CULTURE.LIFESTYLE. FASHION.

THE MILLENNIALS ISSUE

OCTOBER 2014RAPID

3 Behind The Design

4 Meet The Millenials

If you’re between 18 and 33, you’re going to want to read this. If you’re not within that age

bracket, you’re going to want to read this.

8 I’m Single, I’m a Mother

...and I love every minute of it. Three genera-tions of beautiful women share their story.

10 Caught an Honest Act On a daily commute, you’re bound to

see one of the individuals described in this article. However, this time felt...different.

12 Fashion Falldementals

Ladies: Find out the best way to keep warm with this lovely trend!

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@RAPIDMAG_

@rapidmag_

Rapid Mag

A formal introduction of this publication, its essence, derivation and purpose by the founder.

RAPIDcontent

OCTOBER

RDairia Kymber

It was the ninth of June when the idea behind rapidMAG emerged. At a place full of happiness and diverse faces, one is bound to find inspiration in something. At a place where large infrastructures move rapidly everyday, one is bound to find themselves full of adrenaline. At a place where mathematics, architec-ture and fun are combined, one is bound to find entertainment. This place is none other than the infamous Cedar Point. For those of you who may not know, Cedar Point is an amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio. Inspiration, adrenaline and entertainment are the core essentials of rapidMAG and I would like to thank Cedar Point for playing a huge role in the birth of this literature. During my undergraduate career at Kent State University, it simply made no sense to be living in Ohio and not travel to what has been called the world’s best amusement park. (I would agree.) Like many amusement parks, Cedar Point had very long lines for every ride. The thing about long lines at an amusement park is they force you to think. They force to you to stop and reflect. They conjure up conversations that you have not had in a long time. You may find that you grow closer to the people that you arrived there with. On this day, I found myself growing closer to myself.

It was Jordan’s birthday and he wanted to get on his favorite ride. We headed towards the back of the park and finally made it to the Maverick. I was looking around at the setting of the Maverick and there was a small pond fountain. I couldn’t stop looking at it. There’s something so calming about the sight of water. The sight of the fountain pouring into the pond reminded me of the present. As a society, we are constantly pouring into right now. Right now is all that matters. The fountain’s water was received from the water already in the pond. Therefore, the fountain was producing the same pond over and over. This is ideal for a pond but, in my opin-ion, life shouldn’t happen this way.

This first issue of rapidMAG is all about my generation, the Millenials. I believe that it is my generation that has caused and will continue to cause the most rapid progression in society. We are innovative in the most simplest ways. Instead of purchasing a house like many of the generations before us did in their 20s, we’re paying rent. Part of this is because we simply can not afford to purchase a home. The other part, which I have personally decided, is my generation understands the value of not being in one place for long. Like the pond fountain at the Maverick, we only pour into something over and over if it is going to be the foundation of something great. Presently, our foundation is in the possibilities. We are constantly wondering and question-ing what tomorrow may bring. We are hopeful.

Staring at the pond fountain, so many possibilities came to mind. The possibility of becoming a notable fashion journalist, the possibility of having international influence, the possibility of inspiring someone and the possibility of creating a magazine. Well, here we are. This is a direct presentation of something called persistence. This rollercoaster called life can send you in so many directions. But, unlike the rollercoasters at Cedar Point, you can choose the route of your life’s ride. After choosing the route, it’s up to you to pay the toll. It’s up to you to stop for gas. The most important thing is the first step: choosing the route. Life is about pro-gression. Maybe you’ll get lost on the way, maybe you’ll change your mind and maybe you’ll pick up some new ways of thinking.

Keep going, my friend.RAPID

Pew Research Center

Called the world’s largest and most diverse generation to ever exist, Millennials, are in-fluencing the way products are marketed, the advancement of technology and, most of all, the way that the world communicates. What’s so special about being a Millenni-

al? Everything. From our passions to our drive, Millennials are a force to be reckoned with.

This article is a mashup of several interviews. These interviews feature the opinions of the youngest and oldest of this generation. Something interesting about these interviews that you should know is that they were conducted in the most “Millennial” way you could think. Some were summoned through FaceTime, contacted through social media and other digital forms of communication. None of the interviews were done physically face-to-face. You may think that this impacted the level of vulnerability within these subjects but, this is untrue. We are Millennials and our vulnerability is innovative.

According to the lovely folks at the Pew Research Center, Millennials (born between 1980-1995) are “unattached to organized politics and religion, linked and dependent on social me-dia, full of trust issues and optimistic about the future.” We asked our subjects to give their perspective on being a Millennial.

If I may, I’d like to say that being a Millennial is just like being a part of any other categorized generation before us. It creates a necessary gap in society, in my opinion. There is so much importance in acknowledging differences amongst those around you. It creates a sense of curiosity in this world and curiosity, my friend, is beautiful.

the hype of it allmil·len·nial

Do you relate to any of the characteristics associated with our generation?

Nicole FreezeHi. I’m Nicole. I’m 19 years old. I’m from

Hubbard, Ohio and..yup, that’s all.

I’m Catholic. I’ve had schooling about that religion for 8 years so I’m pretty aware of it. In contrast, I feel like politics aren’t explained enough to people at a younger age. Instead, we learn about political history which is important, but what’s relevant is, too.

What’s something that you think this generation should work on?

I think we should work on our attitude towards things. I feel like we take traditional things and we realize that it’s tradition and throw it on the backburner. We can’t reinvent everything.

Talk about being optimistic about the future..

I find myself somewhat attached to all of these characteristics in a piecemeal way. I never think about the world’s future. I think it’s a mistake to project anything too far into the future, be it eventual prosperity or an inevitable doom. I’m twenty and studying music at University. I’m looking forward to my future, and feeling a burning desire to get out there and make it.

What’s something that you think this generation should work on?

We should work on being more deeply fulfilled. Don’t do any-thing unless you personally want to do it. Don’t do Bikram yoga just because everyone else is doing it. Don’t jog out of guilt. We should do things that give us simple satisfaction. Equally, we shouldn’t judge others for doing things that fulfil them.

Just talk to me..

Well, I was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness. Even when I was younger, I didn’t really like it. As I’ve gotten older, there are some things about that religion I have attached myself to, like being good to people. If it were 50 years ago, if you were raised in the church, your life became that. As a generation, we’re learning. There’s a lot of stuff that books and things before social media can’t teach. It’s beautiful to have such access to so many things. For example, we can be a part of Fashion Week online. Yes, we’re obsessed with our phones but, we can also see Karl Lagerfeld walk out on the Chanel supermarket catwalk. It’s a love/hate thing.

Are you proud to be a Millennial? I love being a Millennial. I don’t wear it on a t-shirt or

anything but, I accept the fact that I’m a Millennial. We’re leading the way, we’re creating jobs. I think social media is helping a lot with that. People can be creative and innova-tive. In a dying job market, we’re still surviving.

Okay so..I’m Bradley. I’m 24 years old from Washington, DC. I’m anxiously ready to graduate. Fashion, love, music, people.

Bradley Jacobs

Thoughts on politics...

I think with politics..if you’re interested, you’re interested. I consider myself involved in what’s going on. Just by voting, that’s your way of influencing the government. You don’t have to run for office to have influence. You can have an opinion and just express that opinion.

My name is Eli. I’ve just turned 20 years old. Born in NYC with a Chilean surname and raised in London. I’m a twin, a musician

and songwriter.

Eli Carvajal

Laiana Lewis

I’m Laiana. I’m 21 years old from Niagara Falls, NY.

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Jamon AdamsMy name is Jamon. I am 22. I live in York, PA. I

am originally from everywhere but here. Should I say something cool?

Millennial and proud? I feel proud. I was unaware. I didn’t even know we had a title. Millennials..it sounds cool. It sounds like Power Rangers or some type of superhero. Our generation is getting a lot of slack..I’m not understanding why. But, I think every genera-tion gets that. It happens. There’s always going to be someone saying “Those kids..” People are used to certain things before and seeing their kids grow up, doing things they’re not used to has to be weird.

Talk about this generation being single.. Single? I don’t really agree with that one. I think as time goes

by, more people are finding that they can be more indepen-dent. I don’t think there’s any negative connotation with that.

Sara GuiangMy name is Sara. I’m from Las Vegas.

I’m in college studying to teach art until I can make my own art into a career.

Sara’s take on trust issues and religion..Our generation has constant access to information on everything from big business to pop culture. Because we have this kind of access to so much knowledge, we tend to feel more cautious because we know about the things that make our world un-trust-worthy. I don’t believe that Milennials are unattached to religion and politics.I think we’re attached more than ever. A bright side of our constant use of social media is being able to know what’s going on in religion and politics. We may be a bit narcissistic and needy for instant gratification, but un-involved is something we’re not. Some of us are more than happy to listen and offer our opinion on what is happening in the religious and political worlds. Considering the state of our economy that Milennials have had to grow up in, I think we are doing a pretty good job at keeping afloat.

Kayla DavisMy name is Kayla. I’m 20. I’m from Prince

George’s County, Maryland. I really like to re-vamp myself. I like to keep it interesting.

What are some aspects of previous generations that are still relevant in ours? Our style. The 90s style, we’re doing that and they been did it! Also, events that are going on..the Michael Brown situation. Back then, they went through the same thing. I think protesting these things are more powerful because it’s able to be reached through different networks. Social media has allowed the news to share our opinions. We have technology to speak our mind.

Explain how this generation is spoiled. We’re spoiled by how quick we can access things. If we don’t know the answer, we can just go to Google. Back then, they had to read plenty of books. We feel like we have more time than we actually do because of how easy we can access things. We need to work on being more productive.

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Talk about trust issues...It’s hard to mesh well with people. You can’t read people’s minds. You don’t want to give out the wrong perception of yourself to people. A lot of people tend to clique. But, it’s not always bad to have a diverse group of friends.

What’s something that you think this generation should work on?

Compassion and respect. We all have different views on what we think is right or wrong. You can’t fault someone based on their preferences in life. Learning from our elders..those who have more experience. We try to think we have everything figured out. We try not to show that vulnerabil-ity of being wrong and we need to be more open to being wrong. We’re human. You have to be vulnerable.

Do you relate to any of the characteristics associated with our generation? I identify as extremely liberal in the eye of politics and am unat-tached to organized religion in spite of being raised in a family where religion was always a big deal. I question everything and am very outspoken. To an extent, I am unattached to tradition-al values and I don’t care who knows it.

What would you say to those who only have negative opinions about this generation?

There will always be something negative said. I’m pretty sure there were people in previous generations that had negative things to say about the generation they lived in. Once upon a time it was their time to make a great generation and now it’s ours. We’re trying to make the best and live it the best way pos-sible. I think our generation has done and achieved so much if we look at changes in different aspects in life like racism, wars, bringing people together, laws, sexual equalit, etc.

Aleigha SpinksHey, there! My name is Aleigha. I am 22 and a product of Western NY. I spend my days

getting by as a writer and actress.

My name is Fred. I’m 21 years old. I currently reside in New York City. I praise curiosity. My passion for art can translate in many aspects.

Millennial and proud? I am very proud. Our generation is extraordinarily empathic.

It’s important to be responsive to all communities of interest. I also enjoy (well, most of the time) the sunny outlook this generation has on the future, despite the level of unemployment and the cost of education rising. It pushes us to work for what we want/need, and in some cases it leaves us feeling lazy. It’s really going to be interesting seeing what the future holds.

Fred Trey Gaddy

Nico Bocale My name is Nico, I’m 25 and Italian but born

and raised in Switzerland. Now living in London.

Any Millennial characteristics that you identify with? I do identify with some of them, yes. We’re definitely in a world or community where I personally find it extremely hard to trust people and trust in things. A lot of people are self focused.

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THREE SINGLE MOTHERSTHREE DISTINCT GENERATIONS

JANEL

TABYTHA

The Divorced Mother Age: 71Birthdate: April 28, 1943Places lived: Germany and currently Baltimore, MDChildren: Durant K. Harvin, III, 48 Marki Dickens, 43Generation: Baby Boomers

The Hip Mother Age: 38Birthdate: October 23, 1976 Places lived: Germany, Virginia and currently Baltimore, MD Children: Jordan Thomas, 17 Ryanne Thomas, 15Generation: Generation X

The Young MotherAge: 25 years oldBirthdate: August 18, 1989Places lived: Las Vegas and Baltimore, MDChildren: Makenli Brooks, 6 D’zil Brooks, 4Generation: Millennials

With a new wave of society comes a new wave of parenting. The rise of single parenthood has steadily increased since the 1940s. We have here a Baby Boomer, a Generation X and a Millennial

sharing their thoughts on the shift in parenting. This should be interesting.

CYNTHIA

It’s funny the way I found out I was pregnant. My friend thought she was pregnant. In order to make her feel better about it, I took a test with her not think-ing it was going to come up positive. I just wanted her to feel like someone was with her and everything would be cool. So, when it came up positive, I couldn’t believe it so I took 5 more tests. I felt like my life was ruined. I had my life all planned out. I had planned to have kids

THREE SINGLE MOTHERSTHREE DISTINCT GENERATIONS

With a new wave of society comes a new wave of parenting. The rise of single parenthood has steadily increased since the 1940s. We have here a Baby Boomer, a Generation X and a Millennial

sharing their thoughts on the shift in parenting. This should be interesting.

Becoming a mother calmed me down. It grounded me. I was 20 years old when I had Jordan. (first child) When young people get pregnant, a lot of people will make you feel like your life is over and that’s not true. It’s gonna become more difficult, but never give up on your dreams. I’ve never felt like anyone pettied me. I don’t feel like I get sympathy. I often wonder why that is. If anything, I feel like I’ve been championed or acknowledged. With this generation, I’ve had to become more hip and knowledgeable of technology and slang. But, that’s just me indvidually. I think every parent who has raised a child, at some point, you had to become acquainted with the new thing that’s going on. With my parents, the big thing was rap and hip-hop. Every generation has gone through this. Society has evolved.

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I’ve never felt like a single mother. Back then, I knew what I had to do as a mother with a husband working in the army. When he came home from Vietnam, he had drinking problems. I tried to get counseling. When I went, they said they could do nothing about it unless he came himself. But, he didn’t think anything was wrong with him. He denied his problems and eventually turned to domestic abuse against me. There was so much domestic violence hidden. I didn’t want people involved because I wanted my marriage to work. I wanted my children to be unaffected, but it actually did more damage. I prayed about it and asked God to fix my marriage or kick him out. 9 months later, he was gone. It was like the birth of a baby. I was a divorceé. To me, it wasn’t really that hard. I was blessed to have a good government job and the Lord kept my family. I centered my parenting around God and I’m happy that my chil-dren are doing well today in their God-centered marriages and families. There’s a difference today. This generation is not as tolerant as previous generations. If you all are in a domestic violence relationship, you’re going to get out of it. You all are focused and you know what you want from life. You all won’t let anything be detrimental to that purpose. You won’t let people kill your self-esteem. This mindset can go into parenting and can be positive.

around 30 years old. My initial reaction was to do an abor-tion but, after talking to Dion’s (the father) mom and a few other supportive people who were also mothers, I didn’t. It helped to know that I had help from other people because, as a young parent, you think what is it that I can do for someone else who only relies on me? With

this generation, I learned how faster kids are having sex. I like my kids to have other things to think about. I want my kids to know how to shoot bow and arrow. I try to give them something that I wasn’t given when I was young. My mother didn’t show me love when I was young. I want to end that cycle with my children.

“Seeing someone asleep on a train somehow turns into living art.”

ASLEEP IN PUBLIC

boarded the train. I sat down next to one of my classmates in front of a sleeping stranger. Seeing someone asleep on the train somehow turned into living art. Well, in this case, sleeping art. There was something so beautiful about him, his reflection and the setting. I didn’t know his name, where he was headed or anything about him. I just knew that he was alone and asleep. It seemed so vulnerable.

He inspired me to write about this and so, I did.

It’s 8am on a Monday and you’ve taken off on your daily train commute to work. You picked up your coffee and pastry but, still find yourself exhausted wether you barely got any sleep

last night or gained the proper 8 hours. As you are seated waiting for your stop, you begin to forget where you are and go in out of being awake and asleep. Let’s just think about how awkward this really is. You’re not home in your bed, you’re not comforted by your blanket or pillows and you’re on a train with strangers. Yet, you find yourself comfortable enough to allow yourself to fall asleep. This is the one of the most beautiful parts of being a hu-man being. The act of sleep shows no discrimination. We all need it and sometimes we get it on public transportation.

At the beginning of this year, I had the pleasure of traveling to Europe. Thanks to the opportunity provided by my alma mater, Kent State University. I studied the world’s most infamous man-made creations. Aside from the many timeless pieces originating from this beautiful country, Europe is in fact a work of art. From the classic streets to the fashionable residents, there is much to be desired and captured. This brings me to our captured friend to the left.

Like any major city, London has an exceptional public transpor-tation system. The Underground, as its called, is the home to high volumes of rapid faces with their own agendas. On this particu-lar day, my class and I were on our way to the heart of London, Trafalgar Square. Though this train was just like any other train I’ve been on (i.e: get on the train at one stop and get off at anoth-er stop), the tourist in me found even riding the Underground exhilarating.

We walked from our hotel to the Paddington train station and

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The unbearable desire to take a load off.

The

ROBECOAT

This silhouette look is sure to keep you warm and still trendy this season. It’s a fol-low up of the pre-fall trend, the blanket coat. Designers such as Balenciaga, Richard Chai and Creatures of the Wind took this piece to the next level in 2014. The Balen-ciaga piece shown to the right is a great way to add some color to your fall ensemble.

1. BalenciagaRobe Coat

3. Flared Leather Skirt

www.zara.com

2. Turtleneck Chunky Cable Knit

Sweaterwww.sheinside.com

4. Nancy GonzalezLarge Crocodile Bar Clutch Bag

www.bergdorfgoodman.com

5. EOWERIRI Strappy Heel

www.aldoshoes.com

www.fossil.com

ACCESORIZE

www.aldoshoes.com

Cecile Multifunction Stainless Steel Watch

Brunell Gray Studs

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trend reportFashion Falldemental

rapid

Dairia Kymber HarvinFounder/Editor-In-Chief

Writer and Visual Designer

Cover Photos: Shot by Dairia Kymber

Getty Images

Millennials Spread Photos:Provided by subjects

Three Single Mother’s Photos:Shot by Dairia Kymber

Asleep In Public Photos:Shot by Dairia Kymber

Special thanks to God, Mom, Dad and all who made this possible.