It is no secret that beauty, skin care, and hair care play a large role in making women feel confident and empowered. In a society where beauty has long been correlated with Eurocentric features and whiteness, the media often does not represent women of color as traditionally “beautiful.” Makeup advertisements, magazine covers, and Barbie dolls disproportionately feature straight hair and white skin, which sets a standard of beauty that excludes Black women with dark skin and natural afro-textured hair.

Getting banned from mainland China, being arrested in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests, coming out publicly as a lesbian, and touring the world as a pop artist seems like too much to fit into one lifetime. However, as chronicled in the documentary, “Denise Ho: Becoming the Song,” Denise Ho has lived through all of this and more.

“You say you like to tan because it’s fun / But half the time you burn yourself; how is that fun?” Grace Victoria D’Haiti, BC ’21, asks in her song “Black Looks Better on Me.” The song is simultaneously a Black cultural anthem and a commentary on the phenomenon of “blackfishing,” which is when non-Black people pretend to be Black or alter their appearances to look ethnically Black.

“We all are roses. I think we’re all these beautiful plants waiting to emerge from the soil,” Mamadou Yattassaye, CC ’21, said when asked about the rose imagery in his debut album, “To Stitch a Rose.”

Scrolling through Guerin’s selection of luxury apparel and bags, you will find a logo on many of the products that looks simultaneously like an infinity sign, an ampersand, and the letters “CG.” All three of these interpretations are valid and intentional, as Chase Guerin, CC ’23, works to redefine the luxury goods industry by bringing symbolism and storytelling into his luxury lifestyle brand, Guerin.

Whether it is a Glossier pink bubble wrap pouch, a paper Sweetgreen bag, or a “V” plastered on a pair of Veja sneakers, the Columbia Marketing Club knows that branding and marketing are inescapable in students’ daily lives—and not enough people on campus are talking about it.

From examining metaphysical questions of human nature to surveying the universe and spilling her secrets, singer-songwriter Maude Latour, CC ’22, is on a mission to tell stories, reach transcendence, and start a consciousness revolution.

Weaving together textiles in Homer’s “Iliad” and the style of YouTube influencer Emma Chamberlain, Barnard professor of art history Anne Higonnet’s study of fashion transcends time and space. Her new course Clothing offers a historical survey of what we wear, meeting the longtime student demand for fashion course offerings.

As she sits across the table from a portrait of Lorenzo Da Ponte, the first professor of Italian at Columbia University, Barbara Faedda prepares to change the direction of the Italian department with her new seminar, Introduction to Fashion Studies.

WATERLICHT, which translates to “water light” in Dutch, came to life at Lenfest Center for the Arts on Tuesday evening in the most fitting sense—in the pouring rain.