The Buzz | Fall 2016

off the

grid FALL FASHION ON THE GO

RESTLESS FEET

BOSTON STREET ART GRAFFITI SEEKS TO TELL A MESSAGE

STORY OF THE TRAVELING GENES

the netflix effect

IS STREAMING MAKING IT COOL TO STAY IN? THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

TOC

off the grid, p. 36 Inspired by the rich colors of fall and the revival of edgy 90’s looks, this issue’s fashion shoot at Kenmore and South Station celebrates selfexploration and individual journey.

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TABLE OF ONTENTS fall 2016

travel

7 RESTLESS FEET

Story of the Traveling Genes

10 THE AMERICAN DREAM The Path to Becoming a Citizen

city

13 BOSTON STREET ART Graffiti Seeks to Tell a Message

20 MUSEUM EXCURSIONS

Museums to Add to Your Radar

fashion 45

FREE THE NIPPLE How a Feminist Campaign Altered Fashion

48 POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram and Twitter’s Influence on Fashion

culture 63

THE EVOLUTION OF SELFPORTRAITURE How Technology Changed Art’s Oldest Tradition

66 THE NETFLIX EFFECT

Is Streaming Making it Cool to Stay In?

campus 24

57 BLACK ARTISTS

28 THE YOUNG & THE SLEEPLESS

60 BOXED BLISS

THE AGE GAP Why the Three-year Age Gap Makes All the Difference Advice from Upperclassmen to Pull Successful All-Nighters

food

29 FROM BROOKLINE

TO BARCELONA A Local Student’s Decision to Forgo College in Lieu of Food

32 TASTING THE GOOD LIFE

Why Brunch Became America’s Trendiest Meal

music

Musicians Breaking the Mold in the Music Industry Vinyl Subscription Services Deliver Classics Worldwide

sports 51

SACRIFICE FOR SUCCESS How Sports Specialization is affecting Young Athletes

54 POLITICS ON THE PITCH

Do Politics Have a Place in Sports?

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Publisher Creative Director Art Director Photography Director Online Design Director Web Manager Head Copy Editor Editors

Elisha Machado Sarah Wu Andrea Vega Jami Rubin Aleena Qazi Angela Wang Deanna Klima-Rajchel Lavi Zhao Rebecca Young Callie Ahlgrim, Culture Brittany Bell, Sports Clara Burr-Lonnon, Travel Grace Gulino, Campus Kelsey King, Food Danny McCarthy, City Julia Seelig, Fashion Victoria Wasylak, Music

Photography Editors Madeleine Arch, Culture Polly Bainbridge, Travel Olivia Falcigno, Food Michaela Johnston, City Kelly Markus, Music Marketing Manager Angeli Rodriguez Events Coordinator Taleen Simonian Social Media Managers Sonia Kulkarni Mari Andreatta

Writers Campus: Emily Confalone, Tyler Chin, Marianne Farrell, Ariana Quihuiz, Joey Mendolia, Yasmin Younis, Tori Pietsch, Sarah Wu City: Anna Barry, Danielle Bozzone, Marianna Farrell, Defne Karabucak, Esther Kwon, Stevie Maizes, Eden Marcus, Alexia Simitian, Marissa Wu Culture: Noemi Arellano-Summer, Jackie Bowes, Danielle Bozzone, Robert Delany, Marianne Farrell, Sonia Kulkarni, Hannah Lee, Megan Mulligan, Andrea Vega Fashion: Falaknaz Chranya, Haley Fritz, Rebecca Golub, Jazmyne Jackson, Sonia Kulkarni Ariana Quihuiz Food: Kady Matsuzaki, Riley Sugarman Music: Benjamin Bonadies, Nicki Hymowitz, Georgia Kotsinis, Abigail Miglorie, Jose Alberto Orive Santamarina, Karissa Perry, Daniela Rivera, Taleen Simonian Sports: Emily Carson, Jessica Citronberg, Casey Douglas, Nicole Wilkes Travel: Polly Bainbridge, Jackie Bowes, ChloĂŤ Hudson, Michaela Johnston, Michaela Petigrow, Maria Popova, Ludi Wang, Sarah Wu Weekly Buzz Broadcast Sophia Lipp, Sranee Bayapureddy, Morgan Delaney, Nina Esakoff, Marianne Ferrell, Fengyun Zhao

Copy Editing Team Danielle Bozzone, Koreena Geisler-Wagner, Nicole Hoey, Megan Mulligan, Andrea Vega Moreno, Jessamyn Wallace Photography Team Cassandra Chan, Brittany Chang, Ellen Clouse, Mae Davis, Eva V. Gallagher, Rhiannon Jeselonis, Brigid King, Giancarlo Rodriguez, Marissa Wu, Deni Yacoobian, Irene Zeng Creative Team Designers: Gabrielle DiPietro, Eva V. Gallagher, Deanna Klima-Rajchel, Amber Lin, Erica Maybaum, Stevie Snow, Mariam Syed, Ludi Wang, Eden Weinberg, Sam West, Shannon Yau Illustrators: Jillian Apatow, Katie Hong, Amber Lin, Sam West Online Designers: Sranee Bayapureddy, Huiyan Cheng, Gabrielle DiPietro Web Specialists Madeleine Arch, Ben Bonadies, Nicole Zabaneh 4

ON OUR COVER MIOLANI GRENIER (COM ‘18) WEARS AN LF SILK SLEEPER SHIRT AND VINTAGE DENIM SKIRT COMBO PAIRED WITH HELLO CAROLINE’S GOLD REFLECTIVE SUNGLASSES AND A BLACK VELVET BRALETTE. DARREN HOFFMANN (ENG ‘18) WEARS STEVEN ALAN MILWOOD SUNGLASSES WITH MIRRORED LENSES AND A DOUBLE POCKET UTILITY JACKET IN BLACK FELT. COVER PHOTO BY ANGELA WANG PHOTO TO LEFT BY IRENE ZENG

contributors Our Fall 2016 issue would not have been possible without the help of many outside students and partners who shared their talents, insights and time. We would like to thank each and every new and existing relationship, and we look forward to our continued partnership in the future.

STORES

Hello Caroline 252 Newbury Street Boston, MA 02116 (617) 262-6800 @shophellocaroline Jack Wills 179 Newbury Street Boston, MA 02116 (857) 753-4524 @jackwills LF 353 Newbury Street Boston, MA 02115 (617) 236-1213 @lfboston

Steven Alan 172 Newbury Street Boston, MA 02116 (617) 398-2640 @stevenalan

MAKEUP STYLING Roulin Feng (COM ‘19) (857) 316-7983

Chelsea Plocker (CGS ‘19) (631) 559-7106

SUPPORTERS

Dean Thomas Fiedler Elisabeth Symczak

The Paint Bar, Boston

Allied Marketing, Boston

PINK Ambassadors, Boston University

Allocations Board, Boston University

SoulCycle, Boston

The Handle Bar, Boston

Student Activities Office, Boston University

Insomnia Cookies, Boston

Study Abroad, Boston University

Loretta’s Last Call, Boston

Warner Bros.

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

letter from

the editor IN THE AGE WE LIVE IN, IT IS HARD TO DISCONNECT. FROM COMPUTERS TO PHONES TO EMAIL, WE ARE CONSUMED

BY A VIRTUAL WORLD, ADDICTED TO BEING PLUGGED INTO THE HEART THAT TEARS US FROM REALITY. In this edition of the Buzz, we move off the grid, cutting off the strings of electricity to find a new path, traveling away from the ordinary.

For this edition’s fashion shoot, we use Boston as a backdrop—a city overtaken with a hustleand-bustle state of mind, but one with a hidden beauty only seen when taking the time to slow down.

Much like the endless web of subway trains that move through Boston, as young adults we search to figure out our lives, looking to what lies ahead. Constantly moving from stop to stop, getting off and getting on again, we wait for a final destination. Sometimes it is important to stop, turn off the signal and take a moment for yourself.

In this final season of my ride as Editor-in-Chief, I, too, search for the next stop in my journey.

As I move away from the hub that is Boston University, I pass off my seat to the next generation of leaders and get onto a new train.

In just a short amount of time, the Buzz has been able to challenge the magazine industry, setting new standards of truth and beauty. We aim to be more than a magazine found on shelves, but a voice for our generation.

In this edition, we encourage you to unplug for a moment and enjoy the journey. You may find life is much clearer if you just look up from your screen.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 6

fall 2016

TRAVEL

story of the traveling genes

BY CLARA BURR-LONNON PHOTOGRAPHY BY MADELEINE ARCH ILLUSTRATIONS BY SAMANTHA WEST DESIGN BY ERICA MAYBAUM

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

“No other mammal moves around like we do.

We jump borders. We push into new territory, even when we have resources where we are,” said Svante Pääbo, the director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. “Other animals don’t do this.

Other humans either. There’s a kind of madness to it. Sailing out into the ocean, you have no idea what’s on the other side. We never stop. Why?” Now, open any form of social media. Click on the About/Describe Me section. What shows up on the screen?

“I love traveling.”“Been to <insert long list of countries and travel emojis>.”“Currently in <insert somewhere in the world>.”

Most people you meet will probably tell you how much they love traveling, even if they haven’t had the opportunity to travel extensively.

But, 80 percent of people also love reuniting with the comforts of home after a period of time away. They feel complacent going about their daily lives until their next annual or biannual trip comes around. They don’t feel the need to be continuously moving around, exploring new places. The other 20 percent of the world’s population, on the other hand, has the urge to continuously explore and discover new things.

Some people call it the travel bug. Others call it wanderlust. But how does one identify as a “wanderluster,” not just a traveler?

No matter how many vacations or journeys a wanderluster takes, “there is always an urge to see something new. However, I don’t travel to take a break. I travel to experience and see different cultures and understand new perspectives,” said Anna Jacobs (Questrom ’17).

I feel the need to make big travel plans every couple of months and the older I get, the more restless I become,” said Sophie Collender (COM ’18).It’s more than a burning desire to travel and see other places. It is the restless need to get on a plane or train and “fly” to a new place. It is the need to be somewhere new, surrounded by fresh perspectives and experiences.

“Traveling allows me to gain new experiences while growing myself outside of my typical habitat. It forces [me] to stay humble and live openmindedly,” said Collender. But is there a richer explanation as to why some people love nothing more than the feeling of arriving in a new destination? Can the restless feeling be explained by something more than just a deep love of traveling?

As it turns out, wanderlust is something much more complex than a traveling love affair; the answer lies in our DNA. Dubbed the “adventure gene,” the DRD4-7r gene has been linked to traits such as extraversion, impulsivity, environmental sensitivity and risktaking. In 1999, four scientists from the University of California Irvine studied the migration patterns and gene pool distribution of pre-historic human

beings and the links between dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) and Attention Deficit Disorder.

The DRD4 gene, a dopamine gene, which is linked to the dopamine receptor, releases the dopamine (“pleasure”) chemical. Our brains take in information from the world around us and process information about rewards, consequences, stresses and emotions while factoring in previous experiences. Dopamine is passed from one neuron to the next in the tiny spaces between them and is released as sights, sounds, smells, etc. The UC Irvine scientists unintentionally discovered the correlation between the DRD4 gene and a continuous desire to travel—people with the DRD4 gene tended to be thrillseeking and migratory, and the majority also had a long history of traveling. In their paper titled, “Population Migration and the Variation of Dopamine D4 Receptor (DRD4) Allele Frequencies Around the Globe,” a “strong association between the proportion of long alleles (a form of a gene) of the DRD4 gene in a population and its prehistorical macro-migration histories” is documented. Those who bore the DRD4 gene were genetically predisposed to migrate, but only 20 percent of the human genetic pool (both currently and historically) bears the gene. The rest of the population preferred to “[develop] intensive methods for using limited amounts of land.” Alternatively, bearers of the DRD4 gene sought out uninhabited lands “for

more successful exploitation of resources in the particular environment.”A further look at the DRD4 gene found its links to an increased desire to discover new places, relationships, foods, ideas and opportunities. It is also linked to an increase in the quantity of dopamine released which can lead to riskier, impulsive behaviors.

However, although the DRD4 gene is labeled the wanderlust gene, no single gene holds the influence over a specific personality trait, behavior or feeling. Besides the contributions of other genes, there are other environmental factors which come into play such as how you were raised, what type of society you grew up in and conceptions of peers.

Wanderlust is rooted in our history. It was the original wanderlusters who were vital to pushing human civilizations out of Mesopotamia and expanding civilization and societies into Europe, America, Africa and Asia. The desire to explore the world is not a new concept. The

original wanderlusters did not allow the lack of luxuries of modern travel to stand as a barrier from discovering other lands and opportunities.

Today, the constant movement, allowed by modern advances, makes it difficult to locate a single place where wanderlusters “feel most at home.”

For wanderlusters, home is often hard to identify—especially if you ask them to choose just one place. We live in an age where anywhere in the world is just a flight away. Airplanes have allowed us to have access to any part of the world in less than 24 hours. You can wake up in Shanghai and go to sleep in London. This wasn’t possible 100 years ago. Now, nowhere in the world is too far, especially for a wanderluster.

“It’s the people, not the place,” said Jacobs.

“Every time I have time off of school or work, my first reaction is to travel somewhere. When I am traveling, that is when I feel most at home.” It is difficult to embrace the lifestyle

“When I am traveling, that is when I feel most at home.”

of a wanderluster if you have a family, children and responsibilities. “Now is the time, because I only have a few responsibilities,” said Jacobs. “It’s my goal to have all of my things fit in just two suitcases. I want to be able to move from place to place as smoothly as possible, and having too many possessions makes moving much harder and a much more complicated process.”

If you have decided you would like to cuddle up with your favorite blanket at home and watch Netflix while you think about your weeklong ski trip with your family in a few months, there’s nothing saying you don’t love traveling; however, you most likely won’t identify as a wanderluster. For the wanderlusters out there, remember, this restless, roaming spirit is part of your genetic makeup, and you can’t be blamed for your genes! So, embrace those genes and see as much of the world as possible because it won’t come to you, you must go out and catch it.

THE AMERICAN DREAM THE PATH TO BECOMING A CITIZEN STORY BY MARIA POPOVA PHOTOGRAPHY BY POLLY BAINBRIDGE DESIGN BY ALEENA QAZI

AN F-1 VISA ALLOWS YOU TO PEEK THROUGH AN EYEHOLE. A GREEN CARD GIVES YOU ACCESS TO THE LOBBY. A PASSPORT GRANTS YOU THE MASTER’S KEY. It is hard to believe, but a few stamped papers and a miniature navy-colored book imprinted with a golden eagle can change one’s life. This document can become the ticket to the life of your dreams and a stellar career—but the absence of one can become a nightmarish bureaucratic barrier.

Foreign citizens cannot freely work in the United States without the infamous “work permit” and still have to depend on the few, rare U.S. companies which practice “sponsorship”— presenting an employee with official grounds to obtain a green card without its lottery component.

In fact, the overwhelming majority of big

corporations, the ones that are ironically the most attractive to ambitious, young professionals, do not “sponsor” work permits due to the legal burden and costs the process imposes upon them.

This unfortunate reality of a foreigner’s career in the U.S. leaves graduates in a state of uncertainty. But as an old saying goes, “If the mountain won’t come to Muhammad, Muhammad must go to the mountain.”

The ones who came here to win, and to stay, take matters into their own hands and bare with all the procedures necessary to get a golden, or rather, green ticket, and if lucky, a navycolored book with an eagle as a follow up.

Sometimes you beat the odds, but more often it takes time, dedication and unimaginative hopefulness. Erhan Ufak, a graduate student at the Questrom School of Business from Istanbul, Turkey, finally managed to win a green card (residency permit).

Upon receiving his bachelor’s degree in 2005 from one of the most prestigious universities in Turkey, the Middle East Technical University, Ufak decided he wanted to move to

the United States and immediately applied for a green card through the Diversity Visa program.

“The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program [offers] 50,000 immigrant visas annually, drawn from random selection among all entries to individuals who are from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States,” according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ website.

In May 2006, Ufak received a response: he had not been selected.

“The probability of [success] for one person is around 2.5 percent,” said Ufak. “Yes, I calculated this one,” he said.

The low chance of success, however, has not discouraged Erhan. He got job in Turkey.

He applied again. He got married. He applied once more, and continued filling out endless applications every year. Finally, in 2015, his wife was chosen.

After receiving his green card, Ufak and his wife moved to the United States permanently.

He started working at IBM, but soon quit his job to enter a graduate program at BU’s Questrom School of Business on a scholarship.

“I definitely feel the privileges of holding a green card,” said Ufak. “You know you won’t have problems with job requirements, and all the procedures are much smoother. You can work for any employer you want because [you] are not tied to this one company that sponsored you.

This increases your market value and your salary by about 20 percent.”

However, according to Ufak, who evidently has calculated every single probability that stands in the way of his goals, 80 to 90 percent of jobs in the U.S. require citizenship.

“With the American passport, your market value is even higher,” said Ufak who is determined to start hunting for his citizenship after five years, when he becomes officially eligible for it.

The shift from being a permanent resident to becoming a citizen is simplistic by no means. Yet, the webpage of The Department of Homeland Security endeavors to explain it clearly presenting an immigrant with a WikiHow-like 10 steps list of attaining the American passport.

“Determine if you are already a citizen,” is the first “stage” of the process and it pours salt on the wound. The following steps are submitting the Application of Naturalization, taking biometrics and passing an interview.

Yulia Terletsky knows all these legal details by heart. Born in Ukraine, she immigrated to Israel with her parents as a six-month old baby.

At the age of six, she came to the United States permanently.

“I did not speak [English] very well until I was in the fourth grade,” said Terletsky, who now

speaks with a perfect New Jersey accent. “It was really hard. I think only immigrants understand the kind of pressure we are under as kids.”

“Nobody knows I am an immigrant. But the thing is, I do not want to hide it because I am very proud of being the first person in my immediate family to be super American,” said Terletsky. Even though [my parents] are American now, they are still holding on to their Ukrainian heritage and their Jewish heritage. But it is nice to be really American.”

It certainly took a lot of time and effort to become “super American,” at least on paper.

“The naturalization process started the second we got here, it was 2001. I was six years old, and it took about 10 years for me to get my green card,” she said.

The citizenship application process is a whole new stage for an immigrant, including a 20-page application and an exam.

“The hardest question was, ‘Who is the Supreme Court Chief Justice?’ But I got it right,” said Terletsky. Then, according to her, you have to write down a simple sentence and then

demonstrate your speaking skills a little bit. If this exam is passed successfully, one finally gets to take an oath at City Hall.

“There are pictures of the founding fathers and flags everywhere. And around 200 people who are also receiving their passports (citizenship),” said Terletsky.

It is the bureaucratic nuances and the unimaginable wait that are the most challenging parts of the journey. While the legal process of assimilation is long, the social part of it is certainly more dynamic. Despite her origins, Yulia is American. When you look at her there is hardly any evidence of Eastern European heritage. Yet, she spots a fellow comrade at a glimpse.

“The way to know someone is an immigrant from a former Soviet Nation is by the vaccination scars we got. No one else has them here.”

Indeed, the colors of our passport covers may change, but there will always be miniature details betraying intricate mysteries of our origins.

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

a Walk in the PARK

BY MICHAELA JOHNSTON PHOTOGRAPHY BY CASSANDRA CHAN DESIGN BY LUDI WANG

a gu ide to New England's national parks

t

his year marks the centennial celebration of the National Park Service. Use this guide to discover the natural wonders that the Northeast has to offer in even the coldest months!

Adams National Park Hop aboard a free trolley bus tour in Adams National Park and discover the birthplaces of presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams. Located just 10 miles outside of Boston in Quincy, MA, the home to four generations of the Adams family offers visitors a chance to appreciate the family’s extensive collection of books—over 12,000 volumes—in the Stone Library.

Appalachian National Scenic Trail Stretching more than 2,000 miles from Georgia to Maine, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a mountain lover’s delight. The National Park Service challenges people to hike 100 miles, with at least one hike being on the Appalachian Trail, by December 31, 2016, to receive a limited edition decal sticker.

Weir Farm National Historic Site The only park dedicated to American paintings, this historic Connecticut site features an Artist-inResidence program where artists can live and work for one month amongst 60 acres of wetland, forest and fauna. Visitors can wander around the park in search of painted buffalos or attend free monthly Impressionist painting workshops.

Roosevelt Campobello International Park Located on the border of Maine and New Brunswick, Canada, is the 34-room house of Franklin Delano and Eleanor Roosevelt where the couple spent their summers from 1909 till 1921. The International Park, which serves as a “legacy of friendship” between the U.S. and Canada, has 11 picnic sites, beaches, gardens and six observation decks where visitors can spot whales, porpoises and seals. A program called “Tea with Eleanor” allows guests to sip tea in two of the cottages and hear a guide tell the story of Eleanor Roosevelt’s life as a first lady and social activist.

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Graffiti Seeks to Tell a Message Outside of Traditional Mediums

BY DANNY MCCARTHY PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAELA JOHNSTON DESIGN BY JAMI RUBIN

CITY

BOSTON

14

A

slanting roof of multi-colored glass.

The acrid smell of paint. The hissing noise of spray cans.

But for the noise of passing cars and pedestrians, everything else feels hushed. Weirdly reverent.

The alley stretches from the main street to a back-building parking lot. Graffiti Alley on Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge’s Central Square is surprisingly innocuous.

There’s a small street sign announcing its

presence, and the occasional Instagram-seeking millennial or tourist dipping in from the sidewalk, but it’s largely undisturbed.

Street art covers the walls, layered and cohesive and jarring. It’s being constantly added to, evolving and mutating, growing upwards and out. Artists, solo or clustered in twos and threes, work fervently, mouths covered against the misty backsplash of the spray cans.

“It’s smaller than I thought it would be,” said Claire Ertel (CAS ’17), a student who has visited the space. “You hear so much about it,

but then when you go, it really is just an alley.”

Graffiti art exists as part of an essential duality. It requires destruction for creation. It’s subversive and small, but it appeals and targets the masses. Street art, from stencils and paint cans to full installations covering the sides of buildings, is expression without boundaries, without conventions.

In Boston, large-scale street art isn’t as common as in other cities. Montreal, New York City and London are known for their pervasive and evocative street art, even if it’s technically THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

illegal. In Roxbury, an abandoned MBTA maintenance facility, Bartlett Yard, became a massive outdoor testament to street art before being torn down in 2014 to make way for new housing and retail spaces.

Graffiti art has existed in cities for centuries—they had street art in ancient Rome—as a method of self-expression beyond the confines of traditional art. The beginning of modern graffiti in the United States is a soft border, but most people agree that it began in New York City in the 1960s. Artists would tag subway cars with their names. From that smallscale tagging, street art has grown in popularity and recognition, with some street artists like Banksy and Shepard Fairey becoming household names.

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Geoff Hargadon, of the street art project “Cash For Your Warhol,” started the Wall in Central Square in October of 2007. He used the outdoor wall space of restaurateur Gary Strack’s Central Kitchen. Because it was private property, Hargadon didn’t need to worry about repercussions from the city.

“We first invited 30 artists, because we didn’t want it to be gradual,” said Hargadon.

“We wanted to crush it all, and have it become as full as possible in the first weekend.” That, however, was the last large-scale coordination he did for the art space. Since then, it has taken on a life of its own.

The alley is “pretty democratic,” and there are “very few rules.” The idea was to create a space for street artists to come, and become a

good representation of “what [street art] can be,” said Hargadon. Since then, he has created a few pieces for the Wall, but has largely left it up to others. Shepard Fairey, the artist behind the Obama Hope poster in the 2012 re-election campaign, has done pieces for the space.

David Day, the creative director of the music festival Together Boston and the cofounder and executive director of the electronic music and DJ school MMMMaven, said that street art has always been a part of hip-hop culture. Along with breakdancing and DJing, street art as a tenement of hip-hop evolved a method of self-expression.

“A lot of times, there would be live graffiti going on, as the DJs are going, as the breakdancing is happening, and it just came

from the streets. It’s all they had access to. They couldn’t dance at a disco, so they just got out on the floor. They couldn’t afford big instruments, so they just grabbed their turntables and started scratching. They couldn’t afford nice acrylic paint or canvas, so they just grabbed spray cans and started painting.”

The nature of street art, bold and countercultural and guerilla, is not diminished when it’s given the chance to flourish in sanctioned areas, said Day. “It’s funny how much attention that wall gets; it’s really a no-brainer, like why aren’t these things everywhere,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything over there that’s super offensive.

I’ve seen political messages…but I haven’t seen any racist or misogynist or anything like that

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

18

over there. These guys and gals take their art seriously.”

Though street art is technically illegal in a lot of cities, it is still widely respected and encouraged in places like London and Montreal.

Boston hasn’t reached that level with its graffiti.

“I think it just has to do with that ‘those damn kids’ mentality,” said Day. “People would rebel and do it at night, so the graffiti would be a little bit more gang-oriented or anti-whatever, whereas if it’s sanctioned, they craft a message they want to relay.”

“In a sense, Graffiti Alley is a gallery,” said

Ertel. “People don’t have to plan their art around getting in trouble.” And because of that, artists are allowed a platform that “destigmatizes [street art] and shows that street artists are more than just hooligans and criminals.”

Street art often gets confused with gangrelated tags, leading to negative connotations, but it couldn’t be more different. Street art grew as a way to interact with people outside of stiff galleries and traditional media. In its essence, it is a desire to connect with people, to express a message. It grows and falls in response to the political-economic-social tumult of the time.

“It’s a public way of expressing thoughts to the community,” said Ertel. And because it exists outside of the traditional art scene, it comes right to its audience. Rather than being art for the sake of art, graffiti art is entwined with a message.

“It’s blatant expression. It’s meant to be understood.”

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

museum excursions MUSEUMS TO ADD TO YOUR RADAR

T

here are many museums and historical locations around Boston which allow visitors to become a part of the birthplace of America. You’ve probably heard of the big players like the Museum of Fine Arts or the Freedom Trail, which are proselytized in newspapers and Boston brochures, but there are also a multitude of off-the-beaten path museums that are just as pertinent to the culture and history of Boston.

First stop on the museum excursion is the Nichols House Museum located in Beacon Hill. Upon entering the museum, you will be transported back in time to the turn of 20

BY ANNA BARRY PHOTOGRAPHY BY IRENE ZENG ILLUSTRATIONS BY KATIE HONG DESIGN BY SHANNON YAU

the 19th century. The museum is a historic home, designed by renowned architect Charles Bulfinch. It was purchased in 1885 by the Nichols family. Rose Standish Nichols resided in the home after the death of her parents until she died in 1960, leaving her home and its contents to become a museum. The museum not only preserves its original furnishings and artwork, but also the social history of the time. Nichols was a key figure in women’s history and a founding member of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. Her sisters, Margaret and Marian, who occupied the house in their youth, also utilized the home as a space for conversation

about women’s rights. The museum is aimed at safeguarding the memory of Nichols.

“This is an authentic 19th century townhouse, an original collection of decorative arts,” said Emma Welty, curator and archival researcher at the museum, “and the walls are insulated with rich social history that speaks volumes about Progressive Era women’s history in Boston.”

The Nichols House Museum gives discounted tickets to students as well as offers tours to professors and their classes who want to learn more about the history of the home and its occupants. Welty’s curatorial and archival research is available to researchers who want to learn more about the history of the Nichols family and the influence that Rose and her sisters had on women’s history. The museum has new exhibitions and programming planned for the spring season, so it is the perfect time to dip yourself into women’s history in Boston.

For military history, head to the Charlestown Navy Yard to visit the USS Constitution Museum. The USS Constitution is an active commissioned warship with 90 crew members who preserve the heritage of the ship.

“The USS Constitution Museum is not a velvet rope museum. It is built to engage visitors,” said David Wedemeyer, the marketing and communications manager.

Although the museum is small in size, it utilizes interactive activities like penning your name on copper sheeting that will be added to the ship. This engagement encourages tourists to become a part of history.

Another under-the-radar museum is the group of Harvard Art Museums, three independent museums brought under one roof to showcase over 250,000 objects of Germanic, Asian & Mediterranean and European art.

The Harvard Art Museum consists of the Fogg Museum, the Busch-Reisinger Museum and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum. The university decided to integrate the three as one large museum in 1983 and called on architect Renzo Piano to construct a unified museum. Piano used

the Italian piazza as the basis of his design to allow for a central place through which visitors could access the three museums.

“The Harvard Art Museums is one of the largest and most important collections of art in the United States,” said Lauren Marshall, associate director of communications at the Harvard Art Museums. The galleries showcase “a broad range of media; a broad range of culture; a broad range of time.”

Pieces in the museum are constantly being rotated in and out. In addition, artwork primarily on display in the Fogg Museum may be placed in a gallery in the Busch-Reisinger Museum by curators in order to inspire new interpretations and conversations of the artwork as an individual and its role in the gallery.

Although not accessible to the public the Forbes Pigment Collection, located within the Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, is open to researchers. This collection was donated by former Fogg Art Museum Director Edward Forbes. He accumulated rare pigments from around the world and donated his assortment to the Straus Center as he knew that his pigments would be conserved. The colors in this collection are used by art conservators in restoring and authenticating paintings.

Not only is the museum known for its plethora of fine art and sculptures, but it is also the birthplace of art conservation and conservation science. The Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies is the epicenter of art conservation, innovation and discoveries. Art conservationists at the Straus Center were the first to discover how to restore color that had been faded on a painting. They used projected light onto Mark Rothko’s Harvard Mural, which was an exhibition at the museum, in order to correct the faded, reddish-plum color which had faded over time.

No matter what you are interested in, there are museums aside from the usual suspects in Boston to draw you in. Head out into the city of Boston and soak up the history, art and culture that are at our fingertips.

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

CITY SNAPSHOT THE PERFECT DAY FOR THE COLLEGE STUDENT OFF CAMPUS MAN MADE ISLAND ON THE ESPLANADE This manmade island looks like a scene straight out of a fairytale. You have to walk a little over a mile off-campus, but you will soon reach a small bridge covered in green vines and surrounded by small bushes and trees. The island turns back into a track, so you can continue on your walking journey or take a rest. There is something about the calming scenery that draws you in, watching the dogs, runners and walkers go by. It’s the perfect place to relax after a day full of studying for an exam.

22

BY SONIA KULKARNI PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGELA WANG DESIGN BY GABRIELLE DIPIETRO

CAFFE´ BENE

ROCK CITY RESALE

This café is just a 10-minute walk from Newbury. When you walk in, you feel calm and at home. You can start your morning with a cup of hot coffee and a waffle piled with strawberries and cream. Come back in the afternoon or evening for a nice chicken sub and a mango-peach smoothie. If you pop in any other time, grab a small snack like hot dog bread or small cakes from the stand by the register. The tranquil environment and music is the perfect background for light conversation and relaxing with friends. Everything about this place is aesthetically pleasing; from the wooden walls to the array of sweets they have on display.

Boston students are no stranger to secondhand stores. Rock City Resale is one of the many thrift stores located in the Allston area.

The second you walk in, you are overwhelmed with the urge to look through everything and anything. From the guitars on the wall to the vinyl collection in the back, this store is a musiclover’s dream. Don’t worry; it still caters to other types of shoppers. The store has shelves selling all sorts of crafts such as lava lamps and statuettes, perfect for the student in desperate need of dorm decor.

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THE AGE

GAP

Why the Threeyear Age Gap Makes All the Difference

A

fter pushing through Friday classes, it finally feels like the weekend.

Everyone’s schedules open up, and people are ready to hang out to unwind after a long week of studying and focusing on the stresses that come with being a student. Almost everyone on Boston University’s campus is relieved when the weekend begins, but the difference is how students spend that free time.

Naturally, students who are below the age of 21 and those who are over may have different weekend agendas. With the state of Massachusetts upping the age to buy tobacco to 21, that means both cigarettes and alcohol are legally out of reach to a good portion of the student body. This poses the question: what can legal adults do if they are under 21 but over 18?

Alcohol plays a huge role in this interem stage. Having access to the substance determines how a night is spent and how social activities play out, which is why there is often a difference

24

between the activities of 18-year-olds and 21-year-olds.

Emily Whittington (COM ’17) turned 21 this past June, and explains that being of legal drinking age didn’t necessarily change her activities, but rather her attitude. Being able to have alcohol and not get into trouble for it has made drinking a more casual affair for her.

“If I drink, it’ll probably just be something with dinner or when I have friends over,” Whittington said. “I no longer have that fear hanging over me that I might get caught, because now I’m not doing anything wrong. Like last night I just walked into the dorm with alcohol and didn’t make any effort to hide it. It felt weird but freeing.”

Especially for those who have been abroad, the 21-year age limit is a bit restricting of harmless actions. Whittington has been abroad to London and Copenhagen and both times upon returning, she was frustrated that the law prohibited her from enjoying a casual drink as

BY GRACE GULINO PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGELA WANG DESIGN BY EDEN WEINBERG

she did during her travels.

“I think it definitely shows how American culture is obsessed with alcohol, making something more desirable when it’s out of reach,” she said. “It very much felt like even though I technically was an adult, they didn’t trust me. It doesn’t make sense to me how one could fight for their country, get married, sign contracts, but they can’t have a beer.”

In a survey of 56 colleges in the United States conducted by Alcohol Problems and Solutions, it was said that “significantly more underage students drank compared to those of legal age,” and “the increase in purchase age appears to have been not only ineffective but actually counterproductive, at least in the short run.”

Despite these findings, and other research that has been pursued to see if the American drinking age is appropriate, the age remains the same. It’s a pain for those who only aim to drink in casual settings, but on college campuses it also

CAMPUS

claims to be socially restrictive.

Sarah Ehrgott (SAR ’18) is not yet of age, but finds herself surrounded by many 21-yearolds. In her case, not legally being able to drink does not bother her. What bothers her is the divide that results from the drinking age.

“It makes it hard to hang out with friends who are already 21. When everyone’s going out to bars on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I’m stuck left behind,” she said. “Instead I go to a lot of house parties, so it doesn’t really affect my weekend.”

Cindy Kim (CAS ’18) is also not of legal age, and feels similarly.

“A lot of my friends are either turning 21 soon or are already 21, so there are a lot of times where I can’t go to certain shows with them, and obviously I can’t go out with them when they go to bars or clubs.”

The divide that is created between the teens and the 21–year-olds is easy to see on campus.

It’s common to see those who can legally drink going out to T’s on Tuesdays and Tavern in the

Square on Thursdays, while you don’t necessarily notice how the underclassmen go out to party during the week. In this sense, it is more obvious to see what 21-year-olds are up to versus those who are still waiting to be of age.

According to the Dean of Students Office, there’s no leeway when it comes to underage drinking. The official Boston University policy states that anyone over 21 is allowed to enjoy drinks anywhere on campus (for example, The BU Pub), but minors will be punished.

“Anyone under 21 years of age who knowingly makes false statements of his or her age in order to purchase or in any way procure alcoholic beverages is subject to a fine of $300 by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” the Dean of Students website states in regards to the topic. There is no further distinction related to age in any other issues addressed by the Dean of Students office.

There’s more to college life, however, than just drinking. Perks of being 18 include being

able to vote, and gaining access to certain clubs and most concert venues that simply ID at the bar. This still raises the question: why am I allowed to vote and determine my country’s leader, but I am not allowed to have a drink at my leisure?

We have all been 18 once, and perhaps have wondered if there are any perks to being a “legal adult” while the drinking age is still three years away. As drinking is a personal matter, it’s frustrating that a legal age restriction stands in the way of that liberty.

When being 21 is hyped up to be a time where you can party hard and drink all you want, it’s not always like that. There are those like Whittington who simply wanted to leisurely drink at the age of 18 and not be fined for it.

“I like having it as an option if I do decide that’s what I want,” she said.

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

WALKING DOWN

COMMONWEALTH

AVENUE

a look into the history of boston university's architecture

BY ARIANA QUIHUIZ PHOTOGRAPHY BY MADELEINE ARCH DESIGN BY GABRIELLE DIPIETRO As you walk down Boston University’s campus, you see the continuous stretch of buildings that frame the busy street of Commonwealth Avenue. Beginning at the entrance of Boston University’s campus, near Myles Standish Hall and Annex, you see the myriad of academic buildings: Questrom School of Business, School of Education and College of Arts and Sciences, extending across the street.

However, it didn’t always used to be this way.

According to Boston University’s Facilities Management & Planning’s website, when Boston University was first established in 1839, its buildings were scattered throughout the city. Starting in the 1870s, the Charles River Campus began to come together as buildings were constructed on Commonwealth Avenue.

Many of the buildings, such as the College of Fine Arts and the College of Communication, 26

were originally automobile showrooms that later turned into the colleges we know today.

West Campus was established in 1953 after the university purchased 10 acres of land.

By consolidating the campus, the university created a haven for students where they could build a community with their peers. Boston University therefore fostered this pocket of history in a bustling, urban city.

“Buildings, both historic and contemporary, are important objects of study because they are complex artifacts that reflect and constitute cultural values,” said Assistant Professor of the History of Modern Architecture Sophie Hochhausl.

Almost precisely in the center of campus lies Marsh Chapel, the university’s main place of worship. The chapel was founded in 1950 and named after the university’s fourth president, Daniel Marsh.

Even today, Marsh is still ascending above Commonwealth Avenue where almost 3,000 people, students and city goers alike, utilize the

many services provided by the chapel. It also remains at the heart of the university’s campus.

“Marsh Chapel is the spiritual, historic, geographic and cultural center of BU,” said Rev. Robert Hill, the dean of Marsh Chapel. He believes that the chapel is “the religious root of campus.”

Along with Marsh Chapel, there are other historic landmarks on campus. One of them is the hidden beauty, The Castle that rests on the corner of Granby Street and Bay State Road behind the College of Arts and Sciences.

The Castle was constructed as a gothic-style mansion, influenced by British architecture.

According to an article by BU Today, before it was donated to the university in 1939, the Castle was the home of William Lindsey, a businessman who designed British soldiers’ ammunition belts.

It was also the home of a few of the university’s presidents, like Daniel Marsh.

Today this small piece of British architecture can be seen in movies like the Ghostbusters reboot, 21 and Company Men.

A new alumni center is also planning on occupying the mansion in the coming years, and it offers a picturesque background for daily walks to class.

Hochhausl said that the buildings on our campus have “long lives and are often reimagined and repurposed over time,” which is true of the Castle and our dormitories.

As a university that houses the majority of its students, dormitories can date back many years. This can be both fruitful and disadvantageous, as the older dorms on campus provide more history, but can cause issues that require renovation over the years.

According to the Director of Auxiliary Services at BU, Marc Robillard, older residences aren’t allowed to be torn down because they are within historic districts and have to remain protected. But they are open to renovations, because electrical wiring, plumbing and the exterior of residences begin to deteriorate over the years.

One of BU’s oldest dorms, Myles Standish Hall and Annex, is under construction now due to its odd shape and to accommodate more students. Older residences like Myles and Danielsen Hall can be difficult to live in when issues due to old age arise, but with a little TLC, they allow students to be a part of history.

“Older residences reflect the history, culture and charm of Boston’s Back Bay,” said Robillard.

“This history is a part of the Boston University narrative.”

By living in these older residences, students get to be a part of that narrative.

Newer, more modern dorms like 1047 Commonwealth Avenue and StuVi2 can pique the interest of students as they allow for updated

appliances and a sleek exterior.

“New residences can be specifically designed for student use and include spaces for private and group study, events, building services and ancillary services such as retail food establishments,” said Robillard.

“The main advantage is that the appliances are new, and that they work well,” said Eirhenz Espiritu (SHA ’18), a current resident of 1047.

“It makes for a more comfortable environment to live and study in.”

But even new buildings have their faults, as they are usually on the outer edges of campus and are not yet fully accustomed to housing students. However, Espiritu believes that all dorms, old or new, should have their faults assessed and renovated because they “house BU students and still represent the state of BU’s facilities.”

Even with the few kinks expected in newer and older dorms alike, Espiritu enjoys living in the updated dorms, but does entertain the idea of living in an older residence.

“Having historical significance to a dorm gives it character, it makes it more memorable [to live in]; and it could possibly make it more desirable for students to choose to live in older residences,” said Espiritu.

“BU buildings can tell us so much about the individuals, communities and networks of people who shaped the city of Boston at least over the past 150 years,” said Hochhausl.

BU’s legacy and its story can be told through its buildings. Having older structures provide a look into the past, and our newer buildings will be that history for students to come. Just by walking through the university, we become a part of that story.

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

THE YOUNG & THE SLEEPLESS

friendly advice from upperclassmen to pull successful all nighters

BY TYLER CHIN

|

PHOTOGRAPY BY ANGELA WANG

The clock strikes 2 a.m. and your four-page paper is due at 9 a.m. You know what’s going to happen since you’ve been in this situation twice this semester. Time for an all-nighter.

The Huffington Post says “chronically getting too little sleep can be dangerous,” but it’s a quintessential part of being a college student.

“I time and schedule my ‘naps’ 20 minutes at most. Sometimes they’re not even sleep naps,” said Su Htwe (SAR ’18), a human physiology major. “I just lay my head down and think about things not school related.”

Remember to take breaks so your brain can rest in between study sessions. When asked about other all-nighter needs, she mentioned gummy bears.

“I like chewing on them...it’s like I’m killing them,” said Htwe. “I can internalize what death feels like at that moment.”

Amanda Liu (Questrom ’18), majoring

28

|

DESIGN BY AMBER LIN

in marketing, is now a veteran in pulling allnighters. When asked about her all-nighter essentials, Liu said, “a checklist of all the things you need to do and songs to hype you up and motivate you.” With advice like that, you too can survive Questrom.

Some people go through college without pulling a single all-nighter. Kohl Thorlakson (ENG ’18) would rather get his seven hours of sleep than stay up all night for an assignment.

“Sleep is more important than the grade,” said Thorlakson. “If I need to study for an exam the next morning, I’ll go to sleep and wake up really early. If it’s an 8 a.m. test, I’ll get up at 5:30 a.m.”

Sleep deprivation can lead to heart disease, strokes and diabetes. If the deadline is just too close and the assignment too important, take the advice of your fellow college students. We’ll all get through college, one all-nighter at a time.

BRookline to

Barcelona

FOOD

From

A Local Student's Decision to Forgo College in Lieu of Food

BY KELSEY KING PHOTOGRAPHY BY OLIVIA FALCIGNO DESIGN BY DEANNA KLIMA-RAJCHEL

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

F

or most of us, college wasn’t a choice. High school was spent in AP classrooms and extracurriculars were strategically chosen to diversify dream school applications. Our parents never entertained the idea of us forgoing higher education and we certainly didn’t recognize it as a fate capable of being challenged.

Things were different for Brookline native, Max Kaklins.

“High school was never super interesting to me; I was never super invested in it,” said Kaklins. “I was pretty positive I didn’t want to do four more years of similar stuff in college, so I kind of had to find something to do…and the jobs I always enjoyed the most [in high school] were restaurant jobs.”

A week after graduating, Kaklins explored various restaurants in the area in search of an open position. One of these happened to be Barcelona Wine Bar in Brookline.

Kaklins, a long-time patron of Barcelona, was essentially offered a job on the spot and 30

began a few days later.

“The chef, Emilio Garcia, has been incredible for me,” said Kaklins. “He’s helped me come to the point where I am now; I owe a lot to him and haven’t regretted my decision since I got there.”

Garcia emigrated from Guatemala as a young teen and has experienced immense success in Boston’s restaurant industry. Prior to becoming the executive chef at Barcelona, Garcia found himself in the kitchen at the awardwinning Italian restaurant, Via Matta, as an executive sous chef at the Latin fusion restaurant, Tico, and a key player in opening Happy’s Bar & Kitchen in Fenway.

“He always emphasizes hard work and he kind of saw that in me. He hired me, I worked hard, I always wanted to learn more, and do more, and was always kind of a pest to have him teach me more stuff, but he has never pushed me away or told me to ‘fuck off ’—he’s always been willing to teach me more and give me more responsibility,” said Kaklins.

“I very easily could be a prep cook still at Barcelona if he didn’t kind of embrace me and help me move up.”

Kaklins’ beginnings at Barcelona were markedly humble. After underselling himself in his initial interview, he was offered a position as a busser. A month later, after persistent badgering, Kaklins was promoted to food runner. From there, he was given access to Garcia.

The two got to know each other as coworkers and gradually became friends; after Kaklins expressed his desire time and time again to join Garcia in the kitchen, he was finally invited in.

“Eventually he made me a prep cook,” said Kaklins. “I was a prep cook for a while, maybe about 8 months. Then I started on the line, I started expediting, and now, almost two years later, I’m actually going to be the junior sous chef in a month.”

With this new position comes a lot more time at the restaurant. Before news of his

promotion, Kaklins worked 40-45 hours per week. Preparation for this new role, however, has demanded 45-55 hours.

This time is typically split over the course of four days. Kaklins arrives at Barcelona around 2-2:30 p.m. to prepare food before the restaurant opens for dinner at 4 p.m. He then works a designated station—sauté, cold side or grill—for the entire evening. At the end of the night, he and his fellow chefs break down the line and clean up before heading home.

On a Monday, Kaklins can expect to leave Barcelona around 10:30 p.m. On a Saturday, however, he typically finds himself walking out at around 1 a.m. the following morning.

The fun doesn’t stop there: on top of these shifts, Kaklins has been going into the restaurant for a weekly 8 a.m.-6 p.m. prep cook shift, where he readies large batches of ingredients for the days ahead.

“Essentially for the past three months they’ve been training me to become our junior sous chef—and that’s all sort of culminating,” said Kaklins. “Soon they’re opening a new Barcelona in Nashville and on October 25th I’m going down for two weeks to help train people and help open the restaurant. And that will be my official start as junior sous chef.”

Once in this new role, Kaklins will find himself at Barcelona nearly and sometimes exceeding 60 hours each week. Fortunately, he says being at Barcelona—even though he’s working hard—doesn’t quite feel like “work”.

The kitchen community is one of Kaklins’ favorite things about Barcelona. Unlike himself and most of his friends, the majority of Kaklins’ coworkers is Latino. Being embraced by a new culture that he finds himself comfortable in has been an invaluable experience for which Kaklins is exceedingly grateful.

As one would expect, however, the job perks extend beyond the social sphere and into his stomach.

Kaklins’ favorite dish to eat at Barcelona is pulpo gallego. To make it, thinly sliced potatoes are fried in olive oil and mixed with stewed octopus and a sauce of Spanish paprika, lemon juice, salt and olive oil. The dish is then topped with scallions and ready to serve.

His favorite dish to make is just as off-thebeaten-path: pasta fideos. Thin pasta, similar to spaghetti, is toasted, smashed into little pieces and cooked in a pan like paella.

“It comes together really fast—it cooks in like 10 minutes, maybe nine minutes—but it looks really impressive,” said Kaklins. “Right now it’s a squid ink fideos[…]so it’s jet black because of the squid ink and tastes delicious.”

Rotating dishes, such as the pasta fideos, provide opportunity for Kaklins to put his personal touch on Barcelona’s menu. When Garcia is considering new dishes, he will frequently include Kaklins in the decisionmaking process.

“I’ll give him my input—give him some advice,” said Kaklins. “Sometimes he’ll listen to

me…sometimes I’ll say something and he’ll be like ‘Oh, I got it!’ and it’s something entirely different from what I said. [But] I’m given a little bit of ability—like if we want to change one or two components of a dish, sometimes chef will put that on me to do.”

Kaklins has not only been given the power to change dish components; on rare occasions, dishes that are entirely his own find their way onto the specials list. Despite this accomplishment, Kaklins acknowledges he still has a lot to learn.

It would not come as a complete surprise to Kaklins if two years from now he can be found learning different techniques at another restaurant or at another Barcelona in some advanced capacity.

“I guess the ultimate goal would be to open and own my own restaurant. But one thing I’ve been thinking about recently is [how] I would love to own my own farm, maybe have a small restaurant attached to the farm. I think that would be incredible. But that’s probably a long, long time away,” said Kaklins.

“Long-term plans? Honestly, work at as many good places as I can, meet as many talented people as I can and just try to get better.”

Kaklins may not find himself in exam rooms, but he certainly intends to remain a student for a lot longer than any of us dare claim for ourselves.

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

Good Life tasting the

Why Brunch Became America’s Trendiest Meal

BY KADY MATSUZAKI PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGELA WANG AND ERICA MAYBAUM DESIGN BY ERICA MAYBAUM

alking down Newbury Street at 10 a.m. on a Sunday should be a peaceful undertaking. It is a quaint street, overhung with trees and lined with red brick storefronts.

Instead, crowds of people spill out onto the sidewalk, tripping over each other with strollers and dogs on leashes as they surround popular eateries like Cafeteria, Stephanie’s and Trident Booksellers & Café.

This scene is not unique to Boston; it is a nationwide phenomenon.

It’s time for brunch.

Brunch presents endless possibilities to a diner. Sweet, savory, chock-full of vegetables or topped with maple bacon syrup—no dish is off limits.

“I think that one of the reasons why brunch became so popular is because it is so versatile,” said April LeBlanc (Questrom ’17), a former employee at mega-popular Tatte Bakery & Cafe. “It is definitely the best of both worlds.”

Brunch is the only meal when it is the norm to debate between chocolate-dipped French toast and a fried egg-topped kale salad.

The history of brunch extends back to 1895, when the word first appeared in a Hunter’s Weekly article in England to reference English hunt breakfasts. These upper-class, mid-morning meals consisted of foods such as eggs, bacon, pastries and pâté.

American-style brunch was popularized in the 1930s by Hollywood stars, who would often eat a late morning meal in Chicago hotels on transcontinental weekend trips. More and more restaurants began serving the mid-morning meal when members of the upper class followed in celebrities’ footsteps.

Many saw brunch as the ideal weekend social event because it allowed participants to sleep in. On February 12, 1939, the New York Times declared Sunday a two-meal day, and the rest is history.

This bougie background could be another reason for brunch’s recent skyrocketing popularity.

Taking a step back to relax and eating a historically upper-class meal reflects that we are out of the “rat-race” of American life.

“Eating brunch shows everyone that you have your life together and can wake up early on the weekends for a meal,” said Vivian Cheng (Questrom ’19).

We work hard to afford leisure, or at least the semblance of leisure. The lifestyle that we all secretly aspire to, one of oldHollywood movie stars and the clinks of flutes of champagne and mimosas, is ours for a few hours.

Moreover, the overwhelming opinion on why brunch has become so popular can be summarized by the pop culture phrase, “pics or it didn’t happen.”

Each of us can control what we share on social media, thereby 32

curating what others believe our lives to be.

“Social media paints this picture of a vibrant, ideal lifestyle,” said Cheng.

Only the most picturesque aspects of our lives are displayed.

Food is no exception.

Search #brunch on Instagram, and prepare to be inundated with millions of photos. Many of these shots are not of greasy diner food either; the food is beautiful and artfully plated, and the photos filtered, edited and flooded in natural, mid-morning light. It is enough to induce both hunger pains and major FOMO. The aesthetics of brunch, then, are a core reason for its popularity.

LeBlanc said the meal has “become a type of art. Everyone is trying to get that perfect artsy foodie pic for the ’gram or for Snapchat.”

It is not easy to find a newly popular brunch place that doesn’t have some element of “cute” or “hipster” in its design aesthetic. For restaurants, it is now all about being photogenic.

Erin Park (SED ’19) said that if pictures of the food and establishment on social media are pretty, then the eatery becomes a must-go. We eat with our eyes first, and while the food is often just as delicious as it looks, we seem to be drawn to brunch because it satisfies both the eyes and the stomach.

But is brunch appreciated in the same way around the world?

“Brunch is big in the U.S. because it is a way for people to use mealtime as a fun, social activity,” said Melanie Carlile (Questrom ’17), who is currently studying abroad in Italy. “Italians already treat lunch and dinner this way, so brunch is definitely not a thing here.”

The typically fast-paced American lifestyle often rushes through lunch and dinner, while Italians linger for hours over several courses.

American brunch epitomizes the “lazy Sunday” mentality that seems to permeate all Italian meals.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, brunch in Taipei is “mainly for photos; it’s rarely for the food or socializing,” said Cheng, a Taiwanese international student.

“It’s definitely more about being trendy than it is about eating.”

However, “Taiwanese people definitely appreciate good food,” she said. “People are willing to stand in line for hours at any given day or time just to try something new.”

Trying all types of cuisine is a part of Taiwanese culture, but brunch seems to be just a trendy, meaningless outlier, an opinion quite different from that of Americans.

So why make brunch into the most popular and “Instagrammable” meal of the day? Maybe we as Americans are finally beginning to see the value of a social meal, like the Italians, which allows us to experience different and inventive cuisines, like the Taiwanese.

But instead of instilling both of these values in a traditional meal, we seized onto one that feels distinctly American.

Brunch is a thoroughly democratic, and therefore a very American, approach to eating. Chefs and diners take what they want from breakfast and lunch to create something new—a culinary innovation that lends itself well to our hungry mouths and cameras.

Brunch allows us to connect with each other outside of the workplace or home, in an atmosphere that encourages conversation.

Even though social media helps us to choose where we go when we eat brunch, the bottom line seems to be that we want to connect with each other again, in a personal, leisurely way.

In the culinary crossroads between breakfast and lunch, you are guaranteed to find something befitting your tastes. We love brunch because it lets us think, even for a second, that we really can have it all—at least when it comes to food.

“eating brunch shows everyone that you have your life together and can wake up early on the weekends for a meal”

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

happy hour horoscopes what your school says about your taste in alcohol

BY RILEY SUGARMAN DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY SAMANTHA WEST

College of fine arts: strawberry daiquiri

questrom: Scotch on the rocks “The school is [strategic] and isn’t afraid to play a power move, and [students] get straight to the point” said Sophia Foutsitzis (Questrom ’17).

Scotch is only for the bold and daring who don’t mess around with mixed drinks, and no one means business more than a Questrom student.

school of education: hard cider

Nothing says “teacher” quite like an apple, which makes hard apple cider most fitting for these aspiring educators.

Sargent college: bloody mary

Sargent students pride themselves on healthy diets—after hours, a veggie-filled Bloody Mary is the perfect beverage.

“My friends and I joke that you don’t have to feel guilty about having them because it’s like having a salad with your drink,” said Sarah Kert (SAR ’17).

school of hospitality administration: mimosa

These future hotel managers will ensure everything runs smoothly at brunch.

Until then, they’ll sip this spiked orange juice concoction themselves.

34

CFA students are at the bar to have fun and a signature strawberry dangling off the rim of a Strawberry Daiquiri can add excitement to any night.

college of general studies: Margarita

CGS students need options, and there are countless variations of margaritas to choose from at Sunset Cantina right across the street.

college of arts and sciences: Sangria

Sangria, a customizable red wine-based fruit drink, symbolizes the wide assortment of majors CAS students can choose from.

college of communication: Long island Iced Tea

COM is known for its array of bold and spirited students, similar to the alcohols found in Long Island Iced Tea. “COM is a mix of everything, [and] each subdivision can be thought of in terms of one of the alcohols in the drinks,” said Na’ama Landau (COM ’17). “Mix them all together and you’ve got COM.”

college of engineering: gin and tonic

Engineering students have heavy course loads and no time for casually sipping wine; they go straight for gin and tonic.

STUDY ABROAD WORLD-CLASS INTERNSHIP AND STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS.

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THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

off the

grid PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGELA WANG CREATIVE DIRECTION BY JAMI RUBIN STYLING BY JULIA SEELIG

In today’s world, society thrives off of constant movement.

Everywhere around us, people are consistently on-the-go. As we try to keep up with the action, our daily tasks and activities become routine. We go about our lives barely thinking about what we are doing or where we are going––we just keep moving.

This demand to ‘keep-up’ forces people to forget about their own exploration; however, in this shoot we highlight the importance of the individual journey. Kenmore station and South Station––each an establishment of transportation—serve as the backdrop for our models. With the shoot, we bring awareness to the need to break from the chaos, get off the grid and explore.

Our rich fall colors and luxe fabrics emanate a grungy feel–– perfectly capturing the models’ cravings for adventure. As each individual embarks on a new journey, there may be an air of uncertainty. It is time to take advantage of that uncertainty and move off the path. We need to explore ourselves, and allow ourselves to uncover who we are within the world around us.

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ON MIOLANI: STEVEN ALAN, STROM CAP IN GREEN, $58; HELLO CAROLINE, DISTRESSED RIPPED KNEES HIGH RISE MOM JEANS IN LIGHT WASH, $68; LF, CAMO T-SHIRT, $108; HELLO CAROLINE, PARKER LEATHER MULTI ZIPPER MOTO JACKET IN BLACK, $128

FASHION

RUNAWAYS ON GIULIETTE: LF, ROSE BODYSUIT, $108; HELLO CAROLINE, DOUBLE BUCKLE WESTERN STYLE BELT IN BLACK, $18; HELLO CAROLINE, HIGH RISE KNEE SLIT OVERDYE SKINNY JEANS IN OLIVE, $68; JACK WILLS, CHEPMELL WOOL OVERCOAT IN CAMEL, $298

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

REST STOP ON VICTOR: STEVEN ALAN, ROY SHIRT IN LIGHT BLUE DENIM, $235; STEVEN ALAN, FIELD WATCH IN BLACK, $95; STEVEN ALAN, CASEY SWEATSHIRT IN BURGUNDY

BY ACNE STUDIOS, $190

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UNDERGROUND ON MIOLANI: STEVEN ALAN, STROM CAP IN GREEN, $58; HELLO CAROLINE, DISTRESSED RIPPED KNEES HIGH RISE MOM JEANS IN LIGHT WASH, $68; LF, CAMO T-SHIRT, $108; HELLO CAROLINE, PARKER LEATHER MULTI ZIPPER MOTO JACKET IN BLACK, $128 ON DARREN: JACK WILLS, EASTHOPE WOOL BOMBER JACKET, $198; JACK WILLS, PINEBROOK ZIP UP HOODIE IN DAMSON, $80; STEVEN ALAN, SLIM STRAIGHT JEAN IN FADED BLACK, $185; JACK WILLS, KILPATRICK DESERT BOOTS, $129

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

ON THE GO ON GIULIETTE: LF, CHINESE EMBROIDERED BOMBER JACKET, $228; LF, BEIGE COAKER LONGSLEEVE, $108; LF, SUEDE PLEATED SKIRT IN PALE PINK, $128; HELLO CAROLINE, KIMBERLY FAUX SUEDE BOOTIES IN TAUPE, $46 ON VICTOR: JACK WILLS, JACOB STOWE QUILTED JACKET IN MOSS, $149; JACK WILLS, KIRKHAM SLIM SELVEDGE JEANS IN RINSE, $139; JACK WILLS AYLEFORD T-SHIRT IN CHARCOAL, $34; JACK WILLS, PERCY MW FLANNEL CHECK OVERSHIRT IN DAMSON, $90; STEVEN ALAN, NORSE BEANIE IN RED CLAY, $75; SHOES, MODELâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S OWN

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REFLECTION ON DARREN: STEVEN ALAN, MILWOOD SUNGLASSES BY GARRETT LEIGHT, $375; STEVEN ALAN, DOUBLE POCKET UTILITY JACKET IN BLACK, $265; STEVEN ALAN, MASTERS SHIRT IN FADED BLACK WASH, $225

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

JOURNEY ON DARREN: STEVEN ALAN, LIGHT SEAMLESS SWEATER IN BLACK RED MELANGE, $295; STEVEN ALAN, MASTERS SHIRT IN FADED BLACK WASH, $225; STEVEN ALAN ARC CHINO PANTS IN MILITARY GREEN, $195; STEVEN ALAN, MILWOOD SUNGLASSES BY GARRETT LEIGHT, $375; STEVEN ALAN, DOUBLE POCKET UTILITY JACKET IN BLACK, $265 ON MIOLANI: LF, SILK SLEEPER SHIRT IN GREEN, $138; HELLO CAROLINE, STRAPPY VELVET BRALETTE IN BLACK, $32; LF, VINTAGE DENIM SKIRT IN FADED BLACK, $164; HELLO CAROLINE, TALLY OVER THE KNEE BOOTS IN BLACK, $56; HELLO CAROLINE, THICK METAL FRAME

42

REFLECTIVE SUNGLASSES IN GOLD, $14 ON GIULIETTE: LF, CHINESE EMBROIDERED BOMBER JACKET, $228; LF, BEIGE COAKER LONG-SLEEVE, $108; LF, SUEDE PLEATED SKIRT IN PALE PINK, $128; HELLO CAROLINE, KIMBERLY FAUX SUEDE BOOTIES IN TAUPE, $46 ON VICTOR: JACK WILLS, JACOBSTOWE QUILTED JACKET IN MOSS, $149; JACK WILLS, KIRKHAM SLIM SELVEDGE JEANS IN RINSE, $139; JACK WILLS AYLEFORD T-SHIRT IN CHARCOAL, $34; JACK WILLS, PERCY MW FLANNEL CHECK OVERSHIRT IN DAMSON, $90; STEVEN ALAN, NORSE BEANIE IN RED CLAY, $75

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

SEEKING LIGHT ON GUILETTE: LF, WAX SKINNY JEAN BY CARMAR IN LIGHT GREY, $232; LF, QUILTED VELVET BOMBER JACKET IN PURPLE, $138; LF, MESH TURTLENECK BODYSUIT IN BLACK, $68; BLACK LACE BRALETTE, STYLIST’S OWN; BOOTIES, MODEL’S OWN ON MIOLANI: JACK WILLS, WOOL ZIPPER COAT IN NAVY, $289; JACK WILLS, ABER BLANKET SCARF IN GREY CHECK, $80; LF, SILK SLIP HALTER IN SILVER, $84; JACK WILLS, SHARNBROOK SUEDE CHELSEA BOOTS IN NAVY, $99; SKIRT, STYLIST’S OWN

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How a Feminist Campaign Altered Fashion

BY SONIA KULKARNI PHOTOGRAPHY BY RHIANNON JESELONIS DESIGN BY ALEENA QAZI THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

The Free the Nipple campaign has received a lot of backlash recently for being “improper” or “disturbing” to everyday life.

Actress Lina Esco started the movement for women as an attempt to spark a necessary conversation about gender inequality. Esco’s idea to organize the campaign stemmed from her belief that society would not address the issues regarding gender inequality unless it was the result of something controversial.

The movement is ultimately a protest of society’s fear of breasts. Women are constantly reprimanded for showing off their bodies in a way society deems inappropriate. For example, women are shamed for publically breastfeeding, wearing low-cut tops or going braless. When women exhibit such behaviors, they are considered unprofessional and sometimes even disgusting. These statements are ridiculous accusations, and should not be considered an acceptable response to women who choose to show off their bodies.

The Free the Nipple phenomenon means more than just going braless. The growing trend constitutes a shift in women’s fashion. It has triggered a change in the way women are dressing; they now feel more confident to wear whatever they want, whenever they want. Instead of worrying about the different kinds of bras they need for different clothing cuts, they feel confident going braless.

The movement gained traction this past year when women started to openly speak out against painful bras. Videos circulated around Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr, expressing the discomfort that bras cause, and the general burden of purchasing them. Other videos focused on the idea of women always having to cover up as a courtesy to others.

Celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Naomi Campbell regularly advocate for Free the Nipple across various social media platforms by posting pictures of themselves on Instagram, embracing their breasts and going braless. So far, social media has proven to be an effective way to get people to move toward the normalization of going braless. Miley Cyrus even goes as far as constantly speaking up about bralessness in interviews, and regularly attending red carpet events in crazy outfits that promote ideas behind Free the Nipple.

It is understandable, however, that not every woman wants to go completely braless.

The fashion industry has made accommodations for these in-betweeners by expanding the distribution of sports bras, bandeaus and bralettes. Even though these undergarments do not always promise the best support, they still provide comfort and style without being too expensive.

Many retailers like Victoria’s Secret and American Eagle have endorsed this trend, and designed their own line of bralettes. Retailers such as Free People and Urban Outfitters have 46

expanded their intimate collections––which include a variety of lacy bralettes and bandeaus–– because of their growing popularity. These lines offer different styles, cuts and colors to suit the needs of various women as well as add some style to any look.

Bella Medrano (CAS ’19) loves how the Free the Nipple movement has normalized the idea of not wearing a bra or just wearing a bralette. She personally feels it’s a cute look that provides comfort and style.

Finding a bra that is comfortable and the right fit can be difficult and expensive. This is one of the many reasons supporters of the Free the Nipple campaign opt out from wearing bras all together. A good bra that offers the best support can be anywhere from $50-$100 and up depending on size. Bralettes, on the other hand, can cost as little as $15-$20.

Francesca Ogilvie (CGS ’17) prefers bralettes or no bras because the underwire is

painful and pinches her nerves.

Both Ogilvie and Medrano are huge supporters of the trend and love how fashion is coming together with human rights to normalize the idea of women’s nipples. They both do not see the problem with it in social media, and hope that celebrities, fashion icons and designers continue wearing and creating these looks to highlight the importance of this movement.

Women’s fashion is not what it used to be.

Many of today’s runway designers embrace the movement toward a more free and provocative dress code for women, and the bralette trend is the perfect compliment. There are many tops and dresses on the market that have unusual cuts in the neck, back, sleeves or sides making it hard to find the right bra to wear. Luckily, the rising popularity and availability of bralettes solves this problem. While there are different bralette styles made to suit awkward cuts, women can also show off their trendy undergarments.

Stella McCartney, Alexander Wang and Louis Vuitton all included sheer or knit fabric clothing in their recent collections. Their respective Spring 2016 shows each presented elements of sheer fabrics or knits that exposed more skin than usual. Some looks leaned toward sophistication, while others maintained more sporty elements. Styles with sporty elements looked androgynous. For example, the seethrough knit and flowy pant combination can be worn by anyone despite gender. The presentation of such designs broke social norms, and plenty of celebrities have been quick to jump on this growing trend.

Several celebrities like Kim Kardashian have been opting for the sheer clothing trend. Kim is often seen rocking sheer dresses and shirts to both red carpet events as well as everyday activities. Other times, she hides parts of her body with cleverly placed patterns or excess fabric. Her look may be considered extreme by

some, but it still delivers the message: it is her body, and she can show it off how she pleases.

Although the Kardashian family may be quite controversial, they are taking major steps towards the progression of women’s fashion and the Free the Nipple campaign. They choose to show off their bodies and undergarments in sophisticated ways, while still maintaining their fashion icon positions.

Looking at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards, sheer clothing was a trend with majority of the female celebrities. Most of them were wearing dresses with multiple cuts and slits along the sides. Celebrities like Rita Ora, Taylor Hill and Halsey were all wearing some variation of this provocative clothing type.

The conversation of Free the Nipple and popularity of the bralette have influenced several designers and chain stores to make and sell sheer or “barely there” clothing. While sheer clothing is not necessarily a new look, it started to make more of a statement now that Free the Nipple is more of a conversation piece.

This has only encouraged major retailers to continue selling their shirts and garments with cuts, slits and sheer fabric. H&M has been selling lace body suits for the past few weeks. At first glance, it looks as if the garments will be risqué, but once on, they prove to be very stylish and comfortable. Just like with Kim Kardashian, the fabric is cleverly placed.

While the thought of wearing a sheer one piece with nothing underneath may not seem appealing to some people, layering sheer pieces over lace bralettes is a stylish way to work the trend into a look.

Sydney Klein (COM ’18), absolutely loves the sheer look.

“I think the sheer look, in general, is very in right now,” said Klein. “A cool bralette under a sheer top is a perfect way to make it seem more chic and appropriate.”

The growing popularity of bralettes and the shift to sheer clothing is something to watch out for in the realm of women’s fashion. Rather than being sexually degrading, this trend sends a positive message about women and their bodies. It’s a mix of promoting body positivity, supporting women’s rights and staying stylish without compromising comfort. As of now, this movement is only expanding and bringing plenty of people together to stand up for common cause: freeing the nipple and allowing women to embrace themselves on their terms.

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

BY JULIA SEELIG PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MONTANA RISPOLI, DAVID LOWE AND TIA GALLINARO DESIGN BY EDEN WEINBERG In recent years, the rapid growth of various social media platforms has redefined the fashion industry. In today’s interconnected world, people are able to obtain new information at the click of a button or the tap of a finger. Platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter allow for a constant flow of live streams and photographs that regularly update followers on the biggest fashion breakthroughs and the hottest trends.

Thanks to the popularity of these mediums, the approach to the industry has changed all together. Models and bloggers alike have taken to social media to make a name for themselves and to create a brand image. In fact, titles like “Instagram It-Girl” have been added to almost every fashionista’s vocabulary in reference to certain fashion icons on Instagram with overwhelming follower counts.

Unlike “it-girls” of the past, there is a new demand for today’s style icons to have a “likeable” personality, and to interact directly with their followers. While models like Cindy Crawford and Kate Moss were fawned over for their unique looks and magazine appearances in the past, today’s equivalents, such as Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, have to also keep their fans up-to-date with upcoming shoots, collaborations and events.

48

The rise to fame of some of fashion’s most recent, influential bloggers further exemplifies the significant role social media now plays in the industry. Bloggers such as We Wore What’s Danielle Bernstein, The Blonde Salad’s Chiara Ferrangi and Song of Style’s Aimee Song can all contribute their success to the progression of social media.

Aimee Song even went as far as writing a book about how to get the most out of the world’s fastest growing social network, Instagram, which boasts over 300 million users. In her book Capture Your Style, Song praises Instagram for all the creative opportunities it presents to all of its users.

“It has fostered and enabled creativity in not just me but in everyone who makes and shares content,” said Song. “Instagram has not only given me a voice but also has allowed me to learn about others’ lives as well.”

While the app was initially just a creative outlet for her, it quickly became something more serious and ultimately launched her career.

“It’s so much more than just a platform for pretty pictures.” Song said. “It has made a huge impact on my life and my career.”

Followers of fashion crave the intimacy and communication that platforms such as Instagram present. Song knows how to tap into the wants of her followers and grant them immediate gratification.

Bloggers like Song, Bernstein and Ferrangi can now be seen sitting front row at the most renowned designers’ runway shows in Paris,

New York, London and Milan. In fact, seeing what these “it-girls” are wearing is half the show.

Photographers swarm the streets in between sets to capture shots of the girls’ street-style. Followers anxiously refresh their feeds throughout fashion week to check up on the latest looks of their style-inspos. Also, major designers such as Karl Lagerfeld, Alexander Wang and Stella McCartney look to the hottest Instagram models to walk their shows, and to create some of the most talked about and memorable moments on the runway.

These fashion figures cultivated a contemporary approach to an industry that was once incredibly exclusive. Now, the industry has––in many ways––become all-access.

Social media is so widely available that it lends opportunity to any individual who wants to get his or her name out there. Boston University students interested in fashion, such as aspiring blogger Claudia Krogmeier (COM ’19), have recognized the importance of “building a brand” through various social networking platforms.

“By being able to curate, edit and create an overall message on your social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, you can really hone in on how you want to be perceived by your audience,” said Krogmeier. “Bloggers become successful based on how well they connect with their intended audiences.”

“To me, it’s really important that an “it-girl” has [her] own clear aesthetic and voice when trying to be successful,” said Krogmeier. “If you aren’t true to you and your personal brand, then

it comes off as inauthentic. Also, really cute clothes don’t hurt.”

Inauthenticity is one of the main concerns that arises with social media’s powerful presence in the realm of fashion. It is easy for any brand to lose itself in the demand for a rapid stream of photos and tweets. The desire to know more than ever before has ultimately pushed fashion into an industry that lacks the spontaneity it used to revel in. Magazines and other publications are pressured to regularly update their readers and subscribers with the “next best thing,” which can cause them to lose sight of their integrity.

There is a constant battle in publishing between featuring cool things that are relevant while still maintaining true to the brand’s identity. Often times, it is easy to get caught up in the commotion of the fashion world––there are constantly new trends, new designers and new “it-girls” to watch out for. It is important for

publications to look at the bigger picture, and deliver an issue to their readers that is relevant without being superficial.

Once upon a time, fashion followers eagerly awaited the monthly issues of their favorite magazines in which they learned about designer news and trend look-outs. Now, all this “news” is being tweeted out and Instagrammed every second. Editors and magazines are forced to create more content to satisfy their readers, and this sometimes comes at a cost.

According to Marketing Coordinator for Bon Appétit and former Beauty Assistant at W Magazine Andrea Pardo, the uprising of social networks––namely Twitter and Instagram––has changed the game in terms of magazine content.

“The element of surprise is gone,” said Pardo. “Now it’s the ‘sneak-peak’ behind the scenes everyone wants to see. There is something coming every second. You can’t just have 12

issues a year. You have to have the website–– the digital push.”

Magazines are now faced with the controversy of whether or not they should consider follower counts and social media popularity when making decisions about what to write about and who to pull for the cover.

Nowadays, it is not rare to find a publication that “obsesses” over a specific “it-girl” of the moment.

“If someone had a moment in the limelight, you try to integrate it, not have it take over.

You want to be where everyone’s eyes are out, but you can’t let it overpower the magazine,” Andrea said.

Just because something (or someone) is blowing up on Instagram does not mean it should be the main focus on a magazine. People working in the industry must remember that retaining a strong image and integrity is what really determines success in the long-term.

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

Grotesque

BEAUTY TRENDS The Hidden Costs of “Natural” Beauty

Style icons increasingly subscribe to the trend of “natural” beauty, but at what cost?

For every celebrity spotted walking the streets of L.A. without makeup, another can be found either freezing away tissue damage in a subzero tank of liquid nitrogen or getting blood reinjected into his or her face. While these procedures may seem absurd to the average person, those who can afford the steep price tag argue that these methods are a more “natural” approach to beauty than traditional plastic surgery.

While many of these trends, like the vampire facial, claim to reduce the effects of aging, others––such as eyebrow microblading––boast targeted enhancements for facial features. Though some may argue that the benefits of these procedures are purely superficial, professional athletes like LeBron James claim that treatments like cryotherapy work wonders for their performance and even help to treat injuries.

Yet despite the supposedly miraculous effects of these procedures, many––if not all— come with substantial risks. According to the New York Times, the vampire facial evades FDA clearance. Meanwhile, tragedies such as the death of a 24-year-old Las Vegas spa worker in a cryogenic freezing tank call attention to the various dangers and risks posed by these trends.

The cost of beauty remains steep. Companies get away with charging hundreds of dollars for these allegedly “natural” treatments, while the high demand for them suggests that our society still propagates harmful beauty standards. Between their literal and figurative costs, trends like the vampire facial leave many wondering if there is anything people won’t do to achieve what they believe society deems as beautiful.

BY HALEY FRITZ ILLUSTRATION BY JILLIAN APATOW DESIGN BY ERICA MAYBAUM

CULTURE

the evolution of self-portraiture BIRTHE PIONTEK, UNTITLED #1, FROM MIMESIS, 2013

BY CALLIE AHLGRIM ART COURTESY OF BIRTHE PIONTEK DESIGN BY JAMI RUBIN

exploring the effects of technology and social media on artâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest tradition

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

BIRTHE PIONTEK, UNTITLED #3, FROM MIMESIS, 2013

F

rom December 9 until New Year’s Day, the first thing you’ll see when you enter the Institute of Contemporary Art is a mural of repetitive portraits—all representing the same woman, but each one subtly warped.

This woman is Gillian Wearing, lifetime member of the Royal Academy of Arts in London and the 1997 winner of Britain’s fine arts award, the Turner Prize. She focuses her celebrated photography exhibitions on exploring her sense of self in the public eye.

For the ICA’s site-specific installation, Rock ‘n’ Roll 70, studio portraits of Wearing were digitally altered by age-progression technology.

Each photo represents a different possibility of what the artist may look like in two decades’ time, at age 70.

The concept of aging and its effect on physical appearance is often shunned in popular culture as well as in the art world. In many genres of traditional portrait painting, from Rembrandt’s realism to Pablo Picasso’s broken aesthetic, artists would often paint younger and romanticized versions of themselves.

Here, rather than shying away from wrinkles and gray hair, Wearing creates a collage of predictions—a wallpaper acting as a crystal ball—and displays it at the entrance of a world52

famous museum. In a world of superficiality, it is a calm and purposeful rebellion.

The desire to present selective pieces of oneself is not a new phenomenon, but the rise of social media and “selfie culture” seems to have exacerbated the search for a flattering angle.

“Selfie culture” describes the omnipresence of people taking photos of themselves, often sharing them on social media afterward. While at first it may have seemed an innocent fad paralleled with the rise of MySpace, destined to burn out like many before it, photos featuring up-close headshots and outstretched arms have only become the new normal.

With the dominance of platforms like Facebook and Instagram, paired with new technology like Photoshop, selfies have become a way to document the best aspects of one’s life and appearance.

“Self-portraits have often tried to present people in the best light,” said curatorial assistant Jessica Hong, who helped organize the commissioned Rock ‘n’ Roll 70. “Perhaps due to the technological advances, now it’s become more individualized and more of an independent endeavor. Photoshop allows us to present the best image of ourselves.”

According to Hong, Wearing is interested in working within the context of Dramaturgy, a

perspective popularized by sociologist and writer Erving Goffman.

A key aspect of this sociological perspective is front stage versus backstage personalities: what we want others to see versus what we conceal. We perform our desired personalities, how we want to be perceived, while the backstage represents our true selves. “[Wearing] is interested in bringing this backstage self to the front stage,” Hong said.

“Right now, narcissism drives the identity of oneself, which is actually pretty fragile.”

This performativity is arguably present in all self-portraits: whether it is a Snapchat that disappears in 10 seconds or Rembrandt’s SelfPortrait, Age 23 (1629) hanging in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, they were created for public consumption.

Alastair Sooke writes in the 2014 BBC article “Did Rembrandt invent the selfie?” that our current, image-obsessed culture will someday be known by social historians as the “Age of Narcissism”—but that doesn’t exclude past generations from indulging in the same type of self-study and egotism.

In Rembrandt’s portraits, for example, he compares himself to other great painters and flaunts his superior methods.

“His implied boast isn’t as brazen as the

self-aggrandizement that we often find in today’s selfies, but it suggests that even great artists aren’t immune from showing off,” writes Sooke.

Currently on display at the MFA is UHOH, an autobiographical exhibit from artist and writer Frances Stark. It features visual poetry, collages, video installations and—most strangely—a slideshow of Stark’s Instagram photos set to the Velvet Underground’s “What Goes On.” “A little over two years ago Stark joined Instagram with the username @therealstarkiller.

She has posted more than 2,800 images of anything and everything: flowers, her son, herself, her artwork, what she’s reading, what she sees when she’s driving and more,” reads the piece’s description.

The casual nature of the photos speaks to an intimacy that many great artists hope to achieve.

Art has the ability to transcend physical location, time and space and forge unspoken connections with legions of people.

Is “liking” an Instagram post much different?

“I believe the wish to see yourself in a painting, a photograph, a selfie comes all from the same desire of making ourselves seen in order to be reassured of our existence,” said Birthe Piontek, a German-born visual artist living in Vancouver B.C., Canada.

“I also think the images on social media of how we look, what we ate, what we wear, where we have been, are an attempt to have our lives

validated by others,” Piontek said.

Social media punctiliously documents our day-to-day lives, from tweeting a transitory shower thought to acknowledging a friend’s birthday with a Facebook wall post. It creates never-ending, evolving scrapbooks of the mundane, exciting and notable aspects of our lives, all wrapped together.

A centerpiece of UH-OH is the selection of “chorus girl” collages from Stark’s series A Torment of Follies (2008). These pieces depict girls’ bodies made from psychedelic patterns, designed to trick the eye into perceiving movement.

The girls are accompanied by scraps of writing, such as “Probably, however, the work was to a certain extent born as a result of coexistence with real persons.”

Stark utilizes text throughout the exhibit, integrating emails from friends and online conversations into pieces of art.

These “chorus girl” pieces highlight an underlying theme throughout Stark’s exhibit: the changeability of human nature and its tendencies to shift based on other peoples’ reactions.

In May, Boston’s Flash Forward Festival presented Piontek’s photography exhibit Mimesis.

The series represents real people in fictional ways by appropriating and reinterpreting original photographs, which were all found in thrift stores, flea markets or on eBay. “Every portrait I take is a projection of my narrative onto the other person,”said Piontek.

After acquiring the images, Piontek scans them into her computer for a “trial and error” process of reinterpretation. She then physically alters the originals using materials like fabric, glass, paint, foil and ink.

“I want the viewer to rethink the objectqualities of an image, its materiality and characteristics,” Piontek said. She explores the relationship between the photo itself and the person depicted—“the question if an image is only a copy of the original or if it can be its own original entity.”

The final results—not completely unlike Wearing’s digital alterations—speak to the fleeting nature of the self. In short, appearance doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface, both figuratively and literally. But that doesn’t stop people from making assumptions and trying to look deeper, extrapolating depth from a single snapshot.

“While the image might just show a snippet of the complexity of a person’s existence in this very moment, it is very much part of the person,” Piontek said.

“While I think that images can do a tremendous job in expressing certain emotions and tapping into the complexity of our identity, I don’t think that all the complex layers we’re made of can be accurately shown through images,” Piontek said. “But trying it is what is fascinating and meaningful.”

BIRTHE PIONTEK, UNTITLED #7, FROM MIMESIS, 2013 BIRTHE PIONTEK, UNTITLED #10, FROM MIMESIS, 2013

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

THE

NETFLIX

EFFECT is streaming making it cool to stay in?

BY DANIELLE BOZZONE PHOTOGRAPY BY BRITTANY CHANG DESIGN BY JAMI RUBIN There is often an expectation among Boston University students that when Thursday evening arrives, the streets of Allston become busier than Commonwealth Avenue between classes and bars will have lines longer than Starbucks during finals week.

Receiving a text that reads, “What are you doing tonight?” anytime Thursday through Saturday comes with an implication of plans to go out and be social. However, as streaming services like Netflix began releasing entire seasons of original shows—on top of releasing the entireties of classics like Gilmore Girls and Lost— the response “staying in tonight and watching Netflix” has become a weekend tradition for many.

In her book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, Susan Cain remarks that introverts are made to feel badly about themselves because extroversion is perceived as the ideal. Cain describes the extrovert ideal as, “the omnipresent belief that the ideal self is gregarious, alpha and comfortable in the spotlight.”

However, in a world that seems to increasingly respect someone’s desire to stay in and watch every episode of Friends rather than go to a party with their actual friends, is being an extrovert really still the ideal?

While it is easy to paint the differences between the two personality types in black and white, it is in fact much more complex. The Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator can give you an 54

idea of which way you lean; the personality test, which is popular with businesses and administered in Questrom’s “Dynamics of Leading Organizations” class (OB 221), sorts people into four distinct dichotomies. There are 16 types that are referred to by four-letter abbreviations, and the first letter indicates extraversion (E) versus introversion (I).

However, if you don’t particularly identify with either, you might be an ambivert. Ambiverts have a mixture of the two personalities and are often just as comfortable alone as they are in social situations. Especially now, in our highly connected world, introverts and extroverts may not actually be as different as Cain makes it seem.

“The nature of introversion has changed due to social media and technology,” said Kyle Landis (CAS ’17).“You can spend much of your time alone physically, but still be interacting with friends at the same time.”

While secluding yourself to binge watch an entire season of a show may seem at first to be a highly anti-social choice, it is often the opposite.

When the phenomenon of binge watching really began to take off in 2013 with the multi-episode release of House of Cards, content creators began to take note.

Soon, there was an onslaught of shows designed to be “must-watch television.” The most relevant example right now is likely Stranger Things, the newest Netflix original series released this past summer.

These shows are meant to get you hooked, inspire conversation and create avid followings.

“There is a growing acceptance of introversion, but to a certain degree watching

Netflix is a way to connect with others through shows and movies,” said Dillon Travis (CAS ’17).

As many a millennial knows, Netflix is not always a solo activity. Nothing is as indicative of that as the hugely popular “Netflix and chill” meme—but although the meme is meant to imply that something more than just watching Netflix is going to happen, there is no denying that watching Netflix has evolved into a group activity. Netflix’s shows have become go-to conversation fillers and ice breakers.

Many shows are so popular and universally liked that they are often switched on as house parties wind down or to serve as background fodder while hanging out with friends. These experiences add another dimension to the Netflix social experience, as some shows become the go-to group activity you engage in with certain friends.

The “Netflix and chill” phenomenon has become so widespread that studies have been conducted on how watching television in a group affects our relationships with others. A study in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found that binge watching can make you closer to your significant other because while doing so, you build memories and inside jokes together.

Veronica Russell (CAS ’17), however, points to a less positive edge of the growing trend.

“I think to make staying in and watching Netflix a completely socially acceptable reason to not go out on the weekend in college, you have to tell people that you’re going to smoke or drink while you do it, which is kind of messed up,” Russell said.

“I think that it is socially acceptable to just chill and Netflix by yourself on the weekend, but

I’m more likely to judge myself than feel judged by others,” Travis said. “I suffer from [fear of missing out] sometimes so I feel an obligation to go out. Watching it by yourself feels different than watching while drinking or hanging out with friends.”

So, while Netflix has become the default for many when winding down from a stressful week, the obligation to invest time and effort into a social life heavily centered on the weekends remains.

Even as a solo activity, Netflix and its programming are often topics of conversation

and debate among friends. To be caught up on the latest Netflix addiction is to be able to talk to many of your peers. Meanwhile, not being caught up on certain shows often results in being shut out of a conversation or being poked fun at for being out of the loop.

Be it alone or in a group, it is undeniable that watching Netflix has become one of our generation’s favorite pastimes. As for how it is changing our relationships and our culture is yet to be seen. But for now, expect everyone and their mother to be talking about season two of Stranger Things within 24 hours of its release.

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

the trend of

BY ANDREA VEGA PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARISSA WU

A Look Into Millennial Idolizat ion of the ’90s ILLUSTRATIONS BY JILLIAN APATOW DESIGN BY LUDI WANG

Trends typically refer to what’s “buzzing”—the latest celebrity style must-have or the most popular social media site. But over the last couple of years, the word “trendy” has taken on a whole new meaning.

Thrift shops and retro stores like Urban Outfitters are at the top of shopping lists, vinyl records and Polaroid cameras dominate Christmas sales and a generation that only lived in the ’90s as children idolizes the decade and its pop culture. Millennials have shifted cultural trends from innovative to nostalgic.

But is it possible to yearn for an era without truly remembering it, or is the sense of nostalgia for ’90s sitcoms and scrunchies just too appealing to give up?

“The gap between the 2000s and the ’90s seems so wide,” said Juliet Stein (CGS ’19). “‘I’m a 2000s 56

kid’ just doesn’t sound right.”

Trends generally involve a sense of revolution or breakthrough, and being part of the last decade of the 20th century encompasses that idea of belonging to an important period of time. As new generations steer away from vintage and into tech, millennials yearn for a sense of belonging in the decade of Lisa Frank stickers and Tamagotchis.

“People will always be inclined to like the things they grew up with and then try to bring those back when they’re older,” said Devra Gelman (CAS ’17).

Whether this trend is unique to the millennial generation—or whether it becomes a cycle of nostalgia replacing new styles and ideas—only time will tell. But the possibility of teenagers 20 years from now watching Full House and wearing high-waisted mom jeans again is something to look forward to.

MUSIC

2016 ARTIST BLACK

BELONGS TO THE

how musicians like beyoncé and kanye west are redefining the music industry

BY CALLIE AHLGRIM

|

PHOTOGRAPHY AND DESIGN BY EVA V. GALLAGHER

BY CATHERINE AHLGRIM PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN BY EVA V. GALLAGHER THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

W

hile each passing year leaves a unique fingerprint on the everevolving music industry, it’s become increasingly clear that 2016 will be eulogized in a way unlike any of its predecessors.

The voices that reverberate throughout this year’s most notable releases—the albums that will outlast 2016’s demise—have been overwhelmingly and confidently black.

“This year has definitely been a year for the black artist and for the independence of black artists,” said Tae’Shaona Matthews (CAS ’18), who majors in Cultural Anthropology and minors in African American Studies. “Everyone has gone in a different direction and done something we haven’t really seen from them before.”

The year began with two of today’s most prominent artists taking it upon themselves to push the capabilities of music production: Rihanna’s Anti boasts more depth and elegance than any of her previous releases, and Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo was continually edited and tweaked even after its release.

Later came the continued reign of Beyoncé, whose expansive masterpiece single-handedly set a new bar for artistic ambition; inadequately labeled a “visual album,” LEMONADE blended music, film, dance, poetry, feminism, personal storytelling and social commentary into a single body of work.

Each of these albums has predictably received individual veneration by music critics, but lesser-known black artists certainly haven’t been lacking in the praise department.

Rolling Stone called Chance the Rapper’s newest mixtape Coloring Book “the richest hiphop album of 2016,” and others lauded Vince

“THIS YEAR HAS DEFINITELY BEEN A YEAR FOR THE BLACK ARTIST AND FOR THE INDEPENDENCE OF BLACK ARTISTS.”

58

Staples, Travis Scott and Solange Knowles for producing their most conscious works to date— Prima Donna, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight and A Seat at the Table, respectively.

Moreover, many black artists have used music this year to unapologetically embrace blackness (Beyoncé’s “Formation”), validate the struggles of their community (Solange’s “Cranes In The Sky”), make a political statement (Jay Z’s “spiritual” and express an enduring love for life despite black adversity (Chance the Rapper’s “Blessings”).

This year’s experience with public and critical acclaim for black music is encouraging in such a divisive time.

“I think the current racial climate has a huge impact on music right now, with Beyoncé especially,” Matthews said. “LEMONADE was very much Beyoncé’s declaration, saying like, ‘okay white folks, I know y’all thought I was this neutral person but I am black, I am a woman, and these issues are very central to my identity.’”

But the individual acclaim of these works, while important, may point to yet another divide soon enough. As 2016 winds down, yearly “Best Of ” and “Top 10” lists will saturate the world of music criticism.

“It’s the nature of a Top 10 list. You start coming up with your favorites and then it ends up being this sort of strange game where critics are not really choosing the 10 best albums,” said Elijah Wald, author and former music critic for The Boston Globe. “They’re choosing what they want people to think they think are the ten best albums.”

Next comes award season; here, black artists no longer stand in solitary reviews but rather alongside white contenders.

After Taylor Swift won the coveted 2015 “Album of the Year” Grammy award for 1989— in the wake of the Kanye West “I made that bitch famous” controversy—Swift spoke about taking pride in your own accomplishments.

And while that is an important message, the West/Swift saga continued to create a media vortex, obscuring the real truth of that night.

Kendrick Lamar should have won that award.

Lamar’s third studio album To Pimp a Butterfly was, by many accounts, the most impeccably produced, rhetorically powerful and culturally relevant album eligible for the 2016 Grammys.

Yes, 1989 was an excellent body of work.

“IT FEELS VERY MUCH THAT THIS YEAR SPECIFICALLY, BLACK ARTISTS HAVE DECIDED THAT WE’RE NOT GOING TO CATER TO THAT WHITE AUDIENCE ANYMORE.” But tracing back to the notorious “I’mma let you finish” stunt, Swift’s lineage of West-themed controversy masks a larger, systematic problem.

West knows it needs to be addressed. He may go about it in the wrong way, but that might be because nobody seems to be listening.

When the nominees for the 2015 Grammys were announced, West had secured just two nods for his electrifying album Yeezus, which featured songs highlighting the black experience like “Blood on the Leaves” and “New Slaves.”

“Out of all [my] 21 Grammys, I’ve never won a Grammy against a white artist,” West said to the crowd at one of his concerts. “What are they trying to say? Do they think that I wouldn’t notice?”

While West’s assertion isn’t technically true—he has bested white artists twice in rap music categories—and awards should arguably be irrelevant to a musician as committed to the artistry as West claims to be, the Grammy ceremony does not exist in a vacuum.

West lost both of those 2015 nominations to white rap duo and novelty song specialists Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. What we see in these instances is a struggle between white mediocrity and black excellence.

“You see black artists constantly inventing new ways to represent themselves and to do all these different things, and then white people will say the same thing, the same way, with the same melody, and people will praise them like crazy,” Matthews said.

In a white-dominated society, black artists

need to work harder to be recognized—and not because diligent, gifted artists like Taylor Swift don’t deserve recognition, but because white privilege allows her music to be graded on a curve.

Black-created and black-dominated genres have always held a large white audience, from swing to blues to rap, but an anxiety exists between appreciation for the art and discomfort with the culture.

“When the blues first hit, it was still in the days of segregation. Black blues was heard by black people and white blues was heard by white people, until records took over in the ’50s,” Wald said. “That’s when black music began to grow in popularity within the white community. Because you can have white people dancing to black music without having black people in the room.”

Recently, Beyoncé received backlash for invoking the Black Panthers during her Super Bowl performance, prompting Saturday Night Live to spoof a horror film titled The Day Beyoncé Turned Black, “rated NC-17 for white people and G for black people.”

The clip highlighted the hypocrisy of white listeners who embrace black artists but reject blackness.

Mindful moments like these, paired with the overwhelming praise black artists have received this year, could indicate a muchneeded shift within the music community.

“It feels very much that this year specifically, black artists have decided that we’re not going to cater to that white audience anymore,” Matthews said.

The teaser video for Young Thug’s new mixtape JEFFERY featured the artist sitting in a police station, telling the white officers over and over, “no, my name is Jeffery.”

The mixtape also caused a stir when its cover art depicted the rapper in a dress (for fans, it was no surprise coming from the man who once said “I feel like there’s no such thing as gender”).

These are powerful images and testaments to the artist’s fluidity—his ability to evolve. He doesn’t want assumptions to follow him.

Frank Ocean’s sophomore album also

toys with the limits of gender; the work is formally titled Blonde but is represented in some promotional images as “blond,” a play on the masculine and feminine versions of the French word.

As a queer musician, Ocean has always been pressured—and has always resolutely declined—to label himself. He is in charge of his own definition, a point he made clear when he released Blonde on his own label after sneakily sliding out of a Sony Music contract.

“I think a lot of the music this year has been very much like, ‘You’re not going to make us into these stereotypes or these archetypes; we are individuals and this is how our individual lives connect to other black people,’” Matthews said.

When the nominees for the 2017 Grammys are announced, we might see LEMONADE sweep categories, or we might get another Kanye West rant.

But arbitrary nominations can’t control a powerful movement, and voices like Beyoncé’s and West’s are the ones we should be listening to.

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

boxed bliss

Vinyl Subscription Services Deliver Classics and Undiscovered Gems Worldwide

BY VICTORIA WASYLAK ILLUSTRATIONS AND DESIGN BY SAMANTHA WEST “The Revolution will not be digital” Flying Vinyl monthly subscription boxes proudly proclaim on their packaging.

The record bundles unfold to reveal five 45s swaddled in a folder, complete with a listening guide for each album and mystery artist. Flying Vinyl remains a U.K.-based vinyl tastemaker program that delivers new music to subscribers every month, one of hundreds of similar services around the world.

Despite the unprecedented dominance of digital music in the streaming era, vinyl subscription boxes are part of the new “treat yo’ 60

self ” trend. Equal parts revival of music discovery and newfound appreciation for tangible music, record subscriptions have resurged in popularity, along with the rise of vinyl and subscription boxes. As a result of the oversaturation of new music, namely in conjunction with the rise of social media, vinyl subscriptions bring new and exclusive music to listeners using every method imaginable.

On one end of the spectrum, Flying Vinyl aims to create a different experience through sending subscribers a mini-box of artists from the community. Founder and Managing Editor Craig Evens noted that the program’s approach to the

service is newfangled and more locally based in compared to others.

“We exclusively press all of our releases for our community, there [are] a lot of companies generally in vinyl that are just repackaging or reissuing old records or taking label stock and middle-manning it,” Evans said. “The box is less of a set of records and more about an immersive experience of the best stuff that’s out there presented in the most personable and intimate way. There really isn’t anyone else on the planet that’s doing that.”

As for how Flying Vinyl selects artists, the only qualification is that the music is quality and

worth sharing. Without labels—from genres or record companies—the service is able to select music without restriction.

“There’s a lot of other formats of curation that focus too heavily on whether an artist is signed or not, or their social media following is big enough, or what press and radio attention they’ve had,” he said. “For us it’s much simpler, all we care about is whether the music’s good.

That’s resulted in boxes where we have records from major label hype bands sat right next to artists who are just starting out and doing everything independently, but quality is all that matters to us.”

With this approach, subscribers trust in Flying Vinyl to send them music they’ll like—or at least culture their vinyl palate. Other services, however, give subscribers more choices for personalizing their selections.

Some services like VNYL use algorithms and history from Spotify and LastFM to determine what to send subscribers. A personal survey also allows listeners to state their preferences in genres, and how much outside of their comfort zone selections can be. With this feature, subscribers can either keep their surprise selections to one genre, or can received music from genres they would not usually listen to.

Others, like Vinyl Me, Please, offer the same release to every subscriber, but include extra exclusive goodies that match the monthly selection. Along with an exclusive pressing of the monthly selection, Vinyl Me, Please boxes include an exclusive lithograph designed to match the selection, and a cocktail recipe to match the mood of the album. See: the “Sax on the Beach” cocktail to match the liquid jazz vibes of BADBADNOTGOOD’s IV for July and the frame-worthy My Morning Jacket lithograph of the Z album art for August.

According to Cameron Schaefer, head of label relations, Vinyl Me, Please ensures variety in the content of monthly selections by choosing some albums to reissue (classics from Weezer and Fugees), emerging artists to feature (Glass Animals and Torres) and “undiscovered gems” to showcase.

“An example of this was in 2015 when we featured Youth Lagoon’s Year of Hibernation, which had been received well by critics and music heads, but was an album we weren’t convinced everyone had actually sat and listened to from start to finish,” he said.

Vinyl Me, Please is perhaps the most interactive service of the lot, offering podcasts, playlists and interviews online, along with their monthly event “The SPINS” in major cities in the United States and Canada. CEO and Co-founder Matt Fiedler described their special pairing with September selection Glass Animals.

“To celebrate [selecting Glass Animals],

we partnered with Tumblr and Spotify to create a physical, real-life album experience in Los Angeles where artists and actors brought the album art to life,” Fiedler said. “The band’s performance was then recorded for a Spotify Session, which we’ll press to vinyl. With partnerships like these, we’ll continue to create lasting and meaningful moments for music lovers.”

Prescribed Vinyl, a subscription service based in Boston, offers listeners to choose monthly selections based on four categories (Funk/Soul, Indie/Alt Rock, Electronica/Beats, or the Monthly Rotation) or choose any record in stock if they aren’t a fans of the current month’s selection. Founder Dan Toffling said that these choices are what sets apart Prescribed Vinyl from most other programs.

“The last thing I want is for someone to get stuck with the record they don’t enjoy,” he said.

When selecting albums, Toffling said that he only selects records released by independent label within the last few months, with the exception of the occasional “contemporary classic” selection. Toffling also does his own homework researching albums worth sharing, one of the bonuses of selecting a smaller-scale service that’s in BU’s backyard.

“I do a lot of digital digging on the various streaming services and I’ve made relationships with over 50 of the best independent record

labels who I stay in close touch with for their latest releases,” he said. “It’s a bit of a DJ approach to a record store/subscription service and every record I sell on the site I own in my personal collection.”

The list of record subscriptions grows constantly, each slightly different than the last.

Secretly Society just launched with the release of the new Preoccupations (FKA Viet Cong) album, and services like Turntable Kitchen allow subscribers to sample vinyl and coffee. At their core, though, all the programs have the same goal: to satisfy music snobs or make snobs out of vinyl noobs.

“I really think they [subscribers] are a true dichotomy of record collectors, people just getting their feet wet with the vinyl experience to the old-school record hound,” Toffling said.

“When I do record shows out in the wild, I get all kinds of customers, from the ‘Who are all these artists?’ to ‘I want every record you have in these boxes’.”

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

THREE LUCKY LOCATIONS TO PERFORM AT

BY TALEEN SIMONIAN ILLUSTRATION AND DESIGN

BY AMBER LIN

Scouring the streets for a worthy space to showcase music talent can be a difficult feat. In light of this situation, we’ve searched near and far for the best open mic spots around Boston University.

The Lizard Lounge

The Burren Pub

The 6B Lounge

The Lizard Lounge, home of the “Lizard Lounge Open Mic Challenge,” is consistently filled with a crowd awaiting the 20 Monday night performers under dimly-lit lights that burn ruby red. The evenings emphasize original music, allowing performers a 10-minute set. A guest judge selects three acts to play one additional song; then they select a winner. Three vocal and instrumental microphones, three direct boxes and a piano are provided. The show begins at 8 p.m. and the venue is open until 1 a.m.

Equipped with a sound system, microphones, instrument cables and keyboard, there is something for every performer showcasing talent at The Burren Pub each Tuesday. The Irish pub is always hungry for eclectic performers and quality music. The event runs from 7:00 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Artists are able to sign up online in advance for the event as well as on-site a half hour prior to show time.

Each act has 10-12 minutes to perform.

The 6B Lounge has hosted open mic nights every Sunday for five years. Running from 8:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., musicians are given 15 minutes to perform. Eight artists can sign up on 6B’s Facebook page every Monday and six walkin spots are also available. The venue provides a public address system, microphones with boom stands as well as a keyboard.

1667 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA

247 Elm Street Somerville, MA

-

21+ - $6 audience fee - $3 performer fee - Food and drink available -

62

-

Not 21+ Food and drink available

6B Beacon Street Boston, MA

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Not 21+ Food and drink available

SPORTS

sacrifice for

success how sports specialization is affecting young athletes

BY BRITTANY BELL PHOTOGRAPHY BY DENI YACOOBIAN DESIGN BY STEVIE SNOW

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

All athletes, both current and former, are familiar with the burning desire one gets when competing. No matter the opponent, friend or foe, no matter the circumstances, all athletes have one thing in common: they want to be the best. Though sports do foster an environment of fun, the facts remain the same—there will always be a winner, and there will always be a loser.

To be the best, however, requires extensive commitment of both the body and mind. Although adults are capable of making this decision in an informed fashion, younger and younger athletes are now faced with a decision: stick to one sport to be the best, or play multiple and settle for whatever results may follow. Though kids can be standout athletes in multiple sports, the overwhelming majority of elite athletes dedicated themselves solely to their respected sport at a young age.

Sports do come with their health benefits—regular activity is good for a growing body. However, when one commits himself or herself to a single sport, a problem arises: the problem of sports specialization. When young athletes spend all of the seasons of the year playing a single sport, overuse of muscles, joints and ligaments may lead to permanent damage and complications in the future.

The journal Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach defines sports specialization as “intense training in one sport while excluding others” and that the steps of specializing include “start[ing] at an early age, specializing and increasing participation, and dedicating full-time commitment.” The reasoning behind specializing is that with year-round practice, children may quickly become proficient in a certain sport, jumpstarting their path to becoming elite athletes.

Imagine this situation: a fourth-grade girl, who has played soccer and tee-ball since she was young enough to stand now decides after watching the U.S. Women’s Soccer team, that she one day wants to be an Olympic soccer star. She begins to play soccer, and only soccer, year-round, with multiple practices per week, tournaments on the weekend and barely any time to think about anything besides soccer. Though young kids are hardy and can recover quickly from injury, as this girl gets older, she may encounter chronic knee problems or a potentially problematic Achilles tendon after a tear.

Dr. Ted Stratman, D.C., is a practicing chiropractor who also specializes in chiropractic acupuncture, trigger point deep tissue therapy, PNF stretching, kinesio taping and rehabilitation activities.

He has a special interest in sports medicine and rehabilitation and believes that there are some of the risks involved with sports specialization.

“The single biggest factor contributing to the dramatic increase in overuse injuries in young athletes is the focus on more intense, repetitive and spEcialized training at much younger ages.”

“Physical activity is necessary for normal growth in children.

However, when the activity level becomes too intense or too excessive in a short time period, tissue breakdown and injury can occur,” said Stratman. “These overuse injuries were frequently seen in adult recreational athletes, but are now being seen in children.

The single biggest factor contributing to the dramatic increase in overuse injuries in young athletes is the focus on more intense, repetitive and specialized training at much younger ages.”

Dr. Stratman also added that sports specialization at a young age is a risk factor that predisposes young athletes to overuse injuries and that sports injuries are the second leading cause of emergency 64

room visits for children.

In addition, a study by Ohio State University found that children who specialized early in a single sport led to higher rates of adult physical inactivity. Similarly, Dr. Neeru Jayanthi of Loyola University found in a study of 1200 youth athletes that those who specialized were 70 to 93 percent more likely to be injured than children who played multiple sports.

Dr. Stratman also gave some tips for preventing sports specialization injuries in children, saying that “[making] warm-ups and cool-downs part of your child’s routine before and after sports participation, access to water or a sports drink while [your child is] playing and enrolling your child in organized sports programs [that] may have adults on staff who are certified athletic trainers” are all preventative measures that may lower the risk of injury.

Though the effects of sports specialization may seem worrisome, it isn’t without its results. Some of the advantages of specializing include more repetitions, in both practice and game situations, which leads to faster muscle memory and physical and mental development.

Like with anything, practice makes perfect.

“I do believe that athletes who specialize in one sport tend to develop muscle memory faster,” said Stacie Goddard, a softball pitching coach and former college athlete. “In softball I was always taught that it takes 1,000 correct repetitions for your body to remember something…I have seen the effects of playing multiple sports on mechanics and muscle memory.”

Goddard compared teaching sports to a child to writing—if you teach a child to write with a different hand on different days, confusion can occur.

“That same confusion can happen to an athletes’ muscles when they play and train for multiple sports,” she said. “As soon as the muscles get used to driving forward off a pitching mound, they’re asked to drive upwards instead to complete a jump shot.

This confusion makes it that much harder for an athlete’s muscles to remember the mechanics and perform [them] correctly.”

The Journal of Sports Behavior wrote in an article that “early selection for elite sport participants [thus] can become a selffulfilling prophecy for athletes and coaches. Players begin to think of themselves as talented and are thus likely to invest more time and effort into their sport with predictable results. As the identity of previously selected players becomes known to coaches and administrators, they watch those players more closely lest they miss an elite performer.”

“As a high school softball coach, I can tell within the first five minutes of tryouts which players focus solely on softball and which ones don’t,” said Goddard. “Focusing solely on one sport can make a huge difference, especially when positions within that sport require specialization and practice.”

A recent example of sports specialization paying off can be found when looking to the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team. Simone Biles, who won four gold medals in the 2016 Olympics, began gymnastics at the age of six and began her elite, specialized training with coach Aimee Boorman at the age of eight. Her teammate, and Team USA captain, Aly Raisman (who is a Massachusetts native) started gymnastics at two years old, and like Biles started specializing in gymnastics at a young age. As the Olympic gymnastics results showed, their sacrifice in specialization payed off—they achieved the highest honor in athletics by winning Olympic gold.

Sports specialization is a sticky subject. Though it does have its benefits, it has major drawbacks as well. Parents, players and coaches all have their opinion on the subject—none with a foolproof argument for or against specialization. Athletics has been about pushing the limits since its early days and the present is no different.

Sports specialization will from now on be a hot topic in sports, leaving athletes to decide whether or not to make the sacrifice for success.

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

POLITICS ON THE

PITCH

66

Do Politics Have a Place in Sports?

BY CASEY DOUGLAS PHOTOGRAPHY BY MAE DAVIS ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA WEST DESIGN BY DEANNA KLIMA-RAJCHEL

"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color…To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

–Colin Kaepernick On August 26, San Francisco 49ers quarterback (QB) Colin Kaepernick took a stand, or rather, a knee, against racial oppression in the United States of America. This small act of vertical change has since catalyzed a national discussion regarding one incessantly imperative interrogative: do the opinions, thoughts and statements of professional athletes belong on the game stage, beside their fights for victory?

To discuss Colin Kaepernick’s choices is to step into the no-man’s-land between two heavily entrenched opinions.

On one side, there are those who claim that Kaepernick is a dramatic man-child with perceptions of reality he despises and yet inadvertently supports, as in: he is an employee of the National Football League, a crown jewel of American culture and still maintains his position as he protests his nation. Therefore, in the interest of nationalism and respect, many conservatives call for Kaepernick to just play his game and stand for the anthem, or, simply put, get out.

Jake Reiser, a leader of the BU College Republicans and sports aficionado, sits in this camp and thought Kaepernick’s actions and following statement was, “disrespectful and damaging to the American spirit.”

“While I will freely admit that there are people, including police officers, in America who treat the African American community unfairly, the point of having a police force is to protect and serve the people, and there is a lack of respect coming from not just some members of the police community onto African Americans, but African Americans onto the police community,” said Reiser. “I respect Mr. Kaepernick’s constitutional right to protest and kneel during the American National Anthem, and athletes can use their higher status in the media and world at large to protest and make political statements.

However, they should try and enact positive change, not antagonize and demonize not only their brand, but also the communities that make up the American way of life.”

Now, the ideals of patriotism and honor

represented here cannot be brushed aside. When people see the sacrifice that military and police personnel endure in order to keep the United States safe from terroristic threats, they cannot fathom Kaepernick’s act to disrespect them.

These individuals fight to uphold the rights of Kaepernick and all Americans, and call simply for a citizen to stand in attention for an anthem, a raised flag and the ideal of fighting for freedom.

From that window, his action and his words, followed by Kaepernick’s continual engagement in NFL affairs, seem like an unruly call for attention.

However, there are two sides to every matter; firing back on the other end are those who believe that, as an American, he is, as the opposition says, entitled to a guaranteed set of free rights—and refusal to stand for the pledge is one of them. From this angle, Kaepernick’s actions are seen as a just alternative to violent protest and a peaceful way to make a statement.

They find that change is necessary, and that Kaepernick’s action serves as a responsible channel for which such societal adjustment can occur.

Kelsie Merrick, (CAS ’18), a political science major who stays informed on both sports and current events, sees no wrong in the quarterback’s actions and dually respects his decision.

“He is showing his disapproval for the oppression that is happening in our country. To me, he was the brave famous person that said, ‘I’m going to do what is right,’ and he’s now started a movement that parallels ‘Black Lives Matter,’” said Merrick. “Now, we can see soccer players, other football players or even youth football players kneeling during the national anthem, and I hope other athletes continue to follow in his example. Him speaking out might not bring about immediate change, but it is creating a conversation, and sometimes that’s all that’s needed to start a change.”

Merrick went on to address Kaepernicks’ heightened level of exposure, explaining how, “Athletes, musicians, actors and actresses have

been given the opportunity of being well-known and highly regarded by most people, especially us younger people. There’s a list of these people who have rightfully put their fame to good use— Kaepernick is now one of them.”

In addition to his well-recognized position of prominence, supporters harken back to the cruel mistress of history. Many people were blind to racial inequality, or saw it as a nonissue, and trivialized peaceful protests such as walkouts and sit-ins. From a lens that recognizes how we, as humans, have trouble learning from our mistakes, his actions seem more utilitarian.

Furthermore, his words speak from a place of emotional understanding, empathy and depth.

The combination of his understanding and his far reach make many believe he is a welldeserved candidate for creating change within the community.

The voices of the populace aren’t the only musings to consider. In a statement addressing the issue, the 49ers straight-lined the matter, saying that, “The national anthem is and always will be a special part of the pre-game ceremony.

It is an opportunity to honor our country and reflect on the great liberties we are afforded as its citizens.”

With the support of the 49ers’ administration behind him, Kaepernick’s position of fame will likely be unperturbed by many who call to boycott his games—though his global reputation certainly hangs in the balance.

However relevant and publicized Kaepernick’s actions were and continue to be, he is simply one facet of a modern revolution spearheaded by athletes, actors, anchors and all those famed individuals who chose to use their platform for change. As agreed on by both parties, the right of these people to speak their minds is undeniable under the law, but the manner in which they conduct themselves is left to be argued.

Regardless of one’s personal thoughts on this situation, a singular fact remains clear above all the gray space: the power of the people to ignite a national conversation, specifically those in the public eye, is absolutely incontestable.

THE BUZZ | FALL 2016

BPL IN

The Best Hangouts in Boston for Fútbol Fanatics

BEANT WN

BY JESSICA CITRONBERG | PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELLEN CLOUSE ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA WEST | DESIGN BY MARIAM SYED

Boston is home to some of the greatest sports in the country, along with some of the greatest fans. Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics fans are notorious for their dedication, and Bostonian fandom doesn’t only lie on this side of the pond.

The fans of Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United have very spirited fan bases in Boston and they all meet up at local bars.

Tottenham Hotspur fans (Boston Spurs Supporters Club) meet up at Kinsale Irish Pub on Cambridge Street in Boston. The Boston Spurs were founded in 2006 and have over 800 members across New England. Once the new Northumberland stadium is built in London, the Spurs will have a 10-year deal to 68

host NFL games.

Liverpool fans (Liverpool FC Supporters

Club of Boston) gather for matches at

Phoenix Landing on Massachusetts Avenue

in Cambridge. LFC Boston is a little bit more serious than just an extracurricular club, as memberships are required. Captain John Henderson was featured on select copies of FIFA 16 in the U.K. and Republic of Ireland.

Banshee in Dorchester is home to Chelsea fans (Boston Blues). They were founded in 2010, and they pride themselves on their “focus on community and local involvement.” After winning the title of Premier League Champions last season, Chelsea has struggled so far this season. Brothers Nathaniel and Trevoh Chalobah are also teammates on the Blue Lions roster.

Arsenal fans (Boston Gooners) assemble at Lir on Boylston Street. The Boston Gooners started in 2009, “with more than 200 dedicated supporters among [their] ranks.” They pride themselves on their great relationship with the people at Lir, and they’ve become one of the largest Arsenal supporter groups in America.

Manchester United is having a decent season in the Premier League. The Red Devils fans (Man United Boston) congregate for matches at Crossroads Irish Pub on Beacon Street in Boston. Although they were founded in 2014, their fandom runs deep.

The NFL is trying to push American football in London, but American fútbol fans remain loyal to their favorite English sport.

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