Time to Read

“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.” This quote by author and activist James Baldwin has altered the way that I view reading. What was once an activity that I lost passion for after being overwhelmed by reading for school, became essential to the path of developing greater compassion for others and myself.

Slow Down and Read

For many people, especially students, reading can feel like extra work that’s adding to our already busy schedules. We are used to moving fast in a world that’s filled with instant gratification, so taking part in the slow process of reading can be difficult. When I finally forced myself to read during my free time, I learned about how rewarding the experience can be. I have connected with characters who have very different lives from my own, which allowed me to figure out that one does not have to have the same life as me in order for us to understand each other. Through reading, I have gained more compassion for people living with mental illness, incarcerated people, the lonely, the afraid, and those who are confused about their place on this Earth. These circumstances and feelings are often not talked about, which can cause us to forget about people who experience them or if we are the person experiencing them then we feel like we’re alone in our struggles. Reading helps us recognize others while feeling known.

People of Color have Stories too

As a person of color, I often felt frustrated by reading stories about people of color but told through a white lens. Although people of color have our own individual experiences, we have more personal insight on issues that people outside of our communities do not have. I recently began to read books by Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison. Their books didn’t simply tell me that “racism is bad,” something that I already knew, but they put words to the pains of being a Black woman, they guided me to feel my resilience that was sent down to me from past generations, and they helped me to know that I exist beyond oppression. Angelou and Morrison are two important figures who made room for other writers of color to tell our stories, but our stories are often still placed in the shadows. In order to prevent this from continuing to happen, we must uplift writers of color, which is what Noname’s Book Club is doing

Noname’s Book Club

Noname is a rapper from Chicago who started the book club to elevate the voices of people of color. Each month, two books by writers of color are selected and participants in the book club are strongly encouraged to access the books through libraries and local bookstores, rather than supporting large and exploitive corporations. The book club has an online community, but the goal is to have in-person discussions and to build chapters in various communities, including prisons. I have been the owner of Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis book, but I never took the time to read it until I saw that it was selected by the book club. Before reading Persepolis, Iran seemed like a distant place that I would never know anything about. After reading Persepolis, I began to care deeply about Iran and the people who call the country home. This shows another reason, and possibly one of the most important reasons, for the necessity of reading: in a world pervaded by apathy, reading forces us to care. 

Written By: Maya Dixon
Photo by: Catapult

Another Little Women Movie

Including the Little Women 2019 film, the classic novel now has six movie adaptations and twelve television adaptations. One may think, how many times can one story be told?

Greta Gerwig’s version simply shows the movie industry’s plan to profit off the nostalgia of its audience to disguise its lack of inventiveness! Why would Gerwig, the director who was able to poignantly capture the twister of emotions that comes with teenage girlhood in her film Lady Bird, settle for creating another remake? Well, as someone who has seen the movie twice and plans to see it many more, Gerwig’s Little Women is more than a remake, more than a holiday movie, and more than just a simple tale of domestic life. Just like Lady Bird, Gerwig made a film that represented me so accurately that it allowed me to experience the most beautiful pain.

“But… I am so lonely.” 

There is much to love about this film that contains very much love within it, but the purpose of this article is to focus on the quote said by the character Jo March, “Women, they have minds and souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition and talent, and as well as just beauty, and I’m so sick of people saying that love is just all a woman is fit for. I’m so sick of it! But… I’m so lonely!” Although Saoirse Ronan (Jo March) never fails to brilliantly portray her characters, the warm tingles suddenly shooting up my spine while she delivered these lines made me certain that I was hearing something that would mean a lot to me.

A longing to be extraordinary 

I am a young woman living in the United States in 2020, not the 1860s. I haven’t had to prove to anyone that I have dreams I’m capable of obtaining that don’t revolve around marriage and children. Like Jo, I am independent, passionate, and dedicated to creating something memorable and impactful, but I, too, sometimes feel stuck in the loneliness that can come with it. I know I’m supposed to think that I am worth more than the love that any man can give me, but there is still a longing to be told, and proven to me, that I am extraordinary. Not only to be shown that I am great by my success but to know that my love is magnificent enough to be held by another. To have someone to want you to reside in their time, allowing you to leave the loneliness of your own. I usually laugh at these thoughts and call them outdated, I am a creator, I am modern, I am enough for myself, but women can know that they are fit for more than romantic love without feeling guilty for wanting it. Being loved and being independent doesn’t have to be contradictory. 

We are not one feeling

Women exist in more than one way and can have more than one dream. Having multiple dreams doesn’t make any of them unimportant or less meaningful. Not striving for romantic relationships doesn’t mean we’re going to live a depressing life of solitude that make our dreams seem futile. Admitting to loneliness and wanting to be loved doesn’t make us weak, shallow, and unambitious. To feel like a serious creator doesn’t mean that the entirety of our lives has to belong to our art. Women have been shamed throughout history for all of our dreams but acknowledging all of them reminds us that we are real and keeps us honest. In two hours and fifteen minutes, Gerwig shows her audience the vastness of women’s minds, the strength of our hearts and souls, the power of our ambition and talent, the realities of our loneliness, and the beauty that all of them express.

More than another adaptation

Much time has passed between Jo March’s time and my own, our experiences are different, our societies aren’t exactly the same, but what has traveled between us is the multitude of our wholehearted love and the aches that arise from not always being certain if we’re putting it in the right place. Little Women (2019) reminded me to care for those around me a little more, to celebrate every aspect of my youth while it can still be felt, the significance of my dreams, the intensity of loneliness that’s seemingly unshakable, and that I am grateful for all of it. This film is more than another adaptation, but its own entity that allows a new generation to have our feelings seen. No one will forget Jo March and no one will forget Gerwig’s Little Women.

Written By: Maya Dixon

The Art of Makeup

I started playing with makeup when I was four-years-old. I would sneak into my mother’s bathroom and smear my face with lipstick and pat eyeshadow onto my cheeks because I thought makeup would make me as beautiful as my favorite Disney princesses. Since then, my longing for beauty has grown into my love for artistic expression.

For a long time, makeup has been a tool to shame women. Makeup has been used to make women seem unintelligent and shallow as if we care about nothing else besides our appearance. Men have made jokes about taking women swimming on the first date to see if we are attractive or not without makeup. Women even get shamed by other women who base their personality off of how they are “not like other girls.”

Some people do wear makeup to hide their insecurities, and maybe we do need to talk about why we feel like we need to look attractive at all times, but many of us genuinely enjoy wearing makeup. Why do we feel the need to shame women for doing what they enjoy? Why is anything associated with femininity taken as a joke? Some people, especially men who are attracted to us, love to tell us that we look better without makeup as if that is a compliment, but it is actually degrading and frankly many of us do not care to hear it.

Art is for Everyone

Makeup isn’t reserved for people who identify as a woman. As seen by YouTube’s (chaotic) beauty community, makeup can be enjoyed by anyone. Men, or people who appear to look more masculine, are often shamed for wearing makeup as well. When men wear makeup they are often insulted and told that they appear too feminine as if that is a bad thing. If art is neither reserved for men or women, then the line should not be drawn at makeup. Promoting the idea that makeup isn’t tied to gender can help young girls, boys, and everyone else explore their artistic abilities without fearing judgment.

My Favorite Artist

My favorite makeup artist is not anyone I’ve seen on YouTube, but someone who I’ve known for her entire life, my sixteen-year-old cousin Halle. Halle dreams of going to cosmetology school and becoming a makeup artist for actors, and I absolutely believe that she is capable of fulfilling that dream. When Halle does makeup, she doesn’t simply do typical everyday looks, she makes her face look so unique that it looks like a painting that belongs in a museum. She pays close attention to the colors she chooses and all her looks require such intricacy that many of us (including myself) do not have the patience or the talent to do.

When I look at Halle, I wonder how anyone could not understand that makeup is a serious art form. I was never very artistic growing up, but knowing Halle has caused me to bring out my creative side and try bold makeup looks that make people stare. Next time someone has something negative to say about wearing makeup, remember that you are an artist and not everyone appreciates art.

Written by: Maya Dixon
Photos by: Halle Wilson

Looking at the Styles of Harry

Harry Styles was a teenager thrown into stardom and afraid of the world’s judgment. Now, Harry Styles is a confident 25-years-old ready to express himself in spite of judgment. He has grown, and I have grown with him.

I have been a fan of Harry Styles since elementary school. When I was younger I kept a picture of him in my binder and today I have a painted picture of his album cover hanging over my bed, so clearly I have not grown out of my adoration for him. Since I have been a fan for quite a while, I remember seeing pictures of him walking around in Jack Wills hoodies and baggy pants thinking he is the coolest guy in the world to working with Gucci and still believing that he’s the coolest guy in the world. A large part of why I admire him is because I got to witness his transition from dressing like a typical teenage boy to someones who’s unafraid to experiment with his looks while still knowing himself.

His Famous Suits

When people think about Harry Styles’ style, their minds often go to his suits. His suits can vary from looking posh and classic to striking, fun, and unique. Although I don’t want to give Harry Styles much credit for changing the way we see clothing and gender, I respect that he explores femininity and mixes it with his sense of masculinity. If I didn’t have to drop out of college to be able to afford them, I would love to wear many of his suits (we all know suits look better on women).

A Casual Style Icon

Even if Harry isn’t performing or attending an award show in one of his famous suits, he still manages to be a style icon on his casual days. He often wears bright floral shirts that make him stand out since people definitely would not recognize him walking around town. Not only do I love the colors and designs of his floral shirts but I love them because it is a look that is easy for me to copy, even though our price ranges are significantly different. Sometimes Harry is seen wearing sweater vests that remind me of an older gentleman feeding ducks at a pond, which means his sweater vests are some of my favorite looks.

Love on Tour

With Harry Styles releasing his tour dates recently, it may seem like I’m writing this article and calling him a “style icon” in hopes that he will happen to find this article and give me free tickets to his show, and that’s part of the reason, but I truly do love his style and what he stands for. Harry often emphasizes the importance of kindness and acceptance, which can be seen at his shows. When performing, he sometimes wears outfits that may seem too flashy or unusual but that shows he is unapologetically himself. By being comfortable with himself, he is showing fans that it is acceptable to be whoever they want to be and wear whatever they want, even if someone else doesn’t approve. His concerts have become a safe haven for fans, like myself, around the world because we got to grow up with him. I don’t have tickets yet, but I am already getting my outfit ready for Harry Styles’ Love on Tour.

Written By: Maya Dixon
Photos By: Michael Leckie, Getty Images, Shutterstock, Helene Marie Pambrun, Robert Kamau