Your Magazine Volume 10 Issue 1: October 2018

YOUR MAG

VOLUME 10 | ISSUE 1 | OCTOBER 2018

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YOUR MAG V O L U M E 1 0 | I S S U E 1 | O C TO B E R 2 0 1 8

ALESSANDRA SETTINERI Editor in Chief

N ATA L I E G A L E Managing Editor

ELEANOR HILTY Creative Director

FRANCISCO GUGLIELMINO Art Director

L I L Y WA L S H Co-Photo Director

MADISON DOUGLAS Co-Photo Director

DELIA CURTIS Style Editor

LUCY CAPPELLO Living Editor

M O R G A N DAV I E S Web Director

M O N I K A DAV I S Editorial Director

DAY S I A TO L E N T I N O Co-Head Designer

BOBBY NICHOLAS III Co-Head Designer

TA L L U L A H J O N E S Co-Marketing Director

BAILEY BOUCHARD Co-Marketing Director

L I N D SAY H OWA R D Copy Chief

ALAN PÉREZ Head Proofreader

LEE ANN JASTILLANA Asst. Web Director

MICHELLE ROMERO Asst. Talent Director

CAROLINE BRODERICK Romance Editor ISABELLE BRAUN A&E Editor HANA ANTRIM YourMagTV Director RANA SAIFI Talent Manager NICK BUNZICK Style Director A M A N DA H A M P TO N Asst. A&E Editor

A D R I A N A A L AV I Asst. Marketing Director

COPY EDITORS: OLIVIA TOWNSEND, REBEKAH SCARBOROUGH, THERESA MIELE, ABIGAIL NOYES, KAITLYN HACKETT, CATE HAYES, LIU ESTHER, NATALIE MICHAUD, TIVARA TANUDJAJA, ANNA MOON, SHAWNA KONIECZNY, MEHER GUPTA DESIGN TEAM: TATIANA GUEL, OLIVIA CIGLIANO, SELINA HSIAO, KARINA SANCHEZ, LILLIAN COHEN PROOFREADERS: SHAWNA KONIECZNY, NATALIE MICHAUD, ESTHER LIU

YMEMERSON.COM | INSTAGRAM: YOUR.MAG | TWITTER: @YOURMAGEMERSON

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CONTENTS ROMANCE 6

EDITORIAL STYLE

YOUR THINGS LIVING

EDITORIAL ARTS AND ENTERTAIMENT

8 10 12 14 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 48 50

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WHY THE COLOR RED by Lillian Cohen SEEMINGLY SINGLE by Gabriella Mrozowski WHEN YOU'VE NEVER DATED by Tiffany Carbon PROUD (AND PATIENT) PANSEXUAL by Olivia Hammond PAINTED WITH LIGHT shot by Eleanor Hilty BUT YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE A LESBIAN by Delia Curtis THRIFT FOR THOUGHT by Swetha Amaresan HAIR DOWN THERE by Delia Curtis GOOD PRESS, BAD PRESS by Emilie Krone YOUR THINGS with Tallulah Jones THE STRAW SAGA by Swetha Amaresan SURVIVAL OF THE ART-EST by Madi McCullough NOT YOUR AVERAGE FOOD FIGHT by Reilly Loynd BUT WHERE ARE YOU FROM? by Katrina Dizon MIX AND MATCH shot by Madison Douglas and Lily Walsh DRUGS IN THE MUSIC WORLD by Andrea Williams I'M CURSED WITH A LOVE FOR HOCUS POCUS

by Rebekah Scarborough SNAIL MAIL by Kenneth Cox WHERE TO BUY COMICS IN BOSTON by Skyler Johnson FAVORITE FALL MOVIES CONNOR JORDAN

EDITOR’S LETTER

H

appy New Year!

Well, not really. But the beginning of the academic year and the crisp breeze that accompanies it always reminds me of fresh starts. I pack away my shorts and airy blouses and replace them with cozy sweaters and trenches. My planner slowly fills up with due dates, meeting times, and plans with friends. All my free time from the summer gets divvied up by my different desires and responsibilities. These changes prompt me to sit down and take the time to sort through it all in order to find a balance. To distinguish and appreciate the things I care about, while I discard old habits that are better left behind.

Admittedly, it isn’t always easy to do that. Sometimes outside distractions and pressures become overwhelming, whether we encounter them on our devices or the oh-so-stressful news cycle.

They seem to suck up our emotional and mental energy, hindering us from doing what needs to be done. We get stuck in a loop of stress, dreading the grind of the day-to-day. We lose sight of what matters to us and what we can or can’t control.

It’s a little discouraging, but at the risk of sounding like Ralph Waldo Emerson or Henry David Thoreau, I present you with a metaphor. Looking out my living room window, I’m faced with a tree whose leaves have shifted from green to a bright yellow. Nature in fall, with all its transforming sights, brings back to mind that even though we face conflict and emotional strife, we too can make like a tree and be renewed (bet you didn’t think that was how this sentence was going to end). While we can’t control everything that happens in our lives, we can choose what it is we do about it. We can set new goals, look forward to all the incredible opportunities before us, and refocus on the things that we care about.

All throughout this month’s issue of Your Magazine I noted this.

You can stand your ground to reaffirm your sexual identity to yourself and the people you surround yourself with. You can re-evaluate your brand loyalty when they try to make bad press into “good press”.

You can take a closer look at how we treat the environment when our options are limited by corporations facing “A Straw Saga”. Or, you can just step back and settle down with a beloved classic, enjoying the season (Rebekah Scarborough and other Your Mag staffers give you our picks this month).

Whatever it is you decide to do, all of us at Your Mag appreciate that you’ve opened up this issue. With each semester and each publication, we have chosen to put our love and energy into a work that’s worthy of your time and attention. We hope you enjoy.

Welcome to fall, welcome to a new year, and welcome to this issue of Your Magazine. We’re so glad you’re here.

With love,

Alessandra

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Why the Color Red WRITTEN BY LILLIAN COHEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY BEN AYOTTE & KATE CUNNINGHAM

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If Blue is the Warmest Color, then red must be the coolest

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rimson. Scarlet. Garnet. Ruby. Rose. The color red represents a host of emotions. It’s violence, splattered blood across open fields and sidewalks. It’s love and lust, endless passion and romance, noontime kisses to midnight boot knocking. It’s pain, heartbreak, and hurt. The qualities of red are all connected, making up both the struggles of our lives and our insides.

And, being so, red also structures one of the longest held constructs of society: gender. Or at least the expression of it. The scale of femininity and masculinity have always been closely tied with red, the pigment expressing power and dominance, but also menstruation and life.

In fact, pink was initially “considered slightly masculine as a diminutive of red,” said director of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Valerie Steele, in The Atlantic. It was Sigmund Freud and his followers in psychology that changed this, creating another layer of stereotype to the strict binary that exists in mainstream society today.

In olden times, if you could afford to have red clothes, rather than dingy neutral browns and grays or greens, you were considered wealthy. Since royalty or those in power could afford such luxuries, such became associated with the desire for beauty and dominance.

According to Michel Pastoureau’s book Red: The History of a Color, red was the first color to be developed for painting or dye, and therefore became a symbol for power in society. Red is bold. It gives a likeness in pink. It’s seen as beautiful and captivating. Maybe that’s why it’s also so entangled in romance.

A study run by The Department of Anthropology at Rutgers University built a foundation of relation between love and heartache as a set of goals. Love itself was stated to be “goals” and “rewards” of dopamine in the brain for these achievements.

“Just because the ‘reward’ is delayed in coming (or, more to the point, not coming at all), that doesn’t mean the neurons that are expecting ‘reward’ shut down. They keep going, waiting and waiting for a ‘fix,’” stated a scientific analysis magazine at University of California Berkeley, Greater Good Magazine. “Even though cognitively they knew that their relationships were over, part of each participant’s brain was still in motivation mode.”

Red is the color of distinction. That’s why it relates so much to

beauty and strength, or the implementation of those colors meaning to sprout these characteristics in their wearer. Prostitutes used to wear red as a way to separate themselves from ordinary women during the rise of the Roman Empire and Later Middle Ages.

Political candidates today wear red, along with blue, traditionally, to present favorably to the public. Businesspeople are said to do so as well for similar reasons. The National Institute of Health reports wearing red as an athlete can make the referees judge in your favor.

And it is within this temptation and lust, this show of strength and dominance, this favoritism towards the bolder side, that the thin line between romance and violence is drawn. There is scorn in love and lust and there is loss. The same fiery center stems from both experiences.

When you meet a prospective partner, no matter their intentions, sometimes we wear rose-colored glasses: only seeing the best in people, avoiding red flags, and signals to take a step back for inventory of the situation. The positive experiences that you have with that person—active attention, unforgettable dates, charming smiles, grand gestures, and great sex—release dopamine in the brain, making it easy to become addicted to them and their attention, like nicotine.

People tend to stick around through the bad and sometimes violent moments of love, waiting for the good. The separation, selfdoubt, and depression can improve the high. Dopamine actually flows more readily in the brain when there’s “intermittent reinforcement,” an unsteady stream, rather than building up a tolerance.

When having built up this sense of literal need for our partners, we benefit from the pain and loss. We crave it, though we may not know it at the time. We know that getting that person back, those few moments of original charm, will give us the headrush we need. Dr. Helen Fisher, biological anthropologist and author, even found that “frustration attraction,” dealing with bumps in the road in a romantic partnership, actually made those involved develop stronger feelings for one another, rather than deterring them.

So, rather than the warm-hued tone we’ve known red to be until this point, maybe it’s pigment really is the coolest color. YM

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es, I’m in a long-distance relationship.” It gets repetitive when you have to keep explaining your relationship status.

Following the big reveal, you’re plagued with questions of how, why, who, and where. Maybe you’ll get a “been there, done that” from the other person, or they’ll take the sympathy route. It can feel exhausting and discouraging. After all is said and done, you’re the one left continuing to grapple with a quasi-single identity while being committed to someone far away.

As someone in a long-distance relationship, I can’t seem to find a one-size-fits-all solution for the problem I, and other love-struck young adults, face. In fact, conversations rarely do touch on the topic of individuality in relationships. Sometimes the overcompensation for distance leads to an undercompensation for ourselves. There is a lack of interest in what we’re doing for ourselves. For those of us that suffer from this tightrope-walk identity, it feels all too real to come to terms with.

Such are the struggles of a long-distance relationship. Sophomore Creative Writing major Abigail Hadfield revealed that the initial part of their long-distance relationship displayed this phenomenon.

“I found it a lot more difficult to maintain individuality at first,” Hadfield said. “But now we’ve gotten into a better balance of recognizing that we each need to still be living our own lives.”

Studying abroad at Kasteel Well, a six-hour time difference wedged itself into Hadfield’s nine-month relationship. Such a factor can play a significant role in making both partners realize how much their lives are interwoven. When grappling with such an issue, it can be unsettling to have your partner/support system so far away.

Hadfield admitted that finding a balance was difficult.

A troubling facet for every relationship, long-distance or not, is navigating social media. In a short-distance relationship, couples already face the dilemma of “to post or not to post,” where the line of partner appreciation versus bombarding followers is blurred when posting about a significant other.

For people dealing with distance, this headache is magnified.

Using technology as my primary method of communication with my long-distance partner lends itself to conflicting feelings about sharing one too many pictures.

While talking to my partner, Noah Pennington, who goes to school in Los Angeles, I sought out his perspective. Social media has

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been both a blessing and a curse. It is a platform he feels he can use to connect with me, but also one in which it is too easy to get lost in.

“It can sometimes impede if I have work or if I’m doing something, and it’ll take place over something that might be more immediately important to my personal life, like my academics or my job,” he said. “I’ll give up that to try to be more in the know of what my partner’s doing.”

Sophomore Visual Media Arts major Lily Walkow has had a different experience in her own relationship, which began as longdistance. This aspect, she said, has prepared her for maintaining individuality.

“It’s easier [to retain individualism in] long distance because there is separation, not always in a good way. But for individuality, it’s helpful because it gives you your own time to find yourself and what you’re interested in,” she said.

It’s a seesaw of emotions gathered into a collection of experiences.

But these occurrences have led both Hadfield and Walkow to find a rhythm of maintaining equilibrium. Hadfield chooses to avoid instant messaging, but rather, sets aside time in their day to talk to their partner over the phone. On the other hand, Walkow prefers to use texting as her primary form of communication with her partner.

“We both have our separate school lives and we have time to do our school work and have a healthy amount of time for our relationship, too,” Walkow said.

Walkow said she’s seen relationships where partners do everything together until they split, when both parties question how to divide their shared identity. In fact, this archetype is something we are all familiar with.

“It’s important to have your own interests, likes, and dislikes,” Walkow said. College and school clubs have helped her discover her own identity and passions.

Discussing my experience and sharing stories brings a relief of knowing I’m not alone. And even though we walk a fine balance of dependence and independence, momentary emotions do not define us. The strength that comes with knowing that miles away, our loved one feels the same, cures those Friday night blues for the evening.

“You should know how to be alone, no matter what,” Walkow said. YM

SEEMINGLY SINGLE WRITTEN BY GABRIELLA MROZOWSKI ART BY SOMARI DAVIS

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When You’ve Never Dated Before

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We should never let the idea of “experience” force us into a shell of fear.

WRITTEN BY TIFFANY CARBON PHOTOGRAPHY BY LILY WALSH

A

fter initially arriving at Emerson, I felt prepared to meet new people, say goodbye to my family, find my way around the city, and start my path towards my journalism career. I felt confident. Nothing could get in my way.

Things were seemingly perfect, then I glanced around and noticed that I was surrounded by people I found attractive. It dawned on me that I am no longer in high school and bound to my family’s overbearing rules and expectations. I realized that I had the power to actually do what I wanted with boys now and that early confidence dwindled.

I’m the youngest of three daughters and my sisters didn’t exactly leave a good impression on my parents when it came to trusting us with relationships. So, they made sure to do their best to steer me away from anything male related. I could only have friends that were girls, go to girl’s parties, and talk about girls maybe they wanted me to be a lesbian, who knows?

They embedded it into my head that my sole focus was to be school, “education is the most important, second to God of course!” and I listened. I avoided boys. I never approached one.

I didn’t care that they wouldn’t approach me. I shrugged away any crushes that happened to develop against my supposed “godly innocent will.”

Yet as time went on, I found myself becoming intimidated by boys, frightened by their opinions of me and embarrassed by my absence of boyfriends. I talked to Ryan Jackson, a close friend of mine in the same situation. I wanted to get down to the truth of how he truly feels about his lacking dating history, the expectation to date and “experiment” in college.

For his first two years of high school, Ryan “convinced himself ” that he didn’t want to date because his education needed to be prioritized, and seeing his friends “get in and out of relationships within two months really helped to support that decision.”

Then, he watched his other classmates happily in love in their

year-long partnerships and he realized that it was something he did want.

Ryan then registered that the actual reason he wasn’t dating was that “I hadn’t yet come out as gay,” at his all-boys Catholic school in Danvers, Massachusetts. He now explains the idea of dating as a “constant wave of yes, no, yes, no”; his confidence quickly diffusing into anxiety when it’s time to confront any romantic emotions he might have.

For many of us who can relate to this predicament, we carry that persistent regret, we regularly think back to all the times we could have had something with someone we shared a connection with.

I ask if he’d change his past given the chance and his “yes!” comes without a hint of hesitation. Ryan describes to me the feeling that he “needs” to date and I recognize the deeper issue within all of this - the issue that even I am guilty of. The straining pressure of dating has many of us feeling like we absolutely need to know or have done everything before arriving on campus. It’s something that rests heavy on our chests. We feel confused. “Are they flirting with me or not?”, “Do I actually like them or are they just cute?”, “Should I just excuse this trait about them that I hate just because I’m receiving attention?”, “Am I really ready to have sex?”

We don’t have all the answers, but I’ve realized that it’s alright.

We should never let the idea of “experience” force us into a shell of fear. It’s fine being oblivious about whether someone is flirting or not or whether they’re trying to kiss you because as we grow, we learn. I no longer blame my parents or myself for the absence of my dating history and I’m no longer ashamed about it. I’m the literal human persona of the 1999 classic’s title, “Never Been Kissed”, but I’ve grown to become comfortable with that fact. I can now accept that when it comes to dating, I’ll be confused and a little awkward at first, but I’m okay with it and I hope the same for Ryan and anyone else that relates. YM

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Proud (And Patient) Pansexual WRITTEN BY OLIVIA HAMMOND PHOTOGRAPHY BY LILY WALSH

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eing a self-identifying pansexual is hard.

I find myself constantly explaining who I am, running through an exhausting cycle that never produces understanding. I feel that I am always receiving the cocked eyebrow or scrunched nose in response to my sexuality.

Truthfully, it's disheartening to have who I am belittled in such a way. Sexuality is hard enough, but to also deal with the notions other people have inside their minds about certain sexualities and how they impose those stereotypes on others is exhausting.

Patrick O'Connell, a sophomore Theatre and Performance major, elaborates on this further, pulling from his experience as being a self-identifying bisexual.

“With bisexuality and pansexuality, a lot of doubt comes because you are stuck in the middle, and

people perceive it [as] a stepping stone to being all the way on one side,” O’Connell says. “But I am stuck on this stepping stone [and] you feel like you haven't finished figuring out your sexuality because you feel people [are] waiting for you to get the idea and I’m like, I got the idea, I got the idea.”

Often times, with bixsexuality and pansexuality, people assume they are the same thing; while they are similar, there is a difference.

Pansexuality, by definition, is the attraction to someone regardless of sex or gender. Bisexuality, by definition, is attraction to two sexes. But that is not their definite traits.

“Sexuality is so fluid in my mind that it is hard to grasp my sexuality,” says O’Connell. Sexuality is an ever growing spectrum, so even when someone finds a label that fits them, it is more important to understand how they interpret their sexuality rather than what we believe their sexualtiy to be.

O’Connell recalls an experience he had with his coworkers over summer break who only saw him as a gay man. “It was interesting to be perceived as queer, to have that, but then it was frustrating to have half of it ignored,” he says. “I felt like I was living my straight life again where I had another attraction that I was not telling people about—but with women, with what I am ‘supposed’ to be attracted to.”

It is wrong to both assume someone's sexuality and also to warp a person’s sexuality into a different perception. It becomes an initial erasure of who someone is.

Here at Emerson, though, there is a community that understands.

Travis Cilik, a sophomore Theatre and Performance major, explains, “Coming from a place [like] Emerson, so many people identify as so many different things. It’s nice to know that it's not at the forefront of our consciousness; when I tell people I am a gay man, people just see me as human, [that] my sexuality [isn’t] everything. Yes, it does make up a huge part of my life and the kind of person I am but it doesn’t ‘run’ things.”

At the end of the day, sexuality is an ever-growing, always fluid concept. People can change how they identify like they change clothes, and that's okay because it is all a part of the process of learning to understand one’s self. Like sophomore Theatre and Performance major Michelle Romero says, “I think sexuality is very complicated.

[As a straight woman], there are some days where, for the majority of the time, I would say that I am straight [and] I find myself being more attracted to men—but it doesn't mean I don't find women attractive [either].”

At the end of the day, someone’s sexuality, or any way they define themselves, is a part of who they are as a whole. To exclude it, or to initially misinterpret how they identify, is hurtful and discredits who they are. Recognizing someone's own self-identifying sexuality as they present it, and not how you would assume it, is the core way to recognize someone for who they truly are and not who you would want them to be. Sexuality is as fluid as the gigantic rainbow that the LGBTQ+ community embraces—an array of colors, all of which are essential in creating a rainbow and none without importance. A rainbow is not a rainbow without all of its colors, as a person is not who they are without all of their identities—sexuality and all. YM

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DIRECTED & PHOTOGRAPHED BY ELEANOR HILTY ASSISTED BY LILLIAN COHEN FRANCISCO GUGLIELMINO MODELED BY MAE HARRINGTON O’NEILL, SARA PIRZADA, VEDAAYA WADHWANI STYLED BY NICHOLAS BUNZICK ASHLEY BLANCO LILLIAN COHEN

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BUT YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE A LESBIAN WRITTEN BY ISABELLE LICHTENSTEIN

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY DASHA GERMAN AND STEPHANIE PURIFOY

ashion and lesbianism have a long history of being connected, as women historically used fashion to signal their sexuality to other gay women. Nowadays, where a simple internet search brings up articles like Broadly’s “Beyond Butch and Femme: A Beginner’s Guide to Lesbian Style” and a Pride.com listicle about what fashion elements indicate a woman is gay, these markers are being used less to indicate sexuality between lesbians and more as a way to stereotype an entire community.

Indeed, people tend to look to fashion markers—such as masculine clothing or shaved heads—as a way to assume a woman’s sexuality. Lesbian styles were traditionally classified as either butch (“masculine”) or femme (“feminine”), though, as the community became more diverse, so did the labels. Now, instead of the radical sides of the fashion spectrum, lesbians identify with niche styles—like “lipstick lesbian” or “granola lesbian”—to express their fashion style while remaining visibly gay.

Conversely, this practice of assigning labels, which are essentially stereotypes, may have suppressed fashion freedom within the community. Instead of embracing individual style, it often feels necessary to conform to generalizations, making it difficult for lesbians who don’t uphold these labels to be recognized.

For graduate student Mae Hoffman, being a lesbian doesn’t affect how she dresses on a daily basis, however, it’s an important part of special occasions.

“I went to a Tegan and Sara concert and decided not to wear a purse because I didn’t want to look too straight,” said Hoffman. “Whenever I feel like I have a chance of potentially meeting people I may be interested in...or going to queer spaces, I try to gay it up.”

Hoffman says that utilizing fashion stereotypes isn’t counterproductive to visibility. Instead, using style markers allows others to perceive her lesbianism. This is not only helpful, but a survival technique as well.

“It’s harder to signal who you are and your interest in people [as a lesbian]....

There are a lot more repercussions,” said Hoffman. “You don’t want to just start hitting on women, especially if you know from your [own] experience how invasive that can feel. I want people to know that I’m gay without me being all up in their business about it.”

Freshman VMA major Kendall Bosio isn’t convinced the “lesbian look” is as beneficial as Hoffman believes. For Bosio, her relaxed and feminine style is more of an obstacle than an indicator of her sexuality.

“When I first got here, I didn’t have any gay friends,” said Bosio. “One girl asked me, ‘So how are you going to make yourself look like a lesbian?’ I was like, ‘I do look like a lesbian.’ I mean, this is how I dress.”

But, despite the trouble of having her sexuality inadvertently hidden by her personal fashion choices, Bosio says that there’s no definitive answer on whether fashion stereotypes help or harm the community as a whole.

“I think it can be good and bad. If you want to dress that way, then you’re visible and people might approach you more because they know or they can assume,” said Bosio. “[On the other hand], you’re already assuming things. You’re already putting that label on somebody without getting to know them.” YM

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Indeed, p e o p l e tend to look to fashion markers as a way to assume a woman’s sexuality.

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WRITTEN BY SWETHA AMARESAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY KENNETH COX AND TIANNA LOVERDE

Thrift for Thought

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ven at 8:00 am, you can’t walk through Emerson College’s campus without noticing students dressed in fashion-forward garb. From checkered slacks to shiny Doc Martens to blue half-moon sunglasses, the Emerson student body is always dressed to impress.

The phenomenon that has taken our campus by storm is thrifting.

It’s not uncommon to hear two students making plans to go “thrifting” later or to hear a student compliment another’s top and receive the reply, “Oh, it’s thrifted.” As much as we love our favorite brands, like Urban Outfitters, Madewell, and ZARA, there’s something special about thrift shopping.

Marketing major Jose Garcia ‘21 sat down with me to chat about the thrifting craze. “I enjoy thrifting because it's a fun, cheap alternative to everyday shopping. You can also find awesome clothes with personality that you can't find anywhere else.”

Marketing major Danielle Finelli ‘20 agrees. She’s an avid thrift shopper as well, saying, “I really enjoy buying thrifted clothing because I love the experience of going into a thrift store and not knowing what to expect.”

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Finelli continues, “Thrifting is a lot more exciting because the style of clothing is a mystery. With clothing brands, you know the type of clothes you will find. But, with thrift shopping, it’s a combination of all the donations the store receives, so there is something for everyone, and it encourages me to take more risks with fashion.”

Clearly, what attracts a lot of students to thrift stores is the thrill of discovering diamonds in the rough. What may appear as an odd assortment of colors, shapes, and sizes can reveal statement pieces that one may not find otherwise. Donning something that could’ve been worn by your grandmother and making it look trendy is exhilarating. Perhaps, that’s why one in three women shopped secondhand in 2017, according to thredUP.

The other side to the thrift store craze is, naturally, the prices.

“I love finding my favorite brands at discounted prices,” Finelli said. “So, price is a large part of why I thrift shop.”

We’d all love to seasonally adapt our wardrobes. With the help of thrift stores, students have the opportunity to change up their looks more frequently without breaking the bank. In fact, 66% of consumers thrift for higher-quality brands that they’d never pay for in full.

I, too, have enjoyed the fruits of my labor, such as on a trip to Savers, a for-profit thrift store chain. After scouring several aisles, I discovered a pair of coveted red Keds sneakers for a whopping four dollars. Deals like these make all the time and effort spent in the store worthwhile.

However, when snagging a great deal like that, I can’t help but feel uneasy and concerned. Have we turned an industry meant to provide cheaper clothing alternatives to low income people into an expensive franchise for us more privileged students who want that edgy, vintage look? By buying thrifted clothing, are we actually leaving fewer options for those who need them?

When asked those same questions, Finelli brought up a thoughtful point, “I think, before, if you bought used clothing from a thrift store there was a stigma around it about purchasing ‘dirty’ clothes. But, now, it’s trendy to buy from thrift stores, so people who cannot afford brand-name clothes don’t have to feel ashamed about buying used items. I also think it encourages people to donate their clothes. Although it is taking away clothes from people who cannot afford more, I think it’s also getting rid of the stigma and encouraging more donations.”

She makes a good point. There’s no longer a negative connotation associated with thrift shopping. The clothes are trendier, the prices are lower than ever, and there are more options. In fact, according to StarTribune, non-profit thrift stores are being less picky with donations and accepting everything donors bring. After all, there’s always someone who can find a purpose for a stained sweater, a chipped mug, or ripped bedsheets.

As much as I worry about the socioeconomic impact of thrifting, I can’t deny its environmental impact. Over 33% of women wear clothing up to five times before discarding and leave 70% of their wardrobes unworn. Thrifting can extend a garment’s life by about 2.2 years, reducing carbon, water, and waste footprints by 73%.

And, by buying thrifted clothing, we contribute less to fast fashion companies that have made the clothing industry the second largest global polluter, after the oil industry, according to EcoWatch.

Manufacturing new clothing requires endless pesticides, dyes, natural

resources, and even fossil fuels when they eventually ship out. In fact, it can take 5,000 gallons of water to feed enough cotton for a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. In this sense, thrifting is an eco-friendlier alternative.

An option that allows students the rush and eco-friendly choice of secondhand shopping without pulling garments away from those in need is vintage shopping.

Garcia claimed, “There are many ‘thrift’ stores, such as Garment District or Buffalo Exchange, that upsell vintage clothing to target Millennials.” These stores, better known as vintage stores, have also become popularized recently.

Unlike thrift stores, vintage stores are very choosy about what they accept from sellers. Employees closely assess the items, and, if they deem them fit, they will buy them from the sellers. At vintage stores, it’s typically easier to find something you love since the selection is hand-curated.

Vintage stores, while similar to thrift stores in their resale methods, are not at all targeted to low income individuals. Items can be equally as or more expensive than they would be in brand stores.

For instance, I purchased a pair of 90s-style, high-waisted jeans for 30 dollars at a vintage store in New York City that could’ve gone for about eight dollars at a thrift store. Sometimes, I think to myself, “If they’re going to be 30 dollars, why don’t I just buy jeans that haven’t been worn?” However, along with the environmental reasons, half the fun is telling people that those cute jeans they complimented are from a vintage shop in Union Square.

On the one hand, Millennials and Generation Z individuals who purchase thrifted clothing not out of economic need but out of trendiness may quite possibly be ruining the industry for those who are in desperate need. On the other hand, the same demographic who is a culprit for impulse buying and limited clothing usage is creating positive change by choosing an environmentally-conscious substitute.

While it’s difficult to say which option is better in the long run, it’s optimistic to note that the attitude surrounding thrift shopping has completely altered. It’s no longer just an option for those in poverty but a lifestyle of hope and new finds. YM

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HAIR DOWN THERE ...OR ANYWHERE? WRITTEN BY DELIA CURTIS ART BY ISABELLA GONZALEZ

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s far back as I can remember, shaving my legs has always been something that I felt I had to do. Sitting on the edge of my mom’s bath tub at age eight or nine, feeling like my leg hair was too dark, thick, and hairy, I desperately wished to rid myself of it and look like the smooth-skinned models in all of the advertisements that you’d see in magazine ads or on your screen. My Lebanese and Jewish roots have led me to having two or three dark strands sprouting out of each follicle, making it impossible to maintain smooth legs when a subtle breeze prompts them to stubble hours later. Despite being proud of who I am and where my family stems from, I continuously feel the need to rid myself of my body hair, making myself silky smooth.

Not only have I policed my own body hair, but society has too. In the 21st century, women’s body hair has been a hot topic of debate among magazines, talk shows, and the like. “Shave it off,” they say!

Whether that’s the hair on your legs, armpits, groin, bikini line, mons pubis (the skin that covers your pubic bone), arms, happy trail, or dare I even say toes, it never seems to be “in-style” to grow out what’s bound to be there anyway. But enter Billie.

Known for their elegant and stylized marketing campaigns and inclusive mission, Billie is working to flip the script on hair growth and create a new narrative for women. The innovative women’s shaving brand uses its tactical marketing strategy to advertise their products as a choice rather than a necessity. Historically women’s shaving advertisements have always projected the image of a hairless woman becoming even more bare, body hair never to be seen, but Billie aims to show late Millenials and Gen Z women of different races, body shapes, and sizes flaunting their body hair or lack thereof, with emphasis on the woman’s right to choose whether or not to shave. They’ve started #ProjectBodyHair, a movement to show women’s body hair in their advertisements, hoping to make the interwebs a “fuzzier,” more accepting place. They even have a free image library of women rocking their strands and a promotional video featuring Princess Nokia’s song “Tomboy.” While they do sell razors, what’s unique about Billie’s angle is that they make their razors with women in mind and aim to rid the world of the Pink Tax, or as they put it on their site, “that extra amount that

women are charged for certain products or services, for no good reason.”

Similar to the concept of Dollar Shave Club, Billie is a nine dollar shaving subscription service that includes a razor handle and four extra heads each month. Bonus: They provide free shipping on every order. Compared to overpriced lotionized razors from the likes of Venus and Schick, Billie’s razors are priced in accordance with men’s shaving subscriptions. Instead of simply halving the price of women’s razors on the market, they do this to make a point about women being able to enjoy a nice shave without having to invest in “traditional” women’s razors that are plagued by the Pink Tax. They also have a Pink Tax Rebate program where they issue you a coupon of a particular dollar amount in accordance with how many friends you refer to their subscription. Billie’s razors are also “clean,” meaning they are eco-friendly and made without toxins or harsh additives that are harmful to women’s bodies. Using natural ingredients in their lotions and creams and non-toxic materials for their products, Billie is altering the way we look at manufacturing as well.

This trendy new company is more than just a passing movement, it’s a catalyst in the progression of a woman’s bodily autonomy.

Have you ever heard of a company that tells its demographic not to use its products if they so choose? Neither had senior Marketing major Marni Zipper before discovering Billie. She was struck by their visual branding via Instagram using “soft, feminine images [that were] in a nice juxtaposition to their message.” Zipper admires Billie for allowing people to buy into their brand whether they use the products or not and for striving to make their products cost effective. It’s not solely a company, but rather a lifestyle rooted in choice.

Senior Media Studies major Emma Weeks, also a Billie user, has had similar feelings about the brand explaining that her favorite part of Billie is “the price and how often the refills come! Buying it online was so easy and I loved letting the company know what my shaving habits are so they could send me new cartridges accordingly.”

Grow your locks long—pubes and leg hairs included—or shave them all off! The choice is yours. And Billie supports you either way, advocating for your right to make that choice and to look and feel absolutely fabulous while doing it. YM

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GOOD PRESS, BAD PRESS WRITTEN BY EMILIE KRONE ART BY OLIVIA KELLIHER

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"It is up to every person, as an individual consumer, to decide where they invest their money."

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n early January 2018, H&M received major backlash when they chose to photograph a black child model in a sweatshirt reading “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle.” Celebrities and everyday people alike took to social media—Twitter, in particular—to express their outrage at the company’s thoughtless decision. In fact, just days after the image was posted to the H&M website, #CoolestMonkey was already trending on Twitter, gaining international attention.

The photograph was quickly addressed by the company, who then removed it from their website and issued an apology. But the sweatshirt itself remained for sale on the company’s UK site.

In the weeks that followed, H&M continued to openly discuss their supposed misjudgement, announcing their decision to hire a “global diversity leader” and ensuring shoppers that their voices were being heard. Their quick response and promise to improve left many H&M regulars satisfied. But others were more skeptical, wondering how an incident like this was ever allowed to occur in the first place, when so many company officials are involved in the decision-making process before an advertisement is posted online.

Whether or not H&M took a calculated risk to gain more brand exposure is up for debate, but the fact is, this is not the company’s first time in the hot seat. In 2015, H&M’s South African branch was accused of racism when shoppers pointed out their near exclusive use of white models. Consumer outrage only grew when H&M South Africa representatives responded, implying heavily in their response via Twitter that white models gave the brand a more “positive image.”

Twice in the last five years, H&M has received backlash from the Jewish community, once for a shirt featuring a Star of David with a skull on it and again for a scarf bearing remarkable similarity to a tallit, a garment sometimes worn during worship in Judaism.

And H&M is only one example. Popular clothing brands like ZARA and Urban Outfitters have also been consistent subjects of media backlash for offensive T-shirt slogans, design theft, unfair working conditions, and countless other ethical disasters.

Yet somehow, these brands continue to gain profits considerably in the fashion industry.

As consumers, it can be difficult to remember the crucial role we play in the success of giant companies like these. But ultimately, we have the power to make or break a business. It is our investments in these companies that keep them afloat. But it is also our unwavering loyalty that keeps their profits consistent through unthinkable “mistakes.” Time and time again, big name clothing brands have slipped through the cracks of media backlash with no visible consequences.

It is up to every person, as an individual consumer, to decide where they invest their money. It is also up to us all to decide for ourselves which “mistakes” feel a little less accidental, which ones are redeemable, and which violate our personal code of ethics. Maybe we can’t commit to a lifelong boycott of the brands that fit us best, but if every regular customer of H&M had decided to stop buying their clothes for a month or two, the company would have noticed the repercussions. For once, they would have seen the error of their ways.

Though consumers, especially those of younger generations, are beginning to wisen up to companies’ unethical maneuvers, there is still a long way to go. Emerson students in particular seem to be quick to boycott makeup brands they don’t support—like those who test on animals or are owned by public figures they disagree with— yet they seem generally less concerned about the ethical practices of clothing brands. And though they are quick to support public campaigns against unethical brands, many admit they are less likely to give up on a brand based solely on their own moral principles.

As shoppers, we need to hold our favorite brands to higher standards, the same standards we hold our friends and favorite celebrities to. It is up to us to destroy this mentality of All press is good press. If we don’t, brands will continue to bank on the shock value of their ethically questionable decisions. YM

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YOUR THINGS ILLUSTRATED BY ENNE GOLDSTEIN

YOUR MAG MARKETING DIRECTOR TALLULAH JONES' FAVORITE THINGS

HEAD & SHOULDERS GREEN APPLE SHAMPOO This is probably one of the most important things I own. I have big, curly, unpredictable hair that is prone to getting greasy when I use a normal shampoo and it took me a while to figure out that this is literally the only shampoo that can tame my hair. It's so important to me that I have multiple travel sized bottles in different bags, just in case.

TOTE BAG I almost never leave my house without a tote bag. I have multiple, but this one is my favorite. I got it at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and it's a reminder of a day I took myself on a nice date. If you ever need anything, I probably have it in my tote so just come ask.

WHITE CONVERSE So I went to a really cool and liberal all-girls Catholic high school where we had to wear white shoes. Since then, I've been wearing all-white high top converse almost every day (except in the winter, then I wear white Doc Martens). This particular pair was recently bought for me by my uncle after he looked at my shoes that had a hole through the sole and asked if I ever thought about buying new ones. I said, “Mmm..maybe?” So he just decided to get them for me.

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NECKLACES AND RINGS I wear these necklaces and rings every day. The horseshoe necklaces matches one that my sister wears. She lives far away so it brings me closer to her. The chain on the stone necklace has broken multiple times, but I keep finding new ones to string it with. Both of the rings are from my grandma's jewelry collection. If I ever forget to put them on after a shower I feel like I'm going through the day as a cloned version of myself.

THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW Need a break from life? Have a headache? Something making you sad? Mounting work you just can't deal with? Find comfort in this show! Honestly, I've watched every season on Netflix at least two or three times and I always cry during a finale.

MAMMA CHIA Okay, so this is a new favorite thing and I'll be honest, I've only had it a few times. But I'm totally obsessed and have to keep leaving the grocery store with a heavy heart because I can’t afford to buy it multiple times a day. I'm thinking maybe I should just figure out how to make it at home. Let me know if you know how to make it (or if you work at Whole Foods and get a discount)!

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The

Straw

Saga

but why have we recently become so consumed with specifically cutting out straws?

WRITTEN BY SWETHA AMARESAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY EMILY KING & CAITLYN ONG

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remember the first time I saw a friend with a metal straw. As I sipped on my own Starbucks iced coffee with its iconic green, plastic straw, I thought to myself, “What the heck is that contraption?”

Eventually, the usage of reusable straws became a movement.

It all began with one heart-wrenching video of a sea turtle with a plastic straw stuck up its nose.

According to a Phys.org article, there are about 437 million to 8.3 billion plastic straws on the world’s coastlines, 7.5 million of them from the US alone. As large as that number is, plastic straws only make up a mere 2,000 tons of the 9 million tons of total plastic waste that pollutes oceans annually.

As incredible as it is that humans are finally acting upon an environmental concern, we can’t deny that there are billions of videos and photographs similar to that of the sea turtle. A HuffPost article from 2017 includes sickening photos of animals harmed by

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plastic—a shark caught in a plastic bag, a bird with plastic debris in its stomach. It’s just one of many articles that have highlighted examples of plastic waste causing injuries and fatalities of innocent sea creatures.

This problem is clearly a result of all plastic waste, but why have we recently become so consumed with specifically cutting out straws?

The easy response is that for able-bodied people, plastic straws are items without which we can survive. For most of us, they don’t require a huge behavioral shift to cut out, especially when one can instead carry around a trendy, reusable straw. Able-bodied individuals don’t necessarily need straws. Whether they are plastic or reusable, they’re merely instruments that hardly affect the drinking process.

The same cannot be said for many other plastic items. Plastic bags, cups, lids, toothbrushes, shampoo and conditioner bottles, and others are so finely integrated into our culture that banning these items would require a tougher habit change. It’s like cutting down forests to build new developments. We know it’s terrible for the

environment and only going to end up harming our health in the future, yet we do it anyway because finding a more sustainable option is time-consuming and too much work.

In recent months, there has been heightened debate regarding plastic straws. Similarly to a Twilight Team Edward versus Team Jacob phenomenon, the straw saga has developed two opposing teams. There’s Team Pro-Ban: the people who strongly believe in the wastefulness surrounding plastic straws and are down for the ban. The people who make up Team Anti-Ban are two fold: those who believe the focus on straws is pigeonholing society in sight of a larger environmental issue, and those who believe the ban excludes those who need straws due to disabilities. As with many politicized debates, it’s impossible to pick the “right” side as so much of what people argue is based on personal opinions and values.

In my humble opinion, the straw saga has brought to life a terrifying issue: the idea of perceived “greenness.” This issue was in existence long before the plastic straw ban but has become particularly prevalent today.

I once heard a student sarcastically mutter that a friend “forgets to turn off the lights in her dorm and takes hour-long showers, but she uses a metal straw, so she’s ‘green.’” Unfortunately, I couldn’t agree more.

Using reusable straws has become a widespread sensation because it offers many an outlet to easily complete one’s civic duty. This means that if a student goes to Starbucks and purchases their second iced coffee of the day with their second plastic cup and second plastic lid, they can still feel well-intentioned if they use their handy reusable straw on both occasions. Rather than constantly thinking about ways to cut down on plastic waste and address other environmental concerns, people can whip out that metal straw and say, “This is my good deed for the day.”

This is in no way an attempt to attack those who use reusable straws. In fact, I applaud it. It’s undeniable that cutting down plastic—no matter how much or little—makes an impact.

Where the issue lies, however, is in the belief that one’s work is done by using a reusable straw when, in reality, that should be just the beginning.

Banning some sort of plastic waste is a step in the right direction, albeit a small one. And many companies have decided to do just that.

According to a Mashable article, Starbucks announced in July that it was going to start phasing out plastic straws by 2020. It has already started replacing the straws with plastic sippy-cup-style lids. In addition to corporate bans, entire cities, such as Seattle, Miami Beach, Oakland, and Malibu, have pledged to ban plastic straws altogether.

While it’s great that many are taking these steps, I can’t help but wonder if these cities and companies have thought about Team Anti-Ban. To use Starbucks as an example, their plastic straw ban is great, but how effective is replacing plastic straws with plastic sippy-cup lids?

Starbucks hopes that the lids will be recycled more frequently than the straws were, given their larger size and ease of sorting during single-stream recycling, according to Forbes.

However, it’s difficult to say whether or not customers will act upon this change. Regardless, the lids are still plastic.

In addition, by banning plastic straws, these companies and cities ostracize customers with disabilities. According to an NPR piece, paper and biodegradable straws disintegrate quickly and can be bitten through by people with limited jaw control. Silicone straws pose issues for people with mobility challenges since they are inflexible. Metal straws can conduct heat which creates safety risks. Reusable straws in general need to be hand-washed, which isn’t always possible for people with certain disabilities. Overall, some people actually need those plastic straws.

A great way for companies to support the cause while still supporting people with disabilities is by providing plastic straws only when requested. The hope is that most ablebodied individuals will get the message and bring their own straw or sip their beverage strawfree. Then, the individuals who require a plastic straw will have access to one.

The moral of the story is that there is no right answer. Eliminating plastic straws is a step towards saving the environment, but also a step towards further victimization of people with disabilities. It is better than nothing but allows people to believe that they are saving the environment when there’s still plenty of work to be done. It’s up to us, as consumers, to continue demanding more from the companies we support while also making sure we’re doing more than just the bare minimum. In the meantime, the saga continues… YM

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WORDS AND ART BY MADI MCCULLOUGH

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t’s safe to say that art school has been the butt of jokes for years. We are all familiar with the cliché of combat boots and colored hair, and while pretty much right on the money, this narrative overlooks the rigors artists confront to conceive meaningful work. Even deeper, many of us creatives face the intimidation of our environment. In a microcosm of artistically-exceptional students, creatives must find our voices and be able to use them well.

As a transfer student to Emerson College, I am both amazed and insecure in classes. I watch students snap photos like National Geographic photographers while my photography experience is limited to grainy Snapchat stills. They reference Tarantino, I reference Totino’s Pizza Rolls. The comparisons we draw pile up until we feel unworthy of even the “starving artist” life. And for highlyskilled students, the pressure to create valuable work consistently can be overwhelming. How do we become less moody and more secure with our art?

Turn Intimidation into Inspiration In order to grow stronger as an artist, you must be able to suspend the insecurities that this environment breeds and instead use your talented environment as inspiration.

Cris Ganges ‘20, a Visual Media Arts major, describes the creative environment saying it “drives me more, makes me want to work harder. It’s sink or swim—you can either get inspired by the talent surrounding you or crumble.”

He also uses role model David Fincher as an inspiration. After watching the movie Fight Club he became fascinated by Fincher. He says, with “[Fincher’s] style of directing it inspires me a lot to learn my craft and do film originally.” Ganges began pursuing visual media in high school and uses Fincher’s success “as fuel to master film.”

You cannot overlook the hard work that talented individuals have faced to achieve their level of knowledge and skill. These artists spend countless hours honing their skills and getting them to a professional level.

So don’t let other artists’ current levels scare you. Instead take comfort in knowing they were in your shoes at some point and you can reach their level with time and devotion.

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Differentiate Another way to combat the anxiety of the creative field is to identify what differentiates you as an artist. Being exposed to so many creative individuals allows you to understand the artistic landscape.

Even more, this environment lends itself to understanding your style and interests in relation to those of your peers. From there, you can identify a sense of voice within your work.

Jenna Jordan, an artist at Chapman University, describes her perspective as “natural beauty.” She explains, “Everything I do is an art form. What I enjoy most is appreciating things for what they are naturally.” Jordan encourages artists to embrace art as a lifestyle rather than an activity—from Instagram posts to personal style. She further urges creatives to “look for what makes you different rather than what is popular among artists currently.” In doing so, she says that she finds her voice and can use it in comprehensive ways.

Embracing your authentic self is key to differentiating your work.

It is important to understand the creative landscape in order to focus on what type of work you do and where it can be best articulated.

Don’t let other impressive work cause you to doubt your own style, but rather use it as validation that you have something unique to offer.

Collaborate Finally, collaboration can be crucial in building confidence and knowledge in this competitive landscape. Ganges describes his experience working with a director on a short film, saying, “There were a lot of things that I disagreed with him on, but I gained experience. Starting out you need to collaborate with people to gain experience and learn how to work with others.”

In the modern context creatives must work together. The narrative of artists as disconnected from their world simply does not reflect our time. In order to reach your audience, you need resources and input. Even more, collaboration allows you to see from a different perspective and network with other artists emerging at the same time. Having a relationship with creatives now can be lucrative in the future, or it can help foster a new friendship with someone who relates to your position.

So, instead of being fearful of judgement, be open and active in creating collaborative pieces. This will build confidence and give you important feedback from peers, and you might just meet the next big success. Or even better, become it.

With role models to inspire you, a strong understanding of your voice, and collaborative experience to guide you, you can only gain confidence. Now go grow as a creative; only the strong survive. YM

SURVIVAL OF THE

ART-EST LIVING | 35

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Not Your Average Food Fight On the weaponization of food in Israel, Italy, and the DH WRITTEN BY REILLY LOYND PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATE CUNNINGHAM

Israel “I’m on the hunt for the best Shakshouka in Boston,” she said eyeing me, eyeing her cast iron pan bubbling over with a sticky combo of what I later learned to be poached eggs and tomato sauce. “As of now, Tatte is number one, but this is a hot second contender,” she explained, scooting a utensil out of her iPhone camera’s line of sight as she snapped a pic. She blew gently on the dish patiently waiting for it to cool while I nodded slowly, subtly googling what the heck Shakshouka is.

Frustrated by my broken and flickering phone screen, I accidentally clicked on an Algemeiner article and ended up reading Palestinian’s criticism of the Israeli UN Ambassador, who recently treated UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to Shakshouka as an expression of Israel’s food heritage. Confused, save for the obvious ongoing tensions, as to why Palestinians were so outraged over this gesture in particular, I went on to read that this exchange was not an anomaly. The Palestinian palette has apparently, and maybe unsurprisingly in light of the current conflict, been considered, at least by Palestinians, a target of Israeli theft. The article argued that Israel claims much Palestinian cuisine, such as hummus and falafel, or Shakshouka, as its own.

Professor of history at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, Dr. Riad alAstal, further explained the reasons why this particular getsure felt so painful to Palestinians. Dr. Astal confirmed that Jewish Israeli groups have in fact been trying hard to convince the world that they are the rightful owners of land in the Arab region—especially the Palestinian land—by doctoring facts of heritage, such as food, to be in their favor.

For this reason food, which may otherwise be written off as apolitical, has become a huge source of contention among many other things between the Israeli and Palestinian people.

Dr. Astal went so far as to say that the battle with the occupation over heritage is no less dangerous than the occupation of land. He believes a clear strategy to address these thefts should be required, calling on international agencies like UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to address the issues of “counterfeiting heritage.”

Israelis, on the other hand, argue that the counterfeiting heritage claim serves as an opportunity to cover-up what would otherwise be considered an explicitly one-state (versus two-state, which would mean somehow evenly splitting territory) agenda. Either way, food enables people to express themselves culturally. This is evident in Palestinians arguing that Israel has co-opted their dish, along with their land, in an effort to further undermine the validity of their identity, cultural heritage, and therefore right to land. Meanwhile Israelis have spoken out about the incident as a false claim to heritage that was never Palestinian in the first place.

Italy In Italy, there has been contention over recent efforts to outlaw any new kebab shops or any other purveyors of “ethnic food.” Forte dei Marmi, though not the first Italian town to ban ethnic restaurants, is currently under fire for trying to implement the ban (the nearby town of Lucca was accused of racism when it did the same thing in 2009).

The move is the latest expression of culinary nationalism sweeping the country, as Italians struggle to hold onto centuries-old traditions that they perceive are threatened by globalization and immigration.

While Umberto Buratti, mayor of Forte dei Marmi, has said the measure “has nothing to do with xenophobia—it is about protecting and valuing our culture,” immigrants and activists alike argue that the legislation pioneered by Italian nationalists is evidently an effort to shroud a xenophobic agenda under the guise of the preservation of Italy’s cultural heritage. Lobbyists for the legislation claim otherwise, expressing that the policy is a desperate attempt to preserve Italy’s food culture, which has arguably suffered under the pressures of recent North African migration, and therefore has nothing to do with any efforts to keep anyone out.

Italian nationalists have been getting away with shrouding their implicit xenophobic agenda under the guise of cultural preservation, which has undeniably weaponized Italian food and demonized ethnic food. This has functioned as a form of microaggression in that people are getting away with exercising exclusivity that would otherwise be considered as xenophobic if not supposedly for the sake of Italian culture betterment. What’s scary about this is that microaggressions can actually be more damaging than outright aggressions because they can be harder to name.

Emerson DH Our own college could even be considered responsible for relying on students unawareness of food as a tool to push a certain agenda. The Food and Agriculture Organization subset of the UN defines food sovereignty as “the right of peoples to more than one source of healthy and culturally appropriate food, produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems." Having more than one channel to access culturally relevant food is a requirement that most college campus dining halls do not meet. By denying students more than one readily available channel for their culturally relevant food I would argue that campuses are implicitly asking that their students expedite or even force their assimilation by dictating their diet in a culturally irrelevant context.

Are we food sovereign? YM

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It’s hard to embrace your ethnicity when people don’t think you look the part.

T

he first time someone mistook my ethnicity was the day I was born. It’s my mom’s favorite story. I left the womb with skin whiter than milk in a country that consists of tanned people. The doctors thought I had a white father, but my parents knew I was theirs. This, unfortunately, would not be the last time someone mistook my ethnicity.

Growing up, a recurring question strangers would ask me is: “What are you?” My naive, seven-year-old self who barely understood English at the time would look at them puzzled, thinking, “I’m a human of course!” It didn’t take me long to realize what this question was actually asking.

I’m white yet I’m not white. I’m white to others because I have pale skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes. But I’m not white, because my biological parents are both 100% Filipino, and my birthplace is the Philippines. I’m not white because I have a wide, flat nose and a round, Asian face. I’m not white, but many people assume I am.

I have albinism, which is a condition that means I lack pigmentation in my hair, skin, and eyes. If you wanted to know what my sister looked like if she was white, just look at me. I have all the typical Filipino features, but my body just decided not to fully complete the “look” of a Filipino by not giving me melanin.

This confuses people. When I was 18, I worked as a cashier at a movie theater. It was my first customer service job, and every time I worked, I would always get reminded of how ethnically ambiguous I appeared. People would constantly try to guess my ethnicity. It got to a point where I just gave up explaining that I was Filipino with albinism and instead just agreed with whatever people guessed. Though I am 100% Filipino, with completely Filipino parents and grandparents, the middle-aged woman who bought tickets from me to see The Emoji Movie over a year ago confirmed that I was Russian.

The ethnic guessing-game isn’t limited to my experiences, however. Anyone who appears ethnically ambiguous or isn’t whitepassing constantly get asked their ethnicity. It’s not people’s fault that they’re curious. Laura Vares, an anthropologist and professor at Emerson College, says, “Everything we do is built around visual

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categories, and they’re so tied into identity that I think not being able to put a person in a category messes with the idea of how we organize ourselves.”

Vares is Mexican-American, but she has been mistaken for Hawaiian, Native American, and even Filipino. Whenever someone asks about her ethnicity, she asks them what they think her ethnicity is. Though it may make them uncomfortable, Vares wants to further the conversation as long as they are coming from a sincere place. “I see it as an opportunity to say, ‘Isn’t it funny how we have to try and figure out where someone is from or what their heritage might be in order for us to figure out whether we can identify with them or not?’” said Vares.

Mistaking someone for another race in America is not usually associated with harmful intentions. However, that may not be the case in other countries. Isabelle Hung, a sophomore Communications and Public Relations major, is originally from Taiwan, but she has always gotten recognized as Filipino. In Eastern Asia, people with lighter skin are seen as the general standard of beauty and reap more privileges than those with darker skin, who are seen as lower class. When Hung gets mistaken for Filipino, the colorist undertones are evident. “I had classmates who just didn’t assume I looked the same as them. I don’t necessarily see it as a bad thing, but those first impressions and stereotypes really frustrated me, because you’re putting labels on a person based on their skin color,” Hung said. While it may simply be a nuisance for ethnically ambiguous Americans to be mistaken for another ethnicity, in other countries, it comes with underlying prejudice.

Everyone is guilty of assuming someone’s ethnicity. I myself have a habit of assuming where a person is from. It’s a strange factor of human nature, especially living in such a diverse country.

Cultural identity is a powerful tool. It lets a person know that they have somewhere they belong and that they have a whole community they can relate to. But it can be difficult when someone questions it. It’s hard to embrace your ethnicity when people don’t think you look the part. YM

But Where Are You From?

WRITTEN BY KATRINA DIZON ART BY LILY HARTENSTEIN

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MIX AND M A T C H DIRECTED & PHOTOGRAPHED BY MADISON DOUGLAS LILY WALSH ASSISTED BY MONIKA DAVIS JULIE GIFFIN MODELED BY HANNA EL-MOHANDESS MARIAMA CONDE DOMINIC CHAMBERS-SALCE STYLED BY NICK BUNZICK GINA YORK CRISTIAN GANGES ELOISA DE FARIAS

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DRUGS IN THE MUSIC WORLD WRITTEN BY ANDREA WILLIAMS ART BY FRANCISCO GUGLIELMINO

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t is no secret that partying, drugs, and alcohol are everywhere in the music industry. At some point in a musician’s career, they've probably beenintroduced to them. Artists such as Michael Jackson (1958-2009), Whitney Houston (1963-2012), Prince (1958- 2016), and most recently Mac Miller (1992-2018) have all passed away due to a drug overdose.

First and foremost, drug addiction drastically affects the life of the addicted individual. On one extreme, the artist could die from a drug overdose. On the other end of the spectrum, drug and alcohol addiction could affect their livelihood. Demi Lovato survived a drug overdose in July of this year during her journey of rehab and recovery.

Lovato shared on Instagram that she has “always been transparent about [her] journey with addiction” adding that she “needs time to heal and focus on my sobriety and road to recovery.” Lovato also writes about her struggle with addiction in songs like “Skyscraper” from 2011, “Old Ways” from 2015, and most recently, “Sober” from 2018. Showing her struggle with addiction in Instagram captions and through song lyrics she not only lets in her audience but also lets her fans know how this struggle has been affecting her life.

Many musicians will often use their life experience to help write their songs about love, success, or even their relationship with drugs and alcohol. Artists like Demi Lovato, Macklemore, Eminem, and Amy Winehouse (who passed away in 2011) are no different. Even though they are all very different musicians, they each have at least one song that mentions the struggle they have faced throughout their addiction. In Lovato’s recent single titled “Sober,” she sings about relapsing and how she is sorry to her family, friends, and fans. This is apparent in the chorus of the song with the lyrics “Momma, I’m so sorry, I’m not sober anymore / And daddy, please forgive me for the drinks spilled on the floor / To the ones who never left me, we’ve been down this road before / I’m so sorry, I’m not sober anymore.”

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Eminem also has a song that addresses his relationship with drug abuse. In this song Eminem sampled his chorus from a song titled “Changes” by Black Sabbath whose front man, Ozzy Osbourne, also suffered from drug addiction in the past. In Eminem’s song “Going Through Changes” he raps the lyrics, “And it hurts so I fast forward, sleeping pills‘ll make me feel alright / And if I’m still awake in the middle of the night I’ll just take a couple more.” In this song Eminem talks about losing one of his best friends to gun violence and in this lyric he explains how the drugs help him cope with that pain. He also mentions how he wants to recover for the sake of his daughters Hailie, Alaina, and Whitney.

When someone hears an artist's music for the first time, they will decide almost instantly if the music connects with them and if they'll continue listening. From incredibly dedicated fans going to every tour and buying as much merchandise as they possibly can, to casual listeners who tune in just to feel good, it is undeniable that fans are connected to the artist in some way. If their favorite musician is addicted to drugs it's bound to also affect them. In Macklemore’s “Starting Over” he describes an encounter with a fan, saying, “Somebody stops me and says ‘Are you Macklemore? / Maybe this isn’t the place or time, I just wanted to say that / If it wasn’t for “Otherside,” I wouldn’t have made it.’ / I just looked down at the ground and say, ‘Thank you’ / She tells me she has nine months, and that she’s so grateful / Tears in her eyes, looking like she’s gonna cry, fuck / I barely got forty-eight hours, treated like some wise monk / I want to tell her I relapsed, but I can’t / I just shake her hand and tell her, ‘Congrats’ / Get back to my car, and I think I’m tripping.” From the fan's point of view, the lyrics show how fans can be affected by the music that the artist releases in a positive way, and from Macklemore’s point of view, it shows how he feels he has to put up a front for his fans.

Emerson junior and Business of Creative Enterprises major Riley Medeiros is an aspiring music manager. She explains how drugs can make a musician “difficult to work with, reliant on a high, [and] unable to be as creative or productive when they’re sober.”

Yet she also mentions that some managers will use a musician’s drug addiction to their advantage by “treating their artists like animals, providing them with drugs like they’re treats.” She goes on to say that “the culture of drug abuse isn’t simply an issue with musicians, it spans all levels of the industry,” further proving that drug addiction is all throughout the music world. YM

the culture of drug abuse isn’t simply an issue with musicians, it spans all levels of the industry

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I’m Cursed with a Love for Hocus Pocus and I’m Not Mad About It WRITTEN BY REBEKAH SCARBOROUGH ART BY NIC SUGRUE

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he first day of fall for the 2018 calendar year was September 22nd. That was the day I neglected to schedule plans, put on my coziest and cutest pair of pajamas, and popped enough popcorn to sustain me for the next 96 minutes. Finally, it was time for Hocus Pocus.

Hocus Pocus tells the story of the three Sanderson sisters: Winifred, Sarah, and Mary. The Sanderson sisters are evil witches whose specialty is sucking the lives out of children in hopes of remaining young forever. They are put to death in 1693, but vow to return on Halloween night when a virgin lights the black flame candle.

I can’t explain the phenomena that is Hocus Pocus. I have no idea why almost my entire generation measures our Halloween nostalgia in Sanderson sister viewings. Is it the cornerstone of millenial Halloween movies? It may be, because according to The Numbers, Hocus Pocus has pierced the top ten bestsellers list on Amazon every October for the past seven years. And on Freeform, Hocus Pocus airings attract over one million viewers each year, with the film breaking its own record in 2016 with 1.3 million viewers.

Perhaps we love it simply because we saw it for the first time when we were kids. Our parents didn’t have to worry when they left us in front of the television under the watchful eye of Bette Midler.

And the original was panned by critics, so almost anyone could access the film; letting us watch was a practical choice, too. But the reason why I love the film is simple: it takes me back to my childhood Halloweens. I miss the days when my costumes were homemade, when my mom never spared a detail. When I told her I wanted to be Dorothy of Oz for my fifth Halloween, my sleeves were starched, stiff and puffy, my hair was filled with gel and expertly braided, and my shoes were coated in five layers of glue and red glitter. I yearn for a good old-fashioned Halloween party that features spooky hits like Frank Sinatra’s “There’s No Nicer Witch Than You.” I miss parties like those. And I miss running up to friendly porch lights in the pursuit of anything Reese’s and an inevitable adventure with my brother in tow.

Hocus Pocus fills a nostalgic void for millennials. Christina Cauterucci wrote an essay for NPR in 2013 that stated, “Watching a movie repeatedly, especially 20 years after its release, is a powerful

way to mark the passage of time.” So many of the things the main characters do have no place in our day-to-day lives now. Like how Max gives his number to Allison on a piece of paper he ripped out of a spiral notebook. Or how the characters can’t text their parents when they’re in trouble—you know, fighting off evil witches and stuff—they have to go find them in person. This is one of the final important movies of our childhoods, before the internet really became a thing.

The Binx family is a representation of unconditional love and sacrifice. If the sibling storyline doesn’t make you want to call your brother or sister and tell them you miss playing imaginary games where you save your unsuspecting town from three witches, then you need to re-evaluate your priorities. Dani and Max’s relationship demonstrates the importance of trust and comfort between a brother and sister. Whenever Max pouts about looking dumb in front of Allison, Dani will tell a stranger that her brother is a virgin. She must trust that her brother will always be there, or else she wouldn’t test his patience to the extent that she does. That kid has some serious, what do you call them Max, yabos?

But I can’t forget the greatest sibling trio of them all, the Sanderson sisters. I know they’re evil, but they are a badass band of witches. Winifred has a body count of men ranging from the devil himself to Billy the friendly zombie. Sarah literally lures men in with the sound of her voice, and Mary spends half the movie trying to fly a vacuum.

We can thank Hocus Pocus for blessing our generation with a Halloween cult film that is full of powerful female characters, both good and evil. The leading ladies of Salem are as clever as they are funny. It is the male characters that fall into the unflattering tropes usually occupied by women. Billy is a scorned lover, the bus driver is a thirsty player, “the master” impersonator is a fool, and Max is the careless idiot who releases the sisters back to Earth in the first place. Finally, there is a mainstream film that fixates on the sexual status of men; and in line with breaking more taboos, we can credit Hocus Pocus with attempting to debunk the myth of virginity.

Hocus Pocus has had me under its spell since I was a kid, and I’m not mad about it. I would even dare to say the curse is stronger now than ever. YM

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Snail Mail: Indie Rock’s Newest Star WRITTEN BY KENNETH COX ART BY ELEANOR HILTY

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y commute to work this summer was about 20 minutes.

There were plenty of variables that changed every drive: Did I need gas? Iced coffee? How can I get around the traffic this morning? One thing remained constant almost everyday though, the sound of dreamy guitar riffs, punchy drums, and lyrics coming through the speakers of my car that put into words the thoughts and emotions I couldn’t, the music of Snail Mail.

Snail Mail is the project of Baltimore-based 19-year-old Lindsey Jordan. Jordan has been playing guitar since she was five, and created the band Snail Mail with two of her friends at 16. Within weeks they began playing shows. Their first was at the Screaming Females festival in Baltimore, playing with other area bands like Priests and Sheer Mag. The performance caught the eye of Priests, who signed Snail Mail to their band’s independent record label, Sister Polygon, and released the band’s debut extended play (EP), Habit.

Habit is a six song collection with music ranging from anthemic, sing-along tunes to bare, emotional songs featuring only Jordan and her guitar. Much of the EP has a lo-fi sound, with distorted guitars and vocals kept low in the mix, but it provides the foundation for which the band builds their later work.

“Thinning,” the first track, begins with guitar, drums, and bass building up to the infectious energy of the verses. Jordan sings about a case of bronchitis she suffered for months, all the while playing intricate guitar riffs and solos. It is one of their most popular songs, racking up millions of streams on Spotify, and garnering a Best New Music ranking from Pitchfork, a widely read music blog, growing the band’s exposure outside of the Baltimore DIY scene. “Pitchfork used to put their Best New Tracks for the month together on their Youtube channel,” says Max Besser ‘22. “That’s where I heard ‘Thinning’ for the first time, and I found Snail Mail through there.”

Other songs showcase the wise lyricism that Snail Mail is known for. “Dirt” has a self-awareness about the seemingly crushing weight of teenage emotion, while also thriving within it. “Baby when I’m thirty/I’ll laugh about how dumb it felt,” sings Jordan during the track, knowing that her sixteen-year-old feelings, with time, will be something to look back fondly on. “Slug,” the penultimate track, is a five minute meditation on Jordan’s sense of self and mortality. “So if you look death right in the face don’t thank him/Because there’s nothing and there won’t ever be,” she sings at the song’s conclusion, a cutting line from someone so young at the time.

In the years that followed this release, Jordan completed the rites of passage that so many other teenagers accomplish: getting her license, prom, graduating from high school. The band’s profile continued to grow by playing shows across the country and landing prestigious appearances on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series and

Audiotree’s live sessions. In September 2017, the band signed to Matador Records, home to indie legends like Liz Phair, Yo La Tengo, and recent acts like Car Seat Headrest. From here, the band began the process of making their debut album, Lush.

Following a brief intro track, Lush opens with the single “Pristine.” Within seconds, the song marks the incredible artistic growth that Snail Mail displays on the album. Using their foundation of complex guitar riffs, searing lyrics, and dreamy atmosphere created on the Habit EP, the band takes their sound to its most vivid realization thus far. The song is a soaring ode to the highs and lows of first love as Jordan sings, “I know myself, and I’ll never love anyone else” on the song’s chorus, unafraid of how her lover may respond.

It is a cathartic, thrilling highlight off the album that shows the band at their best.

What is most remarkable is the confidence Lindsey Jordan shows in not just “Pristine,” but throughout the entire album. Take for instance the album’s closer, “Anytime,” an emotional ballad featuring Jordan solo on guitar. Unlike on the Habit EP, where Jordan’s vocals were less pronounced, her vocals here are front and center. Jordan is done hiding in the background of her own music; she becomes the music’s focus. The song is a fan favorite for its unabashed honesty about the emotions of lost love. Casey Morton, freshman at Ithaca College, notes, “I think my favorite song by her is ‘Anytime’ because, even though it’s such a sad song, it’s so raw and emotional and is truly an experience to listen to.”

Following the release of Lush, Snail Mail grew to become an internationally lauded band, covered by publications like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Rolling Stone, who called Jordan an “indie-rock prodigy” and an “artist you need to know.”

They recently embarked on a world tour to promote the album, playing everywhere from local venues like The Sinclair in July, to shows in Japan, Iceland, and Indonesia. Besser adds his experience with seeing the band this summer on their stop in Dallas before coming to Emerson this year. “It was a really great performance.

[Jordan] had a cold during the show, but persisted through the whole set. The crowd was very supportive of her and it was good to see that happening.”

Snail Mail stands as a unique voice in the Indie scene because of Lindsey Jordan’s success at such a young age. So often, the voices of young women are silenced or ignored, especially in Indie rock, where the “stars” of the genre are typically older men. However, Jordan breaks the rules of who can be considered part of the upper echelons of the genre. “I think what I like about Snail Mail so much is how she’s basically the same age as me,” says Elle Hodges ‘22.

“I’m a musician myself, so it’s so exciting to see someone like me be successful at such a young age.” YM

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N I S C I COM BOSTON:

WRITTEN BY SKYLER JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY TATIANA GUEL

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here’s something about buying comic books in an actual comic book store. One could say it’s easier to buy them online, but there’s nothing like the feeling of walking into a comic book store and buying a hard copy. The stores are always filled with shelf after shelf of various comics. I love walking around and looking at all the different ones, all the unique art styles, and all the interesting stories. From Kill or be Killed, a crime drama about a man who believes a demon is telling him to kill people, to Alex + Ada, a comic about a man who gives a robot a conscience and then falls in love with her. Some comic shops have music playing in the background, and some don’t. Some have wonderful decorations and some are only decorated with the covers of the comic books. But there’s always people looking through different comics and people discussing the comics, movies, and television shows they love most as they browse through the aisles. All comic book stores are unique and all of them have something to offer. Here is a list of five places to check out:

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1. Newbury Comics This is your safest bet to find all of the new comics, accesories, Manga, and apparel in Boston. It’s a quick twenty minute walk down Newbury Street away from the Common and it’s a great place to go if you’re an average comics fan. This is perfect for every comic lover at Emerson. It’s close by, it has all of your favorite comics, and it has a nice atmosphere. It has issues, it has volumes, and it has a little bit of everything. If you want to shop for comics in Boston, this is the place to go.

2. Comicopia This is the place to go if you’re looking for Manga. With a sprawling Manga collection that is bigger than Newbury, Comicopia is your place. They have Deathnote and they have Black Butler. They have fantasy, action, romance, and so much more. It’s a small shop in an easy-to-miss area in Back Bay West, twenty minutes from Emerson.

I wouldn’t consider it the best location, but it’s clean with a dingy Marvel rug on the floor, fairly well-lit, plays music, and has a good staff.

3. Trident Booksellers and Cafe This isn’t a comic book store, but it does have a shelf full of Indie comics you most likely have never heard of before. For all comics fans, this is a great stop to go to if you’re looking for something different and unusual. You won’t find this stuff anywhere else and it’s conveniently located next to Newbury Comics. So stop in, grab a coffee, and settle down in a comfy chair with your favorite comic.

4. Barnes & Noble You won’t find anything in the local outlet on campus, but if you go over to the Prudential Center, you’ll find a small but worthmentioning comic book section at Barnes & Noble. It doesn’t have all of your favorite Indie series or any single issues, but it might just have what you’re looking for.

5. Cookie Cutter Girl, Pop Superhero This is not a comic book store. I repeat, this is not a comic book store.

According to Google Maps, it’s open until nine but in reality it’s not open at all. It’s not even an it. It’s a she. I spent three hours trying to find a comic book store that was actually a musical artist who has her address in Google. The only reason this came up as a comic book store in Google is because it has “Superhero” in the name. Luckily, I’ve provided you with this list so that you don’t have to walk around Boston at 11:00 pm trying to find a nonexistent store.

You’re welcome! YM

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ART BY BOBBY J. NICHOLAS III

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Ym advises YM staffers share their favorite autumnal flicks.

“Although I just saw it for the first time this past summer, When Harry Met Sally has quickly risen to number one on my list. It’s a classic “From Enemies to Friends to Lovers” between national treasure Meg Ryan who pulls off the fall looks of my dreams and the adorable and darkly hilarious Billy Crystal. I’m so looking forward to crashing on my couch with blankets and hot cocoa (with whipped cream, on the side) to watch these beautiful idiots realize they’re soulmates. I’ll have whatever it is they’re having.”

- Alessandra Settineri, Editor in Chief "Halloweentown is an i c o n i c movie. The costumes. The monsters. The GIANT pumpkin.

The whole movie is a fun and wild ride. Marnie and Grandma Aggie kick major evil warlock ass.

They are truly the strong, powerful witchy heroines that we all aspire to be."

- Daysia Tolentino, Co-Head Designer "Damn, I wanted to do Halloweentown."

- Bobby Nicholas, Co-Head Designer “The Corpse Bride is easily one of my top 10 favorite films ever and is perfect for this time of year.

The soundtrack alone gets me in the Halloween mood… I love that spooky shit.”

- Ellie Hilty, Creative Director “Fantastic Mr. Fox is the product of Wes Anderson, Roal Dahl, claymation, and a beautiful autumnal color pallette. It’s fucking fantastic.”

- Francisco Guglielmino, Art Director “Should I be that person?...I think so. It’s gotta be Hocus Pocus hands down. I mean what’s more autumnal than Bette Midler as a buck-toothed baddie running amuck in Salem, y’all!? P.S. You can visit the the town of Salem via Commuter Rail, $10 round trip on weekends until early December.”

- Delia Curtis, Style Section Editor "The Princess Bride has been one of my family’s all-time favorite films, and it has a spooky/fall vibe to it. A great movie to stay in and watch on a chilly day for some romance, magic, and laughs."

- Lily Walsh, Co-Photo Editor "Oh, definitely Practical Magic for me! Full of kickass lady witches, the amazing Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, and an amazing love story—“I dream of a love that even time will lie down and be still for”...like come on! This movie lowkey still gives me hope that my powers are just laying dormant within me, waiting for just the right moment to emerge…"

- Lindsay Howard, Copy Chief I’ve always loved watching Scooby Doo as a kid but the live action version, Scooby Doo: Spooky Island really puts me in the spoopy mood.

- Rana Saifi, Talent Director

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ARTIST STATEMENT CONNOR JORDAN (AKA Trashboy) Describe your work in one sentence.

Do you have an artistic process?

I would describe my work as a smattering of synthesized 90’s

My artistic process is hard to define but starts with deconstruction

nostalgia meets queer trash.

and deprecation in order to figure out how to reconstruct things into new ideas. Then it’s all kind of chaos from there.

When do you feel most creative?

When I’m surrounded by creative people.

What’s one of your favorite pieces you’ve made? What makes it special?

What inspires you?

My favorite piece I ever made was my Barbie Body Parts choker. It

Some things that inspire and inform my work on a consistent basis

was after I had started putting decapitated barbie heads on industrial

would be: trash, anything that makes me uncomfortable, vintage

chain from the hardware store to make into chokers for myself and

gay porno mags, 90’s disney, Lisa Frank, dolls and barbies, NYC

my friends that I then had a plethora of assorted barbie torsos, arms

Club Kids of the 80’s/90’s (think Macauly Culkin in Party Monster),

and legs. Not wanting to waste them I super glued heels onto the feet

anything industrial. My friends, my family. And It’s such a cliche,

and with some eyelet screws I made em into charms and fastened

but different things inspire me everyday. It’s hard to pinpoint exact

those suckers onto some chain and the trashboy brand was born.

moments in the day where I’m thinking to myself “oh that’s it, that’s what inspires me!”, it’s never like that.

What is the best part of designing jewelry?

The best part of designing jewelry is that no one can tell you what

Who are some of your favorite photographers/ designers/

works and what doesn’t - jewelry is so personal - sometimes it’s

artists?

something you’re literally sticking through your flesh.

I draw a lot of inspiration from artists across a variety of mediums.

To name a few; Freya Jobbins, Nan Goldin, Torbjørn Rødland,

Where can readers see more of your work?

Richard Renaldi, Lucas David, Patrick Church, Alec Marchant,

My work can be seen on my socials and on my depop page: @

Ava Nirui, Chema Diaz, Yeha Leung, Agustin Hernandez, Matieres

whatconnor, and on instagram @shop_trashboy as well as

Fecales.

whatconnor.com, I also plan on launching an e-commerce website for my jewelry and other goodies early next year!

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