Yourmag volume 20 | issue 1 | OCTOBER 2023
Recognized in Spring 2012, YOURMAG’s goal is to promote knowledge of the magazine industr y by giving students the opporitunity to be responsible for all aspects of a monthly lifestyle publication. With an audience of urban college students in mind, members create content across a broad range of topics and mediums, including style, romance, music, pop culture, personal identity, and experiences. YourMag’s overarching aim is to foster a positive, inclusive community of writers, editors, and artists.
1 | YOURMAG
volume 20 | issue 1 | october 2023 ISA LUZARRAGA Managing Editor
ASHLEY FERRER Co-Editor-in-Chief
CAMRYN CIANCIA Co-Editor-in-Chief
LILY BROWN Creative Director
HAILEY KROLL Head Designer
NIRVANA RAGLAND Diversity Chair
EMMA CAHILL Editorial Director
MOLLY DEHAVEN Asst. Head Designer
JENNIfer NOVO Photo Director
TALIA VYADRO Asst. Editorial Director
ALEKS CARNEY Co-Art Director
rachel tarby Copy Chief
ISABELLE GALGANO Asst. Editorial Director
REBECCA CALVAR Co-Art Director
SOPHIE BOYCE Asst. Copy Chief
BIANCA LUND Co-Head Stylist
GRIFFIN WILLNER Romance Editor
SARA FERGANG Head Proofreader
JULIA MAGDZIAK Co-Head Stylist
Lauren smith Living Editor
gigi sipiora Style Editor
ANNA BACAL PETERSON Co-Head Stylist
SOPHIA ROSSETTI Web Editor
ARUSHI JACOB A&E Editor
FIONA MCMAHON Co-YMTV Director
CHARLOTTE BRANDMAN Asst. Web Editor
ELLIE BELCASTRO Co-Social Media Director
SOFIA VERANI Co-YMTV Director
SEBASTIAN OLIVO Co-YMTV Director
GABBY GOODE Co-Social Media Director
Copy editors: Sofya Sobolevskaya, Izzy Sorce, sophie hartstein, Payton Montaina, Penelope Parker, Alexandra Dening, Dana Albala, Julia Handley, Alma Falcon, Aylin Isik, Eden Unger, Sofia Mendes, AND Sabrina Lam GRAPHIC designERS: ZACH HAGE, EMILY MALKAN, ISABELLA CHIU, LAUREN MALLETT, AND ALEXA LUNNEY Proofreaders: Rachel Blackman, Izzie Claudio, Aylin Isik, Kayla Iwano, Catherine Kubick, Ari LaColla, Vivian Nguyen, and Dikshya Pattnaik
YOURMAG | 2
CONTENTS 5
EX COMMUNICATIONS: LESSONS FROM RUNNING INTO YOUR EX
7
SEX, COVID, CHLAMYDIA, AND ME
9
COLLEGE DATING: THE RACE FOR A SOULMATE
EDITORIAL
11
PAPER DOLLS
STYLE
19
FROM PEARLY WHITES TO GLEAMING GEMS
21
COWBOY BOOTS AND QUEER CULTURE
23
THE BINS
25
STREET STYLE
EDITORIAL
29
WRAPPED UP IN MY MIND
LIVING
37
ASK EASY QUESTIONS ABOUT WORK AND SCHOOL
39
REPRESENTATION HEALED MY INNER CHILD
41
THE 20 YEAR-OLD TEENAGER
43
POST-STUDY ABROAD BLUES
EDITORIAL
45
RUNNING ON EMPTY
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
51
DOES BARBIE HAVE FLAWS?
53
IN DEFENSE OF THE CHICK-LIT
55
THE DUALITY OF TELENOVELAS
YMP3
57
YMP3: SONGS FOR A WITCHES GATHERING
ARTIST STATEMENT
59
ARTIST STATEMENT: ELLIS PIZZOFERRATO
ROMANCE
3 | YOURMAG
Letters from the Editors
YOURMAG | 4
Ex-Communications: Lessons From Running Into Your Ex WRITTEN BY TALIA VYADRO
PHOTOGRAPHED BY COCO LAROCHELLE
“Sooner or later, you’ll find yourself right where you were” - MUNA
C
all it circumstance, call it fate, call it what you want to, but the universe always finds a way to humble us. Often, it’s in the form of a special kind of hell–running into the very person you want to, depending on the moment, punch or kiss in the face. The ex. The wrongdoer. The girl next door. The boy you imagined bringing to Thanksgiving dinner. That one. I have rare moments of clarity when I seem to inhabit a body that feels like mine and only mine. Lately, it’s been little instances on campus, walking into a classroom or finally having the consciousness to take my ID out before the Walker building security guard scolds me for holding up the line. Being myself means actually backing up my actions with thoughts that aren’t aimed at getting somewhere–or someone. But all dominoes must fall. Thursday I’m in a hoodie at a school where no one wears sweatpants. I’m already worried that I’m behind on my readings and God forbid I don’t make any friends in my classes. The Boston Public Garden felt like the right call on a day where I was making so many wrong ones. It’s a simple story. But I’ll try to tell it well. I saw him.
5 | ROMANCE
See, I’m actually not sure how to describe the paradoxes that happened in my mind because it would be like trying to pinpoint a physical description of a chemical explosion. On one side of the bushes, my heart exploded. On the other, he did his best to wipe my existence from the matrix. If a tree falls in the woods, does anyone hear it? In that split second in the garden I was exposed––nothing and no one could’ve prevented me from the sheer terror of being recognized by someone for whom I would have at one point cut my left arm off for. A familiar feeling encircled me, the recognition of a knife about to be thrown. Shame. A few years ago, the first time my eyes found him was when I decided I, too, could love someone. I couldn’t explain it to anyone, let alone myself. It simply was. Now I can tell myself many accounts of what I did, what he did to me, what I said, why I wish I had reacted differently, but it doesn’t really matter––the only truth that matters now is that I loved him more than I respected myself. Self-deprecation and degradation were the only love languages that I’d known. I guess as my feelings grew increasingly uncontrollable, so did the knowledge that I would, and could, do anything to keep him. When we walked
together, shame followed. There’s so much I see about him now that I didn’t before: his dual insecurity and hubris; his blatant manipulations and justifications. He had a tendency to separate himself from his actions as if his affection occurred in a vacuum. His world was that of blueblood-ease, pretty girls at his fingertips. Waiting for his calls, I felt like an actor in need of direction. We argued about everything, so much so that it became a necessity for me to be able to emote any insecurity through not-sothinly veiled blows. In off-campus basements, the boy I knew turned into a blank canvas for people who gleaned from the confidence of knowing they were from a class of unimaginable wealth. The end came just as sporadically as the beginning. Some version of the same fight about promises broken and lack of respect turned into the perfect weapon to call me crazy. At last, I could assume a role and do it justice. In the present, just as the many girls before me, and I’m sure after me, I was dismissed from his line of vision. Erasure in the form of a casual walk by. I called my best friend crying. “But Julia, he was wearing that navy sweater.” “But Julia, he was wearing JEANS.” “But Julia, what if I don’t feel that way about someone ever again?” Even now when I sit down to categorize my pain into neat, little paragraphs for this article, I struggle to form the descriptions necessary to let you in. Because ultimately that’s what he took from me–some semblance of both a true understanding of the nature of his relationship to me and my relationship with myself. So yes, I’m good at the Taylor Swift style
fragments and poignant vignettes. I’m not so good at specificity. Although I’m sure I hit all the right surface notes, the past me deserves more, and yet I can’t quite give it to myself with this piece. I’m the author, but I still wait for him to come and add to the story. I think I have to learn to live with that. I know deep down that I am no longer the same person that I was three years ago. Time moves despite the visceral pain, it doesn’t wait for your apology or theirs. With their absence, you have to start talking to yourself again. You have to ask yourself: What did I see in them to begin with? You have to confront the “you” that dated or loved them. For women, it’s often the assumption of fault or blame. Placing what they did wrong on your shoulders. Maybe we should start to think about who we let into our lives and how much gravity that can have–what exactly are we running from when we run from our ex? Why do we punish ourselves for feeling “too much?” The me in the garden on Thursday was breathless. My hair stuck out from the sides of my hoodie, my spandex was most certainly out of order, and I had to stop to tie my shoelaces twice. For a few seconds I felt as powerless as when I was when I was with him. On the phone, my best friend told me to sit down on a bench and try to write. Up until this article I have denied myself this chance. I told myself that I wasn’t ready to address the events of the past. I know it’s not just me who thinks that they have to have the events of their lives dissected and arranged perfectly to have any rights over them. I may not have the razor sharp insight I’d like, but I accept that uncertainty. I hope you can welcome yours. YM
ROMANCE | 6
Sex, Covid, Chlamydia, and Me WRITTEN BY GRIFFIN WILLNER PHOTOGRAPHED BY RISHI MAINKAR
I
recently had an experience hooking up with someone where the connection was unreal. Two bodies and two hearts intertwined with all the passion and buildup that one could ever hope for. My summer had been arguably dry, so I was thrilled to return to campus-life in Boston to be around my contemporaries and to better my mind and spirit. One aspect of this just happened to be continuing my journey of sexual and romantic exploration. After all of that time, my first experiences back were well worth the waiting period. However, within days of returning to Emerson College, I could feel my body deteriorating. It started with a cough. Then a sore throat. Then taking COVID tests daily. Though I was only ever faced with negative tests, I started wearing a mask to class. One day, I received a text that my sexual partner was experiencing other sorts of symptoms. With some discomfort, he got checked out––thankfully, it was only a UTI
When people such as students enter a new community, are illnesses to be expected? Should we fear them? What are the safety implications of putting yourself out there and hooking up? 7 | ROMANCE
and we both remained STD and illness-free. Still, this raised all sorts of questions for me. When people such as students enter a new community, are illnesses to be expected? Should we fear them? What are the safety implications of putting yourself out there and hooking up? Within only a few weeks back at school, there have already been multiple cases of COVID. While the pandemic is far behind us, illnesses are here to stay. Seasons are changing, temperatures are dropping, and with that comes an increase in influenza cases as well as the coronavirus. According to an ongoing study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, cases of the flu have generally spiked between December and March since 1982 all the way until 2022. Additionally, their website states that many other diseases reach peak height during this season including rhinovirus, colloquially known as the “common cold.” Just like the flu, the coronavirus often mutates and with this comes new and unusual variants. All that can really be done by modern science is predicting what the next variant will look like so that vaccines can be made. But, very little else can protect us from these changing bacteria and viruses. Due to lockdown and lack of resources, COVID affected access for testing sexually transmitted infections, or STIs. According to an article from Planned Parenthood titled “Planned Parenthood and Student Leaders Launch Pilot Initiative to Expand Access to Condoms on College Campuses,” 2021 saw over 2 million STI cases nationwide by the time of the article’s publication in October. The CDC statistics connected to this article cited a lack of ability to test as well as less resources, as funds were allocated toward COVID. To me, I can see how young, hot-and-bothered adults could be driven crazy by the lack of physical touch. The lack of proper testing exacerbates the problem. As we fall headfirst into the semester, it’s a fact that our immediate shift in social life would cause ailments to spread, but due to a lack of easily accessible information and tests, this sexual explosion could cause STIs to spread as well. So what can we do? Know your status and trust your doctors! In a world where not only STIs and sex are utterly stigmatized, diseases have turned into a great fear for young people like ourselves. Now more than ever, we all fear being accidentally exposed to illness, therefore we must communicate with any and all of our partners. I was lucky enough to have my sexual partner text me when he started to worry, but not all people are so open. If we cannot talk to one another, how can we expect to be completely naked both literally and figuratively? Finally, when it comes to any disease, we can protect ourselves by following necessary steps such as listening to our bodies, wearing protection, and masking when necessary. Though we’ve made it out of the pandemic woods, diseases still lurk in our sex lives and on the streets. We need to be able to trust one another, and that requires trusting ourselves first. Test, communicate, and stay safe! YM
ROMANCE | 8
9 | ROMANCE
College Dating: The Race for a Soulmate WRITTEN BY OLIVIA FLANZ
ART BY ISABELLA CHIU
know. You’re reading the title and thinking, “Well, that’s dramatic.” It is, but it would be a lie to say that there is absolutely no societal pressure to find your person in college. Unlike high school sweethearts, which are considered special and rare, couples who met in college are pretty easy to find. Whether it’s your parents, your friends’ parents, aunts, or uncles, there’s going to be someone in your life who can tell a sappy love story about how they found their partner while in the library or at a college party by “fate.” The problem is that after listening to these stories again and again of people meeting the love of their life, this precedent that you, too, will meet your person in college is created. “Everyone says the people you meet in college are the people you are going to have for the rest of your life, so there is a pressure to find your person,” says Hannah Friedman ‘27. Even during those discussions with friends about “what we are looking forward to in college,” there always seems to be a mention of excitement at the idea of a new dating pool. But it’s these instances that make the fun idea of possibly finding your soulmate turn into you needing to find your soulmate in college, or you worrying you’re missing your window to find true love. So who is to blame for this race to find your soulmate? Well, the mythos of soulmates has existed for hundreds of years, but it was first written in 1822 in a letter from poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The poet was not only a theologian and philosopher but the founder of the Romantic Movement in England. What could be a better time to write about soulmates than the Romantic Movement, an era that embraced sensation and emotion while rejecting rationality and reason? Coleridge wrote, “To be happy in Married Life... you must have a Soul-mate.” Ironically, the so-called founder of soulmatism never found a soulmate since he married his wife due to societal pressure and they eventually divorced. I guess it is true when they say coaches don’t play. While the founder wasn’t quite successful in finding his person, the concept of soulmates still impacts how people view romance and their relationships. This begs the question: why does society
love the idea of soulmates? “I think people like the reassurance that there is someone out there for you,” says Friedman. Sage Jezierski ‘27 adds, “I think people enjoy the idea that there is a person for you out there, and you just have to find them, but in reality, you have to in a way make your soulmate.” Jezierski went on to describe how if you are still in your relationship going into college, many people perceive it as being “unfortunate” since so many view college as the “perfect time to meet someone.” In some ways, that makes sense. In college, you are exposed to a larger population of people right off the bat and have so many opportunities to get to know possible partners. But if there is anything we can learn from Coleridge, it’s that the possibility of finding the perfect person isn’t as promising as it seems. But hope is not lost. When I asked Lauren Davis ‘27 why they think society loves soulmates, they said, “I think it has a lot to do with media production and the idea of finding someone at the right place and right time and all the tropes that are associated with it.” With so many movies, shows, and books about predestined love, it’s hard to escape the concept of soulmates. But with that in mind, through the many reiterations of “soulmate stories,” the definition of what it means to have one has definitely changed. This expansion of soulmates has led many to believe they found their person, just not Coleridge’s definition of one. Davis deems that “even platonic relationships can be soulmates.” Who could argue with that? The best friendships truly last a lifetime and can be as valuable as their romantic counterparts. It’s okay if you haven’t found your soulmate, and if you have, that’s great! There is no pressure! Dating in college is supposed to be a time to explore and figure out what you want, so you may as well have fun instead of stressing out about finding your soulmate. So, for all the people still searching for their person, know that if predestined love truly does exist, it will come to you. Therefore, there is no time limit to finding your “soulmate” in or out of college. And who knows? Maybe you already found them and you just don’t know it yet. YM
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ROMANCE | 10
PAPER DOLLS
DIRECTED BY LILY BROWN PHOTOGRAPHED BY LILY BROWN STYLED BY ANNA BACAL PETERSON MODELED BY JORDAN ROCHNA AND AISHA AKOREDE
WRITTEN BY DANA ALBALA
PHOTOGRAPHED BY CALEIGH MCCRINK
hree years ago I stood in front of my bathroom mirror, disgusted by what I saw looking back at me: a girl who still had to deal with the pain of braces four years after their first installation. Someone with cuts in her cheeks, caused by the wires attaching the brackets to my teeth for “just another month,” as my orthodontist would say, to provoke false relief. Once I got my braces off, I never wanted to deal with anything on my teeth again … until I found out about tooth gems. The first time I got them, I went for one. Right after my appointment, I wanted to go back to get another one right away. Next thing I knew, I just couldn’t quit smiling. I would look in the mirror and watch as they changed colors in the light. I no longer saw the girl who wouldn’t dare to smile in pictures. I never thought I would get to the point where I could be satisfied with my smile, but here I was, smiling back at the same girl I used to see, but this time, her smile was accompanied by a fresh set of tooth gems. If you open Instagram right now, there’s a high probability that the celebrities you follow have recently posted pictures flaunting their tooth decor. But when and why did this come to be? Many assume that tooth decor originated with the introduction of “grills” to the hiphop scene, as rappers constantly reference them in their songs. In Lil Wayne’s “Days and Days,” he mentions how the diamonds in his teeth make all his words “precious.” Surprisingly, tooth gems and decor trace back to ancient Mesoamerican customs. The Mayans accessorized their teeth with precious stones such as jade, turquoise, and pyrite as a representation of their power, whether that was a personal matter, a reference to their social status, or their power in society (Baker). By adorning my teeth with shiny gems, I understood this feeling of sudden power over myself. Every time I speak with someone, I draw attention to my smile, one of my insecurities. The anticipation of someone asking a question about my teeth makes my heart race. I feel excitement, yet I’m terrified of shining a light on my smile. This rush is followed by a feeling of power: even though I am out of my comfort zone, I chose to put myself there, exerting power over myself. After getting them done, the people around me began to recognize my smile. While exchanging conversation with strangers at parties, I’ve been asked a couple of times, “Are those diamonds on your teeth? How did you get them done?” While visiting my grandma, she caught a glimpse of them while we talked during tea time. When she asked about them, I was scared she would scold me, as she usually did
when I got a new tattoo. But unexpectedly, she said they made my smile look beautiful, making my heart full. My grandma’s approval is the only thing I need when trying new things. As the Mayans did, rappers and celebrities wear tooth gems to compliment their style, enhance their look, and show off their riches. Grills and tooth gems, depending on their authenticity, may reach high prices, meaning that the flashier the smile, the more successful the person is, as they can afford the luxury of tooth decor. Artists like Jay-Z, Lil Yachty, and A$AP Rocky are often seen boasting their successes by wearing sumptuous tooth decor. Simple tooth-gem designs are cheaper than other tooth decor. Tooth gems don’t include gold, making them far more accessible than grills or gold caps. This allows a larger demographic of people to access the world of tooth decor. Celebrities such as Hailey Beiber, Bella Hadid, and Kendall Jenner have been seen flashing a tooth gem or two, sticking to their well-known minimalistic, “clean girl” aesthetics that they are recognized for. This trend is attainable by many for a couple of reasons: the procedure is less time-consuming, less expensive, and requires less commitment. Personally, I went into the world of tooth gems with no previous knowledge, yet I was highly influenced by tooth gem aficionada, Rosalía. I was surprised to find out that, unlike grills or gold caps, the procedure took only fifteen minutes and used the same bonding process as braces, meaning that they could be easily removed by a professional. The first time I was inspired to get tooth gems was when, while I was scrolling on Instagram and I saw some artists from my home city Santiago, Chile, wearing them. I knew American artists were accustomed to tooth decor, but when I saw local people who were a similar demographic to me wearing them, I was attracted to the idea of having some myself. I spent a long time as a teenager hiding my smile, it was time to start showing it off. Whether you want to step out of your comfort zone by trying something new, further enhance your appearance by adding some bling, or simply want to show off your smile, tooth gems are versatile, working for every occasion possible. The influence celebrities’ styles have upon us is undeniable, but it’s also hard to ignore tooth gems’ appeal. From hiding my smile to showing it off, tooth gems allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and helped me strenghten my confidence. If you want to stand out in a room full of plain, regular smiles, amp up your own with a set of shiny tooth gems. YM
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I NO LONGER SAW THE GIRL WHO WOULDN’T DARE TO SMILE IN PICTURES
19 | style
FROM PEARLY WHITES
TO GLEAMING GEMS
STYLE | 20
21 | style
COWBOY BOOTS AND QUEER CULTURE WRITTEN BY CLAIRE DUNHAM
ART BY NICOLE ARMBRECHT
“I wish I knew how to quit you,” Ennis Del Mar spits bitterly into the cool Wyoming breeze.
S
urrounded by the picturesque slopes of Brokeback Mountain and dressed in traditional western cowboy attire, this clipped confession is equal parts romantic and heartbreaking, and the accompanying scene perfectly encapsulates the tragedy that is Ang Lee’s 2005 cinematic masterpiece Brokeback Mountain. The movie follows the decades-long love story of queer cowboys Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar. Based on the 1997 short story by Annie Proulx, the film’s influence on popular (and queer) culture cannot be understated. Gutted audiences applauded the juxtaposition of Brokeback Mountain’s tragic plot and rich idyllic aesthetic qualities, subsequently pushing the movie directly into mainstream limelight. Now, let’s flash forward to summer of 2023: Beyoncé’s highlyanticipated Renaissance World Tour is in full swing and the “coastal cowgirl” trend is flooding my entire TikTok “For You” page. Like many of my peers at the time, I could not go 10 minutes without seeing a metallic cowboy hat or the unmistakable weathered leather of vintage cowboy boots. As I scroll through hours of this content, I cannot help but think of Brokeback Mountain. I am also struck by the fact that the cowboy aesthetic, which was once considered predominantly heterosexual and hypermasculine, has transformed into a symbol of queer and gender-nonconforming iconography. I’m also reminded of my childhood in Kentucky—a state known for its horses and grass (and, unfortunately, Mitch McConnell)— where a similar, yet somewhat morphed, cowboy aesthetic has been adopted. For years, I was surrounded by wannabe cowboys with wide-brimmed hats and leather boots. However, it wasn’t until my
junior year of high school that I purchased my first pair of cowboy boots. They were vintage, bright red, and so unlike the basic boots that were abundant in my southern state. Looking back, I think this purchase was a form of subconscious queer signaling. The bold hue of my boots subverted the traditional clothing and stereotypes of the Kentucky “farm boys” I knew, but their classic shape and style was still undoubtedly masculine. When I paired these boots with my stiff Catholic school skirt and polo, which I frequently did during my junior and senior year, I was sharing a part of myself that I couldn’t yet put into words. I felt powerful and cool and authentically me. In her 2012 book Queer Cinema: Schoolgirls, Vampires, and Gay Cowboys, author Barbara Mennel describes the way Ang Lee intertwines queerness with aesthetic. “Brokeback Mountain follows the genre conventions of the western with long takes of wide shots that show the open spaces of wild nature, accompanied by a sound of a single guitar track.” The film effectively uses this traditional western cinematography to give audiences a deeper understanding of Ennis and Jack’s queerness, which is generally unspoken throughout the film. Just as the image of Beyoncé straddling a diamond-studded horse with a cowboy hat in hand, Lil Nas X’s embellished western blazers and reimagined country tunes, queer coastal cowgirls on TikTok with micro-bangs and maxi skirts, Catholic school girls with blood-red boots in Kentucky, all scream QUEER! in a powerful, yet unspoken, way. ym
STYLE | 22
THE BINS WRITTEN BY KIRA SALTER-GURAU
W
hen threatened, cows gather their belongings, some hay and dandelions, find their companions, and circle around one another. It’s harder to catch a fly in movement, and it’s the same with bovines. It’s called, “Cow Sense.” It’s innate; no communication and no mooing. They show up and they set into action. “Duuuuuude,” I texted my best friend Clara. For the past 10 days, Maine had gotten nothing but rain. No one was going out; the air was so still. It was almost like our forecast had been punishing us for our sandy clam chowder and shitty senators. “Wanna go to the bins tomorrow?” Pulling into the lot, the shadow of the massive warehouse towered over Clara’s pickup truck. Near their car, a mother and her young daughter were rolling up their sleeves and putting on plastic gloves. At another car, a group of 20-somethings had the trunk down and laid out their finds. Antsy, they picked at their pants, coats, and shoes. Each eyed the other. Suddenly, one reached for their pocket when a friend grabbed a pair of pants. They may have been reaching for their phone, but for all I know, it could’ve been a knife. For all I know, Riff and Bernardo were about to go berserk over some vintage green corduroy pants at 10 a.m. I held the door for someone with an empty shopping cart and a bewildered look in their eye; Clara followed and I let the door close behind us. Pulling on the plastic gloves I had snatched from my mom’s spackling kit, I looked up to survey the room. The white lights hanging from the ceiling were the kind of lighting you cry in while you’re in a dressing room with your mom. Big blue vats the size of small swimming pools lined the walls, filled with worn clothes instead of chlorine. The shoe bins were in the back and furniture was in the front of the store, cluttered in the corner. Rows of bins lined the center of the large concrete floor, dividing the shoppers like the pasture fences on a farm. Dozens from all over—cows, horses, pigs, goats—shuffled around the space with dinky blue grocery carts. Mothers and children speaking French argued near the door. Men in baseball hats sniffed high heels clasped together by a plastic band. Old women hunched over their finds like gray wolves protecting their fresh kill. I recognized faces from the bakery I work at and my mom’s students. People were lapping the room, arms full, wired in anticipation. Clara and I looked at each other, shrugged and went to work. The gloves came in handy. Among children’s L.L.Bean fleeces and men’s Carhartt overalls were used band-aids, miscellaneous paperwork, and a used maxi pad. My wrist was exposed between the black gloves and the sleeve of my sweatshirt. Fabrics grazed my wrist as I threw things aside and later I’d see the irritated skin, red and rashing over with little bumps. 23 | style
PHOTOGRAPHED BY NATALIA OPRZADEK
Clara held up a purple mumu, gesturing to me, you want? “Yeah, baby!” I laughed. After 10 minutes of digging, men came out of a door in the corner, which peered into a massive room with over seven tiers of shelves, moving belts and what must’ve been thousands of boxes. The vested men ushered people out of the way and hauled the bins out of the room. Everyone in the barnyard was still. The old women clutched their possessions, the high schoolers looked over their shoulders, and Clara and I stepped back. “What’s happening?” Clara whispered. The men wheeled in new bins, teeming with new clothing. Sleeves fell out of the sides like limbs and the piles shifted with the dips in the cement floor. I looked around at the crowd as I could see their nostrils flare like horses before a track race, feverish. Collectively, we inhaled the scent of fresh thrifts, fresh meat. As the four new bins were set into place, the line of restless shoppers shuffled their feet, muffling growls. “Go ahead,” they said and the pack closed in. Shoulder to shoulder, people pushed each other aside, devouring finely stitched dresses and glossy dress pants, gnashing their teeth into fine leather jackets and tenderly stretched denim. I watched in horror as people shoved each other aside and elbowed their way through the crowd to get a hand or even a few fingers into the bins. “Let’s stay back,” I said and we waited until the pack had dissolved. I could be mistaken, but it looked like I saw a man with a Patagonia vest, navy Dickies, and some Reeboks wipe blood from the corner of his lip. For all I know, it could have been sweat. The clothing had diminished by half in the span of 30 seconds. Shoppers walked away with cargo pants, blouses, and turtlenecks. As space opened up, I dug in. I found a pair of work pants, the fabric so worn in that it was soft with paint splattered at the cuffs and pockets. I also got two shirts, a maroon leather jacket, and a pair of tennis shoes. Clara found a polka-dotted dress and some blouses. Finding the line, we peered back at the ruddy faces. They resembled faces after a Thanksgiving meal: full, rosy, and shiny with perspiration. At the bins, you pay per the pound. I ended up paying $14.57, and Clara paid $8.50. We stumbled back to the car, dumping our clothes in the trunk. Sweat down my back and my hands were clammy under my gloves before I stripped them off them in hand sanitizer. My eyes felt dried up like they do after going to the beach, and my head throbbed. I popped some Advil and leaned back in my seat. “We don’t have to do this again for a while,” Clara said as she turned on the car. I looked over at her. “Agreed.” As we pulled out of the lot, it began to downpour. Shoppers ran inside, shielding themselves from the rain. Despite their best efforts, the droplets splotched their clothes, the pattern was reminiscent of spots on a cow. YM
STYLE | 24
STREET STREETSTREET style INTERVIEWED BY GIGI SIPIORA
PHOTOGRAPHED BY SOFIA VERANI
henry HENRY
Name: Henry Wachs (He/They) Style: Vibrant, playful, confident Inspo: Seeing what people wear on the streets, along with watching many runway shows Favorite Store: Aigo on Newbury St. It’s a vintage luxury store where I have purchased many of my pieces from. Their catalog is constantly changing, which helps me find new items. Celebrity Icon: It’s a three way tie between Lady Gaga, Grace Jones, and Audrey Hepburn. Pieces of Wardrobe They Can’t Live Without: Honestly any of the three bags I own (NYC bag included of course)!
25 | style
putri PUTRI
Name: Putri Ugwuojobe (She/Her) Style: Beads, colourful, comfy Inspo: I get it from my head really, I just get stuff that look nice and different. Then I randomly pair them in my brain right before I drift off to bed. Favorite Store: Tahari Celebrity Icon: Zendaya Pieces of Wardrobe She Can’t Live Without: Crop tops, beads, jeans
lian’a LIAN’A
Name: Lian’a-Raye Soopal (She/Her) Style: I’m a big advocate of wearing whatever you want and whatever makes you feel good. Sometimes for me it’s street wear, while other days it may be athleisure or something closer to cottagecore. Inspo: I pull from a lot of different sources, specifically on social media like TikTok and Instagram. I’ll find a few outfits or articles of clothing I like online and just put them altogether! Favorite Store: I would definitely say H&M. They have the perfect amount of every aspect of clothing from layering to t-shirts to just casual dresses. Pieces of Wardrobe She Can’t Live Without: My cardigans (specifically my cherry sleeved one), my puffer vest, and my oversized hoodies!
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Wrapped Up in My Mind DIRECTED BY JENNIE GRECO PHOTOGRAPHED BY SEBASTIAN OLIVO STYLED BY JULIA MAGDZIAK MAKEUP BY JENNIE GRECO MODELED BY KAIYANG ZHANG
Ask Easy Questions About Work and School WRITTEN BY ELLA CONRAD
PHOTOGRAPHED BY NIKKI EMMA
alking to my friends’ boyfriends has never been easy. We only make small talk, usually about work and school. Once we finish these two topics, the conversation goes stale. There I am, standing next to someone my best friend is in love with, someone who means so much to them, and I have run out of things to talk about. Most of my friends from home have boyfriends, the majority attending the same college. This distance gives me less time to get to know their boyfriends, leaving me dependent on rushed conversations in crowded environments. As the friend who has always been single, I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that my friends have these important romantic relationships. These people that they really care about, that they see and talk to every single day. I never have a true grasp on just how important these guys are. Why do I have to build a relationship with them, it’s not like they’re going to be with them forever, right? But my friends are in this for the long run. The relationship I have with someone my friend is dating depends heavily on how much information they tell me about their relationship. Some friends only tell me about the good things, probably because they know the second they tell me anything bad I’ll hate him forever. However, if they only tell me nice things, I’ll think he’s a sweet guy. When a friend comes to me asking for advice every time they fight or when he lies, I’m not going to have the best opinion of the guy I only know through Instagram. I’ve sat with my friends and consoled them after breakups as they told me all of the awful things about their relationship that they didn’t dare tell me while they were together. I constantly remind them that he isn’t worth it and she can do better, only for her to text me a few weeks later that they’re back together. Now I have to somehow
forget all of the horrible things that happened during their relationship, the way he broke her heart, and act friendly when I see them together. It’s impossible to go back on your word, my friend now knows I hate him. I told her I thought she could do better, that she was out of his league, and now I’m pretending that I’m so happy they’re are hanging out again! There are some boyfriends that, if I saw out in public, I would stop and talk to. For others, if I saw them in an aisle at the grocery store, I would move to avoid them. Some of them I just get along with better. The conversation flows more naturally; it feels like our friendship can exist outside of their romantic relationship. We have common interests outside of my friend that we can chat about. For some, it’s clear that the only reason we would ever have a conversation is because they’re dating my friend. We would never interact with each other if it wasn’t for their relationship. I sometimes feel forced to be in these relationships. Because these are not people I would’ve ever known or talked to if not for their relationship. Out of kindness to my friends, and a desire to know someone who plays such a big role in their life, I make an effort. I ask them something mundane and hope they ask me something in response. As a people pleaser, I can’t just ignore them. I need to start a conversation for the sake of my friends, even if the conversation only lasts two minutes. At the end of the day, my friends’ boyfriends are pretty decent, not my type, but I guess that doesn’t really matter. Next time I see them, I will probably ask how classes are and what they plan on doing after graduation. Eventually, I will have to start taking these relationships a little bit more seriously, because it looks like they’re going to be around for the long haul. YM
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LIVING | 36
Representation Healed My Inner Child WRITTEN BY GIANNI LAURENT
ART BY REBECCA CALVAR
rowing up as an avid consumer of Western media meant that each time I finished watching a film or TV show, it would was always followed by a lingering question of whether or not people like me could actually make it on the big screen. From the movies I absolutely enjoyed to the ones I couldn’t even get halfway through, there was almost no time where I could point to the screen and go “Look! There’s someone who looks like me.” Until this moment, I struggle to remember the first movie in where I saw a representation of a female character of Asian descent. I could only recall pieces of the excited feeling I got when I learned that Minho from The Maze Runner was Asian, or when I saw some background characters in other movies who were also Asian. But aside from this, whenever they do include Asians into their works, most of the time they resemble almost exclusively East Asian fea-
tures. With this being said, my childhood memories were pretty much filled with watching American movies with little-to-no representation of people who share the same features as I do. And to my young, naïve self, who dreamed of becoming an actress and working in the film industry, this only meant one thing: I was never born to fit these roles in the first place. Often, when you ask somebody from the West to name a few countries in Asia, their first response is Eastern Asian nations like China, Japan, or Korea. If you ask them how they usually “identify an Asian,” they might be honest with their answers by listing all the stereotypical East Asian features that society has defined as “Asian features” for them. Most importantly, when you ask them about other parts of Asia like Central Asia or Southeast Asia, you most likely will be met with blank, bewildered expressions on their faces, sometimes
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accompanied by the shaking of heads or the shrugging of shoulders. Though people are becoming more aware of cultural differences and the diversity of nationalities, many are still stuck with the idea that Asia consists only of certain countries, thus generalizing the entire continent to a smaller group. As an Indonesian with Chinese descent, a lot of my lifestyle and upbringing have been influenced by Chinese culture and tradition. I learned how to read and communicate in Chinese, cook (and eat) Chinese food on a daily basis, and even celebrated many Chinese cultural holidays with my family–it’s a big part of my identity. At the same time, it’s also the part of my identity that is shown more in the media I consume and is generally more globally recognized. Most people would probably be well-informed about East Asia’s culture of eating with chopsticks, for example, but perhaps not so much about some Southeast Asia’s culture of eating with our hands. Growing up with this mindset has forced me to conceal parts of my identity that did not align with the Western perspective of what a “real Asian” should look like, which later developed into feelings of shame regarding my own culture. Being an Indonesian or even Southeast Asian never really resonated strongly with me as I was constantly piggybacking on the Chinese side of my identity to feel validated as an “Asian.” I longed to be seen and acknowledged in popular media, but because I could never achieve this due to the lack of representation, I began to lose my sense of self. I gaslighted myself into being okay with whatever I was given. Throughout my childhood, I tried to satisfy this wish by forcing myself to think that having Mulan as the
only Asian Disney princess and Silvermist as the only Asian fairy was good enough representation. I now look back and realize that they look nothing like me, as they resemble more of East Asian identities. All of this changed when I first saw the movie Raya and the Last Dragon in 2021. It was the first time I have ever seen my culture–my real culture–being highlighted and talked about in an American film, being celebrated and appreciated for what it truly is, and most importantly, being represented accurately and authentically. Raya was Disney’s first ever Southeast-Asian princess, and not only does she have physical features that resemble my own but her story was also inspired by many different cultures across Southeast Asia. I vividly remember feeling overwhelming joy when I watched the movie, pointing and squealing at every single detail I could easily recognize as part of my culture. From the clothes and weapons Raya wore to the spiritual beliefs to the landscape and scenery, all the way to the fruits being laid out on the tables. In some of the scenes, I could name every single thing with such ease. Even Raya’s name holds different meanings in our languages: “big” and “kingdom” in Indonesian, “celebration” in Malay, and “dreams and aspirations” in Tagalog (from the word “Hiraya”). After all this time, I finally felt like I was watching an animated version of my home on the big screen, but this time, it was seen by people all over the world. I wish I could tell my younger self that I am in no way less of who I am because of Western media’s failure to properly portray my culture and identity. I hope she understands the significance of representation, and how it impacts other people’s lives. YM
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39 | LIVING
Teenager
WRITTEN BY LILY SUCKOW ZIEMER
ART BY ALEKS CARNEY
obody is upset about turning 20. At least, that’s what my parents told me this past June. But I was, the first of my friends to complete the second decade of my life, so there were few people to give me advice aside from my 60-year-old parents. According to them, these are going to be the “best years of my life.” My teenage years were not the best, and I can’t stop thinking about how they could’ve been. Maybe under completely different teenage-romcom-movie circumstances, they could’ve been. Everyone places so much pressure on being a teenager, and the 20s being “the best years of your lives” is only a sentiment amongst those who didn’t peak in high school. But in reality, no one wants to be 20. Everyone wants to sing ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” with the confidence of a real 17-yearold, or be The Backseat Lovers’ 19-year-old “Kilby Girl.” Maybe they’ll get over it and happily celebrate a birthday to Taylor Swift’s “22,” but no one sings about being 20. When I was younger, I was obsessed with the associations of each year. Thirteen was the elimination of, what I considered, the derogatory term tween. Sixteen is the age of Disney princesses and serious relationships. Eighteen is adulthood in the form of lottery tickets and license renewals. But while most kids seemed excited with each new milestone, I always hoped things would slow down. I wanted to have my aesthetic, coming-of-age story, complete with whirlwind romance and best friends. Soon, the passage of time felt like it impacted nothing but new TikTok trends showing pictures of yourself each year. The appearance of more and more videos of profiles using the hashtags #2006 or #2007 made me paranoid that I was no longer the cool older kid I had admired in middle school. I was just old.
I’ve been stuck in a sort of 16-year-old mindset for the last four years, expecting amazing experiences just because of my age and what was supposed to come with that. As much as I was desperate to graduate high school, I was just as desperate to magically replace it with perfect memories. Every time a classmate said they were sad to graduate, I had to hide my jealousy. So with each day closer to my 20th birthday, I felt a sense of panic. I should be out doing things, not sorting tomatoes at Jersey Mike’s. I tried to be happy to turn 20. I went out to eat with friends, had a Zoom birthday breakfast with my whole family, and danced at a club for 5 hours. But a week later, when introducing myself to someone, I made a point of saying I had just turned 20. I still can’t believe the first digit of my age isn’t a one. 20 comes with responsibilities. If I scrape someone’s car in a parking lot and start sobbing, I no longer have the excuse that I’m just a teenager. I might still feel like a teenager, afraid of the adult world, but the weight of the label “20” keeps tapping on my shoulder. I can’t figure out how to face it, and maybe that’s what still makes me a teenager. Will this ever change? Will I start liking men with facial hair? Will I wear modest clothing? The thought of a version of myself like this horrifies me, it just doesn’t feel like me. Change is inevitable, but my mindset doesn’t seem to get the memo, still stuck on the same hopes I’ve had for years. I don’t have a perfect conclusion, which is sort of the point behind this story. Everyone’s so concerned about 30, 50, 80, but what about 20-year-olds? Where are our answers? How do we mentally age with both fond memories and regrets pulling us backward? YM
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Post-Study Abroad Blues WRITTEN BY CATHERINE KUBICK
ART BY CHRISTINA CASPER
inding some semblance of home while traveling in a new place is no easy feat, especially knowing your time there is temporary. Studying abroad is a formative experience for college students worldwide. It provides individuals with a profound sense of independence as they explore and expand their knowledge of cultures and communities outside of their own. This life-changing experience certainly comes with its highs and lows… homesickness, “culture shock,” and jet lag are just some of the challenges that students will have to overcome when studying abroad, but what is rarely discussed are the myriad of conflicting emotions that are felt upon returning home. Studying abroad promotes this idea of possibility; you can do anything. Suddenly you feel braver, partly because you have to be, but there is also a blooming sense of courage and capability that comes over you once you gain your footing in a new place (after the initial homesickness and travel exhaustion subsides, of course). I know I felt a great deal of inspiration and creative fulfillment during my time spent abroad in the Netherlands. I found myself in an odd place in my life before I left; I was having some difficulty reckoning with my academic identity and my future, and was in dire need of some change. It wasn’t until I left that I realized a lot of the difficult emotions I was experiencing were rooted in my location. Living in Boston comes with so much bliss—being able to see your friends everyday, and being located in such an amazing city is undoubtedly a massive privilege—but leaving it behind for a semester turned out to be exactly what I needed to rediscover myself after a tumultuous sophomore year. You reinvent yourself when you’re abroad. Your life and routine are completely turned on their heads as you are suddenly surrounded by an entirely different way of life. You adapt to the perks of the country in which you are a guest in, and begin to make some pretty bold statements like: “Life is so much better here!” In my case of studying in the Netherlands, I certainly believe that the Dutch people are leaps and bounds ahead of America in
several sociopolitical areas. The access to public transportation is something that I still dearly miss from my time abroad. Being able to hop a bus or a train to practically anywhere was a luxury, and it was quite difficult to make the transition back to the independent and egocentric American way of travel. Learning about Dutch people’s healthcare, their prison systems, their justice system, and their decriminalized approach to sex work and drugs was life-changing in terms of how I viewed my home country. The individual liberty that comes with being on your own in a new country was jarring at first. You become incredibly self-sufficient in forming your own travel plans, budgeting, and balancing both travel and school. I was shocked myself with how capable I became after my abroad experience was over. As someone who struggles a great deal with anxiety, I was endlessly proud of how I was able to navigate new friendships, travel spontaneously in unfamiliar places, and problem-solve at a moment’s notice… all things I greatly struggled with at home. I found new parts of me that I had never really let come to the surface before my abroad experience, and I allowed myself to take risks and explore new passions. When I finally arrived home after a semester abroad, I felt like I lost my footing all over again. I am completely, in the most cliché way possible, forever changed by the process of self-discovery I embraced while abroad. Experiencing such a great amount of intrinsic change made for a difficult adjustment when reuniting with friends and family who had not been there to witness those quiet moments of accomplishment and success. It can be difficult to articulate the experience to others, which can lead to a sense of isolation and depression after returning home. This is simply due to the passage of time and the intense feeling that life at home went on without you. Being completely uprooted from your life at home when embarking on a study abroad adventure is incredibly difficult, as is trying to fit back in upon your return. Making up for lost time can be a frustrating task, but it is possible. Time and communication are key to finding the beauty in the life you lived an ocean away and the life you left at home. YM
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LIVING | 42
Running on Empty
DIRECTED BY EMMA CAHILL PHOTOGRAPHED BY EMMA CAHILL STYLED BY BIANCA LUND MAKEUP BY SOPHIE ROBERTS-FISHMAN MODELED BY ELSIE WANG, JEMMA SANDERSON, AND SOFONYAS ALEBACHEW
Does Barbie Have Flaws?
51 | arts & entertainment
WRITTEN BY RACHEL TARBY
ART BY OLIVIA FLANZ
rowing up, I always brought my DVD copies of Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper, Barbie: Fairytopia, and Barbie of Swan Lake to sleepovers (so 2000s, I know). What I loved about these movies was how magical they seemed. I was able to escape into the life of a fairy, or a princess, or a mermaid; all things that my inner child desired to be. At the age of 21, I still hold a special place for Barbie in my heart. For months, I couldn’t wait for July 21: the release date of the Barbie movie! I couldn’t wait to sit in the movie theater alongside many other former Barbie lovers and revel in the nostalgia of being young girls again. Although many viewers shared a similar excitement for Barbie, there were other viewers who were exempt from this. Greta Gerwig has been praised for directing movies such as Barbie, Little Women, and Lady Bird, all of which are said to capture the “female experience” or the experience of “girlhood.” While I agree that these films accurately portray aspects of the female experience and girlhood, it is important to note that my perception of these portrayals is based on my experience as a white, cisgender female. It is impossible to create a film, or any work of art, that resonates with or encompasses the experience of every woman, so we must recognize that movies aimed at capturing the female experience, such as Barbie, can create dangerous “single stories” of womanhood.Single stories are overly simplistic and generalized perceptions of people, places, and experiences. Attempting to capture an entire experience can be dangerous because it can erase the complexities and differences of each individual’s experience. Although many other woman-identifying people and I could relate to scenes in Barbie that resonated with our childhood memories of the doll, not every woman person can. The doll itself has been a controversial figure for decades. Originally created in 1959, Barbie debuted as a white, blonde woman with long, thin legs and a flat stomach. The doll encapsulated 1950s Western beauty standards; beauty standards that are toxic and unrealistic and have plagued generations of women. However in 1980, Barbie’s manufacturer Mattel began producing more diverse dolls (including dolls with various features common to different ethnicities and dolls with disabilities). In 2016, Mattel introduced Barbies with different body types such as petite, tall, and curvy. But the “original” Barbie with its unrealistic features still impacts young girls to this day. It is interesting that a movie based on a childhood toy that has caused so many body image related issues is being labeled as the “ultimate feminist movie.” In her NPR article titled “Is Barbie a feminist icon? It’s complicated,” Rachel Treisman asks, “Has a doll long criticized for perpetuating outdated gender norms and unrealistic body image become a feminist icon? Has she always been one?” Treisman notes that the Barbie franchise has long perpetuated
outdated gender norms, forcing us to ask the question: Is the Barbie movie, a so-called feminist movie, perpetuating these same norms? Barbie may have been exclusionary towards trans people and nonbinary people. Much like the heteronormativity of the toys themselves, the film produces a binary in which there are Barbies and there are Kens, insinuating that for every Barbie, there is a Ken. This binary showcases female characters and male characters, leaving out identities which do not conform to these binaries. However, there have been arguments that the character “Alan” is representative of those who identify outside of the binaries because he is not a Ken or a Barbie. Even so, this character is on the outskirts of the Barbie world, is portrayed as awkward, and is based on a discontinued toy. In her New York Times article titled “Barbie and Ken and Nothing in Between,” Emily St. James, who identifies as a trans woman, writes, “Yes, the film does well by trans people in some regards, especially by casting the trans performer Hari Nef as Doctor Barbie and giving her plenty to do. She isn’t just on hand to score ‘we love trans people!’ points. Yet the film’s story line and its politics set up a kind of pure distillation of womanhood that seems specifically rooted in the cisgender experience and affords little room for anything outside a rigid understanding of gender.” Much like Gerwig’s other films, Barbie is a female-forward and empowering movie—but it is not representative of all women people. As I previously mentioned, my experience, the cisgender female experience, was represented. But womanhood and girlhood are experienced in vastly different, individual ways and cannot be reduced to a single story. The Barbie movie ends with the idea that Barbie is every woman and every woman is Barbie—but the idea that every woman is the same creates a single story of what it means to be a woman and experience life as a woman. With that being said, it is important to distinguish between a “feminist film” and a film that includes feminist politics. Barbie was widely considered to be empowering to many women. Many female viewers resonated with the constrictions of the patriarchy and with the character Gloria’s moving monologue about the endless contradictions that women face. The Barbie movie did an excellent job at incorporating feminist politics, but I am hesitant to label a movie that is exclusionary of trans and nonbinary identities, centers around a figure that has for so long perpetuated toxic beauty standards for young girls, and creates a single story of womanhood/ girlhood, as a “feminist movie.” As much as I enjoyed being transported into the sparkly, pink Barbie world for an hour and 54 minutes with an absolute banger of a soundtrack, I think we as consumers must be considerate and careful of what we label a “feminist” work of art. Before we label any work as inherently feminist, we must evaluate if it is intersectional and inclusive of all identities. YM
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C e th
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y most embarrassing secret as a Writing, Literature & Publishing major with a literary concentration? I’m a romance reader. Well, maybe reader isn’t the most accurate term–I’m a romance devourer. I read at least three romance novels a week, taking every break between classes and essay writing to dive into a new enemies-to-lovers plot filled with copious amounts of angst and endless banter. But with fluffy dialogue, happy endings, endless banter, and seemingly meaningless prose, what do chick-lits have to offer in our contemporary world? I’d argue several things, mainly a feminine lens on contemporary problems including body image, consent, and exploration of intimacy. I think it’s important to recognize that the romance genre is the only literary genre primarily written by and for women. So, before we allow film bros and male literary professors to bash us for reading romance, remember the context the genre holds in our patriarchal society and the value it holds for women in the publishing industry. Reading romance could even be considered a form of resistance to patriarchal values and an intentional embracing of our femme culture. It’s important to embrace what we love regardless of society’s misogynistic values. So, the next time a film bro or your uptight literature professor asks you why you read romance, you can show them this article. My first argument for romance novels: healthy conversations about consent. Many romance novels contain sexual content between the two protagonists. While impromptu acts of passion can be butterfly-inducing, I’ve noticed positive patterns of both protagonists asking for consent before they touch the other. For example, I’m reading a new hockey romance this week–Consider Me in the Playing for Keeps Series by Becka Mack. I don’t understand sports, but I have a soft spot for hockey love stories. In this novel, the male protagonist, Carter, asks to hold the female protagonist, Olivia’s, hand when they’re on their first date at a movie theater. Small gestures like this might seem like fluff or rising action pummeling toward their happy ending, but they’re actually concrete examples of consent. Consent isn’t a strictly sexual topic–it appears in all areas of our lives and in different relationships. In every romance
novel I’ve read, there are varying examples of consent within sexual intimacy, platonic relationships, and smaller physical touches, like hand-holding. Another topic that romance novels cover heavily, especially with the rise of authors of color (i.e. Ana Huang and Lauren Asher), is body image. As a woman of color, trying to accept my own body while only seeing white body ideals in the media has been difficult. Sow hen I read about women of color’s struggles with body image in my romance novels I feel connected to the protagonist. For example, in The Fine Print by Lauren Asher, a recent hit on “BookTok,” the main character Zahra struggles to come to terms with her cellulite, stretch marks, and thicker thighs that come with her Armenian heritage. Her love interest Rowan Kane makes an active point of loving heavily on Zahra’s body, specifically the parts she’s insecure about. Asher also explores sex from Rowan’s perspective, and we get to read how he worships Zahra’s body, her cellulite and stretch marks aren’t a thought in his mind. Lastly, these books are a positive representation of intimacy centered around pleasure rather than solely male gratification. Many of us receive our unofficial sexual education from pornography and have unrealistic expectations of what sex is and what it could be. That’s why reading intimacy scenes written by women is so significant–it’s an accurate representation of pleasure, intimacy, and what an equal exchange in the bedroom should look like. If I was able to go back in time and receive my sexual education from my romance novels rather than a porn website, I would. Young people deserve to know how to have sex in a healthy, enjoyable, and consensual way–all of these things are represented in your run-of-the-mill romance novel. So the next time someone tries to make you feel bad for reading a book with a shirtless man on the cover, remind them that 1) it’s none of their business and 2) romance novels contain so much more than just fluffy writing and meet-cutes. The substance within my favorite books has taught me so much about myself, intimacy, and femininity that I wouldn’t have learned without them. So, go pick up a sappy book and get reading! YM
arts & entertainment | 54
WRITTEN BY MARIANA S. CARO
ART BY ALEKS CARNEY
THE DUALITY OF TELENOVELAS
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I
will never forget the first time I watched a telenovela. I was four-years-old and at my grandparents’ house, while my parents attended a Law convention. During this stay, I closely watched my grandmother’s afternoon routine which consisted of watching Caso Cerrado, a very famous and dramatic Latin American show that reenacted court cases, from 4:00 p.m, to 5:00 p.m. This was followed by a news segment from El Nuevo Dia, which ended at 7:00 p.m. Then finally, new episodes of different telenovelas until 10:00 p.m. I was utterly mesmerized by the plot even if I didn’t initially understand the context of the new episodes. These episodes’ suspense, thrill, and drama hypnotized me for hours. Telenovelas undoubtedly helped bring us together and as a result, we made it a tradition. Later on, I learned that my best friends also shared this tradition with their grandmothers and confessed to loving these telenovelas too. After I moved from Puerto Rico to Boston for college, my new Latin American friends also shared this tradition. It was something that brought us together. However, when rewatching telenovelas, with the hopes of reliving childhood memories, I became distracted with the stereotypes they portrayed. Here is where my conflicting feelings started. I realized that most of the relationships shown in these episodes were manipulative, disloyal, toxic, and disrespectful. One of the main recurring themes was the man having to choose between two women. Some episodes even showed the ideal woman having to endure infidelity as the “love of their life” left them to be with their mistress, making the woman look both weak and worthless. Many women felt inspired by these telenovelas like I did. However, it was not until I grew up that I became aware of the stereotypes that my own community was pushing. When you ask someone to reenact a telenovela, a person will most likely start yelling, throwing things, and making expressions like “Estupida! He’s mine!” It doesn’t matter whether you are Hispanic, Latino, or white, that is usually the first response everyone has. Although it could be funny due to how overly exaggerated the drama is, it continues to push certain stereotypes that affect Latina women specifically. When I say I am from Puerto Rico here in the United States, the responses are usually “Oh wow you are so exotic,” or “That makes sooo much sense you look sooo Latina.” People have also said “Ohhh okay okay so you’re ghetto but also exotic.” But what does that mean? The U.S. has a long history of racism itself, but telenovelas have certainly contributed to the “double burden” of being both a woman and Latina. I interviewed a series of Latina women who shared their experiences regarding how these stereotypes have affected them in their daily lives. “My mom wouldn’t let me watch them because of all the oversexualized scenes she claimed telenovelas had. But what captivated me the most were the relationships and cliffhangers. It kept me on the edge of my seat, but when I grew up I realized that the couples were very toxic,”says Greta Costa ‘24 from Argentina. “I would normalize certain things that now I find appalling. It is upsetting because not a lot of people in the U.S. are familiar with our culture, and so they think that what they see is a reflection of our entire culture when it’s not like that.” Micaela Simon ‘25, an Emerson student from Peru, grew up
watching telenovelas from Argentina and Mexico because they were the most popular ones at the time. Her favorite telenovela was Floricienta, and what captivated her the most was the music and romance. “I really enjoyed the thrill of the chase in these relationships, and I really thought that’s how relationships worked, but it wasn’t until I experienced a relationship that I found out that this wasn’t true,” Simon states. Without a doubt, telenovelas promoted stereotypes of women as weak and in need of male protection or rescue, along with perpetuating over-sexualization, deceit and manipulation, wealth disparity, exaggerated mannerisms, and ideal beauty standards. They also often portrayed LGBTQ+ characters in exaggerated stereotypical ways that did not represent the community’s diverse spectrum of identities. However, over time there has been a shift from these themes. “All I saw in telenovelas were heterosexual couples, the mean girls, the popular group, the girls screaming or fighting over the guy, [and] them being portrayed as jealous or melodramatic,” Simon says. “Conscious of that, when I came to the U.S. I decided to dial it down and be less competitive because I knew that these stereotypes existed.” Pamela Matos ‘25, Puerto Rico, who grew up watching telenovelas with her mom, highlights the positives of these soap operas. “I like telenovelas where the protagonist is a badass who doesn’t let men get in the way, it reminds me of my mother,” Matos said. “That’s why I like Teresa so much because it shows the female rage as a product of stereotypes in relationships specifically. It is definitely a different image and one that I resonate with more.” Ana Videla ‘25, Argentina/Colombia discussed Betty La Fea, one of the first telenovelas to have a protagonist that doesn’t follow societal beauty standards. “Betty La Fea, is a series that was ahead of its time and I enjoyed it because the protagonist wasn’t the stereotypical ‘it girl’ that we would always see,” Videla says. “However, even the good ones sent stereotypical messages.” Videla expressed some of the positive sides of telenovelas by sharing how she was able to learn more about her Colombian heritage through telenovelas, since she had spent the majority of her life in Argentina. They also allowed her to reflect on her family’s hardships and the importance of unity, which is a common theme present in telenovelas. For Latinas, telenovelas are important because they serve as quality time with our families and play a crucial part in our childhood. It wasn’t until we left our countries that we realized how our image as Latina women was distorted by the amount of stereotypes that the media had pushed through telenovelas. Our complex relationship with telenovelas will continue to evolve. While we should cherish the memories and bonding they provided us in our youth, we should also acknowledge the need for critical examination and awareness of the impact these shows have on our society, especially on young and impressionable minds. As we advocate for more responsible and diverse storytelling, we must strive for media that not only entertains but also educates and fosters understanding among communities. Through open dialogue and constructive criticism, we can work towards a more equitable portrayal of all individuals, both on and off the screen. YM arts & entertainment | 56
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SONGS FOR A WITCHES’ GATHERING 57 | YMP3
Willow --- Taylor Swift Gold Dust Woman --- Fleetwood Mac There’d Better Be A Mirrorball --- Arctic Monkeys For the Dancing and the Dreaming --- Erutan Dream Girl Evil --- Florence + The Machine Let The Light In (feat. Father John Misty) --- Lana Del Rey, Father John Misty In the Woods Somewhere --- Hozier Cherry --- Lana Del Rey October Sky --- Yebba Heaven --- Mitski Tír na nÓg --- Celtic Woman, Oonagh to Perth, before the border closes --- Julia Jacklin itch --- quinnie Into the Unknown (feat. Jack Jones) --- Over the Garden Wall, The Blasting Company Season Of The Witch --- Lana Del Rey Adiemus --- Karl Jenkins, Adiemus, Mike Ratledge, Jody K. Jenkins, London Philharmonic Orchestra Take Me to Church --- Hozier Washing Machine Heart --- Mitski Linger --- The Cranberries Rhiannon --- Fleetwood Mac Hush --- The Marías Mirage --- Alexandra Savior Femme Fatale --- Twin Temple Fire of Love --- Jesse Jo Stark Taco Truck x VB --- Lana Del Rey Over the Moon --- The Marías You’re Dead --- Norma Tanega Birthday Suit --- Cosmo Sheldrake bury a friend --- Billie Eilish we fell in love in october --- girl in red this is what autumn feels like --- JVKE when the party’s over --- Billie Eilish Which Witch --- Florence + The Machine Anti-Curse --- boygenius
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59 | ARTIST STATEMENT
ARTIST STATEMENT ellis pizzoferrato
Describe your work in one sentence: Author and illustrator for an independent online comic series.
How and when did you get into digital illustration? Why cartoons?
I drew all the time all the time as a kid. Art class was my safe haven and I remember coming home to school telling my parents that I wanted to become an art teacher one day. I kinda abandoned drawing as a whole when I got into filmmaking and video editing in middle school. I downloaded Procreate last year and found myself drawing the same characters I drew back then. There were some pressing stories that I wanted to tell, but I lacked the right medium for them. These characters filled that role. When I create these comics, I feel like I’m connecting with a part of myself that I left behind. In a strange way, these comics make me feel whole.
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What inspires you? I grew up on Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes. I like to think of my comics as the “new wave” of these classics. Cartoon Network also holds a special place in my heart—Adventure Time and Steven Universe are major inspirations in terms of art direction. When it comes to the stories I tell, I take a lot of inspiration from my own life in high school, and my relationship with my brother at this time.
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Who are some of your favorite creators/artists? @bear_patrol and @kumerish on instagram are my two favorites - my style shares a lot of resemblance. Definitely check them out!
What is it like to be Instagram/TikTok famous?
What advice would you give other/new creators?
I wouldn’t consider myself famous by any means! But I’m very grateful that I’ve managed to reach so many with my little comics. The Instagram Reel algorithm is no joke.
You are your work regardless. Take advantage of that. Share who you are in any way you can. Your experience is more valuable than you know.
What is your favorite illustration you’ve made? What makes it special to you?
Where can readers see more of your work?
Pretty tough to choose. A lot of these stories come from a very personal place, but I think I’m most proud of the ones that are most universally understood. Pretty proud of the one about Jerry the caterpillar.
61 | ARTIST STATEMENT
All my work is on my instagram page, @worksbyferrato - definitely check out the reels! On a hiatus currently, but will be back with new content in early 2024!
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