so exquisite charleston magazine
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November/December IssueTRANSCRIPT
Whether you admit it or not, every young girl has been obsessed with magazines at some point in their life. It’s not for the content, not for the pictures, but for the models in the
pictures. They stare at us with their perfect hair, great make-‐up, chic clothes, and great bodies. We aspire to be them, we dream of being models ourselves, and we fantasize about what life would be like as a model, traveling all around the world,
having millions of fans. For some young girls, this dream stays a dream, but for others it becomes their passion and they
work hard to make it a reality. This is definitely true in the case of aspiring model, Elisa
Matthews. Only 19 years young, and already making strides to put her modeling career on the right path. She was one of millions of
young girls who always dreamed of being a model and gracing the pages of magazines.
“Ever since I was little my mother told me I was going to model someday. She would joke and joke about it and I
always thought, "in my dreams." Finally I got a break and I started up when I was 16.”
Although she may not believe she’s gotten anywhere, her determination and dedication to her craft tell a different story. But where does such a young woman pull such great attributes? As most young women do, from their mother of
course. Growing up in a single parent household, Elisa got her
strength from seeing her mother struggle. That, and along with going into the workforce at 8 years old, she grew an optimistic spirit that I’m sure is definitely working to her
advantage now. Bu while you may see her striking a pose, and or working the runway, she still makes time in her busy schedule for school. Studying business at the University of Washington Tacoma, she cannot wait to strut her stuff across the stage to pick up
her degree. Her hustle to make her dreams a reality is inspiring, and the journey ahead of her won’t be easy. But with her stubborn
determination, lengthy portfolio, and the obvious fact that she doesn’t give up very easy, accomplishing her goals will be a
walk in the park, or down the runway. It won’t be long until she’s gracing the pages of magazines all over, and inspiring a new generation of young women to
follow their dreams.
Written by: Kimberly Bowman
We've become comfortable seeing women make fools out of themselves and see each other as competition, instead of helping out one another. Instead of joining hands, we throw hands, and drinks, and whatever else.
Let’s not forget about how the media has help this all. Along with reality TV, the media has done a wonderful job of portraying women as commodities, instead of human beings. We have been told by the media to be successful, smile all the time, don't have an attitude, be a role model, and look good at the same time. When we don't live up to these expectations we are ridiculed and labeled as "crazy" or laughed at. But hey, if it increases ratings, why not? Our bodies are used as billboards to sell sex, beauty products, parties, clothes, and venues. But it won’t stop with this generation! While we bend over and twerk in music videos, throw drinks in the face of another female, and disrespect our bodies, a younger generation watches and aspires to follow in our footsteps.
How do we fix this? How can we go back to where we once were? Standing alongside our fellow women and fighting for more equality and respect for all women. We’ve already sent gender down a dark path, from where it was in our glory days. The only way we can fix it is by being proactive. Taking the high road from what the media, reality TV, and men assume of us, or expect from us. We may not be able to save ourselves now, but we can at least make things better for a new generation to thrive and be the strong women they are!
In a society that is mostly dominated by men, it is important that women stick together.
Historically, we’ve been through the best and worst of times together, from voting, joining the work force, being able to join the military, just to name a few. It’s proven that we need each other, and there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. But what’s happened to us over the course of the past 100 years? We are standing together anymore; we stand against each other, for jobs, men, fame, fortune, among other materialistic things.
The work force as changed drastically from what it once was. It’s evident that men dominate the workforce. We banned together so that we could have the right to work, alongside men. But now that we have that right, we’ve turned the guns on each other. So while we fight to get better wages, and better jobs, we fight against each other for these things. Instead of encouraging one another, and working together, we push each other down and climb to the top alone.
We have been taught to compete with one another for almost everything. Reality TV, or Trash TV shows, like Love and Hip Hop, create ugly stereotypes and representations of women fighting each other over men, money, and other ridiculous things. They set a tone amongst us that fighting over a man is okay. Degrading themselves, embarrassing themselves, going above beyond to be “the baddest bitch,” the most talked about, or the most desired, every week these women set us back centuries with their ignorance.
Written by: Alexis Roberts
After months of anticipation building up, posters shared on social media, and movie trailers,
Charleston finally got what it’s been waiting for. America Street finally premiered.
The almost 3 hour long film, premiered to a packed house on James Island, with cast and crew in
attendance to be a part of this big moment for them all. Expectations were high that night, and outside of some sound problems, the film did not disappoint.
Members of the media, community leaders, and local movie lovers all packed into the Terrace Theater for
the showing. When a man returns home from a prison sentence,
he realizes just how much things have changed during his 7 year prison sentence. Adjusting to fatherhood, and finding love, is just a few of the
things the ex-‐con deals with. Along with his story, we follow his younger brother as well, who has his
own set of interesting situations he is in, while following his dream of being a rapper.
Director Travis Pearson and his production team did a marvelous job of the overall production, but one of the things I appreciated was the scenery. They highlighted the Lowcountry for what it’s
known for most, beautiful parks, landmarks, people, and its culture.
America Street is the perfect testimony for a population of people that are constantly haunted by their mistakes and stereotyped by the public. This movie acknowledges them and gives those men a voice and a story. With prison population growing, it’s important that we remember that these men are
human, despite the choices they made; America Street teaches us that. These characters are people
that we know and these are circumstances we know. Rather than glamorizing their reality, this movie
makes it real, raw, and powerful. With appearances from local musicians, Mega Bucks, Mugga Man, and other local actors and notables, the film and premiere were a success. With his already impressive resume, director Travis Pearson have
raised the bar with America Street production wise, and teaches us all a valuable lesson about choices.
Written by: Kimberly Bowman
After a long week work, few extra dollars in your pocket, and a couple of days off, what is one to do? I’m sure in the back your mind, you are thinking, “stay in and save some money.” But the fun side of you wants to spend the night on the town. Charleston as a whole has transformed so much from what we once knew it as before, physically and metaphorically. New venues, restaurants, and fun places pop up every day, and every weekend people line up outside to get in. Because of this growing weekend ritual, the nightlife industry has become extremely profitable and expanded greatly. But what makes a night on the town great, outside of the music, venue, and of course, food? The music! Behind all that great music you sweat to, are great people. While there are many around town and around the state that we could list off, we’ve decided to give a pat on the back to two DJs in particular who make a night on the town worthwhile for their music mixing skills, and popularity. They aren’t the only ones brining a crowd out of their houses every night, but these two have both expanded past the music into some much greater.
While most of had a very good year, DJ B-‐Lord has had quite a happy one.
Already one of South Carolina’s best and well known DJs, B-‐Lord made a big decision this year to turn his
self concocted Happy Juice into a statewide commodity. In just a few months, Happy Juice is
already in the works to bring smiles on the faces of people in Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina. Even with his business ventures thriving, B-‐Lord was still shutting down clubs in the Southeast Region with his skills, and proudly representing South Carolina and the 843. He brings the city out and turns your city up any day of the week. Wherever the music and Happy
Juice takes him in the new year, I’m sure he’ll be “happy” either way.
Some call him the King of Charleston, some refer to him as “The Closer,” you may even know him as “Jefe.” But no matter what borough of Charleston you are in, or what side of town you are on, when you say the name “DJ Kub” or “Kub,” it definitely rings bells. He is THE most well known DJ in Charleston, but if you ever met the legend known to us all as DJ Kub, then you know he is much more than that. Whether he is at Bossez, Club Crucial, at a community function, or at a family cookout, Kub never disappoints and will your grandmother out of her seat. But what I think the city of Charleston appreciates about DJ Kub most, outside of the music, is his love for his people, our culture, and his city. With new opportunities opening up for him everyday, his skills and the music are bound to take him further outside of Charleston. But regardless of wherever he may go, he’ll have all of Charleston behind him 100%.