YOUR MAG
VOLUME 8 | ISSUE 2 | NOVEMBER 2017
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YOUR MAG VOLUME 8 | ISSUE 2 | NOVEMBER 2017
KATJA VUJIĆ
CHRISTIAN LOPEZ
S O PH I E PE T E R S -WI LS O N
NATALIE GALE
E M I LY D R A K E
TAYLO R R O B E RTS
BOBBY NICHOLAS III
EMME HARRIS
MONIKA DAVIS
IRIS PENA
E L E A N O R H I LT Y
PENNY JOHNSON
HANNAH MCKENNETT
ANNIE HUANG
ALESSANDRA SETTINERI
SARA BARBER
LUCY CAPPELLO Living Editor
Asst. Talent Manager
DELIA CURTIS
TALLULAH JONES
MIA MANNING
Editor in Chief
Asst. Managing Editor
Junior Designer
Editorial Director
Photo Director
Art Director
Copy Chief
Head Proofreader
A&E Editor
Style Editor
Managing Editor
Creative Director
Head Designer
Asst. Photo Director
Head Stylist
Talent Manager
Social Media Director
Romance Editor
RANA SAIFI
Social Media Director
L I N D S AY H OWA R D Asst. Head Copyeditor
COPY EDITORS: LINDSAY HOWARD, REBEKAH SCARBOROUGH, THERESA MIELE, NATALIE GALE, OLIVIA TOWNSEND, MALCOM ZELAYA, ALICIA TOPOLNYCKY, REBECCA LANE PROOFREADERS: SHADIN AL-DOSSARI, ISABELLA CARTULARO, LAURA RODGERS, EMILY SIERRA, LYDIA ALBONESI , ANGELA PIAZZA, JULIE MOSKOWITZ DESIGN TEAM: GIULIA CAMPOS, SELINA HSIAO, NICOLE BAE, LIUYI ZHOU, ALYANNA LAKSHMI DE VERA, STEPHANIE SHIH, FRANCISCO GUGLIELMINO, LVWENYU ZHANG (ANN), LAUREN GOLDSTEIN, NICK CHAMBERS-SALCE
YMEMERSON.COM | INSTAGRAM: YOUR.MAG | TWITTER: @YOURMAGEMERSON
CONTENTS ROMANCE
PHOTO SPREAD STYLE PHOTO SPREAD LIVING
6 8 10 12 18 26 28 32 34 40 42 44 46
ARTS & 48 ENTERTAINMENT 52 54 56 EDITORIAL 60 66 68 70
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THE ROMANTICIZATION OF FETISHIZATION STAGE FIVE CLINGER LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX (PODCASTS) THE ART OF THE ANNIVERSARY CHAMELEON TRANS AND QUEER FASHION TIME CAPSULE WARDROBE K BEAUTY: FAST FAD OR HERE TO STAY MENSWEAR EXPOSE ON MARIA’S: WHO IS MARIA PERIOD PRODUCT ALTERNATIVES THE HIDDEN BEAUTY OF PARKING GARAGE ROOFTOPS THE ULTIMATE DAY TRIP GUIDE FOR BOSTONIANS THAT DOESN’T INVOLVE THE CAPE A YEAR IN: MUSICIANS VS. TRUMP WHEN THE DRUMBEAT MATCHES THE HEARTBEAT THE GOOD OLD DAYS MARK DION: MISADVENTURES OF A TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY NATURALIST EAT YOUR VEGETABLES YM ADVISES YOUR THINGS ARTIST STATMENT
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR A year ago, I found this month difficult to imagine. I found anything after January 21st difficult to imagine. I spent a long time grieving - often, I still feel like I’m grieving - but here we are. November 2017. My first instinct is to say: look, we’re okay. I’m okay. We are surviving. But the reality is that I can’t remember the last time I genuinely felt joy. The world feels duller, more stressful. And the impact of this country’s deplorable decision one year ago has reverberated in countless instances of pain, fear, oppression, and death. Even on our own campus, the air is stagnant with the voices of generations of students of color and other marginalized identities whose words have fallen on sealed eyes, ears, and minds. Last month’s #ThisIsEmerson protest was a powerful reminder that minimal changes in policy have yet to make any real, lasting change, and that the fight for that change is unending. We aren’t okay, but accepting that is the first step in moving past it. We are working to be better - as a school, as a magazine, as individuals. It’s necessary to, like the artists referenced in “A Year In,” speak out against injustice and organize for radical change. But it’s also important to feed your soul - by exploring Mark Dion’s ICA exhibit, for instance - and your body, perhaps with a burrito from Maria’s. Or take a day trip to somewhere like Manchester By the Sea - even a one-day break can make a world of difference. As I’ve been told repeatedly in recent weeks, we can’t be there for others if we aren’t taking care
of ourselves. We have to extend to ourselves the same generosity we have for those we love most. As I hope you’ll see, the issue that follows is a space for contemplation and conversation, offering up varied perspectives and artful images. I hope that you will love these pages as much as I do, that something in them will strike a chord or make you smile. I’ll leave you with the ultimate self-care advice, and the title of this month’s cover editorial: always, always eat your vegetables. With love,
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THE
ROMANTICIZATION OF
F E T I S H I Z AT I O N WRITTEN BY PAULA ACEVES ILLUSTRATION BY ALYSSA GEISSELER
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ppropriation, oppressive stereotypes, systematic racism, and attracting white people. Being a person of color in this country comes at quite a cost. Racial fetishization has been a longstanding tradition here in the U.S. of A., but like nude beaches and the Black Plague, the fascination with anything exotic has European roots. The varying body types, skin colors, accents, and traditions of different cultures have enraptured Europeans, particularly European men. Images like the geisha, a female Japanese artist distinguished by her painted face and lavishly done-up hair, seemed like an enchanting escape from the rigidly structured Victorian social agenda. However, it often ran deeper than mere obsession and fascination. Take Sarah Baartman, for example, also known as the Hottentot Venus. As a young black woman from South Africa, she was already subject to standard othering, but her large buttocks and genitalia made her an overnight sensation. She was paraded throughout Europe, presented as a human oddity. European men found great voyeuristic pleasure in simply looking at her, stowing away the image as something bizarre, absurd, and intrinsically sexual. It is this type of dehumanization, the stripping away of one’s agency over how they are perceived, that has trickled down and become increasingly normalized throughout the years. Even if you choose to dismiss the rich historical context surrounding racial fetishization, the fact remains: it is everywhere. Songs, books, movies, and TV shows have fetishized views carelessly thrown around all the time. And we’re fine with it because why would we not be? Is it not a compliment? “Guys sort of pat themselves on the back and take pride in hooking up with me because I mix up their track record and check a certain diversity box,” says Hana, a junior Visual media arts major. And feeling valued in any regard is hard to simply dismiss, regardless of the context therein. Especially when it’s all you’ve ever known. Hana says the most blatant case of fetishization she’s encountered was her dad toward her mom. “After they split he only dated Asian women for like a year,” she says, shaking her head softly. “My brother and I literally had to sit him down and be like no.” It is this type of normalizing that feeds into how we often justify fetishization. I ask Hana why she thinks in such a progressive age, fetishization continues to be so pervasive. After a pause, she says, “Media? Media seems to be the answer to everything.” She’s right. For a number of years, I relished in the idea of adopting the trope of a curvy, hot-tempered Latina, watching shows like Modern Family and Desperate Housewives. I projected these views onto my own mother,
envying her accent and olive skin. I thought that if I didn’t subscribe to these pervasive ideals, then what was left was all of the equally pervasive, yet not nearly as flattering, Latin stereotypes: lazy, unintelligent, unmotivated. I fetishized my own culture. Having always been the light-skinned, Midwesternsounding non-U.S. citizen that I am, I’ve never fully understood what “kind” of attractive I’m meant to be. It wasn’t until I reached an age of sexual maturity that I realized I had my own target demographic: racist white men under the guise of being not as racist white men. They would make jokes about my being Mexican and never even flinch. Why? My face and voice presented them with familiarity. White familiarity. It seemed to them that I could engage in this kind of thoughtless racism because I’d never experienced any of it firsthand. And, besides, they meant well. To them, it was harmless banter. To me, it was a reminder that I am unworthy of my culture. It was through this unbranding that I found myself longing to be fetishized. My own feminine insecurities coupled with the fear that I simply wasn’t Mexican enough made me actively try to sexualize my heritage. Years of doing this desensitized me to the notion of fetishization entirely. So, when asked to speak Spanish while a boyfriend of mine masturbates, I was confused at my own discomfort. I tried to shake it off, eager to please, resistant to conflict. It was as I coursed through all the words in the Spanish language to try and find the right ones that I realized the depth of its significance in my life. It is how I communicate with my grandma, my great-grandma, my aunts, my uncles. It is what I think of when I think of home. And I was about to waste it on a white man’s orgasm. It was then that I realized what I’d been doing and why. Under the guise of a “compliment,” fetishization strips cultures of any depth, reducing them down to one-dimensional tokens at any white person’s disposal. I refuse to enable my own fetishization any longer. My culture is not here for your convenience. My culture is not here for your interpretation. My culture is not here for your orgasm. YM
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The Stage Five Clinger The Stage Five Clinger The Stage Five Clinger The Stage Five Clinger The Stage Five Clinger
Written by Aster Chen Photo by
WRITTEN BY ASTER CHENG PHOTOS BY LIVIA LANGE
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n my experience, the Stage Five Clinger is an almost comical character who completely ignores the natural progression of a relationship and latches on at an alarmingly quick rate; a person with a need to be informed of every detail of their significant other’s life. While society focuses on the stereotype of crazy, clingy women, the truth is that we all have our experiences with clingy men that are swept under the rug. This is the story of Paul; Paul and I met in a Panera. I remember getting his number and gushing to my roommate about his dimples, his British accent, and his worldly view on life. That soon ended once the endless texts and calls started; when I did not respond right away, Paul was quick to remind me that he was “quite the catch himself.” It only took about two days and half of a dinner date for me to realize that Paul saw himself as God’s gift to women. Besides the fact that he would text me nonstop and get angry when I would not respond right away, Paul also hit on one of my best friends in front of me, then tried to justify it. As the week progressed, his texts became more frequent and the FaceTime calls kept coming in at the weirdest hours. Many of us can relate: Jalyn Cox, a freshman Journalism major, says, “One time, my boyfriend broke up with me for four days, just to see if I would talk to other guys.” This is an example of a Stage Five Clinger habit: there is a need to test the other person in an effort to silence their own insecurities. The idea that women are insecure is very prevalent in our society, to the point of becoming offensive. Women are often portrayed in the media as selfconscious, difficult beings looking for reassurance in their romantic relationships. However, we often overlook how men are clingy because we do not associate clinginess with masculinity; we simply romanticize it as something endearing or as a way to show that they care. This is the issue: regardless of gender roles in the relationship, it becomes toxic when one partner is more attached than the other. Sam
Willinger, a freshman Visual media arts major, says, “He tried to make me feel bad for not trying. It kind of worked, but it also drove me away.” This is an example of how clingy men are often glorified to the point where they think it’s okay to make the other person feel bad for not returning their feelings. On the flip side, women can just double text and be labeled as psychotic or obsessed. In reference to the aforementioned relationship, Cox says, “He would stop talking to me for the night and go to parties and I would have to find out from my friends where he was. Then the next day he would finally answer me and say ‘calm down’ and that I needed to stop being so crazy. All I’m saying is that he would freak out if I had even tried to go to a party and not tell him about it.” Why is there a double standard? Why do we make excuses for clingy behavior when it comes to men but not women? When a man is wearing down your phone battery, it’s charming and attractive. When a woman is simply expecting a text back, she is psychotic or “just being emotional.” It’s 2017 and the stereotype needs to end; regardless of gender, everyone experiences emotions but not everyone gets associated with the negative aspects of being an emotional person. It is oppressive to invalidate anyone’s feelings, and it all comes down to how society associates insecurity with gender: It is a lot easier to see women as insecure and emotional because those are traits we often associate with femininity, not masculinity. Needless to say, things between Paul and me did not work out. Paul’s parting words to me (over text): “Most girls I know show a real interest in me. They seem like they want to see me again and seem excited. You don’t. You don’t make time for me and you don’t reply to me. You never text me without me texting you first. I told you I’d love to see you again and I get nothing back. I have a feeling I liked you much more than you liked me. Goodbye.” YM
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Let’s Talk About Sex
((Podcasts)
(
WRITTEN BY JULIE MOSKOWITZ ILLUSTRATION BY HELEN REN YOURMAG | 10
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efore podcasts there were radio shows that people would tune into while driving their cars or after dinner with their families. Most of these shows featured at least one charismatic host and focused on a topic, whether it was news, pop culture, or storytelling. The radio show, while a great forum, does not allow you to say the words “dick” or “clit.” However, in a podcast you can do whatever you want. Hosts and their guests can curse and engage in raunchy discussion with almost reckless abandon. Though it is certainly acceptable to listen to podcasts out in the open, many listeners consider it a private activity that is part of their weekly or daily routine. The most important part of podcasts is the potential for intimacy between the host and their listener. Listening to a podcast, even when it is more formal in format, is akin to listening to a conversation between your friends, which is inherently relaxed and personal. This aspect of privacy is part of what I believe has led to the rise of a subgenre of podcasts, known as Sex and Relationship podcasts. These podcasts are generally divided into three main camps: those that focus more on relationships, those that are of a more sex-ed nature, and those that combine the two and are usually hosted by a couple. Modern Love, a podcast version of The New York Times column, is one such podcast that explores all kinds of love from adoption to a 12-hour relationship that takes place on a plane. Love Is Like A Plant, hosted by Ellen Huerta of HuffPost.com and Sarah May Bates of HelloGiggles.com, often deals with the underbelly of the romance world focusing on what it means to, as the hosts say, “love well.” Though many people are open about their tales of romance gone right and wrong, as is the case in the live sex-storytelling podcast that is Bawdy Storytelling, the topics of sex and sexuality are still quite taboo within our culture. All you have to do is look at how we treat sexual education to know that many people are afraid to openly talk about what goes on when we get down. Sex podcasts offer a solution to those who have not received official sexual education as well as insight to those who
have. Let’s be honest, we all have a little something to learn in this department. Sex Nerd Sandra is a great place to start if you’re look for more logistical sex tips and informational tidbits from Sandra Daugherty and fellow sexperts. Just like the rest of the podcast world, there are sex podcasts that extend beyond tips and tricks and cover just about anything that tickles your fancy. If you’re looking for a glimpse into the polyamorous lifestyle you might want to check out Turn Me On, by the couple Jeremie and Bryde (last names omitted), who discuss what it’s like to be married and poly as well as their sexual adventures. Swingercast is hosted by another couple Allie and John (last names also omitted), who are, surprise surprise, swingers. They discuss everything from orgies to the nitty gritty business of anal sex. Want to know what it’s like to be a sex worker in the United States? Try out The Whorecast, a podcast made by and for sex workers. It certainly wouldn’t be real sex if there weren’t some laughs involved: Jamie Morton’s My Dad Wrote A Porno along with Corinne Fisher and Krystyna Hutchinson’s Guys We Fucked: The Anti Slut-Shaming Podcast will leave you clutching your sides and gasping for air, if that’s what you’re into. The former is one son’s hilarious exploration of his father’s self-published erotica, while the latter features interviews between New York stand-up comedians and the men that they’ve slept with. Tina Horn, a queer media-maker and educator, tackles all things kinky in Why Are People Into That?! Over the last four seasons of her podcast, she has covered a vast array of topics from age play and power to butt plugs and latex. In Sex With Strangers, host Chris Sowa travels all over the world to delve into such topics as what sex is like in places like Mumbai and Iceland or the sexual beliefs of Mormons and what the Grindr scene looks like in Wyoming. Podcasts allow you to explore the depths of your sexy psyche as well as others’ and learn a lot in the process, all while riding the T. YM
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The Art of the Anniversary WRITTEN BY ALESSANDRA SETTINERI PHOTOS BY NICK CHAMBERS
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nce upon a time, the folks living under the Holy Roman Empire would commemorate marriage milestones by crowning wives with a silver wreath during the twenty-fifth year of their marriage, and then a gold one to mark fifty years. Every woman deserves to be treated like a queen after all, right? Especially if they’re the ones doing most of the grunt work in the relationship, as was the norm back then (is it still?). Regardless of why only women were crowned the “Queen of Love” for putting up with their spouses for so long, these elaborate gestures would be the first noted occurrences of anniversary traditions in recorded history. Centuries later, when the Victorian era rolled around and many grew concerned about how to keep marriages that weren’t for political or financial gain together (because love was still a radical notion), the anniversary gifting traditions that we’re familiar with today were established to promote enduring relationships. For example, the first year would be the paper anniversary, which was supposed to symbolize the marriage being like a blank page—modest and full of potential. Then, the anniversaries that follow include the cotton anniversary, leather anniversary, and so on—all encoded with their own special significance, and the gifts becoming more valuable as time went on. Romantic, right? Then, when these traditions got to the U.S. in the late nineteenth century, the modern anniversary went commercial (as America does with everything). Jewelers and department stores searched for ways to make money on love; the gifts became less symbolic and started looking more like an Amazon wishlist with occasions like the appliance anniversary. The failsafe of jewelry for your significant other was established. According to Macy’s fine jewelry sales associate Aaron Ramjon, 19, the reason that precious pieces like rings, bracelets, and earrings are such an appealing option is because of their endurance—diamonds are forever after all. What’s surprising (and contradicts lots of anti-millennial articles), however, is that Ramjon typically finds younger people in their thirties and even twenties making these big purchases. Could it be that couples in the honeymoon phase tend to indulge in gift giving earlier on when expectations are still high?
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Not always. Gladys Granda-Rodriguez, 57, says that she and her husband Pedro Rodriguez, a psychologist and psychiatrist respectively, still give each other gifts and go out to a nice dinner on their anniversary day, even after twenty-three years of marriage. He’ll usually give her jewelry. “Wearing [his gift] that evening that we went out to dinner on our anniversary…that’s the memory that’s attached to it,” she says. They also celebrate their anniversary with trips, which they are able to do for one interesting reason. “We got married on Labor Day weekend,” says Granda-Rodriguez. “We still take the [long] weekend and go away somewhere—it doesn’t have to be far.” When they’re away, they set aside any outside distractions and communication in order to spend quality time together. “It gives us that chance to dedicate time to one another,” she says. However, other couples don’t always have a ritual when it comes to their anniversary. Elsa and Nicolás Weisz, both 72 and from Buenos Aires, Argentina, have been married for forty-seven years (together for fifty-two years). While they do celebrate their anniversary, although not always on the day itself, Elsa says, “The most important thing is to try and maintain a family.” While no particular wedding anniversaries spring to mind for them, they cherish the memories of their kids growing up and getting married themselves, as well as the births of their fifteen grandchildren. “It’s not the [anniversary] day itself that has value, it’s the day to day,” says Elsa. Nicolás says, “If the rest of the days are bad, and you have one good day in the year, [the marriage] doesn’t work.” In a time that seems like love is not as easy to find (and keep) as it once was, it’s a relief to see that enduring relationships still exist, even if they do take work, as both the Rodriguez’s and Weisz’s mention. And while for younger people marriage and anniversaries seem like a very distant notion, knowing that there’s no one right way to celebrate a relationship can be a relief, so long as there’s a relationship to celebrate. “We think it’s important that we have been together and we celebrate our time together,” says Granda-Rodriguez. “It’s a tradition that we don’t want to lose.” YM
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CHAMELEON PHOTOGRAPHER: RENATA BROCKMANN STYLIST: PENNY JOHNSON MODELS: DAVID DEJESUS, KATELYN MENA, MADDIE YAZEL, LUKE MCDONOUGH
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TRANS AND QUEER FASHION YOURMAG | 26
WRITTEN BY ANDY CAIRA ILLUSTRATION BY FRANCISCO GUGLIELMINO
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ainstream fashion is too often tailored to straight and cis women and men. Clothing is cut differently and gendered based on generalized body shapes of men and women. But what does this mean for trans people? For the transgender community, dressing for fashion often has a different meaning. Every choice a non-cis person makes in terms of clothing affects how the world views them. One “mistake” in an outfit choice could get you misgendered or harassed. Often times trans people have a much higher standard on their beauty than cis people do. On top of looking nice and accentuating certain parts of their body, they often need to dress to pass. Queer fashion constantly pushes the boundaries of the binary. This goes for both trans and nonbinary people as well as those who identify with other parts of the LGBTQ+ community (such as gay or bisexual). Being trans, Dimitrie Flores, a sophomore Visual Media Arts major, uses he series or they series pronouns and presents in a very androgynous, masculine way. “Stereotypically queer” is how he describes his own fashion sense. “It’s just a bunch of different aesthetics,” he said. Black clothes, denim and leather jackets, button ups, docs, piercings, and tattoos make up Flores’s wardrobe. Flores has always cared about his fashion and has always had a unique look. Growing up, Flores’s parents dressed him so he did not have much choice in his wardrobe. Throughout middle school he gravitated toward more masculine styles and urged his mother to let him have short hair. Now, while still wearing more stereotypically “masculine” clothing, Flores focuses on clothes that make him the most comfortable being who he is. Hearing positive comments about his look from strangers on the street reaffirms his identity as genderqueer and “transmasculine.” How others view him used to have a great impact on what he wore and how he dressed. Occasionally he is unhappy with the way clothing fits on him. Dimitrie says that he is very picky about the way that he presents himself. With all of this in mind, the concept of passing comes into play. Gender expression and gender identity
are separate. Someone who identifies as a gender identity other than cis does not have to prove their gender identity through their expression. Flores defines “passing” as how he wants to present himself. He wants people to get an androgynous or masculine vibe from him and for him this is “passing.” Other members of the queer community define it in different ways which they use to validate their gender. In no way is every queer person’s experience with fashion the same. In fact, many use fashion as a way of expressing their personal identity which lends itself to unique styles. Kevin Milton, a senior Journalism student, describes his own fashion as “messy cute chic” or “random messy posh.” Based in colors and patterns, Milton matches two (of the many) colors in his outfit to create a dynamic look. When Milton was growing up his dad dressed him in Timberland boots, long shirts, and big pants. There was no flexibility in what he could wear. Milton always felt more feminine than the boys he grew up with. He was less athletic and smaller in stature so his curated wardrobe often looked like it belonged to someone else. Boxed into this idea of what others wanted him to dress like, Milton felt that he needed to fit everyone else’s ideas of what he must be. Coming out, at the age of 19, allowed his fashion to simultaneously flourish as he did. Focussing on vibrant, bright colors, Milton feels these colors reflect his identity and loud personality. “If I could assign colors to the word queer it would be all of them,” he says. When asked what he wanted people to think when they saw him on the street, he told me that he wanted to appear confident in who he is. The more people have complimented him, the more he has felt comfortable with different style choices such as adding interesting scarves and necklaces to his unique colorful looks. He embraced and furthered his own fashion sense when he came to college, especially after he transferred to Emerson. When he told the world he was gay, his fashion sense enhanced and he felt more confident in his ability to express himself. Besides writing and journalism, fashion is the most important way that he uses to express himself. “I am more Kevin now,” he says, speaking on growing into who he is in college. YM YOURMAG | 27
The Time Capsule Wardrobe WRITTEN BY ALESSANDRA SETTINERI PHOTOS BY BY LIVIA LANGE
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"...while we’re connecting with what’s good from the past, we’re still remembering to move forward and better ourselves."
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uestion: What’s the difference between the fashion trends of the past and today’s trends? Trick question—there isn’t one, at least not at first glance. The Victorians had frills and lace, the ‘20s had their glitzy attire with intricate beading, the ‘70s had their earthy tones in suede, the ‘80s had their bright athletic gear, and the ‘90s had their denim and grunge. All distinct, these styles defined and were shaped by the era from which they came. Take a look at 2017 and you find that our runways and streets are flashes from the past, both recent and distant. When you compare us to our forebears who knew who they were and how they could signal themselves as unique additions to history, it seems like we’re having an identity crisis since we don’t have looks of our own, nor can we seem to settle on any particular epoch to take after. In the past, nostalgia has been accused of being our generation’s source of inspiration and simultaneously its creative disruption. This fondness for the past (mostly for its aesthetic value) has seeped into every aspect of forging style, beginning with fashion labels from Dior to Alexander Wang who seem to take pieces out of the archives, dust them off, and tweak them into collections just short of being from Uncanny Valley. While last year was all about the ‘70s and ‘80s, the projected trends of spring 2018 are derived from eras like the ‘20s, ‘60s, and ‘90s. When you look at the trends of the 2010s as a whole, is it possible that much like Hollywood has become dependent on sequels and reboots in order to make bank, designers are realizing that nostalgia sells clothes? Or is it that after the experimental fashion disaster that was the early 2000s, designers are now unsure of themselves and have opted to play it safe by sticking to what they knew and loved when they were growing up? Maybe we’re being so ambivalent in our style because we’re living in such an ambivalent time. We live in an age of technological advancements and are supposedly barrelling toward the future, yet we also are trying to make sense of the strange times in which we find ourselves, where many want us to recede into the past with all its ugliness. We want to feel connected to our past for the sake of having something to keep us from floating away into a future of unsurety, but simultaneously want to cut
ties with it because we know better. These points of view seem cynical (and shouldn’t be forgotten), so let’s look at the everyday individual. Today we wear athleisure (albeit not our parents’ athleisure), and turtlenecks paired with mom jeans, and vintage tees with denim jackets adorned with pins and patches, and we look good. Thrift stores are now a goldmine for the fashionforward, who pick and choose from piles of clothes deemed fads by the people who first wore them, and spin their finds into original looks. Emerson College students rush to the Garment District in Cambridge for hidden gems to add to their next showstopping party outfit. Gloria Perez, a junior journalism major, says she’ll nab vintage statement pieces from her mom’s closet to incorporate into her own looks. Dressing up in the mornings becomes a test of how many anachronisms we can fit into one outfit while looking nouveau. This sort of experimentation is how you create our “modern” looks—how else could we have come up with the crop top-gauchos combo? So we’re student protesters wearing bellbottoms and punk tees like our ‘70s and ‘80s equivalents. We dress like the ‘90s club kids who were just beginning to openly embrace the LGBT community while we thrive in it today. We wear conservative Victorian lace paired with cutouts that would make them all clutch their pearls. Regardless of why we’re dressing uncannily like our predecessors, one thing should be clear: While we’re connecting with what’s good from the past, we’re still remembering to move forward and better ourselves. So until fashion decides to do the same, we should roll with the moment and wear our time capsule wardrobes with pride. YM
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Fast Fad or Here to Stay? WRITTEN BY GLORIA PEREZ PHOTOS BY LILY WALSH AND MADDIE DOUGLAS
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n the aftermath of heavy contour and full-glam, you may have noticed that the beauty world is currently experiencing its own counter-culture. What has emerged is a shining starlet: K-Beauty. The beauty industry in South Korea has been known for its innovative makeup and life-changing skincare regimens—seriously—and I (as well as the rest of the world) am living for it. K-Beauty only began its international ascension in the past decade, but its reach has been astronomical. Remember when BB Cream became an alternative for foundation in 2011? You can thank SoKo (South Korean) beauty for that. The blotted lip? Dewy skin? K-Beauty. I know. It’s amazing. Bask in the fresh light it has brought to your life. Through viral videos boasting foaming face masks and color-changing lipsticks, K-Beauty has not only proven itself to be on the cutting edge of the beauty world, but it is now what American and European brands look to when they want to be “on trend.”
So, many fad-hungry brands like Colourpop and Glossier have begun to create clear copy-cat products— check out Colourpop’s “ultra-blotted lip” and almost anything off Glossier’s website—from subtle lipsticks and blushes to natural skin tints to a dewy, shimmery highlight replacing the intense glow that the beauty industry has been obsessed with in years past. So now you’re thinking: How have actual K-Beauty brands landed in the U.S. and other worldwide markets? The answer is simple: social media and quality products that work. I spoke to makeup artist and owner of the Newbury Street Asian and European cosmetics shop, Felicia’s Cosmetics, Felicia Kim. When asked about the international longevity of K-Beauty, she said, “Korean beauty has the power to last because these companies work hard to produce the best new beauty products for worldwide consumers. These products don’t have chemicals and artificial fragrances in them. Instead, they use unique and pure ingredients that balance instantly
and make skin feel comfortable and healthy. It’s also gentle enough for any age group.” The age of the beauty guru is in full swing at the moment, and Facebook and Instagram ads are always suggesting new beauty products. I remember seeing Memebox (pronounced “meme-box,” a Korean beauty company now based in San Francisco) in 2015 via Facebook. As time passed more and more of the entertaining reviews on viral products such as a peel-off lip stain and a super-satisfying charcoal peel-off face mask, peppered their way onto my timeline. This tactic makes SoKo beauty incredibly accessible to an international market. Mega makeup retailers like Sephora and Ulta and department stores like Nordstrom have taken notice of the innovative products and started selling high-end K-Beauty and skincare brands such as Sulwhasoo and AmorePacific. Ulta has collaborated with Memebox for a more moderatelypriced collection featuring masks such as “Disco Kitten” a diamond peel-off
that claims to “illuminate” the face. The beauty of K-Beauty is simplicity with a twist. They use the best of natural ingredients and turn them into something entertaining. It's a reminder that makeup is an art and skin care is the base of any makeup routine. YM
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MENSWEAR
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PHOTOGRAPHER: JACOB CUTLER STYLIST: CHRISTIAN LOPEZ MODEL: EVAN CARSON
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Expose on Maria’s: Who is Maria? WRITTEN BY NATALIE GALE PHOTOS BY MONIKA DAVIS
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q u ain t l ittl e ta co joint s tan d s on Tremont Street i n B oston, wedged snu g ly b etween New York Pi zza an d In ter mission Taver n. B l in k wh ile yo u’re wa l king at a B os ton p ace down the sidewa l k a n d you ’ ll m iss it. Go in, h owever, an d your senses wil l b e overwh elmed by the br ight o r an ge walls and the scent of p e p p er s an d cil a ntro. Order food , an d you’ l l see why this d ive h as remained an Emer son stap le s in ce the day it opened n in e year s ago. T his is Mar ia’s Taq u eria. Maria’s is a fa mil y owned a nd o perated res ta ur ant that was o pen ed by Chr istian Ma ncia, a n immig ran t from El Sa l vador, n in e year s ago. Mancia named th e p lace af ter his g r andmother Maria. T h e p l a ce is open 11:00 a .m. to 1:00 a.m. ever y day, even on weeknights. Ricky Percoco, a cl ose fa mil y fr iend o f th e own er s a nd an empl oyee si n ce th e d ay Mar ia’s opened, say s th at wh ile the food mig ht n ot b e a p erfect imitation of Salvad oran cuisine, in this a rea , “ i t’s as clos e as you’re gonna g et.” Percoco says his favor ite p art of th e job is getting to work with p eop le who a re “basical l y h is f amily.” He a l so says t hat th e cu s tomer ba se is a l most exclu s ively Emer son students. Men tion Ma r ia’s a round any E m er s on s tu dent and they’ l l l i k ely s tart p la nning their next tr i p immed iatel y. Most students rememb er their fir st time at Maria’s. Brid get Wa l sh, Wr iting, L iteratu re, and Publ ishing ‘18, say s h er f ir s t time was October o f h er f res h ma n year. “I came d ru n k with a coupl e fr iends, o rd ered a cheese quesa dil l a with gu acamol e, and sat on th e cu rb watching the l ig hts of
the tr a f f i c g o by. ” She rec o u nts this m em o r y a s she si ts a c ro ss from m e i nsi d e M a r i a ’s, eati ng a cheese q u esa d i l l a w i th g uac a m o l e. “I o nl y c o m e here mayb e tw i c e a m o nth. I t’s l i ke a treat. ” M a r i el a Deynes, a j u ni o r Screenw r i ti ng m a j o r, says that thoug h she d o esn’t g o a s mu ch a nym o re, she u sed to b e a b i t of a reg u l a r. “Freshm a n yea r I went so o f ten they knew m e by n a m e, knew my o rd er b efo re I pl a c ed i t, a nd knew to sp ea k to m e i n Sp a ni sh, ” she says. She sti l l c o nsi d er s her sel f “no str a ng er ” to the eater y. D eynes’s o rd er i s a c a r ni ta s ques a d i l l a w i th ref r i ed b ea ns a nd g u a c a m o l e. Perc o c o tel l s me that the m o st p o p u l a r i tem s a re the stea k bu r r i to a nd the nacho s. A s fo r m e, I have a confessi o n I ha d to c o nf ro nt recentl y: I ha d never b een to Mar i a ’s. I know, they p ro b a bl y woul d n’t even g i ve m e my Emer so n d eg ree i f they knew that. So m ehow I m a d e i t to the b eg i nni ng o f my j u ni o r year, m o re tha n ha l f w ay there, with o u t eve r havi ng a f r i end say, “H ey, l et’s g o to M a r i a ’s! ”, or even tr yi ng i t o u t mysel f. My f i r st o rd er w a s a chi c ken bur ri to, w i th ever ythi ng i n i t, of c o u r se. M y i ni ti a l rea c t i o n? Mil es b etter tha n C hi p o tl e. M y M a r i a ’s vi rg i ni ty w a s taken, a nd I w a s b eg i nni ng to see why thi s p l a c e i s su ch a n E m er so n sta p l e. It’s f a st, cl ose, d el i c i o u s, a nd m o stl y imp o r ta nt l y, rea so na bl y p r i c ed . B ut I w a s sea rchi ng fo r what g ave i t that ed g e over o ther restau r a nts i n the a rea , b ec a u se there’s c er ta i nl y eno u g h com p eti t i o n. D eynes to l d the sto r y o f the fir st ti m e she went to M a r i a ’s
d u r i ng o r i entati on week w i th her su i tem ates. “ We to o k o u r fo o d o u t to th e C o m m o n s c a u se we were fres h m a n a n d we tho u g ht that w a s s o c o o l . ” She a l so to o k her en ti re f a m i l y there d u r i ng Pa ren ts ’ Week en d , i ntro d u c i ng them to th e h ei g h t o f B o sto n’s so u th-o f -th e-b o rd er c u i si ne. “O ne ti m e, wh en I w a s p l ed g i ng K a pp a , ” s ay s Wa l sh, “I w a s so s tres s ed a n d over whel m ed th at I c a m e i nto M a r i a ’s a nd c r i ed over a q u esa d i l l a . ” N o t al o n e, th o u g h ; she w a s w i th a c o u p l e o f c l o s e f r i end s. M a r i a ’s do es p rov i d ed the p er f ec t b a c kd ro p to c r y. I t’s o f f c a m p u s bu t f a m i l i a r, a n d sm a l l eno u g h to be p r i vate bu t no t u nc o m fo r ta bl y s o. M ayb e the a l l u re o f th e p l a c e, what kee ps u s c o m i n g b a c k fo r m o re, i s th at M a r i a ’s ha s a lw ays b een th ere fo r u s. Fro m f reshm a n yea r wh en we were m a ki ng o u r f i r s t E m er s o n m em o r i es, to the ti m es wh en we’re to o f r a z z l ed to d o a nythi ng m o re th a n bl u bb er i nto so m e chees y to r ti l l a , to when we need a sn a c k to s ati s f y o u r w i l d est m i d ni g h t c r av i n g s, M a r i a ’s ha s b een th ere. Perc o c o even tel l s m e that th ey h ave a fo o d tr u c k i n the wo rk s. A n d at the r ate at wh i ch E m er s o n stu d ents f req u ent th e p l a c e, i t’s no t g o i ng a nywh ere a ny ti m e so o n. YM
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PERIOD PRODUCT
ALTERNATIVES
WRITTEN BY REBECCA LANE ART BY LILLIAN COHEN
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or most vagina owners, getting your first period is confusing, stressful, and painful. While getting your period becomes more irritating than traumatizing as you get older, many of us never move past our first menstrual products: tampons and pads. These mainstream period products are inefficient, expensive, and terrible for the environment. According to the Rochester Institute of Technology, nearly 20 billion pads and tampons are thrown away every year in North America alone! The lack of affordable, reusable menstrual products is a serious barrier to achieving gender equality around the world: many people who have periods are unable to afford disposable products so they can’t attend school or work while they are menstruating. However, alternatives to disposable products do exist—you just haven’t heard of them! Sick of ruining your underwear every time you get your period? Check out Thinx, a brand dedicated to creating “period panties.” Thinx’s sleek black underwear absorbs menstrual blood and is effective worn alone or as a backup to other products. Thinx panties come in a variety of styles and most are priced in the $20-30 range. Best of all, period panties are washable and reusable! Another alternative to the classic disposable pad is reusable cloth pads. These pads are more comfortable than disposables (no chafing!); they are a great option for vagina owners who are sensitive to plastic products. Many reusable pads even have fun patterns! Cloth pads can be washed quickly and easily and save lots of money over years of use. The real MVP of menstrual products is the YOURMAG | 42
menstrual cup. The menstrual cup is exactly what it sounds like: a small silicone cup that you insert into your vagina. One of the most popular cup brands is The DivaCup. The DivaCup can be left inside your vagina for up to 12 hours. This means less maintenance and fewer leaks! Unlike tampons, menstrual cups don’t contain dyes or chemicals, and they carry no risk of toxic shock syndrome. They’re simple to use: Every 12 hours you remove your cup, dump its contents in the toilet, rinse, and reinsert! While insertion and removal can be tricky initially, it becomes quick and easy with practice. Most menstrual cups are priced between $15 and $30. The DivaCup needs to be replaced annually, while other cups can be used for several years. Using menstrual cups instead of tampons or pads is costeffective and dramatically reduces your waste output. Menstrual cups are safer, more comfortable, and more effective than plastic products. Some vagina owners even find that switching from tampons to menstrual cups reduces the severity of their cramps. Many people with periods are wary of reusable products because they necessitate getting up close and personal with your menstrual blood. While we might have heard that our periods, and vaginas in general, are “gross,” menstruation is a natural biological process. You wipe your nose when you sneeze; you insert a menstrual cup when you bleed. Yes, you will get blood on your fingers, but we’re all adults—let’s stop acting like our periods are something to be afraid of. YM
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THE HIDDEN
BEAUTY
OF PARKING GARAGE ROOFTOPS
WRITTEN BY JULIE MOSKOWITZ PHOTOS BY SABRINA ORTIZ YOURMAG | 44
“I stand at the edge of the top floor of this stacked parking lot, and I am taken away from the sounds of the city and the deadlines of life.”
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oing to college in the city is exciting. There are endless deterrents of boredom, museums to aimlessly wander around, street festivals and street performers to engage you. Limitless options for adventurous foodies waft into alleyways as bikes weave in and out of traffic. The constant hustle and bustle of the city soundtracked to ambient ambulances and screeching subways. Everywhere you look there are people with their own lives and unique perspectives. Some of them are lost tourists, with heads stuck in maps and bodies stuck in duck boats. Some of them are covered in pigeons. Some of them are wearing socialinteraction-repelling earbuds, walking past briskly. It is never fully dark, with pinpricks of light always attached to a sticky lamppost somewhere nearby. When the sun goes down the party animals and ambivalent introverts crawl into basements and listen to local bands, heads bobbing, feet tapping. A drunken energy vibrates out of bars and onto the streets. Lights bounce off of stained glass windows from churches and theaters. Most of the time the feeling of not being stuck or secluded on a small campus is worth it. Other days, it overwhelms you and all you want to do is get out. But where to go, when the train can only take you so far and you probably don’t have a car? You can try to go to the park or sit by the river. You can hide among the stacks of your favorite bookstore. You can passive aggressively ask your roommate for space. You can pretend that the college library is quiet enough for you. You can attempt to balance your life on a cafe table. But inevitably you'll always be disturbed by a disgruntled employee or sweaty runner or fellow student or confused tourist. And you’ll immediately be brought back to the tireless city you were trying to escape. What if I told you that there was another escape, where you were least likely to run into anyone you knew. Where you could be totally alone, save for the rare car passing through. I’m talking about parking garage rooftops. I know it may seem like a dumb, weird, or risky idea to some, but I’ve found solace in the concrete
canopy. Every so often when I need to break free from my collegiate confines, I sneak into a parking garage elevator, telling the tenant who is only sometimes there, that I’m “just running up to grab something from my car,” hurriedly pressing the door close button. The metal tube whisks me up and away, all the way to the top of the building, where the wind either smacks or caresses me, depending on the season. I stand at the edge of the top floor of this stacked parking lot, and I am taken away from the sounds of the city and the deadlines of life. The parking garages in the city have different views depending on their height and location. Some overlook historic districts and farmers markets and when you catch a breeze you can almost taste the fresh fruits that the vendors are vigorously selling. Others overlook highways and roads, featuring the white noise of cars whooshing past, nothing more, nothing less. Occasionally you’ll find a rooftop in a more residential area, which will put you on the same level as the tree tops, reminding you of how small and amazing you are. There are rules to follow when looking for consolation and seclusion at the top of a car hotel. You must make up an excuse upon a parking attendant asking for your ticket, and apologize profusely for your feigned stupidity. You must not stay for too long or too short an amount of time so as not to raise suspicion. You must be aware of security cameras, if there are any at all. Take note of where they are and any blinking lights near them. Do not glare at drivers and car passengers as they pass you with confusing stares and dubious eyes, because they can easily tell on you upon exiting the garage. If an attendant asks you to leave, politely do so, and do not go back to that specific garage for approximately one month. Bring a blanket to sit on or wrap yourself in if it’s cold out. Maybe some tea or coffee from your preferred pretentious barista, if you want to get extra cozy. Take a deep breath and take peace in the fact that you are finally alone. YM
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The Ultimate Day Trip Guide for Bostonians That Doesn’t Involve the Cape WRITTEN BY REBEKAH SCARBOROUGH PHOTOS BY JESSICA MUNROE
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anchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts is only eight stops on the commuter rail or approximately a forty-five minute drive from Boston, yet when you step off the train platform and into the cozy New England town you cannot help but feel far from everything else in the world. Manchester was originally bestowed its lyrical nickname to avoid confusion with Manchester, New Hampshire. But since its settlement in 1629, it has moved up the ranks of New England towns from working class fishing haven to Cape Cod’s lesser known but equally scenic cousin. And thanks to Matt Damon and Casey Affleck, it is now the title of an Academy Award winning film. From the limited perspective of Summer Street you can pretty much see the entirety of the downtown area. Shops, cafes, boutiques, and momand-pop restaurants line the curved streets, only adding to the quaint quality and charm this town has to offer. Less than a half a mile walk from the center of town is Singing Beach. This picturesque waterfront gets its name from the squeaking sound the sand makes when it rubs against your feet. Your first peek at the breathtaking view will most likely be all you can see as the cobalt blue water reaches out to greet your toes. The beach is fairly small, quiet, and mostly inhabited by locals as the early autumn breeze beckons for cooler weather. To your left
high reaching rocks stretch out into the sea and to your right the beach continues to curve around the coastline. If you time your visit perfectly, the sand transforms into an iridescent color as the sun sets over the brisk day. And if you decide to visit during the prime of the summer season please know there is a walk on fee for anyone over the age of 12 between the hours of 9am to 5pm. This is while staff is on duty through Labor Day. They accept cash and checks! As you’re leaving the beach and heading back towards downtown, you should definitely stop by Manchester Harbor for the mandatory New England photo-op. There are typically ships docked and it’s the quintessential New England moment to capture for the gram. You will look just like a model for L.L. Bean, bonus points for wearing a cable knit sweater! Next to the harbor is Captain Dusty’s Ice Cream. Captain Dusty’s is a New England based ice cream shop chain that is known for their amazing prices, generous portions, and incredible homemade ice-cream and yogurts. The shop is casual and cozy, and once again, reaffirms the small town vibes of Manchester. The most important stop in Manchester is Manchester By the Book. This used and rare book store is lined with books of all genres. The shop expands all the way to the back storage area, with entire rooms dedicated to young adult fiction,
memoir, and music history, not to mention the large fiction section that contains finds like a Dorothy Parker for three dollars or signed copies of This is How You Lose Her. Good luck not getting lost on your way out. At this point in the day you will most likely be in need of food, and you’re in luck. Manchester By the Book is about a two minute walk from one of Manchester’s most popular restaurants, Cala’s Restaurant. They offer classics, one example being clam chowder, but their pan seared scallops will change your life. It’s not in Manchester, but a quick drive up to Gloucester to visit the Hammond Castle Museum is definitely worth the detour and ten dollar admission. Originally constructed in 1929 by John Hays Hammond, Jr., the museum is a modern medieval castle full of booby traps, hidden passageways, and
eerie suits of armor. Hammond was the inventor of the remote control and held over four-hundred other patents in his lifetime. He took great pleasure in tricking and scaring his houseguests. One of the most memorable examples is the guest room that is covered completely in wallpaper (including the door) so that when the door is shut, it is almost impossible to find. The museum also offers amazing views of the coast, a lovely garden, and a drawbridge (once again a chance to do it for the gram!). On the days where Boston becomes trite or you’re just craving a taste of the slower, simpler life of a classic New England town, Manchester-by-theSea has everything you could possibly need. It has the views, the food, and plenty of sites that all fit in its eighteen square miles while still offering the down home vibes you’ve been needing. YM
A YEAR IN: MUSIC
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CIANS VS. TRUMP WRITTEN BY LINDSAY SIMMONS ILLUSTRATION BY TAYLOR ROBERTS
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he air is stale as the taste in my mouth. Warm-tone autumn leaves haven’t had the chance to grow, let alone cascade to the pavement in waves-this environment struggles to breed life. Accompanied by a chilly breeze ushering in autumn, this limbo-esque state is indicative of the approaching first anniversary of the United States’ 2016 presidential election. Many of us are at a loss for what to do as a governmental administration that consistently goes against our interests, safety, and rights is at work. Despite claims from the Trump administration and its allies, all people, including celebrities, have the right to voice their concerns regarding Trump’s first year in office; many famous people are people who have come from humble community backgrounds, the likes of which are now being threatened by the presidential administration. In fact, those “out-of-touch Hollywood elites” as many conservative voices call famous people who speak out against Trump, are using their public societal pedestal to speak for millions of other Americans whose voices would speak to similar issues, but simply are not heard as loudly or clearly. Musicians, in particular, have been integral in standing up for rights the Trump administration has already infringed upon during its first year in power. Music is a healing art. We chant its lyrics in time with our marches, create other art based in its power, and more. There are many musicians, popular and lesser-known alike, that have not only spoken out on their disgust with anti-immigrant, antipeople of color, anti-women, and other negative policies attempted by Donald Trump, but have taken action against him. In moments where individuals feel as if the weight of a crumbling world is on their shoulders, it can be healthy to turn to the fighting, proud, or otherwise powerful words of artists who have expressed solidarity with their struggles. These can be artists and entertainers of all sorts, and they often choose their own ways to show support. of others who have expressed solidarity with our struggles. John Legend may be best known for his soulful love songs and smooth voice, but the contemporary R&B icon has been politically active throughout Trump’s ascent to the presidency. Legend tweets constantly in regard to the president’s harmful comments and ideologies. He acts on his words through music, having previously written and performed for the film Selma on the song “Glory” with Common. Some particularly powerful lyrics from the Oscar and Grammy-
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winning song include, “Justice for all just ain’t specific enough,” and, “Saw the face of Jim Crow under a bald eagle.” Legend has also donated to a plethora of organizations fighting many of Trump’s questionable policies, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and International Rescue Committee (IRC). Connie Lim, also known as MILCK, went viral after performing her song “Quiet” alongside over twenty other women at the Women’s March in Washington, D.C, one day after Trump’s presidential inauguration. “Quiet” became somewhat of a theme song for subsequent women’s marches. According to past interviews with Lim, the song itself started as a way to express herself in coming to terms with past abuse she faced. She made note that she was ready to release the song with the election of Donald Trump as president. She was overwhelmed by the election results and believed in the song she had created in the past as a tool for the present and future. The piece has been strong example of togetherness for those who have felt threatened by the president’s misogynistic, abusive language and actions. In another move for solidarity, we see the band Wavves establishing that their performance spaces are intended for love, open-mindedness, and sanctuary. As part of creating that space, they have specifically noted that they do not want supporters of Donald Trump coming to their shows. According to the band, the values of the president and those who support him conflict with the love and compassion Wavves aims for. The band has been accused of “banning” Trump supporters from their concerts, but lead singer Nathan Williams has noted is not the case. The group has not “banned” Trump supporters, mostly due to the fact that they don’t have a means to enforce such a policy at their shows, but they maintain that they want their show spaces to remain safe places. And in the eyes of Williams and his band, a safe environment is not one in which Trump’s values are present. There are artists of all genres, levels of popularity, and identities who have been clear about their disdain for Donald Trump, especially now that he is the President of the United States. The political inclination of artists is not a new phenomenon; for decades, we have listened to American radios play songs asserting artists’ values. From Pete Seeger’s “We Shall Overcome” to John Lennon’s “Imagine” and Green Day’s “Holiday”, some of our culture’s most powerful music is that which addresses polarizing politics of the day. Today is no exception, with our divisive political climate leaving little room for stagnation of progress. To create positive change, we, like Legend, MILCK, and Wavves, must be persistent in our resistance. YM
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REQUIRED LISTENINGS:
Animal by Wavves Don’t Pass Trump the Blunt by Smoke DZA Million Dollar Loan by Death Cab for Cutie Radio Radio by Elvis Costello & The Attractions We’re All Mexican by Emilio Estefan (feat. Gloria Estefan, Thalia, Shakira, Wyclef, Pitbull, and Wisin) People Have the Power by Patti Smith Glory by Common & John Legend Manifesto by Victor Jara Zombie by The Cranberries Black and Blue by Louis Armstrong Quiet by MILCK Do You Hear the People Sing from Les Misérables
When the Drumbeat Matches the Heartbeat
WRITTEN BY EMMA LOPEZ ILLUSTRATION BY HAYLEY JOSEPH YOURMAG | 52
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ou hit play on your iPod and your toes immediately start vibrating, your heart starts pulsating, your blood buzzes through your veins. That, my friends, is what I call an eargasm. An eargasm is a song that produces a stars-colliding sensation. It is a rare gem that, when found, is cherished like sweet ambrosia or, in modern terms, a box of warm Insomnia Cookies. These songs are more than just a pleasant string of notes; they are the rhythm that our heart beats to, the reason that we take a breath, and the driving force behind our entire mindset for the day. I have been to five Glass Animals concerts and experienced five separate eargasms; each one stronger than the last. The psychedelic jungle vibes mixed with the soothing voice of the lead singer Dave Bayley has possessed my soul since Day 1 when I heard their mesmerizing song “Hazey” in the album ZABA. This song wraps me in its warm arms like a loved one would and gives me the sensation of floating through outer space while in a blanket of safety. All of the songs in the album have a dream-like quality that is dripping with lust, euphoria, and bliss. The electronic rhythms combined with the spellbinding lyrics transports me to another dimension where all I want to do is absorb the music. Who would've thought singing about pineapples would put me in such a state? I am an avid believer of seeking out the little things in life that can give you a natural high, and this song is a perfect example of a that you can get through just a few soundwaves that tickle your soul. “I’ve been listening to Beach House since I was like 13,” says Chloe Krammel,
freshman journalism major. “Every album of theirs has a distinct meaning to me and a different time point of my life. Bloom reminds me of being in 8th grade and entering high school.” When Krammel hears Beach House, her face flushes with color and she automatically moves with the music as the eargasm takes over. “When I saw Beach House live, I literally started crying. When I listen to [Beach House] it puts me in a cerebral... sort of like euphoric... state. I can’t compare it to any other music I’ve listened to. Sometimes I get frustrated because it’s just so good.” When speaking about Beach House, Krammel is visibly moved by the subject as noted from her raised voice and dilated pupils. Some people even get a stronger physical reaction from their favorite elixir. “I was watching a YouTube video recently about optimistic nihilism which is the fear of existence in an optimistic way. I listened to the soundtrack by Epic Mountain for a week,” says Liam Hutton, freshman Video Media Arts major. “I start getting goosebumps on my head that travel down my body through my spine and down my arms. It’s the epitome of an eargasm. It’s this amazing feeling. I’m afraid of listening to it too much because I don’t want to lose that.” From dream pop to galactic space music, there is potential in any genre to give its listener an eargasm. Hutton describes his music as a drug that transforms him. Music is, essentially, an au naturel drug that with the power of just a few notes can give you a mind blowing eargasm where all the stars collide. YM
The Good Old Days WRITTEN BY ABBY GUTOWSKI PHOTOS BY LAURA KANIHAN
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e’re living in the year of the reboots. They’re everywhere: in our movies, our music, our Netflix original series - the two hottest shows right now are Stranger Things, a throwback to the 80’s, and Riverdale, a reboot featuring Archie Comics characters dating back to 1941. The obsession with dredging up these old ideas seems strange when so many fresh themes are at our fingertips. Part of the ritual of growing up a millennial is watching the beloved animated Disney films. When given the opportunity to watch these classic films come to life, why not take it? Seeing Emma Watson wear the classic Belle dress transports us back to watching VHS tapes on the couch at home. It’s not a coincidence that Beauty and the Beast is the top grossing movie of 2017, according to box office reports. The movie has made $504,014,165 since its original release in March, and the opening week nearly reached $180,000,000. Chasing after the feel-good vibe that accompanies nostalgia lets us return to simpler times. In a global climate where it feels like one tragedy YOURMAG | 54
follows the next, reboots pop up to grant us a trip back to childhood and fewer responsibilities. Many of us hold a particularly special place in our hearts for Disney films - and make no mistake, the magic-making corporation has us covered. Live action editions of Mulan, Aladdin, and The Lion King are all in future plans to be back. This sense of nostalgia can be enjoyed across generations. We watch firsthand in 2014 as Nicki Minaj dominated the charts with her hit single “Anaconda”. The tune didn’t just have a catchy chorus; Minaj did something special. She connected modern hip-hop with one of the most iconic rap songs in history. Sampling lyrics from Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back,” she combined today with the past. Not only does the song have over 3 million views on YouTube, but Minaj was nominated for four music awards in 2015. Australian singer - songwriter Grace’s 2016 song “You Don’t Own Me” saw success thanks to the same tactic - the song sampled from the 1964 version performed by Lesley
Gore. Pairing the original lyrics with a verse featuring rap artist G-Eazy, Grace adds a modern twist to the classic. The majority of current undergrads were too young in 1992 to remember the exact day “Baby Got Back” dropped, but that doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate the reference. It’s a fantasy escape, painting a non-existent moment in history where time stands still and everything seems perfect. It’s our new mixed with the old. The same phenomenon surrounds the 2017 film adaptation of Stephen King’s novel It. We may not have been awkward preteens in the eighties like the characters, but we can appreciate the retro innocence surrounding them. A world where everything appears to be a nod to the past isn’t hard to understand. Simply put, we’re obsessed with nostalgia because we can escape through it. It’s one of the few ways we can leave all the shit 2017 has handed us, if only for a moment. YM
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Mark Dion: Misadventures of a Twenty-First Century Naturalist
WRITTEN BY MELISSA GAUGER PHOTOS BY AMAIA RIOSECO
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he scene opens on a child’s bedroom. It neatly resembles the beginning of life, a crossover between literal beginnings (prehistorics) and human beginnings (childhood). Dinosaurs quite completely litter the heavily cluttered space: cheerful redyellow-blue dinosaur wallpaper lines the wall, amiable plastic dinosaur toys lie scattered across the floor, and a petite dinosaur comforter lounges neatly on the bed. A classic Jurassic Park poster sits adjacent to a pleasantly overflowing bookshelf. Beside the bed, an inflatable T-Rex rests, and against the wall a miniature television displays an old science film. The only missing piece from the room is the child itself; toys lie dormant, movie lies unwatched, and the T-Rex feels forgotten. The child’s bedroom feels prehistoric in itself - a lost moment, a lively memory frozen in time. The placard reads, “Extinct reptiles may again rule the earth, reborn as cartoons and consumer goods.” Such is the typical work of Mark Dion, a Massachusetts-born contemporary artist whose installations have recently been displayed at the Institute of YOURMAG | 56
Contemporary Art. Mark Dion: Misadventures of a Twenty-First Century Naturalist explores the natural world’s representation in museum, popular culture, and science. Through unique scientific method and display, Dion creates charismatic pieces exploring humankind and the role of societal power. The exhibition, Dion’s first U.S. survey, recounts thirty years of intensive excavation, fieldwork, and collection. The famous mid-1990s bedroom, entitled “Toys ‘R’ Us (When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth),” alludes to popular culture, consumerism, and creature commercialism. This is Dion’s mission: to address very existential questions through tongue-in-cheek, satirical practice. Needless to say, I was quite unprepared. Upon my arrival, a shelf containing jars of fish heads greeted me warmly. “Department of Marine Animal Identification of the City of San Francisco (Chinatown Division),” it was called. Complete with a pleasantly organized desk, miniature fan, and world map, the strange “office” seemed drawn from a distant movie, another time. The dead fish were especially unnerving - as they should be.
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Their empty eyes followed me, mouths agape, as if they had something to say, but couldn't quite find the words. Although presented in a cheerful fashion, a dark shadow followed close behind. In a flash it was understood: the authority to behead and preserve these creatures was inherently twisted. I felt like a monster. “Question authority,” the placard whispered. So I moved on, Dion’s vision unraveling like a ball of thread. Against one wall in the next room stood “The New Bedford Cabinet,” Dion’s personal excavation of a tavern in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The cabinet harbored a collection of colorful broken glasses and plates, pocket watches, clay pipes, and the tavern’s old, forgotten floor. Its contents were organized precisely into individual drawers and cabinets, mimicking the essence of ironic scientific authority. While poised as “a fantastical projection of how future archaeologists will find and understand our present,” the installation raised deeper questions regarding humanity’s own mortality. I wondered what aspects of today’s society would endure. Even the floor had faded. Perhaps nothing we create will truly outlast time; we invent objects we think will last forever, but in truth, everything becomes rubble and dirt eventually. But look, says Dion sardonically, at least our plates were beautiful. A haunting, yet fascinating idea: we think we are worth so very much, but our destiny remains duly ingrained. But throughout the room came the distant
sound of birds. Birds? Frankly, I thought the unusual noise was a recording - until I stepped forth into the blue room. Birds. A massive aviary dominated the otherwise empty space. Inside the cage, tiny zebra finches and canaries, flying in circles and fighting for birdseed, nestled in a rotting “tree of life.” Although visitors could step into the cage if they so pleased, the birds paid these intruders no notice, as if they had not seen them at all. Novels regarding natural history, birds, hunting, and nature littered the scene. They dominated the floor, they coddled branches, they hung from pieces of rope. But while humanity’s great works served as decoration, they also served as a restroom: The birds quite literally defecated onto human knowledge. So a question arises once again: Does nature really care about what the human race has accomplished? Sure, perhaps, a piece of the population works as conservationists, but Dion suggests, to what extent is this relationship healthy? Who is truly being helped? In the next room an oversized diorama was propped against one wall. Dion placed human trash inside, piled atop one another like a set of musty dominos. Birds, rats, a wolf: They fed at the trash, pecking at the toxic waste we had left behind. Dion brought our waste to the forefront, quite literally, as he seemed to subtly nudge and say, “Look at what we’re doing. Look at the mess you tried to forget about.” The diorama spoke of our own environmental impact without words, but with feeling. I then viewed a photo from Dion’s series, “Men and Game,” a collection of 161 hunting
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photographs. A cheerful man crouched beside a strapping, shining ram. Two friends at work, one could believe, until it was realized they were not two friends at work. Blood stained the ram’s neck, but the hunter still smiled. I recoiled. The conquest of nature comes with consequence. Throughout Misadventures Dion creates an intriguing interplay between nature and mankind. Although his work is presented cheerfully and sarcastically, darker connotations lie beneath every piece. The work says, “mankind is wonderful,” but more exists in the story. The exhibit is meant to inspire some sort of reaction - Joy? Anger? Confusion? I stood there and thought, what am I really doing to the world? What are the unfathomable impacts of my actions? Who am I to decide what lives and
what dies, what deserves domination and what constitutes power? These are the questions Dion leaves open for us. He provides a statement without a solution, because the solution, inevitably complex, should not be left up to one man. His work implies collectivity: how we, as a whole, contribute to the systems of power and control that leave behind chaos and disappointment. In the center of one silent room stood a large, looming staircase, entitled “The Classical Mind (Scala Naturae and Cosmic Cabinet).” On each step Dion laid out pieces of his collection: the bottom step composed of minerals and sponges, leading up to a handful of logs and fruits, to rosy seashells, to cases of insects, jars of aquatic creatures, cats and geese. At the top of the staircase, towering above me, perched one final object: a daunting bust of Aristotle. Here, Dion expressed Aristotle’s concept of the Great Chain - a system in which mankind prevails over the Animal Kingdom. Humans, according to our ancestors, stand dominant above all other things, above the butterflies and starfish and toadstools. So there smiled Aristotle, peering down at life below him. In the side of the staircase I found a discreet little door. I briefly stepped inside to find the piece’s second dimension: a completely dark room void of all but a single chair. Dotted on the ceiling were a thousand tiny stars, twinkling in the confined space: a galaxy in a box. Classical beliefs claim a “heavenly vault” surrounds the earth, placing humanity at the center of the universe. But as I sat there, engulfed in silence and darkness, peering into the night sky, I thought “this could not be so.” We are not conquerors. We are specks, as small as the cupboard’s “stars,” looking for a foothold among the immortality of space and time. YM
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EAT YOUR VEGETABLES
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STYLED AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY SOPHIE PETERS-WILSON ASSISTED BY EMME HARRIS
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D O GO CK! LU
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YM ADVISES (Not) Here for the Holidays Colder weather equals sweaters and pumpkin spice...and breaks from school! Whether you are going home for the holidays or spending your free days on some quality metime, the YM staff has been there, and we’d like to offer words of warning comfort.
“Since the Thanksgiving holiday has never been a very important one in my family, and the short break isn’t quite justifiable to splurge on plane tickets, I’ve always spent those four or five days away from home. It can get lonely, but it’s honestly a great opportunity to catch up on sleep and/or take a short trip in the New England area! I spent two Thanksgivings in New Hampshire and had a grand time running around in the snow.”
“I’m from Massachusetts, so I always invite my roommates whose families don’t live as close to come to my house for the holidays. I’m lucky to have a family that’s always more than willing to accept new members, and I love being able to share my big family with my best friends.” Natalie Gale, Assistant Managing Editor
Katja Vujić, Editor-in-Chief
“When I hear Thanksgiving, I think free food. It has always been incredibly comforting for me to spend time at friends and their families who live nearby. For those who are afraid to reach out to close friends for a place to stay over break—don’t be! Most will be more than willing to invite you into their home.”
“My family is really into traditions, one of which is decorating everything! Even if you aren’t going home, having some time off is a great excuse to get on Pinterest and start preparation for the upcoming holiday season. Last year, my roommate and I had so much fun breaking out the decor and dancing around to Christmas music the second Thanksgiving ended.” Eleanor Hilty, Art Director
Annie Huang, Talent Manager
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YOUR THINGS
ILLUSTRATION BY TAYLOR ROBERTS
EMME HARRIS YOUR MAG PHOTO DIRECTOR
DOWNY WRINKLE RELEASE FABRIC SPRAY Okay, I can’t live without this because I am the worst. I hate wearing clothes with wrinkles, but I am also too lazy to figure out how to iron, so I just spray this on my clothes and it makes them wrinkle-free! Honestly, it is the best thing ever. Definitely buy this if wrinkles also make you feel irrationally powerless. WHITE SNEAKERS If you have met me you know I wear white sneakers everyday. It’s part of my #brand. Do I own other shoes? Probably not. I like to stick to a very consistent daily outfit, so if someone ever decides to transform me into a cartoon I’m good to go. This summer I finally ditched my adidas Superstars because I wore them so much they got holes in them. Now I switch between Stan Smiths and three-strap velcro shoes. I’m shaking things up. CORDUROY CULOTTES Another item of clothing I wear way too much. I bought these from Nasty Gal before Nasty Gal’s death and worse rebirth (RIP), and I just love them! The day I realized that I didn’t have to wear skinny jeans daily, and could just wear giant, wide-legged, comfy pants to my hearts content was an important one. Wide-legged pants are the perfect shortcut to feeling groovy. Another one of my outfit staples, again, if any of you want to make me a cartoon.
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DIAL PHONE Freshman year, my roommate Tallulah brought this item into my life because her family bought it at a thrift store in JP but could not take it on the plane back to LA after they moved her into school (because it could look like a bomb). Ever since, this phone has been a vital prop for projects, photos, and currently functions as the only decoration in my otherwise blank room. TRADER JOE’S CANNED BLACK BEANS I can and will only eat Trader Joe’s black beans for the rest of my life. Who needs to learn how to cook when you can get all of your sustenance from one glorious 99 cent item? (But if anyone wants to come cook something else for me please do because as I type this I am getting increasingly hungry). PAJAMA SET I am nothing if not eternally a child, so another one of my favorites is my polka dot PJ set! Even in the heat of summer I insisted on wearing this to bed all the time. It’s so much more fun to watch a movie and drift off to sleep when you look like you’re in a tween movie’s sleepover scene.
ARTIST STATEMENT
POET BRITTANY ADAMES Describe your work in one sentence:
A mÊlange of metaphors and imagery that don't really make sense but that also kind of make sense. What do you listen to when you write? I actually don't listen to anything while writing. If anything, listening to something really serves as a distraction for me. It's the same thing with reading—I cannot, for the life of me, focus whenever there is even the slightest noise around me. But, if there needs to be noise of some sorts, then it needs to be really soft and mellow music at a significantly low volume. Other than that, I really like to be in a setting where my mind can centralize on one thing. When are you most creative? It's pretty difficult to pinpoint when I'm the most creative because coming to college is pretty stifling in terms of how much time I have to allocate to writing, but I think I'm most creative within the one to two in the morning time frame. It's when I usually pump out my best essays and poems. I usually take a nap at night, which I think fuels my creative process later in the evening because I'm not constantly conscious of how tired I am. It's sort of unhealthy staying up this late but these poems have to get written one way or the other. What inspires you the most? The idea of autonomy or self-governance is something that comes up frequently in my poems, mainly because it's something really vital to me. This is going to sound really somber or morbid, but I also gather the most inspiration following a bad experience. It enables me to capture my emotions in an approach that teaches me more about myself. I feel as if this is the manner within which I learn most about my resilience and overall emotions, as it solidifies a lot of the lessons I've encountered through these experiences. I think poetry is the primal platform under which I can find the most validity and structure in my voice. YOURMAG | 70
DEPRESSION SCREENING TEST
1. I do things slowly. A: Just a little. The cuff of flame wicked away from the candle has bruised my split lips—like how time gashes white-bodied shower drains and the honed finger with which I soak in boiling prayer becomes another weaponized instrument. Today, I fall victim to the bedstead.
2. My future seems hopeless. A: Somewhat. Often, when my mother leafs through large, clustered stacks of paper and prepares them for the shredder, I imagine skin. And when the shortness of breath paves way into my throat, I cleave marriage between mind and respiration like tattoo against arm.
3. The pleasure and joy has gone out of my life. A: Moderately. When I draw back, there is a rhythm to hurt. I crush my nose against the thick plank and sketch a map of wiry skin. Oftentimes, there is poetry in the chapped debris scattered among the thistle. Like the pungent smell of scorched notebook pages.
4. I have difficulty making decisions. A: Quite a lot. Like when God gave me a throat and I found no answer—only the grinding of despondency against tissue. I transmute into a crater—something comprised of fractured phrases and a child’s waddle.
5. I have lost interest in aspects of life that used to be important to me. A: Very much. How lover gives way to spade and picks at what was thigh but is now bone. How lover is no longer lover but space welled in hot breath. How body is no longer body but the stroke of sticky earth.
6. I feel fatigued. A: Extraordinarily. This mussed curl is occasional, trying to find name in a sunken chest. I have swallowed the way in which blanket becomes flesh and body sinks into mattress like a metaphor. Then, it becomes a swollen memory. Then, a thread. Then, nothing.
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TENDON TRANSFER Monday: steamed asparagus. Hard cheese. He wedges the thought of her in his lungs until she thins into an ellipsis. Tuesday: dumpling-soused plate. Raw milk. (No, skin) Her teeth are willowed — a scalpel for birth. She pushes the chair back like a moan. Wednesday: Marlboro-laden platter. He cradles a knife between his pink-flesh lips like a testament to ash. Thursday: Dinner for two. The faucet runs — asks permission to drown her. She says yes. Friday: Ripe plantain. Creased shirttail. His silhouette muscled by want. He lets amber-colored gazes nest themselves into fruit. Saturday: Salt and pepper flecks. How her sentences room between her sheets until they are nothing but body. Sunday: A basin for the mouth. The swift stroke of scythe against grass. The sun’s crack against skin, like a fine cut. He stops, she waves — like muscle giving way to seed.
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ALTERNATE UNIVERSE IN WHICH I AM PAMELA When you wake up on sun-soothed weekends, you saturate in a pot of boiling water — watch it drip in pools on the small of your back. You replace your limbs with mango-covered knives — use leaf-cindered cones as a repellent from peaches. On the weekdays, you find a melody to the uneven asphalt on your way to work. You refrain from choosing haphazard bangs and wear language as if it were skin. You leap over the hoops on the playground as if they were cracked in lava lapping around your ankles and when the boy rakes his metal-caked nails through your disheveled braid, you swallow him until he is another bone in your body. And then, winding your pinky around the small handle of the mug and feeling your mother’s butterscotch-wrapper words melt on your tongue, you think in children’s rhymes. And depression is only three syllables from kissing your temple but you gnash your milked teeth and make flesh out of a yellowed slip.
A TANK WITHOUT GASOLINE My grandmother once rationed her bones for each man who rapped his index fingers against the wooden table, the sound a sweet, soft knuckle for the word: skin. My mother’s ring is the only one that fits on all my fingers — the same one that ripens enamel until the only thing that fits our mouths is: skin. I learned of the word lust when I soaked my face in a tub and guzzled tap water as if it were the last remaining ingredient in language. I remember its taste: skin. My tongue gives way to wire mesh, thinned by the soft ruffle of linen sheets. I voice my body as if it were resolute, framed by weft yarn absorbing: skin. I thumb through Bible pages and name a testament for the women who know of only one thing before their name: skin. And for the women who coat their flesh in goatskin before letting any man touch what is theirs: skin. I ask my grandmother how woman and fear are synonymous and she responds by striking a match in her mouth. She says, “Skin.”
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