Shifter Selects: Butterfly Fly Away
Graphic by Victor Martinez-Rivera. Photos from left to right: Genera+ion/HBOMAX, Demi Lovato/YouTube, David Koma Collection/VOGUE.
Welcome to Shifter Selects, a new addition to our digital component where we’ll highlight the latest trends in music, film/TV and fashion. Here’s how it’ll go down: on Monday of every week, we’ll be on the lookout for trending topics and give our hot takes on the matter. Sound like something you’d be interested in? Look no further than our Shifter Selects for the week of April 5–April 9.
This week, we continue to dive into Demi Lovato's tumultuous journey through her seventh album, "Dancing With the Devil...The Art of Starting Over," the ups and downs of HBO Max's new teen dramedy, "Genera+ion" and the symbolism of butterflies in fashion. Let's get into it.
Music
Demi Lovato Chronicles Her Own Renaissance on Seventh Studio Album, "Dancing With the Devil...The Art of Starting Over"
by Valerie Galarza
Where to listen: Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon Music, Deezer, etc.
Demi Lovato’s latest album “Dancing With The Devil...The Art Of Starting Over” dives into the singer’s struggles of drug addiction and how she is working towards “starting over.”
Both her album and documentary “Dancing With The Devil” breaks through barriers as it sheds light on the pop singer’s drug addiction which is resonated with many fans who have struggled with some form of addiction as well.
Lovato recently released the deluxe version that features a new song titled “Sunset” as well as three acoustic versions of the songs “Anyone,” “Dancing With The Devil,” and “ICU (Madison’s Lullaby).”
Demi posted to her Instagram stating that “I create my art to heal, and to inspire others.” We’ve certainly felt inspired by Lovato’s new album as the singer promotes self-love and acceptance in her songs complemented with her powerhouse vocals and vulnerable lyrics that certainly hit home.
Film/TV
HBO Max's "Genera+ion" is the Coming of Age Dramedy That's Been Long Overdue
by Brianna Bradley
Where to watch: HBO Max
HBO Max’s new series “genera+ion” follows a group of high school students as they explore love and sexuality in a conservative community.
“Genera+ion” shows us something real with authentic representation and relevant subject matter. The show features a diverse cast of newcomers accomplished actors: Chase Sui Wonders, Chloe East, Haley Sanchez, Lukita Maxwell, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Nathanya Alexander, Nava Mau, Uly Schlesinger, Justice Smith and Martha Plimpton.
Lukita Maxwell (“Delilah”), a woman of color and member of the LGBT+ community, admitted that she never felt represented on screen until she was cast in the series:
“Almost everyone on the show is a little bit queer, or at least queer-adjacent, and their understanding of how they choose to identify themselves doesn’t always depend on labels.”
The first eight episodes of “genera+ion” are available to stream right now, and part two of the season is scheduled to release later this year. What are you waiting for? This is our generation.
Fashion
Butterflies Fluttering Through Fashion
by Camille Ruiz Mangual
Where to watch: Instagram, TikTok
For many of us, butterflies defined an aspect of childhood. Now, the nostalgic butterfly fashion trend of the 90s is once again emerging from its cocoon and begging us to engage.
In the late 90s, Mariah Carey popularized the iconic butterfly look. Recently, the butterfly trend has reappeared in fashion outlets such as Naeem Khan’s SS19 collection, David Koma’s AW19 show, Mary Kantrou’s psychedelic butterfly print, and Marc Jacobs’ SS20 butterfly glasses. The trend has also taken over TikTok and Instagram. On TikTok, you can see the reappearance of butterfly clips, butterfly makeup, jeans with butterfly prints, and so on. In your feed, you might see celebrities like Olivia Rodrigo, Megan Thee Stallion, Demi Lovato, and Dua Lipa bringing the 90s back with their butterfly clips, outfits, or, in Lovato’s case, a song and tattoo.
If you’re not already on this trend, get on it. It’s cute, it’s easy, and honestly, who doesn’t want a bit of nostalgia right now?
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Here's our playlist for this week:
Want to keep up with the latest trends?
Tune in next Monday for our next installment of Shifter Selects!