December 2015 by W27 Newspaper

Subway Serenade hallowed worms slide along

decades carved wrought iron rails, through tunnels of flashing darkness,

capturing the croon of commuter's distain

as they pass between brooklyn and the city's

perpetual, fluorescent gaze.

the subway siren's metallic, falsetto wail escapes the subterranean steel grates,

evaporating past the cotton covered ears

of street jumpers avoiding slushed sidewalks

and scathing wind gusts laced with exhaust and fleeting memories of summer days, as familiar sights disappear

behind storms of white spray paint.

MASTHEAD

FIT

Dara Kenigsberg Editor–in–Chief Jenny Kim Executive Editor Dana Heyward Managing Editor

A LE T TE R FRO M TH E E D ITO R

Dan Nissim Digital Content Editor

As a little girl, my mother instilled in me just how important it is to give back. We would always buy extra food for the homeless, not just during the holidays, but all throughout the year, and we volunteered at the shelter at our Temple. I learned at a very young age just how fortunate I was. Not only in the material sense, but because I was surrounded by people who loved me unconditionally. The only way to keep something is if you give it away. I know this logic may sound backwards, but I swear it isn’t. You have to give before you can get. And during the holiday season, when there is a whole lot of giving and receiving going on, I just felt the need to share this with you.

Marina Herbst Treasurer Hayden Werp Advertising Manager

EDITORS Kaylee Denmead Dan Nissim

ART Emma Wood Art Director Senior Designers: Danielle Carcione Kayla Scheidel

I want to thank my staff for doing such an amazing job these past few months. We really wanted to do something different and to make this paper better than ever, and so far, we have succeeded! This month, we continued on in our quest to showcase the different kinds of talents that are cultivated here at FIT by featuring two very talented writers, Kaitlyn Gorecki and Julianna Casale. I am filled with so much pride and joy that I am able to share such powerful work.

Junior Designers: Kristelle Oca Aoi Fujikawa

CONTRIBUTORS Madeline Grandusky-Howe Lemaris Lorenzo Stephanie Martinez Jordyn Ferris Melissa De Oliveira Lily Wright Natalia Pereira Meghan Kane Allison Hatch Andrea Navarro Sammy Riley Isabelle Meyers Caterina Nicolini Danielle Levy Taylor Sicko Madelyn Adams

As the semester comes to a close, and we look forward to the New Year, I just want to remind everyone to be thankful for what they have and to appreciate each and every day. With all of the horrors that are taking place around the world, we mustn’t forget how precious life really is. To all of you loyal readers, have a Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. Please check out our website over the break as we will be posting new content regularly!

Professor John Simone Editorial Faculty Adviser

“I HAVE FOUND THAT AMONG ITS OTHER BENEFITS, GIVING LIBERATES THE SOUL OF THE GIVER.”

Professor Albert Romano Advertising Adviser

-MAYA ANGELOU

ON THE COVER: POEM BY KAITLYN GORECKI

W27 NEWSPAPER

@W27NEWSPAPER

W27 IS PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER. PLEASE RECYCLE AFTER READING. A FIT STUDENT ASSOCIATION PUBLICATION.

W27

DECEMBER 2015

CONTENTS ON THE BLOCK 4

Your Winter Guide to Cafes Near Campus

Cirque De La Mode

Student Spotlight: Young Lucid

Beauty Buzz

DEAR INDUSTRY 7

Ralph Lauren’s New Virtual Mirror and the Influence of Technology on Shopping

CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Winners

R.I.P. Lucky Magazine

Nylon’s Editor-In-Chief Dethrones Allure’s

The Parading of Unmentionables Was Mentioned and It Appears Jourdan Dunn is Done

Visit the Amazon Store

Macy’s is Truly “One Below”

The Pressure: Why Creative Directors Are Dropping Like Flies

Graphene Technology Marks the Beginning of a New Era

FEATURE 13

Georgetown Dropout Running a Growing Startup

Featured Poets

Who’s Driving Who?

Underage Model Legislation

Is the Childrens Market Finally Going to Stop Selling Gender?

A Sizzling Debate

iPad Pro VS. Surface Pro 4

It’s Not Offensive, It’s Queer

Essenia O’Neill/Social Media: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

HAUTE CULTURE 24

TV Review: Master of None

Album Review: Adele “25”

Gallery Review: Picasso Sculpture and And Walid Raad

Concert Review: Grimes

Streaming TV: The Final Frontier

Theatre Review: Hamiltion

Theatre Review: The Flick

MONTH IN REVIEW 27

Running on Drugs

With Liberty and Justice For Some?

A LETTER FROM THE A RT D I R EC TO R Working as Art Director for the past semester has been so exciting. Overwhelming at times? Yes. But still, exciting. None of this would have been possible without the talented team of designers, editors, and contributors.Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication.

Until next semester,

FIT SPEAKS 25

The Cup That Stole Christmas

Bloomingdale’s Not-So-Stylish Ad

ON THE BLOCK

YO U R WINTER G U I D E TO

FIT

CIRQUE DE LA MODE BY LEMARIS LORENZO AND STEPHANIE MARTINEZ

CAFES NEAR CAMPUS BY MADELINE GRANDUSKY-HOWE PHOTO COURTESY: TUMBLR.COM

As the weather grows colder, a great cafe for studying or hanging out with friends is essential. While Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts offer tasty holiday confections, the atmosphere can leave something to be desired. Around campus, there are many coffee shops that offer an excellent environment, complete with a delicious hot beverage and shelter from the cold.

— PUSHC A RT COFFEE 401 West 25th Street

Pushcart, just a few blocks from campus, is a great place to bring your laptop or sketchbook and get to work. There are plenty of places to sit and plug in, including a large communal table; there is also free, reliable WiFi available. Their window seats are ideal for chatting with friends between classes over an Instagram worthy latte. The menu features a reasonably priced assortment of hot and cold beverages,as well as a variety of snacks and pastries.

— GR E Y DOG 242 West 16th Street Tucked away near the corner of 16th Street and 8th Avenue, Grey Dog offers specialty drinks, sandwiches and other entrees. With a great playlist and cozy lighting, the environment is more suited for hanging out with friends than sitting on your laptop. Perks include: free refills on drip coffee, amazing french fries, brunch on weekends and an ample dessert case (order the Apple Toffee Cobbler warmed up with whipped cream).

— T HINK COFFEE 405 West 23rd Street While Think is small and lacks seating, it’s a great place to grab a quick coffee or pastry near Kaufman. The specialty drinks are excellent, especially the Vietnamese coffee (served with sweetened condensed milk). Stop here on the way to Chelsea Piers or the new High Line entrance or before a latenight cram session. Think also has delicious breakfast and lunch items.

— BE AN & BE AN 320 8th Avenue A new addition to FIT’s neighborhood, Bean & Bean is practically on campus. This coffee shop features fresh and organic coffee, plenty of seating and free WiFi making it the perfect place to chill while writing an essay. The coffee is strong and their Chai latte is said to be the best in Chelsea. The Honey latte or Organic frappes (think a frappuccino, but more natural) are also a sweet compliment to a crisp day.

PHOTO COURTESY: RALPH BAVARO

Runway27’s annual fall fashion show was an explosion of colors, beautiful designs and serious talent. The theme this year, which was picked by club president Ashley Attianese, was Cirque De La Mode. Student designers and outside vendors sent both men’s and women’s looks down the runway, all of which were related to the circus. Everything about the sold-out show, from the stage to the music, to the props to the pre-show performance created an extraordinary circus feel for the audience. The models looked like extravagant clowns and acrobats, with artistic and colorful makeup. Their faces were painted with geometrical shapes around their eyes. A variety of styles including swimwear, sportswear, formal and semiformal evening gowns were showcased on the runway. However different, each piece was carefully constructed with hard work and attention to detail. Voluminous midi skirts, transparent fabrics and open backs, along with black, red, white and neutral colors were popular on the runway. At the end of the show, all of those who worked on it came out to pay homage to Professor Lori Massaro, who advised the production. It was emotional and joyful to see all of this hard work come to fruition.

— C A F E G RU M P Y 224 West 20th Street Frequented by coffee aficionados, Cafe Grumpy’s Chelsea location is intimate and hip. The strict no-laptop rule eliminates the ability to get work done here, but the atmosphere is perfect for an hour or two of downtime between classes. Highly regarded as the best coffee in Manhattan, Cafe Grumpy features house-roasted coffee and espresso brews daily. Warning: their hot lattes are extremely addicting.

PHOTO COURTESY: JORDAN HIRALDO

Runway27 is an on campus multidisciplinary club in which FIT students of every major are welcome to participate. This student run organization and award-winning club was founded in 2013 by students who wanted an outlet to express their knowledge and passion for the fashion industry. Runway27 is made up of three committees: Merchandising, Public Relations/Marketing and Production. The Merchandising committee is responsible for obtaining the looks, including garments and accessories from designers and vendors. These items are then styled by the committee to fit into the show’s theme. The Public Relations/Marketing committee creates all advertising and marketing creative materials, including the club’s extensive social media reach. The guest list and VIP perks are maintained by the PR committee. This year’s swag bag contained generous donations from companies such as L’oreal, Fujifilm, Under Armor and more! The Production committee is responsible for all things “lights, camera, action.” Model castings, set designs and music selections are also created and maintained by the Production committee. They act as a liaison between the school and the club for any production guidelines. The process to get the show together is quite difficult because of the pressure to receive enough sponsorships while working with a tight budget. Both working on the show and being in the club are extremely rewarding and it is amazing to see the hard work that every member put in come to life. As soon as the lights dimmed and the show began, it was clear that the event was going to be a huge success. Runway27 was proud to announce a sold out show which included a plethora of VIP guests, industry executives, faculty (including FIT’s President Dr.Brown), students, family, friends and the general public.

W27

DECEMBER 2015

S T U D E N T S P O T L I G H T:

YO U N G L U C I D BY JENNY KIM

PHOTO COURTESY: @TIFFNYSHERELLPHOTO

It was a gloomy Sunday in NYC and Adam Said, who goes by the moniker Young Lucid, was sitting comfortably on a bench outside of Co Ed, dressed in black from head to toe. A freshman in AMC, Young Lucid released his first single, “She Love It,” along with a music video on November 13. He sat down with W27 to share the details about his budding career as a rapper— what inspired him to break into the industry and how going to FIT is going to help him make it in the music industry. Jenny Kim: When did you decide you wanted to go into the music industry, specifically, the rap music industry? Young Lucid: I was always a fan of music. Ever since I was young, my brother used to play rap music around the house. By the time I was in 6th grade, he started making music on his laptop and I wanted to do what he was doing because I looked up to him. That is when I first realized I wanted to rap. JK: How did you come up with the name Young Lucid? YL: When I was little, I used to have a lot of bad dreams. Fascinated by them, I did a bit of research and I discovered lucid dreaming. I was intrigued by this concept because in lucid dreaming, you control your dream. So if you can control your dreams, you can make them come true. I think that’s really inspiring. So that’s the idea behind the name Young Lucid, and my first project is going to be called “Lucid Dreams” as well. JK: Do you plan to combine the skills you learn here at FIT with your rap career? YL: Yeah, that is actually the reason why I came to FIT. I wanted to learn advertising, marketing and communications so that I can apply that to my music career. I want to learn about the business aspect of the music industry so I can start my own record label—that is my long term goal.

JK: Tell us about your debut song “She Love It” and how you were inspired to write the song. YL: So I came up with the concept two years ago and I had met this singer in my hometown of Staten Island. Her name is Elaine Krystal and she just had a crazy good voice. So we were in the studio together and we wanted to make something for the ladies. So we sat and wrote the song together. JK: Now let’s talk about your music video. Tell us about the background scenes: Were there any complications? Was it fun? Where was it filmed? YL: Yeah, there were some little complications at first but we turned it into something positive. We shot the video at a club in Staten Island called Eve Ultra Lounge. It was really fun and we wanted to communicate support for the LGBT community. We wanted it to be super transparent. We wanted Elaine’s personality to show and mine to show, and even though it took six hours to film, it all worked out perfectly. JK: Who are your biggest inspirations in the music industry? Who do you look up to?

DON’T LET THE PEOPLE WHO CRITIQUE YOU DECIDE FOR YOU. ACCEPT THEIR CRITICISM AND ADVICE BUT MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS.

YL: Kanye West makes such dope music, he has an ability to be creative and I think he has a good sense of the modern generation. Other artists who inspire me would be Travis Scott and Nas. JK: If you don’t mind telling us, what is your next big project? YL: I can’t say too much, but right now Dock Street Records (the label that Young Lucid is under) and I are coming up with an EP, probably in the first quarter of 2016, but before that we will likely release a second single with a second music video, so I’m excited for that. JK: So how are you advertising yourself right now? YL: I’m just advertising myself as myself—it’s not fabricated. I’m really big on being transparent and staying true to myself. I think it’s important for artists to market themselves as themselves with no extra, unnecessary layers that waters down their true image.

JK: What is your advice to other kids who want to get into the music industry? YL: This industry is competitive and over-saturated. I would say that the first step is to sit and decide if this is something that you really want to do because it takes a lot of focus and a lot of energy. Don’t let the people who critique you decide for you. Accept their criticism and advice but make your own decisions. Next, do some research so that you understand the market and the business of this industry or else you are going to waste a lot of time and money. Take advantage of social media so that you can get your name out there. Speaking of which, I’m on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook under the username @ younglucid1. I also have a website www. younglucid.com. As far as my music, you can get it on Soundcloud, iTunes, Google Play and Apple Music. Finally, you have to separate yourself from everybody else so that you can stand out. The way to do that is to be yourself.

TO SEE YOUNG LUCID’S DEBUT MUSIC VIDEO, VISIT HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/ WATCH?V=FPTLC_CM-1Y.

BEAUTY BUZZ

FIT

F O U R PL AC E S TO T R E AT Y O U R S E L F

F O U R H O L I D AY R E L E A S E S TO LO O K O U T F O R

BY JORDYN FERRISS

As the semester winds down and we are plagued with final projects and exams, we are left with little to no “me time.” Luckily, there are plenty of options for those of us who find it important to treat yourself when things get a little tough at school. Here’s a list of four places where you can slip away from all the stress the end of the semester brings.

BIRCHBOX 433 West Broadway, birchbox.com/stores/soho

DRYBAR Various locations throughout Manhattan, drybar.com

For beauty lovers, the holidays are a goldmine. Special sets, collaborations and limited-edition exclusives fill the shelves of our favorite beauty retailers, only to be emptied faster than they could be stocked. I suggest taking advantage of all the holiday beauty launches this season, but here are our top four favorites to keep an eye out for. Have your credit cards ready because some of these are destined to be sold out before you know it.

URBAN DECAY LIP VAULT $195, urbandecay.com PHOTO COURTESY:BIRCHBOX.COM

PHOTO COURTESY:@THEDRYBAR

A blowout and complimentary champagne — has anything ever sounded more relaxing? Pop into one of Drybar’s 11 locations to get this allstar treatment. Upon arrival you are given a portfolio of various hairstyles appropriately named after alcoholic beverages — it’s a “bar” after all. Whether you choose the “Cosmo” or the “Mai Tai,” you’re sure to have a relaxing stay, all while sipping on some champagne. Services range from $10$80 and include a classic blowout and a 10-minute scalp massage. So kick back, sip some champagne and forget about that English paper that’s past due.

Birchbox dominates the subscription beauty box world, but did you know they’re first flagship store is located in Soho? Inside you’ll find all of the goodies in your monthly Birchbox, but full-sized. At the back of the store you’ll find the “BYOB” section, which stands for Build Your Own Box. Here you can assemble your own custom Birchbox ($15) in-store instead of waiting for it to arrive via snail mail. If you venture downstairs, you’ll find a fullservice salon/spa, where you can book a hair, nail or makeup appointment. Service prices range from $10-$85, so there’s something for everyone on any budget.

LUSH SPA 783 Lexington Avenue, lushusa.com/spa

BITE BEAUTY LIP LAB 174 Prince Street, bitebeauty.com

If custom cosmetics is your thing, then you’ll find nirvana at the Bite Beauty Lip Lab in Soho. Once there, you’re able to create your very own lipstick shade with the help from the lab technicians. The color is mixed right in front of you, and you’re even able to choose the finish (matte, creme, sheer and deluxe) and the scent (vanilla, mint, cherry, mango, citrus, violet and superfruit). If you’re feeling fancy, you can add on gold, silver, bronze or rose gold shimmer for an additional $6. Each lipstick is $45, or two for $60. Techs write down your special color combination so you can come back anytime to refill your new favorite shade.

Urban Decay takes holiday gifting to another level each year with their immaculate product vaults. In the past, they’ve offered their “Naked Vault,” featuring all Naked Palettes, as well as the “Motherlode Vault,” a collection of their individual eyeshadows. This year, Urban Decay introduced their “Urban Lip Vault”, priced at $195. The vault contains seven best-selling shades of their 24/7 lip liners, two matte, two sheer and two classic Revolution Lipsticks, as well as three of their newly-released Revolution High-Color lip glosses. While $195 may be a lot, for the Urban Decay collector, this vault is another great addition to their evergrowing collection. Available now on urbandecay.com.

PHOTO COURTESY:NARSCOSMETICS.COM

NARS is often remembered for their creative holiday collaborations. With artist Andy Warhol and photographer Guy Bourdin under their belt already, it felt fitting to collaborate yet again with an edgy creative for 2015. This year, NARS joined forces with eccentric fashion photographer Steven Klein. The product line ranges from $20$160 and features various lipstick sets, cheek and eye palettes and nail polishes. The packaging is a big draw to the collection, featuring hauntingly beautiful photographs shot by Klein. One of the collection’s stand-out pieces is the “An Abnormal Female Bullet Lip Pencil Set,” which houses three of the brand’s popular Velvet Matte Lip Pencils in a large red and gold “bullet.” Available now at NARS boutiques and narscometics.com.

MAKE UP FOR EVER 15 ARTIST SHADOW PALETTE $59, sephora.com

PHOTO COURTESY:SEPHORA PHOTO COURTESY:GRACEINTHEPINKCITY

PHOTO COURTESY:TRACEINTHEPLACE.COM

PHOTO COURTESY:URBANDECAY

NARS X STEVEN KLEIN $20-$160, narscosmetics.com

If you’re someone who likes to splurge, then the LUSH Spa is the place for you. We all know and love LUSH for their fun, natural and cruelty-free bath products, so it only makes sense their very own spa would be quite the treat. Offering eight unique treatments, the New York LUSH Spa location on Lexington Ave is one of two in the U.S. (the other one’s in Philadelphia). This exclusive spa is the perfect place to unwind after you finish finals, with treatment prices ranging from $120-$230. You could opt for “The Comforter?”, an hour long hot chocolate body scrub for $170, or “The Good Hour,” a 70 minute long deep body tissue massage.

MAC X DITA VON TEESE $18, December 9th at maccosmetics. com

PHOTO COURTESY:TEMPTALIA.COM

Lately, MAC collaborations seem to be popping up every few weeks, but I can’t really complain. With Ariana Grande, Zac Posen and Charlotte Olympia releasing collections later in the year, I was more than happy to hear that MAC was releasing a collection for the holidays. Burlesque queen Dita Von Teese is the latest starlet to collaborate with the makeup giant. Dita’s signature MAC lipstick, “Von Teese” ($18), is described as a “tomato-red matte,” and is the perfect accessory for a sultry pout this holiday season. It launches online at maccosmetics.com on December 9, and will be in select stores in December.

If you’re looking for the quintessential holiday palette, then look no further. The Make Up For Ever 15 Artist Shadow Palette is the perfect balance between best value, quality and shadow color variety. The collectible palette features 15 of Make Up For Ever’s best selling Artist Shadows, boasting some of the most luxurious and coveted shadow formulas in the industry. With a great mix of neutral, smoky and vibrant shadows, it is a perfect buy for those looking for a versatile addition to their collection. Valued at $221, the $59, 15 Artist Shadow Palette is a steal, so you better get your hands on it before it’s gone! Available now at Sephora retail locations and

W27

DECEMBER 2015

D E A R I N D U S T R Y:

R ALPH L AURE N’S NE W VIRTUAL MIRROR A N D T H E I N F LU E N C E O F T E C H N O LO GY O N S H O P P I N G BY DANIEL NISSIM This feat is accomplished through the use of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chips. Not happy with the size you picked? No need to hail a sales associate – such a bother. Just touch the mirror and ask for a new size garment to be brought to you. The mirror can also suggest a cute top to go with those killer jeans #instantfashionista. When you’re done, you can save the session (for a later date if needed) by entering your phone number and be on your way to checkout.

PHOTO COURTESY:BUSINESSINSIDER.COM

Buying new clothing can be difficult. From finding just the right pieces to getting that perfect fit, shopping for clothes has become more of a pain than a pleasurable experience. Ralph Lauren hopes to make the process easier with the launch of their new interactive changing rooms being tested at their Fifth Avenue Flagship store now.

To bring this concept to life, Ralph Lauren worked with the startup company Oak Labs, which has developed a mirror with built-in touchscreen running proprietary software. Once you step into the changing rooms, the mirror is able to recognize both the number of items you’ve brought with you as well as the size, color and name of the garment.

While Ralph Lauren is a little late to the game – Nordstrom has already been testing a similar interactive mirror – this announcement is just another example of how retailers are using technology to improve their costumer’s experience. With the use of RFID and NFC (Near Field Communication) retailers will be able to track stock more efficiently. Theoretically, they could use these wireless technologies, along with some sort of companion phone app, to track your clothing preferences. Imagine walking into a store and being directed to exactly where you want to go. Everyone’s had that moment where

they couldn’t find “that shirt” or “this dress.” While this might take out the exploration element of shopping, it couldn’t hurt to have a map. Ultimately, there will be a point where there is too much technology. Right now, online retailers track your purchase preferences. Where do we draw the line when it comes to privacy? That’s a discussion for another article (see future issues for that piece). For now, let’s take small steps. Ralph Lauren’s interactive mirror will do for now. To try Ralph Lauren’s interactive mirror today, go to their f lagship store – located on Fifth Avenue between 55th and 56th Street.

CFDA/VOGUE FASHION FUND WINNERS BY MARINA HERBST

It has been more than ten years since the birth of the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund Award, an initiative that supports emerging American fashion designers. Though the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund usually awards three designers - one winner and two runner ups – this year that tradition changed. The top honor of the evening, the monetary prize of $300,000 went to not one, but three emerging designers: Jonathan Simkhai, Rio Uribe of Gypsy Sport and Aurora James of Brother Vellies. Amanda Seyfried and Ricardo Tisci, who served as the evening’s inspirational designer of the year, unveiled the surprising news. Each winner received the same prize, with no runner-ups being announced, only the winners and the finalists.

The decision to change the outcome of the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund was reached the same morning the event was held, according to Steven Kolb, president and Chief Executive Officer of the CFDA. Throughout the process, judges start to pick their favorite designers and until this year, they would then come up with one winner and two runner ups. “There was a point last week where we didn’t know who was going to win this, so the idea of rethinking the winners was something we began to consider, but we didn’t know until this morning that we could actually do it,” Kolb told WWD. Of the three winners, the most buzzed about is probably Jonathan Simkhai who has already dressed Gigi Hadid, Emma Roberts and Kendall Jenner, among others. The designer launched his brand in 2010, two years later he joined the CFDA Fashion Incubator and in 2014 he competed for the International Woolmark Prize.

PHOTO COURTESY:FASHIONTIMES.COM

Winning the Fashion Fund would result in, “a huge help in developing the future collections, putting us ahead in production, as well as building our e-commerce business.” Simkhai commented prior to the competition. Brother Vellies is the footwear brand founded in 2013 by another winner, Aurora James, who has a store in Brooklyn. Both the name of the brand and her designs are inspired by South African culture. Besides being one of the winners of the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund, Brother Vellies was also a finalist for the CFDA + Lexus Fashion Initiative, an award that supports brands with environmentally friendly practices.

The third winner of the 2015 CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund was Rio Uribe, whose brand Gypsy Sport was founded in 2012. Gypsy Sport differentiates itself by creating non-gendered clothing. The lack of definition with traditional categories creates hope that “anybody would like it and want to wear it,” Uribe told Yahoo! Style in an interview earlier this year. Besides receiving a monetary prize, the winners are also granted a mentorship, following in the footsteps of such great talents as Joseph Altuzarra and Creatures of the Wind. We are sure to see great things from all three winners.

DEAR INDUSTRY

FIT

R.I.P.

LUCKY MAGAZINE BY LILY WRIGHT On October 29, the last nine editors of the Lucky Group were let go, and the magazine that inf luenced trend lovers for years, folded. There have been no more updates to the Lucky website and their final tweet was posted on November 1. The dismissals were preceded by months of speculations surrounding the fate of the publication. According to Fashionista.com, two employees have stated that the company “is over” although CEO Josh Berman begs to differ telling Fashionista, “Your info is not correct, as the Lucky Group continues to operate.” But without staff and no updates to any social media or the website, it is logical to assume that The Lucky Group is indeed, over. Even with major revamps and reconstruction, Lucky has been failing for years, with declining sales and a lack of advertisers purchasing pages in the magazine. For a brief moment, it looked as though things were starting to turn around, when Anna Wintour made Eva Chen the new editor-inchief in June of 2013. But this was not enough to save the doomed publication, and sales dropped yet again. In a last ditch attempt to save the magazine after years of decline, in August of 2014, “Conde Nast sold Lucky to LA-based Beachmint, which promised to lasso its power in online shopping to turn Lucky into an e-commerce company,” according to mashable.com

Now the Lucky Group, Lucky Magazine was still being published and Luckyshops.com was born. However, the damage was already done and the downward spiral continued. According to mashable.com, “It was an awkward and unsuccessful transition for the site’s editors, who were used to refining copy and suddenly felt like saleswomen pushing product. Beachmint, similarly, was frustrated by its inability to set direction for the new shopping site.” Chen and the company’s president, Gillian Gorman Round, had both packed up and left by April, and with nobody to fill their shoes, the remaining staff was left twisting in the wind. In May, the company went through with yet another remodel, when it was decided that the magazine would only be published quarterly and more staff was laid off. The Lucky Group was banking on AOL to acquire them, and they were going to share the news with the public over the summer. But AOL decided to go in a different direction, which led CEO Josh Berman to finally pull the plug.

PHOTO COURTESY:ADWEEK.COM

As magazine publications have continued to struggle in an expanding digital world, print seems to be losing its value. Nylon magazine just recently cut 13 positions (one-third of their staff ) as they try to strengthen their digital team. According to Women’s Wear Daily, there are currently only a few employees on the print side left: three fashion editors and a photo and art editor, as the other positions have been eliminated. The National Journal has also just disclosed that they will be cutting 25% of their staff. CEO David Bradley announced that the publication will be ending their 46-year run as a printed magazine because he has “failed” to keep it alive during this digital age.

As our dependence on the web becomes more prominent, Lucky Magazine joins the numerous publications that have ceased print publication in the past decade. But also gone is the simplicity of holding our favorite glossy in our hands, a feeling that anyone who has ever picked one up enjoys. Though some loyal readers are not backing down and remain hopeful that their beloved magazines can sustain the push of the digital age, it will be a tough battle to keep print alive.

NYLON’S EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DETHRONES ALLURE’S THE CHANGES AT ALLURE, BY KAYLEE DENMEAD AS WELL AS MANY OTHER OF PHOTO COURTESY:SQUARESPACE.COM

CONDE NAST’S OFFSPRING, “Out with the old, in with the new”… at least that’s what Allure Magazine decided. On November 11, 2015, Linda Wells, the founding editor of Allure Magazine, owned by Conde Nast, was abruptly fired. Though changes in the management and editorial heads of fashion magazines aren’t usually surprising, Wells’ dismissal is a bit of a shock. Why? Wells has served as editor-in-chief at Allure, a magazine focused on beauty, for 24 years. Michelle Lee, former editor-in-chief of Nylon Magazine, will replace Wells. Lee began her stint at Nylon, just over a year ago on June 25, 2014. Her decision to leave Nylon was announced on November 5, almost a week before the announcement about Wells. Lee kept quiet on where she would be heading, telling The Cut, “I accepted a position at another company which will be announced very soon. I’ve had an amazing time at NYLON and have so much love for everyone here.”

Taking Lee’s place at NYLON will be Melissa Giannini. Moving up from her position as deputy editor, Giannini has been at Nylon for about three years. Nylon CEO Paul Greenberg released a statement saying, “We’re thrilled to have an experienced editor like Melissa move into this role.” He continued, “She is the perfect person for the position.”

The changes at Allure, as well as many other of Conde Nast’s offspring, come as the magazine industry becomes less about print and more about digital content. Lee has apparently been handpicked by the one and only, Anna Wintour. Noted for being a forward thinking editor in terms of digital content, Lee will most likely be making major changes at Allure.

Though the changes at Nylon are noteworthy, Wells’ departure from Allure is truly news. WWD reports that Allure employees were “shell shocked,” after hearing the decision on Wednesday. Lee was present as the news was released and also spoke to staffers who were visibly upset, some even crying. Conde Nast president Bob Sauerberg informed WWD that, “When Linda Wells launched Allure, it broke new ground and redefined the beauty category.”

Wells was recently honored at the Phoenix House’s 2015 Fashion Award Dinner in New York. She spearheaded many firsts both at Allure and for overall magazine content during her time there. She helped to develop e-commerce for Allure and has collaborated with MasterCard’s MasterPass to allow customers to make purchases without leaving the page they are viewing. Despite Wells’ innovative pushing, Allure print sales have declined along with many other publications.

COME AS THE MAGAZINE INDUSTRY BECOMES LESS ABOUT PRINT AND MORE ABOUT DIGITAL CONTENT.

Bringing Lee to Allure is the predicted start of what will be many changes for the publication. In a hope to bring Allure back to dominance as a journalistic beauty publication, Lee will have to be innovative, digital and trendy. She has big shoes to fill. As for Wells, there has been no news on her next move.

W27

T H E PA R A D I N G O F U N M E NTI O N A B LES WA S

“Feeling so much better about not doing BS ... sorry I mean VS now that Rihanna isn’t doing it also,” she tweeted, both revealing that she would not be appearing in the iconic display of glittering lingerie and reacting to news that Rihanna’s planned performance had been cancelled. The tweet was swiftly deleted after the announcement that the English musician Ellie Goulding would replace the Bajan “bad gal.”

Fans of Dunn are perplexed, asking for an explanation as to why the model split from the famous brand on what appear to be bitter terms. Although unconfirmed, spectators of the online commotion have asserted that Dunn was selected to walk in this year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and was replaced by Jenner (final model confirmed to walk the show) at the last minute. VS offered no comment when questioned on the story.

Rumors began circulating that the British supermodel was replaced by reality-televisionstar-turned-supermodel Kendall Jenner, who, rumor has it, did not even audition for the runway show. Such buzz on social media platforms, specifically Tumblr, has generated the slogan “stop celebrating white mediocrity.” VS has made it quite clear that their runway models, excluding the “Angels,” are required to audition for the show each year. Dunn had previously strutted in intricate intimates at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show for the last three years.

Victoria’s Secret lost two major Angels earlier this year: Karlie Kloss, a regular model for Vogue, and veteran Angel, Doutzen Kroes. It was at this time that Page Six speculated that more Angels would eventually follow in the women’s footsteps. Also mentioned was the prospect that VS doesn’t pay models as much as it once did. Modeling for the lingerie brand is notoriously demanding and has led former Angels like Miranda Kerr to leave in pursuit of other, more lucrative projects. Vogue UK reported that the Angels are no longer paid the millions that supermodels such as Gisele Bündchen once demanded. The rumored $100,000 salary is not enough to justify the extensive travel and promotional work that is required of an Angel, especially when many models earn close to that for one day’s work on a top campaign.

MENTIONED AND IT APPEARS JOURDAN DUNN IS DONE BY MEGHAN KANE

PHOTO COURTESY: GQ MAGAZINE

On occasion, models choose to pour the tea rather than artlessly post a photo of it on social media. Recently, Jourdan Dunn did exactly that when she dared to bash the Victoria’s Secret fashion show, describing the upcoming celebration of taut abs and rococo undergarments as “BS.”

DECEMBER 2015

Earning a spot walking in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion show is a highly complicated and political process. Richard Habberley at DNA Model Management told Women’s Wear Daily that VS executives rely on one specific quality to sell their underwear. He stated, “The merchants drive the decisions on the Angels. They (Victoria’s Secret) try the girls out, and certain girls sell product. They’re women that appeal to other women. And they’re special because they never appear in men’s magazines. Once you start to do that, they become threatening (to potential female customers).” Fans of both Dunn and Rihanna have taken to Twitter and Tumblr, voicing their disappointment over both women’s absences at the 2015 runway show, airing on CBS on December 8. It seems Victoria’s Secret may have made a mistake this year if their goal is to brandish “women that appeal to other women.” The upset has caused wouldbe viewers of the show to plan boycotts in response to the booting of the most nameable Black model in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show since Tyra Banks and members of the #RihannaNavy to think twice about tuning in to the televised procession of bodies we should apparently aspire to have.

VISIT THE

AMAZON STORE BY KAYLEE DENMEAD Everyone’s go-to, online, one-stop shop, is testing its talents in brick-and-mortar form. That’s right Amazon-lovers, you can now walk into an Amazon store, rather than browsing from your couch in your pajamas. Amazon’s first store is a bookstore simply named Amazon Books. It opened in Seattle, Washington, which is also home to Amazon’s headquarters. For Amazon, the site well-known for lower prices of generally everything a shopper might be looking for, including clothes, books, electronic gadgets and more, the addition of a physical store is a surprise in many ways. The loss of bookstores in recent history, Borders being a prime example, can be blamed on Amazon itself. Their low-prices for books, as well as the addition of their Kindle, have given consumers fewer and fewer reasons to shop in traditional bookstores. Why would one venture out when they can get a better value and easier shopping experience by clicking away at their computers? The Seattle Times notes another questionable aspect of Amazon’s newest venture, “There is some irony in Amazon’s opening a physical store. For years, it could undercut physical retailers on price because it didn’t have brick-andmortar locations.”

While Amazon has greatly succeeded in the last twenty years in online sales, it lacked one aspect: the immediacy of owning purchases which walking into a physical store provided. PHOTO COURTESY: NBCNEWS.COM

Amazon can now offer that with this store. At just 5,500 square feet, Amazon Books is much smaller than the average Barnes & Noble, falling at about one fifth its size. Amazon shares a street with Pottery Barn and Banana Republic, nestled near the University of Washington’s campus. The books rest on wooden shelves, with their full covers facing out, giving Amazon Books a small shop feel, despite being a corporate player in the industry. Customers can find a summary and review of each book, making their search for the perfect read a bit easier. There’s even a star-rating, for people looking to grab books quickly based on previous results. After years of putting bookstores out of business, Amazon has become one. But what will set it apart?

Amazon is relying on data to set its book selling business to a different beat than other book retailers. Using information generated from the shopping patterns on the Amazon site, the company will be stocking titles supposedly most suitable for Seattle readers. Amazon hopes that data will set it apart in book sales, yet that’s not all they are going on. Jennifer Cast, vice president of Amazon Books has used the line “Data with heart,” to describe their sales pitch. She continued, “We’re taking the data we have and we’re creating physical places with it.” As an online retailer well-known for putting the mom and pop bookstores out of business, it’s questionable how well their data and heart can mix.

Incredibly, Amazon Books is focusing its selling points and store atmosphere towards millennials following a recent Publishing Technology report stating that millennials prefer to buy books in a physical store, rather than online. The study additionally reveals that word-ofmouth is the number one way readers, millennials especially, learn about new books. When it comes to book sales, it’s clear that money talks. With the same prices as online, Amazon has described their newest location as a “physical extension of Amazon.com.” Only time will tell if it will have similar success.

WHILE AMAZON HAS GREATLY SUCCEEDED IN THE LAST TWENTY YEARS IN ONLINE SALES, IT LACKED ONE ASPECT: THE IMMEDIACY OF OWNING PURCHASES WHICH WALKING INTO A PHYSICAL STORE PROVIDED.

DEAR INDUSTRY

FIT

M A C Y ’ S I S T R U LY “ O N E B E L O W ” Founded in 1858, Macy’s has seen the coming and going of all sorts of styles and trends. Yet, a store of such rich history is not immune to the fickle nature of consumer spending. On November 11, Macy’s shares plummeted 14 percent of their value, remarkably the largest one-day loss since the financial downturn in 2008. These weak earnings resulted in announced plans of shutting down between 35 and 40 stores. What can this mean for the future of the retail giant? As expected, Terry Lundgren, the retail giant’s CEO, was disappointed with the fall in sales. According to Cincinnati. com, one reason for the drop was “lower spending by foreign tourists hurt by the strong dollar worsened during the latest quarter and warmer weather cut into sales of cold-weather apparel.” But maybe it is because of the lack of interest in the retailer itself. The average age of the Macy’s customer is getting older and older, having recently reached 50 years old. For millennials, “going to these department stores was dull and unexciting,” according to a study in Forbes.com. They found that “there was little encouragement to linger.”

that displays Instagrams of shoppers showing off their purchases with yet another hashtag, #Macyslove. The best part is the — wait for it — “Selfie Wall.” This full-wall touchscreen lets eager shoppers take a selfie with images of favorable New York City destinations, including the retailer’s holiday parade and fireworks.

ONE REASON FOR THE DROP WAS “LOWER SPENDING BY FOREIGN TOURISTS HURT BY THE STRONG DOLLAR WORSENED DURING THE

PHOTO COURTESY:BUSINESSINSIDER.COM

At its f lagship location in Herald Square, Macy’s opened a new section, One Below, in the hopes of reaching a younger demographic. The space, which opened mid-third quarter, offers contemporary brands like Jessica Simpson, Madonna’s Material Girl and Benefit Cosmetics. With these names, college-aged consumers are going to instantly switch over from their H&M and Zara shopping sprees, right?

The fact of the matter is investing all of this time and money on this gimmicky technology is not the answer. With profits dropping 46 percent to $118 million during the last quarter, down from $217 million during the last holiday season, Macy’s should be reevaluating their spending plans. One Below is proof that Macy’s is desperately trying to get in touch with the younger generations. Sadly, all they’ve accomplished is showing us how out of touch they have become.

LATEST QUARTER AND WARMER WEATHER CUT INTO SALES OF COLD-WEATHER APPAREL.” BUT MAYBE IT IS BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF INTEREST IN THE RETAILER ITSELF.

Not likely. Some of the newest merchandise that Macy’s believes the millennials will be fighting to get their hands on are the graphic shirts with ridiculous sayings and hashtags, such as “Weekends are for Waff les,” “#Instagood” and “Watch Your #Selfie.” And to enhance One Below, Macy’s insisted on incorporating every and any type of technology on the f loor. There is an Instagram wall, complete with a giant touchscreen

PHOTO COURTESY:REFLECTSYSTEMS.COM

THE PRESSURE: W H Y C R E AT I V E D I R E C T O R S A R E D R O P P I N G L I K E F L I E S BY MEGHAN KANE

PHOTO COURTESY:VOGUE.COM

Days after it was announced that the designer Raf Simons was parting ways with Dior, and weeks after Alexander Wang’s last show for the house of Balenciaga — Lanvin, the oldest surviving French fashion house, announced that its creative director, Alber Elbaz, will be leaving the company, “on the decision of the company’s majority shareholder,” according to a statement from Mr. Elbaz. But unlike Mr. Simons and Mr. Wang, both of whom lasted approximately three years at Dior and Balenciaga respectively, Mr. Elbaz had been at Lanvin since 2001. He single-handedly brought the brand back to life, making it a favorite of average women and celebrities alike, all while becoming one of fashion’s most cherished personalities. When typing “Alber Elbaz” into the Google search bar, the first recommendation that appears is “Alber Elbaz quotes,” highlighting his influence in an industry of creatives.

Lanvin is privately held, owned by the Taiwanese publishing magnate ShawLan Wang. A 10 percent stake has been held by Elbaz who was regularly on the shortlist for every major fashion appointment in the last five years. Elbaz has tirelessly denied any inclination to leave. In 2011, when asked if he would consider switching from Lanvin to another brand, he told The Financial Times, “How could I do that? The people who work there enable me to do what I do. They are my orchestra. I can’t say to them, ‘Oh, bye, Mummy’s leaving now’.” In the end, it was not his decision to leave Lanvin. A pointed line in his departing statement might suggest discord between himself and his corporate colleagues, saying he hoped the brand found “the business vision it needs to engage in the right way forward.”

As pointed out by the New York Times, Mr. Elbaz has long expressed a discomfort with the direction the industry at large is taking. Receiving his Fashion Group International (FGI) award, he said, “We designers, we started as couturiers, with dreams, with intuition, with feeling.” He continued, “We became ‘creative directors,’ so we have to create, but mostly direct. And now we have to become image-makers, creating a buzz, making sure that it looks good in the pictures. The screen has to scream, baby.” He followed, “I prefer whispering.” Combined with Simons’ exit for “personal reasons,” this is sure to fuel the fire of existential self-questioning currently burning the the world of fashion. Is the constant cycle of collection after collection and far-flung store opening after store-opening demanding too much of a brand’s creative talent? As Elbaz said at FGI, “everyone in fashion just needs a little more time.” The present situation is one in which brands treat designers as “work for hire.” The New York Times attributed these designers to “stewards that set a course for a style ship for a time, but who can be replaced as necessary while the ship itself sails on.” Designers are starting to recognize themselves in that light. The relationship transforms from that of a

marriage, where you pledge to love and care for each other through sickness and in health, into a detached contract-tocontract arrangement. While on the one hand this makes for a cleaner and more professional pairing, one less fraught with the drama (and mood-altering drugs and rehab stints) of the generation before, — think John Galliano and Alexander McQueen — it also means that creative directors are more willing to analyze the costs and benefits of an employment situation and make a conscious decision to stay with the company or not. Essentially, they can simply leave and not only are designers doing that, they are doing it in spades. When designers leave, by choice or not, amicably or in disagreement, the value proposition cracks. As explained by the New York Times, no one needs a new bag, or a fancy dress; they desire them because of what they represent. Elbaz said in his Fashion Group speech, he used to ask himself, “What do women want? What do women need? What can I do for a woman to make her life better and easier?”

W27

DECEMBER 2015

GRAPHENE TECHNOLOGY MARKS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA BY KAIT GORECKI The first 2-dimensional element, Graphene, will prove to be the 21st century’s most versatile advancement for a multitude of industries. If you haven’t heard of graphene before, you’re not alone; it’s a relatively new technology which is beginning to be mass produced, manipulated and applied by scientists and engineers. Mass production is the key to expansion of this ultra lightweight, super conductive, super strong material. Within a few years, we will see Graphene’s applications in industries such as electronics, fashion, aerospace, automotive, energy storage, paint, communications, sensor, solar, etc., according to graphene-f lagship.eu. What exactly is Graphene? As with most budding technology, it’s hard to truly explain the properties of Graphene without sounding like a physics textbook, so let’s break it down into simple terms. Graphene is the first (ever) 2-dimensional element, discovered in 2004 by Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov of Manchester, England. How is this possible if we live in a 3-Dimensional world? Since Graphene is only one-atom thick, electrons cannot pass through the atom, so the third variable, height, gives Graphene only length and width. These are totally man-made structures that do not exist in nature, naturally making their applications revolutionary. Enough technical talk, let’s get to the fun aspects of what Graphene will mean for the future! The process for creating pure Graphene has not become industrialized enough to be environmentally friendly, as of yet. However, the evolution of the extraction is underway, thanks to ShouEn Zhu, an engineer who has worked tirelessly to create the purest form of Graphene in a furnace which will produce little to none of the negative effects.

What Will The Retail Industry Look Like in The 2020s? If the manufacturing process can be perfected for consumption on a global scale, energy storage will be virtually unlimited, and charging phones and other devices will only take 10 seconds and last for days. Fibers can be coated with Graphene, so there is the possibility that you could charge your phone (wirelessly) from the solar energy stored in your shirt… imagine the convenience! PHOTO COURTESY: NEXTBIGFUTURE.COM

Think that’s crazy?

GRAPHENE CAN BE USED

What about the possibility of being able to change the color of your clothes… gone will be the days of buying multiple garments in different colors. Additionally, Zhu posts that the glass that covers most modern buildings will be coated with Graphene and able to absorb solar energy, enough to supply power for a whole city, making it possible to ‘solely’ run on the endless power of the sun. “Solar cells are expensive because of one key ingredient; platinum. Even though tiny amounts are needed in the production of solar cells, the incredibly high costs and scarcity of the metal make the overall production.” uk-cpi continues, “this will drive the costs of production down while making the product more efficient.” Medical Applications This leads to another one of Graphene’s important application, medical devices. There will be monitors to detect and possibly prevent sickness and health related emergencies. Graphene can be used in biological implants which will monitor, and possibly cure conditions such as epilepsy, heart conditions, diabetes and cancer to name a few. According to Graphene-f lagship.eu, “quite a cool approach is to interface… wireless graphene nanosensors onto biomaterials … as demonstrated by a graphene nanosensor tattoo on teeth monitors bacteria in your mouth.” And “there is even talk about the idea of connecting artificial implants directly to the neural system

IN BIOLOGICAL IMPLANTS WHICH WILL MONITOR, AND POSSIBLY CURE CONDITIONS SUCH AS EPILEPSY, HEART PHOTO COURTESY: ITECHPOST.COM

CANCER TO NAME A FEW. (Super)Smart Phones You may have seen the commercial for Verizon’s Droid phone with a “shatterproof screen.” This is scratching the surface of Graphene technology, no pun intended. This ensures there is a future for even more integration with electronics such as Samsung’s proposed force-based sensor touch screens. Phones will be able to charge themselves by the light of the sun, so regrettably forgetting your power cord or sitting against a wall to charge your phone will be content for “Things Only 90s Kids Remember” posts on the next big social media site. Too “Twilight Zone,” or “Black Mirror” for you? Well, hold onto your socks, because with the introduction of 3D printing and mass produced Graphene, garage startups will be able to develop inventions that are currently unthought of at this point. Forget about Steve Jobs, just wait until “Steve Careers” comes out with an aerogel Graphenic phone that computes faster, is physically smaller and thinks differently than any technology we have today! “In 10 to 20 years there will be a totally different society,” says the visionary scientist, Shou-En Zhu. Since this element offers f lexibility, without disrupting the f low of electricity, modern smartphones will fall to the status of the original Nokia ‘brick phone’ from the early 2000s.

PHOTO COURTESY: ANDROIDAUTHORITY.COM

CONDITIONS, DIABETES AND

“Researchers at Rice University and Lomonosov Moscow State University have figured out that graphene oxide has the ability to quickly and efficiently remove radioactive material from contaminated water. Chemist James Tour said that this could be groundbreaking for cleanup efforts after disasters like Fukushima.” according to Uk-cpi.com. It’s no wonder GrapheneStakeholders.com calls this “the most promising technology of the 21st century.” To benefit from this previously unimaginable technology, learn as much as you can about it, (kind of like computer coding back in the day). Get inspired! Don’t just wait for the next big thing to come along; understand it, engage with it and maybe you will be the one to create the next great application for Graphene.

HUMANS OF FIT

FIT

ZANDRA C O M M U N I C AT I O N D E S I G N M A J O R LAST WEEK I ASKED WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND, DO YOU WANT TO ANSWER THAT ONE TOO? “FOOD! I LOVE FOOD AND I LOVE COOKING. I’D LIKE TO COOK MORE. I VISITED MY FRIEND’S RESTAURANT THE OTHER DAY WHERE HE’S A LINE COOK, IT’S IN WILLIAMSBURG. THE AMBIANCE IS GREAT THERE AND I GOT TO MEET THE PERSON WHO DESIGNED ALL THE TEXTILES AND ARTWORK FOR THE RESTAURANT.”

WHAT KIND OF FOOD DO YOU COOK? WHAT DO YOU ASPIRE TO BE? “ANYTHING! I JUST BOUGHT A COOKBOOK AND I WANT TO TRY EVERYTHING IN IT ONCE. I WANT TO MAKE MUSCLE PASTA TOO. I USED TO BAKE ALSO. WHEN I WAS LITTLE,

“I MEAN I KNOW IN LIFE YOU’RE NEVER GONNA BE GREAT AT SOMETHING, YOU CAN ALWAYS MAKE YOURSELF BETTER IF YOU DO IT A

AROUND 9 OR 10, MY MOM WOULD NEVER BE HOME SO I WOULD BAKE ANYTHING I WANTED. I HAD TO DO A LOT FOR MYSELF WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I GREW UP FAST.”

HUNDRED TIMES. THERE’S ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT. REPETITION IS KEY BECAUSE THEN YOU LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES.”

MEGAN C O M M U N I C AT I O N S D E S I G N M A J O R I WAS YOUNGER I WANTED TO DO ART AND

HIM. THEN HE GOT ALZHEIMER’S AND WHEN WE WENT TO CHURCH HE WOULD FORGET MY NAME AND MY DAD’S NAME BUT HE NEVER FORGOT THE HYMNS OR PRAYERS. I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT WAS SO INCREDIBLE HE WOULD NEVER FORGET HIS FAITH. IT MADE ME REALLY RESPECT HIM.” WHAT HAS BEEN A LIFE CHANGING MOMENT FOR YOU? *SHOWS PICTURE OF GRANDPA ON PHONE*

“I DON’T WANT TO SOUND CORNY...I DID A SERIES OF ARTWORKS WHERE I DREW MY GRANDPA AND I WASN’T THAT CLOSE TO HIM WHEN I FIRST STARTED. HE WAS VERY STRICT WHEN I WAS GROWING UP SO WE WERE NEVER THAT CLOSE, AND HE ALSO WASN’T SUCH A FIRM BELIEVER IN WHAT I WANTED TO MAJOR IN (ART). EVER SINCE

BY MELISSA DEOLIVEIRA

IT. AS I DREW I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT

HUMANS OF FIT

HE KINDA TRIED TO DISCOURAGE ME FROM

W27

DECEMBER 2015

FEATURE:

GEORGETOWN DROPOUT RUNNING A GROWING STARTUP BY KAYLEE DENMEAD

Gillis Baxter is a 21-year-old Georgetown dropout who dreams of a millennial generation that actually enjoys reading the news. With an idea in mind on how to make this dream a reality, he partnered with Evan Bloomberg to create Vizo, a smartphone app that shares news coming from your college campus newspaper to your fingertips in 100-word bits. I sat down with Gillis at coffee shop La Colombe in FiDi to discuss his goal, the app, and of course, the possibility of W27’s news being featured content on the site. Kaylee Denmead: How did you guys get started? Gillis Baxter: A year ago July, my friend and I came up with this idea. I read the news, I love reading the news, I’ve always read the news and there was just an issue with my friends at Georgetown not reading the news, even when they had to. So for an interview or assignment, they would come to me like, “Gillis, in the current events part, what do I do? There are so many stories, which ones are important? I don’t have time to read a full length article.” There was something that needed to be done. We came up with the idea of news through pictures and short news, curated content, all the buzzwords basically, and we came up with Vizo. We built the entire company around that idea of using a visual headline, the picture really telling a thousand words and drawing you in. No one wakes up and thinks, “I don’t want to know what’s happening in the world.” They wake up and are like, “Holy [expletive]! I’m running late to class. I have to be in this meeting in five minutes. I don’t have time to read a 10-minute long article.” We will do the hard work for you. We’ll read the news for you, tell you what stories are important for you to read, then we’ll summarize them, and if you want to read more, you can. Our goal is to have someone see a picture, read three W27 stories and then read more on the one that they actually care about.

KD: So when you started it was you and —? GB: It was me, Evan and a co-founder that is no longer with us. Evan has been with it since conception. He’s the best developer I’ve ever met. I told him, “I have this really cool idea for an app. I think you’ll love it.” He came on board. He quit his job, and we both dropped out in December, and we’ve been working full-time on Vizo ever since. KD: Now how many people are working on Vizo? GB: Now, it’s about 12–15. We have a staff of writers, editors, people working on images, marketing, development team and more. We are a pretty big staff for our stage of start-up, which is really cool. It’s really rewarding that we are able to get people jobs. KD: That’s awesome. Do you guys have an office? GB: We’re still working out of our apartment. It’s either get an office or hire Mike, for example, and Mike’s a lot better than an office. You don’t need to be in an office with us to do your job really effectively, so usually everyone comes together once or twice a week. KD: Understandable! So you dropped out of Georgetown. Were your friends and family supportive of that? GB: I got really lucky. My family has invested in the company, and basically what happened is it got really real really quickly. We started in July and raised $250,000 from investors in that August. And by the time I dropped out, we have raised about $500,000, and I couldn’t do both. I couldn’t be in school, focus on school, do well in school and be running a company. Especially at our stage of a start-up where everything is going wrong! KD: So what colleges are you involved with? Why do you want FIT? GB: Right now it is Georgetown and Columbia, but we are hoping to include FIT on that list soon. We chose FIT on more of a design level. Our app is pretty and your content would look great on our app. You guys understand our aesthetics. Our head of design also went to FIT, so it would be a really great combination of content, people, and you guys picking up the phone and wanting to be involved.

PHOTO COURTESY:IGEEKSBLOG.COM

KD: Would you guys like our readers to know anything specifically? GB: We have 28,000 downloads right now in just under three months, so a lot of people are reading our content and our partners content. For us, it’s about getting the content that you love, in your hands — literally. Vizo can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store. If FIT gets involved, when making an account, be sure to select our school to get exclusive W27 pieces directly at your fingertips.

NO ONE WAKES UP AND THINKS, “I DON’T WANT TO KNOW WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE WORLD.” THEY WAKE UP AND ARE LIKE, “HOLY [EXPLETIVE]! I’M RUNNING LATE TO CLASS. I HAVE TO BE IN THIS MEETING IN FIVE MINUTES. I DON’T HAVE TIME TO READ A 10-MINUTE LONG ARTICLE.” WE WILL DO THE HARD WORK FOR YOU.

FEATURE

FIT

WILTING PAPER

Q&A

DO YOU EVER THINK ABOUT THE RAIN?

Dara Kenigsberg: Where do you draw your inspiration from?

WHERE HAS IT BEEN; IT’S ALL RECYCLED. Kaitlyn Gorecki: I like to draw from my childhood and the experiences I have in everyday life.

POSSIBLY DROPPED OFF RENAISSANCE ROOF TOPS, STREAKED DOWN THE SMOOTH SANDSTONE OF RAMSES PYRAMID, CARESSED THE FACES OF INNUMERABLE ROYALS AND

KG: Writing is extremely cathartic. That’s how I first began writing actually, it was the only thing that brought me back to life after my grandmother passed away. DA: What themes do you find yourself drawn to?

DYNASTIES WORTH OF EMPIRES. NOW, FALLEN FROM SOME RANDOM CLOUD, THOSE SAME RAINDROPS BECOME AN EXPANDING SPLOTCH ON MY LEDGER, The Summer Trees Disappeared CLAIMING ITS HAPPENED-UPON PLACE Even the evergreens, tall and majestic; blushed out of existence before the empty-eyed public noticed; too busy walking + talking & driving and listening to artificial music, blasting when one day all of the trees, down to the smallest weed sank through the cracked pavement, retreating miles beneath the electric city.

BETWEEN THE FADED BLUE LINES ON A BLEACHED WHITE PIECE OF PAPER. BLEEDING IT’S LIFETIME OF ARCHAIC TRACES ONTO A DEFORMED SLICE OF TREE, WHICH QUITE POSSIBLY

DK: Do you find writing to be cathartic? Why? (or why not?)

JC: I love meta writing, which is similar to Virginia Woolf’s style of writing. As you may have noticed from my previous poems, the element of morbidity and creepiness are fun to explore. DA: Do you have a favorite poem or story? KG: My favorite story is The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe.

COULD HAVE MET THE LIKES OF IT No green leaves left for anyone to remember what they actually looked like. A few focused minds, set on escaping the system, stood watching in horror, blaming the breed of ruthless, oil-driven vampires creating invisible jails full of jagged criminals, victims to themselvesknown as the working class, who are allowed to leave whenever they want, but will always be trapped: when ultimately all they need is simplicity.

CENTURIES BEFORE WHEN IT WAS JUST A SEEDLING, AN ACORN; BUDDING, IN A UNTAMED MOOR WITH THE HELP OF A LIQUID HAND THE WATER IS WRETCHED UP

EVEN IF IT WAS JUST FOR A MOMENT.

BUT THEY WERE THERE,

MAY NEVER CROSS YOUR PATH AGAIN,

THESE LAUGHING, SCREAMING, REAL, REAL PEOPLE

AS IF A TUBE WERE CONNECTED TO MY NOSE.

I CAN SMELL IT LAZILY WAFTING BY,

THEIR PERFUME, THEIR SHAMPOO, OR LACK THEREOF

I CAN SMELL HUMANS. I CAN SMELL THEIR SKIN,

LIKE ROMANCE NOVEL FANTASIES.

SWELLING WITH MEMORIES, THEN DISSIPATING

ABSORBING THE SOUNDS OF THE CITY,

THE PITTED CHARCOAL PATH,

VEINS OF FALLEN LEAVES ALONG

ARMIES OF RIDING BOOTS CRUSH

EFFERVESCING THROUGH DRY, DECEMBER AIR.

FAN THE ROASTED AROMA OF SWEET-NUTS

OF WHISTLING SWINGS IN CENTRAL PARK

THE ‘CASUAL SMOKING’ MOTION

THE AGE OF OBSERVATION

ABOVE THE SOIL AGAIN.

Happiness, buried deep down as far as those lost trees, is stronger than you believe, Sanity is found when suddenly that shrubbery bursts through your chest, staked in such a way that makes you invincible even in the midst of an apocalypse. Poetry Process Sometimes I don’t know who’s shoes I'm stepping in when I write from platforms of social injustices I have never faced, lives I have never lived, environments I have never seen, and words I never thought to utter. There is a faint song playing in the background of my mind all the time. The words are inaudible, like a radio playing in another room, but you can run with the melody until your intrusive thoughts come f looding in. Then, you have to loose focus again, honestly hearing with your heart and mind, filling in the words that seem to rhyme. Put prejudices aside and slide into new thoughts, even if you think you won’t like them, you won’t know until you try, You might be pleasantly surprised.

A LL TH E SO U N DS LE A D M E BAC K TO YO U.

LI K E A VO LC A N O - E X PLOS I V E , U N CO NTRO LLE D

ALL THE SOUNDS ERUPT WITH VIOLENT NAUSEA

15 A L L T H E S O U N D S T H AT I M A D E T O AV O I D

T WIST MY INSIDES, BEGG ING ME TO SPE AK .

T H E S O U N D S T H AT L I E I N M Y M E M O R Y

W27

DECEMBER 2015

STICK YOUR HAND DOWN MY THROAT INTO MY SOUL, AND DRAG OUT HOW CAN LOVE GROW, WHEN YOU’RE NOT SURE WHAT ORIGIN YOUR ROOTS ARE FROM?

THE GORIEST BITS OF ME

HOW CAN YOU LOVE, WHEN YOU’RE NOT SURE WHERE YOUR FEET SHOULD BE PLANTED?

HOW CAN YOU LOVE, WHEN THERE’S ANOTHER VOICE IN YOUR HEAD, UPROOTING YOUR SOUL? THERE IS LOVE IN ME, BUT WHERE IS IT? UNDERNEATH MY TRUNK? SPROUTING IN MY BRANCHES?

SHOULD I DO WHAT I’M TOLD? SETTLE TO EASE AND PLEASE MY CHAOTIC THOUGHTS?

WE THROW AROUND THAT WORD LIKE IT IS WATER-TWO THINGS THAT US HUMANS PUT TO WASTE.

LOOK IT IN THE EYES— YOU CAN’T BE AFRAID SEE WHAT I'VE DONE WHILE BEING SO YOUNG BUT TELL ME

Q&A Dara Kenigsberg: Where do you draw your inspiration from?

DA: What themes do you find yourself drawn to?

Julianna Casale: I draw inspiration from personal events and the world around me as a whole. Minute details have always stuck out to me, ones that most do not see, and these details paint a picture in my mind that I project onto paper.

JC: I find myself drawn to themes about love, religion, nature and finding the meaning of life on this earth.

DK: Do you find writing to be cathartic? Why? (or why not?)

JC: It's hard to choose just one favorite poem, but my top two favorites are "On The Sonnet" by John Keats, and "Ulalume" by Edgar Allan Poe. My favorite "stories" or philosophical writings to read would be by the Transcendentalist, Henry David Thoreau or Ralph Waldo Emerson.

JC: Yes, writing is a cathartic experience for me. When I have a sudden idea and I stop to write it, I get extremely focused....trancelike. Some may say that writing is actually parallel to a religion, but for me, it is a religion that is not full of routine. It is full of free-f lowing thoughts and expression, and I get to make my own "commandments," so to speak.

DA: Do you have a favorite poem or story?

TELL ME YOU ARE ABLE TO STILL LOVE ME

FEATURE

WHO’S DRIVING WHO?

FIT

UN DER AG E M O D E L L E G I S L AT I O N BY MARINA HERBST

BY KAIT GORECKI PHOTO COURTESY: CARANDDRIVER.COM

Update 7.0 was released for Tesla Model S vehicles in this past October, allowing drivers to disengage their hands and feet for an arguably “safer” driving experience. This is the only instance of a fully integrated, autopilot system using camera, radar, ultrasonic and GPS technologies allowing for a 360 degree, 16 foot range around the car. The future’s here folks, in the form of a self-driving car. What does Autopilot mean for you? Generally, having an autonomous vehicle means the road is a safer place for all who share it; the exception being traditional cars with unpredictable drivers who cause accidents. In fact, the only accidents ever reported with self driving cars, namely Google’s, were caused by regular cars. According to the Associated Press, “a Lexus SUV that the tech giant outfitted with sensors and cameras was rear-ended.” So, if you hear the statistics, like “Self-driving cars crash 5 times as much as regular ones,” take it with a grain of salt. These reports begrudgingly admit the initiator of the crashes are ALWAYS human controlled automobiles. However, there are theoretical possibilities that could potentially sacrifice the life of the driver IF the lives of 10 people crossing the road could be saved. The cars are taught to save the most lives at the expense of the few. This can be changed by advances in Artificial Intelligence technology. A technicality with this technology is that a driver still needs to prompt the car to change lanes, the driver must touch the wheel to some capacity every now and again, and the car needs to be going at least 18 mph, according to Wired.com. Tesla recommends using autopilot for highway and predictable driving, so the sensors car read the road properly.

Let’s do some quick math! (Don’t worry, I already solved the problems) The Model S has 270 miles of range from a single charge, which can take as little as 20 minutes to replenish half the battery. To gain the maximum 275 miles worth of range from a 240 Volt wall connector, at a rate of $0.12 per kilowatt hour, the cost will come to $10.86, for a total charging time of 4 hours and 40 minutes. HOWEVER, public charging is FREE for Tesla owners, so either charge at home, or do it while you’re at work, and it will be ready to go at the end of the day. As you can see, Tesla’s P90D Model S has beautiful electronic features, such as a 17-inch touch screen that controls most of the features in the car like the sunroof, wheel suspension, accelerator modes and much more. Speaking of accelerating, the Model S can go from 0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds while in “Ludicrous” mode! This model also has the highest ever safety rating given by the NHTSA (National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration), a 5 star rating in all categories, making it the safest car in America. So, besides being great for the environment, highly functional, safe for the driver and other drivers on the road, can you hardly wait until the $30,000 Model 3 begins production in 2017? For most people, the $75,000-110,000+ price range is way beyond what they would spend on a car, let alone one that is new to the market place. However, early adopters are making a good name for Tesla Motors all around the world. Their tenacity for posting on social media proves to other consumers that this is a the type of car people get excited about. What do self-driving cars mean for the future?

PHOTO COURTESY: MASHABLE.COM

Never heard of Tesla? That’s alright. Tesla Motors is a relatively new car company, with a very high price point. Martin Eberhard, Marc Tarpenning and Elon Musk founded the company in 2003 with a mission of creating a zero-emission, electric vehicle. The beautifully engineered cars, starting with the Tesla Roadster, then the Model S and most recently, the Model X, are exquisitely styled by the superiorly talented designer, Franz Von Holzhausen. Tesla struck the car market at a time when fuel prices and economical factors began swaying consumers toward alternative energy cars.

There are a lot of critics who say autonomous cars make for an unsafe world, one where the lives of the few will be spared at the driver’s expense, according to a wired.com article. This has been an issue for artificial intelligence programmers for years. How can autonomous cars learn about the roads or even predict certain actions to prevent fatalities, especially to the driver? Here’s one more question for you to consider: in 20 years, will autonomous car operators still be known as “drivers”?

PHOTO COURTESY: MILK.IMGIX.NET

The courts call it appropriation. Using someone’s image or name without their permission to make their profit. It is a form of invasion of privacy. The problems that arise from young models working in the fashion industry is not an unspoken matter, yet many designers continue to hire teen girls without taking appropriate measures, such as contracts, that protect them from working long hours. Grace Meng, a New York Congresswoman, recently introduced the Child Performers Protection Act of 2015, which marks the first time the topic of underage models has made its way to Congress. The Child Performers Protection Act of 2015 is a bill intended to extend federal workplace regulations to young industry professionals, such as actors, performers and models. The bill’s principal aim is to limit the amount of hours children are being employed, protect their finance and clarify liability of employers and other individuals for sexual harassment. If the bill is passed, specific work hours per day will be set, as well as minimum salaries, which will prohibit brands from paying their models in clothes.

PHOTO COURTESY: TODAY.COM

In 1938, The Fair Labor Standards Act was enacted to set employment criteria for children in the United States. The problem with this Act is that regulations for children under 16 vary from state to state. The Council of Fashion Designers of America and the British Fashion Council have issued guidelines they send to their members, but they do not and can not enforce designers to apply them. Meng first became aware of this issue in 2013 and has been working towards the development of The Child Performers Protection Act of 2015 since then. Sara Ziff, the founder of Model Alliance, a non-profit labor organization for fashion models in the U.S., told The New York Times: “When most people think of models, they

think of supermodels who command large sums, but most working models are not supermodels. Most begin their careers as children, and work in debt to their modeling agencies. The pervasive practice of pay in ‘trade’ contributed to models disempowerment in the workplace. Without adequate safeguards, child models often stand to be exploited by adults who do not have their best interests in mind. A unified national f loor of standards would protect child performers wherever they engage in work across the country.” Meng has been working with Ziff and Model Alliance, as well as other interest groups, to make an appropriate bill that will once and for all protect young models. On June 9, 2013, Senators Jeffrey Klein and Diane Savino joined members of the Model Alliance at a press conference at Lincoln Center to announce the proposal of legislation that intended to protect child models in New York. Three days later, the New York State Senate and Assembly unanimously voted to pass it, and the law took effect shortly after. Although the legislation protects children working in New York, it leaves all the other states unprotected and that is the void the new bill is aiming to fill. The Child Performers Protection Act of 2015 was introduced in House on July 29 and it is now in the hands of the Committee on Education and the Work Force. Meng and everyone involved in the bill understand that making it to a vote will be an uphill battle. “We know, and expect, this is going to be a long conversation and process. But at least this helps highlight the problem,” Meng told the New York Times. Though it has yet to pass, Meng has commented that the reaction on Capitol Hill has been positive and that everyone she has brought attention about the matter to appeared to be very concerned. As they should be. Ziff told the CNN, “These issues are fundamentally labor issues, and until the industry acknowledges that there is an employment relationship and that models are entitled to basic protections in terms of financial transparency, fair pay and protection against sexual harassment, these kinds of problems will persist.”

W27

DECEMBER 2015

IS THE CHILDREN’S M A R K E T F I N A L LY GOING TO STOP SE LLING GENDER? BY NATALIA PEREIRA

At a very young age, children are conditioned to follow certain societal norms. They are genderized into believing that all girls should play with dolls and all boys should play with action figures. Girls play dress up and have tea parties, while boys play cops and robbers. Though this is what advertisers have been selling us for years, it isn’t actually true. Some girls like playing with toy guns and roughhousing in the mud just as some boys enjoy playing with Barbie. The gender divide that is forced upon children at an early age is the result of both gender-based marketing and a society that has only recently viewed women as equal to men. And despite advances in gender equality, gender stereotypes in the children’s market are more prominent now than ever before. Society has recently taken a good look at gender equality and has begun taking steps to bridge the gap. Females today have better roles in the workplace, stay-at-home dads perform domestic chores and people in the LGBTQ+ community are taking a stand and are being heard, gaining more rights every day. Unfortunately, changing the way people have thought about something for decades is a slow process, and it is only now beginning to trickle down to the overall children’s market. According to the New York Times, parents and children alike are “fed up with the strict princess dresses for girls, action figures for boys stereotyping that they say still pervades children’s toys, clothes, costumes and other merchandise.” Manufacturers do not realize that it is 2015 — boys and girls are allowed, and encouraged, to have similar interests!

Take a stroll down the aisle of most children’s retail stores and one can see just how gendered it really is. Every aspect of the shopping experience is categorized by color, because we are taught that pink is for girls and blue is for boys at a very young age. This distinction between what a boy “should” wear and what a girl “should” wear is at the very core of the issue. It perpetuates the stereotype that condemns girls to grow up feeling like they aren’t as smart or as strong as boys, and that tells boys that being effeminate makes them weak. At one Brooklyn Target store, genders were divided by aisle, with the “‘Frozen’ princess dresses, My Little Pony figurines and the convertible-driving, glitter-haired Barbie dolls in one half of the children’s section. Then there were the separate aisles of Roboraptor robot dinosaurs, Star Wars spaceships and Nerf guns,” notes the New York Times. With acceptance in topics ranging from homosexuality to being transgender catching on, society is beginning to overcome the gender stereotypes relating to children’s toys. In fact, retailers are taking notice too. According to the New York Times, “The shifts stem from a growing recognition, first among niche outlets and now among mainstream companies, of the role many traditional toys, clothes and costumes have played in reinforcing gender stereotyping. Experts have linked the items to all manner of gender disparities, including gaps in boys’ and girls’ self-confidence levels and career choices.” For example, Target, which has quite a large toy department in its stores, recently released a statement saying that it would no longer use signage to label toys for girls and boys, thus making items gender-neutral.

THIS DISTINCTION BETWEEN WHAT A BOY “SHOULD” WEAR AND WHAT A GIRL “SHOULD” WEAR IS AT THE VERY CORE OF THE ISSUE. IT PERPETUATES THE STEREOTYPE THAT CONDEMNS GIRLS TO GROW UP FEELING LIKE THEY AREN’T AS SMART OR AS STRONG AS BOYS, AND THAT TELLS BOYS THAT BEING EFFEMINATE MAKES THEM WEAK. The Disney Store is also replacing girl and boy labels in its children’s costumes with those that say “for kids.” Both retail giants have also started manufacturing generic tags on lunchboxes and backpacks, which have always been targeted to one gender or the other. Both Harrods and Marks and Spencer in London have also revamped their children’s sections, making them gender neutral. Two years ago, pressure from customers caused M&S to agree to make all toy packaging gender neutral. According to theguardian.com, “the number of shops organizing their toy departments into separate sections for boys and girls has fallen 60% in the last year, following pressure on retailers from shoppers and campaigners.” Harrods, which is Britain’s largest department store, now arranges toys by theme, not gender. Top-Toy, a licensee of Toys-R-Us in Sweden, not only made their catalogs gender-neutral (by having a boy play with “girl’s” toys and viceversa), but also their department stores. However, gender-neutrality is taken one step further there. According to the Wall Street Journal, in 2011, “the country famously mulled the use of a single-gender pronoun, ‘hen,’ to replace ‘he’ or ‘she’ when a person’s gender is unknown or insignificant.”

Top toy manufacturers are also trying to adapt to this new concept and reinvent the toys that they currently sell on the retailers’ shelves. Lego first attempted to do so by incorporating pink blocks into their mix, but sales were dismal. The Guardian reports “the loudest protest against the range came from the US, where the Spark movement against the sexualization of girls and young women organized a petition with more than 50,000 signatures calling on Lego to change its marketing strategy.” However, releasing sets that included an inventor’s studio and veterinarian’s office that can be used by both genders seemed to do the trick, with sales “raking 14.1 billion kroner (about $2.1 billion) in the first six months of this year, compared with Mattel’s $1.9 billion” according to the New York Times. Mattel recently collaborated with DC Comics to make DC Superhero Girls, out sometime next year. The figures, which do not have any pink whatsoever, are based on Wonder Woman—arguably the most powerful female figure in comics. In a survey of young girls, Mattel found that “they wanted their superheroes to be authentic superheroes. Girls roundly dismissed an early prototype that put the superheroes in heels because they told us, ‘She’s not going to be able to fight with heels” according to the New York Times. Hopefully, toy designers will continue to defy the gender stereotypes that have ruled the way toys are made and distributed for decades and genderneutral toys will become the norm. It is time children get to decide what their interests truly are rather than being forced to swallow what society thinks they should be, and the toy market needs to be aligned with this. Let’s hope this will be the end for toys that promote gender inequality and differences. Good riddance.

FEATURE

FIT

A SIZZLING DEBATE THE WORLD H E A LT H O R G A N I Z AT I O N RELEASES A CONTROVERSIAL REPORT LINKING M E AT CO N S U M P TI O N TO CANCER BY ALLISON HATCH PHOTO COURTESY: CANCERCOUNCIL.COM

Next time you go for a late-night food run, you might want to reconsider ordering that extra-bacon double cheeseburger. A recent statement issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that cured and processed meats are linked to colon cancer. The organization also reported that colon cancer, also known as bowel or colorectal cancer, is the second highest form of cancer for women worldwide and third highest form for men. WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) found that, according to The Guardian, “each 50-gram (1.8-ounce) portion of processed meat eaten daily increased the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%.” Processed meat has been categorized as a part of group 1 carcinogens, along with alcohol, asbestos, arsenic and tobacco, because of its link to cancer. Meanwhile, red meat has been included in group 2A, with links to pancreatic and prostate cancer.

According to WHO, processed meats are meats that have been salted, cured or smoke, and often contain beef, pork and sometimes poultry. WHO’s conclusive results are attributed to over 800 studies and examinations conducted over the past 20 years that have analyzed cancer risks across different populations and diets around the world. The findings have led the WHO to estimate that there are 34,000 deaths worldwide every year from cancer associated with diets high in processed meats.

THERE ARE 34,000 DEATHS WORLDWIDE EVERY YEAR FROM CANCER ASSOCIATED WITH DIETS HIGH IN PROCESSED

PHOTO COURTESY: WIRED.COM

MEATS.

However, according to IARC’s press release last month, Dr. Kurt Straif, the Head of the IARC Monograph Program has said that the risk of developing colon cancer per individual is small; instead, the focus should be on the larger impact processed meats might have on global public health, given the expanse of people who consume red and processed meats daily. WHO’s intentions are not to dissuade people from eating meat altogether. The IARC’s director Christopher Wild said that the focus of the report is to bring awareness to “government and international regulatory agencies to conduct risk assessments” so that such organizations may provide dietary suggestions to promote healthy diets. The report did not suggest an adequate meat intake daily in order to sustain a balanced diet, but called for a greater overall reduction in the consumption of both processed and red meats. The recent statement linking meats to deadly cancers has created backlash from the meat industry and scientists concerned about balanced diets. While a 50-gram portion of processed meats equates to only about two pieces of bacon or two slices of ham, the dissenters argue that meat is crucial to a balanced diet. Dr. Elizabeth Lund, the former leader of the Institute of Food Research, concluded in the Guardian that eating meat once a day, while maintaining a healthy lifestyle, could lower the risk of colon cancer. According to CNN, representatives from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association also stated that, “the scientists who issued the report were split on their decision to make an explicit link between red meat and cancer.” Red meats, classified in group 2A, have not been found to provide sufficient evidence to be considered a direct carcinogenic to humans, unlike processed meats.

Other sources have expressed concerns with the WHO’s decision to rank processed meat in the same category as other cancer-causing products, such as alcohol and tobacco. The Global Burden of Disease Project has estimated that, despite 34,000 deaths per year linked to diets with substantial amounts of processed meats, there are approximately 600,000 deaths a year resulting from alcohol consumption and one million deaths due to smoking. Across social media, the issue polarized meat lovers and vegetarians upon the release of the report. Such hashtags as #FreeBacon, #JeSuisBacon and #Bacongeddeon were trending on Twitter, while an analysis by Thomson Reuters suggested that negative tweets about the findings outnumbered positive reactions over 6 to 1. Vegetarians, however, welcomed the news and proclaimed their support for the findings, with #SmugVegetarian rampantly spreading across internet platforms. WHO’s released statement connecting red meat and processed meats has sparked a new dialogue among scientists, nutritionists and consumers regarding conscience eating. While there is no prescribed amount that serves as a conclusive model on proper daily meat intake, the general consensus among leading health officials is to be mindful about what you eat. Professor Tim Key from the Cancer Research UK told the BBC, “Eating a bacon bap every once in a while isn’t going to do much harm – having a healthy diet is all about moderation.”

W27

DECEMBER 2015

I PA D P R O V S . S U R F A C E P R O 4 : T H E B AT T L E O F T H E S T Y L U S DANIEL NISSIM

From the inception of the graphical user interface, computers and art have been closely linked. In the recently released film, “Steve Jobs,” Lisa, the late Jobs’ daughter, plays with an Apple Macintosh, using a mouse, to create a simple drawing – “an abstract,” she so aptly calls it. A system so simple, that a child can bring their vision to life. We’ve come a long way since Apple released the original Macintosh in 1984, with powerful devices that pack beautiful displays. And the tool to bring our art to life – the stylus. With the release of the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 and the Apple iPad Pro, it is more clear than ever that tech companies are looking to replace your sketchbook and traditional art supplies. To see if they’re successful, I took a group of Illustration majors to test out these new devices. First, a little background on the devices. The Microsoft Surface Pro 4, released in late October, is Microsoft’s fourth attempt at a tablet, and they’ve only been getting better. At $899, ($809 with the student discount) you get 128GB of storage with 4GB of RAM. It packs a beautiful 12.3” screen and comes with a stylus – all this running Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 10. Apple’s iPad Pro, released in mid-November, is the latest addition to the iPad line. At $799, ($779 with the student discount) you get 32GB of storage with 4GB of RAM. It has a 12.9” display with no stylus (the Apple Pencil is sold separately for $99) – all of this running on Apple’s iOS 9. Both styli are active pens, not those crappy capacitive styli you may be used to. When pressed against the screen, the tech in the stylus interacts with a layer of the screen – allowing for very precise capture as well as other features such as pressure sensitivity.

WITH THE RELEASE OF THE MICROSOFT SURFACE PRO 4 AND THE APPLE IPAD PRO, IT IS MORE CLEAR THAN EVER THAT TECH COMPANIES ARE LOOKING TO REPLACE YOUR SKETCHBOOK AND TRADITIONAL ART SUPPLIES. Our first stop was the Best Buy on 23rd Street to try out the Surface Pro 4. Microsoft unveiled an updated stylus along with its new device featuring an “eraser” on the back and one sleek button along the side that can be mapped for certain functions such as “undo.” The stylus has a battery that lasts up to 18 months and magnetically attaches to the device. Bobby Breen, a first-year Illustration major, already owns a Surface Pro 3 but felt that the stylus on the new model was “a lot nicer. On the Surface Pro 3 the tip sucks. It’s just plastic. It’s a plastic nib like what you’d get with a Leapfrog or something. This though, it has like a rubber tip to it almost. I don’t know. It’s definitely a lot smoother. There’s more friction so it glides a bit easier.” You have four tip options with the new stylus. Dakota Haraden, another firstyear Illustration major, felt that the stylus is “a bit chunkier than a pencil, but it’s not, you know, a problem…It’s a bit too smooth [against the screen] for my taste, but it’s like comfortable – it’s not a problem.” I think the stylus had good weight to it, and it felt very comfortable against the screen. We weren’t able to try out anything more advanced than Paint, but the overall consensus was that there were no discernable latency issues. Next, we made our way to the 14th Street Apple Store to try out the iPad Pro and the Apple Pencil. The late Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, was famous for his firm stance against the stylus. He was quoted as saying “If you see the stylus, they blew it” and “God gave us 10 styluses. Let’s not invent another.” In terms of the application of the Apple Pencil, these comments don’t quite apply. When Jobs made these comments, he was referring to an older generation of styli based on resistivetouch technology: very simply, a screen with two layers. When you press the screen, the layers come together, and that’s recognized as a “touch.” Those styli were glorified pieces of plastic – honestly, zero technology. When Jobs came back to Apple in 1997, after being ousted from the company he built, he had to deal with the sour taste of the Apple Newton – Apple’s Palm Pilot clone. That’s enough to turn a guy off of styli for life!

PHOTO COURTESY:PCMAG.COM

The store was quite packed, and we had to wait a while to get our hands on an iPad Pro with the Pencil. The Apple Pencil has 12-hour battery life. When your battery’s draining, a quick 15-second charge can supply an additional 30 minutes of power. Haven Daniels-Taylor, a first-year Illustration major, said, “I don’t like how slidey [the Pencil] is. It’s kind of loose. It doesn’t have the grips like the Microsoft one did…It is a little long, but I think I could get over that.” Jacob Morse, another first-year Illustration major, thought that “It almost feels like a regular mechanical pencil.” Personally, it’s a huge letdown. It felt really cheap and plasticy for a $99 “device.” That’s where I catch myself. Apple was careful to name it the “pencil” not “pen” or “stylus.” Why? According to Jony Ive, Apple’s chief design officer, a “stylus seems [like] a product that’s about technology. Pencil, to me, seems very analogue in its association.” To that end, they’re successful. It’s very sleek, almost like a pencil. I was just expecting more. As for functionality, Daniels-Taylor and Haraden both love the way the Pencil “glided” on the screen. An interesting feature of the Pencil are it’s two built-in tilt sensors that translate the angle of the Pencil to the effect of tilted brush or pencil. Most of the guys weren’t really interested in tilt, but Daniels-Taylor could see how it “would help out with the things that I do with my art.” Mano a Mano, the Surface Pro 4 is the clear winner. The iPad Pro, at $879 (that’s including the price of the Apple Pencil) is only half a device. Its mobile operating system has some great sketching apps, but you don’t get the same level of control as you do on a PC and you’re not getting the full applications – no Adobe Creative Suite, just some watered down apps. Sure, their Adobe apps sync with your Creative Cloud, but you’ll still need a computer on the side to tackle some of the more complicated functions.

Microsoft has worked hard to improve the Surface. They bought N-trig, the company behind their stylus technology, in May. The stylus was the deal breaker for most of us. DanielsTaylor said, “The Surface Pro’s Pen is actually superior. It has actual buttons so you can map keys to them to get different functions, which really help you out when you’re making art for like anything.” This is a bit of a sad realization for me. Morse summed it up best when he said, “I’m actually a Mac person. I’ve only ever really liked Mac computers and such, but I think the Surface Pro is definitely superior to the iPad in terms of sketchbook capabilities – the stylus as well.” I really love how my Apple products work together, but Microsoft has truly built a great product – great for both students and professionals. Apple doesn’t plan on making a true competitor to the Surface because they believe there are people who don’t need a computer. Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, said, “They will start using [the iPad Pro] and conclude they no longer need to use anything else, other than their phones.” He’s right. But for a creative, you really need a device that packs full software. Sorry, Apple. Better think differently.

“I’M ACTUALLY A MAC PERSON. I’VE ONLY EVER REALLY LIKED MAC COMPUTERS AND SUCH, BUT I THINK THE SURFACE PRO IS DEFINITELY SUPERIOR TO THE IPAD IN TERMS OF SKETCHBOOK CAPABILITIES – THE STYLUS AS WELL”

FEATURE

FIT

IT ’ S N OT O F F E N S I V E , IT’S QUEER BY SAMMY RILEY

The MIX NYC Queer Experimental Film Festival is the longest running gay and lesbian film festival in the history of the U.S. This year’s festival kicked off on November 10. Celebrating its 28th year (and still thriving), the MIX is a weeklong event where gays, lesbians and everything queer unite to support the work of unknown artists and film directors. More than just a film festival, MIX is a community and a culture all its own. According to indiewire.com, “MIX NYC sees itself as a grassroots organization, and our mandate comes from our audience, artists and community.” What separates MIX from other festivals is who it caters to, “...folks without much money and too much education, oldtimers who lived through the 80s and the first decade of AIDS, young people with different and difficult ideas of what it means to be a person, what it means to work and to love. It’s a radical, articulate, don’t-fuck-with-me crowd that can be difficult to wrangle and impossible to spoon-feed… But there’s also plenty of art geeks and walking IMDBs who show up,” the article continues. MIX is also unique because it gives festival-goers control over their experience and it provides them with a sense of community—a queer community. It is put together in such a way where the process is just as important as the end result; everyone who organizes, builds, curates and attends MIX is a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Caitlin Rose Sweet, one of last year’s organizers, told the Huffington Post, “MIX creates a space for queer people to exist outside of the heteronormative gaze. We craft a space in which we get to tear down walls and take off our protective layers to let out all our wild queer selves…it’s a labor of love for the community and a space to celebrate queerness in its endless formations. The installations, performances and screenings are curated in a specifically critical way. We are looking for queer art that tears down boundaries and push queer art beyond the limitations of identity politics.” In 1987, at the height of AIDS crisis, author Sarah Schulman and filmmaker Jim Hubbard founded the MIX festival after noticing “how spaces for experimental film were very straight, and gay festivals only showed narratives and documentaries,” notes the Huffington Post. They both recognized that there was a “lack of venues for queer (then ‘lesbian and gay’) experimental film work. The few gay venues weren’t so interested in experimental film,

PHOTO COURTESY:REBECKA RAFFERTY

and the film venues didn’t want the gay stuff. So they pluckily decided to put on a festival, working out of their homes in the East Village.” Originally called the New York Lesbian and Gay Experimental Film Festival, they wanted to highlight the significant ways that this community of filmmakers has impacted and changed experimental and avantgarde film practices. It was founded at a time in which the LGBTQ+ community was suffering, both physically and mentally, at the hands of the AIDS epidemic. According to indiewire.com, “Its artists worked to comfort and care for one another, and literally save each other’s lives, by devising new media and avant-garde artistic forms that called attention to the AIDS crisis and its social injustices.” After the 1991 festival, Schulman left to focus on her writing, and Hubbard, along with filmmakers Marguerite Paris and Jerry Tartaglia, took the event in a new and exciting direction. They invited guest curators to program some of the shows, breathing new life into the lineup. Most notable was Fire!, a show on queer ‘zines inspired by the Harlem Renaissance. The following year was rife with changes. The name officially became MIX, the location moved from 2nd Street to 19th Street (to a venue called The Kitchen) and they began producing a catalog. Shari Frilot, who curated Fire!, organized the event and began encouraging more artists of color to get involved and show their work. Frilot also spent time discovering exceptional spaces in which to present media-based art installations—a noteworthy adjustment, as they had never been done at a queer film festival before. MIX Brazil, an international extension of the festival, was also founded that year, marking the first ever gay and lesbian film festival in the history of the country. When installations became the main components of the festival in 2006, traditional theaters were no longer an option and the organizers began looking for different types of venues. “In 2010 it became clear that there was something about the space — the world — that MIX was creating that audiences were responding to. The idea of a lounge space that was free and open to all became a big deal… Since then we’ve made a more

conscious choice to create welcoming and comfortable spaces for queers to congregate, and have tried to make the temporary MIX Factory (this year called the MIX Hive), into a place that people can have their needs taken care of,” Stephen Kent Jusick, one of the festival’s organizers, told the Huffington Post. For the entirety of the festival, full meals are served at night; there are performances to keep people entertained and pillows to lie down on. This provides a very homely feel and MIX has worked very hard to maintain it. This year’s festival was on 26th street and 3rd Avenue in Brooklyn. It was seven days of fun, dancing, art, expression and of course, intimacy. Adding to the excitement was the fact that the location was only released a few hours before the event began. There was no awning, no sign, just a small sticker that read, MIX NYC on a metal door. Walking in, I was immediately struck by an overwhelming sense that this was where I was meant to be. A steep stairway illuminated by bright neon lights gave way to a football field-sized room filled with exquisite artwork and sublime installations. Friends and lovers, families and strangers observed it all, but nothing had a greater impact than the enormous sign that read, “We’re family no matter what.” I was amazed by all there was to see, but even more so when I realized all that I could do. Some of the exhibits were interactive; there was a mirrored maze you could walk through and a dome you could enter by crawling through an anus. I knew right then I was where I belonged! On either side of the venue were areas to dance with two separate deejays; one played electronic and the other played disco. Throughout the evening, there were multiple performances by dancers, musicians and lip-singing drag queens, all of which you could have enjoyed while lounging on an oversized bean-bag chair and making out with your boyfriend or chatting with the stranger beside you (because he doesn’t really feel like a stranger anymore). Sectioned off from the main entrance were smaller rooms that the staff members encouraged you to go in to indulge yourself. Curious, I entered the first room to find an assortment of free beer and alcohol that had generously been paid for by donations. After grabbing a Blue Moon, I continued through a dimly lit hallway to room number two. Let’s call this, the nature room. There were green trees projected

onto walls and an audio of gusting wind, which was actually very soothing. Perhaps this was intentional—a way of relaxing you before going into room three. But nothing could have truly prepared me for what I was about to experience. Unlike any place I had ever been, this room was akin to how you would imagine it to look backstage of a hardcore gay porn set, circa 1979 (if you are imagining lots of cocaine and blowjobs then you are correct). The smell of sex and sweat wafted through the air. Drugs and alcohol were in abundance. It was like one big orgy. Viewer discretion is definitely advised for this room, and so is bringing a pocketful of condoms. White curtains cordoned off the next room. As I moved one to the side, a cloud of thick smoke from exhaled cigarettes and marijuana amassed above me. As gross as it was, the fact that pot was being passed around freely and instantly offered up to newcomers kept that room quite crowded. In the last room was a mock vintage theater with stadium seating. They played experimental movies that were raw and slightly pornographic. And trust me when I say there were plenty of live versions as well. Night turned to morning, and around me I heard people waking from their drunken slumbers, asking, “where am I,” and “Did we sleep together?” without even a hint of embarrassment. It was truly an experience like none other. Although many individuals outside of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as some within it, may consider this event to be irrational and completely inappropriate, I believe that MIX is exactly what we need. The beauty of it is in the annual formation of this particular community. With the ability to partake in any desire, free of judgment, MIX allows people to turn fantasies into reality; whether that means running around in a pin-up costume or having sexual intercourse on stage for an audience of hundreds. The community supports one another, allowing individuals to break through the barriers of everyday life, giving them the opportunity to honestly express themselves. Originality and individuality are encouraged and everyone is accepted. According to the Huffington Post, “MIX becomes one of the places where clusters of folks gather together, by truck or train-hop, to come and co-build temporarily better worlds through stories and senses, and the derangements of both.”

W27

DECEMBER 2015

ESSENA O’NEILL / SOCIAL MEDIA: T H E G O O D , T H E B A D A N D T H E U G LY BY MADELINE GRANDUSKY-HOWE

BY ANDREA NAVARRO

Essena O’Neill’s controversial decision to delete and condemn social media is receiving major backlash, and with good reason. According to her new website, letsbegamechangers.com, O’Neill found herself “drowning in the illusion that my life wasn’t good enough in comparison to others.” Although O’Neill claims that social media ruined her life, it’s more likely that her overuse of sponsored content is to blame.

“Social media to me is meant to display your personal life,” Supnik says. “That’s what it’s for. It accurately portrays one’s life because whatever you post are things that make you a person and show how you live your life, so I just happen to have a bigger following, but I still post the things I would post if I had a small following because to me social media is a form of expression, which is my ‘real life’.”

O’Neill willingly used her account to promote brands and receive compensation. She is not the first Instagram-famous individual to make a living through social media promotion. It is common practice for bloggers and public figures to charge thousands of dollars for sponsored content. Brands send bloggers merchandise for free, hoping for a shoutout on their social media accounts in return.

O’Neill willingly used her Instagram as a means to promote the products of others, marketing them as her lifestyle. Whether she got carried away with it or not, it was her personal decision to profit off a large follower base. Even if this impacted her life negatively, she is still using the Internet to carry her message and build a large base of subscribers.

Although O’Neill quit major platforms such as Instagram, she recently launched a brand new website. Not wanting to compromise her integrity anymore, the aim of Letsbegamechangers.com is to be realistic. The site contains veganliving tips, videos and other anecdotes about how much better life is without 500,000 followers. It is clear on the site that her goal is to focus on promoting her lifestyle and message, rather than her personal life, which contradicts O’Neill’s promise to “keep it real” online. If she truly wanted to keep her online presence real, she would focus on her personal life, rather than her lifestyle. In addition, the site asks for contributions to help her fight the battle against social media addiction. She states that the funding will help her keep the website running and create more content, as well as go toward a book that will share her story. While she may not be using Instagram, the purpose of her site is still the same: to gain subscribers and promote herself. Laura Supnik, a sophomore majoring in FBM, has an Instagram following of over 6,000. Though not as steep as O’Neill’s former following, Supnik has accumulated more followers than the average student. Despite occasionally feeling pressured to maintain an extra positive account, she keeps her social media true to her personal experiences.

Social media gives us the freedom to convey ourselves however we choose, in a timely manner. Most individuals who use social media don’t use it for personal gain, or to display a message; most use it to document personal experiences. The lifestyle she was displaying through social media was her choice. The content she was promoting was her downfall, not the platform.

Social media isn’t inherently good or bad. The way people choose to use it, however, is generally damaging. There’s nothing wrong with editing our best-selves before deciding to post something online. The issue comes when people are more interested in showing their lives online in order to have others admire it and “like it” than in actually enjoying the moments they are currently living. This is a generation that actually lives by the “pics or it didn’t happen” mantra. Documenting our every move seems to give proof of our existence, and therefore, of our meaning. Like movies and TV before it, the media has always found a way to impose and reinforce values on society, telling audiences the way they should look, act and be. There’s no denying that staring at images and videos of effortlessly perfect people day after day causes a great amount of pressure for the regular tween, teen and even grown-up adult to look and sometimes even act like their favorite famous personality. But there are only so many Chiara Ferragni’s in the world.

So maybe Fan Culture is part of the problem. Why is it that regular people get famous in the first place? People that have no palpable talents like acting, singing or being athletic, attract thousands of followers, making money by taking pictures of their dinner and recording their quest to find a romantic partner. Like Andy Warhol predicted almost 50 years ago, people will go to any extent to have their 15 minutes of fame. Reality T.V. and sites like YouTube only facilitate this. And in order for their content to stand out against the millions of other postings on the web, people are willing to do just about anything. CNN reported that in September, a 19-year old from Texas accidentally shot himself while taking a selfie with a gun so he could post it on Instagram. Last month, according to the International Business Times, a Russian teenager died after attempting to take a picture of himself that would look as if he was falling off a building, just so he could post it on his Instagram account and gain the admiration of his followers. It’s understood that those are extreme cases and that the regular social mediauser would not go that far for a good picture. But for many college students, the pressure to appear flawless isn’t anything new. A 2003 report from Duke University describes the onus placed on female students there to be “effortlessly perfect”: smart, accomplished, fit, beautiful and popular, all without looking like they tried. Here at FIT, one should probably add fashionable to that list. The social comparison theory states that we try to determine our worth based on how we measure up against others. And in the era of social media, such comparisons take place on a small screen that doesn’t show the full story. Mobile devices escalate the comparisons from occasional to constant, as it was reported by the Business Insider that the average user of Instagram spends around 21 minutes a day on the app. The paradox of O’Neill wanting to stay away from the mainstream media while being covered in countless news sites is fascinating and her message should be heard; living your life for other people’s validation and admiration is vain and meaningless. Social media should be used to engage in meaningful discussions and to get inspired through different perspectives. Of course, it can also be used to simply have fun. But if you find that you are comparing yourself to the promoted images that are all over the Internet, don’t let your confidence and self-worth take a hit. Remember, there’s always an unfollow button that you can press.

FEATURE

Happy Holidays! From all of us at W27

FIT

W27

DECEMBER 2015

W27 & ME

W27 gets around.... and we want to

Winter break is almost here and

know where it goes! Take a photo

we know you can't live without

of yourself wherever you happen

your W27! Be sure to check out our

to be reading W27 and upload it

website at www.W27newspaper.

to our Instagram @W27newspaper

com for more content until we pick

with the #W27andMe. The top

back up in February.

three students with the best, most original photos will get their pic-

Happy Holidays!

tures in the paper and a prize. We look forward to seeing where you take us!

Leaving the dorms for the winter?

DECEMBER 13-19TH FIT outreach and RHCC will take your canned & non perishable food!

@W27NEWSPAPER

Help local food banks by DONATING YOUR NON-PERISHABLES INTO THE BINS

@W27NEWSPAPER

LOCATED IN THE LOBBY OF RESIDENCE HALLS

HAUTE CULTURE

FIT

T V REVIEW:

MASTER OF NONE

BY DANA HEYWARD

Most people are familiar with comedian Aziz Ansari for his role as Tom Haverford, an underachieving yet lovable character on the TV-series “Parks and Recreation”. Outside of the show Ansari has a built a successful standup career, made notable appearances in several comedy films, and even penned a New York Times bestseller. Now the comedian has joined forces with writer Alan Yang and Netflix, to create what’s probably one of his most clever projects to date.

In the first episode, we are thrown into Dev’s world as the first scene opens up with him in the heat of passion with Rachel (Noël Wells), when the condom suddenly breaks. What later ensues is a five-minute Google search on whether precum can impregnate someone followed by a trip via uberX to the drugstore for Plan B and Martinelli’s apple juice. It’s scenes like these that make the show seem familiar to young New Yorkers - like last weekend familiar.

“Master of None” focuses on Dev (Ansari), a 30-something year old actor living in New York, and his trials and tribulations in love, work and friendships. Does this scenario sound familiar? Probably, but it shouldn’t discourage one from taking a weekend to binge-watch the series (if you haven’t already). What the show lacks in plot originality it makes up for in wit, charm and undeniably authentic storytelling.

PHOTO COURTESY:WWW.NETFLIX.COM

The show also tackles social issues but steers clear of being overtly preachy. In the beginning of the episode “Ladies and Gentleman,” viewers watch Dev and his “token-white-friend” Arnold (Eric Wareheim) walking home after leaving a bar. The episode is paralleled against Dev’s female co-worker, Diana (Condola Rashad) walking home from the same bar. While the two men have a fearfree stroll that’s only slightly deterred when Dev steps in dog-poop, Diana is followed home by an aggressive drunk man. The rest of the episode delves into how women are treated differently from men even in simplest of instances like Instagram comments.

While Dev is certainly a grown adult, at times the series is also reminiscent of a coming-of-age story. Dev seems to abide by the “live in the moment” mantra and while he contemplates settling down, having children and his career in acting, he’s generally aimless in his journey. The character is completely driven by his own curiosity - a curiosity that I’m eager to see progress as the series continues. Yes, there are a number of comparable New York-based comedies; “Broad City,” “Girls,” “Louie” and even “Seinfeld.” But what makes “Master of None” so special is that despite its comedic quirks, it is distinctly realistic and natural. And while the show certainly has it’s flaws, “Master of None” moves so confidently, that even its lapses seem endearing.

ALBUM REVIEW: ADELE “25” BY DANIELLE LEVY

It’s finally happened. Adele’s highly anticipated album “25” officially dropped November 20 and not-sosurprisingly has sold more copies in its first week than any other album in history, selling a record breacking 2.3 million units in just three days. The Adele that we have all come to know and love sings beautifully throughout “25,” giving it a familiar feel. But there is also a powering sense of growth and maturity in this album, both lyrically and vocally. Unlike her first two albums, Adele allows us to see inside her life and how she has grown since “21,” breaking free of the relationship and heartbreak themed songs she is known for.

Collaborations on this album include some of music’s biggest names such as Bruno Mars and One Republic frontman, Ryan Tedder who also worked with her on “21.” Ariel Rechtshaid, who is famous for his work with Lana Del Rey and Max Martin, and is the man behind all of Katy Perry’s biggest hits and Taylor Swift’s “1989” also produces tracks on the album. While staying close to the type of music she is known for — slow tempo and soulful ballads that may result in you reaching for a Kleenex or two — she isn’t afraid to step into peppier up-tempo territories. Some tracks have a sense of nostalgia, ref lecting on past friendships, memories and relationships with songs like “Million Years Ago,” which is a quiet and sad vocal piece,

PHOTO COURTESY:ADELE.COM

“Water Under the Bridge,” which is more up-tempo and has a usual fun beat and melody to it and the standout, “When We Were Young,” which is the second single to be released following “Hello.” “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” is another departure from her usual slow tempo songs with a fun acoustic guitar twist that is incredibly catchy. There are some simpler tracks like “Remedy” that has a simple piano melody that accomplishes a lot without feeling overdone.

Her voice feels more versatile than ever, getting a little raspy and reaching to the upper range of her vocals. Almost every single interment pairs up perfectly, playing to her strengths. It’s hard to believe that the album was scrapped a couple of times because she feared she lost the ability to write good songs. But if there is one thing that her new album proves it is that she hasn’t lost her touch. In fact, she is better than ever.

W27

PHOTO COURTESY:AESTHETICA.COM

DECEMBER 2015

PICASSO SCULPTURE AND WA LI D R A A D

BY CATERINA NICOLINI

PHOTO COURTESY: MEDIA2.WNYC.ORG

In between Fifth and Sixth avenues stands a recognizable glass building with the letters “MoMA” gleaming from its front side. The Museum of Modern Art is one of the most prestigious in the city and is recognized not only for the various art exhibitions it mounts on a monthly basis, but also its historical gems created by some of the greatest artists of all times. This month was no different with two exhibitions: “Picasso Sculpture” by Pablo Picasso and Walid Raad.

“Picasso Sculpture” features 60 years worth of 140 pieces of 3-D art that range in size and media and that allow us to see into the mind of the artist and into the historical context in which they were created. In the first room, there are small and large pieces of metal, wood and plaster that form protruding angles and shapes. From far away, they don’t resemble anything in particular. From up close, however, these shapes and lines give birth to deeply intriguing characters that take us through a journey that began in the early 1900s when Picasso was a young man living in Barcelona, through the colorfully striking Cubist movement of the 1915s, into the grimness of the First World War and finally to the mellowness of the antebellum when his art had a childish motif. The mood of each era is deeply emphasized in every sculpture through the use of bright versus dull colors, and excessiveness rather than minimalism. This unusual exposition seems as if it were done by a child: rough and careless, which is precisely why I was so marveled by it!

The other exhibit, by Walid Raad, reveals the conflict of his upbringing in Lebanon during the civil war in 197591, as well as the tense socio-economic and political situations that have characterized the Middle East for the past 30 years, mainly via photography and film. Raad’s exhibition consists of two projects: “The Atlas Group” (19892004) and “Scratching on things I could disavow” (2007- ongoing). Off to the right side of the gallery, a large screen blasting colorful scenes of a documentary film can be seen, neighboring a series of artwork that merge photographs of political figures with botanical diagrams. On the opposite wall, photographs and sketches of cars, houses and landscapes are fused with colorful and groundbreaking shapes that depict Raad’s critical thoughts and observations in creative ways. Looking at his art can make one perceive political subjects in a nonchalant way. By adding fun and playful elements to his compositions, Raad was able to dull the significant fatalism of his country. He made controversial political images appear innocuous. He took the barbarity of war and oppression that was an ugly reality and made it into something beautiful.

Overall, I felt fortunate to have experienced both exhibitions in one visit. The MoMA never ceases to amaze and captivate me.

PHOTO COURTESY:I2.WP.COM

BY MARINA HERBST

CONCERT REVIEW:

GRIMES AT T E R M I N A L 5

Canadian indie-pop singer Grimes, whose given name is Claire Boucher, kicked off her highly anticipated “Rhinestone Cowgirls” tour in late October to promote her fourth album, “Art Angels.” On November 16, she performed at Terminal 5 in New York City to a sold out show. Although the show was scheduled to start at 8:30pm, Grimes didn’t appear on stage until an hour later. She said she was late, “Since 600 of y’all are apparently not here yet,” via her Instagram account.

PHOTO COURTESY:NYT.COM

PHOTO COURTESY:AMAZONAWS.COM

Despite the delay, the sold out show left everyone speechless. She kicked the show off by performing “Circumambient,” a track off of her record, “Visions,” which was released in 2012. It quickly put the audience in a dancing mood that lasted throughout the night. In contrast to previous concerts, Grimes was accompanied not only by her keyboards and synthesizers, but also by two dancers and a back-up singer. After playing the third song of the night, “Venus Fly,” Grimes took a moment to explain that she had been having a rough week. She had broken her foot, which was why she had to wear a cast on stage, and spent the whole weekend throwing up. The additional dancers were her friends, and they were trying to cheer her up throughout the show.

The hour and a half long set consisted of 11 songs, six of which were from Grimes’ new album “Art Angels.” For the track “Scream” she was joined on stage by Taiwanese rapper Aristophanes, who had collaborated with her on the same song for the album. Before he came out, Grimes explained how glad she was that they they worked together and suggested that everyone in the audience should later translate the meaning of the lyrics. Before performing the last song of the night, Grimes apologized to to the audience, explaining that coming back for an encore would give her social anxiety. You would think that concert-goers would be irritated by this, but Grimes brings so much to each show that her audience willfully accepts whatever she thinks is best for her performance. After playing “Kill V. Maim,” she left the stage, promptly ending the concert. Grimes gave a performance for the books, her energy as powerful and invigorating as her music. I hope she visits New York again soon. If one thing is true, it’s that Grimes is certainly making a name for herself, albeit a fake one.

HAUTE CULTURE

FIT

STRE AMING T V:

T H E AT E R R E V I E W : H A M I LT O N

THE FINAL FRONTIER

BY MADELINE GRANDUSKY-HOWE

BY DAN NISSIM When Star Trek first aired in 1966, it was unlike anything the public had seen before. Star Trek was able to tackle contemporary issues, most notably those dealing with race, in a futuristic setting. Creator, Gene Roddenberry sowed the seeds of a franchise that will be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year with several TV series and movies to its credit. In a continuation of this legacy, on November 2, CBS announced that it will bring Star Trek back to TV in 2017. “There is no better time to give Star Trek fans a new series than on the heels of the original show’s 50th anniversary celebration,” said David Stapf, President of CBS Television Studios. In 2009 Paramount rebooted the “Star Trek” movie franchise, introducing audiences to the original crew – James T. Kirk, Spock, Leonard “Bones” McCoy, Hikaru Sulu, Montgomery “Scotty” Scott, Uhura and Pavel Chekov – once more. The 2009 film, “Star Trek”, along with its sequel, “Star Trek Into Darkness,” have earned Paramount close to $900 million making it an important franchise. In an age where studios are setting up their cinematic universes – first Marvel (with the Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and Avengers films), then “Star Wars” (with their continuation of the original trilogy and one-shot films for Boba Fett and other characters), heck, even “Transformers” is putting one together – it seems only logical, as Mr. Spock would say, for Paramount to branch out.

The new TV series will not follow the original cast, but it will still retain the Star Trek spirit – tackling current events in a non-invasive manner. Alex Kurtzman will be an executive producer on the project bringing his experience as co-writer of the film franchise. In terms of airtime, the first episode will run on CBS with subsequent episodes airing online on CBS All Access. For $5.99, customers get a back catalog of over 7,500 episodes of CBS shows as well as the ability to stream CBS live online. CBS is banking on the Trekkies, devoted fans of the series, to boost subscriber numbers. To this end, Marc DeBevoise, Executive Vice President/ General Manager of CBS Digital Media said, “We’ve experienced terrific growth for CBS All Access, expanding the service across affiliates and devices in a very short time. We now have an incredible opportunity to accelerate this growth with the iconic ‘Star Trek,’ and its devoted and passionate fan base, as our first original series.” It is unclear whether or not they’ll be able to capture the original magic that made “Star Trek” a leader in the sci-fi genre. There have been many failures over the years – I’m talking to you “Deep Space Nine.” At this point, one can only hope for the best. Until then, live long and prosp

T H E AT E R R E V I E W : T H E F L I C K BY ISABELLE MEYERS Rodenburg), who runs the projection machine. Out of the three characters, Sam gave the stage the energy it needed. The monotonous dialogues and long, drawn-out silences demand much of a 21st century audience.

PHOTO COURTESY: NYTIMES.COM

For a Pulitzer Prize winning play, “The Flick” by Annie Baker surprisingly turned out to be a three hour flop. The play is a testament to naturalism and theater’s ability to create intimate dramas from seemingly mundane, everyday topics. Some may find this charming but for others, it is just plain boring. Set in a decaying Massachusetts movie theater called “The Flick,” the play follows three socially challenged ushers and the struggles they face. Most prominent is Avery (Kyle Beltran), a depressed 20-year old film buff who takes a semester off from college after attempting suicide. Most of the scenes start and end with Avery sweeping popcorn with another usher, Sam (Danny Wolohan), an easy going, comical and somewhat simple 30-year old man living in his parents’ attic. They sweep in silence with intermittent quips about film, or mild gossip about their moody co-worker, Rose (Nicole

Avery is passionate about preserving the 35 millimeter projector in “The Flick,” but save from this commentary on the direction of film, the play could have been set in any low-wage industry. Perhaps even a fast food restaurant would have been a more interesting and lively setting. Being set in the movie theater, there are romantic and nostalgic undercurrents that come to life when Avery and Rose watch an old film together. However, the mood of the scene shifts when Rose begins to give Avery an unwarrented hand-job. It is sudden bursts of emotion like this that force the audience to take a leap of faith. Though the dry play needed these sporadic bursts of passion, like when Sam confessed his love for Rose, albeit in an unbelievable fashion. It was too forced to truly provide any relief for the plot hungry audience members. Overall, the most redeeming factor of the play was the charming Barrow Theater and the realistic movie theaterlike set.

A score inf luenced by Notorious B.I.G. and DMX, and a multiracial cast playing a bunch of dead white guys talking about politics is an odd combination that somehow makes complete sense. When Miranda and Diggs, portraying Hamilton and Marquis de Lafayette (Diggs plays two roles) turn to the audience and say, “Immigrants: we get the job done,” they aren’t just speaking on behalf of their characters. This show brings light to current national conditions by going back to where it all began, to a country where every decision sets a precedent.

PHOTO COURTESY: BROADWAY.COM

Hamilton, a musical chronicling the life of our nation’s most mysterious founding father, is taking Broadway by storm. With a successful off-Broadway run at the Public Theatre and advanced ticket sales of over $32 million to date, the smash hit has been endorsed by a number of celebrities, public figures and even had a cosign from President Obama himself. The Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist, Lin-Manuel Miranda stars as Alexander Hamilton, a “young, scrappy, and hungry” immigrant who fights for America’s independence, creates a national bank, faces opponents such as Thomas Jefferson and fatally duels with his political nemesis, Aaron Burr. The plot, based on the biography by Ron Chernow, is conveyed entirely through a captivating, fast-paced score that combines musical theatre with hip hop. Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom Jr.), historically known as the man who killed Alexander Hamilton, acts as narrator. He guides the audience from the Revolutionary War, through Washington’s presidency (where Hamilton served as Secretary of the Treasury), to Hamilton’s torrid affair and the fall of his reputation and finally to Burr’s deadly duel with Hamilton. The stories of our founding fathers are told through an ethnically diverse cast of actors and dancers who give new life to deceased historical figures like George Washington (Christopher Jackson) and Thomas Jefferson (Daveed Diggs). The three women in Hamilton’s life; his wife, Elizabeth Schuyler, her sister Angelica Schuyler and his mistress, Maria Reynolds, are brought to life as fully-developed characters by Phillipa Soo, Renee Elise Goldsberry and Jasmine Cephas Jones, respectively.

By using a cast of characters and dialogue that is familiar to today’s America, Hamilton highlights the current issues this country is facing with immigration reform and foreign involvement versus neutrality. The political rivalry between Hamilton and Jefferson elucidates the extreme bipartisanship George Washington once warned against- a bipartisanship that is prevalent in the presidential candidates in the 2016 election. Attending a performance of Hamilton is unlike any other show offered on Broadway today. With minimal blackouts and set changes, the cast never stops working throughout the entire two-hour and 55 minute performance. With songs that boast an average of 144 words per minute, each actor articulates and crafts their characters with incomparable skill. If willing to splurge or chance waiting in a cancellation-ticket line, Hamilton is an amazing opportunity to see history in a new light. With a score set to hip hop and a delightful and energetic cast, Hamilton is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime Broadway experience

W27

DECEMBER 2015

MONTH IN REVIEW: RUNNING ON DRUGS A N E W R E P O R T U N C O V E R S A N AT I O N A L LY- S U P P O R T E D D O P I N G P R O G R A M F O R R U S S I A N AT H L E T E S BY ALLISON HATCH Blood doping scandals and steroid allegations are nothing new to the sports world. Many top-athletes have been been rocked by charges and severe punishments (think Lance Armstrong, who was banned from cycling and had his Tour de France titles stripped away). Even with so many high-profile scandals, athletes across all sports have continued to dabble with performanceenhancing drugs (PEDS) in order to improve their speed, strength and general abilities. However, on Nov. 9, a new allegation hit international athletics as a report by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) published findings that Russia has supported a national doping program, despite preconceptions that it was terminated WADA defines blood doping as “the misuse of certain techniques and/ or substances to increase one’s red blood cell mass, which allows the body to transport more oxygen to muscles and therefore increase stamina and performance.” Investigations picked up in December 2014, when a German documentary, “Top Secret Doping: How Russia Makes its Winners,” was aired and made allegations against the state, with interviews and testimonies from coaches, athletes and leading sport officials. Sergey Portugalov,

the chief medical officer of the AllRussian Athletics Association (ARAF), has several allegations against him, including an email encouraging a Russian runner to increase her intake of banned testosterone and an account of Portugalov personally delivering PED injections to athletes. They also claimed that Russian lab officials have disposed of thousands of samples testing positive to drug use. According to the Economist, “Liliya Shobukhova, a marathon runner, acknowledged paying 450,000 [$480,000] to ARAF in exchange for the destruction of samples that tested positive.” WADA’s accusations have called into question Russia’s presence at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. WADA has proposed that all of Russia’s track-and-field athletes be barred from international competitions until there are expansive efforts undertaken to clean up the PED involvement within the team. Other concerns have been raised as to Russia’s past Olympic success. CNBC reported that WADA investigators found that, despite faulty doping tests prior to the 2012 London Olympics, “about six [athletes] were allowed to compete, and two of those went on to win Olympic medals.”

The PED and blood doping claims brought against Russia have affected international sports in its entirety. While banning the Russian track-and-field team would be under the jurisdiction of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), corrupt behavior has also marked the purveyors of honest sportsmanship. The former president of the IAAF, Lamine Diack, recently stepped down from the International Olympic Committee because of accusations that he took bribes worth over $1 million while covering up Russian athletes’ profuse doping. The International Olympic Committee has not announced whether it will retract medals won by Russians at prior Olympic games, but its president, Thomas Bach, has announced that the organization is confident in Russia’s reform efforts that would allow for trackand-field athletes to still compete in the 2016 Olympics as intended, according to the New York Times. The allegations have been contested by Russian president Vladimir Putin, the leader known for his “strong man” demeanor and robust athletic career. Putin has used the achievements of Russia’s athletes in global competition as propaganda to boost support nationwide, despite a wavering economy and unstable diplomatic relationships.

The precedent set on Russian athletic success has prompted Putin to call for an internal regulation. In response to the allegations, Putin said, “Doping needs to be fought. As far as the latest events connected to our athletics federation, I’m requesting the sport minister and all colleagues who are connected to sport in one way or another to pay the highest attention to this,” according to The Guardian. The PED and doping allegations against Russia have led to more outcries regarding the authenticity of drug testing for world-class athletes. While the International Olympic Committee and IAAF have yet to announce further actions against Russia, the scandal marks the first nationally supported illegal drug program to surface in the international sporting community since the the days of the cold war. If Russia fails to reexamine its drug program, the state’s track-and-field team may be denied the right to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics, while the potential for medal reallocation for past Olympic winners found guilty of drug use hangs in the balance. If Russia does not address its drug program in time, according to the Economist, “it could mean the first absence of a large country from the Olympics since America and the Soviet Union boycotted each other’s events in 1980 and 1984.”

MONTH IN REVIEW

FIT

WITH LIBERTY AND BY DARA KENIGSBERG

Please circle either Yes or No: Are you a terrorist? Yes or No? Have you ever been associated with a terrorist organization? Yes or No? These are two of the questions on the K-1 form needed to get a fiancé Visa to enter the United States. Of course the screening process is much more complicated and for refugees, it can even take two years for approval. But in the case of Tashfeen Malik, who together with her husband Syed Farook carried out the shooting massacre in San Bernardino, Ca. earlier this month, she was allowed entry into the U.S. in 2014 despite posting on social media her own supporting views about violent jihad. Malik had to go through two screenings before entering the U.S. and then a third before she could get her green card. If either Homeland Security or State Department officials saw her posts on social media, red f lags certainly would have been raised and she may never have been allowed to enter the United States. However, according to the New York Times, “immigration officials do not routinely review social media as part of their background checks, and there is a debate inside the Department of Homeland Security over whether it is even appropriate to do so.” Malik made no effort to conceal her point of view, posting not only that she supported violent jihad, but wanted to be apart of it as well. The dailymail. co.uk pointed out that “Her sister also made inf lammatory comments on social media. On the 10th anniversary in 2011 of the 9/11 attacks she wrote an anti-American remark next to a Facebook photo of a plane crashing into the World Trade Center.” Whitehouse spokesman Josh Earnest commented, “Somebody entered the United States through the K-1 visa program and preceded to carry out an act of terrorism on American soil. That program is at a minimum worth a very close look.”

The efficacy of the Visa process and what action, if any, should the U.S. take while reviewing it, has become a hotbutton issue for the 2016 presidential candidates. Donald J. Trump made what might have been his most polarizing comment to date when he announced that there should be a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country. In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on his show, State of the Union, Trump said that his Muslim friends were happy he was talking about extremism but not happy with the ban. “They said it’s time somebody spoke up as to radicalism. You have radicalism in this country. It’s here and it’s trying to come through… When my friends call me up, and they call me up very strongly – these are Muslims – and they say, ‘It’s something, Donald, that has to be talked about’.” When Tapper asked if they support the ban, Trump responded by saying that they don’t, but without the ban, the point can’t be made. Knowing there would be backlash, Trump defended his proposal and other leaders’ condemnation of it. “I'm not looking to be politically correct. I'm doing this to do the right thing. This and other things. When I say this -I'm running to do the right thing. I'm doing the right thing. Our country has a problem. People are in fear. They're waiting for the next attack." Immediately following Trump’s announcement, various government officials expressed their extreme opposition to his proposal. White House Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said, “It’s totally contrary to our values as Americans. You know, we have in our Bill of Rights respect for the freedom of religion. Muslim Americans have made extraordinary contributions to our country, but it’s also contrary to our security.” He expounded on the notion that it “could undermine work being done to partner with Muslim communities in the U.S. and abroad to prevent radicalization,” saying, “We should be making it harder for ISIL to portray this as a war between the United States and Islam, not easier,” notes the DailyBeast.com. The Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, agrees. On New Day on CNN, he said that Trump was “fanning f lames of hate,” arguing that he is basically a walking recruitment poster for ISIS. Cuomo, along with a host of other politicians, both domestic and abroad, believe that Trump’s rhetoric plays into the hands of ISIS. Cuomo continued, “It is dangerous as a matter of national policy and it does a disservice to this country.”

Though a ban on Muslims entering the country is highly unlikely, Trump does bring up two very important points. The recent spike in the level of fear in this country and the problem we have with being politically correct. According to a poll by the New York Times and CBS News, 44 percent of Americans think that a terrorist attack will likely happen in the next few months. This is the highest it has been since just after 9/11 when 53 percent of Americans felt this way, having almost doubled since just after the attacks in Paris when 28 percent of Americans had this fear. According to the same poll, 57 percent of Americans disapprove of the way President Obama has been handling the threat of terrorism. That comes as no surprise considering that just hours before the attacks on Paris last month, he said in an interview that ISIS was contained.

But how safe can we feel if, in the same week, the head of the FBI, James Comey, warned officials that ISIS is manufacturing their own passports and had already hatched a plan to infiltrate the Syrian refugee population as a means to enter the United States. For a measly $200, a member of ISIS can have their photo put on a blank passport. A chilling 18-page report from the Department of Homeland Security warned that a certain batch of passports coming out of Syria could be fake. According to the Examiner.com, “Passports issued since June of 2014 from two regions, Deir-ez-Zour and Raqqa are likely fake. These two regions are under the Islamic State control. One of these phony passports were purchased in Turkey from the black market.” Apparently, the passports issued to two of the terrorists in the Paris attacks were fake as well.

President Obama is continuing on his antiterrorism campaign, hoping to quell the trepidations that have recently been reignited. On December 6, speaking from the Oval Office, a backdrop meant to relay the gravity of his message, Obama gave “the rationale behind a series of incremental moves his administration has made over the past month: the Pentagon’s decision to send Special Operations forces to Iraq and Syria; the long-awaited decision to launch airstrikes on the oil tanker trucks that provide the extremists with much of their revenue; and Secretary of State John Kerry’s high-wire diplomatic gamble, called the ‘Vienna process,’ to obtain a cease-fire and a political process to halt the civil war in Syria so that all parties can focus on a common enemy,” according to the New York Times.

What is perhaps more frightening is the realization that with the increase in the number of Westerners traveling to fight in Syria, we don’t know exactly how many have been able to come back into the U.S. without being noticed. A senior U.S. official told the DailyBeast. com, “The NSA doesn’t have the ability to track thousands of bad guys… some may be slipping through the cracks.” Mathew Olsen, the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, continued, “This raises our concern that radicalized individuals with extremist contacts and battlefield experience could return to their home countries to commit violence on their own initiative or participate in al Qaeda-directed plots aimed at Western targets outside of Syria.”

PHOTO COURTESY: BUSINESSINSIDER.COM

W27

DECEMBER 2015

JUSTICE FOR SOME? This also shines a light on the glaring vulnerabilities in our system and brings us once again to the xenophobic rhetoric Trump has been spreading. A recent Rasmussen survey showed that the majority of the voting public agrees that there needs to be a moratorium on Muslims entering the country. According to infowars. com, Two-thirds of Republicans and a “plurality of all voters agree with Trump’s proposal. Among all voters, 46 percent favor a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States, while 40 percent are opposed. A further fourteen percent declared that they are undecided. Among Republicans, 66 percent say they favor Trump’s idea, while only 24 percent oppose the plan, with 10 percent undecided.” And this survey is not alone. A poll conducted by the Washington Post revealed that over a quarter of the Democrats surveyed supported his proposal, and a Bloomberg Politics poll “found that nearly two thirds of likely GOP voters backed the proposal, with more than a third saying it has made them more likely to vote for Trump,” according to infowars.com. The other point that Trump brings up has to do with being politically correct. After he released his statement regarding a temporary on all Muslims entering the U.S., he said at a rally in South Carolina that he knew it wasn’t politically correct but he didn’t care. While Trump proclaims his right to free speech, he is simultaneously questioning the listener’s right to complain about what he is actually saying. President George H. W. Bush’s 1991 commencement speech at the University of Michigan described how political correctness was an attack on free speech. According to the Washington Post, “The notion of political correctness has ignited controversy across the land,” he said. “And although the movement arises from the laudable desire to sweep away the debris of racism and sexism and hatred, it replaces old prejudice with new ones. It declares certain topics offlimits, certain expressions off-limits, even certain gestures off-limits.” Those who agree with Bush believe that the liberal elite polices language. Mathew Woesner, a political science professor at Penn State, thinks that Trump has “co-opted the term politically correct to make sweeping, dishonest statements he can’t otherwise defend.” He told the Washington Post, “We have to get away from labeling the opposition and get to the substance,” he said. “[Trump] is damaging our political discourse, rather than defending on merits, he thinks [attacking political correctness] will give him a free pass.”

NBC News Chief Correspondent told Rachel Maddow on her show:

PHOTO COURTESY: EXAMINER.COM So is it an attack on free speech? And how has the “if you see something, say something campaign” turned into racial profiling because people want to be politically correct? Recently, in Irving, Texas, 15-year old Ahmed Mohamed was arrested for bringing what looked to some like a bomb to school. Really, it was just an alarm clock that he had put together to show his new teacher. As a result of the way the situation was handled, the Mayor of Irving, Beth Van Duyne, was served with a $15 million dollar lawsuit. Should she, or anyone else involved, be punished for noticing what at the time was considered a potential danger to the school? Of course no one wants to be called an Islamaphobe, but being politically correct cannot come at the expense of safety and security. Gadf ly writer Steve Sailor called it a “war on noticing,” according the dailycaller.com. “Americans are increasingly being instructed to not notice some things in order to stay in good social graces. Noticing has a cost, and when our president chooses to bury his head in the sand on the issue of radical Islam, it’s understandable the chattering class follows his example.” After the San Bernardino shootings, it became clear that there might have been a way to prevent them. Neighbors of Farook and Malik said that they had noticed a lot of Arab men carrying boxes into the house at night. Though

they were aware of suspicious activity, they failed to report it out of fear of being politically incorrect and being labeled as racist. Had they called a cop or told someone in authority, Sean Hannity said, “I want to go over how political correctness is now become a danger in society. Now you've heard the expression that political correctness is killing America. Well it looks like the San Bernardino shooter is a case in point.” He quoted a blog that said the adage, “see something, say something” has “been replaced by ‘See something, say nothing,’ at least if it comes to somebody of Middle Eastern descent or happens to be Muslim.” Tens of millions of people come through the U.S. on a visa and there have been 90,000 people who have entered on the marriage visa alone in the last two years. According to the New York Times, “In an attempt to ensure they did not miss threats from men and women who entered the country the same way Ms. Malik did, immigration officials are also reviewing all of about 90,000 K-1 visas issued in the past two years and are considering a moratorium on new ones while they determine whether changes should be made.” There are simply not enough resources to review everyone’s social media without managing the f low of people into this country, at least for the time being. With the advancement of technology over the years, intelligent agencies seem to have unlimited ways to monitor and collect information on people. But because looking at social media was not part of the process for Visa applicants, Malik’s posts went undetected. Clearly something needs to be done to tighten national security, but at what expense? The country is in a state of panic. Political pundits are getting away with demagoguery and bigotry. And yet, at the same time, we are afraid of racial profiling even when doing so may have saved lives.

The world sees the leading political candidate from one party making these kind of statements and still doing well and having these rallies. And those vox pops you showed where people are saying, yes, we need to do them. Send them back home. Those are going around the world right now, and people realize this person is leading in the polls. That must be what Americans think. I was today with an ambassador from the Middle East. Today. And we were talking exactly about this subject. And he said, well, people in our country watch what is going on, and it makes us very concerned. So from the world perspective, it is absolutely an image, an impression, a black spot on our collective foreign policy and our conscience. And it also just feeds into the ISIS narrative. Yes, but the question remains, what should be done about all this? It is often said that we must study history so it does not repeat itself, but we have found ourselves at such a terrible crossroads. Man has not often been kind to one another. There was the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, and the turning away of Jewish immigrants during the Holocaust. It is at times like these where our resolve and character is tested. A simple “yes” or “no” across the board will not suffice. For now, free speech should be encouraged, just so long as it does not lead to swift and terrible action.

FIT SPEAKS

FIT

THE CUP THAT STOLE BY TAYLOR SICKO

“STARBUCKS REMOVED CHRISTMAS FROM THEIR CUPS BECAUSE THEY HATE JESUS”

The greatly anticipated Starbucks holiday cup has arrived, making its debut on November 1 and dominating headlines within days. The controversy unfolded rapidly after social media personality Joshua Feuerstein used Facebook as a platform to condemn Starbucks for “taking Christ and Christmas off of their brand new cups.” The minimalistic, holiday, red, ombré cups that made Feuerstein and many others so heated is said by Starbucks to be an invitation that allows “customers to create their own stories with a red cup that mimics a blank canvas.” Feuerstein prompted a national debate by posting an angry video on November 5, with the caption “Starbucks removed Christmas from their cups because they hate Jesus” — it has already gotten more than 16 million views and been shared by more than 500,00 people. Feuerstein points out in the video that “we have become so open-minded that our brains have literally fallen out of our heads,” implying that a universal cup that respects all holidays should not be accepted. But instead of boycotting Starbucks, he wants to start a movement. Feuerstein, claiming Starbucks employees are not allowed to wish you a “Merry Christmas” has encouraged the “great Americans and Christians around the nation” to say their name is “Merry Christmas” when ordering a drink, forcing the employees to write the phrase on their cups. The red cup controversy became national fodder overnight. The everyday Starbucks drinkers, celebrities and even presidential candidates expressed their opinion on whether the Starbucks simple, ombré red cup did or did not steal Christmas. Donald Trump even complained at a campaign rally in Springfield, Illinois that “there’s no more Merry Christmas at Starbucks” and suggests a possible boycott of the coffee selling company. He finalized his rant saying, “If I become president we are all going to be saying Merry Christmas again.” This was an ignorant statement. Has Starbucks ever had “Merry Christmas” written on their cups? Looking at cups from years past, the closest the coffee giant ever came to celebrating to birth of Christ was with cartoon snowmen and illustrations of ornaments. Neither of those really tell the story of Jesus’ birth if you ask me!

Aside from Feuerstein, Trump and their followers, there are plenty of individuals that think all the talk about this cup is absurd. Scrutinizing the design of a paper cup chosen by a publicly traded company and associating it to hating the Christian faith as well as Christmas is insanity. One comment left on the Feuerstein’s video stated; “I actually work at Starbucks. First, let me say ‘hating Jesus’ was, believe it or not, NOT in the training outline that all baristas undergo.” The hashtag #ItsJustACup began trending on twitter in response to the outrageous backlash Starbucks has been getting for their cups. Celebrities such as Demi Lovato even tweeted, “Also, why do we even care this much about a cup?” Hundreds of tweets poured in using the hashtag and mocking the attack on Starbucks. Some are even writing on the blank canvas the new design creates: “If coffee cups define your Christmas, it’s you who needs Jesus.” Did this very public controversy actually hurt Starbucks? Even those who normally stray from the company heard the news about the coffee shop that hates Christmas. All the free publicity isn’t necessarily a bad thing. At this time, there are 9.2 million news stories covering the red cup controversy according to Google. Without spending a dime on advertising, the company got everyone interested in their brand, whether it was for the right reasons or the wrong, people are watching and are nonetheless intrigued. Even the Christians complaining about the lack of Christmas décor are still going into Starbucks and buying their coffee to merely prove their point by forcing the employees write “Merry Christmas” on their cup. In the end, Starbucks still seems to be winning and making money.

PHOTO COURTESY: THEODYSSEYONLINE.COM

With all the talk about this year’s cup, how many of us can remember what the Starbucks cup looked like last year anyways? Surely, not many. After all, it is just a cup. Since when did this cup become the source of everyone’s Christmas cheer and holiday spirit? As the holiday season draws nearer, we should remember what actually matters. Instead of using your voice and social media to complain about the lack of Christmas décor on the paper product your coffee goes into (that inevitably ends up in the trash); use your voice to wish someone “Merry Christmas” and solve the lack of Christmas spirit you’re so concerned about with some positivity.

“WE HAVE BECOME SO OPEN-MINDED THAT OUR BRAINS HAVE LITERALLY FALLEN OUT OF OUR HEADS”

TOP RED CUP PHOTO COURTESY: COOLHUNTING.COM

W27

DECEMBER 2015

BLOOMINGDALE’S NOT-SO-STYLISH AD BY MADELYN ADAMS Bloomingdale’s was at the center of much controversy when they released an ad showcasing a stylish woman decked out in Rebecca Minkoff. With her head thrown back in laughter, her male friend gazes at her with the tagline, “Spike your best friend’s eggnog when they’re not looking” printed between the couple. Yes, you read that right. No, your eyes did not deceive you: Bloomingdale’s actually released a holiday ad that explicitly encourages you to drug your unsuspecting friend and in combination with the suggestive photo, hints at sexual assault. Outrage and disbelief instantly spread like wildfire throughout social media upon the ad’s release and Bloomingdale’s got their well-deserved backlash. Of course the company immediately apologized to the public, however the repugnant ad could not be removed since it was included in a print catalog.

However, the one aspect of the ad that I do find sort of comical is the fact that the male model ironically resembles Robin Thicke, the infamous singer of the Top 40 Hit “Blurred Lines,” The song sparked a controversy with its lyrics that imply that there are blurred lines when it comes to consent, and then again during his performance of that song with Miley Cyrus at the 2013 MTV Music Video Awards (the twerk heard round the world for those of you who forgot). I am even more surprised that this ad saw the light of day considering how the rise in activism related to rape culture has helped raise awareness about it. Rape culture includes victim blaming, slut-shaming and the overt objectification of women in media.

SEXUAL ASSAULT AND DRUG RAPE ARE A

Similar to the reactions of every single person who had the unfortunate experience of seeing the ad in the catalog, I am feeling a fiery mix of both anger and sickness in my stomach. Actually, no, scratch that. I am completely furious and outraged that anyone thought this was even remotely a good idea. The ad is akin to a campaign featured in a bad episode of “Mad Men,” but then I remembered that it is 2015 and spike-and-rape jokes aren’t funny and never have been.

COMMON OCCURRENCE AND WITH THE INFLUX OF PARTIES DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON, IT IS SOMETHING TO BE WARY

Although the fashion industry is made up primarily of women, many within it are guilty of perpetuating rape culture. Famous brands such as Dolce and Gabbana and Calvin Klein often showcase ads that depict beautiful women in submissive positions, all in the name of fashion. Now, I’m not against sex, because let’s be honest, we all like sex and in advertising, sex truly does sell. However, I am against using it in a way that objectifies anyone and trivializes consent — this is not sexy and should not be a norm in the advertising industry. So, what are we to do? As future leaders of the fashion industry, I urge FIT students to please be considerate with how their work will be perceived. Use it to empower others and not perpetuate such a vile culture. As individuals, continue to support those who use their voice to speak out against sexual assault, including celebrities, such as Lady Gaga and Kerry Washington, and continue to fight against those who abuse their fame in order to exploit others, such as Bill Cosby and Chris Brown. Use your own voice to speak out against serious issues like sexual objectification, sexual assault and domestic violence. Finally, remember that consent is always in fashion and NO ALWAYS MEANS NO!

OF. UNFORTUNATELY, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN

Now, we all know that an ad goes through an entire process before being set to print. Therefore, this was under the advice of multiple people, and I ask myself: Did no one see the blatantly rape-y insinuations of it? Actually, I can answer that question myself: Yes, I’m positive that every single person involved in the ad knew exactly what it was implying and they knew exactly what they were doing. From what I’m guessing, it was probably approved to print for the purpose of controversy in and of itself. The ad is supposed to be selling fashion, when in reality all it is doing is perpetuating the sick notion that, “Hey! It’s totally okay to spike your unsuspecting friend’s drink!” Controversy can sometimes be beneficial publicity-wise, but it is absolutely not appropriate when it uses drugging and date rape in a lighthearted manner — these are serious subjects and should be treated as such.

ARE VICTIMS, AND SOMETIMES THOSE VICTIMS ARE NOT TAKEN SERIOUSLY. ADS THAT GLAMORIZE DRUGGING YOUR SO-CALLED “FRIENDS” CERTAINLY DO NOT HELP THE MATTER.

PHOTO COURTESY: ADWEEK.COM

STYLE ON 27

FIT

STYLE ON 27 B Y: V I C K Y M AT H E W

SINCE EVERYONE IS HUDDLED UP,

WARM LEGGINGS AND AN

BY ADDING CUTE LAYERS, AND

HUGE SCARFS! IT'S BEEN KEEPING ME

LOOKING DOWN AND FREEZING

OVERSIZED SWEATER IS MY GO-TO

ACCESSORIES. IT'S ALL ABOUT

WARM THIS WINTER SO FAR

WHEN THE TEMP DROPS, I ONLY

FOR THE COLD SEASON.

ACCESSORIES IN THE WINTER

WEAR NICE SHOES SO THEY HAVE

SWEATER, BOOTS, HATS, THICK

MEGAN MADDEN PHOTOGRAPHY

FASHION BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

WHITNEY OWENS

SOMETHING TO LOOK AT.

ROSEANNA KEGEYAN INTERIOR DESIG N BY PICKING CLOTHING OF

TRYING TO FIND CUTE LAYERS

SOCKS AND MORE SWEATERS! I'M

THICKER FABRICS THAT ARE STILL

THAT CAN WORK WITH DIFFERENT

ALWAYS ON THE HUNT FOR COMFY

FASHIONABLE AND FIT FOR THE

OUTFITS

AND UNIQUE SWEATER. THIS ONE

SEASON WITH LAYERS.

I GOT WHILE ON MY TRIP IN JAPAN LAST SUMMER.

FANCY BOOTS AND FAUX FUR

MEGHAN DOUGHERTY FBM

MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

GLADYS MEDAGLIA PHOTOGRAPHY

ADVERTISING AND

RAF FILM AND MEDIA

ALLYSON FLOREZ

VICKY MATHEW PHOTOGRAPHY

W H AT T R E N D S G E T Y O U T H R O U G H T H E W I N T E R ?