My Recent Work

Do MSU students view Lululemon as a status symbol? - The State News

Lululemon, an activewear brand known for its athleisure apparel, has taken the world by storm since its establishment in 1998. Within the past few years, the popularity of Lululemon has soared due to social media and continuous marketing from the brand. "They have a lot of really good marketing and advertising initiatives," Murphy said. "They've been around for a while, and they just kind of have like that brand name and essence that people really like and they like to wear."
Marketing professo...

Fast fashion: What is it and what are the environmental effects? - The State News

So, what do these brands have in common? They’re all fast fashion.Brands like Shein, Temu and Fashion Nova have risen in popularity within the last few years. Known for their remarkably low prices and ability to keep up with the recent fashion trends, these brands have rapidly become a popular option for clothes. But what exactly is fast fashion?
Department of Community Sustainability and Environmental Science and Policy associate professor Adam Zwickle said fast fashion is described as the mass...

How TikTok phenomenon 'Ballerina Farm' sparked debate over 'trad wife' lifestyle - The State News

Hannah Neeleman, more commonly known as "Ballerina Farm" on TikTok and other social media platforms, was no exception.TikTok, a popular social media app, has hosted its fair share of controversial videos uploaded by users, resulting in backlash, debates and criticism towards those individuals.Neeleman is known for being a content creator who uploads videos showcasing her life on her farm, raising her children and cooking meals for her family.
However, after being interviewed by a journalist for...

Not for everyone: Brandy Melville's stance on body positivity - The State News

Many clothing brands have been supportive of this movement, such as Aerie, a sister brand to American Eagle. Aerie has been applauded for its body-positive advertisements and commitment to representing all customers while promoting self-love and diversity. Body positivity and inclusivity have recently become mainstream movements that encourages individuals to love their bodies and promotes love and acceptance for others as well. However, not all clothing brands are committed to ensuring body pos...

Roommates: What it's like to have a third wheel in relationships - The State News

When significant others are thrown into the loop of already-cramped dorm rooms, how is the dynamic between roommates affected?Roommates are an iconic part of college, especially for freshmen at Michigan State University. However, with such a small space for two or more people to live in, issues like a lack of privacy and personal space, living habits and communication can arise. For human biology sophomore Hannah Ebyson, bringing over significant others doesn’t negatively affect her friendship w...

Popularity of horror films poses questions of desensitization - The State News

Horror films contain elements that aim to elicit fear, shock, and disgust from viewers, such as violent and graphic killings. Despite these usually unpleasant elements, the horror movie genre remains beloved. "I think that they're so popular because of the arousal that it gives people," communications junior Alayla Milow said. "I think that people like being on their toes and knowing that you're going to be safe at the end of something that's scary. I think that is a fun experience for some peop...

Women experience misogyny, double standards in and out of the spotlight - The State News

Female celebrities, who are well known and constantly in the spotlight, aren’t exempt from misogynistic behaviors and attitudes from others. In fact, for celebrities, these incidents can occur in the presence of the public eye, such as audience attitudes towards Taylor Swift attending Travis Kelce’s football games, and when Chappell Roan set boundaries with aggressive paparazzi. Girls and women experience misogyny and double standards on a regular basis. From the classroom to career fields, wome...

What are the ethics to true crime documentaries, portrayals? - The State News

Recently on Netflix, a popular streaming platform, a new documentary regarding the case of the Menendez brothers was released, gaining immense attention from viewers, and resurfaced the case that took place in 1989. Another infamous case that caught the media’s attention was that of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, whose case took place in 2015, and a reenactment that was released in 2019 caused the case to reemerge. However, the recently released documentary on Netflix regarding the Menendez brothers has...

TheraPLAYoga creates space for adaptive yoga practice

LANSING, Mich.—TheraPLAYoga, located in downtown Lansing, has been an innovative recreational business, integrating wellness factors of yoga with elements of accessibility and inclusion. Gloria Treviño, the founder and owner of TheraPLAYoga, an adaptive yoga studio, strives to be a resource for wellness for individuals and families who are neurodivergent, disabled and trauma-impacted.

Treviño said that she decided to open TheraPLAYoga for two reasons. The first is her son, who has complex devel

'Nobody needs three Stanley cups': Students talk overconsumption, media trends

But how exactly do these items become so popular in the first place?

With so many trends constantly circulating on TikTok — an app with over 1.1 billion users — social media has launched a plethora of digital goods into the limelight. Products like the Stanley Cup, UGG Tasman slipper and Dyson AirWrap have each garnered millions in profits as a direct result of viral content and influencers.

Marketing Assistant Professor Anita Pansari said items become trendy because of the people who are actu

Black representation among faculty is vital to student belonging, success, students say

CAS 112 night lecture in The Communications of Arts and Sciences building on Sept. 28 2023. The class is spilt up into five sections and has five teaching assistants.

For these students, representation on campus is not only less common, but also of great importance. One vital source of representation, students say, is through professors who look like you.

Only 6.5% of MSU undergraduate students are Black or African American, which is 2,633 out of 40,483 total undergraduate students.

African A

The orange and olive theories: Can these determine the fate of your relationship?

One example is the "orange peel theory," or the thought that if your partner is willing to peel an orange for you, it really means that they're prepared to make sacrifices to prioritize your happiness.

TikTok is famous for fashion, comedy, dance and artistic trends that cycle quickly throughout the year, influencing consumers' opinions and acting as a source of good fun. One of these trends surrounds "relationship theories," or predictions of how well a relationship can succeed based on small m

How MSU students perceive dating rules in the age of social media trends

In this trend, many users type out some of their own rules in their iPhone's Notes app and then run through each idea, explaining their reasoning and providing examples. Some common rules include not being friends with someone of the opposite gender, sharing locations 24/7, one partner paying for everything and sharing social media passwords with each other.

Dating rules and boundaries in relationships have been around for ages. More recently, however, social media has stirred up discussions ab

High Caliber drives forward accessible entertainment

High Caliber Karting and Entertainment, located at the Meridian Mall at the border of East Lansing and Okemos, has been a leading business in bringing accessibility to entertainment.

Most notably, High Caliber offers a “Handicapable” go-kart for those who are wheelchair users. The Handicapable go-kart replaces the two gas and brake foot pedals with hand pedals near the steering wheel to grant complete control of the kart through hand controllers.

Jacki Krumnow, the director of marketing at Hig

Students express frustrations over exams being held one day before Feb. 13

Light shines through Berkey Hall's 106B classroom on Jan. 17, 2024, a week and a half into the reopening of the building.

MSU spokesperson Mark Bullion said university guidelines encourage instructors to cancel classes on Feb. 13 and have no assignments or tests due on the 13 or 14.

As the one-year mark of the Feb. 13 shooting on Michigan State University’s campus nears, many students are struggling to balance academic workload and healing.

"For most students, classes and exams will not be he

Tips to transition from winter break to the spring semester

Spring semester can be hard. The holidays are behind us, the cold weather seems to drag on, spring break is only a week long, and the worst part? There are still four months of school left before summer break.

Furthermore, coming right out of winter break, getting back into the school mindset can be hard. Not to mention exhausting both mentally and physically. But, to hopefully make things a bit easier, I’ve compiled a list of helpful tips to help you succeed this semester and smoothly transiti

My Experience as an Out-Of-State Student

Starting my sophomore year of college was such a surreal experience. It felt like just yesterday that I was saying goodbye to my family after moving into my new “home” 580 miles away from the only place I’ve known for 18 years.

Scared was such an understatement. I was feeling a whirlwind of emotions: anxiety, excitement, sadness, nostalgia, anticipation. Whatever you can think of, I was feeling it.

I recall so clearly turning to my new roommate and asking, “So, what now?” as soon as our parent