Alexandra Villarreal

Bio

I'm a Columbia undergraduate, Texan, chocoholic, and lover of the arts. I also write for the Columbia Daily Spectator in the A&E section. My most used word is "y'all," and I'm morally opposed to selfies.

What Fine Art Looks Like in the Selfie Era
By Alexandra Villarreal
Art is a reflection of its era. With that in mind, it's not surprising that, in the age of apps and emojis, Ukrainian artist Nastya Nudnik is using the vocabulary of social media to rebrand familiar images for a digital world.  Her…
9 Books You Were Required to Read in High School That Actually Changed Your Life
By Alexandra Villarreal
For high school and college students, required reading can easily become the ultimate antagonist. Books like The Odyssey, To Kill a Mockingbird or A Tale of Two Cities quickly turn from exciting must-reads to frantic skims pre test or paper.  But…
9 Ways Street Artists Are Making Our Cities More Beautiful
By Alexandra Villarreal
Cities may be lands of opportunity, but their soot-coated buildings and cement sidewalks can't compare with the natural drama of mountains, forests or beaches. As urban contractors are often more concerned with function than form, concrete jungles…
Kendall Jenner Is Fashion's New 'It Girl' — And That's a Good Thing
By Alexandra Villarreal
The high fashion industry has a new "it girl," and she comes from an unlikely place. 18-year-old Kendall Jenner may have gotten her start as a reality TV celebrity on Keeping Up With the Kardashians, but she's quickly establishing herself as a model…
'Humans of New York' Is Reinventing Museum-Worthy Art in the Digital Age
By Alexandra Villarreal
A 20-year-old hunches over in a library, a look of desperate exhaustion painted on her features. She cannot smile when she whispers, "I'm trying to figure out what my dreams are." Image Credit: HONY Facebook This kind of struggle is intrinsic to…
How Broadway Lost Its Soul to Big-Budget Blockbusters
By Alexandra Villarreal
With an emphasis on filled auditoriums instead of innovation and quality, Broadway is quickly branding itself as the new Blockbuster: Its output can gross big bucks, but at the cost of artistry and integrity. The 2014 season boasts star-studded…
This Is the Most Sexist Tourist Trap In New York City
By Alexandra Villarreal
The Radio City Christmas Spectacular has become an essential component of New York City's tourist culture each December. In fact, according to the New York Times' Laurel Graeber, "It's a living greeting card to New York, sealed with a kiss." When…
5 Reasons Every Hopeless Romantic Needs to Listen to Ed Sheeran
By Alexandra Villarreal
If you're a hopeless romantic, you need to listen to Ed Sheeran. He's every Anglophile's new favorite ginger. With poetic lyrics, he transports his listeners to a realm of romanticism with songs about passion, love, loss, and (eventually) recovery…
Why Millennials Are Obsessed With Marie Antoinette
By Alexandra Villarreal
In a mysterious way, she was a vanguard for our current situation, and we see in her what we pity in ourselves Marie Antoinette's influence is omnipresent — she's our generation's guardian angel, looming over our everyday lives. It seems that every…
Which 'New Girl' Roommate Is Your Spirit Animal?
By Alexandra Villarreal
Over three seasons filled with laughter, we've fallen for the four roommates who imbue Tuesday nights with quirks, snark, funny faces, and the occasional song and dance. We often find ourselves quoting our favorite besties, whether it's Nick's…