On March 28, 2024, The AIC Workers Union hosted a Protest rally in front of the Mclean Building on the SAIC Campus. Adjunct faculty, lecturers, and professors gathered to voice their grievances about the unfair contract that has been under negotiations for more than 8 months. Their chants urged the administration to meet their demands soon, as the Union continued to fight.
Illustration by Shina Kang
“Sehri” or “suhoor”, the time to eat before the fast or “roza”, ends when the time for “Fajr”: the first Namaz (prayer) of the day, starts. The time changes everyday, all in accordance to the subtle changes of the earth’s revolution of the sun.
Back home (Pakistan), Ramzan is observed very differently than here. The youth barely sleep, choosing to capitalize the time where chai and coffee is allowed to work through the night and catch up with friends who are similarly awake. They’re responsible for rousing the parents an hour and a half before Sehri time ends, to start preparing the food.
In my house, it’s usually my sister and I who make the chai, fry eggs and heat up the leftovers. My mother makes the rotis (bread). My brother spends the night revising his recitation for Taraweeh, and my Dad and Dadi join us half an hour before the end of Sehri. That’s when we all sit around the table, and discuss our plan for the day. Workplaces and schools alike change their timings in Ramzan, aware that everyone who’s fasting will get tired early, irritable, and inattentive as the day progresses. Work ends an hour earlier than usual, school classes are shorter, afternoons and early evenings are spent napping. The time before sundown is divided between reciting the Quran and preparing Iftar (Fast-breaking evening meal). Everyone’s in the common space, we all have our roles and responsibilities.
Living in Chicago, so far from home, the routine is very different. All the responsibilities are one person’s alone, and the term “community” is lost between the edges of disinterest and apathy in American society. Waking up at 4 a.m. to eat alone would be impossible if not for my roommate and friend Zara, and going through the day would be incredibly hard if I didn’t have a group of friends who are accepting of the toil of fasting in my general mood.
A few days before Ramzan started, I went out to actively look for others who would be observing it in the school. Most of my day was spent on campus, and I was eager to sit and talk to people who were either getting ready to experience it the first time on campus or people who had already witnessed a Ramzan at SAIC.
I met Jannah Sellars, Art Therapy (MA 2025), at a screening by the SAIC Arab Culture Club. Jannah was perhaps the fourth Muslim I’d met in the school, and so the decision to approach her was easy. We spoke a bit at the event, and we decided to follow up later on call. “The school acts like they aren’t even aware about Muslims being a thing,” she said, “we talk about accessibility a lot in the department. Where is it now?”
Jannah was frustrated at the lack of community building openings through the school. “At this point, just an acknowledgement from the school will be great, because it [Ramzan] is a big deal. They should’ve sent letters to Professors regarding the need for possible accommodation regarding classes and lower energy levels of Muslim students, a memo to them about prayer timings, and dietary restrictions in case they’re bringing something for the class. They should do something for Muslim students to feel seen.”
Part of not being seen as a Muslim was because Jannah struggled with carrying out the basic need to pray due to lack of accommodations in the school. “Sometimes I have to pray by the dumpster because it’s the only secluded space. They’re very few and far [spaces to pray] and also shared so there’s no privacy. Even the few meditation spaces they have aren’t shared publicly. No one even tells you where things are.”
When Jannah voiced her frustrations, she was referred to a representative from the Cultural Oasis. “I spoke to her and never heard back, never saw any changes,” she shared.
She also spoke about the lack of care for Muslim students regarding the Cafeteria. “There are no halal options in this cafe. They should have that at least in Ramzan.”
This sentiment was echoed by Abdullah Alghamdi, another student I met at the screening who’s also President of the Saudi Student Association club. He shared his experiences of the previous Ramzans he has spent on camus and said, “Even if you wanted to eat food that doesn’t contain meat, the Cafeteria closed before the Azaan time [signaling the breaking of fast] so we had to get food from the few places that are open after 6 p.m. or buy it beforehand and keep it somewhere until we could eat.”
One of the few people I was connected with when I started looking into Musim advocates at SAIC was Danyah Subei (MA 2025), a graduate alumnus from the Art Therapy department. She spoke about the lack of recognition and acknowledgement she felt as a Graduate student and Muslim in her years here. “[Their take on me as a Muslim was] very don’t see, don’t talk about it,” she said.
“They were torn between not acknowledging my religion but also tokenizing me at the same time,” she said. “[You] end up playing the position of the advocate, the person who asks, the pioneer, and that is a huge undertaking,” she continued.
In Danyah’s second year, she and a few other graduate students joined the department faculty meeting. She took the opportunity to speak about how she had been there for almost two years and how she still had no space to pray. “After the meeting, my supervisor reached out to me, and she offered her office for my prayers. She said that they [the faculty] didn’t know about my struggle, and that’s not it, you know. Her office was great, but sometimes she was there, sometimes she wasn’t, so it wasn’t that I could always rely on it,” she said.
She spoke about the lack of meditative space or prayer place in the Art Therapy department. “It’s such a core principle in our practice, how is this possible? Most of our studying centers Western Psychology, where’s the curiosity of other practices and cultures? All it tells me when I talk to these people is that you’re not trained to work with people like me,” Danyah added.
Some of the conversations she had with the people affiliated with the department cemented her opinion that this (SAIC) was not a place that understood where she came from. “I [took that feeling, and] held onto it, kept my guard up, and repeated to myself that this is not where I belonged,” she concluded, regarding her three year experience at SAIC as a Muslim student.
As an International Muslim “alien”, I’m not foreign to the feeling of displacement. Every interaction where people are too stiff, too cold, and balk at my name, or when I excuse myself to pray, raises the question; is this Islamophobia or racism? Either way, you learn to coexist with the fact that your existence is uncomfortable or alien to those around you, but to echo what Danyah said, it’s imperative to acknowledge how much space these places offer you. So far, SAIC is failing to meet us at the bare-minimum.
Faye Edwards, Gallery Owner, and Bernard Mims, Gallery Curator from the Faie Afrikan Art website
When you imagine the work that makes up the contents of an art museum or gallery what do you picture? Perhaps you visualize decaying oil portraits of former kings. Maybe old Greek figures carved from ancient marble, or large abstract creations that make you think your little brother could have made that.
Now let me ask you another question: Did you picture any African Art? It’s ok to admit if you didn’t, it’s not entirely your fault. The art that fills our predominant institutions minimizes the variety and complexities of African and diasporic art. From my own experience at the Art Institute of Chicago, I’ve seen how the whole continent can be diluted to a single room at the end of a hallway hidden in the back corner of the museum, despite the presence of Africans in America since the creation of this country.
Historically, Black artists struggle to find space in the art world due to pre-existing infrastructures, including censorship, institutional racism, economic disparities, etc. The Civil Rights Movement and the Black Arts Movement sparked a surge of cultural and artistic activism among African Americans across the United States and Africans globally. This ignited the emergence of Black-owned galleries and cultural institutions aimed at promoting Black art and empowering Black artists throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
Faie Afrikan Art Gallery is a Black-owned gallery in Bronzeville Chicago located on 43rd Street. It is owned and operated by Faye Edwards, a longtime Chicago resident.
Growing up, Edwards was curious about African art, loving the art of the Republic of Congo, Nigeria, and found works created in Tanzania and Kenya remarkable. Intrigued by this diverse artistic realm, Edwards made many more trips to the continent of Africa after originally only visiting two countries: Mali and Guinea.
Initially, Edwards had no intention of starting a business and began collecting art for her own personal enjoyment. But she found herself needing a place to store and display the intricate art that she had gathered.
Edwards’ mentor, Lawrence Dan, used to own The Woodshop on 75th and King Drive in Bronzeville. Edwards credits Dan as revolutionizing the field allowing it to grow.
“At this time, people weren’t selling Black art and he was the only one interested,” Edwards said.
Dan created space for Black artists — African American and African — to establish themselves and create a path for Black curators to follow. This ignited the formation of the Faie Afrikan Art Gallery, which has been at their current location for 11 years.
The gallery is a two-story building with a warm and intimate ambiance. Unlike the standard sterile white gallery walls, the space is painted in various neutral shades that complement the appearances of the art on display. Ornate rugs decorate the wood flooring while numerous sculptures, instruments, and paintings embellish the space.
Edwards said the cozy space and unique smells evoke visceral emotions that visitors often experience when they enter her gallery, and I have to agree.
Edwards said that many people understand African art to be solely for decoration or ritual. She wants to expand this narrative by showing that these creations have stories and often serve a purpose.
Edwards added that it is important to understand where things come from and how they were used historically. She said she believes there are no experts in African art because the field is so vast.
To provide more information, the gallery keeps a collection of books on different aspects of African cultures —such as life, death, and afterlife— with the art practices that pertain to them.
Edward explained that the concept of beauty displayed in the art in some African cultures is very different from the presentation of beauty in occidental cultures. “There’s no way around it, you have to put in the time and effort to learn about the history and meanings of these works,” she said.
Though the gallery began with traditional art from past centuries, Edwards has also opened her space to contemporary works. She does clarify that the modern echoes tradition and she sees no dissonance between traditional and contemporary African art.
An example is the recent photography installation by former School of the Art Institute of Chicago student and featured artist Isadore Howard. Howard graduated in 1978 with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts, now he preserves images of the Nigerian people and their various ethnic groups in their natural state through his unique lens, transporting viewers to his travels.
Edwards said that she would like to further the gallery’s outreach beyond the occasional talks and classes already hosted in her space. She believes that young people are very important to the preservation of this work.
Exposing younger generations to this alternative form of presenting African art from the standard Western perception breaks institutional barriers. Edwards’ gallery brings African art to the forefront making it a topic of discussion, dissolving all sense of hierarchy, putting culture and education first.
All photos are linked to the original file in drive and are provided as RAW and JPG.
All photos, except the curators, are taken by me, Mya Jones.
First floor interior of Faie Afrikan Art Gallery. (2024)
Photographs by SAIC class of 1978 alumni Isadore Howard. (2024)
Paintings and sculptures along the basement wall. (2024)
Cozy corner of the basement where vintage furniture is decorated with dolls and fabrics. (2024)
Wall of paintings by Mr. George Crump. (2024)
Illustration by Aditi Singh
Over this year’s winter break many undergraduate students set to graduate in the spring of 2024 looked toward their final semester of study with panic. Frantic texts were made, social media polls were posted and emails were sent to the Department of Undergraduate Exhibitions. The subject matter? A significant number of students who had apparently missed the deadline to sign up for spring Undergraduate Exhibitions by a month without knowing.
The only communication the students received was a single email containing all of the registration information and forms for the three primary Undergraduate Exhibitions. This email was sent out on Nov. 17, 2023 and marked the opening of the registration period, which closed on Nov. 30. No follow-up email regarding registration was sent during or after this period.
In previous years, registration was in early February. No announcement of this change was made by the Department of Undergraduate Exhibitions prior to November, so students weren’t on the lookout for registration.
Opening registration on Nov. 17, 2023 became a point of contention among students as it was also the day of the 2023 holiday art sale. Students tabling at the sale were expected to be away from their phones during this notoriously busy day.
Honey Nilson, a BFA senior who was tabling at the sale said that while they were technically informed about the registration, the communication was insufficient.
“Without any follow up emails or anything else it’s hard to say I was really aware of it despite being informed,” Honey said.
Several students were unable to complete sign up, many citing their participation in the sale as a primary reason for them missing the deadline.
Those who caught their missed registration early by communicating with advisors were able to appeal and be included in the exhibition within the following weeks. The real trouble came in late December when many students first began to realize they had missed registration for their senior exhibitions. Posts began flying around social media as affected students tried to make sense of the situation and find peers in the same boat.
When the campus reopened on Jan. 2, 2024, the Department informed the students who had been in touch over the break that they would be unable to participate in exhibitions, but could submit their work to the Digital Feature, a slideshow that runs on the second floor of the 33 E. Washington galleries during the BFA show. Some students who pressed further were sent links to appeal their decision in early January. The appeal form was shared between students and posted online allowing a larger group to attempt to appeal.
Graduating BFA senior Isabel,who asked to be identified with their first name only to protect their privacy, wrote an appeal letter that expressed the widespread concern.
“I have spoken with dozens of students who are in similar situations, and I am anticipating finding more. These are hardworking students who have been looking forward to this opportunity for years. Who have already begun planning and purchasing materials. Who are organized, on top of their emails, and have somehow still found themselves in the same situation as me. I would understand your lack of flexibility if this was an individual circumstance, but knowing how many students have been affected has led me to beg you to reconsider,” Isabel’s letter read.
These appeals were unanimously denied with no explanation offered.
Students reported that they continued pushing though, emailing the department repeatedly. Eventually, on Jan. 30, the Department of Undergraduate Exhibitions sent out an email to all eligible students, including those who had been rejected previously, announcing that appeals would be available via request and were set to close on Feb. 8, 2024. A follow-up email reminder was sent on Feb 6, 2024. This announcement prompted many students to appeal a second time. These second appeals were largely accepted.
So why were the deadlines to sign up for BFA Spring show deadlines changed?
“We’ve found that with a February registration deadline for the Spring Undergraduate Exhibition, students had very little time to submit appeals to participate and for those appeals to be reviewed before the start of installation for the exhibition,” said Trevor Martin, the executive director of exhibitions at SAIC.
According to Martin, the Department took into account student feedback, consulted with the dean of undergraduate affairs, and pushed the deadline to November. This would allow for a two-month appeal period in which the needs of students pursuing inclusion in the shows could be more widely assessed and addressed. The extended appeals period and added time for consideration by the department also meant that students who had appealed in early January and were rejected had an opportunity for their appeals to be considered.
The intention to extend the appeals period was not communicated to students at the time of registration. Mass communication about appeals were not sent out until after many students had already been rejected.
The Department plans to take student feedback into consideration again and in collaboration with the academic advising team and the dean of undergraduate affairs, reevaluate how registration for undergraduate festivals is handled in the future.
Students have called for communication that is clearer, more easily accessible, and repeated especially when it pertains to events that are so central to the SAIC experience.
“I have been an orientation leader for three years because of how much I believed in this school and wanted to share that enthusiasm with others and after four years here, most of that enthusiasm is gone because of how things are run and this situation really highlights that for me,” said Tess (BFA 2024) who requested their last name not be used to protect their privacy.
TRANSCRIPT
Title: “are you homesick too?”
By Nasa Espinoza
Panel 1: Narration reads: “ i asked you about what you miss from home, I find sickness to be
contagious, i learned that you miss…”
The text sits on a solid red background, a bust of a person with pale skin, dark hair and black
sweater accompanies the text.
Panel 2: Narration reads: “ the smell of early mornings, dewy and fresh,”
The text is accompanied with a panel displaying a neighborhood, made up of warm reds and
yellows.
Panel 3: Narration reads: “ homemade tonkatsu and visits to Perkins,”
The text is accompanied with a panel displaying sauce dripping onto a plate of tonkatsu.
Panel 4: Narration reads : “your best friend, your other half,”
The text is accompanied with a panel of two people sitting in the car, one is the same as the one
previously, and the other has brown hair and a light sweater.
Panel 5: Narration reads: “ you miss your cat, even though he knocks everything off your
shelves, Apple Valley and its late night talks”
The image to the left showcases a black cat with green eyes on a light green background.
Panel 6: Narration reads: “ home is where your family is, full of warmth and love”
The image to the right showcases two figures, both leaning on each other, wearing sunglasses,
holding a phone and facing the viewer.
The background consists of an image of a town, darkened by a sunset with warm yellows and
reds.
Illustration by Fah Prayottavekit
On March 20, students from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Columbia College came together for a daytime vigil in honor of those killed in Palestine. The event, which took place near 280 Columbus St., was a collaboration between students of different backgrounds and identities.
Similar events have become regular occurrences on SAIC’s campus since Oct. 7, 2023, as students use the resources available to them to expand their solidarity with Palestine and pressure the school to take a stand against genocide. From designing and distributing political flyers and hosting film screenings to joining marches in the streets, SAIC students are setting a prime example of what collaborative student activism can look like and how it can foster a sense of community and spaces for caring and solidarity.
This begs the question: Why are members of SAIC’s most vulnerable population — students — taking the sole responsibility for supporting Palestinian and Arab students? Why has the school’s administration been silent and not taken a direct stance in regards to the safety of and care for Palestinian and Arab students? Why hasn’t the school recently organized anything to address the pain, suffering, and trauma caused by the current genocide? (The last time the school organized an event where they addressed the war was at the end of January.)
The answers to these questions are complex, and the problem is not unique to SAIC. In the aftermath of the war, several college institutions have chosen to remain neutral. Though the intent of claiming neutrality is to not get involved, the impact of neutrality is erasure and invisibility, and even punishment of those who choose to not remain neutral. Faculty and students at other universities who have expressed solidarity with Palestine have faced serious repercussions.
SAIC’s administration has not publicly acknowledged the war as a genocide. The word “conflict” has been used, which negates the seriousness of the matter, suggesting that both parties are equal and in conflict. This is not the case here.
For Muslim, Palestinian, and Arab students, the past few months have been a nightmare. The overt brutality, and daily personal loss experienced by students, faculty, and staff, is unimaginably painful. The trauma inflicted by the Israeli government perpetrating this violence will take years to heal. The biggest international courts in The Hague cannot provide adequate justice.
So, the least anyone, including the SAIC administration, can do is to acknowledge this pain and create a safe space where those affected by genocide can grieve and come together without having to petition for help. This responsibility should not primarily fall on students, who are already vulnerable and have limited resources. Moreover, this is needed to support the well-being of students. Taking a stance is about sincerity and transparency.
Many students at SAIC have relocated here from their homes and families in pursuit of education and artistic endeavors. They often rely on SAIC as a sanctuary, a surrogate home in a new city where they have limited avenues for support. When the school fails to address students’ needs, a sense of belonging is not experienced, while feelings of exclusion and isolation start to deepen.
Some students express frustration and disappointment as they experience neglect from the administration, because of lack of acknowledgement of their pain. These discontents are responded to with protests and students calling for accountability through the creation of more nurturing environments within SAIC.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that SAIC’s mission to create an environment for the expression of diverse ideas and acknowledgement of diverse histories isn’t being accomplished.
There’s a lot that needs to be done and undone at SAIC. Reaching out to students affected by genocide and validating their feelings is the first step. Students who have been coming together since Oct. 7, 2023, are an example and a lesson for SAIC administration and its community. More actions — art shows, weekly lectures, poetry, readings, etc. within the school — focused on Palestine and Indigenous movements worldwide — are needed.
The school should also actively organize events that acknowledge the rise of anti-Semitism in the country, and reach out to Jewish students who are more vulnerable now, because we know people who support genocide are often also racist, sexist, and antisemitic.
We don’t know when the genocide will end. We don’t know when the Palestinians will return to their homes, or if they ever will. (According to the United Nations Satellite Center, 35% of Gaza’s buildings were destroyed or damaged as a result of this war.) But what we do know is that the distress is real. It will remain with students and in the SAIC community but how it remains we can’t predict. It is time for SAIC administration to be present for their most vulnerable students in every way possible by not allowing the needs of students to be overlooked.
Editor’s note: (This editorial was written before April 1, when SAIC announced that it was celebrating Arab American Heritage Month. The school has planned several film screenings in April that will focus on the stories and histories of Palestinians.)
Illustration by Meghan Sim
Outside the admittedly awesome community at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, there’s a whole city, teeming with arts and culture and history! Chicago is filled with communities of artists and writers. Those communities thrive when folks get involved — and the people who get involved benefit, too.
If you’re a new writer to Chicago or just a bit of a wallflower (that sad poetry isn’t going to write itself!), and you’re craving a literary circle in the city, here are five open mic nights for writers and poets.
These events are the perfect way to get your work out there, and it’s not as intimidating as it looks. I should know: at the first poetry open mic I attended, a friend wrote my name down on the signup sheet herself before I arrived. There would be no wallflowering for me, but I did get to make a bit of an entrance. If you do want to read, get there early. Sometimes spots are limited. And try to have fun!
City Lit Books, Logan Square
City Lit Books in Logan Square has a pretty cool selection of poetry, perhaps due to their monthly poetry open mic. City Lit’s open mic usually has two featured poets headline the event and read selections from their new work, followed by readings from the community. It’s low-stakes, there’s a microphone, and if you don’t want to read, you can come to listen.
These events are once monthly on a Wednesday, and sign-up begins at 6:15 p.m., with readings starting shortly thereafter at 6:30 p.m. This month’s event will be on April 17, and featured poets will be announced soon.
“Fruit Salad” at Dorothy, Humboldt Park
A super secret speakeasy? A lesbian super secret speakeasy?? A lesbian super secret speakeasy with craft cocktails and a photo booth??? Did my heart know love ‘til now???? Hard to say.
This monthly event is for people 21 and older, and ticketed off the Dorothy website dorothydownstairs.com. “Fruit Salad” is an open mic night for any friend of Dorothy who writes or performs in any medium and features one or two queer headliners each month. Unfortunately, as one of only a few lesbian bars in the city, it often sells out lightning fast.
A ticket to this event is certainly not a guaranteed performance, so the ideal attendee of this event is one who wants to listen.
“Fruit Salad” allots 10 open mic slots via the lottery system to interested ticket holders. Five slots are reserved for BIPOC performers. Tickets are $15. This month’s event, like the one at City Lit Books, will be on April 17. Poets are yet to be announced, but keep an eye on the website. The show begins at 7:30 p.m.
Show up early to this one for sure, because the door is unmarked. If you’re unable to get a ticket to this event, check out the other programming at Dorothy on their website for more literary events and queer community.
Eli Tea Bar, Andersonville
Eli Tea Bar is a cafe with a bar vibe that hosts a slew of literary and artistic events on the regular. Their open mic night is every Friday night from 8 to 10 p.m. and is open to writers and musicians from multiple disciplines. Signups begin at 7:30 p.m.
You’ll want to relax with one of their many bubble teas, browse their small shop and grab a seat in the back lounge until the show begins. The great thing about Eli Tea Bar is that it has the ambiance and community of a bar space, but is non-triggering for sober patrons and welcoming to those under 21.
If you’re looking for somewhere off campus to workshop, Eli Tea Bar also offers a friendly writers’ group every Monday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The writers’ group begins with a writing prompt, then transitions to quiet writing time before wrapping up with chill time with the other writers.
Illustration by Fah Prayottavekit
Never before has there been a comprehensive timeline of the many different redesigns of the brand, until now.
Part of what makes this brand so unique is the number of reboots it’s enjoyed. Littlest Pet Shops —referred to here as LPS— is loosely defined by generations. Until the most recent release, the generations of LPS were fan-defined. They were determined by the numbers given to the pets. A new generation was determined by fans when the number of pets was reset to zero. The seventh generation launched in 2022.
LPS figurines were first produced in 1992 by Kenner Toys. The original line stylized pets that each came in a themed home and performed an action. Some pets moved magnetically, were stamps, or had a moving part that made them interactive.
Kenner LPS toys originated the brand and are the most distinct. While elements of the line continued on (like the magnetic interactive features), the proportional-yet-stylized shop-centered toy line ceased in 1997, never to return.
But the whimsy and charm of LPS has lived on.
In the year 2000, Kenner was completely absorbed into Hasbro and multiple toy lines were either completely shut down or reimagined, including LPS.
The second generation spanned 2005 to 2012 and included multiple redesigns. Starting with what is referred to as Generation 2.1 by fans, the 2005 to 2007 iteration of the line was the first to feature the now-signature bobbleheads. These were less shop-based and would be the basis of a majority of the online community and fandom.
In 2009, the pets lost their magnets in favor of holes and pegs in the playsets and accessories, allowing for customization.
In 2010, Blythe (a Kenner-produced doll from 1972) was reintroduced via an LPS line called “Blythe Loves Littlest Pet Shop,” with a number of sets that featured both LPS pets and smaller Blythe dolls.
The rise of social media and online communities in the early 2000s gave LPS fans a home from where they can connect with each other over YouTube and other platforms.
“Littlest Pet Shop: Popular,” @SophieGTV’s LPS YouTube series put out its first episode in 2011. While it wasn’t the first LPS fan-made web series, it (appropriately) became the most popular, boasting over 4 million views and an online fan community of its own. It became emblematic of the online community. The videos were narrative stories that read more like filmed extensions of imaginative play and often followed darker themes.
“I liked collecting them as a child because I watched LPS YouTube, and also because I was obsessed with animals, and I wasn’t allowed to get a pet,” said SAIC student Spencer Creighton (BFA 2027).
Generation 3 (2012 to 2014) was centered around a new television show with Blythe as the lead character. The pets now had names and storylines that aligned with the show. This generation also saw the end of the bobbleheads. Generation 4 (2014 to 2016) brought them back and added small holes and deco bits to customize pets. Generation 5 was essentially the same as 4.
In 2017, a new television show, “Littlest Pet Shop: A World of Our Own,” launched Generation 6, sans Blythe, and redesigned the pets to rely on gimmicks. It struggled to remain profitable with the decline of the brand and the closure of toy stores like Toys R Us.
Finally, Generation 7 was announced in 2022 and first revealed in 2023. The line was rebooted by BasicFun, a nostalgia-centric toy production company, that purchased the rights to rerelease the brand. As of 2024, they are now on shelves at places like Macy’s and Target.
As a part of the newly released line, a tie-in with Roblox was announced; however, the tie-in was marketed through the toys as a virtual experience and was only explicitly referred to as a Roblox experience on the LPS website.
Generation 7 pets are most similar to the Generation 2 pets and include bright flashy colors with pictorial symbols and bobbleheads. It consists mostly of pets from reused molds. In fact, many of the new pets have Hasbro’s old copyright stamps on them.
BasicFun sent a number of adult LPS content creators PR packages. The move to focus on nostalgia was not unfounded, the LPS community mostly consists of adult collectors who enjoyed the brand as children. However, the brand still markets to children as well, as seen by the Roblox tie-in and TV ads.
Generation 7 has now become the easiest to collect of all the LPS generations because of its availability both online and in toy sections. The newest generation pets individually retail for $3.99, or more if they’re sets.
All other LPS generations are only available through second-hand retailers, like eBay or thrift stores, and are much more difficult to collect. Generation 1 is the most expensive. Being 32 years old, and consisting of sets with many small pieces, collecting one complete Generation 1 set can cost upwards of $50. Generation 2 is the most popular to collect due to its prominence in the LPS community.
“I’ve always really adored animals so I gravitate more towards Littlest Pet Shop more than any other doll-esque toy. While I haven’t been recently collecting them because I thought they were still in their weird ultra-cutesy phase (which is the time I stopped looking because I did not like that style) I’m glad to see they’ve gone back to their original style,” said SAIC student Hannah Ji (BFAW 2024).
The future of LPS is in its past, as the new line of the brand is entirely based on nostalgia.
Generation 1, or kenner lps
Generation 2.1 pets
Generation 2.2 pets
Generation 2.3 pets
Generation 3 pets
Generation 4 pets
Generation 5 pets
Generation 6 pets
Generation 7 pets
Rose Hellesen dressed as her fursona “Silk” at an intersection on Wabash. Picture taken by Sisel Gelman.
In memoriam, Mark Merlino.
Some surveys estimate that 1 out of every 2,500 or 5,000 people in the world is a furry. With those odds, you’ve likely met a furry at school, at work, or even the grocery store.
For a community that is so often depicted in pop culture, the world of the furry fandom is plagued with misconceptions and mystique. The jokes are cruel. The comments are crude. The media coverage is highly critical.
“Slut Saga” has teamed up with Rose Hellesen, an autistic furry, to spill the secrets about furries and everything you’ve always wanted to know.
What is a furry?
The furry fandom is a subculture of people who use the art of anthropomorphic animal costumes to engage with, or represent, various aspects of personality, sexuality, and identity through art.
Loosely speaking, this kind of design can range from hyperrealistic to cartoony, with the key aspect being combining human intelligence, behavior, and in part, anatomy, with animals. The majority of furries create an alternate identity called a fursona, which often includes pieces of their identity and can also be used to project their ideal traits onto.
A person can have as many fursonas as they want. Often, though, they will choose one in particular to be their main fursona. For example, if someone struggles with being in large crowds they might create a fursona that loves to party. This allows them to engage with a world that they feel is inaccessible because their fursona can participate in it without any issue.
Are there rules for making a fursona?
Anything goes for a fursona’s design, including: insects, fish, aliens, hybrids — all are completely valid . There are even original species created within the furry fandom of creatures that don’t exist in nature. One popular species are “protogens,” a half-mechanical/half-organic creature with a rounded screen for a face.
Anyone can make a fursona out of anything, and this is by design! The furry fandom has no media tied to it, so there’s nothing to watch, read, or play before you join. In this sense, it acts more as a subculture, like punks or goths, than it does a standard fandom space.
The unifying nature of anthropomorphic design allows people to create a version of themselves with much more individuality than a standard human body can, and unlike other fandoms that center around a show or book series, the furry fandom is much more geared towards using furry design as a way to express personal identity.
This openness to expression has created a decades-old space that is overwhelmingly queer and neurodivergent friendly, as well as sex-positive.
The History of the Fandom
Though anthropomorphic design has been a consistent part of many cultures for thousands of years, the establishment of a furry-specific fandom in its modern context can be traced back to Los Angeles in1980.
At Loscon 7, a sci-fi convention, a con-goer and fan of anthropomorphic design named Rod O’Riley caught sight of an artist’s display that piqued his interest (watch: 6:37) — the booth was filled with art of an anthropomorphic species called a “Skiltaire” — a mustelid-like alien with insect antennae. The artist behind these works was Mark Merlino.
O’Riley and Merlino soon realized they shared a similar passion for anthropomorphic design that, up until then, they thought no one else did. At that point, Mark Merlino had been running the Cartoon/Fantasy Organization (or C/FO) — an anime fan club in Inglewood, California— for three years. They soon realized, through the club’s attendees, that there was a growing interest in what was at the time called “funny animals,” referring to the specific genre of anthropomorphic animal characters that appeared in the “funnies” section of comics and the underground comics movement.
Throughout the early to mid-‘80s there would be small meetups (watch: 12:58), hosted by Merlino and O’Riley, held at sci-fi conventions for those interested in funny animals. By that point, Merlino and O’Riley had become a couple (watch: 8:54).
The early days of the fandom were dominated by the comic aspect of funny animals, and most furry media was explored in the form of various underground comics series.
While funny animals were for all ages, an interest in mature topics grew along with the fandom. Soon, comics were being published for adults-only and depicted lesbian and gay characters, along with a general sex-positive outlook on relationships. One such comic was “Omaha the Cat Dancer,” a drama series about an anthropomorphic cat who worked as an “exotic dancer” (a term no longer used for sex-workers) and struggled with the complex relationship she had with her boyfriend and on-again-off-again girlfriend.
The furry fandom specifically created a queer-friendly space at a time when such places hardly existed.
The discussion of comic series, “Albedo,” led to the first proper meetup of the furry fandom. Held in Merlino and O’Riley’s hotel room at Westercon 1986, this meeting was advertised as a “furry party,” a term which went on to become the namesake of the entire fandom.
This furry party and subsequent ones allowed artists and fans alike to consume and engage with furry content, and the popularity of these furry parties led to the very first furry convention in 1989, organized by Merlino and O’Riley, who paid out of pocket to rent the conference room of a Holiday Inn (watch: 27:19).
This convention, called ConFurence Zero, became the groundwork for further furry conventions. It showed that there was a real interest within the fandom to create their own space and one separate from simply being an addendum to sci-fi conventions.
The final foundation of the furry fandom as it exists today manifested thanks to Ken Sample; a prominent furry artist in the early days of the fandom who created his own furry character based on himself called Ken Cougar.
Up until this point in the fandom, everybody had been interested in furries, but no one had created a furry version of themselves. Ken Sample was the first furry to create a fursona, which has become a defining aspect of the furry fandom. Since the fandom was mainly populated by artists, a huge surge of self-identifying artwork based on Sample’s precedent arose across members-only furry comics, convention halls, and more.
The fandom shifted from just consuming furry content to actively relating themselves, and their identity to another, better form of their “true self”. From then on, the convention attendance got bigger, the venue sizes became larger, and the furry fandom welcomed more and more people of all genders, sexualities, and identities.
From ConFurence Zero being attended by 65 fans, to now 13,644 attendees coming to Anthrocon 2023 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, the popularity of the fandom has brought together thousands all across the globe.
It is necessary to mention the recent passing of one of the fandom’s founding members, Mark Merlino. The impact that Merlino has made on the fandom is nothing short of revolutionary. He and his partner, O’Riley, were the bedrock that allowed the furry community to grow to the size it is today. Without their passion for anthropomorphic characters, and their dedication to create a social and artistic space for this love to exist, it’s very likely that the furry fandom would’ve never been created at all.
Rest in peace, Mark Merlino.
Furries and the Sex Positive Community & LGBTA+ Community
It is a misconception that the furry fandom is primarily a sexual space.
“There’s no sexual element to [fursuiting] for the vast majority of fursuiters,” States the findings of Dr. Courtney Plante through a series of studies. To most members, being a part of the furry fandom is about emotionally connecting with other like-minded people and finding the highest form of self-realization. Over 60% of furries proclaim that their involvement in the furry community has nothing to do with sexual material. Nevertheless, as with most topics, some people attach a sexual value to it. This is normal because sexuality is a part of being human.
As Rod O’Riley said, “Of course furry is full of sexuality, because furry is full of human beings, who are alive and thinking and feeling.”
The misconception of furry as only kink goes far back to the early days of the fandom in the 1990s and 2000s when the fandom was much smaller. Early furry conventions were incredibly welcoming to all people, and so those who felt outcast by other groups discovered that the fandom space allowed for a much greater means of expressing identity. To no surprise, when adults come together to express identity, sexuality comes as a form of that expression. These spaces allowed queer people to engage with otherwise taboo topics in a way that they couldn’t anywhere else.
The fandom wasn’t built on the foundation of sex, rather, it comes as a result of a space welcoming all means of self-expression. Just like a fursona allows someone to feel more comfortable expressing themselves, furry art became a means of engaging with topics that social norms barred.
Sex positivity was a natural product of the fandom’s inclusivity. Likewise, the decentralized structure of the furry fandom makes it difficult to approach from an outsider’s perspective. From the outside, it’s easy to assume that the entire fandom must be sexual. The openness to all topics, including sex and kink, led to the incorrect assumption that the fandom space was specifically formed around only that topic.
Why has this misconception prevailed? Largely to discredit a community that is inclusive of sex-positive, LGBTQ+, and neurodivergent people.
According to a 2018 survey of AnthroCon’s attendees, 80% of the furry community also identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community (watch: 44:50). Why do these two communities heavily overlap?
On one hand, there is the known premise that once one “taboo” is broken, people find it easier to break other “taboos.” Therefore, exploring one’s identity in a marginalized community, such as the furry fandom or the LGBTQ+ community, becomes easier once the individual has explored it in the other.
The overlap between both communities goes beyond just the perception of “deviance.” Both communities have historically been marginalized, ridiculed by the dominant culture, and seen as perverted. There is a solidarity between both communities to dismantle the misconceptions surrounding their lifestyles. The true liberation from heteronormative oppression of one community cannot happen without the liberation of the other. Similarly, both the furry community and the LGBTQ+ community are built around values of acceptance and living an authentic lifestyle. These are communities in which people feel safe to express themselves uniquely without fear or shame.
The furry fandom encourages self-exploration, and this is particularly beneficial to the trans community. A fursona is a safe space to explore identity without any long-lasting commitment. A person can try different visual aesthetics, personality traits, and even genders, without any permanence or public danger allowing someone the freedom to experience what their ideal self could be with little resources and repercussions.
This is especially important considering that having a fursona is free, and many LGBTQ+ community members are at risk of being financially unstable.
Fursonas can be gender-affirming spaces. A fursuit can be built to appear masculine, feminine, or gender-neutral regardless of the user’s biological sex, so too can a drawing of one’s fursona. This is a space where trans people can encounter gender-euphoric experiences such as the immediate use of their correct pronouns in alignment with their fusona’s gender.
“In a conference setting, people aren’t judging on looks or voice. They see a fursuit that looks masculine and immediately follow along. This is incredibly gender affirming,” said Al, a trans furry whose fursona is named Velvet.
“You don’t have to pull strings to be gendered as male [in the suit],” he said. His fursona, Velvet, wears a Rococo masculine outfit. Velvet is also a “silent suiter,” which means that Velvet does not speak. Al does not have to worry about his voice being perceived as not masculine enough. He just gets to experience his gender in alignment with his design, not his body.
A similar permissibility occurs around sex within the furry fandom.
As mentioned, although the furry fandom is not centered around sexual activity, the community is known for being a sex-positive space.
Sex is one of the largest “taboos” in our society. Talking about or engaging in sexual practices is often relegated to a private sphere of knowledge.
Under the same theory of breaking down taboos and building safe spaces for self-expression, sex (including queer sex) in the furry fandom is regarded with the same openness as any other relationship, such as a platonic friendship. Sex is not a topic that is shied away from. The full spectrum of sexual expression — including kink — is embraced. For example, fursuiters can signal kink through the use of harnesses and collars in their fursona’s design.
“We all bond over our love for art, creativity, and the escapism of anthropomorphic animals who don’t have the same issues as people,” Al said. “But there are subgroups within that larger group, so there is a safe space for everyone.”
As he explained, someone who is interested in kink will find their people. Someone who is not interested in kink — or even sex — will find their people too. There is a niche for every interest.
“The community is accepting because there’s an underlying understanding that this is a place to escape from your normal life,” continued Al.
Furry Pornography
How prevalent is furry pornography in the community?
“Furry men were significantly more likely to view furry-themed pornography (96.3%) than furry women (78.3%). Furry men and women both significantly underestimated these figures (84% and 70%, respectively),” according to research by FurScience. The IARP (International Anthropomorphic Research Project), publicly known as FurScience, is a “multidisciplinary team of scientists from different universities around the world, doing research” on the furry fandom. They found that 50.9% of the furry art that furry men viewed was pornographic, and when roleplaying online, 34% of that time was in a sexual context.
“Female furries were found to hold mixed feelings toward [furry] pornography, with nearly half of females reporting mixed feelings [on a scale of very negative to very positive], and nearly as many females opposing [furry] pornography as supporting it,” found FurScience. This could be due to the fact that 72% of furries are cisgender men, so women might feel alienated and misrepresented when they see anthropomorphic female bodies being sexualized.
But ultimately, close to 60% of furries have “no strong preference” or a mild preference for whether they consume furry pornography or not. FurScience’s data suggests that most furries feel no, or at most a slight preference for pornographic over non-pornographic furry art. This lends support to the notion that for many furries, a naturally occurring sex drive may lead them to an interest in erotic furry artwork, but, in general, they seem to enjoy furry art regardless of whether it contains erotic content.
More to Come!
Curious about how the history of drag and fursuits overlap? Interested in learning how neurodivergence shows up in the furry fandom?
Stay tuned for Part II of this Slut Saga Furry Series!
Illustration by Shina Kang
Who do you complain to when you want to rant about the MacLean cafeteria food? Who do you tell when you talk to that cute girl in your sculpture class that no one knows you have a crush on?
For many students, the places to voice the best, worst, weirdest or most annoying parts about being a School of the Art Institute of Chicago student are anonymous social media accounts where they can “confess” anything they want to get off their chest. The two most popular accounts on Instagram, the platform where this style of dialogue gets its day, are @_saic_confessions and @saic_confessions.
School confession accounts, for colleges and high schools, are a phenomenon that took off in 2013. At that time, they were mostly in the form of Facebook groups and pages.
At SAIC there is a large range of opinions in regards to these accounts. Some students and the people who run them see the accounts as well intentioned, funny places to share student gossip. Others feel that the student confession pages lead to harassment, cyberbullying, and invasion of privacy.
In general, the way these accounts work is through student submissions in DMs or on Google Forms. After the accounts receive confessions, the users who operate the accounts will parse through and post the confessions they choose. The accounts are based on anonymity. The people running them are anonymous. The people confessing are anonymous, which in theory allows for more honest or sensitive information to be shared. Each account has its own identity, self-imposed rules, and reputation.
The @saic_confessions account, currently recognizable to students by its “Sailor Moon” aesthetic, has been active since 2019 and has strict guidelines about not posting any names in confessions and keeping them lighthearted and about spilling tea rather than starting real discourse or drama. The @saic_confessions account had 1,337 followers at the time this article was written.
Meanwhile, @_saic_confessions, a similarly named but separate account, is recognizable by the dark green text on a ligjt background in its posts. As of 2024, @_saic_confessions is the more active of the current confession pages with more than 1,500 posts and 728 followers at the time this article was written. Despite its lower follower count, @_saic_confessions seems to be the more notorious of the two accounts among the current student body. According to one of the people running the account, known as Bubbles (from the emoji they use to identify themselves on Instagram), this is the second version of this account. The first was allegedly taken down by Instagram for posting professors’ full names. Bubbles said that the original account had around 1,000 followers. They also noted they now blur names in their posts, unless the post is deemed positive, to avoid having their account reported again.
There are other, low-engagement “confession” accounts as well. Some, like @saic.shady.confessions, are built mostly on meme culture, while others, like @saic_uncensored, build their brand entirely off of posting confessions completely uncurated and uncensored.
Two of the people behind @saic_confessions, who asked to stay anonymous aside from the initial they used to identify themselves on their shared account, talked about the types of confessions they receive.
“Sometimes we get people confessing their crushes or lovers, people that they’ve slept with. More relationship-type things. There’s stuff about teachers and professors. Of course, Ms. Tenny [SAIC President Elissa Tenny] is always being talked about. We have lots of confessions about the food being trash. Roommate drama,” said A.
A added that people often confess doing “weird things” that they feel they can’t tell other people, including their friends.
Much of the content on all the confession accounts is fairly crude. A point of particular interest is what goes on in the bathrooms at SAIC, whether the confession deals with bodily movements or sexual activity. It isn’t unusual to find posts about bowel movements, farting, or similar moments from SAIC confessors. The sexual content involves both self-play and scenarios with partners. The cruder the content for the post, the more likes the post received.
Crushes are another popular confession. Some of these posts are relatively innocent, posing questions to the community like, “Who’s the sexy new blonde girl?” as one confessor queried on @_saic_confessions. While blondeness might be enough to retain anonymity, often these posts withholding names contain enough information to identify specific students.
Other posts go further, outlining specific sexual urges confessors would like to carry out with other students, whose names are usually obscured on @saic_confessions, but occasionally remain visible on less lewd posts.
Many posts on @_saic_confessions do contain first names, although it is unclear whether these names have been altered by the operators. Many of the posts revealing names fall into the crush category. “Nora is so gorgeous,” confesses someone on @_saic_confessions.
There are also many remarks about the SAIC community in the content of posts on these accounts. Some posts can be seen as relatable, containing observations about professors, student debt and more, while others can be seen as disparaging, containing overt critiques of other students or aspects of SAIC culture.
“Everyone here is so goddamn cliquey. Like ok sorry I don’t have 800 tooth gems and knit my own clothes and smoke 30 pounds of weed that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends,” wrote one confessor on @saic_confessions.
“Lot of fashion students are so fucking rude especially the cis white ones, you all need to get off your high horse – from fashion student <3,” another wrote.
Mark Gatz (BFAAE 2025) said he had low opinion about the confession accounts; but when asked if he’s ever sent a confession, he said that he had because of “loneliness.”
Loneliness was a topic also brought up by the monitors of @saic_confessions.
“We get a lot of confessions talking about how lonely people are and how they want to make friends, or you know, how isolated they feel at school,” said A.
Content sometimes creates a forum to connect artists and students. There are posts asking about cheap nail techs, hair stylists and more. The comments on these posts often contain links to artists’ Instagrams dedicated to their art or business. These posts can be a place to find a sought-out service for cheap while supporting student artists and artisans.
With so much of the content on anonymous confession pages being devoted to talking about specific students, as innocent and anonymous as this content is supposed to be, a question arises. What do SAIC students think about these accounts?
“I blocked them because I don’t want to see potential posts about me or someone I know again. Some of the posts are literal bullying for people who don’t deserve it. There’s one or two examples where that person did deserve it because they did something terrible, but that’s a different story,” said Jordan Alston (BFA 2024).
Alston added that while every school has its flaws, and that those flaws ought to be discussed, this isn’t the most conducive forum.
“Some people complain for the sake of complaining. Not all, but a majority of the posts I’ve seen. They don’t seem to look at the bigger picture of the U.S. education system, society as a whole, and what we can do about it. SAIC is not the best, but it’s not as awful as several people say it is,” Alston said.
Others said the accounts were inconsequential.
“I feel like it would be no great loss if they disappeared from the internet. No personal ill-will to the people running them, of course, but I see very little value in these accounts as they presently exist. About half of it is horny posting which I do not care to see,” said Milo Simpson (BFAW 2025).
Simpson was especially off-put by interpersonal posts among students.
“Whatever happened to romance? I don’t want to know about the graphic sexual acts you want to perform with your peers and/or professors. Did they consent to being talked about publicly this way? Even if anonymous and dramatized for ‘fun,’ this 1,000 percent feels like sexual harassment of some kind,” said Simpson.
Simpson said he thought that it’s possible for this kind of account to exist harmlessly, but not for long; sooner or later, someone is bound to get hurt. Kyle Robateau (BFA 2025) echoed these sentiments.
“It’s cyberbullying and it’s gross and dangerous and makes me not trust my peers. I see people making sexual comments about other students, I’ve had a friend get doxxed. I’ve seen horrible rumors spread. It has happened to friends that mind their own business and don’t do anything and makes me fear that they’ll post about me next,” said Robateau.
It’s clear that some portion of the student body engages with these accounts regularly, while others feel uncomfortable or angry about them.
“We get a lot of confessions. There are at least a thousand confessions in our form. So we can’t really post all of them. We do pick and choose some,” said S, A’s co-runner of the account, who joined A to talk about how they try to avoid posting things that are mean, looking instead for more fun, gossip-worthy confessions.
Bubbles said their account gets around 50 submissions a day.
“Names are blurred, and if you have a problem with the post, DM us, and we’ll take it down. The other rules I just come up with as I go. Like, no hate speech. Yeah, it’s really just, don’t give hateful speech a place. It’s supposed to be fun and silly,” said Bubbles.
When asked what confession pages provide to the SAIC community, Bubbles, S, and A were hesitant.
“Not sure. I think I’ve never really thought about that. It’s not really something I do for other people. It’s kind of fun to run it. I originally started it because my friend posted on his close friend’s story that we need an SAIC confession, and I was like, ‘Bet, I’ll do it.’ And I did it. So here we are,” said Bubbles.
“I’m not really sure. Maybe change of policy in case someone has been doing something, so they need to be more secure. That’s all I can think of,” said S.
“I think that people get a safe place where they can vent, where they can talk shit, talk into the void about whatever random problems they might have about things where they feel like they can’t share with other people. I think the confession Instagram is just a lighthearted place where you can have a laugh, listen to some of the crazy things that other people have done to make yourself feel better. A little bit of solidarity and community, ” said A.
A and S said that they’ve never had any problems with the administration intervening with their account, but said they knew a different confessions account did.
Bubbles mentioned that their original account was reported and taken down by Instagram, and they personally suspect the report was made by the administration.
“Over the years, there have been scores and scores of student-run social media accounts, websites, newsletters, and other communications channels, and most fizzle out over time. Because students do not need permission to establish an account, we do not keep track of student-run channels, and they are not actively monitored by the school. Because we don’t monitor student accounts, we’re unlikely to see the posts organically, but we do have processes in place to address our community’s concerns once they’re brought to our attention,” said Bree Witt, the executive director of marketing and communications at SAIC.
Greetings, fellow students! I’m Anastasia Elektra, also known as Mily C, a second year student from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s fashion department. Welcome to my new column for F Newsmagazine that addresses the transformative power of fashion. This column aims to empower everyone to utilize clothing as a tool for self-discovery and authentic expression.
Our school is a vibrant community of unique individuals, and I want to celebrate that through in-depth interviews and features. Through this column, we’ll delve into a student’s relationship with fashion, exploring how clothing empowers them to project their true selves to the world.
Let’s be inspired!
After reading these interviews , I hope you’ll be encouraged to leverage the transformative power of fashion for your own personal journey. After all, just like me — when I slip into a black dress, I feel the essence of a Versace woman — everyone has the capacity to express their inner fashionista.
Our inaugural interview for the column features Lindsay Protosaltis, a captivating junior majoring in fashion. Let’s explore her unique style!
Lindsay Protosaltis working in her studio. Photo by Anastasia Elektra
MC: Lindsay, tell us about your outfit today.
LP: This top is actually from Target, but with a personal touch! I gave it a little DIY magic after borrowing it from a friend (funny story, her house had a fire!).
MC: Who are your fashion icons?
LP: Thierry Mugler and Vivienne Westwood are definite favorites. Interestingly, I don’t rely on social media for inspiration. I believe in dressing for myself, not external influences.
MC: Can you elaborate on your fashion journey?
LP: It began with my love for hairdressing, a passion instilled by my grandmother, a hairstylist herself. My artistic side likely comes from my dad, who attended Pratt Institute for Engineering. Guess creativity runs in the family!
MC: What about your favorite designers?
LP Definitely Mugler! I adore winter fashion — the layering creates a sense of elegant comfort. Vivienne Westwood is another favorite. Her documentary, “The Painted Ladies,” particularly resonates with me, especially the episode “Abbot Luxury and Frivolity.”
MC: Do you have any signature fashion tricks?
LP: I’m a dedicated shorts-wearer, even in winter! When you wear something you feel confident in, it radiates. Your body knows what it wants, and it’s about embracing that feeling.
MC: What’s your favorite movie?
LP: Alice in Wonderland! It embodies the spirit of exploration and pushing boundaries.
MC: Describe your fashion philosophy in a sentence.
Lindsay: Fashion is a reflection of my inner self — a way to express different facets of who I am. Fashion is about figuring out what’s inside your head. Fashion shows different versions of myself. Each outfit means a new day, representing a new version of myself. Also, a side note, keep going forward and don’t ask questions, trust yourself,
MC: What’s your career plan?
Lindsay: Costume design is my dream career! I’m actively preparing for a future in LA or New York City, and my supportive artist boyfriend keeps me motivated.
Protests extending solidarity to Palestine have been ever present in Chicago since Oct. 7, but as some believe the fire of the resistance is dimming down, protesters in Chicago are making it clear that they have not gone anywhere. Two important protests were held in downtown Chicago that had significant participation from School of the Art Institute of Chicago students.
On Feb. 29, four days after Aaron Bushnell self-immolated in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., a vigil organized by Behind Enemy Lines was held in front of the Israeli consulate in Chicago with more than 200 attendees, including SAIC students. At the center of the collective, a stand was placed with his framed photo so everyone could light candles around it.
The air at the vigil was filled with the pain of mourning, and to support Bushnell’s cause, people took turns reading poetry into the microphone, loudly enough for the city to hear during the busy evening. Many families brought their kids along and held candles in silence. Surrounded by policemen on their bikes from all sides, the vigil went on for two hours while the protesters stood with their flags and posters around Bushnell’s photo.
Then on March 16, during the Saint Patrick’s Day parade, while the whole city came outside to celebrate in green, protesters took to the streets to show that the responsibility to keep supporting the Palestinian resistance is important, even amidst celebration.
Walking through West Madison Street, they gathered in front of the Israeli Consulate to chant, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
As the crowd chants at the tops of their lungs, a woman holds her silent ground, holding an imitative infant made of wood.
The protest on March 16 was intentionally planned to be on the same day as one of the busiest days in Chicago, to question what prompts people to leave their houses.
The police create a cycle barricade for the supporters holding a vigil for Aaron Bushnell.
Protesters contribute to an altar set up to commemorate Aaron Bushnell, who self-immolated on Feb. 29. in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C.
The symbol of a watermelon, which uses the same colors as the Palestinian flag, is omnipresent at the protests in Chicago and other regions of the world.
A family arrives at the vigil with symbolic clothing and posters. The son proudly waves around the photo of his poster.
The police created a cycle barricade for the peaceful supporters holding a vigil for Aaron Bushnell.
F Newsmagazine is a journal of arts, culture, and politics edited and designed by students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
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