Your Magazine Volume 11 Issue 3: May 2019

VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 3 | MAY 2019

YOUR MAG V O L U M E 1 1 | I S S U E 3 | M AY 2 0 1 9

N ATA L I E G A L E Managing Editor

DAY S I A TO L E N T I N O Editor-in-Chief

ELEANOR HILTY Creative Director

M O N I K A DAV I S Editorial Director

BOBBY NICHOLAS III Co-Head Designer

KARINA SANCHEZ Co-Head Designer

CAROLINE BRODERICK Romance Editor

L I L Y WA L S H Photo Director

TALIA SMITH Living Editor

ISABELLE BRAUN A&E Editor

DELIA CURTIS Style Editor & Street Style Director

Y E L I Z A V E TA R O G U L I N A Art Director

RANA SAIFI Talent Manager

GLORIA PEREZ Co-Web Director

LEE ANN JASTILLANA Co-Web Director

TIANNA LOVERDE YourMagTV Director

BAILEY BOUCHARD Co-Marketing Coordinator

ALAN PÉREZ Head Proofreader

NICK BUNZICK Co-Style Director

A D R I A N A A L AV I Co-Marketing Coordinator

HANNA EL-MOHANDESS Asst. Talent Director

GINA YORK Co-Style Director

L I N D SAY H OWA R D Copy Chief

EMILY KING Asst. Photo Director

DITI KOHLI Asst. Romance Editor

EMILIE KRONE Asst. Living Editor

ABIGAIL NOYES Asst. Copy Chief

ANDY CAIRA Asst. Style Edtior

A M A N DA H A M P TO N Asst. A&E Editor

SHAWNA KONIECZNY Asst. Proofreader

COPY EDITORS: THERESA MIELE, KAITLYN HACKETT, CATE HAYES, LIU ESTHER, NATALIE MICHAUD, ANNA MOON, SHAWNA KONIECZNY, MEHER GUPTA, TIVARA TANUDJAJA, ALLISON CARAVELLA, MADELYN MULREANEY, KATIE POWERS DESIGN: TATIANA GUEL, OLIVIA HEINZE, SELINA HSIAO, SOFIA MURZIN PROOFREADERS: NATALIE MICHAUD, ESTHER LIU, MADELYN MULREANEY, KATHERINE POWERS, OLIVIA SMITH

CONTENTS ROMANCE

EDITORIAL STYLE

STREET STYLE EDITORIAL LIVING

EDITORIAL ARTS & ENTERTAIMENT

YOUR THINGS YM ADVISES ARTIST STATEMENT SENIOR SHOOT

4 6 8 10 12 30 32 34 36 42 48 64 66 70 74 78 92 94 96 98 100 102 104 112

POPPIN’ PLAN B WHO IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP GURU? THE SCIENCE OF BREAKUP SEX CRUSTY CRUSH CANDY LAND THE ETHICS OF SHOPPING ETHICALLY WHICH RIHANNA OUTFIT ARE YOU? A NOD TO LAGERFELD MODEL STATUS: A STEPPING STONE STREET STYLE URBAN ENTROPY LET THE LIGHT IN WORKING YOUR WAY THROUGH COLLEGE SAME SPORT DIFFERENT GAME THE ART OF THE SIDE HUSTLE PRIMARY FOLK ART AND FRIDA ART V. ARTIST THE STREAMING DILEMMA LIZZO BRINGS THE JUICE WITH DELIA CURTIS ADVICE FROM YOUR MAG ALUMNI WHITE ELEPHANT SENIORS RISING

YMEMERSON.COM | INSTAGRAM: YOUR.MAG | TWITTER: @YOURMAGEMERSON

EDITOR’S letter

T

he past few months have been a whirlwind for myself

managing time between work and school in “Working Your

and Your Mag. I walked into this new position with

Way Through College.” Olivia Cigliano addresses the ongoing

some ideas, a desire to experiment, and an ambition

debate between separating popular art from problematic artists

to turn these thoughts into actions. At the beginning of this

in “Art v. Artist.”

semester, the Your Mag executive board came together to

draft a vision board for this spring’s creative and editorial

directed by Delia Curtis and shot by Bobby J. Nicholas III.

direction. Your Magazine’s brand identity has been in flux

Be sure to take a look at this month’s artist statement as well,

for the past few years, but one thing has stayed consistent:

featuring the band White Elephant.

a spirit of collaboration. We’ve tried a lot of new things

this semester with exciting results. We’ve pushed ourselves

executive board, who worked tirelessly to produce three great

outside of our comfort zones to discuss and produce work

issues this semester. Thank you also to Flagship Press and Keith

that is thoughtful, bold, and speaks to you, our dear reader. It

Shaw for bringing our newest (and biggest!) issue yet to life.

is your mag, after all.

technicolor.

This issue is full of color, in every meaning of the word.

For a sweet treat, take a peek at our “Candy Land” editorial,

Before I go, I would like to say thank you to this spring’s

Please enjoy the next 120 pages, now in glorious

It speaks to an array of human experiences that will intrigue or resonate with you. Julie Moskowitz examines why we feel

With love,

inclined to have sex with our exes in “The Science of Breakup Sex.” Andy Caira profiles model David De Jesus about dropping out, walking New York Fashion Week, and working towards the future in “Model Status.” Diti Kohli discusses economic accessibility and talks to working students about the stress of

Daysia Tolentino

YOUR MAG | 3

Poppin’ plan b WRITTEN BY OLIVIA HEINZE PHOTOGRAPHY BY EMILY KING

T

he morning-after pill isn’t usually one’s prefered choice of birth control, otherwise it would be called “Plan A.” This doesn’t mean it’s not a safe, reasonable choice for when

things go awry in the bedroom. Plan B is a Levonorgestrel-based morning-after pill and it can lower chances of getting pregnant by 75 to 89 percent if taken within three days after unprotected sex, with even lower chances if taken immediately after. It usually costs around $50. Conversations about emergency contraceptives are taboo and flooded with myths, including the idea that it can cause infertility or that it’s equivalent to an abortion. These are simply untrue, yet many young women fear the morning-after pill due to its reputation, its lofty price, and the misconceptions about how it works.

Comedic arts major Mary Spadaro ‘22 went to Catholic school for seven years, and took mandatory sex education class there.

“They told us Plan B was murder,” says Spadaro. “But they said a lot of things were bad in our sex ed class, so I didn’t really think about it. I was mostly just nervous that it wasn’t gonna work, and it’s also awkward that you have to ask someone to unlock it. I just didn’t wanna have a baby… so I took it.”

Emergency contraceptives have long been suppressed and stigmatized, and received political and religious pushback against their over-the-counter legalization. They were created and utilized to treat rape victims in the mid 1960s. Many, like Plan B One Step, Next Choice One Dose, and Take Action, were only legalized for over-the-counter sales for adult women in 2006. It wasn’t until 2013 that any woman, regardless of age, was able to purchase Plan B over-the-counter. For seven years, women under the age of 18 had to be prescribed emergency contraceptives by their doctor. This not only added to the price of the already expensive pill, but made it a more emotionally charged experience than necessary for young women.

Dr. Nancy Stanwood of Physicians for Reproductive Health and Rights told Sisterhood Magazine in 2013 after the legalization

4 | ROMANCE

that “too many women in the US have gone without this necessary medication because the pharmacy counter is closed, they don’t have government-issued ID, or they’re under 17 and lack a prescription.”

I grew up in Texas where I never took a sex ed course. At 16, I took Plan B for the first time and was absolutely horrified.

I had no idea what it was or what it would do to my body. All I knew was I was deathly scared of getting pregnant. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I had had to tell my parents and schedule a doctor’s appointment to receive the morning-after pill. Maybe I’d have a kid.

Visual and media arts major Samuel Dearborn ‘20 has been a Planned Parenthood member for about a year. He gives a monthly donation after representatives for the organization approached him on campus.

“I just think that women’s reproductive rights are really important and they’re kind of under fire right now and under attack,” Dearborn says. “Especially with our current president and his cabinet. We can’t underplay how detrimental losing Planned Parenthood or the option of an emergency contraceptive would be. Honestly, if I was a woman, I’d be terrified if I didn’t have that option.”

Planned Parenthood provides emergency contraception at their health centers, along with a plethora of information on them, such as how to take them most effectively, quizzes for which kind is right for you, and how they work. Levonorgestrel, the active ingredient in Plan B, is “a synthetic progestin similar to the hormone progesterone, which the body makes to regulate the menstrual cycle,” according to Planned Parenthood. When taken, it will either prevent ovulation or the fertilization of an egg. This means that it does not in any way cause an abortion, because it prevents the egg and sperm from ever fertilizing.

Furthermore, morning-after pills containing Levonorgestrel have no effect on an established pregnancy. Plan B will also never cause infertility, no matter how many times it is taken. However, each use does reduce its ability to prevent pregnancy.

Plan B and pills like it can cost anywhere between $35–$60, adding to the stress of obtaining the pill for young women in need of it. Cheaper than an abortion pill or procedure, the high price of this pill still contributes to the privilege of dodging teenage pregnancy. Girls aged 15–19 in lower socioeconomic areas are more likely to carry accidental pregnancies to term, according to the National Survey of Family Growth.

Visual and media arts major Carlene McGoldrick ‘22 bought Plan B for two of her friends when she attended an all-girls Catholic high school. “I bought it with my debit card so their parents wouldn’t see the charge on their debit cards,” McGoldrick says. “I was not expecting it to be as expensive as it was, and for what it is, I don’t think it should be that expensive. And honestly, if I found myself in that situation, I would have absolutely no hesitation. Like, I would take it.” YM ROMANCE | 5

Who is your Relationship Guru?

ART BY EMILIE KRONE

WRITTEN BY DITI KOHLI

F

lirty texts to our flings, suave pick-up lines to people

and issues with communication, long-distance, and even

across the room, and distinctly chosen emojis in an

heartbreak, into the search bar.

Instagram comment on a flame’s post are not always

Others may just shoot a long text to advisors on other

our work. Though relationships typically exist only between

parts of the map to see what they have to say. Van Pelt and

the two parties involved, a barrage of our entrusted friends,

de Farias both admit to sending unending questions and

maybe even family, contribute to what and how our romantic

screenshots to far-away friends.

actions are executed.

It’s no secret most of us turn to another for help on how to

“If it’s a text back I need help with, I just screenshot and send it to people who are in California,” says Van Pelt.

steer our romantic relationships. Personally, I can spontaneously

A handful of people look to their families for guidance.

make witty remarks in conversation and showcase my best

We turn to our siblings, our cool aunts, and trustworthy

qualities to someone I like, but this confidence does not spread

grandparents for quips on what to do. And though some

to all the skills required in the dating arena. I, too, often need to

people’s relationships with their parents are coated in secrecy,

seek assistance from a confidant.

others are flooded with open communication about our love

Our friends in Boston are often on hand, making them the first people to whom we reach out.

lives.

Van Pelt leans on her mom. “My mom gives me the more

Journalism major Eloisa de Farias ‘22 says her roommate

automatic, simple answer. Whereas my friends, in this day and

usually hears her romantic inquiries and rants before anyone

age, are way more creative,” says Van Pelt. “And my mom is

else.

pretty much always right because she’s going with her gut.”

“We are both very similar and have similar views on

relationships, so I talk to her a lot,” de Farias says.

But when we go out of our way to ask for a second opinion on our romantic ailments, our intentions are not always

But Emerson is relatively small with a student population

pure. I’ve gone looking for bad advice, for someone to validate

of 4,446, according to the college’s website, and it seems as

my lousy decisions. I have searched until someone admits it’s

if everyone knows everyone. Plus, the web of Boston colleges

normal for me to keep talking to my ex or says it’s okay that I’m

remains oddly interconnected, where students on our side of

beating myself up about being too forward with a new spark.

the Common know many others reachable by the T. News can travel fast in the wrong hands.

Communications studies major Jen Van Pelt ‘22 says she warily confides in others on campus.

On the other hand, sometimes we take bad advice believing it is what’s best for us. “I have listened to people when I should have listened to myself. Maybe what they told me was universally right, but for me, it wasn’t,” says de Farias.

“If you do something here, you can easily be labeled as

And in even more instances, we ignore our guru’s good

the person who is really out there and not in a good way,” Van

advice to fuel our misguided agenda. Without listening to

Pelt says. “You have to hold your cards because of how close

reason, some of us continue conversations longer than we

people are with each other.”

should or respond when we shouldn’t.

Thankfully, texting, social media, and the breadth of the

In the end, the question remains whether all of us should

internet allow the wisdom of our personal relationship gurus to

be equating the opinion of others with our own when it comes

lie at our fingertips.

to romance. Why are our relationship gurus anyone but us?

In 2017, Bustle published an article titled “10 Most

“Follow your own advice … I’ve always had issues with

Searched Relationship Questions of 2017, According To

that,” says de Farias. “Listening to too many people at once

Google.” The piece exposes how people pour their questions

sometimes doesn’t get you anywhere.” YM ROMANCE | 7

the Science of Breakup Sex WRITTEN BY JULIE MOSKOWITZ PHOTOGRAPHY BY TAINA MILLSAP

A

fter the end of a relationship, many people, whether

So what causes people of all attachment styles to engage

they are the heartbroken or the heartbreakers, go

in breakup sex? One testable hypothesis is that with all of the

through a period of grief. What happens when people

potential fighting, emotional stress, and fear of essentially losing

decide to have sex with their ex? I’m talking about breakup sex.

a loved one, physiological arousal may be triggered. Essentially,

Maybe you’ve heard that it’s the worst thing you could possibly

fear can get you all hot and bothered. As explained in the

do, and maybe you’ve heard it’s the best sex you’ll ever have.

Encyclopedia of Social Psychology, this is called the arousal transfer

Relationship psychologists haven’t tackled the subject

theory, meaning that once those scary breakup feelings are felt,

until recently. In a study titled “Pursuing Sex with an Ex: Does

the intensity of that emotion becomes a more loving, or in this

It Hinder Breakup Recovery?” Stephanie Spielmann, a social

case, lustful emotion.

psychologist and professor at Wayne State University, found

The results of this sex seem to be a mixed bag. Jonathan

no conclusive evidence to say that breakup sex is a good thing

Blum, media studies ‘20 says, “A few of my exes have hit me up

or a bad thing. However, the study did not look at individual

over the years, and for them, I have three simple words: Never.

differences such as attachment style, previous trauma, varying

Fucking. Happening. I did it once and he cried the whole time!

sexual orientations, or gender identities, which could all

Never again.”

potentially influence how sex with an ex affects a person’s breakup recovery.

Professor Lindsey Beck, who specializes in the social psychology behind close friendships and romantic relationships,

Stephanie Galvin, communication disorders ‘19 says something more positive about her breakup sex experience. “It was really good. There’s something energizing about knowing that it’s the last time you’ll see someone,” says Stephanie.

explains that our attachment styles can affect how we respond

Sometimes breakup sex is more chaotic than energizing.

to breakup sex. “We know that anxiously attached people tend

“My ex and I had sex on-and-off for a few months after

to have more volatile responses in [general], so we could make

breaking up the fall of my junior year,” says Kendra Atkins,

the prediction that they would have more reactive responses

writing, literature and publishing ‘19. “The sex itself was

to breakup sex.” In terms of those people who are more

fine, but I never really knew how to leave, or how to kick him

avoidantly attached, Beck says she could “envision avoidantly

out when it was over. And to make matters worse, we go to a

attached people benefiting from breakup sex because they…

really small school and were friends with so many of the same

get the experience of having sex, [without having] to worry

people. Overall, it was just messy and I wish I had just moved

about the emotional implications.”

on sooner.”

8 | ROMANCE

Sex with an ex can be emotionally dicey. Spielmann and colleagues found in their

study this physical relationship can lead to feelings of emotional attachment that you may rather leave behind. You may find yourself feeling all googly-eyed for your ex because of the dopamine and oxytocin (two hormones that affect one’s happiness) your brain releases during sex, leaving you wanting to return to a relationship that may not be the best for you. If breakup sex were a room, it would say “enter at your own risk.”

“Relationships are likely to be more satisfying, more fulfilling, and more positive for both partners if both of them have shared expectations, goals, and motivations.”

It’s not all bad though. Professor Beck says, “Relationships are likely to be more

satisfying, more fulfilling, and more positive for both partners if both of them have shared expectations, goals, and motivations.” Meaning, if you’ve talked about it honestly with your ex, and you both are clear on what you want from the sexual experience, breakup sex could be a satisfying experience at the start of relationship recovery. Some may even find it a helpful part of the healing process.

There are still many others who have little to no interest in having sex with an ex

at any point during their breakup. Professor Beck recommends finding social support in family and friends after a relationship and rediscovering hobbies or interests that were perhaps ignored during one’s previous relationship. No matter your preferences when it comes to breakup sex, it’s clear that the end of a relationship is draining and complicated. YM

ROMANCE | 9

Crusty Crush WRITTEN BY JALYN COX PHOTOGRAPHY BY TATIANA GUEL

T

he “crusty crush” is an ever-changing phenomenon

in the relationship. Or I could just truly have trash taste, who

that I used to think only appealed to me. On the

knows?”

surface, it is just the name I came up with to describe

As much as I hate to admit it, Billotti could be right about

that crush that you find attractive, but in all honesty, kind of

the reasoning behind these crusty crushes. It truly could be

looks like a mess––and I mean this in the most endearing way

an insecurity issue rooted deep within us that pushes us to be

possible.

attracted to the typically “less attractive” person.

Imagine a sandal-wearing, long-and-greasy-haired person

In a study titled “Mating Strategies of Young Women:

rolling their own cigarettes. You would believe it if they told you

Role of Physical Attractiveness” by Devendra Singh, the article

they hadn’t showered in two weeks. This description may seem

discusses how men and women both prefer attractive partners in

familiar; it appears to be a certain look, but also isn’t. You may

noncommittal short-term relationships, but this pattern changes

catch yourself staring at that person who is crusty and you know

for long-term relationships. Singh writes, “For committed long-

it, but you swear you think they are one of the most attractive

term relationships, females appear to be willing to relax their

people you have ever seen.

demand for a partner’s attractiveness.” The article continues

After asked about her experiences with her crusty crushes,

to say that despite these trends, “unattractive” partners only

business of creative enterprises major Grace Goodell ‘21 says,

appear to be more faithful in context to the unfaithfulness of

“I feel like I see random guys on the street with long hair and

“attractive” partners. So, I guess the real question to people

patchy beards, and I’m like, ‘You’re hot!’ It’s just kind of like,

with a crusty crush is––who hurt you?

‘you’re really not cute, but I could marry you.’”

I never speak to these men because I am more nervous

There is no real explanation for why these crusty crushes

around them than I am around what others would consider

occur. It may be a different look, similar to a “bad boy”

conventionally attractive. When I walk down the street and

stereotype that draws you in. For journalism major Jack Billotti

see them, I can’t help but look and hope they notice me. And

‘21, crusty crushes are his thing.

maybe that’s what is so appealing about them, the fact that they

“Most men who I find attractive look like they haven’t

never even seem to notice anything besides what they are doing.

slept in four days and are strung out on some sort of hard

For me, it is definitely not a conscious thought of my potentially

drug,” Billotti says. “I think it’s probably a subconscious

deep-rooted insecurity issues. These are simply the men I see on

insecurity thing. If you go after men who are ‘less desirable’

the street, and for a quick fleeting moment of nothingness, I fall

so to speak, you feel like you’re at an advantageous position

deeply in love with. YM

10 | ROMANCE

ROMANCE | 11

CANDY CRUSH

12 | YOUR MAG

CA ND Y LA ND DIRECTED BY DELIA CURTIS PHOTOGRAPHED BY BOBBY NICHOLAS III STYLED BY GINA YORK TESSA LEIBOWITZ TAINA MILLSAP MAKEUP BY LAUREN DILLOW TESSA LEIBOWITZ MODELED BY ISABELLA ROSETTE AMALI DUNMORE SAMUEL WILLINGER

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WRITTEN BY NATALIE GALE PHOTOGRAPHY BY XINYI XU

W

e all know we’re not supposed to shop at H&M.

dress or shirt won’t really go for less than $50, and prices usually

Or Zara. Or Forever 21. Or any other fast fashion

stretch much higher. “Many fast fashion brands can charge far

retailer. Headlines of workplace abuse, factory

less for their garments because they produce their goods in

accidents, and child labor have abounded since the mid ‘90s.

developing countries with lower labor costs along with cheap

The new society-wide consciousness of these workplace horrors

materials,” says Daroie.

means that we now feel guilty about shopping unethically. We know we’re not supposed to. But we still do.

But here’s the thing: we purchase so many clothes. Why do we have a problem spending $100 on an ethically-made dress,

Why is it so difficult to feel good about what we’re

but no problem buying more than five $20 t-shirts in a year?

buying? Well, because it’s nearly impossible. Fashion habits

Minimalism and quality over quantity are key to conscientious

have changed drastically in the past 25 years, since, as Michael

shopping.

Hobbes says in his 2015 Highline article “The Myth of the

In a 2012 TED Talk, reporter Leslie T. Chang stresses

Ethical Shopper,” “The apparel industry, the entire global

the importance of including the voices of factory workers in

economy, has undergone a complete transformation. The way

the conversation about ethically made products. “We must be

our clothes are made and distributed and thrown away is barely

peculiarly self-obsessed to imagine that we have the power

recognizable compared to the way it was done in the ‘90s.”

to drive tens of millions of people on the other side of the

Additionally, sketchy labor is easy to hide. A brand like

world to migrate and suffer in such terrible ways,” she says.

Walmart might hire a mega-supplier to fulfill a clothing order,

“Chinese workers are not forced into factories because of our

which might outsource some work to another company, which

insatiable desire for iPods. They choose to leave their homes in

might outsource to then another. The original clothing brand

order to earn money, to learn new skills, and to see the world.”

often has no idea where exactly its clothing is being made. In

Prattling about in an ethical, $250 dress does nothing to help

2012, through this chain, Walmart production happened at a

those workers; it only buys the purchaser out of guilt.

factory that the store had banned—a factory that burned down.

The narrative about fast fashion often revolves around

“Mass subcontracting, which outsources production to

Westerners and how we can shop in ways that make us feel

other factories, makes it difficult to track how and where our

less guilty. But the factory workers are people just like us, and

clothing is being made,” says Micaela Marini Higgs in her 2017

they are being excluded from the narrative in which they play

Racked article Ethical Shopping Is Nearly Impossible. “Each piece

a central role. Boycotting Zara might not fix much; as Higgs’s

of your clothing, from the zipper on your pants to the buttons on

article points out, boycotts can harm workers when factories

your dress, has a different and complex supply chain.”

simply shift production to a different region.

There are other kinds of bad ethics besides corrupt labor

So, what does this boil down to? Ethical shopping is

practices that US consumers often care more about, but that

difficult. Even companies that think they’re being moral

further complicates our ability to shop ethically. We could

might have their production outsourced to an unsafe factory.

look at environmental ethics. “Fashion is one of the dirtiest

Companies can be unethical in many ways, and simply

industries in terms of environmental impact, particularly due

boycotting brands might not always help conditions for workers

to the rise of fast fashion,” says Allison Daroie, owner of the

who are making better lives for themselves.

ethical Boston-based clothing brand Paridaez. Higgs mentions

Here are my tips: educate yourself. Online resources

that “The Salvation Army has a history of discrimination

break down how to best shop ethically, like the website

against the LGBTQ community, and Goodwill pays its disabled

fashionheroes.eco, and a roundup of sustainable brands, many

employees less than minimum wage.” Ivanka Trump’s fashion

of which belong below the $100 range, are available instantly.

line was dropped from Nordstrom for political reasons.

(For starters, check out Everlane and Reformation.) Thrift from

I knew about anti-gay Salvation Army and about anti-

local consignment shops, or wear your relatives’ hand-me-

Ivanka Nordstrom, but I had never before heard about

downs. Learn about the outsourcing practices of your favorite

the Walmart factory fire that killed 112 people and injured

brands; many of them might use factories in Asia full of young

hundreds. Are our ethical priorities in the wrong places?

women earning a living and independence.

And then there’s cost. Most people I know don’t shop ethically because they can’t exactly afford to. An ethically made 30 | STYLE

And don’t buy something that you won’t wear in 25 years.

Make clothes last. YM

the ethics of shopping ethically

STYLE | 31

32 | STYLE

Which Rihanna Outfit Are You? WRITTEN BY LEE ANN JASTILLANA ART BY ELEANOR HILTY

M

ay 5: Rihanna wears ripped light-wash jeans, a

Puma creeper was even dubbed shoe of the year by Footwear

layered lace cami, and a bubblegum pink jacquard

News. However, the Fenty x Puma line became more than

Marc Jacobs coat. Sept.15: Rihanna sports a striped

just a celebrity endorsement of a collection of products.

dress shirt repurposed into an off-the-shoulder top. Feb. 12:

The collaborative effort showcased Rihanna’s talents as an

Rihanna graces the GRAMMYs carpet in a creamsicle orange

innovative fashion mastermind and businesswoman.

top paired with a billowing black skirt. Google “Rihanna + [your birthday]” and get your very own Rihanna outfit.

In 2017, Rihanna shook the entire beauty world with the release of Fenty Beauty, a makeup line unabashedly dedicated to

The Rihanna birthday outfit trend made its rounds on the

embracing diversity. Rihanna revolutionized the way we think

web as people enthusiastically reposted the outfits they got onto

about inclusivity in the cosmetic world. Her video campaigns

their social media stories and feeds. Love for Rihanna seems

featured racially diverse models, and the forty-shade foundation

to multiply each year, and the birthday outfit trend reinforced

range became a highlight of the launch. Tarte’s fifteen-shade

appreciation for her unique, daring style choices.

Shape Tape foundation launch? We don’t know her!

Miss Rihanna solidified her status as an undisputed

Rihanna’s most recent business effort (that we know of)

fashion icon long ago when she graced the 2014 Council of

takes form in Savage x Fenty, a lingerie line that incorporates

Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Fashion Awards in a

both the sassy, electric theme of Fenty x Puma and the

sheer gown covered in Swarovski crystals. The daring see-

celebration of diversity seen in Fenty Beauty. The brand

through material provoked subtle criticism from conservative

centers around body positivity, and models of all skin colors and

press members, to which Rihanna pointedly responded, “Do

body types walked the Savage x Fenty runway last September.

my tits bother you? They’re covered in Swarovski crystals, girl!”

The show, raw and intimate, differentiated itself from the

A legendary comeback.

ostentatious, glitzy Victoria’s Secret show featuring thin, toned

Since then, Rihanna’s red carpet appearances consistently

bodies.

became highly anticipated, especially on the first Monday of

The singer is reportedly starting her own luxury brand

each May. The time she stepped onto the Met Gala carpet in

with LVMH, and after recently sporting a pair of sunglasses

an extravagant, long, yellow fur-trimmed cape will probably

with the Fenty logo, production seems like a strong possibility. A

flash by in that life montage you have just before death. She

luxury brand that regularly celebrates all body sizes and all skin

attended last year’s event dressed as the Pope, no less, and it’s

colors is sure to empty my bank account.

safe to say that the Met Gala hosts many of Rihanna’s historymaking looks.

Beyond just selling clothes, Rihanna pushed the boundaries of fashion and beauty to include women of all

In 2016, Rihanna launched her major clothing

sizes and colors, which is, to say the least, refreshing. Such

collection, Fenty x Puma. The collaboration met monumental

forward thinking, though long overdue, celebrates the beauty

success evident by the increase in Puma’s profits. The Fenty x

in diversity and is exactly what we need in fashion. YM

STYLE | 33

A Nod to Lagerfeld WRITTEN BY LEE ANN JASTILLANA

E

ART BY FRANCISCO GUGLIELMINO

xtravagant location sets and gorgeous tweeds make

of the television and saying thin models are ugly.” Fashion, to

Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel shows an undisputed highlight

him, centered around “dreams and illusion.”

of Paris Fashion Week. Besides clothing, however, the

Witt, among the first to highlight Lagerfeld’s misogyny

grandeur display is a spectacle in itself. Lagerfeld’s recent

after his death, criticized how the press seemed to dismiss

passing in February further ensured that all of fashion’s eyes

and ignore his abhorrent comments. “Publications have

remained locked on his final bow. The emotional tribute to

described his comments as ‘catty,’ ‘bitchy,’ ‘controversial,’ ‘acid-

the designer, set in the Grand Palais-turned-wintry-mountain

tongued and superficial,’ and ‘controversial’ instead of sexist,

village, marked the end of an era and concluded in teary

misogynistic, racist, fatphobic, and islamophobic,” Witt wrote.

eyes from famous models like Cara Delevingne, Mariacarla

“The fashion industry continued to let this terrible person

Boscono, and Cat McNeil.

hold a place of high-esteem and reduced his commentary to

Lagerfeld’s twist on classic Chanel staples breathed much-

Lagerfeld simply being a bit eccentric.”

needed life into the once-failing brand. He took over as creative

The Good Place star Jameela Jamil shared the article on

director of the luxury line in 1983, and over his tenure, brought

Twitter, eliciting a response from Delevingne, who is known to

in $10 billion in annual sales. This last collection featured fuzzy

have had a close relationship with Lagerfeld. “A ruthless, fat-

skirts, furry boots, elegant trench coats, and capes decked out

phobic misogynist shouldn’t be posted all over the internet as a

in timeless houndstooth and plaid prints. Needless to say, the

saint gone-too-soon,” Jamil added.

clothing did not disappoint, and the emotional significance of

Delevingne defended the designer, replying, “No one is

the show following the designer’s passing resonated deeply with

perfect but you clearly don’t know the man so please keep your

audience members.

opinions to yourself and stop bashing people for attention.”

Immediately after news of his death broke, social media

Though standing up for a recently deceased loved one seems

feeds flooded with heartfelt tribute posts to the designer. There

perfectly valid, it should be noted that Delevingne embodied

seemed to be a uniform sadness that drifted throughout major

Lagerfeld’s ideal of the gorgeous, perfectly thin model.

fashion figures as they collectively mourned his loss, dubbing

How do we honor a fashion icon without completely

him an icon and an inspiration. The man was masterful and

dismissing their problematic behavior? It circles back to

passionate, though not entirely innocent.

separating the art from the artist, but how can we support

Lagerfeld was a complicated, multifaceted man who was nothing short of problematic. Though his contributions

someone who does not support us? It’s tricky territory—one that fashion currently fails to navigate successfully.

to the fashion world are undeniable, his misogynistic mindset

We’ve progressively become more sensitive in handling

cannot be overlooked. In a Wear Your Voice Magazine article

gender equality and body inclusivity, especially in the world

published shortly after his death, Lara Witt shined a light on

of clothing. With significant moves toward body acceptance

the designer’s repulsive comments that were drowned out in

celebrated in recent runway shows like Rihanna’s Savage x

a sea of glorification following his death. Witt called out his

Fenty and Zendaya’s Tommy Hilfiger collection, the old ways of

questionable remarks, including his public fatphobia and his

imagining fashion as tall, sickly, airbrushed models have begun

insensitivity toward the #MeToo movement.

to crumble. Although we can acknowledge talent, supporting

Misogyny permeated his career. In an interview with former Vogue Paris editor-in-chief Carine Roitfeld, Lagerfeld disturbingly commented that Roitfeld is lucky her children are beautiful because “it would have been difficult to have an ugly daughter.”

problematic designers has gone out of fashion—think Dolce & Gabbana (see April 2019 issue).

Virginie Viard has since been appointed to succeed Lagerfeld as creative director of the fashion house. Though

Fatphobia was baked into his work. Lagerfeld denied

Viard maintained a close relationship with the late designer,

the industry’s connection to eating disorders and heavily

one can only hope that her female perspective can reinvigorate

opposed the use of plus-sized models. In an interview with

the brand further. Lagerfeld’s death, in many ways, symbolizes

Focus, Lagerfeld remarked, “No one wants to see curvy women.

the passing of retrograde, traditionalist ideas. His work will go

You’ve got fat mothers with their bags of chips sitting in front

down in history, but let’s leave it at that—history. YM

34 | STYLE

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Model Status: A Stepping Stone

36 | STYLE

WRITTEN BY ANDY CAIRA PHOTOGRAPHY BY LILY WALSH

D

avid De Jesus slips as he walks down the stairs to the Ralph Lauren runway near Central Park, almost bringing the girl he stands with down with him. His

nerves are starting to show. Anyone would if they were walking towards the runway of New York Fashion Week. Especially if it’s their first time walking a runway—ever.

From a restaurant in Philadelphia, De Jesus’ mom and sister are watching the Ralph Lauren runway livestream, waiting to see him make an appearance. The livestream cuts from the audience—Oprah, Kim and Kanye, Hillary Clinton, the Jonas Brothers—to the back of De Jesus’ head as he walks off the stage. Pride and glee fill the air of that Philly restaurant.

Just a year earlier, De Jesus decided to leave Emerson College as a freshman visual and media arts major. Due to the rise in tuition and no increase in financial aid, De Jesus and his family found that they could no longer afford another three years of school. Nonetheless determined to be successful, De Jesus committed to finding a way that he could make films and art while back home.

While attending Emerson, he’d model for different magazines, in addition to to acting in other people’s films, on top of all the creative work that he was doing himself. When he returned to Philadelphia, he began casually modeling for local brands, including one called Paratodo. Soon after, a modeling agency called U Models posted a call for fresh faces to their professional Instagram page. De Jesus responded to the post and told his mother agent (a model’s main agent who helps them get signed by secondary agents worldwide) to check out his page. By May 2018, the agency signed De Jesus and began to get his face out in the industry through casting calls.

Casting for New York Fashion Week was just like any other casting. De Jesus received a few requests from various brands, but nothing really came of it, that is, until his agent called him to say that Ralph Lauren requested him back for a fitting.

From there, he got accepted to walk for their 50th anniversary.

Not knowing what to expect or how renowned Ralph Lauren was, De Jesus agreed to walk for them. Before the show, his STYLE | 37

heart raced as he tried to contain the mix of nervousness and excitement he felt.

A model’s first runway is always a big deal, but when their first runway is New York Fashion Week for Ralph Lauren, it’s a whole different level of stress. De Jesus was dressed in a blue-button down paired with a black tie and a preppy v-neck sweater fashioned with a crest, all under a navy plaid suit jacket.

He walked down the stairs, under an archway, and onto the carpeted runway while the crowd watched his every step. Anne Hathaway and Oprah sat and drank champagne. Priyanka Chopra took photos of her favorite outfits while Anderson Cooper sat front row, watching the models don new looks from Ralph Lauren’s collection. De Jesus had these celebrities’ attention. They were interested in him, and he says that was one of the wildest moments of the night. “Everybody looks at you guys and now you are looking at me,” thought De Jesus.

Camera lights flashed and in the blink of an eye, the walk was over and he was off the stage.

Soon after the show, De Jesus was signed onto a campaign for Ralph Lauren’s P-Wing collection. His photos were on their website, their Instagram, and in the physical stores carrying the collection. Modeling agencies based in NYC, Milan, and Germany began to represent De Jesus, and he started a new routine.

Each week he would work, go to the gym, return home to eat dinner with his family, travel to New York, do casting calls and shoots, and go home again. Traveling has become an integral part of De Jesus’ modeling career. Soon, he will be moving to NYC to be closer to work and cut down on travel costs. He’ll still visit his mom in Philly, however, because the two are as close as can be.

“My mom is my biggest inspiration. My hero,” De Jesus tells me. Not only is she his personal trainer, but also his rock.

She supported him through school and after he decided to leave it. Ever since he was little, his mom always encouraged his dreams. He says, “She put her dream on pause so I could have mine.” De Jesus is excited to finally have an opportunity to give 38 | STYLE

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40 | STYLE

back to her for everything she’s done for him. He wants to be able to make her proud and take care of his family, just like she has throughout his life. When De Jesus told her that he wanted to be an architect, she motivated him. When he wanted to be a wrestler, they looked at wrestling schools together. At 13, De Jesus told his mom that he had a great idea for a script and that he wanted to be a screenwriter.

De Jesus was always an artistic kid. He started drawing when he was ten years old. He was really focused on people’s faces and became skilled at drawing them. “Lines convey emotion,” his aunt told him regarding drawing, and he has believed in that since. Throughout high school, De Jesus conveyed emotion through theatre and other art forms. He would have studied theatre to make stories come to life, but he loves the potential that film has to be limitless. He wants to make films for everyone, especially kids like him who used to get lost watching them on the big screen with their family. The ability to escape into a film is something De Jesus is passionate about, and something he hopes to make other people passionate about.

Modeling is not the end for De Jesus. He still intends to make films and maybe even act, and he hopes that this is a big stepping-stone for what he eventually wants to do for a career.

De Jesus wants to finish college and get a degree for himself and make his mother proud. Currently, he is looking into acting programs in New York. He says, “My career end-goal is to win an Oscar for best original screenplay.”

Through modeling, he has made many industry connections and gotten his face out there, ready to be recognized just like a number of actors who got their start modeling. So far, his modeling career has been very successful, but he never thought it had the potential to become a large part of his life. Without this opportunity, De Jesus says that reaching his end-goal would be much more difficult. He tells me this is his opportunity to get his foot in the door, achieve his dreams, and pay for college. “I never considered it seriously; it was just something that happened,” he says. “I feel like it was put in my path so I can get to my goal. It is just a stepping-stone.” YM

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Your Your mag mag street street style style DIRECTED BY DELIA CURTIS

STREET STYLE TEAM: CAROLINE BRODERICK, CARRIE XU, SONALI ANAND, TAINA MILLSAP, KEREN HE, SOLEIL EASTON, ANDREW TAETS, OLIVIA CIGLIANO, EMILY KING, CAITLYN ONG, RONALD CRIVELLO-KAHIHIKOLO, LIPSKY ZHOU, KATRINA DIZON, MARLENA LERNER

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ALYSSA DEVRIES she/her/hers | Comedic Arts, 2021

How would you describe your personal style in three words?

Whimsical, bright, and fun.

Where do you typically get your inspiration for your outfits?

I am really drawn to bright colors. I consume lots of pop culture from comedy and being around that all of the time, so I take lots of inspiration from movies and TV shows. I worked at Anthropologie for a while also.

If you could only shop at one place for the rest of your life, where would it be?

A thrift store because there are so many options, new things coming in. I love silhouettes and styles from different eras. I’m pretty ‘60s right now.

Who’s your celebrity style icon?

Zooey Deschanel.

What are three pieces of your wardrobe that you can’t live without?

Tennis shoes, my winter coat because it’s really big, comfy, and it has giant pockets. I love that it’s sort of floral jacquard; it’s fun and it matches more than you think. I tend to throw different patterns together; I have a lot of pairs of glasses so I like to switch it up with that.

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Serino Nakayama she/her/hers | Film Production, 2022 Instagram @serino_n21

How would you describe your personal style in three words?

That is so hard, okay… bold, Japanese, and American. A combination of who I am in what I wear.

So, do you have a celebrity style icon? And if so, who is it?

I don’t really have a celebrity style icon, I think I just gather from a lot of like different kinds of people, but also a lot of it has to do with my background being half-Japanese and growing up in the US. So, that’s also pretty relevant to the clothes that I wear and the style that I have, but also I just love stuff really bold in color, cool things. And I would love to wear avant-garde, those amazing Lady Gaga outfits. That would be the dream. If I had money and was famous, I’d be livin’ like Lady Gaga.

And if you could describe your ideal piece of clothing? Like you were describing avant-garde…

Yeah, man, that’s…I think it’d be really cool to like, if you had this kind of avant-garde­—I don’t know. There’s so many different things! One of them is, you know, Lupita Nyong’o’s cape dress that she wore that one time. I loved it. I’m there for the simple, elegant, but like, pow! But also, when Lady Gaga wore that thing with all the circular rings and stuff around her—I was like, that’s cool. Even right now—this is something more like makeup—I’m very interested in the UV, glow in the dark kind of stuff.

Because I just bought some glow in the dark makeup, so maybe having like an outfit too would be so fun.

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Damica Rodriguez she/her/hers | Journalism, 2022

How would you describe your personal style in three words?

Discount, workable, and a little bold.

Where do you typically get your inspiration for your outfits?

As of now, since I’ve entered college I think most of my inspiration has come from either looking at magazines or looking at patterns and seeing which ones go together. I really mess with Rihanna.

Who’s your celebrity style icon?

Rihanna.

What are three pieces of your wardrobe that you can’t live without?

A good outerwear, some good sneakers, and black ripped jeans.

Any brands that you highly recommend to people?

I mess with sportswear, so Adidas.

Describe your ideal piece of clothing.

Tennis shoes and jeans, pencil skirt, and heeled boots.

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Chloe Weisberg she/her/hers| Business of Creative Enterprise, 2022 Instagram @chloecweisberg

How you describe your personal style in three words?

Trendy, unique, chic.

Where do you find yourself getting inspiration for your outfits?

Mainly Instagram; I look at influencers a lot. I also go on the Vogue website a lot and look for the fashion week stuff, and I also get inspired by friends.

Are there any brands out there that you follow?

Zara, Reformation, and I also wear a lot of Valencia.

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urban entropy

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DIRECTED AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY LILY WALSH STYLED BY NICK BUNZICK ELOISA DE FARIAS CRISTIAN GANGES MAKEUP BY KAITLYN SHOKES MODELED BY ADEMIR MONTEIRO LAUREN DOBLES JONAS SPENCER

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Let the Light In WRITTEN BY LILLIAN COHEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSICA MUNROE

64 | LIVING

F

resh air is not hard to come by while walking around

biological clock. This throws off the brain’s balance of serotonin

campus in Boston, sun shining onto the Common and

and melatonin levels, causing a depression that lasts throughout

Boylston Place, brightening the sky and the moods of

the winter and sometimes early spring months.

students on their smoke breaks. But we often forget about the lack of light from our windows when cooped up inside.

“Can we keep the windows open?” my roommate asked last semester. It was a concept that had not even occurred to me.

Along with medication prescribed by a doctor, sitting close to bright windows and opening the blinds during the day can help with this, but it’s also seen as beneficial to leave them open consistently, to better connect with the solar cycle itself.

The sun was setting purple behind the rooftop of the Four

“Happy lights” are a creative alternative for those without

Seasons in the distance and the Boston Public Gardens even

much access to light within their living spaces, due to either their

further. No one else was looking out, and it was gorgeous.

vantage point from other buildings or their work hours. These

I have not gone back since.

lights are used to simulate daylight hours and deliver white light

I love the feeling of waking up with the rest of the world,

that improves one’s overall mood, energy, and concentration by

to delicate rays of sunshine. I love the cool breeze. I love how

stimulating the body’s natural energy enhancers without extra

crisp and natural and fresh I feel.

UV rays.

Closing windows does keep in warmth, but it also traps

The winter, especially in Boston, can sometimes feel

pollutants and inhibits proper air flow. Given that, according to

debilitating—literally. But with the addition of fresh air and

the National Institute of Health, Americans on average spend

sunlight in your daily routine, the world can seem a lot brighter.

over 90 percent of their lives indoors, that is a big deal. It’s one

So crack a window, pull up your blinds, and let the light in. YM

of the institute’s top five environmental health concerns.

It is counterintuitive, but indoor air is often more polluted than the air outside, especially in cities like Boston. Simply opening a window for small periods throughout the day can drastically improve this, according to health and wellness blog MindBodyGreen.

In fact, the things we’re keeping at bay by closing the glass barrier might actually be helpful to us. Research shows that more than 99 percent of the bacteria inside us are not harmful, as they help us with our daily functions. A simple way to keep this balance is keeping our windows open.

But it isn’t just in the air. Sunlight also has health benefits and mood boosters, which is especially important to stock up on for those with SAD. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), commonly referred to as “seasonal depression,” can often leave people feeling blue when the cold weather, shorter days, and grayer skies set in.

The shortening hours of sunlight wreak havoc on the body’s

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WORKING YOUR YOUR WAY WAY WORKING THROUGH COLLEGE COLLEGE THROUGH WRITTEN BY DITI KOHLI

A

ART BY OLIVIA KELLIHER fter a seemingly endless string of long days, Eliana Ulloa says all she wants to do is lie down. Most college students can relate to her exhaustion, including me.

But unlike some, Ulloa shoulders the burden of working on top of her studies to aid the costs of attending Emerson and the city living that inevitably accompanies being a student here.

The US Student Debt Relief website reports that the average tuition for private institutions in the country is $34,740.

The number climbs to $46,950 if you include the cost of room and board. But Emerson’s tuition alone is over $46,000, far exceeding the national average.

Students sometimes have to work in order to cover tuition, rent, and other necessities, despite the way in which this additional responsibility can interfere with their schoolwork and health.

The truth remains that the college is extremely inaccessible to hundreds of its students; some Emersonians find a way to make it onto the campus, but continue to struggle after arriving.

Emerson’s Financial Aid Office helps these students “manage the cost of quality education,” their website states, and offers individual counseling and workshops on debt management, budgeting, and saving. The office also plays a role in doling out additional scholarships and grants in order to economically diversify the student population.

But though the college implements initiatives dedicated to expanding the student body’s income diversity, it is indisputable that the current system is simply not enough.

For low-income students, tuition alone poses an exorbitant expense. Though grants, scholarships, and scheduled payment plans may defray the immediate costs, the price of attendance exceeds some families’ incomes. According to 2017 statistics from the US Department of Education, tuition costs for students with a household income of $30,000 or less is still $30,842.

Others, whose tuition is provided through their families, loans, and other avenues, set money aside for their eventual loan payments or personal expenses that come with living in Boston.

Riane Roldan, journalism ‘20, spends up to 24 hours a week at Aritzia, a women’s fashion boutique in the Prudential, to save up for these expenses. “It all kind of adds up... even course packs for my classes are like 30 bucks a pop. I’m not 66 | LIVING

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going to ask my parents for money to go out and buy myself a

and activity times, but oftentimes class times are altered or other

sweater when I could do that myself,” says Roldan.

obligations arise. And because of moving schedules after long

Conversely, Ulloa, a theatre performance major ‘21,

weekends, rapid group project deadlines, and more, Emerson

works as an usher at ArtsEmerson, the on-campus company in

students are often asked to choose between their academic

the Cutler Majestic Theatre. Persistently, Ulloa drudges through

obligations and their occupational ones.

tiring 13-hour days––10 a.m. to 11 p.m., excluding homework.

She says her money goes to whatever her family can’t cover.

“That money mainly goes toward finances my parents

Professors, advisors, and mentors preach “You are a student first.” But what about when rent, tuition, and other needed expenses are in question?

can’t necessarily cover for me,” says Ulloa. “This is currently

“I guess I was like all that and studies just had to take

my only source of income, and I’m not in a place where I

a back seat. I definitely fell behind in a couple of my classes

cannot be making money.”

because of the hours I was working. I’m usually very on top of

Students continue to make space for work in their

everything,” Roldan says.

schedule because of their financial need. But most are well

Students are also confronted with the obvious question:

aware that working systematically goes against Emerson’s

where should we work? On-campus jobs are increasingly hard

active culture, where extracurriculars usually take up highly

to come by, as hundreds of students at Emerson are awarded

valued real estate on students’ lists of priorities.

work-study with only so many jobs and hours existing in reality.

For arts and communications careers like the ones Emerson students are pursuing, practical knowledge is

And off-campus work may hinder students from pursuing other opportunities or cut off the flexibility they need.

essential. As a result, students value their classwork as highly

Rising public transportation prices since 2012 are only

as their extracurriculars and co-curriculars that often align

making it harder for students to commute to potential jobs

with their line of study, like literary magazines, television

and function independently in a city where the cost of living is

productions, and more.

already high. In fact, Payscale found Boston’s cost of living to

Inevitably, when an hourly job is the sole way to make

be 47 percent higher than the national average.

ends meet, acquiring and scheduling hours to work presents

Like many others, I’ve experienced many moments when

additional stress of its own. Finding shift work is a laborious

the cliché rings true: there are simply not enough hours in the

task. Though she works on campus, Ulloa says she sometimes

day. Having a job adds to the overload of commitments college

finds herself “fighting for shifts” in order to lock down hours to

students participate in. In fact, a University of Georgia study

work and get the money she needs.

found students only get an average of six hours of sleep.

Recently, when starring in Bulrusher, Ulloa’s job as an

Despite the endless struggle to be healthy amidst a

usher had to be put aside to accommodate the grueling hours

crowded schedule, working students should take heed from

of rehearsal. “Because my job is shift-based, I have to just not

Roldan who puts her own physical and mental well-being at the

work when I’m in a show, which is so difficult to do. So then I

forefront of her priorities.

do have to prioritize that over work. It sucks,” Ulloa says.

Other times, jobs simply do not offer the flexibility a student’s schedule requires. Jobs are scheduled around class

Roldan says, “No matter what the situation is, I always make sure I’m getting enough sleep and feeding myself because that’s just of importance to me.” YM

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Same Sport Different Game Basketball player Julia Mallon discusses her and her teammates’ experiences with the differences in support between Emerson’s men’s and women’s basketball teams.

WRITTEN BY JULIA MALLON ART BY LILY WALSH

“Y

our games aren’t hype enough.”

game and then see a sea of students for the men. A lot of

“Wait, the girls had a game before this one?”

people say Emerson isn’t a big sports school, but that’s not

“Is our girls team actually doing well this year?”

true. The stands overflow for all of the men’s games.”

These are all things I hear when trying to get people

Teammate Quinn Madden ‘20 adds, “We work just

to come to the women’s basketball game, or when watching

as hard as them and we would get hyped up by fans just as

a men’s game. What are the women’s basketball games

much as the men’s team.”

missing? We have a group of talented athletes that love

There is no evidence of recognition for the women’s

basketball just as much as the men’s players—so where is our

team coming from the student body. This problem does

crowd?

not stem from the athletic department, it is an issue within

Maybe it’s the “girly” music on the playlist played

Emerson’s student population. Davey says, “I believe it’s

during our timeouts. Although “Single Ladies” by Beyoncé

up to the students to decide whether or not they want to

will always be a bop, I’m not sure if it’s the best song to

support women’s sports.”

get a crowd or players amped up for a competitive game.

“What is always the most frustrating is the lack of

Compared to the men’s playlist that consists of hype rap,

support from other women’s teams at our games,” Davey

our playlist seems like it should be used for a sweet sixteen.

continues. “It feels like everyone that comes to our games

Player Natalie Busch ‘19 says, “In Kenna McCafferty’s

was personally invited or persuaded to come, while the

article she published in the Beacon two years ago, she wrote of

men’s game feels like an event that everyone will go out of

the men’s team that ‘there is a distinct tenor of performance

their way to get to.”

both on and off the court for the approval of other men,

These attendance issues could also be due to the lack

often to the detriment of women.’ It’s this performance of

of equal representation on Emerson athletics social media

masculinity that I think entices fans.”

platforms.

No matter the reason, it’s unjust for the women’s

“I messaged the Emerson Lions account on Instagram

team to walk to their locker room after winning an exciting

a few times this season to ask for more support,” says Davey.

overtime game just to see crowds pouring through the door

“Once, they posted two times for our game and six times

to watch the men’s game that is about to begin.

for the men’s game. I asked why they didn’t put our final

Rachel Davey ‘21 of the women’s basketball team says,

score up and one of the other girls on our team asked why

“It’s so deflating to have the gym be basically empty for our

we only got two posts. They didn’t respond to either of us.”

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“I believe it’s up to the students to decide whether Or not they want to support women’s sports.”

Another issue involving the @emersonlions Instagram

Although the rules are slowly inching in the direction of equality

account occurred when they reposted a photo that said to

(men’s games becoming more strict and women’s looser), there is

“watch out for Emerson College men’s basketball, a team

still a physical factor the NCAA allows only men’s games to have.

on the rise.” What they failed to do was post the same photo

Madden says, “I think refs call fouls more closely with

that gave the women’s team the same recognition. Madden

women players because it is assumed women cannot handle

says, “I would like the athletic department to make more

too much physical contact. Women are assumed to be weaker

of an effort to make women’s sports feel just as important

or more docile so fouls are called with only little contact.”

as men’s.”

Men’s players often get personal and loudly discuss

Outside of all the school-level issues, there are obvious

calls with the refs during their games. Women players often

and demeaning differences between the men’s and women’s

avoid these discussions in fear of being given technical fouls.

game of basketball. Some people say women’s basketball

Men are also more likely to get away with trash-talking and

is boring and that comes down to the refs and the NCAA

taunting the other team than women.

rulebook.

The women’s basketball team is proud of what the

In 2013, the NCAA decided the men’s games were

men’s team has accomplished this past season and done

too physical and implemented a few stricter fouling rules.

for the Emerson athletics program. But our team cannot

These changes, however, were not made for the safety of the

help but wonder: if we made it to the championship, would

men’s players. The NCAA website states, “The NCAA Men’s

anyone have shown up?

Basketball Rules Committee concluded that physical play,

“We played some great basketball that was fun to watch

particularly on players with the ball, was disrupting the flow of

and we had our best season in program history. Everyone [on

game.” The NCAA was disappointed that the overall scoring

the team] cared about basketball and cared about getting

average was the lowest it had been since 1981–82 and wanted

better,” says Busch. “I was finally surrounded by committed

men to start scoring more.

athletes who played with pride, not just people playing

It wasn’t until 2015 that women’s defensive post players were allowed to place one hand or forearm on the back of the offensive post player, as long as their back was to the basket.

72 | LIVING

basketball.”

If the rest of the student body does not recognize this, that is their loss. YM

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WRITTEN BY RICHELLE MELAD PHOTOGRAPHY BY ABBEY FINN

The Art of the Side Hustle “They are making money out of it, and you can too.”

O

ne of the main reasons why I can scroll through Instagram for hours on end is because I get to see people unleash their creativity. Art history shows us

that art can be made by anyone, with any intent. At one point, it was to show the exuberance of the bourgeoisie through selfportraits, then it was to attack nobility by drawing sarcastic political propaganda cartoons, and then it was to revolutionize the masses. I believe the art that is “in” right now, the art I see on social media, is made mainly out of things that we tend to overlook every day.

Today, people are creating art with anything, like food, vases, pots, notebooks, tote bags—you name it. The best part?

Anyone can do it because one does not need fancy materials or patrons. The second best part? This can be a side hobby that can give you a break from the monotony of school. The third best part? They are making money out of it, and you can too.

Art can be an outlet and a side-hustle.

Visual and media arts major Victoria Raschi ‘19 started “Bitchin’ Stitchin” to fulfill her hobby of embroidery and to make money at the same time by selling it. Raschi, along with three of her friends, has made over $200. She has been getting numerous requests for commissions from organizations, friends, and family members. Her family friend recently requested a bag, for which Raschi earned $30.

“My roommates also embroider, so it’s something that we do together to relax,” Raschi says. Relaxing and spending time with friends while working to make money is an unfamiliar yet totally doable concept in our world nowadays.

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Another student, Jess Gregorio, is planning to start an online business venture called “Seeing Doubled” in the next few months with her sister.

“What we’re basically doing is cutting up old clothes in half, mixing them up, and then sewing pieces together into something new and one-of-a-kind,” Gregorio says.

“Seeing Doubled” will be Gregorio’s project for her entrepreneurship class. She made this “mini company” because she was frustrated with stores that claim their expensive clothes were vintage, even though they were just thrifted pieces. “So instead of getting rid of our bank accounts, we went thrifting that night, bought a few shirts, and went over to our grandma’s house to ask her to teach us how to sew them together,” says Gregorio. “It only cost about $7 to $10 to make it happen in an hour with the help of a pre-owned sewing machine, and the quality was way better than what we had seen in that shop.”

“Seeing Doubled” not only aims to make money off of something Gregorio and her sister love to do in their free time, but it also creates the opportunity for sustainable, affordable thrifting.

Emerson students have so much creative potential, but it shouldn’t just end there. You don’t have to be a professional artist to be able to sell your work. In an era where the definition of art is expanding, anything can be art. Anyone can be an artist to channel creativity, fulfill environmental obligations, practice self-care, enjoy themselves, and to top it all off––make some moolah. YM

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DIRECTED AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY ELEANOR HILTY MONIKA DAVIS STYLED BY NICK BUNZICK TIANNA LOVERDE LAUREN DILLOW EMILY MCMANN ANNA WOJNAROWSKI

MAKEUP BY LAUREN DILLOW DAYSIA TOLENTINO MODELED BY MARISSA CARDENAS OLIVIA CIGLIANO SOLEIL EASTON

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Folk Art and Frida WRITTEN BY NATALIE GALE ART BY LILY HARTENSTEIN

T

his February, the Museum of Fine Arts opened its first

women, or Tehuanas, showing pride in all things Mexican, and

ever exhibit on Frida Kahlo. Transporting the viewer back

cultural solidarity with indigenous people.

to 1920s Mexico City, Frida Kahlo and Arte Popular displays

“Her method of dressing was an extension of her creativity,”

famous Kahlo paintings, like “Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace

said Adriana Zavala, Associate Professor of Art History at Tufts

and Hummingbird” and “Still Life with Parrot and Fruit” with the

University. “She was validating the people she was dressing like. But

traditional Mexican folk art that inspired Kahlo.

it is a form of cultural appropriation that we have to think critically

“Kahlo was inspired by folk art,” said Layla Bermeo,

about. Kahlo was elite: not quite wealthy, but comfortable.”

Assistant Curator of American Paintings at the MFA. “She is not a

“On the one hand, it was meaningful for a middle-class

folk artist.” The MFA presents her works beside their inspirations,

woman like Kahlo to celebrate and bring attention to the art of

unlike an exhibit in Kahlo’s lifetime that once displayed her works

rural and indigenous peoples, which had largely been ignored

as comparative to folk art, much to her dismay. (Read her vehement

before the Mexican Revolution,” said Bermeo. But she also noted

letter to a friend about the incident in this new exhibit.)

that Kahlo’s life was a privileged one, much more privileged than

With Mexico fresh out of its 10-year civil war, Kahlo and

the lives of the women whose dress she was wearing.

other artists in the group of affluent, left-leaning artists to which

Ankori detailed how Kahlo’s style of dress also functioned

she belonged, celebrated Mexican folk art, or arte popular, as

to distract people from her physical disabilities caused by a bus

representative of the true Mexico. Kahlo’s own arte popular

accident when she was an adolescent. “Mexican fashion scholar

collection lives in La Casa Azul, her home-turned-museum in

Circe Henestrosa explains that the long skirts covered Kahlo’s

Mexico City, but the MFA has assembled folk art of her time,

injured leg. The huipil, or tunic, was capacious enough to hide

ceramics, children’s toys, and religious retablos, to give the viewer a

her medical corsets,” said Ankori. Her intricate updos and

visual of her inspirations.

heavy, colorful jewelry also brought attention to her face rather

See Kahlo’s famous “Girl with Death Mask” next to an

than to her disability. Ankori also pointed out that a photograph

eerily similar folk mask. Or notice her family tree painting,

in Kahlo’s home shows her mother wearing a dress from the

“My Grandparents, My Parents, and I;” its plaque details

Tehuantepec region: her mother was of indigenous descent, so

how she made the painting after Hitler passed his Nuremberg

in a way this dress was a part of Kahlo’s heritage.

Laws, when many Germans were making family trees to

Fridamania describes the craze around Kahlo’s popularity

demonstrate the purity of their bloodline. Instead, Kahlo

and image. You’ve probably seen some of the Kahlo paintings at

proudly painted the marriage between her German father

the MFA exhibit on a few mugs, pairs of socks, or anything sold

and Mexican mother.

in a gift shop. Zavala describes this as a “reduction of what she

Also in the exhibit visitors can find photos of her personal

was to her image.” How would she have felt about Fridamania?

bathroom taken long after she had passed, left preserved for many

“The biggest criticism isn’t how she would feel,” said

years. Or examine a 1970s issue of Vogue containing an article

Zavala, “but rather, what does it do to dilute our understanding

called “Señoras of Mexico,” in which Kahlo’s photograph is

of her contribution to history?”

captioned, laughably, “Señora Diego Rivera, wife of the famous Mexican artist.”

“It whitewashes a woman of color; it Barbie-fies the body of a woman with disabilities; it plucks the convention-defying

A proud communist, “Kahlo was part of a group of artists

unibrow,” said Ankori. It presents a distraction to who she actually

and intellectuals who espoused native Mexican culture as an

was: “A radical, taboo-breaking artist with a passionate socialist

anti-colonialist political position and as an aesthetic choice,” said

political stand. Making her merchandise and domesticating her is

Gannit Ankori, Professor of Art History and Theory at Brandeis

undoing her legacy.”

University. As the new exhibit details, Kahlo and other women in her circle, dressed in the style of indigenous, rural Mexican 92 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Frida Kahlo and Arte Popular, through June 16, MFA, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston. YM

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | 93

94 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Art v. Artist WRITTEN BY OLIVIA CIGLIANO

I

ART BY YELIZAVETA ROGULINA

n the era of #MeToo and #TimesUp, seemingly every

Katz says, “I think each issue is really up to the specific

few weeks a new celebrity is exposed to be different behind

situation. I think that boycotting someone’s artistic work

closed doors. Whether it be domestic or sexual abuse, dozens

can be a really powerful statement, and something that

of high-ranking industry leaders have been accused of these

I know I have definitely participated in. I think that there is

heinous acts, and, for the most part, the public has fiercely

some validity behind both positions. But there is a difference

vied to hold them accountable. But what do you do when a

between actively choosing to consume the art of say, someone

“visionary” has been accused? What happens when the art that

like XXXTentacion, and just acknowledging that it exists. I

moves us has been created by someone who morally disgusts

personally don’t really feel comfortable consuming the art of

us? Do their creations reflect their personal choices, or are they

someone I know has done bad things, and I think it’s a bit selfish

separate from the creator?

if you refuse to acknowledge what they have done.” She adds,

If it is understood that behind every aesthetic decision

“There is a lot of power in choosing to say no to a certain type

there is a calculated choice, and behind that choice is personal

of consumption. I think that having the power and privilege to

value, experience, bias, positionality, etc., then how can

do so and choosing to act upon it is going to naturally create a

someone’s art not be personally reflective? How can their

domino effect that gives others the encouragement to do the

character not be involved?

same.”

Some may argue that you should always keep the two

So in terms of boycotting a musician, is it even a

separate. That you should appreciate work from people such as

worthwhile cause? As of May 2018, Spotify, with 75 million

Woody Allen, Harvey Weinstein, R. Kelly, etc., and shouldn’t

paying subscribers, stopped recommending R. Kelly’s music

disregard the work’s impact solely because of the creator’s

on its platform to listeners and removed his music from all

distasteful personal life. Even a legend like Tupac was once

pre-made playlists. This was in lieu of the #MuteRKelly

arrested for sexually abusing a 19-year-old, but his legacy is

campaign which has been present for the past few years and

widely honored and celebrated. Michael Jackson has also been

focused on banning Kelly’s music from all radio stations and

a point of recent controversy due to the release of the HBO

streaming services. So while a big name like Spotify responds to

documentary Leaving Neverland, which details two allegations

the demands of its consumers, it does not necessarily mean it

of his pedophilia. But this angle of strict separation maintains

will hurt sales. Data analytics company Nielsen found that song

that, in the grand scheme of things, the art has been integral

and album sales more than doubled, and streams spiked by 76

in the evolution of culture and should be acknowledged. It’s

and 85 percent. It seems that exposure, even if it’s bad, is still

not necessarily condoning their sins, but it’s also not punishing

intriguing to the public.

the art.

The bottom line is that the choice is up to the individual

Visual and media arts major Delaney Katz ‘22 says, “I

consumer. If you are morally comfortable consuming an artist’s

think art is a collaborative effort with oneself. I don’t think it’s

content, even with the understanding of their allegations, then

really fair to say that art is completely separate of the artist.

that’s on you. But the best that we can do as a public market is be

Yes, there are always going to be problematic people who

aware of the content we consume and make educated choices

have made some very important pieces of work, but there are

we are proud of. Sometimes a boycott or blacklist is effective,

just as many good people who have made art that is just as

and sometimes it is not. Regardless, the public is the sole reason

impactful.”

for an artist’s fame and success. Katz notes, “I think a lot of

Even people to the likes of Chris Brown, XXXTentacion,

young people have collectively chosen to be more conscious of

6ix9ine, or Kevin Spacey, Louis C.K., Mario Batali—the list

the media they consume and that has definitely created a shift

goes on—have been up for debate. As a content consumer,

in our culture. I would like to think that we are a lot more picky

should you boycott the work of questionable individuals in the

over who we bring into power these days, but I know we have a

name of morality?

long way to go.” YM ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | 95

THE STREAMINGDILEMMA DILEMMA STREAMING STREAMING DILEMMA WRITTEN BY ANDREW TAETS

I

ART BY YELIZAVETA ROGULINA

n 2015, Taylor Swift took to the internet to openly slam

services from Spotify and Apple Music to SoundCloud and

Apple for not paying artists during a three-month free trial

Bandcamp. He acknowledges that as a small artist who is also a

period launching their new streaming service. In her letter,

college student, he’s not big enough “to think about payment-

she writes, “Three months is a long time to go unpaid, and it is

related stuff,” though he does “think it’s a bummer that artists

unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing [...] we don’t ask you

can’t make much money on studio albums,” a common view

for free iPhones. Please don’t ask us to provide you with our

voiced by many young artists working to be able to support

music for no compensation.”

themselves only by their artistry.

The letter had an immediate effect, resulting in Apple Music changing their policy the next day.

Still, Rollins had positive things to say about the benefits

It also raised

of streaming services. “Using streaming services has definitely

questions that have still not been resolved: is this shift of focus

boosted my process as an artist because they allow me to share

to streaming services fair to the artist?

my music on a platform that my listeners are already familiar

Just weeks ago, Ariana Grande shattered the record for most streams in the first week of a pop album, amassing

with,” he says. “In my mind, streaming services can only benefit up-and-coming artists by giving them [this platform].”

a whopping 307 million streams in the seven days following

Furthermore, Rollins points out that “if streaming services

the release of “thank u, next.” Drake still holds the overall

didn’t exist, I would have to rely on physical albums which

record for all genres with a staggering 745.9 million streams.

would be super expensive,” thus balancing issues with royalties.

And while many in the industry like Swift have spoken out

In the same vein, a small indie artist named Vérité argues

against streaming services, artists like Grande and Drake break

in favor of streaming services in an interview with Forbes. She

records month after month, establishing them as streaming

says, “Spotify won’t build your career, nor is that its responsibility.

juggernauts. The preference is clear: the general public is

It provides a platform for discovery. It will link your listeners to

not buying albums anymore, but rather electing to pay small

your merchandise and concerts, and it will provide back-end

monthly fees or nothing at all to listen to their favorite songs

data for you to locate and analyze your followers.”

through these streaming services. But what does this all mean?

Henry Tyndall ‘22, who has yet to put his music on

In terms of royalties, every major streaming service pays

streaming services, but may one day, argues, “The best thing

at rates of lower than one cent per play, excluding Pandora.

you can do for an artist is listen to their music and tell your

This means that if an artist wants to earn the US minimum

friends. You can't do anything to make sure their record label

monthly wage ($1,472) from their music using Pandora, the

pays them fairly any less than you can make sure streaming

service with the highest pay-per-play rate, the artist must amass

services pay them fairly. Many artists pay from their own pocket

nearly 88,000 plays, and through YouTube, the service with

to have their music on streaming services. At first, it's all about

the lowest pay-per-play rate, they need nearly 2 million plays.

exposure. Money comes later.”

These numbers are astronomical to most newer and lesserknown artists.

I looked to Emerson College musicians and music-lovers to weigh in on this issue, and found that most students support the use of streaming services and have a unique perspective on how much artists are getting paid.

The music industry has already shifted to streaming as its primary method of consumption, and that is unlikely to change.

Now, we can only wait and see the true effects this will have on the music production and artists’ incomes.

However, both Tyndall and Rollins highlight something very important as music consumers: no matter how the music

Matthew Rollins ‘22 has released a single called

industry is changing, the best thing we can do for our favorite

“Upward Motion,” and two EPs: Violent Meditation and most

artists is champion them and spread the word whenever

recently, Alt-Metall, all of which are available on all streaming

possible. YM

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WRITTEN BY OLIVIA CIGLIANO

“If I’m shining, everybody gonna shine.”

ART BY ELEANOR HILTY

A

merica’s newest “Bop Star” Lizzo is quickly infecting

audience. Each single is a self-empowerment anthem, tackling

the charts and your feed with nothing short of vibrant

topics such as freedom found in being your own inspiration,

self-empowerment. But where did she come from and

self-validating sexuality, and independence. Try not to dance to

why is she such a powerhouse?

these songs, I dare you.

Even as a little girl, Melissa Jefferson always oozed energy

Lizzo’s bright sound and unapologetic confidence is

and adored a good bop. She told Teen Vogue in 2018 that every

truly infectious to her audience. Growing up with body-image

morning before school, she’d blast her favorite hit in her room

issues, she learned to accept herself and disregard societal

and choreograph an extensive routine in its entirety before

norms. Hayley Scanlon, an Emerson senior, chimes in on the

catching her ride. As a self-proclaimed “chubby girl with funny

topic of body image saying, “There’s so much body shame,

teeth,” her bedroom concerts were only a foreshadowing to her

especially among women, and I think it’s great that Lizzo is

shining pop stardom.

combating that and setting a great example for young girls.”

Lizzo might be an up-and-coming name in the charts,

Lizzo’s priority is to create feel-good music that inspires her

but at age 30, she’s an incredibly seasoned artist and musician.

listeners to celebrate themselves. In her 2018 smash single

After moving away from her hometown in Houston, she lived in

“Juice,” she proclaims, “If I’m shining, everybody gonna

Minneapolis in 2011 where she began performing in an electro

shine.”

soul-pop duo known as Lizzo & Larva Ink. Soon after, she

Parker Sacavitch, an Emerson freshman and fan of

co-founded her first indie hip-hop group called The Chalice.

Lizzo, tells me, “The first time I ever really listened to Lizzo

Besides Lizzo, the trio was made up of two other widely

was right after my breakup. I had heard some of her songs

respected emcees, Sophia Eris and Claire de Lune, and together

before but I wasn’t really a huge fan until I needed a song that

their sound drew influence from soul, funk, R&B, reggae, and

would boost me up and make me feel better.” She adds, “She

hip-hop. The Chalice dropped their first album We Are The

is girl empowerment to the extreme, like she thinks she’s hot

Chalice in 2012 and received local success. In 2013, Lizzo

shit and every else just has to deal with it. She plays flute, talks

and Sophia Eris teamed up again, this time with percussionist

unapologetically about sexuality and blackness, and she’s an

Hellion Manchita, to release music as Grrrl Prty. First Avenue

extremely witty songwriter.

described the group’s vibe as “a celebration of femininity and

In “Scuse Me,” Lizzo “feels herself,” attributing her

unsheathed swagger,” characteristics still ever-present in Lizzo’s

heavenly glow to her beautiful thick figure, and in “Coconut

music today.

Oil,” she manifests healing for herself and her fans, singing,

Finally, in 2013, her debut solo album Lizzobangers, produced by Lazerbeak and Ryan Olson, was released and

“Don’t worry about the small things, I know I can do all things… all I needed was some coconut oil.”

found both regional and national acclaim. From there, she

In a growing movement of female hip-hop artists spreading

appeared on tracks with Bastille, Prince & 3rdEyeGirl, Clean

themes of self-love, personal agency, and independence from

Bandit, and more. In 2014, Time featured her as one of 14

male opinions, Lizzo is a prominent figure. She shines as as a

musicians to watch that year. The following year, Lizzo founded

figure of black excellence, body positivity, and womanly power,

her own label Big GRRRL Small World, and released her

all while delivering her message through a lens of fun and

second full-length album, which shared the same name as her

freedom. “I cannot remember a woman since Missy Elliot that

label and maintained her streak of positive reviews.

has represented plus-size black women,” Harris says. “I love

In the fall of 2016, Lizzo debuted on a major label with

that her music isn’t about being plus-size or about being black

her Coconut Oil EP. She then released a number of singles

24/7, it’s just about being her. She’s normalizing the presence

such as “Water Me,” “Truth Hurts” (which was deemed “the

of someone like her in the industry and I love that.”

ultimate self-confidence song” by sophomore Morgan Harris), and “Fitness” which propelled her voice to a wider, hungry

Lizzo’s latest album, “Cuz I Love You,” released on April 19. YM ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | 99

your WITH STYLE EDITOR & STREET STYLE DIRECTOR DELIA CURTIS RINGS

PENS

I have worn a ring on every finger since the beginning of high

What’s a writer without her pens?! Never will I ever go

school—except my thumbs due to a traumatic door injury

anywhere without a spare writing utensil. I like to try all kinds

that I’d rather not jump into. Turquoise, lapis, carnelian, and

of colors and textures, playing around with the way that they

amber all dot my fingers. The two pieces that I know I will

feel in my hands and the way they glide over paper. It’s kind

never part with are my mom’s gold Claddagh ring from her

of like ASMR for me and I find something incredibly soothing

high school boyfriend, inscribed with her birthday and their

about physically writing things down in a sturdy notebook.

initials, as well as my mom’s class ring—though it wasn’t

Currently, I’m loving Tombow, Le Pen, Muji, Papier Tigre, and

originally hers, but rather my aunts with the stone swapped

Teranishi for all my scrawling and scribbling and for crafting

out. When I don’t have them on, I feel pretty naked, so it’s a

lengthy to-do lists and quick notes in my journal.

safe bet that if you ever run into me, I’ll be sporting them in all their glittery glory.

MUSTARD YELLOW Yellow is my color. I own way too many things in that burnt

MAGAZINES

mustardy color that always comes back around fall, but for me

From the stacks upon stacks of them strewn across my living

it’s year round. When I was a kiddo, I never wanted to pick a

space, it’s pretty clear that magazines are my life. I love them

favorite color because I felt bad for the ones that I didn’t pick, as

with all my heart. Longform articles that dive deep into lifestyle,

if the colors had feelings of their own. Eventually, having always

culture, and queerness are my ish. Flipping through gorgeous

been forced to pick one during random icebreaker games or

editorial shoots, discovering new typography and design, and

casual conversations with acquaintances, I decided upon yellow

scrolling through mag socials are some of my favorite pastimes.

because of its ability to brighten my mood and keep a smile on

My two favorite magazines are Frankie and Oh Comely. I’ve

my face. It also reflects my sunshiny personality. :’)

collected almost every issue since adopting them into my repertoire. Their quirky content, stunning visuals, and real approach to life are to die for.

POSTCARDS AND ART PRINTS My postcard and art print collection is endless and always continues to grow. I use them for decorating and collaging in

JEAN JACKET WITH PINS

my space because it’s a great way to add some unique flair to a

Anyone that knows me well will know that denim is my fabric

room while existing on a budget. At the moment, I’ve crafted

of choice. There usually isn’t a day that goes by that I’m

a mural of postcards and art prints on an entire wall in my

not wearing some sort of denim jacket or pair of jeans. It’s

room, featuring notable artists like Mucha and Monet as well as

something that I feel comfortable in and suits my body shape in

kitschy postcards from Cannes, Dublin, London, and a handful

ways that make me love my curves. I also deck out my denim

of other cities I visited while abroad. Pro Tip: Art museum gift

with enamel pins and buttons. It’s a small way to support local

shops always have a lovely selection of their pieces in postcard

artists and small business owners as well as wear your favorite

form to snag and some restaurants and thrift shops might have

art. One of my most treasured pins is this adorable little pig on

a cute one decked in their logo. (See: The Friendly Toast, Burro

all fours wearing yellow rain boots by an artist called RZ.

Bar, Buffalo Exchange.)

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ILLUSTRATION BY ENNE GOLDSTEIN YOUR MAG | 101

Ym ADVICE FROM Your mag alumni Older people in creative industries have no idea what they’re talking about when it comes to advice, and many who want to take you under their wing just want to sleep with you. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing! You could use this to your advantage, if you felt so inclined.

Matt Mullen, Producer at A&E Networks, Former YM Managing Editor ‘It’s not that deep.’ One of the best things my best friends ever said to me. The clichés in this sentence are manifold: let it go, move on, c’est la vie. Sadly, clichés are clichés for a reason. There’s always a bit of truth underneath.

I’m an overthinker who clings onto the smallest missteps or mistakes; there are so many instances I now look back on where I wish I hadn’t painstakingly reanalayzed and worried myself over situations I couldn’t control or change after I’d given it my all, from work to relationships to friends. That’s time I can’t get back. So zoom out. Work hard, be kind, know your worth, and hold yourself accountable. But also don’t be too hard on yourself. You can’t control everything. Let shit go. And take all of this with many grains of salt. It’s really not that deep.

Pim Phongsirivech, Assistant Editor at TASCHEN, Former YM Editor-in-Chief My advice would be: Be kind to one another and be kind to yourself. My favorite moments in college weren’t from the craziest nights, the best accomplishments, or the most iconic times, but rather they are from moments when everyone from strangers to close friends were kind and opened their hearts to me, and in turn, made Boston my home.

Annie Huang, Executive Assistant at Sony Pictures, Former YM Talent Director Work smart, not hard. There were so many all-nighters in college, where I’d be working on an article until 5 a.m. But sometimes it’s better to get sleep and wake up refreshed with a clear head and plan. I have to remind myself of this still today, when work gets stressful. Since I’m in a creative industry, it’s important that I never let stress or an impending deadline clog my thoughts. I need a clear head to do my job to the best of my ability.

Mia Zarrella, Junior Copywriter at Rue La La, Freelance Journalist, Former YM Editor-in-Chief Honestly graduation is completely jolting and no amount of advice will change that. The pace of the world outside of college is so different. But my best advice is to just be patient. It takes time to find a job that’s the right fit. Heck, it may take cycling through 3 terrible entry-level jobs before you find something that feels right (I’m guilty of such, major yikes for being a bit unpredictable). But I’m glad that I took the time to explore options before settling into something that is a good balance for now. And remember that no matter what, nothing is permanent and it’s perfectly normal and totally okay to feel confused and a little lost at times.

Sophie Peters-Wilson, Junior Creative Liaison at Trunk Archive, Former YM Creative Director First and foremost to take a break if you can. For most of us, graduation signifies the beginning of a life of working. And even if you end up in your dream career and you spend every day doing what you love, you will still be working and you will still be exhausted.

You don’t have to rush straight into the grueling internship or entry-level position that will pay you not enough for too much of your time. Taking three to six months to, like, breathe—and prepare yourself for the hard work ahead—is a totally okay and healthy thing to do. And it’s not going to set you back in any major way; it can even give you time to rest and grow and hone in on what you really want your postgrad life to look like.

Katja Vujić, Snapchat Editor at New York Magazine, Former YM Editor-in-Chief

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ART BY BOBBY J. NICHOLAS III

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artist

WHITE EL DIRECTED BY ELEANOR HILTY & DAYSIA TOLENTINO PHOTOGRAPHED BY ELEANOR HILTY

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LEPHANT YOUR MAG | 105

SAM

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TIM YOUR MAG | 107

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“describe “describe your your work work in in one one sentence” sentence”

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MIKE

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MOLLY

follow @whiteelephantsound on instagram for updates on the band YOUR MAG | 111

Seniors Rising PHOTOGRAPHED BY EMILY KING ART BY NATALIE GALE

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