Alice Vol. 7 No. 3

FEBRUARY 2022
C H A R M E D

[2]

V O L U M E
S E V E N
I S S U E
T H R E E
[3]
[3]

[ letter from the editor ]
Charmed.
Most dictionaries describe the word charmed as unusually
lucky or happy as though protected by magic, and for the
majority of us on staff, this feeling could not be more true. In order for
our staff to be successful, the department leads sat down at the end of
last semester and planned out the entirety of spring. We have two issues
coming to your screens, and one that you will be able to hold in your
hands. This is the most content Alice has ever produced, and without the
diligent efforts and passion that each contributor and editor has, none of
this would be possible. I have had the great honor everyday to work with
people that have seemingly endless drive and determination, and I am
continuously inspired by my staff’s ability to adapt and persevere.
It’s a joke around the office that the third issue’s the charm, but
in reality Charmed represents more than a fleeting feeling of luck. It
encompasses the hope that we have for the new year, the love we have
for our readers and the tenacity of our staff. This issue is an ode to the
people we love most and the communities we support. It made sense for
our February launch to embrace the love that is in the air.
All of us at Alice feel extremely lucky for every single person who
read an article, interacted with our social media posts and shared our
designs and photos. Last semester, we reached over 18,000 readers and
continued to grow our brand in more ways than one. From September 14
to December 12 we reached over 7,000 accounts on Instagram which was
a 276% increase from June 16 to September 13.
Charmed continues to inform college women on the issues that
matter while also embracing our big sister role in the form of a college
survival guide. In this issue, we have everything from a myth-busting
UTI article to calling out performative activism efforts. We feature
women who are artists, fashion designers and entrepreneurs. There are
fool-proof date night looks to ease any new-love butterflies and a deep
dive into how a TikTok subculture has revitalized a population’s love for
reading. This issue is a celebration of love, and you can call us, charmed.
May your new year be filled with peace and love,
Lindsey Wilkinson
[4]

[editors]
EDITOR IN CHIEF
MANAGING EDITOR
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
DESIGN EDITOR
PHOTO EDITOR
ASST. DESIGN EDITOR
ASST. PHOTO EDITOR
MARKETING EDITOR
FASHION EDITOR
BEAUTY EDITOR
LIFESTYLE EDITOR
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
FOOD & HEALTH EDITOR
DIGITAL DIRECTOR
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
ONLINE EDITOR
VIDEOGRAPHY EDITOR
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
CONTRIBUTING DESIGN/
PHOTO
CONTRIBUTING VIDEO
MODELS
EDITORIAL ADVISOR
ADVERTISING
DIRECTOR
Lindsey Wilkinson
Jennafer Bowman
Rebecca Martin
Ella Smyth
Sarah Hartsell
Wesley Picard
Emma Kate Standard
Mary Groninger
Ta’Kyla Bates
Beth Wheeler
Cat Clinton
Jeffrey Kelly
Evy Gallagher
Kendall Frisbee
Katie Morris
Sophia Surrett
Emily Rabbideau
Baylie Smithson, Maddy
Reda, Kierra Thomas,
Kennedi Hall, Morgan
Byerley, Audrey Harper,
Julia Marano, Tory Elliott,
Jolie Money
Sarah Smith, Katie Nebbia,
Kayla Roberson, Katie
Harmon, Mackenzie Stamps,
Jennifer Stroud, Grayson
Byrd
Alice Choup, Megan Davis,
Laura Fecanin, Sami
LaCount
Lyric Williams, Caitlen
George, Analise Chambers,
Athena Richardson,
Kennedy Harrison, Kate
Maxwell,
Ariel Yavuncu, Chloe
Clemmons, Natalie Mack
Mya Bolds, Lalia Wilson
Monique Fields
Julie Salter
Editorial and Advertising offices for Alice Magazine are located at 414 Campus
Drive East, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487. The mailing address is P.O. Box 870170,
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487. Phone: (205) 348-7257. Alice is published by the Office
of Student Media at The University of Alabama. All content and design are
produced by students in consultation with professional staff advisers. All
material contained herein, except advertising or where indicated otherwise, is
copyrighted © 2020 by Alice magazine. Material herein may not be reprinted
without the expressed, written permission of Alice magazine.
[5]

[6]
[table of contents]
Framing Life: The Effects of
Social Media Targeting and Filter
Bubbles
[lifestyle]
The Importance of Internships
Senior Survival Guide
[beauty]
12 Signs, 12 Lipsticks
Body By B
Date Night Looks
18
20
26
[fashion]
In Sew Many Words
The Timeline of Corsets
If You Buy the Shirt, Do the Work
10
12
14
32
36
38

[features]
Behide -the- Scenes: An Artist’s
Experience
Photostory: A Celebration of Black
History
Resolving Resolutions, Diet Culture
in the New Year
42
46
50
[entertainment]
For Those Who Feel Guilty about
Their Music Taste; Don’t Be
BookTok
Glorfying Abuse in Media
56
58
62
[food and health]
Are Our Essential Oils Actually
Doing Anything?
Negative Self-Talk vs The Brain
UTI Myths and Facts
66
68
70
[7]

[lifestyle]
Framing Life: Effects of
Social Media Targeting and Filter
Bubbles
The Importance of Internships
10
12
Senior Survival Guide
14
[8]

[9]

[10]
Framing Life: The Effects of
Social Media Targeting and Filter
Bubbles
By Cat Clinton

D D
aily encounters aily encounters shape how shape people how see people the
world and see behave the world in it. and Remembering
behave it.
individuals Remembering met during day-to-day individuals life met is easy, during
but what day-to-day about the life social is easy, media but what content about and the
advertisements social media constantly content exposed and advertisements
to platform
users? A constantly majority of exposed students to wake platform up from users? a
cellular A device’s majority alarm of students clock. The wake same up device from a
that is used cellular for listening device’s to alarm music, clock. calling The friends same
and family, device keeping that is virtual used for wallets listening and to bank music,
information, calling shopping, friends and making family, social keeping media virtual
posts and wallets absorbing and bank information, insane number shopping, of
advertisements. making social media posts and absorbing
The common an insane phrase, number “you of advertisements.
are who you hang
out with,” The means common people phrase, find comfort “you are around who you
agreeable hang voices out with,” and opinions. means people Life find is easier comfort
surrounded around by like-minded agreeable people. voices Social and opinions. media
platforms, Life however, is easier may surrounded have taken by like-minded
this idea
too far. people. Students Social get media frustrated platforms, the however, speed
Facebook, may Instagram, have taken Twitter this idea and too other far. Students social
media platforms get frustrated send targeted at the advertisements
speed Facebook,
whenever Instagram, a need Twitter is discussed. and other Suddenly, social media
social media platforms users send are trapped targeted by advertisements
the targeted
advertisements whenever weaved a need throughout is discussed. the Suddenly, social
media feed social also media showing users photos are of trapped friends, by
classmates the and targeted colleagues. advertisements The targeting strategy weaved
allows platforms throughout to the earn social more media “screen-time,” feed also
from users, showing meaning photos people of friends, spend classmates more time and
engaging colleagues. with the app The and targeting more time strategy receiving allows
advertisements. platforms to earn more “screen-time,”
“Consumers, from users, bombarded meaning with people ads spend from the more
moment time they engaging wake up with to the the moment app and they more drift time
off while receiving staring at advertisements.
smartphones, face tailored
experiences, “Consumers, products, bombarded and offers with from ads from the the
brands they moment support. they Advertisers wake up to and the moment marketers they
use a variety drift off of while data staring acquired at smartphones, by monitoring face
online activities tailored -A experiences, tailored ad products, leads to and greater offers
visual attention,” from the brands said Kim they Jihoon, support. assistant Advertisers
professor and of marketers advertising use and a variety public of relations data acquired at
The University by monitoring of Alabama. online activities -A tailored
Companies ad leads sponsoring to greater advertisements visual attention,” pay the
platforms said or apps Kim by Jihoon, the number assistant of users professor viewing of
the post, advertising and even more and for public engagement. relations Tapping at The
a website University link, liking of a Alabama. post or making comments
is tracked and recorded by the social media
platform, and earns the platform a profit.
“Students take in a huge amount of information
far beyond the traditional media. Thus, media
literacy is an essential skill in the digital age. It
will continue to play a key role in creating a new
generation that can retain critical thinking skills
in the midst of a media blizzard,” Jihoon said.
Screen time is good, but engaging with
advertisements will increase profits for
companies using the app as a promotional tool.
The “click”, or engagement numbers are shown
to advertisers as proof targeted social media
advertisements and feed will increase company
income, and currently the users receiving the
advertisements care enough to learn more.
For advertisers and marketing practitioners,
targeting is a blessing. Targeting a user by
collecting records of actions made on the social
media platform makes the job of expanding a
creator or companies audience easier.
“You want to try and suit multiple audiences.
Growing an audience is about understanding
your niche and identifying the story being told,”
said Ryleigh Esco, The PR and Digital Media
Coordinator at Style Advertising, Marketing
and Public Relations. “Never be afraid to ask.
Having more eyes and insight on your work can
help prevent mistakes.”
Connecting with individuals is exciting when
information such as friend group members and
interests are public. A company’s social media
audience, however, is up to users and how the
content is received.
Advertisements being targeted to specific
clients and customers is common, but the
introduction of modifying users’ feed to make
the placement of the advertisement more
appealing is not. Today, a user can scroll
through posts for long periods of time without
seeing the majority of their friends’ posts. This
is because friends with differing views may have
been filtered out. Platform targeting increases
how often people see pleasing social media
posts while adversely removing friends’ content
when it is “low quality”, meaning the post
shared was taken under bad lighting or with an
older generation camera, or if the content takes
a position counter to the profile user’s views.
Controversy can increase user engagement, but
often, more screen time is gained by appealing
to users’ interests.
“People love to hate big tech but for vastly
different reasons. Some claim social media
platforms are impending upon free speech
and others believe they aren’t doing enough
to staunch the flow of misinformation and
moderate hate speech,” said Matthew Barnidge,
an assistant professor at The University of
Alabama, currently teaching Social Media and
Society. “I think so long as we are internalizing
this and thinking about how it applies to our
lives, that is the most important thing.”
Consumers do not have to buy into
advertisements, but the action is more likely
the the advertisements are targeted. People
are likely to befriend others with agreeable
perspectives, but new advertising strategies
place an invisible block on people and posts
controversial to the user. Never experiencing an
active conversation with individuals of different
or ulterior views can limit self reflection and
belief questioning. Understanding the root of
different opinions teaches people resourceful
problem solving techniques. Social media
platform’s new level of gatekeeping might
diminish people’s opportunity to question
ideals, while also placing a long term
restriction on people’s ability to argue while
being respectful.
[11]
[11]

[12]
The Importance
of
INTERNSHIPS
By Julia Marano

large part of the undergraduate
A journey for students is figuring out
a career path after college. Some students
know exactly what to pursue, and some
students have no sort of idea what comes
next. Whichever category someone
may fall under, every student has one
similarity in common: benefiting from
internships.
Internships can guide students in many
ways, whether it solidifies our choice in
careers or shifts us in a totally different
direction. Whichever happens, experience
is one key to a successful internship.
“As a person whose dream is to become
a lawyer, I now realize how crucial
internships are in gaining experience
before attending law school. I was always
taught that no matter how much you
read on a particular subject, the best way
to attain knowledge on that subject is
to experience it in real life. I am forever
grateful that I have the opportunity to do
so,” said Carolina Menezes, a junior at
University of Central Florida working as
a Student Intern at the Michael Brehne
Personal Injury Law Firm.
When participating in internships, not
only can students be exposed to new
environments, but we can also familiarize
ourselves with the people already working
in these environments. These people can
make great professional connections,
which can later lead to potential jobs after
graduation.
Many of us have little to no exposure
to our potential careers, unless we see
them on television or hear about other
experiences. These glimpses into a certain
career can be very misleading. The lives
of the women on “Selling Sunset’’ may
be glamorous and rewarding, but they
did not start their careers off by selling
multi-million-dollar houses. Many people
pursue medicine because they love Grey’s
Anatomy, and although there is nothing
wrong with that, it is always beneficial
to discover what being a surgeon is like
through internships.
When looking for jobs after graduation,
an employer looks for experience.
Internships are a great way to
demonstrate that a candidate is serious
about committing their entire career
to a certain field. Many students come
straight out of college with no experience
whatsoever, which may cause some
skepticism for potential employers to hire
someone who knows nothing about the
work atmosphere they are entering.
“The first and most beneficial way a
high school student benefits from an
internship experience is as a means of
exploring their interest in a potential
major or career. said Graciela Gallinar, an
educational consultant located in Coral
Gables, Florida. “It demonstrates to their
colleges that they are developing their
interest in a more in-depth way,”
Internships in a certain industry are not
only beneficial for potential employers
but for potential employees as well. It
can give us a glimpse into an industry’s
working mechanisms and structure, and
can also be a great way to see if we fit
into a certain atmosphere. We need to
ask ourselves whether or not we can see
ourselves being successful here.
“Internships serve as a “vetting” process
to make sure you like the line of work
before you start a full-time job in that
field. The last thing you want to do is to
work so hard in your academic career,
only to find out that you don’t like your
job once you start full-time in your field
of work. Internships serve as a screening
mechanism to help prevent this scenario
from occurring, and to ensure that you
like the line of work before you sign on
the dotted line,” said Douglas Klutz,
a professor of criminal justice at The
University of Alabama.
Many students may be hesitant or
intimidated to partake in internships
for several valid reasons. Some may
expect for internships to require certain
requisites and prior experience and
some may, but most do not. Another
reason that students may be hesitant is
that it is a huge responsibility, almost
like another job. A student could have
a very demanding internship, but many
work around students’ schedules and
acknowledge that school comes first.
Most internships are intended to help, so
making sure the intern is able to balance
school and the workload is a priority
for many employers. Students may also
feel intimidated due to the increasing
competitiveness of internships, but there
is a spot for an intern everywhere.
Now that you may be more comfortable
with what an internship is and its
purpose, where do you find one that fits
you? Douglas Klutz, a professor at the
University of Alabama gives us some
tips on how to find internships. He says,
“Regularly check websites like Indeed,
Glassdoor, LinkedIn, and USAjobs.
gov under the “Pathways Program”
(for federal internships). Reach out to
family and friends who work in a related
field as well - personal connections go a
long way.” If you already have a certain
company that you dream of working for,
but they do not have any information
about internships, reaching out is also
another tip Mr. Klutz suggests. “Don’t be
shy to reach out directly to companies/
agencies you are interested in interning
with, as most of them have a specific area
on their websites dedicated to detailing
internship opportunities available
internally within their organization.”
There are many components to
internships, there are paid and unpaid
internships, internships that are everyday
or once a week, internships across the
country or around the corner. Knowing
what fits your schedule and what you
are looking for is very beneficial to
understand before going to look for
internships. Between working and
school, many students cannot afford
unpaid experience. Fortunately, there are
increasing amounts of paid internships
that students can benefit through
financially while simultaneously gaining
valuable experience. Many majors also
include internships as course credits, to
learn and apply what you learn inside of
the classroom in the outside world.
It is important to remember that
internships are made for you, not just
for the employer. They should make the
intern feel as though they are there to
help, gain experience and learn, not used
for busy work or fetching coffee everyday.
Making sure you research and know what
to look for in a company is very important
to ensure you are getting the most out of
your valuable time as a student. If you
have any more questions or concerns
about internships, be sure to contact your
university’s career center, they can help
lead you in the right direction for where to
begin your internship journey.
[13]

SENIOR
SURVIVAL GUIDE
BY TORY ELLIOTT
[14]

College is an experience like no other,
and for some it can be hard to navigate.
Most freshmen will go their entire life with
structure and guardians who are there
to guide them, and then months after
graduation are expected to know what to do
on their own. Here is a comprehensive list
of topics in which advice is separated into
three categories – school, health and social.
SCHOOL
School is undoubtedly the hardest to
navigate during students’ first semester.
Schedules are different each day, books
are expensive and finding the right
building can be confusing.
Advice #1: To help decide on
majors, minors, or specializations,
try taking a variety of classes to
see which one peaks interest.
Students are offered a variety of
classes ranging from criminal justice to
anthropology, and they will likely enjoy
and dislike many of them. Majors and
GPA (grade point average) do not define
a student’s potential, and most people
(including me) still have no idea what to
do after graduating. Every student must
find something that piques personal
interest, then look into ways of declaring
it as a minor or additional major. Use
extracurriculars to explore interests and
possible skills.
Advice #2: Utilize on-campus
resources.
Every college campus has resources to
help students succeed, so use them.
Daniella Fernandez, a senior nursing
major at The University of Alabama, said,
“Get ahead of peers and use the career
center for resume building and to prepare
for internships and job applications”.
Join organizations and get involved
on-campus. An extensive resume gives
students an advantage over competing
applicants. When struggling with a
class, take advantage of the University’s
tutoring services. Some resources may
be hard to find and barely advertised,
so students should check for a college
resource website to learn about what is
offered.
“Freshmen need to take a course or go to
a seminar that focuses on the resources
campus has to offer,” said Jayuanna
Harris, a senior nursing major at The
University of Alabama.
HEALTH
It is essential that a student’s physical
and mental well-being is a priority.
College bodies know themselves, so
even if the habits recommended in this
guide are not personally beneficial, other
habits and tricks may help to stay healthy
because everyone’s body works in a
different way.
All things considered, college is
stressful. Balancing school, social life
and alone time is hard but is manageable
when students respond to physical needs
as recommended by health professionals.
Advice #1: Take mental health
days.
“The world will keep spinning if you
take a day to yourself,” said Shannon
Healy, a senior public relations major at
The University of Alabama.
Simply sitting in dorms or apartments
with a book or good movie can improve
someone’s mood. Some people use their
mental health day to do a face mask,
yoga or simply sit outside. Do whatever
is necessary to keep yourself grounded.
Advice #2: Exercise.
Exercise can help with and prevent a
variety of health issues and improve mood
swings and anxious thoughts. Luckily,
the level of physical activity necessary is
personalized. Joining a fitness boutique,
yoga studio or recreational gym can give
students the exercise needed. Exercise
can also serve as a break from the day,
allowing students to take a step back
from studying for a test or completing a
project.
SOCIAL
Like school and health, the social aspect
of college is different. This is the time to
learn what kind of friends each student
wants and how many. Not everyone
gravitates to a large group of friends,
although some people love big friend
groups. Students can join social clubs, go
to on-campus events or use social skills
in the classroom. Whatever it may be,
how students socialize is completely a
personal choice.
Advice #1: Give yourself time to
make friends, it will not happen on
day one.
Off the bat, it seems like everyone else
has best friends. Social media can be
deceiving, so do not assume others are
not in the same boat. Meeting new people
every day is part of college, and students
will have the opportunity to make friends
with every class or study session held.
Remain patient, because true friends will
come. It just takes time to decide who
that is.
Advice #2: “Don’t spread yourself
too thin,”
This means students shouldn’t
overcommit, especially when there is
no time for mental health or personal
wellbeing. Do not be afraid to say no,
especially when feeling overwhelmed. It
can be hard saying no, especially with
the fear of disappointing friends, but
overcommitment can exhaust students
and will result in rushed work. Students
on campus should go to social events
and hang out with friends while also
learning when it is appropriate to stay in
and catch up on schoolwork. College is a
learning experience. The transition will
not be easy and mistakes will be made,
but boundaries help.
Time flies when having fun. Although
college is amazing, students must
understand it is not the end. It is an
amazing four years to reflect on and
cherish fondly. Students should enjoy
college, learn how to self-reflect and
observe other people, push themselves
academically and try new and frightening
experiences.
[15]

[beauty]
12 Signs, 12 Lipsticks
Body By B
18
20
Date Night Looks
26
[16]

[17]

12 SIGNS,
12 LIPSTICKS
BY BETH WHEELER
Astrology has taken the world by storm in recent years and knowing someone’s zodiac sign is almost as common
as knowing someone’s birthday. The astrological signs are assigned by looking at where the sun, moon and other
planets are positioned at the time of birth. Astrology charts can get complicated because a single person’s chart can include
multiple signs, but beginners usually focus on sun signs. Each sign possesses its own unique characteristics, which makes
assigning a lip color to each one a personalized and fun process. With the new year, everyone is feeling a little stir-crazy and
ready to switch things up. A quick way to find a new shade to try out and dabble in astrology is to find a shade based on a sun sign.
A fiery and fun sign, a bold red perfectly matches Aries’ inner fire.
ARIES
March 21-April 19
Elizabeth Arden Red Door Red Lipstick
Elizabeth Arden’s Red Door Lipstick is a true, bright red. Designed to be a show-stopper, this
fiery red and Aries’ fiery personality go hand-in-hand. Apart from this red lip, any bold and
flashy color will bring out the inner nature of Aries.
TAURUS
April 20-May 20
Grounded and earthy, a neutral satin lipstick compliments Taurus’
easiness.
YSL Rouge Pur Couture Satin Lipstick
YSL Rouge Pur Couture Satin Lipstick is a balanced, true neutral pink. Not too peachy and not
too pink, this lipstick compliments the balanced nature of Taurus. Taurus is the epitome of the
easy-going earth sign, so any natural color would compliment the easiness of Taurean people.
[18]

Quick-witted with two sides, this two-ended lipstick matches Gemini’s
GEMINI
May 21- June 20
spark.
NYX Shine Loud High Shine Lip Color
NYX Shine Loud High Shine lip Color is a dual-ended lipstick to lip gloss masterpiece. Gemini is
the sign of two faces–the twins. They can have a friendly, social side as well as a calm, collected
side. Lip products that can keep up with Gemini’s day-to-night lifestyle are key.
Caring and empathetic in its nature, Cancer pairs amazing with a
CANCER
June 21-July 22
dainty pink.
Charlotte Tilbury Superstar Lips Lipstick
Charlotte Tilbury’s Superstar Lips Lipstick is a sheer, shimmery pink. Feminine and dainty,
it compliments Cancer well in their romantic and emotional nature. Cancer looks best in any
products that leave them feeling happy and feminine.
The show-stopper of the zodiac, fierce Leo embodies a great golden lip
LEO
July 23-August 22
gloss–a true cherry on top.
Chanel Rouge Coco Gloss Top Coat 774
Chanel Rouge Coco Gloss Top Coat in 774 may as well be liquid gold. Expecting nothing less,
Leo needs this head turning gloss to highlight their lips and feel luxurious at all times. Best in
gold and bronze colors, any magnificent lip gloss helps Leo put on a show.
VIRGO
August 23-
September 22
Orderly yet practical, Virgo can pull off a good neutral, tinted balm to
save the day.
Glossier Ultralip in Dusty Rose
Glossier Ultralip in Dusty Rose is perfect for the gal-on-the-go. Virgo is nothing short of that,
prioritizing their success and order day-to-day. A comfortable, practical lip product that can
stick with Virgo through their day and keep them looking great is essential.
[19]

LIBRA
September 23-October 22
Embodying romance and grace, Libra needs a lipstick that can be flirty
and feminine: the rose shade.
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in 130 Rose Velvet
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in 130 Rose Velvet is a stunning rosey-pink velvet lipstick. Roses
are known for their romantic nature and beauty, much like Libra. Libra is ruled by Venus, the
planet of beauty, so any lipstick to help them feel beautiful is the way to their heart.
SCORPIO
October 23-November 21
Being the most intense of the zodiac, Scorpio best pairs with a deep
burgundy shade.
NARS Iconic Lipstick in Impulse
NARS Iconic Lipstick in Impulse is a deep burgundy lipstick. Scorpio is ambitious, striking and
passionate. It’s no question that they have to be given lipstick to match that intense nature.
SAGITTARIUS
November 22-December 21
Always on the go and in search of the next fun event, Sagittarius needs
a versatile and long-lasting lipstick.
NARS Lipstick in Gipsy
NARS Lipstick in Gipsy is a deeper, neutral pink color that is almost teetering on the red side.
Sagittarius is a fire sign that cannot be held down or limited, so this daring neutral can keep up
with their ever-changing pace and keep them looking their best whether in the office or at dinner
with friends.
CAPRICORN
December 21-January 20
More focused on their money and passions, Capricorn needs a lip
product to get them by and work with their simple style.
Clinique Dramatically Different Lipstick in 08 Intimately
Clinique Dramatically Different Lipstick in 08 Intimately is a light pink lipstick that bears
skincare benefits for the lips in the center of the stick. Capricorn needs practicality, and this
lipstick will work as not only a beautiful finish to their makeup, but also keep them nourished
while they’re making their money.
[20]

AQUARIUS
January 21-February 18
With their desire to be unique at all times and different from the crowd,
it’s no surprise that Aquarius would pair well with any off-the-wall color,
especially a daring blue.
Fenty Beauty Mattemoiselle Plush Matte in Ya Dig?!
Fenty Beauty Mattemoiselle Plush Matte in “Ya Dig?!” breaks users out of their comfort zone as
it is a striking periwinkle blue. Aquarius is the zodiac that is determined to take the “road not
taken” in their style. Therefore, a daring and risky lipstick color such as blue can be given its
moment by them.
PISCES
February 19-March 20
The soft-spoken dreamer, Pisces pairs exceptionally well with a light
pink gloss to top things off in a sort of sweet and gentle manner.
Sephora Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in 07 Pink Crystal
Sephora Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in 07 Pink Crystal is a light pink shimmery gloss with a light pearl
added to its sheen. This dreamy combination is perfect for sweet Pisces. Pisces loves all things
pretty and light in the world, and this lipstick is nothing short of that.
INSTA–WORTHY
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[21]

BODY BY
BBY BAYLIE
SMITHSON
[22]
[22]

Scrolling daily through Instagram, viewers
are never 100% sure what they will come
upon. Although there is an algorithm, the
variety of posts is broad enough to keep
followers guessing what they will see. It may be a
recipe, an inspirational quote or possibly a shared
post of a TikTok featuring a beautiful African-
American woman answering questions about her
skincare brand, dancing to the beat of the song
in the background. As a full-time college student
majoring in computer science at Jacksonville
State University, Tuscaloosa native, Brooke
Gaines-Cannon (@therealzekesmom) has created
a skincare brand, Body By B (@bodybybllc) from
the ground up at 20-years-old and she openly
shares her journey behind the process of making
her brand.
In order for others to gain insight into the
beginnings of her brand, Gaines-Cannon shares a
rather personal story about her inspiration behind
where the brand originates.
“One day I was looking at my son, Ezekiel,
while he was asleep. I noticed that his face was
breaking out. After receiving some weird old
remedies, I started researching ways to make my
own remedies for him. A year later, Body By B was
born.”
Gaines-Cannon’s openness about the beginnings
of her brand is an inspiring message for women
everywhere, empowering women to believe if
the solution isn’t there, they can create it for
themselves.
Starting a brand is no easy task, Gaines-
Cannon outlined her process by highlighting
the importance of finances, sourcing natural
ingredients, testing products and creating a social
media platform.
“My first step was receiving the funding. I didn’t
want to start out in debt, so I saved money when
I could. From there, it was finding honest vendors
with natural products. Creating the look of the
brand wasn’t hard for me at all because I could
see it every time I closed my eyes. I then tested
my products on myself and others. The last part
was creating my social media pages, which was
probably the most fun part of it all (right after
making the products).”
Everyone has picked up a skincare product in a
store and attempted to read the treacherous list of
ingredients on the back and stopped after “water,
glycerin,...” because of the extensive names that
follow. Luckily, Body By B’s body butter consists
of easy-to-read natural ingredients such as Shea
Butter, Coconut oil, Kokum Butter, Mango Butter,
Fragrance Oil, Lavender essential oil and Jojoba
oil.
Body By B’s brand is centralized around having
natural vegan products. Gaines-Cannon stated
the reasoning being the infiltration of skincare
products containing synthetic ingredients, “I want
[23]

to be honest with my customers about what they
are putting on their bodies. You don’t have to be a
chemistry major to understand my ingredients list. I
take pride in that.”
Gaines-Cannon described the biggest obstacle during
her journey as an entrepreneur is the patience it takes
to create a business from the ground up.
“It’s almost like being pregnant. You know that you’re
carrying this amazing gift that you can’t wait for the
world to see. I know that my company will help billions
of people one day. So in the meantime, I make it a
priority to enjoy every moment,” she said.
It’s said patience is a virtue, and Gaines-Cannon
embodies this statement through her process in
creating her brand. Gaines-Cannon is a woman who
wears many hats–it’s a wonder how she’s managed to
be a business-owning entrepreneur and a student all
at once.
“Balance is a mindset. I have to prioritize. As much as
I love my business,
I make sure that
school is taken
care of first, ” she
explained.
Seeing as Gaines-
Cannon’s puts
time and effort
into her company
Instagram, social
media is a major
aspect of the
promotion of Body
By B.
“Social media has
been a huge tool in
the promotion of
my brand. It’s how I
communicate with
my Body Babes.
Although, it’s more than just pushing your products. It’s
creating trust, building relationships and I even post
games sometimes. Social media has been a huge part
of staying connected, especially during the pandemic.
So I try to keep in mind that a little commercial break
every now and then can be beneficial for everyone,”
Gaines-Cannon said.
Gaines-Cannon’s professionalism is seen through her
social media pages and the running of her business.
Owning her own brand at such a young age was no
surprise for Gaines-Cannon, as she said she has
dreamed this for herself for many years,
“When I was younger, I would see young entrepreneurs
like Jayda Cheaves doing their thing. Fear is not an
obstacle to me, but seeing her move so professionally
at a young age definitely showed me that my dreams
were attainable.” Jayda Cheaves is described by
The Sun as being, “a serial entrepreneur also known
as a youtuber and Instagram model.” Similarly to
Gaines-Cannon, Cheaves started her “entrepreneurial
journey [at a young age] in the field of marketing and
branding” (The Sun). Later opening her own store
selling cosmetics, going on to own an online company
that generates nearly $2 million a year in revenue
(The Sun).
Confidence is key. Thankfully, Gaines-Cannon’s
confidence in her brand and most importantly,
herself, have shown through in her success. Gaines-
Cannon’s vision behind her brand exemplifies that
statement. In describing her vision she explained,
“The vision behind my brand is to increase
confidence through self-care. The body goes through
so many things, especially for women. Through
those changes (like having a baby) I’ve learned that
when you take good care of your body, it takes care
of you. Cars can’t move without gas, I make sure that
my gas tank never gets to E, so why would I let my
body do it?”
Though we all probably let our bodies get to “E”
sometimes, thankfully Body By B offers the perfect
body butter fuel in scents much better than gasoline,
such as pink sugar (“Think Pink”), intuition
cologne (“Already
Knowing”), amber
(“Amber Alert”),
baby powder (“Baby
Face”) and an
unscented option
(“Just Vibes”) for
sensitive skin types.
As far as the future
of Body By B and
the expansion of her
range of products,
Gaines-Cannon said
there is much in
store, “I will expand
to products for acne,
clothes and so much
more. I want to
have something for
everyone.”
And Gaines-Cannon is just getting started. She
maintains a credible work ethic and fiery passion for
her future that is evident in the success of her brand.
Gaines-Cannon left future aspiring entrepreneurs an
inspiring and encouraging word of advice, “Go for it!
A lot of times we want things to be perfect; success
does not require perfection. It requires a start.”
[24]

[25]

DATE
NIGHT
LOOKS
By: Jennafer Bowman & Beth Wheeler
Looking to add a pop of color to your date night look? Follow
along with our tutorial below to get the perfect look.
01
Apply your base
On a clean, moisturized face, begin to apply your base. Apply
your favorite primer all over your face and into your neck. After
the primer has dried, it’s time to prep your eyes, apply a light
concealer to the lid of your eye and blend it out to the bottom
of your eyebrow around to your under eyes, so all of your eye
area is covered. A mini beauty blender works best, but a brush
will work too.
02
The Eyes
The Eyes (Huda Beauty Ruby Obsessions eye shadow
palette, Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara and
Benefit Roller Lash Mascara)
Using a small circular eyeshadow brush take the lightest shade
in your eyeshadow palette (Ruby #1) and blend the color onto
your lid and up through your crease in a delicate circular
motion, blending up into the eyebrow bone.
Next, take the same fluffy brush and lightly rub it in the second
to last darkest color you want to use in your look, this will be
your main color that will be over the entire eye. (Ruby #8) In
an upward motion start on the outside of your eyelid closest to
[26]
your ear and blend all over your lid and to the bottom of your
eyebrow bone.
TIP: Try to use a brush cleaner or tap off your brush
between switching shadows.
Take the darkest shade in your palette (Ruby #4) with that
same fluffy brush and in a circular motion lightly blend the
color into the outer crease of your eye, slowly making its way
over to the inner corner. Make sure to blend up and in light
circles.
Take the same main color from before (Ruby #8) and lend
from the inner corner into the outer crease to blend the
colors together.
Lastly, with a flat-headed brush dab a tiny bit of concealer
(Too Faced Shape Tape Concealer) onto it and lightly pat
the product into your inner eye to the middle of your lid,
making sure it’s covered in an almost wave-like shape on
the eye. Use that same brush and pat it into a glitter-based
shadow (Ruby #2 and Ruby #3) and pat the shadow over the
concealer-covered area until it’s as glittery as desired. Then
take your main shade with the fluffy brush and lightly blend
between where the glitter stops and the dark shadow begins.
TIP: Wipe away any excess shadow with a powder brush
and use q-tips to clean up edges around the eye.
Curl lashes with an eyelash curler then apply two mascaras
in an upwards brushing motion. Apply to bottom eyelashes
if desired.

03
The Base’s Additions
Tarte’s Park Ave Princess Contour Palette
Taking any contour palette, use your designated shade and rub
a straight-lined contour brush into it. (Princess Cut) Starting
near your ear, gently rub in an angled linear motion the powder
across the hollow of your cheeks. Take a larger, fluffier version
of the same style of brush and blend, up and down, to create
a softer contour on the cheek. Apply contour to other desired
areas, such as the jawline, nose and hairline area and blend
appropriately.
04
The Second Layer
Too Faced Born This Way Foundation, Nars Radiant
Concealer & Bareminerals Bare Pro
06
The Lips
Lime Crime Wet Cherry Lip Gloss in Sweet
Cherry
To finish your look, add any colored lip gloss to the
center of the lip and press them together until it’s spread
to the entire area.
To begin, damp your beauty blender sponge (egg-shaped
sponge) and place multiple drops of foundation onto the back
of your hand. Patting the bigger end of the sponge into the
foundation spots, beginning at the nose, pat the foundation
onto your face, go to the ears, hairline and base of the neck to
get a thorough blend. Continue until the area is covered to your
desire.
Using the applicator on the concealer, dab small dots on the
problem and under eye areas. Taking the pointy end of the
sponge, blend up and down the concealer into a the eye bag
area, around to the side of each eye and to the top of the cheek
until blended into the skin.
Using a setting powder and a large fluffy face brush, apply
setting powder to all areas that you applied foundation. Use a
light circular motion to perfectly set the powder.
05
The Base’s Additions
The Balm Bahama Mama Bronzer, Nars Blush in the
shade Orgasm, Jouer Powder Highlighter in shade
Rose Quartz
Using an angled brush and a bronzer, run the brush over the
same area contour was applied and blend. With a flathead blush
brush lightly pat and tap off excessive blush and then tap lightly
onto cheekbones and tap outwards to the hairline. With a fan
brush, rub highlighter onto it and lightly tap off any excess.
Brushing upwards starting at the midpoint of the cheekbone
to the temple apply a highlighter. Highlight under the eyebrow
bone, on the tip of the nose and on the outline of the lips.
[27]

THE NATURAL
GLAM
If you’re looking for a more natural go-to look but still want to feel
glam and glowy on date night, this next tutorial can show you how
to amplify your own natural beauty.
01
Apply your base
(Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter,
Maybelline Fit Me Foundation, Kylie Jenner
Skin Concealer, Wet N’ Wild Contour Stick,
Makeup Revolution Luxury Baking Powder)
Starting on a clean, moisturized face, apply a few
dots of a glowy primer onto the high points of your
face for a glowy, filter-like effect. On top of that,
apply a thin layer of a natural finish foundation
and blend it in evenly. Moving onto concealer,
apply a concealer close to your skin tone (or 1 shade
lighter for an extra highlighted effect) on any small
blemishes, down the nose bridge, under the eyes and
on the eyelids as a primer, the forehead, the chin and
under your jawline where you would contour (this
will “reverse” highlight and give your cheeks a nice
lift from underneath). Blend that in, then apply a
cream bronzer slightly above your cheekbone line
and blend that upward to avoid dragging the cheeks
down (or skip to powder bronzer later if you prefer
that and apply the same way). Finally, after blending
in well, set with powder where you concealed.
02
The Base + Additions
(Milk Makeup Lip + Cheek in Werk, Benefit
HOOLA Bronzer, Sephora Brow Pencil,
Anastasia Clear Brow Gel)
After sweeping away any leftover setting powder, blend
a cream blush onto the high cheeks with a dense brush.
Apply a small amount of powder bronzer to set the cream
bronzer (or just apply powder if you opted out of cream).
Moving onto eyebrows to shape the face, use a pencil with
a color close to your skin tone to fill in any sparse areas or
add shape. Set that with a clear brow gel.
03
The Eyes
Benefit HOOLA Bronzer, Milk Makeup Kush
Mascara, NYX Eyeliner in Pure White
The eyes for this look are kept simple. Using a powder
bronzer, preferably the same as the one used on the face,
sweep this into your crease. For a bit deeper look, always
layer more of the same bronzer. Curl your lashes and add
mascara. Lastly, apply white eyeliner on your bottom waterline
for a nice pop.
04
The Lips
NYX Lip Pencil Nude Suede Shoes, Maybelline
Lifter Gloss in 002 Ice
Lastly, apply the perfect nude lip liner around the perimeter
of your lips, or even a little outside if you’re feeling it.
Blend it in towards the center of your lip using either the
pencil or just your finger. Apply a plumping gloss over it
all for a very natural look that will still turn heads.
[28]

[29]

[fashion]
In Sew Many Words
32
The Timeline of Corsets
36
If You Buy the Shirt,
Do the Work
38
[30]

[31]

IN SEW
MANY WORDS
Inside the World of Student Designers
By Lindsey Wilkinson
Family and friends filed into The
Bama Theatre for the Fashion for Life showcase
put on by The Student Fashion Association.
The models stood still as designers made last
minute changes to the designs they had been
working on since the summer. Excited chatter
and the promise of dreams fulfilled permeated
behind the stage. On a crisp November night,
13 University of Alabama senior apparel design
students unveiled their senior collections.
For Priscilla Olson and Laurel
Revers, senior apparel design majors at The
University of Alabama, this was a moment
they had been waiting for since they were
toddlers.
“I actually knew what I wanted to
do by the age of 3. My sister was six years
older than me, and she came home one day
talking about fashion design. I saw some of the
sketches in her sketchbook, and I loved it. So
I started taking recycled materials and using
dress forms. It’s really neat how everything
has come full circle,” Olson said.
For Revers, her love of fashion came
from familiar ties too.
“Ever since I was really young, my
aunt, who is an interior designer, would come
over to our house and always say the word
fashion around me,” said Revers.
Even though some students have always
loved fashion, it can be difficult to hone in
on what inspires them. Some designers look
to the people around them, while others look
towards art, culture and history.
Olson said she became obsessed with a
vintage aesthetic, but she couldn’t pinpoint
why until she began mind mapping for her
senior collection in May. Olson regularly
visited her grandfather in his nursing home,
and through her pageant background, she has
been volunteering at senior living spaces for
over ten years.
“Through volunteering and visiting
my grandfather, I started to learn more about
the time period they had lived through and the
legacies that they were leaving behind. The
pivotal moment for me was when Mr. Taylor
asked me what exactly I was talking about
when I said vintage with a modern twist,” she
said, referring to Brian Taylor, a professor
in the department of clothing, textiles and
interior design at The University of Alabama.
Olson landed on 1950s Christian
Dior couture and her modern twist came from
art and sculptures.
Many apparel design students find their
inspiration from anywhere and everywhere.
Janiah Pickett, a junior apparel and textile
design major, serves as the Student Fashion
Association (SFA) fashion show committee
member and education committee member.
Her inspiration comes from bridal wear.
[32]

“I am all about unconventional wedding styles, and
I try to incorporate that in all of my designs,” Pickett
said.
When Rachel Stern, a senior majoring in
apparel design who grew up around Japanese culture
and specializes in portraiture, began her concept
research she knew that she wanted her fashion
designs to represent her two loves. Stern used images
of traditional Japanese farmers to begin with because
their clothing was tied around natural textures and
organic fabrics. From there, Stern started playing
around with the idea of sustainability and “harmony
with nature.” She wanted things that were soft and
beautiful mixed with hard and rough edges.
“[Portraiture] is a huge part of my identity
and it speaks a lot to me. When you’re looking at the
human body you’re drawing and seeing it as it is, not
what you want to see it
as. The imperfections
are what makes it
beautiful and unique.”
Amidst Stern’s
research, she came
across a Japanese
phrase, Wabi Sabi, that
centers around the
idea of appreciating
beauty in imperfections.
This idea inspired her
I
collection. F o r
Revers, her inspiration
came from the places
and people she had
experienced. Revers is
from Denver, interned in
San Francisco and goes
to school in Alabama.
She described Colorado
as rooted in athletic wear, California as hipster and
trendy and Alabama as pretty and flowy like “cute
little dresses and skirts.” In order to combine these
styles, she focused on the materials used to create the
garments.
Once designers find their inspiration, the
pressure is on them to perform. By the time school
started in the fall, they were looking for fabric and
beginning to take an image on a 2-D piece of paper to
an actual piece of clothing someone could wear and
love.
“I think people don’t realize how much goes
into it because sewing is definitely a popular hobby,
but design compared to sewing a garment from a storebought
pattern is so much more intense. You have to
really understand the spatial elements of everything,
so it takes time to really figure it out,” Stern said.
For Olson’s designs, she used weaving
techniques, which took a lot of time. She included
hand-made flowers that she cut out and burned
“You have to really
understand the
spatial elements of
everything, so it takes
time to really figure it
out.”
with a candle. For fabrics, students scoured the
internet. From Japan to Tuscaloosa, students
found authentic, sustainable and affordable fabrics
that would work perfectly for their respective target
audiences. Students did all of this with their own
money.
During class, students updated professors
on their progress and received criticism from
classmates. On days that they didn’t have class,
students fixed whatever they needed or rethought
pieces that weren’t working. In the end, what they
created was a culmination of all the months of
preparing, mind mapping, researching, designing,
unfolding and sewing.
Olson created four distinct looks that
encompassed her vision of Intertwined, vintage
with a modern twist. The first look was a beautiful
Japanese violet
two-piece set with
a high neckline and
a vintage birdcage
veil. The second
was a simple
flamingo pink
gown accented
by a thick white
square buckle belt
and white opera
gloves. The third
look was a very
detailed two-piece
asparagus green
color block pant
piece, casual yet
eye-catching. The
final look evoked
a British Royalty
aesthetic, a pearl
white gown with a statement gold flower on the
bodice paired with gloves, a pearl headband and
statement earrings.
Stern’s Wabi Sabi collection had three
looks in total. One was a white oversized dress with
a bold charcoal portrait on it. The second was an
olive jumpsuit with a plunging neckline. The third
was an eccentric white top with a brown distressed
vest-like piece draped over it.
Revers created a three-look collection
that could be worn in three different decades. The
first was a 60s inspired halter top cut dress with
a white belted waist. The second was a two-piece
set featuring pockets and puffy sleeves topped off
with a white bandana. The third was a mostly white
gown featuring a belted waist and a collared top.
Proceeds from the fashion show’s ticket
sales are planned to be donated to the Runway of
Dreams Foundation, an organization that works
toward inclusion, acceptance and opportunity in the
[33]

[34]
fashion industry for people with disabilities.
All 13 designers will have one of their photos
from the Fashion for Life lookbook displayed
on the second floor of Doster hall at The
University of Alabama during posted business
hours for the spring semester of 2022. The
public is invited to view the photos, see the
fabric swatches and scan a QR code linked to
the individual designer’s portfolio.
try to incorporate that in all of my designs,”
Pickett said.

[35]

TIMELINE
of CORSETS
By Jen Bowman & Lindsey Wilkinson
Love it or hate it, the corset is back in style for what feels
like the tenth time this century. While the design of the
corset has stayed pretty consistent throughout history, its style
use has become loud and proud with different styles, colors
and types. Fashion stars such as Bella Hadid, Rhianna and
Lizzo have been spotted adorning the corset as statement tops
and stage outfits. But, these aren’t the only women to
bring corsets into the
fashion trends. Follow along
to read how other fashion-forward women
brought the corset
to center stage.
1500’s: After the skirt and bodice
are separated into two pieces,
the first true corset is invented.
Created from rigid materials such
as whalebone and horn, the
corset extends the length of
the torso to the pelvic bone
and is commonly worn with
shoulder straps. Credited
for bringing the garment
to France, Catherine d e
Medici (1519–1589) paved
the way for corsets as it
reaches extreme lengths
that shrinks the waist.
Elizabeth l used the
corset to
create a conical shape to her body.
1600’s: During the 1600’s the corset goes through a major
reconstruction while shaping society’s perception of what a
woman’s body should look like, even though it is completely
unrealistic. The corset begins to grow shorter and sleeveless
in the mid-1600’s but lengthens, gains it’s straps and becomes
more angular to keep the waist slim.
1700’s: The corset goes under a name change, “stay”
continues to have a conical shape while patterns begin to adorn
the front panels, adding the ability for a form of expression
through clothing. The stay begins to take over England but
falls out of French fashion as tight-laced waists show a sign of
mortality. Towards the end of the century the corset adopted
a rounded shape to accommodate the natural look of breasts.
1800’s: To begin the 1800’s, aristocratic style is frowned
upon during the French Revolution. Focus shifts from the
breast area to the bosom. Although short, the corsets hiatus
ends and the French introduce a corset that separates the
breasts. The corset is used more to uplift the breast and bottom
area. In Western society, the waist is at its highest placement
and the garment is worn over the hips. Metal eyelights allow
the movement towards the hourglass figure to become the
societal ideal. Joseph Cooper invents the front-fastening busk,
which removes the need to unlace a corset and instead can be
loosened to take off. Towards the end of the century
the full figure, curves and rounded shoulders,
became the ideal body standard. Frankenstein
novelist Mary Shelley wears a corset in her
self-portrait.
1900’s: In the 1900s, corsets had a
huge change to the shape and style.
The S-bend shape was created to hold
the torso straight and push hips back.
In addition, the shape started to sneak
below the bust and extend downward on
the hip. Women in different areas were
being pressured to wear corsets by different
national ties. Ads promoted corsets as “Princess
Hip” in the UK. During the 1904 St. Louis World Fair,
Nemo Corsets had a ticket promoting their slogan, “bones
[36]

and steels cannot cut through,” referring to America’s grit and
industry. By the 1910s, corsets were on the move. Traveling
corset salesmen began to take the corset to slightly less urban
areas. This all fell flat during the first world war in which women
entered the workforce. It wasn’t until 1947 that Christian Dior
reintroduced the wasp-waist corset that resembled the corsets of
the late 19th century. In the 1970s, Vivienne Westwood sought
to change the connotation of corsets. By using them alongside
a punk aesthetic, Westwood changed the oppressive symbol
into a kind of woman empowerment symbol. In 1983, Dior’s
spring/summer collection featured his first corseted dress. This
transformed the garment from underwear to outerwear. While
corsets like Gaultier’s were showcased by Madonna on her
“Blonde Ambition” world tour, the 1990’s were mostly a time
of unshaped, layered garments and corsets were mostly seen in
evening gowns or wedding dresses.
2000’s: The iconic corset style drifted over into a constructional
symbol for all garments in the 2000s. Many silhouettes were
not only more tight fitting but they also began to accentuate the
hips by adding volume. Curved shapes were added into blouses,
dresses and jackets. In other cases, the corsets’ intricate lacing
was taken and put on the back of shirts. While there were a few
cases in which the corset remained grounded in its origins, the
large majority of designs were influenced by the construction.
2010’s: By the 2010s, the renaissance era corset was back.
The corset also takes over fitness with a new name: a waist
trainer. Some blame it on the era of instant gratification and
others blame it on the fitness/wellness industry. In 2016,
The New York Times asked the big question in a 2016 article
called, “Can a Corset Be Feminist?” The mixed messages from
the fashion industry, who wanted the sentiment to be true,
and the fitness industry, guaranteeing a slimmer waist, caused
Westwood’s corset style from the 70s to regain the focus. In
2019, a Vogue article referred to Westwood’s corset as the “most
popular vintage piece of 2019.” The Westwood pieces in the late
2010s sold online for thousands of dollars, but their shape was
immediately engulfed into everyday fashion.
While the corset may have changed, it is a powerful reminder
of the societal pressures that women face. The corset started as
a symbol of constriction and submission because royalty was
using the garment to attain the ultimate look of femininity.
Women are still subject to some of the same pressures. Fashion
is a powerful reflection of the evolution of society.
[37]

BY TA’KYLA BATES
[38]
Fashion Activism is the practice of using fashion
as a medium for social and environmental
change. It is a term coined by the co-founder of Slow
Factory Foundation, Celine Semaan.
On June 5, 2020, Nike released a statement in
solidarity and made a commitment to the Black
community after the killing of George Floyd.
Nike committed $40 million to support the Black
community for the next four years.
“This commitment will be focused on investing
in and supporting organizations that put social
justice, education and addressing racial inequality
in America at the center of their work,” stated Nike.
Nike has made many strides in supporting the
Black community whether it’s Black Lives Matter or
Black History Month. For example, their choice to
collaborate with one of the most controversial social
activists in the past decade, Colin Kaepernick. This
does not always result in public approval because
Nike has been criticized by who and what they
support at certain times. U.S. Olympian Gwen Berry
faced backlash in 2019 after she held up her fist on
the medalists’ podium. Berry was abandoned and
released by many of the sponsorships she had at the
time, including Nike. This made people question
what Nike truly supported when it came to social
activism and social justice.
Nike isn’t the only company to venture into fashion
activism. Urban Outfitters, Pacsun and Old Navy are
among some of the most popular places for people
to shop, especially Gen Z. These companies have a
piece of clothing for almost every social problem and
minority holiday. Urban Outfitters has a “Support
Black Colleges X stuffgracemade Support Black
Lives Tee.” Old Navy has its “Project WE Latinx
Heritage Month 2021 Graphic T-Shirt for Adults.”
Pacsun sells a “PacSun F*ck Racism T-Shirt,” which
it described as Pacsun described as “Stay woke in
the F*ck Racism T-Shirt from PacSun.” It features a
classic construction with a crew neck, short sleeves,
and rainbow “F*ck Racism” graphic on the front and
back.”
“Good Lord, that Pacsun shirt is trash,” said Farrah
Sanders, a graduate student at The University of
Alabama and a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Student Ambassador. While all of these pieces of
merchandise are a collaboration with organizations
that are actively supporting Black and Latinx
communities, all three of the items have something
in common: they are all on the sale rack. The effort
to highlight these issues and raise money for those
organizations is a noble cause, however, consumers

are starting to wonder whether these companies are
simply profiting off the perceived trend of support.
“I think fashion activism is a really cool and
valid movement but it often gets overshadowed
by corporate attempts to profit off of marginalized
communities,” Sanders said. “True activism isn’t
profitable.”
Safe Zone Resource Center at The University of
Alabama strives to promote and implement diversity
and inclusion for LGBTQ+ students on the campus.
Counselors teach students how to be a better ally to
the community and actively work to change the way
allyship is presented.
Dr. Lizzie Smith, director of Safe Zone, said that
people put their best intentions forward by using
and wearing slogans, like Black Lives Matter and
Love is Love, but they don’t necessarily agree with
the meaning. She said people aren’t informed on
the right way to be an ally and that being an ally
requires action.
“They talk the talk, but they don’t necessarily walk
the walk,” Smith said.
Einav Rabinovitch-Fox, author of “Dressed for
Freedom: The Fashionable Politics of American
Feminism” and professor at Case Western Reserve
University, said some forms of fashionable activism
come with powerful messages. For example, the
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was
founded in 1960 during the heart of the Civil Rights
Movement. Women in the committee, specifically
Black women, adopted wearing denim clothing
instead of dresses to show unity with sharecroppers.
By 1973 SNCC had lost the majority of its employees
and branches which resulted in the extinction of The
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Even
though SNCC was around for a short time, their
impact, whether it’s considered fashionable or not,
influences the ways people use fashion to protest
today.
Scholar Tanisha C. Ford wrote “SNCC Women,
Denim, and the Politics of Dress” which said that
these women used the “uniform consciously to
transgress a black middle-class worldview that
marginalized certain types of women and particular
displays of blackness and black culture.”
Women gave up dresses, started to wear denim
and brought attention and change in the wake of
the Civil Rights Movement. Fashion can make an
impact, but only if it’s genuine.
“No doubt that for many companies, and even
individuals, this is not more than lip service or
virtue signaling,” said Rabinovitch-Fox. “This is
not different from changing your profile picture,
however, I do think that clothing or adopting certain
styles can have powerful messages when they are
being deployed by activists.”
It’s no question that protesting in the 2020s is
different from protesting in the 1960s, but in a world
where technology and social media are a part of
everyone’s life, wearing a shirt with a huge rainbowcolored
“ALLY” or that “Black Lives Matter” mask
isn’t doing as much as society thinks. These things
aren’t sparking movements, they are there to prove
a point and validate identities.
This idea of fashionable activism and performative
allyship play hand-in-hand. Big corporations
continue to advertise fighting for justice and being
allies, but when the fight seems to be dying down,
they put activism shirts on sale. The allies who
bought them when the issues are highlighted in
the mainstream media are the same allies that
put them in their drawers or donate them to the
local thrift store when the issue isn’t trending on
Twitter anymore. Political merchandise has a goal,
but it can’t be the only form of allyship. An ally is
correcting people and fixing injustice when it is
clearly visible and speaking up about unjust things
that silenced voices aren’t able to speak up about. If
you buy the shirt, make sure you do the work.
Ways to Donate:
LGBTQ+ Rights
https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
https://www.thehrcfoundation.org/
https://transequality.org/
Womens’ Rights
https://now.org/
https://www.unwomen.org/en
https://www.globalfundforwomen.
Racial Justice
https://colorofchange.org/
https://blacklivesmatter.com/
https://www.aclu.org/
https://eji.org/
[39]

[features]
Behide -the- Scenes:
An Artist’s Experience
Photostory:
A Celebration of Black History
Resolving Resolutions:
Diet Culture in the New Year
42
46
50
[40]

[41]

Behind-the-Scenes:
an Artist’s Experience
By Cat Clinton
Every piece of art is different. This is because
every artist is different. The path to becoming
an artist has never been consistent. People differ
based on experiences and preferences. Many
would consider success in the art world more
difficult to achieve than most, because success
can be found through a range of outcomes and is
never strictly defined. The drive individuals have
pushing them towards creating appealing, sentimental
or impactful works of art can root from a
number of goals. The only thing all artists have in
common is the desire to create.
For Abigayle Waller, a Fine Arts senior
graduating from Birmingham Southern College,
and former intern at Buckhead Art & Company,
the art process can be described as, “a necessary
purging that leads to another idea that needs to
be explored. I hate looking at my old work, but
it is neat to see where I came from compared to
where I am now, creatively.”
Most artists measure success differently, but
everyone has the potential to show growth through
practice and experience. This is why consistency
is hard to establish, and not necessarily beneficial
for this scene.
Some artists are also born with such a high level of
natural ability it becomes increasingly difficult to
define the moment art and creation first captured
their interest, creating art for these individuals
can feel more like habit or second nature than a
developed skill.
“I grew up drawing constantly and found a niche
in high school where my potential was noticed
by my art teacher and was placed in higher
level classes despite not having any technical
experience,” said Lou Weinstein, a multimedia
artist currently located in Montréal. “Art has
always been a way of expressing myself, whether
by exploring the situational and circumstantial or
through performance in exploring my identity.”
Like most skills, an artist’s abilities grow with
encouragement and experience.
“My advice would be to take a step back from the
technicalities of art and focus on what feels good to
make,” said Lou, “Making art is so exciting and to
be able to also produce something that resonates
with you is important regardless of what society
expects from the visual exploration of subjects
and concepts. You deserve to feel in your element
and love what you do, it really comes through in
your art as a way of seeing as well.”
Having someone praise artists’ creations can
fuel the drive to improve, and makes the time
and effort invested in the skill worthy. Praise
or encouragement is a payoff, so strive to never
hold back from admiring and addressing how
impressive an artist and their work is; because
this field is one that is easily overlooked when it
comes to the time and dedication it requires to be
noticed or deemed successful.
“When I was little I used art as a way to calm
down, or when things broke I had to get creative to
fix them,” said Hannah Radney, a commissioned
and tattoo artist originating out of Fairhope,
Alabama. “I like having things that are different
from what everyone else has. I don’t like to be
wearing the same outfits as everyone or having
any art that you can get from Target.”
Art comes in many forms, ranging from oil
paintings to tattoos. The advice we received when
it comes to insights that may help other artists
who are considering the field?
“Just remember—don’t compare yourself to
others, both artistically and as a person. Art is
very subjective, and we are our own worst critics.
Dabble in everything that interests or inspires
you, even if you know it’s going to be difficult. If
a piece is starting to frustrate you, put it down.
[42]

Just remember to pick it up later or it’ll become
a chore you dread.” Radney said, “My own
aspirations for art is to keep my creative process
active doing commissions whenever the subject
is something that sparks my interest. I plan to
carry my creative mindset into everything I do,
challenging the norm and introducing a new
perspective to everyone I cross paths with.”
Every artist must decide on the creative process
that best suits their career and goals. Individuals
considering this profession must also throw out
any prior ideas about the perceived right way
to be an artist. The appeal of creativity is the
originality, which looks different to everyone.
Although every artist is different, the desire to
create original and impactful pieces is shared by
all individuals who have chosen the profession.
Styles, resources, planning and procedures can
differ in artists, but as long as audiences take a
moment to appreciate an artist’s perspective
rather than criticize pieces for not meeting our
preferences, art will continue to evolve and adapt
as much as people do.
[43]

[44]

[45]

A CELEBRATION OF BLACK
HISTORY
BY TA’KYLA BATES
[46]

our ancestors and all the Black heroes
and heroines. We celebrate their wins and
contributions to our Blackness and for us
to be seen and celebrated. As the late Rosa
Parks once said, “I had no idea that history
was being made. I was just tired of giving up.”
Black History isn’t just our past, it’s also our
present. In 2020 Black Lives Matter became
the biggest movement in U.S History. In
January 2022, MJ Rodriguez became the first
openly trans Afro-Latino to win a Golden
Globe. Marsai Martin became not only the
youngest Black executive producer but the
youngest executive producer ever. These
Black individuals are people we look up to,
people we are close in age to, people who are
making history right before our very eyes.
Black History Month is a time where we
observe the greatest achievements,
inventions and moments of Black people.
It is a reminder of where we’ve been and
where we are going. We’re all familiar with
Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa
Parks, Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou,
but there are so many others who led the
way. For example, George Crum invented
the potato chip. It’s a reminder that the
success of Black people is the reason we have
stoplights, ironing boards and home security
systems. Some of us may not even realize
how much one Black individual has changed
the way we exist in our everyday lives. Yes,
King has a dream, but Henrietta Lacks’
cancer cells are the first-ever immortalized
human cell line and continue to be studied
in science and medicine today, even for the
development of COVID-19 vaccines.
Our Black History is rooted deeply in
who we are and what we represent
as Black people. From Hattie McDaniel
becoming the first Black person to win an
Oscar to Tracey Norman becoming the first
Black transgender female to make it in the
fashion industry. Black History is rich and
unforgettable. It’s sacred. We celebrate
our ancestors and all the Black heroes
and heroines. We celebrate their wins and
contributions to our Blackness and for us to
[47]

[48]

[49]

[50]
By Audrey Harper

Every year, millions of Americans make
New Year’s resolutions. Some set out to
make their bed every day or wake up earlier, but
overwhelmingly, most New Year’s resolutions
are diet and exercise-related. According to
YouGov, in 2020, 50% of American adults
wanted to exercise more, 48% wanted to lose
weight and 39% wanted to improve their diets.
Weight loss programs and gym memberships
see spikes in January, yet the majority of
people fail in their resolutions, according to
Inc. So, what’s got people stuck each year?
For some, it’s the chance for a fresh start,
but for others, it’s the beginning of a cycle
of overexercising and yo-yo dieting. Yo-yo
dieting, the pattern of losing weight and
gaining it back, is more common than one
might think. In fact, according to Slate, 97%
of dieters regain everything they lost and then
some within three years.
According to Sheena Gregg, a registered
dietitian nutritionist at The University of
Alabama’s Student Health Center and the
Assistant Director in the Department of
Health Promotion and Wellness, the diet and
weight loss industry wants to capitalize on the
insecurities people have.
“They want to sell people a promise that
they can achieve a certain look or lifestyle if
they buy into their product or program. This
is a very malicious structure and so I often
tell my clients to be critical consumers of
health messaging. It is such a money-making
industry and it doesn’t always have a person’s
best interest at heart,” Gregg said.
The industry is a $71 billion endeavor, to
be exact, and has often been called out as
predatory. From lawsuits to public awareness
campaigns aimed at dismissing their
effectiveness, the diet industry has been under
scrutiny for false advertisement especially.
“It’s really hard to be around people who
are participating in ‘wellness culture’ and not
being able to participate in order to preserve
my recovery,” said Leah Ney, a licensed social
worker who developed an eating disorder
while they were completing their master’s
degree at the University of Houston. “My office
is really big on diets and it’s rough to be in that
environment. All of these really disordered
comments look normal and wouldn’t be
alarming if I didn’t have an eating disorder.”
While eating disorders are commonly
associated with young adolescents, female
college-aged students are also vulnerable.
Weight stigma on college campuses, such
as the fear of gaining the “freshman 15,” can
make it more likely for students to develop
disordered eating behaviors. According to
NEDA, 10% to 20% of female college students
have an eating disorder.
“When I did formal sorority recruitment I sat
there, just comparing myself to other people,”
said Caroline Schilling, a junior studying
[51]

history and anthropology at The University
of Alabama, who has been in recovery from an
eating disorder since 2015. “None of the girls
would eat during lunch. They would have a
snack and that would be it. In sorority culture
on campus, if you’re not wearing a size zero,
you’re kind of big.”
As young adults move away from home
for the first time,
they are exposed
to different
environments that
make maintaining
healthy living an
obstacle.
Michaela Philip,
a senior studying
public health at
The University
of Alabama at
Birmingham,
struggled her first
year of college to
maintain a healthy routine.
“You get so busy and that can be an easy
justification for not eating. Sometimes that’s
the root cause and other times I used it to
feed an already unhealthy relationship with
food,” Philip said. “Growing up, the goal in
my mind was always to lose weight. The first
step in healing my relationship with food was
learning that restricting and skipping meals is
“In sorority culture
on campus, if you’re
not wearing a size
zero, you’re kind of
big”
not helping me. If I want to lose weight, I am
not on the right track by skipping lunch every
day and forgetting to eat for eight hours.”
Often disordered eating behaviors start
with a desire for healthy eating. In fact, 35%
of “normal” dieters progress to pathological
dieting and of those 20 to 25% develop eating
disorders according to NEDA. Philip however,
has shifted her
mindset from weight
loss to something
more holistic.
“The end goal now is
definitely just exercise
and eat because I
want to exercise and
I want to eat and not
have anything to do
with my weight. I
want to run because
I want to feel good. I
like that my resting
heart rate is lower, I
like going up the stairs and not feeling out of
breath,” Philip said.
There are many ways in which people looking
to feel healthier can maintain a healthy
mindset and perspective. For instance, Gregg
is one of the many practitioners who follow
the Health at Every Size (HAES) approach,
popularized by Linda Bacon, a professor and
researcher at The University of California
at Davis. HAES emphasizes living a healthy
[52]

lifestyle instead of exclusively promoting
weight loss. As a practitioner who serves
college-aged individuals, Gregg focuses on
nutrition education and working around
college students’ busy schedules.
“I know that a lot of individuals are often
recommended by their healthcare practitioner
to lose weight because their healthcare
practitioner believes that their elevated BMI
is in direct correlation with certain chronic
health conditions that they are experiencing,”
Gregg said. “However, I do believe that it’s very
possible for individuals to eat for their health
without using weight loss as a parameter of
progress or as the sole form of their focus in
regards to the way that they eat.”
Mackenzi Dugan, a graduate of The University
of Alabama, experienced rapid weight gain and
loss her freshman year due to a pituitary tumor.
Because of the rapid weight fluctuations,
Dugan developed disordered eating behaviors.
“In college, especially your first year, you’re on
your own and have free range to do whatever
you want. It wouldn’t be uncommon for me to
skip meals all the time or eat more meals than I
typically would. I thought about the Freshman
15 all the time,” Dugan said. Luckily, Dugan
received treatment and has been in recovery
for the past five years.
While exercise, diet and weight resolutions
can have negative consequences, not all
resolutions have to.
Gregg said instead of resolving to diet or lose
a certain amount of weight, one can challenge
themselves in other ways.
“When it comes to overall positive body
image, remind your friends and family
members that their worth is not in the value
of a number on the scale and be that changemaker
in that capacity,” Gregg said.
According to behavioral scientist Katy
Milkman, the key to sticking to a new
year’s resolution is to first make adding
detailed steps instead of vague instructions,
adding a penalty for not following through
and including a short-term reward can
aid in making a resolution more effective.
Allowing for emergencies can help deter the
disappointment and eventual resignation that
comes when one breaks from their goal and
then decides to abandon it completely. Lastly,
asking for help from friends and family can
make a new year’s resolution more likely to
last long term. Resolutions focused on joyful
movement and setting more time for self-care
activities can help those looking to have a
healthier lifestyle.
[53]

[entertainment]
To Those Feeling Guilty
about Their Music Taste:
Don’t Be
BookTok
56
58
Glorfying Abuse in Media
62
[54]

[55]

to those feeling
GUILTY about their music
taste ;DON’T BE
By Maddy Reda
In a world of musical gatekeeping and judgment, it’s
common for people to feel ashamed of the music they
listen to, preferring to keep their favorite Glee albums,
Disney playlists or show tunes locked away in private
sessions on Spotify, never to see the light of day despite
the rush of joy and endorphins the listeners get from
them.
People often use the term “guilty pleasure” to describe
songs or artists that others should feel “embarrassed”
listening to. According to an article by The Odyssey,
a guilty pleasure is defined as something someone
enjoys taking part in or enjoys even though it is not well
regarded by society.
While not everyone feels guilty listening to the music
they enjoy, the overpowering culture of musical
gatekeeping and shaming has overtaken social media,
making people afraid to be open about what they like to
listen to.
Hali Skelton, a freshman majoring in psychology at
The University of Alabama, said she enjoys Disney’s
“Encanto,” specifically the soundtrack because of the
representation and its unique choice in music styles,
however, she feels a bit embarrassed for loving a movie
for children.
Skelton said she thinks guilty pleasures shouldn’t exist
because people “should let everyone like what they like.”
Gatekeeping as it relates to music is the practice of
music enthusiasts self-authorizing themselves to
determine who does and doesn’t belong in a fandom,
who has good music taste and who doesn’t or even
attempts to dictate who is and isn’t a die-hard fan of
someone like Harry Styles or Doja Cat.
Josh Levine, a junior at The University of Alabama
majoring in mathematics, said the music that is popular
amongst certain groups of people is stereotyped to only
those people, leaving it to be frowned upon for outsiders
to enjoy the same genres.
Despite going to a flagship university in the south, the
birthplace of country music, many students express a
strong and loud distaste for the genre.
Sarah Dunlap, a junior majoring in nursing, said she
loves country music but feels guilty about it sometimes
since none of her friends like it.
Jalyiah Pierce, a junior majoring in psychology at The
University of Alabama, said she also likes country
music, yet as a Black woman from Eufaula, Alabama,
where the preferred sound is R&B and rap, she’s
suffered judgment from her peers over liking country
music.
“They always stereotype me to be with the white group,
you know, ‘you’re white go hang with your white
friends,’ but country is actually pretty good,” Pierce said.
“It’s very peaceful and calming.”
hile it is truly harmless to jam out to country music, a
song from “Encanto” or “Saturday Night Fever,” there
[56]

has been a growing discourse over social media and cancel
culture of whether there are instances in which you should
feel guilty for listening to a certain artist or song.
In a 2017 article for BBC, Fisun Güner argued that an
artist’s work should have value in its own right, no matter
what sort of life the artist led, however, it’s never just about
the work. What is done to celebrate an artist is often to
bolster the myth of their life.
While most of
the population
has turned
their backs on
artists proven
to be guilty of
serious crimes,
like rapper
R. Kelly,
navigating the
gray area of
what is dire
enough to
warrant guilt
or cancellation
is murky.
Kanye West’s
controversial
remarks over
slavery have
left a bad
taste in many
mouths, yet he
is still regarded
as a genius of
modern music
to some. Even
country artist
Morgan Wallen
has been met
with an equal
amount of
praise and hate
after spewing
racial slurs and
fraternizing with underage girls at a Tuscaloosa, Alabama
bar during the pandemic.
Wile you have every right to praise an artist’s musical style,
it is worth noting that streaming songs and watching their
music videos put money straight into the pockets of the
artist and their management team, benefiting them in the
long run. While that may bug some listeners, not everyone
feels guilty about it.
“We never feel guilty about doing it in the moment,
but if someone were to see us doing it or we have to tell
someone about it, that’s when the guilt comes in,” said Alex
Rockefeller in her article for The Odyssey. “If we all came
together and decided to stop feeling guilty about what we
like, we could all live
happier lives.”
For the most part,
guilty pleasures are
meaningless social
constructs and
should be treated
as such.
Levine said he
enjoys several
TikTok songs and
sounds circulating
the popular
social media
app. In contrast,
Araminta Cheek,
a junior majoring
in kinesiology,
enjoys listening to
film scores from
movies like “Lord
Of The Rings” or
“Interstellar.”
Pierce said people
should be able to
express themselves
with their music.
“Don’t live by
standards that
people try to
give you, like
be yourself, put
yourself first, love
yourself and express
yourself,” Pierce said.
Regardless of what you’re listening to, life is short, and the
world is dull, so listen to what you want and crank up those
tunes.
[57]

y Jolie Money
[58]

TikTok is known for trends, hacks
and viral oddities, whether it’s
lip-syncing videos, dances, or even
influencer Emily Mariko’s ice cube on
rice hack. However, one of the most
popular trends on the app is BookTok.
BookTok is by far one of the biggest
subgenres of TikTok, garnering over
27 billion hashtags. From reviews,
aesthetic mood boards and outfits
based on different characters, almost
every trend is represented and geared
toward the literary community.
Its reach has grown so large that
bookstores like Barnes & Noble have
created tables dedicated to the most
popular BookTok recommendations.
The books on these tables are both
traditionally published, such as Sarah
J. Maas’s “A Court of Thorns and
Roses” series or Holly Black’s “The
Cruel Prince” and self-published books
like Elle Kennedy’s “The Deal” or Elena
Armas’s “The Spanish Love Deception”
being featured.
For popular BookToker and Ayman
Chaudhary, a college junior majoring
in graphic design, reading only became
a passion after finding BookTok during
quarantine in March 2020. Using
mainstream, popular TikTok sounds
and trends, Ayman has gained over 653
thousand followers and 53.1 million
likes.
“I think BookTok specifically helps
translate books well because there
are so many different communities
within BookTok. Content is limitless,”
Chaudhary said. “When I read a book,
and I want to go into the fandom to
find what they’re talking about, I didn’t
really find that content until TikTok.”
Chaudhary said BookTok has been
impactful and implanted itself in the
minds of viewers.
“Some books that were published
10 years ago have been discovered by
BookTok,” Chaudhary said. “I almost
can’t go into a bookstore and selfdiscover
a book without saying, ‘Oh,
I’ve seen this on TikTok.’”
The phenomenon of the rise in
popularity for books on BookTok is a
fascinating aspect of this community.
A self-published book is just as likely
to garner attention as a traditionally
published book from a large publishing
company.
According to HOOT! Books, a reading
app that features books for underserved
audiences, self-published books grew
by over 40% between 2017 and 2018.
[59]

Previously traditionally published
books had access to more marketing,
BookTok has made it possible for indie
books to garner just as much attention,
making it easier for authors to choose
the independent publishing route.
For example, Sally Thorne’s “The
Hating Game,” which was published
by HarperCollins, one of the big
five English-language publishing
companies, has been mentioned 73.1
million times on TikTok, yet Penelope
Douglas’s independently published
novel, “Punk 57” has been mentioned
166.1 million times, even though they
were both published in 2016.
Genevieve Hartman, the director of
development and publicity at BOA
Editions, an American independent
non-profit literary publishing company,
acknowledged the benefits of authors
interacting with readers on social
media.
“I see more and more people are
marketing their own books through
their own social media. One of the
great aspects of social media is having
so much access to the people who are
creating the books so readers and fans
can get that personal backstory, and
the writing process, and an opportunity
to connect directly with the source,”
Hartman said. “I’ve been seeing a lot
of authors getting online and engaging
with people on a more one-on-one
basis. … I think it has a great potential
to draw in more readers who might not
be as interested in reading.”
This interaction between authors
and readers has grown even more,
with many authors becoming TikTok
creators themselves.
Chloe Gong, author of “These Violent
Delights,” and Colleen Hoover, author
of “It Ends With Us,” “Verity,” and many
others, have both amassed hundreds of
thousands of followers.
For the self-published author of “Punk
57,” a dark, new adult romance with
the friends-to-lovers trope, Penelope
Douglas, the rise of popularity on
BookTok was a complete surprise.
“It’s been insane. I’ve never felt
unseen in the book world, per se. I’ve
always felt that I have a place here, and
I have my readers, but it’s been intense
this year,” said Douglas..
While indie romances have always had
a niche audience, BookTok has brought
them into the mainstream.
“One day last winter, I was checking
my publishing account on Amazon,
just to make sure everything was still
live and running smoothly, and I saw
a huge jump in downloads,” Douglas
said. “I had no idea what was going on
until I started seeing reviews coming in
and people referring to BookTok. An
author contacted me and told me my
books were being talked about a lot on
TikTok, and I was a little shocked.”
She said it’s been validating to see
“Punk 57” with a whole new audience
and generation. “It’s rewarding to know
books I wrote years ago are still loved
and have longevity,” Douglas said.
While her book has been mentioned
on TikTok 166.1 million times, her
name has been mentioned 151.5 million
times.
While Douglas acknowledged the
advantages of traditional publishing
and does plan to re-establish a
relationship with a publisher for some
of her work in the future, she has found
that the popularity of the romance
genre and control over her work to
be her main reasons to continue selfpublishing.
However, other authors like Olivie
Blake, the author of “The Atlas Six,” and
Scarlett St. Clair, author of “A Touch
of Darkness,” have jumped from selfpublishing
to traditional publishing
through Macmillan and Sourcebooks,
respectively.
Both authors attribute the success of
their books and their traditional book
deals to BookTok, as the demand for
their books garnered attention from
publishers. Publishers and media
have traditionally leaned towards
white, straight authors. According to
a 2019 publishing diversity baseline
survey done by Lee & Low Books, the
publishing industry was 76% white,
97% cis-gendered and 81% straight.
With the popularity of diverse voices,
however, doors have opened for
marginalized authors.
Blake attributed the success of “The
Atlas Six” to “the diversity and sexual
fluidity of the ensemble cast.”
“The setting is a lot like your dark
academia or magic settings, but with
more queer characters,” she said.
[60]

For other authors, BookTok has shown
publishers the power of certain genres.
“What TikTok did for me was prove
to traditional publishers that my books
[and similar ones] were in demand
contrary to what the traditional
publishing industry had told me
previously,” said St. Clair.
“A Touch of Darkness” is the first
in a series of a modern-day retelling
of Persephone and Hades. While it
originally was only available through
Amazon, a direct competitor to Barnes
and Noble, the demand for the book in
stores became clear.
“While I did get into B&N stores,
obtaining books was so difficult for
their buyers. I was a topic on their
agendas often because they had to get
approval to purchase my books since it
was directly supporting a competitor,
but the demand was there,” said St.
Clair. “My local B&N said that my books
alone have boosted their sales over the
last year, and I’m also their number one
seller.”
BookTok has forced traditional
publishers to seriously consider the
traditionally underrecognized young
adult and romance genres seriously.
“I definitely respect the platform and
its demographic of young, diverse and,
as far as I have seen, predominantly
female users. I’ve always felt those
audiences were underestimated when
it comes to rescuing the publishing
industry,” said Blake..
Readers have shown that the market
for these books is present and prevalent.
“I think it illustrates the power of
readers. I was a librarian for five years
before becoming a full-time author, so
I know the power of readers, the power
of sharing what you love,” St. Clair said.
“I think that’s powerful no matter the
platform.”
While many people might see
BookTok as an unconventional way to
talk about books, the impact it has had
on the accessibility of diverse voices in
literature is profound. From creators
to authors, it is a place where every
person, no matter their background,
can find themselves represented.
[61]

GLORIFYING
ABUSE
IN
MEDIA
BY
KIERRA
THOMAS
Over the last few years, there has
been an increase in violence and
abuse in the media. As these depictions
of violence and abuse permeate books,
television, video games, social media and
more, many people worry that instead
of bringing awareness to these issues by
showcasing them, the media glorifies the
abuse.
Whether its sexual, physical,
emotional, verbal or drug abuse, the
media has shined a light on these
problems, however, by using graphic and
overdramatic depictions of abuse to catch
attention, these displays of abuse influence
people to believe that violence is normal.
“There have been many examples
of entertainment media that trivialize,
exploit and even glorify abusive behaviors
and relationships, especially against
women,” said Landon Palmer, The
University of Alabama assistant professor
of communication and information
sciences. “For most of their history,
commercial movies and television haven’t
had a vocabulary for abuse because they
haven’t been made by, for and from the
perspectives of marginalized populations
most vulnerable to abuse.”
According to Zippia, a website that
offers up-to-date information based on
industry, location or experience, 66.7% of
filmmakers are men and 70.7% are white.
[62]

“Take, for example, a famous scene
from the 1931 film ‘The Public Enemy’
where a male character hits a female
character with a grapefruit; this scene
was incorporated by its director to enact a
fantasy of doing this to his wife,” Palmer
said.
When watching films for class,
Palmer encourages the students, in his
Motion Pictures History and Criticism
and Critical Study of Television class, to
analyze why it’s there at all.
“When I teach my television course,
I ask students to view media as a cultural
forum, a term that television scholars use
for analyzing how television addresses
pertinent social issues,” said Palmer.
“When you see representations of abuse
in the media, what is the goal of such
representations? Are they contributing
to our current social conversations about
these issues, or are they exploiting or
trivializing them?”
Taking this critical approach to
television allows viewers to see that certain
television shows use abuse as a gimmick
and plot point that doesn’t create a positive
discussion around the real issue.
This is exemplified with the movie
“365 Days.” In the film Massimo, the male
lead “saves” Laura, the female
BY
lead, and
they develop this love/hate relationship.
Massimo comes off as possessive and
persistent toward Laura. He’s obsessed
with her and would do anything to keep
her. It was clear at the beginning of their
interaction together she was not pleased,
but then she eventually gave in to the
“irresistible” Massimo.
The issue with this film is that it
romanticizes kidnapping and abuse.
While also normalizing partners who are
physically and emotionally controlling.
This leaves the impression that this
behavior, the movie’s plot, is acceptable
when it is not.
“I do not think there is anything
wrong with TV shows and movies
promoting awareness of abuse, but there
is a gray area in what is considered a
negative or positive view of abuse,” said
Ashley Blevins, The University of Alabama
junior majoring in public relations.
Blevins questioned this gray area
when she watched “You,” a Netflix
television show about a stalker who is
described as “a dangerously charming,
intensely obsessive young man [who] goes
to extreme measures to insert himself into
the lives of those he is transfixed by.”
The show garnered rave reviews
and backlash for its portrayal of its main
character as a sort of underdog that many
found themselves rooting for.
Blevins said the show pushes the
viewer to root for Joe, the main character,
but in reality, his behavior is reprehensible,
including manipulation, stalking and
murder.
The book series “After,” by Anna
Todd, which was later turned into a film
series directed by Jenny Gage, similarly
has received backlash for normalizing
and romanticizing abusive behavior in
relationships by letting its main character,
Tessa, fall for Hardin, an emotionally
abusive narcissist.
Another book to visual adaptation
that also received backlash was “13 Reasons
Why” by Jay Asher for how graphic some
scenes were throughout the show.
As a result, new trigger warnings
appeared before the episodes. The cast
addressed all the rumors in interviews
to assure the audience that the goal was
not to glorify but to be realistic about
sensitive topics by pushing uncomfortable
boundaries through film.
“We wanted to do it in a way where
it was honest, and we wanted to make
something that can, hopefully, help
people, because suicide should never,
ever be an option,” said Selena Gomez in
“13 Reasons Why: Beyond the Reasons,”
a mini-documentary released after the
season.
While these new age and trendy
movies and tv shows are entertaining,
leaving viewers on the edge of their seats,
it doesn’t take away from the fact that it
can confuse many people and convince
impressionable audiences that this is
normal and okay.
In an article for Impact Magazine,
Jasmin Lemarie discussed how men play
a huge role in the objectification of women.
“The male gaze and the male ego
are all about portraying women to fulfill
men’s desires; you have to be sexy, but
not too sexy, you have to be nice and
supportive and not bossy,” Lemarie said.
“For decades, women have been portrayed
in film as one-dimensional characters that
are there to serve the men in their lives.”
According to the Center for the
Study of Women in Television and Film,
during the 2019 to 2020 tv season, 94% of
the programs considered had no women
directors of photography, 76% had no
women directors, 81% had no women
editors and 73% had no women creators.
Yet, some films and shows do a great
job of displaying these issues without
glorifying them.
“MAID,” a 2021 Netflix show based
on a memoir written by Stefanie Land
about being a single mother trying to
escape an abusive relationship by cleaning
houses to save up money to live a better
life for her and her daughter. The show’s
realistic portrayal of generational trauma,
poverty, and abuse was well done and
realistic.
Along with shows like this,
documentaries have also created realistic
portrayals of abuse.
“Far from glorifying abuse, these
documentaries ask audiences to empathize
with victims and understand what this
abuse means, how it affects people’s lives
and how power protects abusers,” said
Palmer. “I would put the 2019 independent
film ‘The Assistant’ in a similar category.
This film is about a lowly assistant to a
Harvey Weinstein-like producer, and it’s a
film that asks complicated questions about
complicity and systems of power that
perpetuate cycles of abuse.”
He said rather than glorifying
abuse, recent works like these have asked
audiences to confront abuse as a societal
problem in ways that very few media
works have before.
It is essential for those who
experience abuse to know that there are
many resources that can help them. The
Women and Gender Resource Center
and Counseling center are just two of
the resources available for students
at The University of Alabama. For
some community resources, check out
Turning Point, a domestic violence and
sexual assault counseling and shelter,
Child Abuse Prevention Services, Crisis
Services in North Alabama, Shelby County
Department of Human Resources and
One Place Metro Alabama Family Justice
Center.
If you or someone you know is
experiencing abuse and needs help, here
are some national hotlines that you can
reach out to:
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Hotline: 1.800.799.HOPE
National Teen Dating
Hotline: 1 (866) 331 – 9474
RAINN National Sexual Assault
Hotline 1 (800) 656-4673
Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Hotline: 1 (800) 662 – 4357
Department of Defense (DOD) Safe
Helpline for Sexual Assault
Hotline: 1 (800) 995-5247
StrongHearts Native Helpline
Hotline: (844) 762- 8483
[63]

[food and health]
Are Our Essential Oils Actually
Doing Anything?
Negative Self-Talk vs The Brain
UTI Myths and Facts
66
68
70
[64]

[65]

Are
Our
Essential Oils
Actually Doing
Anything?
by Morgan Byerley
[66]

Essential oils such as peppermint,
lavender and tea tree have
become increasingly popular over
the years. They are often promoted
as part of natural living, yet some
remain skeptical about their
effectiveness and usability. Avid
users of the oils are passionate about
the healing capabilities of essential
oils and are committed to living
naturally without the toxins and
chemicals. Questions have arisen
about the effectiveness of essential
oils and if they actually do more than
just smell nice.
Dr. Abby Horton, a nurse and
professor at The University of
Alabama, whose research has
included holistic care, said ​she
“finds essential oils to be very
helpful for supporting overall health
and wellness, but that they are
not a substitute for conventional
medicine.”
Essential oils can help support the
body when it’s going through an
illness or have certain symptoms,
but Dr. Horton emphasized that it
is important for users to do research
and find what works best for them.
Using essential oils is a very personal
journey so it’s important to find a
brand that the user is comfortable
with and has data to back their
products.
Horton teaches a class through
the WellBAMA Program and said
using essential oils is part of a
lifestyle. Many people don’t realize
the irritation caused by synthetic
fragrances and other toxins. Using
quality essential oils can greatly help
reduce allergies caused by harsh
cleaners and household products.
Essential oil companies, such as
Young Living, support switching out
everyday household products like
soaps and detergents for naturalbased
products that use essential
oils. Essential oils can eventually
become a part of daily life and
positively impact a person’s overall
health.
With many options available, it
may be overwhelming when first
choosing a brand and starter oils.
“I think you definitely have to be
careful in choosing the best essential
oil brand,” said Ainsley Frey, a
nursing student at Franciscan
University. “For example, most of the
oils found at Target or on Amazon
contain synthetic ingredients and do
more harm to your body than good.”
Frey uses Doterra oils since “they
are more transparent in their process
of deriving and processing each oil.”
Young Living is also another
essential oil company that is also
known for its commitment to purity
and transparency in its processes.
“Young Living Essential Oils are
pure, they are nontoxic and delicately
cared for at each farm under strict
standards for quality and purity,”
said Carmine Loper, a member of
the Young Living Company. They
are monitored from when the seeds
go into the ground until the distilled
oil is bottled to ensure the highest
quality oil.”
When choosing an essential oil
brand, it’s important to make sure
the company is committed to both
quality and purity in its products.
Synthetic fragrances found in lower
quality oils can potentially cause
irritation or an allergic reaction for
the user.
Within companies like Young Living
and Doterra, there are a variety of
essential oils to choose from that all
have specific properties and uses.
Most oils can be used in numerous
ways and even combined with other
oils to create a new blend of oils.
Thieves, a blend of essential oil made
from clove, cinnamon and lemon, is
a popular oil for cleaning. Essential
oils can also have many different
uses such as helping headaches,
promoting immune support and
even increasing concentration.
“Clary Sage helps my menstrual
cramps immensely, and ingesting
ginger does wonders if I have nausea
or feel sick,” Frey said. “I also like
peppermint oil for headaches and
always ingest oregano oil in a capsule
when I have an infection.”
Loper also uses a variety of oils
within her home ranging from
skincare to immune support.
“Peppermint is a great oil to diffuse
to enhance focus and concentration
while studying; it also can be used
diluted with a carrier oil to rub on
fatigued muscles,” Loper said.
Other oils, like Frankincense,
can be used in a variety of ways
and can also provide skincare
benefits. “Frankincense is
also one of my favorite oils,” Loper
said. “Frankincense has a very mild
aroma, and sometimes I apply it
to my forehead and over my heart
for calming; it’s also amazing to
use in your skincare routine for
healthy-looking skin and evening
out skin tones.”
Many essential oils can also be
used for their mood-boosting
properties. Citrus scents such as
orange or lime can make a room
feel fresh and clean. Lavender and
peppermint are also popular oils
recommended to people interested
in trying essential oils for the first
time. Loper recognizes that it can
take time to get used to using
essential oils rather than turning
to over-the-counter medicine
right away. Using essential oils
is committing to living more
naturally and recognizing your
body’s specific needs.
Learning to use essential oils
is a personal journey due to the
uniqueness of one’s body and
health needs. It’s important to do
research when first starting out
and recognize that essential oils
are not a stand-in for conventional
medicine but still have many
health benefits.
“I’m going into my ninth year of
using essential oils, and it truly
has been life-changing for our
family,” said Loper.
Learning to use essential oils
may be a learning curve since it
takes time to learn about the oils
and decide on a brand that is a
good fit. It’s important to research
options and learn how the oils can
be used on a daily basis. From
helping headaches to cleaning
a room, using essential oils is a
commitment towards a natural
and effective lifestyle.
Disclaimer: The information
included in this article is for
educational purposes only and
is not intended to be a substitute
for medical treatment by a
healthcare professional. Because
of unique individual needs, the
reader should consult his or her
personal healthcare provider to
determine the appropriateness of
the information for the reader’s
situation.
[67]

[68]

When looking in the mirror, the thoughts that can
enter the brain or cross the mind are not always
positive. These thoughts or feelings can cross over to
grades, work, sports, accomplishments and so on. The
inner dialogue inside the brain that creates feelings of
unworthiness, or limits self-confidence is negative selftalk.
Confidence, anxiety, depression, self-esteem are
all places these thoughts can stem from. Unfortunately,
living with negative-free thoughts is not reality. In fact,
the average person has around 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts
per day and 80% of those are negative according to the
National Science Foundation.
The thoughts in the mind that create doubt, shame or
discontent with appearance are characteristics of the
never-ending bad habit of all humankind: negative selftalk.
Within this internal dialogue, there can be positive
self-talk, as well, that can be encouraging. Nevertheless,
positive self-talk doesn’t become a habit as easily as
negative self-talk does. Changing those negative thoughts
to positive thoughts is the way to break the reflex of
negative self-reflection.
This all comes down to the fact that the brain chemical
Cortisol is the one to blame for those negative thoughts
that enter people’s minds without permission. Cortisol,
the primary stress hormone, competes with dopamine,
the chemical that sends positive reinforcement to the
brain. The more dopamine, the less cortisol. The more
cortisol, the more negative thoughts that can enter our
brain. These negative thoughts can lead to anxiety,
depression and other mental illnesses as the levels of
dopamine and cortisol are off. To combat these thoughts,
there are practices to put in place to promote positivity
in daily life.
The University of Alabama’s (UA) Director of Clinical
Training, Matt Jarrett, suggests attacking those thoughts
head-on. Asking questions internally when noticing those
negative thoughts is one of the ways to cope with them.
“The thoughts we have might be driven more by
emotions and worries. Traditionally, the focus would be
on how to change the thought, noticing and recognizing
the thought comes first,” said Jarrett.
Jarrett suggests asking the following questions when
having those thoughts:
• Is the thought accurate?
• Is there truth behind it?
• How likely is it that this will happen?
• How bad would it actually be if it did?
Inner dialogue within the mind can seem out of the
norm, but in fact, numerous people go through the
process of talking to themselves. However, not everybody
has internal monologues on a daily basis. There is a
spectrum of talking to oneself: some all the time, some
sometimes and some never. Psychology Professor Russell
Hubert conducted a study on 30 college students finding
that an average of 26% of them had internal speech. Each
individual varied on the spectrum but came out to an
average of 26%.
To help see if the thoughts are meaningful, ask yourself
if you would hold the same negativity to a friend in that
situation said Dr. Greg Vandarwal, Executive Director
of the Counseling Center at UA. Vandarwal explained
that “consistently thinking negative becomes learned or
automatic,” much like a habit or pattern of behavior.
Simple lifestyle changes can make a big impact on
dopamine release. Having a routine, exercising daily,
prioritizing sleep and eating right are all small changes
that can improve those negative thoughts.
“Journaling those thoughts or saying the thoughts out
loud can help put in perspective the truth of thought,”
said Vandarwaal.
A more fun way of combating those negative thoughts is
to give a name to those internal thought processes, said
Vandarwal. This can help separate the thoughts from the
truth and easier to challenge that type of thinking.
The University of Alabama junior studying Architectural
Engineering, Henry McKlin, previously struggled
with negative self-talk when he was younger and now
understands the false reality behind it. McKlin explains
that he learned to separate the thoughts that had truth
behind it versus the ones that didn’t.
“Now that I have proven to myself that I can do the things
that I originally thought I couldn’t, I am less susceptible
to believe those types of thoughts,” said McKlin.
The belief of the negative thoughts that pass through
the brain can lead to self-doubt and stunt an individual’s
potential. Believe you can do it until you have at least
tried, suggests McKlin.
“If you’re struggling to not be negative towards yourself,
talk to someone,” said Vandarwal.
The University of Alabama’s Counseling Center is
available for immediate help with a trained volunteer
when texting “BAMA” to 741-741 or call UA Police
Department (UAPD) at 205-348-5454 and ask to speak
with the on-call counselor. To speak with someone on a
more casual basis, UA’s Counseling Center and Women’s
Gender Resource Center (WGRC) are prepared to speak
with students. There is also a free online self-help site,
Welltrack, that can help explain the feelings someone
might be going through and the next steps are. For
more information, visit UA’s Counseling Center website,
https://counseling.sa.ua.edu/.
[69]

UTI
MYTHS
BY KENNEDI HALL
Urinary Tract Infection, otherwise
A known as a UTI, is one of the most
common diseases to the human body
in both women and men. Although it is
a common disease that doctors see in
patients, there are still misconceptions
about what a UTI is, and how it should
be treated. A vast majority of women
heavily rely on at-home methods like
cranberry pills or simply downing a bottle
of cranberry juice as soon as they feel a
burning sensation in the vaginal area. It is
not often that men and women feel enough
urgency to contact a doctor or physician as
soon as symptoms of a UTI occur, but is it
vital for long-term health and to prevent
further complications.
UTIs are a common occurrence, and both
men and women get treatment for this
issue more often than what is assumed
by the public. Often, men and women see
UTIs as embarrassing, when in reality,
treatment is necessary to prevent further
infection to the body.
“I’ve definitely had my fair share of UTIs,”
said Hope Saunders, a criminal justice
major at The University of Alabama.
“It’s something I just deal with and keep
going on about my day. There’s nothing
embarrassing about a UTI, it’s completely
normal.”
Contrary to popular belief, UTIs are one
of the most common concerns doctors
see on a regular basis. One common
misconception about a UTI is that a person
who has one is unclean.
“I think a lot of people have a
misconception about a UTI and that it
must be about hygiene or that people are
not being clean,” said Dr. Abby Horton,
professor at The University of Alabama.
“Some people think it is due to something
they are eating too.”
Staying away from tight underwear and
tight clothing in general can help prevent
UTIs. “We always hear, especially when
talking to young girls, to make sure that
underwear is loose fitting and cotton,” said
Horton. “For people who are sensitive,
that is vital because a lot of underwear is
tight and made of synthetic materials.”
In today’s world, the internet is
filled with quick at-home methods to
supposedly cure pretty much anything a
person would search for. One of the myths
about curing a UTI is ingesting cranberry
juice or cranberry pills. Unfortunately,
this method is simply a myth. Drinks
and pills that contain cranberry extract
are not cures, but they can be seen as a
preventative against UTIs or a reliever
until a doctor is able to be seen.
“These methods are not going to help
if a man or woman actually gets a UTI,
however, it can relieve some of your
symptoms,” said Horton. “If you drink
organic, sugar-free cranberry juice, it
seems to help. As far as cranberry pills go,
[70]

AND FACTS
it is important that you get a reputable
brand, and that you get one that has
D-mannose with cranberry. Healthcare
providers usually recommend taking this
as a prevention.”
Although cranberry juice is proven to
be a preventative and a common reliever
against UTIs, it needs to be taken in large
quantities to create the same effect that
one would get from consuming cranberry
pills.
Unfortunately, women deal with these
matters at a higher percentage than men
do. In fact, roughly 60% of women have
suffered from a UTI, which is a stark
contrast to the roughly 40% of men who
have had a UTI.
“Women get UTIs more often because
the urethra of the man is much longer
than a woman, and a shorter urethra
breeds infection,” said Dr. Gwendolyn
Hooper, a professor in The Capstone
College of Nursing at The University of
Alabama. “UTIs have nothing to do with
cleanliness – they are actually due to an
outside source coming into the urethra,
the tube that runs from the bladder to the
outside, or a birth defect that would cause
frequent UTIs.”
Men and women are told to take
precautionary measures to prevent
UTIs as well. Making sure feminine and
body products are free from parabens is
important in preventing any infection of
the vaginal area.
It is important to understand that a UTI
is not a sexually transmitted disease.
“It is just an infection,” said Hooper.
“Some sexually transmitted diseases are
infections as well, but a UTI is different.”
Oftentimes, men and women will visit a
doctor complaining of burning or painful
urination associated with a UTI, terrified
that they have an STD.
According to a qualitative interview study
conducted by The British Medical Journal,
women with signs or symptoms of UTIs
preferred to use at-home methods to avoid
excessive doctor’s visits and side effects of
antibiotics. In the study they conducted,
they found that “women indicated a desire
to avoid taking antibiotics and were open
to alternative management strategies,
including delayed antibiotics.”
An untreated UTI can lead to further
infection in the body. It’s important to
note that consulting a doctor or medical
physician is vital to cure a UTI. Common
at-home methods should only be used to
prevent infection and relieve symptoms,
not as a cure. Visiting a doctor’s office to
get a urine specimen is necessary.
“E-coli is the number one bacterium that
causes UTIs,” said Hooper. “The bacteria
can go into the urethra and bladder and
can continue to grow. Left untreated, the
bacteria can move into the kidney, causing
a kidney infection. ”
It’s important to know differences in
the symptoms between a common UTI
and yeast infection, though they can both
occur at the same time. Consulting a
doctor on the onset of the symptoms can
be helpful to get proper treatment and
alleviate further worsening of infection.
“A common UTI would include burning
on urination, frequency of urination, fever
and pain in the lower abdomen,” Hooper
said. “Some people also have back pain
on either side of their lower back. Yeast
infections usually have a white vaginal
discharge, burning with or without
urination and itching.”
Knowing the body is important to
detect symptoms of a UTI and to receive
treatment from a doctor or health care
physician as soon as possible. UTIs can be
a scary and uncomfortable experience, but
taking proper preventative measures can
be proven helpful to overall health.
[71]

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[72]