Pop Girl Summer, the latest episode of ‘The B-Side’ and cracking down on out-of-state abortions in Texas
plus, Neapolitan pizza
Welcome back to ‘In the Loop’! It’s your newsletter team – Lauren, Ellie, Audrey, Emily, Isabella, Gia, Annabelle, Varun and Ella – back with our first newsletter of the school year. We’re back to publishing weekly and we’ve got a good one for you today.
First, we have an analysis looking back on Pop Girl Summer and the music it has inspired and an introduction to the latest episode of ‘The B-Side’ on Moms for Liberty. Then, we have a DePaul Gold Medalist, Garrett Popcorn’s 75th anniversary and a change of location for the trial of Brian Kohberger – who stands trial for the murders of four University of Idaho students. Finally, we have a Starbucks moving into Little Village and a pizza shop recommendation.
If you want to show support for 14 East and ‘In the Loop,’ we invite you to donate directly to our newsroom. Whether it’s a one-time contribution or a monthly gift, every cent helps us build a newsroom that serves you, our readers, and we get 100% of your donation.
With that, let’s get into it!
Female Pop Lands on Top
By Ellie Shelton
If you are a woman aged 15 to 25, you probably had a brat summer. If not, you have at least found the line “I’m working late, ‘cause I’m a singer,” creeping its way into your daily vernacular. For those who are still lost, welcome to the world of the average adolescent woman this past summer: pop girl summer.
Pop girl summer isn’t a new concept: we’ve seen this before – remember the heyday of Katy Perry? Lily Allen? These pop queens took us through the 2008 recession, the 2016 election and then suddenly, they were gone. Without a trace, these pop princesses disappeared from our daily conversations, getting lost somewhere between Vine’s tragic end and the pandemic. When things got rough, the women delivered, which is why our pop girl summer should come as no surprise.
It’s not far-fetched to say it’s been a rough couple of years – childhood memories have been lost to puzzling inside with your parents during the pandemic and elections have provided candidates too old to understand young voters. The people are looking for anything to provide some solace. However, there was something different about this year’s wave of female pop: themes of “let’s dance until we drop” are still evident, but so are deeper themes involving womanhood, queer panic and taking back control.
As the world continues to evolve, so does pop music. Gone are the days of pop’s bad reputation.
“The ‘pop girl’ no longer feels like a childish word…pop is just such a catch-all category,” said DePaul student Parin Sensenbrenner. “I feel like [it used to be like] you don’t want to be categorized as pop…it was such a box to put women in, just like, you’re this one thing.”
The definition of pop has become more subjective than ever; put Charli XCX’s hyperpop next to Katy Perry’s bubblegum pop and you likely won’t assume they are under the same genre. However, the further the world seems to descend into chaos, the more the pop genre continues to widen – as do their lyrics.
Charli XCX has been commended for her brutal honesty and vulnerability in her most recent album, “brat.” Themes of insecurity, confusion and frenemies underlined with heavy synth beats make the listener feel like they are having a conversation with Charli. The need for rhyming and catchy lyrics has gone, making way for artists like Charli to create stream-of-consciousness poetry for listeners to grasp onto.
Don’t be fooled: despite more serious lyricism breaking through pop music, fun and catchy lyrics still have their place. More than ever, female artists are changing the negative connotation many have with traditional pop lyrics. Chappell Roan’s cheerleader anthem, “HOT TO GO!” has taken over TikTok feeds, radio stations and queer clubs proving the people crave a pop hit.
Roan has spearheaded much of the movement to reassess negative connotations surrounding campy pop music. Roan’s raw vocals and unique use of synth have hypnotized everyone to dance like nobody's watching.
The shortage of unique female pop is no longer: queer pop is alive, bubblegum pop is thriving and hyperpop just went mainstream. It’s no surprise that many have spent their summer shuffling between the same five or six albums, each covering new unique issues, creating a unique experience for each listener.
Billie Eilish, Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan have created a new age of pop that’s here to stay. As more small female artists continue to pave their way into the mainstream it becomes evident that it may have been a pop girl summer, but these women aren’t seasonal.
The B-Side: How Moms for Liberty Has Changed School Boards and Book Bans
Produced by Audrey Leib
In the inaugural episode for the 2024-25 academic year, The B-Side takes you on a journey through the highly controversial organization Moms for Liberty.
Story by Sam Freeman
Narration by Morgan Kirsch
Music by Andrew Vucsko-Cameron
Produced by Audrey Leib
DePaul News
By Emily Diaz
DePaul Graduate Wins Paralympic Gold Medal for USA
DePaul graduate Noelle Malkamaki has just added a Paralympic gold medal to her resume dominating the women’s shot put competition at the Paris games. The track and field firecracker broke her own world record with a throw of 46.5 feet. Malkamaki – a native of Decatur, IL – graduated last December from DePaul with an English literary studies degree. She is the second DePaul student to medal at an Olympic or Paralympic event. DePaul University Athletics has more here.
DePaul Wraps Up Renovations for Sullivan Athletic Center and McGrath-Phillips Arena
DePaul University announced its completion of “modernized” renovations in the Sullivan Athletic Center and McGrath-Phillips Arena on Aug. 26. As part of Designing DePaul’s philanthropic expansion efforts, the board of trustees approved a plan to add team-specific locker rooms, a new basketball lounge and a Daktronics video board among other amenities last September. For more information on Designing DePaul, visit the following link.
DePaul Associate Dean Featured on the Wall Street Journal
Paul Booth, associate dean of the University of Communications at DePaul, was featured in an article from the Wall Street Journal on Aug. 19. Booth – an expert on fandoms and pop culture – was interviewed by journalist Rachel Feintzeig for her article, “What Superfans Know That the Rest of Us Should Learn.” He has also been featured on other major publications like Business Insider. Read Feintzeig’s article here.
Chicago Headlines
By Isabella Salinas
Chicago Bears win Soldier Field opener — Sunday was rookie quarterback Caleb Williams debut in the NFL against the Tennessee Titans. The Bears pulled off a 24-17 win over the Titans, where Williams became the first quarterback drafted with the No. 1 pick to win his first career start since David Carr in 2002. However, Williams was left unimpressed with his performance in the game with 14 of 29 passes completed for 93 yards, was off target on 31% of his throws, and averaged 3.2 yards per pass attempt. Williams promises to be “better,” and says the game showed the team's resilient personality. ESPN Staff Writer Courtney Cronin has more.
Cannabis Research Institute opens in Chicago — The Cannabis Research Institute is getting operations underway in Chicago. The institute intends to study and provide research and data to advance public knowledge on the scientific and socio-economic impacts of cannabis usage and production. The announcement happened nearly two and a half years ago through Mayor Laurie Lightfoot’s press office. The operations are using a new lab in a former COVID-19 testing facility in the Illinois Medical Center campus on the West Side. The institute’s lab will not be in its planned new office. The headquarters for its parent organization – the University of Illinois System’s Discovery Partners Institute – is proposed for vacant land on The 78, the 62-acre South Loop site where the Chicago White Sox also wants to build a new stadium. Construction on the headquarters is said to happen this year, although it may not be finished until 2027. Robert McCoppin at the Chicago Tribune has more.
Garrett Popcorn 75th anniversary deals — Chicago’s popular Garrett Popcorn is celebrating its 75th anniversary with a sweet deal for this week starting today. Monday-Friday you can get a small bag of any signature recipe for $1.75, the company said in a news release. The deal runs from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and is available in-store only This excludes shops at sports venues and airports. This isn't the only deal that the company is offering. Starting Monday, Sept. 16 through Sunday, Sept. 22, Garrett's is offering a Classic Tin of any signature recipe for $19.49 when purchased in-shop. For more details, check out NBC Chicago Staff's story.
Angel Reese suffers season-ending injury — Chicago Sky announced that Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese is out for the WNBA season after suffering a wrist injury. Resse took to social media to confirm the news. “I'm filled with emotions right now that I have a season-ending injury, but also filled with so much gratitude for what is next," she says in her post on X. The team is continuing to battle for one of the league's final playoff spots with a 12-22 record on the season with only two weeks left in the regular season. Mike McDaniel at Sports Illustrated has more.
National Headlines
By Gia Clarke
Harris and Trump’s stances on possible debate issues — Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are set to debate for the first time tomorrow. Economic inflation, reproductive rights, immigration, gun violence, democracy and foreign policy are issues likely to be brought up in the debate. Republican candidate Trump’s proposal to lower economic inflation is to drill more oil and lower gas prices, whereas Democratic candidate Harris proposes $25,000 in down payment support for first time homeowners, construction of 3 million housing units, raising minimum wage and cut corporate price gouging on food and groceries. Trump has since changed his stance on reproductive rights from a nationwide ban to making it up to state regulation. Harris has called on Congress to pass a law restoring Roe vs. Wade protections. You can watch the debate tomorrow at 8 PM CT on ABC. ABC’s Alexandra Hutzler has more information.
Judge orders Idaho college murder trial to be moved to new location — Latah County District Judge John Judge ordered that the trial of the man accused of murdering four University of Idaho students should be moved to an unspecified location instead of holding the trial in Latah County where the murders took place. The man accused is 29-year-old Bryan Kohberger. Kohberger’s defense lawyers argued that keeping the trial in Latah County incites “mob mentality” and argued the jury would automatically be biased as Latah County only has approximately 41,000 people. Prosecutors petitioned against the location change but failed. Some families of the victims were disappointed to hear the news, arguing that the local community deserves to be part of the jury. NBC’s Erik Ortiz has more information.
Texas sues to stop a rule that protects medical records of women who seek an abortion outside of the state — Texas is suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in an attempt to block a federal rule that protects the medical records of women who seek abortions outside of Texas state lines. The federal rule prohibits state and local officials from gathering medical records in states where abortion is legal. The rule was finalized this April, attempting to protect women who seek abortion services after Roe v. Wade was overturned. Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton accused the federal government of attempting to “undermine” the state’s law enforcement capabilities. The Associated Press’s Jim Vertuno has more information.
Youtuber Nikocado Avocado pranks viewers with his secret weight loss — Nicholas Perry, known as Nikocado Avocado on YouTube, uploaded a new video showing the weight he was secretly losing as he was uploading videos. Avocado (32) is a popular mukbang YouTuber. Mukbang videos are videos where people eat extensive amounts of food on camera and talk. He uploaded a video titled “Two Steps Ahead” where he reveals that all of his videos were pre-recorded when he was heavier. “Two Steps Ahead” was uploaded two days ago and now has 32 million views. NBC’s Angela Yang has more information.
14 East Pueblo: Starbucks is coming to Little Village, and residents are not happy
By Annabelle Rivera
Little Village’s Discount Mall is known for housing Mexican-American businesses and vendors in Chicago’s predominantly Latino neighborhood. But now a Starbucks is in the works, and some residents say it’s furthering the gentrification of the Lower West Side.
“We’re not just talking about Starbucks,” said Nateo, a resident at a meeting held by the company. “We’re talking about these big conglomerate corporations moving into neighborhoods built off of working-class Black and Brown families, affecting the economy in a way that makes it impossible for the people that built that neighborhood to stay, and that’s highly problematic.”
One resident compared the business’s gentrification to Christopher Columbus. But this doesn’t go for all Little Village residents. Some expressed excitement at the potential a Starbucks would bring to the community.
“I wouldn’t be up here if I didn’t believe in Starbucks’ mission,” said Erandy Rivera, the store manager for the new location. “I wanted for me, as a Latina and as someone from Little Village, to have a place to go, and Starbucks really cares about the community.”
The new Starbucks has its planned opening later this month at 3015 W. 26th St.
Hey, Check This Out!
With Featured Columnist Varun Khushalani
Any discussion of pizza is bound to be controversial in this city. Debates over deep-dish and New York style will surely rage on for a few more centuries. Today, we’re looking at a third option, Neapolitan: the classic, original pizza straight from Naples, Italy. This type of pizza is known for its bubbly crust and simple, high-quality ingredients. It’s a perfect middle ground for those who are stuck wanting a snack and a meal (it can be eaten with both your hands and/or cutlery).
In Chicago, Strapoli – located on Diversey Avenue – has some of the best, affordable Neapolitan pizzas (and sandwiches) around. Inside the small restaurant, the Midwest turns into the Mediterranean — warm, wooden tables contrast the cool, white and blue walls. The smell of rich espresso wafts throughout. There’s always a friendly atmosphere; everyone behind the counter knows that whatever you order is going to be well worth it. And it is.
There aren’t that many options on the menu, but this is a good thing. Too often, pizza gets wrapped up in a bunch of nonsense; chefs of all calibers compete with each other to create exceedingly outrageous combinations of flavors (Who cares about ham and pineapple, just keep the broccoli off). Sometimes, the best slice of pizza is the one with nothing at all.
My favorite item on the menu is their Mortadella Arugula sandwich (basically a pizza folded in half). The sandwich is the perfect blend of sharp, salty pesto with smooth Mortadella and creamy Mozzarella; flavors and textures work together in delicious harmony, all encased in a charred, bubbly crust only possible with an oven solely designed for Neapolitan pizza.
It’s going to get colder soon. We can all feel it coming, the jackets and hoodies are coming out again. Once again, this city will descend into cold darkness, and we won’t see each other for a while. But there’s still warmth to be found here, a few more days or weeks spent in the company of each other. What better way to feel at one with the world around you, than going to get a pizza? So while we all soak up the last rays of sun we can before the chill starts to hurt, take a friend to Strapoli and order anything that looks good. Sit outside while the sky is still blue, have a drink, and laugh with each other while the birds are still chirping.
Resources
Need resources regarding cooling centers, rental assistance, abortion access, COVID-19 testing and vaccines or mental health? Check out our complete list here.
That’s it for today! See you next Monday.
The 14 East Newsletter Team