Alice Vol. 5 No. 2

100-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

OF SUFFRAGE

The past, present, and future of

women’s fight for equality

STAND BESIDE HER

100-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

OF SUFFRAGE

The past, present, and future of

women’s fight for equality

STAND BESIDE HER

First Alabama-born Olympian

softball player preps for Tokyo 2020

INTERIOR BIRMINGHAM

An inside look into the Southern

Film Industry

$5.99 Vol. 5 No. 2

The power to persevere

The University of Alabama | Spring 2020

FRONT COVER

PHOTOGRAPHER

MODEL

INSIDE FRONT COVER

PHOTOGRAPHER

MODEL

Scarlet VanMeter

Kirklin Abercrombie

Sam MacDonald

Imani Hardy

This year marks the start of a new decade. As with every

new beginning, there is pressure to move on from the past

and be better in the next chapter. The simple fact of a new

start doesn’t erase the problems of the past– not without

work and recognition. Identifying the good, the bad, and

the ugly is a part of any evolutionary process, whether it

be professional achievement, personal progress or the

creation of a publication.

This issue, that’s come at a turning point in my own life,

has been a bigger obstacle than I initially anticipated. This

challenge has actually made the notion of our Unstoppable

issue all the more significant. This issue explores

perseverance throughout the magazine from fashion

trends to women’s suffrage. These stories all highlight the

fact that progress is almost never linear. There is power in

the setbacks we all inevitably experience, because that is

how we form communities and make progress.

Being unstoppable isn’t about feeling invincible,

always succeeding, or having all the right answers. Being

unstoppable is encapsulated in every struggle, every

misstep and every time we ask for help along the way.

I’ve definitely felt stoppable at times during these

past couple months, but as each obstacle has come and

gone, I am still standing. I’m not always standing as

tall and strong and stable as I was before, but the sheer

act of surviving it all has made me feel like a force to be

reckoned with.

Being unstoppable is equal parts a state of being and

a state of mind that doesn’t disappear in the presence of

doubt or struggles. The characteristic of being unstoppable

is not the final destination of some revolutionary journey,

but rather the way we evolve from beginning to end and

the entire process in between. I hope this issue can inspire

all readers to embrace the process of becoming their own

version of unstoppable.

Saige Rozanc-Petski

Editorial and Advertising offices for Alice Magazine are located at 414

Campus Drive East, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487. The mailing address is P.O. Box

870170, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487. Phone: (205) 348-7257. Alice is published

by the Office of Student Media at The University of Alabama. All content

and design are produced by students in consultation with professional

staff advisers. All material contained herein, except advertising or where

herein may not be reprinted without the expressed, written permission of

Alice magazine.

Spring 2020 1

AFFIRMATIONS

FROM ALICE

Sam

MacDonald

A’Neshia

Turner

“

Strive for more. Strive for

better. Never give up on

your dreams.

”

Sarah Kimball

Stephenson

Evan

Edwards

“

Be confident in

everything you do!

”

Meghan

Mitchell

Annie

Hollon

“

Work hard, dream big,

and be BOLD.

”

Angelica

Zdzienicki

2 Spring 2020

“

Prove all the naysayers

wrong, because if you

have a passion for

something you can

achieve anything.

”

Alexander

Plant

“

Never accept second

place when you know

you can get first,

especially in a man’s

world.

”

“

You can do anything

you set your mind to if

you aren’t afraid to fail a

couple times first.

”

Ansley

Segal

“

You define yourself.

”

“

Make your voice LOUD.

”

Kayla

Acevedo

“

Don’t sell yourself short.

You are capable of so

much more than you

think.

”

“

Your vibe will attract your

tribe, and you don’t want

it to be full of people that

don’t support and love

you for who you are.

”

Meg

McGuire

“

Choose a heart of

celebration over a heart

of comparison.

”

Spring 2020 3

EDITOR IN CHIEF

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

ART DIRECTOR

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

MANAGING EDITOR

NEWSLETTER EDITOR

MARKET EDITOR

FASHION EDITOR

BEAUTY EDITOR

LIFESTYLE EDITOR

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

FOOD AND HEALTH EDITOR

DIGITAL EDITOR

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

ONLINE EDITOR

YOUTUBE EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS

MODELS

HAIR AND MAKEUP

EDITORIAL ADVISER

ADVERTISING

PUBLISHED BY

INTERIM DIRECTOR

Saige Rozanc-Petski

A’Neshia Turner

Sarah Lumpkin

Sam MacDonald

Meg McGuire

Sarah Kimball Stephenson

Evan Edwards

Angelica Zdzienicki

Annie Hollon

Alexander Plant

Meghan Mitchell

Ashby Brown

Ansley Segal

Tegan Goodson

Kayla Acevedo

Emily Garrett, Sarah Kimball Stephenson, Donnamy Steele

Lucy Hanley, Elanna Wright, Payton Lambert, Maddie Stevens

Kaitlyn Gabaldon, Natalie Vande Linde, Hope Northrup

Sophia Surrett, Leah Goggins, Ta’kyla Bates, Jeffrey Kelley

Emily Benito, Jennafer Bowman, Lindsey Wilkinson,

Julia Service, Savannah Bullard, Morgan Whicker, Cat Clinton

Evan Edwards, Gabrielle Gervais, Marino Naranjo,

Morgan Igou, Sarah Parker Merriman, Molly Glus, Rachel

Stern, Bailey Williams, Aran McDermott

Rebecca Martin, Scarlet VanMeter, Hannah Saad, Tanner

Bramlet, Sarah Hartsell

Aran McDermott, Baylie Smithson, Emily Garrett, Morgan

Igou, Autum Williams, Camyrn Angel, Mattie Parham

Ella Adams, Veronica Martinez, Daisy Ford, Ella Smyth,

Imani Hardy, Jennafer Bowman, Jordan Watkins, Kirklin

Abercrombie, Donnamy Steele, Destini Daris, Piper

Pochkowski, Sarah Hartsell, Sophia Surrett, Amaya McClain,

Gabrielle Gervais, Erin Edwards, Rachel Stern, Morgan Kahn

Donnamy Steele

Mark Mayfield

Julie Salter

University of Alabama’s Office of Student Media

Traci Mitchell

4 Spring 2020

A publication by college women for college

women, brought to you by a hardworking staff

of University of Alabama students. Alice began in

2015 as the brainchild of a collaborative meeting

between faculty and students who decided we

have enough material about Big Al, “so let’s make

it about Alice.”

Alice is bold, yet inclusive as an accessible

source for all things encapsulated in

the college lifestyle. We cover fashion,

beauty, entertainment, food & health,

and lifestyle for college women but also

serious issues young women face like

the gender wage gap and sexual health.

Because college women are more than

what we wear and what we look like,

but also how we feel, what we think,

and the future we want to build.

Alice is a next generation women’s magazine, emphasizing

the ability women have to support each other and focus on the

positives and potential. Alice is every woman. She is every skin

tone, every shape, every voice and every idea. When she walks into

a room, she makes a grand entrance. When she departs, she leaves

each place better than how she found it. She graces this world with

love, color and sound, and harnesses the power of words and

images to ignite a celebration of collegiate womanhood, in all its

layered, diverse complexity. She encourages community and

empowerment. A best friend to everyone. All of the women

featured in Alice are 100 percent unretouched because

we believe in the beauty every college woman already

possesses.

Though we do focus on college

women, our belief of inclusivity

extends far beyond the content we

produce. We want everyone and

anyone to feel like they can pick

up our magazine and enjoy . There

are no rules for having fun at Alice!

Spring 2020 5

BEAUTY

LOOK LUXE FOR LESS

BASE TO BEAUTIFUL NAILS

INTERNATIONAL BEAUTY STANDARDS

ACNE BREAKTHROUGH

HASTA LA VISTA TO BAD SKINCARE HABITS

ENTERTAINMENT

HEY GRIFF!

CAN I SEE YOUR ID?

INTERIOR BIRMINGHAM — FILM INDUSTRY

NICKI COLLEN

IF YOU LIKE THIS, TRY THIS

LIFESTYLE

CHRONIC ILLNESS IN COLLEGE

THE STRESS FOR SUCCESS

TRAVEL BUDGET TIPS

AN OPEN LINE FOR LONG-DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS

SCARRED

6 Spring 2020

FEATURES

EVEN THE “MOM FRIEND” NEEDS A MOM FRIEND

WELCOME TO CHATTANOOGA

STAND BESIDE HER

100-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF SUFFRAGE

WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE YOUR OWN OPINIONS

FASHION

GEAR UP

EAST COAST VS. WEST COAST

THAT ‘70S STYLE: VINTAGE LOOKS FOR SPRING

GNARLY ‘80S STYLES WE JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF

BANGIN’ ‘90S: FASHION FADS

FOOD & HEALTH

104

106

108

BON APPETIT: A EUROPEAN FOOD AFFAIR

KNOW YOUR FLOW

ALABAMA’S FIGHT TO END FOOD INSECURITY

TRASH IS NOT TRENDY

TAG YOURSELF

Spring 2020 7

8 Spring 2020

BEAUTY

LOOK LUXE FOR LESS

BASE TO BEAUTIFUL NAILS

INTERNATIONAL BEAUTY STANDARDS

ACNE BREAKTHROUGH

HASTA LA VISTA TO BAD SKINCARE HABITS

Spring 2020 9

Look

LUXE

for Less

By Donnamy Steele

10 Spring 2020

Have you ever wondered how you could achieve stunning celebrity makeup looks from magazines

and social media? Their makeup routines may have a high price tag, but yours doesn’t have to. The

beauty industry is constantly evolving, bringing high quality products for lower prices. Here are some

products from an average routine that will save you money without sacrificing quality. These beauty products

and tips will have you red carpet ready for only a fraction of the price. Create the look of luxury, for less.

MOISTURIZER

Pond’s Dry Skin Cream, $5

LIP BALM

Hempz Ultra Moisturizing Herbal Lip Balm, $8

Skincare is essential for creating a flawless

makeup look. One of the most important steps in

creating this is a seamless base, and this can be done

by prepping your skin. This moisturizer by Pond’s is

tried and true, and celebrity makeup artists swear

by it! Erika LaPearl, the woman behind Cardi B’s

iconic makeup, has raved about this product on

social media and uses this moisturizer on her VIP

clients on a regular basis. It hydrates the skin and

creates a smooth foundation for the rest of the

makeup. All for less than $5! To get the most out

of your moisturizer, rub the moisturizer into the

palms of your hands to warm the product, before

applying to your face. This helps the moisturizer

sink deeper into the skin and prevents you from

applying more product than needed.

Lip balm is essential for a good lipstick day.

This product gives major hydration for parched

lips and is one of the best, most affordable options

available. The Hempz lip balm will leave your lips

feeling hydrated and soft, without having to spend

a fortune. Apply this lip balm to your lips at the

beginning of your routine to give your pout some

time to absorb the hydration. If you want to achieve

that plump look, softly scrub the lip balm off of your

lips with a makeup remover wipe before applying

your other lip products. This will lightly exfoliate

your lips to keep your lipstick looking smooth and

fresh all day long.

PRIMER

E.L.F. Cosmetics Poreless Putty Primer, $8

FOUNDATION

Makeup Revolution Conceal & Define Full

Coverage Foundation, $12

Some people stick solely with moisturizer to prep

their skin for makeup, but primer is an essential

in your routine to achieve a smooth, hydrated

complexion. This primer, by E.L.F. Cosmetics, is all

over social media and for good reason! As the name

suggests, this product looks and feels like putty.

When applied to the skin, it fills the fine lines and

pores to create a smooth even surface. It has been

labeled as the best affordable dupe for the Tatcha

Silk Canvas primer, which has been raved about for

some time now. You choose, $60 or $8. Press this

primer into your skin to smooth your complexion

and create a poreless effect for your base makeup

application.

Drugstore makeup has stepped up its game with

new and improved products to compare to those

sold at Ulta, Sephora, and other department stores.

Makeup Revolution is one of the many affordable

brands that comes out with dupe-worthy products.

The Conceal & Define Foundation gives brands like

Nars and Too Faced a run for their money. The

foundation is light in consistency, so it doesn’t feel

like a mask, and it paves the way for a flawless base

for the rest of your makeup. Apply this foundation

using a flat kabuki brush to spread the coverage

evenly, and go over it again with a damp beauty

sponge to soak up any excess product. This process

will keep your foundation from looking clumped

and caked on, while still maintaining that desirable

full-coverage look.

Spring 2020 11

CONCEALER

Morphe’s Fluidity Full-Coverage Concealer, $9

BRONZER

Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer Murumuru

Butter Bronzer, $16

Concealer is essential for achieving a full glam

makeup look. This Morphe concealer is the goto

for effortless, full coverage makeup looks. It

covers dark circles like a high-end concealer would,

while still looking natural on the skin. Apply the

concealer to the areas you want to cover and blend

using a damp beauty sponge or a small fluffy brush.

For maximum coverage, leave your concealer on

for at least 30 seconds before blending it out. This

allows the product to dry down just enough that

the coverage won’t be lost during the rest of your

makeup application.

Bronzer is an important step to creating a

luscious look. It is responsible for that effortless

sunkissed glow after you’ve covered your natural

pigmentation with foundation, concealer, and

powder. This Physician’s Formula bronzer is a

fan favorite and has been labeled one of the best

drugstore bronzers. This product is a little more

on the pricey side of affordable makeup, but is

worth every penny. The bronzer also comes in six

different shades to accommodate more skin tones,

and it smells like you’re on a tropical vacation.

What more could we ask for in a bronzer? For an

all-over bronzed look, use a large powder brush to

dust the bronzer onto the perimeter of your face.

For a more defined look, use a smaller brush to

better focus the product.

POWDER

Maybelline’s Fit Me Loose Finishing Powder, $8

BLUSH

Morphe’s Blushing Babes Blush Trio, $12

When it comes down to finding the perfect

powder, there are three factors to consider. You

want a powder that doesn’t budge, doesn’t cake,

and doesn’t flashback. This powder by Maybelline

meets all of the above, making it the best affordable

powder. High-end powders start at about $30, and

Maybelline Fit Me Loose Finishing Powder is just

$7.99. This is a game changer for beauty enthusiasts

on a budget. To set your foundation and concealer

for a long-wearing glam, press the powder into the

skin using a powder puff. This locks in the coverage

from your base products while keeping your skin

matte and smooth. Dust away any excess powder

with a soft, fluffy brush to avoid product buildup.

Need a pink-me-up? This blush trio by Morphe

is for you. This product has four color stories of

blushes to choose from, catering to a variety of skin

tones. To elevate your makeup look, choose a blush

tone that fits the color story of the rest of your

makeup. For example, if you’re wearing a peach

toned eyeshadow look, you’ll need a peach toned

blush to tie the look together. Apply this blush

to your cheekbones, and dust any excess product

from your brush onto the perimeters of your face

and nose for a subtle yet vibrant look.

12 Spring 2020

HIGHLIGHT

WetnWild’s MegaGlo Highlighting Powder, $6

EYESHADOW

Colourpop’s Nude Mood Pressed Powder

Palette, $14

Highlighters have become a staple in beauty

trends in recent years and a must for many beauty

gurus. It contrasts with the depth of your face to

bring dimension and light to your face. Whether

you like the blinding highlight look or a soft glow

from within, you can achieve either with this

product. The WetnWild MegaGlo highlighter

is available in four different shades, so you can

choose the most fitting highlighter to compliment

your look. For an intense shine, apply setting spray

onto a small highlighting brush before dipping into

the product. For a gentle glow, apply highlighter to

the high points of your face using a larger, fluffier

brush to diffuse the product.

Eyeshadow trends come and go, but one that

will stay forever is a classic smokey eye. The Nude

Mood palette by Colourpop is a great addition to

your makeup collection. It has neutral mattes and

shimmers to create a stunning, luxurious look.

To create a smokey, eye-opening look, begin by

applying a transition shade from the palette to the

crease of your eye and on your lower lash line. Take

a deeper shade and build it in the outer corner of

your eye, bringing it slightly into the crease. Keep

building the color until your desired depth is

created. Then, take the darkest shade in the palette

and line your upper and lower lash lines. Keep the

shadow close to the lash line to mimic an eyeliner,

then diffuse the harshness with a blending brush

to create the desired smoky effect. Clean up the

inner corner and lid of your eye by applying a light

matte shade from the palette. Keep the look matte,

or give it some glow by adding a highlighting shade

(or even your highlighter) to the inner corner and

also under the brow bone.

BROWS

Colourpop’s Brow Boss Pencil, $6

Colourpop’s Brow Boss Gel, $7

MASCARA

Maybelline’s Falsies Lash Lift Mascara, $11

Brows can make or break a look. Using the wrong

products can cause your eyebrows to look too

harsh or too light, taking away from the statement

look you are trying to achieve! Colourpop has two

products that can improve your brow game. The

Brow Boss Pencil and Brow Boss Gel have just

the right amount of pigmentation, allowing you

to create a subtle look along your natural brow or

building it up to design Instagram-worthy brows.

For an arched and sculpted brow, fill in your brow

shape with the Brow Boss Pencil and complete

the look with the Brow Boss Gel. For a softer, less

defined look, apply the Brow Boss Gel alone.

This mascara is the newest addition to the

Maybelline falsies lash collection. Although it’s a

fairly new product, it has already made an impact

in the makeup industry. Retailing for only $10,

this mascara gives your lashes envious depth and a

flirty flare. Use a lash curler to add height to your

lashes before applying mascara to get the most out

of your product. For an extra wispy effect, apply

mascara mainly on the outer corner of your eye.

This will bring the lashes outward, elongating the

look. Wear this product alone for a naturally wispy

lash look, or apply falsies to further accentuate

your lashes.

Spring 2020 13

LASHES

Ardell’s Lash Faux Mink Demi Wispies, $3

LIPSTICK

Maybelline’s Color Sensational Shine

Compulsion Lipstick, $8

False lashes are a fun and flirty addition to vamp

up your look. High-end falsies can retail for about

$20 or $30, but thankfully brands like Ardell have

affordable options to choose from. The best part?

You can get multiple wears from just one pair of

lashes, which make it a better bang for your buck

(or three). The style Demi Wispies is a crowd

pleaser and fits most eye shapes due to it’s wispy

outer corner. To apply false lashes seamlessly, trim

the ends to fit your eye shape. Then you can coat

the lash band with lash glue and allow the glue to

dry until it settles into a tacky consistency. Apply

directly to your lash line, and conceal the lash band

with a dark eyeliner or eyeshadow. Voila! A flawless,

sultry lash to boost your eye game.

There are so many lipsticks out there, it’s difficult

to find THE one! Here’s a recommendation to

narrow down your search for the best lipstick on

the market. The Maybelline high shine lipstick is

like no other. It glides onto your lips like a normal

cream lipstick, yet it has the look of a luscious gloss.

This product is intensely pigmented and gives your

lips just the right amount of shine, without having

to apply a lip gloss overtop. After applying your

lip liner, apply this lipstick to the center of your

lips for a subtle effect. Fill in your lips completely

for a glossy, glamorous lip look. If the glossy look

isn’t your vibe, try Maybelline’s Color Sensational

Creamy Matte Lipsticks.

LIP LINER

Colourpop’s Lippie Pencil, $6

SETTING SPRAY

Morphe’s Continuous Setting Mist, $16

Lip liner is a must-have for flawless lips.

Colourpop’s lip liner glides onto the skin

effortlessly, stays put for hours, and costs only $6.

To achieve a full and pouty lip look, apply the Lippie

Pencil where the edge of your lip line meets your

skin and outline your lips. Apply similarly colored

lipstick, stain, or gloss products over it to complete

the desired look.

If you’ve ever been victim of having your makeup

completely ruined after spritzing your face with a

poorly made setting spray, let us put your faith

back into them with Morphe’s Continuous Setting

Mist. This has become one of the most popular

setting sprays since its release in 2017. It’s rise

to fame is due to its stellar formula and its easy

mist. The mist on the setting spray is so fine and

gentle that it helps spray your entire face evenly

without disrupting any of your makeup. To keep

your makeup fresh all day (and night), mist your

face before priming and after you’ve applied your

makeup to lock your look. Fan your face to allow

the product to dry down, and then your look is

complete.

14 Spring 2020

Spring 2020 15

Nails

By Natalie Vande Linde

As we begin to see a surge in evolving nail trends, such as

complex nail art and beautiful long acrylics, it’s also important to

give your nails just as much attention as your skin. Nail care can

be easily forgotten or ignored, but it is vital to your manicure. Alice

is here to inspire some healthy habits for you to keep your nails

strong, long, and beautiful.

16 Spring 2020

Take a Breather

Hydration

Nails, in many ways, reflect our overall health. A strong, healthy

set of nails means your diet is likely balanced and full of the right

vitamins and nutrients entering your system. One very simple

mistake that can lead to fickle nails is the lack of hydration. Of

course, hydration can be as basic as drinking your water, which

is amazing for your beauty routine in every aspect, but it is also

important to remember that your nails need direct, local hydration.

The perfect solution to this is a hydrating hand cream. To avoid

thinning and cracking of the nails, apply hand cream and make

sure to rub into your nail bed and cuticles. If you find your skin to

be extra dry or you are just looking for extra hydration, it’s always

helpful to grab cuticle oil and layer that on as well. Hydration is a

great and essential first step to maintaining strong nails.

This is a pretty simple task. If you’re like me and constantly

pamper your nails with crazy designs and new shapes, let them

breathe for a minute. Often, we go straight from look to look and

never let our nails have a minute to repair themselves. This is a

really important part of maintaining healthy nail. It’s great practice

to take a few weeks or even a month in between sets to just apply

a strengthening top coat and let your nails rest and relax. During

this break, remember to follow our first two tips. While everyone

enjoys a trip to the nail salon, it is important to remember how

harsh some of those products can be on our nails, especially things

like acetone, nail glue, dip powders, and gel.

Protein, Protein, Protein

Cuticle Health

Your cuticles are a very sensitive part of the nail and require a

little extra love. As mentioned above, cuticle oil is always a great

idea for keeping a healthy, manicured nail. It is also important,

however, to know what NOT to do to your cuticles. Your cuticles

are there for a reason – they protect your nail as it grows and they

work to keep bacteria and infection away from that new, lovely

nail that’s trying to grow. It’s important to let the cuticle work its

magic and by this, we mean DO NOT cut them, or allow anyone

else to cut them. Cutting the cuticle is something you might

experience a decent amount in nail salons, or be tempted to do

if you’re experiencing a pesky hangnail, but it’s best to groom

them and avoid the cuticle. It is good practice to occasionally push

your cuticles back. Generally, the best time for this is fresh out of

the shower, when they’re soft and pliable. Keeping your cuticles

pushed back and keeping oil on them as often as possible to avoid

breakage is a key step to ensure a strong nail bed.

This last tip involves a bit more commitment and intention than

the others, but it is arguably the most important. Our nails are

made up of many things, mainly keratin, so they need nutrients

and proteins to grow strong and avoid breaks and cracks. You have

an option to take these nutrients directly in a supplement, but

you can simply incorporate them into your everyday diet. Think

protein-rich foods like beans, fish, or nuts. These foods will offer

the nutrients your nails need to grow stronger, plus they also offer

great benefits for your skin and hair. However, if these foods just

aren’t for you there are supplement options to look into like fish

oil, vitamin-E, or biotin. These will all help create a strong base for

your nails while benefiting your hair and skin as well.

Nail care is essential to a lovely manicured set of nails and is

often forgotten in your nail routine. These tips are a quick and

simple way to leave your nails happy, healthy and strong! It can be

damaging to your nails and wallet to keep making frequent trips to

the nail salon, but it turns out, it’s not impossible to keep healthy

nails with a fun design. Just remember to keep your nails hydrated,

maintain cuticle health, and give them a chance to breathe. Above

all, have FUN with your nails. Nail care is to a fun manicure as

skincare is to a powerful makeup look. Nails are an amazing way to

express yourself and experiment with new trends. Try new colors

and patterns and wear what makes you happy.

Spring 2020 17

BY AMBERLY ASHCRAFT

UK, DUBAI, AND THE UAE

Every nation and region of the world have specific ideals of

beauty that are shaped by the geographic location and cultural

norms of the area. These ideals can center around a single aspect

of beauty that then defines the visual landscape of a culture.

Bold and defined eyes are significant in the Middle East due

to cultural and religious practices in these areas. This trend has

always been a staple of beauty in Dubai. Depending on specific

religious or cultural practices, women are limited in the ways in

which they can express themselves, thus the eyes and eyebrows

have become a beauty staple.

A full, defined brow is a must-have in Dubai. When creating

these statement brows, women usually allow the tail of the brow to

extend further than their natural growth. Even if you haven’t been

naturally blessed with lush, bushy brows, beauty innovators in

Dubai have a variety of solutions to help anyone achieve the look.

Microblading is a noninvasive, brow-enhancing procedure that

originated in Dubai, though it has quickly spread across the world.

Chelsea Gregory, a microblading specialist from Dubai, discusses

how this technique is used to create or improve definition, fill in

gaps in your natural brows, or extend brows in order to achieve the

desired look. It currently serves as the ultimate remedy for those

brows that fell victom to the over-plucking that was wildly popular

in the early 2000s.

This microblading technique creates the illusion of hairs via

very thin blades that are able to precisely deposit colored pigments

in the upper layers of the skin. In doing so, each “hair” is drawn

individually by a certified esthetician. Much of microblading’s

appeal comes from the incredibly realistic and natural effect it can

create.

Because this process is so detailed, the average microblading

session clocks in at around two hours. Despite the timely nature of

the procedure, many women prefer this one-time cost to the time

and effort it takes to fill in their eyebrows on a daily basis. Results

can last up to two years and only require sporadic, “as-needed”

maintenance.

If microblading seems too much of a commitment for you,

Hayley Kadrou of The National offers an even less invasive

alternative to microblading: Brow Lamination.

This relatively new technique is currently on the rise and

expected to be the biggest global eyebrow trend of 2020. The

process is much simpler when compared to microblading, as

lamination is essentially a perm for your brows. The eyebrow

hairs are lifted from their roots and set into place with lotion,

which allows the hairs to be brushed in any desired direction to

create fuller, fluffier and denser-looking brows. This treatment

also allows for the addition of color, upon request.

For those with more wiry brows, lamination is said to be a

godsend. The process serves to calm the hair’s natural texture,

allowing it to be smoothed against the skin.

Brow lamination can last anywhere from six to eight weeks,

depending on your exposure to the elements and your skincare

routines. According to Gregory, lamination is the perfect option

for those who are looking to enhance what they already have.

Ultimately, these long-term brow enhancing treatments we see

popping up around the world are the true embodiment of the “low

maintenance” beauty idolized by the industry in the past years.

Just as eyelash extensions or lifts cut down on time and hassle,

these brow enhancement options aim to do the same.

Note: According to the American Medical Spa Association

(AMSA), as the demand for the procedure has skyrocketed, so

has the need for properly trained estheticians and technicians —

leaving some potentially untrained and inexperienced individuals

to fill the void. Always be sure to do your research before

undergoing the procedure. It’s highly recommended to look for

someone with accreditation from either the American Association

of Micropigmentation or the Society of Permanent Cosmetic

Professionals (SPCP). Both of these organizations are a great

starting point for finding licensed and skilled technicians in your

area.

Spring 2020

It’s a widely accepted truth that Japanese, Korean, and Chinese

beauty trends have long influenced trends in the rest of the world.

Korean beauty and skincare dominated the industry in 2019, and

there’s no reason to believe they won’t continue to do so in 2020.

Blush that is applied exaggeratingly high on the cheekbones

and directly under the eyes is a cornerstone of the Harajuku

community, a district in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Although the

trend originated within a district of Tokyo, it has quickly gained

popularity all across the country.

The style, called “me no shita chiiku” (translating to “undereye

blush”), first started popping up on the streets of Tokyo within the

last five years, but recently reached its peak in popularity in the

fall of 2019.

The look itself is derived from a more specific niche trend called

“byojaku,” or “sickly,” in which women purposefully sport pale

skin, puffy under eyes, and reddish skin around the eyes. There

are countless tutorials detailing how to recreate the look of puffy,

slightly swollen under eyes on social media.

Clearly, not all aspects of this niche community’s trend have

become mainstream. Many women seem to be drawn to the

practice of applying blush underneath the eyes because of its ability

to create a more youthful, innocent look. When applying color

higher up on the cheeks, the face appears more round and childlike.

Many Japanese beauty bloggers have coined the term “uruuru”

to describe the effect this look creates, as it is an expression

used to describe big, round eyes that are almost brimming over

with tears. We might think of this as “puppy-dog” eyes.

While it’s true that applying deeper blush tones atop the

cheekbones can chisel the face, thus creating a more sophisticated

and mature look, it is also true that concentrating color toward

the center of the face draws more attention to the eyes, creating a

younger effect.

This trend also has roots in Japanese history, as the makeup of

Geisha and Kabuki dancers often included a red accent around the

eyes. The look even prevails in modern day Japanese culture, as

anime characters are known for their signature “blush” drawn high

on their cheeks.

French women have always looked for makeup to enhance their

natural features, and the rest of the world isn’t far behind. We’ve

seen a serious interest in “clean” makeup and intense emphasis on

skincare in the past year, a trend that was undoubtedly sparked by

the classic French look.

French makeup artist Patrick de Fontbrune, renowned for his

work with celebrities and publications like Sports Illustrated and

Women’s Health, encourages the use of makeup for enhancement

with the goal of achieving your best possible self, rather than

transforming yourself into someone else. Fontbrune highly

encourages prepping the skin before makeup with a fine waterbased

mist, serum, and light moisturizer or primer, depending on

your skin type.

Another wildly popular practice in France is to choose one

aspect of your makeup and play it up while leaving the rest of

your face clean in order to emphasize the focus of your look. This

practice usually involves a light layer of foundation, natural blush,

and simple eyes, all paired with a bold lip.

This signature Parisian red lip is meant to stand out on a

relatively plain face, and is renowned for its flexibility. Fontbrune

himself states that the look can be paired with jeans or a cocktail

dress just the same. However, if you do want to play up a different

feature — “deepen the eyes or add color elsewhere” — consider

playing down other elements of your look, e.g. lip or cheek color,

bronzer, contour, etc., to maintain the desired air of sophistication

and simplicity.

Yet another signature practice involves embracing the casualness

of makeup and its application. In essence, French women readily

welcome the messiness of makeup.

For example, creating a smokey eye using a creamy pencil and

blending it in with your finger instead of a precise brush. Don’t

overthink it. You want to make your look appear more lived in and

less contrived. Instead of using heavy highlighters and bronzers

to sculpt out a new shape, use them to capture ambient light and

effortlessly bring elements of your face forward.

Spring 2020 19

ACNE

BREAKTHROUGH

BY HOPE NORTHRUP

you ever just get tired of the same old remarks from your

friends with perfect skin? Me too. Of course, anybody

who struggles with severe acne and breakouts knows

that no matter how many promising new face washes

or three-step trends advertised on TV that you try, your stubborn

acne sticks around (or even gets worse). Buying things that were

supposed to help my acne began to feel like shredding my money

in a blender. I was 21 years old and beginning to feel like I would

have acne forever. No matter how many dermatologists I saw, I

would leave feeling just as discouraged as when I arrived. I was

tired of trying every topical cream imaginable and watching my

diet closely. I was tired of praying that my face would magically

clear up before the next big social event. I got to the point

where I would even find myself skipping class, because I was so

embarrassed of how broken out my face was. I was ready to take

matters into my own hands and find a solution to fix the acne

that had dominated my self-esteem and so many aspects of my life.

After seeing dermatologists who told me “just don’t wear

makeup; it will clog your pores and break you out,” I decided to

educate myself on my skin. Anyone who is educated on acne knows

that breakouts are caused more by your genetics and hormones

than wearing makeup. Some medications that dermatologists told

me would clear up my skin had common side effects that were so

severe that I knew many people who’d rather have acne than deal

with the consequences of the medication.

Something my dermatologists did not tell me is that there

is such a thing as hormonal acne. After doing some research,

I realized that was exactly what I had. The next time I went to

the dermatologist I knew I could request oral pills that exist to

specifically help with hormonal acne. Hormonal acne is linked

directly to the fluctuations of estrogen and progesterone, and the

ratio of these two hormones can affect a woman’s testosterone

levels and result in hormonal acne. If you are past your teen years

and in your early 20’s and still struggling with severe acne, there’s

a good chance you are struggling with hormonal acne.

My acne was very painful, and a lot of it was around my jawline,

which is a primary side effect of hormonal acne.

After a couple of months of treating my hormonal acne with

prescribed medicine, I cannot believe the transformation that my

skin went through. With a little dedication and research, you can

start on your own journey to better skin.

20 Spring 2020

TO BAD SKINCARE

BY ELANNA WRIGHT

new season means you can say goodbye to bad habits

and hello to new, improved healthier ones. The surprise

pimple that magically appeared right before grad

pictures is a nightmare, but no matter how much you

want to pop it, you have to leave your uninvited guest alone. Many

dermatologists advise their patients not to pop pimples,

because it can lead to the spreading of bacteria, and leave

permanent scars and scabs, which requires so much more

work to get rid of than the pimple itself.

Touching your face is a no-go in general, along with popping

your pimples. This is because it can leave dirt, oil, and bacteria on

your skin, causing clogged pores and even more breakouts in the

future.

Accidentally going to bed with makeup on and not washing your

face is another important habit you must break. Leaving makeup

to settle into your skin overnight clogs your pores and leaves a

build-up of oil, product, and dead skin

To remove any makeup, you can use makeup removers like

Neutrogena’s Make-up Removing wipes (only $1.99 at Target) or

get micellar water, which cleanses and wipes off your makeup and

any oil.

For cleansing and washing your face, a good practice is looking

at the ingredients of your skincare products. Avoid washing your

face with parabens. According to a survey conducted by CervaVe

skincare, 52 percent of American consumers use bath wash or

hand soap to cleanse their face.

Washing your face with regular soaps or skincare products with

parabens, artificial fragrances, sulfates, triclosan, and phthalates

will harm and strip the natural oils from your skin.

The American Academy of Dermatology Association

recommends washing your face twice a day and after working out.

Don’t forget to use a toner! Toners are the most underrated and

underappreciated step in skin routines. According to Dermatology

Times, medical doctor Zoe Diana Draelos says toners are known as

astringents, which can be used to remove any waterproof product

after cleaning. They can also help remove any excess dirt you might

have missed while cleansing, and it helps to close your pores. Its

properties act as a balance to the pH scale of your skin and give

your skin the extra protection to keep on flourishing.

Habits might be hard to break, but your skin definitely will be

gleaming after making the changes.

Spring 2020 21

Spring 2020

ENTERTAINMENT

HEY GRIFF!

CAN I SEE YOUR ID?

INTERIOR BIRMINGHAM — FILM INDUSTRY

NICKI COLLEN

IF YOU LIKE THIS, TRY THIS

Spring 2020 23

BY MEGHAN MITCHELL

skeleton of PVC pipe lined with ridged soundproofing

pads and swaddled in blankets is where Garrick

Griffin II (Griff) lets out his emotions. Sitting in the

corner of a candlelit room pulsating softly to the

beat of an old mix, the makeshift sound booth resembles a

time machine. With the Frank Sinatra poster, Kobe Bryant

Lakers jersey and hand-drawn ode to Mac Miller hanging on

the wall, you wonder if it might be. Sitting next to a pillowcase

full of lavender and a fluorite rock, Griff turned back the clock.

The home-made music machine is located in Griff’s co-writer

Justin Speegle’s basement. This was where Griff recorded his first

released album, The White EP, but the two started making music

together even before their studio was complete. In a jam session

which saw the conception and completion of an unreleased single,

“Father Forgive Me,” Griff and Speegle began a friendship built on

a shared love for creation and Frank Ocean.

As multi-job holding artists, partners in music and selfdescribed

perfectionists, Speegle and Griff say their friendship is

better described as a brotherhood. As they sing along under their

breaths in deliberate, measured time to the raw version of “Father

Forgive Me” playing on Speegle’s computer, it’s clear the two have

a harmony that extends beyond their tracks.

Griff credits Speegle, who has been writing songs since he was

six years old, for the release of his first album.

“He’s 10 times more talented [than me] in my opinion,” Griff

said. “But he gets so caught up in making a perfect product that

he’ll never release anything. And I’m just like, ‘Dude, what’s the

reason that you’re doing this if you’re not even ever going to release

anything?’ I was like, ‘Maybe if I do this it’ll inspire him to do this.’

And he ended up releasing a project later on last year.’

24 Spring 2020

Spring 2020 25

Spring 2020

When Speegle is working on a project, he’ll play his tracks every

time he gets in his car, listening fastidiously for bars to improve

and sounds to enhance. Different from Griff, Speegle likes to record

his songs in one take — no cuts — and craving such a particular

orientation of words, pitches and beats can take time to perfect.

“I’ll record the same song at least 10 to 15 times, just to make

sure I get it right,” Speegle admitted. “Every time I go listen to it in

the car I hear something I don’t like. That’s just being judgemental

and critical of myself, but it’s good to have those thoughts because

you want to make it perfect.”

If Griff and Speegle could, they’d spend most of their time

perfecting their craft. But Speegle works at a landscaping job, and

Griff considers music — making his third job — so they have to

split their time working for others while working for themselves.

“I spend most of my time on my phone in my notes,” Speegle

said. “If I ever catch a break at work, I’m back to trying to write.

Of course, I don’t like being somewhere where I’m distracted, but

you just find time to do things that you want to do.”

There’s no question that the four walls of this dimly-lit studio

have been illuminated with strategically lyricized bars and heartpulled

song concepts, but there’s another place Griff lets his ideas

flow with even less inhibition. Within the confines of four smaller

borders, Griff’s bed, he colors two blank sheets of paper with the

goings-on of his mind every morning when he wakes up. Inspired

by an interview with J. Cole in which the rapper mentions the

technique from the book The Artist’s Way, Griff uses his “morning

pages” as a release, writing down his feelings or events in his life

and then never looking back at them.

“I know it’s going to be a good day of morning pages when I don’t

want to do it at all,” Griff said. “I’ll go back to sleep specifically so I

don’t have to write anything. But on those mornings where I hate

it, and I don’t want to do it, those are the mornings that I live for.

That’s when I get everything out.”

The pages function as a personal, creative outlet which Griff

says helps him become attuned to his feelings and turn them into

songs with more ease. You can’t say you have writer’s block, he

says, if you force yourself to just start writing every morning.

Like Speegle, Griff holds his music close to his heart, reluctant

to release it until he deems it worthy. It wasn’t until Griff

translated all of his thoughts to his satisfaction into the completed

The White EP album that his father, Garrick Griffin, realized his

son’s seriousness about breaking into the music industry. It was

an unexpected GroupMe message from a cousin that brought

Griff’s music to his dad’s attention.

A Command Sgt. Major at Fort Knox, Griffin has gotten the

opportunity to expose himself and his kids to faces and places far

removed from his hometown in Birmingham. Born in Germany,

Griff has lived in Virginia, Texas, Georgia, Kentucky and Alabama.

Griff finished his sophomore year of high school in Korea.

“I really felt like [Griff] was safer in Korea than in the United

States,” Griffin said. “I never had to worry about whether or not I

was going to get that phone call saying that something happened

with the police. I never really worried about him, Garrick could

go as he pleased. Here in the States, there’s a possibility that

something could happen to him even if he’s doing all the right

things.”

It wasn’t a call about Griff, but Griff’s stepbrother, Daqun

Ramey, that threatened the family’s sense of security. It was 4

a.m. when Griff received the call from his dad. Hours later, Griff

would attempt to work through a shift carrying the weight of

serving trays and the news that his stepbrother, Daquan Ramey,

had been murdered.

Daquan was murdered less than a year ago in a home invasion

during his first semester enrolled back in school. Griff described

that the painful death was one made even harder by the fact that

he and his stepbrother were facing similar hardships. Griff said

the two were beginning to mend the troubles in their lives when

his stepbrother’s life was taken from him and his family.

“[After being shot] he literally was just laying on the ground

for 5 hours before they did anything,” Griff said, his voice hushed.

“Laying underneath his car. He was crawling to his f---ing car to

make it to the hospital, and nothing. His friends left him there,

because they were scared they would get in trouble.”

Daquan covered Griff’s morning pages for a while, but, Griff

said, he has yet to fully realize the scope of the pain that his

brother’s murder inflicted on him.

“I’ve probably written 10 or 15 songs that never turned into

anything because I was like man, f--- this. I’m not doing him any

justice. This isn’t worthy. And then I get to my thoughts, and I’m

like, I don’t know if that’s a line that I want to cross. I don’t want

it to ever come across as me using my brother to gain sympathy.”

Despite struggling to put his feelings into music that he feels

meets the standard his brother deserves, Griff has used the trauma

to propel his music in other ways. His brother motivates him to

feel pain, to create through the pain, to succeed through the pain.

He feels grateful for the opportunity to at least feel, a right that was

stolen from Daquan.

“I feel like shit right now, but man, feeling like shit sure does

beat not feeling at all,” Griff said.

Spring 2020 27

28 Spring 2020

BY LINDSEY WILKINSON

hen we think about our onscreen crushes, we usually

think of characters like Zach Dempsey from 13

Reasons Why, Regina George from Mean Girls, Sandy

from Grease, or even Damon Salvatore from The

Vampire Diaries. All these characters have one thing in common,

something shocking: They’re all played by people who are at least

ten years older than the character they are playing. These famous

characters who run the halls of their respective schools aren’t

plagued with frizzy hair or acne; they are sporting post-puberty

bodies, chiseled chins and an aura of confidence.

The fantasy of perfection is not limited to recent popular

movies. In fact, even some of Hollywood’s classics warped viewers’

sense of age. Audrey Hepburn was 31 when she played 19-year-old

Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Leonardo Dicaprio

was 28 when he played 16-year-old Frank Abagnale in the movie

Catch Me If You Can. The aging process is one that is not usually a

topic of discussion when it comes to representation in media, but

it is important.

According to Forbes, in 2015, teens consumed nine hours of

media a day. While most of what was watched was fictional, onscreen

images can shape our views of reality. Even when we are

aware that what is on-screen is not a true representation, it still

alters our perceptions. By and large this is due to many elements of

a show or movie being accurate in style. Characters have iPhones,

classroom set ups and part-time jobs.

Tina Turner, a senior journalism major at The University of

Alabama, said, “Representation matters in media. It’s not good

whenever you have a group of adults playing high schoolers who

look like they fell from heaven. There are plenty of beautiful kids

in high school, but in reality, we aren’t dressing to the nines every

day. You know some people don’t have the time, some people don’t

have the money and some people just don’t care.”

Another issue is the ethical dilemma of having adults portraying

sexualized teenagers such as on Riverdale, Pretty Little Liars, or

The Vampire Diaries.

Chris Roberts, an associate professor at UA who researches

media ethics said, “I have always struggled with people

representing their own age doing things that would be bad for

people that age.”

The New York Times highlighted the concerns that Roberts

presents in a 2019 article, in which the comedy Good Boys is used

in conjunction with Superbad, Sandlot, American Pie, and Kick-

Ass. All of these films employed younger actors using curse words

for comedic effect. Chloë Grace Moretz was only 11 years old when

she was portrayed slicing and dicing drug dealers and uttering

obscenities in Kick-Ass. Many critics and viewers criticized

Moretz’s role because of her age. Examples like these, along with

many other factors, could be used to promote the usage of older

actors.

“If it’s a television show with teenagers, often older actors

play the teens for a variety of reasons, not limited to the kinds of

content the show would be interested in showing.” said Kristin

Warner, associate professor at UA.“Hiring actors under a certain

age has major restrictions regarding what they can do onscreen

and rightly so. But, the more pertinent question is probably much

more about what the producers have in mind for the characters,

and what would an older actor allow them to do versus a minor.”

As an audience, we may question what we can do to fight the

stereotype of looking extraordinarily perfect on any given day or

what a studio’s responsibility is if they do choose to hire adults to

play teenagers.

“But why not have people who just look normal?” Warner

wondered. “Maybe it is up to makeup teams to be like ‘Let’s not

make this person look extra glammed up walking around to class,’

or ‘Let’s not hide all your blemishes today.’ These actors are still

normal people. I’m sure they have insecurities, and I think if they

share that then maybe the world will be more accepting of others’

insecurities.”

In an industry of fantasy and fiction, it is not surprising that age

is veiled in mystery like much else. This systematic casting actors

and actresses allows studios to have more flexibility in content,

production, and hours. Even so, on-screen material has and will

shape our society’s view of aging and perfection. Whether this is

morally acceptable or not is up to viewers.

Spring 2020 29

INTERIOR

BIRMINGHAM —

FILM INDUSTRY

BY LEAH GOGGINS

few days before she was due on set in Naples, Florida,

Virginia Newcomb sat at one of the many tables in

Birmingham’s Pizitz Food Hall, raking her chopsticks

through a Poké bowl and settling in for her eighth

interview of the week.

“This is probably the third thing today and the eighth thing this

week where I’m talking about this kind of stuff,” Newcomb said.

“It’s my world right now.”

This kind of stuff — the burgeoning film industry bubbling up in

Alabama and how women and people of color fit into that industry

— brought Newcomb back to Birmingham from Los Angeles years

ago. Newcomb left her Alabama hometown after high school,

a scholarship to the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in

hand and a bright future ahead of her. But after about a decade in

Hollywood, it was time to come home.

After shooting a short film with her partner, Paul Hart, and

seeing it screen in several southern film festivals, Newcomb began

to realize just how many independent filmmakers were working

down south. That reassurance grounded her, but it also opened

her eyes.

“The conversations around filmmakers and stories in the South

all deeply resonated with what I realized I’ve been wanting to

do for a long time, which is amplify southern women’s voices,”

Newcomb said.

One of the festivals where Newcomb began to make new

connections is based just below the place where she’d poked at

her scallion-strewn lunch. The Sidewalk Film Center and Cinema

opened its doors on the lower level of the Pizitz building in late

2019, after 21 years of producing an annual film festival in the

streets of Birmingham. Kiwi Lanier, Sidewalk’s education and

outreach coordinator, has been around for almost a third of those

years.

“I interned here because I was trying to get out of taking classes

for college credit,” Lanier said. “so I did an internship over the

summer, and then I just didn’t leave.”

That was the summer of 2012. Lanier would go on to serve as

ticketing coordinator and education and outreach coordinator

before taking a break to attend graduate school in Texas. When

she arrived back in 2018, she took on yet another role: shorts

programmer.

“When I was programming shorts, it seemed like the female

filmmakers were trying twice as hard, and it showed,” Lanier said.

“I definitely felt like I saw that effort. I get how much harder they

have to work, so I salute them.”

In the two years that Lanier was on the shorts programming

team, the women-to-men ratio of directors on local films was

basically equal, but Lanier said she never wanted to consider

gender while making programming decisions.

“I tried to focus mostly on which shorts I enjoyed the most and

which ones I thought executed their vision the best,” Lanier said. “I

feel like programming something and saying, ‘We’re going to have

50/50 women filmmakers,’ kind of devalues what they’re making.

It’s reducing them to their gender, which is the whole thing we’re

trying to avoid.”

Megan Friend, a creative media student at The University of

Alabama, co-directed one of the many shorts that populated

Sidewalk’s 2019 lineup. It was the first time one of her films had

been accepted into the festival circuit, but she’s more than familiar

with the process of programming a festival. Friend is one of two

directors of the Black Warrior Film Festival, which takes place at

UA each spring. Black Warrior, just like Sidewalk, sports a staff of

mostly women.

30 Spring 2020

“I’m pretty happy with it,” Friend said. “It’s definitely a great

experience that can feed into getting jobs in the industry and

getting internships, so it’s awesome that this will be a way for

those women to move on to other things and hopefully rise up the

ranks.”

Friend has also been on her fair share of film sets as a student

filmmaker, serving in a variety of roles. As a junior, she’s been

working as an assistant director more and more, often with women

directors.

“A lot of the people who have mentored me in the years above

me in film school have been women,” Friend said. “And there’s

always been a big emphasis on women directors and women

directing the senior capstone films.”

It’s that push, both in and out of the classroom, that leaves

Friend hopeful for her post-graduation prospects.

“I am optimistic as someone in college who wants to work in

film, in development and writing,” Friend said. “I feel like there’s

definitely a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm to find those

women voices.”

As for Newcomb, she’s found a community of people who

have that energy to elevate women voices in the South. Years of

oppression have instilled a deep-rooted fear in southern women,

Newcomb said, and that fear is becoming fuel for their creative

endeavors. Newcomb has seen her friends and family channel that

fear, but she’s also seen it within herself.

“Growing up as a little girl, a little weird kid in the South, you’re

not always given the spaces you need to explore your perspective,”

Newcomb said. “It’s very easy to just conform to what is accepted,

and that happens on such a subconscious level. Only recently have

I been able to wrap my brain around that.”

What comes next, Newcomb said, is self-expression born of “all

of the -pressions: suppression, repression, oppression.”

But self-expression is one thing. Exposure is another.

In 2018 and 2019, high profile film festivals in the United States

programmed almost twice as many films directed by men than

those directed by women, according to a study sponsored by the

Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film.

“The mantra has become, ‘Just make your film,’ because it

should be easy,” Newcomb said. “But we’re having to look at all of

the spaces and statistics and figure out why it’s so hard for certain

people to make their movies. And it’s not just making them.

Anyone could cash out their credit card and ask all their friends

and learn how to crowdfund, but it’s also about how those films

get seen.”

That’s where smaller festivals like Black Warrior and Sidewalk

come in.

Sidewalk plans to host their first-ever Women in Film Week in

the middle of March. Lanier looks forward to seeing how patrons

respond but notes that all of Sidewalk’s programming is far from

what “a programming team of all dudes would” put together,

though she said that “it’s hard to quantify.”

Black Warrior, which focuses on student films, programmed 15

women-directed films out of the 36 total films programmed this

year.

As long as women continue to be even less represented in

big budget projects, it’s crucial that they find equal footing in

independent film. Of the 1,300 top grossing films from 2007-2019,

only 4.8 percent of directors were women, according

to a study from the Annenberg Foundation.

Regardless of the numbers, Newcomb feels that

there is a change coming. It’s just one that not everybody

is ready to recognize.

“I think it’s a very exciting time,” Newcomb said. “We

just still have to forge forward and keep doing what we know

is right, even though the Oscars or certain things that we’ve

held up on a pedestal for a long time don’t represent the change

that we feel and know needs to happen.”

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, for their

part, didn’t nominate a single woman director for an Oscar in

2019. It was a choice that snubbed countless films, notably Lulu

Wang’s The Farewell, Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, Alma Har’el’s

Honey Boy and Lorene Scafaria’s Hustlers.

Lanier might have been disappointed, but she’s already given

up on the annual awards ceremony. After yet another anonymous

Academy member came forward with her thoughts on who

should win which awards, any remaining respect Lanier had for

the ceremony flew out the window. In February, the offending

Academy member said that Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A

Time… In Hollywood should have won nearly every award it was

nominated for and admitted to having not watched any of the

nominated documentary or animated shorts.

Lanier was disappointed, she said, but “it’s hard to degrade an

already corrupt and pointless process.”

Friend has also learned that awards season is not to be trusted.

Though she looked forward to the Oscars as a high school student,

further education in the creative media department has changed

her views.

“I’ve grown to really not care at all… after a couple of years of

not understanding their decisions, their nominations, and being

kind of frustrated with it, talking to my professors about it and

just realizing how much power is held by that voting body and

the people who happen to be in that voting body … ,” Friend said.

“While some great films win, [films] that are of great quality, I

don’t really correlate winning best picture to actually being best

movie of the year.”

The only woman to win the Best Director trophy at the Oscars is

Kathryn Bigelow, for The Hurt Locker, who won in 2010. She was

only the fourth female nominee. Since then, the Academy has only

nominated one additional woman in the category.

But Newcomb’s reality doesn’t really mesh with the maledominated

image of the film industry that the Academy promotes.

She’s more concerned with looking forward to a future where the

southern film community has solidified into a robust industry with

women and men equally at its helm.

“We’re ready to do big stuff,” Newcomb said. “Sometimes the

limitations of the area as far as it not being an established industry

keep people back. But there are some really great creatives here,

and I’m excited to see what we all make.”

Spring 2020 31

32 Spring 2020

or Atlanta Dream Head Coach, Nicki Collen, nothing is a

given. Collen was an assistant coach from 2001 until 2018

when she finally got her opportunity to be the face of a

team. In her first season after initial struggles, the Dream

took the WNBA by storm and finished 23-9 as the No. 1 seed in the

Eastern Conference.

“We walked into my first season and really changed the roster

over to some degree,” Collen said. “ [The team] had something to

prove to me, I had something to prove to them, and I think we

played with a chip on our shoulder.”

The next season was not so successful. The team couldn’t get

out of the midseason lull and missed the playoffs entirely. There’s

a whole new outlook for this upcoming year for both Collen and

the team. She wants to reset the mentality of her players.

“I think [last year] we got a little comfortable because our roster

was almost the same from one year to the next,” Collen said. “I

learned more about leadership in a year of losing than I did in a

year when we were winning. Nothing is given. You earn everything,

day by day, possession by possession.”

Collen isn’t looking to bounce from this new coaching job very

quickly. After losing her sister to a battle with cancer five years

ago, she is focused on the here and now.

The game is what Collen truly loves. Coming from an engineering

background in college, she loves the way basketball can be a chess

match. Trying to take down an opponent and manipulate their

weakness is what she obsesses over. Realistically, Collen wants to

follow trendsetters like Becky Hammond, an assistant coach of the

San Antonio Spurs.

“I’ve been around the NBA enough now through the [Atlanta

Hawks] to know that [coaching in the NBA] might be more of a

long-term goal of mine than I would’ve ever thought,” Collen said.

“There was a time when women didn’t coach in the NBA, so you

don’t think it’s a possibility. What I do is the same as what Lloyd

Pierce (Atlanta Hawks Head Coach) does. He just does it a little

bit different, and he has more resources, coaches, facilities and all

these things. But when you talk about basketball or breaking the

game down, we’re all coaching the same thing.”

Although coaching jobs were originally given to men, women

are finally getting their shot as the WNBA has been at the forefront

of the women’s rights movement. But she still has goals for the

women that follow behind her in the WNBA.

“What I would love to see is us, as a league and society, finding

ways to continue to push women, former players who have played

at the highest level, who then have the opportunity to get in at the

ground level and work their way up,” Collen said. “I think there

has to be a bit of a grassroots movement to continue to empower

women in coaching to stay in the coaching profession. ”

Collen wants to see women take advantage of all the

opportunities that are given to them. She loves being a part of a

movement and working towards a better future for women as a

collective.

“I just would love to see continued growth,” Collen said.

“I’m someone that worked my way up in the college game, who

coached at a lot of different levels. I truly believe in outworking

and outperforming people for opportunity and not being given

opportunity that’s not deserved, but I think it’s finding ways

to continue to give people opportunities so that they can get

that experience, they can get to the point where they’re going to

outperform, outthink, outwork their opposition.”

Spring 2020 33

IF YOU LIKE

BY SOPHIA SURRETT

Game of Thrones

The Witcher

If you like gory, science fiction and have

indulged in the eight seasons of the wellworshiped

Game of Thrones, also known

as “GOT,” the new Netflix show The

Witcher is here for you. This high-action,

fantasy drama of mystical, middle ages,

starring Henry Cavill, will draw you into

its perfect, twisted plot. If you like cliffhangers

that have you sitting on the edge

of your seat, this show is IT.

Grey’s Anatomy

Private Practice

If you are “basic” and have watched the

medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy, you will

like the spin-off Private Practice. The show

centers on the employees and patients of a

public clinic in Los Angeles. Spoiler Alert:

Addison Montgomery is the star of Private

Practice. Many of you will recognize her

as Grey’s Anatomy heartthrob Derek

Shepherd’s ex wife. Drama, am I right?

ASAP.

Spring 2020

THIS, TRY THIS

Bachelor

Love Island

If you are a drama fiend with a Bachelor

Nation obsession, you have to watch

the British reality dating series Love

Island. With the same concept as the ABC

original, young singles are thrown into

an extravagant vacation with hopes of

finding “the one.” The biggest difference is

Love Island contestants get the chance of

winning $50,000 at the end of the season

if they win over the public.

Sherlock

Lucifer

If you are a fellow crime junkie and have

enjoyed all four series of Sherlock for

its unique perspective, join in watching

Lucifer. The devil himself opens a

nightclub and connects with a homicide

detective to solve crimes. Ring any bells?

Both of these shows capture the pure love

for solving crimes and catching the bad

guys.

Spring 2020 35

This is Us

Big Little Lies

If you love to cry and find yourself getting

way too invested in the lives of fictional

families, like the Pearsons from This Is

Us, Big Little Lies is the next move. The

murder mystery is not what you think. The

wealthy women of Monterey, California

battle individual hardships in their

families, but despite this are able to come

together, showing great strength in the

midst of tragedy. Sound familiar?

Pretty Little Liars

You

I’m calling all my teen drama fans out

there that fell in love with the mysteryfilled

series Pretty Little Liars. The new

thriller You has taken over social media

and has many viewers binging both

seasons in a matter of days. If you are a fan

of anticipation and the unexpected, You’s

twisted storyline will keep you up until

the wee hours of the morning, wanting to

know what happens next.

Atypical

Sex Education

If you loved Atypical, then you will love

Sex Education. These two shows are both

coming-of-age stories, centered on teens

finding out who they are. Much like college

students, these kids are trying to figure out

their lives, who they want to be, and who

they are now.

Spring 2020

Shameless The End of the

F***ing World

If you are the type of person who loves dark

comedy and enjoyed binging Shameless,

you definitely have to watch The End of

the F***ing World. The Netflix dramedy

is about a young “psychopath” and a

rebellious girl trying to find their place in

the world after escaping their small town.

The dysfunctional family of Shameless and

the rebellious adventure the pair embark

on evoke the same emotions, which create

a great watch.

Modern Family

Grownish

If you’ve ever dipped a toe into the world of

sitcoms, you’ve definitely heard of Modern

Family. The comedy shows us both the

laughs and struggles of family, much like

the show Grownish. Grownish is a spinoff

of Blackish, that airs on Freeform,

which follows a young college student who

is conquering adulthood.

The Fosters

Party of Five

Who doesn’t love family drama (as long

as it’s not ours)? If you’ve watched the

Freeform original, The Fosters, the

network has a new show for you. Party

of Five is the new show that’s pulling

everyone’s heartstrings. Much like The

Fosters kept everyone on their toes with

heartbreaking twists, Party of Five does

not disappoint in the soul-crushing

category. Don’t put your box of tissues up

just yet. Party of Five is waiting for you.

Spring 2020 37

38 Spring 2020

LIFESTYLE

CHRONIC ILLNESS IN COLLEGE

TRAVEL BUDGET TIPS

UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS

AN OPEN LINE FOR LONG-DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS

SCARRED

Spring 2020 39

CHRONIC ILLNESS

or the average student, college can be hard. It’s a

complete 180 to everything you’ve ever known, and

starting over can cause a lot of added stress on top of

everything else you deal with as a college student. A

trigger for breakouts, breakdowns and break-ups, stress revolves

around a college student like the earth revolves around the sun.

Yet for some, like myself, stress can trigger something else: a

Chronic Illness flare-up.

“I try to occupy myself and my mind with something, so I

can distract myself from things that might stress me out,” said

Tayge Molino, a freshman at Messiah College who was diagnosed

with Crohn’s disease at the early age of 11. Crohn’s disease is an

inflammatory bowel disease, that can affect people in different

areas of their digestive tract. It causes inflammation, which can

lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, and weight loss.

It affects less than 800,000 people in the U.S., according to the

Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.

“I’ve had two flare-ups since coming to college,” Molino said.

“They were tough to deal with, because it was up to me to deal with

it. Mostly, I made sure to stay close to a bathroom, and I laid in

bed most of the time. My disease does not really limit me on doing

other activities as long as I’m not having a flare-up.”

Flare-ups in most chronic illnesses can be sporadic, but if

you’ve been diagnosed for a while, you might be able to recognize

warning signs of an attack. For some, that’s not always the case.

Jamie Ankney, who was diagnosed with Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome

(CVS) in 2008, spoke about how her illness caused her to drop out

of college.

“When I was attending school, my disease was in the form of

migraines, which has been proven to precede CVS,” Ankney said.

“I ended up missing so much school that I had to drop out and

never recovered enough to go back.”

CVS is an uncommon disorder affecting both children and

adults that is characterized by recurrent episodes of severe nausea

and vomiting. This alternating pattern of disease and disease-free

periods distinguishes CVS from other gastrointestinal disorders.

“The biggest consequence for CVS is severe dehydration,”

Ankney said. “I’ve been in the hospital many times with acute

kidney injury because of it.”

The cause of CVS has not been found yet, thus making the

ability to prevent flare-ups very hard. When it comes to living

on your own and being alone for the first time, it’s scary enough

to be complete strangers with a roommate, much less room with

someone and have them take care of you when you have an attack.

“The biggest concern is for someone who suffers CVS but

doesn’t live with anyone to monitor them and make them go to

the hospital when it gets really bad,” she said. With only constant

Spring 2020

IN COLLEGE BY JENNAFER BOWMAN

prescription medication and hospital grade drugs to help calm an

attack, it becomes difficult to stick to long-term commitments, like

college.

“I could say yes to showing up somewhere, and really want to

show up, but if I woke up and was sick, all bets were off,” Ankney

said. This could lead to those with chronic illnesses feeling left out

because of their illness. One of the main components of college is

networking and getting to know others, which can feel impossible

for someone who is sick all the time. This can isolate anyone, not

just those with chronic illnesses.

Sometimes the stress of college, or just stress in general, can

cause other health conditions that are equally as vicious as a

chronic illness. Morgan, a freshman at The University of Alabama

who asked that her full name not be used, found herself having

severe stomach pain and no appetite. When she went to the

doctor in late June, they found she had stomach ulcers due to

stress.

“In the beginning, it was hard because it can happen whenever,

but living on my own, I’ve learned to keep my emotions down but

also relax and isolate myself from time to time to avoid random

flare-ups,” she said.

Classes, friendships, and family drama can add to the constant

stress a person feels. The constant stress and demand of college

can not only hurt their physical health but also their emotional

health, due to the extra stress of their illnesses.

“I can be distracted and my flare-ups can randomly occur,”

Morgan said. “I try to keep my composure when things get hard.

I don’t think I do anything differently. I mean everyone needs an

emotional break every once in a while.”

For me, I don’t think about my illness. At the age of 8, I was

diagnosed with Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome, something that affects

my life every day, but I choose to not let it hold me back. I take

my medicine, I go through my routine, but I don’t limit myself on

activities or workloads thinking about a flare-up. I have my bad

days, which result in hospital visits and IV fluids, but the next day,

if I wake up before noon, I continue on. But most of my days are

good. I’m healthy and happy. I have a support system if I do get

sick, and I know how to take care of myself, which was a major

concern of my parents when they sent me away to college. Living

with a chronic illness isn’t a crushing weight I have over my head,

it’s a part of me.

Having a chronic illness is a challenge in itself but with the

added stress of everything college entails, it can be a nightmare.

Those with chronic illnesses might not look sick and might not tell

you they’re sick. Just because they suffer, doesn’t mean they should

suffer alone. With support from friends and family, their flare-ups

can be easier and their time in college can be less stressful.

Spring 2020 41

THE STRESS

FOR SUCCESS

BY JEFFREY KELLY

42 Spring 2020

f you pulled out your laptop right now and looked up “how to

be successful while in college,” you’d get 29 pages of articles

by so-called experts listing strategic plans that, if followed to

a “T,” end in instant success. Sadly, it’s not that easy.

“I think success is kind of something everyone has to define for

themselves, but for me, it’s just that I’m consistently accomplishing

my goals,” said Mallory Maza, a junior double majoring in biology

and political science at The University of Alabama.

“To me, it’s just being able to do something that I am happy to

do,” said Carey Hodovanich, a junior double majoring in math and

dance at UA.

No matter what success may look like to you, it takes time to

achieve, and not every path to it is linear.

Take Tiffany Haddish, for example. Before she was snatching

trophies and making history as the first African-American standup

comedian to host Saturday Night Live, Haddish was homeless

and living in her car. It wasn’t until she got a little help from

comedian Kevin Hart that she started to see success in her career.

Her big break in entertainment didn’t come until she was cast in

the 2017 box office hit Girls Trip. The film made over 100 million

dollars and solidified Haddish as one to watch.

Now at 40, Haddish has become a household name, covering a

plethora of magazines including Times, W, and Glamour, writing

a New York Times bestselling autobiography, and starring in her

own comedy special on Netflix called Black Mitzvah and the TV

series The Last OG alongside Tracy Morgan.

While fundamentally we all know that it takes time to be

successful, in a society dominated by social media, millennials

have been subjected to the influx of “influencers,” like Loran

Gray, Emma Chamberlain, Tana Mongeau and Jake Paul, who

miraculously seem to become viral sensations and garner a level of

wealth and fame so quickly that many are left wondering how and

why it hasn’t happened to them.

College students’ aspirations have become unachievable,

not because the goals themselves are unattainable, but because

the time frame in which they seek to achieve them is simply

unrealistic. They begin to rank their success in correlation with

others, thus creating short-term timelines for accomplishing

lifelong achievements while still in their 20s.

That isn’t to say that amazing achievements can’t be made in

your 20s; Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Zendaya, Andrew Kozlovski

and many more would beg to differ. The only difference is we see

these successes through a social media lens narrowing our views

to the wonderful outcomes and not the months of struggle and

hardship behind said success.

Without taking how arduous and long the journey to success

may be into consideration, millennials have begun to develop

unrealistic and unhealthy expectations for success.

“I believe when we hold kind of those hardline expectations for

ourselves that [it] really sets us up for failure and disappointment,

because rarely does life go the way we expect it to,” said Greg

Vander Wal, executive director of The University of Alabama’s

counseling center. “It can lead to perfectionism. It can lead to

disappointment, which can contribute to more anxiety or feeling

down and having things like depression.”

According to the American Institute of Stress, the U.S. Census

Bureau reported that in 2017, of the 18 million students enrolled

in college in the U.S., nearly three out of four students have

experienced a sense of “overwhelming anxiety” at some point.

Adulthood is already stressful enough. As college students are

somehow expected to juggle full course loads, extracurriculars,

and, for some, part-time or full-time jobs. However, the added

stress of achieving success early on puts a strain on making quick

and substansial progress in their personal or professional lives.

“I think a lot of the times anxiety rises out a situation when we

feel threatened, when we feel like something is in jeopardy, and

oftentimes with anxiety, that’s about future possibilities, things

that we feel like we have to accomplish and aren’t accomplishing

or it’s not going the way we thought it would,” Vander Wal said.

Success is different for everyone, but it is apparent that success

doesn’t equate to much if you’re always overwhelmed and unhappy.

“I think everyone thinks that they need to have a husband, a

baby, and a house by like 24 or 30, and by like 30, if people aren’t

married, they really start stressing out,” Maza said.

Hodovanich said she admires her mother’s contentment in her

career. After receiving her undergraduate degree and a law degree,

her mother decided that she was much happier being a substitute

teacher.

Vander Wal said flexibility and self-compassion in situations

where things go wrong is important.

“I think sometimes we think we have to be in control of things

we ultimately can’t be, and learning to accept that can be helpful,”

Vander Wal said.

Spring 2020 43

TRAVEL

BUDGET TIPS

BY JULIA SERVICE

hether you’re hoping to spend fall break in

New Orleans, next spring break in Barcelona

or maybe a semester abroad in Paris, planning

trips like these usally revolve around one thing –

money. How much will gas cost? What about plane tickets?

Is it cheaper to stay in a hotel or an Airbnb? These tips on

saving money when you travel will hopefully help you cut

some corners and save money that can go towards funding

the more important things of life, like your next adventure.

Spring 2020

Craft a budget

Without setting a limit for yourself

ahead of time, your spending can

add up quickly between dining

out, that extra drink with dinner,

souvenirs, and tours. A budget

can help you be more conscious

on how much you’re spending

and what exactly you’re spending

your money on. Caitlyn Hughes,

a junior nursing major at The

University of Alabama, always sets

a maximum amount that she can

spend on certain things, like no

more than $40 for a meal or $700

for a plane ticket. Hughes finds

this practice beneficial because

it keeps her from “getting ripped

off” and spending all of her money

all at once.

Pack your own

food

Before Celia O’Bryan, a junior at

Hope College, left for a weekend

trip to Paris during her semester

abroad, she made sure to pack

multiple peanut butter and jelly

sandwiches to limit how much

she’d have to spend on food. With

most Airbnb’s and hostels you’ll

have access to a kitchen, and

some hotels have mini fridges

in the rooms, so you can store

premade food or stock up on some

cheap and easy groceries like

sandwich ingredients to cut down

on expenses. Depending on your

hotel or hostel, they might also

provide free breakfast.

Stay in a hostel

When traveling in Morocco,

University of Alabama junior

Brooke Tuthill, an international

studies major, stayed in hostels

that averaged around $10 a

night, which was much cheaper

than staying at a hotel. Tuthill

said that as long as you do some

research, you should be able

to find “a decently nice hostel

for fairly cheap.” Hostelworld

and Hostelbookers are great

resources for finding hostels, and

both have rating systems that

include an overall score as well

as a breakdown of categories like

cleanliness, safety and location.

There are also reviews that you

can read before booking. If the

idea of sharing a room full of

bunk beds with mixed genders

makes you uneasy, some hostels

do provide female-only rooms and

single rooms. Don’t forget to bring

your own lock (or two) for the

storage lockers.

Websites for

cheap flights

Websites such as Skyscanner,

Student Universe, and even

Google Flights can find the

cheapest flights and compare

them for you. Kennedy Toomey,

a computer science major at The

University of Alabama, used Kiwi

to catch a flight from Barcelona

to Dublin, then from Dublin to

London while she was studying

abroad in Spain. She liked Kiwi

because it checked her into her

flights when it was time and sent

her the e-ticket. If you’re not ready

to make the purchase yet, you can

if the prices change. If you have

flexibility with the dates you

can travel, then you’ll be able to

find that the flights can get even

cheaper.

Spring 2020 45

Pack light

Depending on how long your trip

is, you might be able to get away

with just a carry on if you plan

on flying, which saves you from

paying money to check your bag.

Packing versatile clothes, like a

few blouses that can be paired

with different pants or skirts and

a jacket to layer over, can help

take up less space than seven

shirts that can only be worn with

certain pairs of jeans. This is the

perfect time to try that capsule

wardrobe that keeps popping up

on your Pinterest dashboard.

Utilize public

transportation

When I took a taxi from the

Dublin Airport to the apartment

eight miles away where I’d be

staying during my semester

abroad, it cost 38 euros. The bus

that runs every 10 minutes from

the airport to the city center

costs 6 euros. If you do research

beforehand, you can determine

what bus routes or tram will get

you where you need to go for

much cheaper than a taxi.

Stray off the

beaten path

It’s no secret that popular travel

destinations are full of tourist

traps that will make you pay

double what an item is actually

worth. Take a moment to step

outside the tourist area, and

you’ll spend less money when

you do. In Vienna, people line up

(or queue, as they say) outside

of Cafe Sacher to try the famous

Sachertorte cake; but at a cafe

two blocks away, you can get

Sachertorte for half of the price

of Cafe Sacher. It’s important to

keep safety in mind so you don’t

end up wandering around in a

neighborhood that you probably

shouldn’t. Looking up some

places beforehand and reading

reviews can help reduce this risk.

Don’t underestimate

a dollar

A sophomore at the University

of Iowa, April Bannister

recommends to pay in cash

instead of with a credit card to

be more conscious of how much

you’re spending. “That’s what my

dad always does,” she said with a

laugh. When you can physically

see the loss of your money from

your wallet, you might think

twice about paying for that latte

when there’s a Keurig back at

your Airbnb.

It can be scary at the end of a trip when you check your bank account and scroll through withdrawal after

withdrawal. Hopefully applying these tips will prevent the dreaded post-trip bank account check from being

quite so cringeworthy.

Spring 2020

INSTA–WORTHY

LOOKS. NO FILTER NEEDED.

Get the latest looks without leaving T-town.

Tuscaloosa’s largest selection of the newest

fashions, shoes and accessories all under

one roof.

Shop Belk Women, Belk Men, Kids and Home,

JCPenney, Café Court and More!

university-z

1701 McFarland Blvd East

Open Daily 10am-9pm Sunday 1pm-5:30pm

Spring 2020 47

BY EMILY BENITO

f you’re in one, you know long-distance

relationships can be difficult. It doesn’t

matter if it is a high school sweetheart or a

long-term relationship across state lines.

How do we keep them from going up in flames?

Good communication.

When someone says communication isn’t the

most important thing in a relationship, they are

lying to you. Communication can become harder the

farther away you are from your significant other. All

relationships, both platonic and romantic, require

good communication.

“Communication in general is such a huge thing,”

said Molly Zariello, a freshman at The University

of Alabama. “Being able to openly communicate

definitely makes a really big difference in a

relationship.”

Lauren Chestnut, a finance and economics major

and sophomore at The University of Alabama,

points out that when you are in the same place as

someone it is easier to see them, which is why you

need to ensure you make time for your significant

other despite the miles between you.

“You have to make sure that you’re putting in

the same amount of time and effort as you would for

a non-long distance relationship,” Chestnut said.

We live in a era where technology can help us

stay in contact with those we care about, and, as

Chestnut pointed out, it is all about the effort. The

best plan of action? Set up a time every week to

find a few moments to have face-to-face interaction

with your significant other, through mediums

48 Spring 2020

such as Facetime or Google Duo. This creates a

sense of stability even from far away and a sense

of importance. Setting time aside for someone can

help them feel like they matter. If you’re dating

someone, they should matter. Zarriello says that

phone calls while you are going about your day lets

your significant other know that you’re thinking of

them.

When you feel that your life is getting busy, and

you can’t make time for your partner, be honest

and tell them. Sometimes you might feel like the

relationship is too much to handle. Balancing

a relationship, school, work, and friendships is

difficult. Remind your partner if you’re going to

be busy. If your mood changes and affects them,

they will know why. Communication is the key

to maintaining a healthy long-term relationship.

“Even if you guys have an off week, it’s not an off

life, it’s just an off week,” said Madaline Adams, a

freshman at UA.

Long distance is hard, but that doesn’t mean it has

to be impossible. Making someone feel important

sometimes only takes a few texts or a short phone

call. The amount of time and energy you put into a

relationship makes a major difference. It may not

be the same as cuddling together watching a movie,

but effort is effort, and it’ll pay off in the end. If you

do have an off week or day, just remember that it

doesn’t mean that your relationship is crashing

and burning. It may simply be a sign you need to

communicate more effectively with your partner.

Communication is key.

Spring 2020 49

By Emie Garrett

Spring 2020

t was the day after the eighth-grade spring fling. The night I

spent awkwardly dancing and running away from pubescent

boys trying to grind on me and and witnessed teenagers

drinking alcohol for the first time. I tied on my best PacSun

swimsuit, extra tight to avoid any embarrassing wardrobe

malfunctions and headed out for a day in the sun with my best

friend. I was 13 and almost a whole head taller than all of the boys

my age, standing at a lanky 5-foot-10. Of course, there were things

I was insecure about, but overall, I thought I looked great and I

felt even better when my crush pulled up to the pool in a golf cart

with all of his friends. My best friend and I waved the boys over to

come sit with us. My confidence was sky-high. He was cute with a

sweet smile and had a goofy personality, and he was the only boy I

knew that was taller than me. He sat down in the chair beside me,

smiled. Then he ran his eyes quickly down my body, landing on the

thick four-inch long scar sitting right below my belly button.

“Ew. What happened to your stomach?” he said, with a grimace.

I felt my confidence instantly deflate, and the heat of

embarrassment rushed into my face as I covered the scar with my

arms. Stuttering, I tried to explain the story behind the, apparently

disgusting, mark.

A moment that likely faded from his memory long ago, would

be replayed in my mind over and over throughout the years. That

“ew” would echo in my ears long after that day at the pool when I

was 13. Every time I looked in the mirror wearing a crop top or

bikini I would hear it. I would even hear it as I excitedly tried on

prom dresses, that excitement draining from my body when I saw

the indentation of my scar through the dress. People told me that

I should be proud of the scar left from the emergency surgery that

saved my life after my appendix ruptured when I was a toddler. It

was a badge of honor, and I was a warrior, but I didn’t feel like one.

I didn’t feel proud. I felt disgusting and ashamed.

In high school, I would watch my friends, eyes green with

envy, as they pranced around in their bikinis during the summer.

Stomachs smooth and scar-less. No one was staring, or asking

them, for what felt like the hundreth time, to recite the story of

what happened. They didn’t need to wear Spanx with their prom

dresses, and they didn’t have to worry about their shirts riding up

a little. I always felt that their lives must be so much better, that my

life would be so much better without this disfigurement. Standing

in front of the mirror, I would pull at the skin on my stomach, tears

streaming down my cheeks, trying to imagine myself with smooth,

unmarked skin. I hated my body and was horribly blind to all of

my blessings. I was healthy and had a body that allowed me to

walk, and run and do anything else that I pleased.

Over the years, I have battled a love-hate relationship with

my body but especially with my scar. My feelings toward my scar

change like the weather. Some days it’s sunny and I am genuinely

okay with it. On my best days, I’m even a little proud of it. However,

some days, it pours, and the thought of anyone seeing my stomach

makes me want to burst into tears. I’ve learned that self-love and

confidence don’t come all at once. It can’t be neatly tied up with a

bow. Sometimes it’s one step forward and three steps back, and

that’s okay. As for my goofy middle school crush, those feelings

fizzled long ago, and eventually, that resounding “ew” grew quieter

and quieter until it finally fell silent. Other people haven’t paid any

mind to my scar, or maybe I just stopped paying mind to those who

can’t find the beauty in someone because of a thing so arbitrary.

I wish I could tell you the secret to being confident and loving

yourself. I wish I could take away the searing pain of the words

that people say and the stares that make you want to crawl out

of your skin. Our loved ones try to comfort us. “Just don’t listen

to them,” they say, or “Don’t pay attention to ignorant people.”

They mean well, but simply telling us not to listen does not make

the words unheard, and telling us not to pay attention does not

make us unaware of the staring eyes. These sentiments come from

a place of love, but it often feels like no one understands. For when

you are feeling low, like no one understands, like you’re ugly or

alone, I will teach you a simple trick that my mother taught me.

Growing up, whenever I’d come to my mom with a trembling chin

and eyes brimming with tears, she would sit me down and make

me name three things I liked about myself. It could be anything!

The way my hair looked that day or that I helped someone out

in class, and before I knew it I was naming way more than three

things. I would have a whole list of things that make me beautiful,

on the inside and on the outside, and it would remind me that I

am truly pretty great. Even now, when I’m feeling insecure, I try to

find three good things about myself, and as I start naming them,

the insecurities slowly begin melting away. I challenge you to try

this trick next time you are feeling insecure. I’m willing to bet that

you will find more than three things that make you amazing.

I have come to realize that we are all scarred. Some scars are

physical. Some scars are deeply emotional, but none of them are

something we should be ashamed of. My life wouldn’t be better

with a smooth tummy, and yours wouldn’t be better if you didn’t

have the things that mark you. Your scars tell a story. They tell your

story. They show that you are strong, that you have overcome great

obstacles, and that you prevailed. Your marks show that you are

a warrior, and you should be proud of that. And in case someone

hasn’t told you, you are beautiful, not in spite of your marks and

scars, but because of them.

Spring 2020 51

Spring 2020

FEATURES

EVEN THE “MOM FRIEND” NEEDS A MOM FRIEND

CHATTANOOGA

STAND BESIDE HER

100-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF SUFFRAGE

WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE YOUR OWN OPINIONS

Spring 2020 53

54 Spring 2020

BY SAVANNAH BULLARD

pride myself on being the mom friend. I carry hand sanitizer

and Kleenex at all times, I’m almost always the one to start

a group chat to organize events, my planner is color-coded

to precision, and I am constantly worried about whether you

(yes, even you) have eaten. My Enneagram type 2, ENFJ, type A

personality is one I hold dear to my heart, but that does not come

without consequence.

The late nights, extra errands, consistent concern and

everything in between can really take a toll on the mom friends

of the world, and we have to remember that we all have a finite

amount of mental and emotional energy. With classes, jobs,

internships, and extracurriculars already commanding most of

our time, it’s easy to allow the rest of that energy to go toward

those who need us the most.

The biggest issue I grapple with is being able to say “no.”

I mean, I get how it feels to need help from someone who can’t

deliver. It sucks. With that in mind, my mission in college has been

to be available for my friends and coworkers whenever I can, and

while that has been a fulfilling experience, it took me too long to

realize how drained that practice can make me. As a senior, I’ve

realized that my time left before moving away and becoming a

“real adult” is more valuable than ever – and severely limited. This

has led me to refigure all the ways I prioritize time, projects, and

people. This is not to say that we should all only think of ourselves,

but when mental health is at stake, there is nothing wrong with

being a little selfish.

The most difficult of all, though, is confronting someone

who is vulnerable enough to approach me for help and deliver

disappointing news that affects them directly. It kills me every

time, but the worst of all is when I tell someone “no” simply

because I want to stay in my room and get some rest.

“Why am I being so lazy?”

“What’s one more thing on my plate?”

“I’m going to make someone so upset by this.”

“I feel like a failure of a friend.”

It’s time to put an end to these toxic thoughts and remind

ourselves that our first priority should always be our own mental

health. Consider it as a favor you’re doing for yourself. If you do not

take care of your mind, body and spirit, how can you be expected

to be there for others?

Keeping this in mind, when I’m feeling particularly down, I

have a short list of things I can do for my own mental well-being

that help get me back on track:

Treat myself to brunch

Call a trusted mentor

Read a few chapters of a book

Take a walk outdoors

Check small, minor tasks off my to-do list

Cry

Granted, everyone’s “well-being list” may look much

different, but no matter what it takes, budgeting time to take care

of yourself is imperative for your mental health. And for those

who find themselves constantly relying on the mom friends of

their respective groups, consider reaching out to those friends and

asking them how they are. Remember that mom friends, much

like our actual moms, are not superhuman. Mom friends need time

alone and the chance to have off-days too. They can get grumpy,

lay in bed all day, eat unhealthily, and put off responsibilities just

like the rest of the world.

Not everyone can lead a perfect, put-together life. I know

I sure don’t. But, in those periods of weakness, it’s important to

remember that we all need grace. So for all the gals out there who

may be going through it right now: Don’t panic. Make a list, drink

some coffee, tighten your scrunchie, and take a breath. We’re

going to be okay.

Spring 2020 55

Join the Alice team as we explore some

of Chattanooga’s most photogenic

hotspots, including the Walnut Street

Bridge, Tennessee Riverwalk and the

Chattanooga Choo Choo.

56 Spring 2020

Spring 2020 57

Spring 2020

Spring 2020 59

Spring 2020

Spring 2020 61

Photos courtesy of Jade Hewitt,

USA Softball

Spring 2020

STAND

BESIDE

BY MEG MCGUIRE

“STAND BESIDE HER AND GUIDE HER

THROUGH THE NIGHT WITH THE LIGHT FROM ABOVE”

As the 2020 Tokyo Olympics draw near, these century-old words

have been adopted by a team of 18 women. With cleated feet ready

to step onto foreign soil, these Olympians have one question for

the nation whose name they wear proudly on their chests:

“WILL YOU STAND BESIDE HER?”

n preparation to quite literally take on the world, the “Stand

Beside Her” Tour offered the USA Softball Women’s National

Team (WNT) the opportunity to train and compete across

the country. While the tour sought to rally the nation behind

Team USA, the mission hit a bit closer to home plate. According to

a statement released by USA Softball, the tour “evokes a powerful

message of unity aimed to inspire communities to stand beside her

- the members of the WNT, America and the future generation of

female athletes.”

Because softball is making its first Olympic appearance since

2008, and not returning for the 2024 Paris Games, those on the

USA Softball Olympic roster are not guaranteed another shot to

play at this level. As coronavirus (COVID-19) began to sink its

teeth into the sports world, canceling monumental events like

NCAA March Madness, the stakes got that much higher.

With tour stops beginning this past February in Tampa, Florida,

the team began making its way from sea to shining sea, competing

against college teams, training in specialized facilities, and hosting

clinics for local youth softball programs in efforts to empower

female athletes. As the U.S. begins to take further precautionary

measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, each tour stop is

now plagued with question marks.

For Haylie McCleney, an outfielder, there was one particular

canceled tour stop that was to represent a homecoming of Olympic

proportions.

McCleney graduated from The University of Alabama in 2016.

While there, she played in the outfield for Alabama Softball,

achieving an impressive portfolio of athletic and academic honors,

finishing as “one of the most decorated student-athletes in

program history.” She ended her collegiate career as the program’s

all-time leader in batting average (.447), a four-time All-American,

Spring 2020 63

64 Spring 2020

and only the third player to be recognized as a two-time Academic

All-American Team Member of the Year award winner since its

inception, just to name a few. Yet, the foundation for this arsenal

of accomplishments was laid long before her nights in Rhoads

Stadium.

McCleney is a native of Morris, Alabama, a town with a

population of just 2,000, meaning that her alma mater’s home

stadium has more seats than her hometown has people. As a selfproclaimed

“old soul,” she enjoys retro tunes and slow mornings.

She said her mom claims that raising her was like raising a

35-year-old woman. Growing up with two younger brothers meant

that she spent her childhood afternoons romping around the

neighborhood with their friends. The competitive spirit and grit

that she attributes to much of her success was acquired through

wiffle ball tournaments and backyard basketball. She quickly

learned how to hold her own as the posse’s leading lady.

“I refuse to be denied,” McCleney said.

As a “traditional ballpark family,” McCleney jokingly explained

that there was no such thing as a civil game night in her household.

The desire to win was in her blood. With her father being a former

baseball player at Samford University and her brothers playing

sports as well, any organized form of competition was quite simply

a recipe for disaster.

Walker McCleney, the oldest of her brothers, is a senior at The

University of Alabama and plays in the outfield for the baseball

team. He believes this level of rivalry defined the close relationship

the McCleney siblings have. Despite their competitive nature, they

are each other’s biggest fans. Reflecting on their younger years, he

said:

“Even though ‘she was a girl,’ I never took it easy on her, and

she definitely didn’t take it easy on me,” he said. “She pushes me

to be better, and I believe I push her to be better; but in all that

competition against each other, we still want to see each other

succeed, and I’m beyond proud of what Haylie has done.”

Her youngest brother, Garrison, agreed.

“The way that she carries herself on and off the field is amazing,”

he said. “I truly look up to her and how she handles herself when

things don’t go her way.”

As a collegiate athlete, McCleney spent her fall and spring

semesters devoted to The University of Alabama. Yet summertime

introduced the opportunity to play in the international league.

From her sophomore year onward, McCleney represented the U.S.

on the WNT. She said this transition required her to redefine what

it meant to perform to a standard of excellence. She equated it to

moving from the minor leagues to the major leagues in professional

baseball.

“I quickly realized that even though international [soft]ball

wasn’t as heavily covered by the media, it was an entirely different

level,” McCleney said, comparing her international and collegiate

experiences.

“I went from playing against 18 to 22 year-olds to playing

against 28 to 35 year-olds at the drop of a hat,” she said.

While the physical aspects between the two divisions were

comparable, it was the mental shift that proved to be the greatest

challenge. McCleney said she became more in-tune to the

“intricacies” of softball, forcing her to engage in a higher level of

thinking about the game.

The process, though grueling, proved to be worthwhile. The

national team won world championships in 2016 and then again

in Japan in 2018.

With softball’s Olympic presence being historically limited,

McCleney had assumed that playing in college and making the

national team would be the pinnacle of her softball experience;

but on the morning of October 6, 2019, she found herself posted

up in front of her laptop waiting on the official USA Softball

Olympic Roster to drop into her inbox. Jittery with anticipation

and excessive coffee consumption, she facetimed her now fiancée

and reluctantly opened the email.

It was official. McCleney would be returning to Japan, this time

as an Olympian.

After a call to her parents, who had to sneak out of their Sunday

school class to hear the news, McCleney attended her first team

meeting and embarked on the training regimen that would pave

the road to the six games the team would play in Tokyo 2020.

Being recruited to the Olympic team required yet another

mentality shift. Softball was not just a past-time or a passion

anymore. It was her job. McCleney said the key differentiator

between an athlete and an Olympian was his or her priorities. Her

decisions now mattered on a global scale. An ocean away, there

were athletes working just as diligently as she was. This means that

she often has to sacrifice leisure for the sake of self-improvement.

Saying “yes” to a night out with friends is, in-turn, saying “no” to

getting more time in the batting cages.

“My priority right now is Tokyo,” McCleney said. “You kind

of have to sacrifice some of those things if you really want to be

the best, because I’m not the only one doing it. My teammates

aren’t the only ones doing it. Canada’s doing it. Japan’s doing it.

Australia’s doing it. Mexico’s doing it. Italy’s doing it …”

“You’ve got to find that edge and really have to look in the

mirror every single day and [ask yourself], ‘Did I do something to

help get that gold medal around my neck?’ And if I didn’t, that’s a

problem.”

As July approaches, the uncertainty of softball’s Olympic future

spurs her onward. However, it is her faith, the “gentle guidance and

gentle correction” from the people in her corner and intentional

moments of silence and solitude that keep her centered.

Apart from the members of her family, McCleney said that

University of Alabama Head Softball Coach Patrick Murphy has

been the most influential person in her life. She said the entire

program staff were instrumental in coaching her into being not

only a better athlete, but a better woman.

“They go above and beyond for the person that you are, not the

player that you are,” McCleney said.

She said that the greatest lesson she learned during her time

Spring 2020 65

at the university was that no one role on a team is any more

significant than any other role. Every ring, medal, and trophy is

the same size. It’s about coming together as a unit for a common

goal. She said this mantra has manifested itself across all facets of

her life, beyond the realms of softball.

When asked to share the highlight from her collegiate career,

McCleney is quick to reminisce on a 2015 game-winning grand

slam made by infielder Marisa Runyon that earned Alabama a spot

in the Women’s College World Series. When this play was made,

McCleney was in the dugout.

Coach Patrick Murphy recalls the post-game interview in which

McCleney deemed her teammate’s success the peak of her time in

the program. He said he still gets chills thinking about it. It was a

testament to who she was both as a leader and a team player.

“At the end of my career I want to say, ‘I was your best teammate

and your hardest worker,’” McCleney said. “If I can say those two

things, and be a combination of those two things, I’m going to be

fine with that being my legacy.”

The coaching staff for USA Softball were quick to notice that

McCleney practiced what she preached.

“Haylie wakes up in the morning and the day takes a step back,

because she brings so much zest and vigor that all around her get

sucked up by her energy,” said Women’s National Team Head

Coach Ken Eriksen. “She brings that to the ball field also. She is our

‘spark.’ The game has its best ambassador in Haylie McCleney.”

This principle is just one of many that had secured McCleney’s

opportunity to return to Rhoads Stadium as the first Alabamaborn

Olympian softball player.

Fueled by the momentous opportunity to watch McCleney

compete for Team USA against the very women following in her

footsteps, in addition to the renown loyalty of the Alabama Softball

fanbase, $52,000 in tickets were sold within the first three hours

of availability. However, on March 13, the heartbreaking decision

was made to cancel the tour stop due to the university’s COVID-

19-induced decision to cease all athletic programming for the rest

of the semester.

While the entire Tuscaloosa community had buzzed with

the excitement stimulated by yet another softball season, the

same could not be said for the sport at-large, particularly on a

professional level.

The female athlete narrative is one plagued by stigma and

struggle, regardless of global pandemics.

“All you have to do is look at Major League Baseball, and then

look at us,” McCleney said.

While the MLB’s presenting sponsorship of the “Stand Beside

Her” Tour and recent emphasis on female leadership at the

executive level are encouraging, McCleney says that she hopes to

see more intentional efforts being made to promote professional

softball.

According to USA TODAY Sports’ 2019 MLB salary survey,

MLB Salaries range from $550,000 to $35 million. After earning

her master’s degree in exercise physiology, McCleney has spent

the past two years working a full-time job as a strength and

conditioning coach at Florida A&M University on top of preparing

for her chance to make the Olympic roster.

Despite this sobering reality, McCleney believes that the “Stand

Beside Her” Tour was instrumental in showing the next generation

of female athletes that they don’t have to shy away from their

dreams. She wants these young athletes to know that “you can

keep going after college.”

“You don’t have to stop when you get your degree and

immediately go into the ‘real world,’” McCleney said. “You don’t

have to be a coach if you want to stay around the game. You can

play this game into your thirties, into your forties. Our entire

Olympic team is trying to get our sport to this point.”

McCleney hopes the tour, despite the cancellations, will help

fans see this, too, and that they will continue to support the game

of softball.

“It’s about the fan experience,” McCleney said. “[It’s] for us to

be able to see who’s standing beside us, who is standing beside the

female athlete, who is with us, who is pushing our sport forward,

who is pushing female sports as a whole forward.”

To the softball fanbase, she poses this challenge:

“Do you want to stand with us? Do you actually want to support

us? If so, get in line. Let’s all stand together, and let’s do this

together.”

As a coach, Murphy takes a personal stake in the tour’s mission,

as well, despite the university’s call to cancel.

“It’s a one-time thing,” Murphy said. “We need to play our

cards right in terms of promotions and marketing, really getting

the stars out there, like a Haylie, so people can see what a great

person she is and what a great athlete she is. Just how fun this

sport is. It’s grown and grown and grown, but this is going to be a

big boost for the entire sport.”

McCleney’s narrative boasts a cast of characters who have

answered the question “Will you stand beside her?” with a

resounding “yes.” In her story lies a microcosmic vision for female

athletes across the globe — a vision of a world in which women’s

sports are welcomed with open arms and celebrated with the pomp

and circumstance of equal wages and international recognition.

But, change takes time, and uncertainty lingers as COVID-19

continues to take its toll. Tokyo 2020’s future hangs in the balance,

but for now, USA Softball has one thing left on the agenda: winning

the gold. As sold-out stadiums now sit empty and uncertainty

threatens a life-long dream, these women can be sure of this:

“We’re standing beside each other throughout this whole

process,” McCleney said. “We’re with each other. It’s all 18 of us

against the world.”

66 Spring 2020

Spring 2020 67

YEARS OF WOMEN’S

SUFFRAGE

BY SARAH KIMBALL STEPHENSON

68 Spring 2020

The 24th Amendment is ratified by twothirds

of the states, formally abolishing

poll taxes and literacy tests which were

heavily used against African American

and poor white women and men.

Roe v. Wade SCOTUS

decision protects women’s

access to abortion.

19th Amendment is ratified,

giving women the right to

vote.

Equal Rights

Ammendment

Mississippi becomes

last state to ratify the

19th Amendment.

1920

1964

1972

1973

1984

t’s 2020. One hundred years ago, women had

just secured the right to vote. Since then, we

have accomplished so much in the fight for

equality, from the #MeToo movement, to the

record number of elections of women into public office.

Despite the progress we’ve made, this election year

could be a pivotal moment in the history of women’s

rights. Regardless of how far we have come over the

last 100 years, there is still work to be done. Carol

Prickett of the greater Tuscaloosa League of Women

Voters (LWV) acknowledges that.

“This anniversary happens to occur during a

very active political year, “ Prickett said, “and it can

be a catalyst to remind all citizens that, even when

things aren’t going the way you want them to, it is a

responsibility to vote and speak out.”

Anna Singer of LWV says that young women today

“need to know the history in America of voting for

women and understand that their rights have been

hard-won by the work of women.” The fight for voting

rights has been a long, tumultuous journey fraught

with tension and disagreements, but we can’t take

their sacrifices for granted.

At the Seneca Falls Convention in New York in

1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott

organized women and abolitionists around the issue of

women’s suffrage. Strides for racial equality were being

made as slavery was abolished after the Civil War, and

suffragists saw the 15th Amendment, which grants

black men the right to vote, as a gateway to liberation.

However, as the Reconstruction Era dawned

on the shattered South, tensions arose amongst

suffragists. Many white women abandoned women

of color, fearing that their rights would not be

ratified by Southern states because of remaining

racial animosity. But as Abraham Lincoln said, “A

house divided cannot stand.” This pandering to

states by denying black women their right to vote

was ineffective. Radical activists such as Alice Paul

and Ida. B Wells emerged and led demonstrations,

marches and hunger strikes. Simultaneously,

Western states such as Utah and Idaho began

granting women the right to vote.

When World War I broke out, women entered

the workforce to replace all the men who had gone

to battle, prompting President Woodrow Wilson

to acknowledge their contribution and support

women’s right to vote. With his support, the 19th

Amendment passed in Congress and was sent to be

ratified by two thirds of the states. Tennessee was

the last state to ratify the bill, and it became law on

August 20th, 1920. The last state to ratify the 19th

amendment as a law was Mississippi in 1984.

Although this was an important victory, change

did not come easily. As soon as the law passed, states

implemented Jim Crow laws such as poll taxes and

literacy tests to make it harder for women and black

citizens to cast their ballot. These policies barred

many otherwise eligible voters from the polls until

the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed.

Spring 2020 69

Shelby County v. Holder SCOTUS

decision enables states to pass

restrictive, often discriminatory

voting laws.

Dozens of states pass restrictive

abortion laws in an attempt to bring

a case to the newly conservativeleaning

Supreme Court.

Young women of color

are elected to public

office in record numbers,

including Alexandra

Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna

Pressley, Rashida Tlaib,

Ilhan Omar, and Sharice

Davids.

Women celebrate the

100-year anniversary

of winning the right to

vote.

2013 2018 2019 2020

Unfortunately, the fight is not over 55 years

later. Under the Voting Rights Act, states with

a history of discriminatory voting policy were

required to get federal approval before changing

any voting laws. In 2013, a substantial portion of

the law was gutted in the court case Shelby County

v. Holder. Immediately following that decision,

states, including Alabama, passed voter ID laws and

closed DMVs in majority black counties to prevent

citizens from attaining the identification needed

to vote. These policies continue to disenfranchise

people of color across the country.

“I have a copy of a mysterious note written by

a woman to my great-grandmother...indicating

that [she] was involved in the suffrage struggle in

Pennsylvania,” said Catherine Davies of LWV. “On

this 100th anniversary, I’m trying to carry forward

the unfinished business that my great-grandmother

helped to launch.”

Their fight should empower our generation to

keep fighting and protect voting rights for everyone.

Susan Fleming, also of LWV, sees that women of

today are persistent.

“They’re standing up in ways we haven’t seen

for decades,” Fleming said. “They are white, brown,

black, straight, gay, etc. But most of all, they’re

vocal, and they’re informed ... I encourage them to

continue and also to help empower their friends.

Don’t think you can’t make a difference — you can!”

There are numerous ways to make a difference

by fighting for policies that expand access to the

vote. Automatic voter registration is available in

many states and early voting periods allow citizens

to vote at their convenience, rather than limiting

people to a 12-hour window on one day of the

workweek.

Progressive states such as Washington have

moved their voting platforms to the digital realm.

Once registered, residents need to look no further

than the Google search bar to cast a ballot. By

advocating for these policies, we can guarantee

that women have uninhibited access to make their

voices heard.

Davies of LWV also encourages women to “elect

a diverse group of women to more leadership

positions in government so that we have a Congress

that is truly representative of our population and

their concerns.” The best way for our voices to be

heard is to use our votes to elect women to represent

the voices of the millions of women in this country

who are still unable to speak for themselves,

and who will ensure that future generations can

continue to celebrate the strides made by the

women who came before them.

70 Spring 2020

Q:What does this anniversary mean to you, personally?

CATHERINE EVANS DAVIES

ANNA SINGER

The 19th Amendment was passed when my grandmother was

a young wife and mother. My own mother was four in 1920.

Both of them were proud voters throughout their adult lives.

I have a copy of a mysterious note written by a woman to

my great-grandmother, Margaretta Evelina Ransom Smith

Yeager, indicating that Margaretta was involved in the

suffrage struggle in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

JILL STOKELY

For me the 100-year anniversary means the independence

of women and the ability to have their own lives as we all

have seen happen. I had classes in OLLI (Osher Lifelong

Learning Instute) that I taught about various women who

pushed for the right to vote, and I found them very brave,

dedicated and forward looking.

CAROL PRICKETT

This anniversary happens to occur during a very active

political year and it can be a catalyst to remind ALL citizens

that, even when things aren’t going the way you want them

to, it is a responsibility to vote and speak out.

SUSAN FLEMING

This anniversary is a celebration of women with powerful

energy. They fought long and hard for a right that should

have been a given from the beginning.

Spring 2020 71

Relating to women and the political process,

what is one thing you would tell younger women?

ANNA SINGER

They need to know the history in America of voting for

women and men, and understand that their rights have

been hard-won by the work of women, especially in the

20th century. Younger women’s rights and privileges can

still be taken away.

CATHERINE EVANS DAVIES

As someone old enough to remember what it was like before

the Griswold decision on access to birth control, and before

Roe v. Wade, I want to say to younger women that you

must never take for granted the hard-fought achievements

related to women’s rights. The arc of the moral universe

may bend toward justice, but only with constant vigilance

and effort by American women concerning their rights and

those of their fellow citizens.

JILL STOKELY

I would tell younger women that it is necessary to be

involved in the political process because very powerful

people are always wanting to take our rights away from

us and control us. An example is the abortion and birth

control conflicts. As an RN I feel it is necessary to have

control over my body. It shouldn’t be up to my husband or

the federal government to regulate what I can do or how

many children I could have. Each woman knows how many

children she can care for on the income she has.

CAROL PRICKETT

Whether or not people may wish to distance themselves

from “politics,” for whatever reasons, EVERYTHING

about daily life for them and for those they love is, in some

way, related to decisions made by elected people. Medical

services? Textbooks for school children? How fast you

can drive? Sometime, somewhere, an elected body made

decisions that set those policies or rules in place. Voting

matters!

SUSAN FLEMING

I would tell women that they must be involved! They can

choose how active they want to be, but at a minimum, they

must exercise their right to vote! It matters. A lot. And as

we’ve seen in the recent climate, young people are making

a difference. They’re standing up in ways we haven’t seen

for decades. They are white, brown, black, straight, gay, etc.

But most of all, they’re vocal, and they’re informed. They’re

speaking up for women, for climate issues, for gun control.

I encourage them to continue, and also to help empower

their friends. Don’t think you can’t make a difference — you

can!

72 Spring 2020

Where do we go from here/what is left to be done?

Women must continue to exercise their rights to vote,

run for office, and fight for the causes that mean the

most to them, whether political, social, or personal.

I think that the most important thing is to elect a diverse

group of women to more leadership positions in government

so that we have a Congress that is truly representative of

our population and their concerns.

It is simply the nature of things that the world and our

lives are never static. Each year, and every generation, we

have to update and recreate what it means for people to

be able to live their best lives. You never get to retire from

citizenship!

Because we have lived through equal rights for women and

equal pay, we have given younger women the right to have

college educations and opportunities to become CEOs of

large corporations that we didn’t see when I was young. It

seems at times that we have to continue to refight battles to

continue to move forward as equal partners.

In matters that are important to women, we have to look at

people and legislation and think about what is in our best

interest.

Spring 2020 73

BY SARAH KIMBALL STEPHENSON

Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing

it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.

— Maya Angelou

74 Spring 2020

ollege is intimidating. You’re away from home–a little

fish in the big ocean trying to make all new friends. But

being part of a group does not have to mean sacrificing

who you are to be liked.

A’Neshia Turner, Alice’s creative director, recalls, “I used to

be in a place where I wasn’t confident enough to have opposing

opinions from my friends, let alone like different things than

them because I always wanted to fit in.”

You don’t have to start by forming strong opinions on serious

topics. The first step can be as simple as suggesting a restaurant

for you and your friends to go to. If you feel like you’ve lost

yourself in the crowd, take time to explore hobbies and interests

of your own. Define your music taste, your favorite activity, or

your career goals. Once you feel confident in your identity, let it

shine through.

If you find yourself making concessions about your values

and beliefs just to impress people, consider that you might want

to look for more like-minded and accepting people.

Lillian Roth, a former SGA President at The University of

Alabama, acknowledges the influence of social status on young

women’s opinions.

“You may want to do what your boyfriend is doing,” Roth said,

“or what the guy you want to go to a date party with is doing, but

their choices may not be in the best interest of women.”

But really, anyone worth your time or energy will respect

that you have your own strong convictions that you are willing

to speak up about. 22-year-old Cecilia Barnard says that having

opinions lends legitimacy to who you are as a person. In fact,

being your own person and having opinions will make people

respect you more.

Let’s face it, we’re still living in a man’s world. There are only

33 female CEOs in the world that run Fortune 500 companies.

467 men and only 33 women. Women only make up 23.6

percent of the 535 members of U.S. Congress. You are going to

have conversations about controversial issues such as abortion

and gender roles and “a woman’s place.” Tuscaloosa attorney,

Sue Thompson says that women “must take the power that we

have and start using it in our own best interest.”

We must be loud and strong in our opinions so that we cannot

help but be heard.

Sharing your thoughts about the English class reading is

different than standing your ground when confronted with

someone who disagrees with you, but it starts small. You build

confidence in your beliefs when you first start to channel your

voice. These tips will hopefully help you solidify your opinions

and empower you to speak your truth in the face of a challenge.

DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH:

Your parents, friends, teachers and significant

others all have opinions, but you should think

for yourself. Don’t subscribe dogmatically to one

identity just because it is familiar. Part of the college

experience is leaving the bubble you grew up in and

encountering people with diverse perspectives and

backgrounds. Read the news, watch a documentary,

and listen to people who have dealt with the issues

that matter to you.

ENGAGE ON YOUR OWN TERMS:

Once you know where you stand, start conversations

with like-minded people in order to learn why

they share your beliefs. This will deepen your

understanding of topics you are interested in and

prepare you for discussions with people who do not

see it your way.

LEARN TO DEFEND YOUR OPINION:

Read up on opinions that differ from yours. Notice

the arguments they make, and work through why

you disagree so that you won’t be caught off guard

when someone offers a convincing compromise. If

you know how they will try to weaken your position,

you will be prepared to counter their argument.

USE YOUR SIMILARITIES:

Find common ground with the opposition and

frame your case to appeal to their interests. This

demonstrates that you understand their perspective

without having to compromise your own. Humans

love to relate to each other, so this is often the most

effective way to get someone to see your side of the

story.

Spring 2020 75

Spring 2020

FASHION

GEAR UP

EAST COAST VS. WEST COAST

THAT ‘70S STYLE: VINTAGE LOOKS FOR SPRING

GNARLY ‘80S STYLES WE JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF

BANGIN’ ‘90S: FASHION FADS

Spring 2020 77

GEAR

By Rachel Stern

Spring 2020

or anyone who lives in the Southeast of the U.S., you

understand the struggles of dressing in unpredictable and

strange weather. The ‘springtime rainstorm’ can be the

most frustrating weather event for a fashionista. But no

matter the weather, be it wet or dreary, style does not need to be

sacrificed.

“I never feel pulled together on a wet and rainy day. I would

say my biggest struggle when dressing in the rain is what coat to

wear, because I hate those dull, boring raincoats,” sophomore

Amelia Marcavage said. “I’m always looking for alternatives that

don’t shout LL Bean—especially for going out!”

With this in mind, here are a few tips to hopefully help you

stay fresh and on-trend when dressing in the rain.

One of the most important pieces to have is, of course, the

raincoat. There are many styles to choose from, so it’s important

to consider your personality, along with functionality. If you are

outgoing and extroverted you might want to go for bright colors and

bold patterns. These are great options because these eye-catching

jackets make a fashion statement and speak for themselves. Pair

a bold, colorful raincoat with jeans or leggings and a plain tee —

you’re set to weather the storm. Another bold option is a clear

raincoat. The clear coat lets you show off your adorable outfit

underneath, so you never have to hide your stylish look.

For the more introverted, serious, or traditional types, the

trench coat is a great option. This is definitely a worthy investment

piece because it transcends time and can be worn over any outfit.

Flaunt a trench coat with a pair of jeans and a simple top, or play it

cool with a sweatshirt and matching joggers to be really on-trend.

If you want to stay practical and don’t have a raincoat,

leather jackets are a fashionable cheat, but be sure to grab your

umbrella.

Rainy day footwear is just as important as the rain jacket

(if not more so). Nobody likes getting their feet wet, so proper

shoes are critical for comfort. There are lots of options here so you

might want to have more than one of these in your closet. Boots

are classic for a reason, as they come in short ankle and knee-high

styles from brands like Wellies and Hunter. Knee-high styles are

extremely practical if you’re prone to splashing in puddles, as they

keep most of your leg dry. These boots come in an array of colors

from shiny black to primary colors to bold patterns. Another go-to

look is the Sperry-style lace-up boot, for a sporty look. If you want

to keep with the sneaker look, OCA makes waterproof sneakers

that won’t sacrifice your athletic style. For those who want to be

edgy and on-trend, Dr. Martens are a great investment and will

complete any outfit.

While a good raincoat will keep you dry in the rain, what

you wear underneath is instrumental in ensuring comfort and

practicality once you get out of the rain. Focus on lightweight

fabrics that dry quickly — such as athletic leggings and joggers.

Rainy weather begs for simplicity, so think black leggings and

simple tops. If leggings aren’t your thing, grab a pair of dark denim

jeans or black trousers.

Spring 2020 79

Spring 2020

Bags and shoes can easily make or break your outfit,

especially if you opt for more basic essentials. The perfect

bag for the rainy weather is made of waterproof materials. If

you’ve attended any SEC football game, you are sure to have

a clear bag already. These are perfect because they repel the

rain and are a fun way to accessorize. However, on windy,

intensely rainy days, handling a bag and a temperamental

umbrella can be cumbersome. The fanny pack is an excellent

option to keep your hands free so you can really hold onto

that umbrella. Belt bags are also established accessories in

the fashion industry and can be worn underneath your jacket

to shield your phone, wallet, and keys from the weather.

Spring 2020 81

BY SARAH PARKER MERRIMAN

82 Spring 2020

like to think fashion is open to interpretation. If you like

it, you should wear it and not care what others think.

That being said, there is a notable difference in the style

of clothing people choose to wear on the east and west

coasts. There is a casual and relaxed vibe on the west coast —

which ultimately embodies the carefree beachgoers who live

there, while style on the east coast tends to be more refined,

sleek, and put together. People living on the east coast are

inclined to wear more traditional and crisp garments that give

off a preppier attitude.

The term “laid back” came to mind easily for California

natives, Maggie Higgins and Taylor Tomko when describing

style on the west coast.

“Growing up it was always like a staple pair of high waisted

jeans and a nice white t-shirt and fun accessories and cool

sneakers,” Higgins said. “Elements of the quintessential west

coast fashion girl are ‘effortlessly cool, very casual, boho/beach

chic, and definitely in denim.’”

Tomko recognized that she dresses differently in Alabama

than she does when she goes home to Pasadena.

“I don’t bring half my closet to school because here people

wear more dressed-up and nicer clothes. At school, I wear big

t-shirts during the day sometimes, but at home I would never

do that,” Tomko said.

Taking a different approach to defining east coast style,

Caroline Crafton, an Alabama girl through and through, sees

style developing from the wearer’s current stage of life.

“I would say there is not one style but more of a generational

evolution that the east coast follows,” Crafton said.

She has observed that once one person decides something is

going to be a new trend, people will follow.

“You have to choose to go with the current or go against it.

It’s solely based on your personality and the value you place in

your appearance,” Crafton said.

Is there a noticable divide in the style on each coast? Yes.

My favorite thing about fashion is that it is always evolving—

and that style is always personal. Society compartmentalizes

by nature, but that does not mean that living in Virginia is

stopping you from looking effortless in denim and a t-shirt and

vice versa to a girl in Arizona wearing a nautical striped shirt.

Nonetheless, it is also important to remember that it should

not confine your individuality.

Spring 2020 83

THAT

84 Spring 2020

STYLE:

Vintage Looks for Spring

By Gabrielle Gervais and Marina Naranjo

ometimes we get the feeling we were born in the wrong generation, and lately,

we’ve been especially obsessed with the go-with-the-flow style from the ‘70s. Lucky

for us, there’s no time travel required to pull from this iconic decade of fashion.

From the wild and free hippie lifestyle to eclectic disco, it’s easy to see why trends

from this decade are making a comeback. As the weather warms up, these trends are just

what you need to lighten up your closet. We put together a list of authentic ‘70s looks to

help you get in the groove.

Western influences:

Bell-bottoms:

Fashion queens of the ‘70s loved adding

western inspired pieces to their closet.

Fringe jackets are a super easy way to add

a groovy spin to any outfit. We especially

love the suede jackets that were all the rage

in this decade. Pair with a simple white tee

and denim shorts for a look that’s straight

from the heart of the wild, wild west.

From the runway to the sidewalks, bellbottoms

are a closet staple that have stood

the test of time. They’re easy to dress up

with flowy blouses and boots, or you can

keep it casual with a graphic tee. Want to

really get into the hippie spirit? Add some

patches to your denim to add a unique

personal touch.

Patchwork:

Textures of the ‘70s include the famous

patchwork that emerged. Not your average

grandma’s handiwork, this style was

originally made popular by designers who

did not want to waste material and instead

started sewing pieces together! Boho

brands seem to fuel this trend and always

find a way to incorporate patchwork into

their modern designs.

Mules:

Mules so chunky you’ll want to boogie on

the dancefloor all night long! These mules

were essential shoes that transitioned from

skinny heels in the ‘70s. This era created

a sandal, sans strappy backs, allowing

the ankle to appear elongated. The block

heel was worn by both men and women

during this time, although males mostly

wore them on boots. Mules are the perfect

statement pop of color in the spring or

summer, so go grab yourself a pair.

Band tees:

What’s one thing more iconic than ‘70s

fashion? The music! There’s no better way

to rock a casual ‘70s look than to throw on

a tee from your favorite far out band. If

you’re lucky, you can find some authentic

ones from vintage shops, but if not, Urban

Outfitters has a rad selection of tees to

choose from.

Scarves:

Channel your inner Jackie Kennedy with

technicolor scarves that add some serious

‘70s vibes to your wardrobe. Whether you

wear them on your head or around your

neck, they are the perfect accessory to

bring your outfit alive. A lot of women also

incorporated their scarves in their hair

styles, letting it fall on their shoulders.

Like the mules, this accessory was seen on

everyone, not just the far-out ladies. The

scarves during this time pretty much sum

up the entire decade: electric but soft.

Spring 2020 85

GNARLY

STYLES

We Just Can’t Get Enough Of

86 Spring 2020

ue Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just

Want to Have Fun,” because baby

the ‘80s are back — and providing

us with looks we just can’t afford

to lose. With the new decade bringing in

new staple trends, it’s only appropriate to

take a look at the styles that have survived

the clean-out.

BUCKET HAT & SCRUNCHIES

The ‘80s were about unapologetically

being yourself, and doing it as loud as you

wanted. That means vibrantly colored hair

accessories, hats, and curls. Hats can save

you from a horrible case of bedhead, or an

impromptu grease attack, but lately they

have also been the final touch for looks

that simply needed something more.

LAYERED RELIGIOUS CHAINS,

STATEMENT EARRINGS, &

GEOMETRIC SHAPES

Madonna was the queen of layering up

the necklaces. Adorned in gold chain

crucifixes, she made the layered look

shift from dainty, to dynamic. Adding to

the theme of adventurous styles are large

earrings. Hoops came in every color, as

long as that color was neon, and shapes

were varied to grab your attention.

Fearlessness encompassed this decade—

so why would their accessories be anything

less?

Spring 2020 87

88 Spring 2020

PUFFY SHOULDERS, BLAZERS,

& BODYSUITS

This decade had everybody showing off

their body type, and with all the jazzercise

everyone was doing—why shouldn’t they?

Bodysuits have made a reappearance, and

besides the struggle that comes with going

to the bathroom while wearing one, ladies

are here for it. A bodysuit is the perfect

top to combine with the ‘80s high-waisted

jeans, allowing for a cool and classy going

out look. Big shoulders have also made

their way into the hearts of many – no

longer with pads, but simply with poof.

The puffy shoulders have almost been

revitalized to scream innocence, and

add dimension. Blazers have also made

a comeback as women have become an

unstoppable force in the business world.

OVERALLS, HIGH-WAISTED

JEANS, BIKER SHORTS, &

SPANDEX

A personal favorite trend revamped from

the ‘80s are high-waisted jeans. A weird

feeling of comfort comes with zipping

pants up past your belly button. Biker

shorts are a revived trend I have yet to get

comfortable with, but the look is currently

turning heads. Overalls have also been

reintroduced, as long pants, shorts and

skirts.

ADIDAS SUPERSTAR,

CONVERSE ALL STARS, &

VANS

Closing out our ‘80s look, we finally make

our way to the final piece — shoes. Would

it shock anyone to hear that just like today,

Adidas and Nike were running the game?

The two brands are still on top. High-top

Converse have also made a reappearance,

and it looks like they aren’t going anywhere

anytime soon.

Spring 2020 89

BANGIN’

FASHION FADS

90 Spring 2020

n a time when it appears that

Generation Z is taking over, the

roar of the rebelling ‘90s calls

everyone to attention. It smells like

teen spirit and looks like a sea of denim

in every form. ‘90s fashion is making a

statement once again.

CUFFED MOM JEANS

A style of jean that reigns and can make just

about every kind of body feel comfortable

are mom jeans. What characterizes mom

jeans is that they are loose, comfortable,

and can accentuate curves. A pro styling

tip to add flare to your pair of jeans is to

cuff them at the end, as this exposes a pop

of whatever shoe you’re sporting.

Spring 2020 91

SLIP DRESS

The sexy sleek slip dress can be worn to

a casual event or a night club depending

on where the night goes. Slip dresses

were worn by ‘90s icons such as Drew

Berrymore and modern icons such as Kylie

Jenner. Add a t-shirt under a slip dress for

a casual look.

COMBAT BOOTS

Combat Boots have been the styling piece

for grunge, rock, and alternative aesthetics

for decades. A trusty pair of combat boots

doesn’t have to be expensive. To save a

pretty penny, check out your local thrift

stores. Combat boots can turn a cute outfit

into a renegade look.

Spring 2020

JEAN JACKETS

This spring you can find jean jackets being

sported on every corner, each one unique.

Denim jackets can be found with patches,

plaid lining, tears, and pockets in a varying

number of colors. Anyone can DIY these

little customizations to showcase the

wearer’s personality with their fashionable

jean jacket.

OVERALLS

The ‘90s were a time when women

began sporting a traditionally masculine

appearing clothing item: the overalls.

Overalls became popular because of their

effortless practicality and versatility.

CROP TOPS

Crop tops are best fitted with a highwaisted

pant or skirt to achieve a ‘90s

fashion look. Crop tops can be paired with

both baggy bottoms for a relaxed day outfit

or something tight like a mini skirt for a

lively night out.

Spring 2020 93

Spring 2020

FOOD AND HEALTH

104

106

108

BON APPETIT: A EUROPEAN FOOD AFFAIR

KNOW YOUR FLOW

ALABAMA’S FIGHT TO END FOOD INSECURITY

TRASH IS NOT TRENDY

TAG YOUR YOURSELF

Spring 2020 95

By Aran McDermott

and Bailey Williams

Meal times have always provided a space for people to

come together; to sit around a table, side-by-side, and

enjoy good food and good conversation. However, the

types of foods and the rituals we partake in vary all over

the world. European culture especially has so much to teach us

regarding the way we view food. Sitting down at three different

tables in destination European countries, we experienced how

these cultures approach meal time to find what we can learn

from them.

96 Spring 2020

There is an old Italian proverb, “a tavola non si invecchia,” or

“at the table, no one grows old,” that perfectly encapsulates the

beauty of the enduring culture of food in Italy. In Italy, eating isn’t

simply a means of nourishing one’s body, it’s an opportunity to

enrich one’s life. This can be accomplished through the enjoyment

of good food and the company of cheerful family and close friends

to share it with. An experience as special as this should never be

rushed. Meals are meant to be taken at a slower pace, because

every bite and each conversation should be thoroughly enjoyed.

The time spent indulging in this tradition is never wasted, and

though time may be passing and we may be growing older every

second, it’s worth it.

Dinner in Italy typically starts later and lasts much longer

than in the United States. But don’t worry, there will always be

enough food and chatter to fill the time. Italians often have four

courses: antipasti, primo, secondo, and dolce either accompanied

or followed with coffee or a digestivo (an after-dinner liqueur).

Dinner tables disappear under a multitude of plates showcasing

the colors and flavors of Italy. One typically begins with a simpleyet-classic

plate of Italian cheeses that can either be paired with

local cold cuts or drizzled with honey. This can be accompanied by

any other antipasti that catch your eye. Most of them will. Wine is

poured and cheerfully passed across the table. Dinner has begun.

The antipasti is followed by the primo, a lighter dish such as pasta

or soup. Pasta of all shapes and sizes happily bathing in varying

sauces begin to cloud your vision as bowls are placed encouragingly

in front of you. Once you have finished your first course, it’s time

to indulge in your second, or secondo. This is where meat, chicken

or fish enter the picture. Where you are in Italy will influence your

menu options.

It is important to take into consideration what region you are

dining in as there are often dishes those regions are famous for.

If you ever find yourself in Florence, the capital city of Tuscany,

it would be a sin not to experience steak alla fiorentina. Eataly

describes this dish as “steak that is typically from Chianina cattle

— an ancient Tuscan breed known for its prized and tasty meat —

seasoned with local spices, and grilled over red-hot coals. It’s

traditionally served rare.” Keep in mind that if you try to order

your steak anything other than rare, you may be severely judged.

Once you have finished all of these courses, you still have

one more waiting for you. Italy is not only famous for pasta and

pizza, it is also famous for its decadent desserts. Dessert, coffee,

and a digestivo is not only the best way to finish your meal but

the correct way. The most famous and most looked forward to

of Italian desserts is gelato. Walks of Italy lists three reasons

gelato is different (and definitely better) than ice cream. One is

that gelato contains less butterfat, which leads to a creamier, less

frozen consistency. However, since gelato has less air whipped into

it than ice cream, the dessert has a higher density—which means

more product per scoop. Another quality distinct to gelato is that

it is frozen quickly and in small batches. This garners fresh, high

quality cream.

If all of these courses leave you feeling sluggish, Italians

encourage an after-dinner digestivo. Italians believe that drinking

a digestivo after dinner will help with digestion. While it is unclear

whether or not this is true, who would say no to a quick glass of

liqueur? A popular one is limoncello, a sweet yet tangy liqueur that

is often offered as a conclusion to a wonderful meal and time spent

“not getting older.”

This meal-time ritual is frequently experienced over the course

of several hours. In Italy, food allows us an opportunity to take a

break from the rush of life and truly press pause on a movement in

time. We’re all getting older, we might as well do it with a stomach

full of good food and a mouth full of laughter.

Spring 2020 97

Classic movies like Julie & Julia, Ratatouille, and Midnight

in Paris, fill our heads with swimming visions of French culture

and its classic cuisine. Daydreams of walking through markets

in Montmartre, sipping sweet coffee along the Seine River and

toting baguettes fresh from the local boulangerie sustain us with

Parisian pleasure. Only then do we realize we’ve fallen head over

heels for the rich cultural cuisine that drips from the city like

warm chocolate out of a freshly baked pain au chocolat. The aroma

of a divine ratatouille or dip of a buttery croissant into a cup of

cafe dupo is enough to make any tourist swoon. Order a toasted

Croque Monsieur, or Croque Madame if you’re feeling fancy, at the

bustling street corner cafe. Indulge in a quiche or gratin for lunch

because you haven’t any other plans besides watching the streets

of Paris bustle with lovers and reading a new book of poetry over

the cafe’s complementary crepe.

Rushing from meal to meeting is not a concept in a Parisian’s

mind, only to sit and enjoy each meal as the pleasurable moment

it’s designed to be. The seven course dinners are enjoyed with

friends and family. The morning coffee at a cafe by one’s self and

a book are sacred moments for stillness. Even the daily commutes

to work are accompanied by a stroll through the neighborhood

market. The French do not rush what is not meant to be rushed.

Nor do they fret. The boulangeries bake with unenriched flours,

cheese is made from the milk of grass-fed cows and wine sipped

from vineyards just towns away. French cuisine is decadent,

simple, satisfying, and enjoyed until the very last bite is savored to

say “l’addition s’il vous plait.”

“In France, cooking is a serious art form and a national sport.

I think the French enjoy the complication of the art form and the

cooking for cooking’s sake.” — Julia Child

98 Spring 2020

Strolling along the streets of Spain and choosing a nightly dine

is no difficult game. Restaurant waiters, bar tenders, and talkative

locals practically stand outside the doors of their restorantes

inviting tourists, expats and locals alike in for a bite. Textbooks,

travel blogs, and study abroad students will all tell about the

tapas experience in Spain. A Tuesday night looks the same as a

Saturday night in the neighborhoods of Barcelona or Seville. Tapas

bars pour out music and liveliness as the people stream in for an

hour or so of conversation, a cocktail and a complementary crepe

before a friendly waiter suggests the cafe next door. There is little

room for restaurant competition in the tapas culture. In a dining

dynamic rooted in jumping from bar to bar to snack on light plates

and share tiny treats with bottles of house wine, it’s normal to hit

two to five bars a night for what many of us Americans would claim

“dinner.” Experiencing this for the first time was magic. After

enjoying a satisfying lunch, strolling the streets or taking a swim

in the Mediterranean, then resting for Spain’s beloved siesta, the

dinner portion of the evening rarely begins until after the sun has

gone down and ends when it’s almost back up again.

From its farm to table style, fish caught from the sea, and olive

oil poured from the nearest vineyard, Spain’s flavor profile exceeds

expectations because of its genuine quality and the heritage

of its surrounding land. Similar to France and Italy, Spanish

culture lacks foods that are heavily processed or store-bought

and packaged. As common as it is to catch a mademoiselle with

a fresh baguette in hand on her way home from the boulangerie,

it is equally so to find Spanish locals shopping at the markets and

picking up seasonal vegetables, exotic fruits and daily seafood

catches at the mercado de la boqueria. There is rarely a time to

substitute store-bought for seasonal, skip siesta for striving or

replace a sequence of tapas bars and conversation with friends for

silence. Spanish culture is rich in its communal sharing of food

around the table and sharing this table with others. A waiter never

brings a check until the table notions with a la cuenta por favor,

with the communal belief that once a table is full of talking people,

it’s theirs for the evening until ready to leave. Meals are slow and

enjoyable while food and pleasure are in abundance. Tapas to all!

Spring 2020 99

By Bailey Williams

100

Spring 2020

We’ve been talking about periods since elementary school

when our health class enlightened us to the world of

feminine care. A woman can have around 500 periods from

puberty to menopause, but half of them are spent without

understanding what’s really happening in the body. Not

only is it enlightening to understand the science of what

happens to us during each period phase, but gaining insight

on our body’s natural reproductive system is an opportunity

to partner with ourselves to create healthier versions of us.

Say goodbye to cramps, PMS, mood swings, and hello to

understanding what’s really going on down there.

Spring 2020 101

PHASE I

PHASE II

I’m not crying, you’re crying. Oh no wait, I’m on my

period; I’M CRYING.

Yesterday I was crying, today I AM glowing.

Aunt Flow has arrived, ladies, and she’s bringing her full

personality. The first day of bleeding is the first official day

of your menstrual phase, typically days 1-5. Ever experienced

cramps? Yep, thought so. Though cramps may make it seem

as though our bodies are taking all of their anger out on us,

these aches and pains are the body’s way of shedding the

uterine lining when no bun is in the oven (you’re not pregnant).

Cramping is natural and, while extremely uncomfortable, our

body’s way of getting us ready for the next phase. Pass the

heating pad, please.

When the Midol stops working

Because the body is working extra hard at the start of our

period to shed the uterine lining and recreate a healthy place

for a baby to grow, a wholesome diet filled with nutrient-rich

foods will be your best friend during Phase I. Before relying

on your pain reliever of choice as a quick fix, begin working

nutrient dense foods into your diet to naturally help the body

do its job.

Is it Shark Week? No, but the body is releasing an average

of 6-8 teaspoons of blood over the 5-7 days of menstruation.

Iron deficiencies may lead to low energy levels and fatigue, so

iron should be a top priority for meals during this phase. Think

spinach and dark leafy greens, grass-fed beef, pasture-raised

chicken and eggs, nuts and seeds, tofu and lentils. Focusing

on natural sources of vitamin-C, B12, omega-3, and zinc will

help rescue you from the depths of energy deficits as well.

Adding extra antioxidant rich berries to your oatmeal, zesting

lemon onto your sauteed bell peppers, broccoli, and tomatoes,

and sprinkling some calcium-filled cheese or nutritional yeast

into your spinach scrambled eggs will do the trick. On the go

or not feeling very Martha Stewart? Don’t forget about the

simple meals too. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich with fresh

strawberry jam and omega-3-filled peanut butter on multigrain

bread will capture many of these nutrients while keeping you

full.

Monday morning and finding yourself in the Starbucks line?

Try enjoying your one cup of coffee, then switching to an

herbal tea to help lessen caffeine intake and combat bloating.

Caffeine makes us happy, but it also increases estrogen at a

time when this hormone needs to be low in the body.

Welcome to the glow up phase, better known as Phase II, the

follicular phase.

Remember a little hormone from biology class called FSH?

The follicle-stimulating hormone is a key player in this phase.

As the body stops bleeding from shedding the uterine lining, it

begins to prepare itself for ovulation, when the ovaries work to

produce an egg. Think of the follicular phase as the hormonal

beauty team prepping the ovaries for their big debut in about

4 days. The follicular phase typically lasts from days 6-11 of the

menstrual cycle and is all about raising estrogen levels to reline

the uterus with nutrients and blood for ovulation. Estrogen is

kind of like an energy hormone, and as it increases in the body,

energy and mood increase with it.

Spin class anyone?

Okay, but I’m packing two pairs of panties. Yep, hate to say

it, but this is when you’ll notice more discharge as a result. Have

no fear, it’s totally normal.

What’s on my plate these days?

Keep the nutrients and kick up the color. Think berries,

apples, grains, carrots, citrus, sweet potatoes, peppers, probiotic

yogurt, bananas, broccoli, fermented foods, and avocados. The

body is craving fiber, fermentation, healthy fats, and anything to

keep the gut-friendly bacteria happy and keep hormones stable.

Who wants Thai food?

Hot spices found in peppers and chili powders will help

reduce inflammation (the body’s natural ability to bloat) and

decrease unneeded hormonal stress. Still feeling low energy?

Go for the extra avocado and olive oil to help the body feel

nourished and energized enough to prep for the ovulation

ahead. While you may have been hungry for seconds, thirds,

or fifths during menstruation, appetite may decrease closer to

ovulation. However, this is not a time to lessen your food intake.

Boost your consumption of nutrient-dense foods to stay fuller

longer and keep the body fueled with long-lasting energy.

Okay, change my venti vanilla latte to a raspberry leaf tea,

please.

102

Spring 2020

PHASE III

PHASE IV

I know I just did spin class, but can I hit the gym all

day?

This is a rollercoaster. ARE WE THERE YET?

It’s the ovulation phase, and energy and “love hormones” are

at their peak. Ovulation lasts days 12-14 and marks the halfway

point of the cycle. This is what we all know to be the babymaking

stage, so be prepared to be in your love feels as FSH

decreases and estrogen, testosterone and LH take their place

on top. The major spike in LH and other hormones stimulates

the egg release into the fallopian tube where it can be fertilized.

Though there may only be two true days of ovulation, hormones

are active a few days surrounding ovulation and can prepare to

have a baby if not protected.

Because of the estrogen increase, appetite may be suppressed

as the love feelings and energy levels rise. If hormones are in

a gymnastics meet, this is when they are flipping across the

balance beam. To maintain perfect hormone balance and ensure

a healthy gut microbiome, it’s important to make sure meals are

packed with fiber, magnesium, and protein. Think extra berries

on top of morning whole grain oats or yogurt bowls, serve some

quinoa with tofu and lean chicken or salmon, and sprinkle some

pumpkin seeds, almonds, and figs into a trail mix to go. Get the

nutrients in and keep the confidence high.

About 13 days left before the merry-go round of menstruation

starts over! A woman’s cycle length is dependent on multiple

factors, but an average cycle lasts for 28 days, scheduling the

luteal phase for days 15-28. Definitely highlight this one in your

calendar, because no matter how irregular your period, the

luteal phase is always consistent. Progesterone and estrogen

kick it up a notch as the body thickens and rebuilds the uterine

lining while preparing for another period (or baby if you’re

trying).

Okay, I know I’m not pregnant, but why am I bloating like I

am?

Totally natural, sister. The rise in progesterone and estrogen

hold onto the water in food and interrupt the natural routine of

fluid and sodium regulation. Basically, bloating is your body’s

way of trying to protect you by holding onto water sources. The

solution? Ironically, water. It’s time to carry the extra large

Hydro Flask around today because increased water will help

calm a bloating stomach and help with the onset of cramps.

Would you care for carbs or carbs for dinner?

Both. Choose healthy carbohydrates to keep the body

moving the way it needs to. Think: sweet potatoes, ancient

grains, fruits, legumes, root vegetables or whole wheat pasta.

Sweet tooth coming in? Go for the dark chocolate. As the body

naturally craves carbohydrates for energy expenditure, natural

sweeteners are your friend here, too, to help with any brain

fog, PMS symptoms or low energy. Fruits, smoothies, dark

chocolate, honey and agave are tasty treats to top off a nutrientdense

snack. Craving a couch day? Listen to your body’s desire

and lay on the couch with a good book or journal and enjoy

a sweet potato with Greek yogurt, peanut butter and honey.

Sprinkle some cinnamon on top for a natural inflammationfighting

remedy and sip some ginger tea on the side. Cramps

who? It’s okay to not feel like running over to SoulCycle these

days. There’s a time and place for Orange Theory and CrossFit,

but right now, your body may be asking for yoga and a walk with

your closest friends. Honor it!

Tracking your cycle can be a helpful record to review with

a healthcare professional. Even though menstruation has

some common elements among all women, we know our own

bodies best. Being mindful during that time of the month in

regards to how you’re reacting to certain foods (through energy

level, digestion, skin breakouts, or other) can help you best

understand your personal line of defense when it’s that time of

the month. More importantly, if you notice that your period is

MIA or inconsistent, consult your healthcare provider.

Spring 2020 103

Photo courtesy of Austin Bigoney,

The Crimson White

104

Spring 2020

or most Alabamians, access to food is as quick and easy

as the drive to a nearby grocery store or restaurant. For

others, however, it is far more of a struggle. According

to the US Department of Agriculture, over 1.2 million

individuals use food banks and emergency kitchens. In 2018

the United States had over 37.2 million individuals living in

households with low or very low food security. This means

that there are people everywhere struggling to fulfill one of the

basic requirements to live.

Jean Rykaczewski is the executive director of West Alabama

Food Bank, and she highlighted the necessity of food banks for

residents.

“Food banks are important because we help pick up

the pieces when people find themselves food insecure,”

Rykaczewski said. “We help them keep food in their system

when unexpected bills pop up. Any single thing can force

people to become food insecure.”

While food insecurity can hit anyone at any time, there are

specific groups that are more at-risk. Rykaczewski noted that

seniors and the working lower class are especially sensitive

to food insecurity because of the “high medical cost” and the

tendency for working lower class individuals to work more

than one job to pay bills.

Many of these patrons must also combat the stigmas

associated with seeking help from food banks.

“Often times they are in tears, and they are very embarrassed

to be here,” Rykaczewski said. “They don’t know how to ask

for help.”

It takes a substantial amount of resources to sustain

distribution from food banks. Rykaczewski said that the West

Alabama Food Bank distributes over 5 million pounds of food,

including 2000 backpack meals every week for food insecure

children and 1200 senior boxes every month.

“Food hubs are extremely resource extensive and the model

in and of itself requires about $2 million in revenue to sustain

it without outside revenue,” said Taylor Jacobson, director of

recruitment and growth at Rev Birmingham.

This along with fundraising challenges eventually led to Rev

Bimringham’s The Urban Food Project’s end, but the people

benefiting from this program were met with the efforts of The

Common Market. Jacobson is now the chair of the board of

directors at The Common Market and has helped their efforts

in Birmingham.

“It’s not so much about whether you live in a food desert,

but more so about whether you have transportation,” Jacobson

said.

“Because if you live in a food desert, and you can get in

your car, [it] is not a big deal to drive 1.5 miles. However if

you live in a food desert, and you don’t have a car, then that’s

when it’s an issue. I would encourage everyone to use the

USDA Food Access Research Atlas. What you will find is that

in Birmingham there are approximately 90,000 residents that

live in food deserts.”

The City of Birmingham has worked to alleviate some of the

strain that food deserts present to residents. In May of 2019,

Mayor Woodfin launched The Healthy Foods Fund — as part

of the Neighborhood Revitalization Fund — which granted

$500,000 to “offset the costs of opening grocery stores in

areas of the city that have been designated by the USDA as food

deserts,” according to a press release from the Birmingham

City Council. On November 5, 2019, Village Market in East

Lake was the first approved grocer as part of the program.

“While many of our residents frequent dollar stores, which

serve a purpose to the community, a concentrated number of

dollar stores in targeted areas can often drive away grocery

stores which offer fresh and healthier food options,” said a

Birmingham City Council press release.

In 2015, Alabama had 654 Dollar General stores and one

distribution center, meaning there were just under 14 stores

per every 100,000 residents according to AL.com. More

recently in 2019, the Birmingham area has 51 stores within a

20-mile radius. This all comes together to make Alabama the

fifth highest concentration per capita of dollar stores in the

country.

“Healthy foods are the cornerstone of a healthy community.

What we are trying to do is show our community that healthy

residents make healthy workers, which will lead to a healthier

economy,’’ Josh Carpenter, director of the Department of

Innovation and Economic Opportunity in Birmingham said.

“Making sure that people have access to healthier foods is

fundamental to our work in not only recruiting grocery stores

but other businesses.’’

The Community Food Bank of Central Alabama started a

program, Corner Market Mobile Grocery Store, that provides

fresh produce and other services such as health screenings,

farmers’ market vouchers, and cooking demonstrations. This

program brings the convenience of discount stores and carries

the fresh produce that aren’t found in dollar stores.

Elizabeth Wix, director of partnerships and interim

executive manager of Community Food Bank of Central

Alabama, said, “Our aim at CFB is to make healthy choices

accessible to everyone. This is why our Corner Market Mobile

Grocery Store goes to food desert areas that do not have fresh

produce and serves populations who otherwise cannot get to a

full-service grocery.”

Furthering Alabama’s efforts to combat food deserts,

Governor Kay Ivey awarded $300,000 in grants to promote

healthy food choices for low-income communities in 2018.

These grants were given through the Alabama Healthy Food

Financing Act. The seven grants included the Africatown

Community Development Corp in Mobile, Children of the

Village Network Inc. in Sumter County, City of Birmingham,

Jones Valley Teaching Farm in Birmingham, Peoples Piggly

Wiggly in Cherokee, West Alabama Food Bank Inc. in

Northport, and Wright’s Markets Inc in Opelika.

In recent years, Alabama has made strides to promote

grocers into the area as well as promote food banks and

pantries for those in need. While these efforts show progress,

they also highlight the harsh reality that many Alabamians

still face.

Spring 2020 105

RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU SHOP AT TARGET.

BY BAILEY WILLIAMS

You get a 5-cent discount, you get a 5-cent discount, you all

get a 5-cent discount! Yep, you read that right. Target gives a

5-cent discount if you bring your own bags. Might not sound

like a lot, but for the amount of stuff we buy at Target, every

cent helps, right?

Ever heard of reusable straws, zero-waste living, and saving

the environment? If you live on this planet, then yes, probably.

But what if you don’t have the GR$$N to GO Green? Here are

some budget friendly changes to help you be kind to the earth

and your bank account. Resourcefulness to the rescue!

I LOVE WHOLE FOODS WITH MY WHOLE HEART.

Even more so now that I know how sustainability focused they

are. For every bag that you bring to the store, Whole Foods will

give you 10 cents off your purchase. Do you buy anything in

jars? Do you buy containers of milk? Bring back your rinsed

out containers once you’re done with them, and Whole Foods

will give you money back.

PAPER OR PLASTIC? MMMM, NEITHER.

Put on your green Superwoman cape and assume your

favorite power stance. A simple, easy way to help save the

planet is by bringing your own bags to grocery stores. Picking

paper over plastic helps too, but if the next best step to

reducing waste is to amplify your grocery-shopping prowess

with a trendy canvas tote, you can bet we’re diving in head

first. Say goodbye to flimsy, clear brown bags that rip when

you put your almond milk carton in them but still manage to

compile uncontrollably under your sink.

You can even put your bags to work for clothes shopping

trips. Stores such as Lululemon, Trader Joe’s and Aldi sell

products in reusable bags or sell reusable bags for under a few

bucks to aid in your transition from consumer convenience

to deliberate conservation. If you’re still not buying it, what

if we tell you that you can actually save money by grabbing

your reusable carry-alls? According to an Earth Day article

by Refinery29, most of our go-to-grocery stores offer you just

that. We’ve got some of your favorites listed.

“GO GREEN GO,” SAYS TRADER JOE’S

With specially designed bags for each location, Trader Joe’s

offers you a smile, a bag of goodies, and even an incentive —

customized by location — if you bring your own bags to hold

your plantain chips and cookie dough butter. I’ve heard rumors

of a percentage off discount or even a gift card giveaway. I’ll

pile in some Joe-Joe’s cookies for that.

106 Spring 2020

SAVE MONEY, LIVE BETTER. MORE LIKE SAVE THE

PLANET, LIVE BETTER.

Although Walmart doesn’t offer a direct discount when

customers bring their own bags, they do sell reusable bags at

checkout for 98 cents and offer free one-time-use plastic bags.

WHAT THE FORK?

BYOB

BRING YOUR OWN BOTTLE!

Carrying a reusable water bottle on the daily has become a

habit for most people — and it’s not hard when they come in fun

colors adorned with inspirational words, time-ticks reminding

you when to chug and offer a blank surface to house your

best stickers. But what about those other drink containers?

Kombucha jars? Cold brew glasses? Wine bottles? There is

more that we can do. Pull the label off, give it a wash, and use

that kombucha bottle for a flower jar or incense holder. Other

bottles with a wider mouth are perfect for holding shower gel,

shampoo or conditioner. Bonus: it’s a stylish way to keep your

shower products organized in a way that doesn’t scream, “Hi,

I’m store-bought.”

It may sound silly, but think about how much plastic is

dumped back into our ecosystem just in the plasticware

sphere alone. Though we may not be able to end this crisis

suddenly, resisting the plastic use in your own meal routine

alone can make a difference in your community. Amazon,

Target, and Earthhero.com are great resources for buying

packs of reusable, dishwasher-safe utensil sets for under $5.

“I’LL TAKE A TALL COLD BREW, EXTRA COCONUT

MILK, LIGHT ICE, HOLD THE STRAW.”

2020 feels a bit like the year of saying no to plastic straws.

Even location-specific Starbucks are offering metal straws

or discounts for bringing your own. Starbucks CEO Kevin

Johnson even acknowledges the company’s “aspiration to

become resource positive and give more than we take from the

planet.”

NAPKINS? NO WAY.

Extra wash cloths or towels lying around the house? Throw

them in the laundry and cut them into smaller sizes. Make

a DIY oven towel, napkin shapes for to-go lunches or bigger

rectangles to use in place of paper towels. Paper products may

be handy, but aren’t cost and conservation-friendly.

Making changes to become more conservation conscious can

be scary, but you don’t have to turn your life upside down.

This plastic problem won’t be solved overnight — try one of

these things this week. Next week, add another. See how

easily it becomes a part of your system and how much more

connected you feel to the environment around you. We’re not

asking you to start composting in your dorm room anytime

soon. But if you do … let us know and send pics!

Spring 2020 107

108 Spring 2020

The National Center for Biotechnology Information says that

exercise training increases the size of the hippocampus and can

improve memory, which can only be good news for that exam

you’re worried about or that interview you’ve been preparing

for. But students, like most overworked, under-rested adults,

know that actually carving out time in your schedule to get to

the gym can be the real test. Luckily, it’s one your friends can

help you hack. With your perfect gym buddy by your side, your

courses — the track kind AND the physics kind — can be a breeze.

The Reliable Friend

The Follower Friend

Working out is time-consuming enough, but planning your

workout ... now that’s just too much. Enter: The Reliable Friend.

This is the one who will get your butt in gear and let you follow

them around while you complete their carefully strategized

routine. Marina Sturm, a freshman at The University of Alabama,

says she is that person.

“I’m the one who plans all the exercises, and then the person I

work out with follows,” Sturm says.

Sturm looks to Pinterest for workout inspiration. With pages

and pages boasting ambitious titles like “Booty Burn in only 30

minutes” and “Extreme Cardio Blast,” Pinterest offers something

for every cardio bunny and lifting chick there is. Sturm picks a

page that she likes — it can be anything from a 30 day challenge

to a circuit — and gets to work. She doesn’t choose favorites with

specific exercises, she says, but she prefers lower body days to

bicep burns.

“I prefer to work my legs out,” Sturm says. “I also use the bike.

I do some form of cardio and some form of weights.”

Sturm says that the gym improves her mental health. She just

doesn’t feel as good about things when she doesn’t go. When

she has mountains to climb in her personal life, she hits the stair

stepper to prepare. Skipping the sweat can lead Sturm to feeling

more stressed than otherwise.

“I think it makes me a more enjoyable person to be around,

because I’m not cranky and stressed,” Sturm admitted.

For every gym leader (bless their souls), you need a gym

follower. Neah Patkunas, a sophomore at The University of

Alabama, fills those shoes.

“I’m usually the one who is following the other people around,”

Patkunas said. “I don’t like when I go to the weight room and

there’s a ton of guys. I usually stay to the group exercise classes.”

Patkunas particularly likes the cycling classes. The group-class

environment provides a structured, but fun, exercise experience.

“It’s nice to have a pre-planned thing out for you especially if

you’re on a time crunch,” she said.

If Patkunas isn’t in a gym class, she likes to run and lift weights.

Besides the physical benefits, Patkunas, like Sturm, notices a

difference in her mental clarity.

“Going to the gym does make me feel like I’ve done something.

I think it helps me concentrate better, too, in class,” said Patkunas.

The benefits are so strong that Patkunas sometimes has to

extend her trips. If she’s having a bad day, Patkunas says, she’ll

hit the gym twice.

Spring 2020 109

My Own-Cheerleader Friend

The Accountability Friend

Some people thrive with a gym buddy who encourages them

by setting a pace on the treadmill or giving you the side eye when

you load the squat rack with an easy-for-you weight, but others get

their pom-poms out and appoint themselves as their own biggest

cheerleader. Elizabeth Gainey, a sophomore at The University of

Alabama, is one to ditch the pack and do her own thing.

Whether she shows up to the gym with or without her friends

in tow, Gainey said she often uses her gym-time to run by herself.

As a former cross country runner, she understands that sometimes

working out has to be a solo sport. After all, the adrenaline rush

from a “runner’s high” isn’t something you can share.

Gainey says this high gives her the energy she needs throughout

the day. It keeps her feeling good about herself — mind and body.

But with a busy schedule, Gainey says it’s crucial to keep her sweat

sessions under 90 minutes.

“I like to do my workouts quick and short,” Gainey said. “I

usually do about thirty-forty minutes on the track and then start off

a slow jog and then about ten minutes of ab workouts afterwards.”

Although she likes to workout by herself, Gainey is also the

gym-going accountability friend. Those who express an interest

in working out can be sure they will if they’re friends with Gainey.

Despite being a self-described “loner” at the gym, she makes sure

her friends reach their goals alongside her.

“Last spring me and two other friends tried to continuously

go to the gym, and I think we had about twenty days in a row

where two of us kept each other accountable the whole month of

January,” Gainey said.

For those accountability friends who prefer to work together,

there is a plethora of partner exercises available to choose from

on Youtube, Instagram and Pinterest. Some Alice favorites include

Whitney Simmons (Youtube and Instagram), Blogilates (Youtube

and Instagram) and fitgurlmel (Instagram).

No matter your gym persona, it’s important to remember that

working out is ultimately about you. So, go when it’s best for you,

do what exercises work best for you, and bring whatever friends

workout best with you. Followers, accountability partners, and

gym-loners alike can run side by side on the track.

Pull this page out.

110 Spring 2020

19th Amendment is ratified,

giving women the right to

vote.

1920

1964

The 24th Amendment is ratified

by two-thirds of the states,

formally abolishing poll taxes

and literacy tests which were

heavily used against African

American and poor white women

and men.

Equal Rights

Ammendment 1972

1973

Roe v. Wade SCOTUS

decision protects women’s

access to abortion.

Mississippi

becomes last state

to ratify the 19th

Amendment.

1984

Young women of color

are elected to public

office in record numbers,

including Alexandra

Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna

Pressley, Rashida Tlaib,

Ilhan Omar, and Sharice

Davids.

2018

2013

2019

Shelby County v. Holder

SCOTUS decision enables

states to pass restrictive,

often discriminatory voting

laws.

Dozens of states pass

restrictive abortion laws in

an attempt to bring a case

to the newly conservativeleaning

Supreme Court.

Women celebrate the

100-year anniversary

of winning the right to

vote.

2020

Spring 2020 111

American suffrage leader who helped secure passage of the 19th Amendment.

Spring 2020 112

INSIDE BACK COVER & BACK COVER

PHOTOGRAPHER

MODEL

Sam MacDonald

Ella Smyth

Spring 2020 113

CONNECT WITH US

alice.ua.edu

alicethemag

Alice Magazine

Spring 2020 114

Alice Vol. 5 No. 2

products

Resources

Company

Alice Vol. 5 No. 2

Delete template?

Save as template?

products

Resources

Company