TheWomen’sIssue
MAGAZINE STAFF
Gia Krupens, Editor-in-Chief gkrupens22westmedia.com
Alana Loinaz, Managing Editor aloinaz@22westmedia.com
Caroline Bae, Art Director cbae@22westmedia.com
Tulasi Napolitani, Distribution Manager tnapolitani@22westmedia.com
Payton Smith, Advertising Associate psmith@22westmedia.com
COVER DESIGN
Payton Smith, Artist & Graphic Designer @artbysmittyy
VOLUNTEER MEETINGS
Join our Discord server for information on meetings and upcoming issues.
CONTACT US
Email: contact@22westmedia.com Mail: 1212 N. Bellflower Blvd, Suite 108 Long Beach, CA 90815
Instagram: @22westlb @22westtv @22westsportslb @22westradio
TikTok: @22westlb
YouTube: @22WestTV @22WestSports
Disclaimer and Publication Information: 22 West Magazine is published using ad money and partial funding provided by the Associated Students, Inc. All Editorials are the opinions of their individual authors, not the magazine, ASI nor LBSU. All students are welcome and encouraged to be a part of the staff. All letters to the editor will be considered for publication. However, LBSU students will have precedence. Please include name and major for all submissions. They are subject to editing and will not be returned. Letters may or may not be edited for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and length. 22 West Magazine will publish anonymous letters, articles, editorials, and illustrations, but must have your name and information attached for our records. Letters to the editor should be no longer than 500 words. 22 West Magazine assumes no responsibility, nor is it liable, for claims of its advertisers. Grievance procedures are available in the Associated Students business office.
LETTER FROM AN EDITOR
Happy five-year anniversary to the Women’s Issue at 22 West Magazine! Every Spring semester calls for this beautiful theme filled with stories of resilience, leadership, and determination. Women’s history isn’t just something to look back on; it’s something we’re all creating together every single day.
I really enjoyed going through each submission for this issue. Our volunteers went above and beyond to express their admiration for women’s personal and professional accomplishments. You will also find a lot of criticism in here, which I was really proud to read. Thank you all for your dedication to such an important theme and I hope we keep standing up in the face of injustice and prejudice. I’d like to encourage all of you to go to history.com and check “Women’s History Milestones: A Timeline.” The article truly shows how revolutionary women are and how much sweat and blood our descendants put into giving us a more just life.
Today, I’m proud to say I have been part of a female-led staff at 22 West Magazine for over a year and a half now. You can find us in the USU room 108, across from the pool tables. While this is my last Women’s Issue here before graduating, it will not be the last I encounter in life.
March is a reminder for us to celebrate the women in our past, present, and future every day.
ALANA LOINAZ MANAGING EDITOR
THE MAGAZINE TEAM
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
GIA KRUPENS
ART DIRECTOR
CAROLINE BAE
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER TULASI
MANAGING EDITOR
ADVERTISING ASSOCIATE
PAYTON SMITH
NAPOLITANI
ALANA LOINAZ
CONTRIBUTORS
Wanna be on this list? )––
Ashley Tanha, Writer
Elizabeth Anthony, Writer
Eric Ceja Ruiz, Writer
Grace Morcos-Hill, Writer
Havni Rami, Writer
Jason Green, Writer
Karen Lopez, Writer
Sarai Carpio-Au, Writer
Daniella Martin, Artist
Derek Andrade, Artist
Elizabeth Anthony, Writer and Artist
Izzy Ringman Flores, Artist
Leyna Vu, Artist
Tina Hung, Artist
Join our Discord! –) –
Art and Empowerment:
The Role of Women-Owned Galleries in Long Beach
Long Beach homes a city where creativity flourishes through the enriched support of its community. Local galleries, monthly art showcases, and various forms of art on walls expand the opportunities artists can be exposed to. Women-owned galleries play a vital role in female representation and offer a space for local emerging artists to build relationships and platforms. Elizabeth Munzón, owner of Munzón Galley, and Betsy Lohrer, curator of Flux Art Space, work towards providing these opportunities by fulfilling their own passions and the talent of their communities.
Native to the San Fernando Valley, Elizabeth Munzón shares the journey of an artist with a dream. The moment she first picked up a paintbrush lingered from childhood to higher education. Munzón moved to Long Beach in 2008 to start fresh and shape what her future would be. Attending Long Beach Community College, she experimented with her career path and eventually had enough credits to pursue a degree in art. She made her way to Long Beach State University, where her horizons expanded. As a first generation Mexican-American, the pieces she produces come from pre-Hispanic stories, folklore, and personal narratives. She incorporates symbolism into her own stories, experiences, and the history of her descendants. She was inspired by the layout of Artistic Edge Art & Framing, a Long Beach picture frame shop on Fourth St. and St Louis Ave. The owner, Kathy Caitano, had a mini gallery in the front while she worked on her frames in the back. Driven by the arrangement, her space would be filled with the liveliness of her own craft as she’d be able to have her practice in the same space where she could hold critiques, art shows, and networking. Moreover, the space was created to keep in contact with her fellow peers she met at LBSU while also opening the doors for future alumni to be recognized and heard.
Originating from Munzón’s first space, Flatline Gallery, 2017- 2022 was an era where she was balancing a full-time job, the gallery, and her own practice. In 2019, she had to take that leap of faith to pursue what it was that she wanted. Then came COVID-19, a pivotal point determining the outcome of many small businesses. Along with the variety of what a gallery possesses, being a first time gallery curator comes with sufficient hard work and lots
◄ ELIZABETH MUNZÓN ▲ ▼ PHOTOS BY JAMIE GUERRERO
of learning. Flatline Gallery was where it all began and was crucial to the learning process fueling Munzón’s motivation. “The more I did it, the more I wanted to be better and hold more responsibility, whether that be programming, curating, or figuring out how the gallery would be financially stable,” she said. Munzón shifted the focus from in-person contact with customers and began to use an online presence to meet the community. Learning how to be seen in the greater Los Angeles art scene and consistently connecting with LBSU alumni artists and new graduates generates this cycle of networking and a platform for Long Beach artists. The space highlights skills surrounding painting, acrylic, and oil to print, making transforming as one of the fundamental spaces when navigating through Long Beach’s art scene. Workshops with local artists, group shows, and connecting events can be found on East Anaheim St., Long Beach for creativity to be explored and supported at Munzón Gallery.
Born in New York, Betsy Lohrer would migrate to Southern California, but going back to see family
and loved ones would expose her to contemporary museums and the liveliness of east coast art. From a young age, Lohrer resonated deeply with art, and without question, it was a lifestyle that she wanted to take seriously and explore through various mediums. Early influences include Ann Hamiliton’s installation “The Capacity of Absorption” from 1988-1989, utilizing the space in a way that was revolutionary for Lohrer. Hamilton’s art
Women-owned galleries play a vital role in female representation and offer a space for local emerging artists to build relationships and platforms.
and many others inspired Lohrer’s aesthetic and how 2 and 3 dimensions can be used to interact with not just what the audience may see but also how it may touch all senses of the body. Since Lohrer’s art can be classified as experimental, it challenges our society’s capitalistic norm to make art for the masses, but she expressed how her art is “antithetical” and “counterbalance” made to be captured in the moment. With the rise of technology and screen usage, she continues to create in a form that communicates what can be learned through the physical materialistic values of the world. Another inspiration, Yoko Ono, whose “poetic sensibility and minimalist approach” to philosophy was crucial to the Fluxus Movement in the 1960s. The art movement represented being in the middle of change and, furthermore, the process of oriented art and being able to actively see how the creation was produced.
The premise of flux is that creativity is an integral part of life, and Flux Art Space with its grand window space showcases the art not only inside but
to the general public daily. Today, being an artist is heavily focused on one’s ability to put oneself out there, as many aren’t too keen on having the attention. Lohrer was able to be in the middle through curating art. The art displayed is picked based upon variety, introducing artists to one another, and the public creating an “interweaving” community. She exhibits power to make a difference in the community as she opens her doors for all to experience the virtue of craft. As she works at the back, the ability to produce shows and help artists realize what ideas can come into place is one of her greatest treasures. Lohrer uses her space to invite artists throughout Southern California to have an opportunity to showcase their work while making connections, creating a multigenerational community of culture. Artists know where to find one another, but when the general public witnesses something new and exciting, a perspective on life “worth wild” is generated. Her shows aren’t motivated by the outcome, but by the experiences that are at Flux Art Space, where creativity is overflowing with human interaction.
▲ BETSY LOHRER HALL PERFORMING BREAKING CODES. PHOTO PROVIDED BY BETSY LOHRER HALL
◄ ▼ PHOTOS BY JAMIE GUERRERO
THERE’S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL
Irecently heard that the Women’s Pro Baseball League season is starting in the summer of 2026 and I was so excited. As someone who played softball in their youth, but never really liked Major League Baseball, a Woman’s league sounded amazing. This got me questioning why it has taken such a long time for a female baseball league to emerge. That’s when I remembered Penny Marshall’s 1992 film, A League of Their Own. The film follows Dottie Hinson, played by Geena Davis, as her sister and her join the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1943 during World War II. The film stars
Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madonna, Rosie O’Donald, and Tom Hanks, an iconic and powerful cast of media legends of the 90’s. A League of Their Own is a quintessential female empowerment film that explores the dynamics of gender, power, and identity within the realm of baseball. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend adding it to your list. The thing that sticks out the most about the film is that it depicts a fictionalized account of the real life phenomenon of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) which lasted from 1943-1954. The AAGPBL not only provided women with unprece-
WRITTEN BY GRACE MORCOS-HILL
ILLUSTRATION BY TULASI NAPOLITANI
dented opportunities in professional sports during the 1940s and 1950s, but also played a crucial role in reshaping societal perceptions of femininity and athleticism, ultimately laying the groundwork for future advancements in women’s sports.
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was created when Philip K. Wrigley was threatened with the cancellation of the Major League Baseball season due to players going off to fight in World War II, as stated in Laura J. Kenow’s paper, “The All-American Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL): A Review of Literature and Its
“This league allowed them to show not only a culture that focused solely on their gender and the restrictions that come with that, but also how women can be strong, athletic, hardworking, and still feminine.”
Reflection of Gender Issues.” After this decision to make this new league, Wrigley and others tried to redefine the rules of this game as the only female counterpart sport to baseball was softball, so the league played a hybrid of the two sports. They began to scout women from across the US and Canada, and made final selections based on sliding, throwing, batting, etc. The women who were chosen for the four teams that were created – Racine Belles, South Bend Blue Sox, Kenosha Comets, and Rockford Peaches – were paid around $70 a week and were required to have no other job during the baseball season. The players were also required to attend Rubenstein’s Beauty Salon’s evening charm classes as Kenow states in her paper, “Wrig-
ley and Meyerhoff’s beliefs that the success of the AAGPBL depended upon marketing the players’ femininity as much as their athletic skill.” It was mandatory for each player to be hygienic and focus on their physical beauty. A special uniform was created for the league, consisting of knee high socks, a cap, and a short dress, which was used in order to highlight the player’s femininity and appeal to the male gaze. The league became very popular after its first well-played season, as stated on The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League’s website, “Most of the nation was involved… in the war effort. Women, who were formerly homemakers, left their homes to support the war by taking jobs in factories…This change in the traditional occupation of women made the environment much friendlier for accepting women as professional ball players.” Since the US and the world were going through a devastating war, there were many societal changes happening on the homefront. While husbands were away, Rosie the Riveter came out to play, and women got to leave behind the homemaking for the breadwinning. These changes led to a more understanding and accepting crowd for the AAGPBL. The league expanded after its first season and even continued some time after the war had ended and Major League Baseball had picked up again. The league unfortunately was dismantled in 1954 as the sport had lost its popularity. Over 600 women played throughout the league’s 12 year run, and it gave many women the ability to play a sport at a professional level that had a huge and supportive fan base. This whole phenomena challenged and reshaped the notion of femininity and what it meant to be a woman, and also helped pave the road for future women in sports and beyond.
Prior to this time, women were confined to being homemakers and ladylike, and yet every single woman who participated in the league showcased that women were athletic and competitive. This league allowed them to show not only a culture that focused solely on their gender and the restrictions that come with that, but also how women can be strong, athletic, hardworking, and still feminine. These new adjectives to the word “woman” didn’t take away from femininity, but showcased the true power and facets that lie behind femininity. This league, though short run, had a lasting impact on not only female professional sports, but also female agency, as later down the road in 1972 Title
IX was passed. Many women who played for the AAGPBL were on the front lines fighting for Title IX to be passed, which prohibited discrimination based on sex in educational settings. These women became role models for young girls who could see themselves becoming professional athletes as it gave them women to look up to. And though this is an important time in history for women, the league was forgotten for a time. This brings us back to Penny Marshall and her 1992 film A League of Their Own. This film brought back awareness of this interesting bubble of time in history, bringing back an interest in the phenomena of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Though the story is fictional, it perfectly highlights the struggles that these women faced trying to get people to take the league seriously and showed the camaraderie and triumph that these women were able to accomplish in this short window of time. I cannot stress enough how much I adore this film and what it did for me as a young girl wanting to be a part of the Rockford Peaches. The AAGPBL is still inspiring over 80 years later, and I am so excited and will be tuning in for the inaugural game of the Women’s Pro Baseball League in 2026.
RESILIENCE ACROSS GENERATIONS
A Mother and Daughter’s Journey as FirstGeneration Immigrants
WRITTEN BY HAVNI RAMI
ILLUSTRATION BY DEREK ANDRADE
In 1994 my mother fulfilled her long-held dream of coming to America. Growing up in India she had always aspired to pursue higher education, a rare ambition for women in a culture where many were expected to stop schooling after high school, if they were even allowed to go that far. However, my grandfather defied these traditional expectations, encouraging his daughters to be financially independent. As a result, my mother earned a master’s degree in English before embarking on her journey to the United States.
Upon arriving she found herself in a completely new world. The expectations she had formed about America, largely shaped by watching Western television shows like Bold and the Beautiful, Star Trek, and Remington Steele, painted a picture of glamour and endless possibilities. Yet, reality hit hard as she navigated the struggles of finding a home, a job, and a support system all while being a new mother in a foreign land.
A
Mother’s Struggles and Triumphs
When I asked my mother about her biggest challenges as a new immigrant in 1994, she recalled how difficult it was to find a stable place to live and secure employment. Determined to rebuild her career, she enrolled in Los Angeles City College classes. One of her professors, noticing her exceptional academic performance, questioned why she was taking classes instead of teaching them. Encouraged by this, she began applying for teaching positions across California, submitting over 50 applications before securing a position at Long Beach City College in 1997. From there her career flourished, leading to government job opportunities and a more stable life for our family. However, beyond professional struggles, my mother faced immense personal hardships. With little support, she had to learn how to navigate
motherhood in a new country. Simple things like scheduling doctor’s appointments, figuring out bus routes, and understanding American healthcare became overwhelming tasks. She described the experience of taking the bus to the hospital while in labor with my older sister: “From 2:00 AM to
“The stories of my mother and sister reflect the resilience, perseverance, and strength of immigrant women.”
8:00 AM, I was in pain. When my contractions were five minutes apart, I knew it was time. Our tenant, Moses, had a small red sports car, and he took me to the hospital. The ride was bumpy, and I was in agony, but I made it. There were no painkillers or epidurals. I just endured it.”
Despite these hardships, my mother never regretted coming to America. “I feel fortunate and blessed that God was kind to me,” she told me. “I would have gone crazy in India.”
When asked what advice she would give to other immigrant women facing similar struggles, she shared: “Be ready to take anything that comes your way. Life throws curveballs, and you have to play the ball. Struggle is everywhere, it doesn’t matter what country you are in.”
A Daughter’s Perspective: The Weight of Being the Eldest
Growing up as the eldest daughter of an immi-
grant mother brought its own set of challenges. My older sister bore the responsibility of navigating life in America largely on her own. She had to figure out how to apply for college, manage schoolwork, and care for us, all while holding a part-time job to contribute financially.
One story that stood out was her determination to experience her high school senior year like her peers. “We had financial issues, and mom couldn’t afford my senior package, prom, or Grad Nite at Disneyland,” she recalled. “So, I started selling chips at school until I saved up enough to afford it all and even had $20 left over.”
The cultural gap between her and our mother was another challenge. Raised with traditional Indian values, our mother had strict rules: no sleepovers, no outings with friends, and a strong emphasis on academic excellence. “I grew up watching only Indian movies and listening to Indian music,” my sister said. “When I went to school, I got made fun of because I didn’t know American songs or pop culture. Kids would make fun of my lunches, saying they smelled stinky. I hated being Indian for a while.”
Over time, however, she came to embrace her identity. “The biggest shift happened when I educated myself about my culture. When I grew up I realized ‘fuck everyone’ and I like being Indian.”
Her advice to other eldest daughters in first-generation families? “Be patient. Say no when you need to, and stand up for yourself.”
The stories of my mother and sister reflect the resilience, perseverance, and strength of immigrant women. My mother came to America with little more than determination and a dream, and despite the struggles, she carved out a successful life. My sister, navigating the complexities of being raised between two cultures, learned to embrace her identity and independence.
letters from Long Beach
“Letters From Long Beach” is a student-run video series directed by Germán Skinder at 22 West TV. The series highlights student voices on campus by allowing students to write and share letters to past and present loved ones with various prompts. This episode features Tina Hung, a 21 year old BFA Pre-Production major at LBSU, sharing her response to the prompt “What do you regret not saying?” Scan the QR code to watch Tina’s video and check out the other episodes in the series.
ILLUSTRATION BY
SERENA LOGAN
Is there a double standard when interviewing celebrities?
The beauty about talk shows is that they let the audience connect with celebrities on a deeper level. However, while talk shows give us the chance to do this, they also blind us from noticing the differences between comedy and misogyny. Many talk show hosts are getting called out for sexualizing female celebrities while interviewing or talking about them.
A recent example is a famous Ariana Grande interview: “Ariana Grande on New Single ‘Focus’ + Near Death Experience and Relationship Goals” from Power 106 Los Angeles posted nine years ago. In this radio show, the two hosts asked her if she would pick makeup or her phone to use one last time. The sexist nature of the question made this interview soundbite go viral. It was obvious that Ariana was flabbergasted by the question at hand, which led her to express how wrongful that statement was. Another viral moment from this show happened when the hosts spoke out to Ariana by saying “Ladies, learn!” and she responded with “Boys, learn, c’mon!” Within the comment section, it was clear that many people were on Grande’s side by complaining how long they were keeping this up, no matter how many times she tried to shut it down. The more exposure this interview got, the more respect Ariana received. These comments started many online conversations about how men and women are perceived differently in media and society – in this case, talk shows.
Another example of an uncomfortable experience was the one Taylor Swift encountered in a red carpet interview. “I just wanted to show the legs cause as I was telling you ahead of time, you’re gonna walk home with more than maybe just a trophy tonight… I think lots of men,” said Nancy O’Dell, the Entertainment Tonight female reporter. This proves people, regardless of gender, participate in misogynistic stereotypes without being aware of it. The concept of internalized misogyny is best explained by a Western Washington University article by Kira K. Means titled “Not Like Other Girls: Implicit and Explicit Dimensions of Internalized Sexism and Behavioral Outcomes.” Means explains the term by stating “internalized sexism occurs when women apply sexist messages heard throughout their lives to themselves and other women.” This showcases that while men have set the ground rule for misogyny, women can reinforce stereotypes and bring each other down.
Another example involving Taylor Swift in the industry is related to her songs. Since many of her lyrics are about her dating life, individuals have criticized her for her dating history, making her defend herself over and over again.
Swift has been known to stand up against sexism. Back in 2019, Tracy Smith interviewed Swift on CBS Sunday Morning, and Swift explained the difference between men and women in the industry. “A man does something, it’s strategic. A woman does
“Men can flaunt their expenses and get called successful, while a woman does the same thing and gets called a gold digger or a ladder climber.”
the same thing, it’s calculated. A man is allowed to react. A woman can only overreact,” Swift said. Here, she showcases the double standard that men and women have within the industry. Men can date a lot of females and get called a womanizer or a charmer, while a woman does the same and gets called nothing more than negative names. Men can flaunt their expenses and get called successful, while a woman does the same thing and gets called a gold digger or a ladder climber.
To elaborate, men in the industry have a very different experience. For example, during interviews, men rarely get questions about their love life and more so questions about their lifestyle and career. While in comparison, women get asked about their love life or their scandalous actions.
A side–by–side comparison is an interview from Vanity Fair of a lie detector test with both Shawn Mendes and Sabrina Carpenter from 2021. In these
interviews, Vanity Fair divides their questions into categories, and their first one is “life.”
As far as Shawn Mendes’ questions go, they ask very little about his girlfriend at the time, instead asking more about his experience with doing laundry. With Sabrina, it was all about her drunk experiences and who she thinks is fun to be drunk with. This is brought up as the questions for women are constantly the same while the questions that men are asked have a wider shift. This can be a larger issue if no change is made and could make more female celebrities dislike coming on talk shows.
In conclusion, since more individuals are active on social media, now is the time to really start paying attention to past interviews to learn what questions are not okay to ask so as to not recreate the same mistakes. This way, interviewers can learn how to build more healthy relationships with celebrities and to help beat the misogyny that exists in the industry.
WRITTEN BY ASHLEY TANHA
ILLUSTRATION
BY IZZY RINGMAN FLORES
Mother of the French New Wave
WRITTEN BY ALANA LOINAZ ILLUSTRATION BY DANIELLA MARTIN
Agnès Varda was a pioneering filmmaker who left a mark on film history. With a career spanning over six decades, Varda continuously redefined cinematic expression, blending documentary and fiction, exploring feminist themes, and embracing new technologies. Her influence extends beyond her own films, shaping contemporary cinema and inspiring generations of filmmakers worldwide.
Varda played a crucial role in the French New Wave, a cinematic movement that emerged in the late 1950s and early 1960s, characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of a more experimental and personal approach. While her male contemporaries, such as François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, gained widespread recognition, Varda was one of the few women at the forefront of this movement. Her debut film, La Pointe Courte (1955), is often cited as a precursor to the French New Wave, featuring an elliptical narrative structure and blending neorealist elements with avant-garde aesthetics. Unlike traditional films that relied on linear storytelling, La Pointe Courte juxtaposes two parallel narratives, demonstrating Varda’s willingness to challenge cinematic norms.
Her 1962 film Cléo from 5 to 7 further exemplifies her narrative experimentation. The film unfolds in near real-time, following a young singer as she anxiously awaits medical test results, and presents a meditation on existentialism, mortality, and female subjectivity. Varda employs mirrors, reflections, and shifting perspectives to immerse the viewer in Cléo’s psychological state. This innovative storytelling technique not only cemented Varda’s status as a New Wave auteur but also set a precedent for filmmakers interested in exploring temporality and character psychology in novel ways.
Varda’s films frequently centered on female protagonists, offering nuanced and complex portrayals that challenged mainstream cinematic representations of women. At a time when female characters in cinema were often defined by their relationships with men, Varda created multidimensional women with agency, desires, and contra-
dictions. Her feminist perspective is particularly evident in One Sings, the Other Doesn’t (1977), a film that directly addresses women’s reproductive rights, sisterhood, and self-determination. Through its musical sequences and documentary-style realism, the film encapsulates the feminist movement of the 1970s while remaining deeply personal and poetic.
Another striking example is Vagabond (1985), a film that chronicles the life and death of a homeless young woman named Mona. Told through fragmented vignettes and multiple perspectives, the film resists sentimentality, instead presenting an unsentimental yet deeply moving portrait of a woman who refuses societal expectations. Varda’s feminist ethos extended beyond her narrative choices; she was an advocate for women in the film industry, supporting female filmmakers
“Varda created multidimensional women with agency, desires, and contradictions.”
and actively participating in feminist movements, including the “50/50 by 2020” initiative for gender equality in cinema.
One of Varda’s most significant contributions to cinema was her ability to seamlessly blend documentary and fiction, often blurring the line between reality and imagination. This hybridity is evident in Jacquot de Nantes (1991), a biographical film about her husband, filmmaker Jacques Demy, which combines dramatized scenes with documentary footage to create an intimate portrait of his life and career. Similarly, The Gleaners and I (2000) showcases Varda’s documentary prowess, capturing individuals who collect discarded food and objects while reflecting on her own role as a filmmaker and gleaner of images. The film’s use of digital video technology was groundbreaking, demonstrating Varda’s adaptability and willingness to embrace new media.
Her final film, Varda by Agnès (2019), serves as a meta-commentary on her own career, offering insights into her creative process and artistic philosophy. Throughout her career, she consistently
challenged the conventions of documentary filmmaking, incorporating personal reflections, playful reenactments, and direct audience engagement, influencing later filmmakers who sought to push the boundaries of nonfiction storytelling.
Varda was not only a master of film but also an artist unafraid of experimentation. In the 2000s, she embraced digital filmmaking, using lightweight cameras to create intimate, observational works. Her openness to technology is exemplified in Faces Places (2017), a collaboration with the street artist JR. The film combines documentary road trip elements with conceptual art as the duo travels across rural France, pasting large-scale portraits of everyday people onto buildings and structures. The film exemplifies Varda’s lifelong curiosity and belief in cinema as a medium for human connection.
Beyond film, Varda also explored installation art, bringing her cinematic sensibilities into gallery spaces. Her multimedia exhibitions, such as those showcased at the Venice Biennale, reimagined film as an interactive experience, further demonstrating her commitment to pushing artistic boundaries.
Agnès Varda’s impact on film history is immeasurable. Her fearless approach to storytelling, advocacy for women in film, and innovative blending of documentary and fiction have inspired countless filmmakers, from Chantal Akerman to Céline Sciamma. Even outside of the arthouse circuit, contemporary directors such as Richard Linklater and Greta Gerwig have cited her as an influence, particularly in their approach to realism, character development, and non-linear narratives.
Moreover, Varda’s legacy extends beyond her films. As an educator and mentor, she nurtured emerging talent and championed independent cinema. Her commitment to inclusivity and artistic freedom continues to resonate in contemporary discussions about diversity and representation in the film industry.
Agnès Varda was more than just a filmmaker; she was a visionary artist who redefined the possibilities of cinema. Through her pioneering narrative techniques, feminist storytelling, documentary innovation, and embrace of new media, she reshaped the film landscape and left an enduring legacy. Her work continues to inspire, challenge, and move audiences, ensuring that her influence on film history will remain profound for generations to come. Thank you, Agnès!
▼ THE WRITER AT AGE 8 WITH HIS MOTHER
PHOTO BY DAVID GREEN
WRITTEN
MEternal Worker, Eternal Mother
BY JASON GREEN
y mother immigrated from Vietnam after the fall of Saigon. She was almost two when she arrived in the United States with my grandma, grandpa, aunt, and two uncles. She was sponsored by a Catholic Church in Pennsylvania and arrived with little money. A family friend convinced my grandma to move to California and she only knew how to speak Vietnamese. My mother, on the other hand, managed to learn English by watching TV.
My grandma was a farmer who pushed all of her being to raise four children. With little income, my mother used to make up games with my uncles and aunt. She considers her childhood to be a happy one. A fond Christmas memory that still echoes and stays with her was receiving food from the community.
My mother had to work three jobs when she reached high school, concurring with her classes. She was a scorekeeper for the women’s basketball team. It was there that she met my father, who was a highly skilled athlete in the men’s basketball team. They grew closer on a three hour bus together as they talked all to a basketball game. My dad even started to sneak into her calculus class to be with her.
She graduated top 10 in her class and headed to the University of California, Irvine, where she would eventually drop out after becoming pregnant with my oldest brother. Motherhood took precedence over academics until she re-entered school 3 years later at a community college while raising two boys. She studied industriously to get into California State University, Fullerton, and earned her bach-
elor’s degree in Business Administration.
After college, she found herself working at a school district as an accountant technician, but life is a volatile beast and she had to overcome new challenges once again. She became pregnant with me, her youngest and most difficult pregnancy, the only child with significant disabilities. I was a special child. While in the womb, the doctors already knew something was wrong. They found that I had excess
“When my third heart surgery came around, I knew I could hold my mother’s hand for support.”
fluid in my brain. My mother grew worried and the doctors wanted to deliver me early, however, my mother did not want to since the fluid was said to be relatively normal. She held onto hope. My mother, father, and even the doctors could not predict my quality of life after birth. Whether I could talk, walk, or achieve usual milestones of development was unknown. All they could do was hope.
Once I was born, my disabilities came into full fruition. I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at one month old and had to undergo heart surgery at two months old, for I had a hole in my heart. In all, by the age of eight, I had already done three heart surgeries. I remember my mom telling me the severity of
her worry and anxiety during my first heart surgery. A long deep breath in, waiting and waiting until a nurse approached my parents. I was an aggressive little patient. I managed to pull out a medical device, prolonging the operation. After my surgery, there was heavenly relief. I had to have two more heart surgeries due to leftover tissue. With these two heart surgeries , that same feeling did not go away and the level of relief never faltered for my parents. This was also the case in the other surgeries that were unrelated to my heart. It was instinctual. When my third heart surgery came around, I knew I could hold my mother’s hand for support.
My mother wanted to further understand my disabilities and the education system for me. It is common for parents with disabled children to conduct research themselves to fight and advocate for their child. An unfortunate and unjust reality is that parents have to fight the education system to support their kids in the first place. My mother embarked on another academic journey with earning a master’s degree in School Psychology in order not to be lost. She was going to school full-time, working full-time at a school district, and had the never ending job of being a mother to three boys. To this day, I don’t have an inkling of how she managed three herculean obligations. My mother slowly made her way up in education, going from an accountant technician to currently a chief business official, showing her talent and resilience. She is not only someone that one can depend on as a leader, but she is someone that one can depend on as a mother.
Orgullosa Mujer Latina
MY INTROSPECTIVE AS A YOUNG LADY
WRITTEN BY KAREN LOPEZ
When we hear the word “women,” some of us think of our own mothers, sisters, and significant others. Each woman has different obstacles and voyages to lead them where they wish to be. However, we cannot forget the sisters, guardians, and lovers that have been supporting us every day.
Being a woman is not an easy task. In fact, I do not know how half of us survive every day. We just keep swimming and persist through. Starting this Spring semester at Long Beach State, I have come to realize that the ideal Latina women portrayed in the media does not reflect reality.
Latinas are pressured to present themselves as beautiful and nurturing. The Pew Research Center found that “62% of Latinas surveyed said Hispanic women face pressure to be beautiful by dressing nicely, wearing makeup, or doing their hair and nails, and 56% reported feeling pressure to get married and have children.” The idea that Latina women have to be sexy and follow the traditional housewife stereotype is detrimental to us as there is a lot more to our beings than physical appearance and family roles.
If anyone could say it better would be Haydee Zavala, a PHD graduate from Claremont Graduate University and Spanish speaker. “My hope is that one day beauty will be viewed as a subjective concept that is not linked to an evaluation of a woman’s worth or success,” she said.
Her study “Unveiling the Beauty Myth: The Relationship Between Beauty and Education Among Latina Adolescents” addresses the concept of beauty and how it connects to young adults’ esteem. However, this is not only present in the overall population of young adults but also in Latinas in higher education.
Most Latinas did not grow up expressing emotions of dissatisfaction because it is not some-
thing we talk about despite its importance. There is a reason why Latina women wear tons of makeup, have disorders often not identified in specific ethnic groups, and remain silent while facing a tough reality.
Another study called “Body Appreciation Among Latinx Women: Examining Fasmiliso, Social Approval, and Sociocultural Attitudes as Contributing Factors,” written by Eunice Alejandra Carcamo Mejia, found that in general “males show a higher level of body appreciation than females, whereas females have higher levels of body dissatisfaction.” Women who appreciate their bodies and embrace their roots, culture and love for themselves will have confidence regardless of background noise.
I am not saying women need to wear makeup, get married immediately, or follow what people say to them. Rather, women should figure out what they want within themselves. If you want to feel empowered or have self-growth by doing x, y, z, then do it. I know there is a Latina beauty standard, but that does not mean I should comply with what I am familiar with.
If make up is what makes me feel a little bit confident then so be it. If exercise is what I truly find joy and want to improve physical appearance, then so be it. There is no need to second guess a decision if it makes you feel empowered, comfortable, and beautiful by highlighting your culture and features that make you unique.
Prince Royce, an American singer-songwriter, sings this message romantically. His two songs “Las Cosas Pequeñas” (the little things) and “Corazón Sin Cara” (heart without face) talk about loving yourself regardless of size and how Royce himself is not perfect.
It’s okay if you are Latina and want to learn to dance salsa, bachata, or learn something else you are passionate about. I know for me I should do
ILLUSTRATION
BY LEYNA
VU
everything in my power to show myself everything is possible with time.
Women are beautiful when they find true happiness and are successful in life without having to worry about appearance and behaving a certain way. Confidence is not something gained without appreciating yourself and finding value in yourself first.
The current president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, is a politician, scientist, and a mother. Most significantly, she is our first Jewish woman to be a president whose goal is to make Mexico better. According to Iowa State University’s Archives
“There is a lot more to our beings than physical appearance and family roles.
of Women’s Political Communication, Pardo was the corecipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, making climate change more easy to digest for everyone and finding solutions to counter climate change. Pardo is showing Latina women they can do anything and it’s never too late to begin doing what they want to do.
There are plenty of women who demonstrate that beauty is not the only thing that matters to them. Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo is an example of just one of the many Latina women who demonstrate that it is possible to have both brains and beauty, and I am proud to look to her as my current presidenta (president).
Shoulder Closed
WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY
ELIZABETH ANTHONY
There are scissors of speckled heat out here. They’re embedded between my claws like brass knuckles.
I’m standing on the jagged asphalt of the highway shoulder. It’s a rattlesnake crouching under a big blue sky.
This shoulder is my domain. Carved with hieroglyphical cracks from years of neglect, framed by flattened spears of grass.
Out here, cars are like salamanders. Speckled and out of the ordinary. Only one thing crawls out of this interstate gutter like a blistered beetle, and that’s Mr. K.
He’s an asymmetrical composition of suede and leather. He wears these oval sunglasses that reflect only debris and the open road. His bitter teeth are stained by the cheap coffee and cigarettes that he takes on the side of the road, right here.
Two months ago, I got into his little soapbox car and paid hell for it. “Never trust a stranger,” is what they say. But I didn’t trust him, I trusted fate. And she let me down.
I was trying to get to Reno. I wanted the desert to embrace me, to actually get to my destination like all great travelers do. But the yellow brick road of the Mojave desert was not to be, and I ended up as a roadside attraction on the side of the 215. I slipped out of my seashell corpse in the middle of the night during a skin-clenching July. I became embedded in the rattlesnake scales of the highway for all of eternity. Skull fragments glittering under the Cheshire cat smile of the moon.
I was curled protectively around a dark pool of blood, my fingers dipped in like Narcissus. The officer was a piece of lined notebook paper. He wrinkled his caterpillar mouth over orange teeth and bored me with his stony eyes. “Mr. K takes another one,” he said to his partner. “Probably another whore.”
I’ve been waiting for him to come back for two months. When the sun dips behind the curve of the earth and night takes its dutiful place, it’s a prologue for something vermillion and dry-mouthed.
The night I died, the sky was red satin. During that ancient transition between corporeal and esoteric, my natural progress towards The End was halted by a woman wrapped in the night sky.
She had flecked golden eyes and an upholstery of hair behind a cherubic face. At this moment, I was nothing more than confetti in a snow globe. That broken porcelain Madonna lying crinkled on the ground was nothing more to me than a bullet hole.
“You’ve died on a crossroad, and are therefore damned to roam the highway for the rest of eternity. For this, the Good Unnamed Higher Being of the Universe has granted you one final wish.” The moon cycled above her perfect head and her eyes glowed amber.
“Since when is a highway a crossroad?” I
“What I do know is that everyone that’s ever mattered has rather died free than lived in fear.”
protested. She smiled benevolently. “The highway isn’t, the shoulder is.”
I groaned and fought the urge to drag my nails down the back of that offensive corpse flung across the dry grass. Couldn’t he have killed me just a few feet away?
It happened fast. He took a picture. He said that pretty dumb girls like me were his favorite wall decoration. He said I better be careful which driver I go with to cross the Styx.
I looked up at the burgundy sky, the throat-slit moon, the stars and the satellites ambling around the celestial sphere in a fight for dominance. I saw a raven with long black feathers streak across it all, all-encompassing, all powerful.
My grandma used to sing a song about ravens. “One for sorrow, two for joy…”
“I’d like to be a bird,” I said.
The Lady looked at me quizzically. “And so it is.”
She disappeared into a scatter of quarks and atoms, sprinkled into sand that seemed to stretch all the way to the sea.
I’ve been waiting for him ever since. And today’s my lucky day.
Streaking across the desert is a Camaro, dragging itself to a stop right on the side of the road.
Out comes Mr. K, thick shoulders and thick skull, a brutal pillar of nicotine and sleazy irreverence. He drags the girl out. She’s younger than me, with long blond braids.
After the Lady gave me my wish I realized with the doom that befalls all wish-receivers in fables that she had given me what I wanted through a lens of snide trickery. Instead of a powerful raven, I was conjured into a hummingbird.
I resentfully accepted the freedom of being small and agile, flitting through the blades of the palm tree and the rosette clouds of the sky. I came to one conclusion, one plan, one goal.
He takes a knife to sever those long blond braids. She’s sobbing and pleading hysterically with a puckered red face. I sit in the palm tree and absorb the scene through the kaleidoscope of colors that humans are unable to perceive. Something within her glows a color I call red-gold-blue-silver-emerald, curling and echoing from between the ribs of her chest like a dangling mandala.
He pulls the same macho-man masquerade he did on me, telling her to kneel in the sand, brace for death.
She kneels on the highway shoulder, diamonds of innocence pouring from her eyes. I ascend into the sun, which is splitting into a fiery yolk, and spread my wings. They emerge from my back like twin flames, a jeweled dichotomy of freedom. I drop to the horizon and tunnel through the sky, through the desert, through the prism between life and death, and into the scene unfolding before me, right into the milky flesh above the collar of his stupid jacket.
I dig my claws into his neck and my beak into the chasm of his ear. He screams like a ribboned show pony and bats at my tiny rhinestone body frantically, dropping the gun. Deeper I go, with the force of the knife he used to slit my throat, with the pressure of the bullet that cracked my skull, inflicting a watercolor of braided pain like the rope he tightened around my neck.
He collapses into the sand and the girl jumps across the sand and grabs the gun, holding it with shaking hands. He shakily pulls out his drugstore pocket knife and waves it at her as if she was a rabbit he’s trying to make disappear. The tears on
her face are highways in themselves, drying in the sun as her eyes and mouth dip into a frozen, fearful gaze of determination.
He mutters some pathetic words. She pulls the trigger.
He disintegrates into the sand into a pile of arms, legs and eyeballs, toppling into the freeway to die where not even a wish can keep his consciousness alive.
The sun bleeds out above us. She puts the braids and the gun in the pockets of her shorts. I hover over her, giving her my permission as deity of the shoulder to leave. “Thank you, hummingbird,” she says, and staggers off to meet the sun again.
I’ve lived many lives. A woman, a corpse, a patron saint of the sky… I will never know what it’s like to walk under the sky like a lion instead of a rabbit. There will always be things in the world that will seek to drown you with their eyes and their knives.
What I do know is that everyone that’s ever mattered has rather died free than lived in fear.
I’m no longer trapped in a grid or a pyramid of other people’s perception. Now, I populate that California sky with all the colors you cannot see, with all the songs you cannot hear, and with knowledge of all the things you’ll never understand.
my mother’s son
POEM BY ERIC CEJA RUIZ
ILLUSTRATION BY TINA HUNG
My mother burnt all her flowers to keep me warm. Because warmth only heals when something burns. And from the ashes started a garden that I could call my own.
We shared my first breath. As she held me close to her chest. She wiped my tears, and she pulled me near, Swiping away any fear. She tells me she will always be here.
The woman who taught me not to fear the dark because we’re made from the stars, and we’re destined to light the world around us with our hearts.
The woman who can heal with a smile and a glance. The woman who taught me to give the world a second chance. To live and to dance.
She’s near when we’re apart. When I look in the mirror, I see her eyes full of cheer.
She’s here when my hair parts.
She’s there when I need to be wise.
She was made from the stars, and at night, I can feel her shine from afar.
She grabbed my hand as I crossed the street. Now I’m on the other side by myself. Just now realizing she was cheering as she let go.
BEHIND THE COVER
Payton Smith is a third year Graphic Design BFA student here at LBSU. Smith, 20 years old, is from Northern California, but moved to Long Beach to attend school and establish herself as an artist and graphic designer. Her art takes inspiration from music, the beach, and human stories. You can follow Smith’s art journey on her Instagram: @artbysmittyy
Q: What was the process behind creating this piece?
A: This piece was drawn digitally, but before I even picked up my stylus, I did some research. I needed to figure out exactly what kind of story I wanted to share. I knew I wanted to create something empowering, and I wanted to take the opportunity to represent womanhood without restricting or confining any woman into a stereotype they don’t belong in. After some thumbnail sketches, I felt proud of what I’d come up with and was ready to start my digital drawing of the cover.
Q: What were your inspirations behind the piece?
A: I drew inspiration from several aspects of the women’s suffrage movement of the 1860s to demonstrate the courage and power of women. A woman named Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote for the first women’s newspaper The Lily, under the pseudonym “Sunflower.” Her work inspired many of the initial sparks of advocacy for women’s rights following Seneca Falls. Shortly after, suffragists in Kansas adopted the state flower, the sunflower, to become the symbol of their early movement, and it became the official symbol of the National American Woman Suffrage Association by 1896.
Embroidery is a traditional domestic craft that was known to represent the expectations of women, as it is a hobby that requires patience and facilitates silence. Though it formerly represented a barrier that confined women and their aspirations, this century has seen a rise in “craftivism,” or the reclaiming of domestic crafts for the purpose of activism. Now, embroidery is often used by women as a platform for advocacy and to express their needs and frustrations. The idea of taking one of
the only hobbies women were given, which was originally intended to show ample submission, and instead using it as a medium to demand change is one that inspires me as both a woman and an artist.
Q: How did you first approach it versus how it turned out?
A: My initial approach involved experimenting with colors and textures to get as close as possible to the embroidery feel in my drawing. I’ve never drawn embroidery before, so initially I wanted to place base colors and then add shadows for definition and to get the three-dimensional effect. This worked somewhat well for me, but it took some observational studies of the way embroidery floss looks in the light and twists around itself to figure out how I wanted to shade each stitch. Ultimately, this worked well for me in getting the feel to be as close as possible to actual embroidery. Adding in texture and some shadows to the embroidery hoop helped tie it all together for me as well, and I was happy with the way I was able to capture a sense of realism in my own graphic art style.
Q: Was there a main message that you wanted to get across?
A: Yes! I want this cover to be a symbol of empowerment for women. I created this cover to honor the women who fought for our rights and to inspire the women who continue to live and breathe life into our world today. It’s never been easy to be a woman, but the beauty of womanhood comes from challenging stereotypes and having the courage to defy what is expected of you.
“The best protection any woman can have is courage.” – Elizabeth Cady Stanton
