Fashionmarch 23, 2021
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FASHION March 23, 2021 Cover photo by Brittany Morrison CONTENTS 04 Thinking outside the binary box 08 The artists behind the ink 10 Threading a path from classes to careers LEADERSHIP Emma Spainhoward Creative director 12 Back to the basics Rylee McKee Writing editor Brittany Morrison Photo editor 14 The closet upgrade plan Ashlyn Crawford Design editor Eric Vazquez Video coordinator Sam Oldenburg WRITING Adviser Hannah Crisp Marshall Dees MULTIMEDIA Brian Kehne Advertising manager Olivia Harden Cristina Betz Téa Jones Allie Cornwell DESIGN Will Hoagland Josie Keeley Keilen Frazier Katie Ulrich Advertising adviser Abbey Norvell Emra Mehmedović Kayla Worden 02 | FASHION Dear reader, Fashion is deeply ingrained in our culture, media and everyday experiences. Ultimately, the way we dress impacts who we are, how we feel and who we want to be. Fashion is more than just the clothes someone wears – it can be a vital element of EDITOR’S self-expression (pg 4), an arduous and permanent art form (pg 8) or a cutting-edge LETTER career path in an exploding industry (pg 10). Fashion is about forging an identity, and that’s something Cherry Creative is still doing in our third year. Our staff is excited to deliver our fi rst-ever fashion guide, a special section dedicated to helping you forge your identity. Thanks for reading, Emma Spainhoward Cherry Creative director THINKING OUTSIDE THE BINARY BOX Story by Abbey Norvell | Photos by Allie Cornwell Clothing is expressive. Every day, people make conscious decisions about what to put on their bodies.In doing so, they decide how to present themselves to the world. These WKU students tailor their style to fi t their expression while challenging stereotypes and expectations. Nicholasville sophomore Dylan Winter, who identifi es as nonbinary, chooses their daily outfi ts depending on how they feel about their gender that day. “I like looking ambiguous, so people can’t guess my gender,” Winter said. “You can’t really assume. If I’m not feeling particularly masculine or feminine that day, it’s just a way to express myself in a way that makes me feel comfortable. For me, it’s not always about challenging gender norms. Since I’m nonbinary, it’s a way for me to express my gender so that people know that I don’t always have to present one way.” Winter said there are limited fashion options that match how they want to present themself. They feel they only have the option between “obviously feminine” clothes or oversized men’s clothes. After their experiences, they wish society’s perspective would shift in terms of fashion and clothing. “For me personally, I wish that there weren’t fashion gender norms. I wish they weren’t like, ‘If you wear feminine clothes, that means you’re a girl. If you wear masculine clothes, that means you’re a guy,’” Winter said. “That’s another reason I really like gender neutral clothing — I don’t have to conform to one or the other. I can just kinda exist.” Lexington sophomore Alex Smith identifi es as female and dresses to avoid sexualization and being uncomfortable. “I can’t be sexualized if you can’t see what kind of body I have, so that’s a big reason for me that I wear baggier clothes and men’s clothing,” Smith said. “I do like to challenge social norms. I don’t wear your typical ‘frat boy’ outfi t. But, I like the button-ups and the baggier shirts. I really like Billie Eilish’s style — not that extreme, but that kind of vibe. Nicholasville sophomore Dylan Winter pairs a black button-up with gray plaid pants. “I wouldn’t say I have a particular style. I kind of just wear whatever I want,” Winter said. “Being nonbinary, dressing gender-neutral often helps with my gender dysphoria, as well as helping me express my identity.” Winter is a sociology major with an English minor. 04 | FASHION Lexington sophomore Alex Smith has a relaxed vibe with her oversized, long-sleeved button-up and corduroy pants. “I have many diff erent aesthetics I like to dress in, but for the most part, I wear men’s tops,” Smith said. Smith is a psychology major with a gender and women’s studies minor. When Smith considers her presentation in fashion, she doesn’t choose clothing solely as a gender identifi er. “That’s another reason I “I identify as female, but my expression can be androgynous at times, and I like that,” Smith said. “It doesn’t affect my gender identity, really like gender neutral but I like presenting myself that way.” Smith notices the infl uence that society has on fashion in terms of clothing — I don’t have to genders. She noted that all genders are penalized for dressing outside of what’s expected of them, whether that be dressing like the opposite conform to one or the other. sex or in a revealing manner. Similar to Winter, Smith hopes that one day, fashion won’t be seen as binary. I can just kinda exist. “I don’t think that there should be a gender put on clothing,” Smith ” said. “That’s mainly my view on it, and I wish other people thought -Dylan Winter, Nicholasville sophomore that way as well.” FASHION | 05 THE ARTISTS BEHIND THE INK Story by Josie Keeley | Photos by Cristina Betz A lot of hard work goes into creating a good tattoo; inspiration and natural talent are only part of the equation. Tattoo artists spend years apprenticing before working professionally, and their mastery of skills only continues after that. They work in a variety of mediums from painting to digital art, and constantly explore new ways to create something beautiful. These tattoo artists of Bowling Green pride themselves on crafting art that their clients will carry with them for a lifetime. GarrettGarrett Morrell always Morrell wanted to be a tattoo artist, but didn’t know it BenBen Butts Butts originally went to college for art education but decided school was an actual job until he joined the Marine Corps. He was offered an wasn’t for him. Through his art background, he was able to gain a tattooing apprenticeship when he left the service. After working at a few different apprenticeship. shops across the country, he opened his own shop — 31 Ink Tattoo. Later in his career, he met and traveled with Frank Armstrong around Morrell sees tattoos as art. Almost everything he creates is a custom piece the country exploring different tattooing styles. Eventually, they settled in created for a client. He occasionally does Bible quotes or infinity symbols, Bowling Green where they opened Tattoo Heartland together. but he still tries to give each tattoo some personal flair. Both Butts and Armstrong are fans of American traditional style. “The fun part of tattooing is the ability to make yourself unique,” Morrell “It looks good. It ages the best and it’s a little more graphic, stylized,” said. “The whole point of tattooing is to customize your body to the way you Butts said “It doesn’t look like someone just spilled ink on you.” want it to look.” Butts has turned people away before when the design they requested was Morrell’s personal style is drawn to the dark and abstract. He credits not something he felt he could create or would look good long-term. It’s Picasso, Dali and the surrealists as artistic inspiration. Rather than just important to him to create something that is aesthetically cohesive with his reproducing images, he chooses to give each tattoo a dose of originality and Armstrong’s styles, but also fulfills the customer’s wishes. while incorporating his customers’ perspectives. “I want someone to leave with value,” he said. “I try to design a tattoo in a “‘Memento Mori’ is a phrase I’ve always gone by — remember your death,” way that someone doesn’t waste their time or their money. We work hard for he said. “The more that you realize everything is temporary, the more you your money because you work hard for your money.” enjoy it. I like to throw a little darkness in every tattoo.” 08 | FASHION FrankFrank Armstrong Armstrong has liked tattoos since he was a kid, and his creative interest grew after seeing people with them. “I always saw people on the lake with tattoos, and it was very obvious that they did their own thing,” he said. “They played by their own rules.” Armstrong compares a good tattoo to building a house — in the same way a strong foundation is important to a house, he believes strong lines are essential for a tattoo. “I just like when stuff is built the best it can be,” he said. Armstrong and Butts both believe tattoos are collaborative, and they will advise customers on what will look the best and last the longest. They want to create something the customer will be happy with, even if that means tweaking the original idea. Armstrong currently works five days a week at Tattoo Heartland, spending hours at a time researching, looking at pictures and sketching. This allows him to be confident in his ability to create quality work. “We’re image makers,” he said. “To me, that’s the job. You wanna give people what they want, but sometimes you have to dig into your experience and say, “You know what, man, it’s not going to look the way you think SaraGrowing up,Strange Sara Strange thought tattoos were “stupid,” but that changed it will.” when she met some tattoo artists through friends.