The Bowdoin Orient

After working in Portland at the Volunteer Lawyers Project, Katie Doble ’13 was looking for a new look at the legal realm.

Because online shopping is my source of inspiration for this column—though this time I was shopping for Mother's Day gifts, I swear—I happily landed upon the Free People website (freepeople.com). The home page has the title "Shop by Girl," and shows five different girls underneath with whom you can identify. Ginger is "confident, sensual, and a flirt," and Sandy is the "beach girl, easy-going and effortless," while Meadow is "bohemian, a free-spirit and creative." Candy is the "romantic, sweet and girly" one and then there's Lou, the "tomboy, adventurous and fearless." What I find ironic about trying to categorize Free People shoppers into these separate identities is that the brand itself is a total convergence of all of these personalities. The lines between these girls are blurred by the brand itself, as Free People serves someone who believes that she could be all of these attributes.

We all have our days of feeling under slept, under-nourished and simply under the weather. Amid the crankiness, canker sores and chapped lips (note my last column for a few tips on that one), it seems nearly impossible to feel good sometimes. I am a firm believer in the healing powers of delightfully quick ways to look and ultimately feel rejuvenated. The following tips are some practical measures you can take to proactively establish the direction of your day before it even begins.

Whether you are a guy or a girl, into fashion or not, you are probably unaware of one accessory that you always have in tow: your lip balm. It is nearly impossible to argue against lip balm and its utilitarian function. Regardless of age, everyone has a use and need for these small, slender tubes that moisturize and nourish your lips. Lip balm's omnipresence is proven by the ease of getting your hands on a tube. I've seen people fish lip balm out of back pockets, ID cases, backpacks, purses and even eye glass cases. Though we often use the terms "lip balm" and "chapstick" interchangeably, ChapStick was actually the first brand of lip balm. However, with the emergence of many different imitations and variations, the word "chapstick" has now become synonymous with "lip balm." The popularity of chapstick has even been manifested online. The YouTube video "Where's the chapstick?" has incited countless responses and remixes. The original, with nearly 14 million views, captures an overly enthusiastic girl who sings a celebratory song in honor of finding her chapstick.

They say a man is what he eats. I say a man is what he carries. In this day and age where everything has become a fashion statement, guys are lured into the fashion industry just as much as women.

In the next few editions of my column, I will be focusing on different accessories that can totally rejuvenate your look. Everyone knows just how versatile scarves are. Recently, the scarf has gone through a kind of rebirth, re-emerging in a great number of forms. Its appeal as an accessory has trumped its utilitarian function of keeping the neck warm. Scarves are the ideal accent for any outfit, be it an everyday getup like a sweater and jeans, a weekend ensemble like a little black dress, or garb for a job interview like a blazer and slacks.

I headed toward my closet and assessed its contents, making a mental note of just how many bulky cardigans—all in different shades of gray, I might add—black jeggings, circle scarves and stripes in all widths and colors, and it occurred to me that most of my outfits are indistinguishable from one another.

Politics and fashion have an inextricable connection; both are fueled by a desire to evoke a response, a reaction. Fashion choices and political views become a part of who we are, empowering us to, as Gandhi said, "be the change [we] wish to see in the world."

Waders. Galoshes. Wellies. Rain boots have many names, but only one wearer: females. Girls are able to stay protected from the drizzles and downpours, while guys remain vulnerable to the wetness because rain boots have become a solely female phenomenon. Just as cross-body bags have slowly shifted from being a feminine accessory to a co-ed phenomenon, and baggy "boyfriend" jeans have entered into the female wardrobe, the same gender neutralization can happen with rain boots.

Achromatic combinations are in. Tones like beige, apricot and off-white might appear drab and lifeless, but a little black dress coupled with a pair of neutral-toned shoes, be they flats or heels, will never fail to make your legs look longer.

Bowdoin College seems to be a place where comfort never goes out of style. The ostentatious is frowned upon, the frills are scoffed at and nice outfits are always inquisitively received with: "Did you have an interview or something?"

"Jazz is in the heart, no, the soul, of those who embrace it," writes Irvin Mayfield on his website.

An ensemble of four student comedians and one student MC will entertain, amuse, and start a comedy movement at Bowdoin tonight with Comedy Night 2010.

With Ivies this weekend and discussions of responsible drinking abound, alcohol remains a hot topic. Members of the Alcohol team (A-Team) gathered for a summit last Friday to discuss the ways Bowdoin students view, use and abuse alcohol.

Colby students have taken their last shots—with the college's approval, that is. On April 20, Colby joined the growing list of institutions that have banned hard alcohol from their campuses. Colby's hard alcohol ban was instigated due to its high number of alcohol transports.

Bowdoin kicks off its fifth annual Relay for Life event in Farley Field House tonight. The 12-hour event will consist of various activities that commemorate and celebrate those who survived, currently have, or were lost to cancer.

Purple-clad people will join the posters and balloons on campus today in promoting awareness for Bowdoin's Relay for Life.

Professors emeriti at Bowdoin have drastically different lifestyles from your typical retirees. They are neither golf fanatics nor residents of retirement communities. Instead, they lead symposiums, contribute to academic journals, and spend time researching in Hawthorne-Longfellow Library. Professors in good standing receive the title "emeritus" upon retirement. Emeriti professors have the liberty and flexibility to continue pursuing their academic interests, as well as to enjoy retirement. Many live in Brunswick, just minutes away from Bowdoin's campus.

The Bowdoin Daily Sun, a new daily blog of College news and features hit the Web on Wednesday. "[The Daily Sun] was my idea. I read a number of blogs every day," President Barry Mills said. "These blogs give me interesting information about what's going on in the world." "I may have had a unique idea," Mills added. "I don't know any other colleges that have done this."

Thus far, 2010 has brought with it a bounty of accomplishment, celebration and reward for Professor of Art Mark Wethli. After topping Portland Phoenix's "Portland's Most Influential of 2010" list for his work at Coleman Burke Gallery in Portland, last week Wethli also came away with a New England Award for Painting, receiving both the critics' pick and people's choice.

"My first break was doing a character named Tommy the Tequila Worm, which basically sounded like a cross between Ren from Ren and Stimpy and Speedy Gonzalez. It was definitely funny, but not anything I took as an indication it could be something I could do on a regular basis," Gabe Kornbluh '08 said. As an avid fan of film and television, Kornbluh, a former film reviewer for the Orient, is now a voice-over artist and associate producer for a production department of a DC-based communications firm, Greer Margolis Mitchell Burns (GMMB). During his years at Bowdoin, Kornbluh said he "tried to take as many Trisha Welsch classes as [he] could, was a proud patron of the Evening Star and Bart And Greg's DVD Explosion and was taken in by the great crew at [Bowdoin Cable Network]."

Last weekend the Board of Trustees, faculty members and a student representative convened at the Babson Executive Center in Wellesley, Mass. to discuss tenure and honorary degree recipients, as well as the current goals and mission of the College.

"If you ask for an athlete's reaction after winning a race, he'll be happy, but he won't be surprised," said Willy Oppenheim III '09. "It's not a random thing that happens to you. You make it happen." Oppenheim was one of 32 Americans awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, chosen this year from a group of 805 U.S. applicants.

Sharing ideas about education, presentations of expeditions, and meals in the dining hall—all in a days work for Bowdoin education students and students from North Haven Community School. Seventeen Bowdoin students in the Education 301 and 303 classes ventured to the island of North Haven last Thursday, while eighteen students from North Haven High School spent two days at Bowdoin earlier this week.

The Bowdoin Bookstore will potentially open the doors to its new Maine Street location during Parents Weekend. The store will carry similar items to those sold at the bookstore in Smith Union: Bowdoin apparel, books written by Bowdoin professors and alumni, and goods from local retailers.

On Wednesday, the housekeepers did not begin the day by cleaning Bowdoin's bathrooms. Instead, they built mascots, ran races, bowled and competed in several other events for the second annual Housekeeping Olympics. "This is a special event for [the housekeepers], our unsung heroes," Associate Director of Facilities Jeff Tuttle said. Housekeeping Manager Joyce Whittemore, the chief organizer of the event, said the Housekeeping Olympics got her entire staff motivated for the school year. Sixty housekeepers gathered in Farley Field House at 9 a.m. and were divided into three groups of 16.