Alice Vol. 7 No.1

OCTOBER 2021
A S C E N D

[ letter from the editor ]
v 7.1
COVER
MODEL / Ariel Yavuncu
PHOTO / Rebecca Martin
DESIGN / Autumn Williams,
Wesley Picard
Ascend.
There is a common saying that the sky’s
the limit, and I believe it’s because that’s what we
can see. In the 19th century, women’s magazines
portrayed domesticity as the one and only ideal.
Today, women are breaking glass ceilings and
ascending any limit put upon them. Our pages
in this debut issue of volume seven represent the
collection of interests, ideas and challenges of
being a woman in the 21st century.
When I think about my time at Alice, I
hardly recognize the 18-year-old girl who started
at this magazine in the Fall of 2019. Alice changed
my life in so many ways. I met some of my best
friends, celebrated victories, gained confidence
and fed my passion for journalism.
I have this same feeling when I look around
the table during editorial meetings. I have had
the honor of watching so many amazing women
and men find their voices and use them to uplift,
empower and demand change.
In just a few short months, we have released
more YouTube videos than ever before, started
our TikTok account, gained more followers and
traction on social media and released web articles
more than once weekly, all while cultivating a new
issue.
In order to do this, every single member of
our staff had to put in hours of hard work, find
inspiration everywhere and learn new skills. From
analyzing sneaker culture, exploring the power
of welcome in the restaurant industry, helping
women stay safe on college campuses to creating
happy day habits, acknowledging the power of
accessories and dismantling the stereotypes for
women, our writers, designers, photographers,
models, videographers and editors poured their
hearts into creating an issue that speaks to where
we are now as a society.
At the beginning of each volume, the Editorin-Chief
has the choice to change the direction
of the magazine, and this year it only felt right to
keep with the upward movement in which we were
going -- in other words, to ascend.
Lindsey Wilkinson
[2]
[3]

[ e d i t o r i a l s t a f f ]
EDITOR IN CHIEF
MANAGING EDITOR
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
DESIGN EDITOR
PHOTO EDITOR
ASST. PHOTO EDITOR
MARKETING EDITOR
FASHION EDITOR
BEAUTY EDITOR
LIFESTYLE EDITOR
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
FOOD & HEALTH EDITOR
DIGITAL DIRECTOR
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
ONLINE EDITOR
VIDEOGRAPHY EDITOR
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Lindsey Wilkinson
Jennafer Bowman
Autumn Williams
Ella Smyth
Rebecca Martin
Sarah Hartsell
Mary Groninger
Ta’Kyla Bates
Beth Wheeler
Cat Clinton
Jeffrey Kelly
Evy Gallagher
Kendall Frisbee
Katie Morris
Sophia Surrett
Laura Fecanin
Bella Carpino, Caitlin Neill, Emie
Garrett, Baylie Smithinson, Dani
Danks, Caroline Branch, Lizzie Bowen,
Kalei Burgess, Madeline Leidner,
Jennifer Stroud, Jolencia Jones
CONTRIBUTING DESIGN/PHOTO
MODELS
EDITORIAL ADVISOR
ADVERTISING
DIRECTOR
Kayla Roberson, Kathrine Nebbia,
Wesley Picard, Taylor Bryan, Sarah
Smith, Baylie Smithinson, Jennifer
Stroud, Grayson Byrd, Emma Kate
Standard, LaDaeshai Ward
Ariel Yavuncu, Sara Triplett, Lizzie
Bowen, Caitlen George, Anaya
Mccullum, Sophia Rivers, Julie Newton,
Sara Harder, Candace Davis, Cali
Dalton, De’Yonica Daniels
Monique Fields
Julie Salter
Jessie Jones
[4]
Editorial and Advertising offices for Alice Magazine are located at 414 Campus Drive East, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487. The
mailing address is P.O. Box 870170, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487. Phone: (205) 348-7257. Alice is published by the Office
of Student Media at The University of Alabama. All content and design are produced by students in consultation
with professional staff advisers. All material contained herein, except advertising or where indicated otherwise,
is copyrighted © 2020 by Alice magazine. Material herein may not be reprinted without the expressed, written
permission of Alice magazine.
[5]

[table of]
[lifestyle]
Healing Heartache
Happy Day Habits
Taking Safety Seriously:
Doorbells and (Self) Defense
Cosmetic Luxury for Less:
Product Dupes
Expanding The Beauty
Industry’s Palette
Celebrity Skincare and
Makeup Brands: Delivering or
Damaging?
Can We Talk About Crocs?
[beauty]
20
24
26
[fashion]
The Power of Accessories
Sneakers: the Game Changers
of Fashion
10
14
16
32
34
38
[features]
42
44
46
Cut Catcall
Texas’ New Abortion Law:
What You Need To Know
Girl Types
[entertainment]
54
56
52
Worthy of Watching:
The Teams Behind Celebrities
Challenging and Changing the
Stereotype: Female Rap
Concerts Are Back And
COVID-19 Never Left
[food & health]
62
64
66
Realities of the American Diet
The Restaurant Industry:
Atmosphere, Culture and the
Power of Welcome
Tik Tok Toxicity
[photo story]
69 Womxn In Suits
[contents]
[6]
[7]

[lifestyle]
Happy Day Habits
Healing Heartache
Taking Safety Seriously:
Doorbells and (Self) Defense
10
14
16
[8]
[9]

Illustrations/ Kayla Roberson
Tips for Waking Up
It’s 7:00 a.m. for many when the first alarm goes off. The bed is warm
and feels like a safe haven and trying to go back to sleep should be
easy, but this is the moment one will often begin to have thoughts flooding the
mind about what they have on the agenda that day. Each day brings a new set
of obstacles and it can be daunting to think about everything that needs to be
accomplished for the day. It is not always easy to wake up in the morning but
starting the day with a consistent and positive routine can make life a little bit
easier and waking up a little less painless.
It has been proven that people are more likely to have better energy
levels when they implement a routine for the day. Start by doing small tasks
to reinforce healthy habits for the morning time. For those who are not too
keen on routines, there are so many more options out there to help wake up in
a better mood. If routines cause pressure, don’t worry. There is more than just
one way to improve mental health in the morning.
1
According
Set an alarm.
to Sleep.org, it is best to set one alarm
for the morning, placing the alarm clock or phone close
to the nightstand. People are more inclined to hit snooze
when phones or alarm clocks are sitting within arm’s
reach. Putting the phone on a dresser or desk with the
sound all the way up is said to be the most successful
option to waking up alert rather than irritated.
Listen to a happy or
personal song.
It is not always easy being in a good mood first
thing in the morning. When one plays a song they like
or listen to a favorite playlist, it starts the day on a good
note. Certain songs make us want to dance and that is
the kind of energy that makes mornings better. Start the
day with a dance party. Moving around is a great way to
get the body to wake up.
3
and Staying Up Stretch and exercise.
By Caroline Branch
It is crucial to get blood flowing early. Everyone
is different when it comes to exercising so it is up to the
individual’s discretion when choosing to get moving.
Yoga is a fun way to include stretching into a morning
routine. There is even a multitude of at-home yoga
videos and classes to take! For free classes, Yoga with
Adrienne is a great option, and available on YouTube.
4Make a to-do list.
As silly as it sounds, sometimes all one needs is
a little boost to give motivation for the day. By making
a to-do list, set goals and tasks to complete throughout
the day. Ultimately, this makes the day seem more
manageable and easier to accomplish.
2
[10]
[11]

5
LIFESTYLE
Take a cold shower.
Who doesn’t love a good shower in the morning?
Upon waking up, taking a cold shower will energize the
body and get us ready for the day. It is a nice way to make
sure one stays up and feels revitalized. Cold showers also
help to stimulate the mind.
8
Try to be creative.
There are so many ways to be creative throughout
the day. This is a beneficial way to stay up and pass
time while also being productive. The options are
limitless when it comes to creating. It can seem like an
overwhelming thing to do at first, so start small. Drawing
or painting something that brings joy can make us feel
simultaneously productive and relaxed. Being creative
has no boundaries, which means activities like making
collages, pottery or even making a craft out of materials
lying around the house are included.
Take time out of the day to
have a pamper night.
Doing skincare or even painting nails can put us in
the right frame of mind for the day. Prepping one’s skin
can mean the world’s difference. This task even plays
into better mental health. Through proper care, one can
essentially end up feeling better throughout the day.
6
Cleaning up.
Many people like to clean when stressed, but
cleaning to keep the mind focused is a great option too.
When the state of the home is cluttered and messy it can
lead to a scatterbrained and overwhelmed state of mind.
Instead of waiting to do all of the cleaning at once, go
ahead and take on a single task like laundry. This can
help to clear the mind and create a clear atmosphere for
more productive habits.
9
7 10
Drink water.
This may sound too simple and truly, it is. When
a person drinks water first thing in the morning, their
energy levels tend to be higher and one can feel more
awake. Yes, starting the day with a nice cup of coffee
is always nice but hydrating first will make a huge
difference in energy and breath.
Write in a journal.
Journaling has so many benefits. The cool thing
about writing is that it is totally personalized. There is no
right or wrong way to write. A tip to make the journaling
experience better is finding a journal that speaks to
us personally and writing down three things one is
grateful for in the morning. Practicing to journal allows
individuals to go into the day with a clear mind.
“
[12]
I feel most productive when I clean on Sunday mornings so
I start the next week on a good note,” University of Alabama
junior, Laren Brown said. “It is such a simple task but makes me
feel rejuvenated and it cannot get much better than that.”
By implementing just one of these things life may forever be changed.
Starting the morning off by taking some alone time is so important,
and the University of Alabama is trying to make it easier with the new
student-targeted “Get Well” app. This feature allows students to monitor
their moods for the week or semester through tracking. This aims to help
individuals gain awareness of their own mental health. Change won’t be
easy, but by slowly starting to tweak morning routines, individuals can
transform habits and ultimately, quality of life. Nobody is perfect and it
will not be overnight that one can implement these standards into daytime
routines, but if one remembers to take it one morning at a time it will get
easier and will make a difference.
[13]

LIFESTYLE
Photographer/ Sarah Hartsell
Heartbreak is one of the most devastating and
universal experiences people of all age ranges can go
through. It has been described as a dark sinking feeling
within oneself when people know their relationship has
come to an end despite best efforts. Unfortunately, so
many of us can still recall where we were the moment we
heard the words “it’s over.”
It is a humanizing and demoralizing experience most
can relate to. Not being wanted or feeling like we weren’t
chosen can make anyone feel insecure. Breakups are
a common yet brutal part of life, however, we have all
experienced one, and many can attest it truly does get
better.
“I think so many can relate to the feeling,” University
of Michigan junior journalism major Kyla Chamberlain
said, “The beginning will always be the hardest part.
It will get a lot worse before it gets better and that’s
important to know. It just hurts. It kind of feels like it
won’t get better sometimes and letting yourself feel it is
the best way to cope in the beginning.”
Rejection is never easy for anyone. It is one of the most
brutalizing things we go through as humans and it can be
damaging to one’s self-esteem and pride.
“Building self-esteem is a critical part of healing
yourself and your heart after a brutal breakup”, according
to the website, growingself.com.
“You have to have an identity outside of your
partner,” sophomore Jacksonville State marketing major
Ashley Keel said, “It sucks. It always will suck, but it
is something a lot of people have gone through. So you
roll your windows down, you sing Olivia Rodrigo, and
you just hope for better. The thing about it is, everyone
always says there is something better out there so
when that doesn’t happen it is always hard. You always
think there will be someone waiting after being left and
sometimes there’s not. Sometimes there’s no one. And
that’s hard.”
Knowing you have a life, hobbies, interest and
personality outside of our significant other is an
important aspect of healing. Crying it out is also a great
option but if unable to cry your mind and body’s way
of healing may be different. Everywhere we go we see
depictions of streaming tears, ruined makeup and sobs,
but sometimes numbness occurs. Feeling numb is one of
the worst feelings in the world but it is natural. It hurts. It
sucks. But numbness can happen to anyone.
“Sometimes you feel like you can’t cry. You just feel
pain. That’s okay too. It’s not easy. No one said it was.
To quote Friends, no one told you life was gonna be this
way.” said senior Samford art student Madison McCay.
It is important to remember, however, that pain is
often art. Even when we aren’t creative people, finding
some sort of creative outlet can be good for heartbreak.
Writing poetry, painting a picture or even trying your
hand at love songs can provide relief. These feelings
can produce some of the most relatable art. If Taylor
Swift can make her name through a series of heartaches,
anyone can. It is important to try our best to find any
motivation possible. Not only to romanticize pain but
to make the most out of a situation that was entirely out
of our control. No one wants to be left behind or feel as
unwanted, but we must remember to take our power
back in these situations.
Our heartbreak could become lyrics, sonnets and even
labors of love. Imagine our personal experience of grief
and heartache being the reason someone else makes it
through their recovery. Do not feel pressure to create
during this time. Coping always has and will come in a
variety of ways to people.
Journaling is a healthy activity for anyone struggling
with mental health of any kind, whether it be heartache,
grief, loneliness, depression or anxiety according to
Psychology Today. It is a way of finding an outlet to voice
experiences and work on a better understanding of our
feelings. A pen and paper is a companion that will always
listen.
Getting over heartache isn’t easy, and as history
proves, heartbreakers always have and always will hurt.
It is a tale as old as time, but remember, it is possible to
get through this, and even possible to come out better
than before. Time heals all wounds is not just a cliche line
people feed each other. It really is possible to muster up
the courage to make it through the experience and time
is your biggest healer. One day we’ll look back and realize
it has been a month. Then it will have been two months,
then three, and just like that it turns to four.
Before we know it we’ve survived a whole year, and
remember the heartbreak club is one that will keep you
in good company. It really does happen to the best of
us. Give yourself time and know that the feelings will
pass. Even if it leaves a mark, every scar we bare serves
a lesson for us and those around us. People often say we
only know what love is once we truly understand grief.
Heartache is indeed, grief. We must not let anyone
tell us differently. Heartache is our body’s way of
remembering the death of a loved one. Someone we may
have wished to build a connection with, growing and
learning together, possibly for our whole lives. We are
putting to rest the dreams we had for ourselves and our
significant other, and the future we could have shared. It
will be painful, but death always is.
We must remember to allow the grief. Allow the
heartbreak. It is our job to live our lives the best way we
know how. We must remind ourselves the sun will come
up in the morning as it always does, and eventually, we
will stop reminding ourselves we got this because we will
know.
[14]
[15]

Taking Safety
Seriously:
Photographer/ Jennifer Stroud
Doorbells and
(Self) Defense
By Dani Danks
There is no secret Tuscaloosa has plenty of dangers.
It is because of this that it is so important to be
continuously aware of how and when to practice campus
safety procedures and consciously consider how the
decisions one can make may affect their safety. There is
undeniably more of an emphasis for women on campus to
look over their shoulders but safety is universal and men
should be increasingly conscientious as well. There are
many tips and tricks to keep in mind to help increase safety
and prevent undesirable situations.
Let’s start with the popular and portable self-defense
carry-on, pepper spray. Most parents tell their kids to carry
pepper spray at some point in their lives, and although the
solution sounds repetitive and obvious, it never hurts to be
extra safe.
There is also the effective and recently popularized
piece, the Taser. This device may be deemed a little more
intense, but sometimes it is also more convenient and
impactful for possible aggressors.
“I carry pepper spray on me at all times and share
my location with friends,” Rachel Estreicher, a junior
psychology major at The University of Alabama, said.
The most common step to safety is setting up a
security system. There are many options to choose from,
with the most common being the Ring brand’s range of
Video Doorbells, followed by Blink, an Amazon-owned
company’s front door camera. Although neither companies
offer student discounts they do provide customers with
promotions throughout the year, the most recent being an
array of special Labor Day deals.
“I always make sure to lock my doors, even when I’m
at home,” Estreicher said.
Sadly, home security is not always enough, especially
when living on or near a college campus. There are also a
variety of ways to help ensure safety while out and about,
whether walking to class, going out with friends or even
going to the grocery store.
“Living alone has made me so much more aware
of my surroundings and the dangers I need to keep in
mind. Tuscaloosa is a great town but such a big college
attracts some unwanted consequences that we need to stay
consciously aware of, ” Anna Woodson, a junior kinesiology
major at the University of Alabama, said.
Let us not leave out the classic, shiv. There are
numerous women-owned small businesses in addition
to store-bought versions of a shiv or shank. It sounds
outrageous, using the prison-inspired lingo for these knifelike
weapons, but think about how many people reach for
their car keys when spooked while walking alone or late at
night. Carrying something more effective and designed for
self-protection is a great option.
“I use a Birdie. It’s kind of like a rape whistle that
gets louder the longer it goes off. All you have to do is pull
it to activate, and it’s been one of my favorite graduation
presents. My little sister has one too, and she’s only
thirteen, however, she’s actually had to use hers,” Caroline
Varelli, a sophomore at The University of Alabama studying
communications, stated.
There are so many companies that specialize in
making these products both appealing to women and easy
to hide from plain sight. For instance, there is a lipstick
tube with a disguised taser inside and a kitty cat keychain
with sharp ears, and eye holes that double as a grip to use
when in a threatening situation.
Want an extra step? Have a network of friends that
routinely check in with each other. Sharing locations can
be incredibly beneficial. It may seem weird at first that
people can check where a friend is whenever they want
but try picking best friends that can be trusted with that
information.
Lastly, never walk alone at night. Ever. Call a friend,
or even Uber if necessary. If you do have to walk, keep
in mind the locations of the blue phones and enhanced
light paths on campus. The campus resource with this
information and a map locator can be found online at The
University of Alabama’s virtual interactive map.
Everyone wishes the world was rainbows and
butterflies but unfortunately the legend clearly states
rainbows only come after a storm. It is impossible to keep
away from all the bad out there in the world but it is possible
to prepare as best possible for threatening situations. If
one doesn’t take campus safety seriously for themselves,
one should at least do it for their parents and friends, and
they will surely be grateful for it.
[16]
[17]

[beauty]
Cosmetic Luxury for Less:
Product Dupes
Expanding The Beauty
Industry’s Palette
Celebrity Skincare and
Makeup Brands: Delivering
or Damaging?
20
24
26
[18]
[19]

Thanks to the network of the online beauty
community, building a makeup kit has
never been easier. While finding amazing
products to use is a breeze, the challenge can be finding
the right products on a budget.
As wonderful as luxury makeup products
can perform, consumers often can’t justify spending
hundreds of dollars on items that run out quickly with
regular use.
Luckily, more affordable brands offer makeup
comparable to their luxury counterparts. Below are
some amazing replacements for products a little out of
reach for the typical college makeup budget:
PRIMER
LUXURY: Milk Hydro Grip Primer $32
DUPE: Elf Jellypop Dew Primer $10
EYELINER PENCIL
LUXURY: Anastasia Beverly Hills Eye Wiz
$18
DUPE: Morphe Micro Brow Pencil $6
Makeup trends now favor a more natural brow,
so the Anastasia Beverly Hills Eye Wiz ($18), became
a staple in makeup artist’s kits.
A great budget-friendly option would be the
Morphe Micro Brow Pencil ($6). The packaging is
almost identical to the Brow Wiz, including a spoolie
for blending on one end and a twistable dispenser for
the product on the other. The consistency is just as
creamy and helps to create a more natural, fluffylooking
brow.
EYESHADOW PALETTE
(NEUTRALS)
Illustrations/ Ella Smyth
PRODUCT DUPES
BY KALEI BURGESS
Makeup primers should provide a solid base
in your makeup routine so that your products stay in
place throughout any event. A popular choice is the
Milk Hydro Grip Primer ($40), praised for its stickier
consistency that binds well with liquid makeup
formulas. However, the full size of this primer is
a little pricey for only an ounce and a half of the
product.
A great substitute for the Hydro Grip is the
E.L.F. Jellypop Dew Primer ($10). With a similar
sticky consistency, this primer keeps makeup in place
just as well as the Hydro Grip Infused with hyaluronic
acid to keep your skin moisturized and niacinamide
to reduce the size of pores, this primer has quickly
become a fan favorite. TikTok makeup guru Mikayla
Nogueira swears by its performance, even though her
longtime favorite prior to trying the E.L.F. dupe was
the Milk Hydro Grip.
LUXURY: Natasha Denona Glam
Eyeshadow Palette $65
DUPE: LORAC Pro Palette Noire/Soliel
$35
A neutral eyeshadow palette is a staple in every
makeup drawer for occasions ranging from everyday
wear to a smokey eye. The Natasha Denona Glam
Eyeshadow Palette ($65) is a premiere neutral palette
because of its quality and inclusion of both matte and
shimmer shades.
If you’re looking for something just as
creamy and blendable, the LORAC Pro Palette ($35)
in both Noir and Soleil are budget-friendly options.
The palettes include shimmer and matte product in
each and have very similar shades as the Natasha
Denona. Since LORAC launched both neutral
palettes with slightly differing tones, you can choose
whichever is most flattering to your skin tone and
eyeshade.
[20]
[21]

EYELINER
LUXURY: Lancome Grandiose Liner $32
DUPE: NYX Epic Wear $10
Whether you’re going for a bold graphic liner
or a simple wing, choosing the right liquid eyeliner
ensures your lines stand out from the rest of your
eye makeup. The Lancome Grandiose Liner ($32) is
a popular luxury liner, providing a glossy finish from
a unique adjustable applicator. This liner, however,
only provides .047 ounces of product.
Amanda Barrett, a former Ulta employee,
recommends the NYX Epic Wear Liquid Eyeliner
($10) in place of the Lancome Liner.
“The NYX liner is always what I directed
customers to when they were looking for a great
budget liner,” Barrett says. “This liner is long-lasting
and doesn’t budge. I still wear this one every night
out!”
The great thing about the NYX Epic Wear
is that its formula contains bonding polymers and
silicones, making the semi-gloss finish waterproof.
With more product in each container, .12 ounces, this
dupe satisfies both your wallet and your eye look.
MASCARA
LUXURY: Too Faced Better than Sex
Mascara $29
DUPE: Covergirl Exhibitionist Mascara $9
Not every occasion is one for false lashes, and
everyone needs a go-to mascara. The Too Faced Better
Than Sex Mascara ($29) exploded in popularity in
2016 due to the unique shape of the applicating wand.
Alex Collins, a senior at the University
of Alabama, swears by the Covergirl Exhibitionist
Mascara ($9) in place of the Too Faced.
“The applicator is a similar hourglass shape,
which helps lengthen my lashes,” Collins says. “The
Too Faced mascara seems to smudge by the end of the
day, but I haven’t had that issue with the Covergirl
dupe!”
CONCEALER
LUXURY: Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk
Foundation $64
DUPE: L’oreal True Match Nude $14.99
The Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation
($64) is well regarded among makeup bloggers for
providing a dewy finish with minimal cakiness. This
luxury product does have an outstanding formula that
is buildable and natural-looking.
Influencer Mikayla Nogueira swears by this
foundation but has recommended a comparable dupe:
The L’oreal True Match Nude Hyaluronic Tinted
Serum ($14.99). The formula is strikingly similar, and
although has fewer shade options than the Armani
foundation, does have a deeper shade range. This
serum is 1% pure hyaluronic acid to help hydrate the
skin and is buildable for more intense coverage.
BRONZER
LUXURY: Chanel Healthy Glow Bronzing
Cream $50
DUPE: Colourpop Soll Bronzer $6
The Chanel Bronzing Cream ($50) receives
reviews raving about its blend-ability. However, this
bronzer only comes in two shades, Tan Bronze and
Tan Deep Bronze.
The Colourpop Sol Bronzer ($6) is another
cream-based option, with a much more inclusive
shade range. Although there is less product in
the Colourpop dupe, each bronzer’s formula is
comparable in blendability to the Chanel original.
GLOSS
LUXURY: Fenty Gloss Bomb, Shimmering
Rose Nude $32
DUPE: Maybeline Lifter Gloss, Topaz
$8.99
Last but not least, a full makeup kit has to have
a reliable gloss that goes with any look. The Fenty
Gloss Bomb ($19) in shade Shimmering Rose Nude is
regarded as a neutral pink shade complimentary to all
skin tones, with an ultra-glossy finish.
A similar gloss, the Maybelline Lifter Gloss
($8.99) in shade Topaz, is an almost identical color
match! This product has a similar extra-glossy finish
and includes more colors to suit a variety of skin tones
and style preferences.
Makeup is a way to express one’s creativity and
enhance natural features. These tried and true dupes
prove luxury-quality looks can be achieved without the
use of luxury-priced products.
[22]
[23]

EXPANDING
THE BEAUTY
INDUSTRY’S
PALETTE
Illustrations/ Katie Nebbia
By Beth Wheeler
2021 is the year for inclusivity.
Society is no longer standing for
exclusion in the world, specifically the
beauty industry. For years, you could only
find around 3 skin tone shades darker than
beige on the foundation shelf of a makeup
store. Now, having a diverse range of
shades is the standard.
Over the last five years, certain
brands have stood out to make inclusion
and diversity their mission. Rihanna’s
Fenty Beauty line came out swinging
in 2017. She released an impressive
foundation line of 40 shades (later to
become 50) ranging from light to dark
with all undertones represented. This
would lead Rihanna to go down in history
as the pioneer of inclusivity in the beauty
industry.
“As a black woman, there are only
a handful of makeup brands that fit my
specific shade. For example, Fenty Beauty
by Rihanna is a great brand for people of
color because the uniqueness of our skin
colors is seen and validated,” Khaiah
Burroughs, a University of Alabama junior
and Education major, tells us about her
experience finding the right shade for her
and how Fenty Beauty would ease this
process.
An O.G. in the makeup industry
with a more inclusive shade range is MAC
Cosmetics. LGBTQ-owned, with a range of
up to 63 shades, their motto is “All Ages,
All Races, All Sexes”. In addition to being
a friend to all races, they widely support
organizations such as The Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual & Transgender Community
Center, LA LGBT Center and the Hetrick-
Martin Institute. “We promise to use our
global platform to advocate for change
and provide resources that advance
racial equity. We’ve donated $400,000
to organizations including Black Lives
Matter, Equal Justice Initiative, Race
Forward and UK Black Pride and continue
to speak out on issues impacting the Black
community,” states MAC unanimously on
their site.
Additionally, the emergence of
small, black-owned makeup brands has
sent waves through the industry. Cashmere
Nicole founded her brand Beauty
Bakerie in 2011, with the shade range
starting with dark shades coming first-
-a small yet powerful statement given
the previous climate. Beauty Bakerie is
made up of 8 of 16 team members being
black, and explains on their website
that they support organizations such as
“The Black Lives Matter Movement, The
Dream Act, The Muslim Ban, missing
children, and human trafficking.” Not
to mention, Nicole has also made it
her mission to be cruelty-free and to
be health-conscious in her production
after her successful win against breast
cancer.
A rather new brand that has
come onto the scene is Rare Beauty by
Selena Gomez. She released a crueltyfree,
vegan and diverse shade range
of 48 going from light to deep. Gomez
made it her mission to bridge the gap
between beauty and mental health. The
website states, “1% of Rare Beauty’s
annual sales will go directly to the Rare
Impact Fund to expand mental health
services in underserved communities”.
It is clear that her goal is to make
everyone feel beautiful and healthy
inside and out.
Maybelline is a well-known
staple in the makeup community.
Accessible in drug stores and beauty
stores, Maybelline has been servicing
the makeup industry for generations.
Although they have not always been
the most inclusive, they were one of
the first “drug store” brands to include
dark shade ranges. With the emergence
of brands like Fenty Beauty, they have
stepped up and widened their shade
range in 2017 by 16 new shades. For
foundations less than $10, Maybelline
has accomplished more than most
drugstore brands--affordability and
inclusiveness.
Hope Saunders, University of
Alabama junior and Criminal Justice
Major, advocates by explaining, “I’m
really fortunate to have the skin color
that I do. For me personally, color
matching isn’t very difficult. That being
said, not all my brown and dark-skinned
friends have this luxury, and I am all
in for the beauty industry becoming
more exclusive even for those with
lighter skin tones. I think all women,
no matter how fair or dark their skin
is, should be able to find their perfect
match because that’s what inclusivity is
all about. Everyone deserves to feel the
most beautiful!”
In addition to consumers
of all races, religions and sexualities
demanding representation in the
beauty industry, media influencers
and Youtube stars have really pushed
beauty brands to make a step forward.
Youtuber and woman of color, Jackie
Aina, is well known for calling brands
out since 2008 for not being inclusive
enough. Her hundreds of beauty
reviews on Youtube put makeup
products of all types to the test against
her dark complexion. Aina, beauty
Youtuber, tells Allure when asked about
being a person of color in the beauty
community, “We don’t appeal to light,
whiter audiences, unfortunately,...”
“[But] I think that people are just now
realizing that it’s okay to think outside
of the box and seek personalities or
advice outside of your community.
That’s something that I want people
to actively work on, on YouTube and
outside of YouTube.”
Burroughs, junior at the
University of Alabama and advocate
for POC representation in the industry,
continues on the progress being made,
“The makeup industry has made
significant progress in the diversity
of shade ranges, but there is still
more work that needs to be done. For
decades, the beauty industry has always
had one standard, and it was targeted
towards one race.”
While beauty brands are catching
up with the times and becoming more
inclusive by the day, there is still
great progress to be made. The goal
of the industry should be to break the
beauty standard and celebrate people
of all races, religions, sexualities and
genders.
[24]
[25]

CELEBRITY SKINCARE & MAKEUP
BRANDS: DELIEVERING OR
DAMAGING?
BY BAYLIE SMITHSON
[26]
Photographer/ Emma Kate Standard
Kylie Cosmetics, KKW Beauty,
Fenty Beauty, Florence by
Mills, JLo Beauty, and Rare Beauty. At
this point, there are rarely any celebrities
without their own skincare or makeup
line. Celebrity skincare and makeup
brands are not a new thing, but the
past couple of years, there has been an
emergence of celebrities and influencers
hitting their business stride. Brands have
used celebrities for endorsement of their
products all the way back to Maybelline
in the 1920s using the faces of silent film
stars to promote and sell their products
(Allure). Now a century later, dozens of
celebrities have their own products to
endorse themselves. Let’s take a deeper
look at the behind-the-scenes of those
beautifully packaged celebrity products.
The most notable first successful
celebrity makeup brand, Iman Cosmetics,
was released in 1994 by model Iman
Mohamed Abdulmajid (wife of David
Bowie). Since 1994, some celebrities
have released makeup, skincare and nail
polish lines here and there. However, the
trend really took off between 2015-2017,
starting with Kylie Jenner. After seeing the
overarching curiosity to know what brands
and colors of lip products she used in her
famous Instagram posts circa 2013, Kylie
created lip kits for the world to purchase
and achieve her look.
After the major success of her
brand, more and more celebrities saw
the potential for producing their own
makeup lines. Throughout 2015, only two
celebrities came out with makeup lines. In
2017 alone, five celebrities came out with
makeup brands. Many of them included
celebrities that have been in the industry
for ten, fifteen, even twenty years, and
never mentioned a makeup brand or even
interest in the products at all.
What many don’t realize is,
regardless of most celebrities’ words, their
only input into the brand is their face and
approval of products (Glamour). Each of
the brands is owned by a bigger company
comprised of chemists in labs formulating
and creating products to then send to
the celebs to decide if they approve.
Sometimes, it’s the big corporations who
approach the celebrity about the idea in
the first place. Every celebrity sits in a
makeup and hair chair before an event or
even just going out to lunch with friends,
and it makes sense to pick celebrities to
use for the face of a beauty business. Is it
really plausible that every single celebrity
has grown a passion for creating their
products from sitting on the makeup chair?
With the explosion of social media in the
past decade, more and more celebrities are
being pattered with questions about their
looks and how they achieve them. It isn’t a
wonder why someone with 100M followers
would create a brand hoping that even ten
percent of that following will purchase a
$20 eyeshadow palette with their name on
it.
Since 2020, eighteen celebrities
have come out with their own brands,
half of them being skincare lines. Most
celebrities who initially came out with
makeup brands further created a brandextension
skincare line, i.e. Fenty Skin
and Kylie Skin. Skincare is a completely
different ballgame from makeup. Though
makeup sits on and interacts with the skin,
it isn’t being absorbed and used by the skin
like skincare ingredients are. Of course,
celebrities are not in the labs mixing their
own products together themselves, but
what are the risks involved with using a
skincare line not being created for the
right reasons?
The majority of celeb audiences
that they appeal to are younger, and
what do most young people have? Acne,
hyperpigmentation, oily skin, dry skin,
the list goes on. Our skin is our biggest
organ and what we put on it should be safe
and effective. The tag lines such as “Clear
Beautiful Skin Mask” and “Blackhead
Reducing Cleanser,” and more are what
draw us in, when the actual ingredients
may not deliver those claims or potentially
even damage the skin.
Most late millennials and early
gen-zers remember the Mario Badescu
Rose Water spray. This refreshing facial
spray promised to soothe and nourish
the skin with its rosewater properties,
for a comfortable $12. But, when reading
the ingredient list on the back, there was
no trace of rose at all, only rose fragrance
[fragrance in skincare can be extremely
irritating to some skin types as well
(Paula’s Choice)].
The trouble with celebrities
producing skincare lines is that young
impressionable teens will walk into their
local beauty supply store and pick up a
product from a brand of the person they
watch on television or follow on Instagram
and think it will deliver on its promising
claims. There is the possibility of the
skincare lines being actually harmful and
not formulated correctly. With about
thirty-eight celebrities bringing out their
own brands from 2011-2021, what does this
mean for the labs creating these products,
shelving in-stores, and where is the room
for anyone else? Sourcing ingredients is
not cheap, and while a brand created by
passionate and educated makeup/skincare
experts may need it for their high quality
and “worth-it” products, the sources are
being dried up by celebrity brands.
Not only is there overcrowding of
labs, but the shelves at beauty supply
stores are being filled with celebrity brands
every day. What does this mean for smaller
entrepreneurial brands who strive to be on
Ulta or Sephora shelves, but can’t break
through because only the faces on brands
really sell? Overall, are celebrity skincare
and makeup brands worth it? Youtuber
Desi Perkins reviewed Kylie blushes and
other products, showing that they do work
[27]

“
It is obvious when the celebrities true
intentions are not to create products because
they are passionate about makeup or skincare,
but only to make more money.
”
to some extent. She exclaimed that she
loved Kylie’s light pink blush called Baddie
On The Block.
“They’re not that much better
than other liquid lipsticks--fairly drying
on the lip. I also feel like the liquid lip
trend is just dying out, which isn’t good for
Kylie’s brand,” Adora Edwards, a Shelton
State sophomore and makeup-aficionado
explains
Some celebrity brands are of
exceptional quality. But, there is evidence
that shows the majority of the products
are not worth spending your hardearned
money on, as they are not safe
or completely ineffective. It is obvious
when the celebrities true intentions are
not to create products because they are
passionate about makeup or skincare,
but only to make more money. While
considering what brands to buy from, it is
crucial to buy from brands with credible
CEOs, product specialists and product
developers.
Celebrities brands aren’t going
anywhere, and this is not helping that
shelves are starting to be stocked by
which trend is hottest at the moment. So
what’s next? Celebrity car companies?
Celebrity supermarkets? Celebrity fastfood
chains? It’s anyone’s guess. Overall,
it is the consumer’s right to purchase from
whomever they want, but it is best to be
educated on the reality behind the items
they’re buying in order to make a proper
decision on whether to give the brand their
money or not.
[28]
[29]

[fashion]
Can We Talk About Crocs?
The Power of Accessories
Sneakers: the Game
Changers of Fashion
32
34
38
[30]
[31]

CAN WE TALK ABOUT
C R O C S ?
By Lizzie Bowen
Photographer/ Rebecca Martin
For anyone that grew up in the 2000’s, Crocs
were the shoe. For a lot of Gen Z (1997-2012)
the thoughts of Crocs come with memories of water
parks, school days and summer fun, however, Crocs
began receiving the meme treatment around 2010. This
can be equated to the variety of fur and heel Crocs.
“All I remember is Crocs were huge when I was a
kid and I don’t remember when they went away or when
they came back, but they were huge. It might’ve been
when Post Malone came out with his line of crocs,” said
senior anthropology major at UA, Natalie Jarom.
Now, college campuses have become a swamp of
Crocs. Mainstream artists like Post Malone can be given
the credit for Crocs comeback. Post Malone’s line of crocs
launched on December 8th, 2020. Post Malone was at
the height of his career when he released the Croc shoes
line and the shoes sold out within two minutes, according
to CNN.
Post Malone wasn’t the only one to represent
the shoe. Nicki Minaj, Pharrell, Shaq, Justin Bieber,
and Rihanna were all seen recently sporting the shoe.
According to Esquire, crocs have made their official
comeback.
This can somewhat be attributed to the popularity
of Croc shoes amongst college students. Post Malone’s
target audience is young adults aged 18-25. The
popularity of Crocs amongst college students, young
adults, and teenagers is recognized by the founder of
Crocs, CEO Andrew Rees.
Rees recognizes that it is predominantly youth
that are consuming the Crocs products, predominantly
teenagers and young adults. Children are also a vast
majority of consumers as well.
“There is something deeper around what’s going
on with Crocs and our connectivity with our consumers.
We also think there’s a life stage component to it. The
brand is 18 years old now. Around the world, particularly
in the U.S., the teenagers that are now buying Crocs
for themselves actually grew up in the shoes — for the
vast majority of those kids, their first shoe was the clog
because that’s when the brand took off and became
very hot. For them, it’s not an alien concept. It may be a
concept they moved away from for a period of time, but
it’s not an alien concept,” Rees said to Footwear News.
“I think Crocs are making a comeback, even walking
around campus, I see more and more kids wearing Crocs
during the summer and spring,” senior engineering
major at UA, Andrew Bucchannon, said.
Rees is also very aware of the concept of Crocs
being a meme of sorts. The ridicule and meme treatment
of Crocs still is popular amongst Twitter and other social
media platforms today, but Andrew Rees does not seem
to mind the meme treatment.
“I don’t think it helps us, but I don’t think it hurts
us,” Rees said to Footwear News. Things like Croc tans,
Crocs and socks and pictures of high school students
wearing croc heels to their prism all have circulated on
the internet garnering the brand “memeable” today. But
the footwear is worn by college students, teens and young
adults unironically.
“I love Crocs. I don’t think it’s embarrassing to
wear them, in2015 people were hating, but not so much
anymore. I see Crocs around campus literally all the
time. My friends make fun of me because I wear Croc flip
flops and I have crocs that I wear everywhere.I wouldn’t
wear them to a fancy event, but I like crocs. I don’t think
they’re a meme anymore, they’re just comfortable and
easy shoes,” said UA senior art major, Heather Smith.
Crocs have coined the phrase “cute-ugly” for many.
Cute-ugly refers to something that is so ugly it’s almost
cute and might have started off as comical, but has now
become a trend or a norm. Many feel Crocs fall into this
category
“I like crocs because they’re comfy and for some
people, they have the ‘ugly cute effect’ on them. I think
they’re definitely an unconventional style of shoe as
a clog with holes, but I think if there wasn’t an option
to customize them they wouldn’t be as popular,” said
sophomore marketing major, Yaelle Szoychen.
The “customizing” feature of Crocs is referred to
as jibbitz. These are little accessories that can be put in
the holes of crocs to bling them out. Many come in heart
shapes, rhinestones, and emoji cutouts. Post Malone’s
crocs came featured with his personal jibbitz sold only
with his line of crocs and only available as supplies last.
Many shoes have come and gone, but Crocs are
here to stay. Skeletoes were a fever dream of sorts, a quick
flash in the pan. Mary Janes were also a trend for a brief
moment, but Crocs have stood the test of time. Even after
receiving the meme treatment, Crocs have prevailed.
[32]
[33]

THE
POWER
OF ACCESSORIES
BY CAITLIN NEILL
[34]
Photographer/ LaDaeshai Ward
Accessories can either make or break an
outfit. Overdo it with accessories and
an entire outfit can become hectic. On the flip
side, if someone has too little or none at all, an
outfit can become bland and lack that extra flair
of individuality. Accessories hold the power.
Accessories take outfits to the next level.
They take ordinary clothes and turn them into
fashionable, specific statements. For many
people, when they think of accessories, the first
thing that comes to mind is jewelry, but there is
so much more to the world of accessories. There
are collections and varieties of handbags, hats,
belts, scarves, jewelry and more.
One accessory that has been coming back
in style recently has been hats. People have been
playing around with their outfits and styling
with hats-- whether it’s a bucket hat or even just
a classic baseball cap. Three different hat styles
that have become especially popular are the
trucker hats, bucket hats and cowboy hats. All
three of these can be styled in multiple ways and
fit into different sub-categories of personal style
aesthetics.
Trucker hats became popularized in the
fashion industry when Von Dutch hats came into
fruition in the early 2000s. Celebs like Britney
Spears, Paris Hilton, Justin Timberlake and
more were constantly photographed wearing
them, and now they’re back in style in a slightly
different way.
While they are still styled with an early
2000s aesthetic, they have now become quite
popular among college-aged girls. Trucker
hats can be personalized with big smiley faces,
rainbows, lightning bolts or sorority letters.
Paired with an athletic set and some cute
sneakers, you’ve got an outfit that makes you
look put together but comfortable at the same
time.
Bucket hats are no longer just for the beach
or pool. They are in every department store, in
every color and pattern. The bucket hat gives off
completely different vibes than the trucker hat.
There are several ways to style a bucket hat, you
can add a pop of color to any outfit by throwing
on a bright-colored hat with a plain white tee and
mom jeans. Want to go for an edgier look? Grab
a black leather bucket hat and pair it with a black
blazer short set, graphic tee and some black
booties. Whether you are looking for something
fun and bright or on the edgier side, bucket hats
can add a fun twist to any outfit.
The western aesthetic has been all the rage
lately, and with this western style, cowboy hats
have become more and more commonplace.
When picking out a cowboy hat, go for a white
or black one to keep it neutral, so it will go with
everything. This fall, dress them up with a midlength
dress and cowboy boots or keep it casual
with straight leg jeans, a bright sweater and
some booties.
One of the most iconic and essential
accessories is the handbag.There are classic
handbag styles such as the clutch, tote and
crossbody, but now it’s time to take these classics
and give them an upgrade. Swap out a plain and
neutral bag for either something beaded, chained
or furry. Textured bags are what’s in style, and
they can add a fun flair to your next outfit. When
it comes to tote bags, while we all love the classic
Louis Vuitton Neverfull Bag for a trendier look
go for a solid, dark, more briefcase esc tote.
Want more of an everyday tote? Go for a
canvas tote bag! Canvas totes are fun and easy
to carry, and they can be purchased from stores
like Target and Earthbound all the way to Marc
Jacobs. Thanks to Lizzo at the 2019 American
Music awards, another big trend right now is the
[35]

tiny purse. Tiny purses are here to stay and can
make any outfit more playful and chicer despite
being a little unpractical.
The most classic accessory of them all is
jewelry. “[Jewelry] can be simple, it can make
a statement, and it can be classy. Jewelry is
tailored to everyone and it’s so easy to mix and
match with,” said UA junior and Vice President
of the Student Fashion Association, Morgan
Igou.
Jewelry is versatile. Within the realm of
jewelry there are earrings, necklaces, bracelets,
rings and body jewelry. Jewelry really is an
individualized type of accessory, and there isn’t
a right or wrong way to wear it.
When it comes to jewelry there are two
routes a fashionista can go: dainty or statement
pieces. The most common type of jewelry that
can be split into these two categories is earrings.
“[Rings are] so simple for everyday wear
and make a look more put together. [They]
can drastically change an outfit from being
something plain to something more fun,” said
UA sophomore, Julia Blackstone.
To make going-to-class outfits look more
put together try throwing on a pair of little gold
hoops and if you want to spice up a black top
and jeans when you’re going out put on a pair of
statement earrings that can add a pop of color.
Rings are another simple way to make
any outfit look more put together. “There are
so many different options to choose from and I
can wear multiple on each finger,” UA freshman,
Caitlen George.
One celebrity who does a great job of
styling rings into his looks is Harry Styles, his
bold statement rings have become an essential
part of his wardrobe and his outfits would be
incomplete without them.
Accessories are an essential part of fashion
and take ordinary clothes to the next level. Next
time you get ready for class throw on some little
gold hoops and layer a couple of necklaces with
any t-shirt and shorts, or to spice it up, even
more, try a hat or a cute little hair clip. The most
important thing to remember when it comes
to styling is that if you feel good in what you’re
wearing and have confidence any outfit will look
stylish.
INSTA–WORTHY
LOOKS. NO FILTER NEEDED.
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Tuscaloosa’s largest selection of the newest
fashions, shoes and accessories all under
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[36]
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Shop Mon-Thurs 10am-7pm; Fri-Sat 10am-8pm
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[37]

Photographer/ Jennifer Stroud
In 2019, Nike released a sneaker
collaboration with Travis Scott, a
pair of brown, black and white Jordan 1s
retailing at $175 with a unique backward
Nike “swoosh” design. Within hours, the
shoes were sold out, and fans of the rapper
and sneakerheads alike complained online
that they hadn’t been able to get their own
pair. Resellers who were lucky enough
to snag some of the shoes were quick to
offer them for a much higher price. Now,
two years later, a few pairs of the highly
sought-after sneakers can still be found on
apps like GOAT or StockX for not much
less than $2,000
The Travis Scott Jordan 1s are
not the only sneakers with this kind of
history. Nike is known for its special
edition collaborations, dating back to the
original Air Jordan released in the 1980s
and endorsed by Michael Jordan. Today,
through sellers like GOAT and StockX,
the secondary market for limited-edition
sneakers is valued at $6 billion globally.
Chris Smoot, a University of Alabama
alumni, is the owner of a sneaker,
streetwear and vintage clothing store in
Bessemer, AL, called Memory Lane. “It’s
unfortunate that people have to pay resell
prices for things, but that’s the way it is
now,” Smoot said. “People want what’s
trendy and sought after.”
At Memory Lane, Smoot said that
Jordan 1 Highs, Nike Dunk Lows and
Yeezys are in high demand.
Sneakers have become an
essential part of Gen Z style today due
to their versatility and the popularity of
athleisure. A standout pair of Jordans, a
simple, crisp white pair of Air Forces, or a
pair of classic high-top Converse can make
or break a good outfit. Other notable shoes
that can be spotted around any campus
include Nike Blazer 77s, Air Max 90s, or
Nike Dunks. Sneakers can be the perfect
unique accessory to complete any outfit.
“You’re recognized by the sneakers
that you have,” said the University of
Alabama senior and interior design major
JT Love. Indeed, a pair of unique sneakers
are a great way to show off your personal
style or stand out from a crowd.
“Everyone wants something that’s
retro nowadays, they’re going for this
aesthetically pleasing 90’s type of vibe,”
Love said. “If you don’t have something
retro, then it’s almost worthless.”
Love, an interior design major,
started customizing sneakers for himself
and his friends during the COVID-19
lockdown, and it’s grown from a hobby
into a small business (@loveecustoms on
Instagram).
“I got more customers due to
everyone being isolated and wanting to try
something new,” he said. “I’ve customized
shoes for people in Florida, people in
Nebraska, people in all different places,”
he said.
Many of his customers request
custom designs on Air Force 1s. “It’s like a
blank canvas, it just screams ‘do something
to me, customize me,’” Love said about the
classic Nike shoe.
Air Force 1’s are certainly a
closet staple for many students. It’s nearly
impossible to walk around any campus
without spotting a pair. They’ve come a
long way since their initial release. In 1986,
following the release of Run DMC’s “My
Adidas,” many people wore their Adidas
Superstars or their Air Forces without
laces like in the DMC music video. The
trend was criticized because too many it
seemed to reference how prisoners are not
allowed to have shoelaces on their shoes
because they could use them as a weapon.
Both Adidas Superstars and Air Force 1’s
were referred to as “felon shoes,” and it
took a couple of decades for this stigma
to wear off. Of course, today, both Adidas
and Nike sell the same two classic sneakers
without any issues.
This is just one of the many ways
sneaker culture has grown and evolved
since the shoes first became such an
important accessory in streetwear style.
While it’s fair to question the accessibility
or affordability of popular sneakers,
it’s certain that they are a key part of
modern fashion, quickly spreading beyond
streetwear and turning into closet staples
for younger generations. Sneakers are
even becoming acceptable in business
casual dress codes or on red carpets, like
Timothee Chalamet stepping onto the Met
Gala red carpet in Converse high-tops
As sneakers evolve in popularity
and become more widely accepted in
the fashion industry, the distance grows
between today’s sneaker culture and its
early beginnings. After all, the athletic
shoes were originally created to wear
while playing sports, and when they were
adapted into street style, they weren’t
outrageously expensive or markers of
popularity or wealth. The sneaker market
is quickly becoming less accessible to the
people it once targeted- Kids who casually
played basketball down the street in their
Adidas and dreamed of music careers like
Run DMC or athletic achievements like
Michael Jordan.
It seems unfair to the roots of
sneaker culture that owning the newest
pair of cool Jordans can cost so much.
The sneaker market has moved on to
target wealthier customers who don’t fully
understand the history of the shoes they’re
buying.
Sneaker historian Bobbito Garcia
credited the birth of sneaker culture to
“kids of color who grew up in a depressed
economic era.” Unfortunately, the kids
who were the original source of sneaker
culture are getting left behind because they
can’t afford today’s newest sneakers.
Users of apps like GOAT and
StockX complain about the prices of
popular shoes but ultimately will still pay
to own them, so resellers continue to profit
off of the lucrative sneaker market. At the
end of the day, sneakerheads and casual
sneaker wearers alike should question the
history behind the classic leather shoes
they lace up each day and consider all of the
ups and downs of the cultural significance
surrounding them.
[38]
[39]

[features]
Cut Catcall 42
Texas’ New Abortion Law:
What You Need To Know
Girl Types
44
46
[40]
[41]

Illustrations/ Autumn Williams
Most women at some point in their lives
have experienced street harassment, also
called catcalling. The question, “Has a catcall ever
worked?” occurs in almost every female’s mind at least
once. A catcall is defined as a loud noise directed at a
woman with sexual intent. Examples of this could be
a shout, holler or whistle, made to gain the attention
of a woman going by. The shocking and aggressive
elements of catcalling can bring with them feelings
those on the receiving end describe as nerve-wracking,
overwhelming and even frightening. Catcalling is a
direct act made upon a woman in public and is often
done with the intention to degrade the female. To
many, catcalling is a man’s demonstration of what
he can do to a woman if he chooses, and whether
intentional or not, it reminds women of the power and
ability men have to act aggressively towards whoever
they choose.
“It is inappropriate and doesn’t accomplish
anything,” Collier Stevens, a junior at the University of
Alabama on the pre-law track, said. “No one is going to
go talk to a guy they don’t know just because he yelled
at her. In fact, I avoid men that yell at me as much as
possible.”
Majority of women will agree that the last thing
we desire when walking alone in public is a compliment
shouted from four gentlemen riding in a car, especially
if we are alone. Even if done with the intention of being
charming, there has been a rise in the awareness of
the danger sexual assault presents to women thanks
to modern technology and public surveillance. This
reality has caused many of us to be more cautious when
it comes to the intentions and pursuits of strangers. In
truth, the act of catcalling is disrespectful. If someone
is willing to shout at us in public, who knows what
else they would be willing to do. It does not seem to
resonate with many aggressors, however, as they still
do it despite receiving dirty looks and hurried strides
as a reply.
“It makes me feel self-conscious actually. I feel
like I shouldn’t be wearing what I am wearing.” Ava
Smolcic, a junior from the University of Alabama
majoring in psychology, said.
There are also many women who do not enjoy
confrontation. The result of catcalling, for those who
feel that way, is an accepted blow to our pride as we
flee the scene and the commentator. The bolder half of
our gender may yell back, but many wonder, what is
the point?
Men, for the most part, are stronger and bigger
than women. This means if we do yell back, we risk
the possibility of having to back it up. Men have and
can assault women. They have for thousands of years
and it will likely continue for many more. Condemned
practices and behaviors take place every day, so it
is often best to avoid keeping a naïve mindset. It
is important to be cautious and question whether
shouting back is actually worth it.
“It is a pretty inhumane way to get someone’s
attention”, Ellie Burch, a senior at the University of
Alabama majoring in marketing, said, “If you want to
tell a girl she looks good, use your words. I just assume
the guys doing the catcalling have never spoken to one
so they don’t understand how their behavior is being
perceived. I prefer that to thinking they just don’t care
how it makes us feel.”
Men may have a hard time contextualizing
this behavior because women do not often pursue
them in such a direct manner, however, it is unlikely
anyone enjoys being singled out in public and praised
or critiqued for our physical appearance. It can be
embarrassing and make us feel dirty. Some believe
men must feel some form of guilt about the act, since
they seem to always speed off after, but the damage is
already done. The reminder of our own vulnerability
has been received loud and clear, delivered with honks
and a chorus of hoots and hollers.
It is important we try to have someone with us
when walking at night. A partner can serve to make
us feel more comfortable traveling, as well as aware
of surroundings. A partner is also used to send a
message to those around us about our support system.
We have backup, and verbally or physically attacking
two individuals is more intimidating than one. The
buddy system exists for a reason and should be taken
advantage of whenever possible. Remember to only yell
back after evaluating the risk and reward of addressing
a catcaller, and if we are going to address them, make
sure to have a plan. We can aggressively compliment
them back, remind them of the women in their life,
shame them, address the patriarchy or even simply
remind them as loud as possible that we simply do not
know them, and do not want them to talk to us. It is
not rude to remind someone they are a stranger. Who
knows how long catcalling will continue, but hopefully
it will die out as those who actively participate in the
practice are publicly humiliated for the behavior, just
like the intended victims are.
[42]
[43]

Texas’ New
Abortion Law:
What You Need To Know
By Dani Danks
Since news broke of the Texas Heartbeat
Act, the turmoil caused by the
controversial decision has been apparent
throughout the media and the United States alike.
There are a few things we, as citizens, need to know.
For the first time since the ruling of Roe v. Wade in
1973, Texas has officially challenged abortion laws
in the United States. This time however, the state
received a slightly different answer. In June of 2019,
Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, signed new abortion
legislature which went into effect Wednesday, Sept.
1. This legislature made for the strictest abortion law
in the history of the United States. It bans any and
all abortions, starting just six weeks after conception.
This being with the exception of concerns for the
mother’s health. The country has seen the unrest
this topic provides, especially from Texas, and the
decision has already begun to cause an uproar.
This law has essentially incentivized private
citizens to report anyone who they believe is involved
with or has been aiding in abortion procedures. This
is done with a financial incentive of $10,000 offered
to anyone who turns in someone found guilty of
receiving or aiding in the attempt of an abortion.
As many can imagine, this is projected to cause
issues when it comes to law enforcement and the
government’s ability to delegate power to private
citizens. What happens if a citizen is sued for receiving
or aiding an abortion? The court will officially be able
to go after collections, which can result in the seizing
of property if the guilty person does not have the
available funds. On the other hand, the complainant
can receive up to $10,000 if the person they reported
is found guilty. Without considering the controversy
and morality of abortion laws, this ban is essentially
turning the private citizens of Texas on one another.
Texas is known to have a majority of anti-abortion
enthusiasts, meaning this law could empower them
to go after anyone they feel could be involved in the
procedure.
“Even if abortions are banned by the law,
they will still happen,” University of Alabama prelaw
junior Elizabeth Underwood said, “This law is
essentially only preventing women from having safe
abortions. Also, the $10,000 citizen arrest bounty
resembles something from a dystopian novel. I
would like to see the Supreme Court take action in
regards to how this law directly overturns the ruling
of Roe v. Wade.”
Many agree this bounty hunter-style practice
is inappropriate, providing an example of law
enforcement lacking proper authority, and many are
concerned about the results of incentivizing private
citizens. This law paints a complicated future for the
United States and has left many citizens confused
about health rights. There has been a huge outcry from
citizens asking the Supreme Court to block or stand in
the way of this ruling, but as of now, the vote remains
5-4 against stepping in.
“Justice Roberts voiced in his dissent when the
Supreme Court chose not to act with the shadow docket
that the justices should at least pause the bill until they
can determine if it is constitutional.” Maddie Minkoff,
a pre-law student at the University of Alabama said,
“While I think that the Supreme Court should step in,
I’m not very confident right now that they will.”
There is no doubt we are living in a time of
transition. History is changing and this moment will
undoubtedly be written about one day in history books.
This case, just like Roe v. Wade, could cause precedent
for future court decisions, and citizens have the chance
to see how this unfolds firsthand. Many wonder if the
Supreme Court will step in, and also fear how people of
both parties will react long-term if they do not get their
way. We are in uncharted times, and unfortunately,
only more questions will arise as time goes on.
No matter what side of the fight one is on, people
from all over are shocked the Supreme Court has not
decided to hear the case and has not participated in
any actions suggesting they plan to.
The Yellowhammer Fund is a useful resource for
Alabama residents seeking more information on how
these new policies could affect our lives. Their page
is public and free to visit, and the website displays
their mission as a promise to “commit ourselves to
community education and empowerment, policy
advocacy and the development of systems of mutual
aid to ensure that our friends, families and neighbors
never go without the things they need.”
For those located outside of Alabama, alloptions.org
is a great resource that can direct you to
any specific resource you are looking for. They offer
resources for abortion clinics, research on the topic,
and support hotlines, as well as other information. It is
important to take advantage of the resources available
in order to educate oneself as much as possible on a
heated topic that affects the lives of millions.
[44] [45]

HOW THESE LABELS EFFECT SELF-IDENTITY AND OUTSIDE
PERCEPTION OF WOMEN
Photographer/ Rebecca Martin
Navigating the transition period
from girl to womanhood can
be challenging for anyone. This is a time
full of changes and learning experiences.
One aspect of growing up that remains
constant for everyone is being defined
and grouped by others based on interests
and passions. The problem we, as women,
face with these restrictive group identities
is that they can lead to being prematurely
labeled by colleagues, friends and family
based on one dimension of our identity,
and depending on what they pick, that
deciding characteristic might not be a
strong indicator of our own personal
beliefs and personality.
These labels, clichés and stereotypes
women are assigned do not have to be
negative, however, expectations for women
and their personality can be limiting and
often based solely on preconceived notions
of what the media and we as consumers
believe of female “stereotypes”. If a woman
is interested in traditionally masculine
hobbies, we might classify her as a tomboy.
If a woman values physical upkeep like
getting nails done, peers may assume she
is high maintenance or snobbish. Think of
the term basic.
These girl types’ women find
themselves boxed into can have serious
effects on both self-image and public
perception. While some women may
appreciate being labeled as a way to
understand their self-identity, the power of
perception labels hold can have a dramatic
impact on how women navigate society.
Women are put into dozens of
categories throughout our lives, so we’ve
spoken to a few willing to share their own
experiences with labels and how they
have managed to successfully navigate the
world and society despite them and their
obstacles.
THE ACADEMIC TYPE
Alex Collins is a senior at the
University of Alabama, studying
Environmental Science and African
American Studies on the Pre-Med track.
School has always come easy to her, and
academics is one main strength of hers.
“I was probably about Elementary
school age when I first noticed being
labeled by my classmates as smart,” Collins
said. “I was the person people partnered
up with because I knew what to do and I
had always had good grades.”
Her academic achievements
garnered the attention of her family,
friends and peers through school all the
way to college.
“[School] is something I’ve always
been good at, and people usually pick up
on that pretty quickly. Although I naturally
perform well academically, it does become
a cycle in the way I feel I have to maintain
that image because it is expected of me.”
Although this is a side of her
identity Collins feels connected to and
proud of, being labeled based on her
academic performances doesn’t come
without struggles.
“Honestly, most of my negative
experiences in academic spaces are
associated with men,” Collin reflects,
“STEM fields are male-dominated and
they definitely enter most academic spaces
with the thought that they are the smartest
in the room. When they meet someone
who is their equal, there is a sense of
intimidation and tension. My comments
and suggestions are not always taken as
seriously as the input given from other
male colleagues, so that makes leading a
group or even just contributing difficult.”
Existing as a Black woman in maledominated
spaces proves even more
of a challenge since peers tend to form
preconceived notions about Collins before
she’s even had a chance to begin working.
“I think in general when people
first meet me they expect less because of
how I look as a Black woman. I’m naturally
a hard worker and exceed the expectations
given to me, but I’ve had to maintain
a high-performance level to be taken
seriously. I feel like I have to do more work
than my colleagues to overcompensate for
their initial preconceived notions of me.”
Type A personalities or Academic
types tend to be misunderstood when they
try to extend advice or genuine help as
well.
“Sometimes people can take me
correcting them or being right as being
condescending, but in my mind, I’m trying
to be helpful,” Collins said. “People label
me as arrogant or nitpicky because of what
I know or how I do in school, so my biggest
issue with that is feeling misunderstood.”
THE STUDENT
ATHLETE
Megan Gallinger is a senior
cheerleader at the University of Alabama.
While she must prioritize her schoolwork,
she must also balance the responsibilities
of being an athlete as well as a student.
“We work out twice a week, practice
four times a week and of course have game
days,” Gallinger said. “Cheer is also sort of
an ambassador program. We compete and
have our own events, but we also work in
the community to uplift other athletics.”
While Gallinger is proud of her work
on and off the field, she admits that there
are negative connotations associated with
this time-consuming part of her identity.
“We have to be very mindful of
our reputation and always have a smiling
face, no matter what we’re going through
personally,” Gallinger said. “Some people
think we have it easier but honestly we
put in the same amount of work in the
classroom as everyone. I don’t want
to bring up the “dumb cheerleader”
stereotype, but that is exactly how some
people think of us. They also tend to think
I’m a try-hard [because I’m a cheerleader]
and I do all the work.”
In addition to having to prove
herself in the classroom, Gallinger must
also prove herself in the athletic world.
Especially because cheerleading is not
recognized by the NCAA.
“We don’t get all of the privileges
other athletes do. Other sports on campus
are super supportive of us but a lot of
people don’t even know what we do, or
that we have won our own championship
titles. There is constantly a sense that we
have to prove ourselves and our athletic
abilities.”
[46]
[47]

“DUE TO THE CONSEQUENCES I
EXPERIENCED FROM BEING LABELED,
I WAS ACTUALLY ABLE TO GAIN SOME
PERSPECTIVE, A SKILL THAT HAS HELPED
ME TO THIS DAY.” - MORGAN HAYETTE
THE SORORITY GIRL
Grace Howe is a senior at the
University of Alabama and has been a
member of the Alpha Chi sorority since
her freshman year. While the sorority has
provided amazing experiences for her and
helped her to find mentors and friends, she
has also been unlucky enough to receive
the preconceived notions people have once
they hear she is in a sorority.
“The label of sorority girl
has definitely been applied to me but
I wouldn’t consider that a label of my
personality,” Howe said. “It’s a part of me
but I have a variety of aspects about myself
not sorority-related.”
“Yes, I go to Alabama and I’m in
a sorority, but I don’t think that’s a good
identifier of who I am,” Howe explains. “I
am technically a sorority girl but it’s not
what it sounds like, I am so much more.”
Sorority women are often
assumed to be superficial or unconcerned
with grades, which is far from the truth.
“It can be easy for people to jump
to conclusions because of the label,” Howe
said. “When people think of a sorority girl,
they think of a fraternity boy’s dream. That
is not who we all are. People assume we
are just dumb and hot and like to party.
We are even put on a pedestal which then
affects women who aren’t in Greek life,
and sometimes even their perceptions of
us.
[48]
“Society assumes something from
us. They assume we’re going to be this
certain type of person because we’re in
Greek Life,” Howe explains. “But I have so
many other interests and things I like to do
outside of my sorority. It is because of how
sorority girls are perceived that I always
have to gauge my conversations and brace
myself for people’s reaction when they find
out I’m in one. It could be good or bad.”
THE ALTERNATIVE
GIRL
Growing up, University of Alabama
senior Morgan Hayette always identified
with more alternative methods of selfexpression.
“I never felt connected to the
label emo although that’s generally what I
was labeled as. I had more of a connection
with being seen in a more colorful and
sassier version of emo,” Hayette explains.
Being a scene kid in the early/
mid 2000s was associated with the music,
makeup and clothing look you displayed.
Although Hayette saw her interests as an
innocent experimentation of self-identity,
she received backlash from her peers.
“The bullying started in 5th
grade, which was back in 2005-2006. It
wasn’t until my 8th-grade year, around
2008-2009 that I noticed people calling
me emo,” Hayette said. “My social skills
probably took the biggest hit and the
experience has definitely haunted me
throughout my adult years. I struggle
greatly with going out and being social
because of how I was treated.”
Before Alt TikTok was a thing, being
an emo girl came with tons of backlash,
rumors and negative perceptions. People
often felt they never had the chance to
show people what it meant to them.
“I experienced death threats,
harassment, bullying, name-calling,
disruption of privacy and traumatizing
humiliation. I believe this has led or at
least contributed to my extreme mental
health issues.”
As an adult, Hayette has become
more confident in herself and even used
the negative experiences to build a new
self-image of herself.
“Despite feeling like my label still
follows me, my support system, or family,
made up of my coworkers, friends and real
family, don’t see me as a label. To them, I
don’t have a label, and it is one of the best
feelings ever,” Hayette said. “Due to the
consequences I experienced from being
labeled, I was actually able to gain some
perspective, a skill that has helped me
to this day. Plus, I’ve become one super
strong, bad-ass woman that just doesn’t
quit.”
Overall, the biggest thing I’ve learned
from being labeled is compassion, which I
believe is the key to life. As my grandpa
would say, ‘kill them with kindness.’”
We as women are so much more
than our labels. All of us have hopes,
dreams, interests and personality traits
that extend beyond what others expect of
our trope. Although clichés and restrictive
labels have always been an additional
and unnecessary burden of womanhood,
together we must continue to break down
the barriers stereotypes place in every
woman’s life, both with ferocity and grace.
[49]

[entertainment]
Worthy of Watching: The
Teams Behind Celebrities
52
Challenging and Changing
the Stereotype: Female Rap
54
Concerts Are Back And
COVID-19 Never Left
56
[50]
[51]

WORTHY OF WATCHING
[52]
THE TEAMS BEHIND CELEBRITIES
BY JOLENCIA JONES
Think of an artist and the flashy outfits they
wear on red carpets or the infamous dance
routines in their music videos. Pop stars are some of the
most globally influential people. None of that notoriety
would be possible without the help of publicists, stylists,
choreographers, creative directors and assistants;
however often these important roles are overlooked.
Every artist has their talent, but the people behind the
scenes help them stand out and succeed.
A role that many don’t pay attention to is the
publicist behind the entertainer. Publicists work
closely with an artist’s public image to keep things
running smoothly. When an artist gets into trouble,
publicists work diligently to find ways to spin the story.
Sometimes the job includes managing social media
accounts, writing statements and setting up interviews.
Judge Judy is a household name with a very
distinct image. She is straightforward, doesn’t like
nonsense or lying and she will always get to the bottom
of a family court issue. Before 2016, John Wentworth
was a publicist for many household names including
Judge Judy, Rachel Ray and Nancy Grace. All these
women have very distinct personalities and images that
go along with what will get them liked by their target
audiences. This is not by accident, but it is a strategy
and an integral part of a publicist’s job.
“Publicists are the backbone and key to most
successful organizations, athletes and entertainers.
They run the backstage show, so the show is worthy
of watching,” said Nickell Grant, a senior majoring in
public relations at UA.
A notable publicist to recognize is Yvette Noel-
Schure. She began her career as a journalist then
shifted into a publicist for Columbia Records, where
she has built a name for herself due to the level of trust
she has with each of her clients, which is an indicator
for longevity. She is currently Beyonce’s publicist and
in the past worked with Prince, Mariah Carey and Will
Smith.
When Prince passed away on April 21, 2016, she
was responsible for writing the announcement of his
death to the world. In an interview with Oprah Daily, she
described the situation as a career-defining moment that
broke her heart but made her strong.
Building a strong image is the foundation of an
artist’s success, but it isn’t where the show stops. After
the publicist has gotten the entertainer enough exposure,
it’s time for them to appear at award shows or go on
tour. Once a show is booked, the artist must prepare a
performance. Enter stage left, the choreographer.
“During a show, a lot of people mostly focus on
the dancers, and the choreographers don’t get as much
credit,” said Clare Jones, a UA sophomore majoring in
chemistry and dance.
When entertainers perform on stage or shoot
music videos, they usually have choreography to follow.
Every move is planned out, from the simple pace around
the stage to an intense dance routine.
Choreographers do more than create dances; they
create an experience for the audience. Dance can tell a
story and enhance how a listener interprets the music.
Recently, Sean Bankhead, a self-taught dancer
and choreographer, has become famed for his work.
Bankhead has done choreography for Lil Nas X’s
“Industry Baby,” Cardi B’s “Up,” Normani’s “Wild Side”
and much more.
His style of dance is intricate but captivating and
recently many of his routines have gone viral on TikTok.
In an interview with MTV News, Bankhead said he
purposely includes simple moves in his choreography so
that everyone feels like they could learn it, which leads to
the dances going viral.
Though some of the routine is simplistic,
choreography can still take months to perfect and learn.
Cardi B rehearsed for two months before recording the
“Up” music video. Bankhead also said he spent eight
hours rehearsing with Normani then another eight hours
rehearsing with Lil Nas X back to back.
For artists, their stories and personalities aren’t
only displayed through their performances it’s also
showcased in their hair and makeup. Ariana Grande
uses a ponytail to create a signature style for herself.
Beyonce’s infamous blond hair has become a part of
her brand. Rihanna used red hair to promote her 2010
album, “Loud.” Hair allows the entertainer to be as free
and bold as they want.
Some hairstylists are also skilled in makeup so that
they can do an entertainer’s hair and makeup together.
Makeup and hair work together. An entire look can be
thrown off if one isn’t complimenting the other.
One hairstylist of note is Kim Kimble, a celebrity
hairstylist, who has worked with Beyonce, Nicki Minaj,
Rihanna, Oprah and Zendaya for copious red carpets,
magazine covers and more. Kimble has even styled, art
directed, photographed and designed album covers, like
Brandy’s seventh studio album, “b7.”
Other hairstylists and makeup artists of note
include, Mario Dedivanovic, a makeup artist for Kim
Kardashian, known for his soft glam looks, and Priscilla
Ono, the global makeup artist for Fenty Beauty, who
recently has done makeup for Megan Thee Stallion and
Normani.
Once hair and makeup are complete, the
entertainer needs something to wear. Every entertainer
has a specific image, and the outfits they choose to wear
bring their brand to life. A simple outfit can describe a
person’s personality. Most artists don’t have time to pick
their outfits every day; therefore, stylists are essential.
Besides finding outfits, stylists must keep up with the
latest trends and have decades of insight into fashion
history.
Marcy Koontz, UA associate professor and faculty
curator in clothing and textiles, said that the stylist is as
crucial as the publicist, and stylists should fight for more
credit.
Brett Alan Nelson, celebrity stylist and creative
director, has worked with multiple artists like Doja
Cat, Nicki Minaj, Kylie Jenner, Lizzo and Travis Scott,
to create unique custom pieces for his clients that aptly
showcase his knowledge of fashion and his understanding
of the specific artist’s style.
His looks include Doja’s outfits during the 2021
VMAs, Doja’s “Need to Know” music video and Lizzo’s
“Rumors” music video.
Misa Hylton is another celebrity stylist responsible
for some iconic moments in red carpet fashion. She has
worked with Mary J Blige, Missy Elliot, Megan Thee
Stallion, Beyonce and Jay-Z, but some of her most iconic
looks have been with Lil Kim.
Her infamous work includes the purple jumpsuit
Lil Kim wore to the 1999 VMAs and the monochromatic
looks in the “Crush on You” video.
Acknowledging the hard work people do behind
the scenes is vital because everyone works together
like a puzzle. Seeing an entertainer on the red carpet is
exciting but think of the months it took to put everything
together.
Highlighting the team in the background gives
them access to more clientele. Overall, the people behind
the scenes need to be credited because they work just as
hard as your favorite artist and deserve the same respect.
Photographer/ Grayson Byrd
[53]

Illustrations/ Autumn Williams
CHALLENGING AND
CHANGING THE
STEREOTYPES:
FEMALE RAP
BY MADELEINE LEIDNER
It is no secret that female rap has been dominating
the music industry recently.
Artists like Cardi B, Nicki Minaj, Megan Thee
Stallion and Doja Cat have been topping charts left
and right.
Even if someone isn’t an avid rap listener, it can be
safe to say that they have heard at least one of these artists
with each of these women spending multiple weeks atop
Billboard’s Top 100.
However, though they are musicians first, female
rappers have contributed and become influential figures in
pop culture.
“[These] ladies are definitely leading the wave of
female empowerment in the rap industry,” said Khadiedra
Billingsley, a UA English professor, “Nicki Minaj was a
trailblazer in her own right and I feel that the way that she
asserted herself as a force to be reckoned with and a woman
who can compete, and even outshine, the males in the
industry, helped to create conditions to where other female
rappers could be taken seriously.”
From legendary fashion moments at award shows
and collaborations with fashion houses to major campaigns
and brand deals, these artists have become revered by most
for their well-rounded careers.
They have become icons on multiple platforms to
so many people. For generations, female rappers have
toed the line between great and legendary, and these
women have brought female rap into the spotlight, and
it is here to stay.
“Because of the historical dominance of men in
the music industry, specifically in rap and hip-hop,
women are now able to forge their own path as musical
trailblazers,” said Carson Lott, a freshman majoring
in economics and the president of BamaBarbz, a UA
student-led fan account for Nicki Minaj on Instagram.
These women have fought their way into the top of the
rap and hip-hop charts, yet while they are highly received
by some, others leave them out of the conversation when it
comes to being the best in the industry.
Sexism is a heavy presence in the rap industry and
is possibly the reason why women don’t seem to get the
same level of recognition in the business as their male
counterparts.
Women in rap are held to a higher standard,
their music, image, personality and story must be
better and far more entertaining.
It can be said, however, that music, especially
rap, is one of the few outlets where it is socially
acceptable for men to express their emotions, struggles
and grief.
Rap is characterized by artists being able to
express their struggles and overcome hardships, and this
gives men the advantage in the industry. When women
try to express their emotions and struggles through rap,
they are continuously viewed as “angry,” “aggressive” or
“too emotional.”
“I think that we are starting to see a revolution where
female rappers are asserting themselves as marketable
and profitable musicians and consumers of the art seem to
desire more of it,” Billingsley said, “I think that art reflects
life and this is evident, to me, in the rap industry. As women
begin to advocate for place and space in various realms of
society, the same is occuring in the rap industry and it is a
beautiful sight to witness.”
Female rappers are being looked up to as inspiration
for future artists, no matter their gender. The way they are
portraying themselves in the industry is something that has
never been traditionally done before. They are trendsetters
and originators and are transforming the industry into a
safe space for all to express themselves.
These women, like many who have come before them
in the industry, challenge sexism in this industry by retaking
their sexuality. Many female artists have reclaimed their
sexuality and express it in ways that confront the typical
social norms that society expects women to adhere to.
“Part of what makes these women so notable is that
these women have challenged the notions of sexuality
within the industry,” said Aryn Bordelon, a teacher in the
English department at Pensacola State College, “Their
deliberate and calculated presence and presentation frankly
anger people who believe in keeping established normative
behavior.”
Female rappers are known for taking over the
narrative of “over-sexualization.” Before even being able
to be criticized for being too sexual, their clothing, dance
moves and even music make the statement that they are
deliberately trying to be sexual.
“Sex is not only something not to be embarassed by,
but is something that belongs to the individual, and not to
the audience or society that sex is projected on,” Bordelon
said.
Female rappers’ music is influential and empowering
to so many, regardless of gender. They challenge the
industry and enforce the new wave of feminism through
their art.
“Female rap is empowering, regardless of gender,”
Lott said, “The defiance of patriarchy and social norms can
inspire and influence all listeners and serves as a testament
to how dedication and self-love can lead to insurmountable
success.”
Through their music, performance and overall image,
they reinforce the ideas that our bodies are our own, and
that is enough to be deserving of love and respect.
“These women have shown other aspiring female
rappers that there is room for them in the rap industry no
matter how different they may be from what seems to be
expected,” Billingsley said.
These artists promote self love and finding beauty
within yourself, to embrace your struggles and to learn
to grow with them. These women, as well as many other
rappers, are challenging and changing the stereotype of
how rap is supposed to be.
[54]
[55]

Concerts
Are Back
And COVID-19
Never Left
By Emie Garrett
Photographer/ Rebecca Martin
by Emie Garrett
The year was 2020, it was the start of a new
decade, and the stage was set for a stellar year in
entertainment.
Artists like Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Taylor
Swift and Justin Bieber were preparing to kick off
highly anticipated world tours. Lineups were out for
Coachella, Stagecoach, Bonnaroo and more. Robert
Pattinson shocked the world by unexpectedly taking on
the role of Batman. The 2020 Summer Olympics trials
were soon to be underway.
Then, in March 2020, the world seemingly stopped
turning.
As COVID-19 spread rapidly around the world,
the entertainment industry came to a screeching
halt. Music festivals and tours were cancelled, film
productions were put on indefinite hold and the
Olympics were postponed for the first time since World
War II.
It wasn’t just the lack of stadium tours and music
festivals that made live entertainment’s absence felt all
over the world. It was the empty sidewalks where street
performers once dwelled, the heavy silence filling
formerly boisterous dive bars and the empty music
halls where thunderous electric applause was now only
an echo.
Yet, now for the first time since the nation fell into
the COVID-19 pandemic, live music is reemerging.
Bars have reopened their doors, theaters and music
halls are once again brimming with exuberant crowds,
and local musicians and huge stars alike are venturing
back out in troves.
While many are giddy with glimpses of the music
world beginning to return to its former glory, complete
with packed venues and ringing ears, there is still a
dark, COVID-19 colored cloud hanging overhead.
The rapidly spreading Delta variant, dubbed by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “more
contagious than previous variants,” combined with
the struggle to disseminate accurate information
about COVID-19 vaccines, is threatening to upend the
progress that has been made toward returning to life
as it once was.
According to the CDC, there has been an alarming
increase in COVID-19 cases from June 2021 to July
2021, with the Delta variant being predominant.
Statistics in late June showed that the seven day
moving average of reported cases was around 12,000,
but approximately one month later, on July 27, the
seven day moving average of cases reached over
60,000.
Though seeing a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases
can be discouraging, there have been large-scale live
music events held in recent months that prove vigilance
is key to keeping the virus at bay.
On July 29, 2021, Chicago went ahead with its
massive Lollapalooza music festival despite fears that
the event would be a super-spreader of the virus.
There were an estimated 385,000 people in
attendance and many, now viral, drone photos show
tremendous crowds, shoulder-to-shoulder and
[56]
[57]

maskless.
These photos were rightfully met with criticism on
social media, but Chicago’s public health commissioner,
Allison Arwady tweeted, two weeks after the start of
the famous festival, “there have been no unexpected
findings at this point and NO evidence at this point
that of ‘super-spreader’ event or substantial impact to
Chicago’s COVID-19 epidemiology.”
To be allowed entry into the festival attendees
were required to show proof of vaccination or show
a negative COVID-19 test result within three days of
attending.
According to CBSNews, more than 90% of festival
guests were fully vaccinated with only 0.04% of
fully vaccinated attendees reporting that they tested
positive after the event, and 0.16% of unvaccinated
guests reporting they had contracted the virus since
attending.
Mia McKee, a first-year graduate student at the
University of Alabama, said she thinks that artists
and venues holding concerts are fine as long as proper
COVID-19 precautions are enforced.
McKee has attended one concert since the start of
the pandemic, and plans to see Harry Styles live at
Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena in October.
While she said the new COVID-19 strains make her
“a little anxious,” she is vaccinated and does her best to
stay distanced from people when in large crowds.
“I’m honestly not sure how I will combat [anxiousness
about new strains] at concerts, but I will definitely
bring a mask and keep my distance,” McKee said.
Matt Bryant, a Birmingham-based musician, booked
his first live show since the start of the pandemic two
weeks after being fully vaccinated.
Bryant said he’s “been trying to book more outdoor
shows” as well as booking at venues that require masks
or enforce COVID-19 safety measures.
“I know there are some venues where they just don’t
care. They just want to pack people out… but there are
some venues, like Saturn [in Birmingham], where they
are really pushing mask mandates,” Bryant said.
During the height of the pandemic Bryant, along with
many other artists, began performing on social media
live streams. While Bryant said that the live streams
were great for receiving immediate audience feedback
through the comment section that an artist wouldn’t
normally get insight on, he’s pumped to finally be back
in front of live audiences.
“Nothing compares to playing in front of a live
audience. … I’m just excited to play more shows in
front of people who have been starving for live music,”
Bryant said.
Simply peering into a bar or music hall on a weekend
night will prove just how ravenous people have been
for live music and for the electric atmosphere it elicits.
An atmosphere which cannot be replicated by a CD or
vinyl record.
Live music’s return has been much anticipated and
welcomed with open arms, but society cannot get ahead
of itself. The world is still in the midst of a pandemic,
and though, with the development and advancements
of the COVID vaccines, there is glowing hope that the
end of this nightmare is in sight, there is still a way to
go.
With vigilance, though, the world of sold out
concerts, music and arts festivals, packed theaters and
the ease of togetherness that was so sorely taken for
granted before 2020 is slowly but surely finding its way
back.
This pandemic acted as a thief in the night. Stealing
tight hugs and passionate kisses. Stealing riotous
nights out with friends and quiet mornings in that
coffee shop on the corner. Stealing those beloved more
than air itself.
Yes, this pandemic has stolen the priceless and
irreplaceable, but it cannot steal the magic that is live
music. Its ability to spark connection among strangers,
pry smiles out of the grumpiest and degenerate dance
moves never seen before. This power, the power of the
live music experience, is something that COVID-19 can
never take away. Not forever, anyway.
“I’m honestly not sure how
I will combat [anxiousness
about new strains]
at concerts, but I will
definitely bring a mask and
keep my distance”
The Wheelers shot at Red Shed
[58] [59]

[food & health]
Realities of the American
Diet
The Restaurant Industry:
Atmosphere, Culture and
the Power of Welcome
Tik Tok Toxicity
62
64
66
[photo story]
Womxn In Suits
69
[60]
[61]

Illustration/ Ella Smyth
Realities of the
American Diet
By Kalei Burgess
Two people may look at something under
a microscope and interpret it completely
differently. While one may take a glance and see
nothing abnormal, another might notice small
differences they interpret strangely.
Diet culture in the U.S. is one of those small
differences one might not consider part of the bigger
picture. However, an outside perspective is able to see
this aspect of daily life and notice how different it is
compared to the rest of the world. It’s an undeniable
truth that the diet and culture surrounding food
in the United States is considered harmful by
both consumers in the U.S. and those from other
countries. The familiar American cuisine consists of
cheeseburgers, french fries and other items that tend
to be deep-fried. While these foods are not inherently
bad and can be a delicious treat every so often, they
don’t provide the body with the nutrients it needs to
thrive.
Deniz Azarmanesh, assistant professor in the
Department of Human Nutrition at the University of
Alabama, said that the normalization of these overly
processed foods in American diet culture causes
more harm than good for an individual’s health.
“A typical American diet consists of highly
processed meats, sugary beverages, processed
carbohydrates, fried and high-fat foods and desserts
high in sugar,” Arzarmanesh said. “It is also very low
in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes, all
of which are high in antioxidants and beneficial for
health.”
When important food groups aren’t included in
a regular diet, the human body responds accordingly.
“When processed foods make up most
of one’s diet, it can lead to many health
conditions, as they can increase our blood
glucose and blood lipid–– fat–– levels, as
well as systemic inflammation. Inflammation
can damage our cells and blood vessels and
lead to many health conditions, such as
hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and cancer,”
Azarmanesh said.
Many processed foods tend to be more filling,
but they do not contain proper nutritional elements.
Maria Azrad, assistant professor at the University of
Alabama’s Department of Human Nutrition, warns
against the fillers in convenience foods that give
them a long shelf life.
“Most processed foods tend to be high in
sodium and/or added sugars. Excessive sodium
intake can lead to high blood pressure, and intake of
foods with high amounts of added sugars results in
excessive calories,” said Azrad. “The over-processing
of foods really leads to a reduction in the quality
of the food, so less vitamins, minerals and other
healthy nutrients. Having an unhealthy body weight
can significantly and negatively affect an acute viral
infection, as we see with COVID-19.”
Over-processed foods made their way into
American food culture as quick, convenient options
that were enjoyed as treats. As the average workday
became longer and daily life became more fast-paced,
people started relying more on these food options
and incorporating them into their weekly routines.
Lauren Cardon, Associate Professor of English
at the University of Alabama, teaches food culture
courses at the university. She identified the gradual
shift of collective preference of convenience food
and said American society as a whole has a much
different attitude about food in the last few decades
compared to the one’s previously.
“American culture tends to gravitate toward
more convenience and cost-effectiveness. When more
Americans could afford to purchase refrigerators
around the late 1940s, that meant a single dish could
last for a few meals––like a casserole––, and people
didn’t have to go grocery shopping every day,” said
Cardon. “The popularity of fast food beginning in
the 1950s and 1960s changed our relationship with
meals and with farming––eating was supposed to be
something you did quickly, without a lot of attention
to the quality or the source of your food.”
The widespread availability of processed foods
has led to competition in the restaurant industry.
Corporations are pressured to offer the most they
can, for the lowest price. This, coupled with older
mentalities about food from previous generations
that didn’t experience this convenience of food, has
led to increased portion sizes outside of restaurants.
“There’s a very American mentality that bigger
is better. If we can get a deal on a bigger meal, we feel
like we should take it even if we’re not hungry,” said
Cardon. “I know growing up there was an emphasis
on clearing my plate, a general tendency to keep
eating long after I was full. If we want more food,
faster and cheaper, we’re catering to a very particular
type of diet and an industrial food complex that
works to meet those needs.”
America’s food culture differs from that of
other countries. Cultures abroad view eating less as
something people have to do and more of a regular
part of daily life. When Cardon traveled to Ethiopia,
she said that the people she met were much more
involved in the process of creating what they ate.
“[A woman I met in Ethiopia] mentioned that
she spent about two hours in the morning making
coffee even though she had an Italian coffee maker,”
Cardon recalled, “This was something I saw in every
home and restaurant in Ethiopia, where coffee
service is like a ritual and the coffee is amazing. I
literally watched a woman light a fire in her living
room, roast and then grind her beans by hand. When
I asked my guide why she did it this way if she had
a machine that could do it in five minutes, she said,
‘That process and those smells are home to me.’”
In recent years, Americans have collectively
expressed a desire to change the way this culture
handles food. This is a challenge however, due to
how dependent Americans are on the industrial
farm complex. Especially in low-income areas, fresh
and nutritious food isn’t as available. Food deserts,
a region overwhelmed with fast food options but
lacking in grocery stores, play a big role in America’s
dietary choices. Fresh food also tends to be more
expensive, so processed foods are more financially
feasible when looking to keep households fed.
There are changes Americans can implement
depending on budget and locality. Cardon, for
example, cites farmers markets as an accessible way
to buy nutritious ingredients.
“Shopping at a farmer’s market is a way to
support local farmers and vendors––it’s also a way
to learn about what’s in season and where your food
is coming from,” Cardon recommended.
Azarmanesh stresses the importance of
forming goals as a stepping-stone.
“Make small changes,” said Azarmanesh. “Add
one more serving of fruit or non-starchy vegetable
to your daily intake and increase it slowly until you
meet the 5 servings a day recommendation. Try
swapping one animal-based protein for a vegetablebased
one. For example, add lentils or beans to your
burrito bowl, instead of red meat.”
For dietary guidance, Azar recommends
utilizing free resources. “One of the best places to
start is with the MyPlate program,” said Azar.
The recommendations are free and evidencebased
coming from the 2020-2025 US Dietary
Guidelines. Using the MyPlate website, individuals
can get an idea of what their dietary needs are and
a personalized dietary pattern based on their age,
gender, body weight and activity level.
The American diet has evolved into something
unhealthy and unable to sustain lifelong health.
Making small changes most feasible for your lifestyle
and thinking outside the collective U.S. mindset
surrounding food, can help individuals incorporate
good food into their daily life as it is meant to be a
way we power the body and mind.
[62]
[63]

As you step foot through the doors of your local goto
restaurant, the first and only thoughts that most
likely run through your mind follow along the lines of how
thrilled you are to eat or how delicious the food will taste.
As a guest in a restaurant, while you may have a simple
preference for whether you would rather sit inside under the
chandelier or on the patio by the stone water fountain, those
decisions are far less complex than the detailed thoughts
embedded within the minds of the designers that built the
restaurant from the ground up.
A few longtime industry employees shared their views
of exactly what makes a restaurant a fan favorite, even if the
customers themselves cannot quite put their finger on it. Chloe
Winter, who has been in the industry for three years now
said, “The truths behind the restaurant industry include three
aspects of the environment that are just as important as the
flavors of the food it serves: the type of atmosphere customers
find themselves in, how a variety of cultures are shared and
appreciated and the way in which individuals feel that they
belong in between the welcoming walls of the establishment.”
Whether the restaurant is a famous breakfast cafe by the
ocean or a cozy, family-friendly dinner spot in the city, these
contrasting environments prove the true significance of making
all kinds of atmospheres appeal to entering customers. When
it comes to the atmosphere of a restaurant, this can include
anything from allowing sunlight to creep inside through the
beautiful windows of the dining room, to choosing leather
chairs instead of wooden ones for a classier look.
Whatever decisions must be made to create the perfect
atmosphere in the minds and hearts of the designers, holds the
power to make a huge impact on a customer’s overall dining
experience.
According to Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts,
lighting and furniture were just two of the tools said to be
[64]
The Restaurant Industry:
Atmosphere, Culture, and the
Power of Welcome
By Bella Carpino
necessary to achieve an atmosphere that is key to the overall
success of a restaurant.
“Atmosphere is the product of dozens of little touches.
This is why restaurant owners need to begin with the end in
mind, to make sure each element is working together to create
the right vibe,” an Escoffier chef said.
In some cases, these touches may include paying for a
country band to play once a week to boost the western-style feel
of the restaurant or they may simply mean decorating to catch
the customer’s eye.
It’s all in the details. As for the restaurant atmosphere,
every detail matters, and every element of a restaurant has an
aim that represents just as much importance as the quality of
food being prepared.
Through working behind the scenes of a restaurant,
there is a true value put on expressing and valuing the diversity
of cultures through the food served. Dave Roberts,a restaurant
employee, said, “While working at a local dining restaurant
this past summer, I was introduced to a large variety of foods
originating from all over the world.”
These include the classic French dish, steak frites, which
includes a 10oz prime coulotte drenched in a flavorful sauce
with a side of crispy french fries, along with shrimp arrabiata
pizza, made with sauce originating from Rome, Italy.
With foods similar to these, being born in locations all
around the globe, customers are able to take a trip essentially,
and get a taste of the foods that represent the backgrounds of
all individuals. According to Vatika Sibal, an author for Wathi,
the significance and true symbolism of food is analyzed.
“Food is seen as more than just a means of survival.
According to Barthes, food is considered to be multidimensional,
as something that shapes us, our identities, and our cultures
and in the end, our society,” Sibal writes.
In the restaurant industry, there lies a great value
Photographer/ Grayson Byrd
associated with forming a relationship between culture and the
food served, as a way of illustrating social diversity portrayed in
food and its effect on individuals’ identities. When it comes to
tying culture into the restaurant industry, it not only becomes
something that keeps customers returning to dine-in, but also
something that brings human beings, as diverse as we are,
together.
According to Roberts, “The most important tool that
factors into creating a strong foundation for a successful
restaurant revolves around making customers feel welcomed
and right at home.”
He said, “In our restaurant, for example, our main focus
was to always direct our actions towards ‘not just telling the
customers they are welcome, but showing them.’ I was able
to carry out that motto by creating genuine relationships with
locals and allowing guests to sample food and beverages while
waiting for a table of their choice.”
According to Hospitality Net, the power of welcome is
clearly highlighted as a crucial ingredient in the restaurant
world.
“A welcome goes beyond words, it creates a feeling of
caring and gives a sense of pleasure. A sincere welcome reaches
out and positively pulls guests into the hospitality environment
they have chosen and makes guests feel like they have made a
good choice,” said Roberta Nedry, author for Hospitality Net.
A guest’s dining experience is largely impacted by their
sense of belonging within the restaurant, and therefore, making
the customers feel comfortable and appreciated is crucial to
shaping a restaurant’s overall environment.
Beyond the walls of your favorite restaurant lies a strong
“The most important tool that
factors into creating a strong
foundation for a successful
restaurant revolves around
making customers feel
welcomed and right at home.”
determination to create the perfect atmosphere, a secure
foundation for expressing cultures of all kinds and a drive to
make guests feel valued and at home. The truths behind the
restaurant industry are often overlooked, but as a whole,
they’ve served as a stable base for drawing individuals together
since the beginning of time.
[65]

Illustrations/ Wesley Picard
By Lizzie Bowen
The app TikTok came out in September 2016 and
has since skyrocketed into the phenomenon
that it is today. TikTok mainly started with dancing videos
but has turned into a collage of different genres, whether
it be politics, financial advice or a place for people to rant.
The highly edited versions people post of
themselves are far from realistic, leading many users to
feel as if the beauty standards on TikTok are unable to
be achieved. According to Park Nicollet Melrose Center,
these standards are affecting girls as young as twelve, and
the affected age range seems to be getting younger and
younger.
“Kids really can’t be kids these days.
The age of the preteen is slowly
becoming nonexistent.”
“Kids really can’t be kids these days. The age of
the preteen is slowly becoming non-existent. Stores like
Justice have gone out of business because young girls
are trying to grow up so quickly to look like the images
they are seeing on TikTok,” said Suzanne Brusser, early
education major at the University of Alabama.
The toxicity often comes from young people looking
at the images on their screen and feeling a need to
replicate them.
“Young girls are even learning the dances in addition
to trying to look like the people performing it,” Katarina
Miller, junior public health major at the University of
Alabama, said. “It is such an echo chamber.”
TikTok has adopted an edgelord sense of humor,
a polite way of saying bullying and harassment. Edgy
humor or dark humor, first started becoming a part of pop
culture around 2012 when social media began to grow.
The entire concept behind the edgy humor is to
allow mean and cruel comments to be passed off as funny.
Many of the comments left for the sake of edginess are
things that would never be said in real life. Hiding behind
a screen and speaking negatively of people’s
appearance, voice, demeanor, character,
friends, significant other, etc. is exceedingly
popular on TikTok.
“The comments on TikTok are
disgusting. There will be someone
complaining about being insecure and all
the comments are ‘good’ or ‘I would be too
if I looked like that.’ It is just a competition
of who can say the edgiest thing or be the
meanest there,” Whitney Lowery, senior anthropology
major at the University of Alabama, said.
One of the worst things about these comments
is that in the past, the commenters were attacking
professional influencers, but with TikTok, it is often every
day people who decide to post a TikTok that receive the
mean comments.
This is not to say influencers can better stomach
the cruel comments, but influencers are posting content
for money. Every day individuals in college are posting
on TikTok, working a nine to five job, receiving mean
comments on their posts and enduring them without any
sort of financial compensation.
“You get praised for coming up with something
exceptionally cruel and it’s just very trendy to act like that.
It is sort of an angry teenage angst,” Lowery said.
In general, kicking people while they are down or
insecure is a popular pastime on the internet, but especially
on the TikTok platform. Many have wondered what about
the platform has garnered this kind of specific audience,
but most think this is simply how teens and young adults
in this generation are learning to communicate with one
another, according to Youthopia, a news organization
initiative between Tribal Worldwide Singapore and the
National Youth Council.
“Right now our culture is very polarized because of
social media, but if you were face to face with this person
you would never say any of those things,” Brusser said.
TikTok is set up to encourage fast, addicting content
that adheres to scrolling for hours. It is similar to the
platform of Vine where users consume media and content
very quickly then move on.
“The main issue is it being a time waster and time
consumer. It is very addicting,” senior history major at
the University of Alabama, Samuel Andreeson, said.
The addiction is felt by many and is something
that leads many people to deleting the app because of the
amount of time spent on it. It can be very easy to spend
hours scrolling through TikTok and wasting an entire day.
It has turned to a sort of coping mechanism
for many teenagers and Gen Z.
“Being on TikTok takes you away
from the present. Lots of people spend
hours on TikTok because it’s addicting. It
takes you away from living your life and
puts you in this false world. I know some
people like it for beauty hacks, but a lot of
the stuff is very harmful,” Andreeson said.
Comparison can often be a thief of
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[67]

joy, and it runs rampant in social media. The age at which
children are subjected to this comparison also continues
to get younger and younger as technology advances.
“You compare yourself like, “why am I not as pretty?
Why am I not as famous” because of what you see.The
age gets earlier and earlier. Kids are getting phones at ten
now,” Brusser said.
Creating a false reality or different reality is often
what is done from one extreme to another. Many will post
only the best of the best on their accounts as a guise.
“Everyone goes through struggles, but that is never
on social media,” Brusser said.
With TikTok specifically, a different narrative has
been created. Many will post their problems, videos of
them crying and their worst moments, met with a variety
of opinions from strangers on the internet. This has
garnered an exceedingly toxic environment of a sort of
sadness competition.”
The victim mentality is one that is harboring a
variety of other issues. According to Psychology Today,
the amount of self diagnosing on TikTok is at an alltime
high. Teenagers and young adults are seeing certain
individuals struggling with a mental disorder then
deciding that they too have it. The self self-diagnosis that
is becoming increasingly popular amongst TikTok users
and therapists have begun to warn against it.
There is a lot of misinformation being spread on the
Internet in terms of mental health and diagnosis. It is a
lot of young adults and teenagers passing off their facts on
mental health as factual information. This misinformation
then circulates widely leading to misdiagnosis and self
diagnosis.
Many platforms have come and gone over the years,
but even after the apps disappear, their mark is still on the
digital world. To this day, Vine is still quoted despite its
termination in 2016. TikTok will leave a mark long after
it is gone and it is important to keep the mental health of
this next generation in check by practicing self awareness
against apps or sites that may exhibit toxic traits.
WOMXN
IN SUITS
Photographer/ Sarah Hartsell
[69]

Womxn In Suits
By Ta’Kyla Bates
A woman in a suit is power.
A woman in a suit is poise.
It’s intelligence, it’s beauty.
It’s a statement with lots of noise.
Simple at its best.
Innovative may I add.
A woman in a suit is glory.
Always turning heads,
like pages of a story.
A woman in a suit is the foundation.
With the world at her hands.
A woman in a suit is defined by captivation.
So please don’t misunderstand,
A woman in a suit is power.
[70]
[71]

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[72]