W27 Fall 2021 - The Welcome Back issue

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WELCOME

BACK!

Fall 2021

W27

The “Welcome Back!” Issue Editor in Chief & President

Prerna Chaudhary

Assistant Editor in Chief & Vice President

Lonnie Brown

Art Director

Donna Hellberg

Head of Illustration

Stephen Campanella

Secretary

Ana Vindas Pastor

Social Media Director

Lonnie Brown

Writers

Abigail Zwirecki, Aditi Pardeshi, Claire Jung, Gabriella Cafarelli, Jacqueline Rappa, Jaya Lockhart, Prerna Chaudhary, Sara Hamilton, Stephen Campanella, Van Anh (Moon) Dang

Illustrators

Crisella Garcia, Danielle Balce, Delaney Siegler, Noberto Perez, Stephen Campanella

Editors

Abigail Zwirecki, Ana Vindas Pastor, Jennifer Poon

Graphic Designers

Donna Hellberg, Cecilia Acosta, Claire Jung, Stephen Campanella

Cover Designer

Abena Nkrumah

Faculty Advisors

Ellen Davidson, Alexandra Mann

www.w27newspaper.org www.issuu.com/w27newspaper @w27newspaper @W27Newspaper

W27 Newspaper

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

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WHY KIM K’S MET GALA DRESS WAS ACTUALLY ON PAR WITH THIS YEAR’S THEME

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HOW TO TALK TO ONLINE FRIENDS IN REAL LIFE

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DO WOMEN CODE-SWITCH?

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LOCAL BOOKSTORES: A PORTAL TO ANOTHER WORLD

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RIDING BACK IN STYLE

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ON THE FLY

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REBOOTS AND REVIVALS: ARE THEY NECESSARY TO KEEP A SHOW ALIVE?

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DEEPENING THE SHADES OF THE BROWN GAZE

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THE NEW REVIVAL IN CINEMA

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IMAGINATION WOVE THIS FLESH GARMENT

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STUDENT GALLERY

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by Aditi Pardeshi

by Gabriella Cafarelli

by Jaya Lockhart

by Claire Jung

by Sara Hamilton

by Abigail Zwirecki

by Jacqueline Rappa

by Prerna Chaudhary

by Stephen Campanella

by Van Anh (Moon) Dang

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Wants You!

Join FIT’s StudentRun Newspaper!

WHO WE WANT Writers, Artists, Graphic Designers and Photographers!

WHEN? WHEN? WHEN? Tuesdays 1:10 PM Google Meet

Follow us on Instagram

@w27newspaper to see what we’re up to!

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Link in bio!

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Letter from the Editor

I

was a sophomore when we first switched over to remote learning because of COVID-19. Thankfully, I don’t have to graduate remotely.

In my final year at FIT, I am overjoyed to be back in person and working with my fellow W27 members to bring an authentic time capsule of what we are feeling and thinking about in this moment.

Looking back at issues from over the years, it is evident that FIT students care about their communities, whether that is through a student guide, a music playlist, or pointing out flaws within our own FIT community in hopes to improve it. I am proud that my first semester as the Editor in Chief is the first one closer to a sense of normalcy at FIT. Thank you to my dedicated board members, Lonnie, Donna, Ana, and Stephen. All of you make this process collaborative and fun to create an issue. Thank you to everyone that came to our virtual W27 meetings in our remote semesters despite the lack of printed issues and continuing to stick with us now. Thank you everyone for taking the time to read our first issue of the new year.

Sincerely,

Editor in Chief

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Why Kim K’s Met Gala Dress Was Actually On Par With This Year’s Theme

By Aditi Pardeshi (Fashion Business Management ‘22) The theme of the Met Gala this year was America: a Lexicon of Fashion. (Aside: do any Americans except English teachers even know what the word “lexicon” means?) Set as a fundraising event but better known as the “Oscars of fashion,” the night celebrates designers (and, ironically, with a low turnout of American designers) with a hefty price tag nonetheless. According to the Vogue website, “the event welcomes stars, young creatives and industry paragons.”

This year, it meant inviting influencers and teen actors and actresses.

the way Kris Jenner has marketed them to become powerhouses in swaying all industries and building the standards of society that we know of today.

Just observing her dress at first glance, we see a curvaceous silhouette, a ghost, an empty figure. Her substance-less character hides within the blankness of her dress. The eye naturally gravitates towards her mannequin-like posture with the positioning of the geometric train. Her pointy shoes give off a “Cruella de Vil” vibe: she is here to be known and to be seen. The most interesting part of her outfit is that despite the public not being able to see her face, arguably a person’s most recognizable feature, we can immediately see that the “shadow”, seemingly without the existence of her body, is West. She is being seen without being shown — arguably a degree of anonymity. But can you really be anonymous in a body-con outfit as Kim Kardashian West?

One of the most controversial looks of the night was, of course, Kim Kardashian West. Seeing the reality TV star in the headlines is no big surprise to anyone in today’s time. With the Met Gala, the world of the reality star clashed with the opinions of informed (and uninformed) speakers on her controversial outfit. Donning an all-black jersey dress with the guidance of Demna Gvasalia, the creative director of Balenciaga, the thought process behind the dress was “what’s more American than a T-shirt head to toe?!” What could possibly be more American than glorifying a person built by notoriety and plastic In all black, we only see her silhouette which speaks a thousand surgery? The Kardashians have little to be commended for except words for itself. The impact of the Kardashians on body image and the perceptions of curvaceous women is unparalleled and arguably

Kim at the Met Gala by Donna Hellberg 5

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began a movement in acceptance of all body types. However, the powerhouses have established what the norm is through advertising Kardashians set an ineffable standard for beauty and altered the of their brand on social media, they are propelling the notion that definition of what it means to be beautiful. And what the Kardashians there is a “right” and “wrong” way to appear. do, the Western world follows.

West’s dress is an apt depiction of the social culture in America The mentality of our society today is heavily dependent on and alludes to the monopolizing and dictatorial rule the Kardashian appearance; people tend to judge others based solely on appearance family has in this country. The Kardashians are at the forefront of the even today. This is the result of social media unconsciously social media age. Starting from their reality TV show to announcing brainwashing us to think that women need to look a certain way product launches on their social media, their prominence in our dayin order to be “good enough” or “desirable.” The creation of the to-day life leads us to believe that the way the Kardashians appear is idea of having an “Instagram” face is a concept largely credited ideal. Sarah Buglass, Ph.D. researcher at the Division of Psychology to the Kardashians and Jenners. Having (and/or desiring) big lips, at Nottingham Trent University says that now, it’s not celebrities we a blemish-free face, and a tall, slender, yet hourglass-shaped body are comparing ourselves to, it’s our friends and connections — and has become the norm in society which leads to the average teenager possibly even comparing our normal face with ourselves in Snapchat (who doesn’t have access to plastic surgery) being dissatisfied with and Instagram filters. We then employ these “ideals” into our own their appearance. perceptions when we go about our daily life and subconsciously or even unconsciously perpetuate these harmful notions of the There is a correlation between what is shown in the media and desirable person. This by no means is limited to women, but also desirable and negative body image, hence supporting that women extends to men and non-binary people. compared themselves to others more after viewing images of thin models. In fact, the relationship between viewing media and She and her Balenciaga dress were the perfect fit for the theme of developing an eating disorder was so significant and concrete that this year’s Met Gala: after all, what could be more American than the American Medical Association urged advertising companies to idealizing irrational beauty standards? stop promoting unrealistic body standards in 2011. Because social

“The Kardashians set an ineffable standard for beauty and altered the definition of what it means to be beautiful. And what the Kardashians do, the Western world follows.”

Ki m

and Kan ye a t

th e M et Gala

by Donna Hellberg

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How to Talk to Online Friends in Real Life

By Gabriella Cafarelli (Advertising and Marketing Communications ‘23) Illustrations by Danielle Balce

K

nock knock. “May I borrow a cup of sugar?”

Or maybe, “Excuse me, I love your sweater!” will work better.

Starting a conversation, in general, is not always easy. Especially postpandemic, our social skills may be a tad rusty.

Now that the Fashion Institute of Technology has returned to campus and in-person classes, students are adjusting to getting to physical classes on time, the rush hour of the dining hall, crowded seating in the breezeway, and having conversations face-to-face. This means no more leaving someone left on delivered for days, or hiding behind a turned off Zoom camera, or saying “Sorry, just seeing this now!” even though you have been stalking Timothee Chalamet’s Instagram for 3 hours and muted the notification of their text.

It’s back to raw, awkward, butterflies in stomach, which-eye-do-I-look-into, conversations. I’ve had a few of those conversations myself just in the first month at school. I had just finished shoving my clothes into the washing machine, mixing darks with lights of course, and was patiently waiting for the elevator. I glanced over to the person next to me, also patiently waiting, and I realized that I recognized him from my past online classes.

“Hey!” I said, probably a bit too quietly since my mask muffles my voice. No response.

“Hey (insert name)!” I said louder, and probably too loud because I startled him.

“Oh...hey,” he responded.

There was confusion in his voice and a blank stare behind his eyes.

He turned away immediately, rather to stare at the elevator door.

“It’s back to raw, awkward, butterflies in stomach, which-eye-doI-look-into, conversations.”

“How was your move in?” I asked, trying to make him engage in the conversation.

I was awarded another dry response.

Maybe he doesn’t recognize me, I thought. Or maybe he doesn’t like me? Or he doesn’t want to talk? Or maybe he had a bad day?

I pestered myself with questions while we stood in deafening silence in the elevator. That was the longest elevator ride to the second floor.

He scurried out of the elevator, probably to escape any more conversation with me, and I was left feeling like I said something wrong.

But, I realized I hadn’t.

The transition to living on campus and seeing peers again after over a year online is big. No one is sure if they should say hi to someone they recognize, or compliment someone’s outfit, or just start a conversation with a stranger. Some aren’t even sure who is talking to them with the disguise of the face mask. This is even more prominent with students

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“Remind yourself that you will probably not remember this conversation in a year and we hold extremely high expectations for ourselves.”

who are on campus for the first time. Many students started their college career fully online, without ever attending a physical class. So making friends can be more of a challenge, and require more effort.

see them. Then you can lead with, “Hey, how did your math test go?” or “Did you end up getting the coffee stain out of your favorite white overalls?”

It feels like everyone is simultaneously googling “How to talk to my friend from online class without being awkward” or researching the best ways to say hi to someone without looking weird. That’s why everyone is staring at their phones instead of talking to each other right? All jokes aside, there is a socialization gap. According to BBC Work Life’s “Why We May Have to Re-learn to Socialise,” all of us are going through the same thing and “we’ve been forced to be asocial, at least in physical terms, for a year now. As a result, many are finding that any in-person social interaction is awkward – it feels like we have to re-learn how to sit in a room with another human.”

The third, and final step, it’s not that deep.

Remind yourself that you will probably not remember this conversation in a year and we hold extremely high expectations for ourselves.

“The transition from online to in person classes was very different and unexpected since I’ve never been on campus before,” said Keily Guerra (Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing, ‘23). “I almost had this huge expectation that I was going to make lots of friends but it didn’t happen right away.”

The pressure of making friends fast and being on campus for the first time in a while, or first time ever, can easily inhabit a good conversation. It will take time, but the time is worth it. While the stress of saying hello to an online peer, or working in groups in person for class, or making small talk in the hallway can be challenging, remind yourself of the excitement of being back on campus.

However, let’s say we really do look up some advice for making conversation; the Buzzfeed articles and bloggers just aren’t getting it right. While I agree with Leslie Horn’s point in her piece “How to Meet an Online Friend in Real Life Without It Being Awkward” for Gizmodo, to bring a friend for support, the buddy system doesn’t always work. You won’t always have a moral support human with you, and sometimes bringing a friend just makes it double awkward because now you have to introduce them, too.

After online school for over a year and months of poor connection and technologically challenged professors, it’s back to chest-hurting laughter in the dining hall, that “did you hear that?” glance to your friend in class, and people watching in the Dubinsky 5th floor window.

“19 Conversation Tips For The Awkward” by Tabir Akhter for Buzzfeed is not much help either. Resorting to bringing up the weather when the conversation gets silent is bad comedy movie gold, and making up words when you’re feeling flustered is just going to make the conversation more confusing. So, I’ve used the bad online advice, my personal anecdotes, and stories from others to make a short guide to having a minimally awkward conversation.

So, say hi to your friend from online class, ask the girl in the elevator where she got her purse, and go ask your neighbor for a cup of sugar.

The first step: put in the effort.

As much as we really don’t want to be the one to say something first, we have to get over ourselves. The other person is probably trying to convince themselves to say something too, so just do it.

“The transition from online to in person was honestly really exciting,” said Meredyth Feit (Fashion Business Management,‘24). “I had to be intentional last year with keeping up a friendship because it’s so easy to not text someone or not call someone and sometimes it was exhausting.

But in a weird way, I think that’s helped my transition”.

Feit is right, be intentional.

Step 2: talk to them like you will see them tomorrow.

Chances are you will run into them again. Make the conversation count so that you have something to refer back to the next time you

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Do Women Code?

By Jaya Lockhart (Fashion Business Management ‘25)

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o women actively choose to lessen themselves — become less bold, free, wild and courageous? The answer to this question is way too easy of a yes, that we beautiful, magical and unique female creatures have at first reluctantly replied with our actions and over time have become programmed to just self consciously respond in the way of being “less vibrant”, “less sensitive”, “less powerful” in order to be more digestible. I too, not just as a woman, but a Black woman, have experienced this one time too many.

“research suggests that code-switching often occurs in spaces where negative stereotypes of Black people run counter to what are considered “appropriate” behaviors and norms for a specific environment.” Many examples of this could be expressed in conversations in the workplace vs. conversations at family functions. For instance, the terminology used can frequently be shown as a huge difference in culture and cultural interactions with one another vs. those of opposite. At a Black family function, women may greet one another like “HEYYY GIRLLLL...OKAY I SEE YOU MISS MAMAS..GO AWFF SIS, YOU I’ve experienced many moments where I have changed who I was.

LOOK GOODTTTT!” While at or around white culture the greeting of My physical: I tried to “reshape” my figure, literally, by working a Black woman to a white woman may sound similar to “Hey!! Wow, out — trying to make myself look a certain way that was appealing you look really nice! Keep showing out!” I’m sure while reading that to the world, societies standards. your mental voice read those two scenarios in two completely different My mental: by consistently “self-checking” my opinions and feelings tones, didn’t it? That is indeed a natural reaction. Just the way you read those scenarios in two different for the sake of not causing “chaos” tones, read it again but this time and or discomfort for everyone else “Code-switching is the imagine actively living in that but myself. involvement of adjusting one’s scenario and I’m sure you will My emotional: by frequently notice the actual difference in body believing the false thinking that style of speech, appearance, language as well. For the scenario what I was asking for and feeling with a Black woman to another behavior, and expressions in was wrong.

Black woman, you can picture and ways that will optimize the feel the vibrant, magical and highly I would try to shrink myself to fit into this imaginary box that others believed I was comfort of others in exchange for infectious energy that is shared one sister to another. For the supposed to be in to align with them rather fair treatment, quality service from scenario with a Black woman and a than me, myself and my purpose. I would and employment opportunities.” white woman, you can also feel from mute myself slowly but surely dim my light the Black women’s perspective, the lower and lower because of fear of being too vibrant, as a Black woman, fear of being “too much”, “too loud.” reservation and more “constricted” body language. It can be argued Although, with age, comes sweet wisdom, growth. Like many other that the change in body language is just based on comfortability, but magnetic and exceptional women, everyday I step out more and more as a Black woman, I can say first hand it has more to do with the level of the shell labeled “Her Box” and step into a space labeled, defined of freedom a Black woman has to be authentically her with those and decorated by me; dancing to the beat of my own song remixed and who are just like her vs. those who come from a completely different cultural background. Black women code-switch to feel welcomed in remastered by me, as much as I like. unwelcomed, “dominant” spaces.

It’s intriguing how I’m not the only young woman who has experienced this. Many age groups have experienced times where they have shrunk Code-switching doesn’t stop at how we greet each other, but in work/ and muted themselves. Many generations have taught us just how much the quality of our work, education, politics, etc. The Harvard Business society has played a role in shielding women from being women. No Review points out: “1. For Black people and other racial minorities, downplaying one other than a woman has experienced what it’s like to shed their colors based on the visual capabilities, personal perspectives, of those membership in a stigmatized racial group helps increase perceptions of around her. There has been so much free active muting of our voices professionalism and the likelihood of being hired. that it makes me wonder, do we now subconsciously choose to mute & 2. Avoiding negative stereotypes associated with Black racial identity (i.e. laziness, incompetence) helps Black employees be seen as leaders.” un-mute to fit the scenery we are in?

While code-switching may be viewed as a way to be more “suitable” for others, it has its negative effects on the giving end. The result of downplaying one’s belonging to a racial group can generate hostility from “in-group” members, increasing the stereotype of being accused of “acting and or sounding white”.

As properly defined, code-switching is the involvement of adjusting one’s style of speech, appearance, behavior and expressions in ways that will optimize the comfort of others in exchange for fair treatment, quality service and employment opportunities. In Black terms, codeswitching is used to describe how some Black women communicate with their sistas, performing pliable vernacular, depending on the environment they are in. The art of code-switching is empowered by the ability to read the room. As stated in Harvard Business Review,

Code-switching is not a skill all Black women have like some universal Black power type of quality. As stated in this beautifully informative 9

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I would try to shrink myself to fit into this imaginary box that others believed that I was supposed to be in to align with them rather than me, myself, and my purpose.

article, Pliable Vernacular: The Art of Code-switching, “We learn to interact with a spectrum of white social classes, spanning from lower to upper class. Black women know that we are expected to assimilate, hide who we are at our core, without any regard to our ancestral history, ethnicity, income, social capital or level of education.” Sociologist theorist, Patricia Hill Collins, whose focus is Black Feminist Thought, states, “Oppressed peoples may maintain hidden consciousness, and may not reveal their true selves for reasons of self-protection.”

While Black women have faced firsthand more often than others what it is like to code-switch on a deeper level, all women have faced the burden of “having” to shrink back from their authentic selves into a generic packaging that “everyone can afford.” Sadly, us women are continuously fighting to be no more than who we are truly in a world that has been built on changing us. We feel the weight of the changes in our relationships, our bodies, our work, our beliefs and feelings. How we do what we do and look as fabulous as we do while doing it is a secret code that only a woman knows how to crack.

illustration by Crisella Garcia

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Local Bookstores: A Portal to Another World

By Claire Jung (Communication Design ‘24) Bookoff: 49 W 45th St.

Your head spins as you soar across the sky on the back of a dragon, your heart leaps as you’re waltzing in a ballroom, your hands shake as you run through a battlefield. You’re enthralled by your surroundings, the world so vivid and raw, but then you happen to look up. To your surprise, you are not in the midst of any fantastical events, you’re in a boxy dorm or apartment in the middle of New York City. The dizzy feeling you had wasn’t from the flying or the dancing or the fighting; it was just your eyes racing to get to the next word, the next page, the next book.

If you prefer to spend your time up by Bryant Park and Times Square, then Bookoff is definitely worth a visit. This bookstore has the added perk of having a large section of $1 books. In addition to having so many low-priced books, the store also has an entire floor dedicated to anime and manga, and another floor for DVDs, games, records, old technology and figures from pop culture. Rachel Quan (CD, ‘24) sums up the feeling of Bookoff saying, “It’s sort of like digging around for treasure, and it feels exhilarating when I spot something I want. Sometimes I see annotations and it makes me want to buy a book more. It’s like the books there are living many lives.”

The way that books can influence its readers’ thoughts and emotions, and offer portals to other real and imaginary worlds makes it feel as if the books themselves are living things. If books can connect with us that much, then the least we can do is treat them as something to be respected and protected. This means caring about the places that bring us those books.

While shopping for books at places like Barnes & Noble and Amazon may be more convenient most of the time, you’re missing out on the experience of finding a book and flipping through its pages. In a world full of digitized content and instant delivery, small bookstores offer us a chance to slow down and appreciate longer forms of entertainment. Barnes & Noble and Amazon are expensive and commercial, and they lack the charm and history of local bookstores. Strand is a better and cheaper alternative (sometimes) as well, but even they have become a bit of a branded tourist attraction. New York City is a city of small businesses, so take advantage of that and find new hidden gems to support!

New York City is the most expensive city in the United States, so locating cheap shops is essential when moving here (especially as a college student). Bibliophiles in particular know that a habit of buying books is not the most economical activity to keep up, and being in this city will probably give you access to more bookstores than you’ve ever seen before. The good news is that there are also many used bookstores to find a good bargain at!

Here are some that are worth checking out: Mercer Street Books & Records: 206 Mercer St. The first used bookstore that I discovered after moving to the city was Mercer Street Books & Records. Located 20 minutes away from FIT by subway, this bookstore always has a new assortment of books to choose from. There is a wide range of topics from things like science fiction to art history to cookbooks, as well as a selection of records. Upon walking in you’ll see a hodgepodge of books on deep tables, and there’s something so invigorating about sorting through a messy pile of books that seems to never end. It’s so much more rewarding to dig to the bottom to discover something that really piques your interest than to go to a new bookstore where the bestsellers are just shoved in your face. The price range tends to be anywhere from $4-$20, the higher prices usually being for art books that originally cost much more. On some of my visits I have picked up a MoMA book of posters and Anna Wiener’s “Uncanny Valley”. There is often French music playing to give your browsing experience a taste of sophistication, and it makes the environment more friendly than the dead silence of other small bookstores.

Codex: 1 Bleecker St. Also in the Greenwich Village area on Bleecker St. is Codex. This store is quite narrow, but makes up for that with bookshelves that reach the ceiling. So while there may only be two main aisles, it’ll give your neck a workout as you crane to scan the tops and bottoms of shelves. It specializes in secondhand literary fiction and art books, but you can also find a section of new books if you’re looking for current bestsellers. The bookstore also happens to be an espresso bar and is right near a Plant-Based Community Fridge, which will give you the full “academia aesthetic” experience in your book shopping experience.

Illustration by Norberto Perez.

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Riding Back In Style: How This New Age Take on Western Wear is Revolutionizing the Fashion Industry

By Sara Hamilton (Advertising and Marketing Communications ‘24)

I

f you’ve taken a stroll through the streets of New York on the ever infamous Fashion Avenue recently, you may have been bewildered by the sight of fringe, western belts, feather accessories and the sound of cowboy boots striking the sidewalks. Don’t worry, you’re in the right place, but you might want to invest in a pair of boots while you’re here. From stores to runways to the city streets, the western trend is alive and well, and it won’t be riding off into the sunset anytime soon.

Starting off strong as a wild west contender was Victor Li’s Fall Winter 2021 collection at New York Fashion Week, which as dramatic as it may seem, can only be described as an eccentric urban cowboy extravaganza. His colorful tops and coordinated skirt-blazer combos were blended with western boots and cowboy hats, flawlessly combining traditional western wear with a touch of modern chic.

Lily-Rose Depp rocked a light wash pair of daisy dukes and deep purple cowboy boots for an afternoon stroll around New York City and Jennifer Lopez’s wildly western Ralph Lauren look at the 2021 Met Gala earned her nearly three million likes on Instagram.

Designers and runways aside, it’s the high-profile marketing influence that has catalyzed the now thriving western wear industry.

Statista indicates that the western wear market value in the US has increased since its initial market value of 71 billion in 2016, and is expected to reach a market value of 99.4 billion by 2023. Can we get a yeehaw?

Rap musician Lil Nas X is notorious for his spunky cowboy attire. But there may be a deeper meaning behind the chaps and hats. Often commended for his openness about being a queer black man in Country music, Lil Nas is unofficially credited with deriving the fashion term “Space Cowboy,” which signifies freedom of expression by reclaiming a culture that has traditionally and historically oppressed him.

Notably, Neon Cowboy’s Fall couture line lit up the runway with its floor length skirts and brightly colored cowboy hats, while Isabel Marant’s rural meets urban twist on her all black cowboy boots stole the show.

His 2020 Grammy Awards On the retail spectrum, conventional look, a Bright pink Versace western wear companies have seen two-piece complete with color a massive uptick in 2021 profits. complementary hat, harness and According to Forbes, “Boot Barn’s boots, undeniably turned heads. annual sales in fiscal year 2019 Ultimately, it’s about feeling were $776.9 million, propelled by comfortable enough to express 14.6% growth from previous year.” yourself as your own individual.

Its revenues surpassed 850 million by year end in March of 2020, higher than projection. Levi’s saw From runways to retailers, it seems as though western wear is a trend their profits increase by 198% during the first half of 2021, while their we can all get behind, and the best part is, there’s no set standard. western staples, denim jackets and jeans, continue to be a bestseller. Designers and celebrities alike have proven that no matter your personal style, a touch of the old wild west can be built on to any Through the power of online influence, celebrities and public figures ensemble. routinely endorse and embrace the wild west. In August, Beyoncé launched her collection with Adidas x Ivy Park Rodeo, a popular This new-age take on western fashion has proven its ability to western wear brand. According to Lyst Insights, less than 48 hours influence an entire generation of fashion gurus, guys and gals, ladies after her clothing drop, searches for keywords, like “cow print,” and and gents, to rewrite traditional rules and express themselves freely.

Cowboy chic is officially the new frontier of Americana fashion. “cowboy hats,” jumped over 64%.

Kendall Jenner blew up Instagram this past Summer with an array of posts featuring a rather unusual bikini and cowboy boot pairing.

graphic by Donna Hellberg

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On The Fly

By Abigail Zwirecki

(Advertising and Marketing Communications ‘24)

Issue 01

illustration by Stephen Campanella

Fall 2021

ew York City in and of itself is one of the most over-romanticized sites I’ve ever witnessed. After watching countless movies where the guy wants the one girl and the sole girl only, out of the millions of other girls in NYC, I’ve realized it’s not quite as it seems.

People here have things to do, calls to make and trains to catch.

This fast-paced whirl-wind of a city is definitely difficult to go about finding love. The thing is, we shouldn’t even be looking for it. That’s what makes these movies different. Characters aren’t searching, but they’re discovering love “along the way.” They’re discovering with no premonition and without even asking for it.

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connecting with partners they may not have realized they’d like”.

There is also a huge difference between finding love in classic romance movies versus finding love in today’s world. Dating apps like Tinder create this toxic notion of “selling yourself ” in which you are basically putting yourself up for “auction” on the basis of your looks. I also think, especially after the rise of COVID, we all as a generation have had quite a difficult time with in-person verbal communication. Back then, you had to actually get to know each other face-to-face. People never had the chance to prepare their smart sentences and witty pick-up lines like we do now. It was on-the-fly.

One’s actions and words were authentic with virtually no help from a friend to perfect a text sent to someone you’re interested in.

For many single FIT students, Tinder and other dating apps like Bumble and Hinge are their first resort. Ask anyone here, most people own these applications. Plus, the majority of students attending FIT are, in fact, women. Could this affect straight women in turning to dating apps? Could this affect straight men in feeling overwhelmed by the vast majority of women seeking them? Could it give these men the upper hand because they are so “limited” to straight women? This in turn, leads to more straight women at FIT to turn to various dating apps outlets. Many long for impulsive and immediate pleasure with no commitment, no strings attached. I asked a friend, Emily Chibnik (TSD ‘24) about her thoughts on dating apps. She states that, “after continuous swiping and super-liking one becomes numb, because in reality, no one really sees 100+ men or women in one night”.

Dating apps also inherit racist qualities. According to Rolling Stone, apps like Grindr removed “ethnicity filters” after the brutal murder of George Floyd in solidarity of the Black Lives Matter Movement.

This makes anyone question why the app had the filters on in the first place. Unfortunately, doing this changes nothing in that people will undoubtedly still swipe on the preferred race they desire, which harms certain groups of people. A study by Cornell researchers claims, “Black men and women are 10 times more likely to message whites than white people are to message Black people. Letting users search, sort and filter potential partners by race not only allows people to easily act on discriminatory preferences, it stops them from

I took a week to explore the city and its “ambiance,” visiting spots where famous romance movies were filmed. I first visited the renowned Tiffany & Co. where part of the classic “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” starring Audrey Hepburn was filmed. Holly, played by Hepburn, meets a man, Paul, who moves into her apartment complex and, over time, ends up falling in love. They weren’t looking for each other, they rather discovered one another. And that’s the way love should be.

Things should happen spontaneously. For instance, take the movie “When Harry Met Sally,” the enemies, to friends, to lovers trope.

Harry hitched a ride with Sally bickering the whole way, and later ended up in love. I asked a few students (anonymously) here at FIT if finding love here is “like the movies”. Most told me their “situationship” ended up being a hookup, fail or just a bad date. Not many have the ability to commit and keep up. But for a select few who are in a long-term relationship, have met their significant others in a coincidental way, like the movies.

Maybe it is true, we need to get our heads out of our phones and create real relationships. Maybe we should stop searching for love and start letting love find us. New York City is filled with thousands of people each day experiencing coincidences. Maybe walk to class with the person you were in the elevator with, or compliment the girl next to you in class with epic shoes. We should experience moments and turn our coincidences into something more. It should happen on-the-fly.

illustration by Stephen Campanella

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REBOOTS AND REVIVALS: ARE THEY NECESSARY TO KEEP A SHOW ALIVE?

By Jacqueline Rappa (Advertising and Marketing Communications ’23)

A

sense of nostalgia washes over when you scroll past a preview for the “iCarly” reboot or catch a glimpse of the “Full House” spinoff series while browsing through Netflix. After years of not watching these characters, they are now all grown up and tackling adulthood. But are these reboots meant to appeal to their original audience or are they looking to draw in a new generation of viewers?

Over the past few years, reboots and revivals have taken over television and streaming platforms. The purpose behind a reboot is so that audiences can feel a sense of comfort and familiarity as their favorite characters are being brought back to life. Revivals are bringing back either a cast or plot for what producers believe to be a new, fresh run.

Revivals immediately catch the attention of a familiar audience.

Fans of the drama-comedy series “Gilmore Girls” religiously watched the show when it aired on The WB from 2000-2007 and continued to do so a decade later when its revival, “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life,” aired on Netflix in 2016. When a show comes back many years later, its main goal is to bring back its loyal fanbase. Depending on how well the show goes, this can be good or bad. Many “Gilmore Girls” fans were upset by the constant lack of diversity and stereotypes still present in the 2016 reboot.

This past year, the popular 2007 drama series “Gossip Girl” came out with a reboot on HBO Max. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, actress Savannah Smith stated that the reboot is “very Gen Z oriented, very modern, very fresh and new.”

The plot centers around social media and influencer culture, which barely existed from 2007 to 2012 when the show originally aired.

There is a whole new cast, however, characters from the original show still exist in the “Gossip Girl” universe. The reboot is very much trying to resonate with a new audience while still keeping familiar aspects of the show to also appeal to original fans. They are trying their best to tackle two demographics of people at once.

It isn’t easy to make everyone happy when putting a Gen Z twist on an original Millennial series.

The original “Gossip Girl” has a history of incorporating problematic storylines that glossed over immoral actions and behaviors. Acts of sexual assault performed by one of the main characters, Chuck, were romanticized throughout the series. The show itself never called out this mistake or addressed it to its viewers that these actions are not okay. The “Gossip Girl” reboot focuses on topics such as accountability, social reform and gender roles. However, fans of the show in 2021 were not happy when the reboot included a student-teacher sexual relationship as a storyline, a common problematic trope in dramas with teens.

“Gossip Girl” was not the only New York City based show to be revived this year. The “Sex and the City” reboot “And Just Like That…” is set to air this coming December on HBO Max. “Sex and the City” is unfortunately another show that did a poor job reflecting the diversity of New York City when it originally aired from 1998-2004. In 2021, it is honestly irresponsible of the producers to bring back the storylines of exclusively white, straight, and cisgender characters. It simply does not make sense for a show that is set to take place in the most diverse city in the world. It is time for new stories to be told and for representation to be the main focus.

It is up to the viewers themselves to decide if a reboot is worth watching. Just by the trailer, a viewer is able to determine if they would like to witness their favorite characters be revived or if the show simply should just not have returned. Watching rerun marathons might actually leave viewers more satisfied than anything else.

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Deepening the Shades of the Brown Gaze

By Prerna Chaudhary (Advertising and Marketing Communications ‘22)

“D

on’t bring too much attention to yourself. Nazar lag jayegi” “You’ll get the evil eye’s/negative auro’s attention,” or at least that’s how it translates to English to the best of my Hindi heritage speaker ability.

While the show effectively sheds light on Naz’s mischaracterization, a minority struggling at the hands of white people and their system is what the industry produces with big budgets. We watch it, too, and assume that one portrayal to be the truth. “Mogul Mowgli” seeks to define the South Asian/Muslim/Diasporic/Brown gazes by Nazar is a concept people from various cultures are familiar with, simultaneously going against and being entirely independent from and we even see some derivative version of it in cinema: the gazes. the white gaze. In the same interview, Ahmed pointed out that he Male, white, heteronormative, female, etc. If nazar is other people’s and Tariq went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on an extended attention despite the type of sentiment behind it, then gaze is a form of guided tour of the Islamic Art exhibition. Black American and it. The various gazes are what the eye or camera focuses on and brings LGBTQ filmmakers have had their own genres of movies that are attention to. Many times, minorities seek to subvert stereotypes by specifically made for people in their communities and have a few being the opposite of them, but that performance is still a product of common elements. Similarly, going to the art exhibition allowed them the systems that enforce the stereotype. In the Western world of white to pull from Islamic, not European or white American, art styles and male heteronormative gaze, can minority motifs, like the inclusion of Qawwali cinematic nazars exist independently or music. Using these elements shaped the solely as a response?

“Will the blurred lines authenticity of their world for the Brown diaspora and made it tangible. Ahmed between reality and One of these minority gazes comes from Tariq were successful in opening a Asian Americans. At this point, Asian precocious thoughts be and possibility of narratives like theirs.

American issues are dominated by the a staple in Brown gaze rise in anti-Asian hate crimes since March Throughout “Mogul Mowgli,” the 2020, but, before that, there was something cinema and media?” main character Zed struggles with his else: representation. Anyone participating dichotomous identities: British vs. in Asian America’s discourse was bound Pakistani Muslim, commercial rapper vs. artist and alternative vs. to come across it. Now, with other (more?) pressing concerns first, modern medicine patient. He is both but feels like he has to choose being seen has taken a backseat…temporarily. one: be a mogul or mowgli, a misguided interpretation of a South It makes me wonder if representation was the concern that so much attention was directed towards because it was easily digestible – income disparity, varying education levels, prejudice and ununified political leanings aren’t as sexy as aching to see yourself in Hollywood.

The “yourself ” being the privileged sector of Asian Americans that make up the forefront of the discourse. To be fair, it’s not just the Asian diaspora that pays a great detail of attention to seek validation from Hollywood, a notoriously exclusive industry known for its gatekeeping. Other minority communities, like the LGBTQ, Muslim, Latinx and even women communities discuss their desire to see themselves in mainstream media publicly, sometimes in think pieces like this one. The difference is the prevalence of representation in Asian America’s discourse, at least the one that I encountered, within itself and its projections to those on the outskirts. Representation, however, as sick of hearing that word as I am, is essential and can be effectively sympathy (and tear) inducing when done right.

Asian character that capitalized the colonized. Right when Zed thinks he has it figured out and is about to get his big break as a rapper, he visits home for the first time in years, ironic for someone who’s music profits from and seeks to define home and their place in post-Brexit Britain:

“Where You From” by Riz Ahmed “Britain’s where I’m born, and I love a cup of tea and that But tea ain’t from Britain it’s from where my DNA is at ...

And I just got the shits when I went back to Pak And my ancestors Indian, but India was not for us ...

Now everybody everywhere wantin’ their country It’s movies like “Mogul Mowgli” that remind me of this. Emmy award back winning and Oscar nominated actor Riz Ahmed co-wrote the movie If you want me back with writer/director Bassam Tariq. Ahmed revealed in New Yorker’s to where I’m from, Radio Hour that while being an actor requires one to leave oneself then bruv, I need a behind, he never gets to play anyone like him. Not in “Venom,” “Star map” Wars Rogue One,” “Sound of Metal,” or even “The Night Of,” where Both the creator of he played a young Muslim man, Naz. While he has the privilege of Mowgli from “The playing non South Asian or Muslim characters on screen because he Jungle Book,” Rudyard can look white passing at times, even “The Night Of ” felt like media Kipling, and Zed from the white gaze. What else can you expect when none of the are creating art and screenwriters were Muslim themselves? The mini series critiques the capitalizing off of a American justice system’s treatment of Naz and how the prosecutors culture that they cannot categorized him as a rebel simply because he was Brown and Muslim, call fully call their own.

Balce which can be the same to anyone outside of the politicized identities. After Zed was diagnosed Danielle ation by illustr

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with an autoimmune disease, the audience sees visions, deliberately confusing in their relation to reality. Some are Zed’s visions, some his father’s, who suffers trauma from narrowly escaping the brutality of the India-Pakistan partition. Ahmed’s own tracks, “Toka Tek Singh” and “Mogambo,” are used for parts of the score to explain two seemingly unrelated partitions. Seeing the effect of the partition, even indirectly through the father’s dreams, on the big screen was one of the most satisfying moments of the movie for me. In so many ways, there are parallels between the partition and Brexit. The depiction of Zed and his father experiencing the same exclusion and mental displacement is viceral. In Zed’s visions, he starts out wearing a hospital patient’s generic gown with a small pink print. As his visions progress and he reconnects with his family, his gown becomes more and more embellished with South Asian clothing elements: small circular mirrors and a vest with tassels. The film has been described as magic realism, a term that I only became aware of when I read Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West. Will the blurred lines between reality and precocious thoughts be a staple in Brown gaze cinema and media?

“Mogul Mowgli” movie poster (source: imdb.com)

The film further carved out its place in the overarching Brown gaze by having characters speaking Urdu/Hindi and not translating each part in the subtitles. By Zed’s mother ridding him of his nazar before his big break. By Zed switching between languages and merging them. By showing Zed’s father’s distrust of Western medicine. By Zed attending the mosque and then smoking right after. The beauty of having a genre dedicated to a subgroup is that the people in that group are more likely to understand the media than those in the dominant group. The minority is the audience. This media contains inside jokes, cultural references and parts of our communities we don’t see in the white gaze. By having our own genres, we can redefine our narratives.

Without getting too broad, the following media has made me feel validated in my existence: • • • • • • • • • •

Ramy Youssef’s “Ramy” Hasan Minhaj’s “Homecoming King” Nida Manzoor’s “We are Lady Parts” Mindy Kaling’s “Never Have I Ever” Min Jin Lee’s “Pachinko” Charles Yu’s “Interior Chinatown” Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger’s “Love Victor” Issa Rae’s “Insecure” Anna Konkle and Maya Erskine’s “PEN15” Sally Rooney’s “Normal People”

Naz rapping (screenshot from “Mogul Mowgli”)

Still, there is tons of media with Asian Americans, diaspora communities and children of immigrants that I do not relate to, but I can have sympathy for the characters, which is the goal (outside of profit). And I realize how ironic it is to point out the problems with the main narrative of Asian diasporic topics being dominated by representation while that is the essence of this piece. Am I a hypocrite?

Yes. I do, however, believe that stand out pieces that actually come from the communities they represent deserve recognition if they are deepening our stories. We are continuing to define and live through Brown America, Brown diaspora, the Brown experience. With that in mind, I’ll continue to quote Riz Ahmed’s “Fast Lava”: “I’ll spit my truth and it’s Brown.” Perhaps we can work to deepen the shades of the Brown gazes through our own nazar.

Toba Tek Singh (screenshot from “Mogul Mowgli”)

Nazar lag jane do. Let the nazar be on you. Embrace it.

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The New Revival in

Cinema

SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS | NO TIME TO DIE WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY STEPHEN CAMPANELLA

A year and a half at home, with each and everyone of us constantly looking back at the past. As we sat home, trying to pass the time as the days went by, watching old films became a more dominant pastime of many of us. I found myself watching character-packed scenes, becoming weary as to why so many people were together, forgetting that those films were from a different time and not the current 2020 situation we were living in. Cinephiles, such as myself, were constantly in search of a new story to encapsulate ourselves in, with the films we anticipated repeatedly being pushed further and further into the future.

Television became our outlet, with smaller scale stories being played out. For me, although enjoyable, it just wasn’t the same amount of anticipation that films gave me. That feeling of speculation, wonder and extravagance of going to a theater was a longing constantly being put on the backburner.

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Illustration '22

arsenal of films. Simu Liu, already well-known from CBC Television’s (and even more so from Netflix’s) comedy Kim’s Convenience, truly showcases his star power as this revived, modern version of the 1973 character. Filmed completely during the earlier stages of the 2020 pandemic, “Shang Chi”’s decade-spanning adventure takes the audiences from the city streets of San Francisco, to the bright lights of Macau and eventually into a dazzling hidden Chinese forest created solely through the high-end technology of Marvel’s CGI. The world building of this film creates a blueprint for many more stories to branch from, with suspenseful after-credits creating speculation for Shang-Chi’s further arc. Although Marvel’s year of cinematic television shows like “WandaVision,” “The Falcon and Winter Soldier,” and “Loki” showcased a new level of translating comic stories to the small-screen, “ShangChi” proves the demand for the big-screen treatment, as well as a place where everyone can enjoy the film-going experience together.

As we slowly returned to normalcy, summer films began with a rocky start, with long-awaited blockbusters dividing up their releases amongst theaters and online services, but Hollywood has been proven confident in its current state, and the films on the horizon are expected to be groundbreaking. Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, broke boundaries with it’s release on Sept. 3, 2021. The anticipated return of consistent box-office destroyer Marvel Studios proved itself once more with the first onscreen arrival of Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung-Fu, in his thrilling origin story. Earning $75.5 million in North America, Shang-Chi quickly became the all-time leading Labor Day film. The film, starring Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, with an outstanding ensemble cast including legendary Tony Leung, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, Fala Chen, and Meng’er Zhang setting the stage for a new era in Asian-American cinema representation.

With realistic performances showcasing the relationships between parents and their children, friends to their friends, this brings human depth to Marvel’s visually stunning addition to their

But the Fall 2021 film lineup doesn’t just stop at “Shang-Chi.” Daniel Craig’s return as 007 in Cary Joji Fukunaga’s “No Time to Die” after 6 years has been one of the biggest and most expensive films to be delayed due to COVID. Its release date was delayed 3 times, with the 25th James Bond film finally hitting American screens on Oct. 8, 2021. Daniel Craig’s final performance as Bond after his 15 year run as the iconic British MI6 agent is an emotional one – his journey coming to a close with one last adventure. The 15 month-long wait for the film was truly worth it, premiering at Royal Albert Hall in London, with guests of all forms of British royalty in attendance for Craig’s outing.

The film also stars Rami Malek, Léa Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes and Lashanna Lynch. Lavish fashion amongst the cast, stunning locations spanning from Jamaica, Italy, Norway, and of course, London gives a classy feel, taking this Bond finale to its nostalgic roots of those 25 films that came before. Craig’s goodbye to the character that made his career comes to an emotional close, with an arc completed and a hello to new beginnings. During its London opening weekend, the film ranked the highest performing Bond film to 17

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date, coming in at $60 million.. Proving that cinema-goers are destined to return back to viewing films on the big screen, who knows how high the box-office bucks will rise.

This Fall currently awaits the releases of Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” and Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” (Both Oct. 22), Edgar Wright’s “Last Night in Soho” (Oct. 29th), Chloé Zhao’s “Eternals” (Nov. 5th), Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci” (Nov 24th) and probably the film most shrouded in secrecy, Jon Watt’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (Dec. 17th). A new era of film is among us as we return to the past we knew it as.

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Imagination Wove This Flesh Garment: An Exploration on Fashion and Its Complacency in the Gender Binary

By Van Anh (Moon) Dang (International Trade & Marketing ‘23) Fashion (noun), defined as “the prevailing style (as in dress) during a particular time” by Merriam-Webster Dictionary, indicates the specific sartorial choices that are well-liked and accepted by a dominant group of people. Fashion (verb), defined as “to give shape or form to : to make, construct, or create (something) usually with careful attention or by the use of imagination and ingenuity,” illustrates the manner in which a structure is created through the action of sculpting and draping the body with garments. This action being done usually references the dependent relationship it has to the person performing the action – that is, the garments’ wearer.

gender is performative – meaning that the performance of gender is what makes gender exist.

Fashion can be seen as a visual and tangible way for individuals to explore identity and self expression, since the wearer has full control over what they can place on their canvas. Therefore, what one chooses to display on one’s body directly reflects the relationship one has to oneself. However, we should question whether we truly have the full autonomy we may think we do when the act of fashioning oneself is being executed.

The division of people into the binary of male vs. female creates a power dynamic by declaring one group powerful and the other powerless; it is a system ushered in by colonialism to exercise mass control. By exploring precolonial communities, we open our eyes to a pre-existing world filled with expansive gender identities that do not exist in a fixed binary structure. Such examples being India’s hijra, a community of intersex, asexual and transgender people, whose existence has long been revered in South Asia. Dating back as early as 1950s to the indigenous Zapotec cultures of Oaxaca, Mexico, there are muxe, people who are assigned male at birth that dress and behave in ways associated with being female. Another indigineous community known as the Ojibwa people, who lived in what is now considered Manitoba, Canada and North Dakota, U.S., also celebrate the idea of gender fluidity.

These gender variant people are called two-spirit, translated from the Ojibwa’s words niizh manidoowag, representing people that carry both masculine and feminine spirits within them. It’s crucial to point out, however, that the term twospirit has been met with criticism from indigenous peoples, as it still implies a binary and does not fully encapsulate their beliefs of sexual and gender variance. However, the European colonial powers brought upon the violent erasure of indigenous peoples, cultures, values and belief systems through Christian beliefs about gender. Christian missionaries at the time acted as the religious accomplices to the Europeans’ imperialist agenda. Subsequently, the cultural norm of the gender binary was forcibly implemented worldwide.

Gender identity is constructed through a continuous number of acts that create “the appearance of substance” that the audience and performers come to believe as truth. As gender identity is defined as the stylized repetition of acts through time, not a seemingly seamless identity, Butler argues “the possibilities of gender transformation are to be found in the arbitrary relation between such acts, in the possibility of a different sort of repeating, in the breaking or subversive repetition of that style.”

What are the factors that come to mind when constructing an outfit: where you are going? Who you’ll be seeing?

How you want to be perceived?

Fashion, as individualistic of an experience as it is, is a reflection of the self in relation to the world. A person’s garment choices not only paint a picture of their character, but are also indicative of how they have been socialized to think and act. Through an aggregate of individuals interacting with one another in a collective space, a culture manifests itself. With a culture comes sets of norms, values and beliefs. To not live in defiance of Illustration by Delaney Siegler these rules, individuals tend to submit to an accepted way of behaving.

More specifically, the concepts of “womanhood” and “manhood” are prime examples of the cultural norms that our society has designed and implemented. These concepts of “womanhood” and “manhood” greatly impact the sartorial choices that we make on a daily basis.

What is “womanhood” and what is “manhood?”

What defines being a “woman” versus being a “man?”

As an industry with roots in Western imperialism, colonialism and white supremacy, fashion has acted as a convenient tool for the widespread exploitation of marginalized identities that do not fit within the cisgender heteronormative society. Fashion, as liberating as one may assume it to be, is one of the main contributors in the creation and

These are nothing but arbitrary concepts defined by a consistent set of behaviors and the patterns associated with them. Gender is a socially constructed understanding that we as a collective agree to adhere to.

To understand gender as a performance, it is crucial to bring up the work of philosopher and gender theorist Judith Butler. She argues that

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exacerbation of the gender binary. One of the most notable moments of strict gender roles being enforced in fashion history is during 16th and 17th century Victorian England. During this time, the relationship between the anatomized body and sartorial presentation was imperative.

Specifically, the dressing and display of the legs was a privilege for men. Bifurcated clothing that covered men were the defining garments of gender; these bifurcated garments, known as breeches, were worn only by men. As young boys mature and graduate from wearing gowns to breeches, it was a celebratory moment and an honor for a boy to be “breeched,” or obtain his first pair of breeches. Breeches became

society. Fashion has been used to exercise social control on a specific gender category since the dawn of time. Gendering fashion is not only holding design back in terms of what you are allowed to create under “womenswear” and “menswear,” but it is holding back society as a whole.

Consequently, the call to degender fashion is one of utmost importance.

Fashion is a creative expression, and creative expressions should allow us to liberate ourselves from arbitrary norms. If we do not allow creative expressions to freely form, we are not allowing human beings to freely be.

“If we do not allow creative expressions to freely form, we are not allowing human beings to freely be.”

Figure 1: John Leech’s cartoon from Punch magazine, 1851 depicting an “unwomanly” female adopting masculine traits after wearing bloomers

a symbolic cultural understanding of manhood, and since they were inexorably tied to masculinity, women were not allowed to wear them and would be criticized for being “unwomanly” (shown in Figure 1).

Up until the late 1800s, mass campaigns calling for women’s dress reform followed the movement of Bloomerism. Bloomers, named after the originator Amelia Bloomer, were Turkish-style trousers that were usually worn under a loose over-tunic reaching around the knee (shown in Figure 2). The movement was met with harsh and negative criticism.

Unintentionally, this wave of dress reform coincided with the question of women’s rights. According to Colin McDowell in The Anatomy of Fashion, “Bloomerism lectures almost invariably included discussions of the position given to women in society & their rights under law.”

The change was too radical for British society. At the 1875 Parliament session that debated education options for women, one man stated that the debate was a political agitation brought from America by women who “usurped male attire.” Not all women who wanted emancipation were in favor of trousers and vice versa, but the two social movements were linked. The term “bloomers” later became a derogatory term against strong-minded, “unwomanly” females. Although the 20th century brought two world wars, universal suffrage, contraception and the Equal Pay Act, it still did not allow women equal access to trousers.

The fight for equal rights to wear trousers is one of many representative examples of the intersectionality between gender and fashion within

Figure 2: Amelia Bloomer wearing

bloomers

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Student Gallery FEATURING WORKS FROM FIT STUDENTS SPANNING DIFFERENT YEARS AND MAJORS

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“Another Day In New York”

by Lezhang Wang “Grace” by Alyssa Andrews “Lined” by Jolisa Podolsky

“MET Moments” by Jacob Frazier “John III” by Donovan Delgado

India Chudnow

Student Gallery

Novalee Wilcher “Fish Eye’s View” by Sarah Eichenbaum

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“Content, Happier Times Are Coming” by Menucha Colish

Student Gallery

“Sour” by Olivia Lacerra

“999” by Daniella Scampone

“Moon ligh tD r

“Space Travel” by Christian Ray Blaza

na Tejeda

by A ” m ea

“Detour” by Sydney Magrane “Runaways” by Jessica Lyle

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“Devil’s Baptism” by Cristina Mogollón

“Meditation” by Xintong Zhou

Student Gallery “Midday Rest” by Yingying Qiu

“Maison Du Cafe” by Anna Mosiej

Shelly Frish “Chinese Bakery (Mock New Yorker Cover)”

by Katherine Kwok

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“Power Struggle” by Nicole Hogan Chloe Ruiz

“A Single Rose” by Kaili Woop

Kirsten Scott

Student Gallery

November Coleman

“Dragonfly’s Funeral”

by Tran (Luu Bao) Nguyen

Oscar Yohe Tapia

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