Have you met families that seem to be the definition of picture-perfect? Often these families actually contain and conceal ruinous secrets. “We Were Liars” by E. Lockhart tells the thrilling story of one such family, the seemingly stereotypically perfect Sinclairs. 
The Sinclairs have always tried to keep to their traditional ways of life. For all of protagonist Cadence Sinclair’s life, she and her cousins have tried to continue the legacy their mothers started and “be a credit to the family,” which includes ignoring anything that brings them sadness, like the loss of their grandmother, and blocking out things that might mar the family’s reputation. This is why the family avoids talking about Cadence’s accident the summer she was fifteen, and even Cadence, who suffers selective memory loss, does not know the details of it. Every summer, the Sinclairs travel to their family-owned island, where they are joined by Cadence’s aunt, her boyfriend Ed, and his nephew Gat. Cadence, her two cousins Johnny and Mirren, and Gat are known as the family “Liars” for reasons unexplained. The summer of her accident, the “Liars” had begun to look more closely at the life they have grown used to, setting off a chain of events that culminated into a major chain of events. Two years later, Cadence returns to the island where the infamous accident occurred, determined to find out what truly happened. 
“We Were Liars” draws you in by revealing only snippets of Cadence’s story at a time, making you wonder what might be left out of the narrative. While reading it, I felt eager to discover the things I knew were missing, and the major reveal at the end definitely lives up to the expectations Lockhart builds throughout. Lockhart’s use of metaphors exaggerates Cadence’s feelings by adding a physical element to them, such as when Cadence describes her reaction to mentions of her dead grandmother, saying “my veins opened. My wrists split. I bled down my palms.” Lockhart also inserts classic fairy tales altered to describe events in Cadence’s life, which, as well as her metaphors, give the reader insight into the feelings Cadence isn’t able to express herself. In addition to being a thriller, the novel analyzes the role class and money plays in a person's life, most notably in Cadence and Gat’s relationship, and it was interesting to see how different characters view the Sinclair wealth. Even though the story is told through the perspective of those with money, “We Were Liars” taught me to stay true to myself and appreciate the people around me. Its themes about loss and responsibility impacted my original perceptions about growing up, teaching me that there are some things you cannot change about yourself and others. “We Were Liars” delivers both a compelling thriller and an interesting exploration of class, allowing even readers who are not typical fans of thrillers to connect with its themes and messages.

“We Were Liars” Review

   From memes to style inspiration, it’s been hard to escape “Barbie” (2023) this summer, and for good reason. Though one might not expect much more of the movie than its bright pink hues and sparkles that are heavily featured in its beginning sequences, “Barbie” has a lot more to it. As the film progresses, “Barbie” reveals director Greta Gerwig’s examinations of womanhood and of the role of the patriarchy in today's era.
   In Barbieland, each of the Barbies has her own job, from doctor to president, while the Kens are devoted to constantly supporting the Barbies in all that they do. The Barbies believe that this depiction of women in every job imaginable has “solved feminism” in the real world, and they are proud of themselves for helping women realize their capabilities. But their female empowerment has its limits, as the Barbies shun all imperfections. They are terrified of being any less than perfect and becoming like the Barbie they call “Weird Barbie,” who became damaged after being played with too hard. She is a horror story to the Barbies, and when the stereotypical Barbie (played by Margot Robbie) starts noticing defects in herself, she’s willing to do anything to revert back to her perfect life and avoid ending up like Weird Barbie. 
   When her journey takes her to the real world, she discovers that the lives of most human women don’t contain any of the dream houses and dance parties of hers. An impassioned speech by Gloria (played by America Ferrera), a woman in the real world, sheds light on the impossible standards women constantly face. Even Barbie can’t fulfill the ideal of a perfect, accomplished, and flawless woman that women in the real world are forced to contend with. The main goal of “Barbie” is to expose how difficult it is to be a woman in a society full of contradictory expectations. As Gloria says, “You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin.” In her powerful monologue, Gloria shows how hard it is to be the “perfect woman” when you’re only human. Though the Barbie doll is known for her unattainable body and enforcement of stereotypes about women, the movie itself takes a contrasting point of view, arguing for the acceptance and embracement of human flaws. This message isn’t exactly original or ground-breaking, but it is more than you would expect from a movie about Barbie, and it does the important job of giving a spotlight to many feminist issues. Its message of acceptance, along with a poppy soundtrack, humorous script, and stylish costumes, is enough to make any viewer feel good walking out of the theater. 
   Additionally, the film demonstrates how the patriarchal system is detrimental not only to women, but also to men. Ken (played by Ryan Gosling), once considered merely Barbie's accessory, embarks on a transformative adventure that exposes the insidious nature of objectification. As he ventures into a fiercely competitive and toxic male environment, Ken finds himself surrounded by a culture that objectifies women, reducing them to mere commodities. This environment, unfortunately, thrives on the possession of these objectified women, equating sexism with masculinity. However, it's only once Ken has a profound realization that he is "Kenough," independent of societal expectations, that he breaks free from this toxic masculine paradigm. His journey serves as a powerful reminder that, along with perpetuating misogyny, the patriarchy also negatively impacts men, trapping them in a never-ending cycle of insecurity and unhealthy competition. "Barbie" masterfully explores these themes, offering audiences a thought-provoking narrative that encourages us all to challenge and dismantle harmful societal norms.
   “Barbie” (2023) takes responsibility for all that the brand has projected onto women in years past; while the original Barbie represented a woman can do everything herself (something that, at the time of the original Barbie’s release, wasn’t common), they also created a woman with no imperfections, something which is not ever attainable in real life. The film also highlights how our world’s patriarchal society encourages men to objectify women, but how the Kens have always been the opposite, craving Barbie’s approval. Though the movie finds a happy medium in Barbie world, leading the Kens to accept themselves as individuals and letting the Barbies accept their imperfections, it doesn’t actually provide a clear-cut solution to misogyny, mostly because there hasn’t been one yet. Instead, it focuses on how impossible we’ve made it for women to be respected for who they are, and it encourages women and men alike to reject these societal expectations. Our world isn’t made of plastic, and we shouldn’t model it as such.

Barbenheimer Spread

Sarah Kaputa ’23 often gets lost in her art, painting for hours at a time. Ever since her grandmother introduced her to portrait-making as a child, she has been extremely passionate about art. Since then, she has experimented with many different styles of art (including printmaking in high school), but takes most of her inspiration from artists in the Renaissance period. Over the course of her high school career, Kaputa discovered a love for art history, and she will be continuing this passion by majoring in art history at Northeastern University. 

How did you start making art?
My grandma is a portrait artist, so I followed in her footsteps, and growing up I always was drawing and painting like her. And it was always my top hobby, so it kind of just blossomed. I like painting people a lot; I really follow in my grandmother’s footsteps in that [regard]. But I also do a lot of landscapes and classic stuff like that.

What type of art do you make?
I mostly do painting, but I just started printmaking and I  love it. Painting is a lot more fluid; I can work, rework, change things around, and get creative. But printmaking, there’s a lot of planning that has to go into it, which is different for me because a lot of times I don’t plan; I start painting. But both are really fun and I like that it’s a new thing. I’ve been painting since I was young, but I started printmaking last year, so I’m still developing  my craft.

How has your art style developed?
As I’ve grown, I’ve just figured out what I like to paint in terms of subject matter, but also I’m a really big fan of Renaissance art, so I take a lot of inspiration and style from that. But I also like being a little more fluid and I’ve kind of forced myself with my installation to try out different styles and things like that.

Do you have any inspirations in art?
I’m a really big fan of Artemisia Gentileschi. She’s one of the only few female Renaissance painters, and she has this incredible painting of two strong women killing a man. It’s so powerful and amazing and it gets me every time; she’s just so cool. I think it’s really cool that she was one of the first [women] to be famous and among the greats. She’s dear to my heart.

What are some challenges in painting?
I think just coming up with a plan for something that’s unique and something that really interests me. [In] all of my paintings, I get really in the zone and I’ll end up working for like six hours at a time because I just love it so much. [One particular challenge is] just planning something that’s interesting, new, and creative. I always try to create something that I feel I can be proud of it at the end. 

Are you going to continue to paint after graduation?
I’m actually not majoring in art, but I’m majoring in art history, so I’ll still have that piece that I can connect to in my studies. But I’m definitely going to take art classes and go to studios and museums and things like that, so I’ll definitely keep it up.

Sarah Kaputa ’23 reflects on the impact of art on her life

   This spring, Studio Vocals showcased their hard work at multiple events, including the Princeton Jazz Festival on April 15, the National Jazz Festival on April 22, and the New Jersey State Jazz Festival on April 29. To accommodate the busy April schedule, Studio Vocals worked on a fast-paced schedule and held multiple practices every week to ensure that they performed their best in all of their events.
   “We have a lot of dedication to making sure that a song is at the best it can be before a performance or a competition. If we need to go over a certain section repeatedly in order for it to be solid, we will,” said Ashley Chen ’23, a member of Studio Vocals.
   Through their hard work and dedication, Studio Vocals were a key element to the jazz performances this month, and through these collaborations, they were given a bigger platform to perform.
   “The plans are to give our studio vocalists more of a period to keep singing as Studio Band and Jazz Ensemble get deeper in the competition season and may or may not be using vocalists,” said PHS Band Director Joseph Bongiovi.
   On top of practicing as a group, the members also rehearse independently. Their hard work allows them to feel confident on stage, a key aspect of an overall good performance.
   “I rehearse a bunch by myself and learn the songs mostly by listening to recordings and singing along to instrumental recording tracks,” said Studio Vocals member Maggie Dooley ’24.
   The group members focus a lot on the technical aspect of performing. To prepare for performances, they rehearsed with microphones beforehand. Being able to blend one’s voice and figure out the correct volume and tone to sing into the microphone can make or break one’s performance.
   “For the competitions, we each have to sing with our own microphones. Although it was a bit scary at first, my ability to blend while on a microphone has definitely improved,” said Vivian Clayton ’24, another member of Studio Vocals.
   While the vocalists initially used rehearsal tracks to learn their parts, the performances themselves were put on with a live rhythm section. To prepare for this, members of Studio Vocals rehearse multiple times with the Studio Band instrumentalists themselves in the time leading up to the performance.
   “Our biggest strength is the fact that most vocal jazz groups don’t have a rhythm section that plays as well as ours. That allows us to have something solid in terms of tempo and harmony to harmonize with,” Bongiovi said.
   From highlighting the songs played by the musicians to guiding them with the actual piece, members of Studio Vocals were a necessity for Princeton’s jazz festival.
   In addition to the pressure that comes with having to learn multiple tracks, performing at a competition in and of itself comes with lots of nerves, so being comfortable on stage is one of the most important parts when performing and competing.
   “Beyond getting the actual notes and rhythms right, our stage presence is hugely important. For the audience, and of course judges, a performance is much better when the singers are engaged with the music and their peers,” Clayton said.
   For many, just being on stage makes them feel gratified. The culmination of one’s hard work with their group can feel very satisfying.
   “After the crazy rehearsal schedules we have and all the hard work we put into our songs, it feels so good to see everything finally together on stage. Even if we don’t win first, being able to perform together is the most rewarding part,” Chen said.
   While Dooley, Clayton, and the rest of the younger members will continue to grow as a group in Studio Vocals, others will soon have to depart from the group as they continue on their personal journey in college.
   “It’s definitely a little sad that this is my last time doing it all. I’ve been doing Studio Vocals since freshman year, it’s been such a big part of my high school life and I can’t imagine not doing it. I’m going to miss the whole working up to competition feeling, the excitement, and the pride we all feel together when we’re done singing the most,” Chen said.

Tessa Silver's Work

The Tower