Soleil Magazine 1st Issue_Winter

Beginning

Contents
Nowhere ............................................................................................................................................
Xander Ferreira ................................................................................................................................
Most Days, I Don’t Feel Like A Cannibal .....................................................................................
Joe & Juice .........................................................................................................................................
The Aldrian Collection ....................................................................................................................
Antheia, Goddess of Garden, Nature, Greenery ..........................................................................
Coachella ...........................................................................................................................................
Cotton Candy Carnival ...................................................................................................................
Divinely Pink ....................................................................................................................................
Earthly Gods .....................................................................................................................................
The New Cool ...................................................................................................................................
SAKU .................................................................................................................................................
Indigo Ambrosia ..............................................................................................................................
Walk This Way ..................................................................................................................................
Nemesus ............................................................................................................................................
Tension ..............................................................................................................................................
Untamed ............................................................................................................................................
Media Manipulation ........................................................................................................................
Fragmented Beauty ..........................................................................................................................
Minika Ko .........................................................................................................................................
Elle Sanchez Poetry ..........................................................................................................................
All I Got Was Some Disco Tech .....................................................................................................
Shackled ............................................................................................................................................
Tah Bags ............................................................................................................................................
Retro Grade ......................................................................................................................................
Frost ...................................................................................................................................................
Downtown Doll House ...................................................................................................................
The Dolls ...........................................................................................................................................
Taken .................................................................................................................................................
My Italian Summer ..........................................................................................................................
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Magazine Team
Svetlana Blasucci -Founder/Editor in Chief
Jeremiah J Auguste - Art Director/Graphic Designer
Yuwei Luo -New Busness Development
Soleil is an American cognitive (psychological) magazine focused on millennial
culture and fashion based in New York. Soleil Magazine is directed primarily towards
the millennial lifestyle and those looking to apply the different doors of the
perception of the world. The magazine was founded in 2017.
A few years back I spent some time in a psych ward as an observer. It was in the
South of France called Saint-Paul Asylum, Saint-Rémy. There I met the most
interesting women who were being rehabilitated. Their issues were unknown.
Listening to the psychologist explain the place where Van Gogh spent his last few
years was enthralling. Before attending art school I studied psychology and after
being in France shooting these women I wanted to find a way to incorporate
photography and therapy. This magazine in a way is therapy. The theme of this
magazine is to have a complex and psychological twist in ways to interpret art. We
want our contributors to think outside the box. I find art a way to conquer fears and
allow people to find themselves.
To create a more focused outlet for young creative minds. A collaboration of visual
and literary ideas whose creators are connected by a similar vision. Something you
can feel the workflow through you when it’s held. People should pick us up because in
a sense it can be therapeutic. It helps you proceed things differently, changing the way
people think and see the world around them. Not talking but engaging forecasting,
trending, up to date in the now! We are redefining millennial through technology, art,
and fashion! Our generation our time! This magazine will be seasonal and the next
issue is Fall. The theme entails Wes Anderson palette and Greek Mythology.
(e.g; Persephone & Hades as previously mentioned)

Letter from the Editor
Twenty-six years of life is how far it took you to take the plunge. To take a risk that could fail. Life
was always about jumping off the cliff. Pulling the trigger. Jumping always felt better than thinking
beforehand. Man were we so wrong about that, my friend. I’m writing this letter to you because you
need to know you feel confused and lost.
Lost because this journey we call life is a really like a rollercoaster. Call it a cliche, but most can
agree that every turn on a New York City block is a different chapter. A new experience. It’s never
the same, and that’s alright. Experiences are what makes us human, we love, we lose, we learn.
Soleil is a lesson. We use art to escape from the horrors of the world, but we also use it to speak
out. Art is more powerful than we think. Don’t stop making art when we feel like talking ourselves
out of an idea. I’m here to be your psychologist and tell you it’s going to be better everyday. Maybe
making art is about running but we always go back to the beginning.
Let your imagination roam free without judgement. If only the world was more like Planet Fitness,
a judgement free zone. Take my hand because I’m here to go on a new journey with you.

“The killer-looking, blue snake-patterned heels are losing
their grip on me like I’m Cinderella desperately asking for
a prince to find me”
I somehow always knew deep inside
that I was supposed to be a model,
the yearning part of me as a teenager
that would make me spend hours of
posing in front of the mirror after
having watched America’s Next Top
model indicated so. But then again,
doesn’t every other fourteen year old
spend their teens the same way? How
was I different than everyone else? Either
way, knowing my destiny or not,
I almost couldn’t believe my own life
when I found myself on the stage of
Project Runway last summer, walking
the podium in a dress made of green
party plates. Even harder was it to
believe that this dream of mine had
quickly turned into something looking
a lot like my biggest nightmare.
Let’s not get into details about how
there wasn’t a shoe in the entire PR
closet that fit me, or that my awkward
walk down the runway ended with a
pity talk in the bathroom line from
Tim Gunn himself. I have done a lot
of reflection and self-healing since
then, and now I look back at the time
and think of myself as a true badass
despite it all. I was in freaking Project
Runway, dammit. I mean, who can
say that?
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So what happened between the years of
posing in my girl room and that Project
Runway stage at age 25? To make a long
story short I denied my dream for many
years, following the more “normal” path
any girl with good grades would take,
and continued showing off with exceptional
work in school. I attended all the
parties, studied hard for tests, did all the
“right” things, until one day when I realized
something was missing. No matter
the grades or the school I went to I didn’t
feel fulfilled, and there was a part inside
me - a voice - that wanted to get out!
One summer, two years ago to be exact,
I sat myself down and did a lot of thinking.
There was a big part of me that was
really upset about the direction of the
society as a whole and how we can’t see
many of the things that are happening
right before our eyes. How can we not
see that we’re killing our planet? How
can we not see we’re in fact killing ourselves?
Why do we continue living life
filled with “lies” of how we’re supposed
to be, not realizing all it does is making
us less happy? Taking us further away
from ourselves?
N O W H E R E
I wanted to speak my passion and have
an ability to inspire others to think
the same way, and so I set myself out
on a mission to become an influencer.
But I realized that in order to have
anything to say or for anyone to ever
want to listen, I needed more than 150
followers on Instagram to start with,
and I needed to be someone people
knew about and wanted to follow. So I
thought to myself - how can I be cool?
How can I gain that voce? And then
I knew it, I knew the time had come,
and I set myself off on a mission to
finally become a model.
So at the age of 24 I moved to New
York and started reaching out to a
bunch of photographers. I was basically
met with the same reaction
everywhere I went - “You’re pretty and
all but truth be told you’re pretty old.
If you really want to do this you kinda
have to fake it till you make.”

So there I had it, fake it till you make
it or call it a day. Let’s just say I’m not
a quitter, so faking it it was. I practiced
posing and kept shooting, and with a
decent portfolio in hand I went to open
calls all over the city. Sometimes I had
to lie about my age only, sometimes
they didn’t care, but I kept being turned
down over and over again. “Thank you,
but you’re not what we’re looking for”. I
wanted to give up many times but there
was still that voice inside me that said
“Don’t quit, you can do this!”, so when
I one day got signed with an agency in
New York, and agency that only a few
months later got me into Project
Runway, I think it’s easy to say iI almost
couldn’t believe it myself.
Another year has passed and the
journey(s) that followed have been even
more insane. There have been days when
I’ve walked all over the city because I
couldn’t afford a subway card, or when
I spent my last dollars on some carrots
and two cans of beans. There have been
times when I’ve cried on the bathroom
floor, feeling stupid for not having followed
the path of all my fellow students
in Sweden who now have jobs and
buying their own apartments, when I’m
in NYC jumping from couch to couch,
desperately finding a place to stay.
But then, through all of this, the voice
inside me was always there, and the
knowing I was on the right way.
To date I’m not only a model, but I’m
also the Co-Founder of Role Models
Management - an ethical talent agency
on a mission to disrupt the industry
and change the way we think about
fashion, beauty and society as a whole.
The growth since our registration in
March this year is insane, and we’re now
closing up on no less than 60 models. Is
it fair to say that I’ve not only become an
influencer myself, but that I’m creating
an army of inspiring influencers as we
speak? I’ll take the opportunity here to
answer this myself - yes I am!!!
A couple of months ago I had the
honor of being on a bus down to DC
with Cameron Russell and her “Model
Mafia” - a group of empowered models
in New York City working for positive
change. Together we marched for climate
change and spoke up for our future, and
when I was in the middle of this mock of
signs and chants and occasional “we hate
Trump”s, I honestly felt goose bumps.
My belief of models speaking up
for change was real, and I had now
found myself in a group of beautiful
individuals doing just that. I pinched
myself and realized once and for all
that it was real - that it can all be real -
and that the struggle that comes with
finding that purpose is what makes it
more real than ever.
It’s easy to fall into patterns and walk
the path that’s been engraved for us
for years. Even though it might not
feel right, it’s easy, because society
has made “difference” and trusting an
inner guidance backed with no rational
thought or proof to seem insane. But
one of my favorite quotes, spoken by
the great Albert Einstein, says:
“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and
the rational mind is a faithful servant.
We have created a society that honors
the servant but has forgotten the gift.”
So what if we don’t have everything
figured out yet? Isn’t that what life
in your twenties is supposed to be
like anyways? What if I want to be a
model at the age of 24 even though
I’ve already graduated school, who
says I can’t be? And why do we care so
much about what other people think,
anyways, when our lives are lived by us
and no-one else?
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What I can say with all this - the lessoned
learned from all this craziness - is that without
being bold and stupid and sometimes even a little
provocative and strange, there’s no way I’d ever
change the world. So if me looking a bit stupid on
television walking the stage of Project Runway in
way too big heels, is what it’s gonna take for me
to speak my truth and be happy, then so be it. If I
have to put everything on risk a time or two and
having to deal with convincing loved ones at home
that I have it all under control, then what is there
but growth?
Life can be incredibly amazing and rewarding
once you start trusting yourself and when you
start loving the journey, when you stay hungry
and always strive to grow and learn more. Last
year I was a “dreamer” who quit grad school, a
young woman on a mission to finally follow the
path she felt to be right. Here I am, a year
later, proudly titling myself a model activist, the
co-founder of Role Models Management, and also
the host of Podcast Hey Change. I got my voice,
I found my network, I followed my path. Who
knows what I’ll call myself the summer of 2018.
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Trust your journey girl, that’s
all I have to say!
XX
Anne Therese
If you think you have what it takes and want to be a Role Model, please head over to
www.rolemodelsmgmt.com and check our submissions page. If you want to connect with me or listen
to all the inspiring conversations I have with the people on my show, search for Hey Change in your
podcast app or go to www.heychange.net to learn more
Mathilda Zerty : https://www.instagram.com/mathilda_zerty/
Maggie Soler : https://www.instagram.com/maggie.soler/
Marie Hacker : https://www.instagram.com/_itsmariele/
Make up Artist Ayumi Jade
https://ayumicreation.book.fr
Stylist Friperie Cam
https://www.friperiecam.com
Photographer Knas :
https://www.knas.photography
https://www.instagram.com/knas_vang/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/knasphotographer/
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South African visual artist and musician,
Xander Ferreira, formerly known as Gazelle,
became one of the country’s most recognized
musicians, known especially for his popular
fusion of contemporary electronic sounds and
traditional African music. Celebrated for
his amboyant stage persona and enigmatic
performances, he took to the stage in 17
countries around the globe. His musical
journey has seen him collaborate with artists
like Peaches, St. Lucia, Findlay Brown and
The Bloody Beetroots.
After Gazelle’s success, Xander
moved to New York where he embarked
on a journey to create, what he calls,
“A reverse version of Paul Simon’s
Graceland”, in turn fusing African
sounds with a variety of American
musical styles.
Following his relocation to
New York, Xander teamed up with
Steve Williams on Drums (De La
Soul, Sade, Digable Planets), Paul
Frazier on Bass (David Byrne,
Chic, Chaka Kahn, Arrested
Development, Digable Planets)
and David Bailis on Guitar
(John Forte, Pimps of
Joytime) to form a new
group for a solo project.
Xander’s signature new sound is a
fusion of in uences ranging from South African
traditional music, Afrofunk, 60’s Pop, Soul and
Psychedelic Rock accompanied by an undertone
of Electronic sound.
With regular shows at Mercury Lounge,
Baby’s All Right, Nublu and Le Poisson
Rouge, Xander has established himself
solidly in the live music scene of New
York. This May, Xander is releasing his
debut EP with three new recordings.
The songs speak of the painful
introspection that is sometimes
necessary in the struggle to find a
sense of place. Being an immigrant
in the United States as a 10th
generation Arican born Caucasian
of mixed hertage, Xander’s dream
is to build cultural bridges
through his music amidst a
divided United States and
taking this spirit back to
South Africa and into the
rest of world. The first
single ‘ Silence Seen’ will
be released on May 18th
through his media
channels.
www.xanderferreira.com
xanderferreira.bandcamp.com
FACEBOOK . https://www.facebook.com/xander.ferreira/
INSTAGRAM . @xander_ferreira
CONTACT . contact@xanderferreira.com
TWITTER . @xanderferreira
LIVE AT RUBBERTRACKS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhWqWfFFEDg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z6QGoqx85U
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I live in a city that outpaces others.
The heartbeat of New York City
is a constant thrum. Locals walk
at a brisk pace on their days off.
The same speed carries over to
their work-life balance. This is a
city where people hustle 9-5 then
work two other jobs-sometimes
for money and sometimes for love
of the craft. It’s rare to see a New
Yorker taking a minute to breathe
and process their day.
I took a minute to breathe and
noticed something had shifted
within me: my feelings about food.
Do you ever examine why you eat
the foods you eat? Does it feel good
going down? How do you feel ten
minutes later?
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Most Days, I Don’t Feel Like A Cannibal
By: Rebecca Mendzela
I stumbled blindly down that path.
Listening to my inner voice is what
brought me to the decision to eat
vegan. No one in my family is vegan
or vegetarian. A few of my friends
were vegetarian at the time, but I
don’t recall it having a big influence
on my decision to cut dairy, meat,
and seafood out of my diet.
It started when I admitted to myself
that I strongly dislike handling raw
meat. For years I told myself to
ignore that feeling when cooking
at home. Then, I thought maybe I
didn’t want to eat meat anymore.
Raw chicken reminds me of human
flesh. Not that it’s any of your
business, but most days I don’t feel
like a cannibal.
What would I eat if I didn’t eat
meat? I needed to do some research.
I could have stopped there and
become a vegetarian, but after
learning what I learned about
dairy, you might think twice about
quitting it too (hard to digest,
causes acne, not the only source of
calcium available, and intended
use is to help a baby calf double
in weight in the first three weeks
of life). What about seafood?
The ocean is overfished so it felt
irresponsible to become a pescatarian.
I did a lot of research about the
health risks of eating a vegan diet
and I sought out popular vegan
recipe blogs. I went vegan and it
lasted for three months.

The problem wasn’t the food. I
can spout off recipes for twenty
different vegan meals that are
delicious, cost-effective, and easy to
make with the use of basic kitchen
skills. Here is my personal list of
excuses. Most restaurants do not
cater to vegans (yet). My belief
system is built around the core idea
of balance in everything. I still
want to eat meat/seafood/dairy
occasionally. I did not want to turn
social dining situations with
family and friends into emotional,
logistical, messes. I wanted to share
my love of eating plant based with
the masses and I wanted them to
see that despite what they may have
heard, eating plants is not a lifestyle
that requires “all or nothing.”
Plant based eating desperately
needs rebranding. Many meat
and potato eaters believe that
vegans/vegetarians are crazy and
their inner circle is exclusive (vs.
inclusive). It’s as if the clubhouse
has a big sign on the door that reads
“animal killers not welcome”. What
is wrong with that? Everything.
Shame on the people who came
before us for lacking the vision
to think about the bigger picture.
Were they only thinking about
the wellbeing of animals? Call me
selfish, but I don’t do it for animals.
Eating vegan for 80% of my meals
has brought immeasurable joy into
my life. Why should I keep that to
myself when the health of my fellow
humans, the planet, and lives of
animals would benefit? Maybe I see
value in doing it for the animals,
but it’s the last reason on my list.
My mission is to spread health,
happiness, and hope. That is why
I created Plant Based For Me. It’s
for you. Eating more plants will
help you live a better life. Once you
have more energy you will be able
to pause, take a deep breath, and
evaluate your life. Are you where
you want to be?
I don’t think that you need me to
convince you that if you eat crap
your life might look like crap.
It is a cycle funded by billions
of advertising dollars. Many
companies want you feel like junk
most of the time and good for
a short period of time (i.e. the
moment you take your first sip/
bite of whatever). Eat this fast food
then drink this coffee. Okay, now
consume alcohol often to “soothe”
yourself. Later we will “help” you
with prescription drugs because you
have been shoving junk into your
body for years and one day it will
say “fuck you” and give up. Tired,
sick people are easier to manipulate.
If you think I sound like someone
who wears a tin foil hat and
stockpiles beans in a bunker, then
maybe you aren’t ready to take
care of yourself. Stay on the carnival
ride of high-highs and lowlows
a little longer. I am not offe
nded. I am here for you when you
are ready. Plus, I love hats.
If you are ready to take care of
yourself then let’s do this. I am here
to support you.
Step One: Think about why you are
ready to modify your eating habits.
I strongly recommend that you
do not become a plant based
eater for the sole purpose of losing
weight. Here are some reasons that
might align with your values: your
energy levels are all over the place,
you have restless sleep, you have
stomach issues when you eat dairy,
you have trouble with elimination,
there is a history of high blood
pressure or high cholesterol in your
family, you’re not interested in
getting cancer, you care about the
environment, or you love animals.
Isn’t it odd that people who obsess
over their cats and dogs have
convinced themselves that it is
normal to treat some animals like
family and others like food? Life is
strange.
Step Two: Evaluate where you
currently stand on your journey
with food. It will only take two
minutes, but you must be honest
with yourself. How often do you
eat processed foods? Dairy? Meat/
seafood? Veggies? Fruits? Beans?
Whole grains? It’s natural to
convince yourself that you currently
eat more of the good stuff and less
of the bad stuff. Food journal for
a week if you need help getting to
the facts, but never lose your flair
for creative storytelling. That’s a
marketable skill.
Step Three: Where do you want to
be? Do you want to eat plant based
meals once a day? Twice a day? Or
all the time? I have to be honest.
Eating only one plant based meal
(this includes fruits/veggies/whole
grains/beans/nuts) a day is akin to
riding a bike with training wheels.
I don’t think it is consistent enough
to see a noticeable improvement in
health. It is perfectly fine to hang
out there until you are ready to dive
deeper. Everyone deserves the right
to set their own pace when it
comes to making lifestyle changes.
However, I challenge you to eat two
plant based meals a day. Start with
two tomorrow, or work you way up
to two a day by starting with one
plant based meal a day. You are the
decision maker. You are the one
Page #11

who will benefit from making
positive, healthy decisions. The
people around you will indirectly
benefit from you being happier
and healthier, but screw them. You
do the work and you get the most
benefits. This is America!
Step Four: Learn how to nourish
your body. You deserve to live
a happy, healthy life. Focus on
nutrients not calories. If you are
self-directed in your learning style
you can check out my free guide to
adding more plants to your plate.
It is available on my website: www.
plantbasedfor.me. If you would like
more support you can reach out via
the contact form and I can help you
with meal planning, introduction
to new foods, cooking skills, and
more.
Do I sound like a walking,
talking infomercial for a diet pill
or an aerobics DVD? I wasn’t
always a cheerleader for health and
happiness. For most of my life I
identified with the skeptical,
sarcastic joker in the back of the
room. For years my response to
almost anything was “I’m all set
thanks.” So fashion. I wasn’t all set. I
was defensive and I knew how to
dig my heels in. I had inconsistent
energy levels, my digestive system
was out of whack (Is it normal to
poop twice a week? NO!), my skin
was far from glowing, and I wasn’t
eating to nourish my body. I am
happy I did the work and learned
how to cook vegetables without
adding cheese. Do I still eat dairy
and meat/seafood? Yes. How often?
About twice a week. Do I feel like
I am missing something by eating
vegan 80% of the time? Never. Have
I gained anything? More than I can
comprehend. It has changed my
life and I hope it will change yours.
Sending you all the plant based love
you can handle from NYC.
Rebecca Mendzela is the founder of Plant Based For Me. Her
mission is to help people add more plants to their plate through
education, support, and general silliness. You can find her at
www.plantbasedfor.me.
*General Disclaimer: This article is the personal experience of one
individual. It is not written by a licensed health professional.
Page #12

Kaspar Basse is the CEO & Founder of JOE & THE JUICE. In 2002, after working 6 years in the
world of advertising, Kaspar started JOE & THE JUICE. As an elite-athlete (Denmark’s youngest
black-belt), Kaspar was inspired to create an environment offering a modern urban ambiance
appealing to millennial customers looking for convenience as they live fast-paced, yet healthy
lifestyles.
Using high-quality, natural, and organic ingredients, JOE & THE JUICE offers freshly prepared
juices, shakes, coffee, and sandwiches. JOE & THE JUICE’s emphasis on customer engagement
has created a unique atmosphere within its stores where customers can work or socialize while
enjoying exceptional juice and coffee products. The company has a strong global presence with
more than 200 stores in 15 countries. The company has a growing presence in Asia and the US
market.
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JOE & THE JUICE
Østergade 26A, 3. sal
DK - 1100 Copenhagen
Denmark
M: (+ 45) 50534190
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Agnosia
The Aldrian Collection
Photographer: Svetlana Blasucci
Designer: Aldrian Diaz
Hair/Makeup: Dunia Ghabour
Model: Darin (EMG)
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ABOUT THE COLLECTION:
Agnosia is the inability to process sensory information. The collection pulls from the idea of one who is
unable to recognize objects, persons, sounds, shapes, smells, etc. and the frustration that must follow. The
straitjacket-inspired sleeves are repeated throughout to embody the feeling of ‘restriction’. Various letters
and phrases are expressed in sign-language embroidery, representing an attempt at communication. The
looks are cohesively unsettling in concept, with punches of vibrant color to resemble the ounce of optimism
they are forced to have when all odds are up against them.

Antheia
Goddess
of
Garden
.
Nature
.
Greenery
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Stylist: Yenifer Ubiera
Hair: Helena Marie
Makeup: Mika Omura
Model: Brit O’ Malley
Photographer: Svetlana Blasucci

Coachella
Whether or not you love music,
it is oft the backdrop of our lives,
tethering us to some of our most
formidable memories. Though in
relation to memories music may
play a role behind the scenes it
should be the main event at a music
festival, but at Coachella, the music
seems to be riding shotgun rather
than driving the party.
As one of the world’s most
well-known music festivals,
there are few things that elicit
the polarizing responses that
Coachella garners every year.
Selling out within mere hours every
year, the festival eponymously
named after its host city is a household
name and holds more pop
culture clout than any other
festival of its kind. With a loyal
flock of music lovers, festival fans,
pseudo-celebs, real celebrities and a
healthy helping of internet-famous
“influencers,” Coachella is the party
that everyone wants to get into, and
with enough money and free time
(or Instagram followers), you too
can don a floral headband come
next spring.
Though many have tried, Coachella
is still the cultural gold standard
of music festivals. Other festivals
have come and gone, many have
tried to emulate Coachella’s success,
but after the very public failure of
the elitist FYRE festival, SXSW is
still clearly Coachella’s only peer on
the festival circuit. Originally billed
as the anti-Woodstock of the West,
Coachella’s founding principle was
based on artistry and not popularity,
but somewhere in its 30-year
journey, Coachella has seemingly
moved from being about the
musicto being about the culture
of Coachella itself. So this year
while I stayed in my Brooklyn
apartment, my roommate made
his way west, and had a once of a
lifetime experience.
Before celebrities like Paris Hilton
and Kim Kardashian were flocking
to Burning Man for extreme
glamping, you could be sure to
catch them in faux-ho chic garb
at Coachella. With headbands
aplenty, Coachella has become
the go to photo-op for millennials
and socialites the world over, so
much so that it inspired the fourth
most-popular Snapchat filter, the
flower crown, which Instagram just
copied a few weeks late for the first
festival of the Summer.
On the surface, the price of
admission for a Coachella weekend
isn’t all that different from its EDM
counterparts like Electric Daisy,
but the cost of going to Coachella
is a very different monster, which
pushes the festival towards a
clientele in a tax-bracket all their
own. Unless you happen to live in
the desert town’s namesake, your
cost starts at a minimum of $399,
plus airfare or gas, lodging, and
food. If you can drive, the only way
for you to park is to have a VIP
pass, which will cost you another
$500 dollars on top of your general
admission cost, if you don’t drive,
you’re more than likely going to
need to buy shuttle passes. Now
you might feel like you’re capped
for your Coachella experience, but
for a large majority of festival-goers
psychedelics are a must.
Now, if you’re wondering if the
festival is worth it, most people
would give a resounding “yes” if
only because it’s something that
everyone should do once for
the atmosphere. The hefty price
tag doesn’t just bring in swaths
frat-bros and basic bitches, it brings
world class talent, musical staples,
and emerging acts to one place
with a production value that is
unrivaled. Regardless of if you came
with crowd of your own or if you
came alone, Coachella’s vibe is one
of inclusivity and being free, which
is only heightened by the effects of
mainstay festival drugs like MDMA,
Ecstasy and Acid which extend the
euphoria far beyond the confines of
a participant’s experience.
Aside from the music and art
installations, Coachella is known
for its easy-breezy fashions. Unlike
the opulence that would that would
generally flood your Instagram
feed if someone was spending a
grand over the span of a weekend,
Coachella is about seeing your
perfect line up and dancing it out
with your crew, which means
loose fabrics and a kaleidoscope of
color. Coachella’s rise to mainstream
patronage gave way to the entire
renaissance of the Bohemian-
Aestetic.
So while Coachella may have
become a pop-culture phenomenon,
it is the Woodstock of our time and
a right-of-passage that I one day
hope to immerse myself in, even if
it costs me more than my rent.
-Sean Davis
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OTTON
ANDY
ARNIVAL
CPhotography: Demetri Parides
Model: Kornelia Ski
Makeup Artist: Glamour Addict Salon
Hair Stylist: Carollee Labrise for Glamour Addict Salon
Wardrobe: New York Couture
Styling: Cassie Brock
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Page #29

Is there female divinity in the Bible?
Although Christianity is inarguably
a patriarchal religion with a belief
system surrounding a holy “Father”
and “Son,” many have argued that
the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and even
God can be seen as feminine or
androgynous by looking at images
and language in the Bible that
describe these divinities in
feminine terms. Although God
is more commonly known as the
“Father,” God is also written as a
bear robbed of her cubs, a nursing
mother, and a woman looking for
a lost coin. In the same way, the
Holy Spirit has been identified with
the masculine “he” in Corinthians
12:11, yet has also been called
“compassionate mother,” and
“hidden Mother.” Although, as
seen above, there are passages
written as God the Midwife, God
the Mother, and God the Woman
among other metaphors. Although
the Bible inarguably uses more
masculine than feminine images to
describe God, it is still important to
note that these feminine metaphors
exist and suggest a feminine
dimension within Yahweh.
Beginning with God the Midwife, it
is important to note that midwives
can be of any gender; however, in
biblical times, being a midwife was
typically a woman’s job. Knowing
this context, Rev. Susan A. Blain
cites this example of God the
Midwife as a mark of femininity,
where God is described as “she who
took me from the womb; you made
me trust you at my mother’s breasts.
come forth, and who has given
birth to the frost of heaven?”
clearly implying herself as the
birthing mother. Christian author
and Professor Virginia Ramey
Mollenkott cite more womb
imagery surrounding God,
highlighting Acts 17:28 where Paul
says “In him we live and move
and have our being. For we are
indeed his offspring.” Referring to
this quote, Mollenkott defines the
passage as womb imagery by stating
that at “no other time in human
experience do we exist within
another person” then when we do
in our mother’s wombs, and that
essentially Paul says that everyone
is “...living, moving, and existing
within the cosmic womb of the One
God.” As well, God also depicts
Herself as in labor, where She says
Divinely Pink:
The Femininity/Androgyny of God and God’s Agencies
that highlight both feminine and
masculine traits within all of these
divinities, almost all have been
stringently gendered as male by
mainstream Christianity.
Arguably the most controversial
gender within the Trinity is God’s.
Although all can agree that God
is limitless and transcendent of all
human concepts, including gender,
many Christians find themselves
shocked, and many more angry, at
the concept of God the Mother or
using the pronoun “She” to refer to
God in everyday worship. However,
the idea of God as feminine is valid,
drawing evidence from Biblical
passages and various interpretations
throughout history. Citing from the
Bible alone, God the Father is also
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On you was I cast from my birth,
and from my mother’s womb you
have been my God.” Here we see
God facilitating birth, taking the
follower from the womb and giving
the mother her child, all activities
midwives do. In this way, God
relates to the midwife, whose job
was typically done by women.
As well as helping women give
birth, God is also written as one
who gives birth and one who has
a womb. Where God created the
world, Job 38:8 describes the sea
that “burst out from the womb”
during creation, implying,
albeit metaphorically, that God has
a womb. God again is described
using birthing metaphors, asking
Job, “From whose womb did the ice
“For a long time I have held
my peace; I have kept still and
restrained myself; now I will cry out
like a woman in labor; I will gasp
and pant.” Romans 8:22 also refers
to God giving birth, saying that “the
whole creation has been groaning
together in the pains of childbirth
until now.” Clearly since women are
the primary human beings that can
give birth and have wombs, these
metaphors of childbirth and wombs
display a feminine image of God.
Possibly the most powerful image
of God as feminine is God the
Mother. Again, it is important to
note that although both parents
should care for their children
equally, it was typical for women to
be the dominant caregiver during

iblical times. Keeping this context
in mind, the passages that depict
Yahweh as a comforting mother,
caregiver, and householder can be
interpreted as feminine images. As
noted above, God is the mother of
creation, of the sea, the earth, and
the sky, but also of all her followers.
God describes herself as acting like
a caring mother in Hosea 11:3-4,
saying “I who taught Ephraim to
walk; I took them up by their arms,
but they did not know that I healed
them. I led them with cords of
kindness, with the bands of love,
and I became to them as one who
eases the yoke on their jaws, and
I bent down to them and fed
them.” As well, Christian feminist
advocates Erin Saiz Hanna and Kate
McElwee cite God as a comforting
mother in Isaiah 66:13 where God
tells his follower, “As one whom his
mother comforts, so I will comfort
you; you shall be comforted in
Jerusalem.” Implied in the former
quote as being a human mother,
God is also compared to a furious
“mother bear robbed of her cubs”
in Hosea 13:8 and a mother eagle
that “stirreth up her nest, fluttereth
over her young, spreadeth abroad
her wings, taketh them, beareth
them on her wings.”.
What is significant to understand
about the examples above is that
they all conform to traditional,
biblical women’s gender roles as
a mother, caregiver, and midwife.
Feminist scholar and Catholic
theologian Rosemary Radford
Ruether points out that these scenes
of God as feminine are mentioned
only “when the authors wish to
describe God’s unconditional love
and faithfulness,” essentially using
femininity as a tool to portray love.
However, other biblical passages
also imply God’s likeness to women
without reverting to women’s
association as a caregiver. In Luke
15:8-10, Jesus describes God as
a woman looking for a lost coin,
saying:
Or what woman, having ten silver
coins, if she loses one coin, does not
light a lamp and sweep the house
and seek diligently until she finds it?
And when she has found it, she calls
together her friends and neighbors,
saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have
found the coin that I had lost.’ Just
so, I tell you, there is joy before the
angels of God over one sinner who
repents.
Women during biblical times
were not typically known for
managing finances. In this way, the
fact that the actor in the metaphor
is a woman has no bearing in the
metaphor; she is simply a woman
without having to portray a
specific feminine characteristic.
Thus, God here relates to women
without having to reduce their
identity to a stereotype. As well,
many have argued that Genesis
1:26-27 bears the possibility of both
men and women being made
in God’s image. From the English
Standard Version of the Bible the
quote reads:
Then God said, “Let us make man
in our image, after our likeness. And
let them have dominion over the fish
of the sea and over the birds of the
heavens and over the livestock and
over all the earth and over every
creeping thing that creeps on the
earth.” So God created man in his
own image, in the image of God he
created him; male and female he
created them.
Keeping in mind that the Hebrew
word for “man” (adam) is the
generic term for humanity, the
quote can be interpreted as saying
that all of humanity is created
in God’s image, including women.
Mollenkott delves even further with
this analysis, saying if both genders
are under the label of God’s image,
“then in some mysterious way the
nature of God encompasses all the
traits which society labels feminine
as well as the entire traits society
labels masculine.” If women are
created in the image of God, then
God must in some way have a
physical connection to women!
Mollenkott further uses this
quote to imply that every actor
in the Trinity has both feminine
and masculine qualities. Citing
Genesis 1:26, “Let us make man in
our image, after our likeness,”
Mollenkott suggests that the use
of the plural pronoun refers to all
the actors in the Trinity and thus,
mankind is made under the image
of all the Trinity’s members. Thus,
she follows that “every member
of the Trinity possesses both
masculine and feminine elements,”
including Jesus and the Holy
Spirit. As we have already seen in
my biblical citation of God’s varying
feminine metaphors, it is clear that
a God displaying both masculine
and feminine dimensions exists.
In spite of the fact that God and the
Holy Spirit are transcendent figures
that defy human limitations
and conceptions, their perceived
gender, as well as Jesus Christ’s
gender, have important bearing
on how the Christian community
views gender and therefore on how
Christian relationships are founded
and acted out. Where masculinity
Page #31

within the Trinity is emphasized,
femininity suffers as being thought
of as inferior and women suffer in
forced submission and forced
silence. In addition, this paradigm
of masculinity being divine and
femininity being lesser sets up
Christian relationships between
men and women as one of
dominance and submission, where
Mollenkott writes that a Christian
woman is told “it is only when [she]
surrenders her life to her husband,
reveres and worships him, and
is willing to serve him, that she
becomes really beautiful to him.” In
another issue, the lack of feminine
deities or powers in the Christian
tradition alienates, invalidates,
and excludes women, who have no
higher power with which they can
truly relate. Although androgyny
is a viable option for gendering the
Trinity, it is still unsettling or even
shocking for some to hear feminine
pronouns intermittent with male
- Sarah Fernandez
pronouns when referring to God
and His agencies. Where
emphasizing masculinity may
exclude and silence Christian
women, Mollenkott among others
say a change to androgynous
God-talk may be “a step in the
direction of that enrichment” that
allows women full participation
and equality within the church. It
is only when we acknowledge these
masculine and feminine images of
the divine that this first step can be
taken.
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E A R T H L Y G O D S
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Stylist: Dianis Mercado
Suit Jackets: Nick Graham
Model: Alex Ruffio
Photographer: Svetlana Blasucci
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THE NEW COOL
By: Kerrin Smith
How many times a day do we say
“Cool?” Let’s start counting. In each
of those twenty-some-odd daily
instances, what do we really mean?
When we use Cool as verbal
nod “yes” in agreement, what are
we endorsing? When we dub
something “Cool,” what is it that
we think is so compelling? Visualize
the last “Cool” thing you saw; what
spoke to you? What did you want to
be or have that that thing or person
was?
The concept of “Cool” is pervasive
-- it’s everywhere. “Cool” is baked
into our lexicons just as it teeming
from our cultural imaginations and
flowing through digital feeds. Being
“Cool” has become our ultimate
social goal. When a concept is
so omnipresent, so aspirational,
we must look under the hood to
understand to what are we aspiring?
Historians Dick Pountain and
David Robins assert that a
dominant understanding of Cool
is grounded in ideas of narcissism,
hedonism, and rebellion. Let’s make
this real with an example of the
“Cool” girl who doesn’t care what
anybody thinks of her. She is
uninhibited in her dress, speech,
actions regardless of what the
convention -- or conventional
consequence might be.
There is nothing inherently
wrong with this practice of Cool,
however, there are impacts: if being
Cool means having the courage to
take the unconventional path or
Page #40
the emotional steel to act regardless
of others’ judgements, what can
also be lost is the awareness
for how we affect others. The
rebellion that underpins this
understanding of Cool is an
abdication of responsibility: we
don’t have to be responsible for the
impact we have on other people.
What starts at a micro level an roll
up into thinning social ties between
people and a set of mainstream
values that can subvert ideas like
engagement and accountability.
Something powerful could become
available to us if we were to define
Cool another way: what if being
Cool means being generous and
empathetic? Understanding Cool
in this way could start to reshape
our cultural priorities. Instead of
aspiring to expressions of deviation
or promiscuity, we can use that
same fearless energy to get gritty
and creative about solving problems
that matter the most.
One might call this “rebels with a
cause,” but it’s more than that,
because this new Cool calls for
us to be courageous in taking
responsibility for our actions. We
can consider the experience of
others before we drive forward
with our own preferences and
experiences. If we start to value
the ability to imagine another’s
experience, we start to build our
collective empathy muscle.
Imagining how the world looks
to another is a fundamentally
different starting point when it
comes to problem solving: we are
already beginning outside our
own perspective. Thinking
beyond our own preferences to
consider others’ experiences,
creates fertile grounfor crafting
solutions that work for everyone
involved, whether that be a group of
friends working through a
misunderstanding, or those at the
helm of shifting social systems.
In this way, Cool becomes
our ultimate access. It’s the
starting point an alternative set of
aspirations: imagination, kindness,
and compassion. When applied,
these sorts of values can translate
into honest interactions between
people and new approaches to
solving old problems, unlocking
solutions that are trullasting,
inclusive...and Cool.

S A K U
2015 Sep launched saku new york
2016 March New Orleans Fashion Week SS16 Collection Runway
2016 April A’ Design Award & competition _ 2015-2016 Golden A Desing Award in Fashion
2016 June A’design Award Winner’s exhibition in Como Italy
2016 June Fashion Week Brooklyn AW16 Collection Runway show
2016 Sep Macy’s FrontRow Fashion show
2016 Sep Capsule show NYC
2016 Oct Tesla X Fashion Week Brooklyn VIP reception
2016 Oct Macy’s Herald Square NYC Pop-Up
2016 Oct Fashion Week Brooklyn SS17 Collection Runway show
2017 Jan Chelsea Market NYC Pop-Up
2017 Feb New York Fashion Week (NYFW) AW17 Collection Runway show
2017 May-June Galleria Department GangNam Seoul Pop-Up
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S A K U
SAKU is an emerging women’s contemporary brand, based in
NYC. Showroom is located in East Village.
Lissa Koo, as a very competent s a k u ’s chief designer, has
graduated one of the most popular fashion school, PARSONS,
the New School for Design. She had run a concept store called
York Avenue and sponsored many celebrities with her store’s
selected clothes. After 5 years of running York Avenue, she
finally launched her own named brand “s a k u” in September
2015.
The motif for “s a k u” is both the chic New York sense and
the easy, breezy West Coast atmosphere. While being a unique,
never-seen-before style, “s a k u” offers clothes that are ready-towear
and easily approachable by any one. In addition, pursuing
both sportiness and femininity at the same time, “s a k u”
showcases silhouette apparel that greatly emphasizes woman’s
beauty along with comfortable fabrics that allow easy movement.
Designer: @Saku_NewYork
Photographer: @HaleLeePhoto
Makeup Artist: @__ShadesByA
Hair: @Hairtonicsalon_
Model: @HelenaKoclanes , @Bellathedj
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Indigo Ambrosia
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For this shoot I was inspired by the
book I was reading at the time, Boris
Vian’s Froth on a Daydream. In that
story, shortly after the lovers wed
the young bride contracts a rare
affliction, water lily in the lung, that
can only be cured by surrounding the
afflicted with blooming flowers 24
hours a day.
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I N D I G O

A M B R O S I A
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Flowers feature heavily in
Greek mythology and are often
named for the characters in
the myths. I wanted to reflect
the gods/goddesses connection
to flowers and their associated
color palette.
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Stylist - Samantha F. Brown
MUA: Shay Garcia
Hair: Dunia Ghabour
Talent: Mariany (One.1)
Talent: Izabella (Q Models)
Photographer: Dustin Sonneborn
Producer/Art Director: Svetlana Blasucci
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W A L K
T
H
I
S
W A Y

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ALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK

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ALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK THIS WAY WALK
Photographer: Svetlana Blasucci
Stylist: Maria De Lalma
Vintage Clothing: Couture Du Jour
Hair/Makeup: Dunia Ghabour
Earrings: Pipirisnais
Model #1: Sophie Olszak
Model #2: Trinity Blades
Page #57

“I can’t dance. I can’t in my room, nor in a club, let alone any kind of stage.
Whenever I am forced to try, I stumble or freeze or drink enough to disappear.
However, this time, for the first time, I found myself actively involved in
dancing - even if by using someone else’s body.
In my project I function as a visual choreographer, making up a certain movement
language that is the outcome of a verbal dialogue between the photographed dancer
and I. On my part, it is a language born of a screech, it is uncomfortably beautiful.
I don’t predetermine the result - insisting on well-planned perfectness - but rather
establish a strong understanding, let the dancer improvise and capture his
movements. Afterwards, I experiment with layering various photos on top of each
other, searching for intriguing combinations. Unlike everything I had done in the
past, which was always carefully sculpted, this time I put my
trust in the coincidental.
My subjects provided me with the physical intelligence. I only had vague mental
images, a camera, and a long history of unused dancefloors.”
-Nir Arieli
The
TENSION
Series

“In my project I function as a visual choreographer, making up a certain
movement language that is the outcome of a verbal dialogue between the
photographed dancer and I”
Nir Arieli launched his career as a military
photographer for the Israeli magazine Bamachane,
before receiving a scholarship to pursue a BFA at
New York’s School of Visual Arts; he graduated
with honors. Nir’s photographic passion is within
the portraiture and dance fields.He is an admirer of
gentleness, beauty that embodies a sense of
conflict and physical intelligence.
Nir has won numerous scholarships and
awards throughout his 13 years career. His
work has been published, exhibited and collected
internationally and his dance clients include the
Juilliard School, The Alvin Ailey school, The Joyce
Theater Foundation, Gallim Dance, MADboots
Dance, Pontus Lidberg, Loni Landon and Jonah
Bokaer. Nir’s commercial clients include
The School of Visual Arts, Time Out NY,
Bloomingdales, CRCmedia, Blonde + Co and
Craft & Root. Nir is represented in NYC by Daniel
Cooney Fine Art gallery and in Israel by Pinzeta
initiative. His last solo show “Flocks” was on
view at Daniel Cooney Fine Art gallery between
April 21st and June 4th 2016.
Nir Arieli
P h o t o g r a p h e r
www.NirArieli.com
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N E M E S I S

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Photographer Justin Boswick & Svetlana Blasucci
Hair/Makeup: Kelso Millett
Syling: Chamone Diane
Models: Ems Clair & Kat Wilkins
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UNTAMED
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Makeup: Latisha
Model: Colleen KM
Photographer: Svatlana Blasuccii
Page #81

Mass media is an enormously
powerful enterprise; it normalizes
and ostracizes phenomena, shaping
thoughts and actions, and influencing
behaviors, concepts, and people
in society. As a capitalist industry,
media’s primary goal is income, and
it moves wherever popular opinion
goes in order to make this profit.
In previous generations, public
opinion demeaned and ostracized
feminism, and mass
media reflected this
opinion; however,
today’s millennials
are arguably more
liberal and socially
conscious than their
predecessors. As a
result, celebrities
and modern media
push an agenda of
vague feminism that is apolitical,
liberal, facile and palatable, in order
to make a product that does not
create any larger institutional
changes, but is accessible to every
possible consumer.
It has always been argued that
liberal, reformist feminism is more
enthusiastically accepted than
radical or intersectional feminism,
and in her book, Full Frontal
Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide
to Why Feminism Matters, feminist
writer Jessica Valenti’s dictionary
definition of feminism exemplifies
why, where she defines feminism
as the “belief in the social, political,
and economic equality of the sexes.”
Because liberal feminism only
focuses on gender equality within
the existing institution rather
than targeting and dismantling
institutions that perpetuate sexism,
it offers a vague purpose and
definition that is uncomplex and
easy to digest. This simplicity
provides media a product it can
Page #82
easily push to masses. Even
better for capitalizing, Valenti
states that “...feminism is really
something you define for yourself ”
and that “[Feminism is] about
finding the cause that works for
you and makes you happy, and
doing something about it.”
These extremely open definitions
of feminism and feminist causes do
not define these concepts politically,
MEDIA
MANIPULATIONS:
WHY MEDIA’S
nor answer the
questions of what
political beliefs
define feminism
and what it
means for a cause
to be feminist. In
this way, people
can claim they
are feminist with
only a vague idea
of what feminism
is in relation to them. Author,
feminist, and social activist bell
hooks defines this phenomena as
“lifestyle feminism” where “there
could be as many versions of
feminism as there were women” and
as a result “the politics [are] being
slowly removed from feminism.”
With feminism losing its strong
political motives, liberal lifestyle
feminism becomes more palatable
to society at large, “...because its
underlying assumption is that
women can be feminists without
fundamentally challenging and
changing themselves or the culture.”
This is not to say that liberal
feminism does not address
feminist issues at all; contrarily,
it addresses very pertinent issues
of rape culture, equal pay, unfair
beauty standards and abortion
among other gendered problems.
The conflict arises when liberal
feminism addresses these problems
individually, rather than addressing
the underlying source for them all,
societal institutions like schools,
EXPLOITATION OF
FEMINISM GENERATES
APOLITICAL FEMINISM
FOR PUBLIC
CONSUMPTION
marriage, government, and
mass media that perpetuate
sexism. Because this vague liberal
conception of feminism as gender
equality is something that everyone
can support, mass media claims
liberal apolitical feminism as the
definitive form of feminism in order
to profit from the masses who
can accept and support lifestyle
feminism.
Mass media, while primarily
being a capitalist enterprise, works
to maintain institutional sexism
by normalizing and ostracizing
certain cultural practices and
thoughts. Professors Megan Boler
and Michalinos Zembylas in their
article “Discomforting Truths: The
Emotional Terrain of Understanding
Difference” support this claim,
writing that hegemony, or “the
maintenance of domination,” is
performed through “consensual
social practices, social forms, and
social structures” which are
“produced in specific sites suchas
the mass media.” Even further,
Boler and Zembylas state that
people “absorb the values of the
dominant culture through what
might be called popular history,”
and that “the sources of popular
history...include newspapers and
periodicals — especially the
photographic-historical.” This
erasure of intersectional and radical
feminism creates the public belief
that the liberal feminism described
by Valenti and emphasized by mass
media is the only feminism; just
as bell hooks wrote more than a
decade ago, it seems that “the vision
of “women’s liberation” which
captured and still holds the public
imagination was the one representing
women as wanting what men
have” rather than women wanting
to create institutional change.

Comparing popular news outlets
and magazines to smaller blogs,
academics or articles supports
this claim. I specifically realized
this truth in my own experience
by looking at media on Beyoncé
Knowles. I have always been an avid
Beyoncé fan, and everywhere one
looks, magazines, tv shows, and
news outlets make her out to be a
feminist icon. Everywhere are
articles highlighting her activism,
from her feminist declaration at
her 2014 VMA performance, to her
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
sampling in her song “Flawless”, to
her visual album Lemonade that
many, including myself, claimed
celebrated and empowered black
women. It wasn’t until I read bell
hooks’ analysis of Lemonade that
I truly questioned what I actually
knew about Beyoncé’s feminism.
Naming it “capitalistic” and “
unrevolutionary”, and claiming that
its message did not do much but
glamorize “surviving adversity,” bell
hooks’ in-depth intellectual analysis
cracked the protective wall I had
over Beyoncé’s feminist intentions.
When I began to research
Beyoncé’s feminism myself, I found
more problematic results. Where
larger media companies like
Huffpost Women and Time
pushed an image of Beyoncé as
revolutionary, feminist scholars
and smaller feminist news outlets
criticized and discussed Beyoncé’s
feminism, often highlighting
problematic song lyrics or her
simplistic, liberal definition of
feminism. I was confused and
distressed by these contrasting
images of Beyoncé, desiring to
believe in the propaganda while disheartened
by the reality. . Boler and
Zembylas cite a very similar
experience to describe this “
emotional labor”, where a student
analyzes news reports and feels at
once “angry...that I would question
“patriotism”...[and] also sad...a
loss of innocence.” This look into
Beyoncé’s feminism as represented
in the media is in no way meant to
invalidate her feminism or activism;
her tremendous work as a voice
for Black Lives Matter, as a vocal advocate
of body positivity and sexual
agency, and her philanth
ropic donations speak well beyond
any comments said in this article.
However, it was through the
exploration of varying media
around Beyoncé that I realized a
critical discussion of Beyoncé’s
feminism was taking place within
the shadow of larger media
corporations who claimed
Beyoncé’s feminism as flawless
simply for creating political art.
While media surrounding
Beyoncé was examined above,
apolitical liberal feminism is
an immensely popular trend
among famous white women.
Katy Perry, Blake Lively, Taylor
Swift, Miley Cyrus, Lena Dunham,
Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Poehler,
Emma Stone, Tina Fey, Emma
Watson, Amy Schumer, and Tilda
Swinton are just a few white female
celebrities that capitalize on
feminism through feminisms
that are simplistic, relatively
unchallenging, self-centered, and
often harmful. Katy Perry is an
avid Hillary Clinton supporter, a
vocal advocate for sexual agency
and LGBT support, and claims
herself a feminist, but looking into
what her feminism constitutes
leaves much to be desired, where
she defines feminism as meaning
“that I love myself as a female and
I also love men.” Additionally, her
rampant cultural appropriation of
Asian and African American
culture and pathetic apologies
regarding it shows that her
feminism is actively detrimental
to black and Asian women and
centered on her whiteness. Lena
Dunham has been heralded as the
voice of a new feminist generation
by popular media corporations like
Rolling Stone , Vanity Fair , Time ,
and Harper’s Bazaar , yet a critical
look at her feminism shows a
harmful nature. While Dunham
actively speaks out against unfair
beauty standards and body
positivity, her feminism only
targets issues pertinent to her life
and whiteness; her talk on beauty
standards doesn’t mention the
pressures of white beauty standards
on women of color, and her body
positivity centers on the bodies
of white women. Further, her
fetishization of Japanese culture,
lack of representation for people of
color on her TV show Girls , and
her reckless comments on black
and Asian men are actively harmful
to women of color, branding her
feminism as white liberal feminism.
Jennifer Lawrence actively
speaks out on equal pay, but doesn’t
acknowledge that although white
women make less than white men,
women of color make even less
than white women. Amy Schumer
is a vocal advocate for women’s
sexual agency and body positivity,
yet has consistently made racist
comments about men of color and
her parody video of Beyoncé’s
“Formation” stripped it of all its
significance to black women and
black culture. Emma Stone talks
of equal pay between actors and
actresses, yet puts on yellow face
to play an Asian American woman
in Aloha . Miley Cyrus claims
herself “one of the biggest feminists
in the world” and “really empowering
to women” simply because she’s
Page #83

“loud and funny and not typically
beautiful.” The list of problematic
“feminist” female celebrities
unfortunately goes on. Critically
looking at the actions and words of
these women, it is easy to see that
their brand of feminism is liberal
lifestyle; it solely contains causes
that concern or benefit their
personal lives. As a result, the
feminism of these women is
simplistic at best and extremely
detrimental to the intersectional
experiences of women and public
conceptions of feminism at worst.
The emotional labor of realizing our
favorite celebrities are not perfect
feminists or activists is difficult
to face. But if there is emotional
labor in analyzing media, there
is subliminal messaging and
manipulation at work. Because mass
media works for higher oppressive
institutions, it seeks to maintain
the status quo, and in doing so, it
utilizes a form of simplistic, liberal
feminism that has no political
parameters. In this way, media
companies can induce a feeling of
progressive change in society, while
in actuality no change occurs except
for the growing income on their
balance sheets. If we want to call
ourselves feminists and ascribe
ourselves to the feminist movement,
we cannot uncritically accept the
faux-feminist messages fed to us
by people who profit from our
consumption. With a critical eye
and a sharp mind, we need to
criticize feminisms that are not for
all women, feminisms that don’t
go beyond the phrase of “gender
equality,” and feminisms that do not
fight actively and aggressively for
institutional change.
- Sarah Fernandez
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F
R
A
G
M
E
N
T
E
D
BEAUTY
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Photographer:
Alissa Laurie
alissalaurie@gmail.com
@alissalaurie
alissalaurie.com
Stylist:
Carley Fernandes
carleyfernandes@gmail.com
@thestylerealm
Model:
Sarah O’Connor (brown hair)
sarahnicolecon@gmail.com
@sarah_ocon
Hair:
George Guzman
George.g.guzman@gmail.com
@gorgeous_georgiee
Carolyn Daly (blond hair)
cdalyserene@gmail.com
@onthedaly
Makeup:
Kory Martinez
Korymar@mac.com
@kurrysprinkle
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MINIKA KO
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Isn’t it time that our clothes keep up with us? Minika Ko certainly think so. She is
an award-winning, New York City based fashion designer whose designs are inspired by
and for women who are fearless in standing out and making an impact. She calls them the
modern Wonder Women. Minika believes that we the women can (and deserve to) have it
all - strength and femininity; beauty and brains; style and comfort. She incorporates high
tech fabrics and high-end tailoring to create the KOVASKY collection that show confidence,
style, and a powerful yet feminine silhouette.
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All the outfits are fashionably wrinkle resistant, flexible and machine washable.
The essence of Minika’s mission as a designer is to provide high fashion and low
maintenance clothing, so that the modern Wonder Women can focus on their
adventures and look good effortlessly.
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Poetry By
E L L E S A N C H E Z
A Reminder
I continue to crave exploring maps, and distant worlds because I know these names
remain the same, These places have been deeply ingrained into my soul, even though I
know I’ve never visited them,
all of this has created an open closet in my mind, and keeps it,
running,
and crawling,
and shapeshifting
Mouths Full of Fire
Life is a mysterious maze full of rumors.
Venus fly traps of negativity can be found hidden, lurking in many possible
directions.
They crawl, begging for help on occasions,
and once you lower yourself, they snatch you up,
and tug at your mind and body.
Every so often, I can feel my knees give in under myself,
and I’m being pulled into the ground.
I’d become blinded to what’s around me,
but still,
my heart would claim it knows not others true intentions,
but simply my own.
And that is to allow my touch to spread electricity,
instead of harboring secrets,
throughout the folds of my ever changing exterior.
Deep, tangled wires, and exposed circuits push against my skin,
To speak and to provide warmth through words and phrases,
yet, have enough energy to expel flames of emotion,
Page #96
Burning even the most vigorous of homes.
My tears become replaces by gasoline, and my mouth full of fire.

Certain Beginnings
There are these paths that lead everywhere,
Spreading around like branches of an old tree, which extend throughout this empty land,
It hides feelings, like water in a desert.
I become paralyzed because I never know how things are going to work out.
I become blinded by my desires, because it’s as if my choices grow conscious and throw sand into
my eyes when all I want is to see.
I always reassure myself when those non-supportive days use all their might to harden my heart.
Their efforts aren’t wasted in a way though, simply because, what is a day without difficulty?
In other words, what is life without living?
What truly matters is whether you take that step and fall into the abyss or choose to float.
It’s exciting to be uncomfortable; to hurt and to feel. To cry for hours until your bones ache, and
your chest feels as if it’s been hammered in, and to laugh until your body is soaring but you look
around and you’re still on the ground.
A mouth that is motionless and mute, could harbor bold thoughts that refuse to be said.
Fears and regret claw and bash against unresponsive doors of the clouded mind.
Hope extends from each ligament as an arm is extended inch by inch towards a stranger
Dry Eyes
We often forget that we have no limits, that we are capable of an infinite amount of wisdom and
self-discovery.
We forget that there are little words and phrases that we cannot interpret or pronounce within
us, and these are what makes us who we are.
This is who i am.
The unknown makes more wonder if there’s more, and my heartbeat feels as if it’s being counted
and pressured by the weight of uncertainty.
I want to be greeted with curiosity, yet I don’t want the jagged feeling of unpredictability.
I want to be damp,
but I want my eyes to be dry,
just this once.
Page #97

I
Went
to
a
casting
for
a
wes
anderson
film
and
all
i
got
was
some
disco
tech

PR Showroom @thehiveshowroom
Model: Gia Charles @msgiacharles
Hair & Makeup: Sephen Hudson @sevenknows
Assistant: @beautiibyday
Stylist: Kasha Reavis @kashareavis
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SHACKLED

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Designer: MArk Tauriello
Model: Olya Anikina
Photographer: Svetlana Blasucci
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TAH BAGS
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Makeup: Adriana Demisoul
Model: Jackie Kuczinski
Photographer: Svetlana Blasucci
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RETROGRADE

Photographer: Marck Lund-Nielson
Model: Astrid Carlsen
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FROST

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Designer: Teresa Chong
Makeup: Sharon Becker
Hair: Jenna Marie
Model: Teresa Chong
Photographer:: Svetlana Blasucci
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dOWNTOWN dALL hOUSE

Photographer - Melinda DiMauro @melindadimauro
Stylist - Raymond Casas @casa.nyc
Make-up & Hair - Josephine Kong @silvernoir
Designers/Accessories:
Helen Castillo: @designerhelen
K/llerCollection: @kller_collection
Jakimac: @jackimac
Ex-Mermaid: @exmermaid
Jimmy Crystal NY: @jimmycrystalny
Jenny Zhang: @Jennyzhengafl
508 W 26th St. 4A
New York, NY 10001
www.melindadimauro.com
www.driftstudionyc.com
m@melindadimauro.com
917.558.5597
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The
D
O
L
L
S
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TAKEN
Photographer: Melissa Isabel
(@Melissa_IsabelPhoto)
MUA: Denekia Carmel (@DenekiaCarmelArtistry)
Model: KJ Schel (@KatherineJune)
Stylists/Art Directors: Bryan Alexis & Miguel C. Martinez (@BryanStyling & @ArtDirectorMCM)

Look 1
Beaded Corset - Lory Sun
Beaded Neck Piece - Lory Sun
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Look 2
Silk Gown - “Noir Collection”
Envieux Horned Mask - Lory Sun

Look 3
Shear Bell Sleeve Gown - “Noir Collection” Envieux
Metal Neck Plate - Lory Sun
Metal Chest Plate - Lory Sun
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Look 4
Detailed Gown - Lory Sun

Look 5
Couture Detailed Corset - Lory Sun
Lace Jumpsuit - “Noir Collection” Envieux
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Look 6
Lace Top Gown - “Noir Collection” Envieux Beaded
Neck Piece - Lory Sun

T R A V E L

MY
ITALIAN
SUMMER

“THE STRETCH Of THE ITA
OF LIGURIA THAT GOES FR
IMPERIA TO THE BORDER OF

PEOPLE
S ITALIAN RIVIERA OR
RI (THE FLOWER RIVIERA)
HAT I CALL HOME.”
The English name emphasizes the difference from the more glorious
French Riviera, whose beauty has been celebrated by the French movies
of the 60s. The Italian name recalls what people’s main occupation has
been for the past couple of centuries, cultivating flowers, mostly roses
and carnations. This is an occupation that I know well, through my
grandfather, and whose remains are still visible in the many greenhouses
and water cisterns, still in use or abandoned, that dot the land between
the Mediterranean Sea and the inland mountains.

Liguria represents a perfect
balance between the mountains and
the sea. You won’t find any other
region in Italy where this union
is more meaningful to its history,
to its people and to its culture. It
explains why the food we eat has
certain ingredients and lacks others,
why locals are always suspicious
before becoming welcoming and
warm, and why we work harder to
compensate for that geographically
imposed gap.
As an expat living in New York
City for two decades, I have built
a relationship with my homeland
that is more like that of a sensual
lover than a rational thinker. I miss
the openness of the starry skies, the
pastel colors of the buildings, the
salty smell in the air, the taste of the
simple food, the roughness of the
stones and the sound of the local
dialect—features so unique to this
land that only a prolonged stay
in this part of the country could
illustrate what I really mean.
In the eyes of the occasional visitor,
all these details might not reveal
themselves immediately; they might
not be obvious. What is obvious is
the overall humble beauty of this
land: no frills, no fanciness, just
simple and straightforward beauty.
To create a first impression between
the two Rivieras, French and
Italian, I will start from Nice, where
I usually land on solid ground from
any place from which I have flown
home.

Nice is the closest large city to where I grew up. If you wanted to
skip boredom on a sunny day as a young adult living in a small
Italian village, you would take a train to Nice from my hometown of
Ventimiglia. You will find a place with all the cultural, shopping, and
nightlife opportunities of a real city and the more familiar common
places of a small Ligurian town. Nice is where we still go to see a
concert, to buy records when the mp3s are not sounding scratchy
enough, or to eat in an exotic restaurant. Nice provides us with that
taste of fancy that doesn’t quite belong to us, but that makes us feel
part of a cosmopolitan reality that we envision for ourselves.

Nevertheless, we can hardly avoid venturing into the labyrinth of
the old city, if only to remind ourselves that not too long ago we
were all the same country, we shared the same last names, we liked
the same food and we used the same ingredients to prepare our
meals. Try a slice of ‘socca’ from a small deli in the old city, a thin
oven baked specialty with a crusty outside and a slightly creamy
inside, sprinkle some ground pepper on it. If you decided that you
liked it as much as I do, then when you later cross the Italian border,
find the farmers market in Ventimiglia and ask for a slice of
‘farinata’: same specialty, just a different name.

Traveling back toward the Italian border, we pass by
beautiful coastal landscapes, we cross through the fancy
Principality of Monaco and we end up in Menton, sister
border city to Ventimiglia on the French side. It is the
very first taste of France we get from ‘the other side’, the
place you go to fill the tank of your car (our gas prices
are outrageously more expensive than anywhere else in
Europe!), to take a walk on a larger promenade, to taste
a crepe in the middle of the afternoon, to enjoy that
distinctive French Riviera cleanliness that only the French
can maintain so well. You will never experience this on
the more chaotic streets of ‘our side’.
Menton is for some of my people a preferred destination
to take in a sandy beach and an umbrella drink, but only if
the much beloved Calandre beach, the only short and very
narrow stretch of sandy coastline in a more secluded part
of Ventimiglia, is not enough.
And here comes a big difference between our Rivieras.
The French people make a bigger effort in bringing
real sand to some of their beaches, like in Menton and
Monaco, while we strictly haul small river stones from
our nearby valleys, giving a tougher lesson to our growing
up feet. If, however, you prefer sand and you strictly
want to enjoy it on Italian soil, travel to Arma di Taggia,
a half-hour’s drive from Ventimiglia

So what is in Ventimiglia beside
my home, my family, and my
friends? Not much really. It is the
quintessential humble city of the
Italian Riviera. At first glance it
doesn’t offer much, but if you spend
more than a couple of hours
there, you might realize that it
hides remains of history from the
Prehistorical times, the Roman
Empire, the Middle Ages, all the
way up to more recent centuries. All
these remains could be honestly
cherished and conserved more
properly, (the ‘American way’ if I’m
being more specific), but as it often
happens, history in Italy is an
overwhelming burden more than
a treasure to nurture: the remains
of a Roman amphitheater can
sometimes be seen as more an
impediment to the car traffic than a
unique gift from a faraway past.
If you visit my town you should
focus more on the obvious than
specific cultural destinations. Just
walk around the Medieval City
(Ventimiglia Alta) and lose yourself
in its narrow and convoluted streets.
You will hit a point where the
streets end at a small piazza or at a
viewpoint over the sea or the new
city below. Let your mind wonder.
Let questions flow. How did these
people move things through this
city? How much effort did they put
in their everyday life to accomplish
simple tasks? How skilled a driver
must you be to park your car here
every day? How did they build all
this when no real technology was
available? You might get a real sense
of wonder enjoying the city this
way!

Another visible feature is the
luscious nature surrounding
the place. The Mediterranean
scrub comes to mix with a not-tooobvious
type of nature that someone
might point out being more
appropriate in South America or
North Africa. Well, Ventimiglia,
and the portion of the Italian
Riviera up to Sanremo, became a
destination in the 19th century for
many aristocrats around Europe.
Many wealthy intellectuals retired
there to escape the cold weather of
Russia or England. A lot of these
intellectuals were botanists who
went around the world most of their
lives to study and collect seeds of
exoticplants, and they were eager to
recreate an environment for them to
grow. So what better place than the
Riviera, where the weather is stable
and warm most of the year?
If you want to experience the proof
of this part of history, wander a mile
away from the border and drive to
the hills of La Mortola Inferiore.
You will find the Giardini Hanbury,
the former property Sir Thomas
Hanbury, who left a very visible
footprint of this part of history. The
Gardens showcase a collection of
what, as a child, I considered the
strangest plants on Earth. A place
worth seeing, if like me, you are
madly in love with nature!

If shopping is more to your taste,
feel free to stay in town on a Friday
and you will get rewarded at the
weekly Friday market. The market
exists since way before I was born
and, as my aunt always points out,
it used to be the place where you
could make a good deal on a nice
locally made artisanal piece. Well,
times have changed and all you will
find are cheap made-in-China or
made-in-India goodies, very few
Italian made products at this point,
but great prices. It is my favorite
place to go buy underwear, cheap
seasonal clothing, leather, and other
accessories.
When the beach towns are too full
of tourists in summer, the interior
mountains become an escape for
many locals. If you don’t mind to
leave the blue of the Mediterranean
to look for some spots of blue in the
small rivers behind the coastline,
look for the tiny lakes or ‘laghetti’
of Rocchetta Nervina and Pigna.
The water is so clear, cold, and crisp
there, that you won’t find a more
refreshing break from the scorching
sun.
The mountain villages are also the
hosts of most of the ‘sagre’ around
my area, local food festivals that
focus on a single typical dish, or
on multiple ways to cook one
single ingredient. Capra e fagioli in
Rocchetta, Festa del Fungo and
Festa del Raviolo in Pigna, ‘La
Berlecata’ in Sasso, Festa della
Michetta in Dolceacqua, Sagra
della Lumaca in Triora, Sagra del
Carciofo Provenzale in Perinaldo,
Sagra del Vino Rossese in Soldano,
Sagra dei Batolli in Seborga, Sagra
dello Stoccafisso in Badalucco,
Sagra dell’Aglio in Vessalico, … the
list is endless especially during the
months of July and August. The
only limit is your stomach capacity.
There are no limits of choice!

As I recall how many times I felt the boredom of my surroundings while growing up, I
recognize that the quiet and silent side of these perched villages is as integral part of this
corner of Italy as the active and chaotic ones closer to the sea. We Ligurians are both
quiet and chaotic. Inebriated by beauty, we often don’t realize how lucky we are to have
what we have until we go to live in another country and all you want then is to experience
again that quintessential Italian air that is so hard to breath elsewhere.

Where to stay (vintage beauty by the sea)
http://www.iltentacoloventimiglia.com/
Recommended places in Ventimiglia:
Where to enjoy a glass of wine as an aperitivo (a ‘classic’ by Ventimiglian standards)
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187828-d3782242-Reviews-Enoteca_Consani-Ventimiglia_Italian_Riviera_Liguria.html
Where to eat
Make your own meal buying the freshest ingredients at the farmers market
http://ventimiglia.town/
Best bakery
http://www.panetteriamondino.it/
If in desperate search for a touch of fancy
http://emanueledonalisio.com/menu/
Other recommended links:
The calendar of the Ligurian ‘sagre’ (you need to be proficient navigating HTML websites in
Italian)
http://www.sagre.liguria.it/

End