WOOF ISSUE 34

WOOF

ISSUE F 3 4 // FALL 33 A LL 2023 & SPRING 2024 3

A LETTER FROM THE EDITORS Dear Reader, Thank you for taking the time to read this print edition of Woof Magazine!

As a team, we are incredibly proud of the magazine that we were able to produce. This culmination of articles and designs from the 2023-24 academic year reflects months spent brainstorming, writing, editing, designing, revising and more. Thank you to our entire team of section editors, copy editors, writers and designers that could make this happen.

Thank you to our Creative Directors — Alexa Marmolejo and Isabella Stone — for countless hours of communication and design oversight and for, along with the two of us, taking on a fourth of the presidency role. We are proud to finally be able to showcase everyone’s work in print.

From the best restaurants or bookstores in Boston to the lives of pop superstars and the transforming role of social media, this magazine has something for everyone; not only does it provide a glimpse into infamous trends and stories from the past year, but it also reflects student life and interests at Northeastern University.

We hope you enjoy it :) Unfortunately, not every article we’ve published could be featured — visit woof-mag.com for more and be sure to follow us on Instagram @nuwoof.

Your Editors-in-Chief,

Emily Niedermeyer

Jessica Xing

WOOF MAGAZINE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Emily Niedermeyer & Jessica Xing CREATIVE DIRECTORS Isabella Stone & Alexa Marmolejo MARKETING COORDINATOR Quinn Pasmantier SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Gigi Peterson SECTION EDITORS Jo Ashman, Val O’Neill, Jeta Perjuci & Grace Wilson COPY EDITORS Jo Ashman, Victoria Caspare & Lin Luo WRITERS Aiden Barker, Isabel Delpha, Noah Haggerty, Sara Harley, Matthew Hess, Nick Lombardi, Lin Luo, Briana Meng, Olivia Mintz, Sanjana Mishra, Emily Niedermeyer, Quinn Pasmantier Jeta Perjuci, Gigi Peterson & Jessica Xing DESIGNERS Sara Harley, Alexa Marmolejo, Briana Meng, Emily Niedermeyer, Sofia Nunez, Kaylee Palin, Quinn Pasmantier, Gigi Peterson, Zoe Rosenberg, Isabella Stone & Jessica Xing COVER DESIGN Isabella Stone

CONTENTS FRONT

MEDIA & CULTURE

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Why Does the ‘Pink Tax’ Still Exist?

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Percy Jackson: Unveiled on the Small Screen

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The Life of Gypsy Rose Blanchard

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The Return and Reinvention of the Pop “It Girl”

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‘Tis the Season to Be Sad? Tackling Seasonal Affective Disorder

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10 Best Sci-Fi Movies of the Past Decade

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Ballad of a Pop Superstar: Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘GUTS’

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The Impact of Concerts on Fast Fashion

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What Role Does Social Media Play in Facilitating Change?

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The Brownstone Brick Road: An Ode to Boston’s Winter Weather

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The Quest for Authentic Asian Flavors around Boston

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‘Perfect Blue’: A Haunting Glimpse into Fandom Culture

How a Network of Social Media Groups Is Trying to Solve Outdoor Recreation’s Equity Problem

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The Best Bookstores in Boston

The Rise of Reneé Rapp

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The Rise and Fall of Panera

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WHY DOES THE STILL EXIST? WRITTEN BY SANJANA MISHRA // DESIGNED BY JESSICA XING It’s 2024, and it’s still expensive to be a woman. From razors and deodorant to housing and healthcare, women spend — on average — $1,350 more than men on similar products and services each year. The culprit: the “pink tax.”

While not a literal tax, the term refers to a general price markup of products marketed toward women, such as shampoo, body wash, toothbrushes, haircuts, clothing, skin care, nail products, supplements and more.

Even girls’ toys — sometimes indistinguishable except for color — can cost as much as double the price of a similar product marketed to boys. It is necessary that genderbased pricing is regulated and that female consumers are aware of the pink tax in order to form smarter consumption habits.

In 2011, Bic released a line of “Bic for Her” purple-and-pink-inked pens, boasting the slogans “Look Like a Girl” and “Think Like a Man.” They were marketed as pens that suit a girl’s style and add pop and personality, but were priced up to 70% more than the company’s regular pens. The line was discontinued in 2016, but similar products persist: Sleep Pretty in Pink ear plugs, pink Ouija boards

and — let’s not forget — “A Modern Girl’s Guide to Granny Squares,” a book about crochet blocks, seemingly a no-boys territory, were all subjected to markups based on gender.

Children aren’t safe from gendered marketing and the pink tax either. A 2015 study from the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs revealed stark differences in prices between scooters, helmets, backpacks, toys and clothing meant for girls versus boys. On average, girls’ toys and accessories cost more than boys’ 7% of the time. The prices of the exact same stroller cars on Amazon differ by almost $4, the only distinction being that one is blue, and the other pink. The study also revealed that women’s products across all categories (including apparel and personal care items) cost more than men’s products 42% of the time.

However, gender-based pricing stretches far beyond just personal care products. A data analysis from Jerry, an insurance comparison company, revealed that women pay up to $37,000 more than men for home and car ownership, which includes buying, selling, maintenance and insurance.

Women also pay a 0.04% higher mortgage rate, which can account

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for nearly a $13,000 difference in the average first mortgage in the United States.

Certain expenses can’t be helped.

According to Comper, a beauty research and manufacturing company, the average woman in the U.S. spends about $40 per month on makeup, which is far less popular among male consumers.

When it comes to healthcare, men don’t require the menstrual products and gynecological care that women do, which includes regular checkups, pregnancy exams and menopause care. But even required items like pads and tampons can be out of reach. In 21 states, period products are still taxed as luxury items — and thus considered non-essential — which contributes to a phenomenon called “period poverty,” or an inaccessibility to menstrual hygiene items, particularly for lowincome period-havers. A study about period poverty’s impact on students in the U.S. showed that 20% of the country’s teens have struggled to afford menstrual products.

“When you consider the vast amount of homelessness in the United States or people living below the poverty line or people who are taking it paycheck-to-

FRONT paycheck, period care products are unconscionably expensive,” said Sophie Ascheim, co-founder of the non-profit The Pad Project. “We are not doing enough to increase access as a country for vulnerable communities.”

With a pay gap difference of around $10,000 a year, women already spend more, proportionally, of their salaries than men do. A pink tax on top of that is unacceptable. But what can be done about it? Shop in the men’s aisle. Look for genderneutral products. Don’t fall prey to gendered marketing.

Earlier this year, a social media trend called “de-influencing” emphasized avoiding indulgent spending on skincare, makeup and other beauty products. Creators discouraged users from buying expensive viral items that weren’t worth the price and instead suggested cheaper alternatives. (Realistically, nobody needs a $10 Touchland hand sanitizer.) Refraining from buying costly, overhyped products is a way to evade the pink tax and be a smarter consumer.

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But when it comes to housing, insurance and healthcare, simply boycotting is unrealistic. It requires a systematic shift, one that is long past due. Thus far, only the states of New York and California have outlawed discriminatory pricing based on gender, and despite several attempts to pass the Pink Tax Repeal Act, a federal ban has been unsuccessful.

But, progress has been made.

Since 1991, 24 U.S. states have abolished sales taxes on period products, with five states having no sales tax at all, according to the Alliance for Period Supplies, a program that collects and distributes menstrual products. In October 2022, CVS lowered prices on menstrual hygiene products like pads, tampons, cups and liners by 25% in 12 U.S. states. They are working with states that legally prohibit companies from covering the tax on any product to find a way to offer more affordable feminine hygiene items.

In 2022, Scotland became the first country in the world to provide free menstrual products. Yes, this

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bill eliminated period poverty, but it also aimed to tackle the issue of missing school because of one’s period and lessening the stigma surrounding periods. Being a relatively smaller country, it’s easier for Scotland to enforce and regulate these policies, Ascheim said.

“Do I think that we could see that in the U.S. nationwide? I’m not sure.

Do I think that there are states that could definitely put these policies in place? Absolutely,” Ascheim said.

We can start by keeping menstrual products stocked up in libraries, schools, coffee shops and wherever people congregate. Start conversations to raise awareness and offer comprehensive sex education in schools to put an end to the stigma surrounding women’s bodies and care. Put more women in positions of authority and lawmaking to ensure vulnerable communities are represented. The road to eliminating the pink tax would be an arduous one with no single simple solution, but it is one that is necessary and absolutely worth embarking on.

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WRITTEN AND DESIGNED BY QUINN PASMANTIER Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s name first rose to prominence in 2016 when she was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard. On Dec. 28, 2023, a little over eight years later, she was released from Chillicothe Correctional Center in Chillicothe, Missouri — free for the first time since she was born.

For a majority of her life, Gypsy Rose Blanchard was told she was sick. As early as age 8, her mother claimed that she had leukemia and muscular dystrophy, requiring her to stay in a wheelchair at all times. Dee Dee Blanchard would continually

take her to various specialists, acquiring feeding tubes, oxygen tanks and various prescriptions for seizure medication. None of these medical measures were needed — often, they served to hurt Gypsy Rose Blanchard more than they helped her. In her teenage years, she underwent surgery to remove rotting teeth, the result of an unnecessary procedure her mother made her go through to completely remove her salivary glands. As time passed, Dee Dee Blanchard continued to make up various, and often conflicting, illnesses for her daughter to have, hoping to garner

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more media attention.

There was no shortage of attention, much to Dee Dee Blanchard’s delight. Gypsy Rose Blanchard met singer Michelle Lambert through Make-A-Wish, received a free trip to Disney World and was given a bright pink house from Habitat for Humanity — complete with a wheelchair ramp. Some theorize that these gifts were the reason Dee Dee Blanchard kept up the act, while other experts say that her actions were motivated by a syndrome called Munchausen’s by proxy. Munchausen’s by proxy is a mental illness associated with

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obsessive caregiving, often going so far as to intentionally hurt the ones you are treating so as to have problems to solve. The motivation for many people suffering from this disorder is attention and pity — both of which were provided constantly to Dee Dee Blanchard as her daughter continued to grow up.

As Gypsy Rose Blanchard grew older, she began to realize that what her mother was doing was wrong.

Her first unsuccessful effort to leave came in 2011 when she attempted to escape during the middle of the night and take cover at the house of a man she met online. Dee Dee Blanchard soon found where Gypsy Rose Blanchard had fled to and berated the man for taking her in, convincing him she was still a minor. In reality, Gypsy Rose was 19 at the time of this event, but due to an altered birth certificate made by Dee Dee Blanchard, he believed her and let Gypsy Rose Blanchard go. For two weeks after they returned home, Gypsy Rose Blanchard reported that her mother chained

her to the bed at night and often denied her food. Later, in October 2012, Gypsy Rose Blanchard secretly gained access to an online Christian dating site, where she formed a relationship with Nicholas Godejohn, whom at that time had already been arrested for indecent exposure and had struggled with a series of mental health issues. After many years of quiet correspondence, Gypsy Rose Blanchard asked Godejohn to visit her house and kill her mother for her. Godejohn agreed, and on June 14, 2015, he used a knife that she had mailed him to take Dee Dee’s life. After they left together, Gypsy Rose Blanchard updated her mother’s Facebook status.

She didn’t mince words, choosing a chilling, singular sentence that would go on to become an infamous quote in the following months: “That b**** is dead!”

Gypsy Rose Blanchard eventually pled guilty to second-degree murder in accordance with a plea deal that would see her serving just 10 years in prison. Godejohn was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility for parole and continues to serve out his sentence today.

In an episode of Oxygen True Crime’s “Killer Couples,” labeled “Gypsy Rose & Nick: A Love to Kill For,” Godejohn

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stated that he views the week he spent with Gypsy Rose as the best days of his life and that he would have committed the murder again, if given the chance.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard only ended up serving eight of the 10 years of her sentence. Upon her return to society, she was met with immediate attention from news channels and users of social media.

Her Instagram gained nearly 3 million followers in the weeks after her release and was filled with comments of support and praise from those who were happy to see her out of prison.

Currently, Gypsy Rose Blanchard lives with her husband, whom she met while incarcerated, and is promoting her autobiography, “Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom.” She said she plans to live a healthy and safe life with her family and to be an advocate for others who have suffered from abuse.

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‘Tis the Season to be Sad? Tackling Seasonal Affective Disorder WRITTEN BY ISABEL DELPHA DESIGNED BY ALEXA MARMOLEJO

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FRONT The air is getting colder and even your professors are counting down the days until winter break. Oh, and of course, the sun sets at 4:30 p.m.

Shockingly, it’s not these tangible changes to my surroundings that have reminded me that winter is coming. Rather, it’s that feeling of dread simmering in my stomach as I fight my way out of bed each morning. It’s the weight of the world on my eyelids in the class that I used to find interesting.

It’s the way that the negative thoughts that melted away under the summer sun suddenly seem to have taken permanent residence in my brain. At first, I thought maybe these symptoms were just a series of bad days, or some kind of fluke. But over the years, I’ve noticed that they really only persist between the months of November and March, when the air is at its coldest and the sky is at its darkest.

I recently learned that this is a sign of seasonal depression.

Seasonal depression, also known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is quite common in areas where sunlight wanes seasonally.

About 10 to 20% of Americans experience SAD in its milder form, known as “the winter blues.” Still, approximately 5% of U.S. adults experience the full effects of seasonal affective disorder, which is categorized by the American Psychiatric Association as a major depressive disorder with seasonal patterns. Needless to say, SAD affects a lot of people in one form or another every year. That’s why this year, instead of wallowing in my own “winter blues” and contemplating going into hibernation until spring, I decided to learn more about seasonal affective disorder and how it can be treated. While there’s no known cure to this condition, I’ll be listing a few treatment methods that people swear by.

Though experts aren’t certain about what exactly causes seasonal depression, there is a strong correlation between shortened daylight and symptoms of SAD. After all, the vast majority of people who struggle with SAD do so in the fall and winter (though there is a rare form of the condition in which symptoms are experienced in the spring and summer). Because of this, one of the best ways to combat seasonal depression is maximizing exposure to light. There are special light therapy lamps made for this purpose. These are reportedly very effective when used regularly throughout the fall and winter.

But while this is a great potential treatment, those of us with milder forms of SAD may just wish to increase our light exposure by natural methods. This can be done by setting aside time to spend outdoors — properly bundled up, of course — or simply sitting by a sunny window for a while. One of my favorite ways to find sunlight is to go for long walks around Boston, especially along the Charles River or in the Emerald Necklace parks. If you dress warmly and walk quickly enough, the cold is tolerable!

Seasonal depression can also be treated in much the same way as regular depression. This can be through antidepressants and therapy, and there’s absolutely no shame in seeking out these solutions if you feel they might help you. And remember, Northeastern offers a number of mental health services to students for free, such as unlimited counseling sessions and online resources like SilverCloud and Headspace.

Even if you prioritize sunlight exposure, you still might be lacking sufficient vitamin D. One way to make up for this is with a vitamin D supplement. You can find them pretty much anywhere you would normally find vitamins. Personally, I’ve implemented taking this supplement into my morning routine for about a month now. It definitely hasn’t made my winter blues disappear completely, but I have noticed some improvements in my mood since I started taking vitamin D pills. So while this isn’t a surefire cure, taking one vitamin a day seems worth a shot if it might offer any relief.

Ultimately, there is no quick fix to seasonal affective disorder, and it’s probably only worsened

by Northeastern’s workload and Boston’s climate. But it’s important to remember to take care of yourself as best you can, even when seasonal depression makes it hard. So get some sleep, eat a hearty meal or talk to a friend. Most importantly, though, remember that you are not dealing with this alone.

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The final strategy I will offer might be the most obvious, but it’s worth mentioning. Generally seeking out the things that boost your mood can help make dealing with seasonal depression easier. For me, that looks like hanging out with my friends, FaceTiming my family, exercising and listening to my favorite songs. Other ideas include keeping a journal, going for walks, rewatching a comfort movie or even just taking a nap when you need it. I won’t lie: these things probably won’t make your winter blues disappear, but they can brighten your day more than you would think, or at the very least provide a momentary distraction.

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WRITTEN BY JETA PERJUCI DESIGNED BY ZOE ROSENBERG

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THE PROBLEM Dressing up for concerts in creative and themed outfits has become a trend for young attendees.

However, the expanding market for flashy attire is leading to overconsumption and fast fashion, which could be detrimental to the environment.

For decades, fans have been mimicking artists’ clothing when attending their concerts, but the trend has grown over the past few years with creators on TikTok and other social platforms showing off their themed concert outfits, inspiring others to do the same.

If you look up “outfit inspo” on TikTok, you’ll find videos for any concert, with a different theme for each artist. Harry Styles fans wear boas around their necks after Styles debuted the look on his stage. Taylor Swift fans take inspiration from her different albums to dress up in festive, erainspired outfits. Beyoncé fans wear silver at her shows upon request from the performer herself, and the list goes on.

While it’s fun to dress up and go all out for events, silver and glittery clothes are not typical household items. Most teenagers are not willing to spend a lot of money on outfits they will probably not wear again, so they resort to fast fashion brands like H&M, Zara and Shein to purchase low-budget concert outfits that will still be ontheme and impressive. As a result, millions of outfits end up in landfills, which contributes to pre-existing environmental issues like waste and pollution.

Business Insider reported in 2022 that 101 million tons of clothing end up in landfills each year, and the fashion industry is responsible for 8 to 10% of global gas emissions. However, most fast fashion companies have taken advantage of the growing concert costume trend by producing more extravagant clothing items. Some fast fashion brands, like ASOS, are even tagging artists’ names to certain clothing items to make it easier for shoppers to find outfits to wear at their upcoming shows.

While Poshmark is one of the more sustainable online spaces to purchase clothing from, with options to buy and sell second-hand clothing, company spokeswoman Mallory Smith said in a statement to USA Today in 2023 that listings for items with descriptions referring to the Taylor Swift and Beyoncé concerts had an increase in sales between 350 and 500% ever since the artists began touring the United States in March and May of last year.

Mass production of clothing that ends up in landfills creates a vicious cycle that continues to harm the environment.

THE SOLUTION There are countless alternatives for concert attendees to dress up without giving into consumer behavior and harming the environment through fast fashion.

The easiest and cheapest way is to borrow or exchange clothing with friends or relatives; they might not have everything you are looking

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for, but what they can provide might inspire a more creative take on a themed outfit.

Similarly, getting a little creative by using what you already own to create your outfit is a more environmentally friendly way to go all out with your concert outfit.

Whether it’s writing on a plain white t-shirt at the last minute or crocheting a two-piece set over the course of a few weeks, DIYing your outfit will be better for the environment and provide a way of expressing your love for the artist.

There are also multiple ways to get your hands on second-hand clothing to help steer away from the fast fashion industry. Thrifting is a prime and accessible method, whether you find thrift shops in person or take to the internet, which has endless options such as thredUP and Depop. There is also the option of renting outfits through the internet, made easy with sites like Pickle and Rent the Runway.

Although concerts are a large contributor to the environmental impact of the fast fashion industry, there are countless ways to be more sustainable when choosing your outfit for your next concert, and above are only a few suggestions compared to the thousands of ideas you can find online.

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What Role Does Social Media Play in Facilitating Change?

WRITTEN BY MATTHEW HESS // DESIGNED BY ALEXA MARMOLEJO

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Social media activism has become a prominent force in shaping societal discourse and advocating for change. While it has its merits, it also raises concerns about the depth and authenticity of meaningful activism.

There are plenty of positive aspects to social media activism.

Its widespread accessibility allows voices to spread awareness about topics quickly. Whether it be a natural disaster, shooting or political instability, social media provides breaking news as quickly as possible. People can share real-time updates, videos and testimonies that authenticate unfiltered events.

According to a Pew Research poll, 64% of Americans claim that they are more aware of current events because of social media.

Social media activism can come in many different forms. A common case is the story feature on Instagram, where people can repost informational or political graphics. These can also be found on X, formerly known as Twitter.

People volunteer their opinions on events and make broad calls for widespread change, theorizing that it will stop the disaster from happening again.

While social media activism has undoubtedly brought attention to various social issues, critics argue that its impact often falls short of creating meaningful and tangible change. Several factors contribute to the skepticism surrounding this point.

First, there is a concern over the authenticity of the engagement.

Simply liking or reposting on social media may create a temporary surge in online visibility

for said cause, but it does not translate into concrete actions or systematic change. This practice allows privileged people to provide minimal effort and feel morally satisfied.

it comes from a corporation, celebrity or neighbor. Interestingly, corporations will often support certain causes that have unexpected positive externalities for their business.

Furthermore, the fast-paced nature of social media trends poses a challenge to long-term impacts.

Issues and trends quickly fade away as the next disaster unfolds.

This rapid turnover of issues disallows genuine focus on any topic, leaving the impacted group to suffer.

Not every part of social media’s role in current events is cynical, however. It has an excellent ability to spread awareness and initiate conversations about certain topics. If people learn to use the information they absorb and apply it for substantive results, there would be a real opportunity for people to create widespread change.

With that in mind, the mental state of social media users can be fragile after learning about so many issues. Commonly known as “outrage fatigue,” the incessant flow of suffering across the world can lead to a desensitization and lack of urgency associated with certain issues. As access to information is easier than ever, people can easily learn about the newest world tragedy. Eventually, the knowledge and inability to effectively fix these problems as an individual can have a mental impact. People can become cynical about the world around them and even turn apathetic toward suffering groups. While it is important to stay politically active, there is only so much one person can do.

Finally, social media activism can sometimes devolve into performative gestures rather than meaningful care. Posting about a cause, specifically by a celebrity, may give the appearance of advocacy, but without genuine, tangible efforts, the impacts remain slim. Virtue signaling is a common tactic, whether

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MEDIA & CULTURE

PERCY JACKSON : UNVEILED ON THE SMALL SCREEN WRITTEN AND DESIGNED BY GIGI PETERSON

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MEDIA & CULTURE If you were obsessed with the Percy Jackson books in the fifth grade like me, then you also most likely had very high expectations for the new TV show adaptation.

You also probably witnessed the terrible movie adaptation that came out in 2010. Well, I’m here to tell you if the show is truly worth the watch. This review contains a few spoilers up to episode six.

For those of you who have never read the books, here’s a little bit of background information: The story revolves around a troubled 12-year-old, Percy Jackson (played

by Walker Scobell in the show), who resides in New York with his mother, Sally Jackson (Virginia Kull). We learn that Percy isn’t just an average kid, but (spoiler alert) a demigod. Ultimately, Percy gets thrown into a world full of monsters, gods and quests, discovering friends and foes along the way.

It was an incredible idea to have Rick Riordan (the author of the original book series) directly involved with the production process. This is what gave readers of the books a bit of hope for the show, as I can definitely say this was true for me. In terms of the casting, Scobell makes an excellent Percy Jackson, sass and all. The dynamic between him and his best friend in the show, Grover Underwood (Aryan Simhadri), and

his other best-friend-soon-to-begirlfriend, Annabeth Chase (Leah Jeffries), stays faithful to the book (thank you for actually getting their ages right) and honestly exceeded my expectations. I enjoyed seeing the three of them bring the characters to life while adding their own spin.

The pacing within the show is also pretty good and sets it up well for future seasons. My only concern with this is the possibility of the actors beginning to age out and look older than their characters, which we have seen happen with shows like “Stranger Things.” The addition of easter eggs for fans of the books within the show is brilliant, specifically within the sixth episode of the series, “We Take a Zebra to Vegas.” You can actually hear Nico di Angelo crying out his sister’s name, Bianca, at the Lotus Casino (it’s true, I saw it on TikTok.) Hopefully, we’ll get to see these two major characters in future seasons.

Now, I would be lying if I said there wasn’t anything I would change.

There were definitely a few things I found a bit questionable within some of the episodes. Initially, I felt that certain deviations from the book were unnecessary. For example, when the kids meet Medusa in the third episode, they

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know her identity right away; in the book, it takes them longer to realize. Staying faithful to the book could have heightened this episode in particular as well as the overall suspense of the show.

Despite that, I did appreciate them diving into Medusa’s backstory, depicting her more as a victim rather than a villian.

In addition, I felt that important details from the books were omitted, such as the elaborate description of the Lotus Casino.

In the series, it appeared to be a typical Las Vegas casino, falling short of the vivid portrayal in the books and leaving many fans feeling let down. There were a number of other instances where specific references in the book could have been handled better.

At the end of the day, it is completely understandable that the show cannot be 100% accurate to the books. The active participation of Riordan within the directing process instills a sense of confidence in me regarding this new adaptation. Now that all episodes are out, I would definitely recommend it to new fans. For those of you true book fans out there, I would say to go into it with an open mind. You might just be surprised.

MEDIA & CULTURE

WRITTEN BY LIN LUO // DESIGNED BY SOFIA NUNEZ

POP “IT GIRLS” ARE MAKING A COMEBACK The feeling is nearly indescribable yet electrifyingly palpable. It’s in the air, akin to what the public felt as Leonardo da Vinci began to paint the Mona Lisa, marking the beginning of the Renaissance of the 15th and 16th centuries. Likewise, a pop renaissance is imminent.

When the radios play Miley Cyrus’ middling tune “Flowers” there’s an intense longing for the greatness of pop-music past, a greatness that’s been historically fulfilled by female pop stars.

For much of our cultural consciousness, the concept of a “pop star” has remained constant.

The Collins English Dictionary defines this term in the most vague sense possible, describing it as a “famous singer or musician who performs pop music.” The formal definition of “it girl,” courtesy of the Cambridge Dictionary, also leaves much to the imagination: “a famous young woman who is known for going to a lot of parties and social events.” With such loose definitions, we must turn to concrete examples to form our own definition: Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Destiny’s Child and Selena Gomez to name a few.

With the beginning of 2024, it’s inarguable that the pop star concept has been reformulated to better suit our modern appetites.

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Featuring greater diversity and unapologetic celebrations of the feminine experience, the message is clear that there is a pop girl for everyone’s taste. Let’s take a look at just some of the options.

Sabrina Carpenter, often hailed among pop music stans as a “pop star Barbie,” has evolved over her decade in the industry from ukulele-driven woes of adolescent love to pure girlhood fun bottled in easily-digestible, less-than-threeminute songs. Reveling in her ultra femininity, seeing Carpenter live is like going to pop church. Tosses of her long blonde bombshell curls over her shoulder, twirls in her ultramini hemlines and struts across the stage in her 2000s-inspired

MEDIA & CULTURE white Go-Go boots have caused Carpenter to gain widespread comparisons to Bratz and Barbie dolls. As is what happens to most young women in the spotlight, Carpenter did face unwarranted hate as a product of industry peer Olivia Rodrigo’s breakout hit “drivers license.” Cruelly labeled a “slut” and “homewrecker” by media outlets, Carpenter successfully toyed with and redefined such derogatory labels, flipping the narrative to embrace the fact that she is bold, sexy and confident in her beauty.

To be so content with her femininity and unafraid of her sexuality, Carpenter is truly an icon for the girls.

Chappell Roan’s debut album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” is one of the most audacious, wondrously trashy projects in recent music memory — and we are so here for it.

For a quick taste: Roan boasts to her love interest in “Red Wine Supernova,” “I heard you like magic / I’ve got a wand and a rabbit,” whereas her idea of an emotional hook from the slow ballad “Casual” bemoans “I fucked you in the bathroom when we went to dinner/ Your parents at the table, you wonder why I’m bitter.” Her music details her personal evolution as she transitioned from her Midwest conservative background to the bold, unapologetically queer scene of Los Angeles drag culture, while her visual aesthetic draws much inspiration from drag looks. Roan has also turned her concerts into celebrations of drag, such as by featuring drag queens as openers on her “Naked in America” Tour.

With the pop scene becoming oversaturated as every new artist fights to make their new single the next big TikTok trend, Roan belts a new life into the genre.

If you’ve had any access to a screen in the past couple of months then you know who Tate McRae is. Whether it be on TikTok where she has multiple viral hits (“greedy” and “exes,” to name a few) or at the NHL All-Star game where she absolutely killed her performance, it’s undeniable that McRae is here to stay. Her early work saw her being pushed as a Billie Eilish-like, sad-girl type singer, but with her recent album, “Think Later,” in the words of McRae herself, “sad girl bit got a little boring.”

“Think Later” is anything but boring — her music videos emanate with her raw aura of brash confidence as she hair-flips and dances her way over the infectious beat. If such energy seems nostalgic, it’s because McRae draws great inspiration from early 2000s pop icons for both her stage presence and music videos, being hailed for bringing the art of magnetic choreography back to live performances as a result.

Reneé Rapp, with her alleged lack of media training and overall confidence in her openness, has been marked as an upcoming force to watch in the industry.

Although the

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majority of her music is more of the mid-tempo, R&B productionstyle persuasion, it’s humorously juxtaposed with Rapp’s unhinged public persona. Bashing a bus driver for being “disrespectful and misogynistic” and even going so far as to poke fun at her reputation on Saturday Night Live as a “little lesbian intern” who’s been sentenced to “40 hours of courtordered media training,” Rapp is honestly just a fun person to watch on social media. It’s refreshing to see a celebrity say what’s on their mind and not seem to care about what audiences or their management might think. Rapp may not be a “mean girl,” but she’s not trying to be nice — and that’s what makes her an icon, especially for the queer community.

With TikTok algorithms and new artists popping up on our feeds every day, the music industry has shifted in the past couple of years.

Although we only covered a small portion of the wide-ranging female pop landscape, other standouts include PinkPantheress’ synthetic Jersey Clublike beats, Griff’s sad-girl gospels and FLO’s commitment to bringing back the pop girl group.

Despite your taste, one thing’s for sure: the future of pop is in good hands.

MEDIA & CULTURE

10 Best Sci-Fi Movies of the Past DECADE

The genre of science fiction has always been something I gravitated toward. From “Aliens” to “Star Wars” to “E.T.,” science fiction has provided a level of comfort no other genre has shown me. Given my love for it, I thought it only appropriate to rank and write about what I think are the 10 best sci-fi movies of the past decade.

Note: There may be slight spoilers, so if you’re looking to get into sci-fi or even just watch a good movie, come back and read the blurbs after watching!.

10. “Super 8”

“Super 8” is a film written and directed by J.J. Abrams and coproduced by Steven Spielberg. That alone should make you watch this movie. The story follows a group of teenagers in the 1970s as they

accidentally cause a train to derail, unleashing a dangerous presence.

This film is stylistically versatile and manages to capture the spirit of the ‘70s without it feeling kitschy.

Another reason I like this movie is that the plot is constantly unfurling, never letting you know where it’s going next. “Super 8” manages to tie in a very emotional story into its sci-fi elements without adding too much fluff, which is a very hard thing for movies of this genre to achieve.

game. The CGI used in this movie stands the test of time, and in addition, the soundtrack is done

by Daft Punk, which is a big reason why this movie is on the list. “Tron: Legacy” manages to turn a video game adventure into a gripping, serious story about protecting the world from a dangerous entity living within the game. This movie received too much criticism when it came out, and it managed to do something not a lot of sequels do: be better than the first.

9. “Tron: Legacy”

8. “Avatar”

This film is an underrated piece of cinema and a sequel to the original “Tron” movie that came out in 1982. The movie follows Sam, who journeys into the Tron game by mistake. In there, he is confronted by a visually stunning landscape governed by the laws of the video

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“Avatar,” a film directed by James Cameron, is one of the most impressive feats accomplished in film history. Not only does the CGI look breathtaking, but for the year this came out, no one had seen anything like it. The methods of motion capture used in this

MEDIA & CULTURE film were innovative and created a visually stunning product. This movie would be higher in the list, but given it’s the first of the series, there was a lot of world-building to be done while also telling a story.

Be that as it may, the story mirrors “Dances with Wolves” and shows the lengths colonization can reach given the proper technology. This film is a must see.

7. “Ex Machina”

While there may be a few thrillers on this list, “Ex Machina” holds the title in my mind as the best psychological sci-fi movie. It’s produced by A24, which makes sense because it’s amazing. This movie not only plays with the concept of artificial intelligence, or AI, which is a very popular topic right now, but also toils with what would happen if AI was able to outsmart its makers. Watching this movie feels like watching one long “Black Mirror” episode, and it’s one of the few times I’ve been unsettled by a sci-fi movie.

6. “Mad Max: Fury Road” Anyone who is a sci-fi fan knows of the original “Mad Max” movies.

Instead of being a sequel, this movie is a reimagining of the story, and it is told brilliantly. The story is set in a dystopian future ravaged by a severe climate. Not only does this movie give us a scary peak into a possible future, but it also shows humans reconnecting with their humanity. For a movie like “Mad Max: Fury Road” to be better than the cult classic “Mad Max” series means the director did something right. This film also stands out because they were able to create an alternative main character, Furiosa, and have her be just as captivating as Max, the movie’s namesake.

5. “Dune”

Like “Mad Max,” “Dune” is a reimagining of the series of the same name written by Frank

Herbert. This movie came out in 2021 and retells the contents of the book almost perfectly. Not only was the casting spot on, but all of the concepts and places mentioned in the book are shown with complete accuracy on screen. “Dune” is a very serious and dense read and the director was able to convey that tone in the movie through stylistic choices like the soundtrack, character designs and machinery.

Even though I’m disappointed the film had to be broken up into two parts, it was ultimately a smart decision because the director was able to establish the intricate universe “Dune” is set in while also retelling the story. The next film in the saga, “Dune: Part Two,” was released in February.

4. “Avatar : The Way of Water”

The first Avatar film broke boundaries in terms of CGI in movies, and “Avatar: The Way of Water” broke whatever boundaries were left. Not only are the visual effects better than in the first movie, but it is genuinely the most visually stunning movie I’ve ever seen. The movie also picks up right where the first movie left off, and the stories are seamlessly tied together.

The politics and mystery James Cameron creates in this movie fits perfectly and greatly enhances the characters and everything around them. I can’t wait for more Avatar movies, and wouldn’t be surprised if the upcoming ones knock out some movies on this list.

3. “Interstellar”

By now most people know of the film “Interstellar,” and for good reason. The soundtrack and many scenes from the movie are still seen in social media clips today.

The film also toils with what our future will entail if climate change continues to get worse, and if we can continue to stay on Earth.

Matthew McConaughey was fantastic in his role as Cooper, bringing raw emotion and longing

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into the movie. The premise of the film is shown as one thing and ends up being something completely different, sticking with you after watching. The amazing soundtrack of this movie was composed by Hans Zimmer, who also did the soundtracks for “Dune” and “Blade Runner 2049.” His work pairs perfectly with the sci-fi genre and is a highlight of “Interstellar.”

2. “Blade Runner 2049” Like “Mad Max,” the original “Blade Runner” is a sci-fi classic, and the sequel to it manages to be even more captivating. “Blade Runner 2049” picks up years after the first movie and follows Officer K as he goes on a journey to work through a groundbreaking discovery he’s made. Like the movies on this list, the computer-generated imagery, or CGI, is incredible, and coupled with the soundtrack, makes it hard to look away from the screen.

Ridley Scott’s contribution to the sci-fi genre is expanded with this film, and it has set the bar high for what a sci-fi movie should be.

1. “Arrival”

Not only is this my favorite sci-fi movie, but it is my favorite movie of all time. The film is based on a short story called “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang and follows a linguistics professor chosen to help humanity communicate with aliens that have mysteriously appeared. Amy Adams is amazing in this film and shows her versatility as an actress with such a serious topic. This is the type of movie where you notice something new each time. Without giving too much away, the aliens appear to give humanity a gift, one that is present throughout the film without the watcher realizing it.

Once you realize what the twist is, it changes the way you think about the current climate of our world and makes us wonder how we can apply the lessons in this movie to our reality.

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ballad of a pop superstar: Olivia Rodrigo's

‘GUTS’

WRITTEN BY EMILY NIEDERMEYER // DESIGNED BY JESSICA XING

Debuting with 302,000 units and a single in the No. 1 spot on Billboard Hot 100, Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album, “GUTS,” took over pop after its release in September 2023.

Two years after the release of “SOUR” in 2021, it was clear that Rodrigo and her music had evolved — and she was ready for another massive era. “SOUR” was first and foremost a pop album, ranging from pop chants to bedroom pop ballads. Her debut album is now certified 4x platinum in the United States and was awarded a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album in 2022.

It featured hits exploring Rodrigo’s pains and perils as a 17-year-old: heartbreak, jealousy, anger and dejection.

“GUTS” explored Rodrigo’s next era of life, and consequently, her next era as an artist.

With a spunky album title and a tracklist of bangers, ballads and big hits, “GUTS” challenges the status quo just as its predecessor did.

This time around, Rodrigo turned toward rock and punk influences, emulating a pop-punk album with her signature teen angst. While still sticking true to her roots, the album

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was new and different, and vaulted her right back into the spotlight.

Featured singles include the international no. 1 hit “vampire,” as well as “bad idea right?” and “get him back!” The first two preceded the album, generating conversation and hype for the entire release; they also reintroduced Rodrigo as an artist, taking stock of her new sound and the audience reception.

Clearly, it worked.

“GUTS” debuted with over 7,000 more units compared to “SOUR” and charted one more Hot 100 entry — mostly due to the fact that the album contains 12 tracks compared to the first album’s 11.

Rodrigo created most of her sophomore album at age 19, a year that she described to Billboard as having “lots of confusion, mistakes, awkwardness & good old fashioned teen angst.” “GUTS’’ explores the growing pains at that point in her life. “I feel like I grew 10 years between the ages of 18 and 20,” she said.

The album reflects that. It’s messy in a good way.

SECTION TITLE MEDIA & CULTURE The song “get him back!” is a personal favorite. Billboard described it as the “‘good 4 u’ of ‘GUTS.’” It is reminiscent of Rodrigo’s sarcastic third single but experiments more with the poppunk style. It explores Rodrigo’s vengeful yet regretful feelings toward an ex. The title itself is contradictory: does it mean reconciliation or retaliation? Not only is it a banger, but the lyrics emulate the mood of the song so well. The spunky lines include “I wanna meet your mom / just to tell her her son sucks” and “I am my father’s daughter, so maybe I could fix him.”

This pop-punk style is influenced by past genres, singer-songwriters and idols, something Rodrigo doesn’t shy away from. In “GUTS,” a rock-inspired foundation grounds the work, a genre not popular in today’s mainstream culture.

The first song on the album, “allamerican bitch,” was inspired by Joan Didion, an American writer and journalist. In an interview between Rodrigo and Phoebe Bridgers, Rodrigo spoke about the inspiration from “The White Album,” a book of essays by Didion published in 1979. In the essay, Didion talks to a hippie who ran away from home and called his mom an all-American bitch.

Rodrigo said “That’s the fucking coolest phrase I’ve ever heard” and wrote the first track of her album about it.

issues, yet tailors them to both current day and Didion’s age.

Not only do Rodrigo’s influences and experiences take on a more mature feel, but her talent does too. The audience can tell that she has grown as a singer, from the maturity in her voice to the strength in her tone. You can hear the difference in her confidence through the recordings and live on stage.

The ending of “GUTS” is one of my favorite parts of Rodrigo’s entire catalog, which is the culmination of a full circle moment beginning with the first track on her first album, “brutal.” “brutal,” a messy pop anthem, features the lyric, “Where’s my fucking teenage dream?” Alternatively, “GUTS” finishes off with “teenage dream,” a wholehearted reflection on the difficulties of growing up. The two songs contrast so well and beautifully symbolize Rodrigo’s development as an artist. They consider the change in album and artist while still existing as individual songs.

Rodrigo is growing up and her music will always reflect the trials and tribulations of that change.

Her fans are growing up with her, and I think that’s why so many

“Everything is within your grasp to be written about,” she told Bridgers. “all-american bitch” describes the societal expectations placed on women. The lyrics include “I am built like a mother and a total machine,” “I don’t get angry when I’m pissed / I’m the eternal optimist / [and] I scream inside to deal with it.” Rodrigo’s craft shines through as she writes of universal social

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people, myself included, resonate with her music. It’s weird to think that Rodrigo and I are the same age, being in such different places in our lives, but when I listen to her music, I recognize and appreciate the universal themes of girlhood that connect a pop superstar to a regular old college student.

Rodrigo embarked on the “GUTS” World Tour in early 2024.

MEDIA & CULTURE

‘PERFECT BLUE’: A Haunting Glimpse into Fandom Culture

WRITTEN BY OLIVIA MINTZ DESIGNED BY ISABELLA STONE

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Directed by the critically acclaimed Satoshi Kon, “Perfect Blue” is a Japanese animated psychological thriller film. The film follows the story of a Japanese pop star turned actress and model named Mima Kirigoe navigating her new career path and personal image.

While Mima is undergoing this transition, a super fan becomes her stalker and she slowly loses her grip on reality. As a monumental piece of cinema that has inspired modern psychological thrillers like “Requiem for a Dream” and “Black Swan,” “Perfect Blue” was brought back into theaters in September of 2023 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the film.

At the beginning of the film, Mima announces her retirement as a pop idol from her girl group, CHAM! As the favorite of the group, many of her fans plan to support her endeavors as an actress and model but are afraid of Mima losing her good-girl image. One fan, known as Me-Mania, is the most reluctant to accept Mima’s new lifestyle and develops an unhealthy obsession with her. In addition, Mima’s manager Rumi is hesitant about this career switch because she regrets leaving the spotlight as a former pop idol. Throughout the course of the film Me-Mania and Rumi become violent toward Mima as they begin to act like crazy fans.

Though this film takes place in the ‘90s when the internet was slowly becoming more accessible, the social commentary about fan culture through social media is a semi-accurate depiction of the extremes that can occur to public figures. Mima is depicted as an

innocent and friendly person, making her easy to idolize by many. Initially, Me-Mania runs a fan page for her called “Mima’s Room” that outlines every part of her day in great detail. This is similar to fan accounts on Instagram that try to impersonate celebrities by replicating their typical speech patterns and daily habits. Because of this creepily accurate depiction of her life, Mima feels pressured to remain perfect and unbothered.

This part of the movie also speaks to the parasocial relationships that are built between celebrities and their fanbase. As celebrities gain more exposure on social media, fans believe that they know more about an idol’s personal life and act as if they know the idol personally.

Throughout the film, Mima is constantly targeted because of her changing image. For instance, she receives a letter from one of her fans that explodes. Even though it was her manager who opened the letter for her and got injured, this displays the problematic behaviors fans pull when their favorite celebrity engages in behavior that they don’t like. Along with the letter, Mima receives death threats and hate emails from fans because they are not ready to let go of her old image. Though harmful, some of these behaviors have been replicated in the real world as many celebrities have had stalkers with the intent of physically harming them. Though this happened around the same time “Perfect Blue” was in production, Icelandic singer Björk was met with a similar fate as she received a letterbomb filled with acid.

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This film further establishes the idea that when it comes to having a public identity, it is hard to keep your life private. As shown by Mima’s stalker and the blog that chronicles her daily routine, anyone who pays attention to her life knows everything about her. This can be dangerous as the movie showcases the negative aspects of having a public profile. Since so many people know important details about her life, her safety is threatened, her mental health declines and she lives every day in fear. With all of this attention, Mima begins to spiral and lose track of what she actually knows her life to be.

“Perfect Blue” is on the nose in terms of its representation of social media’s impact on celebrities and fans alike. Though the film blurs the line between reality and Mima’s imagination when she has paranoid visions, the film is a cautionary tale about how being in the public eye can be perilous.

FOCUS In June of 2019, the curtains of the historic August Wilson Theatre on Broadway spread to reveal its newest superstar, equipped with blond, bouncy curls and breathtaking vocals.

Reneé Rapp, barely two years out of high school and a 2018 winner of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, joined the cast of “Mean Girls” as plastic Regina George June 7, 2019 in her Broadway debut for a limited summer engagement and later a full-time role beginning in September.

But as Rapp belted out the lyrics to Regina’s villainous melody “World Burn” night after night into the new year, the world indeed did burn. Spotlights darkened and stages went idle without the bounds of dance and song beginning March 12, 2020 amid rising concerns about the global coronavirus pandemic. On Jan. 7, 2021, it was announced that the show would not reopen.

Despite its rocky start, the world burning did not stop Rapp’s career, as she is now gaining mainstream popularity from her music career and reprise of the Regina George role in 2024’s “Mean Girls,” based on the 2004 comedy and succeeding musical of the same name. A singer, songwriter and actress, Rapp is becoming a force in the industry, and she is making her presence known.

A North Carolina native, Rapp was cast in a number of productions following her high school graduation and participated in a number of other live performances.

In 2020, Rapp was cast as Leighton Murray in Max’s comedy series “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” co-written by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble. Leighton is a legacy student who comes out, not wanting her sexuality to define her as a person. Premiering in November of 2021, the show did well but after two seasons, Rapp’s exit from the show as a series

regular was announced in July of 2023.

The end goal for her is to release original music, and that has carried much of her success since 2023.

It didn’t come easily though. “[I thought], I can do music on the side, like, I can just hustle. And now I’ve just kept acting, because it keeps supporting the music … Acting was my way into tricking everyone that I warranted attention,” she told Variety in 2022.

THE RISE OF RENEÉ RAPP WRITTEN AND DESIGNED BY EMILY NIEDERMEYER

In November of 2022, Rapp released her debut EP “Everything to Everyone.” The project was, as she told MTV in 2022, “a healing form of self-reflection.”

She completed her first tour, “Everything to Everyone: The First Shows” in December of 2022.

More recently, she released her fulllength studio album, “Snow Angel,” in 2023, which was the biggest solo debut album for a female artist that year. The album sold 18,000 units and debuted at number 44 on the U.S. Billboard 200. In June of 2023 she announced her “Snow Hard Feelings Tour,” which she embarked on later that year.

Rapp took some time off from her musical endeavors and performances to film “Mean Girls,”

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FOCUS which released Jan. 12 and made waves with its subsequent press tour.

It started with some comments about putting the apparent owner of a bus tour company, who she called Buddy, in her “Burn Book,” after she had issues with the way he spoke to her friends and mother.

“If you’re watching this, I can’t stand you and I hope your business burns,” she said to the camera in a press interview.

She also made taunting gibes at costar Christopher Briney, who plays Aaron Samuels, for not staying up to date with the ongoings of Lady Gaga and Beyoncé.

“You’re not cancelled! No, it’s OK! You’re just straight,” she said.

Her candid, frank comments and blasé attitude on the press tour have rocketed her to the top of Twitter feeds and TikTok “for you” pages. She is described as “real” and “relatable” by her fans, and even called “mother” online.

Rapp’s current attitude and how she speaks and holds herself seems to be a reflection of an increase in confidence throughout her career. Like her character from “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” Rapp has

surely come into her own over the past few years as her music began to reflect her person more and more. And at the end of the day, she was just a regular girl who was talented enough to make it big in Hollywood; this relatability appears to be one of the reasons why she’s gotten so much support.

While some aren’t as impressed with Rapp’s “media training,” the negatives surely do not overpower her growing prevalence and fans, primarily teenagers, young adults and the LGBTQ+ community.

Rapp told Vogue she was bisexual in 2022 and in the past couple months has expressed her identity as a lesbian.

Now more than ever, the presence of queer artists is growing more and more mainstream. Rapp’s career and popularity reflect the impact of queer trailblazers and how far society has come. It’s reflected in the way she nonchalantly tells stories of her romantic endeavors on social media. It’s reflected in her fashion choices. It’s reflected in her music and the characters she portrays on screen. It’s reflected in who she is and expresses herself as a person.

We don’t need every artist to be a “trailblazer,” especially now, but normalizing queerness and embracing it fully is perhaps more important to society to understand the presence of LGBTQ+ singers, actors, performers and of course, fans. In a way, Rapp’s seemingly nonchalant attitude toward her sexuality has a trailblazing effect simply because it familiarizes LGBTQ+ existence.

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She’s said that her openness is partly because she “suffered in silence for so many years” and partly because of her young age, according to People.

“My generation and the generation that will follow mine is much more open — especially women, nonmen, queer people. I do think I’ve been afforded more opportunities than women before me, men and queer women before me,” she told The Guardian. “This generation is still super mean to each other. But we are more outspoken — and give less of a fuck.”

Between her recent performance on “Saturday Night Live,” maintaining her chaotic social media and the international leg of the “Snow Hard Feelings Tour” that began in February, Rapp seems in no hurry to hit the brakes on her unbothered, rebellious attitude. It’s clear her audience will be waiting patiently to see what “mother” does next.

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FOCUS

The Brownstone Brick Road: An Ode to Boston’s Winter Weather WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY SARA HARLEY DESIGNED BY ISABELLA STONE

Winter jackets, thick accents, L.L. Bean, colleges and the Boston Tea Party. As a Californian, these are what came to mind when I thought of Boston. For the first 18 years of my life, I had never seen snow, owned a winter jacket, watched a football game in its eternity or tried Dunkin’. I wanted to go to college somewhere completely different from where I grew up. The East Coast was completely foreign to me since I had only been a handful of times since childhood. Needless to say, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect.

The first call to reality I had with Boston were its seasons. I visited Northeastern for the first time in the middle of July. It was so hot you could’ve fried an egg on the sidewalk. With my dad in tow, I remember trudging down Newbury Street clutching iced coffees. We admired the blocks of crimson brick as the mirage that was the Boston Public Garden began to emerge.

One notion was for certain: I wasn’t in Kansas anymore.

I spent the fall of my first year abroad in the N.U.in program,

so I completely missed the city’s transition from humid summers to frigid winters. When my dad and I returned in January to move me in, Boston had transformed. We huddled together as we walked and traded our iced drinks for hot ones. Instead of sweating through our t-shirts and shorts, we wore so many layers that you could hardly see our faces.

My first morning on campus marked the first snowfall of the season.

What was once red was cloaked with a thick layer of white. I met a friend from Hawaii (who also had little experience with cold weather) to go for a walk around campus.

Before we knew it, we were throwing snowballs and attempting to build a snowman at Boston Common. He was very, very lame — headless and only six inches tall — but he was ours. Shivering and smiling, the experience confirmed that I was in the right place. I will always remember it as my first memory of snow.

I also very quickly realized that snow becomes slush. The winter fairytale faded almost as quickly as

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it came. By the next day, the white snow melted into various shades of brown as the dirt of the roads mixed with the melting ice. The magic curtain had been lifted and I was carried back to reality: I had just begun the second part of my freshman year in one of the coldest parts of the country in the middle of January. My romanticization of Boston was accurate to a certain extent, but they were by no means a full picture.

Boston is definitely not Oz. In fact, it’s really more of a backwards San Francisco if I was really going to put a name to it. Both cities are famous for their shades of red architecture, access to water and diverse neighborhoods. Beyond Boston’s weather, I’ve noticed there’s a certain sense of triumph and pride amongst the people who live here. Its history and legacy as a symbol of liberty lives on. With time, I’ll get used to the weather.

But the feelings of adventure and refreshed independence are ones I know will come to define my entire time at Northeastern.

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AUTHENTIC ASIAN FLAVORS AROUND

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FOCUS Boston’s iconic skyline overshadows a culinary paradox — a city that is known for its rich history and cultural diversity, yet often overlooked for its authentic Asian cuisine. Despite its wide selection of international flavors, Boston carries a misunderstood reputation when it comes to delivering the true essence of Asian culinary delights. Follow along for some personal recommendations to check out the next time you are craving authentic Asian food in and around Boston.

Mahaniyom

Located in Brookline, Mahaniyom stands out in Boston’s culinary landscape, defying the city’s preconceived notions. This gem offers a unique dining experience with its array of Thai tapas and delightful drinks. Despite its intimate size, Mahaniyom exudes a warm and inviting ambiance, creating a cozy haven for food enthusiasts.

The highlight was undoubtedly the shrimp pad thai, a timeless classic that burst with rich flavors and left a lasting impression. Mahaniyom’s commitment to authenticity shines through in every dish, extending beyond the pad thai to include other standouts like the delectable crab curry and the flying squid. The small plate concept allows visitors to delve deep into the wide variety of Thai delicacies.

One note is that Mahaniyom stays true to its roots by incorporating fish sauce into all its dishes. While this commitment to authenticity might pose a minor restriction for some, it underscores the restaurant’s dedication to preserving the genuine essence of Thai cuisine.

Kaojiu

Another winner located in Brookline! Kaojiu, a Chinese restaurant, boasts a captivating atmosphere decorated with

intricate wall designs, traditional decor and scroll menus. The dim lighting elevates the luxury of the ambiance, and makes a great spot for a date night or a dinner out with friends. The impeccable service further enhances the dining experience, with enthusiastic waitstaff proficient in both English and Mandarin.

Beginning the culinary journey with appetizers, the deep fried mini buns proved to be a comforting delight. Served with a side of sweetened condensed milk for dipping, this dish transcended expectations. Another noteworthy appetizer was the fried tofu with secret sauce, boasting a perfect balance of crispiness on the outside and silkiness within. The house signature secret sauce was a complete standout and helped the dish alone establish a memorable experience, making Kaojiu worth revisiting.

Despite initial reservations about the lamb ribs due to its dry appearance, the juicy and tender interior, followed by an explosion of cumin flavor, was pleasantly surprising. The Xinjiang saute spicy chicken, accompanied by flat rice noodles, offered a spicy adventure with a medley of ingredients, including bell peppers and potatoes. The combination of these outstanding dishes, coupled with the enchanting ambiance, evoked a traditional feel seldom found in Boston.

Yume Ga Arukura

Ambiance is not always a reflection of the quality and authenticity of a restaurant’s food. Yume Ga Arukura is a hole-in-the-wall udon noodle restaurant tucked away in Lesley University in Cambridge.

The restaurant’s charm shines through in its non-traditional seating arrangement, with rows of benches facing the kitchen, and extraordinary quality of food.

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The udon noodles at Yume Ga Arukara boast a remarkable texture — smooth and bouncy, providing a delicious chew that elevates the entire dining experience. The bowls are generously topped with crispy tempura flakes and scallions, creating a harmonious blend of flavors and textures. For an extra treat, adding more meat is highly recommended, given its tenderness and rich flavor that enhance the overall enjoyment of the dish. The staff contributes to the lively atmosphere, adding a personal touch by rating how well visitors finish their meals with praises of “good job!” or “perfect!”

While the ambiance might not be extravagant, being situated in a food complex within a university, the outstanding quality of the food unquestionably compensates for it. Yume Ga Arukara emerges as a culinary haven, where the simple joy of savoring exceptional udon noodles takes the spotlight, making it a must-visit spot for food enthusiasts.

The next time you find yourself scrolling through Yelp or TikTok in search of authentic Asian restaurants in Boston, make sure to add these hidden gems to your list. Each restaurant promises an adventure worth savoring, so don’t miss out on the chance to explore these eateries that go beyond the city’s culinary stereotypes.

FOCUS Every August, over 500 people trek out to a park just outside of Seattle for the Refuge Outdoor Festival — a weekend of music by the riverbank, movie nights, hikes through the forest, campfire chats, stargazing and workshops on how to thrive in the outdoors. Organizers created the festival to foster community and space for outdoorsy people of color, and it’s become a staple of a deeply rooted and dense network of social media community groups for marginalized people.

“Honestly, it was the most positive, fulfilling, healing vibes that I’ve ever

experienced,” said Jas Maisonet, who is Puerto Rican and the founder of QPOC Hikers, one of the groups that attended the festival. “Like so many tears, so many hugs, so much laughter, so much learning and just decompressing. It feels like you’re there for more than a weekend.”

The popularity of outdoor recreation has exploded in recent years — about one out of every 10 Americans picked up the hobby in the past decade.

But as park managers rush to control the number of visitors at parks and address the danger uninformed recreationists create for themselves and the nature around them, they’re struggling to meet growing demands to make the spaces welcoming for people of color. The community groups centered around people of color

in the outdoors, like QPOC Hikers, have taken matters into their own hands.

National parks and other recreation areas saw a surge in visitation the few years before the pandemic, driven by a massive marketing campaign by the National Park Service in 2016 for its centennial and the rise of outdoor influencers on Instagram and Facebook.

The result has been an influx of new recreationists with limited knowledge about outdoor principles, including how to stay safe and respect their environment.

Outdoor recreation continues to be an overwhelmingly white hobby — in 2019, over 85% of visitors to U.S. National Forests were white, while only making up less than 60% of the total population. Activists,

How a Network of Social Media Groups is Trying to Solve Outdoor Recreation's Equity Problem WRITTEN BY NOAH HAGGERTY DESIGNED BY GIGI PETERSON

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FOCUS recreationists and even the White House are demanding parks increase diversity in their patches of wilderness, create environments where non-white folks feel safe and remove the barriers that disproportionately keep people of color out of these spaces.

While the COVID-19 pandemic slowed the rapid increase in visitors, the numbers still remain much higher than they were a decade ago, and it disproportionately pushed people of color out of the hobby.

“People at the margins were the ones who had to drop out of outdoor recreation because of, let’s say, increased childcare needs, having to pick up another job, dealing with an elderly family member, the cost of having to travel farther,” said Will Rice, an outdoor recreation researcher at the University of Montana and former national park ranger at Grand Canyon National Park. “All of those constraints were kind of ratcheted up during the pandemic.”

It put parks in a “paradoxical position,” Rice said. “We are feeling the pressure of increased visitation, but at the same time, we’re trying to reduce barriers to people who have historically not been able to access these types of outdoor recreation.”

These diversity problems are an everyday reality for people of color in outdoor recreation. “I was usually the only Black guy I would see for hours or days when I was out there,” said Romell Ward, the founder of the skiing and snowboarding group BIPOC Mountain Collective.

He added that at the ski town bars, “a lot of the microaggression started happening — ‘Hey so can you dance?’ ‘How often do you

wash your hair?’ ‘I’m not racist, but hey, let me ask you something.’”

It motivated Ward to form his own group of people who looked like him. The BIPOC Mountain Collective started out with only a handful of members, but over the past few years, the group has grown into an international nonprofit with six chapters. The Denver chapter has almost 100 active members.

QPOC Hikers experienced similarly fast growth.

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The group’s growth “exceeded any expectations within that first year that I subconsciously might’ve had, because on Instagram we got a lot of traction kind of right off the bat,” Maisonet said.

The groups are focused on addressing the barriers that have long pushed people of color out of outdoor recreation. Sometimes all it takes is “if you just don’t have the time, energy, money, capacity, gear or transportation,” Maisonet said.

QPOC Hikers partners with Community Gearbox, which allows members to borrow hiking and camping equipment from others, so they don’t have to spend hundreds to buy tents, backpacks and sleeping bags. The group also works with a shuttle service in Seattle to ensure all its members have rides out to the parks they hike in.

Some parks attempt to handle the high visitation problem by creating barriers and limiting access through timed entries, campsite reservations and hiking permits, but researchers think these barriers might disproportionately alienate marginalized groups. So, many parks have started focusing on education instead: By teaching

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visitors about everything they need to know to keep themselves safe, leave no trace and respect the other visitors, park rangers are able to support more park goers.

It’s particularly important during a period with a lot of new and inexperienced recreationists, many driven by outdoor social media influencers.

“We need to educate these folks,” Rice said. “They’re not coming to Yellowstone to try to degrade the environment. They’re coming there because they want to appreciate it.”

But while parks remain understaffed from the pandemic, it’s hard to reach every new visitor with education.

“Even though we have 6 million people coming here, it seems like there’s about 12 people trying to keep this park together,” a Grand Canyon park ranger told Rice in an anonymous interview for a research study.

Outdoor community groups have stepped up, creating a parkgoing framework that emphasizes education. Whether it’s formal education programs or informal mentorship, the groups are constantly working to educate their new members in the ways of outdoor recreation and living.

“We’re trying to help people as much as possible — as subtly or overtly as possible — either with workshops or just stopping on the trail,” Maisonet said. It’s about “trying to figure out how we can responsibly be outside … without the conquering mentality, but more of just, ‘I’m going outside to connect either with myself, with other people, with the environment.’”

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The Best Bookstores in Boston

WRITTEN BY AIDEN BARKER // DESIGNED BY KAYLEE PALIN

Boston is huge, and with many miles of shops to cover, book lovers need places to find a good story to get cozy with. Luckily, I’ve taken the time to explore the city in search of the best bookstores for students and Bostonians alike to get the most out of their experience.

Whether you’re looking for a new book, a quiet place to study, a cute date spot or perhaps a cup of coffee, you’ve come to the right place.

Trident Booksellers & Cafe: Probably the most well-known of the bunch, Trident offers both books and a dining experience.

Located on Newbury Street, Trident has a busy cafe serving breakfast and brunch options. Although the space in the store is large, Trident fills all of it with shelves and seating, which, during peak hours, can get very cramped and hard to maneuver. There are two floors of both seating and bookshelves, with many genres to choose from.

They also sell magazines, greeting cards, stickers, postcards, posters and magnets, all mixed with humor,

hints of Boston landmarks and relatable messages. The TVs at the bar are great for watching sports, and there are tables lined with clearanced books for some bargain prices in the front of the store. This isn’t the best spot for a quiet study session or to read your book if you’re not used to doing so around a lot of noise, and there aren’t many spots to cozy up. However, if you want a good spot for some food or to find a good book, Trident has a wide selection of both, making it a great spot.

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Brattle Book Shop: Located on West Street off of Tremont Street, Brattle Book Shop is a perfect place to find used books. Next to the store is an alley filled with shelves of used books for prices as low as $1. Established in 1825, Brattle is “one of America’s oldest and largest antiquarian book shops.” They have lots of antique books with a wide range of categories to choose from.

There are two floors and a large sign inside listing every category

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of literature they offer, ordered alphabetically.

There’s no music in the store and it’s very quiet, which is perfect for visitors to sit down and read a book or study, if there was enough space for that. Like Trident, Brattle is very crowded and the shelves are close together. There’s no room to sit down which makes browsing a little harder inside the store, however, the outside alley has much more space. Brattle buys books from anyone and everyone, so if you have any old boxes of books you’ve been meaning to give away, there’s a good chance Brattle will have a place for them. For cheap, older books, Brattle Book Shop is the place to go.

center of the room for more books.

There’s a good amount of space to walk around and browse and the tall, wooden bookshelves, soft lighting and jazz music overhead makes the store feel like a home library.

The cafe can be accessed either from inside the bookstore below the first floor or through a tiny archway entrance from outside.

There’s spacious outdoor seating behind the store for the cafe, and it’s just the cutest thing you’ll stumble upon. It will make you giddy with excitement like a little kid (at least that was my experience). With great food, great books and a cozy atmosphere, Beacon Hill is a mustexperience store.

Beacon Hill Books & Cafe:

Harvard Bookstore:

The cutest and coziest of the bunch, Beacon Hill Books & Cafe is the perfect spot for a date, to browse current bestsellers or to have a cup of coffee and a biscuit. With three floors to look through, the store is situated in the architectured apartment you’d find in the milliondollar residential buildings across the city. A spiral staircase and an elevator help you navigate through each room, and the children’s area at the top features a motorized toy train that runs around a track with the store’s mascot, a squirrel, as the conductor.

The Harvard Bookstore in Cambridge offers a wide selection of new, bestseller and used books.

Although it’s a fairly large space compared to the other bookstores on this list, it does get pretty crowded because of how popular the store is. It’s more of a spot for browsing than it is for sitting down and enjoying a quiet read. Tall people should be advised of the low ceilings, especially when going down a floor to the used book section.

There’s a handful of cozy chairs to sit in and although it’s a small space, the shelves are only lined to the walls with a couple tables in the

If you’re looking for a cute gift, the bookstore offers Harvard and Boston-themed apparel and small souvenirs. The Harvard Bookstore also buys books that can be sold in their used book section which

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covers the entire downstairs area with very low bargain buys and bundled savings. The many genres the bookstore offers are labeled for people to easily find.

With these options, there are many books to choose from and enjoy.

New bookstores are always being discovered around Boston, but hopefully these few are a good start to navigating the exciting trip of book shopping.

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The Rise and Fall of

Panera WRITTEN AND DESIGNED BY JESSICA XING

What was once a go-to, elevated fast-food chain is now the target of controversy and frequent complaints. Over the years, Panera Bread has gone from being known for freshly baked goods and heart-warming soups to expensive, smaller portion sizes and dangerously caffeinated lemonade. To understand how this company got here, it’s important to look into its whole history.

The Rise Founded in 1987, Panera Bread was first known as the St. Louis Bread Company. From the start, the company aimed to bake and provide fresh, enjoyable bread for all customers. Since then, it has expanded its offerings from simple sourdough loaves to pastries, bagels and the iconic baguettes that serve as a popular side with any meal. Beyond its baked goods, Panera also became known for its salads, soups, pastas and sandwiches.

Six years after its founding, St. Louis Bread Company was bought

by Au Bon Pain, a French bakery led by Ron Shaich.

Shaich then changed the name to Panera Bread in 1997, which is Latin for “bread basket.” From there, Schaich grew the chain into the fast-casual restaurant that we know today.

Most of Panera’s success was in the early 2000s, referred to by some as the “golden age”

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of Panera. Many reminisce on this time of packed restaurants and the best freshly baked goods. This was largely due to Panera’s clean eating initiatives at the time — offering healthier fast food options like antibiotic-free chicken and whole grain bread put Panera ahead of its competitors.

Along with its unique menu offerings, the company invested heavily in technology to speed up wait times. This investment also helped the company create a catering delivery service called Panera Fresh Catering. Panera even became the largest free wifi provider in the United States in 2004.

With its success, the company was able to grow at an immense rate, opening up over 1,000 locations between 2001 and 2006. In fact, revenues were around $151 million in 2000 and grew to over $829 million by 2006. Just three years later, the revenues increased again to $1.4 billion.

As the company grew, it never lost

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focus of what allowed it to do so in the first place. From launching a loyalty program and becoming the first national restaurant chain to voluntarily list calorie information in 2010 to implementing self-order tablet kiosks and mobile ordering options in 2012, Panera continued to stay ahead of its competitors.

By 2016, the chain had over 2,000 stores and over $2.8 billion in revenue.

In 2017, Panera was acquired by JAB Holdings for about $7.5 billion, the same company that owns Pret A Manger, Krispy Kreme and Keurig Dr Pepper. Blaine Hurst took over as CEO, with Shaich remaining on as a chairman of Panera’s board.

The Fall

the company prepares for an IPO, many have taken to the internet, particularly TikTok, to complain about the noticeably smaller portion sizes that Panera has been serving in recent years. Along with smaller portion sizes, the perceived decreased food quality and expensive prices that some customers have been paying at Panera have caused them to lose faith in the company entirely.

In September, the chain also made the decision to cut nearly 50 items from some of their locations’ menus, including fan favorites like the broccoli cheddar mac and cheese or the mango smoothie. In a statement to Restaurant Business News, Panera said they were testing a smaller menu in certain locations in order to provide a “faster and more convenient experience while also simplifying operations for our associates.” This affected around 60-70 restaurants, or less than 3%, of Panera’s nationwide locations, but created much outrage and

Once JAB Holdings took over, the company started making changes in attempts to make the chain more profitable. Last year, roughly 17% of Panera’s corporate staff were laid off as Panera planned an initial public offering, or IPO. According to current CEO José Alberto Dueñas, the job cuts were meant to create more efficient store-level management. A Panera spokesperson also told The Wall Street Journal that these cuts were meant to improve customers’ experiences, but the company did not elaborate.

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concern about the future of the company from customers online.

In the last two years, Panera has also faced two lawsuits regarding its charged lemonade, a caffeinated lemonade drink launched in April 2022. The drink has allegedly caused the deaths of both a 21-year-old University of Pennsylvania student and a 46-year-old man from Fleming Island, Florida. With up to 390 mg of caffeine, the large Panera charged lemonade contains more caffeine than similar energy drinks such as Monster or Red Bull. Not surprisingly, these ongoing legal battles have caused hesitation from the public to try these lemonades.

Between plans to go public, controversial menu items and recent layoffs, the future of Panera Bread is very uncertain. While more and more people have begun to swear off the restaurant for its limited portions and expensive prices, it seems unlikely that the chain will go completely out of business. Whatever the case is, it is clear that Panera is no longer the restaurant it was in the early 2000s, and more change is to come.

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