Issue_5

LOVE YOURSELF

FEBRUARY 2017 I VOL. 6 No. 5

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CONTRIBUTORS

Editor-in-Chief

Mayeesha Chowdhury

Assistant Editor

Safa Gangat

Writers

Michael Petruzzelli Ori William Black Mackenzie Taylor Emma Ferreira Charles Manzo ChantaĂŠ Candize Kabeer Garba Christina Zisko Sana Ahmed Cole Kennedy Gerrod Harris

1 Art Director

Daniel Dohyun Kim

Designers

Mary Anne Cruz Emily Mcdonald Holden Kao Sarah Wong Justin Veneracion Madison Pflance Sarah Nwabuike Judy Gu Patrick Descartin Heena Chudasama Gurleen Hansi Elisabeth Yoon Larissa Ettlin Bri Coggans Samantha Hansel Cherry Law Nicole Hall Samneet Mann

Win ters CONTENTS

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Celebrating A Different V-Day

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Living Through Deadlines

Feature

Lifestyle

Safa Gangat

Michael Petruzzelli

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I Want You

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Luckiest Red-Headed Boy

Creative

Kabeer Garba

Cole Kennedy

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Happy Valentines Day

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Would You Accept the Rose?

Lifestyle

Christina Zisko

Leah Borges

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Okay Cupid

Katherine Collier

Lifestyle

Entertainment

Entertainment

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Celebrating A Different V-day: The Vagina By Safa Gangat

F eatu re VALENTINE’S DAY...OR MORE casually known as “V-day” is a day (but usually a week) dedicated to celebrating love for yourself, your partner or your friends; it is pretty ambiguous now. But V-day at York held in the same week of love celebrates something else, something harsh; it celebrates the women who live everyday facing violence, sexual abuse, and inequality - the fight fought by the organization known as V-day.

And if it is not happening to them directly, it’s happening around them and they hear about it. We all hear about it and V-day at York exists to yell out why violence and other issues against women should not exist.

V-day at York is a non-profit organization that work towards fighting that violence and abuse you hear about everyday and they do it through performance art. For the past seven years, in February, V-Day at York has put on a production of the esteemed play by Eve Ensler titled The Vagina Monologues. It is a play, which started as Vagina Interviews (yes, I said vagina), which later became Vagina

Monologues, about real women, real experiences, real struggles, and real upheavals. It celebrates womanhood in all its glory and fights against stigmas that women and girls face all across the globe to this day. Eve Ensler gets controversial and real in her script as the monologues discuss taboo topics such as rape, genital mutilation, verbal/physical abuse as well as the issues trans-women face.

All proceeds and donations from this student organization and production go to a local women’s shelter, in their case, North York Women’s Shelter. And I believe that is the best way to celebrate the vagina; a word everyone does not want to hear because it’s too crass, too real, too biologically correct, which is apparently is a problem.

People rather say “pussy” or “cunt” for lack of a better word to refer to not only a female’s genitals but also use it as a euphemism for a coward (pussy) or a bitch (cunt) even.

Does not make sense does it? Nope but neither does calling someone a “dick” because they are being rude but yet here we are, throwing around genitals (negatively).

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C reative

BY KABEER GARBA

Relationships are kind of a funny thing eh? You put so much effort into looking your best and only showing the positive sides of yourself just to get the other person to like you, then once you are comfortable you just let loose and let out those traits of yourself that are not so pretty.

This is where things get shaky, and you either make it through or you do not. The thing I do not understand is why. Why hide who you are at the beginning? You know that eventually that special someone will find out those negative things one way or the other, and if it is a deal breaker later in the relationship, it will definitely be a deal breaker now. So why wait? Why not jump into something fully ready to speak your mind, if they like you, they still will, and if they do not...did they ever? Dating is like a game at the start, both parties acting how

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Why hide who you are at the beginning?

they think they should rather than how they might actually be, but as enjoyable as playing pretend may be, sooner or later the game has to stop.

I want you. Really badly actually. I want to tell you about my day in full detail, I want to hold you close, I want you to make me smile, I want to make you smile, I want to kiss you, I want to be vulnerable around you, I want to tell you all the things that I love and hate about this world and most of all I want to treat you like the beautiful princess that you are. I do not want to be afraid to be myself. What is holding me back is this little voice in the small of my mind that says to slow down. It tells me that you not not ready for that sort of commitment, that you will not like me anymore if I text you again though you have not replied, or that those key features that make me, myself, are not okay with you. I have a past, I have history, I have so much to tell, and I am sure things are the same way with you, so can we just agree to be comfortable around each other? I want to be impulsive, I want to be with you.

What do you say?

�

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To: Me Happy Valentine’s Day From: Me Christina Zisko

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SOME PEOPLE ABSOUTELY HATE VALENTINES DAY, and make it known. They post cynical memes about being “forever alone” and probably spend the night eating ice cream on the couch. While Valentine’s Day is far from my favourite day of the year (mostly due to the ridiculous over-commercialization of the day), I do appreciate that there is one day a year dedicated to the celebration of love. And not only romantic love, but also love for friends, parents, and most importantly, for yourself. And if one thing is for sure, I love me some me. Any excuse to celebrate self-love is something I can get behind. Especially as a perpetually single woman such as myself.

L if estyle In the age of Tinder and Bumble there are so many options at our fingertips, but I do not think that this makes it any easier to find meaningful relationships. In fact, it is probably harder. It is easy to message back and forth for a day or two and then never speak again.

It is easy to receive overtly sexual messages from five strangers in a row. It is easy to go back to swiping the second a match says that they are a Gemini and Capricorns are more your type. We are flooded with so many faces and profiles that there is the temptation to always look for the next best thing. I think this even affects us when we meet people in person. Say you meet someone at the grocery store or in a bar. Even if you have gone out on a date or two, it is entirely possible that they are already swiping away ten minutes after returning home.

This might not even be done in a malicious way, but rather out

of habit. Forgive me for being a Negative Nancy on the topic, but I have seen it happen to friends and it has most definitely happened to me, so I know the possibilities are there.

Which is why I love Valentine’s Day as a day to celebrate someone who will never swipe left on my profile - ME. Now I’m sure at some point (year 2040? 2050?), February 14th will roll around and I will have a romantic relationship to celebrate (perhaps with Channing Tatum...?), but until then I am more than happy to spend the day loving myself and the important people in my life. I spent this Valentine’s Day eating heart shaped pasta with my mom, sending love-inspired Snapchats to my friends, and taking a nap in the middle of the day as a little present to myself. A very successful Valentine’s Day in my book.

This is why no matter how many cheesy couple photos I see on Instagram, I still enjoy Valentine’s Day. It reminds me to appreciate the love I do have in my life. We hear people say, Valentine’s Day should not exist. We should show people that we love them every day!”. I completely agree with the latter part of that sentiment. We should show the people we love that we love them every chance that we get.

But do we? Sometimes we are so busy working, studying, or bingewatching Stranger Things on Netflix, that we forget. I think that we can all use a reminder once in a while to focus on what matters. If that means buying your best friend (or yourself) a box of chocolates or a bouquet of flowers, then so be it.

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OKAY CUPID, LET’S SEE WHAT YOU’VE GOT

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L if estyle BY KATHERINE COLLIER

I COULD NOT BELIEVE I WAS actually doing this. I was going to meet someone from OkCupid. If my mother knew she would kill me. My heart was pounding in my chest, small hands shaking as I waited for the subway to get to my stop. The lights of the underground tunnels calmed me as they sped past the window beside me.

Almost there.

We had been speaking for a few weeks, chatting through the app. He was calm, musical, maybe a little dorky, which was usually my go-to type.

Something about this tonight worried me though, what would it really be like to be out with him? Would it all be an act? Was he just trying to get in my pants? I’m sure he’s nice. He seemed so sweet this last few weeks. Am I just worrying because of what society has trained me to think?

“Arriving at Dupont, Dupont station.”

Came the automated voice over the subway speaker system. Where my heart had been pounding before, it stopped now, as I walked to the doors.

The three tone ding that signaled the door opening restarted the quickened beating of my heart. Right now I would do anything to be away from the giant

throng of people standing in my way. This was maybe the reason why I pushed my way up to the street with such little regard for other people.

There, standing a little ways away, was the face that matched the profile I had been speaking to, as that was all he was to me until now.

The short blonde hair, the blue eyes that held universes, everything about him screamed golden boy.

Large white flurries fell around us as we approached each other, the others leaving the subway station bustling around us to get where they needed to go.

“Nice to finally meet you,” came a soft but deep voice, one that showed tenderness and a kind heart.

“You as well,” I said, my voice was hesitant, but my heart seemed to have calmed now that I had finally seen that he wasn’t catfishing me. I allowed myself to be pulled in for a hug, finally relaxing and letting the night become what it wanted to become.

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Living Through Deadlines By Michael Petruzzelli

L if estyle AS I SIT HERE ONCE AGAIN TO pump out yet another one of these trusty letters for the Artichoke, I am beginning to realize I have exactly 27 minutes to finish writing this letter and send it off to the editors.

If I look to my left I can see a half full cup of day old coffee and if I look to my right I will see my boyfriend laying on the bed also cramming in a final assignment before the drop box closes in now 26 minutes.

Keep in mind, today is Valentine’s day and our form of a romantic night is studying together. This is basically how the past month of my life has played out. Deadline given, procrastination begins, deadline approaches and a destructive scramble to the final countdown.

February has been a month of stress, exhaustion, stress, lack of nutrition, stress and more stress. Thus causing endless occurrences of mental, physical and emotional breakdowns.

Next, I will list a couple signs that your body is telling you to take a break:

Bags under the eyes, a common side effect from binge watching Stranger Things on Netflix.

Waking up for class realizing that class passed 6 hours ago and it is now time for dinner.

physically. Here are a few pointers to help you stay on track: Try creating lists and schedules to keep yourself focused on your goals.

Take 30 minutes out of your day and try meditation or yoga.

Migraines. Just migraines.

The uncontrollable tapping of your knees, this could be a side effect of all of the energy drinks you have hyped yourself up on… or possible an inner anxiety fighting to subconsciously get out.

And lastly, a lack of appetite. Now this one might be hard to spot but if all you have eaten today was 4 almonds and the other half of the Doritos bag left on your bedside table from your Netflix binge, you are probably hungry and just too busy to notice.

Because February’s edition is focused on the topic of love, I want to remind all of you lovely students out there that there’s always time to LOVE YOURSELF. This means taking care of your body mentally and

Try your very best to get your daily minimum of nutrition requirements, and yes butter is a carb and no this does not mean only drinking cranberry juice for 72 hours.

Lastly, remember to relax. Remind yourself that if your goals are not achieved, it is not the end of the world. Life will progress and continue to offer you an endless amount of possibilities.

Don’t forget to breathe, Winters College First Year Representative Michael Petruzzelli

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“A blonde girl. A raven-haired girl. And the luckiest red-headed boy in the universe.�

By Cole Kennedy

En ter tain men t IT IS A CLASSIC STORY: GIRL likes boy, boy likes older woman, another girl likes that same boy, that boy It is more complex because the somewhat likes that second girl and characters are more complex. likes the first girl only as a friend, Archie is not the goodie-twoall while the entire town is under shoes we remember, but a kid with murder investigation. See? Classic. torn emotions and no clue what to Archie Andrews, welcome do with them. Similar to his comic to 2017, it is not exactly full of counterpart, he still wants to do sunshine and rainbows. Riverdale is what is right, even if he has missteps the new, modern adaptation of the along the way. Veronica has a classic Archie comic book and digest past that reflects her recognizably series, now 75 years old. Whereas “bitchy” and “mean” persona, but the original comics told simple her move to Riverdale has sparked stories of friendship, growing up, a determination of starting fresh having fun, and playful adventures. and being better. Betty is a nice girl Riverdale injects real, layered stories learning that nice girls finish last. and characteristics into what were She has aspirations but struggles otherwise one-dimensional stories to find the assertiveness to achieve and characters. them, causing her to bottle up some Riverdale is not “dark”, it is inner demons. Reggie…well, he’s “real”. The real world is not black still an asshole. And finally, there’s and white because life is mostly Jughead. In a town of deceptive, grey, and the series is reflective of complex people, Jughead may be the grey world we live in. The fun, the only one who can see them for carefree adventures of Archie and what they really are. Portrayed as the gang are outdated narratives. more of an outsider here, Jughead Black is black, white is white, but has a unique overview of the town, grey just has so much more variety. one that prevents him from getting We want complexity, we want trapped in the web of lies and drama, we want edge, and Riverdale delivers. The classic love triangle of Archie, Betty, and Veronica is updated and muddied in Riverdale.

drama, a view that offers the most clarity.

We as a society, as a culture, as youths, are as diverse and complex as ever. The ability of self-expression is great. Shows like Riverdale display and encourage that diversity and complexity. As entertaining as the original Archie comics were, the new comic series and especially Riverdale, are so much more entertaining because they take these characters to places they have never been before and give them thoughts and internal conflicts they have never had. Love triangles are interesting, but throw in a seductively deceptive fourth party, a girl who is genuinely trying to do the right thing but failing, a pill addiction, a murder mystery, and you have one very interesting TV show.

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En ter tain men t By Leah Borges

REALITY TV IS ONE OF THOSE guilty pleasures a lot of us are too embarrassed to admit to. Well, here I am‌admitting to it. A particular family member of mine enjoys watching, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, along with several other reality shows. I cannot say I agree with anything the shows stand for but I will give them credit for being so damn entertaining.

There is something satisfying about watching these stupid, dramatic characters fight for the attention of one over-rated individual, while benefitting from the amazing vacations that go along with it all.

But that is just it, is it not? They are characters! They are chosen to be on the show for a reason, and that reason is so weak people like myself will watch them make a fool of themselves on television; I guess that really makes me the fool in a way.

But lets talk about the concept of the show itself. First of all, if anyone is convinced that this show is a true representation of love, then you must be absolutely brainwashed by the fakery of television. In my opinion, love or dating for that matter, is more complex and layered. People often describe what a good relationship should be by

using words like honesty, trust, and the word love itself. The truth is, there is so much more than all that, in fact, those elements are ones that should already be expected to the point where they should not have to be mentioned. If we all thought it takes those grand ideas to have a steady relationship with someone, then you are in for a relationship that will be no different than the couple at the table beside you.

I believe in the little things, and the little quirks that make your relationship YOUR relationship.

Those little things make it special, and unique like no other. Yes, you are in love perhaps, but you also have friendship with that person and connections and differences that make the two of you work in a way that only works for the two of you. My advice is, do not accept the rose. It only represents a fabricated sort of love that seems perfect and completely romanticized. Do not be afraid to be picky, to be yourself, to be different, and to not settle for the rose.

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Winters Free Press EST. 1967