I chose the NYT How They Got Their Guns article as my infographic. It covers a range of different shootings, including the Orland Pulse nightclub shooting and the San Bernardino shooting, to juxtapose how the different mass shooters obtained their weapons. I like that it explored the overarching fact that most of the guns were obtained legally. I think it was also helpful to have the visual infographic because I think a story that compared the different shootings strictly by text could get somewhat convoluted by the many different details like victim counts, assault rifles vs. glocks, etc. But the clean layout and visuals made it much easier to absorb the information and naturally compare them.
Author: amylibby
More Research
1. A Brief History of Denim Cutoffs
http://i-d.vice.com/en_us/article/a-brief-history-of-denim-cutoffs-from-daisy-duke-to-debbie-harry
2. Why Are So Many People Obsessed With Supreme?
http://www.vice.com/read/supreme-and-the-psychology-of-brand-devotion
3. Fashion and Culture Drive Chinese Tourists to Italy
https://global-factiva-com.proxy-remote.galib.uga.edu/redir/default.aspx?P=sa&an=CHNDHK0020160905ec950002d&cat=a&ep=ASE
4. The CFDA Calls For More Diversity At New York Fashion Week
http://www.harpersbazaar.co.uk/fashion/fashion-news/news/a37937/the-cfda-calls-for-more-diversity-at-new-york-fashion-week/
5. The relationship between Media Consumption and Eating Disorders in the Journal of Communication 1997
Media Consumption and Eating Disorders
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Brainstorming: Fashion & Lifestyle Story Ideas
1. I would like to profile the experiences of college females who work in the lucrative positions of promotional models in the beer industry.
2. An assignment discussing the impracticality of women’s clothing vs men’s clothing and why the former seems to suffer for aesthetic design in the way men’s doesn’t (possible titles include “WHY ARE WOMENS POCKETS MERELY AN ILLUSION I CAN’T EVEN CARRY CHAPSTICK WHILE WEARING JEANS BUT MY BOYFRIEND CAN FIT HIS NISSAN PICKUP, TABLE SAW AND OUR CAT ZELDA IN ONE OF HIS BACK POCKETS”)
3. Are sin taxes (those against cigarettes, tanning beds, etc) effective in curbing specifically college age consumer behavior?
4. A look at up-and-coming female film directors in the South. Possibly delve into their specific aesthetics, casting, style or how their experiences/barriers in the film industry may be different than males in their field (I’m also not sure if this is at all relevant to my beat, but after reading this: Vogue Elizabeth Wood’s Film White Girl Controversy possibly an article about the differences in critic responses to similar male and female films or male/female art in general when it comes to grants, music etc.)
5. A look at full-time UGA undergraduate students who are balancing an already blossoming professional career in art or business, for example, a student who is still enrolled full-time but recently started a business or clothing line or is selling crafts etc)
6. A behind-the-scenes look at trying to break into the fashion world as a model featuring new models around Georgia.
7. Looking at the monetary value of certain art degrees (in an admittedly more anecdotal way) by talking to photographers, graphic designers, and other artists who have gone to colleges like SCAD vs those who are professionally successful without a college degree.
8. An article about the paid nude (or “live”) models that work at the Lamar Dodd School of Art at UGA.
9. A look at the ethically murky trend on social media of advertisers paying for sponsored featured mentions or “testimonials” (many of those being paid by companies fall under the “Instagram-famous” or “Instagram model” category of someone who has a follower count in the thousands, hundred thousands or even millions but who would not be considered a celebrity in the conventional sense outside of the social media platform) that are not explicitly labeled as advertising but rather could be confused as unbiased testimonials to their followers, many of whom are underage.
10. An article about different trends in skin care with expert advice on what skin care mistakes/lifestyle choices different college kids are most likely to commit (i.e A Dermatologist’s Skin Care Guide For Smokers and Partiers)
Fashion & Lifestyle Sources
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First Interview- Fashion & Lifestyle Beat
Adrienne Nettles is a makeup artist and hairstylist in Atlanta who I conducted my first interview with. She’s styled models in some Atlanta fashion shows and photoshoots. She does freelance work; works at the Red Carpet Salon and Spa, and is in her last year at the Aveda Institute in Atlanta.
Me: [So first, tell me your first and last name, where you’re from, and where you live now]
Adrienne: I’m Adrienne Nettles .I’m from McDonaugh, GA. I’m 25 years old. I live in Atlanta.
Me: [What school are you enrolled in?]
Adrienne: The Aveda Institute of Atlanta
Me: Have you worked as a stylist before this? What made you want to enroll in Aveda to get your certificate?
Adrienne: Actually I started doing makeup when I was in highschool, after working for Sephora, I decided to go to school to get my certificate in hair because they go hand in hand. I thought it would just help my business.
Me: I believe you said previously you were able to work on fashion shoots or been involved in the fashion scene in Atlanta?
Adrienne: The director [of her most recent fashion show] came looking for stylists from Aveda. I had to style the models in the way the director specifically wanted — the natural look. A lot of people want that look these days. You know the big bright eyed and natural face and lots of glow. I did two shoots. One was very casual, there was one that was high fashion. The high fashion one involved a lot of crazy makeup, that was really fun.
Me: [Do you have a preference of which of the two you’d prefer? Like what’s your style? Do you have a very different fashion sense in the day-to-day then what you like working on? Or are those two things similar?]
Adrienne: I actually like to do dramatic makeup. More than I like natural — I mean that does bring out your inner beauty. But the more dramatic makeup brings out more of your personality and people can see, “Oh wow, she must be really fun to wear all that makeup, ya know?” It makes people smile. It’s more fun to do.
Me: Speaking of wild makeup, you were at the Imagine Festival in Atlanta this past weekend, right?
Adrienne: Mhm. Yes
Me: What was some of the craziest or stand out trends this year? What did you like? What did you not like?
Adrienne: The craziest things were the pasties. People wear something on top of them but you know, very see through, crop tops, aliens, holographic pictures…it’s really out there. I’d say the worst would be — the guys in choo choos. That would be the worst. It’s really funny to look at though.
Me: [It’s weird how- I think you’re more familiar with this scene but — it’s weird how raves have their own little subculture, isn’t it?]
Adrienne: I think for the EDM culture- it’s mainly neon colors, very accessorized. But mostly people dress in colors– just at this very moment, people are very go with the flow. EDM in general, has so many subcultures, that you can pick any genre. They have country influences and hip hop influences.
Me: It seems that the fashion and the music are very intertwined in those ways, don’t you think?
Adrienne: Mhm, definitely.
Me: Changing the subject a little, I know you’ve traveled a bit, from like Atlanta to NYC — how do you think the fashion scene — including makeup and hair — how do you think the scene is different, Atlanta’s scene is different versus NYC?
Adrienne: I think Atlanta is more open to more body types. I think in NYC you see more slender people. I think in Atlanta, they wear what they’d like to. I think in NYC, larger people dress more for what makes [other peoples eyes] comfortable. But women in Atlanta, they’re very carefree. Crazy hair in Atlanta. You’ll see piles and piles of extensions in Atlanta. And it’s not just African-Americans, it’s all kinds of people. That you see rocking these crazy hairstyles. I’d say, we’re the national hair capital of the world.
Me: So [Atlanta’s] a much more diverse fashion scene? It’s not like New York, where it’s like monochrome skinny models?
Adrienne: Yeah.
Me: What are your goals? Do you want to stay in Atlanta for your career or go someplace else?
Adrienne: I want to stay in Atlanta. Everyone’s moving here. Why would I want to leave Atlanta when everyone’s coming to this place that could be as incredible as NYC.
Vertical
I chose Vice’s IMPACT as an example of the vertical pertaining to my own interests. New York Times might admittedly be the first thing I open in the morning, before I’ve spoken an intelligible word or consumed anything but coffee and a cigarette; VICE is consistently the most entertaining read of my morning. I’m most likely to recommend VICE to friends or share on social media. While there are issues with the slant/ethics of some of their documentaries (notwithstanding are still some of the most daring and edgy journalism I’ve seen on a popular site) I’ve found that IMPACT vertical does a really thorough job of covering important human rights issues and longer-running crises that may only get a hundred words once a week in other press outlets. It’s the kind of writing I envy.
Beat Vertical- Fashion and Lifestyle
http://www.interviewmagazine.com/fashion/
Interview Magazine’s fashion vertical may have some very basic “here’s lipstick colors for summer” kind of clickbait but it doesn’t take much closer examination to find articles that focus on couture fashion and showcase incredibly artistic photography by some of the greatest filmmakers in the world. They do a good job of exploring the historical contexts of fashion and examining trends through a cultural lens. I plan to focus my beat around Athens/Atlanta area but I like Interview Magazine as an example of what journalism around fashion and lifestyle can be. It also sprang to mind when talking about verticals because the graphic design on the website is absolutely incredible.