Your Magazine Volume 17 Issue 1: March 2022

your mag

VOLUME 17 | ISSUE 1 | MARCH 2022

YOUR MAG is Emerson College’s

monthly lifestyle magazine, established in the fall of 2011. Our organization gives students the opportunity to create written and visual content that is relevant and interesting to the Emerson community. It is a cooperative environment for students in the print media industry. In every issue, Your Magazine offers readers fresh perspective from romance to representation.

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YOUR MAG VOLUME 17 | ISSUE 1 | MARCH 2022

TALIA SMITH Managing Editor

AMANDA HAMPTON Editor-in-Chief

JULIA SMITH Creative Director

ABIGAIL ROSS Romance Editor

ALEA ADRIAN Head Designer

L I LY B R O W N Asst. Creative Director

KATHLEEN NOLAN A&E Editor

ISA LUZARRAGA Asst. Head Designer

M O L LY H O W A R D Editorial Director

ASHLEY FERRER Living Editor

HAILEY KROLL Asst. Head Designer

ELIE LARGURA Photography Director

OLIVIA CIGLIANO Style Editor

WILLOW TORRES Asst. Head Designer

A M YA D I G G S Style Director

CAMRYN CIANCIA Asst. Style Editor

CHLOE WILLIAMS Asst. Head Designer

NENA HALL Head Proofreader

LAUREN SURBEY Web Editor

NEEKA BOROUMANDI Marketing Director

GRIFFIN WILLNER Asst. Head Proofreader

JESS FERGUSON Copy Chief

JULIA MALLON Social Media Director

NATASHA ARNOWITZ Art Director

CHARLIZE TUNGOL Asst. Copy Chief

CHARLIZE TUNGOL Asst. Social Media Director

REB CZUKOSKI Asst. Art Director

SYDNEY ROWLEY Asst. Social Media Director

COPY EDITORS: LOU BALIKOS, SALLY BECKETT, CARLEE BRONKEMA, JOEI CHAN, CHARLOTTE DRUMMOND, KATE HEALY, DHARVI GOPAL, FIONA MURPHY, VICTORIA REIN, RACHEL TARBY DESIGN: ASHLEY FERRER, MARY WANG, EDEN ORNSTEIN PROOFREADERS: CHARLOTTE DRUMMOND, CHRISTINA HORACIO, VIVIAN NGUYEN

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contents ROMANCE 6 8 10 12 EDITORIAL 14 STYLE 22 24 26 28 30 EDITORIAL 34 LIVING 42 44 46 EDITORIAL 48 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 56 58 60 Y.MP3 62 YMADIVSES 64 ARTIST STATEMENT 66

LOVING THE IDEA OF LOVE THE ART OF SEDUCTION Gay Panic: A Look into MLM Nightlife Parental Normativity ms. harding Why I Bought Tabis A love letter to Patchwork Tattoos Soft-Grunge_4ever.tumblr.com Waffle-y Cute street style When the sun goes down NO JUDGEMENT ZONE NO ONE UNDERSTANDS ME...

LET’S PUT A PIN IN THAT metamorphosis So Caught Up in the News of Who Likes Me Maybe I’m The Joke?

Living Next Door to Death Songs that Make You Warm Three Years Into the Pandemic Fiby Dichter

YMEMERSON.COM | INSTAGRAM: @YOUR.MAG 4 | YOURMAG

EDITOR’S letter

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he weather was warm today, and as I sat in my driveway and changed my own tire for the first time, I felt like I was finally emerging from my winter lethargy. I’ll try to avoid leaning on the ye old “spring as rebirth” metaphor, but as we head into March, many of us are on the cusp of major changes—much of our current staff, myself included, are graduating, leaving Your Mag and heading into the big, bad world. It’s difficult to imagine that in a few months we’ll have emerged from the Emerson bubble, especially when I’ve barely learned how to file taxes or change a tire.

Even though I’m feeling as hopeful as can be expected about the future, I doubt that any 20-something feels completely equipped to be thrust unceremoniously into the world of budgeting apps and too-high electric bills and W-4s. The Your Mag staff has tried to make reality a bit easier to digest this issue, blending themes of change and growth with a variety of perspectives and experiences.

Our Metamorphosis editorial captures the transformative beauty of self-love; our style section covers the resurgence of styles from our childhood (hi, Tumblr girl—we’ve missed you) and the tattoo style that serves as a mosaic of life.

In these pages, you will find a wide array of stories to let you know that you are not alone in feeling out of place or inexperienced: one writer reflects on her experience as a Black comedian at Emerson; another reveals the realities of being a skater as a BIPOC woman; another details his first forays into the MLM dating scene. In the editorial Ms. Harding, we pay homage to a fascinating woman’s journey from punchline to icon.

If there’s one thing I hope you take away from the stories of those paving their way in a world that is slow to appreciate them, it’s this: in the high-wire act that is life, it’s okay if you haven’t found your balance quite yet.

I don’t know where I’ll end up when I graduate, but at least I know how to change a tire. Celebrate the small wins, embrace change, and find inspiration where you can. To our readers and creatives: your stories are important to us, and we can’t wait to see how they play out.

All the love, Amanda

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Loving the Idea of Love Don’t You Know That I’m Toxic?

WRITTEN BY ASHLEY FERRER

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en Z’s dating habits are vastly different from those of previous generations, with modern media being partly to blame.

For instance, accidentally falling in love with the target of a friendly bet, sneaking around with your best friend’s estranged brother, and getting noticed by a brooding boy band member among the crowd are not your everyday, real-life love stories. At most, the cheekiest origins you’ll hear is that a couple met while they were dating other people. Yet the modern love stories of our generation have conditioned us to associate our attraction and expectations with love that is defined by a deep duality of both idealization and angst.

From rom-coms to television dramas to fanfiction and celebrity relationships, these fabricated relationships feature the perfect concoction of romanticized agony with sporadic moments of idealized romance. As a relationship ingenue, my romantic knowledge consists greatly of these unrealistic examples brought to me by a lifetime of media engagement and prompts me to question whether or not an ordinary relationship will ever measure up to what we have been taught to crave.

These unhealthy relationships have garnered so much attention and time in the spotlight, that mass audiences have been primed to perceive them as ideal and will go to bat to validate their yearning for a similar love. For instance, ‘Kimye’, alias for ex-couple Kim Kardashian-West and Kanye West, has thousands of TikToks under their hashtag romanticizing the couple and claiming that their breakup ‘proves love doesn’t exist,’ while the ex-couple had a vast history of public scuffles due to untreated mental illness, parenting differences, etc.

“The media warps your perception of things so much,” Anna Bacal Peterson ‘25 said. “It is so romanticized [because they’re sensationalized celebrities], but when you really think about [them as a couple], you realize it’s so f*cked up. That really messes with young people’s perception of love and what relationships should look like.”

This expectation of easily accepting someone back into a relationship, and them being easily redeemed, is reinforced not only in celebrity relationships, but in film and fanfiction as well. We watch as fictional characters argue with one another in fits of jealousy mistaken

ART BY KATE RISPOLI

for passion and commit actions older couples would never withstand (shoutout to Hardin of the After series). Then, after the unforgivable is done, a seemingly perfect gesture grants instant gratification. We begin to crave these situations as exciting or adding ‘spice’ to a relationship because of how they are being presented to us—acted out by attractive actors with perfect makeup, clothing, and hair, with no real consequences, and an invigorating score in the background.

Now, when it comes to dating, we love to overcomplicate the process or put ourselves in unnecessary positions because we are accustomed to believing we need an entire heart-wrenching storyline to prove someone’s actually interested in us and that love shouldn’t be easy. It has taught our generation, specifically women, to accept these fatal flaws and mishaps in relationships, as it makes you appreciate the good times even more.

Moreover, using platforms such as Wattpad and Tumblr at such a young age imposed certain expectations in my mind of how exciting a relationship should be, and how that excitement can be found in hardship and unresolved trauma. Reading these stories where a complex, hurting character meets someone that heals all their wounds conditioned me into thinking that a relationship should be about healing and fixing someone instead of being mutually respected and loved.

“I’ve been reading Wattpad for three years now, and it is so hard to not let these false ideas of what a relationship should be—like all he wants to do is protect you; he will die for you; it’s toxic, but all the good parts of toxic; it’ll be the best sex you’ll ever have, and you’d orgasm everytime. A lot of it is misogynistic, but it is so good you can’t help but want it,” Brooke Harrison ‘25 said.

That idealization of having someone who says exactly all the right words and knows what to pull out of their repertoire to cater to your physical and emotional needs is a disconnect between a carefully crafted character and real-life people who can’t read minds. Most often, in these stories, the love interest knows exactly what to say and do in a sexual context, which isn’t very realistic with young people with little experience.

All this to say, our generation’s reputation of seeking out love in toxicity is secured, as we continue to be left yearning for our real-life grand love story. YM

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Gay Panic:

A Look Into MLM Nightlife WRITTEN BY GRIFFIN WILLNER

PHOTOGRAPHED BY TALIA SMITH

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these walls have sheltered ostracized homosexual men and other queer recently texted an older boy from Harvard on Tinder. After a folks for generations. One anonymous source says, “The gay nightlife few awkward jokes and a bit of flirting, the two of us agreed to scene has definitely opened my eyes to so much more and propelled meet up for coffee. While he sipped his pristine Americano and my maturity level above and beyond. It’s fun, it’s messy, and it’s a part I sipped my kids’ meal iced matcha latte, the two of us talked for of my experience as a gay man.” Having such a place allows gay men hours. Somehow, he started discussing the complexities of gay bars, to feel both normal and jovial. and I ate it up.

However, going to gay bars can be problematic. Such paradise For background, I came out fairly early on. However, I also means fearing hypersexualization through groping, age-inaphave had little to no experience with gay nightlife. Though comfortpropriate passes from older men, STIs and HIV, plus the concern of able in my sexuality, there was just no way for me to experiment in roofied drinks. One Emerson student notes, “In Boston, I’ve never rethe past. After Harvard Boy brought it up, however, I could not stop ally had any ‘great’ experiences because it’s very toxic and sex-driven. thinking about it. He talked about wild experiences: hooking up with The first time I went to a gay club, I literally got groped more times older men, dancing with drag queens, but most importantly, finding than I can count on my fingers.” The fear a sense of community. Like most younger gay of such forced touches and passes is a valid men, I had very few role models and friends fear for many young gay men. According to By eliminating the queer I could relate to. My mind became clouded a statistic by the Human Rights Campaign, with doubts about STDs and deadly roofies, community’s obsession “40% of gay men and 47% of bisexual men but I knew that it was my rite of passage as with hookup culture and have experienced sexual violence other than a young gay man to find myself within the creating educational rape, compared to 21% of straight men.” world of gay nightlife. environments, gay men MLM are highly at risk, and gay bars can Whether we like to believe it or not, can collect themselves be a perfect location for such horrors. gay bars and hookup culture are ingrained Despite the systemic issues, in exciting spaces to feel into MLM (men-loving men), lifestyle and gay nightlife is a major aspect of the MLM seen while also feeling history. Unlike most heterosexuals, very little world. Though some would argue that gay sex education exists in the education system safe. bars are entirely problematic, I would argue for LGBTQ+ youth. that a lack of education is deeply embedded An anonymous interviewee says, “Growwithin this issue. One solution would be to ing up, my middle school didn’t provide any education for queer sex provide queer youth with true representation in sex education classes. or anything along those lines.” Without role models or adequate eduTo desexualize gay men, we need to create spaces in which queerness cation, queer folks often find themselves having to search through uncan be embraced. I firmly believe that gay nightlife should not be fit materials, specifically porn. The same person went on to say, “Beerased. It benefits the community in creating comfortable ways for fore I even looked up any scholarly articles, it was porn. And that’s MLM to meet other MLM. By eliminating the queer community’s obsuch an inadequate thing to learn queer sex from because, I mean, session with hookup culture and creating educational environments, there’s so much wrong with porn.” When education is inaccesible, gay men can collect themselves in exciting spaces to feel seen while young queer people have no choice but to explore on their own. As a also feeling safe. Under these contexts, I would feel much safer taking result, much of the information found is sexually explicit. this step into the exploration of my identity. I want to be able to exGay clubs often become a way for MLM to find one another plore myself like Harvard Boy has—dancing with queens and finding romantically, sexually, and platonically. Gay bars serve as a mecca a sense of belonging. If and when I do, I hope to see such changes of sorts for likeminded queer people to congregate in comfortable made. YM confines. From the Stonewall Inn to Boston’s own Legacy nightclub, ROMANCE | 9

THE ART OF SEDUCTION:

WHO DO YOU DESIRE? WRITTEN BY MANNI BURACH

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ho do you desire? It’s a question we never ask one another and rarely ask ourselves. What type of qualities make a person absolutely tantalizing for us? Is it their

voice, their smile, the way they gently tuck their hair behind their ear, or the way they blush when they laugh? Are we drawn to those who reflect our own similarities or people who fill in spots and traits that we feel we are lacking in? The alluring power of seduction is one of the most mysterious yet shared experiences. Robert Greene, author of “The Art of Seduction,” is one of the few aiming to answer these questions and outline common types of archetypal seducers.

Drawing from Greene’s examples, I pulled apart, combined, and contributed my own thoughts to construct some archetypal casanovas that I have come across in my own love life and my friend’s love lives here at Emerson.

The Visionary: The Visionary is seductive because of their mind. They see the world in ways in which others don’t. Whether it’s their traditional intelligence in an academic setting, their worldliness, or their artistic abilities, we are attracted to the Visionary because through their eyes, we can understand the world in ways that we never could before. They teach us things without trying to; they show us how romantic or interesting everyday things are. Whether they tell us about the relationship between the orchids and the roses in the garden or the significance of the low-budget cinematography in the newest indie movie, the Visionary is a natural teacher in every way we want them to be.

The Smirk: The Smirk is distant—distant in a way that makes them somewhat unattainable. This could be a result of their social status, cultural difference, distance in age, the fact that they’re in a relationship with someone else, or the fact that you’re in a relationship with someone else. We know that we cannot have the Smirk, that we would have to move worlds to be with them, and yet it makes us want them even more. Platonic hugs with a Smirk feel anything but platonic.

The Social Butterfly: The Social Butterfly is the John F. Kennedy type. The charming, witty, funny socialite whose presence makes everyone feel special, heard, and entertained. It may not be just through their words that they charm the crowd; many Butterflies are likable because they’re good dancers, chefs, or generous human beings. They have qualities that are satisfying to those they’re around and are the type of person who seems to get along with everyone.

They’re great with friends and parents, and it seems there’s no one they cannot please. We swoon over the Butterfly because we have a

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PHOTOGRAPHED BY CATHERINE BATAL competitive desire to want more of their attention than everyone else gets. We want to be with someone who everyone loves, but who loves us most of all. We want the Butterfly to be friends with everyone but to be only our lover.

The Smokeshow: The Smokeshow is an extreme embodiment of traditional feminine and masculine qualities. We find them seductive because the extremity of their gender or sexual expression makes us feel securely feminite or masculine. For example, Marilyn Monroe’s hyperfemininity is seductive for many because of her ability to make men feel secure in their own masculinity. On the other hand, a man like Brad Pitt does the opposite––his hypermasculinity makes women secure in their own femininity.

The Defector: The Defector is the opposite of the Smokeshow. They don’t play by traditional gender roles. They instead dance along the lines of feminine, masculine, and everything in between.

Think: a standoffish bisexual woman mechanic, or a male poet who paints his nails. We are drawn to them because they break the rules; there are no binaries and no unspoken rules when we’re around them.

If you often stress about your affection toward a certain Romeo or Juliet, I would advise you to try to understand what type of seducer you are desiring and what it is about them that makes them so irresistible. Picking apart these questions can help you decide how best to approach them and, possibly, win their affection. Maybe the best way to appeal to a Visionary would be to be their best student, to show them you truly care about what they are teaching you. Pick some of those orchids and roses from the garden and write them a note about how their relationship emulates your own. Maybe the best way to appeal to a Smokeshow is to reciprocate the security they make you feel and try to make them feel equally secure in their own masculinity or femininity.

It’s important to note that these archetypal seducers are not exclusionary. Often, they will fit into multiple categories or birth new ones altogether. For example, a JFK type who is in a relationship becomes a “Smirking-Butterfly.” An intelligent grad student who identifies as nonbinary becomes a “Visionary-Defector.” Further, people are multidimensional and oftentimes, although we’d like there to be a simple answer for why our crush makes us sweat and bite our lip, there are so many reasons we’re attracted to a person, many of which we can’t even control. Understanding who you’re attracted to is an exciting thought and one I hope you explore further after reading this, but I implore you not to let it consume you. Attraction is largely physiological and hormonal, and a lot of it we will just never completely understand. YM

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Parental normativity jealousy OR JUST TRADITION? WRITTEN BY ABIGAIL ROSS

ART BY JAMES SULLIVAN

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illennials and Gen Z have experienced an interesting intimacy; instead, they opt for unlabeled fun, sexual, and casual relaphenomenon surrounding relationship building as young tionships. Many have “lost faith” in marriage and do not believe the adults. The linear pattern of dating, marriage, kids, and bond is required to enjoy life with someone else. Our generational growing old together has become less crucial and more of relationship culture has become more about choices and less about a hassle due to personal preferences. We don’t view commitment in rules or guidelines—leading to parental jealousy. the same light as our parents once did—let alone dating, “things,” It seems parents always want us to be in some sort of relationsituationships, or hookups. We seek the love of another but are ofship, regardless of if we actually see a future with this person or not. ten afraid of what responsibilities forever partners might come with.

After feeling the need to confess the issues in a heterosexual relationWhile finding it difficult to navigate our tumultuous love lives, our ship with her ex, 19-year-old Sierra Abrams recounts a conversaparents seem to have no problem commenttion with her mother about dating. Abrams’ ing on who we should be with and why they mother noted she had become “intolerant” While finding it are suitable for us. to the societal norms that encompass male difficult to navigate Our parents don’t understand the genbehavior, and that this is something she erational relationship culture we’ve cultivatwould have to deal with come the time to our tumultuous love ed as a result of their preconceived notions get married. Amid talking about Abrams’ lives, our parents of what love should look like. Boomers and new situationship, her mother promptly seem to have no Gen X have instilled this traditional wedlock questioned why she wasn’t dating this new mentality into their children’s minds beboy already. Our parents seem to have beproblem commenting cause of the normative love lifestyle they’ve come unaccepting of our modern dating on who we should be practiced for centuries. They’ve become ways, lending itself to the traditional marwith and why they are riage mold instilled upon us from the very over-involved and hyper-fixated on our relationships as an act of love. But the young beginning. suitable for us. adults of today are largely unearthing the Boomers and Gen X have allowed world on our own terms—whether that be themselves to become interdependent with through sexuality, love interests, or self-care. Parental normativitheir children’s love life, causing new stresses to form monogamous, ty, invasiveness, and speculation have become a new pressure the loyal relationships throughout their existence. However, we are not youngest generations are facing. obligated to fit inside the unrealistic love construct that our parents Studies show that marriage has hit an all-time low over the past expect us to fulfill. Millennials and Gen Z recognize that our parents decade. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the want their kin to provide grandchildren and have a good life—but U.S. encountered a steady decline in matrimony. Approximately 6 we are pushing back against the standard by creating the versions of out of every 1,000 individuals decided to marry in 2018, causing a love that make us happy. In redefining our generational relationship discernible change in these charts and love climate. Various studies culture, we rewrite the history of love as a proposition rather than conclude that Millenials and Gen Z do not necessarily value close an oppressive contract. YM

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DIRECTED BY TALIA SMITH PHOTOGRAPHED BY TALIA SMITH MODELED BY ANNA CAPPELLO STYLED BY ZOEY SCHORSCH MAKEUP BY ZOEY SCHORSCH

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WHY I BOUGHT TABIS WRITTEN BY CAMRYN CIANCIA

PHOTOGRAPHED BY JULIA SMITH

’m not rich, I am not elitist, and I do not like living in a capitalist society. I do, however, pay attention to Vogue and designer fashion, “fashion TikTok,” Pinterest, and Instagram, and after a lot of exposure to certain avant-garde trends, my brain starts to crave these items.

Yes, the algorithms are out to get us, but so is the insatiable longing for designer or high-end fashion items that are unattainable on a college budget. But after seeing Maison Margiela’s infamous Tabi shoes shadow over the content I’m presented with, I needed a pair for myself.

The designer shoes come in a number of styles, from heeled boots to ballet flats to Mary Janes, yet what sets them apart from other shoes is the iconic split-toe resembling a horse hoof. The Margiela hooves are hard to ignore, as the ballet flats were listed on “Vogue Essentials: 40 Wardrobe Staples our Editors are Wearing in 2022,” next to an Everlane turtleneck and a Prada skirt.

After a couple of glasses of wine, an unexpected holiday bonus from the family I nanny for, and assured Christmas gift returns, I hit the internet searching sites from The Real Real to NET-A-PORTER when I stumbled upon SSENSE’s holiday sale. I filtered the “shoes” category to my size, particular brand, and I requested to see items in order from “cheapest” to “most expensive.” I realized that the discounts may be too good to pass up. Impulsively, on Christmas night, I placed an order of “SSENSE Exclusive Brown Tabi Vintage Mid Heel Boots.” They would be at my doorstep as soon as I arrived back to Boston from visiting my family over the holiday.

Once I returned to Boston, I was greeted by the package, which I ferociously tore open. Cautiously removing the dust bags, I was greeted with my first pair of designer shoes, and oh, how they shined. I immediately slipped the boots on, splitting my toes into the hooves. Fitting perfectly, I began imagining all of the outfits I would be wearing with them, not caring about the looks I may get trotting around my neighborhood or campus.

The first reaction I got was from my boyfriend, who said something along the lines of, “Hmm. I don’t love them, but I appreciate them, and I am glad they exist.” Regardless, the Tabis and I first made our public appearance together to ring in the new year. “New year, new hooves!” became my tagline for the night.

After Miss Tabi and I had our first night out together, I began to think about my ownership of the designer shoes and how influencers did in fact influence me. But how accessible are these so-called trends that I am constantly faced with? The people feeding us this “code” on what we should be wearing are at the top of the cultural hierarchy and can buy all sorts of designer items (insert The Devil Wears Prada quote of choice here). Am I just subscribing to this social and cultural hierarchy by purchasing a material item that only people with a certain privilege can afford? And I’ll admit it, I am proud to have the ability to splurge on something I know I will have forever. So is it an investment?

Are people that dictate fashion trends just guiding us on how to spend large sums sparingly, and if we participate in trend cycles this way, do we help reduce our environmental impact? I think so. Not only will these shoes live in my closet forever, but they are now a symbol of this period in my life, and will hopefully be passed on. Therefore, my Tabis are not only a sustainable investment, but a personal one.

I’ll admit, it is strange as a college student grappling with my personal privilege and what it means to have the ability to adhere to certain trends and make them my own. And truthfully, if I wasn’t seeing Tabis all over the internet, I probably wouldn’t have bought them. At the end of the day, I am proud to be an owner of Maison Margiela’s Tabis, and I love them a lot. I feel special when I take them out of the box, undo the dust covers, and slip my foot into them. I am lucky to be able to do this. I have personal autonomy over my style, yet I sometimes confine myself to what I see other people wearing. But am I glad I did? Certainly. YM

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A Love Letter to Patchwork Tattoos WRITTEN BY GEORGIA HOWE

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panther, two diving women, a holly branch—all these and more are inked onto the skin of TikTok influencer Bryanna Gillespie (@notmymango). Though her feed focuses on lifestyle and mental health content, she’s gotten a lot of attention for the tattoos that are scattered across her arms. The placement of each tattoo creates a sort of sleeve—not one, continuous piece of art that wraps around the arm, but rather a multitude of individual works that fill up blank space. This style of tattoos has been commonly referred to as “patchwork tattoos.”

Patchwork tattoo sleeves are made up of separate, smaller tattoos that are spaced out across the arm or body. The tattoos are generally added over time, allowing the sleeve to grow and continue to fill out more space. This is quite different from the careful planning and speedy completion of a traditional sleeve made of one art piece or pieces that blend into each other.

In an article for Bustle, tattoo artist, Gianna Caranfa, says “patchwork ink involves finding an image you like, then placing it where it fits, rather than make a cohesive tattoo that fills all the areas.” The tattoos are often thinner and done with linework, giving a lighter and more breathable look, as opposed to the traditional sleeve’s heavily shaded and colored designs. They’re different from getting a few random tattoos in the same area of the body, as they’re placed intuitively to fill in the “blank” spots on the skin.

Many celebrities and influencers adhere to this style of patchwork tattoos. Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande both have unique ink peppering their arms and body. Cyrus, in particular, committed to the disjointed feel of the patchwork style, with tattoos of the moon, quotes, flowers, dogs, and a smiley face all on the same arm. The style has been trending on apps like TikTok and Pinterest, too. A quick search will reveal hundreds of unique combinations of designs tastefully placed on arms, legs, and even chests. The increase in popularity over the past years can be attributed to younger generations’ eclectic and maximalist style that celebrates individuality.

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PHOTOGRAPHED BY REB CZUKOSKI

Despite their increasing popularity, the patchwork tattoo style is subject to a lot of criticism. The fragmentary, erratic placement of the tattoos leads to mixed reactions. A quick scroll through a Twitter thread about the style gave way to dozens of replies expressing their distaste.

Some likened the style to the scribblings of a child or the underside of a vandalized school desk. But it’s exactly the messy, sometimes-unfinished look that makes patchwork sleeves so distinctively personal.

Jeanie Thompson ‘24 has multiple, unique tattoos dotting her arms. On her right arm, she sports a teddy bear, a cow print cowboy hat, and a copyright symbol with her birth year. Her left arm showcases even more small pieces. “I have a mix of stick-and-pokes done by various artists,” Thompson says. “I also have some machine works on here.”

Patchwork tattoos are unique in their capturing of what one found important and beautiful at a certain point in their life. They transform the body into a living, breathing scrapbook. Memories are inked onto skin without the artistic constraint of other sleeve styles.

Like a collage, patchwork sleeves are made of multiple, oftentimes conflicting, elements that come together in the end.

The tattoos making up the patchwork sleeve don’t necessarily have to be “meaningful” either, though one can absolutely spend time meticulously imagining, choosing, and planning their patchwork tattoos. The style offers the freedom of getting inked casually. Some of Thompson’s pieces, like the cowboy hat, she dubs more impulsive, justfor-fun works. However, she also has an image of two people making a heart with their hands, which resonates at a deeper level because of its connection to her queer sexuality and capacity for love. “All of my tattoos are just kind of little capsules,” Thompson says, “either of my identity at some point in my life or what I feel like encompasses myself as a whole.” The pieces are how Thompson communicates her personality to those around. From the impulsive tattoos of teenage years to the thoughtful tributes to intimate topics, they all nestle in together to tell a story. They’re mosaics of the connections we’ve felt as little pieces of art that paint a larger picture when put together. YM

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Soft-Grunge_4Ever. tumblr.com WRITTEN BY OLIVIA CIGLIANO

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n Jan. 2, Vogue announced “The 2014 Tumblr Girl Is Back.”

The article header showed a frizzy-haired Charli XCX performing in black nail polish, moto leather, and shades, her cool-from-within-glow defying a heavy shadow, calling back to the year “Boom Clap” exhausted local radio stations—a time when Spotify was second to the radio.

Vogue’s declaration was met with surprise on Twitter, mainly by ex-Tumblr teens who had since retired to the newer platform. To them, it seemed too soon for the early-to-mid-aughts fashion to return, since we’ve only existed in an early-2000s revival for three years. Y2K trends rapidly bled into 2009 glam-sleaze, breaking the 20-year cycle rule, and now trend forecasters see us practically skipping into the 2010s.

Just like those lonely high school years, the 2020s forced “indie” college girls back to their bedrooms to ruminate in front of a screen. It’s the cyber-heroine’s time to rise again, but some of us never outgrew our sartorial roots. You can take the girl off Tumblr, but you can’t take the Tumblr off the girl.

Since its nail-in-coffin porn ban in 2018, Tumblr has existed as a deserted oasis. Its golden era, for those who were there, lives on forever in our adolescent hearts. It was a magical land where devastating Lana Del Rey music video gifs of blossoming flowers and tears on film floated across your dashboard, black and white indie pop album covers reigned (cue Arctic Monkeys, The 1975, and The Neighbourhood), Kylie Jenner’s best social media account was kalifornia-klasss.tumblr. com, and teen girls indulged in self-deprecating text posts while reblogging an American Apparel tennis skirt ad in the same breath.

Teenagers logged on to scroll for hours, drowning in melancholic poetry, cigarette iconography, intimate (though anonymous) confessions, and revelations. They, as a community, tapped into discourse about mental health, social issues, trauma, and other topics that were still taboo. The dark blue desktop landscape afforded a sense of privacy and discovery, acting as an underground exchange of ideas that could be visually appealing, relatable, or political. It was the land of the angsty, the artsy, and free—a dark, comforting place to project comingof-age fantasies from your childhood bedroom and to connect with your identity.

The indie-alternative musical genre of the time was brand new,

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invoking a sadder, grunge-pop that is largely credited to Lorde’s 2013 debut, as Pure Heroine sonically illustrates the aesthetic and emotional weight of this pocket in youth culture. Glamor and grit intertwined, raising themes of romanticized depression, materialism versus fulfillment, beauty standards, doomed heartbreak, and underdogs. All of these were championed by Lana Del Rey, Lorde, Marina & the Diamonds, Sky Ferreira, and other woman storytellers who reinvented the “Teen Idle.” The movement was so-called “soft grunge.” An enigmatic term in its time, it precedes those “trend-cores” that come from TikTok, and before them “VSCO girls” and “e-girls.” In terms of internet-derived fashion trends that influence mainstream shopping, Tumblr girls are the blueprint.

WikiHow’s steps to “Become a Tumblr Girl” say: “Develop your style. Don’t worry about brands. Be eclectic. Shop boutiques and thrift stores. Follow trends early—or make your own.” She, our Tumblr Girl, had an unspoken uniform, which sought to express the honest, dark emotions that come with adolescence and also to identify her to the Tumblr community. As sung in Marina’s four commandments, called “How to Be A Heartbreaker,” rule number three advises to “wear your heart on your cheek, but never on your sleeve, unless you wanna taste defeat.” Tumblr girls are cool because they’re mysterious, and they’ll avoid the brunt of heartbreak because otherwise means certain egodeath.

Her look was moody yet romantic and largely based on ‘90s grunge. Minimalistic, desaturated monochromes, tattoo chokers, and band tees paired with fast fashion items, like that Brandy Melville moon phase tee. Fishnet tights and stockings slipped into Dr. Marten Mary Janes or combat boots, while jean jackets enveloped a black crop top and tennis skirt ensemble, finished with a red flannel shirt tied at the waist. Similar to the anti-mainstream attitude of the website itself, her unruly edge played off of clean, normcore-adjacent shapes. Soft grunge, more specifically, embraced softer elements like flower crowns, thick winged liner, kisses of pastel, and preppy pieces styled down. The aesthetic connected the internet culture and community with distinct styles attached to brands like American Apparel, Brandy Melville, or Urban Outfitters, making them recognizable as a coveted lifestyle (even though most of us didn’t have a storefront in our town), insidiously val-

ued by status and body exclusivity (remember the “thigh gap” movement?).

These days, TikTok and Instagram pump out new trends faster than an online order can reach your door. It’s because visual ideas and aesthetics are widely shared among a generally younger audience that is viewing media culture for the first time, just like those Tumblr girls hungry to find an identity. Thus, styles are adopted and recontextualized for the ‘20s. The only constant trend of the last decade? Nostalgia.

It’s the younger half of Gen Z that aims to resurrect soft grunge, which ironically is a conception for nostalgia in its origins, known on TikTok as #TumblrAesthetic to 21.1 million viewers or #Tumblr2014 to 85.6 million. Vogue misspoke in their assessment. “Now the Tumblr girl style is being revisited by its millennial originators, but also Gen

Z, which has discovered and altered the trend.” The Tumblr Girl is a distinct dressing style of older Gen Z, born in the 1990s-2000s cusp years. They interacted with Web 2.0 in a totally different way than their millennial older siblings. Millennials are likely more responsible for the “Twee” and “Indie sleaze” personas of the 2010s, which also threaten to return shortly.

Welcome to 2022, where Lana Del Rey’s Born To Die just turned 10 years old, Lorde called for a “Leader of a New Regime” on 2021’s Solar Power, Marina dropped “The Diamonds,” and Sky Ferreira is still tirelessly teasing her second album Masochism, which she says will finally arrive this March. The Tumblr girls never left—they just grew up. YM

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WaffleWRITTEN BY

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eslie Knope, from Parks and R remember what’s important Or waffles, friends, work.” As ing in the dining hall, I reflected o lifestyle. Home workouts became th trending. Even though this is true superstar athlete over quarantine. route, including myself. Lounging ar stressful times. The pandemic com taught us that we can never have t trending. As I sought the comfort-fo wear something that was just warm loungewear is waffle knits.

Waffle knits keep you cozy in from natural cotton, it is woven del Waffle knits are great for any daily u on your living room sofa with a mo library to drop a book off, wearing a material is light and durable. When wrapped in a warm blanket.

So, what exactly is a waffle kn gridlike pattern of minuscule squa terial breathable. Waffle knits were cleaning for their durability. Their p came a great in-between layer for cl knit, yet lighter than cable knit.

Waffle knits are versatile and skeptical about wearing the fluffy m are wearing pajamas instead of le knits are the best of both worlds: t But when it is a frigid winter day comfort and warmth of your bed, th fect layer to brace the cold. They a your body heat.

Waffle knits can be found at a individual pieces or matching sets. S from Aerie, Gap, and Urban Outfitt to Companies like L.L. Bean and G they have policies in place to manag materials in garment production. Fo ie is made from 60% organic cotton While the world slowly goes “b fort is not disappearing anytime soo because it is not only cozy but also p clothes prevail, I hope you enjoy wa

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-y Cute LILY BROWN

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Recreation once said, “We need to in life. Friends, waffles, and work.

I ate my delicious waffle this mornon how the pandemic changed our he new norm and athleisure started for some, not everyone became a A lot of people took an alternate round became a blessing after such mpletely changed our wardrobes. It too many comfy ‘fits. Relaxation is food feeling of waffles, I desired to m and fuzzy. One fabric popular in

n any season. Typically developed licately like fluffy clouds in the sky. use. Whether you wear them to chill orning cup of coffee or out to the a waffle knit is a great decision. The layered, it swaddles you like a baby

nit? It is a textile that is woven in a ares. This openness makes the mae first used as textiles for industrial purpose changed when the knit belothing, as it is thicker than merino

soft to the touch. Some might be material because it can feel like you egitimate clothes. However, waffle they feel as luxurious as they look. and you do not want to leave the his thermal fabric provides the perare specifically designed to insulate

almost any retail store whether in Some of my favorite waffle knits are ters like Aerie’s waffle joggers. Look Gap for more sustainable options, as ge water use and utilize eco-friendly or example, Gap’s waffle knit beann. back to normal,” the desire for comon. Waffle knits are a timeless style practical. As loungewear and comfy affle knits a waffle lot. YM STYLE | 29

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PHOTOGRAPHED BY OLIVIA CIGLIANO INTERVIEWED BY OLIVIA CIGLIANO

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CARINA PRAY, SHE/HER, @CARINAPRAY How would you describe your personal style in three words?

European, classy, experimental Where do you typically get outfit inspiration from?

Growing up in Europe, I grew up a lot around the fashion scene there. Since I’ve moved to the US as a teenager I’ve been able to kind of see two sides of fashion in a sense! I mostly get my inspiration from TikTok, to be honest, but also European fashion especially in Scandinavia and Germany If you could only shop at one place for the rest of your life, where would it be?

Gucci or Paloma Wool Celebrity style icon?

Peggy Gou, Renee Bellerive, and my Obasan (my Japanese grandma) What are three pieces of your wardrobe you can’t live without?

Cartier ring, Vivienne Westwood pearl necklace, and my Ganni Black jacket

AUDREY Cai, she/her, @youran.caicai How would you describe your personal style in three words?

Colorful, comfortable, cool Where do you typically get outfit inspiration from?

Social media pages I follow, and models or influencers with styles that I like If you could only shop at one place for the rest of your life, where would it be?

Chinese web stores Celebrity style icon?

I don’t think I have one What are three pieces of your wardrobe you can’t live without?

Levi’s SilverTab jeans, my thrifted navy sweatshirt with GOLF embroidered in the middle, and a Hanes white guinea tee STYLE | 31

MEERA SINGH, SHE/HER, @meeraasingh How would you describe your personal style in three words?

Comfortable, kinetic, simple Where do you typically get outfit inspiration from?

Usually just from whatever’s in my closet. I stick to a color palette (green, blue, white, brown, grey, black) which makes it easier to avoid overconsumption.. If I’m pulling inspiration from social media, I’ll use Pinterest and occasionally TikTok. Having fun is the most important thing to me!

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

Depop. Everything is on there Celebrity style icon?

FKA twigs, Ecco2k What are three pieces of your wardrobe you can’t live without?

My black pinstripe pants, green knit beret, and this mesh skirt that has a photo print of tulips on it 32 | STYLE

ELENA Viennet, she/her, @___l.n.a___ How would you describe your personal style in three words?

It’s really hard because I have wildly different vibes depending on the day, so the only constant would be comfortable Where do you typically get outfit inspiration from?

I usually just look around, I find a lot through my mom, she worked in fashion for a really long time and always sends me various pieces/photoshoots, etc. but really encourages me to put them together however I feel If you could only shop at one place for the rest of your life, where would it be?

Before they closed, my go-to for clothes would have been Opening Ceremony but now Depop because I can really curate my selection or Acne Studios Celebrity style icon?

Simi & Haze What are three pieces of your wardrobe you can’t live without?

Acne Studio sweaters, my dad’s jeans (very oversized 501’s) and my Harley Davidson leather jacket

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NO JUDGEMENT ZONE WRITTEN BY NIRVANA RAGLAND

PHOTOGRAPHED BY NIRVANA RAGLAND

he Boston-based skateboarding group known as LonelyBones have become trendsetters for current and future skating collectives. The inclusive and safe space radiates positive messages about originality, identity, sexuality, and confidence. LonelyBones has garnered media attention for their close-knit community that meets up at parks throughout the Greater Boston area and hosts skate jams for women and nonbinary friends.

However, the question lies within the future of LonelyBones: where is the collective going, and what can we expect? In an interview with founders Rayven Tate and Claire Lee, they explored their aspirations and provided insight to what they’ve been planning during the offseason.

Skating is a white male-dominated sport that leaves little room for representation; women are often discouraged from or ridiculed for their skating due to gender norms. Since LonelyBones was made to include women and non-binary skaters, the collective urges non-skaters and cisgender heterosexual men who want to partake to foster spaces for those who are overlooked and remind themselves that they don’t need to take up space everywhere.

“It defeats the purpose of intentionally creating that space—they want to pass off this knowledge and stuff, but you can do that from the backseat,” Tate said.

The LonelyBones collective, previously known as LonelyGirls, was created by Tate and Lee in July 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. LonelyBones gets its name from the lonely feeling that many encounter in their late teens into adulthood. Lee and Tate hope that what they’ve been implementing for the community to come together, make friends, or learn something new can make it all a little less … lonely.

Tate described the birth of LonelyBones as a highlight during a time of great loss. Tate explained that the support has been overwhelming in the best way possible. Growing and gaining exposure proved to be difficult, but both girls agreed that the skate group changed their lives for the better.

Coming to terms with being the face of LonelyBones posed an unexpected challenge that morphed into overcoming fears, anxiety, and their introverted personalities.

“Sometimes having to stand in front of a group of 100 people and mak[ing] an announcement, whatever [it] may be, [is] terrifying,” Tate said. “I don’t even like ordering things sometimes, let alone speaking to a huge group of people.”

“Be a little brave, get 20 seconds of courage, and just do it. Someone will find use for it,” Lee said.

Lee and Tate encourage other college students and young adults who have sat on an idea for a new club or community to simply go for it.

Since graduating from Northeastern University last May, the founders have been working full-time as engineers. Lee is a bioengineer at a cell therapy company, while Tate is a software engineer at Capital One. Last summer, they won a grant from Skate Like a Girl, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based out of Seattle. Funding and mentorship from Skate Like a Girl has led many of their aspirations to be realities, though their priority and heart remain in their community here in Boston.

“It’s become so much bigger than ourselves,” Tate said in agreement with Lee while reminiscing on the momentum the collective has gained.

While enjoying their current jobs, art-lovers Lee and Tate lack space to play creatively and bond with like-minded people on a raw level, so encompassing music, fashion, and other mediums into LonelyBones is the next step.

By creating their own fashion or merch, Lee and Tate hope to encourage the attitude of a free-spirited skater who uses fashion as a form of self-expression. The founders recognize that skaters want to look good, and the stigma that surrounds that. Skating fashion that currently exists, such as Thrasher and Dickies, are restrictive of a much larger range of styles skaters have.

“We want to be the first nontraditional skate brand,” Lee said.

Building an intersection between the arts and skating has become an ambition for both Lee and Tate, but they don’t want to stop there.

Giving back is essential to both women. In the future, they hope to create scholarship funds, volunteer opportunities, and school clubs.

“We want LonelyBones to outlive us, and we want there to be enough resources where that can happen. We want to be a household name,” Tate said. YM

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no one understands me quite like my best friend...phoebe bridgers WRITTEN BY CLAIRE FAIRTLOUGH

ART BY ELIZABETH APPLE

n the age of the internet, phenomena and trends go in and out of style in a blink of an eye. The biggest celebrity scandal is at the top of the headlines one day and irrelevant the next. Time marches on, and social media finds a new person to become obsessed with, and then eventually hate.

Yet, one aspect of the internet, the parasocial relationship, has always been a morbid fascination for me. For those who aren’t aware, a parasocial relationship is the imagined relationship between public figures and their fans. They are subconscious bonds that we have created with celebrity figures that we like. Though this bond may sound stalkerish and damaging—and can certainly become this way—it’s not all bad. In fact, celebrities ultimately rely on this relationship with their fans, especially in the age of social media.

The more ‘relatable’ but still ‘perfectly out of touch’ a celebrity is, the more desirable they are for a parasocial relationship. We want the celebrities that we like to have flaws just like us, but not enough that they genuinely remind us of the troubles that we are going through.

The relationship is an escape in which fans can feel safe projecting their affection for the public figure’s perfectly curated image. A celebrity’s image and how it’s consumed is a transaction. If they appear likable and interesting in addition to their talents, fans in return buy their merch, see them in concert, and support their endeavors.

This relationship is always one-sided. It’s a pseudo-bond. No matter how many interviews you watch, or how much you stalk their social media, if you don’t know a public figure in real life, you don’t know them personally. This may seem obvious, but our brain can easily trick us into believing that this relationship is genuine. When we forget that public figures are human beings with real flaws and the potential to make mistakes, it’s easy for us to feel personally betrayed when they don’t act in a way that we idealized them to be.

In middle school, I remember using Tumblr and being connected with a cesspool of middle school girls posting anything and everything

about the celebrities they were into. As a girl who ran multiple fan accounts (as embarrassing as it is to admit), I kept tabs on accounts that did deep dives into the celebrities that I loved. I wanted to know what these celebrities were doing on a daily basis. However, I was conscious that this bond that I had with these celebrities wasn’t real. Taylor Swift had secret parties with her closest fans, but that didn’t mean she was actually close with any of them. Taylor Swift wasn’t talking to me through her songs, even though it felt like it. Eventually, I grew out of fanbases. I deleted Tumblr. Once I graduated middle school, I never really thought about parasocial relationships the same way.

When the pandemic hit, no one expected to spend their college experience cooped up in their childhood bedroom. Many of my friends found themselves regressing to their childhood selves, myself included. I found myself spending hours laying on my bed, listening to Phoebe Bridgers on repeat. I discovered her for the first time in 2017, with her indie darling record Stranger in the Alps. I was drawn to her haunting melodies, frank yet personal lyrics, and often found myself laughing at her jokes on Twitter. I felt like I knew the person who sang the mournfully poetic songs I loved so deeply. Very quickly, I noticed I wasn’t alone in this feeling. Ever since the release of her album Punisher, Bridgers started to blow up. There was a part of my brain that started to feel defensive. Mostly, I was psyched that she was getting popular, but I wanted her to stay ‘my secret,’ to stay mine.

But Phoebe Bridgers isn’t ‘mine.’ Apart from the obvious fact that she belongs to no one but herself, I’ve never met her. I’ve seen her perform live, but that’s as close as I have ever been to her. Phoebe Bridgers has no idea who I am, and that’s okay.

Ironically enough, Phoebe Bridgers summed up the experience of the parasocial relationship perfectly in her song “Punisher” about her favorite artist, Eliott Smith. Even celebrities aren’t exempt from this

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odd part of our psyche.

“What if I told you I feel like I know you But we never met?” YM

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LET’S PUT A

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PIN IN IT

WRITTEN BY KATE RISPOLI

ART BY CHLOE WILLIAMS

ll too often, when discussing the harmful effects of social media, the conversation surrounds platforms like Instagram, where overly edited and carefully curated content can lead to users’ obsession with self-image. Yet my ideal life lives on a single site, organized into 23 distinct mood boards filled with over 2,000 images (and counting!) of beautiful homes, expensive clothes, and delicious meals.

While different aspects of my life are divided across social media, with Instagram holding my photographic memories and Twitter storing every obscure thought I’ve had, it’s Pinterest that contains my fantasy of the future.

Speaking from a daily user (and as someone who got her go-to soft pretzel recipe from it), this is not to discredit the site, but rather to shed light on the effects of overuse. Mood boards and future planning have no inherent negativity, but the heavy romanization of a perfect future can produce feelings of discontent. I’ve found that rather than appreciating the place that I’m at in my life, I instead channel my energy into yearning for a picture-perfect future.

I think back to my freshman year dorm room. I had a Pinterest board overflowing with design ideas, from desk decor to wall hangings and aesthetically-pleasing images to collage with. I truly felt that when I had completed my dream dorm, everything would fall into place.

If you compared the final product to my pins, you’d struggle to

find any original ideas on my behalf. A miniature Himalayan salt lamp sat on my desk, a butterfly tapestry (overpriced from Urban Outfitters) and a golden moon phase hanging (see previous parenthetical) decorated my wall, and my pink bedding matched perfectly with the photos that hung beside my bed. It was a Pinterest board that came to life inside the Little Building, and I was … wholly unsatisfied.

Idealizing my dorm room was one thing, but trying to meet the sky-high expectations that I had set was another. Little things that were never featured in dorm pictures online, like the stack of unwashed dishes on my desk or the overflowing laundry bag hanging from my bedpost, filled me with undeniable disappointment. I felt that there were perfect dorm rooms out there (read: perfect lives!), with Pinterest as a testament to that, and it was simply out of my reach.

I had always been told that everything on Instagram was fake, but the same had never been said for Pinterest. To me, Pinterest and Instagram were on two different sides of the same spectrum, where one of them was an authentic way to post photos. Pinterest was supposed to be achievable, and I was supposed to live the lives I pinned.

The truth is, nothing on social media is achievable, even on a website dedicated to creating mood boards. Every post is carefully edited and takes a great deal of consideration. To strive for a future like the ones on Pinterest is like striving for the life of anYM Instagram influencer: disappointment is far more likely than success.

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SO CAUGHT UP IN THE NEWS OF WHO LIKES ME (AND WHO HATES YOU) I

n 2022, over a year after Olivia Rodrigo’s musical debut, the drama that surrounded the release of “drivers license” is basically as well known as any storybook fairytale. Once upon a time, there was Olivia and Josh, and then there was Josh and Sabrina, and then a little pop song about learning to drive turned into a full-on war against anyone responsible for breaking Olivia’s heart.

A year ago, if you were to check the comment sections on Joshua Bassett and Sabrina’s Carpenter’s Instagram posts, you would be engulfed into a world of hate that ranged from passive-aggressive comments to full-on-aggressive death threats.

Although Rodrigo never stated the song was about Bassett and Carpenter, she never denied it either, nor did she condemn the hate her fans targeted towards the two. But should she have?

While the “drivers license” drama is among the most extreme examples of fans acting without artist interference, Rodrigo certainly isn’t the only culprit.

When Taylor Swift released a re-recording of her 2012 album, Red, this past November, her fans instantly went on the attack. Rather than Bassett, Red’s victim was Swift’s ex-boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal, whom it is greatly assumed “All Too Well” is written about. You probably couldn’t log into any social media without seeing the phrase “fuck Jake Gyllenhaal” during the weeks that the album made its return to the charts. What you did not see during this period was Swift saying anything to condemn this hatred.

Once again, should she have?

In today’s age of social media and parasocial celebrity relationships, it is so easy for fans to take their interpretation of art to an extreme. Very little is known about the Rodrigo/Bassett relationship, including whether or not they actually dated, but fans have filled in the blanks on their own and made up their minds on anything unconfirmed.

When imagination gets the best of fans, though, when is it the artist’s job to step in? Does it sacrifice the audience’s ability to interpret art how they feel it should be interpreted?

Ella Fishman ‘24 thinks not.

“Even if you don’t want to publicly say a song is or isn’t about a

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certain person, it’s still entirely possible to say to your fanbase: thank you so much for your support, but sending death threats is not the way to support me,” says Fishman. This does not take away from fans’ ability to interpret who the artist is singing about, like in the case of Rodrigo, but it does draw a line regarding what behavior is appropriate.

Nicole Spirito ‘24 agrees, and notes that when Bassett released his own music in the months following the drama, he made sure to include a disclaimer.

“He basically said: it’s music. People have different sides to their studies and this is how they’re expressing themselves, so… don’t attack anyone,” Spirito explains. While Bassett never stated his music was about Rodrigo, despite a few not-so-subtle references that implied so, he was able to simultaneously leave his art up to interpretation while also preventing fans from crossing any lines.

Yet, while Bassett took a different approach than Rodrigo, how necessary is it for an artist to speak up? We can look back at Swift, whose breakups with Gyllenhaal and John Mayer have prompted negative attention towards the two. Her 2010 song “Dear John,” predicted to be re-released in the coming year, tore Mayer’s character to shreds.

Like Bassett, Mayer recently found his DMs flooded with death threats.

In the eyes of Bailey Kasprzyk ‘22, the two situations aren’t necessarily comparable despite similar fan attacks, given the effects on the victims’ careers.

“It wasn’t like, everyone hates John Mayer,” Kasprzyk says, in reference to the way people turned on Bassett. “John Mayer is still very popular, Jake Gyllenhaal is still very successful. I don’t think it’s the same because it doesn’t affect them the way it affects a young person.”

Bassett was just starting his career, whereas Gyllenhaal and Mayer were established. For Swift’s fans to use her writing as justification for their hatred may be seen as punching up.

Yet, whether it is punching up or punching down, is it necessary to be throwing any punches in the first place?

There’s really no clear cut answer. Different artists choose to be involved in their own ways, and the most that we as consumers can do is take their art in a way that is personal to ourselves, with interpretation coming from the heart. YM

WRITTEN BY KATE RISPOLI

ART BY NATASHA ARNOWITZ

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Maybe I’m the joke?

WRITTEN BY BREANNA NESBETH

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hen I did my first low-stakes stand-up set freshman year of college, I had no idea it would be the reason I set out to pursue a career in comedy. Humor was always how I put myself out there. Since I was young, my dad’s ability to charm any room with his humorous stories taught me that I could do the same.

Going into college, I originally intended to study journalism, thinking that it would satisfy my desire to write. Shortly after realizing that this was not true and that it was impossible to include a bit in an opinion piece, I settled into the comedic arts department. My time at Emerson has put me in conversation with some of the most brilliant comedians but also the most insufferable cishet, white men. Sometimes it seems as if there is no in-between. I’ve always known pursuing any career as a Black woman would be difficult, as all the odds are stacked against me, but trying to make it as a comedian has introduced me to some of my darkest days.

The harsh reality is that once you make it as a Black comedian, the audition is never over. In comedic spaces, Black women are treated as a satisfaction to the requirement. Take, for example, Saturday Night Live in its 40th season back in 2014. Then cast member Jay Pharoah discussed the lack of diversity amongst his castmates, imploring the show’s producer, Lorne Michaels, to hire a Black woman. Soon after, SNL, through its unpublicized yet highly reported audition process, offered comedian Natasha Rothwell a spot in the writers’ room. In a recent interview, Rothwell reflected back on her time at Studio 8H, and while she’s careful not to diminish her time there, she shared how her experience with the series negatively impacted how she carried herself.

And how couldn’t she? She had been advertised as a diversity hire, and sitting among white, male writers who had established the room to be theirs made her feel unseen. Looking back on this moment in SNL’s history made me realize that to be Black and a woman in comedy, unfortunately, means that to some, you are the punchline.

But, thankfully, we are living in different times. Now, more than ever, Black people are given mediums to be unapologetically Black and entertaining. Just look at shows like Insecure, Issa Rae’s HBO comedy that looked at the lives of Black women in Los Angeles. The show wrapped on its fifth season this past December and left a forceful legacy. It has ushered in a bevy of new shows about Black women: Run the World on Starz; Harlem, set to premiere on Amazon Prime; and Abbott Elementary on Hulu. In the past, shows centered around the lives of Black people were focused on Black trauma, coming from white producers, which didn’t make them feel grounded in lived experiences.

Jon Rineman, former head monologue writer for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, now my professor here at Emerson College, shared with me that he noticed diversity in the writers’ room improv-

ART BY REB CZUKOSKI ing, and that he was happy to be a part of those rooms. But with that said, why isn’t it translating in front of the camera? Today, these shows are just about Black people being Black. And they are proving successful.

This same principle is where we can see Black comedy at its best.

Richard Pryor, Kevin Hart, Leslie Jones, Bernie Mac, Tiffany Haddish, and even Dave Chappelle all possess the style of comedy where they lay bare the harsher realities of life for the Black community. This type of comedy has been with Black people for centuries, where humor was sometimes the only way to stay positive when living through years of brutal oppression and discrimination. So when today’s Black comedians stir up controversy, it puts us in between a rock and a hard place to lose one of very few.

So how do we expand the field, so we no longer have to rely on a select few? Well, the answer is right before us. Emerson’s BFA degree in comedic arts is the first of its kind in the country. Our students have the ability to write, perform, produce, and study comedy. Beyond the classroom, our campus has sketch and improvisational troupes, as well as stand-up and production organizations. Emerson should be sending the next generation of comedians of color into the world, but the issue?

The Emerson comedic space is overwhelmingly white.

Mercer Whitfield ‘23, president of Stroopwafel, one of our campus’s short-form improv troupes, weighed in on the lack of diversity in the space. Before this past semester, she was the only Black person in any of the active troupes, except for Flawed Comedy, which is an org for students of color.

“So, it almost becomes a thing of ‘Well, unless the org is specifically for people who look like me, then it’s not for me,’ which is not true,” she says. She makes a compelling argument, pointing out that for the hefty price tag of attending this institution, students of color should be allowed in spaces and given every single opportunity to be in these spaces. And with that being said, this shouldn’t be exploited and used as an excuse to tokenize. “Students of color on this campus don’t want accommodations. We don’t want to be let in just because we’re brown or Black or students of color. We don’t want the little pity party.

We don’t feel pity for ourselves. We want opportunities to be in these spaces,” Whitfield says.

The industry has a long way to go, and the fact of the matter is that most of us working toward it will not be able to see a truly diversified industry. Making people laugh is important for a myriad of reasons, the most minuscule reason being laughter is medicine. In the meantime, as it has for centuries, humor will be the light shone during dark times. YM

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LIVING NEXT DOOR TO DEATH WRITTEN BY LAUREN SMITH PHOTOGRAPHED BY MAHKYE HAYDEN

I

lost both my grandfathers, two uncles, an aunt, a great-grandfather, and a dog before I turned 13. Death is strange. It washes over you like a tsunami but passes (pun not intended) in the blink of an eye.

Growing up with quite a significant amount of death surrounding me changed my relationship with the fate we all face. I learned to feel nearly nothing toward the subject: to not understand death, to chalk it up to someone simply not being there on that particular day. I remember making up solutions to death. I told my mom that everyone who passed away got a cloud to live on.

As I grow older, I struggle to decipher what it means to die. Becoming nothing seems too bleak. Going to heaven, being reincarnated, or some other theoretical afterlife—all are too stressful to consider.

So, how do we deal with dying while still being alive?

Paul Kalanithi, a neurosurgeon, died in 2015 at the age of 37 from a rare form of lung cancer. Diagnosed in his last year of residency at Stanford University, he wrote When Breath Becomes Air to share his

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own experience with death, from the perspective of both a doctor and a patient. In the face of a pandemic that claimed the lives of over 5 million people, a biography asking questions about the meaning of life is exactly what we need right now.

The bridge between humanities and STEM is what drove Kalanithi’s research. He studied literature, philosophy, and neuroscience to understand the “life of the mind” and what “makes life meaningful.”

The intersectionality of these two disciplines is foreign to most Emerson students, but searching for the meaning of our lives is not.

Kalanithi explores questions like “what makes life meaningful enough to go on living?” The answer is unclear. And it changes as we face our own mortality, and the mortality of those we love. What is time, and how do we spend it? Without language, what does our life mean? Without one another, what drives us to keep going? How do you choose who gets to keep on living?

Neurosurgery taught Kalanithi how to act not “as death’s enemy, but as its ambassador.” He argues that when we lose the things that make us who we are, life is simply not worth living anymore.

When faced with difficult conversations with patients and helping their families grieve diagnoses or deaths, Kalanithi never regretted what he did. He never felt as if it wasn’t worth the toll it took on him.

Pursuing our deepest desires often comes with a cost. But whether the price is worth paying is up to us. What makes your life worth it?

What is your legacy, your impact? How did you come into the world, and how do you want to leave it?

We are taught to look toward the future and work toward some big end goal. But what if we get cut short? What do you do with the time you have left? What about living in the moment and taking things day by day? How do you choose what to do with the time you have left when you don’t know how long you have left?

Kalanithi argues that while death approaches us all, it means nothing. Our expiration date should not dictate our everyday life. You must figure out what matters to you and live focusing on that. For Kalanithi, it was people and his legacy.

“Human knowledge is never contained in one person. It grows from the relationships we create between each other and the world, and still it is never complete,” he said.

He died filled with joy, “a joy unknown to [him] in all [his] prior years, a joy that does not hunger for more and more but rests, satisfied.” He died surrounded by the things that made his life worth living.

He lived believing that hardship and pain were important parts of the human experience and we should not try to numb them.

Kalanithi’s incredible story has forever changed the way I view death. Losing people will never get easier, but trusting that their life was everything it should have been lightens the burden. To quote philosopher Michel de Montaigne, “He who should teach men to die would at the same time teach them to live.”

As for contemplating my own death, I won’t spend time worrying about it. Time spent worrying about death while still living is time wasted, and we only have so long. YM

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YM ADVISES:

THREE YEARS INTO THE PANDEMIC - ADVICE ART BY CHLOE WILLIAMS

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“The only thing that’s kept me from going insane is always having some sort of project to do. Whether that’s taking on a new hobby, auditioning for things, or joining a magazine (wink-wink), I’m the type of person who constantly needs to be creating to feel fulfilled. And when nothing was open, I learned how to create my own opportunities for art. I also keep my sanity by thinking of self-care as not something that I gift to myself, but rather part of my everyday routine. Everything can be self care. Taking the trash out or sobbing in the shower is just as much self care as a face mask or a journal entry. There is no limit to how much you should show yourself love, now more than ever.”

— Molly Howard, Editorial Director

“In the spring and summer of 2020, I took COVID regulations seriously since my family was living with and taking care of my grandfather. I could count on one hand the amount of people I saw in that time who weren’t related to me. Prior to the pandemic, I would often let my introverted side win and decline plans with friends if I was feeling lazy. Once it became more safe to do social things, I learned to live in the moment and not take human interaction for granted because we’ve seen how quickly that can be taken from us. Get out of the house and enjoy these moments while you can; you won’t regret it. Especially since I’m a senior, having all my friends living in one place at a time is something I’ll miss in just a year. Say yes to more things and appreciate the time you have with your loved ones!”

— Jess Ferguson, Head Copy Chief

“I’m much more aware of balancing screen time throughout the day. I feel like I’ve been doom-scrolling for three years at this point, and not only does it get boring quickly, but it makes me feel like I’ve wasted precious time. I much more crave hands-on activities like crafts or cooking — anything that brings a touch of creativity to my day and grounds me in the moment. I used to need a podcast, music, or TV show playing in the background at all times, but now I spend a lot of my day in silence.

My brain is a lot quieter now; it all helps to shake away daily anxiety and to intentionally make each day feel good.”

— Olivia Cigliano, Style Editor

“The short answer is: I’m not. We have been stuck in a global pandemic for three consecutive years, that has caused millions of people to find themselves in the midst of a mental health crisis. COVID-19 has negatively impacted the majority of our friends and families lives forever. Everyone will remember the struggles we’ve experienced and are still experiencing. I’m hopeful that the end to this pandemic is coming soon, but there is so much uncertainty. I’ve been taking everything dayby-day, because at this point, that’s all one can really do.”

— Abigail Ross, Romance Editor

“It seems like such a cliché, but it’s really something I have been embracing: the little wins. One of my little wins this week was hearing that I no longer have to walk to the testing center two times a week. Another is me taking my mask off when I walk to the gym and breathing in the crisp air. I feel like it’s very easy to say, “It’s been three years, you should be able to deal with it.” This is such an inconsiderate, minimizing statement that drives me insane. Every day became harder once the pandemic started, so give yourself some grace and celebrate your little moments.”

— Isa Luzarraga, Assistant Managing Editor, Assistant Head Designer

“Truthfully, therapy. If the pandemic gave me one thing, it was time to reflect on myself and take a deeper look at my mental health. Quarantine of 2020 forcing us to be alone pushed me to start seeing a therapist. It has not only helped me to evaluate and challenge my own mental wellbeing, but having that support system in place has helped me navigate the pandemic as it pushes and pulls us every which way.

I’m a strong believer that everyone should go to therapy, and what better time than when we’re in a pandemic facing issues greater than we know how to deal with?”

— Alea Adrian, Head Designer

“My first thought was to talk about my cat and to adamantly assert that she has kept me from falling off the deep end, but it wasn’t until about three months ago that I realized how easy it’s been to distract myself by taking care of others — people and animals included — instead of myself. Write in your journal. Take a lot of photos. Take a mental health day, or five if you can. And rewatch your comfort shows or movies. I’ve ripped through the Twilight Saga at least 6 times since March 2020.

Don’t be embarrassed to make yourself comfortable.”

“It’s really easy to bounce back and forth between being a workaholic and completely void of all responsibilities, so I try to make schedules to balance my time and insert leisure into my days to avoid burnout. Having free and remote time to be productive is nice in theory, but wearing yourself down too quickly can take a toll on your mental health, so having a daily routine to take care of yourself, do work, and still have fun is extremely important.”

— Reb Czukoski, Assistant Art Director

— Talia Smith, Managing Editor

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FIBY DICHTER PHOTOGRAPHED BY LILY BROWN 66 | YOURMAG

A R T I S T S TAT E M E N T

Describe your work in one sentence.

I hand make creations based on popular trends from thrifted materials.

How and when did you get into making your own clothes?

Sewing was the quarantine hobby I picked up. I somehow ended up on Sewing TikTok around April 2020, and I felt inspired to create my own clothing. I previously learned to hand sew when I was younger for sewing pointe shoes, but I always wanted to learn how to use a machine. For my birthday in 2020, I got a new machine, and I have sewed so much since then.

What inspires you?

Avoiding fast fashion and picking up new skills inspires me. When I see something I like online or a clothing style beginning to trend, I try to create my own clothing. For example, when corsets were becoming big, I made some waist corsets and corset tops rather than ordering one from Amazon.

Why handmade clothes?

Who are some of your favorite creators /artists?

I wanted to find a new creative outlet and be able to create something completely new. Creating my own clothes is my favorite hobby, and it is rewarding to say that I have been able to make my own, sustainable clothes. I enjoy thrift flipping clothes as well. This is when you make something new from a thrifted piece. In other words, I love to give my newly sewn clothes a new life. I love making clothes for not only myself but also my friends. Recently, I made my friend group Löded Diper tank tops based on one of our favorite movies, Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

TikTok has inspired me with fashion in general. Tinyjewishgirl is one of the creators whose fashion I love to look at when I am searching for inspiration. I find her pieces really interesting, and it encourages me to look outside my comfort zone when discovering what I could possibly make. I also look at Madeleinecwhite’s page for actual fit insight.

She is a great source to look to since she sews her own clothes as well.

What is one of your favorite items you’ve made? What makes it special to you?

My favorite item I have made is definitely the lacy waist corset I made from pure scraps. There is black lace throughout the entire fitting plus red peaking through in most of the panels. The backing is made out of several fragments, and the majority of the lace in the panels was made from ribbon being sewed together into a sheet and cut into the pattern. This project is special to me because it was one of the most challenging things I have ever made. Despite this challenge, it came out as one of my best handmade pieces. I am most proud of this piece because it looks professionally done.

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Buy an iron!!! While it may seem like a clunky tool that just sits in the closet, it is absolutely necessary for people who are new to sewing. At first when I started sewing, I did not iron my pieces. They ended up coming out so wrinkly, which was not very sufficient. In order to prevent that from happening to you, invest in an iron. Other than that, just practice. Learn from your mistakes in order to improve. Practicing sewing takes time. Even though I have been doing it for almost two years, I still learn something new everytime I sew.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

A R T I S T S TAT E M E N T

What advice would you give other/new creators?

I see myself still sewing as a hobby and creating pieces at the last minute that I might need. However, I do see myself utilizing it in my profession of stage management. My goal is to live abroad, so maybe I will be able to learn how to sew clothes that are prevalent in other cultures. I am so excited to gain a deeper understanding of these cultures by learning how to hand make clothing from their lifestyle.

Where can readers see more of your work?

Readers can see more of my work via Instagram. While I do not post much, I am planning on soon creating an account devoted to my creations. Until then, please check out my main account: Fiby.dichter.

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