Atlas Magazine: The Rebel Issue

ATLAS magazine

Issue

The

Issue

A LAS magazine

CO-EDITORS-IN-CHIEF : Marlo Jappen & Lindsey Paradis CREATIVE DIRECTOR : Bella Wattles STYLE Editor : Lauren Holt Assistant Editor : Evan Chin Writer : Laura Tormos HEALTH Editor : Annette Choi Assistant Editor : Antonia DePace Writers : Ariana Colozzo, Alysen Smith CITY Editor : Samantha Harton Writers : Cabot Lee Petoia, Rachael Samson, Katja Vujic GLOBE Editor : Rebecca Szkutak Assistant Editor : Courtney Major Writer : Lala Thaddeus COPY EDITORS Head Copy Editor : Allyson Floridia Copy Editors : Jenna Haskins, Caroline Rabin, Alysen Smith PHOTOGRAPHY Photo Editor : Evie Hansford Photographers : Jacob Cutler, Carly Kinscherf, Samantha Liebeskind MARKETING TEAM Marketing Director : Shelby Carney Marketing Team : Mary Duhon ATLAS ONLINE Blog Editor : Charlotte Slota Bloggers : Goldy Levy, Lauren Lopez, Deirdre Murray ATLAS MODELS Kyle Neil, Michelle Meneses, Yiling Luo, Victoria Jamieson, Camille Serlin

Meet the Lindsey Paradis

Editors

Marlo Jappen

We wanted this semester’s theme to focus on people, places and ideas that were unique, pushed boundaries and defied expectations. Narrowing this definition to one word was the hard part. “Opposites,” we thought, maybe “roles,” or “bold.” None of them stuck until we came to “Rebel”.

Nothing about me screams rebel, at least, not in the typical sense. I stand slightly taller than average at 5 feet 6 inches. I have plain, brown hair and a wardrobe consisting of dresses from Loft and Banana Republic. There are no pink highlights, leather outfits or funky piercings. I don’t even own a pair of ripped jeans. But I am a rebel, at least by Atlas’ definition. Every day, I push boundaries and defy expectations, just like the rebels featured in our issue.

Personally, coming to Emerson and majoring in writing, literature and publishing has been one of my most rebellious acts. You might be thinking, how is attending Emerson rebellious? But whenever someone asks me what what I want to do for a career and I respond “write” (whether it be the next great American novel or a column for Cosmo) the look on their face says it all. It’s a look that screams that’s not a real job and you’re never going to make money.

Here I am anyway. And I know I’m not the only one that’s been told not to do something or that what I want is impossible or invalid. So my hope is that our Atlas rebels inspire you to push your own boundaries and defy everyone’s expectations, including your own.

Best, Lindsey Paradis Co-Editor-in-Chief

Sometimes the word “rebel” carries a negative connotation. Think of troublemakers like that guy from high school who drove a beat-up Mustang and wore an excessive amount of hair gel, trying way too hard to be a “tough guy.” Thankfully, this issue embraces a more positive, empowering definition we created ourselves because, after all, being a rebel is all about self-ownership.

Recently, I decided to reclaim another word, which happens to be my first name: Marlo. I’ve been mistaken as “Mario” for as long as I can remember. I was “Mario” when I walked onstage for middle school graduation. I was “Mario” in the waiting room of my doctor’s office and I’m “Mario” almost every time I retrieve my coffee at Starbucks.

Even in college, professors initially address me as “Mario” when they take attendance. I can almost hear the confused thoughts circulating in the classroom: Why is a female responding to this name and why doesn’t she have a mustache, overalls and a fake Italian accent? Being called “Mario” is embarrassing, but this Halloween, I decided to dress as the video game character.

It was time to take ownership of a name I dread being called and it felt liberating.

There’s a sense of power that comes along with reclaiming something negative. “Rebel” is a fluid word; it means something different to everyone. I hope this issue inspires you to celebrate your inner rebel, whatever that might be.

Best, Marlo Jappen Co-Editor-in-Chief

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Meet the

Me and my friend were going to go see a concert at UMass Amherst but on a whim decided to see it in NYC instead.

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Stole the room number sign from ECPD while my roommate distracted them.

I break onto the roofs of Boston whenever possible. Some call it trespassing, I call it exploring.

Yes, I did get an in-school suspension in 4th grade.

One time I skipped math class, changed into my bathing suit, and went to the Sauna instead. I hate math.

What makes us rebellious?

I used to refuse to tuck in my shirt of my prep school uniform in protest of the idea of uniformity.

I once wore my fanny pack to a black tie only, 5-star restaurant.Â

Drove down a one-way street knowingly just because it was the faster way to my destination.

I dyed a chunk of my hair blue during my pop punk phase.

I constantly jaywalk.

Threw oranges over a fence at people dining on the patio of a 5-star restaurant while on vacation.

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IN THIS ISSUE

pg. 10

pg. 25

CAMPUS

CITY

The Merging of Sports and Art pg. 10 A Berklee student, who is also a four year Emerson soccer player shares his experience of being both artistic and an athlete.

From Braintree to Beach Weather pg. 20 Braintree-bred Nick Santino has gone from being part of pop-punk band A Rocket to the Moon, to a solo artist and now singer in his new band Beach Weather.

What is C49 Productions? pg. 12 Atlas sits down with the Emerson students who founded C49 Productions.

Leo Manzari: Tappin’ Through Life pg. 16 Leo Manzari shares his passion for performance and how he has found himself participating in events across the country.

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Feel It, Speak It pg. 22 As Boston-based poetry collective Team Be Spoken says, “If you can Feel it, you can Speak it!”

pg. 8

Allston: Boston’s Rebel Neighborhood pg. 25 In 2011 University of Michigan psychologists rated Boston as the least friendly city in America.

Obviously they’d never been to Allston: a friendly hub of culture, diversity and fun.

ABOVE PHOTOS : Evie Hansford, Lala Thaddeus COVER PHOTO : Evie Hansford SECTION PHOTO : Evie Hansford, Lala Thaddeus, Elise Risio STAFF PHOTOS : Evie Hansford

FALL 2015

pg. 50

pg. 30

pg. 40

pg. 46

GLOBE

STYLE

HEALTH

Rolling with the Locals pg. 32 With her semester studying abroad at the Kasteel Well program almost over, Lala Thaddeus gives the inside scoop on non-traditional tourist destinations.

Pour Some Color on Me pg. 40 Green hair? Who cares.

Stand-out students debate the act of hair dyeing as rebellious.

Cheat Meals: How Breaking Your Diet Can Be Good For You pg. 50 Pass a doughnut this way. A cheat meal might actually save your diet.

Going for the Gap pg. 36 A gap year gives students the opportunity to explore other options, as well as themselves.

Jumping Through Gender Lines pg. 44 An exploration of the men’s jumpsuit, which proves to be furthering the trend of gender-neutral clothing.

Skin is In pg. 46 The beauty industry is going barefaced, and the key is confidence.

Keeping Up With Your Mental Health pg. 52 A look at the struggles of keeping up with mental health during college.

Take A Chance, Take A Class pg. 54 A profile on some of the area’s most unconventional fitness classes.

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CAMPUS The Merging of Sports and Arts // pg. 10 What is C49 Productions? // pg. 12 People in their Places // pg. 14 Leo Manzari: Dancing Through Life // pg. 16

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The Merging of

Sports and

WRITER : Samantha Harton PHOTO : Elise Risio & Catherine Gessner

Pop culture has infamously separated the “jocks” from the “band geeks” and “art freaks,” assigning assumptions

and connotations to the athletic and the artistic while allowing little crossover between the two. At Emerson College, an entire department rebels against those assumptions and looks to integrate sports into the lives of students pursuing more creative passions. For the past two decades, it has merged arts with athletics through its consortium program with Berklee College of Music and Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Students from those schools can participate on Emerson’s athletic teams. Now, anyone who wants to continue with their sport beyond high school while studying their musical and artistic passions can do so.

Dan Knight, a senior at Berklee and four-year member of the Emerson soccer team, is one athlete who feels the positive effects

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of the consortium. He has wanted to go to Berklee since his early high school years, music being his passion from an early age, but he was also passionate about soccer. Being set on Berklee, Knight gave up on the idea of college sports. After stumbling upon the option of playing soccer at Emerson, he realized his two passions did not have to be mutually exclusive.

Knight describes the atmosphere within the group as, “Socially, it’s like you go to another school. Emerson athletics is really tight knit.” When asked whether he ever feels like an outsider at Emerson, Knight gives a quick “no” and laughs. The Berklee athletes are welcomed into a community where teams sit together in the dining hall, go to one another’s matches and spend time with each other on the weekends.

Emerson has provided an athletic community Berklee and MassArt students can’t find at their schools. However, these students have contributed to Emerson just as much as Emerson has influenced

Arts them. Stanford Nance, the Senior Associate Director of Athletics and Emerson liaison to Berklee and MassArt, attributes much of Emerson’s athletic success to the participation of the consortium students. He says, “We’ve had top scorers and very, very good players.”

The participants are not just extra bodies, but valid contributors to the athletic department as a whole.

This participation has been growing, but is still not where Nance wants it. Knight would also like Berklee and MassArt to make the option more well-known to incoming students. He says he never would have even known about the program had he not dug so deep within the Berklee website. Nance suggests the participation should start at the recruiting level. If there is a student who fits the niche of one of the consortium schools, they should be recruited in the same way an Emerson prospect would be.

At the same time, Nance recognizes the difficulty of being dedicated to a craft and sport, understanding that students can’t of-

ten work practices around their school schedule or choose between a performance and an away game. Even with these difficulties, Knight is thankful for the opportunity to pursue both of his passions and believes the two have helped him stay balanced. “We want to do what we’re doing in school, but we can’t put 24 hours a day into that,” he explains. “We can’t really sustain that or we’ll get burnt out.”

Knight says that playing soccer for Emerson has allowed him “to grow hugely as a person.” Even with the difficult schedules, long practices and late nights at away games, he sees soccer as something that has been beneficial to his development as a student. Emerson’s partnership with Berklee and MassArt has not only boosted the participation and talent within the athletic department, but has provided a community for students in which athletics and arts don’t have to be opposites.

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What is

C49 Productions?

WRITER : Annette Choi PHOTO : Samantha Liebeskind

C49 Productions is a Boston-based film production company founded by four current Emerson students: Douglas Emerson (CEO/Executive Producer), Evan Goldstein (Chief Operating Officer), Brendan Riel (Director of Photography) and Cal Laird (Editor).

Jake Mitchell (Second Unit Director of Photography and Social Media Chair) was the last to join the team after having originally been an intern.

This unique enterprise works to serve its slogan of “Every Moment Matters” by combining cinematic narrative with branding to create an innovative perspective within video marketing. Emerson shares that C49 aims to create a culture in which creativity can thrive and where anything that opposes it does not exist.

“We’re starting a brand of commercials where we create commercials without losing touch of our narratives. From there, we

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want to branch out into short films, using some of the money we’ve already made to fund these so we don’t have to worry about finances,” Emerson says. “We hope to move into feature films, eventually making our way to Los Angeles.”

C49 promotes and markets their own products in-house, differentiating them from many other film production companies.

They work hard and create meaningful products as a unified crew.

“With the way it’s been running recently,” Goldstein shares, “I wouldn’t mind if this was the rest of my life. I’ve learned more in the couple months that I’ve been doing this than I have my entire life.”

C49 has recently met with tremendous success on their latest short documentary, “Legacy: The Story of Josh Zunick.” This highly impassioned and inspirational video shares the tragic story of deceased Josh Zunick to show people that there’s more to a heroin addict than strictly a needle.

The Massachusetts Organization of Addiction Recovery (MOAR) had reached out to see if C49 would be interested in producing a commercial about heroin overdose. It was through this organization that C49 was able to met Cheri Zunick, mother of Josh, and create the documentary. The video currently has more than 2500 views on Vimeo and was nominated anonymously to awardeo.tv, an international filmmaker’s website, where it stands in first place by over 100 votes.

“We went out of pocket for this one and it’s been the most amazing experience. We’ve gotten phone calls from www.drugfree.org, members of the state house have asked if they can show it to people,” Goldstein shares. “It’s just been very special to be a part of something like this and see that there’s good that can come out of some tragedy.”

Goldstein says, “If you want to do something, do it. And I’m happy to talk to anyone about how to run a business. I like sharing the

business ends of things. I feel like the only way to keep it is to share it. We used to joke about being double-booked. That happened last week.”

The industrious fellows at C49 productions make it a point to express that every single one of them are passionate about what they do. Goldstein shares that to be a part of something and to be able to watch it comes together is contagious. The five teammates aspire to find prominent significance in every minuscule moment and strive to spotlight stories people have to tell.

“It’s not about ego and it’s not about money,” Emerson states.

“It’s about creating a place where filmmakers can go to feel creative, be creative and not have to worry about anything getting in the way of that.”

Be sure to check out their website at www.c49productions.com for more information.

15 | Rebel

People in Their Places PHOTO : Evie Hansford

James Monroe Chase, 2018 Sound Design

Emily Kirk, 2018 Marketing Communications Atlas Magazine | 16

Michelle Krigsfield, 2018 Political Communications

Stig Regan, 2018 VMA 17 | Rebel

Leo Manzari:

Tapping Through Life

WRITER : Rebecca Szkutak PHOTO : Jacob Cutler

Atlas Magazine | 18

When Leo Manzari and his brother dance on stage, the brothers sound like one. The audience can only hear the tapping from what seems to be a solo performer.

Manzari, bachelor of fine arts acting ‘18, began dancing around the age of two and grew up learning multiple styles of dance, including ballet, jazz and tap, which is his current focus.

Manzari recalls years of intensive training and competing in dance during his childhood. He says he and his two siblings would be at the studio four days a week, training for four hours a day to prepare for upcoming competitions.

“I feel that competitions are what really gave me my grit,” Manzari says, “as far as pushing something no matter how hard it is.”

Since then Manzari and his brother, John, have danced at a variety of events, including TEDMED talks, the Tremaine National Finals

Gala, where they were invited to open the show, as well as a number of other performances.

Manzari’s most recent project was the “Maurice Hines is Tappin’ Thru Life” show. The show was put on by the Delaware Theatre Company and ran Sept. 16 - Oct. 11. Manzari says he always looked to Maurice Hines as a mentor and, that being a part of his show was an incredible experience.

However, the shows took place in Delaware five days a week. Since Manzari was a fulltime student in Boston, he was flying back and forth every week for the duration of the performance.

“That was an experience,” says Manzari.

“Before I started it, I knew I was getting myself into a lot. It’s not a bad circumstance, it’s just a

great opportunity. If you have the will to get through it, then it is what it is.”

During this time, Manzari was treated like every other Emerson student. He says his workload was not reduced at all and he still had to follow deadlines. However, his teachers were encouraging of his endeavor and allowed him to miss many classes and Skype into them when he could so he wouldn’t fall behind.

Manzari, who is also involved with acting, has many other talents he may pursue over his lifetime, or even the next few years. He is not positive his focus will always be dance based, but he knows it will always be performance due to his love of performing.

“It’s just interesting, I put so many hours and so much sweat into perfecting an art form. When people see it, there are two things: people are impressed that the human foot could do that and they get so much happiness out of it,” says Manzari. “The fact that something I’ve trained for over the years is something people come and spend money on and they like it––that’s amazing.”

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CITY

From Braintree to Beachweather // pg. 20 Feel It, Speak It // pg. 22 Allston: The Rebel Neighborhood // pg. 25

21 | Rebel

From Braintree to Beach Weather WRITER : Rachael Samson PHOTO : Courtesy of 8123

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A single song can be a tie to home, a good memory, an obstacle or a vivid feeling. This is true for musicians as well. Hearing an old song can remind artists of how they have grown since it was first released. Nick Santino, former frontman of A Rocket to the Moon, began his career in Massachusetts and quickly spread his sound throughout the country. The band’s nostalgic rhythms have created the emotional connection many people have to their hometowns and good memories. Though the band is no longer together, Santino has continued to grow as a singer, songwriter and performer.

When Santino entered the music scene 10 years ago, he was only 17. His experience with the industry had stretched as far as playing in two, short-lived high school bands. Santino was born and raised in Braintree, Massachusetts where he formed his third and most successful band, A Rocket to the Moon, in the summer of 2006. As the only member from Massachusetts, and with the band’s management located in Arizona, Santino spent a majority of time out of the state. Both of A Rocket to the Moon’s albums have references to traveling coast to coast and the aspect of life on the road. After the band’s split in 2013, Santino joined 8123, which is The Maine’s music collective. He went on to produce solo work under the name Nick Santino and the Northern Wind, followed by two more EPs and an album under his own name. He had much success with the music he produced and the accompanying tours. Santino’s solo album charted No. 3 on the iTunes singer/songwriter charts. Since he wrote and recorded all of his songs, he had complete creative control. Playing the guitar and drums while singing was a drastically different experience from being in a band.

“There’s a bit more pressure being a solo artist, but kind of more freeing since you call the shots,” says Santino. “Being in a band is a lot of fun because you get to share that spotlight with other people and everyone has their role.” Santino’s music appeals to basic emotions that are easy for anyone to connect to, so he works well as both a solo

artist and band member. Much of his solo music was about the brutal reality of trying to make it in Los Angeles and longing for home while doing so. “My songs about going home have been influenced by the idea of coming back to the house I am used to and driving on the roads I could drive with my eyes closed,” Santino says. This honesty is relatable to musicians with the same experiences and fans who have been setback and homesick. The truth in his old music was a main component of his success. Now, Santino is with a new band, Beach Weather. Their debut EP has already been released to the public.

“I’ve just grown up as a person. I’ve started listening to newer music,” says Santino. “Going back and discovering some old ones, getting on certain music kicks. If anything, I’ve just matured and taken my music along with me.” He described the sound as alternative pop rock, which differs from A Rocket to the Moon, which is classified as pop punk. His solo career has a rock/country sound.

Santino and his bandmates all share the connection of being far from home while pursuing their dreams. They use the bittersweet feelings of constant travel to write new material and remind themselves of how their music evolved. There is no denying that Beach Weather offers a more mature and experienced sound than Santino’s older music. Santino has adjusted to the industry and learned to balance the hardships with the rewards.

He has had a diverse and successful career so far and is excited about Beach Weather getting off the ground. Their EP, “What a Drag,” is available on iTunes. According to Santino, it is only a small portion of future music they plan to create. “We wanted these songs to be a good starting point for people who are discovering our band. We want to be able to create more music like this while still growing as musicians,” says Santino.

“Beach Weather” concluded the Free For All tour. They opened for The Maine and were able to perform all of their new material. The tour spanned the United States and included a show half an hour from Braintree, Massachusetts. Santino is now 27 and has opened and headlined in venues only miles from the basement shows he played in high school. He has grown dramatically as a musician in the past ten years; the songs Santino created during his adult life remain just as significant to him and his fans.

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Feel It

Speak It WRITER : Katja Vujic PHOTO : Jacob Cutler

This is the mantra Boston poetry collective Team Be Spoken operates on and is the name of the open mic they perform at. It can be heard many times throughout the evening at one of these open mics, located at the Milky Way Lounge in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts.

The lounge is a cozy space with exposed brick walls and a decorative rug covering the shallow stage. Diner-style padded benches line the sides and chairs are scattered in zigzag patterns. The audience is active, involved and responsive. Every poet who takes the mic is given equal respect, whether they’re a beginner or a seasoned master. In fact, the audience is directed to give extra love and support to anyone announced as a newbie.

When Jha D. Williams, co-host and co-founder of the open mic, takes the stage, she captivates her audience effortlessly. Though she doesn’t perform on this particular night, her introduction of the mic and subsequent introductions of each poet keep the energy flowing. She exudes confidence as she walks through the Milky Way Lounge prior to the night’s event, stopping often for a hug or a quick conversation.

Team Be Spoken has been holding open mics on the second Thursday of every month for quite a while. In November, they celebrate their six-year anniversary at this same location.

It all started at Norvia’s Place in Roxbury, Massachusetts (now closed). Williams was tricked by Jam, her friend and host of Lesbian Night, an event run by promoter group LezbnsNPower, into hosting her first open mic. Jam asked Williams to come early to Lesbian Night. As soon as she walked in, Jam announced that Williams would be hosting the open mic. Williams had no idea that night would become a movement of sorts, creating a space in Boston for LGBTQIA communities of color that hadn’t previously existed. “From my personal experiences, it was either predominantly white or it was predominantly

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heteronormative,” Williams says of the Boston poetry scene prior to Team Be Spoken. “So you put those two things together and no matter how you looked at it, it was not very friendly to the black queer woman’s voice or the black queer woman’s story.”

The Feel it, Speak it open mics created a space that was both necessary and forced others to challenge their ideas of what an open mic should look like. They brought subjects to light that hadn’t been directly addressed in any significant way in Boston’s poetry scene before.

The necessity of the space encouraged Williams to grow her team to today’s nine members and keep going, even in times when people came less for the poetry and more for the Lesbian Night dance party that followed each open mic. “We’re here, we’re queer and we’re staying,” says Williams.

Williams has big plans for the future. “I would love to see [the Feel it Speak it open mic] be a little more regional, if not national, and I would also like to see us a little less attached and/or dependent on me,” she says. “So I would like us—it—to get to a point where it is very much a Movement, capital letters, that exists whether or not I exist.” She wants the movement to expand past her, past even the current team. She’s interested in getting local youth involved and eventually letting them take over. She wants to expand beyond Boston, beyond even Massachusetts. Ultimately, the goal is for the safe space that the open mic provides to become unnecessary. If LGBTQIA people of color were able to feel safe anywhere and, as a result, an open mic specifically for them was rendered superfluous, Williams would be okay with that.

She’s an accomplished woman and she attributes much of her success to the love and attention she was given throughout her youth. “I’ve always had Space—with a capital S—meaning my mother paid me a lot of attention. She poured a lot of love in me. She encouraged me. Teachers always paid attention to me. It was the same with peers, whoever. I’ve always had time and love and care and affection to do the things I wanted to do, but in that, I noticed not everybody else

did.” That space not only drives her forward in demanding the space she needs and deserves, but also inspires her to give others space. In many ways, it was the driving force behind the creation of the Feel it, Speak it open mic. “For me, it was about making the space I was accustomed to, maintaining the space I knew I needed, and then gifting the space I thought others would need and want.”

Though she can’t speak for the entire team, she believes their motivations are similar. “I definitely know [I do this] for the genuine freedom of all speeches, whatever those speeches may be, when they need to be there. ‘Cause we are queer as fuck,” she says. Beyond the art they create as well as the support and space they provide every month for other poets, they have a deep commitment to each other on a personal level. “I think we definitely have that agenda,” she affirms.

“Whatever you need to be today, whatever you woke up today with, bring that here and let’s handle it as a family.”

Team Be Spoken plugs themselves as Boston’s only open mic dedicated to the LGBTQIA communities of color and their allies, offering a non-discriminating, non-pretentious, non-elitist platform for one and all to express themselves. Though any and all poetry can be, and is, performed, their October mic included freestyle rap, multiple erotic poems and a poem dedicated to the members of Team Be Spoken. The emphasis is often on issues related to identity and social justice.

Williams believes poetry holds a unique power to create social change. “It comes from the power of voices. I mean expression. It’s one of the things that separates humans with other animals: the way that we express, communicate, vocalize. So when you take something like poetry or spoken word poetry and give it the simplicity that comes with crafting a verse, or a poem, then give it the rhythmic nature of music, that captivating essence of performance and body language, you can’t get around it. There are so many pieces of power, pulled in from other art forms. You have to go through it.”

Politics are rarely separate from personal experience and individual biases, so it can be difficult to effectively get a political message across to an audience with dissimilar views. An appeal focused in logic and reason, through sound, can always be contested or argued with different logic and different reasoning. An appeal through emotion can’t be argued in that way. “Hell yeah, poetry is powerful. It’s coming from a very personal place and a lot of times that personal place is a political place. You start putting all these layers together and it’s an inevitable, undeniable leveling of the playing field.”

Williams recounts the first moment when she realized poetry affects people on a level that goes beyond logic. Years ago, she performed a forty minute set at a conference. It was the longest she’d done until that point. Much of the poetry was incredibly personal—about her coming out story, her mother and their relationship. A mother came up to her in tears afterwards, hugged her and thanked her profusely. Something in Williams’ poetry had given the mother the words she needed in order to hear her own daughter. “She had never heard so much pain and so much story and so much possibility about or around sexuality as she had that night. To me, that was a call to ‘keep sharing your story, because you can do things with your emotions that other people can’t do.’ ”

Art, especially poetry, is often easily classified as rebellious.

Williams hesitates to take that title for Team Be Spoken. “If we are to be rebellious, then it would be for the purpose of rebelling against whatever someone else said we were supposed to be, or we had to be, or we should be,” she says. The word “rebel” is sometimes used to invalidate.

She continues, “We are definitely not rebellious according to whatever stereotypical connotations one might bring to their mind or for the purpose of just being cool. We rebel against whatever we need to rebel against. We’re rebelling against sexual identity. We’re rebelling against social norms. We’re rebelling against socioeconomic handicaps.

We’re rebelling against talent levels. We’re rebelling against who’s supposed to have or maintain or keep space.” She and her eight teammates—SublimeLuv (goes by Phoenix), Phee (Xtra Xtra), Catori Wuti (Seduction), Star (Cupid), David Wylen (Wild Card), Poetic Devotion (Amplifier), TJ (Swag) and D. Ruff (Anchor)—are rebellious in a way that is productive. It’s not destructive for the sake of destruction. It’s destructive in order to create something better.

“It might have a political agenda and it might not. We go.

We wake up and we go. More than rebellious, I feel like we’re expressive. That doesn’t always have to be rebellious. It could be complementary, in agreement. If nothing else, we are just expressive. It’s why we call ourselves Team Be Spoken, because we speak when we need to be heard. That’s how we roll.”

ple came less for the poetry and more for the Lesbian Night dance party that followed each open mic. “We’re here, we’re queer, and we’re staying,” says Williams.

Williams is a native Bostonian. Her mother was a Boston police officer and Williams has lived in nearly every region of Boston at some point in her life. She knows, perhaps better than anyone, how much Boston needs Team Be Spoken—both their designated performances and the open mics. However, poetry isn’t her only occupation. She is an architect by day, which is where her nickname within the group, The Architect, comes from. Williams has big plans for the future.

“I would love to see [the Feel it Speak it open mic] be a little more regional, if not national, and I would also like to see us a little less attached and/or dependent on me,” she says. “So I would like us—it—to get to a point where it is very much a Movement, capital letters, that exists whether or not I exist.”

She wants the movement to expand past her, past even the current team. She’s interested in getting local youth involved and eventually letting them take over. She wants to expand beyond Boston, beyond even Massachusetts. Ultimately, the goal is for the safe space that the open mic provides to become unnecessary. If LGBTQIA people of color were able to feel safe anywhere and, as a result, an open mic specifically for them was rendered superfluous, Williams would be okay with that.

She’s an accomplished woman and she attributes much of her success to the love and attention she was given throughout her youth. “I’ve always had Space—with a capital S—meaning my mother paid me a lot of attention. She poured a lot of love in me. She encouraged me. Teachers always paid attention to me. It was the same with peers, whoever. I’ve always had time and love and care and affection to do the things I wanted to do, but in that, I noticed not everybody else did.” That space not only drives her forward in demanding the space she needs and deserves, but also inspires her to give others space. In many ways, it was the driving force behind the creation of the Feel it, Speak it open mic. “For me, it was about making the space I was accustomed to, maintaining the space I knew I needed, and then gifting the space I thought others would need and want.”

Though she can’t speak for the entire team, she believes their motivations are similar. “I definitely know [I do this] for the genuine freedom of all speeches, whatever those speeches may be, when they need to be there. ‘Cause we are queer as fuck,” she says. Beyond the art they create as well as the support and space they provide every

“We rebel against whatever we need to rebel against.”

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month for other poets, they have a deep commitment to each other on a personal level. “I think we definitely have that agenda,” she affirms.

“Whatever you need to be today, whatever you woke up today with, bring that here and let’s handle it as a family.”

Team Be Spoken plugs themselves as Boston’s only open mic dedicated to the LGBTQIA communities of color and their allies, offering a non-discriminating, non-pretentious, non-elitist platform for one and all to express themselves. Though any and all poetry can be, and is, performed, their October mic included freestyle rap, multiple erotic poems and a poem dedicated to the members of Team Be Spoken. The emphasis is often on issues related to identity and social justice. Williams believes poetry holds a unique power to create social change. “It comes from the power of voices. I mean expression. It’s one of the things that separates humans with other animals: the way that we express, communicate, vocalize. So when you take something like poetry or spoken word poetry and give it the simplicity that comes with crafting a verse, or a poem, then give it the rhythmic nature of music, that captivating essence of performance and body language, you can’t get around it. There are so many pieces of power, pulled in from other art forms. You have to go through it.”

Politics are rarely separate from personal experience and individual biases, so it can be difficult to effectively get a political message across to an audience with dissimilar views. An appeal focused in logic and reason, through sound, can always be contested or argued with different logic and different reasoning. An appeal through emotion can’t be argued in that way. “Hell yeah, poetry is powerful. It’s coming from a very personal place and a lot of times that personal place is a political place. You start putting all these layers together and it’s an inevitable, undeniable leveling of the playing field.”

Williams recounts the first moment when she realized poetry affects people on a level that goes beyond logic. Years ago, she performed a 40 minute set at a conference. It was the longest she’d done until that point. Much of the poetry was incredibly personal—about her coming out story, her mother and their relationship. A mother came up to her in tears afterwards, hugged her and thanked her profusely. Something in Williams’ poetry had given the mother the words

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she needed in order to hear her own daughter. “She had never heard so much pain and so much story and so much possibility about or around sexuality as she had that night. To me, that was a call to ‘keep sharing your story, because you can do things with your emotions that other people can’t do.’ ”

Art, especially poetry, is often easily classified as rebellious.

Williams hesitates to take that title for Team Be Spoken. “If we are to be rebellious, then it would be for the purpose of rebelling against whatever someone else said we were supposed to be, or we had to be or we should be,” she says. The word “rebel” is sometimes used to invalidate.

She continues, “We are definitely not rebellious according to whatever stereotypical connotations one might bring to their mind or for the purpose of just being cool. We rebel against whatever we need to rebel against. We’re rebelling against sexual identity. We’re rebelling against social norms. We’re rebelling against socioeconomic handicaps.

We’re rebelling against talent levels. We’re rebelling against who’s supposed to have or maintain or keep space.” She and her eight teammates—SublimeLuv (goes by Phoenix), Phee (Xtra Xtra), Catori Wuti (Seduction), Star (Cupid), David Wylen (Wild Card), Poetic Devotion (Amplifier), TJ (Swag) and D. Ruff (Anchor)—are rebellious in a way that is productive. It’s not destructive for the sake of destruction.

It’s destructive in order to create something better.

“It might have a political agenda and it might not. We go.

We wake up and we go. More than rebellious, I feel like we’re expressive. That doesn’t always have to be rebellious. It could be complementary, in agreement. If nothing else, we are just expressive. It’s why we call ourselves Team Be Spoken, because we speak when we need to be heard. That’s how we roll.”

Allston

The Rebel Neighborhood

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WRITER : Cabot Lee Petoia PHOTO : Evie Hansford

Take a few steps off the MBTA Harvard Avenue T stop in Allston, Massachusetts at 8 p.m. on a Thursday and the air is suddenly vibrating. To the left, music is bumping through the walls of Great Scott. A few people are smoking outside. To the right, there’s a group of people, diverse in age, color and gender sitting at the 66 bus stop.

Two have tiny, scruffy mutts lingering around their feet and none look like they have any intention of getting up. A smile from a passerby earns them a shout and a laugh. “Are you looking at my dog? You can’t do that! Alright, alright. Have a good night.” Smells of barbeque, bacon and french fries fill the air. Trash litters the street and groups of people with their arms linked walk over it without a second look. The buildings are low and their lights are bright, advertising food, beer, smoke shops, thrift stores, record shops, tattoo parlors and haircuts.

In 2011, CBS published an article titled, “Survey Ranks Boston the Least Friendly City in America.” The article discusses a

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study by two psychologists at the University of Michigan. It found that Boston, Massachusetts came in dead last for the categories of ‘niceness’ and ‘friendliness’ based on a national survey. Perhaps it’s true that in certain sections of the city, such as the ultra-professional financial district, people are often alone, plugged in and don’t generally seem open to having a conversation with a stranger. However, this is probably true of any city and it doesn’t disprove that Boston has an affable side.

Allston, a Boston neighborhood located about five miles away from the city’s center, defies CBS’s sweeping statement every day.

Talking with Allston locals provides a flavor of optimism and illustrates the truth about Boston: it’s not really as “hard” as people say it is.

Anyone with an open mind and an open face will quickly discover the community Allston houses. Adam Weber, age 29, bartender at Common Ground and 3.5 year resident of Allston, describes it as “Venice, California without a beach.” Culture around beaches is often relaxed

and open, but Allston doesn’t need to use sunbathing and swimming as an excuse to be chill. A mix of culture, music, art and good food, Allston is home to a diverse population of people.

One of Allston’s most notable characteristics is its plethora of live music every night of the week. Weber says his favorite Allston show was Die Antwoord, a South African alternative hip hop/techno band. They performed at the Paradise Rock Club, a popular venue on Commonwealth Avenue. Known for its local rock and alternative performances, Paradise Rock Club has a tradition of featuring bands who have never played in Boston before. The crowd at Paradise Rock Club is largely made up of experienced concert goers who are there for good music, good acoustics and good energy.

Rita Lowell, age 33, came to Boston from Houston, Texas 10 years ago to attend Boston University. Her favorite place to have fun is Great Scott, a performance venue and bar on Harvard Avenue that features an incredible mix of artists and events. The ambiance is laid-back, with lights turned low and cheap beer in people’s hands.

Rumbling conversations can be heard between songs from people who sit at the bar instead of dancing. Lowell recently went to Great Scott to see Black Fast, a contemporary thrash metal band from St. Louis, Missouri. Lowell says she isn’t necessarily a fan of metal and she had never heard of the band before she saw them live, but she likes to go to shows at the last minute without knowing the band playing. She says, “You never really know what you’re going to get, but some of the best music I’ve ever seen here was by totally random bands that I just showed up for on a given day.” Lowell enjoys places like Great Scott

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because there’s a general feeling of openness; she says, “I never walk into an Allston bar and feel like I’m interrupting a party I wasn’t invited to.”

Allston is also notorious for its incredible range of relatively inexpensive food. A five minute walk down Harvard Avenue reveals a coffee shop, a Southern-style soul food restaurant, a sandwich and smoothie joint, fro-yo, an all-you-can-eat hot pot/sushi restaurant, a pizza-by-the-slice place and a few bars in between. Take a quick left up Brighton Avenue and Mexican, Thai and burger restaurants can be found. A short walk further and there’s a gourmet grilled cheese place with a new, vegan restaurant next door. Allston seems to have every food you could possibly want and the aromas are enough to make anyone instantly hungry. According to Weber, Azama Grill, a Middle Eastern cafe open until 2 a.m., is a great place to stop for a late night snack. It is best known for its Egyptian food and authenticity.

Allston appeals to more than the people who have already had years to explore it, though. Lindsay Swanson, age 21, arrived to Allston from the San Francisco Bay area on September 1, 2015. De-

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scribing Allston in three words, she says, “Unique, boisterous...yet homey.” Swanson characterizes Allston locals as having “punk vibes” and says music seems to be the most important thing around here. To her, Allston’s most striking feature is that everyone is always out. One of Swanson’s favorite Allston activities is going to its many bars. Her favorite is Model Cafe, a funky dive bar which she depicts as “kind of grimy, but fun.” Model Cafe features black and white checkered floors, tattooed bartenders in cutoff jean jackets and cartoons on weeknights.

Swanson loves living in Allston because “everyone who lives in Allston loves Allston. They’re very passionate about it.” She looks forward to exploring the area and meeting more people, saying this does not seem hard to do. Almost every time she makes eye contact with someone on the street, they share an “oh, hello” kind of moment.

Despite the volume of people within them, cities can often feel lonely. Embracing everything a city has to offer and approaching it with openness provides the potential for anyone to become a part of its community. Allston is a warm space in a cold city and it’s the people who make it that way.

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GLOBE Rolling With The Locals // pg. 32

Going For The Gap // pg. 36

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33 | Rebel

Rolling

with the Locals

WRITER : Lala Thaddeus PHOTO : Lala Thaddeus

The Kasteel Well program offers students the invaluable opportunity to travel every weekend anywhere around Europe. Short two to three day trips, however, leave students dazed and in a rush to check every major sight off their must-see list. While must-sees deserve their status, visiting only tourist spots while traveling leaves you with about a hundred shots of the Eiffel Tower that look just like every other result on Google and without a true sense of the city. Travel is all about trial and error. The following is a three-city guide to help wanderlusters take their first steps to becoming world travelers rather than tourists.

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BARCELONA

The busy mall of La Rambla is constantly bustling with tourists fresh off their airplane. Souvenir stalls line the pedestrian walkway left and right, selling postcards, key chains and tiny cacti planted in tiny tea mugs. A tourist information center is never out of sight, some offering maps of Barcelona that use McDonald’s as landmarks to help newcomers orient themselves in the city. Knowledge of Spanish is seldom needed within the city center. Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, a food market right off the middle of La Rambla, allows foreigners to practice ordering cheap empanadas and fresh fruit smoothies with whatever Spanish they retained from high school. All shop owners know to start speaking in English when their customers are having too much trouble with Spanish.

30 minutes out of the city, you can find yourself at the entrance of Parc del Laberint d’Horta, an 18th century park that is often overlooked by tourists trying to check Park Güell and the Sagrada Família off their “Barcelona Must-See” list. This manicured green space is the longest surviving park in Barcelona, boasting Romanesque statues and reflective pools along with the park’s namesake: a surprisingly tough-to-navigate labyrinth that takes about half an hour to solve.

Within the maze you find yourself surrounded by local Spaniards walking with their children, pushing along their strollers or appearing panicked if they happen to have brought more kids than hands to hold them. With the fresh scent of pine trees and the relatively empty spaces between the hedges, the Parc del Laberint d’Horta is the perfect place to spend a couple of hours relaxing away from the tourist-clad city center of Barcelona.

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DUBLIN

Known for its turbulent history and incredible literary minds, Dublin is a historic city that manages to retain its personality despite the heavy annual influx of tourists. The Irish capital promises a relaxed yet worthwhile visit, offering activities appropriate for any time of the day. The city has cleverly capitalised on its tourist hot spots by charging fees to visit churches and creating a full-fledged beer museum out of the Guinness Storehouse. Trinity College, a part of the University of Dublin, has surprisingly become such a major tourist destination that campus tours cost anywhere between 13 and 40 euros per person.

Visitors must also pay to go into the college’s library to view the Book of Kells, an illuminated Gospel book.

If you happen to have a local friend, however, they can show you the ins and outs of the city while saving you much-needed cash.

The small scale of Dublin allows visitors to discover the city on foot, as nothing in the city center is more than a 10 minute walk away. On Fownes Street you find yourself amidst eclectic vintage stores and out-

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door book markets. Lucy’s Lounge, featuring local handmade jewelry on the ground floor and vintage clothes in the basement, sells bomber jackets, halloween costumes and wedding dresses. Flip Clothing has you covered with a range of brightly colored windbreakers, god-awful but oh-so-kitsch patterned shirts and genuine gas masks.

In the Northside, across the River Liffey and the Ha’penny Bridge, you can find yourself within the walls of the Winding Stair, a bookstore established in 1982 known for attracting authors and creatives from all over Dublin. The store sells a variety of books and, most excitingly, offers a selection of classics penned by notable Irishmen such as James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett and W. B. Yeats. As the evening wears on, you can find yourself at any one of the hundreds of bars in the city, whether in the touristy Temple Bar area or the more local pubs surrounding the neighborhood. Wherever you end up in Dublin, one thing that both tourists and locals can enjoy is the smooth, rich flavor of the locally-brewed Guinness beer.

THE HAGUE

When traveling to the Netherlands, a majority of tourists forget about cities other than Amsterdam. While it is the country’s capital, cities surrounding Amsterdam offer plenty of opportunity to explore the culture of the Netherlands, which is much easier done when you don’t encounter a souvenir store every 50 meters. A 45 minute train ride southwest from the bustling, tourist-laden streets of Amsterdam lies The Hague, a city where Dutch Parliament operates and locals roam the streets without the disturbance of tourists. Alexis Ellis-Alvarez, who is studying at Kasteel Well for the fall 2015 semester, describes The Hague in comparison to Amsterdam as “a big city, but a lot more relaxed and spread out over a wider area.”

The biannual fall and spring Rrrollend (Rrrolling) Food Truck Festival is a great event to hit up to spend a memorable afternoon sampling local food-on-the-go. Colorful string lights strewn through two parallel rows of trees and the smoky scent of burning wood are plenty of invitation to join this ever-moving festival. Chalkboard menus boasted everything from burgers to waffles to soul food, all written in Dutch.

“The food truck festival reminded me of a street fair at home, where the people and the environment are really friendly and welcoming. Very gezellig!” says Ellis-Alvarez (Gezellig is a local untranslatable Dutch word basically meaning “cool”). Picnic tables were strategically placed in front of each truck and through the center of the strip. A

blue and yellow stage was erected at the front of the festival for live performances of local artists. The stage was currently taken over by sun-haired, energetic children who were chasing one another, dancing and giggling as their parents socialized and enjoyed one of the last mildly cool days of fall before the chill of winter set in.

The streets of The Hague are never quite full of people, but you can most definitely find locals sitting at outdoor cafe-by-day, barby-night venues situated at any city plaza. The eateries surrounding an open square spread out their chairs and tables in order to maximize sitting room. Tables and chairs from different cafes are packed so closely together that it becomes hard to distinguish between each different venue. The chairs are usually turned to face the streets so customers can have a drink while “watching the people go by,” Ellis-Alvarez notes. A quirky drink that some swear by, while others despise, is cherry beer. It tastes like a fruity, yet slightly bitter, soda.

Wherever you end up on your trip around Europe, incorporating some local spots into your itinerary helps you get a true feel for the place you’re visiting.

Remember that mom and pop restaurant back home that you love? Or that little serene spot you found you go to for peace and quiet? Try to find these places while traveling and you’ll be left with a unique perspective of a country that can’t be put on a list of must-sees on Tripadvisor.

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Going for the

Gap

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WRITER : Courtney Major ILLUSTRATION : Tricia Sullivan

Deferring a college acceptance to fulfill wanderlust and find adventure has become an increasingly popular way to spend the year before freshman year. It allows a person more time to grow and can provide new opportunities and learning experiences that a traditional college experience can’t offer.

Caitlin Combe, visual and media arts ‘17, sits on the floor of her dorm bedroom, knees bent underneath her, pouring over an old photo album. Her eyes light up as she points to a picture of a young boy. “Look at that smile,” she says with one of her own. The young boy was a student at the school where Combe taught for five months during her gap year.

Combe, who identifies as Irish, currently lives in Singapore; she has previously lived in England, Venezuela, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. She’s used to traveling and she knew before being accepted into Emerson College, her dream school, that a gap year was the right decision for her. For the first five months of her gap year, Combe live in Ladakh, India, where she taught English to young children. After returning from Ladakh, Combe got her first job at a retail shop and her driver’s license in Singapore. She then came to America to go on a college tour before spending the last two months of her gap year working on an animal reserve in South Africa.

It was important to Combe to choose the right school after her gap year. She wasn’t confident in her original applications for colleges, especially the one for Emerson, which she had submitted at the end of her senior year. Combe says, “The following year, I had more time to focus on my application and I had a better film to submit. I had a better shot of getting in.”

During her senior year, she was a member of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, which didn’t give her the time to travel and look at schools. Her gap year allowed Combe to focus on refining and strengthening her application. The extra year also allowed her to travel to the United States for the first time, where she visited schools mainly on the East Coast. Combe says, “I had never lived in the United States. It was something new. I took the time and I

toured Emerson as well as a bunch of other schools. Emerson ended up being my dream school once again. Taking that gap year was to really decide what I wanted to do, whether it was film or something else.”

Similarly to Combe’s experience, Xia Rondeau, visual and media arts ‘17, spent her gap year volunteering with City Year, an AmeriCorps program founded in Boston, Massachusettes. City Year is an organization which accepts volunteers to do hands-on work in at-risk schools across the country. She spent her time before college teaching and assisting third graders at a school in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Rondeau humbly explains that this time was “one year to allow myself to grow.” Her family was supportive and encouraged her and her older sister to take a gap year. “I did a gap year because I couldn’t imagine jumping into four more years of education,” she says.

“Also, I knew college and high school weren’t the same at all. People should take more time for themselves to discover who they are before entering something very expensive and very hard.”

Rondeau’s time working at the school in Dorchester was difficult. She was the youngest volunteer working for City Year in the school. Teaching third graders was also both physically and mentally exhausting. It was a learning experience and an adjustment. “I’m not doing this work to benefit me,” she says. “I’m here for them. I have to be patient and give them my all.” She had to wake up very early each morning to make the commute from her home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but she believes all of her hard work paid off. Rondeau explains, “I was working for the people and not for myself. It was something great to do before college because it humbled me and made me a much harder worker. I had much more inspiration and drive to work and had more of a reason to do important things.”

For Combe and Rondeau, the gap year helped ease their transitions into college. They gave themselves the opportunity to grow and reflect on their experiences and accomplishments before Emerson.

They learned how to work hard and discovered the importance of doing things for other people.

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STYLE Pour Some Color On Me // pg. 42

Jumping Through Gender Lines // pg. 44 Skin Is In // pg. 46

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Pour Some Color On Me

WRITER : Laura Tormos PHOTO : Evie Hansford & Carly Kinscherf

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What is it about hair that holds so much power? It’s responsible for a huge part of the way some view themselves, as well as their feelings about who they are at any given time. It’s a physical manifestation of their internal re-inventions, an outward sign to say they are changing. Maybe, in a world of chaos where one doesn’t feel like they have a grip on anything, hair is something people think they have total control over.

People dyeing their hair crazy colors is no new thing. The art of hair-dyeing has been around for thousands of years, but the emergence and inspiration for unnaturally colored locks stemmed from the punk and rock influences of the 1990s, when people started getting bright red and blue highlights and full heads of pink hair. Since then, a number of new coloring techniques have surfaced amongst the masses, ranging from pastels, opal (a blend of pearl and light pinks, blues, greens and purples), vibrant neons, granny (gray) hair and ombre—to name a few. It’s very much in the mainstream, as seen by the incessant

social media attention the trend receives by both celebrities and mere mortals alike. Simply look at any Instagram feed or popular culture news outlet for the lowdown on Demi Lovato’s or Kylie Jenner’s newest hair look.

While pastel hair may seem as ubiquitous as the air in major cities like Boston or New York, this isn’t always the case.

Kayla Cottingham, writing, literature and publishing ‘18, with bright, indigo-purple hair is an example of this. “It definitely was a rebellion for me, when I first started dyeing it,” she says. “I’m from Salt Lake City, Utah, so it’s a pretty conservative place.” Cottingham’s entire extended family is Mormon, and says the “craziest” change anyone makes to their hair is dyeing it dark brown.

“[Dyeing my hair] was a way to separate who I was in Utah to who I am here,” she says. “You kind of inherit a new identity when you dye your hair. In a way, that can be very rebellious. It’s the first thing people notice about you.” Even if dyeing your hair isn’t intended

as a rebellious act, Cottingham says it tends to come off that way. You can’t really help but make a statement with it. “There’s no subtle way to go to school with pastel hair,” she says.

Rebecca Crandall, writing, literature and publishing ‘17, agrees. “You get a lot of attention from [having dyed hair],” she says— and it’s not always the good kind.

Crandall’s blue hair gets a lot of compliments, especially amongst the crowd in Newbury Comics, where she works. But she also says that colored hair tends to get fetishized, which can result in unwanted attention.

“The guys will hit on you and be really creepy about it,” Crandall says. “The other day at work, a girl reached over the counter and touched my hair and started playing with it. That’s not okay.”

Any unnatural change to one’s appearance—such as brightly colored hair—is bound to have a polarizing effect on those around them. Thankfully, not all of the attention that’s received is the bad kind.

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“When I had [my hair] turquoise, a lot of little girls asked me if I was a mermaid. That was the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me,” Cottingham says. “It’s fun to see all these random people feeling so much joy just because of my hair. It’s the simple things like that.”

Even changes in hair color that remain in the natural range can garner attention.

“The most rebellious action of mine was when I cut my hair short for the first time and dyed it black,” Rachel Ferrante, writing, literature and publishing ‘18, says. “I was always known for having super long, brown hair. So when I cut it off, I became a topic of conversation.”

Apparently, that effect lasted until her high school graduation. Unlike Cottingham, she doesn’t believe the act to be inherently rebellious. “It’s fashion,” she says, pointing at her purple-streaked ends. “It actually feels more like I’m going with the grain rather than against it.”

Selena Stafford, a 21-year-old Emerson alumna with silver hair, agrees. “I was always confused by the whole ‘dyeing your hair is rebellious’ narrative,” she says. She insists that for something to be rebellious, it has to be against the mainstream, which is not the case for dyed hair anymore. “If anything, I guess [dyeing my hair] was an act

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of rebellion against myself.” She opened up about her struggles with body image and mental illness. Dyeing her hair was almost a way to tell her body and mind that she existed, that she had control over her own identity.

Despite her own opinions, however, Ferrante says that the rebelliousness in dyeing your hair can admittedly vary from situation to situation. “You might get some people that say their parents told them they could never do this, so they did. In this case, it would be rebellious,” she says. “It’s all subjective.”

Though Cottingham’s decision to dye her hair green for the first time was something she felt was rebellious at first, given her background, she doesn’t see it that way anymore.

“[Dyeing your hair] kind of takes over your identity,” she says, referring to how her bright hair now feels like an inextricable part of her. “Going back to a natural hair color would just seem boring in comparison.”

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Jumping Through

Gender Lines WRITER : Evan Chin ILLUSTRATION : Tricia Sullivan

New, exciting and daring trends appear in designer fashion collections every season—some more practical than others. Certain trends and pieces merely serve the purpose of runway displays, especially those in couture collections, but there are new and modern trends that are slowly introducing the idea of unisex clothing. The recent debut of the men’s jumpsuit as a fashion piece is an illustration of a society on the cusp of gender-neutral clothing, a concept which has seeped into pieces such as the men’s jumpsuit, as seen on runway collections by Marc Jacobs, Versace and Hermès.

By principal, a jumpsuit is simply a garment which combines a shirt and long pants. However, like jeans, the jumpsuit plays into various gender roles and identities. As with many prominent fashion trends, jumpsuits began as menswear and became gender-neutral throughout the 1900s. They were originally intended for and worn by men working in service industries, such as the military, for increased mobility and comfort. Throughout the history of fashion and everyday dress, the jumpsuit has increasingly been viewed as “feminine,” with the exception of the American disco era. It wasn’t until the 1970s that men started wearing jumpsuits as fashion pieces as opposed to utility pieces.

With this new style of jumpsuit, Elvis Presley and other musical entertainers of the 1970s created the popularized notion of sex appeal through suggestive dance moves. The suit allowed the body freedom for the signature pelvic thrust. This was the only past time frame when the jumpsuit served as a commercialized and stylistic clothing item for men outside of practical industries. Therefore, the jumpsuit served as two different extremes for men: a means of fullbody coverage and protection in the service and sporting industry, as well as a sexualized form of costume and glamour for male rock ‘n’ roll icons.

The term “jumpsuit” covers a broad array of one-piece styles.

For women, a variation of the jumpsuit is available in most retail department stores in many colors and styles. The women’s version of a jumpsuit is typically viewed as chic, business-casual attire, which is primarily why we tend to see only women walking down the streets wearing jumpsuits.

In recent years, though, fashion has seen more ready-to-wear or runway-inspired jumpsuits for men. One tasteful innovation of the men’s jumpsuit is shown in the Hermès Spring–Summer Men’s collection of last year. Featuring a slim pant resembling a chino that hits at the ankle, the black jumpsuit connects pants to shirt by a belt tie. On the top of the jumper, there are two large utility pockets and oversized buttons to add a masculine flair to the traditionally feminine piece. The detailing of the jumpsuit creates a masculine balance between the historic Elvis-style jumpsuit and the more uniform jumpsuit used in the

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service industry. Thus, leaders in fashion are adding masculine elements to feminine articles of clothing and redefining the traditional gender barriers of everyday wear for men.

This men’s style of jumpsuit has also been seen in collections by Marc Jacobs and Versace. It includes a more refined, elegant and masculine look. This new aesthetic for men can be viewed as both modern and rebellious, as it takes the notion of a ready-to-wear feminine piece and breathes a previously undiscovered masculine identity into it. With the runway redefining such gender trends, there is evidence that fashion collections are beginning to incorporate elements of both gender identities, as opposed to being stylistically aligned with menswear or womens wear. It seems likely that runway trends, such as the men’s jumpsuit, will trickle down into everyday wear for men.

The clothing industry is already seeing a shift in the stark dichotomy between menswear and womens wear. As society sees more men paying careful attention to their fashion choices and truly embracing their sense of style, clothing options for men are expanding into new territories. Daniel Begin, theater education and performance ‘16, expresses his views on gender-neutral clothing and his knack for pushing the boundaries of men’s fashion. “I think gender-neutral clothing is a step in the right direction.” Begin explains how his parents don’t approve of his choice to wear loud floral patterns. When asked about the men’s jumpsuit, Begin states: It’s “not my style, but I wouldn’t think twice if I saw it being worn by men on the streets.”

The emergence of gender-neutral clothing serves as proof that the boundaries between men and women’s clothing are becoming more ambiguous than ever before. Shops such as Toogood, native to London, offer unisex outerwear, while retailer NotEqual offers a wide array of apparel that “pushes boundaries while offering rational fashion” for all gender identities. These all-inclusive styles can make many people of both transgender and non-transgender identities more comfortable in fashion. Gender-neutrality can also inspire opportunity for cisgender men and women to experiment with pieces typically assigned to one gender or the other.

A factor in the progression of gender-neutral fashion is linked with the hard work and successes of the LGBT community. In particular, the transgender movement has gradually allowed for transgender individuals to purchase clothing in alignment with their specified gender identity, as opposed to being confined to dressing as the sex they were born. As society learns to separate sex and gender, we are slowly able to move past expectations of what men and women should look like. “People should wear what they want,” says Begin, who has cultivated his own sense of style. The men’s jumpsuit as a fashion piece is a mere beginning to the dissolution of gender confinements within fashion.

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Skin Is In WRITER : Lauren Holt PHOTO : Evie Hansford

A woman in black cigarette pants and a pressed, white oxford shirt passes on the street. Every hair is in place, but not stiffly so, and her skin seems to radiate from within, free of blemishes and smooth as a baby’s. Her makeup is minimal, effortless. How does she do it?

This is the question many women on the quest to achieve the “I woke up like this” aesthetic are asking. The answer is a little more complicated than the fresh face gives away.

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One can look to recent seasons of New York Fashion Week for no-makeup makeup inspired looks, where models walking for designers such as Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss and rag & bone all sported clean, barefaced makeup. Although opinions differ on how to achieve the look, all arguments surround one theme in particular: self confidence.

ACROSS THE DEPARTMENT STORE

Other big-name makeup brands, such as MAC Cosmetics, are also catering their products to the no-makeup makeup look. MAC artist Olivia Noble says she and her fellow artists look to the MAC runway for inspiration when working with clients “because that is where MAC artists do a lot of natural dewy skin.”

When working with a client for a barefaced look, she will use the Face and Body Foundation for its lightweight feel and coverage. MAC recently came out with a product called Studio Waterweight Foundation. Noble says it “feels like you hardly have anything on your skin. It’s all about the skin when it comes to a natural look.”

When Noble is in the mood for a barefaced look, she doesn’t go completely bare. “I would contour with a bronzer and also use that in the crease of the eye,” she says. “Then a little mascara, some brow grooming and probably a lip gloss.”

BEHIND THE COUNTER

At Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, founder and Emerson College alumna Bobbi Brown has a saying: “The secret to beauty is simple: be who you are.” Brown has headed the beauty brand at the forefront of the no-makeup makeup look since the launch of her company in 1991. “It started with a simple idea - natural looking makeup and a lipstick that looked like lips,” the Bobbi Brown website states.

Bobbi Brown counters are located in department stores across the United States. Every counter offers makeup lessons by artists well-versed in the Bobbi Brown philosophy, which says that the secret to perfect skin starts with healthy, glowing skin. Marissa Robinson, a freelance artist for the brand, has been part of the team since 2013. She works at counters across Massachusetts and Rhode Island and says she consistently receives requests for a no-makeup makeup look.

“It’s a trend regardless of your clothing style. Everybody is asking for it,” Robinson says. “For example, the Saks Fifth Avenue or Bloomingdale’s client is different in age, fashion style and background than clients I see at Macy’s, but they still want this look.”

Robinson says she approaches these requests with the Bobbi Brown philosophy. She encourages her clients to invest in a quality skincare regimen as the first step to achieving the barefaced look. Robinson’s personal favorites include the Bobbi Brown Soothing Cleansing Oil and Hydrating Face Cream.

INSIDE THE EVERYDAY ADVOCATE

Lauren Fox, journalism ‘18, is a proponent of the barefaced movement and believes all women should be comfortable spending a day without makeup. Between school, a co-op at the Boston Globe and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, Fox keeps her beauty routine to a minimum.

“I’m obsessed with bareMinerals products,” she says. She uses their CC cream and translucent powder as well as Benefit’s boiing concealer on her face every day. “Once I’ve got those on and my eyebrows done, I’m pretty much good to go.”

It’s not only a time-saver in her busy schedule to keep her makeup routine minimal. Fox says she likes the way she looks without a full face of makeup. “I definitely wear less makeup now than I did in high school,” she says. “And I definitely feel more confident in my skin.

When I go out with no makeup on at all, I always go to myself, ‘wow go me.’”

It took trial and error to obtain the confidence Fox now feels with her appearance—including an unfortunate eyebrow plucking experience and an intimate eighth grade relationship with bottom eyeliner.

“I think as people get older they understand beauty isn’t really a person conforming to these standards,” she says. “It’s somebody who has a unique trait and owns it.”

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HEALTH Cheat Meals // pg. 50

Keeping Up With Your Health // pg. 52 Take A Chance, Take A Class // pg. 54

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How Breaking Your Diet Can Be Good For You WRITER : Alysen Smith PHOTO : Evie Hansford

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Living a healthy lifestyle is a practice composed of endless dos and don’ts. The two most important, universal rules to follow are eating a nutritious diet and staying active. These two umbrella terms, however, merely serve as guidelines for anyone riding the fitness train.

Within these broad concepts, one can find a myriad of more specific rules regarding the best diet and fitness routine to achieve the ever-trending objective of living healthy.

A fitness routine, tailored to attain individual goals and pique particular interests, can vary in countless ways. Similarly, a nutrition plan is altered to suit the dietary needs and goals of someone trying to lead a healthy lifestyle. Whether your diet of choice cuts out all fat and sugar, demonizes carbohydrates, counts calories fanatically or deplores consumption of dairy products, they usually have one commonality: a strict diet is a successful diet.

This idea of stringent dieting might be more harmful to weight loss and fitness goals than it is helpful. The belief that indulgence is the enemy of progress is a commonly held misconception. Occasionally breaking the rules of your diet by consuming what it defines as “off-limits” is an essential aspect of reaching goals associated with healthy living. Susan Reardon, certified personal trainer, nutritionist and health coach in Boston, says: “We should all indulge a little bit.

Who wants to eat kale every day?”

Cheat meals, or meals which deliberately step outside the guidelines laid out by a nutrition plan, are a redeeming feature of any diet. Cutting out the foods that you love—sugary, salty or fatty, processed snacks and sweets—can be the most difficult aspect of good

nutrition. Spencer Claydon, a student at Montana State University majoring in exercise science, says that cheat meals can be beneficial in “dealing with sugar and fat cravings and allowing for indulgence in nutritional habits.”

Understanding the benefits of occasionally eating the unhealthy foods you crave can be a source of motivation when dieting gets tough. Reardon advises that healthy eating should be a part of your lifestyle, as should stepping outside of that guideline every now and then. Reardon continues, “Balance is the key.”

Allowing for cheat meals in your diet can, first and foremost, keep you from feeling guilty for eating foods you know you shouldn’t.

When a strict diet plan doesn’t allow for the occasional indulgence in something a little too sweet or salty, the sinking feeling of guilt that accompanies a bowl of ice cream can quickly turn that delicious, creamy taste into bitter remorse.

When your diet leaves room for a not-so-healthy meal once in awhile, it allows you to enjoy every last bite of those cheat meals.

Beth McKinney, certified Health Education Specialist, dietician and director of the Wellness Program at Cornell University, says, “If you’re trying to diet, indulging can actually be good. Being resilient and accepting that you’re going to indulge, can give you relief from the energy that it takes to follow an ultra-healthy diet.”

But the advantages of cheat meals aren’t limited to psychological benefits. Claydon says, “Cheat meals may be beneficial in order to please the Leptin hormone,” a protein that helps regulate energy balance by inhibiting hunger. Medical Daily supports this idea, saying in an article about cheat meals that “a calorie bomb provided by your cheat meal will help the body maintain energy levels needed to continue dieting and exercising.”

In addition to expunging post-indulgence guilt, scheduling cheat meals can help you to avoid binging too heavily on foods that are bad for you. The rationale is this: we’re all human. Regardless of whether or not your diet allows for cheat meals, you’re bound to slip up on occasion. If those slips are allowed in your diet, you’re less likely to figuratively throw in the diet towel altogether and binge on excessive amounts of unhealthy snacks with the excuse that you’ve already ruined your clean eating for the day.

Furthermore, planning for cheat meals eliminates the daunting, tedious sentiments that come with the sometimes strenuous task of eating clean. McKinney suggests that the foods you crave can fit into a complete, nutritious diet; she says, “Getting a variety of all kinds of food groups, and from within food groups, means that all foods fit.”

The allure of living a healthy lifestyle, with regard to eating clean and exercising regularly, inspires many to devise a strict diet plan with specific goals in mind. However, good nutrition doesn’t require that your diet excludes every food that has too much salt, sugar or fat.

Cheat meals can be the redeeming quality of an otherwise difficult diet.

You can taste their value with every long-awaited bite of your favorite unhealthy food.

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Keeping Up With Your Mental Health

WRITER : Aiana Colozzo ILLUSTRATION : Tricia Sullivan

Elissa Garza, Emerson ‘11, was a shy, but otherwise happy young woman when she moved 2,000 miles away from her hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas to Boston, Massachusetts for her first semester of college. However, the stress and responsibility of college life quickly became too much for her to handle on her own.

“My mental instability caused me to do things that were out of character and I was kicked out of the dorms during my freshman year,” Garza says.

Her issues started from negative experiences with her roommates, which was the cause for loss of housing. After she lost her residence privileges and meal plan, she got a job as a Starbucks barista and was living off coffee and shift meals.

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Garza, who had done well academically in high school, set rigorous standards for herself and struggled with the perception that other students were better and more prepared than she was to meet those standards.

College is a formative time for young adults, full of new experiences, responsibilities and risks for those who have never lived away from home before. Dr. Susan Witkie, psychiatrist and consultant for the Social Security Administration, points out that young adults often think they’re invincible. National Geographic explains further, saying that adolescents and young adults don’t necessarily underestimate risk, but are more receptive to the rewards gained by taking risks and crave peer companionship more than adults. For example, they

would feel a night out with friends as more beneficial to them than getting a full night’s sleep before their 8 a.m. class.

With so much freedom and little guidance, students often attempt to do too much. According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), 80 percent of students feel, or have felt, overwhelmed by their responsibilities.

When college students take on more obligations than they have the time for, the first thing they sacrifice is sleep. The University of Georgia Health Center reports that students are only getting between 6 and 7 hours of sleep, though many of them need as many as 8 to 10 hours per night. This lack of sleep leads to increased stress, sadness and fatigue. Putting in the time to get a full night’s sleep, exercise and eat a healthy diet makes a big difference.

“It’s a mind-body connection. Take care of your body the best you can and it will support your mind the best it can. Kids shouldn’t be ashamed they can’t take 10 courses. Kids shouldn’t feel guilty they can’t do everything,” Dr. Witkie says.

Not only do young adults feel pressured to perform, as Garza did, they feel social pressure to be and act a certain way. NAMI reports that at least 40 percent of students aren’t getting the help they need. The culprit, though not the only one, is stigma.

Mental illness has long been a stigmatized condition. Less than 150 years ago, mainstream Western society believed that mental illness was caused by demonic possession.

“Sufferers were shunned because no one wanted to ‘catch’ the devil,” Dr. Witkie says. Throughout the 20th century, the tradition of shame and discomfort towards mental illness only continued. Society couldn’t understand what reason someone with a “good life”—a spouse, kids, nice home, et cetera—would have to be depressed about. Others believed depression was a sign of hidden psychosis.

In the 1950s and 1960s, America was deinstitutionalized, but this didn’t immediately improve people’s feelings toward mental illness. In fact, as E. Fuller Torrey points out in “Out of the Shadows: Confronting America’s Mental Illness Crisis,” patients were discharged from public hospitals without assurance that they would receive the medication and rehabilitation services necessary for them to live successfully in the community.

Unfortunately, those patients unable to adjust to life in their communities are the most visible images of mental illness to society and the media, Psych Central explains. Dr. Witkie, who works near St. Francis House, a shelter in Downtown Boston, says mental illness

seems “creepy” to the general public. “Look at the homeless people on the street who look like they’re talking to themselves.”

It’s easy to see why college kids don’t want to talk to someone about mental issues. The fear of judgement and misunderstanding has been ingrained in their minds. Haley Thompson, visual and media arts ‘18, as been dealing with depression since she was a high school freshman and finds her friends still don’t fully understand her illness, calling her “irregular.”

“There was a time I couldn’t even fathom the importance of blinking, let alone getting up and reading a book,” Thompson says.

Many, like Garza, turn to drugs and alcohol. This only makes the problems worse. Drugs are highly addictive and negatively affect the brain’s necessary functions. “Alcohol,” Dr. Witkie continues, “is a depressant and interferes with a person’s ability to sleep. Abusing it will exhaust your body and hinder its ability to recover.” She suggests blocking off time for enjoyable, non-academic activities as a more effective way to de-stress.

However, the most important step is finding someone to talk to. “Feeling connected to friends, family and others is the key to getting help and support,” Dr. Witkie explains. Many colleges have counselors on staff exclusively for students in need of short-term care, which Thompson found to be immensely helpful at Emerson, though she’s looking for someone who can spend more time with her long-term. Garza met with the same problem. She found herself having to ration the sessions she so desperately needed. To get more intensive care, she turned to the Boston Institute for Psychotherapy.

For students who find that their college counseling wasn’t enough or don’t feel comfortable at their own schools, there are many places in the Boston area to turn to. Dr. Witkie suggests calling Massachusetts General Hospital, Tufts Medical Center or Boston University Medical Center to find available therapists. Additionally, the Boston Institute for Psychotherapy and the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute are often looking for new patients, especially young college students.

“It’s the pressure and how you deal with the pressure,” Dr. Witkie says. “It’s okay not to go to a party because you need downtime.

It’s okay to tell the teacher that your article is going to be late because you need downtime. You can’t do everything.”

The most important thing is you and your well-being. Everything else can wait.

“Feeling connected to friends, family and others is key to getting help and support.”

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Take A Chance, Take A Class

WRITER : Antonia DePace PHOTO : Jacob Cutler & Samantha Liebskind

Taking a risk or trying something new can be scary to anyone who is not accustomed to venturing outside of his or her comfort zone. It can cause angst, butterflies and maybe even fear. A risk is different for every individual depending on their fears, passions, likes and dislikes. Many people, however, include exercise in the mix. In other words, exercise can be scary.

This is where fitness classes come in. Rather than being forced to figure out the world of fitness by oneself, classes allow a sense of unity and togetherness. They become a community where mistakes and learning are welcome.

Being active is an important part of daily life. It can help one

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stay focused, fit and healthy, but doing the same type of exercise every day isn’t always mentally and physically beneficial. Being bored on the treadmill, watching the seconds tick by on the clock, is hardly as effective as taking a fun and inspiring exercise class. Participating in a class can even shape one’s lifestyle, as the activity can become important and meaningful.

According to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, less than 5 percent of adults participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day. Only 1 in 3 adults receive the suggested amount of exercise. On top of this, more than 80 percent of adults do not meet the guidelines for aerobic and muscle strengthening activities.

Therefore, in order to get more people to exercise, it is important to inform them about all of the choices available.

Esh Circus Arts

Esh Circus Arts is a great example of a fun and unique studio that offers a variety of classes for everyone. Founded in 2010 by Rachel Stewart, a professional aerial arts performer, the studio now has more than 20 instructors. Many instructors are graduates of the New England Center for Circus Arts. Ellen Waylonis, one of the co-owners and instructors at the studio, explains that there has been a surge in popularity for circus arts as a recreational activity.

The studio is located in Somerville, Massachusetts and focuses on the highest instruction of circus arts. Offering a space for both professionals and beginners, instructors focus on similar teaching techniques for both. “You don’t need to be super fit to start. Our level one classes are truly for beginners. You can come in and do something amazing right off the bat. That’s pretty special,” Waylonis explains.

Waylonis began practicing Circus Arts as a beginner in her early twenties. Initially just a hobby, her passion for the art grew into a profession. Waylonis credits her love for circus arts not only to the different activities, but to the community aspect as well. “We all know each other. Internationally, we all know each other. Circus grows out of a history of family community,” she says. “The sense of family community has really stayed. It’s a very tight-knit, very supportive, really wonderful community to be in.”

Because of the emphasis on community, Esh creates a “safe place” for all students both new and old. “We pride ourselves on being a very open and accepting place,” Waylonis says.

“I think as an instructor, and for the studio, [the goal] is to create a space that is welcoming and to allow people to expand their

idea of what they are capable of doing. To realize that more is possible than they maybe thought...to feel more open to possibility,” Waylonis explains.

The studio offers a variety of classes including Aerial Straps, Aerial Training, Handstand Basics, and Hoop/Trapeze Power. These classes are offered in eight-week sessions, drop-ins, and taster classes.

Usually, classes cap at four students, however, they can go up to 10 or 12 in a partner acrobatic class.

Taster classes are planned around every couple of weeks and can be signed up for on the Esh website. The class provides two instructors who teach two different components of circus arts. The group is split in half and works with one instructor at a time. They switch halfway through. Waylonis gives the example of trapeze and floor work. In this case, students will learn both as an introduction to the circus world. The studio allows up to 10 people for taster classes.

For a more descriptive chronology of how the classes work, Waylonis explains that all classes, no matter what level, begin with a warm-up. “There are group games and every variation of tag you can think of,” she says.

From there, the classes move on to working with skills and technique. “As a beginner, we really try to build a strong body awareness [from the start],” Waylonis says.

Towards the end, students and instructors work on conditioning and flexibility. “We move at the pace that is appropriate for [new students]. We don’t just focus on physical ability, but also if someone is mentally prepared for the next thing,” she says. “Because our classes are so small, students are really able to progress at their own level and pace.”

While the studio does not provide a student discount, they do have a work study option. Waylonis explains that the program has two choices: administration or studio cleaning. Both include different responsibilities, from answering calls to sweeping the floors after classes. Shifts are about 30 minutes a week in exchange for 20 percent off class sessions.

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SkyRobics at Sky Zone

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Another new class to try includes trampolines, cardio and arm and leg exercises. Sky Zone Trampoline Park in Everett, Massachusetts offers SkyRobic and SkyFit classes Tuesdays through Saturdays.

According to its website, SkyRobics focuses on a low-impact workout that combines calisthenics, core exercises and strength-building aerobics. SkyFit, on the other hand, brings the idea of CrossFit to trampolines through cardio, strength and muscle workouts. Sand bags, battle ropes, weighted balls and other props are utilized during this unique and insanely fun class.

Eric Farese, manager of the Everett Sky Zone location, describes the classes as aerobics on a trampoline. “If you have ever been to a bootcamp class, or any kind of class on a flat ground, just take it to the air and that’s SkyRobics,” he says.

The community basis revolves more around the instructor than the Sky Zone specifically, as students who attend are often referrals from other gyms. “We are kind of in the transition phase of being more of an outreach approach now. We are out of the new and shiny [phase.] From the beginning, we were that big place that was always new and we kind of sat back and everyone came to us,” Farese explains.

SkyRobics classes always welcome newcomers and beginners regardless of their level of capability. “I think any person who has a fitness background or is teaching fitness should know right off the bat that there are so many different demographics of people that have different abilities. People with more experience, people with less experience,” he says. “When I teach instructors that I employ, I make sure to tell them to be mindful of that.”

Sharon Gately is one of the instructors for the Everett SkyRobics classes and believes that they are made for everyone. “You jump to your own abilities. You stay within your own abilities. You don’t worry about anyone else, and it really is for all ages,” says Gately.

Gately believes that SkyRobics is more welcoming than the gym, as the element of intimidation from many gym classes disappears on the trampolines. “I think, because I teach classes too, when you go to the gym, everyone has their own spot in the room. Everyone has been there for awhile. If anyone steps in the wrong spot, the veteran is panic stricken and doesn’t know what to do,” Gately explains. “Here, everyone has their own spot. Every trampoline is your own place. You can’t really be ‘cliquey’ or intimidated because you are jumping.”

The classes continue to remain a “safe place” for all students, emphasizing the importance of having fun. “You’re working out, but you’re jumping up and down and doing splits and things like that. So even though you are officially working out, you are having so much fun,” she says. “If you can laugh at yourself, because people usually fall, then you don’t always dread ‘another mile, another 20 minutes.”

During the class, each person is given a trampoline square on the mat. This square serves as the student’s space for cardio exercises such as high knees, pikes and toe touches. While these exercises may seem dangerous, Gately claims that the trampolines make the exercising easier on the joints as well. By adding the cardio and strength with the trampoline aspect, she claims that one can burn 600 to 800 calories per class.

“You’re jumping, but you can do so many different jumps and can do so many different things. You can even use the walls,” she says on the versatility of the classes. “There’s no limits to what you can and cannot do here.”

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From the Blog: All By Myself: The Rebellion of Being Alone WRITER : Lauren Lopez

“Do you want to go with me?” you ask nervously. It could be anywhere: the Dining Hall (DH), the Prudential Center (The Pru), even the bathroom.

“No, it’s okay. Have fun though.”

This is the worst case scenario. Now you’re left to make a choice: stay home and leave those you invited wondering why you didn’t go either, or go alone.

I’ve been faced with this dilemma multiple times. Not only do I have social anxiety, but being at college was the first time I’ve ever lived alone, so it’s often hard to get the courage to go places by myself. I’ve frequently asked friends if they want to accompany me just about anywhere just so I don’t have to face it alone. I’ve opted for Cup of Noodles as an alternative for facing DH dinner time by myself and I’ve cancelled plans entirely because everyone bailed.

This year I decided that had to change. I’m nineteen-years-old and I’m not always going to have friends and family to hold my hand. I’m going to have to go to interviews by myself, grocery shop, and (gasp) even make my own doctors’ appointments.

Read More at: https://atlasmag.wordpress.com/2015/11/02/all-by-myself-the-rebellion-of-being-alone/

Taking It Off WRITER : Goldy Levy

I believe in micro-revolutions. The idea that change comes from within, that a rebellious action can sometimes go far. That’s why I decided to ditch the bras: the push ups, the wires, the too tight sports bra. I decided I was just going to stop wearing bras that did not fit comfortably on me, even though Victoria’s Secret kept hinting at me. All the bras I had that made me feel constricted were shoved to the back end of the drawers. I bought bra-lettes. The fancy version of training bras. The first time I tried one on, it was like wearing a very comfy oversized sweater.

When as a woman, you realize that you have a responsibility of questioning the “way things are supposed to be”, you become empowered. You begin to see possibilities when there were rules before. Finding alternative options to the bra (or none at all!), has proven to be a successful rebel act for me. It’s not just about the bra, it’s about having options. It’s about owning my body. It’s about making the choices that are best for me, and that should not be mandated by society or the media.

Living in the digital age is hard. Information is overwhelming. Too many ideals of who we need to be. By taking off the bra, I have also taken off the pressure of living up to many unrealistic standards imposed on women. Now, I’m a rebel. And I love it. You should try it too.

Take it off, and love your body.

Read More at : https://atlasmag.wordpress.com/2015/11/06/taking-it-off/

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Atlas Online An Ode to the Mustard Yellow Scarf WRITER : Deirdre Murray

Fall brings a lot of changes as a season: the leaves, the chilling temperatures and more unattainably-priced fashion trends no one can afford. This year, I stepped out of my style comfort zone in one simple way: by purchasing a mustard yellow scarf.

If I were to categorize my style, I would say it’s a healthy mix of norm core and preppy: solid colored clothing, classic A-Line fits and of course, anything with stripes. Navys and grays are the extent to which the rainbow goes in my closet. I don’t even own anything pink! (Which excludes me from participating in a lot of things, apparently.) To find a color like mustard yellow in my closet would mean I’d have some weird sort of stain or mold problem in there.

Moreover, mustard yellow as a color is gross. There is no denying this. Even the name of it sounds reprehensible. If colors had a smell, it would probably smell like an old person. Most importantly, mustard yellow looks bad on every kind of human.

Or so I thought. But all it took was a questionably cheap $3 Primark scarf to change everything: my perspective, my beliefs and, most importantly, my outfits. It’s given me my own version of a sartorial rebellion.

Read More at: https://atlasmag.wordpress.com/2015/10/23/an-ode-to-the-mustard-yellow-scarf/

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