The Quietly Curious Katherine Boo

About the Paper (Intro)

Not many writers would voluntarily choose go into a poor neighborhood, to interview someone who lives there, and be cast as an outsider. Even fewer would choose to live in the neighborhood of the underdeveloped area in order to get a better feel for the lives of the people they’re writing about. Among these few writers, Katherine Boo stands out among the rest for her immersion reporting. Boo has reported a countless number of times on poor neighborhoods of the world, in order to bring light to a social issue through the lives of people who are living through the social situation. Having written for a newspaper, and then a feature magazine, Boo knows how to capture an audience through her words and does so by telling the stories of those who would typically be overlooked.

About The Author

Katherine Boo is a writer who immerses herself in the environment she is writing about in order to get a better feel of the people and of the place. Focusing mainly on poor, underdeveloped areas of the United States, Boo spends months on end with the people whom she writes about in order to get a true depiction of them and their lives.

Growing up in and around the Washington, DC area, Boo attended nearby university, College of William and Mary, and went on to attend Barnard College, where she graduated summa cum laude.

Boo began writing for the Columbia Daily Spectator, a paper at her university, in the late 80’s, until the editor of The Washington Post, Jack Shafer, hired her. She wrote and edited articles for The Washington City Paper, until he promoted to write for The Washington Monthly, and finally The Washington Post.[i]

Boo started as a writer for the Washington Post in 1993 and was with the paper until 2003.

In 2000, Boo received a Pulitzer Prize for her piece on group homes for people who were mentally retarded.[ii] During her time writing for the Washington Post, beginning in 2001, she began as a contributing author at The New Yorker, where she came on as a full-time writer in 2003, because she was “tired of obsessing about characters”.[iii] [iv]

In 2002, Boo was “awarded a MacArthur fellowship [“Genius” Grant], in recognition of her body of work on the disadvantaged.[v]” Boo then received a National Magazine Award for Feature Writing for her piece, “The Marriage Cure,” written in 2003 for the New Yorker, which discussed marriage seminars that were being held in the poor area of Oklahoma City.[vi]

After marrying her husband, Sunil Khilnani, who is an Indian citizen, Boo often traveled back and forth from India and became interested in the lives of the low-income people.[vii] Her interest not only sparked her New Yorker piece, “Opening Night,” but it gave way to the idea for her first book, Behind the Beautiful Forevers, which she said is “exactly like Slumdog Millionaire, but no song and dance at the end.[viii]” During her research process for this book, beginning in 2007, Boo spent three years living in an apartment in the central city of Annawadi, the key location of the book.[ix] All of Boo’s pieces share the commonality of giving a glimpse into the lives of people whose stories aren’t typically heard. Because of this, her pieces have many similarities.

About the Writing

            After reading just the very first paragraph of a Katherine Boo piece, the reader knows it will not be a typical magazine feature article. Boo reels in her readers, starting by giving some perspective of the location she is in. Whether it’s Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana or Guatum Nagar, Mumbai, Boo will begin every piece by explain what the surrounding area is like.

For example, in her 2006 New Yorker piece, “Swamp Nurse,” which discussed the Nurse-Family Partnership model that was being implemented in Louisiana for infants born into poor families, Boo began her article by describing the area she is in. Boo begins by writing, “In the swamps of Louisiana, late autumn marks the end of the hurricane and the sugarcane seasons – a time for removing plywood from windows and burning residues of harvest in the fields. Then begins the season of crayfish and, nine months having passed since the revelry of Mardi Gras, a season of newborn Cajuns.[x]”

Boo will then introduce the main character of her article. In this case it is baby Daigan James Plaisance Theriot, who was born to mother, nineteen-year-old, Alexis. After giving the name of the main character, Boo does a substantial job of giving a vision-inducing description of the character, based on physical characteristics.

In “The Marriage Cure,” Boo’s 2003 prize winning piece, she introduces one of the main characters, twenty-two-year-old, Kim Henderson and then gives a short description of what she looks like. Boo writes, “Henderson pulled a pair of low-rider jeans over a high raising gold lame thong and declared herself ready for church.[xi]” By that short description, the reader can visualize what Henderson looks and what kind of fashion choices she makes to express herself. Henderson is not the only person that Boo follows in this article, and this is another commonality in all of her pieces.

When Boo decides her location, she usually hones in on the lives of two or three people, as opposed to following many people and only being able to give small clips of their lives. She will spend months following her characters and, in doing so, she also brings light to a larger issue. In an interview with Guernica Magazine, Boo said, “when I pick a story, I’m very much aware of the larger issue it’s illuminating.[xii]” Boo will not write about an underprivileged place and not have a specific cause that she wants to attention to light through the stories of her main characters.

One example of Boo bringing a larger social issue to illuminate is in her 2007 New Yorker piece, “Expectations.” This piece is based in Denver, Colorado and follows the lives of disadvantaged students who are forced to relocate high schools during the school year due to the poor academic performance of the students. Boo incorporates the topic of the intervention by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which turned every floor of Manuel High School, the main school in the article, into a mini-school of its own. This intervention was put in place to create an environment within the school where the students felt “their teachers knew and cared for them.[xiii]”

In bringing a large social issue to the forefront in her articles, Boo inevitably includes a great deal of fact and statistics. In the same interview with Guernica Magazine, Boo spoke on her use of factual evidence to support, or negate, the issues she is covering. Boo said, “One of the reasons I pore over official documents and reportage is because I’m fascinated by the way chasm between the lives that people have and the way they’re officially reported.[xiv]”

Boo incorporates the necessary facts in a casual way, by adding smaller bits of information into a sentence, but will also add larger pieces of news further in her article. An example is in her New Yorker piece, “Letters from Louisiana: Shelter and the Storm,” where she follows the lives of two displaced hurricane Katrina victims, who are forced to take shelter in an upscale neighborhood of Bayou Black.

Boo first adds a smaller fact within her story by incorporating it at the end of her sentence. She writes, “What they often lacked were passable educations, regular medical care, jobs with benefits, or firsthand knowledge of how other Americans live – New Orleans’s low-income population being one of the lease mobile and most isolated in the country.[xv]” Boo then includes a larger piece of factual information when she sites a study performed by the Associated Press on New Orleans’ violence. She writes, “‘Last year, university researchers conducted an experiment in which police fired seven hundred blank rounds in a New Orleans neighborhood in a single afternoon. No ones called to report the gunfire.’[xvi]” Boo continues by discussing the ranges of poverty, then sites a speech from the, then president, George W. Bush.[xvii]

The main component of Boo’s writing, that becomes apparent once a reader has made it through the first few ages of her pieces, is that she does not include herself in her stories. Unlike the typical journalists, who tend to include their experience and how they see the things around them, Boo lets her characters speak for themselves and answer her questions through their actions, and interactions, with other people.

In the interview with Guernica Magazine, Boo explained that the reason why she immerses herself in the lives of the people she writes about is because, “Listening and observing often work much better [and] reveal much more about the complexity of someone than the answers that they give to questions about themselves.[xviii]”

In the same interview, Boo referenced her New Yorker article, “Opening Night,” which was a small example of her book, Behind the Beautiful Forevers. In the interview, Boo gave the example of how the main character of the piece, thirteen-year-old, Sunil, did not tell anyone about purple lotuses that were growing behind the airport in Annawadi that he worked at, so that no one would cut and sell them.[xix] She continued, saying, “These aspects of his character emerged over time from observation. I wasn’t going to get them through conversation. It’s one thing to have somebody talk about what they value in whatever language they have; its another thing to really see what they value.[xx]” This is the main component in the reason why I believe Katherine Boo is unlike any other feature writer.

About My Reflections

            When I initially began writing feature articles, I immediately thought that I should model mine after those I spend hours reading in fashion magazines, such as Elle and Harper’s Bazaar. Begin with the first encounter with, typically, the celebrity you’re interviewing, writing something like, “I sat in the corner table at the Chateau Marmot before the celebrity sat don with tousled hair and ordered a small nicoise salad.” It’s the same song and dance in every magazine interview and after a while, they all sound the same.

When I first read Katherine Boo’s, The Marriage Cure, I was immediately drawn in for reasons that did not emanate the typical magazine feature that I was used to reading. Not once did she ask a question of the characters whose lives she followed, nor did she explain their first meeting. She lets her characters speak for themselves in the important journalistic technique of show, don’t tell, by giving the most detailed and clever descriptions of the characters. Boo follows her subjects, quietly curious, wanting to know everything about their lives and who they are, without saying a word.

I also love the Boo doesn’t go into an area without knowing that she wants to bring a larger social issue to the forefront through the characters she follows. She takes her power as a writer, for a very prominent magazine, The New Yorker, and puts it to good use by shining light on areas of the world that people would normally tend to pass over. By doing this, although she cannot pay her subjects, she is able to tell their stories in a way that not many other writer’s would, by showing their struggles and daily challenges in a non-invasive way. I am not the only person who thinks Boo’s creative way of telling the stories of others is effective.

            About Other’s Critical Responses

            It doesn’t take much research to find the thoughts of Boo’s works from other prominent writers. Among the reviews and feedback that she gets, on her book and the articles she writes, it is hard to find many negative responses. The publication that Boo once wrote for, The Washington Post, reviewed her book, Behind the Beautiful Forevers, and positively said, “Her research is meticulous and worthy of the most demanding sociologist.[xxi]”

This is not the only positive post about Boo’s work, The Dallas News website wrote that Boo, “is a restrained and fine writer who has honed her reporting skills to a level that it is easy to forget you are reading nonfiction. When she delves into the unthinkable, she pulls her prose back and allows the story to unfold. One can only imagine the language and cultural difficulties she overcame to earn the trust of her subjects.[xxii]”

The website, Slate, was also involved in the lauding of Boo’s work. In a review of her, the website said that Boo, “has many ways of illuminating the people she writes about. The most important and obvious is that she listens closely and intelligently… You can feel the richness of her affection in her ironic appreciation of their oddities.[xxiii]” Although the majority of Boo’s reviews are positive, that does not mean that everyone who reads her work enjoys her writing style.

Bloomberg BusinessWeek Magazine’s reviewed Boo’s book, Behind the Beautiful Forevers, and wrote, “Boo’s attention to detail occasionally blinds her to India’s bigger picture. The reader yearns for context in a study of this size, yet Boo does not provide this in a coherent way. On the rare occasion when she does expand her scope, her approach is inconsistent.[xxiv]” BusinessWeek was not the only publication with undesirable feedback.

The Wall Street Journal also reviewed Boo’s book and thought that her choice of details to include was unimportant. The publication examined her book and gave the example of an unnecessary detail, saying, “the minutiae of many jobs, including sorting garbage, is something that even when closely observed and thoughtfully written about, doesn’t at all times make for riveting or insightful reading.[xxv]” This review was followed by yet another that also spoke unfavorably of Boo’s book.

The Economist gave their feedback on Behind the Beautiful Forevers and pointed out that the issues that Boo was bringing to life were nothing unknown. The publication said, “Mumbai’s poverty is not new. Slums sprouted skyscrapers long before prosperity came to India. Nor are the government’s priorities anti-poor; it is corruption that renders them ineffectual.[xxvi]” Although these three publications did not fully enjoy Boo’s book, overall, when reading feedback on the pieces that Boo writes, the reviews are almost always praising her, and her reporting and writing tactics.

            About Her Impact

            When it comes to how effective Boo’s writing is in affecting people who read her work, it does the job of enlightening readers. She opens their eyes to the lives of those whose stories would not normally be heard. That being said, Boo’s pieces are not known for the changes they make in the lives of those people that she writes about. In the same review of Boo’s book by Slate Magazine, the publication discussed that Boo’s work does not induce change in the lives of the people who she follows nor has she made suggestions for change. The magazine wrote, “Boo has never put forward policy suggestions or articulated political ideas, but in her American reporting she has considered the effects of specific policy initiatives on the lives of the people she writes about.[xxvii]” It is true that Boo does not go about trying to make positive changes in the lives of the people she reports on, but that is not the mission she has going in to write a piece. Her goal is to bring a social issue to the attention of her readers, one that may not be currently discussed in the media. She is not going in to figure out ways to change the lives of people who cannot make change for themselves. In her interview with Guernica Magazine, she said, “My work, I hope, helps people understand how much gets lost between the intellection of how to get people out of poverty and how it’s actually experienced. [xxviii]” Since her goal is to inform and not change, she is successful in accomplishing her objective.

About the End (Conclusion)

            Immersion journalism is not for everyone. Some people will be overcome by their surroundings and take their first chance to get out, and some will try their hardest to be removed from their subjects, in order to set themselves apart from the people they are following. For Katherine Boo, the months on end that she spends with people she writes about are ones she uses to get to know her characters better then they know themselves.

Her watchful eyes inspect every detail of how her characters act, as she records everything they say, in order to pick the best quotes for her piece. By keeping herself removed from being included in her writing, she lets the characters to speak for themselves. She imparts opportunity for characters to describe who they are and the lives they live, without any direct questions being asked of them. Everyone may not like the way she writes, but Boo is successful in accomplishing the goal of her articles, which is to shine light on social issues through the telling of stories of disadvantaged people. As her first book continues to get positive feedback among other people in her field, Boo continues to submerge herself into the lives of the world’s poor and tell their stories through her vigilant eyes and running tape recorder.

 

 

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[i] McGrath, Charles. “Katherine Boo on Her Book ‘Behind the Beautiful Forevers’ – NYTimes.com.” The New York Times – Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/09/books/katherine-boo-on-her-book-behind-the-beautiful-forevers.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0&gt;.

[ii] Reporting Poverty, Emily Brennan interviews Katherine Boo – Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics.” Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. <http://www.guernicamag.com/interviews/reporting-poverty/&gt;.

[iii] Search : The New Yorker.” The New Yorker. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. <http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/bios/katherine_boo/search?contributorName=katherine%20boo&gt;.

[iv] Rustin, Susanna. “Barnard College – Profile of Katherine Boo ’88.” Barnard College – Alumnae Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. <http://alum.barnard.edu/s/1133/index2.aspx?sid=1133&gid=1&pgid=252&cid=3431&ecid

[v] Search : The New Yorker.” The New Yorker. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. <http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/bios/katherine_boo/search?contributorName=katherine%20boo&gt;.

[vi] Search : The New Yorker.” The New Yorker. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. <http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/bios/katherine_boo/search?contributorName=katherine%20boo&gt;.

[vii] Reporting Poverty, Emily Brennan interviews Katherine Boo – Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics.” Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. <http://www.guernicamag.com/interviews/reporting-poverty/&gt;.

[viii] Katherine Boo – The Colbert Report – 2012-12-03 – Video Clip | Comedy Central.” Colbert Nation | The Colbert Report | Comedy Central. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. <http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/410489/march-12-2012/katherine-boo&gt;.

[ix] Reporting Poverty, Emily Brennan interviews Katherine Boo – Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics.” Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. <http://www.guernicamag.com/interviews/reporting-poverty/&gt;.

[x] “Swamp Nurse | NewAmerica.net.” NewAmerica.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. <http://www.newamerica.net/publications/

[xi] Boo, Katherine. “The Marriage Cure | NewAmerica.net.” NewAmerica.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. <http://www.newamerica.net/publications/a

[xii] Reporting Poverty, Emily Brennan interviews Katherine Boo – Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics.” Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. <http://www.guernicamag.com/interviews/reporting-poverty/&gt;.

[xiii] Boo, Katherine. “A Reporter At Large: Expectations : The New Yorker.” The New Yorker. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. <http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/20

[xiv] Boo, Katherine. “A Reporter At Large: Expectations : The New Yorker.” The New Yorker. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. <http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/20

[xv] Boo, Katherine. “Letter from Louisiana: Shelter and the Storm : The New Yorker.” The New Yorker. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2013.

[xvi] Boo, Katherine. “Letter from Louisiana: Shelter and the Storm : The New Yorker.” The New Yorker. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2013.

[xvii] Boo, Katherine. “Letter from Louisiana: Shelter and the Storm : The New Yorker.” The New Yorker. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2013.

[xviii] Boo, Katherine. “The scene from the airport slums of Mumbai : The New Yorker.” The New Yorker. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. <http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/02/23/090223fa_fact_boo?currentPage=all&gt;.

[xix] Reporting Poverty, Emily Brennan interviews Katherine Boo – Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics.” Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. <http://www.guernicamag.com/interviews/reporting-poverty/&gt;.

[xx] Reporting Poverty, Emily Brennan interviews Katherine Boo – Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics.” Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. <http://www.guernicamag.com/interviews/reporting-poverty/&gt;.

[xxi] “Book review: ‘Behind the Beautiful Forevers,’ by Katherine Boo – The Washington Post.” Washington Post: Breaking News, World, US, DC News & Analysis. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/book-review-behind-the-beautiful-forevers-by-katherine-boo/2012/01/26/gIQA848t4Q_story_1.html&gt;

[xxii] Thomas, Karen M. . “Book review: Behind the Beautiful Forevers, by Katherine Boo | Dallasnews.com – News for Dallas, Texas – The Dallas Morning News.” Dallas-Fort Worth News, Sports, Entertainment, Weather and Traffic – The Dallas Morning News. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. <http://www.dallasnews.com/entertainment/books/20120229-book-review-behind-the-beautiful-forevers-by-katherine-boo.ece&gt;.

[xxiii] Blair, Elaine. “Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo, reviewed. – Slate Magazine.” Politics, Business, Technology, and the Arts – Slate Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. <http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/

[xxiv] French, Patrick. “Book Review: Behind the Beautiful Forevers, by Katherine Boo – BusinessWeek.” BusinessWeek – Business News, Stock market & Financial Advice. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. <http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/book-review-behind-the-beautiful-forevers-by-katherine-boo-02022012.html&gt;.

[xxv] Lahiri, Tripti. “India Journal: Too Much Detail in Katherine Boo’s ‘Behind the Beautiful Forevers’? – India Real Time – WSJ.” WSJ Blogs – WSJ. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. <http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2012/02/10/india-journal-too-much-detail-in-behind-the-beautiful-forevers/&gt;.

[xxvi] “Poverty in Mumbai: The places in between | The Economist.” The Economist – World News, Politics, Economics, Business & Finance. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. <http://www.economist.com/node/2154776.

[xxvii] Blair, Elaine. “Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo, reviewed. – Slate Magazine.” Politics, Business, Technology, and the Arts – Slate Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. <http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/

[xxviii] Reporting Poverty, Emily Brennan interviews Katherine Boo – Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics.” Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. <http://www.guernicamag.com/interviews/reporting-poverty/&gt;.

 

Thirty-Five Dollars, a Glass of Champagne and a Blow Dry

When pulling up to Drybar blow-dry salon in Georgetown, one would not think they would find an adorable little blow dry shop, nestled between two vacant buildings. The first thing one sees is a chandelier made of four bundled, yellow blow dryers, which the Drybar team has named “Buttercup.” After finding a seat on the white cushion couches, a Drybar team member offers either champagne, or strawberry and blueberry infused water, for the under 21 set. The atmosphere immediately takes affect, as one feels as if they are in a friend’s home: it’s cozy, comforting, warm and fun, which all factor into the reason why dry bars have become such a trend among women over the past six years.

Blow dry “bars,” as they are called because of the serving of alcoholic beverages as the woman gets her hair done, are being built all over the United States to make it much more convenient for women to drop in, get their hair done, then head straight to a party or a dinner. The appeal of these bars, and what sets them apart from a regular hair salon, is they only wash, blow dry and style hair (no cuts or coloring), they promise to have one’s hair done in less then 30 minutes. Even better, the price is significantly cheaper then a full service salon, with blow dry’s pricing for $40, at the most.

To make it easier on clients when selecting a style, these dry “bars” tend to only offer about eleven available services, giving them clever drink names such as the “Manhattan,” for a pin straight style, or a “Cosmo,” which is a curly ‘do (both offered at Drybar).

In addition to these differences that set the bars apart from a regular salon, is that they are architecturally created to mimic a bar. So, when a woman is sitting getting her hair styled, she sits in leather coated chairs at a bar-like counter, with a bartender who brings champagne, wine or water, depending on her preference.

Three of the most prominent dry bars that have recently been receiving attention for their services are, Blo blow dry bar, Drybar and DreamDry, recently opened by Rachel Zoe, a Hollywood fashion stylist, and Robin Moraetes. Blo prides itself on being “North America’s Original Blow Dry Bar,” founded in 2007. Their website makes it very clear that they only provide washes and blow-dries, stating, “Scissors are verboten. Dye, ditto. No cuts, no color: Just WASH BLOW GO.”

Drybar, founded in February 2010, and, DreamDry, which opening on Valentine’s Day of this year, in Manhattan, both emulate Blo, offering only washes and blowouts. The recent downturn in the economy has also boosted the influx of business for these dry bars, because their services are fast and inexpensive.

The trend began in 2007 when Blo founded its first dry bar in Canada. The initial thought of Judy Brooks, the founder of Blo, thought, “Why isn’t there a place for quick affordable cat-walk quality blowouts?” After the concept took off in Canada, Blo expanded its blow dry doors to North America. The company currently has 28 blow dry bars worldwide, in Canada, the North America and Asia.

Alli Webb, 37, founder of Drybar, originally started her company by giving referral only blowouts in her home, as a side job. Webb then quickly noticed two growing trends: the popularity of smooth-looking hair and the appreciation of a “quick salon service.”

She decided to expand her business into the nationwide blow dry salon, Drybar in 2010. Clearly in competition with the already known, Blo, Drybar hired their current President and COO, Karen Kelley, to get them ahead.  Kelley has worked for 20 years with Boston Market, Jamba Juice and Pinkberry, helping them fight off competitors as well. The company now has 18 salons, all in the United States.

New to the blow drying business is DreamDry. “Who says luxury has to cost an arm and a leg or take more than an hour?” is the question Zoe and Moraetes asked themselves before starting their dry bar. With only one current location in the Flatiron District of New York City, and one coming soon to Columbus Circle, co-founders Zoe and Moraetes, needed an edge to diversify themselves.

The dry bar offers iPads for customers to use while their hair is being done and will feature two new hairstyles, per season, based off of popular runway and red carpet looks.

All three of these businesses want to make the process of getting a woman’s hair blown out a social, fun and exciting time. Webb told USA Today, that she “wants women to come in and have fun,” and said she wants people to feel like they are having fun at a bar.

“I’ve been wanting to go to Blo!” said Maya Yearwood, 20, junior at Boston University, of Blo, which has one location in the South End neighborhood of Boston. Yearwood, who has naturally very curly hair and sewn in extensions, said that if she wasn’t planning on getting her hair done when she goes home to New York in the upcoming week, then she would definitely go to Blo.

“If I don’t need to get [my hair] cut, the blow dry bar would be great,” said Nekou Nowrouzi, 20, junior at Boston University, whose thick curly hair has been done by the same hairdresser for years, in Weston, MA.

Although these dry bars make getting a great, fast blow-dry much easier, some women have mixed feelings about them.

“I’d prefer a regular salon,” said Erika Vidal, 19, freshman at George Washington University, after she got a blow dry done at Drybar in Georgetown. “It was okay, but I didn’t really think they did that good of a job. I’m going to my other place today.” Vidal’s “other place” is an ethnic hair salon in the Georgetown area that she prefers because they are able to straighten her naturally curly hair much better and it does not frizz as quickly after having it done.

At first, she was hesitant to try Drybar, given her unruly hair. Vidal said called the bar, prior to her visit, to make sure they would be able to accommodate her hair type. Although a woman who knew how to handle her hair helped her, she said the bar was great for a quick wash and blow on a weekend when she doesn’t feel like washing it herself. Regularly, she said, she will go back to her normal full service salon.

As the lives of American women become more fast paced, the amenities that they need for upkeep become faster paced as well. Blow dry bars, with their speedy services and cheap prices, are definitely not leaving the radar of women anytime soon. One downfall? These bars currently only service women and girls, given their female-based services. So, calling all women: make an appointment, stop in, grab a cocktail, and enjoy being pampered for under $40 bucks.

 

 

 

Sources:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388500/

http://www.dreamdry.com/index.html

http://www.thedrybar.com/

http://www.blomedry.com/

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-growth/success-stories/blow-dry-bar-concept-heats-up/article4180474/

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/economy/story/2012-08-12/drybar-blowdry-bar/56939214/1

http://www.smallbusinessbc.ca/around-bc/blo-blow-dry-bar

Erika Vidal

Nekou Nowrouzi

Maya Yearwood

 

 

In Your Face

Packed on the Heath Street T like bundled up snowmen, people quietly chat on their way to the Museum of Fine Arts. Like kindergarteners on a field trip, visitors walked into the museum in a single file line from the T stop to the entrance where they all waited on the curving line to purchase a ticket to enter.

            A gust of warm wind hits as the big gold doors to the Museum open. Different shapes and sizes of people were all mixed together as they waited to pay their entrance fee to the many exhibits that the museum had to offer on a sunny, Sunday afternoon. As the line moved along, some intrigued visitors made the best of their waiting time by snapping photos of art, that was displayed on the walls, with professional SLR cameras.

Once inside the museum, everyone goes off into his or her prospective areas of interest. Some to the European Art, others to the Asian history section, but most walk together to the basement, to the Gund Gallery, where the Mario Testino “In Your Face” exhibit is being displayed.

One of the most influential photographers in his field, Testino has photographed celebrities and models that have then been featured in ad campaigns and editorial magazine spreads. Testino’s “In Your Face” exhibit, which will be shown from on October 21^st to February 3^rd of this year, is the photographer’s first U.S. exhibition, which displays photos from his thirty-plus years of being in the business.

At the bottom of the stairs, which lead into the exhibit, is the entrance to a different world filled with photos of the rich and famous. The lights are dimmed as multiple videos are being played on a dark wall, showing behind the scenes and interviews of Testino while on photo-shoots.

Upon entering the room where the exhibit is being shown, it is like you’ve entered the Lido Deck of a Celebrity Cruise. It’s filled with energy, noise, and lots of young people. Upstairs, where the more “serious” exhibits are, is similar to a cocktail party of business executives, clinking their champagne glasses as they discuss politics and culture. The contrast between the two areas of the museum is clear upon arrival.

It is so dark that the vibrant colors of clothing, makeup and skin tones in the photographs are what brighten the room. The first photo that stands out is of Lady Gaga in a magenta coat, with her platinum blond hair peaking through the hood. This photo seems to mimic the dynamic of the room: loud. This is definitely not a hushed-tone, library-like location. People of all ages nudge each other to make it through to a new section of the four-room exhibit.

College girls gossip about their late nights as they look at a photo of Tom Brady mimicking the opened mouth of the dog he is posing next to. Another section of female students in the room laugh as they take a photo of themselves underneath a photograph of Jennifer Lopez and Sean “Diddy” Combs, posing sexually while laying next to each other.

“This exhibit is like wow, it’s just amazing,” said Boston University sophomore, Elise Yancey, 19, as she gazed at the photographs with her Delta Gamma sorority.

“I just love being here, I don’t want to leave,” said another museum visitor while giggling to her friend. Many positive comments were overheard while walking from one section of the exhibit to the other. One female student had a negative feeling about the exhibit, though.

“I don’t know where anything is and I’m tired and I’m bored,” said Erica Miller, 21, Boston University junior, also at the museum with her sorority. Not everyone had positive comments to say about the exhibit. “It’s the same old things with photos of Kate Moss,” said Selin Ekincioglu, 20, Boston University junior, who, when asked if she would visit the exhibit again, replied, “No.” Meanwhile, a student group walked the exhibit with their teacher as their guide, the children looked much more interested in their smartphones, then the photos of Gisele Bunchen and Naomi Campbell.

Like all art, it’s not for everyone. Some people see the beauty and deeper meaning in a nude photo of Victoria’s Secret model, Candice Swanepoel, and others just see the exposed breasts and naked skin. For some people who visit the exhibit, they see the stop to break down the beauty in each photograph, but for most that visited this particular Sunday afternoon, the exhibit was more like visiting the newest social venue.

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

http://www.mariotestino.com/

http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/mario-testino

Elise Yancey

Erica Miller

Selin Ekincioglu 

 

 

 

 

As I begin the second semester of my junior year at Boston University, I will begin to post more on my blog. The topics will range, but I hope to continue to keep you intrigued as a reader as I pursue my studies as an aspiring journalist. Here we go.

Going for the Goals

Travis Roy said he has been setting goals for himself ever since he was fifteen years old. These goals, he said, ranged from playing hockey at a Prep school to being in the National Hockey League. But after a tragic accident during his first collegiate hockey game, he said his list of goals quickly evaporated.

Roy was chosen as the guest speaker for the fourth annual Meredith E. Drench Lecture series, Defying the Odds: Rehabilitation and Perseverance after Spinal cord Injury, on April 4 in Sargent College at Boston University.

After the small auditorium filled quickly, leaving no empty seats, Roy began to explain his story.

He began to speak of when he first got to the Boston University campus, as a freshman, and how he didn’t want to tell people he was a hockey player. He discussed how he was “always humble,” and wanted to be a well-rounded person who didn’t want to be quickly judged for being a hockey player.

“Friday, October 20^th, 1995,” Roy said this day would end up changing his life forever.

With a “sense of pride,” Roy put on his “scarlet jersey” and was ready to play in his first Boston University hockey game, and the first game of the team’s season. Eleven seconds into being on the ice, Roy crashed headfirst into the boards. He said he had a “natural instinct to get back-up,” but the “awareness of where [his body was, was] gone.” After being checked out by the sports trainer who came onto the ice, Roy asked for his father, who had “coached him his whole life,” to come down. Once there, Roy said he said to his father, “I made it.”

Roy explained he had never broken a bone nor been to the hospital before, and after those eleven seconds he said he found himself in the hospital for about 6 months. He said he knew “that was the end of the road” for his hockey career. Roy said he was paralyzed from the shoulders down.

“Life was now over as I knew it,” Roy said, as he discussed the severe sadness he experienced while in the hospital.

After overcoming many milestones in different hospitals and rehabilitation centers, Roy said, he went back to Boston University in being what he called “survival mode.” He said he was taking it “one hour at a time,” while trying to figure out who he was. After a lonely freshman year, Roy went on to say that he came back to school sophomore year knowing he would have to be more confident.

Graduating in 2000 from the School of Communication, Roy said he went to on become a motivational speaker and activist. Upon finishing, Roy said that with the advances in technology, he is now able to live on his own and he has “got a lot to look forward to.” He said his days from Boston University are very different from the days he has now because he no longer lives hour-to-hour, but month-to-month and year-to-year because he said he knows what to expect.

Boston University student going into the Sargent College, Leila Serino, said Roy was “very inspirational. As someone who wants to go into the healthcare field, it was good insight into how people with disabilities feel and how they want to be treated.”

Roy finished his lecture by saying, “I hope that you want to be great at what you do.” Roy said he “can still enjoy the things around” him and that it is the little things, the little goals, that matter most now.

The Benevolent Boothbay Businessman

Robert Allen Jones, the philanthropic man who went beyond the success of his business endeavors by advocating for small community projects, died on Tuesday, February 28, 2012, in his Boothbay Harbor, ME, home. He was 74. He had Corticobasal degeneration.

Known as the man who “did it all,” says friend Cathy Sherrill, Jones brought life to struggling projects and saw them through to the end. But Jones chose to do most anonymously.

Jones was born in Quincy in 1937. Growing up in Belmont, where he met his wife, Linda Giles, Allen attended Tufts University and was president of his fraternity, Alpha Tau Omega. After becoming an officer in the US Navy, in 1962, he helped in blockading Soviet ships headed toward Cuba, in what is known now as the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Jones also brought his leadership qualities to other groups, including the Cambridge Salvation Army, Cambridge Boy Scouts and Kendall Community Group.

Subsequent to building the Cambridge Athletic Club in 1979, Jones and his company, The Athenaeum Group, redeveloped an old rubber factory in 1982 into what is today One Kendall Square. There are now restaurants and offices, but Jones’ contributions to the Cambridge area did not end there.

Not only did he, with the help of his business, give life to bustling activity in Kendall Square, but also he is one of the main reasons the Boothbay Opera House is still standing.

Cathy Sherrill shared her story of how Jones made this happen, saying, “he initially loaned the money needed for the non-profit Opera House organization to purchase the old building, and then a few years later he challenged the board of directors and the community at large to raise $500,000 dollars.  If we were successful, he said he would match it.  We were successful, he lived up to his word and we ended up paying off the mortgage.”

Sherrill was not the only one with a story of how Jones helped a struggling group stay above water. Susan Richards, current coordinator of the City of Cambridge Agenda for Children of Afterschool Time, shared her story of how Jones worked with her to help the Community Art Center in 1994.

When the center was scheduled for renovations and was going to temporarily be homeless, Jones took them in and offered the Center a space in his, recently renovated, Kendall Square.

“We moved there and we were there for four years… we didn’t know how long we would need the space. But he didn’t care. Once he took us in, he didn’t ever talk to us about when we should get out. He just let us stay as long as we needed to,” says Richards.

These are just a few examples of how Jones would act as a key contributor in giving back to his city of Boothbay, where he and his wife spent most of his retirement together. Apart from being a dynamic figure in his community, Jones and his family enjoyed traveling the globe: going from Russia to the South Pacific to China. But Jones took a special liking to Bermuda, traveling there almost annually with, and without, the added company of his family.

His survivors include his wife, Linda, his three sons, Rev. David Grishaw-Jones, Allen Richard Jones and attorney Robert Giles Jones, his brother Richard Jones and his nine grandchildren. He was buried on Saturday, March 3, 2012 at the Congregational Church of Boothbay Harbor in Boothbay, Maine, leaving behind an active legacy in his community and within his family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Information taken from:

http://hallfh.frontrunnerpro.com/runtime/61465/runtime.php?SiteId=61465&NavigatorId=242672&op=tributeObituary&viewOpt=dpaneOnly&ItemId=1147853&LinkId=221

 

Photo taken from: http://hallfh.frontrunnerpro.com/runtime/61465/runtime.php?SiteId=61465&NavigatorId=242672&op=tributeObituary&viewOpt=dpaneOnly&ItemId=1147853&LinkId=221

Yes We Can! But Will We?

It’s the right that could change the fate of America in an instant: Voting.

In 2000, CNN reported that only 51 percent of people, who were eligible to vote, actually did. These statistics preempted the 2008 “Vote or Die” campaign, which was lead by many celebrities and targeted young adults.

Successfully winning the votes of young American in a 2:1 ration when compared to the Republican candidate, John McCain, President Obama’s simple slogan, “Yes We Can,” brought out young Americans. But will these voters come out again to show their support for their presidential candidate of choice? Will people come out to vote at all?

The only way to figure out the potential answer to this question is to ask the people themselves who will be participating in the voting process.

Interviews with people between the ages of 19 and 54, offers a quick glimpse of what some potential voters were thinking.

Some young would-be voters gave a “newbie” prospective.

“Yes, I’m going to vote this election because I want to make sure that we don’t elect anyone who will jeopardize our economic stabilization with irrational thinking and planning,” said 19-year-old Will Shaker, current sophomore at Wake Forest University, majoring in English.

Continuing to question whether voters will be taking part in the upcoming election, two Boston University sophomores give their perspective.

Nineteen-year-old College of General Studies student, Nekou Nowrouzi, majoring in Health Science said, “As of right now, I will not be voting because I have not yet registered to vote in the state of Massachusetts. I’m not really too familiar with the candidates either. I haven’t really been keeping up, but had I kept up, I would have loved to vote.”

Fellow classmate, Leila Serino also studying Health Sciences in the College of General Studies, said something a different: “I am planning on registering to vote on Monday and I think it’s important that everyone votes because that’s what this country is all about: freedom and democracy. By not voting you’re taking like that right… you know what I mean that privilege for granted. There are other people ein other countries that cant even vote and some people in this country don’t even vote.”

Next, Joshua Pederson, Boston University Humanities professor from Cambridge was able to give his view on voting. Speaking as the 20-30-year-old age group representative, he said, “I’ll definitely vote.  But lately, I’ve been thinking that it’s important to get even more involved, so I hope to volunteer for at least one campaign–to phone bank, help with mailings, or canvass.  I’ll probably also try to make as many political donations as my budget allows.”

After stating that he would definitely be voting in the upcoming presidential election, 54-year-old investment banker, Donald Stukes, of Bedford, NY, said, “As an African-American, our ancestors fought for the right to vote, so it would be a crime as to not exercise such right. If one does not vote, then you can’t get the right representatives in office who can advocate positions consistent with your views.”

Voting has the power to change the lives of all Americans in a flash, but the only way to successfully do this is to be a part of the process. Just one vote holds the ability to change the life of a potential candidate forever. Getting involved in your community like Pederson would be a way to get further engaged with voting but doing the bare minimum is just as crucial.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

http://edition.cnn.com/2000/LAW/11/columns/fl.dean.voters.02.11.07/

 

http://articles.boston.com/2011-12-17/nation/30541619_1_young-voters-david-plouffe-president-obama

 

MyThoughtsOn: The State of the Union Address

For an America That’s Built to Last

Throughout his State of the Union speech, President Barack Obama harped on the notion that “America is back” and continues to restore her economy, fix her unemployment issue and bring her troops home.

“Built to last” was a phrase repeated throughout his address when referring to the economy, which is also the slogan for the American car company, GMC. This manufacturer was said to have countless jobs to unemployed Americans this year. Aiding the unemployment issue, Obama spoke about the need for “new American jobs and new American industries,” which would work to decrease the number of its unemployed citizens.

To go in tandem with the unemployment issue, Obama discussed the need for the 1%, which thousands of protesters have been trying to get the attention of, to pay their fair share of tax dollars. Obama ended his speech by reminding Americans “there is no challenge to great, no mission to hard… the state of the union will always be strong.”

BONJOUR.

Hellohellohello! Welcome to my blog! On this, I’ll be posting different pieces that I have written for my Fundamental of Journalism class as a sophomore at Boston University. I hope you enjoy my writing style and the way I reel you in! Thanks for stopping by!