ISSUE NO. 2
COLOUR THE REBIRTH ISSUE
colour Editor-in-chief Oluwatobi Alawode
Creative Directors Photo Director Photographers Photoshoot Director Production Director Design Director Graphic Designer Graphic Design Editor Make-up Artists Stylists Staff Writers
Bloggers
THE REBIRTH ISSUE
Ishvinder Kaur, Jerusha Simmons, Le'Aysha Pearson Taylor Bird McGuire Darius Calliet, Mason Polk Briana Anderson Darius Calliet Ashley Hanqiu Zhou Sara Wang Sydney Tucker Aja Welch, Bree Williams Le'Aysha Pearson, Justyn Higgins Maya Mahendran, Helen Li, Destinee Shipley, Megan Khu Justyn Higgins, Jessica Blum, Ishvinder Kaur
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Editor-in-chief Oluwatobi Alawode
Creative Directors Photo Director Photographer Photoshoot Director Production Director Design Director Design Editors Layout Design Make-up Artists Stylists Staff Writers Contributing Writers Bloggers
THE REBIRTH ISSUE
Jerusha Simmons, Le'Aysha Pearson, Ishvinder Kaur Taylor Bird McGuire, Mason Polk Briana Anderson Darius Calliet Ashley Hanqiu Zhou Sydney Tucker Sara Wang Aja Welch, Bree Williams Le'Aysha Pearson, Justyn Higgins Maya Mahendran, Helen Li, Destinee Shipley, Megan Khu Kaur, Oluwatobi Alawode Destinee Shipley Justyn Higgins, Jessica Blum, Ishvinder Kaur
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table of contents 06 REINCAR NATION Barbie 09 Got a Makeover 20 YEEZUS: Why We Love Kanye Like Kanye Loves Kanye 22 The 90s Are Back in Style
Goodbye, 30 Class of 2016 Poetry: 33 Nostalgia
THE REBIRTH ISSUE
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ANAIS NIN:
I TAKE PLEASURE IN MY TRANSFORMATIONS. I LOOK QUIET AND CONSISTENT, BUT FEW KNOW HOW MANY WOMEN THERE ARE IN ME
REINCAR NATION By Maya Mahendran
According to Hindu tradition, a baby’s hair contains the negative traits and sins from their past lives, and it must be shaved in order to truly begin the current reincarnation. At a special ritual called the chudakarana or mundana, the family travels to specific location where the child’s head is shaved, only leaving a small tuft, the sikha, to protect the memory. As a child, I experienced this tradition firsthand. A couple of weeks ago, I shaved the nape of my neck in an undercut. It was the second time in my life that a razor had touched my head. I’ve found that haircuts can be an enlightening experience. Armed with a pair of scissors and a comb, the stylist is your guide. If you don’t know them too well, you could honestly have no idea what you’re going to walk out of the salon with. A good stylist will understand that for many people, getting a haircut is a way of reimagining themselves, a way of starting again. A rebirth. In the past couple of years, undercuts have been rising in popularity , yet for the most part they’ve stayed a predominantly masculine cut. Despite the fact that many cultures tie femininity very tightly to the idea of long flowing hair , a slowly growing contingent of girls has started rocking shaved or cropped cuts. We spoke to 3 girls, myself included, with shaved heads to get their perspectives.
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Kisha Bwenge, a senior, first shaved half of her head her freshman year, after an accident at the salon. “It turned out okay though!” she said, laughing. She then rocked long box braids for a while, before deciding to shave her entire head. “It was a lot of work,” she told me, “And they were heavy!” Regarding the impact on her femininity, she explained that there was an outside assumption of masculinity, but that she personally feels really feminine. Bwenge underscored the fact that, for her, femininity is not expressed solely through her hair. With the front left part of her head shaved, Jaszmine Parks’ hair gleams a deep violet in the sunlight. When questioned, Parks mentioned that she had been planning her hair rebirth for some time. “I guess it was a non-traditional thing that I’d been thinking about for a while. I went to go get a trim and then ended up shaving it and dyeing it purple. I mean, it looks cool,” she grinned at me. When asked about the actual process of shaving her head, and its impact on her femininity, she was clear. “I wouldn’t call it traumatic, but it was impactful.” She feels that the haircut matches who she is, “I’ve never been a super feminine person, sometimes I am, sometimes I’m not, and the haircut reflects that.” I found that my own reasons for my undercut reflected many of Jaszmine’s motivations. I had been toying with the idea of shaving at least part of my head ever since I saw Natalie Dormer rock the semi-shaved head at the Mockingjay premiere. I was ready to add an edge to my persona that had for so long only been interior, but I had reservations regarding my parents’ reactions and about job applications. Nevertheless, I decided to get a nape undercut because it could be hidden when my hair is down. I find it incredibly liberating to be able to tie up my hair and be perceived as something different, maybe not necessarily less feminine, but different. Although the three of us had different motivations for shaving our heads, there was an underlying desire to redefine how we were perceived by the public. Our haircuts gave us the freedom to choose what facets of our personality would be displayed, providing us with a means of reincarnation into someone we had always aspired to be.
COLOUR
REBIRTH | ISSUE NO. 2
BARBIE GOT A MAKEOVER After 57 years, Mattel finally decided to make a much needed change to their iconic product. Written by Megan Khu and Helen Li
THE REBIRTH ISSUE
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Meet...
the new Barbies.
Aerobic Barbie
Uptown Barbie
Downtown Barbie
THE REMAKE OF THE BARBIE DOLL: A REBIRTH OF CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES The first gift that I remember receiving from Santa was a
After that I had to throw away the one doll that
slender, blonde Barbie doll, dressed in a floral print crop-
somewhat represented me. It was amazing how many
top and a fuchsia nylon skirt, complete with clip-on pink
replacement dolls I got over the years for presents, yet
boots and an assortment of purses. I remember gently
not a single one had dark hair. My black-haired barbie
cradling it in my arms, and pretending to make it do flips
was hardly Asian, but she seemed a good as it would
like an Olympic diver and queenly waves like it was a
get; as rare as a collectable.
movie star. I created clothes for her and braided her hair into pigtails. Barbie opened a world of possibilities.
One of my friends, who is black, recalls the moment when her parents, hoping to instill the confidence that
As I grew older, I began craving toys that looked like me.
“Black is Beautiful” within their child, gave her the
Browsing through stores soon turned to scouring, I
American Girl Doll: Addy. The American Girl Doll
simply couldn’t find them. Most Barbie dolls
Collection, portraying girls from ages eight to eleven
commercially sold in stores like Wal-Mart and Toys-R-
of different ethnicities from different eras, are sold
Us at that time were largely variations of the blonde
with an accompanying set of historical fiction books,
model: maybe her occupation or her dress varied. The
attempting to educate young audiences on complex
only Asian or Asian American Barbie dolls that existed
topics ranging from war to slavery to poverty to child
were part of Mattel’s
labor. Addy is a former slave who escapes to
“Dolls of the World” Collection,
featuring country specific Barbies dressed in an
freedom during the Civil War era. She was American
assortment of qipaos, kimonos, hanboks, and saris which
Girl’s first African American historical character and
overall contributed to a sense of exoticization and
the only one for a very long time. Although the
foreignness (albeit an improvement from the first Asian
message from the Addy books of overcoming
Barbie, umbrella-termed
“Oriental Barbie”). Obviously,
adversity to achieve success is positive, the limited
not many other toy companies had Asian or Asian
representation of different experiences burdens toys
American representation amongst their products during
like Addy of becoming the
the early 2000s. Finding
“myself” in toys required a bit
“token doll” or “models of
perfection.” This further erases and silences individual experiences, as people’s stories are
of imagination.
generalized into the mainstream. Rather than creating There was nothing wrong with the blonde models; it just
a welcoming and relatable experience, the lack of
wasn’t as fun because I couldn’t pick a doll that
diversity among toys like dolls, whether it be race,
accurately represented me. I wanted to picture myself in
ethnicity, body type, religion, sexuality, etc., alienates
these dress-up situations and to become my doll. The
children when they feel that they cannot find this
only suitable representative was a lone black-haired
comfort of a common struggle.
Barbie with thick multi-colored eyeshadow and twinkling blue eyes. I played with her the most, that is, until I burned her hair off at the lamp light bulb)
“tanning-salon” (I.e. my desk
Business Barbie
Rocker Barbie
Beyond not being able to have an ideal playtime due
Sonia isn’t alone. One of the world’s biggest toy
to lack of variety in dolls, it’s daunting to think
companies, Mattel, released its new line of petite,
Barbie’s ideal of beauty seemed as inflexible as her
tall, and curvy Barbie dolls. This, along with the
plastic hands. The dolls came more or less in one
release of new skin tones and hair textures last
mold:
“blonde hair blue eyes”. Overtime, young
year, is part of its latest efforts to diversify its
girls are sent a message of what the standard of
product line and reflect its young audience. The
beauty is. Through dolls, through their friends,
recent movement towards diversifying toys helps
through the media. If all they see is a single mold,
children embrace their individuality and unique
with no variation and little room for exceptions,
identities. The power of the toy in shaping a
they’ll start to feel insecure about their differences.
child’s experience should not be underestimated.
Dolls are very unique in the way they convey
While working with kids, I see the impact that
beauty because their features are permanent. Make-
toys have on their imagination. Thanks to
up remover is non-existent for Barbies, which leads
characters like Doc McStuffins, more and more
young girls to only see their dolls in full-time
girls are pretending to nurses or doctors, breaking
glamour. Young girls aren’t able to fully
away from the traditional
realistically see the different forms of beauty in
given to them. Toys are something that children
everyday life when they play with their dolls. When
seek to embody themselves, especially in role-
Barbie wakes-up in the morning her make-up is
playing. While there is still more work to be
fully done, her hair is tangle free, and she’s ready to
done, the recent changes in dolls is promising.
party. Obviously, this strays from reality. It subtly
Barbie recently lost her pinched in waistline in
sends the wrong message that make-up, clothing,
favor for a more realistic body-shape that many
and a single body type are all pre-requisites for
“I love to shop” roles
more girls can identify with. Barbie’s focus has
beauty. Barbie isn’t the only toy company at fault.
also altered from being the other half of the
Bratz dolls have extremely heavy eye make-up to
Barbie-Ken couple to having over one hundred
complete their signature look. One woman, Sonia
and fifty different careers to choose from.
Singh, has taken to remodeling old Bratz dolls by
Hopefully, the rebirth of the Barbie doll will
removing their make-up and redesigning them to be
empower more people to not only embrace who
more realistic representations of young girls. This
they are, but also to better envision themselves in
small hobby has now turned into a movement
“Tree
Change Dolls” which aims to make dolls more
new roles in the future.
realistic for a more enjoyable play-time experience.
“My parents made sure to buy me black dolls (in
The dolls all have unique faces, some even have
addition to others) because they wanted me to
hand-painted freckles, and their wardrobes are re-
have dolls that looked like me. I was
vamped with hand-made clothes from Sonia’s
disappointed later though when I really wanted a
mother. Sonia admits that she wasn’t even thinking
doll to practice combing her hair like my mom
about body images Bratz dolls were sending when
did mine, but none of the dolls I had or found had
she started her project. She simply enjoyed playing
hair with a texture like mine. The best I could do
with the dolls and wanted to help teach her daughter
to simulate the difficulty of combing through my
to learn to love her dolls.
own hair was to purposely tangle the straight hair of the dolls I had.”
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Island Fun Barbie
Barbie M.D.
YEEZUS
Written by Jerusha Simmons
I
Barbie M.D.
’ll be the first to admit that I love Kanye West. Do I have an “I feel like Pablo" shirt? You bet I do. In my opinion, there is something about the way Kanye seamlessly combines earth-shaking beats and poignant samples with hard-hitting racial and class truths that deeply penetrate into the gaping void I affectionately refer to as my heart. (Yet, I’ll be the first to attempt that Kanye has misogynistic and assholic tendencies.) The man is a genius that came straight from the anus of God.
Whether you love him, hate him, or switch between both states, Kanye West has become a household name. It is difficult to deny his influence. Kanye and his music seem to follow me everywhere I go. As I writing this article, I see a kid rocking a “I feel like Pablo” hoodie, and I cannot count the number of times that I have heard groups of frat guys attempt to rap “School Spirit” (even though none of them seem to realize that their frats are not listed in the historically black
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fraternity line-up). Yet, how is Kanye able to consistently impact the world? I believe it’s because Kanye’s be pigeonholed into any specific genre. For Kanye, every album is a means for his reinvention and he strategically utilizes each album to create and cultivate new spaces within rap. In his first two albums, The College Dropout and Late Registration, we see music filled with perfectly integrated samples and dripping with the Chicago-style of rap. In 808s and Heartbreak, Kanye embraces his inner Kylo Ren (or emo side) and welcomes the sad boys into the fandom with open arms. Don’t even get me started on the masterpiece that is My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. With appearances from Fergie to Justin Vernon to Chris Rock, whether you like it or not, there is a solid chance that your favorite song is on that album, and once again you are sucked into the vortex that Kanye’s influence. In my favorite album (after MBDTF of course), Yeezus, Kanye does what I always wish that I could do; he screams for 30 seconds and then proceeds to yell about racism in auto tune thus creating spaces for rappers like Travi$ Scott and A$AP ROCKY to thrive.
The second that you think that Kanye has began to settle into a predictable pattern, he rips out your heart and begins to take over some other random realm that he has no business being a part of. Furthermore, we continue to see his trend of reinvention in his everyday life as well. The second that you think that Kanye has began to settle into a predictable pattern, he rips out your heart and begins to take over some other random realm that he has no business being a part of. Ye went from the King of
beats to every fuckbois rap GOAT to Beyoncé-approved fashion designer to (hopefully) President (honestly, at this moment, anything’s a step up from the Republican nominees). And the great thing about Ye is that he does not just meander into these fields aimlessly. This is no regular individual that we are talking about; this is KANYE WEST. If Ye is on the scene, then you know that things are finna pop off, because everything the man touches turns to gold. Take Yeezy’s as an example; they have single-handedly become the staple item of men’s fashion, and the yearly sales of Yeezy’s, have in fact, “jumped over jumpman” (or Jordan’s for those who are not up on the lingo). Kanye’s latest album The Life of Pablo is the perfect example of the current form of reincarnation. With the album, Kanye is able to bring all of the facets of his life in sync and, once again, reinvent himself. Yet, this time, he does it via a combination of mediums. In TLOP, he pulls from the styles of each of his previous albums. Similar to “Jesus Walks” in The College Dropout,” “Ultralight Beam” conveys the infamous Kanye dichotomy between his lifestyle and its intersection with religion, and the same beats that lay the foundation of Yeezus can be found within “Freestyle 4.” Though I could go on for a lifetime about the continuous connections to TLOP, two things remain constant throughout every album: breathtaking beats and relentless reinvention. This reincarnation is what keeps him fresh and unique. This reincarnation makes his influence stronger. This reincarnation is what made Kanye the Kanye he is today. *Disclaimer: The author of this article has an unnatural love for Kanye West and her writing reflects this.
WRITTEN BY ALFIE BURNS
COMEBACK THE 90's ARE BACK IN STYLE VIEW FULL STATS
By Justyn Higgs, Ishvinder Kaur, and Domenique Senteza
As we, the children of the 90s era, have risen into early adulthood we have also begun to develop our own unique sense of style. With that, we look to the decade of our childhood as inspiration for the next great trend, and embrace the nostalgia that comes with 90s fashion. With trends like crop tops, dark lipsticks, overalls, and mom jeans, we’re able to emulate the fashions of characters we saw in movies and T.V. shows from our younger days. But, as we have grown older and our sense of styles have evolved, the ways we wear 90s trends has evolved as well. We can pair 90s inspired pieces with modern fashions to create a look that combines our pasts and the present. Here are a couple of ways to hold on to the past (in a good way).
CROP TOPS 90s: One of the style icons of the early 90s was Kelly Kapowski. This fashionista would walk the halls Bayside High School sporting the latest trends that any 90s girl could lust after. The 90s was a time to be bold and a crop top was just the way to do that. Now: When looking to sport a crop top now, stick to balancing out proportions. If you are wearing a top with a boxier fit, pair it with a more fitted bottom (like high waisted shorts) to accent your waist. Likewise, when wearing a more form-fitting crop top look for a bottom with more volume, like joggers or an a-line skirt.
MOM JEANS 90s: Relaxed fit jeans were all the rage during the 90s; sported by both men and women. This style was worn mostly in TV shows, such as Friends and 90210, where the lives of every-day type characters were documented. Now: Gone is the negative connotation that comes with the phrase “mom jeans,” now the trend focuses on comfort in the context of style. If you’re looking to rock a pair of “mom jeans” this year scope out a pair of high waisted denim with a loose fit through the leg that tapers slightly at the ankle. Bonus points for a distressed look.
OVERALLS 90s: During the 90s, overalls were a fun and easy way to go casual. Style icons like Destiny’s Child and Will Smith in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air donned this trend proudly during the 90s. Overalls were often worn with one side unbelted, or completely undone so it seemed like a pair of pants. Now: Update this 90s trend by wearing distressed overalls, or create a flirty, casual summer look with a pair of overall shorts and a cute bralette. Bring out your girly side with an overall dress paired with a collared shirt or a turtleneck underneath. Collared shirts or shirts with high necklines are best suited for wearing with overalls. Spice it up by wearing a shirt with a fun pattern and exciting accessories.
LIPSTICK 90s: In the 90s, dark and brown toned lipsticks were made popular by the grunge trend and cult classics such as The Craft. Now: Worried a deep lip will be too bold? Try a more natural shade, such as a dark brown, or go with a dark berry color rather than straight up black. When sporting a bold, dark lip, keep the rest of your makeup more natural and subdued. Let your pout be the center of your look. Don’t forget to use a lip liner to prevent it from bleeding!
SPACE BUNS 90s: Space buns were popularized from anime and manga throughout the 90’s with ribbons tied around the base of the bun. An easy way to tie up your hair during the summer months or during school to keep the hair out of your eyes, channel your inner Sailor Moon by rocking two little top knots on the top of your head. Now: Put a modern twist on the space buns by keeping it undone without adding ribbons and pulling out pieces of hair to frame your face or by leaving the bottom half of your hair down. This style is suitable for all hair lengths, from Miley short to Ariana long.
CHOKERS 90s: Chokers were all the rage in the 90s. Varying in styles - single chokers, stacked chokers, chunky chokers, studded chokers, dainty chokers, and wrap-around chokers - celebrities paired chokers with all of their outfits, from casual streetwear (Posh Spice, what’s good?) to red carpet events (hello, 1998 Kate Winslet at the Golden Globes). Now: Guess who’s back, back again? Every type of choker. Cara Delevigne, Rihanna, Gigi Hadid, and basically everyone else have brought these back into their jewelry boxes. The best part? You don’t have to update them! Just pull them out from that miscellaneous drawer in your dresser where you keep your old Livestrong bands. “That choker is so cute! Where did you get it?” “Oh, this old thing?” Literally.
COLOUR
REBIRTH | ISSUE NO. 2
Goodbye Class of 2016
Take a look at a few of our graduating seniors and their transformation over the years.
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SONDRA, KATRINA, & HEATHER "Prioritizing friendships/relationships first because it is so important to make sure those you care about know how much you love them."
PRIYA "I've become more comfortable with spontaneity and confusion. I realized that T H E R E sometimes BIRTH OF the questions are just as important as the answers."
NATURAL HAIR
RON "I just always did my own thing, now I run the game you stupid mothasuckas."
By Joyce Wright Photographs by Mark Halberg
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
NOMADIC
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NOSTALGIA
POETRY BY DESTINEE SHIPLEY
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Source: Purpologydotcom
Nostalgia When you recognize that you are metamorphasizing And transforming into the person you always were inside And you think about who you were when you first got to college High school Middle school And you smile Because you remember your awkward phases and phrases And the people you were with and the things that you did And you are different now You are adult But it's that hunch in your shoulders when you pause on the word Adult Are you adult? Does your concept of an adult even have the same meaning As it did before you realized that you were one? This transformation is uncomfortable Putting your feet in mommas heels and realizing that they actually fit you now This isn't dress up anymore, this is real life Doing taxes is hard Paying bills is hard Adulting is really hard And yet When you are finally sitting at the grown up table When your opinion matters When you no longer get stopped at the mall Loving the feeling of being an adult But even so wishing times were simpler again When the hardest decision you had to make Was what color you chose out of the crayon box next Maybe that's why college students revert back to our childlike ways Watching marathon after marathon of Aang and Goku and Virgil Ovid Hawkins What's the sitch, gotta catch ‘em all, and TRUUDDYYYY Repopulating our lexicon Fantasies of getting slimed or riding on the Magic School Bus returning Every theme song we thought long forgotten Popping right back into our heads As soon as we hear even a hint of the first notes
Going hard in games of capture the flag Trying (and sometimes failing) at bike and skateboard tricks Having snowball fights and building snowmen Seeing if you can still double dutch like Keke Palmer and Corbin Bleu Sitting out on grassy hills or climbing trees Or playing frisbee (though now it's called ultimate, that makes it cooler) Making chalk drawings on the sidewalk And going to the Residential College Olympics So we have an excuse to play Releasing the anxiety that came with our greater sense of self awareness That we'd acquired in the past decade And we smile We all remember the days of wanting to be an adult But we're starting to reach that point where we want to be like children Again Back when we really believed that we could fly If we tried hard enough And there are times it twists your stomach into knots Because who likes letting go? But I'd say that's all part of the metamorphosis We are still becoming who we are, and sometimes who we are Involves who we were Growth is not a rejection of the things in the past Growth is figuring out where to place them in our present And never forgetting
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