Music: In conversation with Manzél

PLAYLIST

BEGINNINGS SOUNDS

In the theme of this week’s article, our team has selected songs that remind us of new year’s resolutions.

(JUST LIKE) STARTING OVER

John Lennon

Flora Dyson

FOUR SEASONS IN ONE DAY

Crowded House

Flynn Hallman

PEOPLE GET UP AND DRIVE YOUR FUNKY SOUL

James Brown

Flynn Hallman

In Conversation with Manmzèl

Jimmy Brewer discusses the latest release of Oxford-based musician Manmzèl.

Maintaining a non-academic hobby alongside an Oxford degree is a challenge. Pressures from tutors, friends and oneself conspire to clog up time that could be used to this end. But at the end of Michaelmas, I had the opportunity to speak to a woman who manages it. Emily Meekel, aka Manmzèl, is a chemistry DPhil and musician, whose debut album is set to release spring 2022.

It was a bitterly cold day – the frst of the year to have that discernable winter sting that forces your hands into pockets or gloves. I arrived at our arranged meeting place – Café Nero on the High Street – and ordered the ever-so-sensible mug of tea and granola fapjack combination. Over the café’s speakers was playing a twee, instrumental version of ‘Michelle’ by The Beatles – one can only guess at the atmosphere that musical choice aimed to evoke. Emily came in wearing a Balliol College puffer – a coat that she usually avoided wearing, but that day was necessitated by the excessively low temperatures. She was amiable, clearly at ease in conversation with someone she had not met before. We sat down to chat, and I began by asking Emily about her musical career.

After beginning her DPhil at Oxford, Emily “didn’t make music that actively”, being so busy with the demands of a new city and a scientifcally rigorous research degree. “Then lockdown happened,” she said. “I went home for a bit, but I had to come back for labs, and no one was here. Which was lonely in a sense, but I also had so much time to make music again, and it felt very fresh.” She got to writing and refecting. “It was nice to write my stories again and notice to myself how I’ve developed from what I was like from the last couple of years.” Having previously performed under the name EM|ME, Emily felt the need for change. She picked a new name, drawing on her Dominican heritage. In Dominica (not the Dominican Republic, Emily was quick to clarify), they speak Patois, a French dialect, which, when she was growing up, she had heard her grandad speak on the phone. “One particular night I couldn’t sleep, so I sat on my phone and saw whether I could fnd anything.” Emily, with the aid of a Patois online dictionary, settled on Manmzèl as her new alias. It means ‘young woman’ in Patois, coming from the French mademoiselle.

I was keen to ask Emily about how she interweaves the academic and musical strands of her life. ‘It needs to stay fun,’ she stated. “My PhD is my priority, but I’m also very aware of the fact that I can’t let it consume my life… I could dedicate my life to it, and like, it would be amazing, but for me it’s quite important to have a balance.” She noted also that, like for most of us, the return to normality means a far busier schedule: “in lockdown, it was quite good – obviously it was horrible – but there was so much more time. I noticed this term, because everything’s back to normal, I just can’t breathe!” But the music and the work do complement each other well. “Making music, relaxing, expressing myself in that way… and the PhD – I can’t focus on that one hundred percent.” Before coronavirus noisily arrived, Emily had been questioning herself. “I was going through this thing asking ‘why am I making music?’ If no one was listening to it, I wasn’t really enjoying it anymore, it kind of felt like a failure. Growing up you always have this dream, that you’ll become this popstar, or whatever.” It was lockdown that was the great remedy. During her days and weeks in isolation “it just came naturally. It didn’t feel forced, it just felt more mature.”

“I’d like to think of myself as a female Anderson .Paak,” Emily said. “I feel like my music is trying to be more energetic, sometimes more witty, or fast paced, and I see that in Anderson .Paak.” Listening to ‘Like a Woman,’ the frst single from Manmzèl’s new album, the similarity is clear: the drum grooves are tight and a tongue-in-cheek vocal snippet kicks the song off. “I’d like to kiss ya but I just washed my hair,” says a sampled voice, before the track leaps into life with a catchy synth lead and supple bassline. I was intrigued by the title of her single, ‘Like a Woman.’ The phrase is heavy with connotation, not least musically. There are apparent similarities to songs like Carole King’s ‘You Make me Feel Like a Natural Woman’ or Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’ – but in these songs it is the validation of a lover that makes the person feel “like a natural woman”, or “like a virgin”. In ‘Like a Woman,’ things are framed differently. “Cuz now I know it’s not me but you that I despise,” Manmzèl sings. Emily is looking to make a more cohesive product in her new mini-album. “Now I’m trying to get a record out that has the same overall sound,” she said. And from what I can tell, she’s going about it the right way. Her single, ‘Like a Woman’, is infectious, smooth, and impeccably crafted. Keep an eye out in

“During her days spring 2022 for what will no doubt be a release full of swagger, soul and sincerity. and weeks in isolation, ‘it just came naturally. It didn’t feel forced, it just felt more mature.’”

Read the full interview at cherwell.org. Image Credit: Andrea Berlese.

NFTS & the music industry: Paradigm shift or pyramid scheme?

Zachary Sutcliffe discusses the effect of NFTs on the music industry.

At the start of this year, Eminem changed his Twitter profle picture to an ugly drawing of an ape. The picture was worth £350,000. It was a non-fungible token, or NFT, from the billiondollar “Bored Ape Yacht Club” collection. This was not Eminem’s frst foray into the growing market – he previously released his own, each with a unique instrumental beat – but it was a clear endorsement. With a total market cap of almost £20 billion, NFTs seem all but guaranteed to make further headway into the music world. But what will their growth mean for the industry?

To begin with, what is an NFT? In short, it’s a certifcate of ownership using the blockchain, a decentralised ledger system which is also the basis of cryptocurrency. With an NFT, the blockchain stores a URL to the item, whether it’s an image or a piece of music, and the owner of said NFT, on a notionally unhackable network. It never stores the media itself, and if someone else gets hold of that media they can copy it as they would any other fle; but according to the receipt, it is still your fle.

If you’re an aspiring musician, you may now be wondering: how does this help me?

To which the answer is: it doesn’t. Not meaningfully so. If you ask an NFT or blockchain fan, they can give you a million answers. You can sell music! Earn royalties! Bypass the giant record labels! Something something Metaverse! All very fanciful stuff, with very little substance to back it up. At best, it allows you to do what normal intellectual property rights are designed to let you do anyway, probably with hazier legal backing. Mostly, though, these thrilling potential applications are hot air. NFT evangelists have to constantly invent new and exciting uses for their product, because at its core it has none. When you mint and sell a music NFT, you are not actually selling music. You are selling a fnancial instrument, with your sound bolted onto the front to legitimise it.

Just as with visual art, the primary motivation behind NFTs entering the music industry is to introduce artifcial scarcity and ownership into a medium to which it is alien. A digital artwork, just like a digital copy of music, isn’t really something you can paywall effectively. Photography meant that exclusivity was no longer in seeing artwork but owning it; digital art can be fawlessly replicated forever, so NFTs try and create a scarce “master copy” to sell. Streaming has done the same to music; thus, the same opportunity presents itself. Someone who buys an NFT of your musical masterpiece is not buying it to listen to. At best, they are buying it because they think it gives them status. More likely, they are buying it because they think someone else will buy it for more. They’re after the exclusivity of ownership, and the potential to sell that exclusivity to someone else further down the line.

Ah, but what if no other copy of the sound exists, as with our initial Eminem NFT? Well, that wouldn’t pose many benefts to the artist either. Again, this was already possible – take the Wu-Tang Clan album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, sold in 2015 to Martin Shkreli for a vast sum. Only one copy was ever made; it thus has the same uniqueness as an NFT, with greater security since you own the physical album – after all, remember that the NFT is only a link, and the music itself gets stored on a regular server. If that server gets hacked, anyone can take your music for themselves. The only real advantage an NFT offers is that it changes hands much faster. What matters, then? Not the music itself, but the ability to declare ownership of that music, and critically, to sell it off as soon as you fnd a buyer.

So, what changes can we expect as NFTs enter the music world? Probably not many. For all the pretensions of being more egalitarian than the industry as a whole, NFT markets are a very unequal landscape; about 80% of all tokens are owned by only 10% of traders. Sure, you don’t have to go through any corporate intermediaries to publish – but you don’t have to for SoundCloud, either, and that site also doesn’t charge you to upload, whereas NFTs cost money (and a colossal amount of power, giving them a huge carbon footprint) to mint. Ultimately, NFTs represent a new means of declaring ownership, and one that isn’t really more favourable to the artist than established systems. In the long run, it is likely that their social and cultural impact will be negligible. For all the hype, only a few will really be enriched by this new market, while desperate musicians and overconfdent would-be Wolves of Wall Street – not to mention the climate – pay the price.

Rewriting the detective story for the modern age

Isobel Falk considers how the conventions of the detective story are critiqued in BBC drama The Girl Before.

CW: Racism, coercive control, sexual violence. Warning: Contains spoilers!

Ahero, vested with the authority of the law, doggedly pursues every lead that comes their way. With methodical tenacity, they unravel a web of lies to uncover the moral transgression at the centre of the plot. Truth is established, the guilty are punished, and order is restored. Details vary, but a basic structure persists: the detective drama formula has long been a mainstay of television. The BBC’s new drama, The Girl Before, reformulates this basic structure, but with a new intent: it attempts to speak into being a feminist crime story. With two Black women as its heroines, the drama takes the conventions of the detective drama in new directions.

The show unfolds in two parallel narrative timelines, following two women living at different times in the same, ultra-modernist smart home. Both women, Emma and Jane, have recently suffered trauma, and both enter into identical relationships with the house’s architect, the enigmatic and controlling Edward Monkford. As it transpires that Emma died in the house, it is up to Jane to unravel the events that led up to her death, discover whether Edward was implicated, and avoid the same fate herself. While at times the script can be overwrought, throwing in twists and turns seemingly for their own sake, the show’s close psychological study of its characters creates a real sense of menace that cuts through its melodramatic tendencies.

In recent years, the founding assumptions of the detective show format have found themselves on shaky ground. After the reckoning of 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests, the automatic faith that the mainstream British public once held in the institution of policing has been undermined - a faith which many of these shows rely upon to function as drama. It can no longer be assumed that the hero’s uniform is a signifier of their virtue. The archetype of the noble, neutral police officer committed to the pursuit of truth has been undermined by mainstream recognition of police brutality and institutional racism. As such, the form of the detective drama has been confronted with accusations of being little more than propaganda, manufacturing consent for the violent policing of marginalised communities. The Girl Before places limited trust in the police: while the officers are not outright malicious, it is clear they have their own agenda. Career progression is prioritised above the wellbeing of victims, and truth is sidelined in favour of a convenient conviction.

Instead, it is the heroine Jane, a lawyer reeling from a recent miscarriage, who must discern the events leading up to the crime. Jane lacks the institutional power and detached retrospective viewpoint of a conventional detective, investigating a crime after it has happened. She is vulnerable, implicated, living in the same house as the victim, and in an eerily identical relationship with the same man. She is compelled not only to establish truth, but to save herself. The drama does not wholeheartedly attempt to democratise the figure of the detective: as a lawyer Jane still has some legal authority in her sleuthing capacity, which gains her access to information and witnesses that another woman might not be granted. It is the successful legal professional, not the floundering marketing assistant Emma, who is granted authority to direct the untangling of the narrative’s web. But nonetheless, The Girl Before is significant in its transformation of the victim into the detective. Jane does not passively suffer for the audience’s gratification, but is granted the capability to save herself and find the truth about Emma’s death.

But the nature of truth, and the issue of its public demonstrability in the eyes of the jury and the audience, is also a problem for The Girl Before. The crime at the centre of the show - the death of Emma - occurs within a private home in the context of escalating tensions in her relationships. The show grapples with the implications of coercive control, criminalised in 2015, and how this challenges our conceptions of crime and justice. Coercive control laws criminalise abusive behaviour in relationships beyond physical violence. Traditionally, crime is conceptualised as a public problem: criminals are dangers to society, and need to be punished by the law. But the introduction of coercive control as a crime problematises this by turning our most intimate relationships into potential crime scenes. The private spaces of the home, often considered personal and outside the scrutiny of the law, are suddenly brought into sharp, critical focus.

The criminalisation of coercive control has doubtless given protection to countless survivors of domestic abuse. But The Girl Before, with its lingering external shots through the glass walls of the heroines’ home, seems to implicitly ask what the cost might be of the entry of the justice system into women’s private lives. The sense of menace in the show is heightened by the omnipresent surveillance technology in their home, rigged as it is with cameras, microphones, and a digital assistant in every room, and sensors collecting data from the kitchen to the shower. But we, as viewers, also become an intrusive gaze in the women’s private spaces. Our own gaze, conditioned by the formula of the detective show to expect bloodshed and then punishment, to critically and intrusively survey a woman’s life, is complicit in the violence visited upon Emma.

At the conclusion of The Girl Before, there is not one but three guilty men. Emma’s boss and rapist is arrested, her controlling ex-boyfriend Si is accidentally killed in an altercation with Jane, and Edward goes to therapy in an attempt to confront his controlling compulsions in his personal relationships. The show does not entirely divest from the law as a means to impart justice, as the arrest shows, but it does broaden its scope to consider other responses to crime. The death of Si is perversely satisfying, but its accidental nature sidesteps the problem of disciplinary violence. The show’s restorative justice approach to Edward’s transgressions was the most interesting to me, in how it navigates problems of authority. He turns to therapy to work out the emotional problems that lead to his controlling behaviour, and the show suggests he might be rehabilitated. But the therapist herself is hardly a neutral party: she was Emma’s therapist, and subsequently helped Jane’s investigation by revealing tantalising tidbits of information that her duty of confidentiality allowed. The therapist is thus not entirely separate from the process of sleuthing that leads to punitive justice. Her implication in the show’s spectacle of disciplinary investigation means that restorative justice never becomes separate from the punitive work of the legal system. Edward’s therapy also functions as confession: he submits to the therapist’s authority in order to receive punishment and absolution.

The Girl Before is compelling, if at times it stretched my capacity to suspend disbelief. It is thoughtful in its attempts to reform the genre of the detective thriller, but it never becomes radical, remaining invested in conventional notions of authority, revelation, and punishment. Our detective is not a police officer, but is still a legal professional, and deploys her class-based privileges to unravel the truth about Emma. It is the police who punish Emma’s attacker. And the possibility of restorative justice is never completely uncoupled from the public desire for punishment. This feminist crime story is imaginative, but never truly subverts the problematic notions of truth and justice that pervades its genre.

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Recommended reads

POETRY COLLECTIONS

With the work load of an Oxford degree, it can be hard to fnd the time to sit down and delve into a novel. Poetry can offer a solution: taking the time out of your day to read a poem or two offers a nice break without the same level of commitment. Our Books team recommend their favourites...

Pale Colors in a Tall Field

By Carl Phillips Carl Phillips’s Pale Colors in a Tall Field is a moving meditation on the place of the body within the natural landscape. In precise, lyrical verse, Phillips refects on the passage of time in restrained language reminiscent of Greek and Latin he learned as a trained classicist. Exploring the intersection of nature, sexuality, and time, this beautiful collection examines both how we survive trauma and how we move past it.

- Eliza Browning, Books Editor

Hera Lindsay Bird

By Hera Lindsay Bird Bird’s self-titled collection is such a breath of fresh air... but that’s the kind of cliche she tears apart in this book. Cavorting around the full range of human emotions, Bird creates eclectic images, constantly surprising the reader and offering new perspectives on common experiences. With topics ranging from Monica from Friends to break-ups to bisexuality, Bird is the perfect poet for those who tend to fnd the genre too pretentious or diffcult to get into.

-Katie Kirkpatrick, Deputy Editor

Ariel

By Sylvia Plath Ariel, Plath’s second collection of poetry, was published posthumously in 1965 and embodies her artistic quest for a new kind of poetry. The poems included in this anthology range from transformations of everyday activities to descriptions of her often extreme and conficting emotional states. Her use of powerful, violent and often hypnotic imagery in poems such as ‘The Moon and the Yew Tree’ makes this collection one that intrigues you, pulling you in and forcing you to derive your own interpretation. In classically Plath style, the language of her poetry brilliantly allows the contradictions within her work to co-exist. Ariel is moving, brilliant and a must-read for all fans of contemporary poetry.

The 22 books on my TBR List for 2022

Georgia Lin lists the books she’s excited to get to as the new year begins.

Having decided to shove New Year’s resolutions to one side, my only vow for 2022 is to read more. I’ve been feeling quite nostalgic recently for the part of childhood where it was acceptable to sit for hours and devour a book in one go, content and with no other distractions. That being said, here is my list of hopeful reads for the new year. A few are recommendations from friends, whilst others have been sat on bestseller lists for a while. Some are yet to be released and are by new and exciting voices that I think will be popular. In the mix are also some classics that even I don’t know how I’ve avoided for this many years (looking at you, Sylvia.) If you’re stuck for your next read, I hope this helps a little! And if you have any recommendations yourself, I would truly love to know them...

1Hamnet, Maggie O’Farrell The imagined story of Shakespeare’s son who died aged eleven. After being seriously ill in childhood, O’Farrell became fascinated by the Bard’s son, and how his death inspired the renowned play, Hamlet. She explores a life subjugated to the footnotes of history, and the legacy of grief.

2Sunset, Jessie Cave Sunset focuses upon two sisters’ relationship and grief. Known for her comedy Sunrise, Cave also openly discusses the aftermath of losing a sibling. Sunset is a culmination of all these facets of Cave, a both funny and heart-breaking story that honours siblinghood.

3My Body, Emily Ratajkowski The follow-on from Buying Myself Back, Ratajkowski’s essay discusses self-ownership and pressures from the male gaze in the modelling world. Growing up, Emily Ratajkowski was the beauty standard that many aspired to; it is this uneasy dynamic that makes her work so interesting.

4Neapolitan Novels, Elena Ferrante The Neapolitan series follows two childhood friends. Gifted children, their lives take different paths after only one can afford further education. The novels study the intersection of class and gender, and the resilience of friendship. 5 The Transgender Issue, Shon Faye Lauded as a monumental work in understanding and celebrating what transgender liberation means in modern Britain.

6Shuggie Bain, Douglas Stuart Set in 1980s Glasgow, Shuggie Bain follows the life of a young boy, tackling topics that range from alcoholism to the experience of queerness in working class communities.

7Open Water, Caleb Azumah Nelson A lyrical depiction of an affair between two artists in London. Azumah Nelson has been applauded for both the novel’s celebration of young black identity in Britain, and his unconventional and expressive second person narration.

8The Right to Sex, Amia Srinivasan Srinivasan examines the politics and ethics of sex in society. Issues are discussed that range from race, pornography, to the politics behind conventional ‘attractiveness.’

9Les Années, Annie Ernaux Ernaux is renowned for autobiography, yet Les Années is also the biography of a whole generation. Spanning from 1941 to 2006, the narrative follows collective lives and the changes they experience. 10 Notes on Heartbreak (2022 release),

Annie Lord

Lord’s book explores the different shades of her own heartbreak after a break-up. A columnist for Vogue, Lord’s writing is visceral and moving, as well as funny in her self-awareness. 11 Animal, Lisa Taddeo Following the success of Three Women, Animal’s protagonist is a deeply fawed woman, forced to confront the trauma of her past. 12 Everybody: A Book About Freedom,

Olivia Laing

Laing is personally one of my favourite writers. Her latest work examines the power and vulnerability of the body, questioning how it can experience and withstand oppression. 13 Black and British: A Forgotten His-

tory, David Olusoga

Challenging the marginalisation of black experiences in history, Olusoga’s wide ranging study spans from the Roman era to the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement in 2020. 14 The Secret History, Donna Tartt Cited as the beginning of the ‘dark academia’ genre, Tartt’s detective story centres a group of classics students at their prestigious college. 15 Night Sky with Exit Wounds, Ocean

Vuong

Vuong’s debut collection of poetry; a delve into sexuality, masculinity, and experiences as an immigrant in America. 16 Poor Little Sick Girls – A Love Letter

to Unacceptable Women (2022 release), Ione Gamble

Becoming chronically ill aged nineteen, Gamble discusses her relationship with feminism. The trend of ‘girl boss’ empowerment was inaccessible to her and her disability, leading her to forge her own path and identity. 17 Nobody is Talking About This, Patri-

cia Lockwood

Lockwood’s debut novel explores the reality of our lives online, and the power of human connection. 18 Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia

Owen

The story of a young woman who grows up isolated from her town, known to them only as ‘the marsh girl.’ A coming-of-age novel, tension occurs once she begins to yearn for acceptance and love from this community, with certain members becoming equally fascinated. 19 The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath Plath’s classic novel needs little explanation, often a steady place-holder on the ‘100 books to read before you die’ lists. 20 Catch-22, Joseph Heller Another permanent fxture on the ‘100 books to read before you die’ list, Heller’s satirical novel is set during World War Two and exemplifes the foolishness of war. I also just want to know the origins of the phrase ‘Catch-22!’ 21The Virgin Suicides, Jeffrey Eugenides I have wanted to read this for a while, following Jia Tolentino’s essay Pure Heroines; the Lisbon sisters are used as a prime example of the complication and limitations surrounding teenage girl characters in literature. 22 Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Brontë Originally on my list because I felt guilty for always overlooking the third Brontë sister, I am quite happy to learn that Tenant of Wildfell Hall is considered the Brontës’ ‘most shocking novel.’ Good for Anne.

Artwork : Ben Beechener

Cabaret & Spring Awakening: The art of reviving musicals

James Newbery compares two recent productions, examining what makes a good musical revival.

Iwas very lucky to see two amazing revivals of the iconic musicals Spring Awakening and Cabaret on consecutive nights over the Christmas vacation. Both shows absolutely blew me away. Yet I noticed how the styles of direction of Rebecca Frecknell (director of Cabaret) and Rupert Goold (director of Spring Awakening) were radically opposed. Both shows will surely receive multiple Olivier nominations – but which show will come out top? And ultimately, what makes a musical revival successful?

Rebecca Frecknell’s big directing break originally came at the Almeida Theatre (the current home of Spring Awakening). Eddie Redmayne suggested that she put on a production of Cabaret after seeing the West End transfer of her hit Almeida show Summer and Smoke by Tennessee Williams. In that sense, there is something intrinsically Almeida-esque in her directorial approach. Frecknell’s 2019 production of The Duchess of Malf made particular use of the opaque and transparent glass boxes that Goold uses so effectively to explore ideas of captivity and liberation in his production of Spring Awakening. Yet what connects both directors is a willingness to disrupt the ‘sanctity’ of

“The show is the original texts. Both versions are ‘darker’ than their originals; just as relevant in Cabaret, Redmayne as the Emcee progressively adopts the to a Gen-Z persona of a fascist dictator, audience fifteen dropping his sexually liberated clown outft in years after it favour of a blonde wig and a brown shirt. Jessie Buckley was originally removes all the showbiz pizazz performed.” that Minelli brought to the role of Sally in the flm version – her voice is stunning, but she chooses to speak through much of the title song. Frecknell’s choice is bold but it pays off. The effect is devastating – Sally becomes a ghostly shell of the person, introducing an ironic distance between the lyrics and the dramatic context in which they take place. Spring Awakening also opts for a darker approach; it feels more intimate and personal than the original Lea Michele Broadway version. The entire set becomes an enormous chalkboard which the actors can draw on – the actors feel almost organically in touch with the stage itself. Goold’s introduction of Greta Thunberg’s speech into ‘Totally Fucked’ added a new ecological framing to the show; Goold’s directorial touch revealed how the show is just as relevant “Can we ever to a Gen-Z audience ffteen years after it was originally justify ticket prices performed. I would argue that the reason that both revivals are so of more than £200 given the theatrical strong is that the source material itself encourages and experience even requires an expressionistic sense of theatricality. In that involved?” sense, they are gifts to directors – the possibilities of invention are endless. Frecknell’s Cabaret is performed in the round, with a revolve effortlessly transporting us between the different Berlin locations. Spring Awakening on the other hand is staged end-on with an ascending staircase that flls the entire stage – I was in awe with the level of ftness required for the cast, who had to run up and down the steps for the entirety of its 2-and-a-half-hour runtime.

So which show was better? It’s a close call, but I would just about say Cabaret. The whole experience was so immersive to an extent that I have never personally seen done before. The Playhouse Theatre in the West End is completely redecorated to become the Kit Kat Club from the moment you enter the building. Similarly for Spring Awakening, the intimacy of the Almeida as a theatre helps to contribute to an immersive feel. Goold also has Hanschen (Nathan Armarkwei-Laryea) break the fourth wall to particularly comic effect which I won’t spoil. However, I would say that only 90% of Goold’s decisions worked, whereas the surprisingly minimalist staging of Cabaret itself created a consistency that Spring Awakening lacked at times. The decision to cut the song ‘The Guilty Ones’ in favour of the original Act Two opening ‘There Once Was a Pirate’ felt like a mistake. The glass at the back of the stage felt distracting and I wasn’t quite sure what purpose it served; it wasn’t used as effectively as the glass box at the front. Yet I am being especially picky – and given the price difference between the tickets for Cabaret and Spring Awakening, it is no surprise that Cabaret has a slight edge. Frecknell defended the exorbitant costs of Cabaret, saying in The Times that ‘a quarter of the house is £50 or less, and we’re doing a daily lottery for £25’. Can we ever justify ticket prices of more than £200 given the theatrical experience involved – or are we just making theatre expensive and inaccessible? The jury is out. What is certain is that the Almeida must be commended for their prioritisation of young talent (the Assistant Director Priya Patel Appleby only graduated from University in 2020!) and affordable ticket prices. As a theatre, they are committed to training the talent of the future, which is more necessary than ever as the industry continues to struggle under the pressures of the pandemic. Image Credits: Marc Brenner

Hilary 2022: What’s On, Weeks 1-4

Week 1

The People vs. The Oxford Revue

Venue: The Old Fire Station Date: 15 Jan, 7:30pm Company: The Oxford Revue After almost two years of silence, Oxford’s critically acclaimed student sketch troupe are making a triumphant return to the Old Fire Station stage.

Week 2

Little Hauntings: an Improvised Adventure

Venue: BT Studio Date: 25-29 Jan, 7.30pm Company: House of Improv An improvised horror-comedy show about two people moving into a small town for a new life.

Week 3

The Importance of Being Nihilists

Venue: BT Studio Date: 1st- Sat 5th Feb, 7:30pm Company: Honest Fool Productions The Importance of Being Nihilists combines farce with murder mystery to remind us of the shadow of mortality behind us all, however absurd our circumstances.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Venue: Oxford Playhouse Date: 2nd-5th Feb Company: 00Productions With a spoonful of murder, a dash of cannibalism and a sprinkle of young sweet love, Sondheim’s musical beautifully blends psychological drama and shocking plot twists to create the ultimate musical thriller.

Week 4

Wednesday, Death Meditation

Venue: BT Studio Date: 8th-12th Feb, 7.30pm Company: Love Song Productions As the clock keeps ticking, and reality becomes unavoidable, a yoga teacher’s philosophy is put to the test in this Annie Baker-esque exploration of spirituality and mortality.

She Felt Fear

Venue: BT Studio Date: 8th-12th Feb, 9.30pm Company: Love Song Productions With integrated music and poetry, this new play delves into ideas of art, friendship, and growing up, offering a poignant look into how the choices we make shape our lives.

Still to come...

W5: Brain Freeze, BT Studio

W5: Two Gentlemen of Verona, Jesus College Hall W5: Spinning Yarns, Fusion Arts

W6: Persona, BT Studio

W6: OUFF Short Film Festival, Various Locations

W7: The Mikado, University Church

Blacking down: What Jesy Nelson tells us about the fall of the phenomenon

Madi Hopper discusses Jesy Nelson’s effect on blackfishing discourse.

Blackfishing is a word that though more or less unknown little more than five years ago, has now become part of everyday speech. While certain blustering they felt comfortable going after someone whose other major claim to fame is the damage done to her mental health because of online abuse. The most interesting thing about this gammons still pretend not to understand – that by applying a black aesthetic to a white body it’s reframed in a way that is more palatable to other white people – most of us know what it is, and more importantly that it’s A Bad Thing To Do. Co-inciding with this “It seems that one of the consequences growing awareness is the of blackfishing is slow decline of blackfishing as a rebranding technique. carte blanche to Once a tried-and-true be criticised for strategy for those looking to gain clout, typically ex-child absolutely anything stars and the entire Kardashian else. ” family, blackfishing is now a very risky business. Case in point ? Jesy Nelson. The ex-X-Factor star was at the centre of the latest explosion of the debate around cultural appropriation, and is likely the first major celebrity (ok, that might be pushing it) for whom the consequences of blackfishing have not only backfired but actively tanked the attempted rebrand. Not only did it do nothing to propel her away from her past as a member of a bubblegum-turned-girlboss group, but it turned people against her so violently that whole controversy is how the accusation of blackfishing has become one which is so heavily morally weighted that it seems to halo the person criticising the blackfisher – they’ve done something bad, so they become an open goal for criticism. Despite having been the focus of a 2019 BBC documentary highlighting the damage trolling had done to her mental health, driving Nelson to attempt suicide, ‘Boyz’ – the branding, the Tiktoks, the performances – has been the ship that launched a thousand memes. You can see the impact of being accused of blackfishing in the difference between the responses to two clips – the Tiktoks that started it all, and videos of her Jingle Bell Ball performance. Let’s be honest here - the Tiktoks that were released to hype up the new single, were blackfishing by the book. Grills, durags, basketball shorts, big curly wigs and a tan so deep that Jesy, who’s white British, appears darker than her mixedrace ex-bandmate Leanne Pinnock. Add in the cohort of black/mixed-race male back-up dancers (which, when the song is all about liking ‘bad bad boys’ plays into some very nasty stereotypes), and there is no defence. It was a wince-makingly tonedeaf rebrand. Part of the issue is that her team seems stylistically to have thrown the book at her – if they had toned it (and her tan) down a little, it might have been easier to overlook. But by theming her comeback so heavily around an aesthetic that is so blatantly lifted from the black community (or basically a white person’s stereotyped idea of it), it’s hard to understand how they didn’t see the screaming backlash on the horizon. Most of the criticism was measured and valid – pointing out the appropriation and breaking down why it was bad for those struggling to keep up at the back. The next round, however, was in response to the Jingle Bell Ball performance. Even though Nelson was way closer to her natural skin tone, and wore an inoffensive costume, she got absolutely shredded online – for the performance itself. Now, of course you should be able to say what you like about celebrities online but bearing in mind her own history with online criticism it was quite surprising to see the speed at which the Jesy Nelson hate train was fully boarded. It seems of the consequences of blackfishing is carte blanche to be criticized for absolutely anything else, which is handy to bear in mind when you think about the gradual shift away from the blackfish aesthetic over the last few years. Even those who’ve blackfished so hard it was basically their entire brand are stepping away – think about the Kardashians, whose empire was built on the appropriation of the body-type and lipshape of black women, have allegedly had BBL reductions (although at the last count they had five kids by black men between them, which will be a heck of a lot harder to whitewash). There are a lot of theories as to why this is – first of all that, naturally, as a trend blackfishing was always going to have an expiration date, which is one of the major problems with the practice in the first place – that the non-black people who’ve hopped on the bandwagon for clout can just as easily hop off again, treating it as a phase rather than a real, solid aesthetic. More positively, you could say with more (though still nowhere near enough) proudly black artists at the top of their fields than even 10 years ago people have become more used to seeing the black aesthetic on black bodies, something that the decline of centralised whitewashed media has no doubt contributed to. Cyncially, I’d also say that the biggest factor (though they’re all at play) is simply the increased accountability. And not only accountability, but the vulnerability it brings. It’s now a truth universally acknowleged - and that means that it is ok to jump on anyone caught doing it, and we all know that internet loves a dog-pile, especially one where you can then permanently justify your criticism as being from the moral high ground. Hopefully, this means that it’ll be a trend that will continue to decline.

The dark side of coquette

Iustina Roman explores criticisms of hyper-feminine fashion.

CW: Eating disorder, pedophilia Lately, we have seen a return to hyper-feminine fashion which encourages all things “girly” and beautiful. Inspired by Paris, ballerinas, and it girls such as Blair Waldorf of Lily-Rose Depp, one of the most famous trends is known online as coquette.

A quick search on Pinterest will open up a world of images associated with femininity: lacy dresses, bows, Mary Jane shoes, fower prints and hearts. At frst look, this trend may seem harmless and beautiful. Many women* admit that they had an aversion to being “girly” as children, and forms of internalised misogyny continue to affect us. Being able to express ourselves and embrace traditional beauty, simplicity and elegance is empowering for many, by subverting gender roles and using them to one’s own advantage. In fact, the word ‘coquette’ is used to refer to firtatious women* who fatter and manipulate men to get what they want. In a way, it could be said that hyper-feminine fashion manipulates the male gaze and patriarchy into working for their own beneft.

Conversely, some believe that hyper-feminine fashion caters too much to the male gaze, and that women* cannot be themselves by trying too hard to appear beautiful and appealing to men, especially since being a ‘coquette girl’ is not just about appearance, but also personality and interests. For example, activities such as reading, baking, and listening to Lana Del Rey are strongly encouraged. Moreover, simple and subtle makeup is preferred, and we all know how men love to insist that natural or no make-up is the ideal. In such ways, hyper-feminine fashion is perfect for attracting men, leading to criticisms that it is not actually empowering as much as it panders to the male gaze. Even more dangerously, the ‘coquette’ community continues to come under fre for encouraging seriously negative topics—whether it be overt or subtle. When searching online, the trends in the physical characteristics of people who embody and embrace hyper-feminine fashion are glaringly obvious: thin and light-skinned. Hyper-feminine fashion has been called out on social media extensively for failing to include people of colour and a range of body types—to the point where some believe they encourage disordered eating and unrealistic standards. The aforementioned role models of hyper-feminine fashion are, indeed, skinny white women.

Moreover, some argue that certain subcultures of hyper-feminine fashion slyly encourage characteristics which can be seen as infantilising and pandering to pedophilia: innocence, petiteness, and looking as childlike as possible are valued traits. Although a niche community which claims no such associations, one known as ‘nymphette’ is not far from pedophilia through buying into and sometimes sexualising childish fashion trends, and romanticising related topics such as Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita.

Then, given such avid criticism, why is hyper-feminine fashion only getting more popular? One reason is because it is not the only trend to face such remarks. Y2K fashion, which has seen a huge resurgence in the last couple of years, faces the same issues. While that is not an excuse, body standards and gender roles have always existed, and one fashion trend is unlikely to make much difference. Rather than blaming those who embrace this trend, perhaps it is more useful to look to those in the fashion industries who propagate and dictate women’s bodies. There may be no solution and as long as we give problematic communities attention, they will continue to thrive. Even the

cottagecore aesthetic was criticised for a lack of diversity when it frst rose to popularity, and came to be claimed by people of various backgrounds, body shapes, and gender expressions. It appears that the coquette aesthetic is on the same path, as many people are embracing and adapting it, making hyper-feminine fashion more inclusive. In fact, the sad reality is that elements such as the male gaze and beauty standards are already deeply embedded in society, and practically inescapable—no matter which aesthet“Rather than blaming ics we buy into, problems will always exist. those who embrace Whatever their reasons for liking and choosing a certain style, policing how women* this trend, perhaps it choose to express themselves and what makes is more useful to look them feel good is even less empowering. to those in the fashion industry who propagate beauty standards and dictate women’s bodies.”

Image Credit: Jaguar MENA// Flickr.

A Euphoric fashion commentary on our generation

Lily Sheldon explores the fashionable manifestation of gender and sexuality spectrums in TV show Euphoria.

“I like the way I dressed you but I’m worried I fucked with your gender expression,” Jules told Rue in their high school’s prom bathroom. In Levinson’s HBO show Euphoria, the audience is drawn into the high school world and the relationship between Rue, an addict, and Jules, Rue’s new addiction. Jules is a trans-femme woman who has moved from New York into the suburbs which are haunted with the ghosts from Rue’s dysfunctional childhood. Season one explores the dysfunctional relationships of other high schoolers at this school; no character in the show has an easy life or is particularly personable. All the characters in the show, but especially Rue and Jules, in their fashion and presentation, provide nuance to our understanding of gender expression.

‘Tomboy’ fashion was first popularised as a high fashion style with Coco Chanel’s ‘Tomboy of Summer’ in the 1920s. Vogue covers throughout the 20th and 21st century capture how the ‘tomboy’ fluctuated in and out of fashion. However, the term ’tomboy’ has rightly fallen from grace due to the binary of gender that it sug-gests. Gen-Z fashion trends are less restrictive in comparison to the 20th century and Zendaya’s character attentively embodies this. Rue is cisgender but has a distinctly non gender-conformative fashion: Jules describes it as ‘Seth Rogan-esque’. Throughout the show, Rue is inclined to wear shapeless and oversized layered clothing: if she is wearing something tight, it’s always accompanied by an item of clothing which is not fitted. In other words, she has Depop skater girl fashion without even trying. In contrast to the other girls, such as Cassie, Maddy, and Jules, Rue is never sexualised by male characters and her relationship with her sexuality appears to be quite innocent. Unlike Jules, Rue never reflects on her own gender aside from saying that “she feels deeply uncomfortable” when Jules dresses her femme. Gender does not appear to be on Rue’s mind but nonetheless we can understand her expression of self through her clothes.

Typical articles in Rue’s closet: a bomber jacket, oversized and graphic print long sleeve jumper and navy converse.

On the other hand, we frequently witness Jules’ understanding of her own gender. We see flashbacks of her trying on dresses when she was still male presenting and can understand the importance of makeup and glitter to her character. Her fashion is more traditionally femme than Rue’s, with her glittery eyeshadow palette acting as her clutch. But Jules’ fashion sense cannot be put in a box as it’s so experimental. When Jules goes to New York, she tells the person putting makeup on her that when she first wore eyeshadow it was like she had “levelled up” as a girl. However, in the final episode she reveals to her therapist that she is having an identity crisis because she has always presented herself in a way that she thought men wanted. Despite being assigned male at birth, she, like Rue, grew up in the male gaze which has conflicted and confused her own understanding of gender and sexuality and how her fashion has been moulded by it.

Typical articles in Jules’ closet: a mesh long sleeved top, a pleated tennis skirt, tights and Dr Martens white boots.

Unlike HBO’s predecessors, alongside Jules and Rue, all the other female identifying characters experiment with their clothing choices. Maddy is not afraid of wearing a matching set of cycling shorts and a sports bra to school. Cassie loves pastels but also occasionally likes to sport a unique vintage piece. Kat’s outfits undergo the most transformation: from fashionable, ‘girl-next-door’ type clothes to dominatrix leather and chokers. This contrasts with the consistently femme and conformative fashion of noughties’ TV: Gossip Girl, 90210, Pretty Little Liars and One Tree Hill. Yes, Emily in Pretty Little Liars may have been your sexual awakening, but we must admit: her whole friendship group wore the same clothes and, more problematically, never questioned or changed them. Fashion interlinking with gender expression was not discussed in these shows because the default for girls was uniformity: a.k.a tight, black sugar lips and low rise jeans.

Therefore, arguably the fashion in Euphoria is also a comment on society’s hypersexualisation of girls: no matter the age or context. In comparison to the neutral and unchanging style of the male characters, the female characters are consistently experimenting with their clothing. The girls are tormented by the glaring male gaze both in and out of school: internet revenge porn and nonconsensually shared nudes are ubiquitous. Sex has become readily available and the by-product is the sexual commodification of women. The access to anyone of any age on apps has forced these girls to grow up faster than previous generations. Unlike the aforementioned shows, clothing in Euphoria symbolises the female characters’ self-realisation of their bodies as sexual currency but how, on the flip-side, clothes can instead act as a tool of empowerment and self-expression. In other words, the characters must claim their own sexualities before it is done for them.

Euphoria both emulates and pushes our generation to challenge our understandings of gender. It has led to ‘Ruephoric” inspo outfits on Pinterest boards, JulesXRue fanfiction and viewers begging to see what the cast wears IRL. The clothes in this show, therefore, don’t just represent this suburban high school but they instead shout out a generational truth. Euphoria presents how gender no longer dictates fashion but when it does, it’s not black and white. Women are no longer forced into corsets (even though Lizzo’s corset emblazoned with her face demonstrates their comeback) and blazers aren’t confined to menswear (thanks to Parisian actress Sarah Bernhardt, circa. 1870). The word fashion comes from the latin word ‘facere’ which means ‘do’ or ‘make’ and not: “Hey everyone, according to your gender assigned at birth: dress the same!” Euphoria reminds us of this idea: gender is a construct, fashion is a personal choice and there is no one uniform; instead you must ‘do’ what you want and ‘make’ your own choices of expression because self-expression is not static. Let’s see what fashion boundaries the characters break in season two. So, bring back your dusty year nine high-top converse. Get a lip tattoo that says ‘rules’. And if you find yourself wearing a body harness to a Hilary formal for no particular reason… just remember to give special credits to Kat from season one, episode three for the inspo.

The Christmas Dinner: A COVID Corrective Par Excellence

Katya Alban discusses the perils of a COVID christmas kitchen.

“Omicron: the Christmas guest nobody wants but who somehow manages to get themselves involved.”

There are many good things about a family Christmas dinner. There are also a few not so good. For starters, it’s always a wonderful thing to have a table laid full of the most delightful nibbles and treats. The dining room table becomes something of a work of art; a feeding of the fve thousand grandchildren who seem to have grown about fve feet since granny last saw them. Indeed, a Christmas dinner is always worthwhile, but the preparation certainly isn’t the most relaxed procedure in my experience! Has the age of isolation changed that? Has what was once menial kitchen work become the saving occupational grace needed for a Covid Christmas?

I fondly remember Christmases past standing in the door frame; sipping champagne and swaying helplessly as the designated family chefs battled it out in the kitchen. Fumbling around fnding things to tidy, laying the table according to one set of family customs, then relaying it to satisfy others. Anything but enter hell’s kitchen. An uncle stands raging in the corner while granny guards her Brussels sprouts station, insisting that they need a little longer, though they’re already as “soggy” as the bread sauce. Has someone left the telly on ‘The Great British Bake Off’, you wonder? The snacks get more and more tempting the longer the turkey takes, though you know you’d better wait for the full monty. “The gravy’s too thick!”

“At least it’s fnished”, granny snaps, grumbling over southern culinary perfectionism.

This Christmas, the family and I drove all the way up to Sedbergh, a beautiful village in the Lake District where we usually spend an idyllic few festive days doing not much and eating plenty. Unfortunately, we arrived only to fnd that my sister had tested positive on her lateral fow. With an elderly and highly vulnerable relative in the house, the decision was made to return south for Christmas; but not before stealing the whopping 7kg turkey she’d bought from the local farmer. We certainly are grinches. It is diffcult being left at home with a heap of food which only reminds you of the event you didn’t get to cater for. For someone like my grandmother, a cook in her time, there is nothing worse than wasted food. Thefact is that many families have spent the last few weeks isolating, having been hit full blown by Omicron: the Christmas guest nobody wants but who somehow manages to get themselves involved in spite of all precautions. It is frustrating. Especially when you become sick of productive chores, uni work and yoga. That holy trinity of ‘productive isolation.’ Has anyone else started a yoga teacher training course? There reaches a point where you need some serious occupation, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is what a meticulously planned Christmas dinner can be. Back at home, mum was on the veg, my sister was on bread sauce duty, skyping my grandmother who was shaking her head on the other end of the line wondering what on earth was going on. I was on tiramisu duty: we had all the ingredients and they needed using up and, to be honest, isn’t a tiramisu a better alternative to Christmas pudding? Father, unfortunately, was laying in bed feeling absolutely drained. Covid had come and was there to stay for the next few days.

Our Christmas dinner wasn’t so bad after all. Food, like many wonderful things, can be made into a social and cultural event. Of course, not seeing extended family in the designated holiday window is a huge shame, but the opportunity to get hands on in the kitchen for once is a nice change. Certainly, it is something I will be embracing with full readiness in the years to come, whatever Christmas Day might look like.

Recipe

Fridge Shelf Frittata

Trust me, this recipe is a gift to you at the start of the term. Perfect for a lunch or a speedy dinner, this fried-egg fantasy will save a trip to Saino’s. It will handily hoover up any limp leftovers that are lying around, including those unidentifiable herbs and green leaves lurking at the back of everyone’s fridge. Except eggs, feel free to substitute any ingredient with anything that usually becomes a health hazard by the end of week eight, as delightful as that may sound.

Ingredients (for one)

2 eggs 1 courgette, sliced 1 ring of chorizo, sliced Stalks and leaves of sad bunches of herbs (flat leaf parsley and coriander work well) 2 tbsp of crème fraîche Sweet chilli jam Half a lemon Dash of milk ¼ tsp smoked paprika Salt, pepper, olive oil

Method

1. Fry the chorizo off on a medium heat for a few minutes. As it’s sizzling, (turn it down if it looks like a threat to the smoke alarm!) beat up your eggs with the milk, some salt, pepper and the paprika. Add almost all of the chopped up herbs too.

2. Take the chorizo out of the pan, but leave the oil in for flavour.

Return the pan to the heat and add the courgettes, turning over occasionally until coloured.

Season up with some salt, pepper and lemon juice and remove them from the pan.

3. Now put the same pan (I really am minimising washing up!) back on a low heat. Add a little drizzle of butter / olive oil and pour in the egg mixture. Just let that cook through slowly, the fact that it is a frittata not an omelet will save any flipping disasters.

4. Assembly time. Eggs, chorizo, courgette, those last few herbs.

Finish anything that needs to be used up. A few dollops of crème fraîche and a drizzle of sweet chilli jam here.

It all begins with breakfast

Marietta Kosma remembers Christmas breakfasts past and present.

It has long been said that breakfast constitutes one of the most important meals of the day. Really, there is nothing more refreshing than a hearty breakfast after a good night’s rest. Delicious food is one of life’s greatest pleasures, and especially during the pandemic, it became one of the few things left to enjoy. Still, many people often lack imagination for this early morning meal and end up making the same things over and over again; the average working person is looking for something quick and easy like cereal and milk, whilst others may skip breakfast entirely. Trying to get ready for work on time in such a hectic world can prevent us from having an adequate moment to pause, and to eat. However, no matter the hurry we were in, my family and I would always make sure to have some kind of breakfast before starting our day.

Even though we would eat breakfast every day, what stands out as a tradition in my family is Christmas Day breakfast. Breakfast on Christmas Day signifies the beginning of the festive season, the time when my mum gets off work, and my sister gets back from college. It is the season when everyone feels more relaxed as, instead of rushing and racing off, we get to spend the morning together as a family. It is the time when we become reminiscent of what the previous year has brought, both on a personal and family level. This special breakfast is a must; it has never let me down.

Christmas breakfast is something that all look forward to and always enjoy. My mum cooks lavish treats, loving to take care of everyone. Mum’s breakfast consists of sunny-side-up eggs, some kind of meat (usually crispy bacon and turkey sausage), golden home fries, moist chocolate cake with vanilla icing, homemade biscuits with strawberry and fig marmalade that my grandma has made, pancakes which are eaten with maple syrup, and mimosas (mum’s favourite holiday drink). At the table we all usually start by grabbing a pancake. My sister always sits across from me and grandma right beside me. Then she will ask my mum if she needs any help yet: my mum will predictably and consistently answer in the negative. By the time we grab a bite of all these delicacies we are already starting to feel full, yet we continue eating more and more.

The choice of these particular dishes for breakfast reflects my mum’s American heritage, as well as her Greek cultural influences. American breakfast tends to be a combination of sweet and savoury dishes, whereas the Greek breakfast typically consists of savoury dishes only. As a Greek-American myself, I have a sweet tooth. I could solely survive on eating dessert and that is one of the reasons why I am so drawn to this particular sweet and special breakfast.

All in all, Christmas breakfast is a very special tradition for my family and one that we will continue to cherish. There really is nothing like waking up to the smell of hot pancakes and biscuits and I hope that one day, I too will continue this tradition with my own children.

Hot girl summer for the highly sensitive

Iseult De Mallet Burgess reflects on navigating hook-up culture as a highly sensitive person.

After my first year at Oxford culminated in a crushing breakup, I flew home to New Zealand and decided that it was time for a Hot Girl Summer. In a culture that equates hooking up with sexual liberation, it seemed natural that I, stained by all the vicissitudes of the end of an important relationship and wanting to explore my sexuality, would embark on a period of pseudo-relationships and casual dating.

We are, after all, constantly exposed to media and pop culture which extol the virtues of casual sex and permissive sexuality. Uncommitted sexual encounters have become culturally normative; a 2012 study by The Kinsey Institute found that up to 80 percent of college students have reported having engaged in hook-up culture. As sexual scripts have changed over the past decades, people (particularly college students) have increasingly had more hook-ups than past dates.

It’s understandable that I viewed a Hot Girl Summer in New Zealand as the answer to my post-breakup misery. The only problem, which I overlooked with heedless optimism: I am a highly sensitive person with a preference for intimacy and commitment.

A highly sensitive person (HSP) is a term for those thought to have a high measure of sensory processing sensitivity: a deeper central nervous system response to physical, emotional, or social stimuli. The brains of people with sensory processing sensitivity work a little differently than others’ – HSPs tend to be very deeply affected by negative experiences, easily overwhelmed by sensory stimuli, anxiety prone, and very emotional.

Predictably, these traits – while not necessarily weaknesses – do not stack up well against our cultural obsession with hook-up culture, nor did they lend themselves to my envisioned hot girl summer. Being asked out by strangers terrified me. Dates would drain and exhaust me. I didn’t know the word “no”. I overthought everything. Hooking up with random people was, for me, anything but empowering. My so-called Hot Girl Summer aggravated the worst

“It’s okay not to want to engage in a culture centred around casual relationships. You don’t need to date to be whole.”

parts of my sensitivity and turned me in to an anxiety-ridden mess. I craved the blithe safety and deep sense of being known and seen that I felt with my ex, who was my best friend. I coveted the trust. The intimacy. The way that they protected my sensitivity. The sense of meaning that accompanies building a relationship with somebody. It became clear to me that exploring my sexuality needed to happen in that kind of context. One of trust, emotional connection and Austen-like slow-burn romance. Admittedly, this was difficult for me to reconcile with my internalised societal messaging around dating and the cultural pressure to participate in hook-up culture.

Aside from my sensitivity, there was also the compounding factor of merely being a woman. For all the benefits of hook-up culture, there is also an overwhelming body of evidence that documents significant gender differences in affective reactions to hooking up, skewed in favour of men. Women are more likely to report a negative reaction following a hook-up than men; a 2014 study by Baylor University suggested that the gender difference in regret over hook-ups is linked to negative emotional health outcomes. There is also the disproportionate danger of sexual violence.

This is not to say that women shouldn’t participate in hook-up culture, nor that those who do don’t value romantic intimacy – rather, that it’s okay not to want to engage in a culture centred around casual relationships. You don’t need to date to be whole.

Ultimately, my Hot Girl Summer didn’t go as planned, but it prompted a lot of soul-searching and self-growth, and for that I am thankful.

Horoscopes...

ARIES

21 March- 19 April

Even though your ambition may take the better of you sometimes, with Hilary term quickly approaching, embrace your fery side in all aspects of your life. It’s a coping mechanism honey. !

SCORPIO TAURUS

20 April - 20 May

I hope you have enjoyed your 0th week to the max, and please hold on to that serenity- you are going to need it.

GEMINI

21 May- 20 June

Unlike most other sings that need to be told to shape it up and get things done, you on the other hand really need to calm down. There’s only one of you sweetie.

23 Oct - 21 Nov

You deserve the world. Keep doing your thing and don’t let the hecticness of Hilary overpower your appreciation for yourself.

CANCER

21 June - 22 July

You will lose your keys. I know it. Trust me. I’m looking out for you. So please clutch on to your keys are all times, or just leave them with a trusty friend.

LEO

23 July - 22 August

Collections are over, celebrate your successes the true Leo way: buy your friends some drinks and turn the spotlight on yourself with your amazing outfts.

VIRGO

23 August - 22 Sept

I know that you can keep yourself grounded so I’m not going to waste your time. Instead, I’ll plead with you to accept that perfection is unachievable.

PISCES

19 Feb - 20 March

Apparently, you are full of wisdom being the fnal sign on the zodiac and whatnot. So, I will not give you advice. Instead, please contact me through any of the Cherwell social media because I might be the one needing your help after all.

LIBRA

23 Sept - 22 Oct

I’m also really into some equilibrium in life, but sometimes it’s okay not to be okay. Inner balance is amazing, but don’t beat yourself up after a night out when the hangover hits.

SAGITTARIUS

22 Nov - 21 Dec

You are doing great sweetie! Please take care of your gorgeous self, but most importantly, remember that your current boo needs some TLC at all times.

CAPRICORN

22 Dec - 19 Jan

For your birthday, ask for a goat or a fsh whilst you still can. The clock is ticking, and so is the opportunity to claim your next pet.

AQUARIUS

20 Jan - 18 Feb

Your birthday month is quickly approaching: Prepare yourself for all the celebrations and emotional crises that come with that. Good luck.