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Open Letter Final Draft

sterlinglipscomb

To Ms. Debbie Miller and Ms. Cindy Provost, current directors of Miss New York Teen USA:

 

I remember the excitement of receiving your event’s first letter very well, the shaking hands and tears because I thought “wow, I’m actually beautiful”, after years of degrading myself in the mirror. But, I should have known better. When I ran into my mom’s room and told her, I felt so confused by her lack of a reaction. Why was she not jumping with joy? Why did she not start crying too? Why was this moment the exact opposite every teen drama I had ever seen?

 

“They send that to every girl, don’t let them fool you” is what she said to me. And suddenly, I understood. You did not handpick me, I was not subjected to scrutiny of my Instagram or Facebook or other public photos, I was not, for lack of a better term, special. I was a naïve, young girl, with good social/economic standing, that you could use to benefit your organization through material and advertisement-based means. I would be lying if I said my confidence did not take a hit there, it was a harsh reality for someone who was looking for anything to make them feel desired. Simply put, it hurt. A lot, actually.

 

Currently, I am writing to you on behalf of all New York state young women with no money to pay your entry fee and a clear understanding that what you determine is beautiful is the only thing that matters in your competition. There are a lot of problems I have with you and I know there are a lot of problems other people have with you as well. Some of them have to do with my own insecurities as a female, exploiting young women for their physical appearance, and pretending you are not after the money of young women who want approval/validation of their appearance. Look, we all know you want a pretty face to represent you, why else would physical appearance account for 2/3 of the judging process? At that point, why even interview girls?

 

First of all, I have been receiving your unwarranted advertisement that claims I have been “chosen” to participate in your competition, for years now. If this were not a school assignment and I were not supposed to be handling this professionally, I would refer to these letters as a much less mature word for male cow feces. The only reason I am receiving your letters is because of the public information you have been able to acquire about me. You know nothing about me, you are only trying to get my money. This is clear by the entry fee you charge to compete.

 

“Oh, but the entry fee is covered by the scholarships!” Yes, they are, if I win. And if I don’t win? I owe you money that I may not have. Girls who receive these letters become so filled with hope, believing they have been handpicked by an elite group of people who looked through their photos or know who they are. So, they run in to compete, regardless of whether they have the money or not, because they think they have a real chance at winning, because you lead them to believe that they are truly special in terms of this competition. Of course, these girls may win, and I do not mean in any way that they do not have the ability to. But, the fact that you use such careful words like “chosen” can give girls false hope.

 

Furthermore, if I manage to get enough sponsors to pay my way into the competition, maybe even a little extra, you take all of the money. Yes, I looked through your FAQ, I am, in fact, doing my research. I am not blindsided with rose-colored glasses about being “chosen”, you are after the money I can make for you. If I make enough money for you, I get “material items” that will help me win the competition, like dresses, haircuts, accessories, make up, etc. So, what about the girls who do not get those benefits, who barely scrape by with the fee? Are they not at a disadvantage? Not every beautiful girl has pockets filled with cash, as you should know, female pant pockets are notoriously small.

 

Secondly, you are still telling women what they must wear in order to be considered beautiful. A young woman who showed up in sweatpants during the competition for the “athletic wear” portion, regardless of how beautiful/charismatic/lively/amazing she may be, will not win, because the judges cannot determine how “physically fit” she is with baggy clothes on. That’s actually disgusting. By walking out onto that stage, my female peers are subjecting themselves to being sexualized. Nobody sees the interview portion except the judges, nobody knows what the girls’ personalities are like when they are not trying to put on a show for a competition, nobody knows who they are other than a pretty face in form-fitting leggings and a sports bra, or evening gown. How can you claim that “Anyone can compete, there is no perfect body type” and then blatantly contradict yourself by saying, “You are being judged on how healthy and physically fit your body is”? Sure, overweight girls can compete, but they probably will not win.

 

Here is the problem with that: According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2013-14, 1 in 6 children from ages 2-19 were considered obese1. In New York state, excluding NYC, 35% of students in middle/high school are obese2 and, including NYC, a third of children/adolescents are either obese or overweight. But, every time I look at photos from a Miss New York Teen USA pageant, I don’t see a girl above an average BMI for every three average or under BMI girls. I see: skinny, skinnier, little bit of body, and skinny again. Our nation is not made up of skinny girls, stop making women who do not meet your definition of beauty feel inadequate.

 

So, here is what I propose: get rid of the contradictory “every body type is beautiful, but you have to be physically fit/healthy to be competitively beautiful” mentality and stop baiting girls into competing without telling them what exactly they are getting into. Tell them what the entry/registration/sponsorship fees are right up front in the letter you send. Stop pretending that you are representative of every young woman in New York; you are very clear throughout your website that obese/overweight women who do not meet your standard of fit are not going to be able to progress very far. I find your hypocrisy incredibly unfair, as I am sure a lot of other young women do (a few are in my class). Why are you pretending to be all-inclusive and then directly contradicting yourselves? Either allow all women to compete and compete fairly, or stop acting like everyone has a chance to win, when it is very clearly rigged for the rich and tiny-framed.

 

Your competition has the potential for acceptance of all body types, you say that you believe all body types are beautiful and that there is no perfect body type, yet you exclude so many young women because their body type does not fit the competition. If you allowed all young women to compete, gave all of them a fair chance, your competition would be so much more appealing and it would help encourage young women who are not fit to love themselves. You could be an immense force for good in the world, for those young women. Instead of telling them how they should look and scorning them for how they do look, you could teach them to be happy with who they are and how they look. You could show that you don’t have to be under a certain size of dress to be beautiful.

 

Personally, I think that would encourage a lot of young women to take care of themselves. When a woman is told she will never surpass a certain point because of her weight, one is not only degrading everything she could be just based on a physical feature that may not be completely in her control (google search hypothyroidism), but also, potentially, destroying her self-confidence/self-esteem. This can leave a lasting impact, psychologically, which could lead to alcoholism, drug abuse, and/or mental disorders, like depression and body dysmorphia. But, if you tell a woman she can succeed, regardless of her weight and body, she will be more likely to try. Not only would this satisfy your pageant’s extravagance by bringing in more participants, the entire competition would be more diverse and exciting to watch because now there is an element of the real world in it.

 

I hope you understand my frustration with your inexplicit body-shaming and gradually mounting expenses, and thank you for taking the time to read my letter.

 

Sincerely,

Sterling Lipscomb

 

P.S. Every body type IS beautiful, but do you know what’s more beautiful? Seeing every body type represented, next to one another, in a message of true acceptance and equality.

 

References

https://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/obesity/

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/overweight-obesity

https://health.data.ny.gov/Health/Student-Weight-Percent-Obese-by-Grade-Level-Statew/xjsc-2jcc

Open Letter National Archives

dannyfarran

To the National Archives of New York City,

I find great pleasure when I walk the halls of the Historic Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House in Bowling Green. The history that surrounds the building and the history kept within the building astonishes me. I believe it is the only place in New York City where you can walk in and come out with a copy of a New York Times article detailing Kafka’s death, court record, naturalization records, pictures of historical events, and even more. I feel at home in such a place being such a passionate fan of history. I think the best part of the Archives is that all the resources are provided free of charge. I have attempted to access databases and rarely are they free and as complete as the ones present at the Archives.

But I do find fault with the Archives and that is its difficult to locate and there is a complete lack of advertisement for the location. It shares a building with the National Museum of the American Indian. That specific portion of the building has a large banner plastered outside the building letting everyone who passes know what there, however, the Archive is not advertised in any way. There are so many opportunities, resources, and activities at the National Archives and yet due to the lack of outreach they are left in the shadows.

The Website is fairly active and all the information one would need is present there. But how would one even know there is a website? I passed by the building who knows how many times without knowing that the National Archives were there. Google does not list the National archives as a museum. The only time the National Archives appear on a google search is when you specifically search up “NYC National Archives”. It was not until I went on a trip with my history teacher to the archives that I learned of its existence. Prior to that I, a history loving student, had no knowledge at all. I find this really unfortunate.

The best way to combat that would be a number of things. First of all, place a sign that let people now where you are on the building the archives are located at. If I had seen a building I would have become curios and visit and or research the location. I actually came across the National Museum of the American Indian due to their large banner and that is how I became aware of that museum. Another action that would help would be some kind of advertising campaign. It doesn’t have to be excessive with TV commercials and posters everywhere. Something as simple as having ambassadors travel to schools, colleges, and other community centers and discussing the resources available at the archives. Any sort of work to increase awareness for the Archives would be beneficial!

Cordially,

Danny Farran

Open Letter Draft

fmg8727

Dear Subway Surfers-

I’ve seen you on the train ever since I was a little kid and I was always in awe, asking my mother for money so that I could give to you all, people who I thought were so talented. However, now that I’m older I’ve begun to realize a couple of things that I think you all should consider.

What you all do is dangerous, not only to yourselves, but to your audience as well. I’m sure you all have been on a train that either jolted or stopped suddenly. No one knows why it’s going to happen, or when. But when it inevitably does, I think that you would all be safest with both your feet firmly planted on the train floor. In addition to your safety, there are safety considerations you need to consider. Everybody else on the train paid their $2.75, and they’re not making any doing what you all do. In general, people use the transportation system for transportation, and not much else.

Here’s what I propose for all of you: find somewhere else to show off your talents. What you all do is something that I find special to New York, and I am by no means trying to shut you all down completely. I simply feel that what you all do deserves a greater audience, less traffic (and therefore disaster) in your space, and a more spacious and less dangerous stage. The D (or any train) is really not an ideal place for you al to perform. People find plenty of space in parks and occasionally even streets in which to perform uninterrupted, with a better audience.

Thank you.

-Frank Gutierrez

Setting the Tone

mirilieber

Clips from this video were taken downtown, in Union Square and Washington Square park. While often overlooked, the sounds and vibrations of buskers and their instruments often “set the tone” for their surroundings. This video aims to highlight this such music that we’re often oblivious to.

64th St.

dannyfarran

18th avenue was a commercial area thriving on small businesses. Unfortunately due to rampant consumerism a lot of these businesses were run out by larger corporations. In the video you can see some remnants of the old neighborhood. You also see the presence of chain stores that are competing with the remaining businesses. Recently a Target has been placed in the neighborhood. Yet all this goes largely unnoticed by a majority of people who do not even realize the risk it poses to their day to day life. Most would prefer to get a cheap meal at a chain restaurant than to support a family working their restaurant. I consider it a miracle that the area still has a good number of small businesses but I am not sure how much longer it will be like that.

Inhale

shyc99

This is a self-portrait video depicting a large influence on my life: smoking. There are many things I could have done this project on however, I choose something that not many people know about nor agree with. The point of the “flashback” moments are to show how I have normalized these cancer sticks into my life. The element that I borrowed for this piece was the use of music to set a tone , as well as the prevalent sound effects that help to “color” the portrait.  Press the blue to download the video.

Inhale – Small

The Black and White Flag

Elisa Mateo-Saja

 

Robert Longo’s Untitled(American Flag), from the Brooklyn Museum

Categorized, isolated and divided. The nation of the free has fallen to chaos. I was born and raised in this country. I was taught to believe in equality and encouraged to use my freedoms. There was a constant affirmation in the notion that America was made up of all the different people within it, and stronger because of their differences.

Now this country that is vast and beautiful in so many different ways, expects its people to be all the same. The once colorful flag that streamed brightly, its color a point of pride, has now been dinged to black and white. It is not just the want for us all to look the same but is the effort to make this country something it never was. They shout, “make America great again”, but how would we do that? This country was great because of its immigrants, how can they expect to be great again by removing all the people that build this nation up?

I am growing up in a time of conflict and insanity. I have dreams to do great things for this nation and this world, but quite frankly I don’t know if it’s possible. I see all that goes on around us, the violence and the immaturity of the people who hold our lives in their hands. They all look similar, old white men. And they say I’ll get my chance to change things. But will I? Will I ever be an old white man? Will this country ever be ready to see a brown woman in power? People tell me it will be 2036, that times will have changed. But weren’t they saying that 20 years ago too?

It’s 2017 and what do we have now. We all thought we were headed in the right direction. I remember watching the Obama inauguration in my fourth-grade class. A grainy black and white screen, on a giant TV monitor, the ones they used to roll in on carts and stick VCR tapes into. We all thought we were going forward. When he won again against another wealthy white man, I thought damn were only going up from here. And then we came to this. All night I stayed up and watched our country go from color to black and white. State by state, each time she lost one my heart sank. We are bleeding our red, white and blue. And each one of us drains as our flag does. Losing our color, losing our pride, and losing our differences. The things that once made us so great.

I still hold on to my dreams to change this nation. I am scared and know it will be hard but I’m going to bring the color back! Not just the reds, whites and blues to the flag. But the color of our people, and their pride of their color.

A black and white world isn’t realistic, and even if it was, it isn’t one I’d want to live in. I want the clash of the yellows and the greens. The shouts of the reds and purples. And the vivacious energy that blue and pink bring the table. I want a country that pops off the wall. I want a flag, a nation rather, filled to the brim with colorful life.

I don’t think it will be easy, but I know that slowly we will get our color back.

Looking at the night sky

jasonwaitkus

As I lay and look up at the sky my eyes are immediately drawn towards the brightest and biggest light I can find. Just like most people I ignore the little stars winking into view because they’re so small and flicker in and out of sight. Thinking about this I realize how much we do the same thing with finding happiness.

We’ve been conditioned as humans to always be searching, always trying to find our idea of true happiness. But sadly, in doing so we completely fail to pay attention to all the simple joys in our lives. For me this idea used to be all too true, and still can be at times. I first began to understand that living in search of happiness tears you apart just before I began 10th grade. Being diagnosed with depression and anxiety finally made me realize the truth. When I was hospitalized I had to face the things I always attempted to avoid. I had to actually let myself go and just express myself. In my first therapy session, we talked about what made me happy. And I realized that I had always been living and saying to myself “you’ll be happy eventually, just get through each day.” That day I realized instead I should’ve been finding even the small things in each day to make me happy, those small bursts of starlight that happen for each of us every day.

If I said that it’s been easy trying to think that way, I’d completely be lying. Even though I truly believe that there is something in every day that can bring you happiness, I still struggle to find it for myself sometimes. There are so many little bursts of brightness in each day, little things to bring about true happiness. One of the places I tend to look when trying to find a little starlight is my best friend. The only person who has truly stuck by me and showed me what a friend is meant to be like is her. We met in 7th grade and every day since she somehow manages to make me smile. Even on some of my worst days trying to cope and make it through, she manages to make me smile. The truth is without her so very sarcastic, but supportive attitude I wouldn’t be where I am, wouldn’t be here writing this.

Friendships aren’t the only place to look for the happiness that exists in each day, there’s also finding the activities that make you feel alive. For me, it’s music. Listening to music, playing instruments, talking about music, it all makes me happy. The idea that we as humans have the ability to create such beautiful sounds and rhythms along with some artists writing the most meaningful and resonating lyrics is amazing. Music is my escape from focusing on myself and the future, it lets me just live and enjoy the moments I’m listening to it.

Instead of looking for the moon, looking to find the brightest possible light and searching for the largest amount of happiness possible, why not focus on the small bursts that come to each of us every day. Everyone’s life has drawbacks and everyone always says “The future will be better” but why not live in the now, try to find what makes today better. Focusing on the negative, and believe me I know how easy it is to do so, will only make things worse, instead try to find even the smallest happiness and enjoy it. We are around much too short a time to be searching for whatever idea we each have of true and complete happiness.