Photo courtesy of Gray Area Magazine.
Another year, another trend! Fashion trends come and go, but what is never going to go is the desire to make the fashion industry more reflective of modern society. Controversies such as racism, cultural appropriation, environmental harm, child labor, and use of fur have surrounded this particular industry for a long time and even though these have not been addressed until recently, the world might be moving in the right direction. An example of this change is Gray Area, Connecticut College’s newest fashion and lifestyle magazine. In the past, former magazines theLook and Bespoke have been the subjects of backlash and controversy due to lack of inclusivity and appropriation of another student’s ideas. However, Co-Editors-in-Chief Carly Denora’ 22 and Kendrick Hawkins’ 23 have made it clear that while they respect the work of the past magazines, Gray Area is not affiliated with them, despite having many of their past members on their board. To differentiate the work of the current magazine from its predecessors, the Gray Area’s Director of Equity and Inclusion has sent an email to affinity groups on campus expressing interest in having them write articles and participate in the photoshoots, and thus acknowledging that there needs to be more diversity in a club where the majority of the members are white.
Fall 2021 brings a hopeful future for fashion addicts on campus. Last year, Bespoke faced several obstacles due to COVID-19 restrictions, and they did not release an issue until the spring of 2021; nevertheless, Gray Area hopes to bring bigger and better things this year, and onward. According to their newly created Instagram page, @grayareamag, a gray area is “a sphere of interest not readily conforming to a category or to an existing set of rules.” Although this is a somewhat cryptic message, the real meaning behind this lies in their purpose, which is to represent the individual expressions of everyone at Connecticut College. Fashion can be subjective, yet very meaningful, so the new magazine seeks to welcome all styles of expression. This also means that readers of Gray Area should expect the unexpected.
Despite the fact that this is a brand new organization, some students have shown hesitance to join due to the troubled past of its predecessors. Looking back at old issues of theLook, most of the models would wear the same preppy and monotonous looks, which were selected by an executive board composed of a friend group that would not welcome any new ideas. Some members of the Executive Board have had experience working with the previous magazines, and collaboration was not encouraged as communication was minimal. There were hierarchies within both former magazines, ultimately deterring members from contributing. Participation was inherently discouraged as most decisions were made by a select few people. Bespoke tried to resolve this clique issue by rebranding the magazine and welcoming criticism in order to improve the experience of all members, then they saw themselves involved in another scandal. Denora and Hawkins are aware that last year’s efforts did not fully come to fruition; therefore, Gray Area already faces a huge challenge: fulfilling the inclusivity goal that had been promised before.
As for the efforts being done to make the magazine more inclusive, they said “Gray Area Magazine’s Executive Board is made up of eleven new members and four returning members. We have added additional positions to encourage more participation within the organization. We decided to add a Director of Equity and Inclusion position to ensure that every voice is heard and represented in this process of rebranding, as we fully acknowledge the exclusivity of past magazines. We are establishing an initiative to move our magazine in a different direction than all past publications. This is why we welcome feedback from the community on how to improve.” New members are highly encouraged to suggest ideas or changes that they consider necessary to make the magazine run smoothly.
The Executive Board agreed that a feasible goal for this year filled with uncertainty is to have 4 to 5 issues released. Furthermore, they have planned a fashion show and a few fundraisers – Harvestfest was a success and the money is going to help support the magazine and create more opportunities. The first issue is scheduled to be published before Halloween, but the exact date is still to be determined. The first photoshoot took place on Oct. 10 at the MBM Fun Center Arcade at Ocean Beach Park. The overall goal was to create some outfits that pop and scream color. In addition to the photoshoot, there will be some interesting articles highlighting the personalized interior design of a chosen Conn student’s dorm room, outfits handcrafted by students in the Corsets and Crinolines class, a sponsorship with Beads of Wisdom Co. created by Amelia Kirby ‘23, and more. Additionally, the Board has decided to create two original sections that will be featured in every publication: the first one will focus on different New London businesses that have gone unnoticed in order to support our greater community. The second section will feature an article discussing the controversies of the fashion industry.
The magazine might be under scrutiny, but both Co-Editors-in-Chief want students to know that anyone and everyone is welcome to join. In fact, they are actively looking for models. Gray Area’s top priority moving forward is to create a safe space for inclusion as well as to maintain and boost participation in the organization by having as many members as possible. All of the Conn community is welcome on the magazine’s journey towards improvement and see for themselves that real change is approaching!
