Winter 2020: to be continued

to be continued

In loving memory of Michael Gallagher II. A vibrant student, friend and soul.

WINTER 2020 / VOLUME 10.1

A MAGAZINE ON THE CULTURE AND ASPIRATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL YOUTH Editor-in-Chief Linnea Wingerup Art Director Stella Richman Photography Director Carolin Melz Deputy Editor Jeff Hanrahan Editorial Advisor Marc Feustel Illustrators Katia Novak Stella Richman

Photographers Nicole Gomes Anna Kossmann Louis Mack Sofia Rose Elena von Schlenk Ussi’n Yala Sophia Scalzo Celia Goodman

Staff Writers Sarah Farr Jeff Hanrahan Maria Karkour Julia Orr Sofia Quintero Sophia Sedki Thalia Weissman Contributing Writers Alexander Benjamin A’mari Bing-Way Madeline Czarnik Leanna Davis Ian Hoffman Kevin Jarussi Bianca Rodriguez-Vasquez Emily Spennato

table of

contents

6-7 Letter from the Editor 8-9 Taking Sustainability Personally

By Kevin Jarussi

10-11 Polarized Politics

By Thalia Weissman

12-15 Love Lockdown

By Thalia Weissman

16-17 Self-Care with Sophrology

By A’mari Bing-Way

18-21 Eco-Friendly Eateries

By Maddie Czarnik & Leanna Davis

22-28 BLM: An Introspective Look

By Alexander Benjamin

29-31 Portraits of Queer Fashion

By Sarah Farr

32-36 Between the Fashion Binary

By Sofia Rose

37-39 The North African Effect

By Sophia Sedki

40-43 Masking Fashion

By Ian Hoffman

44-46 Black Happiness: A Revolution

By A’mari Bing-Way

47-50 I Want to Come too!

By Bianca Rodriguez-Vasquez

51-54 Liminal Spaces of Lockdown

By Celia Goodman

55-57 Illustrating an Industry

By Madeline Czarnik

58-60 The Not-So Petite Ceinture

By Maria Karkour

61-63 How to Rob a Bank to Pay Off those Pesky Student Loans

By Jeff Hanrahan

64-67 Bewitched

By J ulia Orr

68-71 Beyond the Front Porch

By Sarah Farr

72-74 Virtual Fashion in the Real World

By Sofia Quintero

75-77 Oat of This World

By Emily Spennato

78-80 Searching for a Smile

By Sofia Quintero

Letter from the Editor

Photograph by Sophia Scalzo

Illustrations by Stella Richman

I

f I never hear the word “unprecedented” again, I would be thrilled. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the word seems to have appeared in every email, newscast, and conversation. It’s peppered into apologies, openers, descriptions, and stories as a way to cope with a reality that none of us ever intended to face; yet here we are, existing in a decidedly “unprecedented” time. And it seems as though it will be that way for at least a little while longer.

the plate in the biggest way possible, exposing flaws in global healthcare systems. The corruption and poor working conditions in the fashion industry were further exposed due to the industry’s handling of the crisis, and the outcry for more sustainable fashion and design movements was amplified. La loi de la sécurité globale, which was attempting to criminalize taking videos of the police, was protested here in France in response to too many instances of police brutality.

It was clear to me when we started working on this issue that it could not be the “COVID issue.” Because we were (and still are) living through the crisis, none of us wanted to talk about it, and the whole subject seems bleak and overworked. Of course, we had to mention its pervasive presence in our everyday lives, but it is also an elephant in the room that nobody is interested in anymore. The virus both stopped things and kept things moving, with a new focus that could only be found through clarity in the light of crisis. The world still turned, people FaceTimed their moms from across an ocean, and change was incited in many areas of our lives.

People realized that physical distancing was quite different from social distancing, and kept in touch with friends, neighbors, and family through all means of communication; whether it was by a phone call, a glitchy video chat, or a concert on a balcony. As Sarah Farr writes in her piece “Beyond the Front Porch,” the idea of community was redefined in a greater digital context.

As COVID-19 ravaged populations around the world, the pandemic revealed the reality of what was happening in communities before even a single case showed up. The Black Lives Matter movement gained immense traction and visibility after the devastating murder of George Floyd on May 25, and people all over the world took to the streets in sadness and anger over the blatant suppression of Black communities for centuries. Healthcare workers stepped up to

I was sitting on the metro with a friend after doing some holiday shopping (shout out to La Grande Epicerie for a damn cute jam selection) when the phrase “to be continued” popped into my head. Something about it invoked familiarity and a sense of hope; it summed up the year in a way that both looked back on past events and forward to what was to come.

This is an issue dedicated to a time in which we continued to exist in the face of tragedy and crisis.

We continued to push social movements forward. We continued to change and adapt. We continued, and continue to do so still. Here’s to what we will continue to do next.

Much love, Linnea Wingerup

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Taking Sustainability Personally

Sustainability: not just about recycling

By Kevin Jurassi Illustrations by Stella Richman

I

think it is safe to say that 2020 has been a challenging year. It’s funny; when I look back to our preCOVID world, everything seems so simple. I feel like life had sense, purpose, direction and a bit more meaning. I don’t want to suggest meaning has ceased to exist, but I do believe that for many of us it has been called into question, even if just a little bit.

Like so many of my fellow students, I came to Paris from elsewhere in the world. I left my family, my friends and my built-in support networks, all to come here to pursue my master’s degree in one of the world’s most dynamic cities.

And then COVID happened, with its two-month lockdown in the spring. Personally, those two months were incredibly difficult. I lived in a tiny chambre de bonne in the 16th arrondissement, not far from Trocadero, and during those months there were days where I could hardly get out of bed. Day after day, week after week, the arduousness of being trapped while trying to study really got me down. Looking back now, even while in the midst of a second lockdown (which is nothing like the first), it seems like a dream.

I am a graduate student in the International Management program and I chose the Sustainability track for my studies. I’m originally from Montana, and my family has a large ranch where I spent much of my childhood. My grandparents practiced sustainability long before it became a hot topic. They conserved water, reused everything they could, and even threw scraps of food over the fence for the wild animals to eat. But they would have never used the word “sustainability.” For them, it was really just a logical way of life.

Nowadays, I believe that when people consider that word, they often think about it in terms of recycling, fashion, food production, air quality, etc. And those are incredibly important topics that deserve the utmost attention, particularly as we move forward in our postCOVID world.

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However, I believe there is another, less-discussed area of sustainability, but one that in our current situation demands our attention; that is the notion of personal sustainability. Can anything be more important than sustaining one’s own existence in a healthy and somewhat meaningful way?

The University of Worcester defines personal sustainability as being “underpinned by not just maintaining one’s own health and wellness but by actively improving it and supporting others to do so too.”

Throughout the last several months I have been consciously working on my health and wellness, and I have been paying really close attention to what my friends and have been doing as well.

Personally, I love to cook for myself. I concoct dishes on a daily basis that are visually pleasing, nutritionally-rich and exciting to create. According to Harvard Medical School, 95% of the serotonin in our body is produced in our gastrointestinal tract. This pandemic has certainly affected my mood, and I know many people who have had issues with appetite. Kat Smith of Livekindly, cites that cooking helps with feelings of accomplishment, creativity, patience, connection (I take this term in the personal sense), organization and overall health. So many people I know dislike cooking for themselves, what can be more self-sustaining than making healthy food that you enjoy eating and looking at? I cooked like crazy during the first confinement, and then I thoroughly enjoyed the restaurant scene over the summer. Now that we are back in our second lockdown, I have begun to cook again; and I feel so much better.

I have also been shopping in local markets, not large grocery chains. This past year has been a time of economic uncertainty for billions of people, and small businesses are suffering. It has become very important to me to support these local merchants. Paris is full of these small businesses, and unlike in the United States, the cost difference between these stores and

the large chains is relatively small. Going to my local vegetable stand on Rue du Faubourg St. Denis, filling up the canvas bag I’ve had for almost 20 years with vegetables and giving my money to the wonderful shopkeepers puts such a smile on my face, and that supports my personal sustainability.

I am kind of learning more about myself on an everyday basis, and doing long distance will definitely give you a ton of anxiety.

I’ve also been taking long walks. I understand that

we are supposed to be in lockdown, but let’s face it — this second time around is nothing like the first. We live in one of the most magnificent cities in the world, and right now seems to be a wonderful time to discover it. My slow and long walks focus on looking at the gorgeous architecture, creative window displays and foliage. Jane Chertoff of Healthline says that walking helps burn calories, boosts immune function (very important right now), improves your mood and fosters creative thinking. I would argue this definitely supports The University of Worcester’s idea of personal sustainability. And I can tell you that my walk today is helping me write this piece at this very moment. So my friends, take walks!

Members of the AUP community also have their takes on what personal sustainability means to them.

I asked Imani Fanga for her take on the topic and she said that right now “it is mostly curating a space where we are comfortable being tactile, loving each other, holding each other.” It is also about “making sure I always have space with one person to just share intimate feelings, thoughts and love without wondering if they’re going to use it against me in the future.”

Marissa Rico, a graduate student in the International Management program, had a lot to say as well.

COVID gave her what she described as a “non-routine where everything felt like a wash.” Through that she realized how important structure is to her. It’s “that feeling of getting things done at the end of the day” which can help immensely with one’s mental well-being, she said. Rico has realized that it’s a morning routine that really helps her. She said, “I wake up, make my bed, do my dishes, so I have a clean slate. Then I do yoga, meditate and journal. It helps process a little bit of those uncertainties and anxieties.” El Camino

Health, based out of the Los Gatos California area, also discussed the importance of morning routines.

They explore how prior to COVID, we all likely had our routines, more or less. We could sail through our days on auto-pilot with hardly a thought of how to fill our time. But then COVID hit and our routines (for most people) were brought to a screeching halt.

As I talked to both women, I realized that we are essentially in the same place mentally and emotionally.

This period has been so challenging. I too am trying to keep a place where I can share my feelings, thoughts and emotions with my loved ones, and I want those close to me to feel that they can do the same thing.

I’m also trying to establish some semblance of routine, and that is something that has always been difficult for me. My newest one involves getting up in the morning and stopping at a restaurant near me that sells coffee for one euro. Then I walk up Rue du Faubourg St. Denis and stop in at Julhès, a somewhat upscale boulangerie that I believe makes the best pain suisse.

After devouring one, I go and sit inside the St. Laurent cathedral on Boulevard de Magenta. I’m not a religious person but there’s something about this cathedral that brings me a great deal of comfort. There are always a few other people there when I arrive, and I sit in my same spot. I take off my hat and my mask and I wait for my prayers to come to me. Most of the time I pray that I remain strong, that I don’t lose hope, that my family be protected and that I am able to finish my graduate studies and find my place in this world.

I pray that I can find my direction, my purpose and my meaning. 2020 has been really rough, for all of us.

There is so much uncertainty; we have no idea what the next few months hold. It seems as if we have such little control over our lives nowadays, but we can control how we focus our energies on a daily basis. Doing so in a way that sustains our well-being and perhaps even propels us forward seems like the right choice, and hopefully, some of the activities I’ve mentioned will help. Be well, and here’s hoping that 2021 returns us to a bit of normalcy.

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The 2020 U.S election has stirred up animosity and demonstrated an immense divide in the American people. From the first division of the two major parties, Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican Party and Hamilton’s Federalist Party to today’s red and blue rift, we take a look back at the history of this divide.

1930s Under the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Republican and Democratic ideologies completely switched places and the modern development of the parties begins. Roosevelt, a Democrat, was pro-social reformation (including supporting the Federal Emergency Relief Administration) due to the Great Depression, which had typically been the Republican platform. The Republicans started to grow more conservative.

1854 The modern Republican Party was formed.

Republican Senator Bob Dole spoke at the Republican National Convention, “he is my opponent, not my enemy” in regards to Bill Clinton. At this point, the Republican and Democratic party platforms had become clearly divided, yet Dole understood that politicians across the aisle were his peers and coworkers; not his enemies.

The Democratic-Republican Party was formed by the “founding fathers”; including Thomas Jefferson.

1772

1996

Polarized Politics 1820 1969 2000 The modern Democratic Party was formed.

Republican Richard Nixon took office. America had been at war in Vietnam, and by November, Nixon announced his “Vietnamization” plan to increase American presence in Vietnam, going against the “Americanization” plan of his predecessor, Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson who planned to slowly replace troops with South Vietnamese soldiers.

1860s The Republican and Democratic parties embodied their opposite’s current beliefs. The former Republican Party supported protecting the rights of the Constitution and the freeing of slaves, whereas the former Democratic Party wanted the slave trade to remain.

The ideology of the Republican party became associated with “masculinity” opposing the Democrat’s “femininity.” Al Gore, a Vietnam war veteran was described as “practically lactating” by New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd in comparison to the “charming, limber, cocky, fidgety George W. Bush.”

Following a controversy with his mentor Reverend Wright, Obama gave a speech on racism. During the speech, Obama made a point about how even though his white grandmother was racist, he loved her. Keith Olbermann, (a liberal TV personality) questioned whether “Obama bringing his own grandmother’s prejudices into the thing suddenly makes the whole issue amazingly simple.” However, Ann Coulter, a Republican commentator, said that Obama’s “crazy grandma doesn’t get the same pass as the crazy uncle; she’s white. Denounce the racist!”

The Presidential election revealed that America wants Trump out of office, and moves on to Joe Biden, former Vice President to Barack Obama.

However, there remained a level of animosity and slander on both sides throughout the election campaigns.

The U.S. experienced its largest terrorist attack. Bush’s speech addressing 9/11 repeatedly used the word “evil,” playing into the classic “good guy/ bad guy” mentality. Although the War on Terror was agreed upon across the aisle, what pursued later, the Iraq War, only proved further divisions.

By Thalia Weissman Illustrations by Stella Richman

2001

2008 2006

The Republicans lost the majority in the House and Senate. However, this “masculine” ideology was still strong, and the “feminization” of the Democratic party remained.

Despite the Republicans losing some power, they retained their “credentials as the tough and credible party on national security.”

2020 2016

The election of President Trump was truly when the U.S. became hyper-polarized. Trump tweeted that the media or press is “truly the enemy of the people,” and popularized the idea of “fake news”; the concept that the press and media are no longer trustworthy. Dole’s “opponents not enemies” sentiment seems to have disappeared.

So where do things go from here? America is supposedly a melting pot but it feels like Americans are several separate pots placed in one pantry. Politics no longer feels like an issue of policy. Politicians and the media alike destroy the person who doesn’t agree with them, rather than their policies themselves. The question that the U.S. now faces is: can the country hope for less divided politics?

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Love

Lockdown

What COVID has taught us about romance

By Thalia Weissman Illustrations by Stella Richman

A

ccording to Maya Angelou, “love has no barriers.” Unfortunately love encountered some barriers when the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic. But, true to Maya Angelou’s sentiment, love finds a way. Some of us met someone new, others reignited an old flame, some got broken hearts, some broke hearts, and others remained in love. I started up a relationship again, so I wanted to see what had happened to those in my community at AUP. Each person learned something a b o u t themselves, their partner, or their relationship as a whole through the context of the pandemic. Confinement proved to change everyone’s relationships, especially romantic ones.

Despite social restrictions put in place by many countries, new relationships have still been forming during this period of global isolation. It is amazing to think that so many people have found partners during such a lonely time. I know once I got back together with my boyfriend it made the loneliness and boredom of confinement a little easier. I spoke with AUP students to find out how their relationships were shaped by the experience of the pandemic.

but we didn’t know, and I didn’t know especially, if [we] wanted something.”

It didn’t take long for these two to decide it was worth the leap of faith, even though they had not seen each other in person. Shannen had been in Shivani’s hometown for a month, but with confinement rules being so strict, they were only allowed one day together. So how did this shape their relationship, which has been long distance during the pandemic?

“I’m not someone who talks about my feelings. I feel in a relationship like this I kind of like explored various aspects of myself.” With COVID restrictions, Shivani felt she had room for personal growth. “I am kind of learning more about myself on an everyday basis, and doing long distance will definitely give you a ton of anxiety.”

Shivani Vernekar and Shannen Uchil Shivani and Shannen met years ago through mutual friends. It wasn’t until Shivani went home to India in early March to spend confinement with her family that their love story began.

“I had gotten out of a relationship six months prior.

I knew I wasn’t going to stay back home for too long, so for me it wasn’t a good idea to get into anything. So I was just swiping through Bumble, super bored one night, and... I saw a friend of mine. Nothing too big.”

That ‘nothing too big’ became her girlfriend Shannen.

With their paths already headed in different directions, hesitation was what started this romance. “The only issue was [that] I was moving back to Paris and she was actually moving to Canada. We liked each other

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It can be hard to navigate relationships during this time, but The Wall Street Journal notes that experts want us to keep in mind that this is a unique situation. Shivani and Shannen somehow have managed to form an entirely new relationship during the pandemic. It isn’t easy, as Shivani explained, to trust someone, and it is even harder to trust someone over 5,000 miles away.

COVID shaped their relationship to be one built upon open communication and trust because that was all they had. Yet, instead of giving into the past temptation of not talking, stressing out, and being closed off, this new relationship is giving Shivani the chance to change bad habits. Despite how difficult a pandemic and confinement is, maybe if it weren’t for this time, Shivani wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to grow as a person. COVID provided her with a time for self-reflection, and it helped to have fallen for a person who brings that out in her. COVID helped break the cycle of Shivani’s past, so now she can have a better future.

Katie Taylor and Nick Kennerly Like Shivani and Shannen, Nick and Katie didn’t start their relationship officially until confinement, although their paths had crossed before. Last summer, when Katie was home visiting family in China, she met Nick, an American violinist on Tinder, and spent the past year in a complicated, casual relationship.

After spending ages in confinement in France, Katie decided to go and visit her extended family in the

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“I am kind of learning more about myself on an everyday basis, and doing long distance will definitely give you a ton of anxiety.”

United States. “During that time I was lucky enough to see him as well. We spent like a month together.

And after that trip we were like alright, I guess, we’ll just brave it and do the relationship thing. It was really just accepting head on that it was going to be long distance, but also long distance during a global pandemic. So travel for leisure wasn’t going to be a thing even if we wanted it to be.” Katie’s month-long visit with Nick ultimately gave them the time they needed to confirm their relationship. Although, according to Nick, it was inevitable that the two would end up together.

Nick and Katie then found a loophole to get Nick to Paris once Katie returned to the city. He was going to go to London, and take the Eurostar to Paris; which surprisingly was allowed, despite direct travel from the U.S. being banned. Everything was set to happen when fate took a turn for the worst. “He was supposed to come October 4th, but then I got COVID,” Katie explained, “it was a matter of [not just] how quickly I could recover, but also if I would test negative.” To have so much hope and excitement on reuniting with someone you love just for COVID to take it away is gut-wrenching. “I felt so much guilt. I felt my own personal [mistake] and not being careful cost us this entire chance to be able to see each other.” This put a lot of stress on both Nick and Katie and changed all of their plans. Not just that, but it was a matter of COVID safety and what we each individually define as safe behavior. COVID has put stress on everyone’s relationships, romantic or not. I know personally my dad and I have disagreed on what is “safe and appropriate” behavior.

Through all this, they learned just how much they care about each other, and the learned patience was key in dealing with the changed plans. Dealing with the restrictions COVID brings about is hard. It is even harder when those restrictions affect one’s newly formed romantic relationship, but in the end, Nick was able to come see Katie. They were able to reunite again after trust, patience, and strength.

Sam Williams and Charlotte Hoyos Sam and Charlotte’s love story was not new. They met in year 6, became friends in year 9, and finally started to date in junior year of high school. Their relationship is unique because even though Sam studies in Monaco and Charlotte in Paris, Charlotte’s family lives in Monaco and they are able to each other every two to three weeks. So when confinement happened it would have been the first time they would be apart for more than three weeks.

Actually, they managed to avoid this. “When confinement started he was with his parents,” said Charlotte. “So we had to smuggle him over because he wasn’t allowed to legally come to Monaco. We made up this whole excuse that he was coming to help an old person. So he came over after three weeks of being with his parents. He spent the rest of the confinement period with me. I think after the first week we were like, right, we need to somehow convince our parents to help us get you over here.”

“We just had to be together, and I think that was the hardest part, funny enough. We just learned to respect each other’s space.

Before, we just wanted to be together, and always wanted to do what the other person was doing.”

When two people really love one another, breaking the rules isn’t always an issue. They learned quickly that indefinite physical distance doesn’t work for them. However, they had some other learning curves as well. So what was the biggest strain? According to Charlotte, “the fact that we couldn’t have any personal space from each other.” “We just had to be together, and I think that was the hardest part, funny enough.

We just learned to respect each other’s space. Before, we just always wanted to be together, and wanted to do what the other person was doing. So I don’t think we grew closer but we learned to respect each other’s needs and values a lot more.”

Fortunately for Charlotte and Sam, a seasoned couple, the stress of COVID didn’t cause them to break. However, wasn’t the case for everyone. “Where there was a crack, there is now a rupture,” says Kath-

ryn Smerling, a family therapist in New York City.

Smerling is referring to relationships that already had problems before the external stress of COVID and confinement pushed them to a breaking point.

However, Sam and Charlotte’s their relationship was already strong and could withstand the uncomfortableness of learning to share a space all the time.

COVID gave them the chance to finally spend all the time they thought they had wanted together. Most importantly what they learned was respect. Respect is essential in all relationships. Sam and Charlotte always respected each other, and due to the increased amount of time spent with each other in confinement, this respect became even stronger. COVID made them grow and mature even when they didn’t want to.

Growing up is hard to do, but when you are constantly confronted by what needs to change, do you really have a choice?

COVID and confinement was a time of separation for us all. Not everyone was lucky enough to go home and be with their families, friends, boyfriends, or girlfriends. I know if I would have become depressed, anxious, and overall miserable if I hadn’t been able to go home and be with my loved ones. We were all forced to grow and learn a lot during this time about ourselves, so to incorporate another person into that takes a lot of strength, determination, and patience.

We are all questioning what the new normal would be after COVID, but I hope that for these couples that their new normal after COVID continues based on the lessons they learned.

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Selfcare with Sophrology How the practice can bring peace into the day-to-day

By Sophia Sedki Illustration by Stella Richman

P

eople have always been on the hunt for ways to better their mental health. Meditation, mindfulness, yoga, and other practices have become popularized within the past decade in order to combat day-to-day stressors. In Europe, however, people have been picking up the phone to book appointments with a new kind of specialist: sophrologists.

For years, I have been looking for ways to help better manage my anxiety and stress linked to school and work. This pursuit led me to a sophrology session in Paris, where I learned exercises that helped me to prepare for presentations in school, studying and dealing with stressful situations.

Sophrology is a mix of Western science and Eastern philosophy, used as a self-help tool to improve overall health and morale. It is a combination of yoga, meditation and mindfulness along with the psychology of hypnosis, phenomenology and relaxation. The practice includes mental and physical exercises, such as breath control and visualization techniques, that can be practiced daily on your own or with a sophrologist, so there’s

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no need to overspend on self help books or fall into the rabbit hole of the wellness industry.

The word “sophrology” comes from ancient Greek, with “sos” translating to “harmony,” “phren” translating to “mind” and “logos” translating to “study” or “science”; therefore making sophrology’s official definition “the study of consciousness in harmony.” Compared to other health practices such as meditation or yoga, sophrology is quite recent and was created in the 1960s by the neuro-psychiatrist Alfonso Caycedo.

He helped struggling patients at a mental hospital in Madrid, Spain, to bring more balance and peace to their lives with as little intervention and medication as possible. Caycedo developed the 12 Sophrology Degrees, which are different levels of sophrology exercises including types of yoga and mindfulness practices.

Sophrology wasn’t formally recognized until the first International Sophrology Conference in 1970, where 1,400 mental health experts were present along with representatives from 42 countries. Over the past 60 years, sophrology has become more personalized and used as a self-help tool.Géraldine Ojalvo, a licensed AUP sophrologist, has been doing sophrology for over five years. Discovering this practice in 2014, Ojalvo was looking for something to help manage her stress and ability to let go.

“I was very quickly conquered by the power of this discipline which goes far beyond the simple relaxation technique but which for some people is a true philosophy of life,” she said. In describing certain techniques of sophrology, Ojalvo states that “there are of course the visualizations that are the patients’ favorite part of the sessions. I particularly like to find calm and visualize myself in my resource place and smell the perfumes, see the colors, listen to the noises that come to me from this image. It’s extremely revitalizing.”

Although you can work with a sophrologist, you can also do these practices on your own and tailor them specifically to what you need. Movements include shoulder pumps along with a breathing exercise to release tension in the shoulders and back, doing axial rotations, or combining a series of movements. Specific breathing techniques and visualization to center one’s energy and become relaxed are also two popular exercises.

One of Ojalvo’s favorite exercises, called the “Tra Trac,” helps calm the body down and is centered around the third eye.

“I was very quickly conquered by the power of this discipline which goes far beyond the simple relaxation technique but which for some people is a true philosophy of life.”

“You raise your right or left arm horizontally. Your thumb is outstretched. You take a deep breath and block your breathing. You stare at your thumb and gently bring it back towards your eyes. Then when your vision becomes blurred, you put your thumb on your forehead between your eyebrows. A great feeling of calmness is diffused in your head when you do this exercise.” There are many free online resources available that walk people through certain sophrology exercises, especially in the francophone world. The ideology behind it is simple: the more you practice, the better it works. All sophrologists maintain that programming your body to respond positively to these exercises helps reinforce their positive effects on your well-being.

Sophrology is quite popular in France and around Europe. There are multiple sophrology centers scattered across Paris, and based on their many reviews, sophrology is effective and well-liked. Ojalvo gives lasting advice: “What is important is to take the time to live your sensations, your emotions and experience them here and now, as if it was the first time. This is the journey of self-knowledge that sophrology offers.”

Sophrology has garnered a massive amount of popularity over the past few decades. As a society, we tend to overwork ourselves and pull ourselves in one hundred different directions, not necessarily thinking of the effects this can have on our health until we’re exhausted. Although sophrology might not turn into your “new way of life,” implementing some of these practices in a daily routine might make a difference.

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EcoFriendly Eateries How sustainable are Parisian vegan cafĂŠs and restaurants?

By Madeline Czarnik and Leanna Davis Illustrations by Stella Richman 18

24% just in France that year, and notably that they expected that number to continue to increase by about 17% each year following.

Green-washing and green marketing have long held their important place in the world of commerce, but as the clock in New York City ticks down on our collective and irreversible planetary demise; greenwashing has now become a practice akin to a crime. This isn’t to be pessimistic and to write off all the amazing work that small scale vegan and ethical businesses, cafés, and restaurants are doing, but to remind you to eat with your eyes wide open. From unintentional cross-contamination of animal products in vegan-safe foods, cult-owned (not denoting popular, but rather an actual religious cult) vegan restaurants, scandals regarding the health implications of the famous Beyond Meat meat replacement products, and less surprising scandals regarding McDonald’s claim that their fries were vegetarian when they were being doused in beef stock — the label “vegan” does not mean that vegan institutions and vegan food are without their problems.

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alking into Cloud Cakes was exactly as the name would describe; like walking into a heavenly haven of cakes and generally delicious vibes. The café styled eatery was small, and a bit tight, but once you can find a spot its bright blue coffee mugs and plates and the distinctive smell of pervading, well, sugar, really take you there. A castle of cloud and cakery heaven.

However, the ambiance and the colors are not the only draw to this bobo Parisian cake spot; it’s also 100% vegan. Vegan cake? The eyebrows raise across the board.

The general appraisal of vegan foods, especially sweets, which require the odd amalgamation of milk and butter products to render them palatable, is that they miss the mark — hard. However, despite Parisians being classically known to turn their noses up at the idea of vegan foods (cheese, viennoiseries, and meat as a concept are normally very Parisian and French), the Paris vegan scene is truly coming through with a vengeance...or a vegan-ce?

Vegan and eco-friendly eateries have become more and more popular worldwide as the existential angst of climate change and planetary destruction has become a mainstream marketing topic. A study by research body Xerfi in 2019 shows that sales of vegan and vegetarian products had increased by

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Paris has a vast vegan-friendly food scene; from burgers and pastas to everything in between, you can find essentially whatever your stomach and moral values may be craving. However, with the rapid growth of some of these businesses, there comes complications with their initial commitments to remaining green, eco-friendly and giving you the nutritional as well as nourishing food they want you to believe that it is. A large portion of these ethical and vegan eateries in Paris remain clustered in the quartier of the Marais, which also carries a heavy stamp of rich Parisian bobo culture.

Bobo is a French slang term for bourgeois-bohème which delivers connotations of wealthy young hip upstarts who wear their morals and their money on their sleeves. The term is usually not used endearingly, just as vegan can be used snobbishly by those who enact it as a lifestyle, and those who use it as a derogatory adjective to disregard the strong morals

Paris has a vast veganfriendly food scene; from burgers and pastas to everything in between, you can find essentially whatever your stomach and moral values may be craving.

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of others. Xerfi, the research body responsible for the study on the expansion of the vegan and vegetarian boom in France, lend credit of the rising interest and consumption of vegan products to a form of “flexitarianism”, which is when people assume a higher moral stance in the form of feelings of superiority towards their non-vegan counterparts.

President of the Vegan Club at AUP, Chloe Lyons, weighs into the debate saying, “I would definitely say that superiority is something that comes up in the vegan community because you’re taking a moral stance, and when you’re taking a moral stance that is different from everyone else, you can come off as holier-than-thou, etc. So, in a way, you are acting more morally, but there was definitely a time when you weren’t.”

By interviewing a few other vegan and green-concerned consumers here in Paris, the consensus of must-visit vegan eateries includes: Cloud Cakes, Hank Burger, Furahaa to Go, Wild and the Moon, Love Juice Bar, Abattoir Végétal, and Le Potager du Marais; most of which are clustered around the Marais. Mimi Vickery, who is a junior at AUP, talks about Furahaa to Go, one of the most widely ranging vegan spots in Paris in terms of menu, “I found it on Deliveroo; what really sold me were the ‘fried chicken’ wraps -- vegan and so good. They have so many vegan classic American foods, they have vegan donuts; Krispy Kreme-styled donuts which I get on the regular. It’s also reasonably priced, such good vegan food, and a Black-owned business, so I love supporting them.”

Furahaa is a small vegan restaurant in the 2nd arrondissement. It’s considered to be “fast food” for its quick service and low prices.

Love Juice Bar is a quaint and tiny eatery in the 3rd arrondissement. Serving only smoothies, smoothie bowls, and avocado toast.

Hank Burger and Hank Pizza are two popular vegan restaurants affiliated with each other. Both located in the 3rd arrondissement and quite popular in the vegan community.

Cloud Cakes is a small vegan pastry and coffee shop located in the 2nd arrondissement. Known for their cakes, pancakes, and cupcakes to satisfy any sweet tooth.

Abattoir Végétal serves at a cute and cozy vegan bistro spot in the 18th arrondissement. The restaurant became fully vegan in 2017.

Le Potager du Marais is a fancier vegan restaurant in the 4th arrondissement. Known for their twist on traditional French cuisines.

Among this list of eco-friendly and vegan eateries in the infamous Wild & The Moon. What is lauded and deemed by many coming to visit Paris as one of the

“My opinion is that most of us who have worked there [were] tired of Wild & the Moon and think that most of their claimed values are only superficial. It doesn’t get carried through.” most established and trendy vegan eateries in the city, is delivered with its fair share of ethically-wrapped issues. Wild & The Moon started in 2016 in Dubai, and in that same year it also expanded to rue Charlot in Paris. Since 2016, Wild & the Moon has opened four new locations in Paris for a total of five today..

This fast expansion raises a lot of questions. How can a café that claims to use compostable plastic, vegan ingredients, premade and made on site, and is highly popular within the fashion community, continue an ethical and sustainable business model?

Wild & the Moon hits you with bobo and vegan clichés as soon as you walk through the door and into its plant-lined and minimalist designer-chic walls.

The attitude is palpable, and the crowd is nothing if not oh-so-busy and extremely fashionable. That’s the concerning part. The speed. The speed of the consumer and the speed of the business.

Interviewing several employees of Wild & The Moon was no difficult feat when attending a university in which you’ll find some of the loveliest people, but also some of the wealthiest; the American University of Paris. With education and money also comes the desire to have a more ethical consumption and the means to do so. That’s why greenwashing and green marketing has become such a hot topic: we want to do better, but we’re so spiraled by the ongoing destruction and the misinformation that we don’t even know which companies to trust anymore.

A previous employee, who wishes to stay anonymous, worked at Wild & the Moon Charlot in 2018 and said, “Their concept involves striving for sustainability and zero waste which seemed great to me.

However, they did not meet the requirements for this.

When I was working there, we had to throw away a huge amount of food. When we did throw all of this food away, there was no way of recycling the different materials or the foods, everything was thrown in the same bin. I really tried to take as much home with me as possible, but I still had to throw a lot away. With this in mind, I found it weird that the staff, later on, weren’t

allowed to eat the plat du jour, and were told to eat whatever was left from the day before...” “...I think people see it as a hip, expensive place with healthy foods. Some people might see through it and understand that it can’t really fulfill all the good intentions they claim they do. At least us ex-workers have that attitude I’d say. My opinion is that most of us who have worked there [were] tired of Wild & the Moon and think that most of their claimed values are only superficial. It doesn’t get carried through.”

This employee of Wild & the Moon was not the only one with things to say, most employees interviewed that worked there more recently or presently echoed these same claims. It was not understaffed, but undermanaged, coupled with a fast expansion. A company potentially worried more about appearances (which at 91,9k followers on Instagram and counting, makes sense) than with their commitments to sustainability, the underlying problems, and attitudes that come with veganism, should make health and environmentally conscious consumers wary. Social and environmental issues often go hand in hand as social failings are the reason for climate destruction in the first place.

It seems evident that in our search to become conscious consumers, we, and the places that we consume from, are not as straightforward as we would like to imagine. The Paris vegan scene is vast and promising, but being vegan, and marketing sustainability creatively with cats and cauliflower, is clearly not always synonymous with being ethical in all areas. We should continue to eat better and choose better, but don’t let marketing and Instagram followers fool you. Eat with your eyes wide open.

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Black Lives Matter: An Introspective Look

By Alexander Benjamin

Photography by Louis Mack

Looking at BLM from both sides of the English Channel

D

espite all the chaos that 2020 has brought, it has been a year of reckoning and awakening.

In the U.S. there has been sustained political action since the murder of George Floyd; yet I question how racism presented itself in other countries and if the Black Lives Matter movement has retained its momentum globally. Four months ago, I relocated to Paris from England in order to complete my Erasmus year of study. It is during my time here that I have become increasingly aware of my own shortcomings including a lack of awareness of the struggle of the Black community outside of my own sphere of knowledge, and outside of the anglophone world. So, I began my personal project of exploring and peeling back the layers of structural racism in France.

There is an air of ignorance when sifting through web pages about whether “France is a racist country.”

A sense of déjà-vu overcame me as just across the English Channel many have insisted that the UK is not a racist country; yet we have willingly accepted to have a leader who once referred to some from the Commonwealth in an article in the Daily Telegraph as “flag-waving piccaninnies,” a racist term used to describe Black children. In another column he wrote for the newspaper, he suggested that “tribal warriors will all break out in watermelon smiles.”

Searching for data on French immigration proved to be next to impossible. This is due to French law passed in 1978 forbidding the disaggregation of race and any information being collected on the matter. The sparse information that can be found was mainly based on either censuses or polls. Data conducted through the use of polls are always far from being accurate. Censuses that record someone’s country of birth aren’t much of an improvement. This is in comparison to the laws regarding race in the UK where information is far more precise and as a result more helpful in policy setting for ethnic

minorities. In my case as British-born with Jamaican ancestry, in the UK I would consider myself as having Afro-Caribbean heritage. If I were to only categorise myself as Jamaican that would not necessarily mean that I am Black. Jamaica, like the rest of the Caribbean, is very ethnically diverse, as there are white, Black and brown Jamaicans who also have different socio-economic backgrounds. Using an individual’s country of birth is inefficient and ineffective in determining how to create socio-economic government policy to aid minorities. This also overlooks many others who are first, second and third generation immigrants who, despite being born in the country, are continually faced with racism and discrimination.

With immigration becoming an increasingly politically-charged subject (there is a rise of prominence of the far-right and parties like the National Front), its significance must be assessed. This is particularly

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In first coming across the word banlieue, you may be under the impression that banlieue is a direct equivalent of the word suburb in English. However, the word oftentimes carries a negative connotation. Banlieues instead refer to areas outside the city with social deprivation, similar to “inner city areas” as it would be called in English. Meanwhile, those residing outside the city but in more affluent towns or neighbourhoods would typically state the specific area they live in (i.e. Neuilly-sur-Seine). Many banlieues are filled with social housing and are considered socially deprived, as their inhabitants tend to be those of foreign origin. Therefore, when asked, “where do you live?” judgement follows. Banlieues aren’t only exclusive to Paris, as this also applies to other big cities in France. By contrast, in major cities in the U.S. and the UK, such as London and New York, suburbs are generally known for housing the middle and upper middle classes.

“Postcode discrimination” which takes place tends to mirror racial discrimination as the majority of people who live in these areas are from minority backgrounds. Taking into account all these factors, it is to no surprise that France 24 quoted Emmanuel Macron the case for countries such as France where the Black population is relatively new in comparison to that of the United States, where African-Americans have been present since the founding of the country (albeit under different circumstances). The majority of the Black population living in metropolitan France come from former French colonies or French-speaking colonies in Africa such as Senegal, the Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of Congo and many more. Many sub-Saharan immigrants, as they are recorded by the government, move into crowded banlieues. Stereotypes and negative connotations of those living in banlieues mean that children of immigrants well into their second, third or even fourth generation are still looked upon as immigrants. Furthermore, the French concept of assimilation into society involves abandoning your cultural heritage in favour of the French. If not, you may never truly be accepted into French society and can be left as an outcast. In contrast, in the U.S. you can keep cultural ties yet continue to be considered American albeit African-American with different subcultures within it. You then only have to look at campaigns of far-right candidates such as Marine Le Pen to understand why many feel excluded and disenchanted with the rest of the nation.

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admitting that someone’s “address, name and skin colour” can diminish their chances of succeeding in society.

It isn’t hard to make the link between how harmful and powerful stereotypes of banlieues were generated and the fact that many immigrants reside there. This, however, was not always the case.

These banlieues were originally created as attractive social housing on the periphery of industrial cities for new factory workers. These self-contained neighbourhoods were designed to meet resident’s needs. However, over time the previously residing working-middle class residents in the banlieues disliked the idea of having immigrants moving in beside them. Attracted by the French government’s promotion of property ownership during the 70s and 80s white working-to-middle class residents purchased homes in other suburbs.

This was all while the wealthy residents of the central zones of large cities such as Paris strengthened their stronghold.

This movement is comparable to suburban flight, also called “white flight” found in the UK and the U.S. during a period where wealthier residents were fleeing central zones of cities for the suburbs. Banlieues however are not as monoracial as inner-city areas in the U.S. Whether the race divide is better or worse in the UK is up for debate. Yet, a survey published in 2018 entitled “Being Black in the EU” conducted by the European Union Agency for Fundamental rights found that 17% of respondents of African descent, including those from the Caribbean, live in severely deprived housing compared to the general population which lies at 3%. This is in contrast to the UK where it is at 8% and 2% respectively.

Watching news stories on how French police handle Yellow Vest protesters, it is easy to see that the use of excess police force is rather common. Ethnic minorities in France speak about cases of harassment and confrontation with the police more frequently. Digging deeper it isn’t surprising to hear that the vast majority of such incidents take place in the banlieues situated around France’s big cities. As social exclusion and unemployment is found in these neighbourhoods, it

is a natural progression for there to be more crime in these neighbourhoods. Matters are exacerbated by racism, biases and discrimination found within the police force. This populace is ostracised by the state and some of whom may be made to feel unwanted and at odds with the Republic. The death of Adama Traoré in 2016 and the riots which followed highlight the problems that exist within the French policing and law system. Adama died while in the hands of the police after trying to escape when he was asked to show his I.D. Protests in France’s major cities over police brutality followed, akin to those in the U.S. following George Floyd’s death. These protests underlined the growing discontent with the police force and their use of excessive power which are unfairly and disproportionately used on ethnic minorities. There have been ongoing debates over the years over the cause of the death, whether it was due to excessive force by the officers or heart failure. In May 2020, an autopsy was published which cleared police officers from charges which held them responsible for the death of Traoré.

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Coinciding with the uncannily similar death of George Floyd in May 2020, the autopsy had a profound impact on minorities in France.

Similar to the UK, the Black Lives Matter movement which had started in the U.S. pressed those in France to take a moment of reflection and reassessment of the perceived value and treatment of ethnic minorities, particularly Black groups in French society. Large demonstrations then took place across the country and in July 2020 the court in charge of the case ordered that there be a new autopsy carried out. This decision was taken upon discovering that the doctors who wrote the postmortem report sought expertise from a thirdparty source without citing or mentioning their presence in the report, nor did they ask for authorization from the examining magistrate of the case.

Demonstrations have opened the world up to systemic issues that exist within France, more particularly within the police force. One demonstration which marked the distaste over the cruel and brutal way in which French authorities dismantled a migrant camp on the outskirts of Paris. Taking place at the Place de la RĂŠpublique, a new migrant camp was made with volunteers placing tents in the square.

Once again the force moved to dismantle the camp in an aggressive fashion, removing the tents often with people inside them, many of whom were migrants, but not exclusively. The city of Paris’ deputy mayor in charge of housing criticised the “law and order response to a social situation,” according to France 24.

This would only act to stimulate racial tension within the country and strengthen the views and opinions of the far-right on migrants in France.

With the benefits of the digital age, we possess the ability to document police officers’ actions which allows us to hold them accountable. This has proved to be pivotal in reporting acts of police brutality. With our mobile phones, incidents which were once kept undercover are now in the open. French politicians were planning to take a step back, taking power from the hands of the common man and reinstating power imbalances through the implementation of la loi “sécurité globale”, the global security law. The law aimed to make it an offence to show the face or identity of any officer on duty. This would have made the common person vulnerable to unsubstantiated claims and lies from enforcement officers in the system. As a result, this would have created a disproportionate negative impact on ethnic minorities, who are already more likely to land in the justice system and are subjected to racial biases, be it implicit or explicit.

In France, like the UK and the U.S., there are instances where officers have used unreasonable force outside public demonstrations, like when music producer Michel Zecler was physically and verbally abused with racist epithets being hurled towards him in his Parisian studio. However, this coincided with the aforementioned plans to curb journalist’s power of reporting on such events. Most would agree that this would have been morally and democratically reprehensible. With this collectively understood, thousands

went out to protest in Paris and various other cities in France. The vast majority of protestors marched peacefully, but a few acted outside the law. In their commonly combative response, the police force unleashed tear gas and stun grenades onto crowds with the simple objective of dispersing them. Yet how is a community to feel safe, welcome and heard when they are constantly having to battle the very institution that is supposed to protect them?

My part in contributing to sustain the Black Lives Matter movement may be different to that of others.

Admittedly I had presumed I knew enough about the Black Lives Matter movement just by being Black, but really, I’m only just scratching the surface. Arriving in France has shone light on issues I was completely unaware of. After all, Paris is a mere 2-hour train ride away from London so it is not hard to see why I didn’t believe there would be such a difference. Both countries, France and the UK, are hailed as modern, progressive, forward-thinking democracies known for their liberal values.

Yet for such forward-thinking democracies, they remain stuck in the 70s concerning racial attitudes in various aspects, as the battle against racism and discrimination continues, fervent as ever.

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Breaking through the bullshit of gender and sexuality

By Sarah Farr Photography by Ussi’n Yala

T

o many queer folks, cultivating a unique style has been an integral part of their queer identiy and pride. What many people don’t know is that despite how many members of the LGBTQIA+ community may appear quite eccentric, they often have a history of more “socially acceptable” looks that took a great deal of bravery and struggle to break away from. These four individuals share their stories about coming to terms with their queer identity, and how they were able to manifest a style that felt right for them.

Witt Tarantino (he/him, they/them) is an American actor living in Dublin, Ireland. Witt identifies both his gender and sexuality as queer.

Smoking a cigarette on his balcony, wrapped in a mustard yellow scarf, Witt tells me over FaceTime that as a little boy he “remembers dressing up in his sister’s wedding dress”. Excited to show his dad the new outfit, he ran to pose for him and remarked “I’m Katherine, dad... I’m a little girl!”. That confident little boy engaging in innocent play became quieted and ashamed in grade school as those around him warned that his feminine attire was “too gay,” and “might

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give the wrong impression to people.” That impression was not being a cis-gendered, heterosexual boy in typical cis-gendered heterosexual clothes. It was queer; that was the unacceptable impression.

From that point on until the age of 16, Witt describes dressing in “tweed suit jackets, powder blue button-ups, and wingtips to emulate a slightly artsy “preppy boy” vibe.” He also recalls having had several girlfriends at this age.

Coming out as bisexual at 17 finally allowed Witt to fit his style with his sexuality, and this took the form of “black monochrome outfits, long curls, and sensually silky shirts.”

At 18, Witt was fully immersed in the tight-knit LGBTQIA+ community at his full-time arts school located in a suburb near Boston, Massachusetts. Witt quite literally burned all his preppy clothes, trading them in for drag queen looks at the school lip-syncing competitions. Finally living away from his family home, he also started dating boys.

Starting his university journey, Witt moved to London and “came to terms with the fact that [he] was a gay, feminine, cis-gendered man”. He recalls one morning, at the break of dawn, where he put on every single feminine item of clothing he owned and walked the street with his gender-queer roommate, blowing bubbles and watching the sunset rise while

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prancing around with eight skirts on, colorful bangles, and camisoles. It was after this period of particularly feminine styling that Witt remembers asking, “am I a transgender woman?”

Fast forward to 23, where being neither man nor woman feels right, and Witt wakes up every day with a closet full of “stilettos, men’s button-downs, flowy 70s skirts and jackets, women’s pantsuits with boxy shoulder pads, and (thrifted) leather biker boots.”

He might have a mullet, he might have a cropped, traditionally masculine haircut, and he might have flowy curls that fall just below his collarbones. He might even have his left nipple piercing peeking through a mesh black shirt. Whatever combination of these clothing items he chooses to adorn himself on any given day, is a defiant act of “breaking through the bullshit of gender and sexuality.” Witt tells me that he is “allowing the fluidity of his own queerness” to shine through that stuffy box full of tweed jackets that his parents initially wanted him to stay in.

Aria Yazdani (he/him, they/them) is a gay, queer Iranian-English law student living in Birmingham, England.

While most of Aria’s family seemed supportive of their sexuality ever since they announced they were gay at 11 years

old, to absolutely anyone that would listen, little comments here and there let Aria know that their expressive style and outward gayness made some people uncomfortable.

Aria remembers a moment traveling in Florida with family where their aunt leaned over and whispered, “I know you’re gay,” as if it were a big secret she had managed to weasel out.

Aria also recalls a time when another family member remarked that two women holding hands on the street was a “promotion of evil.”

Despite these casual comments, not to mention the time that Aria’s cousin begged them not to show up to her wedding in nail polish and glittery highlighter on their cheekbones, Aria remains confident and content with their style. They always make sure that they’re “never too cold during the frigid English winters” when they “drop the culottes and opt for Parisian-esque black turtlenecks and stylish jackets.” Comfort and authenticity are at the heart of their wardrobe, Aria tells me.

Another invaluable addition to Aria’s fashion sense?

“Chokers!” they say, “So. Many. Chokers.” And these style choices would make university classmates turn their heads and folks in bars who’d had too much to drink whisper snide comments. Still, Aria always spares a moment to calmly and passionately defend their right to wear whatever they want to anyone that doubts this fact; not too far from that bold 11-year-old who never doubted their right to announce their sexuality to the world.

Edward Napoleon (he/him, she/her, they/ them, “whichever really”), an artist who identifies as gender-nonconforming and pansexual, lives in Paris, France.

Edward describes the moment their fashion became uniquely theirs, and the internal strife that preceded this moment, when struggling with “admitting and accepting [their] queerness.”

They tell me, “after coming to terms with who I was as a person, clothes became a sense of liberation, as well as a sense of rebellion; more in my teenage years, of course.” They describe shifting through a range of styles, similar to Witt.

“I’ve gone through almost every stereotypical cis male fashion sense there is. From preppy school boy, to wannabe sneakerhead, to emo skater boy, I’ve done it all; until I realized who I was and that I didn’t have to stay in a pre-labeled ‘boy’ box,” Edward says. It seems that for both Witt and Edward, there is an awareness of the distinct styles and what it meant to emulate those styles at different points in their lives.

When they grew older, Edward says that they “started to wear whatever the heck [they] wanted.” Their style

varied widely from day to day. Edward’s outfits were a mix of “oversized hoodies, crop tops, short shorts, dresses and skirts, skinny jeans, flared bell bottoms, and even leather, chains and harnesses.” They say, “there’s no limit to what I’ll wear nowadays, and I love it.” It would seem that fashion sense is tied to a sense of inner peace, freedom, and creativity.

Also like Witt, Edward tells me how their “mood is constantly changing,” and so are the styles of their outfits.

They think it important to note that queer “doesn’t always mean feminine, nor does it only mean gay.”

Edward remarks, “some days I just want to keep it chill, laid back, and monotone head to toe, and some days I want to show a bit more skin, and wear a short skirt or skin tight silk spaghetti strap dress. It’s all a spectrum.”

Stefan Levchenko, (he/him), cisgender, gay, film student in Montenegro.

Stefan says that he has often “opposed [himelf ] to the “typical” gay style,” which he describes as synonmous with “extremely short or skinny jeans, and tight-fitting tank-tops. He says, “For some reason, I just didn’t want to fit in the group of the people with my sexual orientation, and opted for neutral upper-middle-class brands like Sandro and COS.” When he does veer away from this, Stefan describes wearing “a lot of rings, necklaces, leather jackets” but not feeling comfortable and coming back to a style that feels more authentic to him.

Speaking of public criticism, Stefan says that people “haven’t really criticized [him] for [his] style, because it is elegant and doesn’t hurt anyone around me.” Still, it seems that Aria, Witt, and Edward struggled with familial and public pushback to their styles, even when what they wore wasn’t “hurting” anyone around them. Perhaps Stefan has just found himself in more accepting communities.

Stefan remarks that his drag aesthetic is “very different” from his everyday style. He describes incorporating images from movies and music videos that with struck him as powerful, and he still tries to “embody that basic biological female style” in his drag, therefore “drawing huge white lines under [his] eyes,” or “putting on 10 pairs of eyelashes,” is not in his drag lookbook.

Stefan strives to “stay elegant,” and “live [his] dream of an intellectual and a little bit of a fucked up woman.

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Breaking

Fashion Photography by Sofia Rose

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Modeled and Styled by Edward Napoleon

the

Binary Rejecting gendered clothing

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the north african effect

Mbesse cakes

Looking at the profound influence of North African culture in France

By Sophia Sedki

Illustrations by Stella Richman

A

lthough you might not have noticed it, North African culture is sprinkled everywhere throughout France. It is mixed in the French language, spoken about daily with raised hands and pointed fingers on French news channels. and portrayed somewhat erotically in France’s oriental art history. Its presence is even marked quietly in historical pieces of architecture across France like the Eiffel Tower, which was built with iron stolen from Algeria.

This mélange of cultures is part of the complicated history between France and North Africa and Europe’s brutal colonization of Africa, which usually remains unknown to the average American. There is zero-to-little representation of Maghrebians nor Maghrebian culture portrayed in Parisian films and media despite Île-de-France being where most North African immigrants and French people of North African descent live. Much about North Africa and its history isn’t touched upon in American classrooms either.

The long and unfortunately violent history between France and North African countries has left a lasting impact on both French and North African culture and languages. Learning about and understanding these somewhat hidden aspects of France is an important part of discovering Paris and appreciating what North Africans have contributed to this country.

Cheb Khaled

FOOD

Thanks to the high number of North African immigrants here in France, Maghrebi food and desserts can be found all over, especially in places like Paris and Marseille. Not only are there Magrebi-run restaurants in major cities, serving up green tea and couscous, but many patisseries located in Paris are also North African-run, selling sweet treats such as mbesses, tamina and kalb el louz (my personal favorite). Most major

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face, French sports would simply not be the same if it were not for its diverse teams and North African players.

THE ARTS

Dany Boon

supermarket chains sell North African products, such as Selecto, specific kinds of North African breads and briks. Some of the best-rated places in Paris for couscous and other North African dishes are The Chalet and La Jugurtha, as well as a fancy Algerian patisserie shop which offers mint tea and is called The Laouz, meaning “almond” in Algerian Arabic.

SPORTS

Zinédane Zidane, a French man of Algerian descent, is one of the world’s most renowned football players and is adored in France. In 2018, 15 out of 23 of France’s national football team’s players were of African descent. One of France’s current stars Kylian Mbappé, has a Cameroonian father and Algerian mother. This, unfortunately, hasn’t been without controversy. Many French people have complained for years that French football teams are more African than French, and more than one football coach has been accused of racism.

Regardless of the racism from coaches and spectators that France’s soccer teams

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Leila Bekhti

Many actors in today’s movies and series are of North African descent, such as Leila Bekhti, Dany Boon and Jamel Debbouze, who have helped shape French art and cinema and have garnered France multiple cinematic awards for decades. The French cinema award, Le César, was created by a French man of North African descent named Georges Crevanne.

North Africans have also made waves in French music. Popular Rai and Amazigh artists such as Cheb Khaled sell out stadiums in France. Not to mention, one of the world’s most known singers, Edith Piaf, is of North African descent as well.

LANGUAGE

Although many French-speaking Americans and foreigners might understand certain phrases or words, it’s hard for the non-native speaker to pick-up on slang used in France that derives from Arabic.

Many words such as wesh (seriously), le seum (anger or having anger), and miskine/miskina (the poor guy or girl) are Darija, a dialect of Arabic or Tamazight which is spoken in Morocco and parts of Algeria. Many of these words can also be considered part of la langue de la rue, meaning “the language of the streets,” also referred to as “verlan.”

This, of course, can be somewhat problematic in certain contexts.

Amina Saïdi, a young French student of Algerian origin from the Parisian suburbs, says that although now many French people use Arabic words, it wasn’t always like this. “We [my family and I] used to get dirty looks in public whenever we went to Paris, for just saying a word or two in Darjia.

I even started to avoid using it in public because I felt ashamed.”

Today though, it goes beyond just French people throwing in an Arabic word or two to spice up their sentences. “It’s crazy how all of a sudden it’s become popular to use,” Saïdi says. “I grew up feeling like I couldn’t speak it around French people and now they use it amongst themselves as if it’s theirs. It was laughable at first, but I’ve gotten used to it.”

But at what point does using words and phrases from a different language turn into cultural appropriation? The words listed don’t have any significant mean-

is the case for many immigrants often have low-paying jobs such as security, taxi driving and cleaning services. France’s immigrant population also has an unemployment rate twice as high as the rest of the country’s population. A more recent study conducted between 2018 to 2019 by the French National Federation of CNRS, a research institute found that French people with Maghrebian last names were less likely to be hired into by large corporations, a phenomenon that has been going on for years.

Édith Piaf

ing or cultural importance, but words that have also started being appropriated into French include InshAllah (God willing), Wallah (to swear to God), Hamdoullah (thank God) and Starfoullah (expressing shock or asking for forgiveness for your or someone else’s actions). Use of these words by non-Muslim and mainly white French people can lead to tension. “Everytime I hear someone say ‘Wallah’ I ask them if they’re Muslim. France is known for being anti-Islam so its infuriating when French people use it casually when it holds significance to me and my religion.” says Saïdi.

JOBS

Finding work in France can be difficult for people of North African descent. A study conducted by the French National institute of Statistics and Economic Studies found that Maghrebian women make on average 30 percent less than French women. Many Magrebians face discrimination in the workplace, “My father has been talked down to more than once by his superiors, and by superiors I mean the French people running the project, not those working alongside him,” Saïdi explains. “Many of his coworkers are Algerian and Tunisian. He’s made a lot of friends but still, it’s tiring work for not a lot of money.” Unfortunately, this

By looking closely into France’s culture and spoken language, North African influence can be seen everywhere, even if it is not obvious at first sight. France still remains one of the most diverse countries in the world, and although it’s impossible to change the past, we can look towards a better future where North African culture is celebrated and appreciated.

“I feel lucky having so many other Algerians here in my neighborhood and across France,” Saïdi says.

“Despite the racism and islamophobia, we’ve formed our own community without needing to know each other well, especially in my generation … Our shared experiences bring us together and regardless of what we go through, we’re here and we are a part of this country, and that can’t be taken away from us.”

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Masking Fashion

What is the role of masks in fashion post-pandemic?

By Ian Hoffman Illustrations by Stella Richman Photography by Anna Kossmann & Elena von Schlenk 40

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t the Paris newsstand next to Hotel de Ville, a revolving display offers a wide variety of colorful masks. Most are made from brightly colored fabrics and patterned textiles coming in different styles, thickness and shapes.

Women of all ages are pressed against the display, defying mandatory social distancing rules in their consumer quest for a mask that fits their personal taste. The man behind the newsstand counter observes his mask-buying customers with a satisfied air of appreciation. For some merchants, there is a commercial upside to this pandemic.

“We make okay money selling masks during the confinement,” says Akim, a newsstand operator. Within five minutes, at least eight mask purchases had been made. He watches as one woman puts on her mask — a solid peach color that matches her green floral-print dress — before heading back into the streets of Paris. Parisians looking for something more upscale than standard soft blue surgical masks can stop at places like this kiosk to find a stylish and serviceable mask for five euros apiece.

The global pandemic has changed many aspects of our lives — and one of them is how we look in public. In France, mask-wearing is mandatory outdoors, with exceptions made for joggers, bicyclists, and restaurant diners.

There has been some grumbling amongst the French but compliance has been widespread. This contrasts with reactions in the United States, where pandemic rules have provoked an uproar amongst people who claim mandatory masks are an infringement of their individual freedom. For those

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armed with more scientific knowledge, it is accepted that masks help stop COVID-19 particles from being exhaled and potentially infecting others. Cloth masks are now accepted as an alternative to surgical or N95 masks.

Many have integrated mask-wearing into their daily lives, regarding their sanitary accessory as an extension of their fashion sense. Hence the exploding market demand for masks that are more than standard blue or white.

“I have a bunch of tie-dye masks and others from small businesses, I get them because I like my masks to work with my outfit,” says Sarah Affonso, an AUP freshman from Mumbai, who owns multiple reusable cloth masks. “I started to wear these handmade reusable masks because I was afraid to create an unnecessary amount of waste and it helps the businesses in my community.” This time she is wearing a blue floral print mask to go with her blue sweater and jeans.

“Normally, I would like to wear make-up during my first year at university,” she says, “but I don’t bother [since I’m wearing] the mask. It saves me a lot of time getting ready in the morning, so I am happy.”

Masks as sartorial and symbolic accessories have a long history. The earliest known masks were used by ancient peoples for spiritual ceremonies. For instance, ancient tribes in Africa wore masks that resembled the faces of certain animals.

They then evolved to be used in performance and for protection. During the Renaissance, masks were worn fashionably by aristocrats in Europe, where masquerade balls were popular with the upper classes.

Masks have also been used to combat every pandemic since the bubonic plague when doctors wore beaks filled with herbs and spices to ward off what they called “bad air,” and used sticks to eliminate touch when examining patients. When Spanish Influenza broke out, masks were made mandatory in different regions including California. Now they are being relied on once again to fight another pandemic. But this time they are being worn differently. In France, the Gilets Jaunes protestors wore masks to conceal their identities and spare their lungs from tear gas, which is why the French government banned masks and enforced the ruling with jail time or a 15,000 euro fine.

Our culture is not strictly utilitarian, so we often blend functionality with beauty. This latest concoction is a mask that protects us while being aesthetically pleasing. It makes a lot of money too. Small vendors and high fashion brands alike are selling masks that transcend the basic purpose of the mask. Burberry sells masks with their famous brown plaid and Monoprix has solid colored ones wrapped in branded plastic. It is a buyer’s market; the people obviously have a yearning for masks that they think suits them. Billie Eillish was even photographed wearing a sheer Gucci apparatus.

“Everyone sort of diversified into masks, whether it’s your big main high fashion brands like Chanel, they have masks as well, but even streetwear like OffWhite,” says AUP student Sarah Afonso. “People generally invest in it, especially when it’s hyped.”

Back at the Parisian newsstand in front of Hotel de Ville, kiosk operator Akim says he started selling cloth masks at the beginning of the confinement in March.

His masks are manufactured in China, but he insists that all the fabric was produced in France. Asked how many masks he has sold since March, he says the figure is so big that he can’t put a number on it.

“Plus! Plus!” he exclaims as he rubbed his index finger and thumb together in allusion to the profitability of mask sales.

Even so, he won’t be sad when the pandemic ends and the market for masks dries up, he misses tourism and the opportunity to sell souvenirs and other trinkets. With fewer tourists in Paris due to the pandemic, that market has been hit hard. For the moment, mask sales are helping to keep him afloat.

“I sell to mostly women because of the colors [of the masks],” he says. But it is not like all the reusable masks are being worn by women.

Zach Egan, an AUP junior from New York, has been wearing reusable masks since the beginning of the pandemic. “When they announced mask rules this summer in Paris, I just couldn’t find a store that was selling the single use kinds and I walked by a store next to my house that sold handmade ones so I bought a few,” he says. “This is going to sound weird, but I bought them from a Thai massage and spa place next

to my apartment. Now I wear the Airism ones from Uniqlo.” He paid three euros each for the handmade and 4 euros a piece at Uniqlo. Asked if he integrates his masks with his outfit he says “my fashion sense is pretty simple anyway. I like to keep it to basic pieces in neutral colors so having a plain color mask fits with my aesthetic. I don’t like having my mask be a focal point, but rather have blended into my outfit.”

It is common in France to glance around and see most people wearing a reusable mask that fits their style preference. They are widely accessible in clothing stores, newsstands, grocers and online. The revenue from mask sales is clearly helping these businesses as they were hurt economically by the pandemic.

This trend should help the environment as well. As the disposable mask industry is expected to balloon to a 70 billion dollar industry, it comes as no surprise that at the beginning of the global pandemic our oceans were heavily impacted. One-time use masks were used in such an overwhelming amount that millions of them drifted out to sea adding to our pollution problem. Reusable masks are the only solution to this side effect of COVID-19. It is a good thing that many people find them so appealing.

The reusable mask is clearly the way to go as the pandemic rages on seemingly without end. By utilizing them we can better express ourselves, keep enterprises afloat and lessen the environmental impact of the personal protective equipment industry.

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Black Happiness: T A Revolution here’s no need to explain the trauma that Black people have lived, re-lived, and exposed in 2020; the internet has a plethora of videos, articles, and songs you can browse. The news on the Black community has been filled with continuous cycles of death, grief, and martyrdom that don’t seem to have an end in the world we live in. The causes of these deaths are well-publicized as the “immature, ignorant, unqualified, trigger happy white man feels insecure about his masculinity and compensates by killing an innocent Black person...again.”(what is the source on this quote?) But no news outlet would ever have this as their headline; it’s too realistic.

When we speak of racially charged deaths, we focus on the physical: the victim, the perpetrator, the survivors.

The mental details like the motive and backstory are reserved for the perpetrator. In the backstory, the news never fails to include how happy the perpetrator’s life was before the crime -- a privilege that Black people are often denied. It’s not surprising that Black people are denied this privilege because we have never been granted the opportunity to be happy or show our happiness. There’s a long history as to why we have not been permitted to do so; but to make it short, happiness humanizes people and being Black and happy can be fatal.

Our happiness is literally policed. It may sound naïve to say that I came to this realization this past summer but it’s not something that I’ve ever explicitly thought.

The morning of June 23 I was doing my morning Instagram scroll when I came upon a post about Elijah McClain. Now normally I would’ve kept scrolling in order to avoid learning about another death, but something made me stop: his smile. The post began with a video of him celebrating with his co-workers as he happily hula danced and laughed and ended with photos of him lying in a hospital bed on life support covered in bruises.

I sat heartbroken by his last words, and my numbness towards viewing police brutality was disrupted. McClain was a 23-year-old Black man from Aurora, Colorado who on his walk home at night was listening to music and dancing while wearing a ski mask on August 24, 2019. A neighbor declared this to be suspicious behavior and called the police. Of course the neighbor’s prejudice proved fatal as the police placed McClain in a chokehold and injected him with ketamine to “sedate” him. McClain was 5’6 and only weighed 140 lbs. The unnecessary injection was 500mg when the correct amount should have been 320mg, so the lack of blood flow to his brain from the chokehold and the pain from being slammed into a wall left him in cardiac arrest and brain dead for three days. He died on August 30, 2019.

The painful death he experienced could break anyone’s (I say “anyone” optimistically) heart and it was his

The dangers and importance of being Black and happy 44

T

here’s no need to explain the trauma that Black people have lived, re-lived, and exposed in 2020; the internet has a plethora of videos, articles, and songs you can browse. The news on the Black community has been filled with continuous cycles of death, grief, and martyrdom that don’t seem to have an end in the world we live in. The causes of these deaths are well-publicized as the “immature, ignorant, unqualified, trigger happy white man feels insecure about his masculinity and compensates by killing an innocent Black person...again.”

But no news outlet would ever have this as their headline; it’s too realistic.

When we speak of racially charged deaths, we focus on the physical: the victim, the perpetrator, the survivors.

The mental details like the motive and backstory are reserved for the perpetrator. In the b a c k s t o r y, the news never fails to include how happy the perpetrator’s life was before the crime -- a privilege that Black people are often denied. It’s not surprising that Black people are denied this privilege because we have never been granted the opportunity to be happy or show our happiness. There’s a long history as to why we have not been permitted to do so; but to make it short, happiness humanizes people and being Black and happy can be fatal.

Our happiness is literally policed. It may sound naïve to say that I came

By A’mari Bing-Way Collage by Katia Novak

It’s not surprising that Black people are denied this privilege because we have never been granted the opportunity to be happy or show our happiness.

to this realization this past summer but it’s not something that I’ve ever explicitly thought. The morning of June 23 I was doing my morning Instagram scroll when I came upon a post about Elijah McClain. Now normally I would’ve kept scrolling in order to avoid learning about another death, but something made me stop: his smile. The post began with a video of him celebrating with his co-workers as he happily hula danced and laughed and ended with photos of him lying in a hospital bed on life support covered in bruises.

I sat heartbroken by his last words, and my numbness towards viewing police brutality was disrupted.

McClain was a 23-year-old Black man from Aurora, Colorado who on his walk home at night was listening to music and dancing while wearing a ski mask on August 24, 2019. A neighbor declared this to be suspicious behavior and called the police. Of course the neighbor’s prejudice proved fatal as the police placed McClain in a chokehold and injected him with ketamine to “sedate” him. McClain was 5 feet and 6 inches and only weighed 140 lbs. The unnecessary injection was 500mg when the correct amount should have been 320mg, so the lack of blood flow to his brain from the chokehold and the pain from being slammed into a wall left him in cardiac arrest and brain dead for three days.

He died on August 30, 2019.

The painful death he experienced could break anyone’s (I say “anyone” optimistically) heart and it was his last words that made it much worse. As he struggled to breathe, McClain continuously apologized, “I’m so sorry. Ow, that really hurt! You are all very strong.

Teamwork makes the dream work. Oh, I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to do that. I just can’t breathe correctly,” he said as he made pleas to prove his inno-

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cence. “I’m so sorry. I have no gun. I don’t do that stuff.

I don’t do any fighting. Why are you attacking me? I don’t even kill flies! I don’t eat meat! But I don’t judge people, I don’t judge people who do eat meat. Forgive me. All I was trying to do was become better.”

McClain’s death was unlike anyone I had seen or heard before, and each post supporting #justiceforelijahmcclain were unlike any other #justicefor… posts I had seen before. He was photographed and illustrated with kind eyes, a bright smile, and surrounded by things that he loved (violin, plants, cats). His character was never criminalized. McClain’s transition into martyrdom was free from public disputes of a criminal past, discoveries of wrongdoings, and news circulations of a mugshot because there weren’t any to find.

Moments before he was killed, McClain was singing and dancing and then begged for his life while trying to prove that he’s a good person. How could anyone try to defame who he was?

Blackness and happiness is not a new subject in the Black community, and we’re warned about it all the time. Happiness equals simple things like freedom, leisure, success, and stability; things that are presented as privileges to Black people. We have been warned about the dangers of being Black and happy for centuries, with a recent example coming from Donald Glover a.k.a. Childish Gambino. In his song 19.10 , Glover recounts what his father told him as a child: “to be beautiful is to be hunted/I can’t change the truth, I can’t get you used to this.” This may appear as a great artistic metaphor but it’s a reality that no one can or should have to teach for generations.

“You’re exactly what they want (truth)/To be happy really means that someone else ain’t/And balance ain’t a one-food plate/Everything is give and take.”

You might get distracted by the funky and uptempo beat, but Glover’s lyricism illustrates the looming fear of expressing forms of joy and freedom. History has done its best to make it impossible for us to practice happiness and peace in safe environments, and obviously, Black people have found a loophole to rebel against this generational norm.

Our smiles are our shields. We have learned to weaponize our joy and declare our happiness as an act of rebellion. The same day that my heart was broken

by Elijah McClain’s murder, a piece of it was mended when seeing Perris Howard, a Black social media influencer, musician, and promoter of #blackboyjoy (a social media movement pioneered by Chance The Rapper in 2017 to redefine Black masculinity through joyful images of Black men). His full smile covered the screen as he belted out the lyrics to Keyshia Cole’s classic hit “Love” along with his friends. There’s not

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Understanding grief and joy is a mental, emotional, and physical cycle that Black people constantly experience. one post where you can’t find Howard smiling, singing, or dancing. His feed is a constant flow of photos and videos exuding joy with captions like “BLACK JOY IS RESISTANCE” and “MELANIN. LOVE. MELANIN. CELEBRATION. MELANIN. FAMILY.” and he never fails to sign off with #blackboyjoy or #blackjoymatters. You would think that seeing someone smiling and advocating for happiness would not attract hatred, right? Absolutely not, as Howard is a young Black man disturbing the generational cycle of hatred, death, and grief caused by Black happiness.

Grief and joy live in coexistence. We can grieve and cry over the inhumane death of Elijah and many other Black lives but smile and dance along with Perris.

Both lives exemplify how Black happiness is received by those who hate to see it. The immediate transition from learning about McClain to being bombarded by Howard’s happiness felt as if I witnessed a reincarnation of each other’s authenticity and optimism. Elijah played violin; Perris is a musician, Elijah tried his best to live a life of self-betterment; Perris encourages others to live their best life, Elijah’s happiness was deemed a threat to public safety; Perris’ happiness threatens the patriarchal systems. Understanding grief and joy is a mental, emotional, and physical cycle that Black people constantly experience.

Our acts of rebellion through happiness and success continue to work against the status quo but we’re tired. Explaining the risks of being Black and happy should not be a subject that anyone has to learn. Smiling, singing and dancing should not have to be used as a weapon for a Black person to declare their right to happiness. The more our resistance radiates peace of mind and contentment, the more insecure and confused racists become. The path of Black happiness is riddled with life-threatening risks, which I think most can agree are unnecessary; so on behalf of Black people I say, “just let us be.”

Finding sexual empowerment when sex education has failed women

By Bianca Rodriguez-Vasquez Collage by Stella Richman

W

hen I look back at my sex-ed experience as a teenager, I remember the crippling fear of getting pregnant, the basic biological understanding of what the body does when we want to fuck and STDs. I was taught by a pro-abstinence program (at my public high school, believe it or not) that urged adolescents to not have premarital intercourse. The sex educator that had come to discuss sex started off with a simple question only directed at the boys in the classroom, “Raise your hand if you would rather marry a young woman who is willing to wait for you until you both are married, or do you want to marry a woman who has been around?”

As a young woman of 14 years old, fear and shame became the foundation of how I came to terms with the perception of my body as a sexual being, rather than knowledge or acceptance.

I am truly baffled by the fact that a public high school in southern California would ever allow such a sexist and shameful way of providing information about sex, when sex is a natural human experience. As a young woman of 14 years old, fear and shame became the foundation of how I came to terms with the perception of my body as a sexual being, rather than knowledge or acceptance. Women should not be restricted by such a negative form of sexual education, because it is misleading and unfair.

Gabriella, who transferred to AUP as a junior from the United States, said that her whole life she felt somewhat clueless about sex in general. “In school

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I got the basic understanding of sex, the guy has a penis, the girl has a

vagina, and, you know, just the basics.” Gabriella had come to Paris as a virgin and never really had any idea of “the bigger picture of what sexuality even was.” She explained, “To be honest I don’t even think I [knew] what sexuality [meant] before or even after I lost my virginity.” After losing her virginity during the Paris confinement, she began to feel more confident. “I was ready to have sex, and in the moment I had no idea what to expect or feel. It made me nervous and tense, and I was not wet, maybe because I knew I was losing my virginity, but pleasure is not a word I would use to describe my first time.”

Gabriella had a very conservative upbringing, so sex was definitely a topic that was never discussed openly.

“At times I do feel uncomfortable asking or just talking about [having] sex,” she says, “especially when I don’t know something. I just don’t know if it’s appropriate or not to ask anyone.” I am not saying that Gabriella should memorize every position in the Kama Sutra or become a sexpert when she wants to experience pleasure. She has the right to want to discover her body as sexual, and she should never feel awkward for that desire. What if Gabriella’s sexual education provided

her with scienti f ic information and the knowledge that she could have sex for reasons other than procreation? What if she had lessons on the anatomy of her body when she is aroused? It would have helped her to have a confident comprehension of her body.

She told me, “It would have helped to not have been in the dark. Even after my first time I still don’t fully understand my body. I have so many questions, always. Whether its birth control, or what am I supposed to do during sex, I will always go into sex having so many questions and finishing with even more.”

The majority of sexual health educational programs around the world do not discuss that women can orgasm, ejaculate, be aroused, and have a pleasurable experience during sex just like men. I believe that the lack of inclusivity about a woman’s sexuality within these programs needs to end, because it is not a sex positive approach and its outdated ways have created a sexual socialization full of stigmas that led to a pleasure gap between men and women.

There is a kind of limbo that women find themselves in when it comes to their pleasure. There is a true disparity for women to reach sexual satisfaction, and it’s an actual phenomenon called the “pleasure gap.” In a 2017 survey of sexual behavior among 52,000 adults in the U.S., just 65% of heterosexual women reported

that they usually or always orgasmed during sexual intimacy. Men were reported to orgasm 95% of the time. So many women are part of this so-called “gap” because we were never educated that we can also finish, encounter pleasure, cum, orgasm, climax, etc. too. And this starts with just talking about our anatomy. According to a recent study only “44% of women were able to identify the vagina” and fewer than 40% could not even identify their clitoris, vulva, and cervix.

When we don’t have a basic understanding of our own vagina, we are just foreigners in our own body. We as women need to know what is normal for us, so we can recognize changes for our health and our enjoyment.

Sexual pleasure is not only reserved for men; a woman has the right to learn about the experience and pleasure that she can have and not just about her getting pregnant from sex. Men hold a special privilege in sex ed, we learn that they are the ones that get to reach full satisfaction when they are aroused. When I started having sex at 16 years old I was longing to know when I would get to experience my first toe-curling, lip biting, wet orgasm; or where the hell my G-spot is located!

Those questions even made me consider if I should join a church group (which I did) to tame those urges or get some psychological counseling. I felt ashamed of my sexual desires when they were perfectly natural.

The sexual guilt that I developed was the result of a sexual education that failed to acknowledge or even discuss that the fact that a yearning desire women can have for sex is perfectly natural. There was only an explanation for the boner a guy gets when he’s turned on, but no explanation about the changes that occur in a woman’s body when she is aroused as well.

When a woman is aroused she will become engorged internally which will lead to her urethral sponge becoming engorged as well. According to the Rewilding podcast, that activates the G-spot, which can lead to the release of female ejaculation, or in popular terms “squirting.” Yes, women ejaculate as well, and it has been deemed quite a taboo subject for many women to come to terms with. I recently started

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“I want to discover my sexuality now more than ever and it has made me appreciate my body feeling good. I want to find out what I want in bed even more. I find that really sexy.” discussing it with friends of mine to grasp what women really know about our ejaculation. “I never knew we could ejaculate like men, and it freaked me out the first time I squirted because it felt really good, but I still went to a doctor right after to see if that was normal.” Maria, a senior at AUP, has been in a relationship for almost two years, and never knew she was capable of ejaculating until her doctor had to explain to her that she had just had an orgasm, and that it was perfectly normal. “How was I supposed to know that I only experienced an orgasm?

It’s never talked about, so I never want to ask.”

My first time ever ejaculating, I was terrified. The feeling, that exact moment of wondering if I should stop or keep going with the partner I was with scared me. I did not know what I had released from my vulva was normal. I was disgusted by my body. Luckily at the time, I was dating someone who had more sexual experience than I did, yet looking back at that moment now I wonder why a man would have better knowledge of my female bodily functions than me. If there was not this lack of scientific information about my arousal and there wasn’t this taboo that constrained me from “being encouraged to explore my body,” then I could be proud. I would have not been in a position of embarrassment and shame days after the first time I “squirted.” My boyfriend had to continuously explain to me that it was natural and “hot,”

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as he put it. Yeah, it was nice having someone who was able to inform me that it was part of the joy that comes with sex for a woman, but that person should not have been my boyfriend who learned about squirting on Pornhub, but a sex educator in school.

According to Billie Quinlan, who is the CEO of the sexual wellness platform called Ferly, women have a hard time exploring and expressing themselves sexually, because of the misinformation and stigma that comes with being a woman and wanting to be more sexually educated about arousal and pleasure of sex.

There is empowerment that comes in understanding your body and knowing its divine potential. I feel like there has recently been a shift into having more open conversations and communication that steers away from a not sure this is the right use of this word shadow and more towards self-discovery. It reminded me of when Gabriella told me that she had felt this empowerment that came with her sexuality, and it started before she started having sex. When she moved to Paris, “I started feeling sexy and confident. I’d never felt that way before. I felt influenced by the women around me.” Gabriella has always been a sexual being, and she did not have to have sex to establish that. Sexuality is something that comes within us. “I want to discover my sexuality now more than ever and it has made me appreciate my body feeling good. I want to find out what I want in bed even more I find that really sexy.” As every woman should.

There is a link between accepting and understanding our body and sexuality and appreciating what it is capable of, which leads to an amazing sex life. Whether it’s with yourself or a partner, when a woman gets to know more about her body, she will be able to relish in its satisfaction, and yes, orgasm!

Orgasms help relieve stress by releasing a copious amount of serotonin, they flush our cheeks that make us appear more attractive, help strengthen our pelvic muscles, and just make us feel so fucking good.

Women should be able to sustain this empowerment and knowledge about their body, and my favorite sex toy brand Smilemakers discuss how social media has crafted an increase in woman and sex educators who have started to use their influential platforms like Instagram to “celebrate selfcare, body positivity and sex as a vital part of wellness.” Women want to have conversations and be aware about their sexual bodies as equals. Our pleasure should never be set aside, but rather celebrated. The outcome and potential that a woman can sustain from her beautiful sexuality is far more beneficial for the whole world.

Liminal Spaces of Lockdown One qualifying aspect of this year has been the feeling of in-betweenness — as if 2020 was the comma between 2019 and 2021. It feels strange to reconcile a life of quiet confinement with the feeling of drinking wine on a café terrasse absorbing the energy of friends and strangers, all enveloped by a cloud of smoke. It’s hard not to live vicariously through old photos of nights out in tightly packed parties at underground clubs, no one considering the lack of airflow or spew of micro-droplets. Some may choose to remain in this in-betweenness, lingering on the physical intimacy these moments carry. It’s certainly tempting not to adjust to an uncomfortably different reality. But at some point, we have all had to come to terms with the newfound intimacy of being alone.

There is optimism and excitement with the start of this new year. However, as the transition back to a more recognizable reality begins, it is important to remember the ways in which this time has allowed for collective individual reflection.

Photography by Celia Goodman

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Illustrating an Industry London-based fashion illustrator Megan St. Clair Morgan gives an insider look at her experiences

By Madeline Czarnik Illustration by Stella Richman 55

Megan’s style started as mainly linework with splashes of color and to this day many of her drawings often look as if they were created in a single stroke of the pen. She confirms that, actually, with two to three pickups of the pen in a drawing, this is mostly true.

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M

egan St. Clair Morgan is exactly the kind of forward-thinking fashion illustrator you’re going to want to have on your radar. Fashion illustration began in the early 1800s as the primary way to share fashion collections across countries and the world; the original Instagram for fashion. In today’s fashion scene, you’ll see a lot of “fashion illustrations” detailing beautiful models in beautiful clothes, and then you’ll see fashion illustrations, when the illustration itself is an abstraction of beauty and the clothes themselves. Megan St. Clair Morgan falls into the latter category (although she does boast a repertoire of more subjects than just fashion images).

Meeting at 4 p.m. during winter in London means that the sun is already setting. The dark black and grey buildings and repetitive nature of the streets in Hackney, where she works and lives, add to a feeling of being in an apocalyptic yet cosmopolitan maze. Megan takes me to a cool coffee shop she knows around the corner and makes note of a new store that has just recently popped up. We take a look: artisanal scented candles, anyone?

Sitting down with our hot drinks and a delicious-looking almond and pear tart, I ask her about her start into fashion illustration. “My work was questionable to say the least when I started -- I really couldn’t draw … I think I was hopeful that I’d be able to if I practised enough.” This acts as a testament to Megan’s character and humbled opinion of herself -- she landed her very first job with Swarovski doing live portraits at an event in her first year of studies at the London College of Fashion and has since illustrated for names such as Matches Fashion, JW Anderson, and Estée Lauder. Megan’s style started as mainly linework with splashes of color and to this day many of her drawings often look as if they were created in a single stroke of the pen. She confirms that, actually, with two to three pickups of the pen in a drawing, this is mostly true. Drawing live during fashion week has enabled her to hone in on the quickness that is descriptive of her art and taught her to accept mistakes happily; she says she’s “never carried a rubber in [her] life---it’s pointless; if you’re going to draw a picture; why would you rub it out?”

As we put more and more emphasis on the digitization of everything that we consume, I ask Megan her thoughts about working digitally versus physically. She tells me that she wasn’t convinced digital illustration was for her for the longest time, saying that when she tried it she felt like “none of [her work] really looked like art.” However, with a recent gifting of an iPad from Apple in July of 2019 to promote a new illustrating software, Adobe Fresco, she’s been venturing into the world of digital illustration -- with reservations. “When I’m actually doing it I think that I connect [with my work], but afterward I think that I disconnect

a lot quicker.” This perspective is extremely relatable to the way we consume and react to media and how Megan thinks that illustration offers a bit of a reprieve. “There’s so much overstimulation [with imagery] and I think that’s the thing with fashion illustration. In 2012 when Instagram launched and people started posting things online, suddenly it was something different.”

When Megan isn’t drawing or travelling for fashion weeks, she leads the digital communications of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, a research centre based at London College of Fashion. Sustainability is a key ethos in her practice as a creative, so it’s no surprise her online shop sells on-demand prints. “I don’t want my products to be wasteful, I want them to be cherished.” By using print on-demand service Printful, Megan can ensure that an illustration is only printed if it’s been ordered and that her work is produced to a good standard at a price point which is more accessible – delivered with no plastic packaging, no bullshit, and produced by the closest warehouse to the customer, in one of three different parts of the world.

However, sustainable fashion and responsible business practices are not a new thing for Megan St. Clair Morgan. She tells me about how she essentially grew up on vintage and helped to manage vintage stores since the age of 13. “Back home in Leeds that was like, a big thing when I was a teenager, I was like, I’ll come and work for you and I’ll buy all your stock! So I literally got paid every weekend, I think I got paid 30 quid, and I did a five-hour shift on a Saturday, and then I used to come back into the shop and I would spend the whole thing.” When I had interviewed her, she had recently scored a pair of Marques’Almeida shorts on Ebay for a tenner, but that hasn’t been the only thing she had scored. Days before we met, Megan signed with Lipstick of London, a London-based illustration agency; and after seven years of freelancing it’s about time for Megan. “For most people it’s so you can focus on the creative stuff; like, you don’t get into being an illustrator because you want to send invoices; you get to be an illustrator because you love drawing and it’s quite nice when someone pays you.” And pay her you should.

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The Not-So Petite Ceinture

The sustainable rebirth of the abandoned railway

By Maria Karkour Illustrations by Stella Richman

Gare Montparnasse Gare Saint-Lazare Gare de Lyon

Gare de l’Est

Gare du Nord Gare d’Austerlitz

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onfinement during these past months has made us immensely look forward to going out for a daily walk around Paris. And since we have all been cloistered between four walls for most of the day, it’s nice to get a bit of fresh air and look for nature and outdoor areas around the city. When entering the word “parks” on Google Maps, you probably won’t end up finding la Petite Ceinture as a proposal.

I live in the 15th arrondissement and found this place by coincidence while walking down rue de Vaugirard to Porte de Versailles. I like to call it the suspended secret gardens of Paris.

The Petite Ceinture (Little Belt) line” is Paris’s first mass transit circuit, coming in at 32 kilometers long, and circling the city limits. It first served as a way to transport food around the capital and its surrounding regions, and was later used to carry passengers in 1862.

Originally, the Petite Ceinture was built by five independent and separate railway companies, and functioned as a set of different tracks throughout the periphery. Back then, the reason why an uninterrupted circuit was not put in place is because the different companies wanted to have a regional monopoly. However, it was then decided to combine all the different railways into one continuous track in order to reduce the cost and time of transport. When the Franco-Prussian war erupted in 1870, the army made use of the railway and found it to be a great way to transport equipment and troops. Years later, when the Universal Exhibition was hosted in Paris in 1889, the Petite Ceinture was a key component in transporting passengers all around the city.

With the advent of the Paris Metro in the 1900s, the Petite Ceinture found itself transporting less and less people. The metro flowed in a diagonal line, from east to west, making it more popular amongst the population of Paris. In 1935, the “little belt line” was no longer running for travellers, and the majority of its rails were shut down.

The old railway was abandoned until 2006, when the city of Paris and the SNCF joined up to revive the belt. So where does that leave the railway today?

The Petite Ceinture has a distinct underground urban landscape that sets it apart from other places in the city. Ever since the 1990s, graffiti and tags have been filling up the walls of the railway. Street artists have found the Petite Ceinture to be the perfect spot to execute their work and express their creativity, without being surveilled in broad daylight by authorities. All this graffiti makes quite the visual impact on the Petite Ceinture, creating a unique space.

Yet, if you take the RER C to go around in your daily

life, you are actually riding on the Petite Ceinture. The only section that has been recovered as a functioning railway is that peripheral line where the RER C passes.

Other than that, the Petite Ceinture is no longer in use, and has developed into a line of wilderness where trees, plants, and animals have taken over. Little by little, Parisians living around the periphery, including graffiti artists, gardeners, and residents of the area, have sought out the Petite Ceinture as a getaway from the city. It is also a refuge for many homeless people, as they do not have many alternatives. As the city of Paris and the RFF (Réseau Ferré de France), the owner of the rails, took a stand and wanted to revive the line and conserve its heritage. The number of inhabitants in the city skyrocketed, people saw the Petite Ceinture as a way for the city to gain more green spaces and promote sustainability.

Because of its ecological presence and growing importance in Parisian heritage, many arrondissements have opted to make the Petite Ceinture accessible to the public while optimizing its biodiversity and raising awareness of the importance of green spaces.

Situated at 102 Bis Rue de Bagnolet, in the 20th

arrondissement, La Flèche d’Or (the golden arrow), once known as La Gare de Charonne, was converted from a train station to a concert venue in the 1990s. It hosted many artists such as Christine and the Queens and the Kills, with its eclectic vibe reminiscent of one Berlin’s underground music scene. The Flèche d’Or sadly closed its doors in 2016, however, in the past few months, collectives of people and unions have joined hands to revive the location, in hopes to enable the reopening of the spot as a community space including a café and a collaborative creative work space.

As of March 2020, arrangements have been made in the 19th arrondissement in order to open up another part of the Petite Ceinture to the public, and although it is not a big strip, it is an important one in terms of the preservation of the architectural and natural heritage.

It acts as an ecological corridor that aids with routing the flora and fauna towards different parks of the area, such as the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. This section of the railway leads you to La Ferme du Rail, a space promoting urban agriculture. The space welcomes and accommodates students studying horticulture, as well as a community of people in difficult social and financial situations. This access to the space helps this community of people to establish themselves and find jobs while being assisted by la Ferme du 59

Rail. A restaurant, terrasse, and a greenhouse are also present on the ground. The architecture of the area additionally promotes sustainable innovations with optimized wooden frames and the use of renewable energies.

the walls, and long central couches. It’s a big space, approximately a thousand square meters, with an outside patio where many people gather, especially during the summer.

La REcyclerie, located at 83 Boulevard Ornano in the 18th arrondissement, is a re-functioned space that was once the Ornano train station, which has since been turned into a café. The space features many activities throughout the day, such as cooking classes, DIY workshops, a clothing collection, and a space in which you can loan appliances. La REcyclerie’s values are based on the rule of the three Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle. The décor mixes thrifted furniture with mismatched tables and chairs that creates a cozy studying and eating atmosphere. La REcyclerie is also an urban farm which includes a plant jungle, a vegetable garden, a chicken coop, bee hives and more.

Coulée Verte René-Dumont in the 12th, was also part of the old railway line. It was reconverted between 1988 and 1993 into a 4.5 kilometer long suspended garden, much like New York City’s hanging gardens.

Although the promenade plantée is indeed not part of the Petite Ceinture, it is a place worth mentioning. As you walk through la Coulée Verte, you realize that the buildings that surround it were built to allow for the passage to pass through. It’s a truly magical place that is reminiscent of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s book The Secret Garden. Now the Petite Ceinture in the 12th arrondissement is formed by an ensemble of planted promenades, one of them directly linked to the Bois de Vincennes. The special aspect of this part of the Petite Ceinture is that shared gardens have been set up for the inhabitants of the area, including a space and to plant fruits and vegetables. The same initiative can be seen in the reconverted section of the railway in the 14th arrondissement.

Another spot in the 18th that is also part of the Petite Ceinture is le Hasard Ludique, at 128 rue de St. Ouen.

After this part of the Petite Ceinture halted traveller transit in 1934, it was transformed into an independent cinema called, Le Lumière in 1938. Films were projected there for the next 17 years. It then became a flea market, a bazaar, and finally a cultural space and cantine called la Cantine de Léon. The exterior area of Hasard Ludique is situated right on the train tracks where the walls are covered with graffiti and street art, creating a distinct ambiance. Activities such as theatre and yoga workshops, markets, festivals, and concerts are featured throughout the year. Also, since it was an old cinema, it has an indoor area with almost 300 seats available.

The Restaurant La Gare, a restaurant once known as La Gare de Passy, can be found in the 16th, at 19 Chaussée de la Muette. Much of the charm of this place is in its industrial architecture style, which is still preserved. The cuisine at the eatery is a fusion between dishes from all around the world; meaning a restaurant-goer can have a fusion of Chinese, Spanish, French and

Argentinian flavors all in one bite. The ambiance of the reconverted station transports people into another time and place, with an amalgamation of plants, art deco lights, green tiled floor, frescos on

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The Coulée Verte, which can be accessed at 1

The impact of the Petite Ceinture today allows for sustainable changes in landscapes and infrastructures around the city that paves the way for a more environmentally-aware and communal life in the city of Paris. It is a space where people meet, enjoy fresh air, and where nature can spread its wings around this circular ecological corridor. In an interview with National Geographic, Dr. Mona Omar, who works at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, states that the Petite Ceinture should remain “a green lung for the dwellers of the city.”

There are a multitude of possibilities to revive this railway even more and projects are being put together to enhance the space as much as possible.

Ideas such as abandoned station renovations make more areas accessible and safe for the public, while also allowing for more eco-friendly activities. Maybe the same reason the Petite Ceinture was shut down back then will bring it back to an active state in the future. Although this may be the final stop in this article, the journey to a better tomorrow will hopefully be more grounded in an urban relationship with nature.

When feet pics just won’t cut it

U

By Jeff Hanrahan

h-oh! A pandemic has hit and suddenly you can’t work part time at the café anymore. Now the bank is all on your ass about “interest” and “defaulting” and “I swear to God if you don’t pay us we will cut the power to your home and leave you to freeze in the cold Parisian streets” It seems you’ve found yourself in quite the pickle! Luckily for you, enterprising reader, it turns out that instead of the bank taking your money, you can take the bank’s money — in a robbery!

“Whoa! Slow down!” you exclaim, “I’ve never even held a gun before! Isn’t this a felony? What is French prison like?” Of course, trying something new can seem daunting, but luckily for you a guide now exists so that you, too, can carry out your dreams of deposing a financial institution of its hoarded wealth. And remember, it’s all insured; robbing banks is a victimless crime! If the government doesn’t want to sign off on student loan forgiveness, make the banker beg for

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forgiveness as you empty out their vault. Even though robbing a bank might not seem like the most efficient - or even legal - way to survive the pandemic and pay off your student loans- surely OnlyFans would be much easier?- when you’re done with this article, ambitious reader, you will see that not only is this great American pastime surprisingly easy, it’s also emotionally rewarding and a great way to build character. Be warned, however, that bank robbery is most certainly not vegan, as there is a good chance some pigs might be hurt in the process.

Ok, so, as you can probably guess, one cannot just walk into a bank on a whim and rob it. Well, you can, but you will most likely spend about half of your life in a federal penitentiary. It turns out, much like writing your senior thesis, bank robbery is something that needs to be well-planned in order to be successful.

First things first, you need a crew. Remember, dear reader, that it takes at least two people to clear a room!

Factor in crowd control, the fact that cash money weighs a lot, a getaway driver, etc. and you’re looking at a good handful of people needed to ensure that your robbery goes as smoothly as possible. I hopefully won’t have to explain that it’s best not to work with people who know your identity; while you might trust them now, who knows what they’ll disclose if they are arrested. Bank robbery is similar to jazz in that it is a freeform art, and I’m not here to get on my soapbox and insist that you do things a certain way; but remember, every extra person means an extra cut, as well as increased chances of betrayal.

Secondly, you’ll need to obtain equipment. Remember that anything you buy MUST be purchased with cash, and make sure to source them from a major store with lots of branches so it’s harder for police to find out where you went. Additionally, when you go to buy these things, make sure to disguise your identity!

Luckily, in a time of global pandemic, this is a lot easier as you’ll be expected to be wearing a mask in stores, so take advantage of this while you can!

Finally: rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Have you ever robbed a bank before? Probably not, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this article. Therefore, you need to practice. The Antwerp diamond heist took years of planning and waiting to pull off successfully, and it was done by professional thieves, with numerous heists under their belts. You should have fully cased out the

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bank by time you even begin the technical planning involved. Even not knowing where a single door is can be the difference between a successful robbery and 25-to-life. Know the routes in and out of the bank, the times it’s busy, how many employees work there, etc. Know everything. Once you know everything: practice. Walk through the robbery and build a scale model of the interior. This is a great opportunity to flex those arts and crafts skills you learned from that jewelry-making elective you took two semesters ago.

Alright, so you got your gear, set up the best possible crew, and rehearsed so much that you’re dreaming about floor plans and camera locations. Now it’s time to go to work. On the day of the robbery make sure to eat something nutritious but light. You’ll want to have the energy to pull off the robbery, as no one wants to feel bloated while lugging around 250 pounds of cold, hard cash.

By this time you have obviously already formulated your plan of attack, but I’ll review the different methods here anyway so you can take some inspiration to your planning phase. The first and easiest way to rob a bank is to not rob it at all! “Well, duh,” you say, taking another sip of your Long Island, “but I’ve already sort of bought a minivan and 3D-printed an assault rifle, so it’s a bit late for that advice, isn’t it?” No, no. You misunderstand, sweet reader. I’m not saying not to take money from the bank, I’m saying to burgle the bank.

You see, robbery is absconding with one’s goods under the threat of violence, whereas burglary is sneaking in like a kleptomaniac rat and slipping away with hundreds of thousands of dollars/euro/doubloons worth of currency.

You, of course, fancy yourself a bit of a cowboy; a gunslinger perhaps. You say, “burglary? That’s for soccer players and people who don’t eat the pizza crust.” And I agree with you, esteemed reader, I do.

So then, how the hell do you actually rob the bank?

Of course, much like preparing a coffee, there’s more than one way to go about this.

First, we have to think about your entrance. It might seem fun to jump on the counter and fire a burst of 5.56mm rounds into the ceiling, and this certainly will send a serious psychological message to the crowd. It also makes a good deal of noise and, frankly, is quite

mean-spirited. Remember that bank tellers are trained to handle robberies in a specific manner: give you the money, don’t resist. Banks have lots of ways to track robbed money (and hopefully you have planned out a good way of mitigating this), so they are less concerned about the, once again, insured money, and more concerned about not getting their heads ventilated by a poor student living off of ramen and spite.

After the entrance, and while the crowd control is happening, comes the actual haul. Remember that when you’re taking the cash to look out for the dye packs; bankers are notoriously crafty when it comes to things like this. A dye pack will generally look like stacks of money, but will have a metallic insert that holds the dye. It’s up to you how thorough you want to be in looking for them, as time is literally money in your situation.

While you’re taking the money, someone in your crew should be swiping ALL of the bank records and hard drives. In modern times they will most likely have cloud backups, but if you can take the bank’s information on the serial numbers of the money they have it might make your life a lot easier, plus you might be able to swipe the camera footage too.

Once you’ve gotten everything it is time to escape.

Your escape vehicle should be big enough to be able to hold the money you’ve stolen, but also look inconspicuous enough to blend in. Know your area, look up popular cars, don’t get a bright yellow box truck. With any luck, you will escape with your take, but remember, your work doesn’t stop here.

So, you’ve robbed the bank. What now? Well, first things first, you should probably lie low for a little bit.

In your prep for the robbery you should have picked out a place suitable as a safe house. It should not be somewhere you have been as a crew before. Don’t get comfortable, as the police will be hunting you like a pack of bloodhounds, if bloodhounds had no sense of smell. It is a good idea to monitor police radio and keep the news on, the media can be your ally in figur-

ing out how the investigation is going.

While you’re on the DL, it’s a good idea to start destroying anything that would link you to the robbery. Ideally you have changed in the escape vehicle (as walking into your safe house with those clothes on can track fibers inside) and one of the first things you want to get rid of is your equipment and vehicle.

Arguably more important than the vehicle is your clothing, and anything else that you were wearing, including your weapons. Fiber analysis has been the downfall of many thieves, and while the allure of three hot meals a day for the rest of your life might be tempting, most would agree life is better outside of prison.

While you’re disposing of everything some of the crew should be in liaison with your fence, the person who you’re exchanging your dirty money with for something that cannot be linked to the robbery. Do not hold on to a single bill from the robbery, no matter how thorough you were with stealing hard drives, the feds have the serial numbers of the money that was stolen. Don’t be disappointed that the fence will take a cut of the profit, after all, they’re doing an honest job just like you are.

Also, please figure out your fence before the actual robbery, as nothing is more embarrassing than sitting on hundreds of thousands of dollars that you cannot move.

After ALL of this is done, and if you are not behind bars, it’s time to split up. Ideally you will never be in contact with your crew again, and they have no idea what your name is. While having a go-to crew has a lot of benefits, you really shouldn’t be robbing a bank again after this. In fact, some district attorneys might even argue that you shouldn’t rob a bank at all, but are we really going to listen to the people who think marijuana use should be a minimum $1,000 fine?

You should now be the owner of quite a sizable sum of money. Having finally paid rent, and being able to make student loan payments again, you might have just breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally,” you think, “that stupid guide from the Peacock has paid off. I’m so glad I read this independently published student journalism provided to me free of charge. I wonder what the author is like; they’re probably very handsome.” Oh, stop it, you. I’m blushing.

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Bewitched Modern witchcraft is alive, well and thriving

By Julia Orr Illustration by Stella Richman

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think that everyone, at some point in 2020, asked themselves the question “Am I cursed?” I, however, took this a bit further and consulted a witch to determine if this was true. After a spell involving an egg and four candles, the answer was revealed; I was not cursed, but merely heartbroken. Regardless, the sense of security in the ritual provided me with something I had not felt in a long time: safety. It made sense to me, the connection with the elements, the speaking in Latin, and using natural elements. I felt… better. I wondered if I was alone in this sentiment, but it turns out I am not.

Witchcraft seems like something that should be left in the Middle Ages with the Three Witches of Macbeth, or in the back of a costume store with pointy hats and plastic brooms. But the ancient tradition of practicing magic has stuck around for thousands of years for a surprisingly obvious reason: much like religion or astrology, people believe it truly works. However, witchcraft is not a religion. That’s Wicca, and yes, they are different.

Professional witch and magic blogger Steve Bodhi (he/him, aged 37) currently lives in Cornwall, England and agreed to do a video interview with me to speak about his practice. Bodhi, a practicing witch for over 20 years, states that “Wicca is a religion that uses witchcraft in it whereas witchcraft can be any creed, any religion, anybody can use witchcraft..” One important distinction between Wicca and witchcraft is that Wiccans believe in the rule of three, stating that anything you put out will come back to you in threes. Whereas only a handful of witches who are not Wiccan believe in this rule, the majority do not, and thus are free to curse or heal as they please, trusting they can protect themselves against evil energies. Witchcraft tends to be a very solitary practice outside of the Wiccan community and encompasses a much broader category of people, which means that all Wiccans are witches, but not all witches are Wiccan.

By interviewing witches from all around Europe and using the wonderful “magic” of social media, I’ve determined that witchcraft is alive, well, and actually thriving. The Atlantic even published an article on this exact phenomenon in March of 2020. Witchcraft used to be a taboo subject, something that if you were even suspected of practicing it could lead to your death.

Nowadays, “the coven is the new squad: there are sea witches, city witches, cottage witches, kitchen witches, and influencer witches, who share recipes for moon water or dreamy photos of altars bathed in candlelight.”

Elias Mitteregger (he/him), a 19 year-old-witch from Innsbruck, Austria, has been interested in witchcraft since he was small, and started researching magic

seriously at the age of 14. He did his first spell at 15 and felt it was “just so amazing.” This led him to start a club at his high school, and eventually become a fullfledged witch.

He first became involved in practicing witchcraft “mainly to help others.” He says, “I hear a lot of people who get into witchcraft who want power for themselves. Right now I do not need that so I like to help people. On the other hand, I think it’s just fun...

Keep your inner child alive, the world is still magical.”

Anonymously running a popular witchcraft Instagram page (@muehl.hexe), he often is asked for advice from young, or “baby” witches. Instead of personally tutoring them, he sends PDFs of reading lists and documentaries, things that are free online and accessible through YouTube. It surprised me how modern this traditional craft had become, and how the accessibility of the internet allows more people than ever to connect with people who share their beliefs from all over the world.

Getting into the practice with a witch club he ran at his high school, Mitteregger has always had a knack for guiding people spiritually. He states that witchcraft is a very solitary practice; something every witch I

© Fer Gregory

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© Fer Gregory

spoke to agreed with. I asked if he remembered his first big spell. In response, Mitteregger told me the story of when he had a terrible English teacher that “left hair on our tests that he returned.” Mitteregger and his club “made a voodoo doll of him and ritually burned it...the math teacher died two years later.”

Whether you believe in magic or not, that is an odd coincidence.

Mitteregger states that for him, the most interesting part of his practice is the ability to have contact with the dead. He regularly meditates using candles and specific intentions that allow him to communicate and interact with spirits “over the hedge”, “the hedge” being a term for the barrier between our world and the spirit world. Witchcraft is a search for meaning beyond the daily routines and rigid societal pressures.

It allows practitioners to have the feeling of being connected with forces greater than themselves, and this gives them hope. From growing specific kinds of plants, making tinctures to ethically-harvesting sage, or creating smudge sticks, there are many ways Mitteregger practices his craft.

In comparison with Mitteregger, who found the craft on his own, Bodhi has significant blood ties to witch-

craft and has been practicing for almost 30 years.

Bodhi explained that his family is incredibly spiritual; his mother is a practicing witch and also a clairvoyant.

“My gran back in the 60s was in a coven and practiced Wicca and my grandpa messed around a lot with ceremonial and high magic.... I grew up around it all, the books, the meetings and clairvoyant nights.”

Bodhi (@exploringwitchcraft) also communes with the dead, citing it as a normal part of witchcraft. When I asked for an example of his most recent contact, Bodhi explained that outside the van he shares with his current wife, there has been knocking at the same time every night. He realizes most people would be afraid of a knocking noise, particularly when there isn’t a physical presence to explain it, but Bodhi says “it’s just normal, it’s some soul or spirit needing help or wanting in, it’s part of being a witch.”

Both Bodhi and Mitteregger are unbothered by the opinions of those who do not believe in magic.

Mitteregger stated that he didn’t really care if people do not believe, since “it worked for me obviously, and they’re just boring people.” Perhaps it is because those that practice magic have such strong beliefs in what they are doing, and tend to surround themselves with others who think the same way. A quick Instagram or YouTube search for the word “witch” leads to hundreds of thousands of results. Witches don’t come from somewhere over the rainbow anymore, they’re from places like Morganville, New Jersey.

Besides the issue of validation in the larger sphere of society, another issue in the witch community are the harmful stereotypes that still exist today. Mitteregger responds to what stereotypes currently exist: “The stereotypes that we are working with the Devil. I mean, there are of course witches (particularly British traditional) that work with the ‘devil’ of the forest ...The riding of the broom is kind of true. The riding of the broom is soulfied practice with witches and shamans that involves the spiritual practice of your soul leaving your body and ‘flying’ through space and time.” Witchcraft then seems to be not about limiting free will or controlling others, but controlling yourself. It’s not just goth teenagers who practice witchcraft, it never was.

When I asked Mitteregger if he had any advice for new witches, he responded that “the best [thing] is to research on your own. Do the work yourself and do not believe everything you read at first. Question everything.”

I also brought up the issue of white-washing of witchcraft as many traditional and sacred practices, like burning palo santo, are now part of a larger wellness trend. Mitteregger commented that “appropriation is a big problem in our community. It is really problematic to appropriate and commercialize witch-

© Fer Gregory

craft because it is poorly researched and it is not theirs to tell the world.” Mitteregger follows German traditions such as making bale fires for Walpurgisnacht, an ancient holiday for the sun god of Celtic mythology.

Overall, every witch I speak to reinforces the importance of serious research not only into the craft, but also into personal ancestry. In a world where identity seems more complex than ever, the idea of tracing back your ancestry can be quite comforting. Much like meditation or a religious service, witchcraft is just an umbrella term for rituals of belief.

Metaphysical science seems to be the best way to explain the workings of witchcraft, as it is a controlling force over energy through focused thought and physical actions of intention. Bodhi believes “A witch walks between all religions to understand how to engage with it. I get messages from different people in different countries all around the world ... I don’t take any side, I walk between everything. I will heal or curse.”

This all seems like it would mess with the order of nature but Bodhi thinks “It’s all about how you tap into that… I’ve found in my experience a lot of ‘white witches’ are some of the people doing the most evil magic I’ve ever come across.” Mitteregger also agrees with this, stating that he has only done nasty spells a few times in his life, and most of his work is focused on healing.

People’s associations with witchcraft immediately go to the “dark’” or “black” magical arts but that is actually not the majority of practitioners. People who call themselves witches can work with everything from herbs, to crystals to, yes, blood, in order to create and cast different spells. This societal idea that there is good, “white” magic and bad, “black” magic is rooted in racism that implies two separate fields of magic.

Magic is one entity. There is both bad and good, the yin and the yang; and as a study of energy, it is all about balance.

If you are an outsider observing those who practice it may seem like a full-time job. Bodhi feels that “witchcraft fades in and out of my life and when things aren’t going right witchcraft just jumps out at me, it’s in my face. My wife had an employer short pay her … she went and followed a seven-night spell … three weeks later she received not only her backdated pay for three months, she also received backdated holiday pay on top of that, a permanent contract too, so it was three to four times the value.”

The idea that witchcraft fluctuates once again brings me back to the idea of faith; unlike the TV show Bewitched you cannot just wiggle your nose and have anything you want to happen. Witchcraft takes preparation, knowledge, lots of materials, and time. It seems as though witchcraft is less a choice and more of a

calling. Unlike what we’ve seen in TV shows and films, this calling takes a lot of work and preparation, and those who practice it take it very seriously. To me and many others, it almost appears as a form of therapy, whereby completing certain steps and saying certain words guarantee a conclusion. This allows for those who practice to have complete and total belief in something; a seemingly rare thing in the 21st century.

When I first got the idea to research witchcraft, I was unsure what I would find. I didn’t know if it was just people pretending in order to scam an audience, or how many people really did still believe. I understand now, however, that there are many people who still practice witchcraft in the modern age, and that the long-held stereotypes are starting to fade. By looking past the mainstream ideas of what witchcraft is, we can begin to understand this amazing community where people believe they have the power to shape and change their lives. Witchcraft then isn’t about bubbling cauldrons or deadly plants (though there is plenty of both in magic) but instead about hope, belief, and trust, both in yourself and the world. And, honestly, in 2020, couldn’t we all use just a bit more of those things?

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beyond the front porch

How outdoor spaces created solace and community during the lockdown

By Sarah Farr Illustrations by Stella Richman 69

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elationships, be that familial, romantic, or friendly, have been tested during the past year as strict lockdowns have plagued the world in order to curb the spread of COVID-19. Divorce rates have skyrocketed, and friends who are roommates may find themselves at each other’s throats for no particular reason. Despite the strain, human connection and community has built itself in creative ways around the world. A look into the porch culture in New Orleans and the balcony culture in Paris illuminates the creativity that residents have used to maintain a sense of human connection during the COVID era.

Those lucky enough to be quarantined in a rural area may feel more at ease being stuck with the same people for weeks or months on end. But what about those of us quarantining in urban areas, where the rooms are smaller, the rent is higher, and the outside space is little to non-existent? Around the world, people have flocked to their balconies, stoops, and porches.

New Orleans, where I live/have spent the last four months, porch culture has played a major role in keeping communities together. The city has fluctuated between Phase 1 (low risk), 1.5 (medium risk) and 2 (high risk), depending on the ebb and flow of COVID-19 cases. The higher the cases, the stricter the rules for businesses to be open. Currently, the city is running on a 25% capacity seating limit for all restaurants and bars.

French culture is arguably the most abundant in the city of New Orleans than in any other location in the United States. It is a melting pot of French, Spanish and Haitian cultures coming together to form a unique cuisine, music, and history that leaves people saying, “New Orleans just feels different.” While New Orleans may have a French background, the culture that has blossomed from it’s French roots has gone in the opposite direction of Paris’s culture.

There are two things that all Southerners need in their life: connection with their neighbors and a place to relax in a rocking chair and watch the world go by, perhaps while sipping on some iced tea.

Keelan Collins, a 20-year-old college student from New Orleans, says that the quarantine has turned porches in New Orleans into a “mini Mardi Gras,” as young people with dyed hair “smoke rip-off Marlbo-

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ros that cost $2.83 and drink Miller Lites while they bang out essays on their computers”.

Keelan’s mother, Judith Collins, remembers a COVID-19 wedding in New Orleans, where people “congregated on the street, watching the ceremony take place on the porch,” and “didn’t even block off the street for the occasion.” When asked why people in New Orleans are so open to displaying their lives for everyone to watch, Judith says, “New Orleans has costumes, parades, and a real ‘laissez faire’ vibe all year round, which means people have a natural desire to be curious and to watch others”.

Now more than ever, Judith says that “people crave a sense of connectedness” and use their porches to “be reminded that they are not alone, that there is a world out there, that life goes on, even when it doesn’t feel like it”.

Fiona Collins, Keelan’s sister, describes the neighbor next to her boyfriend’s house, who stays on her porch listening to Bounce music - a genre created in New Orleans and popoularized by the Black, transgender artist Big Freedia - and twerking in yoga pants and a tank top, braided hair piled high on her head.

New Orleans’ musicians even rented adult tricycles and decked them out with glitter, tied tip buckets to the sides, and pedaled around town, pushing out Cajun tunes on the fiddle for all and anyone who would listen. Bands live -streamed concerts from their living rooms, with PayPal and Venmo names in the comment section. Kermit Ruffins, a famous and wellloved trumpet player and singer in New Orleans, offered his musical services to play a trumpet tune outside of anyone’s house for a birthday, engagement, or holiday celebration.

It’s not the first time that New Orleans has had to keep its culture alive during a catastrophic, anxiety-inducing event. Before hurricanes, everyone whips out their grills and fries up every morsel of meat in their fridge before the electricity can steal it away. Then, they hunker down with candles, their hurricane booze stash, family, cards, and snacks.

Usually, the debris in the street and city-wide power outages are cleared up within the next two weeks, but after Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005, some wondered if New Orleans would ever stand back on its two feet. The few residents that trickled back early into often-ruined houses cooked up spiced batches of red beans and rice, the only thing they could be certain of was that they had each other’s company - that they could preserve a sense of community, against all odds.

In Paris, balconies mostly serve an aesthetic function. Stacked one atop the other, Parisian balconies filled up in the spring as people hunkered down in their small apartments during the capital’s first confinement.

I reached out to some friends in Paris to get a scope of what the balcony culture over there was like during the pandemic.

One friend of mine, Guillame, told me that everyone seemed to be spending more time out on their balconies, seeking refuge from the people they now lived with 24/7. Guillame shares a three-bedroom with his mother in the Western suburb of Neuilly-Sur-Seine. He recalls how he first heard Parisians step out onto their balconies and clap for all the frontline workers, and how special that was to see an abundance of Parisians all out on their balconies at the same time.

Guillame also reports that the quantity and frequency of smoking cannabis has gone up exponentially since the pandemic started. Neighbors use strings to pass each other’s lighters, packets of cannabis, and face masks (the three essentials), resemblant of tactics used in prison to pass contraband goods from one cell to the next. There has surely been no lack of creativity to get through this pandemic.

Another friend of mine, Chelsea Kay (an AUP alum) is stationed in the 15th. She says that she distinctly remembers observing a neighbor across from her, who had acquired bed bugs, throw out the entire contents of their apartment over their balcony the next day, and finished off by hiring exterminators later that week. She tells me of a cat that escapes from her neighbor’s balcony every night and how she watches the owners wrestle the cat back inside; a routine that hasn’t stopped even when the world has seemed to.

In the beginning of the quarantine, French Twitter blew up with a video of a man dancing vivaciously to Freddie Mercury, dressed in all-too-American blue jeans and white tank top. Other videos from France showed

duets played from different apartment buildings, leading communities through a tear-worthy version of the Titanic’s theme song, “My Heart Will Go On”. In Italy, two women were caught playing tennis from different rooftops, striking the ball to soar through the air between two different lives.

“New Orleans has costumes, parades, and a real ‘laissez faire’ vibe all year round, which means people have a natural desire to be curious and to watch others.”

There is no doubt that human beings crave a sense of community. The rise in balcony usage during the first severe quarantine in Paris that quenched this need seemed to have faded away in the fall. The New York Times reported that there were a record number of traffic jams when the 9pm curfew started in Paris, as people scrambled to leave the city. These escapees flocked to their beach homes on the French Riviera or cottages in the countryside, since square footage in the capital is at a premium.

New Orleans residents are more likely to hunker down in their original homes, creating a sense of community with their immediate neighbors. While Paris keeps a lukewarm amount of interaction with neighbors, people around the globe will go through great lengths to find a sense of community and connection during the pandemic.

The ways that we actualize that connection seems to be changing day by day. Looking towards the upcoming months of increasingly severe lockdowns as a second wave plagues European and American cities alike, there is sure to be a shift in the way that residents use their outside spaces. Be it in the form of a socially-distanced porch symphony or a quick dance to some of Queen’s best beats, a sense of human connection will most likely continue to prosper and prevail against a time of otherwise isolation and uncertainty.

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Illustrations by Stella Richman

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rom New York to Paris, the women’s ready-towear fashion month is one of the most anticipated events for fashion enthusiasts. There’s something genuinely magical about seeing a freshly set runway ready to be walked on by models showing off the latest collections from the biggest fashion ament are incomparable. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, massively interfered with the industry and sent most of the designers, models, and VIP guests home. The industry now faces the challenge of rapidly adapting to changing times. 2020 put some of the biggest fashion creators to the test, forcing them to show their designs from home. The most significant difficulty lies in keeping the excitement and experience of fashion week alive from the comfort of a screen.

Evelyn Mora, the founder of Helsinki Fashion Week, explained her vision for the future of fashion and how she hopes the industry will continue to function long after the pandemic is over. She has brought a new angle and has inspired others to follow her ideas, “We worked with a couple of tech companies who were able to 3D-scan our models, which made it even more interesting, and it gave the viewers the real experience and feeling of a show, rather than just a pre-recorded video.”

Fashion in Helsinki has always focused on recycling, sustainability, and finding a way to reduce waste. Mora took this concept one step further and became the pioneer of the first online Fashion Week. “Although I do believe that technology and virtual runways should start to be more present in the industry, I also think it is more about a balance between digital and in-person,” Mora explained. “The digital experience will not be able to replace attending a fashion show in person.

But imagine all the waste that would be reduced if we took away the guests’ flights, the food, the costs of venue decoration, etc. It would be life-altering.”

Fashion power houses including Chanel and Dior released their haute couture collections via video.

Chanel presented 51 looks, with only four models. This

This new way of doing fashion shoots opened countless doors to what designers and brands can create without traveling and using expensive equipment. was the first time in history that Chanel did not showcase a collection in person. On the other hand, Dior had originally planned the show in Capri but instead, the models stood still wearing different designs, and it was later released to the public on their website.

For Dior’s Spring/Summer 2021 collection, the house decided to stick to the norm and present their collection in person. The show was done at an indoor venue in Paris, inside the Tuileries Gardens. Despite many experts encouraging to do as many activities as possible outdoors, Dior went the other direction. According to France24, “the guest list was shortened to 300, about a third of the number Dior would usually invite.”

Bruno Pavlosky, the fashion president at Chanel, told WWD in an interview that “digital is flat, we are interested in creating an emotion that sparks a desire, that leaves a trace, that generates an energy that you will find back later in stores. For me, you can’t achieve that with digital tools.” Many creative directors agree with him. Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior’s artistic director for women’s ready-to-wear, also told WWD how “digital formats should not attempt to mimic the feel of a fashion show. Everybody is very obsessed with this digital world, but I think it is not the same thing.”

Controversy is now an issue in the industry considering that many important designers and faces

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in the fashion world have opposing views when it comes to digital and 3D fashion. Chiuri and Pavlovsky believe that fashion cannot and should not be replaced with technology. But, at the same time, there are up-and-coming new designers who believe digital is the future of fashion.

The head of the Fashion Innovation Agency at the London College of Fashion, Matthew Drinkwater, shared his excitement for the emerging technology in the fashion space. “This is an opportunity to redefine business models and build a more sustainable, progressive future. The requirement to integrate all forms of digitisation from supply chain and creation, to showcasing and retailing is forcing every brand to embrace the technologies that empower this.”

Although some would prefer this to be a temporary adjustment, the younger generation is moving towards a digital world that involves less waste and is sustainable.

Simon Porte Jacquemus, the creative director and owner of his brand Jacquemus, directed his Spring/ Summer 2020 campaign via FaceTime and cleverly named it: Jacquemus at Home. Shot right during the peak of quarantine back in April, models Bella Hadid and Barbie Ferreira posed for the designer’s newest bags, translucent sunglasses, blazers, and trousers.

The brand then took the final result to Instagram for the world to see. This new way of doing fashion shoots opened countless doors to what designers and brands can create without traveling and using expensive equipment. For this campaign, Vogue explained how “Hadid changed her outfit several times without the help of a make-up artist or dresser, in an empty room and only with the help of her iPhone.”

This example has inspired other brands to follow Jacquemus’ lead. The French designer, however, was one of the few who also decided to pursue an in-person fashion show for his newest collection. For his Spring/Summer 2020 collection, he transported his guests to a village near Paris. In a golden-brown barley

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field, guests were strategically sat six feet apart and surrounded by the tall wheatgrass. Still, he fulfilled the sanitary measures by making the catwalk outdoors and enforcing face masks. As Mora stated, “the future of fashion is a mix between virtual and real,” and Jacquemus shows how designers can engage with both.

Other fashion houses have found different ways of showcasing their brand in new and creative ways.

Using Bella Hadid as their campaign face, the French fashion brand Mugler was also inspired by the digital space. Mid-pandemic, they made their first-ever 3D campaign. For their Spring/Summer 2021 campaign, they 3D-scanned Hadid and transformed her into a winged centaur jumping off the Palais Garnier, showcasing a piece from the collection.

Jonathan Anderson, the creative director for the Spanish Maison Loewe, took an incredibly innovative approach, as he embraced the pandemic by showcasing both his women and men’s collection through a concept he named “Show-in-a-Box.” Delivered to the guests instead of a traditional invitation, the little white box “contained several dividers that housed things like a letter from Anderson, an inspiration booklet, paper block lookbooks, and fabric cards containing real swatches.” As for music, which is a critical element of the shows, Anderson added a cardboard record platter that could be manually spun to work. The brand even included a pop-up imaginary runway set to give the guests the feeling of an in-person show. The Loewe Team later released on their Instagram account that their “challenge was to create something as tangible as a fashion show but in a format that is more in tune with how we can communicate right now.”

The restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic are creating new ways of showcasing high fashion, and it is likely the digital platforms are here to stay. Although some would prefer this to be a temporary adjustment, the younger generation is moving towards a digital world that involves less waste and is sustainable. The world of technology is truly endless, and opening this door to fashion gives designers countless opportunities to be creative in the way they show their art to the world. Many brands will be using the hybrid method of both in-person and digital. As 3D scanning and online platforms become easier to use and more accessible, they will mark the industry for the years to come.

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oat OF this

WORLD Oat milk’s rise to the top

By Emily Spennato Illustrations by Stella Richman

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any AUP students like myself grew up in American households where there were two options for a beverage during dinner: water or milk.

The idea of having milk with meals is becoming outdated, however, and likely for good reason.

We’ve always been told that milk and dairy are needed in the diet to support bone health, or nostalgically put, “to grow up big and strong.” An article that appeared in the Journal of Dairy Science this year expressed concern over the increasing lack of milk consumption in schools. Childhood dairy milk consumption has been proven to have many preventative health benefits including decreasing the risk of osteoporosis, hypertension, obesity and cancer.

But past a certain age, besides the occasional glass, regular consumption of dairy milk might actually be unnecessary and unnatural. When plant-based milks began flying off the shelves in generic grocery stores, I remember my older family members making jokes: “They have all these animals, why do they need to make milk from coconuts?!” Or my personal favorite, “Hey, why do they call it almond milk?! Because they can’t call it nut juice!”

With a greater focus on health and sustainability, especially in the wake of COVID-19, plant-based milk is on path to being the go-to option for all of our cereal, coffee (although the French are lactophobics when it comes to their coffee), baking and smoothie needs.

First it was soy, then coconut, almond, and now oat milk is having its moment in the spotlight. But will it be longer than a moment? For starters, oat milk is the perfect latte partner for those who want a few less calories and smoother taste than almond

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milk. Just last month, Forbes reported last month that oat milk is likely going to surpass almond milk as the leading non-dairy milk. “With celebrity backing and new products such as Starbucks’ Oatmilk Honey Latte, this dairy alternative is definitely the cool kid in town,” the article stated.

“When I first went vegan in 2016, almond milk was the standard alternative milk,” said Chloe Fearey, vice president of AUP’s Vegan Club. “Now, many places only serve oat milk. I think Oatly played a large role in the popularization of oat milk … Oatly’s barista edition became so popular in coffee shops, and became such a well-known brand in a short period of time. On top of the superior taste and texture compared to almond milk, oat milk is much more sustainable than almond milk - almond milk requires a large amount of water to produce.”

A 2018 study by researchers at the University of Oxford showed that dairy milk results in almost three times more greenhouse gas emissions than any plantbased milk and it consumes nine times more land than the most-land consuming milk alternative.

Almond milk requires copious amounts of water, which is why research has found it to be healthy for our bodies, but not so much the planet. A 2019 investigation by The Guardian even found a correlation between California’s almond milk production and the rapid decline of the bee population.

Compared to almond milk’s 11% sales growth, oat milk sales grew by 50% between 2017 and 2018. So what about now? According to Global Market Insights, oat milk is expected to see a compound annual growth rate of 10.2% by 2026, and for good health reasons. It is rich in nutrients with two grams of protein per serving and 20 to 30 percent of the daily value of Vitamin D, Calcium and Vitamin A. “Cow’s milk contains various hormones that the cow produces so that her calf grows quickly and healthy.

To still be consuming these hormones as an adult is unnecessary and can lead to unwanted effects,” explained Fearey. Cow’s milk also contains the presence of unhealthy hormones, such as Prolactin, which can be linked to various cancers in humans.

“Humans are the only mammals that drink milk beyond infancy, let alone another species’ milk, so replacing it with plant milks will likely only do good,” said Fearey.

There are many versions of oat milk, such as Rise Brewing, Happy Planet Foods, Danone, PepsiCo, and Pacific Foods, but Oatly was the first. Invented by brothers Björn and Rickard Öste, the siblings began their marketing journey of their newly created beverage in the 1990’s while at Lund University in Sweden. Oat milk is a labor of love that has spanned

Today, Oatlythe Öste’s brand which was responsible for bringing the first version of the product into the world - is valued at $2 billion. over two decades. “I remember when Oatly became popular,” said first-semester graduate student Ellinor Ahlberg, who came to AUP from her home in Stockholm, Sweden. “I discovered it at a festival in southern Sweden nearly a decade ago. Now it’s all over the world.” Today, Oatly - the Öste’s brand which was responsible for bringing the first version of the product into the world - is valued at $2 billion. The company also produces oat milk based frozen desserts and yogurts.

Another perk of oat milk? You can make it yourself if you want to be even more environmentally friendly.

According to Pinterest and Google, all you need is a mason jar, rolled oats, water and a strainer to become the DIY-er for at-home oat milk. Or, if you’re like me and want to take an easier route, try it at the Amex Café in your next after-class latte.

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Searching for a Smile

By Sofia Quintero

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What an online Yale class has revealed to the world about happiness

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he lockdown in France stretched from March 13 to May 11, which meant I had to find ways to keep myself occupied during a time of darkness that seemed to have no end. I read, shopped online, learned how to make lemon cake, spent hours on Duolingo, and mastered my mojito recipe. And of course, like most of us, I spent the majority of my day watching Netflix and sleeping. After watching 340 hours worth of Grey’s Anatomy and trying out every possible YouTube workout video, however, I decided to do something that would stimulate my brain with something other than watching Meredith Grey perform surgery.

“What to do during a lockdown?” was probably the most Googled question in 2020, but I figured I’d give it a shot anyway. Thousands of articles, guides, lists, and books popped on my screen. I scrolled down for what seemed to be miles until I stumbled upon Coursera. This website offered “massive open online courses, specializations, degrees, professional and master track courses.” Overwhelmed by the number of options available, something caught my eye. A course titled “The Science of Happiness” was available to take for free and was taught by Yale Psychology professor Dr. Laurie Santos.

Considering I had not been exposed to the light of day in months and had had no human interaction besides those living with me, anything that had to do with well-being was an easy “yes” for me.

It is not surprising that the COVID19 pandemic has had a significant impact on public mental health. In late June, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention released a survey in which “31% of U.S. adults reported anxiety and depression symptoms, 13% started or increased substance abuse, and 11% seriously considered suicide.” By August 2020, “almost half of the population reported feeling anxious or worried, one in five felt lonely, and 15% felt hopeless.”

At first, I was not entirely sure if the class would teach me the science and technicalities that lie behind human happiness or give me tips on improving my well-being. To my relief, the class’s purpose was indeed to teach me how to live a happier life. I enrolled in the class and began immediately.

Before the pandemic, about 500,000 students had taken the course already; that number increased six-fold, to over 3 million.

Professor Laurie Santos says that psychology is fundamental in fixing human problems. Her main goal for the course is to “attempt to critically synthesize what psychologists have learned so far about making our lives better.” At first, I was a bit anxious to take the course. The first task I had to complete was a happiness quiz.

What if I get a low score? Or what if the score I received was lower than the happiness I felt I had? I was still determined to complete this course as honestly as possible, so I took the quiz and hoped that if I did everything correctly and applied what I learned to my everyday life, my happiness would increase.

Society has taught us that we need to be the best at everything. We have become accustomed to believing that having a big house, a successful marriage, lots of money, material possessions, the perfect body, and the best job will be what makes us truly happy.

The biggest takeaway I had from taking the class was learning that this is a false construction. “The data suggests that happiness often comes more from our behaviors and mindset than from our circumstances.” I learned about hedonic adaptation, or how we get used to stuff. If you buy a new car, chances are you will be happy and excited for the first couple of weeks, but after that, your happiness returns to the same level it was before you bought the car. This same phenomenon also happens when you get a new job, a salary increase, and even get married. After some time, you become accustomed to it, and it is no

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We have become accustomed to believing that having a big house, a successful marriage, lots of money, material possessions, the perfect body, and the best job will be what makes us truly happy. longer something that continually makes you happier.

In the third and fourth weeks of the course, I learned that one of the most significant human flaws is how prone we are to comparing ourselves to others, specifically, those who we believe are better off than us.

We compare ourselves to those who have better jobs, more money, the newest designer bags, the perfect families, etc.

Studies shown in the class taught me that “40% of our happiness appears to come from the actions, intentions, and habits we bring to our daily life.”

Throughout the ten weeks, I was assigned “re-wirements,” which help create a “more positive mindset and fight against destructive tendencies.” Some of these included performing random acts of kindness, engaging in social connection, exercising, increasing sleep hours, and daily meditation.

As weeks passed, I noticed how Professor Santos engaged the students and exposed them to the benefits of positive psychology, and how much happier you can be if you “pay attention to what makes you feel good — and note if your old feel-good habits no longer do the trick.” During quarantine, I noticed that exercising, eating healthy, meditating, and learning made me happy. I started to cook more, learned a bit of yoga, and read a couple of autobiographies.

Talking to Annabel Haggerty, a 19-year-old Art History major at AUP, she shared her experience with what activities make her happy. “I started meditating a lot more consistently during the lockdown. I like guided meditation, so I use the Calm App, which I feel has something for everyone, from two minute breathing techniques to hour long sessions.” This has

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become a consistent activity for her, as she meditates every day, both in the morning and at night. When we talked about consistency, Haggerty mentioned how the main reason she meditates is because the longer she does it, she feels “less anxious and more grounded and present throughout the day, which has been definitely helpful during the pandemic.”

The truth is our happiness increases with the slightest exchanges. Savoring experiences, being present in the now, disengaging from social media platforms, and sharing those positive experiences with others is what truly makes our happiness sustainable instead of momentary.

This course taught me how to empower my behavior, engage in constant self-improvement, and create long lasting habits that, contrary to popular belief, will increase my well-being and make it sustainable. On Week 10, I had to retake the happiness quiz I had taken at the beginning of the course. To my surprise, my happiness had actually increased 1.2 points. I learned how to be comfortable and at peace by myself, which is something I would have never imagined for myself at the beginning of the year.

The major takeaway from this experience is the importance of consistency, and how creating a routine of healthy, and stimulating habits keeps positive thoughts and well-being flowing, and ultimately, a feeling of sustainable happiness. Just like Dr. Santos, Annabel Haggerty also shares the importance of meditation and other movement activities like yoga, walks, and pilates. It is clear that when a feeling of panic or uncertainty arrives, humans will do everything to survive, but is this truly what is best? Crisis or not, habits of exercising, healthy eating, and meditating should be established as normal in everyone’s life.