By Madison Hiser and Victoria Hernandez

Spanning from the peaks of the Ozarks to the foothills of the Appalachians, encased by the Mississippi River’s sprawling deltas and coasts of both mossy marshes and sun-kissed shores, the American South has inspired generations of storytellers. Stemming from a region characterized by community and tradition, the Southern identity holds significant weight in American culture. A vessel through which the South has shared these characteristics with the world is its literature. Southern literary works portray the unique perspective, identity, and values of Southerners through important themes that readers nationwide can relate to. Through the narratives of Southern authors, the legacy of the South lives on.

The legacy written in the pages of Southern stories is one characterized by the notorious eras of pre-Civil War, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow, but also one of shared humanity. These stories, created by both men and women, proud Southerners and migrants, authors of many ethnicities and backgrounds, tell timeless stories of life, love, loss, and resilience in times of change through a unique voice and perspective.

Southern writers have a distinct voice in storytelling, characterized by their use of language and dialect, such as turns of phrase unique to the South. Other commonalities found in content across the genre include a sense of place, the presence of religion in society, the importance of community and characters who challenge societal norms. Some of the most influential Southern writers include Flannery O’Connor, who depicted stories of misfits in the South, and Eudora Welty, who focused on the mannerisms of Southern culture through her work.

The South is built by its traditions, values, and social norms, such as community and hospitality. These ideas and how they are passed down and perceived from generation to generation are central to the Southern perspective. 

Reagan Stanley, a senior English education major at the University of Arkansas, emphasized that Southern literature is preservation of a type of history that is no longer told, going beyond the assumptions of being the former Confederacy.

“To me Southern literature, the importance of it really is going to be about the history it tells,” Stanley said. “It’s inherently unique to the United States, and especially the subcultures that I think oftentimes are ignored.”

Those subcultures being Appalachian lore and the stories told by the generations prior, he said.

Dr. Lisa Hinrichsen is an associate professor at the UA, specializing in the literature of the American South. She said that storytelling is a form of worldmaking, and the worlds made depicting the narratives of the South are very deserving of study.

“I’ve been very interested in how contemporary Southern literature brings together the U.S. South and the Global South to process questions of diasporic identity, shared historical trauma, and how it re-conceptualizes exclusionary and exceptionalist notions of nation and region,” Hinrichsen said.

As these storytelling elements are used to identify the voice of a Southern writer, there are common topics explored in Southern literature that convey their perspective. Themes such as race and class are essential to telling the history of the American South, while other themes found in the genre are telling of the values of Southern culture, ultimately detailing what the South has to offer to the broader American culture.

“Whenever we take a look at Southern literature,” Stanley said. “I think what you need to do is look at the inspiration that it has. I think oftentimes when people look at the South, you don’t notice how much destruction has been wrought on it. In general, with the mass exodus of many people, as well as the very lack of wasn’t support systems in place for single mothers and also the destruction that the opioid epidemic has ravaged in the past couple of years, to where you see a lot of those who have a lot of high drug dependency issues that are facing the modern day.”

As lineage and family bonds are prominent aspects of Southern culture, they are also prevalent in Southern writing. Writers from the South consistently set their narratives around the importance of familial ties. In these stories, characters are often deeply connected to their lineage, and these relationships often serve as a character’s main source of identity or conflict. Southern literature often highlights the significance of traditions and values passed down through generations. The preservation of cultural and familial customs is an important aspect of Southern identity.

Similar to family, a sense of community is an integral part of Southern identity. In Southern literature, the value of community can be shown in the form of many archetypes and circumstances. One example distinctive to the South is the matriarchal figure.

Strong, influential women are staples of Southern culture and literature alike; they are often the ones maintaining traditions and connections. Southern authors address this role in their work by exploring the Southern family and the influence women play in the narrative’s society.  Like in their own families, Southern women often serve as matriarchal figures to the community. This is shown in literature as the concepts of community and family are closely intertwined, fostering shared values, and a sense of collective identity.

Dr. Jarvis Young, UA assistant professor who specializes in African American Literature, acknowledges this concept in his study of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper’s anthology of poems, “Sketches of Southern Life,” particularly in her “Aunt Chloe” poems. 

“When reading her poems, we see the thoughts and conversations that black families and/or communities have in their living rooms and kitchens. We can imagine Aunt Chloe sitting in a living room chair discussing politics with her niece or nephew while using her own idioms and expressions,” Young said. “These kinds of visualizations and images, in my view, shapes and informs our understanding of what happens in black familial and communal spaces in the south and elsewhere.”

Similarly to Harper, Maya Angelou, a Missouri born, Arkansas raised, African American poet wrote a memoir about her childhood in the segregated South called “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” It is illustrated in this work how influential women in a Southern society serve as matriarchal figures to others in their community, specifically by describing who Mrs. Bertha Flowers was to a young Angelou (Marguerite Johnson).

Angelou wrote “She was one of the few gentlewomen I have ever known and has remained throughout my life the measure of what a human being can be.” This quote details the significance of women who hold these values in their community and how pivotal their influence can be for the people around them.  

The close-knit nature of small-town communities in this region of the U.S. creates a well-known aspect of its culture known as “Southern hospitality.” It is the inherent practice of engaging in common generosity and imposing the sense of togetherness. When found in literature or reality, Southern hospitality reflects not only the importance of community, but implies the importance of tradition in Southern culture.

Tradition is a staple of Southern culture, shown particularly through the social customs and values of Southerners. Social customs, such as manners and etiquette, are often rooted in tradition, and they create a sense of community and influence the way people behave in the South. 

Another custom of the South is religion. Like family, community, and hospitality the Southern identity is strongly rooted in the presence of religion. Churches and their religious practices often play a significant role in Southern communities, influencing social behavior and shared values, while the Bible serves as a structuring text for literature written in or about the American South. Likewise, religion is an essential aspect of Southern literature, as it helps shape characters and their communities, influencing their morals and values, and addresses their questions about the meaning of life or their existence. 

Literary works from the South explore the complex nature of characters’ personal relationships with faith and their association with religious practices; characters are often written to ponder over morality, inherent evil, redemption, and the search for meaning through their faith. 

These works also often evaluate the contradictions between characters’ religious beliefs and their behavior. Hypocrisy within the Church, internal struggle, and challenging of one’s faith are all prevalent themes portrayed in Southern writing.

While Southern writers tend to acknowledge the complexities of behavioral expectations imposed on society, they also frequently explore tensions between old ways and new beginnings. These authors create characters who face challenges of evolving landscape and cultural changes; they deal with shifting cultural norms and challenging the status quo.

A work of Southern literature that touches heavily on the idea of understanding and challenging tradition and societal norms in the American South is “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

This esteemed novel by Alabama native Harper Lee is an essential piece of literature that tells the legacy of the South. The novel exhibits many common themes of Southern literature and is set in a pre-Civil Rights era Deep South. The narrative considers the values of family, tradition, and humanity in the South while challenging deep prejudice and injustices of the time.

An important aspect of Lee’s perspective as a Southern writer is her ability to show an understanding for humanity amidst long-standing injustice and suffering; she does this in this novel through a tender-aged narrator. Lee expresses through her narrator’s coming-of-age realizations that prejudice is learned behavior and societal norms are reinforced by each generation. The choice to use a child as a vessel of this perspective allows readers from any region of the U.S. or abroad to hear the voice of a new generation of Southerners, a voice that is willing to challenge injustice and uphold wholesome traditions.

Lee’s novel expansively explores social injustice, how it thrives and how it is fought, as it was in the Jim Crow South. Most written works to come out of the South address social justice as it applies to race, gender, and class.

These subjects are ingrained in many works of Southern literature’s greater meaning, as they often discuss disparities between different socioeconomic groups, genders, and races. Characters in these stories confront issues related to poverty, inequality, and social systems that prompt readers to reflect on the concept of justice, or lack thereof, within the society portrayed.

An excellent example of these elements working together to create an amusing, yet convicting, Southern narrative is Kathryn Stockett’s “The Help.” The novel paints the contrasting scene of a “picture-perfect” Southern society that masks the struggles of the working-class Black population in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960s. The story follows African American housekeepers, or “the help,” as they maintain the homes of both White families and their own, and a young aspiring writer who is disillusioned by the society in which she has grown up.

Stockett wrote, “Write about what disturbs you, particularly if it bothers no one else.” in this national best-seller. The authorial comment is rooted in her own perspective as a New York City writer who grew up in Jackson, Mississippi surrounded by the upheaval and societal unrest following the Civil Rights Movement in the Deep South.

Like other Southern literary works,“The Help” accounts the various roles members of a community play in instances of injustice, depicting acts of, resistance to, or complicity in it. Stockett’s characters also challenge the traditional notions of class, race, and gender and advocate for more inclusive and equitable understanding for others.

Not only does Stockett’s novel now stand as a Southern literary pillar for exhibiting class struggles in the American South, but it is also paving a path for contemporary Southern literature.

Decades have passed since Jackson, Mississippi’s society has reflected its portrayal in Stockett’s novel, but there is an importance of a contemporary Southern voice drawing on the city’s past. Her voice not only depicts a Deep South narrative to a new generation with modern-day humor and perspective, but it also inserts ideals that exist in this region of the U.S. more prevalently than before, such as tolerance and acceptance of others.

Hinrichsen shares that contemporary Southern literature is “rich and multifaceted in its stories, authors, and reckonings with the questions of history, community, and memory.”

A discussion on Southern literature is never complete without mentioning Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner. As arguably the most famous writer produced by the American South, he is remembered as a devoted Southerner who pondered the greater meaning in life and acknowledged a balance of societal change and preservation of Southern culture in his work. 

Historically, the interconnectedness of family and community and the presence of religion influenced the way of life in the South, and the ideas of individualism and change were not yet associated with this region of the U.S. The generation of writers which Faulkner belonged to set a trend in Southern literature that acknowledged Southern values while instilling these new ideals and discussing problematic realities. 

Literature stands as a testament to the heart of the American South, offering its perspectives and values, as well as its more controversial realities, for many generations to consider. To Stanley, these stories give an idea of hope.

“I think hope is something that is best described as being aware of the problem first, because if you don’t know what the problem really is, how can you have hope for it to be resolved?,” he said.

Southern literature continues to contribute to national discussions on topics such as race, class, gender, societal change, and personal identity, adding another perspective to a conversation on an ever-changing American society. When literature from the South is acknowledged for how it contributes to the broader American culture, it can counter or create new perceptions on Southern culture as it exists today.

Through the lens of themes like family, community, tradition, race, class and religion, Southern writers have created narratives that resonate beyond geographical borders. The enduring legacy of the South shown in its literature reminds us of the power storytelling has to bring people together, foster understanding, and acknowledge the diversity of human experience.

The post Penning the Legacy of the South: The Importance of Southern Literature appeared first on Hill Magazine.

By Dustin Staggs

Purity culture has an influence outside of religious circles, hurting the physical and mental well-being of evangelical women like Taylor Goff, whose journey from emotional trauma to being diagnosed with vulvodynia reveals the overlooked complexities of pelvic pain care. 

Taylor Goff, 26, sits outside Trailside Coffee Company in Springdale, drinking her “Just Peachy” smoothie—words that could be used to describe Goff herself: just peachy.

The unseasonably warm February air makes it feel more like spring, with the temperature being 70 degrees outside. Engrossed in her work, Goff taps away on her laptop, as she organizes a women’s health panel event for her church.

From her bag, Goff retrieves two books that serve as her guides for researching and navigating the complex yet crucial topics often shrouded in silence. With an earnest smile, she hands me the first book, “Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life” by Emily Nagoski. The cover has a depiction of a woman’s open purse that coyly hints at its deeper meanings. Its sequel, “Come Together: The Science (and Art!) of Creating Lasting Sexual Connections,” follows suit, both delving into territories rarely discussed in religious circles. And yet, here Goff sits, ready to discuss what may be considered taboo with her religious peers. 

At the office of her therapy clinic, similar books that dive into these topics fill her shelves. Since her grad school days, Goff has conducted extensive research on women who face pelvic pain and knows of numerous studies that show a correlation between that pain and evangelical Christianity.

While one in seven women in the United States is affected by chronic pelvic pain, Sheila Wray Gregoire, an author who has written countless books on Christian marriages and has done her own research on the faith’s effects, found that 22.6% of evangelical women reported pain from vaginismus or another form of dyspareunia.

Goff herself reflects this statistic after she was diagnosed in 2020 with vulvodynia, a type of long-term pain around the vulva.

While a majority of the studies and statistics online show the large number of women dealing with these physical conditions that affect their daily lives, the studies don’t account for all gender identities and could be higher.

A few days before I met with Goff, she had convened her second meeting with her own orchestrated pelvic pain therapy group. This therapy group focuses not only on the physical journey of pelvic pain but also the emotional toll of it, which marks a significant step in challenging social taboos about sex and addressing the often-overlooked struggles faced by women. The group is the first of its kind in Arkansas. 

Growing up in a Southern Baptist household in Shreveport, Louisiana, Taylor Goff’s upbringing was marked by the pressures of conformity and the weight of unrealistic expectations. Subjected to emotional abuse by those meant to protect her, Goff said she found herself in a constant battle to assert her identity and protect her younger siblings from the same fate. 

“You’re not even worth hitting,” echoes the haunting voice of her parental figure.

Still, beneath the wounds of cruel words, there is a deeper, more insidious impact—one that stretches beyond emotional suffering and into physical health.

Indeed, research indicates that the effects of emotional abuse and persistent stress can show as a wide range of physical symptoms, including but not limited to chronic pain issues such as pelvic discomfort. Many people face emotional trauma at some time in their life. While we typically think of trauma as a mental or emotional condition, it may also appear physically in the body. Statistics show that the stress from the emotional trauma can be stored in the pelvic floor. 

However, that adversity Goff faced in her upbringing only drove her to help other children growing up in similar environments. Mandated therapy sessions during her parents’ divorce left her disillusioned with a system that seemed to diagnose without truly understanding or helping. Fueled by her own traumatic experiences, Goff went on to pursue a degree in psychology at Harding University to be a child therapist, determined to be the advocate she never had. 

“I’ve gone through all of this chaos,” she reflects, “and I’d love to help people feel less alone and not just a diagnosis.” Her path seemed clear, focused on early prevention and guiding young minds through the maze of emotional turmoil.

Goff, through all her trials, also found solace in her relationship with Judah Goff, whom she met the second day of English class her freshman year of high school and later married in 2019. “Thank goodness for assigned seating,” she said. 

Both being raised with similar religious ideologies, Taylor and Judah continued their spiritual journey through their years at Harding University, a private, residential coeducational liberal arts university affiliated with the Church of Christ, adhering to their beliefs and saving themselves for marriage.

In Goff’s religious upbringing, sex was rarely discussed, and if ever brought up, it was a concept filled with fear and negative connotations. Goff was constantly pressured and ridiculed by her parental figures with the idea that she would become a high school dropout and teen mom. Yet, the adults in her life scrutinizing her never went as far to discuss sex education. It was only when Goff got married that she had to look up on the internet where condoms were located.

However, amidst the joy of planning their wedding during Goff’s junior year of college, tragedy struck with the death of her father. What was meant to be a moment of celebration became one also enveloped in mourning.

Their shared journey took another unexpected turn shortly after they were married.

Intimacy became a battleground; each attempt at the consummation of their marriage for a week was marred by excruciating pain for Goff—a pain she describes as akin to hitting a wall or enduring a tear deep within.

Three months in, Goff confided in her first gynecologist to find the root of this constant pain, who chalked it up to stress and her waiting till the age of 21 to have sex. The doctor prescribed her the recommendation of drinking wine and to just relax.

It wasn’t until the Goffs relocated to Bentonville in April 2020 and consulted a new gynecologist in November that the gravity of Goff’s condition was finally acknowledged.

During the examination, the mere touch of the swab test to find trigger points of the pain evoked instantaneous tears from Goff. The gynecologist then diagnosed her with vulvodynia.

Sarah Grace M., 23, also a woman who grew up Southern Baptist, was diagnosed with vaginismus, which mirrors Goff’s journey of a struggle to find an understanding of her condition.

From a young age, Sarah Grace had struggled with pelvic issues, enduring the excruciating pain of ovarian cysts that plagued her adolescence. The journey into womanhood was blighted by obstacles, from the inability to use tampons to the agonizing discomfort of gynecological exams. Yet, her concerns were often dismissed, emblematic of a broader societal narrative that expects women to endure pain silently under the guise of resilience. 

“I feel like it’s very common for gynecologists and women’s health physicians to not exactly listen to your concerns because women are expected to just be able to deal with pain because we go through childbirth and we have periods and all these things,” Sarah Grace said. “And so it’s almost always been dismissed.”

Marie, 27, grew up in a non-denominational Christian household in Nebraska and was diagnosed with vestibulodynia. 

Similar to Sarah Grace who has chosen to keep her last name anonymous, Marie isn’t her real name. Despite the frequency of pelvic pain issues among women, a lack of awareness and discussion contributes to a culture of silence and isolation. Their anonymity is a sad reminder of the critical need for destigmatization and open communication about pelvic pain issues. 

Like similar women in her position, Marie grew up in a purity culture and waited until they were married to have sex. It was after a month of experiencing pain, which she describes as being stabbed repeatedly over and over with a knife that was on fire, that she went to see her primary physician to be referred to a gynecologist. Her appointment wasn’t until three months later.

Because Marie had heard that the beginning of sexual intimacy was a painful act for women, she thought the excruciating pain might have been normal at first. Marie too struggled with her early years of using tampons and thought the painful endurance was one every woman encountered. Like Sarah Grace, she didn’t even think it was a pain that would need consultation.

With these studies showing that evangelical women under 40 had a 22% incidence of chronic pelvic pain, far greater than the overall population, which was estimated to be between 1 and 17% as recently as 2020, we have to wonder: why is the number so much higher for this community of women? 

With our knowledge of how stress affects the pelvic floor, how much stress is being placed within the confines of our holy buildings?

For individuals raised in evangelical communities, it begins to become clear that the messaging of purity culture may have unintentionally contributed to the prevalence of chronic pelvic pain among young women. The emphasis on maintaining sexual purity as well as the connection of sexual identity with spiritual identity in evangelical doctrines created a society filled with anxiety and confusion about identity. This anxiety and the obligation to maintain a strict ideal of purity frequently became all-consuming, leaving little opportunity for a healthy exploration of one’s sexuality within the confines of faith. 

While many well-meaning members of the Christian community attempt to transmit these lessons in hopes of protecting young women, the unintended effects result in a suffocating environment in which young women feel even more alienated and vulnerable. The gap between intent and outcome highlight the difficulty of addressing these delicate problems in religious contexts. Society’s lack of conversation surrounding sexual topics and complications such as these only contribute to this outcome. 

After being diagnosed with vulvodynia, Taylor Goff began the only solution she could to navigate the pain: pelvic floor physical therapy. 

The process, which helps train the vaginal canal to alleviate the pain, was an isolating one for Goff, as it is for most women.

Sarah Grace M. also found the process of pelvic pain therapy to be an isolating one that was hard to maintain as an option to address her condition of vaginismus. 

“Doing pelvic floor therapy, it’s kind of like a giant circle of being in pain and trying to get your body used to it,” Sarah Grace said.

Vaginismus, characterized by frequent spasms and tightening of muscles beyond the vaginal canal, necessitates techniques like dilators and internal stretching in pelvic floor therapy to alleviate discomfort and teach the body to tolerate it. 

Going to physical therapy, Sarah Grace did find the people at the clinic to be nice and helpful with her condition. However, with her insurance only covering a certain amount of her sessions and her busy schedule as a nursing student, she wasn’t able to keep up with the treatment. 

While the treatment can be helpful for some conditions, especially with women after they give birth and helping with incontinence with older women, Sarah Grace said the demands of it weren’t peaceful for her as a college student.

Hannah Bohl, a pelvic floor physical therapist based in Bentonville, offers a perspective on the physical aspect of women’s journey, particularly those navigating pelvic pain and related conditions within her nine years of practice. 

In physical therapy, Bohl focuses not only on the treatment of muscular issues but also the recalibration of the nervous system to adapt to stressors, along with retraining breathing patterns to support pelvic floor function. 

The pelvic floor needs to be able to support, Bohl said. It needs to be a sump pump, as she calls it, because the pelvic floor helps carry fluid from the lower half of the body up. It’s a stabilization, Bohl explains. The pelvic floor helps attenuate all of the forces from the top to the bottom of our body. 

Bohl also works with pelvic pain incontinence, postpartum, antepartum, and people who have gut disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome. While physical therapy can’t necessarily change the systemic issues, it can change how the body adapts to them.

Knowing that it’s more than a physical component for these women to address, it becomes clear that addressing the emotional aspect of pelvic pain management is also critical for overall healing. While physical treatment focuses on muscle difficulties and pelvic floor function, Bohl also highlights the importance of mental health therapy in women’s journey to overcome chronic pelvic pain. 

Talk therapy with a psychologist or psychiatrist can be beneficial for those dealing with pelvic pain, since it provides complete care for both the body and the mind. Cognitive behavioral therapy, a kind of talk therapy, is especially effective since it focuses on identifying and addressing harmful thought patterns, thus encouraging a healthy mentality. 

“I recommend that every woman who has chronic pelvic pain, or really even chronic in a sense of older than a month, have a mental health therapist on their team, because it is so impactful and it is such a part of a woman’s identity,” Bohl said.

Mental health professionals and talk therapy relieves stress by helping create a secure environment for women to recover and cope with the emotional elements of their pain.

Bohl compares the necessity to a game of baseball, saying, “It almost be like a center fielder not having a right fielder or a left fielder. You just can’t do it, you can’t have a full out field if you’re missing team members.”

Despite the persistence in pursuing a natural method of pain relief, Marie reached a breaking point by the end of the year, feeling unable to cope with the solution of expensive numbing agents and dilators any longer.

In the majority of women’s cases, born with these diagnoses rather than developed from birth control and other secondary factors, surgery becomes the only viable treatment option. Grateful that her physician recommended surgery as a last resort, Marie decided to proceed with the procedure after exhausting all other avenues without success.

Two years after her diagnosis, Marie had a vestibulectomy, which surgically removed the painful tissue around the vulva. While the recovery and down time for her was extensive, Marie said the results were helpful. She said her condition is less sensitive without the tissue but she still suffers from limited pain and it’s more from the muscles contracting in preparation for potential pain. 

“My pathology report came back and it said that there was evidence of chronic inflammation,” Marie said. “Which for me was just kind of a validation of I did the right thing.” 

On the battlefield of intimacy, both partners in the relationship are affected. There are even stories online of husbands leaving their wives because of their inability to engage in sexual intimacy, Goff tells me. 

But for Taylor and Judah Goff, both coming from a place of hurt and wanting to find solutions, they sought a marriage counselor to help navigate the conversations that needed to be had.

Judah admits to feeling like he wasn’t as supportive as he could have been for Taylor in the beginning. 

“I just wouldn’t have the mental capacity to really understand. I don’t know why,” Judah said. “A lot of the times that’s something that kind of goes with the purity culture is just like men, you aren’t taught to have feelings or to have emotions, or anything like that. It’s just like, you can be angry or horny, and that’s it.”

Judah says it was a process of coming to terms with Taylor’s situation and understanding how to talk about it.

The Department of Rehabilitation Science and Health Technology Oslo Metropolitan University in Oslo, Norway, conducted a study in 2023 on heterosexual couples with vulvodynia. They concluded that couples with vulvodynia have difficulty communicating with their spouses, health providers, and their social networks. This reinforces avoidance and endurance behavior, causing pain and dysfunction over time, along with instilling emotions of helplessness and loneliness. In couples with vulvodynia, social expectations about male and female sexuality lead to feelings of guilt and humiliation for both partners.

Their findings suggested that heterosexual couples living with vulvodynia, as well as health professionals treating them, should be assisted in communicating more effectively in order to break the cycle of detrimental avoidance.

“If you’ve been shamed to talk about sex, then how is that switch supposed to flip once you start having sex?” Taylor Goff said. “There’s no magic switch. But also, if you’ve been shamed for even asking for full sex education, why would you ask your doctor? Why would you ask a parent? Why would you ask a friend?”

Before her surgery, Marie’s journey through the challenges of her condition reflects an emotional and psychological toll on both herself and her husband. The early months of their marriage, with the inability to consummate their relationship, Marie plunged into a deep sense of despair and self-blame. Marie said she categorizes those first four months as the worst months of her life. Being a state away from family who probably still wouldn’t have been able to comprehend their issue, and even the newlyweds they knew weren’t dealing with similar issues, Marie and her husband felt alone in their pain. 

During these trialing four months, she said she grappled with suicidal thoughts, feeling as though she had trapped her husband in a marriage devoid of the intimacy they both yearned for.

“I got so close as to grabbing a bottle of pills and debated taking them,” Marie said. “Because I was just so alone, and I felt so ashamed of my body not working, of not being able to have that part of the relationship with my husband that we both had looked forward to and we know is supposed to be this beautiful, wonderful thing. And it’s not.” 

Feeling this tremendous guilt, Marie constantly asked herself what was wrong with her body. She felt that her husband would be better off without her, and death was that option. 

Getting her diagnosis came as a relief to Marie, making her feel certain that it was something out of her control and nothing she was doing to herself, and that there were others who faced the same struggle. She said it still took personal therapy to put in the work of building up her self-worth and working through those feelings. 

Marie said that her husband unintentionally also put a lot of pressure on her, especially after the diagnosis and receiving their forms of treatment. 

As their therapist puts it, Marie’s husband took on a “taskmaster” role and was reminding Marie of all things she alone should be doing because of her diagnosis, such as using her dilators and creams. This kind of demand only contributes to the kind of isolation Marie felt with her diagnosis.

The lack of open dialogue and societal awareness surrounding sexual health, especially in religious circles, further compounded their struggles, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive sex education and communication tools for both men and women. Most men, similar to Judah Goff and Marie’s husband, have never been taught about these kinds of situations in our sex education and don’t have the tools to discuss them. 

Marie said her husband would sometimes try not to assert that mentally-damaging pressure but would therefore bottle up those feelings. Another issue men in our society are still learning how to handle. 

“But then that often led to him having those feelings kind of exploding out at different times,” Marie said. “Most of our arguments, if they would not start off about intimacy or sex, but then they would always lead to intimacy or sex because those feelings were still there. He just didn’t want to express them because he knows how hard it is for me.”

Similar to Taylor and Judah, Marie and her husband found couples therapy to be a solution to healthily navigating these conversations of intimacy.  

Going into graduate school, Goff began to deviate from courses geared towards child therapy and started taking more sexual health courses and training later after graduating. While attending Harding University, Goff also trial ran her first pelvic-pain group.

In a paper for her group therapy class, Goff wrote, “The function of this group is to provide a safe and confidential environment where people with vulvovaginal pain and pelvic floor dysfunction can thrive without feeling isolated.”

The group’s needs were to experience a sense of community and to feel as if they were no longer alone in their pain. While the lack of conversation in our society may make them feel alone in their pain, there are countless others with similar experiences. 

Today, Goff continues to explore the connection between mental health and pelvic pain with her six-week curriculum. With her available space, she is only able to have group therapy with four women at a time per week and hopes to eventually find a larger space to help more women with her pelvic pain group.

This fall, Goff will start her Ph.D. in Clinical Sexology at the International Institute of Clinical Sexology. 

The Goffs continue their relationship with the church, and even though Taylor said it’s taken a lot of deconstruction and changing to a Lutheran denomination, she feels she’s found a safe space within her current church where she’s able to discuss topics such as these.  During her panel at her Christian women’s health conference, the “Wonderfully Made Symposium,” she plans to discuss similar sexual topics and how to navigate conversations about relationships with partners.  

The motto of Goff’s church is “change church,” because Goff said church shouldn’t look the same as it did in her childhood and should never look the same from week to week. Goff finds that the church she goes to now doesn’t chalk up the complexities of life to being taboo, but rather discussions to be had together. 

Goff explains how, when you’ve conditioned your life within the church, it’s natural for the body to protect itself with the messages you’ve heard. While some people are born with these pelvic conditions, our society reflects the inability of people to have these conversations around them. 

“If you’re taught to never talk about sex, you’re never taught to talk about issues with sex,” Goff said. “So when something’s wrong, who do you turn to?”

The post Shame and Silence: The hidden struggles of women battling pelvic pain appeared first on Hill Magazine.

By Ashton York

E-books and Amazon eat up physical book venders across the United States, but some local businesses have found success selling books in Fayetteville. In a world where digital content is quickly outgrowing print media, Dickson Street Bookshop does not seem to have any trouble with physical book sales.

The bookstore feels like a labyrinth, and its halls stretch larger than the building appears from outside. There are shelves lined with thousands of books, with genres ranging from language dictionaries all the way to sci-fi graphic novels. 

Hence the name, the shop is located on Dickson Street, a popular entertainment area in Fayetteville. It opened in 1978, and contains over 100,000 gently used and out of print books on various subjects, according to the official website. Hundreds of new books are shelved weekly.

Upon entering the store, guests are quick to notice the remarkable atmosphere of the local bookshop. Suedee Hall Elkins, a prominent manager of the bookshop since 2010 and current owner, said everybody working at the store has a passion for literature that contributes to the store’s character.

“I’ve been here so long that it’s easy to forget about how magical it is,” Hall Elkins said. “But the greatest thing is that people walk in every day who have never been in the store before, and you can see the awe on their faces. I can feel that excitement I had as a little girl all over again.”

Hall Elkins first visited the bookshop when she was around four years old. As an 8-year-old, she told her mom she wanted to work at the store.

Several years later and after going to college, Hall Elkins’ friend who worked at the bookstore was planning to move away and set her up to talk to the owners. 

“She had my dream job,” Hall Elkins said. 

The bookshop’s main focus is community and creating a good experience for all who enter. The founders and owners, Donald Choffel and Charles O’Donnell, were “beloved fixtures of the community,” as the store website says.

O’Donnell passed away in 2019, and Choffel recently departed at the age of 90 on April 10. Dickson Street Bookshop social media made an announcement of his passing and said that “his effect on Northwest Arkansas and around the world is simply awe-inspiring.”

“He planned well for this day because he wanted the Bookshop to always be here, serving the local community, and that is exactly what we will do,” the bookshop announcement said. “We aren’t going anywhere, and we will continue to uphold and honor his work, values, wishes and the lifeblood he selflessly poured into the Bookshop.”

According to the store’s social media, Choffel wanted a small, private memorial service and for any donations to be made to literary programs.

After Choffel’s passing, Hall Elkins became the the new owner of the Dickson Street Bookshop, according to The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The legacy of community and printed literary work will continue at Dickson Street Bookshop in Choffel’s wake for years to come.

Many books that the Dickson Street Bookshop has in stock are from people in the local community. The shop has a genre for everyone, and this helps to bridge the generational gap and foster a sense of belonging and shared experience with people of all ages. 

Evan Wordlaw, a University of Arkansas professor and former Dickson Street Bookshop employee, said he believes the importance of local bookstores and physical publications can never be overstated. 

“You can find books that you might not find elsewhere,” he said. “I think there’s an element of discovery that is being lost to market forces and unfortunate incentives.”

Commercial stores such as Barnes & Noble do not possess the diverse and niche selection that local bookstores offer customers. The content in chain stores are from a wider geographical range and are usually more well-known titles. 

Conversely, local bookstores often receive their books from the nearby community, allowing for insight into the history and interests of people in the area. Dickson Street Bookshop will buy any gently used publications and accepts donations, which allows the books to retain character from their past. 

“I think the great thing about a used bookstore is that every book in here has a history before it came to us,” Hall Elkins said. “There’s traces, you know, bookmarks left and notes written inside and inscriptions to friends and family. All of that just kind of adds meaning to it for me.”

Unlike most current-day businesses, the store continues to use pencil, paper and calculators for purchases instead of a cash register. The old-fashioned operations of the bookstore add to the charm of the shop. 

Hall Elkins said she hopes the store eventually has enough money to build a second floor, but no other changes are scheduled for the local business. 

“I think the cool thing about it is you walk in and you feel like you’re walking back in time, in a way,” Hall Elkins said. “Bookstores like this are a dying breed and I want to maintain what we have as much as possible.”

The post The Legacy of Dickson Street Bookshop appeared first on Hill Magazine.

By Ashton York

For fans of a galaxy far, far away, there is an exciting, intergalactic event coming to Fayetteville on “Star Wars” Day this year. 

Reyetteville will take place at the Fayetteville Town Center Saturday, May 4 from noon to 6 p.m. General admission to the family friendly event will cost $12 at the door and $8 if ordered online before the event, but children 15 years and under get free entrance.

Costume contests, local vendors and “Star Wars”-themed trivia are just a few of the events that will take place at Reyetteville. The Reyetteville experience revolves around the joy and nostalgia for fans of “Star Wars,” no matter what generation of the fandom you are from.

Reyetteville hosts Emily Walker and Evan McDonald have held other events in the past, most of which were adult-only. Their brand, Fruitcake, is all about hosting nostalgic events to bring out the inner child in adults.

One well-known event they have is the Fruitcake Holiday Market, which is a holiday and nostalgia-themed market. It first happened in November and December 2023, and the host’s plan to continue it annually.

“Each individual event that we do is connected to nostalgia in a different way,” Walker said. “We always try to hit on the different types of nostalgia for all different generations.”

Fruitcake is hosting another event called “Fruit Salad” May 18. Fruit Salad will also include a small business market, along with cocktails and bingo. It will even have an after party that includes a drag show and dance party, continuing until midnight.

The idea for a “Star Wars” market came to Walker when she noticed that May 4, “Star Wars” Day, falls on a Saturday this year. Walker said she has connected with “Star Wars” differently as an adult than she did as a child.

Walker said she wants people to know that everyone is welcome at this event, even if you know nothing about “Star Wars.” 

“Fandom events can be a little intimidating if you’re not a super fan or if you haven’t watched the movies a hundred times,” Walker said. “I think a big part of what we’re trying to do is we want everyone to feel like they have a space to have fun. You can come in at any level of knowledge and you would probably still have a great time.”

Walker said she and McDonald were inspired to create these events so adults in the Fayetteville area could go out and have fun without worrying about kids. Reyetteville is the first of their events that is open for children.

“I was a little kid when the prequel series was coming out, and my dad was a little kid when the original series was coming out,” Walker said. “I guess for me, it was a family thing and something I related to my dad with. When I was in college, I found my own stride as a fan. I guess because I was an adult, I connected with them in a different way.”

Walker says they both hope to bring the nostalgic feel from their past events into the new “Star Wars” program in May, even though it is not just for adults.

“We both love ‘Star Wars’ and we’re from different generations of fans,” Walker said. “So we are trying to get a bunch of different elements in this one event, highlighting the different generations of ‘Star Wars’ fans and how we can all come together and have fun.”

Reyetteville will feature a traditional vendor market, and most vendors will have fandom-themed items. Not only will it have “Star Wars” options, but the market will also sell anything from “Marvel” to “Lord of the Rings” products.

There will be three separate rounds of “Star Wars” trivia and a costume contest with prizes throughout the day. Also, live artists and face painters will be present for the first several hours of the event.

One of the live artists is Melspace Creative, a “self-taught rug tufter specializing in pop art and whimsical abstract art,” according to the Melspace website. Her booth will have “Star Wars” items that she creates on the spot.

There will be some book booths with local stores such as Underbrush Books from Rogers. Underbrush Books will sell sci-fi and fantasy books for different ages.

Gear Gaming, a Fayetteville-based game store, will have an interactive gaming station at the market. This booth will let visitors try a “Star Wars”-themed Dungeons & Dragons game.

Docking Bay, a Fayetteville-based business, will be making 3D-printed models of droids, masks and other “Star Wars” items. 

A variety of food and drinks will be offered at the market, as many of the local vendors are based around cooking. Corndogs, roasted nuts, bakery items and more will be available.

The hosts are still searching for more vendors to participate in Reyetteville, as new businesses are continuously added to the lineup. 

The post Reyetteville hits Fayetteville appeared first on Hill Magazine.

Modern homesteaders reject mainstream consumerism by cultivating their own sustainable, community-oriented farming practices, proving it’s never too late to embrace the holistic lifestyle. 

By Dustin Staggs

The gravel crunches under my tires as I turn on Mechel and Barry Wall’s driveway, dubbed It’ll Do Road, a whimsically suitable name that reflects Mechel’s easy-going demeanor. Before the Wall’s house appears, a shed, a lush greenhouse, and perfectly-placed soil beds reveal the presence of their cherished garden. 

When Mechel and Barry moved to Pea Ridge and began to lay down roots, their first project on the land wasn’t their house, but to cultivate a garden. 

Mechel, 55, opens the door and greets me with a warm grin. “Did you bring a box for strawberries? You’re getting strawberries, right?”, she asks, briefly mistaking me for another guest. 

“No, I didn’t. I didn’t know I was getting strawberries, but now I’m happy. I love strawberries,” I say. “I’ll still take some strawberries since you brought it up,” I say jokingly.

Though the Walls only moved here in September, their home already radiates a lived-in charm. Sunlight from every window penetrates the open area, greeting me and the indoor plants. On some of the beige walls are real-life moss tapestries that Mechel has created and hung up at other places like the Co-Op.

“How cold is it outside?” Mechel asks me. 

“It’s not too cold,” I tell her. “I think once we start sweating a little bit, it’ll feel good.” 

“Oh, you’re planning to work too,” Mechel says with a slight grin on her face. With a delicate grace that conveys knowledge and experience, her face, sun-kissed and weathered, emanates ageless elegance. Behind the polished lenses of her spectacles, her eyes glitter with vivid interest. 

“I will,” I respond. “Yeah, put me to work.”

In this period of increased urbanization and reliance on commercial food systems, a noteworthy shift is emerging. A generation of adults is interested in rediscovering and modernizing the benefits of farming, gardening, and sustainable food practices.

According to Mechel Wall, the younger generation is thirsty to reconnect with the land and take stewardship over one’s food sources and environment. That’s why she and her husband, Barry Wall, are hosting the first Northwest Arkansas Farm School and Homesteading Conference at the Benton County Fairgrounds April 18–20. 

I asked Wall why she thought the younger generation has a thirst for this kind of knowledge. Even though I know there’s a lack of knowledge, I am eager to learn myself when it comes to growing my own food and sustainable living. 

Wall clarified that she is part of a number of local gardening and farming groups on social media. So many of the posts, she said, are coming from these young single and young married families. 

“Inevitably, there’s a question that comes up nearly every day,” Wall said. “‘I really want to start some seeds. Where do I begin?’ and ‘I really want to have one or two chickens in my backyard. I don’t even know where to start.’” 

The underlying sense that Wall said she gets from reading their posts and responding to their questions is that they are yearning for this knowledge. 

“They wouldn’t be asking on social media if their moms knew the answers or if they had grandparents to ask,” Wall said. “So it tells me that they’re turning to social media, local organizations, and people like Master Gardeners and their neighbors that have gardens. So it’s time for us to just link arms and come together with the information that people are asking for and make it accessible to everyone.” 

At the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, Grants and Program Manager Karen Reynolds said around the time of the pandemic, she noticed a trend of more people, not just younger adults, but older ones as well, interested in farming. Reynold’s said this could be because companies stopped hiring during the time and people were working from home, but also a lot of people just wanted a change. Reynold’s got calls from people as far as New York, who said they bought farms in Arkansas and was wondering how to get started. 

“From the past five years, it seems like there is an uptick and there is some interest, but not only in the young people,” Reynolds said. 

Even older adults who worked years in the corporate field left their fast-paced jobs to replace it with the peaceful lifestyle of farming. 

The modern farming that we’re seeing today, Reynolds said, isn’t the same traditional farming of the past. These younger and older adults are interested in a more sustainable way of gardening and growing food.

Supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic led to periodic shortages of groceries and household necessities, which caused frequent shoppers to look toward farmer’s markets. 

“They realized what a difference there is in the quality, the nutritional value, and the flavor,” Reynolds said. “And then they’re like, ‘Okay, this is better.’ Then they started researching how the produce is shipped from California and Florida, and it’s not the same. It’s being picked that morning. It starts to lose its nutritional value as soon as it’s taken off the vine. And if it’s sitting on a truck for two weeks, by the time you get it, it’s pretty low.”

By prioritizing dirt over concrete and plants above processed goods, these modern homesteaders are interested in not following mainstream consumerism standards. Their efforts showcase more than simply a return to agricultural principles; they exemplify a transformational way of life that prioritizes steady development and sustainability above instant satisfaction. This change in the narrative illustrates the possibility for a larger social return to habits that formerly defined rural life.

As these families lay down roots, both literal and metaphorical, they cultivate more than just food. This new generation of farmers operates smaller-scale, diverse family farms that use environmentally friendly techniques like soil blocks (something Mechel Wall took the time to teach me how to do), which eliminates the need for plastic pots, reducing plastic waste. But more than anything, these farmers actively participate in their local communities, introducing new cultures to agriculture.  

Joe Saumweber, 41, is an entrepreneur who specializes in local food systems, regenerative farming, and hospitality. He and his wife Mary started Tuckaway Farm last year with the goal of creating a “farm of the community.” The recently-started sustainable vegetable and flower farm in Bentonville is where anybody can come and experience agriculture on a small scale. 

Joe previously co-founded RevUnit, a design/ tech company, and served as CEO for seven years—a job that was around a lot less dirt but one that took away the time Saumweber wanted to spend with his family. 

“I love that chapter of my life, but I spent a lot of time away from my family and chasing things that mattered to some degree, but maybe not to the same degree that I thought they did,” Saumweber said. 

Following Saumweber’s departure from his job, he and his family of seven went on a two-year sabbatical, sailing 15,000 miles across the Caribbean and across the Pacific Ocean, taking the time to reconnect as a family. During this time, the kids were homeschooled, and the Saumwebers were inspired by the people they met in places like Fiji and French Polynesia.

These local people the Saumwebers saw don’t visit the store to make dinner, Saumweber said. They walk out in their backyard and harvest a few things, and they walk up the hill and shoot a goat or go fishing—dinner is served. That really stuck with the family.

“We’re a long ways away from that back home,” Saumweber said. “I don’t know how to live without a box of Cheez-Its and a bag of Cheetos.”

In those inspiring moments, Saumweber thought of how they could get closer to this way of life they were seeing across the ocean. Saumweber said Tuckaway was built on the idea of what the family imagined for themselves in this next chapter of their lives and what would check the boxes they wanted. Joe didn’t want to go back to an office 50 hours a week, and the Saumwebers wanted to work together as a family. So they became farmers.  

At Tuckaway Farm, they grow primarily by using hand and human power instead of machinery. In truth, as Saumweber is talking with me, he’s weeding his tomato bed by hand. 

“We do that because we kind of believe in this ethos of growing; using some of these older methods by hand allows us to have a lot more intimacy with the land,” Saumweber said. “This allows us to protect our soil structure and the microbiology in the soil that creates healthier food and healthier plants.”

This method of farming also allows the Saumwebers to raise their produce in such a way that it’s more nutrient dense, so it’s better for people and without harmful add-ins, which we may have grown accustomed to with the in-store products we buy. The Saumwebers can grow intensively in a small space rather than what big farms can because they have to plant between the tractor tires, whereas at Tuckaway, they don’t have that limitation.

Tuckaway Farm, as Saumweber said, is meant to be a place for people to come and connect with where their food comes from and learn about different ethical ways to interact with the land while growing food, similar to the opportunity the Saumwebers were given.

“Most of the country, including myself and my wife, we’re all three generations removed from the farm,” Saumweber said. “We’ve lost a lot of that knowledge of how to feed ourselves, and so we’re outsourcing it.”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. imports 60% of the fresh fruit and 40% of the fresh vegetables available to US residents.

Saumweber hopes to bring this knowledge of how to grow our own food back to the younger generation. 

“There is this yearning in a lot of young people to reconnect with the land and this feeling that we’re missing something. We’ve lost something,” Saumweber said. 

For thousands of years, Saumweber said, people have had to know how to feed themselves and how to nurture what comes from the ground to do that. We don’t know how to do that anymore. He thinks it’s compelling and important because we’re deciding it’s compelling and important as a culture.

Complimenting his younger colleagues, Saumweber said he thinks people younger than him, generationally, understand this necessary change even more. 

“Our value system is changing,” he said. “There’s less attachment to things and stuff and ownership and more attachment to experiences and knowledge and real value, contribution, and beauty.”       

Outside, Wall and I stand in the middle of her sectioned-off garden. 

Before they broke ground for the house, Mechel and Barry cleaned up the area we now stand in, tore the floor of what was a pig and cow pasture, made the potting shed, built the chicken coop, and then built the greenhouse that sits before us. 

Mechel prefers to work with native plants to have a natural landscape, she tells me. “Right here, these are all landscape-sized blueberries,” she says, pointing at a small shrub that sits in mulch, guarded by chicken wire.

Next to the square containing the blueberries, Mechel follows vines that pour out of a different square of mulch. She pulls strawberry start-ups from runners that touch the ground and hands them to me in a pot of mulch. 

“Those are yours to grow strawberries,” she says. 

Even though I don’t have the first clue where to start with the items she just handed me, she doesn’t seem annoyed to help. There’s almost a sense of hopefulness worn on her face when she asks me if I know how to grow them, like she’s wanting to pass on the answer.

I watch Wall work around her garden, pulling out dead stems and already-produced vines. Her silver hair is short and doesn’t get in her way. She used to own a flower farm where she would sell flowers, but that became time-consuming, made it hard to work on the rest of the farm, and wasn’t feasible. So this is all she does now, but she doesn’t seem to mind and says she finds it good for the soul. “This is what I do,” she says, raising her dirt-covered hands. 

“I really love the educational component, and I love to teach,” Wall said. “So, if I can focus on that and help people live a more sustainable, holistic life, then that’s what I want to do.”

There are simple things that people, even people who live in apartments, can do to live healthier, she tells me.

That’s something Wall said she hopes to teach amongst the interested younger generation at her upcoming Oz-Ark Homesteading and Gardening Expo this April. In addition to the Porters and Saumwebers, other experienced farmers will be there to share what they’ve learned with the younger generation interested in homesteading and gardening. 

The whole event is about empowering people with the knowledge they need to live healthier. There’s also a networking aspect to it. “It’s nice to know who knows something that you don’t,” Wall says. 

“It takes a village,” she says. “And our village has become kind of different from what it used to be back in the days when our grandparents were alive. Because their village was their small town. And their family was usually around and could help with stuff. Our families are a little bit scattered,” she explains. “And so we need those connections to our neighbors. To create that sense of community.”

We finish up with the garden, and she looks up at me, eyes beaming from her glasses, and asks me if I want to see her other farm and feed some goats. 

Excited as ever, I follow behind her down the road in my vehicle to hear the rest of her story.

Becky and Cameron Porter own The Seasonal Homestead and have been sharing their farming journey with the community since they got married in 2006, hoping to inspire others to be self-sufficient and grow their own food.

For Cameron, he said he’s always grown up with a garden, but it was never a huge priority for him to continue into adulthood. 

“I was the typical kid that complained when I had to weed the garden but always snuck out to eat fresh strawberries,” Porter said.

The married couple started small with the keeping of some plants that Cameron’s mother had given them and then eventually a raised garden bed in the front porch area. However, it was Becky, who had never been around a garden growing up or a farming lifestyle, who ended up accelerating their homesteading practices after finding a health benefit in gardening for her medical concerns.

After the birth of their third child, Becky got sick and suffered from postpartum depression, anxiety, and then stomach pains, making it hard for her to eat regularly. Becky said she would wake up in the morning, eat, and soon after have so much stomach pain that she couldn’t even stand up. According to Porter, the same routine happened almost every day for months.

Porter consulted experts first and tested all possibilities with eight doctors before getting a firm diagnosis. Porter said the doctor diagnosed her with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and acid reflux. Still, she said the prescriptions didn’t seem to work for her and decided to heal through dieting.

Porter first tried being vegan for six months, and the stomach pain was manageable but still not free of discomfort. For another three months, she experimented with going gluten-free before finally trying the paleo diet. Porter said the diet worked the best for her in regard to pain management, but it didn’t feel healthy for her as thin as she was and still continuously losing weight.

“We tried every doctor it seemed under the sun and every natural path, every cleanse you can imagine, and nothing seemed to really stick,” Cameron said. “But she did notice an immediate change when she started to eat less in the way of processed foods and more in the way of foods that we grew.”

Cameron said that when they had a harvest of tomatoes and made salsa, Becky was able to digest it with no stomach pain. “So that’s when she really said, ‘There’s something to this, and we need to do more of this,’” Porter said. 

The two expanded the garden, and Porter’s health issues began to improve. 

Now, the Porters have five kids, and with the large amount of land they recently moved to, they are able to sustain 100% of their meat with the livestock they take care of, no longer needing to eat the processed meat from grocery stores. Cameron said they are on the road to having 95% of their own grown vegetables to be fully self-sufficient.

“As the food industry in America for the most part gets, quite frankly, worse and worse and more processed, there’s a greater need to get back to food that comes from nature, and get more natural, like really natural, like nothing from a box kind of thing,” Cameron said.

In addition to being able to eat healthy, Cameron also said that a benefit to him and his wife’s homesteading life is the confidence and reassurance they get from a preparedness perspective that they are relying on their own resources.

Cameron works in the supply chain as the only source of income besides the money they make from farmers markets and the business that Seasonal Homestead brings. Working in that field, he said he understands how fragile the supply chain is and how it wouldn’t take much to cause a massive disruption in our food supply. 

“We’re seeing it kind of in small cases with a bird flu outbreak, this and that, and all of a sudden, egg prices skyrocket, right?” Porter said. “Things like that, and so it’s just a nice reassurance from that perspective that we’re not affected by that.”

The Porters, like many other farmers, have their own egg supply and food storage from vegetables that are canned and preserved. Their garden is a continuous food storage at their disposal. Cameron said that’s also a reason other young adults might be finding more of an interest in getting back into homesteading. 

Cameron said he’s happy that he gets to teach his five kids at this stage in their lives how to maintain the farm and build a good work ethic from it. 

“We did it for them so that they could enjoy country life, learn how to work, learn how to do chores, and wake up early,” Porter said. “And it’s important for them to see where their food comes from and to help with that too.”

Mechel Wall, whose farm spreads over lush green acres amid the soothing currents of Sugar Creek, refers to this as her “happy place.” It’s simple to understand why. When we arrive, an eight-year-old farm dog named Brownie approaches—a sweet soul whose initial sniff is a silent gatekeeping ritual—before granting his approval. After a moment, his tail wags, a gentle invitation to enter Mechel’s world, one of warmth and affection.

As we walk, the farm unfolds in a sun-bathed green. We near a sectioned-off field. Waiting patiently are Rosie and Daisy, two dairy goats, who both stand near wooden platforms adorned with recycled turf from football fields. It’s the two goats’ playground that Wall made, and she’s about to show me how they like to play.

Wall and I enter the field, and in Wall’s hand is a large pitcher of food. It doesn’t take much to get Rosie and Daisy’s attention; they come right up to us, ready to be loved. As young-ins, they were both bottle-fed by Mechel, so they have a trust for people that some goats don’t have. Without the food in Wall’s hand, I believe they would still come up to anyone. It’s the use of the food that gets their attention to jump on the large wooden platforms arranged in an ascending circle, each one separated by a good foot of length. 

One after the other, the goats hop on the first platform, watching intently at Wall’s hand with the food as she leads them on each of the platforms. Wall encourages them to make the jumps in a sweet and delicate mom voice. I watch in awe at the spectacle. 

“They’re just so much fun,” Wall says, almost giggling out the words. “Goats are a riot.”

The property that has been the Walls for 12 years is past a golf course on a private dirt road that runs alongside Sugar Creek. 

There is a strip next to Sugar Creek Road where people take their dogs and play in the creek; that acts as a public access point, and everything else along Sugar Creek Road is owned by the Walls and inaccessible. However, Mechel tells me they are planning on putting a little coffee/ pastry shop there to make the people feel invited to that part of their property. 

“People can park and actually enjoy the creek without having to, like, collect or trespass on it,” Wall says. “So we figured we’d just say, ‘Hey, it’s here.’ We’ll fix it up and let people use it. They can get down to the creek that way and enjoy the creek.”

All that to say because Wall makes it obvious how much she loves interacting with people, making them feel at home with this lifestyle of hers, and hopefully inspiring them to find the same enjoyment she gets out of it.

As Wall introduces me to her three dairy cows, Roy, Jenny, and Tug, she points out a small section of her land that she and Barry want to build cabins on for people to stay in. Specifically, young families or interns who would want to work on the farm and learn the process, then go home and implement it. 

“The thing that I can’t stand to hear somebody say is ‘I can’t,’” Wall says. “What I want to hear someone say is, ‘I don’t have the tools or the skills, but I want to try.’”

Wall says she wants to be able to bring people who have a desire to farm and then help them get the skills, teach them how to do it, and then match them up with a place where they can live a sustainable life. The way that Wall describes how farming and gardening have shaped her life, I can see why she would want to push others in that direction to discover it for themselves. The way she interacts with her animals and describes these passion projects she hopes to conquer next.

The post Never too late to play in the dirt appeared first on Hill Magazine.

By Elizabeth Bunnell

Students face many issues while adjusting to life in college, including learning how to budget money. College offers lots of social activities and it can be difficult to balance while working or trying to save responsibly. 

The National Center for Education Statistics reports that in 2020, 40% of full time college students were employed in contrast to 74% of part-time students were employed. 

“Being employed can help a student pay for classes and other living expenses; it can also be associated, either positively or negatively, with a student’s academic performance,” according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

There are many different employment opportunities for students wanting to work in college, including on campus jobs. The university employs over 1,000 student workers in jobs such as tutoring student athletes, working with the recreation department, and other hourly jobs. 

“There are times when it is hard to balance work and social activities, but for me, working in college is what allows me to participate in social activities so I always try to keep that in mind when I am having a hard time finding the right balance,” sophomore Georgia Peters, Business Dean’s Office Assistant, said. “I am also fortunate that in my on campus job I have a lot of flexibility which helps me balance my activities and work. Ultimately though sometimes I just have to prioritize work over social activities.”

Oftentimes students are told college is about enjoying time with their friends and making the most memories you can, but where do students draw the line between a social life and saving money?

“Being involved socially is definitely a challenge for me trying to save money. I love to spend time with and go do things with my friends and over time, the expenses to do things like go out to eat, go on road trips together, buying a new outfit for a function, or going to an event can add up. It can sometimes feel like you have to choose between being social and saving money,” Peters said. 

Financial situations can be a burden on many students’ lives. Whether it’s a daily, weekly, or monthly concern, no student wants to stress about money. 

“To be stressed about money in college is hard because schedules are so busy and there is so much going on,” sophomore Addison Halley said. “You don’t want to miss out on the fun things college has to offer but you have to be smart and know what’s worth your money.”

Halley works at an after school program two to three times a week in Bentonville. 

“I think that if you are only looking in Fayetteville it can be hard to find job opportunities,” Halley said. “I am fine commuting because it fits with my schedule.”

According to the University of Pennsylvania College Employment and Student Performance report, “four-year students who are increasingly employed throughout their college tenure receive on average significantly lower marks in their coursework.”

Employment in college may affect students in many different ways. 

“For me, working doesn’t have too much of an effect on my academic performance,” Peters said. “To a certain extent the time I am at work is time I could be doing homework or studying, but as long as I stay on top of my class work outside of work I am fine.”

Part time employment can be difficult for students to manage with busy schedules and academic demands from school. 

“I work at a car wash back home over summer and breaks. I’ve worked there for three years. During the school months I just work once a month to keep my job for breaks,” freshman Colin Barker said. “Trying to save money is hard since I have little to no income and have things that I need to buy during school. My biggest financial burden is finding scholarships and worrying about how much I will have to pay in the future for my loans.”

There are many different money saving options for students. Sophomore Lacie Johnson explained the biggest financial burden students face is paying for off campus housing. Johnson’s biggest piece of advice for students trying to save money is to cook their own food and avoid eating fast food. Johnson works as a waitress at Walk On’s Bistreaux. 

It’s not always easy for students to make the decision to save money.

“I have gotten pretty good at balancing my social life and a job,” Johnson said. “One of the biggest challenges I face when trying to save money is the cost of off campus housing, as well as the very tempting, but sometimes pricey, social events or activities. While I understand saving money is important, sometimes after a long week of school and work I just want to let loose and do something fun, which is usually never free.”

It’s important for students to remember that lots of students face financial stresses and there are lots of opportunities to work and save money while in college. There are lots of options for students wanting to save money while still wanting to make the most of their experience.

“My number one piece of advice is as a freshman, use your meal plan the way it was intended,” freshman Colin Fisher said. “We have so many options, so you can definitely save your money by not eating out.”

Fisher worked at a bank over the summer, but had to quit when he started school. He explained that his key to budgeting is setting aside $50 for meals and social activities.

“If it’s more than $50 I have to politely decline,” Fisher said. “As a result, I find my friend group doing things that are either free or very low budget, but we still have a lot of fun.”

Attending the University of Arkansas provides college students numerous opportunities to get involved on campus and explore the community, but that is not without some financial cost. Balancing work, life, and school can present challenges for students, but there are many other students trying to do the same thing.

The post Budgeting in College and Balancing Work, Life, and School appeared first on Hill Magazine.

By Madison Hiser

Beyond the lecture halls and labs, there are various University of Arkansas student groups and organizations, made up of driven individuals, paving a path of service and impact within the Northwest Arkansas community.

The university’s Emergency Medical Club (EMC) embodies this ideal as it not only serves as another preparation resource for emerging medical professionals, but it helps cultivate skills and develop their empathy and sense of community before entering the field. Through their enthusiasm and dedication to service, these students are proving that the journey to becoming a healthcare provider begins long before graduation – and that a student’s impact extends beyond campus. 

The Emergency Medicine Club, established on the UA campus last spring, is a Registered Student Organization (RSO) dedicated to fostering a deeper understanding of emergency medicine, providing hands-on experience, and creating a network of like-minded individuals who share a passion for the medical field. 

The club holds events that provide students interested in exploring emergency medicine with engaging experiences that further their knowledge, while bringing the general student body valuable emergency medicine skills. Members of the club are able to gain experience in various aspects of the field, such as volunteering and connecting with healthcare professionals.

EMC President Shivani Koundinya, a junior pre-med student, shares that the RSO allows a space for students to immerse themselves in the world of emergency medicine early in their pre-med journeys. 

“It can sometimes be scary coming to college as a pre-med (student) because it feels like everyone is already ages ahead of you,” Koundinya said, “being involved in the pre-med community can help students feel grounded and realize that they aren’t alone in this process.”

The club also hosts guest speakers from the profession to share insight into their day-to-day experiences. The meetings are open to anyone interested in attending, allowing students another space outside of their programs for connection and further learning.

“I think the most impactful aspect about being a member is connecting with others who are also interested in emergency medicine,” Koundinya said.

Similarly, Abby Cox, a biomedical engineering major, says that the most impactful aspect of her experience as a member of the club has been the community of like-minded students that come together to serve the NWA community.

“This club seeks to immerse students in the medical field, to gain experience and meet others with the same goals and majors (in order) to gain confidence within the medical field,” Cox said.

As for volunteering, EMC holds drives and other opportunities for students to volunteer in and give back to the community. EMC Vice President Sydney Bain shares that the club invites anyone interested in the cause to donate or become involved. 

“Nonmembers of the club are welcome to all of our events and to participate in any drive or community-based activities that we may do,” Bain said, “students can join the club at any time, but they are welcome to participate as nonmembers if they wish.”

Recently, the RSO held a First Aid kit-making event that allowed students to customize their own kit. The event also served as a community outreach opportunity, as attendees also made kits that were donated to the 7hills Homeless Shelter. This was the organization’s first community initiative. 

The club is currently holding a fundraiser drive for the Compassion House of Springdale, Arkansas, a nonprofit focused on helping pregnant teens to remain safe and be productive parents and contributors in their communities. 

The End-of-School Drive will be held throughout the month of April until May 3. Ideal donation items requested for the drive include diapers, wipes, tampons, and postpartum pads. 

“The current drive is to aid young mothers with the necessities that they may not be able to get on a regular basis, ” Cox said, “it allows the (student body) to come together to help an underserved community.”

Several Greek organizations and other RSOs on the UA campus are participating in the fundraiser drive to support Compassion House’s local cause.

EMC officers shared that Compassion House’s cause is closely aligned with the mission of the club.

“We wanted to do a drive benefiting a group similar in age to us and Compassion House is one of the few in our area specifically for teens and young adults,” Bain said. “This organization does vital work for the community, but it does not always have the resources the population they serve needs.”

This is the first year that EMC is holding the End-of-School drive, but officers have the intention of making it an annual event for the spring semester.

The club encourages anyone on campus to participate in the drive, whether that is donating items or volunteering their time. Anyone interested in participating can contact officers Shivani Koundinya and Sydney Bain at their emails, snbain@uark.edu and sskoundi@uark.edu. 

Students interested in joining the club can do so on HogSync; more information about the organization’s events can be found on Instagram (@emcuark) and GroupMe. 

The post Compassion in Action: The University’s Emergency Medicine Club Launches End-of-School Drive appeared first on Hill Magazine.

By Emma Bracken

Fayetteville is home to many creative voices and talents, searching for an outlet to showcase them. San Connie, a senior at the University of Arkansas, has made it his mission to bring them to life through his love for filmmaking. His feature film, “The Space In Between,” premieres on Friday evening, April 19. As the writer, director, producer, and editor of the film, Conine is anticipating not just the payoff for all of the cast’s hard work but the inspiring truth that the movie’s release represents. For him, working from the ground up to make his dream a reality is proof that anyone with creative ambition and enough love for their art can do the same. When combined with a passionate, talented group of people like the cast and crew of “The Space in Between,” the end product is bound to be something meaningful and impressive.

Conine first wrote his ideas for the film when he was just 15 years old, once abandoning them entirely before returning years later to bring them to fruition. Originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, Conine has traveled all around the country in pursuit of his education and filmmaking, collecting friends and creatives along the way that would come to Fayetteville and bring his movie to life. The film amassed a cast and crew of over 100 students from several different universities beyond the UA.

Though the film is being created by students, Conine is aiming for something beyond what you’d expect from a student film. Not only has he culminated a large-scale production beyond expectation, but the community that has emerged from the making of the film also surpasses any class project or small club effort.  

“I hope people take us seriously,” Conine said. “It’s not just a student film; we worked harder than anyone else, we cared about each other more than anyone else, and we loved the thing we made more than anyone else. We hope they can see and appreciate the effort of so many incredible people involved in the film.”

The passion and love the entire cast and crew have for the film is bursting at the seams of it all, building anticipation for those of us waiting for the release. They are working tirelessly to polish the film off and celebrate the release this weekend. Filming began just around the new year, and they’ve been putting in long hours and late nights to put it together since. Conine explained that many of the people working on the film had no prior experience at all, but cared so much about the project that things seemed to just fall into place. Everyone was an equally important part of the puzzle, and the crew became less of a staff and more of a family. 

“Art is more than it serves financially,” Conine said. “There is education, community, and love to be had.”

Operating on a tight budget and timeline, putting the film together required ingenuity and endless determination. Conine described the film as “scrappy,” with penny-pushing and cutting corners at every step. It was a community effort, with all hands on deck. The support came from even beyond the cast and crew, such as the AirBnB owner who lent them their set, or the gear borrowed from universities. Whatever could be done to bring the dream into a reality was, without hesitation or fear of failure getting in the way. Though the work was hard, everyone left the set after wrap devastated for it to be over.

“We ride until we all fall off,” Conine joked. He thanked Assistant Director Hayden Leonard and business partner/producer Josh Howington for keeping him afloat at the head of such a large project. Getting people who care, he said, was the most important key to their success, and more valuable than any equipment or high-end Hollywood set. The cast of actors, including leads Louis Waddell and Lillie Huffman, were also eager to bring the magic of the movie to life. To Conine, the greatest joy of it all will be to rave to the families and friends of his team about how proud he is of them. 

This is what makes the film special, and what the team hopes people take from it after Friday’s premiere. For him and the others working on the film, it has already been a place of love and connection. Even before knowing exactly what the end product would look like, he knew he was proud of the film because of the environment it fostered and the opportunities it created for people to get their first taste at following their dreams in the movie industry. He not only hopes that the audience will be able to feel this through the screen, but will be inspired in their own right, either to make art or meet people.   

The World Premiere of “The Space in Between” will be at 7 p.m. on April 19, in theFayetteville High School Auditorium. It is cocktail attire mandatory, and tickets start at $12.50. Not only will you be the first to get to see the film before it hits streaming, but many of the cast and crew members will be in attendance, as well as Conine who will be speaking to the audience about his experience directing the film and maybe even sharing a special announcement with the crowd. He encourages people to find the same connection when seeing the film as they all did making it, whether that means asking someone you’ve always been scared to ask out to tag along with you or flying solo and making a new friend with the person sitting next to you. 

The post “The Space in Between”: Student filmmaking turned space for love, friendship, and community  appeared first on Hill Magazine.

By Lorelai Wilson

As an NCAA Division I institution, the University of Arkansas draws the eyes of students to the field each semester. However, its qualification as an R1 university is not as praised nor utilized by the greater student body, despite its acclaim and accessibility regarding resources. 

With a yearly budget and certain responsibilities placed upon the UA library, the special collections facility is a multifaceted system built to preserve and appeal to research projects. One of the more fleshed out collections is the Fulbright Collection, due to J. William Fulbright’s lifelong, controversial intertwinement and involvement with the university and state of Arkansas as a whole. 

Joshua Youngblood, the Associate Librarian at Mullins Library, is one of the primary faculty members in charge of the special collections. The special collections unit is an ever growing library of print and digital documents serving as accessible and well rounded assemblage of material. It graces the eyes of independent researchers and UA faculty alike, though its mass of information remains unacknowledged by a significant portion of the student body. 

“Fulbright’s senatorial papers alone are 1,200 boxes of material,” Youngblood said.

From attending a Fayetteville elementary school to serving as an Arkansas senator, Fulbright’s ties to the UA library are extraordinary. 

This is also seen prevalently in his creation of the Fulbright Program at the university, which is the largest international education exchange program in the history of the entire world, Youngblood said. 

These connections have led to a uniquely niche collection headed by UA through senatorial papers, family documents and a number of other Fulbright related content. While his story is more closely tied to the UA than major figures at other universities, special collection fixations are not rare among collegiate libraries. 

These libraries collect on subjects relative to their own history as well as the researchers that have contributed and focused in those locations. The connection certain facilities have to these subjects is explored through communication in the industry. What may be offered to the UA library may be passed on to other universities due to their known prioritization of that research. 

“We have a mission to collect the state of Arkansas, to make things available to the entire people of Arkansas and then to build in certain research areas that are really important,” Youngblood said.

The UA archive collects everything that’s been published in Arkansas, by an Arkansan, or any document relating to Arkansas. This goes into the Arkansas print collection, whereas other forms of media, such as #BlackatUark, get filed into the digital collection. As the most funded and largest library in Arkansas, the Mullins Library is responsible for regulating this collection. 

In relation to what is added to the Arkansas collection, Youngblood said journals, books, yearbooks and more make up the collection of over 100,000 items. 

With such a strong archival system and level of resources, the special collections are always being graced by researchers. Whether they are officially affiliated with the university in a research capacity, a faculty member, graduate students or undergrads, the wide ranging available information easily piques different interests. 

Grace Marr, a junior in the Honors College at the university, is fueling her honor’s thesis with documents located within the special collections. Marr found her main thesis premise through a series of interviews over the Cummins Unit, a prison scandal that took place in Arkansas throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

After getting in contact with Youngblood, Marr was able to begin her research for her thesis. 

“Online there’s catalogs of library guides for where to start if you’re interested in different topics,” Marr said. “I didn’t even know it was a thing.”

While honors students tend to gravitate towards special collections in relation to their theses, the general student body at university is seen much less frequently in the archives. Such a vibrant and accessible gateway to information seems unignorable, but it somehow stays out of the limelight. 

The archives offer information appealing to such diverse concepts that there is truly something for everyone. 

“If you need to find any kind of good resource you just go there and it will list all the books they have and all the archives and stuff that would be relevant,” Marr said. 

This level of searchability is ideal for anyone ranging from casual enthusiast to accredited expert. 

The accessibility of the archives is not only seen in its online presence, but also through the process of acquiring materials. While there are steps to be taken in order to keep the documents safe, requests for materials are typically quick, simple, and well worth it. 

“You just walk in there and they have a box for you with your name on it and it’s full of exactly what you ordered,” Marr said.

Experiencing formative yet out-of-spotlight documents can be enlightening and exciting for researchers and curiosity seekers alike. There are opportunities to explore a story as it unfolds, as Marr did with her thesis project. 

“I know it ended badly, but you never know what you’re going to find in there,” Marr said. 

The special collections can be accessed through the Mullins Library by appointment only. Reach out to Joshua Youngblood for advice on catalogs, starting points, or any other facet of the archives. There are more instructions relating to the archives for appointments and materials found here.

The post Special Collections: The Explorative Side of UA appeared first on Hill Magazine.

By Alyssa Crutcher

In the many colors an artist holds on their palette to be brushed across the canvas, there is one color that always seems to stand out: pink. With so many different shades to choose from, pink has made its statement throughout hundreds of years from ancient artwork and fashion to modern decor and politics. Although the color itself is simple, the history and power it holds today is complex and rich.

Over the years, the color pink has evolved from just a pretty color in the late 17th century to a political statement in the modern day. When the color first became popular, it was worn by both men and women — traditionally viewed as masculine — boys and girls, and painted on the walls of several houses and other buildings. For children, the color pink was associated with boys while blue was associated with girls.

As society advanced, though, so did the color pink. In the 18th and 19th centuries, pink started to symbolize romanticism and was often seen worn by only women in clothing and accessories. When we reached the 20th century, pink became a cultural phenomenon.

The emergence of consumer culture and mass production during the early 20th century led to the widespread use of pink in a variety of consumer products, especially toys and baby items. Pink became closely associated with purity and youth, further solidified by marketing strategies that emphasized pink as a color for girls. Because of this, many girls, such as Janine Parry, a University of Arkansas political science professor, grew up rejecting the color pink, believing that liking the color meant they were weak and girly. It was interpreted as a negative thing.

“I would say that as I’ve gotten older, I’ve found strength in numbers with the generations of women around me,” Parry said. “I love watching it being reclaimed as a source of strength, not a sign of weakness. Because when you accept it as a sign of weakness, you’re using masculinity and traditional versions of masculinity as the standard, and that’s not healthy for anyone. I mean, ask Ken (character from “Barbie” (2024)). It wasn’t serving him well — his little experiment.”

Sohana Nasrin, a professor at the University of Tampa, said she hated the color pink when she was young. She experienced a lot of pressure from her family to wear pink clothing and up until her adulthood, always avoided wearing it. But now, she has learned to see pink with new eyes.

“I realized that it’s stupid,” Nasrin said. “My worth as a woman should not have anything to do with any color that I choose to wear. So I’ve gotten over that. I have embraced pink.”

In the latter half of the 20th century, there was a wide array of interpretations of the color pink in popular culture. From the famous Barbie doll, who always wore her iconic pink outfit, to the punk movement’s rebellious adoption of neon pink as a symbol of defiance, this color acquired various connotations and symbolisms.

Now, in the 21st century, the color is continuing to evolve, covering a wide variety of meanings and holding an array of symbolism. With what some may call a fifth wave of feminism, gender norms are being challenged now more than ever, and pink is at the forefront of the movement, encompassing self-expression and empowerment for all genders.

With 2024 being an election year, women’s issues are at the top of the ballot. Although red and blue generally encompass political viewpoints, pink seems to be showing its true colors in this year’s political landscape, leaving a lasting impression in the political sphere like never seen before. It is moving beyond its usual connection with femininity and becoming a part of political discussions, from campaign rallies to social media campaigns.

Nasrin said she thinks the revival of the color pink in protests is largely due to former president Donald Trump’s various misogynist remarks and accusations of sexual violence against women. She also thinks the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022 lit a fire beneath feminists all over the United States. 

“It does not matter what political aisle you belong to,” Nasrin said. “I think it’s fundamentally a woman’s issue, and many women are actually even thinking of changing the party lines just so they can make sure that they have abortion-related care.”

Pink’s political symbolism is exemplified by its use by different candidates and parties to convey inclusivity and progressiveness. In a time when social justice issues are at the forefront, the color pink has emerged as a powerful symbol of support for marginalized communities, such as women, LGBTQ+ individuals and people of color.

“In the contemporary era, pink has come to mean female — not just feminine,” Parry said. “And that’s a really important signal for politicians to read correctly. Because since the 1980s, women have been more likely to vote than men have been. So this is obviously a demographic group to which they want to be appealing.”

At the 2017 Women’s March in Washington, D.C., hundreds of thousands of women gathered wearing a common clothing item: pink pussyhats. Made with pink yarn and featuring elements that resembled cat ears, the hats served as a symbol of solidarity among protestors. Lately, topics such as reproductive rights, healthcare accessibility and gender pay equality have taken center stage in political discussions, with pink being utilized as a symbol of solidarity for these movements. 

Parry said the Women’s March was the first time she had seen the color pink reappropriated to mean strong and feminist. From the ‘60s to the ‘90s, women tended to stay away from anything particularly feminine to not stand out as much due to their sex or gender, she said. 

“I think it speaks to the strength of the feminist movement and of women as a voting block,” Parry said, “that they feel their leaders feel confident and comfortable enough to mobilize in such an overtly gendered way.”

Nasrin said the march was a pivotal moment for pink to become an important color in political protests. It became a symbol of love and care, and with the influence of many political women such as Hillary Clinton wearing pink pant suits and celebrities such as Amy Schumer and Kerry Washington following suite, the color took on a new role as not just feminine, but as an allusion to strength and loud voices from people who have spent so long being silenced.

“It’s a color of love, but with an attitude,” Nasrin said.

As the 2024 election season progresses, the future trajectory of pink as a political symbol remains uncertain. Its role as a representation of progressivism may persist, or it could be overshadowed by emerging symbols and narratives. Nevertheless, it is evident that the color pink has firmly solidified its position as a formidable presence in the dynamic realm of politics.

The post Painting patriarchy pink: A color of love with an attitude appeared first on Hill Magazine.