Local Dietician Ditches Dieting Forever

1960-2020: Six Decades of Local Feminism

Photos courtesy of the UF Archives Story by Olivia deMontmorency

The Women’s Movement is commonly acknowledged as a national organization, but every community and city around the country plays an extensive role in reinforcing these ideas of equality and change. Gainesville is no exception. Many residents may be unaware that Gainesville has a rich history of feminism. Here’s a look at the local history of the feminist movement, the impactful organizations and the strong women who led them.

1960s 1970s

1972 - The Equal Rights Amendment is passed in the United States. However, it's not until Jan. 27, 2020 that Virginia becomes the 38th state to ratify it, more than three decades after the original 1982 deadline.

1974 - The Rape Information and Counseling Service (RICS) is created and provides a 24-hour hotline for those experiencing any form of sexual abuse. Documentation from the UF Smathers Library states the RICS was started in a broom closet of a local Gainesville church, monitored at all times of the day. According to WomaNews, volunteers accompanied rape victims to the hospital, the police station, court and even provided getaways for women to escape town for the day or weekend.

1974 continued - The Gainesville Women’s Health Center is created by longtime advocate for women’s health, Byllye Avery. The Gainesville center, alongside four other centers, was for minority and low-income women facing unplanned/unwanted pregnancies. Documentation from the UF archives states Avery later established the Black Women's Health Imperative in Atlanta in 1984, which addresses reproductive rights of African American women.

1963 - Gainesville Women for Equal Rights (GWER) was co-founded by Beverly Jones. According to the University of Florida Digital Collections, the community began to recognize the coalition after its members protested against segregation at the College Inn in October 1963. These women normally consisted of local students, wives, teachers and others who played a significant role in the desegregation of the library, Alachua General Hospital, the Boys Club and more.

1968 - Beverly Jones and Judith Brown co-authored the feminist manifesto, “Toward a Female Liberation Movement,” which is later printed as a pamphlet and named the “Florida Paper.” Stetson University professor and historian Peggy Macdonald calls it “one of the most prominent local activities of its time.” The Florida Paper is considered to be one of the most popular publications on radical feminism, following iconic author Simone de Beauvoir.

1968 continued - The Gainesville Women's Liberation is founded by Judith Brown and Carol Giardina. It’s the first women's liberation group in the South. Brown and Giardina would later revive the organization in the mid-'80s. 14 The Origins Issue 1975 - Womanstore opens, Gainesville’s first feminist bookstore. Womanstore provided feminist literature as well as a space where women could leave their abusive homes and work on creating new policy and change for equality.

1977 - The University of Florida approves the Women’s Studies program as a new field of study.

Byllye Avery (1974)

1980s

1980 - The Gainesville Commission on the Status of Women is founded to promote “gender equality and the empowerment of women." The local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People elects their first woman president, Dr. Joyce Cosby. 1982 - The local National Organization for Women (NOW) chapter is established. NOW addresses issues of activism such as reproductive rights, stopping violence against women, ending racism, stopping sex discrimination and economic inequality.

1984 - Jean Chalmers is the first woman elected Mayor of Gainesville. Today, Chalmers works as a real estate agent and continues to advocate for gender equality.

1986 - Gainesville’s progressive newsletter and events calendar, the Gainesville Iguana is created. Founded by activists Jenny Brown and Joe Courter, the Gainesville Iguana, served as a resource for activists to rally around an event and share national information. The newsletter continues to distribute hard copies today (printed on recycled paper) around Gainesville and publish online.

1987 - Cynthia M. Chestnut becomes the first African American woman elected to the Gainesville City Commission.

1990s

1990 - Cynthia M. Chestnut is the first woman elected to Florida House of Rep. from District 2 and the first African American elected from Alachua County.

1994 - Writer and radical feminist Kathie Sarachild begins teaching a “Feminist Activism” course at the University of Florida. Back in the 1960s, Sarachild coined the famous term “Sisterhood Is Powerful” and wrote the “Program for Feminist Consciousness-Raising.”

1997 - The Gainesville Women's Health Center closes after 25 years of serving women in the community. The health center created a longlasting impact by putting medicine practices like the gentle female pelvic exam at the forefront of basic medical practices. Through its almost three decades of operation, Gainesville Women’s Health Center endured attacks from anti-choice protestors and legislative limitations on abortion rights, small business failures and more, according to the UF Digital Collections.

2000s

2002 - The Pride Community Center of North Florida opens in Gainesville, serving 13 counties around Alachua County. The center is devoted to serving the LGBTQ+ community through activities, resources and public education.

2002 continued - Cynthia M. Chestnut is the first African American woman elected to the Alachua County Commission.

2005 - The Latina Women's League is founded to provide a space for discussion of Latina women’s experiences as well as community service projects, activities and resources.

2017 - The iconic Women’s March on Washington takes place and Gainesville feminists participate. Many Gainesville locals attended the march in D.C., and others march in the local community, along with hundreds of other cities across the world.

2020 - The Gainesville Women’s March takes place where hundreds safely gather and march from Depot Park to Bo Diddley Plaza. The event was organized by University of Florida academic adviser Larah Doyle.

In 2020, Larah Doyle, an academic adviser from the University of Florida, organized a Women's March from Depot Park to Bo Diddley Plaza.

The Origins Issue 15

Anti-Aging Products Are a Double-Edged Sword

Story and Photos by Melissa Hernandez De La Cruz

Retinol is a miraculous derivative of vitamin A that is used in products aimed at preventing and smoothing out the natural aging process. Undesirable wrinkles, fine lines and crow's-feet magically shy away from the power of anti-aging ingredients such as retinol.

Social media plagues consumers' minds with a compulsive obsession for physical perfection, fueling the skin care industry. Even during the middle of a pandemic, the skin care industry raked in $17.3 billion in 2020, according to Statistica. It raises the questions: How dangerous is this obsession? Could it be counterintuitive?

There’s no doubt that quality skin care products are costly, as the industry thrives on people's insecurities. It promises to deliver on clear, glossy skin you see on magazine covers. No wrinkle, line or crow’s-feet in sight. Thanks to the increasingly popular video app, TikTok, in addition to celebrity testimonials, skin care and anti-aging products have become a viral trend. Skin care connoisseurs like SkinCarebyHyram and Vi Lai found fame on TikTok by reviewing skin care brands such as CeraVe. There is no clear timeline dictating when you should begin to use prevention products. According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), lifestyle largely influences how soon skin thins and creates the fine lines scorned upon by beauty standards. Sun exposure, smoking and tanning should be avoided for all ages.

Daily gentle cleansing and moisturizing also boosts a youthful appearance. Often, people believe in the common misconception that because a product is stinging or tingling, that must mean it's working. Dermatologists disagree with this logic, unless it is a medically prescribed anti-aging product, according to the AAD. The needless burning and stinging irritates the skin, which creates an older appearance.

Raychel Cawley, an aesthetician at Piel Aesthetics in Gainesville, endorses using skin care products carefully. The 39-year-old has been practicing dermatology for three years and highly recommends people see an aesthetician and do research before applying products. Cawley said she doesn't like that chemical exfoliants are trendy because of how irritating they can be on certain skin types.

"So long as you have a professional telling you exactly what you might benefit from, I wouldn't do a chemical acid at home," Cawley said.

The company subsequently saw itself at the top of the sales chart for cleansers and lotions, selling out in drugstores. CeraVe's U.S. sales skyrocketed to nearly $467 million, according to data from market research company Information Resources Inc.

The Ordinary’s red peel, an exfoliant made up of beta hydroxy acid (BHA) and alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) chemical compounds, was popularized by TikTok in February 2020. The red peel promises to remove dullness from the skin, resulting in a youthful glow. The Ordinary saw a 427% increase in units sold from their website, as reported by Vogue Business. She believes using anti-aging products while you’re young is pointless because your skin is still growing. She generally recommends people start using these products at around 25, but it's all dependent upon your lifestyle.

Anti-aging products like retinol-based creams or chemical exfoliants are double-edged swords because they could lead to accelerated aging, according to dermatologists from AAD. The fine print on skin care products, like The Ordinary's niacinamide acid, often warns consumers about the increased sensitivity to ultraviolet (UV) rays. Without sun protection factor (SPF), anti-aging products are counterintuitive.

Using too much retinol early on could deplete the skin’s healthy cell divisions later on in life. Balanced usage is critical to maintaining smooth skin, according to a Business Insider report on retinol.

Skin care is a science that takes plenty of trial and error to get right. However, before reaching for antiaging products, remember to protect your skin with some SPF first.

16 The Origins Issue

Photos by Melissa Hernandez De La Cruz

Going Green: The Rise of "Clean" Foods

Story by Cassandra Dergins

Long gone are the days of Twinkies and Big Macs. Preservatives and trans-fats are making way for cleaner and greener foods.

Over the last decade, people's diets have changed drastically. Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and dairyfree foods have become widely accessible throughout grocery stores and restaurants.

According to a study done by Good Food Institute, the sales of plant-based foods have grown 29% since 2017. Plant-based meat, egg and dairy products have outpaced overall food growth by more than five times. In a joint effort toward healthier bodies and a healthy planet, the demand for these foods has risen considerably.

“We have learned a lot about nutrition, even in the past decade,” said Katelyn Greenleaf, a registered dietician at NuLeaf Nutrition in Gainesville. The growth of social media sites has led to the oversaturation of trendy diets. Keto, juice cleanses and detoxes have become the newest crazes. However, when it comes to nutrition, not everything is as healthy as it seems.

“Clean eating is a phrase that people throw out because they think they’re eating healthy,” Greenleaf said. “But nutrition is different for everybody; there’s not a magic food or eating plan that is going to get everyone to see results.” Because there is such a large variety of diets, nutritionists and dieticians are essential for those looking to clean up their plates while still getting their essential nutrients.

Internal health isn’t the only benefit of greener foods. Cutting down on meat consumption means cutting down your carbon footprint. The U.N. has estimated that the meat industry generates 18% of all global greenhouse gas emissions, while the dairy industry generates 4%. These harsh global impacts have pushed the market demand for more environmentally friendly foods.

According to the Plant Based Food Association, plantbased meats now account for 2% of retail packaged meat sales. Refrigerated plant-based meat has seen sales increase 37%, while sales in the conventional meat category grew just 2% during the same period. “I wasn’t even a vegan until all of these documentaries came out and all of these famous people came out and they were like this is what we’re doing for the environment and our health,” said Maggie Clow, owner of Joyfully Baked, a vegan and gluten-free friendly bakery in Gainesville.

"It's not just vegans and vegetarians that come to the bakery,” Clow said. Joyfully Baked’s array of cheesecakes, doughnuts and artfully baked goods attract customers of all diets. Just a few years ago, the word vegan caused farmers market attendees to turn noses to Clow’s goods. This past January, Joyfully Baked attracted a line of customers that trailed down the block for their official store opening. From small-town bakeries to big chain grocery stores, clean foods have become plentiful. Vegan-friendly meals that used to be few and far between are available at every corner. Even fast-food restaurants are adding more plant-based varieties to their menus. Whether consumers are changing their diets for themselves or the planet, the popularity of clean eating is taking over our plates.