Strike Magazine Nashville Issue 01

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This past year has been nothing short of chaotic and unpredictable. As a society we have been forced to deal with constant disorder and to try and find some semblance of normalcy. In light of this, the theme of Strike Magazine’s first issue is “Embracing Chaos.” We wanted to conceptualize the tumultuous year that was 2020 and explore the various ways to find peace in the middle of an overwhelming storm. From concrete tactics like grounding yourself in nature or losing yourself in music, to the more abstract concept of acceptance and remaining unfazed, we were able to explore the different ways chaos portrays itself and how we can cope.

While this year was shrouded in negativity, here at Strike Magazine we wanted to use our platform to also show the growth and passion that chaos can bring. We are thrilled to be able to debut in Nashville on such a relevant note, and hope that while reading you discover new ways to embrace your chaos.

Photo: Marina Vostrova Model: Asya Mills

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PHOTOGRAPHED BY: Karina Popowycz

THE NEW FASHION NORM

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By Abbey Hughes

Girls like pink and wear dresses. Boys like blue and wear suits.

These gender stereotypes are ingrained in us through societal standards; however, the fashion industry has more recently been able to break these norms. Just as gender is a spectrum rather than a black and white concept, neither is fashion. The industry is working to remove the labels that once defined what men and women can wear and create trends that everyone can add to their style regardless of their gender. Many designers have decided to combine their men’s and women’s collections at New York Fashion Week in order to continue to blur the lines of what is feminine and what is masculine – male models were dressed in frilly blouses, skirts, and high heels. This high-profile exposure to breaking gender stereotypes normalizes people wearing whatever they want to At the 2019 Academy Awards, actor and singer Billy Porter wore a Christian Siriano dress. The full-length velvet gown merged with a tailored tuxedo top juxtaposes both the masculine and the feminine, and served as a pivoting point in the fashion world. Porter told Vogue, “I felt alive. I felt free. And open, and radiant. And beautiful! Which has not always been the case for me.” He goes on to explain how he wants to challenge gender norms and the definition of masculinity. Porter explained, “I am not a drag queen, I am a man in a dress

Other celebrities have joined into making fashion a gender-fluid form of expression. Rapper and actor Jaden Smith tweeted “If I Wanna Wear A Dress, Then I Will, And That Will Set The New Wave…” in response to criticism on sporting skirts and dresses. Singer and actor Janelle Monae wears androgynous costumes on tour and suits on the red-carpet, while popstar Billie Eilish never wears tight, sexualizing clothes in order to prove women don’t need to be seen in order to be heard. Harry Styles can be found wearing a dress on the most recent cover of Vogue, decorated in stacks of flashy rings. These celebrities have used their platform to blur the once strict lines of gender stereotypes in the fashion world and promote authentic self-expression.

Gender fluid self-expression goes beyond red carpets, stages, and photoshoots. Tailored suit jackets and pants are taking over women’s streetwear. Men can be seen with painted nails and layered stacks of jewelry. We are in an era where society is embracing transgender and nonbinary communities, thus the fashion industry must respond to these societal and cultural changes. Fashion becomes more essential in self-expression and embracing who each of us truly are as we become an increasingly gender-fluid world. .

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PHOTOGRAPHED BY: Shun Ahmed ART BY: Karina Popowycz

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Our Only Hope

by Grace Brady

If you are anything of a mythology buff, you’ve likely heard the infamous story of Pandora’s Box. In Hesiod’s world-building epic, the Theogony, the poet writes of how Zeus, king of the gods, orders Hephaestus to build a woman from the earth itself. A beautiful and hopelessly curious woman, Pandora was given the gift of an ornate box which, unbeknownst to her, contained all the strife of the universe. As a mortal with natural human tendencies, she caves into her curiosity, lifting the lid and letting all of the evils slip into the world.

In conversation concerning catastrophe, it’d be impossible not to think of all that’s happened in 2020.

The year alone is enough to evoke a visceral reaction: a bad taste in the mouth, a tensing of shoulders. Human connection can only occur from six feet apart, our feeds are saturated with conflicting stories, opinions are polarized to the point of altercation, and preconceptions of stability have been tossed out the window. The world is experiencing a collective moment of struggle and uncertainty, where each person must learn to cope individually.

“The best four years of your life.”

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Every college student has felt the weight of this statement: the pressure to make every second count, have every choice point towards an inspiring, impressive college experience. Little did our rising generation expect that our opportunity would be sidelined by COVID-19.

Our parents’ advice, stories from our friends who have graduated before us, movies of keg parties and college shenagans: none of it prepared us for this. When turmoil shrouds our view of the future, what better place to look for answers than the past?

What is often left out in people’s knowledge of Pandora’s myth is the ensuing moment of panic, when Pandora realizes the mistake she has made and urgently closes the box, only to trap Hope inside. Where evils have been let loose, Hope is preserved in her box for mankind’s safe-keeping.

We have to hold onto Hope for dear life. We must keep it close, nurture it, ensure that it survives in the eye of this storm. Sometimes, when the world is roaring at you, shaking your foundations and busting down your doors, solace is found in the understanding that all things pass. Hope is looking forward.

Who is to say that these four years (or any span of years, really) cannot be our best? In social distancing, we find quality time. In social movements, we find resilience. In bizarre times, we pave new norms. Things might not be turning out the way that we expected them to, but with Hope held high, we can face it.

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PHOTOGRAPHED BY: Grace Brady Marina Vostrova Karina Popowycz

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I can remember the first time I took my dog into the wooded reserve a few blocks from my suburban home in Connecticut. The land was a shaded recluse, a hideaway from the clean-shaven lawns and thrice painted colonials that populated my stuffy neighborhood. I had found my way there with the help of directions from a close friend: turn left on Greenley, coast down back-road curves, then turn right at the brick building at the top of the hill.

It was a November day in 2017. Light streamed through the trees in a golden honey glow. The maple trees shed their leaves in a flight of brown wings; my future was spinning into place around me. Back then, college applications consumed my mind. I had just submitted my early decision application to Vanderbilt; all that was left to do was wait. Up to that point, my life had been a harrowing progression towards the future: study so I could make good grades, so I could apply to the right schools, so I could choose the right major, so I could land the right job. Like Sisyphus, I was pushing the weight of my own expectations up a steep hill with no break for breath before it all came crashing down again.

I remember that first day in that reserve because, after a few minutes of walking, I began to cry. There wasn’t anything in particular that made it happen; it was just me and my dog walking along the path. But that was exactly it: I was alone, mercifully alone, walking through uncharted territory without much concern for where I would end up. The tears were a catharsis; my body was running the tap until it had successfully purged itself. Listening to the wind tickling the trees, smelling the dirt of the path, feeling the breeze draw goosebumps on my skin, there was no time to be concerned about what was ahead of me except the steps my feet needed to take.

There’s a practice in Japan called forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku. The term emerged in the 1980s to describe the meditative, nourishing practice of immersing oneself in nature. This doesn’t require world-travel or a hike in a national park. All a person needs to do is leave their tech at home, find a place that is removed from their usual daily routine, and walk aimlessly and slowly. Let your body be the guide and listen to where it takes you.

Connect with the natural world using all the senses.

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FO R

ES

T B AT H I NG

by Gr a

y rad B ce

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In an age where the future is precarious, there is no better time to ground ourselves in what is constant: the natural world. Life in 2020 is difficult and there are plenty of things to be worried, anticipatory, and anxious about. Being in nature restores the youthful innocence that the “real world” fights to tear from us. Do you remember the sandbox days, when we would run home to the clanging of our parents’ dinner bells, dirt beneath our fingernails, flashing gaptoothed grins?

Here, in the woods, I find that energy, renewed.

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PHOTOGRAPHED BY: Marina Vostrova ARTICLE BY: Jonas Waller

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by Jonas Waller

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PHOTOGRAPHED BY: Karina Popowycz

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We spoke with local fashion designer Darcy Payne who specializes in creating 100% waterproof designs. Darcy has lived in the Nashville area her whole life and has been designing there for a long time. Darcy’s mom passed away when she was 16 and is the source of her inspiration. All of her designs are created with patterns and colors heavily inspired by the 90s (what her mom loved to wear).

While Marcy (Darcy’s mom) was bedridden most of Darcy’s life, she dreamed of dancing in the rain with Darcy. Although that never happened, the coats Darcy makes are an interpretation of dancing in the rain with her mother Marcy.

However, using waterproof fabric has also brought its own challenges. Darcy described the fabric as extremely slippery and hard to work with. She has developed her own tips and tricks to make the fabric cooperate and has now mastered these techniques in order to grow her brand successfully. Darcy does not plan on leaving Nashville. Not only does she have emotional ties to the area, but the music scene is perfect for finding famous clients to wear her pieces. The first celebrity Darcy worked with was singer Brooke Eden at a CMA Festival stage for her performance She later told Darcy that her jacket saved the night because it was raining at the event.

LOCAL DESIGNER

SPOTLIGHT

by Becca Morency

Hearing that her jacket made such a difference in Brooke’s night was a big stepping point in Darcy’s career. It was an incredible experience for Darcy that solidified her passion for dressing celebrities.

However, Darcy is now facing one of her biggest challenges as she moves her brand towards more high-end designs. Darcy started out designing pieces tailored to herself and the average customer. Now as she makes the transition to solely creating pieces for celebrities, she has to remind herself to make her designs more high-end as opposed In the final minutes of our interview, Darcy gave her parting advice to aspiring designers. Darcy loves mentoring young designers. She knows what it feels like to start out in the industry and likes to help in any way she can. She said while her advice is quite cliche, the most important thing to remember is to never give up. “An idea without execution won’t get you far. Being able to concept, sketch, and make your garment come to life is my best advice. Meaning, learn to sew and construct well so people buy into your ideas.”

An idea without execution won’t get you far.

Being able to concept, sketch, and make your garment come to life is my best advice. Meaning, learn to sew and construct well so people buy into your ideas.

@designerdarcy

www.darcypayne.com

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PHOTOGRAPHED BY: Harrison Smith Karina Popowycz

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STRIKE MAGAZINE | ISSUE 01 | 56 We live in a new age. Coronavirus has completely changed our understanding of the world, and forced humans nearly everywhere to adapt to an entirely new lifestyle with no preparation. For college students, life is defined by the unique intersection of social life and academia, and is a time we were told would be the “best four years of our lives.” It seems though, coronavirus has altered these expectations.

So, what happens to college students when school goes almost entirely online and social activities can only take place from six feet away? This year, students have been expected not only to adapt to virtual classrooms and workspaces, but handle even heavier workloads in many cases. They do so while balancing being away from family and spending less time with friends and other people in general. Predictably, living this way has taken a toll on students’ mental health. According to a new interview survey study by the National Institute of Health, 71% of 195 college students surveyed reported an increase in feelings of stress and anxiety due to the pandemic. The most common stressors were worry about individual health and the health of loved ones, difficulty concentrating, sleeping disruptions, decreased social interaction due to distancing measures, and increased concerns about academic performance. Not only are students displaying more symptoms of depression, but also are even more emotionally and psychologically desensitized to the constant bad news as the pandemic worsens.

Clearly, the pandemic has impacted students’ mental health in very negative ways. On October 6th, a petition created by Vanderbilt sophomore Deveandre Johnson circulated around campus.

Johnson wanted to create a “Mental Health Day” to compensate for our lack of fall break and give students a break from working. That night alone, the petition had accumulated 1,000 signatures, and now stands at around 1,600 signatures. This comprises around 25% of Vanderbilt’s total student population, reflecting a strong need for the University to address the mental health of students on (and off) campus.

Students have also tried to combat this mental health crisis by pushing for normalcy in any way possible, including joining clubs or orgs, planning socially distant hangouts, and seeing friends in covid-friendly ways. Though coronavirus has made events like this difficult, they are not impossible, and they give us things to look forward to as we all adapt to new ways of living. Even when at home, there are things students can do to improve our mental health: spending time with family, seeing friends from a distance, going on walks, and more As the world changes, students, and people everywhere, can help each other by checking in on one another and offering support.

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