4B — Thursday, February 18, 2016
the b-side
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
By CHRISTIAN KENNEDY
Online Arts Editor
Fenty x Puma, Rihanna’s
collaboration with the
activewear brand, debuted last
Friday on the opening day of
NYFW. The collection, almost
exclusively black and white,
displays extreme diversity
and calculated, inspired risk.
Most importantly, it shows a
real knack for designing by the
Barbadian superstar.
A diverse group of models
rocked pieces, from thigh-
high white leather boots to a
refreshingly loose-fitted sport
short — highlighting Riri’s
own fashion taste. Opting
for grandiose, unapologetic
comfort, lots of skin or a
combination of both, the
designer’s first runway show
was cohesive and fresh,
offering a high fashion line
while remaining conscious of
the brand’s activewear roots.
Tracksuits, sweatshirts,
sweatpants and shorts
comprise the collection’s most
universally wearable pieces,
but it’s the boundary-pushing
looks that leave the biggest
impression. The women’s
mesh PUMA long-sleeve
tops pay direct homage to
Rihanna’s personal tastes and
boldness. Men’s high-waisted
sweatpants and one-piece
sweat suits are hopefully
predictors of the next wave of
men’s fashion. A skin-tight,
floor-length dress featuring
criss-crossed snaking from
cleavage to knee is a standout
among the women’s looks.
Unzipped zippers are
ubiquitous throughout the
collection, emphasizing a
laid-back feel — something
consistently missing amid the
often straight-faced, tight-
lipped persona of the fashion
world. That’s not to say, of
course, that Rihanna’s first
runway of her own wasn’t a
serious endeavor — the line
showcased her personal style
and attitude, while giving
fans and customers both
bold outfits for the brave and
enough broad-reaching pieces
to maintain Puma’s brand and
the artist’s effortlessly cool
aura.
The show’s third act twist
broke out furs. Unisex gray
hoodies and long black coats,
modeled on men and women,
add one final touch of fuck-
it chicness to the collection
with their over-the-top, yet
undeniably cozy look.
It-girl of the moment, Gigi
Hadid, closed the show in
white sneaker-heel hybrids,
black mid-calves, a knee-
length and the aforementioned
unzipped loose fur coat,
summarizing the contrasting
ideals of high-fashion and
activewear. Hadid and many
of her fellow models donned
white, slicked back hair and
black lipstick.
Yes, Rihanna’s fashion
week debut is another notch
on the bedpost of celebrity-
turned-designer shows. But
the collection’s range from
fashionable activewear to
sport-inspired statement
pieces and everything in
between combined with
discernible authenticity
proves that Fenty x Puma’s
first runway show certainly
shouldn’t be the last.
STYLE RECAP
MUSIC VIDEO REVIEW
Breaking the instrumenta-
tion with, “Her eyes and words
are so icy /
Oh but she
burns,” Hozi-
er’s “Cherry
Wine” is
heavy. The
Irishman’s
delivery of
haunting lyr-
ics is delicate
yet power-
ful, as is the
accompanying music video.
The video opens on a woman
adjusting a dainty bracelet upon
her wrist, drawing the view-
ers’ focus to faint bruises on
her forearm. There’s a sudden
switch to a scene of the woman
intimately greeting a man —
presumably her significant
other. The contrast between the
broken woman with the bruised
limb and the same woman,
now warm, greeting her man is
stomach-churning. It becomes
clear that the video is making
a statement about a painfully
reoccuring issue — domestic
violence.
As the song progresses, the
duality of the abused woman’s
life is made ever clearer.
The camera continually cuts
between the woman’s private
dealings with the severity of
her situation and the seemingly
happy, loving moments she has
with her partner. At one point,
a double-paned mirror shows
the woman both bruised and
fresh-faced, solidifying the
reality that a battered individual
is unable to be whole while
trapped in a toxic relationship.
The colors and lighting
of the video are muted,
reflecting the piece’s somber
message — no actions
depicted are overtly violent or
coercive. Prompting further
thought, the video wraps
with a black screen dawning
“#faceuptodomesticviolence”
and Hozier’s voice, seeming to
speak to his own experience,
ringing “Open hand or closed
fist would be fine / Blood is rare
and sweet as cherry wine.”
- CARLY SNIDER
COLUMBIA RECORDS
A
Cherry
Wine
Hozier
Columbia
Records
Bad Gal RiRi debuts
Fenty x Puma in NY
T
his past weekend, I
went with my parents
and siblings to visit
extended family in Palm Springs,
California.
As we sat,
mimosa
in
hand,
around the
pool, them
blonde
and shim-
mering,
I
beige
as
February
snow, talk
turned, as
it
invari-
ably does, to politics. Though I
protested, a discussion between
California libertarians and Mich-
igan liberals began, running the
gamut of ridiculous claims and
irreconcilable biases. I took extra
gulps of my mimosa, willing
myself not to talk as wild asser-
tions flew around me.
“Kasich seems sturdy. He’s
been a very successful governor.”
If
you
consider
defunding
nearly all women’s health options
successful, sure.
“Jeb just needs to grow some
balls to compete with Trump.”
Because testicles are really the
paragon of anatomical strength …
“The first woman president —
how sure are we that Hillary is
actually a woman?”
Jesus Christ.
“Women like Bernie more than
Hillary. They can’t trust her.”
This word “trust,” how can
you not admit it’s gendered and
placing Hillary in an impossible
bind between showing fortitude
and showing care? And where are
your statistics outside of Twitter
and Fox News, please?
And will someone just buy
Bernie a goddamn comb already.
As I was sitting by the pool,
unsuccessfully ignoring the sexist
remarks, I read Vanity Fair’s
February cover story on Fox News
pundit Megyn Kelly.
As a liberal, I find Kelly to be
a complicated enigma — on one
hand, she seems unabashedly
selfish
and
opportunistic,
defending her individual right to
maternity leave one moment and
making searing statements against
women’s health organizations the
next. She is of the camp of people —
specifically, of women — who scoff
at feminism, asserting that their
own chutzpah and perseverance
got them to where they are, and
that other women should stop
complaining and just do the same.
On the other hand, in an August
Republican
debate
moderated
by Kelly, her first question was
directed
at
Donald
Trump,
directly calling him out for his
past misogynistic statements, and
questioning his ability to lead a
country comprised of 51 percent
women. (That he turned around
and asserted that she was rude
because she “had blood coming
out of her wherever” only seemed
to reinforce the need for her
initial question.)
Emotionally, I don’t really
know what to do with Kelly, as
I’m morally against most of the
opinions she holds most dear.
But in terms of the public eye,
and the political cycle, I know
she’s important. In an election
year in which the media matters
more than anything else, there
is unspeakable value in a female
political pundit getting so much
attention.
There is so much to be
said about female politician’s
representations
in
the
media. But the subtle digs
and
subconscious
judgments
on Hillary, on pundits like
Megyn, are nothing new. As so
many have written before me,
female politicians, especially
ones with illustrious histories
like Clinton, are constantly
battling
expectations
from
all sides: “Show strength, but
vulnerability. Be direct, but
not a bitch. Be honest, but
still prophetic. Never fuck up.
Always say the right thing.
Above all, be human.”
Just like everyone, Hillary
is imperfect. But when you
compare
media
criticisms
of her with those made of
other candidates, the biases
are glaring. She is judged for
her clothing, she is parodied
as
robotic
by
even
liberal
organizations
like
Saturday
Night Live. She is criticized for
not being female enough (the
pantsuits), while her 50 years
of accomplishments are picked
apart for every possible error.
This is all stuff we’ve heard
before. Being a woman in any
public space, particularly one
dominated
by
men,
means
that you are often held to a
much higher standard than
the men around you — Hillary
has to do twice as much to be
revered half as much as the men
around her. What I find more
enlightening
is
discovering
biases in the reverse; picking
apart male candidates’ histories
and calculating how a woman
in their position may have been
treated.
Many people don’t know that
the mother of Bernie Sanders’
only biological son, Levi, was
Bernie’s girlfriend at the time,
Susan
Mott.
They
weren’t
married then, and they never got
married. In years after Levi’s
birth, Bernie ran for Vermont
gubernatorial
and
senatorial
campaigns, never winning but
upending the political landscape
of Vermont. Finally, in 1980, he
became mayor of Burlington,
beginning in earnest his public
political career.
I didn’t know any of this
before embarking on a lengthy
Sanders
research
quest,
and I find the lack of public
knowledge about it notable.
Imagine a female politician in
his shoes; giving birth to a son
“out of wedlock,” continuing to
try to fight for political office.
Would she have succeeded?
Would she have to fight not
only social and institutional
battles (as an unwed mother)
but media-driven ones as well?
My belief is that she would have
been ravaged by the media, her
morals and judgment called
into question. My belief is that
she wouldn’t be running for
president today.
From the other side, we
have a man like Ted Cruz.
Known
to
be
onerous
by
most who have met him —
especially by his particularly
vocal
college
roommate
—
Cruz is not considered to be
warm or genuine. In fact, he is
considered to be pretty slimy,
by Republicans and Democrats
alike. His (heinous) policies
aside,
interpersonally
Cruz
doesn’t bring much to the table.
But voters are coming for him
in droves. Would a woman with
Cruz’s demeanor — dishonest,
malicious,
sometimes
even
vulgar — be winning like him?
Would she even receive enough
support to start a campaign to
begin with? My belief is that
she wouldn’t, because first and
foremost women are supposed
to be likeable.
So this is why I struggle
every time I hear someone
say they don’t like Hillary
because they can’t trust her,
or because they don’t find her
likeable, or because they don’t
like her “vibes.” Not only do
we need to be conscious of
the institutional sexism that
is constantly working against
female candidates; we need to
think about what isn’t being said
about the male ones.
This is not a tacit endorsement
of
Clinton,
nor
a
tirade
against the male candidates.
I understand the legitimate
reasons for and against each of
them. But I think many people,
even liberal, intellectual voters,
forget to look in between the
lines when it comes to the
public gendering of an election
season. Male candidates are
where they are because of their
privileges, their successes, their
intelligence
and
persistence
and their adversities. Female
candidates are up against the
same — their adversities are just
much greater, and much more
insidious.
Gadbois seems sturdy.
She’s been a very successful
columnist. To cast your vote for
her, email gadbnat@umich.edu.
GENDER & MEDIA COLUMN
On mimosas and my
political ladies
NATALIE
GADBOIS
By DAYTON HARE
Daily Arts Writer
The
American
Medical
Association confirms it: given
a generally healthy lifestyle,
moderate coffee intake likely
has no negative effect on health.
Which is really a good thing,
if you think about it, because
according
to
the
National
Coffee Association 54 percent
of
Americans
over
age
18
consume an average of 3.1 cups
of it daily. I’m certainly a culprit
in this, as consuming the elixir
of life (read: coffee) is part of
my daily routine — without it
the rest of my day always feels
vaguely dulled, as if it were
being regarded from a moderate
distance. (I even once kept track
of how many cups of elixir I
drank in year 2014. Final tally:
1,183 — a copious amount of
consumption, I realize, but in my
defense, it started as an innocent
question posed between myself
and a friend before quickly
falling into a downward spiral
of competition fueled by a
playfully
adversarial
spirit
and our mutual dependence
on the world’s most prevalent
and
commercially
available
psychoactive stimulant. So it’s
only half my fault.) Given that,
you can imagine my delight
upon meeting someone whose
love affair with elixir was even
more passionate than my own —
Ben Foster, an LSA senior.
“My aunt started this coffee
catering
business
when
I
was about 13,” Foster told me
over a steaming beverage last
Thursday. “So as soon as we
(Foster and his similarly aged
relatives) were old enough —
probably before we were old
enough — we would all be piling
in the car … working for this
company.”
While many people indulge in
recurring recreational activities
of a relatively niche nature,
Foster has one that is rarer than
most. As a coffee roaster, he is a
connoisseur of sorts who took
his love a step further into the
act of creation.
Foster and I met at an
establishment
called
Crazy
Wisdom Bookstore and Tea
Room, which is a charming little
store about a 15-minute walk
northwest of Central Campus.
When you enter the bookstore,
the first thing you notice is the
potent layer of incense in the air.
The second thing is probably the
sort of new age-y music playing
quietly
in
the
background,
the kind that has gentle synth
strings playing blurry chords
at long duration and optionally
includes some sort of Asian
instrument
in
a
soloistic
capacity, with the intent of
making
a
more
meditative
atmosphere but the effect of
being only a rather surface level
imitation (this sort of music
may also be vaguely described
as “zen”). If you look around
at the books stocked, you’ll see
various volumes of literature
on numerous schools of Eastern
philosophy, some translations
of original texts and others
more obviously composed with
Western
disposable-income-
types in mind. Upstairs is a
small cafe area, which is filled
with amicable chatter and the
delicious aroma of assorted
teas, as well as that of nectar of
the gods from Ann Arbor’s own
Mighty Good Coffee.
“This is my third interview at
Crazy Wisdom, actually, but two
of them were job interviews,”
Foster said, laughing. “I love
this place.”
Foster
didn’t
become
extremely interested in coffee
until he started studying at
the University of Michigan,
where he is pursuing a degree
in computer science and is in
the process of adding a minor in
Russian.
“I started going to Mighty
Good down the street and
starting making it a regular
thing with my friend — we’d go
every single Friday because our
classes worked out that way.
We’d make the trek, and it was
a good way to unwind after the
week,” Foster said of the real
beginning of his affair with
elixir.
“Their (Mighty Good’s) thing
is they have a lot of single-origin
coffees, which is just coffee
that’s sourced from usually one
estate in a certain region, so you
can just sort of fall back and call
them by their country of origin,”
Foster said. “I remember one
time I had this one coffee; it was
a Guatemalan Huehuetenango
… I looked at the tasting notes,
and I actually tasted hints of
peanut butter in that coffee.
I thought tasting notes were
ridiculous before that, I just sort
of brushed them off, and never
thought of coffee as something
that could be really complex.”
Not long after Foster made
a habit of tasting all of Mighty
Good’s
coffee
selection,
exploring the various single
origin brews and gradually
trying his hand at more nuanced
home brewing methods.
“I
bought
an
AeroPress,
which is basically a tube with
a plunger — it’s like a French
press, but with a paper filter,”
Foster said. “I bought a hand
crank grinder, so I’d grind all
my beans … so I just started
acquiring
all
this
brewing
equipment.”
Foster now buys raw green
coffee and roasts his own beans.
Over the last few years, he’s
experimented
with
various
creative roasting methods, with
varying success.
“I started doing it with an
aluminum
popcorn
popping
stove top thing, like where you
crank the thing — it makes the
most disgusting noises ever, just
screeching noises — so that was
short-lived because it was really
obnoxious,” Foster said. “Then
I started putting a colander full
of coffee beans into the oven
at 400 degrees Fahrenheit,
and then shaking them every
minute.”
Partly
due
to
the
inconsistencies of the resulting
roast
from
these
methods,
and partly due to the slow
accumulation of mild burns,
Foster now uses an air popcorn
popper (plus a long cardboard
tube) for his elixir production,
which he says allows a more
consistent roast because of the
agitation and airflow resulting
in a constant temperature.
“What I think is so cool about
it is that anyone can go out and
get an air roaster and order
coffee online — green coffee
is so cheap, it’s great,” Foster
said as he pulled out a bag of
green coffee to show me. “I
guess I probably look a bit like
a drug lord with this,” he said,
laughing (though referring to
him in that manner wouldn’t
actually
be
excessively
inaccurate. After all, caffeine
is the most widely used drug in
the world).
“My big thing is fresh coffee.
Pre-ground coffee is always
stale. Once you crush the bean
down you’ve just exposed all
those little pieces of coffee
to air, so it just oxygenates,”
Foster said. “The thing that I do
differently, I think … is fresh,
consistent grind, and a better
ratio of water to coffee.”
When asked about his goals
for and general ideas about
coffee, Foster had a simple
explanation for his love, one
that is certainly relatable to
most of our society.
“My perfect state of mind
is listening to some music, not
having anything to do, and
sipping a cup of coffee,” Foster
said.
I can dig that.
ARTIST
PROFILE
IN
I can dig
that.