Alice Vol. 2 No. 2
Published by UA Student Media in Spring 2017.
Published by UA Student Media in Spring 2017.
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WILD<br />
FLOWER<br />
Flourish this spring season in fantastic styles that<br />
will make you the life of the tea party<br />
STUCK IN THE<br />
FRIEND ZONE<br />
Six students weigh in on<br />
the relationship phenomenon<br />
GIRLS JUST<br />
WANNA HAVE FUN-<br />
DAMENTAL RIGHTS<br />
Defining the modern feminist<br />
$3.99 <strong>Vol</strong>. 2, <strong>No</strong>. 2<br />
BACKFLIPS<br />
FOR BAMA<br />
A day in the life of a<br />
great college gymnast<br />
The University of Alabama | Spring 2017
TIMELY<br />
The clock is ticking on the final days of<br />
winter, and what better way to celebrate<br />
the start of a new season than a trip to<br />
Tuscaloosa’s legendary (and some say<br />
haunted) Drish House? Join <strong>Alice</strong> in this<br />
issue’s adventures, each one more curious<br />
than the last. Cheers!
Letter from the Editor<br />
On the web:<br />
Twitter: @alicethemag<br />
Instagram: @alicethemag<br />
facebook.com/alicethemag<br />
alice.ua.edu<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> on Pinterest:<br />
pinterest.com/alicemagazine<br />
Editorial and Advertising offices for <strong>Alice</strong> Magazine are located at<br />
414 Campus Drive East, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487.<br />
The mailing address is P.O. Box 870170, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487.<br />
Phone: (205) 348-7257.<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> is published by the Office of Student Media<br />
at The University of Alabama.<br />
All content and design are produced by students<br />
in consultation with professional staff advisers.<br />
All material contained herein, except advertising or where<br />
indicated otherwise, is copyrighted © 2017 by <strong>Alice</strong> Magazine.<br />
Material herein may not be reprinted without the<br />
expressed, written permission of <strong>Alice</strong> Magazine.<br />
In the months leading up to the release of this issue, the staff<br />
and I have been working hard to make our best and most edgy<br />
issue yet. As always, we want to put our absolute greatest product<br />
out there for you. We have loved every second of creating this<br />
season’s magazine. From staying deliriously late at the Office of<br />
Student Media to trying to get Wi-Fi in Chengdu, China to make<br />
sure that I haven’t missed any messages about <strong>Alice</strong>, it has been<br />
one heck of a job so far.<br />
For this issue of <strong>Alice</strong>, one of my favorite books came to<br />
life. Through fashion and photography, we were able to create<br />
our version of <strong>Alice</strong> in Wonderland at a charming and inviting<br />
antebellum home, the Drish House. As we adventure into her<br />
world, I came to find our <strong>Alice</strong> is much like Lewis Carroll’s<br />
<strong>Alice</strong>. She is loving, headstrong, carefree, curious, intelligent<br />
and imaginative. I hope you are able to see that young, witty girl<br />
through the stories in our magazine.<br />
We have better fashion, bigger articles and beautiful photos. If<br />
you want to know the best cruelty-free makeup products to use,<br />
go to page 7. For fashion trends and a magical carnival scene,<br />
turn to page 14. Thumb through the magazine to land on our<br />
story about being stuck in the friend zone (page 24). To learn<br />
more about the modern feminist or the LGBTQ community on<br />
campus, flip to page 54 and 58. If you are still hanging on to<br />
those New Year’s resolutions (unfortunately, I am not) go to page<br />
67 to read about kickboxing. Our Q&A with Dillon Hodges a.k.a.<br />
firekid is definitely one not to miss (page 88).<br />
I think everyone knows how proud I am of <strong>Alice</strong>. It’s not just a<br />
bunch of pages to me. It’s the frantic calls to me (sick and asleep)<br />
as my editors pull together an entire fashion shoot at the last<br />
minute. It’s the running up and down the stairs of the Drish<br />
House, which after a few times felt very similar to the steps<br />
of The Great Wall of China. It’s all the experiences and funny<br />
memories from creating <strong>Alice</strong>.<br />
With this spring season, the rain will pour, the flowers will<br />
grow and I can hardly wait for everyone to have this issue of<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> in their hands. My team and I wish you the loveliest time<br />
reading these 92 carefully crafted pages. This issue will probably<br />
pair nicely with a hot cup of tea. As I wrap this letter up, I would<br />
just like to ask, “Why is a raven like a writing desk?” Because I<br />
haven’t the slightest idea.<br />
Paige Burleson
Editorial<br />
Editor in Chief PAIGE BURLESON<br />
Creative Director MARIA OSWALT<br />
Director of Photography EMILY HEATH<br />
Managing Editor CLAIRE TURNER<br />
Market Editors ALLIE BINFORD AND ALEXIS DANZO<br />
Online Editor LAURA TESTINO<br />
Beauty Editor KAILA WASHINGTON<br />
Lifestyle Editor ALLISON COHEN<br />
Assisstant Lifestyle Editor RACHEL WILBURN<br />
Fashion Editor DEVEN FELDSTEIN<br />
Food and Health Editor MADISON SULLIVAN<br />
Entertainment Editor ELLEN JOHNSON<br />
Social Media Coordinator DONICA BURTON<br />
Contributing Writers MADDY ARD, SERENA BAILEY, KATIE BELL, EMILEE BENOS, MIA BLACKMAN,<br />
SARA BETH BOLIN, ALLISON COHEN, JADA CULVER, ELIZABETH ELKIN, ALEXIS FAIRE,<br />
ANALIESE GERALD, KYARRA HARRIS, JILL HOLLOWAY, KATIE HUFF, NICOLE JEFFERY, ELLEN JOHNSON,<br />
ANNA KLEMENT, MARY CLAY KLINE, LAUREN LANE, LAWSON MOHL, CLAIRE TURNER,<br />
CAROLINE WELLS, SAM WEST, RACHEL WILBURN, KELSEY ZAROFF<br />
Contributing Photographers PRESTLEY BRAMLETT, ERIN COHEN, RAMSEY GRIFFIN,<br />
NICOLE RODRIGUEZ, TEAH SHAW, SARAH WESTMORELAND<br />
Models HALEIGH AMEND, MADI BEDSOLE, KATALINA BLAIR, ABIGAIL COLEMAN,<br />
RYLEY FLATHMAN, MALAYSIA FORD, KRISTEN GRAVES,TIERANI JACKSON, XAVIA JACKSON,<br />
NIKKI MCCOOL, DYLAN WALKER, LAUREN WILLIAMS, XI ZHANG<br />
Hair and Makeup HALEIGH AMEND, ALLIE LOWERY, KAILA WASHINGTON<br />
Marketing Team AIMEE INTAGLIATA , BRIANA BETTISON, SHELLEY BUCKLEY, CAROLINE DISIMONI,<br />
KATIE HUFF, MADISON MAYFIELD, COURTNEY SCARBORO, ALEJANDRA TENORIO, JULIA TRAVAGLINE<br />
Advertising<br />
Advertising Manager RUFUS ALDRIDGE (cwadmanager@gmail.com)<br />
Advertising Creative Director GRANT SNOW (cwcreativemanager@gmail.com)<br />
Sales Representatives (205) 348-7845<br />
JADE LEDET, LIZZIE MIZENKO<br />
Advisers<br />
Editorial MARK MAYFIELD (msmayfield1@ua.edu)<br />
Published by UA Office of Student Media<br />
Director PAUL WRIGHT<br />
[2] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
Table of<br />
Contents<br />
Beauty<br />
5 LEARNING FROM THE FRENCH<br />
7 CRITTER CONSCIOUS<br />
9 EYELASH EXTENSIONS<br />
10 PERFECT PERFUME<br />
Fashion<br />
12 LEATHER & LACE<br />
14 ELECTRIC LOVE<br />
ABOUT THE COVER: Down the rabbit hole we fell, as the<br />
historic Drish House in Tuscaloosa, Alabama transformed<br />
into our personal Wonderland. Lose your head over all<br />
the antique teacups, dreamy surroundings and our reminiscent<br />
styling. Join <strong>Alice</strong>, the Mad Hatter, the Queen of<br />
Hearts and the Cheshire Cat for a very important date.<br />
Don’t be late.<br />
Photographer: EMILY HEATH<br />
See story: PAGE 28<br />
Lifestyle<br />
19 LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX<br />
21 48 HOURS IN ATLANTA<br />
24 STUCK IN THE FRIEND ZONE<br />
26 JUNK IN THE TRUNK<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [3]
Features<br />
28 WONDERLAND<br />
40 VICTIM TURNED VICTORIOUS<br />
43 LOTS OF FUR AND A LITTLE FAITH<br />
48 CELEBRATING COLOR<br />
52 GHOST STORIES<br />
54 GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE<br />
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS<br />
58 BEYOND THE BARRIER<br />
Health<br />
& Food<br />
62 VITAMINS, MINERALS AND SUPPLEMENTS, OH MY!<br />
64 BACKFLIPS FOR BAMA<br />
67 A TREND WITH A PUNCH<br />
69 SNACK HACKS<br />
70 FRUIT PIZZA<br />
Entertainment<br />
72 RIDE THE MOON TAXI<br />
74 SPRING BREAK READS<br />
76 HOLLYWOOD’S HELPING HANDS<br />
77 SECRETS OF SPOTIFY<br />
79 FUNNY FACE<br />
82 TALE AS OLD AS TIME<br />
87 UPCOMING CONCERTS<br />
88 FIREKID Q&A<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> would like to thank<br />
the following stores for<br />
providing outfits and<br />
accessories for photo shoots:<br />
LULUS.COM<br />
FRANCESCA’S<br />
AZ WELL<br />
LAVISH<br />
PANTS STORE<br />
TWICE AS NICE<br />
BURCH AND HATFIELD TUXEDO<br />
URBAN OUTFITTERS<br />
[4] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
BEAUTY<br />
Learning from<br />
the French<br />
By Anna Klement<br />
It’s no secret the French are enviable<br />
when it comes to many things. They<br />
are natural leaders of style, dating back<br />
to the French Revolution in the time of<br />
powdered wigs and outlandish beauty<br />
treatments — trés chic.<br />
I don’t think anyone actually knows<br />
what makes the French so good at<br />
everything when it comes to beauty,<br />
fashion and their<br />
general je ne sais<br />
quoi. Maybe it’s<br />
their low-maintenance<br />
regimens or their ability to<br />
make a crisp white t-shirt and jeans<br />
look glamorous. Or maybe it’s their<br />
innocence when bombarded with questions<br />
about their skin care regimen,<br />
when the answers are quite simple.<br />
In the world of<br />
beauty, you could<br />
find an array of articles,<br />
digital and<br />
print, of American<br />
women trying<br />
to pinpoint what it<br />
is that makes the<br />
French so damn<br />
effortless and cool.<br />
From the extensive<br />
research done<br />
by a beauty junkie,<br />
like myself, I have<br />
found the French take a holistic, medical<br />
approach to skin care. The saying<br />
“less is better” is certainly true.<br />
Rarely will you see a French woman<br />
with a full face of makeup (unless it’s<br />
Marie Antoinette) and I believe this is<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [5]
something the French admire about<br />
American women — we can pull off a<br />
face of makeup and look put-together.<br />
However, we Americans tend to have<br />
the “if there’s a flaw, fix it” attitude on<br />
our face and body. If we have wrinkles,<br />
we get Botox. If we get a pimple, we do<br />
a Google search and buy the best-selling<br />
“blemish diminish” product Sephora<br />
offers. It’s amazing that it’s considered<br />
hygienic to go to the dentist twice<br />
a year to clean our teeth, but facials<br />
are considered a luxury instead of a<br />
necessary deep cleaning. This is all<br />
overwhelming to the French, who take<br />
to simple, medical or natural remedies<br />
– which doesn’t mean their products<br />
can’t be luxurious.<br />
It’s amazing that it’s considered hygienic to<br />
go to the dentist twice a year to clean our<br />
teeth, but facials are considered a luxury<br />
instead of a necessary deep cleaning.<br />
They rock their freckles or tooth gaps.<br />
As far as makeup goes, they are crazy<br />
unique. <strong>No</strong> one does a signature<br />
smoky eye with nude lips, messy hair<br />
and bushy eyebrows like Françoise<br />
Hardy or Jane Birkin. And there’s<br />
nothing more feminine than minimal<br />
makeup with pale skin and a<br />
bold red lip.<br />
When it comes to products, you<br />
can find a mirage of beauty products<br />
with French heritages. NARS makeup<br />
makes one of the best blush tones<br />
that makeup artists use on all types<br />
of women. Caudalie’s Beauty Elixir<br />
is a life-changing product I’ve been<br />
using for a few years that refreshes,<br />
tones and cools my skin mid-afternoon.<br />
La Roche Posay<br />
makes wonderful<br />
sunscreens, which is<br />
a priority to French<br />
women. Sun care<br />
is essential to preserve longevity and<br />
protect your skin. Loccitane Sweet<br />
Almond Oil is a hydrating, nourishing<br />
formula, which is naturally great<br />
for your skin. Of course, Chanel and<br />
Lancôme are beauty giant brands that<br />
will always be timeless in the world<br />
of beauty — but isn’t that what the<br />
French are so great at?<br />
In an interview with Elle, actress<br />
Clémence Poésy gives us the secret to<br />
French style: “Uhh… being born in<br />
France?” she said innocently. Perhaps<br />
one of the greatest things about this<br />
romance with French beauty is that<br />
they are completely oblivious to what<br />
makes them so beautiful. *<br />
But don’t mistake low-maintenance<br />
for negligence. The French definitely<br />
invest in their skin creams and<br />
formulas. French pharmacies are a<br />
beauty lover’s dream. They are filled<br />
with aisles of skin care and topical<br />
medicines. French women are not gym<br />
junkies. In fact, they rarely work out.<br />
Instead, they believe in nature<br />
walks or taking the stairs.<br />
The only thing they’re lazy<br />
at is their makeup routine.<br />
They eat cleaner, not necessarily<br />
vegan or healthy,<br />
but definitely minimize the<br />
processed food. This is huge<br />
in skin care, and any dermatologist<br />
will recommend you<br />
change your diet before you<br />
walk into the office freaking<br />
out about that weird and rare<br />
phenomenon on your chin called<br />
“acne.” French women embrace<br />
their weight and impurities and<br />
tend to enjoy au natural lifestyles.<br />
[6] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
BEAUTY<br />
CRITTER<br />
CONSCIOUS<br />
By Lawson Mohl<br />
With an increasing awareness about what goes<br />
into the products we know and love, it’s no surprise<br />
that we’re caring more about how ethical the<br />
things we put on our skin really are. As much<br />
as we love our glittering eyeshadows and matte<br />
lipsticks, if our pets had to wear them, would we<br />
consider buying?<br />
“Cruelty-free” is a label popping up everywhere,<br />
sometimes proudly displayed on both indie and<br />
name brands alike and sometimes discovered<br />
through an online search. Regardless, if you’re<br />
looking for brands that are both quality and treat<br />
our furry friends well, <strong>Alice</strong> has got your guide.<br />
CRUELTY-FREE GUIDELINES<br />
You may be asking yourself, what even defines<br />
a makeup brand as cruelty-free? According<br />
to logicalharmony.net (a fantastic source for all<br />
your ethical makeup needs), cruelty-free products<br />
have no form of animal testing at any stage of<br />
the product development. Cruelty-free makeup<br />
doesn’t automatically mean a product is vegan:<br />
In order to claim that label, companies can’t use<br />
any ingredient that comes from animals in their<br />
production.<br />
The Edgy Friend: Urban Decay<br />
The adoration of Urban Decay<br />
eyeshadows is no secret to makeup<br />
artists and lovers everywhere. While<br />
also being cruelty-free, Urban Decay’s<br />
Naked palettes have been wildly successful<br />
throughout all of their iterations.<br />
They’ve collaborated with Gwen<br />
Stefani and featured Ruby Rose in<br />
their Vice lipstick campaign (if you’re<br />
looking for a bold lip, check the collection<br />
out). And don’t forget about their<br />
Primer Potion eye primer, which is<br />
well-loved as one of the greats.<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [7]
The Sleeper Hit: ColourPop<br />
Boasting low prices and a range of<br />
product, ColourPop has made waves<br />
in the beauty scene over the past few<br />
years as being both affordable and<br />
good quality. Along with being cruelty-free,<br />
the brand has a variety of lip<br />
products spanning an assortment of<br />
colors, textures and finishes. Their<br />
pigmented shadows and creamy eyeliners<br />
(they don’t budge in the waterline<br />
– seriously) are nothing to laugh<br />
at either.<br />
The Colorful Confectioner: Sugarpill<br />
Sugarpill has gained recognition for<br />
their Pro Palette, a way for makeup<br />
addicts to customize exactly what pans<br />
of Sugarpill shadow go into their purchase.<br />
While also being cruelty-free,<br />
they have a selection of vegan products<br />
from lipsticks to lashes that they make<br />
a special note of on their website. The<br />
pigment of Sugarpill’s eyeshadows<br />
is raved about: Many attribute their<br />
Love+ pressed eyeshadow as being<br />
the best true red on the market, and<br />
they carry a diverse spread of other<br />
bright colors. *<br />
The Ultimate Glow:<br />
Anastasia Beverly Hills<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> has already covered Anastasia’s<br />
Glow Kits, but it bears repeating:<br />
They’re the perfect highlighters for<br />
achieving your dream celestial glow,<br />
and they have a range of kits for every<br />
skin tone. On top of being cruelty-free,<br />
Anastasia Beverly Hills released their<br />
Modern Renaissance palette a while<br />
back, the ultimate collection of every<br />
warm-tone shadow we could ever<br />
dream of. Their brow products are also<br />
perfect for sculpting your way to an effortless<br />
eyebrow.<br />
So whether you’re an eyeliner<br />
person, a foundation person or just<br />
love it all, there’s a brand out there<br />
that’s perfect for you and your furry<br />
friend. Next time you’re exploring<br />
your local Sephora, be sure to support<br />
the companies that support the<br />
environment, too.<br />
[8] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
BEAUTY<br />
By Nicole Jeffery<br />
If you are a woman who enjoys applying a fresh face of<br />
makeup to look and feel your best, then you know that the most<br />
unenjoyable part is applying your mascara while making that<br />
scary Grudge face, trying not to gouge your eyeballs out for<br />
about five minutes every day. And if you are really trying to<br />
step up your game, then you know that tampering with false<br />
lashes isn’t such a quick task either. But to what lengths,<br />
and to what costs, are you willing to achieve that whispy,<br />
butterfly effect?<br />
As the eyelash extension trend grows, we hear more and<br />
more mixed reviews about the tolerance and money that goes<br />
into maintaining them. We also hear horror stories of permanent<br />
eyelash loss due to extensions, and we couldn’t help but<br />
dig deeper into finding out the backstory of these tragedies.<br />
If you’re worried about ruining your real lashes, fear not.<br />
Just like every other hair follicle on your body, eyelashes<br />
fall out and regrow as a part of a natural cycle, which is a<br />
full six to eight weeks. However, if done incorrectly, eyelash<br />
extensions can cause minor temporary damage. As long as<br />
they are applied with quality and skill, the outcome is truly<br />
envious yet effortless lashes.<br />
Lash extension applications can take as long as two hours.<br />
Because everyone’s lash growth varies, eyelash technicians<br />
suggest a refill every three to four weeks to maintain the full<br />
look. That being said, if you are someone who gets anxious<br />
being confined in a nail salon for long periods of time, then<br />
it is likely that repeating the lash extension process once a<br />
month is not ideal. However, if you dread the facial cramps<br />
that come from everyday mascara application like I do, then<br />
laying down on a salon bed every once in a while to replace the<br />
mascara routine would not be something to complain about.<br />
One thing everyone should know about lash extensions<br />
is that they are a second job. After your first fill, you will<br />
usually receive a list of rules explaining the habits you must<br />
form in order to keep them looking full and neatly feathered.<br />
If you are interested in getting lash extensions then<br />
you have to be okay with daily combing, sleeping on your<br />
back and applying baby oil daily to keep them from drying<br />
out. Despite all of these requirements, lash extensions can<br />
completely enhance your entire look and you will find yourself<br />
drowning in compliments.<br />
So the remaining question is: are lash extensions really<br />
worth the money? The answer is yes – and no. Everyone is<br />
different and is entitled to their own preferences. The saying<br />
“there is no right way to apply makeup” relates to the<br />
fact that not all women are going to experience the same<br />
reaction to certain makeup products and techniques. So the<br />
answer is no, because it is possible that you pay up to $180<br />
for a thick set of lashes and come to find out that they just<br />
aren’t for you. In contrast, many lash extension businesses<br />
have been very successful and have converted countless<br />
women from the hassle of using mascara and false lashes.<br />
Just like as you would with a hair stylist, research your<br />
local lash extension technicians, read reviews and find before-and-after<br />
pictures to guarantee quality service. So<br />
ditch your mascara or don’t, but either way embrace your<br />
unique beauty through every makeup trend! *<br />
Crisis Pregnancy?<br />
We want to help you.<br />
Free Counseling,<br />
Adoption, and<br />
Multi-Level<br />
Support Services<br />
Available<br />
205-324-6561<br />
info@cfsbhm.org<br />
www.cfsbhm.org<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [9]
BEAUTY<br />
We all know perfume is the last step to complete your<br />
daily routine. We know the drill: You spray some Victoria’s<br />
Secret body spray in the air and shimmy through it before<br />
leaving for class. However, two hours into your day, that<br />
fragrance is gone and you find yourself smelling like sweat<br />
rather than “pure seduction.”<br />
If you’ve tried everything from Dove to Juicy Couture<br />
and still feel defeated, try out these three steps and find the<br />
key to solving all your perfume problems.<br />
#1: THE HIGHER THE PRICE,<br />
THE HIGHER THE CONCENTRATION<br />
This means the longer the scent will linger on your<br />
clothes or skin. So remember, consider the concentration before<br />
splurging. Perfume (parfum) is composed of 20 to 40<br />
percent pure perfume essence. This is the most concentrated<br />
and most expensive of all fragrances. That being said, a<br />
single application can last up to 24 hours.<br />
This is followed by Eau de Parfum (EDP), a more common<br />
concentrate, which contains 15 to 20 percent pure perfume<br />
essence and lasts five to eight hours.<br />
After Eau de Parfum, is Eau de Toilette (EDT). This<br />
lighter spray is composed of 7 to 15 percent concentration<br />
and lasts usually three hours.<br />
Eau de Cologne is next, a masculine scent which is composed<br />
of three to seven percent perfume oils in alcohol and<br />
water, making the scent prominent for only two hours.<br />
Lastly, the most diluted of all is Eau Fraiche with only<br />
one to three percent perfume oil. With the smallest amount<br />
of concentration, it usually lasts for less than one hour.<br />
PERFECT<br />
PERFUME:<br />
Your<br />
[10] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017<br />
guide to<br />
fab fragrances<br />
By Kelsey Zaroff
#2: APPLY FRAGRANCES IN PLACES<br />
WHERE THE BODY TEMPERATURE IS HIGH<br />
Your natural body heat releases the perfume ingredients.<br />
For males, this includes the jaw, neck and shoulders. If<br />
that is not strong enough, go for the chest and wrist, as they<br />
have the next highest temperatures.<br />
For females, try spraying perfume behind your ears, and<br />
on your neck and chest. If you want to ensure the perfume<br />
lasts, follow by applying to your shoulders, wrist and behind<br />
your knees. These three areas create the next highest<br />
temperatures on the body.<br />
However, remember that less is more. Start with one<br />
spray and apply directly to dry skin after showering. As fun<br />
as it is to spray a cloud of perfume, the scent lasts longer<br />
when applied directly to the skin, not to your clothes.<br />
#3: HAVE DIFFERENT FRAGRANCES<br />
FOR DIFFERENT OCCASIONS AND SEASONS<br />
Our typical “night out” fragrance might not<br />
be something we want to wear to class everyday.<br />
There is something exciting about saving that<br />
special perfume for a night out on the town. Opt<br />
for lighter fragrances during the day and more<br />
powerful concentrates in the evening.<br />
Just like changing your lipstick depending<br />
on the seasons, you can do the same with perfume.<br />
In winter, remember that the air is dry<br />
and cold, so try wearing a stronger and more<br />
powerful fragrance. In the summer, go for those<br />
citrus and floral notes that energize and capture<br />
the warmth of the season.<br />
MY TOP PICKS<br />
Bobbi Brown Beach<br />
Chloe: Roses de Chloe<br />
Gucci Guilty<br />
Chanel Coco<br />
Mademoiselle<br />
Eau de Parfum<br />
Elizabeth and James<br />
Find Your Nirvana<br />
Rollerball Set<br />
UNDERSTANDING<br />
THE BASICS<br />
*<br />
TOP NOTES<br />
What you smell immediately<br />
after applying the perfume. Top<br />
notes create your initial impression<br />
of the perfume. Common top<br />
notes include citrus and ginger.<br />
MIDDLE NOTES<br />
Middle notes can also be called<br />
heart notes. The scents from this note<br />
usually appear anywhere from two minutes<br />
to one hour after applying the perfume.<br />
They create the main body between<br />
the initial smells and the base smells. Common<br />
middle notes include lavender and rose.<br />
BASE NOTES<br />
These notes are usually richer, bringing<br />
the depth to the perfume. These scents are<br />
not noticed until hours after application.<br />
A strong base note, like musk, can still<br />
be detectable 24 hours after applying<br />
the fragrance.<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [11]
FASHION<br />
Photos by Ramsey Griffin<br />
Jacket: Twice As Nice<br />
White dress: Free People<br />
Green jacket: Francesca’s<br />
White top: Pants Store<br />
Brown shorts: Az Well<br />
Black hat: Lulu’s<br />
Solid black shirt: Pants Store<br />
Leather & Lace<br />
Embroidered elements can reinvigorate your spring wardobe with fresh femininity<br />
[12] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [13]
FASHION<br />
ELECTRIC LOVE<br />
Step right up to see this spring’s magnificent metallics and striking slip dresses. Cotton candy not included.<br />
[14] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
Photos by Emily Heath<br />
LEFT<br />
Dress: Lavish<br />
RIGHT<br />
Dress: Lulu’s<br />
Jacket: Lulu’s<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [15]
LEFT<br />
Dress: Lulu’s<br />
Shirt: Brandy Melville<br />
RIGHT<br />
Grey bodysuit: Lulu’s<br />
Leather skirt: Az Well<br />
Gold skirt: Francesca’s<br />
Purple top: Lavish<br />
Striped top: Az Well<br />
Wrap-around skirt: Az Well<br />
[16] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [17]
Don’t miss our next issue!<br />
Award-winning <strong>Alice</strong> returns<br />
for a big Summer Preview<br />
issue in May. Only $3.99<br />
for a single copy, or $9.99<br />
for a three-issue subscription<br />
at store.osm.ua.edu
LIFESTYLE<br />
Let’s Talk About Sex<br />
By Jill Holloway<br />
Editor’s note: Last names have been<br />
changed for privacy.<br />
Growing up in the Bible Belt, sex<br />
was rarely talked about. My sex education<br />
class was held in a church and<br />
the only thing I remember learning<br />
was “Abstinence. Is. Key.” Our teacher<br />
was a 60-year-old, white-haired, model<br />
churchgoer and her lesson was simple:<br />
Two people only engage in sex once<br />
they are married. Eleven years later,<br />
I still hold that lesson close to me.<br />
Talking to other college students, I realized<br />
my view on sex was not a common<br />
view today, as it has become much<br />
more casual.<br />
There is no longer a set time that<br />
a couple should wait to take their romance<br />
to the next level. In fact, many<br />
believe there is no need to be in a<br />
relationship at all.<br />
“I think girls and guys are allowed<br />
to have one night stands,” said Rebecca<br />
Cannon, 20. “I think if they both want<br />
that then perfect, but a guy always<br />
needs to be respectful of a woman.”<br />
Nick Carringer, 22, said he thinks<br />
the proper amount of time to wait before<br />
having sex is just one week, depending<br />
on what those two people are<br />
trying to do.<br />
“If a girl puts out too quick it says<br />
a lot about her, but sometimes you just<br />
want a random drunk hookup,” Carringer<br />
said.<br />
Cannon said she does not think<br />
there is a specific marker, but instead<br />
two people should engage in sex<br />
whenever they are ready.<br />
“For me personally it’s when the<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [19]
time is right in the moment,” Cannon<br />
said. “I just think it is a feeling.”<br />
Casey James, 20, agreed. She said<br />
she thinks it is important to be emotionally<br />
ready and self-assured, but<br />
communication is key and both people<br />
need to be in the right mindset. Sex is<br />
not just another physical aspect of a<br />
relationship, although it<br />
can create an emotional<br />
connection between<br />
two people that was not<br />
previously present.<br />
“It can be both physical<br />
and emotional,”<br />
Nick Carringer said.<br />
“It depends on the person<br />
and situation. Good<br />
sex is an emotional<br />
connection.”<br />
While “good” sex differs<br />
for everyone, the<br />
physical aspect remains<br />
the same. Cannon points<br />
out that whether you<br />
want to or not, “you look<br />
at that person differently<br />
after you have been physical with<br />
them.” She said she does think it creates<br />
an emotional connection because<br />
it’s extremely intimate.<br />
James agreed with Cannon’s remark,<br />
mentioning, “I think it creates<br />
an emotional connection because<br />
it’s you exposed; it’s the rawest form<br />
of yourself.”<br />
[20] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017<br />
With a flood of emotions running<br />
through your head and trying to make<br />
sure the hookup goes perfectly, sexually<br />
transmitted diseases and testing<br />
often go unmentioned. Cannon said<br />
she probably would not ask them to<br />
be tested or say, “You have to go get<br />
one,” but she may ask if they have ever<br />
“I think it creates<br />
an emotional connection<br />
because<br />
it’s you exposed;<br />
it’s the rawest<br />
form of yourself.”<br />
previously had an STD. James agreed<br />
she wouldn’t ask if it was a hookup,<br />
but made an exception when it comes<br />
to her boyfriend.<br />
“I would ask how many girls he<br />
has slept with; try to make it casual,”<br />
she said.<br />
Although girls and guys often view<br />
sex differently, they did agree on exclusivity.<br />
If two people are consistently<br />
hooking up exclusively, but have yet to<br />
put a label on what they have, it often<br />
leaves room for confusion. It goes<br />
back to James’ earlier statement —<br />
“communication is key.”<br />
“I would expect to be dating in the<br />
near future, or at least commitment,”<br />
she said. “If you’re hooking<br />
up without feelings,<br />
you would be hooking up<br />
with other people.”<br />
Cannon held those<br />
same thoughts. “I’m<br />
probably thinking it will<br />
turn into an actual relationship,<br />
if we are both<br />
just hooking up with<br />
each other there’s obviously<br />
a reason for that.”<br />
Carringer was not<br />
sure where he thought it<br />
may go after that, but he<br />
does believe, “you can’t<br />
be mad if you haven’t<br />
talked about it yet.”<br />
Whether if it is in the<br />
moment, or a special night that was<br />
planned out by two people engaging in<br />
sex for the first time, there is no right<br />
or wrong way to go about it. Just make<br />
your intentions clear about what you<br />
expect and do not feel pressured to feel<br />
a certain way. Every person sees sex<br />
for something different and values it in<br />
their own way. *
LIFESTYLE<br />
48<br />
hours in<br />
Atlanta<br />
By Allison Cohen<br />
If you’re looking for a travel destination with comfort food,<br />
plenty of room for adventure and sweet tea that flows like water, all<br />
wrapped up in an urban, big-city environment, the Southern charm<br />
of Atlanta is sure to win you over.<br />
Day 1<br />
9 a.m. Start your day one pancake at<br />
a time with Buttermilk Kitchen. From<br />
breakfast to brunch, you won’t be<br />
disappointed with this classic, Southern-styled<br />
hot spot. Don’t hesitate to<br />
ask the background behind each dish<br />
because their ingredients come from<br />
local vendors all across the state of<br />
Georgia. You’ll want to pace yourself<br />
through your meal because this crowd<br />
favorite gives generous portion sizes.<br />
10 a.m. Catch some fresh air, cool<br />
finds and good food at Ponce City Market.<br />
Established in a newly renovated<br />
warehouse, the market is not only<br />
a great location to check out trendy<br />
shops, but also doubles as a rooftop<br />
attraction dubbed Skyline Park. Here<br />
you’ll find carnival games, mini golf<br />
and sweet treats with a killer view of<br />
the city. Feel free to grab a bite for<br />
lunch at Skyline or at one of the many<br />
restaurants below the park.<br />
1 p.m. Directly connected to Ponce<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [21]
City Market is the BeltLine, a 22-mile<br />
continuous trail that circles the perimeter<br />
of downtown Atlanta. There are<br />
also 11 more miles to discover that<br />
branch off to local parks, restaurants<br />
and neighborhoods. Take the Eastside<br />
Trail from the market and venture to<br />
one of the largest green spaces in the<br />
city, Piedmont Park. Be sure to snap<br />
pictures of local artwork and murals<br />
along the way!<br />
3 p.m. If walking around worked up<br />
your appetite for a quick snack, stop by<br />
Henri’s Bakery and Café for internationally<br />
recognized baked goods. Henri’s<br />
has been an Atlanta staple since<br />
1929 after French immigrant Henri<br />
Fiscus traveled to the States as a<br />
pastry chef, and the location has been<br />
in the family ever since. The cheese<br />
straws and shortbread cookies are a<br />
must-try.<br />
6 p.m. In the heart of Buckhead there<br />
is Café Agora, a Mediterranean restaurant<br />
that’s as authentic as they come.<br />
The restaurant is tucked away and not<br />
very flashy; however, it’s a diamond in<br />
the rough. Café Agora’s combination of<br />
Turkish and Greek cuisines will give<br />
you a taste and experience that’s incredibly<br />
unique. Pro tip – make sure to<br />
leave room for the homemade baklava.<br />
10:30 p.m. Get your first taste of<br />
Atlanta nightlife at the Ivy. This upscale,<br />
laid back lounge has four bars<br />
scattered throughout its venue. If the<br />
weather is nice, hang out by the gazebo<br />
on the outdoor patio or relax upstairs<br />
on the rooftop. Inside on the main floor,<br />
a wraparound bar takes center stage<br />
and a fourth, secluded bar is not far<br />
beyond the dance floor. As far as attire<br />
goes, plan to dress snappy casual.<br />
Photos by Erin Cohen<br />
[22] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
Day 2<br />
10 a.m. Recover from last night’s<br />
shenanigans by sleeping in and waking<br />
up with the Westside’s Taqueria<br />
del Sol. Unlike your typical Mexican<br />
restaurant, Taqueria’s food is far from<br />
greasy and will leave you feeling the<br />
right level of satisfied. This is a popular<br />
go-to spot for Atlanta locals, so<br />
make sure to get there early. When<br />
you’re done, swing by Jeni’s Splendid<br />
Ice Creams right next door and choose<br />
from 28 funky flavors.<br />
2 p.m. If you’re feeling artsy, check<br />
out The High Museum of Art (pictured<br />
left). Get a heads up on what to expect<br />
by going online to preview the current<br />
exhibits. You’ll also have the option to<br />
view upcoming exhibits online if you’d<br />
like to plan your trip in advance.<br />
www.high.org // Tickets: $14.50<br />
4 p.m. Don’t leave Atlanta empty<br />
handed! Walk around Virginia Highlands<br />
in Midtown and pop in and out<br />
of the local boutiques that line the<br />
area. There are lots of great restaurants<br />
in this area too, so take the<br />
opportunity to scout for potential<br />
dinner contenders.<br />
6 p.m. If your dinner plans are still<br />
up in the air, Ormsby’s is a must-try.<br />
The two-floor tavern offers not only<br />
fantastic pub fare, but also an entertaining<br />
atmosphere for large groups.<br />
Down below you’ll find games such<br />
as indoor bocce ball, darts, pool and<br />
more. Ormsby’s is open to the general<br />
public all day; however, entry becomes<br />
21+ after 6 p.m.<br />
11 p.m. Every city has a prime bar<br />
location and Atlanta’s would be the<br />
Buckhead bar district off of Roswell<br />
Road. Post up at Lost Dog for live<br />
music on the back porch or dance your<br />
heart out at Big Sky down the road.<br />
The area holds over 10 bars that are<br />
directly next to each other, making<br />
this an ideal location to bar hop on<br />
a budget. *<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [23]
LIFESTYLE<br />
Stuck in the<br />
By Rachel Wilburn<br />
We’ve all been there: you meet someone<br />
new. They’re cute, sweet, funny<br />
— the real deal. A few group hangouts<br />
later, you guys are really hitting<br />
it off. And then it happens: they ask if<br />
your ~adorable~ best friend is single.<br />
You’re getting friend zoned. It happens<br />
to the best of us, and it can be<br />
confusing.<br />
But thanks to a few great guys, we<br />
have compiled The Ultimate Guide to<br />
Avoiding the Friend Zone 101. Let’s<br />
get down to the nitty gritty. What even<br />
is the “friend zone,” how can you tell<br />
when you’re being friend zoned, and<br />
better yet, what can you do about it?<br />
So, let’s start with the basics. For<br />
those who don’t know, the “friend zone”<br />
happens when one friend develops romantic<br />
feelings for another and wants<br />
to be “more than friends.” Often, the<br />
friend’s feelings are unknown to their<br />
counterpart or they are quite happy<br />
with a friendship-only basis – and voila,<br />
you’ve entered the friend zone.<br />
Next thing you know, you’re standing<br />
there looking him in the eyes, trying<br />
to figure out the best answer to his<br />
question. Do you give him her number?<br />
Do you confess your feelings? But honestly,<br />
how did you end up there in the<br />
first place?<br />
Sometimes, it’s something as simple<br />
as physical attraction. Studies show<br />
that most people can tell if they’re at-<br />
[24] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017<br />
tracted to someone within the first 90<br />
seconds of meeting.<br />
“As shallow as it is, I would say part of<br />
it is appearance. If you’re not attracted<br />
to someone, you may just never think<br />
of her as more than a friend. But sometimes<br />
when you get to know them and<br />
their personality is amazing then the<br />
way you see them can change and<br />
you have no idea why you didn’t see<br />
it before.”<br />
–Johnny, 21<br />
Other times, it’s a little deeper. Typically,<br />
the friend zone grows out of an established<br />
friendship. When you’re that<br />
close with someone, there’s a chance<br />
that they A.) know a lot about you and<br />
B.) care deeply about you. They probably<br />
have seen the good and the bad,<br />
and more than likely, have heard you<br />
talk about other guys from the past.<br />
This can be ground for insecurity or<br />
fear of hurting you again. All of these<br />
things can become potential contributing<br />
factors.<br />
“One thing is being too open about<br />
their sex life. I don’t think someone’s<br />
number should ever be discussed. If<br />
she’s dated friends, that’s definitely a<br />
cause for a friend zone.”<br />
– Zach, 20<br />
“Usually it’s because I value her<br />
and have some apprehension about<br />
losing the friendship if things don’t<br />
work out. I’d say that’s probably the<br />
big one.”<br />
– Clayton, 26<br />
But don’t forget that guys are also<br />
just that – guys. He might just think of<br />
you as one of the bros or he might have<br />
eyes for someone else. If he spends a lot<br />
of time talking about Jess from biology,<br />
it’s likely that he’s so wrapped up in<br />
finding out if she likes him back that<br />
he doesn’t even see that you’re falling<br />
head over heels.<br />
“I friend zone girls when I have eyes<br />
for someone else and am blind to the<br />
prospect of someone being inter-<br />
Attraction is unpredictable, but it<br />
doesn’t come out of nowhere ... you<br />
want a guy to want you for you.<br />
–Colton, 22
Friend Zone<br />
ested in me like that. The thought is<br />
some variation of ‘if the girl I’m interested<br />
in doesn’t see me that way, then<br />
how can anyone else?’ Obviously, it’s<br />
a stupid thought process, but guys<br />
seem to be wired one of two ways:<br />
pursue everything that has a pulse<br />
or pursue only one girl and be completely<br />
oblivious to anyone else.”<br />
– Tyler, 19<br />
The friend zone can be complicated,<br />
annoying, and, honestly, a little<br />
heart-wrenching. But don’t give up!<br />
Because according to our friend zone<br />
experts, it’s not chocolate-in-bed-andchick-flick<br />
worthy quite yet. There are<br />
plenty of things to do (and not do) to<br />
make him take a second glance.<br />
First off, flirting actually works.<br />
In fact, according to news website<br />
The Week, it may be more effective<br />
than just being physically attractive<br />
for getting his attention. Start<br />
with something as simple as a light<br />
touch on the arm, leaning in closer<br />
when he’s talking or even just smiling<br />
when you catch each other’s eyes.<br />
Show him that you value him and his<br />
time by being present and engaged in<br />
your conversations.<br />
“Personally my strongest love languages<br />
are physical touch and spending<br />
quality time together. Getting flirty<br />
with touch and spending one-on-one<br />
time with me is the best way to make<br />
me question how I feel about someone.<br />
When someone starts throwing<br />
touches into conversation, I start trying<br />
to figure out if they’re being flirty<br />
or not.”<br />
– Caleb, 23<br />
“One of the biggest things for me is<br />
a girl constantly being on their phone.<br />
It’s a huge turn off. Also, I think texting<br />
someone 24/7 is bad because you<br />
never get a break. It’s like the conversation<br />
just never ends. I think some<br />
space is healthy.”<br />
– Johnny, 21<br />
Second, let’s talk about the fact<br />
that it is 2017, and you don’t have to<br />
wait for him to make the first move.<br />
Rejection and embarrassment can be<br />
overwhelming. However, a woman who<br />
approaches a man stands out. Your<br />
bold, no-holds-barred approach says<br />
you are confident, spontaneous, brave,<br />
outgoing and direct. Don’t hinder your<br />
chances and opportunities by thinking<br />
you are not good enough (or too good)<br />
to approach him first.<br />
“I wish girls were more up front<br />
about their feelings. Make that first<br />
move! Guys can be pretty oblivious<br />
to subtle hints, so straightforward is<br />
definitely the way to go.”<br />
– Tyler, 19<br />
Finally, and most importantly, own<br />
who you are. He’s your friend for a reason;<br />
likely, he thinks you’re cool, funny,<br />
sweet — all the things that make<br />
you, you! The worst thing you can do is<br />
try to be someone you’re not to impress<br />
him. Celebrate the fact that you love<br />
tacos or drink pink wine, cry in way<br />
too many movies or claim your fuzzy<br />
socks as your most prized possession.<br />
“Be okay with you. If you’ve been<br />
friend zoned by a guy you like, you’re<br />
not out of luck. Attraction is unpredictable,<br />
but it doesn’t come out of<br />
nowhere. Think about the qualities<br />
you embody. Just like you probably<br />
have certain qualities you’re looking<br />
for in a guy, so do your masculine<br />
counterparts. You want a guy to want<br />
you for you. So as long as you’re being<br />
the best version of yourself you can<br />
be, you’re in the right place.”<br />
– Colton, 22<br />
“Odds are if he friend zoned you, it’s<br />
a good bet he did it for a reason. Don’t<br />
waste your time with that guy anymore.<br />
Stay friends. Hang out. Do your<br />
thing, but don’t pine over him. If he’s<br />
not giving you his full attention, he’s<br />
not worth it. Also, if some guy is friend<br />
zoning you and you find yourself complaining<br />
to another guy about it, you<br />
might be the one friend zoning someone<br />
else.”<br />
– Clayton, 26<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [25]
LIFESTYLE<br />
JUNK<br />
IN THE<br />
TRUNK<br />
By Katie Bell<br />
Have you ever sat at a red light and<br />
thought, “I wonder what that person<br />
has in the back of their trunk?” Just<br />
like life and a box of chocolates,<br />
you never know what you might<br />
get when you pop open the back<br />
of someone’s car. <strong>Alice</strong> took a peek<br />
at some of the junk in the trunk of<br />
five strangers.<br />
THE TRAVELING STORE<br />
THE OUTDOORSMAN<br />
“Basically, I am ready anytime, any<br />
day to go camping. I have a tent, foldout<br />
chairs, a mini grill, fishing equipment,<br />
sleeping bags and blankets all<br />
ready to go camping whenever I want.<br />
This weather has been great for camping<br />
– why waste time packing?”<br />
– Andrew, 22<br />
THE NURSE<br />
“I work as a nurse in Birmingham<br />
and Tuscaloosa, so I always have<br />
scrubs, a stethoscope, gauze, Band-<br />
Aids and a bunch of random first aid<br />
items in my trunk. It works out well<br />
because I am always that person that<br />
has hydrogen peroxide or aspirin when<br />
someone needs it.”<br />
– Ashlyn, 23<br />
[26] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017<br />
“I have no room for storage in my<br />
apartment, but I buy everything in<br />
bulk from Sam’s. I have toilet paper,<br />
breakfast bars, paper plates, dryer<br />
sheets, soda... you name it, I probably<br />
have it. It really comes in handy when<br />
you’re at a party and someone runs out<br />
of paper towels or garbage bags.”<br />
– Alex, 25<br />
“This is going to sound bad, but<br />
I have a cooler with a 12 pack ready<br />
when I need it. I work until 6 every<br />
weekday, and I hate wasting time going<br />
to buy beer or mixers before going<br />
out. It’s really about convenience, and<br />
it’s there when I need it.”<br />
THE LIFE OF THE PARTY<br />
– Sarah, 21<br />
THE #1 FAN<br />
“I basically carry the tailgate around<br />
with me all week. I have pom-poms, a<br />
cooler, a table, lawn chairs and cornhole<br />
all in my trunk. You would never<br />
guess that could all fit in there, but<br />
it can. Every Saturday and Sunday<br />
we break out the goods for the weekend<br />
and have a blast. I just don’t have<br />
enough room in my apartment to take<br />
it inside.”<br />
– Lauren, 21
30<br />
40<br />
43<br />
48<br />
52<br />
54<br />
60<br />
Features<br />
Wonderland<br />
Victim Turned Victorious<br />
Lots of Fur and a Little Faith<br />
Celebrating Color<br />
Ghost Stories<br />
Girls Just Wanna Have<br />
Fundamental Rights<br />
Beyond the Barrier<br />
Photo by Emily Heath
[28] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
WONDERLAND<br />
“Do you suppose<br />
she’s a wildflower?”<br />
from Lewis Carroll’s<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> in Wonderland<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [29]<br />
Photo by Prestley Bramlett
“Yes, that’s it!”<br />
said the Hatter with a sigh.<br />
“It’s always tea time.”<br />
Photo by Emily Heath Photo by Emily Heath<br />
Photo by Prestley Bramlett<br />
[30] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
Mad Hatter outfit: Urban Outfitters<br />
Cheshire Cat two-piece: Az Well<br />
Queen of Hearts dress: Lavish<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> dresses: Twice as Nice<br />
Location: Historic Drish House<br />
Photo by Prestley Bramlett<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [31]
“Curiouser<br />
and curiouser...”<br />
Photo by Emily Heath<br />
[32] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
Black choker: Lulu’s<br />
Photo by Emily Heath Photo by Sarah Westmoreland<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [33]
Photo by Prestley Bramlett<br />
[34] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
“Have I gone mad?”<br />
“I’m afraid so.<br />
You’re entirely bonkers.<br />
But I’ll tell you a secret:<br />
All the best people are.”<br />
Photo by Prestley Bramlett<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [35]<br />
Photo by Sarah Westmoreland
Photo by Emily Heath<br />
[36] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
Spotted dress: Twice as Nice<br />
Black and gold dress: Az Well<br />
Long blue dress: Twice as Nice<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [37]<br />
Photo by Sarah Westmoreland
“Imagination is the only weapon<br />
in the war against reality.”<br />
Photo by Emily Heath<br />
[38] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
Photo by Emily Heath<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [39]<br />
Photo by Prestley Bramlett
VICTIM<br />
TURNED<br />
VICTORIOUS<br />
One woman’s story of sex trafficking<br />
and the redemption that followed<br />
[40] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017<br />
By Claire Turner
Swaying trees in the springtime,<br />
sun flickered past the window<br />
as 19-year-old Kathy Jackson<br />
sat in the back seat of her friends’ car,<br />
on her way to the 1981 Chicago Jazz<br />
Festival. Her friends sat in the front,<br />
asking her questions like they always<br />
did: What are your goals in life? What<br />
is your family like? What’s your pet<br />
peeve? Would you ever like to travel the<br />
world? What are you good at?<br />
Of course, she always answered happily,<br />
just wanting to fit in for her second<br />
year of school at Tufts University<br />
in Medford, Massachusetts, where she<br />
had a full scholarship for an undecided<br />
major. Though she was a good student,<br />
she still loved to have fun with<br />
her friends, and the music festival was<br />
a perfect opportunity.<br />
When they arrived at the hotel,<br />
Kathy put her bag in a bedroom and<br />
started to unpack her schoolwork. She<br />
had a paper with a due date that was<br />
rapidly approaching, and was intending<br />
to work on it a bit until her friend<br />
walked in and invited her to lunch at a<br />
buddy’s house nearby.<br />
“I think I’ll work on my report instead,”<br />
Kathy told him. “The festival<br />
starts tomorrow. I probably won’t<br />
get much done then and it’s due<br />
next week.”<br />
“It’ll only be a couple of hours,” he<br />
said. “It’ll be fun.”<br />
Trusting, she went. Within five minutes<br />
of walking through the front door,<br />
she was beaten, berated and her clothes<br />
were ripped from her body. She was<br />
taken to a back room where she was<br />
tied down and then repeatedly raped.<br />
That was the beginning of Kathy’s<br />
32 years as a victim of sex trafficking.<br />
According to the International Labour<br />
Organization, Kathy is one of<br />
over 20 million women worldwide who<br />
are sold into sex slavery. There are<br />
only five U.S. states she has never had<br />
an extended stay in, and only two continents<br />
she has never been on.<br />
Kathy believes she was held captive<br />
in a room in Chicago for three weeks,<br />
but there was no way for her to be sure.<br />
While she was there, she was forcibly<br />
given drugs and was left to deal with<br />
a subsequent heroin addiction and a<br />
dependence on her ever-changing and<br />
temperamental handlers. Some managers<br />
were better than others, but none<br />
of them would let her go.<br />
“You’re always on edge,” Kathy said.<br />
“Even if you get to a ‘good’ house,<br />
where they’re not beating you every<br />
day, they’re not yelling at you or putting<br />
you with a John [client] who can<br />
do pretty much anything to you with<br />
some serious damage.”<br />
Men and women alike would pay high<br />
prices for the smallest of sexual tasks.<br />
According to Kathy, a typical workday<br />
would bring in around $10,000, with<br />
up to $23,000 on holidays, sometimes<br />
from just one person.<br />
To achieve this exceeding level of income,<br />
Kathy was pretty well-treated,<br />
as far as sex trafficking victims go.<br />
She was smart, up-to-date with the<br />
goings-on of the world and a beautiful<br />
young woman with youthful dark<br />
skin and sleek black hair. Each morning,<br />
she had a team of people styling<br />
her clothes, hair and makeup from the<br />
bedroom of whichever luxury hotel she<br />
was forced into.<br />
For her handlers, money was their<br />
only focus and the well-being of the<br />
girls was nowhere on their mind. At<br />
first, Kathy tried to bond with the other<br />
victims around her, but they were<br />
never there long. She learned that she<br />
couldn’t trust anyone, which is partially<br />
why victims of human trafficking<br />
never ask for help.<br />
Over time, Kathy realized those who<br />
controlled her were controlled, too.<br />
“The bad part of it, looking back, is<br />
these people that pay for this are sicker<br />
than the handlers,” she said. “Because<br />
they go back to their lives, and they act<br />
like it never happened. But then, they<br />
want it again, and again, and they’re<br />
never persecuted. So when you see on<br />
the news they’re showing the mugshots,<br />
they think they’ve caught them<br />
For her<br />
handlers,<br />
money was<br />
their only<br />
focus and the<br />
well-being of<br />
the girls was<br />
nowhere on<br />
their mind.<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [41]
… they’re not the bad guys, they’re the<br />
victims. I want to see more of the people<br />
that are actually paying for this,<br />
because if they’re prosecuted, I bet you<br />
the people that have wives and children<br />
– and most of them do – would<br />
second-guess about this.”<br />
Kathy’s road to freedom began amid<br />
the astronomical domes and golden<br />
sculptures of Caesar’s Palace in Las<br />
Vegas, Nevada, following sudden heart<br />
failure. Soon she was in the hospital,<br />
and her doctor noticed something<br />
unusual about her interactions with<br />
her handler. After he left, the doctor<br />
asked Kathy a few questions and<br />
next thing she knew she was telling<br />
him everything.<br />
That doctor’s care changed Kathy’s<br />
whole life. He erased her identity from<br />
the hospital and transferred her to Orlando,<br />
Florida, where she met a chaplain<br />
and told her story. The Well House<br />
in Birmingham, Ala., was found, a safe<br />
place for women who are victims of sex<br />
trafficking and prostitution.<br />
When Kathy arrived by bus<br />
to the Well House she had nothing:<br />
no possessions, no identification,<br />
no idea of what she was<br />
walking into. However, after a<br />
warm welcome from a mentor<br />
and an anxious night in a bunk<br />
bed above a stranger, Kathy began<br />
to feel safe and appreciated<br />
by the people surrounding her<br />
at the Well House.<br />
<strong>No</strong>w, Kathy is 54, living independently,<br />
going back to<br />
school for communications and<br />
working as a lead designer in<br />
a flower shop. The Well House<br />
supported her in all financial<br />
needs, any necessary therapy<br />
and the word of God. The Well<br />
[42] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017<br />
House is always accepting volunteers<br />
as well as taking monetary and material<br />
donations, from soap to over-thecounter<br />
medication and bed sheets to<br />
light bulbs, to help women like Kathy<br />
get back on their feet.<br />
Kathy isn’t afraid of anyone from her<br />
past finding her, because she knows<br />
they are intelligent but incredibly lazy.<br />
Instead, she wants to be the one who<br />
goes back and looks for them, wanting<br />
to try and save the other victims from<br />
their handlers and their clients.<br />
“Human trafficking is the one<br />
drug that never gives out until you<br />
die,” she said. “I’ve seen it time and<br />
time again … It never surprises me,<br />
what people will go to for their own<br />
selfish gain.”<br />
Though Kathy is more familiar with<br />
the characteristics of sex trafficking<br />
victims, there are warning signs that<br />
everyone can spot. According to the<br />
Nita Belles, author of human trafficking<br />
book In Our Backyard, victims<br />
have a nomadic attitude where they<br />
cannot identify their current location<br />
or travel plans, owns little to no personal<br />
belongings, shows physical or behavioral<br />
signs of abuse or malnourishment,<br />
or quickly responds to the call<br />
of another.<br />
Handlers typically target vulnerable<br />
or suffering people, enticing them with<br />
promises of love or success. The Well<br />
House website states traffickers “understand<br />
the economic motivations and<br />
psychological exploitation that will entice<br />
a person to leave her family.”<br />
Safe homes like the Well House offer<br />
rescue and shelter programs for<br />
victims of human trafficking, like<br />
Kathy. Throughout her 32 years of<br />
abuse, Kathy closed her eyes and<br />
saw only her past. <strong>No</strong>w, she said that<br />
with the grace of God and through<br />
the Well House graduation program,<br />
she sees only peace, safety and people<br />
around her that she can continuously<br />
count on. *
LOTS OF<br />
FUR AND<br />
A LITTLE<br />
FAITH<br />
A [tail] of animals helping people<br />
and people helping animals<br />
By Maddy Ard<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [43]
People need animals, plain<br />
and simple. Anyone who has<br />
ever had a family pet knows<br />
this. Cat, dog or canary,<br />
pets are a source of comfort<br />
and comic relief when the world gets a<br />
bit too big and bad.<br />
A 2011 study conducted by psychologists<br />
at The University of Miami and<br />
St. Louis University found the benefits<br />
of having a non-human companion go<br />
beyond a laugh or a cuddle here and<br />
there. This study, which was backed by<br />
the American Psychological Association,<br />
concluded that spending regular<br />
time with a fuzzy counterpart or two<br />
boosts self-esteem, encourages physical<br />
fitness, reduces feelings of loneliness<br />
and even increases focus.<br />
But maybe you, like me, simply can’t<br />
own a cat or dog right now. As much as<br />
I would love to welcome a kitten into<br />
my home this very afternoon, my home,<br />
like many student residences, happens<br />
to have a very, very strict no-pet policy.<br />
Past that, many college students are<br />
not financially able to take on a pet.<br />
Pet food and vet trips get pretty expensive<br />
pretty fast. Couple this with the<br />
instability that comes with constantly<br />
shifting class and social schedules,<br />
and you could have what we see far<br />
more often than any of us like: posts on<br />
the Alabama Student Ticket Exchange<br />
Facebook page begging anyone to take<br />
a pet adopted on a whim.<br />
<strong>No</strong>w, that’s not to say no college student<br />
should own a pet. For some all the<br />
stars align, and they find themselves<br />
in the perfect situation to provide an<br />
animal with all the love and care it<br />
requires. But for those, like me, who<br />
cannot, there is a solution.<br />
Just like people need animals, animal<br />
shelters need people. Unfortunately,<br />
there is no shortage of stray cats<br />
and dogs being found and dropped off<br />
at shelters across the country. According<br />
to the ASPCA, 7.6 million companion<br />
animals – mostly cats and dogs<br />
– enter American animal shelters each<br />
year. Only about 2.7 million of these<br />
animals are adopted each year. You see<br />
the issue.<br />
With more animals coming in than<br />
being adopted from shelters each year,<br />
shelters like the Humane Society of<br />
[44] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017<br />
Photos by Ramsey Griffin
West Alabama here in Tuscaloosa are<br />
in dire need of volunteers to ensure<br />
their growing populations receive optimal<br />
care.<br />
The Humane Society of West Alabama,<br />
founded in 1971, is the longest<br />
standing animal rescue in Tuscaloosa.<br />
This no-kill, all-volunteer<br />
organization is focused on providing<br />
shelter to homeless animals in the<br />
Tuscaloosa-area and helping them find<br />
forever homes.<br />
The organization’s president, Anita<br />
Smelley, runs the organization’s Cat<br />
House in <strong>No</strong>rthport, Alabama. You<br />
read right, Cat House. It’s exactly what<br />
it sounds like: a literal house owned by<br />
the Humane Society that currently<br />
houses 32 cats of all ages. Smelley said<br />
on average five or six of these cats are<br />
adopted each month, but numbers are<br />
never down for long.<br />
Each room of the house is designated<br />
to a different feline age group: the<br />
kitten room, the young adult room and<br />
the quiet room for older, more reserved<br />
residents. The young adult cats, ranging<br />
in age from 6 months to 5 years<br />
old, are known as the Wal-Mart Greeters,<br />
as they occupy the front room of<br />
the house and are generally more social.<br />
The house also features a screened<br />
in porch so the kitties can enjoy some<br />
fresh air.<br />
Smelley said she needs volunteers at<br />
the Cat House for two reasons: to clean<br />
the house and love the cats.<br />
Smelley said many volunteers call<br />
the shelter their<br />
“happy place,” a<br />
place where they<br />
can get their mind<br />
off of the world.<br />
One volunteer, an<br />
elderly man fighting<br />
prostate cancer,<br />
volunteers at<br />
the Cat House the<br />
day after his chemotherapy<br />
treatment<br />
each week.<br />
“<strong>No</strong>t only are<br />
the volunteers helping, they’re getting<br />
a lot of feel-good out of it, too,” Smelley<br />
said. “If I’m ever missing a volunteer,<br />
I can usually find them sitting on the<br />
floor somewhere with kittens all over<br />
them, just smiling.”<br />
Smelley said volunteering is immensely<br />
beneficial to the cats at the<br />
shelter. Through the efforts of volunteers,<br />
the cats are groomed and kept in<br />
a safe, clean environment. Having different<br />
people around all the time helps<br />
socialize the cats, which Smelley said<br />
helps them get adopted quickly.<br />
“A cat that goes and hides when a<br />
stranger comes to pet them is not likely<br />
to get adopted,” Smelley said. “But it’s<br />
so rewarding to watch a shy cat come<br />
out of his shell with the volunteers.”<br />
The best things in life are free, and<br />
the happiness that comes from giving<br />
little fuzzies some TLC is no exception.<br />
Smelley joked that volunteering is kind<br />
of like owning a ton of pets and never<br />
having to pay for them. Students who<br />
can’t adopt right now, we’re looking<br />
at you.<br />
Catie Lee Bruni, a junior majoring<br />
in biology and art at The University of<br />
Alabama, said she began volunteering<br />
at the Cat House because she loves cats<br />
and could not have one of her own at<br />
the time. Bruni said she still looks forward<br />
every week to her time at the Cat<br />
House one year after starting there.<br />
“On a typical day, I get there and<br />
am immediately surrounded by meows,”<br />
Bruni said. “So I have to give<br />
The best things in life<br />
are free, and the<br />
happiness that<br />
comes from giving<br />
little fuzzies some<br />
TLC is no exception.<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [45]
them their oh-hello-yes-pet-me time<br />
right away.”<br />
Bruni said her duties include cleaning<br />
the different rooms of the shelter.<br />
This entails sweeping, mopping, scoop-<br />
[46] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017<br />
ing litter boxes, de-furring climbing<br />
toys and beds, washing and refilling<br />
dishes and cleaning surfaces. However,<br />
Bruni said the kitties never leave<br />
her side, and a while she cleans she is<br />
still constantly showing these cats love.<br />
“It doesn’t actually feel like work,”<br />
Bruni said. “It’s a win-win situation<br />
because it’s relaxing for me when life<br />
gets crazy, and the cats get a clean<br />
room and some love.”<br />
I know we aren’t all cat people. Fear<br />
not, dog-lovers everywhere. You have<br />
options, too. The Humane Society,<br />
as well as many other rescue organizations<br />
in the area, is brimming with<br />
dogs of all strides of life needing some<br />
love and care.<br />
One such organization is the Tuscaloosa<br />
Metro Animal Shelter. Made<br />
popular among college students for its<br />
“Happy Hour” weekly volunteering<br />
opportunities, anyone who has been<br />
to this shelter knows that they need<br />
as many hands as possible to ensure<br />
the health and happiness of their large<br />
canine population.<br />
Mary Calhoun is volunteer coordinator<br />
for the Tuscaloosa Metro Animal<br />
Shelter. She, like Smelley, said volunteers<br />
are vital to amping up the dogs’<br />
adoptability.<br />
“People look at these animals, and<br />
they think one of two things,” Calhoun<br />
said. “They think, ‘Oh, how cute’ or<br />
they think, ‘Oh, how sad.’ ”<br />
She said the point of her volunteers<br />
is to make sure no one looks at these<br />
animals as creatures to be pitied. By<br />
making sure potential adopters see a<br />
happy, healthy, friendly pup, volunteers<br />
are saving these animals’ lives.<br />
Calhoun said volunteering isn’t always<br />
pretty. It isn’t always holding<br />
wiggly puppies or a literal walk in the<br />
dog park. Most of the time it’s scrubbing<br />
and washing and scrubbing<br />
again, but it’s that elbow grease that<br />
ensures the animals are shown in their<br />
best light and adopted.<br />
“When we keep those dogs and their<br />
cages clean, people don’t walk by and<br />
see a dirty thing,” Calhoun said. “They<br />
see the animal. It’s an enormously big<br />
deal.”<br />
Calhoun said volunteering once in a<br />
while is nice, but what these organi-
People look at<br />
these animals, and<br />
they think one<br />
of two things:<br />
“Oh, how cute” or<br />
“Oh, how sad.”<br />
zations need are committed, regular<br />
partners who are willing to take time<br />
out of each week to lend a hand. Taking<br />
one dog out on one walk one time<br />
helps that dog that day, but neither you<br />
nor that dog feel the lasting benefits<br />
that stem from a sustained relationship<br />
with an animal shelter.<br />
Being near these animals, canine or<br />
feline, and forming trusted relationships<br />
with them is good for you just<br />
like it’s good for them. In a report<br />
published by Frontiers in Psychology,<br />
psychologists concluded that spending<br />
regular time in contact with a cat<br />
or dog increased trustworthiness, reduced<br />
aggression, promoted positive<br />
mood and reduced stress, along with<br />
blood pressure and heart rate.<br />
<strong>No</strong>t to mention, volunteering at animal<br />
shelter by default puts you in contact<br />
with a group of people who share<br />
at least one common interest – animals.<br />
So while you’re in this stress-relieving,<br />
positivity-inducing atmosphere, you’re<br />
also making connection with others<br />
who care about the same things you<br />
do. And the animals get used to people<br />
and potentially find forever homes.<br />
That’s a win-win if I’ve ever seen one.<br />
Animal shelters need people. People<br />
need animals. Plain and simple. *<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [47]
[48] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
CELE-<br />
BRAT-<br />
ING<br />
COLOR<br />
Recognizing the importance and<br />
embracement of Black History Month<br />
By Jada Culver<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [49]
Black History Month, or<br />
National African-American<br />
History Month, annually<br />
celebrates the excellence and<br />
achievements by black Americans<br />
in U.S. history. The celebration’s<br />
inception began in 1969 when leaders<br />
of the Black United Students at<br />
Kent State University proposed the<br />
celebration of black history transcend<br />
from Negro History Week into a full<br />
month’s celebration. After President<br />
Gerald Ford advocated that the<br />
American people “seize the opportunity<br />
to honor the too-often neglected<br />
accomplishments of black Americans,”<br />
Black History Month became an<br />
officially recognized celebration in<br />
1976. Today, in 2017, I join the nation<br />
in proudly celebrating the 41st Black<br />
[50] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017<br />
History Month, welcomed with great<br />
respect and gratitude for every endeavor<br />
and grand accomplishment achieved<br />
by an African-American.<br />
<strong>No</strong>w, it would be unfair to mention<br />
the cheerful enjoyment of Black History<br />
Month and completely ignore the<br />
recent frustrations myself and many<br />
African-Americans feel due to numerous<br />
tragic and unjust occurrences<br />
upsetting the black community. When<br />
I turn on the television and scroll<br />
through Facebook, I see the present<br />
neglect and worry people of color feel<br />
in today’s society. Yet, by talking with<br />
an African-American friend or even<br />
wisely immersing one’s self into the<br />
black community today, you would find<br />
that, despite the discouragement projected<br />
through media, there exists a<br />
wave of hope and peace; remembrance<br />
and celebration; courage and resilience;<br />
love and unity. Black History<br />
Month is a special time to reflect and<br />
remember those in our country who’ve<br />
overcome adversity and remained<br />
steadfast to achieve what was once<br />
withheld from them and often challenged<br />
today: freedom to be who<br />
they were created to be. Hear these<br />
voices from people alike in humanity<br />
but diverse in skin color as they<br />
reflect on their thoughts about Black<br />
History Month.<br />
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO<br />
CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY?<br />
“I think to celebrate black history is<br />
to acknowledge, especially in America,<br />
the inequality and how so many people<br />
have done so many great things to<br />
overcome that inequality,” said Garrison<br />
Pugh, 21. “Even though today<br />
[racial equality] is not where it needs<br />
to be, there’s still great people who are<br />
working to overcome that.”<br />
“Celebrating black history is something<br />
that I do every day. It is not<br />
something that I only recognize in the<br />
month of February,” said Imani Manley,<br />
21. “I think it is important to cel-
ebrate my history and my culture in a<br />
world that does not always value it. It<br />
is something that has been instilled in<br />
me since birth, something that I believe<br />
will always be worth fighting for. If we<br />
don’t celebrate ourselves, who will?”<br />
Terrence Curry, 22, said, “[To me<br />
it] means celebrating my heritage, celebrating<br />
growth as an African American,<br />
remembering those that have<br />
paved a way for me to be where I am.”<br />
As a woman of mixed race, both<br />
Caucasian and African-American, it’s<br />
important for me to remember<br />
where a part of me<br />
comes from. To me, black<br />
history is a beautiful story<br />
of courage, integrity, faith<br />
and triumph. There is so<br />
much that is unwritten,<br />
and I can’t wait to see what<br />
is further accomplished in<br />
my lifetime.<br />
NOTABLE AFRICAN-<br />
AMERICAN FIGURES<br />
Black History Month is a time to reflect<br />
on those who have bravely challenged<br />
the wrongful perspective and<br />
unfair treatment of African-Americans<br />
in the U.S. For each individual<br />
there’s a notable African-American<br />
figure: Martin Luther King, Barack<br />
and Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey,<br />
Harriet Tubman. Each broke<br />
barriers, created opportunities and<br />
ultimately inspired millions of people<br />
from how they’ve made a difference for<br />
African-Americans.<br />
From basketball stars to fashion<br />
designers, there is a figure who<br />
inspires everyone.<br />
“For me, it’s currently LeBron<br />
James,” said Patrick Stanford, 21.<br />
“Mostly because of what his message<br />
is. He’s a kid that grew up in the projects<br />
and he understands the system<br />
and how the system doesn’t promote<br />
success for those kids. Yet, he broke<br />
that mold. He sets a precedent and a<br />
standard that other African-American<br />
males can look up to.”<br />
“Overall I would definitely have to<br />
say Michelle Obama,” Manley said.<br />
“Growing up, and playing with all my<br />
dolls I never would have thought that<br />
my First Lady would look like me. She<br />
has so much wisdom, education and<br />
class. She is a woman that will always<br />
be respected in my book.<br />
“Professionally, Tracy Reese is an<br />
African-American figure that I admire.<br />
I plan to enter the fashion industry<br />
one day, and it warms my heart to<br />
know that there is a designer out there<br />
To me, black history<br />
is a beautiful story<br />
of courage, integrity,<br />
faith and triumph.<br />
with the same motive that I have: to<br />
make women feel beautiful. The fashion<br />
industry can be so white- washed<br />
and it’s nice to know that a woman like<br />
that has opened so many doors for me.”<br />
Curry said Martin Luther King inspired<br />
him, “because of his ability to<br />
assist a major involvement in the Civil<br />
Rights movement. This is a major piece<br />
of history that connects to many events<br />
that allows for me to attend the University,<br />
to be able to sit in classes with a<br />
diverse set of folks, for everyone to have<br />
equal opportunities and to learn at the<br />
same capacity.”<br />
HEAR US:<br />
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW<br />
“I don’t want people to over-analyze<br />
having a black friend and having conversation<br />
about topics concerning the<br />
black community,” said Kennedy Studdard,<br />
22. “And I don’t want people to<br />
always assume I’m bitter and angry.<br />
<strong>No</strong>t everyone is comfortable with having<br />
those raw conversations, but you<br />
need to be comfortable with meeting<br />
[and talking with] other people who<br />
look like you and don’t look like you.”<br />
“As an African-American woman,<br />
I would love for people to realize how<br />
unappreciated and driven we are,” said<br />
Manley. “It is hard to be a black person,<br />
but it can be argued that it is even<br />
harder to be a black woman.”<br />
In the history of black women within<br />
the U.S., we’ve seen this issue occur<br />
quite often — especially in areas of<br />
politics, entertainment and positions<br />
of authority.<br />
“We are constantly cast aside and<br />
prejudged by everyone, including<br />
black men from<br />
time to time,” Manley<br />
continued. “From our<br />
great-grandmothers to<br />
us, we constantly have the<br />
weight of the world on our<br />
backs, alongside this natural<br />
drive to succeed. We<br />
do all we can as students,<br />
daughters, mothers and<br />
professionals, and sometimes it seems<br />
that only a few of us are recognized.<br />
With all that is going on in this country,<br />
it is important for our voices to be<br />
heard as well.”<br />
“As an African-American man, I<br />
want everyone to know that people of<br />
color are more than just their skin tone<br />
— they are human, they are educated<br />
and are well deserving of opportunities,”<br />
said Curry. “We just want to<br />
grow and develop like the next person.<br />
Impressions of African-Americans<br />
that are portrayed in the media and<br />
public eye are simply not true on the<br />
entire race.”<br />
This Black History Month, take the<br />
time to research the powerful and inspiring<br />
movement that has compelled<br />
our nation to set a full month aside to<br />
celebrate. Hear the voices of the proud<br />
and spirited, remember our past and<br />
the triumphs that have occurred for<br />
the African-American community, and<br />
strive to continue and advance the celebration<br />
of our likeness and difference<br />
as Americans of the United States. *<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [51]
GHOST<br />
STORIES<br />
By Sam West<br />
You’ve swiped right and a<br />
match has been made. But<br />
something is … off. Perhaps<br />
he’s too forward. Perhaps he’s too<br />
shy. Perhaps he’s an unironic fan of<br />
Smashmouth with an abiding love for<br />
erotic puppetry. Whatever the reason,<br />
though you might have been virtually<br />
connected, there’s no spark. So what<br />
do you do?<br />
In most cases, the answer seems to<br />
be: ignore him. It used to be that to<br />
end a potential romantic link, you’d<br />
have to have a meaningful conversation<br />
with someone, or at least say you<br />
weren’t interested in dating. But in<br />
the age of Tinder, Bumble and other<br />
dating apps, it’s much more expedient<br />
to just disappear. Hence, “ghosting,” a<br />
neologism for abandoning a potential<br />
partner and ignoring their texts, calls<br />
and notifications.<br />
This might seem cruel, or crazy, or<br />
deeply symbolic of the shallowness of<br />
the millennial generation. (Cue the<br />
thinkpieces.) However, in the world of<br />
online and app-based dating—which<br />
is incredibly young—no one is really<br />
sure about what’s right and wrong. It’s<br />
like Wild West out there.<br />
“Since it’s so new, there’s not a lot of<br />
rules of kind of what people expect,”<br />
said Mo Quinn, a senior majoring in<br />
marketing at The University of Alabama.<br />
“The rules of engagement aren’t<br />
super defined ... one person might<br />
think it’s totally appropriate to send<br />
you this message on Tinder, and you<br />
might find that really creepy and forward.<br />
I think there’s some hurdles<br />
that people are still getting past with<br />
online dating.”<br />
[52] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017<br />
ghost·ing<br />
the practice of ending a personal relationship with someone by<br />
suddenly and without explanation withdrawing from all communication.<br />
Regular, face-to-face dating has<br />
all sorts of little, informal guidelines<br />
that have developed over many years.<br />
<strong>No</strong>t everyone follows them, but they’ve<br />
probably heard them. Three dates<br />
is the threshold for sex. When you’re<br />
getting over a guy (or girl), you can<br />
be miserable one day for every month<br />
you’ve been together. These social cues<br />
don’t exist for dating apps — at least<br />
not until now.<br />
I talked to a few women about their<br />
experiences with apps, with the goal<br />
in mind of creating an official rule of<br />
when it was and was not okay to jettison<br />
a potential romantic partner.<br />
But first, I had to figure out what it<br />
was like to be on the receiving end of a<br />
swift breakup.<br />
LA REGLE D’JEU<br />
I’ve used Tinder before, and the main<br />
thing I remember is that it’s basically<br />
a numbers game: you throw out a lot<br />
of “hey” messages, you hear back from<br />
a few of people, and you have a decent<br />
conversation with a very small group.<br />
Once you start going on dates, things<br />
can get dicey.<br />
Here’s a story that’s similar to what<br />
probably thousands of Millennial men<br />
and women have experienced. Susanna<br />
Kaletski met a guy on an app, they<br />
decided to go out on a date, and it was<br />
… meh. <strong>No</strong>t bad, not great. He later<br />
didn’t return her texts or calls. And<br />
apparently, she didn’t mind.<br />
“I guess if I had really liked him, it<br />
probably would have made me feel really<br />
bad, but because I wasn’t super into<br />
him, I was fine,” said Kaletski, a UA<br />
senior majoring in English.<br />
Getting to know someone on a good<br />
date is one of the most enjoyable experiences<br />
there is; a disastrous date is<br />
at least a fun story to tell. But no one<br />
wants a mediocre experience. So for<br />
Kalteski, ghosting is an expected part<br />
of using Tinder, and a “no harm, no<br />
foul” experience.<br />
“I think for the most part, it’s becoming<br />
a normal thing,” she said. “I<br />
feel like more often than not it’s not<br />
completely mutual, but people understand<br />
why it happens.”<br />
Going into the writing process of this<br />
article, I couldn’t recall whether I had<br />
ever been ghosted. But then I remembered<br />
a few times in my Tinder experience<br />
when women abruptly ceased<br />
communication with me for whatever<br />
reason. It didn’t feel good, but apparently<br />
it wasn’t scarring enough for me<br />
to recall months later. It’s just part of<br />
the game.<br />
WHEN GHOSTING IS GOOD<br />
Maybe getting ghosted isn’t so bad,<br />
but what’s the benefit of it? Why just<br />
ditch someone when you could have a<br />
conversation with them?<br />
Quinn said she often ghosted guys<br />
she just wasn’t into, but she recounted<br />
one case in which she broke off contact<br />
with a particularly aggressive pursuer.<br />
When talking to people for this arti-
cle, I heard a few stories that made me<br />
suspect that ghosting can actually be<br />
a useful tool for women when they use<br />
apps like Tinder.<br />
Avery Birch, senior, had a story that<br />
turned me, a ghosting victim, into a<br />
ghosting apologist. While interning at<br />
a courthouse, she went on a date with a<br />
guy who attended her rival high school.<br />
It went okay, but the next day at her job,<br />
she found his name in the worst possible<br />
place: on that day’s court docket,<br />
accused of a litany of misdeeds.<br />
“I looked at all of his charges and I<br />
was just like ‘oh, my God,’” she said.<br />
“I had no idea that guy was like that<br />
at all. Totally different front that he<br />
put on.”<br />
Luckily, her possibly-felonious date<br />
didn’t show up. But she took a picture<br />
of that day’s court agenda, and sent it<br />
to him with the caption “nice.” Then<br />
she ghosted.<br />
Clearly this was the right thing to do.<br />
As a guy, I never got harassed using<br />
Tinder. But it’s a common experience<br />
for women, as is meeting less-than-reputable<br />
men. Because of this, I suspect<br />
that sometimes it’s not only necessary<br />
but good for girls to ditch dudes who<br />
are being rude or pushy.<br />
Birch said she got a few more texts<br />
from her possibly-criminal acquaintance.<br />
She thinks refusing to talk to<br />
him was the right thing to do, however.<br />
“Associating with him would not<br />
benefit me ... it would be more of a negative<br />
approach than a positive one,”<br />
she said. “I think that’s a good reason<br />
to ghost someone.”<br />
...as long as people can connect<br />
with the touch of an app, ditching<br />
weirdos will be a necessary evil.<br />
A REAL BREAKUP<br />
We’ve established that ghosting can<br />
be good in certain cases. But at what<br />
point does it become wrong? How serious<br />
does the relationship have to be<br />
before it’s no longer okay to just stop<br />
talking to someone? The women I<br />
spoke to were mixed.<br />
“I feel like if you guys have met up,<br />
or maybe if you’ve gone on a couple of<br />
dates or something, and then you realize<br />
it’s not really working, you should<br />
actually let that person know. ‘Okay,<br />
I just don’t see this going anywhere.’<br />
Something like that,” Quinn said.<br />
“But if you’ve really just been texting<br />
or messaging on Tinder, I don’t think<br />
it’s like—if you haven’t met face to<br />
face I don’t think it’s a big deal.”<br />
On the other hand, Kaletski said<br />
she felt that a formal breakup was<br />
only necessary in situations of a close<br />
friendship or a committed relationship.<br />
“I think in those kinds of situations,<br />
you do need to have a conversation<br />
with the person,” she said. “Which can<br />
be hard, because those are I guess the<br />
hardest kinds of conversations to have,<br />
but I think they’re also the most necessary<br />
to have so the other person will<br />
understand why you’re doing this.”<br />
So here’s my conclusion: after hearing<br />
the stories of women who experienced<br />
some of the worst of modern<br />
dating, I can say without a doubt an<br />
official ethical limit on ghosting: it’s<br />
wrong to ghost someone after two solo<br />
dates. If you have one bad face-toface<br />
experience, it’s okay to just drop<br />
the other person, but beyond that, you<br />
probably owe them at least an explanation,<br />
unless they’re really particularly<br />
nasty. And if you’ve been dating<br />
a while, a formal breakup is due. This<br />
is the new rule: you might call it “The<br />
Iron Law of Ghosting.”<br />
THOSE DAMN MILLENIALS<br />
This policy might seem shallow. A<br />
dating world in which people are allowed<br />
to drop each other like they<br />
never interacted could appear cruel to<br />
some. And perhaps the conveniences of<br />
modern dating do have setbacks.<br />
“I think it’s a real shame,” Birch<br />
said. “I want to live in our parent’s<br />
generation, when there wasn’t Instagram<br />
DMs or Facebook Direct Message,<br />
asking for your number and<br />
kind of just texting. It was more of a<br />
personal, you get to know them, they<br />
ask you to go out to dinner and you<br />
get to know them through dinner and<br />
being with them, not texting them asking<br />
them what they’re doing during<br />
the day.”<br />
<strong>No</strong>stalgia is fun, but like it or not,<br />
the Internet is here to stay. And as long<br />
as people can connect with the touch<br />
of an app, ditching weirdos will be a<br />
necessary evil. Though the old might<br />
shake their fist at the hedonist practices<br />
of the young, I actually don’t think<br />
ghosting is a new invention. After all,<br />
what is a “Dear John” letter but the<br />
most depressing form of interpersonal<br />
abandonment? And if Friends is any<br />
indication of historical fact, women in<br />
the 1990s spent a good bit of their time<br />
waiting by the phone for guys to return<br />
their call.<br />
If Millennial women are going to<br />
dive into the meat market that is virtual<br />
dating, they need the defense of<br />
ghosting. And after all, that guy with<br />
a bass fish in his profile picture probably<br />
wasn’t your soulmate, anyway. *<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [53]
GIRLS<br />
JUST<br />
WANNA<br />
HAVE<br />
FUNDAMENTAL<br />
RIGHTS<br />
Defining the modern feminist<br />
By Alexis Faire<br />
[54] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
Growing up, I always admired<br />
Oprah Winfrey. In fact, I wanted<br />
to be just like her. My friends in high<br />
school would call me “Oprah” as a<br />
nickname — not because I wanted to<br />
be a billionaire, not because I wanted<br />
to be famous and definitely not because<br />
I wanted to shout, “You get a car! You<br />
get a car! Everybody gets a car!” In my<br />
eyes, Oprah Winfrey was an example<br />
of the courageous and hard-working<br />
woman that I strived to become.<br />
She spent the first few years of<br />
her life in rural Mississippi with her<br />
grandmother while her single mother<br />
searched for work, according to The<br />
Academy of Achievement. After her<br />
mother found work, she soon moved<br />
out-of-state and because of this, her<br />
mother was absent most of the time.<br />
Due to her mother’s absence, Oprah<br />
was often left home alone and faced<br />
abuse from her male relatives from age<br />
nine to 13. She eventually left home<br />
and lived with her father in Tennessee.<br />
Although she faced living in poverty<br />
and mistreatment in the early years<br />
of her life, she continued to work hard,<br />
launched her career in journalism and<br />
eventually became the first and only<br />
multi-million-dollar black woman.<br />
“Women can do just as much, if<br />
not more, than men can – as proven<br />
throughout history with strong women,”<br />
said EJ Harrell, a junior majoring<br />
in interdisciplinary studies at The<br />
University of Alabama. “I mean, we<br />
see people like Michelle Obama today.<br />
We see Hillary Clinton. We see people<br />
that have progressed so far, and people<br />
still feel as though they are lesser. And<br />
that’s weird to me. I know my mom is<br />
a strong woman, so when I look at her<br />
like, ‘She does everything.’ How are<br />
you going to say that she can’t?”<br />
Oprah Winfrey has been one of<br />
many to fight for women’s rights and<br />
has maintained a strong persona as a<br />
woman in power. The idea of a strong<br />
woman who empowers other women<br />
and girls to fight for equal opportunities<br />
has always been a major factor<br />
in history. From women, such as Harriet<br />
Tubman, Gloria Steinem and the<br />
fictional character Rosie the Riveter,<br />
to today’s Michelle Obama, Malala<br />
Yousafzai and the fictional character<br />
Olivia Pope from Scandal, gender<br />
equality has been a hot-button topic<br />
within society.<br />
The Other F-word<br />
“Some people think negatively of<br />
feminists since they think of feminism<br />
as being anti-man, mean, ugly and so<br />
on, or they don’t think feminism is<br />
relevant anymore because women are<br />
already ‘equal,’” said Elise Wander, a<br />
law student at Yale University interested<br />
in public law. “Those people are<br />
misinformed, or they don’t reason how<br />
deeply invested they are in societal values<br />
and stereotypes.”<br />
When people hear the word “feminism,”<br />
they tend to either groan with<br />
frustration or attempt to avoid the conversation<br />
completely. Or maybe they’ll<br />
say something along the lines of, “I<br />
believe that women deserve equal opportunities,<br />
but I don’t identify as a<br />
feminist.” And that’s where the miscommunication<br />
begins.<br />
According to Merriam-Webster, feminism<br />
is defined as the theory of the<br />
political, economic and social equality<br />
of the sexes. The main idea of feminism<br />
is that everyone deserves equal<br />
opportunities despite a person’s gender.<br />
“That’s what feminism is,” said <strong>No</strong>ra<br />
Niedzielski-Eichner, a second-year law<br />
student at Yale University. “I don’t<br />
know what people think feminism is,<br />
like it’s some big secret cult or you<br />
know, ‘I haven’t made the secret handshake,<br />
so I’m not a feminist.’ If you<br />
think that women should get to be<br />
equal, if you think that we should have<br />
the same opportunities, regardless of<br />
what gender you’re born, then you’re<br />
a feminist.”<br />
Many seem to believe that the feminist<br />
movement strives to help women<br />
overpower men and to make it seem as<br />
though women deserve more than their<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [55]
male counterparts. A common myth,<br />
according to a study done by Villanova<br />
University, is that feminism only liberates<br />
women at the expense of men.<br />
This statement couldn’t be further<br />
from the truth, yet it is still something<br />
people choose to believe.<br />
“It [feminism] wasn’t built on the<br />
backbone of breaking down another<br />
gender or saying that someone is lesser<br />
than,” Harrell said. “Because that’s<br />
what they’re fighting against. That<br />
defeats the purpose, which is usually<br />
their argument.”<br />
“Waiting on the<br />
world to change…”<br />
Campaigns like the UN Women’s<br />
HeForShe encourages people of all<br />
identities to support gender equality<br />
and to unify the sexes. According to<br />
the HeForShe website, over 1.2 million<br />
people in the U.S. have committed to<br />
taking action to create a gender-equal<br />
world, and the U.S. is currently ranked<br />
second in HeForShe activity. The<br />
campaign gained popularity when actress<br />
and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador,<br />
Emma Watson, presented<br />
a speech about her journey into feminism<br />
and becoming an advocate for<br />
women’s rights.<br />
“I decided I was a feminist and this<br />
seemed uncomplicated to me,” Watson<br />
said in her 2014 speech. “But my recent<br />
research has shown me that feminism<br />
has become an unpopular word.<br />
Apparently, I am among the ranks of<br />
women whose expressions are seen as<br />
too strong, too aggressive, isolating,<br />
anti-men and unattractive. Why is the<br />
word such an uncomfortable one?”<br />
The HeForShe campaign is currently<br />
present with two institutions in the<br />
U.S. – Georgetown University and<br />
Stony Brook University – and has either<br />
a chancellor or president whom<br />
are participants for the initiative.<br />
Kendyl Clausen, a recent graduate<br />
from Georgetown University and a law<br />
student at Yale University, is a supporter<br />
of the movement.<br />
[56] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017<br />
“From what I understand, the movement<br />
is committed to encouraging men<br />
to support feminist causes as well,” she<br />
said. “One of the downfalls of feminist<br />
movements has been the ‘other-ing’ of<br />
men. The framing of the movement has<br />
often banded women together against<br />
men. This has led to things like the<br />
#notallmen movement in response to<br />
advocacy against sexual assault, etc.”<br />
She said the HeForShe movement<br />
seems like a good way to counter the<br />
negativity and to help the movement<br />
move forward.<br />
“All the women,<br />
who are independent…”<br />
The idea of a powerful woman<br />
comes with a long list of stereotypes.<br />
In Forbes’ The 10 Worst Stereotypes<br />
About Powerful Women, the number<br />
one cliché is possibly the most common:<br />
Ice Queen. Think along the lines of<br />
Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada,<br />
as the article mentioned, or maybe<br />
Sandra Bullock in The Proposal.<br />
Powerful women that are stereotyped<br />
as an ice queen are depicted as unapproachable,<br />
mean and show no emotion<br />
in the workplace.<br />
“Women in power in entertainment<br />
are often portrayed as cold and unemotional,”<br />
said Lisa McKinney, professor<br />
of accounting at The University<br />
of Alabama. “There is a partial truth<br />
in this portrayal in that women must<br />
be less emotional and must be more<br />
aggressive to succeed in the workplace.<br />
The workplace is a competitive<br />
environment; women have to be able to<br />
compete with the men. The workplace<br />
requires a clear head, an attention<br />
to facts, and an ability to steer away<br />
from drama.”<br />
Lindsay Macher, a UA senior majoring<br />
in chemical engineering and<br />
president of the Feminist Caucus, said<br />
she believes commenting on a woman’s<br />
emotions is a way to try to bring down<br />
a woman in power.<br />
“As far as emotions, I think that’s<br />
just an easy way to dismiss women,”<br />
she said. “… I think as a woman, if<br />
you’re in a position of power, you do<br />
kind of have to take an approach of<br />
either ‘I’m gonna be kind of cold and<br />
hard, so that I’m taken kinda seriously<br />
from the get go,’ or ‘I’m gonna try and<br />
be nice and be really pleasant.’”<br />
Despite the entertainment industry<br />
representing feminist ideals, the idea<br />
of strong and powerful women is often<br />
characterized in a negative light.<br />
The topic of powerful women can’t<br />
be discussed without bringing up the<br />
b-word. Over time, the connotation has<br />
changed, and depending on how it’s<br />
used, can either be a compliment or<br />
an insult.<br />
According to Merriam-Webster, the<br />
first definition of the word “bitch”<br />
means “the female of the dog or some<br />
other carnivorous mammals.” The second<br />
definition of the word comes with<br />
two parts and is listed as, “a lewd or<br />
immoral woman” followed by “a malicious,<br />
spiteful or overbearing woman –<br />
sometimes used as a generalized term<br />
of abuse.”<br />
When a powerful woman knows what<br />
she wants, works hard to get it and<br />
doesn’t need help from a man, that’s<br />
when people want to categorize her as<br />
a bitch. In a 2008 Saturday Night Live<br />
skit, Tina Fey discussed Hillary Clinton’s<br />
first campaign run for president.<br />
Tina stated that it bothered her when<br />
people called Hillary a bitch, which<br />
led Tina to coin the phrase, “Bitches<br />
get stuff done.” To be honest, this is<br />
a phrase I live by every day. Women<br />
have embraced phrases like this and<br />
the word as a compliment to show that<br />
they’re making a positive impact.<br />
While the word may be making a<br />
transformation as time continues, it<br />
still tends to carry a negative connotation<br />
when depicting women in the entertainment<br />
industry — both fictional<br />
and real.<br />
“… I also have an issue [on how they<br />
tend] to make the bitchiness more appealing,”<br />
Macher said. “… They’ll kinda<br />
label them as sexy, and they’ll just
sexualize them. I don’t think that you<br />
have to be beautiful, smart, skinny,<br />
etc. to be a strong woman in power.”<br />
Women in entertainment, despite<br />
their accomplishments or their journey,<br />
are always centered around appearance.<br />
Whether it’s about her<br />
outfit, her sex life (or lack thereof) or<br />
even how she landed the position she<br />
currently has, a woman’s looks always<br />
seem to be the topic of conversation.<br />
“It bothers me that women in power<br />
necessarily need to be super attractive<br />
and fit a certain body image mold –<br />
often that’s thin, white, very dressed<br />
up,” said Marissa Medine, a thirdyear<br />
law student at Yale University<br />
interested in family law. “One of the<br />
more ridiculous [examples] I think of<br />
is the high-powered surgeon, doctor<br />
who’s worked an 18-hour shift and still<br />
has impeccable makeup and is wearing<br />
stiletto pumps in the middle of<br />
the hospital.”<br />
“Work, work, work,<br />
work, work, work…”<br />
According to the American Association<br />
of University Women (AAUW),<br />
working women in 2015 received 80<br />
percent of what working men earned,<br />
which means there’s a gap of 20 percent.<br />
That’s not even including race,<br />
ethnicity and age. AAUW stated that<br />
although pay for women has drastically<br />
increased since 1960, women are<br />
expected to reach pay equity with men<br />
by 2059.<br />
“One aspect of the wage gap that I<br />
think doesn’t get enough attention is<br />
that historically female-dominated<br />
fields are paid way less, and are considered<br />
way less prestigious, than their<br />
male counterparts,” Wander said.<br />
“Public school teachers are paid less<br />
than professors, nurses are paid less<br />
than doctors, etc.”<br />
Despite the current challenges, Clausen<br />
said there are more ways to help<br />
women succeed today than there have<br />
been before.<br />
“Women still face significant challenges,<br />
especially in male-dominated<br />
fields, but America is way more aware<br />
of these challenges than ever before,”<br />
she said. “There are women’s groups<br />
dedicated to pairing women up to help<br />
them network and succeed. There are<br />
books about how women can help each<br />
other succeed. There are men who are<br />
actively helping women get ahead.”<br />
The year 2016 brought another presidential<br />
election. Hillary Clinton ran<br />
a campaign yet again and earned the<br />
presidential nominee for the Democratic<br />
Party. She ran on a platform<br />
that supported ideas such as gender<br />
equality, climate change, racial justice,<br />
LGBT rights, etc. For months,<br />
polls slated her to be the first female<br />
president of the United States. Ultimately,<br />
she lost to her opponent, now<br />
President-elect Donald Trump.<br />
“I was very saddened by the fact<br />
that we would not have a first female<br />
president,” Medine said. “I still remember<br />
the day of the election. I was<br />
home, looking at this book [from] when<br />
I was little called First Ladies: Women<br />
Who Called the White House Home,<br />
and I loved it since I was little. And<br />
I remember thinking that morning,<br />
‘Wow, we could really have a woman to<br />
call the White House home and who’s<br />
not a First Lady.’ And how incredible<br />
that would be to talk to my children<br />
about that and see this historical moment<br />
and see this book as a historical<br />
artifact and realize the progress we<br />
have made.”<br />
Although Hillary Clinton did not win<br />
the 2016 election and with the progress<br />
the country has made so far, Niedzielski-Eichner<br />
said she believes the U.S.<br />
will have a female president one day.<br />
“Absolutely, without a question,” she<br />
said. “I can’t believe it’s taken us as<br />
long as it has, but we absolutely will.<br />
We’ll get there.” *<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [57]
[58] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
BEYOND<br />
THE<br />
BARRIER<br />
Pushing against heteronormativity:<br />
living in the LGBTQ community<br />
By Elizabeth Elkin<br />
Editor’s note: Finn is a pseudonym<br />
for a University of Alabama student<br />
who requested anonymity.<br />
Finn has been transgender forever.<br />
He didn’t have a word for it until the<br />
beginning of middle school. In sixth<br />
or seventh grade, he thought to himself,<br />
“Oh, that might be it. I might<br />
be trans.”<br />
Freshman year of high school, he became<br />
more certain.<br />
“There was kind of a progressive level<br />
of ‘I know, that might be a thing,’<br />
and then, ‘Oh, there’s a word that actually<br />
describes me,’ ” he said.<br />
Sometime around his junior year of<br />
high school, Finn spoke with his mother<br />
about it. At the time, his friends and<br />
family knew him as a female. He did<br />
not come out to the rest of his family<br />
until sophomore year of college.<br />
Finn grew up in Alabama. In high<br />
school, everyone chose to attend the<br />
state university, who gave him scholarship<br />
money. Going there just felt like<br />
the thing to do. If he could remake that<br />
decision, Finn would be somewhere<br />
else right now.<br />
“It doesn’t feel safe,” he said. “I’m<br />
always on edge. Always. Even if I feel<br />
comfortable, I’m always like, ‘Okay,<br />
but make sure you’re watching out<br />
for yourself.’ Especially because all it<br />
takes is one drunk frat daddy and his<br />
friends to not like me. A lot of us feel<br />
like they could kill you and not have<br />
that much of a fuss.”<br />
The transgender community is often<br />
the recipient of violence, and after<br />
this election season, people like Finn<br />
worry about their personal safety.<br />
Finn goes through college in fear, trying<br />
not to stand out, trying to avoid<br />
being outed in front of people who may<br />
hurt him for becoming the person he<br />
feels he was meant to be.<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [59]
Finn’s freshman year, he lived in the<br />
girls’ dorms. He wasn’t out yet, so he<br />
had no choice. It was okay, though, because<br />
he always ended up by himself.<br />
His roommates were never there. His<br />
biggest problem was that he lived really<br />
close to fraternity houses, and some<br />
of the guys who lived there seemed to<br />
have a serious problem with him.<br />
One day, he was trying to park his<br />
car while several men were trying to<br />
park a boat. One of them saw him.<br />
“What is it?” he said, staring at Finn.<br />
“Get out of the car and come talk to<br />
us,” another said.<br />
They continued to harass him,<br />
frightening him. Finn spoke to some<br />
people in Safe Zone, an ally network at<br />
The University of Alabama which aims<br />
to educate people on LGBT topics, according<br />
to its website. He filed a police<br />
report and spoke to Housing and Residential<br />
Communities.<br />
Finn said the people in Housing were<br />
very accommodating, and they ended<br />
up moving him. He told them he didn’t<br />
feel comfortable living with either gender,<br />
and they moved him to a single.<br />
Mostly, Finn said, some people just<br />
give him mean looks, or act awkwardly<br />
around him. It’s awful, but better than<br />
harassment or violence.<br />
Finn has had his name picked out<br />
since high school. He spent hours<br />
Googling baby name sites. His first<br />
name was always in his head, knowing<br />
that Finn was what he would be called.<br />
He did not pick out his middle name,<br />
however, until the day he went to officially<br />
change his name.<br />
Calling him by his chosen name is<br />
a matter of courtesy, Finn said. Even<br />
some of his friends still call him “she,”<br />
which becomes awkward and scary in<br />
situations where he is around people<br />
who don’t know he’s transgender.<br />
“It really feels like you don’t respect<br />
me if you do that,” he said. “They’re<br />
like, ‘oh, when I met you I thought you<br />
were a girl, so.’ I’ve met people who<br />
have transitioned, and I don’t mess<br />
that up.”<br />
Kirk Walter, assistant director of<br />
student involvement at Safe Zone, and<br />
Lizzie Emerson, Safe Zone graduate<br />
assistant, said that while it depends<br />
on your health care provider, generally<br />
speaking, procedures or treatments<br />
are not covered for gender dysphoria.<br />
“We kind of exist in a medical desert<br />
in Tuscaloosa, in that we do not have<br />
medical practitioners in town that will<br />
really work or work well with the trans<br />
community,” Walter said. “So for example,<br />
if an individual wants to begin<br />
the hormone treatment, there are no<br />
doctors in Tuscaloosa or in the immediately<br />
surrounding area that will<br />
work with anybody to do that.”<br />
There are two doctors Safe Zone refer<br />
to students for treatment. Both are<br />
in Birmingham, but Walter said the<br />
wait time to see those doctors can be<br />
six to nine months.<br />
Both doctors turned Finn down,<br />
and he had to go to a doctor in Georgia.<br />
In addition, many doctors, including<br />
Finn’s, want patients to go<br />
through a year of therapy before<br />
beginning treatment.<br />
“It took me three years of actively<br />
trying to get on hormones,” he said.<br />
Finn’s health care pays for some of<br />
his hormonal treatments, but only because<br />
his doctor has it listed as something<br />
else. He says health care should<br />
pay for hormonal treatments for the<br />
transgender community because it’s<br />
absolutely necessary in many cases,<br />
including his.<br />
“I felt least safe when I was trying<br />
my best not to be masculine, but it<br />
didn’t work,” he said. “You still have<br />
all these female features. <strong>No</strong>t only do<br />
you have to wait an extra year, it took<br />
me another year, year and a half to get<br />
someone that would actually help me.<br />
It was torture.”<br />
Eventually, Finn thinks he may want<br />
a hysterectomy, an expensive surgery<br />
to remove the uterus that almost no<br />
health care provider will cover for the<br />
transgender community.<br />
“You have to go to all kinds of crazy<br />
places [to get it done],” he said. “It’s<br />
a lot of debating on, ‘Do I want to try<br />
to spend all of my time saving up this<br />
money, or do I want to just deal with<br />
the days where I feel like shit.’ ”<br />
For individuals in the process of<br />
transitioning, Emerson said, health<br />
insurance and access to preventative<br />
medicine can be a huge issue.<br />
“A person may need gynecological<br />
preventative care but not have access<br />
to that because their birth certificate<br />
doesn’t say the right thing anymore,”<br />
she said.<br />
There are four bathrooms on campus<br />
Finn feels comfortable using. Up<br />
until he began using hormones, he has<br />
always felt awkward trying to figure<br />
out whether to use the male or female<br />
bathroom. His decision usually came<br />
down to how he was dressed.<br />
“A lot of the times I would make a<br />
point not to talk,” he said. “If I went<br />
into the male bathroom and I looked<br />
male, if I talked, it would give it away.<br />
I’ve basically got a running list of all<br />
the gender-neutral bathrooms on campus.<br />
There’s definitely not enough.”<br />
[60] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
Depending on where a<br />
transgender person is in<br />
transitioning, choosing<br />
which bathroom to use<br />
can be a matter of<br />
personal safety.<br />
Finn said depending on where a<br />
transgender person is in transitioning,<br />
choosing which bathroom to use can<br />
be a matter of personal safety. Gender-neutral<br />
bathrooms, often labeled<br />
as family bathrooms, can alleviate the<br />
stress and safety concerns of choosing<br />
which bathroom to use. However,<br />
the state of Alabama currently has no<br />
positive gender-neutral bathroom laws,<br />
among other ways the state suppresses<br />
the transgender community.<br />
Finn said he honestly couldn’t think<br />
of anything the state does to protect<br />
the transgender community, wishing<br />
officials would make it easier to change<br />
gender registration.<br />
According to the National Center for<br />
Transgender Equality, to change your<br />
name in Alabama, you have to submit<br />
a petition to the probate court for a<br />
name change order. To update your<br />
name and gender on state identification,<br />
you have to change your name<br />
with the Social Security Administration<br />
and then submit a court order for<br />
a name change and documentation<br />
signed by a surgeon verifying that<br />
you’ve had gender reassignment surgery.<br />
To update your birth certificate,<br />
you need proof that you’ve had gender<br />
reassignment surgery as well.<br />
Since surgery is so expensive, many<br />
transgender people will never change<br />
their gender on their birth certificate<br />
or Alabama identification, he said.<br />
In addition, according to The University<br />
of Alabama Registrar, in order<br />
to change your gender with the university,<br />
you also need a letter from a<br />
doctor certifying that they performed<br />
sexual reassignment surgery on you.<br />
This can pose problems for students in<br />
situations where their genders appear<br />
in the University system.<br />
Chris Bryant, interim director of<br />
Media Relations at the university, said<br />
on a class roster a pronoun and a preferred<br />
first and last name is listed.<br />
“So, on the class roster a student can<br />
indicate their pronoun and the name<br />
by which they wish to be identified,”<br />
Bryant said.<br />
Bryant also said a student’s photo<br />
is available in the student information<br />
system, for instructors and advisers to<br />
look at.<br />
However, Finn said he had a different<br />
experience with photo and name<br />
changes. Because he was not out his<br />
freshman year of college, his original<br />
university identification photo showed<br />
him as a female and the system had<br />
his birth name. It eventually became a<br />
problem when school offices would not<br />
accept his identification.<br />
“They didn’t believe it,” he said. “I<br />
had to show like five different cards<br />
from my wallet, and each one had both<br />
names. I was like, ‘I promise I’m me.’ ”<br />
Lizzie Emerson of Safe Zone said one<br />
of the major things universities can do<br />
is to allow students to self identify on<br />
all forms, giving the example of how<br />
the student health center’s basic forms<br />
are not gender inclusive.<br />
“The first step is to know who they<br />
are,” she said, adding that the university<br />
can project an institutional show<br />
of solidarity to make students feel<br />
safer on campus.<br />
“I think that’s been missing so far,”<br />
she said.<br />
At Safe Zone, they talk about allyship<br />
as a verb instead of a noun. This<br />
requires people to go beyond just<br />
“Facebook activism” and help people<br />
in their day-to-day lives.<br />
“You act as an ally,” Walter said.<br />
“You act in solidarity with. If you are<br />
not a member of the community, it requires<br />
deliberate action.”<br />
Walter said if all the different advocacy<br />
organizations came together and<br />
recognized the intersectionality of all<br />
these communities, that would make a<br />
huge difference.<br />
“If I’m an advocate for the LGBTQ<br />
community, because there are LGBTQ<br />
members of color, I also need to be an<br />
advocate for Black Lives Matter,” he<br />
said. “And because there are those who<br />
identify as women within the LGBTQ<br />
community, I also need to be a feminist.<br />
Because there are LGBTQ folks<br />
who use mobility devices, I also need<br />
to be an advocate for Americans with<br />
disabilities. If everyone recognized<br />
that intersection, that you cannot have<br />
social justice of whatever group you’re<br />
interested in supporting without also<br />
having social justice for those folks<br />
who have the intersection of the identity<br />
that you care about, if everyone<br />
would recognize that, we’d win.” *<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [61]
HEALTH & FOOD<br />
VITAMINS, MINERALS AND SUPPLEMENTS,<br />
OH MY!<br />
By Caroline Wells<br />
Comfortably sitting on my couch one Friday night,<br />
sipping tea and catching up on the latest episode<br />
of The Bachelor, I had an overwhelming sense of<br />
needing to be healthier. All the contestants on The Bachelor<br />
seemed to lounge around and sip wine while staying in<br />
perfect shape. “How do they do that? They must take a pill<br />
or something,” I wondered. I unlocked my phone, pulled up<br />
Instagram and went to my favorite health nut feed looking<br />
for a quick solution to what seemed like a never-ending<br />
problem of mine – wanting to be “healthy.”<br />
One Instagram account claimed taking Vitamin B12 pills<br />
would provide more energy for better workouts so I could<br />
burn more fat. Another account claimed taking a pre-workout<br />
and biotin was the secret to a lean, toned body. With<br />
these claims in mind, I headed to the local Target to find<br />
my magic vitamin elixir. As I was walking down the vitamin<br />
supplement aisle, I felt like I was standing at the<br />
foot of a tsunami wave. How do I know which vitamins to<br />
take? And which brand is the best deal? Should I get the<br />
ones in the cute, colorful bottle or stick to the tried and<br />
true Flintstones vitamins?<br />
Supplement marketing can mislead consumers into thinking<br />
that taking a supplement is as good as intake of nutrients<br />
through food. Currently, a popular trend is to take<br />
large doses of Vitamin C to prevent or cure a cold. Food<br />
chemist and Registered Dietitian Dr. Kristi Crowe-White,<br />
RD stated, “Megadoses of Vitamin C aren’t beneficial, as<br />
the body can only absorb so much Vitamin C at once. The<br />
excess amount is excreted, not stored for later. However,<br />
the amount of Vitamin C in fruits and vegetables is present<br />
in a dosage within our body’s ability to absorb it fully.”<br />
Dr. Crowe-White added Vitamin C is an extremely useful<br />
antioxidant in the body, but it is not necessary to gulp down<br />
large vitamin C supplementation daily.<br />
So if taking every vitamin off the shelf won’t help, what<br />
will? I’m so glad you asked! A healthy, balanced diet.<br />
[62] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017<br />
“Healthy,” meaning a diet full of vegetables, fruits and<br />
whole grains. Vegetables are incredible because they supply<br />
tremendous amounts of vitamins and minerals. Spinach<br />
and other dark, leafy greens are a source of almost every<br />
vitamin and mineral. Whole Grains contain B vitamins (energy),<br />
plus they are a great source of fiber to control hunger.<br />
Dr. Crowe-White said, “Your first step before supplementing<br />
should be looking at your diet. Write down what you eat<br />
(she recommends 2 weekdays and 2 weekend days) so you’ll<br />
have a better idea of what nutrients are missing and what<br />
you are getting from your diet.”<br />
One of the main supplements everyone should be taking<br />
is probiotics. Probiotics supply the intestines and gut<br />
with beneficial microorganisms, which impact our immune<br />
system and ability to absorb vitamins and minerals. Dr.<br />
Crowe-White stated, “In order for the vitamins and minerals<br />
we get from our diet to be better absorbed and utilized<br />
… we need to do everything we can for our gut bacteria.<br />
Probiotics can only enhance our health.”<br />
Taking probiotics can only be helpful in our quest to be<br />
healthier, so if you only buy one thing from Target, let<br />
it be a probiotic. If our gut is not ready to absorb nutrients,<br />
then taking more and more vitamins will never solve<br />
the problem.<br />
Resisting the urge to eat badly and take vitamins later<br />
is difficult in this quick-fix culture. Vitamin brands would<br />
like you to think that taking a “fat-blocker” or “carb inhibitor”<br />
is the answer to losing weight while still eating a high<br />
sugar and low nutrient dense diet. When asked about how<br />
proficient these fat-blocking supplements really were, Crow-<br />
White replied, “Show me the science. I think that there<br />
are a lot of claims out there that are unfounded. Unfortunately,<br />
supplements are unregulated by any government<br />
agency and it’s on the manufacturer to be truthful. These<br />
supplements can bear claims without being approved by the<br />
FDA.” To sell products, manufacturers can print any claim<br />
they would like and paste it to the outside of a bottle. As<br />
a general rule of thumb, if the claim sounds magical, it is<br />
probably false.<br />
After scouring the internet, research sites, and reflecting<br />
on my own personal testing over the past year, I have compiled<br />
a list of vitamins I think are worth the money and are<br />
supplementing holes in my college diet. These are the supplements<br />
that have helped me, however; each person’s need<br />
for supplementation varies based on their diet. *
PROBIOTIC<br />
Brand: Nutrition <strong>No</strong>w<br />
Name: PB 8<br />
Where to Buy: Amazon, $13<br />
Why should I take it? Probiotics are the food for the bacteria<br />
in the gut. The bacteria in the gut are needed to help<br />
the intestines absorb nutrients from the diet and help the<br />
body excrete waste. My college diet unfortunately contains<br />
a lot of sugars, which kill off the good bacteria in the<br />
gut. This probiotic is an affordable way to get those good<br />
bacteria back!<br />
OMEGA 3<br />
Brand: Nature’s Bounty<br />
Name: Fish Oil<br />
Where to buy: Amazon, $10<br />
Why should I take it? Fish oils, specifically EPA/DHA,<br />
support healthy levels of triglycerides and cholesterol in the<br />
body, which may reduce the risk of heart disease and help fatsoluble<br />
vitamins absorb. On a college budget, I cannot afford<br />
to include fish in my weekly diet, so these fill in where<br />
my diet lacks.<br />
VITAMIN A + BIOTIN<br />
Brand: Navan Skin Care<br />
Name: True Clear Skin Clarifying Supplement<br />
Where to Buy: NavanSkinCare.com, $35<br />
Why should I take it? I have had acne and skin care problems<br />
since puberty and have found that my diet lacks the<br />
recommended amount of Vitamin A, which supports healthy<br />
skin. Since taking these vitamins regularly, my skin has<br />
been consistently clear. The secret to these pills is taking<br />
them with adequate healthy fat in the diet, because Vitamin<br />
A will not absorb without fat.<br />
MAGNESIUM<br />
Brand: Blue Bonnet<br />
Name: Calcium Citrate, Magnesium, Vitamin D3<br />
Where to buy: Amazon, $20<br />
Why should I take it? Regular headaches and sleepless<br />
nights plagued me when I first got to college. Add tons of<br />
stress and anxiety and you’ve got a recipe for a magnesium<br />
deficiency. Once I started taking magnesium, the stress levels<br />
in my body significantly decreased, and I had an easier<br />
time falling asleep and staying asleep.<br />
Remember, supplements are great, but only in the correct<br />
context. To figure out what supplements are best for you,<br />
try recording your diet and then seeing a Registered Dietitian<br />
for advice.<br />
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1111 GREENSBORO AVE<br />
TUSCALOOSA, AL 35401<br />
205.752.5535<br />
HUDSONPOOLE.COM<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [63]
HEALTH & FOOD<br />
Photos by Teah Shaw<br />
[64] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
Backflips for Bama<br />
By Claire Turner<br />
Kiana Winston straightens her<br />
crimson and houndstooth bow in the<br />
locker room mirror, laughing with<br />
her teammates as she adjusts her<br />
bedazzled leotard one last time. She<br />
lines up to walk through the hallway,<br />
the roar of thousands of people in the<br />
crowd growing louder and louder with<br />
each step. Sparklers shoot out golden<br />
fireworks through four illuminated,<br />
larger than life letters: B-A-M-A.<br />
Winston runs out with the rest of<br />
The University of Alabama gymnastics<br />
team, taking in the coliseum with<br />
15,000 seats, four center-hung Jumbo<br />
Trons, two scoreboards and the<br />
feeling of experiencing it all with her<br />
best friends beside her. She feels her<br />
heart swell with pride as she steps<br />
onto the crimson script A on the court,<br />
knowing she’s achieving all her goals<br />
at the college she always dreamed<br />
of attending.<br />
Winston is not thinking about<br />
her homework in her classes for her<br />
psychology major, nor that project she<br />
has due for her human development<br />
minor. Though it is her junior year,<br />
she’s nine hours from her home in Fort<br />
Worth, Texas, and she’s had three<br />
surgeries due to gymnastics injuries,<br />
Winston was focusing on landing<br />
her killer double layout in her floor<br />
routine and nailing her release on the<br />
uneven bars.<br />
“What I love most about competing<br />
is the butterflies that you get,”<br />
Winston said. “And just being one<br />
with yourself, having an audience and<br />
performing for yourself so it’s like, ‘let<br />
me show you what I can do.’ God gave<br />
me these gifts, so I’m definitely going<br />
to use them.”<br />
Winston’s favorite part of being<br />
a gymnast is her ability to do what<br />
others can’t.<br />
“I love setting a goal and pushing<br />
myself to make it. I love that<br />
determination factor of it.”<br />
Her determination paid off at<br />
the 2016 Southeastern Conference<br />
Championships in Little Rock,<br />
Arkansas, when she scored a 9.95<br />
out of a perfect 10 on her bar routine,<br />
achieving an exhilarating tie with<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [65]
teammate and roommate Katie Bailey.<br />
Despite being part of team that has<br />
won nine SEC Championships and<br />
six NCAA National Championships,<br />
Winston stays pretty levelheaded<br />
in school, saying she doesn’t feel a<br />
difference between being a student<br />
athlete and a normal student.<br />
“I don’t really know that many<br />
people, so I’m not really treated very<br />
differently,” she said. “I would say<br />
that the perks here with the academic<br />
center and of course [the gymnastics]<br />
training facility really help me reach<br />
my goals.”<br />
Winston maintains a healthy gradepoint<br />
average in Alabama’s Center<br />
for Athletic Student Services, where<br />
student athletes are required to attend<br />
study hall sessions every night their<br />
first year on campus. Her body is<br />
kept in shape in the extraordinarily<br />
efficient and safe gymnastics practice<br />
center that features five balance<br />
beams, two foam pits, six pairs of<br />
uneven bars, several vaults and a large,<br />
springy practice floor for perfecting<br />
floor routines.<br />
In addition to this, Winston and<br />
the gymnastics team have a private<br />
training room and personal trainers<br />
who assist with conditioning and<br />
treatments, like icing or heating the<br />
body or a deep-tissue massage, as<br />
well as helping the girls maintain a<br />
healthy diet.<br />
“I like pizza a lot, but I don’t eat it<br />
all the time,” she said, adding a love<br />
for ice cream. “I don’t necessarily have<br />
to watch what I eat, but I am aware of<br />
what I eat.”<br />
Though practicing and competing<br />
take up a lot of time, Winston and her<br />
teammates are accustomed to busy<br />
schedules. When heading to a meet<br />
at a different school, they set aside a<br />
specific time for studying.<br />
“I have class Monday through<br />
Friday,” Winston said. “If we’re<br />
traveling then we have excused<br />
absences, but we still have to get all of<br />
our work done. So it’s a little bit busier<br />
with travel meets, but we know how to<br />
manage our time.”<br />
Though Winston has done<br />
gymnastics since she was a child, she<br />
doesn’t plan on furthering her career<br />
in the sport past college, choosing<br />
instead to focus her future on children.<br />
“I’m not necessarily done with the<br />
sport,” she said. “Of course I’m going<br />
to come back for all the alumni meets,<br />
and I’m going to visit. But I want to see<br />
what’s out there besides gymnastics.<br />
It’s all I’ve known my whole life.”<br />
Winston wants to get her Master’s<br />
degree in psychology and give back to<br />
children, whether that’s counseling,<br />
owning a day care or even coaching a<br />
children’s gymnastics team. But there<br />
are definitely things she’s going to<br />
miss when she leaves the Crimson Tide<br />
gymnastics team.<br />
“What I’m going to miss about<br />
competing at UA is the crowd and, of<br />
course, my teammates and the bond<br />
that we have,” she said.<br />
Winston and the rest of her team<br />
look forward to more sparkly costumes,<br />
locker room fun and excellent scores at<br />
competitions in the upcoming season. *<br />
[66] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
HEALTH & FOOD<br />
By Lauren Lane<br />
Once Gigi Hadid let the world know<br />
the secret to getting her svelte figure<br />
required kickboxing and a weekly<br />
cheeseburger, the exercise became a<br />
huge phenomenon for women. However,<br />
kickboxing has proven itself to be more<br />
than a fad. It is an incredible way to<br />
relieve stress, learn self-defense and<br />
get a high calorie burn in just one<br />
session. All it takes is a few minutes in<br />
the ring to make you feel like the girl<br />
boss you truly are.<br />
I took my first-ever kickboxing class<br />
at my university’s student recreation<br />
center. I figured since I was not taking<br />
it at a real kickboxing facility, it<br />
would not be intense, so I ran a mile<br />
beforehand for a warm-up. Boy, was I<br />
wrong.<br />
Caleigh Everingham, my instructor,<br />
got down to business in the first minute<br />
of class. We spent the entire 50-minute<br />
period doing cardio and worked every<br />
big muscle group. <strong>No</strong> one had on<br />
boxing gloves, but Caleigh kept up the<br />
intensity and worked us out through<br />
repetitions of kickboxing moves,<br />
squats, kicks and intense cardio.<br />
“I incorporate different classes<br />
and my own lifting workouts into my<br />
own exercise routine, but kickboxing<br />
is my favorite right now since I can<br />
incorporate high-intensity cardio<br />
bursts with agility exercises and<br />
strength and conditioning work,”<br />
Everingham said. “Some people first<br />
come to my class thinking it’s going<br />
to be just punching and kicking for 50<br />
minutes, but my goal is to give a fullbody<br />
workout in a much more varied<br />
and intense way than that.”<br />
I left class that evening feeling<br />
accomplished and proud of myself for<br />
pushing through. I loved the challenge<br />
of keeping up my heart rate and<br />
making every move just as intense<br />
and sharp as if I was in a real boxing<br />
match. I could feel the soreness hitting<br />
me as soon as class was over, and I<br />
made sure to stretch that night, even<br />
though I was painfully sore for the<br />
next three days.<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [67]
“<strong>No</strong>t only is kickboxing<br />
a physical workout,<br />
but it also has a mental<br />
aspect to it that<br />
is just as important.<br />
Many members who<br />
suffer with anxiety and<br />
depression see drastic<br />
improvements, which<br />
I think is something<br />
really overlooked.”<br />
I went in to 9Round, a local facility,<br />
for a free nine rounds of kickboxing<br />
and circuit training that made full use<br />
of my 30 minutes. Each round lasted<br />
for three minutes and consisted of a<br />
variety of boxing, strength and cardio<br />
moves. There were short circuits in<br />
between each round, making it exciting<br />
to see what the next challenge was even<br />
when I was exhausted.<br />
“In our 30 minute kickboxing<br />
workout, you’ll burn massive amounts<br />
of calories, continue to burn calories for<br />
hours after your workout is complete,<br />
release toxins, strengthen and tighten<br />
every muscle, boost your stamina,<br />
relieve stress, strengthen your heart,<br />
release endorphins and improve your<br />
sleep,” said Halle Wallace, coach and<br />
owner of 9Round, Tuscaloosa. “<strong>No</strong>t<br />
only is kickboxing a physical workout,<br />
but it also has a mental aspect to it that<br />
is just as important. Many members<br />
who suffer with anxiety and depression<br />
see drastic improvements, which I<br />
think is something really overlooked.”<br />
Both coaches mentioned kickboxing<br />
helping themselves and their clients<br />
battle depression and anxiety, along<br />
with building confidence in who they<br />
are. More than 90 percent of 9Round<br />
clients are women. Wallace finds<br />
satisfaction seeing females finding<br />
their strength and becoming more<br />
comfortable in their own skin.<br />
I felt empowered after leaving both<br />
workouts, and each one became so much<br />
more than just burning calories and<br />
rather helped me focus on becoming a<br />
better version of myself.<br />
“The world tries to tell women<br />
what they should look like and who<br />
they should be, but I believe that<br />
kickboxing is an avenue for women to<br />
mold themselves into who they want to<br />
be,” Everingham said. “I want women<br />
to have kickboxing as an outlet to take<br />
the good and bad things life throws at<br />
us and channel them into becoming<br />
stronger, healthier, and happier. My<br />
hope is that the women who come to my<br />
classes leave feeling better than when<br />
they walked in and empowered to turn<br />
their goals into plans.” *<br />
SPRING101<br />
> TRENDS 2016<br />
@THE<br />
UNIVERSITY<br />
OF<br />
STYLE.<br />
online on facebook + university-mall.com<br />
1701 McFarland Blvd East<br />
Open Daily 10am-9pm, Sunday 1pm-5:30pm<br />
PLAID . COLD SHOULDER . TIE DYE . SUEDE<br />
FRINGE . BACKPACK PURSES . VIVID COLOR<br />
[68] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
HEALTH & FOOD<br />
SNACK<br />
HACKS<br />
By Analiese Gerald<br />
Hectic schedules and long days of classes make it easy to fall into<br />
the trap of eating fast food meals and snacks. While that Starbucks<br />
brownie tastes great in the moment, the result of this habit is a<br />
shrinking wallet and an unhealthy diet. Instead, try filling your<br />
backpack with these easy snacks to stay healthy on and off campus.<br />
Roasted Chickpeas<br />
If you’re looking for a nutritious snack that<br />
will keep you full, roasted chickpeas are a perfect<br />
fit. Chickpeas are a great source of protein and<br />
fiber and with this recipe they can make a tasty<br />
snack too.<br />
Ingredients<br />
1 can chickpeas<br />
1 tsp garlic salt<br />
1 tsp Italian seasoning<br />
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning<br />
Directions<br />
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees<br />
2. Drain chickpeas and blot with a paper towel to<br />
dry them<br />
3. Spread chickpeas on a baking sheet and cover<br />
with the spices<br />
4. Bake for 20 minutes, turning chickpeas over with<br />
a spatula halfway through<br />
Chocolate<br />
Nut Clusters<br />
Satisfy your sweet tooth and growling stomach<br />
with this yummy combination of sweet and savory.<br />
The nuts provide protein and the chocolate, a<br />
monounsaturated fat, will keep you full until your<br />
next meal.<br />
Ingredients<br />
6 oz dark chocolate<br />
½ cup almonds<br />
½ cup shelled pistachios<br />
½ cup cashews<br />
Directions<br />
1. Melt chocolate in saucepan at medium low heat<br />
and mix in nuts<br />
2. Place spoonfuls of mixture ½ inch apart on<br />
parchment paper<br />
3. Refrigerate clusters until firm; store in the fridge<br />
Cinnamon and Sugar<br />
Pumpkin Seeds<br />
Another mix of sweet and salty, cinnamon and<br />
sugar pumpkin seeds are a classic holiday treat<br />
that you can easily make at home all year around.<br />
Pumpkin seeds are nutritious and filling, while the<br />
cinnamon and sugar add a tasty twist.<br />
Ingredients<br />
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds<br />
1 tbsp coconut oil<br />
1 tbsp cinnamon<br />
1 tbsp sugar<br />
Directions<br />
1. Heat coconut oil in saucepan on medium heat<br />
2. Cook pumpkin seeds, stirring in cinnamon and<br />
sugar, until seeds start browning<br />
Oatmeal Balls<br />
This power snack is a delicious treat that is also<br />
packed with nutrients, protein and fiber. It’s perfect<br />
for an on-the-go breakfast or snack between classes.<br />
Ingredients<br />
1 cup oats<br />
½ cup peanut butter<br />
1/3 cup honey<br />
1/3 cup goji berries<br />
½ cup toasted shredded coconut<br />
1 tbsp chia seeds<br />
Directions<br />
1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl<br />
2. Roll mixture into 1-inch balls and place on parchment<br />
paper<br />
3. Refrigerate until firm; store in fridge<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [69]
HEALTH & FOOD<br />
[70] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
FRUIT PIZZA<br />
If your afternoon protein bar has<br />
gotten boring, we have the solution...<br />
make a fruit pizza instead! Fruit<br />
pizzas are delicious, filling and healthy<br />
pick-me-ups that will brighten up<br />
your snacking.<br />
MIX AND MATCH TO CREATE YOUR PIZZA<br />
CRUSTS:<br />
Bagel Half, Rice Cake, English Muffin Half, Waffle<br />
SAUCES:<br />
Cream Cheese, Peanut Butter, Nutella, Vanilla Yogurt, Jam<br />
FRUITS:<br />
Strawberries, Blueberries, Kiwi, Banana, Apple, Raspberries<br />
TOPPINGS:<br />
Nuts, Dried Fruit, Coconut, Chocolate Chips<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [71]
ENTERTAINMENT<br />
Ride the<br />
Moon Taxi<br />
By Ellen Johnson and Katie Huff<br />
In the basement green rooms<br />
of the Alabama Theatre in<br />
Birmingham, members of the band<br />
Moon Taxi are busy making music<br />
for their next record. They’re on<br />
the road, enjoying down time here<br />
and there, but still – in a basement<br />
surrounded by boxes of pizza and<br />
a bustling crew, just hours before<br />
their <strong>No</strong>v. 25 show – they’re<br />
making music. The stage is being<br />
set, sound check is in an hour and<br />
eager fans with VIP meet-and-greet<br />
passes will soon arrive.<br />
In the midst of it all, lead singer<br />
Trevor Terndrup offered us a slice of<br />
pizza and sat down to tell the band’s<br />
story, and the story behind Moon<br />
Taxi’s name. Don’t think too hard<br />
about it – there is no mystique behind<br />
this group’s handle.<br />
“What really happened was the bass<br />
player mooned a taxi,” Terndrup said.<br />
<strong>No</strong> complicated formula or<br />
philosophical musings in this band<br />
name – just the story of a guy<br />
unsuccessfully trying to hail a cab.<br />
Though the origin of Moon Taxi’s<br />
name is fully exposed, the story of<br />
their music needed some uncovering.<br />
The Alabama Theatre concert was<br />
a homecoming of sorts for the band.<br />
Three of its members – Terndrup,<br />
bassist Tommy Putnam, and drummer<br />
Tyler Ritter – hail from Vestavia<br />
Hills, Ala. Joined by guitarist Spencer<br />
Thomson and keyboardist Wes Bailey,<br />
they all came together in Nashville and<br />
have been making music ever since.<br />
Following their successful first album<br />
Melodica in 2007, Moon Taxi released<br />
three more records, and (as seen in<br />
their nomadic recording methods)<br />
they’re definitely not stopping there.<br />
When we met the band at the<br />
Alabama Theatre, the sounds of Bailey<br />
and Thomson cranking out new tunes<br />
could be heard echoing from the room<br />
next door.<br />
“You walked in on it,” Terndrup<br />
said to us of the new music. “You’re<br />
part of history.”<br />
Moon Taxi has played all over<br />
the country in every kind of venue<br />
imaginable. From fraternity houses<br />
and hole-in-the-wall bars to festivals<br />
and amphitheaters, they have done<br />
it all. They sell out theaters and<br />
they’re regulars at the Hangout Fest,<br />
Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, but you<br />
[72] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
can also catch them at venues like<br />
Druid City Music Hall, or even a<br />
fraternity house at Mississippi State<br />
University. With each stop, it seems<br />
like more and more fans are hopping<br />
on board.<br />
At the show we attended, the<br />
audience was a hodge-podge of old and<br />
young. High school students and adults<br />
alike filled the seats of the Alabama<br />
Theatre, and many friends and family<br />
members of the band were also there<br />
to excitedly welcome Moon Taxi home.<br />
“I think it’s definitely necessary to<br />
go through those steps to play those<br />
small dive bars, because you really<br />
appreciate it when you get to play in a<br />
beautiful room like the theater we’re in<br />
right now,” Terndrup said. “I’ve loved<br />
every step of the journey.”<br />
Their most recent album,<br />
Daybreaker, released in<br />
2015, has been some of their<br />
most popular music yet, but<br />
they still have stuck to their<br />
original style. They have<br />
mastered the art of creating<br />
new and fresh music that<br />
is still undeniably true to<br />
their own sound.<br />
“It’s been a long<br />
journey,” Terndrup said.<br />
“We’ve grown as people and<br />
gotten closer as friends and<br />
as a band. It’s a group of<br />
brothers at this point and<br />
I think that’s reflected in the lyrical<br />
content. But I think the songwriting<br />
itself has gotten better too.”<br />
One of the hit songs from<br />
Daybreaker is “All Day All Night,”<br />
which was featured in a McDonald’s<br />
all-day breakfast commercial.<br />
Fans new and old were pleased to<br />
hear the jam accompany the fast<br />
food advertisement.<br />
“I think a lot of people heard it<br />
which was also good,” Terndrup said<br />
of the song. “Our fans, if they really<br />
like us, they’re like, ‘Alright, that’s<br />
cool.’ If they kind of like us, they’re<br />
like, ‘I don’t know, I like McDonalds.’”<br />
“All Day All Night” is fun and<br />
upbeat and the perfect background<br />
noise for eating a McMuffin, but it’s<br />
not the only song sticking around<br />
in the minds of Moon Taxi’s fans.<br />
Songwriting is a collaborative effort<br />
for the band, and their system works.<br />
With songs referencing nature, love,<br />
adventure and even death, their<br />
music covers all the bases and gives<br />
listeners the power to derive their<br />
own meanings.<br />
“People can read into them if they<br />
want but they’re still about concrete<br />
ideas,” Terndrup said. “That’s the cool<br />
thing. Sometimes you want to write<br />
lyrics that are a little more abstract<br />
so people can read their own meaning<br />
into them, but also sometimes a song<br />
is just about something specific like a<br />
“I think it’s definitely<br />
necessary to go through<br />
those steps to play those<br />
small dive bars, because<br />
you really appreciate it<br />
when you get to play in a<br />
beautiful room...”<br />
cup of tea or something like that.”<br />
One clear string in much of Moon<br />
Taxi’s music is a reference to nature<br />
and experiences. So, what’s up with all<br />
the talk of rivers, oceans, beaches and<br />
sunsets? Terndrup had a theory.<br />
“We look out the window a lot on the<br />
tour bus,” Terndrup said. “It’s nicer<br />
outside than inside.”<br />
One of Terndrup’s favorites is<br />
“Juniper” off of the 2013 record<br />
Mountains Beaches Cities. While<br />
listeners may derive their own<br />
meanings, this one is special to him for<br />
his own reasons.<br />
“It’s about the sun dying, the light<br />
source going,” Terndrup said. “It was<br />
also about my grandmother passing.<br />
And it was the last song on the record,<br />
so it has this finale at the end.”<br />
In addition to their own songs, Moon<br />
Taxi can rock out a cover. They’ve<br />
covered “Everybody Wants to Rule<br />
the World,“ “Stressed Out,” and Bob<br />
Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower”<br />
with flying colors (They were even<br />
invited to Dylan Fest, a tribute event<br />
complete with superstars like Kings of<br />
Leon and Ke$ha).<br />
“Covers are always fun just to<br />
break up the set,” Terndrup said. “We<br />
pride ourselves on doing good versions<br />
of covers.”<br />
Moon Taxi isn’t afraid to cater to<br />
their audience, and their strategically<br />
designed setlists pay off.<br />
“Tonight is a theatre<br />
so we might cater the set<br />
a little different for the<br />
environment,” Terndrup<br />
said. “Sometimes we like to<br />
play new songs in the live<br />
environment and see how<br />
people react to them, and<br />
that informs the writing<br />
process.”<br />
As Moon Taxi performs<br />
around the country and<br />
releases new music, the<br />
band leaves a trail of happy<br />
audiences and loyal fans.<br />
Their newly-recorded music is aimed<br />
to be released sometime early this year.<br />
Their concert was two hours of pure<br />
fun. From treating the audience to<br />
acoustic versions of songs like “River<br />
Water” and “The New Black” to<br />
getting everyone on their feet for the<br />
crowd-favorite “Morocco,” these guys<br />
just know how to entertain. Their<br />
strong songwriting yields an everchanging<br />
combination of escapist<br />
jams, and Terndrup sees their music<br />
just as such.<br />
“We’re kind of escapism,” Terndrup<br />
said. “We like to escape and have fun.” *<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [73]
ENTERTAINMENT<br />
SPRING<br />
BREAK<br />
READS<br />
By Kyarra Harris<br />
The only thing missing from your spring break<br />
beach bag is a good read. We know how it goes:<br />
You want something fresh and new, but also<br />
entertaining. We’ve compiled a list of the best<br />
new books to read this spring that are sure to<br />
keep you from snoozing on your flight or dozing off in the<br />
sand (and getting sunburnt). So apply that sunscreen and<br />
grab one of these novels before you take off on your spring<br />
break adventures.<br />
Caraval by Stephanie Garber<br />
“Before you enter the world of Caraval, you must remember<br />
that it’s all a game...”<br />
Two sisters escape their abusive father who has set up an<br />
arranged marriage for his daughter Scarlett, and upsets her<br />
dream of seeing the “legendary once-a-year” performance,<br />
Caraval. But when sister Tella enlists the help of a sailor to get<br />
them to the show and is kidnapped by the show’s ringleader,<br />
Scarlett must learn the rules of the mysterious game, and<br />
find her sister before the five nights of the game are over and<br />
her sister is lost forever.<br />
Caraval is Garber’s Young Adult (YA) debut. She’s a<br />
professor for a private college in <strong>No</strong>rthern California, and<br />
though this book is her first YA novel, she has already<br />
received praise from other best-selling YA authors such as<br />
Sabaa Tahir and Kiersten White.<br />
The Mothers by Brit Bennett<br />
When 17-year-old Nadia Turner entered her senior year<br />
of high school, she was still grief-stricken by her mother’s<br />
suicide. She began a light relationship with the local pastor’s<br />
son, Luke. But the teen pregnancy that results, and its coverup,<br />
will haunt the individuals for years to come. The years<br />
pass as Nadia hides her secret, even from her best friend<br />
Aubrey. Soon Nadia, Luke and Aubrey are looking back on<br />
the decisions they all made that summer, and wonder what life<br />
would be like if they had done things differently.<br />
Bennett was born and raised in Southern California,<br />
and she uses her experience living in a contemporary black<br />
community in California to give excellent details to her book.<br />
The Mothers is Bennett’s first novel.<br />
[74] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
The Best Kind of People<br />
by Zoe Whittall<br />
“What if someone you trusted was accused of<br />
the unthinkable?”<br />
George Woodbury, a teacher working for a prestigious prep<br />
school, is arrested for sexual impropriety. The Best Kind of<br />
People follows his wife, Joan, who’s angry and in denial, his<br />
daughter Sadie, who goes from a popular high school senior<br />
to an outcast, and his son Andrew, who assists in his father’s<br />
defense, but remembers the unhappiness of his teenage years.<br />
The family must relearn how to live their lives while<br />
questioning George’s guilt.<br />
sister of a brutal tyrant who rules the Shotet people, uses her<br />
power to exploit and torture his enemies. Akos, coming from<br />
a peaceful nation called Thuyhe, and his brother are captured<br />
by the Shotet. He will stop at nothing to get him out alive.<br />
Both Cyra and Akos must decide to help each other, or follow<br />
their in family’s footsteps and destroy one another.<br />
Why We Came to the City<br />
Kristopher Jansma<br />
Jansma tells a story about young friends who are<br />
just five years out of college starting their lives in New<br />
York. The characters are finding their way through the<br />
big city: editor Sara Sherman; her boyfriend astronomer<br />
George Murphy, who’s dealing with addiction;<br />
“loudmouth poet” Jacob Blaumann, who is no longer the<br />
poet he used to be; William Cho, an investment banker;<br />
and Irene Richmond, an “enchanting artist.” When one<br />
friend falls incredibly ill, the characters are forced to step<br />
back and look at their lives and relationships as well as the<br />
one they have with the city they all chose.<br />
In Why We Came To The City, Jansma is living up to the<br />
high expectations set by his first book The Unchangeable<br />
Spots of Leopards as he describes his hometown through the<br />
eyes of young adults.<br />
Carve the Mark<br />
by Veronica Roth<br />
Roth, who is known for writing thrilling scenes that keep<br />
readers invested throughout all of her work, is the best-selling<br />
author of the Divergent series. Carve the Mark is a sci-fi novel<br />
that tells the story of Cyra and Akos, who have developed<br />
a unique power called currentgifts. Both characters’ gifts<br />
have made them vulnerable to the control of others. Cyra, the<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [75]
ENTERTAINMENT<br />
Hollywood’s<br />
Helping Hands<br />
By Emilee Benos<br />
We know our favorite celebrities<br />
from the movies they star in, from the<br />
albums they release and the runways<br />
they walk on, but they’re not always<br />
confined to their Hollywood bubble.<br />
Many use their fame as a platform to<br />
bring attention to important issues<br />
they are passionate about.<br />
While these celebs may have more<br />
money than we’ll ever see in our<br />
lifetimes, a lot of them put it to good<br />
use. <strong>Alice</strong> took a look at some of the<br />
most charitable celebrities and the<br />
causes they support.<br />
Emma Watson: HeForShe<br />
Watson serves as a U.N. Women’s<br />
Goodwill ambassador and has been<br />
actively involved in HeForShe, a U.N.<br />
women’s solidarity movement for<br />
gender equality, since the organization<br />
was formed in 2014. She hosted the<br />
HeForShe campaign launch event at<br />
the U.N. Headquarters in New York,<br />
where her speech on gender equality<br />
went viral. The campaign’s aim is<br />
to encourage men “to take action<br />
against inequalities faced by women,”<br />
according to the HeForShe website.<br />
HeForShe is based on the idea that<br />
“gender equality is a issue that affects<br />
all people.”<br />
[76] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017<br />
Ian Somerhaulder:<br />
Ian Somerhaulder Foundation<br />
Another U.N. Goodwill ambassador,<br />
Somerhalder is vocal about his passion<br />
and dedication to environmental<br />
problems plaguing the world today.<br />
Known for his work in The Vampire<br />
Diaries and Lost, Somerhalder is<br />
also an avid environmentalist and<br />
humanitarian. Inspired by the oil<br />
spill in the Gulf Coast, he founded<br />
the Ian Somerhalder Foundation —<br />
an organization to advance science,<br />
promote conservation and provide relief<br />
to the distressed and underprivileged.<br />
According to the ISF website, the goal<br />
is to support and empower youths to<br />
action through programs that promote<br />
education and innovation, and build<br />
leadership and empathy skills.<br />
Miley Cyrus: Happy Hippie<br />
Cyrus’s organization garnered a lot<br />
of attention when she famously brought<br />
a homeless man to the 2014 VMAs<br />
as her date. In her own words, the<br />
Happy Hippie foundation’s mission is<br />
to “make sure those who question the<br />
value of themselves and their lives feel<br />
protected and loved.” The organization<br />
is dedicated to helping homeless youth,<br />
LGBT youth and other vulnerable<br />
populations by encouraging young<br />
people to fight injustices.<br />
Leonardo DiCaprio:<br />
Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation<br />
Ian Somerhalder isn’t the only<br />
leading man passionate about the<br />
environment. Leo founded the<br />
Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation in<br />
1998 at age 24. The LDF works to put<br />
an end to various environmental and<br />
humanitarian issues through grantmaking,<br />
initiating media projects and<br />
campaigning, according to the website.<br />
The LDF focuses on protecting the<br />
last of the world’s “wild places” and<br />
creating a balance between humans<br />
and nature.<br />
Jennifer Hudson:<br />
Julian D. King Gift Foundation<br />
Hudson founded the Julian D. King<br />
Gift Foundation in October 2008 in<br />
honor of her nephew Julian, who was<br />
killed by her sister’s ex-husband —<br />
the same man who killed Hudson’s<br />
mother and brother. According to<br />
the website, the Foundation offers<br />
“support and stability to children of<br />
all backgrounds.” Their goal is to help<br />
these children become “happy, healthy<br />
and confident adults.” Some of the<br />
foundation’s efforts include collecting<br />
and distributing Christmas presents<br />
and school supplies.
ENTERTAINMENT<br />
SECRETS<br />
OF SPOTIFY<br />
By Sarah Beth Bolin<br />
So you caved and finally subscribed to the studentdiscounted<br />
Spotify premium, the crowning glory of music<br />
streaming services. But you still don’t know how to do<br />
anything other than stream music from your computer.<br />
What’s the point of paying an extra $5 a month if you’re<br />
just going to use Spotify like any other streaming service?<br />
If you’re only using your Spotify account to listen to albums<br />
and user-generated playlists, you’re missing out on a ton of<br />
other features. Here’s a few tips and tricks to maximize your<br />
Spotify usage.<br />
Discover Weekly<br />
Discover Weekly is a weekly playlist engineered by Spotify<br />
to fit your tastes. Every Monday, Spotify analyzes what<br />
you’ve been listening to over the past week and selects new<br />
songs for you to try based on your playlists. Discover Weekly<br />
is one of the best ways to find new music, especially if you<br />
don’t know where to look or if the radio is a bore.<br />
Create Similar Playlists<br />
Have you ever really enjoyed a playlist but then grew tired<br />
of hearing the same songs over and over again? Spotify can<br />
help you out! Click the circle with the three dots in the header<br />
of your playlist, and select “Create Similar Playlist.” From<br />
there, Spotify will generate an inspired playlist very similar<br />
to your previous one and with the same number of songs.<br />
Audiobooks<br />
Sometimes when driving, it’s nice to listen to something<br />
other than music. Audiobooks can be the perfect background<br />
noise for a long road trip. From Pride and Prejudice to The<br />
Hobbit, Spotify offers books from every genre. The playlist<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [77]
“Audiobooks” and artist “DBS Audiobooks” carry hundreds<br />
of hours worth of classic novels and new releases, so you’ll<br />
always have something new to listen to.<br />
Offline Listening<br />
It can be frustrating when your jam session is interrupted<br />
by a poor Wi-Fi signal. With Spotify premium, however,<br />
you can save certain songs so they are downloaded on your<br />
device and will play while you’re offline. This feature can be<br />
very useful if you have bad service in certain areas, or if you<br />
run out of data for the month.<br />
Import Songs from iTunes<br />
Tired of having to switch back and forth between iTunes<br />
and Spotify? Make Spotify your primary venue for musiclistening<br />
by importing your songs from iTunes into Spotify.<br />
You can even import songs that aren’t available on Spotify,<br />
like Beyoncé’s Lemonade or all of Taylor Swift’s music.<br />
Select preferences on the desktop app, and scroll down to<br />
Local Files. There, you should be able to import any music<br />
that is saved on your computer’s hard drive.<br />
Mood Playlists<br />
Even Spotify knows that sometimes you need a playlist to<br />
compliment your mood. And in the pattern of Spotify’s everincreasing<br />
benefits, the service has accommodated those of<br />
us who like to dance it out whenever we have any sort of<br />
feelings. From “Confidence Boost” and “Happy Hits” to<br />
“Brain Food” and “Life Sucks,” there’s bound to be some<br />
sort of playlist that makes you think, “Wait, that’s exactly<br />
how I feel right now.”<br />
Artists Playlists<br />
Have you ever wondered what your favorite artists are<br />
listening to? Many artists who use Spotify as one of their<br />
main streaming services will let you know on their artist<br />
page. You can see their inspirations, all time favorites, or<br />
even their current go-to music. <strong>No</strong>w you finally have the<br />
chance to hear the music that inspires those who inspire you.<br />
Go to Song Radio<br />
Sometimes there’s that one song that dominates your mind<br />
and you can’t stop listening to over and over. When you<br />
finally get tired of it, you can visit a Spotify radio for that<br />
song, which includes similar music and other songs by the<br />
same artist. Click the three dots next to the song title and<br />
then “Go to Song Radio.” You’ll find yourself using all your<br />
old favorite songs to discover new favorites. *<br />
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[78] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
ENTERTAINMENT<br />
The ladies changing the face of comedy<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [79]
By Mia Blackman<br />
While a stereotype may exist that<br />
men dominate comedy, there are many<br />
hilarious heroines out there who are<br />
squashing it once and for all. These<br />
ladies are killing the comedy game and<br />
making it known to all that women are<br />
just as funny as men. Here’s <strong>Alice</strong>’s<br />
list for the best female comedians to<br />
watch right now.<br />
ALI WONG<br />
Born in San Francisco, Cali.,<br />
this UCLA graduate didn’t actually<br />
start doing stand-up until she was<br />
23. From there, Wong moved to New<br />
York to pursue her comedy dreams,<br />
and she began performing up to nine<br />
times a night. Wong has appeared<br />
on The Tonight Show, John Oliver’s<br />
New York Stand-Up Show and Dave<br />
Atell’s Comedy Underground Show.<br />
She has also appeared on Chelsea<br />
Lately numerous times and performed<br />
opposite Salma Hayek and Benicio<br />
[80] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017<br />
Del Toro in the 2012 crime thriller<br />
Savages. Wong provocatively jokes<br />
about how racism can actually make a<br />
marriage stronger and how she thinks<br />
housewives have it better than working<br />
wives. Her current comedy special,<br />
Baby Cobra, is available on Netflix.<br />
KATHLEEN MADIGAN<br />
One of seven children in an Irish-<br />
Catholic family, Madigan attended the<br />
University of Missouri-St. Louis (and<br />
accumulated $7,000 in parking tickets)<br />
before later graduating from Southern<br />
Illinois University Edwardsville with a<br />
degree in journalism. She worked for<br />
the St. Louis-area Suburban Journals<br />
newspaper while also performing<br />
stand-up in local comedy clubs. Her<br />
father gave her the courage to follow<br />
her comedic calling, and she later left<br />
her life in Missouri to fully enter the<br />
comedy world. Madigan has appeared<br />
on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,<br />
Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and<br />
Late Show with David Letterman.<br />
Madigan’s relatable comedy acts<br />
include rhetorics on the common<br />
struggle of going to the gym and what<br />
it was like growing up with her large<br />
family. She currently has two specials<br />
available on Netflix.<br />
JEN KIRKMAN<br />
This Massachusetts native has<br />
quite the impressive résumé when<br />
it comes to comedy and performing.<br />
Kirkman majored in acting at<br />
Emerson College in Boston and then<br />
went on to perform at several comedy<br />
clubs, including Hollywood Improv,<br />
The Laugh Factory, Largo and The<br />
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. She<br />
is a regular panelist on Chelsea Lately<br />
but has also appeared on Conan,<br />
released three comedy albums and<br />
written two episodes for the Disney<br />
Channel animated show Phineas and<br />
Ferb. Kirkman’s observational comedy<br />
takes us through the highs and lows<br />
of her love life, giving the audience<br />
insight into why she apologizes for
her honeymoon to single people and<br />
how after her divorce she refused to<br />
date anyone younger than her. Her<br />
newest special, I’m Gonna Die Alone<br />
(And I Feel Fine), is currently available<br />
on Netflix.<br />
TAMMY PESCATELLI<br />
From winning a comedic<br />
competition to writing and starring in<br />
her own reality show, this Ohio mother<br />
and wife has done it all. Pescatelli’s<br />
career promptly took off in 2004<br />
when she became a finalist on Last<br />
Comic Standing. Since then, she is<br />
constantly bringing smiles to people’s<br />
faces – appearing on numerous shows<br />
like The View, on several comedy radio<br />
stations on Sirius XM Radio and in<br />
The New York Post four times last year<br />
for funniest jokes. Pescatelli brings<br />
laughter as she tackles topics like body<br />
image and reminds everyone how we<br />
all have that one crazy friend. Her<br />
current special, Finding the Funny, is<br />
now available on Netflix.<br />
ANJELAH JOHNSON<br />
Best known for her hit MADtv<br />
character Bon Qui Qui, this former<br />
NFL cheerleader has been acting<br />
since she was a senior in high school.<br />
Johnson was fascinated with imitating<br />
different accents, and she studied<br />
speech communications at De Anza<br />
College. After a friend recommended<br />
she join a comedic writing class,<br />
Johnson moved to Los Angeles to take<br />
improv classes and pursue a career<br />
in comedy. She began to headline her<br />
own shows and was soon asked to join<br />
the cast of the sketch comedy show<br />
MADtv. Johnson has also appeared in<br />
a variety of movies like Marmaduke,<br />
Enough Said, and The Book of Life.<br />
Johnson keeps it down to earth by<br />
never forgetting her roots, and also by<br />
sharing her many hilarious encounters<br />
with strangers, most famously at<br />
the nail salon. She has currently has<br />
two specials available for streaming<br />
on Netflix.<br />
KITTY FLANAGAN<br />
This Australian comedian gives<br />
credit to her first production, <strong>Alice</strong> in<br />
Wonderland, for inciting her comedy<br />
cravings. Flanagan played a rabbit<br />
in the classic tale and the audience<br />
loved her performance so much that<br />
she knew comedy was her calling.<br />
She is a self proclaimed “attention<br />
seeker” and as a child would always<br />
put on shows with her two younger<br />
siblings. Flanagan is known as one of<br />
Australia’s funniest women, having<br />
appeared on Full Frontal, The Project,<br />
The Weekly with Charlie Pickering, and<br />
Utopia. Including her observations on<br />
Australian politics and her peculiar<br />
confusion with burlesque shows,<br />
Flanagan uses a broad spectrum of<br />
topics to reach her audience. One of<br />
her specials, Hello Kitty Flanagan, is<br />
currently streaming on Netflix. *<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [81]
ENTERTAINMENT<br />
Tale as Old<br />
Your Comprehensive Guide to the New Beauty and<br />
the Beast, and its Auxiliary Pop Culture Magic<br />
By Mia Blackman<br />
A mind map is a visual illustration of information that includes<br />
a central idea surrounded by connected branches of connected<br />
topics. Disney’s live-action version of the classic Beauty and the<br />
Beast will be released this March, and there is a lot of pop culture<br />
goodness out there to get you #HYPE. Whether it be the actors<br />
who bring the characters to life, or related books, movies and<br />
musicals, we are sure you’ll find something in this list to get you<br />
immersed in “a tale as old as time.”<br />
[82] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
as Time:<br />
The Cast<br />
Emma Watson<br />
Widely known for her portrayal as<br />
Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter<br />
series, Watson takes on the role of the<br />
brave Belle in the live-action rendition<br />
of Beauty and the Beast. After ending<br />
the Harry Potter series, she went on to<br />
act in several movies such as The Perks<br />
of being a Wallflower and The Bling<br />
Ring. Watson is also a big activist for<br />
women’s education and even completed<br />
her own, graduating from Brown with<br />
a degree in English literature. Along<br />
with Beauty and the Beast, Watson has<br />
another movie, which is a science-fiction<br />
drama called The Circle, set to release<br />
in April of this year.<br />
Dan Stevens<br />
A huge shift from his role as Matthew<br />
Crawley in the British drama<br />
television series Downton Abbey, Stevens<br />
has the distinct honor of bringing<br />
the Beast to life on the big screen. He<br />
began his career in theater with the<br />
role of Orlando in the Shakespearean<br />
play As You Like It, and has since performed<br />
in various plays, movies, and<br />
television series. Stevens has appeared<br />
in movies like Night at the Museum: Secret<br />
of the Tomb and A Walk Among the<br />
Tombstones plus has two more movies,<br />
Permission and Marshall, also set to be<br />
released in 2017.<br />
Luke Evans<br />
The Welsh actor and singer, who got<br />
his breakthrough role playing Apollo in<br />
Clash of the Titans, is bringing to life<br />
the character we all love to hate – the<br />
arrogant and athletic Gaston. Evans<br />
essentially began his career on stage<br />
and has appeared in many different<br />
productions including London’s West<br />
End shows Taboo, Rent, and Avenue Q.<br />
After starring in Clash of the Titans,<br />
he has been featured in a number of<br />
films including Dracula Untold, Furious<br />
7, and The Girl on the Train. He<br />
is currently filming Professor Marston<br />
& The Wonder Women, set to premiere<br />
later this year.<br />
Above: Emma Watson and Dan Stevens star in Beauty and the Beast / photo courtesy of Disney<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [83]
Romance Fantasy Books<br />
Poison Study<br />
A woman who is about to be executed<br />
for murder is given a choice: she<br />
can stay in lavish rooms and eat expensive<br />
food, but only if she becomes a<br />
food tester – a food tester for the commander<br />
of her country who happens to<br />
be wanted dead by several people. In a<br />
world where death is the consequence<br />
of a failed job, this novel written by<br />
Maria V. Snyder lets it be known that<br />
making choices may not always have<br />
such a clear outcome.<br />
The Curse of Chalion<br />
A damaged man has returned to the<br />
house he once served only to be named<br />
as the secretary-tutor to the sister of<br />
the boy who is next in line to rule the<br />
throne. <strong>No</strong>t only does he have to protect<br />
his student from enemies outside<br />
of the kingdom, but also face a dreaded<br />
curse that hangs over the heads of<br />
the royal family. The man must prove<br />
himself once again and enlist the help<br />
of the dark arts to prove his worth in<br />
this novel by Lois McMaster Bujold.<br />
Musicals<br />
The Lion King<br />
It’s the story of a brother betrayed.<br />
It’s the story of a king realizing his<br />
destiny. It’s a story that has been on<br />
Broadway for 14 years. The Lion King<br />
is a world-renowned Disney classic.<br />
The film first came to the stage in<br />
1997 and since then has had over 5,900<br />
performances and sold over 10 million<br />
tickets. Whether it be on the stage, on<br />
the screen or in a book the story that<br />
makes people sing their hearts out,<br />
this story will forever remain a classic.<br />
Wicked<br />
A story of two unlikely friends, the<br />
book-turned-musical is an alternate<br />
telling of The Wizard of Oz. It follows<br />
Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the<br />
West, and Galinda, the Good Witch,<br />
before and after Dorothy’s arrival to<br />
Oz. Through the musical, we see the<br />
characters struggle with their conflicting<br />
personalities and clash over a<br />
shared love interest. Wicked has shown<br />
over 5,120 shows, making it the 10th<br />
longest-running Broadway show.<br />
The Phantom of the Opera<br />
This is a tragic tale of love stunted<br />
by a man’s outward appearance.<br />
It is not Beauty and the Beast, but in<br />
fact a completely different tale. The<br />
Phantom of the Opera was first published<br />
in 1909 as a novel and has<br />
since been on both the screen and the<br />
stage. With its 7,486th show making<br />
the show the longest running show on<br />
Broadway, The Phantom continues to<br />
captivate audiences.<br />
[84] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
Emma Watson and Kevin Kline in Beauty and the Beast / photo courtesy of Disney<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [85]
More Disney<br />
Live-Action<br />
Cinderella<br />
Originally released in 1950 and<br />
based on the Brothers Grimm fairy<br />
tale, this romantic tale about a fashion<br />
mishap was taken to the big screen<br />
in 2015. Lily James plays Cinderella<br />
while Richard Madden plays Prince<br />
Charming in the beautifully crafted<br />
live-action film. The classic tale is<br />
brought into the 21st century while<br />
still keeping its romantic story and<br />
magical whim.<br />
Maleficent<br />
Based on the vindictive villain from<br />
Sleeping Beauty, the live-action film<br />
starring Angelina Jolie gives a very<br />
different twist on the classic tale. It’s<br />
a story of romance, betrayal and vengeance<br />
all wrapped in a visually stunning<br />
feature. It turns out the original<br />
story of Sleeping Beauty may not have<br />
been that simple all along.<br />
[86] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017
By Serena Bailey<br />
Hearing your favorite artist or band<br />
through your headphones is nice and<br />
blasting the music through your car<br />
speakers is great. But jamming in<br />
your bedroom could never compare<br />
to listening to your favorite musician<br />
live surrounded by hundreds of others<br />
who are just as hyped as you are. Here<br />
are our picks for the best upcoming<br />
concerts that are sure to excite your<br />
musical passions all over again.<br />
Bon Jovi at<br />
BJCC Legacy Arena<br />
Feb. 16: Iconic rock band Bon Jovi<br />
will be rocking the BJCC Legacy<br />
Arena at 8 p.m. on Feb. 16. This<br />
1983 American rock band is known<br />
for classics like “You Give Love a Bad<br />
Name” and “It’s My Life,” and this<br />
concert is sure to be a hit. Don’t be<br />
“Livin’ On a Prayer” for these tickets<br />
– the price begins at $35.25 and can be<br />
bought at ticketmaster.com.<br />
Eric Church at<br />
BJCC Legacy Arena<br />
Feb. 17: After more than a decade<br />
of creating country hits, Eric Church<br />
is known for hits like “Record<br />
Year,” “Drink in My Hand” and<br />
“Springsteen.” In February, Church<br />
will perform at 8 p.m. in the BJCC’s<br />
Legacy Arena, with tickets starting at<br />
$16 available at ticketmaster.com.<br />
Twenty One Pilots at<br />
BJCC Legacy Arena<br />
Feb. 24: The American musical<br />
duo Twenty One Pilots will be at the<br />
Legacy Area at the BJCC at 7 p.m.<br />
Founded in 2009, the group gained<br />
large success in 2015 with their track<br />
“Blurryface” and their appearance on<br />
the Suicide Squad movie soundtrack<br />
with the hit song “Heathens.” Don’t<br />
get too “stressed out” looking for<br />
tickets, because they are available on<br />
ticketmaster.com.<br />
The Lumineers at<br />
Infinite Energy Center<br />
March 8: After releasing their<br />
self-titled debut album in 2012, the<br />
Lumineers found large success that<br />
year with one of their best-known<br />
songs, “Ho Hey.” <strong>No</strong>w boasting hits<br />
like “Ophelia,” they perform this<br />
spring in Duluth, Georgia, at the<br />
Infinite Energy Center at 7 p.m.<br />
Tickets for the show start at $39.50<br />
and can be bought at tickets.axs.com.<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [87]
ENTERTAINMENT<br />
firekid<br />
Q&A<br />
By Ellen Johnson<br />
Combining urban sounds with<br />
traditional bluegrass music is no easy<br />
feat, but one Alabama native is out<br />
there doing it, and doing it well.<br />
Dillon Hodges—or firekid as he is<br />
known in the music world—originally<br />
hails from Muscle Shoals, Alabama.<br />
Hodges’ firekid achieves the marriage of<br />
contemporary and bluegrass, synth and<br />
urban, pop and acoustic. Hodges first<br />
discovered music as a young boy as he<br />
competed in guitar competitions around<br />
the country. <strong>No</strong>w, he and his guitar are<br />
all grown up and making music for<br />
the masses. He’s played Bonnaroo, the<br />
Hangout Fest and toured with Passion<br />
Pit, and along the way firekid is picking<br />
up speed and winning over audiences.<br />
We chatted with Hodges about life,<br />
music, guitar and, of course, Alabama.<br />
<strong>Alice</strong>: When did you first become<br />
interested in music and how did<br />
you first begin making music?<br />
Hodges: My first real experience with<br />
music was listening to my parents’<br />
southern gospel music in church and<br />
whatnot. I fell in love with guitar, and<br />
my next door neighbor offered to teach<br />
me. He was a bluegrass musician. I<br />
didn’t know anything about bluegrass<br />
music but it was my only option to learn<br />
[88] <strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017<br />
guitar. I would go over to his house<br />
once a week and stay for four or five<br />
hours and sort of obsess over guitar.<br />
He started taking me to bluegrass<br />
festivals around the state of Alabama. I<br />
also felt like I was kind of nobody at my<br />
elementary school and I felt like playing<br />
guitar made me cooler, and I think it<br />
did in some ways.<br />
What genre would you describe<br />
yourself as?<br />
Hodges: We’ve gotten play on Alt Nation,<br />
so that’s alt rock. I don’t know if I really<br />
easily, cleanly fall into one category or<br />
genre. I grew up making rural music,<br />
but the production of the firekid music<br />
is a lot more modern and urban … I feel<br />
like it’s an evolving thing. I don’t think<br />
I’ve cracked the code on the sounds yet.<br />
I think really more than anything, it’s<br />
my life goal to break the gap between<br />
urban and rural music.<br />
Where did “firekid” come from?<br />
Hodges: I was going to these things<br />
[bluegrass festivals] at 11 and 12 years<br />
old. I was by far the youngest person<br />
hanging out with these old codgers.<br />
They all called me “kid.” That was<br />
my nickname. Firekid was kind of a<br />
nickname that I carried around for a<br />
while. When I went out to [Los Angeles]<br />
to start working on what became the<br />
firekid project my producer called me<br />
“kid” and it just sort of stuck as a<br />
nickname. It didn’t feel necessarily<br />
right to just say Dillon Hodges, but<br />
firekid felt right.<br />
Who are your biggest musical<br />
inspirations?<br />
Hodges: The thing I’m shooting for<br />
hasn’t been done convincingly too many<br />
times. But I listen to a lot of the bluegrass<br />
traditional music. Ralph Stanley, Doc<br />
Watson, Tony Rice – those are kind of<br />
my favorite bluegrass musicians. Then<br />
on the other end of the spectrum I love<br />
like Broken Bells and Gorillaz and some<br />
of these sorts of bands who mix acoustic<br />
and electronic elements. So I try to pull<br />
from both sides, from the urban side<br />
of things and the more traditional side<br />
of things.<br />
Who inspired you growing up to<br />
pursue your dreams in music?<br />
Hodges: It’s kind of amazing. When I<br />
was going to these festivals some of them<br />
happened to be instrumental contests.<br />
So you compete on guitar against other<br />
guitarists of all ages. My parents really<br />
took to it to take me all over the country<br />
to these things. My parents were the<br />
ones that really enabled me to take it as<br />
far as it would go. I had mentors who
helped me as well, but my parents were<br />
the ones who gave me the ability and all<br />
the tools I needed to take it all the way.<br />
How has being from the South,<br />
specifically Alabama, influenced<br />
your music?<br />
Hodges: I saw a lot of the state growing<br />
up, not just Florence, Alabama, and<br />
Muscle Shoals where I grew up. When<br />
I was a sophomore in high school I just<br />
looked up for the first time and realized,<br />
“Hey, I live in Florence, where there is an<br />
amazing history of recorded music and<br />
artists.” I started listening and diving<br />
into the Muscle Shoals music catalogue.<br />
That’s when I really learned to love<br />
to sing.<br />
Where do you draw inspiration<br />
for songwriting?<br />
Hodges: My songs mostly come from<br />
conversations that I have with friends.<br />
It’s almost like a sickness that comes<br />
over me when I’m writing. When I’m<br />
in writing mode, I’ll just be having<br />
a conversation with someone and I’ll<br />
turn and write it down. Then I visit it<br />
later and turn it into a song. A lot of<br />
it comes from real life experiences and<br />
just casual conversations with friends.<br />
What is one of your favorite songs<br />
to perform and why?<br />
Hodges: Obviously people love when we<br />
do “Magic Mountain” or “Lay by Me.”<br />
I get a rise when I play “Americana<br />
Dream.” It’s a nice moment to have a<br />
conversation with a crowd. I always<br />
change the lyrics a little bit to fit the<br />
room I’m in, to fit the mood of the<br />
crowd. And it’s always fun because I<br />
never know what’s going to happen or<br />
how people will react.<br />
As a whole, how do you think<br />
bluegrass influences American<br />
music today?<br />
Hodges: I couldn’t believe it when I<br />
heard Mumford and Sons on the radio<br />
for the first time. I had this moment<br />
of thinking “Wait, bluegrass music<br />
could be cool?” I was going to school<br />
and trying to impress people with my<br />
playing bluegrass music. It felt like<br />
overnight, bands were successful. People<br />
were buying banjos. I certainly saw it<br />
firsthand. People are more acceptive to<br />
music like this now. It’s been made more<br />
approachable to them.<br />
What do you hope your fans get out<br />
of your music?<br />
Hodges: I hope it takes them to a<br />
place. I don’t want to dictate what<br />
their experience is, but I just hope it<br />
takes and removes them from whatever<br />
they’re living in. I hope it’s an escape<br />
for them. Really all I want is to create<br />
an atmosphere, an experience, with my<br />
music. I want to transport people, make<br />
them live in my world for a minute.<br />
-<br />
Throughout the winter of 2016,<br />
Hodges has been taking a break from<br />
touring and instead preparing to work<br />
on his second album. In the meantime,<br />
his self-titled album firekid is available<br />
on iTunes and to stream on Spotify.<br />
Artist<br />
Fun Fact<br />
As a native of northwest Alabama, Hodges has performed<br />
at many local restaurants, festivals and more in the Shoals<br />
area. The sketch on the left was drawn by an audience member<br />
during Hodge’s 2012 lunchtime performance at the Trojan<br />
House, a sandwich shop located in Muscle Shoals. That<br />
audience member’s name is Maria Oswalt — who now serves<br />
as the creative director for <strong>Alice</strong>. Oswalt fondly remembers<br />
attending many of Hodge’s performances growing up in the<br />
Shoals. It’s a small world!<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> Spring 2017 [89]