CULTURAL APPROPRIATION: THE PROBLEM

In a world in which everything can be easily transmitted over social media and smart phones, fashion trends become hip, travel the world, and die all within a moment’s notice. The diffusion of different aspects of culture has existed as long as people have had unique cultures to share. In a society in which we strive to be individuals, we may end up exploiting aspects of cultures that are not to be shared with those outside of that culture.  This exploitation is referred to as “cultural appropriation”.

In fashion, cultural appropriation is the use of the traditional clothing and accessories sacred to a certain minority that has experienced oppression by those who do not practice those traditions. It is not something to be taken lightly because adopting fashion trends that have their roots in a culture that you are not a part of and exploiting them is a form of racism. It is a serious problem and most of the time people do not realize that it is not acceptable.  

ELLE MAGAZINE: FEMINISM

"The conversation about feminism, what it means and more importantly, what it means to you, is one that runs continually at ELLE HQ."

The November issue of Elle magazine invites three feminist groups to work with three award winning advertising agencies to re-brand a term with which has burdened many inequality and negativity. 

The cover of the magazine includes the main image of Emma Watson, who in September launched her HeForShe campaign declaring "the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities." 

DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN

 With Halloween upon us, people of all ages get to indulge in seasonal favorites, including haunted houses, limitless candy, costume parties, and of course, pumpkin spice everything. A slightly less popular, but nonetheless beloved Halloween favorite is the 1975 cult film, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

(Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.)

Based on the stage show, which premiered two years earlier as The Rocky Horror Show, the film was originally a box office flop. Now, almost 40 years later, the film maintains quite the following, not only around Halloween but year round. 

Rocky Horror is a unique experience that can only be fully understood by those who have seen it. Described as a tribute to classic horror and sci-fi films, B-movies, and rock music, ‘Rocky’ features aliens, transsexuals, and memorable musical numbers. In my experience, those who have seen the movie either love it or hate it, (with no slight interest in between) but most fans of the film would agree that everyone should see it at least once, if for no other reason than just to say you’ve seen it.

Those who aren’t familiar with Rocky Horror itself may have been introduced to the broad concept through the book The Perks of Being a Wallflower, or the movie of the same title. In ‘Perks’, the characters attend and participate in weekly midnight showings and performances of Rocky Horror. Along with showing the film in a theater, a live cast acts it out in front of the screen in full costume. The audience joins in on the fun as well, shouting responses back during the movie’s dialogue, bringing props, and dressing up in costumes. 

Midnight showings can be enjoyed by real-life moviegoers as well, and surprisingly my irrelevant, uneventful small town has an annual showing at a local theater every year around Halloween. After years of watching the movie from home, last year was the first time I got to experience it in a theater. Although there wasn’t a live cast, the audience was lively, and at times their callbacks were louder and more entertaining than the film itself. The audience members ranged from enthusiastic groups of teenagers to adults who had come alone, and had clearly been fans of the movie since its very beginnings. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend again this year, but for those interested in finding a local showing, you can check rockyhorror.com or any local participating venues for a list of show times. 

Having debuted in 1975, The Rocky Horror Picture Show will soon be kicking off its 40th anniversary year, and after all this time, the movie is still celebrated today. To commemorate the occasion, MAC Cosmetics have released a Rocky Horror themed line of products. Dramatic colors of eye shadow, lip pencils, false lashes, and more can be used to recreate the iconic signature looks of the movie’s characters. For Halloween costumes, unique everyday looks, or just for fun, fans of ‘Rocky’ will love using MAC’s new products.

This year, I will be attending a live performance of a stage show adaptation at midnight on Halloween, and I could not be more excited to experience one of my favorite films in a new way. I encourage everyone to celebrate this Halloween Rocky style, whether it’s your first time seeing it, or your 100th! 

Written by: Maddy Kratz

IN A WORLD FULL OF PEOPLE THAT CARE ABOUT THEMSELVES: CARE FOR SOMEBODY ELSE

Our generation is full of people that only care through the light shining back at them on their smartphone screen. Due to the fact that we are covered by a virtual shield, we tend to speak out of the passion that lives inside of our fingertips. What we don’t understand is that all of these words resinate the same in our minds. Whether typed or spoken, words are words.

UNIVERSITY SLOGANS: "NO MEANS NO"

Children abuse the word “no” when asked to do something that they might not necessarily want to do. As these children grow up, it is almost as if that word completely disappears from their vocabulary entirely. All over the world, girls are put in uncomfortable situations that force them to repeatedly say “no”, just to be in control of their own bodies. In most instances, the perpetrator tends to tune out that plead. Sexual assault is a critical issue that occurs all over the world, and often on university campuses. Stories of sexual assault are heard so often that it is not necessarily big news to people when it happens. It is frightening to think that this is an everyday occurrence, and not many are able to prevent such an awful thing. 

College parties are typical places where a perpetrator seeks a victim. Girls who attend parties and might not necessarily know, or care, about their limits are usually in a bad condition and are incapable of giving consent in a certain situation. Boys might assume the girl is allowing them to take control, because she might need someone to take care of her. However, a girl’s drunken words are not necessarily her sober thoughts. No drunk girl gives consent to someone else in control of her body. 

A LETTER TO DUDES

Dear dudes, 

As a dude myself, I am thoroughly thankful for women. They are freaking awesome. With that being said, let’s go on a journey, shall we? This journey is all about recognizing the woman’s role and her place in society. To you, this journey might sound lame but trust me, ladies love a guy who is aware of her importance and her paramountcy in life. 

FLOWER POWER

Toowoomba (aka "The Garden City" is situated in South-East Queensland.) Many tourists go to this location every year, especially during spring time, to look at the beautiful flowers and to attend the Flower Festival. The city is very rich in history and culture, everyone there was so friendly and willing to help everyone who needed help. The Toowoomba Flower Festival consisted of a carnival, gardens of many exotic flowers and a parade. It is also a platform for fine wines and foods, stunning music, fashion and arts talent rounding out as one of the leading food, arts and floral celebrations anywhere in the world. Below are some pictures that I took during my trip to Toowoomba Flower Festival.

WAKE UP CALL: THE VOICES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS

It's all about being willing to start the conversation.

Domestic violence are two words that, when put together, will leave most people cringing and sprinting in the opposite direction. We don't want to talk about something so disgusting because it makes us uncomfortable, right? Well, guess what? Forget all of that for just one second and think about this:

1 in every 3 women and 1 in every 4 men have experienced some sort of physical violence from an intimate partner within their lifetime.

Read it once more. Maybe a few more times. 

That is a startling statistic and one that I wouldn't have known if I hadn't been willing to join the international conversation on domestic violence that has emerged in the past few weeks. While an immensely touchy subject, it's one that we as a society cannot afford to ignore. There are people who suffer on the daily and who feel ashamed and fearful of the consequences of speaking out instead of confident that they will be helped and that is a massive problem. Speaking out should not have consequences.

By: Anthony DeLuca Design

TAKE IT AS IT IS: SCHOOL, FRIENDS & THE FUTURE

As fall is rapidly approaching, students all over North America are returning to their busy school lives. Recent high school graduates are realizing how easy they had it in high school, and seniors can’t wait to get out of that very place. For those of you who are in my position - recently graduated and yet to enroll in post secondary, you’re probably unsure of what to do next, and feeling remotely frightened by your sudden freedom.I was so excited to have a year to ‘figure my life out’, while working and traveling, that I didn’t even think of how things could have played out. Now, not even a week into September, I can’t help but feel like I’m missing out on something huge. I’ll never get the opportunity to move into dorms for the first time with my friends, nor will I get to go to uni parties. Sure, going to school is about learning, but I feel as if I’m missing out on the social part more than anything else. This now leaves me questioning, as my friends trickle off and leave me one by one, was taking a year off really a good choice?

ICE ICE BABY: THE ALS ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE BROKEN DOWN

In the past week, chances are you've seen at least one video of a friend, celebrity, or in my case, your favourite teacher, dumping a bucket of ice water over their head. If you didn't have any background knowledge, you'd probably think it was another stupid fad passing over the internet, likely just as stupid as the neknominations that made their way over the internet back in February. However, the ALS ice bucket challenge is the farthest thing from a stupid fad.

CELEBS FOR PEACE

This summer has been a deeply unfortunate summer as the on-going conflict between Israel and Gaza sparked up roars from all over the world. With social media exploding with support for both sides, this fuelled online arguments between the two sides.
To our surprise, celebrities like Rihanna and Selena Gomez have openly shown their support for Palestine, which resulted in a backlash from some fans all over the world.

PREPARING TO LAUNCH.

We here at Aura 32 Magazine are currently working feverishly to handpick a team of creative, talented individuals to join our staff and give you the coolest content we can.

In the meantime, follow us on twitter & instagram to get daily updates on everything Aura 32.

LAUNCH DATE: AUGUST 28TH, 2014