Fall 2016 Online Issue

ATLAS magazine

Fall 2016 ONLINE ISSUE

ATLAS magazine

Editor-in-Chief: Lindsey Paradis Managing Editor: Antonia DePace Creative Director: Samantha Harton

MARKETING Marketing Director: Joelle Lewis Marketing Team: Swetha Amaresa, Rebecca Bass, Georgia Helvadjian FASHION DIRECTOR Co-Fashion Directors: Emma Cox, Kristen Bruck DESIGN Design Team: Suchita Chadha, Esther Blanco PHOTO Photo Editor: Nora Wilby Photo Team: Jacob Cutler, Monika Davis, Hannah Choi, Morgan Sage, Meagan Leotta, Olivia Gerasole COPY EDITORS Head Copy Editor: Allyson Floridia Copy Editors: Alysen Smith, Caitlin Smith, Katrina Taylor, Jessica Morris, Maya Gandara CITY City Editor: Samantha Harton Assistant Editor: Jackie DeFusco City Writers: Jessica Filippone, Lindsay Simmons GLOBE Globe Editor: Suchita Chadha Assistant Editor: Lala Thaddeus Globe Writers: Megan Anderson, Amelia Channin STYLE Style Editor: Casey Tsamis Style Writers: Caitlin Smith, Melinda Fakuade, Karis Bedey HEALTH Health Editor: Alysen Smith Health Writers: Olivia Woollett, Madison McKeever, Elizabeth Hartel CAMPUS Writers: Shafaq Patel, Sarah Molloy, Giuliana Bruno BLOG Blog Editor: Lauren Lopez Blog Writers: Jessica Morris, Jennifer Wood, Margo Rometo

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letter from the editor Something I’ve been struggling with more than ever this year—my senior year—is balance. I have a capstone and a thesis—word of advice: don’t double major at Emerson unless you hate yourself. I have Atlas and Your Magazine. I have an internship. I have friends and a boyfriend, who usually get the smallest amount of my time. I’m supposed to be looking at graduate schools and job openings. And I have a Netflix account. Almost every student at Emerson has twenty different things going on.

I’ve broken down sobbing on public transportation, ranted in my group text, been so stressed my body has had a physical reaction, called my mom for help and ended the night with an “I’m done with everything” glass of wine more times than I can count on one hand—okay, probably closer to two. And that’s just in this semester alone. Balance is hard.

And sometimes I find myself thinking, Why don’t I just get rid of something. A lot of you have probably thought the same thing. I thought the same thing about this issue.

Doing a mid-semester online issue for Atlas is new. It was my idea, something I spearheaded last year. And in the midst of finding enough articles, reading drafts, finalizing photos, I thought to myself: Why did I create all this extra work for myself ?

Because the hard things, the ones that leave you beyond tired, the ones you think you might just give up on are always the ones most worth it.

I’m inspired by this issue—by the talent of our writers, their creative ideas, the inspiration found by our photographers, just the effort and hard work everyone puts in.

Seeing everything come in and come together was exciting as Christmas morning for me.

So balance. The best way I balance myself is with chocolate, a heating pad and an extensively color-coordinated schedule. I don’t have the patience for yoga or the time for a run. I miss my bathtub at home greatly. Find what works best for you.

I hope you take your time and enjoy our issue. We enjoyed making it.

Lindsey Paradis

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meet thE staff

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ANTONIA DEPACE

SAMANTHA HARTON

MANAGING EDITOR

CREATIVE DIRECTOR, CITY EDITOR

JOELLE LEWIS

NORA WILBY

MARKETING DIRECTOR

PHOTO EDITOR

KRISTEN BRUCK

EMMA COX

CO-FASHION DIRECTOR

CO-FASHION DIRECTOR

ALYSEN SMITH

SUCHITA CHADHA

HEALTH EDITOR

GLOBE EDITOR

ALLYSON FLORIDIA

LAUREN LOPEZ

HEAD COPYEDITOR

BLOG EDITOR

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IN THIS ISSUE pg. 22

pg. 36

CITY

The Practice of Staying Safe pg. 10 Melanie Matson, director of Emerson’s Violence Prevention and Response, and Cambridge police officer Jeremy Warnick get real about ways to stay safe in the city.

Allston Eats: Neighbourhood Guide to the Best Food in Allston pg. 12 Need a date night spot? Looking for the best brunch? Atlas has got you covered, here are some of Allston’s best spots to eat.

Le Corsalie pg. 14 A look at Boston Ballet’s Le Corsaire, a beautiful narrative about pirates, adventure, and love.

Time to Get Saus-y pg. 22 Pass the fries please! Altas takes a look at the brainchild of Northeastern and Boston University grads, Saus, a gourmet fast food restaurant.

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pg. 14

GLOBE

Milennials and Volunteering pg. 26 More than ever, millennials are looking out for causes they care about.

Varanasi: Shades of Orange pg. 28 This travel narrative details one of India’s most beautiful and holy cities.

COVER PHOTO: Hannah Choi SECTION PHOTO: Nora Wilby STAFF PHOTOS:Nora Wilby ABOVE PHOTOS: Nora Wilby, Hannah Choi. Meagan Leotta, Morgan Sage, Suchita Chadha

FALL 2016 pg. 56

pg. 44

STYLE

pg. 28

HEALTH

Glitter Bomb pg. 36 Trend report. From runways to festivals, read about the rise of glitter hair and learn how to master the style yourself.

Got Truth? pg. 50 Milk is good for you right? An in depth look about the propaganda of milk, and how it’s only side effect isn’t strong bones.

Aesthete pg. 38 Noun: someone with deep sensitivity to the beauty of art or nature

#CommuterProbs: The Hidden Dangers of Long-Distance Commutes pg. 52 Commuting sucks more than you think, turns out your train ride to class might be reeking havoc on you body and mind.

Lipstick Effect pg. 44 A bold lipstick isn’t just a cute accessory, it’s a economic and psychological game changer.

Fall Kicks pg. 46 The temperature is dropping. Leaves are turning color. It’s fall, which means boot season.

Chomatherapy: It’s More That Just a Color pg. 54 Color is more than what you think it is. Explore how color and light can help you physically and mentally through Chromatherapy.

How to Deter Diseases Before Diagnosis pg. 58 Stop the problem before it begins. Lifestyle medicine is a simple and widely unexplored way to deter health problems.

Color Wall To Wall pg. 60 A look at color in Boston’s city-scape 7 | Online

CITY

The Practice of Staying Safe // pg. 10 Allston Eats: Neighboorhood Guide to the Best Food in Allston // pg. 12 Le Corsalie // pg. 14 Time to Get Saus-y // pg. 22

THE

PRACTICE OF STAYING SAFE WRITER: Lindsey Paradis

PHOTO: Morgan Sage

In the winter of 2015, Casey Tsamis, journalism ’18, sat alone on a bench in the Mohegan Sun casino waiting for her mother and grandfather, when a strange man approached her. The man, who looked to be in his thirties or forties, tried to talk to Tsamis, but due to his thick accent she could only make out the compliment “you’re beautiful.”

Tsamis immediately felt uncomfortable.

She texted her mom for help, but received no answer. Tsamis became even more uneasy when the man asked a passerby to take a picture of the two. The man scooted further down the bench and pulled her in until they were touching. Tsamis was unable to push him away.

People were slowing, taking in the scene and Tsamis’ distressed appearance, but did not stop. “I was looking at them with those ‘help me’ eyes,” she says.

No one has control over being attacked. So the best safety practice becomes thinking preemptively about ways to help yourself as well as others who may be in a dangerous situation.

One of the strategies Dr. Melanie Matson, Director of Emerson College’s Violence Prevention and Response department, encourages is active bystander intervention. If you come across a situation that looks questionable, Matson says, “Rather than making the choice to continue and walk by, maybe I turn and pay attention to what’s happening. It’s that first step of recognizing.”

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Realizing that the casino bystanders weren’t coming to her aid, Tsamis started to take off, only to be pulled back by her attacker. “I just started walking away, and he grabbed the back of my sweatshirt and pulled me. I said, ‘I have to go. My mom’s going to leave without me.’

I tried to leave again and he kept pulling me. He pulled my arm this time too and said, ‘No, stay.’ I was tearing up at this point,” says Tsamis.

Her attacker then pulled her towards him. “At first I thought he was going to kiss me,” she says. Instead he whispered in her ear, something she couldn’t make out, then released her. Tsamis left as fast as she could.

When put in a potentially harmful situation or when witnessing one, Matson recommends evaluating the “three Cs.” She stresses that when picking a course of action, or “C,” one should choose what makes them feel safest.

THE THREE C'S The first “C” is to confront the situation.

She says, “That might mean I’m sitting on the T and I notice someone hovering over someone else looking like they might hit them. I might directly confront the situation. I may say to the person being hovered over, ‘Hey, is everything okay here?’ Or to the person hovering I might say, ‘You need to get off the train.’”

The next “C” is to cause a distraction.

By creating a distraction the situation can potentially be broken up, or more attention might be drawn to the altercation.

Jeremy Warnick, Director of Communications & Media Relations at the Cambridge Police Department, says, “Just create as much of a scene as you can, especially if you’re in an area where people may see or hear you.”

The final “C” is to contact others.

“Contacting others for assistance is helpful because sometimes there’s safety in numbers,” says Matson. Contacting others could mean reaching out to bystanders or potentially contacting the authorities.

“Just report it,” says Cambridge’s Warnick. “There’s never an issue if people are over reporting situations.” He says to call the police, 911, if it’s an emergency. Additionally, reporting suspicious behavior, people and situations is a good preemptive practice. One can do this by reaching out to a police department’s separate number for non-emergencies.

Other precautionary safety practices include walking in groups and walking in well-lit areas. Warnick suggests that people should be extra aware of their surroundings during the warmer months, at night and in high traffic areas.

“In terms of overall crime, there tends to be an increase in the warmer months,” he says. “So certainly over the course of the summer. Then on top of that, [crime] tends to be [higher] during the weekend nights.” Additionally, Warnick states that a majority of Cambridge’s crime happens in more commercial and business-oriented districts, including the squares.

He attributes these higher crime rates to the increase in outdoor activity during the warmer months as well as a higher concentration of business, bars and nightclubs in some of the commercial areas.

Emerson’s Matson suggests the preemptive strategy of thinking ahead. “Have a plan of action ahead of time,” she says.

“It might be helpful for you to be thinking about where you spend a lot of your time. Similarly, if you’re going out, it might be helpful to think: Who am I going out with? Should we have a meetup point? Do we have each other’s numbers in case we get separated? Do we have a plan of action on how we’re going to cover each other if something [does] happen?”

One way that certain individuals plan ahead of time is by carrying different types of tools in order to feel safer. It should be noted that certain colleges do not allow students to carry items that are considered dangerous, including knives and pepper spray.

TOOLS For the purpose of this article, all Emerson students interviewed for carrying defense tools will be renamed as the school’s policy does not permit them to carry such items.

Sally Smith, writing, literature and publishing ’17, lives in Brookline, Massachusetts and carries a knife. “It looks like a key, but the knife part flips out,” she says. Smith’s knife is attached to her key ring and stored in her backpack for most of the day. Yet when walking home, especially at night, she will hold onto it.

DR. MELANIE MATSON SUGGESTS, “HAVE A PLAN OF ACTION AHEAD OF TIME. IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL FOR YOU TO BE THINKING ABOUT WHERE YOU SPEND A LOT OF YOUR TIME. SIMILARLY, IF YOU’RE GOING OUT, IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO THINK: WHO AM I GOING OUT WITH? SHOULD WE HAVE A MEETUP POINT? DO WE HAVE EACH OTHER’S NUMBERS IN CASE WE GET SEPARATED? DO WE HAVE A PLAN OF ACTION ON HOW WE’RE GOING TO COVER EACH OTHER IF SOMETHING [DOES] HAPPEN?” “I am very afraid of the dark, so I think it makes me feel a little safer. I don’t plan on ever needing to use it, obviously, but I do like that I have it if I ever need it,” says Smith. This being said, she believes she might be more comfortable using pepper spray to protect herself.

One of the devices Cambridge’s Warnick highly suggests carrying is a flashlight. He says, “[You should carry] anything that can create more visibility and can give an extra sense of protection when walking, particularly at night.”

Both students agree that they make great use of the flashlight app on their phones. White says, “Whenever I’m outside I pretty much use it. I definitely think it makes me feel safer. I won’t go anywhere without it.”

Smith previously lived in an area in which she felt unsafe walking home. “If I were walking home in the dark I’d be on the phone with someone,” she says. “ I feel a lot safer doing that, and generally I feel like someone’s not going to mug you or attack you if you’re on the phone.”

Warnick agrees that if you don’t feel safe, being in communication with someone can certainly help.

He also suggests that people do their basic research: looking at their local police department’s website as well as contact information and recent crime reports. Because when it comes to safety one can never be over prepared.

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ALLSTON EATS: A NEIGHBOORHOOD GUIDE TO THE BEST FOOD IN ALLSTON WRITER: Alysen Smith PHOTO: Nora Wilby

Allston is one of Boston’s best-known neighborhoods and it’s full of great places to eat, drink and socialize. But when every street is lined with cafes, bars and restaurants, it’s easy to be overwhelmed with choices and fall into a safe routine of eating only at the places you’re familiar with or close to.

Allston has restaurants for every ethnicity and every diet, but the trouble isn’t in finding somewhere to eat—it’s in choosing from a vast array of options and hoping that you wind up at a restaurant that has great food, great ambience and great prices.

Some extensive research, a number of interviews and a whole lot of eating have resulted in this collection of Allston’s best restaurants suitable for even Boston’s most dedicated foodies. Whether you’re looking for a brunch spot to hit with friends or a date night that won’t break the bank, it’s all here.

ALLSTON BRUNCH In recent years, brunching has exploded in popularity—and for good reason. It’s the perfect excuse to sleep in on the weekend and then get together with your friends for a huge meal that combines breakfast and lunch. So it’s no surprise that, in Allston, there’s an abundance of restaurants that offer brunch. Herein lies the challenge of choosing.

For your favorite Saturday meal, Allston’s best restaurant is Deep Ellum. Inspired by a Dallas, Texas neighborhood known for its music and food scenes, Deep Ellum has an entire menu dedicated to unique brunch items like avocado tartine and duck confit hash. Capri DeBiccari, a dedicated Boston-area foodie, likes Deep Ellum not only for the food and the atmosphere, but for the top-notch service as well. She says, “The staff is super accommodating and kind—they will go above and beyond to make sure you have an awesome dining experience!”

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ALLSTON’S BAR SCENE Owing to its distinctly young and lively population, Allston has no shortage of bars. It can be tricky to name Allston’s best bar because everyone’s night out calls for something different depending on the size of your group, the occasion (if any) and the mood you’re in. The right bar for you may be different than someone else’s.

However, in most cases, Sunset Grill & Tap ticks every box. With 113 beers on tap and 380 microbrews and exotic imports, plus a full cocktail menu, Sunset has something tasty for everyone. This bar also has delicious food available and an abundance of space (meaning no insanely long lines on weekend nights). But according to Lauren Godding, three-year Allston resident and avid restaurant goer, this bar’s accessibility makes all the difference. Godding says, “Some of my friends are under 21 and obviously they can’t drink, but since it’s also a restaurant, they can still come inside and hang out.”

LATE NIGHT FOOD IN ALLSTON What goes hand in hand with bustling nightlife and a booming bar scene? Late night food, of course. Because Boston area laws require alcohol service to stop at 2:00 a.m., bar goers tend to pour out into the streets of Allston around 1:00 a.m. in search of a slice of pizza or a heaping plate of nachos. It may be difficult to remember where the best late night bite is after a few hours at the bar, but luckily, this one is located in the heart of Allston and just a few blocks away from the Harvard Avenue T stop on the B line.

Tavern in the Square is, albeit a chain restaurant, arguably the best place to go for some greasy food that’s worth more than what you’ll pay. According to Ian Gunn, Allston resident and seasoned late night Bostonian, the price-to-quality ratio is the most important aspect of a good restaurant. “Striking that balance between the price and quality of food, for myself and many other young people, is paramount,” he says.

As for Tavern in the Square, the pricing and food quality are just the tip of the iceberg. It’s also a popular weeknight destination for billiards and darts, affordable drinks and friendly conversation. Cooper Irons, a former Allston resident, says, “It can be a nice place to grab a drink and something to eat by yourself when you just want to chill, but it can also get really popping on weeknights with Top 40 hits blasting and videos on the TVs!”

DATE NIGHT IN ALLSTON In case you aren’t looking for a late night out and you’d rather spend some alone time with someone special, have no fear: Allston also has a more mellow side. It can be fun to try new foods or stumble upon a hole-in-the-wall restaurant for a date night dinner, but if you’re not feeling so adventurous, you can find a top-notch date locale at Lulu’s.

This restaurant is a well-known brunch spot. You’ll find that during peak brunch hours the line is usually out the door, the restaurant is loud and crowded and the service can seem rushed. But after the late-morning rush subsides, Lulu’s best side comes out. According to Capri DeBiccari, “The best time to go is around 8:00 on a weeknight. It’s got a cool vibe, creative drinks and great food! The service is much better at night, and it isn’t too pricey either.”

Lulu’s is an undeniably great choice for date night, but honorable mention goes to Shabu Zen on Brighton Avenue. Serving Asian hotpot cuisine, Shabu Zen is an interactive, hands-on dining experience that can make for a super fun date. Although it may not be as traditional as Lulu’s (in terms of the cuisine), you just have to make sure your date likes Asian food before making a reservation.

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radis

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LE CORSAIRE WRITER: Lindsey Paradis PHOTO: Nora Wilby

The Boston Ballet kicked off their 53rd season with the North American premiere of Ivan Liška’s “Le Corsaire.” The Ballet first performed “Le Corsaire” in 1996, becoming the first non-Russian company to perform the full-length ballet.

“Le Corsaire” is a tale of romance, adventure and even humor.

Medora (Seo Hye Han) is the beautiful daughter of a rich merchant and slave trader. When les coursaires—pirates—arrive in their village, she sees their leader Conrad (Lasha Khozashvili) and immediately falls in love. He returns the sentiment just as quickly.

But tragedy strikes the couple when the Pasha—a wealthy aristocrat—arrives and demands that Medora be part of his harem.

Conrad rescues Medora from this fate, whisking her away to the pirate’s grotto. A betrayal separates the pair and Conrad must once again save his love from the Pasha’s harem.

The Boston Ballet’s performance of this tale is absolutely striking. The eye is immediately drawn to the grandiose, detailed sets

and costumes designed by Roger Kirk. The pirate's costumes make them perfectly distinct, but throughout the show it’s Medora’s outfits that are the most beautiful. The ensembles—typically including a tutu—are soft, representative of her character, but also intricate.

Seo Hye Han—the dancer behind Medora—is part of the show’s most enchanting moments. The intimate, flirty and funny bedroom scene between Medora and Conrad in Act II comes to mind, as well as the “Jardin Animé” scene in Act III—a moment that overflows with dancers, inclduing students from the Boston Ballet School.

One doesn’t need to be a dancer or an expert of the art to understand the narrative and beauty of the Boston Ballet’s performance of “Le Corsaire.” The movement and music is so evocative that anyone is able to feel the emotions emanating off the stage—humor, intimacy, love, revelry and adventure.

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Time to get SAUS-y WRITER: Lauren Lopez PHOTO: Hannah McKeen In 2008, three university graduates were ousted from their job at a startup company because of the recession. Two of the graduates from Boston University, Renee Eliyah and Chin Kuo, had known each other before this job opportunity. They had met the third graduate from Northeastern University, after she hired them for the company. The three spent a lot of their free time centered around food. They would cook for each other and go out to eat often. When they found themselves without jobs, they came up with the idea to open a restaurant, and with the support of friends and family, Saus was born.

“Saus” comes from the Dutch word for sauce. While neither of the three founders are Dutch, their restaurant was inspired

by Dutch and Belgian food, such as french fries and waffles.

“The whole point of it was we wanted to produce a product that most people are familiar with, but we wanted to take it to the next level. So that was the general strategy with what we wanted our product to be,” says Chin Kuo, co-founder and chef at Saus. All three of the founders were born to immigrant parents and traveled extensively as well, so the idea of the Dutch theme was a foundation they thought of when traveling. However, as the company expanded and they began to add more to the menu other than just french fries and waffles, the name of the restaurant became the sole reminder of this Dutch foundation.

Kuo put their plan into action through a simple medium: sauce. “The way I was inspired to make those is: what do people use from a condiment standpoint? Ketchup. Hot sauce. Mayo.

Mustard. Barbecue sauce. Cheese. That was kind of the basis. I set out how to learn how to make each of those from scratch.

All of those things are bottled and packaged and generally processed,” he says.

Prior to opening, the three founders hosted a tasting party in Kuo’s apartment. Kuo had come up with about twenty different sauces and arranged questionnaires tailored to each sauce. Family members, friends and investors all tasted the sauces and gave their feedback. This helped narrow it down to the fifteen sauces that are on the menu today.

The restaurant serves up food made-from-scratch while still maintaining a casual counter setting. Patrons order at the counter and then are able to sit in benches at tables or in a high top seating arrangement. The restaurant plays music from playlists arranged by the workers, and the walls are lined with pictures and knickknacks—many of which were put on display by the owners or employees.

Saus’s menu boasts bar favorites such as fresh cut fries, poutine and a variety of sandwiches. What really sets them apart, however, is their fifteen different dipping sauces. Saus’s variety of sauces do not include ketchup or mayonnaise, and come in a variety of combinations like Green Monster, which is a sauce made from jalapeños, habañeros, fresh cilantro and garlic. “Green Monster is one of my favorite sauces,” says Kuo. “I wanted to create a hot sauce. Most are red, but Green Monster is this vivid dark green. I was inspired by the flavors of sriracha and sweet chili sauce,” he says.

The restaurant started mainly with the three founders doing all of the jobs with about one or two other staff members to help out.

Now, eight years later, they are still running smoothly with hopes of possibly expanding in the future. “We were 24 to 25 when we decided to do this. It was a very unconventional idea during the recession,” says Walker. “Chin says it’s better than grad school, but I wouldn’t necessarily advise what we did, even if it worked out. We decided not to get real jobs and we decided to pursue this crazy idea we had.

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GLOBE Millennials and Volunteering // pg. 26 Varanasi: Shades of Orange // pg. 28

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Millennials & Volunteering WRITER: Lala Thaddeus COURTESY PHOTO: Stephanie McVeigh & Phoebe Edalatpour

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Compared to older generations, millennials tend to get a bad reputation when it comes to volunteering. What many do not see, however, is how they do so behind-thescenes. In other words, millennials work toward their own ambitions in order to change the world. Through this, they use their voices to achieve their dreams and embrace opinions. They not only volunteer and make donations, but also inspire future generations to do so as well.

Despite getting a bad reputation from older generations, millennials are not only striving to change the world to fit their own ambitions, but are also volunteering, making donations and using their voices as consumers to do good in the world.

The Millennial Impact Report, an annual survey that tracks millennial involvement in different causes, states that 70 percent of people born between 1980 and 2000 have spent at least an hour of their time doing volunteer work throughout 2014, while another 84 percent have contributed a charitable donation. In other words, volunteering is very much alive with this generation. When compared to their elders, it is clear that millennials are still volunteering, just in a different manner.

For example, while a millennial won’t donate as much money to a charity as a Gen X-er, they will purchase products from a one-for-one company such as Toms.

Or, rather than directly volunteering with an organization, a millennial will spend their money on products sold by companies striving to implement organic food practices, aid children in developing countries or help the environment. This mentality suggests that millennials aim to do as little harm as possible while doing as much good as possible, and integrate this idea into their dayto-day lifestyle.

According to the Millennial Impact Report, 77 percent of millennials are likely to volunteer when they can

directly use their skills or expertise to benefit a project. This suggests that they view volunteering similarly to how they view internships and working for school organizations: a method of gaining or building on their work experience in order to benefit them in the future.

Phoebe Edalatpour, a senior Civil Engineering major at Georgia Institute of Technology, has traveled to Cameroon, Ghana and South Africa through her school’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders, Saha Global and a study abroad program, respectively. While in Cameroon, Edalatpour helped install a water well and piping system in her stationed village.

In Ghana, she worked with two villages to open a water purification business and a clean electricity center. Finally, in South Africa, she built a theater at a community center in Cape Town for six weeks, working twelve-hour days.

According to Edalapour, civil engineers tend to hold themselves to a high standard of creating sustainable change. “I really learned the difference between voluntourism and actually creating a lasting and sustainable impact,” she says.

Voluntourism is a portmanteau term that merges “volunteering” and “tourism.” It is the practice of volunteering while abroad on a short-term trip. Voluntourists are typically untrained vacationers with good intentions, yet are shortsighted when it comes to lasting impact. The projects Edalatpour was involved in, specifically the ones in Ghana, involved having the village elect two female entrepreneurs who would then be in charge of either the water or electricity center. These two women would hire unemployed workers to help with the project. This approach not only provided a village with amenities, but also created jobs and a sense of ownership over the center.

Edalatpour feels that these trips have made a noticeable impact on her professional life. The communication and delegation skills she learned while volunteering are proving essential at her current job within the construction industry and sites the volunteer work as her reason for pursuing her current field of study. Previously a Biomedical Engineering major, Edalatpour realized her passion for civil engineering when she went on her trip to Cameroon freshman year and saw the

direct impact her work had on a community.

Another reason millennials volunteer is because the cause is close to their heart. Stephanie McVeigh, a senior History Education major at Westfield State University, volunteered in Ghana for two weeks. She helped an American family build a church, school and orphanage in a village. McVeigh first learned about this opportunity through her church, which her American host family used to attend prior to relocating to Ghana.

McVeigh had the opportunity to travel to the African nation along with her sister and an older woman from their church.

Rather than packing their own clothing and goods, the women each brought four suitcases––the maximum allotted luggage for the plane tickets they purchased––filled with school supplies for the children and American food for the host family in Ghana.

While there, McVeigh spent mornings going to the recently built school to help with the students or distributing hygienic supplies and teaching basic medical information about things such as cholesterol, blood pressure and vitamin needs to the community. At night, McVeigh and her sister put on puppet shows for the local children, providing a form of entertainment for kids who didn’t have access to cartoons and television shows.

Although she wasn’t expecting to make use of them, McVeigh ended up utilizing her teaching skills throughout the trip by providing biblical lessons for the children in the school.

McVeigh says she learned a lot about the value of things in her own life, about how she “hold[s] on to some things when [she] should be giving back to make other people’s lives better.” She also realized that you don’t need the material things to get in the way of enjoying life because the connections with others are what matter.

Millennials aren’t necessarily volunteering in the traditional sense, but what’s important is that they are volunteering—and not just in a local sense. Between trips abroad and buy-one give-one campaigns, millennials are becoming the generation of global outreach and volunteerism.

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VARANASI Shades of Orange

WRITER: Suchita Chadha COURTESY PHOTO: Suchita Chadha

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Varanasi is bathed in saffron as the sun wakes up, a steadily darkening glow that reflects off the Ganges river, slips up the stairs of the ghats that stretch up to the city from the bottom of the gently curving left bank of the river and rushes into the narrow alleys that wind through pockets of neighborhoods before hitting the major roads.

Situated on the river, the ghats—stairs going down to a river, usually a sacred one—are a character in and of themselves to the story of Varanasi. The stairs span the length of the entire bank and you can walk along the river by weaving up and down stairs or going around or over the broad brick railings and cylindrical dividers that separate some of the ghats.

The stairs themselves slide into the water at the bottom, with the last visible step determined by the water levels of Ganges.

At several points on the ghats are large landings where much of the activity takes place.

Varanasi is located at the southeastern part of Uttar Pradesh, a state in central-northern India. Drawing from the names of the two tributaries that feed into the Ganges where the city is located, Varanasi is the official name for the city, but there are many more names that come from the Hindu scriptures or local dialects. Of those, the two favorites are Kashi and Benaras. The former, Kashi—found in the primary Hindu texts stemming from the root Sanskrit word meaning “to shine”—is still used in reference to the city as a place of pilgrimage or sacred happenings.

According to my passport, I was born in Varanasi, but I have only ever known this city as Benares. The name is a

corruption of Varanasi by residents of Eastern India, where “v” is pronounced as “b.” It was later adopted by the British, and went on to become the predominant name of choice, with “Benarsi” widely used to describe the particularities of the culture or behavior that characterizes its residents and way of life.

While my dad grew up in Benaras and my mother spent considerable time there in her youth, I’m the only one in the family who can claim Benaras as my place of birth. And yet, of the little time I’ve spent in India during my life, Benares accounts for no more than three days since I turned four. Odd, since it’s always the first place that comes to mind when I think of the country, and the image of the sun rising over the Ganges is the most vivid I have in my memories.

As your eyes take a few minutes to register the morning light, you’ll find the city permeates all your other senses: the clink of chai glasses punctuated with intermittent barking and cawing, spurts of music from the radios at passing stalls, ranging from classic ’60s hits by Kishore Kumar to the latest Bollywood tunes and even some Lady Gaga. You can hear the echoes of the city above, angry warnings and retorts passed between cycle rickshaws and pedestrians. Rickshaws are the primary vehicle-for-hire in Varanasi, and the yellow tops of the auto rickshaws are the perfect shade to complement the orange that envelops the city.

The auto rickshaws, like cycle rickshaws, can only leave you at the top of the ghats. With 87 in total, the ghats are places of both mundane and sacred daily rituals. There are also a few

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select ghats dedicated to cremation, though the number of people cremated has decreased to about 80/day due to major issues of pollution. This is an ongoing crisis that several NGOs are trying to combat.

That said, Benaras is an important site of pilgrimage as the holiest of the seven sacred cities in Hinduism and Jainism. For many Indians, having one’s ashes dispersed along the ghats is as critical to their ceremony of last rites as the puja that accompanies it. The pyres, aglow with flames, are vivid against the starch white of the Hindu attire for mourning. The burning fire is a constant on the cremation ghats, even as the sky darkens into a black canvas for the flickering orange.

Fire is one of the main reasons why Benaras lives in a saffron-tinged bubble. It represents the emergence of light from darkness, the purging of evil, the quest of light and illumination. Most importantly, these traits apply not only to Hinduism, but also to Buddhism and Jainism. For Sikhs, orange is the color of deep joy, courage and community.

There are multiple places of worship for all of these religions along the ghats, and their flags, religious items like saffron cloths or orange marigolds and exterior design are all contributing factors to the shades of orange. Saints, religious or spiritual, also wear saffron robes to signify their renunciation of the material world. They, like the many women in brightly colored saris at the ghats who use the water for their daily needs, continue the sporadic glimpses of orange until it all blurs into one.

My uncle once said that you could feel the history in Benaras, something sacred and mythological, though he’s not the least bit religious. And he’s right. It’s a sense that there was something there before. Something that goes beyond the human or the conceivable. The city practically vibrates with history, and rightly so. As one of the oldest living cities in the world, Benaras is steeped in culture, religion and spirituality.

It embodies the contradictions of the whole nation within its borders, being busy, yet peaceful; religious yet practical; sensible, yet utterly chaotic.

There a million things that’ll invade your senses upon arrival in India. You’ll smell cow dung and tandoori chicken in the same go, taste spices that’ll have steam coming out from your ears and nose, feel the bumpy roads go slippery with the rain and see just about everything you thought you would and then more. But in Benaras—Kashi, Varanasi, or whatever you wish to call it—it’s the saffron color you’ll notice first on each trip to the ghats.

As the boats that dot the water start moving back to the ghats, the river is once more painted orange by the setting sun.

As the chants and bells of the nightly “agni puja”—worship to fire—on the Dashashwamedh Ghat come to a close, the numerous offerings of fire and flower sitting on a banyan tree leaf float into the river, mirroring the flicker of the still-lit pyres.

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STYLE Glitter Bomb // pg. 36 Aesthete // pg. 38 Lipstick Effect // pg. 44 Boot Trends // pg. 46

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The Glitter Bomb WRITER: Melinda Fakuade PHOTO: Monika Davis MODELS: Lorna Taylor, Emma Meyerson, Connor Gallant

Glitter hair is taking over Instagram feeds everywhere.

Imagine specks of shimmer concentrated in your part or scattered throughout your hair; it’s a true game changer.

Whichever way you wish to rock it, glitter hair is sure to make a statement. This new trend is the perfect way to add a unique change to bored, tired hair trends this year.

We’ve seen it all—headwraps, pastel and silver locks, metallic bobby pinned patterns—but this look goes far beyond the typical hair accents we’re used to seeing. It requires less commitment than dye and it saves you from the struggle of mastering a fancy braid or knot. In photos, it can be used for a dramatic editorial, or for a cute profile picture. Whether you play it casual or glamorous, down the center of a middle part or strewn carelessly within strands, this fun idea is sure to add a pop to any look.

Just a little sparkle can go a long way. Last November, makeup artist Megan Dugan—you can stalk her on Instagram at @mdmamakeup—started her own glitter pomade company, Lemonhead LA. A pomade is a water-based gel-like product that dries nicely but washes out easily enough that it won’t leave residue days later. When Dugan started the business, there were fewer than a thousand posts in the glitter roots Instagram hashtag. Now, less than a year later, Lemonhead LA is blowing up, and it might be due to the trend’s social media boom. It now stacks in at over ten thousand tags.

“I actually had a dream about it,” says Dugan. “I dreamt of people with glitter strands instead of hair and couldn’t stop thinking about it.” But in the corporate cosmetic world, Dugan didn’t know of a product that would give the effect she saw in her vision. So she decided to take the

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matter into her own hands. She composed a base concoction of hair gel and craft store glitter and then got experimental.

Dugan describes herself as an “ingredient snob.” Working previously in skincare, it was important to her that the formula was safe for skin and hair use. Her cruelty free, vegan recipe is perfect for those who want to bring extra dimension to their hair but aren’t cool with parabens being in the mix or beauty testing on animals. The consistency of Lemonhead LA’s pomade is perfect for professionals as well as amateurs; it’s foolproof formulation ensures that the glitter won’t make a mess.

“My next product is going to be Space Dust—a glitter dry shampoo,” Dugan says proudly. A dry shampoo absorbs grease without the trouble or time consumption of washing, but Dugan’s new product will add a different kind of shine.

“Right now, I’m the owner of Lemonhead LA, the order receiver, the marketing team. It’s all me. It’s been an adventure

so far, but I’m looking forward to what’s to come.”

Dugan’s brand is even beloved by celebrities like Britney Spears and Bella Thorne. And the handmade balm was also showcased by celebrity hairstylists at Coachella—a telltale sign that the look has taken on total indie status. Even more telling is the silver-dotted part between Kendall Jenner’s space buns at the music festival last April.

But this trend isn’t just fleeting festival fashion; the look can also be found on the red carpet. At the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards in August, “Teen Wolf ” star Holland Roden paired an ethereal white jumpsuit and cape with a light dusting of glitter in her sleek, signature auburn hair. The look was simple, yet stunning. With a pinkish-mauve lip color and sparkly liner added to the corners of her eyes, Roden looked like a doe-eyed fairy. Her makeup artist Elle Leary had a lot of fun coming up with this special event look.

“Not only did runway looks inspire this, but so did Holland’s adventurous spirit. She loves exploring and experimenting, so we got very into this idea,” she says. Leary craftily mixed hair gel, hairspray and eyelash glue to make a makeshift hair pomade. She then added in finely milled glitter and concentrated the solution in Holland’s center hair part, and brushed it out for a lighter, swept away appearance. This smart, simple, do-it-yourself tactic translated beautifully on the red carpet.

“It’s great for flash photography,” says Leary. “It isn’t a typical hairstyle and it catches the light without being over the top. We really fell in love with it.” And Holland’s big fashion risk paid off. With Leary’s help, Roden was arguably one of the most talked about actresses at the awards that night.

As all things style-related do, glitter hair seems to be evolving into other spaces. On social media, one can find glimpses of chests and collarbones adorned with body glitter reminiscent of the nineties. Runway models have gold and silver sprinkled brows, and if you search hard enough, you’ll find photos of thick beards full of glitter. No matter how popular the trend becomes, one thing is for sure: the eye catching nature of this look is perfect for the photo minded world we live in, and in that regard it will likely be around awhile longer.

PHOTO: Hannah Choi MODELS: Raven Devanney, Antonia Frank, Gregory Massimino-Garcia

Aes • thete someone with deep sensitivity to the beauty of art or nature

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the lipstick effect WRITER: Lindsey Paradis PHOTO: Meagan Leotta MODEL: Arlene Gambino

The Great Recession—spanning from December 2007 to June 2009—resulted in the bursting of an 8 trillion dollar housing bubble, lessening of consumer spending, a collapse in business investment and subsequently a great loss in jobs.

Yet, in the midst of this recession L’Oreal—one of the world’s largest cosmetic companies—experienced a 5.3 percent sales growth.

This rise in L’Oreal’s sales is in comparison to Neiman Marcus, who took a 15.8 percent drop that September, and other top retailers who faced similar sales decreases. The auto market as an industry also faced sales that dropped below $1 million for the first time in fifteen years.

Almost every consumer product was faced with decline. But as you can see from L’Oreal’s figures, one market fared unusually well—beauty products. This rise in beauty sales amid a time of economic struggle is known as “the lipstick effect,” a termed coined after cosmetic sales boomed during The Great Depression, according to Sarah E. Hill—a psychology professor at Texas Christian University and co-author of the article “Boosting Beauty in an Economic Decline: Mating, Spending, and the Lipstick Effect.”

Essentially, it is the fact that during economic downturns women might spend more on products that enhance their attractiveness while they cut back spending on other products.

Meghan Elizabeth Witthaus, marketing communication ’17, has personally increased spending habits when it comes to cosmetics, in particular lipstick. She says, “I used to think

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that the $10 for Revlon lipstick at CVS was a lot, and well, I am way past that.”

The question is why. When money is tight, it’s curious that women bother to spend it on beauty products. Hill says, “There are likely several reasons why the lipstick effect occurs. In our research, we examined whether one of the factors that may contribute to the lipstick effect may be increased intrasexual competition among women.”

Intrasexual competition, which is sometimes referred to as intrasexual selection, is when members of the same sex within a species compete with each other to gain the opportunity to mate with others. Hill explains that women seek mates that are stable financially, and as this number drops significantly during times of economic turmoil, competition among women is increased.

“One of the ways that women compete for mates is by making themselves more attractive,” says Hill. And since this competition of attractiveness increases when fewer eligible mates are available, that is when the lipstick effect occurs.

Hill says that the actions involved in the lipstick effect are mostly unconscious, “although some women may consciously articulate this to themselves.”

Now, this theory isn’t just pertinent to lipstick. It spans the whole of the beauty realm. So why the name? Hill explains that “lipstick is an inexpensive way women can make themselves look or feel more attractive.”

And lipstick is possibly one of the most widely beneficial beauty products out there. Lipstick can give one an emotion-

bareface

glamorous

professional

al boost. Bobbie Thomas, “Today Show” style editor, in an interview for Here We Have Idaho Magazine, recounts her time working in a rape crisis facility. She watched as a survivor opened a care package, took out a tube of lipstick, faced a mirror and gingerly applied it. “I realized the power of lipstick,” Thomas says. “It validated her—I could see the spark in her face. She felt worthy of self-care.”

This is backed up by a survey done by CoverGirl, which found that the more women wear lipstick the more confident they feel.

Witthaus agrees with the statement. She started wearing lip stain in high school, but started experimenting with bolder choices her freshman year of college. Now she feels unfinished without at least a sheer gloss coating her lips. “I tend to feel confident without makeup, but lipstick definitely bumps it to the next level,” she says. “A well-defined bold lip color makes me feel like I have my life together.”

In an interview with Huffington Post, Kate Nightingale, a style psychologist, cites red lipstick particularly as a confidence booster. She says, “Red lipstick can boost your confidence. Because the color red is associated with confidence, sensuality and power, wearing red lipstick can induce those feelings in us.” She advises not to wear red as booster if your confidence is currently low as it can make you feel vulnerable.

Witthaus describes a blue-toned red as her go-to lipstick color. She says wearing it makes her “feel like a Disney princess.”

Red lips definitely exudes sex though. Studies have shown that red draws attention to the mouth, particularly from males.

This is proven through a 2013 French study, which showed that waitresses wearing red lipstick received more tips from male customers, but not from other women.

Lipstick can also give off an increased air of competency in a professional setting. In a study paid for by Procter & Gamble, researchers photographed women wearing three different intensities of makeup labeled barefaced, professional and glamourous. In a study paid for by Procter & Gamble, researchers were photographed barefaced and wearing three different intensities of makeup labeled barefaced, professional and glamourous.

One hundred forty-nine adults, of which sixty-one were men, made snap judgments of the picture. A different group of one hundred nineteen adults, of which thirty were men, looked at the photos with unlimited time. the women wearing makeup that contrasted their lips and eyes to their skin were rated as more competent than the barefaced women.

The same CoverGirl survey found that women who wear gloss at least four times a week hold more senior positions at work over women who wear a bare lip.

Despite always wearing lipstick and full makeup to work, an interview or networking event, Witthaus finds this correlation of women’s appearance and perceived professionalism upsetting. She says, “I don’t think it should be that way, because it’s unfortunate that ‘professional’ is perceived by something you buy rather than something you are. But I couldn’t say it’s untrue.”

In general, Witthaus says, “I like to wear lipstick because it’s fun to buy and fun to wear.”

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Fall Kicks WRITER: Jessica Filippone PHOTO: Monika Davis

Fall is here and that means cozy sweaters, tattered jeans and lots of new styles of boots have come back into our lives. This year’s trends range from edgy ankle wedges to menswear-inspired lace-ups, suiting footwear tastes across the board. Statement boots have been highlighted in various magazines this year like Cosmopolitan and GQ, and they’ve been worn by celebrities like Katy Perry and Kanye West.

There’s no confusion about why boots will always stay on trend: they make styling outfits for fall fashionable and easy while also being extremely practical. They can give you some extra height, keep your feet and legs warm and highlight your legs to accentuate their natural shape.

Boots are your best friend during Boston winters because they allow you to slosh around in the rain and sleet while looking stylish and trendy—but you simply can’t wear the same boot for every fall outfit. And with so many versatile styles to choose from, it can be a difficult decision.

But it may be even more tricky to actually go out and buy a new pair of boots. Rachel Besser, a columnist at Refinery29 says, “When a new season rolls around, deciding between a statement piece and something that goes with everything always sets a trap; we either leave the store with a few pairs, no pairs or one we're still not sure about.”

The ready-for-anything combat boot has been on trend for the last five years according to Cosmo, but that isn’t stopping

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them from dominating the aisles in 2016. Combat boots will hold up well during snowstorms, rain showers and long walks.

Not only are they durable, but they’re trendy and so easy to style. Combat boots can last through various seasons while adding some edginess to any outfit. For a quick and easy outfit, pair them with some black leggings and any sweater and you’ll be good for any fall day.

One advantage of combat boots is that they’re easy to clean.

If after a few weeks of running through the city, you are no longer happy with the condition of these kicks, you can bring them to your local shoe cleaner for an easy touch up, which is usually very affordable. If you’re going for a sleeker look, Steve Madden’s best-selling combat boots have been around for years, and they recently got an update with a chunkier sole and a side-zipper. Or if you’re inspired by the ’90s, Dr. Martens’ 1460 combat boots will make you look like a blast from the past.

Over the knee, thigh-high boots are perfect for fashion risk takers. Designers like Stuart Weitzman, Marc Fisher and Jeffrey Campbell have debuted new styles that are basically power walking off the shelves. Thigh-high boots have been all over the fashion world for the last year or so, easily found in stores like Macy’s, Nordstrom and smaller boutiques. They’re a favorite of celebrities like Kim Kardashian West, who recently wore a pair of see-through boots that took social media by storm.

These shoes are incredibly comfortable with a synthetic lining; you will easily be able to go out into the city for a night out without having to take them off midway. Pair them with a cute flowy dress and a flannel and you’ll be ready for a nice stroll in the park. Or to slay your enemies—whichever you prefer. You can even hide some fun thigh-high socks under thigh-high boots to keep warm.

Cute and chunky booties are known as a trendy and versatile go-to. Just when the leaves start to drop, we break out our booties to feel like the season is finally here. Both chunky and stiletto-heeled versions were often seen at this year’s New York Fashion Week. Rag & Bone currently has approximately 20 styles that can be bought at your local Designer Shoe Warehouse. Chunky booties look great with some distressed jeans and a comfy T-shirt, especially if they’re accented with some cool hardware. One benefit of booties is that many styles can be adjusted to your foot by way of buckles, laces and zippers.

Some boot styles may be a little too aggressive for your taste, but with a suede touch you can achieve a look as soft as the fabric. Sported by fashion icons like Kylie Jenner, a basic suede boot can create a super sleek silhouette. According to Fashion Tag, suede is “a statement, without the fuss.” And Cosmo found that the material was categorized as a top trend on the shelves during the summer of 2016.

“I blame it on the ’70s comeback and our lust for all effortless, yet slightly glamorous and feminine looks with a twist of sexy,” says Fashion Tag’s trend and street style blogger Dana Christina. Because suede is all the rage right now, many boot lovers wonder how to keep the texture clean from water damage. Luckily, protective sprays are available at most shoe stores to waterproof your shoes for a low price.

Everyone knows Timberland for being able to get down and dirty. Sometimes a girl just needs a pair of shoes they really can rely on, and these are it. Not only are these waterproof and extremely durable, they’re also right on trend. Kanye West has performed in these shoes time and time again. Wear these on your long hike through the woods or just to go out on the town with some distressed jeans and you’ll be a knock out.

These tend to run a little wide, but thankfully, other brands like Cole Tradesmen and Steve Madden have come out with doubles of these shoes for slimmer or wider feet. You can even find a Timberland inspired boot at your local Walmart.

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HEALTH Got Truth? // pg. 52

#CommuterProbs: The Hidden Dangers of Long-Distance Commutes // pg. 54 Chromatherapy: It’s More Than Just a Color // pg. 56 How to Deter Diseases Before Diagnosis // 59

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got truth?

WRITER: Annette Choi PHOTO: Olivia Gerasole MODEL: Allie Walker

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The U.S. records the highest consumption of dairy products in the world and, curiously enough, also holds the highest incidences of bone fractures and osteoporosis. According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), 75 percent of the global population lose their lactase enzymes after weaning. In fact, the term “lactose intolerant” has been retired. Those who are not able to digest milk are now of the majority, and those who are able are referred to as “lactose persistent.” On top of that, researchers have recently linked the dietary guidelines for dairy consumption and the hormonal modifications made in modern milk production with hormone-related cancers.

Despite these facts and studies that argue against dairy consumption, MyPlate, the nutritional guide published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), continues to encourage three cups of dairy for adult men and women and 2-2 ½ cups for children up to eight years old per day. Chair and professor of health and wellness at the University of North Carolina Asheville, Amy Lanou, Ph.D, is a senior nutritionist scientist for PCRM dedicated to promoting better nutrition and high-standard research. She says these serving recommendations can be dangerous considering what cow’s milk often contains, including a protein called caseins.

“Caseins have been shown to promote cancer growth in experimental studies [while] the fat and sugars in dairy products contribute to our heart disease and type 2 diabetes risk. [The saturated fat] is then known to be heart disease-promoting because of the sugar, which is known to be immune-provoking and non-digestible.” Dr. Lanou continues, “Milk is a nutritional package designed for growth. It’s really not a good food for adult mammals, especially humans, to be consuming on a regular basis.”

Dairy product practices call for cows to produce more milk than is natural. This can frequently lead to the acute inflammation of the udders, otherwise known as mastitis. The antibiotics used to treat cows for mastitis have been found in various collected samples of milk and dairy products. Other contaminants such as melamine, a crystalline compound most prominently used for laminated coatings and found in plastics, have been discovered as well. Dairy cows are fed GMO grains and routinely shot with recombinant bovine growth hormones (rBGH) to ensure year-round production.

In a pooled analysis of 12 prospective cohort studies regarding dairy consumption, 2,132 of the 500,000 studied women had been diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer.

Researchers found that women who had adhered to the recommended three cups of milk per day were associated with a significantly higher risk of epithelial ovarian cancer than those with lower intakes. Thus far, no official association has been made between dairy consumption and ovarian cancer, and further examination is needed.

A recent follow-up of a Harvard study that researched risk factors for prostate cancer found that high intake of calcium in general could potentially be dangerous as well. Researchers found that men with higher calcium intakes—about 2,000 milligrams per day—had a statistically greater chance of being affected by fatal prostate cancer. The study states that “there [is] a close correspondence for associations among high-grade cancer, advanced and fatal prostate cancer.”

Lanou explains that in spite of these case studies, there’s

a persistent financial interest for farmers, food producers and manufacturers to encourage the public to continue to consume products made from cow’s milk. “Beef and other products from cows are such important financial drivers,” she says. “[We see] large livestock farming as the big-dollar winners [and] it has made it harder for us to look critically at the relationship between dairy products and our health in general.”

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says that scientists have been baffled by the “calcium paradox,” in which highly industrialized countries with high calcium intakes have higher rates of hip fractures than countries with lower intakes.

Osteoporosis, “porous bones,” is the weakening or demineralization of bones from a loss of calcium. This condition often results from hormonal changes and dietary factors.

Lanou believes, “We think that if we consume those foods by consuming cow’s milk, then we would have more calcium in the body and, therefore, not lose calcium in the bone. Actually, it isn’t a calcium deficiency. It’s a problem of dietary pattern.”

Lanou finds the fact that the public often views science as an unbiased activity to be problematic.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says that scientists have been baffled by the “calcium paradox,” in which highly industrialized countries with high calcium intakes have higher rates of hip fractures than countries with lower intakes.

Osteoporosis, “porous bones,” is the weakening or demineralization of bones from a loss of calcium. This condition often results from hormonal changes and dietary factors.

Lanou believes, “We think that if we consume those foods by consuming cow’s milk, then we would have more calcium in the body and, therefore, not lose calcium in the bone. Actually, it isn’t a calcium deficiency. It’s a problem of dietary pattern.”

Lanou finds the fact that the public often views science as an unbiased activity to be problematic.

“When we engage in research with a particular outcome in mind, we tend to be able to see that outcome even when the data isn’t completely supporting that outcome.” She asks, “What is the data actually telling us? It depends on what question you’re asking, what you see at the end of a study. You’ll draw different conclusions from the exact same study.”

Post-World War II, advertising and marketing efforts combined with government programs helped to develop the notion that milk is an essential component of leading a healthy lifestyle, especially when it comes to children. The USDA went on to establish four food groups: meat and fish, fruits and vegetables, cereals and grains and dairy products, that made up a healthy daily diet. These food groups, along with recommended nutritional requirements, were further promoted by teachers, school nurses and healthcare professionals. By the 1950s, milk had become a staple of nutrition in American households, and the message still holds today.

“The manufacturing and the agricultural industry, and even the scientists that are supporting that, want to believe that cows’ milk helps with bones,” Lanou explains, “so it’s hard to not see it going in with that lens.”

Case study after case study, scientists continue to find more reasons to challenge the essentiality of the dairy industry.

However, the lack of dramatic change in milk retail sales imply that Americans are seemingly unwilling to let go of what they’ve been led to believe they can’t live without.

Americans have got milk, but have they got truth?

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#COMMUTERPROBS THE HIDDEN DANGERS OF LONG-DISTANCE COMMUTES WRITER: Olivia Woollett PHOTO: Jacob Cutler MODELS: Christine Hachem, Luckas Markou

You’re standing on the T after a long day on campus. The car is crowded, the weather is terrible and all you want is to be home. Or maybe you’re sitting in rush hour traffic instead, trying to concentrate on the road as you crawl toward your destination. Again, just wishing you were already home.

“My commute is killing me!” You’ve heard some version of this phrase before, and have maybe even been the one saying it after a particularly trying day. An exaggerated complaint for comedic effect, but ultimately hyperbole, right?

Wrong. Increasing evidence has been piling up for the last decade showing that longer commutes are associated with lower levels of well-being, increasing issues like stress, obesity and insomnia. One study conducted in Sweden even found that marriages where one or both partners commuted were more likely to end in divorce. The longer the commute, the stronger the correlations.

Bethany Spreadborough, film production ’17, commutes into Boston from Haverhill, Massachusetts by a combination of car, commuter rail and the T. It takes about two hours one way, or four hours round-trip. “I try to do homework, but I usually just end up listening to music or looking out the window,” Spreadborough says. “There’s not a lot else to do. I’m tired, obviously, and sometimes just impatient to get home.”

She’s not alone. In 2004, a survey was conducted where over 900 women were asked to rank various daily activities according to how much they enjoyed them. Commuting came in dead last—the least enjoyable part of their day. It’s unpleasant

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on its own, and the length of a commute also correlates with a decrease in time spent doing other, more enjoyable activities such as spending time with friends and family. Seventy-five percent of Americans commute alone, mostly by car, and a workday bookended by enclosing yourself in a metal box to navigate through a stressful environment increases feelings of loneliness, depression and anxiety.

Darian Clogston, stage and production management ’18, has observed this discrepancy in methods of transportation before. “I take the Green Line B about 20 or 30 minutes to get to campus and it’s pretty whatever, but my mom commutes to Seattle and, honestly, I think I see it in her. That she’s sad about how far she has to commute,” Clogston says. “I think that public transportation is less isolating than cars, but I also think that we isolate ourselves so much on the T, absorbed on phones or listening to headphones. Sometimes I think about how different it would be if we didn’t have so much distracting us from talking to each other.”

Commuting on public transportation, such as the T, diminishes the social and psychological tolls of commuting slightly since it doesn’t require the same amount of concentration, effort and personal responsibility that commuting by car does. However, the unpredictability and loss of control that comes from using public transportation, as well as the frustration that comes from problems like delays or traffic, can still be a major cause of stress.

“I hate taking the T,” Will Dziuk, visual and media arts ’17, says. “For some reason, because of the way it is—it’s underground, it’s poorly lit—it just brings negative emotions out of people, and it affects how I think about people.”

Clogston agrees. “I hate being on the T, honestly,” she says.

“Everyone looks really separate from each other, and most people aren’t very happy.”

Basically, commuting is bad for humans. We dislike it, and we find it unpleasant and stressful. And yet Americans keep on doing it. Instead of going down, the average commuting time has increased steadily for the last 50 years, and according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average time spent traveling to work is now 25.1 minutes, or about 51 minutes round-trip.

Spreadborough says that financial concerns influenced her decision to commute from her hometown in Haverhill. “I’m going to Los Angeles in the spring, so I didn’t want to pay rent for a whole year on an apartment and only be there for four months,” she says. “It’s slightly cheaper to live outside of the city.”

Different reasons dictate the choice for different people on whether or how long to commute. However, commuting

doesn’t have to be a negative drain on a person’s happiness. Using public transportation or carpooling diminish the negative social and psychological effects, and an active commute such as biking or walking is actually correlated with an increase in happiness and well-being.

Dziuk, who bikes to campus from Cambridge, Massachusetts, finds his active commute to campus interesting and enjoyable. “I love biking! I take it as time to reflect on what I’m going to do that day or what I have achieved or done that day,” he says.

“I like seeing all of the different people and communities that inhabit Boston and how the neighborhoods cohesively turn into one another. Biking is always interesting because there’s always information passing you.”

The real challenge in the daily grind of commuting is to stay interested and engaged, to avoid the trap of slipping into the cynical, rat-race mode of consciousness as a default setting. The burden of commuting is real, continual and often invisible, but being aware of its tolls is the first step towards overcoming them.

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C H RO M AT H E RA P Y It’s More Than Just a Color WRITER: Antonia DePace PHOTO: Morgan Sage MODEL: Noelle Maldonado Color is more than just a pigment. It is more than which crayon you always chose in elementary school or the purple-hued sweater that you just bought. It’s multiple wavelengths all placed together in a synchronized matter that create the greens, blues and reds we see with our eyes. And with these wavelengths, color can do much more than just bringing life to a photo or atmosphere. It can actually influence the way that you feel mentally, physically and emotionally.

This state in which color affects us is called chromatherapy: “the use of light wavelengths to treat various physical, mental and emotional health conditions,” according to Erick Kristian, Wellness and Training Consultant for BainUltra—a luxury wellness company.

Surprisingly, chromatherapy has been practiced for thousands of years. According to Colour Therapy Healing, a website that provides color theory history and therapy, the Egyptians were believers in the use of light for healing as well.

Having decorated their lives with nature, they supposedly painted their floors green in resemblance to the green grass that grew next to the Nile River. The Egyptian practices of color theory date back to 1550 B.C. and are written on papyrus.

More studies on the power of light and color are seen in the works of Aristotle, Plato and Paracelsus.

Today, the usage of color therapy—or chromatherapy—is much different. Because society has grown to know the Western medical model, alternative medicine such as chromatherapy tends to live on the sidelines. Yet, the use of chromatherapy lingers in western medicine as well. “One of the good examples of chromatherapy being used in the medical community is the blue bilirubin light. It is used to treat children or infants born with jaundice, which is the yellowing of the skin caused by an excess production of bile or bilirubin,” says Kristian.

If you have ever seen one, the blue bilirubin light uses bili lights as a phototherapy. The light is made with specific wavelengths that break down the excess bilirubin in the body, which is what causes the jaundice in infants and children. According to Medline Plus, the baby is placed under the light with eye protectors and is turned frequently.

Another example can be seen with in a study performed in the late 1970s. Alexander Schauss, Director of Life Sciences at

the American Institute for Biosocial and Medical Research in Tacoma, Washington, was doing studies on the psychological and physiological responses to the color pink. The inspiration from the study had come from a Swiss psychiatrist named Max Luscher, who believed that color preferences could tell a person about someone’s personality. In 1979, Schauss convinced the Naval Correctional Facility in Seattle, Washington, to test the belief by painting prison confinement cells pink. According to them, there were no erratic or hostile outbreaks during the span of the study.

Situations like these prove how color influences our sense of being, how just a slight change can make a large improvement in our lives. But then which colors do we pick for what?

Unfortunately, there are thousands of colors that different wavelengths can create. When it comes to treating a patient, Kristian admits that the chromatherapy session can also depend on your personal relationship with that color. Because of this, it can be crucial to see a color therapist if you want to discover which colors can truly make a difference.

Valerie Logan-Clarke, a color therapist in the United Kingdom, says that there can be multiple elements that decide which wavelength or color might be right for you.

“Regarding colours in their home, asking for a chakra balance, which involves using all the 7 rainbow colours, a specific problem/symptoms. With symptoms—a person will often present with a physical symptom/problem and not be aware of the psychological aspects of illness.” says Logan-Clarke, and many times, the symptoms are due to the psychological aspect.

“Getting an outline instruction of what the different colours can do can heighten our awareness of colour and can help us to find all we need,” she explains.

According to a study done by Logan-Clarke, “we are surrounded by electromagnetic waves of energy of colour,” and all of these waves “are invisible to the human eye from the top of the spectrum—cosmic rays—to the bottom—radio waves— with the exception of the middle of the spectrum into which visible light falls.”

The way in which we see the colors, both scientifically and emotionally, is what plays the most important factors within the chromatherapy itself. “Of course we can all pick up on the

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‘energy’ of the colours with their different vibrations and these energies affect our energy field/aura,” she further explains in the study.

Both Kristian and Logan-Clarke agree that one of the best components about chromatherapy is the fact that it is essentially free. According to Kristian, anyone can have access to chromatherapy and can even build their own wavelength machine. This idea is what makes this form of therapy so special to Logan-Clarke. “My favourite thing about colour therapy is that all the colours we need are available ‘free of charge’ out there in nature,” she says.

But what makes it free is, unfortunately, what keeps the therapy from becoming better-known, according to Kristian. “There is no patent to get with chromatherapy,” he says.

“The problem is that chromatherapy can essentially be free.

You could build your own chromatherapy system at home, and there’s no way for a lot of [insurance companies] to make money on [it.]”

This reason, along with suspicion over the alternative medicine, is what keeps the therapy from becoming more commonly used in our society. Since there isn’t as much research

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behind the practice, there aren’t too many specialists, and, therefore, not a lot of information. “We know that it works, but how strong and how long does it need to be?” says Kristian.

He uses an example from a study that he recently performed with BainUltra. During the test, they gathered people in a room and told them to pay attention to how the different colors made them feel. In the long run, Kristian was “bathing the people in different colors of light.” When they showed the crowd the color red, a reaction arised. “As soon as red came on this one woman covered her eyes and put her head down and said, ‘I can’t deal with the red. It has such a strong effect on me,’” he explains. “I would say up to 80 to 90 percent of people have some sort of response to it.”

This evidence, along with his own personal experimentation—Kristian struggles with insomnia —has brought him to a clear conclusion that chromatherapy does, indeed, have an outcome on every person. Still have doubt? Think about this: “Take a moment when you are in a different or new environment. Take a look at the colors and see how you feel, or even yourself, change the colors of the clothes you are wearing,” Kristian concludes. “See if that makes a difference.”

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How To Deter Disease Before Diagnosis WRITER: Jackie Defusco PHOTO: Nora Wilby When Elizabeth Frates was 18 years old, her father suffered from a heart attack and stroke that paralyzed the left side of his body. Her father was the kind of guy who worked until midnight every night. He would often miss the last train home, forcing him to sleep on a cot in his office. “Growing up, I could see how much his stress affected his health,” she says. “That is what propels me every day to help people adopt healthy lifestyles before the crisis.”

Today, Frates stands wide-eyed at the front of her lifestyle medicine class at Harvard University, waving around a pair of hoola hoops.

“Does anyone hoop?” she asks, motioning to her student, Maria, to demonstrate.

Lifestyle medicine is science that seeks to reduce behavior-related deaths by implementing healthy interventions, like hula hooping.

Rather than focusing on the actual cause of death, this science looks specifically at the habits leading up to diagnosis.

Many of these lifestyle interventions are seemingly obvious: eating five servings of fruits or vegetables a day, exercising at least 150 minutes a week, maintaining a healthy body mass index (BMI), limiting alcohol intake and avoiding cigarette smoking.

“These concepts are not new,” says Frates.

“What’s new is the research that backs these statements and helps people understand their true value.”

In addition to being in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School, Frates is the Director of Wellness Programming at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, where she dedicates much of her time to stroke prevention research. She explains major causes of death in the U.S. have shifted over the last hundred years due to advancements in medicine. Whereas infectious diseases, like pneumonia, used to be the leading causes of death, today, chronic diseases, such as heart disease and stroke, are the major killers in the population.

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“Chronic diseases are generally more preventable and it’s chronic disease that lifestyle medicine targets,” she says.

Though data to support these lifestyle interventions is more reliable and well-known today, practice among the general population is declining. An article in the American Journal of Medicine in 2009 analyzed the percentage of the population adhering to healthy lifestyle suggestions, comparing surveys from the early 1990s to the early 2000s.

The practice of most healthy habits has significantly declined since the ’90s, the study concluded. In the first time frame, about 15 percent of the population practiced these habits regularly. Yet as time went on, this number decreased to just over 8 percent. Cigarette smoking is the only trend that remained the same.

Unfortunately, environmental pressures often have the opposite effect. “Let’s just say there are a lot of forces leading us away from raw vegetables,” says Frates. “We are in an age of instant gratification that has led us down a path of processed food. It’s much easier to be unhealthy.”

While many students try to combat these pressures with excessive exercise and trendy diets, Frates argues that it is more effective to make several, small lifestyle changes along the way that will ultimately support a larger change long term. “We know it’s good for us, yet we are overworked. We know that we need to be mindful, yet we are multitasking,” she says. “We need to start shaping an environment that will nudge us towards healthy choices.”

A healthy environment isn’t just about diet and exercise.

That is why lifestyle medicine also focuses on mental health as essential to preventing chronic disease.

Lifestyle medicine bridges the gaps between medical, social, economic and behavioral sciences to create an all-inclusive approach to treatment. When Frates was an undergrad at Harvard, she majored in both biology and psychology, two subjects she found essential to being the healer she wanted to be. Her thesis combined the two subjects and generated results that she says forged her path in lifestyle medicine.

In collaboration with a cardiology group and psychologists, Frates tested the effects of mental stress on the heart.

The researchers asked patients to subtract intervals of seven, starting at 100. During this exercise, Frates found that subjects generally became anxious. This mental stress induced coronary blood motion abnormalities in patients with preexisting heart conditions, which mirrored abnormalities imposed by aerobic exercise. According to Frates, “It wasn’t common knowledge back then that the mind and the body were directly connected, but to me this was proof that they were.”

Methods of stress management over the course of one’s lifetime can impact one’s risk for chronic disease. Lifestyle medicine encourages meditation as a lifestyle intervention for stress. According to Frates, meditation can change the brain.

One way is in influencing the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in decision-making and impulse control.

Frates acknowledges that there are few times more stressful than college. Students often choose homework over sleep, a trend that leaves them increasingly vulnerable to the development of mental disorders. Frates notes that mood disturbances, like anxiety and depression, are often related to poor sleeping patterns.

In an effort to stay alert, many students drink coffee, which has a half life of about six hours. This means about half of the original caffeine consumed is still being processed in the body after this time. This may vary based on body weight and frequency of consumption, though Frates says drinking caffeine close to bedtime can significantly affect the quality of one’s sleep.

Students may also sacrifice their social life to uphold their academic responsibilities. Yet lifestyle medicine emphasizes the importance of positive social connection on a person’s mental and physical health. In 1979, researchers surveyed subjects on the quality of their social lives. Tracking these participants over time, they found that those with stronger social support usually lived longer.

“Positive social connection doesn’t literally mean being positive all of the time,” says Frates. “It’s about being collaborative and expressive with other people about positive and negative emotions in a productive way and being comfortable with that.”

Time management is important, especially in college. But it’s also important to take the time to celebrate with people you resonate with. Yet perhaps not in the way college students are used to.

In those rare moments when college students can kick back and relax, Frates recommends two things: cutting down on alcohol intake and cell phone usage. “Listening to people helps them and it helps you. It is a gift that is in far too short of supply right now,” Frates adds.

Frates says that the students who take her class often make their own positive lifestyle changes. After the first lecture one year, three of her students quit smoking. Others have reported losing weight, adding routine exercising to their schedule and starting meditation. “Allowing these students to become change agents for healthy lifestyles is the most exciting part of this course,” she says. “It makes me believe that by sharing this information, this culture and country can change too.”

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COLOR STYLING: NAMES

WALL TO WALL

STYLIST: Emma Cox & Kristen Bruck PHOTO: Nora Wilby & Meagan Leotta MODEL: Rachel Jacobson, Ashley Feldman, Connor Wolff, Paola Tristan Arruda

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FROM THE BLOG: THINKING BEFORE WE PINK BY: MARGO ROMETO

We’ve all seen them- those cute little pink ribbons on the the corner of every item you could ever possibly buy, using a guilt tactic of sorts to get consumers to purchase a product because a menial percentage of the product price will be donated to Breast Cancer research: Pinkwashing. It’s defined as a form of cause marketing that uses a range of pink ribbon logos, displayed on various products that has totally taken over the cancer research support and charity, turning Breast Cancer Awareness month into a contest of who can pretend they’re doing the most to help a cause many know so little about. The “Thinking Pink” has become trendy, but unfortunately hurts more than it helps.

What exactly is it that makes these little pink ribbons so evil?

Money is going to charity, right? Sort of. Many of the organizations that benefit from this pinkwashing pay massive salaries (many six digits large) to their highest in command and spend even more annually on advertising as opposed to funding the research itself.

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PLANNING YOUR LIFE WITH THE BULLET JOURNAL BY: JESSICA MORRIS

Every time I mention my “bullet journal” — about twice per day — I usually garner a strange look from a friend or a passerby. I understand the confusion. It’s a weird name for what is essentially a DIY agenda, but I’m still a huge fan of the concept — name and all.

What’s a bullet journal, you ask? A bullet journal (often abbreviated to “bujo”) is a written organization system that has the potential to be an ongoing art project if that’s what you want it to be. If you want to stay organized, the bullet journal system is ideal for keeping track of everything you have to do. You can list your homework, workout schedule or anything else.

The fundamental difference between keeping a bullet journal instead of the average agenda is that you can tailor a “bujo” to fit your individual needs.

Basically, you’re not as pigeon-holed as you might be if you bought an agenda from the school store. A bullet journal works well because it’s flexible.

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ATLAS ONLINE HOW TO MAKE YOURSELF SEEM PUT TOGETHER BY: JENNIFER WOOD

In the short list of the talents I have, I am proud to admit that I have mastered the art of looking put together and projecting a calm, confident persona.

However, this image is far from how my life truly is.

First of all, I have a horrible sleeping schedule. It literally takes more than twelve alarms to wake me up in the morning. Secondly, I am a big procrastinator. I tend to leave my school work to the early hours of the morning due to the fact that I ended up watching hours of reality television on my laptop. And third of all, I never pay attention to my schedule.

Even if I remember all of my extracurricular meeting times and class times, I am absolutely horrible at making enough time for myself to live a happy, healthy life! Yet, these three bad habits account to why I am usually five minutes late to everything.

With that said, I have been working on myself. Throughout the last two months, I have only been late about ten times which is a breakthrough! And I tend to wake up by the eighth alarm instead of the twelfth! Most importantly, I give myself time for school-work by planning out at least one day of my weekend.

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