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  • The charming exterior of Butter and Fold attracts many customers at all hours of business. From the elegant teal and gold color scheme to the waft of freshly baked breads, it’s impossible to simply pass by without taking a peek inside.

    A&E

    Butter and Fold: The perfect place to satisfy your pastry cravings this fall

  • At the Olivas Links Golf Course, on Sept. 21, 2023, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) girls golf team faced off in a league match against Bishop Diego. The Dragons played well and won the match with an overall score of 249-303. Pictured above, Maddie Wicks 26 concentrates as she putts her ball toward the pin, finishing hole five with three over par.

    Latest

    Recap: Girls’ golf takes Bishop Diego 249-303

  • On Sept. 22, 2023, Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) competed in their first Tri-County Athletic (TCAA) league meet. Foothill Tech races with five girls on varsity, including Danika Swanson-Rico 25, Bennett Rodman 26, Kalea Eggertsen 26, Emma Anderson 26 and Isabella Efner 25. They warm-up on the start line, exchanging words of encouragement and waiting for the queue to begin the race.

    Cross Country

    Cross country starts off strong at first league meet of the 2023 season

  • With beloved melodies and nostalgic anthems dating back over a decade, fans and general audience members alike enjoy singing along to her award-winning album, Fearless, from 2008.

    A&E

    The Eras Tour: an adventure spanning 17 years of music 

  • On Sept. 21, 2023, Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) boys water polo hosted a home game against their opponent Malibu High School (Malibu). With lots of splashing, Ethan Ortiz 24 attempts to find an open teammate to give Foothill Tech an advantage to win their league match.

    Boys' Water Polo

    Recap: Boys’ water polo bested by Malibu

  • Students of Foothill Tech try to make button pins of their own design at Back to School Night. This college and career class provides an opportunity to learn life skills and creativity.

    Latest

    Foothill Tech welcomes parents and guardians at Back to School Night 2023

  • In the teen show “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” an adaption of the popular Young Adult novel, protagonist Belly Conklin navigates her love life in a triangle between brothers Jeremiah and Conrad Fisher.

    A&E

    “The Summer I Turned Pretty”: In Defense of the Fisher Boys

  • During F.I.R.E and lunch, members of the Associated Student Body worked hard to prepare an assembly line of delicious In-N-Out for the Class of 2024.

    Latest

    Class of 2024 connects through In-N-Out Burger and festivities

  • On the sunny afternoon of Sept. 19, 2023 girls tennis played against the Villanova Preparatory (Villanova) School Wildcats. The tennis team huddles together and chants in a pregame ritual before beginning their matches.

    Girls' Tennis

    Girls’ tennis triumphs over Villanova in first league match

  • The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the much anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed and beloved video game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Announced in 2019 by Nintendo at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, Tears of the Kingdom was released on May 12, 2023 after nearly four years of waiting. Since its release, the game has been met with widespread acclaim from critics and fans alike. The game directly follows the events of its predecessor, building upon them and expanding an already immense world. Writer Kelly Quinn shares his thoughts.

    A&E

    “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” is victory for gaming

  • The three cakes that were reviewed were Lemon, Pumpkin Spice and Red Velvet all topped with a generous amount of cream cheese frosting.

    A&E

    A dive into Nothing Bundt Cakes: America’s largest specialty cake company

  • Comprising of 12 songs, Olivia Rodrigos new album GUTS is her second studio album and was released on Sept. 8, 2023. Rodrigos first studio album, SOUR, released in 2021, was critically acclaimed and beloved by fans, making her second album long anticipated. Writer Isheeta Pal takes on the task of listening to GUTS and reviewing it, delving into its key themes and messaging.

    A&E

    Album Anatomy: “GUTS”

  • A sign displayed in the store highlights the unique vendors in the store as well as promoting shopping from local artists.

    A&E

    Hey! Friends shows Ventura why shopping locally matters

  • Christopher Nolan hits it out of the park once again with his brilliantly done biopic about the man who invented the atom bomb, Oppenheimer.

    A&E

    “Oppenheimer” is a mind-blowingly impactful film

  • In Laufey’s latest album “Bewitched,” released on Sept. 8, 2023, she brings a jazzy and soothing take on the journey of love. Following the success of her previous album, “Everything I Know About Love,” her sophomore album comprises 14 songs, each bringing their own unique spin that is sure to bewitch the listener. Join writer Lily Toreja as she reviews each song and delves into their individual meanings.

    A&E

    Album Anatomy: “Bewitched” by Laufey

  • On the eventful evening of Sept. 14, 2023, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) Dragons faced off against Cate in their third league match. The matchup was very even and came down to the fifth and final set in which the Dragons were unable to secure the win. After bouncing and hitting the ball to set her rhythm, Malia Gray ‘24 (number 9) goes to serve, as her teammates and her alike hope for the best.

    Girls' Volleyball

    Girls’ volleyball endures a hard loss against Cate

  • Jackson Basurto ‘24 and Alfred “Mason” Borkowski ‘24 are in full recruitment mode as students pass by their table. The club offered a fun way to engage with other students while doing something they all enjoy.

    Events

    Dragons find their connection at Club Rush 2023

  • On the afternoon of Sept. 14, 2023, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) girls golf faced off against La Reina at the Olivas Links Golf Course. Maddie Wicks ‘26 tees it up with hopes of sticking it close to pin and hopefully having a birdie opportunity. Wicks finished hole six with a double bogey and finished the entire course with a 56.

    Girls' Golf

    Foothill Tech defeats La Reina in league match

  • Isabella De La Rosa 24 (number 3) and Charlis Swezy 27 (number 1) block from the net, while Malia Gray 24 (number 9) and Morgan Houston 25 (number 2) stay behind to cover any unexpected plays from the other team.

    Girls' Volleyball

    Girls’ volleyball spiked on by St. Bonaventure

  • Students hit the ground running as the 2023-2024 school year picks up its pace. With this years You Belong Week taking place Sept. 11-15, 2023, as well as Club Rush on Sept. 15, 2023, Dragons are busy keeping up with all the events.

    FDP-TV

    FDP-TV: Season 2, Episode 2

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Toxic feminism vs. body positivity: Reviewing Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie”

The+latest+summer+blockbuster+film+Barbie+was+released+on+July+21%2C+2023.+It+features+the+classic+dolls+Barbie+and+Ken+on+a+thrilling+journey+from+plastic+to+real+life.+
Mi Nguyen
The latest summer blockbuster film “Barbie” was released on July 21, 2023. It features the classic dolls Barbie and Ken on a thrilling journey from plastic to real life.

On July 21, 2023, Warner Bros released the ultimate coming-of-age and feminist film many of us have been waiting for. From director, screenplay writer and award-winning actress Greta Gerwig, “Barbie” made its grand entrance to theaters all over the world. While some expected a cheesy, propaganda-filled kid’s movie, Gerwig surprised audiences by adding twists we never would have expected to the toy that has captivated millions of little girls’ imaginations: Barbie.

Played by actress Margot Robbie, the story follows the protagonist, stereotypical Barbie. As the blond-haired, blue-eyed face of every doll created under the name, Barbie is oblivious to the immense and controversial impact she has on modern society. A doll of unrealistic looks and body standards, Barbie is appalled when she finds out what her brand truly means in the real world. When Barbieland – a female-dominant society – falls into disrepair due to the limited viewpoints of both the doll and the girl who played with her, Robbie’s character is forced to navigate the struggles all humans face. After thoughts of death, the appearance of cellulite and her fear of change tips her pink, perfect world upside down, Barbie is faced with impossible choices she never would have made as a mindless, plastic doll.

Throughout the course of the movie, Gerwig transforms Barbie from a child’s toy, afraid of change, to a young woman, prepared to take on the privilege of being human and all the roller coasters that come with it. When Barbie chooses to venture into the unknown city of Los Angeles, Calif. in order to restore Barbieland, she meets Gloria (America Ferrera). It is there we discover she is the one who caused Barbie’s increasingly human thoughts. As a lonely mother who works for Mattel, Gloria cannot help but suffer unpleasant existential thoughts and struggle with her body image. She represents a female who is under an extensive set of societal pressures sprouted from the patriarchy. Later, in her heart-wrenching speech about the female experience, Gloria reveals that “It is literally impossible to be a woman.” Serving as the aha-moment of the entire movie, this makes Barbie (as well as her counterparts, brainwashed by the Kens) realize that being a woman is a paradox, and therefore changing themselves so society will accept them is futile.

Since their creation on March 9, 1959, Barbies have become one of the most well-known toys worldwide. On average, 100 Barbie dolls are sold per minute. Not only has Ruth Handler’s creation flourished, but the doll has made a significant impact on society. As a representation of a woman, the Barbie doll is an iconic figure that is notorious for feeding into the body image of young girls. But in this movie, we are introduced to a reversal of this narrative. The main conflict of the film is caused by the Barbies’ belief they have solved every patriarchal issue, female empowerment. To Barbie’s surprise, that belief is not shared by most women, including Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt). Greenblatt’s character points out that Barbies have caused more problems than they solved, and even went as far as to accuse Barbie of being a Fascist. 

Do these issues Barbies have caused ever get resolved? At the end of the film, Handler (Rhea Perlman) makes a cameo. “No one looks like Barbie.” She says, revealing her true intent behind creating the dolls. And it’s true; the proportions of a Barbie doll are way out of scale to that of any functioning human being, meaning that it is physically impossible for someone to look like Barbie. 

On the contrary, some fans believe that Gerwig took things too far. As themes of feminism and body image are carried throughout the film, some state that such a display of femininity, especially the swapping of the patriarchy, is ‘toxic feminism’, thus it is considered ‘sexist’ to men. This is made clear when Ken (Ryan Gosling) decides to accompany Barbie on her journey to Los Angeles. 

As a doll whose sole purpose was to be Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken is portrayed as silly, witless and ignorant. Another instance of this is during the beginning of the film, when Ken tries and fails to impress Barbie by venturing outside his one-given talent of “beach”. Some believe Ken is a representation of men, and the brainlessness portrayed by his character has turned off many viewers. It is commonly argued that such a demonstration was intended to make men look both incompetent and inferior, or to further expose their weaknesses to the public in order to cast a negative image.

The unchanged, reversed patriarchy at the end of the movie was another moment that set off many watchers. After Barbieland is taken back by the Barbies themselves, the Kens were still not allowed to be fully seen. Rather than allowing them to occupy more serious government positions, President Barbie (Issa Rae) provided them with nothing more than a few lower-level positions. It is argued that instead of promoting the idea of equality for everyone and all genders, this message may be misleading to the point of further separation between the two sexes, with women being at the top of this new hierarchy. 

It’s worth noting that at the very end of the film, Barbie has a heart-felt conversation with Ken about their relationship. Ken begrudgingly opens up about his emotions by saying he was nothing without “the warmth of [her] gaze.” Barbie reasons by clarifying to both Ken and the audience that a male’s display of emotions is fully acceptable. These issues are further addressed when she explains that women are not mere objects that determine the worth of men. “Maybe it’s not Barbie and Ken. Maybe it’s Barbie, and it’s Ken.” she says. 

This controversial narration of the female experience has skyrocketed over social media platforms. With one quick search, you can easily find long lists of content inspired by Barbie herself. “TikTok”, “YouTube Shorts” and others are bursting with new female voices that are both advocating for feminism and addressing universal human struggles. The music used in the movie produced by many well-known artists such as Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Ice Spice, Niki Minaj etc. caught the attention of many fans and significantly impacted the exponential growth of Barbie content creations. With various cameos of celebrities including Dua Lipa and John Cena (to name a few), this movie was all the more intriguing for audiences both young and old. 

All in all, “Barbie” is a well-crafted movie that may be a large leap in our perception of gender roles. Addressing many principal themes of body image, feminism, toxic masculinity and coming of age, this film may just top the list of the “must-see” movies for future generations. With a rating from the critics of seven and four-tenths stars on IMDb and 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, it gives us all a new perspective and serves as a huge milestone in the path to future growth. And who knows? This film may just win the next Oscar. For all who are interested in exploring something new, refreshing and dazzling– sit back with a bag of popcorn and enjoy Gerwig’s spellbinding masterpiece, “Barbie.” 

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About the Contributors
Kalea Eggertsen, Writer
Aspiring fiction author and first-year writer who has been at it ever since she could hold a pencil.
Mi Nguyen, Illustrator
First-year illustrator. Self proclaimed connoisseur of late night reading.

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