THINGS GIRL POWER
#004
“To me, Girl Power means confidence. Confidence for all women, not exclusive or elitist, but empowering to anyone who identifies with it. Girl Power means that no woc should feel unwelcome in the Art Hoe movement, because it’s been abused by those who took it and applied expensive backpacks/markers to a definition meant to highlight minority artists. Girl power means that no one should feel excluded from the feminist movement, which tends not to highlight the rights of the disabled, poc, transgender etc.,. Girl Power means equal media representation, the destruction of the glass ceiling, the eradication of rape culture, the attention to rights in the third world. Girl Power, to me, is to say that every girl feels that she belongs somewhere, and feels an immense pride in where that place is. “ -Ruthie Block, Cover Artist
EDITOR’S LETTER “Girl Power is uplifting and shining a light on how awesome girls. It’s more than these online feminist movements. It’s actually taking action. Shoutout to the Spice Girls for teaching me this at a young age! Haha” -Tyra Mitchell “To me, ‘girl power’ means supporting my fellow ladies in all that they do.” -Remi Riordan “Girl power for me means knowing your worth, not being afraid to express yourself on all forums to empower others, and having an aura that radiates who you are.” -Mithsuca Berry “Girl power, to me, means being able to do you, being able to respect other girls and empower them as we should all be doing” -Savannah Hart “Girl power is something deep within us girls that society has been trying to hide.” -Adejoke Attebi The Girl Power issue has been my favorite issue to put together so far. The amount of girls, especially teenage girls, who have supported and submitted is so overwhelming and the general response to this theme has fueled a lot of new ideas for the magazine, like our YouTube channel. Through this issue I got to interview (and re-interview) some amazing girls doing amazing things and I couldn’t be more excited. In every interview I asked “What does ‘girl power’ mean to you?” And for this letter, I’d like to highlight the responeses. Enjoy.
SIENNA KWAMI EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
TABLE OF CONTENTS Style Power to the Outfit Sports Suck All Types of Gold Babe.
Ar t & Lit
Everything Connects Who The Hell Is Hurrican Mom? A Drive Through Town Things to Remember T yra Mitchell Way of the Warrior
Music & Culture Remi Only Gets Cooler The Power of a Girl Group Women in Music Let’s Get Woke! The Fight Isn’t Over Another Feminist Rant BayCreatives
CONTRIBUTORS Local
Adejoke Attebi Borana Ramizi Eva Westphal Mithsuca Berry Penny Mack Ruthie Block Savannah Hart
National Ashley Armitage Eileen Syrop Evalee Mason Julia Harrison Remi Riordan Matthew Yoscary Tyra Mitchell
International Anna Elizabeth Lusid Art Zoe Gilligan
Team
Sienna Kwami - Editor in Chief Mandusu Sidibay - Creative Director Penny Mack - Blog Editor Special thanks to Anna Ekizabeth for the amazing girl power typography used in editor’s letter!
POWER TO THE OUTFIT BY EVALEE MASON Fashion is a passion (rhyme totally intended) of mine. I can find anything in any store, whether it be a thrift shop I stumbled upon, or my local H&M. I look up to female fashion icons like Alexa Chung, young Winona Ryder, and Clueless’s Cher Horowitz (90’s fashion was just too good). Even girls I follow on tumblr inspire me to create my outfits. However, all of this in mind, I still believe in the originality of clothing. I also believe nothing is more EMPOWERING than rocking that new crop top or those high waisted jeans that make your butt look amazing.
of the sexual harassment or attack of a woman is, “Well what was she wearing?”. The horror I show on my face every time is evident, and so many feminists like me speak out to prove that the only form of consent is the spoken word YES. No girl is ever asking for it, especially if you believe their outfit determines their approval. I should not fear walking down the street in shorts, instead I should feel comfortable, safe and stylish as hell.
Let girls wear what makes the feel STRONG, and be the first person to reinforce that feeling. No longer should clothing determine I like clothes that make me feel confident, consent, or should style be held back. Power happy, and ready to take on the day. I put my to the outfit! heart and soul into my fashion because it’s my form of self representation. The beauty of self expression is that it’s yours, nobody can take that away, or so we’re told. Nothing is more aggravating than when I’m labeled as anything other than fashionable for my clothes. More and more girls are being slut shamed because of what they’re wearing. Showing skin doesn’t make you a whore, just like showing none doesn’t make you a prude. These assumptions and criticisms of a woman’s ensemble are destroying our culture, and the mindset of both genders. What I am wearing shouldn’t determine my consent to ANYTHING. One of the most common things I hear when someone is notified
SPORTS SUCK
modeled by nina wisner / shot by: vanessa gaddy
If you’ve never heard of Crucial Limited, the cunningly cool streetwear label by Matthew Yoscary, then your closet and life are definitely missing out. Born out of New Jersey, where Yoscary resides, the label features clothing and accessories that -simply put - say what’s up. With pieces like “Fucking Headaches” the brand becomes extremely relatable to any angsty person, which is most of the modern youth population. Yoscary has been at this for 2 years and he seems to have mastered coming up with cool and meaningful concepts for his products. Take Crucial Limited’s most recent collection: “Team Player”, featuring pastel sports jerseys adorned with the phrase “Sports Suck”. Yoscary explains that “this collection entitled ‘team player’ is a stand on the cruel world of professional sports / unfairness in class due to talent. Blatantly put, sports suck. One person should not feel some sort of power or authority over another because of the natural talent they have for a sport that means nothing. Granted it’s good to get outside and play, but I wanna stand up for those who remain silent during sports talk.” And as if Matthew’s recognition of disadvantaged females trough a female inspired collection isn’t enough, he made sure the collection was “shot and modeled by females. My girlfriend is a photographer and I have her take photos for me; I really think that people should know that women have more of an impact in street wear than they think. The street wear game is in its strongest form and it is not just the males making all the moves behind the scenes.” -Sienna Kwami
Hey! In case you forgot, you are a beautiful, strong human being. Never forget that. Love, Things Mag
All Shades of Gold by ashley armitage modeled by chase hagar, lily wirth, jill speller
about the series Ashley Armitage is a 21-year-old photographer from Seattle currently majoring in photography at UW. Her work is an exploration of what it means to represent femininity through a woman’s viewpoint and not through a man’s fantasy. Over the last few months, She has focused on highlighting the private lives and routines of girlhood. Applying makeup, getting dressed, hanging out in bedrooms, gossiping in bathrooms. These are all things that constitute girlhood and womanhood and are often ridiculed as superficial, vain, petty, and catty. Her work is an attempt to reclaim these activities in a positive light and to show teenage girls are well-rounded people, not as flat stereotypes.
babe.
by sienna kwami modeled by ishrat qureshi
E V E RY T H I N G CONNECTS BY LUSID ART
Beatrix Queen of Broken Hearts
Luna
who the hell is hurricane-mom?
by sienna kwami a few days on the tumblrsphere and you’ll find a vast amount of communities: fandoms, couture blogs, and a community of poc (person of color) artists , also known as ‘art hoes’ who specialize in wokeness and overall coolness at an enviable level. only recently, i started using tumblr more actively and following this team of art hoes and i was automatically impressed with the supportive community for poc artists they created. among these trailblazers was ruthie block otherwise known as “hurricane-mom”. i first learned about hurricane-mom through her mutuals and the women of color owned Shade Zine during my daily scroll through tumblr. her illustrations quickly caught my eye with their bright colors and animated gif versions of usually static portraits. i quickly clicked on her interview for the zine and obsessed over her illustrations under her blog tag “#mywork”. after a good amount of obsessing over her work, i read through her interview and had a *cries* meme moment when i saw that ruthie lived in massachusetts. during that time i was looking for an inspiring local artist for our girl power issue and was completely stumped. so like a sign from a universe, i had stumbled on ruthie’s tumblr. without another thought, i quickly messaged her to see if she would be open to interviewing and being on or drawing the cover (then undecided) of the magazine. not too long after, we imessaged about a massacusetts art hoe meet up, our crippling spending habits and summer jobs (or lack of) and i am still completely amazed by how nice and easy to talk/relate to ruthie is. it may be the fact that we’re both sixteen and we live in the same city, but talking with ruthie is comfortable - and yes there are awkard text conversations. things mag usually does q&a format interviews because it cuts out the “fluff” of written story-like interviews and allows the artist to speak their truth without anyone framing it. so to stay true to that model, meet ruthie:
Q: One of the first things that got my attention when I came across your account was your user hurricane-mom, how did you come up with it? A: Honestly, I’m not one-hundred percent sure how the url came to be. It was definitely a trial and error process, where I typed in something I liked and was repeatedly told by tumblr that it was unavailable. It’s highly possible that the URL started off as something even odder, like ‘cyclone-uncle’, and was edited slowly until it became the masterpiece that it is today! Q: Your artwork is very detailed and colorful, what is the process of making a piece? A: The first step in the portraits is always finding inspiration, usually in the form of an impressive, interesting person. It’s really easy to find these
incredibly talented and creative women on tumblr, so with some light digging (or even just scrolling) I’ll quickly land on someone’s blog that motivates me to get to work. Next, I try to get to know the person as well as I can, in order to best portray them in the piece (either through messaging someone, or looking through their blog). I figure out how I want to do the portrait, find a photo that I think represents them well, and begin to draw. After the initial drawing is complete, I scan it in and begin coloring in photoshop, which is my favorite part of the process. Messing with different color schemes, patterns, and background images, is what really makes the portraits personal. After I develop a couple different options, I pick a favorite and it’s complete!
Q: To be able to draw with as much detail as you do, you must be really invested in the piece what inspires you to illustrate? A: Though I want to avoid sounding like a broken record, I really can’t stress enough how inspirational the subjects of the portraits are. Each person that I’ve drawn so far has essentially made me feel as though the time and effort put in was nothing compared to the honor of speaking with and depicting them. I’m truly grateful for the confidence, self-esteem, and pride that these women have taught me, so investing myself in a portrait is just a (small) way to say ‘thanks’!
and then creating portraits from this, I’d like to think that the pieces are expressing to onlookers (especially woc) the value in celebrating their identities. I’m trying to dare young people to be egotists without shame.
Q: As an artist who shares work online, what has been the most helpful part of sharing through social media? How did you pick which platform you would use (tumblr, insta, twitter)? A: When I first started posting my pieces online, I was taken aback by how incredibly open and supportive the Tumblr community was. I didn’t join Tumblr until late April of this year, and, as Q: What are the best and worst parts of doing art cheesy as it sounds, I immediately felt welcomed as a teenaged female? into a diverse family of talented, incredible, and A: I guess it’s kind of hard to say, because I havpowerful young people. I’m really grateful for en’t been doing it for too long, but it’s easy to see that, and I know I’m really that teenage girls are, as a “By maintaining the concept fortunate to have had such whole, treated less seriously that a selfie is a form of body a positive experience, as than other artists. A lot of the not everyone shares an positive self-expression, and optimistic outlook online. time we are marginalized; shoved into this category of then creating portraits from In addition to the specific trivial amateurs, who prothis, I’d like to think that the support of the Tumblr popduce poor copies of better ulation, the most helpful pieces are expressing to on- part of social media in known masterpieces and expect immediate praise for lookers (especially woc) the general has been not only sloppy work. Although it can value in celebrating their iden- the ease with which I could be frustrating to be categopresent work to a wide rized so brashly, it also sort tities. I’m trying to dare young audience, but the equal of gives the artist freedom to people to be egotists without opportunity given to anymake mistakes. With the exone on these platforms. To shame” pectation of failure, or no excall it random would be an pectations at all, it becomes understatement, as the near anonymity of Tuma lot easier to experiment as a young artist. blr allows artists to get discovered on a whim, based solely on if people feel a connection to the Q: What do you want your art to be or do? work or not. This really benefitted me, as being A: Though extremely ambitious, I think the enda young artist of color, I was drawn to everything goal of my work is to spread an unapologetic the Art Hoe movement had to offer me, and sense of self-pride through the continued use of found myself on the absolutely iconic blog, senportraiture. It would be incredible to know that sitiveblackperson, belonging to Mars. Once they something I’ve created has positively affected reblogged my first two pieces, it became clear the self-image of either the subject of the portrait, that with the right amount of luck, anyone can be or the audience. There are so many incredible discovered online, which I love! As to why I chose artists of color, (a personal favorite of mine beTumblr, over Instagram or Twitter, it just seemed ing Kehinde Wiley), whose goals are to paint like the most accessible way for me to curate people of color into scenes of pride and power, and own my own page, and release my art freely rather than oppression, and I draw a lot of influ(though I did join insta this week, and so far so ence from that. By maintaining the concept that a good). selfie is a form of body positive self-expression,
Q: Sixteen in Boston, how’s that going? Haha. A: Haha well, I guess, Sixteen is going as expected. It’s always hilarious, kind of gross, and usually confusing, but I’m managing as best I can! Juggling friends, boredom, crushes, work, school, and all of the other things that come with 16 sucks often, but I guess it’s fairly run of the mill and living close to a city definitely helps!! As I’ve gotten older, I’ve really started to appreciate everything that the Boston/Cambridge area has to offer. It seems like there’s infinite stuff to do out there, and I’m pretty excited about exploring it all :) Q: What does girl power mean to you? A: To me, Girl Power means confidence. Confidence for all women, not exclusive or elitist, but empowering to anyone who identifies with it. Girl Power means that no woc should feel unwelcome in the Art Hoe movement, because it’s been abused by those who took it and applied expensive backpacks/ markers to a definition meant to highlight minority artists. Girl power means that no one should feel excluded from the feminist movement, which tends not to highlight the rights of the disabled, poc, transgender etc.,. Girl Power means equal media representation, the destruction of the glass ceiling, the eradication of rape culture, the attention to rights in the third world. Girl Power, to me, is to say that every girl feels that she belongs somewhere, and feels an immense pride in where that place is.
A Drive Through Town rolling and i saw a red-headed kerouac and his barefoot bernadette off on another adventure i assume their white feet on the burning black ground will take them into a greater blackness lights flash in the sky robotic but still lonely like they are sad to be there they all flash together the grass becomes the sun and the sun turns bloody a woman with brown skin and blue legs pushes her dog in a stroller and speaks happily to herself about the weather asks how everyone else is doing inside of her head the man in the window stares at me lustfully my cheeks turn pink and i look away i watch people sweat in their cars something feels empty on the crowded highway by julia harrison
THINGS TO REMEMBER BY ANNA ELIZABETH
TYRA MITCHELL Interviewed by Sienna kwami
If you’re looking for a sublime, woman of color artist to inspire you, look no further than Tyra Mitchell. Also known under the alias “tyrathezombie”, the New York dwelling artist created and curated the all-female-of-color based show: #GIRLARTISTTAKEOVER. And her photographic work typically features people of color in beautiful shots – giving an uplifting view of people of color and including them in modern art. Tyra is a personal inspiration of mine and this interview will no doubt make her your inspiration as well. Q: How would you define what you do?
Q: What inspires your photographic work?
A: That’s always extremely tough for me to answer since I have my hands in so many things creatively. All in all, I believe that through my art, I am representing people like me. Whether you’re a girl, young, of color, from DC, etc. My goal is to be successful and inspire others who are just like me.
A: I often find myself getting inspired by colors, shadows, and the people I surround myself with. Through my work you can see how I try to combine them all. Q: When you shoot editorials/photoshoots what makes the “perfect” set up?
A: Honestly I’m a simple girl. Just give me a nice sized space with some large windows for lots of natural lighting and I am set. I can make the most out of anything. Q: If you had any resource and an unlimited budget to plan the perfect shoot, what would you do/ what would the shoot look like? A: Not sure, my creative process is ever-changing. Maybe something insanely awesome and Tim Walker inspired? He’s awesome. Q: What’s the story behind ‘#GIRLARTISTTAKEOVER’? A: Well, it all began when I would just be on Instagram and scrolling through my feed. Most of my friends are artists and majority of them are girls. So when someone would post their work I would just be like “wow..this is so good. #girlartisttakeover.” It was such an unconscious thing at first but then I was thinking that it could be something more. I then began posting more of my work and tagging it and from there, encouraging other girls
to post it on theres. Fast forward with over 400+ post with that tag, I knew I wanted to have a show based around it. Q: How did you curate the artists in the show? Were they personal friends or people you had only met through certain outlets like social media? A: I gathered girls that I knew personally and/or was recommended to and just asked them. I told them exactly why I was doing it and they were all really excited and down for it. All the girls that were involved in this showcase are all so great and are really about changing the way girls of color are viewed. Q: What do you hope to achieve with the #GIRLARTISTTAKEOVER tag? A: The hashtag #GIRLARTISTTAKEOVER was created to give an opportunity to showcase your work to the world while also letting people know that we, as girls, are dominating in the art world. it’s my way of creating a sisterhood between girl
artists all over! Q: Will you be curating more shows in the future? A: Yes, I definitely plan on it. Q: I’ve noticed there’s a tight knit community of black female artists on the platforms like tumblr and instagram. How do you support each other and how important is it to build that community? A: First of all I would like to say how amazing I think it is that this community exists. This community is important because honestly, as a black woman we don’t receive as much support as men or white women do. And really I think everyone was just fed up so we created our own space. Q: What does “Girl Power” mean to you? A: Girl Power is uplifting and shining a light on how awesome girls are. It’s more than these online feminist movements. It’s actually taking action and standing up for what you believe in. Shoutout to the Spice Girls for teaching me this at a young age! Haha.
武士道 — BUSHIDO — WAY OF THE WARRIOR: 女武芸者 — ONNA BUGEISHA — FEMALE WARRIOR POETRY SERIES + ARTWORK BY ZOE GILLIGAN F O R E W O R D : To be precise, 女武芸者 is pronounced as onna-bugeisha, and an onna bugeisha was a type of female Japanese warrior. These women were of the multitude — widows, wives, rebels, daughters — and some belonged to Japanese nobility, while others simply were women living in areas lacking male fighters. Although they fought in arms with samurai men, they were in existence long before the bushi samurai class of feudal Japan came to exist. The first recorded onna bugeisha was Empress Jingu, alive from 169-269 AD in the Yayoi period. While her existence has been disputed over the years, she serves as a figurehead for all onna bugeishas. Legends say that after her husband Emperor Chūai, the fourteenth emperor of Japan, was killed at war, she victoriously led a bloodless conquest of Korea. Empress Jingu is an example of Japanese women transcending male-dominated institutions in Japan. For instance, she was the first woman to appear on Japanese currency in 1881. As it was, the Asian idea of a woman was riddled with stereotypical femininity. Women were inclined to be “weak” and remain at home as “obedient”
and “submissive” housewives; “fragility” was also seen as an attractive feature in them. Generally, women were seen as nothing more than pawns for possible status-elevation through marriage, and as child-bearers. However, onna bugeishas defied those traditions, and played a pivotal role in changing the landscape of female capability and potential in pre-modern Japan. As an adolescent girl whose mother is of East Asian descent, I have always had an onslaught of Asian housewife stereotypes thrown at me — even though my father is of Irish descent — as if my future is predisposed by generalizations of my ancestors. In saying that, those slurs prompted me to delve deeper in my roots, which is where I not only came across onna bugeishas, but other fierce women in pre-modern China and Korea. Just knowing that I descend from such strong women is so uplifting and inspiring, which is what spurred me into action — into respecting, honoring, and writing about onna bugeishas, as they now influence me and are spearheads to which I look for courage, wisdom, and solace out of my own feminine filial piety. The samurai code is divided up into seven different sects, into which I divided up this poetry series: Righteousness (義), Courage (勇), Benevolence (仁), Respect (礼), Sincerity (誠), Honor (名誉), and Loyalty (忠義). This series is an ode to the fearless onna bugeishas who slew adversity, proudly answered the call of duty, and pioneered true literal and figurative girl power in feudal Japan. I. 義 — Righteousness Bare Is my village Bare Are my fists But they pack punches As sharp as a thousand cranes These actions Are justified For I stand alone On justice Not a man in sight It is I, The woman, Who carries out the just And will only bow down To the righteous II. 勇 — Courage Underneath silk
Beneath the tatami Lay a lion That no nobility Can tame And force into servitude Of a traditional housewife It roars freely And its heart beats wildly With sweet anticipation Of the hunt When duty calls It is a rebel Caged By ribs, breasts, and an obi But its courage courses Through my veins, Swims in my eyes, And seeps from my palms Onto my weapons To protect And preserve A divergent Lion-heart I am III. 仁 — Benevolence I will not Put myself above all I have everything To give And to forgive No man And his cold charity Will ever stop My filial piety That pushes The innate need To take charge And give And do I will give myself up
To benefit the whole IV. 礼 — Respect Respect Goes beyond words Its affect Is potent Understand What it means Practice it And do not demean Corrupt cowards Who dare deem themselves Samurai Shame me, As a woman Still they cower Before me Regardless of Societal obstructions Respect Is knowing Where you stand I fully know Where I stand And do I ever stand Tall Firmly planted On this ground No wind Can topple me V. 誠 — Sincerity Speak from within And all sins Will be forgiven Never falsify
Your heart When it comes time To testify Against lies Eyes The sincerest of us all Scream the truth Even when you must Look down Though perhaps Plain Stay true Stay you And I, The women who slew VI. 名誉 — Honor Honor Is how one Perceives But you do not Receive And earn honor If you deceive Through honor Does respect come From the masses Masses My small hands Strove hard To uphold No man Could stop my strive No man Could match my stride When men Beat their chests With pride My swollen chest itself Beat with pride
And it bestowed honor Upon me VII. 忠義 — Loyalty Whispers Flood my ears That I’m a woman Unfaithful to the bone With great infidelity And shamelessness For I took up a sword Rather than taking up A blunt knife To cut the gyūniku Instead of cutting down Raw animals I cut down Raw humans Is there no difference? Are humans not animals? Whether you’re royal Or a rice worker I will remain loyal Under my heart’s orders
Remi only gets cooler....
It’s been a few months - six to be exact - since I first interviewed creative queen, Remi Riordan. In that time she grew her, then newly made, zine Crybaby, covered events like #GIRLARTISTTAKEOVER, was featured on i-D magazine’s website and went to the highly coveted art program at RISD while recording the other students there for Pond Magazine’s feature on Gen Z. Remi’s had a pretty busy few months, so I was excited when I got the chance to catch up with the young innovator for a second interview. Q: When I first interviewed you we didn’t talk too much about your, then newly started, zine: Crybaby. What is Crybaby all about? A: It’s mostly about showcasing young artist’s work. Especially teen girls’ art. And just taking advantage of social media and the resources we have available to us because of technology. Q: How did you come up with the idea for Crybaby? And the name! A: I was sick of submitting to magazines and getting no response. So, I decided I could start my own zine where my work could always be published. I came up with the name Crybaby because I was really stuck on a name and I was looking for words I liked. I was scrolling down i-D magazine’s website and saw the word Crybaby. I thought it was perfect. Q: Crybaby focuses a lot on teenage girls doing cool things, how important do you think it is to give teens a legitimate creative space? A: I think it is so important because all these huge media sources that I adore constantly stress the importance of youth and starting young but so many young artists are shut down routinely. I enjoy running Crybaby because although I believe the work we publish is outstanding, we are all young and we are all continuing to improve and develop. There is less pressure submitting to us even though I still think (especially at this point) we are a legitimate creative space. Q: You also do a lot of cool stuff outside of Crybaby, like your Gen Z series for Pond Magazine, what was that about? A: I kept seeing articles on “the coolest new young artists” or “the best new Instagram photographers” and it just made me frustrated because it was a continual cycle of Petra Collins,
Arvida Bystrom, Julia Baylis, etc. By no means do those women deserve less celebrating. They are amazing artists but the title “new” made me angry. They are very established artists at this point. While teen photographers and artists are “new” to the art scene and their Instagrams aren’t being featured in magazines like they should be. So I reached out to Pond Magazine hoping to do a similar thing with the young artists I know and love. Q: How was your time at RISD (A SUPER FREAKING COOL PLACE I DREAM OF VISITING SOME TIME AGHHH MY ARTSIER TEACHERS TALK THAT PLACE UP)? A: It was such an amazing experience. The pre-college program was 6 weeks and I met some of the most incredible artists there. I made so many great friends and I really grew to love Providence. Q: Did your time at RISD make you think differently about what it means to be a teen artist as well as a female artist? A: I think I thought less about it there then I usually do actually. The program was about 70 percent female and the age range was 16 to 18 so I was surrounded mostly by female or teen artists. Because of that, there wasn’t a sense of ageism or sexism at least within the students and I spent a lot more time developing my artistic abilities than wondering how I should appear “legitimate”. Q: Your zine and your work is very supportive of females and teens, how can teenagers give themselves and their work legitimacy in a society that doesn’t completely respect teens or females? A: I would say find a community of teenagers who like the same things as you. The community doesn’t have to be a magazine or a blog, it
“Selling the March issue”
“Remi holding up the first issue of
“Danielle Sklar (one of the contributing editors) selling the February issue at the Barnard Zine Fest”
“Crybaby’s first quarterly issue”
Crybaby in January”
can be friends online or even just your friends at home. A community is easier to legitimize than a single entity. I also think a big part in legitimizing your work is feeling confident and believing in your work even though society may not respect what you are doing. Q: What’s next for you and Crybaby? A: I am going to LA in two weeks and I’ll be meeting up with internet/zine friends. We may also be scheduling a Crybaby meetup in LA while I’m there. And I am going to start up a Crybaby Youtube channel because I feel like video is the one medium that Crybaby is not using that we should be. Q: What does “Girl Power” mean to you? A: To me, “girl power” means supporting my fellow ladies in all that they do. by sienna kwami
“all these huge media sources that I adore constantly stress the importance of youth and starting young but so many young artists are shut down routinely. I enjoy running Crybaby because although I believe the work we publish is outstanding, we are all young and we are all continuing to improve and develop” check out Crybaby at crybabyzine.com buy copies at crybabyzine.bigcartel.com
THE POWER OF A
GIRL GROUP In July of 2013, five local girls from Boston who had a passion for music and entertaining decided to come together to create a girl group called Sweet Harmony. Since then, these five girls have grown a sisterly bond and continue to travel throughout New England to perform many of their signature cover pieces.
four months. It felt like we had known each other for many years at that point. It was five minutes before places and we all huddled together in our dressing room. Each of us held hands together in a tight circle and we all paused and laughed for a second because we did not even know what our “mantra” would be before each show. Then one of our members, Lissi (19) said, “I have I am Borana, I am 16 something, usually a lot years old and I am also an “We applaud any kind of of people say this before original member of Sweet shows. Repeat after me.” talent from any gender, Harmony. When we first As we all stood together started, some of us were race, or age. Everyone has tightly holding our hands strangers to each other with the anticipation of and some of us had known a special gift and someour first performance, others for many years. Our thing they have to share Lissi began with “We are director of the group, Marstrong and mighty peowith the world. Collecietta Phinney, a pioneer ple. I respect you, I love in performing arts and the tively, we should cherish you, and I got your back founder of Riverside Theout there. On 3. 1, 2, 3.” the gifts of others and we atre Works in Hyde Park, And just like that, we all brought us all together in a did a group hug and got should never bring that purple lounge to learn some ready for places. Our first down.” songs for a Veterans Day show was a success and tribute performance that upcoming November. our nerves flew away instantly once we hit the The start of the group was not rocky like some stage together. It really was like destiny at that would expect. Yes, it is true that learning some of moment and everything was perfectly aligned. these pieces were difficult and perfecting our harmonies while trying to maintain a dance routine Since our debut performance in November of was not a piece of cake, but at the same time we 2013 we decided that Sweet Harmony was here all instantly grew a close bond with each other. to stay and we have all devoted each part of lives After months of hard work, running dance routo this group. Meeting together every Sunday for tines, and plunking out notes to make sure each a rehearsal, we expanded our repertoire of music harmony was crisp, it was show time. Our debut spanning from music from the 50’s all the way to performance had finally come and it was hard to current day pop hits. believe that we had only been together for about
From my previous experiences in performance troupes,I have noticed that tension can rise and members may tend to bicker over lead vocals and whoever gets the most stage time. That is one of my least favorite things about being in a performance troupe. It is rare for it to happen, but when it does, it can be unpleasant. With Sweet Harmony, I instantly noticed that all of the girls have no desire to “steal the spotlight” from anyone. Another member named Tana (18) brought up this point to me one day and said “I really do love this group. No one seems to try to outshine others and it is very equal.” After Tana had said that, I really thought about it and what she said was true. No one in the group has the intent of trying to outshine anyone or to try to be the lead. Everyone lifts each other up and we all try to incorporate everyone’s talent in the best way that we can. Everything that we do is out of love for each other and respect for everyone’s craft. As Lissi had put it, “Sweet Harmony has a bond that is invaluable. Our personalities blend and we understand that to be a strong group, we have to support each other. Pointing out a mistake is for the betterment of the whole for us-- not to ‘steal the spotlight’.” I believe that it is pointless for girls to bring down other girls in order to bring themselves up. At the end of it all, you will have nothing to gain and you have proved nothing to yourself. Being in Sweet Harmony, I have noticed that there is no better feeling than support. Giving and receiving support is so powerful and it makes all the difference. Support brings comfort, confidence, and security in self. Sweet Harmony has always been about girls supporting girls. Being in the group has boosted my confidence completely. Each member has become my support system and they all bring out my best qualities. That is what we do for each other. We bring out the best qualities in each other and we celebrate that. One may say, “There is a lot of competition in this field and there are already a lot of very powerful girl groups.” What Sweet Harmony says to that is that we also celebrate the power and talent of other girls (and boys). Girls are already pitted against each other and we feel that that is not
progressive. We applaud any kind of talent from any gender, race, or age. Everyone has a special gift and something they have to share with the world. Collectively, we should cherish the gifts of others and we should never bring that down. Being in Sweet Harmony has taught me to love myself and to respect the work of others. I could not have learned this without Lissi, Tana, Sarah (18), Mikayla (21), and of course our amazing director Marietta Phinney who has been an amazing woman figure in our lives. I would have never expected to have been able to go this far with all of these girls. From recording an album together, to traveling throughout New England to perform, we all would have never imagined that this would all happen in such a short amount of time. I love these girls with all of my heart and I thank them for sharing their talent to world and for giving me support that I could have never imagined. For any girl who has a passion and a dream, chase it. Nurture your passion and chase your dream. You will never be alone. Along the way you will meet people that will bring you up and give you the support that every human being needs. Keep your passion safe and never lose your dream. Do not be afraid because “We are strong and mighty people. I respect you, I love you, and I got your back out there.� Written by Borana Ramizi @SweetHarmonyRTW Photographed by Sienna Kwami
WOMEN IN MUSIC PLAYLIST BY PENNY MACK
WOKE with adejoke, savannah, and mithsuca interview and illustrations by sienna kwami
ADEJOKE, SAVANNAH, AND MITHSUCA
are the trio / trifecta / holy trinity behind the much needed activism account: @LetsGetWoke on instagram. Born out of the desire to start conversations on current social justice issues and educate people - especially lost teens who are easily impressionable to any popular opinion - on being socially and racially aware aka being “woke”. These wunderkinds are also great people offline and carry their wokeness wherever they go. Massachusetts definitely should be glad to have them as residents. The LGW team did a Q&A to let you get to know them better :) Q: Introduce yourselves a bit! M: Hey I’m Mithsuca, a 15 year old Haitian/Canadian artist who loves memes, French films, and creative expression :^] A: Ok, I’m Adejoke Atitebi. I’m African American - from Nigeria. I’m 15, going on 16 in March (Go Aries!)I love cotton candy, pugs, Portuguese movies and learning about the truths in society. S: I am Savannah Hart, I am 16 years old and biracial (Black & White).
influence feels refreshing. S: I mean Adejoke did cover it all but I’d like to add that this is something we could all do on our personal accounts but having a joint account where we run through our ideas and thoughts with each other is something I really appreciate about this account and every day I’m learning something new from someone in the comment section of Let’s Get Woke.
all go to that person and join in discussions. That happened one night; we were discussing important issues and the person deleted the photo we were commenting on. I loved how our little squad would advocate for social justice issues and we hated how what we were saying just got erased from public view. Then I brought up the idea of creating a page to talk about social issues. We were originally going to call it Woke Girls but we wanted to make sure it was inclusive to everyone. Savannah kind of finalized what it was going to be about in our first post. We wanted to create a safe spot and an interactive place to discuss and educate others. M: Yeah Adejoke said it all, whenever someone would post something uneducated we’d dive in and educate together and it was really nice. We also know that some people are genuinely confused on certain topics and the 3 of us are really passionate about what we talk about on the account so the
big discussions and other things to educate others. So that is how our schedule came out. As of our rotation, the first week we just picked what we wanted to do, then we just made that a pattern and certain days would switch off between the three of us. S: I kind of liked the idea of throwback Thursday’s and wanted to make the schedule easy to remember so coming up with the names was something I did
“As a POC, society can Q: How did you come up with the Q: How did you come up with make you feel power- schedule for the account? the idea for Let’s Get Woke? A: When we first created the page A: So we always DM each other less but you have to we wanted some organization when we see someone doing/ to it so we started brainstorming have faith in yourself saying something problematic things and designated days to or uneducated and we usually and faith in change.” certain topics. We wanted to have
Q: What do you hope to achieve with the account? S: I aspire to be someone who helps in any sense of the word. With the account and everything I do I always say that I want to not only educated but be educated. I hold education close to my heart and it has become something I am very passionate about. So gladly, I can say that the account has done a great job at boosting the amount of social justice awareness and education within each topic.
A: At the start of the account, I would have said to educate others but now I’d say to understand others. Seeing some people’s comments really brings me joy because people are able to voice their opinions and feel heard. I can see what opinions form for different settings and how people view the world. I overall hope to give a means of people to be aware of the truths that have been hidden from them to uphold power and oppress minorities. M: It’s always good to know that you’ve influenced someone and inspired people in a positive way. The account isn’t just to spread awareness of social justice and stuff, we truly wanted to start a community of young people who understand and are inspired when they tag their friends on posts telling them to check us out – that’s when we know we’ve done our part! Q: What is one of the most interesting conversations you’ve seen or been in on the account? M: The most interesting conversation I think was when we had a discussion about cultural appropriation in regards to black culture. The different point of views that were brought to my attention really got me invested. It’s interesting to see how the way someone was taught to see some things growing up or like how people don’t seem to budge with views because they can’t see things in the minority’s perspective really gets you thinking and widens your eyes to the underlying issue. S: I definitely see a lot of people giving up the struggles of others within their culture to protect their idols. When it comes to issues like bindi appropriation and cornrows, braids, locs, and more a lot of people will dismiss any sense of cultural appropriation If their idol is doing the appropriating. No one wants to admit that the person they look up to has done something wrong so they’d rather invalidate the thoughts and feelings of everyone else. I find that extremely interesting and it blows my mind every single time. A: I love cultural appropriation discussions, like it’s my favorite topic to research and to talk about, but there was one post about feminism that got me thinking. It’s widely known that feminism fights for the equality of the sexes and a commenter was basically calling out how feminism doesn’t cater to men’s rights as they do to women’s. And I was like ‘this person is saying they’re an equalist but is acting like a ‘meninist’. But I started to think about
how the gaps in sex equality is affected by race and class levels. And it made me search more into feminism and made me think. Feminism is more about counteracting society’s views of genders and the right type of feminism is about creating a community of acceptance. I don’t agree with what that person said in that discussion but they did help me define what I stand for. So I think it was interesting seeing their point. Q: How do you choose what topics to feature with so much going on in the world?!!? S: Oh gosh, yeah choosing topics is the hardest part for me. Usually, we choose based on what we’re experiencing or seeing a lot of. Every topic we’ve done and have yet to do is important and I hope to eventually cover it all. A: A lot of the time I use most recent topics or something I know I can really expand on and other times we have people request things to talk about. There are always issues in society that need to be covered but a lot of the time I decide with personal bias and capability. I choose what I can talk about passionately. I’m trying to educate myself on more things so that other groups that do not relate to me can be represented. I’m currently working on Native American and Latinx representation and corrections that people can make in their everyday lives. M: As funny as it sounds, my topics are usually in the moment. Something I’m exposed to in the time frame of when I’m supposed to update really haha. Like that MBM (Myth Busting Monday’s) update I did on colorism was after a long night of reading and thinking back to my experiences. Q: Ok, do you know how on tumblr there’s like a million different posts to keep you “woke”? And, like, basically how do you suggest sifting through all of these different things going on in the world at one time? It can be pretty overwhelming, especially as a teen. A: You’re not going to become socially aware in one day. I’d say stick to what is current. If a celebrity is shown to appropriate culture - start to familiarize yourself with what that is and why it’s wrong. Research is fairly easy with the Internet. Staying with what’s common is a good route to begin but as you become more educated start to get more in depth with separate things. Take a minute to learn about
some minority group, check in with politics, read an article on racial injustice. I learn from what I come across and sticking to one topic is even overwhelming (I mean if we are talking about police brutality, look at all the lives unfairly taken). When you start to understand what’s going on in the world, you can get tired of oppression and injustice but keep on fighting. Tumblr is a good place to start, it really opens your eyes, soon you’ll be reading articles and finding books that make you so much more woke. M: Yeah what Adejoke said, if you stumble upon different topics then you should focus on one topic at a time. Researching after one topic is exposed to you can really help get into depth with it! And that also helps people steer away from bias opinions and the opinion vs fact stuff you’ll find on tumblr.
starting the account? A: Probably being able to be somebody. Growing up I’ve always heard stuff like ‘Change the world’ and you would feel so small and think ‘what can I do?’ And then it got worse when I became aware of power placement between genders and races. The page may not that big but it has an audience and I’m able to pass on knowledge I’ve obtained onto someone else. As a POC, society can make you feel powerless but you have to have faith in yourself and faith in change. I can say I helped someone realize what cultural appropriation is. I can say well, that person now knows that reverse racism isn’t real because of me. I did something that can lead to change. Change in people’s viewpoint of the system. It’s rewarding to know I’m a small part, minuscule even, in a huge change. M: Seeing people actually discuss, actually talk and spread the word about what we’re serving. Even if we have a small part in a big movement the fact that we can even educate one person and them go on to do so with their friend etc. etc. is absolutely refreshing as heck! Plus I get extremel joy out of writing my posts because it’s my voice and me trying my best to spread something I’m passionate and determined about and for the most part people taking it in with open arms :)
“Girl power is something deep within us girls that society has been trying to hide.
Q: What has been the most difficult part of running the account? S: Time and dealing with ignorance. We don’t have as much time as we would normally in the summer since we’re all taking classes and trying to do something. We either forget or we don’t have the time to make a whole-hearted post. As for ignorance, we deal with a lot. Most of the time it is just people who don’t want to admit any sense of wrong doing, which is understandable, but also very discouraging. A: Yeah, like Savannah said, we get people who comment rude things and don’t make an effort to understand and educate themselves. I think I didn’t really expect to see people with such hatred for us calling out social injustices. But hey, I now have a better understanding of society and the people within. I feel like keeping up with updates might be difficult when school starts. M: Yeah, it is frustrating but we still stand on what we came to do and the people who get involved in the discussion really help because it’s not just the 3 of us, it’s all those who interact. For me honestly lately it’s been keeping up with scheduling haha, I procrastinate but I’m trying to stay ahead of the game. Q: What has been the most rewarding part of
Q: What does girl power mean to you? S: Girl power, to me, means being able to do you, being able to respect other girls and empower them as we should all be doing A: Girl power means becoming aware of society’s view of you, rejecting it and creating a world of your own. It means recognizing your value in the world and using it to empower other girls against a society that questions and tries to deteriorate your strength. It means understanding your capabilities and using it for positive reasons. It means not being ashamed of being a girl in a world that shames and tries to control. Girl power is something deep within us girls that society has been trying to hide. M: Girl power for me means knowing your worth, not being afraid to express yourself on all forums to empower others, and having an aura that radiates who you are.
THE FIGHT ISN’T OVER BY EVA WESTPHAL
When I was little, I wanted to be President of the United States. At school, I ran for any vacant leadership positions; I always felt like I was strong enough to hold my own and speak up for others who felt less comfortable voicing their opinions. My mentors encouraged me, my parents were proud of me, and my gender did not significantly impact my life. So how is it that only a couple years later, at the age of 14, I found myself desperately wishing that I had been born a boy, despite identifying with the female gender? Let’s start in my eighth grade year. I started conforming to be like the girls in billboards and music videos, to photographs that showed women in mini-dresses and men in full-coverage suits. I began getting used to the ads in which women’s bodies were portrayed as props or used as an attention grabber. I didn’t question the media’s decision to categorize most movies with female protagonists as “teeny bopper” or “chick flick” films. That being said, I don’t think there should be anything wrong with dressing yourself the way you want to. If a woman wants to wear a mini dress on a night out, she should be able to wear it without the fear of being assaulted. She should also be allowed to take charge of her own sexuality and not be shamed by other men and women. But she should not be used as a prop in a campaign. Fast forward to my freshman year. I began watching social documentaries that educated me on the problems girls and women around the world face today. I could list thousands of facts here that can be boiled down to simple words: the fight for gender equality is not over. I notice discrimina-
tion everywhere, and not one day goes by where I don’t see or hear a message that devalues women. Every time you see a message like those, remind yourself of the powerful women in your life. They are not billboards, they are not stereotypes, and they are not props. They are real, incredible people that have the potential to change the world. Every time you see a message like those, remind yourself that the men in your life are victims of sexism, too. They should be able to be sensitive, they should be able to cry, and they should not feel pressured to conform to the ideal of an ironstrong macho man. I hope my four little brothers grow up in a world where women and men live on a foundation of mutual respect. And I hope that our generation can begin to strengthen that foundation. So if I could say anything to the frustrated 14year old girl who cried of frustration because she was a girl, I would say: You are stronger than sexism. You can destroy stereotypes. You can change the world.
Another Feminist Rant. They groan as she speaks about how she doesn’t understand why a woman makes 77 cents to a man’s dollar. “Here she goes again, it’s another feminism rant” It’s another one of those, I’m talking about the inequality. Yes that one, the one where every 107 seconds a female is sexually harassed. The rant about double standards, because a boy is a player, but a girl is a whore. The talk about how a woman’s place is a kitchen, and never an office. A man is confident, but a woman is a bitch. That thing where I have to dress in pretty pink and be as delicate as the flowers in the garden for a man with a habit for forgetting to water the plants. It’s another feminism rant, and there’ll be a thousand more until I can walk down a street without being catcalled. Until I can stop being talked down to like I am a lesser. Until feminism is finally just looked at as equality. By Evalee Mason
Bay Creatives I’m Eileen Syrop, a musician and photographer from Hayward, California as well as the founder of BayCreatives, a San Francisco Bay Area based organization focused on sharing, representing, and bringing artists together. In my 16 years in this world, I’ve heavily struggled with a lack of inspiration and support in many aspects including loneliness in my environment, especially artistically. As a girl spending a lot of time alone as well as surrounded by media’s projections I developed anorexia during my junior high years. After three years of nearly starving to death I underwent treatment and my life changed completely. In effort to recover I decided to take all the energy I’d used into becoming the perceptive “perfect” girl and project it toward empowering myself and those around me in everything they do. First I had to find what I was passionate about which was an extremely harsh path but after discovering my love for music and photography I put every ounce of myself into it. That loneliness was still there though. I still felt empty, just with a full stomach now. That isolation was a pain like nothing else. It had originally been a way for me to focus more on art but the loneliness was also making me feel completely unmotivated and uninspired. This is
partially what led me to create BayCreatives and hold monthly meet ups. In hopes that I would be able to meet other artists I also wanted to give the same opportunity to artists in a similar position. I find it extremely important to take advantage of our environment, the world renowned SF Bay Area as well as the power social media supplies. By simply posting a flyer with a date, time, and location to meet on Instagram/Twitter/ etc. inviting any creatives to join, it’s amazing how many people respond and show up to the meets in effort to network and create. At the July meet up there were over 50 people! We usually go all around the city in a pack, listening to music, dancing, shooting photo and video, modeling, rapping, sharing experiences, and so much more. The creative energy is like no other. I’ve put off personal creative pursuits, from the release of my second album to the cancellation of too many photoshoots in order to put more focus on BayCreatives. To me, there is nothing more important than supporting passion within yourself and in others. Watching BayCreatives grow has not only empowered me as a young female artist, but it has empowered others on their own paths. By Eileen Syrop
#thingsmag