My first modelling gig
By:Andrea Sadowski
I am spending my semester abroad in India right now, and adjusting to the culture here has been a steep learning curve. As a blonde, white woman I find myself receiving a lot of unwanted stares and attention. One of the most curious things I have experienced is people’s insistence that I take a selfie with them. Not knowing a lot of English, locals come up to me and simply say “selfie,” with their phone ready to go. Most of the time I deny them their request, as I have no control over where a stranger posts a photo of me online.
However, the other day, a fellow exchange student and I decided to monetize the demand for our milky complexions. When a couple guys came up to us asking for a selfie, we replied “100 rupees each.” After a moment’s hesitation, they parted with 200 rupees (the equivalent of four dollars), and we took selfies with them so they could post the photos on their Instagram and get a lot of likes. That 200 rupees bought us a lunch of rice, dhal, paneer masala, and chapatis.
Hustle culture is a hoax
By: Chandy Dancey
I’m so sick of free time being turned into a commodity. It’s this insidious idea of “hustle culture” that sounds great in theory but in execution slowly drains away our life force and happiness. It encourages the notion that any free time we have should be turned into a “side hustle,” or that we should strive to use every spare minute to achieve more or otherwise have work completely consume our lives. I’ve bought into it myself, and it’s exhausting. If your side job is something that you love and, as an added bonus, brings in cash, that sounds cool. But outsourcing the only time we have to actually live our lives just to sink our teeth further into capitalism isn’t right. As someone who’s had to work for everything she has, I wish I’d stopped to smell the roses more, to take that extra vacation day, to book that time off for a trip. For those who genuinely struggle with money, I acknowledge and respect your struggle, but for those who are being called by the alluring glow of “hustle culture” to further themselves: think twice. Life is too short not to spend time enjoying it.
Grammy show-stoppers
By:Carissa Wiens
It’s almost the end of January, and we’re deep into award season: the best season of all. Of course I don’t give a shit (too much) about who won what, but I truly care about who wore what. We’ve seen the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards this month, and now the Grammys this past weekend. I’ll do you a favour and let you know who showed up and who disappointed at the Grammys’ red carpet.
Of course, Ariana Grande stopped the scene in a banger of a Giambattista Valli gown, reportedly 20-feet long: every person’s dream dress. Tyler the Creator and Lil Nas X rolled up in funky outfits that could double as Halloween costumes. But the real takedown came from Maggie Rogers who promoted sustainability in two ways: she wore Chanel from 2013 and she toted along a reusable water bottle instead of a purse. Finally, I would be a horrible reporter if I didn’t applaud Billie Eilish for once again ignoring regular beauty standards for women as she turned heads with her neon green hair, non-functionally long nails, and a baggy Gucci suit. I want to be her when I grow up.
Feelin’ blue, blue, blue, blue, blue
By: Darien Johnsen
I’ve struggled with depression since I was nine, and it tends to get worse in the winter. I once asked my psychology professor if one could have depression and seasonal affective disorder at the same time. He kind of scoffed and didn’t answer the question. He must have thought I was joking, which I definitely was not.
I’m no longer nine, and I no longer lose it during the winter when I get extremely depressed. However, depression can often come out in ways other than sleeping all day, crying, and freaking out. For me, it began to manifest as irritability, memory loss, a feeling of being brain dead (like forgetting how to spell or use certain words), and overeating — which is terrible, because I’m also recovering from multiple eating disorders.
My word to you is this: be mindful of yourself. As you grow, you change, and so do the symptoms of mental illness. Do daily check-ins with yourself, and take a break if you haven’t had one in a while, even if your body is telling you to keep going. Winter is here and the world has stopped blooming, but you don’t have to.
Illustrations: Kelly Ning/The Cascade
Andrea Sadowski is working towards her BA in Global Development Studies, with a minor in anthropology and Mennonite studies. When she's not sitting in front of her computer, Andrea enjoys climbing mountains, sleeping outside, cooking delicious plant-based food, talking to animals, and dismantling the patriarchy.
Chandy is a biology major/chemistry minor who's been a staff writer, Arts editor, and Managing Editor at The Cascade. She began writing in elementary school when she produced Tamagotchi fanfiction to show her peers at school -- she now lives in fear that this may have been her creative peak.
Darien Johnsen is a UFV alumni who obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree with double extended minors in Global Development Studies and Sociology in 2020. She started writing for The Cascade in 2018, taking on the role of features editor shortly after.
She’s passionate about justice, sustainable development, and education.