Black hero of the day: Dr. Cornel West

By: Akim Hudson

Black History Month has been revered as a month long emblazon for the black masses. Although it is the shortest month of the year, everyday we celebrate, reflect, and express gratitude for the royalty that we are predecessors of. Within this month, I will fulfill the obligation of educating St. Bonaventure on the legendary black revolutionaries that isn’t taught in the United States’ “education” system. Peace, God, I hope you enjoy your 29 days of enlightenment, beloved.

Perhaps the most modern hero of my series thus far. Dr. Cornel West is an American philosopher who emphasized race, socioeconomics, and gender in the United States. Dr. West has garnered merit from two of the most prestigious universities in the United States, earning his undergraduate in Philosophy from Harvard University and his Ph.D. from Princeton. Of his many books, his most popular book Race Matters was published in 1993. The classic stated that nihilism was one of the biggest problems in Black America. Nihilism is the philosophy in which one believes that there is no meaning to life. Nihilism in the black community translated to drug abuse and violence amongst each other, and mistreatment of each other. Dr. West also calls for more leadership in the black community. Dr. West dubs the void, “the crisis of black leadership”, he proposed the enigma of how the community can possibly find a new Malcolm X, or Dr. King. One of the few modern black revolutionaries, Dr. West’s work is rather provocative and enthralling to me and it has been an honor to be given the opportunity to educate whoever reads this entry. Peace and prosperity, beloved.

Plus-sized Tess Holliday breaks stereotype

[Image courtesy of Tessmunster.com]

By Bryce Spadafora

American model Tess Munster, also known as Tess Holliday, has agreed to a contract with London-based agency MiLK Model Management. Standing at 5 feet 5 inches and having a dress size of 22, Holliday became the first model of her size to sign with a major modeling agency.

This departure from the rigid beauty standards that have ruled the fashion industry led to body positivity across the Internet. Holliday’s Instagram account, “effyourbeautystandards,” which was started in 2013 as Holliday’s way of encouraging women to be comfortable in their own skin, has gained popularity as a result. The account went on to inspire the hashtag #EffYourBeautyStandards allowing women worldwide to share what makes them beautiful.

[Image courtesy of perezhilton.com]

Despite her positivity, Holliday’s journey hasn’t been easy. In an interview with the New York Daily News, Holliday described a troubled childhood. Growing up in Southern Mississippi, other children bullied Holliday because of her size. Years later, at an audition in Atlanta, she was told her weight and height would always keep her from signing with an agency.

“I understand not everyone understands what I’m about. But to me it’s such a simple concept. It’s all about loving your body regardless of your size and chasing your dreams,” Holliday said.

It wasn’t until 2011 that Holliday secured her first job. The A&E network cast her as the face of the reality show Heavy- a program that chronicled the lives of people struggling with obesity.

The body shaming didn’t stop after her rise to fame. To this day, Holliday receives messages from strangers criticizing her appearance.

“Everybody deserves to be happy, but for some reason the fact that I happen to be plus size and happy seems to bother people,” she said. “It’s odd really.”

When asked to comment on her success, Holliday said, “It doesn’t feel like it’s me. Every time I have a big thing happen in my career, it’s an out of body experience. I’m always still that 13-year-old girl in Mississippi who people told I wasn’t good enough. I never could have imagined that I could be here.”

Jenner sisters’ V-day collection ‘must haves’

By Madeleine Faircloth

[photo courtesy of hollywoodlife.com]

Whether your style is boho or classic, Kendall and Kylie Jenner’s Valentine’s Day collection for Pac Sun covers all the bases.

Although the weather in Western New York may be too chilly, the featured florals, rompers and dropped shoulders in the fashion line are perfect for a warmer weather date.

With the main focus on rompers and dresses for the line, Kendall and Kylie’s promotional photographs show off each of the girls’ unique taste in fashion.

The heart cutout dress, only $40 and available in black and red, shows a little back with a classic fit and flare style, keeping the little girl in all of us alive. Layering some jewelry and pairing it with heels to dress it up or flats to keep it casual makes the dress especially versatile.

Romantic picnic in the park? Kendall and Kylie thought of that, too. The VDay collection offers four flirty rompers that would leave your date speechless. This boho-chic three-quarter sleeve romper priced at $50 is perfect for the in between season – especially when you may be tempted to throw on some floral before spring. The Jenner sisters point out the cute ruffle trim and button up detailing and suggest pairing it with sandals or slip-ons.

[All images courtesy of PacSun.com]

Trending Halloween Costumes for 2014

By Alexandria Acacia

October is finally here, which means it is time to start thinking about Halloween costumes! Most people like dress up as characters from a show, cartoons, or inanimate objects.Whether you want to dress up as a group or go solo, here are some awesome costume ideas.

For a group of people, almost any costume idea is acceptable. For instance, shows such as Orange is the New Black or American Horror Story appeal to many — and they can easily be imitated. Each person can pick a character that exemplifies them. If you are going for something more comedic, the Sun Drop Girls is a good choice.

For couples, costume ideas can come from famous couples or themes. A recent trend coming up is rittney Spears and Justin Timberlake’s iconic denim duo from the early 2000s. For inanimate objects, puns or things that go together in suit, such as a cop and a doughnut, a cereal killer, or a chick magnet. Most costumes can be found in stores, but they can also be made from normal clothing.

For people who are dressing alone, more popular and well-known people or things should be considered. Famous people are easy to imitate because they each have their own style, which can be mimicked using clothing and props like Pharrell Williams and his iconic hat, or Ariana Grande’s high ponytail. Flo from Progressive or the 6 Flags elder are other people who have been seen by everyone, and easy to portray.

Trends that must be stopped

By Anna Rine, @ANNARINE01

As times are changing, so are the clothes people choose to wear and things people choose to do. Most of these trends need to be stopped. These are the top five trends that must be stopped in 2014.

Bucket Hats

Attention boys: we are not in the Sahara Desert. Your bucket hat needs to go. It does not matter what pattern or color it is, if you are not going on a safari in Africa, please do us all a favor and take that thing off your head. Just because you listened to Schoolboy Q once does not give you the right to wear a bucket hat.

[image courtesy of ebay.com]

Animal Print Leggings

Please ditch the cheetah print. This is not the 1980s. If you’re going to wear pattern leggings, make sure it is a nice Aztec or floral print. Or you can stick with basic black or gray, that works too. Just please get rid of the zebra and cheetah print leggings.

[image courtesy of thisnext.com]

Continue reading “Trends that must be stopped” →

Fall Footwear

By Alexandria Acacia

There is no doubt that the best part of fall is the fashion. No outfit is complete without a great pair of shoes, and as fall the air gets colder, shopping can become intolerable, and so that is where we turn to online shopping.

If you are looking for comfortable leather boots, without paying for that leather price, or a simple pair of moccasins or flats, check out Forever21.com or CharlotteRusse.com. They have many varieties to adapt to any type weather ranging from $20-$80 and they occasionally have sales up to 70 percent off.

If you are looking for a nice warm pair of shoes check out Payless.com. They have a combination of fashionable and fall weather boots to go together with any outfit ranging from $20-$80.

If you are looking for something fancier shoe, try Polyvore.com or DSW.com. There they have different brands and styles. Their prices range from $30-$200+.

acaciaag14@bonaventure.edu

Fall fashion for the broke college kid

By Anna Rine @ANNARINE02

It’s time to ditch those high wasted shorts and crop tops, fall is approaching!

Boots, leggings, sweaters, scarves, all of those wonderful items are back in season. Now, you may be wonder, how the heck am I going to afford all these cute clothes when the only meals I can pay for are with my Hickey swipes? Well don’t worry because there is a solution for every fashion faux pas.

So what’s hot this fall season? Leggings, sweaters, flannels, anything comfortable and cute.

Sometimes all those things we want we can’t afford. Here are some suggestions to get an affordable look.

We all love our big, baggy sweaters, and Forever 21 is the place to go for them. Sweaters there range from $12-$30. Check out Garage’s leggings, they’re only $14 and they’re really good quality. Ditch the leggings for a pair of dark wash or black skinny jeans, only $9.95 at H&M. Flannels are very in right now, so switch out your sweater for a cute flannel, $27.90 at Forever 21.

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New York Fashion Week highlights

By Anna Rine @ANNARINE02

“Fresh, sexy and fun: fashion week was the strongest it has been in years,” says the Australian fashion writer and editor, Georgina Safe.

Fashion Week was from September 4-11 and held all around the world from Berlin to New York. For some, this may be just another week but for all fashionistas/fashionistos, this is one of the biggest weeks of the year.

Many designers, from Michael Kors to Trina Turk, held their shows in New York. Her work was very colorful. Betsy Johnson had an interesting line of cut out tops, wild prints, and even a wedding gown modeled by a drag queen, who carried her off stage.

The Herve Leger line by Max Azria was all sleek, cutout dresses with jewels, crazy print, or an exaggerated peplum.

Continue reading “New York Fashion Week highlights” →