JULIA GRAY - Blog

Eric Timothy Carlson: From Symbol to Sculpture

8/17/2017

You might know him as the artist behind Bon Iver’s 22, A Million iconographic cover art, but Eric Timothy Carlson has been stretching symbols across mediums for years. Carlson regenerates images and artifacts from their initial state into interpretive drawings, paintings, sculptures, and digital pieces.

2 Apollo presents symbolic fragments from Carlson’s studio at 2 Apollo Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn where he lived and worked for three years. The autobiographical installation allows the viewer an intimate involvement with Carlson’s creative process and the origins of his work. His desk and bookshelves are positioned alongside framed drawings, knickknacks, and mementos, rendering an authentic studio environment and revealing the objects from which Carlson draws inspiration. Carlson’s symbol-based idea development is demonstrated by a large hanging collage featuring a sequence of planetary and solar eclipse-influenced imagery. A tie dye tapestry, a tangled gold chain, an old bucket, collected images, and a mobile built from found studio scraps further speak to his organic and personal practice.

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Ettore Sottsass: Design Radical

7/25/2017

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20th Century Italian architect and designer Ettore Sottsass defied the structure of his medium by fusing emotion and curiosity into commonplace objects. Curator Christian Larson fully demonstrates Sottsass’ eclectic practice with Ettore Sottsass: Design Radical, now on view at Met Breuer. A diverse collection of his multimedia work is presented in conversation with the objects and artifacts that influenced it, rendering an emotive experience. Stream-of-consciousness diary doodles complement Sottsass’ creations, while a dystopian film juxtaposes his whimsical design and evokes hopefulness despite political turmoil. The exhibit moves the viewer through Sottsass’ development: from function-first to concept-driven, modern to postmodern.

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Alex G Diversifies His Sadboy Sound

5/30/2017

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Singer-songwriter and Philly native Alex G embraces his DIY roots while showcasing a cohesive development in sound and concept on his eighth full-length release, Rocket. The album moves you through Alex G's musical and personal growth, engaging with usual sounds and subject matter. However, he uses his typical folksy riffs to introduce some atypical experimentation. His words draw circles around the human experience as he reflects on love, anxiety, and obsession, but the underlying story, as well as the noteworthy intrigue of the album, is realized in the exploratory musical practice taking place. As a whole, Rocket is unmistakably Alex G with his understated vocals, simple progressions, and genuine lyricism. But it is the bouts of restlessness, alternating between emotive indie and jumbled sonic expressionism, interspersed throughout the musical narrative, that make Rocket a standout album.

The first track features his signature brooding mumbles to the tune of a stylistically twangy piano-violin-banjo-acoustic guitar ensemble. He picks up the pace in “Proud” with his Elliott Smithly falsetto, poppy chord progression, and upbeat piano. “County” starts to delve into unfamiliar territory, featuring a soulful guitar solo joined with a whimsically sad organ, followed by the violin-carried duet, “Bobby”. With “Bobby”, Alex G polishes his traditionally lo-fi form with rich harmonies and sharp production.

“Witch” and “Horse” continue to call back on old Alex G, but with a fresh dose of abstraction; the acoustic guitar and keyboard play in frantic rhythm with a cavalcade of minor keys, obscure distortions, and eerie echoes, easing the album into its experimental phase. Ominous violins and muddled guitar strums lead us into “Brick”, a hardcore-influenced head-banger. He chants angsty lyrics like "I know that you're lying" over a fuzzy pulsating beat. “Sportstar” pays clear homage to Frank Ocean’s “Nikes”; After playing guitar on two of Ocean’s recent albums, the impact and appreciation can be traced throughout Rocket, but especially on this song. His auto-tuned voice perfectly mirrors Ocean’s on “Nikes”, not to mention the corresponding song titles. The next track, “Judge”, utilizes Alex G’s classic melodic patterns and folk-driven instrumentation, but his subtly pitched-down voice adds a layer of complexity and detachment from his earlier work.

The title track, “Rocket”, revisits the banjo to signify a regression, substantiated by the next song, “Powerful Man”, a folksy number about difficult family life, a subject that he has focused on in previous work. “Alina” and “Big Fish” expand on old themes and tunes with alluringly drawn-out vocals and hypnotic repetition. “Guilty” closes the album on a note that I can only describe as “hesitantly optimistic”. The rhythm is upbeat, the jazz interlude is funky, but there is an inescapable feeling of emptiness left with the listener. The paranoid sentiment juxtaposes the buoyant composition; he sings, "have you buried all the evidence of what you used to be?" Alex G rounds off Rocket the same way he started: collaborative instrumentals, solemn undertones, and vague yet biting lyrics. The circuitous nature of Rocket functions as a loose autobiography, treading familiar ground with some memorable twists in the road.

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The Man, The Myth, The Meme

4/19/2017

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The baby is back with More Life, fusing old-school sad-boy, banger-oriented Drake with his newer Grime and South African influences. Following VIEWS was an easy feat, it being less of a cohesive album and more of a drawn-out diary entry. The popularity of the song “One Dance” and the mediocre album as a whole has solidified the notion that we will take whatever Drake gives, and we will like it. We will pretend that Drake understands us. We will memeify and idolize Drake until he is no longer a man, but a (6)God, granting the humble plebeians with his voice and devilish good looks. This is why I didn’t expect much from More Life.

To my surprise, the album read as a polished continuation of VIEWS. Drake did his homework on this one instead of blindly throwing out Caribbean references and sounds. More Life is filled with club jams while still upholding his classic emotional transparency. The mix is somewhat clustered which grants its appeal to the single-hungry rap game. His inclusion of phone calls from his mother and anonymous women screams old Drake, but the freedom from the rejection of a typical album in favor of a playlist-model exposed a (relatively) carefree Drake that we haven’t since If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.

With More Life, Drake cultivates a more collaborative practice, using this album to highlight insanely deserving, albeit lesser known talent like young British artist Jorja Smith, South African House producer Black Coffee, London rapper Giggs, Grime-god Skepta, and soulful Sampha. Kanye West takes the reigns on “Glow”, and Young Thug does the same with “Ice Melts”. Skepta, Giggs, and Black Coffee’s features certainly help with Drake’s credibility in producing Grime and South African House-inspired tunes. That being said, using these talented artists in the hopes of legitimizing himself is kind of like saying “guys I’m not racist, my best friend is black”. More thoughtless slang and cultural references span from Dubai to the Caribbean. But at this point, his feigned accent and dialect seems more like a nervous tick than intended cultural appropriation.

Drake writes lyrics that are simultaneously self-aware and clueless. I couldn’t help but laugh at “I don’t take naps. Me and the money are way too attached to go and do that” in the song “Gyalchester”, which I might add is a nickname for Manchester, Jamaica, where I’m sure Drake visited twice and just ‘fell in love with the energy’. Other self-unaware lyrics include boasting over his bodyguard’s arrest in “No Long Talk”, and who could forget “taller in person, you’ll see when we meet” in “KMT”.

The subject matter on this album is good old-fashioned Drake if I’ve ever heard it. We seem to forget that he’s been instilling this image of himself from the beginning as an Applebee’s-regular-turned-mink-wearing-icon. Each album is more impressed with itself than the former. From “Under Ground Kings” to “Started From The Bottom” and now with “Free Smoke”, Drake won’t let us forget his roots. But with no musical proof of said roots, the question of its validity arises. At roughly an hour and a half, More Life is hard to get through in one sitting. But given our typically sporadic consumption of music and media, this was a wise move. Drake gave us a medley of slow jams and upbeat pregame music, and for that, we thank him.

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Penn State, I Love You But You're Making Me Fat

2/20/2017

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Penn State brings academically competent, socially adept individuals together to parse through the front end of adulthood. My initial immersion had me convinced that Penn State was my Mecca. I had a solid group of best friends, my classes were interesting, I met the first smart guy I had ever spoken to, I lost 15 pounds, my Twitter game was on fire. Fast-forward three years and 10 pounds to me eating a full pizza surrounded by my own filth. Penn State's fresh appeal had gone stale. My apartment building felt (and smelled) like a nursing home for college students. The residents embodied a different kind of assisted living: one catered to by entitlement and parental funding. The residents were fully capable of washing themselves, but they didn't feel the need to, hence the smell. Penn State's hygiene and dress standard is one step above full-on caveman. Showers are few and far between typically due to heavy courseloads, alcoholism, gym rat lifestyles or what I like to call State-induced apathy, brought on by the mind-numbing monotony that is State College. The undead student body's weekday uniform varies from athletic attire to pajama wear, complete with 5k t-shirts from ten years ago, lululemons and basketball shorts (yes, people still wear those). On the weekend you can find countless flannel-clad, white converse wearing frat girls joined by their team jersey sporting coeds. Central Pennsylvania isn't exactly known for its vibrant culture, so students entertain themselves by blacking out in backyards, blacking out on porches and blacking out at bars.

New York City joins people from all different backgrounds to explore opportunities and struggle to pay rent. New Yorkers ooze this sense of motivation and purpose. It's in the way they walk, dress, talk. In my short time here I've made my bed more than I did collectively throughout my 3 years at Penn State. The cavalcade of art exhibits and movie showings and community events makes it impossible to remain uninspired. After romanticizing the city for years, my infatuation only grows as I settle into my life here. Leaving Penn State for the semester has energized me and given me some perspective on my school. There is a lot to love about Penn State: it's an excellent academic institution and its Greek life, clubs and athletics provide a bubble for camaraderie and fun. But, from this distance, I can't say I will miss the prevailing boozy, bougie culture.

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Joan Rivers Is Dead, and We Have Killed Her

2/9/2017

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What do Friedrich Nietszche and Joan Rivers have in common? Not much, but their provocative criticisms carry influential weight in philosophy and fashion respectively. When Nietszche wrote "God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him", he was referring to the abandonment of religion as a source of morality. So, what does the high priestess of fashion commentary, Joan Rivers, have to do with this conversation about God? Like God, (at least the Old Testament God), Joan Rivers put a critical eye on all of our physical accoutrements and laughed at us. She did this, of course, with a wink, nod and arched eyebrow of self-knowledge as she herself was adorned in gold, diamonds and other precious finery. So while I'm not going to dig too deep into what's going on inside us as Nietzsche might, I am going to talk a little bit about what we do with our exterior.

I don't completely embrace Joan Rivers sarcastic, and often offensive, view of the world, but I will say this: when Joan Rivers died, the brash, critical yet playful review of fashion went with her. I don't very well see Refinery29 or Vogue writing "it looked as if she had a terrible yeast infection and she was trying to air it out" about Angelina Jolie's leggy 2013 Oscars dress. While a lot of Rivers' commentary can be correctly deemed derogatory, it was boundary-pushing and over-the-top, thus allowing her to successfully drop seriousness at the door. I hope to embody Rivers' cheeky style as I review collections and collaborations that stood out to me this season.

Vetements

I have a few questions for Vetements. You know your "Ready-to-Wear Spring 2017" collection? Yeah that one. What, pray-tell, makes you think that anyone is ready to wear this?

Okay, Vetements, I get it. I think. Casual-couture, abstract shapes, embracing the athleisure craze. Maybe you're even poking fun at said craze or rejecting the ready-to-wear-ness of typical Ready-to-Wear collections, I don't know. But I do know your collection is serving up major "I slept over at my friend's house in last night's clothes and am borrowing his/her sweats to walk home" vibes, and I hope that's on purpose-- but then again, I don't see my friends lending me any $1000 hoodies.

You do this a lot, Vetements; sell ridiculous garments to the richest of trend-mongers, who will proceed to rid their closets of the item once your new line comes out. You, my friends, are trend pushers. And I've got to hand it to you, it's working. I'll admit: I was tickled by your collaborating with Juicy Couture for the line. I reflected fondly (albeit horrified) on the countless Juicy jackets from my youth. Good move, capitalizing on millennial nostalgia and the formerly mentioned athleisure craze. It's true, that Juicy velour jumpsuit is right up my alley, and in an alternate universe where I have disposable income and the planet has boundless resources, I would buy it. And maybe a pair of your 90's-goth-core baggy pants, too.

But in this specific region of the space-time continuum, I'm only into this line in the way that I'm into Kylie Jenner--a self-loathing kind of "into it". In a similar vein to my wearing Juicy Couture jackets from 8th grade and calling it ironic or Retro JAP. See, Vetements, Juicy was MY thing. And you took that from me and put it on Kylie Jenner. And for that, I will never forgive you.

Louis Vuitton x Supreme Collab

I had a feeling Louis Vuitton was going commercial when they had that Snapchat filter during the holidays, but I never expected anything like this. Louis has made its full transformation into meme-ified hypebeast. This collection is tacky. Plain and simple, or in this case, irritating and tasteless. NYMag dubbed it "This season's most brilliant troll". I guess Louis Vuitton figured out the once-classic LV prints and checkered totes worn by sorority girls and rich MILFs alike have turned into a participation trophy for the wealthy (I have all this money, but I'm still basic) and wanted to up its cool factor. But they ended up trading one trophy for another. The red Supreme logo bags from the new collection are pure Instagram candy, along with the rest of the line. They might as well print "For every dollar you spend on Supreme x LV merch you receive 10 new followers and 100 likes" on the tag. One might notice a clear trend here: high end brands marrying their style with more casual companies (see above: Vetements) to come across as #relatable. Pour one out for LV.

miu miu resort 2017

Let me start by saying the concept of having a whole line dedicated to "resort wear" is the most bougie I've ever heard of. That being said, I would kill to attend whatever resort Miu Miu envisioned with this funkadelic collection. These multi-pattern pieces look like Clueless meets Magic School Bus couture, keeping with the nostalgia trend that has been taking over the runway. Rainbow bead necklaces and bedazzled bucket hats accompany the 80's/90's inspired looks. The playful rejection of subtlety could have been misconstrued, but Miu Miu pulled it off elegantly. Adoration aside, I'll speak for Joan Rivers and acknowledge that some of these garments could pass as very expensive scrubs or pajamas.

The fashion industry has been long dedicated to using their voice as a tool for shifting social norms and breaking the "rules". A comedically critical voice could be just what fashion needs in order to enact real change, not black-model-wearing-vegan-sweater change.

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The Golden Globes: a faux-pas breeding ground

1/8/2017

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I'm a sucker for award shows: the red carpet looks, Jimmy Fallon's unfunny musical numbers that they keep letting him do, finding out if my opinions are shared by the Hollywood big wigs. My hype and the hype of faceless internet trolls keep the Golden Globes relevant for weeks after the aired event (lucky for procrastination-prone bloggers like me). Donald Glover gave a shout-out to the song "Bad and Boujee" by Migos during his acceptance speech, pushing it to the number one spot on Billboard's Top 100. Meryl Streep caused a political upheaval for slamming Trump's shameful behavior. Say what you will about the film industry's entrenched crony-system, the fact that these award shows get people talking and expose cinematic and cultural excellence and diversity to the masses is enough to prove its benefit. The Golden Globes' widespread popularity facilitates communication and connection, especially given Hollywood's recent efforts to include underrepresented groups such as transgender people (with shows like Transparent) and the black community (with shows like Black-ish, Insecure and Atlanta). Given the huge audience, the award is a perfect platform for putting the spotlight on controversy.

Utilizing this space, Meryl Streep did us all a favor and spoke to the bright orange elephant in the room. She encouraged journalists and entertainers to take action in supporting the arts and freedom of expression. Unsurpisingly, Donald Trump received her verbal subtweet and responded, of course, on Twitter, attacking Streep's career as an actress.

Streep's rallying cry was well-received by a large portion of surveyed attendees. “This is what Hollywood kind of should be,” Insecure's Issa Rae said to The New York Times. “She’s surpassed strictly being a performance artist and now is an artist of social change." According to The Los Angeles Times, Mr. Robot's Rami Malek said “In a weird way, she’s our president.” But not everyone was as enthusiastic; several nervous Hollywood heads questioned her bold move, finding the award show an inappropriate forum. No one, however, should have been surprised by Streep: the film and entertainment industry has long been considered a sturdy fortress of liberalism. In the past, during times of political distress, popular entertainers have used their award acceptance speeches as an opportunity to speak about the political climate. Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, and Sally Field all gave forceful and often lengthy narratives responding to current events.

Streep carries on a grand tradition of outspokenness among Hollywood elite while motivating young journalists and entertainers. During a time in which free speech is simultaneously ubiquitous and shunned, a positive and inclusive guiding voice is crucial. As Streep suggested, this can be accomplished through art and entertainment. Possible next steps: let lead actresses gain ten pounds.

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Cultural Gems of 2016

1/1/2017

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A year of tragedy and turmoil, 2016 exposed the faux progress touted by modern America and made its spokesman President. 2016 had us question what was real and what was meme. Internet culture disciples have deemed it the "worst year ever". While I find this title ill-informed and hyperbolic, I'll admit, 2016 wasn't one of our best years. Despite the disastrous events of 2016 and our news cycle's careless, inescapable coverage of it all, we managed to find comfort in culture. When politics failed us, art helped us heal. Here are some of my personal favorites:

1. Anomalisa (Film)
Director Charlie Kaufman (screenwriter of Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) did not disappoint with this incredibly human claymation masterpiece. Slightly disturbing, Anomalisa comments on depression, the fragility of love and the loneliness of the human condition. The most honest performance I watched all year, ironically enough, came from a puppet having a midlife crisis. I can confidently say I've never seen anything like it.

2. Freetown Sound by Blood Orange (Album)
This album was a textbook game changer. Dev Hynes (Blood Orange) talks about black culture, using different voices to shed light on the underrepresented and avoid a single story narrative. He samples African-American author Ta-Nehisi Coates speaking about how even the smallest conflicts, like deciding what to wear, is a racial concern. He also samples poet Ashlee Haze speaking about black femininity. An ethereal tone carries the listener through the album and leaves them with a pure sense of beauty despite the madness and strife Hynes discloses.

3. On Radical Softness by Lora Mathis (Poetry, blog posts, etc.)
Poet/Artist/Magical Being Lora Mathis came to my attention this year at the most perfect time, at a time in which my autonomy and the independence of people everywhere was in question. Mathis' work focuses on the unique feminine experience and explores it from the inside-out. The Radical Softness series consists of words and photographs with the shared notion of "radical softness as a weapon". Mathis encourages readers to embrace vulnerability and use self-care as an act of resistance. Mathis quotes Audre Lorde: "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare."

4. Hood By Air PornHub Collab (Fashion)
For their 2017 Spring/Summer collection, Hood By Air gave New York Fashion Week a shock paired with a harsh taste of reality. Hood By Air founder Shayne Oliver spoke to the "trend...not wanting to collaborate with clothing companies, but to collaborate with businesses that had liberal ideas and spirits" and took it to the extreme with PornHub's apparent rejection of conservativism and widespread popularity/recognition: Models were coated in Vaseline for the show titled "Handkerchief", and sported the Pornhub logo; the word "Wench" was boldly featured on the brand-typical streetwear. This collection served as a refreshing interruption of the monotonous fashion world and an arched eyebrow at the sell-out sponsorship trend undermining respected fashion brands.

5. Zootopia (Film)
Okay, hear me out: ZOOTOPIA ENDED PREJUDICE. That's obviously not true, but this children's movie highlighted the stereotyping and discrimination that runs rampant in our modern society. For both children and adults, it taught an important, enlightening lesson about prejudice. Zootopia presented a "good cop, bad cop" dichotomy in the form of a zealous little bunny rabbit and a mischeivous fox, and flipped it to disprove their preconceived labels ("Dumb Bunny" and "Sly Fox"). It was a well-done, charming flick that touched on an unavoidable socio-political issue.

6. Guerrilla Girls (Art/Activism)
2016 was an eventful year for the feminist artist-activists. This year Guerrilla Girls had a shared exhibit with Andy Warhol at Tate Modern that compared their visual languages, themes and societal aims. "Guerrilla Girls: Is it Even Worse in Europe?" appeared in London's Whitechapel Gallery which critically explored diversity among European art organizations. Their work was also displayed this year at Museum Ludwig, Walker Art Center and Baltimore Museum of Art. In addition to broadening exposure, their main focus this year was on promoting equality within the art sphere. As a feminist, a female artist (sort of) and a supporter of an inclusive art world, Guerrilla Girls' work inspires and motivates me to take an active role in promoting equality both within and outside of the arts sphere.

7. The United States of Anxiety (Podcast)
This podcast functioned as a series of timely responses to our election-related worries. While it couldn't fix our country's unfortunate fate, USA offered some comfort and relief from the ubiquitous news cycle by providing listeners with no-BS, unbiased information within relevant context. The show emulates poltical progressiveness by examining and giving voice to the left, right and everything in between. I anxiously (ha ha) awaited this show every week for some much needed clarity during the election, and after the disappointing turnout, USA was there to console me with a post-election night episode.

8. Pierre Paulin (Exhibit)
The Pierre Paulin exhibit at Centre Pompidou is a must-include on this list. I traveled to Paris this past summer shortly after the Nice Bastille Day attack. As anxiety will have it, I was on edge from the moment I arrived in France until I set butt on Pierre Paulin's ergonomically enchanting Ribbon Chair. The Ribbon Chair inspired a playfulness in those lucky enough to sit in its whimsical embrace. The Ribbon Chair along with its equally intriguing siblings (Tongue Chair, Orange Slice Chair, Mushroom Chair and more) made the Pierre Paulin exhibit an engaging, immersive art experience, something I hope to see more of in 2017.

9. At the Existentialist Café by Sarah Bakewell (Book)
Bakewell communicates a unique and accessible account of Existentialism in her most recent book. She works off of the premise "Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and Raymond Aron walk into a bar..." to emphasize Existentialism's timeless pertinence and underscore its attention to free will. Existentialism encourages questioning our choices and the society that attempts to govern those choices. I can think of no better time to hone in on individual free will than our current political climate.

10. Atlanta (TV Show)
See previous post ("Atlanta") in which I geek over Donald Glover's made-for-TV masterpiece. Glover challenges racially-driven television tropes and the stereotypes that carry over. More than just a show about race, "Atlanta" is about humanity and its embedded struggles. The show utilizes its featured city as more of an active character than a setting to connect each character's experience and weave them together to form a cohesive story while conveying varying perspectives. Every frame in "Atlanta" could function as a stand-alone work of art, lending to a surreal feel.

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Christmas: Sponsored by Michael Buble

12/24/2016

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Truer words were never spoken than those of The Office's Michael Scott on Christmas: "Presents are the best way to show someone how much your care. It is like this tangible thing that can point and say, 'hey man, I love you this many dollars-worth". Christmas is a special time of year that brings out the ravenous consumer in all of us: we are lulled by omnipresent holiday melodies and assaulted by flashy commercials until there is no choice but to wave the white flag (or gold card, in this case). Christmas is when you give up your focus and your diet to the all mighty Capitalist Hypnotist: mass media. Widespread consumerism makes it a dangerous time of year. The average American plans to spend around $929-1000 in Christmas-related endeavors, and the number continues to increase each year (with 2015 at @ $830). On top of wasting money, the holiday season gives way to wasted resources. Behind the all-consuming consumer-driven multi-media backdrop of today's Christmas --presented, of course, as the force responsible for maintaining it's "magic" -- is the forgotten or possibly rejected traditional sources of Christmas cheer, (i.e., meaningful family time, helping those in need, community and religious gatherings). Instead, for example, of numbly watching a slew of football games and Christmas movies from the 90s that aren't getting any better, school your racist grandma, or entertain your tween cousin by asking about all the hot middle school gossip. Enjoy the holiday feasts and boozy luncheons, but take your leftovers to a shelter. Additionally, a more ethical Christmas could involve something as simple as wrapping gifts in newspaper, giving second-hand or locally made presents, and/or turning off your outdoor and indoor tree lights when you go to bed. Speaking of trees, real Christmas trees are more environmentally friendly than fake ones. So let the scent of pine and cookies enthrall you, sing along with ubiquitous Christmas music, but don't use this winter wonderland as a scapegoat for your excessive consumer habits.

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A bit on postmodern fashion / A Small Rant on a Big Topic

11/29/2016

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The postmodern fashion landscape leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Some take postmodernism as post-practical, adorning small-and-stiff one-wear couture. Others take the opposite, comfort-first approach, abandoning antiquated figure-contorting attire and opting for shapeless shifts or elastic waists and stretch material. I don't care for either extreme. What I would like to see in post modern fashion is a true sense of reality and an encouragement of individual style as the norm. An ideal postmodern fashion world would take this cue to move past a body-centric ideology and allow personal expression and choice to flourish. This, of course, is not the current climate. No, there is a confluence of factors working against our fashion freedom.

Currently, the media is saturated with images of impossible "should-be"s and sells fashion -- including, clothing, make-up, hair products --as the solution. The media, energized and supported by the Capitalist state, is pushing its agenda on our bodies. Yes, I often like a new shiny lipstick, a wild pink hair color or a pair of impractical shoes, but I also want to feel really good about my lips in their natural state and color, and I don't always want to feel that if I don't have the latest and greatest then I'm not the greatest. The media and the purveyors of products, trends and fashion are engorged and supported by the capitalist notion that you can't have enough stuff and, therefore, you have to keep getting stuff AND, that you need the media and those it supports to tell you what you need. Basically, they've taken up all of the airspace. Societal ills like capitalism and cultural appropriation play out on women's bodies, masked as "boxer" braids and Kylie Lip Kits. With this in mind, let us attempt to use fashion as an opposing force. Let us be resistant, rather than subservient, to the politics thrust upon our bodies. That means no more "aztec" patterns or fashion bindis. It also means no more Forever 21 topical graphic tees you'll throw away in a month.

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