Answering the Girl Scout Cookie debate

Girl Scout Cookie season has arrived, and the brightly colored boxes can be seen all around campus. The tradition, which began in 1917, has grown into a $700 million dollar industry. The branding and limited availability make these cookies a hot commodity when they finally become available. A man in Oregon even used counterfeit cash to buy a couple boxes of these cookies.

With a wide variety of flavors, the best Girl Scout Cookie is often a topic of debate. Even Justin Timberlake, who is passionate about Samoas, recently posed the question to his followers on social media. After surveying students on campus, here’s a ranking of the top four flavors of cookies, according to UC Davis students. 

Trefoils 

Of the students surveyed, there was consistent praise for this simple shortbread cookie. People appreciate the buttery texture and vanilla flavor of the shortbread. Trefoils are also one of three cookies required to be sold by all troops across America, so they won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. 

Overall, Trefoils (or Shortbread) are strong contenders among the other cookies, often perceived as a staple of the Girl Scout Cookie brand. The Trefoil is an important symbol for the Girl Scouts nationally, and this cookie captures the essence of the organization. Many students, however, might opt to purchase a more exciting cookie. 

Do-si-dos

Do-si-dos — or Peanut Butter Sandwiches — are classic oatmeal cookies with a peanut butter filling in the middle. They are loved for their crunchy texture and strong flavor combinations, and they have been one of the most popular cookies since the 1960s. 

“Do-si-dos are my favorite because I’m a sucker for peanut butter,” said Kyle Shea, a fourth-year managerial economics major. 

According to an article from Insider, Do-si-dos accounted for 11% of all Girl Scout cookie sales.

Tagalongs

A strong competitor of Do-si-dos are Tagalongs (also called Peanut Butter Patties, depending on where you purchase them), which also satisfy those who seek out a peanut butter fix. These vanilla crispy cookies are topped with a layer of peanut butter and covered in milk chocolate, making it a favorite among many. 

Ali Moore, a fourth-year English major, said Tagalongs were their favorite due to the classic combination and the texture of the cookie. 

“I like Tagalongs more because they’re creamy and crunchy, while the other [cookies] are just one or the other,” Moore said.  

Thin Mint

Of the students surveyed, Thin Mints were resoundingly the most popular cookie. This comes as no surprise. Thin Mints make up more than a quarter of all Girl Scout Cookie revenue, according to the Insider article. The crunchy, chocolate-covered cookie gets its flavor from natural peppermint oil, and it continues to dominate any discussion regarding Girl Scout Cookie rankings. 

“I love Thin Mints because mint and chocolate are one of my favorite flavor combinations,” said Amanda Druyan, a third-year psychology major. 

Druyan also recommends eating Thin Mints frozen, as the cookies become even more crunchy. 

No matter what type of cookie is your favorite, make sure to place your order before the season ends in April. 

Written by: Alyssa Ilsley — arts@theaggie.org

Recent Oscar’s saw increase in celebrities recycling outfits on red carpet 

Throughout awards season, some of the most influential people in the world gather to celebrate their achievements in entertainment. In recent years, celebrities have used this platform to bring awareness to cultural issues and social change. 

During the #MeToo movement, a large number of celebrities attended the 2018 Golden Globes wearing all black and sporting #TimesUp buttons. This collective statement dominated conversations that night and in the following news cycle. 

In 2020, the main issue discussed during awards season was climate change. The events themselves have shifted focus — placing an emphasis on sustainability. For example, the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards provided entirely vegan meals to attendees. 

Other private organizations have begun implementing their own changes on the red carpet. One women-led organization, Red Carpet, Green Dress, aims to show that high fashion does not need to come with a high environmental cost. Through an exclusive partnership with the Academy Awards, this organization dressed actresses such as Kaitlyn Dever in a custom-made ethical gown by Louis Vuitton. 

High fashion spurs trends that have a direct impact on everyday consumption, so this movement could very well have a significant impact on everyday fashion. Paris-based luxury conglomerate Kering, which also owns Yves Saint Laurent and Balenciaga, has pledged to reduce its environmental impact by 40% by 2025.  

  The individuals dressed in couture played a large part as well. Most notably, actors have been re-wearing in an attempt to refrain from overspending and overconsumption. Awards season is known for numerous outfit changes: Actresses are typically expected to wear a different dress for every ceremony they attend, and that’s not even including the after parties. This can lead to the excess production of lavish, single-use fashion that is incredibly damaging to the environment. 

This year, especially, many A-list stars were seen sporting old trends. From Joaquin

 Phoenix to Elizabeth Banks, there were numerous examples indicating that sustainable fashion may be here to stay. Laura Dern stunned in a 25-year-old dress that looked just as fashionable and flattering in 2020 as it first did in 1995. 

One of the most outspoken celebrities within this movement is actress Jane Fonda. Fonda is a vocal activist in the climate justice movement — as of Dec. 20, 2019, she has been arrested five times for protesting against continued fossil fuel use on the Capitol steps in Washington, D.C. Fonda has sworn off purchasing new clothing items and has stayed true to her word by rewearing a 2014 dress at this year’s Academy Awards with ethically sourced jewelry from Pomellato. 

“Nothing good ever happened without mass movement — and we need a mass movement now to focus on climate,” Fonda said in an interview with Elle Magazine. 

Written by: Alyssa Ilsley — arts@theaggie.org

Brooklyn indie-pop band perform at Mondavi 

ASUCD Entertainment Council hosted Beach Fossils on Feb. 22 at the Mondavi Center. “Petrichor,” the title of the event, describes the pleasant smell from rain after a long period of drought. Beach Fossils as well as the opening act, Urbanation, performed with a softness of falling water — a tasteful portrayal of the event theme.

Opening act Urbanation’s lead singer Bianca Ocampo is a student at UC Davis. They shared a song called “Transparency,” a reflection of the stress many students face in school. The song is expected to be released later this year with an accompanying album. The trance-like harmonizing of the song has a lightness that blends Ocampo and the instrumental to create the feeling of losing all awareness while focusing on schoolwork in a busy coffee shop. 

Beach Fossils’ stage presence is that of the guy-friend that your mother doesn’t need to worry about. They were having fun in an environment they made clear was unfamiliar to them. The band prided themselves on using school jargon in between songs by inserting one-liners like “class is in session” and “welcome to lecture” — a dose of wit that gave a glimpse into the band’s personality.

Lead singer Dustin Payseur commented on the setting, “For a seated theater, y’all are f***ing crushing it.” The aisles quickly filled and people moved to the front of the stage. He seemed to know just which lever to pull that would release the crowd from their midterm worries. 

It was easy to fall into the mellowness of the vocals, but one was quickly lifted by the build up served by the guitar. It was difficult at times to hear the lyrics, as if the words dissolved in water before one could read them, but that became the motivation to pay attention to the groove that attracts people to their sound. 

Each song gave the same high and steady energy all the way through, which helped blur time as someone in the audience. At times, I caught myself drifting off into the deep bass, then to soft guitar strokes and finally to the drifting lyrics that felt like traveling fog.

It happened to be drummer Anton Hochheim’s birthday, and everyone in the audience, including the band, sang to him to wish him a happy birthday — yet another glimpse into the group’s personality.

The set concluded with a cover of “Wonderwall” by Oasis. Beach Fossils’ discography is available for streaming on all platforms. 

Written by: Josh Madrid — arts@theaggie.org

 A lesson in empowerment, self-discovery

Many students at UC Davis will have an on-campus job or a retail job downtown at some point in their college career, but rarely will the job description make someone do a double take. Some, however, have found adrenaline and empowerment from using nothing but their bodies and crafted personas to make a living — but more importantly to understand their capabilities and the societal boundaries they can push.

A neurobiology, physiology and behavior major recently started stripping after previously working as an escort. They have been working in the sex industry since they were 18 in their hometown and didn’t see any reason to stop when they came to Davis. 

“I got used to bringing in a certain amount of income so I couldn’t imagine a lower standard of living besides the one I’d established for myself, especially since I started h-eing right out the gate at 18,” said the NPB major via email. “I like getting paid to workout. I like the performance aspect of it. I like to entertain. I like having eyes on me. It’s empowering. I feel sexy.”

An applied physics major shared that her reasons for choosing to strip are mainly financial.  

“It’s the flexibility, the fact that I work as an independent contractor gives me the autonomy to set my own schedule and rates,” she said via email. “I earn more than I ever would working the same hours at a typical minimum wage job.” 

Aside from the obvious financial incentives, there’s an avenue for self-exploration and a way to take control of deviance and turn it into something artistic.

“The non-conformity [appealed to me] along with the freedom and independence, the potential to make lots of money, the opportunity to become more confident and become a better performer, and the excuse it gives me to spend money on makeup, nails, shoes, and tiny little outfits that I can also wear to raves!” said the NPB major via email. 

They were drawn, in part, to sex work due to frustrations over being forced to live within the gender binary. 

“If society at large is going to insist on categorizing me as a girl or woman and prizing me for my attractiveness, I’m going to f-cking [take] charge of it,” they said via email.

The  applied physics major recalled her first experience that reflected a willingness to try something unfamiliar. 

“The first time I went to a strip club was to apply for my job, and then I started dancing that same night,” she said. “Honestly I learned about it through the internet — lots of random stripper vlogs, I’ve never had any technical dance training or any experience of working in the night industry.”

Societal stigmas can often make sex workers feel that they have to section off their lives, placing a wall between who they are among their friends and family and who they become at work.

“I personally need separation between my work self and my real self, because the me I am at home isn’t ‘sellable,’” the NPB major said via email. “I’m kind of shy, extremely liberal, a total science nerd, queer-identified, and overall an anxious little bean. Maybe some if this is ‘sellable,’ but I’m not willing to put these parts out there to share with customers. It’s self-preservation.”

They said it’s comforting for them to know that they don’t have to be “on” all the time. 

“At work, you can usually find me in two high ponytails with fluffy clip-in ears, big eyelashes, and a black O-ring collar,” they said via email. “Until I come home at 4 a.m., jump in the shower, eat a mug full of cereal, and pass the f-ck out; a few hours later, when I’m in class trying not to fall asleep, that’s actually me.”

For others, they want to blend the spectrum of who they are as much as possible. For the applied physics major, everything is out in plain sight, although her profession is a secret from her family.

“Who I am on the job is authentic,” the applied physics major said via email. “Aside from using a different name, I am exactly the same person — I hide nothing about myself such as my career goals, major, or where I go to school. I constantly remind myself that this is a hustle, a means to an end that aids in my professional development, and the money may be good but it’ll never bring me the satisfaction that pursuing higher education will.”

When asked if she would ever drop out of UC Davis to pursue sex work full-time, the applied physics major said “Never!” 

“If anything it reassured me of my decision to apply for PhD programs,” she said. “I now know I’ll be able to support myself financially for years to come, but gladly welcome any steady career opportunities that follow.”

The applied physics major also commented on how accepting people have been of her job, given the vast misconceptions around the sex industry. 

“I have yet to receive a negative comment about my work, I’ve actually received nothing but support!” she said via email. “My customers find it quite endearing that dancing funds my education.”

A fourth-year viticulture and enology major, who wished to stay anonymous, said he would like to break into the sex work industry at some point in the future.

“I would go into sex work as a college student for the flexible hours,” he said. “I would only be worried about safety.”

Speaking with students who are both sex workers and students, however, shows that the work has the potential to be more empowering and liberating than what might appear at first glance. 

Written by: Josh Madrid — arts@theaggie.org

The names of students who spoke about their experiences with sex work have been omitted in order to protect their identities.

I’m the baaaaad guy.

Billie Eilish — the creepy-crawly, mega pop star — has become a household name, seemingly jumping into a premier level of stardom instantaneously. Now, with four major category Grammy Awards and a top-charting debut album, “When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go?,” Eilish has established herself as a force to be reckoned with in the music industry. She also just turned 18.

Her fame is not only encompassed by her accolades. Eilish herself — her fashion, her personality and her endearing shock factor — have become part of her charm to her fanbase. A question, however, still remains: Is Billie Eilish cool? 

Of course, cool is subjective, and the term can hold a variety of connotations. Yet, I am referencing the instinctual, gut feeling. The moral compass that determines right from wrong, cool from not cool. You know the feeling. As much as I could point to quantitative evidence to warrant an interpretation of coolness, my gut compass couldn’t do the same. I decided to turn to the student body to help determine the answer.

Emma Ryan, a fourth-year political science major, has been hooked on Eilish since she saw her “when the party’s over” music video. Eilish’s sound, hypnotic and complex, piqued Ryan’s interest.

“I really have not heard an album like that before,” Ryan said. “I thought it was so cool, just the sound effects and every song is so different, too. They have weird sounds making up the bass lines. It’s not all typical instruments. Sometimes it’s even a person clicking their tongue.”

While intrigued by her “steezy vocals,” Ryan’s interest was maintained by the concept of the music video itself. With the simplicity of black liquid streaming from the young artist’s eyes, a grotesque depiction of tears, Ryan instantly found the young artist unique. 

“I felt like she was more,” Ryan said. “It was really well thought out and delivered on her part, versus just like some angsty bands that decide to paint black on their face. I saw that [the black paint] was real and it didn’t have any effects. I saw her dedication to that — apparently it burned. She said how much it hurt in an Instagram caption. And also the song is just beautiful.”

Ryan pointed to other examples of Eilish’s dedication and care taken into her music: Her “Hostage” music video was choreographed by her and the voice distortion in “xanny” is supposed to make the listener feel as if they are walking through smoke. Attention to detail and tangible effort in the production of her own music convince Ryan of Eilish’s coolness. 

“I think everything that she’s doing has a lot of thought behind it,” Ryan said. “I can tell that she cares about it, and it’s not just about making money, getting famous. It’s about just sharing her experiences and putting into the world and validating others. She’s a phenomenal storyteller.”

The successful dichotomy of Eilish might rest in the fact that she is considered just as complex as she is relatable. Second-year communications major Ryan Cohen admires the artist primarily for this reason. 

“She seems genuine,” Cohen said. “She seems like a real human. I see videos of her dancing around on stage, and she looks like a kid like having fun, which I totally love. I just see someone who is pretty stoked to be performing and really genuinely happy to be killing it. She could be my friend, easily.” 

This relatability is what makes her music approachable and digestible without having to directly correlate to the listener’s own experiences. She pushes her listeners to consider her ideas and toy with new concepts. For example, “bury a friend” from the album “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” is about her experience with night terrors. And even more directly, in interviews, Eilish has commented on her own struggle with her mental health. One of her most recent singles, “everything i wanted,” was inspired by a dream she had in which she committed suicide and “nobody cared,” she told BBC Radio 1.

“It is cool because she can comment on how bad her mental health was with her music,” Ryan said. “She would say, ‘I was in a horrible state, but I’m so much better now.’ And that’s how I would react to my own issues, and that makes me feel like it isn’t like a product. She can even laugh at herself. I do think she comes off a little cold and standoffish, but I think that’s just her not forcing herself to be polite.” 

Her genuine persona, however, can easily be a product made by the music industry. Yes, she might be open about personal experiences, and those do not have to be questioned for their validity. But ultimately, the music industry functions as a business, and might serve as the motivation to share these experiences. 

Tapping into these boundary-pushing sentiments would be acceptable for her target fan base: tweens who are increasingly exposed to more progressive ideals. Talking about more deptful or serious issues might be what her target population desires. Afterall, Eilish has a team of 16 people who have helped develop and brand the individual since her breakout, DIY Soundcloud single “Ocean Eyes.” In no way — especially in the context of the modern music industry and her impressive level of stardom — can her success be contributed to her alone. She cannot be considered a solo artist in the purest form. 

More specifically, Eilish’s professional relationship with her brother is often an area of contention to support such a notion. She has not been quiet about the high activity her brother has had on her music making process, especially as a lyric writer. Indeed, in her first Grammy acceptance, Finneas accepted the award with her on stage. 

“I don’t have anything against Billie Eilish, I just think that her rise to fame is mostly credited toward her brother who writes all of her lyrics and produces all of her songs,” said Leah Rossi, a first-year genetics and genomics major. “I think that it is easier for Billie to be the face of their music because with vocal lessons she is able to harness her sounds, however, without her brother the only thing she would have is the ability to sing, which doesn’t cut it in industry if you want to be self-written.”

Eilish’s fans have nonetheless defended her relationship with her brother as collaborative rather than exploitive. 

“I like seeing her interact with her older brother who’s kind of the person that made her famous [in] a lot of ways,” Cohen said. “And that’s how I acted [with] my siblings. I think sibling dynamics are pretty raw.” 

“[everything i wanted] began with a screen grab that said something like ‘I love my brother,’” Ryan said. “It’s a line of defense almost against people that have been criticizing their relationship. She talks about how much she loves Finneus as her brother and her working partner, and how she would not be where she is without him. She knows that and recognizes that. I think that’s why he’s out there on stage performing with her. He goes on tour with her. When they sing ‘i love you,’ it’s just the two of them on stage. I think that is special.”

Another criticism of Eilish, which might diminish her cool potential in a serious way, is also what she has been praised for: her fashion. Her baggy, brightly colored fashion, which she claims is to purposefully limit the gaze of her body from the public eye, imitates 90s Black female rapper style. More significantly, she has not credited this historically oppressed group as her inspiration, or acknowledged this correlation. There are real and serious socially questionable aspects of Eilish’s image that cannot only limit her coolness but demonstrate her inability to recognize the larger responsibility that accompanies world-wide fame. 

Ultimately, Eilish is 18-years-old — her character is not solidified, and she is going to make mistakes in her young career. Although that’s no excuse for potential social injustices, it does not mean her potential for growth had stagnated.  

“It’s hard to be like, ‘That doesn’t feel like Billie, because who is Billie?” Ryan said. “She’s changed so much from her two albums. But […] what makes it Billie Eilish: It’s refreshing, it’s changing and it’s engaging. I think [her music] has always been more than just her singing songs. It’s just like her contribution to the world, and it is genuine, new and refreshing. I think she does it without being afraid of what other people are going to say because she wants to express herself, and I think that’s cool.”

Written by: Caroline Rutten — arts@theaggie.org