Tats R’ Us

“Pain is temporary; swag is forever,” a motto I use to hype myself up whenever I’m sitting in that all too familiar reclined chair, needle dancing in and out of my skin. From a young age, I knew I’d either never get a tattoo or be covered, no in between. When I turned 18, the allure of swag won, and my mother’s pleadings lost.

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Vara Giannakopoulos
In The Closet

However, queer people know queer fashion doesn’t begin with these trendy silhouettes. We know it finds its roots in plaid Bermuda shorts, your brother's swim trunks, softball uniforms, and yes, vests—a lot of vests. When I flip through the pages of an old photo book, QUEER jumps off the page.

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Isabella Castelo
Fifty Shades Of Silver Foxes

After a brief yet enlightening conversation with my mother, I  learned that the impulse to rid my head entirely of that little white hair was completely natural. My mother had been in the habit of plucking her grays for years before she first took the plunge and started fully dying her roots. But she was well into her twenties by the time that happened. 

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Gigi Sipiora
All Dolled Up

Move over Barbie, there's a new historical doll in town. She’s 18 inches tall, anywhere from eight to 14 years old, and has books written about her life in painstaking detail. Her name? Well, she actually has many.

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Ella Mordarski
Baggulicious

In August 2021, I got one of my favorite birthday gifts to date: a dark green, crescent moon-shaped, Baggu bag. It was love at first wear. The shoulder strap, wide and reminiscent of a branded seatbelt, fit perfectly on one shoulder without sliding off. Watch out totes!

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Gigi Sipiora
The Highs and Lows of Low-Rise Jeans

The fashion trend cycle is rewinding everything back to Y2K fashion. This means many early-2000s staples have risen from the dead: bell-bottoms, leg warmers, and of course, low-rise jeans. A piece of clothing that I hated for the longest time.

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Olivia Flanz
Flea Market Infestation

From a bird’s-eye view, flea markets reflect something of an indie-fied Where’s Waldo scene, one that invites you to jump into the page as you begin your search. On a broader scale, fleas suggest more than just a fun way to meet people and their creations. It is a valuable outlet for cutting through the noise of overconsumption.

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Solia Simpson
Did You Remember Your Subway Shirt?

The subway has cheap fares, no insurance, and no responsibility. In theory, this system is accessible and a revolution for those wanting to save money while having reliable transportation — until the responsibility to be safe falls on the femme, the “vulnerable,” and the fashionable.

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Brooke Holder
How To Spot A Final Girl

Over the years, the idea of the final girl has certainly evolved. From sexual orientation to racial identity, the make-up of a final girl has been diversified to include all kinds of shapes and sizes. Say bye-bye to Black people always dying first, and hello to the female protagonist fighting the killer to save her girlfriend, not just her boyfriend.

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Daphne Bryant
The Irony and Yassification of Camouflage Hunting Gear

Thrifting, in many ways, has changed the game of fashion and the traditional trend cycle. Not only is thrifting slowing down the damage of fast fashion by providing a more sustainable substitute, but additionally, reusing second-hand clothes has brought back past trends, making some pieces timeless."

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Olivia Flanz
ReFURposing the Fur Coat Debate

Can I tell you a secret? I own a vintage fur coat. My grandmother recently gifted me her once prized possession. This golden mink garment has so much sentimental value to me. I remember running my hands over its soft fur and trying it on while my grandmother told me about her adventures wearing the coat in the city. 

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Lily Brown
The Bins

Pulling into the lot, the shadow of the massive warehouse towered over Clara’s pickup truck. Near their car, a mother and her young daughter were rolling up their sleeves and putting on plastic gloves. At another car, a group of 20-somethings had the trunk down and laid out their finds.

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Kira Salter-Gurau
Cowboy Boots and Queer Culture

Surrounded by the picturesque slopes of Brokeback Mountain and dressed in traditional western cowboy attire, this clipped confession is equal parts romantic and heartbreaking, and the accompanying scene perfectly encapsulates the tragedy that is Ang Lee’s 2005 cinematic masterpiece Brokeback Mountain.

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Claire Dunham
From Pearly Whites to Gleaming Gems

Three years ago I stood in front of my bathroom mirror, disgusted by what I saw looking back at me: a girl who still had to deal with the pain of braces four years after their first installation. Someone with cuts in her cheeks, caused by the wires attaching the brackets to my teeth for “just another month,” as my orthodontist would say, to provoke false relief.

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Dana Albala