All in Culture

SHOULD YOU BUY FROM RAVE WEAR BRAND COPYCATS?

SHOULD YOU BUY FROM RAVE WEAR BRAND COPYCATS?

Miranda Pratt
Culture, Festival Fashion, Shopping Guide

In recent months I feel like every time I scroll through my feed I have about twenty promoted posted shoved down my throat by Instagram ads. The first to catch my eye was one that looked like an add for a LIPT Lable bodysuit. At first, I just thought it was a new product, but on closer inspection, I noticed that it was being marketed by a different company. When I followed the link to their page, I saw a number of copycat items, all of which were poor quality knock-offs of LIPT Label shorts and bodysuits. As you would most likely guess the prices they were charging for these knock-offs was far lower than that of the originals, and given that the account had a decent number of followers I am sure other people had taken notice as well.

WHY I DIDN'T LAST TEN MINUTES AT THE FRONT OF THE CROWD: A PSA

WHY I DIDN'T LAST TEN MINUTES AT THE FRONT OF THE CROWD: A PSA

Miranda Pratt
Culture

Last night I was able to go to one of the three sold-out shows starring Chris Lake and Fisher held at the Shrine Expo hall here in Los Angeles. We were fine for pretty much all of the opening act's set, but when the time came for the main event we ran into probably the most annoying issue you can have any concert or club event, which is being literally shoved out of the way by a couple of people who had apparently just gotten to the event and decided that no one else mattered at all. Now I am pretty tolerant of people moving through a crowd and maybe spending some time at the front for a show, but I have no patience for pushing and shoving people who got there on time out of the way, especially if you then proceed to stand there, looking at your phones, to help your other inconsiderate friends push to the front with you.

RAVE BAE?

RAVE BAE?

Miranda Pratt
Culture, Quick Guide

Let’s talk about’ Rave Baes,’ the strangest things I have encountered since I started raving and something I think it is worth talking about with CRUSH and Valentines day coming up. In this article I talked a little about what rave baes are, how you get one, and even a few of my own ‘rave bae’ experiences.

RAVE ETIQUETTE: A PRIMER

RAVE ETIQUETTE: A PRIMER

Miranda Pratt
Culture, Advice, General Guide, Quick Guide

Hey guys, so I wanted to take some time to talk about everybody's favorite topic: etiquette. I decided to take a moment to write about this one because I have had a million conversations with my friends about some of the horrible behavior we have been seeing at festivals recently and then following probably the most annoying night ever at a show recently.

"RAVE BODY", TOXIC OR NAH?

"RAVE BODY", TOXIC OR NAH?

Miranda Pratt
Culture, Health

Not long after I discovered raving and festivals, I stumbled across the concept of ‘rave body’ or ‘getting the perfect rave body’ just in time for festival season. Now, it should go without saying that there is nothing wrong with wanting to be fitter or feel better about yourself, but I know from first hand how quickly interest in being ‘healthy’ can turn into something toxic.

HOW RAVING HAS CHANGED MY LIFE

HOW RAVING HAS CHANGED MY LIFE

Miranda Pratt
Ask a Raver, Advice, Culture

Raves are all about acceptance and respecting others. Yeah, there will always be a few people who ruin your vibe for a split second at an event, but I have never attended something that hasn’t left me feeling like the best version of myself. Raving gave me my confidence back. Raving gave me my happiness again. Most importantly, raving gave me my life back. Before I found music festivals, I was rudderless and genuinely unsure if I would ever be able to be truly happy again. Now, when I’m not raving, I try to spread as much of the positivity that I have found at events with the other people in my life.

FESTIVAL BRAIDS AND CULTURAL APPROPRIATION

FESTIVAL BRAIDS AND CULTURAL APPROPRIATION

Miranda Pratt
Festival Fashion, Culture, Advice

Festival fashion has had a frankly horrible relationship with cultural appropriation if we are honest with ourselves. I think we have all seen enough pictures of white people in so-called ‘tribal’ fashion and headdresses to know that there seems to be a lack of consideration that goes along with dressing for festivals. Not only is a lot of this offensive, but it also gave no actual credit to the tribes from which the styles were taken. It is more often than not a vague approximation of styles which carry real weights and significance to the people who created them. While seeing someone who really shouldn’t be wearing a ceremonial headdress is something everyone can agree is not alright, when it comes to appropriation of black hairstyles there has been relative silence from the festival fashion community.

RAVES ARE A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE

RAVES ARE A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE

Miranda Pratt
Culture, Desert Raves

A week before Christmas I attended a desert rave that took place on the evening of the winter solstice full moon. As I have mentioned before, I live in Southern California which is pretty undeniably the heart of the rave scene in the United States. You get all of the benefits of the warm weather with the addition of lots of open space. In the New year I will be posting a series of more in-depth guides to desert raves highlighting what you need to pack, camping in the desert, transport, and travel, and what to expect, but the depth of emotion I felt looking up at the full moon and the constellations while listening to the music I love got me thinking about the spirituality of raves.

HOW @MELANINRAVERS IS GIVING BLACK RAVERS THE PLATFORM THEY DESERVE

HOW @MELANINRAVERS IS GIVING BLACK RAVERS THE PLATFORM THEY DESERVE

Miranda Pratt
Culture, Interview

Melanin Ravers is the kind of account that the rave community on social media, particularly Instagram, needs more of. Started in summer of 2018 on the last day of EDC, when co-founders Serena and Jasmine decided that enough was enough when it came to the lack of representation, Melanin Ravers is one of the first accounts to give black ravers the platform they deserve. “The thought behind the Instagram page {came} from a friend of mine after a conversation about a news clip of a black raver asking to be seen because you rarely see black ravers in the limelight when it comes to EDM,” said co-founder Serena when asked how the account first came into existence. “We were in the car to go to EDC, and I went back and forth about the idea because I didn’t think this page would be THAT popular.

MAKING YOUR FIRST RAVE TOTEM

MAKING YOUR FIRST RAVE TOTEM

Miranda Pratt
Culture, festival essentials, first time, General Guide, Quick Guide, tips and tricks

At a festival, it helps to have something that can be spotted over a long distance, easily and quickly. In the lead up to Snow Globe, my friends and I decided that we were going to make a totem so that we could find one another in the crowd. I wanted to share a little about our experience and some ideas to make sure your totem is not only super cool but easy to stop across a large crowd.

@CURVYRAVEBABES IS BRINGING SOME MUCH NEEDED INCLUSIVITY TO RAVE FASHION

@CURVYRAVEBABES IS BRINGING SOME MUCH NEEDED INCLUSIVITY TO RAVE FASHION

Miranda Pratt
Culture, Interview

Despite the accepting and open nature of the rave community at large, it would be impossible to say that when it comes to size inclusivity in festival fashion, there isn’t any work that needs to be done. Though plus size ravers may not face active attacks online or at events, where festival fashion is concerned they are consistently ignored, and occasionally dismissed. With three thousand plus followers and counting, “Curvy Rave Babes” is attempting to right some of these wrongs.

RAVES AND PACIFIERS

RAVES AND PACIFIERS

Miranda Pratt
Culture, Quick Guide, General Guide

I have a weird fixation on pacifiers in rave culture. This interest began when I started to notice a trend of including iconography of and actual pacifiers on jewelry, clothing, and other gear sold at DOLLS KILL, which is you haven’t figured it out already, is my favorite retailer. As a so-called ‘new-school’ raver, this was my first introduction to them having only ever noticed one or two at an actual event. However, once I started looking for them when I went to events I started to notice more and more people with one little string around their neck as more than just a fashion statement.

IF YOU HAVEN’T, GO WATCH "I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD"

IF YOU HAVEN’T, GO WATCH "I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD"

Miranda Pratt
Film, Culture

Of all the things that I thought I needed, a documentary about Steve Aoki wasn’t one of them, which is why I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead really took me by surprise. The film, currently streaming on Netflix, follows DJ Steve Aoki as he jets around the world to perform, works on finishing his album “Neon Future” and deals with the loss of his father.