What A Woman

Introduced to a standing ovation and preceded by her high-heeled gait, the audience at Colorado State University saw all woman in Laverne Cox.

On Oct. 23, every seat in the Lory Student Center Grand Ballroom was filled as Cox took the stage that First Lady Michelle Obama had spoken on just hours before. Venturing not so far from the topic of the greater good, Cox relayed her personal story to the crowd in order to bring transgender and gender binary issues to the forefront of conversation.

“It took me a long time –many, many years—to be able to truly say to myself and believe that being trans is beautiful and that if someone can look at me and tell that I’m trans that’s a beautiful thing.”

Cox made history appearing on the cover of TIME. Courtesy of abcnews.com.

As part of a national college campus tour, Cox spoke on the need for freedom of self-determination for American youth, especially for the LGBT community. To have self-governance as an identity that garners little to no recognition is pivotal in a life lived happily. Cox revealed that during her transition and periodically, she is estranged and deemed “the other” in environments when her identity triggers discomfort in those around her.

Drawing on several of her favorite advocates and sociologists, such as Brené Brown and Sojourner Truth, Cox offered to the audience that the human tendency to police one another is destructive. The same woman who is now idolized for living authentically, was once “spooked”—which is the term for a transgender individual who is publicly revealed to be in a state of gendered transition—in order for her hetero-normative  peers to make sense of Cox’s situation.

No anecdote was off limits during the hour-long speech, as Cox regaled the crowd with childhood stories.

“She’s just very confident both on the show and in person and I think that’s an accurate representation of transgendered women,” said Aleya Jones, a student at Colorado State University. In addition to the star-quality that Cox has, Jones offered that many people in line for the event were hopeful to learn more about the identity of transgendered people.

“I think it’s important in life to go out there and experience the things we’re unsure about, so we live in a place with people who aren’t one-track minded,” said Jones.

Known for her role as Sophia Burset, an incarcerated transgendered female, in the Netflix series “Orange is the New Black”, Cox has gained notoriety for her own identity as a transgendered female over the last year. In 2014, Cox has been the first openly transgendered female to both be nominated for an Emmy and to appear in Time magazine.

Since her breakout performance on Netflix, Cox has appeared in the public as an activist for the LGBT community. On October 17, MTV and Logo TV debuted a documentary hosted by Cox, called “The T Word”. Addressing topics from dating to anti-trans violence, the documentary was created to inform audiences much like Cox is doing for college campus audiences this fall.

“We have misconceptions about people who are different from us. If we just get to know them as people, I believe that al those misconceptions will melt away.” 

Watch Laverne speak about advocacy on Katie Couric.

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Everything you didn't expect to love this July

If you’re a teenage girl with a Twitter account, you’ve probably beaten me to the following announcement: July is coming to a close. In the last month, the world met some royal and some not-so-royal infants—Amanda Bynes included. Many people also ditched their knock-off Ray Ban Wayfarer sunglasses for a newer trend. Whatever it may be, a lot has taken place in July and some of the things you enjoyed most about July probably took you by surprise.

 

Media

Now, in media, there’s this term known as ‘guilty pleasure’. If that term wasn’t rubbish before, than it certainly is after July 2013. In print, television, and music, media consumers of every taste have been served content that is just too damn good to be ashamed of. First up, like a love struck Ron Weasley, we all stared as W Magazine placed their June/July issue on stands donning a much more matured version of Hermoine Granger actress, Emma Watson. Elegant and regal on the cover, Watson portrays herself not only capable of being a partner in mystical adventures, but also as a partner in our daydream love affairs. In her feature, the 23-year-old English student of Brown University talks on transforming her acting career into adulthood sans wand.

In the television world, on a channel of our acened adolescence, MTV began airing Rivals II. Featuring grudge-bearing duos from Real World seasons past, Rivals II stands as a reminder of the reality television that first brought our gawky teenage souls the utmost happiness. Maternity leave for Snooki could not have come at a better time. Reality TV looks much better on these seasoned Real World-ers competing every Wednesday night through obstacles and hormones in the tropics of Thailand for a share of $350,000.

Of the many tales you’ve heard after your friends’ 21^st birthday parties, nothing can quite compare to that of Selena Gomez. The Disney-born star rang in her 21^st birthday by debuting her first solo pop album. An album infused with bass and fast-paced rhythm, Gomez now faces nightlife with her proper ID as well as her own soundtrack to play at the club. After coming into acceptance that it isn’t Rihanna’s accented voice coming through the speakers to this edgy and raspy album, you may have momentarily tuned out. Yet, more and more music patrons are joining the 'Selentourage' after hearing the praised tracks such as, “Birthday”, and “Slow Down”.

News

Ignited were the newsrooms this July. So much so, that our news stations made non-American events, American. Early in the month, we watched as Vice President Joe Biden scrubbed clean his already undamaged reputation. Biden’s agenda last month included meeting India’s prime minister and speaking on furthering gender equality in a modern state. What caught our attention, though, was the alter ego of Joe Biden’s. An alter ego that we can deem as the over-achiever with the Oval Office in mind for 2016. His preferred pieces of decor include portraits of Jefferson and Adams, both of whom were Vice Presidents before becoming President. Is it endearing or is it embarrassing? Could he be compared to the teacher’s pet or deemed “Most Likely to Succeed”? No one can say certainly, but he has our attention in any case.

Rivaling the political scandals and social justice travesty in America was an unnamed child with an instant net worth much more than his bald head will ever understand. George Alexander Louis, the royal baby, solicited a welcoming crowd of thousands of people and reporters alike. Like a secret society, Buckingham Palace holds the public’s attention without so much as a sneeze from the guards. Reporter Catherine Mayer of Time Magazine in London offers that the royal family will always cause a stir amongst nations because of the mystery they hold. Months from now, the gawking will ensue as we refresh our Twitter feeds to find out if Prince George is a fussy sleeper, or if his first set of teeth comes in on time.

Style

With the majority of summer behind us, two super brands are switching things up to test how passive summer has made you. No stranger to your credit cards, Nike and Ray Ban have taken their most sought after products and made them all the more desirable. Known for athletic gear to help you rival any lift, run or match, Nike presents Flyknits athletic footwear. Born from the idea of acting as a “second skin”, the Flyknit trainer comes as the newest craze for runners and cross trainers seeking support (arch, ankle, etc.). If your pair of Nike Frees aren’t already deep in your closet, go for a sweat in the Flyknit. After all, it’s a lot less intimidating and much cheaper than a personal trainer.

Quite opposite from footwear, Ray Bans has long been trusted to fit the most stylish of sunglasses upon our suntanned noses. Similar to the aviator phase that stuck around long past its welcome, the classic Wayfarer style from Ray Ban is finally on its way out. A round sunglass lens, for men and for women, is taking over for the Wayfarer as of last month. Hot off the conveyor belt, Ray Ban’s Clubmaster sunglass is the perfect example of this new eyewear trend. With a wide frame on top and smaller, rounded lenses, this look is the perfect middleground between kiddie glasses and the safety goggles look that your parents might take part in. Without looking like a Willy Wonka, the round lens exudes a youthful, in-the-now appearance.

No matter if you’ve taken in your fair share of vitamin D or your fair share of Emergen-C to cure that hangover after a night out, summer has made you unaware. And if the past month’s happenings didn’t shake you awake from your summer slumber, perhaps a little shade and water will do well for you. 

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