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Do famous namesakes take the cake?

James Fay

The varying implications of being named after someone famous

What belongs to you, but everybody else uses it?

Your name of course!

Through your groans from my abominable dad joke, you’ve hopefully started to think about the notions of names and naming, and perhaps how strange it is that you identify and respond to a certain mixture of sounds that your parents chose a little while back.

I’ve always found names fascinating, and I’ve been known to wonder what makes people pick certain ones over others, or how names impact the people they correspond to.

I know why my name was chosen — my first name, Talia, is a name my parents loved and was inspired by my late great-grandmother, Tilly. My middle name, Regan, is a modern take on Regina, my other late great-grandmother’s name. Both were strong and kind women who also happened to be seamstresses (a skill that is not transferable by name, let me and my embarrassing mending jobs tell you…).

My name gives me a legacy to live up to, and it made me wonder how other people feel about theirs if they’ve been named after another person.

In particular, I became curious about those who are named after celebrities or movie characters. Do they feel an urge to measure up to them? Do they become a model for their aspirations? What happens if the celebrities do something wrong?

As usual, I took to my trusty Instagram story to see what I could find.

Liza Shahin is named after Liza Minnelli, the American actress, singer, dancer and choreographer.

“They wanted a name with an L because [of] my great grandmother,” she said of her parents, who wanted to commemorate their late relative. Shahin continued on to say that her mom was the one really set on the name Liza. “She really loves [Minnelli] as an artist, and she loves Cabaret and stuff like that.”

“I would say I know more [about Minelli] than the average person our age because of my name,” Shahin said, noting that about 50 per cent of the time she introduces herself, she gets asked if she was named after the superstar.

Shahin explained that she’s never felt that there was expectation to live up to Minnelli (thankfully, since that would be a pretty tall order), but she loves that she’s named after her.

“Based on performances, she’s kind of bubbly and I can be kind of bubbly,” said Shahin when asked whether they have similar qualities. “But that’s really about it. I don’t think I’m musical, really, and that’s what she’s known for.”

“She has a song called ‘Liza with a “Z”’ and it’s all about how everybody mispronounces her name,” said Shahin. “So that is the most I feel connected to her.”

Liza Minnelli is a pretty safe celebrity to be named after, but Shahin wonders what it would be like to be named after someone more problematic. “I feel like it’s easy to be named after someone, and then, like, they do something bad,” she said.

That being said, she posits that this problem of namesakes and “cancel culture” will probably become more of an issue as we get older and name our children after celebrities, since our generation is the one that tends to do the “cancelling.”

Sam Novack has a middle name straight from the Temple of Doom, and gives some perspective on what it’s like to be named after a fictional character.

If you haven’t already guessed, Novack’s middle name is Indiana, after Indiana Jones, a fictional archaeology professor and the hero of four movies to date.

“He probably just really liked Indiana Jones,” said Novack, referring to his father and explaining that his dad got to choose a “random” name because his mom got to choose one for his sister.

“Growing up, I watched the movies with my dad and we had them all on DVD,” he said. “I really never felt so much of an attachment to it.”

Despite the lack of profound effect from having this awesome middle name, Novack explained that he did “used to really want the same kind of hat as him,” which to me is as profound as it gets.

While Alexa Toguri-Laurin isn’t named after a celebrity, she explained that she does share a name with the Amazon cloud-based voice service, which has brought up similar issues that come from celebrity namesakes.

“Some girls have either funny experiences or really disheartening experiences,” said Toguri-Laurin. “For me, I kind of get annoyed with the joke, but I kind of got used to it.”

Toguri-Laurin stressed that her attitude towards all the Alexa jokes is not the case for everyone. She mentioned a recent BBC article about parents calling on Amazon to change their product’s name because their daughters were being bullied for sharing a name with the voice service.

Amazon so thoughtfully responded by apologizing and informing the public that there are options to change the settings on their products to respond to a different name than Alexa, but that they wouldn’t abolish Alexa entirely.

While there’s no straight formula to choosing a good namesake, it’s safe to say that names are powerful — they have the ability to inspire, commemorate, and even cause pain. Personally, I’d stick to people who have already passed or fictional characters that can’t surprise you with awful actions, but that’s just me. Just please steer clear from politicians — you’ll thank me later.

Graphic by James Fay

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You don’t need to shout to be seen

Graphic by @spooky_soda

Why one student believes the media is sending the wrong message about shyness

Millennials are trying to ward off nerves like they’re a disease. Under the influence of celebrities who constantly show us their sass, we’ve become a flashy society that worships extroverts. Nerves have been pitted against confidence, and now, being shy is seen as a sure-sign of insecurity. Well that’s garbage. The truth is, you can actually be both super shy and super confident.

It starts by unlearning what the media has taught us about confidence. Pop culture promotes confidence as the ability to handle the spotlight. Confident people are those who easily hold conversations, address crowds and bring the room to life. According to this logic, the easier time you have expressing yourself face to face, the more confident you are. The problem with this definition is that it makes confidence all about your rapport with others, when truly, it should be about the relationship you have with yourself.

To me, confidence is less about how you talk to others, and more about how you talk to the person in the mirror. More specifically, it’s exuded through an ability to show yourself unconditional love. The keyword here is “unconditional.” Truly confident people are not those who never get flustered, but conversely, those who do mess up and don’t hate themselves for it.

Our generation underestimates the coolness of being shy. That’s right, I just used “shy” and “cool” in the same sentence. Here’s why: if you don’t automatically feel comfortable in every room you walk into, that can actually be a statement about how well you know yourself. The fact that you feel less comfortable in certain environments simply means you’ve explored your personality enough to know that other activities, topics and people interest you. By sitting quietly instead of trying to insert yourself into the conversation, you’re showing that you’re not a shapeshifter who molds their personality to fit in—and in a society of posers, that makes you a breath of fresh air.

Sure, eloquence and extrovertedness demonstrate some level of self-assurance. However, being bubbly in front of others doesn’t automatically mean you treat yourself with love and enthusiasm. Lots of effervescent public figures battle insecurity behind closed doors. They cannot bear the idea of messing up, and therefore, the belief they have in themselves is conditional. It rests on the requirement that they constantly control their nerves.

Except, the healthiest bodies are those whose organs don’t need to be manipulated; stomachs that digest without the help of an electrical stimulator; hearts that beat without the prompting of a pacemaker; blood that flows without the aid of a circulation machine. There are so many reasons to be grateful for our body’s intrinsic clock. Why on earth do we punish ourselves for blushing cheeks, accelerated heartbeats, and lungs that get short of breath? Society wants us to view nervous reactions as weird and embarrassing, when the truth is that they’re just as natural as the reactions keeping us alive.

For me, the most impressive people are those who refrain from gossip when they see other people’s nervous tics, and those who don’t talk themselves down for getting awkward. How wonderful it is when a person can get nervous, laugh about it or simply carry on with their day because they know it’s not a big deal.

So long as you can identify a few environments or specific individuals who bring out your more conversational side, you don’t have to feel bad about getting shy. You’re not chronically insecure, nor are you missing out. You’re simply an individual with specific interests and friends, who isn’t automatically titillated at every turn. In a generation filled with attention-seekers who require constant validation, that actually makes you quite rad.

Graphic by @spooky_soda

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We need a detox from these God-awful tea ads

Graphic by Ana Bilokin

 

TW: dieting, weight, body image

How staying connected on social media can lead us to adopt unhealthy lifestyles

Kylie Jenner is not my best friend. She isn’t even an acquaintance. I have a closer relationship with the Pharmaprix cashier down the street than with Ms. Jenner. So why would I consider regularly chugging liters of magic weight loss tea that she poses with on Instagram?

Every new year, the most telling reason why buying weight loss tea (hot water with leaves in it for an added wet wood flavour) is so popular rears its ugly head. When observing trends through Google, we can see that in every January, the searches for “detox tea” or “detoxing” spike like the bout of nausea coming from getting up too fast after a feast. The new year rolls in and we collectively lose our mind imagining how much Christmas food has ruined us––and an easy fix is needed.

Dozens of health clinics, medical institutions and even government health agencies have addressed the detox craze with the kind of skepticism even flat-earthers haven’t mastered yet. The Cleveland Health Clinic, a hospital located in Northeast Ohio, published an article on the myths related to detox teas in which the chief branding statement that they are healthier, better and more effective for weight loss than other types of tea is debunked immediately. They do not offer more health benefits than your generic green or black tea would. And the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health agrees that diets relying heavily on “detoxing” include very low-caloric intakes. This can lead to rapid weight loss, but it isn’t sustainable long-term. It could also cause dangerous levels of dehydration. So why am I still strangely attracted to this Ponzi Scheme?

It isn’t surprising why young women, like myself, who spend a huge chunk of their free time on social media, get hypnotized by the online aroma of the detox tea industry. The current digital space we interact with has broken down personalization and the idea of closeness to tiny specks of crushed dust, turning them into cute packaged satchels of drainable financial exploitation ready to destroy our colons. But it’s also making it impossible not to feel close to those we follow––especially celebrities.

Kylie Jenner is not our best friend, but following her on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat sure makes us feel like part of her life––part of her daily routine. Any marketing executive worth their gross, exploitative, slimy salt has now recognized the value of using social media stars’s influence to sell their products, free of all the artifice that well-produced and mass-marketed advertisements represent. And I’m not here to offer a solution to these methods of advertising to extremely impressionable audiences. I have exited this wild road through the online detox industry with more questions than answers.

I am increasingly worried about the effect of being so connected to people on social media who have such a large influence on our lives. It isn’t just the detox tea; it’s make-up, appliances, electronics, skin care and much more. Our social media feeds us a steady diet of friendly “non-advertising,” a predatory scheme meant to disguise its true nature behind capitalizing on a celebrity’s connectivity to their followers. Although influencers must indicate when their posts are sponsored or containing content that explicitly advertises something, the fact that Instagram is, by its inception, an image-only platform, with captions serving as footnotes to one’s picture, the little #ad at the bottom of a celebrity’s caption isn’t as transparent and effective as Instagram thinks it is.

Influencer ads should scare us more than ever. This detox tea craze can, for all that its marketing tries, lie about its intentions to help women become healthier through a natural process, but it is absolutely impossible to hide the truth from being said out loud: our generation is starving itself and these prettily-packaged products are just fueling unrealistic standards of beauty. I’ll tell you right now, those testimonials will not be found on the main page of FitTea or any of its influencer posts.

Graphic by Ana Bilokin

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‘Cancel culture’ and problematic celebrities

Graphic by @spooky_soda

We must hold famous people accountable and push them to reflect, rather than retract

Now more than ever, celebrities are being called out for their problematic comments. This has resulted in many of them being “canceled,” meaning that society no longer supports them due to their past behaviour.

Cancel culture does not address issues such as sexual misconduct or illegal activities, but rather offensive comments the celebrities have shared, mainly found on social media platforms and in interviews.

I think there should be a distinction between “cancelling” celebrities and simply calling them out. Let’s use Katy Perry as an example. Perry lacks a lot of social awareness. This was clear in 2008 when she came out with the songs “Ur so gay” and “I Kissed a Girl.” These songs were extremely problematic toward the LGBTQ+ community. She has also practically embodied the definition of cultural appropriation with copious tone-deaf music videos. Do I think Perry has no chance of effecting positive social influence because she released problematic songs in 2008? I’m not sure. What I am sure of is that society’s criticisms put pressure on Perry to be more respectful. Whether or not she learns from this criticism is her choice.

One of the main issues surrounding cancel culture is the iconization of an individual celebrity. I think, as a society, we give celebrities too much influence over our lives. Personally, I often catch myself obsessing over specific celebrities I think hold the same values as me. It’s one thing to love the work of certain famous people, to enjoy their platforms and learn from them, but I think there is a reoccurring issue of giving them too much influence over how we think. This is problematic because when they inevitably make mistakes, we often do one of two things: ignore the mistake and make excuses for them, or cancel them because they weren’t who we built them up to be. Frankly, I often forget that my favourite icons are not actually my friends; they’re people with flaws and insecurities, hopes and dreams, fears and demons. I don’t actually see them outside of the way they’re presented––I don’t see them as multidimensional characters with depth.

Cancel culture is extreme because celebrities often end up representing a lot of the western world. They become our role models and, if they get cancelled for an offensive comment or statement, it sends a message that there’s no use in learning from your mistake. If these celebrities get completely shut down, then how can they be expected to learn from their mistakes? This applies to non-famous people too. This is not to say that offensive comments should be excused, but celebrities should be encouraged to introspect and reflect when they slip up, rather than make a simple PR statement or be cancelled.

Overall, the phenomenon of “political correctness” is a movement that has promoted respect and understanding from different intersections of society. Yes, cancel culture does make celebrities fearful about what they say and do—and to a certain extent, that’s a very good thing.

Marginalized communities have been fighting tirelessly for their voices to be heard. One way they can do so is by expressing their distaste or anger towards problematic comments made by celebrities. However, I think we need to find a balance between shutting someone down entirely and reprimanding them for their ignorance. They should have the space to reflect and grow.

When people say the world is becoming too sensitive and that people are too easily offended, it’s very important to remember that this isn’t true. People were always offended. Only now, thanks to societal shifts, decentralized communication and increased community organization with social media platforms, we can hear them a bit better. But let’s remember to hear everyone out, and offer wrongdoers the space to grow and learn, rather than be cancelled and shunned.

Graphic by @spooky_soda

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Speaking your mind in the spotlight

Graphic by Wednesday Laplante.

Kanye West’s support for Donald Trump highlights a larger conversation about famous people’s opinions

We all have a right to voice our opinions. In fact, I’ll be voicing mine throughout this article. It doesn’t mean you need to agree with it, but it’s always nice to open our minds to a different perspective. Oftentimes, I think people say things without expecting repercussions. But if your words were more powerful than other people’s, would you be more careful about what you said?

In my opinion, a celebrity’s words have a big impact on their fans. People can be easily influenced by their role models and, therefore, swayed to agree with something solely because of the person who said it. Or, people can also completely disagree with any statements made by celebrities and withdraw their support as a result.

When rapper Kanye West tweeted a picture of his “Make America Great Again” cap in April, people did not react well. West later tweeted, “You don’t have to agree with Trump, but the mob can’t make me not love him.” Although West has the right to be a Trump supporter, there are obvious reasons why so many people do not support the President and were so shocked when West revealed he did. I believe Trump is blatantly racist, sexist and quite childish. It’s obvious to me that this isn’t someone who should be spoken highly of by other famous people.

Although West said on Twitter that he wants to be open about his opinions and thoughts rather than be controlled by the popular opinion, it can be argued that he should be more cautious about the things he says because of his influence on the public. If he openly states that he supports Trump or supports a specific statement Trump has made, this may sway West supporters to think something that’s problematic is not so bad if West supports it.

Things can often be misread or taken out of context, so celebrities should be used to thinking twice about anything they say. We all have a right to express our opinions, but when your words have a larger impact on the public, that right needs to be exercised with more caution. I’m not saying things should be purposely left unsaid, but words travel fast, and with the popularity of social media nowadays, it’s easy for something to be seen or read by many more people than anticipated and for its impact to be far-reaching.

Kanye also argued in a tweet, “I don’t agree with everything anyone does. That’s what makes us individuals. And we have the right to independent thought.” Though this is true, being a celebrity does come with the responsibility of keeping in mind how your words influence your fans. Explanations must often be given to justify words and actions. If you give your opinion with no justification, it can be taken the wrong way. With an explanation, people can at least understand the reasoning behind your thinking and be considerate of it.

We do not have to agree with everything a person says, but we can respect their words. Or, if we do not want to accept them, we can at least acknowledge the fact that there is a reasonable explanation behind their opinions. Whether our words will be heard by one person or thousands, we should always be aware of the possible repercussions. Everyone can disagree with something or be disagreed with.

Everyone has a right to their opinion, and to speak it, no matter the size of their audience. However, those in the public eye should always be more conscious of how their words and actions will be received.

Graphic by Wednesday Laplante

 

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Separating artists from their behaviours

Graphic by Alexa Hawksworth.

Why it’s acceptable to appreciate the work of people accused of sexual violence

According to several news outlets, Netflix has “completely dropped” actor and producer Kevin Spacey due to several sexual assault allegations. With this comes the question of whether supporting Spacey’s projects means you are supporting the actor’s actions.

It is not a new debate, as many famous individuals have been caught engaging in unsavoury and, in some cases, criminal activities. Despite all this, the accomplishments of these people have been and will be remembered more than the individual and their downfalls.

This is why, in my opinion, you can support great art despite the actions of the artist.

Before we talk about the most recent cases, like Spacey and Harvey Weinstein, we should look back at past examples. Arguably the most famous, or should I say infamous example, is French-Polish director Roman Polanski. Polanski was convicted of “unlawful sexual intercourse” in 1977 after allegedly drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl. Originally, he was charged with five different crimes related to the incident, but eventually took a plea bargain and was convicted on the previously mentioned lesser charge. Despite all of this, Polanski is, and will likely be, recognized as one of the best film directors of all time, with classics like The Pianist.

Another example is Woody Allen. Despite the allegations of child abuse against him, according to BBC News, Allen is known as a fantastic actor, producer and director. It isn’t just figures in film though. Some athletes have had very troubling personal lives, yet are regarded as some of the best in their field.

People like Spacey and Weinstein are currently in the news for their despicable actions, but what I wonder is, will they always be? Spacey has starred in amazing projects, like American Beauty, Se7en and Netflix’s House of Cards. Weinstein has produced films like Gangs of New York, Pulp Fiction and won an Academy Award for his work on Shakespeare in Love.

I believe the heinous actions allegedly done by those in the entertainment industry will usually be overlooked in favour of their achievements. While this is an eye-opener on how our society views celebrities, it also points to why a person shouldn’t feel bad for supporting the project or accomplishments of these people.

Using Shakespeare in Love as an example, Weinstein was one of five people to share the Oscar for Best Picture. Should the four others involved in that film suffer because of his actions? Shakespeare in Love also won six other Oscars that year; should Weinstein’s actions muddle the accomplishments of the actors in his films as well? The same argument can be made for Spacey: why should the hard work of those involved with his projects be shunned?

With the fate of House of Cards up in the air, the city of Baltimore (where the show is filmed) is also at risk of suffering for Spacey’s actions. According to an article from the New York Daily News, the cancellation of House of Cards would result in the loss of thousands of jobs. Why should a camera-man or a craft services employee lose their jobs because of someone else’s misconduct?

When a figure involved with great masterpieces is revealed to have allegedly committed sexual violence, their work should not be what is shamed. A movie may star an actor or actress who has done horrible things, or the film could be produced or directed by a terrible person, but that person is not the only one involved in the project. The art will always outlast the character of the artist, and supporting great art means more than supporting one person involved.

Graphic by Alexa Hawksworth 

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