Volume 44 issue 16

Assault suspect in custody now

Hate brings out more support

UTM students in one-acts

All about caregiving

Olympic weightlifting

News, page 2

Opinion, page 4

Arts, page 5

Features, page 8

Sports, page 11

Protests held at St. George Tim Hortons Group Fight for $15 Fairness hosted a protest at Sidney Smith Hall in response to franchise cutbacks ALICIA BOATTO NEWS EDITOR

A national day of action was held at Tim Horton’s locations across Toronto in response to some franchise holders cutting breaks and health benefits of employees due to Ontario’s minimum wage increases. A protest held outside Sidney Smith Hall, hosted by a group named Fight for $15 Fairness, featured speeches by U of T students, alumni, and former Tim Hortons workers, urging the university to keep the breaks of and benefits for Tim Hortons’ employees.

“As students, we are all too much aware of the world of precarious and underpaid work that makes tuition a struggle and that awaits us when we graduate,” stated U of T philosophy student Julia DaSilva, who is also the organizer for the U of T branch of Fight for Fairness.

“That’s why it’s so important that students show up for campus workers in times like this. Because that

AIMEN ALI/THE MEDIUM

The group condemned the intents of Tim Hortons to cut back staff paid breaks and health benefits. same logic of austerity, the same claims that there isn’t enough to go around when we all know that there is, that same line of reason that al-

lows Tim Horton’s to get away with the scare tactics that they are using, that’s creating this dangerous precarious world that we are inheriting,”

said DaSilva.

The group shouted chants such as “Shame,” and “Hold the sugar hold the cream. Tim Hortons, don’t be

mean.”

Speeches criticized the heirs of the company, Ron Joyce Jr. and Jeri-Lynn Horton Joyce, for their intent to cut breaks in light of their large fortune.

“I used to be a U of T student and I remember how much I paid for tuition, which is why there were many summers when I was working a minimum wage job, sometimes three minimum wage jobs, to pay my own tuition. That is not acceptable in this province, no one should have to do that,” U of T alumni Angela Zhu stated.

According to the Went Canadian Centre for policy alternatives, the living wage for Toronto in 2017 was $17.52.

“That’s the least you can make to pay your rent, pay your bills and clothes and feed your kids. We’re only asking $14 dollars, that’s still a poverty wage, and apparently Tim Hortons still can’t even do that,” Zhu said.

Protest continued on page 3

U of T ups Ph.D. enrolment from Mexico 150 Ph.D. students from Mexico will recieve funding to come to U of T in collaboration with CONACyT ALICIA BOATTO NEWS EDITOR The University of Toronto will collaborate with Mexico’s National Council of Science and Technology (CONACyT) in order to bring 150 Ph.D. students to the university over the next five years.

The collaboration came after the university’s vice-president international, Edward Sargent, visited Mexico in September 2017, trying to build U of T’s brand.

Sargent stated that U of T and CONACyT have worked together in the past and that this was an opportunity to strengthen their relationship.

U of T currently has only 30 Ph.D. students studying from Mexico.

“We had a flow, and this is the opportunity to expand the flow as opposed to starting from scratch,” Sargent explained. “Another reason is that in today’s turbulent times, where the future of NAFTA is not certain, a lot of people in Canada and Mexico feel that one of the responses to that

JILLIAN SEGOVIA/THE MEDIUM

U of T is expanding on the current enrolment of 30 Ph.D. students from Mexico. reality is to build direct ties between the two countries. There are many elements to that, including economic ones. But also cultural ones, academic

ones. So, the exchange of people back and forth between the two nations we think has the benefit of bringing the two countries closer together.”

Sargent stated that while the university is “very active” in other countries, this deal provided the opportunity to build upon an existing

dynamic, while simultaneously generating more research opportunities.

“We’re really interested in having our Ph.D. students represent a really diverse group. So, we’re interested in having doctoral students and undergraduate students from all around the world,” continued Sargent, “We think it enriches everybody’s experience to have a global representation of researchers in labs and collaborating on projects and that’s a big motive in recruiting doctoral students from Mexico. I think it will enhance the research environment and the cultural learning environment of the university.”

U of T has placed a strong focus on raising the number of graduate and Ph.D. students in recent years, in order to expand the research at the university.

While CONACyT is named for their focus on science and technology, Sargent stated that this deal would encompass Ph.D. students from a variety of fields and programs.

Mexico continued on page 2

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«NEWS

THE MEDIUM 01.22.2018

Mexico deal benefits diverse fields

January 11th, 2018 Motor Vehicle Accident Campus Police attended P5 crosswalk for two pedestrians that were struck by a motor vehicle. Peel Police also attended.

January 15th, 2018 Suspicious Person.

Campus Police attended residence for a female soliciting food.

January 12th, 2018 Motor Vehicle Accident Campus Police attended Collegeway

and Mississauga Road for a motor vehicle accident. The vehicle was in the ditch and towed off campus.

January 16th, 2018 Police Information Campus Police were advised of a student causing a disturbance in a lecture. Person was GOA. January 17th, 2018 Suspicious Incident Posters were placed around the Davis building displaying inappropriate images. Posters were removed.

These reports are those that have been released to The Medium from Campus Police and do not necessarily constitute an exhaustive list.

Students can contact the UTM Campus Police at 905 828 5200, Peel Regional Police at 905 453 3311, or Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222 8477.

Assault suspect has been arrested

PAWEL MIGDAL/THE MEDIUM

The program will support scholars across all disciplines interested in studying at U of T. Mexico continued from cover “CONACyT supports scholars across all disciplines and this program will, as well. So, if a wonderful doctorate candidate from Mexico is interested in doing a Ph.D. in Philosophy at U of T, they can apply to this program and have a solid chance, as long as they’re a terrific student.”

The announcement of U of T and CONACyT collaborating comes at a time when the university announced waived international fees for Ph.D. students.

Ph.D. students now coming to the university will be paying similar fees to what domestic students currently pay.

According to Sargent, the saving and reduction of the fees would permit Ph.D. students, including the students from CONACyT, to focus more on research, to enjoy life in Toronto, and to support themselves in a new city.

“It’s wonderful to continually grow the global diversity of doctoral scholars, and now, CONACyT’s contribution will go even further,” he

said.

Sargent also stated that while the agreement with CONACyT focuses on bringing students to Toronto, the university does offer opportunities for students gaining an experience abroad in their field.

For students interested in studying abroad, both the St. George and the UTM campuses have centres, such as UTM abroad, that provide students with information and opportunities to study in other countries.

Get Hired fair sees big success The annual event saw large student and employer turnout

YASMEEN ALKOKA/THE MEDIUM AIMEN ALI/THE MEDIUM

Campus Police did not specify if charges were laid.

TANISHA KUMAR

A second community alert was sent out last Tuesday stating that in collaboration with the Peel Regional Police, the University of Toronto Mississauga Campus Police identified and arrested off-campus the suspect of an alleged sexual assault, that took place on January 11.

The Campus Police had sent out an initial community alert on January 12, notifying everyone of an alleged sexual assault that took place on the January 11.

They described the suspect as a South Asian male with a long untrimmed beard, who wore an olivegreen jacket, black toque, black jog-

ging pants, and carried a black duffel bag. They estimated him to be of 30 years of age and asked anyone who saw him, or been approached by him, to contact Campus Police immediately.

Campus Police did not specify approximately what time the assault occurred, or if the victim sustained injuries.

The suspect is being held in custody and is not a student at the University of Toronto.

Students lined the aisles to network with diverse employers.

MELISSA BARRIENTOS

The Career Centre hosted over 80 organizations in their annual Get Hired: Summer and Full Time job fair at the RAWC, in Gym A/B last Wednesday, generating a higher attendance of both UTM students and organizations than last year.

As digital platforms, such as LinkedIn, have taken over traditional recruitment processes, the student need for a larger number of prospective employers has become a priority at the Career Centre.

“The fair is a great way for students to learn about organizations that they would like to work for,” said Jelena Vulic, the Career Centre’s event and employment services coordinator, “We strive to create a meaningful opportunity where stu-

dents can further explore careers and learn how to align their passions, academics, and future career goals.”

Over 80 companies took part in this year’s fair making it the largest turnout in the past several years.

There was a wide variety of organizations that attended this year’s Get Hired fair for UTM students, which were divided by academic field. There was a strong emphasis on computer science and marketing.

They featured opportunities at FDM Group Canada and other opportunities at TD Bank Group.

With 17 academic departments and 156 programs at UTM, the Career Centre has taken into account the challenges that arise from the changing digital world, and is moving forward to adjust to the change, according to Vulic.

“We are aware that many organizations are moving away from traditional recruitment avenues, such as fairs, so it’s always a fun challenge to come up with ways to keep these employers engaged and help our students connect,” said Vulic, The Career Centre will continue to open opportunities for students to explore possible career options with their upcoming Humanities and Social Sciences Career Night on February 1st , that will feature ten professionals with degrees in the humanities and social sciences.

01.22.2018 THE MEDIUM NEWS

International Ph.D. fees lessened U of T’s international Ph.D. students will only pay domestic fees

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»THOUGHTS ON THE GET HIRED FAIR?

Tracy Mandiangu 1st year, Life Sciences

Kevin Hua 1st year, Comp. Sci.

“There are a lot of different job opportunities that I didn’t know about.”

“It’s useful to research different companies.”

Adam Natale 5th year, Comp. Sci.

Anastasia Tikhovskaya 1st year, Psychology

“It’s a great opportunity to put a face to a resume.”

“The fair’s cool because it shows you specific opportunities in your field.”

STEPHEN LIU/THE MEDIUM

International students typically pay twice the tuition fees compared to domestic students.

FATIMA WASIF ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

Beginning fall of 2018, the University of Toronto’s international Ph.D. students will pay domestic fees. The move comes in an effort to make doctoral education at the university more accessible to non-domestic students.

“The existing students are also going to be impacted by this change,” stated Joshua Barker, dean of the School of Graduate Studies in an interview with The Medium. “I mean in many cases, Ph.D. students going from year two to three are still within the funding package which doesn’t cover the cost of tuition fees. But when they exit the funding cohort, maybe at the end of their fifth year or sixth year, they will now not have to pay back higher fees out of pocket.”

International students, both at the undergraduate and graduate level, pay significantly higher fees and tuition than Canadian students for the same programs. According to U of T’s website, international undergraduate students in the arts and science paid upwards of $45,000 in 2017, while domestic undergraduate students paid just under $10,000.

“One of the reasons we needed to get this metric out is that we would like students who are considering U of T to enter into the program in 2017-18. To know this change is happening because it may change their thinking about which institution they would like to attend,” Barker continued.

According to Baker, no changes to the program’s application process is expected to take place.

“For a long time, we’ve had great interest in growing accessibility for

international students in our programs,” continued Baker, “Our Ph.D. research stream students already receive funding packages. But it is quite difficult for students who are pursuing a Ph.D., which requires a lot of investment of time and money.

When they come out of their funding packages, they get a higher tuition bill than domestic students. So we’re interested in levelling the playing field at that stage in their program.”

U of T is interested in increasing the number of graduate students coming to the university in order to stimulate more research opportunities for the school.

While this change to international Ph.D. fees is expected to be permanent, the university has not disclosed any current plans to change fees for international undergraduate students.

Group claims $14 is still a poverty wage

Demolition in Davis begins All three phases of the project will be completed fall 2019

YASMEEN ALKOKA/THE MEDIUM

All current food vendors will remain open through the duration of the project.

ALICIA BOATTO NEWS EDITOR Demolition of the William G. Davis meeting place and former registrar’s office are currently taking place, with half of the meeting place blocked off by scaffolding and construction material. It is expected to be completed by the end of February, at which time the design will begin to be constructed.

The renovations are expected to be completed in three phases, with phase 1 focusing on updating the communal meeting place near Tim Hortons and the old registrar office

which should be completed by fall of 2018. Phase 2 will be the Temporary Food court (TFC) undergoing construction with the food vendors from TFC, moving into the newly updated meeting place.

All food locations are expected to be operational throughout the renovations in order to continue to serve students.

The proposed plans are expected to expand seating in the building to accommodate approximately 900 seats to better serve the growing UTM population.

Phase three will feature an updated main entrance to the Davis

building. The proposed design sees an updated and more level staircase to make the building more accessible. The project design also shows a raised roof, updated exterior and a new external canopy.

The finished project will feature ten new food vendors and an updated entrance to the building. The updated entrance is meant to reduce the amount of traffic flow outside of the building to accommodate personal vehicles and the bus routes.

The entirety of the renovations are expected to be finished by September 2019.

STEVE RUSSELL/THE STAR

Fight for $15 Fairness used various chants during their protest.

Protest continued from cover “Tim Hortons is essentially saying that these workers do not deserve to be able to afford to put a roof over their heads and I think that’s disgusting.”

The protest was also attended by local labour union Cope Ontario.

News broke on January 3rd that heirs to the Tim Hortons franchise, who manage a location in Cobourg Ontario, claimed they were implementing the cutbacks in order to accommodate the minimum wage increase to $14. Those reports have

sparked protests and boycotts of the chain throughout the province.

U of T Students, alumni and former workers chanted “Shame,” in response to Tim Hortons cutbacks in Ontario.

Tim Hortons workers across the U of T campuses are unionized and are not expected to be impacted by any cutbacks.

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01.22.2018

MASTHEAD EDITORS Editor-in-Chief Mahmoud Sarouji editor@themedium.ca Managing Editor Menna Elnaka managing@themedium.ca News Alicia Boatto news@themedium.ca A&E Kassandra Hangdaan arts@themedium.ca Features Mahnoor Ayub features@themedium.ca Sports Vanessa Cesario sports@themedium.ca — Photo Olivia Adamczyk photos@themedium.ca Design Mirabelle Eze design@themedium.ca Copy Ayesha Tak copy@themedium.ca Online Meg Sharpley online@themedium.ca ASSOCIATES News Fatima Wasif A&E TBA Features TBA Sports Amrish Wagle Photo Chen Gong Copy TBA GENERAL STAFF Webmaster Florence Cao web@themedium.ca Distribution Manager Alison Ross distribution@themedium.ca Ads Manager Mayank Sharma ads@themedium.ca Cartoonist Anthony Labonté COPYRIGHTS All content printed in The Medium is the sole property of its creators, and cannot be used without written consent.

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Trump’s hatred unleashes support Muslims are being positively portrayed in entertaining media; could Trump be the reason?

This week, L’Oreal Paris starred a hijab-wearing model for a new hair campaign. The model, a British YouTuber and beauty blogger, Amena Khan, is shown in the ad saying: “Whether or not your hair is on display, doesn’t affect how much you care about it.” Ever since I saw the ad, my mind has been flashing to the number of women wearing hijabs that are being shown in ads, movies, shows, and even music videos. Even though L’Oreal’s campaign is based in Paris, all I thought about was that Trump’s hatred and behavior toward Muslims is the reason behind this. In my mind, Trump’s hatred fuels the notion that that with a greater attempt to spread hatred, you’ll find; more support toward what you’re hating on.

Let me begin by giving some examples. Grey’s Anatomy, a show that’s been on for almost 13 or 14 years now has only recently started showing hijab-wearing nurses and in the latest season, there is an intern wearing a hijab. Prison Break, when it came back for a short fifth season last year, they showed two sides of Muslims. One side were the “true Muslims,” moderate, tolerant,

and helpful. Then, there are the socalled Muslims: the extremists and terrorists. I remember in one of the episodes when a woman wearing a hijab encountered an ISIS soldier, he praised her for wearing the hijab, saying something similar to, “I see you’ve finally found your way to God” and in response, all she said was “Not your God.” I was so fascinated to see this on screen, knowing that it never happens in Hollywood, to show that Muslims aren’t just terrorists. There was a music video for John Legend’s “Surefire” which portrayed a story of a hijab-wearing woman, who falls in love with an immigrant at risk of deportation. Huge campaigns by Cover Girl and Nike have starred models wearing hijabs as well. There are many other forms of media portraying Muslims as, not terrorists, not extremists, not dangerous, but as regular humans living their lives.

Through the Media and Politics course that I took at UTM, I learned that everything we see on screen or read has a message, whether intentional or unintentional. With that in mind, you’ll start noticing how everything has a political message in-

corporated within it. From animated movies to novels, there’s an embedded political message within these art forms.

Since Trump was elected, he has been spreading hatred toward other religions and cultures, particularly Islam. He espouses islamophobic ideologies. At first, it really worried me that the entire U.S., if not the entire world, would follow in his footsteps and do the same. However, I’m noticing that the opposite is happening. When Trump tried to ban seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S. last year, protests happened across the world in support for these people, claiming that Trump was aiming to execute a Muslim ban. When Trump associates Muslims with terrorism, instead of people agreeing with him, they began to include Muslims even more by portraying Islam in Hollywood movies, shows, songs, and ads.

Groups around the world are now fighting against Islamophobia.

A simple rule that I believe in is that the more you attempt to oppress people, abolish an idea, or spread hate, the more backlash you’ll get.

People don’t like being oppressed.

Even if they don’t publicly speak about it, there is a great chance they are waiting for any opportunity to join others and voice their opinions.

Oppression leads to freedom— eventually. So maybe the hate that one of the biggest countries in the world is trying to spread right now, will actually result in more support.

Although it’s very possible that Muslims continue to be stigmatized by news, maybe hope will still persist with the many forms of entertainment media currently portraying the positive sides of Muslims. Maybe these positive messages will end up being stronger than the negative voices of the news and prominent politicians.

You can’t succeed at spreading hate. If you want, you can mobilize and find people who hate like you do.

However, there will always be waves of support for the oppressed.

MENNA ELNAKA MANAGING EDITOR

CORRECTION NOTICE The Jan. 15 article “Apologizing through song” has been corrected.

It’s time to decentralize the PM’s power Does the PM have too much power? A deeper look into the Canadian system The results of the Samara 2012 Citizens’ Survey revealed a decline of democratic satisfaction among Canadian citizens. Such results indicate that the quality of Canadian democracy is deteriorating. One reason for such a deficit is the excessive powers bestowed upon the PM. It has been argued that it is undemocratic for the PM to possess certain powers of control over the House— and this is particularly salient in cases of a minority government. Indeed, the PM exercises significant control over the operations within the House of Commons: the PM may summon, prorogue and dissolve Parliament, as well as designate certain matters as votes of confidence. The PM’s ability to control the House is strongest when he enjoys a majority government in Parliament—given that he is justifiably assured that a majority of MPs will vote to approve his legislative proposals. However, this power to control is not diminished by a minority government. For example, Harper’s 2006 minority government won more seats in the House than the Liberals (124 to 103) but clearly not a majority (out of 338 seats). Yet, this did not diminish Harper’s control

over the House. According to the unwritten constitution, as PM, Harper became the head of government, and, hence, is entitled to the previously aforementioned ways of controlling Parliament. Since it has already been argued that PMs of majority government have too much control, then it seems especially inappropriate for a PM of a minority government, who lacks a majority of voter approval (a fundamental democratic tenet), to possess such control.

In rebuttal, political science professor Peter Aucoin posits in Democratizing the Constitution: Reforming Responsible Government, this concentration of power in the PM may actually be a strength of the Westminster model and democracy by promoting efficiency. The government’s power of controlling the House stems from its ability to retain votes of confidence. As W.T. Stansbury notes, even minority governments can thus provide “efficient governance” by being supported by opposition party votes.

For instance, Harper’s 2006 minority government allowed him to function as if he had a majority. In May 2006, Harper easily passed a government budget including tax and GST cuts by

garnering the NDP’s support on votes of confidence. In a way, excessive concentration of power, supported by the PM’s ability to pass votes of confidence, allows the PM to execute his decisions definitively and efficiently.

However, I agree with Robert Martin, who, in Crosscurrents: Contemporary Political Issues, gives an alternative suggestion that excessive prime ministerial power may be more so a weakness, rather than a strength, of the Westminster model. This is because the lack of explicit rules in Canada’s unwritten constitution leaves it open to exploitation by the executive who may abuse it for his own partisan advantage. For instance, since the constitution does not specify PM term dates, this permitted PM Chretien to call two snap elections in 1997 and 2000 to maximize the Liberal party’s chances of re-election. Chretien clearly abused the system for his own partisan advantage, but it is the pitfall of the subjective nature of the unwritten constitution for allowing it.

Another contested issue surrounding the PM’s power is the absence of effective constraints needed to hold him sufficiently responsible. Some may oppose to this by stating that the

opposition in the House does, in fact, provide effective constraint through their ability to propose motions of nonconfidence that may result in the removal of the government party.

However, in reply, the PM—especially if he heads a majority government— can easily circumvent such motions by ensuring that he always retains the confidence of the House through party discipline. MPs in the House, regardless of their party, have reasons to dissuade them from voting against the PM. First, the Canada Elections Act gives the PM power to approve MPs of his government and garnering such approval results in MP loyalty to the PM. Second, the PM also has the power to expel MPs from government caucuses. The possibility of expulsion serves as a deterrent for MPs seeking to defy the PM. Third, only the PM has the ability to personally speak with the Governor General and this may prove to be a disadvantage to the opposition. The PM has more opportunities to persuade the Governor General to execute the reserve powers of the Crown in his favor.

KASSANDRA HANGDAAN A&E EDITOR

01.22.2018

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So you think you can write a one-act?

EDSS presents four diverse one-act plays, composed by UTM students, in the Festival of One Acts PAULA CHO STAFF WRITER

The UTM English and Drama Student Society’s most recent production, Festival of One Acts, showcased four plays all written, directed, and performed by UTM students.

Directed by theatre studies major Muhaddisah Batool, the first play was titled “Beginning the Middle with the End.” The absurdist comedy depicted four people struggling with writer’s block when collaborating on their first novel. The actors distress over how to begin the narrative by generating dramatic statements and citing clichéd openings, such as “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

All the overthinking of a possible beginning humorously culminates with an anti-climactic “Once upon a time,” with each word held by one the four actors. I thought a strength in artistic direction with this play was how well the actors utilized the space onstage. The performance seemed full and professional in how the set was laid out and how the actors paced around. Crumpled

AIMEE PADILLO/THE MEDIUM

All four plays were written and directed by UTM students. pieces of paper and empty cans were scattered, making the set of frustrated writers look realistic.

The next play, “Addict’s Dream,” featured a parent-artist named Jason (Max Ackerman) with his friends and family, who worry about his well-being and the safety of his infant daughter Isabella. The script begins in a dream sequence where Jason dances with his ex-

lover and mother of his child. He jolts awake angry that it was only a dream. His friends and brother Marcus (Myles Botten) suddenly barge into his house, debating whether or not to stage an intervention with the spiraling Jason. They walk around his house, observe his new artwork, and are horrified at a surfaced drawing of his daughter.

Marcus later returns to argue with

Jason about his mental state. Jason reveals that Isabella’s mother committed suicide when he was out of the house and the drawing portrays what would have happened to his daughter had he not come back in time. With his grief no longer internalized, Jason agrees to quit his toxic addiction to his art, daughter, and ex-lover, and leaves for therapy with his brother. Apart from the

noteworthy storyline and acting, I thought the lighting in this play truly enhanced the performance.

The muted blue tones of the lighting at the start felt dreamlike. When Jason’s inner turmoil is portrayed, the stage filled with an urgent red hue.

“The Interview” depicts a mother, Edith Thompson (Nada Madi), who is interrogated by a detective (Michael Karrangus) shortly after her son’s death. While Edith is certain that it was a homicide, the detective maintains that they currently rule her son’s death as suicide. When discussing if her son was depressed, she claims that she gave him everything he could have wanted, and the conversation steers to Edith and the detective’s past relationship. Edith storms out of the room, vowing to catch her son’s killer. In an ironic twist of fate, she is shot by the same killer just as the detective calls her with new evidence confirming a homicide. In my opinion, the delivery of this emotionally-charged script felt genuine.

Festival continued on page 6

I’m not momma’s little girl any longer Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird explores the dynamic of a mother-daughter relationship fraught with angst VICTORIA DANESI STAFF WRITER Lady Bird (2017), from writer and the solo directorial debut of Greta Gerwig, is a grounded comingof-age story that displays the turbulent transition from teenager to adult.

Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) is an insistent and outgoing Catholic school student ready to graduate and attend college far from her hometown of Sacramento. She has a tumultuous relationship with her mother Marion (Laurie Metcalf), who is supporting the financially struggling family. Lady Bird attempts to climb the social ladder at school by distancing herself from her quirky best friend Julie Steffans (Beanie Feldstein). To do this, Lady Bird enters the world of dating. All the while, Lady Bird’s relationship with her mother becomes more hostile.

The portrayal of the motherdaughter dynamic is refreshing with its realistic depiction of the everchanging love-hate relationship. Both characters are inher-

VOX.COM/PHOTO

Saoirse Ronan plays Lady Bird in Greta Gerwig’s recent film. ently flawed—Lady Bird is irratio nal and Marion is overbearingly controlling of her daughter This brings a sense of realism to the film reflecting a realistic and humorous dynamic of the typical mother-

daughter relationship.

Gerwig’s inclusion of smaller moments with supporting characters is one of my favourite aspects of the film, as it shows the finer moments in life that an average

film may gloss over. For instance, in one scene, Lady Bird and Marion are shopping at a thrift store for a prom dress, and they fight about Lady Bird’s attitude. When Marion pulls out a potential dress, the duo

instantly become cordial with one another again. This display of the ups and downs of an average childparent relationship can be familiar to anyone looking back at their teenage years with their loved ones.

Part of the allure of Lady Bird is its investigation into the complex experiences of the individual.

Lady Bird is a part of the school play which is run by an enthusiastic priest, with rumours swirling about the loss of his family prior to him joining the priesthood. When the production is over and drama club starts prepping for their musical, the priest is nowhere to be seen. In a small scene afterwards, it shows the priest talking to Marion, who is a nurse, about the troubled times he is having with his mental health. The scene does not go into much detail, but showing the characters’ struggles brings to light the message that everyone that Lady Bird encounters is going through a personal journey. These poignant moments are scattered throughout, making it easily relatable.

Lady continued on page 6

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THE MEDIUM 01.22.2018

O Canada! Here’s to our native land First Nation representatives discuss the meaning of indigenous land stewardship and land claims RACHAEL MASIH

This past Friday, the Blackwood Gallery held a discussion panel at the Jackman Humanities Institute. The panel, “All Our Relations: The Art of Land and Indigenous Stewardship,” brought together four women to talk about the indigenous experience concerning land claims. The event pairs with the current exhibit at the Blackwood Gallery called #callresponse that amplifies the work of indigenous women who live on Turtle Island.

One of the panelists, Beatrice Deer, is from Nunavik in northeast Quebec. She sings in Inuktitut and English, and she incorporates throat singing to add a traditional spin on modern music. Lisa Myers is part of the Beausoleil First Nation that resides in Georgian Bay. She is an artist, curator, and an assistant lecturer at York University. Lindsay Nixon is Cree-Métis-Saulteaux, and is the editor of an arts journal called mâmawiâcimowak. Eve Tuck’s work focuses on Indigenous Studies and she has published multiple books on the topics of Education. Tuck is also an as-

DANIELLE ROLFE/THE MEDIUM

The discussion panel connected to the current Blackwood Gallery exhibit titled #callresponse. sociate professor in the department of social justice education at the University of Toronto.

The first question posed covered the theme of the #callresponse exhibit which was stewardship. The panelists voiced differing opinions on what connotations stewardship held for

REWIND BRIANNA LEGERE Newsies (1992) was one of Disney’s biggest box office flops, but over the years, the film has become one of Disney’s biggest hits. From the original 1992 movie, to the Broadway musical, to the recent Newsies Live movie, fans can’t seem to get enough of the singing, dancing newsboys. This toe-tapping energy filled film will have you wanting to change the world.

Directed and choreographed by Kenny Ortega with music and lyrics

by Alan Menken and J.A.C. Redford, this musical is based on the real-life New York City Newsboys’ Strike of 1899, wherein the city’s newspaper hawkers campaigned for a change in their compensation.

Bright, charismatic, and dreamer, Jack Kelly (Christian Bale) is the leader of the Manhattan newsies—a group comprised of individual newspaper boys—who sell copies of the New York World. Jack dreams of going to Santa Fe but when Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of The World, raises the price, the newsies must pay to buy newspapers from his distribution centers, Jack finds himself with a strike to organize. With the help of David Jacobs (David Moscow), a new newsie, Jack rallies every newsie from Manhattan and Brooklyn together to fight The World and the police.

It’s not just about Pulitzer raising the price of papers. A turning point in the film is when Bryan Denton (Bill Pullman), a reporter for The New York Sun, includes details of child labour in New York City and the horrific conditions of an orphanage called the “Refuge” in his article about

the newsies’ strike. The strikes later becomes not just about the newsies, but about all the other working, neglected, and abused kids in the city.

With the help of Denton, Jack and the newsies print their own newspaper titled the Newsies Banner. They then deliver it to all the kids in every sweatshop, slaughterhouse, and factory, bringing New York City’s workforce to a standstill.

The strike is on, newspaper circulation is down, and Pulitzer is losing thousands of dollars a day. But why?

Because it was never about the money at all. It’s about the grown-ups holding power over the children because, like Jack says, “If Joe gives in to nobodies like [them], that means [the kids] got the power.” If the grownups don’t have the power, that means they’re weak. In the end, Jack and David confront Pulitzer, who caves and gives the boys what they have been asking for.

Newsies was released in 1992 but its theme and message are still relevant today. Newsies reminds us of the power that young people have to change the world. This movie challenges our generation to stand up for what’s right and what’s fair. Tough this is hard to do alone, friends and family supporting you and believing in you can go a long way. As the saying goes, “Wrongs will be righted, if we’re united.” One voice can turn into hundreds of voices, which is a lot harder to ignore.

Newsies is a movie about fighting the power, it’s about dreaming big, and it’s about friendship. If there’s a little bit of a rebel in you with a desire to make the world a better place, you’ll like this movie.

them. All could agree that stewardship in the Indigenous context refers to the maintenance of land. However, some viewed stewardship as bearing colonialist undertones, while others treasured stewardship as a way for people to interact with the land by talking to—and most importantly—

listening to the land.

Global warming was a priority for the panelists. A recurring theme in the discussion was the rising temperature of the water and air. When asked what came to mind when you think about stewardship, Deer gave an anecdote about the Inuit who live

in the Canadian Arctic. Every year Inuit notice that fewer seals come to the water near their settlement. The general reaction was one of despair and hopelessness regarding the unfavorable change in climate. The Inuit currently refuse to allow oil drilling to value and preserve the land.

The other main theme weaving through discussion was that of the LGBTQ+ community in indigenous culture. The panelists emphasized that the land is generally maintained

by Indigenous women. Thus, the land is attributed to femininity and women are said to be at one with the land. This becomes problematic when we realize that there is a strict binary standing in the way of two-spirited peoples (a third-gender group encompassed by the LGBTQ community) sharing the same intimate connection with the land. Before European settlers came, indigenous cultures viewed gender as more fluid than today. All the panelists touched on the struggle that LGBTQ+ Indigenous artists have had to face. However, there has been a resurgence of two-spirited artists wholly claiming their identities.

Lady Bird leaves nest

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Lady Bird highlights the ups and downs of a mother-daughter relationship.

Lady continued from page 5 The film is inventive as it subverts predictable coming-of-age tropes.

Though Lady Bird does date the stereotypical bad boy, the relationship is different in regard to the way it ends and the emphasis on the friendship with Julie. The way the nuns in Lady Bird’s Catholic school are depicted are also different because they are not the typical abrasive nuns that are usually portrayed in film—they truly

care about their students. In one instance, when Lady Bird pulls a prank on a nun, it is expected that she will be heavily reprimanded, but the nun provides comic relief and subverts the notion audiences may previously have.

Lady Bird is a refreshing take on the coming-of-age genre that highlights the ups and downs of a motherdaughter relationship, along with the trials and tribulations of young adulthood.

Gerwig, also a Sacramento native and growing up the same time as Lady Bird, disputes that this film is autobiographical but shares inspiration from her experience as a teen.

I have enjoyed Gerwig’s acting roles and screenwriting in the past, but Lady Bird as her directional debut is an entirely different level of accomplishment.

I cannot wait to view more of Gerwig’s directing capabilities.

A festivity of four plays Festival continued from page 5 Lastly, “Fletcher and Anderson Forget the Launch Codes” is about two government officers tasked with detonating nuclear missiles, but forget the eight-digit launch code. They discuss the possible aftermath when contemplating whether or not to launch the 400,000 missiles. Fletcher (Ben Caldwell) concludes that since they were ordered to do so, he’ll be the one

to “end this planet.” However, they still don’t remember the code. After two failed guesses and a dig at Donald Trump, Anderson (Marissa Orjalo) tries the President’s birthday as a desperate last attempt. It miraculously works, and the missiles are launched.

The two survive the attack, only for Fletcher to run out of the bunker and die shortly after. Anderson begs for her own death, and when nothing she says seems to work, she confesses that

she didn’t vote for the sitting president. Anderson immediately drops to the ground and dies as the American anthem plays and lights dim.

The Festival of One Acts truly displayed the creativity in both writing and performing students on this campus. The EDSS is currently looking for submissions of literary projects for its Research Symposium which are due by February 26.

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REWIND BRIANNA LEGERE If you’re a huge fan of Mean Girls, I recommend you check out Heathers (1989), which many consider to be its spiritual predecessor. Heathers is a dark comedy film written by Daniel Waters and directed by Michael Lehmann. It explores the tumultuous junior year of high school student Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) who longs to return to her nerdy ways after becoming a part of the school’s reigning clique—the Heathers, who are the titular leaders of the Sawyer’s high school. The clique is named for its three members: Heather McNamara (Lisanne Falk), Heather Duke (Shannen Doherty), and queen bee Heather Chandler (Kim Walker), who rule Westerberg High School with an iron fist.

Tired of the group’s antics, Veronica meets and befriends J.D. (Christian Slater), a brooding loner who has just moved into town and is already stirring up trouble. Together, they decide to get revenge on the school’s most popular elite, but Veronica soon realizes that J.D.’s plans for them are much darker than she intended.

J.D. soon reveals himself to be a dangerous sociopath who manipulates Veronica into joining him in pranks” that end up killing multiple students at school. Although she is disturbed by his behaviour, Veronica continues to date J.D. But to her despair, she finds that those that were killed have become even more popular and worshipped in death. J.D. then reveals that he is planning to blow up the entire school during a pep rally

and Veronica races to stop him.

Although it was not a blockbuster in the year of its release, Heathers opened to critical acclaim and over the past three decades, it has ascended to cult classic status. The film has also spawned two notable adaptations: a 2010 stage musica, and an upcoming anthology TV series set to premiere this spring.

Heathers is by no means a perfect movie. It constantly crosses the line separating dark comedy and more cringe-inducing shock humor. The difference being that dark comedy can be used to make a more profound statement about a taboo topic, while shock humor simply tries to surprise the audience by being as vulgar as possible. One may struggle to find a deeper meaning behind some of movie’s more shocking moments.

Despite its flaws and corny moments, I do love the searing dark comedy in this film and its many fantastic quotable lines. We also get to the see the beginnings of several famous actor’s careers in this film. Winona Ryder embodies teen angst as Veronica, delivering most of her lines with a distinct sardonic flair. Shannen Doherty of Beverly Hills, 90210 fame also does a great job as Heather Duke, who begins the movie as the most sympathetic of the Heathers, but later becomes the new crueler leader of the clique after Heather Chandler’s death.

If you’re interested in a more vicious take on the classic high school clique wars trope, I’d definitely recommend Heathers, which is a dark and witty romp from start-to-finish.

Calling all native artists

DANIELLE ROLFE/THE MEDIUM

#callresponse at the Blackwood Gallery explores the indigenous experience.

KEENA AL-WAHAIDI ASSOCIATE A&E EDITOR #callresponse, the Blackwood Gallery’s newest exhibition, is a collaborative set of works that bring indigenous women together through culture and art. The works feature pieces that have been paired together by different indigenous artists, who take part in the #call section of the exhibit, and their respondent who is featured as part of the “response.”

This pairing is significant because there is a mutual value of praise for one another. Indigenous art is not scarce in Canadian exhibits, but this one is intimate and inviting—something other galleries do not offer.

According to the gallery statement, the #call section is described as follows: “To support the work of Indigenous women from across Turtle Island through art commissions that drive dialogue and mobilize action on the topic of reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. To stand together across sovereign territories as accomplices in awakened solidarity with all our relations, both human and non.”

The statement further describes the #response section as collection

“ground[ing] art in accountability, value lived experience, and build upon systems of support.”

The #call and #response collaborators include Christi Belcourt and Isaac Murdoch; Maria Hupfield and IV Castellanos and Esther Neff; Ursula Johnson and Cheryl L’Hirondelle; Tania Willard and Marcia Crosby; and Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory and Tanya Tagaq.

Together, these five collaborators explore the geographical importance of nationhood and each artist’s connections to the idea.

When I enter the exhibit, on my left, there is a large white wall that boasts a few works from the exhibit’s first set of pieces. I see a long, grey line that swerves up and down. It resembles the path the exhibit took from its origins at Woodbine to the Blackwood Gallery. When I decide to get some information about this piece, I’m informed that this map traces the artist’s hometown of Woodbine, to this very location on campus. It showcases a journey of exploration and travel.

To make this more interesting, the song performance that took place at the gallery on opening night featured Indigenous artists who worked

alongside this piece. Ursula Johnson, in particular, created an instrumental piece that essentially highlighted the faults and the triumphs of this specific journey. The journey from the artist’s hometown to where she is now in Mississauga was a long and bumpy one. This made for a great musical piece that related to the experience.

Nearby on the wall, I stand by and look up at three sentences. The first sentence was written in Inuktitut, the second was the written pronunciation, and then the last was the English translation. In English, some read as “We are all together,” and “We walk with you.” It’s inclusive and refreshing, a way of inviting audiences to seek something bright in Inuit art.

Before I leave, I catch something that sums up the overall nature of the exhibit, one piece sitting on a high table near the back. A lonely birch basket sat by itself, and when I took a closer look at it, the words on the basket read: “Give It All Away And Start Again.” This, it seems, is the epitome of the exhibit itself. A fresh start and a new way of presenting art in a way that hasn’t been done before. #callresponse runs until January 27 at the Blackwood Gallery.

Big sister Carrie is always watching us The Art Gallery of Ontario pays exhibit tribute to American poet and painter Florine Steittheimer DANIEL REALE People have always had a fascination with the lives of the rich—it’s what keeps reality T.V. shows popular.

When you see the paintings of artist and feminist Florine Stettheimer, you have a feeling that the artist may have had a hitch about this sensationalism. Since October 2017 until this January, the Art Gallery of Ontario is giving patrons a look into the life of Stettheimer in the exhibit called Florine Stettheimer: Painting Poetry.

The exhibit explores the modernist brush strokes of the American poet and painter.

Hosted in a quiet section of the AGO, the exhibit welcomes you into a large room with colorful paintings hung on a white wall and a second section housed in the middle.

Stettheimer is famous for her vibrancy and her work doesn’t disappoint.

Her love of flowers and bright colors give her paintings an approachable charm. Separated by acts, the exhibit moves you through stages of the artist’s work, as you’re passed through portraits of people close to her.

A huge dark portrait of Steittheimer’s older sister—“Carrie”—

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Florine Stettheimer is famous for her vibrant works of art. opens “Act One: In The Family.”

The painting looms over the rest of the exhibit as Carrie’s gaze seems to watch you. Is this how Steittheimer felt about her older sister? Paintings of the family’s house come next. In it, small figures of her sisters in the garden stand on the right, and a painter bends over an easel on the left.

“Act One” moves you through individual women of the family until

you reach, “Portrait of a Woman with Red Hair.” The painting is thought to be Stettheimer’s first self-portrait.

It shows the modern woman—in contrast, to the paintings of her aunts and sisters in gowns and long hair—in an androgynous way, with cropped red hair and a dark suit.

Another painting, “The Fourth of July,” preps the viewer for the light paintings that come next. The paint-

ing itself is one of the only pieces in the exhibit that doesn’t include people. Rather, it shows the American flag with fireworks set off in the back, symbols of America being a theme in the artist’s works. A series of family portraits end “Act One.” The women of the family are shown at their various homes or in their gardens laying leisurely with bright fruits and flowers around them.

“Act Two: By Invitation Only” introduces you to Stettheimer’s friends: artists, intellectuals, and writers stand alone for their portraits surrounded by colorful scenes.

These were the people Stettheimer surround herself with—prominent modernist and feminist thinkers of the Jazz Age that helped push the envelope on the way people thought about class, race, and religion. The portraits prime the observer for the final act, showing you individual guests that would have attended Steittheimer salons, so beautifully depicted in “Act Three.”

“Act Three: Acting Out” immortalizes scenes that would have been taken place behind the closed doors of the artists salons. The paintings depict the lavish soireé’s that hosted people who redefined femaleness and sexuality. Stettheimer showcases the elaborate furs, feathers, and cocktails of the rich of the era she navigated, giving the observer a peak into the dwellings of the Jazz Age most influential.

Only by witnessing all three—Florine as painter, poet, and set designer—can you appreciate the artist.

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01.22.2018

Reasons we should care about care In conversation with gender and care instructor Dr. Christina Rousseau from the sociology department ZEAHAA REHMAN

January is Alzheimer’s awareness month, and to encourage discussion on caregiving and health education, the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada is hosting workshops for family caregivers. The workshops will discuss developing emotional strategies. Depending on the severity of their deterioration of cognitive and physical abilities, patients with Alzheimer’s may sometimes require professional caregivers.

To learn more about the concept of caregiving—what it entails, how it has been constructed, and how it has evolved over time—The Medium spoke to Dr. Christina Rousseau, an instructor at the sociology department at UTM. Dr. Rousseau, whose research focuses on the intersection of gender, work, and emotional labour, joined the sociology department this winter and currently teaches SOC352, Gender and Care.

The Medium (TM): You study gender and work and emotional labour. So, were you always drawn to caregiving because it’s a mix of all three, or did it recently draw your

STEPHEN LIU/THE MEDIUM

Caregiving is the topic of Alzheimer’s awareness month in January. attention?

Christina Rousseau (CR): The work of care is something that’s kind of been a central part of the research that I’ve done. The work I do does centre on emotional labour, which is

a huge aspect of care work. Looking at care work is interesting because it looks at both the more invisible, emotional aspects of work, but also at more tangible or visible things that we can see, that go into caring.

I like care work because it allows you to look at all aspects of that kind of work.

TM: You teach a course named Gender and Care. What is that about? How’s that going?

CR: We just started the term and so far, we’ve been looking at the gender divisions of labour between the public sphere [and private sphere]—so work outside of the home, how that relates to work inside of the home, and how care work has been shaped and organized in the home according to gender relations. What the course will be exploring is what does the dynamic look like when this work exists outside of the home as a profession. [It will also be] looking [at] the way people experience care work according to racial hierarchies, immigration status, disability, etcetera.

[We’re] trying to look at [care work from] a broad perspective within Canada, but also [at] how care work in Canada often relies on workers from, you know, other parts of the globe.

What is the global relationship of care that we have? How would you explain the concept of caregiving to someone who is completely alien to the notion?

You can kind of classify it as, you know, what does it mean to care?

Care, I think, has two parts to it.

Care continued on page 10

Clocking in a love for biology research Recipient of the Elizabeth Ann Wintercorbyn Award, Ph.D. candidate Sara Hegazi talks about her interests MAHNOOR AYUB FEATURES EDITOR

Little did curious-yet-indecisive high schooler Sara Hegazi, know, that only a few years later, she would find herself looking for answers to some of the most important biological questions of our time. Now a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate and recipient of the Elizabeth Ann Wintercorbyn Award by the Department of Cell and Systems Biology, Hegazi talked to The Medium about life, research, and the balance between the two.

“I actually did my undergrad here at UTM. I was in the biology specialist program and I also had a chemistry minor,” said Hegazi. “And the reason I pursued biology and my interest in it really stems from high school, where I mainly did science courses such as physics, chemistry, and biology and after high school, I had the choice of going either into biology or into the chemical and physical sciences.” Contemplating on her choices, Hegazi chose to seek advice from her family.

“And they gave me two pieces of advice. One, do something you are good

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Sara Hegazi is supervised by UTM professors Mary Cheng and Joel Levine. at, and second, do something that you actually enjoy,” Hegazi recalled, “And that for me was biology right away.”

Enjoying biology more than the other sciences, Hegazi continued to explore this interest as an undergraduate student. “Then in my fourth year I had the chance of doing a 4th

year thesis project in Dr. Westwood’s lab here at UTM. That is when I really became interested in cell and molecular biology research,” Sarah recalls. Hegazi described her experience through the fourth year project to be “stimulating,” as she “found that learning about different genes are

involved and are important for the functioning of a cell—and there are a lot of those, I realized that although we do know plenty about the roles of these genes, there is plenty more to be discovered.” The Ph.D. candidate also credits the cycle of discovery and questioning to be “one of the most re-

warding things about doing biological research in the cell and molecular sciences.”

Once Hegazi’s thesis course was complete, she says, “I had to make the choice if whether I wanted to stop there or continue with a professional program or a graduate program and I still found myself to be more curious about how our body functions. I really wanted to learn about how our behavior and our physiology is influenced by the outside world.”

The biology researcher was interested in investigating questions such as, “How the sun for example effects sleep cycles, how it affects my physiology, my body temperature, the release of hormones etc., and that is when I decided I wanted to go into research. I knew it was going to be something in cell and molecular biology.”

After some independent online research on which body processes are influenced by the external environment, Hegazi realized “one of the main ones is actually the biological clock, circadian rhythms, a system that is conserved across organisms.”

Biology continued on page 9

01.22.2018 THE MEDIUM FEATURES» 9

Active and involved: awareness at UTM The first of a six-part series, Civic Awareness workshops at UTM encourage community involvement JESSICA CABRAL ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR

Last Thursday, the Centre for Student Engagement at the University of Toronto Mississauga held their first Civic Awareness workshop tailored towards educating students on civic engagement. Introduced for the first time, the co-curricular recognized six-part workshop series hopes to provide students the skills to develop a voice and contribute to community discussions on social justice issues.

Alysha Ferguson, the student development officer for Community Engagement Programming, explains to The Medium her motivation behind spearheading these workshops.

“In the past, we’ve always wanted to raise awareness about civic engagement in the community. We’ve balanced between election years and then it is a little bit easier to create programs around getting the students empowered and excited about elections,” Ferguson continues, “But when there’s no election how do we keep students thinking about what it means to have a civic voice within the community, and how that is different from a community engagement lens.”

Through the workshops, she also hopes students can understand “how we can empower the next generation

MESHA GHAYUR/THE MEDIUM

The CSE is holding workshops aimed at educating students on civic engagement. to think about ways they can make change.”

According to Ferguson, the workshops aim to help students strengthen their communication skills, both oral and written, so that they can articulate their opinions and engage in discussions about social justice and civic issues within the community, such as elections and voting privileges. For Ferguson, Civic Awareness empow-

ers students to recognize the policies that can enact changes in society, understand the role of democracy, and acknowledge their ability to vote on certain movements within their university community.

Facilitated by three CSE community engagement activity assistants, UTM students Stuti Joshi, Jasmine Biloki, and Stephanie Artuz, the first workshop focused on building con-

nections between the participants and creating an inclusive environment where students could feel comfortable voicing their opinions.

The event began with introductions and ice breaker activities to promote open communication between all participants. The CSE assistants divided the students based on birthday season and tasked them to find five things in common within each

new group. Similarities ranged from leaving the continent of Asia to sharing a love for chocolate cake.

Following this, the facilitators led a discussion on psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg’s Six Stages of Moral Development and asked the group to apply the theory to case studies. Each stage provides a method of moral reasoning. Individuals can only progress through each level with experience.

For example, in stage one, children usually base their moral decisions on their desire to avoid punishment. The “right” decision will keep them out of trouble. However, by stage six, individuals develop their own sense of right and wrong based on their experiences with human rights, equality, and the law.

“A lot of students have distinct opinions about civic issues, and we’re not here to talk about which opinions are right and which opinions are wrong. Throughout these workshops we’re trying to develop the skillset needed and understand the different aspects we might want to consider, that might affect social issues, so that we can make a better and more well-informed opinion regarding the issues we choose to pay attention to,” explains Joshi. The CSE will hold the next workshop on January 25 March 8, and March 15 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in DH 3050.

Shift work: Biological clocks out of tune Biology continued from page 8

Hegazi explained how most organisms have a system that regulates their sleep wake cycles, similar to ourselves along with other physiological and behavioral processes as well. “So, then I stumbled upon work done by professor Joel Levine and professor Mary Cheng and I asked if I can do a graduate degree with them and they happily said yes—[happily] for me.”

Hegazi, who began her master’s degree in 2014 worked on a collaborative project, “where we were looking at the function of a single gene that is conserved between mice, which is a mammalian model, and drosophila melanogaster, which is a fly model, where the mechanisms of regulation are very similar to those in mice and even humans.” Upon being introduced to the project, Hegazi said she was interested because she “would study this one gene that might actually have very similar functions in two different model organisms.”

She continued, “I did that for a year and a half. And now at this point I had to decide if I want to end with a master’s or if I wanted to continue with a Ph.D. I really enjoyed my project and it was very interesting to me, and I wanted to know and find out more so then I transferred

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Hegazi says that it’s extremely rewarding once an experiment works. to a Ph.D.” Hegazi, who is now in her fourth year of Ph.D. studies, references other research on biological clocks and rhythms and mentions the 2017 Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine, that was awarded to scientists Michael W. Young, Michael Rosbash, Jeffrey C. Hall, for their discoveries of molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm.

The UTM alumna added, “So I think there is really a lot to be learnt and discovered in that field, because we don’t know much about how [the circadian clock] functions. We know

that it’s really important for our health and well-being.” Hegazi also explained how the World Health Organization has classified shift work as a probable carcinogen, “Shift work is known to get your circadian clock out of whack, so again, it’s really important for a bunch of physiological and behavioral processes.”

Speaking to her experience as a graduate student, Hegazi said, “Research can be difficult, but it can be really rewarding. And for us, we do experiments every single day. Some of them work and some of them

don’t work, and some of them can take a very long time until they end up working and so if you don’t have the persistence to continue troubleshooting things to get them to work and answer basic science questions, you can easily give up.”

Hegazi mentioned, however, that “once you have that one experiment working or that one result, it’s extremely rewarding. For me, when I get an experiment to work, it’s like an achievement for that one week, or that month, so in that sense it’s really rewarding.” She added, “I wouldn’t

quit something because of the difficulty associated with achieving it.

And when you like what you’re doing, and you’re working really hard to progress in that field, if you love what you do, the rewards can outweigh the struggle.” She emphasized that although work can be exhausting, “You don’t feel it when you achieve what you’re working towards. If I get something to work, I’m happier that I got it to work rather than thinking about the time spent doing it.”

When asked about how she maintains a research-life balance being a full time Ph.D. student, Hegazi, while admitting to spending most of her time in the lab, said during breaks, “I try my best to make some family time and I try to spend time as much as possible with my family and friends.” She added how she also tries to make time for physical activity, “I try as much as I can to go to the gym, although it doesn’t happen very often. But I do that with some amazing friends who push me to go to the gym.”

The researcher, who is also a trainee representative for the Canadian Society of Chronobiology, said she “also helps organize conferences on a bi-yearly basis. Hegazi relates information from the society’s board of directors to other training members.

Biology continued on page 10

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THE MEDIUM 01.15.2018

The art of caregiving Talking money How to be smart with money at UTM AMBER MITCHELL

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Emotional attachment often occurs between care providers and their patients.

Care continued from page 9

On the one hand, there is an emotional investment in someone else’s well-being, and paired with that is a desire to take action of some kind that will benefit that person.

It’s more than just to distinguish care from empathy. Empathy tells us, “Oh, I really feel for you!” But it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll do anything about it. Whereas care is both that feeling of being emotionally invested while also having a desire to take action; to improve that person’s well-being.

TM: What about the notion of professional caregiving? I come from a South Asian background and it’s a foreign concept there that you would hire somebody to take care of a loved one. How would you explain that?

CR: In North American western society, the work of care has largely, historically been done privately in the home. Now, because women are the ones that continue to be primarily responsible for caregiving, it often creates barriers for women who want to pursue certain types of work [and enter] the workforce. Sometimes, care work gets contracted out or people get hired, to enable [the women] to go out and pursue other avenues of work. A large part of that is because women are still the ones primarily responsible for doing [care] work, so they often get unfairly disadvantaged.

TM: How has caretaking as a professional career changed over time?

CR: There are different kinds of care work. Nursing, as professional care in North America, began in the 1870s as kind of an official, structured body. Even within that, there [were] shifts and changes in terms of what’s considered a higher ranked or more professional type of care.

Registered nurses, for example, versus someone who’s seen as a lower ranked [care worker], like a personal care attendant, personal support workers, whose work is seen as

not needing as many qualifications.

What’s happened is care work has become increasingly professionalized and categorized in different ways.

TM: What’s something surprising about the caretaking field that not many people would know?

CR: I think a lot of it is that there is so much emotional management that goes into doing care work. In terms of yourself as a worker, you’re managing your emotions. You’re also, a lot of the time, trying to get a certain emotional response. Not necessarily an emotional response, but using emotions or trying to regulate someone else’s feelings.

“Care is both the feeling of being emotionally invested, while also having the desire to take action to improve a person’s well-being” If you’re a nurse, for example, and you’re working with a difficult patient, you need to manage your emotions, not show your frustration, in order to get them to do what you need them to do—in order for you to do your job. That’s a big part of care work that people don’t really realize.

There’s a lot of emotional management, controlling and masking your own feelings, and also trying to create a certain reaction in someone else to be able to do your job.

TM: Given all the emotional labour that’s part of caregiving, as well as physical labour, would you say that it’s a precarious work field?

Or are there some positions that are more precarious than others?

CR: There are definitely some care positions that are more precarious than others. There is kind of a long history with the fact that this work has traditionally been done in the home by women. It’s not seen as valuable or its not valued as much as

other types of work. When we see the distinctions between more professional types of care work versus less professional types of care work, we get the idea that, “Oh, anybody could do that job.” Those are the types of work [positions] that are more precarious—ones that are seen as more disposable, seen as not being as skilled.

But people don’t really realize all the work that goes into it. I think some unions that represent care workers right now, particularly personal support workers, are trying to illustrate some of what makes their work precarious, some of the difficulties that are part of that work.

According to Alzheimer’s Society of Canada, 25,000 Canadians are currently diagnosed with dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is deteriorative and affects a person’s cognitive and functional abilities. emotions and moods, behaviour, and physical abilities, though not necessarily in that order.

Alzheimer’s progresses by destroying brain cells, which causes thinking ability and memory to deteriorate.

Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of aging.

TM: With that in mind, do dementia or Alzheimer’s patients require more emotional labour for care workers?

I think any time that you are working with elderly patients, you are working with someone close to the end of their life. Something that we don’t necessarily see enough is the emotional attachment that care providers have to their patients, or to the people that they’re working with.

Particularly working with someone with Alzheimer’s can be an emotionally frustrating experience, to watch someone go through that. That’s kind of an invisible part of the work that we don’t really notice or that we might not be aware of.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Research encouragement Biology continued from page 9 Hegazi also suggested that, “If someone wants to pursue work in basic science research, and they are passionate about it, then I don’t see why anything should stop them. But before you do, I would recommend

getting some sort of first-hand experience in how research in science is done.”

For undergraduates who may currently be deciding if they would like to pursue research, Hegazi said, “Get a position in a lab you are interested in, work there for a summer or for a

full year on a research project, and see if you actually like the work. Do you find yourself interested in what you’re doing, or is it just a mundane thing where you are eagerly waiting for the day to end? If that’s not the case, then I would encourage you to go for it.”

An ominous 2014 Forbes magazine article title reads: “The Financial Literacy Gap Costs College Graduates Thousands.” Referencing potential damage to the economy, the article urges, “It’s time to teach personal finance and investing in schools to offset what kids learn at home.” Recognizing a similar gap closer to home, the Digital Enterprise Management, with professor Radha Maharaj from the ICCIT faculty at UTM, is hosting a series of financial literacy workshops in order to help prepare students for financial success. The first in the series held on Wednesday last week, Personal Finance 1: Getting some Perspective, was an introduction to financial planning.

The first workshop was one of three sessions that will focus on different aspects of financial success such as personal finance, investing, and understanding credit cards.

Maharaj recognized that finance is “not something that’s so inviting to people,” and hopes that this series will enable students to feel more confident and prepared to handle their finances now and in the future.

Maharaj acknowledges the importance of being financially healthy, as she believes it transcends into all aspects of life. She says her motto is “Finance is more than just the numbers”. According to Maharaj, all aspects of life are interconnected to finances because money enables us to partake in experiences, purchase material goods, and support our professional and personal goals. Even if your goal is as straightforward as finding a job, you need money to purchase professional clothing and arrange transportation to go to the interview. Having a strong understanding of finances, the ICCIT instructor explains, empowers us to strive towards our goals, regardless of how independent they may seem to be from money.

As Maharaj notes, students have a unique relation to finances. Millennials, for example, are more likely to invest money on experiences as opposed to their parents, who are more likely to invest in material goods and assets. “Financial planning is essentially life planning,” says Maharaj, “If you really want to be financially successful, you have to figure out what it is you want [in life]”.

Maharaj encourages students to start focusing on building financial literacy and confidence as soon as possible. Having worked with clients with over $200,000 salaries, the instructor says she has seen people with a savings account of over $300,000 or people who are $90,000 in debt. Maharaj emphasizes that you can be intelligent and successful, yet still struggle with finances. To combat overspending, It’s important to start being mindful about how you spend your money, as Maharaj suggests, “It’s the be-

haviour training you have to start now.” She urges students to understand how to build a financial base while managing the inflow and outflow of money. A financial base is a person’s desired wealth base, and the resources they wish to acquire to achieve it. Additionally, the U.S Small Business Administration, in a 2018 article by their Senior Area Manager Eric Glitner, identifies cost analysis for constructing a financial base as crucial to overall financial management.

“You can’t do anything in one day, but you can build your base little by little,” says Maharaj, further encouraging students to begin getting in the habit of saving as little as just $20 a week to start building a healthier financial base.

“Spend less than you earn [...] The fact is, if you always live under your means, the beauty of compunding works; it’s magic” - Maharaj According to Maharaj, there is a formula to getting rich and “it’s not a mystery.” Maharaj believes that in order to become financially successful, you need to “spend less than you earn and invest for a long period of time for a good rate of interest.” Although simple, this method of building wealth is effective because it focuses on mindful spending and smart investing. “The fact is, if you always live under your means, the beauty of compounding works; it’s magic,” says Maharaj.

There are many different ways in which people are motivated to spend money. These influences vary by cultural background, values, personality, and an individual’s attitude towards money. “It’s a little bit of self-analysis,” says Maharaj.

It’s important to set goals for yourself so you understand what you value both personally and financially. Maharaj gave students a worksheet in which they were instructed to make goals for themselves for the next upcoming three months, nine months, one year, three years, and five years. This exercise, Maharaj explains, aims to assist students with understanding what they value in life, so they can invest financially towards these goals. “Finance isn’t dry. It’s about having a good quality of life,” says the instructor.

Her final tips for students in this workshop were to open a tax-free savings account and start saving at least $20 a week to build healthy financial habits and to work on your life goals. “If you don’t know what you want, how can you get to where you want to go?” asks Maharaj.

Ultimately, “Personal finance is a life skill,” says Maharaj. She explains in order to become financially successful, you need develop focused financial habits that support your personal and professional goals.

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Do you even clean and press, though?

Coach Darren Turner recently sat down to give insight into the Olympic Weightlifting program at UTM VANESSA CESARIO SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR Olympic Weightlifting simply means “the style of weightlifting that you do at the Olympics.” According to Darren Turner, administrator and cocoach of the Olympic Weightlifting program, weightlifting evolved into four main categories of powerlifting, bodybuilding, strong-man events, and Olympic-style weightlifting. The Olympic Weightlifting lifts include snatch, clean, and jerk. There used to also be a clean and press, but they removed this, says Turner.

There’s an Olympic Weightlifting club at UTM, as well as a program.

The club was designed by the athletic departments as a way of engaging students to the sport of weightlifting.

The program is open to other community members.

There have been successful athletes to come out of the program as well.

Turner commends Amanda Braddock, alumni of the Olympic weightlifting program, for her success at the last World Champions. Braddock has been training in the sport for six years and this was her first World appearance.

Turner describes Olympic weightlifting as an individual sport. Each athlete trains on their own and enters competitions on their own. “To say that you are a part of the weightlifting team is, perhaps, slightly misleading to someone who is used to teambased sports,” he continues, “They are

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Olympic Weightlifting includes the snatch, clean, and jerk. a team in that they support each other, they train together, and when it’s possible, they will compete together.”

As with any sport, Olympic Weightlifting does pose risks. It is important to both Turner and co-coach, Miel McGerrigle, that any newcomers are properly assessed for any injuries and that form is properly taught.

Turner explains that while some people may be ready for weightlifting, there are certain people who have a large history of injury that should not be involved in Olympic weightlifting.

He says, “Olympic lifting is dangerous. You’re not throwing pillows over your head. It is a form of exercise […] or sport […] that has a lot of risk if it’s not done correctly. Or, even if it is done correctly, you have certain risk factors that may predispose you to

getting injured.”

As Turner mentioned, Olympic Weightlifting is an individual sport—entering athletes into competition can raise some challenges.

“Each individual athlete has their own competition plan where we will select certain competitions based on the highest level of competition they could achieve within a year,” he says. Turner explains that the different tiers, from lowest to highest, are as follows—fall classic, winter lift, provincials, nationals, and then any other international competition after that.

Athletes are given three chances to lift the heaviest weight they can in each of the respective lifts. Turner explains that, it is not necessary to make all three attempts so long as you hit

one of those attempts in each lift.

The weight that athletes choose to lift is entirely dependent on them.

They have the ability to decide what weight is most attainable for them.

Whoever lifts the most weight in their respective category, wins the competition. Turner explains that you first have something called an opener. If, for example, you decide to open with seventy kilos and you successfully complete the lift, Turner says that you will then proceed to go up in weight. If the lift is unsuccessful then you have the chance to lift that weight again. Turner states, “The only rule is that you can’t go down. So, if you miss a lift you can’t decrease the weight you want to put on the bar.”

When learning about the different rules involved with Olympic Weight-

lifting, it can be complicated. Unless you understand the rules and different regulations, it is difficult to attract many spectators to the events. “There are a lot of finer details to it that actually are what make it really exciting to watch. But unless you’ve been exposed to it, or know what they are, it’s harder to understand.”

The Olympic Weightlifting program currently has 16 athletes, six of whom are currently registered, or planning to register, in a competition, according to Turner. There are about two competitions coming up within the next couple of months. There is the OCAA Extramural Championship at Centennial College on January 27th and another two competitions in March that Turner and McGerrigle are still undecided on.

Olympic Weightlifting is a sport that trains throughout the year. There is no “off-season” like in soccer or hockey. These athletes are constantly training, even after they had a competition. Turner explains that if an athlete has a competition on a Saturday, for example, they will complete light training on Monday but then be back to training intensely on Wednesday.

“It’s really hard to excel in the sport of Olympic Lifting. All the pieces of the puzzle really have to come together for someone to really excel. You have to have an incredible amount of physical strength, coordination, power, [and] mental skill,” says Turner.

Lifting continued on page 12

Is there such a thing as too much food?

Eating excessive amounts of food in a small amount of time can pose health risks for individuals HALEY WEST STAFF WRITER

According to the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), binge eating is an eating disorder that can have potentially life-threatening consequences. Binge eating is approximately three times as common as anorexia or bulimia nervosa.

Comparatively, it is also more common than HIV, breast cancer, and schizophrenia. Binge-eating is one of the newest eating disorders to be recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This manual is used by health care professionals to diagnose mental disorders and lists a variety of symptoms of recognized disorders.

The NEDA defines an instance of binge eating as, “Eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any twohour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than what most people would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances.” It is typically characterized by eating much faster than normal, eat-

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Binge eating is characterized by eating that is faster than normal and to the point of discomfort. ing past the point of feeling uncomfortable, and eating large amounts of food even when not feeling hungry.

In order to be classified as an eating disorder, the binge eating sessions must occur at least once a week for three months, and not include regular instances of purging. Periods of binge eating are typically followed by feelings of embarrassment, shame, guilt, and depression.

According to Dr. Smitha Bhandari, binge eating disorder has sev-

eral treatments depending on the severity of the disorder. Outpatient treatment involves regular therapy to develop and encourage healthy eating habits and a realistic view of body image and healthy attitudes towards food. Medication is another accepted treatment prescribed in addition to therapy—it can vary depending on the individual patient. The final method of treatment includes round-the-clock care at a health care facility, and is usually

implemented when there are other serious health problems to take into consideration.

According to the Mayo Clinic, binge-eating disorders can lead to the development of various complications including social isolation, anxiety, substance use disorders, weight gain and obesity, depression, and other mood disorders if not treated.

NEDA claims two-thirds of people with the disorder are overweight,

as the increased calorie intake in a short period of time is not worked off through exercise. Commonly, people who binge eat have a history of negative feelings about their weight, leading to decreased self esteem and increasing the likelihood of a binge eating episode. Bhandari and the Mayo Clinic agree that obesity can also increase the chances of long term health problems including cancer, joint problems, heart disease, diabetes, sleep apnea, and other breathing disorders.

Such complications are not curable and can lead to lifelong struggles. The Mayo Clinic states that a family history of eating disorders, psychological issues, and a previous pattern of dieting can increase the risk of developing binge eating disorder. While there is no guaranteed method to prevent binge eating disorder, creating and supporting a healthy body image is the first step to overcoming this disorder. If greater assistance is needed, then contacting your health care provider should be the next step.

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Breathe, focus UTM defeated again mind, and lift UTM played St. Clair in their third game of the semester

Lifting continued from page 11 With any sport, the ability to put your mind at ease and focus on the upcoming competition is a huge advantage. Mental focus is a key part to success in any sport. It is even more imperative in the sport of Olympic Weightlifting. Turner states, “You don’t have time to think when you’re weightlifting. You lift it, a split second goes by, and you either get it or you don’t. It’s kind of the beauty and the curse of the sport. You work so hard for literally a maximum of a minute on the platform at any given lift.” The average amount of competitions that athletes compete in is about three or four per year. According to Turner, the athletes train three-to-four times per week, anywhere between three to three-and-a-half hours per training session.

Like Turner said, Olympic Weightlifting is difficult to excel at. This challenge, however, is also the reason why so many people love it. It takes a certain kind of person to be able to handle this type of pressure. In teambased sports, if an athlete is not performing up to their ability, they can rely on their teammates to pick up their slack. Turner explains that in an individual sport, you can’t have a bad day. There is no one who will lift the bar for you. It’s either you lift it, or you don’t—you can never be off your game. When athletes get to higher levels, there can be funding and sponsorships involved, so staying mentally focused is imperative.

In addition to handling the administrative side of the program, Turner

is also responsible for creating a program that the athletes use to better their performance at each competition. This can be challenging in that individuals have their own needs and areas of improvements. “Basically, I make a framework of a program where I structure it in whichever way I feel gets the most amount of people where they want to be. And I make modifications to that program that addresses the individuals need,” Turner explains.

When asked what Turner wanted his athletes to take away from being members of the weightlifting team, he says, “From an athlete perspective, honestly, I think the skills of perseverance and resilience.” Turner explains that although there will always be hurdles and obstacles that you need to push through to achieve your goal, it’s your ability to persevere through adversity that makes you a stronger person. He believes this to be relevant beyond just the world of sports. Turner says, “There’s always something trying to derail us from what our overall actual objective is.

It happens every day to every single person. There’s always something that tries to act as a bit of a roadblock to being able to achieve your end goal.”

The process of attaining our respective goals is a skill Turner believes to be “transferrable to every different part of your life.”

The Olympic Weightlifting program is one that is filled with support, dedication, and resilience from both coaches and athletes. This is part of the reason why this program has been so successful at UTM.

AMRISH WAGLE ASSOCIATE S&H EDITOR

On Sunday, January 21, the UTM Women’s varsity basketball team had their third game of the semester and the second against the St. Clair College Saints. These Eagles have definitely come a long way since their first semester and even played with a distinct coherence that reflected a unique chemistry between the players. The Eagles’ enthusiasm for their teammates on court was visible and definitely a stark difference from the Saints. UTM also exhibited a clear determination to score and a much more aggressive offensive throughout the game. Although UTM ultimately lost 79-92, they played with heart and definitely played to win. This was also a noticeable improvement from their last game with the Saints where the Eagles lost 67-85.

The name of the game was defense. The Saints maintained an impenetrable defense from the start and rarely let the Eagles get through the paint. Not to mention, their man-to-man defense strategy was flawless. In fact, the majority of UTM’s goals were achieved either from a distance or due to fouls. The Saints were also smart in recognizing their players with the strongest performance and kept them on the front lines for the majority of the time. The Eagles struggled for the first half to keep the Saints out of their paint, as well as faced a criti-

cal weakness of keeping many of the opponents wide open. Thus, the Saints were capable of keeping a consistent lead throughout the game and finishing strong. Moreover, the Saints unleashed their player Shannon Kennedy for the majority of the game where she exerted a monstrous domination and scored most of the points.

[...] with Kaushik successfully sinking a free throw and Addai getting a lightning fast layup, that made sure UTM finished strong.

The Eagles had their own star player, Jade Addai, who could pull off a phenomenal layup to score multiple times throughout the game. Addai’s quick speed allowed her to consistently dash through the Saints defense and get a clean shot.

As well, Addai performed several impressive moves including a few and1s, three pointers, and steals.

Some of the other players to perform well for this particular game include Trisha-Ann Vo, Kanika Kaushik, Victoria Silva, and Priyanka Mehla.

The Eagles were about to catch up before halftime but ended the first half with a period of relative inactivity where both teams settled down to an equal struggle. It wasn’t

until after halftime that the Eagles started to realize their blind spot and picked up considerably on their defense. However, the Saints had terrific teamwork and leveraged their ability to make efficient passes to repeatedly gain a substantial lead every time the eagles nearly closed the gap in the score.

The last two quarters of the game saw the Eagles covering some of their key weaknesses and getting much better at grabbing the boards and passing the ball around.

Although both teams were, for the most part, equally matched, the Saints were able to maintain a lead due to a few short intervals throughout the game. This was especially prevalent within the third quarter when UTM had to substitute key players due to fatigue and the Saints could swiftly achieve a barrage of points. As such, Kennedy scored multiple threes during the third quarter, finishing it at 5774. Overall, the game ended with Kaushik successfully sinking a free throw and Addai getting a lightning fast layup, that made sure UTM finished strong.

The Eagles have their sights set next on a game with the Sault College Cougars on January 27. These Eagles clearly have talent, perseverance, and an overabundance of potential. With these set of skills, the Eagles are set to introduce themselves for their first game of the year against the Cougars and show them exactly what we’re made of.

The ugly truth about living with BDD Body dysmorphic disorder is believed to be more common in the world of body building YASMEEN ALKOKA ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), also known as muscle dysmorphia, is a body image disorder characterized by persistent and intrusive preoccupations with an imagined or slight defect in one’s appearance.

Individuals with BDD pay close attention to the flaws they see in their bodies, to the extent that it causes severe emotional distress and difficulties in daily functioning.

In particular, individuals with BDD tend to especially dislike their hair, skin, nose, chest, stomach, or even muscle size. As explained by Mayo Clinic, these thoughts are accompanied by intense obsession and repetitive behaviour.

Symptoms described by the ADAA include, but are not limited to, comparing body parts to others, seeking surgery, consistently checking a mirror or avoiding mirrors, skin picking, excessive grooming, excessive exercise, or excessively changing clothes.

Guillermo Escalante, the co-owner of SportsPros Personal Training/

Body dysmorphic disorder most often develops in adolescents and teens.

Physical Therapy Center in Upland, California, mentions that muscle dysmorphia is sometimes referred to as reverse anorexia, due to the similar preoccupation with one’s body image.

According to Guillermo Escalante from bodybuilding.com, nonprofessional athletes in sports emphasizing thinness or muscularity, like ballet and bodybuilding, show a high degree of body uneasiness and inappropriate eating attitudes and behaviors.

Studies conclude that disorders of body image, including both anorexia and muscle dysmorphia, occur most frequently in men who lift weights regularly. This does not mean that it only affects bodybuilders and individuals in this group. According to the American Psychiatric Association, BDD most often develops in adolescents and teens. In the United States, BDD occurs in about 2.5 per cent of males, and in 2.2 per cent of

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females. This study shows that muscle dysmorphia occurs almost equally among men and women.

As with any other case of a mental disorder, individuals who think they might have BDD, or know someone who does, should speak to a doctor or mental health professional for an accurate diagnosis.

BDD has been misdiagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder due to similar symptoms of obsessive

thoughts and repetitive behaviours.

The ADAA states that the distinction between the two is that BDD focuses specifically on physical appearance.

Also, individuals with BDD may choose to avoid social situations because of their embarrassment of their physical appearance, which can be linked to symptoms of social anxiety disorder.

An effective form of treatment, as advised by the ADAA, includes cognitive-behavioral therapy, which teaches patients to recognize irrational thoughts and change negative thinking patterns by replacing them with positive ones. In other cases, a doctor might recommend antidepressant medications, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which can help relieve the obsessive and compulsive symptoms of BDD. Each person copes with muscle dysmorphia differently. For the best results, talk to a professional and find out if one or a combination of treatments would be suitable for you.

Sometimes, even just acknowledging the fact that there is something that affects your ability to get through daily life is enough to get you started on a better path.