DUALITY
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02 | Table of Contents
04 ITOR D E HE T M FRO R E 05 LETT ARK D D AN VES T I 6 H L G 0 LI UR O F YS O A D ST E B 2 1 THE DS L R O TH W O B OF T S 14 E B EN H P Y E H H T IN G N 6 I 1 LIV SIC U M IN Y T I 24 DUAL EA R A REY G O T-S O N TY 6 I E N H I 2 T MIN E F Y & T I N LI U 4 C S 3 MA ST I L F STAF
n Alve tian s a b e ez, S t Liu Gam Scot n o l r , Ma ief hida s h I a, C y c mur Ma or-in Oku n Edit o k i u m ice Y e, Ki y Ly, y Ba han, Jan l l l a e n K Vick r S , e a t a h n In on K Joan hann Zhu S , r l e nt Lulu rna e Hu guyen, Exte e l i a N B n, elle Chie ers Mich n g i son kelson s a e J D , u n ian, hic Cha ch, Taly Y etur a J n i a Grap l r i l e Sab avosev Isab P eng, F Evo a n , Fio ng alasa Madla keti r B a a s y M i Srav Lin, Cr Lau, on ffany i s a T , J ll hers León grap z de la Sowe a o í t ya D o e a K c Ph , , Son nnika n y m i Bia Murra K A ustin hey, Aoife ón, J oore Fa sad e L e ra M íaz d ya P ces ists na D ed, Fran a, Aadit Styl a i t a n T amm ra Pe Moh s, Alond Olive ers Writ u liyah iel E n a D ager Man b e W
04 | Staff List
Duality: an instance of opposition or contrast between two concepts or two aspects of something. Duality by its definition is contradiction is separatism is polarity. In this issue, we attempt to unveil the truth behind a reality in which there are polar opposites. There is light and dark. There is good and evil. There is positive and negative. There is day and night. There is right and wrong. These days, it feels like we’ve become irrevocably fractured along political, social, and ideological lines. As this new decade unfolds, it’s important for us to look at the ways we straddle these arbitrary lines. We’re not that different. We have shared experiences. We all exist at intersections. Light and dark. Masculine and feminine. Right and wrong. In this issue, we explore what happens at the in-between and what it means to us. Thank you to my Trend family (past, present, and future) for your endless dedication and neverending talent. Thank you to all our readers. Whether you’ve supported us digitally or in-person, you’re the reason we create. Thank you for believing in us. Love,
Scott Editor-in-Chief
Letter from the Editor | 05
06 | Light and Dark
By Justin Kim
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ight. Happiness, color, warmth. To me, the light moments in life are the ones that evoke these types of feelings. Light is the moment where everything feels right; those picture perfect moments you had always dreamed about finally feel like they’re happening. For me, my light moments are almost always with my best friends. The memory of us that one summer night at the Santa Monica Pier, the moments we spent FaceTiming reassuring each other that things were going to be alright, and, of course, every single moment we spent laughing together. I think it’s extremely important to cherish moments like these — they serve as a reminder of the reason why you do everything you do, which is to be able to experience these types of feelings. That’s why so often when we’re in a moment that feels good we get that bittersweet feeling, because we just don’t want to let the moment pass. It just feels so good that we’re scared to let it go. But I’m here to tell you that that’s alright. Enjoy that moment. Let yourself be present in it and allow yourself to really experience all those feelings previously mentioned — happiness, warmth, etc. These are the memories we’re going to hold on to for our whole lives, so bask in all their glory. Because we’re only in those moments while they’re happening, so we shouldn’t let ourselves take that for granted. These light moments and memories remind us how beautiful life can be, which is something I think that a lot of us tend to forget. The light in life is there to make ourselves feel good, and push ourselves to keep going. So next time you feel like you’re having a light moment, look around. Realize where you are, how you got there, and where you’re going. Take in the moment, let yourself feel blissful,
and just remember how lucky we are to be alive on such a beautiful planet. Dark. Lonely, dull, cold. I know that sounds scary, and sometimes it is. But we have to remind ourselves, that life isn’t always sunshine and butterflies, and having these types of dark moments are inevitable. And that’s okay. Things may not seem so bright, but you have to trust that it will pass. I’ve always had the problem in which I would let dark moments or events absolutely consume me. It feels like I’m helpless and the only thing I can really do is wallow in my own sadness and be hurt. But at a certain point, I had to realize that doing that to myself is counterproductive. If you’re experiencing a dark moment, I actively encourage you to let yourself feel it out. Let yourself be sad, cry, do whatever you need to purge yourself of that gloomy feeling. From laying on the floor listening to sad music, to crying in my best friend’s driveway at 2 AM, trust me, I’ve been there. But remember, things will get better. The famous saying “you can’t have a rainbow without a little rain” seems cliche, but it’s true. Let yourself grow from these dark moments; instead of letting yourself be consumed in them, use them as a way to teach yourself a lesson and try to grow. That way, instead of feeling like something bad happened, you can flip it into the perspective that you were faced with a challenge, persevered, and grew as a result from it. While it seems counterintuitive, I think dark moments can be some of the most rewarding. Because they remind you of what you have been through and the ways you have grown and learn to become even stronger. The next time you’re in a dark moment, remember, just because things seem dark now does not mean they are going to stay that
way, or that life is inherently dark as a result. Just take a deep breath, make yourself some tea, meditate, cry (if you need to), write yourself a nice letter, buy yourself flowers, the list goes on. When it feels like you’ve fallen, treat yourself with kindness, and just be ready to dust yourself off, pick yourself back up, and keep pushing. Part of what makes life the experience that it is, is the fact that it’s multidimensional. I think there’s an organic type of beauty in the duality of light and dark moments in life. The light moments — where everything feels warm and happy — help shape us by reminding us of the beauty in life, and create priceless memories that we cherish eternally; meanwhile the dark moments — where things feel dull and scary — help shape us by forcing us to grow and learn from the darkness, promoting growth in our character to help us become better with each day. I think it’s important for us as humans to be in touch with all of our senses and feelings, whether it be light or dark. Of course, I encourage positivity, but I also want to place an emphasis on letting ourselves embrace our less favorite emotions, such as sadness, rather than repressing them. Light and dark aren’t mutually exclusive with either good or bad. And that’s what makes life feel so beautiful, and sometimes so crazy. Life isn’t predictable; there’s going to be both light and dark moments and you’re not going to know when they happen, but never forget to acknowledge the natural beauty that both light and dark moments contribute to your life. So rain or shine, good or bad, or light or dark, let yourself feel everything out, and remember that there’s beauty in every moment.
Light and Dark | 07
Photographer Sravya Balasa Models Omar Arredondo and Eunice Choi
08 | Light and Dark
Light and Dark | 07
Light and Dark | 11
THE BEST DAYS OF OUR LIVES By Frances Moore Fahey The simmering of nerves As you step out from home Your first sweet taste of independence You are about to embark on a journey Of finding yourself Of loving yourself Of finding your people Because these days have been ingrained in our minds Days full of fun Doing what you want Parties, alcohol, drugs Love Where life will come together And everything will come together And you’ll get your shit together Along with other young people Who are finding themselves Together Our parents say Our TV’s say Just wait for your college days Where everything will fall into place The best days of our lives
12 | The Best Days of Our Lives
Right? So why does no one tell us It’s not all it’s cracked up to be That anticipation has stolen reality Time doesn’t stop And life still goes on And it’s overwhelming The days where you might not speak to anyone Where everyone is busy And your only friend is the woman in the shop And you don’t want to drink Or dance Or smoke Because maybe you just don’t feel like it Or maybe you never feel like it And you feel like the outsider Or consume just to feel like an insider And your head begins to feel lighter But your heart gets darker As the confusion takes a hold of your best days Can I speak out? I’m not having fun Is there something wrong with me? I’m lonely
There must be something wrong with me The work and the deadlines and never-ending thinking Is just a little too much for me Are you having a good time? Are you making new friends? It looks like you’re thriving So you don’t speak out Because then you’re a cop out Unable to live the dream And these are supposed to be the best days of our lives Right? And maybe it’s honesty that we need To remove the rose tinted glasses Before they smash Because these are some of the best days of our lives Some of the worst Some of the ordinary Some of the forgettable And some of the most memorable Acknowledge the highs and lows Of what life is Removing the podium on which our expectations lie Our college years
The Best Days of Our Lives | 13
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS I am the daughter of two Pakistani Muslim immigrants, born and raised in America in an ethnic household rich of eloquent Urdu, deliciously spiced foods, and elegant traditional outfits. But my house was also filled with fluent English, American dishes stuffed with cheese, and classic Old Navy denim. We hosted big Thanksgiving parties every year featuring a turkey marinated with Pakistani Shan masalas and my mother’s own special touch. My family is a beautiful blend of Pakistani and American culture. English and Urdu both flow smoothly through my home. According to my family and tons of cute home videos, I used to speak Urdu fluently. Yet after American education and a lack of the need to speak the language, I lost the ability before elementary school. I remember Flag Day in elementary school. We all drew flags of where we were from and then paraded around school in a big line waving our flags around while clothed in our traditional clothes. I remember sitting with my mom at our kitchen table with a green marker. She drew out the moon and star of the Pakistan flag and I colored green into all the blanks to finish it. This day made me feel like there was this whole huge part of me that people finally got to see even if it was just me waving my flag and wearing a traditional dress to school. Flag day made me feel proud for being Pakistani in elementary school but middle school was when I faced the sharp reality of the American world I lived in. Middle school was when life became one huge seemingly never-ending popularity contest and being anything but American wasn’t cool. I remember my mom picking up my friend and I from school and when she turned on the car radio, Bollywood music filled our little red sedan with powerful dhol drum beats and beautiful melodies that filled my face with embarrassment until she swiftly changed the station. I still wonder if my
14 | Best of Both Worlds
mom was embarrassed too or if she simply changed the station to play music my friend and I would enjoy. On Eid my parents used to take me out of elementary school for the day to go to the county fair and celebrate with our Muslim Pakistani friends. Yet as we grew older and school became more important, my parents barely let me miss even an hour of school for our Eid prayers at the mosque. Eid went from this magical occasion, to an ordinary day. It felt like my non-Christmas celebrating family cared more for Christmas than Eid since our family and friends all had Christmas day off. My parents would talk about how hard it would be for them to skip work to celebrate our one Muslim holiday and life seemed to revolve around American standards and not things that mattered to me. I started to feel that I had two different sides to me: I felt mostly American on the weekdays due to school and mostly Pakistani on the weekends due to my family. On the weekdays I would dress in a t-shirt and jeans and put a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in my Tinkerbell lunch box to take to school. We would trade fruit snacks at lunch and learn the dance to Soulja Boy at recess. But every weekend morning I would wake up to the sounds of Bollywood music videos on the tv and the smell of spicy omelettes my dad made with his Pakistani touch. We would go to family parties where I wore exquisite Pakistani clothes made of delicate silk and elegant patterns topped with a cardigan from Justice because my mom didn’t want me to freeze. Moving for college was a big shift for me. This weekend Pakistani identity of mine completely disappeared. I no longer lived at home with my parents and Pakistani friends. I no longer had cultural food for dinner every night nor Urdu spoken to me. I felt like my Pakistani identity was lost and I didn’t know what to make of that.
By Anonymous
College is where I truly fell in love with American fashion. The way it makes me feel powerful and confident and beautiful. Cuffed high waisted blue denim, big black boots, mixed textures, chunky sweaters, and funky thrifted accessories all became staples to me. While I am no grand trend setter, fashion is something that speaks to me and brings me happiness. I discovered that fashion is what transforms myself into my two sides. The only time I wear Pakistani clothes is when I’m around more Pakistanis, like a get together or wedding or cultural event. I’m eating my biryani and then kicking off my heels and running to the dance floor with my girls because Desi Girl just came on and we have to dance. As we dance I’m having a blast feeling the music and also consciously trying not to trip over my lengha that has so much fabric it makes me feel oh so regal. While I love American fashion, Pakistani fashion brings a completely different buzz of joy. The clothes are much more vibrant and exotic, the fabrics have more unique textures and details, and the styles are more variant and fun. Putting on a Pakistani outfit makes me feel like a powerful princess with the way the long fabric flows with the wind and the details shimmer in the sunlight. It is an indescribable feeling that I completely lost when moving away from my family for college. When I think about home my Pakistani identity is what I miss the most. It makes me feel at home. I miss the smell of my mom’s chicken shashleek and my dad’s aloo keema cooking on the stove. I miss the sweet lassis my mom would make for us every time we came back from a hike. I miss wearing Pakistani clothes and getting dolled up with my mom and sister in jewelry passed down from my grandmother. I miss listening to my brother attempt to speak broken Urdu because we both lost that ability so long ago. At the core of it: I miss Pakistan. While the last time I went was in 2007 I genuinely don’t think I’ll get to go back again.
It isn’t the safest country and my parents don’t find it worthwhile when instead of this expensive trip to Pakistan we could vacation elsewhere “safer” and “more fun”. While the last time I visited Pakistan was thirteen years ago, I still remember bits and pieces. I remember the smell of the dirt and dust clouding the air. The giant houses with so many floors, multiple families living inside, and gorgeous roof top views. The best mangoes in the world and the weirdest tasting milk. The neighbor who was so obsessed with Cap’n Crunch from America that she specially ordered it in bulk and had a massive stockpile of it in her house. The McDonald’s by the beach where we got ice cream at after riding a beautifully adorned camel on the Karachi sand. The Pizza Hut with the most delicious concoction of chicken tikka pizza. The multiple chai breaks midday. The power going out so frequently that little seven year old me would hold my breath or count to ten when it was out in the hope of it magically coming back when I reached ten. Colorful and loud weddings with so much jewelry and glamour going from night til the sun came up because wearing clothes that heavy during the massive heat of day was deathly and Pakistanis party hard. Stuffing eleven people in a tiny little sedan and both my brother and I sitting on my grandmother’s lap in the driver’s seat as she drove us all to the market. I miss Pakistan a lot. I feel that the distance I have from my country is what makes me feel like a fraud Pakistani in America. After my friend’s wedding this past summer I learned to love and appreciate my culture a whole lot more. Her wedding was loud, vibrant, and full of many cultural traditions that made the events even more fun. I fell in love with the melodic Bollywood songs and dances after months of dance practice, and I learned more fun traditions that only exist in my culture. I saw the most ethereal Pakistani outfits on my friends and had the chance to wear the most beautiful clothes and jewelry for the occasion. Her wedding truly opened my eyes to how exquisite my culture is and fostered my strong love for it. But, when I posted photos on Instagram of my friends and I dressed up at her wedding it felt wrong. It quickly became my most liked post and I couldn’t help but feel it was
because being “ethnic” was suddenly “in fashion”. I used to be embarrassed about my Pakistani culture and this made me feel like I was “showing off” now that it was seen as fashionable. I felt like a fraud since I could barely speak my language and was getting applauded for a culture I only recently started to fully appreciate. This mixed identity realm is oh so intricate especially when both my American and Pakistani identities are so quintessential to the person that I am. I used to incorrectly feel that I was appropriating my own culture since I could be my ethnic Pakistani self when I desired but I could mask away as an American whenever it was convenient. I
recognize that I have this privilege and I don’t know how to maneuver around it. I have Pakistani friends who have been repeatedly harassed in America due to the way they look, speak, and act yet I have this privilege of that being rarer for me since I am so immersed in American culture. Finding the best of both worlds is difficult since I am not either identity fully. But accepting this duality as who I am, and learning to love it, is what is important. I will never be fully American nor fully Pakistani but instead a beautiful entanglement of both.
LIVING IN THE HYPHEN LIVING IN THE HYPHEN Compiled by Annika Olives
16 | Living in the Hyphen
When I signed up to write a piece about cultural duality, I didn’t expect it to be hard. After all, as a Filipino-Spanish-American immigrant who has very close ties with her home country and has lived in the United States for 15 years, I have a lot to say. What I didn’t expect was the difficulty in translating my feelings into text: how do you turn the experience of carrying two (or three, or four) identities on your back into a thousand words? The danger of a single story also haunted me; I didn’t want readers to see one piece on multiculturalism and assume that my story was the only one that deserved to be told. So, I decided to open it up to the public and asked people one question: what does having a multicultural identity mean to you? Here are some of their answers.
Belen Garcia Luna, Mexican-American “It means being able to relate to two very different groups of people. It makes it a little complicated when explaining to others my ethnicity/race. It causes conflict sometimes as well. I’m considered ‘too white’ in Mexico and ‘too Mexican’ to be considered white. It sometimes causes an identity crisis in some situations.”
Jenney Zhang, Korean-Chinese-American “Not only am I a mix of ethnicities, I grew up in America. Being a mix of Asian ethnicities is already a weird thing because I constantly battle with myself about which culture is more prevalent in my life or which one I want to identify with more … I personally identify more with my Korean side. I speak the language, know how to cook more dishes, and am more in tune with the traditions and the country itself. People would ask me all the time how to say curse words in Korean. They would ask me how to say their names in Korean. They did all this while making fun of my people and asking me sarcastically if I were from North or South Korea. They would make fun of the way I looked and the food I ate. When Korean culture became more mainstream, through KPOP and other news outlets, everyone started to fantasize and become fans of Korean culture as a whole. It became a little unsettling for me, to be honest, because that has always been my culture. I couldn’t pick and choose when to like it or accept it. I grew up having a battle within myself for my two cultural identities of Chinese and Korean. There’s been so much pain between Korea and China. China ruled Korea and treated the country so poorly at one point, which is part of why the Korean language is derived from the Chinese language. It is uncomfortable knowing that there’s been a power dynamic and an abuse of power from one part of my background towards the other.”
Living in the Hyphen | 17
Pankhuri Kohli, Indian-American “Being bicultural has been very challenging because, for me, it has been paired with the hardships of being an immigrant. Growing up in India, there was a lot of idealization of the U.S. and post-colonial self-hate of our own culture and identity. This only worsened when I first came to the U.S.. I lived in the South and the Midwest and people weren’t very respectful. People made fun of my accent, appearance, and made racist jokes. As a kid, I didn’t know what to do so I just kind of shut down and internalized a lot of the ignorance, inferiority, and hate. I stayed quiet and tried to draw as little attention to myself as possible by assimilating … I didn’t really open up to people and compartmentalized a lot: Indian me v.s. American me, as if both couldn’t coexist. Then, when I was about to start high school, I moved to the Bay Area. The Bay Area is full of immigrants and cultures so it really helped me feel more comfortable than I ever had in the U.S.. It was just powerful to see people like me doing great things and living life so I opened up a ton, overcome my fear of talking, and actually made friends. Still, it wasn’t until college that I began to truly confront my complicated relationship with my Indian-American identity … Slowly but surely, I’ve begun exposing myself more to Indian and South Asian culture and history and opened myself up to connections with family, other brown people, immigrants, and international students. I now know that Indian-ness is beautiful but layered because it comes with baggage because of conquest and colonialism. In the past, I was only exposed to the baggage because of discrimination I faced and struggles I experienced even in India. Now, I understand why those struggles exist. I know it’s because Indian and South Asian people as a whole have been conquered so much it has shaped our perspectives, culture, and institutions. Still, I am so grateful for the journey of cultural appreciation and love I have taken on. It’s allowed me to be more vocal about my experiences and comfortable with expressing who I am. Sure, this journey has made my life challenging but it’s also made it so much more rewarding. It’s liberating to feel like I don’t have to hide my Indian-ness and that I can be both Indian and American. After all, a hyphenated identity is the most American thing anyways.”
Gael Cruanes, French American “I was born in Paris, France and [go] back to France every four years … Having a bicultural identity means a lot to me because I find myself to identify myself more with being French rather than American. It has influenced my life in that I feel like my personality when I speak French is different than when I am speaking English. When I speak French, I am a lot more introverted, and, when I speak English, I am a lot more extroverted and curious.”
18 | Living in the Hyphen
Macy Ishida, Japanese-American and Korean-American “I absolutely love being both Japanese and Korean. I get to learn and experience two different Asian cultures so it’s an endless adventure! I also feel that it’s a very rare combination of Asian ethnicities because I’ve honestly only met one other person in my lifetime that identifies with the same cultures as me. People always ask, ‘Are you more Korean or Japanese?’ I never knew what that exactly meant because I never felt the need to choose one over the other and can proudly say that I am equally cultured in both. Although my family and I have developed a more Americanized lifestyle in this generation, we still stay true to our roots through food, language, traveling, and other traditional customs. Recently, I actually had the privilege of traveling to both Japan and Korea, which really became an eye-opening trip because the interactions within Asian-Americans in the States are so much different from the natives. As I’m getting older, I find myself gaining more pride in my background because I’m learning the importance of preserving your heritage and meeting more people who share the same types of experiences as I am.”
Navigating a multicultural identity can be a complicated experience, and I can resonate with a lot of what the respondents said. I was born in the Philippines to a tan mother and fair-skinned father, and, even as a kid, I could tell that my fair complexion, light eyes, and curly Goldilocks-like hair made me different. My first nickname was Puti-Puti, which literally translates into White-White. At my friend’s seventh birthday party, she assigned us Disney princesses to dress up as. I was given Snow White. There exists a history of colorism in the Philippines that descended from Spanish colonization, and it’s still very prevalent today. As I grew older, I began to understand that my upbringing was privileged because of the color of my skin. When I moved to the United States when I was six, nobody really questioned my background or my citizenship status because of the way I looked. The problem is, I don’t necessarily identify with my white-ness. I grew up listening to OPM classics and watching ABS-CBN teleseryes, eating sinigang na hipon and Boy Bawang, laughing at my Titas gossiping in Tagalog, and sitting in infamous EDSA traffic. However, I’ve always battled with feeling Filipino because I don’t look Filipino. I have an unconscious need to prove my Filipino-ness, especially in POC spaces, where I sometimes feel like I’m taking up valuable space. The battle between my Filipino and American identities is another question. I may have spent the majority of my life in America, but I was raised by a single Filipina mom, so my values are very Asian. I’m always fearful that I’m going to tip the metaphorical scales that hold my identities balanced. Ultimately, while it’s a challenge, being a multicultural mixed immigrant has exposed me to so many experiences, cultures, and conversations. As cliche as it sounds, it’s given me a unique lens to view the world, and I’m proud of who I am. I get to cross barriers, act as a bridge between cultures, and mediate dialogues. I know I’m going to be exploring my identity for a long time, but I’m okay with that. The question “where are you from?” has haunted me my whole life; my skin is from Spain, my soul is from the Philippines, and my body is in America. I’ve never had a perfect answer, but maybe next time I get the inevitable question, I’ll pull out a piece of paper and draw a hyphen. From here, I’ll point. The in-between.
Living in the Hyphen | 19
Photographer Sravya Balasa Model Luyanda Mdanda
20 | Living in the Hyphen
Photographer Sravya Balasa Models Obinne Onyeador, Natalie Palmberg
Photographer Sravya Balasa Model Luyanda Mdanda
Living in the Hyphen | 23
By Justin Kim and Tatiana Díaz de León
E
veryone has a personal preference for the kind of music they listen to often. For some, it’s hip hop-centric and for others it might be mostly country. The thing about music is that is that at its core, it’s categorized, so it’s no surprise that people have the urge to choose one thing or another. What’s interesting is that some of us publicly rave about our favorite artists and genres of music as a way to define the kind of person we are, while also hiding our guilty pleasure behind closed doors. We feel like our music taste plays a huge part in how we portray and define ourselves to the world. But the thing is-- we forget that we all don’t like to be crammed and generalized into one particular box; we don’t want to be known for just one thing. We want to be different, we want to be changing and evolving- and that’s exactly what music does. So why do some people refuse to open themselves up to unfamiliar genres of music and only seem to put other artists, genres, and listeners down? Who knows. But despite some people’s undying, narrow loyalty to solely hip hop or solely R&B music (for example), we have still seen refreshing genre crossovers in the past decade that have brought artists and fandoms together, whether its through artist features and collaborations or just using a sample of someone else’s songs. There’s the meshing of indie with modern hip hop as seen in Travis Scott’s song “Don’t Play” that features indie-rock band The 1975 (and fellow rap artist Big Sean).
24 | Duality and Music
There’s the wide-ranged fusing of EDM with nearly every genre. Famously, DJ Calvin Harris produced Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1, an album entirely made up of collaborations with hip-hop and R&B artists such as Frank Ocean, Migos, ScHoolBoy Q, Kehlani, and more. Last year, we saw Post Malone release “Take What You Want” on his newest album, a hip-hop-meets-metal song featuring one of today’s most influential hip hop artists, Travis Scott, and one of rock and metal’s most influential artists of all time, Ozzy Osbourne. And of course, last year there was conflict around music charts and genres when Lil Nas X release his infamous song “Old Town Road” that was arguably both country and hip-hop-- especially when the Billy Ray Cyrus remix version was released. The most glaring genre crossover as of late is simply the fact that most modern pop songs incorporate various trap beats that are also heard in mainstream hip-hop songs, like Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings.” Even if you look at Spotify’s “Today’s Top Hits” playlist under “Pop” music, more than half of the songs and artists on there would be considered hip-hop by many people, especially by fans of these songs and artists. Collaborations within music also help in elevating the experience of music. Many artists collaborate to release full projects together, sometimes under a moniker which rebrands the two as a collective. Having collaborated frequently in the past, Jhené Aiko and Big Sean came together to form the duo TWENTY88. The two strived to create music to
combat something they had felt was missing in the music industry: genuine chemistry. Their music was able to do just that, focusing on the aspects of a true relationship, from love to jealousy to intimacy to parting ways, the two were able to cohesively capture the story of star-crossed lovers. However, what makes TWENTY88 stand out, is that the doesn’t sound just like a Jhené Aiko project or just like a Big Sean project. It’s its own entity, a product of the combination of Jhené Aiko’s psychedelic and contemporary R&B with Big Sean’s lyrical and braggadocious treatment of hip-hop. This is the effect that these types of collaborations can have; when artists have genuine chemistry and are able to connect beyond a business level, the end product is an amazing piece of work, based on the yearning to create authentic art collaboratively, rather than just attempting to make a hit. Whether it be contemporaries within a genre such as Kid Cudi and Kanye West releasing KIDS SEE GHOSTS or artists who you wouldn’t expect to work with each other such as Lana Del Rey and A$AP Rocky’s slew of collaborations (Ridin, Summer Bummer, Groupie Love), these types of dualities within music are what create some of the most interesting and most meaningful content. Like with genre crossovers, it’s remarkable when two artists are able to come together and blend their artistry to create music which is cohesive, yet sonically different than what they usually would create on their own. From the City Girls to The Carters, these duos in music have been proving that collaboration can be a powerful thing.
showcasing how certain aspects of life can be felt and experienced in more than one way. Frank Ocean’s sophomore album Blonde truly takes duality within a project to the next level. The title itself is a play on the binary between masculinity and femininity, and serves as an allusion to Frank Ocean’s own bisexuality. Within the album itself, we see continuous dualities of themes such as self-love vs self-hate (Solo) as well as themes of falling in and out of love (Ivy, Self Control, Seigfried), and the album itself reaches its climax during the magnificent Nights, which is literally split into two parts with a beat change signifying the halfway point of the album. Frank Ocean’s portrayal of such dualities adds layers of depth to his music, requiring his listeners to truly sit and think about the content of his songs rather than letting them go in one ear and out the other. Other contemporaries in music have also created remarkable dual or two-sided albums. In 2017, iconic pop star Kesha made her comeback to music with her triumphant album Rainbow, which dealt with the duality in feeling pain and becoming stronger as a result of it. The following year, Drake would release the chart-topping album Scorpion, a two-disc album with the first half being hip-hop and the second being R&B, showcasing the duality in his own artistry and the reason why he draws such mass appeal. These “two-sided” or conceptual albums are also special because in order to truly take meaning from it, it requires you to sit down and listen from the album, not on shuffle, but in order of the tracklist from start to end, as the artist tries to take listeners through a journey in the hopes they will learn a genuine lesson from it.
While it may seem like an oxymoron, an artist’s ability to create an album with a duality of themes makes it more cohesive. It shows that they are truly trying to tell a story with their music,
There is a satisfaction in seeing the way different genres of music mesh together so well, especially if you enjoy them both separately, too. Yes, there are a few people who do not necessarily enjoy the
final products of these genre crossovers or artist collaborations, but whether or not they work is up to individual interpretation. What’s more important is the fact that strict musical categories perpetuated by industry charts and music snobs are not holding back the art of the music itself. Instead, we enjoy the music for what it is saying and how it makes us feel despite the production style. And with more collaborations to come in the future, whether expected or not, we will see the boundaries within genres of music pushed even further, and come to realize that music as a whole is more alike than different than we think.
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THE By Alondra Pena
EXPLORING THE IN-BETWEENS OF FASHION WITH OUR STAPLE PIECES! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------What makes fashion so immensely fun is the fact that it allows us to express ourselves in any way we choose (duh). Sure, we might not have control over a whole lot of aspects within our lives in general, but we do have control over what clothes we choose to throw on when we get up in the morning. Keep this in mind as I explain this next very important part. As humans, we are not ever completely 100% about anything (which is OK! I promise). Nothing in our lives exists in strictly set extremes of either this or that, because we oftentimes exist in the in-betweens of things. The grey area, if
you will. But nothing about this area is dull or grey, just the opposite in fact, and the same stands for our clothing. The conscious choice of how we choose to dress speaks to the act of celebrating our state of in-betweens by choosing clothing that represents our multifaceted and inherently changing identities. While marketing tactics and wide spread commercial tropes would have you believe that styles and aesthetics exist separately: romantic / classic / edgy / boho / sporty etc., it’s just not true. The individual style of any one person can not be placed into a convenient or conventional box.
So, take your eyes from the page and give a quick glance to the world around you. You just might see that wonderfully colorful “grey area” of in-betweens existing in the mixture and blending of styles, contrasting pieces, layered textures, patterns, and aesthetics. And the best way that we thought we could hopefully highlight this wonderfully colorful “grey area” was to list some examples of simple staple pieces that can help you explore and celebrate your own state of fashionable in-betweens.
OUR TRANSFORMABLE STAPLES JEANS Oh, jeans. Dare we call you the staple of all staples? I don’t think it’s too bold a move. “Why?”, no one asks. Allow me to explain. The great thing about jeans is that they don’t have to be the boring, shapeless, frustratingly-loose-in-places-you-just-wantto-be-snug and too-tight-where-you-justwant-some-room ones that I know you’re thinking of. Jeans can function as the base level garment from which you can create practically any outfit, whatever the vibe. High waisted jeans, jeans with different and unique washes, jeans with cool textures or rips, bellbottomed, skinny, cropped, whatever the jean look it is, they
26 | The Not-So Grey Area
all serve as the perfect foundation from which you can construct any blended look due to the way in which they claim the inherently stylish air of, “Sure I care, but not too much” (which, isn’t that the look that we all strive for?) that pairs great with quite literally anything else. So picture your fav pair of jeans. Got em? Cool. Butt looking fabulous? Even more cool. Now, think about them paired with any of the following: - With a vintage band tee & chunky white sneakers or boots. - With a silk/lace camisole or any romantic looking blouse & combat boots, or maybe even kitten heels if you’re feeling spicy (ooh la la). - With a blazer and a fitted white top, a
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sleek pair of shades to top it off, and the power stance shoes of your choice.
nevertheless work together to create an eye-catching and confident look.
In any of these looks, you’d be living (and quite frankly, thriving) in the in-betweens of multiple aesthetics and styles coming together to create the perfect outfit to suit which ever mood you’re feeling that day.
T-SHIRTS
SKIRTS Okay, so hear me out on this one. I know that something about the word “skirts” unintentionally evokes a gut reaction of middle/high-school cringe, but the skirts that I’m talking about here look nothing like the ones you and your friends would somehow all end up wearing on the same day with your hair curled (it’s okay, we all did it). I’m talking about those InstagramPinterest ones. The mid-length ones that seem elegant but, like, totally effortless. Some people may say they look like old lady church skirts, but we intellectuals know that these staple skirts allow us to explore the solid colors, satin and silk finishes, and floral patterns of our dreams to create the perfect, Instagram-storyworthy ootd. Imagine, the skirt: - With a pastel cropped cardigan, daintily layered jewelry & whatever casual brunchqueen sneakers, flats, or chunky sandals you prefer. - With an oversized knit sweater, your chic cross-body bag, and the- the Chanel boots? Yeah. (We all wish). - With a masterfully tied or tucked graphic tee & your trusty combat boots (could you get any cooler?) Again, many of these pieces aren’t “traditionally” paired together, but they
This one’s a no brainer because it can be whatever. A solid colored tee, a band tee, a cool graphic tee, a significant other’s tee, a loose fitting tee, a tee with a slight turtleneck (yes, it’s cute), a tee you haven’t really washed in a long time because you only ever wear it in small increments but those increments have inevitably added up but you don’t want to admit that to yourself tee. Tees are magical because they are comfortable, and when comfortability is translated into our clothing, there is an unmistakable surge of confidence and ease that makes any outfit feel like the best outfit. Consider: - Tucking your tee under a summery floral dress with a pair of chunky socks and old sneakers, scrunchie holding up a masterfully created messy bun. - Your fav tee paired with trousers or high waisted slacks with more dressed-up shoes (werk-casual?) - Sporting your tee by layering it over a hoodie (quirky!), to pair with a tastefully baggy pair of sweats or joggers, sneakers, and glam makeup and jewelry (Hailey Bieber who??) The possibilities to create unique looks with such a common place piece such as a simple tee are endless.
JACKETS Last, but certainly not least, let’s not forget our outerwear, as staple jackets
can carry over through any style to create unexpected but put-together looks. For instance: Jean jackets: Denim, as I explained earlier, makes for an air of effortless ease by bringing a casual vibe to otherwise more dramatic pieces, liiike topping off a silk slip dress and nude heels with an oversized distressed/embellished jean jacket (á la -insert any celebrity-). Leather jackets: Leather’s cool edge can toughen up more delicate pieces to create a unique contrast that plays with traditionally “masculine” and “feminine” silhouettes. For example, throwing your leather jacket over a baby-doll dress, or pairing it with the earlier mentioned midlength skirt (pin this item?). And at this point I’ve realized I’ve somehow neglected shoes and accessories, but will spare you till next time, as a treat <3. So… Can you see that wonderfully colorful “grey area” now? The area that’s waiting for you to try new things and pair new pieces together? To explore your own in-betweens coolly and confidently? As a vehicle for self-expression and changing moods, fashion isn’t something meant to be contained or compartmentalized, just like our identities. So, while at the end of some days you may just feel like you, and a pair of jeans and an old t-shirt may just feel like a pair of jeans and an old t-shirt, the possibilities in which even the simplest of things can create something unique, original, and eye-catching are endless.
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The Not-So Grey Area | 27
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Duality in Fashion | 29
Photographers Sravya Balasa and Fiona Feng Models Christian Johnson and Courtland Johnson
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Photographer Jason Lin Models Christian Johnson and Courtland Johnson
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MASCULINITY & FEMININITY IN FASHION #ANDROGYNOUSFASHIONISCAMP
Photographer Jason Lin Models Omar Arredondo and Eunice Choi
By Aaditya Prasad
D
uring the last Met Gala of the decade, Anna Wintour and her fellow co-chairs decided to make the theme centered around Susan Sontag’s essay Notes on ‘Camp’. Many celebrities and fashion icons decided to use “the elements of irony, humor, parody, pastiche, artifice, theatricality, and exaggeration” celebrated by Camp to transgress normative gender roles within fashion. We saw stars like Harry Styles and Billy Porter don dresses and extravagant gowns while actresses such as Kristen Stewart and Danai Gurira sported luxury suits. Panic at the Disco‘s Brandon Urie’s dual outfit displaying the masculine side of fashion as well as the feminine summed up the gender-bending goal of Camp. Yet, while these outfits display the progress that the fashion industry has made in gendered fashion within the last decade, Urie’s outfit also displays the underlying problem; that there still exists a binary between the masculine and the feminine within the fashion industry – one that excludes trans and non-binary people.
reason. It might be for this reason that fashion norms of the past have started to become obsolete.
While people bat an eye less frequently at individuals balking gendered fashion, this was not always the case. With the rise of industrial capitalism during the 20th century, fashion transitioned from a tool to display social status to a tool to maintain patriarchal gender roles. Caring about fashion was associated with femininity, and any man daring to dress well was ostracized and ridiculed. Women were expected to be thin, wear brighter colors like pink, and modestly so fashion reflected that. Even now, while it is socially acceptable for women to dress more masculine, for example wearing pants, suits etc, in practice not much has changed. Many clothing store’s women’s sections are filled with bright pink clothing, and super skinny genes. It is interesting that most gendered rules in fashion are arbitrary yet so readily accepted. In the early 20th century pink used to be associated with masculinity and blue was feminine yet less than half a century later during the 40’s this distinction flipped for no real
However, not conforming to gender roles is still viewed as a transgression – one that Trans and non-binary people aren’t allowed to commit. While many celebrities were praised for crossdressing during the Met Gala, it is telling that every single one of them was a cisgender person. Although cis-men such as James Charles and Jeffree Star are lauded for their crossdressing, it is only ok because they are cisgender. Once a trans person starts cross-dressing as a performance of their gender it becomes taboo. Even the fashion that is meant to cater to trans individuals fails to recognize the financial realities of the community. Most companies that do offer nonbinary clothing offer it at a premium while failing to recognize that the trans community doesn’t have the buying power to access it. Therefore, it is not actually meant to be inclusive of trans and nonbinary individuals. Even within the industry itself, trans people are excluded. Victoria Secret still doesn’t
As shown during the 2019 Met Gala, society has made progress in deconstructing the notion of gendered fashion. Beginning with early feminist movements, many women began questioning why women should dress differently than men, and as a result began dressing differently. They started wearing trousers, shirts and other seemingly masculine clothing. Later, the LGBTQ rights movements began challenging the notion of gender altogether. Drag became a popular form of entertainment so much so that now shows like RuPaul’s drag race are nationally televised shows. Many fashion companies saw this trend as an opportunity to expand their businesses so they began selling more non-binary clothes. In the end, LGBTQ and feminist activists paved the way for androgynous fashion to become prominent in mainstream culture.
allow trans women to walk the runway and while Trans people were the original designers of nonbinary fashion, there are very few mainstream trans-designers. In fact, nearly 53% of the fashion industries political contributions go to Republicans who are actively trying to remove transrights. However, the exclusion of trans and nonbinary people from androgynous fashion and the fashion industry writ large can be changed. The question then is, what needs to be done? First, and maybe intuitively, support trans fashion. Supporting trans-fashion not only means buying clothes from them, but it also means recommending trans fashion companies to friends. Doing this will not only normalize transgender designers but it will also help raise the purchasing power of trans people which will be reinvested in the trans community writ large. Secondly, companies need to listen to the people they are marketing to. This means setting reasonable prices, making sure that the clothes of one gender can fit the physique of another, and providing grassroots access. Finally, representation matters. Companies need to hire more trans people not only as models but also within the office itself. Normalizing trans people must be a constant struggle both in the public and private sphere. Seeing a trans-person on the runway in a Milan fashion show will not only popularize non-binary fashion, but it will also inspire countless transyouth and help them feel seen. This can already be demonstrated by trans actresses such as Hunter Schafer from Euphoria and nonbinary musicians such as Sam Smith. Supporting trans rights means supporting trans people in every industry. The first Met Gala of the decade’s theme is “About Time: Fashion and Duration”. It is bound to reimagine the history of fashion in a heterogenous way. While gendered fashion still has its time, hopefully, within the next 20 years, the concept of gendered fashion will have passed its duration.
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