Access Magazine | Fall 2023; Issue 2

Fall 2023; Issue 2

COSPLAY Empowering Creativity BEHIND THE GLAM

Drag in the Bay Area

3

Tips for Navigating

CUFFING SEASON

Fall 2023 | Access Magazine | 1

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

As college students, our relationships are important connections which contribute to the development of social bonds, personal growth and a sense of belonging.

In this issue of Access Magazine, our team delved into the diverse types of relationships that come with life, exploring various types and offering valuable life advice. From a look into the lives of drag queens to a deep dive into FOMO, or the “fear of missing out,” and how it can impact a college student’s life.

I would like to give thanks to my writers, photographers and editors who motivate and amaze me with every issue. Regardless of the number of obstacles and hardships we faced, Access Magazine has come together to strengthen our relationships and publication as a whole.

This being my final issue of Access Magazine as executive editor, the journey has been a real learning experience that has significantly contributed to my personal and professional growth. I have reflected on my time with Access and recognize the impact

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this magazine has had on me, not only as a writer but as a leader. The process of curating content, guiding a team and fostering a creative environment has taught me the value of effective communication and storytelling. Beyond the bylines and articles, Access Magazine has been instrumental in helping me forge many lifelong connections in the field.

The relationships made during this journey are a testament to the power of shared passion and the goal of journalistic excellence.

Sincerely,

Joanna Chavez Executive Editor of Access Magazine

TABLE OF

CONTENTS Fall 2023; Issue 2

Cuffing Season

4

Die Hards

6

Ink & Self Expression

8

Empowering Creativity

11

Behind the Glam

15

From Rags to Riches

18

Tails Unleashed

20

Fear of Missing Out

23

What You Need to Know

Dating as a Superfan

How FOMO Shaped my College Experience

Photo by Analyn Do Design studies sophomore Ceora Duran

Fall 2023 | Access Magazine | 3

Cuffing Season:

What You Need to Know

By Maya Pettiford Staff Writer As the weather gets colder, the trees lose their bright green leaves and all of a sudden every single person you know is in a relationship.

How is it that every time you turn your head someone new is coupled up?

The term “cuffing season” gets thrown around often. You may have heard your friends use it, or even have been a victim of cuffing season yourself.

Cuffing season is the time of year when people realize the holiday season is coming up and they need someone to spend it with. It’s like a collective realization that sends everyone into a bit of a frenzy.

Nobody wants to navigate through the festivities alone. There’s an unspoken fear of being the solo player in a game of love while everyone else seems to be part of a winning team.

“Once in high school, I was a victim of cuffing season,” mechanical engineering sophomore Josua Peternel said. “We dated in the fall, went on super cute dates like pumpkin patches and drive-in movies, all that kind of stuff and it was really nice.”

He and his then-girlfriend broke up in January of that year because they mutually agreed it wouldn’t work going forward.

“Looking back it was definitely a cuffing season kind of thing,” Peternel said.

The idea of having a special someone to share cozy moments, hot cocoa and all the holiday festivities with, makes the winter months feel a little warmer. Darren Liu, software engineering sophomore, said he feels like society pushes people together during the cold months and consecutive holidays.

“Due to love being marketed by

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the Hallmark Christmas movies, as well as the New Year’s kiss followed by Valentine’s Day,” Liu said. “It’s hard to be alone during all those events.”

Cuffing season typically begins around October and dies down right around March and April when the spring weather makes its comeback.

“Chances of organically meeting a compatible partner in traditional everyday life are cut by more than half as the weather shifts colder. 67% of surveyors state that they are less likely to attend a social gathering during the winter than in the summer,” according to a 2019 study by Dating.com. With the likelihood of meeting someone going so far down, it makes sense that people would want to find someone and hold onto them.

While getting “cuffed” or entering an exclusive relationship is something that happens year-round, something about these last few months of the year makes things seem more serious, and a lot of people will lean into that.

Graphic design sophomore Anna Sprague said she definitely notices feeling more lonely in the fall when classes start again.

“In the summer, it’s easy to be happy being single because I’m already around the people I love so I don’t feel the need to be in a relationship but once classes start, I notice everyone is usually excited to be part of that social environment again, so they’re also looking for the excitement of getting into a relationship,” Sprague said. “I don’t think it helps either that fall and winter are cozier seasons so it makes that desire even more appealing.”

Illustration via Canva

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Tips to Navigating Cuffing Season

1

Know what it is you really want

During a time when everyone else seems to be pairing off you have to ask yourself if you really want a relationship or if it is just because of the season. It’s okay to not want something serious or nothing at all.

2 3

Put yourself first

You are the most important person in your life, so you have to treat yourself like that. Do things you enjoy and that make you happy. Be okay spending time with yourself, and not always with other people.

Don’t just settle

You don’t want to end up wasting away your holiday months with someone who isn’t right for you. Truly get to know the person you are thinking of being in a relationship with because being with the wrong person can be worse than being alone.

Illustrations via Canva

Fall 2023 | Access Magazine | 5

Die Hards Dating as a superfan

By Fabiana Palacios Staff Writer For many, being a die-hard fan of a musical artist or band is not merely a hobby; it’s a lifestyle. This level of unwavering commitment can introduce both excitement and complexities when it comes to dating and maintaining relationships.

Calyssa Botelho, a San José State University alumna, became a die-hard fan of the K-pop boy band BTS and K-pop girl band Loona, at the beginning of her teenage

her college room with. As she walked him through her room decorated with K-pop idols, Botelho’s ex-boyfriend was indifferent in his initial reaction but eventually became supportive of her. Sending him photos of new merch through text became his way of supporting her as a die-hard fan.

In 2021, Botelho shared another dating story, reflecting on the given history and the significant amount of time.

She assumed he would be unfazed by her fervor for K-pop, a passion that had become a defining part of who she is.

However, Botelho said she sensed a subtle drift

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When I reveal that I love BIGBANG and or anime and my date loves them, too, I feel an instant connection.”

Phuong Nguyen teaching English to speakers of other languages grad student

years and fell in love with K-pop once again in her freshman year of college adding K-pop girl band Le Sserafim, when she entered the dating world once again.

Botelho said she decided to introduce her ex-boyfriend to the world of K-pop without much knowledge of what it is like to be a die-hard fan. She bought tickets for them to attend a BTS concert in 2019, immersing him in the fandom of BTS, Army.

“I don’t think he understood how much I was into K-pop until we were actually at the event together,” Botelho said.

She said even though her ex-boyfriend was a bit thrown off by the fandom’s excitement and dedication, that did not stop Botelho from talking to other fans, singing, dancing and talking with other Army at the concert.

Botelho said she also showed her ex-boyfriend the extensive collection of posters and merch she decorated

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between them. It was during this time that she noticed and was fangirling over Jungkook from BTS permed haircut.

The next day at work at Rabbit Rabbit Tea, the guy she was talking to at the time noticed she liked the perm on Jungkook and decided to get the same perm hairstyle.

“It was probably the weirdest thing I’ve ever experienced with, like, any guy,” Botelho said. “So I had talked to him about it and he’s like, ‘what? I’m Asian too.’ ” Phuong Nguyen, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages graduate student, became a fan of the K-pop boy band BIGBANG during her middle school year when she just started to dabble in the dating world. Her love for the K-pop boy band only grew stronger in her high school years.

Lucky for her, “When I reveal that I love BIGBANG and or anime and my date loves them, too, I feel an instant connection,” Nguyen said.

This date extended to a full conversation of what

Jungkook photo via Divine Treasure, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Taylor Swift photo by GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

This date extended to a full conversation of what entails to be in the K-pop world and even brought anime into the conversation. Nguyen shared her favorite songs with her and her love for K-pop. Her date instantly started asking her more about what she listened to and showed genuine interest in what she had to say. The conversation continued online for hours on end.

However, it became a little harder with her exboyfriend. He was supportive of her being a die-hard fan of BIGBANG to an extent. Nguyen mentioned that as long as she wasn’t embarrassed with her being excited over the BIGBANG members, he was supportive.

This has led her to look for someone with a better understanding of what is like to be a fan of a pop band.

Someone who will let her express her excitement to the fullest.

“To see my partner having such passion for something that their eyes light up, and they make gestures and effort,” Nguyen said.

For Nguyen finding someone with someone with similar interests takes quite a bit of work, but finding someone with the same level of interest as you is even harder.

However, once you do bonding gets so much easier.

Hannah Lyon, a junior in Human resources, became a fan of Taylor Swift during the release of the album Fearless in 2008 and has kept up with her ever since.

Her first boyfriend was also a Taylor Swift fan. Their shared love for Taylor Swift’s music became a soundtrack to their relationship, with car rides constantly listening to the album Lover. The car rides listening to Taylor Swift to their favorite songs on the album Paper Rings and I Think He Knows was truly a bonding experience for them to share. However, his support for Lyon’s love for Taylor Swift shined through when he gave her the perfect gift for a swiftie.

“One year he got me a Target-exclusive Lover CD/ booklet. It had all the lyrics and notes about the songs written by Taylor,” Lyon said.

The tangible connection to the music made their car rides even more magical, allowing them to easily dive into the whole album together. Among the tracks, “Paper Rings” and “I Think He Knows” became their constant repeats now that they had the CD and ly, each note and lyric weaving into the fabric of their shared memories.

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By Analyn Do Staff Writer

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Tattoos are more than inked designs on the body, but a vehicle of self-expression. Despite the growing acceptance of tattoos in the workplace and public life, tattoos still cause misunderstandings between generations.

Design studies sophomore Ceora Duran said she had to navigate between the need for personal expression and acceptance from her family.

“I’ve always wanted tattoos. I’ve been mentioning getting tattoos to my parents since I was like 10 or 11 years old. They were very against it but as I got closer to 18 they just kind of accepted it,” Duran said.

Duran said she gave herself her first tattoo at 13 years old with a needle and ballpoint pen.

“My parents didn’t see it. I did it on my ankle and I wore high tops consistently until I figured they wouldn’t care anymore,” Duran said. “Now all they say is just don’t get anything on my face, so I think that’s pretty reasonable.”

Tattoos, once synonymous with punishment or affiliation with crime or outcast groups, have slowly shed this stigma.

However, many people from older generations still shame and demonize the idea of having a tattoo.

Duran said a lot of the fear her parents had stemmed from society as a whole.

“Our parents obviously grew up in a time where having a tattoo can prevent you from getting certain jobs or being associated with certain groups,” Duran said.

She said some parents might fear that their kids won’t be able to live a normal life with visible tattoos, but this fear is slowly fading.

“Nowadays many more people have tattoos and I think our parents and older generations are realizing that you’re still able

to be a functioning member of society with tattoos,” reminder for me that I can grow up in a different Duran said. environment and still see myself and love myself as a The meaning of a tattoo is deeply personal, yet Korean person.” societal perception can misconstrue a tattoo’s meaning.

Erika Perez de Paz, co-owner of Luna Tattoo Studio Anthropology sophomore Erin Nicholson said her and tattoo artist, who identifies as Luna said her tattoos serve as a visual representation of her culture favorite tattoos tend to be about memorializing lost and background. loved ones.

“The dragon “Sometimes and the tiger I’m crying a little are very much Nowadays many more people have bit when I do those popular symbols tattoos. I’m gonna sit and for good tattoos and I think our parents and there for a while with reason. That’s also older generations are realizing that my client and I get why I found myself to talk with them,” really valuing you’re still able to be a functioning Luna said. them in my life,” She said these member of society with tattoos.”

Nicholson said. appointments feel Ceora Duran “But when people like therapy sessions.

Design studies sophomore look at my tattoos “I like that sometimes they’re because in one way like, ‘Oh, I know every single Asian girl with a dragon or another, it’s helping them kind of heal and receive or a tiger tattoo,’ and I get that but it’s devaluing the that closure,” Luna said. reason why I got it.”

Nicholson said the tiger and dragon represent characteristics she strives to attain.

“The tiger represents bravery, power and perseverance. Then the dragon to me represents wisdom and patience,” she said. “The Asian art style reminds me of my culture and just a

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From Left: Ai Nhu Nguyen and Olivia Danz Photo by Joanna Chavez

10 | Access Magazine | Fall 2023

empowering Creativity

How Cosplayers Bring Fictional Characters To Life

By Tracy Escobedo Managing Editor The cosplay community is a vibrant, supportive and inclusive space where fans can come together to celebrate their shared passions and forge lasting friendships while unleashing their creativity.

Cosplay is an artistic form of expression where people dress up as a character of their choice. The term “Cosplayer” is a portmanteau for costume roleplay according to Merriam-Webster.

“What got me really into cosplaying is actually from my general love for anime, manga and games,” Irene Sun, an art teaching prep sophomore, said. “I am also fascinated with creating weapons and props from games.

It really immerses your experience with the fictional work and brings out the creativity of modifying it for the real world.”

Some people may believe that in order to cosplay, you would have to spend hundreds on a single costume but that is simply not true. Cosplayers like aviation senior Alexander Mullane said that he creates cosplays from pieces of clothing that he already owns.

Sun stated that fans generally garner their costumes through websites like Amazon or DokiDoki Cosplay, while others look through second-hand websites like Depop and Mercari. Cosplay can be an expensive hobby, but it doesn’t have to be.

“I started making cosplays recently,” Sun said. “I thrift a lot of parts and make parts to create the basics of my cosplays and I’m looking to actually start from scratch in the future.”

A character may hold a prop or wear a special headpiece that may be overpriced, so cosplayers make Fall 2023 | Access Magazine | 11

Ai Nhu Nguyen | Photo by Joanna Chavez

it themselves according to Mullane.

“It can take anywhere from a few hours to even a week or so to finish them [props],” Mullane said. “The cosplay prop that I’m most proud of is my Maverick helmet from Top Gun that I did for Halloween in 2019.”

Mullane said that he bought the supplies from Amazon where it took him five days to complete.

Cosplayers like Sun then take these finished cosplays over to conventions, like Fanimecon. A single convention can take months of preparation according to Sun. “I’ve been to three conventions so far,” Sun said.

“My favorite being Fanime as it was a huge event with a lot of people and other artists. It’s also where I saw the most amount of creative cosplays you wouldn’t normally see at a smaller convention.”

Fanimecon is Northern California’s biggest convention according to CBS. The convention highlights anime, manga and Japanese culture. Over 34,000 people attended Fanimecon in 2019 according to its website. The convention is held every year during Memorial Day weekend where thousands of people from all over the world gather to share their interests.

“I’ve only been doing this for a little more than a year, and yet I feel like a majority of people that I call my core group were met through cosplay,” computer science junior Ai Nhu Nguyen said. “It’s fascinating to me that I feel this level of closeness to those I’ve known

12 | Access Magazine | Fall 2023

for several months yet some friendships I’ve had for years aren’t nearly as deep.”

Conventions are supposed to be a safe place for cosplayers so there are signs that make sure of it.

Nguyen explained how there tends to be an ongoing issue with consent. She said that cosplayers don’t owe people interactions just because they are dressing up as their favorite character.

“There’s this phrase that tends to go around, ‘cosplay is not consent’,” Nancy Pham, a business management concentration sophomore at De Anza College said. The phrase is meant to prevent any harassment towards cosplayers.

“If you want to take a picture of someone, you don’t just creepily take your phone, right?” Pham said.

“We’re not like animals inside a zoo or anything like that. You always ask for permission and then you take the picture and that goes outside of cosplaying as well.”

Pham said that cosplaying allows her to express the character’s personalities through costumes and embody those traits.

Pham was invited to the 2022 League of Legends World Championship in San Francisco by the organizers themselves to cosplay. Redbull and other well-known companies have reached out to her with various opportunities for being a cosplayer.

“They gave us food, they paid us to cosplay and they also gave us tickets to attend the event after which

Olivia Danz | Photo by Joanna Chavez

was really cool because some people pay up to $2,000 “I cosplay because I like the way I look and feel in to even attend,” Pham said. it,” Nguyen said. “The first time I looked in the mirror Her cosplaying journey began with making a mask and truly thought, ‘Wow… I look good’ was when I was from a foam poster board purchased from a local cosplaying. It slowly bled itself into my regular life and Dollar Tree.

I now have the confidence to just look at my everyday “My family never wanted me to indulge in any self and think ‘she’s gorgeous.’” hobbies,” Pham Friends, said. Her parents opportunities, ultimately wanted confidence Pham to only focus and so much I went from not being able to have any on school. She more can come found ways to be [hobbies] to being like, ‘I’m going to from simply creative in her own dressing up as time because of the do fucking everything’ just because your favorite restrictions put in it makes me happy and it keeps me character. place by them.

“Cosplay is busy.”

From creating for everyone and Nancy Pham a mask out of a Business management concentration sophomore even if you start foam poster board from the bottom, to making a giant like I did, you lollipop out of bowls and a broken broomstick, Pham can still have fun while not putting too much effort into found ways to make her hobby for cosplay work. it,” Mullane said. “You don’t have to start big and that’s “I went from not being able to have any [hobbies] perfectly alright.” to being like, ‘I’m going to do fucking everything’ just because it makes me happy and it keeps me busy,” Pham said.

Nguyen said many aspects of cosplaying bring out the best in people, including self confidence.

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Fall 2023 | Access Magazine | 13

From left: Ai Nhu Nguyen and Olivia Danz | Photo by Joanna Chavez

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Behind the Glam

WooWoo Monroe | Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Danielsen

Fall 2023 | Access Magazine | 15

By Marie Aquino Staff Writer

s esne nnen HeH

said drag has expanded over time. Drag With drag culture popping queens don’t into mainstream media, have to be San José has its own set of assigned male performers in the drag scene. at birth and Renegades Bar is host to drag kings WooWoo Monroe’s CIRQ-US and don’t have to Splash Bar San José, a gay bar be assigned in downtown, has a different female at birth. cast of drag performers on its “[Now] we stage for various shows. have every Drag is described as dressing type of queer up and acting exaggeratedly person on our as another gender usually televisions for different forms of portrayed in entertainment, according to a every way,” said 2022 CBS News article.

No One. WooWoo Monroe, introduced Drag queen their occupation as a drag Pam Cakes likened queen and police officer, said drag to a mask or drag means different things to Halloween costume. different people.

Drag gives her an air “I kind of view it as an of confidence when sys W y i outlet to kind of poke fun at the she puts it on and lets Wlli iallm iasm absurdity of the world,” WooWoo everything inside come |sP| iz hPohto Monroe said. out. rRRuuiz oto a cocuou g r d a rtrt E eseysyofofEdg Hennessy Williams, who While some drag queens performs as both a drag queen can do drag as a full-time job and king, said that drag is an because of the popularity and small fortune on it. art form that can be done by bookings they do, most don’t “You don’t really realize anyone as long how expensive as you respect all that stuff is those who until you have to paved the way buy it and you’re and others’ art ‘Oh, it’s not I kind of view it as an outlet to kind like forms. just a dress and “[At] its of poke fun at the absurdity of the shoes and a wig,’ essence, it’s ” Pam Cakes world.” an art form said. “It’s also that can be the makeup practiced by and accessories WooWoo Monroe Drag queen and police officer anyone that and props.” combines art According with makeup transformation,” start that way. WooWoo Monroe to an article by LGBTQ media Hennessy Williams said. “It has made it to a point where advocacy group GLAAD, there really is the art of transforming she makes money with drag, have been 151 incidents of yourself into this fantasy.” but she poured money into the anti-LGTBQ protests and No One, who works as both art form. Pam Cakes does drag threats against drag events a drag queen and producer, as a hobby, but has still spent a since early 2022.

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16 | Access Magazine | Fall 2023

Recently, drag has garnered negative attention from the public for false accusations of grooming, with Tucker Carlson saying that drag story hours would “indoctrinate and sexualize children” on Fox News. Legislation in Tennessee and Arizona seek to limit where drag is performed though no bill has passed according to a CNN article.

The San José drag scene is filled with pageants and shows, along with drag dinners and brunches. WooWoo Monroe performed for the San José City Council in March and gave a speech. San José City

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Councilmember Omar Torres, the only openly gay member, partnered with Bay Area LGBTQ nonprofit, “Project More” and invited the drag queen.

No One said there is no denying that there is harm coming to this side of California as well. In 2021, 24-year-old drag artist and transgender woman Natalia Smüt was murdered in Milpitas, Calif. This marked her as the 17th trans person killed that year.

Pam Cake s\P Hennessy Williams said hot oc they understand that there ou th rte is always a possibility that ys sy t| ofsomething might happen at a Ph Kr show, but they keep n oto yto cour e P performing because tesy of Brandon it’s something they love doing.

“It comes with Jade Amethyst said drag drag, that you helped her find who she is and get people that, changed how she sees the world. you know, just No One said that while drag don’t like you for takes so much time, resources just expressing and money, interacting with yourself or just people brings her warmth. being you,” “The second I’m on that drag queen stage when I am interacting Jade Amethyst with the audience, when we’re said. ”And I cheering, dancing, having a have been at a good time, all those worries couple shows melt away,” No One said. where there “Because I get to take people have been out of reality for just a moment protesters so when we’re performing.” it is very scary in that way just because you don’t know what people are going to do.”

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Fall 2023 | Access Magazine | 17

From Rags to Riches

By Jovanna Olivares Staff Writer

Searching for staple clothing pieces inspired by an outfit board on Pinterest at an average thrift store takes patience, strategy and a meticulous eye.

Orlando Flores, a communications senior and owner of Down to Earth Vintage, said the low quality of fast fashion items cannot easily replicate or compete with the old-school vintage look.

Down to Earth Vintage is a clothing store located at Eastridge mall in San José.

An item is generally considered vintage if made anywhere over twenty five years ago according to a Feb. 24 Vogue article.

“I’ve always been around used clothing and thrifting; back then it wasn’t as accepted as it is now,” said Flores. “Now it’s a different reaction. Now no one cares if it’s used clothing, like if you care and you’re judgmental about it, it’s like, ‘What the fuck, dude, you’re not tapped in, come on, bro get with the plan,’” Flores said.

18 | Access Magazine | Fall 2023

The secondhand shopping narrative has shifted with the influence of celebrities and social media in recent years. TikTok and other platforms have increased particular interest in the vintage market scene.

The shift in market demand inspired Flores to take the risk and open up his own brick-and-mortar shop.

He became fully self-employed, vending at local events at 19 years old, all while being a full-time student. By 21 years old, he opened his storefront in November 2022.

“When I signed the lease, I was like, okay, now the real grind starts because now I gotta self-teach myself about something that I know nothing about,” Flores said. “All I [knew was] how to source clothes and how to sell them.”

He said he didn’t know much about the process of acquiring a business license and other paperwork. “‘Where do I get my racks? How do I paint the walls?’ Just getting from A to Z,” Flores said.

Despite Flores having a history of vending

alongside his mom at various locations, it wasn’t Vending at local, small events in Northern until about five years ago that he began to familiarize California eventually evolved into longer road trips himself with the vintage clothing market. once Flores purchased his van with money from Dre Lucero, founder and leader of Pop-Up San vending at local events.

José, said a couple of years ago the vintage clothing “I pretty much started going super crazy with market scene was nearly nonexistent in San José vintage after [vending at Pop Up SJ] and started compared to the surrounding areas like Berkeley selling in SoCal too—a lot of times I would sell at Pop and San Francisco, locations known for a fashion- Up San José on Friday and Saturday. And then after forward community and city aesthetics.

Pop Up ended Saturday, at around 3 p.m. or 4 p.m., I Pop-Up San José is a two-day market held bi- would go home and sleep for like two hours, drive to weekly and hosted by the Berryessa Flea Market. The L.A. for the Roseville flea market in Pasadena and market was founded in October 2020 sleep in my van,” said Flores.

by Lucero as a space for vintage He said after selling in market vendors, collectors Pasadena all day he would and shoppers. drive back to San José Both the demand for school on Monday. and accessibility in Flores said this the vintage market was a regular proliferated vending routine through a thriving would I’ve always been around used that community often result in clothing and thrifting; back then his van still of vendors, organizers, it wasn’t as accepted as it is now.” being packed collectors and with racks shoppers with and clothes shared interests in from sourcing Orlando Flores nostalgic pieces. trips made along Communications senior Lucero said that Owner of Down to Earth Vintage the way. being part of the vintage “I would go to market community allows school with my van people to enhance their still loaded with a bunch of clothes. Driving up the 7th network with one another while Street parking garage and then providing business opportunities and being kind of scared, leaving my car with a of course, vending second-hand gems to each other until the item finds its proper home through bunch of clothes in there. It would be packed with racks and clothes,” said Flores. its rotation.

While the vintage market is primarily driven by Before Flores opened up his own location, he began vending vintage clothing at Pop Up San José. high school and college students, Lucero says one of Flores said that at the time of the first Pop Up San his goals is to get more people from older generations José event, he was just beginning to get into vintage to get over the stigmas and misconceptions of and wasn’t yet fully established. He was rejected shopping for pre-loved items.

“Over the years Pop Up San José has grown. So from vending because of insufficient inventory but curated enough vintage pieces to sell by the time of the now we have a very strong core of shoppers that [will] show up. And they’re students,” Lucero said. second event.

“It was the second Pop Up San José event ever. “They [event attendees] get dressed up, they want I remember doing it and I remember doing so well. to get seen, and they get their fits on and their totes Like what I would make at my job in more than half ready to shop, and they’re doing their thing and I a month, I made it in a day,” Flores said. “And I was love to see it.” like ‘Bro, what the heck, it’s a real business.’ So then I started doing more local small events.”

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Fall 2023 | Access Magazine | 19

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Chemical engineering junior Elvis Ibarra

Technical engineering grad student George McIntyre

Story and photos by Carolyn Brown Creative Director Chemical engineering junior Elvis Ibarra’s first introduction to the furry fandom was through the hit cartoon “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.”

“I kept discovering more and more people who were acting as (and) pretending to be these different animals, aside from just ponies,” Ibarra said. “I just discovered I like being a cat more than like being a pony.”

Ibarra said his fursona is an otter, but his fursuit is

Technical engineering grad student George McIntyre

a cat.

A fursona is an anthropomorphic animal character that some furries use as an avatar within the community according to Furscience.com.

“I was always a really closed-off kid,” Ibarra said.

“But all my friends said, ‘Oh you’re a scene kid at heart.’

And seeing this marketed as a fur scene, it was just like, ‘Yeah, that’s something I want to express myself as.’ ” When it comes to furries, the first thing that comes to many people’s minds is fursuits. A costume of an anthropomorphic animal some furries own.

About 10-15% of furries own full fursuits, while about 25% own a partial fursuit according to the International Anthropomorphic Research Project, a multi-disciplinary group dedicated to doing scientific research into the furry community.

“I know when I wear the suit, I’m able to be, like, more comfortable with hugging and touching other people [. . .]. I’m just able to express myself and show more emotions,” Ibarra said.

George McIntyre, technical engineering grad student, said people can get into the furry fandom in many different ways.

“There’s a bunch of movies that inspire people like Disney’s ‘Robin Hood ‘or ‘Zootopia,’ ” he said.

McIntyre said his fursonas include a purple dragon and a husky named Lucas Eclipse.

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When she was young, environmental science senior Jessica Brazer said she used to draw herself, usually with an animal.

“Then eventually it just kind of morphed into, ‘Yeah, but what I want to draw myself as an animal,’ ” she said. “But I wanted it to be me now, not just like a character in some other world. I want to represent me in a good way.”

Brazer’s fursonas include a blonde green-eyed bunny with long ears, a purple and blue dragon and a golden retriever.

McIntyre said being a furry offers people a chance to have fun and escape their regular, boring human lives.

“There’s a lot of people that are kind of like me,” McIntyre said. “They need to have a little bit of fun every once in a while and regular human life is just boring.”

Ibarra said his fursuit has the head of a white and blue saber tooth cat with pink hair and hearts in its eyes. He said it cost him $500 plus shipping.

McIntyre said he bought a partial fursuit at the furry convention Further Confusion in San José.

“I just remember going on Friday and seeing this head it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s kind of cute,’ ” he said.

“Then Saturday comes by and I see that head still there and then Sunday, an hour before the market closes. I’m just like, ‘It’s still up there. You know what, I’m gonna Chemical engineering junior Elvis Ibarra

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go buy it.’ ” He said the head is of a black and white husky with one blue and one green eye costing him $850.

With the post-pandemic boom in popularity of the furry fandom, McIntyre said he estimates the head would now retail for close to $2,000.

“Fursuits are really expensive,” McIntyre said.

“They’re, sort of, like luxury cars.”

Other furries make their own fursuits.

“I was like, ‘I want a fun costume. That sounds really fun, sounds really silly,’ ” Brazer said. “And since I had some sewing tools and a small budget, I started making stuff.”

Brazer is currently working on the head of her fursuit, but has completed the paws and tail. When finished it will be of a bunny with three-foot-long drooping ears.

“If you put all the hours together it’s been, I don’t know, days. If you crunch it all together, days at least,” Brazer said.

Ibarra said something important to understand is that being a furry isn’t a fetish.

“Everyone usually thinks like, we have these suits and we have a lot of sex, a bunch of orgies and stuff,” Ibarra said. “While some people do that, primarily, [being a furry is] just a way to express yourself and just be happy and show who you wish to be.”

Fear of Missing Out How FOMO Shaped My College Experience

By Siobhan Robinson Staff Writer

club or sorority, whereas it took me nearly three years to be active in any clubs of my own or find the people who understood me the best. I I decide to use my phone to browse social realized I had FOMO, not for a single occasion, media before going to bed, and when the bright but throughout my entire academic college career. device shines and almost blinds my eyes in the FOMO, also known as the Fear of Missing near full darkness of my dorm room, what looks back at me is a flood of pictures from my friends’, classmates’ and mutuals’ Instagram pages.

I see groups of friends out at the latest party, people on vacation, student’s study abroad I began to deconstruct my excursions, solo concert-going and so much more college years. I criticized in these images. A part of me envies and blamed myself for not them.

As I continued for being active on campus hours on Instagram, comparing myself sooner.” to each individual obtaining the so-called Out, is a relatively new word coined in 2004 to “college experience,” I characterize a new phenomenon of feelings that began to deconstruct my had formed among young people as a result of college years. I criticized the emergence of the internet and social media and blamed myself platforms. Researchers Mayank Gupta and Aditya for not being active Sharma explore the experience of FOMO in a on campus sooner. scientific study titled “Fear of Missing Out: A Brief When I was younger, Overview of Origin, Theoretical Underpinnings college movies and Relationship with Mental Health.” would always According to one section of the report, FOMO feature the can be divided into two processes: the fear of main character missing out and a compulsive want to retain social entering college relationships. When you tie experiencing FOMO with a swarm to a need for social connection, it emphasizes the of new friends person’s desire to belong and build meaningful and being the interpersonal interactions. president or I initially acknowledged having FOMO during e x e c u t i v e my sophomore year of college, when San José State in their University introduced hybrid class options, giving me the opportunity to finally stay on campus in the dormitories and recreate my completely online first year.

I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do at the time, so I majored in biology because I had an early love of science when I was a kid. However, I immediately discovered how unhappy that major had made me.

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Photo via Siobhan Robinson

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As a result, I was always stressed, isolated from made on social media are more likely to be upward friends and family and extremely sad. as many users tend to present an idealized version During that fall semester, I spent the majority of themselves and their lives. Thus, social media of my time either locked away in my dorm room or users are likely to believe that others are happier spending the entire day at the library. and living a better life than they are.”

At the time, I had six housemates, five of whom A recurring finding in their research showed were my first and pretty much only friends for the that women use social media more negatively and entire semester. My roommates enjoyed going out prefer images with upward comparisons. to social gatherings; some of them prefer going to I still regret being so shut out and denying parties on occasion, while others myself the chance to attempt things on my own. I simply enjoy the excitement remember being envious of my of going to the mall housemates as well as or watching movies my friends back home together. from their social media I was reluctant posts. The majority of at first to hang my best friends from out with them and high school ended up frequently declined attending different their invitations to universities, and the parties for fear of days when we used affecting my grades to call each other or causing me to miss all the time swiftly out on assignments. turned into seeing or I recall an instance talking to each other when the majority of every now and then. I my roommates went saw my friends’ posts to various fraternity on Instagram about parties for Halloween. getting admitted into I remembered viewing a sorority after rush, their stories from getting paired with a my Instagram feed big or little sibling, and feeling a twinge becoming executives of jealousy and an in their campus clubs, overwhelming sense and going on trips with of self-comparison. their newly formed Leon Festinger friendship circles, proposed selfwhile I seemed to be comparison theory the only one who was in 1954, and it is a slipping behind. With word that describes each photo I liked, I felt Photos via Siobhan Robinson the process by which my self-esteem sink. individuals compare and evaluate their actions, I determined that the best course accomplishments and opinions with those of of action for me was to remove all of my social others. media accounts. I deleted everything, including Adele Samra, Wayne A. Warburton and Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, in the latter half Andrew M. Collins investigated the ethical and of my sophomore year. I reasoned that staying out psychological ramifications of those who engage of sight and mind was the wisest course of action. in self-comparison theory in their paper, “Social That was one of the best decisions I ever made Comparisons: A potential mechanism linking since it allowed me to be completely at peace problematic social media use with depression.” with myself without worrying about the actions of According to the case study, “Comparisons others. I was spending less time on my phone and

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was happier as a result.

During my social media hiatus, I decided to look at myself introspectively and make a concerted effort to discover who I am and what I enjoy doing. Since I hadn’t yet joined a group on campus, one of my roommates advised me to do so. She was a member of several clubs at the time, one of which was Her Campus at SJSU. Her Campus at SJSU is a campus chapter of a magazine publishing organization aimed at a

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I determined that the best course of action for me was to remove all of my social media accounts. I deleted everything, including Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, in the latter half of my sophomore year.”

female Gen Z demographic.

With her help, I decided to join the writer’s team, and my love of writing resurfaced. The club provided me with a creative outlet and a passion that I could not find in biology. With my newfound enthusiasm for the club, I was able to investigate various job options in journalism, which led me to alter my degree to communication studies during the summer of my junior year.

I was promoted to senior editor and now Editorin-Chief during my time in the organization, and I also had time to work within the company as an entertainment and culture intern and am now a national writer for the site.

I realized that the college experience did not have to be defined by the next party or friend group, but rather by the opportunities and activities that provided the most fulfillment, and writing was the most rewarding component that I discovered in college. I learned how to be more open and outspoken during my time at the club; I’m learning leadership and how to guide others, Photo via Siobhan Robinson

and I was able to naturally create friend groups and many relationships with the other members and writers.

As I reflect on the entire span of my college years, I can proudly say that I have made the most of my experience and that these have been some of the best four years of my life. While my confrontations with FOMO only now come in waves, I try not to let it overwhelm me and distort the wonderful experiences I’ve made along the way. I cherish every moment and every close friend I’ve met during my college experience, as they’ve taught me that I’m not alone in my feelings when I communicate my anxieties.

They would also share their feelings about dealing with FOMO and taught me that it can be viewed as a sign of growth rather than a jealousydriven emotion.

While I’m not sure where life will take me once I graduate from San José State University, I know I’ll utilize my experiences with FOMO as a strength to help me grow more into myself during this phase of my life.

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sjsuaccess Stay connected and up to date with our magazine by following us on social media.

@SJSUACCESS From Left: Local cosplayers Olivia Danz and Ai Nhu Nguyen

Photo by Tracy Escobedo

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Executive Editor

Joanna Chavez

Managing Editor

Tracy Escobedo

Creative Director

Carolyn Brown

Social Media Manager & Co-Creative Director

Alicia Alvarez

Content Editor

Irene Adeline Milanez

Staff Writers Analyn Do, Erin Gott, Fabiana Palacios, Hennah Emran, Jovanna Olivares, Marie Aquino, Maya Pettiford, Quetzali Topete, Richy Zajic, Siobhan Robinson Adviser Nisha Garud Patkar Cover photo: Olivia Danz, Ai Nhu Nguyen Photo by Joanna Chavez

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Anthropology sophomore Erin Nicholson Photo by Analyn Do

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