Untitled

What does it mean to look feminine? Traditionally in Western societies visible signs of femininity have been long hair, the use of makeup to beautify the face, wearing dresses and skirts, among many other visible signifiers. Anyone who does not fit into this vision of what a woman ought to look like is deemed masculine and must be rejecting their femininity. After all, why would a woman not want to look like a woman? She must want to be a man, in that case. She must want to attract lesbians to her because only lesbians would be attracted to such a masculine appearance in another woman. Men aren’t going to want her if she isn’t feminine enough. She isn’t going to get the jobs she might usually be able to get if she looked more like a woman should. She’s not a real woman.   These may sound like ridiculous assumptions, but I assure you these sentiments are pervasive and entrenched in American society, even today as we begin to more readily accept the gender spectrum. I know this is true because some of these statements were lobbed at me by other people who don’t know me very well. I have been mistaken for a man and called “sir” or “the guy in charge.” Even some of my family members actively try to get me to look more “feminine” as they say. Since I started to exercise my right to decide my appearance, I have been made to feel as though I was rebellious and unacceptable as a woman.   [caption id="attachment_9608" align="alignright" width="240"] Photographed by LuAnne DeMeo.[/caption][caption id="attachment_9609" align="alignnone" width="240"] Photographed by LuAnne DeMeo.[/caption]   But what are femininity and masculinity in the first place? In the “Encyclopedia of Sociology,” Peter J. Burke and Jan E. Stets from the Department of Sociology at Washington State University wrote in their paper “Femininity/Masculinity” that: “Femininity and masculinity are rooted in the social (one's gender) rather than the biological (one's sex).”   Essentially, this means that the ideas of femininity and masculinity are social constructs within our own gender identity, which is also a social construct. Neither have any biological basis to reference, only the views of human beings and their personal social development. There is no exact definition. There is only a spectrum along which we can live if we so choose to as individuals. People define the feminine and masculine qualities in themselves just like they define their own gender.   Trying to force women and men into restrictive boxes of femininity and masculinity is wrong. No one has the right to tell you who or what you are. Every person is the singular captain of their identity and can change course at will. My shaved head and disdain for makeup doesn’t make me any less of a woman. Just because I wear jeans and a T-shirt most of the time doesn’t mean I want to biologically become a male. My idea of what looks good on me is simply what makes me, personally as a woman, feel good about myself. Short hair, a clean-cut blazer, jeans and Adidas is my type of femininity. As singer India Arie said, “I am not my hair. I am not this skin. I am the soul that lives within.”   Instead of judging others and trying to impose your definitions on them, consider what’s inside of you that makes it so unacceptable. Maybe instead of getting mad at me for being free with my brand of femininity, you should exercise some freedom of your own.

  It’s one thing to be inspired by another’s work. It’s another to capitalize on a popular and familiar sound for your own gain. Perhaps money is the root of all evil if artists like Pretty Lights are still able to release unique music, sampled sounds and all, even for free on the internet.

I can count on one hand how often I’ve spent time getting know my new neighbors over the first three months I had been living at my current address. I count a sum total of not at all. Before round two of the “Snowpocalypse” in February, I didn’t know anyone on my street. Sure, I wave to a few people in passing in the mornings. However, that doesn’t equate to “knowing” my neighbors. I’m busy with my own life and responsibilities after all. I don’t have the luxury of spare time. But, when you’re isolated in your neighborhood due to ice- and snow-packed roads? Well, you have nothing but spare time. This is how my family and I came to be more acquainted with another family, our neighbors, across the street. They consisted of a mother, a father and a 10-year-old daughter. It all started with the daughter and her mother coming over to introduce themselves to us when they saw my sisters and I playing in the snow. Once the mother had introduced herself to my mother and I first, the daughter went on to play with my two younger sisters. Meanwhile, we three adults talked. We started with the weather and drifted into where we were all from. The neighbors were originally from Iran and we’re California grown. Of course, this then launched us all into an exchange of thoughts on different kinds of food. Turns out we were all foodies. Interestingly, the mother told us how they didn’t eat lamb in the States because it tasted weird compared to the lamb back home. None of us had anywhere pressing to go, possibly for once in months. It was chilly, but the sun was out and the company was pleasant. We shared banana smoothies. The kids frolicked in the snow with the local stray cat. I feverishly built a snow penguin before it all melted, then face-planted in the snow in an attempt to snowboard down the hill on a cardboard box. And to top it off, we had a rousing neighborhood snowball war. Overall, it was one of the most pleasant days I’ve had in quite a long time. During the first snow and ice storm, there seemed to be more calamities, due to poor planning by the counties and the state alike, and plenty of finger-pointing. It was popularly called across the Internet “The Day We Lost Atlanta.” I would venture to say that the second time around it was “The Day We Found Each Other.” Not only did I spend more time with my family — aside from watching television semi-together at dinner — I also spent time outside with them actively and with our neighbors as well. As horribly inconvenient as all the weather phenomena have been, I admit that they are necessary. We can become so wrapped up in our own routines, our own little dramas, that we completely disconnect from each other, we lose sight of what we’re doing it all for. We work to make money in order to have a home for our families in a nice enough community. But if we don’t take the time to slow down and enjoy each other’s company, then it isn’t much of a home is it? It isn’t much of a community. What merit does constantly grinding have if we can’t pause to enjoy the fruits of it? Snow sucks. Winter better not be coming again! This weather is not compatible in the long-term with my Californian blood. But I have to give snow some props. It facilitated some quality time with my family and our little community.

Originally published October 14, 2014 by The Connector. Knock knock … Knock knock knock … BANG BANG BANG! “Who’s there?” “You owe us $187 for the washer and dryer. You need to pay now!” “My check hasn’t come in yet and I made arrangements over the phone already.” “Why can’t you just pay what you owe us? You need to pay up or we’re going to repossess them!” I’ve counted it. Eight incessant phone calls over the course of fours days and 15 disrespectful, obnoxious bangs on the front door at 10:00 a.m. on a Saturday. That’s the amount of time it can take for you, a human being of worth that deserves respect, to devolve in the eyes of another. You are undeserving of common courtesy all because you’re unable to pay a bill on time. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do. It doesn’t matter what your individual situation is that prevented you from paying on time. In the eyes of a company, your worthiness of respect is predicated on how much money you have to pay your bills — and it shouldn’t be. We can discuss all the ways to avoid debt and how to create a budget so you’re able to pay your bills properly until we’re blue in the face. However, it’s simply a fact of life that you can’t control everything and the unforeseen happens more often than not. One would think everyone knows and understands this. And, therefore, would have more compassion towards people experiencing temporary financial hardships. Crap happens, whether you’re ready for it or not, and suddenly you’re missing three days’ worth of money from your payroll check because you were out sick from work. Now you’re short on cash for a bill you need to pay, for which you do the responsible thing. You tell the servicing company the situation and try to make arrangements, but they’re being just plain rude with you — as if you’re intentionally trying to not pay them. For three weeks, my cell phone service and gas service at home were suspended for non-payment because of a very similar situation in my life. That means my family and I were without hot water and means of mobile communication (or my Kairosoft games). Thankfully, neither Sprint nor TrueGas harassed me to death over the money we owed which was nearly $600 for Sprint and $150 for gas. I called once to simply explain to them what was going on, what I could do, when I expected to be able to pay — and they were fine with it. They spoke with me appropriately and even thanked me for the several years I’ve been using their services. I can’t say I’ve had the same experience with other bills I owed this summer. But when I had the cash, I paid everyone immediately. Not everyone is trying to get over on the system or disrespect it. Not everyone is looking for a handout. There are indeed people who want to earn an honest living, pay their bills and just be financially secure. No one has the right to disrespect or belittle you just because you’re going through a financial hardship. You have a right to retain your dignity and be given quality customer service even when unfortunate circumstances befall you. So calm down, Mister Bill Man. There are laws like The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act that state you can’t harass or abuse me like this. Sometimes we simply have a situation and we really are going to pay you as soon as we have it. You will have your money. What more do you want? Blood from a rock? Should we all go rob banks to pay you on time? But no sir, what you will not do is treat us like dogs over your measly bill. People are slaughtering innocents in other countries and you’re trying to nail me to the cross like a criminal over some dollar bills? This is a person on the other side of the phone you’re talking to, trying to be responsible and live an honest life in these turbulent times. I deserve proper respect just as much as anyone else, just as much as the guy with a fat wallet overflowing with dividends.

This is the culture, or lack of culture, that is being set up for future generations to use as a basis for their adult lives. Fairy tales aren’t realistic in our world, but neither are “Real Housewives of Atlanta” and “Mortal Instruments.” At least fairy tales are innocent and entertaining enough in presentation to deliver morals and ethics to young minds. In an era of school shootings, stabbings due to romantic rejections, etc., I’d say we could use some more innocence. So to my animators and film/television majors, take care when you create for an audience of children. What is the culture, what are the messages, you want to pass on to the future? Because it absolutely matters.

 So, if you’ve been on the fence about whether or not you want to risk disappointment with STARZ’s “Black Sails,” I highly recommend that you give this a go. Thus far it does not seem to be a fluke that Michael Bay is involved with this series as executive producer. The quality of the storytelling and character development is maintaining a course towards greatness as the episodes unfold. What I do not highly recommend is that you watch this show with your family. Kermit the Frog is not here, nor is Miss Piggy — and that’s okay. Ahoy! Boobs on the horizon!

I’m going to write a book with these stories in it. It’s going to be called “Arielle’s Fables: Modern Moral Stories for They Who Give In to Temptation.” The moral of the story, kids, is to eat your damn squash and be satisfied.

  A great example would be this very article. I started this in an entirely different way the first time around. As I read it aloud to myself, I wasn’t pleased with it and I scrapped it. I started all over again from the top because what I had wasn’t the best I could do. Now I have something that I’m proud of — that I can say I put my all into. And if I can touch at least one person with these words, I’d say that’d be the cherry on top.

Originally published February 19, 2014 by The Connector. “I love everything Frederator! I’ve loved Cartoon Network since I was a kid,” said Jeremy Jiovonni, an M.F.A. advertising student. In the room designated “Stage 2” in the new SCADshow theater, Jiovonni was looking forward to seeing the screening of Cartoon Network and Adult Swim’s show premieres that evening at aTVfest. Fred Seibert, the founder of Frederator Studios, was to hold a discussion panel afterwards as well. Seibert was the man responsible for bringing “Dexter’s Laboratory,” “Johnny Bravo” and “Adventure Time” to television sets across the country on Cartoon Network, as well as “The Fairly Oddparents” on Nickelodeon. The audience consisted mainly of students, with their book bags in tow, chattering excitedly before the screenings began. A few students snapped pictures with their phones for the memory. The response was full of laughter at the comedic cartoon shows that played one after the other during the screening portion. There were full episodes of “Adventure Time,” “Regular Show,” “Uncle Grandpa” and “Rick & Morty.” Immediately following they were treated to a reel of shows that Frederator Studios have produced on television and on their YouTube channel, Channel Frederator. When Seibert took the stage, he was greeted with great applause before host Jefferson Graham started things off. Seibert told of the direction he was taking Frederator Studios with the new YouTube network of channels to which budding animators could connect to online. He regaled the audience with stories of how he came to green-light some of the most popular shows that are watched today. Initially, he had said “no” to “Adventure Time” when it was pitched to him. “I said, ‘We’re obviously not making that!’” Seibert said. He went on to explain how he thought it looked like a child drew it. But in the end the show was made after “being shamed into it,” as he called it, by a colleague who pointed out how Seibert had genuinely laughed at the demo. Once the floor was open for questions, three were taken from the audience that Seibert answered. One woman asked about the process of pitching and getting an animated show picked up by his studio. Seibert answered, “I only green-light storyboard pitches. I do not green-light ideas; everybody here has ideas. They pitch us the whole cartoon and we say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ fairly rapidly. Again, I don’t believe in belaboring this stuff.” Seibert concluded the panel discussion by sharing a bit of his personal delight in how many young animators, particularly young women and people of color, were in the audience that evening. “Seeing you all here gives me great hope for the future of the film business because you are the ones that are inventing the future in like real-time right now,” he said, “And just from a — leaving out the artistic value of all of these voices and all that — just on a business perspective, it’s going to be awesome! And then I will say artistically it will probably be even more awesome.” At the end, people were welcome to meet and speak with Seibert as he came to the front of the stage. “I loved it!” said Jiovonni about the whole presentation. When asked if he was going to go meet Seibert like so many others were, he shook his head with a smile. “No, I want to talk to her,” he said, pointing over at the Cartoon Network/Adult Swim executive who was present to answer students’ questions. He was waiting for his chance to speak with her among a group of other eager looking students. Meanwhile on the other end of the stage, Seibert took pictures with his fans and handed out his business card.

Originally published on January 29, 2014 by The Connector. Whew. You made it. I made it. We made it through 2013, a year fraught with botched pop music comebacks and big top worthy political shenanigans. Onward into 2014, a year that has yet to make its true nature known to us. By now, you probably have your friendly post-it board covered with reminders for your New Year resolutions. You swear you’re not going to eat as much junk food this year. You’re not going to procrastinate in 2014—ever! Not even a little bit of procrastination! On the sacred King’s Cup full of God-knows-what alcoholic concoction you and your friends made New Year’s Eve, you swore to keep your New Year’s resolutions this time around.   I’ll share a little secret with you. I never keep mine. They’re always the same things and I always do the same things too—not keep them. The two I mentioned before are two of the ones I consistently continue to make and fail year after year. For the better half of 2013, my diet was mainly Hot Cheetos, Chipotle tacos, Rockstar energy drinks, and a party sized bag of Peanut M&Ms. Oh yeah, the college diet is a thing.   On the final project for a class, I had the hardest time designing anything. I put off parts of it for later, choosing to watch television in hopes of jogging the creative juices. Then “later” became the night before the big day. During a nap in which I literally had a dream that the Baltimore Ravens won a football game against the New England Patriots, a distinct shape flashed at the end of the scene before I awoke. That shape became the entire basis for my final design and I miraculously got a B in the course. When asked by the professor how I produced an entire corporate rebrand when I had nothing but a logo the week before? I answered him, “I had a dream.”   But these things, these horrible habits, cannot continue into the 2014 year. I have to eat healthier and I must do my work efficiently—seriously. You see over the break my family had the biggest scare. My mother had a mild heart attack right after Thanksgiving. The combination of intense stress, and a not-so-healthy diet, caught up to her in a major way. It could’ve been the end had she not gone to the doctor that night. It was a huge wake-up call not only for her, but for me as well.   As a graphic designer and student, I will always have to work under a certain amount of stress. Deadlines are stress. Midterms and finals are stress. Securing my own financial security is stress. These are unavoidable. I can only work towards preventing the detrimental effects of stress on my body and mind. Sure, I’m a skinny 24-year-old that couldn’t gain an ounce if I tried, but that doesn’t mean I’m healthy inside. Diamonds are formed by immense amounts of pressure, but I’m not carbon deep in the earth. The pressure of pulling off last-minute work does crap for my mental health. I can’t channel Martin Luther King, Jr. on every project.   My mother is fine now, but I don’t believe she can just return to business as usual. None of us can. One can only bounce back so many times. Therefore, I’m not tempting fate in 2014. No Chester Cheetah, I do not want your fiery sticks filled with 25 percent of the recommended daily sodium intake! Olivia Pope, you will handle it when I catch up with you on Hulu! Don’t look at me like that, Chipotle. Insert a clever meme of Grumpy Cat saying “No!” while running away here. I’ve got brands to design, photos to take, and organic carrots from the Marietta Farmer’s Market to snack on—and maybe some dried apricots too.

  Slowly but surely, Marvel is expanding its cinematic universe into the weekly television show arena. Meanwhile, DC is attempting to catch up in the film department with a “Batman Vs. Superman” movie that opens up the possibility for films for the rest of the Justice League members and a Justice League movie in the same vein as Marvel’s “The Avengers”. All in all, the future seems to be looking very good for comic book fans.

  Hands were in the air, heads bobbed, bodies bounced. The atmosphere was frenetic and electrifying throughout the entire two hour set without a single lull in the mood. For some, it might have been the first time they were able to enjoy something with some jazz in it or the first time they could enjoy live electronica. It’s not often that a band can offer something new to two different worlds and cross generations. Big Gigantic brings that something new to the EDM table, taking the genre to the next level in this writer’s opinion, and it’s a beautiful thing.

So if you’re a foodie that has a hard time deciding what to eat, or looking for an adventure for your taste buds, this place is for you. At the Atlanta Food Truck Park and Market, you can get some of everything to satisfy your cravings and then some.

My fellow music lovers lend me your ear. We are standing on the precipice of a national crisis in the music industry. We all held high hopes this year in pop music. Icons of old were rising from the ashes of their acting careers and shaking off mental breakdowns. However, all we received were abnormally twisting tongues, robots, and requests from someone we just met to call them (maybe). I ask you, what happened to the days when pop radio stations were worth listening to? The days when you didn’t have to pick through the wreckage of shattered innocence, courtesy of a wrecking ball and a spitting teenaged Canadian, to find musical gems. My fellow music lovers, I tell you, they are gone — or maybe I’m just another embittered 90s kid. If the 80s through the 90s were the Golden Age of Pop, then this must be the Dark Ages because there is some serious regression going on around here. I begrudgingly spent about an hour listening to a pop radio station and I noticed something interesting. Everything sounded the same. Now before you beat me over the head and tell me “Of course, it’s a genre,” allow me to explain. It used to be that you could pick out the artist very easily, even when songs were played back to back. You would never mistake someone else’s song for a Michael Jackson song. Everyone pretty much had their own style, in such a way that no matter which genre they were influenced by, it still sounded like so-and-so’s song. Things weren’t always done just because the cool kids were doing it. After Mariah Carey’s “One Sweet Day” with Boyz II Men, never did Celine Dion say, “Get a boy-band to sing with me and I’ll hit a supersonic note, because, like, people love that stuff.” Yet, turn on any pop radio station today and you’ll hear the same dubstep influence, autotuned vocals, and declarations of female independence or objectification — all the popular things the cool kids are doing. Even popular rappers are starting to buy into the hip sound of epic sentimentality. One second I was listening to Jay-Z’s “Holy Grail”, the next I heard Chris Martin of Coldplay singing and didn’t realize the song had actually changed. The sounds of sameness are not new, not by a long shot. Rather, efforts to mask it have been channeled toward shock-value and controversy to generate album sales, which are dwindling with the increase of digital downloads. Have you ever wondered how YouTube guitarists are able to make medleys of popular songs? Artists supposedly sound different and yet, here’s this medley by some kid with an acoustic guitar. Pop music had a secret once. They’d all been using the same chord progression for decades. It was all just expertly masked until recently. All you need to know is four musical notes and you’ve got the basis for about 80 percent of popular music out there. No, Beyoncé is not immune to this either. Now? Nothing is hidden. No more clever innuendos (MTV Video Music Awards, Robin Thicke… why?) No more clear musical identities — still plenty of cookie cutter lyrics and manufacturing. There are talks of pop music being dead. R.I.P. It’s got to be pretty bad when no one can distinguish between a British rock band and an iconic hip-hop mogul. However, I hold a different view. It sounds more like an American problem. When I listen to radio stations in other countries, I hear variety. I hear thoughtful lyrics and see less skin. I hear class and maturity more often. Albert Einstein once said, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” American pop music isn’t dead. Listening to it is just insanity. Now, excuse me while I go back to listening to a 16 year old New Zealander and Lily Allen because they really speak to me on a cellular level.