Phoebe Wong - The Tufts Daily

Arts

Weekender: Xinjiang cotton forces fashion to choose its focus — East or West?

By Phoebe Wong | April 15

Many Chinese citizens boycotted retailers that accused China of sourcing cotton through forced Uyghur labor, and called on others to do the same through blogging and social media sites like Weibo. For products of brands like Nike or H&M that they owned, Chinese consumers covered their logos with masking tape or even threw them away entirely. Chinese influencers, who had previously partnered with Western brands and who are integral to their appeal to Chinese consumers, similarly denounced the brands.

Arts

Mugler Spring RTW literally dazzles the runway

By Phoebe Wong | April 6

The star-studded runway of Mugler’s latest show thus comes as no surprise, but it also is notable for its relative diversity in both body type and race. Mugler specifically released the video on March 31 as well, which is International Transgender Day of Visibility. Schafer and Jackson, who are both transgender women, wore many of the standout looks.

Arts

Canceling Teen Vogue's Alexi McCammond won't end anti-Asian hate

By Phoebe Wong | March 23

The fashion industry plays a key role in recent violence toward the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, but it goes far beyond the latest controversy over Alexi McCammond, who was set to be the next Teen Vogue editor in chief. Asians have faced an onslaught of racism and violence over the past year of the pandemic.

Arts

On-campus arts students, professors respond to COVID-19 with resilience

By Maeve Hagerty, Tuna Margalit and Phoebe Wong | March 15

It’s been just over a year since COVID-19 shut down Tufts. Amid the initial pandemic panic, educators and students were forced to quickly adapt to a virtual environment — something especially difficult for the university’s arts groups and programs. The Daily spoke with multiple professors and students involved in the arts about the transition to online formats.

TV

How COVID-19 has affected the arts, locally and globally

By Christopher Panella, Stephanie Hoechst, Sadie Leite, Drew Weisberg, Devina Bhalla, Yas Salon and Phoebe Wong | March 15

While larger artists have stayed afloat, beloved venues have felt the impact of the end of live shows. In Boston, multiple local venues have been forced to close doors due to economic losses following the cancellation and postponement of live music. One such venue is Great Scott, which has hosted shows in the greater Boston area for more than 40 years.

Arts

Kim Jenkins talks clothes, culture in the 1920s and today

By Phoebe Wong | February 24

Despite the current strain on the fashion industry due to COVID-19, Jenkins' comments also prompted thoughts of today’s consumer culture adapting in a similar manner with alternating simplicity and glitz. In some sense, dressing in sweats at home resembles the more relaxed, casual trend of the roaring ‘20s drop waist dresses.

Arts

‘The White Tiger’ book roars louder than its film adaptation

By Phoebe Wong | February 3

Netflix’s “The White Tiger” (2021) adapts Aravind Adiga’s award-winning book of the same name (2008) almost too well. For the most part, sticking close to the novel’s events and language works. The movie effectively captures Adiga's vision of a piece of India — a dark story of soured class relations and corruption hiding under a facade of democracy. However, jamming so much of the original plot onto the screen also has downsides. Namely, the movie loses much of the book’s satirical humor and leaves many moments without sufficient context.

Arts

COVID-19 forces fast fashion to slow down

By Phoebe Wong | December 4

Apparel sales are expected to decrease by as much as 28-38% by the end of the year, making it one of the industries hit hardest by the pandemic. Thankfully, this seemingly detrimental trend may actually reflect a more positive shift away from fast fashion and its damaging effects.

Arts

Hope Tala’s ‘Girl Eats Sun’ provides daydreams without depth

By Phoebe Wong | November 30

Her new album, “Girl Eats Sun” (2020), continues to show her potential, not only through features with artists like sky and Aminé but also through her unique fusion of bossa nova and R&B influences. At times, the album struggles to develop depth and originality beyond her few previous works. Nevertheless, her music immerses you wonderfully in a sun-soaked daze of summer love.

Arts

‘The Queen’s Gambit’ achieves checkmate

By Phoebe Wong | November 16

Impressive in its own right, "The Queen's Gambit" adopts a fresh perspective by delving into chess’ intersections with substance abuse and gender discrimination.