kids that they wouldn’t be able to give Luna a proper homeschool education or meet the standards of California state education. Kayla justifies this by saying that mornings will be easier for the family and Luna will be able to help with the kids and go to dance earlier. It is big Duggar energy to try to get your eldest child to parent your youngers.
A few years ago, Kayla and Chase got rid of their dog because they felt like they couldn’t handle having a dog and all their kids. This was right after Jupiter was born and Luna was six. They they hadn’t properly repented for their sins, because of course the McBass family are evangelical Christians. Instead, the twins had to watch all their other siblings open presents, sit silently, and “contemplate their actions.” Kayla chose to do this when pulling the twins out of kindergarten to clean the house ended up being fun for them instead of the punishment she wanted it to be. She chose losing Christmas as a punishment, despite saying later on that “taking away Christmas presents is the worst thing possible for little kids.”
One of their worst moves was uploading a video last year called
“He was diagnosed with cancer....” and using a picture of the family as the thumbnail, which left fans wondering if two-yearold Jupiter had been diagnosed with cancer. But that wasn’t the case. Chase had convinced himself that his son had cancer, but after finding out that Jupiter didn’t have cancer, he decided to make a documentary about young kids with cancer. They exploited these young children battling cancer to make a profit off of their monetized YouTube video.
The McBass Family certainly love their clickbait, including “He
– Jorah Bright
birthday, and then proceeded to only post pictures of Fable and Poet. There wasn’t even a dedicated ‘happy birthday’ post for Kaerysel and vlogs showed the twins telling Kaerysel that she wasn’t allowed on rides simply because they didn’t want her to.
With a sixth baby incoming, Kayla and Chase have already begun trying to parentify Luna. In a video called “We have to make a big decision about Luna...” Kayla talks about how busy Luna is between school and dance and how she wants Luna to be homeschooled. But Kayla and posted a vlog including the moment of Kayla and Luna crying in the thumbnail but forgot to edit out part of the video where Kayla directs Luna on how to pose to look like she’s crying. Kayla then ignores her daughter when she says that she’s truly crying and instead tells her she wants her to “cry pretty.”
Last Christmas, Kayla and Chase uploaded a video saying that Fable and Poet won’t receive Christmas gifts that year because of “their long patterns of egregious selfish behaviour.” They were five. She told her kids that was diagnosed with cancer...” Other intense clickbait titles include: “I am NOT Jupiter’s Father... (Truth Revealed),” ‘Luna is about to GIVE UP... (She needs Support),” “I got in a [sic] ACCIDENT *PRANK* on My Family (They Freaked Out),” “Our PUPPY Almost DROWNED,” “I DROPPED OUR BABY PRANK! (My Wife and Kids Freakout...),” and “Our last 24 hours with Luna, Fable, and Poet :(”
They’ve also run several scams over the years. The most prominent being their attempt to make a McBass Family app, where for a monthly fee you could get extra McBass Family content. Several people signed up for this only to realise that the content stopped after the first couple of weeks. There’s also been dozens of rumours over the years of Chase cheating on Kayla. There have been videos of him making out with other girls and several people have come forward saying that they had intimate relations with Chase, but Chase and Kayla vehemently deny these statements. And while they posted that they would be leaving YouTube, I can’t say I fully believe it. It’s their main source of income and there’s no way they won’t make a video about the new baby’s birth.
Instead, they’ve announced the McBass Festival, a one-day festival with theme park rides and music for their fans to attend. Ticket prices have yet to be announced, but I imagine they will be very expensive. And it probably won’t be their only festival if it does well financially.
Until then, goodbye to the McBass family. Please stop exploiting your children.
The world’s most beloved dating show announces a prairie series
jorah bright a&c writer
Stay calm, Bachelor Nation. There’s a brand-new season in a brand-new place on its way – and there’s brand-new love to be found! The Canadian prairies are getting their own Bachelor Franchise. Starting with the Bachelorette, get ready for a journey to love like no other.
Introducing Bachelorette Avery Walker! Avery is a 23-year-old hair stylist from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Avery’s a hopeless romantic but has never been in love. She can’t stand slow drivers, and she’s a Christmas fanatic. She’ll be
meeting 30 guys from across the prairies, all hoping to become Avery’s fiancé.
Avery knows exactly what she’s looking for in a man: someone who’s kind and supports her in her endeavours, but can handle her spontaneity. She’s not like other girls, and she wants a man who can appreciate that.
But now, it’s time to meet some of the guys.
Brian, 30, from Weyburn, Saskatchewan
Math is Brian’s best friend. Actually, math is Brian’s only friend, other than the few people who ask Brian to help them with math. Brian is currently a math teacher at the same high school he went to.
Kaleb, 27, from Regina, Saskatchewan
Kaleb’s only personality trait is the Fast and the Furious franchise. He refuses to watch any other movies. His favourite hobby is spinning doughnuts in empty parking lots. It’s also his only hobby. He works as a car mechanic.
Aiden B., 28, from Edmonton, Alberta
Aiden is a cool, down-to-earth guy, according to him. He doesn’t like when girls wear make-up, but if he catches you without any, he’ll make fun of how you look. And he hates when girls gossip. He wants a girl who’s fun and appreciates that Saturdays are for the boys.
David L., 24, from Medicine Hat, Alberta
David loves his mom. He calls his mom every single day. His mom will show up at his door if he doesn’t. His mom doesn’t like Avery because she’ll take her little boy away from her. David’s mom tried breaking into the Bachelor mansion to see her son. The director has a restraining order against David’s mom now. Will Avery like David’s mom?
Brett, 25, from Carlyle, Saskatchewan
Brett drives a jacked-up Dodge. He only goes to church on holidays but says he goes every week. He doesn’t actually drink any water, only beer. He’s banned from four Wal-Marts for unsavoury language and behaviour, but he refuses to go to any other grocery store. He’s racked up 14 speeding tickets in the last two months.
Aiden D., 24, from the Middle of Nowhere, Saskatchewan
Aiden D. grew up on his family’s farm taking care of cattle. He learned how to drive a car from driving tractors, and he learned toxic masculinity from his dad. He doesn’t have any pictures of himself without a fish or a beer. He says he plays the guitar, but really only knows the five chords needed to play “Wonderwall.”
David B., from North Battleford, Saskatchewan
– Jorah Bright
David B. doesn’t have a job. He likes to drink all day and doesn’t care about your Instagram post or your keto diet. David thinks PDA is the same thing as romance. He’ll call out any guy who says they’re here for the “right reasons.” His only redeeming quality is, um… I’ll get back to you on that one.
Keegan, 23, from Regina, Saskatchewan
Keegan didn’t respond to several requests for information for a bio. After two weeks, he responded with “here for a good time, not a long time” and a picture of him and a fish.
And that’s just a sneak peek at some of the men vying for Avery’s heart on the first season of The Bachelorette: Bachelor in Prairiedise.
Pixabay
Review: Bad Vegan
You don’t have to be vegan to get your heart broken by a sexy scammer
amina salah staff writer
Bad Vegan: Fame, Fraud, Fugitives is a documentary directed by Chris Smith that premiered on Netflix on March 16. It shows the downfall of Sarma Melngailis, the owner of an upscale vegan fine dining restaurant named Pure Food and Wine located in New York City. Melngailis’ troubles began when she met a man who went by the name Anthony Strangis. He allegedly influenced her into stealing from her own restaurant and later going on the run. The two transferred over $1.5 million from the restaurant into their own personal banking accounts. As a result, the workers at Pure Food and Wine were unable to pay their bills and were left in the dark while Sarma was away with Anthony. At the end of the day, it is important to remember that the workers are also victims.
Viewers have been extremely divided on the documentary. One side believes that Melngailis
Markus Spiske via Pixabay Don’t be a bad vegan. Eat the veggie burger!
was in on the scam with Strangis because of the phone call at the end of the documentary where she was excitedly talking to him. This begged the question; how could one possibly want to be on friendly terms with someone who her, changing her name, yet still expect the audience to believe that she was unaware that her and Anthony were on the run.
People on the other side believe that she was a victim to a scammer’s mind games. Strangis
convinced Melngailis that he would be able to make both of them, along with their dog, immortal. As viewers, we will never know the truth, so there is no point trying to come up with the conclusion. Ultimately, anyone could be scammed. You can’t predict it, but there are always ways to protect yourself. It’s important to remember that it is okay to ask for help, to consult your friends and family. If you are surrounded
by people who have your best interest at heart, they might be able to notice patterns and signs in a romantic partner that, perhaps, you might have missed.
The reality is that anyone can be trapped by narcissistic manipulation; once you are, it’s very difficult to come out of it. Scam artists will love bomb you. They will shower you in expensive gifts. More than that, they will pay attention to how you react to their grand gestures of love and affection. If they see that you are easily falling for these tricks, they will push further and further. This is merely a test to determine whether you are gullible and quick to let your guard down. The most important rule of self-preservation is to never be easily swayed by the tricks of someone who is interested in you. The world of dating has unfortunately turned into a game that has the legitimate possibility of costing you your life. It is important to always be cautious and on guard. Bad Vegan is a cautionary tale that every single person should learn from, because even though you think you’ll never fall for it, it’s nearly impossible to see these things coming.
“If you are surrounded by people who have your best interest at heart, they will be able to notice patterns and signs in a romantic partner that, perhaps, you might have missed.
– Amina Salah
did something that awful to them? Melngailis was unable to answer some of the questions that the interviewer had, like how she could possibly be covering her tattoos and every identifiable aspect of
sports & health
editor: katie mutschler sports@carillonregina.com the carillon | april 1 - june 29, 2022
Lets learn to dance in heels: an interview with Lisa Dawn
Become your most fierce and confident self
victoria baht
s&h writer
Do you remember what it was like to be a child in dance classes? You got to wear the cool outfits, fancy shoes, and watch yourself in the big mirrors while dancing around with your friends. It was so much fun practicing on repeat until it was time for the recital.
Even though you are no longer a child, what if I told you that you have the chance to have the experience all over again? You probably would not believe me. Well, there is a dance studio opening up in early April that is going to make this possible for adults. The studio is called Collective Studios, which is Regina’s adult dance centre. This studio was created by Jaimie Kopeck, and it is for adults (17+), no prior experience needed. The classes you can take are ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, salsa, batcha, and heels. The Carillon did an interview with Lisa Dawn, who will be teaching the heels class. Heels is a class that will make you feel confident walking in heels, and also make you feel sexy and fierce in them too! Let’s talk to the fierce Lisa and get to know her dancing experience.
Can you tell us about your past dance experience?
I was born in Regina, Saskatchewan and my dancing life started at the Martin school of dance at the age of three years old. As I grew older, I danced in many competitions and traveled in both Canada and the U.S. After I graduated high school, I knew I wanted to make dancing my career so I jumped for it. After graduation, I moved to New York City when I was 19 years old. I was there on an international student visa program where I took dance at the Broadway center. In this program you had to take a certain number of classes daily, though I took them all. This is where I found my love for heels. I got my first job in Vegas with a celebrity cruise line with a contract. Then I started up with Princess and got a contract back in 2013, and I have been there ever since. Contracts normally last six to nine months, and I have been so lucky to travel and dance everywhere! I am still with Princess to this day, although because of COVID-19, it has brought my performance to a slight pause, although I still have a huge passion for dance.
What is your favourite move or sequence?
My favourite move has got to be a body roll. This is where you start at the top of your head with your forehead back and your chin up. Then you lift your chest and roll through your spine. You then squat in your hips and a bend in your legs.
Can you explain some personal emotions you have while dancing in front of others?
Dancing in front of others to me is the best feeling! I feel like dance has become such a huge expression for myself. When I am dancing, I am my most authentic and most fun self. It is when I know that I am doing it for not only myself but also bringing joy to others. I have a way to express myself without saying any words.
What is your favourite part about dance?
Dance is a way to express yourself. When you are in a happy and joyful mood, this is when your dance is going to be on a high energy level. Compared to when you are maybe sad or in a slump your dance may be slow and not as expressive, and that is okay. Dancing is such a good way to get people together and create a community. You can dance all together and create a bond without even knowing it. You can build a sense of community and share so many things with others.
What is your favourite thing about teaching dance?
Seeing the growth in the students, kids or the adults. This is when I get the chance to see them grow and work hard towards a certain goal. When one is teaching that goal, I see them thrive with inner joy. I also get the chance to see others get out of their comfort zone and get people to recognize and take a moment to let go and be their confident selves. Plus, I am sharing something that brings me joy with others.
Can you explain what heels dancing is?
Heels dancing has many styles of dancing, and it is all based on the instructor. My style of heels that I will be teaching is along the lines of heels. This [dance is] beautiful looking and it is about showing your inner self, showing intersexuality, inner goddess, inner sassiness, and inner fierceness. You can bring out any emotion you have and bring it out all on the floor.
What is a good outfit to wear to a heels class?
My biggest thing if you are happy with your outfit, what you are wearing and feeling confident, then your class will go well!
What type of music accompanies this dance, and songs are ‘Addicted’ by Jon Vinyl, ‘Sweating’ by Alewya, and ‘Antidote’ by Nao and Adekunle Gold. Do you have any personal stories for our readers that
Femme Spirit via Unsplash
Dancing in heels: it is basically Cross Fit.
get a workout in, build a relationship, and create a community to rebuild a connection. Dance and have fun. You don’t have to worry about strict opportunities like re-
citals or competitions. Just worry about getting there and having fun!
– Lisa Dawn
and walking in heels, isolating the body with movements, [and] head whips with stationary movements. Then we will move towards floor movements with some choreography.
Is the studio putting on any special deals during the opening month?
We will have a grand opening at the end of April where we will be giving out classes, passes, and deals, and then we also have promotions and sessions out right now. We are also planning on having additional events out soon like socials and workshops.
what are your go-to songs?
I sort of like older songs. Although heels often go towards an R&B, hip-hop, and you can slow it down to make it look classier and sexier. I normally go towards remixes of songs, and some go-to would get them encouraged to try dancing?
The hardest thing is getting yourself there. You are worried about going by yourself, but everyone is here for the same reason: to get dancing, get moving,
The Carillon wants to thank Lisa for all these beautiful answers and wants Jaimie and her team to know that we, and I am sure others, are looking forward to the studio and the community and dances it creates!
