Alice Vol. 2 No. 1

BINGE 

CULTURE 

Netflix, wine and the entire pizza 

THE DOUBLE 

STANDARD 

Why men get all the perks in 

Hollywood and how women are 

working to change that 

CAFFEINE 

CHAOS 

The no-coffee challenge 

AUTUMN 

$3.99 Vol. 2, No. 1 

IN THE AIR 

It’s a fall to remember with fierce florals, star-studded styles 

and exciting comeback colors that are sure to inspire you

Letter from the Editor 

On the web: 

Twitter: @alicethemag 

Instagram: @alicethemag 

facebook.com/alicethemag 

alice.ua.edu 

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 © 2016 by Alice Magazine. 

Material herein may not be reprinted without the 

expressed, written permission of Alice Magazine. 

A year ago, I was a writer for Alice. I loved writing for the 

entertainment section, and I loved the idea of Alice even more. 

Finally, there was a magazine on campus that I could be a part 

of and that actually represented college women. All the other 

magazines out there felt either too young or too old for me. I 

wanted to read about something I related to for once. Then, I not 

so gracefully stumbled into Alice. I felt empowered being able to 

contribute my work to the first ever issue. Now, here we are: the 

third issue of Alice, and I am editor-in-chief. My triplet sister 

(yes, I’m a triplet) actually asked me if I was basically Miranda 

Priestly, but I just had to laugh and say no. We may share same 

title, but I am (hopefully) not that scary. 

Between the hilarious stop at Whataburger after the fashion 

shoot that almost got rained out, to the late night production 

room banter with empty pizza and donut boxes, the wonderful 

staff at Alice has worked endlessly on creating an even better 

issue. This was an incredible feat, considering the extraordinary 

quality of the first two issues. But, we always want to make Alice 

the best she can possibly be for our readers. She has expanded and 

transformed throughout the past year from an idea to a magazine 

nominated for the prestigious collegiate Pacemaker Award. We 

hope to see Alice in the hands of people walking to class, sipping 

a coffee and flipping through our pages, or consulting Alice when 

you need to know the best foundation for your skin color (page 6) 

or the most delectable hot chocolate recipe when the temperature 

finally drops below 70 degrees. (page 72). This season’s Alice 

holds more editorial photo shoots, inspirational fashion and 

important issues such as mental health (page 50) and the binge 

culture we live in (page 57). As a senior, graduating in May, I 

know that Alice can help me cherish all the moments that I have 

left at UA. I’ll be able to rock the best hairstyles during my last 

football season (page 11). For my last “Friendsgiving,” I need to 

celebrate with the most delicious recipes (page 67). For a quick 

trip to NYC, my hours are already laid out (page 28). And as I 

take many a road trips with my friends, I don’t want to be without 

the perfect book to read (page 75). 

As the best season of all approaches, I am eagerly looking 

forward to the direction that Alice and my adventure with her are 

headed. From freshmen to seniors, we hope that you love these 92 

pages as much as we do. 

Paige Burleson 

Alice November 2016 [1]

Editorial 

Editor in Chief PAIGE BURLESON 

Creative Director MARIA OSWALT 

Director of Photography EMILY HEATH 

Managing Editor CLAIRE TURNER 

Market Editors ALEXIS DANZO AND ALLIE BINFORD 

Online Editor LAURA TESTINO 

Beauty Editor KAILA WASHINGTON 

Lifestyle Editor ALLISON COHEN 

Fashion Editor DEVEN FELDSTEIN 

Food and Health Editor MADISON SULLIVAN 

Entertainment Editor ELLEN JOHNSON 

Social Media Coordinator DONICA BURTON 

Contributing Writers MADDY ARD, SERENA BAILEY, MIA BLACKMAN, NATALIE BROWN, 

JADA CULVER, ALEXIS FAIRE, ANALIESE GERALD, MICHAELA HANCOCK, CLAUDIA HOGAN, JILL HOLLOWAY, 

KATIE HUFF, KENDAL JONES, ANNA KLEMENT, LAUREN LANE, LAWSON MOHL, SAVANAH SENDEK, LAURA TESTINO, 

CLAIRE TURNER, MAIA WADE, AUDREY WATFORD, CAROLINE WELLS, RACHEL WILBURN, ANNA WOOD 

Contributing Photographers RAMSEY GRIFFIN, ALEX GREEN, BRIANNA MCLAIN, 

TEAH SHAW, MARY CLAY KLINE, SARAH WESTMORELAND 

Contributing Designers KYLIE COWDEN, EMELINE EARMAN, MARY KATE HOLLADAY, 

CLAIRE TOHILL, KRISTEN WALLACE, YILIN WANG 

Models ILHAM ALI, ALEXIA ACEBO, ALLIE BINFORD, JOYLYN BUKOVAC, LOTANNA ERINNE, 

FINESSE FRANKLIN, ALEXANDRA HURYN, AMANDA IVY, MARIA OSWALT, IKESA PORTER, 

LEAH SCHULTZ, BRIDGET SEARCY, ARIAL SUNG, LEXI WARREN, CARSON WOODY 

Hair and Makeup ELISE COLLINS, ASHLYN COOPER, ALLIE LOWERY, KAILA WASHINGTON 

Marketing Team AIMEE INTAGLIATA , BRIANA BETTISON, SHELLEY BUCKLEY, CAROLINE DISIMONI, 

KATIE HUFF, COURTNEY SCARBORO, ALEJANDRA TENORIO, JULIA TRAVAGLINE 

Advertising 

Advertising Manager LEAH MARSHALL (cwadmanager@gmail.com) 

Assistant Advertising Manager RUFUS ALDRIDGE 

Advertising Creative Director MADDIE HISE (cwcreativemanager@gmail.com) 

Assistant Creative Director GRANT SNOW 

Sales Representatives (205) 348-7845 

JADE LEDET, LIZZIE MIZENKO 

Advisers 

Editorial MARK MAYFIELD (msmayfield1@sa.ua.edu) 

Advertising BRIAN GILES (bhgiles@sa.ua.edu) 

Published by UA Office of Student Media 

Director PAUL WRIGHT 

[2] Alice November 2016

Table of 

Contents 

ABOUT THE COVER: A poetic evening in Harpersville, 

Alabama: where the rain cleared into hazy clouds and later 

bloomed into a bewitching sunset. Get lost in Old Baker 

Farm’s seemingly infinte cornmaze, vast sunflower field 

and picturesque evergreen trees. As the autumnal breeze 

sets in, fall in love with Alice’s fall wardrobe. 

Photographer: EMILY HEATH 

See story: PAGE 42 

Beauty 

5 STAR-STUDDED STYLES 

6 EBONY TO IVORY 

8 GET LIT: HIGHLIGHTER TIPS 

10 SHE’S GOT THE LOOK 

11 SATURDAY DOWN SOUTH 

Fashion 

13 PRETTY IN PINK 

17 STREET DREAMS 

20 HIDDEN GEMS 

22 BOW DOWN TO 

FIERCE FLORALS 

Lifestyle 

28 48 HOURS IN NYC 

32 DO AS THE ANGELS DO 

33 CAFFEINE CHAOS 

36 DORM SWEET DORM 

38 CRINGEWORTHY FIRST 

IMPRESSIONS 


Features 

42 MUSING HEART: FALL FASHION 

47 A FIGHT BACK WOMAN 

50 THROUGH HER EYES 

53 SOCIAL SURVIVOR 

57 NETFLIX, WINE AND 

THE ENTIRE PIZZA 

62 WE THE FEMALE 

Health 

& Food 

66 DITCH THE DINING HALL 

67 FRIENDSGIVING RECIPES 

70 TEMPORARY DIETS VS. HEALTHY LIFESTYLE 

72 MORE THAN MARSHMALLOWS 

73 I TRIED A 6 A.M. CYCLING CLASS 

Entertainment 

75 BOOKS TO FALL FOR 

77 THE DOUBLE STANDARD 

80 HBO’S CONFIRMATION 

81 SHOWS TO STREAM 

82 SLIDE INTO PITCH 

87 ST. PAUL & THE BROKEN BONES Q&A 


BEAUTY 

Star-Studded 

STYLES 

By Anna Wood 

DOUBLE DUTCH BRAIDS 

The classic double braids hairstyle 

has made its way from summer camp 

to pop culture once again. Celebrities 

like Kim Kardashian, Blue Ivy, Zendaya 

and more have been spotted with 

perfectly-coiffed plaits — while most 

have stayed traditional, some have 

sported modified versions like the triple 

French braid. Want to try it yourself? 

Divide your hair into two halves, 

then have a friend (or do it yourself, if 

you can) French braid or Dutch braid 

each half. Smooth down frizzy flyaways 

with a spritz of hairspray. 

DOUBLE BUNS 

Often referred to as “fun buns,” this 

youthful style has made it’s way from 

costumes to mainstream pop culture. 

Tons of celebrities offer inspiration 

on their Instagrams, like Khloe Kardashian, 

Justine Skye and Hailey 

Baldwin. If you are feeling confident, 

pull hair into two high ponytails and 

twist into buns. If you prefer a more 

understated look but still want to join 

the fun bun club, go for lower ponytails, 

twist into buns, and gently pull 

to loosen. 

BIG, LOOSE CURLS 

The more curls grow in popularity, 

the bigger they seem to get. You cannot 

go wrong with a head of big, wavelike 

curls like Blake Lively or Selena 

Gomez. Blow dry hair, then wrap oneinch 

sections around a 1 and ½ inch 

curling wand. 

HALF-UP HIGH PONYTAIL 

This hairstyle was wildly popular in 

the ‘90s, although then it was usually 

tied with a scrunchie. Thanks to Ariana 

Grande and Beyonce Knowles, 

the so-called “party pony” has come 

back in style, and it is bouncier 

than ever. To get this look, start 

by spritzing hair with texturizing 

spray. If you want volume 

like Ariana and Beyonce, hold 

up a section of hair on the top 

of your hair and backcomb to 

tease. Secure with elastic and 

wrap a strand of hair around the 

base of the ponytail to get a polished 

look. 


BEAUTY 

FROM EBONY 

TO IVORY: 

Makeup 

for 

all skin tones 

and all budgets 

By Kendal Jones 

It doesn’t matter if you’re the fairest 

of them all or basically majoring 

in melanin: Alice understands that 

makeup shopping isn’t always black 

and white. 

A blush that looks great on your 

friend might make you look sunburnt. 

Or maybe the lip kit that looks killer 

on Kylie just looks kinda off on you. 

Shade and undertone play important 

roles in makeup because it basically 

determines what flatters you personally 

and what doesn’t. It can be frustrating 

when a brand you like doesn’t carry 

your color or is too expensive on a college-girl 

budget. Fret not! We’ve got 

your cheat sheet for your next makeup 

shopping spree, representing makeup 

from both the drugstore and high-end 

counters. All products and brands we 

recommend are of exceptional quality 

for their price and come in an inclusive 

array of colors and undertones. 

CHEAP THRILLS 

Foundation 

L’Oreal True Match is another righthand 

of mine. With this foundation, 

there is no excuse for it not to match. 

The line is divided into cool, neutral 

and warm undertones with shades for 

every girl. ($5) 

Concealer 

This FitMe concealer 

is creamy and medium-coverage 

in a sleek 

package — this stuff 

has me hooked. Sometimes 

I just put a little 

more under my eyes 

and buff it out when 

I don’t want to wear 

foundation. It’s a true 

drug store gem. ($5) 

Blush 

NYX never ceases to impress. Their 

range of powder blushes have good pigmentation 

and last on the skin. Their 

colors are flattering and unique. ($7) 

Highlighter: 

Colourpop (offered exclusively online 

at their website colourpop.com) 

makes an amazing gel-powder hybrid 

highlighter. Their one-of-a-kind, featherlight 

formula makes it easy to layer 

or wear alone, and is good for all skin 

tones. ($8) 

Eyeshadow 

Colourpop’s eyeshadow come in singles 

of almost every color. Your look 

can range from an angelic natural to 

a bold, dramatic eye and everything in 

between. It’s something I always have 

to have in my bag. ($5) 


IN-BETWEENERS 

Foundation 

MAC StudioFix Fluid: an oldie but a 

goodie. Whole spectrum of colors, good 

coverage, lasts a long time. A staple. 

($28) 

Concealer 

The Urban Decay Weightless Complete 

Coverage Concealer offers a 

full-coverage, non-drying formula that 

melts into the skin with a great selection 

of colors and, you guessed it, undertones. 

($28) 

Blush 

Everyone knows and loves at least 

one thing from MAC. For me, it’s the 

blushes. The color ranges are endless, 

the pigment lasts on your skin, the 

packaging is durable, and the price 

isn’t outrageous. ($23) 

Highlighter 

I don’t know how the Shimmering 

Skin Perfector from BECCA makes a 

powder feel like a cream, but the result 

is swoon-worthy. Fair girls will love 

Moonstone and medium-skinned and 

dark-skinned girls will love Opal and 

Topaz. ($38) 

Eyeshadow 

A hidden secret in the makeup world: 

MakeupGeek single eyeshadows. Each 

single eyeshadow is so rich in pigment 

that you’ll have a hard time believing 

that they’re just six bucks. ($6) 

WORTH THE SPLURGE 

Foundation 

The Makeup Forever Ultra HD 

Foundation is like a second skin, making 

you look naturally perfect and airbrushed. 

Makeup Forever offers super 

light and super dark shades, as well as 

a variety of undertones. ($43) 

Concealer 

The NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer 

standout is Chantilly, an almost 

paper-white color that can’t be found 

anywhere else. The rest of this line is 

just as diverse. As for the formula, it’s 

smooth, blendable and offers amazing 

coverage while still looking seamless 

with the rest of the face. ($29) 

Blush 

Charlotte Tilbury’s compact blushes 

are versatile and beautiful on everyone. 

Check out her YouTube channel 

for different looks. ($40) 

Highlighter 

Anastasia Beverly Hills knows how 

to do a mean highlighter. Check out 

her four individual compact shades. 

Her Glow Kits also get rave reviews 

—perfect for aspiring makeup artists 

or women whose skin tone change with 

the seasons. ($40) 

Eyeshadow 

For quality eyeshadows, look to Anastasia 

Beverly Hills. My personal favorite 

is the Modern Renaissance palette, 

inspired by the richly-colored oil 

paints of the iconic Italian art movement. 

It creates a gorgeous eye look on 

anyone, no matter her skin or eye color. 

($40) 


BEAUTY 

GET 

By Anna Klement and Lawson Mohl 

It’s no secret that in today’s beauty 

trends, a face free of highlighter is 

a wasted opportunity to get one step 

closer to looking like a celebrity — and 

who doesn’t want to glow like Kate 

Moss or slay like Zendaya? Colder 

weather is approaching, which means 

it can be more challenging to get a 

natural soleil glow (unless you have a 

trip to Bora Bora planned, then in that 

case, carry on). The only safe solution 

to reaching the summer shimmer all 

year long is to fake it ‘til you make it. 

Highlighting has been on the beauty 

radar for junkies for a while now. 

Fear not if you aren’t familiar with the 

art of painting glittery lines all over 

your face; we will focus on creating the 

perfect strobe, shimmer and sparkle. 

Here’s Alice’s guide to a flawless glow. 


LIT 

THE PURPOSE OF HIGHLIGHTING 

The goal behind highlighting is exactly 

what you’re probably thinking — 

to highlight certain features of your 

body. While its opposite, contouring, 

brings shadows to a face, highlighting 

“raises” the areas of the skin that it’s 

applied to. This is why you highlight 

the high points of your face. It lifts 

these areas and when paired with the 

perfect contour, it brings life and depth 

to your beautiful features. 

WHERE TO HIGHLIGHT 

Now that you have a good idea of 

what highlighting is, we suggest keeping 

your highlight to a few key areas: 

The tops of your cheekbones, the 

bridge of the nose (including the tip), 

the cupid’s bow and the brow bone. 

Some people like to add highlight to 

the middle of the chin as well. Master 

these areas and you’ll look like you’ve 

been basking in the radiance of the sun 

all day — even if it’s November and 50 

degrees outside. 

OUR FAVORITE HIGHLIGHTERS 

Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops: 

If you’re wanting a metallic glow, the 

FX drops are transformative without 

giving you the futuristic robot look. 

There are many colors ranging from 

Moonlight to Sunset. The best thing 

about this collection is that they are 

flexible enough to use with powder, 

foundation or cremes. The warmer 

hues are perfect for deeper skin 

tones, and fairer tones could even use 

them as a shimmering bronzer. ($42 

at Sephora) 

Becca X Jaclyn Hill Champagne 

Pop: If you try this product, you can 

thank us later for making it your new 

must-have. For those not familiar, Jacyln 

Hill is a famous beauty YouTuber. 

Her success from the collab with Becca 

has been off the charts, and people 

cannot stop raving about it. Naturally, 

we had to try for ourselves. The Champagne 

collection includes four split 

compacts of highlighter and blush, 

three shades of slimlights, one shimmering 

skin perfector, two pressed 

powders and one highlighting brush. 

We discovered that the liquid shimmering 

skin protector was our personal 

favorite, and setting it with the 

shimmering powder would be a flawless 

combo. You will be glowing all day. 

($38 at Sephora) 

Glossier’s Haloscope: Available in 

Topaz and Quartz, this product is ideal 

for a dewy glow and enriched with vitamin 

infused oils. It’s hypoallergenic, 

dermatologist approved and not tested 

on animals. If those aren’t enough 

reasons to convince you, it includes 

real crystals in the ingredients, so you 

are sure to shine. It’s no wonder the 

luminescent product sold out instantly 

when it hit Glossier’s website. Just 

dab on the soft part of your cheeks and 

rub with your fingers for an instant 

face lift. Beauty blogs are going crazy 

over this product and for only $22, you 

can too. 

E.L.F. Shimmering Facial Whip: 

Perhaps the most underrated product 

on the list, this highlighter has 

been around for years. For only $2 at 

Walmart, Target or most other drugstores, 

you can have the same effect 

as all of the other highlighters on the 

list. There’s four shades to suit a variety 

of skin tones, including a white 

hue called Spotlight. This one is a bit 

more glittery than the rest and comes 

out in a squeezable tube. Press a tiny 

dollop between fingers and glide it over 

the tops of your cheekbones to the outer 

corner of your eyelid. Don’t forget 

the bridge of your nose. Beware: a little 

goes a long way with this one. 

TOOLS TO USE 

Fan Brush: Perhaps one of the most 

illusive of the beauty tools at your disposal, 

the classic fan brush is one of 

the easiest ways to achieve luminosity. 

This brush, shaped like its namesake, 

allows you to effortlessly swipe highlighter 

onto your cheekbones and cupid’s 

bow using the side of the bristles. 

The thin top of the brush is also great 

for highlighting the bridge of the nose, 

making it one of the best glow tools in 

your kit. 

The Domed Brush: One of the most 

versatile brushes, a domed brush is 

perfect for sweeping on lustrous powder 

to your cheekbones. Rounded at 

the base and tapered slightly at the 

top, this tool can work wonders for the 

perfect highlight, but it can also work 

its magic with blush or bronzer. It’s everything 

you need for a flawless face. 

We’re still partial to its soft bristles for 

highlighting, though. 


BEAUTY 

SHE’S GOT THE 

LOOK 

Dark drama, preppy pastels, avantgarde 

aesthetic: Alice has a style anyone 

can rock. It’s easy to drastically change 

up your look if you get creative with color. 

Camo top: Pants Store 

Black velvet choker: Pants Store 


BEAUTY 

SATURDAYS 

DOWN SOUTH 

By Savanah Sendek 

Most people residing south of the Mason-Dixon line are 

fully aware of what a Saturday in the fall entails: football. 

It’s hard to keep up with all of the parties and tailgating 

going on, and even more difficult with the pressure of being 

a full-time student. 

If you are walking around campus during the school 

week, you are likely to see countless messy buns and tired 

ponytails. Over-styling is not a necessity when you have an 

8 a.m. lecture. But when it comes to game day, we break 

out that curling iron that hasn’t been used in a week, and 

pull out that sloppy ponytail. Here are some easy game day 

hairstyles and tips for the busy, yet devoted, college girl. 

For a curly up-do, pair the Pureology 

Curl Complete Taming Butter ($28 

on ulta.com) with any heat protectant 

mentioned above when curling your 

hair. For any up-do, the L’Oreal Paris 

Elnett Satin Extra Strong Hold Hair 

Spray ($14.99 on ulta.com) keeps your 

hair in place for long periods of time, 

so that your hair can stay in the game. 

The night before the big game, use 

the Alterna Haircare Bamboo Anti-Frizz 

AM/PM Starter Kit ($37.50 

on sephora.com). This day and night 

smoothing kit will help your hair 

fend off frizz for a longer-lasting, 

smooth blowout. 

For a beach-wave look, use the Bumble 

and Bumble Surf Spray ($27.00 on 

sephora.com) paired with the Bumble 

and Bumble Surf Infusion ($29.00 on 

sephora.com). These two products will 

help create a soft, sea-tousled look. 

For a voluptuous look, use the Big 

Sexy Hair Root Pump Plus Humidity 

Resistant Volumizing Spray ($17.95 

on ulta.com). Apply this to damp hair 

if you want to reach maximum volume. 

Awaken tired, flat hair by flipping your 

hair upside down and fluffing it with 

your fingertips. This will reactivate 

the volume, making your hair almost 

as loud as the crowd. 



FASHION 

Fall’s comeback color, paired with accessories 

like black velvet chokers and mesh tights, is a nod to 

the iconic ‘80s style. 

Photos by Ramsey Griffin and Emily Heath 



Suede skirt: Pants Store 



FASHION 

STREET 

DREAMS 

Enter our fantasies, where 

we wear cozy layers and travel 

to urban jungles. 

Photos by Ramsey Griffin 


Jacket: Urban Outfitters 

Jeans: GAP 

Black tank: Urban Outfitters 

Flannel: Croft & Barrow 



FASHION 

HIDDEN 

Conceptualized. Handmade. 

Kayla Willett’s rapidly growing line 

will soon be available nationwide, 

so grab them while they’re hot. 

www.kaylawillettjewelry.com 

Photos by Emily Heath 

GEMSUnique. and Alex Green 



BOW DOWN 

to fierce florals, edgy embroidery and killer knits 

[22] Alice November 2016 

Photos by Emily Heath and Alex Green 

Props courtesy of Olive Tree Interiors


Jean skirt: Az Well 

Sweaters: Knitted by Peggy Canterbury 



What to Wear on Gameday 

White Romper 

by ARK & Co 

Saturdays in the South are dominated by college football. 

One thing that separates SEC game days from the rest of the 

country is fashion. While students across the country wear 

matching t-shirts and paint their faces, students at SEC schools 

dress up, looking classy and stylish. It is a tradition here at 

Alabama and it is vital that you keep up with the styles that 

come with the new season. 

The Trunk Show boutique can be found 

at both Supe Store locations. The outfits 

are unique and made from good quality 

materials. Not only are they stylish but 

also affordable with the average price of a 

dress or a romper between $32 and $46. 


Sponsored by 

Off shoulder tunic by Vision 

Fall colors are a good option for game days. Off-shoulder tunics and 

backless rompers are two styles that are functional and fashionable. 

Throw in some neutral-colored wedges and you are ready to go. 

Accessories like chokers, wraparound necklaces, oversized sunglasses 

and clasp purses are a great compliment to any outfit. 

Red Lace Dress by Maniju 


LIFESTYLE 

48 

hours in 

New York 

By Laura Testino 

Bright lights, celebrity sightings, a backlog of perfectly outfitted 

candids and stellar backgrounds of wall murals, skyscrapers and 

yellow cabs: New York City is the ideal weekend getaway. Take a 

trip to hit Manhattan’s classic high points, and play our game of 

This or That to make the most of your New York Minute. 

TRANSIT TIPS 

Save on transit by planning ahead 

and consider flying out of a larger airport 

like Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta. 

You can fly into JFK and take a 

train directly to the subway, or fly into 

LaGuardia for a cheaper fare, and 

take a bus to the 7 train to dodge a 

taxi ride. 

THE SUBWAY 

Each subway ride is $2.75, so if you 

plan on making more than 11 trips, 

opt for the $31 unlimited seven-day 

pass. Beware that others have tried to 

cheat the system too, so the turnstiles 

will recognize and stop you if you and 

your pals try to reuse the same unlimited 

card right after each other. 

HELPFUL APPS 

Plug addresses into Google Maps 

and select the train for the best subway 

route between your locations. Use the 

app NYC Subway to follow along with 

the train as it makes stops to make 

sure you’re on the right train. The app 

is free and works underground. Uber 

is helpful if you need a ride and aren’t 

sure how to flag a taxi (the numbers 

are lit on available yellow cabs), but 

Via and Lyft sometimes offer cheaper 

fares if you’re willing to carpool. 

Download Yelp if you’re in a pinch to 

make decisions about where to grab a 

bite to eat. 


Day 1 

Enjoy the classics on the first day by 

sampling the favorite foods and views 

of even the truest of New Yorkers. Use 

these as staples to guide your trip, but 

be sure to also add in reservations at 

a trendy restaurant or a break at the 

coffee shop with the twinkly lights and 

old books that Starbucks can’t offer. 

SWEET TOOTH 

If you like to keep up with 

the trends, try this: Dominique 

Ansel Bakery. 

Home of the Cronut, this bakery 

sees patrons lining up at least 30 minutes 

before opening at 7:30 a.m. The 

reward? A croissant-doughnut hybrid 

of flaky, sugary and creamy goodness 

that takes up to three days to make. 

The details: 189 Spring Street, 

SoHo / $5.50 / dominiqueansel.com 

Photo by Laura Testino 

If you’re into the classics, go with 

that: Levain Bakery. 

This bakery serves up all sorts of 

treats, but it’s famous for their cookies. 

The chocolate-chip walnut cookie has 

been mentioned in The New York Times 

for its gooey, chocolatey-ness, though 

the dark chocolate peanut butter chip 

is also a great choice. The bakery opens 

at 8 a.m. (expect a line), so head over 

early and order a pastry and cookies to 

go – or splurge and have dessert before 

breakfast. 

The details: 167 W. 74th Street, Upper 

West Side / $4 / levainbakery.com 

#VIEWS 

If you’re into architecture, check 

out this: Brooklyn Bridge. 

The Brooklyn Bridge 


Walking over the bridge is free to do 

and only a mile long, so it doesn’t take 

too much time. Walk from Manhattan 

to Brooklyn and make a pit stop at 

the Brooklyn Bridge Park for another 

stellar view of lower Manhattan. You 

can then opt to walk back, or jump on 

the subway at High Street. 

The details: Brooklyn Bridge – City 

Hall Subway Station, Lower Manhattan 

or High Street Subway Station, 

Brooklyn Heights / free 

If art and greenery are more 

important to you, walk on that: 

High Line. 

The High Line is an old train track 

that stretches from the West Village 

toward the upper border of Chelsea, 

providing a great view of New York 

from its West side. Enter at various 

locations along the stretch, and opt 

to tour the art and gardens alone or 

schedule your visit with another event 

or tour. 

The details: Gansevort and Washington 

Street, West Village or 34th 

Street and 12th Avenue, Chelsea / free 

/ thehighline.org 

FEELIN’ ARTSY 

If you’re feeling extra sophisticated, 

go see the art at this: The Metropolitan 

Museum of Art. 

The museum has its own gala, and 

we’ve all heard of Blair and Serena’s 

famous lunches on the steps. Once inside, 

you can pay whatever you want to 

see art from various points throughout 

history from all over the globe in the 

form of classic paintings and sculptures, 

as well as furniture and fashion. 

The details: 1000 5th Avenue, Upper 

East Side / $12 / metmuseum.org 

If you’re in for a more concise collection, 

visit that: The Museum of 

Modern Art. 


Visit this museum to see Vincent 

van Gogh’s The Starry Night or Claude 

Monet’s Water Lilies. In addition to 

many classics, the museum also has 

new exhibits and several museum 

stores with products for sale that are 

inspired from some of your soon-to-befavorite 

collections. 

The details: 11 W 53rd Street, Midtown 

/ $14 / moma.org 

SLICE O’ THE PIE 

If you’re ready for a cheesy adventure, 

opt for this: Artichoke Basille’s. 

Artichoke’s has several locations in 

Manhattan, but opt to grab a slice of 

the artichoke pie from the MacDougal 

location to eat as you explore the 

neighborhood or check out Washington 

Square Park. It’s filling and perfect 

for fueling your night ahead or grabbing 

on the way in. 

The details: Multiple Locations / $5 

/ artichokepizza.com 

Photo by Laura Testino 

If Italian roots are calling your 

name, take a slice of that: Lombardi’s. 

Lombardi’s opened in 1905, and is 

largely recognized as the first pizzeria 

in the United States. The first come, 

first serve New York staple sells whole 

pizzas, so come hungry! 

The details: 32 Spring Street, Lower 

Manhattan / $20 / firstpizza.com 

Day 2 

Once you’ve had the day to fall into 

the quick pace of the city that never 

sleeps, walk a little less and brunch a 

little more, and take the time to check 

out a show or peruse vintage shops or 

cozy neighborhoods.

MOST IMPORTANT 

MEAL OF THE DAY 

If you’re looking for versions of classic 

staples, taste this: The Smith. 

Begin the day with some of the 

best mac’n’cheese you’ll ever taste, 

and complete the meal with a selection 

from a Sunday brunch menu that satisfies 

even the most savory or sweetest 

of preferences. Though there are multiple 

locations, opt for the original in the 

East Village, an ideal neighborhood for 

exploring on a full stomach. 

The details: Multiple Locations / 

$35 / thesmithrestaurant.com 

If there’s a reason to celebrate, and 

if you’re of age, sip on that: Agave. 

Agave is best known for its unlimited 

brunch meal, a pre-fixed cuisine 

that includes two hours of bottomless 

mimosas, wine or frozen margaritas 

accompanied by your choice of an egg 

dish with Mexican flair. 

The details: 140 7th Avenue South, 

West Village / $33 / agaveny.com 

SHOWTIME 

If you want to see precision at its 

finest, see this: Radio City Rockettes. 

The famous Christmas Spectacular 

begins in mid-November and runs 

through the holiday season. Tickets 

range from $49 to an upward of $500 

depending on the time and date, so 

plan your trip early to be sure to catch 

the highest kicks you’ll ever lay your 

eyes on. 

The details: 1260 6th Avenue, Midtown 

/ varies / rockettes.com 

If singing and storytelling is more 

up your alley, purchase tickets to that: 

a Broadway Show. 

The TKTS booth in Times Square 

offers tickets up to half-off depending 

on the day and the show you’re interested 

in seeing. Opt for a classic, like 

the Phantom of the Opera, to see an 

incredible show with ticket prices that 

are less expensive than new smash-hits 

like Hamilton. 

The details: Theatre District / varies 

/ broadway.com 

SCRUMPTIOUS STAPLES 

If fancy beverages are your style, 

sip on this: Serendipity 3. 

In Serendipity, a romantic comedy 

from 2001, fate brings a couple to meet 

at Serendipity for the cafe’s famous 

frozen hot chocolate. The giant glass 

matches the bustling personality of the 

indoor décor, a part of what makes the 

shop a celebrity favorite. 

The details: 225 East 60th St., Upper 

East Side / $12 / serendipity3.com 

Treat yourself after a long second 

day and try that: Magnolia Bakery. 

You probably remember the name from 

Sex and the City. Try a classic cupcake 

(sometimes credited for contributing to 

the cupcake craze) or banana pudding. 

The original bakery opened on Bleecker 

Street and is now found all over 

the island, including a location near 

Rockefeller Center, not too far from 

Radio City or the Theatre District. 

The details: Multiple locations / $6 / 

magnoliabakery.com 

THAT’S A WRAP 

Use these staples to guide your 

trip through the Big Apple, but never 

be afraid to take a few hours to see 

what cute shops and city parks lie just 

around the block. 


LIFESTYLE 

Photographer: Paul John Bayfield, Flickr Creative Commons 

Do as the Angels do 

By Jill Holloway 

Every December, girls of all ages 

huddle around their television 

screens for their own personal 

version of the Super Bowl, also 

known as the Victoria’s Secret Fashion 

Show. They watch as that one lucky 

model struts down the runway in the 

million-dollar bedazzled Fantasy Bra, 

and wonder how they become the next 

VS Angel without having to give up all 

their favorite snacks. Surely, models 

eat pizza sometimes, too. 

But how do the models prepare? If 

you’re ready for a newer, healthier lifestyle 

that promises results, then look 

no further than these five ideas. 

Take up boxing 

Adriana Lima told Vogue UK that 

she has been boxing for about 10 years, 

and it’s her passion. She said it helps 

with all different areas of your body. 

Angel Elsa Hosk pairs boxing with a 

lower intensity workout that is less cardio-heavy. 

Ballet beautiful 

Model Lily Aldridge does Ballet 

Beautiful year round, but amps up her 

routine weeks before the show. Similarly, 

Pure Barre is a nationally recognized 

barre chain that offers 55-minute 

exercise classes, concentrating on 

the areas women struggle with most: 

hips, thighs, abdominals and arms. 

It works just as effectively as Ballet 


Beautiful and promises a lot of the 

same techniques. Bailey Swiggett, a 

Pure Barre fitness instructor, said she 

loves how Victoria’s Secret models promote 

“strong is sexy.” 

“I’ve always followed a healthy diet 

and workout regime, incorporating 

pure barre and running into my daily 

routine,” Swiggett said. 

Try a personal trainer 

Cindy Bruna has a personal trainer 

that plans daily workouts and challenges 

her weeks before the show. Personal 

trainers are especially great for 

helping you achieve targeted goals. 

They understand workouts are not 

one-size-fits-all. They’ll work with you 

and your body to see what areas are 

going to take more time than others. 

Take a morning swim 

There’s no better way to start your 

day than by diving right in — literally. 

Angel Josephine Skriver recently 

moved into an apartment with an 

Olympic-sized pool, and starts her day 

by swimming laps. 

Get involved with yoga 

Whether it’s hot yoga, restorative 

or yin yoga, it is sure to balance your 

mind and body. Model Jac Jagaciak 

participates in Bikram yoga, the most 

well-known form of hot yoga, and Vinyasa 

yoga to keep her heart race pulsing 

and body aligned. 

Bolram yoga features 26 different 

poses all while the room is kept at 105 

degrees Fahrenheit. Vinyasa yoga, or 

flow yoga, is focused more on a series 

of continuous movements and careful 

breathing. It’s fast-paced and ideal for 

pairing cardio with inner core. 

Check social media 

Looking for some Angel-approved 

workouts? Victoria’s Secret now 

sponsors @joja, an Instagram page 

where company models Josephine 

Skriver and Jasmine Tookes provide 

examples of many exercises that the 

Angels themselves use to prepare for 

photoshoots and fashion shows. 

Although models are typically envied 

for their physique, it’s important 

to remember that crash diets and fads 

do not work, and only harm your body. 

Victoria’s Secret Angels work hard to 

maintain a healthy and active lifestyle, 

so they don’t have to take drastic measures 

during the week of the show. 

“I try and eat at least 40 grams 

of protein a day to keep me energized 

during workouts, and always eat my 

greens,” Swiggett said. “It’s important 

to keep a balance though and have 

cheat days, just like the Victoria’s Secret 

models!” 

While diet change and exercise is 

extremely important, it is also important 

to keep a healthy mindset, just 

as the Angels do. If you are struggling 

with the question of whether you 

should keep moving forward, the answer 

is yes!

LIFESTYLE 

CAFFEINE 

CHAOSA self-proclaimed 

coffee 

addict volunteers to give 

up caffeine for seven days 

By Rachel Wilburn 


I’m sitting at my kitchen counter, dirty hair 

in a messy bun, baggy eyes, with the sun rising 

through the kitchen windows. Not that this is anything 

new, but one thing in particular is different 

for the first time this week: I have a big, beautiful, 

steaming cup of coffee next to my laptop and an 

early-morning smile on my face. 

The past week has been quite the adventure: I, 

a self-proclaimed coffee addict, volunteered to give 

up coffee for seven days. Honestly, I never thought 

that I would feel as well-balanced and rested as 

I do right now. So why am I holding a piping hot 

cup’o’ joe again? 

One week ago, you would’ve thought the world 

was ending. Anyone who knows me knows I almost 

always have a cup of coffee in hand. I told 

my friends and family I was giving up coffee for a 

week, and no lie, they laughed at me. “Good luck 

with that,” they said. I knew I would miss the comfort 

of my daily cup(s), but I hoped that I’d make 

healthier decisions throughout the day if I felt more 

rested and less jittery. I felt pretty confident, but 

as it turns out, coffee affects my mind and body 

more than I realized. 


The rules 

No coffee for one whole week. Plain 

and simple. 

Day 1 

Not a super fun day, but nothing 

drastic to report. I mostly just miss 

my best friend (a.k.a. coffee). Someone 

brewed a pot in the office today, and I 

took it a little personally. 

Day 2 

Mild headaches… all day. Just a 

dull ache, like my head was a slightly 

overfilled balloon. I felt really tired and 

couldn’t focus on anything. 

Day 3 

All hell broke loose. All morning 

I felt like I was walking around in a 

haze. I couldn’t focus anything anyone 

was saying to me and kept getting lost 

in conversation. Officially uncomfortable. 

Around 2 p.m., I got the worst 

migraine. The “lock yourself in your 

room, hide from all light and civilization” 

kind of migraine. 

Eventually, I convinced my roommate 

that she needed coffee, rode with 

her to the Starbucks drive-thru and 

snuck a sip of her iced coffee while she 

wasn’t looking. It was a low moment, 

but it had to happen. Coffee has never 

tasted so refreshing/sweet/wonderful, 

you name it. 

Day 4 

I was back on the wagon after falling 

off a little yesterday. Feeling a little 

better. I needed to have something 

in my cup with me to drink during this 

week, so I’ve been drinking a lot of water. 

Honestly, I felt very hydrated and 

not nearly as hungry as usual. Also, I 

noticed a change in my resting heart 

rate. I’m sure my two to three (four… 

five…) cups of coffee every day weren’t 

good for me, and I feel a lot less jittery 

since breaking the habit. 

Day 5 

More progress. Didn’t crave coffee 

as much as the first few days. All the 

headaches and fogginess were gone! 

I felt a lot more chipper and awake 

during the day. Awake, but not anxious, 

which really helped me stay focused. 

I felt myself sleeping better at 

night too. Hooray! 

Day 6 

I felt so relaxed. I’ve always been 

one to over schedule because I get uncomfortable 

with downtime. But I felt 

able to conquer my to-do list instead of 

my frantic per usual. 

I got used to not having what I call 

the “energy roller-coaster,” where my 

high points were drinking coffee and 

my low points when the kick wears off. 

I also noticed that I was better about 

making healthier choices in general. I 

started working out more and making 

better eating choices. 

Day 7 

Pretty much felt the same as yesterday. 

I don’t miss coffee as much as I 

thought I would. I got anxious/excited 

because I get to have a cup of my favorite 

drink tomorrow. 

Bonus: Day 8 

I drank coffee this morning. Probably 

shouldn’t have ordered a Venti Iced 

Vanilla Latte from Starbucks. After 

depriving my body for a week from 

its drug of choice, I felt like someone 

had injected caffeine straight into 

my veins. 

The big takeaway 

My biggest observation, once the 

headaches subsided, was the difference 

in my energy levels. I get decent, 

college-student amounts of sleep, but 

I was starting to get to a point where 

I was always waking up tired. I’ve always 

been slightly iron-deficient, but I 

had no idea coffee was playing a role 

in that. According to LiveStrong.com, 

caffeine is one of many substances that 

can interfere with your body’s ability to 

absorb iron from natural sources. The 

Cleveland Clinic recommends waiting 

one to three hours between eating ironrich 

foods and consuming caffeine. 

In addition, that note I made about 

my heart rate? That wasn’t totally 

wrong. Caffeine consumption may increase 

your risk of high blood pressure, 

especially in people who already have 

hypertension or don’t normally eat or 

drink caffeine. In a study published 

in the American Journal of Hypertension, 

participants with hypertension 

were given the equivalent of two cups 

of coffee. The study showed that their 

blood pressure was elevated for about 

two to three hours after. 

I’m not quitting coffee forever. Despite 

how good I felt, I just love it too 

much. But I think I’ve learned that 

coffee is like everything else in life: 

best in moderation. 



LIFESTYLE 

Dorm Sweet Dorm 

Photos by Sarah Westmoreland 

By Jill Holloway 

Nestled away on the southwest side 

of The University of Alabama is a 

dorm room that, despite its size, 

has become a blank canvas for business 

major Annabelle Doyle and finance major 

Seline Morrissette. The plans for their 

home away from home started with a rug. 

“We found the rug first and we thought 

it was kind of a mistake, like picking the 

rug and then trying to make everything go 

around it. But it kind of ended up working 

out,” Morrissette said. 

When centering everything around it, 

Morrissette and Doyle wanted a room that 

would reflect their personal style and also 

be inviting. 

“We actually did a lot of DIY and we 

found stuff online,” Doyle said. Places 

like Wayfarer, One Kings Lane and World 

Market became their go-to. 

There are some eye-catching pieces that 

their friends can’t get enough of, but at the 

heart of the room, the pieces that required 

the most work are what that the pair 

truly love. 

“The poof [stool] is from World Market, 

everyone likes that,” Morrissette said. “We 

like the bar cart. We put some love into it.” 

The bar cart was a find from Target that 

Morrissette and Doyle spray-painted. 

Through their affordable finds and hours 

spent crafting their new room, Morrissette 

and Doyle were able to take on the challenge 

of turning a dreaded, cement-block 

dorm into a comfortable space for not only 

themselves, but also everyone who surrounds 

them. 

“It’s small, but it’s 

fun. We’ve met a lot of 

people through it.” 


LIFESTYLE 

8 Cringewo 

First impression 

By Maia Wade 

Learning to make a good first impression 

is a crucial part of being 

successful in the professional world. 

As tips for forming a quick rapport 

during an introduction to a potential 

client or colleague, experts frequently 

suggest a firm handshake, steady eye 

contact and power posing. 

Unfortunately, there is no such formula 

for first meeting the parents of a 

significant other. The above tips might 

apply to some degree, but there is an 

equal chance that your power poses 

might draw some strange looks. We 

asked people for their most embarrassing, 

awkward or downright weird 

stories. The corporate ladder might be 

life’s largest obstacle, but these stories 

prove that love can be the cringiest. 

BLOODY HELL 

“The first time I went to meet my 

boyfriend’s mom I was on my period. 

There wasn’t a trash can in his bathroom 

— I guess boys don’t really need 

one — so I had to wrap up my used 

tampon in toilet paper and put it back 

in the box, planning to throw it away 

at a time when I didn’t have to walk 

past his family to get to the kitchen 

trash can. Before I could though, their 

dog had sniffed it out and had taken it 

out of the box. She had ripped the used 

tampon to shreds and left the pieces all 

around the house! Of course everyone 


knew it was mine! It was terrible. But 

his mom loves me now, so it wasn’t too 

bad, I guess.” 

–Casey, 21 

PARENTAL PARTY FOUL 

“So my boyfriend’s mom was coming 

in town, and he told me that his 

mom was getting there on a Sunday. 

It was during the spring, so we were 

[day partying] all day. His mom was 

supposed to get there Sunday morning, 

so I thought I was fine to go out. 

We got food on the way back because 

I was drunk, and two of his friends 

were with us. I was going to just take 

my food up to my apartment, but his 

friends insisted I go back to his place 

to hang out. I walk in and there’s this 

tiny woman ironing his clothes, and 

that’s when it hit me that it was his 

mom. It was bad. I shot him a death 

glare and I think he knew I was pissed 

off, but before I could run out of there, 

he decided it would be a good idea 

to introduce me. I went to shake her 

hand because, well, I don’t know why, 

but she went up and gave me a hug. I 

probably reeked of alcohol because I 

had been drinking all day. His friends 

wanted to stay and hang out because 

they knew her from back home, so I literally 

just sat in silence on the couch 

listening to them talk for an hour. I 

had the spins and couldn’t even eat the 

food I just got. She then proceeded to 

show me baby pictures of my boyfriend 

on her phone, and then I finally came 

up with some horrible excuse to get out 

of there. She invited me to go to dinner 

with them the next night, and when we 

sat down she began to tell me she was 

anti-alcohol. She never directly said 

anything about the other night, but 

she definitely knew.” 

–Gabby, 21 

MOOD KILLER 

“I was on a date with this girl and 

we were in her room, about to kiss, and 

her dad busted in and said, ‘What in 

the hell are you two doing?!’ First date, 

too. Then there was the time my closeted 

girlfriend took me with her to spend 

“We were sitting at dinner, and 

his dad came up behind me and 

called me his ex-girlfriend’s name.” 

–Madison, 18

thy 

stories 

the weekend with her Mormon aunt 

and uncle. We kept trying to be alone. 

Then her uncle, wearing a pumpkin 

mask, opened her door and whispered 

‘I’m watching you.’ It was Halloween 

weekend. Then we made out on their 

roof and they never found out.’” 

–Alex, 21 

WET’N’WILD 

“Me and my first college boyfriend 

were taking a shower together at his 

mom’s supposedly empty house. We 

heard the front door open and we both 

are like, ‘Uhhh…’ His family is super 

religious and his mom would have really 

freaked out if she knew what was 

going on. She knocked on the bathroom 

door and asked to come in (maybe 

weird?) and the dude told me to get 

down and hide. Not much room to hide 

in a tub, but I tried to make myself as 

small and quiet as possible. They had 

a conversation about dinner, and he 

came up with some excuse for why my 

car was in the driveway. I hid in there 

for a good 20 minutes till his mom left. 

Later that day we all went to Cracker 

Barrel together - it’s their favorite 

restaurant.” 

–Talia, 23 

WEDDING BELLS 

“The first time I met my ex’s parents 

was three weeks after we matched on 

Tinder when I went to his brother’s 


wedding with him. The dress I wore 

was one of the theme colors, so I was 

terrified that my dress would be the 

same color as the bridesmaids were 

when I got there. Also, the bouquet 

came to me, but I side-stepped it and it 

fell on the ground.” 

–Abby, 21 

A FAMILY AFFAIR 

“The second time I encountered my 

partner’s father was at my partner’s 

older brother’s wedding. Their family 

is super geeky, so it was a cosplay wedding. 

Everyone was there decked out in 

steampunk and renaissance fair wear. 

I was wearing my steampunk Harley 

Quinn cosplay. You could tell who 

was on the mother’s side of the family 

versus the father’s side of the family, 

because the mother’s side was all 

having a great time decked out in all 

of their crazy makeup and stuff, and 

the father’s side of the family was sitting 

there in their suits and their nice 

Sunday best looking really awkward. 

So, the second time I met my partner’s 

father, I was decked out in white face 

paint, a top hat, and a corset and bustle 

with a blonde wig and stuff. I was 

like ‘Hi! You’re never actually going to 

get a good chance to meet me because 

I’m going to keep encountering you in 

these awkward situations!’” 

–Makaley, 22 

RING BY SPRING 

“My ex-boyfriend and I met in France 

when we were 16. He’s from California, 

so he told his parents he met a girl 

from Alabama, and they were like, ‘Oh 

okay cool,’ and didn’t think much of it. 

Then, my mom and I flew to California 

a few weeks after France, and they 

were so confused about why we were 

visiting. Then one of their friends was 

like, ‘Oh, you better watch out for those 

Southern families, they try to marry 

their daughters off super young.’ Then 

we dated for 5 years.’” 

–Zoey, 22 


Features 

Musing Heart 

A Fight Back Woman 

Through Her Eyes 

Social Survivor 

Netflix, Wine and the Entire Pizza 

We the Female 

36 

48 

50 

54 

58 

60

MUSING 

HEART 

Go, sit upon the lofty hill, 

And turn your eyes around, 

Where waving woods and waters wild 

Do hymn an autumn sound. 

The summer sun is faint on them — 

The summer flowers depart — 

Sit still — as all transform’d to stone, 

Except your musing heart. 

– Elizabeth Barrett Browning 


Photos by Emily Heath

Black leather jacket: Maurice’s 

Jean skirt: Az Well 

Bralette: Market House 


ABOVE 

Jumpsuit: Market House 

Accessory: Kayla Willet 


BOTTOM RIGHT 

Pink slip dress: Lavish 

Boots: Steve Madden 

TOP RIGHT 

Two piece set: Market House 


LEFT 

Jeans: Az Well 

Lace top: Az Well 

Booties: Maurice’s 

ABOVE 

Pants: Az Well 

Tied top: Az Well 

Bralette: Market House 

Booties: Pants Store 


ESPN’s senior public relations director 

Keri Potts opens up about sexual assault 

By Allison Cohen 

As more voices continue to speak out 

against sexual assault on college campuses, 

more students are standing up 

to the crime that affects one in four 

college women and one in seven college 

men. While support for victims 

on The University of Alabama’s campus 

to come forward has increased, 

the number of advocates when seeking 

medical aid at local hospitals has not 

seen many significant changes. Keri 

Potts, ESPN’s senior public relations 

director, looks to show the importance 

of sexual assault advocacy in hospitals 

and ensuring victims that they don’t 

have to go the road alone. 

Potts’ journey as an advocate began 

after her own experience with sexual 

assault in 2008 after escaping an 

attempted rape while vacationing in 

Rome. Potts opened up to Marie Claire 

about her experience in Italy, which 

involved a local artist that locked her 

inside his 6th-floor apartment. 

Potts used her strength to physically 

fight against her attacker, and 

now she uses her experiences to fight 

against all sexual predators through 

her blog, entitled A Fight Back Woman, 

and as an advocate for other sexual 

assault victims. 

“I am driven by a desire to reach 

people with the things I have learned 

about the crime of sexual assault and 

to help them get through the very difficult 

circumstance of being a victim,” 

Potts said. “I want to better their 

understanding of how the crime works 

so that when they sit as jurors, they 

actually put these guys away instead of 

picking apart the victim for his or her 

role in the assault.” 

Each month, Potts volunteers 12- 

hour shifts from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 

Grady Memorial Hospital’s Rape Crisis 

Center in Atlanta. The duties as a 

victim’s advocate are tough and often 

hard to swallow. 

Potts says the process starts by 

greeting the victim upon arrival at the 

hospital and taking a detailed account 

of what happened to them. Instead of 


eing passed off nurse-to-nurse, Potts 

stays with the victim throughout the 

testing and examinations. 

“I explain the services available to 

them at Grady and in the state,” Potts 

said. “I make sure they leave the hospital 

safely whether that means securing 

transportation for them, clothes 

or food.” 

In 2012, Potts became a state-certified 

sexual assault counselor in the state 

of Connecticut through Connecticut 

Sexual Assault Crisis Services. She explains 

on her blog, A Fight Back Woman, 

that the process took six weeks and 

a total of 30 hours. After completion, 

Potts says she was required to volunteer 

at least 24 hours per month answering 

the rape crisis hotline, meeting victims 

in hospitals or joining the victims 

in court. However, her experiences in 

Connecticut and Georgia have been 

night and day. 

“You are recognized as having a legit 

and legal role in cases you handle,” 

Potts said. “I could assure victims 

confidentiality in most circumstances 

and not have to compromise that no 

matter what happens in the courts. 

In Georgia, there is no state certification 

and the GNESA (Georgia 

Network to End Sexual Assault) is 

poorly organized. I have had to make 

my own way.” 

Alabama public hospitals, imcluding 

the Druid City Hospital Regional Medical 

Center, are faced with an even bigger 

issue regarding advocacy for sexual 

assault victims. A DCH representative 

said the hospital offers no advocacy 

program at this time. However, anyone 

who checks into the hospital reporting 

they have been a sexual assault victim 

is immediately taken to their own room 

where a doctor examines them, the 

DCH representative said. If the victim 

wishes to pursue the assault further, a 

nurse will explain the options they are 

able to take to file a report. 

In both states, Georgia and Alabama 

are limited to what they are able to 

I want to better their 

understanding of how the 

crime works so that when they 

sit as jurors, they actually put 

these guys away instead of 

picking apart the victim. 


“There is no 

one size fits 

all for healing.” 

offer victims of sexual assault. 

“Here, I spend a finite amount of 

time with them – when they are in the 

hospital only,” said Potts, regarding 

volunteering in Georgia. “And I never 

see them again. I dislike that element 

of it because I truly believe a victim 

should not be talking to multiple 

strangers she never sees again. I don’t 

like it at all, actually.” 

No matter which hospital, each 

victim experiences the recovery 

process differently. 

“There is no one size fits all for healing,” 

Potts said. “The most important 

thing is to focus on themselves. Writing 

my blog was a type of therapy for me 

to not only work through my thoughts 

and fears, but also to stand up for myself 

and other victims.” 

Potts not only stands up for victims 

of sexual assault, but also for women 

working in industries that are skewed 

heavily towards men. Potts said her 

role within the sports industry allows 

her to help educate her peers and colleagues 

on the subtle and not-so-subtle 

ways in which it is still difficult to work 

in a male-dominated field. 

“There is an added layer you deal 

with as a woman,” Potts said. “Everything 

to being treated as a daughter 

or little sister rather than the grown 

woman I am to having to fit into 

the very narrow definition of what 

they think female leadership should 

look like.” 

The key to success is to be good at 

your craft and to hone your skills, 

Potts said. Part of knowing your craft, 

she explained, is knowing what the 

needs of the industry you are entering 

are. And above all, Potts said to not let 

the stress get to you. 

“I wish in college they taught me how 

to manage my career not just focus on 

getting a job. Big difference and distinction,” 

Potts said. “I’ve done fine 

but the anxiety it caused early on, I 

could have done without.” 


Through Her Eyes 

Three women discuss their struggles to overcome mental illness 

By Claire Turner 

Editor’s Note: The names of the women in 

this article who are struggling with mental 

illness have been changed to protect their 

privacy. The names of the experts are real. 

The smell of summer leaked in through 

the open windows, mixed with the scent 

of cracked leather seats and traffic fumes. 

Children’s heads bobbed with the tires 

as they sat along the rows, two-by-two. 


High-pitched chatter constantly floated 

in the air as a group of middle schoolers 

eagerly headed to a field trip at an amusement 

park in rural Alabama, 13-year-old 

Margaret Thompson among them. 

She sat among her friends: two in the 

seat in front of her, and two others — one 

of them being her crush of three years — 

sat on her left. 

“He’s watching me,” Margaret thought 

to herself, uneasily glancing over at the 

boy. “I wish he would stop looking over 

here, it’s making me nervous. Can’t I just 

get off this bus already?” 

As the boy kept talking back and forth 

between his friend beside him and Margaret, 

her apprehension grew. 

“What if it happens at the park today,” 

she worried to herself. “Or worse, what if it 

happens in front of him?” 

This is the thought that plagued her. As 

Margaret’s panic grew, so did her heart 

rate. She felt color creep into her cheeks as 

she turned to face the window, hoping no 

one would see. Her chest closed up and her 

heart started pounding, and she desperately 

tried to wish it away. 

“Not now,” Margaret told herself, 

begging her body to stop. “Not in front 

of him.” 

The pins and needles of paresthesia 

crawled its way up her body, bringing the 

tingles to her legs first and then up to her 

torso. 

She felt numb and lethargic, and she let 

herself go to what exactly had just happened: 

The anxiety had consumed her. 

Margaret is not the only person to have 

experienced a mental illness known as an

“It’s like wearing sunglasses all 

day long inside. It’s like you just 

have an overcoming sadness and 

everything is clouded.” 

anxiety disorder, and it is still something 

she struggles with today as a 19-year-old. 

According to the National Alliance on 

Mental Illness, 43.8 million adults struggle 

with a mental illness in a year. Approximately 

one in five experience an anxiety 

disorder and approximately one in 14 experience 

major depression, with women 

being twice as likely to struggle with the 

illness than men. 

Licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Renee 

Myer of Grayson & Associates in Birmingham, 

Alabama, said a mental disorder 

must impact multiple areas of someone’s 

life in order to be diagnosed. 

“If people get sad or anxious, those are 

just normal emotions, but for someone to 

get diagnosed with these things it has to 

be keeping them from socializing appropriately, 

or performing well at work or 

school,” Myer said. 

For many, like Margaret Thompson, one 

mental illness can lead to another. 

“It kind of feels like you’re not yourself 

anymore,” Thompson said, describing how 

her disorder feels. “Especially with the 

depression, it’s like wearing sunglasses 

all day long inside. It’s like you just have 

an overcoming sadness and everything is 

clouded. But anxiety is the same way, because 

they go hand in hand. The anxiety 

feels like somebody has got you handcuffed 

and you can’t do anything else, you can’t 

move, you’re not in control.” 

But sometimes control can be the hardest 

part. For a lot of women, counseling 

and medication is the last thing on 

their mind. 

Myer said many collegiate 

women turn to 

alcohol, drugs and excessive 

dating and exercise 

as detrimental 

ways to combat a mental 

disorder. She recommends 

regular workouts, 

balanced diets, reduced 

stress levels and counseling as safe, 

healthy alternatives. 

“College students are notorious for not 

being on a regular sleep schedule, and so 

even though it goes against the grain of 

what other people may be doing, try to be 

on a regular sleep schedule as much as possible,” 

she advised. “Talk to friends about 

how you’re feeling and get some support 

rather than just keeping it all inside.” 

Leanna Dilmore, 20, has struggled with 

her mental disorder since middle school. 

When her depression was at its most severe 

point in her life, she made several 

attempts to go to counseling but instead 

turned to negative outlets such as drinking 

alcohol and self-harming. 

“Usually I would feel better immediately 

after I [would self-harm],” she said. “It’s 

a release of emotion, or a way to feel some 

kind of emotion. But then in the days after 

that, I would just be angry at myself.” 

Myer said helping someone who struggles 

with self-harm should be more 

about asking them what’s going on in their 

life rather than focusing on the action. 

“Just try to figure out what they’re experiencing,” 

she said. “But if you get all 

upset about the behavior, then that will become 

a power struggle.” 

With the help of therapy and medication, 

Dilmore has now been clean of self-harm 

for over a year and a half and counting. 

Seeing a psychiatrist is not her favorite 

thing, but she knows it is a necessary step 

on the road to recovery. Though it is not 

the only solution to overcoming depression, 

it is the most efficient. 

“You never know what works for you until 

you try it,” Dilmore said. “What’s the 

harm in going once? I’ve been to quite a 

few counselors that I didn’t click with and 

I left, but it’s not like anything negative 

came out of that, I just kind of stopped going. 

The very worst thing that can happen 

is that it doesn’t work for you and you have 

to try something else.” 

Myer said depression is an illness that 

can be seasonal or last a lifetime, depending 

on the person. The National Institute 

of Mental Health found that genes, brain 

chemistry, hormones and stress play a 

large part in contributing to depression in 

women, but it is certainly not something 

that is unmanageable. 

“Some days [the depression] is more of 

an absence of emotion than anything 

else, just feeling numb,” 


Dilmore said. “Other days, it’s feeling 

very upset for seemingly no reason and 

feeling very angry toward yourself. […] I 

don’t feel like it’s something I’ve overcome, 

because it’s an illness I definitely have and 

needs to be treated. But I think I’m starting 

to find better ways to deal with it, better 

ways to treat it. Going to counseling is 

important, finding a good group of people 

to surround yourself with and if you pursue 

medication, find what works for you.” 

For Katelyn Haal, 23, finding caring 

friends was a critical part in her controlling 

a severe eating disorder. As a senior 

in high school experiencing a big life 

change, an inconsistent friend group and 

pressure from her mother to be fit and 

beautiful, she was just looking for a way to 

control her life. A handful of crackers and 

a four-mile run became her typical day. 

After skipping a meal, Haal saw drastic 

and immediate effects. Friends would 

ask how she was losing weight so quickly, 

and each time Haal would lie and say 

it was because she was eating right and 

working out. 

“It got to a point where there would be 

days that I would feel as though I could 

feel my stomach eating itself,” Haal said. 

“In these moments, my thoughts were always, 

‘right now, I’m losing weight’ and 

it would push me to continue to eat less 

and less. When I would run, there would be 

days where I would run so much it would 

make me sick, but there was nothing in 

my system to let out other than acid. This 

felt like an accomplishment at the time, 

but looking back now it was horrible. I 

was making myself miserable. The feeling 

that I ate too much or that I needed to run 

more became everything.” 

Myer said obvious signs someone is 

struggling with an eating disorder is if 

they are secretive about their eating or 

don’t want to eat in front of other people, 

show a change in eating patterns, a significant 

weight change or if they are preoccupied 

with their body image. 

“For family and friends to help, trying 

to pressure somebody to eat more 

or eat less or not run to the bathroom 

to vomit is not going to help at first,” 

Myer said. “Generally trying to be supportive 

[helps], encourage them to get 

help. They probably feel out of control 

in some way, so try not to put somebody 

under greater pressure by trying to manage 

what they’re doing.” 

The National Eating Disorder Alliance 

found that 20 million American women are 

diagnosed with an eating disorder, especially 

prominent in college women due to 

stress, loneliness, cultural norms and complicated 

personal relationships. 

Myer recommended 

support groups, therapy 

and eventual hospitalization 

or rehabilitation for 

those who struggle with an 

eating disorder. 

Upon entering college, 

Haal was able to gain confidence 

in herself and found 

a community that accepted 

her as she was, without 

having to try to gain their 

approval. She went from under-eating 

to over-eating and finally back 

to full health. 

“Over time, I was able to realize that me 

controlling either the intake or avoidance 

of food was a controlling mechanism for 

me,” she said. “It helped me realize that 

there are going to be things in life that I 

cannot control, and I cannot please everyone. 

I am who I am.” 

Sometimes, Haal considers going back to 

her eating disorder to get a “jump start” 

on dieting. 

“I remind myself how much harm I 

[would be] doing and I begin to ask myself 

why I want to see those results, and I doing 

this for others or for myself,” she said. “I 

remind myself that I do not have to please 

others, and if that is the only way they remain 

friends or approve of me then they 

are people I do not need in my life, or at 

least do not need to hold their opinions in 

such high regard.” 

For Thompson’s anxiety disorder, moving 

for college was detrimental to her 

mental health. She was having up to five 

anxiety attacks a day, and felt ashamed for 

bringing old baggage into her new start. 

“What I had to do a lot of the time was 

just let it run its course and know that I 

was going to come out on the other side,” 

she said. “One of the worst things you can 

do is avoidance. [...] I wouldn’t do anything 

when it would happen, I wouldn’t 

fight it off, I would just sit there.” 

One of the healthy things she does when 

she finds herself having an attack she tries 

to calm down individual parts of her body, 

starting with a foot and working her way 

“Go get some help and [don’t] be 

embarrassed about it. Don’t struggle 

alone. People need help and 

oftentimes just talking about it 

helps. Just don’t isolate yourself. 

” 

up. She also thinks that distracting your 

mind is a good way to keep your body under 

control, suggesting doodling, exercising, 

writing or discussing it with a friend. 

“Talk to somebody,” Myer stressed to 

any woman struggling with a mental illness. 

“Go get some help and [don’t] be 

embarrassed about it. Don’t struggle 

alone. People need help and oftentimes 

just talking about it helps. Just don’t 

isolate yourself.” 

Help with any mental disorder can be 

found for little to no cost at most public, 

private and community universities. 




Hi, my name is Jada, and I’ve been 

attached to my phone for 10 years now. 

When it comes to our phones, I 

think we could all agree we’re a bit too 

attached. From simply texting, calling 

or using Facetime to our unrelenting 

use of popular apps — Snapchat and 

Instagram, for example — we use our 

phones an average nine and a half 

hours each day. That’s more than onethird 

of the day, folks. In addition to 

our constant dependence on Google 

Maps, Google Search, Spotify or Apple 

Music, we love our phones and use 

them often. 

My attachment began when I received 

my first cell phone in sixth 

grade and my 11-year-old self thought 

it was without a doubt the coolest thing 

ever. Keep in mind this was 2005, 

when the most popular choice for a cell 

phone was the LG Razor. I didn’t have 

a Razor. Instead, 2006 me toted what 

she thought to be the trendiest phone, 

an LG EnV. Yeah, that chunky phone 

with buttons so small a baby elf probably 

couldn’t even text correctly? Bingo. 

But honestly, texting was the least 

of my worries. This phone had games 

and music features that allowed me to 

download all of TRL’s current top hits 

and make them my ringtones for all 

my family members and friends. And 

bonus feature: I could also select songs 

and make them my alarm sound. Talk 

about the thrill of waking up to The 

All-American Rejects. 

I took that phone everywhere with 

me — to school to text in-between 

classes, to volleyball practice during 

water break or whenever I could sneak 

in a little text after rotating out. I 

even took it in the bathroom. So then 

imagine my attachment for a LG EnV 

compared to the superb and ever-innovative 

iPhone. I mean I can order 

food from a simple click on an app and 

have it delivered to me. In a Millennial’s 

eyes, that’s like finding gold. So 

I’ll admit, I still use my phone in all 

of those scenarios and many more — 

while at a red light, waiting at the doctor’s 

office, walking around campus, 

even while eating out with family or 

friends. I know this constant usage of 

my phone reflects the priority and significance 

of a smartphone in my life, 

and it distinctly points out an undeniable 

attachment. 

So when asked to endure a four-day 

journey without the use of my smartphone 

(emergencies excluded), my initial 

reaction resembled something to if 

Game of Thrones character Khaleesi 

when asked if she could live a day without 

her dragons: “Absolutely not! It’s 

my life.” But then I thought to myself, 

“Am I really that attached to a four 

and-a-half ounce rectangular piece of 

metal that I can’t go without it for just 

four simple days?” Upset that my instinctive 

reaction was “yes,” I bravely 

agreed to do it knowing these next four 

days would be a rude awakening. 

Day 1: Ripping the band-aid off 

9 a.m.: Rise and shine, it’s wake up 

time. Upon deciding to go four days 

without my phone, my first thought 

was, “How in the world am I going 

to wake up on time without my five 

alarms?” Yes, I’m that person. So I 

resorted to the old school way and decided 

to actually use the classic analog 

alarm clock I had bought from IKEA 

freshman year. 

I was excited about this because I 

love little knick-knack vintage things 

and using them for practical reasons. 

So the night before, I set the alarm 

with a heart of giddiness and hopeful 

expectancy I’d actually wake up. 

The morning came and as soon as 

the clock began to ding, I awoke in confusion 

and grabbed the clock, full of 

fury and determination to shut it up. 

A few seconds later I remembered why 

I had the clock set. 

9:15 a.m.: Usually after waking up, 

I’ll spend a good 30 minutes to an hour 

playing around on my phone, checking 

social media or catching up on emails. 

I’m positive I remember groaning in 

response to not being able to check 

my phone. 

10:30 a.m.: I began my day as usual 

with making breakfast, reading, showering 

and cleaning, but I usually enjoy 

doing these things to music using Spotify 

on my phone (because if you can 

dance while doing something it makes 

it all the better). Yet, despite not having 

a phone I didn’t have to go without 

my normal morning jig, and I resorted 

to using my laptop. #clutch 

11 a.m.: It was now time to make 

plans for the day, but without my 

phone. How exactly am I supposed to 

go about talking to my friends? Again, 

I resorted to my laptop and happily 

use Messages. 

But here’s the thing: Messages 

for me sometimes acts a little funky, 

can’t we all relate? So upon sending 

out some texts, I didn’t receive any 

response for an hour. So experiencing 

#FOMO (fear of missing out), I wanted 

to know what my friends are doing. 

As creepy as this may sound, the usual 

way that my friends and I find each 

other is by using an app called “Find 

My Friends” that allows you to view 

your follower’s location via the location 

of their phone. So my #FOMO continued 

as I couldn’t use my phone and still

You know how you 

sometimes have those 

dreams where you 

feel like you’ve walked 

into class naked? 

That’s how I felt all day. 

no one answered my texts. 

2 p.m.: Finally, I got a response 

from someone, and we decided to meet 

up at a friend’s house. Turns out my 

friends were playing tennis — something 

I could’ve easily figured out 

through “Find My Friends.” I meet 

up with friends and enjoy more quality 

time and less screen time. I definitely 

notice myself actively listening and 

participating more in conversation. 

5 p.m.: Disclaimer: I had my phone 

with me at all times just in case of 

emergencies, but out of habit, I click 

the home button all too often. This 

was like the 16th time I’d done this, 

but this time I discover a myriad of notifications, 

which my first response is 

to scroll through and look at. I quickly 

remembered this is a big no-no for now. 

11 p.m.: Time for bed and first 

day completed. 

One day down, three to go. 

Recap of the day: You know how you 

sometimes have those dreams where 

you feel like you’ve walked into class 

naked? That’s how I felt all day. 

Day 2: Continuing the madness 

9 a.m.: This time I didn’t have such 

a harsh reaction to being woken up by 

the analog alarm. The dinging was 

still a bit annoying. 

9:15 – 10 a.m.: Since I couldn’t 

check social media or roam around on 

my smartphone, I noticed a much earlier 

start to my day — and I liked it. 

11:30 a.m.: It’s time for a doctor’s 

visit and, as we all know, the waiting 

room can quickly turn into the bane of 

our existence. Typically, I conquered 

this by playing on my smartphone. 

However, with a certain limitation on 

that at the moment I decided to pack a 

book and hope for the best. By the time 

the doctor finally called me in — two 

hours later — I’d managed to read all 

the way through 12 chapters. *cue the 

feel good vibes* 

2:30 p.m.: I checked my battery life 

and... 

5 p.m.: I enjoyed dinner with friends 

where, in regard to my phoneless trial, 

they all decided to put their phones 

up too and experience some maximum 

friendship quality time. It was nice 

to feel like a screen wasn’t intruding 

our conversation. 

11 p.m.: I noticed it does take me 

a little bit longer to fall asleep since 

I’m used to looking at my phone, 

which then makes my eyes tired 

and easier for me to fall asleep. I 

probably didn’t actually fall asleep 

until midnight. 

Recap of the day: Despite having to 

overcome certain phone habits, I honestly 

didn’t miss my phone that much. 

Day 3: First day of school 

8 a.m.: Surprisingly, this time I 

didn’t hate the high-pitched dinging 

as much as the previous days. And 

because I couldn’t just hit snooze and 


wait for it to ring again, I had to get up 

or risk the chance of missing my first 

class of senior year. I liked the luxury 

of being able to set multiple alarms 

to increase maximum sleep possibility 

along with being graced every morning 

by my favorite song of the semester, but 

a bit of me felt prideful in the fact that 

I was doing it the old fashioned way. 

9 – 10 a.m.: Class wasn’t too unbearable 

without my phone due to having my 

laptop and the company of a close friend. 

Oh, and I guess due to the part where I 

should have been actively listening and 

taking notes. 

11 a.m. – 1 p.m.: I notice as I’m 

walking around that my neck wasn’t 

hurting as usual. Who’s to know the 

exact cause, but I began to wonder if 

it was due to no longer having my head 

down all the time to look at my phone. 

2 p.m.: I really had a hard time not 

being able to use social media all day, 

but I would log in to mobile sites just to 

refresh and see what everyone was saying 

since it was the first day of classes. 

But still, for those apps like Snapchat 

that only work on phones, I once again 

had the #FOMO. 

4 p.m.: By this point, I realized 

how often I take photos. I’m not just 

talking about selfies and squad photos 

here, but photos of important dates 

from syllabi, screenshots of recipes, 

cute outfits and to even passwords and 

log in information. It was hard to kick 

this habit on the first day. 

6 p.m.: There is something very satisfying 

about seeing your battery life 

above 50 percent in the late afternoon. 

10 p.m.: With school being back in 

session, I’d have liked to watch a full 

recap of the Alabama Snapchat Story, 

but I had to refrain. The social media 

lover in me just really wants to kick 

the can. 

Recap of the day: I missed my phone. 

Day 4: The final countdown 

8 a.m.: Even though classes started 

a little bit later than yesterday, I still 

wanted to wake up early just to enjoy 

the possibilities of having free time in 

the morning. That handy dandy analog 

clock came in handy! 

9 a.m.: With this newfound free 

time, I decided to actually go running 

before class. Typically, I do wake up 

each morning with the ambition to accomplish 

working out before class, but 

the temptation of more sleep and the 

distraction of my phone make me act 

otherwise. With neither being a hindrance, 

I made my way on down to the 

River Walk. 

Now one thing that I’m super picky 

about is that I need my headphones 

or some kind of music playing when 

I work out or run. So as I did enjoy 

an early morning jog, I could’ve done 

without the constant sound of my 

heavy breathing. Plus, a nice Beyoncé 

tune might’ve encouraged me to go a 

mile longer. 

11 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.: Again, I had my 

laptop, so classes didn’t seem to deter 

much from the usual. 

6 p.m.: I was really craving a social 

media check. #j’feel 

8 p.m.: No homework = no responsibilities. 

So I logged onto Hulu and 

enjoyed a few episodes of The Mindy 

Project. I’m still undecided if this was 

just me resorting to the lesser of two 

evils with my technology addiction. I’ll 

leave that up to you to decide. 

10 p.m.: As the day drew to an end, 

I began to plan for tomorrow. I may or 

may not have found slight satisfaction 

in setting my phone alarm for the next 

day’s festivities. #RIPanalogclock 

Recap of the day: I did it! 

So with a trial like that, what did I 

learn? If you asked me beforehand if I’d 

agree that as a Millennial I consume 

nine and a half hours of daily phone 

usage, I would’ve probably debated 

that statistic and really say I only consume 

half of that. Yet, these past four 

days have proven me otherwise. More 

often than not, I caught myself just 

simply holding my phone or clicking 

the home button just to fill time during 

whatever I was doing. Even more so, 

I blatantly discovered my dependence 

on a phone during social settings and 

even the times at when my phone usage 

is probably inappropriate for 

the setting. 

A break from my phone was liberating 

and allowed me to disconnect from 

feeling like I had to always be in response 

or up-to-date on social media, 

which I believe we Millennials have 

picked up from being a generation so 

readily exposed and consumed by our 

phones. Moving forward, I think I’ll be 

more thoughtful in when is the appropriate 

time to use my phone and when 

to know I’ve reached enough consumption 

for the day. I think we all should 

experience a break from our phones 

and learn just how much we truly depend 

on them. 


NETFLIX, 

WINE 

AND THE 

ENTIRE 

PIZZA 

Why we binge, what we binge on 

and why everything might be okay 

By Laura Testino 



My mom got her first iPhone at 

the beginning of August, and 

she’s already mastered the art of the 

Perfect Response GIF better than any 

of my Millennial friends. She wasn’t as 

savvy on Instagram though, and after 

spotting me in a group photo would try 

to zoom in on my grainy face to see how 

I look when converted to approximately 

three different pixels (gross). Lucky for 

her, she only had to deal without the 

zoom for a month before the app caught 

up to the moms and dads of Millennials 

everywhere, and made zooming an 

integral function. The first photo I 

zoomed in on? A post by Cosmopolitan, 

with a canary yellow background 

and impossibly tiny, capitalized 

fuchsia letters. 

“Zoom in on the pic to see the 

magical, one-word answer to ALL 

YOUR PROBLEMS,” the caption 

read, followed by a crystal ball emoji 

sandwiched between two sparkle emojis, 

and then a “#zoom.” 

Cosmopolitan’s magical cure-all, 

worthy of the first post-zoom feature 

post? Simple: pizza. 

Which shouldn’t be entirely 

surprising. Just scroll through the 

21,482,830 Instagram posts with the 

hashtag, or go online shopping for 

pepperoni pizza onesie pajamas or 

backpacks. Read Bustle’s article, “14 

Stages of Eating An Entire Pizza By 

Yourself Because You Were Born For 

This,” quiz yourself with Buzzfeed’s 

“How High Is Your Pizza IQ?,” or head 

back over to Cosmopolitan to assess 

the effects of the cure-all and discover 

“What Eating 1 Slice of Pizza Really 

Does to Your Body.” Hint: it involves 

something like 5 grams of saturated fat 

and a spiked blood pressure. 

Pizza has such a large impact on 

people ages 2 to 19 that the food should 

specifically be addressed for anyone 

receiving nutritional counseling, 

according to the National Health 

and Nutrition Examination survey 

compiled by researchers at the Health 

Policy Center at the Institute of Health

Research and Policy at the University of 

Illinois at Chicago. 

United States Google searches for the 

cheesy pie have climbed since 2004, and 

with notable quickness between 2010 

and 2011. The top two related queries at 

the beginning of September 2016 were 

“pizza near me” and “delivery near me,” 

respectively, a testament to the rising 

popularity of delivery food (another 

search term with a steady rise) and the 

Italian-inspired favorite that was at the 

helm of the delivery trend decades ago. 

The instantaneous arrival of pizza 

appearing UFO flying-saucer style 

at the front door has paired almost 

exclusively with Netflix, another even 

more instantaneous service. Google 

searches in the United States for Netflix 

have risen with pizza, mimicking the 

quickened rise between 2010 and 2011, 

although, generally, pizza seems to 

garner slightly more interest. 

The Netflix-pizza coupling – dare we 

christen it #Netza or #Piflix? – is the 

trending epitome of an envied nightin. 

The instant gratification of salty 

cheese slices and multiple seasons of 

innumerable television series inspire 

indulgent “treat yo’self” binges that 

are often decidedly ‘gram-worthy 

and deserving of other social media 

broadcasts, particularly among the 

Millennial crowd. And over the summer, 

after expressing my virtual like for 

another friend’s impressive pizza and 

Netflix binge for the umpteenth time, 

I finally stopped and wondered why 

I felt so congratulatory for someone 

else’s indulgence in pizza and television. 

Surely there are more exciting things 

than eating pizza, drinking wine, and 

discovering the Upside Down? 

“Watch me [wine] / 

Now watch me [Netflix]” 

“When you turn your boring night-in 

into something that’s ‘totally trending 

right now,’ you want to post about it, and 

you want people to know,” said Tessa 

Albert, a senior majoring in advertising 

at The University of Alabama. 

After disclosing this, Albert opened 

her personal Instagram feed (she also 

has a business account for her artwork) 

to see if she had ever fallen victim to 

the social media trap she identified. She 

found a couple of photos of doughnuts, 

and one of a sermon playing on her 

laptop with a Chipotle meal plopped in 

the bottom right corner. No signs of the 

#trending trifecta: 

Netflix. Wine. Pizza. 

Albert does identify with 31 percent 

of other Millennials who responded 

to a Nielsen survey saying that they 

pay for an online streaming service. 

In comparison with other groups, 

Millennials (ages 21-34, according to 

Nielsen) and Generation Z responders 

(age 15-20), tie with the largest 

percentage of subscribers, and are 

followed by 24 percent of Generation 

X (age 35-49) and 15 percent of Baby 

Boomers (age 50-64). 

As far as pizza, Albert eats it on 

occasion, but it isn’t her go-to snack. 

She feels the same way about wine. But 

she would probably like a friend’s social 

media post about staying in and eating a 

whole pizza and binge-watching Netflix, 

she said. 

Social media thrives in an environment 

designed to quench the desire for social 

validation. There are “like” buttons and 

apps to repost and retweet, the ability to 

share and even to react to a photo with 

disgust or anger or laughter or love. 

Posting a photo and immediately seeing 

the response from a virtual someone is 

instant gratification. 

“The only reason I watch Stranger 

Things is because all of my friends have 

told me to,” Albert said. “I probably 

wouldn’t have watched it if I was just 

going through Netflix by myself. It 

would not be my first choice – I don’t 

like scary things.” 

It is a natural tendency to look 

for others to mimic people they feel 

similar to, particularly in situations of 

uncertainty, said Rosanna Guadagno, 

an associate professor of both emerging 

media and psychology at the University 

of Texas at Dallas. 

“The way that social media is set up, 

it makes it really easy for us to share 

information,” she said. “So the social 

validation of looking to others to guide 

behavior is one key component to the 

spread of information online.” 

As Millennials, we are the first 

generation to be raised with technology 

at our fingertips, and seamlessly inject 

ourselves into online culture than other 

generations. We want news immediately. 

We want our food immediately. And 

technology affords us the pleasure of 

having it that way. 

“I think that’s a real danger, 

constantly expecting everything to be 

there, to have the whole story, to have 

the whole pizza, to have the whole 

bottle of wine,” Guadagno said. “It’s 

dangerous in that it’s hard to develop 

self-discipline. There’s a virtue in 

waiting for things. But that said, I 

binge-watch too, because I like to know 

how the story ends.” 

The unholy trinity 

Pizza, wine and Netflix are the trifecta 

of modern convenience: if not readily 

available from the couch, they are 

deliverable and/or available at a 24-hour 

convenience store. In a separate study 

by Nielsen published in September, the 

preferences of Millennials are compared 

with those of Baby Boomers. Overall, 

Nielsen said, Millennials expect 

businesses to maintain respectable 

business practices, but that 24 percent 

of the global also expect products and 

businesses that value “connectivity, 

convenience and options that allow them 

to be in control.” 

Based on data collected from 30,000 

online consumers that represent 

60 countries, Nielsen categorized 

Millennial preferences as “we,” “more” 

and “now.” Fifty-eight percent of 

Millennials eat out at least once a 

week, compared to 29 percent of Baby 

Boomers, and 68 percent agree that 

time-shifted programming like Netflix 

and Hulu or DVR better accommodate 


their schedules (52 percent of Baby 

Boomers agreed with this). 

Both Albert and Bailey Blaise 

Mariea, a senior majoring in musical 

theatre, agree that convenience is a 

contributing factor to their television 

consumption habits. 

“Netflix is readily available, it works 

with whatever time, picks up right 

where you left off and it’s portable, 

which is huge,” Mariea said. “The 

quality is high, and it’s way cheaper 

than if I were to buy HD or a DISH 

Network package.” 

The quality of Netflix original content 

has continued a new Golden Age time of 

television that began in the early 2000s 

with HBO and Showtime shows, says 

Stacy Morgan, an associate professor of 

American Studies who teaches a course 

in popular culture at The University 

of Alabama. The new, ambitious 

business model for making television 

gave creators more artistic license, 

resulting in higher quality television 

that continued to have a large audience. 

“Netflix has very much followed in that 

wake,” Morgan said. “I think it’s clear 

that the creators of a lot of those Netflix 

original series really have ambitions 

that are every bit on par with what you 

would expect out of feature films. 

“The other shift that’s going on 

along with this hand-in-hand with 

more creative control for show runners 

is a shift to more emphasis on longterm, 

or long-form storytelling. So in 

other words, it’s not just a Law and 

Order episode where everything is 

just going to more or less wrap up by 

the end of the episode each week. It’s 

a really different kind of storytelling 

where it’s built in a serial form, with 

long story arcs that really reward 

fan engagement.” 

The new form for television – making 

entire series readily available – makes 

binge watching accessible. During her 

freshman year, Mariea watched her 

way through One Tree Hill, spending 

some weekend days watching multiple 

episodes, or squeezing episodes in while 

putting on makeup or doing laundry. 

Studies published in Psychology 

Today’s “Why We’re Wired to Binge 

Watch TV” found that eight in 10 

people prefer to binge watch Netflix 

instead of watching single episodes, 

and 76 percent of people reported that 

binge-watching was a refuge from a 

busy lifestyle. Emerging media and 

psychology professor Guadagno studied 

what makes videos do viral online, 

though she isn’t sure if her research 

correlates to binge-watching tendencies, 

and believes it has more to do with 

the cliff-hanging constructions of the 

storyline than social validation and 

emotional responses. 

“We fall in love with the story, and 

then the story ends in such a way that 

we want to keep watching and find 

out what happens next,” Guadagno 

said. “For me, at least – and this is a 

personal opinion not based on ideas 

about binge watching – it allows us 

to finish the story, and it give us that 

instant gratification.” 

Pairing pizza and wine with Netflix 

reflects a culture of instant gratification, 

which has been recognized by marketers. 

Technomic, a research and consulting 

firm focused on food, found that in 

2012, 40 percent of Americans eat pizza 

at least once per week, a 15 percent 

increase from 2010. A report by the 

Wine Market Council released in early 


2016 shows that Millennials consume 

42 percent of all wine consumed, 

with 30 percent by Baby Boomers 

and 20 percent by the Gen-Xers in 

between. Millennial wine drinkers 

average three glasses per sitting, and 

between 2005 and 2010, increased the 

percentage of high frequency drinkers 

(of legal drinking age) from eight 

to 13.9 percent. 

Although Netflix is commercial-free, 

marketing techniques mixing television 

with other forms of consumption aren’t 

new, and began shortly after televisions 

entered homes in the 1940s. 

“That’s why people wanted to have 

commercials on TV,” Morgan said. 

“There’s a recognition by marketers 

pretty early on that pleasurable viewing 

experiences on television can trigger 

appetites not just for more of the TV 

entertainment, but can trigger other 

types of appetites for consumption.” 

The kids are alright 

(they’re just full of pizza) 

It’s convenient to treat yo’self and 

unwind with several slices of pizza 

and several glasses of wine and 

several episodes of your new favorite 

television show. For Mariea, it’s also an 

accomplishment; if she’s going to work 

hard, she’s going to play hard, too. 

“I think that [Millennials] are 

extremely task-oriented,” Mariea said. 

“And for me at least, while we’re always 

applauded for being the multi-tasking 

generation, there’s always part of me 

that’s like, ‘I don’t know when I’m going 

to get to watch the rest of this Netflix 

series, so I’m going to sit down, and 

I really wanna watch it, and I can, I 

have the time, this is what I want to do. 

Check that off my box.’” 

Beyond those five grams of saturated 

fat per slice, the effects of cultural 

binging aren’t necessarily concrete. 

Older generations are concerned 

for Millennials because they aren’t 

accustomed to the instant accessibility 

afforded by services that bring TV to 

your phone or pizza to your doorstep, 

so the true effects remain to be seen, 

Guadagno said. The only way to 

potentially alter the trend of indulgence 

would be to spread the idea that 

moderation is more trendy. 

“What you’d have to do is start 

spreading social validation and social 

normative information that suggests 

that most people like them aren’t doing 

Pizza, wine and Netflix are the trifecta of 

modern convenience: if not readily available 

from the couch, they are deliverable and/or 

available at a 24-hour convenience store. 

it [instant gratification],” Guadagno 

said. “And that’s the reason that 

social media kind of presents a false 

impression of what everyone else is 

doing. Not everyone in our world is 

on social media. Not everyone in our 

world is sharing these articles. But 

if enough of our friends do it, we 

do it, too.” 

And Millennials are recognizing 

that the frequency of Instagramworthy 

nights in may be less than we 

all perceive. Mariea admitted that the 

times she spent entire days binging 

shows, she wasn’t at her healthiest. 

Having an indulgent day or night in 

every now and then, when it doesn’t 

interfere with classes or relationships, 

is an acceptable sort of splurge. Albert 

agreed, recognizing how turning to 

Netflix can be somewhat addictive. 

“No one should sit there for 10 hours 

and watch an entire season of a show 

in one sitting. We do it, but it’s bad,” 

Albert said. “I think it’s like a selfcontrol 

thing, too, though. I think 

that would take a lot to sit down and 

be like, ‘I’m only going to watch one 

episode.’ That always turns into five.” 

But, for those times when pizza is 

“the magical, one-word answer to 

ALL YOUR PROBLEMS,” treating 

yo’self with some cheesy bread and 

television is probably okay; concern 

from older generations is a typical 

reaction to new entertainment forms. 

When comic books became popular in 

the 1940s and ‘50s, some groups were 

panicked that children would become 

addicted to them. 

“I do think it’s typical, like each new 

technological breakthrough in terms 

of entertainment options, has usually 

been accompanied by some kind of 

anxiety,” Morgan said. “Especially 

as young people’s entertainment 

consumption habits change, older 

Americans get anxious because it’s 

unfamiliar, at least initially.” 

The rapid consumption of media 

is not just a Millennial trend. 

Nielsen discovered that 81 percent 

of Millennials “enjoy the freedom of 

being connected anywhere, anytime 

to watch video content,” but so do the 

majority of Baby Boomers – about 66 

percent. They just aren’t inclined to 

share their nights in on Instagram. 

“I really do think that this ‘excess,’ 

‘reward yourself,’ ‘live hard for what 

you’re doing right now’ kind of thing 

is a beautiful and can be a healthy 

way to get through that and to deal 

with that, and to not fall prey to 

pressure and to that rigidity and that 

routine that allows for no personal 

enjoyment,” Mariea said. “If you eat 

a whole pizza, share it with the world. 

If that’s what makes you happy, then 

good for you.” 



Women prove their power in politics 

By Maddy Ard 

W 

omen have never been warmly 

welcomed in the American 

political arena. For most of 

this nation’s existence, American law and 

society have kept a big “no girls allowed” 

sign nailed to the front door of every capitol 

building, state house and town hall. A 

Constitutional amendment finally granted 

women the right to have their voices heard 

in 1920, some 139 years after the United 

States government was established. 

In the near 100 years since the passage 

of the 19th Amendment, women have made 

great leaps toward equality in the political 

realm. The United States has seen four 

women serve in the U.S. Supreme Court, 

313 as federal congresswomen, 37 as governors, 

and the list goes on. Countless 

American women have attempted to rise 

to the call to serve this nation in an elected 

position, and only a small fraction have 

seen their dreams come to fruition. 

Today, American women from all walks 

of life have the right to participate in the 

political process in some form. Still, hurdles 

stand in every woman’s path to political 

success — claims that emotions, 

hormones or lack of experience cloud a 

woman’s brain and make the female anatomy 

incompatible with political leadership 

and authority, according to Cheryl Rios, 

CEO of Go Ape Marketing. Each woman 

who seeks political office must withstand 

constant scrutiny. She walks a fine line, 

treading the narrowing space between 

push-over and bitty. 

Many young women entering the political 

scene see these hurdles in advance. The 

media has already warned them of the 


obstacles they face. For Lillian Roth, 

the seventh young woman to serve as 

SGA president in University of Alabama 

history, anticipating challenges and 

facing them head on has been her formula 

for success. 

Roth grew up in Montgomery, Alabama, 

immersed in politics from a young age. In 

high school, she was selected to represent 

Montgomery Academy at Girls State 2014, 

a week-long program geared toward encouraging 

young women to become aware 

of and involved in the American political 

system. Roth still enjoys working with 

Girls State each year and said she credits 

the program for her interest in politics. 

Upon entering the university in 2014, 

classmates and advisors recognized 

Roth’s potential and passion for leadership 

and encouraged her to run for SGA 

Senate. After her successful Senate campaign, 

Roth quickly became an active 

member of SGA as chair of the External 

Affairs Committee. 

During her sophomore year, Roth 

decided to take her involvement with 

SGA to the next level, and in February 

2016 she announced her candidacy for 

SGA president. Roth said she was overwhelmed 

by the support she received from 

the student body, and though it was a 

long and hard road, her team never let her 

feel discouraged. 

Roth said she has many hopes for the 

university during her term. Already one 

of her major goals, the return of the 

transportation group Uber to Tuscaloosa, 

has been reached. Roth also plans 

to host weekly “Lattes with Lill” open 

meetings, through which she hopes to foster 

transparency between SGA and the UA 

student body. However, many of the goals 

Roth has set for this campus needs the 

support of the SGA governing body and 

advisors to come to completion. 

Roth said many of the SGA advisors 

were taken aback by her towards the beginning 

of her term as president. Some of 

these advisors had never worked with a female 

president before, and those who have 

only have done so once or twice throughout 

the course of their careers. 

“Being a woman hasn’t necessarily 

been a problem for me, but it is definitely 

something I’ve had to be aware of,” Roth 

said. “Unfortunately, people automatically 

think I’ll be more emotional because I’m 

a woman, so I’ve had to anticipate issues 

I might face and address them head on.” 

Roth said this method of action instead 

of reaction has ensured she is taken 

seriously in SGA meetings and events. 

The majority of Roth’s presidency is still 

ahead of her, and she said she is optimistic 

about the progress she hopes to see at the 

university this year. 

Like Roth, local attorney Cynthia Almond 

seized her opportunity to lead when 

it presented itself. Tuscaloosa native and 

UA Law alumna, Almond said she was 

eager to become involved in local politics. 

With her family settled and children 

getting older, Almond knew when a seat 

became available it was her time to act. 

Almond sought a position on the Tuscaloosa 

City Council against three male competitors. 

Almond said that running for city 

council was something she always planned 

on doing one day, and her biggest piece of 

We see each 

other as equals 

who each bring 

advice to any young woman interested in 

politics is to seize an opportunity without 

hesitation when it arrives. 

“If it’s something you want to do, then 

do it,” Almond said. “Only you can make 

that decision. Other people can encourage 

you, but in the end it’s about you making 

that decision.” 

Almond said 75 percent of her experiences 

in the local political scene have been 

unmarred by gender discrimination. Looking 

back on her campaign, Almond mused 

that her gender was probably the source of 

criticism within different circles, but Almond 

said she did not hear it and therefore 

was not hindered by it. Though comments 

were made to her regarding her ability to 

tackle the position, Almond believes those 

who questioned her directly only did so out 

of genuine concern. 

“Once I was elected, I felt no resistance 

from my fellow councilmembers,” she said. 

different experiences 

to the table. 


“There are seven of us, and we see each 

other as equals who each bring different 

experiences to the table.” 

In the national arena, Hillary Clinton is 

the uncontested woman of the hour. For 

most of her professional life, Clinton has 

been in the political spotlight, beginning 

with a term as SGA president at Wellesley 

College. With a political career spanning 

over three decades, it’s safe to say Clinton 

has learned a thing or two about the trials 

and tribulations women face as they navigate 

the American political arena. 

In her official Twitter biography, Clinton 

describes herself as a “hair icon” 

and “pantsuit aficionado.” As a face of 

the modern age of feminism, Clinton has 

spent her career learning to effectively 

maneuver as a prominent woman in a 

male-dominated profession. 

Her 2016 presidential campaign and 

ceiling-shattering Democratic nomination 

have placed Clinton’s every move under 

the highest level of scrutiny and ridicule 

the politician has ever known. She 

has been accused by many of “playing 

the woman card” during her campaign, 

an intrinsically sexist accusation. 

Her response? 

“If fighting for women’s health care and 

paid family leave and equal pay is playing 

the woman card, then deal me in,” Clinton 

said at a victory rally in Philadelphia 

this year. 

Her constant battle with accusations of 

pandering to the female population illustrate 

the challenges any woman seeking 

any political office face. Clinton has often 

quoted another strong leader, Eleanor 

Roosevelt, when advising young women, 

encouraging them to have “skin as thick as 

a rhinoceros.” 

In a world where “feminism” is a bad 

word and few know how to address women’s 

issues, it’s brave women like these 

who are blazing new trails, not just for 

the female population, but for this nation 

as a whole. Young women are more aware 

now than ever of the ridicule and scrutiny 

that await them if they choose to begin a 

journey in the public eye, but we can take 

some advice from those who have made the 

first steps or have already walked miles. 

Know the issues and face them head on. 

Don’t hesitate. Stay focused and don’t 

allow the criticism to slow you. Inside each 

person, male or female, is the ability to run 

a student organization or run the United 

States. The intelligence and integrity 

with which women such as these tackle the 

obstacles they face expands our understanding 

of what we as humans are capable 

of accomplishing. 


HEALTH & FOOD 

Ditch the dining hall 

By Audrey Watford 

Try these three local restaurants 

When it comes to eating locally, Tuscaloosa has everything 

to offer. As college students we have a tendency 

to go for what is most convenient (i.e. Dominoes, 

Jimmy Johns, Moe’s Southwest), but we overlook more diverse 

— and cheaper — options right under our nose. I recently 

reserved an entire day to eat the finest of what Tuscaloosa has to 

offer, and I must say it was an enjoyable job. I hope this experience 

turns into a lifestyle and I discover more and more jewels 

around town. 

Heritage House 

I started the day with an 

early trip to Heritage House on McFarland. 

Right as I walked in, I was hit with 

a warm, cozy vibe from the hum of cheery 

morning chatter to the soothing voice of 

Colbie Caillat playing overhead. My eyes 

grazed the pastry counter with delight — 

cinnamon rolls, blueberry scones and all 

kinds of muffins. I decided on the infamous 

baked oatmeal with bananas and 

strawberries on top and a cappuccino. My 

order was quickly ready, so I snagged a 

nearby table to eat and read over homework. 

It was hard to focus on my reading 

as soon as I took the first bite of oatmeal. 

It tasted like a banana nut muffin full of 

yummy oats, and the strong cappuccino 

was a complemented it perfectly. I sipped 

out of my “I Heart NY” mug as I watched 

locals and college students alike bustle in 

and out of the shop for the daily roast. 

The Tuscaloosa River Market 

Right before lunch I drove to the River 

Market by the Black Warrior to browse 

through the produce of the day. After 

a lot of pondering over fall veggies and 

baked goods, I chose sweet potatoes and 

pears from a nice man who farms right 

outside of Tuscaloosa. Roasted sweet potatoes 

were on the lunch menu. I sliced 

them into halves and placed them in a deep 

casserole dish sprayed with vegetable oil. 

Then I made a glaze of what I could find in 

my pantry — one tablespoon of cinnamon, 

two tablespoons of powdered sugar and a 

tablespoon of lemon juice. I sliced the 

pears into thin chips, dunked them in the 

mixture, placed them on top of the sweet 

potatoes and then poured the leftover mixture 

over the produce. I let it bake for one 

hour, put a little more powdered sugar 

on top for the last few minutes and took 

it out to cool. I was a little wary of the 

outcome, but the citrus balanced well with 

the sweetness. The pears crisped well as 

they cooked and were a good texture offset 

against the soft potatoes. Needless to say 

I highly impressed myself. 

The Avenue Pub 

After a long day in the kitchen it was 

time to treat myself to dinner, so I went 

with a couple of friends downtown to eat 

at The Avenue Pub. We ordered Thai 

nachos for an appetizer and let me tell 

you they were incredible. So much spice 

and yummy cheese and… a peanut butter 

glaze? It was the perfect combination 


believe it or not. For my 

main course I went with 

the burger of the day. The waiter could 

not get the words “guacamole burger” out 

of his mouth before I jumped on my order. 

I enjoyed it with a garden side salad with 

Dijon vinaigrette and a Goat Island Pilsner 

beer from Cullman. The whole meal 

got an A+ from me. As a lover of flavor, 

the Avenue Pub stirs my taste buds with 

its unique use of savory foods.

HEALTH & FOOD 

From cocktails to casseroles 


Call Me Betty 

Crock-pot Turkey 

For the friend who might as well be your mom 

Ingredients 

Turkey Breast with skin and bones, 3-4 pounds 

Salt, pepper and rosemary, to taste 

Directions 

1. Add spices on turkey to your liking 

2. Put turkey in the crockpot, skin side up, for 4 and 

a half to 5 and a half hours 

By Lauren Lane 

‘Tis the season to be thankful, and there is so 

much to be thankful for this year. We at Alice are 

extra grateful for our college family: each other. 

We want you to throw the best holiday bash ever, 

so we’ve put together some great Friendsgiving 

recipes and tips; this way, each of your friends 

can contribute to this fun and sentimental holiday. 

So, grab your girl gang, fuel up with some 

pumpkin spice lattes and get to cooking. 

Hipster Harvest Salad 

For the friend with the dietary restrictions 

Ingredients 

½ cup quinoa 

1 cup water 

12oz brussels sprouts, shaved 

1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 

1/3 cup chopped walnuts 

1/3 cup dried cranberries 

1 cup honey dijon dressing, store bought 

Directions 

1. Bring quinoa, water, and salt to a boil and let simmer 

for 15 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. 

2. Add shaved brussels and let simmer for another 

15 minutes 

3. Combine quinoa and brussels with remaining 

ingredients and serve warm. 

(While she’s at it, get her working on the perfect 

Friendsgiving Spotify playlist) 

Heavenly Honey 

Butter Rolls 

For the friend you haven’t seen in three weeks 

because she’s “just been so busy” 

Ingredients 

1 package Sister Schubert rolls 

1 stick butter 

½ cup honey 

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

Directions 

1. Bake rolls at 350 degrees for 10 minutes 

2. While rolls are cooking, blend the butter, honey 

and cinnamon in a mixing bowl and leave 

room temperature. 

Baked Potato Bar 

For the friend who spends most of her 

class time online shopping 

Ingredients 

4 large Russet Potatoes 

4 Sweet Potatoes 

Various toppings of choice (ex. candied nuts, salsa, 

cheese, marshmallows, bacon) 

Directions 

1. Bake all potatoes at 350 degrees for 45 minutes 

2. While potatoes are baking, put toppings into 

small bowls with spoons 

3. Create your perfect personalized potato! 


Not Your Grandmother’s 

Cranberry Cocktail 

For the friend who always asks to go out 

on Monday nights 

Ingredients 

4 cups cranberry juice 

8 cups ginger beer 

16 oz vodka 

2 cups frozen cranberries 

1/4 cup sugar 

ice cubes 

toothpicks 

Directions 

1. Split up half of the frozen cranberries and ice cubes 

between 8 glasses 

2. Mix up vodka, ginger beer, and cranberry juice 

and pour into glasses 

3. Roll remaining frozen cranberries in sugar, and 

use toothpicks as garnish 

Twisted Pumpkin Pie 

For the friend who is always ruining your diet 

with her amazing freshly-baked cookies 

Down Home Grits & 

Green Bean Casserole 

For the friend who is a classic Southern Belle 

Ingredients 

8 cups water 

2 teaspoons kosher salt 

1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

2 cups quick cooking grits 

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter 

1 cup favorite cheese, grated 

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup 

3/4 cup milk 

Dash of black pepper 

2 cans of green beans, drained 

1 1/3 cups French’s Crispy Fried Onions 

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 

2. Stir grits and salt into boiling water 

3. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover for 5-7 minutes, 

then stir in butter and pour into a greased 9x9 pan. 

4. Cover grits with grated cheese 

5. Mix the soup, milk and green beans in a bowl and 

pour on top of grits 

6. Bake for 25 minutes 

7. Top with crispy onions; bake for five more minutes. 

Ingredients 

1 can crescent rolls or refrigerated pie dough 

1 cup 100% pure pumpkin 

3 tbsp. Butter, melted 

3 tsp. Pumpkin pie spice 

1 can cream cheese frosting, store bought 

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 375 and line cookie sheet with 

parchment paper 

2. Unroll crescent roll dough and separate into 

four sections 

3. Spread pumpkin onto half the sections 

4. Place the other two sections on top and press 

edges together 

5. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle half of the 

pumpkin pie spice on top 

6. Cut both sections into 6 strips and cover with remaining 

pumpkin pie spice 

7. Bake for 8-10 minutes and serve with frosting 

for dipping 

2111 University Blvd. 

Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 

205.247.4910 

follow us at 

@luccaboutique 


HEALTH & FOOD 

Temporary diets 

vs. 

A healthy lifestyle 

By Analiese Gerald 

“Lose 10 pounds 

in seven days!” 

“Try our miracle 

weight loss plan!” 

“Get skinny fast 

with this diet!” 

Do phrases like these sound familiar? 

Today’s culture is one of weight loss, 

dieting and slogans advertising “the 

next big diet.” These things surround 

girls everywhere they turn. From online 

health blogs and websites, to popular 

apps such as Pinterest and Tumblr, 

articles love to promise a quick fix for 

the freshman 15 or provide tips to 

achieve a perfectly flat tummy. 

The problem is, fad diets rarely 

yield the advertised results and when 

extreme can have negative health 

implications. The real key to attaining, 

and then maintaining, your healthy 

weight is a consistent and nutritious 

diet, one treated as a lifestyle instead of 

a temporary solution. 

TEMPORARY DIETS DON’T WORK 

Not only do you want to choose a 

weight loss plan that is safe and healthy, 

you want one that works. 

Sheena Gregg, a registered dietician 

and assistant director of Health 


Promotion and Wellness at The 

University of Alabama, doesn’t believe 

temporary diets are effective. 

“Typically when you see quick drops 

of weight it’s not necessarily fat that 

they’re losing, but it’s water weight 

we’re seeing drop on the scale,” Gregg 

said. She clarified that this loss of water 

weight is not permanent and can come 

back very quickly. 

Morgan Fields, a UA senior, 

experienced this when she tried the 

Cabbage Soup Diet, a restrictive weeklong 

plan that drastically reduces calorie 

intake and limits eating to mostly only 

fruits and vegetables. 

“It says you’re supposed to lose 10 

pounds – I probably only lost three,” she 

said, adding that she gained the weight 

back after the diet. 

“What’s tempting is that it’s a quick 

fix,” Fields said, explaining why girls 

try diets like the Cabbage Soup Diet. 

“A bunch of girls look to it for like ‘Oh 

I have to put a bathing suit on this 

weekend, so I’m going to do this seven 

day diet and lose 10 pounds.’ And that’s 

not how it is.” 

In addition to losing the wrong type 

of weight, and not maintaining it, 

fad diets are often too restrictive to 

be realistic. An extreme diet leads to 

unhappiness and cheating, often in the 

form of binging, which is detrimental to 

losing weight. 

“A healthy diet includes recognizing 

what we do eat as a priority for 

nourishing our body, but there’s also 

occasions where we eat for celebrating,” 

Gregg said. “ I think it can be dangerous 

when people are solely eating just based 

on the quality of food and never let 

themselves have any kind of fun food.” 

CHOOSING A SAFE 

WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY 

Fad diets don’t always produce the 

advertised results, but a more concerning 

issue is when they have negative 

health effects on the body. If 

extreme dieting measures are taken, 

they can result in reduced energy, not 

receiving enough nutrients or protein, 

and eventually even eating disorders, 

such as anorexia, bulimia and 

binge-eating. 

Exercising, another important aspect 

of a healthy lifestyle can become harmful 

while paired with a drastic diet. 

Gregg says diets “can make exercise 

more dangerous to your body because 

you go through low blood sugar levels, 

and you may be become more dizzy and 

dehydrated quickly because you’re not 

getting adequate nutrition.” 

LIFESTYLE VS. FAD 

So if dieting isn’t the answer for 

losing and keeping off weight, what is? 

According to many nutritionists and 

health professionals, maintaining a 

healthy, consistent lifestyle diet is the

key to not only losing weight, but doing 

so in a way that’s good for your body. 

“What I encourage with my clients is 

I always try to get them to think of my 

recommendations as a long term lifestyle 

change as opposed to a temporary diet,” 

Gregg said. Her role at the UA Student 

Health Center is to work one-on-one 

with students wanting to lose weight. “I 

give them an alternative of weight loss 

where it may be slow and steady, but it’s 

the kind of weight loss that’s going to 

stay off because we’re actually burning 

fat by giving our bodies enough calories 

to burn the fat.” 

The CDC also states that evidence 

shows people who lose weight gradually 

and steadily are more successful in 

keeping that weight off. 

For Bree Mathison, a junior exercise 

science major at UA, maintaining a 

healthy diet is a personal passion and 

important part of her life. 

“Growing up in cross country and 

track I could feel a difference eating 

healthy versus not healthy on my 

performance,” Mathison said. “It’s 

going to affect me the rest of my life too. 

It’s gotten a lot harder in college with 

money and everything, but it just makes 

me feel better.” 

Mathison is also a personal trainer at 

the university’s recreation center. As a 

personal trainer a goal of hers is to have 

her clients become independent. 

“It’s hard because a lot of people that 

come in just want to go the extreme, 

work out twice a day, do paleo diet, but 

then they crash because it’s not long 

term,” Mathison said. 

Mathison believes in a consistent, 

nutritious diet, for herself and for 

her clients. 

“I don’t think [dieting] works. A 

healthy lifestyle is a lifestyle. Dieting is 

temporary,” she says. 

Fields, who tried the Cabbage Soup 

Diet, says that although she felt cleansed 

after the week, she recommended other 

girls to be careful. 

“I’ve realized after doing a bunch of 

temporary diets you have more success 

by changing your lifestyle,” Fields said. 

She now sticks to a consistent, healthy 

way of eating, while still treating 

herself occasionally. 

A HEALTHY DIET 

After deciding to make a 

permanent lifestyle change in 

order to gradually lose weight 

in a healthy and reliable 

way, the next step is actually 

knowing what a nutritious diet is. 

Gregg describes a nutritious diet as 

getting a well balanced mix of healthy 

foods: lots of fruits and vegetables for 

their mineral and vitamin content, 

carbohydrates from whole grain sources 

as well as fruits, low-fat dairy products, 

and adequate amounts of protein from 

lean animal proteins as well plant based 

proteins like beans, nuts and seeds. 

As far as losing weight, the main 

change in diet is found in reducing 

calories, while continuing to make sure 

the calories you are eating are from 

quality foods. The Centers of Disease 

Control and Prevention states that a 

healthy weight loss pattern is losing 

one to two pounds per week. For most 

people, that means reducing their 

standard calorie intake by around 500 

calories each day. 

STAYING HEALTHY IN COLLEGE 

Keeping a healthy diet, especially one 

where you’ll gradually lose weight, can 

be extremely hard in college. Sometimes 

it can feel downright impossible. 

With low grocery funds, hectic school 

schedules that leave little time for food 

planning, and abundant invites to late 

night Krispy Kreme runs, it’s no wonder 

college girls can sometimes turn to the 

next fad diet as a quick fix. 

However, there are multiple tips and 

tricks for college girls to healthily lose 

weight and maintain a nutritious diet. 

For Mathison the key is moderation 

and surrounding herself with similarly 

health-minded friends. 

“It’s the little yes or no’s that count,” 

she says. “If you’re by other people that 

want to be healthy, it makes you want to 

be healthy.” 

One handy trick is meal planning. 

Making a general list of meals each 

week can prevent last-minute fast 

food runs when you lacked a plan for 

dinner and help you stay on track while 

grocery shopping. 

Another essential of healthy living 

is cooking. Homemade meals are 

generally more nutritious, cheaper, and 

allow you to control your portion size. 

Make up for the extra time it takes to 

prepare a meal by making cooking into 

a fun event with friends or roommates. 

To Gregg, your mindset is also an 

important aspect of being motivated to 

stay healthy. 

“Think about your eating with what 

you can add more of to your diet versus 

what can I take away,” Gregg said. “It’s 

easier to think of eating in that pattern 

versus constantly focusing on what do I 

have to take out of my diet.” 

Fad diets can be tempting, but don’t 

let their flashy slogans fool you. Gradual 

weight loss due to a change in lifestyle 

is more effective, maintainable, and 

most importantly, the healthiest option 

for your body. 


HEALTH & FOOD 

More than marshmallows: Alice’s guide to your 

DREAM HOT CHOCOLATE BAR 

By Caroline Wells 

As sweaters, scarves and jewel tones 

start to appear in your closet and the 

weather cools off, gather some chocolate 

and milk for these delicious twists on 

the ordinary cup of hot cocoa. These 

easy, simple recipes are dorm friendly 

and are bound to warm your heart. 

Sea Salt Caramel 

Hot Chocolate 

Ingredients 

1 packet of hot chocolate mix 

Pinch of sea salt 

2 tablespoons of caramel sauce 

1 cup milk 

Directions 

Make hot chocolate according to package. 

Add the caramel sauce and sea 

salt and heat again in microwave. 


Orange Vanilla 

Hot Chocolate 

Ingredients 

1 packet hot chocolate mix 

½ tablespoon of sugar/sweetener 

Zest from 1 small orange 

½ tsp vanilla extract 

1 cup milk 

Directions 


Add sugar and vanilla extract and 

heat again in microwave. Sprinkle orange 

zest on top. Be careful, it’s hot. 

S’mores 

Hot Chocolate 

Ingredients 




1 cup milk 

Directions 




Peanut Butter 

Hot Chocolate 

Ingredients 




1 cup milk 

Directions 




Roll Tide 

Hot Chocolate 

Ingredients 


½ tablespoon sugar/sweetener 

½ tsp cardamom 

½ tsp cayenne pepper 

1 tsp cinnamon 

Directions 

Make hot chocolate mix according to 

package. Add sweetener, cinnamon, 

cardamom and cayenne for a sweet 

and spicy kick.

HEALTH & FOOD 

By Madison Sullivan 

Clad in my leggings, sports bra and 

tank, water bottle in tow, I happily 

made the trek into my first indoor 

cycling class. In reality, I dragged my 

tired body into my first indoor cycling 

class, amazed that I’d made it 

this far out of bed. Full 

disclosure, I’d been 

planning to go to class the past two 

mornings, but due to a severe personal 

issue I have, called: I can’t get up before 

the sun rises or I’ll bite your head off, I 

subsequently slept through my alarms. 

In fact, despite my self-proclaimed 

health fanatic status, the only reason 

I was up and kicking this a.m. was 

because I was meeting a friend at the 

gym. All of that aside, as I entered the 

small room and was awash in blue and 

surrounded by upbeat music pumping 

from the speakers, I was actually excited 

to burn some calories in a new way 

and start my morning off right. 

I chose a stationary bike at the back 

of the room to fully observe the class, 

a mixture of fellow newbies and cycling 

regulars. The instructor, a bright and 

cheery woman who was more excited 

than I’ll ever be to be awake at 5:30 in 

the morning, came around the room and 

helped each of us adjust the bike seat 

and handlebars to the correct distance 

and height. We were told to set the seat 

to where our legs were slightly bent. 

Once this was complete, we were handed 

a towel and told to set our resistance to 

6. From there we could work up to 12+ 

and back down. 

The class began with seated peddling, 

a warm up preparing us for the hour to 

come. Soon we upped our resistance and 

stood for periods of time peddling 

as hard and as fast as we 

could. We were constantly 

reminded to push ourselves 

to our limits, but to know our 

body and to keep our resistance where 

we felt we were getting the best workout. 

At this point I was truly enjoying myself 

and feeling confident about what was 

to come. 

I should’ve known not to speak so 

soon. As with most workout classes, the 

middle was about to push me farther 

than I thought my poor legs could go. 


Side note, that feeling is why I love working out; I’m addicted 

to pushing through and proving myself wrong. As the teacher 

announced that we were about to begin jumps, I was confused, 

jumping on a bicycle? Something was definitely about to go 

haywire. Thankfully -and I use the term thankfully loosely; 

jumping is just code for quick sprints where you stand and 

then sit continuously over the course of a few songs. 

At this point in the class I began noticing a few things. 

First I’m sweating. And I mean I am really sweating. I’ve 

participated in more than my share of workout classes, and I 

have to say that this was one of the sweatiest classes I’ve taken. 

Secondly, the towel I was using to wipe the aforementioned 

sweat from my brow smelled exactly like the towels you use 

at Disney World resorts. Maybe the University Rec uses 

the same detergent as good ole’ Walt, I’m not sure, but it’s 

something I dwelled on throughout the remainder of the class. 

As jumps came to an end, we began to wrap up the 

main section of class with quick bursts of seated pedaling. 

Throughout the class our teacher had been motivating us with 

near continuous commentary. By this point her words were 

more than enough to keep our legs spinning. As we wrapped 

up our sprints, we began cool down and her motivational 

side once again emerged. She led us in stretches and then 

demanded we all stand and face her. She told us to take a 

deep breath and once we exhaled, warned us never to smoke or 

we’d never be able to breathe that well again. The health freak 

and lung cancer awareness geek inside of me was overjoyed. 

She then led us in positive affirmations. She encouraged us 

to bend down and draw in a large breath. Straightening, she 

proclaimed, “I am.” As we followed suit and raised our arms 

overhead, “beautiful,” “brilliant” and “awesome” filled the 

aquarium-like room on our exhales. 

As I wiped down my bike and took large swigs of water, 

I could already tell that my legs, as well as my arms and 

core had gotten an excellent workout. I was also pleasantly 

surprised with how fast the class had gone and how awake and 

ready to tackle the day I was. Most of all, I was giddy about 

the fact that the playlist had ranged from Mortal Kombat 

songs to “You’re Beautiful” by John Mayer. As I stepped 

into the sunlight and made my way to my car, I realized 

my first cycling experience was a fun challenge and I would 

definitely be returning in the future, just… maybe not to 

the 6 a.m. class. 

Student Discount With ID 


ENTERTAINMENT 

BOOKS TO FALL FOR 

By Claudia Hogan 

Fall is the ideal season to grab a new book and flip open the 

pages to temporarily escape from academics or just relax. So 

instead of pulling close your computer for some Netflix and 

cuddling up to a good movie, here are some of the best titles 

to read this fall: 

The Girls by Emma Cline 

If you enjoy a story that’s a bit rebellious and may make you 

feel a tad uncomfortable while reading, The Girls is for you. 

This novel flows like a dream, capturing the essence of a young 

girl influenced by the looming gifts of beauty and acceptance 

in the cult-like setting that is Northern California circa 1960. 

Evie Boyd is immediately struck by the wild nature of some 

girls she sees in a park one day. She daydreams of the ranch 

they live in that sprawls behind the hills, hiding the secrets 

of a place she wants to know and a group she wants to be 

like. Emma Cline’s mastery of language captures you from 

the beginning, but the loosely based true story will have you 

turning pages with no hesitation. If you enjoyed The Virgin 

Suicides and the violence and charisma that encapsulates its 

characters, this one is a perfect read for you. 

Modern Lovers by Emma Straub 

Elizabeth, Andrew and Zoe are three friends who are 

growing out of their former lives as bandmates and 

college students to become mature adults, ready to lead 

their own children in the world. But raising teens gets a 

little more interesting when the parents find out that the 

teens have been sleeping together. Straub humorously 

tells the tale of the shock of being middle aged, dealing 

with children who are doing things they probably 

shouldn’t, and the friendship and memories that come 

along with it all. This story features perspectives 

from all ages, and the dynamics of friendship and 

family that often coincide. 


Sweetbitter: A Novel 

by Stephanie Danler 

This story follows a 22-year-old named Tess 

who leaves her childhood home to start a new and 

exciting chapter in New York City. She begins her 

career in a modest job, working at one of the best 

restaurants in the city which proves to be exciting and 

exhausting. While she works long hours and struggles 

to learn the ropes, she also makes amazing friendships 

and uses her late nights to meet amazing and intriguing 

people. Danler creates a sexy and brilliant piece for her 

debut novel that will make you eager for the next. 

Girls on Fire by 

Robin Wasserman 

This is an intriguing tale of a Halloween night gone 

wrong, featuring a popular high school athlete who 

disappears in a tuft of thick Pennsylvania trees. A 

couple of days later, he is found mysteriously dead with 

a bullet in his head and a gun placed in his lifeless hand. 

This shocking story features polar opposite emotions, 

showcasing love and happiness along with addiction and 

bitter violence. Girls on Fire is an unforgettable thriller 

that perfectly captures the uncertainty of girlhood, told in 

the most raw and vulnerable form. 


THE DOUBLE 

STANDARD: 

Females in the entertainment industry 

By Natalie Brown 

Identity Thief, a popular film released 

in 2013 starring Jason Bateman and 

Melissa McCarthy, made more than 

$134 million at the domestic box 

office. McCarthy, known for her strong 

comedic performances in both lead and 

supporting roles, takes the audience 

on a hilarious journey. However, even 

though it features a woman in the lead 

role, Identity Thief does not pass what 

has become known as the Bechdel Test, 

which is used to determine if a work 

of fiction displays women in a strong 

way and if story lines featuring female 

characters are focused on something 

other than a man. 

Movies have an incredible power to 

influence society, and for many years 

now the film industry has often used 

that power for worse. In order for a 

movie to pass the Bechdel Test, it must 

feature at least two named female 

characters who talk to each other 

about something other than a man, 

and far fewer films pass this test than 

you might think. Because a majority of 

female characters have empty motives, 

are hypersexualized, lack dialogue, 

and are squeezed into tiny, not at all 

comprehensive gender roles, oftentimes 

audiences reflect those archetypes into 

their own reality. 

According to a study by the New 

York Film Academy, of the people 

working on the top 250 films of 2012, 

only 9 percent of directors, 15 percent 

of writers, 17 percent of executive 

producers, 20 percent of editors, and 

only two percent of cinematographers 

were female. With men dominating the 


the film industry, barring thousands of women from 

succeeding in their craft, women hold roles as promiscuous 

secretaries and sidekicks. 

In addition to a low percentage of women working behind 

the scenes, only 30.8 percent of women have speaking roles, 

and only 10 percent of movies have a balanced male-to-female 

cast. One third of those speaking females wore sexually 

suggestive clothing. Additionally, 28.8 percent of women 

in the top 250 movies wore revealing clothes, compared to 

seven percent of men. Twenty-six percent of female actors 

When the woman on screen 

is an oversexualized sidekick, 

women are degraded and 

ridden of opportunity. 

bare nudity, compared to just nine percent of male actors. 

Tackling the issue of gender inequality in the film industry 

has the potential to attack gender inequality everywhere. 

Artists have known that reality reflects art for centuries. Just 

ask Pablo Picasso or Oscar Wilde. Today our most exhausted 

art form is film and is enjoyed by people everywhere. The 


American pastime is going to the movies, and today we also 

have streaming sites like Netflix. As a result, as seen by artto-life-imitation 

throughout history, audiences see the story 

that is unfolding on screen as their expectation for what is 

“normal” in real life. Whatever archetypes the characters 

fulfill, the audience expects those characters to exist in the 

people they already know in relationships. 

When audiences of males and females alike see these 

stories and characters unfold on screen, they expect these 

stories to be true in their own lives. Audiences expect women 

to be submissive, unintelligent, unimportant and want to 

have sex with anyone. When women and young girls see 

a quality in themselves that doesn’t match up, they think 

there’s something wrong and try to behave more like the 

women they see on screen. 

When women are the ones directing these films, we see a 

10.6 percent increase of female characters on screen, and 

an 8.7 percent increase when women are the ones writing, 

according to the New York Film Academy study. 

When women have the opportunity to tell their stories 

and make their voices heard, whether through Pixar shorts, 

children’s TV shows, documentaries or Oscar winning films, 

the female characters become more genuine and authentic 

to reality. We see women loving and supporting each other 

instead of ridden with jealousy and competition. We see 

female leaders, female comics and promiscuous women

who aren’t slut shamed or hypersexualized. We see strong 

women in all shapes, sizes and lifestyles, who are all seen as 

beautiful within the story. We see strong female characters 

like Olivia Pope from Scandal, Leslie Knope from Parks and 

Recreation and Kara Danvers in Supergirl. 

When the woman on screen is an oversexualized sidekick, 

women are degraded and ridden of opportunity. Just 

imagine what could happen if instead, she were portrayed as 

a brilliant, strong, confident leader. Expectations for women 

would increase. With more of these films in theaters and 

shows on our televisions, reality will begin to reflect these 

movies and expect women to reach their full potential, which 

leads to a better society for everyone. 

This lack of women in the film and television industries is 

not because women don’t work hard, or because people don’t 

want to see them in lead roles. The most successful writer 

in television today is Shonda Rhimes, head writer of Grey’s 

Anatomy, How to Get Away With Murder and Scandal. She 

is someone who features female leaders, independent women 

and an equal male-to-female cast. In fact, she owns Thursday 

nights because audiences can’t get enough of her work. There 

are absolutely more people like Rhimes in the world, with 

more work like hers, we will begin to see a change in not only 

the film industry, but as society as a whole: a society that 

respects, uplifts and even celebrates the minds and bodies 

of diverse women. 


ENTERTAINMENT 

HBO’s Confirmation 

One giant leap for womankind 

By Natalie Brown 


In 1991, President George H. W. 

Bush nominated Clarence Thomas to 

the Supreme Court. There was little 

opposition to this decision until the 

FBI leaked an interview with a law 

professor named Anita Hill, who accused 

Thomas of sexual harassment in 

the workplace. 

Thomas’ Supreme Court confirmation 

hearings were then reopened. Hill 

was forced to come to D.C. and tell 

every detail of her recollection of the 

harassment in front of tons of strangers. 

She sat in the center of a large 

courtroom filled with strange men who 

stared at her as she shared her story. 

While 1991 still feels recent, most 

young people have never heard of Anita 

Hill — until HBO’s film, Confirmation. 

In spring of 2016, HBO released 

this film starring Kerry Washington 

as Anita Hill, depicting the events surrounding 

the Clarence Thomas hearings. 

This film reignites the flame that 

Hill started in 1991 for a new generation 

of women. 

In 1991, it was unheard of for a 

woman to publicly accuse a man of sexual 

harassment, although it was happening 

everywhere. Once Anita Hill 

bravely spoke out about her experience, 

doors opened for millions of women 

across the country who then felt compelled 

to speak out about their own 

experiences. Clarence Thomas was 

still appointed to the Supreme Court, 

but this was not a failure for women. 

Hill received thousands of letters from 

women sharing with her their own experiences, 

who then felt comfortable 

speaking out about the issue. 

Thanks to Anita Hill, many women 

no longer felt as though being assaulted 

or harassed was their own 

fault, and instead, they felt more 

comfortable creating a safer environment 

for themselves and the women in 

their lives. 

Sexual assault and harassment are 

things that are all too familiar today. 

Whether we’ve heard stories, taken 

cheesy online courses at our on-campus 

jobs on how to address it, learned 

about it in school, heard about it in our 

sorority chapter from local police officers, 

heard stories from friends or experienced 

it ourselves, our generation 

can’t go very long without running 

into the conversation surrounding sexual 

assault and harassment. 

Although it sometimes seems obnoxious 

to have this topic near the 

forefront of our lives, it is films like 

Confirmation that remind us how important 

it is to have an ongoing open 

conversation regarding the issue. 

While the generation before us experienced 

sexual assault maybe even more 

so than today, incidents were treated 

with a much lighter hand, and women 

were far less inclined to speak up 

about their experiences. Today, people 

are educated on what is and isn’t okay 

and they can act on it when they see an 

incident, and feel safe doing so. 

Anita Hill brought about a pivoting 

point in women’s history. Without 

Anita Hill, we would not have the understanding 

that we do today about 

sexual assault and harassment. While 

we might find our “sexual assault in 

the workplace” online courses cheesy 

and annoying, without them, it would 

still be happening far more often, and 

the negative feeling towards those 

who do sexually harass people would 

be nonexistent. 

If you haven’t seen Confirmation 

yet, head to HBO and be inspired by 

Anita Hill’s bravery.

ENTERTAINMENT 

Shows 

to stream 

when you should 

be studying 

Confirmation photo courtesy of HBO, Preacher photo courtesy of AMC 

By Mia Blackman 

Four seasons in a year equals four 

times a year you can catch new seasons 

of television. This fall brings a lineup 

of hot new series, so grab your favorite 

fall-flavored beverage and cozy flannel 

and settle in a for weekend of binge 

watching. Here are Alice’s favorite 

shows this season: 

Insecure 

In this HBO original the friendship 

between two women is explored while 

they journey through their daily 

lives. Friends Issa Dee and Molly go 

through awkward adventures and racy 

misfortunes, and experience what it 

truly means to be modern-day African- 

American woman. Insecure features a 

diverse cast and situations so relatable 

it’s almost cringe worthy. Insecure is 

now available on HBO and streamable 

on HBO Go. 

Grace and Frankie 

A retired cosmetics mogul and a 

free-spirited hippie find themselves 

in an unlikely friendship after 

discovering their husbands are in 

love — with each other. The husbands 

leave their wives to marry each other, 

leaving the women alone. While the 

husbands deal with coming out to 

their colleagues, the women, who share 

an already tense relationship, decide 

to live together and help each other 

through the next chapter in their lives. 

Grace and Frankie, through its quirky 

characters and unique storyline, tells 

us that you should never be afraid 

to live the life you’re meant to live. 

You can catch seasons one and two 

currently streaming on Netflix. 

Master of None 

In this Netflix original created 

by Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang, a 

30-year-old actor going through a 

delayed coming-of-age must navigate 

his life in New York City. Without a 

master plan, he and his friends deal 

with their personal and professional 

lives while learning the ups and downs 

of being an adult. Masters of None 

deals with everything from feminism 

and the sexual harassment of woman 

to the cultural clash of being a first 

generation citizen. You can catch 

season one of this drama-comedy 

currently streaming on Netflix. 

Preacher 

With the power of Genesis, a 

preacher tries to help the people in 

his town return to the church. With 

the help of his vampire best friend, he 

discovers that he may have to save to 

townspeople from something bigger 

than just their “lack of faith.” This 

supernatural drama abandons its 

Preacher title and takes a surprisingly 

dark turn. You can watch season one 

on AMC.com. 

UnReal 

This dark dramedy follows the 

warped ways of a young producer on 

the set of a popular reality dating TV 

show. While manipulating the contestants, 

and with her overbearing boss 

breathing down her neck, the producer 

struggles internally with choosing to 

follow her moral compass or do what’s 

best for the show. UnReal is dripping 

with backstabbing, manipulation and 

tremendous drama. You will want 

to look away, but you just can’t. Season 

one is currently on Hulu but you 

can also catch season two streaming 

on Lifetime.com. 



Kylie Bunbury stars in Pitch | photo courtesy of Fox

Slide into Pitch this fall 

By Serena Bailey 

“This is one of those moments in 

sports where you’ll remember where 

you were when you saw it,” says a 

sports announcer in the first trailer for 

Fox’s new baseball centric show, Pitch. 

Described as “a true story, on the 

verge of happening,” Pitch follows 

Ginny Baker (played by Kylie Bunbury) 

as she is drafted for the San Diego 

Padres, becoming the first female 

player in Major League Baseball. 

The show is the next project for 

executive producer Dan Fogelman 

(The Neighbors, Galavant), a longtime 

baseball fan. He told The Hollywood 

Reporter in May that the project was 

originally conceived by writer Rick 

Singer and producer/director Tony Bill 

as a movie, but Fogelman convinced 

them it would work better as a show. 

“It’s a show about a young woman 

coming of age,” said Fogelman at the 

Television Critics Association press 

tour. “It’s not just about baseball – it’s 

a show that takes place in the world 

of baseball.” 

In order to make the show as realistic 

as possible, producers took advantage 

of Fox’s pre-existing relationship with 

the MLB (Fox has the showing rights 

to all post-season games, including the 

World Series), working closely with the 

organization in an unprecedented way. 

Fox Sports’ C.J. Nitkowski looks over 

scripts, and MLB players and other 

officials act in background roles and as 

professional trainers for the cast. The 

MLB also allows the show to film at 

Petco Park, home of the real life San 

Diego Padres, on the team’s days off. 

Fogelman and other executive 

producers have said they aim for the 

show to be the West Wing of baseball, 

combining human emotion and sports 

procedure into a story even non-sports 

fans will enjoy. 

“We’re focusing a lot of the drama 

inside the team,” Fogelman said. “Is 

this a distraction for the team? Those 

are the kind of interpersonal dynamics 

I find most interesting… The world is 

very ready — has been for some time 

— to dive into female athletics.” 

Ginny’s story is one that Fogelman 

hopes, and believes, will become reality 

in his lifetime. 

“When it happens, that young 

woman will become the biggest story in 

the country overnight,” he said. “The 

amount of tension and eyeballs on her 

every move is interesting drama. I find 

it hard to fathom in the great wide 

world who would really be against this? 

If a young woman comes along who is 

capable of playing with the guys, I 

can’t think of a person who wouldn’t 

be interested in seeing it.” 

Bunbury trained for the lead role for 

two months before shooting the pilot 

to make sure her pitching style was 

authentic. She hopes that young girls 

who see her as Ginny will be inspired 

by the character. 

“I think it is really important for 

young girls to see themselves [on TV], 

so the fact that I’m a woman of color 

playing a strong female character is 

incredible,” Bunbury said at The Paley 

Center’s PaleyFest Fall TV Previews 

in September. “It is incredibly 

important, because I know things that 

I watched growing up made an impact 

on my choices, so I hope this will have 

an impact on young girls’ choices as 

well and empower them.” 

A show that brings together elements 

of girl power, following your dreams, 

and a the gritty world of professional 

sports, Pitch is absolutely a mustwatch 

this fall. Check out season one 

now on Fox. 


ENTERTAINMENT 

A twist in yo 

Music swaps for 

By Katie Huff 

With each semester comes the essential walk-to-class 

playlist. It’s the music that puts a little more jive in your 

step when you wake up on Monday morning. It makes you 

feel unstoppable as you walk to your test. It makes you 

dance as you quicken your steps across the quad. Swap your 

mainstream jams for some under-the-radar music that will 

have you skipping all the way to your earliest class. Here are 

Alice’s picks that we hope will make the cut this semester: 


ur tunes: 

every genre 

If you like: The Lumineers 

Listen to: Houndmouth 

Houndmouth, comprised of three guys from 

Indiana, creates a special combination of folksy 

and alternative sounds. Their song, “Sedona,” 

about the abandoned Hollywood found in Arizona, 

provides easy listening that is perfect for 

studying. The Lumineers and Houndmouth both 

embody ease with their use of bluegrass vibes. 

If you like: Childish Gambino 

Listen to: Vince Staples 

Staples released his first album in 2014 and has 

had a small but loyal fan base ever since. Known 

for his brutal honesty, Staples uses modern rap 

to express his societal concerns in his newest EP, 

Prima Donna. The album discusses the public’s 

high demand on artists and the problems with 

these pressures. Staples makes a powerful statement 

through his lyrics and music. 

If you like: Grouplove 

Listen to: Stop Light Observations 

An alternative rock band from Charleston, 

South Carolina, the members of Stop Light Observations 

have been playing together since their 

adolescence, but their song, “Circadian Rhythms 

(Dusk)” has only recently gained popularity. 

On their newest album Toogoodoo songs like “Security,” 

show off the band’s storytelling abilities. 

If you like: Haim 

Listen to: Joseph 

Recently on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy 

Fallon, Joseph is comprised of three sisters, just 

like the California-original Haim. Their second 

album, I’m Alone, No You’re Not, was released on 

Aug. 26. While their sound is more folksy than 

Haim’s, both bands have mastered the art of family 

harmonization. Joseph’s song “White Flag” is 

a ballad written by and for soul sisters that will 

make you want to get up and groove. 

If you like: Moon Taxi 

Listen to: New Madrid 

From Athens, Georgia, New Madrid is a rock 

band whose album feels like an extended jam session. 

Like Moon Taxi, New Madrid has mastered 

the art of combining different genres into one 

cohesive sound. “Country Moon Pt. 1” from the 

band’s first album exemplifies their meandering 

and acoustic sound. Their newest album, magnetkingmagnetqueen, 

released in April, is more 

psychedelic than previous, but stays true to the 

original sound. 


ENTERTAINMENT 

Jam in the ‘Ham 

Birmingham concerts you don’t want to miss 

Carrie Underwood | photo courtesy of BJCC 

By Michaela Hancock 

Concerts are a timeless escape: a few 

hours devoted to just you and the music. 

The lights come up, the drummer takes 

his seat, the first chords are blasted 

from the guitar and all is well with the 

world. The Birmingham music scene is 

bustling, and regardless of your tastes 

there is a concert for you this season. 

Check out what acts are heading to the 

Magic City. 

Carrie Underwood 

at Legacy Arena 

November 14: Carrie Underwood 

is one of the most successful artists 

in the modern country world and 

beyond. After winning season four of 

American Idol, Underwood released 

her first album that includes classic 

songs “Jesus, Take the Wheel” and 

“Before He Cheats.” Today she 

continues to please fans with songs 

like “Something in the Water” and her 

latest album Storyteller. Catch her on 

tour with tickets available at legacy. 

arenabirmingham.com. 

The 1975 at 

BJCC Concert Hall 

November 23: The 1975 found 

mainstream success in the U.S. with 

their single “Chocolate” from their 

first album. This year they’ve owned 

the radio with their newest hit “The 

Sound.” But even with their popularity, 

they are not your typical pop band. See 

them rock out Birmingham with tickets 

available at boxofficeticket.center/ 

venues/bjcc-concert-hall-tickets. 

Goo Goo Dolls at 


November 27: The Goo Goo Dolls 

were formed in 1986 and reached 

superstar status about a decade later 

with the release of “Iris.” Another 

two decades have passed, and they 

are still going strong as they continue 

to write and record new music. Don’t 

miss them this November, as they 

are accompanied by alternative band 

SafetySuit. Tickets available at 

boxofficeticket.center/venues/bjccconcert-hall-tickets. 

Still don’t see anything you 

like? Check out one of these 

other hot B’ham concerts: 

• 10/23 Newsboys at 


• 11/04 Red Jumpsuit 

Apparatus at Zydeco 

• 11/07 Ingrid 

Michaelson at Iron 

City Bham 

• 11/11 Gucci Mane 

and Friends at Legacy 

Arena at the BJCC 

• 11/11 Kip Moore with 

Jon Pardi at Alabama 

Theatre 


ENTERTAINMENT 

St. Paul and the 

Broken Bones 

By Ellen Johnson 

With the release of their latest album, 

Sea of Noise, the homegrown, Alabamaoriginal 

band St. Paul and the Broken 

Bones is making waves not only in the 

southern music scene but across the 

world. Fresh off a European tour, the 

band is back with a dynamic new sound 

and a slew of fresh new jams, all with 

the classic R&B vibes that made their 

debut album Half the City famous in 

2014. Born in Birmingham in 2012, 

this eight-piece ensemble headed by 

lead vocalist Paul Janeway has been 

unstoppable ever since. We sat down 

with bassist Jesse Phillips to get details 

on making the new record, musical idols 

and what’s it’s like to tour with the boys. 

Alice: How did you get involved 

with the band and when? 

Jesse: It evolved out of my personal 

friendship with Paul after I moved to 

Birmingham in 2006. Me and Paul 

became fast friends. We hung out a lot 

and played music together and at some 

point we decided to start going into 

the studio to document our musical 

friendship and write some songs. It 

went from having three or four songs 

to having a few gigs to having a band 

by early 2013. We had management and 

a record deal and we started touring. 

That record came out in 2014 and we’ve 

been on the road ever since. 

Alice: Can you tell us about the 

process of making the new album? 

Jesse: Fast forward two years and the 

band is now a lot more aware of its 

musical strengths. I think we decided 

we were going to try to make a record 

that played to those strengths a little 

more. Something that was more threedimensional, 

a little more textured, 

layered, a bit more musical. This time 

we tried to make something you could 

listen to over and over and get new 

things and sort of peel the layers back 

a little more and get something new out 

of it. There’s more attention to detail 

for sure. 

Alice: What is one of the funniest or 

craziest things that has happened 

while on tour? 

Jesse: We’re actually well behaved 

people on the road. Everybody is kind of 

respectful – you have to be when there’s 

eight people in the band and you’re on 

the road. Nobody gets too inebriated 

and no debauchery of that kind in the 

band. Sometimes funny stuff happens 

on the road and Paul can be a wild hog 

on the stage. One of the last shows was 

this big German rock and roll festival 

and so they’re broadcasting it on 

national television while we’re playing. 

It’s late and we’ve had some technical 

difficulties. Somehow by the end of the 

last song Paul ended up with no pants 

and I’m pretty sure that ended up on 

national television. 

Alice: What’s your favorite meal 

on tour? 

Jesse: It varies by region. For instance, 

when you’re in France, you’re virtually 

guaranteed to get a good meal no matter 

where you’re eating. In France or Spain 

I’ll give myself up to whatever is going 

on because it’s usually always good. In 

England there’s lots of amazing Indian 

food – the best curry I’ve ever had was 

in London. But if we’re in the States 

– some place where there’s a barbeque 

tradition we’ll look for great barbeque. 

Or if we’re in New York we’ll look for 

great pizza. So it just sort of depends on 

where you are. The band is very foodcentric. 

When you’re on tour, your life 

can be a little boring. So what you’re 

going to eat that day that day can be a 

bigger decision than it should be. 

Alice: What is your favorite song to 

perform and why? 

Jesse: That can change, depending on 

your mindset and where you’re at and 

the crowd response and everything. 

Most of my favorite ones now are the 


newer songs we’re tinkering with from 

the new record. Imagine playing the 

same pool of 10 or 11 songs from your 

first record for like three or four years. 

You don’t get tired of it ever when you’re 

playing in front of people, but it is really 

exciting to be able to start to experiment 

with new stuff. 

Alice: Who are your musical idols? 

Jesse: All the studio players from up 

in Muscle Shoals, like David Hood and 

Jimmy Jackson, all those dudes are so 

musical and so humble and so nice – all 

just great musicians and songwriters 

up there. And they’re really great role 

models, not only as musicians but as 

people. My first sort of real love for a 

band was The Beatles and John Lennon 

was my favorite, but these days now that 

I’m an adult I try to draw inspiration 

from wherever I can. 

Alice: What is the last album you 

listened to? Did you like it? 

Jesse: This is a weird one by 

Khruanebin. It’s mostly instrumental 

and the band is very influenced by 

this sort of obscure strain of Thai folk 

music from the ‘70s. The record is not 

really Western-sounding. It’s kind of 

jazzy funk laid back but it has Eastern 

twinges to some of the melodies. That’s 

a record I’ve been really into because 

it’s a little out of the box but it still 

sounds and feels very nice. It’s very chill 

and listenable. 

Alice: What’s it like when you 

get together with the band in 

the studio? 

Jesse: Sometimes you have a really good 

idea of what’s going to happen but the 

structure of the song is already there 

so you’re kind of trying to find how you 

want to present it aesthetically. It can 

get pretty specific like turning around 

one mic for an hour. It’s a lot more loose 

and expansive sometimes. There’ll just 

be an idea or we’ll be sitting around in 

the studio and someone will just jump 

in. It’s a combination of both. Our band 

is very collaborative. For ours there’s 

a little more experimentation and 

approach. We’re in there total for like 

23/24 days this time, for 12 or 13 songs. 

Alice: What do you hope people 

will experience when listening to 

the new album? 

Jesse: I think just that we’re still the 

band people have grown to really enjoy. 

We’re still at heart an R&B band, but 

we’ve matured a little bit and grown 

both as a band and as musicians and 

are able to provide a more multifaceted 

listening experience. If I had to pick 

one word to describe the first record I’d 

say it’s a very visceral record. I’d like to 

think that this one we’ve made a record 

that’s still visceral but combined with 

more cerebral elements. 

Alice: What’s the future look like? 

Jesse: It feels like there’s a lot of big 

things coming up. We’ve created a new 

show around the new record and added 

some of the newer songs in. So we’re 

super excited to debut the new show. We 

mostly just hope that people enjoy the 

record and enough people buy it. So we 

can make another one. 

St. Paul & The Broken Bones’ album Sea 

of Noise is available now on iTunes. 


Don’t miss 

our next issue 

Award-winning Alice returns for a big 

Spring Preview issue in late January (just when we’ll 

need it to survive the final weeks of winter). Only 

$3.99 for a single copy, or $9.99 for a three-issue 

subscription at store.osm.ua.edu

Alice Vol. 2 No. 1

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