Reader of the Week: Stephanie Gunther

Minneapolis maven talks up her city’s stylin’ secrets

By Molly Lynch
Published: October 27th, 2008 | 4:05pm

For feminista Stephanie Gunther, music makes the world go round—her world, that is. The 27-year-old Venus Zine reader chats about ‘80s-influenced tunes while showing mad love for her roots in the Twin Cities.

You wear a lot of different hats when it comes to being creative. You're a musician, writer, makeup artist, retail queen. What's your favorite out of all of these?

Hands down, music! In my opinion, it's the best way to express myself creatively. Not only can I show what I'm thinking literally through lyrics, but I feel as though melody and instrumentation can really portray the emotions I'm feeling. Going along with that, I really feel like music provides this intimate connection with people that sometimes is a little harder to get in other art forms. Songs mean entirely different things to different people, but it’s the mutual appreciation and passion for it that brings everyone together. There's nothing better than a room full of people singing along!

What do you love most about Minneapolis?

Minneapolis has a really amazing art and music scene. The city is second after NYC in the most theaters per capita, and there constantly are local shows, art openings, craft fairs, etc. The best part about this city's appreciation for the arts is the underlying sense of community and support local artists have for one another. Also, Minneapolis is a very "green" city. We're surrounded by gorgeous lakes and are the #2 bicycling city in the nation.

What music are you into right now?

I am always seeking out new music and like to think that I have an appreciation for a wide variety of genres. I'm definitely a sucker for female fronted artists/groups, so that has an apparent reflection in my music collection. Lately I've been into artists that have a dancier or 80's influenced edge to them—Ladyhawke, Friendly Fires, and Yelle. I'm also really digging more soulful rock like The Duke Spirit, and dancing it up to some fun hip-hop like The Cool Kids.

Tell me what you love most about your job as women’s accessories manager at UO.

I think what I love most about my job is the culture I'm involved with. Most of the people I work with are extremely open-minded and are artists and musicians themselves. I get to work with fashion and listen to fun music all day long. Also, I'm a people person, so it's nice to have a job where I'm encouraged to engage people in conversation.