ROCKET FALL/WINTER 2017

Rocket VOL. VIII, ISSUE 1

FA L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 7

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THE COLLEGE OF WILLIAM & MARY WMROCKETMAGAZINE.COM MAGAZINE.ROCKET@GMAIL.COM INSTAGRAM @ROCKETMAG

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ISABELLA ARIAS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AMY ZHANG CREATIVE DIRECTOR BRONWYN ROSELI FASHION DIRECTOR ANDREW UHRIG PHOTO DIRECTOR LILLIAN ZHAO, REBECCA MCHALE ART CO-EDITORS ANUSHKA ANNONTI, EMMA BRIGAUD, DALE LATTANZIO, CLARA POTEET, NOAH WOODRUFF ART TEAM CLAIRE POWELL BEAUTY EDITOR MAEGAN ASSAF, CAROLINE POLLY, JULIA SUNG BEAUTY TEAM ANDREW COWEN BOOKINGS DIRECTOR CATALINA RUBIO BOOKINGS TEAM EMILY BASS DIGITAL DIRECTOR EMMEL EL-FIKY, PETER MAKEY FEATURES CO-EDITORS EMILY BACAL, JOEL CALFEE, HANNAH LOWE, ALIJAH WEBB FEATURES TEAM JONATHAN MERLINO, HARSHITA NETALA MARKETING & PRODUCTION CO-EDITORS PARIS BALL, JULIA CARLSON, SAM MCCORMACK, EVAN PAKSHONG, SOPHIE SHEALY MARKETING & PRODUCTION TEAM JULIA BULLARD MODELING CONSULTANT FRANCIS EDEMOBI, WILLIAM KELLY, JONATHAN MERLINO PHOTO TEAM DALTON LACKEY, ZAIRA MUGHAL STYLE CO-EDITORS RHEA CHESSON, TYLER CROWLEY, PEYTON EVANS, XANDER GIARRACCO, HANNA HAILE ANNA KASHMANIAN, KEEILAH MOSELEY, CHARLIE PARSONS, MAGGIE SULLIVAN STYLE TEAM 4

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Since its creation in 2011, ROCKET has served as a vestige for the creatives on the William and Mary campus, providing us with a medium for unhindered collaboration to create our bi-yearly publication. This semester was no exception as we continued to push ROCKET to its creative limits. We have accomplished a lot— an aesthetic overhaul of our print issue, a complete revamp of the layout, and a redesign of our website, just to start. With these changes, our issue has grown up and out, and our goals have expanded.

Throughout the semester, the goal of ROCKET shifted, and we sought to address the link between fashion and the political.

In defense of the arts at William & Mary, we sought to illustrate just how crucial they are in helping students express their understanding of the world around them. As the students of William and Mary are affected daily by racism, sexism, homophobia, and white supremacy, it became imperative for ROCKET to lend our voice in the fight against the chauvinists of our community.

This semester ROCKET remains a fashion, art, and photography publication, but as we nodded to in our last two issues, fashion and politics are deeply intertwined. You can-

not have one without considering the effect of the other. In this issue, we explore modern black femininity, the implications of gender in the popularity of Millennial Pink, and the Surreal in Trump’s America, to name a few.

We also turned our attention to not only the William and Mary community but the greater creative community. We contacted artists who inspired us, such as Nick Vaaler, architecture student by day and introspective artist by night. For our Q&A section, we spoke to feminist photographer Jacqueline Harriet who has utilized her platform to help bring diversity to the fashion world. In these interactions, we have begun to evolve as a publication and embody a unique convergence between our niche community and the larger creative world.

This semester we wanted to create a publication that caters to the creative needs of William and Mary, as well as presenting a platform for the issues that are so often overlooked. As we have begun to integrate into a larger artistic movement, we have come to a better understanding of the obstacles we face, and have fostered an outlet for artistic expression to help us both challenge and cope with our contentious reality. The pages to follow are a reflection of our efforts.

Isabella Fox Arias

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floris pink matter stryker Equality warm blooded Q&A

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lumber party BADLANDS EXTRA NICK VAALER POWER & GRACE TANGERINE DREAM 56 60 62 68 70 78

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lumber party

SHIRT VINTAGE, PANTS VINTAGE

photography by DALTON LACKEY models WILL DAVIS, BEN MILBURN-TOWN, ALEXANDRIA PETE

SHIRT VINTAGE, ROBE BY ANN TAYLOR, PANTS VINTAGE

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SHIRT BY TOPSHOP, PANTS BY TOPSHOP

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Don't Sleep On Style written by EMILY BACAL

Silky slips, trailing night gowns, corsets with strappy garter belts dripping with reams of lace – sleepwear has long been tied to feminine sensuality. Artistic representations of this trope abound, manifesting as voyeuristic glances behind the metaphorical curtain at the very threshold of transformation. In each, a woman is shown seated at a vanity, satin slipping suggestively down her shoulders as her manicured fingers trail over an armoire strewn with gilded trinkets, eyes locked on the silvered surface of her mirror. An unstudied moment of personal reflection is captured, made alluringly clandestine by the sense of broken privacy. This is where a woman is supposed to create herself - draw her face, tease her hair, cultivate the careful image she will present to the world. “Le Grand Decolletage,” an image

by French illustrator George Barbier, is an exemplification of this idea, made distinct by an interesting inclusion - here, the voyeur is personified as a leering man dressed in dark coattails who cuts a slim, imposing figure and wields a predatory gaze. The seated woman visually contrasts her watcher, all flowing guilelessness and vulnerability, unprepared to combat the man whose gaze is fixed on her exposed skin. Barbier’s 1920s piece reflects misogynistic social ideas which remain relevant today, particularly the assumption that a woman’s value and moral character are determined by the type of clothing she wears.

Sleepwear demarcates the pre-public state. It is intended to remain unseen by all but intimate acquaintances, and thus bears within its billowing folds a secret that whispers of the softness of slumber and the stillness of night.

Taking and breaking the rules of when and how you can wear your nightgown frees your limbs from the constraint of uncomfortable daywear. It eradicates the idea that who you are in your most comfortable hours cannot be the same person you present to the world. The contextual shift challenges the eroticization of sleepwear, changing the pajama-clad woman from a private, nighttime apparition to a full person capable of waltzing on slippers straight from the sheets to the street.

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Celebrities from Demi Lovato to Olivia Palermo have chosen to walk the red carpet in silky separates, employing heeled sandals to quite literally “lift” the look from girls night in to girls night out. Zendaya has donned elevated sleepwear on multiple occasions, her most recent foray a striped Ashish ensemble she wore to the 2017 Teen Choice awards. Vogue UK asserts that “the appetite for patterned separates remains insatiable” in an article which stated that sleepwear has entered “the spotlight as viable streetwear and red-carpet wear.” Both Korean pop star CL and British songstress Rita Ora have made public appearances looking deliciously dewy in honest-to-god bathrobes, seemingly surrounded by a cloud of postshower steam. CR Fashion Book, Carine Roitfeld’s fashion and lifestyle magazine, has charted the trajectory of the high-fashion robe trend, tracing it through runway collections (Versace, Miu Miu, Balenciaga and the like), iconic celebrity moments (featuring stars no less credible than Drake, Rihanna, and Beyoncé), and citing renowned photographer Mario Testino’s iconic Towel Series as a testament to the increasing prevalence of TerryCloth in today’s aesthetic vocabulary.

Supermodel Gigi Hadid and Leandra Medine of Man Repeller make the argument for officeappropriate sleepwear. The latter quipped, “I am all for making your waking hours less of a snooze by rifling through or being inspired by your horizontal wardrobe.” They both riff upon relaxed tailoring, loosening typical office attire in favor of sleek, androgynous silhouettes. Pajamas challenge the idea of professionalism and the traditional rigidity ascribed to the workplace environment, injecting a dose of refreshing irony into the work day. The commonality linking sleepwear’s various public cameos is an accompanying aura of defiance, boldness characterising the decision to spurn norms of dress.

Wearing an oversized pajama blouse as a top almost feels like you're getting away with something: a secret masquerading as a bold proclamation.

Actually, Go Ahead Sleepwear’s designation as “private” renders it a perpetual source of eroticism, an association which persists regardless of how revealing the actual garments are. This phenomenon is exemplified by the societal view of swimsuits as more appropriate than undergarments in spite of the fact that they often cover much less skin. The difference in perceived appropriateness exists simply because one set of garments was created for private wear, the other for public viewing.

The nonsensical distinction taps into the overarching sexualization of the female body; even today, women are so thoroughly sexualized that the mere suggestion of a garment worn in bed is provocative.

Sleepwear as streetwear draws the world into the intimacy of personal moments most commonly kept under covers, rejecting the idea that one’s private and public image must be independent of one another. Pajamas embrace vulnerability, asserting that even in the pre-coiffed state, a woman is complete in herself.

Rejecting traditional and often patriarchal dress codes is empowering, and using pajamas to do it has the added bonus of comfort. Imagine, rebellion via wide-legged silk trousers! Wearing an oversized pajama blouse as a top almost feels like you’re getting away with something: a secret masquerading as a bold proclamation, the heart smirking from your sartorially relevant sleeve. The wearer is so comfortable in themselves that they can sleepwalk through daytime. And maybe, just maybe, by clicking ruby red Gucci slippers together hard enough, you can turn the world into your very own dream.

SHIRT BY BLEMKER STREET, PANTS BY H&M, SHOES BY DR. MARTEENS, HAT BY BRIXTON, BELT VINTAGE

BADLANDS photography by ANDREW UHRIG art by EMMA BRIGAUD, DALE LATTANZIO, REBECCA MCHALE, CLARA POTEET, LILLIAN ZHAO model KAELA SUNG

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SHIRT BY LAND’S END, JEANS BY LEVI’S, BANDANA BY C&A, BELT BY URBAN OUTFITTERS, SHOES BY ALDO

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SHIRT BY BANJO, SKIRT BY KIMCHI BLUE, SHOES BY VAGABOND

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JACKET BY LEVI’S

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PARANORMAL ARTISTRY written by JOEL CALFEE

The past twelve months have been so utterly baffling and downright absurd that I could have sworn it was all a dream. The nightmarish feeling began last November, when the presidential election results rolled in. It felt surreal as I found myself clutching a sobbing friend who was dressed as Rosie the Riveter. In cruel irony her blue shirt, intended to embody hope, was stained with tears. This uneasy feeling resurfaced this past August, when I discovered that a radicalized white-supremacist had plowed a car into a crowd of protesters in Charlottesville, killing one woman and injuring two of my closest friends. I was even more convinced that I was trapped in a nightmare this past September, when I gathered with other William & Mary students to hear the vehement but anguished speeches of Dreamers, as well as other members of the community who were impacted or outraged by the rescindment of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy.

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Unfortunately, there’s no waking up from these horrors. These days, I find myself more and more unmoved by the absurdity but troubled by the prospect of complacency. While my hopelessness has been growing, I have begun to look to artists for solace. As these bewildering events erupt around us, many artists are demonstrating their acceptance of absurdity in a different manner, one that was articulated by the French philosopher Albert Camus. Camus himself enumerated Absurdism, the school of thought which posits that humans who try to find some inherent meaning to their lives will be unable to do so, due to the indifference of our expansive universe and the impossibility of fully comprehending it. Absurdism states there are three ways that we can respond to the knowledge that this search is fruitless: commit suicide, take a blind leap of faith, or recognize the Absurd and embrace it.

Consider tense periods of history, such as the Cold War, and you will see that this third option has often been a natural response to such tensions. That was a time when the threat of nuclear warfare cast a daunting shadow over the world, leaving artists to interpret the chaos by exploring absurd fantasies. They responded by producing content like the supernatural program The Twilight Zone, and apocalyptic films, such as The Day The Earth Stood Still. These works brought attention to the possibility of mass extinction of the human race, a concept explored in the eschatologies of many religions.

Comparatively, in our modern society, it is impossible to ignore a glaring transformation in the work of artists searching for meaning during these distressing times and embracing the Absurd with extramundane recourses.

Released this past July, the latest Gucci campaign, “Gucci & Beyond,” appears to be modeled after Star Trek or 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Paranormal mystery series like The X-Files and Twin Peaks both made resurgences in

2017. Adam Gopnik, a journalist for The New Yorker, wrote an article last February supporting a theory that states our world is a computer simulation run by extraterrestrial beings.

He went on to argue that a malfunction within the system could be the only explanation for all of the Stranger Things that have occurred.

Religion has always played a vital role in the world of art, but it currently seems more prevalent than ever. Note Kendrick Lamar’s album DAMN., released this past April, where religious commentary is woven throughout, interspersed with lines such as “the world is endin’, I’m done pretendin’.” Artists regard this era as particularly portentous, and therefore, they turn to faith for answers because it seems like the only choice. Religion has also been given a greater significance in the world of fashion, and this is exemplified by 2018’s Met Gala theme: “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.”

As these symbols of the metaphysical continue to make an appearance in popular culture, it make sense to think about them in the context of our own lives, where white supremacists continue to grow in number, where the threat of a nuclear attack from North Korea seems more plausible with each passing day, and where marginalized groups continue to fear how they will be oppressed in the future. The waking nightmares we endure make it nearly impossible not to embrace the Absurd. So, when we admire the work of these artists, I can’t help but wonder - are we looking to them for the answers, or are we simply comforted by the fact that they don’t have any either? As everyone desperately searches for meaning amongst the tumult, artists embrace Camus’s theory on the Absurd not by accepting it, but by seeking some sort of consolation.

Are we looking to them for the answers, or are we simply comforted by the fact that they don't have any either?

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DRESS BY TOPSHOP, SHOES BY URBAN OUTFITTERS, HAT BY BRIXTON

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EXTRA

TSHIRT BY POLO, PANTS BY BANANA REPUBLIC, SHOES BY MARGIELA, BRACELET BY MIANSAI, BAG BY ENZO ANGIOLINI

photography by JONATHAN MERLINO models JULIA BULLARD, DALE LATTANZIO, ELIJAH LEVINE, ZAIRA MUGHAL, BRONWYN ROSELI

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GLASSES BY RAYBANS, JACKET BY HAN

left to right PANTS BY J CREW, SHOES BY ALDO, PANTS BY UNIQLO, SHOES BY LAUREN BY RALPH LAUREN, DRESS BY FOREVER 21, SHOES BY ALDO

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GLASSES BY URBAN OUTFITTERS, EARRINGS BY URBAN OUTFITTERS, SCARF VINTAGE, JACKET BY LEVIS

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GLASSES VINTAGE, EARRINGS ARTISAN MADE, SHIRT BY TROUVÉ

RING BY HANNA

left DRESS BY FOREVER 21, WATCH BY SNE right SHIRT BY ASOS, PANTS BY J CREW, WATCH BY MICHAEL GLASSES - BLUE MOON, JACKET BY STELEN, EARRING ARTISAN MADE, RING ARTISAN MADE

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French toast nick Nick Vaaler is an artist and designer from St. Louis, known for his whimsical patterns, interesting use of color, and clever characters featured on various products he makes and sells himself. In this interview with Features co-editor Emmel El-Fiky, he discussed where he gets his inspiration, his artistic process, and how, exactly, he got the name French Toast Nick.

You can follow him on Instagram @frenchtoastnick, and find his prints and products on his website, vaaler.bigcartel.com.

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written by EMMEL EL-FIKY art by NICK VAALER

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ROCKET:You’ve curated a brand centered around the idea of French toast, without actually visually referencing it in any way.

To address the most obvious question, why? What inspired you to create these characters and art surrounding them?

Does French toast hold any special meaning, or was it just an idea you became attached to?

NICK VALOR: French Toast came about before I was even sharing my art with anybody.

In high school, me a couple friends would get brunch nearly every weekend, and I would order french toast every time without fail simply because it was my favorite breakfast food. One day, I just decided to change my name on instagram to “frenchtoastnick” and people liked it, so when I did start creating art and sharing it there, the name became a staple. The French Toast Girls and French Toast Boy that started to surface in all of my paintings are all simply extensions of myself.

They don’t have anything to do with the food, but I feel as if they represent different aspects of myself. Because they are me, and I go by French Toast Nick, it only made sense to give them the same prefix.

R: In general, where do you look for artistic inspiration? From your website, it says you are an art student based in St. Louis.

What about St. Louis has an influence on your art, if at all? Are there any other locations you draw inspiration from?

NV: I am actually an Architecture student.

People online seem to believe I am an art student, which is understandable, especially considering I don’t post my architecture projects really. But all the art that I create is completely independant of school, and I like it that way. That being said, architecture has definitely seeped into my bank of inspirations.

I look at buildings, and spaces, and people sitting around, and myself looking out windows. Honestly, St. Louis is a wonderful city, but the majority of my inspiration come from elsewhere. Boston and New York, for example, are two of my favorite cities I’ve ever had the chance to visit. Seeing so many people interacting, or avoiding interaction is the most inspiring. I love to people watch.

R: How do you go about creating a new collection? What is your artistic process like?

NV: When I start a new series of paintings, I start with the character. I create a feeling that I want them to have. Then I pick the main three colors of the patterned sections based on that feeling along with thinking about the season I will be painting in. For example, last year’s three series were extremely tied to fall, winter and spring both in their themes, and their colors. My artistic process is pretty simplistic, but allows me to be very prolific. I work in small series of six within my larger series.

In a relatively short time period, I fully create

six paintings start to finish before moving on to the next small series. I start by deciding what sized matte board I’ll be painting the six on, then I’ll sketch all the basic compositions and outline them with my pitt pens. Once everything is outlined, like the windows, characters, etc. I watercolor all six at the same time. This allows me to keep very continuous colors throughout my entire series. If I didn’t paint this way I would have to mix the exact same colors fresh for every painting. Finally, I come back with my pitt pens and pattern/ detail everything.

R: What stories do you want to tell with your art?

NV: The majority of my artwork is attempting to release my own feelings of isolation and loneliness, which I often bring upon myself.

This is why most of my paintings either have nobody in them, or a single French Toast character representing myself. There are a few with multiple characters, the majority of which are representing myself as two or three people at a time. The stories I tell in my paintings, are very specific to my own emotions, which allows me to really feel connected and remember exact feelings when I look back at my work, but I am also attempting to create artwork that resonates with people for completely different reasons. When I look at a painting and remember a dark time, often I portray these in a way that looks playful. I want my artwork to be my personal outlet while also allowing it to be interpreted without any dreadful or gloomy preconceptions.

R: What are some of your future plans?

I know you’ve done gallery shows in the past - is this your favorite way to present your art, or do you prefer other ways to showcase what you’re doing?

NV: Currently I am scheduling my next big show, which will be a culmination of my paintings from this school year along with a collection of furniture and physical objects. For me, gallery shows are the only real way to share my artwork. I despise the fact that I must use instagram to share my work across the world.

I am, of course, thankful for it because it has allowed me to expand my audience drastically from the confines of St. Louis, but honestly, nobody has truly experienced what I want them to until they see my work in my shows.

Because I paint in series, the entire series is meant to be viewed at the same time. Every painting relates to another. Online, my paintings are lonely in their stance. An image on a screen simply cannot capture what I intend.

The French Toast Girls and French Toast Boy that started to surface in all of my paintings are all simply extensions of myself.

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I want my artwork to be my personal outlet while also allowing it to be interpreted without any dreadful or gloomy preconceptions.

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R: Why did you decide to sell your art as clothing? What has been your experience so far doing that?

NV: When I was in high school, I wanted to get a tattoo, but a combination of my parents distaste for them, and my fear of needles made me rethink how I could show something I drew on my body. I ended up teaching myself how to screenprint, and once I started wearing my designs, requests started coming, and it became more and more satisfying to see people wearing my clothes. It’s extremely difficult to run a businWess like this entirely on my own, while keeping up with school and my paintings, but it is very satisfying. Even in times I know I won’t be making a profit, sometimes, those types of releases are the most inspiring for me.W R: Do you have any favorite designers?

Any that you try to emulate?

NV: Some of my favorites are Benjamin Weiner of Benny Gold, Andy Mueller of The Quiet Life, and Chaz Bundick. There are plenty more who are just as important to me. I try my hardest not to emulate any of these designers. With my clothing, I try to ignore precedents and just create what I would want to wear.

R: How do you feel about your clothing designs as part of the greater street-style genre?

NV: My clothing can relatively fit into the streetwear genre, but honestly, most simple unisex clothing can these days. I never actively think about that when designing, but if screen printed tees and sweatshirts are what fall into the streetwear genre, then so be it.

R: How have your friends and family reacted to your burgeoning career?

NV: My friends and family just think I have a lot more money than I do. I put all of my money back into my work, so more money just means I can put out more, and better things. Everyone in my life is always supportive though, so I really am very grateful R: What’s your zodiac?

NV: I’m a Taurus. I honestly don’t know much about what that means for me, but who’s to say.

POWER It is the new era of the Strong Black Woman, and in a world where racism, white supremacy, and fake feminism are running rampant, it is that much more important that we recognize those who are taking a stand against hate and lazy progressivism. Here, Features writer Alijah Webb speaks with senior class president Laini Boyd, W&M’s very own example of the best kind of Strong Black Woman, about what it means to be black, femme, and powerful in today’s society. written by ALIJAH WEBB photography by WILLIAM KELLY model LAINI BOYD

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GRACE

DRESS BY JONATHAN SIMKHAI

In recent years, feminism and intersectionality have become punchy buzzwords in pop culture. The issue, though, is that they aren’t any more than that. The individuals who have most popularly been hailed as feminist icons in recent history all share one thing: they are upper middle class white women with more privilege than they are willing to acknowledge. With sexually abusive Lena Dunhams and situationally manipulative Taylor Swifts, it is easy to tell that these feminist “icons” do not care about issues pertaining to women/female-presenting individuals who do not pass the brown paper bag test. It has become the norm to use exclusionary language without repercussions when talking about feminism.

However, in the past year strides have been made to popularize and embrace the presence of black femme culture in media.

The turning point that fueled this revolution was Beyonce’s visual album, Lemonade. By featuring the powerful Malcolm X quote, “The most disrespected woman in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman,” near the beginning of the body of work creates powerful imagery detailing the black female experience. The power of this quote paired with the strong and multifaceted black women featured throughout the entirety of the visual album strongly suggests the need for a new wave of black female liberation. Lemonade sparked a much-needed conversation about the immense disrespect black women have to deal with on both an institutional and interpersonal level and served as the jolt white people needed to finally realize,“oh shit… racism still exists?”

Needless to say, the message got across.

After the general (white) public consumed this album, there was a dramatic shift in the way black women were portrayed in media. A new platform emerged for black women to be able to safely embrace their sexuality, bodies, and stories. This year marks the inaugural era of the strong black woman, with films like 2017’s Girls Trip, and the booming success of mu-

sicians like Nicki Minaj, SZA, and Solange.

We began to see a genuine effort to promote the sheer power of women of color, without trimming them down to reductive stereotypes.

In film and media, black women are being showcased and praised as the complex, interesting, beautiful women they are. They are no longer solely the token black friend, the quiet and docile black friend, the easily palpable black friend. No longer confined to the role of the sidekick, black women are taking their place as the main character in their own stories.

Despite these advancements, black women have been and still are subjected to not only hypersexualization and fetishization, but also the exact opposite. Black women have been compared to apes, and have been told their distinctly black features are animalistic or masculine simply because they do not adhere to Eurocentric standards of beauty.

This is overt in cases where black female athletes like Serena Williams and Simone Biles were criticized for being too muscular. To reiterate the absurdity: athletes were criticized for having muscles. Black hair also becomes a topic of discussion among white folk. Institutionally, attacks on blackness are coming into fruition by deeming explicitly black hairstyles distracting or unprofessional. A black female Banana Republic employee is suing the company for $1 million because in November of this year, she was told that she would not be scheduled for shifts unless she wore a hairstyle other than her braids. Recent covers of The London Evening Standard and Grazia, featuring Solange and Lupita Nyong’o, respectively, made serious edits to the appearance of both women’s hair, to better fit the idea of what black women’s hair should look like.

In an effort to reclaim bodily autonomy and presentation, Nicki Minaj recently “broke the internet” with her Winter 2017 cover of Paper magazine, featuring three iterations of herself engaged in a “Minaj à trois.” This was a clever middle finger to white ideas aboutblack sexuality, and those who feel entitled to the bodies of black women.

We began to see a genuine effort to promote the sheer power of women of color, without trimming them down to reductive stereotypes.

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JUMPSUIT BY ZARA

Black creative women have had to face the unique challenge of being forced to reclaim their sexuality, bodies, and space for representation.

Black creative women have had to face the unique challenge of being forced to reclaim their sexuality, bodies, and space for re representation are incredibly important, especially in institutions presentation. These spaces for representation are incredibly important, especially in institutions of learning and education. Our cover model, senior class president Laini Boyd, is the perfect example of a powerful black woman carving out her place in an environment that has not been historically inclusive to people of color, let alone women of color. Despite the institution’s 325-year history, 2017 marks only the 50th anniversary of black women in residence at the College.

When asked about what changes she thinks still need to be made to better accommodate black female students, Laini replied that she thinks the greatest necessity is a platform for women of color. “When I meet with administration and other students on campus, it is very rare to see another black female at the table. If we aren’t given a seat at the table, we [don’t] have an opportunity to voice our concerns to leading actors who have so much power in improving our experience.”

One of the biggest issues she addressed was the College’s short attention span when it comes to issues of race relations. “The only time we talk about race relations and discrimination is in the case of events happening on campus or anniversaries.” Celebrating 50 years of women of color at the College seems almost painfully ironic given the atmosphere encouraged by the current federal administration. Events on campus would lead one to believe the only advocates we have are one another, and that little is done institutionally. “The administration [actually] does a lot of work in addressing these issues behind closed doors, but does little to communicate with students about their work,” Laini specified.

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It is notable that next year marks the 105th anniversary of the revolutionary Women’s Suffrage March in Washington, D.C., which catalyzed the push for the 19th Amendment. The March’s organizer, Alice Paul, was the epitome of white feminism. She did something truly incredible by working toward the right to vote for women, but she was blatantly racist. Paul felt as though allowing black women to march alongside white women was wrong. On the issue, she wrote, “As far as I can see, we must have a white procession, or a negro procession, or no procession at all.”

In contrast, the first National Women’s March held in Washington, D.C. earlier this year, was spearheaded by the co-presidents of the Women’s March executive board, Tamika Mallory and Bob Bland, two women who have spent their entire working careers focusing on gender equality and professional intersectionality. The sentiments the March promoted came in direct reaction to the 2016 presidential election and the precedent it set for normalizing intolerance. In theory, the 2017 Women’s March was supposed to be a moment of unification transcending race, class, and sexual orientation. In practice, the March centered around the privileged white women who could afford to be there, and the celebrities with nothing to lose.

With issues such as sex trafficking and violence against women of color running rampant, black women as a result have become more bold and forceful in taking a stand for their autonomy. This is why black female artists like Cardi B, Rihanna, and Beyoncé are so important, using their fame to speak about their personal experiences while being explicit and honest in their expression. Their willingness to leap is so important, especially as their white counterparts refuse to use their “feminist” platforms to advocate for women of color and their narratives.

Equally important is their impact as personal role models. For Laini, inspiration came in the form of women such as Gabrielle Union, as well as peers and educational mentors like Kim Green, who worked for William and Mary’s Office of Community Engagement, and Eboni Brown, the 2016-2017 Student Body President. These women had a significant impact on Laini’s understanding of herself as a black woman in an elected position of power. “It is very difficult to grow in an environment like William & Mary without a support system, especially as an African American female with very few mentors who look like you on campus. I didn’t realize how much I needed other black females and others who are aware of my struggles as a black woman.”

Everything is cyclical. Alice Paul was not held accountable for her racism - she is still to this day hailed as a feminist icon but only explicitly had the interests of white women in mind. While not as outwardly racist, “feminists” such as Taylor Swift and Lena Dunham are still perpetuating themes that exclude women of color and are similarly not being held accountable. It is irresponsible to have such a powerful platform and remain silent on issues simply because they do not pertain to you.

However, there are ways for white women to advocate for women of color by making space for their narratives where there hasn’t been space before. As Laini explains, “If you want to talk about the problem, be open to learning about the experience of black females on campus first-hand, and [share your] platform to voice our concerns. Don’t speak for us.”

Don’t speak for us.

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tangerine dream photography by ANDREW UHRIG models THOMAS BIRCHALL, KERSEY NEAL, LEAH ZWEIG

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left to right SHIRT BY FOREVER 21, JACKET VINTAGE, SCARF BY TOPSHOP, DRESS BY URBAN OUTFITTERS, SHIRT BY CHAUS

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PANTS BY BANANA REPUBLIC, JACKET BY ASOS,SHIRT BY H&M, SHOES BY COMMON PROJECT

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JACKET BY SUPREME, DRESS VINTAGE, SHOES BY ZARA

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JEANS BY ANTHROPOLOGIE, SHIRT BY ZARA

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SHIRT BY JUNCTION WEST, SCARF VINTAGE, PANTS BY ASOS

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floris photography by ANDREW UHRIG written by EMMEL EL-FIKY models JENNIFER ALBARRACIN, ALYSIA ALEXANDER, AFUA ASENSO, ALLISON RAMIREZ

SWEATER BY DKNY

With the September 8th release of Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty collection, the makeup industry turned a bright spotlight on the newfangled idea of color diversity. With 40 shades of velvet-matte foundation, a demand was clearly met - according to InStyle, the darker foundation shades sold out almost immediately. Rihanna herself explained her reasoning for such a blatant choice, and her desire to appeal to every type of person - “There’s so many different shades… you just never know.

You want people to appreciate the product and not feel like ‘Oh that’s cute, but it only looks good on her.’”

The ironic thing about the beauty industry is that many brands claim that their reason for not expanding their shade ranges or creating products with better and more visible pigmentation is because there isn’t a demand for such things. Newer releases, like Maybelline’s 20+ product collaboration with supermodel Gigi Hadid, or the Instagram-famous cosmetic brand Jouer’s color-wheel of foundation, continue to assume that the “perfect nude lip” is a light peachy pink, geared toward people with fair to olive-toned skin, or that there needs to be a foundation in every nuanced shade of white but only 5 deep shades.

Even high-end brands like Yves Saint Laurent only feature 3 so-called “deep” shades of their All-Hours Foundation, out of 22 total.

Not only is this subtle, but carefully crafted discrimination, it can also be argued that in regards to high-end whitewashing, the lack of deeper shades is an indicator of who the companies think can afford their products. This phenomenon is economic corporate racism, wrapped in pretty packaging.

Additionally, companies reveal their inherent preference for lighter skin tones through their use of subtle marketing techniques. For example, on Chanel’s cosmetic website, there is a link on the homepage for their tool called the “Foundation Match Up.” It is an infographic featuring a thin geometric rectangle in a pinky-beige color. This tiny part of the infographic is meant to indicate skin, displaying a deeply troubling insight into what the Chanel company thinks about their ideal consumer base.

Youtubers and beauty bloggers like Nyma Tang and Jackie Aina continue to call out these companies for their short-sightedness. On their individual platforms, they create spaces to work with, talk about, and share their tips and tricks on makeup either marketed toward people of color, or products that work well with darker skin. They don’t shy away from calling out microaggressions, though.

SHIRT BY BANANA REPUBLIC

Jackie Aina made note of a quote she’d once heard about the beauty industry, in her video review of the initial Fenty launch, stating “White businesses get funded based on potential, and black businesses get funded based on proof.”

If companies like Fenty Beauty, on the higher end, and ColourPop Cosmetics, on the lower end, can come out with 40 shades of foundation or 15 shades of $6 concealer ranging from fair to rich, and have those products become widely popular, there is really no excuse for any other brand not to follow suit.

To choose not to, in this day and age, is a blatant choice to prioritize one type of consumer over the other, and contribute to systemic and pointed discrimination in the beauty industry.

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SHIRT BY UNIQLO, JACKET BY NEIGHBORHOOD X NEED SUPPLY

SHIRT BY CALVIN KLEIN, BLAZER BY SUNNY CHOI

pink matter written by HANNAH LOWE art by AMY ZHANG

Disillusionment. Obscurity. Nonconformity. Self-expression. All found within the implications of the year’s hottest but most unaffected color trend - Millennial Pink.

If there is one word most associated with the millennial generation, “disillusionment” is likely it. The image of millennials is one of disenchanted young people scrolling mindlessly through Twitter or taking selfies, like on the cover of Time Magazine’s “Me Me Me Generation” issue. Thus, it’s only appropriate the color bearing the name of this generation — “Millennial Pink” — expresses this same apathy towards age-old concepts like gender and gender expression.

It’s no secret the Western world is obsessed with gendering colors. Though at the beginning of the twentieth century pink was considered a healthy, robustly masculine color, in the mid-1900s the dichotomy of male and female came to be represented by blue and pink respectively. The reasons for this shift are nebulous, but some cite the use of pink triangles to mark gay men during the Holocaust as the reason pink was rendered a derisively feminine color. Though this theory remains unconfirmed and the sole reason for blue becoming the color of masculinity is still undetermined, by the 1980s bright pink was becoming increasingly feminized by Barbie dolls and breast cancer ribbons. Once the 1990s and early 2000s rolled around, the formative years of most millennials, pink was inexorably linked to femininity. Then Millennial Pink arrived.

Over the past several years, this washed-out, indifferent shade of pink has crept into the fashion mainstream. Though dubbed “Rose Quartz” by Pantone when named one of 2016’s two Colors of the Year, it’s also been called Scandinavian Pink for its use on traditional Scandinavian painted furniture, and Tumblr Pink for its explosive popularity on Tumblr blogs circa 2015. Millennial Pink became the widely accepted name for it only recently, in early 2017. The color is found throughout the current cultural landscape, appearing on cosmetics packaging (Glossier), interior design (Marc Ange’s

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As unisex styles like normcore and athleisure became par for the course in trendy fashion, Millenial Pink became a standard phrase in the language of androgyny.

“Le Refuge”), and in movies (The Grand Budapest Hotel). It’s often paired with darker colors like black and army green, softening harsh, geometric designs with its blasé tone.

However, what is perhaps most interesting about Millennial Pink is its unisex use. Despite the 20th century designation of pink as a profoundly feminine color, one representing innocence and gentleness, Millennial Pink is worn by young people of all genders. Drake used it for the cover of his 2015 hit “Hotline Bling,” expanding its use to merchandise including t-shirts, sweaters, and phone cases.

Former One Direction heartthrob Zayn Malik dyed his hair pastel pink in 2016, as R&B singer-songwriter Frank Ocean later did in summer 2017. It’s not a coincidence that the rise of Millennial Pink runs parallel with the millennial generation’s increasing fascination with androgyny and blurred gender lines. As unisex styles like normcore and athleisure became par for the course in trendy fashion, Millennial Pink became a standard phrase in the language of androgyny. The presence of pale pink makes a statement without effort, rejecting gender roles while maintaining the practiced apathy typical of the millennial generation.

However, while Millennial Pink seems ubiquitous now, fundamentally it is still a trend and therefore a passing phase. It will likely be replaced by a new color on the runway and fade into obscurity, like the burgundy trend of 2015, until being resurrected in a nostalgic renaissance ten years down the road. Despite this inevitable fate, Millennial Pink illustrates a more profound cultural realization. The flippant disregard for gender norms it represents has made inroads for new creatives into the rarefied world of fashion and changed societal assumptions about gender. Just like the generation for which it is named, Millennial Pink turns disillusionment into powerful defiance of the status quo.

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stryker photography by WILLIAM KELLY art by ANUSHKA ANNONTI, DALE LATTANZIO, REBECCA MCHALE, CLARA POTEET, LILLIAN ZHAO models SUNITA GANESH, ISABELLE KING, JORDAN RENEE, ANDREW UHRIG

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left to right PANTS BY UNIQLO, TOP BY UNIQLO, JACKET CUSTOM BY DALE LATTANZIO, PANTS VINTAGE, SHIRT

BY THE WALTERS, SHIRT CUSTOM BY ANUSHKA ANNONTI AND REBECCA MCHALE

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SHIRT BY NICK VAALER, SHIRT CUSTOM BY CLARA POTEET

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PANTS BY ADIDAS, JACKET CUSTOM BY LILLIAN ZHAO

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Equality, but at What Cost?

written by CHARLIE PARSONS art by REBECCA MCHALE

You can wear your heart on your sleeve, or, as many have already chosen, you can wear your politics on your sweatshirt, loud and proud. As many streetwear and highend fashion designers take to their products to proclaim their stance on things like feminism and Black Lives Matter, style team writer Charlie Parsons can’t help but contemplate the juxtaposition between egalitarian efforts and a hefty price tag.

The t-shirt is simple. The front reads “Noah,” with a pointed red arrow displayed below it. The back of the shirt reads “Anti-Nazi League.” Sold in a conference center full of exclusive Air Jordans and thousand-dollar ripped jeans, it’s easy to imagine this protest t shirt as out of its element. The fact that these anti-fascist t-shirts, created as part of a collaboration between the boutique Union LA and iconic streetwear label, Noah NY, fit right in among exclusive Adidas trainers as a part of a line of sought-after and highly resell-able exclusives produced for streetwear convention ComplexCon indicates a greater trend in streetwear.

Streetwear’s origins are rooted in opposition. The idea that united streetwear brands throughout the 1980s and 90s was an energy of rebellion. Ties to protest music, whether in Shawn Stussy’s reach through surf punk, or PNB Nation’s close connection to hip hop were foundational components of early streetwear. It was a loose collective of people merging clothing and art. Streetwear was a collage of DIY screen-prints made to cover the gaps left by an elitist fashion world and a corrupt society. Because of this pointed and comparatively recent history, the politics of dissent in streetwear of 2017 are equal parts fascinating and thought-provoking.

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As I see it, the presence of dissent in streetwear comes in the same two forms it historically embodies: dissent through speech and dissent through action. Brands protest through the speech they make, whether literally or through their clothes. They also protest through action, such as donation or dropping an unethical manufacturer.

Brands use hoodies and t-shirts as a medium of speech, which in turn allows consumers to literally wear their ideologies.

While political graphics have been a constant since fuct’s subversive logo flips in the 90s, the trend seems to be expanding in scale and pointedness. In recent years, high-end streetwear has joined in supporting a variety of movements, such as Alexander Wang’s 2012 Obama campaign t-shirts or Acne Studios 2015 “feminist” sweatshirts. Union Los Angeles is frequently involved in collaborations expressing various forms of protest, from a series of shirts championing the Black Lives Matter movement, to their recent revival of the Anti-Nazi League logo. Supreme also favors this kind of political expression, as most bluntly exemplified by their 2016 “Fuck the President” t-shirt. The 2010s brought to all spheres of street fashion a renewed sense of urgency to protest, and the need to advocate in the most clear terms possible.

Some brands take another step to transform statement into action. Alex Olson’s Bianca Chandon brand frequently engages with causes, like sharing profits from their Frank Ocean endorsed “Lover” tee with Planned Parenthood. Noah NY, a collaborator on the Anti-Nazi shirt, has politics embedded in its ethos. Their goals to sustainably manufacture clothing, share profits, and speak out through their clothing and accompanying blog intersect at the realization of activism at the heart of their products.

Clothing’s role as a consumable good complicates the ethics of how it speaks. For example, when, in 2015, Acne produced sweatshirts reading “Gender Equality,” the garments retailed for $220 each. Is it parasitic of a brand to make luxury priced garments in support of a popular cause like women’s rights if they don’t share any of their profits with a feminist organization? Does simply stating a value through clothing still qualify as dissent if a brand can profit from it? At what point are brands participating in movements and at what point are they co-opting the aesthetics? It’s easier to make the argument that brands that share profits, like Bianca Chandon, genuinely seek to create change with their platform, but a pessimist could still argue

that practices like these are just an extension of cause-based marketing.

It’s even more complicated when brands that champion egalitarian causes don’t (or can’t) manufacture sustainable clothing. The smallest streetwear brands only have capital to produce graphics on cheap t shirt and hoodie blanks, manufactured by larger companies, like Gildan. For Gildan, despite the purchase of more US factories, a 2013 Worker Rights Consortium report determined that worker earnings “fall significantly short of the minimum wage.” Is it ethical to sell a protest shirt made by an exploited worker? Is that less ethical than owning a blank shirt made under exploited labor? Is this type of inequality endemic to capitalism and inseparable from consumerism? It’s easy to feel defeated by a problem this ubiquitous.

We brand ourselves through what we wear. It’s especially understandable to incorporate your beliefs into style when politics are an omnipresent force and votes govern daily life. With an issue as important and as complicated as how we speak through what we wear, consumers owe it to ourselves to exercise scrutiny in what and who we let speak for us.

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warm blooded photography by JONATHAN MERLINO models ANNABEL BENTLEY, GRETA DYLUS, TRACCE HERNANDEZ, RAJ V NAIR

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left to right COAT VINTAGE, SHIRT BY STELEN, PANTS BY UNIQLO, SHOES BY STEVE MADDEN, COAT BY TOMMY HILFIGER, SHIRT BY FoG X PACSUN, PANTS

BY PACSUN, SHOES BY YEEZY, COAT BY JCREW, SHIRT BY SMITH JEANS, PANTS BY PACSUN, SCARF BY ZARA, SHOES BY COMMON PROJECT, COAT BY BANANA REPUBLIC, SHIRT BY H&M, PANTS VINTAGE, SHOES BY PUMA

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COAT BY ZARA

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Q &A written by PETER MAKEY photo via JAQUELINE HARRIET

Jacqueline Harriet

Feminist photographer Jacqueline Harriet has a huge breadth of experience behind the lens - here I speak to her broadly about industry shifts and narrowly about interactions with her subjects.

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ROCKET:Your portfolio features a range of models, from celebrities to children in class. Do you prefer one type of subject over another? Do the people in your photos influence your style or technique?

Jacqueline Harriet: My preference is always for a subject that is open minded and collaborative. I think that naturally people who spend a lot more time being photographed (models/ celebrities) might be comfortable in front of the camera but often this can actually be a hinderance. I prefer people who might have only a little experience but are rather present in front of the camera and not eager to please but instead to participate. I try to take elements of a subject’s individual personality and channel that into my portraits but I think I also have a very distinct idea of what I want from a subject before I get to set. At the end of the day I want the image to feel like a decisive moment rather than something that was merely a happy accident.

R: Who is a person in the creative world right now whose work inspires you?

JH: I really love photographers like Bex Day who mix elements of fashion with their documentary portraiture. I think Michal Pudelka is wonderful at creating tableau-like photographs with human bodies that look like paintings while still feeling very fashion forward.

R: The models in your instagram feed tend to fall outside of the stereotypical conventions of beauty - i.e. soft, pretty, long blonde-haired women - how have you witnessed beauty trends evolving over the course of your career?

JH: It has been exciting to see individuals of all shapes, genders, and ages introduced into more fashion photography over the past few years. I think it has placed a heavier importance on individuality. There’s far too many interesting faces in this world for the industry to keep oscillating between the same roster of models that fit expected standards of beauty. The shift is forcing people to get out there and cast their mom, their sister, the kid on the subway—to really appreciate people that are accessible.

R:Where do you draw inspiration from?

JH: Cinema! I try to go to the movie theatre at least once a week and I grew up watching a lot of old films with my Dad. There’s more good cinematography out there than there are great plots in my opinion, so I can even find solace in a bad film by studying the visual elements..

R: How did you become involved in your current field? Where did you get your start?

JH: I grew up bored in the suburbs of Sacramento, California! I started taking pictures of my friends in high school which led me to uploading images on Flickr and finding a community of fellow young photographers around the world. Collectively a lot of us had dreams

of escaping suburban lives to live in NYC. I had dreamed of attending NYU in NYC for a long time and was excited to be accepted.

As soon as I got to NYC I started interning, I worked at Refinery29 early on and was able to start freelancing for them while I was still in college. Working with Refinery29 gave me a little bit of leverage as a “young” photographer because I think it gave clients a sense of trust.

At a certain point during college I was working more than I was studying, which I regret now but am grateful for too because it allowed me to transition to a full-time freelancer right after graduation.

R: Your photography seems to generally be portraiture, so I wonder - what is your favorite part of collaborating with models?

What has it been like getting to collaborate with other feminist leaders of their fields, such as Grimes?

JH: I like getting to know my subjects, my hope is that I get to have a decent length of a conversation with them before we start shooting. This is not always the case but it’s really exciting as a photographer because of all of the humans you come into contact with on a daily basis. A lot of times it helps me relate to how I will direct them. Some people like Grimes know exactly who they are and only need small cues, and some people will hand you the reins and require a bit more direction.

Both are challenging but rewarding scenarios.

R:Are there any changes you would like to see in the field of photography? How do you hope to promote these changes with your work?

JH: I think in recent years there has been a lot of pressure for photographers to have a public face for their brand, to be really visible on their own feeds. It’s great to see photographers recognized out and about but I also think it’s important to focus on the photographer’s work first and foremost. I also would like to see photographers to continue to experiment with processes like film despite the accessibility of digital. I think shooting on film has made me feel more ownership for my images because of the amount of attention to detail it requires.

R: What significance does fashion play in your shoots? Do you more commonly find yourself basing a shoot around an outfit or finding an style to complement a concept you have?

JH: Fashion plays a huge role in my work, I love color and I love shapes. Often I do try to envision a portrait around an outfit or accessory, they are always in mind when I am framing my shot. In recent years I’ve found that I’ve had to take out certain images from my portfolio because the clothing wasn’t completely right. Which isn’t to say that the clothing has to be fancy or expensive, but it should fit the other elements of the image: the environment, the hair/makeup, etc.