This issue:

(Y How to meal: Chicken in the slow cooker
(Y Diary of a starter novelist
(Y Cider cocktails

And more!

Dress your little-black-best!

» Finding the right LB

Sophie Isbister
Life & Style Editor
Mlifeandstyle
@theotherpress.ca

 

I: 7 p.m. and you've just
received a notification

on your iPhone that Janie’s
Christmas party is in an hour
and you completely forgot.
Since her parties are legendary,
instead of reaching for another
bowl of popcorn, you reach for
something stylish to wear. But
what? A little black dress, of
course!

The little black dress, or
LBD, is one of the most classic
wardrobe staples a lady can
have in her closet. Thanks to
Coco Chanel, who took the
colour black out of mourning
and into everyday fashion with
the first LBD in 1926, women
in the Western world have
been dressing them up and
dressing them down for myriad
occasions since then.

So what’s so great about a
little black dress? It’s timeless
and elegant. You can make a
splash at school or the office by

D for your shape and style

: pairing it with a blazer, tights,

: and boots, or if cocktail hour is
: more your style you can pump

: it up for those endless holiday

: parties by losing the blazer

: and choosing luxe accessories

: like a gold clutch and earrings

: to match. What was once

: effortlessly business when

: worn with a sleek bun becomes
: sex kitten chic with a loose,

: volumized hairdo.

: Include a search for the

: perfect LBD in your holiday

: planning. You'll get a ton of

: wear out of it over the next

: two months, and you'll find

: this handy basic is useful for

: spring and summer looks as

: well. Fit and style are extremely
: important. Because the LBD

: is so simple, it comes in many

: different styles, but is usually

: short (hence the moniker

: “little”)—either skimming the

: knee or just above it. Keep

: length in mind, because the

: length you choose should

: depend on your height. If youre :
: century, the LBD isn’t going

: anywhere anytime soon. Which
: style will you pick?

on the shorter side, go fora
: shorter hem; this will lengthen
: your legs.

If you're curvy, then fit is

: very important. Don't go for

: something super tight or super

: baggy. A soft fabric (like silk)

: will skim over your curves

: without hugging them too

: tightly. Pick an A-line skirt that

: flows away from your body. This
: will balance your hips and give

: youa flirty look. Don't be afraid
: to show off your best features! A
: minimalist outfit is like a blank

: canvas, so pick your best part

: and then dress to flaunt it.

LBDs can also be

: embellished with lace trims,

: vertical stripes, and can even

: come in the ever-trendy

: bandage style for the Sofia

: Vergara’s among us. But if your
: style is more Zooey Deschanel,

: never fear—there’s a little black
: dress out there with a Peter Pan
: collar on it just screaming your
: name. In the land of the little

: black dress, there’s something

: for everyone.

Super versatile, and a classic
wardrobe staple for almost a

Have an idea for a story? Let us know!
Contact: Sophie Isbister, Life & Style Editor
Mlifeandstyle@theotherpress.ca

www.theotherpress.ca

 

 

Psychologist examines environmental apathy

» Why don't we care?

Guthrie Prentice
The Martlet (NUW)

he world is facing a major

ecological crisis in climate
change, yet very few seem
fazed by it. Dr. Robert Gifford,
a professor of psychology and
environmental studies at the
University of Victoria, wants to
know why.

With a grant from the
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council he is
continuing his research into
the psychological issues that
influence apathy on climate
change, and what might make
the public take notice.

While the theory of
anthropogenic, or man-made,
global warming (AGW) is well-
supported by scientists, there
is no shortage of doubters,

particularly in the United States. :

Despite one study showing 97.2
per cent of articles and authors
endorsing the position of

anthropogenic global warming,

  
  

Dr. Robert Gifford
by Hugo Wong

   

: and another literature review

: showing that only 26 of 25,182

: scientific papers explicitly

: denounced the idea of AGW as

: Gallup show that only a third of
: Americans are concerned, and
: that it ranks the lowest ona list
: of environmental priorities.

: Gifford thinks that people

: “generally accept the reality of

: climate change, but still can’t

: turn their intentions or their

: beliefs into actual action.”

: According to Gifford,

: there are many cognitive biases
: that inhibit people’s action

: on climate change, which

i: include superficial thinking,

: unwarranted optimism

: (the assumption that future

: technology will solve climate

: change in the nick of time),

: and peer influence, biases that
: he calls “dragons of inaction.”

: When asked to clarify the term
: by email, Gifford said it was a

: play on words; deniers being a

: “drag on” pro-environmental

: action.

“We are all influenced by

the people around us, and if we
: happen to be surrounded by

: people who have apathetic or

: : antithetic views about climate

: of 2014, polls from both Yale and : change, they're going to tend to
: influence us.”

One “dragon” is uncertainty.

: Inan experiment, Gifford

: presented a simulated ocean

: habitat to subjects, and told

: them that he was uncertain

: if there were 10 or 15 tons

: of fish left in a hypothetical

: ocean. When asked to guess,

: participants were more inclined
: to believe the higher number.

“So how this translates to

: climate change is that if not

: every scientist is convinced ...
: well then TI wait until it’s 100
: per cent before I do anything

: because I want things to be sure :
: before I invest some effort,” said :
: Gifford. :

As for practical solutions,

: researchers look for what

: motivates people. For example,
: one of Gifford’s colleagues,

: Lorraine Whitmarsh, surveyed:
: English cyclists passing through :
: central London's toll booths :
: on bikes instead of cars. While
: she expected the cyclists to

: say they were doing it for the

: environment, practically all of
: those surveyed said they were

: cycling for their health, or to

: save money on tolls and parking :
: their cars in central London.

Just as peer pressure works

: can induce environmental

: apathy, peer groups can affect

: pro-environmental change as

: well. For instance, a study found
: that residents in a cul-de-sac

: were more likely to install solar

Polls from both
Yale and Gallup
show that only a
third of Americans
are concerned, and
that it ranks the
lowest on a list

of environmental
priorities.

panels in response to their

:; neighbours than residents

: ona long open-ended street,

; just because those ina cul-de-
: sac had a better view of their

: neighbours.

For Gifford, increasing

; public awareness means

: discovering what speaks to

: different individuals or groups.

: “You want to segment the

: population based on their values
: and beliefs ... the principle

: is ‘What’s important to this
person?’ Talk to that.”