There’s a magazine I started grabbing off the newsstand recently, and now, it kinda makes me sick. It’s a fashion and lifestyle publication that targets young women with flashy covers of recognizable white women in bright party dresses and wind-swept hair. 

As someone who’s kind of a tomboy, reading this magazine has served as a monthly reminder that I actually have a girly side. For the last 6 months or so, I’ve flipped through makeup tips, nail polish colors, and fashion trends that I’ll never follow or even purchase, but reading this stuff makes me feel like I’ve made some attempt to get glamorous. 

I always finish the magazine with a list of changes I’d like to make: try a new red lipstick; give high heels another chance; find my “signature fragrance.” But the real me always comes to the surface. To this day, I’ve yet to cross anything off this mental checklist. Truth is, I prefer Vaseline on my lips, comfy sneakers on my feet, and the strong smell of perfume makes me nauseous. I used to eat this magazine’s content like candy, daydreaming about a closet full of sparkly tank tops, figure-flattering pencil skirts, and “statement-making” jewelry.

Surprisingly, what made me toss this month’s issue in the trash, is not the fact that I have to skip over the entire hair section (the tips simply don’t apply to my kinky curls), or even that I have to breeze through the makeup pages (the “For Dark Skin Tones” suggestions are just too broad for the many hues of brown women). Nope, I’m actually accustomed to being excluded from magazines. I was a confused adolescent who grew up reading Teen, and YM magazines, where spotting a black girl in the issue was like catching a glimpse of the damn Loch Ness Monster.

What actually changed my mind was noticing the heavy, almost obsessive push to satisfy and attract the opposite sex. This magazine—from cover to cover—caters to the one thing young women have far too much of: insecurity. Insecurity about our bodies and how to use them, our facial features, and how to glam ourselves up to win the ultimate prize: a boyfriend who’s good enough to marry.

I can’t tell you how many articles I’ve read about pubic hair—the “To Wax or Not to Wax” internal debate. I’ve learned—and re-learned—that the most sensitive part of a man’s anatomy is the underside tip of his penis. I know how to have more sex, how to watch porn to enhance that sex, how to be more confident about sex, and how to anticipate what your man desires during that sex. I’ve learned that a man doesn’t care if your bra matches your panties, but then a few pages later see a sexy lingerie spread displaying beautiful La Pearla and Agent Provacateur thongs that are “sure to make his jaw drop.”

Who cares?

Does it make sense to pay $5.00 to a) feel like shit, and b) learn more about providing happiness to someone else? In a couple hundred pages of glossy ads and “flawless” models, I’m equipped with the proper tools to fix myself up to become more attractive to the world. I’m told how to be a sexier, smarter, better version of me—only that version has nothing to do with cleansing my thoughts and strengthening my spirit. It does, however, have everything to do with embodying a sense of self-hatred that keeps the beauty business booming.

I’m soooooo over it. Giving and sharing are wonderful acts of love, but my main concern right now is sharing the joy from within, not sharing my body simply to keep a man happy and in my bed every night. Sorry. It took me 6 months to realize that this magazine, and so many others, has it all wrong. Red lipstick and sparkly mini-dresses will do nothing to attract this ideal Prince Charming. It’s merely a cover-up, a disguise that hides, confuses, and discourages young women from being themselves. It’s impossible to “work what you got” if you have no idea what you have to begin with. I challenge women around the world, including myself, to look past the flashy covergirls and look within. Corporations can’t tell you how to be beautiful. That exciting job is entirely up to you.

Since springtime, Sheena Matheiken has been on a mission to make a different kind of fashion statement. For 365 days, she will don the same little black dress designed by creative partner Eliza Starbuck, but will update and adorn her frock everyday with vintage accessories, flea market finds, and donations from Etsy designers and thoughtful readers.

The goal is raise money to help expand the Akanksha Foundation, a non-profit based in Mumbai that’s improving education and resources for children living in slums. The site also serves as an encyclopedia of inspiration on how to play with feathered hats, sustainable scarves and even electric blue boots.

My dear internet friend, Monihan Monihan, blasted a video introduction to this quirky web project that just might flip your understanding of how to incorporate philanthropy into your everyday wardrobe.

The Uniform Project Trailer from The Uniform Project on Vimeo.

Find out how you can get down with the cause…

The "Lalow" for Girls

Arthur Roberts and Jordan Freda’s Mumz the Werd clothing line is anything but quiet. Managed in California and masterminded in New Jersey, Mumz is tiptoeing its way onto the backs of trendsetters nationwide with striking hues and a distinctive style of character-based artwork. A chance encounter on Myspace led to the creative collaboration of Roberts’ tricked-out sketches of mummified cool kids and Freda’s business savvy and filmmaking background. The two innovators recently released their spring line of t-shirts featuring the funky new character additions, Minimus Grime and Merker Bezerker. TheCoolAid sat down with these dudes to chat about partnerships, their vision, and of course, what they think is cool.

Where did the idea for Mums the Werd come from?

Arthur: I always knew of the term “Mums the Word.” When I lived in Philly I used to go around looking at all the little characters that people would post stickers of. I would always think, “Damn I want to make my own character and start posting stickers all over Philly so people will know who I am as an artist.” So, I was drawing some little mummy character and called him “Mums.” Once it was finished, I thought it would look good on a t-shirt for a clothing line. The name “Mumz the Werd” just kind of came to me after I made [the character] Mumja. That’s where it all came from basically. That was in 2005.

What inspires your artwork?

Arthur: Some major influences would probably be the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Voltron, Power Rangers, Pokemon, Akira, Willy Wonka. I used to draw the Ninja Turtles all the time as a kid. I remember on Sundays we would get this weird-ass, obscure newspaper in Atlantic City and they always had Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle comics in there. I used to just copy those every week. That was the beginning I guess.

"Mumja" 3D Gummy Shirt

Jordan, you’re based out of San Mateo, CA and Arthur works from Atlantic City, NJ. How does your partnership work on opposite coasts, and how have these two distinct markets impacted your style & overall creative direction?

Jordan: Sometimes it’s tough being on two different coasts, but with all the technology it’s basically like we’re sitting right next to each other. There are times when we’ll have communication problems, and we have our little scuffles here and there, but who doesn’t? As far as East coast meets the West coast? I think it’s like that slightly. Arthur has a very New York influenced hip-hop oriented background, and I’m the California kid, a skateboarder growing up and always into rock music. I think that when we talk to each other and throw ideas back and forth, our final product always becomes a hybrid of those two things. It’s as if we take the hip-hop aspect and throw the rock aspect in there. Traditionally in rock, people aren’t into the big shiny things, but we try to find the middle ground. So, we don’t make it too flashy and we don’t make it too boring, I guess we’re just trying to blend the two as much as possible.

Arthur: I think the East and West styles are basically the same; it’s just that the West coast has the sun so they can wear whatever they want because it’s perfect weather year-round. So that allows people to do more with their styles, and wear more colors. That’s what I think separates the two. The East coast focuses on a lot of greys and browns and boring shit. I think if you’re going to do the blacks and greys, make it artistic. That’s where I come in.

It was interesting to see that you’ve joined forces with bands that have completely different vibes through your “Shhhh Sounds” partnership campaign. How does the idea of bridging gaps play into the brand?

Jordan: We’re always going to be working on something new, but I think we just want to get involved with groups as much as possible, and don’t want people wearing our clothes to be labeled as anything. Arthur and I were talking at the Magic convention in Vegas asking, “Are we streetwear?” And no, we’re not. We couldn’t think of what we wanted to call ourselves, so I just said we’re “wearwear.” We just want people to wear us without being stereotyped. One of the problems growing up for both of us is either you’re considered a part of the rock crowd, the rap crowd, you’re a skater, you’re a thug, you’re this, or you’re that. Well, we’re just people, and getting involved with bands reflects that. Mumz the Werd as a brand also reflects the two of us. You have Arthur who’s into hip-hop, and into high-end fashion, and then me who, well I don’t even know what I’m into. Hopefully, by buying our products it’s almost like buying into our lifestyles because we’re two totally different people who can get along in unison.

Arthur: You just have to be true to what you do and good shit will follow you always. What’s apparent with this clothing line is that all I have to do is stay current. My art just kind of does its own thing, while fashion is in one day out the next.

"Minimus Grime" Oversize Print Limited Edition

So what makes your brand unique?

Jordan: The common thing I saw at Magic was brass knuckles, guns, and skulls. We don’t have brass knuckles, guns, or skulls. We have a big character-based line with huge characters across the shirt. It’s almost like direct advertising without even having to use lettering on the shirt. I also think we stand out because of the inks we use. It’s a 3D gummy-type ink that’s excreted off the shirt. People were coming up to us asking, “Oh my god, how did you print your shirt?  Oh my god, what is this?” We definitely stood out. I didn’t see anybody getting looked at the way we did.

Arthur: For you to understand what’s unique, you have to understand what we’re battling against. Everybody’s copying each other right now. The colors are all the same, the imagery is the same, there’s nothing fresh. What makes us stand out is that we have color and our product is put together really well. It’s not just a bunch of bullshit splatter color where we’re hitting you from all directions with neon.

Tell me a little about your current collection. Is it a part of a series? Is there a theme?

Jordan: There are three characters that I like to see as three elements. We have the “Speechless” shirt that appeals to the music crowd, because it has the cool character with the headphones and a backpack on. He’s sort of like the urban kid. And then we got the “Lalow” which is the character throwing his hands up, and it’s more of the hip-hop style shirt. Then there’s the “Mumja” which is the really cute character that the girls like, and all the guys think is cool too just because it’s a recognizable character. There isn’t really a theme with it; it’s just three main characters that we think will affect different demographics.

How do you define “cool?”

Jordan: To me, everybody is cool. Cool is just the essence that’s around you. It’s the way you portray yourself to the world. I know there are negative images of “cool,” like guns and violence and shit, but that’s not going to get you very far. Cool is being comfortable with who you are, and being able to present yourself to the world in a positive manner.

Arthur: There is no definition of “cool.” Cool is how you are I guess, and people will recognize that.

Grab your Mumz gear for the summer, and be sure to say hello to Arthur and Jordan at this year’s Van’s Warped Tour.