Your Magazine Volume 12 Issue 2: November 2019

YOUR MAG

VOLUME 12 | ISSUE 2 | NOVEMBER 2019

CONTENTS ROMANCE 4 ME, MY JOURNAL, AND MASTURBATION

6 8 10 EDITORIAL 12 STYLE 20 22 24 26 EDITORIAL 28 LIVING 34 36 38 EDITORIAL 40 ARTS & ENTERTAIMENT 48 50 52 YOUR THINGS 54 Y.MP3 56 58

LIVING WITH A SERIAL CHEATER HOW DADDY ISSUES MAKE YOU LOVE DIFFERENTLY TOXIC DETOX APHRODISIAC IS ENVIRONMENTALISM JUST ANOTHER TREND? COPYCAT DANCE AND FASHION IS FOREVER 21 REALLY FOREVER? INSATIABLE DISTANCE MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER THE CAFFEINE MACHINE IDENTITY ACCENTUATED FARMERS MARKET THE NEW REALITY OF REALITY STARS WHAT HEALING SOUNDS LIKE HATING POP MUSIC ISN’T A PERSONALITY TRAIT MONIKA DAVIS SONGS WE’RE THANKFUL FOR JARRETT WILDER

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YOUR Mag

EDITOR’S letter

VOLUME 12 | ISSUE 2 | NOVEMBER 2019

DAYSIA TOLENTINO

LILY WALSH

Editor In Chief

Co-Creative Director

MONIKA DAVIS

MADISON DOUGLAS

Managing Editor

Co-Creative Director

DITI KOHLI

KARINA SANCHEZ

Romance Editor

Head of Design

LILLIAN COHEN

TATIANA GUEL

Style Editor &Street Style Director

Photo Director

T

ISABELLE BRAUN

Asst. Romance Editor

Assistant Designer

ANDY CAIRA

EMILY KING

hanksgiving brings about conflicting feelings. Its origins, for one, are rooted in pain and oppression. It’s often associated with contentious interactions between family

members on opposite sides of the political spectrum. Sometimes,

PALLAS HAYES

especially lately, it doesn’t feel like there is much to be thankful for.

A&E Editor

Asst. Photo Director

How do you find gratitude in such trying times?

EMILIE KRONE

YELIZAVETA ROGULINA

Living Editor

Art Director

LEE ANN JASTILLANA ELOISA DE FARIAS

The beauty in Thanksgiving is in its ability to bring us together, even if just for a meal. It is a day to be with your loved ones, whether they are blood-related or not. I’ve spent the past

Web Director

Editorial Director

three Thanksgivings away from home. It can be sad knowing that

ABIGAIL NOYES

GINA YORK

I’m missing out on family traditions, my favorite Filipino foods,

Copy Chief

Style Director

SHAWNA KONIECZNY LAUREN DILLOW Head Proofreader

Asst. Stylist

KATHERINE POWERS RANA SAIFI Asst. Proofreader

Talent Manager

ADRIANNA ALAVI

HANNA EL-MOHANDESS

Marketing Coordinator

Asst. Talent Director

TIANNA LOVERDE YMTV Director

COPY EDITORS: KAITLYN HACKETT, CATE HAYES, LIU ESTHER, NATALIE MICHAUD, MEHER GUPTA, TIVARA TANUDJAJA, ALLISON CARAVELLA, MADELYN MULREANEY, KATHERINE POWERS, THOMAS GARBACK, JESS FERGUSON, NADIA HIBRI, ALLISON HUGHES, KATE HEALY,

and playing with my little siblings. Luckily, I have wonderful friends to keep me company, eat rotisserie chicken (because a big turkey is too much and too laborious for two people), and watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade on TV with. That’s a lot to be grateful for.

Other things I’m thankful for this month: YM’s hardworking staff, caramel lattes (Madison Goldberg has some recommendations for you on page 36), healing journeys (Soleil Easton and Joy Freeman wrote about theirs on page 10 and 50, respectively), and you, dear reader.

One last thing before I go, there are some articles that mention some triggering topics that may be difficult for some readers. Tread with caution, and take care of yourself.

With love and thanks,

REBECCA LETTS, AMAYA SEGUNDO, CHARLOTTE DRUMMOND, ERIN RENZI, WEIMEI WANG DESIGN: OLIVIA HEINZE, MARIANNA POLLETI REYES, MADISON GOLDBERG, GABRIELA PORTUGAL, HONGXI YAO, STEPHANIE SHIH

Daysia Tolentino

PROOFREADERS: JIACHEN LIU, CHARLOTTE DRUMMOND, KIANA NGUYEN, ALLISON HUGHES, JESS FERGUSON, MARIANNA POLETTI REYES, KATHERINE HEALY, REBECCA LETTS, AMAYA SEGUNDO, TJ GRANT, MADELYN MULREANEY, CAITLYN ONG

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Me, My Journal, and Masturbation 4 | ROMANCE

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WRITTEN BY GRACE GUY

izzo said it best: “You know what I’m about self-love, body positivity, and a healthy relationship with masturbation.” When we think about masturbating now, we think “you do it, you wash your hands, and you move on.” But so much can be gained aside by reflecting after these few moments of bliss. Why not keep a masturbation log?

A masturbation log is just what it sounds like: a place where you can write about what worked under the sheets. It illustrates your past, present, and future sexual desires and serves as a safe space to let all of your fantasies come to light.

Think about it like this. When you go to eat at a restaurant, you remember what you ordered if you liked what you ate. The same should go for masturbation. Whether it’s in the Notes app on your phone or in its own physical journal, keeping tabs on what you find tantalizing could help you in the future. After you’ve masturbated, find some time (it doesn’t need to be right after) and write down what turned you on that given day.

Writing it down allows you to reflect and have a better understanding of your constantly changing preferences when you want to spice things up.

Communicating your sexual wants to yourself and to potential partners is something we could all learn a little bit more about. So having a resource, like a log that’s all about you, makes it a little bit easier. If

PHOTOGRAPHY BY XINYI GAO

things go dry, you know where to turn. Or if things are going great and you want to add a little something more, never fear—the masturbation log is here.

Here’s how I keep my log: 1: Write the date at the top of the page. What you liked yesterday may not be the same as what you like in six months. So it’s important to have a timeline.

2: Describe everything about the person (or people) at the center of your personal lust. What did they do that made you want it?

3: Dive into the scenario, and don’t be afraid to go into detail. This is the place where you say what swept you off your feet. Paint the picture of what your sexual fascination looks like. Write everything down, from the place where it happened to what you were wearing. It will be interesting to see what made you feel confident in hindsight.

4: Read it back when you’re feeling frisky.

What’s the point of writing it if you don’t take advantage of the log?

There is no formula for what a good log looks like, so long as you don’t place judgment on yourself for what you’ve written. What you liked that day is what it is. Leave it at that or choose to explore it as you wish. There is no set length for an entry; sometimes it’s pages upon pages of detailed notes, and sometimes it’s two sentences. Masturbation is about you, and so is sex in a way. Happy writing! YM ROMANCE | 5

WRITTEN BY MARYCATHERINE NEAL 6 | ROMANCE

ART BY EMILIE KRONE

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LIVING WITH A SERIAL CHEATER

uring my first year of college, I was determined to make my long-distance relationship work.

Luckily one of my suitemates Rebecca was also in a long-distance relationship. For the first few days of school, we bonded over our relationships and being so far away from our partners. But when we went to our first college frat party, everything changed.

Rebecca made out with another boy.

I brushed it off at first, telling myself she just wanted to let loose and have fun, but then she did it again the next weekend. Pretty soon, it became a common occurrence. Her boyfriend never found out, and she went from being a committed girlfriend to a serial cheater in a matter of weeks.

I tried not to spill the details of Rebecca’s love life outside of our suite, but couldn’t keep it from my boyfriend. Although I’m glad I told him, I could sense his fear that maybe I was doing the same. Three hundred miles between us, paranoia got the best of us.

“You’re not cheating on me, right?” became a frequent question over the phone.

At first, the question hurt my feelings. I couldn’t understand why he thought I would cheat on him when I loved him so much. But soon I, too, started to question his faithfulness. Suddenly, not telling each other minor things became a major issue. If I didn’t get a text back, I thought he was cheating. If he “liked” another girl’s picture on Instagram, I thought he was cheating. If he didn’t send a red heart emoji with his “goodnight” text, I thought he was cheating. I started to spiral out of control. There was always a fear that he was lying. I’m sure he questioned my “I love you” texts as much as I questioned his while living with Rebecca.

One of my other suitemates Maggie, who was in a new relationship at the time, says it also made her distrustful of her partner. “I already deal with some trust issues and vulnerability issues,” Maggie admits.

“So it definitely contributed to that.”

Social psychologist Lindsey Beck says there are a number of reasons why people cheat on their significant others. “When the quality of someone’s potential partner is higher, that leads them to want to cheat

more… and undermine commitment,” she says. If someone has cheated in the past without getting caught, they are more likely to continue cheating in the future.

Beck says that people cheat when they feel unhappy or unsatisfied in their relationships. If they feel like they have to rely on their significant other alone for support, things can turn sour quickly. She emphasizes the importance of “flexibility” in relationships so that no one feels exhausted by their partner. Make sure not to turn away from others in your life; talk with family members and close friends when in need. This reduces stress and leads to healthier, happier relationships.

Not everyone cheats, but when they do, it affects the people around them. Rebecca’s cheating not only made my boyfriend and I question each other’s faithfulness, but face our insecurities head-on. I completely changed the way I viewed the relationship dynamic.

If my boyfriend didn’t text me back, I knew he was busy with homework or was treating himself to a nap. If he “liked” another girl’s picture, it just meant that they were friends. If he didn’t send a red heart with his “goodnight” text, I knew he still loved me. In the end, my boyfriend and I built a stronger relationship, founded on trust and love.

Veronica, Rebecca’s roommate, says the cheating pattern did not negatively affect her relationship.

However, it did make her feel anxious whenever she went out with Rebecca. Veronica confided in her boyfriend and he comforted her, validating her feelings of anxiety.

“It was a marker of the beginning of my relationship,” she says.

Observing a serial cheater had positive and negative effects on me and my suitemates. Even though some of us felt anxious, we also learned a lot about the relationships we were in and the relationships we hoped for. Veronica’s relationship continues to thrive, and Maggie recently started dating someone, too. Because of our shared experience with Rebecca, we regularly talk about our romances, how we can build trust with our partners, and what we can do to be the happiest we can be with our significant others. YM ROMANCE | 7

How daddy issues make you love differently WRITTEN BY JADE LOPEZ ART BY LILLIAN COHEN

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*Content warning: sexual assault, abusive relationships, and substance abuse

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y entire life, I’ve always said “I have the worst luck with men”—not just with the guys I’ve dated and slept with, but with the men who raised me.

My dad left when I was only a year old after getting my mom pregnant again.

My mom started dating an abusive police officer when I was three. Then after I turned eleven, she entered a relationship with an abusive alcoholic. He choked me, hit me, and on multiple instances, attempted to kill me.

It continued until I was eighteen. So, when I say I have the worst luck with men—I mean it.

When those with “daddy issues” are deprived of love, we search for it in any form—either healthy or unhealthy. We normalize abuse and inconsistency in sexual and romantic relationships because that’s what we’re used to.

Angie Banados, a licensed therapist, says people with parental issues are often more inclined to choose partners similar to the figures who raised them.

“People with absent or abusive dads certainly cause certain kids to have abandonment issues. People will crave love and have a fear of being alone,” says Banados. “A lot of my clients craved love from men that they wanted from their dads. This results in men and women staying in a relationship no matter how bad or abusive it becomes.”

In fact, research documented in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, states that “perceiving greater sexual interest among men could increase a woman’s likelihood of engaging in unrestricted or risky sexual behavior in response to growing up with a disengaged father.”

I have chosen men who resemble my father and my stepdads throughout past relationships. This lack of paternal love has stayed with me since I was a little girl.

I’ve always told myself “I’ll never pick someone who is like them,” but then I do.

Anna*, a junior journalism major, says her relationships have followed a similar pattern. “Having an absent father has caused me to stay in romantic relationships, even if I know I don’t want to,” says Anna.

“I’ll do anything to make sure they’re happy, even if I’m not.”

When I was 17 years old, I did the same thing. I entered a nine-month relationship with a man who beat me, smashed my TV, and stole 800 dollars from me. He was exactly like the men who raised me. And when I finally ended the relationship, I dated a string of men who would toy with my emotions and use me for sexual pleasure.

After allowing the men I dated to repeat the abuse I received from father figures my entire life, I realized I deserved more than men like them. I deserve someone who will love and cherish me with every ounce of them.

I’m just as worthy of love as anyone else. I learned to forgive those men. Instead of letting them define me, I’m allowing them to guide me.

While a portion of people with paternal issues revert to abusive relationships, this is not the case for everyone with these problems. Some people who grew up with an absent father find men who are the exact opposites of them.

Sydney*, a sophomore journalism major, says that growing up with a stepdad who abusive actually did not cause her to have abandonment issues. Rather, it made her stay away from men like the one she grew up with.

“I saw the way my step dad treated my mom. If she didn’t give him what he wanted, he’d go to someone else,” said Syndey. “[He would] leave for periods of time, then resurface again. When he left, I blamed myself, but over time I realized he was the one with issues, not me.

I’ve used this with the men I chose to get involved with. I always make sure to never ignore red flags.”

Although there are cases where men and women with daddy issues struggle to escape abusive relationships with men like their father figures, there are also cases where people, like Sydney, will be extra cautious to avoid men like their dad.

No matter how minimal or severe your paternal issues may be, they all affect the way we love differently.

So yes, I have daddy issues, and yes, they make me love differently, but there’s nothing wrong with that. *Some names in this piece have been changed for privacy reasons. YM

ROMANCE | 9

WRITTEN BY SOLEIL EASTON

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ART BY YELIZAVETA ROGULINA

*Content warning: sexual assault, abusive relationships, and substance abuse

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he first time he called me a “fucking cunt” was on our one year anniversary. I had been looking forward to this since the first day I met him, but he was too busy messing around with a girl from his history class.

The first time I discovered he was cheating on me was when he said another girl’s name in bed. He shoved me on my bed, took off my panties, smashed my face into my pillow, and whispered in my ear “You like that, Kel?” After he finished, I laid still and silent, feeling my warm tears slide down my cheeks, soaking my pillowcase. He got up, put his pants on, and made a phone call outside to a “friend.” That day also marked the first time I had been taken advantage of sexually.

The thought of allowing another man to touch me still terrifies me.

Our relationship only got worse as the days went on.

It’s been 3 months since I left the relationship, I still experience flashbacks, nightmares, depression, and severe anxiety. What affects me the most is the nightmares. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night, unable to breathe, gasping for air because I remember him choking me against the wall, slamming me onto the bed, and forcing himself onto me. I don’t feel safe anywhere. I can’t relax. In my mind, the threat of danger is still around every corner.

Life after an abusive relationship isn’t easy. I have to constantly remind myself that my life is my own to live, and that I need to take as much time as I need to heal.

When we were still dating, his sexual and physical abuse persisted. He never changed, no matter how hard I tried to make things better. I felt more and more ready to leave, but I was also too scared to say the words “I want to break up with you.”

I finally built up the courage to do it on my 19th birthday as he and I were driving home from the grocery store. He gave me the middle finger and grabbed my drivers’ leg knee, causing me to crash into a high school parking lot. I somehow avoided a tree by an inch. After that, I couldn’t build the strength to do it again. I was terrified he would try to hurt me even more.

We weren’t always this toxic. During the honeymoon phase, he’d surprise me with bouquets of sunflowers, write me heartfelt love notes, and make out with me in the back row of the movie theater. His love was my drug. I thought he was the one.

So I put all the blame on myself. I defended him, not only to my friends and family, but to my therapist as well. I even told the police that the car crash was my fault.

Anyone who tried to tell me that my relationship was unhealthy became the enemy. But after the car crash, I came to terms with the abuse, realizing that the only way for it to stop was to take control.

Now, it’s nice to finally be able to do what I want when I want. I honestly forgot the feeling of freedom when I was trapped in his wicked spell.

I realize now he wanted me to feel lost and scared.

It took me a while to admit to myself that I needed help. Part of me wanted to just brush everything under the rug. But, after weeks of abusing alcohol and trying to fill the empty hole in my heart with random men, I knew that it was time to seek professional help.

The undoing of his lies and manipulations through my self-discovery can sometimes feel like an awakening, but can also be very emotionally difficult to process. I see a therapist weekly who helps me identify healthy coping strategies and grounding techniques like breathing exercises. We also work on ways to build my self-esteem back up.

It’s hard to look in the mirror or at a photo of myself without hearing his voice in the back of my head, telling me I need to do more squats or up my skincare routine. It’s really difficult for me to want to meet someone new when all I hear is his voice putting me down. But, when these thoughts enter my mind, I tell myself “I am beautiful, I am loved, I am abundance,” because I am. One of the most crucial parts of recovery is realizing that.

And it’s about time I speak up and share my story. It’s the only way I’ll be able to move on and find happiness. YM ROMANCE | 11

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DIRECTED, PHOTOGRAPHED, AND STYLED BY DAYSIA TOLENTINO ASSISTED BY EMMA COX YOURMAG | 13

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Is environmentalism Just Another Trend?

WRITTEN BY LILLIAN COHEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY EMILY KING

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he Earth is having a serious moment right now. Climate activist Greta Thunberg led an estimated 4 million people from all over the world—even Antarctica—in the Sept. 20 Climate Strikes. It was the largest climate strike to grace the planet, ever. In 2018, 56 million women are said to have bought second hand, up 12 million more people than the year before. Environmentalism is picking up popularity around the world. It’s the hottest new trend, but is that really a good thing?

Ashly Ibarra, a sophomore Journalism major and ambassador for Sustainable Emerson, says “I feel like preformative activism is something that we face now, as the modern era.” It promotes environmentalism for clout, rather than the planet.

Recent runway fashion and streetwear brands are becoming more “eco-conscious” as the popularity of those issues becomes increasingly mainstream. Prada recently came out with a line of regenerated nylon bags, Re-Nylon, using only materials recycled and purified from plastic from oceans, fishing nets, and textile waste.

They use classic silhouettes from the brand, formatted with new patches and materials. Stella McCartney, Michael Kors, Versace, Calvin Klein, and Ralph Lauren all refuse to use authentic fur or leather. Mara Hoffman uses recycled fabrics in its lines and sustainable packaging.

“I know NastyGal has released this new line of new sustainable vintage clothing,” Ibarra says, but the company (and inspiration behind the Netflix series “GirlBoss”) still got a lot of backlash because their frequent fash-fashion tactics. “Those clothes that they produce [though sustainably made], are going to end up in the trash too.”

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Many brands are making new vintage-inspired clothes or adding plant patterns to their fabrics. It’s invoking environmental imagery without actual action.

It’s performative activism.

Ibarra explains that though people often share on social media as if they understand the environment, when it comes to help, “People don’t know how to.”

When in Twitter, “they’ll say ‘save the earth’ and stuff like that. But they’ll talk about it and then, the next day of the next week, not mention it at all anymore.”

Sustainable Emerson, one of the groups on campus trying to bridge the gap within the population’s consciousness, embracing those who want to learn more about the environment, turning performative activism into actual change.

But even when supporters listen to those talking on the environment, the majority implement small changes that don’t require much effort. They don’t invest deeply in the planet and consider the reality that every aspect of what they do affects the world around them—throwing away clothes or contributing to the culture and industry set up around it. Americans now buy a third more clothes than they did 25 years ago, and yet the number of Americans that worried about Climate Change has only gone up.

The average American throws away 80lbs of clothing a year, sending a total of 26 billion pounds of textiles to landfills. When the textiles break down, they produce methane, a greenhouse gas that is 30 times more potent than CO2. Only about 15 percent of textiles were recycled in 2015.

“I also see a lot of people who like thrift, but then they’ll still support like big brands,” Ibarra says. “That’s going to end up in the garbage… So you purchasing

that shirt from Primark or from Zara or from Forever 21 is kind of you supporting that, so it’s also an environmental issue and also a human rights issue.”

And while the appearance of sweatshops in the fashion industry has gone down, it’s still a huge component of the industry, Michael Hobbes of the Huffington Post reports, just not in the same places as before. As the industry has expanded, its dark illegal underbelly as receded deeper into the shadows, to places that don’t get as many eyeballs and have as much opportunity to boycott—as seen in the ’90s, when the issue first hit newsstands across the country.

Hobbes claims that, “The hard part, it turned out, is that these structures aren’t designed to make factories take better care of their workers. They’re designed to make factories look like they are.” So those new Nikes you bought are still built by someone half your age, just now from a place you’ve never heard of.

But in order for this culture of convenience and performative activism to stop, people need to put more thought into the things that they buy on a daily basis, and how they use the things that they do. Put your money where your mouth is. Don’t tweet about the world—save it. YM STYLE | 21

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WRITTEN BY ELOISA DE FARIAS

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orrowing” of ideas in the fashion industry has been around for as long as fashion itself has been in existence. Frequently we find clothing that seems to have taken a little bit more than just inspiration from another designer all while reaping all the benefits and profits. Large fashion houses find a special liking to stealing ideas from small scale designers who cannot defend themselves let alone afford a fight against a large corporation.

Two years ago, Erin Robertson, fashion designer, artist, and the winner of Project Runway season 15, collaborated with friend and artist Jordan Piantedosi to create an oyster textile for their 2017 collection Sexual Helix. When Burberry released their fall 2019 collection there were no dots to connect, it was evident that Erin’s textile was copied through and through down to the fresh pearl embellishment included in her piece. The only difference was that Burberry switched their background to baby blue instead of the light pink used in Sexual Helix. I had the opportunity to talk to Erin over coffee about her experience and her opinions on the topic. “The unfortunate thing is those small businesses can’t do anything because we’re just too busy trying to pay our health insurance bills and rent,” said Robertson when explaining the struggle of competing with such a large fashion house. “I talked to a friend that is a lawyer and even if I got an expedited trademark which would cost $1,000 then I would have to prove that someone at Burberry saw my design which, how do you prove that? What is the point?” said Robertson “And the unfortunate thing is if someone rips off someone like Burberry they have a whole law team and they’ll send a cease and desist.”

Seemingly if a large fashion house is participating in plagiarism of a design it is validated because of the name they carry and the reputation they have, not many question the actions of a corporation that large. There is also the issue of proving that it was indeed copied and that the designer was aware of what they were doing which is a difficult task as there is no way of tracking what someone saw or came across. “I think that it’s hard to really know who does what first especially when it comes from a small

ART BY ELIZABETH APPLE

designer and who isn’t as well known,” says Fashion Institute of Design student, Ryan Midwinter. “I think sometimes people get caught in the title of big fashion houses and don’t question their motives or the truth behind the design.”

Another thing to consider is the difference between a large fashion house copying another large fashion house compared to a large fashion house copying a small independent designer. “The thing is there is a difference of power if someone of the same power is copying someone then who cares they all have money, it doesn’t really matter you look stupid doing it,” said Robertson “When a big house copies a small designer it’s an abuse of power.” There is no doubt that if Prada was to copy Channel it would blow up and there would be large repercussions, but there seems to be double standards as small scale designers rarely receive justice from these incidents. “I think that between large fashion houses it’s a little more it’s harder to steal stuff between the larger houses because it’s on a larger scale and people can pinpoint copying and borrowing of ideas but when you take from a smaller designer some fashion houses validate it because it’s not on a big scale,” said Midwinter.

You would think that since this is such a common and timely issue that it would garner a lot of attention from the media. I found that to be incorrect as there is little to no coverage of these issues. In efforts to bring attention to the Burberry scandal, Robertson posted about it on her Instagram story which led to hundreds of comments on Burberry’s Instagram regarding their shameless copying. “I wish there could be more laws that protected upcoming designers, I think that’s the really sad thing, when something like this happens, who do you turn to?” said Robertson. Often artists rely on the media to advocate and bring justice to these issues, but instead, social media platforms do not address the plagiarism that is so obvious in the fashion world. “We should all go flag that photo and report it, we can’t even have nipples, women’s nipples can’t even be on Instagram but they allow big businesses to post these things,” said Robertson. YM

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Dance and fashion A

s a dancer and an avid follower of fashion, whenever I see an overlap of these disciplines it immediately stands out. Many designers pull from the elegance and movement that dance provides to produce a garment that dancers and nondancers alike would want to wear. Some designers specifically create mobile attire made to be danced and moved in.

In an effort to analyze the line drawn between these two interconnected forms of art, I talked to fashion design instructor and founder of Boston Fashion Week, Jay Calderin and Junior Emerson Dance Company member and choreographer, Victoria Torres. “The 24 | STYLE

relationship between dance and fashion has a long history. Designers, choreographers, and dancers have collabed for a very long time,” says Calderin.

The pairing of dance and fashion is nothing new. Madeleine Vionnet, a designer in the 1920s, was inspired by modern dancer Isadora Duncan and created Grecian-style dresses that were softly draped and flowed when in movement. “I think it’s a natural connection.

Clothing is this outer layer that people wear and people are always in motion. I think designers are well versed in how the body moves and what’s comfortable and it’s sort of a natural tie in to dance,” says Calderin.

WRITTEN BY ELOISA DE FARIAS

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELAINE TANTRA

There seems to be a fine line between what is considered a dance costume and what is considered a dance-inspired clothing piece, essentially it’s the consumer of the product that matters. Will a dancer wear something that suppresses a leg extension while on stage? In the same way, will a nondancer wear a traditional tutu out on the town? Although completely different spectrums, there is an overlap.

“I’ve started to see a lot more flexibility in what is considered a dance costume, now people’s regular clothes and streetwear clothes are becoming dance costumes,” says Torres. “The biggest distinction

[between] a dance costume [and] a dance-inspired clothing piece is the mobility aspect of it, can you dance in it?”

Dance has a special way of executing movement and fashion has a particular way of interpreting those movements. Fashion designer Issey Miyake showcases this through his collection PLEATS PLEASE where dancers posed in his skillfully pleated garments that accentuate movement. Miyake was not inspired by dance and these garments are in no way costumes, but he used dancers to better show the effect that movement has on his clothing.

“If we can learn from how costumes or athleisure wear are made I think that’s gonna be something that helps people in general,” says Calderin. “Its valuable information that would make our clothing more comfortable and more agile and it reflects more of our lifestyles.” This translates directly into the dance world where the way a piece of clothing moves affects the overall effect of the choreography. It flips the narrative of not just everyday movement, but exaggerated and intentional movement. “Clothing changes when you move it and not just when you move because everyone moves, but when you move it in very specific and tactful ways,” says Torres.

Perhaps with the convergence of these arts, dance and fashion will both have a bigger platform that allows for creative exploration. Accessibility is often overlooked, especially when the fine arts isn’t something on one’s radar. “I think if designers can put [dance] into the mainstream and make it more accessible, it’s beneficial to the dance world,” says Torres. Although this collaboration is a good way to bring exposure and attention to the dance world, there are also lines in terms of what is a misappropriation of dance culture.

“It could be done really tastefully but it could also be done in a way that I’m like hmm I see that you’re trying really hard to make that look like a pointe shoe,” says Torres.“there is a fine line because again to me dance is so beautiful and impactful so are you drawing from that or does it feel gimmicky.”

There is no question on whether this overlap of dance and fashion exists, it is evident that the two have interacted for years. The question to tackle now is, is this a beneficial intersection? “It opens up an audience, says Calderin. For people in dance who don’t know about fashion, it exposes them to that. For people in dance that don’t know about fashion, it works the other way.

But then for the person who doesn’t know about either area, it gives them choices on how to access this creative product.” YM STYLE | 25

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orever 21 is the teen retailer that everyone loved, then loved to hate. The mall giant is known for selling trends for Acheap, WRI Tfickle TE N BY O LIVI CI GLIwhich ANO worked in its prime when it became fashion’s fastest growing fast-fashion retailer, racking up $4.4 billion. Now it’s crumbling into bankruptcy.

Forever 21 is surprisingly seeded in humble beginnings. The founders, Jin Sook and Do Won Chang, came to the United States in 1981 with no savings and an uphill battle ahead. They each worked several jobs to make ends meet until Don noticed “the people who drove the nicest cars were all in the garment business.”

Three years later, on April 16, 1984, the couple opened Fashion 21 in Highland Park, Los Angeles with their savings of $11,000. The new retailer bought from manufacturers at a discount during wholesale closeouts, realizing a way to sell trendy clothing and accessories for the lowest price possible—fast fashion.

The success came quick, totaling $700,000 in sales during their first year of business. Their consumer base expanded as the couple opened new storefronts every six months, and by 2013, there were over 480 in the U.S. with a $3.7 billion revenue. The name was changed to Forever 21 to show their merchandise is “for anyone who wants to be trendy, fresh and young in spirit.” In 2014, the company expanded with menswear, plus size clothing, and home products. At this point, Jin Sook was approving over 400 designs a day to be processed and sold.

Forever 21 became a favorite mall spot for American teenagers. It was chock-full of the latest trends and every accessory under the sun. The company peaked in 2015, racking in $4.4 billion in global sales.

The Changs became one of America’s wealthiest couples with a net worth of $5.9 billion that same year.

Talk about the American Dream. So what happened?

It’s no secret that consumers are preferring online shopping rather than in-person purchases.

When Forever 21 filed for bankruptcy on September 30th, they cited declining mall traffic as their “most significant” hurdle, relying too heavily on traditional brick and mortar practices. They’re no longer the fastest fast fashion anymore. With competitors emerging like Fashion Nova, Dolls Kill, and other Instagram-based brands with massive followings and

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influencer promotions, buying and selling is quicker than ever before. According to a March 2019 survey PH OTO

BY E MImake LY KI60% N G of their from Business Insider, “millennials purchases online and overall prefer online shopping over going to a physical store.” Forever 21 didn’t keep up with the times and fell short.

Shifting attitudes around fast fashion play a role in the company’s struggle as well. More teenagers and young adults, Forever 21’s main consumer base, are becoming more environmentally and ethically conscious. According to ThredUp’s 2019 resale report, there was a 15 percent increase in consumers who prefer to buy from environmentally conscious brands between 2013 and 2018, millennials now sitting at a whopping 77 percent, and more than one in three Gen-Z’ers will buy second hand in this year. Online thrifting sources such as Depop are also beginning to fill teens’ closets.

There’s still hope that Forever 21 might live on, however. The difference between them and other similar retailers that filed for bankruptcy in recent years, namely Wetseal, Delia’s, and Aeropostale, is that they’re still privately owned by the original family and their debt isn’t spread throughout private equity firms.

This gives them more control as they try to get back on their feet.

In a news release, Lina, the Chang couple’s daughter, says the bankruptcy is “an important and necessary step to secure the future of our company, which will enable us to reorganize our business and reposition Forever 21.” While the company will be downsizing in U.S. storefronts, a release on their customer email subscription says the remaining stores will “continue to operate as usual, while the Company [sic] takes positive steps to reorganize the business so we can return to profitability and refocus on delivering incredible styles and fashion you love for years to come.”

They assert, “This does NOT mean we are going out of business… We are confident this is the right path for the long-term health of our business.”

If Forever 21 should take anything from this situation, it’s that modern teenagers’ priorities have changed. They now find their consumer autonomy in purchasing ethically, and they prefer to shop onlineespecially from Instagram. Is Forever 21 forever? That’s up to them. YM

IS REALLY FOREVER?

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WRITTEN BY LILLIAN COHEN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PALLAS HAYES

was never the “favorite” child growing up. My mother gets mad whenever I tell her that, but it’s true. Every parent loves their kids, but it’s an entirely understandable phenomenon to relate to one more than the other. Just because they “love you equally,” doesn’t mean they have to like you equally.

My mother idealized my sister. She was an awardwinning tap dancer. She danced around twenty hours a week at her local studio, everything from pointe ballet to acrobatics. My mother was also an athlete in high school, competing in gymnastics across the country.

My sister has straight As on her transcripts dating back to fifth grade. My mother has a near-double major in computer science and mathematics. They’re cut from the same cloth. It’s easier to relate more with someone who reminds you of yourself. I understand that. I’ve always been more programmed like my father. And yet, all of that changed when I went off to college.

My parents got divorced when I was two years old. He had unlimited visitation rights, but she had full custody. We lived in an average middle class home in the suburban west side of Worcester. My father moved up to New Hampshire, where he met my now-stepmom. They had my oldest half-sister almost exactly a year later. For a long time after that, it was just my mom, my sister, and me. My mother dedicated her entire life to us, working long hours and neglecting friends, for whatever activity our hearts desired.

And yet, at home, I was always the one holding the house together. It’s not an easy task to live with two versions of my mother. I was the balance, the organization.

We didn’t fight that often, but we did bicker. She drove me crazy. We were two very different people trying to make sense of the same world.

But come September of my first year at Emerson, my mother realized that without me, she was alone.

I had never really thought about what would happen when I left home until I did, how she would have nothing to come home to after long nights of work and less than a handful of friends to mingle with throughout the week.

My sister lived at home until this year, but not really. She went to school, had an internship, worked, and danced. When she got home, she wanted a break.

She used all her available time to go out with friends or visit my father. It’s entirely reasonable—but it also left my mother completely isolated. And yet, once a week, I would call and update her on my schedule, laugh about family drama, and listen to what she had to say. I would do that when I lived at home too, but it took me moving away for her to appreciate our differences.

I’m not the only one with this experience. It’s more than just “empty-nest syndrome.” The world still moves on when you’re not in it. Those that you leave behind continue to evolve in your absence back home while you’re at college. Some students find that this helps them communicate with their parents more efficiently and become closer to them—now only with smaller doses of conversation. Others who used to be close find an odd separation.

Cassia Burns, Political Communications ‘21, says she’s always had a close relationship with her parents.

Now, living here on campus at Emerson, she remains close with them. She calls her mom almost every day and visits her hometown of Tewkesbury once a month.

“I would say I get along with her better during the school year because we are so similar,” she says, “so during the summer we’re more likely to bicker.”

Mariah Sitner, Theater and Performance ‘21, admits that her parents “do not want me home anymore. They’re living the high life. They’re bachelors and bachelorettes again.” Her mom and step-dad have recently quit their jobs to live in a van and travel around the country. She says they love to go to small bars and see their favorite bands. They don’t really have set plans when it comes to where to go and see. “They’re like ‘Please don’t come home for the summer. We’re having so much fun without you,’” Sitner says. “And I’m like, ‘Thanks.’”

My own relationship has been equally complicated.

I never really talked to my mom before moving to college. With my sister now also in college, I feel even more like it’s my responsibility to be there for my mom.

I

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Now, she really is all alone. YM

Distance Makes the Heart Simple layout Grow Fonder WRITTEN BY AUTHOR WRITER

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THE CAFFEINE MACHINE

WRITTEN BY MADISON GOLDBERG

O

ne of the many things I love about going to college in Boston is the variety of cafés surrounding my urban campus. They make for the perfect weekend outing with friends for a quick bite to eat and are some of Emersonians’ favorite study spots. While I love the view of the Boston Commons my dorm room offers, sometimes a cup of coffee and a new environment are necessary to inspire creativity. This month, I tested out caramel lattes, my must-have caffeinated beverage, from three different cafés around campus.

I began my search at Explorateur, located conveniently across from the Boston Common at 186 Tremont St. acoustic music played over the speakers as people came and went, exchanging nervous first-date glances or studying textbooks; it’s the perfect place for either. As their website says, “whether it’s exploration of food, travel or culture, there is an explorer in all of us.” Explorateur is frequented by Emerson students and professors alike due to its close proximity to campus.

The café also has a bar that comes to life at night but during my visit, everyone was brunching and munching over the rich aromas of pastries and coffee. I sat down at a table near the large picture window and found myself unwittingly people-watching the busy street before me. I sipped my latte and took in the buzzing energy of the café around me. A little bitter for my taste and still in need of sugar despite the caramel flavoring.

Nevertheless, it did the job at $4.25, and the café, while crowded in the mornings, is a good study spot in the later afternoon.

Moving on to my next stop, I investigated Thinking Cup. This café has several locations in the downtown area, including one at 165 Tremont St., one at 85 Newbury St., and one a bit further out in the North End at 236 Hanover St. Walking in, the lighting is low, the music is moody, and pastries and sandwiches are elegantly lit. The tabletops are printed with old newspapers and the menus appear almost hand-lettered on chalkboards. The line was long, and the space was small, perhaps the only downfall of the

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PALLAS HAYES

café, which, according to NPR, The New York Times, Food & Wine Magazine, and USA Today, serves “the best coffee in the world.” Their brews are created in Brooklyn according to their website. But I must say, the line and $4.50 price tag were worth it. The latte had the perfect blend of flavors without being too bitter or too sweet and, paired with an almond croissant, made for a heavenly combination. The atmosphere is the perfect place to get lost in your writing or catch up with an old friend. I definitely plan on returning here. I think it may be my new favorite spot.

A few blocks away is Jaho Coffee Roaster and Wine Bar on 665 Washington St. They are located in the Kensington Building near Downtown Crossing and Chinatown, and this is the chain’s second location (they originally opened in Salem, Massachusetts). Like Explorateur, Jaho is a café by day and a bar by night.

This location was definitely the outlier of the three.

While I still saw students and professionals engrossed in their laptop screens, the eclectic light fixtures, handlettered menus, and pop music made it feel like more of a social hangout spot than a café. My caramel latte cashed in at $4.50 and came in a colorful to go cup with a bubblegum-pink lid and a sleeve decorated with a graphic design of rainbow sunglasses over a mustache.

This café was certainly the most social and colorful of the three and offered outdoor seating for warmer weather. While the café itself was a great environment, this definitely had the least appealing location, closer to Chinatown and separate from the Common, offering slightly less picturesque views from its windows. As the barista handed me the cup, I could see this was definitely the foamiest thus far, but it had a good ratio of caramel flavoring that didn’t feel too sticky or sweet.

It was an enjoyable experience, second only to my favorite: Thinking Cup. My expedition led to great coffee finds in different atmospheres. All of these cafés offer a good coffee fix and good company. I would definitely recommend you give these a try. YM

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IDENTITY ACCENTUATED WRITTEN BY RACHELLE MA

Y

ou don’t speak with an accent,” a friend from Emerson said to me while we waited for our coffee one afternoon. I had been feeling particularly self-conscious about the way I sounded that day, having made a clumsy attempt earlier at contributing to the class discussion. She meant well, but her comments did little to reassure me.

Second to the clothes they wear, a person’s accent is usually the first thing we notice about them, and yet I’m often told I don’t have one. Linguists and language enthusiasts will tell you that’s not true, that if you can articulate words then you have an accent. Generally, I’ve found that what people mean to say is that I have a native accent, or to put in worse terms, s p e a k English so well for someone that grew up in Hong Kong.

I’ve never not had to defend the way I speak. Some of this came from my parents’ decision to put me in an international school. In addition, my sister and I found studying SAT vocabulary flashcards fun and held debates over dinner. Coupled with the fact that I spoke relatively little Cantonese, to the untrained ear, I was American or a gwailo, the Cantonese epithet Hong Kongers use to describe westerners. But the accent wasn’t the only thing that set me apart; I felt lost. I’d worn the foreign label for virtually my entire life, so much that I felt out of place in my own city.

It wasn’t until I moved to Emerson this fall that I reached the peak of my identity crisis.

My accent might have masked that I wasn’t from America, but I was still a girl from Asia coming to live in the States for the first time. Like my friend who told me I didn’t speak with an accent, very few people could point out that I wasn’t from America. I found myself wishing my accent would reflect that. It was strange not having a foreign label stuck on me. I’d worn it my whole life in Hong Kong, but in America, I am foreign. Even though language wasn’t an issue, I was still unaccustomed to

ART BY OLIVIA KELLIHER

how different America was from Hong Kong.

My roommate Maddie, a Northeastern student, was one of the many people surprised to find out I wasn’t actually American. When I met her, her accent instantly let on that she wasn’t either. Her Melbourne roots appear in the way she speaks. We spent the past month navigating the new city and the cultural differences that came with it. I’d never been to Melbourne before, but I had more in common with Maddie than I did with my American friends. We both had a disdain for the lack of good coffee in Boston, and while her use of words like “keen” and “heaps” left Americans puzzled, I had no problem understanding her Australian colloquialisms.

But unlike my accent, Maddie says hers makes her stick out. “I didn’t think people would have trouble understanding me,” Maddie says. “It made me not want to speak up in class because I know I’m going to be seen as the token Australian.” I related to the way Maddie felt about speaking up in class. Even if my accent didn’t necessarily single me out, I still became extremely conscious of the way I spoke.

In Hong Kong, I’d always been viewed as different, even if I necessarily wasn’t. In America, I am different, but my accent doesn’t allude to this. I’d spent the majority of my life flitting from one label to another, sounding American to some, never a gwailo, but not quite a local either. My identity has, for the most part, been shaped by how others perceive me. But labels can be wrong, especially when they’re given by people who judge you on something as superficial as how you sound.

I let my accent label me when there’s so much more to identity. Hong Kong has been on my mind more than ever in light of the recent protests. I think of the city every day, even here in Boston, realizing all the ways it has made me who I am. My accent is just the first layer of my identity. Peel past it and get to know the Hong Kong in me. YM

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WRITTEN BY MOLLY GOODRICH ART BY NATASHA ARNOWITZ

The New Reality of Reality TV Stars 48 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

I

t’s no secret that today’s reality TV stars have infiltrated every aspect of our lives. From Kylie Jenner becoming the youngest “self-made” billionaire to the Dance Moms girls becoming Instagram famous at age 13, reality stars are an essential part of our lives, whether we like it or not.

For years, reality television was seen and perhaps is still seen as one of the lowest forms of content. Trashy, scripted, and teaching viewers poor morals are just some of the popular criticisms people attribute to the genre.

While there will always be fights on Big Brother that leave viewers questioning the safety of the contestants, slowly but surely, things have been starting to look up.

Demi Burnett, seen on The Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise, made history this year when she openly dated her now fiancé Kristian Haggerty on the show. Although Jaimi King, who was a participant on the show in 2017, identified as bisexual, Burnett and Haggerty were the first same-sex couple featured on the show.

Of course, they weren’t the first same-sex couple seen on television, but for the typically heteronormative “Bachelor Nation” crowd, it was a large step in the right direction. Most Bachelor fans welcomed Burnett’s sexuality with open arms, and for many, it was a beacon of hope.

One Emerson student, who wishes to use the pseudonym Anna Tudor, expresses how inspiring it was to see a gay couple on one of her favorite TV shows.

“It was really refreshing to see someone go through the mental and social struggles everybody in the LGBTQ+ community knows about, but nobody ever sees on television. It made me feel less alone.”

As Tudor mentions, one of the main problems Burnett and Haggerty struggled with on the show was Burnett’s fear of people giving them strange looks on the street, or being grossed out by two girls kissing. Not only does this sentiment resonate with members of the LGBTQ+ community, but it also sheds light on these shared struggles for the majority heterosexual audience.

Representation continues to be increasingly important. According to a 2018 study by GLAAD, only 8.8 percent of 857 series regulars on broadcast TV openly identify as gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer.

While that number will (hopefully) continue to increase,

it’s up to the stars with a platform to let the younger generation know that it is possible to be yourself and follow your dreams, regardless of your sexual or gender identity.

On top of representation, reality stars are making large strides in regards to activism. All the members of Netflix’s Queer Eye are actively vocal on social media about issues that matter to them. Jonathan Van Ness, in particular, is making deliberate moves in the right direction.

From endorsing presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren to sharing his struggles with addiction and HIV, he aims to be a voice for those who don’t have one.

“When Queer Eye came out, it was really difficult because I was like, ‘Do I want to talk about my status?

And then I was like, ‘The Trump administration has done everything they can do to have the stigmatization of the LGBT community thrive around me...I do feel the need to talk about this,” Van Ness states in an interview with The New York Times in September 2019.

Van Ness is now vocal about his HIV positive diagnosis and hopes he can inspire others to be as well. These kind of powerful gay icons are vital for the LGBTQ+ community; LGBTQ+ viewers now see someone like them thriving despite the harsh political climate.

“You are never too broken to be fixed,” preaches Van Ness in his memoir Over The Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love, a 2019 New York Times Best-Seller. As he continues to “fix” those on Queer Eye, it’s important to remember that these new reality stars genuinely want to see a better world, and they aren’t afraid to be vocal about it.

Sure, Kylie Jenner’s latest relationship scandal will always be trending on Twitter, but these days, so will the positive news that we often overlook.

Even though Kim Kardashian hasn’t exactly been the best example in the past, she too has been using her platform to advocate for prison reform, amongst various other social issues.

Times are changing, and many reality stars are ready to use their voices for good. We just have to be willing to let them. YM

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What Healing Sounds Like I

’ll never forget staring out the window on my way to see my grandparents that July; headphones perched in both ears, frantically responding to the first whispers of fascination from a sixteen-year-old boy behind my phone screen. “The Lourve” by Lorde was playing, the sky was a new shade of blue, and he thought I was cool.

As the New Zealand singer mused about overthinking her lover’s “punctuation use,” I giggled.

It felt like she was looking over my shoulder while I screenshotted exclamation points and asked friends for clarity.

About a month later, I wondered if she knew I’d be lying face down on the carpet in my childhood bedroom, convulsing as she crooned about feeling like a liability.

“Said he made the big mistake of dancing in my storm.”

Melodrama, Lorde’s sophomore feat, followed me that summer; in the car on the way to a baseball game when we got in our last fight and I played “Sober,” in the bathroom of the Hyannisport hotel where I did my makeup to “Hard Feelings/Loveless” and sang in the mirror, or at midnight when my best friend held my hand and sat in my parked car while “Writer in the Dark” droned on. I was a junior in high school, and not nearly old enough to understand what genuine heartbreak was. Yet I knew that the world felt like it was crashing down around me, and the only voice I wanted to listen to in a stream of empty advice was Ella YelichO’Connor’s.

There is something to be said for the art of a good album. It is comprised with purpose and intent, and it evokes a sense of belonging in the space it creates. What the words of Jack Antanoff and Lorde did for me at sixteen is what countless artists provide for those going through a difficult period in their life.

Tina Ascolillo, a sophomore at UMass Lowell, agrees, “Music has always been how I remember

50 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

different events in my life.” In regards to Ariana Grande’s Thank U, Next, Ascolillo reveals that she often finds herself reminiscing on a rough spot in her last relationship that coincided with the album’s release.

“I remember going to the store with my friend the night I had initiated a breakup with my boyfriend and listening to the full album as we drove,” she shared.

“Each song struck me so hard that I cried singing along, imagining my relationship in the same situations.”

The relatability of these bodies of work is perhaps best exemplified by the fact that Micaela Grimes, a sophomore at Brandeis University, also cited Thank U, Next as the album that defined her worst breakup.

She explained, “The first song that stood out to me was ‘NASA’. It’s a song about feeling suffocated by the person you’re with, especially because you spend too much time with them. It encouraged me to go with my gut, and break off my relationship. I knew I needed space.”

Alicia Vitale, a junior at UMass Amherst, had a similar experience with HAIM’s debut album Days Are Gone. Vitale recalls leaning on the words of the Haim siblings while sixteen and recovering from a particularly toxic situationship.

The reliance on these coming-of-age-esque albums is nothing inherently abstract; young artists that are bold enough to contribute heartfelt compilations to our collective libraries carve out their place in being the soundtrack to our youth.

Grimes mused, “Obviously there is a bitterness from the fact that this was the album that we broke up to, but I also think that listening to it makes me hyperaware of the fact that time heals. As time goes on, each time I listen to it, I do a little less crying, and a little more dancing.”

Upon reflection, she continued, “Someday this album won’t remind me of my breakup—it’ll remind me that I can overcome anything.” YM

WRITTEN BY JOY FREEMAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAITLYN ONG

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | 51

P

icture this: you are sitting in a room full of teenagers discussing their favorite genres of music. When you say pop music, that kid who always wears Nirvana shirts and looks like he hasn’t showered in a hot minute sighs as loud as he possibly can. You give him a nonchalant shrug back. On the inside, you are shrieking.

Why is pop music always discredited? Is mainstream culture really that devalued in our society?

“Pop music gets discredited because it is dominated by women and popularity,” Bailey Kasprzyk ‘23 says.

“Lots of people like to decide that they do not like something just because it is popular because they want to be ‘different.’”

Women dominate the pop music industry, and because people are so quick to discredit women for their accomplishments, pop music remains highly scrutinized.

For example, people love to denigrate Taylor Swift’s music into one-dimensional, surface-level music that only teenage girls listen to, which is erroneous. Her music has a plethora of in-depth themes that emphasize necessary conversations on a wide platform. Her song “The Man,” highlights the double bind that most women get stuck in, encapsulated in a 3-minute pop song. However, just because she is a female pop star, some deem her songwriting unworthy of discussion.

Another gigantic aspect that contributes to the discrediting of pop music is that anything significant can be diluted solely on its mainstream popularity.

There seems to be a negative connotation, almost a dark cloud, that hangs above the world “popular.” In a society where everyone is trying to be as distinctive and quirky as possible, it can be easy to shrug off pop music as something very conformist and unoriginal when that just isn't the case.

According to Tim Riley, an Emerson professor and music journalist, “People like to discredit pop because of its long history of seeming fleeting and disposable.

Most of what the radio played one week gets displaced more and more as the weeks move on, and even the hits start to sound nostalgic after a couple of months.”

This fast-paced environment of constantly changing chart-toppers can easily discredit the value of songs that hit number one; people forget about the last hit because of how quickly the industry releases new music. “As a mass consumer item,” Riley says, “the ‘hit song’ takes the form of something unvalued, and easily forgotten.” For instance, think back to when

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“Despacito” was so widely played. Now, it’s in the back of everyone’s minds.

However, Riley says, “When pop music began to display ambition and aesthetic finery, it had to push back hard against this prejudice. It comes and goes over the years, but it always confronts a certain bias.” It almost seems that no matter what, pop music will only be seen to some as something disposable. No matter how fine the artistry of the album, these biases are still a large weight that cannot seem to be detached from the genre.

Alternatively, there has been a plethora of pop records carrying so much unexpected weight, shaping the music industry in nuanced ways. The pop album Melodrama by Lorde is a work of pure art. She was the only female artist nominated at the 2017 Grammys for Album of the Year. Melodrama is filled with indepth lyrics that go against the standard pop formula, representing the ever-changing pop scene. This is one of many records carrying power and depth in the genre.

Pop music also represents often underrepresented communities to millions of listeners. “Whenever I listen to pop music, I feel free. Pop music allows me to express my queerness in a way other music doesn't really allow. Pop allows queer artists such as Troye Sivan, Kim Petras, Lady Gaga, and Hailey Kiyoko to express their queerness openly which is something I feel most genres still condemn,” said David Shird ‘23.

“It was through pop that I shaped my sexual identity, and that's why it holds such a dear place in my heart.”

This empowerment allows groups of strangers to meet in one place, a pop concert, and feel accepted. It can be hard carrying the burdens of unacceptance, but pop music lightens those burdens and validates its listeners in a transformative way.

The beauty of music is its emotional connection to the listener, and pop is no exception. As for how it affects the culture at large, Riley says, “It reflects how we think and behave, something sometimes lagging behind human action. But we only pay attention so far as it rewards our listening, and nobody wants to spend time with stories they don’t hear themselves in.” There have been many instances where pop records helped elucidate valuable subjects that are not always talked about. Let's stop the notion that hating on pop music is supposed to make you any better of a listener; it simply doesn't. YM

HATING POP MUSIC ISN’T A PERSONALITY TRAIT WRITTEN BY NEEKA BOROUMANDI ART BY YELIZAVETA ROGULINA

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YOUR THINGS ART BY ENNE GOLDSTEIN

WITH MANAGING EDITOR MONIKA DAVIS HOOP EARRINGS

ARMCHAIR EXPERT

Until Summer 2018, I had the mindset that the jewelry I wore

I’m a big fan of podcasts and spend a lot of my time listening to

wasn’t that important and needed to be low-maintenance.

them when I’m cleaning my apartment or commuting to campus.

Something changed in that summer and I began investing in

Dax Shepard really nailed it with his podcast Armchair Expert

different earrings and necklaces, especially after receiving a Mejuri

where he sits and talks with celebrities about their life and career

astrology necklace for my birthday last December. Now, if I leave

in his attic studio. The episodes are long, usually consisting of

the house without earrings in, I feel naked. Hoops make every

an hour and a half conversation followed by thirty minutes of

outfit feel more put together; the more they coordinate with my

fact-checking done by his co-host Monica Padman. If I’m not

outfit, the more unstoppable I feel.

listening to this podcast, I’m probably listening to Lorde.

BALM DOTCOM

CLOGS

I’m biased because I worked for Glossier this past summer but I don’t

An avid Bon Appétit watcher and fan of the Test Kitchen, I

know if a better lip balm exists. I constantly have at least two of these on

decided to lean in and purchase a pair of Dansko clogs this past

me at all times and my desk drawer at home is stocked with every flavor.

summer to complete my wannabe Claire Saffitz aesthetic. I love

The tinted versions (cherry and berry) also double as great cheek colors.

how they make me feel like a soccer mom but they’re also very

They’re great to carry around when I’m running late and probably

comfortable. Worth the splurge, these shoes have improved my

forgot to put on blush. My favorite is definitely the mint flavor, though,

posture, my outlook on life, and my fashionability. If you don’t

and it feels like you’ve just brushed your teeth when you put it on.

like them, please don’t tell me.

OUTDOOR VOICES TOTE BAG

BIRD SCOOTER

I know by this point you’ve fully confirmed that I’m a basic B, and

If I can manage to gather enough coordination to ride a motorized

I acknowledge that. It would come as no surprise, then, that I am

scooter around Brookline, then anyone can. I’m notoriously clumsy

also a huge fan of Outdoor Voices. Their clothes are functional

and it’s honestly shocking that I haven’t crashed a Bird scooter into a

and cute, as are the bright yellow tote bags that they come in. I also

parked car yet. I love riding these things around town with wind and

just love to collect different canvas tote bags because they serve as

my hair and headphones on. I wish Boston would get off their high

mementos while also serving a purpose. They might pile up in my

horse and allow them downtown. If you can ignore the risk of wiping

closet but you can never have too many totes, am I right?

out, the scooters are a really fun time.

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SONGS WE’RE THANKFUL FOR <3

EVERYWHERE BY FLEETWOOD MAC MOTHER’S DAUGHTER

BY MILEY CYRUS GLITTER BY TYLER THE CREATOR RED HEARSE BY RED HEARSE I THINK HE KNOWS BY TAYLOR SWIFT ASIDE BY THE WEAKERTHANS LANDSLIDE BY FLEETWOOD MAC DRAWN TO THE BLOOD

BY SUFJAN STEVENS B.O.B. BY OUTKAST THE CULT OF DIONYSUS

BY THE ORION EXPERIENCE SUNFLOWER

BY POST MALONE & SWAE LEE DISTANCE BY EMILY KING ORPHEUS BY SARA BAREILLES PINK LIGHT BY MUNA BIKE DREAM BY ROSTAM

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ART BY BOBBY J. NICHOLAS III

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artist statement: jarrett wilder WRITER AND VISUAL ARTIST Describe your work in one sentence.

In one sentence, I would say my art and the subsequent writing that comes with it is nothing more than exploration.

How does your art help your writing process?

The two very much come in tandem. My sketches will often outline my progress on a story or highlight an image I wish to convey in words, and the two practices go back and forth like that, acting as an extension of the

parallel work or often much needed respite. Many of the pieces and sketches that line these page are hypotheses of perspective, parts of a storyboard, and attempts to solidify memory.

What inspires you?

The everyday aspects of the mundane are a great inspiration for me. From the cubicle to the coffee cup, from cleaning to crashing at a friends, and most importantly the little narratives and characterizations we weave and wield to make these events linear and interesting. The tricks of perspective and the personalization everyone implants in the world around them will forever be as fascinating, I find, as they are unknowable. Such as the idea of the

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“stranger”, the person we all pass never to know, and the subject of my unending portraits.

What’s one of your favorite pieces that you’ve done?

More based on sentiment than actual skill, I’d say that one of my more personally heralded works would be an old canvas where I painted my dog at the time, Cosmo, in a mostlymonochromatic blue portrait. While it holds a lot of importance due to his passing, it is coincidentally the first piece I really dove into using oils, the one medium I find myself still enthralled by today, and therefore can be credited with sparking such an interest.

Who are your favorite artists and writers?

Herbert Boeckl has always been a favorite of mine, with the countless portraits of his wife, exploding with color. These in particular have been an inspiration for much of how I aim to explore portraits, less about the details and more about the feelings, the person, though with the absence of color in mine, I often aim to distort the face and bring forth emotion or personality through such malformations or weight. As far as on a literary perspective,

however, and storytelling in general, I find that detail is everything. Much to do with my love of Paul Auster, the master of coincidences and their quasi-importance.

What are you working on now?

Currently hanging in my room is one of two oil paintings I am cycling through. I am hoping to recreate settings from recent and faraway memory, painting with no reference, and draw that world I know or knew into a realm of magic realism, whether that manifests in the simple twisting of the Boston landscape or a giant rising from Lake Atitlán in Guatemala.

These attempts at capturing and changing the past have also helped me focus my written word into an autobiographical series of stories for the first time, which the raw honesty of has me daunted. Yet, delving into this I find that to present writing or any medium of self reflection one must turn the self into the figure of a stranger. For with distance you can present yourself, parts both monstrous and stubborn, as

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