YOUR MAG
Volume 5 | Issue 1 | October 2015
YourMag | A
VOLUME 5 | ISSUE 1 | OCTOBER 2015
HALEY SHERIF
Creative Director
PEYTON DIX
MATTHEW MULLEN
Editor-in-Chief
Managing Editor
Head of Design
Photo Director
CHRIS GARCIA
ARIELA RUDY ZALTZMAN
CHELSEA TREMBLAY
LINDSEY PARADIS
ANDREA PALAGI
LINDSEY MCFADDEN
Romance Editor
A&E Editor
RIANA ODIN
PIMPLOY PHONGSIRIVECH
PERI LAPIDUS
HANNAH PERRIN+ JENNIFER LEAHY
Living Editor
Head of Beauty & Talent Manager
CLAIRE TORRES Asst. Designer
Art Director
YMtv Directors
MIA ZARRELLA
Editorial Stylist
Head Copy Editor
Style Editor
MEGAN CATHEY
Asst. Style Editor
MADELINE BILIS+ KAREN MORALES Digital Editors
CHRISTIAN LOPEZ
Marketing Director
Marketing: KATJA VUJIĆ, SYDNEY HANNIBAL, KALA SLADE, EVAN MCCRORY, MIA DOYON, KAYLA SALIBA Copy Editors: KELSEY PERKINS, JULIA ROBERTO, EMILY PFAFF, ISABEL CRABTREE, IRIS PEÑA Special Thanks to: CHRIS GARCIA
YMEMERSON.COM | INSTAGRAM: YOUR.MAG | TWITTER: @YOURMAGEMERSON
editor’s letter
I
t’s 11:35 p.m. and I hate everybody. It isn’t often that I find myself entering the Boylston Outbound T stop sober on a Saturday night. I board the train, sandwiched between a burly Bruins fan and a mousy girl who chugs back what looks like Tropicana but smells like straight Smirnoff. With the aid of the winding train tracks and everyone’s inability to stand up straight, I find myself as a common source for other patrons’ stability…it’s like they can sense my sobriety. Despite my initial annoyance to every underaged soul surrounding me I soon find myself feeling a strong sense of nostalgia for my own freshman year, one which commonly featured crowded LB pre-games and sweaty Allston parties. The usual. As much as I loved my freshman year self (completely kidding, she was awful and lost all
sense of her home training), I do fondly appreciate her because she helped me become the better dressed, self-aware train wreck that I am today. While making the decision to rebrand Your Mag this year, some of my personal sentiments paralleled ones I continue to have towards this magazine. YM has been an integral part of my Emerson experience since freshman year. We’ve seen some rough times, but without those experiences we would have had nowhere to learn and grow from. This magazine has grown tenfold in both the quality of our content and the consistency of our staff. I’m so incredibly proud of who we are now and the intentional and intelligent work we plan to produce. I hope you find our premiere issue for this year some of our strongest work to date. Enjoy. Peyton Dix
Romance 04 07 08
Happiness & Hooking Up Damsel in Disasters: Cupid’s Leftovers The Science of Jealousy in Relationships
Editorial
Living
14 22
34 36 38
The Mod Men DAZE
Spa H20 Day Your Things A Two-Borough Bender
TENTS
CONStyle 10 12
Natural Beauty: Follain Your Fall Hat Guide
Arts & Entertainment 40 42 46 50
A Hit and A Miss for Sloane Crosley’s The Clasp My HGTV Obsession Artist Statement Radical Nun Art
Happiness & Hooking U Written by Mechi Lakatos Photography by Chris Garcia Model: Kyle Kennan
I
arrived at Emerson College my freshman year newly rid of twenty inches of hair and excited to fill all of that high school weight I’d just cut off with new, interesting, and exciting collegiate experiences. My first night in college I met a nice boy—let’s call him Teddy—who had curly hair and loved the same stupid guitar-folk lo-fi band that I did. We chain smoked outside of Piano Row and commiserated about the dread of our mutual first “real” winter impending. We kissed outside of NYP and spent the night together in his dorm room, yet-unpacked suitcases, my Birkenstocks, and new striped dress littering his floor. It was sweet, I thought. I did not think, Sweet, a boyfriend! I did not think, Since we spent this time together, Teddy now owes me future time and affection. I did not even think, This may happen again. But I did think this was a person I had shared time and a connection with, and that warranted some kind of common decency. Wouldn’t you? The next day, I saw Teddy while I was drowning my Peet’s iced coffee (RIP) in cream in Em Caf. I waved, and asked him how his first day of classes had gone. A seemingly common thing to do if you run into someone you know. Teddy was with a pretty redhead I remembered as the Journalism major who sat in the back row of my Making Monsters class. He looked at me and said, “Sorry, do I know you?” My brow furrowed in confusion. He rolled his eyes at
4 | Romance
me and walked away. That weekend I saw Teddy at a party in JP—my first nighttime venture south on the Orange Line. He was with yet another girl, his hands grabbing her waist and ass roughly as the pair chatted with some others. He saw me, whispered something to the girl, and came over, pulling me aside into a room out of view of the friends he had been with. “Hey babe,” he said, and kissed me. “What the fuck,” I said back. He was genuinely confused. I asked him why I should give him the time of day now considering the other day at Em Caf. He gave me a face, one of those, “aww, come on” faces guys give girls when they’re trying to excuse their bad behavior as an overreaction on the girl’s part. “Babe,” he said. “It was nothing. Why did that upset you? We’re just hooking up.” This was my first real experience with what is known as “hookup culture.” Between sexting in middle school, counting people you’ve slept with and comparing numbers with friends, and often times not remembering the names of many people you’ve spent the night with, we are a generation that has come of age at the height of hookup culture—and are fully immersed. Picture any weekend: you grab Fajitas & ‘Ritas with friends, maybe pregame a little if the waiter forgets to ask for ID. You gush
& Up about the boy in your comm class who has been making eyes at you. You trudge back to your dorm and get dressed for the night, smuggle a bottle of peach Nantucket Nectars mixed with vodka into your half-zipped purse and scurry past your RA when he attempts to greet you enthusiastically in the hallway. Cut to: the D Line, where you and your friends slurp down your mixed drinks and stumble tipsily off the train and into Allston proper. Party time. The setting is some trashed clapboard belonging to a group of upperclassmen boys you don’t know. Fetty Wap is blasting. You all scream, rush in, mingle and dance. Strobe lights and sweaty bodies make for an ideal atmosphere. As you dance with your friends, your eyes dart around instinctively, scoping out the attendees for anyone fuckable. You secure a few prospects, and make a point to surreptitiously scoot your group toward their corner. The lights are low, one guy is dancing on you, and soon, you’re making out. BJ in the closet, someone opens it and everyone sees, you’re embarrassed, but not too embarrassed because you’re sufficiently fucked up, then you’re in an awkward Uber back to campus and, before you know it, getting it on in his Piano Row double. You crash on the couch in his suite, too drunk to stumble home, but too sober to share an xl twin bed with a boy you only vaguely know from your Intro to College Writing class. Sure, maybe for you it was Genki Ya, not F&R, but it is safe to say that this
“hookup culture” plays a prevalent part in the lives of most sexually active college students. Casual hookups are a staple, and not one that is ever really questioned. It is the way it is, the status quo of sorts, meaninglessness over meaning, brevity over anything that lasts longer than the morning after. Meanwhile, the National Institute of Mental Health reports that the majority of college students experience “sadness or anxiety,” often reporting feelings of loneliness or disconnection, with up to 30% of college students feeling “too depressed to function” on a regular basis, which is a higher percentage than any other study on a specific community. There are many factors that contribute to these elevated statistics, such as being away from home for the first time, or the pressures of making new friends and performing in more difficult courses. But the hookup culture that saturates most college campuses seems to add an additional, unnecessary level of pain and stress to the equation. Many of the aforementioned factors are an unavoidable part of college life, but hookup culture is not! So why are we so complacent with a culture that may only be furthering us from happiness and contentment in ourselves and in our interpersonal relationships? The pressure to conform to the standards of this culture are certainly tangible. Most college students are not looking for serious
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relationships or commitment, so, if that is a value you hold, it can be easy to feel like the odd player out. I am certainly not suggesting that that sort of commitment is the route for everyone (and I definitely don’t find it to be the route for myself), it just doesn’t make sense why hookup culture is the default lens by which we, as young people, are encouraged to view relationships. Take, for example, the way that, for many high school students, college is the only logical next step, and other options are seldom encouraged, or even a real consideration. The same goes for young people with hookup culture. It is the go-to, what we think we are supposed to be doing, without a second thought, the natural next step in our personal lives, as is college the natural next step in our academic lives. But a post-secondary education is an extremely valuable opportunity, and we are all reaping in the benefits of that opportunity. And this is where the two diverge. The same does not seem to be true of hookup culture—we are not reaping in any benefits of this path to intimacy, and, as a result, many college students find themselves feeling more lost and confused than they would otherwise.
”Hookup culture is a culture that is failing its participants, whether they know it or not.“ Hookup culture is a culture that is failing its participants, whether they know it or not. It does not meet the needs of those participants, although the participants might claim that it does. There seems to be a prevalent stigma, especially in college-aged women, to affirm that they are not interested in experiencing emotional or romantic validation from their physical encounters, and that physical encounters are sufficiently rewarding as such, in order to disassociate themselves with any unfairly imposed stereotypes about women being clingy, or irrationally emotional, particularly in the wake of what a man might consider to be a meaningless sexual encounter. There is also immense pressure to (rightfully) cast off somewhat ridiculous notions of Arthurian romantic comportment that is antithetical to any modern relationship. Some women also often feel that in order to be “good feminists,” they must subscribe to hookup culture, because it is easy to conflate seeking out an emotional connection with dependence on a man. But, when this fight for both internal and external justification takes prevalence over one’s actual feelings toward an encounter, it ends up that all parties, regardless of gender, are robbing themselves of the most remarkable part of sharing physical intimacy with a person—the intense emotional bond that can precede or succeed such an encounter. To those who might disagree and argue that casual sex is a liberating, enthralling release, I agree wholeheartedly. Casual sex has it’s place in the wide spectrum of sexual encounters, and can certainly serve a wonderful purpose within that place. The
6 | Romance
concern arises when this type of sexual encounter becomes the go-to—and often only—mode of sexual intimacy that young people experience. Successful, meaningful, excellent sex is so heavily contingent on chemistry, which is usually cultivated, and sexual preferences and habits are all so idiosyncratic and people are all so complex, that it can often take a while—take practice, for lack of a better manner of phrasing—to have experiences that are wonderful in all the sorts of ways sex is meant to be wonderful. Experiences that fill you up and make your chest expand, and your breathing and your heart slow in true, unbridled fulfillment, actualization, and satisfaction. Those are the kinds of self-caring, pain-lessening feelings for which sex is such an incredible catalyst, and why it is so important for our generation to realize all that sex can be outside of a standard hookup model. I realize now what I didn’t know as a freshman about why my encounters with my lovely, freshman year hookup, Teddy upset me so much. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to date me, or see me exclusively. Hell, I certainly didn’t want to date him! It was the fact that he seemed to feel like since we were only “hooking up,” he didn’t owe me even the most basic common courtesy in a normal realm of life. That hooking up and sustaining an actual interactive relationship of any kind were on two totally disconnected planes, and one had nothing to do with the other. And as a result, it was okay to treat me, and probably the other girls he was sleeping with, like total shit whenever we encountered one another in the daylight. I realized very quickly that I did not want to have any kind of relationship—sexual or otherwise—with anyone who did not regard me with enough respect to literally say “hello.” Hookup culture seems to breed this sort of disregard and disrespect for personal connection, as if that connection negates the purpose of the hookup as a standalone. But this sort of intense interaction, coupled with total emptiness and unfamiliarity in other lights, quickly becomes extremely draining. This is certainly not a call for a change of ways completely, or a PSA for exclusively committed relationships. I am not even suggesting monogamy. I am just suggesting reflection. I am suggesting to a generation of young people—myself included—who I have experienced so often battling with intense feelings of selfdoubt, self-loathing, and often, depression, and who, more often than not, coalesce those feelings and experiences with only the usual causes—school, work, family, etcetera—to also take possible participation in a hookup-based culture into consideration as a potential influence in larger pain or unhappiness. To consider how meaningful and purposeful the physical interactions— which are by nature very vulnerable interactions—in your life are. And maybe, if you are feeling a sort of lackluster, on-and-off empty gnaw in your stomach with regard to some of those interactions, think about what might change in your life and your wellbeing if you sought out meaning in more of the relationships prevalent in your life—sexual encounters included. YM
DAMSEL IN DISASTERS WITH CHELSEA TREMBLAY
CUPID’S LEFTOVERS
Y
ou can’t always tell when a disaster date is about to happen. Sometimes it starts off with a cup of coffee, some laughs, a walk through the Common, and then falls apart on you unexpectedly. And other times you can just feel the ominous air around you as you grin and bare it, thinking about how you’re definitely going to write about them later in your column. Paul taught me a few things about dating. First of all, if your first date is on Yom Kippur you should probably find out if your date is Jewish. Or they should, I don’t know, maybe give you a heads up that they’re fasting. So when I showed up ready to grab a bite before seeing Ernest Shackleton Loves Me, I was sorely disappointed.
of who I was supposed to be falling for. Ninety minutes later, the two performers bowed to the audience’s standing ovation and I planned my escape route. I had to run home for an interview, it should have been easy enough. As we left the theater I mumbled an explanation. “Sorry to cut this short it’s been nice but I have to run home and I’d invite you but maybe some other time we can..lunch..tapas..thanks...great show..text you..get home sa-” “I’ll come.”
Doesn’t drink coffee.
Horror washed over me as I accidentally brought home my awkward first date. Second thing I learned from Paul: never politely offer anything you don’t mean. Because for the next two hours he sat in a beach chair on my porch (after crashing through a broken metal one, at which he looked mortified and I laughed a little too much) listening to me be interviewed about my life story. Shockingly, he still texted me the next day after hearing it all. Although between you and me, I was hoping he wouldn’t. The best part of the interview:
So we waited outside Paramount for Shackleton to begin and this date be closer to ending.
So tell me about this new column you’re writing for Your Mag?
We had front row seats to the show and I spent the night laughing while Paul sat stone faced next to me. The show focuses on a single mother who finds hope in life after meeting Ernest Shackleton on a dating site called CupidsLeftovers.com. At the mention of online dating I got an awkward smirk from Paul, because we surely were cupid’s leftovers, but I spent the rest of the show falling for Wade McCollum (Shackleton) instead
“Ummmm ahhhhhh it’s ahhhh….”
Grab a drink? I suggested. Doesn’t drink alcohol. Grab a cup of coffee? I asked, a light of hope in my eyes.
It’s about online dating? *wide eyes* *low key head shaking* *glances at Russell* Oh perhaps we’ll talk about that some other time. YM
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THE SCIENCE OF JEALOUSY IN RELATIONSHIPS Written by Cabot Lee Petoia In Conversation with Lindsay Beck Artwork by Lindsey McFadden
B
eing in a romantic relationship is awesome. You get to go on fun dates at Netflix Headquarters (aka your bed), make out a lot, sleep next to a person who thinks you’re at least a little bit cool, and have someone who kind of pretends to listen when you go on long rants about how shitty work was because you had to actually work for once. However, anyone who has ever had a significant other knows that all the perks a relationship has to offer come with some drawbacks. One of the most common, and perhaps most difficult struggles couples have to handle is jealousy. Luckily, there are some answers, and Lindsey Beck, a psychology professor at Emerson, shared some educational insights with Your Mag about what to do when it comes to the little green monster.
8 | Romance
Q: Why do people get jealous? A: People can get jealous for a variety of reasons. They could be nervous about either emotional or physical infidelity in their partner, which could be based on either a real or a perceived threat. Jealousy comes in a variety of forms, ranging from worry about cheating to feeling that your partner is spending too much time with their friends and family. Q: Is jealousy in friendships different from jealousy in romantic relationships? A: This type of jealousy is less studied, and jealousy is not equivalent to envy, which is more likely to occur in friendships. For example, you could be envious over your friend’s accomplishments. Q: Does jealousy change with age? A: Jealousy varies [from] person to person. Generally, people become more conscientious with age, and narcissism and neuroticism usually lessens with age, which could indicate a more relaxed, less jealous relationship. I don’t have a concrete answer, but based on studies in eroticism changing with age, I would say yes. Q: Are people predetermined to be more jealous, or is it more of a nurture thing? A: Social psychologists would say both nature and nurture are a factor in how jealous a person is. Yes, a person would be born with a certain predisposition to jealousy, but nurture definitely affects how jealous a person generally is. As you can imagine, if you have been cheated on in the past, it might make you feel insecure in future relationships, increasing your jealous tendencies. Q: Are there ways to prevent jealousy? Combat it? A: There is a method to combat jealousy called integrative communication. It consists of addressing your concerns to your partner in a calm, direct way. However, a little jealousy can actually be a good thing. It shows that you feel there is value to your relationship. In regards to preventing jealousy... Amy Noise, a psychology researcher from Toronto, found that Facebook significantly increases jealousy in couples. Facebook is the perfect microcosm for jealousy because the more you “stalk” your partner, the more you notice exes and attractive people, and it is easy to feel threatened and question your partner about why she/he is friends with certain people. There is also a lot of ambiguity in social media;seeing a “like” or a comment doesn’t show the whole picture, so it is easy to make assumptions and let insecurity take over. So, especially if you are the type of person who
already tends towards jealousy, it is best to avoid poring over everything your partner does online. Q: Would you ever say jealousy is helpful? A: 75 percent of people in relationships say that they try to make the other person jealous on purpose, at least occasionally, as a tool to test how much the other person cares. There is some validity to this: someone who demonstrates no reaction to potential threats may not care as much as they should. Q: How should people talk about their own feelings of jealousy? A: Like mentioned above, integrative communication is the best approach to dealing with jealousy. Integrative communication is calm, direct, and constructive. It is important to be sensitive to your partner’s health,avoid being harsh or overly judgemental. You can be constructive in small doses, and talking about jealousy often strengthens your relationship. In a weird way, jealousy in small amounts is actually what keeps people together. It motivates you to show more affection, and makes it harder to take your partner for granted. So if you ever find the green monster rearing its head, don’t be afraid to let it out for a little while. Jealousy is completely normal, and healthy even, if handled correctly. Every relationship experiences bumps in the road, and the first step to dealing with them is being aware and knowledgeable about them. If jealousy is an issue between you and your partner, go forth with confidence that you’re not alone and things can improve. YM
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NATURAL BEAUTY Fin d your n e w favo rit e o rga n ic beauty products at Boston’s Follain.
by Megan Cathey
S
tepping into Beacon Hill’s Follain is a sensory experience. The white walls are crisp and clean, while the floors are glossy wooden panels. In the window display there is an old-fashioned claw-foot bathtub surrounded by plants and containers of bath soaps, shampoo, and conditioner. A white fireplace gives the boutique a homey feeling. But most notable is the fresh, herbal aroma that permeates the store, creating a spa-like atmosphere. If it weren’t for the shelves of all natural beauty products waiting to be explored, you might even be tempted to close your eyes and take a few deep breaths, Follain, Gaelic for “healthy, wholesome, and sound,” offers an alternative to mass-produced synthetic cosmetics and skin care. Their brand credo is on display on the wall: “We exercise and eat our greens, but don’t stop there. We also feed our skin beautiful ingredients that it knows how to
10 | Style
use. We are here to complement your healthy lifestyle. Your beautiful self. Clean, pure, and effective. Spa-grade and U.S. made. Join the movement.” The movement started in 2009, when founder Tara Foley started a blog called the Naturalchemyst, where she still writes about her research and experiences with natural beauty products. In July 2013, her blogging led her to launch a brick-and-mortar store in the South End. In the past two years, three more locations have opened in Washington D.C., Nantucket, and most recently, Beacon Hill. At the front of the Charles Street boutique is a white marble counter with the store’s cosmetics. Follain stocks natural makeup brands brands like RMS Beauty, Jane Iredale, and W3ll People. The rest of the store is lined with shelves made of brass piping and white panels. The first shelf to the left houses the store’s skin care; it is stocked with serums, cleansers, and toners from brands
like Herbivore Botanicals, Farmaesthetics, and La Compared to other countries, the United States Bella Figura. Follain conveniently has the prod- has lenient restrictions on what can be in cosmetics ucts arranged by skin type: products for dry skin items. The Food and Drug Administration prohibits are on the left, whereas products for oily skin are only eleven ingredients in cosmetics. On their webon the right of the shelf. site, Follain has a list of common ingredients they To the right of the skincare shelf is a black don’t allow in the products they sell. Among the trough sink where customers can not only sample list: aluminum (found in most deodorants), sulfates products, but also wash their hands with Follain’s (found in most shampoos), and parabens (preservain-house liquid soap. Customers can buy reusable tives pretty much found in everything). amber soap bottles and fill them with soap scents Some people are hesitant to make the switch such as lavender, lemongrass, orange, and sweet- over to all-natural beauty products because they grass. Follain’s homemade soap is one of their don’t think they’ll be effective. “There’s a misconcepbest-selling products, along with deodorant by tion that natural products don’t work,” says Laura. the brand Soapwalla. “But the ingredients in natural products are more On the upper level of the store, there is shelf concentrated. Products from the drugstore or dededicated to men’s products like shaving cream partments have a lot of fillers. They’ll have the same and mustache wax from brands like Ursa Major, ingredients [as natural products], but they’ll be burCrux, and Beard Balm. To the right, there’s anoth- ied in with other stuff.” er shelf with bath and body The people of Follain beproducts like bath soaks, lieve that if you care about what scrubs, and lotions. On “The people of Follain believe is in your food, you should also the top shelf there are bath that if you care about what is in care about what you’re putting soaks from RICA, which if on your skin and body. Jenna, you didn’t know otherwise, your food, you should also care another associate, says that you might assume were about what you’re putting on your body absorbs everything containers of tea because you put on it, as well as in it. your skin and body.” the blend of herbs such as “Your body bioaccumulates all sage, lavender, and jasmine. the toxins, and it doesn’t know The final shelf on the far right houses Follain’s se- how to get rid of them,” she says. lection of hair care from brands like Rahua and Even if you’re still skeptical about natural prodLulu Organics, as well as products dedicated to ucts, Follain encourages consumers to sample their new moms and babies like diaper cream and baby products. Although their products may be slightoil. ly more expensive than what you can buy at CVS, For Follain, the main priority is not just to Follain believes that making the switch is worth it. stock products with organic ingredients, but “It’s important that your body absorbs good things. products that have been screened for safety. They It’s nutrition for your skin,” says Laura. don’t allow any ingredients that are known to For those looking to get involved with the Follain be harmful for your health or the environment. community, they host events such as makeup tutoriBecause their products don’t contain harsh ingre- als with resident makeup artist Sarah Adams, to yoga dients, they cater to customers with sensitive skin classes held in the store. In the month of October, due to conditions like psoriasis and rosacea, or to they’re hosting a “Vintage Vixen” makeup class and coping with cancer treatments. Laura, one of sales a DIY class with the brand Organic Bath Co. where associates, says that doctors of customers who are attendees can make their own body butter. To learn cancer patients have advised using natural prod- more about store events or products, check out ucts. “With cancer treatment, the patient’s skin is Follain on Facebook, or just make the ten-minute more sensitive,” she says. “Doctors will say that walk from campus and experience the boutique for they need to clean up their products.” yourself. YM
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12 | Style
your fall hat guide Written by Medina Sehi Photo by Chris Garcia and Lindsey McFadden
F
all is arguably the best season for fashion. Every-
The beanie is another alternative, a crowd favorite,
scarves. However, what it comes to accessorizing,
for the cold weather. Beanies are comfortable, while
one thinks of sweaters, combat boots, plaid, and
we shouldn’t forget about hats. I used to not care much for hats because I felt they ruined a good hair day. It
wasn’t until I took the risk and actually wore one that I realized how they can complement an outfit.
My favorite hat is a wide-brimmed hat: a mix between
of a fedora and a sun hat. It shields your face from any
sunlight and keeps the head warm. The floppy details of the hat frame the face nicely. Combining the two is a match made in heaven. If you’re not a fan of floppy
probably because it frames the face and is perfect
making any outfit more relaxed. When fall is about to end and winter begins, an amazing hat to wear is
one with a pom pom on top. One of my hats has nice
red and orange accents, the color of changing leaves. The white is a great color that frames most skin tones
without being too much of a contrast. The white color being more prominent calms the red and orange accents. The braided pieces also give it texture that mix nicely with your hair.
hats, try a black beret. It gives a spin to an outfit be-
However, if you want a warm hat that is also adorable,
What I love about a beret is that it can be styled to
bear ears. Many people have a tough time finding a
cause a beret adds a fancy vintage addition to a look. the side and slouch but is still sophisticated. I chose
black because it goes with most outfits and is perfect for grungy fall style.
Another good option is a nice mix between a beret and
a winter hat is the pink and white woven design. The knit is a nice transition to the colder winter season—the light pink connects to the pastel colors of the spring and summer, while the white neutralizes the look.
wear a hat with little animal ears on top, like cat and way to look feminine during the fall, so animal ears are a good accessory option to achieve a cute look.
If a hat is tighter on your head, then a neutral color close to your skin tone will be the most complemen-
tary. A color that suits you will help you glow from within. Warm colors and face framing are necessary for achieving your best look for fall. YM
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Photography by Chris Garcia Styling by Lindsey McFadden Models: Hamad Al Badi and Nick Inglid Clothing by H&M and Models
T H E M O D M E N
NSFW COMING YOUR WAY
D A
Z E Photographers: Niki Current & Chelsea Foster Models: Nina Tomayko, Carolina Saverin, Marina Del Mar Fernandez, Pilar Duarlde, Carly Paige, Savannah Gramman, Jade DeRose Essay: Peyton Dix
I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE NOR DO I HAVE ANY PLANS TO. “Daze” originated as the simple idea to recreate a reckless party
as an ode to freshman year long past. All participants were well acquainted and open to improvisation. So when countless tops
of my female counterparts quickly came off, a new idea was born.
I will not apologize nor do I have any plans to. There is an incessant and unnecessary policing of both the anat-
omy and sexuality of women. By dismantling these notions now, we hope to cultivate a society where women, especially in these
formative years, find the freedom to be just that, free. Often we forget that femininity and feminism are a spectrum, a spectrum that should not only include, but celebrate the female libido.
I will not apologize nor do I have any plans to. To cater to the male gaze is the antithesis of my sentiments as a
creative director. This shoot highlights women and was curated
by one. My only hope is that if this makes you uncomfortable, think about why it does.
I will not apologize nor do I have any plans to. Your Mag is an evolving showcase of art. As an integral part of the
Emerson community, we plan to continue generating challenging, intentional, and intellectual content on a monthly basis. We aim to
push boundaries and the safety of convention in order to foster true excellency and artistic merit.
I will not apologize nor do I have any plans to. If well-behaved women seldom make history, then trust me, you’ll never forget us.
--Peyton Dix
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p a
h
2
0
d a y Written by Riana Odin Photography by Chris Garcia
34 | Living
W
ater has long since solidified its reputation as the most vital substance for all living things. Just because we know it’s good for us, however, doesn’t mean everyone is taking time out of their days for their intake of H2O. With an overwhelming supply of flavorful drink options, it may be tempting to skip out on this basic necessity altogether. How could anyone blame you? For many, plain water just simply lacks the allure of its numerous nutrient enhanced, sweetened, and colorful competitors. With a few simple tricks, the balance of health and flavor can be restored— leaving water on the top shelf. Inspired by the fruit infused ice water served as a refreshment post-massage or facial, comes the regular, everyday use of what has been deemed ‘spa water’. Health-conscious grocery stores like Whole Foods and trendy recipe conglomerate Pinterest are publicizing the surprisingly easy, and trendy, way to hydrate. In essence, any water can be spa water with a few slices of fruit or herb leaves. In a large jug, combine your desired fruit, veggies, or herbs before filling the container with ice, and later, water. The mixture should sit for a minimum of 30 minutes to allow the diffusion to occur. The skill in making your drink work for you, and not just for your Instagram post, is in selecting the right additive for your personal health needs.
LEMON
PINEAPPLE
For too long, one of the best fruits to put in your water has been wasted as mere decoration for restaurant tap waters. When lemon is left to soak in water, it not only creates a bold, tart flavor, but also helps the body’s digestive processes and balances pH levels. Its unique blend of vitamins, namely Vitamin C, help flush the body of pathogenic bacteria and other toxins. Try soaking lemon slices in warm water first thing in the morning for an energy-boosting ritual favored by top models.
To reap the benefits of this prickly fruit, soak pineapple chunks, slices, or even some of the rind in a mixture of ice, water, and other fruits. Its association to tropical paradise is subconsciously relaxing and the power of its main enzyme, bromelain, will definitely put you at ease. Bromelain is anti-parasitic and anti-inflammatory, meaning regular consumption of pineapple can clean out unwanted digestive parasites and aid in sports or arthritic pain. Plus, it’s a natural stain-fighter, so no more sipping through straws to spare your teeth!
CUCUMBER
MINT
Take the cucumber slices off your eyes and put them where they’ll really make a difference—in your water. Though this veggie might not get the same publicity as some of the sweeter, more colorful fruits, it definitely deserves a place in your glass. A cucumber-infused sip of water is not only refreshing, but comes loaded with Vitamin K, potassium, and electrolytes. Its phytonutrient cucurbitacin and the antioxidants in its skin have both been researched for their cancer-fighting abilities.
Whether homegrown or picked up at a grocery store, soaking mint leaves in your spa water is always a good choice. Mint, like coffee, is a stimulant, but whereas coffee can leave a stale taste in your mouth, mint naturally freshens your breath. Additionally, the aroma alone eases headaches, nausea, and respiratory congestion. YM
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Y O U R THI N GS With Haley Sherif
This month I’m featuring Your Mag’s Head Designer Lindsey McFadden’s favorite things My Leather jacket. I recently found out that leather jackets were originally created for pilots in WW1, and it wasn’t until the 1930s they became associated with the greaser sub-culture. I think I have always been attracted to things that possess strong dualities. My Succulent. You know those crazy cat-ladies that with live and die alone with 25 cats? I feel like I am going to be one of those weird headlines in the newspapers that say, “Woman dies with collection of 200 different species of succulents”. I love how succulents possess this alien beauty. My black boots/ sneakers. I got those black bad boys while I was living in Dublin so have an attached sentimentality. I was a big tomboy back in the day, so if I am not wearing boots, you’ll see me in sneakers. My Hello/Goodbye bag. I am shockingly good at losing things, but a cute bag incentivizes me to lose my shit less.
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My Bun Pin. This thing is such a perfect combination of ingenuity, style, and good design (plus your hair actually stays in a bun). I love anything that marries design and simplicity. 100% yes, I collect things. A lot of my little collections consist of stuff that serves as graphic inspiration. I also have a big collection of Buddhas and Hindu gods I cultivated in my childhood, because for some strange reason I wanted little statues of Ganesh rather than Barbies. I was a weird kid. Do you think we as humans put too much emphasis on material things? Oh most definitely, but it’s a vicious cycle because you can’t live with it and can’t live out it... but I do think material things are important in terms of communicating your interests, aesthetic, and taste. What’s the last thing you bought? Pair of black boots. I have a problem. YM
Photography by Chris Garcia
Booze, Brownies, New Money, and a Stroke of Inspiration Written by Kyle Edwards Artwork by Jaclyn Withers
I
was somewhere in Connecticut, soon to be closing in on Hartford, when the pot brownie began to take hold. The proprietor of the edible cautioned a delayed fuse and it finally kicked. I slumped into a mellow trance, washing down the s’mores flavored treat with a glug of Old English malt liquor. A bus ride to New York City had never been so easy. After weeks of balancing an internship and a restaurant job this past summer, the grind began to take a toll. By late July it was time to get away. I took Friday through Monday off at both obligations and told my parents I was headed home. Boston to D.C. is an eight hour trek and quite cumbersome to make in one sitting. Before returning to my humble abode of Potomac, MD, there would be a one-night layover in New York. Our bus cruises past the Hartford city limits and I start to smile like an idiot. The lush, vibrant New England scenery passes too fast to register; a Van Gogh scene of emerald and cerulean, wafts of white swirled in between. Good writing would come out of this trip and I could feel it in my bones. The rumbles of the road lulled me to sleep as I recite Kerouac, whispering “riding the rails, just riding the rails” alone in my seat.
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I wake up in Harlem as our driver slams the brakes. That was quick, but back to sleep for now. The “We are now arriving at Port Authority” announcement is a rude awakening. Where the fuck am I going to sleep tonight? I sneak off to the bathroom, Old English tucked under my shirt, to slam the remaining 20 ounces. The cap twists off as soon as the door shuts. Before I can gulp down a mouthful, the door creaks opens to a confused Asian woman, it must not have been locked. She closes the door and I proceed like nothing happened. Once initiated, the bender is an unstoppable force and there’s no turning back. I hopped off the Peter Pan Express pretty fucked up, ready to tackle New York. It didn’t take long to feel marginalized by the city, a chocolate milkshake fell on my bag at the C-line track. Where the fuck did that come from? Was this a sign of more malice to come? Doubts about taking the layover flooded my head, and I still had no place to stay. There was one lead, one person who would absolutely take me in. I met Jacob Gatsbowitz producing an Emerson radio show that a high school friend of his hosted. He’d call in every week, which eventually started a report for us. He’d gotten my number—not from me
and I don’t know how—and would text me before calling in. We began to Facebook message, though never about anything important. As the king of social media he consistently manages to be among the first five people to look at my snapchat story, an impressive feat. I’d never met him in person but I knew he lived in the Lower East Side and had an affinity for showing off a big-money lifestyle. Gatsbowitz answered the call immediately. He gave me his apartment address and said to meet him at seven before a Tinder date in Tribeca. This should be interesting. With about two hours to kill I made my way to Soho for some solo happy hour drinks. The pot brownie had begun to wear off. I scoped a place that seemed inviting and took a seat at the bar. A hostess tapped my shoulder and led me
down a magnificent staircase to a different chandelier-lit room. A barkeep with a handle-bar mustache and Popeye forearms took my order as he shined a glass. The bartender took painstaking detail to ensure my sazerac was perfect— washing the glass in absinthe for five minutes, measuring out whiskey to the last drop, and peeling half an orange as garnish. A sazerac is an olfactory experience; the absinthe and citrus burn the nostrils which allows the rye to go down as easy as sweet tea. I killed it in two swigs and asked for another. At seven I was in the Lower East side trying to look sober. Gatsbowitz met me in the lobby and I found myself a little disappointed at his appearance. Despite being two classes ahead me, he was balding bad atop and looked about 10 years my senior. I had known him to be a foodie, but the last couple of years looked to have taken their toll. Gatsbowitz wobbled over and showed some love. “Big Ed’s in the big apple,” he yelled. “What’s up, man?” We dapped it out. “You know, I thought you were going to be taller.” I’m six-foot-five and he must’ve stood five-eight. To each his own, I suppose. His apartment was a wreck. It had been stripped bare for upcoming renovations, and Gatsbowitz gave a tour detailing each improvement. A jet shower here, a bar there, and the biggest TV you’ll ever see on that wall. If it wasn’t for the hundred dollar empty wine bottles scattered on the floor, I would’ve thought he was full of shit. He invited me for drinks with his date because he felt bad we weren’t getting bottle service that night, his treat. We Ubered to Penn Station—he gave me a hard time for taking the Subway earlier—picked up his date and went to Wolfgang’s in Tribeca. My drunk was almost running on
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empty and I let him know before we walked in. “Hey, Ernesto,” Gatsbowitz yelled to the bartender, “get my man here a glass of your best bourbon,” my favorite type of brown juice. I kid you not, Ernesto filled the glass halfway, no ice, and I drank it neat before he filled it up again. Gatsbowitz was doing most of the talking, name dropping here and there but saying interesting stuff, his date and I just listening. He was buying. The bacon comes out as I order a glass of wine. It’s a one-pound slab of the richest pork belly, prompting me to tell Gatsbowitz’s date how he’s the greatest man I ever met. I pick up the wine tab and bid them goodnight. Gatsbowitz tells me to hit him up whenever I need to come back. Say what you will, the guy had a big heart. I stumble out of Wolfgang’s and make a drunk call or two before heading to Brooklyn. An hour later I’m sitting at a bar in Williamsburg sipping a Sidecar—a cognac-centric cocktail. The bar is full of dates, some long-standing couples and one off Tinder—you can always spot the Tinder dates. Out of nowhere, I begin to feel depressed. Why was I really on this trip? All the booze in the five boroughs couldn’t quench this insatiable thirst, for what I wasn’t sure. Suddenly things start to make sense. There might not be
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any stories from my summer. All this work and no play had stirred a restlessness in my heart that New York might solve. The only other guy who was drinking alone then lets out a loud fart at the bar, everyone laughs and he carries on drinking like it didn’t happen. What was my problem? An incumbent hangover? That it was back to work on Tuesday? I finish my drink, pay, and fall asleep in an Indie movie theater. I make it back to Gatsbowitz’s place around three in the morning. He gets the door with a dumb smile on his face, clearly just had sex. “Oysters for breakfast” he says. YM
I go to sleep happy knowing there’s a story to tell.
A Hit and a Miss for sloane crosley’s THE CLASP Written by Matt Mullen
How such a shrewd observer of contemporary life and such a distinctly funny writer of wit and charm could descend into flat, predictable prose will stand as one of our era’s greatest mysteries. For all its promise, Sloane Crosley’s The Clasp lands with a thud. The Clasp is Crosley’s first foray into the novel. Previously, she was known for her two luminous essay collections: 2008’s I Was Told There’d Be Cake (nominated for the Thurber Prize) and 2010’s How Did You Get This Number? In both, Crosley trained her gimlet eye on mid-‘20s life, morals, and manners. (Many
called her a voice of her generation). In those collections, she pulled off the tricky balance between razor-sharp wit and self-deprecating authenticity. No such luck in The Clasp. Here we meet three college friends, years after they’ve graduated: Victor, a brooding misanthropist; Nathaniel, an airheaded TV writer; and Kezia, a long-suffering assistant for a jewelry designer. Victor loves Kezia, Kezia loves Nathaniel, and Nathaniel loves himself. These characters, from the start, are laced with much of Crosley’s signature cleverness; in their own self-absorbed way they are unique and compelling. How disappointing then, to watch as the trio is launched into a madcap, Amazing Race-style journey to retrieve a precious necklace in Paris. I won’t even delve into the vulgarities of this plot, only to say it hinges (no pun intended) around Guy de Maupassant’s famous short story “The Necklace.” Any sort of narrative ambiguity, interpersonal complexity, or overall subtlety is thrown out the window in favor of slapstick drama. And as the book winds on, the three friends—driven to such literary extremes—each become intolerable in their own ways. In the end, the story manages to be both predictable (in a happy ending sort of way) and deeply unsatisfying. Sort of like eating a 100-calorie chocolate bar for dinner. Talk about a tricky balance. YM The Clasp, available October 6 from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
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my HGTV obsession Written by Katja Vujić Photography by Sophie Peters-Wilson and Chris Garcia
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rowing up, I didn’t have cable. Every time my family stayed in a hotel or visited a house that did have cable, I took the opportunity to sit in front of the TV and watch as much Disney Channel as possible. I’d seen so many episodes of Lizzie McGuire, Kim Possible, and That’s So Raven, that I knew the shows and their characters just as well as my cable-enabled peers did. Not much has changed since then; I still sleep with stuffed animals, my family still doesn’t have cable, and when I’m with them at a hotel, I still go straight to the TV. But one thing has changed. No longer does my finger linger at the channel number for Disney in the handy little TV guide. I now search frantically for four glorious letters: HGTV. HGTV, or Home & Garden Television, has become an integral part of my life. When I spent a
very rainy week at the beach in South Carolina this summer, I spent more time with the Property Brothers than I did in the ocean. When I went home for Thanksgiving with my roommate last year, I stayed up with her mom watching an episode of House Hunters International, in which a very rich surfer dude searches for a home on idyllic South American shores. Now that many of the shows have been added to Netflix, I can watch as many episodes of Love it or List it as I please. I’m not alone in my obsession. HGTV’s popularity has grown exponentially since it first went on air on December 1, 1994. What started out as an innovative channel of how-tos, DIYs, and other instructional programs, has now evolved into cable’s #1 primetime channel for the most recent quarter, as reported by the Futon Critic.
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“here’s the thing about hgtv: it is whatever the viewer wants it to be.”
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A far cry from the variety home and gardening shows of the early nineties, today’s HGTV is decidedly more focused. Most of the shows are now centered around real estate: buying properties; selling properties; buying, fixing up, and then reselling properties; and then the ever-popular choice between renovation or purchase of a new property. My personal favorite, House Hunters, has produced no less than 10 spinoffs (all of which I’m obsessed with). So what’s causing the obsession? Film production major, Cornelia Bendel ‘18, thinks it’s “a unique blend of reality and fantasy. It’s really easy to imagine yourself in the place of the homebuyer or homeowner and it becomes an escape. At the same time, houses and interiors are so commonplace that it is very cathartic.” There’s just something about sitting down, snack in hand, and watching couple after couple stroll through—and complain about—beautiful houses with shiny hardwood floors, marble countertops, and spa bathtubs that I could never imagine owning. For those thirty minutes of House Hunters (or House Hunters International, which I also adore), it’s me touring the houses, me trying to decide between a master bathroom with heated tile and a shower that fits ten, or an open concept floor plan with exposed rafters in the living room. I think that’s why I get so angry when a couple makes a decision I disagree with—I feel like it’s my decision more than it is theirs. A more recent addition, which I enjoyed a lot more than I thought I would, is Tiny House Hunters. Same premise as House Hunters; a pair of people sees three houses and then chooses one of them at the end, except on Tiny House Hunters all the houses are under 600 square feet. When the premise was described during the intro credits of the first episode I ever watched, I was like, This is stupid. Three hours later (that’s six episodes), I was still on the couch, jamming popcorn into my mouth, convinced that a tiny house was the right choice for me. I think the length of the shows are another important factor. Most of them are only 30 minutes long, so it’s not like I’m making a huge time commitment, and I just need to know how it ends, which is what I say to myself again, and again, and again, and before I know it, I’ve spent two hours lecturing my TV on real estate. Even if you start
in the middle of an episode, it doesn’t take long for those arguments over budget versus location to pull you right in, and once I’ve developed an opinion on the pair that’s searching for a home, I’m immediately invested. Marketing communications major, Lindsey Simpson ‘17, says “I think they’re so addicting because it’s always new but it’s also always the same. So you get to meet new people and judge them and stuff and then you get to do it all over again.” Here’s the thing about HGTV: it is whatever the viewer wants it to be. Some viewers, like marketing communications major, Eliza Sanchez ‘18, are watching for the interior design: “In my opinion, there is something very appealing about seeing into other people’s homes like that. I love seeing the end result of projects, seeing what different styles people have. I honestly don’t like the drama they insert into some shows, I’m in it purely for the design and aesthetics.” I agree with her sentiment, for me, a really beautiful kitchen with stainless steel appliances and just the right color scheme is practically orgasmic. Though I love a beautifully designed house, it’s definitely not the only reason I watch. I love laughing at the ridiculous things people say. I love seeing how completely out of touch with reality some of them are. I love sarcastically responding to their outlandish demands. I even get a weird kind of satisfaction from pointing out the gross inequality in America that allows these shows to exist, maybe because, in my opinion, it’s such clear and un-ig-
norable proof. It’s a 30-60 minute summary of the American Dream that is satisfying to some, and a shining example of everything that’s wrong with American capitalism to others. Either perspective (or a mix somewhere along the spectrum) keeps the viewer involved. The formula works; as previously mentioned, HGTV’s viewership is enormous and faithful. When people tune in, they tune in for hours at a time. Simpson often watches into the wee hours of the night: “I’ll start with one episode of House Hunters, and then sometimes I’ll fall asleep before they’re done looking at the first house, or, I stay up and watch like eight episodes, so like four hours, basically.” Bendel, too, contributes a lengthy viewership: “I can pay attention to about two hours consecutively but a lot of times I’ll turn it on as background noise and it will end up being on all day.” They’re definitely not alone. I too tend to watch for hours at a time, and Nielsen reported that in June of 2015, on weekends the average length of tune-in was 25 percent longer than the average for all of cable. HGTV, at its 20-year mark, is a shining success that was unexpected by many. Another possible reason for its popularity is that it’s similar in a lot of ways to typical reality TV, but it doesn’t have the raunchy factor that makes many people feel guilty for their reality TV obsessions. It’s a guilty pleasure with a much smaller guilt factor. And honestly, who doesn’t love a good open floor plan? YM
“AND HONESTLY, WHO DOESN’T LOVE A GOOD OPEN FLOOR PLAN?”
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ARTIST STATEMENT By Rina Deguchi & Pimploy Phongsirivech Rina Deguchi, Marketing, ‘17
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started my fashion blog about a year ago. I lived in New York last summer and I’ve always liked fashion––I just wanted to be able to put my appreciation of it somewhere. So I started my blog with a friend who’s a photojournalism major. I want to go into graphic design. I’ve applied for different art programs abroad as well. I want to go into advertising so I think graphic design would be really useful. I draw by hand and on my computer. For the digital drawings I use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. I just draw with my trackpad. No, I don’t really have any favorite designers or artists at the moment. I also don’t want to be stuck with just one person or artist because I really try to open my eyes and get inspiration from a lot of different things. [That way] I can create my own art and not be a copy of someone else. I watch people all the time. When I’m sitting at EmCaf facing the window sometimes I’ll find inspiration––not in a creepy way or anything. Sometimes just walking down the street I’m like ‘oh, I like her outfit’, and I’ll draw inspiration from there. Yep, for both my illustrations as well as my blog. Nope. No, I haven’t done any self-portraits. Do I intend to? I don’t know. I mean it’s scary. It’s not that I don’t like myself, but I’m not crazy about myself either so you know, I don’t like to look at myself all the time. It’ll just make me laugh. YM Check out Rina’s aesthetic and keep up with her fashion blogs and illustrations on www.rinadeguchi.com
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radical nun art
Written by Ava Gordley-Smith Images courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons
The largest copyrighted piece of artwork in the world—and also one of Boston’s most controversial pop art pieces—does not hang in a gallery: it is painted boldly on a 140 ft gas tank off Interstate 93. The stark white Dorchester storage tank is adorned with six oversized rainbow brush strokes. This famed landmark was commissioned in 1971 during the Vietnam War and immediately sparked tension for the supposed profile of Vietnamese communist leader Ho Chi Minh in the blue swash. The radical artist behind the speculated war protest? Catholic nun and acclaimed artist Corita Kent. Kent denied that the silhouette was intentionally politically charged, however, her tone of activism could not be forgotten. Rather than a radical beacon, she stated in a number of interviews that the tank was “a sign of hope that urges you to
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go on.” Kent joined the ranks of Andy Warhol and became regarded as one of the best pop artists of her time. Corita Kent’s work is now on exhibit at the Harvard Art Museums until Jan. 3, 2016. Harvard Art Museums’ current Kent exhibit The Language of Pop displays more than 60 of her screen prints made between 1964 and 1969. In addition to her screenprints, the original 7 inch tall wooden tank model Kent used to practice the “rainbow swash” will make its public debut. Her work hangs alongside her contemporaries and as the Harvard Art Museums states, “The Language of Pop positions Kent and her work within the pop-art idiom.” Kent is commonly excluded from the academic realms of this art genre even though this exhibit challenges these notions. The juxtaposition of her work with that of her peers reflects their parallels.
“here’s the thing about hgtv: it is whatever the viewer wants it to be.”
In addition to her art, the exhibit displays early films, books, and slides of Kent working and teaching at Immaculate Heart. The exhibition catalogue, published by the Harvard Art Museums and distributed by the Yale University Press, offers roughly 90 illustrated entries and four scholarly essays. Curator Dackerman says, “I hope that viewers will realize that Kent’s work is just as significant an artistic statement of the 1960s as was the work of her contemporaries.” Corita Kent was born by the name of Frances Kent in 1918 in Fort Dodge, Iowa. In 1936 she left her family and moved to Los Angeles to join the Order of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It was there she took the name of Sister Mary Corita. Joining the convent enabled Kent to afford and obtain an education and to pursue her love for art. During the 1930s it was rare for a woman to pursue higher education,
let alone a career as an artist. Kent continued to pursue her dreams for ten years after graduating from the Immaculate Heart College; she then received her master’s degree in art history from the University of Southern California. After obtaining her master’s degree, Kent spent the following years passionately teaching art at Immaculate Heart College. Sasha Carrera, Director of The Corita Art Center said, “what she taught was what she did was what she was thinking was what she was surrounded by.” Her zealousness lead her to be named the chairman of the school’s art department in 1964. Kent experimented with printmaking while paying homage to her faith. In her early years she used the silk screen printing process and her initial works were iconographic, using text and images from the Bible. She began to solidify her artistic style of silk-screen printing in the 1960s by referencing
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pop culture through juxtaposing the use of lyrics with advertisements, and vibrant colors. The first signs of her work referencing social concerns through symbolism began with her featuring the aspirations of the Vatican II. The Catholic church was modernizing itself to shift with the times and the Vatican was looking for ways to connect with a younger following. Their mission was to campaign on the grounds of peace, social justice and civil rights. Kent eagerly aided to the movement by addressing issues of hunger and poverty. Kent’s work also enabled God or Christ to be more relatable to a modern audience. Her pieces also frequently displayed the Wonder Bread logo as a reference to the body of Christ. Kent’s inspirational tone was drawn on by her faith—although Kent was an acclaimed artist, she was also a nun. Doris Donnelly, former teacher of the religious education department at Immaculate Heart College once pointed out just how different Kent was for her time: “This is the early ‘60s. In general, nuns wouldn’t know the Beatles. She knew the Beatles. She understood the lyrics of the Beatles.” Ian Berry co-curator of the Andy Warhol Museum says, “An ‘artist’ was from New York. They were a man; they were an epic, abstract painter. And she wore a habit— she just didn’t look like what the sort of movie version of an artist looked like.” Kent said to the National Catholic Reporter in 1965, “The idea is to beat the system of advertising at its own game. . . To oppose crass realism, crass materialism,
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with religious values, or at least with real values.” As the Vietnam war intensified Kent’s focus began to shift from promoting reform in the Catholic church to communicating peace across all platforms. The cries of the 1960s heavily influenced her focus. Although her statements of solace were subtle and by no means radical, they were not always received warmly. By the end of the decade Kent was commissioned to decorate a Christmas window display for IBM for its Madison Avenue showroom. The piece contained 725 cardboard cereal boxes exhibiting quotations, silkscreens and photographs referencing the theme of peace on Earth. People however, felt it was a direct anti-war campaign and Kent was forced to revise her design. In Kent’s words, “I am not brave enough to not pay my income tax and risk going to jail. But I can say rather freely what I want to say with my art.” Sasha Carrera, Director of the Corita Art Center once said, “There was no separating ‘this is my political thought and this my artistic expression’ it was one and the same thing for Corita.” Like her contemporaries, Kent’s art conveys a message. However, unlike them, her art engages her audience to think, not simply to react. This can be seen in her early piece, That They May Have Life, where she uses a Wonder Bread wrapper displaying quotes of Mahatma Gandhi to prompt a meditation on hunger and poverty. Harvard Art Museums curator Susan Dackerman states, “Kent’s work is just as good as that of her contemporaries.” Kent’s work is undeniably comparable to the likes of Warhol, Ruscha and Roy Lichtenstein. Dackerman says, “It uses many of the same strategies, in terms of technique, palette, and insertion of text into the pictorial space. Yet because of its uplifting messages, it has been regarded as less serious as ‘art’ which it’s not.” Kent was a paradox. In many ways her divergence aided in her fame, but arguably it also hurt her credibility as an
artist. Dackerman explains, “Because of Kent’s status as a nun, her biography has been the focus of most scholarship about her work.” In 1968 Kent separated herself from the convent. With aims to devote her entire life to art, she left Los Angeles and moved to Boston’s Back Bay. Kent’s presence in Boston added to the liberal fabric of the city. Over the next 18 years she created more than 400 serigraph works. She also remained an integral figure in social reform, creating posters and billboards for Share, the International Walk for Hunger, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Amnesty International. In 1985 Kent created her most well known work, the design for the “Love Stamp.” In similar form to the Rainbow Swash, the stamp was adorned with bright swipes of color to symbolize hope, optimism and peace. After gaining national recognition for her efforts and talents, Corita Kent passed away in 1986 from a six-month battle with cancer. The Language of Pop places Kent at the center of the pop-art conversation. She was deserving of such recognition during her lifetime and this exhibit begins to spark her deserving spotlight. In an interview with the Harvard Gazette Dackerman stated, “What we wanted to do was actually look closely at her work, and look at it in a broader cultural, art-historical context—put it into the art-historical discourse.” YM
“Her art engages her audience to think, not simply to react.” To experience Corita Kent visit Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., Cambridge, Sept. 3, 2015-Jan. 3, 2016. 617-495-9400 Share your experience on social media: #CoritaKentPop
Photography by Chris Garcia Hair and Makeup: Perry Lapidus Model: Larianny Perez
THE END.
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