Issue No. 17 - Don't Play Nice
Fernanda Ly: The Girl with the Pink Hair
Fernanda Ly: The Girl with the Pink Hair
Photo Source: x
Fernanda Hin Lin Ly, the Aussie model with hair reminiscent of Pepto Bismol, came into the spotlight after Louis Vuitton's creative director Nicolas Ghesquière kept her off limits to other designers for two seasons. Her iconic appearance at his AW16 and SS16 shows rocked the world and left us yearning for her flawless Sailor Moon aesthetics. Since the LV shows, Fernanda Ly has graced the covers of four Vogue magazines, an i-D magazine, and most recently, the cover of CR Fashion Book.There is important cultural significance to the rise of Ly's popularity as well. According to Teen Vogue, "All of Australia’s most notable models — including Elle Macpherson, Miranda Kerr, and Gemma Ward — are white. This is curious given that plenty of nonwhites call Australia home." In fact, Ly, whose parents are Chinese, grew up in a predominantly Asian neighborhood. Her rise this fashion month has marked her as the only nonwhite Australian model to make it big. And here's the thing: she didn't need the millions of followers, that perhaps Kendall and Gigi did, to rise up in the industry.
Vogue Japan cover by Ezra Petronio, Vogue Australia cover by Nicole Bentley
CR Fashion Book cover by Mario Sorrenti, Vogue China cover by Patrick Demarchelier
Vogue Italia cover by Mario Sorrenti and Craig McDean, i-D cover by Mario Sorrenti
At the age of 15, Ly attempted to go bleach blonde but, much to her dissatisfaction, the result was a coppery orange. It wasn't until two years later at the age of 17 that she would make the iconic switch to cotton candy pink.
Photo by Tommy Ton for Vogue
According to her interview with i-D magazine in February, her favorite modeling job so far hasn't been for top designers such as Louis Vuitton, for who she was a muse, but shooting with online retailer NastyGal. According to her, this favoritism was brought by NastyGal's generous supply of cookies on set.Speaking of cookies, Ly's quirks don't end with her unusual pink 'do. She has an utter appreciation for the sweet things in life-- literally. She loves sweet treats, especially ice cream. Her instagram as well as her interviews reveal her obsession with scones, latte art, and other café desserts and sweets.
Right: Ly at Louis Vuitton FW15 show, Left: Ly's street style (photographed by Tommy Ton for Vogue)
In addition to her love of bakery treats, Ly is deeply fascinated with architecture. She was an architecture student at a university in Sydney until she took a leave of absence to pursue her career in modeling, but she does plan to go back to the field in the future. "Clothing and fashion, buildings and architecture, they come hand in hand," she said to CNN Style, and revealed architecture was a mutual interest between her and LV's Ghesquière. Her favorite structures include Notre Dame (which turned her onto architecture), St. Mary's Cathedral in Tokyo, Church of the Light also in Tokyo, the Morimoto Restaurant in New York City, Bridge of Aspiration in London, and the Optical Glass House in Japan. Her interview with CNN Style revealed her utter intelligence on the matter, and she spoke only with the utmost eloquence.
Photo Source: Ly's instagram @warukatta
Fernanda Ly has walked a total of twenty-five shows as of the time this article is published. She's walked for Rihanna's recent Fenty x Puma show, as well as Dsquared, Dolce & Gabbana, Ermanno Scervino, Giamba, Max Mara, Fendi, Simone Rocha, Vera Wang, DKNY, Zimmermann, and --of course-- Louis Vuitton. According to Dazed, it's the “'vastly different cultures and people you are able to encounter while casually waiting for a casting' that Ly most enjoys about her work, a positive byproduct of the widening acceptance of both racial and stylistic difference supported by the industry’s biggest houses."
She continues to dazzle us with her baby pink locks, confident walk, and intellectual insights. We can't wait to see and hear more of Fernanda Ly in the future.
A Call to Action
A Call to Action
I am a senior in high school. This means my life is
currently filled with standardized testing, transcripts, teacher
recommendations, and decisions as to where I should be applying for college
next fall. I am also voting in my first election in November. The election this
year brings up a lot of questions in regards to my future as well as the future
of the entire country. Will I have access to affordable birth control? If I
were to ever be sexually assaulted, would my rapist be prosecuted? Would I be
blamed? Will I ever make as much money as my brother will for doing the same
job? Will black men and women ever not live in fear of police violence? A few
days ago I had a conversation with my mother during which I brought up these
questions. At the end, all she said was “I’m glad you registered to vote.”
The election has been a controversial one to say the least,
with Trump and Clinton offering two very different futures for our country.
Let’s start by talking about Donald Trump (because that’s what everyone else
seems to be doing recently). Ignoring his financial background (refusing to
release his taxes, having multiple lawsuits against his companies, and having
several go bankrupt anyway), he has no experience in politics, nor does he have
any idea about what it means to lead a country. Trump
is also putting millions of lives in danger. If he were to win, he would (try)
to deport millions of Mexican and Muslim citizens purely based on their
heritage, not to mention the global unrest that his regime would bring about.
He would create a culture in which anyone who is not a straight, white
cisgender male would feel unsafe in their existence. It is strange in and of
itself that members of Trump’s own political party would refuse to endorse him
as a presidential candidate. Regardless of what you think about either
candidate’s policies, you can’t ignore that Trump is unpredictable and
dangerous, whereas Clinton would operate within the normal bounds of the office.
Clinton, on the other hand is the definition of Girl Boss. As
the New York Times put it, she is “one of the most tenacious politicians of her
generation, whose willingness to study and correct course is rare in an age of
unyielding partisanship.” Time and again she has (among other things) defended
women’s rights, railed against gun violence, and fought against systematic
racism. Yes, she has made mistakes, but isn’t that to be expected in a 35 year
long career? In order to enact any of her plans in office, she depends on the
approval of Congress. This means reaching across party lines and working with
Republicans to reach a compromise.
Of course, this is nothing new to expect of a President. What
is new, however, is a presidential candidate who is not only unwilling to work
with anyone, but who is belligerent and outwardly aggressive towards anyone who
opposes him. Trump has set the tone for his potential presidency not by
attacking Clinton’s policies, but by attacking her has a woman. It is no secret
that he is incredibly, undeniably sexist. He has gleefully said things like “If
Hillary Clinton can’t satisfy her husband what makes her think she can satisfy
America?” (Twitter, 4/16/15). He has called women “bimbos” and said of his
former opponent Carly Fiorina, “Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that? Can
you imagine that, the face of our next next president? I mean, she's a woman,
and I'm not supposed to say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we
serious?" (Rolling Stone Magazine, 9/9/15).
Recently Hillary Clinton has released an ad in which Trump
is heard insulting women as young girls go about their daily lives. The message
is clear: is Trump the president we want for our daughters? As bad as sexism
and rape culture are right now, think about how bad they will be when the
leader of our country regularly insults and demeans 50% of the population. This
will not only make it acceptable to follow in his tiny footsteps, but such
behavior will be encouraged. This terrifies me. This possibility is something
that should be written about in a dystopian novel, not in the mainstream media.
On the other hand, growing up under a Hillary would encourage both young men
and women to fight for their futures. Girls seeing themselves in Clinton would
raise a generation of girl bosses.
Basically what I’m doing here is a call to action. If you
can and haven’t already, register to vote. Even more importantly, show up to
vote on Election Day. The only thing standing between us and having a girl boss
for president is voting. It all starts with us.
Gigi Hadid Criticized for Defending Herself. What's Next for Rape Culture?
Gigi Hadid Criticized for Defending Herself. What's Next for Rape Culture?
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| Photo courtesy of news.com.au |
Earlier this week you may have been following the Gigi Hadid drama in which the model was picked up by a strange man while leaving a Milan Fashion Week show. In defense against her attacker, Gigi elbowed the man in the face and he promptly let her down before running away.
In itself, this story is disturbing because it demonstrates the unwarranted comfortability some men have in their contact with women. The attacker, Vitalii Sediuk, claimed he picked up Gigi as a form of protest. He said he does not think Gigi and fellow model/friend, Kendall Jenner, represent high fashion well.
Whether you agree with his statement or not, you have to admit that that should not give anyone the right to invade someone’s personal space the way Sediuk did. What’s even more disturbing, though, was that Gigi was criticized for defending herself in a time of panic and struggle. One reporter from The Sun UK went so far as to call it “not model behavior”. In today’s society, women (specifically) have to be aware of their surroundings because it is more than possible that something like this can happen to any of us. To be on the defense like Gigi is only a way of preparing women to stand up to attackers, and it should not be condemned.
After the incident, Gigi took to Twitter to convey her thoughts on the confrontation:
The question is, why are high profile women (and celebrities in general) expected to act differently in situations like this? It’s as if they are excluded from the right to feel safe. In this case, some thought Gigi was overbearing and overreacted, while others supported her decision to defend herself. A situation like this shows how extreme rape culture has become. Although the attack on Gigi was not quite sexual assault, the actions of Sediuk are what will lead to more severe assaults.
Society’s response to Sediuk’s attack is what will define future circumstances. While the attack on Gigi may seem “small” or “just a prank”, we cannot forget how “minor” actions like these can encourage worse scenarios. I think it is also important that we do not discourage someone’s right to protect themselves. Imagine if this had happened to Gigi (or any other person for that matter) at night with less eyes watching. Sure, maybe Sediuk only picked Gigi up, but if the same thing had happened at night, this story would have gained ten times the amount of attention. So, why should we let “slight” attacks like this slip under the radar if they could lead to a more devastating outcome? The answer is we shouldn’t, and that everyone has the right to protect themselves within the means of necessity. Society should be promoting that instead of judging someone for displaying “not model behavior” in a moment like this.
Kendall Jenner: Not En Pointe
Kendall Jenner: Not En Pointe
Photos by Miguel Reveriego for Vogue Spain
Alas, we are never finished talking about Kendall Jenner.The internet exploded this week with outrage from ballerinas and dancers around the world in response to Kendall Jenner's video shoot with Vogue Spain. In the video, Kendall is rather quirky as she dances (? we're not really sure what she's doing) and while narrating some inspirational sentiments, such as: "I've always been adventurous, so I love doing stuff like that-- I don't know, just stupid stuff. I love walking around; being able to be free."
Photo via Kendall's video shoot with Vogue Spain
What's the outrage? Kendall's odd ballet antics dumbfounded dancers, who then took to social media to voice their anger. The main complaint was that Jenner was appropriating ballet culture. Perhaps the most notable critique came from Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller, who stated on Instagram, "...I cannot be a fan of this shoot. There are so many amazing dancers in the world… Kendall Jenner is not one of them! Shame on Momager, Kris Jenner!!!" Indeed, this Vogue shoot would have been a better opportunity to feature many amazing ballerinas who have years of expertise and hard work under their belt. At the very least, a model trained in ballet, such as Karlie Kloss, should have played the part. As Twitter user @ohsolucee stated, "Ballet dancers don't train 7+ hours a day, 7 days a week, to be represented by Kendall Jenner & her dodgy feet."
Kendall in her Vogue Spain video shoot
However, ballet appropriation is not the only controversial aspect of the video shoot. Ballerinas being portrayed by thin women is, for a large part, unrealistic. As Isha Aran of Fusion stated, "Both the fashion and dance worlds risk promoting harmful body image, so attempting to pass someone off as a ballerina on the sole merit of being skinny is not just reductive and insulting. It’s actively harmful." Professional ballerinas and dancers often have built, muscular frames and toned muscles. There has been, however, extreme pressure in the ballet industry for dancers to be very slight and thin, prompting a campaign in 2014 called "Take Back the Tutu." The campaign aimed to combat pressures ballerinas face, such as body image, eating disorders, and beauty.
Proper ballet form, via Misty Copeland (@mistyonpointe)
A few weeks ago, I discussed other issues I have with Kendall in the industry and how her success is mainly due to nepotism. More eyes were opened after Jenner's video shoot with Vogue Spain, and she has now been bombarded with claims of appropriating ballet culture. It's important to recognize that Jenner, along with her Kardashian sisters, have been appropriating black culture for years. Just over a week ago, Kendall walked down the runway of Marc Jacob's SS17 show wearing dreads (you can see them here) and then showed them off later on her Instagram. However, the outrage that was sparked from this was little in comparison to the response to her Vogue Spain video. Perhaps it's not only time to question Kendall's presence in the industry, but our response to different levels of appropriation as well.
Know That I Am Here
Know That I Am Here
Photo by: Kate Opre
Talk to me. I don’t care if
its 1 a.m., 2 a.m., or 3 a.m., if you stressed, talk to me. If you are having
bad thoughts, talk to me. If you need clarification, talk to me. If you are
overthinking, talk to me. I want to talk to you. Whether you are sad, happy, curious,
worried, confused, down, I want to talk to you, even if we have nothing to talk
about it.
If it’s midnight and you
are feeling restless, antsy and you need fresh air, let’s go for a drive. Let’s
jam to our favorite songs and scream the lyrics at the top of our lungs all the
way until we become exhausted. Till our eyes turn red. Let’s cruise down random
streets with no destination. Let’s roll down the windows and become one with
the night air.
Tell me. Tell me your exciting
news. Tell me how your day went, the highs and the lows. Tell me what upsets
you. Tell me your doubts. Tell me your desires. Tell me your fears. Tell me
your stories. Tell me everything and anything, even if it’s nothing.
I want to listen. I want to
listen to you rant about your horrible day and help you find the positive in
it. I want to listen to you babble on about something that sets a spark in your
eyes. I want to listen to you carry on about how much you love, love. I want to
listen to you laughing about the silliest things you find hysterically funny. I
want to listen, even if I’m hearing nothing.
Share with me. Share with
me your mind, your passions, and your dreams. Share with me your goals, plans,
and your perspective on the world. Share with me your wildest imaginations and darkest
secrets.
Show me. Show me your happy
place. Show me what you are good at. Show me what you are bad at. Show me your
obsessions, your guilty pleasures, and your hidden talents.
Let me be your sanity. Let
me be your go-to. Let me be your shoulder.
Know that I am here. All
you have to do is talk to me.
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