ANOTHER YEAR ANOTHER THREE HUNDRED & SIXTY FIVE DAYS OF RECKLESS ABANDON AND ILLUSION OF CONTROL. HERE’S TO THE MISTAKES THAT WILL CHANGE OUR LIVES FOR THE BETTER, OR SOMETIMES WORSE. MAY THE NEXT TWELVE MONTHS BRING YOU GROWTH, CLARITY, & SELF-REALIZATION. BE THE GRRRL YOU’VE ALWAYS BEEN. AFTER ALL, WE ARE MISSFITS.
ANDY REASER
BLUE VALENTINE BRANDON LONG
ALL OF US
SHELBIE DIMOND
IRENE LAURA LEAL
FORM JOHN SISOUVONG
RESTRICTED
COURTNEY KING, FASHION EDITOR It is easy to get caught up in the images that are shown during commercial breaks on the television, the billboards that we speed by on the highway, or the images of celebrities on magazine pages. All of these images can be toxic to young girls that are only beginning the daily ritual of caking on mascara and hairspray. As deadly as these images may be, they are not the blame for the hundreds of dollars we have spent on beauty products. We may feel that we are a victim to these advertisements and that we must blame them for our obsessions with our frizzy hair and brittle nails, but we are to blame. We are the girls who flip through the glossy magazine pages in awe of the photoshopped men and women. We are the girls who set the standards for ourselves, and no one else can be held responsible for the pain we choose to inflict on ourselves. Despite this fact, there is a new law in Israel that limits the potential career growth of many young women based solely on their size. Any woman with a BMI under 18.5 is no longer allowed to model in Israel. This new law passed on January 1st with the hopes that this would lead many young women to live healthier lives with a decreased risk of anorexia or bulimia, but it will cost many young women their career and force them to completely start over with their lives. At first this restriction sounds like a good idea. What’s wrong with trying to help with the number of cases of extreme anorexia and bulimia? The problem is that this law discriminates against models that are either naturally skinny, or who eat wellbalanced diets and exercise in order to achieve their target weight. There should be no shame for these women who have worked to be in the field of modeling, and no person should have the power to put anyone out of work because of their body type. Anorexia is a disease that affects many people throughout the world, and it would be naïve not to agree that yes, dangerously underweight models do influence this, but it is also naïve to say that all models with a BMI of below 18.5 are unhealthy. One aspect of this law that I do agree with is the portion that mandates a disclaimer on any altered photos. The disclaimer will state that the physical appearance of the model has been altered from the original photo. This portion of the law is meant to spread awareness and to help discourage magazines from altering the models in their photos. I strongly agree with this portion of the law and think that other countries should consider accepting this into their legislature. Many young women are not aware of just how much photo
alteration takes place in the modeling industry. This can create unrealistic dreams for girls, aiming to be thinner here, but fuller here, and to make all of these changes to their body through drastic diets and surgery. Upon further research I learned that in the United States, there is a rule that many magazines follow which limits the women who are allowed to be featured on the cover page. There have been studies that prove that both men and women will be more likely to pick up and buy a magazine if the girl on the cover has the breast size of a C cup or larger. This means that the women featured on these magazines must have that specific chest size or must be willing to allow the magazine to alter their photos, creating the illusion of this ‘ideal’ chest size. Celebrities like Keira Knightley, who have smaller cup sizes, are not afraid to call the magazine companies out on their rules. It is simply unrealistic for a woman to be a size 2 and to have DD cup breasts. We see these beauty ideals affecting an alarming number of people throughout the world, causing them to undergo drastic cosmetic surgeries just to meet these ridiculous and impossible standards. The United States has no stated interest in following in Israel’s footsteps regarding this legislature, however; there should be more steps taken to diminish eating disorders and to change the beauty standards the world has accepted. This should not mean punishing individuals who do not fit the newly developed criteria for the industry. The most important thing for the fashion industry to do is to accept all body types instead of outlawing a specific body type. Models like Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell who have built their careers off of modeling should be able to continue to work for the industry that once accepted them instead of suddenly being pushed to the curb. We need to assess models for proper diets and exercise and motivate them to live a healthy lifestyle, not mark them off as malnourished at first glance.
THOSE GIRLS ELIJAH MAJESKI
A MANIFESTO MARGARET PARSONS
Seven thousand phrases flashed through my mind but all that came out was “it’s okay.” I work that way, you know. To be angry, to be sad, to be lost in front of others is to burden them. Vulnerability is a 13 letter word and 13 is a f**king evil number. I know it’s stupid to be scared of a number, but I can count on one hand the number of times I have cried in front of others. I create because if I didn’t draw it out or write it out, I probably would go insane. Art is the crux of my existence. It is the one thing I know I am good at. It is the one treasure no one can take away from me, my work, my stress, my reward. I create because I felt so alone every time my family moved and it made my brother laugh. I create because the human body is beautiful and I am never tired of drawing it. I create because I’m bored. I create because my ego is a bag of doughnuts that I occasionally binge on. I create because I like to journal my life. I create because it’s fun. I create because it’s relaxing. Lines calm me. I have a hard time letting go of lines. Parameters. I’m a military child. My father stands on one shoulder asking me if it’s the right thing to do and my mother stands on the other asking me why I haven’t done it yet. I have these standards stacked up in my mind and I don’t know why—I actually reprimand myself for reprimanding myself. I create because it reminds me that I am enough. I want love so bad I will be the shit-sucking fish that people buy to clean the fish tank. A very needy side of me desperately wants someone to rub my back at night and remind me of all the good I am capable of. I am trying to learn how to give. I create because I never stop trying to prove myself. To prove that I deserve respect. I drink because when I’m drunk I am not trying to prove anything. When I am drunk I will spill my heart out. I am scared and thrilled with delusion and I know I’m playing on the precipice of a very deep ravine but I’m playing nonetheless. I am scared of becoming dependent on anything and I create because of that. I recently read the question “Do you want to fall not ever knowing what took you?” I don’t. I will be strong. I will not be afraid. I will relinquish the negativity in my mind. I will keep pushing. I will grow. I will be patient. I will breathe in moments and look you in your eye when I’m talking to you, or try. I will say good morning. I will try everything unless it will certainly poison me. I will listen to you. I create because I will. Every time I create I slowly chisel away at the oppressive concrete wall of timidity. Art is picking me apart and throwing me in clods against the wall and I’m shattering and I’m absolutely loving it. I am seeing reflections of myself in mirrors I once thought were opaque surfaces. I create because all I know of myself for sure is the eight letters my parents gave me at birth. I am trying, I am sailing, I am sinking, I am playing, I am hating, I am scared, I am crying, I am nothing but I am enough. It’s okay.
DRESSES TAYLOR MASCHGER, MUSIC EDITOR
Perhaps one of the best ways to ring in a new year is with new tunes – and who better to celebrate with than the up-and-coming Portland based duo Dresses! The cute pair, Timothy Heller and Jared Ryan Maldonado, burst into the Portland music scene last year when they premiered their first single, “Blew My Mind,” a catchy tune with colorful lyrics and hypnotic harmonies. Now on iTunes, the two are preparing to launch two more singles in February and March, as well as their first full-length album (with nine tracks total!) by the beginning of April. With such great talent, the two have seen nothing short of an outpouring of support. Released a little over two weeks ago, their newest music video for the track “Blew My Mind” has earned them over 20,000 hits on YouTube. One listen and you’ll surely understand why – Timothy’s vocals capture listeners in a way which makes it impossible to only listen to the song once. Apparently listeners aren’t the only ones who are intrigued by the distinctive qualities of her voice either. In fact, Jared admitted that before ever playing with her, he’d been intrigued by Timothy’s obvious talent. “I knew of Timothy in high school because she was in a band with three guys from my school, and I'd always been in awe of her unique voice (she had no idea who I was back then…),” explained Jared. “It's pretty crazy thinking about how three years ago I wished so badly we could play together, and now we do.” Indeed before pairing up to form Dresses, both Timothy and Jared experimented with other groups, as well as solo performances. Timothy was known for her time in a band called Espioes, as well as her YouTube covers, while Jared played drums in the band Plug In Stereo, which was founded by friend-turned-Dresses-manager Trevor Dahl. As Jared began writing and sharing more of his own music, he was approached by Timothy, and the two quickly began collaborating with one another. Through their partnership, both Jared and Timothy have been able to strengthen their already prominent skills, as well as focus on improving themselves in various aspects.
PHOTOS BY CIARA ALBERTS
“I am trying really hard to feel more comfortable writing music because it’s really hard for me! I feel relatively confident about the songs I have written, just getting them written isn't the easiest for me yet. It has been nice being in a duo now though where I can get more comfortable writing a song with a person and getting feedback, as opposed to not having anyone to bounce ideas off of,” said Timothy. Added Jared, “Sometimes I write the majority of a song on guitar, show Timothy, and she gives me feedback and changes, then I sit on it and finish it. Other times she comes up with most of a song on the ukulele, which I then take that and make a guitar part. We've had a good way so far of letting one person or the other write the majority of a songs' lyrics, then allow the other to provide their feedback and criticisms.” In addition to agreeing on their smooth collaborative processes, Timothy and Jared also both note their Portland roots when speaking about their shared love for creating music. “I feel like being raised in Portland has definitely made me more of a musician. Almost all of my family members are musical people and I feel like if I hadn't been surrounded by that then maybe this wouldn't be what I want to do with my life,” said Timothy. “I’m not sure if I feel like we are similar to many of the local bands here but it’s nice having a really open community of people here to support us. I feel like it would be much more of a struggle to succeed musically in a less creative environment, so I'm definitely lucky.” Chiming in Jared said, “Portland has definitely had an effect on me being a musician. Since I was younger, I would go to shows downtown and fantasize about playing music. My dad moved here from Hawaii to play music in the ‘80s, so thinking about that makes me feel lucky that I was raised in a city with so many opportunities for musicians. As Timothy said, I don’t think we sound a lot like other bands you'd find in Portland, but I don't think that's necessarily a disadvantage.” This delightful duo most definitely demonstrates a unique quality and a refreshing vibe which is seldom discovered with so many new bands hitting the scene. With a promising single hinting at an incredible debut album, we predict 2013 will be a stellar year for Dresses and their ever -growing number of listeners.
LA CHASSE PHOTOS: ANDY REASER MODELS: AMANDA JONES AND MADDIE DAWN MAKE-UP & HAIR: CALI MAZARIEGO
GHOST DECAY MELISSA MARESCA
NE M’OUBLIE PAS DEAK ROSTOCHIL