Fall 2019
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Fall 2019 City
8 Straight Pride in Our Streets
Understanding the Effects of Boston’s “Straight Pride Parade”
Wellness
30 Taking a Step Back From The Screen How Social Networking Influences Our Health, For Better and Worse
Culture
80 The Plight of Teenage Girls On How American Society Loves to Hate Them More Than You Realize
10 Massachusetts’ Lead
34 Get Fit Beantown
84 Gamers Paradise: Board Games Club
Campus
Fashion
Opinion
Gun Control in Massachusetts
14 BU’s Buildings: Before and After
A Rich History Often Neglected
18 Impact
How the Howard Thurman Center Has Made a Presence on Campus
Food 22 Land of Immortals
The Japanese Guide to Longevity
26 Food Networking
The rise of cooking shows changing the TV landscape of food
The Hottest Fitness Spots to Hit Around Boston
64 Color of the Season: Green
Where Earth Tones and Earth Consciousness Collide
68 Euphoria X Beauty
How HBO’s Euphoria Represents Gen-Z Through Its Breakdown of Beauty Standards
Travel
72 Bucket List Busts
Just Because They’re on Your Bucket-List Doesn’t Mean They’re Worth It
76 Going to BU as a NonNew England Native
Whats it like to Travel Back and Forth to School With Such Long Distances?
BU’s Tabletop Gaming Culture
88 We Can Handle It... I Promise
Men cannot treat women like second-class citizens when it comes to politics
90 Body Positivity Versus Body Neutrality
Establishing a Healthy Relationship with Ourselves
Music
94 Stan By Me: This Century Killed the Pop Star With All of the Stans, Where Are the Fans?
98 Streaming vs Vinyl: Who Wins?
In an Increasingly Digital Age, Vinyal May Not Be as Dead as You Thought it Was
Contents 3
Noor Nasser Editor-in-Chief Creative Director Valentina Wicki Art Director Solana Chatfield Managing Editor Anu Sawhney Head Copy Editor Caroline Smith Publisher Alejandra Aristeguieta Print Photography Director Amanda Willis Online Photography Director Carina Lee Section Editors Campus Geneve Lau City Sabrina Weiss Culture Noemi Arellano-Summer Fashion Melony Breese-Forcier Food Sarah Finkel Music Kaylie Felsberg Travel Amille Bottom Wellness Amelia Murray-Cooper Opinion Jessica Stevens Publishing Team Marketing Manager Geneve Lau Social Media Manager Amanda Willis Creative Team Kylie Tamashiro, Emma Snavely, Zoe Zheng, Lauren Had, Emily Snisarenko, Yuemeng Chen, Ken Rudolph, Ting Li, Amanda Le, Jessica Stevens, Alicja Wisniowska, Ellen Kanellias Copy Editing Team Isabelle Durso, MaiLei Meyers 4 the buzz
Photography Team Isabelle Yap, Anh Nguyen, Emma Cohen, Aqsa Momin, Geena Grant, Yiwen Wong, Kim-Sarah I, Richard Royle, Chika Okoye, Sophie Perez, Angelene Kim Editorial Team Campus Connyr Lu, Isaac Word, Raveena Pandhare, Jazzy Gray, Namu Sampeth Anna Cavallino City Daphne Ang, Lynn Ward, Connyr Lu Culture Mackenzie Arnolds, Hannah Harn, Hannah Lee, Elsa Scott, Vanessa Ullman, Ananya Panchal Fashion Erica Macdonald, Connyr Lu, Sijia Wan, Ella Malvino, Guenevere Dunstan, Anika Ramchandi, Solana Chatfield, Madison Duddy, Amy Bocos, Danielle Ang, Sarah Mcatamney Food Isabel Contreras, Laurren Henning Music Noor Mchallah, Minh Anh Nguyen, Yi-Wen Wong Travel Jackie Shannon, Noemi Arellano-Sumner, Roma Patel, Vanessa Ullman, Erica Macdonald Wellness Amelia Murray-Cooper, Geneve Lau Opinion Hannah Bohn, Jazmyn Gray, Marla Hiller
Contributors Our Fall 2019 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 parnership in the future. Supporters Dean Thomas Fiedler Elisabeth Symczak Dean John Battaglino Student Activities Office, Boston University Allocations Board, Boston University
On the Cover Lawrence wears Weave Studio silk blouse, Zara cream-colored pants, stylist’s own cheetah print belt and model’s own Doc Marten platform boots Srujan wears H&M thrifted red puffer coat, model’s own black shirt, model’s own black jeans, Adidas Stan Smith’s and a silver necklace from Scher in Het Paleis Doran wears a Zara royal blue pant suit, an Anthropologie chartreuse blouse and Nike Air Force 1s Olivia wears a Free People chartreuse midi skirt, an Urban Outfitters chartreuse cardigan and Nike Air Force 1s Models Doran Kim (COM ’21) Jianqiao (Lawrence) Hu (CAS ’20) Srujan Vajram (ENG ’20) Olivia Lake (COM ’22)
Masthead & Contributors 5
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That’s part of appreciating the journey. It’s about sitting down and realizing where you were years back, and where you are now.
A decade. We can never grasp this length of time in a given moment. It’s near impossible to look back and remember the last decade of our lives with clarity. And imagining the next decade to come, we can never know what to expect. When you think about a period of time this long, you understand the importance of appreciating the journey. Because it’s never about the mere fact that I’m 21 now after once being 11. It’s blatantly obvious that it’s about those 10 years that I’ve lived. It’s about the journey. But it is the fact that I’m 21 now after once being 11. That’s part of appreciating the journey. It’s about sitting down and realizing where you were years back, and where you are now. When things get rough, this exact thought is what should help keep you going. Last semester, The Buzz celebrated 10 years of being a publication. And this year isn’t over yet, making this 2019 fall issue our second celebratory issue. I have had the privilege of working with the Buzz since my freshman year, starting out as a photographer. And now, as a senior, carrying the role of Editor-in-Chief has been equally frightening and wonderful. Frightening when I think of carrying a magazine that has been present for a whole decade, with such incredible and dedicated team members, both past and present. Wonderful when I think of where I started three years ago. And then where I was 10 years ago, knowing nothing of where life was going to take me. As a journalism student, The Buzz has been a huge part of my experience learning to become a storyteller. Reading the articles and seeing the photos this team produces every day is humbling. Being part of a publication like this teaches you what you don’t learn in class, and that goes a longer way in the real world. In the Fall 2019 issue of the Buzz, we explore issues important to be conscious about, like the gun control matter and what Massachusetts is doing right, what fashion industries can do to help save the environment, and what ‘body positivity’ should really mean. I’ve always believed that every single one of us can make a difference in the world, because no matter who we are, we can all be storytellers. As this first decade of The Buzz ends and the next commences, I’ll never know what to expect, but I’ll know to savor every part of the journey. Noor Nasser
Letter from the Editor 7
Straight Pride in our Streets Understanding the Effects of Boston’s “Straight Pride Parade”
by Lynn Ward illustration by Ellen Kanellias design by Ken Rudolph
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Boston sets the tone for what it means to be a liberal college town, with a history of liberal politics and social movements that push for progress. This is not the city you would expect to host a straight pride parade. Yet, on Aug. 31, 2019, the city was faced with the first of its kind. The “Straight Pride Parade” was set to demonstrate pride in heterosexual relationships which, according to its organizers, are on the decline and under threat from the “LGBTQ agenda.” The parade spoke volumes of the changing landscape that is 21st century American politics, with extremists on both sides facing off in what many consider to be one of the most liberal cities in the country—proving that no city is safe from conflict on the political and social level. The parade fulfilled its promise to bring attention to straight pride. But in these efforts, it also proclaimed a fight with the LGBTQ+ community of Boston parade, which outnumbered straight pride supporters by hundreds. According to the Boston Globe, 600 counter-protesters faced up against 200 parade members at City Hall Plaza, where signs ranging from “Straight Pride Is Hate” to “TRUMP 2020” could be seen clashing against police barricades. Counter-protesters claimed the parade was a sham to display pro-Trump and alt-right opinions on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. These opinions ranged from condemning the event as one of hate, to labeling it as “I-Struggle-WithMasculinity” parade, according to Boston University alumnae and U.S. House Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D). These comments and views of the parade do not limit themselves just to these two communities. College students in Boston also weighed in on the event and its effects, specifically, with it being held on the busiest college move-in weekend of the season. Students at Emerson College, located on the parade route to City Hall Plaza, placed signs on their windows supporting the counterprotest movement and inclusivity. These signs read “Proud to be Gay!” and “No Need for Straight Pride,” and were supported by the school’s president, Lee Pelton, who called the event a “perversion.” The straight pride parade accomplished its goal of rustling the feathers of the LGBTQ+ community and annoying Bostonians, who found trouble with their pro-Trump agenda and inclusion of speaker Milo Yiannopoulos, an infamous far-right, gay Trump supporter. But, it’s still up in the air if the parade made any major effect on Boston as a city and home to a large LGBTQ+ community. Many Bostonians will say that the parade was nothing more than just a minor traffic jam backed by hatred and alt-right supporters. “Boston is a liberal city, so the location of the parade doesn’t make sense. It’s a waste of time,” said Boston University student Minette Wellborn (Questrom ’21) when asked for her opinion on the straight pride parade. Boston has a history of being socially liberal, but this has not always been the case. Current residents that call Beantown home have to remember that Boston was once not as liberal and inclusive as it is now, as there was a time when Mayor Marty
Walsh and his comments about the parade being nothing but hate wouldn’t have existed. But the city’s intolerant past is easy to overlook with the current college student enrollment number surpassing the 2010 count of 152,000 in the Boston area alone. “Boston is socially liberal, yeah, but that’s because of college kids and their forward thinking, not just because it’s Boston,” said Josee Matela (COM ’20). “The community makes the culture not the city.” The city has grown to be home to over 35 colleges, universities and community colleges, changing the entire landscape of the city and the people that call it home. Conservatives consider the overwhelming number of higher institutions to be the reason for the city’s liberal social and cultural scene. Back in 1974, Boston elected its first politician affiliated with the LGBTQ+ community, later on GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) was formed and not long after, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same sex marriage. All these achievements prove the liberal nature of Boston and its focus on furthering the fight for equality. But, statistics show that even all this progress has not shielded intolerance and prejudice from affecting the city’s LGBTQ+ members. According to the Fenway Institute, which measured the true state of equity and equality for the LGBTQ+ community of Massachusetts, 88 percent of those who are people of color and from younger generations have faced some form of discrimination in their day to day life. Boston requires some progress to become truly inclusive as a community, and counter-protests to movements led by less-forwardthinking individuals is a step in the right direction. But, a truly powerful way for the city to show its support is by looking back on its intolerant past of racism and stigma, and learning from it. Rather than teaching college students about the power of Boston sports teams and the landscape of the city and its Emerald Necklace, institutions should take a page from Emerson President Pelton and give students the knowledge they need to learn from Boston’s past mistakes. As O’Brien-Hallstein has stated in multiple women’s studies classes at BU, it takes reinforced education to cause change; This means not just educating students, but having them engage and learn from the community they’re learning to respect. Knowledge is key in the fight against hatred and in today’s society. Boston can do more than just make signs for support of the LGBTQ+ community. Universities and their faculty can inform the city, by way of their students, of what it truly means to be inclusive and excel socially. This includes protecting members of the LGBTQ+ community, minorities and refugees. Activism is more than just a handmade sign at a march or an Instagram story that lasts only 24 hours. Instead, it’s active participation to keep people safe and dispel intolerance so that future citizens may feel safe no matter their college affiliation, place on the spectrum or color of their skin.
City 9
MASSACHUSETTS’ LEAD Gun Control in Massachusetts
by Connyr Lu illustration by Ellen Kanellias design by Emily Snisarenko Gun violence throughout the country has become a starker and more prevalent issue, especially as the 2020 presidential elections inch closer. El Paso, Dayton, Odessa—the list continues. All evoke the memories of children and families who have suffered at the hands of people unfit to hold a gun. CBS News reports that the number of shootings in the United States has surpassed the number of days in the year so far and that this is a trend; there were also 340 mass shootings in 2018. The debate surrounding gun control revolves around the matter of whether having stricter gun control policies would be infringing upon the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms. However, Professor Michael Siegel of Boston University’s School of Public Health believes that there is a way to uphold the rights and opinions of both sides to the argument. “I think the way you do that is by having laws and enforcement procedures that make sure that people who are at the highest risk for violence or people with a history of violence or threatened violence don’t have access to guns, while people who don’t have a criminal history or history of violence do have access,” Siegel explained. “I think that’s the key way to balance the desire to reduce violence while at
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the same time protecting people’s rights to own firearms, if they’re law-abiding.” Siegel has conducted research that examines the relationship between gun ownership and homicide rates, and found that laws that prevent guns from being sold to people with high risks of violence seemed to be the most effective, while policies regulating the types of guns sold didn’t seem to be effective. Massachusetts has one of the lowest rates of gun violence in the country. The Commonwealth is often compared to other states and regarded as a state with stricter policies. Current Massachusetts legislation requires extensive background checks, prohibits the sale of unsafe handguns and requires the reporting of mentally ill individuals to the government to be referenced in background checks. However, Massachusetts does not require unlicensed sellers to enforce background checks on purchasers, although purchasers must have a valid license. Siegel said that this could constitute a loophole in Massachusetts law, as it is possible that someone could become prohibited from owning a gun after their initial background check. “I think it is a good idea to actually conduct background checks at the point of sale,” Siegel
explained. “Not enforcing them at every step of the sales is definitely a minor loophole in our laws.” Elina Mariutsa, a fourth-year student at Northeastern University studying International Affairs and Politics, has been heavily involved with the March for Our Lives movement in Boston. The movement is a student-led demonstration that fights for the prevention of gun violence, and she became involved in February 2018, shortly after the Parkland shooting in Florida. Mariutsa agrees that Massachusetts’ gun laws hold up well against those of other states, but believes that the state could do more for local communities. She said that while Massachusetts has good policies, the state could improve the way with which it enforces its laws. “Massachusetts should focus more on research and resources for specific community needs, because we have good laws,” Mariutsa explained. “We should all combine our knowledge and use it for those local communities.” The March for Our Lives movement works with minority groups and communities of color to ask them what they need and how they envision reform, and then they act on those communities’ behalf to advocate for their needs. “Gun control is not just political or about legislation,” Mariutsa said. “It’s also about investing into communities.” According to WBUR, law enforcement in Massachusetts has held the responsibility of granting or rescinding gun licensure, along separately with the enforcement of the Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO), which allows family members, law enforcement, dating partners and household members to act to temporarily disarm dangerous people. These types of laws, called red-flag laws, were pushed by President Trump in August in response to the El Paso and Dayton shootings. However, Connecticut had already had such laws since 1999, and Massachusetts since 2018. Currently, at least 14 states have red-flag laws in place. It’s difficult to put a finger on what national gun policies should allow and prohibit. The balance between preventing mass shootings and allowing American citizens to exercise their right to bear arms as per the Second Amendment is a thin line, but is ideally still possible.
“Gun control is not just political or about legislation ... It’s also about investing into communities.” Siegel, when asked for his thoughts on what the key components of the ideal gun policies should be, mentioned three: “One, you have to have laws that prohibit the possession of guns by people who are at high risk for violence, and what that means is people who either have a history of violence, or of threatened violence, or of multiple serious alcohol-related offenses. “The second thing is you need to have universal background checks because you need to check for every sale whether or not the person has any history of the things I mentioned. “And the third is you need to have discretion in whether or not to approve people to carry a gun. The police need to deny the sale of these products if they know that somebody represents a high risk.” Democratic presidential candidate and current Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren introduced a new gun control plan in August that looks to reduce gun deaths by 80 percent through executive action and legislation, according to NPR. Her plan also calls for tax increases on gun manufacturing companies and a $100 million annual investment into gun violence research, on the basis that automobile deaths in the United States had decreased with widespread awareness and safety measures, and the number of deaths related to gun violence could decrease with similar intervention. Gun control will likely stay a recurring theme in both national and local news, as the debate about how strict gun policies should be continues. There is no such thing as a perfect set of laws, but there is a lot that Massachusetts is doing right. “We have a really strong set of laws,” Siegel said. “It’s just a matter of continuing to enforce them.”
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Our Green City A Look Into Boston’s Sustainability
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by Daphne Ang photos by Isabelle Yap design by Amanda Le On a typical Friday night, the Commonwealth Avenue Star Market is crowded with all kinds of people trying to get their shopping done. This ranges from college boys buying party supplies, to mothers on their weekly grocery run. As people push and shove their way to checkout, it can be challenging to stay patient when people forget to bring reusable bags and therefore cause delays. Boston has taken numerous steps to become more environmentally aware and encourages Bostonians to do the same. While many are willing to get on board and rally for a greener future, there are still a number of improvements to be made. On Sept. 20, 2019, a climate change strike took place at Boston City Hall Plaza and moved toward the State House. Many carried humorous signs to stake their position and stand out in the crowd. Yet, despite their fight for a more sustainable future, signs and
banners were strewn across the grounds once the crowds dispersed. All of this, coming from an assembly advocating for a more environmentally conscious city? David Lin (CAS ’21), a junior at Boston University studying neurobiology, thinks Boston is doing well in terms of preventative care, but more can be done in the present to clean up the city. “I feel very strongly about the environment because I’ve seen how we can create a lot of damage, especially to animal life, and I care a lot about that,” he said. “I’ve seen videos of turtles with straws in their noses, and that really breaks my heart.” In July, the City of Boston released a final plastic bag ordinance: a guideline to the city’s expectations, and a reminder to retailers and consumers that “the production, use and disposal of single-use plastic bags have significant adverse impacts on the environment.” Following this, many in the
community voiced their approval. “I got a discount when I brought my own bag to the supermarket,” said Anna Pham (COM ’21). “By incentivizing the change, I think more people will be… willing to get behind the cause.” For those who are struggling with the change, or perhaps reluctant, Boston is sympathetic and acknowledges that change is difficult. On their website, the City posted a step-by-step guide on how the plastic ordinance will affect the city, as well as steps people can take to accommodate these changes. These tips include storing reusable bags near the front door, writing “bags” at the top of your grocery list and setting a reminder on your phone to bring bags to the supermarket. Ultimately, Boston officials hope to reduce litter, protect marine life and lower greenhouse gas emissions with the implementation of these changes.
City 13
BU’S BUILDINGS: BEFORE AND AFTER A Rich History Often Neglected by Anna Cavallino photo by Minh Anh Nguyen design by Valentina Wicki
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Every day, students walk down Commonwealth Avenue to pass the same buildings they always do. To them, change to those buildings has been stagnant throughout the time they have spent at Boston University. Oftentimes, they forget that there is a history behind everything they touch and everything they see, and BU’s beautiful buildings are no exception. Did you know the HoJo dorms used to actually be a hotel? Did you know the infamous comment, “CAS literally looks like a high school” actually holds much truth? Besides the fact that so many important historical figures walked BU’s very streets, BU’s history never fails to astound and enlighten. Let’s take a peek at this rich history that permeates through BU’s current academic and housing buildings. 575 Commonwealth Ave Many undergraduates know this address as HoJo, an undergraduate dormitory located in Kenmore Square, only a couple feet away from the notorious Questrom School of Business. The large dormitory is made up of six residential floors, all of which contain single, double and triple rooms—with the perk of each room having its own private bathroom. The architecture very much resembles that of an old motel, a clear indication that the building was not always what it is now. In fact, the building originally opened in November of 1963 as the Fenway Commonwealth Motor Hotel, containing 150 rooms and a 135-car garage. It later became Howard Johnson’s hotel in 1975. The seventh floor of the hotel was particularly noteworthy because it was first used as a cocktail lounge, then transitioned to become a jazz club, and finally became a popular nightclub called Lavo Bar. In 1992, BU purchased the hotel for $7.5 million, originally intending to use it as a conference center, but then eventually leasing it to the Howard Johnson Company. The university ended up renting out some rooms for its students when there was limited space in alternative student dormitories. Eventually, in August of 2001, BU’s plan to turn the hotel into a dormitory was approved—the first stepping stone in creating what students call “HoJo” today.
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Agganis Arena & FitRec Every student knows what Agganis Arena and FitRec are, whether it is because they are active and want to maintain their physique, or simply because they want to attend the infamous BC vs. BU hockey game once a year. Standing on the corner right across from Raising Canes, no one would ever realize that the gym and arena are results of the demolition of the Commonwealth Armory. The Massachusetts Army National Guard armory was originally constructed from 1914 to 1915 to serve Boston’s mounted troops, specifically during World War I. It was a building filled with decorations and topped with a five-story tower, but it was also very much tucked away from Commonwealth Avenue behind an areaway. It soon became a show venue, but then was purchased by BU to be used as a gymnasium. In 2002, the entire armory was torn down to make space for the remainder of BU’s Student Village.
Commonwealth Avenue’s Automotive Beginnings It is strange to think of Commonwealth Avenue being anything but a strip of BU’s academic buildings, dining halls, and dormitories. Yet in the early to mid1900s, this strip was known as “Boston’s Automobile Row.” In fact, the old Barnes & Noble building used to be a Peerless automobile dealership. Sometimes, people say COM looks like an old high school; unfortunately, this is just pure coincidence in terms of architecture because the building actually used to be a car dealership for Nash vehicles for about three decades. And how about the Metcalf Science Center? All science majors, who trudge their feet into this building at least twice a day, would never think that more than 50 years ago, it was known as General Tire and Exide Batteries (definitely not anything related to mixing chemical compounds or replicating DNA). This seemingly secret past has its presence on campus, but many people see these subtle signs and simply ignore them. Have you ever noticed the shell embroidered into the outside surface of BU Academy? It is quite strange that it looks so similar to the Shell Oil logo. Is this simply a coincidence? Or is it an attempt to preserve BU’s automotive history? Look for more of these hidden signs around BU’s campus and see if you could put the puzzle together.
Kilachand Hall Kilachand Hall (previously known as Shelton Hall) is one of BU’s dormitories made up of nine floors, divided into four- and fiveperson suites and some private doubles; the second through fifth floors are reserved for Kilachand Honors students. Kilachand also contains all of the Honors College’s offices on the first floor with a couple of classrooms. If you have visited this building, have you ever noticed that the fourth floor has some subtle differences, like the lights being dimmer and the elevator stopping randomly on the floor, almost as if it is...haunted? A widely held suspicion about these aspects involves playwright Eugene O’Neill and his death in suite 401 in 1953. Now, you may be thinking, why would a famous playwright be staying in a college dormitory? What many people may not know is that this building was originally constructed in 1923 as one of the first Sheraton hotels. In 1954, BU bought the hotel, named it Shelton Hall, and later changed it to its current name, Kilachand Hall. Some remnants of its interesting history can be spotted, such as the name “Sheraton” embroidered in the concrete above the entrance and even in the specialty housing area called the Writer’s Corridor on the fourth floor, honoring the playwright. So, the next time you want to be reckless, maybe skip Six Flags and head on over to room 401 in Kilachand Hall.
Myles Standish Hall One of BU’s most newly renovated dormitories, Myles Standish Hall, has a similar history to Kilachand Hall in that it was originally constructed in 1925 and opened in 1928 as Myles Standish Hotel. It was in a great location—next to the up-and-coming Back Bay neighborhood and in close proximity to the Kenmore Square trolley station. But most importantly, it was very close to the infamous Fenway Park (hence the large influx of baseball teams into the hotel). Ever heard of Babe Ruth, the Red Sox player who broke records and led his team to victory on multiple occasions? He happened to stay in this hotel quite often and took such a liking to suite 818 that he began to request the suite whenever he visited the hotel again. In 1933, the hotel was luckily saved from the Great Depression and was turned into a modern apartment hotel, followed by its purchase by Sheraton Corporation in 1943, and finally its purchase by BU in 1949. The university originally used the building as a dormitory for male students after gaining so many post World War II troops, but it made the progressive decision in 1970 to become the first BU dorm to allow guests of any gender. In 1979, BU purchased Graham Junior College’s school administration building neighboring Myles. Eventually, in 2018, after previously being annexed to Myles, the building was fully integrated into Myles Standish Hall, which is now one of BU’s most highly sought-after choices of housing. And, that is probably without even knowing Babe Ruth’s feet touched its very floors.
With a large heap of midterms on their plate, pressures to socialize and maintain friendships and relationships in college and daunting thoughts of future post-college plans, students often have little time to take a step back and appreciate the roots from which BU has grown to become the beautiful, prestigious university it is today. Imagine living in Myles Standish Hall or Kilachand Hall and never knowing they were originally built to be hotels. Imagine having class in Metcalf Science Center or COM and never knowing about their automotive beginnings. Oftentimes, students graduate from BU never knowing a single fact about BU’s history or the very buildings the students may have lived in. There are, however, the select few students whose pride in the university they attend stems from its rich and fascinating past. Sophomore Shelli Gorokhovsky (CAS ’22), was particularly impressed with the history of BU and its buildings, even before attending the university. “One of the reasons I chose to come to BU was actually because I was so intrigued by how much of BU actually started off as something completely different,” Gorokhovsky said. “I even wrote about this in my ‘Why BU?’ application essay.” While students certainly should not be forced to learn about their university’s history, it is important that those who are well-versed in it pass down their knowledge to their friends and fellow underclassman. Now that you are all experts, it is time for you to take on this role and start the process.
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IMPACT
How the Howard Thurman Center Has Made a Presence on Campus by Namu Sampath photos by Emma Cohen design by Nicole Chen
Imagine a place on campus where it is easy to hang out, meet new people, engage in civil discourse with peers and learn something new—maybe about one’s surroundings, or even oneself. Luckily, there is no need to look any further, because this place already exists. The Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground (more commonly known as the HTC) is a place where students on campus— no matter who they are or where they have come from—can come together and find out more about themselves. It can sometimes be hard to find a sense of community in college, let alone to find a diverse group of individuals. The HTC is a place where students can go to resolve these worries. Katherine J. Kennedy, Director of the HTC, said, “If you really understand Thurman’s philosophy, he really believed in the unity of all people, and this Center is a place for all people.” Dean George Makechnie, a dear friend of Dr. Thurman’s when they were both deans at Boston University, opened the HTC in 1986 as a memorial to honor and preserve Thurman’s philosophies. Both men, despite coming from completely different backgrounds, shared their belief in breaking the boundaries between people of different sociocultural and socioeconomic groups. Kennedy was working for the Office of Development and Alumni Relations when she met Dean Makechnie in the ’90s. As a black woman, Kennedy said she felt embarrassed because she did not know much about Thurman and his teachings. In the following
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eight years, Makechnie shared everything he knew about Thurman with Kennedy— including introducing her to Thurman’s wife. “I didn’t know at the time that he was training me to be his successor,” Kennedy said. In 2000, Kennedy was appointed as the first paid director of the HTC. In the same year, the Center became a department under the Dean of Students Office and was provided a budget and an everlasting space for students on campus. Today, the Center proves to be a place where students can come together and “put their cultural silos aside,” said Associate Provost and Dean of Students, Dean Kenneth Elmore. The Center hosts many student organizations and clubs, but the people who work there are also passionate about allowing students to feel a sense of belonging in their home away from home, through the work of Student Ambassadors. “I serve as a representative of Howard Thurman’s vision and his philosophies,” said Faisal Halabeya (CAS ’22), a Student Ambassador for the HTC. “We want people to feel the spirit of Thurman here, even if they may not engage with him as directly as we do.” Howard Thurman was ahead of his time. He believed in uniting all people and finding common ground through shared experiences. Thurman asked tough questions of people and wanted them to engage in discourse that challenged their own ideas about life.
In 2003, Dean Elmore created the program Coffee and Conversation after engaging in many conversations with students on campus. This program, running on its sixteenth year, allows people from all walks of life to converge in one spot to talk about various topics, such as love, music and politics. Dean Elmore hopes that the Center is the starting point for conversations like these to happen all over campus and in personal communities. In January of 2020, the HTC will be moving to a new location on campus—808 Commonwealth Avenue—from its spot in the basement of the George Sherman Union. While the geographic center of campus is technically the BU Bridge, “the spiritual center of campus is shifting more west,” said Dean Elmore. The building’s location and visibility on campus makes it a cultural and spiritual spot for students to thrive. “As the Center currently is, the main space is where we do all of our programming and events, and sometimes we have to displace students who are studying or hanging out to host these events,” said Kennedy. Decked out with two floors of state-of-theart interior design and architecture, students will no longer have to leave if there is other programming going on. There are various rooms that will house different events and programming, and there will even be places to hang out, study, meditate, or cook. While there are many other student centers
on campus like Yawkey, FitRec or the GSU, Dean Elmore said that “the Howard Thurman Center is about conversations and the general spirit—not only the spirit of the place, but also the spirit of the mind.” The new Center, Kennedy hopes, will be a place where a large number of students will want to get involved with the mission and teachings of Howard Thurman, and where they can embrace his impact. Some students who have spent some time at the Center in the GSU are looking forward to what the new location will offer students. Jorge Cedeño (COM ’21) said, “I’m excited that the HTC is getting a modernized look and welcoming familiar faces, but more importantly, new ones as well.” Many students have had previous experiences with Thurman’s philosophies as well as the Center itself and are optimistic about what the new location has in store. “The HTC has done so much for our community, and now that they have attained more space over at 808 Comm Ave., they will have the opportunity to do so much more,” said Vanessa Alvarenga (CAS ’22). “It’ll be a phenomenal place to relax with your friends and perhaps form new connections.” Most importantly, the people who work at the Center are dedicated to spreading Thurman’s mission and helping students every day. The Center’s new location will allow a larger amount of students to find their sense of community and belonging on-campus. “I’m so thankful for the people who work every day to push students forward,” said Bailey Katsumata-Smith (CAS ’20).
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TERRIERS TAKING CHARGE BU Students Leading Commonwealth Avenue
by Jazzy Gray photo by Isabelle Yap design by Yiran Zheng
It is no secret that Boston University has a diverse community with unique perspectives. However, there is one thing most Terriers have in common: a strong desire to exceed, succeed and lead. At BU, there are many opportunities to become more involved. That’s what Hazfat Akanni (CAS ’20), President of Undergraduate Student Government, did. As president, Akanni ensures everything runs smoothly and effectively. “It’s a big job,” she joked. When discussing her motivation, Akanni ultimately decided that serving was fulfilling. Jillian Napolitano (CGS ’19/COM ’21) described a similar feeling. As a College of General Studies Dean’s Host, Napolitano speaks with families and prospective students after they are admitted. Napolitano explained why she applied: “When I came to orientation I had the best experience. I wanted to replicate that for incoming students.” Napolitano’s role as Dean’s Host is one of several leadership positions offered by the BU Office for Student Programs and Leadership. Whether it is a Student Ambassador, Dean’s Host or Peer Mentor for freshmen in FY101, Director Stacy Ulrich said the outcomes are similar. Students who participate in leadership opportunities “find a community” and develop more “confidence.” Student leaders gain invaluable experience, but it is also important that leadership opportunities align with future goals. Lauren Backus, who is the Peer Engagement Coordinator at both the Center for Career Development and the Educational Resource Center, stressed getting involved: “It’s easy to say get involved. [It’s] easy to focus on the now, but it’s important to focus on what you want to do next.” Similarly, Ulrich suggested picking a role one can be passionate about: “Think about what your goals are. Don’t feel pressured to get a leadership role just to have one.” Akanni and Napolitano echoed these sentiments, also highlighting the importance of “[taking] care of yourself.” Being a leader is hard. But for Terriers looking to exceed, succeed and lead, it is also incredibly rewarding. Looking for a student leadership position? Visit the CCD website or the Office of Student Programs and Leadership located in the College of Arts and Sciences on Commonwealth Avenue.
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Over decades, humans have been searching for a way to extend their life expectancy, seeking a “fountain of youth.” Japan might have found the answer. According to David Robson from BBC, Japan has an impressive history of longevity with the largest population of centenarians in the world. The Guinness World Record for oldest man ever to live is, in fact, Japanese. Okinawa, a region of islands south of mainland Japan, has the longest living women in the entire world. According to Dan Buettner, founder of Blue Zones, Japan is a country apart of it. These zones are a label for regions of the world with the healthiest and longest-living people. So, what is so special about the Land of Immortals? Through the country’s dense
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history and culture, the answer is: having the balance of a strong mentality and physicality through the spiritual beliefs that define their lifestyle. It all starts with the approach of how to live life. A strong sense of spirituality has been a great influence on Japanese people throughout history and is responsible for a lot of Japan’s culture. One of their major beliefs is ‘ikigai,’ or the search and fulfillment of the purpose of life. A way this is reflected in their culture is through their strong sense of community. Buettner defines the Okinawans practice as ‘moai’ a tradition where they find a social support group to assist each other throughout life and to grow old together. It is common for senior citizens to develop depression as they
age. According to the American Geriatrics Society, it has been proven to be linked to a higher risk of death. By working to fulfill their purpose of life together by participating in these support groups, the older generation suffers a lower rate of depression. Their spirituality and beliefs have not only influenced their approach to life and happiness, but also the lifestyle itself. Exercise is a key element of a healthy lifestyle, as it decreases the risks of deadly diseases. ‘Budo,’ or Japanese martial arts, started primarily as an expression and mastery of spirituality, morality and physicality with the main focus being on self-improvement and fulfillment. Some practices include Karate, Kyuudo, Kendo and Aikido. It was once
Land of Immortals
by Emin Lee photo by Carina Lee design by Emma Snavely
The Japanese Guide to Longevity Food
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commonly practiced by samurai warriors but has since evolved into a form of art rather than combat in Japanese culture. These practices are still performed today amongst young individuals competitively and religiously. Multiple social institutions encourage these practices and want citizens to exercise in general, regardless of their age or gender. For example, public elementary schools in Japan have mandatory ‘rajio taiso’ or radio calisthenics for students regularly, on top of already having gym class. The government endorses community gardening where people can grow their own food, an activity Buettner claims to contribute to Okinawans’ longevity. Local community centers are also provided with a variety of exercise classes for the elderly to come together with their ‘moai’ to participate in. Food, as a part of Japanese culture, is another key element of a healthy lifestyle. Notable doctors believe that a large reason behind the longevity of the Japanese population is due to the balance of these foods made in appropriate serving sizes. For example, Okinawans are known to practice calorie restriction based around the belief of ‘hara hachi bu,’ also known as eating only until you are 80% full. Dr. Ann Tang, a medical scientist with a nutrition degree, explains that by avoiding over nourishment, obesity rates and corresponding diseases—such as strokes, diabetes and heart disease—can be avoided. The same institutions that endorse exercise also educate and encourage citizens from a very young age on healthy eating. Hitoshi Matsukage (Sargent ’21) describes how Japanese students are required to take home economics classes where they learn about balanced and portioned diets. “They teach you how to cook simple meals and how to eat in a triangle to make sure that you always have a variety of foods circulating in your meals,” Matsukage said. “They also review weekly lunch menu charts that describe exactly what is being served for school lunches, so if students decide not to bring their own ‘obento,’ or lunch, they know there are always healthy options at school.” Traditional Japanese dishes are considered one of the healthiest and most balanced combinations of foods today. According to Ray Akamatsu (CAS ’21), the Japanese diet consists largely of fish, rice, vegetables, fruits and legumes. A typical breakfast includes grilled fish, miso soup, natto (fermented soybeans), pickled or seasoned vegetables and a bowl of rice. This diet offers a wide range of health benefits that is apparent when broken down by its components.
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In full course meals, the proteins and vegetables are served first, while rice is served last because satiation is its main purpose. Being an accumulation of islands, Japan is surrounded by water and has great access to fresh seafood. This explains why the main source of protein in the Japanese diet for centuries has been seafood. Although animals are domesticated throughout history, they were used primarily for transportation rather than a food source. As Matsukage explained: “Cows were used for labor and mass transportation. They were never considered as a source of food because fish was already their main source of protein. When Matthew C. Perry, a Commodore of the U.S. navy introduced beef and milk to them, the Japanese were shocked.” Dr. Paula Quatromoni, a professor at Boston University’s Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, claims that because the Japanese eat fish, which has a high content of omega-3 fatty acids (a type of fat proved to keep your brain and heart healthy), they can avoid the deadly diseases correlated with red meat. According to the American Heart Association, consuming red meat, such as beef, has become highly discouraged because of its high levels of saturated and trans fat content which leads to a higher risk of diseases. Rice, a staple in an Asian diet, is consumed rather moderately in Japan. For example, in full course meals, the proteins and vegetables are served first, while rice is served last because satiation is its main purpose. To increase variety, the Japanese often prepare rice in many ways such as sekihan (beans) and takikomi (root vegetables). Rice, especially when supplemented with other ingredients, has a healthy source of carbohydrates, fiber and vitamins needed for proper cell function. In the order that they consume it, it can help get people 80 percent full, while still getting nutrients into their bodies. Another staple in the Japanese diet is soybeans. It is prepared and consumed in multiple forms: miso (fermented soybean paste), tofu (soybeans that have been pulverized, curdled and pressed), soy sauce (seasoned and liquefied soybeans), natto (fermented soybeans) and moyashi (soybean sprouts that have been grown in little sunlight). According to Dr. Remi Yoshikata,
a gynecologist based in Tokyo, soybeans are an excellent source of nutrients. Isoflavone is a form of protein known to decrease risks of hormonal diseases, healthy gut bacteria and gastrointestinal diseases. It is often prescribed to patients who have gone through menopause to substitute their diminishing hormone levels to prevent diseases. A wide range of vegetables and fruits are consumed in Japan. Dr. Tang explains that people prefer to consume organic foods that are in season rather than genetically modified and processed alternatives. In addition, their strong sense of community shows support for local farmers, as they harvest the produce grown in the gardens as an effort to be more sustainable. This exposure to a variety of fruits and vegetables allows people to consume a wide range of nutrients and minerals, which include fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, flavonoids and phytochemicals. All of these are known to collectively decrease rates of “diseases that plague the western countries,” said Dr. Quatromoni. The younger generations have been carrying this knowledge into adulthood where they are able to practice this diet as a part of their lifestyle and provide for themselves and their family. To help citizens truly incorporate healthy diets into their lives, Japan has made fresh ingredients easily accessible by locating many local grocery stores, farmer stands and markets within biking distance from any residential or highly populated area. Even convenience stores are stocked with fresh and healthy food options; both pre-cooked and raw ingredients. The Japanese have simply existed in this state of balance that yields them a longer life span than most populations. They take pride in their ancestry and culture, enabling them to avoid the rapidly westernizing world and remain in a tight-knit community that encourages each other to fulfill their purpose in life. With their supportive companions, Japanese people have successfully proven that the “fountain of youth” we seek is simply just a balance between the elements of our mind and body. For years, the world has tried to come up with countless extreme diets, exercises and studies. However, for centuries, the Land of Immortals have been laying out the blueprints to a healthy lifestyle. So, perhaps it is time for the rest of the world to follow Japan’s historically acclimated guide to longevity. All nutritional information credited to the professors mentioned or Dr. Joan Salge-Blake’s textbook, “Nutrition: From Science to You.”
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FOOD NETWORKING by Isabel Contreras photo by Aqsa Momin design by Amanda Le
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The Rise of Cooking Shows Changing the TV Landscape of Food
Food is a universal topic of interest. Whether through the lens of health, sustenance, discovery or an uncontrollable foodie passion, people care about what they eat. It’s plain and simple. People value food to such an extent that food-related TV shows have constantly been a staple for small-screen viewers. They have managed to sustain changes in the media, despite technological advancements that have become exceptionally relevant to our everyday lives. Ranging from traditional cooking shows to documentaries, food TV appeals to viewers simply because it deals with one of the most basic components of every individual’s day-to-day life. Food represents so much more than just what fuels the body. It is what families gather around, brings us comfort and opens windows toward exploring new cultures and frontiers. While recipe cooking shows used to be the leaders among food TV genres, the rise in cooking competition shows and recipe video alternatives has transformed the TV landscape of food. Famous host chefs were responsible for attracting large audiences throughout the years but have recently started to lose their appeal. Viewers now prioritize efficiency and accessibility over the relationships they might have had with charismatic cooking show hosts. Tasty, a part of Buzzfeed, introduced off-screen chef videos that enhance the cooking experience. It allows viewers to focus more on learning about technique while enjoying their time in the kitchen. The status and celebrity of the host chef is left behind the camera, and the genre veered its focus toward its most important component: the recipes themselves. In a way, this format goes back to the simplest form of the recipe: written down steps with a list of ingredients. It offers a more welcoming experience for amateur gourmands to explore new recipes and cooking techniques. However, celebrity chefs aren’t always left behind. It’s a very marketable aspect of the food industry. Their most popular programs are now cooking competition shows, where more aggressive and fiery restaurant chefs have come to replace more tender and charismatic home-style chefs. “Iron Chef ”, “Master Chef ”, “Hell’s Kitchen” and many more combine the familiar appeal of cooking with the intense atmosphere of reality TV. Even though most viewers are far from mastering the skills of chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Bobby Flay, the familiarity brought by cooking competition programs makes it easy for viewers to judge and critique competitors’ techniques, all from the comfort of their own living room couches. Although cooking competitions are not new to TV, new versions of this genre have flooded mainstream channels. We now enjoy watching children sauté and broil like pros in Master Chef Jr. However, the essence of the genre remains the same. We like seeing people succeed in these competitions, but we also love seeing them fail.
This TV program model has existed for many years, but has seen a recent boom in popularity and diversity. We’ve all heard about the changes younger generations have brought on to the consumer market. The new generation of baby boomers invests mostly in materialistic things, while Millenials or Gen Z individuals invest mostly in their experiences. As true as this may be, the funds available to younger generations for this investment are usually limited. Now, shows like Chef ’s Table, Salt Fat Acid Heat, and Ugly Delicious come into play. We live vicariously through the meals we see in these shows, sometimes even those with ingredients we’ve never tried. It educates viewers about the different types of cultures that aren’t exposed enough. Food shows have blown past the cooking show era and into the explorer era. Even with shows that exhibit the world’s most elite restaurants, like Chef ’s Table, we get to experience new destinations, as well as the quirks of world-renowned chefs. The irresistible and mouth-watering shots of beautifully prepared dishes make these shows impossible to stop watching, but as an audience, we have grown to expect more than just recipes and sparked cravings. Living in a world where human connection has become so rare, our generation has learned to appreciate getting to know strangers. Our vision and understanding escape the narrow reality we have been exposed to through our own lives. Food television can appeal to such a broad demographic. Its menu has evolved to include a little something for everyone. By reaching such a large audience, food TV remains relevant in determining what, how and where we eat. It has the power to inspire some people to get their hands dirty in the kitchen, and to convince others to get out there and try something new. Food has united cultures through history and there’s no reason why today’s multimedia culture should be any different.
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ROBOTIC CHEFS:
Spyce: Boston’s Take on Food Technology
by Laurren Henning photo by Richard Royle design by Kylie Tamashiro As food technology continues to capture the world’s attention, Boston’s restaurant Spyce proudly bears the title of the world’s first robot-run kitchen. Spyce combines flavor and affordability while utilizing several cooking methods to create their very own healthy bowls. After customers place orders through Spyce’s in-store digital kiosks, their orders are processed by robotic chefs. The robots then begin creating each bowl by receiving ingredients from mechanical food hoppers while simultaneously mixing the ingredients and heating the food through induction. Although the exact science behind Spyce’s robotic chefs is kept secret by its founders, employees hint that the technology relies on levers and pulleys. Emphasis on food technology has risen in popularity, primarily in creating sustainable meals. According to marketing research firm NPD, 18 percent of Americans are
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attempting to eat more plant-based foods. Corporations like Taco Bell and Disney World have vastly extended their vegetarian selections, and Burger King’s plant-based Impossible Burger has recently captivated the media. Spyce is a sustainable restaurant that does not serve beef to its consumers. On their website they state,“our choices have an impact on the world around us.” Like the creators behind Spyce, BU student Hodi Miller (COM ’22) agrees that each individual’s eating habits collectively affect our planet. Miller, a vegan, believes that the world’s focus on enhancing sustainable food technology is a response to climate change. “It’s definitely important to eat sustainably, and it’s really not that hard,” said Miller. “People think climate change is an issue too large to tackle, but deciding what you eat and what food providers you support is an easy way to make a difference.”
The search for Common Ground begins here.
Follow @buhtc to stay up to date on our weekly programs, special events, and upcoming move to 808 Comm Ave.
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How Social Networking Impacts Our Health, for Better or Worse by Amelia Murray-Cooper photography by Chika Okoye designed by Ting Wei Li
As we navigate the uncharted territories of the digital age, it’s important to consider how constant stimulation from technology can impact our wellbeing. Social media may be virtual, but it can have tangible effects on physical and mental health. While social media has the power to empower us and encourage creativity, it can also tear us down if we do not use it mindfully. Humans are social creatures. We long to share our experiences and interactions, even if they’re only transmitted through screens. Of course, social media is great for connecting with friends, but these apps also provide users with a unique opportunity to brand themselves and increase their visibility on a massive scale. From posting a graphic design project on Instagram to dropping an original track on Soundcloud, social media offers new platforms for artists to instantly share their work. As shown by the recent invention of the “social media influencer” job title, online content creating can even become a full-time career for some. It can be an empowering tool, giving creators the freedom to become their own bosses. Social media can also expose users to new ideas and connect them with
a global network. Users can unite with hashtag trends and raise awareness of social issues. Sending “thoughts and prayers” in a Facebook post may not always be an effective solution to a pressing issue, but in some cases, social media has mobilized activism and prompted national conversations when mainstream media failed to do so. With social media, today’s young people have unprecedented power. Some people also turn to social media as a relaxation method. Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, or ASMR, videos have recently gained popularity on YouTube. Viewers can tune into ASMR videos to hear soothing sounds that help them wind down or fall asleep. “Wellness apps”, like Calm, Headspace and Happify are also popular for reducing stress and promoting mental health among users. While social media can make users feel connected to their online friends, it can also create a sense of loneliness as they distance themselves from faceto-face interactions. Most people are not as happy as they appear online, but when everyone’s profile seems to be a highlight reel of the best moments in their life, it can be easy to feel insecure.
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“Loneliness is the deficit between what you want and what you have, and chronic loneliness makes people act in ways that push others away,” said psychologist Laura Freberg of California Polytechnic State University in an interview with Scientific American. “Social networking isn’t equipped to handle that and can actually make it worse.” Social media apps can also become addictive and time consuming. Some students turn to social media as a distraction from studying. It can be easy to procrastinate an upcoming assignment when there is an endless stream of new content to browse online. What may start out as simply checking up on today’s Snapchat stories can easily turn into hours spent digging through Instagram memes. 60 percent of teens say that spending too much time online is a “major” problem facing their age group, according to a 2018 study by the Pew Research Center. More than half of teens say they spend too much time on their cellphones and 41 percent say the same for social media. If you find yourself wasting too much time on your phone when you should be getting work done, then setting daily screen time limits may help you become more mindful.
Not only does this excessive screen time reduce productivity, but it can also have adverse health effects. Children and teenagers spend an average of seven hours each day looking at screens, according to a 2018 study by the American Heart Institute. On a physical level, staring at a screen for this long can damage eyesight because the screen emits blue light, which has a similar wavelength to UV light, according to the American Optometric Association. Constantly staring at a screen can cause eye strain and discomfort, which is also linked to increased headaches and migraines. When you use your phone before bed, the blue light emitted from the screen can also interrupt sleeping patterns and lead to insomnia. While a bit of daily Twitter scrolling won’t kill you, it’s a good idea to put your phone down a while before bedtime. Perhaps the most concerning effect of social media today is the damaging toll it can take on mental health, especially in young adults. The University of Pittsburgh found a correlation between time spent on social media and negative body image feedback. In a recent study, those who had spent more time on social media had 2.2 times the risk of reporting eating and body image concerns, compared to their peers who spent less time on social media. The participants who spent the most time on social media had 2.6 times the risk. Today, anyone can slap a filter on their photo and tweak their body with apps like Facetune, so it’s no surprise that social media is spreading unrealistic beauty standards. Last month, Instagram updated its community guidelines in response to the recent upsurge of youth body image issues. Some Instagram influencers are infamous for promoting so-called wellness products like “detox teas” and “diet suppressing lollipops” across the app, but now, posts that promote the “use of certain weight loss products or cosmetic procedures, and has an incentive to buy or includes a price,” will not be shown to users under 18, and content that “makes a miraculous claim about certain diet or weight loss products, and is linked to a commercial offer such as a discount code” will not be allowed. Social media can also spiral from a method of sharing photos with friends into a quantifiable source of external validation. You might recognize the feeling of getting anxious immediately after posting on Instagram, then constantly refreshing the page to see how many likes you racked up. Maybe you also measure your “following” to “followers” ratio, striving to keep a perfect balance. Sure, it feels good to be liked. A recent study from the UCLA Brain Mapping Center found that when teenagers received a high number of likes on their photos, the reward centers of their brains showed increased activity. “When we compare ourselves with other people, that has the potential to affect the valuation of ourselves,” said Jennifer Mills, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at York University in Toronto, in a recent interview with Medical News Today. “We really need to educate young people on how social media use could be making them feel about themselves and how this could even be linked to stringent dieting, eating disorders or excessive exercise. There are people who may be triggered by social media and who are especially vulnerable.” Social media may have the power to boost confidence, but when the brain gets used to this surge of positive chemicals, it can be easy to start obsessing over likes. Breaking news: the number of likes on your latest selfie does not reflect your worth. If you’re pleased with a photo, post it and try not to worry about your followers’ virtual approval.
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GET FIT BEANTOWN
The hottest fitness spots to hit around Boston by Geneve Lau photo by Geena Grant design by Yiran Zheng Spin Classes Without a doubt, SoulCycle has taken the active world by storm. There are currently three locations in Boston: Beacon Hill, Seaport and Back Bay. Although the most well-known, there are also other options if you enjoy the sport but want to break away from the norm. Handle Bar, with a location close to BU’s campus in
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Fenway, is a great alternative. If you want to venture around, there is also a location in the South Boston area. With the added convenience of the weighted bar right there on your bike, you don’t have to get separate weights! Additionally, B/ SPOKE is a multipurpose studio that also offers
TRAIN “off-thebike” sessions in addition to their more traditional R/ DE. If you want a more specific riding experience, B/SPOKE has branded a variety of rides, from hiphop to extra hot, extended 60, 70 and 101 rides, as well as throwbacktune themed rides.
Cardio If you prefer to be on your feet for your workout more so than in a seat, there are a variety of high-energy cardio workouts that may be the perfect fit for you! 305 Fitness, located right at the eastern end of campus in Kenmore Square, is a dance cardio workout center, complete with an in-studio DJ! In addition to fun, interactive exercises for the whole room, there is a short cool-down toning segment. For something a little more intense, try Barry’s Bootcamp, which focuses on toning muscle and minimizing fat with running and weights.
Yoga For the days you want to wind down but stay in shape, yoga may be the best option. If you want a more traditional yoga experience, consider Down Under School of Yoga right near BU’s South Campus. If you want something with a twist of cardio, consider CorePower Yoga, with two locations close to campus, in Fenway and right on Commonwealth Avenue.
Regardless of what way you prefer to get fit, there’s plenty of options around Boston for you to try out. Ask around and do some research— a lot of places offer discounted or even free first classes!
join The Buzz is hiring for Spring 2020! We are looking for dedicated and experienced students to join our design and photography team for the online and print magazine! Email the.bu.buzz@gmail.com for more information about the variety of available positions.
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TRYING TIME Fashion has constantly been a symbol of time. We identify decades by the presence of bell bottom jeans, nipped-in waists, the mini skirt, tracksuits or leggings. The 2010s then became a combination of every trend that’s ever existed. The way people dressed started to become a reflection of their personalities, not of the time. But our style shouldn’t have to be branded with a word. The way we dress is a form of self expression. Anyone can go from ‘grunge’ to ‘hipster’ to just, trendy, in one day. In this issue, we explore a style of fashion that isn’t branded by one single word. We incorporate what’s trendy with what we feel comfortable in. Whether it’s a suit or a bomber jacket, we’re not meant to separate the two. We integrate a mixture of subtle and bold. We highlight color as we transition into the winter, styling it into warmer outfits. This choice of daring color with weather appropriate clothing, against a background as routine as a train station, allows fashion to become a comfortable sense of expression.
Photos by Amanda Willis Styling by Melony Breese-Forcier Editorial Direction by Noor Nasser Creative Direction by Valentina Wicki Art Direction by Solana Chatfield
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On previous page: Lawrence wears Weave Studio silk blouse, Zara creamcolored pants, stylist’s own cheetah print belt and model’s own Doc Marten platform boots Srujan wears H&M thrifted red puffer coat, model’s own black shirt, model’s own black jeans, Adidas Stan Smith’s and a silver necklace from Scher in Het Paleis Doran wears a Zara royal blue pant suit, an Anthropologie chartreuse blouse and Nike Air Force 1s Olivia wears a Free People chartreuse midi skirt, an Urban Outfitters chartreuse cardigan and Nike Air Force 1s
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Olivia wears a SAM silver puffer coat, an Urban Outfitters emerald cowl neck dress and Nike Air Force 1s Srujan wears a Blank NYC multicolor faux fur coat, model’s own black shirt, model’s own black jeans and Adidas Stan Smiths Doran wears a Lady Andina pink wool coat, a cardigan dress from Zara and heeled booties Lawrence wears stylist’s own ASOS dress, LF yellow puffer coat, model’s own Doc Marten platform boots
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by Anika Ramchandani photo by Chika Okoye design by Solana Chatfield
COLOR O F
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SEASON: Where Earth Tones and Earth Consciousness Collide High fashion has never been known to be kind to the environment or animals, in particular. Textile factories are some of the biggest players in water pollution as they dump toxic wastewater containing dyes into the nearby rivers. Greenhouse gas emissions are at an all-time high as factories use fossil fuels to produce, manufacture and transport goods. Biodiversity is at risk as brands are designing clothing which uses animal fur or skin, leading many species to become endangered or extinct. But as the world realizes that our Earth is in danger, important figures have decided that it is time to make a change in the fashion industry. The Group of 7 or ‘G7’ is an international, intergovernmental organization composed of seven economically advanced countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. This year, President Emmanuel Macron of France hosted the summit in Biarritz, a coastal town in the South of France.
At the summit, Macron launched his Fashion Pact: goals that the fashion industry can work toward to reduce their environmental footprint. Macron nominated François-Henri Pinault, CEO of the luxury group Kering, to head the initiative. Over 150 brands have signed on to this global initiative, such as Gucci, Chanel, Nordstrom, Zara and Hermès. Why is this unique? For starters, it is the first of its kind bringing known competitors in the fashion industry together. Pinault emphasized that this initiative will only prove effective if brands collaborate rather than secretly scheme and compete. “Our participation to the Fashion Pact initiative is a natural progression of the Prada Group commitment in sustainability,” said a representative from the Prada Group. “From now on, the possibility to target these goals together with other important fashion companies represents a concrete hope for a sustainable development that nobody could reach all alone.” Pinault knew that he had to choose specific areas within
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climate change in order to make a sufficient impact on the issue at hand. The pact will target three areas in particular: biodiversity, global warming and ocean preservation. They plan to restore biodiversity by putting a focus on species at risk for extinction and restoring ecosystems. They are aiming to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and keep global warming at bay. By reducing single-use plastics, the pact will make a significant impact on ocean preservation. But what exactly are they signing up for? Although not legally binding, the pact will call for crucial changes and investments. Companies have started to swear off fur, use recycled fabrics and reuse fabrics from past seasons. It is important to note that this initiative may not last forever; but, in the grand scheme of things, it could make a significant impact on our efforts. While people are constantly swarmed with cautions about using straws and plastic cups, people are rarely warned about the fact that what they are wearing is taking such a big toll on the environment. “I never considered that what I wore would have such a large impact on global warming or the environment in general.” said Charlie Fischer (Sargent ’21). “I am happy that somebody is taking notice and stepping in.” There are several criticisms toward the pact. The first one being that since it is not legally binding, it will not prove effective in the long run. The second is the issue with supply chain—companies would need to put more focus on their factories in China, India or Bangladesh to prevent an increasing ecological footprint due to raw materials and chemically treated textiles. Lastly, consumers have a constant desire to keep up with the evolving trends. This can be seen as a negative circumstance as it would lead companies to continue to produce new lines in a quicker fashion, leading to more clothing waste. Even though eco-friendly efforts within clothing companies are extremely important, stores like Reformation are making these efforts “trendy.” The brand is one of the most popular retailers at the moment and is a favorite amongst celebrities like Selena Gomez and Kendall Jenner. The clothing is on trend and covet worthy, but the company also incorporates eco-friendly practices into every aspect of their brand. From the fabric the clothing is made from, the machines they use to make the clothing and the innovative designs of their brick and mortar stores, Reformation has put thought and detail into every aspect of their store in order to make it as sustainable as possible. Reformation is not the only brand that has popped up in recent years to celebrate sustainable fashion. Brands like Alternative Apparel and House of Sunny are also newer to the fashion world with the same ideals. While the brands within the fashion pact and newer stores such as Reformation aim for sustainability in their practices, it is not feasible for the average person to attain these clothing items because of the price tag that comes with these clothes. Thus, they turn to fast-fashion stores such as Forever 21 or H&M to buy their clothing. It is important to find a way to incorporate these efforts into brands that are more cost efficient. Mandy Vasquez, a student at Boston University, said that she investigated this idea deeper in a paper she recently wrote for
one of her classes. She was deterred by the idea that eco-friendly fashion is only accessible to a certain group of people. “Recently, so many people have started making conscious efforts to shop sustainably, but the average consumer can’t afford to get all of their clothes from brands like Reformation. Vasquez said “That’s why it’s so important for more affordable brands to take into account what their customers want. And as more people become aware of the impacts that fast fashion has on the environment, the more I think these brands should move toward sustainable production.” The Fashion Pact will have a very positive impact on the world’s strides to improve and protect the environment from the fashion industry. But there is still so much more to do in taking active steps to shield the environment from harm. Although companies have vowed to protect and support the oceans, biodiversity and global warming (three of the most significant environmental issues), they need to maintain their commitment since it is not legally binding. And going one step further, they need to make sure that the brands that are working on these efforts are able to collaborate with other more affordable brands to make sure all people are able to join in on a more sustainable future, without giving up trendiness. These are just a few of several ways the world can become safe and protected again.
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EUPHORIA X
BEAUTY
How HBO’s Euphoria Represents Gen-Z Through Its Breakdown of Beauty Standards by Ella Malvino photo by Amanda Willis and Carina Lee design by Lauren Had
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HBO’s new hit show, “Euphoria,” starring well-known actors Zendaya and Jacob Eldori, sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry when it premiered June 2019. “Euphoria” tackles the experiences of 21stcentury teenager Rue, played by Zendaya, as she struggles with her identity, drug addiction and personal relationships. Other characters explore the question of sexuality, the allure of drugs and whether or not they will ever find love, while some deal with physical abuse and toxic relationships. Even if viewers cannot relate to each of the characters directly, they can find a piece of themselves through some of their own experiences. Besides the controversial storyline, one thing that the media has heavily focused on since the eruption of the show is how the makeup artist Doniella Davy created looks that have never been seen on television before. Unlike the typical “no-makeup makeup look” seen on television shows, Davy uses makeup to portray each of the character’s identities and their emotional evolution through different stages of their lives. Davy told Vogue, “Our creator Sam [Levinson] really wanted to propel the character arcs forward by showcasing the makeup as a whole new freedom of selfexpression. He brought me on to use makeup as a way of defying pre-existing beauty and makeup norms, as well as to push forward a whole new aesthetic you don’t typically see on TV—only on the Instagram accounts of Generation Z!” Through bold neon colors, jewel tones, heavy black eyeliner and pastels, Davy gives characters looks to match their personalities. For example, maybe people are drawn to Rue’s bare face and more masculine yet feminine features like the use of glitter around her eyes “imitating tears,” exemplifying her struggles with her addiction and identity, or Kat’s (Barbie Ferreira) transition from modest makeup to a dark, modern goth aesthetic as she toys with her sexuality and becomes increasingly confident in her own skin. Or maybe others are dying to recreate Jules’ neon asymmetrical makeup that is meant to “transcend gender stereotypes,” (as Jules is a transgender woman) said Davy in an interview for Allure. Even Cassie’s makeup (the blonde bombshell that is played by Sydney Sweeny), completely ties into her character’s psyche. While her smoky, sexy makeup may have completely gone over your head as it is rather conventional, Davy chose to create Cassie’s look that way because it suggests her desire to fulfill societal norms as well as for acceptance and love from, well, straight jocks. Girls are not the only ones wearing makeup
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EACH OF THE CHARACTERS’ MAKEUP DECISIONS ARE A FORM OF SELF-EXPRESSION.
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on the show. Nate, Jacob Eldori’s character who is struggling with his sexuality and insecurities, appears in a scene wearing glitter eyeshadow and heavy eyeliner in an alternate universe where he can accept his queer fantasies. What makes “Euphoria” different from other shows on television is that Davy and the creative directors did not want to portray teenagers in a way that has been done before. While teen fan-favorite shows like “Riverdale,” “13 Reasons Why” and “Gossip Girl” may be captivating for young adults to watch, they fail to accurately portray the self-expression of a 21st-century teenager. The storylines of the shows listed may be relatable to some, however, they all stick to normal beauty standards, which typically encourages viewers to look a certain way for other people, whether that be to fit into a certain group or to look “attractive” for a significant other. That is not at all what “Euphoria” represents. Each of the characters’ makeup decisions are a form of self-expression. Notice that throughout the storyline, no one mentions any of the characters’ makeup choices. Even when Maddy decides to wear turquoise eyeshadow and glitter jewels all around her eyebrows to class, no one judges her or seems phased by it—and that is one of the main messages to take away from “Euphoria.”
Davy encapsulated this idea when she told Vogue: “On ‘Euphoria’ all conventional beauty norms that have existed are meant to be broken. It’s absurd to think that you can’t wear pink glitter out to the grocery store.” Gen-Z members have taken her message to heart. They are more willing to accept change than previous generations, according to Oxford Royale Academy. It is certainly clear that members of Gen-Z are interested in breaking social norms and experimenting with the ways they express themselves. For instance, just by taking a stroll down BU’s Commonwealth Avenue, one would be enamored by students rocking the looks that “Euphoria” has endorsed. People are now wearing kaleidoscopic glitter makeup to classes, going out wearing crystals that have been meticulously placed above their eyebrows, and experimenting with makeup in a way that was previously never approved of by mainstream media; and the most important thing is that people are completely accepting of it. As for the people who have been experimenting with this kind of “unconventional” makeup before the show premiered, “Euphoria” is a tribute to them. “Euphoria” is so well thought out past the plot and storyline, as it is revealed that the creative directors took on the responsibility to make the appearance and self-expression of the characters something that Gen-Z kids could finally relate to. Not only can viewers connect to the personal lives and struggles of the characters, but “Euphoria” encourages them to continuously break beauty standards so that they can be unapologetically comfortable and confident in their own skin.
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The Truth About CBD Beauty Products
CBD’s Entry into the Beauty Realm Shows Promise by Melony Breese-Forcier illustration by Alicja Wisinowska design by Kylie Tamashiro
There is a new beauty product hot on the market: CBD. While it doesn’t sound like something you would add to your everyday skincare, CBD is taking the beauty world by storm. Beauty companies left and right are beginning to infuse their products with this newfound “gem.” CBD is essentially cannabis without the psychoactive ingredient, THC; so, it will not give the psychoactive sensation that regular cannabis provides. People have been using CBD oil to help with inflammation and pain for quite some time now, but the beauty product trend is new to the market. CBD in beauty products can help in a variety of areas. Studies have said that it can help reduce redness and breakouts, so it seems like it would be a no-brainer to infuse everyday beauty products with the oil. Face masks, eye creams and bath bombs are the most popular products being infused because of the soothing element of the oil. However, nail polish, mascara and lip balms are also becoming popular products. While CBD beauty products seem like a great addition to the beauty cabinet, it is important to remember that there is no sufficient evidence showing their effects. Also, make sure to check your local laws for more information about CBD in your area.
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Campus ActivitiesBoard CAB
your ticket to on & off campus events!
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Learn more about CAB at SPLASH 2.0 and their January 24th event for Winter Weeks of Welcome! 71
BU C KET LI ST BU STS? Just Because They’re on Your Bucket-List Doesn’t Mean They’re Worth It by Amille Bottom photo by Geena Grant design by Lauren Had
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Dreams and aspirations of travel to the most perfect spot fill the minds of everyone throughout life; whether it’s a remote beach in the Caribbean or the fast-paced hustle and bustle of Manhattan, each and every person has a fantasy destination. It can take years of saving and planning to check that spot off of a travel bucket-list—but are these places really worth it? What happens if the sand on the beach is too rocky, or the streets of Manhattan aren’t gritty, but simply grimy? Five Boston University students weigh in on the issue, answering the question: are bucket-list travel spots really worth it? “San Juan, Puerto Rico was my bucket-list travel destination,” said Deep Patel (CAS ’22). “I went there in March of 2019 during Spring Break as part of an Alternative Service Breaks trip with Boston University. Unsurprisingly, Puerto Rico surpassed my expectations tenfold!”
“While walking on the beaches of San Juan at night and hiking through nature was great, the parts of the trip that separated it most from my others were the people and the culture,” said Patel. “Everyone was extremely friendly and accepted us like family, especially at the food bank, where we helped pack bags of canned goods. They were understanding of our lacking Spanish skills, and were patient and loving to us, which meant the world to me.”
Puerto Rico—known for its colorful buildings, thick jungles and historical landmarks—has been a United States territory since 1898. The most surprising aspect of the journey for Patel was how different Puerto Rico was from a “traditional American state.” “It almost felt like I was in a completely different country, but then I would pause and realize that the island is technically a United States territory,” said Patel. “The sheer beauty of the nature and scenery around me was unparalleled and unlike any other place I’ve visited in the states. The beautiful tourist attractions, like Castillo San Felipe del Morro, were filled with storied architecture and stunning views of the ocean. Hiking through El Yunque and taking in the unbelievably incredible views of the rainforest and environment was amazing.” While the beautiful nature was a plus, the people and culture made the trip worth it, according to Patel.
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Patel isn’t the only student that found his own slice of sunny paradise. Junior Luke Ptak (CAS ’23) loved submerging himself in the culture of the Mediterranean during his travels. “Being in Greece was amazing because it had a very distinctive atmosphere,” said Ptak. “Whether I was in the city or on the side of a mountain, it all felt very ‘Greek.’ Everything had a rich history behind it. Plus, they put fries in their gyros—that exceeded my expectations in and of itself.” The atmosphere of excitement and fulfillment did not stop there. Senior Casey Lam (CAS ’20) studied abroad in Madrid during her third year at Boston University. A full culturalimmersion experience was exactly the type of bucket-list travel Lam was searching for—no tourist traps here! “Madrid exceeded my expectations for a bucket-list destination,” said Lam. “People should definitely go there, because the tapas are amazing. Also, the people are very welcoming and easily helped me adjust to Spanish life.” After tapas, Lam suggested travelers experience Madrid’s nightlife. “Another perk is that the nightlife is really fun. Everyone knows how to enjoy themselves, and it’s a time for families and friends to catch up,” she added. Lam also noted that most people knew enough English to help her with navigating public transportation, ordering food and finding her way around town. Students’ appreciation of Europe continued with graduate student Nikita Varman, who said Prague was her best bucket-list location. “It was absolutely beautiful and everything I ever imagined,” Varman said. What were the most fulfilling parts of her journey across the Atlantic? Varman said: “The Soviet influence on the architecture, the amazing food, the public transportation, the rooftop restaurants and all of the historical tourist spots. However, the most surprising part of my journey was the amount of tourists. There were close to 15 giant tour groups in any given place we went to, which kind of took away from the experience. There were anywhere from 15 to 30 people in each of the groups, so the business was distracting and overwhelming.” While Varman loved Prague’s history and culture, another student found a bit of disappointment when visiting
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the exact same spot. For freshman Andrea Wetlzer (CAS ’23), Prague failed to live up to her expectations. “I still believe that Prague has an insane amount of history and it is a beautiful city with great architecture,” said Wetlzer. “Yet, something didn’t sit absolutely right about the visit. The most surprising part was that I modeled my 10-day trip around Prague, but it didn’t end up being the highlight of my journey.” Wetzler attributes the lack of fulfillment surrounding her excitement for Prague to travel issues upon her arrival, a couch-surfing host that was less than perfect and an overflow of tourists and tourist-traps in the city. She also acknowledges that her experiences in visiting numerous Jewish historical sites didn’t create a carefree, joyous agenda. “The Prague synagogues are absolutely stunning, and they contain many displays that are rich in knowledge about the presence of Judaism in Prague throughout the years,” said Wetzler. “However, most of the information is quite distressing, considering the history of subjugation and the Holocaust. I’m very thankful for the opportunity to visit so many Jewish heritage sites, but it didn’t create the happiest atmosphere.”
While her initial bucket-list spot left something to be desired, Wetzler discovered a new dream while traversing through Europe. “The gem of my trip had to be Budapest,” she said. “It was an absolute bucket-list destination. The buildings are stunning, the history is super fascinating and the vibe is poppin’ 24/7. Plus, it’s not as known to tourists, so it feels more like a bustling city than a tourist hot spot.” It seems that what makes a bucketlist destination worth it is the style of travel. From the general consensus of the students above, tourist traps are a big ‘no.’ Patel immersed himself in Puerto Rican culture through community service and disease outreach, Ptak found his “foodie” calling through classic Greek food, Lam lived in the beautiful city of Madrid and Varman and Wetzler had personal experiences overshadowed by massive tourist crowds. Regardless of the differences in locations and hemispheres, all of the above could agree on one common thread for satisfying that dreamworthy exhilaration: Plunge into the local culture and environment, and don’t take the easy route. After all, one never knows what could happen when they let the universe take control.
Travel
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Going to BU as a Non-New England Native by Noemi Arellano-Summer photo by Kim-Sarah I design by Yiran Zheng
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What’s it like to travel back and forth to school with such long distances? One traditional view of heading to college is this: Your parents pack the car full of everything you’ll need, and you and your siblings hop in. A few hours later, you arrive at your dorm or apartment, check in and start to unpack with your family's help. However, what’s the other option? You go to the airport, perhaps by yourself, and hop onto a plane. You’re on your own, and that’s pretty scary. You land, collect your bags and grab a taxi to your new dorm, where you start to unpack everything you’ve brought. Boston University has over 9,000 international students as of 2019, coming from all over the world, although countries topping the list include China and India. The newest class of 2023 (3,194 students) comes from 42 U.S. states and, more broadly, 53 nations, according to BU Today. The class is 24.4% international students. Non-New England natives travel by plane to Boston more frequently than students that live close-by. But, how else does living so far away affect these students? Justine Erdin (COM ’20) is from Zurich, Switzerland. She considers herself lucky because she has a direct flight to and from Boston. When she was first applying to colleges, she was considering the University of Vermont, but the “bigger hassle” of the additional travel made her change her mind. Kimberly Marreros (Questrom ’21) said she worries about food being taken away when she travels through customs. From Peru, she takes a flight from Lima to New York, and then flies to Boston. “I always bring food, and it’s perfectly legal, safe food,” Marreros said. “It’s sealed and allowed and all that, but there’s always a chance they will check my luggage and say, ‘I don’t think we’re allowing this.’ So, I’m always worried about that.” Marreros explained that students don’t get harassed much about why they are entering the U.S., but it’s still unnerving. Each semester they must remember to fill out their I-20, a necessary travel document for international students. Marreros is aware that she needs to buy plane tickets in advance because of rising prices as time passes. “[I need] at least three months, otherwise [the price] could rise to like $1,000. It’s horrible. But if you buy it with anticipation it could be half of that.” Shorter holidays, like Thanksgiving, are doable for students who only live a few hours away by car, but less so for those who live further away. “It’s too much to have an
eight hour flight, six hour jetlag and only be able to be there for three days, then have to come back,” said Erdin. The winter holiday, which is generally four to five weeks, is when it makes more sense to go home. It’s long enough to adjust to jetlag and be able to see friends and family. However, “it’s almost not enough time,” according to Erdin. Students who live further away also have to figure out what to do with all their stuff. “My mom has a friend who lives in Concord so I store things with her,” said Erdin. “I’ve had to be economic with my things, since I can’t really send anything home. In winter, I try to bring home summer clothes, because they’re not needed.” “I have to put my whole life in two luggage [bags],” said Marreros. “It used to be a challenge, but, to be honest, I struggled so much for so many years that I’m kind of used to it right now. I live with very little things.” There are plenty of ways to get around Boston to continue traveling home after one has left campus. Rideshare, walking and the MBTA system all count. Marreros mentioned how frustrating it can be to navigate Boston Logan with all of her luggage. “It can be a little bit too much sometimes, and it’s hard to carry all of that on your own, but I always take an Uber, immediately; it’s a process that can take a whole day,” she said. When she flew to Boston for the first time, Erdin said that her friends saw her off at the Zurich airport. She explained that “it seemed very, very far. 14 weeks. I calculated the days. Now, three months is some time, but not as much. It doesn’t feel like such a long journey anymore. I feel more secure, more confident at traveling by myself.” To Erdin, BU no longer feels like it’s ‘abroad.’ “I know my way around. It’s my second home.” Will she stay after graduation? Probably not. “I’ve been here for three to four years. I’m ready to go to a different city. I’ve seen it. Maybe L.A. I wouldn’t go back home. I’ve done both places.” Marreros said she would like to stay in Boston after graduation, but it’s dependent on where her future job takes her. There are plenty of additional issues students who live further away face, all with different solutions. Traveling to and from home and school can be enjoyable, especially if you have miles to go and adventure both behind and ahead of you.
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STATESIDE SIGHTS A Tour of the Best Attractions in the United States by Amille Bottom photo by Amanda Willis design by Kylie Tamashiro
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Jet-setting around the globe is glamorous, exhilarating and…expensive. While Paris and Tokyo are the most tempting options, often the most exotic locations aren’t feasible. The widespread beauty of America is often overlooked when one considers vacation hotspots. For a dose of United States travel inspiration, check out the list of BU studentrecommended destinations below! Scenic journeys require: visiting the Grand Canyon in Arizona, hitting the slopes in Telluride, Colorado or hiking in Benjamin Pollak’s (CAS ’22) favorite spot: Oregon’s Deschutes National Forest. Follow Flower Armijo (CAS ’22) to sunny California and visit Victoria Beach, famous for its ocean-filled concrete pool. To top off a natural immersion, head to Ibrahim Chand’s (ENG ’22) favorite spot in Maine: Acadia National Park. Want more speed? Go rafting in Yellowstone National Park in Montana. For a delectable journey, head to Kimberly Castillo’s (Wheelock ’20) home state of New Jersey and grab a Taylor Ham, Egg and Cheese sandwich. Travel South to grab soul food in New Orleans, Louisiana, then snatch a batch of magical treats at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Craving some sightseeing? Take a ferry in Brianna Gilmore’s (CAS ’21) New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, or go apple picking in Connecticut and ponder the Art Institute of Chicago in Illinois. Experience the wonder of glass-crafting in Washington at Chihuly Garden and Glass, then wander to the Southern states to see the Georgia Aquarium. Visit Elvis’s Graceland in Tennessee, catch a race at Churchill Downs in Kentucky and take in a view at Nevada’s High Roller Wheel. Say ‘hi’ to Fiona, a hippopotamus, at Ohio’s Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. Finally, round off the greatest tour of the USA with an explosion of color at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and a surroundsound experience at Texas’s Austin City Limits Music Festival.
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The plight of teenage girls On How American Society Loves to Hate Them More Than You Realize
by Mackenzie Arnolds photo by Sophia Perez design by Jessica Stevens Nobody ever lets teenage girls win. Unless they were born to ideally progressive parents that banished gender binaries from the household altogether, most girls are told from a young age to be, well, “girly.” They’re paraded in pink dresses and told to be ladylike, they’re asked which boy they have a crush on in their second grade class and gifted toys like dress up dolls and cute little makeup sets—toys that tell them to value their appearance above anything else. Little girls are treated to adoring coos when they smear lipstick on their faces and parade around in high heels they found in their mothers’ closets, but, as soon as these girls start to inch their way into the double digits, the tables are turned on them. Suddenly, if they wear makeup or like to shop, they’re seen as frivolous and shallow. They’re made fun of for the music they like, and the movies they watch, and the way they speak.
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Just think back to when the “Twilight” movies were still coming out in theatres. The franchise’s fan base was largely characterized by, as Christine Spines of the LA Times put it, “giddy teenage girls who [showed] up in packs for repeat viewings of each film.” These films were vehemently hated and, according to the masses, if you had even one iota of taste, you certainly would not watch or—God forbid— enjoy “Twilight.” Plenty of equally bad action movies made for predominantly male audiences exist and are not attacked with as much ferociousness as “Twilight” was. In fact, “The Fast and the Furious”, released in 2001, was only rated four percent higher than “Twilight” on Rotten Tomatoes. And where “Twilight” had teen angst and sparkling vampire boyfriends, “The Fast and the Furious” had adrenaline-filled street races and nameless women in booty shorts and tube tops. Still, despite these parallels, movie-goers were allowed to enjoy
it without being accused of immaturity or stupidity. People simply accepted it for what it was: a bad, albeit entertaining movie. “In a cheerfully cheesy way,” said critic Adam Smith about “The Fast and the Furious” in Empire Magazine, “This is probably the most fun to be had at the multiplex so far this year.” The discrepancies between the treatment of “Twilight” and “The Fast and the Furious” represent an alarming double standard prevalent in popular culture. The books, movies, music and games that boys generally like are just simply allowed to exist as they are, yet things that are usually favored by girls are singled out as something other, something feminine and therefore less-than. For example, “teen heartthrobs” and bands like One Direction are often quarantined as creators of “girl music,” and their fans are mocked and characterized in the media by a lack of self-control. Fangirls are described
as hysterical and crazy; Essentially, society punishes them for being passionate about something. But, artists and bands that have a predominantly male fan base or an equally gendered one, are simply seen as creators of music—not “boy music,” just music. The main cause of this alarming double standard is—brace yourselves—sexism. But, what exactly is sexism? It seems like there should be a straightforward answer to this question, but many times the word is associated with people who hate women. This is not always the case. Sexism can be overt and loud, but it can also hide in plain sight, aided by biases that have been ingrained in us since we were born. Via a simple Google search, the Oxford University Press by way of Dictionary.com defines sexism as “prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex.” This is what we do to teenage girls. We’re prejudiced against them and the things that they like. We boil teenage girls down, stripping away the qualities that make them complex, three-dimensional people and reducing them to caricatures that make them more palatable. This can be seen in the fact that there always seems to be identifiable “types” of teenage girls that are singled out and mocked in American society. These types are always informed by popular trends—fashion, music, vocabulary, etc.—that teen girls like to follow, essentially refusing to let teen girls enjoy something in peace. For example, one of the most prevalent stereotypes of teen girls in popular culture today is the “VSCO Girl.” The VSCO Girl is mimicked on social media, especially via the video-sharing app
TikTok. She is a girl who wears oversized, pastel-colored T-shirts and Birkenstock sandals. Scrunchies of all different colors on her wrists and a puka shell necklace around her neck. She probably owns a Hydro Flask covered with free stickers from the check-out counter of Brandy Melville. Chances are, if you’re a teen girl today that owns, enjoys or partakes in any of these qualifications, you’ve been singled out by others as a VSCO Girl and are therefore “basic.” Masked behind a level of goodnatured humor, the connotation of this is usually negative. It characterizes teen girls as unoriginal clones that, for some reason, can’t think for themselves because they like to have an attractive social media profile and wear ontrend shoes. “I was called a VSCO girl once by a random pre-tween boy,” said Gordon College sophomore Sydney Johnson. “I thought it was funny, but I did catch myself actually trying to rationalize why I wasn’t one, so I guess that hints at some negative perception there because I didn’t want to be thought of as ‘that’ type of girl. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with enjoying VSCO girl memes though, as long as you realize they’re not representative of real life.” Today, the “E-girl” is an edgier, “I’m not like other girls” stereotype made to rival the VSCO Girl—but she’s mocked just as much on social media. In short, she’s a girl who wears dark, grungy clothes and streetwear accessories like metal chains. She likes to play video games but, according to this stereotype, only does so in order to appeal to boys. Because of this she is often sexualized and slut-shamed, showing how teenage girls can never truly escape ridicule.
“The VSCO Girl seems nice, but even as she offers you a swipe of her Glossier lip gloss, she silently judges you because you don’t own a Hydro Flask decorated with free stickers from the check-out counter of Brandy Melville.” 81
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It’s okay to enjoy a good VSCO or E-girl meme every once in a while, but oftentimes people just sort teenage girls into these categories based on their appearance and treat them accordingly. Rarely does anyone consider the fact that teen girls are also complex human beings who can intersect more than one of these categories. It should be clear by now that teenage girls can care about the way that they look without being vapid and shallow, and that they can enjoy movies like “Twilight” and still be intelligent. “I think that teenage girls are much more conscious of how they present themselves to the world because they know that, no matter what, people will judge them a certain way,” said Northwestern Oklahoma State University sophomore Madison Masch. “Like if you wear too much makeup you’re a slut, but if you don’t care about what you look like you’re a slob. If you like to go out with your friends you’re a
party-girl, but if you like to stay home and read then you’re a prude. I think that society tells us we’re either one or the other, but I think it’s important for girls to know that they don’t have to fit in any specific mold.” We need teenage girls more than we think. They make up a huge part of consumer culture and pioneer the slang that we use and the way that we speak. They devote themselves passionately to the things that they care about, allowing them to not only be the most loyal fans, but also rigorous social justice advocates. In fact, the current crusade for climate justice around the world is currently being led by teenage girls like 16-year-old advocate Greta Thunberg and 17-year-old Jamie Margolin— despite being attacked daily on social media. I think it’s time that society decides to give teenage girls a break. They’ve earned it and, who knows, they might end up saving the world someday.
Culture
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BU’s Tabletop Gaming Culture
GAMER’S PARADISE: BOARD GAMES CLUB
by Hannah Harn photo by Richard Royle design by Emma Snavely
“That idea of, ‘I can be as “blank” as I want, and there are no consequences here.’ That’s the joy of it,” said Brannon Cox (ENG ’20), President of Boston University’s Board Games Club and Goblin giantslayer. “Oh, I’m a Goblin giantslayer? Great, I can go be this weird, bold, courageous individual without, you know, actually putting myself in harm’s way.” When “Stranger Things” premiered in July 2016, it shed new light on the world of tabletop games like “Dungeons and Dragons,” or D&D. Since then, tabletop and role-playing games have seen a pop culture resurgence. Their popularity goes far beyond four awkward middle school boys. Dozens of podcasts, YouTube series and Twitch streams
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are dedicated to sharing tabletops and RPGs with the world. Some, like Geek and Sundry’s “Critical Role,” feature awardwinning voice actors, celebrity guests and set-ups that look like something out of the Tomb of Annihilation. BU has its own thriving tabletop community in Board Games Club. Cox’s early D&D misadventures “were very much the usual stereotype of a D&D group,” he laughed. “Just a bunch of teens slamming Mountain Dew and killing orcs,” Cox added. His older sibling, Aidan, who he visited frequently at college, had introduced it to him. Tabletop gaming became a major point of socialization in his life, and when it was his turn to go to college, he found Board Games
Club right away, and joined a campaign soon after. “It was kind of stereotypical,” he said of his first campaign at BU. “But it was fun, and a good outlet when I was looking for one.” Soon, the group was spending time together outside of their sessions, heading to Game Master (GM) Asher’s place to play board games. College changed the game: his new campaigns were much less prone to yelling, and he was playing with strangers rather than people he’d known for years. Cox felt he could comfortably be himself. “College is very loud about wanting people to feel accepted and included,” he said. The new popularity, especially among college students, may come from the accessibility of new games and streamable tabletop content. “The release of [D&D] fifth edition was a
big draw,” Cox explains. He also cites the accepting community and its time flexibility as major contributors to the craze. “People can do pick-up D&D. GMs plan or use single-session characters. You go, you play, you satisfy the craving and you leave. It’s much easier for most people’s time commitments,” he added. O’Neil Henry (COM ’21) runs a podcast campaign with his friends, “You Might Be Wondering How We Got Here.” And their age definitely comes out in their podcast, whether it’s censoring language or just getting goofy. Henry feels almost beholden to his campaign, having been with it since the beginning. His first-ever D&D group was his freshman year floor mates, and soon the podcast was born. It was a whole new world for Henry, and then he was running the show. As a Film and TV major, “I love to create content, so I like the storytelling side of it,” Henry explained. “You’re creating something that people enjoy and contribute to.” Meanwhile, traditional tabletop games, which often emphasize simplicity, create a more accessible and enjoyable experience for newcomers as they rarely require previous experience to play. “They’re a more clean-cut experience versus something with a 50-page rule book and a nine-foot board,” Cox said. Many tabletop gamers found their love in the classics rather than RPGs. Rebecca Gelman (CAS ’20) also grew up with tabletop games at home and started seeking out that same casual fun at school. Like Cox, she found the environment changed when she got to college. “I’m playing more complicated games than when I was a kid,” she said. But even then, “you can let your inner kid out. You can just play and have a good time,” Gelman said. No matter what your favorite game is, tabletop gaming is about community. “I never really had a group of friends,” said Gelman, “but now I do have that solid
“You can let your inner kid out. You can just play and have a good time.”
group. It’s the highlight of my week.” She’s even written a paper about the unique environment of her tabletop community for a sociolinguistics class. The sense of community drives RPGs, too. “D&D is a very intimate game,” said Henry. “You’re making decisions in the best interest of a character and a group of characters which you have a very tight connection with.” Because everybody is contributing, everybody is invested. “You’re collaborating [to build a story], but you’re also just playing a game,” said Henry. So, when you make your first foray into the world of tabletops and RPGs at BU, don’t be shy. Settle in for a round of “Sheriff of Nottingham,” or stick with a classic like “Clue.” Try a one-shot of “Curse of Strahd” or maybe even a long-haul play through of “Wizards of the Coast.” Whatever you choose, they’re waiting to meet you. “There might be some confusion, maybe some nerves, but don’t worry about an introduction,” said Gelman. “There’s immediate acceptance.”
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STUDENT PRODUCED PROGRAMS by Hannah Lee photos by Kim Sarah designed by Ting Wei Li
BU’s College of Communication gives students opportunities to produce, manage and run their own forms of on-campus entertainment. This studentproduced content mainly falls under the umbrella of WTBU and BUTV10. WTBU is BU’s student-run, volunteer radio station that broadcasts live 20 hours a day. It is available on 89.3 FM/640 AM for those in the Greater Boston area and on BU’s cable channel six for those on campus. Here are some stations to highlight: Trash Talk (with Hannah Petosa): Includes a variety of segments, including making fun of one another and telling embarrassing stories. Offers lifestyle tips and advice on how to survive college. [Tuesdays 8 a.m.-10 p.m.] Wild Youth (with Olivia Bible): An indie show playing diverse subgenres within the indie genre, ranging from pop to R&B to folk. [Fridays 12 p.m.] Run2 Reel (with Jack Thornton, DJ Alisha, DJ Lebron): Explores the relationship between film and music. A focus is put on certain themes from film and the selected songs related to them. [Tuesdays 8 PM] BUTV10 is BU’s award-winning student-produced and managed content distribution network. It is one of the largest student groups on campus gathering students from eight different BU schools and colleges to collaborate in creating various programs featured on cable channel 10. The Hungry Terrier: BUTV10’s premiere food and culture show, here showing you the most awesome eats around that won’t empty your wallet, as well as awesome recipes that are both delicious and easy to make in your dorm room. Shadows: One of the longest running shows in BUTV10’s history is undergoing a revitalization: Now entering its twenty-first year on the air, Shadows chronicles the stories of those who have stumbled into the realm of the unknown, the occult and the downright horrifying. The Wire: #RunWired everyday with your latest breaking news. The Wire, carefully crafts four minute episodes around your busy lifestyle. The show is designed to bring you hard-hitting campus, national and international headlines. Our team collects and covers the day’s latest news to keep you running wired and up-to-date.
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Culture Fashion
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WE CAN HANDLE IT... I PROMISE Men cannot treat women like second-class citizens when it comes to politics by Jessica Stevens photo by Yi-Wen Wong design by Solana Chatfield
On Nov. 8, 2016, not only did the future of our country change, but the dynamics between men and women drastically changed as well. It has now been almost three years since Donald Trump was elected President of the United States, and our country could not be more divided. One of the many never-ending wars that has resulted from Trump’s election is the one between men and women. I just moved from Los Angeles to Boston, which I thought would be jumping from one liberal bubble to the next, but that hasn’t been the case. In fact, it has been quite the opposite. At my high school, politics was always a topic of conversation. Teachers and students alike openly shared their political views. There was no need to worry about the social implications, because almost everyone had similar views. Even if they didn’t, though, we were open to having the conversation and listening to others. Don’t get me wrong: I knew when I came to BU, everyone would not see eye to eye, but I didn’t think people would avoid the topic of conversation all together—especially men. Considering the recent news of Trump’s
potential impeachment, when I arrived at BU this semester, I expected to hear a lot of talk about politics. Clearly, I wasn’t expecting any heated debates, but I was expecting at least one friend to be open to talking about it. But, I noticed no one was, especially the guys. Seemingly as a way to “protect” us—as in women—men classically avoid the topic of politics when talking to or pursuing us. I have encountered this several times since I have arrived at school. I’ve heard all the typical lines within the first month and a half: “I don’t talk politics with girls,” “We shouldn’t get into this” and “It’s better if we don’t get into the red and the blue.” Saying “I don’t talk politics with girls,” has a different connotation these days than it may have in past generations. Yes, it still may mean that men think we can’t handle the topic of conversation. However, when someone says this to me, I automatically assume they are in support of Trump and his presidency. With the intent of not “losing” the girl, men will try not to discuss politics to avoid the common “How could you support Trump?”
argument. Whether it’s because they don’t believe women can keep up when talking politics, or they don’t want me to know they’re Trump supporters thinking I’m not capable of separating my political beliefs from my relationship with them, I find it alarming that 21st century college men think this way. When a man tells me I can’t handle a conversation about politics, he is insulting me. I am as educated and knowledgeable about the current political climate as any man. Indeed, since Trump was elected, political conversations are especially heated, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t happen and that does not mean we can’t “handle” it. We do not need to be protected from your political stance. If you think you’re going to “lose the girl” because of your political beliefs, then you aren’t giving us enough credit. We are capable, just as you are, of having friendships and relationships with people who have different political beliefs than we do. Just give us enough respect to be willing to have a conversation about it. It is not rocket science to figure out how to have an open, civil conversation about politics between women and men. But first, men need to have the guts to have the conversation for there to be one at all. Ultimately, men need to rethink how they perceive the relationship between themselves, women and politics. To do this, our society needs an attitude adjustment that is not going to be easy because it seems as though politics and sexism have been intertwined since the beginning. The conversation needs to change. Don’t treat us like we’re fragile. We are women, and we know shit, too.
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BODY POSITIVITY VERSUS BODY NEUTRALITY
Establishing a Healthy Relationship with Ourselves By Hannah Bohn photo by Amanda Willis design by Zoe Zheng
The world of body image and adopting a healthy relationship with our appearance has taken on many forms of expression in today’s media and society. The awareness spread around the ways we struggle to accept ourselves has encouraged individuals of all figures and molds to practice body positivity and self-love. This movement provides a liberating platform for individuals to voice their truths about wavering self-esteem while embracing the inherent beauty of what makes us each unique from one another. The origin of body positivity found its roots in this foundation; however, it has mildly become a kind of twisted version of itself, straying from a healthy space of freedom and moving toward a more limited ideology with confining standards. Although the idea of body positivity has extended the dialogue around negative body image, society often pushes the concept forcefully on the individual as a fixed expectation. The construct of body positivity calls upon our most vulnerable areas and asks us to full-bodily embrace our perceived flaws or insecurities. This may seem overwhelmingly out of reach for those struggling with a negative body image. The relationships we develop with our bodies are personal and belong to an endlessly evolving process; they should not be constrained by the pressure of adopting a certain perspective that may feel unattainable. The concept of body positivity aims for this empowering, ideal attitude toward our bodies, yet it paints a very specific picture of what confidence and a healthy self-esteem should be. Healthiness does not look the same on everyone, and just because one may not feel ready to adore every part of themselves does not mean the individual has negative selfesteem or is in any way less empowered than the next. The journey to a stable and fulfilling relationship between the mind
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and the body is not linear and certainly not universally consistent. The push to obtain body positivity may develop an overobsessed emphasis on needing to love our bodies before we have even learned to accept and respect them, placing pressure on ideologies that may feel unrealistic or distant for most people. An arguably healthier and more accessible practice of selflove could be found in the fundamental concept of body neutrality. Body neutrality embodies accepting oneself and instituting healthy self-notions while simultaneously aiming to steer the focus away from our physical appearance. It can be difficult to forcefully press a constant emphasis on body positivity, especially when doing so requires us to constantly think about the way we look. When the pressure to remain body positive is released, the individual is able to dismiss judgmental thoughts about outward appearance and focus more on the way we feel rather than the way we appear. Our bodies do not always have to be put on blast and analyzed through a magnifying glass—accentuation on body neutrality allows us to respect our bodies without all the pressure. Body image does not need to exist on two extreme sides of the spectrum: negative and broken, or positive and perfect. We are allowed to sit comfortably somewhere in the in-between zone, working toward our own goals and blossoming through individual pursuits of healthier selfconcepts. Body neutrality welcomes and encourages all shapes and sizes with varying comfort zones to pour love, compassion and forgiveness into our bodies. It promotes allowing ourselves to let go, be kind to our physical being and celebrate the different relationships we each form with our bodies and minds.
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
What’s Mine Isn’t Always Yours by Jazmyn Gray, photo by Amanda Willis design by Valentina Wicki
Some Words Just Do Not Belong to Everyone Moving to Boston from northern Minnesota, I’ve experienced severe culture shock. Since coming here, I’ve learned that most people can’t define the word uff-da, don’t do lake life and have never even tried a hotdish. Weird. But perhaps the greatest shock came during my first weekend here. My newfound friends were hanging out, eating food and hosting a singa-long (we’re cool, I swear), when Kendrick Lamar’s “m.A.A.d City” came on. I prepared to cringe. But that’s when the strangest thing happened...the chorus started, and my white friends stopped. Weird, but cool. Rap culture has complicated what initially seems to be a black and white issue. But why? Well, it’s black music for a white society, and therein lies the problem. Mostly. Last year,
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Kendrick Lamar was performing live in Alabama when he invited a white fan on stage to rap “m.A.A.d City” with him. She knew the lyrics and she sang them—all of them. This caused Lamar to stop mid-song, asking her to “bleep out one single word.” The fan may have thought she was just rapping a song she liked, but she failed to realize the space she was in, the weight of the words and the burden they carry. But, what about the black music being made by white rappers? As rap music diversifies, the music industry continues to try and navigate the changing genre. It tries to ensure that hip-hop is not being overwhelmed by white culture. But this creates murky territory. In his “Open Letter to Post Malone,” author Michael
Harriot called Post Malone, and rappers like him, inherently “problematic.” Not only for his N-word “spitting raps,” but for his privilege— his ability to “scream reverse racism while stuffing [his] pockets with the dollars earned off the art, culture and platforms we built.” Post Malone is only one outcome of a society that is increasingly confused by the melting pot we live in. Grime MC Yizzy told BBC news that while “every person can say what they want,” we all have a responsibility. It’s true that no one can keep you from saying anything. But, if you have the desire to use a word that’s not yours, maybe it’s worth examining why. Why insist on claiming space that isn’t meant for you? On pressuring an already strained relationship? On showing your privilege?
Because that’s really what it is. It’s a privilege. If you are using a word that isn’t meant for you—choosing what parts of an oppressed existence you want to claim—you are exercising your privilege. It may not be intentional or conscious, but it is true. You have been taught the world is your oyster—yours for the taking. So, you take it. You take it, you claim it and you don’t see the harm. Must be nice. And with that, VSCO girls...let’s discuss. You oop and sksksks, but rarely acknowledge where these terms actually came from. Like most slang, the terms are rooted in Black and LGBTQ communities. I’m not suggesting that, alone, keeps people from saying it, but I am suggesting we acknowledge the history
of language, how it’s adapted and the implications of its evolution. More specifically, what it could mean to the community it was adapted from—what it means to live in a society that only wants certain parts of you. So, next time you’re listening to Kendrick or Missy or Jay, maybe take it as a learning opportunity. Sit quiet. Stay still. Practice refrain. In an interview with Vox, famed author Ta-Nehesi Coates explained, “The experience of being a hip-hop fan and not being able to use the word [...] is actually very, very insightful. It will give you just a little peek into the world of what it means to be Black.” If you insist on using a word that belongs to another community, maybe you should try to examine the experience it’s attached to. You need to understand that not every space belongs to everyone, at least, not in the world we live in. You need to understand the weight of the language by listening to it. You need to understand that the bass doesn’t erase meaning. This isn’t just about black language, because words matter. I do mean all words, which includes language targeting women, LGBTQIA+ and Latinx communities. Many communities are undergoing a similar linguistic revolution—reclaiming the words that were once used to hurt them. On this topic, the Guardian wrote “reappropriation of ethnic and sexual slurs starts as an act of bravado by a few of the oppressed, then [becomes] an empowering mechanism for a much wider community.” By owning an insult once used to hurt you, you deprive it of its power. You might even gain some of your own. When you use a word that doesn’t belong to you, you can potentially deprive it of its positivity. It regresses. Words matter, and there’s power in painful language; only when it’s used by those it’s meant for. What’s mine doesn’t always have to be yours, and that’s okay. (Or, at least, it should be. Uff-da.)
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STAN BY ME:
THIS CENTURY KILLED THE POP STAR by Kaylie Felsberg photo by Yi-Wen Wong design by Nicole Chen
As the decade comes to a close, “pop music” has taken many turns. What was once a term to describe the most listened to music is now a genre with much more specificity. At many points in history, those two definitions have nicely crossed paths. Pop songs from “Here Comes the Sun,” to “Bad Romance” have existed as the most popular songs of their day. Since “Video Killed the Radio Star,” pop has been the type of genre that kept an entertainer in a box: a visual artist, a wunderkind performer, cultural pioneer, pop arbiter and a chart leader or, in other words, a pop star. Thanks in part to the capitalizing forces of the Internet, pop has since broken into many, many fragments. In the last two years, the pop music echo chamber has become more habitable for SoundCloud rappers, bizarre EDM/country music hybrids and a freestyle from Cardi B than it has been to once indomitable pop stars like Taylor Swift. Now a new generation of artists are taking mold: pop stars who “flop.” The term “flop” has been employed by stans (a term adapted from the Eminem song to describe the most obsessive of fans) to describe artists and/or albums that fail to top past commercial victories. Brooke Hopper, an entertainment and culture writer for Entertainment Weekly, claims fans latch onto these flop artists for a sense of security and comfort. She believes it leads listeners to rally around their favorite pop with even more fervor. “There’s a conversation to be had of how stan culture appeals to loners with obsessive tendencies looking for a place to fit in,” said Hopper. “They latch onto the success of the artists and join in on the mob mentality.” Many of these albums that have reached peak flop failed to match the commercial success of their creators’ previous releases,
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despite featuring singles that landed in the Top 40. Critical darlings like Charli XCX, Tove Lo and Tinashe inspire adamant adoration with releases that barely reach the broader public—and for many stans, that is part of the appeal. Dani, an 18-year-old from Texas who uses the Twitter handle @pure_drama1, made his account his freshman year of high school when he fell under the spell of Carly Rae Jepsen, and said the “cloak of anonymity made it feel safe.” “[Carly] is better than half of the main pop girls,” said the avid Twitter user. “The fact that she doesn’t chart well makes us love her even more and more willing to fight for her.” The end result appears to be that the worse an album does, the more it is loved by fans. Ariana Grande, one of the biggest pop stars in the world, released her Nicki Minaj collaboration “The Light Is Coming” last year to almost no buzz—it peaked at number 89 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Troye Sivan’s “Bloom,” a critically lauded record that fans fawned over, entered the charts at a respectable number four. Two weeks later it dropped out of the Top 40. Lady Gaga’s “Joanne” and Katy Perry’s “Witness,” the pop queens’ infamous flop albums, both debuted at number one but one week later fell to number five and number 13, respectively. A few years earlier, anything other than a chart-topping record would have felt alien to either of them, but in today’s climate, we’ve come to realize fans do not engage with music in the same way. Hopper explained how fans having more control over what they want to stream and when has turned into a complicated problem for the artist. “We’re more selective with our streaming habits than ever before,” said
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Hopper. “If we don’t have to pay for a whole record, we’ll seek out the few worth listening to and rinse those ones instead, and the art of the behemoth album, listened to from start to finish, suffers as a consequence.” The idea of “the flop” has weaved its way through movie blockbusters to pop albums, specifically those released by stars with little chart impact. Both 2017 and 2018 played host to an entire devotion of flops. Kesha, Lorde, Fergie, Miley Cyrus, Justin Timberlake and Taylor Swift, all of whom had at one point controlled the zeitgeist, released notably underperforming albums— half of those albums failed to achieve a single Top 10 hit. Even Beyoncé, who can drop a surprise album in the middle of the night and still have it do well, has not reached the top five as a lead artist on the Hot 100 since 2013’s “Drunk in Love.” Her latest, “Everything Is Love” is a rare testament of her unique repute who thrives without multi-format hit singles. Charlotte, a self-described 20-year-old Lorde stan who uses the Twitter handle @ liabilities, said she cannot afford to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars each year on the “Green Light” singer. The fan said the most she can do is support the artist on social media.
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“It’s an expensive hobby and I definitely can’t afford to spend money on concert tickets, albums and merch,” said Charlotte. “It adds up and in a way, I think having a huge social media following is more beneficial than selling a few extra albums.” Meanwhile, the army of stars who should be next in line—Charlie Puth, Dua Lipa, Camila Cabello, Normani and Shawn Mendes—have struggled to convert a smattering of hits into sustained runs at the top of the charts, even several albums into their careers. Many artists have been pushed to the fringe, sustained by rabid core fan bases consisting largely of teen communities, but not cultural supremacy. Henry Jenkins, a Professor of Communication at the University of Southern California, published “Textual Poachers” in 1992 and found fandom as a specific source of creativity and expression for massive amounts of people. “Fandom is born out of a mix of fascination and frustration,” wrote Jenkins. “If you weren’t drawn to it on some level, you wouldn’t be a fan. But, if it fully satisfies you, you wouldn’t need to rewrite it, remake it, re-perform it.” But, it’s led critics to believe a lot of stan culture is based on toxicity and can even
lead to immense fighting and cyber-bullying between stans of different artists. Twitter user @Rudy_A_U said, though they will argue for things they love, it becomes a different monster on social media. As a 22-year-old, they viewed themselves as “too old” to have an entire account dedicated to one specific person or group. “Honestly, stan culture is unhealthy and disturbing as hell,” said the user. “There are people out there dedicating their entire internet presence or fetishizing a famous person to the point of freaking out over them doing something completely boring.” In a 2011 New York Times piece on stan culture, writer Alex Hawgood observed: “[The intensity of stan culture] can make competition among stans particularly ugly, but it can also serve as a lifeboat, keeping a troubled performer’s career afloat. The singer Ciara, a former A-list recording artist who fell into a series of problems with her former label, Jive, that resulted in her most-recent album being shelved, might have been forgotten were it not for die-hards going to bat for her day after day on websites like That Grape Juice or Popjustice.” As harsh as being branded a flop can be, it can have benefits besides serving as a warning light for die-hard fans. A decline commercially typically means that artist is
separating themselves from what made them popular in the first place. Case in point: Taylor Swift. After being branded a “snake” on social media, Swift retreated for over three years and worked with new collaborators, resulting in her 2017 album “reputation”—a sleeper hit among the pop-star’s terrifyingly big fan base. Jasmine, a 17-year-old who uses the Twitter handle @swiftisspelling, believes “reputation” is her favorite album because of the environment is was produced under. “When it first came people just didn’t get it,” said the fan. “I always feel misunderstood, so I completely attached myself to that album.” That appears to be the message behind the flop. People who usually feel alone are suddenly drawn to these vast communities where the favored artist is faced with commercial pressure and major-label struggles. “Even if [Swift] is a flop, I see my own struggles reflected in her,” said Jasmine. “I’m defensive of her because she’s been so maligned, but I also find inspiration in her perseverance.”
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Streaming vs Vinyl: Who Wins? In an Increasingly Digital Age, Vinyl May Not Be as Dead as You Thought it Was by Noor Mchallah photos by Angelene Kim design by Ken Rudolph
e Buzz Th
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Frank Ocean, Ariana Grande, Mac Miler, Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Tyler the Creator, Ed Sheeran, Lil Nas X and so many more. These are only a few artists who have contributed to the music scene during the streaming age and changed the industry. From our phones to our cars, we listen to these artists nonstop. The lyrics of our favorite musicians have made us slaves to the sound since the dawn of time and, in the past couple of years, we’ve become lucky enough to stream music on platforms like Spotify, SoundCloud and Apple Music. But it wasn’t always that easy. Not too long ago, it was just CDs, cassettes and vinyl records. Now, and even though the charts are dominated by streaming, the vinyl record is making a strange resurgence. Stuart Freedman, owner of the record store Nuggets in Kenmore Square, said he has seen an obvious increase in physical album purchases —specifically vinyl records— in the last seven to eight years. “There were these customers who were looking for Led Zeppelin, so I pointed towards the CDs, but they said “no, I want vinyl,’” Freedman said. He believes the newfound love for vinyl happened over night—and he might not be wrong. According to the website Phonotstage, January 2017 had the highest number of purchased vinyl since 1991. So, what triggered this boom if physical albums were deemed “unnecessary”? Backtrack to 2006. Arctic Monkeys. Phonostage reported when the British band’s debut album “Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not” was released, the “indie rock” train was jumpstarted in the UK and fans were climbing onboard with their newly purchased vinyl’s—proclaiming them the new “it” thing. The new-wave idea of how to consume music seemed to be a transatlantic one and Breanna Dooling (CAS ’20) is a prime example of that. Dooling, in this year alone, has purchased about seven vinyl records and prefers listening to music that way. The 21-year-old student believes physical albums provide listeners with a certain authenticity that streaming lacks. “[Vinyl] is an extremely high form of music and allows the listener to experience their music as it was originally developed,” said Dooling. It’s an interesting case that as the sales of vinyl
records have enjoyed constant growth in recent years, CD sales are in a nosedive. Last year, the Recording Industry Association of America’s (RIAA) mid-year report suggested that CD sales were declining three times as fast as vinyl sales were growing. In February, the RIAA reported that vinyl sales accounted for more than a third of the revenue coming from physical releases. In the RIAA’s 2019 mid-year report, which came out early September, the trend continues. Vinyl records earned $224.1 million (on 8.6 million units) in the first half of 2019, closing in on the $247.9 million (on 18.6 million units) generated by CD sales. Vinyl revenue grew by 12.8 percent in the second half of 2018 and 12.9 percent in the first six months of 2019, while the revenue from CDs barely budged. If these trends continue, records will soon be generating more money than compact discs. But despite vinyl’s growth, streaming is still king—records accounted for just four percent of total revenue in the first half of 2019. In contrast, paid subscriptions to streaming services generated 62 percent of industry revenues. Steven Ansell, an Associate Professor of Music at Boston University, claims the streaming services are beneficial for things beyond listening. “Having [music] you can stream is really good for educational purposes,” said Ansell. “All the music we play is available online.” One of the most interesting things about vinyl and streaming is their symbiotic relationship. It’s complimentary rather than competitive. Vinyl enthusiasts will still buy an album that
they can listen to in one specific environment, all while knowing they can download that album and many more for half the price onto a travelfriendly device. Some view vinyl as a “luxury item” they would rather not spend money on, including Yazan Aryan (Questrom ’19). “I’ve never purchased a single vinyl because they’re overpriced,” said Aryan. “[But] some artists like Frank Ocean make them extremely rare which makes purchasing them worth it. He released about 5,000 copies of ‘Endless’ and fans went crazy over them.” There is another obvious appeal to owning vinyl, besides it being limited, and that’s the nostalgia factor. The vinyl resurgence has been a godsend for artists that are played on the Classic Vinyl station. According to Rolling Stone, The Beatles sold over 300,000 records in 2018, while Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Queen all sold over 100,000. “Nobody cared about records for 20 years,” said Freedman, but now people are making a hobby out of collecting them. The appeal of vinyl is in the warmness that imbues you when listening to “Dreams,” “Song for Bob Dylan” or “Time” in a dark room. It’s in listening to the whole album the way the artist laid it out. And eventually growing fond of the couple of songs you typically skip on on your iPhone. Freedman recalled, “Tom Petty on his albums said, ‘At this point if you had a record this is where you’d be flipping it over,’ and I always thought that was neat.”
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KARAOKE SUPERNOVAS A Playlist of Crowd-Pleasing Hits by The Music Team photos by design by Valentina Wicki
A great karaoke night boils down to three things: your song choice, your confidence and your audience. When you have a friend who just won’t stop singing “Africa” by Toto, even if they do believe they can hit the low notes on the verse, gently guide them through this list of 21 songs that are sprinkled with pop perfections, cherry-bombed choruses and back-breaking raps curated by the Music Team. Trust us: there’s nothing more euphoric than singing (screaming) the words to “Ironic” after taking a hazily jaunt to the nearest karaoke club (some liquid courage helps, too). “Oops! I Did It Again” by Britney Spears “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” by Shania Twain “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” by Backstreet Boys “Pretty Hurts” by Beyoncé “Maps” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Killing Me Softly with His Song” by The Fugees “Don’t Dream It’s Over” by Crowded House “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston “No Scrubs” by TLC “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt “Kiss from a Rose” by Seal “Super Bass” by Nicki Minaj “Shallow” by Lady Gaga “Ironic” by Alanis Morrissette “Dancing Queen” by ABBA “Hey Ya!” by Outkast “Family Affair” by Mary J. Blige “Promiscuous Girl” by Nelly Furtado “Baby” by Justin Bieber “Jenny from the Block” by Jennifer Lopez
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the buzz staff
Noor Nasser Editor-in-Chief
Anu Sawhney Managing Editor
Alejandra Aristeguieta Publisher
Solana Chatfield Art Director
Amanda Willis Print-Photo Director Social Media Manager
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Valentina Wicki Creative Director
Caroline Smith Head Copy Editor
Carina Lee Online Photo Director
Noemi Arellano-Summer Culture Editor
Sabrina Weiss City Editor
Sarah Finkel Food Editor
Jessica Stevens Opinions Editor
Amelia Murray-Cooper Wellness Editor
Geneve Lau Campus Editor Marketing Manager
Kaylie Felsberg Music Editor
Amille Bottom Travel Editor
Melony Breese-Forcier Fashion Editor 103