Music ‘n Musings

Opinion Editor: Phoebe Mawi

Don’t be scared to embrace change Column by Rachel Bayler, Print Managing Editor

Scan here to listen to James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain.” “

”Been walking my mind to an easy time my back turned towards the sun/ Lord knows when the cold wind blows it’ll turn your head around -James Taylor, from “Fire and Rain”

There’s something about James Taylor that just automatically soothes me whenever I listen to him sing. He has a very soft, tender, acoustic sound that immediately makes me think of the warm summer sun and traveling through the mountains. I wouldn’t call myself a major fan by any means, seeing as I only listen to about three of his songs, and even then I have to be in a specific mood to really enjoy them. But something about his music and poetic lyrics makes me want to simply sigh, sit back and enjoy the view of life around me.

My favorite song of his by far is “Fire and Rain.” Released in 1970 at a turbulent time in his life during a tough battle with drug addiction and the death of a friend, it’s a song of reflection. He looks back on his life and the lives of his friends, and when I listen to it, I just can’t stop myself from joining in on the self-reflection. It may be about his own life and struggles, but it resonates across individual experiences. I can’t think of a better song for the end of the first month of the year. Every

January, hopeful souls make New Year’s resolutions, planning on making changes in the next year in order to somehow improve. Inevitably, the majority of these resolutions fall through by the end of the month, but I still consider January the month of self-improvement, where one reflects on what did or didn’t work in the past year and tries to bring into the new year only the things that will encourage success.

2019 was definitely a year of growth for me. Every year has highs and lows, but it feels like last year was especially meant to foster positive strengthening, whether it was emotionally, mentally or spiritually.

For the longest time, I think I was “walking my mind to an easy time,” never really trying too hard to grow or step outside of my comfort zone because it was just that: comfortable. But time waits for no man, and as Taylor so beautifully puts it, “Lord knows, when the cold wind blows, it’ll turn your head around.” That “cold wind” really knocked some sense into me, so I really tried to work on myself and do some introspection so that I could become a better, more wellrounded person by December. “I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain,” each in their own turn, but I sincerely think that I’m better for it. People, events and experiences from last year have all brought me up to this point, and I hope to improve on this growth in 2020. “There’s just a few things coming my way this time around” this year, and it can be the same way for everyone. Change is scary, but it’s a necessary evil. This is especially important to keep in mind during high school, where it feels like everything is changing. Maturing and intentionally trying to become a better person is difficult, but with personal growth comes a positive outlook. There may be a little fire and rain along the way, but it’s all worth it. Make 2020 the year of personal growth.

Adam D r i v e r Snow c o m i n g Super B o w l L I V The n e w H S M s e r i e s

L a c k o f d a y l i g h t S c h o l a r s h i p d e a d l i n e s “ Y u m m y ” b y J u s t i n B i e b e r S t a n d a r d i z e d t e s t s

My hair, my choice

More people should encourage destimatizing body hair

By Elizabeth Valadez, Features Editor

I grew up thinking that my body was gross. Not because of the extra fat on it or the weird pimples, but simply because of the hair that grew on me. Little 9-year-old me started to hate my legs when I was only in the third grade because I realized I had some pretty dark and long hair on them. It’s funny that at such a young age I could develop so much hatred for something completely natural that I had no control over.

I hated this part of me, though, because it’s been instilled in me since before I can remember that body hair is wrong, gross and should be removed at all costs. I’ve been taught that men can have any amount of body hair they’d like, but women can’t. These ideals of body hair and its removal have plagued our world. I’m not here to tell anyone what to do with their body or the hair that grows on it. But we have to be more conscious of why we’re shaving or waxing, rather than doing it because it’s the sexist societal standard in place.

Body hair is natural. Everyone has it. So why isn’t it viewed the same way across the board? If women have an amount of body hair that’s deemed excessive, they are labeled as gross and unhygienic. But if a man has the same amount, they’re perfectly normal.

I now couldn’t care less about the hair that’s on my body. I’ve grown a lot since third grade and have seen the unfair treatment of women over something so simple. One woman told Helathline, a general health guide, that “No one has body hair in the media. You grow up thinking that’s normal and easily attainable.” Not only have I experienced this lack of representation of body hair in the media, I’ve also been told by plenty of people in my life that not shaving for weeks or even months is disgusting. But at this point, I’ve learned to just let it go.

If we would all stop letting society dictate our lifestyle, this would not be an issue. We have to stop telling ourselves that being all natural is wrong. No one tells vegans that they’re disgusting for eating the healthiest of foods, so why am I disgusting if I don’t shave for a couple weeks?

Trust me, I’m no stranger to hair removal. I love the feeling of having smooth legs and underarms. I recently used Nair and was ridiculed for that too. I’ve been told having hair is wrong, but apparently so is removing it, depending on the method. It’s like no matter what I do, there will always be this terrible stigma around the hair on my body. And there’s this stigma around being true to yourself, too, and body hair plays a role in that. People just can’t be happy when other people are living their best lives. I can live my best life with no hair on me other than my head and also still live that best life

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”If we would all stop letting society dictate our lifestyle, this would not be an issue. We have to stop telling ourselves that being all natural is wrong. when I look like Chewbacca. I remember shaving for the first time in fourth grade,because I felt like a caveman. Honestly, no childhood experience felt as freeing as that one. Something so simple made me just a little happier about the body I was in. But now I’ve grown, and both ends of the body hair spectrum can make me just a little happier, depending on my mood or the season, whatever the case may be.

Pressing hard on a razor will give you a closer shave. Waxing and shaving cannot cause ingrown hairs. Shaving can leave the skin dry and flaky. It is OK to shave without water.

Source: Gillete Venus