Twice-Told Tale

The Student News Site of Lake Highland Preparatory School

Twice-Told Tale

Twice-Told Tale

(Above) As with most types of injustice and trauma, the first thing affected is the brain. As women place constrictions on themselves about how they should speak and act, they fight against the part of themselves that sees themselves as equal to both men, but also other women. Furthermore, the contradictions placed on women add a layer of complexity. In young women particularly, as they see how different women act in scenarios, both parties second guess their choices, not realizing that they are trying meet a standard that is difficult to fit within. This causes a lack of self-confidence and heighted anxienty, which can lead to even more consequences.

Battle Against Sexism Involves the Same Gender

Minaal Arain, Co-Editor March 11, 2024

When people hear the word sexism, the first thing that comes to mind is typically man versus woman. However, a type of lesser known sexism, and therefore, arguably more dangerous, is the sexism between...

(Above) So much of the modern world is visual. Poetry doesn’t have to come through just black and white letters on a page; it can dance in swirls and color too. Through this poetry collage, there can be seen contemperorary poets such as Ocean Vuong and Louise Glück. There are 19th and 20th century poets such as Maya Angelou and Emily Dickinson. And of course, there is the newest brand of one-line poetry popularized by Atticus, a pseudonym for a poet who remains anonymous. There is still a whole world of poets and poetry to explore beyond the frames of this one collective photograph. The following list of additional poets I would personally recommend is by no means comprehensive: K-Ming Chang, Ross Gay, Hanif Abdurraqib, Victoria Chang, Sonia Sanchez, Sylvia Plath, T.S. Eliot, Percy Shelley, and William Wordsworth.

The Rise and Fall, and Rise Again, of Poetry

Serena Young, Director of Photography February 6, 2024

When most people think of poetry, their thoughts usually fall into two categories. They either catapult themselves back to 750 BC with Homer and the Odyssey or they fall upon the safety net of Shakespeare...

(Above) Double standards exist beyond gender roles. A wonderful resource about this topic is the blog Modcast, where English Literature and Language graduate students discuss various novels. In fact, the blog has a section called “Hypocritcisms: Double Standards in Literature,” which is dedicated to various types of conflicting ideals faced by people from all communities. This goes to shows that despite the wonderful steps made to equalize things for various groups, conversations are still happening and progress must continue.

Double Standards Dominate the Timeline

Minaal Arain, Co-Editor November 2, 2023

In the new Barbie movie, actress America Ferrera’s character explains how it is, “Impossible to be a woman.” The viral scene, one I highly recommend watching, conveys the frustrations of many young...

(Above) The cosmetic industry plays a significant role in fueling ageism by perpetuating unrealistic beauty standards and promoting products that promise to reverse or prevent the signs of aging. Many companies within this industry capitalize on societys obsession with youth, often employing marketing tactics that reinforce ageist stereotypes. For instance, beauty brands like LOréal have come under scrutiny for campaigns that seemingly celebrate older women but still emphasize their products anti-aging properties. Similarly, companies like Estée Lauder market their products with phrases like turn back the clock and age-defying, further contributing to the notion that aging is something to be feared and avoided at all costs. Like plastic surgery, topical remedies for aging won’t transform you. Billion-dollar companies aren’t dedicated to making the world look younger. They’re preying on easy insecurities, and we fall for it every time. In 2021, the global anti-aging market was estimated to be worth about 62.6 billion U.S. dollars according to Statistica, and this number is expected to increase significantly in the next few years.

Discrimination Comes of Age

Delaney Bolstein, Editor-in-Chief October 4, 2023

You’re standing in front of the mirror, and all you see are wrinkles turning your forehead into a barcode, protruding crow's feet, that new pixie cut you swore you would never get, and everything else...

(Above) Senator Rick Scott was my governmental correspondent. He gave me a Challenger Coin which has his seal for when he was the Governor for the state of Florida.

A Journalist Journeys to D.C.

Zane Rimes, Director of Advertisement September 27, 2023

From July 10 to the 15, I embarked on a journalism journey to George Mason University in Washington, D.C. The trip included going through multiple journalistic simulations including writing about First...

The line between cruelty-free and ethical is blurry. For example, the brand behind the Benefit Brow Bar in Ulta, Benefit Cosmetics, claims to be cruelty-free, claiming, “All Benefit products undergo very strict tolerance tests using non-animal methods during the procedure of each product,” on its website. However, what the company fails to mention is that animal testing can occur after the product is created such as pre-market testing and post-market testing. The old status quo of whether a brand was cruelty-free or not was if it sold products in China, but since recent laws now let “general cosmetics” be imported into China without animal testing, the line has become even blurrier. Benefit Cosmetics’ hair dye and freckle remover fall under the category of “special cosmetics” and thus require animal testing. To bypass the confusion entirely, I recommend that you stick with brands that are undoubtedly cruelty-free. My favorite ethical brands are Native, E.L.F., Glossier, and Rare Beauty. 

Embrace the Beauty of Being Cruelty-Free

Delaney Bolstein, Editor-in-Chief September 15, 2023

Amidst the past decade's booming makeup and cosmetics industry, heightened even more so by the introduction of “beauty influencers,” a movement is growing alongside the industry: the cruelty-free movement....

(Above) My grandparents from my mother’s side helped raise my brother and me until I was six and he was three. Seven years prior, they had dropped everything and flown from Shanghai, China, to take care of us. At that point, they were already in their late-sixties, but family always comes first. Photo courtesy of Mr. Samuel Young.

Benefits of Being Bilingual

Serena Young, Co-Editor/Director of Advertising April 20, 2023

Languages open up doors to new worlds of meaning. But with the rise of AI, mastering a language may seem outdated to some. People forget the difference between languages is not only word-to-word translation...

(Above) The 2023 Paris Fashion Week began with a viral
collection from the fashion house, Schiaparelli, inspired
by the animals from the epic poem, “Dante’s Inferno.”
Though the designer used only faux fur, the feedback
has been polarizing, to say the least. Some critics,
such as model, Christie Brinkley, called the collection a,
“Huge faux-paw,” a play on the word, faux-pas, claiming
to glorify poaching. Others, including myself, believe
Schiaparelli’s work is a testament to how useless the
fur industry is. By creating hyper-realistic busts of
animals, the designer further justifies faux fur’s place
in the fashion industry. Photo courtesy of Filippo Flor.

Fake Fur Solves the Real Issue

Delaney Bolstein, Co-Editor/Director of Media March 10, 2023

There is almost nothing more divisive in the fashion industry than the use of fur. Fur shoes, fur coats, and fur hats can be bought at virtually every high-end fashion retailer; yet their sales accompany...

(Above) The property of Shalom Orlando is also the site of The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Central Florida. The organization aims to combat anti-Semitism through history on prejudice and bigotry toward Jewish people. Kanye West has stated his support for Nick Fuentes, who has perpetuated a conspiracy theory denying the Holocaust, saying it was fabricated to advance Jewish interests. Denying an event that took the lives of countless Jewish people just perpetuates the hateful beliefs that first laid the groundwork for Hitler’s reign. Photo by Sarah Finfrock.

Silence is Compliance

Sarah Finfrock, Copy Editor/ Director of Photography February 2, 2023

In the wake of anti-Semitic comments from American rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, the silence is deafening. In public and on social media, I still see people listening to Ye’s music and promoting...

(Above) As I was apprehensive to start training in hip-hop, my studio and
team (shown above), helped me build up the courage to learn skills, as well
as perform on stage. The support that my studio shows while being onstage
is huge, with loud cheering and yelling. Also, other studios chime in with
this same encouragement, making dancing on stage and competing less nerve
wracking. After the first competition, I never doubted my ability in hip-hop,
and I continue to perform multiple pieces in that style. Photo courtesy of

Tremaine Dance.

Peer Pressure With Positive Outcomes

Rebecca Reif, Editor in Chief November 9, 2022

The first idea that comes to one’s mind when peer pressure is mentioned is a negative connotation; something like poor decisions will be made, or risky and dangerous actions will be taken. There are...

(Above) Partnering with the Humane Society, The Pet Alli-
ance of Greater Orlando helped rescue some of the 4,000

beagles taken from a large breeding facility, focused on

providing beagles for animal testing, in Virgina in Septem-
ber. Beagles are sought after for testing because of their

docile nature, and many rescues specialize in rescuing them.
Photo courtesy of the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando.

“Adopt Don’t Shop” Becomes the Law

Delaney Bolstein, Co-Editor October 26, 2022

On June 21, Orange County officials voted to ban the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits. This occurred after increasing pressure from animal rights groups such as Best Friends and other Florida cities that...

(Above) My sister and I wore matching outfits to school
until second grade. This is when both of us voiced that
we would like to start expressing ourselves through our
own style and clothes. Before this time, our outfits were
always matching, whether it was actually the exact same
item of clothing, or by only having different colors of that item. Photo courtesy of Mrs. Jennifer Reif.

Seeing Double

Rebecca Reif, Editor in Chief October 4, 2022

One in every 42 children is born a twin. While being a twin may be rather uncommon, since around only 3.3% of births are twins, here at Lake Highland, 10% of the class of 2023 are composed of doubles....

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