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westerngazette.caTHURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2016 • WESTERN UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER • VOLUME 109 ISSUE 28

Ethical beauty Purdy Natural is capitalizing on consumer trends in buying ethically and locally made cosmetic products. AMY SKODAK GAZETTE STAFF@GAZETTECULTURE

In her kitchen, Roxanna Purdy, owner of Purdy Natural, opens watermelon-sized jars of coconut oil, jugs of goat’s milk

and glasses of olive oil infused with herbs. Only she’s not preparing ingredients for a night of baking at home, she’s making a bar of soap on site at her local shop. Producing natural, ethically sourced goods has become a family craft that’s grown over the last six years.

The purple and turquoise Mount Pleasant Ave. storefront’s windows are lined with flower boxes and a welcoming chalkboard sign to draw you in. Walking inside feels as though you’ve entered a

treasure-trove. Luxurious scents, cosmetics and rich soaps and creams are piled high and organ-ized tastefully along the walls, completely filling up the store.

But it’s behind a black curtain in the back of the room where all the magic happens.

Rolling up her sleeves at a counter not unlike one found at home, Purdy makes her popular soaps – and all products – from scratch. She combines shea butter and goat’s milk with coco-nut and olive oil as a base for the vanilla, mint, honey or lavender blends of essential oils, used to enhance the scent.

Purdy then works the mixture into a mould, yielding log-like beams of soap ready to be sliced and packaged — but not before adding the last

ingredient that appears on each of their

product labels: love.“Our products are made here on site … with

ingredients from the earth,” explains Purdy.The ingredients used in Purdy Natural prod-

ucts differ from regular cosmetics in that they are entirely organic and handmade. “When you come here, you’re guaranteed that you’re using a healthy product that’s safe for you,” Purdy says.

“Our bodies react better to those [natural ingredients] because that’s what we recognize,” she continues. “Our bodies connect with that nature aspect. We do not recognize synthetics, that’s why we develop allergies to them.” SEE PG.6

TAYLOR LASOTA GAZETTE

2 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2016 www.westerngazette.ca •

HHis family tunes in regularly from across the country, but he didn’t expect his chiropractor to turn the dial.Carl Garnish, a third-year student reporter, was both surprised and humbled to hear compliments about his public work.

After a short-lived career of singing over the announcements in high school, Carl chose to pursue a joint undergraduate degree in media theory and production at Western and Fanshawe College. Soon after, he found a voice through one of London’s most popular radio stations: AM980. Now, he’s been there almost a year.

The full-time student delivers the news on live radio three times per week. His shifts vary widely – sometimes he could have a 1-7 p.m. shift, sometime an early morning shift. He also updates their website and helps with social media. The content garners a wide reach, as the station’s page has almost 89,000 likes on Facebook. With all of this on top of his school workload, Carl has gotten very, very used to late nights.

“[Imagine] three papers due, working from six in the morning till two, then you think, ‘I still need to write this paper,’ ” he says. “There’s no way you can multi-task when you’re in the newsroom.”

Being a student by day and anchor by night, Carl knew the double life was going to be tough, but he didn’t want to throw away the opportunity.

“It does feel a little bit Hannah Montana sometimes,” he says. “[But] your job is not an excuse to say [you] didn’t do as well as you could’ve because I had a job. You really

have to remind yourself that ... you’re a student first. School comes first.”

As a university student, critical thinking is inevitable; therefore, criticizing the media industry isn’t uncommon for Carl. However, he frequently reminds himself that advertising in media is part of the job.

“There’s ways of looking at it and then there’s being in it,” he says. “ ‘How do I fit into this mix? Do I sell out? Do I meet the public need?’ It costs money to run the industry. So, saying an advertisement on air is fair.”

The technology of radio has grown to a point where jobs previously done by four people can now be done by one or two; therefore, the competition in the industry is more intense than ever. Carl says there’s an astonishing amount of material being produced by citizen journalists and that “we’re all becoming a part of a global newsroom.” But a willingness to ask the hard questions and cover unique stories helps beat the herd.

“There’s an expectation in broadcast journalism,” says Carl. “You need to be there on time. You need to be ready to go on air. You need to be as professional as you can on air. But sometimes you will make mistakes – you may stutter on air or sleep in.”

Although there may be days where his personal life interferes with his public one, Carl is reminded by his love for journalism to push himself forward.

“Follow the market, get the feedback … and love what you do,” he says. “I certainly do.”

■HALA GHONAIM

IAIN BOEKHOFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF@IAINATGAZETTE

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KNOW

Pickpocketing on Richmond Row on the rise

Students are advised to be aware of their surroundings and their valuables after pick pocketing incidents increase.

PG 3

INSIGHT

Opinion: A resolution to not have a resolution

While it seems like half the world is resolving to change in 2016, news editor Katie Lear believes it’s best to change at your own pace and when the time’s right. PG 6

EXPERIENCE

Wearable tech on a budget

Last year saw some of the biggest companies break into the wearable technology market, but it came with a hefty price tag. For $15, one company is changing the game. PG 7

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know

Pickpockets target barsPolice caution Richmond Row revelersRITA RAHMATI NEWS EDITOR@RITAATGAZETTE

Emma Alexander was enjoying a night out at the Barking Frog in December when her night was inter-rupted by the theft of her phone.

Alexander, a second-year BMOS student, had her newly purchased iPhone 6 in her purse at the popu-lar downtown bar, which was busy as usual.

“I could feel someone tugging my purse,” Alexander said. However, by the time she turned around she could not see who took it due to the crowd.

Alexander then found her iPhone case at her feet. She spoke to secur-ity and they said they would check cameras to see if they could find out who took it, but she doesn’t know if

they ever did.Alexander is not alone in having

her phone stolen while out on the town. The London Police Service said there have been 41 reported thefts of phones and wallets on Richmond Row since October 2015. Most incidents occurred on Friday and Saturday nights.

Constable Sandasha Bough, media relations officer with the LPS, was surprised when pickpocketing was initially reported as she had not heard much about it in a long time. Bough said pickpocketing is grouped under theft as there is no specific code for pickpocketing.

“We’re encouraging citizens to be aware of their surroundings at all times and make sure that they put measures into place to protect

their valuables,” Bough said. “So make sure their purses are zipped up or closed. If you’re going to put something in a pocket, maybe put it in an interior pocket rather than an exterior pocket.”

Bough did not have specific information about which estab-lishments the pickpocketing has occurred.

If anyone has information on these thefts they are asked to call the London Police Service at 519-661-5670 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Richmond Row is crowded this week with students returning from the winter break and celebrating frost week. Students are reminded to be careful and watch their pos-sessions. n

Study finds university grads overqualified for their jobsDRISHTI KATARIA NEWS EDITOR@DRISHTATGAZETTE

Ben Baxter completed his under-grad from Western in kinesiology in April 2013, intending to become a teacher. He completed his bachelor’s in education the following year and currently works as a client adviser at Royal Bank of Canada.

“Trying to find a teaching job, I didn’t find anything within Canada,” he said. “I had a few offers outside of Canada but nothing that was that appealing.”

He discovered that if he wanted his ideal scenario with his own classroom, it would take him 10 to 12 years and until then he would be working as a substitute teacher.

Baxter’s not alone among univer-sity graduates finding it tough to get a job in their field. As many as 40 per cent of grads are overqualified for their jobs, as reported by a recent labour market assessment.

The federal parliamentary budget office discovered that the proportion of workers aged 25 to 34 with a university degree who were overqualified for their current position has been on the rise since the early 1990s.

In 2014, 56 per cent of university graduates aged 24 or younger were overqualified.

Jeff Watson, associate director employer relations at Western’s Student Success Centre, believes this statistic places a real priority on contextualizing the skills gained in university.

“In my mind it points me to think that it’s imperative that stu-dents, when they’re in their uni-versity experience, are putting a major focus on the skills set they’re developing,” he said, “and are able to articulate the transferrable skills they’re gaining and how they add value to their employer.”

Donna Moore, director of career counselling at the Student Success Centre, said when she attended the Cannexus conference in 2013 there was a presentation on how the num-ber of entry-level jobs were growing faster than knowledge-level jobs.

“If we are graduating many uni-versity grads but the jobs aren’t out there that really match with their skill, many of these individuals are ending up in entry-level jobs and they’re finding it’s almost like a glass ceiling,” she said. “They’re finding it difficult to then move into

knowledge-level jobs.”Furthermore, overqualified

workers face lower levels of job satis-faction and attachment, increasing turnover rate for employers as a result.

Watson emphasized the import-ance of job descriptions and why employers need to be more precise in articulating a job’s criteria.

“It’s not a great thing for employ-ers to lose talent,” said Watson. “It might require them to be very specific in what their needs are and really justifying why they might need an advanced degree holder for a specific position.”

According to the market assess-ment, the most popular answers for why people are not working in their choice of occupation was because they couldn’t find the job they wanted or because they couldn’t wait for their job of choice.

Watson advises that for students to obtain jobs in their field, they should be taking advantage of their career centre.

“It’s all about the preparation,” he said. “The more energy they can put into it the more advantage they’ll have when they go into the marketplace.” n

Gift cards accepted at Tim Hortons UCC

Are you passionate about student journalism? Then apply for The Gazette’s

News internship program!Applications can be found on the website,

or you can email [email protected] for one.

All applications due January 18

AMY O’KRUK NEWS EDITOR@AMYATGAZETTE

Open most Western students’ wal-lets and you’ll find more plastic than paper. Today’s undergrads are leaving bills and coins behind for more convenient credit, mobile pay-ments and pre-paid brand-specific cash cards. As of Monday, Western’s Hospitality Services is officially tak-ing notice by allowing students at the University Community Centre’s Tim Hortons franchise to use their Tim cards.

In the works since September, director of Hospitality Services Kevin McCabe hopes it’s a step in the right direction. He explained that with constantly changing pay-ment technologies, HS doesn’t “tend to do things all at once.” Instead, it’s all a matter of student demand.

“Certainly last year, it seemed that after Christmas the whole Tim card noise was pretty loud.... We wanted to make sure that this year we had it in place,” said McCabe.

Some students have appreciated the move to accept gift cards and started using them already.

“It’s really convenient because a lot of us over the Christmas break got gift cards,” said first-year science student Amn Marwaha. “I’m prob-ably just going to use my gift card right now.”

Fellow first-year science student Yashasavi Sachar agreed.

“I left all of my gift cards at home ... I didn’t think I would need them, but this makes things easier for everyone,” he said.

Just four years ago, HS franchises only accepted cash or the uni-versity’s meal plan cards. In 2012,

debit and credit card acceptance rolled out across campus after heavy student insistence. HS’s next move could be a campus-wide update for franchise-specific gift and reward cards.

“With the Tim card, we’re testing it in the UCC and if it ends up being really popular, we’ll spread it across the system,” he said. “I still have not heard a request for, let’s say, Subway or for Booster Juice.... We’re still wait-ing to hear, and if there is demand then we’ll certainly do it.”

If students want to see gift card and reward card services from Western’s HS franchises, McCabe encourages them to speak up. HS receives feedback from online food comments at uwo.ca, their text and tell service, and from employees who voice what students are ask-ing about.

McCabe maintained that it’s stu-dents who call the shots.

“Nothing’s free,” McCabe said. “Anytime we do something, there’s always a cost associated with it, and ... that’s fine if there’s a demand for it, but why put it in if there isn’t?” n

KYLE PORTER GAZETTE


knowsports

It’s not quite time for the men’s basketball team to panicA 3–4 record does not spell trouble, yetMIKE DEBOER GAZETTE STAFF@SPORTSATGAZETTE

It is simply too early for fans to press the emergency button on the Mustangs’ men’s basketball season.

There is little doubt their start was less than ideal — at 3–4, the Mustangs are currently in third place in the west division of Ontario University Athletics.

Critics can point to this record, which included blowout losses to the Carleton Ravens and Ottawa Gee-Gees, as a sign that the Mustangs program has not reached the level many expected at the beginning of the season.

Yet no team in Canada had a tougher schedule to kick off the season. The Mustangs faced three nationally ranked top-10 teams in the pre-Christmas break stretch, resulting in losses to the fifth-ranked Ryerson Rams, the second-ranked Carleton Ravens and the first-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees.

Western’s fourth loss was to Laurier, who is currently leading the OUA west division at 4–3.

When this record is put into perspective, the Mustangs can still move forward and accomplish their goals for this season.

The Ravens and Gee-Gees have a combined record of 14–0 this sea-son. Carleton is the standard for col-legiate men’s basketball in Canada and has been for years. Since the 2009-10 season, the Ravens have a combined regular season record of 129–5. Meanwhile, Ottawa is the

defending national runner-up and Ryerson is a perennial contender in the OUA.

This is not to say that the Mustangs are exactly where they want to be at this stage in the season.

The Nov. 7 loss to Laurier hurt – especially considering it was the Golden Hawks who prematurely knocked Western out of last year’s playoffs in the first round. That’s a game the Mustangs needed to win if they want to reach the next level.

But a five-point loss on the road to a division rival is an outcome that can occur in the grind of an OUA basketball season, so it’s not the end of the world.

The real question is, what do the Mustangs need to do moving for-ward? How can this team overcome their difficult start to the season and move into the upper echelons of the OUA?

The Mustangs need to improve dramatically in the rebounding department. Ottawa is averaging 46.3 rebounds per game, while Carleton is averaging 47.4. Western is averaging a measly 34.4. To beat the top teams in Ontario, the Mustangs will need to be more aggressive on the glass.

The Mustangs will also need to be much more competitive offensively. While the team has been fairly effi-cient – shooting 42 per cent from the field – they are only averaging 70.4 points-per-game. This ranks them in the bottom five in the conference in points-per-game.

Additionally, the Mustangs

are 15th in the OUA in field goal attempts per game. Western clearly needs to shoot more and attack the basket. If they do this, they will be able to improve on their 18 free throw attempts per game, which rank them 12th in the conference.

However, for all the offensive deficiencies this team is battling, the Mustangs are led by one of the best players in the country, Greg Morrow. The fifth-year star has averaged 22.7 points-per-game on 56 per cent field goal shooting. With Tony Spiridis, who has 12.4 points-per-game, and Peter Scholtes, who has 11.9, the Mustangs have a three-pronged attack that can compete

with anybody in the country.The Mustangs open the 2016

calendar with a road trip to Guelph to face the 2–5 Gryphons before returning home to take on the win-less Algoma Thunderbirds. Barring disaster, the Mustangs should get two wins in this stretch.

Western will then travel to St. Catharines on Jan. 20 for a matchup with the fourth-ranked Brock Badgers in a game that will give everyone a solid measuring stick to determine where the Mustangs truly are as a program.

The Mustangs cannot be written off as a pretender for their 3–4 record. Remember, there are still 13 games

left in the 20-game regular season.On January 9 with Morrow at

the helm, this team can still have a deep run. But rebounding needs to improve and they need to be better offensively.

This team is by no means perfect. However, they are not anywhere close to being finished.

In an exhibition game on Jan. 2, the Mustangs defeated D’Youville College, an NCAA Division III school in Buffalo, New York. The 74–52 win was a sign that this team still has the ability to contend in the OUA and remain a nationally-ranked team.

Time will tell what the Mustangs will accomplish in this year. n

Gosling scores first career international goalNATHAN KANTER DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR@NATHANATGAZETTE

Team Canada’s women’s national development team is headed to the gold medal game of the 2016 Nations Cup and they have current Mustang Katelyn Gosling to thank.

Gosling, who is in her fifth and final year at Western, is currently representing her country overseas in Germany and scored the game-winning-goal in Tuesday’s 4–2 win over Russia. It was her first career international goal.

“I don’t really remember what it felt like,” Gosling said via email from Germany Wednesday afternoon. “At first I thought it was tipped in. The girls and staff here were really amazing in making me feel special and I was overwhelmed with their excitement, let alone my own. My parents were here to watch and that really meant a lot to me.”

Gosling also profusely thanked her coaches and teammates for helping her get to where she is.

“My teammates always push me to be better and support me through everything,” she said. “The coaching staff, [Dave Barrett, Kelly Paton and Blair Webster], continuously work

with me to improve my game and expand my knowledge.”

Because there are only six teams in the tournament, Canada has advanced to the gold medal game after a 2–0 record to face Finland, who is also 2–0. Canada also won on Monday when they defeated Sweden 2–1 in a shootout.

Gosling has previously repre-sented Canada at both the 2013 and 2015 Winter Universiade, where the top female university hockey players suit up for their respective countries. She recorded four assists in four games in 2015 as Canada won a sil-ver medal.

The Nations Cup is without a

doubt the next level for Gosling, as only three players on Team Canada — including her — play at the uni-versity level. The rest of the team is comprised of players playing at American colleges or professionally in either the Canadian Women’s Hockey League or the National Women’s Hockey League.

The gold medal game against Finland will be played in Füssen, Germany today at 1 p.m. EST.

Gosling will re-join the Mustangs at the conclusion of the tournament, in time for their matinee on Sunday, Jan. 10 against UOIT.n With files from Serena Quinn

KYLE PORTER GAZETTETIME TO PANIC? Tom Filgiano tries to drive the lane against the Ryerson Rams on Nov. 20, 2015. Western is just 3–4 this season, but has plenty of time left to salvage their season.

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Editorials are decided by a majority of the editorial board and are written by a member of the editorial board but are not necessarily the expressed opinion of each editorial board member. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the USC, The Gazette, its editors or staff. To submit a letter, go to westerngazette.ca and click on “Contact.”


insightopinions

It’s a familiar narrative: the starry-eyed undergradu-ate completes their degree only to land a job flipping burgers. It’s also a scenario that’s losing its irony. With as many as 40 per cent of recent university graduates overqualified for their jobs, according to a Canadian labour market analysis, one has to wonder if universities — like Western — are doing their best to set students up for success post-graduation.

Many argue the problem stems from universities becoming overpopulated. In Ontario, post-sec-ondary institutions’ funding is based substantially on enrolment numbers, providing an incentive for schools to get students into the classroom regard-less of how they fare outside of it. While previous generations’ job applicants got by with a high school diploma, a bachelor degree is the new status quo for competing job candidates.

Further, some argue Canadian universities are turning a blind eye to the changing demands of the labour market. In 2013, a Canadian Chamber of Commerce report estimated skilled job vacan-cies would hit 1.5 million by 2016. The jobs most in demand are in the STEM fields: scientists, tech-nologists, engineers and mathematicians. Many universities, though, continue to produce graduates in out-of-demand fields while rejecting thousands of qualified applicants for programs that are more likely to successfully pair employers and graduates.

On the other hand, from the student side, undergrads need to be better rounded aside from academics during their time at school. For students hoping to enter straight into the labour market, impressive experience is trumping im-pressive transcripts. Internships, co-op programs and any and all practical training are essential to giving grads an edge. In addition, employers are increasingly looking for multi-skilled applicants. A slightly lower average can pay off if it means students can explain what they’ve done instead of what they learned.

Truly smart undergraduate students will also set aside time for networking. It’s no secret that many jobs are posted on “hidden job markets” yet networking opportunities and initiatives are absent from many university programs. It’s up to students to brand themselves and make unconventional ways of putting themselves out there a priority.

Western may boast that 92 per cent of its gradu-ates are employed within two years, but that statistic hides the qualities of the jobs and even if they have anything to do with what Western alumni learned in the classroom. Today’s students need to be smarter and more realistic about what a basic undergraduate education will get them — and what it doesn’t.

Education only goes so far in the job market

BY GAZETTE EDITORIAL BOARD

The best resolution? Not having one

KATIE LEAR NEWS EDITOR@KATIEATGAZETTE

My resolution for the new year is to not make New Year’s resolutions.

It seems like a bad idea not to take part in the custom. After all, now is the best time for change: all of the diet programs and gym memberships are on sale, self-help books and articles on what and how to change are abundant on social media and peer support is at an all-time high as everyone plunges into the same pursuit of self-improvement.

My issue isn’t with the idea of self-improvement – I think it’s healthy and mature to look at where you are in life and where you want to improve.

But I think the timing gives the resolutions an artificial import-ance that encourages people to either stick with them too little or too much.

When we initially make New Year’s resolutions, the buzz is noticeable. Pacts to go to the gym are formed over extra-healthy meals. Stated efforts to be better people are met in kind and everyone is conta-giously optimistic.

And then – maybe in the first month, maybe in the second – these resolutions are replaced with an expected failure.

Maybe this comes with those making the resolutions expecting too much too soon, or when the reality of the busy year hits, we shift idealism to the wayside. But this fail-ure is expected and that’s what I find gets in the way of any real change.

Resolutions become tame, expected and toothless – there’s no expectation to follow through because both the person making the resolution and their peers expect them to fail.

So no one, least of all yourself, will judge you for not following through. After all, it was just a New Year’s resolution and these things get broken all the time. You’re in good company – a company that breathes a sigh of relief at the end of winter and permits resolutions to fail.

But the other side of these reso-lutions brings anticipation and near-obsession with the start of the new year.

The fervor around them gives these resolutions a false weight sim-ply by falling on the start of the year.

Sure, it’s neat and tidy to start a new lifestyle on the crisp date of Jan. 1, but with that date comes an underlying importance on the tim-ing, and this day becomes the only day we can start changing our less flattering habits that we’ve built over the past year. All other days seem stale, as if the window of opportun-ity to start anew has passed and our habits have settled in for the year.

I don’t think we should let the cal-endar decide when we make resolu-tions to be better people, whatever we decide that may mean.

Why can’t we do some self-reflec-tion and decide it’s time to change at any point of the year with the same excitement with which we greet the start of January?

In fact, by taking out this expecta-tion of having New Year’s resolutions, they can come more organically, and so have a more lasting effect.

The most powerful reasons for changing come from lived events, which not only makes the motiva-tion to change more powerful, but the reason to stick with it becomes more grounded and less abstract.

Sure, the timing lends itself well to reflecting on what has and hasn’t worked for the calendar year, but distance from events isn’t always what we need. Sometimes insight gained in the moment is the most potent.

So in 2016, I’ll be changing my habits as I go, because the person I want to be isn’t a static concept I settled on the first day of the year. n

Re: “The non-debate over abortion,” Jan. 5, 2015.

Remember Jacqueline Smith. During her abortion procedure she received roughly 50 times the required dose of anaesthetic — one litre of anaesthetic. General anaes-thesia was necessary, the hospital attendant said, because the dilation and curettage would cause excruci-ating pain. An appropriate amount of sodium thiopental would block the sensation of pain as Leobaldo Pijuan removed the fetus from

Jaqueline’s womb.Within this learning environ-

ment, induced abortion, elective or therapeutic, is not widely debated. Abortion is not questionable.

If a woman is pregnant and in university, it is reasonable that she could get an abortion. She said she wanted to make the choice on her own. The free exercise of moral con-science is a fundamental right in our society.

Now wait, in Kansas an abor-tion provider once said abortion is a matter of the heart and until one understands the heart of a woman, nothing else about abor-tion makes any sense at all. Women are expected to pretend that their pregnancies never happened, even if that one cell is allowed to develop into a human newborn. Academics

and the professional career are con-servatively kept incompatible with the upbringing of fetuses.

The practice of abortion is indeed unrelated to the status of the human in the womb but the moral-ity of abortion depends on the status of the human in the womb and that status has implications for the prac-tice of abortion. The moral status of the human in the womb is a matter of the heart.

When I learnt that for a period of nine months my life was worth less than my mum’s, I said “Mum, I would have liked you to take care of yourself and forget about me.” She said she could not forget about me, even if she tried.

■ADAM HELMERARTS AND HUMANITIES III

Questioning the acceptance of abortion

Queen Lear

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Are you passionate about student journalism? Then apply for the Gazette’s internship program!

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WELCOME TO BOB’S. While you may get a job after graduating from university, it may be working flipping burgers for Bob Belcher.


experience

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Attracts and locks in

moisture

Source: purdynatural.ca, allure.com, greenbeautyteam.com, umm.edu

Buying locally, naturally and ethically CONTINUED FROM PG.1

P urdy says some chemicals found in soaps get absorbed into your bloodstream.

“People think, ‘Okay, well it’s just a tiny little bit of chemical,’ but over a long period of time in your life, you just become a consumer of chemicals,” she says. “We’re seeing a sicker society as a result.”

According to a consumer survey by the David Suzuki Foundation, 80 per cent of popular Canadian cos-metics contain at least one of the infamous “dirty dozen” chemicals, such as formaldehyde-releasing preservatives and triclosan.

Rod Duclos, associate professor of marketing in the Ivey School of Business, agrees with the concern surrounding said additives to skin products.

“In my opinion, consumers should definitely be wary of the dirty dozen,” he says. “And since chem-ical-free alternatives already exist on the market, why not switch to potentially safer cosmetics?”

While chemicals are printed on ingredient labels, there are also many preservatives that are not. In fact, fragrance recipes are con-sidered trade secrets, so manufac-turers are not required to disclose fragrance chemicals in the list of ingredients.

The E.U seems to be more con-scientious about providing consum-ers with safer products. Europe has banned 1,372 cosmetics ingredients, while the U.S. has only banned 10.

“The ‘principle of precaution’ is more entrenched in European countries than in North America,” Duclos explains.

It may be in companies’ best interests to invest in more ethical products and manufacturing since consumers are becoming more sensitive to the products they use and how they’re made. June Cotte, an associate marketing professor and faculty director of research at the Ivey School of Business, says more and more consumers have been gravitating towards ethical products in recent years.

“Broadly speaking, there has been a trend where more people are looking for socially conscious products and often they’re looking for environmental issues because it’s been so top of mind for so many years now,” says Cotte. “So they’re looking for less packaging, they’re looking for less waste, recyclable containers, things like that.”

Ethical shopping is a kind of activist consumerism against cosmetic companies with shady practices.

“Buying ethically” refers to pur-chasing products that are not tested on animals. These items are typically made using natural ingredients and are fair-trade, meaning producers of goods in developing countries are paid fairly.

“None of our products are tested on animals. We ‘test’ them on our families and friends,” Purdy jokes.

Companies like Purdy Natural are capitalizing on a trend of consumers buying ethically, and, increasingly, locally.

When fourth-year political science student Meagan Lobzun changed her shopping habits to sup-port the local economy, she didn’t realize it would lead to a passion for buying cruelty-free cosmetics as well.

“I discovered that when I was avidly looking for locally made things, most of them were ethical products,” she admits.

Leanna Seaman, an execu-tive of Western University’s Vegan Society, believes animal testing is an outdated practice in the beauty industry.

“You can’t actually transfer results from animal testing to humans,” Seaman says. “So I think it’s just outdated – there’s no reason for it.”

Finding ethical products in the beauty aisle is becoming easier in recent years but non-ethical com-panies still dominate.

First-year English student Nashita Syed reveals many of her friends don’t like to admit they buy products that have been tested on animals, but they continue to do so anyway. This is reflected in Cotte’s research, who found consumers are willing to “talk the talk” and acknowledge buying ethically is best, but not everyone is willing to “walk the walk.”

“What my research has shown is that the percentage of people who say they will intend to buy those products — safe from animal test-ing or free from animal testing — is much higher than the percentage of people who actually do,” says Cotte. “So intentions are higher than behaviour.”

Syed says she does her best to buy ethical cosmetics but finds it difficult to find products due to the limited options available.

“As a person of colour, it’s often difficult to find shades that match me properly,” she explains. “I’ve noticed that most brands that have an extensive range of foundation shades often test on animals, but I end up buying from them anyway.”

Popular cosmetic brands cer-tainly take the cake for availability,

but that’s partly because ethical companies are being overshadowed by established mainstream products.

“Finding these safer cosmetics on the shelves of retailers can be hard because the companies manu-facturing vegan cosmetics tend to be smaller in size,” Duclos says. “It’s hard for them to exist when you’re outdone by large corporations on just about every marketing metric.”

Well-known cruelty-free brands Lush and The Body Shop embody much of what ethical consumers are looking for.

The two companies support animal rights movements, the use of natural ingredients and create partnerships with producers in developing countries. These com-panies are recognized animal rights organizations such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and Leaping Bunny.

Visiting local outlets is one of many increasing ways to shop ethic-ally and have a healthier beauty regi-men. With stores like Purdy Natural taking a stand against large cosmetic companies and their unethical prac-tices, it is up to consumers to decide where they will spend their money. n



JENNIFER FELDMAN GAZETTE

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RICHARD JOSEPH ARTS & LIFE EDITOR@RJATGAZETTE

It’s a fact: every heartthrob bad-boy, from James Dean to Wolverine, is defined by their leather jacket and blue jeans. Rebel Without a Cause becomes 100 per cent less cool if you imagine Jimmy in a onesie the whole time.

But thanks to the world of mass-manufactured retail, you can be a good student and still wear leather, even this late in the year. Second-year medical sciences student Yiming Lin blends streetwear with semiformal in his warm but stylish outfit.

Lin’s jacket is his favourite piece, unsurprisingly, and it’s versatile. It’s a plain zip-up with a collar, which works well with his outfit — it’s easy to overdo it with the bells and whis-tles. Opt for simplicity and let the leather speak for itself.

It’s fairly unusual to wear a scarf with a leather jacket, but it works if they’re both weather-appropri-ate. For example, a thick-knit wool scarf would look out of place, like wearing shorts and a parka, but Lin wears a thin, textured scarf here, so it matches the jacket seasonally. The light grey contrast with the black jacket draws the eye and makes it the centre-piece of his outfit.

Lin’s sweater, in a grey marl knit, adds a subtle hint of textural con-trast and patterning to the otherwise solid colours. Similarly, his backpack does the same thing in darker neu-tral shades of purple.

Slim fit blue jeans are a timeless classic and they look fantastic with brown leather shoes. The denim breaks around Lin’s knees and ankles, called “stacking,” adding

some visual interest to the lower half and breaking up the uniform-ity. It’s all a matter of preference; some people want a straight leg all the way down, others want those stacks everywhere.

Finally, Lin has on a sleek pair of brown leather chukkas. These boots are perfect for these early months of winter, before the snow reaches your armpits, because they let you pre-serve a slim, stylish silhouette while offering ankle-high protection from the weather.

“Dress for your body type,” Lin advises. “I’m slender, so I keep my jeans slim, my shoes smaller.”

WHERE TO GET ITSHOES: Steve Madden. If you’re brave enough to wear dress shoes out in this weather, be sure you treat them right — salt and snow will wreck leather like nothing else. A weatherproofing spray (different ones for suede and leather, remember!) will help out.JEANS: Levi’s. Slim fit jeans with tapered legs are very in and for good reason. They’re perfect for any-thing from streetwear to business

casual and they pair well with brown leather shoes.JACKET: Danier. Who says you can’t look cool in the winter? Leather is a great windbreaker, but not warm by itself — layering is key.BAG: Herschel. Most err on the side of caution and get a solid, neutral bag, but it can also be used to add some patterning or colour to your outfit. Just make sure it all works together!SCARF: This is from Lin’s parents’ busi-ness, Orient Silks. Unique pieces are rare in the world of fashion today, so they’re always a prize. Plus, you’re representing family, fam. n

MOSES MONTERROZA ARTS & LIFE EDITOR@MOSESATGAZETTE

2015 was the year of wearable tech. Ranging from wrist bands to virtual reality, it would appear as though the tech industry is gearing toward technology that can be tangibly enjoyed. But the most popular wear-able tech has undoubtedly been the smart watch.

Last year, big name companies like Apple, Microsoft and Samsung put forth their best iterations of the smart watch. Serving as an augmentation to the smartphone, these watches gave users the ability to receive notifications, send messa-ges and of course, tell the time.

The only drawback to these futuristic watches was their price. If you’re looking to get the best watches, the price can range any-where between $200 and $14,000; however, by the grace of Chinese manufacturing, there exists a smart watch for the ridiculous price of $15 (or $11 if you buy it off Amazon), which is absolutely unheard of for this type of technology.

The U8 Smartwatch has the same interface as the android operating system, with three designated touch screen buttons on the bottom of the screen. It supports apps, although the quality of the apps are a bit dodgy. The build itself is under-standably not the best, as the straps often detach from the body.

It’s got a modest 1.48” touch

screen and supports many of the functions a traditional smart watch would have. You can send texts, answer calls, listen to podcasts and for $15, it doesn’t look too bad either.

The biggest caveat to the U8 is the screen. It’s extremely dark, which is frustrating if you’re in direct sun-light. Not only is it dark, but it’s small and somewhat difficult to operate.

Obviously this smart watch is not going to be a high quality product, but it is definitely a fun toy to have. It’s a promising development in the world of wearable tech as it signifies a future where technology will be set at reasonable prices.

If you’re a serious tech consumer or just someone who’s curious about up-and-coming tech, the U8 is def-initely a great product for a great price. n

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experiencegames PHOTO OF THE DAY CROSSWORD BY EUGENE SHEFFER

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