“Most of the time, I just stay with my grandma and help her clean the house,” Sonehara said. “At the end of the day, even if I don’t do anything super touristy, being surrounded by the culture, the good food and being with my family is the most important for me.”

A normal day for Sonehara inJapan consisted of spending time at her grandma’s house, exploring the Machida area located in Tokyo, window shopping for things to bring back to the United States and occasionally training for track and field. During her trip in Japan, Sonehara and her family also visited Hakone, a hot springs village west of Tokyo. This was her first experience with hot springs, which is a well- known cultural practice for Japanese people.

“Hot springs are a very Japanese-oriented culturalist kind of thing, but (it) was really fun,” Sonehara said. “Hakone is really famous for their hot springs and luxury hotels.”

Another reason Sonehara keeps Japan close to her heart is because of the unique fashion she sees there. Clothing is a special aspect of her life and she admires the wide array of personalized styles amongst Japanese people. “For me, clothing is a big way to express myself,” Sonehara said. “So being surrounded by people who dress nice and who are trying to show who they are through fashion is really amazing to me. That’s definitely a value that I always bring back with me to the states.”

Before divulging into the negatives of this privilege, it is important to understand the depth behind it. According to Vice News, “pretty privilege” is the idea that those who are conventionally attractive, based on current societal beauty standards, are given more opportunities than others. Pretty privilege, however, is not just a concept: It is also a proven science. In a 2019 study conducted by Behavioral Science, conventionally attractive individuals have a greater acquisition of resources and are more likely to experience marital and career success. This study highlights the systemic bias favoring attractive individuals, leading to unequal opportunities. The larger implications are clear: Society’s emphasis on appearance over personal value creates imbalance and undervalues intrinsic qualities, ultimately shaping people’s life outcomes based on looks rather than abilities.

Pretty privilege quietly exists in daily life, but is most apparent and harsh in the media. A primary pop culture example of this is how British singer Adele Adkins was treated before and after her weight loss. The current societal standard of a healthy, attractive body is thin and athletic, which up until 2019, Adele did not have. Once she managed to noticeably lose weight, however, she began receiving positive feedback from the media and was publicized by magazines such as the British Vogue who were surprised by her abrupt, undocumented weight loss. Because of the sudden amount of attention she was receiving, her idle career was given a boost. Adele had been trying to release music in the 5 years prior to her weight loss, but her label had rejected her sampled music. However, after the media attention, Adele was able to release a new album of music, she had said in the November 2023 edition of the British Vogue. Adele immediately gained more success in her musical career once she gained media publicity, which she received because her body was seen as more attractive. This common theme of altering one’s body to comply with societal standards can also be seen in celebrities such as American singer Lana Del Rey and American television personality Kim Kardashian, who all received career benefits after fitting themselves into a beauty standard.

Pretty privilege also affects one’s likelihood of being hired, according to an article written in April 2024 from Business Insider. Labor and employment attorney Robert I. Gosseen told Business Insider that despite the existence of hiring laws that protect candidates against biases, whether racial, economic or due to other circumstances, employers still typically weigh attractiveness as a key factor in hiring. Because the concept of appearance over personal matters is so deeply integrated into aspects of everyday life, from what is seen in the media to the chance of being successful in a career, attractiveness becomes associated with prosperity, wealth and overall wellbeing, furthering the Halo Effect.

While pretty privilege can be seen as beneficial to the people who have it and unaffecting or neutral to those who don’t, it is extremely demeaning and degrading to both parties. Of course, the absence of beauty advantages in a person can be incredibly detrimental because it engraves the message in their head that they are unattractive and undeserving, greatly impacting their self-image and worldview. Having a negative perception on one’s own attractiveness can taint their vision of how they can contribute to or fit into a societal setting. This problematic mindset can cause feelings of inferiority, decreased confidence and limited aspirations, as they believe their efforts will be undervalued due to their appearance. Living without advantages as a reward for one’s beauty while seeing others be rewarded can make them second-guess themselves, which can be frustrating if the more attractive but less qualified individual consistently receives better treatment. It is unfair to judge one based on their appearance in a societal setting, as it undermines the true value of an individual and bases their quality on something they have little control over. This fosters a divided environment where superficial qualities are valued over true abilities and character.

This notion is shown in a study conducted by Stress Health in 2019, which concluded that perceived appearance judgments can affect an individual’s willingness to do something, as well as increase their depressive and stress symptoms.

However, pretty privilege can also be a disservice to those who experience it because it impairs their perception on the realities of life and causes a lack of awareness around biases and struggles. It also creates an illusion that their beauty will be long-lasting and that they won’t experience treatment any different in the future. In actuality, however, it is impossible to keep up with changing beauty standards for a whole lifetime. Once an individual is no longer seen as conventionally attractive, they can be thrown off balance through having to learn what life is like without a pedestal.

In conclusion, the concept of “pretty privilege” permeates various aspects of society, offering disproportionate advantages to those deemed conventionally attractive. While it may seem like a benign or even positive phenomenon for those who benefit from it, the broader implications are far more complex and damaging. This preferential treatment based on appearance not only undermines the self- esteem and opportunities of those who do not fit these beauty standards, but also creates a skewed reality for those who do. This privilege fails to prepare individuals for life’s broader challenges and reinforces superficial societal values over genuine merit. Ultimately, pretty privilege perpetuates an inequitable social structure that prioritizes appearance over substance, leading to a society where true equity and fairness remain elusive. Addressing this issue requires a conscious effort to value individuals for their inherent qualities and contributions, rather than their physical appearance.

“I gave (my client) the hair he has today — a taper,” he said. “That gave me my nickname: Toby Taper.”

Wong picked up his hair-cutting hobby through maintaining his own. Unsatisfied with how his hair looked, he decided to shape it himself rather than go to a salon.

“One morning when I woke up, (a piece of hair) was sticking out,” he said. “I just cut it off and then that turned into cutting more of it. I didn’t know anything — I just did it for fun and it didn’t look that bad after.”

Although Wong initially cut his hair with kitchen scissors, he eventually began practicing using his family’s old clippers. After regularly trimming and shaping his hair, he felt prepared enough to start working on other people’s without being taught or watching tutorials.

“I cut my hair for so long that I didn’t (need to) watch tutorials on how to cut hair,” he said. “I already had a basic knowledge of how to cut — the rest was learning as I cut. Over time, I’ve tried new things and it works, and I get faster and more consistent.”

After gaining more practice by cutting his friends’ hair for free, Wong created a clientele by advertising to others in person. His name and services spread by word of mouth.

“I didn’t need to promote anything (online) because it was just my friends that were just letting me cut their hair,” he said. “(When) I finished their cuts, more people started coming.”

As his business grew, Wong faced the decision of pricing. Haircuts he practiced on friends were free, but as he became more skilled, he set the price for a men’s haircut at $12. Feedback from his clients, however, showed him that his cuts were more valuable, causing him to increase the price.

“A lot of people that sat in my chair told me they would pay more for the cut,” he said. “I later raised (the price) to $16.”

Wong only offers men’s haircuts, and prices vary depending on the type of haircut. His most well known cut is a taper, a cut in which the hair fades from short to long. He has also cut straight and curly hair mullets, buzz cuts and undercuts. Styling-wise, he has done comb overs, fringes, middle parts and side parts.

However, Wong does not cut solely to make money. Seeing the positive impacts of his haircuts on his clients’ lives is a reward in itself.

“When I walk around, I can see the people I’ve cut at school and see how it has improved them,” he said. “Some get a girl or feel more confident because they got cut by me.”

Wong also builds personal connections with new clients, motivating him to continue cutting hair.

“My parents are always really confused because they wonder why I cut hair all day in the garage, but it’s fun for me,” he said. “I get to meet new people. I’ll cut people I’ve never talked to and they come sit in my garage and we get one hour of good conversation. I’ve made friends because I cut their hair.”

Nevertheless, he made it through. After finishing the track meet, Mirza was physically drained, but his spirits were lifted.

“I realized that there are many other people who do (track) while fasting,” he said. “It gave me a new appreciation for the mental strength involved in the halal lifestyle.”

Mirza is one of many Muslims who partake in a halal lifestyle. This lifestyle is based on the concepts of “halal” (allowed or permissible) and “haram” (forbidden), which are taught in the Quran, the sacred scripture of Islam. The natural state of everything is halal, and things are haram only if specified in the Quran — pork, for example, is haram because pigs are considered unclean. These concepts apply to aspects of life beyond food, including social norms and individual beliefs.

“Universally, (the halal lifestyle) is no pork, no alcohol, no drugs,” Mirza said. “But there’s more to it with the halal lifestyle. I see the halal lifestyle as my moral code, along with the Islamic moral code.”

Freshman Hana Siddeek, who is also Muslim, noted that the distinctions between haram and halal aren’t always simple.

“There’s some circumstances nowadays where there’s not something specifically stated, so you have to use logic and reason and the sayings of the Prophet, peace be upon him, to infer the right decision,” she said. “There’s also varying degrees of disliked, allowed, permissible and encouraged.”

The strictness with which the lifestyle is followed also varies. Siddeek and her family are flexible with some things because of their personal beliefs and choices.

“Gelatine is sometimes taken from the insides of a pig, so a lot of Muslims won’t eat gelatine unless it’s halal gelatine,” she said. “But my parents (took) a class and their teacher told them that gelatine is chemically reformed — it’s a completely different thing and not actually pork. So, I eat gelatine.”

Nevertheless, finding food options can be difficult. Students may opt for vegetarian options simply because finding halal-certified food options can be challenging. While Mirza has faced these difficulties, he also noted that those at Gunn do their best to make allowances.

“You can’t necessarily eat (school lunch) depending on which family you’re from,” Mirza said. “People (at Gunn) are supportive and they understand the restrictions that I have. I feel like Gunn makes the halal lifestyle relatively easy.”

Outside the realm of food, haram and halal also govern other aspects of daily life, including social interactions.

“I can hang out with my friends just fine, but if my friends are making bets or playing poker, I just don’t put any money in,” Mirza said. “(Living halal) also teaches me how to create my own boundaries so people don’t cross them.”

For Siddeek, part of living halal is not dating.

“I don’t date,” she said. “This is a reason why I prefer juvenile fiction, because a lot of the young-adult fiction features people doing stuff that they wouldn’t normally do unless they were married, but they’re not married. That makes me a little uncomfortable.”

Ramadan is still another crucial aspect of living halal. During this sacred ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Muslims fast, waking up before sunrise for a meal and praying afterward. While fasting, Muslims do not eat or drink, including water. Prayers are segmented throughout the day: dawn (“Fajr”), early afternoon (“Dhuhr”), later afternoon (“Asr”), sunset (“Maghrib”) and evening (“Isha”).

These daily prayers allow Mirza time for introspection. While he tries to pray five times a day, most days outside of Ramadan, he prays once in the early morning and once before bed.

“Living halal affects me in a positive manner because every (day) through prayer, I get to reflect upon my own feelings and show gratitude towards my own life,” he said. While many of Siddeek’s experiences with Islam have been shaped by her parents, she has gradually learned to embrace and interpret the religion in her own way.

“As I learn about (Islam), I’ve started to (follow) it more of my own accord because I understand it,” she said. “Just learning by myself and learning from my parents’ guidance has helped me to live this way.”

]]> https://gunnoracle.com/26820/uncategorized/school-board-meeting-sees-discussion-of-wellness-pausd-promise-local-control-and-accountability-plan/ https://gunnoracle.com/26820/uncategorized/school-board-meeting-sees-discussion-of-wellness-pausd-promise-local-control-and-accountability-plan/#respond Wed, 13 Mar 2024 02:21:59 +0000 https://gunnoracle.com/?p=26820 Feb. 27’s school-board meeting addressed the student death at Gunn and provided information concerning student wellness measures on campus. Updates were also given on initiatives such as the PAUSD Promise and the Local Control and Accountability Plan. 

Board President Jesse Ladomirak opened the meeting by making a statement about the student death at Gunn on Feb. 20. Gunn School Board Representative Chris Lee (who is also a managing editor on The Oracle) also spoke about the death. 

“There are difficult, necessary conversations we must have in our community about how to better support and protect our young people,” Ladomirak said in her statement. “We can’t avoid these conversations.”

Lee discussed the measures Gunn staff and students have taken since the student death to support students. He noted that the Gunn wellness team is working to improve and make their program more visible and accessible to students, and that The Oracle has shared resources with the student body via Instagram.

The meeting continued with El Carmelo Elementary School Principal Leonel Argumedo’s equity update concerning the PAUSD Promise. As a result of the decline in literacy performance at El Carmelo, specifically from third-grade Latino and Hispanic students, El Carmelo launched the Every Student Reads Initiative, which consists of three key components: professional development, small-group instruction and data-driven discussions. According to Argumedo, in the span of one year, Latino and Hispanic students’ scores increased by 17.1 points in the English Language Arts portion of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress — almost closing the gap from standard by half.

“We still have work to do, but I am excited about the growth and progress students are making, and I am proud of the dedication and effort from our teachers,” he said.

Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education Dr. Guillermo Lopez followed with the district-wide mid-year LCAP update. The LCAP is a three-year plan for local educational agencies to create goals, plan actions and leverage resources and has three main areas of focus: high-quality teaching and learning, equity and excellence, and wellness and safety.

“One of our goals was to provide an update for 11th-grade CAASPP participation rates,” Lopez said. “This is a great improvement for us. In 2023, the rate was 95% for Paly students and 96% for Gunn students.”

After the Staff Reports, two speakers expressed concerns to the Board during Open Forum, speaking on funding for Special Education programs and SELF integration at Gunn.

Director of Facilities and Construction Eric Holm ended the meeting with a Strong School Bond Program Update. Holm shared that PAUSD elementary school classrooms will hit 25 years old, their “death” age, by 2029, meaning most buildings will need to be either replaced or updated.

“I was around 7 or 8 at the family reunion,” Knudson said. “I knew that protective hairstyles like braids came from the African American side of me, but I hadn’t been able to see it a lot, so seeing them on my (family) was really cool.”

Growing up in a predominantly white and Asian community, Knudson rarely saw hair like hers. Because her mom wasn’t educated on how to care for Black hair, either, Knudson didn’t have guidance on how to maintain her hair. She ended up following her peers’ routines, though they didn’t suit her hair type.

“I washed my hair every other day, which you’re not supposed to do,” she said. “That’s far too often for hair like mine. Most of the time, I put it in a singular braid because that’s what I saw a lot of other people my age doing.”

Knudson’s experience isn’t anomalous: Many students have struggled to maintain hair that doesn’t adhere to Eurocentric norms. Sophomore Elijah Williams, for example, described never having advice on how to take care of his naturally curly hair. Worried that he would be stereotyped, his grandmother urged him to keep his locks short.

“My grandma was really big on taking care of how people perceived me,” he said. “Growing up, she didn’t want me to look like a ‘thug,’ so she usually made me buzz my hair.”

Raised in an Indian community in Spain, senior Angelina Rosh’s self-image was shaped by cultural biases.

“In the Indian communities (in Spain) that I grew up in, everybody brushed out their curly hair to make it frizzy — nobody knew how to take care of their hair,” Rosh said. “The standards in Indian culture are Eurocentric, so straight hair is considered prettier. I always internalized it as (me) having really ugly hair. I hated my hair.”

When Rosh moved to the U.S., she encountered more diverse hair types but still felt restrained by the beauty standards in her Indian community.

“I go to an Indian church,” she said. “That’s where it proliferated. The Indian community I was in maintained the same values that the mainland does, which is that straight hair is prettier. All the aunties would make passes at my hair.”

Still, students like Rosh have carved out their own methods of self-care over the years. While Knudson didn’t dedicate much attention or care to her hair at first, she reevaluated her routine after seeing her grandmother’s hair at the reunion, experimenting with new hairstyles to restore her hair’s health. Her go-to during this time was straight down — no up-dos — because pulling her hair back into tight ponytails and braids like her peers’ had damaged it.

Similarly, Williams experienced a perspective shift at the beginning of eighth grade, when he got a haircut that didn’t suit his hair. Wanting to be able to feel good about himself and look his best, he believed that growing out and learning more about his hair was essential.

“I didn’t want (my hair) to be really unhealthy,” he said. “I just didn’t know how to fix it. I resorted to social media, and then my brothers also helped me a lot. I just kind of experimented.”

Rosh also gave herself time to explore new hairstyles during the pandemic. Through TikTok and other online posts, she curated a hair-care routine that restored not just her curly hair, but her self-image.

“The pivotal point was walking into church again, and an auntie that had made fun of my hair before (asked) me, ‘Oh my goodness, how do you do your hair?’” Rosh said. “I told her, and then I told her daughter. Now, her daughter has healthy curly hair and she knows how to take care of it.”

After instructing some other church members on how to take care of their curly hair, she began to teach her mom as well.

“I held so much judgment against her for not knowing how to do my hair, but then doing my mom’s hair and teaching her how to do it really felt like a generational breaking point,” Rosh said.

Rosh has enjoyed being an educator and advocate for those with curly hair. Now, both she and her mother embrace their culture through their hair maintenance.

“Putting energy (into) and prioritizing taking care of my hair makes me feel more connected to my culture — whether it’s oiling my hair or having my mom oil my hair — which is a big love language for us,” she said.

By the time Knudson graduated from middle school, she had also decided to change the way she styled her hair to better reflect her cultural background and artistic desires.

“I started to care (more) about my appearance, not only because other people saw me, but because I wanted to look the best for myself,” she said. “I planned to show a different side of me when I got to high school. I wanted to express and experiment with myself in artistic ways, and my hair was one of them.”

Knudson’s first protective hairstyle entering high school was braids, inspired and done by her grandmother. When 2024 began, however, she tried a new style: two-strand twists called passion twists, which she currently wears.

According to Knudson, getting her hair done was a time-intensive process: Cornrowing, looping in extensions, crocheting and twisting took two to three hours. Still, it was worth it — after the passion twists were finished, Knudson returned to school with yet another part of her culture that she could share with others at school. “In (Gunn), you don’t see as many people with protective hairstyles,” she said. “(My hair) helped me expose myself and have people see different sides of me.”

Embracing her unique hair — alive in her grandmother and embedded in her ancestry — has given Knudson a profound appreciation for her identity.

“Learning about my hair and being able to express myself through it (has) helped me be closer to my Black roots,” she said. “I can see a different side of me that I haven’t been able to before.”

Likewise, Williams expresses his pride in his Black culture and carries this pride with him through his hair.

“I like to represent being Black, especially in areas where we’re a minority,” he said. “I feel like through my hair, I can do this.”

Zhong made headlines in October, when he was hired by Google after having been rejected from 16 of the 18 colleges he applied to. Now, he works on Google’s Cloud Sales team, helping build software for salespeople.

Zhong attributes his success to his strong work ethic. He didn’t expect to get hired, but was ecstatic when he found out.

“I was pretty surprised,” Zhong said. “I didn’t go into the (interview) thinking it would happen. When I started out, I thought it was something (I would) try, and if it goes well, that’s great. If it doesn’t, I got some good interview practice out of it. When I was (accepted), I was really happy, my family was really happy.”

The interviews consisted of an online screening in which  Zhong answered technical software-engineering questions and a behavioral interview. 

“Google has a concept called ‘Googliness,’ the idea being how well you uphold the company’s values,” he said. “It basically comes down to whether you are a jerk or not.” 

Zhong’s multiple rejections soured his views on applications and acceptances. Working at Google boosted his confidence, however, reinforcing his interest in computer science and  jump-starting his career.

“For computer science particularly, you can pick up more working and doing hands-on things at a company like Google or at a startup than you could at college,” Zhong said. 

Thus, he decided to take a gap year before enrolling in the  University of Texas at Austin to focus on his future at Google. Google’s welcoming environment made the transition from high school comfortable. 

“Google doesn’t expect you to know everything right off the bat, and that’s why there is this boarding period where you have that grace (period) to just learn things,” Zhong said. 

Still, Zhong’s lack of work experience has proved a challenge: Most of his co-workers have had industry experience already.

“That is something where I do need to pay a little more attention to, just because I don’t have all of that knowledge yet,” he said.

His age hasn’t had a negative effect on his work life at Google, though. According to Zhong, most of the employees have been friendly

“Nobody is biased or acts differently towards me,” he said. “Everyone is really supportive.”

Because Efermova didn’t have the resources to learn about the LGBTQ+ community in his primarily conservative town, he felt alone in and confused about his identity. “I am a queer person,” Efermova said. “I didn’t know (being queer) existed (until) I was 10 or 11. Growing up, I didn’t know anyone who was queer. It’s so hard to find queer (representation) in Russia, especially in not-that-big of a town.”

The size of his school only made the atmosphere more oppressive. With only twenty rooms in his school, Efermova spent 11 years with the same class of 30 students. “(My classmates were) very homophobic — (they made) fun of gays,” he said. “I was called slurs. It was not very pleasant, but I assumed that there wasn’t anything different.” Even though living in a safe and accepting environment was a dream for Efermova, he doubted it would ever materialize. “I didn’t think it would ever come true in a way that I (could) experience it myself,” he said.

In February 2022, Efermova faced the prospect of something different: life in the U.S. Efermova’s dad, who owned a software company, wanted the family to relocate to Silicon Valley, where he would have more clients. Efermova wasn’t completely on board. “(Moving) to the U.S. was more of my dad’s dream than mine,” he said. “I was not entirely happy about coming here. I’m a person that likes (stability).”

It wasn’t until after becoming accustomed to his new life that Efermova finally found people he could connect with: allies both within and outside of the LGBTQ+ community. “I connected (with) a bunch of other people, and now we have (a) friend group,” he said. “As a person who never had many friends, and never was very accepted anywhere, I feel really grateful to (have) my friends. They chose me to be in a friendship with. I feel like this is the best my life has ever got.”

Although Efermova was initially opposed to immigrating to the U.S., he now appreciates his dad’s decision. “I am really grateful (to) my parents for bringing me here,” Efermova said. “Even though it’s not something that I explicitly was dreaming of, America brought me the dream of freedom to be able to be myself.”

crucial to consider students’ varying learning styles
and personalities. When course policies are molded
specifically around students, it creates a comfortable
environment where all students feel motivated and are
genuinely interested in learning.
Courses that don’t accommodate different learning
paces can harm students by increasing stress and
decreasing academic performance. This dynamic was
seen in a study that measured New Orleans high school
students’ stress levels in 2018. Before taking the SAT,
which includes long periods of testing with short breaks
in between, researchers measured students’ levels of
cortisol, a stress-induced hormone. The results showed
that students with high cortisol patterns, and therefore
more stress, experienced an 80-point drop in SAT scores.
While stress can be self-induced, it is also promoted
by course inflexibility and restrictive policies. In the same
study, inherently strict testing environments resulted
in a decrease in student performance, since test-taking
abilities vary among students. A study conducted in 2020
by researchers in the Department of Psychiatry at the
University of Gondar found that 54.7% of high school
students experience test anxiety. Measuring a student’s

grasp of the material based on one test is unfair, since

students can experience anxiety, struggle to focus in high-
stakes environments or face burnout during extended

test-taking periods.
To combat this issue, courses can adopt more lenient
testing procedures. Allowing students to utilize their
learning materials during tests could help them feel
motivated to pay attention and take thorough notes.
Students can also be tested in several ways, such as
through group projects or presentations. In 2014, Eva
Chiriac, a researcher at the NIH, concluded in a study
that 97% of surveyed students preferred and felt more
comfortable in a group-work setting compared to a
restrictive testing one. Group projects and presentations
can reduce pressure and cultivate an environment of active
learning that’s motivated by genuine interest rather than
fear of failure. Test retakes are another way of increasing
coursework flexibility: Students are encouraged to truly
understand the material and learn from their mistakes
instead of disengaging from content due to low scores.
Course policies should adapt to students’ differences
rather than work against them to foster a community that
benefits all learners.