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(05/03/21 5:03pm)
The other day, I went into my local Walgreens for a new mascara. Browsing the beauty section, it’s hard not to notice the new trends. There were, of course, lines of bright colors for spring, new lines of concealer, the normal products that are reintroduced every few months, branded as something ‘new and exciting.’ I noticed something, however. There seems to be an influx of ‘all natural products,’ overwhelmingly so. Clean beauty is the new craze, without a doubt. Everywhere you look, from Sephora to Walmart, brands are advertising their new, all natural products. Brands seem to be saying ‘Your regular beauty products contain all sorts of dangerous stuff. Use these safer ones instead.’ But what is clean beauty exactly? Clean Beauty Box, a primarily online brand, says “To us, Clean Beauty is defined by products that are mindfully created and produced without any proven or suspected toxic ingredients. Clean Beauty products include ingredients ethically sourced and are made with the health of our bodies and the environment in mind.” It sounds good, right? Who wouldn't want safer, ethically sourced products?It’s not an abstract concept at all, and it’s one that many consumers have subscribed to. Many celebrities, as well as popular Youtubers in the community, have been outspoken about the use of harmful additives in products. Nikkie Tutorials, a popular makeup blogger with over 13.8 million Youtube subscribers, has been outspoken about using products with no parabens, fragrance, alcohol, and more. She claims that she recently removed silicons and heavy fragrance from her beauty routine, but also said “There's a lot of contradiction between what's safe and what’s not, it gets very overwhelming. But I would rather be safe than sorry.” This seems to be the ideology of many consumers nowadays, especially with the conflicting evidence of how harmful certain ingredients actually are. It’s not just a social media fad, too. Brands have actually been targeted for using harsh chemicals. The popular hair care brand Wen settled a $26 million class-action case because one of its products was allegedly making people’s hair fall out. Johnson and Johnson have had their products criticised for allegedly causing cancer. This all leads to consumers wanting more out of their products. But is this new idea of ‘clean beauty’ a fad, or does it have actual science behind it. Should we all forego our old everyday makeup routine, and put in place new, all natural products instead?Well, the answer is a bit complicated. Due to the lack of regulation by the FDA in the beauty industry, brands can be vague with the description of products. The terms “clean” and “natural” are often used interchangeably and are the most common; you’ll also see “safe,” “green,” and “nontoxic.” These are all essentially buzzwords, that most likely mean… not a whole lot, actually. Take for example, the claim that a product is paraben free- a common occurrence in many higher end brands. Parabens have been used for decades in a wide array of cosmetics, shampoos, lotions and more. In more recent years, though, the preservative has been taken off shelves. In a 2004 study by the Journal of Applied Toxicology, researchers found parabens in breast cancer tissue-giving it the name ‘endocrine disruptor.’ It’s important to note here that they did not suggest that the parabens caused breast cancer; only that there was a correlation between the two. By 2014, the EU had banned some parabens in products, which in turn caused upheaval in the U.S industry.The truth is, Europe only banned a few parabens, and not even the ones most commonly used. The European Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety wrote, “The group of chemicals known as parabens make up an important part of the preservatives which could be used in cosmetics. Many parabens are safe, as repeatedly confirmed by the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS). They are also some of the most efficient preservatives.” The deed was done, though, and many consumers swore off using any parabens at all. So, is clean beauty a gimmick, or an actual movement that will eventually lead to safer, healthier products? If you follow the money, it sure seems like it’s here to stay. Consumers are continuously paying more for products that are more health focused, and in the grand scheme of things, it seems as if the industry will shift that way over the upcoming years anyway. It seems to be a plus for both businesses and consumers; clean is the new normal.
(05/03/21 4:49pm)
Vaping. For a while, it seemed as if there was new information, new legislation, or horror stories of young kids in the ER suffering the effects of it coming out every day. Although Covid has been sweeping news stations, and the focus of this health matter has died down, it is something that is still extremely important. The health and safety of young adults is at risk. The culture behind vaping is entirely different than that of cigarettes. Young adults tend to see cigarettes as something old people do, and are often wary of it. Vaping is a different animal entirely. With D.A.R.E, or the ‘just say no to drugs’ program students all had to go through, the focus was on hard drugs. Meth, cocaine, heroin. Cigarettes were almost on par with those, or at least that was the way it seemed. Most never once thought of picking up a cigarette, knowing how harmful they were. With vaping, there is none of that. No culture behind it, telling teenagers that they were wrong for doing it. The culture behind teenage vaping only worsens the problem. Newbies would hit vapes in the school bathrooms, in bedrooms next door to parents, everywhere. Hiding them in the sleeves of their sweatshirts, and blowing out the vapor discreetly. This was the downfall, the start of what we all now recognize is a debilitating addiction. Sucking on nicotine like a pacifier, not being able to go without a hit for ten minutes. This is the reality of vaping now. Speaking to someone who works with Imperial Brands, the owner of Blu vapes, I found that he felt the same way I did, that Juuls are leading the market. Steve Lucas, a man who has worked in the vaping industry for years now, said that “Every kid has some kind of vape now, and I see why. There’s something about it that’s better; the way it feels when you inhale it, the flavors, and the ease of charging.” There are, of course, the outliers. Kids that don’t and probably never will vape. I asked a college age student who I knew didn’t own a vape why. Tatum Romaniuk, 20, says that while she saw her peers doing it, she just thought it was dumb. “I just never had the urge to do it," Romaniuk said. "I knew that they’d get addicted and spend a bunch of money, so I just stayed away from it all.” This seems to be the attitude behind kids that don’t vape; they almost look down upon their peers that do. Lastly, I wanted to look at the parents of kids who vape. Did they know, were they worried? The answer was mixed. Lori Lynch, whose daughter is 22, said that she was worried but wasn’t sure how to get her daughter to stop. She’d sent her articles about the dangers of vaping, and the local kids that had been hospitalized for it, but knew that getting someone off nicotine was hard, if not impossible. In the end, her daughter told her that she had quit, but she was still skeptical. This is just another part of teenage vaping culture, it’s so easy to hide. Many people that started vaping in high school have now gone off to college. Their addiction aged with them, as addictions often do, and therefore became less important to hide. At any college party, you will see almost every kid with a vape in their hand, hitting it every five minutes. They never go anywhere without it; it’s attached to them at their hip.This is part of the reason many believe that vaping is just part of a lifestyle that will continue, and are interested to see how it ages, along with the kid’s lives it has taken hold of. Will the legislation help curb younger generations getting hooked, or is this a serious issue that we need to hold companies and individuals accountable for?
(03/30/21 6:03pm)
For just about every college student, graduation is the big day. It’s what they've been looking forward to for years and years. With the pandemic, many students were stuck wondering how IUPUI would handle the ceremony in May.
Although graduation last year was virtual, the downturn in COVID-19 cases, along with the vaccine, left the student body divided on whether or not an in person ceremony would be a good idea.
IUPUI officially stated that May 2021 graduation would be held in person-with some exceptions. Only graduates are allowed at the ceremony, no family, or friends. For them, a Zoom link would be provided. This left many with mixed feelings, and a lot of questions.
Senior Arriana Rainwater was left feeling a bit conflicted, saying “as a restaurant worker downtown, I have seen so many sports conferences being held over the past few weeks with 1,000s of people. I don’t see why graduation is any different.” She was happy to hear that graduation would be in person, but felt it was odd that friends and family would not be able to attend.
On IUPUI’s commencement FAQ page, they stated that “The scale of these events makes hosting in-person ceremonies for graduates only, while guests join virtually, the best way to ensure the safety of our students and campuses.” IUPUI said that the decision was made in close consultation with the Medical Response Team, which helped guide their COVID-19 response over the past year.
Other students have not been hesitant to express their disappointment, however. Jaycie Kemp, a journalism student who graduated in December, said “I personally don’t plan on attending in-person graduation. I think it’s a bit irresponsible considering our current circumstances. Though I understand the university has good intentions, I think it’s too early to hold an event like this right now. Even though audience members aren’t allowed, there are still many, many graduates and I just don’t think any of this is a good idea.”
While students understand the difficulty of this year, of course, she says that even offering in person classes was extremely unnecessary.
IUPUI faculty sticks to the decision, though. Samantha Walters, an advisor for the school, reported that she is confident that the celebration will be a “fun and safe event for students.”
Overall, there are many mixed opinions from faculty and students both. Updates will be made via IUPUI’s email list.
(03/30/21 5:58pm)
Many have been searching desperately for entertainment during the pandemic. Since bars, restaurants and other venues closed, it left many looking for plans on a Friday night, this time from home.
A favorite thing to do before the pandemic was going to comedy shows with friends. It was always a good option for a night out and a great time. With temporary closures of comedy clubs, both local and nationwide, many favorite comedians were forced to reach out online to their fans, expressing their trouble with continuing their job during Covid. After a few months, a trend started to pop up, many of them started doing shows via Zoom.
Dwight Simmons, a local Indianapolis comedian and writer for the Bob and Tom show, told of his experience doing shows over Zoom.
“Some comics hate on Zoom shows or doing stuff online, but I feel that they've helped keep me sharp. It's obviously not the same experience of performing live. Laughter can be delayed, your timing can be off...it feels weird,” Simmons said.
Simmons said that, while it’s been difficult having to adjust, he found that the audience generally appreciated his effort, and it helped him practice jokes and stay sane.
Ed Trout, owner of CSz Comedy Sportz, a venue in downtown Indy, had a different experience. Trout, who managed shows and performed himself as well, had to surrender the theater space. “In the last couple of months, because of performer and audience burn-out with live virtual shows, we have also reduced the number of performances down to just a handful a month.”
CSz, who used to have five shows a week, saw a downturn in audience interaction. It became harder to gauge whether or not the viewers were enjoying themselves!
Simmons agrees that audience reaction is much harder to get during virtual shows. Before the pandemic, he could practice his jokes night after night, getting down a solid rhythm. With only one or two shows a month, though, it’s difficult to get feedback.
Although both comedians and business owners have been struggling, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Audiences tend to interact more over the Zoom chat function, said Trout, and he tends to see more varied and interesting feedback. With more venues opening up, both Trout and Simmons hope to see an upswing in shows, and get back to normal.
For more information on comedy shows, or when comedy venues will be opening up, follow your favorite comedians on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook-that’s where most of them tend to advertise their shows. There’s also a weekly show hosted by comedians Natasha Collier and Max Eddy via Zoom, where they invite new performers to show what they’ve got. Check out the link if you’re interested.