For this year’s Best of Campus, High Priestess takes the cake for best piercings and tattoos.

Walk inside High Priestess (525 E. 13th Ave.) and you’ll be greeted by the friendly employees at the counter as well as the unique and inviting atmosphere. There are several puffy, black leather couches to sit on while you wait and flip through various books, magazines and photo albums. The décor ranges from Buddhist sculptures to skull paintings and alternative music plays in the background.

The employees at High Priestess are not new to the world of success and achievement, as they’ve been in business for more than 17 years. In the waiting room to the left, you’ll find a wall dedicated to awards the shops artists have received from different conventions and publications around the state.

On their website you can find their in-depth mission statement for each one of their five Oregon locations: “High Priestess is committed to meeting the unique and individual needs of each one of our clients by providing the highest-quality body-modifications available anywhere. We aim to maintain our profitability, our sense of humor, and our moderate growth, while continuing to offer our staff benefits and safe, aesthetically pleasing work environments.”

What separates High Priestess from its Eugene competitors is that unique and inviting atmosphere. ”We try our best to make people feel comfortable in a situation that can be pretty scary. Getting a piercing or tattoo can make people nervous, so we try to be as friendly as possible,” said Jim Sens, manager and piercer at High Priestess.

“I like the fact that the deals they have are incorporated sometimes with charity work,” said Kimia Amirifar, a UO junior who has been pierced at the shop four times. “A lot of times I’ve gone in to get a piercing when part of their profits went to some animal shelter or something. They’re also pretty amusing people who calm your nerves during the piercing.”

If you’re looking for a beautiful tattoo or piercing for a good price near campus check out High Priestess. According to the manager, the artists accept walk-ins for piercings but for tattoos it is best to make an appointment.

Follow Andrea Harvey on Twitter @andrearharvey

This year’s best professor is somewhat of a celebrity in the SOJC. You know you’re officially a J student when you’ve heard her inspiring lecture on the creative process. Here at the University of Oregon, one might consider her the queen of creativity because she’s got it down to a science. More formally, she’s the director of the UO’s advertising program. It’s no surprise that Deb Morrison has won for the second year in a row.

Morrison’s interest in advertising started when she went back to school for her Ph.D., after earning a journalism degree and teaching high school in Austin, Texas. She said that was when she “found advertising” and fell in love with it.

Since then Morrison has co-written two books, including “The Creative Process Illustrated: How Advertising’s Big Ideas are Born” with Glenn Griffin in 2010 and “Idea Industry: How to Crack the Advertising Career Code” with Brett Robbs in 2009. She said she is currently writing a third on talent development.

“I love when brands hold value for people and the community,” Morrison said. “I love when they pay attention to detail, when they’re bold and generous with their audience and consumers. And I love when they use problem solving as part of their mission.”

Morrison has taught or is currently teaching classes about creative strategy, creative portfolios, interactive media, sports brand strategy, green brand strategy and interactive media.

Ross Giltinan, UO junior who is currently taking Morrison’s creative strategist class, said she is by far one of his favorite professors. “You can instinctually tell that Deb truly cares about her students and where we’re heading off to in our careers,” Giltinan said. “(She) invests so much of her time in her students so that they can thrive and be good, genuine, well-rounded human beings.”

Morrison’s advice to students who are going into the media industry: You have to be absolutely curious. Ready to own creativity. But also ready to fail. You need to have tenacity, thoughtfulness, generosity and bravery. These are characteristics of successful advertising students.

And if anyone would know about what that takes, it’s Deb Morrison, who has taught several students who are now incredibly successful.

Kelly Meyers, for example, graduated with a degree in advertising from the UO in 2011. She now works as a creative strategist at Code and Theory in New York City with three other UO alumni.

Morrison is a mentor, a supporter and a connector who helps students achieve their dreams. “She inspired me and made the industry make sense and not just seem like a textbook,” Meyers said.

Shortly following the heavy snowfall and resulting ice storm earlier this month, nearly 6,000 residents in Eugene lost power. Half of them were unlucky enough to land a spot on the very bottom of the Eugene Water and Electric Board’s “to-do list” and didn’t get power back for a week.

In cities where it snows often, intense weather may be nothing to fret over. But in Eugene — where it rarely snows twice in one year — locals called this brief snow and ice storm the “snowpocalypse.” Undoubtedly, we were nowhere near as prepared as we should have been.

EWEB addressed the public by posting announcements on its Facebook page, Twitter account and website. In a news release on Feb. 12, EWEB announced that it had restored power to half of its customers. By then it had been four days since the power outages.

I, for one, couldn’t help but think to myself: “Half? It’s been four days and you’re proud of restoring only half of your customers’ power?” At this point I was frustrated because my candles were almost dead, my fridge was starting to smell and I had to go on campus to use the Internet or shower.

I gave them a call and asked for an explanation.

“The ice storm that hit us last Saturday … it hit the whole valley,” said Joe Harwood, EWEB’s external communications coordinator. “We made our first call for mutual aid at 8 a.m. Saturday morning. We called again Saturday afternoon and again on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday … The bottom line is everyone was dealing with their own problems … And the out-of-state crews take 96 hours, minimum, to mobilize. That’s four days, so they won’t even consider sending people out of state unless it’s going to be a multi-week restoration.”

For some people, the loss of power meant more than just darkness, spoiled food and cold nights.

Ryan Elliot, who lives on Coburg Road near Beltline, said his family went without power for five days. “I understand they have a hierarchy,” Elliot said in regard to the order in which the neighborhoods without power were addressed by EWEB. “But we wanted information … We have a 7-month-old baby who was getting over a head cold and a big German Shepherd. Our house was cold. And we couldn’t go anywhere because most hotels are not going to allow big dogs.”

Elliot’s wife called EWEB several times and was dissatisfied with their customer service. “They told my wife that they know it’s taking a while, but they don’t want to call outside help because they think they’re doing a pretty good job.”

Meanwhile, Elliot had to cancel an important work event because he was not willing to leave his wife and baby alone in the house without power.

Finally, on Thursday afternoon, Elliot’s power was restored. “I was actually pretty surprised,” Elliot said. “At this point, I didn’t expect it back until [Friday] at the earliest.” Unfortunately for the other half of Eugene, their power wouldn’t be restored for a couple more days.

Hearing Elliot’s story brought up another question: isn’t there some way to quickly restore power to those who need it first, such as Elliot and his family? This is where the 6,000 customers came into play. With that many people experiencing power outages, it would be incredibly difficult to address one family individually.

Harwood said EWEB plans to upgrade to smart meters soon, which will allow the utility to indicate whether or not a certain customer’s power is out and fix the problem sooner.

An additional question that Harwood has heard before is: why doesn’t EWEB have some sort of seasonal or on-call staff to work in case of weather emergencies?

“Would you wanna pay for that extra staff?” Harwood said. “We have five crews of linemen … To get certified you have to go through years of training.”

The storm had affected the whole valley, thousands of customers were out of power and these types of storms are fairly rare here. With this in mind, most customers should have a little more sympathy for the workers who did their best to restore power to Eugene.

“We understand people are frustrated… I know several of EWEB’s lineman that worked two days straight without a break,” Harwood said.

In this type of situation, no one is to blame but Mother Nature.

Follow Andrea Harvey on Twitter @andrearharvey

Early last year, my doctor asked if I had ever been tested for Attention Deficit Disorder. I said no, took the test and found out I had it. At first I was glad. On Adderall, I was noticeably more productive in all aspects of life. I did great at work, my grades went up and I was able to take on more responsibilities than I knew I was capable of.

As most people who are prescribed ADD medication, I started at a low dosage and increased it as my body adjusted. It wasn’t until I was taking 30 mg extended-release capsules daily that the side effects started to bother me.

According to WebMD, the side effects include loss of appetite, weight loss, dry mouth, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, diarrhea, fever, nervousness and trouble sleeping. They also mention numbness, sensitivity to temperature, mood swings, depression and decreased libido.

Situations that would typically make me a little nervous started to make me so nervous to the point where my heart was pounding, I was shaking and I sometimes felt like puking. I experienced random angry outbursts, numbness in my toes and insomnia — none of which were a problem before I took Adderall.

But the worst part was feeling like my brain had become dependent on it. Whenever I didn’t take it, I felt out of it. I could hardly get out of bed. I was completely unmotivated. I would walk into a room and forget why I was there. I would try to have a conversation with someone and forget what I was talking about. I had the attention span of a goldfish. I felt like my ADD got worse because my brain forgot how to function without Adderall. It was not a good feeling.

So I started to wean myself off it. I started taking half of my regular dosage each day, and about a week ago, stopped taking it completely. I’m still adjusting in terms of my ability to focus on schoolwork, but can already see improvement in everything else. I went to an herbalist in downtown Eugene and asked her about the natural alternatives to Adderall and found out, there are quite a bit.

Dana LaVoie, LAc, the owner of Balance Beauty and Health at 1293 Lincoln St. in Eugene, has a master’s degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, as well as nine years of experience in the field. She sells a variety of herbs, essential oils and acupuncture services, which she said can immensely improve the symptoms of ADD and even replace your medication.

One herbal blend she suggests is called Calm (Jr.) It works to improve memory and learning, eliminates toxins in the body, balances the central nervous system, regulates the endocrine system and tranquilizes the spirit.

“Sometimes the energy in your body will all go to your head, instead of staying grounded,” LaVoie said. “That’s what often causes ADD or ADHD symptoms, like restlessness and problems focusing. This helps keep that energy grounded.”

LaVoie also said that acupuncture can help release points in the body where energy is blocked. Often those points will be tender, and acupuncture can help to correct the energy flow and release any pain in an effective and timely manner. Additionally, essential oils such as Lavender or Vetiver, can help to maintain focus throughout the day.

“You can combine the herbs with acupuncture and essential oils and you probably wouldn’t even need medication,“ LaVoie said. “Because they’re working to change the underlying problem, they have lots of beneficial side effects and, unlike many prescribed drugs, your symptoms will improve over time. In a few months, you might not even need to take it anymore.”

LaVoie said people typically start to see results with the herbs in a week or two, and sometimes even faster when it is combined as she suggested. She recommends talking with a licensed physician before changing your medication routine if you have a diagnosis, then going into her store to get a free herbal consultation.

“Any time you’re not feeling 100 percent, Chinese herbs will always help,” LaVoie said. “For every commonly prescribed drug, there is usually an herbal replacement that is much healthier for you.”

For those who are suffering from some of the same negative long-term side effects, try a natural alternative. According to LaVoie, unlike Adderall or other ADD medications, natural substitutions will actually improve your health instead of aggravating it.

Follow Andrea Harvey on Twitter @andrearharvey

One of the great things about the Internet is its neutrality.

Anyone with access to it can upload and post whatever they want online and look at what everyone else has uploaded or posted. It is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to promote yourself or your business, get information and communicate with others around the world. But due to recent federal court decisions, net neutrality could now be a thing of the past.

Concluding the lawsuit filed by Comcast, the federal appeals court has recently decided to repeal the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules. This means that these types of big telecommunications companies, like Comcast or Verizon, will now be able to control the content that we have access to by charging network providers, like Google or Facebook, to be accessible through their Internet service.

To put things in simpler terms, this change will make Internet more like cable TV: Only the networks that pay the big bucks will be available to the most consumers. And if consumers want access to the most channels, they’ll have to pay more money as well. Smaller or independently owned websites will be difficult to access, either too slow to function properly or just blocked completely.

This doesn’t just apply to websites, but any service that would require Internet access: smartphone apps, computer programs, online gaming, video chat or Netflix, for example. Under these new regulations, your Internet provider decides what you have access to.

“The FCC — under the leadership of former Chairman Julius Genachowski — made a grave mistake when it failed to ground its open Internet rules on solid legal footing. Internet users will pay dearly for the previous chairman’s lack of political will. That’s why we need to fix the problems the agency could have avoided in the first place,” said Craig Aaron, Free Press president and CEO, in a press release.

Blame is being placed on the FCC’s former chairman, and perhaps he wasn’t as prepared as he should have been, but most of the blame undoubtedly goes to the power and money-hungry corporate companies who started the ordeal. “It all comes down to the big telecommunications companies that want to monopolize the Internet,” said Jerry Ross, University of Oregon computer and information science professor.

Realistically, smaller network and website owners won’t be able to afford to pay every Internet provider. They might pay one or two, resulting in the biggest and most popular companies becoming the most powerful. Undoubtedly, these companies would hike up their prices on both ends just because they can. The owners of the websites might even start charging consumers to make up for their increased expenses.

Just because a decision has been made, however, doesn’t mean it’s the final word. Some people are standing up for our Internet rights and encouraging others to do the same. AT&T, for example has stated that it will not change its policies under this new ruling. And the FCC hasn’t given up the fight.

“New FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler recently stated that the FCC must have the ability to protect broadband users and preserve the Internet’s fundamental open architecture. In order to do that, he must act quickly to restore and reassert the FCC’s clear authority over our nation’s communications infrastructure. The agency must follow its statutory mandate to make broadband communications networks open, accessible, reliable and affordable for everyone,” Aaron said.

“At this point, I could see it going either way,” Ross said. “The ball is in the air right now. It’s up to independent web designers and Internet users to start speaking and standing up for their Internet rights. Congress will pay attention to the ones who are making the most noise.”

That’s us. We’re the ones who will take the full blow of this change. Comcast is bad enough as it is, so don’t give them the extra power. Give them a piece of your mind if you need to. If you don’t have Comcast, ask your Internet provider what they plan to do about this and know what you might be facing in the near future. Just don’t lose hope quite yet.

They start us off pretty young. Barbie, for example, has long, skinny legs and a tiny waist. Ken has a six-pack and sculpted arms. Even G.I. Joe’s plastic body is bulging with muscles.

As we grow older, this pressure surrounds us. It’s in magazine spreads, commercials, advertisements and even mannequin displays at stores. Some clothing companies go as far as to change their sizing system to target certain groups of people. Some TV shows only employ actors who look like runway models. They all have the same stereotypically perfect body type and facial structures. It’s not realistic.

Before you lose faith in humanity, check out all the people who are taking a stand and challenging our culture’s definition of beauty and perfection.

Many producers, for instance, are realizing that we want to see more realistic and relatable shows and movies. They’re starting to embrace the fact that real people don’t look like airbrushed models, that they’re all different in their own way. Shameless, Girls and Modern Family are all incredibly popular shows that feature more normal-looking people in realistic, day-to-day situations.

Celebrities are standing up for themselves too. Just because they’re famous doesn’t mean they’re perfect, and they’re tired of everyone pretending that they are. In 2003, Kate Winslet spoke out about her photo on the cover of GQ, which was completely photoshopped without her consent: “The retouching is excessive,” Winslet said. “I do not look like that and more importantly I don’t desire to look like that.”

Jennifer Lawrence discussed this issue with Yahoo in November.

“Shows like Fashion Police put values on all the things that are wrong and (think) it’s okay to point at people and call them ugly and fat,” Lawrence said. “We need to… (stop) calling each other fat and stop with these unrealistic expectations for women.” Lawrence was recently featured on the cover of Flair magazine, photoshopped to look much thinner than she really is.

Pro Infirmis, an organization located in Switzerland, approached this in another light. They created a series of mannequins sculpted from the bodies of a diverse group of physically disabled people, and displayed them them in front of a clothing store. The project, and rather emotional Youtube video on it, is aptly named “Because Who is Perfect?”

“It’s special to see yourself like this,” said one of the video participants, “when you usually can’t look at yourself in the mirror.” It’s devastating that someone would think that way, but this inspirational organization aims to change that.

It’s something that all companies need to start doing. They may have been successfully selling their products by manipulating their consumers in the past, but people are starting to catch on.

Dove, a well-known and successful company, has set a great example and has shown that standing up for what’s right won’t hurt your company, but help it quite immensely. In one of their campaigns, they encourage women around the country to post selfies of themselves with no filters or edits, and explain what beauty means to them. In the moving video for the campaign, a girl tells her mother she is beautiful and needs to embrace her age. Girls of all ages start listing their insecurities, and by the end are agreeing that they are beautiful in their own way. Shortly after, Twitter exploded with responses to the campaign, with the trending tag #BeautyIs. Undoubtedly, it boosted the self-esteem of thousands of women and girls everywhere.

You could take the extreme route and choose to never buy these fashion magazines or watch these shows ever again. Although that might do everyone some good, it’s a little unrealistic to avoid everything in the world that exploits this desire for perfection because it’s everywhere you look. Instead, be aware of how you take it all in. Know that it’s just a sales tactic. Know that media’s version of perfect is not accurate because perfection is different for everyone. Most importantly, know that your differences are what make you unique, and being unique is one of the most beautiful and sexy qualities a person can have.

Follow Andrea Harvey on Twitter @andrearharvey

There comes a time in every college student’s life when the competitive job market becomes an ugly reality. A degree alone is typically not enough to get the job they need, and after all the time, effort and money they have put into their degree, they don’t want it to go to waste. Thus begins the internship hunt.

They’ll first apply to the ones that are paid before discovering the paid ones only go to the best, leading them to believe an unpaid internship is inevitable.

With endurance and dedication, they might get one. And for the unlucky ones, it’s 40 hours a week, 30 miles away and they have no car or financial support and they’re in school. But they take it anyway because they need more than a burger joint on their resume.

Our parents and teachers have told us many times that success is not easy. But if you’re one of these worst-case scenarios, success is only possible if you stop sleeping.

Monica Peralez, a junior, worked as an intern at Spin Media, an entertainment company in Hollywood. Her shifts were from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., four days a week. She used public transportation because she didn’t have a car, adding approximately five hours of travel time to her daily schedule. Luckily for her, she was able to live with her parents without major financial obligations. Nonetheless, the amount of time she put into the job goes to show what students are willing to do for a reference. Peralez said she thought the experience was worth it.

But how fair was it?

The students who can’t afford one unpaid internship end up overworking themselves into an exhausted, paranoid pile of stress, unable to improve half as much as they could if their internships were paying them. They’re led to believe the only other options are to take out more loans or stay at their minimum wage job. They’re set up for failure from the start.

Surely, companies like Spin Media that work with celebrities like the Kardashians can afford to pay their interns. So why aren’t they?

They take full advantage of the guidelines, which are not explicit enough to address these companies’ financial abilities. For example, Oregon’s guidelines say the internship must be benefiting the intern more than the employer.

It’s a blurry line that’s often crossed because of the interns’ willingness to do whatever it takes to get the reference.

The guidelines are understandable for startup companies or nonprofit organizations that don’t pay interns because they simply don’t have the means. Generally, these types of businesses are giving back to our community in some way, which makes for a win-win situation in most respects. But for all the others, the guidelines are not doing justice for students that essentially function as unpaid employees.

Take the Portland Timbers for example. The organization claims to stand by Oregon’s guidelines but ends up working its unpaid interns to the bone. In an interview with The Oregonian’s Steve Duin, Chelsea Robinson, former unpaid Timbers intern, discussed the unfair treatment she endured during her time there. At one point she was managing coaches who were being paid. When she complained, the Timbers fired her. She then went to the Bureau of Labor and Industries to get the payment she deserved, more than $2,000.

“The Timbers have a longstanding, successful internship program that has provided invaluable experiences for many people,” they said in reply. Well, the experience may have been invaluable, but that doesn’t mean it was fair. Robinson undoubtedly deserves a round of applause for her strong morals and self-respect.

If we want a chance at ending this ruthless cycle, people need to be more like her. Or the Portland Trail Blazers, a team that stayed true to their name four years ago when they started paying their interns. It’s a lot to ask of some students and businesses, but for those who can afford it, try putting fairness at the top of your priority list for once.

Follow Andrea Harvey on Twitter @andrearharvey

Up until the summer of 2006, the state of Washington legally permitted health care providers and facilities to refuse certain services to patients if they had a conscious or religious reason for doing so. However, on June 1, a proposed change to these Pharmacist Conscience Clauses was accepted, preventing any pharmacy from refusing lawful prescriptions to a patient, a huge gain in the fight to end the involvement of religion in legal and healthcare matters.

Despite the change, one pharmacy in Olympia refused to comply. As a result, the employees at Ralph’s Thriftway were greeted by groups of protestors on their way to work each day and forced to accept the legal consequences shortly after. But this didn’t stop them.

In 2007, the Thriftway employees filed a lawsuit in attempt to defend their small family business and overturn the new law. The boycotting diminished and in 2012, they won the trial at U.S. District Court in Tacoma, Wash. Just when they thought the battle was finally over, the state Department of Health and Pharmacy Commission handed them a hefty bill that would make them think twice next time about attempting to step above them. Legal fines exceeding $2 million, along with the proposal to appeal the decision and essentially shut down their business has finally brought this store owner’s streak of luck to a sudden and ugly halt.

The only self defense he provided for the public was that he did not morally agree with his legal obligation to dispense Plan B, an emergency contraceptive. Kevin Stormans, the spokesperson of the family who owns the pharmacy, said he thinks it could prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in a womb, despite FDA officials recently saying that evidence suggests otherwise.

The 2006 law has yet to be changed due to a hold on the trial as potential changes are considered for the Affordable Care Act, according to the city’s local newspaper, The Olympian.

The issue here is not the ethics behind the emergency contraceptives that have saved many women from further trauma in cases of sexual assault. The issue is not even the regulation or responsibilities of small businesses. It’s reasonable to allow private business owners to refuse service to a patient based on moral grounds. Otherwise, a tattoo artist might be obliged to tattoo a swastika on someone’s back. There’s no question there, other than: When is the last time a doctor prescribed a tattoo?

If the law started allowing pharmacies to refuse prescribed medication to patients, rest assured, contraceptives wouldn’t be the only drugs refused. What about painkillers, vaccines or psychotic medications? This is only a brief list of pharmaceutical drugs that have been known to stir moral questioning. If a patient is prescribed a medication, they have a right to obtain and take that medication. Often times, it is necessary for their health and safety and sometimes even the health and safety of others around them. The worst-case scenario of this potential change is that drugs would become hard to acquire, which could create threatening situations for patients in need.

This is the issue. In fact, this is the reason why the law was initially changed in the first place. Plan B, for example, needs to be taken within 72 hours to be effective. That is not a lot of time for someone who desperately needs it.

Another issue here is whether or not it is okay for a law to be created or overturned based on religious reasoning. The fact of the matter is that everyone has a right to their own moral beliefs, even business owners. And they have the right to express those beliefs, but not when the product or service they’re providing is essential to someone’s health – whether it be physical or cognitive.

The fact that the store owner is challenging these rights is a bit ironic. He wants his right to freely impose and act on his religious opinions, but in doing that, he is attempting to take away everyone else’s right to act on their own moral beliefs. At the same time, he’s threatening their right to easily-accessible healthcare. Allowing him to succeed would mean wasting the efforts that our government has made toward establishing fairness and equality under the law.

If he has such strong moral disagreements with the products and regulations within his professional industry, my question for him would be: Why are you still working in the industry?

Are you an avid fashion connoisseur and already sick of the shopping in Eugene? Take a day trip to Portland and check out some of the local favorites.

Hawthorne Blvd.

Hawthorne Blvd. is filled with all kinds of unique and local stores. Whether your style is relaxed and casual, eco-friendly, or even ‘20s vintage, you’ll definitely find something you like, and usually at a fantastic price. For recycled fashion, check out Redlight Clothing Exchange at 3590 SE Hawthorne Blvd., or Buffalo Exchange on 37th, just off Hawthorne. The prices at these stores range depending on the item, but to give you an idea of how great of a deal you can get, prices for women’s and men’s tops usually start at about $5. In the same vicinity, you’ll find Naked City, a unique store with somewhat of a retro vibe. They have lots of cool clothing, shoes and accessories for men and women, starting in the $30 range. One of my personal favorites is their selection of vintage-style bathing suits. The list doesn’t end here; the street is lined with several other boutiques, vintage shops and local restaurants if you’re hungry.

Pioneer Courthouse Square

Pioneer Courthouse Square is located in the heart of downtown Portland. The shopping mall, Pioneer Place, covers four city blocks and includes numerous high-end stores such as Kate Spade, Louis Vuitton, Nordstrom, Nike, Banana Republic, BCBG MAXAZRIA and more. The price range in these stores is high, with basic apparel starting at $50 and going deep into the 100s. However, there are less expensive stores as well selling quality clothing, shoes and accessories for both men and women, including H&M, Nordstrom Rack, and Forever 21. Prices at these stores average at about $15 for basic clothing.

The Alphabet District

The Alphabet District is located mainly on Northwest 23^rd Avenue. This area includes many trendy clothing stores with a good variety in price. For women’s clothing, be sure to check out Free People. Their fashion can be described as “bohemian chic,” and is undoubtedly popular in the area. Their prices tend to run a little high. You probably won’t find much under $50. Another great place to check out is Urban Outfitters, which is owned by the same company as Free People. They have a lot of the same styles, but for both men and women and at a more affordable price. A women’s top that is not on sale will average at about $30. Some other recommended stores in the area include Sloan Boutique, 3 Monkeys and Francesca’s.

The Pearl District

The Pearl District is known as one of the nicest parts of downtown Portland for its exceptional selection of delicious restaurants, hotels, bars and of course, shopping. The Brewery Blocks, located between Couch and Davis, and 10^th and 13^th in the Pearl District includes several shops, such as Anthropologie, Diesel, House of Lolo, The North Face and Lucy Activewear. These shops are a little high-end, starting in the $30 range and moving up into the 100s. Beyond the Brewery Blocks, there are several other boutiques and local shops selling various styles of clothing for men, women and children, including Hanna Andersson, Ecovibe Apparel, Lizard Lounge, Recycled Chic and more.

Last month, Beyoncé spontaneously released a new self-titled visual album, in which every song was accompanied by a music video. There were many things that Beyoncé claimed to be inspired by as she was creating this unique album. Beyoncé said that the visual aspect was added as she thinks people are beginning to lose appreciation of full albums and the way that each song works together to tell a story. For that, I can respect the hard work that she put into creating a video for each song on the album. Many of the songs and videos are well done and creative. However, the album as a whole is a bit too raunchy for my taste, especially considering the role model that Beyoncé has become to girls and women around the world, including me.

Beyoncé has always inspired me to appreciate everything about being a woman. She was always the kind of celebrity that had her own unique style, her own way of doing things and a sassy personality that she never let anyone change. Beyoncé was the kind of woman that would just say, “This is me! Deal with it.” But not like most other celebrities. She always had class, and I loved that about her. This album, however, has led me to believe she’s not quite as classy as I thought.

When I watched her new visual album for the first time, I was a little disappointed. Nearly every single video featured her half-naked with close-up after close-up of her body, accompanied by explicit lyrics that made me a little uncomfortable to listen to with my friends.

In the mini series of YouTube documentaries Beyoncé released after her album, she explained her mindset during the making the album. One song in particular, “Partition,” which is about making love in the backseat of a car, was particularly embarrassing for her to explain to her family. She mentions one line specifically: “Driver roll up the partition please, I don’t need you seeing ‘yoncé on her knees.” In the video, she dances on a stripper pole wearing nothing but a thong and a tiny bra.

“I was so embarrassed after I recorded the song because I’m just talking shit,” she said. “I’m like, ‘I can’t play this for my husband!’ I still haven’t played it for my mom. She’s going to be very mad at me.”

In Part Three of the video series, “Run ‘N Gun,” Beyoncé said she is not ashamed of showing off her body. She worked hard to get her body back after her pregnancy. Beyoncé also said that she wants to show the world that you can be a mother and still be sexy. Does sending that message really call for an album filled with raunchy lyrics and explicit videos? Her children are going to grow up and listen to her music and receive a thorough play-by-play of their parents’ sex life. If that’s not totally inappropriate, I don’t know what is.

In the second part of the video series, “Imperfection,” she said one of her goals in the album was “finding the beauty in imperfection.” If she wanted to show that there is beauty in imperfection, then why did she need to spend months recovering her post-baby body to show it off in the video? The messages she claims to be sending are not exactly making sense.

I’m not going to say I have lost respect for Beyoncé because I think a lot of the messages she attempted to send were generally empowering, and she had good intentions. She’s undoubtedly beautiful inside and out, and the post-baby body is impressive. Next time, she should reconsider some of the messages she is sending to all those 15-year-old girls out there who are watching the album. They need to know that being sexy doesn’t mean you need to flaunt your body at every opportunity possible.