Lynetta Chao '24
After being the fashion staple of the 2000s, skinny jeans have gone from a trend to hardly even pictured in fashion magazines let alone retail stores. When I was growing up in the late 2000s early 2010s the reason I hated jeans was because my only experience with them was wearing skinny jeans. The tight, restrictive garment is simply uncomfortable. I’m a firm believer that one of the most important elements in selecting pieces for your closet is comfort. The stiff, cold fabric of denim wrapped around my legs does not check off that box. It’s not functional and it also doesn’t look good. I’ll concede that a small percentage of people can pull off the skinny jean, but every single person, even those that don’t look that bad in skinny jeans, look better in a loser fitting denim pant. If you like skinny jeans, buy leggings. The material is much more soft and flexible. But absolutely never buy a pair of jeggings. That is not the solution at all, and those are frankly worse than skinny jeans. The material is atrocious, and they look awful. If you want a jean variation, you have to try sweatpant jeans, sweatpants that look like jeans. Truly one of my favorite pair of pants. But back to jeans, there are not just two options: skinny and wide. There are so many different styles of jeans to choose from. There’s straight, mom, flared, wide leg, boyfriend, and the list goes on. And I’m not just promoting all these loose fitting alternatives because they are more in style, if you like something that’s not popular wear it. Even if that’s skinny jeans, if you like them wear them, but I guarantee you look better in looser jeans. Everyone does. Because the thing about loose fitting jeans is that the different styles and the way it fits is so much more flattering, comfortable, and stylish. When I’m wearing my favorite jeans, a light washed straight leg jean, not only does it create infinite outfit combinations, but I feel more confident in them than I would in skinny jeans. These specific jeans I found at a consignment store in New York City and it’s my best find because they fit so well, look good, and feel good. If you don’t like the jeans in your closet you have you should invest in a well fitting pair. Jeans can be expensive but trust me it’s 100% worth investing into as they are a staple piece that is timeless. A couple months ago I argued with my friends who were defending skinny jeans and I held my ground. They said even though the popular consensus is skinny jeans are out (which they are) they don’t think they look that bad with a loose fitting sweater or hoodie. They went on to say it balanced the outfit with the bottoms tighter and the top lighter. My response was maybe it looks fine, but a sweater or hoodie with loose jeans that is gold. It doesn’t look messy or unbalanced, it looks classy and put together. I think for me and many people we associate skinny jeans with those pinterest pictures of people wearing those infinity scarves, coffee in hand with their skinny jeans. They look really bad. I’m trying now to think of the words I feel when I see skinny jeans paired with a hoodie or sweater and the best way I can phrase this is it’s not good. It’s better than that unfortunate infinity scarf situation I painted for you, but it’s not much better. So, next time you’re cleaning out your closet or browsing the internet for a new pair of jeans, remember: skinny jeans are out.
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Mila Zayats '26
Recently, while carelessly scrolling through my often questionable For You page on TikTok, I stumbled upon a gossip girl account. Having only 3 videos, the account was able to garner thousands of views and likes in several short weeks. The focus of their so-called juicy details were elite private schools in New York City. However, their advertised tell alls were lacking in interesting and truthful information. The video that propelled them onto people’s FYP was about the ranking of such elite academies. Yet their only source was Niche, and they couldn’t even share such information correctly. Additionally, their video about the most popular girl at each school appeared to be a ruse according to the comments. Students from across schools claimed to have never even heard of such people who supposedly “ruled” their institutions. I’m not a student at any of the NYC schools nor do I have a big preference for the city itself, so whether the information the account shares is true isn’t much of my concern. However, as a slight fan of the 2000s reality TV show “Gossip Girl” that shed a lime light on the existence of gossip accounts–especially ones focused on high school academia and the rich elite, I gained a curiosity as to why there hasn’t been a surge in such accounts since the premier of the highly popular show. And, why is a TikTok account not the best way to recreate such a famed 2000s icon? “Gossip Girl”, the 2007 CW series centered around the lives of the NYC elite students from exclusive prep schools. Since its release, it has gained a cult following and even a 2021 reinstallment, which in my opinion, was a failed cash grab. The main focus of the show was the unknown blogger known as Gossip Girl who reported on the seemingly idyllic lives of NYC prep kids. When I first saw the show in 6th grade, I somehow expected there to be mini Gossip Girls typing juicy secrets around the States. However, I was wrong. In the 2000’s, blogs were at their peak, and in the show, GG was able to program her site to send notifications to either her subscribers or every teenager across the five boroughs. However, in the present day, most people stay away from blogs, and engagement has decreased significantly. But TikTok is only growing in popularity especially as it transitioned from a Musically 2.0, focusing on dances and lip sync videos prior to 2020, to now being a platform for a variety of content styles. But is TikTok the right platform for those hoping to be the next GG? I personally don't think so, as the whole foundation of Gossip Girl’s success was how one could submit an anonymous tip detailing intriguing information. Her readers would be notified instantly of any new drops of gossip. Yet TikTok’s FYP reaches the screens of a whole range of people–those who care about high school gossip and those who don’t fancy drama. In contrast to the small and anonymous accounts scattered across TikTok, @nickypinsker is similar to a modern day gossip girl tell all, except he instead of keeping his identity hidden from users, his filming routine includes him sitting in front of his bed with a teeny microphone. In most of the comment sections under his videos, people are shocked to know how he knows the ins and outs, the deepest secrets, and hot gossip from institutions, mostly private prep schools, from across the States (mostly the east coast). When I first discovered his account over a year ago, I fully thought he was a spy. But as soon as I commented suggesting he cover NCS, he responded asking me what that even was and that I should send him a DM. For me, it seemed like too much work so I left all hopes of seeing any presence of the Cathedral Close on his page. But lo and behold, within several months, a “tell-all” video about NCS finds its way onto my FYP; and the creator is none other than Mr. Pinsker. NCS students flooded the comments questioning how he got so much information right, but it wasn’t even shocking information. He described that we frequent Open City, students are “driven”, and that the student body is constantly annoyed with the administration. Is he wrong? Nope, but he lacks the shocking, and sometimes life changing, drama that Gossip Girl brought to light. You even have Deux Moi, an anonymous Instagram account that publishes celebrity gossip. They claim to be “curators of pop culture” but fail to stay relevant in discussions regarding their so-called expertise. But they are close to being modern day’s Gossip Girl as their sources are usually anonymous texts from individuals who claim to be sources close to a said celeb. However, the drama surrounding starlets and socialites is so 2000s and it seems as though the 2020s are an era for local gossip–who your biology desk buddy dumped or who’s the queen bee of your rival school. They still have popularity on social media, garnering over 2 million followers across multiple platforms, yet I barely see them on any of my feeds. I think I had one of their ads pop up on my FYP, but it didn’t even contain any intriguing information on the latest news in Hollywood. As we modernize our world but bring back many trends from the 2000s, will Gossip Girls blogs follow suit? Probably not. Unless some tech genius recreates the simple yet enticing system of information gathering and communication that the fictitious Gossip Girl used, we can leave our hopes of a GG 2.0 behind. But don’t forget about good old word of mouth; whispering tidbits of information and exchanging secrets with your friends, because let’s be honest, gossip won’t ever go away. Only the ways in how it travels will change, but the fascinating (mini) scandals are here to stay. Shima Harrison '26
If you are either a fan of rap music or have been scrolling on TikTok recently, chances are you have heard about the feuding between the two rap superstars Kendrick Lamar and Drake. However, instead of focusing on their current beef and situation, I am here to prove why Kendrick is overall the superior rapper, based on a comparison of the two rappers’ instrumentals, lyricism, and impact. (Please keep in mind this is just my opinion; also, Drake was one of my top 5 artists in my Spotify wrapped last year so I am not coming from a place of hate.) First, instrumentals: Kendrick tends to utilize a broader range of complex and interesting rhythms and backing instrumentals, whereas Drake tends to fall back to sounds that are commercial and mainstream-friendly, especially with his biggest hits. For example, Kendrick’s “The Heart Part 5” features a jazzy upbeat background, that well suits his passionate raps, while other songs like “DNA” use percussive aggressive beats to accentuate his sharp trap-like bars.Drake, on the other hand, has more monotony within his discography as a whole, as well as within each song. His most-played song “One Dance” for instance, with its repetitive nature and his whiny vocals, is more a catchy pop or R&B song than the work of a mature rapper. Additionally, Kendrick’s lyricism goes far beyond Drake’s, which is evident in the level of critical acclaim he has received. Drake beats Kendrick in terms of the number of streams and listeners, ranking higher on Spotify at 6th compared to 12th, but Kendrick has more awards and nominations, in addition to winning the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 album DAMN., being the first rapper to do so. Lamar utilizes clever and layered bars to convey personal narratives and comment on global issues. For example, in his song Poe Mans Dreams, he raps “Since my uncles was institutionalized / My intuition had said I was suited for family ties”, which not only references systemic issues of gang affiliation but also utilizes wordplay with ‘suits’ and ‘ties’. Drake, on the other hand, people mocked for using corny bars, such as “Saying you a lesbian, girl me too” in his track “Girls Want Girls”. Finally, Kendrick surpasses Drake as a rapper in how he has impacted the hip-hop community. The level of creativity and thoughtfulness behind DAMN. not only inspired many artists to create and listen but also changed the narrative for what rap music could look and sound like, therefore opening the genre up to bigger audiences. Though successful in breaking into the mainstream pop audiences, Drake’s impact seems to be more tied to his mem-eable public persona and catchy hit songs with themes of love and self-confidence, rather than to inspiring innovative music. All in all, though Drake can make smash hit after smash hit, as he has and will continue to do, I still feel that Kendrick is the superior rapper in how he has chosen to go deeper with the meaning, production, and creative process of his works. This is by no means a dissing of Drake; I think there is much to be said of what Drake has accomplished commercially (and I do love a good “Hotline Bling” moment). However, when it comes to being a rapper, I stand firm in my assertion that Kendrick is superior. Anonymous
I went to the library to study for my math quiz. I was seeking quiet and comfort along with that motivational Gray Library aura that wafts throughout the NCS Upper School library. However, the point of such a place sometimes flies over people’s heads and as I sought a comfy chair on the upper deck, all I could hear was shrieking because of the latest gossip. So, I dedicate this poem, if you’re willing to call it that, to those who forget to leave their loud conversations outside in Woodley and choose to bring them into Gray at an ungodly volume: It lowkey looks like a hospital, But I came here to do some math. Instead, some gals, were talking Without a stop in sight. I sighed, and thought, oh well, this’ll have to do; except instead, They started yelling, And my ears were bleeding–EW! Obviously, I say this metaphorically, But I couldn’t find the x. My quiz was in 40 minutes, and They just wouldn't let it rest. The whole of NCS could hear them, And frankly I was shocked, How could someone talk so loudly As if in a state of brain rot? And not to be a hater, But why was there no shush? No finger to the lips To make them quiet up– I had to pull out my airpods To save me from a frown. Oh fuck. They're dead. What’ll I do now? They won, I moved. To a yellow banana couch. They just wouldn't shut up And I simply could not drown them out. Until next time, When they choose not to berate All of Gray about their woes And instead, Snort some valuable knowledge through their nose. For legal reasons this is satire, a joke, some hard hitting humor, a quick laugh if you will. |