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Baseball, Sports

MLB 2020 awards

by Miya Keilin on

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The 2020 MLB regular season wrapped up on Sept. 27 after two months of unbelievable baseball. The Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) will, as usual, present their annual awards this off season to those who stood out during the 60 (or 58) games. The McGill Tribune pays homage to the wackiness of this season, however, and recognizes some of the more niche accomplishments of teams and players in 2020. 

The “Make Canada Proud” Award: Jordan Romano

It’s fitting that the best Canadian player in the majors this year plays for the majors’ only Canadian team. Romano, a Markham, Ontario native, struck out 21 with a 0.886 WHIP in an admittedly low 14.2 innings, helping push the Toronto Blue Jays to the eighth seed in the American League (AL) and their first post-season appearance since 2016. The righty was placed on the injured list in late August and was unable to recover before the Wild Card Series, where the Jays were swept by the Tampa Bay Rays. Honourable mentions go to Romano’s Montreal-born teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Cleveland pitcher Cal Quantrill of Port Hope, Ontario.

The “Congrats… I Guess” Award: Milwaukee Brewers

Hours before the first pitch of the 2020 season, MLB announced a new 16-team playoff format. In a season full of weird things, this new format—and the timing of its announcement—was downright befuddling. Just over two months later, on the final day of the regular season, the Brewers lost 5-2 to the Cardinals and finished with a 29-31 record, but still got to celebrate a third-straight post-season berth thanks to the new eighth spot. Despite a losing record and an underwhelming finish in their own game, they earned the right to get swept by the powerhouse Dodgers in a 2020 post-season series. Congrats, I guess. Honourable mention goes to the Houston Astros, who also clinched a playoff spot with a losing record and swept the now 18-straight playoff loss Minnesota Twins to advance to their fourth consecutive division series.

The “Awesome Young Dude” Award: Juan Soto

Despite playing just over a third of the usual amount of games, the 2020 season showcased an enormous amount of young talent, and 21-year-old Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto was a huge part of that. A positive COVID test in July and elbow soreness in September cost him a few games, but he wasted no time reminding us why we all fell in love with him last year. Two monster home runs in his first series back set the tone for an impressive season: He led the majors with a 1.185 OPS, hit 13 homers, and became the youngest player to ever win the NL batting title. Honourable mentions to Fernando Tatis Jr. (21), Dustin May (23), and Ronald Acuña Jr. (22). They all make baseball better.

The “Dad Strength” Award: Mike Trout

There are so many reasons to honour Mike Trout, and his performance at the plate after becoming a dad this season is no exception. Beckham Aaron Trout was born on July 30, 2020, then, on Aug. 4, 2020, Dad Trout homered in his first at bat back from the paternity list. In fact, in his first seven games after his son was born, Trout hit six home runs with a 1.373 OPS. Unfortunately, Trout’s dad strength was not enough to boost a struggling Angels squad into a playoff spot even with the extended format, but at least he’ll have a longer off season to spend with his kid. Honourable mention to Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff, who racked up 43 strikeouts with eight earned runs over 32 innings in his five outings after his daughter was born on Aug. 31, 2020.  

Arts & Entertainment, Internet, Pop Rhetoric

Food YouTube must acquire the taste for a digestible future

by Matthew Molinaro on

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If there is one thing in this world that transcends borders and crosses political stripes, it’s food. Closely tied to culture and identity, food acts as an equalizer that strengthens communities and our understanding of others. It is no wonder why so many television programs and networks are entirely dedicated to food—it is entertaining, educational, and motivational. From Julia Child to the Iron Chefs, world-renowned cooking celebrities have turned to the small screen to share their recipes with the world. YouTube’s platform and its wide-ranging potential have shaken the food world up harder than a good martini. 

Where the Food Network, Bravo, and Cooking Channel have banked on the tried-and-true formulas of game shows, celebrities cameos, and renowned James Beard award-winning chefs, YouTube’s content creator platform allows anyone with a kitchen to be the star of their own cooking show. Long before quarantine began, a younger generation of cooks and bakers had become quasi-celebrities on YouTube as channels like Binging with Babish and How To Cake It amassed millions of subscribers.   

One area that YouTube cooking shows tend to excel in is the representation of diverse cuisines often overlooked in conventional network television. For decades, food television has often presented food cultures as homogenous, as white hosts and chefs either presented the same trite European-influenced dishes or appropriated ethnic cuisines. Food comes in many styles, spices, and tastes, but cooking shows have often neglected African, Asian, and Indigenous cuisines. The people-of-colour who are represented on network television, such as Marcus Samuelsson of Chopped, Sunny Anderson of The Kitchen, and Padma Lakshmi of Top Chef, bring fantastic insights to food, but they are a small minority among the dozens of white show hosts. 

In contrast, YouTube’s freelance model gives content creators complete creative control. Chefs who may not have even been picked up by networks in the first place do not have to rely on corporate approval, which gives individuals the freedom to demonstrate how to cook their culture’s cuisine. Channels like Chef Lola’s Kitchen and Helen’s Recipes offer approaches to cooking that would otherwise be white-washed: Lola brings her Nigerian roots to the table, and Helen brings a Vietnamese palate to create straightforward, yet vibrant meals. 

As YouTube’s bevy of food channels have grown, they have not avoided controversy. Bon Appetit’s YouTube channel recently faced accusations of a toxic culture toward BIPOC staff members, as the channel prioritized white-centric cuisines and exclusively paid white editors for video appearances. After seven of their staff members left, including Sohla El-Waylly, who was the first to speak out against parent company Condé Nast, Bon Appetit responded by instating Dawn Davis, an accomplished, Black publisher as Editor-in-Chief. 

Systemic racism is not exclusive to the YouTube food community—in fact, it is a problem endemic to the larger industry of food entertainment. Mario Batali’s sexual assault allegations, Paula Deen’s blatant racism, and the accusations against Jamie Oliver of cultural appropriation for his “punchy jerk Jamaican rice” have been major scandals in the food entertainment industry. These culinary giants and their controversies are intrinsic to corporate power structures and attitudes founded in discriminatory institutions that prioritize white-centric contributions and perspectives. 

In order for Food YouTube—and Bon Appétit in particular—to move towards equitable and diverse content, they must go beyond grazing the surface of these issues. Content creators must implement progressive changes that address representation and equity in their content and the food that they make. They must learn from the mistakes of food television and continue in the right direction. Only then will the great equalizer be truly equal.

Arts & Entertainment, Internet

Equinox 2020 celebrates BIPOC cultures and identities

by Erika MacKenzie on

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Never Apart’s Equinox 2020 festival, held on Sept. 26, was a one-day digital celebration of BIPOC creators across Canada, merging music, art, ecology, and food under the theme of “Cultivate.” Never Apart is a Montreal-based nonprofit focussed on bringing about social change and spiritual awareness through organizing culture and music programs. Equinox 2020 featured Q&As, a cooking demonstration, live music sets, and a mini-documentary. The event was a triumphant educational experience, demonstrating unity between many BIPOC creators celebrating their culture and identity. 

The celebration kicked off with a discussion about the resurgence of two-spirit identities in Indigenous communities. Dayna Danger, a two-spirit Metis/Saulteaux/Polish curator and artist, spoke with Jade Konwataroni, a nursing student at the University of New Brunswick from the Mohawk territory of Kahnawake, about the importance of preserving Indigenous cultures in a colonial country. 

Konwataroni discussed the challenges that she faces in balancing her queer and Indigenous identities, as some elders in her community have internalized colonial homophobia. While it is not always easy, Konwataroni has come to value self-acceptance while finding people in her community that respect her for who she is. 

“When I figured out that I was going to […] be exactly who I am, […] Indigi-queer, two-spirit, […] that’s when everything started to […] pick up, and I cultivated lovely relationships,” Konwataroni said.

Danger and Konwataroni also discussed the land-based practice of hide tanning: By changing the pH level of an animal’s skin to prevent it from rotting, it can later be used to create leather. Konwataroni explained that practicing hide tanning has fostered in her a greater respect for all animals. The practice has also allowed Konwataroni to connect with other two-spirit people in her community. 

“I struggled a lot with […] who has the right to […] tan hide,” Konwataroni said. “As Indigenous people, I think we all have the right to learn how to do something even if we weren’t taught it by our grandparents [….] All the two-spirit people coming out and doing it is really inspiring […] and it makes it more approachable.”  

As the theme “Cultivate” suggests, Equinox 2020 was aptly concerned with cuisine, and the connection between food preparation and land-based practices. Jean-Philippe Vezina, a Quebecois vegetable grower of Haitian descent, took the audience on a virtual tour of his garden, Les Jardins Lakou. Vezina founded Les Jardins Lakou in an effort to reconnect with his Haitian heritage and help other Québécois of Haitian descent to learn about their agricultural and culinary traditions. 

Later that afternoon, Marlene Hale, also known as Chef Maluh, demonstrated how to cook traditional West Coast First Nations cuisine. Hale is a chef, educator, and member of the Wet’suwet’en nation. She began the cooking demonstration with a drumming introduction to celebrate the beginning of the harvest season. Hale proceeded to cook a delicious meal of cedar plank salmon, wild rice, grilled vegetables, and bannock focaccia with a side of Labrador tea. 

With Equinox 2020 occurring a few days before Orange Shirt Day, an event designed to bring attention to the history of the residential school system in Canada, it was fitting that interdisciplinary artist Adrian Stimson had the opportunity to discuss his pieces. Stimson’s pieces, which use found materials, expose the experiences of genocide, loss, and resilience of the Indigenous peoples coerced into Canada’s residential schools. A member of the Blackfoot nation, Stimpson was forced to attend residential school three times. In an installation entitled “Old Sun,” Stimson placed a blanket of Buffalo fur on the ground and covered it with a tipi made from steel bars resembling a prison cell. This piece highlights the ways in which colonialism has oppressed and demonized Indigenous cultures and values. 

Equinox 2020 was an educational multidisciplinary exploration of Indigenous cultures and identities. The event provided a positive and inclusive atmosphere to celebrate a diverse range of cultural beliefs and practices. While platforming challenging topics, Equinox 2020 focussed on the resilience and accomplishments in the BIPOC community in Montreal. 

The event is archived on Facebook and available for anyone to re-watch free of charge. 

McGill, News

Monmouth University professor leads webinar on Anthropocene accountability

by Amelia Lang on

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Monmouth University professor Randall S. Abate presented a new approach to the fight for climate justice in a webinar hosted by The McGill Journal of Sustainable Development Law (MJSDL) on Oct. 2. The central focus of Abate’s presentation was on holding “common enemies”— the animal agriculture industry and the fossil fuel industry—accountable for their environmentally destructive practices. 

Abate argued that the United States federal government has allowed these industries to subvert fossil fuel emissions regulations, which is a significant contributor to climate change.

“[Climate change] needs to be considered one of the most glaring examples of the perils of unrestrained capitalism,” Abate said. “Litigation is an important tool to hold governments and the private sector accountable for climate change impacts, raise awareness of pressing challenges, and goad legislative responses.”

Litigation is crucial for protecting the environment when governments fail to make it a priority. Emma Sitland, 2L Law and executive editor of the MJSDL, emphasizes its importance in regulating polluting companies and the governments that enable them.

“These kinds of litigations are such an important mechanism for accountability,” Sitland said. “How are we going to get governments to account for climate change? […] How are we going to hold corporations accountable?”

During his talk, Abate proposed a new approach to Anthropocene accountability: The unification of environmental and animal rights movements. Given that both industries contribute substantially to pollution, Abate suggests that collaboration between the two movements would significantly benefit the quest for climate justice. In the work to regulate animal agriculture industries, animal welfare efforts in particular would benefit from adopting tactics used in successful environmental lawsuits against fossil fuel companies. 

“My work generally seek[s] to convey […] the importance of collaboration between the environmental and animal law movements in addressing problems of interest to both, […] such as the need for more ambitious regulation of the animal agriculture industry and their significant climate change impacts,” Abate said.

Although his legal approach targeted American institutions, Abate highlighted how the same methods could be applied in a Canadian context. 

“[The U.S. and Canada] have a long way to go from here,” Abate said. “For many decades, our energy systems have been powered by fossil fuels, and our food systems have been dominated by animal agriculture. Old habits are hard to break.”

Arsalan Ahmed, 3L Law and editor-in-chief of the MJSDL, believes that introducing perspectives like Abate’s provides new dimensions to discussions around larger issues that impact Canadians. 

“[MJSDL speaker events are] about giving you ideas, challenging current assumptions,” Ahmed said. “When we look at the Canadian context [of environmental accountability], I don’t think it’s very clear, [and] it’s not particularly well publicized.”

Abate’s presentation also addressed how the COVID-19 pandemic has unexpectedly helped the fight for climate justice. 

“When [the pandemic] started, […] I never imagined that [it] would be such an integral part in my environmental scholarship and teaching as it has become,” Abate said.

Abate argued that the pandemic presented significant financial setbacks for polluting industries. Demand for oil hit record lows, and the animal agriculture industry faced huge losses while sales of plant-based meat alternatives rose by 200 per cent.  Abate hopes that COVID-19 could be a turning point away from the status quo, and for the better.  

“I hear all too often this year, ‘I can’t wait to get back to normal,’” Abate said. “Well, I’m not eager to get back to normal [….] Normal is exactly what we need to get away from.”

Montreal, News

Thousands march demanding ‘Justice for Joyce’

by Maggie Roberts on

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Thousands gathered at Place Émilie-Gamelin on Oct. 3 to participate in a peaceful demonstration, organized by the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal and its Executive Director Nakuset, Iskweu, and Janis Qavavauq-Bibeau, to demand justice for Joyce Echaquan. Joyce was a 37-year-old Atikamekw woman and mother of seven who faced racist verbal abuse from hospital staff while she lay dying in a hospital in Joliette on Sept. 28. The masked and socially-distanced crowd chanted “Justice for Joyce” as they marched down Rue Berri, calling for legal justice for Echaquan and pushing to eradicate institutionalized racism against Indigenous Peoples across the country.

Joyce Echaquan, who went to the Centre Hospitalier De Lanaudière in Joliette, Quebec because of stomach pains, was the victim of taunts and racist insults by the hospital staff. Echaquan live streamed the incident on Facebook as she pleaded for help, just before her death.

Janis Qavavauq-Bibeau was one of the event organizers and is currently the Research Coordinator for the Iskweu Project, an initiative started by the Native Women’s Shelter. The project was started as a direct response to the increasing number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (including trans and two-spirit) in the province and nationwide.

“Tuesday morning, I watched the video with my boss and my colleague Jess,” Qavavauq-Bibeau said. “My boss asked, ‘what do we do?’ I said we are going to march [and] we are going to give a voice to Indigenous people who don’t have one.”

The demonstration attracted people of all ages, including Chloe Rodriguez, U3 Arts, who heard about the event through social media.

“It was an emotional space [and] the atmosphere was heavy, but the urgency and necessity of the moment was definitely present,” Rodriguez said. “The speakers were extremely powerful. I felt humbled and enraged by their words.” 

Speakers at the demonstration represented various Indigenous organizations across Montreal, including the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal, the Native Friendship Center, and Quebec Native Women Inc.  Political leaders from both the city and Québec solidaire also took part in the gathering, advocating for political leaders to address systemic racism in Quebec.

Alisha Tukkiapik, an Inuk woman and head of the National Indigenous Commission of Québec solidaire, delivered an impassioned speech to the crowd.

“It hurts so much that Joyce had to record to get this attention, because we’ve been dealing with this for hundreds of years and she’s not the only victim that we’ve had and lost,” Tukkiapik said.

Marie-Ève Bordeleau, a Cree woman and Commissioner of Indigenous Relations for the City of Montreal, called on the Quebec government to act and emphasized the importance of unity in the process of dismantling institutionalized racism.

“Together, we need to accept our differences,” Bordeleau said. “Together, we can change the system and eradicate systemic racism. Together, we will change the system. Indigenous people, non-Indigenous people, governments: It is time. Let’s not find any more excuses for our inactions.”

Joyce Echaquan’s death adds to the disturbingly high number of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Quebec and across Canada. Last year, as part of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, a supplementary report gave the province of Quebec 21 recommendations to ensure the safety and well-being of women, girls, and 2SLGBTQIA people in the province

“For those who are in a position in the health care field, in the youth protection field, in the justice field, read the recommendations [and] apply them,” Nakuset said.

On Oct. 3, Quebec Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault announced that she will be launching a public inquiry into Echaquan’s death and Centre hospitalier de Lanaudière. This investigation is currently ongoing.

Album Reviews, Arts & Entertainment, Music

In conversation with Gulfer

by Michelle Siegel on

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As a defining concept in popular music, teen angst has manifested in many different ways, from the mid-2000s emo pop-punk bands such as My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy, to the emergence of the sad-girl acoustic indie genre, currently spearheaded by Phoebe Bridgers. Emo music has never truly died out, and as 2020 has proven, angst is not going anywhere either. 

Enter Gulfer. The emo revival-math rock group, composed of bassist and vocalist David Mitchell, lead vocalist and guitarist Vincent Ford, drummer Julien Daoust, and backing vocalist and guitarist Joe Therriault, has released multiple EPs and two full-length albums during their eight years together. 

Although one might assume that a band would be musically limited by such a specific genre title, Gulfer has constantly found new ways to interpret and experiment with their music. 

“I think the music that we’ve released up to this point fits very much within [the emo revival and math rock] genres,” Therriault said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “In terms of math rock, we have a lot of weirdness in terms of odd time signatures, and Vincent […] and I do a lot of tapping riffs. But with this album, we diversify a lot more and maybe don’t fit so neatly in [any] box.”

The band’s latest album, Gulfer, is set to be released on Oct. 16. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed future touring plans for the band, the album’s production process remained mostly unscathed by the ongoing situation.

“These songs were written maybe two years ago,” Therriault said. “We recorded the album [around] this time last year, so COVID-19 was not the dream in anyone’s eye at that point.  When the pandemic hit, the album was finished and it was basically mixed and mastered.”

Even though its production and songwriting were set in stone far before the pandemic, the album feels incredibly timely, capturing an onslaught of anxiety. From the very top of the album, “Blurry” comes in strong, with its big emotional punch bolstered by a snappy and memorable guitar track. The song starts off loud and fast, never really letting up, as it holds on to the familiar angsty feeling of wanting to shout into the void.

The sound production’s diminished levels of mixing helped to develop a washed-out vocal layer on top of the album’s frenetic and experimental guitar riffs. While a strong and distinct vocal track is usually synonymous with the popular perception of emo music, Gulfer stands apart by developing their own brand of emo that lets the math rock-inspired guitar shine the most. The vocals blend with the instrumentation, contributing to the thematic unity of the mixing and the album itself.

“Our vocals are mixed a little bit lower than some [other] pop [bands],” Therriault said. “Vocals [that are] really high in the mix I think are just cheesy. It doesn’t mean it’s bad, but [I prefer] to have them blend a little more.” 

Nevertheless, the album closes out its primary setlist with another standout, “Trips and Falls,” which is anchored by a sharp and syncopated drum beat that defines the building energy of the album’s climax. 

Gulfer’s release seems almost serendipitous, given the current climate that we live in—the poignant and angsty sentiments expressed are striking and unmistakable, fitting given the emotional turmoil brought on by the pandemic. Gulfer’s approach to emo music is considerably distanced from the original 2000s scene that many people know and love, but it just might be the 2020 portrait that nobody saw coming. 

Gulfer’s self-titled album will be available on Oct. 16.

 

Chill Thrills, Student Life

Mastering the art of the pantry meal

by Katia Lo Innes on

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I’m a firm believer in keeping a well-stocked pantry. Upon hearing the word “pantry,” images of massive cold-rooms stocked wall-to-wall with cans of broth come to mind—an impossible feat of space (and organization) for busy students to accomplish. A pantry, however, does not have to be so daunting. Taking the time to organize a shelf or two of non-perishable ingredients goes a long way for students: Keeping these staples cuts down on grocery shopping bills, minimizes potential food waste, and offers endless creative cooking opportunities. Pantry staples provide a solid foundation for a variety of meals and can be combined with the fresh produce in season. Further, your pantry will look different depending on what cuisines are familiar to you, so seek out culturally specific pantry lists that will keep you physically and emotionally fortified. Personally, as a second-generation Chinese-Canadian, I take a lot of inspiration from The Woks of Life. 

As we enter peak mid-term season, there will be more time devoted to studying and grinding out papers—which potentially means less time spent grocery shopping or in the kitchen. Rather than relying on frozen pizzas and bags of dumplings (although absolutely delicious) for a quick fix, challenge yourself to maximize the humble staple goods that we so often turn our nose up to. Below, I’ve shared a few key areas to begin building your pantry, as well as my favourite pantry pasta, a vegetarian twist on Allison Roman’s legendary caramelized shallot pasta, created when I ran out of anchovies and also wanted to make something my vegan roommate could enjoy. 

Grains

Grains are the bones of your pantry: They have long shelf lives and typically only take a few minutes to prepare. Keep a few bags of the grains you rely on the most. My personal staples include white rice, pasta, and rice noodles.

Dried vegetables

Often passed over for fresh produce, dried vegetables offer powerful flavours in small batches, and their nutritional value is virtually unchanged from fresh produce. Dried vegetables that are reconstituted in water, such as lentils or mushrooms, are great additions to stir fries and grain bowls. 

Canned or preserved goods 

Go crazy with this one: Get your favourite cans of beans, briney pickles, sour kimchi, tinned meats and fish, and jars of saucy tomatoes. There’s really no limit to what you can find as preserves. 

Sauces and dressings

Wet food is the best food. Have a good selection of cooking oils—olive and grapeseed are reliable, but alternatives such as coconut and avocado oil are having their moments. 

For building stir fries, have staples on hand like soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, and honey. 

Keep salads and sandwiches fresh with mustards, mayonnaise (or veganaise), and vinegars. 

The Classic Pantry Pasta

Ingredients:

  • 5 oz of pasta 
  • 3 tablespoons Tomato paste 
  • Salt (to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons of pepperoncini
  • 1 chopped green olives
  • 3 Shallots or one small onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic 
  • Parmesan (optional, to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon butter or butter substitute
  • Olive oil

 

These instructions provide a solid base to build a delicious and simple pantry pasta, so feel free to swap out the peppers or olives for any canned or preserved vegetables of your choice. The measurements are suggestions. Canned white beans, chickpeas, pickled onions, or tinned fish such as tuna could be fantastic additions, just as long as they’re briney. 

 

  1. Boil a liberally salted pot of water and and cook pasta two minutes under the package instructions. Make sure to save about a cup of pasta water.
  2. In a pan, heat olive oil on medium-high, adding shallots and garlic. Cook for 15 minutes or until caramelized. 
  3. Add finely chopped olives and pepperoncini. Add a tablespoon of pepperoncini brine if you prefer spicier pasta. Cook for about two minutes.
  4. Add tomato paste and cook for five minutes or until it looks rusty. 
  5. Add strained pasta to the pan, along with about a third of a cup of pasta water and butter or butter substitute. Mix for about 2-3 minutes until glossy and emulsified. 
  6. Serve immediately with parmesan to your liking.
Student Life

Cinched for the gods

by Vanessa Barron on

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Whether you’re a Pinterest mom, an Instagram baddie, or a dedicated Vogue reader like myself, you may have noticed one article of clothing taking over celebrity fashion within the past year: The Vivienne Westwood corset. Worn by the likes of Bella Hadid, FKA Twigs, and Barbie Ferreira, the corset is a rare vintage find from Westwood’s 1980s collections. Screen printed with baroque paintings, the garment revamps a classic piece of British women’s historical costume. Corsets, however, come with concerns over health complications and a legacy of patriarchal oppression. To understand how we’ve arrived at this recent trend, it requires a look into the history of one of the most iconic and controversial garments of Western fashion. 

For over four hundred years, corsets were worn to support and contort women’s bodies into the body shape that was considered ideal. In the Elizabethan era, corsets created a flat, cone-shaped torso, while in the Victorian era, corsets created a dramatic hourglass shape. The ideal silhouette of a woman was just one factor within the ever-changing fashion trends.

Catherine Bradley, Senior Academic Associate and costume designer in McGill’s English Department, noted that the comfort level of the corset-wearer depended on what kind of corset was in style—some more painful than others. 

“The Victorian corset was more adverse in terms of physical effects [than the Elizabethan style],” Bradley said. “In this time period, the idea of women as physically frail, with their heaving bosoms and shortness of breath, [came] from the fact that their lungs were constrained and their waists were constricted. I think it inadvertently created this idea of the weaker sex.”

Most people likely associate the corset with such negative physical effects. In one of the most memorable moments in Pirates of the Carribean, Elizabeth Swann faints off the edge of a cliff because of a tightly cinched corset. Along with limiting lung capacity, tightly laced corsets can force organs to shift and cause muscular atrophy over time. When worn correctly, however, traditional corsets are not torturous to wear. 

“It’s kind of like getting braces. At first it’s uncomfortable, but then you get used to them,” Bradley said. “I know costume designers who will wear corsets when they’re working long hours and their backs get tired; they wear them for support. And in my many years of putting actors into corsets, they seem to enjoy wearing them. Corsets change your whole physicality.“

Bradley explained that in the 18th and 19th centuries, there was a societal expectation for women to wear a corset to signal their respectability and moral righteousness. In a sense, this parallels how women are expected to wear bras today. While they do provide support, many women wear them out of a societal convention of modesty, shaping the wearer into an acceptable figure of femininity.

Today, corsets are nowhere near as rigid as the Elizabethan and Victorian ones made of whalebone and coutil. Modern corsets, like the one popularized by Vivienne Westwood, often include stretchy panels and flexible, synthetic boning, making them much more breathable and comfortable. Westwood’s design reinvented the corset by turning an upper-class undergarment into a sexy, comfortable top, offering a symbolic reclamation of women’s sexuality through a costume of the past.

The recent corset trend will not permanently disfigure you or make you faint off of a cliff. However, the history of corsets highlights an important theme of women’s fashion that continues today: Body shapes go in and out of style just like fashion trends. Instead of wearing corsets, women today are expected to achieve a perfect figure through other means, whether it be plastic surgery, intense dieting, or obsessive workout routines. Even the trend of waist-training comes with all the negative effects of corset-wearing, minus the benefits of lumbar support. Although we are far past the days of corsetry as a fashion staple, maybe we aren’t as far removed from our collective fixation on controlling women’s body shapes as we think we are. 

Arts & Entertainment, Books

D&Q hosts celebrity cartoonists Jason Lutes and Sophie Yanow

by Noma Mirny on

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On Oct. 1, Librairie Drawn & Quarterly hosted a virtual discussion between two distinguished comic book artists, Jason Lutes, author of Berlin, and Sophie Yanow, author of The Contradictions. Despite its virtual setting, the event provided an intimate look into the creative processes and relationship between the two renowned graphic novelists.

Lutes, a New Jersey-born artist currently residing in Vermont, is nothing short of a cartooning celebrity. His comic book Berlin, a magnum opus of over 500 pages and a 22-year production time, is a tour-de-force of visual storytelling. Originally planned as a 24-magazine set, the comic chronicles life in Weimar Republic Berlin, from 1928 to 1933. The book follows Marthe Müller, a young art student haunted by a family tragedy; Kurt Severing, a bespeckled, chain-smoking journalist overwhelmed by his industry’s changing morals; and the Brauns, a working-class family, torn apart by politics. Berlin is made up of three volumes, and in 2018, D&Q published a collected version, framing all three books’ intricately-woven story as one gargantuan epic.

Yanow, an up-and-coming graphic novelist, just released her third book, the Eisner award-winning comic book entitled The Contradictions, a monochromatic, minimalist masterpiece that follows a younger, fictionalized Sophie at 20 years old. When she moves to Paris to study abroad, Sophie meets Zena, a radical vegan and anarchist activist who encourages her to become more politically engaged. In this semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story, Sophie hitchhikes her way across inky European cobblestones, questions her identity, and is forced out of her personal and ideological comfort zone, all in an attempt to discover her place in the world.

“I had this sense that […] this is kind of a coming of age story […] that takes place when a character is 20, because it’s […] that kind of place […] between a more firm adulthood and […] being a kid,” Yanow said.

And yet, despite the distance between Yanow now and the fictionalized Sophie in her book, Yanow feels that The Contradictions’s Sophie embodies an intense sentimental memory. Later, Yanow likened her protagonist’s maturation to Berlin‘s Marthe Müller, speaking largely of how Lutes’ work had inspired her own, and later asked him how he found the ability to write characters so distant from himself. 

In response, Lutes described his two-year research process prior to writing Berlin.

“I would read as much as I could [of] first-person narratives, [noting the] little mundane things […] like how people drink their tea or how much firewood you need to stack in the back alley to get through winter,” Lutes said.

Lutes also mentioned how his challenging upbringing as a middle-child in a quarreling family forced him to be the family mediator, which taught him empathy. He spoke on how he was frequently figuring out what family members needed in order to avoid conflict and understand each other’s intentions and underlying feelings. Later, when Lutes was in high school, he began participating in role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, where he learned to put himself into the minds of other characters and creatures. This also gave Lutes the skills to develop his characters.

“One was a writer, one was an artist, that’s comics,” Lutes said. “And then I […] put them on the stage of Berlin, and then […] watched what they would do. Everything we make is an extension of ourselves.” 

Perhaps this quality of autofiction makes both of these books so well-loved by readers around the globe. In both, there exists a ferocious, universal tenderness in the authors’ approach to the lost, wandering characters, all trying desperately to find themselves in a hungry, changing political world.

McGill, News

Divest McGill forms coalition, writes open letter with 18 divestment groups across Canada

by Zach Ripka on

More in McGill:

The Divest Canada Coalition, a consortium of climate action groups at 19 Canadian universities, penned an open letter in September 2020 calling on universities across the country to divest from fossil fuels.

The coalition’s demands centre on divestment, but also address related issues such as the violation of Indigenous sovereignty, the oppression of marginalized communities, and systemic racism in policing.

The letter calls for full divestment of funds from companies that extract, process, and transport fossil fuels by 2025. It emphasizes that nothing short of complete divestment is acceptable, and demands that universities put at least five per cent of its funds towards community investments that “advance racial, economic, environmental, and social justice.”

Divest McGill organizer Zahur Ashrafuzzaman, U1 Arts and Science, believes that the new coalition will connect divestment groups and help to build a collective power.

“This is the first time that this many universities have come together to form a real concrete coalition which we can use as a platform […] to get the ball rolling on a national level,” Ashrafuzzaman said. “We’re calling for a just recovery from COVID-19, where we want [universities] to start investing in communities and divesting from these corporations, industries, and institutions that cause people harm. [This means] the fossil fuel industry, but also [systems] like the police and the prison industrial complex.”

Since 2012, Divest McGill has focussed its advocacy towards the Committee to Advise on Matters of Social Responsibility (CAMSR), the Board of Governors committee which has failed to recommend that McGill divest three times. The Post-Graduate Students’ Society, the Students’ Society of McGill University, the McGill Faculty of Arts, and the McGill Association of University Teachers all take the position that McGill should divest. 

Divest McGill’s tactics to lobby the administration have included rallies and direct actions. In February 2020, the group obstructed the James Administration building to put pressure on CAMSR and push for fossil fuel divestment.

SSMU President Jemark Earle is the only McGill student on CAMSR. He has been communicating with Divest McGill to understand how to use his position to amplify their voices.

“I wholeheartedly agree with the points raised in the open letter that was co-signed by Divest McGill,” Earle wrote to The McGill Tribune. “McGill is falling behind in comparison to institutions that have committed to full fossil fuel divestment.”

The new Divest Canada Coalition more closely links Divest McGill to climate action groups across the country. Clara Sismondo, an organizer with Climate Justice University of British Columbia, explained how the letter demands that universities use the pandemic as a catalyst for transformative social change.

“The COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis are both symptoms of colonial, capitalist, and white supremacist systems,” Sismondo wrote to the Tribune

. “For us, COVID-19 is a stark reminder that we need massive system change.”

In June 2020, McGill and other major Canadian universities signed the Investing to Address Climate Change Charter (IACCC), a resolution that aims to address environmental sustainability with respect to endowment funds, which universities use to generate revenue through investment. 

While the IACCC symbolically places limitations on McGill’s investments, the document sets no concrete restrictions. It only suggests that signatories will “measure” the carbon intensity of investments, “evaluate” their progress, and commit to reducing fossil fuel investments over time.

Pierre Boisseau, McGill’s Senior Director of Institutional Communications, wrote to the Tribune on behalf of Principal Suzanne Fortier. He did not directly address Divest Canada’s open letter. 

“[The IACCC] is just one of the many ways universities are working to address climate change,” Boisseau wrote. “McGill […] has already committed to an ambitious plan of actions that involves its investments, academic mission, operations, governance and management, [including] decarbonization of the McGill Investment Pool [….] [The university] is aiming to achieve a 33 per cent carbon emission reduction of its public equity portfolio versus its equity benchmark by 2025.”

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