em Magazine S/S 2015 "Now"

THE NOW ISSUE

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EM MAGAZINE | SPRING 2015

Volume 19 - SPRING 2015 co-editors in chief design director photo director fashion director

Anna Buckley Carina Allen Blythe Bruwer

editorial directors

Ashley Czarnota Haley Sherif

copy editors

Mia Zarrella Adam McCarthy

beauty director marketing director online manager writers Mollie Coyne Prasuna Cheruku Nic Damasio Marisa Dellatto William Duncan Tommy Higgins Serena Kassow Charley Kimbrough Gretchen Kuhsel Adam McCarthy Kendall Stark Jacqueline Weiss Mia Zarrella design assistants Aren Kabarajian Claire Torres illustrators Pimploy Phongsirivech Holly Kirkman special thanks Emerson College, Joe O’Brien & Shawmut Printing Staff, Riccardi, The Tannery, William Beuttler, Emerson SGA

EM MAGAZINE | SPRING 2015

Andrea Fernandez Austin Wilder

Cassia Enright Ana Isabella Corrales Lachlan Towle photographers Nour Basaad Lauren Cabanas Becca Chairin Chris Garcia Nydia Hartono Yasmina Hilal Tyler Lavoie Zach McLane Darren Samuels Mia Schaumburg Dustin Tan Derek Thomson Michael Thorpe Evan Walsh fashion assistants Cherotich Chemweno Rina Deguchi Courtney Kaner Eliza Padden Daniel Riva marketing coordinators Liza Hsu Yosef Kalfon on the cover Model: Hannah Carpenter Photographer: Evan Walsh

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table of contents CULTURE 10 Spotlight: 16 The Modern Love Collection 22 Unified through a Diversified Community 30 Welcome to the New Now 32 On Protests: Are We Making a Difference?

34 The Music Festival Bubble 36 Dressing Like Me 38 Embedded Aesthetics 40 You Are Here

FASHION 42 Health Goth 48 (wo)Menswear 50 The Infantile Medium

FEATURES 54 Transcending Trends 60 Fashion Predators 66 Tech Obsessed 72 Understated, Not Underrated 78 Feeling Iridescent

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letters from the editors WHAT IS NOW? While working on this issue, we found ourselves spending a lot of time thinking about what it means to live in the NOW. And we realized we weren’t that good at it either. It’s a clichéd, but true, trait of our generation that the closest we can get to NOW is what’s happening on the screen a few inches from our eyes. There are times when we don’t have a choice but to do so, such as completing assignments or coordinating a shoot, but what about the rest of the time? Get out, explore, and live. We’ve been trying to do more of it, and we hope you try to as well.

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EM MAGAZINE | SPRING 2015

At the corner of Tremont and Boylston St., I found myself as a transfer student at Emerson College in Spring 2014. I had heard that Emerson students were very driven and I was excited to be in a competitive environment where everybody tries to be the best at what they love.

Since I started college, I knew that I wanted to work in the magazine industry. The day of the organization fair, I came across em magazine. A couple of cool kids dressed to perfection were giving out the “Americana” issue. I was sold. I couldn’t wait to be part of it.

My first semester at em mag I wrote a fashion article called “Fashion Myths.” When I held the magazine at the launch party, I felt such satisfaction to see my name in print. I knew I was on the right path. Second semester, I was determined to be more involved in the creative process so I became part of the fashion team.

I remember the first meeting. Katie and Danielle, former Co-Editor-in-Chiefs, invited me to stay for a more intimate post-meeting gathering with the board. I was so happy to be able to share my ideas with the team. Later on, photo-shoots were scheduled and all I can remember was telling Danielle to count on me for anything. I wanted to exude hard work and it paid off. Not only was I ecstatic that I was named Fashion Editor on the masthead, I was going to be Editor-in-Chief.

Austin and I went into the first meeting of the semester having one purpose: to get everybody as involved as possible in the creative process of the magazine. I remember telling him, “I’m so nervous! I’m going to forget my English.” Who could blame me? I was surrounded by more than fifty visionaries. I feel so grateful to be working with such talented people like Austin and our executive board who make this experience extremely worthy. If I had to pick one word to describe em mag’s entire staff it would be visionary. And that vision is coming to life NOW. We hope that this issue serves as a reminder that every word written, every photograph taken and every drawn illustration captures our NOW. It is the reflection of our current selves.

Our NOW is imprinted forever.

ANDREA FERNANDEZ

EM MAGAZINE | SPRING 2015

I joined em magazine freshman year, with an interest in production. I remember being introduced to the Editor in Chief at the time, Jamie Emmerman, by Danielle Brizel. They were looking to create a new position on staff - Production Coordinator. Via email, Jamie told me: “While the entire staff works together to arrange and plan these shoots, we need someone to be the point person and keep track of all aspects.

We need someone who is willing to dedicate their time to EM and is very motivated!”

I naively accepted what ended up being a challenging task. Since then, under the leadership of Jamie in the Spring, and Danielle and Katie this past Fall, I worked my way up to Production Director, continuing to coordinate shoots and also working closely with the rest of the executive board.

I am truly grateful to have collaborated under such a professional group of people, many of whom are some of the best at their craft that I’ve met at Emerson. Earning their trust and respect validated the countless hours I had dedicated to em, and being named Editor in Chief as a sophomore was not an easy task. They have been some of my biggest role models, and what I learned in working with them I shall surely pass on to my predecessors.

I’ll never forget the first general staff meeting of the season. Over fifty people attended, all crammed into the campus center waiting for Andrea and I to speak. At that moment, I realized that the time was NOW. With an entirely new executive board, we set out to continue a tradition of excellence. This semester, we doubled our writers and photographers, and subsequently have doubled our content. With our new website, www.em-mag.com, we gave more people the opportunity to shoot, write, style, and design for em.

NOW is everything current, everything existing at this very moment within the frame of fashion and lifestyle. This publication that you are reading right NOW is the sum of a semester’s worth of my NOWs. Of Andrea’s NOWs. Of E-Board’s NOWs, and of the rest of the em family’s NOWs. Countless hours, days, weeks and months have been spent on what you see NOW.

AUSTIN WILDER

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EM MAGAZINE | SPRING 2015

streetscene

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DARREN SAMUELS, ANDREA FERNANDEZ, ZACH McLANE, YASMINA HILAL , AUSTIN WILDER EM MAGAZINE | SPRING 2015

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SPOTLIGHT:

a

DANCING INTO HIS FUTURE

t the young age of nineteen, Emerson freshman Leo Manzari has a list of accomplishments that so many blossoming performers are still striving to achieve. But for the BFA acting major, this is only the beginning.

What began as just the hobby of a young boy quickly developed into a life’s passion for the art of dance.

Manzari began dancing at the age of two, following in his older sister and brother’s footsteps with strong encouragement from his mother. As a child, he grew up learning a variety of styles of dance, such as ballet, contemporary, and jazz. During his teenage years, Manzari began to evolve as an artist, cultivating interests in composing music, writing lyrics, playing various instruments, and acting. Though it seems like an overwhelming amount of skills to master, Manzari views each new talent acquired as a stepping-stone.

“I feel personally that if you master one art form, you’ll be able to master them all, because you understand the route it takes to get to that spot,” says Manzari.

Though he humbly admits that he hasn’t fully mastered the art of dance yet, his long list of accomplishments says otherwise. Since being discovered four years ago by the renowned Maurice Hines in Manzari’s hometown of Washington D.C. , Leo and his older brother John, now 22, have performed all across the country, from New York City to Los Angeles. Headlining as “The Manzari Brothers”, the sibling performers put on an act that leaves audiences thoroughly entertained.

The brothers earned raving reviews in their first professional performance when Hines featured them in a revival of “Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies” at the Lincoln Theatre.

“That kind of started our career as the Manzari Brothers,” says Leo. From then on, Manzari found himself performing alongside his brother in other renowned venues, including the Apollo Theater and Strathmore

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leo manzari Concert Hall.

No performance quite compared to his trip to Los Angeles though, one that Leo considers to be his most memorable. Featured as “The Manzari Brothers” in Maurice Hines’ show “Tappin’ Through Life,” the brothers relished the opportunity.

“You hear a bunch of things about L.A.,” says Manzari. “You know L.A. is a big deal. You really want to make a good impression.”

Despite the urge Manzari felt to make a good impression, he wasn’t at all nervous. Instead, he was just eager to be on stage, in front of a large audience, doing what he and his brother did best. And that’s just what they did.

“Everything went well, and just everything about that performance was incredible,” says Manzari. “We got a standing ovation at the end. And sharing the stage with my brother… you know that was definitely the most memorable.”

Of course the entertainment industry has its up and downs, so at the end of the day Manzari is always thankful to have his older brother by his side.

“We’re always there for each other, so even if some performances don’t go quite as well as we want them to, we still go home together, and you’re still always with that person,” says Manzari.

He admits that there are little things that can be annoying about working with his brother, but then again, that’s just how life is for any set of siblings.

“I mean that’s just brothers,” says Manzari. “But if you can get over that and create something great, it’s all worth it in the end.”

Manzari’s role in “The Manzari Brothers” extends past simply performing. Manzari can also be credited for choreographing dances and composing some of the music he performs to. During a performance on National Dance Day at the Kennedy Center, Manzari and his brother actually danced to a piece that he had composed.

“It was cool because I didn’t say in

TEXT BY MOLLIE COYNE PHOTOGRAPHY BY ZACH McLANE

the program that it was me. I wanted to just put the artist as unknown for the music and then see how people responded,” says Manzari.

To Manzari’s delight, the audience responded very enthusiastically.

Manzari explains his development as a composer as something that has evolved in chapters. He first began writing lyrics and creating imagery. Then in seventh grade, he began rapping and coordinating music to go along with his raps. He then began composing music for his brother and him to perform to.

Manzari’s process of composing music for dances is a little unorthodox compared to how it’s usually done, but Manzari enjoys doing it his own way.

“Typically a tap dance is choreographed to the piece of music,” says Manzari. “Except what I’m trying to do is choreograph the tap numbers and put the music to that, so the music comes secondary to the sonic of the taps.”

With the amount of potential that Manzari has an artist, it’s interesting to wonder what he could do and where he could go next. However, Manzari would rather not think in terms of specifics.

The young performer is much more focused on remaining true to the art and developing his identity as an artist, rather than mimicking what’s already been done before. This extends to which venues he aspires to perform in.

“It’s not always about performing in the already established, powerful venues,” says Manzari. “It’s about creating something great, and then creating your own venue.”

Though Manzari is unsure of where his career may take him, he does know what he hopes to get out of it, and what impression he wishes to leave on his audiences.

“With my art in the future, whatever I do, I just want to create an idea,” says Manzari.”Whether its dance, music, acting…it needs to represent the idea of success. If you put your mind to something, put in the hard work, it is possible, you can do it.” em

EM MAGAZINE | SPRING 2015

“IT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT PERFORMING IN THE ALREADY ESTABLISHED, POWERFUL VENUES. IT’S ABOUT CREATING SOMETHING GREAT, AND THEN CREATING YOUR OWN VENUE.”

SPOTLIGHT:

w

PARTNERS IN CRIME

ill Duncan and Dana Kendall just aired the pilot to their new comedy, The Monkey Room, a late-night talk show where the duo play amplified characters of themselves conducting interviews, goofing off, and acting out loosely written skits and scenes. They have been using Emerson’s studios to film their work and hope to begin their first season on The Emerson Channel. They are not 100 percent confident that ECTV will pick up their show, fearing the style may be considered too outrageous, but they plan to pursue The Monkey Room with a fervor that they hope will carry them into the real world. After getting to the know the artists and their relationship however, I am convinced that even outside the studio, the mindset of the pair never leaves the theatre-comedy universe of The Monkey Room. Together their reality is a blend of theatre and the real; they always have one foot in the realm of the real world and one foot that never leaves the stage.

After having talked with Will and Dana for only a few minutes, I realized I have never met a pair of people whose thoughts coincided with this much frequency. Throughout our conversation their two voices weaved and merged together; they finished each other’s sentences, and completed each other’s ideas. During our informal interview I sat back in my chair baffled and in awe; they are fun, smiling, and passionate artists.

At times during our interview they slip into the universe of The Monkey Room; essentially they go off on improvised skits and pranks, going wherever the story takes them, refusing to break character. Dana tells me that they have a terribly hard time refraining from constantly playing games and jokes and scenes like this. Whether they are by themselves or hanging out with friends, they are prone to slip into their characters, of-

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will and dana ten indistinguishable from their real selves.

“Yeah these are the pills we take to keep our brains in sync,” Will begins suddenly.

“It’s a weird thing where it’s like a symbiotic experience…” Dana continues.

“What is it?” I ask, aghast.

“It’s called Claropin,” Dana tells me.

These kids take pills in order to sync up their brains?

“Is it prescribed?” I ask, uncertain.

“Yes…No, goddamnit, I feel bad, I can’t do this.” Will looks at Dana; they couldn’t help themselves. Will started a scene, Dana continued, I was their gullible audience. The pills are nothing more than Dana’s ADD medication that was resting on the table. But they spoke about the pills with such composure and confidence that I was ready to believe them. Completely improvised, this is the key to Will and Dana’s art. They never need to consult about a scene prior to performing it; their minds are so synchronized that one can begin a scene and the other will know exactly how to respond.

And they’ve only known each other for a little over a year. Where will their abilities take them?

Will Duncan is a blonde-haired, blue eyed enigma; he is the brains of the duo and his love is improvisation. He began performing in musical theatre at his Maryland high school before he discovered his love of improv. For him, the art satisfies his passion for comedy, acting, and creation.

Shortly after arriving at Emerson, he joined the improv troupe Stroopwafel while he and Dana commenced their relationship. He is now the lead anchor on Breaking News! a comedic news program in the vein of The Daily Show and Weekend Update.

Dana Kendall is a boisterous goof ball from Western Massachusetts; his love is satire. Back home, Dana is a member of the Western Mass-based

TEXT BY ADAM MCCARTHY PHOTOGRAPHY BY ZACH McLANE

artists’ collective, Dark World, where he is the drummer for the band Worms, producer for The Orient, and mastermind of Weird Dane. Satire and comedy inform most of Dana’s comedic impulse; together, Will and Dana have become ‘Will & Dana’, an up and coming art duo feverishly creating and utilizing as many resources that Emerson college can offer them.

The birth of their new project The Monkey Room is owed to their first piece together, WECB Award winning radio show, Let’s Talk About It. Dana explains how they came up with the idea: “Most of the shows on the air are radio or news shows, and we thought, let’s do something different…it was when Will and I were learning about our…powers if you will, we were like, why don’t we just put a mic in front of us and learn more about ourselves?”

On the show they played games that they came up with while they studied at a room they frequented at the Boston Museum of Science; a room they warmly call the monkey room.

As the pair has decided to pursue one new creative project each semester, this winter they decided to take their radio show up a notch, to be (Em Channel) TV stars.

“I guess all last year we worked on the format, what kind of visual show would fit Will’s and my comedy style…and we wrote all of the Let’s Talk About It episodes there in this little room, and it had these little monkeys in it…and we’d always move the couches up to the desk and do whatever, and we were like, this would be sick if we had a talk show right behind this desk.” And The Monkey Room is what, exactly?

“It’s a talk show, so it’d be like two minutes of us behind a desk, someone comes in and throws up on us, and then it cuts to a sketch we made, and then it cuts back to the talk show and I’m being held up at gunpoint or something, it’s very non-linear, the episode is happening while the sketches

EM MAGAZINE | SPRING 2015

“WE’RE PRETTY MUCH REALLY RESPONSIBLY BEING IRRESPONSIBLE.”

are happening…” The pair hopes to use the connections they have been making during their time at Emerson to pursue The Monkey Room off into the entertainment world, especially since the friends plan to move out to LA in pursuit of their dreams.

One of the most impressive aspects about Will and Dana is their obsession with productivity; they talk about it as a type of fuel.

Dana elaborates on their philosophy: “We feed off the nourishment of being productive…For some reason, having a lot of fun is essential, and we can’t help doing that, but, usually if it’s non-productive, it’s not filling up this tank that will continually let us

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have fun.”

“We love doing something really productive on Saturday, right? And then getting fucked up and wasting all day Sunday….we’re pretty much really responsibly being irresponsible,” Will concludes.

Through their productivity, Will and Dana are utilizing the resources that Emerson offers in order to create art right now.

“We’re using these facilities, and promotion, and tools that Emerson provides to us and then we’re using that to jump off and be Will & Dana as a unit in the world.”

Will adds, “We have free everything right now, and we use it.”

I am convinced however that they are not only creating art when they’re in front of the mic or in front of the camera. Will & Dana never stop performing, their interactions are always a show, a scene, a game. Their minds are so in tune with one another that they cannot help but take advantage of their comedic powers.

It is their inability for them to stop performing that raise questions about the blurred lines between reality and theatre in Will and Dana’s lives. How can they tell when they’re being serious? How can we? Their reality becomes indistinguishable from their Monkey Room universe and every moment becomes a piece of art. em

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SPOTLIGHT:

maya rafie

BISTARA TAKES OFF

p

TEXT BY JACQUELINE WEISS PHOTOGRAPHY BY ZACH McLANE

aris-born photographer Maya Rafie has recently taken her skills to a new level with the launch of her start-up Bistara. Originally titled amplify, Bistara is Bangladesh for ‘to spread,’ and sounds just like ‘be a star,’ which is exactly what she’s aiming to help people do. Rafie says that she “always knew she wanted to create something,” and that Bistara is just the something she dreamed of creating.

Bistara is a budding collaborative consultation company providing management, marketing, music production, and media services for independent artists. “We cater to the needs of young musicians in the Boston area and connect them with filmmakers, photographers and stylists that fit their needs,” said Rafie.

Monthly contracts allow the ease of mind and perks of being signed while remaining independent.

Born in Paris, but with Lebanese roots, Rafie, a Marketing Communications major, lived in San Francisco before moving to Boston. Rafie’s varied heritage and places she calls home are just as varied as the four

somed over the past year with assistance from The Emerson Accelerator, the college’s two-year extra-curricular opportunity aimed at helping them turn a passion into a profession.

The Emerson Accelerator offers a $6000 total pool per semester, to be divided amongst the teams based on merit. Rafie is currently in year one of the two-year program, designed to help define their business plan and mission before moving onto year two in which the Bistara team will pitch to outside investors, map potential profit and impact and test the business in the real world.

Rafie and DelVecchio are one of three teams in the current Emerson Accelerator program, which has granted them personalized innovative mentors and faculty advisors, funding, and a space at WeWork at South Station. WeWork is a co-working creative office space for start-ups where Rafie and DelVecchio get together a few times a week in addition to constant communication via phone calls, texts and emails.

“They have also helped us out with finances, becom-

“IT’S A LOT OF TALKING TO PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY BUT ALSO GUERRILLA ADVERTISING ON OTHER CAMPUSES TO ENCOURAGE COLLABORATION AND WORKING TOGETHER THROUGH THE CITY” languages in which she is fluent, English, French, Arabic and Spanish. Her toothy grin, curly hair and Parisian accent might be the first three things that you see when you meet Rafie, but there’s a lot more to her than you might know.

For Rafie, her passion to create and capture life runs deep, and it’s evident when you see her infectious smile. “I really like to laugh,” she said with a giggle. In addition to founding Bistara, Rafie is also the co-founder of Humans of Emerson, and a freelance photographer.

Humans of Emerson was co-founded soon after her arrival at the college with her Orientation Leader Sara Menendez whom she shared a love of the popular Facebook page turned New York Times bestseller, Humans of New York and photography with. “We really wanted to highlight and showcase the community at Emerson because it’s so awesome,” said Rafie.

Today, Humans of Emerson has over 1000 Facebook likes, five photographers and is looking to expand to the Los Angeles and Kasteel Well campuses.

Alongside co-founder Zac DelVecchio, a Berklee College student and guitar-player, Bistara has blos-

EM MAGAZINE | SPRING 2015

ing a recognized company, and law things,” said Rafie.

In addition, they hope to expand beyond the Emerson and Berklee communities where a majority of their clientele are currently a part of, to the entire Boston area and other local universities. “It’s a lot of talking to people in the industry but also guerrilla advertising on other campuses to encourage collaboration and working together through the city,” said Rafie.

As of right now, getting the word out about Bistara has been the greatest challenge that Rafie has encountered, but hopefully within year two of the program, a more solidified business plan and possibly outside investors will spread Bistara’s mission. Currently, the process of matching artists to other creative minds is manual and matched through surveys viewed by Rafie and DelVecchio but an e-commerce platform for the services that does matching more immediately is what’s up next for Bistara.

True to the company’s name, Rafie hopes that one day Bistara will spread nationally to “musical cities, places with culture and creativity, like Nashville, LA, San Francisco, New York, we’ll see what’s next!” em

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THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS

of facetime

THE MODERN LOVE COLLECTION: PART ONE TEXT BY ASH CZARNOTA ILLUSTRATIONS BY PIMPLOY PHONGSIRIVECH

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was unnerved, suddenly becoming undone from the unruly curly tendrils bouncing upon my back to my toes, curled and sweaty from the extreme tension stored within them. My palms never sweat, yet they were sweating. The back of my neck never seared unless an anxiety attack was imminent, yet I swatted at it relentlessly, hoping to quell the heat with the back of my hand. My eyes scanned the arrivals screen every time it appeared, checking to make sure that American Airlines flight 1506 was still there. I watched the status of the flight change from “On Time” to “Landed” and this is when my entire body began to tremble.

“Shit, shit, shit.” I muttered under my breath, meandering around the arrivals gate where I would soon be face to face with the man I had pledged myself to on the internet eight months prior to this very moment.

The summer of 2013 marks the most interesting four months of my life to date. I was transitioning from a freshman into a sophomore (not so interesting), but far more than 25% over college. I had returned from Spain after a two week extravaganza of cheap booze, stuffing my mouth hole with sardine heads and pulpo (boiled and seasoned octopus), vowing never to set another foot on a nude beach, witnessing sexual acts on a Barcelona beach at three in the morning, and good ole’ fashioned tomfoolery that left me without a phone and passport when it was all said and done. I returned to the agonizing silence of suburban Connecticut in the summertime. The long, sweltering days that weren’t spent on the road and in various locales were torture for a wanderlust infected soul such as mine.

In my spare time, which happened to be the majority of the time, I slept, walked around my neighborhood for five minutes only to turn on my heel and go back, offer food incentives to my friends that had cars in exchange for an opportunity to leave my neighborhood, and, of course, binge watched Netflix documentaries until the early morning hours. I was never more than arms reach away from my cell phone, computer, or hot food item. During this “blue period” I frequented various social networking applications including one called SKOUT. To preface, I was not looking for a relationship, I had been repelled by the idea of one since my tried and failed encounters earlier in my freshman year. I was merely seeking a conversation that would last

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me through the day so I wouldn’t have the chance to stew in boredom and consuming hot pockets at an alarming rate.

SKOUT was a lackluster social networking app, mostly void of any intelligent life of the opposite gender. Conversations rarely progressed past the “hey-how are you-i’m good-that’s cool” phase and when they did they ended with an out of the blue, “Wanna see my dong?” and I, without hesitation, moved onto the next. These types of individuals have always fascinated me and to this day I cannot definitively say whether I am impressed by their nothing-to-loseso-YOLO approach in conversation or repulsed by the idea that this individual was under the impression I was the type of girl gravitated towards such behavior and methods of “wooing”. Sometimes, jokingly, I would respond, “Yes, omg, how did you know this entire time I’ve been searching for a crooked penis to witness with my own eyes?” I would receive no response.

The summer dragged on until the final weeks of August were upon me and, for the most part, I would only utilize SKOUT as a rainy day activity. The first message I received from him was eye roll and shit-eating grin inducing. “It is scientifically unpossible to be as cute as you are.” It was adorable, intentionally misspelled, and sappy to no extent.

Although I initially friend zoned the charismatic bloke, I eventually let my preciously guarded wall down and let in the infamous Nathan Helm.

Nathan is a man of many talents including but not limited to: impeccable Chris Farley impressions, a passionate advocate for putting green chili on any food item including ice cream, can crack an egg with one hand, writing love poems that are actually good, and being able to recite every Friends episode from beginning to end. I grew on him, fondly and almost obsessively, although I was keen to keeping Nathan unaware of this. He morphed into an addictive substance, regardless of what I was doing when his name appeared in my message box I dropped everything to reply. The stories he told of his youth and his profession within the film industry had me glued to my computer screen, entranced by his animated body language and smooth, velvety voice that rendered me weak in the knees.

He was a presence in my everyday life, I told him my secrets and he confided in me with every heartbreaking detail of his past, we lip synced 80s rock ballads and modern love songs over Skype to one another, I would help him pick out

the right brand of hot sauce at the grocery store via FaceTime and screamed “penis” through his pocket as he paid for it, we would talk about everything, and sometimes we would say absolutely nothing and be just as content prodding our index fingers at the camera, wishing we could reach through the realm of time and space that separated us.

Wishing, wishing, wishing. It was all we ever did. “I wish you were here to see this sunset”, “I wish you were here to hold me”, “I wish I was there to take care of you”, “I wish I was there to smack you upside your head because that’s what you need right now”. Wishing never did us any good and we reached a crossroads of sorts. I sat myself down in front of my window, phone face down, computer stowed away, my sights set on the west, and critically wondered if this was even worth it.

When I posed the question to Nathan and I did not receive a response, rather, an itinerary for an American Airlines flight direct from Los Angeles to Boston. “I’m coming, sweetheart,” He texted minutes after I received the email, “I’ll be right there.”

I am pacing now, counting every step in my head before reaching 20 and turning on my heel to begin again. It passes the time and calms my nerves but only for a fleeting moment before I glance up to see a wave of people heading towards the arrivals gate. I freeze in my tracks. My eyes flick over to a soldier who has just reunited with his wife and two young daughters. He holds his girls tight, kisses both on the forehead, and shares a smooch with his wife.

I watch them leave, all holding hands, the girls skipping forward dragging their parents along. My gaze reverts back to the arrivals gate where the space is starting to clear and in the distance I can make him out. He is walking slowly, calm and collectively, and as he draws close I can make out his signature smile.

I lose control of my legs and suddenly they are wrapped around his torso and his hands are supporting the small of my back. His beard tickles my neck and the smell of coconut oil invades my nose.

I run my fingers through his short, wispy, wavy hair and he attempts to run his through my unkempt mane. I feel weightless and when I’m brought back down to the ground his grip does not loosen, his gorgeously green eyes are fixated on mine, his forehead rests on mine, his smile does not falter, and his voice does not tremble. “Goddamn, your hair is so soft.” em

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OVERCOMING

the odds

THE MODERN LOVE COLLECTION: PART TWO TEXT BY KENDALL STARK

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oo many times in my life I have felt half-hearted love.

It’s a feeling comparable to that of drinking black coffee. There’s a bitter edge to it - because you know it’s not as good as it could be. Indulging in it gives you a kick - but it’s still missing something.

Real love comes along when we least expect it.

My first semester of college, I searched for a relationship in all the wrong places. I tested the waters in multiple dating applications, only to find that bad pickup lines and the small ego-boost resulting from a “match” was not what I wanted. I looked a little too lonely while sitting on a bench in the Public Garden, and all I got in return was an MIT grad who tried to feel me up on the first date. I ran away.

After I stopped looking for love, it found me.

I fell for a guy who fell on his ass our first time in public together. Given, we were ice skating, but it’s the endearing first-date nervousness that counts.

I have always taken the words “I love you,” very seriously. I have close friends that I love. I love my family. I loved my first boyfriend, in a weird, first-time relationship high-school kind of way.

Until last year, I had never felt real love.

The one I love handles my short-temper with composure. He quells my fears with reassurance. He confronts my insecurities by disregarding them. Eight times out of ten, he always allows me to get my way.

And nine times out of ten, I realize my way doesn’t always work.

Real love is loving someone even when they’re a thousand miles from where you are.

Having the one I loved in such close proximity was something I took for granted. The first five months of our relationship, we had spent nearly every day together, doing everything. We had become so crucial to each other’s existences so quickly. But when it came time to begin an 8-month stretch of long distance, I focused my energy

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on rejecting the popular notion that long distance is hard.

Technology has made it so easy to keep in touch - to communicate.

I could lie and say that technology made it easier. It didn’t.

At the end of every Skype call, whether it be 30 minutes or five hours, the end result is the same. When the screen goes dark, there’s this feeling of emptiness that ensues - because no matter how long you spend staring at the screen, no matter what reassuring words are said - the person is still not there next to you.

But we persisted with constant communication despite this - and we were lucky. During our summer apart, we texted each other incessantly. We called each other almost every day. We did this because it was what we were used to, because it was routine - because we had all the time in the world.

Real love makes us crazy.

is beginning to light up around us. It would have been a beautiful sight to experience if we weren’t irate with one another.

Six words were said that shattered every mild irritation I was feeling in that moment. “You want me all to yourself.”

I felt like a hole had been punched in my heart. The words cut deep, because they were the words that hovered, unspoken between us for that first month. They cut deep because they were true. I needed to change.

Real love is learning the hard way.

Come December we’re both back in the States, which means back to reality - back to stabilization. I’m on my way back home from Boston, on the ferry.

There’s this bearded man in overalls sitting four chairs away staring at me as I’m yelling at my boyfriend over the phone - as if I can make him understand how I’m feeling by screaming

REAL LOVE IS LOVING SOMEONE EVEN WHEN THEY’RE A THOUSAND MILES FROM WHERE YOU ARE It’s sometime in early October, 2014. I’m studying abroad in Paris, and my boyfriend is studying abroad in the Netherlands. He’s visiting for the weekend. He specified beforehand that we weren’t going to spend a lot of time together - we had seen each other just a week before, and he wanted to experience the city with his friends. I should have been fine with it - I said I was fine with it, but the truth was that I couldn’t understand why he didn’t want to spend as much time as possible with one another.

I bombarded him with phone calls, I used every guilt-inducing adjective I knew in all the densely aggressive texts I sent. This had been a recurring theme in our relationship since the start of our semester apart. If his plans changed, if he decided to go out with friends instead of calling me, if he did anything that - in reality, was perfectly reasonable, I felt myself crack. I am especially transparent when I’m angry, and incredibly vocal when I don’t get my way. I tore myself apart and tried to bring him down with me.

Now we’re standing outside the Musee Quai Branly at dusk, and the city

into a tiny microphone. It’s like I’m shouting into a void, because I know that no matter what he can’t be here. I can’t make him feel what I am feeling at this moment. I’m sobbing into the phone, my face red, my eyes swollen.

I’m a mess, and I don’t care. Maybe that’s just it. You can’t force someone to do anything, to feel anything, to be anything.

But for every moment of doubt - of absolute insanity - there are the priceless moments. The moment in which you’re waiting in an airport, pacing back and forth, anticipating the arrival of your significant other, who you haven’t seen in over a month. Your heart is beating out of your chest, and for a fleeting second it’s like you’re in the midst of a first date all over again.

And then suddenly - they’re no longer a pixelated fragment on your computer screen. They’re real, they’re there, and everything is alright. Regardless of what happened before, it doesn’t matter, because you’re together again.

These are the moments that make it worth it all.

Real love is overcoming the odds.

We did. em

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THE PILLARS OF

first love

THE MODERN LOVE COLLECTION: TEXT BY TOMMY HIGGINS PART THREE

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m

y thoughts as a long distance relationship was failing and I was going home for the first time all semester. Freshmen year, 2014: Walking to my bus, I stare at the off white, gargantuan block pillars of D.C.’s Union Station. Every structure or monument in Washington is so huge and it’s funny how small I feel because of you. After a semester of being pushed further and further away by you, I’m so ready to be home and look you in the eyes. I hate how disgusting and selfish your wrongs have made me feel. I’m going home, finally, to my little brothers and sister who miss me and home to my sick grandfather in the hospital, but all I can think about is you. I’m the sick one. Amid all these family concerns which should be controlling my heart, it’s your mom I really want to see –there’s a weird urge I have to show her what you’ve done to me and to unveil you as the adorable monster that you are. I’d love her to see me as the wreckage you’ve left in your path.

The pillars of ‘first love’ that we built were, in my mind, as big as those of any Capital city monument, but they proved to be paper mache compared to the wrecking ball photos on your Facebook.

You look so great, but it’s him again…. And again. I hit your Facebook like a drug I just can’t quit. Can’t sleep. News feed. Hit your profile. Him. Drunken frat mixers early on with friends hit me hard, but they at least put my imagination to work. But seeing him in your pictures kissing your cheek like he could ever fill the space I leave in your heart….it hits me like a tank.

I’m depressed, I’m hateful –maybe college and the long distance really is making me a different person. Maybe you have a right to quietly distance yourself from me in real life and still enthusiastically tell me you love me over the teary phone line.

When the bus moves out of the terminal, I’m excited. I get to see more of the city we never got to explore, just to make it hurt a little more. You never took the $16 MegaBus to watch me play in a college game like you said you would……repeatedly.

Finally the bus driver heads to the highway. Headphones in, I’m skipping the screechy Bon Iver bullshit sob music you downloaded to my phone –when I stop at Bruce Springsteen.

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Just like that, something real fills my ear and I can half-smile because my mom brought Bruce’s music into my life. Of course I love my mom more than you, I always have but right now I think I’ve never loved her more. A perfect, real, and selfless woman; she’s my life and she’s pure beauty.

The lingering Korean War Memorial is the last remnant of DC, it’s pretty much propped there under the highway. I want to close my eyes but I can’t.

Genocide and things like war and famine used to pull young lovers like us apart. Not anymore –well at least for us, no. Going to college pulled us apart and that just doesn’t seem as special. I know you’re not the girl who hides away for four years until college is over and I guess I wouldn’t have fallen in love with that girl.

And it’s true we’re not a special story because shit like this happens to millions and billions of people who fall in love, but I don’t think it’s that simple. There is something unusually fucked up about the way you lied and suggested an open relationship all the while dating another guy.

Just like the specially evil way you treated me though, you are too.

Even though it makes me feel desperate to admit, you’re such a special girl and I love you so much right now.

So my eyes get all hot and there’s a humbly dressed middle aged Latina lady next to me who knows I’m kind of crying. She’s pretty….probably from El Salvador, in fact yes, I’d put money on it. There seems to be more Salvadorians in Virginia than in El Salvador.

I’m sure she was so beautiful at your age, maybe even as beautiful as you apart from your stormy ocean eyes -no girl in the world has them.

But you’re family has a lot money and you’re at a fancy college. And now I’m thinking about privilege and I think I can confront the truth now: How unfair is love?

Once you’re done with me, more boys will fall for you. Someday you’ll move onto a career in a city of your choice and date more Patagonia wearing clowns. But this poor, pretty woman hasn’t had a sniff of the life you have had. Some people don’t just have sad days, some people are sad about their situation and she is. Probably because she’s an immigrant and probably because it’s easy to be a stupid judgmental man, I see that she’s lost her girlish beauty: wearing old work shoes, holding a phone that’s not an

iPhone–I want to tell her that it’s okay, that she’s beautiful and brave.

I’m young and I’m not poor, but love is cheating me at your hands. I know it’s not your will, but you’re making me fall out of love with the things that make me great. You’re texting me.

“How was your game the other day?

Can’t wait to see you :)” Present Day: I like to think that the universe is kind and is governed by balance. If I’ve learned anything in the time I’ve spent living away from home and at college, it’s that happiness will find you once you love yourself and you know what you want.

It’s easy to feel like love is unfair after it chews you up and spits you out, but how could something so universal be so unfair? Take yourself out of the equation, does love really exist? Isn’t it just the connection of that part of our souls that helps us live the way we want to live. We all want it, one way or another. We seek it, we need it, and when we do find it –love lights our insides up and emits little beams of light out of our bodies. The problem is other things get in the way, but that’s life!

You see, her and I were supposed to be like two albatrosses: birds who mate for life, but instead she turned out to be more like a bunny rabbit.

I love bunnies and I loved her more than I thought I could love any girl. I have to be honest with myself, though.

I don’t hate her, I really appreciate her.

I’m thrilled to have touched her life like nobody else could have.

We are all different kinds of animals and even though she was everything I had hoped for in love, it’s hard to find people who make you better; she didn’t make me better. Love will knock you down and life may kick you once you’re lying there, but I have realized the only one who can keep your mind and soul from being beautiful is you.

So I let go of those deeply self-conscious thoughts that plagued me.

When the time was right, I stopped guarding that light inside of me. I stopped trying to fill myself temporary fixes, and went after the golden snitch once again. I picture everyone having a little golden snitch inside their souls that can light up if you find someone right. Just like in Harry Potter, the golden snitch is elusive but powerful.

Love is like Quidditich, but in real life everyone plays for Griffindor because you can win in love if you let yourself win! em

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UNIFIED BY A DIVERSIFIED COMMUNITY QUOTES BY ASH CZARNOTA PHOTOGRAPHY BY YASMINA HILAL ONLINE ARTICLE BY PRASUNA CHERUKU FEATURED (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT): JUAN PABLO CORAL, PAOLINA GUY, DAVID MEKIBEL, SARAH MANSOUR, EBRIMA MANJANG

Emerson students come from countries thousands of miles away with cultures that might be vastly different from Emerson and the United States at large. They bring various cultural trends as well as fear and excitement alike. They leave behind family and friends, everything that is immensely familiar to them, making sacrifices and carrying burdens that are virtually unknown to students who are from local communities. For these students, coming to Boston meant adapting very quickly to Emerson’s culture.

READ MORE ONLINE AT EM-MAG.COM

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"THERE'S A BIGGER SENSE OF COMMUNITY IN LEBANON. PEOPLE ARE CLOSER TOGETHER, BUT I THINK THAT'S JUST BECAUSE THE COUNTRY IS SO SMALL. BUT AT EMERSON, THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENT BODY ALSO HAS A WAY OF STICKING TOGETHER WHILE BEING ABLE TO BLEND IN AND HAVE FUN WITH EVERYONE ELSE." —SARAH (FILM PRODUCTION 2016)

"THE SCHOOLS IN COLOMBIA ARE GOOD, BUT THEY DON'T OFFER AS MUCH OPPORTUNITY IN MEDIA PRODUCTION LIKE EMERSON DOES. I'M HERE ON A STUDENT VISA. I WOULD BE REALLY SAD IF IT GOT TAKEN AWAY FROM ME, BUT I WOULD TRY TO FIGHT IT BECAUSE I WANT TO STUDY HERE. I WOULD DO WHATEVER IT TOOK." —JUAN (MEDIA PRODUCTION 2018) “WHEN I CAME TO EMERSON, ON THE SECOND DAY OF ORIENTATION EVERYONE WAS SAYING TO ME, “OH MY GOD, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.” IT WAS SO WEIRD. I TOLD MY BEST FRIEND SINCE EARLY CHILDHOOD I LOVED HER SEVEN YEARS AFTER I BECAME FRIENDS WITH HER.” —PAULINA (VMA 2018)

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“I WAS BORN IN AMERICA AND MY PARENTS WERE FROM GAMBIA. I USED TO GET BULLIED A LOT. AFRICANS USED TO MAKE FUN OF ME BECAUSE THEY WOULD SAY I WAS TOO AMERICANIZED. AMERICANS USED TO MAKE FUN OF ME BECAUSE THEY WOULD SAY I WAS TOO AFRICAN.” —EBRIMA (VMA 2018)

WELCOME TO THE

NEW NOW

THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE ANTHROPOCENE TEXT BY WILL DUNCAN ILLUSTRATION BY HOLLY KIRKMAN

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w

hat does it mean to be in the now? Well, the answer is different for everyone. For some, today is just the same as any other day, and the answer is surprisingly literal; to simply enjoy each and every moment. For others, now stands as a significant moment in their life—maybe they just gave birth to a baby, or their leg was recently broken, or their child just graduated from high school.

Either way, the now is different for everyone, whether it’s an unforgettable moment in time, an average day-in-thelife, or something in between.

There is, however, a much grander Now not so easily classified as a memorable moment or your average day in the life. Now speaks for the world’s entire population, not a single person, and is made up of the current state of anything, everything, and everyone. There is always something happening on the planet, and this something—whether it is the construction of the Pyramids, the painting of the Mona Lisa, or the election of an African American president— eventually fades into the past and is remembered as history. Our history, the recorded passage of all of humankind’s nows, big or small, is but a flash of action in our planets 4.54 billion year lifetime.

But something unique is happening Now, something that has never happened before in the planet’s life. Human beings have had such a widespread and notable effect on Earth that our actions, as a race, are significant enough to define this Now, as a new era of our existence

the significant expansion of the human race. Before the Holocene, our planet was in the Pleistocene; an epoch in which an estimated 30% of the Earth was covered in ice and humans were just beginning to evolve and migrate from Africa. For a quick comparison, dinosaurs are said to have roamed the Earth 64 million years before the Pleistocene began, and the Big Bang is estimated to have occurred 13.8 billion years ago from the present day.

In late October of 2014, the IUGS organized a group of scholars—ecologists, climate scientists, geologists, and one lawyer— to meet in Berlin and determine by 2016 if our impact on Earth justifies the beginning of the Anthropocene; a time period that is, quite literally, defined by us.

So in a moment in time devoted to our existence, what action should the individual take? Perhaps a celebration is in order, praising the accomplishments, victories, and fruits of our time so far. Think of all the little now’s that we have collected as a humanity, of the miles we’ve ran, the machines we’ve built, the art we’ve made, the relationships we’ve lived, and the planets we’ve reached. Think about all the little now’s that you have lived and revisit them—the birth of your younger sister, your third grade Star Wars themed birthday party, or that summer you spent in New York. Now is the time to celebrate these moments, both big and small. On the other hand, maybe the Anthropocene stands as a time to reconsider our relationship with our planet. The mass extinctions of both animal

THIS ANTHROPOCENE WILL BE THE NOW OF OUR TIME ON EARTH, MARKING THE MOMENT THAT OUR ACTIONS BECOME RELEVANT ENOUGH TO MERIT OUR EXISTENCE AS SOMETHING UNIQUE IN THE HISTORY OF THE KNOWN UNIVERSE, SIMILAR TO THE BIG BANG OR THE EXTINCTION OF THE DINOSAURS. on the planet.

Scientists, geologists, and environmentalists are debating over whether or not humankind’s presence on Earth has permanently and fundamentally altered the planet; some declaring this the basis for a new, human-centric chapter of our history, set to be called the “Anthropocene” – anthropo, meaning man, and cene, for new.

This Anthropocene will be the Now of our time on Earth, marking the moment that our actions become relevant enough to merit our existence as something unique in the history of the known universe, similar to the Big Bang or the extinction of the dinosaurs.

The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), is a scientific organization devoted to upholding the geological sciences, and pretty much has the final say on all things time and Earth-related. Officially, the Earth currently is in the “Holocene,” a period that began 11,700 years ago and is defined by the ending of the last ice age, the beginning of a warmer and wetter planet, and

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and plant species and the considerable pollution that has damaged the Earth, its oceans, and the atmosphere, are a few of the most significant examples of our legacy.

Scientists are still trying to pin the exact date in which the Anthropocene had begun; framing its start around humanity’s history of Earth-altering. Some argue that the widespread introduction of radiation and nuclear waste that occurred in the 1940’s and 50’s serves as a significant enough marker. Other choices include the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, the worldwide use of non-biodegradable or non-recyclable plastics, or the more recent widespread burning of fossil fuels that has led to unnatural shifts in climate.

Whichever it is, the coming of the Anthropocene is a sign of changing times and of a chance for you to change something. This is the moment, big or small, to throw yourself into action; as history wraps itself around our presence on this planet and establishes right Now as the now of all nows. em

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ON PROTESTS: TEXT BY CHARLEY KARCHIN ILLUSTRATION BY HOLLY KIRKMAN On Saturday, February 21st, in freezing temperatures and the chance of even more snow, a handful of young adults, bundled in thick winter jackets and gloves, coming together with a message: stop the bombing of Syria and Iraq. As passerby waited to cross Tremont Street, or enter the Park Street T station, the protesters spoke. They told us that our president is planning attacks that will kill innocent people and bring devastation to countries outside of Iraq and Syria.

There are innocent lives that will be lost, making decisions that would cause destruction like that are not commendable. This cause is one that many can sympathize, empathize, and maybe even stand outside in freezing temperatures holding a sign for. Is spreading information in such a way that can come off as disruptive or unappealing, effective?

Billy, a protest un-enthusiast, says no.

Protesting is not effective. “Nothing hap-

ARE W E MAKIN DIFFE G A RENCE

?

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pens,” Billy tells me, “people spend all day hanging around outside in public places, bothering other people with things that nobody cares about. For what?” Billy suggests that only large groups, resembling more of a riot than a protest, can bring about the desired effect. He says, “Egypt did it: they got the president [Hosni Mubarak] to step down. But, Occupy Wall Street was a massive waste of time. Nobody cared. All it ended up being was a bunch of people camping on city sidewalks and annoying those who didn’t want to be a part.” Most times it can be seen that a day or maybe even a month after a protest with anywhere from twenty to a hundred people shows no forward motion. There are no public announcements from local or national government saying, “Yes! That is right! We will put an end to social and economic inequality!” or “We are listening! There will be no more unnecessary warfare.” Doesn’t that, then, render all of a protester’s efforts moot?

It could be that the times are different. In the past, protesters stood up against major issues, risking attack and injury to make a change. Ghandi led India to gain independence from British rule and Martin Luther King rallied people to stand up and fight for racial equality. These historical protests are historical due to their success. America and maybe the world would be a much different place had these protests not occurred.

Nowadays, American protesters don’t face the violent opposition and younger generations find little to be important enough to physically stand up for. Protests today come as a response to an event. Black Lives Matter is an example of that. It aims to end police brutality and other forms of violence against the black community and began in response to the killing of Trayvon Martin.

Younger generations work against the actual act of protesting or doing anything for a cause. Speaking up for something they believe in a public setting has been replaced

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by typing a 140 character tweet or sharing an online petition. This is a technological era, it is believed that political and societal changes can be made by simply sending an e-mail to political figures or typing a name onto a forum showing support. Movements like Black Lives Matter needed to embrace this technological change, spreading awareness through a hashtag on Twitter or a share on Facebook. In an age where even our most basic of social interactions needs to be carried out through a screen and a keyboard, the need for making changes in the same manner can be recognized.

While there might not be a change overnight, or in a year, the protesters outside the Park Street T station taught me that the act of protesting is not a result-less hobby.

Margo Gomes, a Political Science grad and a self-proclaimed activist says, “It’s about information sharing, and the transfer of ideas, not the goal of an immediate effect.”

History does show success in peaceful protests, and Margo brings up these examples, “[The] Children’s March, and the March on Washington were huge successes. It can be done. Even Occupy Wall Street, which has been written off as a massive failure still did something.” If Margo’s statement is that the goal is to spread awareness, than Occupy Wall Street would be a success. Occupy Wall Street is met with understanding, growing to the point where it has become a household name. That awareness alone is enough of a success for the movement to have done something.

Protesters are not gathering with the thought that their presence will bring about a rapid change, they gather with the thought that they are going to make more people aware. Awareness is the key because, as citizens, we take a passive role in politics and other issues that leave us clueless as to what is happening in the world around us.

To be a protester is to say, “I care. This is why, and this is how much.” em

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THE MUSIC FESTIVAL

bubble

i

TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY NIC DAMASIO

‘m driving back from Manchester, Tennessee last June, the window down in my friend’s Nissan, the sun and wind hitting me, and a pile of camping gear to my right providing decent cushioning for when I would doze off. I looked at my right forearm to see that I had become roughly three shades darker; the summer glow I had been working on was finally complete, I thought. A second look and a hard few rubs of my index finger however, would reveal that this summer glow was actually just a layer of dirt, as well as sweat, sunscreen, dry shampoo, and who knows what else from my six day hiatus from the shower.

My brain was still processing what I had just experienced, so I was too busy to realize the exhaustion that my body had endured. I was on the last leg of my journey home from what can only be described as one of the most exhilarating, freeing, and other worldly experiences of my short life, Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. Bonnaroo, or Roo to those who have attended, is a four day music festival which takes place on 700acre a farm in the great southern state of Tennessee.

Like most all music festivals nowadays, Roo has an almost cult following from those who have attended it once like myself or those who have attended it every year since its beginnings in ’02. People wait all year for Bonnaroo, volunteer their time to help out in return for a free ticket, and even bring the entire family - babies with strollers and all - for the annual event.

Before Bonnaroo and every other music festival that exists

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today, the only name people associated with music festival was Woodstock (and rightfully so). Just like everything else today, things are different.

Music Festivals have evolved from their not so humble beginnings as small, niche events like the Newport Jazz Festival back in 1954, to huge, multi-genre events like Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival; a festival that spans over two weekends and will see 100,000 attendees this year in the valley. Holy Ship is an electronic music festival that takes place, obviously, on a cruise ship where attendees can party with the Dj’s and Producers that headline. Secret Solstice Festival is a newer festival in Iceland underneath the northern lights with a new, secret location each year that attendees must figure out on their own.

Music festivals are popping up all over the place. In Des Moines, Iowa a new festival, Hinterland, will feature mostly indie and folk bands like Old Crow Medicine Show and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Mysteryland, a famous twelve year old Dutch based festival, had their first festival in the U.S. at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. More famously known to have been the location for Woodstock back in ’69. While at the same time, there are festivals that have been around so long they have nicknames, intense cult followings, and devoted attendees who get their tickets sometimes almost a year in advance, with many festivals selling out within hours.

Festivals are more than just a time to come and listen to fan’s favorite artists play. They offer the opportunity for attend-

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ees to see other artists they might not have necessarily seen otherwise. When you’re not standing in the crowd listening to your favorite artists surrounded by like-minded and likedressed peers, there are plenty of other things to occupy your time. Silent discos are popular at many festivals; these smaller rave style events require all the ravers to wear headphones all synced to the music being played by the in-house Dj. Many artists and companies will go to festivals and sell their artwork or goods to festival-goers. With so much to do at music festivals these days besides listen to actual live music, they are becoming all encompassing experiences rather than just about the music.

This does come at a price however, literally. Music festivals are by no means a cheap expenditure. Festivals increase the cost of admission every year to not only cover the costs of the artists - which can be several million dollars if your name is big enough - but to also cover cost of security, location, food and water, and so much more.

These costs in turn are put on the fans who shell out hundreds of dollars to attend the festival(s) of their dreams. Festivals tend to tier their tickets to make it seem they have cheaper price offerings, only setting aside a small number of tickets at low costs and keeping the others tiers at the price they want you to actually pay.

2014’s Ultra Music Festival saw major price increases and major backlash from fans. Besides (finally) making the age requirement 18+, UMF hiked up their prices to account for a festival they claimed would, “exceed expectations and continue delivering unparalleled value to our fans.” Ultra hadn’t increased prices the past two years to keep fans happy, but for nearly every festival, price hikes are becoming unavoidable.

Each year a festival grows in size and popularity, they have to account for that; in Ultra’s case they have to, “meet the ever increasing financial demands of city related expenses.” Being located in the heart of Downtown Miami comes at a steep cost.

Every festival has an impossible task at hand: they have to bring in the biggest names while also keeping ticket prices reasonable for its attendees.

This year there will be 1,200 different events in 70 different countries. Of the top ten best festivals in the world, six of them happen right here in the U.S.A. Festival competition has never been higher. Booking agents are having hard times getting the best names for their respective festivals. This used to be a relatively moderate task to accomplish.

With record sales in a slump in the past years, artists nowadays rely on festivals for the majority of their profit. Some artists even wait to plan their respective tours around dates they know they will have to be halfway across the world to play a festival.

Now with countless festivals out there, many of them happening on the same weekends in the summer - upwards of ten festivals happening the same weekend - booking artists for one festival over another becomes challenging.

With all this competition, artists are calling the shots. They can demand higher prices because they know festivals need them and are willing to shell out top dollar for their name on the lineup.

The last time Outkast toured in ’01, they made approximately $4.8 million in profit. Since then they had not put out any new music. This past Spring/Summer season, they made an unreal $60 million only playing festivals. Now I know what Nicki Minaj was saying when she said she collects “a hun-

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dred-thou at the venue.”

Headliners headline for a reason; they attract the crowd.

Sure you have small, indie bands and Dj’s you’ve never heard of that are deemed “cool” to see at these festivals, but at the end of the day paying an artist a couple million versus a couple thousand could mean $5 million difference in profit for the festival.

Festivals nowadays don’t have any choice in the matter, they have to fight for the biggest names; booking for next year’s festival sometimes begins as soon as the weekend after their event concludes.

With this exponential growth of festivals around the world, especially in North America, competition for artists is going to be so extreme and expensive eventually this music festival bubble will burst. Artists setting the prices they want, to play the festivals they want, are going to make it so certain festivals can’t afford more than a few good acts. Newer smaller festivals could shut down if they don’t develop profitability carefully each year; the most successful festivals these days have been around for at least a decade more.

Even festivals that have been around for nearly a decade more are in danger. This year’s Future Music Festival turned out to be their last. Just this April, Mushroom Group - the production company behind the traveling festival - announced they will not be returning for another tour of Australia and Asia in 2016. In a statement to Australian press, chairman Michael Gudinksi, cited several reasons for its quietus. The physical cost to bring the festival to five major cities in Aussie-land, fluctuating cost of the dollar, popularity of EDM and the high cost to book these artists ultimately led to the unfortunate end of one of the world’s best known and most beloved festivals.

Festivals have become more than just Mecca’s that provide audiophiles and fan-girls-and-boys alike with multi-day lis-

“THEY ARE PLACES WHERE YOU LEARN ABOUT THE WORLD AND THE PEOPLE IN IT.” tening platforms. They have become places people go because they feel accepted. They are places you learn about the world and the people in it. They are times you will never forget. They have evolved and continue to do so, into all encompassing music and art experiences.

We could see the disappearance of many of these small festivals that don’t have the stamina and budget to keep up with the bigger contenders. Artists that are in it for the money -lets be serious they all are - gravitate to larger festivals because that’s where the money is.

This music festival Darwinism will continue until only big names like Coachella, Bonnaroo, and Ultra exist. It’s very likely there could only be one festival a weekend, with the big names calling dibs on their respective weekends. We might even see the merging of music festivals, creating music festival corporations and conglomerates.

Luckily for fans the music festival and the culture itself will never die. They are going to be around as long as music exists and there are rich twenty-somethings that don’t care if their checking account is overdrawn. For now however, the music festival is a huge part of human culture and a necessary part of people’s years. Which music festivals survive this inevitable reckoning is something no one can really predict. As fans, we can only hope our festival of choice makes it out alive. em

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DRESSING LIKE ME CONTEMPLATING MASCULINE AND FEMININE STEREOTYPES WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING DRESSED TEXT BY HALEY SHERIF ILLUSTRATION BY HOLLY KIRKMAN & AREN KABARAJIAN

’T N O D U “YO A E K I L K LOO .”

N A I B S LE “YO LO U WEA TO FG RA TH ING IRL Y S.”

Y

ou don’t look like a lesbian.”

That’s what came falling out of my friend’s mouth two years ago when I came out to her. In the following weeks and months I heard similar utterances from friends and peers, even strangers thought they had permission to tell me that how I dressed contradicted my sexuality. While, it aggravated me every time someone would say something like that to me, I recognized that there was a much bigger problem at play.

The first date I ever went on with a girl I wore a dress and a bunch of rings. I put on lipstick and perfume. I wore heeled boots. I dressed up for the date because I wanted to make a good impression and because that’s what I had been taught from a young age. After introducing ourselves the girl uttered a similar sentence as my friend had only weeks before. According to her I was more femme of a girl than she had ever gone on a date with, “Was I sure I was a lesbian?” I ignored the comment, she was hot and I assumed she didn’t mean too much by it, but when weeks later she was still asking me the same question I cut off all ties. I looked down at what I was wearing: a button-down, black denim, and biker boots. I looked tough. I looked like I could kick someone’s ass. I rubbed on a little pink lip balm and laughed at the ironic nature of it all.

Because I had come out as a lesbian I was expected to play the part and that meant dressing in a certain way to fit the role.

The interesting part about having people point fingers at me, was seeing I did similar things to other women. I would look at what someone wore and deduce (in my head because I’m not that rude), that they were or were not a lesbian. I was doing the same exact thing, judging a book by its cover in the very literal sense of the phrase. There was the question, then, of how to end the cycle. I considered dressing the part. I bought a bunch of flannel and a pair of Doc Martens. I offhandedly mentioned to the friend who had accused me of not looking like a lesbian, that I was doing my best

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to own my new identity to which she responded, “Well that’s silly. You should just wear what makes you comfortable.” I was bewildered at the contradiction in what she had said to me, but somehow I knew she was right. Had I taken what she said prior too much to heart? Maybe I didn’t look like what a “lesbian” was supposed to look like according to books and television shows. I feel like there is a lot attached to the term lesbian, apart from a woman who loves another woman and chooses to call herself a lesbian. There are a lot of preconceived notions that go along with it as if by calling yourself a lesbian you are also telling the world you will only dress a certain way.

I’ve met and personally know a lot of women who identify themselves as lesbians and these women are all different from one another, no two alike. I have friends who wear a ton of flannel and sneakers, but are straight. I have friends who go between wearing dresses with heels and overalls and sweatshirts and denim who identify as lesbian, but refuse to be pigeon holed when getting dressed in the morning.

“I wouldn’t think you’re a lesbian based on what you wear. You wear a lot of girly things.”

Recently I encountered the following words from a newer friend. But, instead of hearing it as an accusation, as I had before, I took it as a moment to educate her.

“Just because I wear a dress does not mean I am not a lesbian. Plenty of lesbians wear dresses and plenty of lesbians don’t. It doesn’t matter.”

My friend nodded her head in agreement. I don’t know if she really heard me. I don’t know if she’ll continue to make assumptions about women’s sexuality based on what they wear, but I do know that I tried my best in that moment to break the stigma, even if just for a small moment. I think that’s how the big conversations happen, by beginning at a local, intimate level, and spreading outwards. I can’t change how the world thinks of my sexuality based on how I dress, but I can change the conversation happening now. em

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embedded AESTHETICS THE PAST IS NO LONGER BANISHED TO THE BACK OF THE CLOSET

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TEXT BY SERENA KASSOW PHOTOGRAPHY BY MAGGIE MAIN

remember the day so clearly. It was fifth grade, and my social studies class was growing painfully boring. Then something caught my eye- I looked up and saw the most glorious pair of pink Ugg Boots, and instantly realized I had to have them

too.

Fast forward 15 years or so, and realizing you’ve dressed identically to a peer is not exactly something to smile about.

We used to have this need to always possess the newest big thing. A desire to conform in our clothing- to assimilate to one another. Nowadays, appeal is found more so in being unique.

The birth of vintage allure is one that could provide some answers. Having “vintage” pieces was always seen as desirable in the high fashion world- a luxury for the upper classes. But in recent years, the re-vamping “cool factor” of thrift and vintage shopping has swept the masses. In the 21st century, we’ve seen a major shift in the way people dress, as well as the way fashion glamorizes the past. Just look what’s happening on the runways- Spring ‘15 saw a massive 60’s flashback with the return of gingham, and this fall you can expect a 70’s, suede-covered takeover. As always in fashion, there are social, psychological and political motivators that contribute to this change.

It seems that millennials glamorize the past far more than their parents did, also contributing to the vintage appeal. “Street-style” fashion of today often resembles a Seventies or Nineties look, as we tend to be attracted to these eras, prototyped with hippies and beatniks. However, our parents didn’t feel this way about the Forties and Fifties when they lived through the Seventies and Eighties; more so, they tried to dress as independently as possible and abhorred the thought of wearing old clothes. Perhaps a reason for this could be the way decades tend to be perceived by younger generations, and specifically, the social movements connected to them. We tend to find the Seventies-Nineties authentic and intriguing; a time of revolution, freedom and liberation in America. However, for our parents, the Forties and Fifties were remnants of events like World War II and The Cold War. In terms of high fashion, vintage culture is welcomed by designers. The risk factor of trying something new is erased, allowing designers security in designing their collections based on previous knowledge of what “works.” The future is an independent variable that no one can predict or decide, but the past provides framework for what was successful and gives designers room to re-invent it.

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However, this safety net comes with concern. Paul Poiret, Coco Chanel and Oscar de la Renta were visionary artists in the sense that they revolutionized fashion- virtually changing the social norm for women in the home, workplace and society. If today’s designers are simply emulating the past, do we still get the weight of creativity and innovation this artform once carried?

With a choice, lack of social stigma of wearing old clothes, and media outlets, women now have the ability to look back on history and decide what they would want to wear most; loose-fitting pants and comfortable shapes, for exampleclothing that is flattering in their own eyes. We are wearing what we actually want to wear, instead of our occupations and gender roles deciding it for us.

While this is better for consumers, it is a mindset that devastates big business. Department stores used to thrive on mass distribution, the ability to sell thousands of an identical item when it first emerged. Now, consumers no longer have to wear what everyone else is- they long to be different.

“The ability to find styles that actually suit one’s body and personality is cause for celebration, offering women so many more forms of self-expression,” writes Cathy Horyn of T Magazine. “In the past,” she continues, “trends allowed every part of the fashion business to get a piece of the action. Department stores could sell their beloved “hot items,” magazines could assert their authority over readers and manufacturers could produce endless knock-offs. This might have been great for business, but less so for the consumer.”

Now that vintage is making a comeback, how will department stores manufacture what everyone can find elsewhere? When having something new is no longer cool?

There has also been a great shift in influence over fashion in recent years. No longer are we religiously taking the advice of talk show hosts and homemakers. Now, our fashion influence predominantly comes from bloggers and celebrities (cc: The Man Repeller, Who What Wear, The Blonde Salad) who often lean heavily toward the street-style, vintage fashion climate.

And so, it turns out that there is, in fact, some rhyme and reason to why our generation seems so drawn to the vintage look. Security for designers, the psychological need to distinguish oneself, influence of media, and our romanticization of the past all contribute to the giant melting pot that has become the fashion climate of the 21st century.

It’s trendy to be out of style. em

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here

YOU ARE

WHEN YOUR HEART AND YOUR HEAD ARE YEARS APART TEXT BY CATHERINE PEARS ILLUSTRATION BY PIMPLOY PHONGSIRIVECH

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here’s a reason why being present—living in the here and now—is so often given as advice for living a fulfilled life. That reason lies in its simplicity. Because whether you are doing your laundry in the basement of your building, or pouring your third cup of coffee for your second shift at work, you are still here. Your hands still work to untangle the damp sheets and your nose still inhales the aroma of roasted coffee beans. No matter who you are or what you are doing, you are still doing something. And that is what’s important right?

That’s why living for the now is such an appealing concept, albeit a difficult one. Because it isn’t meant to matter that in this moment of this life we aren’t embraced in the arms of someone who loves us unconditionally or crossing the finish line in first place or looking into a microscope at, what you have discovered to be, the cure of all the previously incurable diseases.

Of course it would be nice to have accomplished one of these things, but the absence of having done so shouldn’t suggest that we feel unfulfilled by our accomplishments.

Living in the now implies a peace with oneself—a peace with everything that has come before and will come after. It is a full body sigh of relief. It is a gust of fresh air. It is all that you are saying ‘Yes, self, you are here. And that is enough.’

To get to this point in life is what we are all searching for, whether we are aware of it or not. To be happy is essentially this—to be content with all that you have, all that you’ve done, and all that has been done to you.

That last one is what makes things difficult. Life isn’t just you laying alone in a sun-soaked field of wildflowers. There are other factors involved—other annoying, joy crushing, mouth open while chewing, merging lanes without using a blinker factors. These factors are called people. And what makes being around these so-called “people” difficult is that they are each doing their best to live their happiest lives.

And, more often than not, their happiest life does not align with yours.

This is why that guy in the red Toyota cut you off this morning. This is why your friend bailed on plans with you to stay in and watch five episodes of House of Cards. This is why there isn’t room for you in the car full of friends going to the beach. This is why he or she or all of them had to break, and will break, your heart over, and over, and over again.

The two greatest distractions from the present are places that are not here, but were once there or soon will be. These other two places are, of course, the past and future.

For most people, practically all of our childhood is spent wishing we were older. From the age of consciousness until some point in our twenties we are constantly living in a state of thinking life will be better once we are no longer our present selves.

‘When I’m 16 I’ll be able to drive,’ quickly becomes ‘When I’m 18 I’ll be out of the house,’ and then, once in college, ‘When I’m 21 I’ll be able to drink...easier.’ And as college students, we tend to feel like we have to be thinking about the future at all times. If we’re not thinking about our careerswhat classes are going to benefit us most, what connections we need to make before we leave, and what internships we should be doing, then we’re failing.

The obvious problem with constantly thinking about the future is, not only, that you miss out on what’s going on right now, but the almost always constant anxiety that accompanies it.

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But to be honest, most of the time, living in the present doesn’t illicit the immediate pleasure that existing in these alternative spaces of time and place does. When the now you’re living in isn’t as satisfying as what has come before or what could possibly happen next, why would you want to give it any head space?

And while an obsession with the future is almost always likely to lead to feelings of fear and anxiety, an obsession with the past gives way to a pain that feels, well, kind of nice.

It’s like a skin tag on the inside of your cheek. When you bite on it by accident it hurts like a stubbed toe—a throbbing sensation that no one else can seem to remember or recognize for its intensity unless it is also happening to them. But when you’re busy with something else, like writing a paper or watching TV, and you subconsciously start to lightly chew on it, the dull pain spreading through your mouth starts to feel somewhat pleasant.

There’s something about going over and over days in the past that were, or now seem in the glittery filter that is retrospect, perfect. There is something comforting about heartache that allows you to simultaneously want it gone, while still cherishing it within yourself. It is that comfort that is scary. Because once sadness becomes comfortable to you even things that may lead to moments of happiness are scary.

Moments of happiness are the new different. And almost anything immediately perceived as different is scary.

When the ratio of happy moments to sad leans disproportionately one way, and that flips, no matter which direction, that is also scary.

So that’s why it’s nice to spend some time in the past af-

“THE TWO GREATEST DISTRACTIONS FROM THE PRESENT ARE PLACES THAT ARE NOT HERE, BUT WERE THERE OR SOON WILL BE.” ter you’ve already left it. It helps balance out life so it’s not always leaning one way or the other. Spending some of your day in these past, happier memories makes the 6 AM wake up, the spilled coffee, and the irritating nagging that you’re just not good enough a little better. It is a break from the reality you are currently existing in. It works to remind you that if happier times came before, they will surely come again.

Sometimes the memories are bittersweet. While they remind you of a time you were happy, they also remind you that you currently aren’t as happy. Sometimes they just make you want it back. And most of the time, it’s out of your control.

This is a kind of warm sadness, one that you feel there pulsing within you while thinking of these times. You want the feelings gone, but you want the memories to stay. It’s complicated, but hey, so is life.

When I go through my pictures folder on my computer, I feel that warm sadness. I can get lost in the photos and forget where I’m sitting- at a desk, on my computer, not sure of which friend to text that will understand, not sure if I have any friend that will understand- and then I snap out of it and I’m reminded of where I am. I’m sad for a while until something happens in this moment of this reality that makes me smile or laugh or think ‘Thank you, life, for that.’ And then I have something else to store away for a few years, until eventually I look back at it and get that same warm, sad feeling.

This is why I’m not sure living in the present really is the best advice for living a fulfilled life. It simply is too simple. em

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health GOTH SOBER FASHION

MEETS

ATHLETIC WEAR

TEXT BY GRETCHEN KUHSEL PHOTOGRAPHY BY TYLER LAVOIE STYLED BY CHEROTICH CHEMWENO, COURTNEY KANER, RINA DEGUCHI TOP, ADIDAS. SKIRT, URBAN OUTFITTERS.

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eeing people like Eleanor Barnes, Visual and Media Arts ‘18, confidently walk down Boylston Street in a black bucket hat with the word “bitch” in a Barbie-esque font ironically printed on it and head-to-toe monochrome is no longer shocking.

“Eventually, hopefully, fashion and athletic wear will melt together into one solid thing,” says Barnes. “Athletic wear is so comfortable and breathable, so I see it coming together in one industry.”

Barnes is a subscriber to the Health Goth trend. Besides her uber-trendy wardrobe, Barnes keeps up with the intense wellness lifestyle of Health Goths. “I started getting into the style over the summer because I was keeping a really strict dietary and work-out schedule,” says Barnes.

Health Goth. It sounds like an oxymoron, but it is in fact the second most Googled fashion trend of 2014, according to A Year in Search Google report. “Normcore” was number one, but that’s probably because people had no idea where to even start with that trend.

Perhaps the most appropriate place to start is Google itself. The Health Goth craze started with simple image sharing on Tumblr and Facebook. A futuristic black Adidas sneaker floating in front of a white background. An impossibly sleek carbon bicycle in a lacquered black studio. The stream of these photos and others like it created an online, and then eventually real life community.

Those loyal to the Health Goth trend represent modern angst and rebellion. Think if Hot Topic were to get out of their awkward, still-has-baby-fat middle school years and started college. Health Goths are polished and fit, but they still live by the motto of “all black everything.” There

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FROM LEFT: BRA, LULU LEMON. PANTS & JACKET, STYLIST’S OWN. SHOES, DOC MARTENS. SHIRT, STUSSY. SHORTS & SHOES, MODEL’S OWN.

is so much more to the movement than black cropped sports tops and leather joggers, though. The Health Goth lifestyle is broken down into three things: Fashion, Wellness, and Social Media.

FASHION: Health Goths are dedicated to labels like Alexander Wang, Helmut Lang, and Rick Owens. A resurgence of household brands like Adidas and Nike add to the sportswear chic aesthetic that Health Goths love.

Mesh, moisture-wicking fabrics, transparent paneling, chains and light corporal adornment are all key components of Health Goth fashion.

Wang has especially made the trend accessible to the general public and been a huge influence on the trend.

The designer, known for his futuristic fashion, put out monochrome, mesh-paneled trousers and cropped scuba tops with the simple “WANG” logo across the chest for a collaboration with H&M. Leather basketball shorts and suede button downs also made the cut.

For the everyday Health Goth, Barnes recommends outsourcing online retailers like Nasty Gal and Doll’s Kill.

H&M and Urban Outfitters are also on the Health Goth’s radar.

WELLNESS: Johnny Love, also known as DJ Deathface, is the self-proclaimed leader of the Health Goth subculture and has subsequently created “The Bible.”

The text is a far cry from the Old and New Testaments, however. It’s titled “The #HealthGoth Fitness Bible” and it reads similar to cult guidelines. “Workout till you feel like death,” and “Do the full exercise,” are in bold red letters. The Chicago-based DJ and fitness enthusiast even breaks it down for Health Goths and Health Gothettes, if

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you will. For men: “Don’t skip leg day,” and for women, “Don’t be afraid to lift weights.” Health Goths have a very specific body: lean and muscular. This is not only due to their rigorous gym-rat-like tendencies, but also because they have the dietary habits of that kid in your class who was allergic to virtually everything.

On carbs, Love tells his followers, “Stop eating whatever you cannot make in your own kitchen, period.” He suggests replacing anything that you can’t cook with a green vegetable.

Health Goths start their day with vitamins and lots of them: calcium, acai, fish oil and fiber supplements, to name a few. Breakfast is usually composed of an apple for protein, a cup of blackberries for antioxidants, and half a banana for natural potassium intake. Small snacks throughout the day keep Health Goths ready for their next workout. Forget about potato chips and Cliff Bars, though. The typical diet consists of low-fat cottage cheese, rice cakes, peanut butter, and more fruit and veggies.

SOCIAL MEDIA: In 2013, Mike Grabarek and Jeremy

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Scott, of electro-R&B duo Magic Fades, and video artist Chris Cantino founded the Facebook page “Health Goth” to curate a community with the images that inspire the lifestyle. Portland, Oregon was at the forefront of the cyberpunk movement, which is no surprise—hipsters and techies unite in the Northwest corner of the United States.

Health Goth is primarily driven by social media. Often times, it’s referred to as a hashtag: #HealthGoth or #HG. It was born on the Internet and continues to grow there.

The trend is no longer limited to sites like Facebook and Tumblr like it was two years ago. Sites like Soundcloud and Spotify facilitate music sharing and creating, mainly for workout playlists. DJ Deathface endorses artists like Starkey, Mixhell, and Black Asteroid on his website.

All trends come to an end eventually. However, Health Goth seems to be defeating all trend odds, mainly because of its seamless transition into other lifestyle aspects. People like Barnes walk down the street all the time, and no one even looks twice. Health Goths aren’t outlandish or unpredictable anymore, so maybe the undead, gym-rat look is here to stay. em

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wo )MENSWEAR

(

A POPULAR TREND DEFIES THE CONVENTIONAL WAY OF DRESSING TEXT BY MIA ZARRELLA

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omen’s fashion is not mini skirts and skimpy tops, though it might imply such images. Growing up, the media subliminally taught us that prominent or desirable women wear dresses, while men wear pants.

Recently, the fashion industry has been making big moves that are dispelling such typecasts.

In 1977, Diane Keaton, the queen of turtlenecks and tuxedos, portrayed the ditzy Annie in Woody Allen’s film Annie Hall. Annie is considered the archetypal tomboy, sporting ties, high-waisted wide-leg trousers, and loose-fitting button downs, all with a feminine grace. She demonstrated androgyny in not her personality, but her wardrobe. Because of that film, boyish fashion almost trended, but dissipated into neon leotards, fishnets, and larger than life teased hair. It wasn’t until 1993 when women could wear pants on the Senate floor. And now we have power suit women Hillary Clinton and Leslie Knope.

Tomboy fashion started small, with pants, and is growing exponentially as of recently. “I think because of society blurring the lines of sexuality, people are starting to feel more and more comfortable just wearing the clothing they like rather than the clothes they like within their confined gender,” said Emerson freshman Elizabeth “Steezy” Steele.

Men’s sweatshirts and large T-shirts are now being presented as dresses. Not to mention that loafers and Oxfords have gradually replaced the ballet flat as a women’s shoe staple. J. Crew is now selling Nikes and New Balance sneakers—exhibiting that if men can wear cushy flats regularly so can women, and still look good. Unisex shoes like Dr. Martens and Timberlands are becoming staples for females too, now. And stilettos are being substituted for a chunky heel this year showing stylish sensibility.

“If you’ve seen Begin Again, Keira Knightley’s costume was all men’s clothing, men’s oxfords, blazers, high-waisted trousers with belts,” said Emerson freshman Sophie Peters-Wilson.

The “boyfriend jean,” dubbed as such to acknowledge that girls might prefer their boyfriend’s comfortable, slouchy jeans with real pockets, instead of their skin-tight jeans with faux pockets. Another unisex style is joggers, which feature a drop-crotch, a style historically for men. Bootcut and wide-leg pants are also making a comeback. Annie would be happy about this pant-revolution.

“All the websites online will be identifying products as ‘boyfriend jeans,’ ‘boyfriend sweaters,’ ‘boyfriend

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this,’ ‘boyfriend that.’ It’s almost weird to call it a boyfriend cut. Why can’t it just be an oversized sweater for a female? It’s almost kind of sexist,” said Peters-Wilson.

“I think when I first started going into the men’s section I was stared at a lot and that was something uncomfortable that I had to overcome,” Steele said. “I would have appreciated it there were more options in the women’s section.”

During New York Fashion Week the short hair trend that has been sweeping Hollywood hit the runway. An overwhelming number of models had their hair cut short, slicked back in a ponytail, or pinned underneath.

Alexander Wang’s menacing show presented his female models in hulking, platform shoes. Countless pantsuits, bulky coats, and heavy blazers were adorned on his gothic runway, as well. Imagine Cinderella wearing the edgy pantsuit and loafers Kristen Stewart wore at the Stella McCartney Autumn 2015 presentation.

Hard to picture, I know.

Kanye West revealed his relatively epicene Adidas Original fashion line at NYFW. His models sported very urban, comfortable attire with a neutral color palette making his line resemble combat attire. The female models marched with long overcoats, baseball jackets, and oversized sweatshirts.

Carolina Herrera’s NYFW show demonstrated that boxy blazers and straight-leg trousers can still be feminine, if not just comfortable and practical. And when paired with flats—it’s an outfit for the common woman—no gimmicks.

“We are seeing them explore different territory,” Peters-Wilson said. Skirts are rebelling against the mini, pants are widening at the hem, and girls are wearing boots that are actually made for walking. The industry is catering to the everyday girl.

The growing acceptance of gender neutrality along with the influx of female empowerment movements might be directly affecting fashion. Women are growing boundless in their expression, wearing what suits them most without concern of being rejected or criticized, representing their interior on their exterior.

“I didn’t make friends or become a social person until I started dressing like myself. Everything about me changed when I decided to start wearing baggy pants.

It was a complete acceptance of myself,” Steele said.

Fashion is not about dressing to conform to society’s typecast of your gender. That is one way how recent empowerment movements are manifesting in women’s wardrobes. These are strides in female culture. And striding is always easier with pants. em

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medium

THE INFANTILE

IMITATING FILM IN A DIGITAL AGE

FROM LEFT: TOP, KENZO AT RICCARDI. PANTS, KLZ AT RICCARDI. JACKET, SHIRT, SHORTS, VIVIENNE WESTWOOD AT RICCARDI.

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY EVAN WALSH AND NOUR BASAAD STYLED BY BLYTHE BRUWER AND ANDREA2015 FERNANDEZ EM MAGAZINE | SPRING

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he first photo processes, discovered between 1826 and 1841, began to carve a place for a fresh visual culture in the art world. With these innovations, Nicéphore Niépce, Louis Daguerre, and William Henry Fox Talbot jumpstarted a medium that began to oppose a prevailing artist milieu derived from masters of past millennia. The pressures of art to follow the painterly way, the high-class aristocratic exclusivity of the viewing experience, and preconceived notions of beauty challenged photographers of the 1800s to forge a place for this new mode of art.

The public by no means had easy access to photography in its humble beginnings. The processes and patents rested with the rich, whose wealth and prominence gave them the funding and time to shoulder an expensive, highly scientific process. But similarly to the Internet and the digital machines of our time, improvements in technology both greatly cheapened and expanded the reach of the practice.

Nearly 180 years later, the medium of the “now,” photography, pervades everything we know. Two centuries of photos have withstood fluctuation and redefining: newer techniques replaced the methods of the 1800s, and the days of the “negative” have faded like an old daguerreotype print.

Ruled by images, our society stares down a vital crossroad. As the prevalence of Film dwindles, Digital seeks to hold its brazen, newborn head high. There’s a controversy, however, with the way we have revered Digital: often considered unique and revolutionary, it has no identity to call its own. With Film as its mother, Digital still has yet to come of age. Like an infant learning its first words, Digital mirrors what Film has been doing for years.

This connection appears most in editing. Popular applications like Instagram, Photoshop, VSCO, Afterlight, and Lightroom (opposed to “darkroom”) commonly are used to make Digital photos look like Film.

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Think of Instagram. From light leaks to muted tones, from red haze filters and vignettes, IG attempts to mirror a cross-processed, “vintage” look of analog. Cropped in squares reminiscent of a 6x6 medium format frame, it popularizes a new “order” for the digital image (an order that isn’t actually new at all).

Then there’s VSCO filters. Widely used as a media-sharing platform and an editing software by iPhoneographers and Photographers alike, VSCO pulls exclusively from the styles of old films. Filter names like “Portra 400 NC,” “Fuji Superia 1600,” or “Ilford Delta 3200” comprise the registry for their “Classic Films” pack, each one tailored to make the photograph resemble each respective film. Priced at $119, many photographers view these filters as invaluable to their editing process.

With Photoshop manipulations, too, many forget that analog photographers often could change physical appearance, exposure, physics and basic reality in the darkroom. Words like “dodge” and “burn, or “folder” and “file” come from analog editing and archiving—the qualities we attribute so readily to Digital were actually hallmarks of Film too.

As American visual consumers of art, we seem to be so desperate to hold onto the aesthetic of Film, but care little of watching it deteriorate. Major photo stores like Calumet Photographic have closed their doors forever. CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and other pharmacies have too phased out their developing in many stores across the nation.

There is no denying, though, that digital has blessed the photographic world today. What started in the 1800s as an assertion of subculture from aristocratic amateurs, fighting for recognition and inured by the eyes of haughty art connoisseurs glaring down their backs, has been reinvented. To the painterly traditionalists who dared scoff at photography, the millions of photos posted per week glare

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back at their laughter with pity. We have reclaimed the already-once reclaimed; through the Internet and social media, photography today can be done and shared by all, and clearly is the medium of the “now.”

This convenience, however, comes at a price.

The feeling of the darkroom—the glory of that tactile experience—is at stake. In our future, that experience will be all but memories, practices that no photograph can recount: I will remember fumbling in the dark with can-openers, simultaneously loving and hating the way the bleachy smell of fixer just radiated through my clothes, and obsessing over every detail from corner to corner to corner to corner. I will remember how much every shot mattered, and how meaningful a print would be when I toiled over it and thought about every little detail.

“I fell in love with the process of taking [analog] pictures, ”renowned Magnum photographer Alec Soth said in an interview with Aaron Schuman. To Soth, the experience consists of the framing, the chemicals, the fixation on perfection, and the nomadic, contemplative wandering that Digital strips from photography.

With near-infinite button clicks and no price tag attached, what will happen to our way of seeing? Even more, how can we glorify a medium that still crawls in the shadow of its parent? Without identity, our new medium has no principle except to emulate its predecessor, and in this infantile imitation, drains Film of all its life. em

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SKIRT AND SHIRT, KENZO AT RICCARDI. SHOES, MODEL’S OWN

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TRANSCENDING TRENDS FASHION OF NOW, A DECADELESS MOVEMENT

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL THORPE STYLED BY BLYTHE BRUWER AND ANDREA FERNANDEZ, CHEROTICH CHEMWENO, ELIZA PADDEN

JACKET, APC. TOP, IRO AT THE TANNERY. JEANS AND SHOES, MODEL’S OWN.

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SHIRT, THE TANNERY. JACKET, APC AT THE TANNERY, PANTS & SHOES, MODELS OWN.

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JACKET, VEDA AT THE TANNERY. TOP, IRO. JEANS AND SHOES, STYLIST’S OWN.

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DRESS, OPENING CEREMONY AT THE TANNERY. SHOES, STYLIST’S OWN.

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JACKET, VEDA AT THE TANNERY. DRESS, NOAM HANOCH AT THE TANNERY.

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FASHION

predators PHOTOGRAPHY BY LACHLAN TOWLE

STYLED BY BLYTHE BRUWER AND ANDREA FERNANDEZ

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SWEATSHIRT AND PANTS, KENZO AT RICCARDI. SHOES STYLIST’S OWN.

61

SHIRT AND SHORTS, SACAI AT RICCARDI.

62

EM MAGAZINE | SPRING 2015

DRESS, DEMASIADO BAZAAR AT CACAO SHOWROOM. NECKLACE, BAYA CACAO SHOWROOM.

TOP, HOOD BY AIR AT RICCARDI. PANTS, VIVIENNE WESTWOOD AT RICCARDI.

64

EM MAGAZINE | SPRING 2015

obsessed

TECH

blinded by the brightness of the screen

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DUSTIN TAN

68

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70

EM MAGAZINE | SPRING 2015

UNDERSTATED UNDERRATED

not

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAUREN CABANAS ONLINE ARTICLE BY MIA ZARRELLA

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EM MAGAZINE | SPRING 2015

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, JACKET, VEDA AT THE TANNERY. DENIM SHIRT, APC AT THE TANNERY. SHIRT, APC AT THE TANNERY.

73

SKIRT, TESS GIBERSON AT THE TANNERY.

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JACKET, MONCLER AT THE TANNERY. SHIRT, 3.1 PHILLIP LIM AT THE TANNERY. PANTS, STYLIST’S OWN.

EM MAGAZINE | SPRING 2015

75

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EM MAGAZINE | SPRING 2015

77

JEANS, GENETIC AT THE TANNERY.

iridescent

FEELING

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CARINA ALLEN

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EM MAGAZINE | SPRING 2015

79

82

EM MAGAZINE | SPRING 2015

AMERICAN APPAREL

EM MAGAZINE | SPRING 2015

85

86

EM MAGAZINE | SPRING 2015

74

EM MAGAZINE | SPRING 2015