BYLINE ISSUE 08: THE BEAUTY ISSUE BY ADAM FRIEDLANDER

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And that could be true. But what if the eye is untrained? What if the beholder’s sight is wavering, out of focus, imperfect? What if their beauty receptors are conditioned, misguided, faulty? One has to at least consider, then, all of the beauty that could go unseen.

Issue 08: The Beauty Issue came to be thanks to this conundrum: Who is the beholder to say what’s beautiful, to inform its subjects and surroundings of their perceived beauty, if they’re overdue for a vision check? If a slew of environmental factors — the internet, filters, the male gaze, our mothers, body dysmorphia, the iPhone’s cursed front-facing camera, an inexplicable pressure to post selfies, overuse of retinol — make it hard to recognize beauty when it’s right before their eyes? Each story in this issue somehow challenges the beholder, reveals the wide-range of feelings one experiences while grappling with its flaws, and after a long journey, guides the reader back to something more pure, real, and tangible.

CONTRIBUTORS 

WRITERS

Angela Baidoo, Charlie Kolbrener, Chloé Desaulles, Clairo, Cora Lee, Ella Snyder, Elizabeth Sochko Hussain, Gaby Gloria, Jack Reichert, Jane Drinkard, Jess Johnson, Jo Rosenthal, Julia Rose Eng, Karina Muslimova, Katie Stone, Lucas Oakeley, Ora Margolis, Raegan Bird, Rebekah Sherman-Myntti, Rex DeTiger, Sable Yong, Tyler Goulden, Youmna Melhem Chameh

PHOTOGRAPHY AND ART

Adam Friedlander, Anna Henderson, Augustus Stewart, Ayomide Sama, Chris Harnan, David Brandon Geeting, Deb Leal, Julia Kokernak, Maddy Rotman, Maggie Cowles, Maria Medem, Meghan Marin, Ohni Leslie, Rob Vargas, Tracy Nguyên, Zoey Kim