Venue 380

ARTS / BOOKS / FASHION / CREATIVE WRITING / MUSIC / GAMING / FILM / TV / VERA VENUE

VENUE 380

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editorial

After what feels like forever, we’re finally back publishing physical copies of Venue. Yes, that’s right; the magazine you’re holding right now is the product of what we thought might never be possible again.

The past year and half has been difficult for us all. It has been filled with never-ending Zoom calls, terrible quizzes and complicated rules. For those of us who love our arts and culture, it has perhaps been particularly upsetting to see how the local Norwich scene has been impacted. Now, it finally feels as if we can start celebrating everything we love once more.

This edition of concrete is special for us as editors, not only because we’re back laying-up content, but also because of all of the thought-provoking, inspiring and exciting articles that are written in its pages. Whether you love creative writing or are fascinated with art, this edition has something for everyone. We would also like to draw your attention to our newest section, Vera Venue; an Agony-Aunt designated to answer any queries you may have on love and lifestyle!

For all the people new to UEA this year, welcome! After a turbulent year, we can’t wait to see new faces walking round campus and getting involved with all that UEA has to offer.

We hope you enjoy this edition of Venue as much as we do, Elizabeth, Hamilton and Molly.

Photos: Samuel Baxter (from L to R, Hamilton, Elizabeth and Molly)

Section Editors: Arts - Jack Warren

Music - Tom manning

Books - Louise Collins

Gaming - Holly Jackson

Fashion - Zorsha Taylor-Suich

Film - Laura Patterson

Creative Writing - Izzy Murphy

TV - Ben Smith

Front cover photograph by Ben Harrington

contents Arts ................................................................... 4 Books ................................................................ 7 Fashion ............................................................. 10 Creative Wriiting ........................................... 14 Music ................................................................ 17 Gaming ............................................................. 20 Film .................................................................. 24 TV ..................................................................... 27 Vera Venue ..................................................... 31

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4

Arts

Age-Blind Hamlet: Ian McKellen’s 82-year-old Dane

By Finn Little

every bit of the previous? This new production is brutalist in design, remarked as a ‘quixotic’ performance of ages from the cast. The settings are sometimes clubs, sometimes old apartments, sometimes dirty streets or docks. A rusty fire escape hangs over the main stage expanding the paths around the kingdom of Denmark, far away from the previous psychedelic fairy-tale.

McKellen’s differing style to younger performers fits itself with the maddening conflict of Hamlet’s sanity. He is wise, aggressive, sarcastic, moronophobic to those around him.

McKellen’s Hamlet has seen too much of a sensible world, and in relief uses his madness to do what both the elderly and the youthful excel in: angsty rebellion. This is adapted from Laurence Olivier’s performances, where Hamlet is distraught by his mother for marrying his uncle. McKellen has taken and adapted the role for this. He is as much playing the mentor to his enemies (his mother and his uncle) as a torn youth. In the scene where he confronts

Gertrude you can see the roles change back and forth as McKellen’s own age seems to tip like a scale.

I watched this performance on August 13th 2021, the farthest row from the stage at the Windsor Royal.

For many watching this performance it would have been their first time back in the theatre since the lockdowns. I happened to be sat next to a woman from Essex who told me in the interval about how she had loved travelling to London to watch Shakespeare. She had seen Hamlet a handful of times before in the main theatres. ‘But nothing like this’, she came to add.

Perhaps it’s the feeling of being back in theatres, perhaps it’s the decisions that have never been tried before on theatre, but I can’t say I found anything ‘wrong’ with McKellen’s Hamlet. If anything, his performance encourages us to see what can be done with plays people already idolise, demonstrating how theatre is the best way to twist a concept away from the conventional.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

At the beginning of 2021, rumours were being published that Sir Ian McKellen would be returning to the stage as the titular character in Hamlet.

The performance was to be an ageblind, gender-blind production where McKellen (82) would be returning to the role of the youthful Dane. The cast would be split between periods of dramatic teaching, McKellen being the only classic Shakespearean. Every time I mentioned this setup to those interested, I regularly got the reply, ‘This seems… wrong.’

It’s not shocking that many find this concept abrasive. How can someone escape the fact that the Prince of Denmark is twenty years older than his own mother? That a twenty-year-old Ophelia is pining for a lover who could be her grandfather?

McKellen had played the role before in 1971, admired for his part in the youthful and psychedelic production, the signature performance in the barrage of Shakespearian shows at the time. Who was to expect this new production would violently contrast

Arts

25 Banksy in Great Yarmouth blowing in the wind.

All of the works in Great Yarmouth evoke qualities that are typical of the street artist. Filled with tongue in cheek humour, every work is bold in style and has been crafted using expertly configured stencils and spray paint. The range of monochromatic tones make the work stand out from the walls they have been very specifically placed on, no doubt causing everyone who walks past to take a look.

As always with a Banksy piece, along with the humorous aspect to his work, there is also a deeper meaning to everything that is created. Some have suggested that the dancing figures on top of the bus stop are actually in reference to our new-found freedom after Covid. Others have pointed out that the music players’ downcast expression could be representative of how others often reap the rewards of hard work in our society. Maybe the

By Elizabeth Woor

work was created for another reason entirely, we’ll never know. That’s the beauty of Banksy’s work, it is available for all to make up their own mind as to what It might mean – if anything at all.

There is one undoubtable consequence to Banksy’s visit to the region - his recent presence has been a great addition to the culture of our surrounding area. Those that live nearby have been treated to living alongside some world-class art, meanwhile businesses have been able to take advantage of the mass of tourists who are wanting to get a glimpse of a Banksy work. After all, who wouldn’t want their streets to become a bit more cheerful?

Photo: Unsplash

Great Yarmouth: home of golden sands, the famous Pleasure Beach, the Time and Tide Museum. Oh, and now multiple works of art by the world-famous artist Banksy. That’s right, Banksy has been hard at work just down the road, and it’s not just Great Yarmouth – Cromer, Lowestoft, Gorleston and Oulton Broad were also places the artist visited while on what he coined his ‘Great British Staycation’.

Three different murals by the artist were unveiled at the beginning of August in Great Yarmouth. The first, located above a bus stop, illustrates a couple dancing to the music of a man playing an accordion. The second displays a rat painted on the side of a small model house next to the words ‘Go big or go home’. The final mural, which has actually now been removed by the local council as a sign of ‘sensitivity’ to a nearby death in the area, illustrated two children on an inflatable dinghy

6

arts

“It’s moved from a problem for the next generation to a problem for right now and we’re not ready for it”: UEA Professor and playwright Steve Waters reflects on his work on climate change

By Dolly Carter

would and would not expect to meet in a nature reserve, emphasising the necessity

disproportionate effect climate change has upon marginalised communities: ‘climate

Steve Waters’ The Secret Life of Plays became a staple of my bedside table

of falling in love with where we live again.

As a parallel endeavour, Song of the

change is seen as a left-wing issue… and the reaction to it is a right-wing issue. I

reading stack before coming to university.

Reed is a radio drama featuring UEA Scriptwriting lecturer Molly Naylor and Drama alumni Ella Dorman-Gajic – a deliberate choice from Waters to help ‘ground the play in the region.

Commissioned by the BBC in June, Song of the Reed is a site-specific drama focussed upon the microcosm of a reserve and featuring the practical work of conservation. Waters tells me each episode has a guest species, the first being the Swallowtail Butterfly, a species I recognise, and the second, the Little Whirlpool Ramshorn Snail. He notices my confusion at the latter and is quick to reassure me: “don’t worry if you’re not familiar with it, no-one is” – an apt reminder of the importance of his work. Waters says there is something quite ‘comic and wonderful’ about the proceedings of this episode, in which humans chase around for the welfare of this 5mm creature.

Moving away from the modular structures of the theatre company or the radio, Waters has also created Voices of the Reeds. This project is a 12-part polyphony featuring 12 voices which cross both geography and history, setting East Anglia as the ‘cradle of environmental and ecological thinking’. With the help of Literature, Drama, and Creative Writing lecturer Mike Bernardin, Waters has produced an open-source drama, with some monologues and duologues being recorded and laid against footage of the region from the East Anglian Film Archive. Within these pieces, he has made an effort to represent marginal figures from the history of ecology, noting the importance of ‘democratising climate change discourse’. He promotes the viewing of climate-related problems not only as an environmental issue, but also as an ethical and political one, pointing to the

think that’s a tragedy’.

Renowned as ‘the place where literature lives’, UEA has seen the birth of countless award-winning works of fiction, poetry, and drama, with a collection of critically acclaimed professors to match. Described as ‘one of the UK’s most accomplished political playwrights’, Waters has jumped from page to screen, as he tells me about his latest set of climate-related projects over Zoom.

In March 2020, a long-forgotten grant application to the Arts and Humanities Research Council returned successful.

Having made the application with little hope, Waters notes his surprise in receiving a grant from an institute he had originally believed to be geared toward conventional academic study. Aiming to ‘amplify the message of conservation and get it out of the hands of the professionals and into ordinary contexts’, Steve embarked on the Song of the Reeds:

Dramatising Conservation with the support of Strumpshaw and Wicken Fen nature reserves.

Due to take place across a two-week period in September, the core funded element of the project is Murmurations, a show performed by outdoor theatre experts Tangled Feet at the two supporting reserves. Audience members are to wear headphones, as they are led into the performance space, uncovering layers of stories through character, poetry, and music. Waters says this play addresses the ‘human need for the natural environment’, a need which has become acute over the last 18 months as the world has been plunged into lockdown and prevented from leaving their vicinity: ‘suddenly, people have realised the ground beneath their feet is the subsoil of their happiness’.

The play follows types of people you both

Finally, Waters moves on to tell me about Rothschild’s Walk, a piece which emerged from his own fascination with the fate of the fens across the UK, taking note

of

the

devastation

of

wetlands

throughout human history. He chose to create a piece which speaks to Nathaniel Charles Rothschild one of the founding benefactors of Wicken Fen and The Great Fen, in epistolary form. Waters embarked on the 39-mile walk across Cambridgeshire between the two fens to create this play and first performed it in Ely in June.

Both Voices of the Reed

and Rothschild’s Walk are to be performed at the theatre and activist festival organised

by UEA students, which is due to take place at the end of October before COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference.

Delving deeper into his perspective on current climate action, Waters believes the recent increase in extreme weather events are profoundly challenging our political system: ‘projections have proved to be too mild, too cautious, and too far ahead… we’ve been concentrating on the idea that climate change is coming to get us in 30 years – it has arrived 20 years ahead of schedule’. Commenting more directly upon UK leadershwip and the government’s attitude toward the climate crisis, Waters expresses his condemnation: ‘historically, it’s unfortunate that we have this government at this time’.

So, where do Steve Waters’ playwriting endeavours fall into this? He is hoping to radically change scriptwriting by inverting the priorities of drama. ‘Hopefully, it will galvanise people, embolden them to think, engage, and take steps’.

Editor: JAck Warren

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BOOKS

UEA Live: autumn 2021 Lineup by louise collins UEA Live is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a bang!

The festival is dedicated to celebrating creativity across all platforms and literary types, inspiring audiences to read and create until their hearts are content. This event celebrates authors from all origins in a brilliant, beautiful way, and this year is no different.

UEA Live is kicked off on October 6, with New York Times bestselling author Lauren Groff. Groff will be discussing her newest historical novel, Matrix, celebrating queerness, womanhood and female power. She will be in discussion with Sara Taylor, UEA alum and The Shore author.

On October 13, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Bimini Bon Boulash will be discussing Release the Beast: A Drag Queen’s Guide to Life, their debut book, with UEA Live Codirector and Creative Writing lecturer KR Moorhead. In this book, Boulash discusses the transformative life lessons of drag, as well as bringing forward the conversation of gendernonconformity.

October 20 hosts Jade LB, Lemara

Lindsay-Prince, and Jyoti Patel who will be discussing #Merky Books, the Penguin Random House imprint curated by Stormzy. They will be talking about their iconic individual pieces, as well as the importance of imprints such as #Merky Books.

October 27 sees Elizabeth Day celebrating her newest psychological thriller, Magpie, which discusses motherhood, power, and jealousy.

With titles such as journalist, podcast host, and bestselling author, Day will explore running themes across her work with Christie Watson, one of UEA’s Professors of Medical and Health Humanities.

On November 3, Leone Ross is set to discuss her writing journey with UEA’s Professor of Modern Literatures, Alison Donnell. Her journey includes her latest novel, This One Sky Day, and being the editor of the first Black British anthology of speculative fiction, which comes out in 2022.

The penultimate speaker is former Labour Leader Ed Miliband, who will be discussing the issues of inequality, housing, the climate crisis, and the

Jim moore book review

by Louise collins

For our last issue, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jim Moore about his book series, and I was desperate to read them.

Radulf the Aetherling sees a recently orphaned Rat Prince come to terms with his newfound Kingship.

Alongside his close friend Runcorn, he must take his displaced subjects elsewhere, crossing dangerous rivers and meeting many foes along the way. The sequel, The Valley Witches, shows Runcorn and some new animal friends on an even more dangerous adventure in the hopes of finding a permanent home for their kingdom. With this, the witches come out in a proper battle of good vs evil.

One of the magical things about these books is how deeply centred they are in Norwich’s landscapes. We follow a trail of Norwich, visiting the Cathedral, UEA’s lake, and so much more. There are some wonderful discussions about ecosystems in these books, teaching children the importance of leaving ecosystems to their own natural hierarchies.

need for change through his book Go Big: How To Fix Our World. On November 10, he will be proposing an interesting, and uplifting, set of solutions for the issues of today’s society. This will be chaired by Alan Finlayson, Professor of Political and Social Theory.

Closing UEA Live will be Malika Booker, on the 17 November. As the co-founder of Malika’s Poetry Kitchen, she will discuss the upcoming anthology Too Young, Too Loud, Too Different with scriptwriter and poet Molly Naylor. This anthology celebrates a range of literature from a collective of writers and poets, across 20 years.

As plans stand, these events are to be held in person in the Lecture Theatres on campus. As well as listening to their talks, you will have the opportunity to ask any questions in a Live Q&A and buy the speaker’s books. You can buy tickets, or find out more information, via the UEA Live website: https://bit.ly/3CXdi82.

With a lineup of such incredible writers, I know for a fact I’ll be in the audience, hanging on to every word.

With Moore’s wonderful descriptions and his abundance of adjectives, I’m sure every child’s imagination will be whirring at full speed, picturing these protagonists in all their glory. Each character stands out brilliantly, having their own unique tone and bold personality – from a cowardly squirrel to a sarcastic owl, Moore’s books have it all.

The non-standard grammar – whilst potentially an issue for older readers – fits that of a child excitedly reading a story. With the addition of sarcastic characters, and a lot of humour, I can absolutely see children loving these books. And what’s not to love? Moore’s writing has magic, adventure, humour, and some wonderfully beautiful descriptions. They’re entertaining, and they teach kids about the world – there are so many facts about Norwich’s history and landscape, that children truly get the best of both worlds with these novels.

Photo: Louise Collins

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books

The Fine Line Between Reading for Pleasure and Reading for Education

By chloe thompsonhomeas I don’t know about you, but I don’t tend to find myself picking up Homer’s The Odyssey as I do some light reading by the pool, sipping on a cocktail. Instead, I enjoy the light-hearted fiction from authors such as Sally Rooney or Sophie Kinsella as I am transported into a land of dreamy romance and page turning plots.

The balancing act between reading for education and reading for pleasure has always been a difficult one to get right. Unfortunately, not every book worm wants to pick up their current go-to read after sieving through 600 pages of academic notes which leave us with a scramble of words spinning around our heads at 100mph. Usually a three-hour nap sounds more inviting than a chapter or two of whatever book TikTok is recommending that month. But do not fret, there are a few simple solutions to prevent the balancing act from collapsing completely.

Doesn’t the thought of curling

up in an overpriced blanket from TK Maxx, next to the window as it rains, with a book in one hand and a coffee in the other sound heavenly? Reading is always so much more enjoyable if the location looks straight out of a Tumblr blog post. Even if the weather forecast isn’t working in your favour or the blanket is slightly out of the monthly spending budget, snuggling in bed with a candle, cuppa and book also does the trick. It is surprising how much a cosy location can drag you out of a reading slump.

Alternatively, to the rain, the long summer break from university is a great time to catch up on all sorts of reading. Consider using this time to pick up books which you grimaced at when you were in the full swing of reading for your degree. Treat yourself to a tan and cocktail as you flick through your most anticipated summer reads.

Surrounding yourself with people who love reading as much as you is also a great motivator to read for fun.

Joining a book club with friends, family or strangers would help keep you on track to read something other than compulsory university reading. There is nothing quite as enjoyable as some friendly competition to finish a book first!

Avoid feeling guilty about not reading as much as you would usually do. If all you can stomach that week is set reading for your degree, then at least you are still reading something!

There will be plenty of time to crack on with some leisurely reading of War and Peace when you are old, frail and retired so try not to beat yourself up too much.

It is inevitable the juggling act of reading for pleasure and education won’t always go swimmingly. Sometimes it is vital to put reading about mystical creatures, hunky millionaire men and Moby Dick on the backburner and concentrate on that compulsory reading which has been piling up.

But fear not! This is only temporary!

Photo: Unsplash

BOOKS

9

Alice in the Pandemic: Why Now is the Time to Re-Read Lewis Carroll’s Classic by liz lane As the Royal Mint releases new Wonderland-inspired coins, Alice-themed tea rooms open across the USA, and the V&A reveals its latest rabbit-hole exhibition, it’s time to ask why Wonderland continues to beguile a world under lockdown? Is it our desire to tumble down a rabbit hole into a world which promises escapism?

In Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the fictional world appears wonderfully devoid of consequences. Alice plummets from great heights, near-drowns in tears and yet somehow manages to avoid injury. When the Queen of Hearts barks vehement threats of executions, the Gryphon reassures Alice: ‘It’s all her fancy, that: they never executes nobody, you know.’ Nobody dies in Wonderland, Carroll reveals, and Alice can roam its world in peace, free from the threat of danger.

In Wonderland, where the White Rabbit and Mad Hatter are dreadfully conscious of time, fretting ‘Oh dear!

Oh dear! I shall be late!’ and warning ‘If you knew Time as well as I do…you wouldn’t talk about wasting it’, Alice appears blissfully immune to the passage of time. Time is the thing Alice must ‘beat…when learn[ing] music’, it’s not a pressure as it is for the other characters. Perhaps the freedom Alice experiences contributes to the joy of reading the book. We can escape to a world that has all the consequences of a dream and simply leave, as Alice does, when it becomes too strange.

Yet, the Alice books are not always joyful affairs. Through the Looking-Glass, particularly, demonstrates Alice’s increasing lack of control. The sequel has Carroll’s characters move like pieces on a chessboard and Alice is the ‘Pawn’ of the game. She rushes through the story, trying to reach ‘the Eighth Square before it gets dark!’ Humpty Dumpty informs her she’s already ‘too late’, switching the script and making Alice the one who struggles to keep up with time. Where, in the first book, Al-

ice experiences relative freedom, in the second, she’s under pressure and in a struggle for her own autonomy.

So, is there something about Alice, in this time particularly, that warrants a re-read of Carroll’s classics?

In this pandemic existence, people are experiencing both the pressure of restrictions and the desire for relative freedom. We both seek the autonomy of Alice roaming dream-like in Wonderland, and feel the pressure she experienced in Through the Looking-Glass.

The Alice books tap into the disorienting feelings of pandemic-living: the unusual dreams, the confusions surrounding time, the desire for escape, and the constant anxiety. Carroll presents an anxious, surreal existence, caught between a keen desire for freedom and a fear of losing control. The threat of death, and the worry of how to grow up in such a world, permeate the story of a child discovering a strange new reality.

The Alice books can be turned to as a piece of escapism, a distraction from the pressure and restrictions of the now.

Alternatively, they could be viewed as a warped lens into our own world in which Carroll is one of few authors willing to admit just how strange and bewildering our existence can be.

Photo: Unsplash

EDITOR: Louise Collins

10

Fashion

The Struggles of Muslim Fashion

By Badriya abdullah

women have faced difficulties in

discriminated

their desire to dress how they c h o o s e . I n F e b r u a r y o f t h i s y e a r,

women and directed us to the number of French towns that had

the French Senate proposed the ‘Anti-Separatist Bill’, officially

banned burkinis in 2016, along with the slew of fines issued.

aiming to reinforce respect for s e c u l a r i s m i n F r a n c e . H o w e v e r,

Ye t , women

within those measures came the proposal to ban the wearing

choosing to dress modestly are contained within the

Cut

of religious symbols within a public setting for children

community without much outside s u p p o r t . N o r w a y ’s f e m a l e t e a m

to July 2021, and the European U n i o n ’s h i g h e s t c o u r t h a s r u l e d

under 18. These are the same measures applying for parents

for the European Handball Championship was recently fined

that employers can forbid visible symbols of religious and political

wishing to accompany children on school trips. Throughout the

for not wearing bikini bottoms during one of their matches,

beliefs. Suddenly it hits me: this i s n ’t a l e v e l p l a y i n g f i e l d a t a l l .

entire bill, there is no mention of any religion, seemingly not

which social

M u s l i m w o m e n ’s c l o t h i n g h a s been the subject of debate across

discriminating against anyone.

Ye t , s o c i a l m e d i a r e a d b e t w e e n

amount of support. The singer P!nk even offered to pay the fine

t h e We s t f o r d e c a d e s , a n d y e t u n t i l t h i s y e a r, I w a s i n c r e d i b l y

the lines and outrage across all platforms.

flashed Ti k To k s

herself.

But, the same courtesy does

ignorant of it. As a non-hijabi (a Muslim not yet wearing a hijab),

appeared with young girls wearing snapbacks and hoodies to

not extend to the normal women in hijabs, dropping off their

I know that whenever I choose to commit to the most visible

c o n c e a l t h e i r h a i r. Yo u n g w o m e n pointed out the hypocrisy of how

children at school. No one offers to pay the fines of the average

symbol of my faith I would be fully supported by my friends

the city of fashion can praise a silk headscarf on a runway

woman wanting to cover up on the beach instead of wearing

a n d f a m i l y. To t h o s e i n t h e E U , the government is increasingly

while shunning a hijabi on the street. Some pointed out how the

a s w i m s u i t . A s a s o c i e t y, w e embrace the idea of being free to

making that choice for them, and the answer is increasingly

age of consent to sex would be lower than the age to wear the

choose how we want to present ourselves, but for those who

becoming ‘No’.

The recent

hijab in public. Others reminded u s o f h o w t h i s w o u l d n ’t b e t h e

choose to cover up, they find it increasingly difficult.

wear the hijab in French schools.

The answer was simple: ‘All religious symbols are banned in French schools’. Not knowing a n y b e t t e r, a n d b e i n g t h e o n l y Muslim in my class, I thought nothing else of it. No religious symbols - it puts everyone on the same

playing

field,

right?

ruling

in

July

h a s n ’t b e e n t h e f i r s t t i m e M u s l i m

first

time

rules

about

the are

against

Muslim

struggles Muslim put through for

sparked outrage across media and an immense

clothing

Photo: Unsplash

In 2017, during a French lesson, I a s k e d w h y M u s l i m g i r l s c o u l d n ’t

Fashion

11

The Criticism behind Molly-Mae Hague Landing Top Position at Pretty Little Thing

By Lauren Bramwell Influencer and former Love Island contestant Molly-Mae Hague has landed a job as Creative Director at the fast-fashion phenomenon Pretty Little Thing. The brand is one of many owned by the Boohoo Group, with Hague to oversee the launching of creative assets at a high level - advertisements, products, and creative strategies.

But should we be celebrating this achievement?

Hague has received criticism for taking on this new role. Some feel it is unfair to appoint the influencer instead of those trained in the needed qualifications. Others focus their energy on the prevalent issues within the fastfashion company.

For example, Pretty Little Thing has received backlash after the alleged underpaying of garment workers.

In a 2020 investigation, PLT’s parent company Boohoo was found to pay

its factory workers less than half a living wage at £3.50 an hour. Aside from these shocking discoveries, fast fashion’s neglect for garment workers is becoming widespread knowledge - with this investigation further highlighting the dark side of the industry.

But some have deemed it unfair to criticise Hague for taking the role, as she has not been able to voice where she stands with the company’s controversies. However, Hague’s association with PLT since leaving the villa in 2019 had her become a brand ambassador before securing three collaborations with them.

Therefore, more criticism follows, as this contradicts the idea that she had no time to assess her standing on PLT’s ethics. The idea is that Hague has had excess opportunities to comment on their controversial ethics and to raise her voice against it.

This sticky situation has stirred additional online activism. Activist and writer Gina Martin responded to Hague’s Twitter announcement, saying: ‘Would love to see you use your new influence, leverage, and power to push for your garment workers to be paid above a living wage!’

While an opportunity of a lifetime potentially scoring millions, the criticisms weigh that it is irresponsible to accept a role without addressing the problems within the fashion industry.

As Hague has yet to address such issues in the past three years, we can only hope that it will one day be on the brand’s radar. Hopefully, her new role will see an improvement in valuing their workers and reducing landfills, but we can only wait and see.

Shein to Launch Design Competition Reality Show: Redemption for Indie Designers?

By elizabeth woor

As part of their seemingly unstoppable

one of the largest fast-fashion retailers in

Zara, for example. This is what truly makes

rise towards fast fashion domination, Shein recently launched their own reality

the world, shipping to 220 countries and having an estimated value of $15 billion.

this TV show a piece of hypocritical art.

The show actively supports independ-

TV contest. The show, which is now available to stream via Shein’s app, features 30

The brand shot to success after growing in popularity for their shockingly low gar-

ent artists and designers – the same people they have been stealing from for years

emerging designers competing to win a $100,000 prize and a capsule collection on

ment prices and for stocking a huge range of designs. It must be stated that their

without any significant repercussions.

Only a few months ago the retailer stole

the brand’s website.

There is even a star-studded panel of

production model produces enormous amounts of damaging carbon emissions

a jumper pattern from the small brand Elexiay, which produces sustainable, hand-

judges, which includes Khloe Kardashian, designers Christian Siriano and Jenna Ly-

and textile waste. However, a particularly negative aspect of their operation is that

made crochet clothing. Shein didn’t bother to change the design in the slightest. As

ons, fashion editor Laurel Pantin, and stylist Law Roach.

often their designs are inspired by, or ripoffs of more expensive pieces from inde-

you’d expect, Elexiay commented that they felt crushed by the situation.

Representatives from the brand stated that the show was created as part of ‘one

pendent artists and designers.

Although Shein may appear to be an-

This TV show is in no way a redemption for the fast-fashion giant. It is great

of the many large philanthropic initiatives from the brand in 2021, and aims to bring people together in celebration of fashion’.

Frankly, this is an insult to those who do love fashion.

If you’re not aware of Shein, they are

other affordable brand allowing people to indulge in clothing pieces they otherwise are unable to purchase, it is safe to say that the company has been at the centre of a vast number of accusations of stealing designs. Much more than H&M, Primark, or

that small designers are being showcased to a large audience. However, evidence shows that this project may be nothing but a PR stunt than an actual redemption for indie designers. As the saying goes, you can’t have your cake and eat it too.

12

Fashion

Androgyny in Male Celebrity Fashion: Fad or Fundamental?

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

by molly phillips

A photograph of Lil Nas x on the L’Uomo Vogue Instagram accompanies the statement that the gay, androgynous rapper ‘is not merely having a moment. He is the moment.’

Indeed, Lil Nas X has achieved huge success in recent months, perhaps in particular with his song

Call me by your Name , named after the gay romance novel by André Aciman and featuring explicit themes of queer identity. Openly a member of the LGBTQ+ community himself, Lil Nas X wears stilettos and Calvin Klein underwear in the music video, pole-dancing his way into Hell. It is perfectly brilliantly queer-coded, and a stark androgynous image, steeped in all kinds of religious imagery.

And, of course, there was backlash to such a video.

But gender identity has been the topic of significant consideration in the last few years. It is an issue that Lil Nas X, along with celebrities like Harry Styles, embodies proudly. Yet androgynous appearances are not as new a concept as people might believe.

The first mention of androgyny is found in Plato’s Symposium in 385 BC. Fashion, of course, has meant something different to each historical demographic. All Ancient Egyptians wore jewellery to indicate social position rather than gender, makeup to protect their skin, and perfume as deodorant. Ancient Egyptian fashion sense could, in our eyes, be seen as androgynous, but was it so easily classifiable to them? In other parts of history, men wore stockings, Victorian boys dressed in frocks until they were five years old, and high-heels (a variety of which Lil Nas X wears in his music video) were made in 10th Century Persia - for men. Then, in the 20th Century, performers like David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Prince, James Dean, and more embraced androgyny as part of their identities.

The boundaries of gender expression have changed so much over time. So too, then, have our perceptions of androgynous fashion. What is defined as ‘androgynous’ to one generation, is highly gendered to another.

For example, trousers, which to past majorities were exclusively masculine, are now worn regardless of gender without being seen as androgynous. It is therefore difficult to class celebrity androgyny as a fad or an expression of ‘wokeness’.

There have always been blurred lines between gendered expression, just as there have always been blurred lines between the socially constructed binary of masculinity and femininity.

That is not to say that men who dress androgynously in the public eye have not faced backlash.

Only that those who oppose an androgynous identity are missing the point. Lil Nas X is part of a longer-standing tradition than they know, responding to the likes of Bowie and Mercury, but also to an age-old question of oneself.

He is not ‘the moment’ because he is doing something unheard of, but because he is highlighting the importance of the authentic self in a world where everyone has an opinion on who you are.

No one gets to decide that.

EditOR: Zorsha Taylor Suich

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14

creative writing

Nature vs Nurture: The Problems of Perception Past – I know my past. Really, who else can truly know my past like I do? Although I can’t remember as many details about my early childhood as my parents might, it is I who knows my past self more than them. How, after all, would they truly be able to understand my past experiences? Everything I didn’t tell them. Everything that has affected me more than they could know. Because, really, what child tells their parents everything they’ve been through?

Whether out of embarrassment or not wanting your parents to worry. We keep things hidden, it’s what we do. My past was generally good. I knew who I was and what I wanted to be. I was confident in myself, for a while, at least. Of course, secondary school wouldn’t be secondary school without some issues. I was bullied, and I was gaslit. It wasn’t until recently that I understood I’d experienced the latter. It wasn’t until recently that I realised how much this all messed me up. My family, through no fault of their own, thought I’d thrived in secondary school.

They knew I faced some issues, but I still got good grades, so of course they didn’t see the struggles I went through. But that’s fine. That’s how it is.

Present – Now, who knows who I am? I sure as hell don’t. I know I’m a bit of a people pleaser. That I don’t want to let people down, so I stretch myself in a million directions. They don’t ask me to, but I need to be there for them. I want to be there for them.

Because I can be. Because, if I can help them in any way at all, I will. Because they deserve help. Of course, that doesn’t apply to me. No, I’m too busy. I like being busy. It’s productive, it can be fun. It stops the self-doubt from slipping in. I make jokes here and there, but not obvious enough for them to notice. It’s fine. I’m managing. My mind either goes 100mph or refuses to work, like a broken-down car.

Now, it’s racing. But moments ago, it was spluttering and stalling. My family see what I want them to see. They see the good grades, or the positive feedback. They see the cute messages from friends, or the excitement on my face when I’ve led a successful social. They see the happiness and freedom I feel, but they don’t see the strain when the workload gets too big, or the struggle when my brain refuses to co-operate.

Photo: Unsplash

By Louise Collins

Future – What on earth does my future hold? In my family’s minds, I will have settled down. Made a family of my own. I’ve told them that I don’t want that. But, of course, they know better. By the time I’m forty, I’ll be married and have kids. That’s what they expect, I think. For years, they’ve joked that I’ll be a published author. That I’ll have written an amazing book series and will be touring all over the world. I think it’s a joke, but I also think there’s some hope behind those words. They expect me to be a literary success. It’s a dream of mine, no doubt. But that’s hard to achieve, and who knows what the future holds? All I know, is that I want to be content with who I am. I want to be happy. I kind of want to have figured out what I want to do with my life, to know who I am again. Yeah, that would be nice. Most of all though, I want to make my family proud.

creative writing

15

Different upbringings - and how they have affected your life

By Molly Phillips When she was born she looked like a rat. Never liked rodents. Beastly. Upsetting, it was. Only for a tic.

But that’s not all true. Dear, oh dear, what must I sound like? Again.

When she was born I did not know how to hold her because I have never held a thing of such wonderful potential fragility, not even with my eyes, and I knew at that moment that I would make a mess.

Oh dear. She’s wonderful. I thought. She’s wonderful, what can I do for her? Where is her father?

He was there in her eyes, in the dimple of her fluid cheek, in the knowingness of her unknowing glance but he was not there.

She was born tinged yellow. Something about jaundice, about her liver, and I thought I had already messed it up. Even before she’d seen the warm blue light of day, my body had made her wrong. But then the blue painted the yellow pink and she was okay.

Mum comes to see her. She tells me I looked like a rat when I was new.

I blink.

“So, it’s okay.” She clarifies, “that your baby is not perfect.”

I know what she means by that but she is wrong. She is perfect. I wonder if I was maybe not, but Mum says I was. Which is a nice and rare thing to hear.

As she grew she became more like him, more dimpled, deep blue eyes, more knowing without the unknowingness of infancy, and I worried then that I had birthed another him.

Not that he was all bad, an all-bad space in our lives. Just absent: absent-minded, absent-bodied.

Absent. And she, as my daughter, would be better. As a girl, as my girl.

I held her - this girl, my girl - in the palm of my hand and squeezed her tight. I kissed her forehead goodnight, and let her dream, woke her on the dot each sunrise for school where she was not

mine, just for a moment.

We did not have money, so in that classroom-parent time, I made it for us.

Homework first, I insisted, your friends will still be there after homework. And in the summer months, they were, but in the winter months… dear oh dear. I think perhaps I was wrong there.

I remember strange loneliness from my childhood. Not Mum’s fault. Not really. Made things from nothing, made the best from the worst we had but I wish she’d let me kick careless footballs through the quiet carless streets with the others, if not in sunlight then before prompt 5pm December dinners.

She won’t have to do that. My girl. Maybe she won’t want to go and play with her friends. She’ll text them on her phone instead but no. Dan and I agreed. Not until she’s a teenager. She’ll hate us, then she’ll love us. Do I sound like her? Like Mum? All parents have their terms and conditions, don’t they?

She is still a thing of such splendour. I watch her now with baby in crib, grandchild. My grandchild. I scarcely believe myself old enough to be called Nanna, but that is what I’ll be.

“Nanna.”

Daughter-Mother here will be different from me.

Learned from Nanna, of course, learned from the one who learned it first. But she won’t be me.

Dan will be there in his 21st century un-absent male way, pints of cold-streaked dim-lit bitter exchanged for bed and bath-time.

She’ll make mistakes I never even had the chance to make but she’ll be softer. More open, with those knowing little eyes. And grand-bubba will be different from my baby girl but like us all in her own way.

For now, though, grateful. Nothing of the rodent in her demeanour.

16

creative writing

Ladybirds

By Aishani Once upon an English summer The ladybirds inhabited my cupboard, A single wooden locker Scantily speckled with 10p tins, Musty grains and 70 proof liquor.

“Accommodate them”, The platitudes of the past spoke to me “You’re now in their territory.”

Once upon an English summer, In my pursuit of diligence I set out a few strawberries For those that colonised The rest of my sustenance.

“It is better to bend Than to break and end” Once upon an English summer My skin prickled and crawled.

The ladybirds lay claim on me Each of their own accord “Sacrifice is nature, What we just learn to nurture” Once upon an English summer I vomited green speckled with red The metamorphosis was done.

They were the space in which I existed.

“Be like the potter’s water Not the fuller’s earth” Once upon an English summer I’d wear submission’s crimson habit At other’s behest.

But I’m naked in the garden now Burying the past with its pests.

Illustrations: Aishani

EDITOR: Izzy murphy

17 Music

Music 17

Why ‘You Signed Up For This’ is the Perfect Ode to Love and Heartbreak

by Louise Collins This year, one of my closest friends recommended Maisie Peters to me, and now, I have her debut solo album on repeat.

Maisie Peters released ‘You Signed Up For This’ on 27th August, the day I happened to be on an eight-hour long car journey, meaning I could truly listen to this album. I could rewind different parts, and soak up the lyrics – and of course send a few excited messages to my friend along the way. So, what is it that is so incredible? We’ve had ‘breakup albums’ before, right? Of course we have. But they never seem to go out of style, especially when they’re full of Peters’ wonderful lyricism.

This ‘breakup album’ isn’t simply one-dimensional. Many of the songs are about heartbreak, but there’s so much more. Love, whether romantic, platonic,

or familial, plays a huge role in this album. Alongside discussing the pain of a breakup, Peters sings about how the people you care about become such an intrinsic part of who you are - ‘they talk ‘bout the news, I just talk about you.’

(Talking to Strangers) Some of Peters’ songs are about taking accountability for your own shitty behaviour. With so many ‘breakup albums’ today, many artists either write whole albums glorifying their own toxic behaviours, or go fully down the victimhood path. Peters is so powerful because she does both. She sings about when she’s been mistreated in past relationships - ‘I’m finished ‘cause I’ve learnt / loving him hurts’ (Love Him I Don’t) - and the inherent misogyny that comes with a lot of breakups - ‘you’ve got a girl, but you still call me psycho’

(Psycho).

Yet Peters also sings about when she’s been wrong. ‘Elvis Song’ is about leaving a good relationship, and knowing you only have yourself to blame - ‘I’ve got no right to miss you / All I did was kiss and fly’. ‘Villain’ has Peters hold her hands up and admit that sometimes you mess up and hurt people when you’re hurting - ‘Now I’m drunk and I’m mean outside your house’.

‘You Signed Up For This’ has some incredibly soft songs you can cry to whether out of sadness, relatability, or wholesomeness - but it also allows you to sing at the top of your lungs with your closest friends. You can comfort each other about your exes, and celebrate your friendship in one album. It’s the perfect ode to love and heartbreak.

Remembering Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts By elizabeth woor

‘enjoyed playing with a drummer quite so much’ and that his style could only be described as, in true rock and roll fashion, ‘super-cool’.

In his personal life, Watts was a lover of clothes, horses, jazz, cars (despite him ironically not being able to drive) and Agatha Christie, owning a signed copy of every paperback she had ever written. He refused to be confined to the crazy Rock n Roll image many associate with the Rolling Stones. In fact, he was a lover of home comforts and maybe surprisingly, quiet.

He found peace in the countryside where he lived, away from the madness of tours. In fact, he even once commented that despite loving his job and getting to play music to thousands of fans, he’d ‘love to go

home every night’. His attitude was refreshing – he made no attempt to hide his dislike for certain aspects of being in a band like the Rolling Stones. Many would agree that his no-nonsense attitude only adds to the ‘super-cool’ memory many keep of him.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The Rolling Stones need no introduction. One of the greatest bands of all time, they transformed the music scene with their gritty, uncompromising rock music. It is therefore no surprise that when the death of their much beloved drummer Charlie Watts was announced late this August, tributes poured in to celebrate his musical legacy.

Watts was one of the more understated players within the Rolling Stones, but this certainly doesn’t mean that his integral role in creating the band’s rebellious sound should be downplayed. Oh no, Charlie Watts’ drumming kept the beat to some of the most iconic songs of all time. Pete Townshend, lead guitarist of The Who, described in his tribute to Watts that he had never

18

Music

An Interview with Rising Star Eliza Delf

By Tom manning A student at UEA and a local to the Norfolk area, Eliza Delf has been showcasing her talent as a singer-songwriter this year. After a successful kickstarter, she has begun working on her debut album, Into the Wilderness. While an in-person interview couldn’t be arranged, one of the bonuses of our video call meant that I was able to meet Eliza’s new puppy.

Singing has been a passion for Eliza ever since childhood as she explains, ‘I suppose it’s a bit cliché but I’ve always loved singing. When I was little, I used to always make up songs which were very bad and then when I got to about sixteen, the transition started into taking it a bit more seriously. This was prompted by some coursework in high school I really enjoyed. I think I just enjoyed the process of writing and then turning it into a song. It’s very satisfying when it comes together, now it’s just something I love to do.’

In the lead up to Eliza’s upcoming debut album Into the Wilderness, she has released four demo singles on her website that provide a glimpse into the sound and themes of her forthcoming debut. ‘I think that the demos on there are quite representative of the whole album, so it’s a good snapshot. I think a big idea in the album… is about how to come to terms with how you’re feeling inside. So, the wilderness inside is part of what the songs are about, uncertainty, anxiety, and then through the songs I explore those ideas through natural imagery in the wilderness outside.

‘There’s a lot of references to the landscape around me and folk-art imagery to explore this idea of beginning to accept when you’re not feeling very well and how to come to terms with that. I guess it is a bit of a metaphor with the natural imagery but in some ways, it was the reality of when I wasn’t feeling very well…the outside was really important.’

In terms of the album itself, I asked Eliza what we could expect. With a laugh, Eliza said to ‘expect the unexpected. There are some songs in there that may take you by surprise, there are some that are more intense, orchestral songs with a lot of instrumentation and then there are some more pared back stuff so more like a couple of instruments and a voice. I very much wanted

Working on Eliza’s debut is the multiinstrumentalist and folk producer, Jon Loomes. ‘I feel very lucky to have come across someone like him.

He’s a multi-instrumentalist, producer, recorder, he’s got a lovely studio in Yorkshire in his basement which is perfect for recording. He’s also a singer so maybe we’ll get him on it…some backing male vocals!

He’s incredibly talented but he also brings a level of experience which obviously as I’m 19 I don’t have that.

There’s some very practical things with an album as well as the musical side and he really helps to bring that knowledge.’

Earlier this year, Eliza played at the Young Norfolk Arts Festival here in Norwich. While due to Covid restrictions she couldn’t perform in front of an audience, the performance was recorded and can be seen on Eliza’s website. ‘It was a great experience.

Obviously, it was a little bit weird as there was no audience. There was just the guy who was recording who was lovely and my dad and my brother who came along but that was it! It was a slightly strange introduction to the Norwich Arts Centre but it was very fun to perform the songs as acoustic versions which is very different to how they are on the album.

‘That’s bringing them back to how I wrote them

Music

19

though as I wrote them with just a piano and my voice so it’s quite nice to bring it back to that. Also, to really listen to them. I’ve sung them so much so to really listen to the melodies and lyrics is quite fun.’

Alongside collaborating with Jon Loomes, for the album’s artwork, Eliza has joined forces with the Norwich based, highly renowned, artist Will Teather.

The cover artwork is a beautiful portrait of Eliza falling through the canvas creating a truly theatrical feel to it.

Speaking on the collaboration, Eliza said, ‘he’s an internationally renowned artist, it was crazy that he agreed to do it. He doesn’t do a lot of commissions and he listened to a few songs and agreed to do it which was very flattering! I felt very lucky again. I think it’s something to do with the way he paints, we’ve known of him for a long time as an artist and he crops up a lot in Norwich. I think that series he does of people falling really captured the feeling of the album, slightly magical realist I guess.

‘My lyrics are heavily inspired by Angela Carter, who’s an incredible writer she wrote the Bloody Chamber and she’s very magic realist too…She was also a previous teacher at UEA! I think his paintings felt like they were a part of that same feeling I think.

There’s something I wanted to capture in the lyrics

In order to help start her career and create the platform she now has, Eliza ran a successful Kickstarter campaign earlier this year and mentioned how the Bright spark scholarship from UEA helped to fund her musical journey. ‘‘Before I was writing the album I applied to it [Bright Sparks scholarship]…and around that time I was thinking of doing an album and when I got it, it was a big boost. Making an album is expensive and not easy to self fund. The bright sparks money was really perfect timing.’

To keep up to date with the latest from Eliza, including information about her upcoming album, a newsletter is available to sign up to on her website

Photos: Eliza Delf

EDITOR: Tom manning

20 Gaming Happy Birthday Skyrim: What you can expect from the anniversary edition

By Holly Jackson

weapons,

armour,

housing

and

more.

therapeutic! Bethesda has also revealed that

Modding the game is a well-known, easy

there will indeed be some fishing related

In celebration of Skyrim’s 10 year anniversary,

way to change your experience of the game,

quests.

Bethesda have announced that they will be

so this is certainly very exciting for Skyrim

releasing a surprise edition of Skyrim, titled

fanatics. Not only this, but the graphics have

The Elder Scrolls V: Anniversary Edition on

been remastered, making them better suited

the 11th November.

to newer consoles.

Unfortunately, Bethesda have yet to confirm a price for the Anniversary Edition.

Bethesda have also invited fans to join in by sharing their Skyrim experience to

Although what we’re all really waiting

Players who already own the Special

celebrate with them via The Skyrim Museum

for is the next Elder Scrolls game in the series

Edition can look forward to an upgrade

by allowing you to submit fanart, pictures,

to come, some new content being added to

released on the same day. Even if you choose

videos and sharing the impact playing

the beloved Skyrim will keep us occupied in

not to purchase the upgrade, you can still

Skyrim has had on you through their website.

the meantime.

look forward to some free content, including

Additionally, there will be a Skyrim concert at

the option to go fishing.

7pm BST live on Bethesda’s official YouTube

If you haven’t played Skyrim before, but enjoy quest-led adventure games, then this

Ashley Cheng, managing director of

and Twitch, in which the London Symphony

could be a great time to enter the world of

Bethesda admitted ‘You know what, I think

Orchestra and the London Voices Choir will

Tamriel and experience what it’s like to be

ten years is a long time to wait but I think

be playing the iconic Skyrim soundtrack,

Dragonborn, as well as becoming a warrior,

it’s worth it.’ and that ‘It’s one thing that

which is the perfect way to reminisce on all

mage, or even a member of the Thieves’

I’ve always wanted to do in Skyrim.’ This

the quests you have embarked upon.

Guild!

new feature makes a change from having

So, whether you’re a big Skyrim fan

The anniversary edition will include the

to dive under the water in the hope of

looking for a way to breathe new life into

full game and the expansions (Dragonborn,

retrieving something, and as proven by

your game, or someone who still has yet to

Hearthfire and Dawnguard) and also feature

games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons,

play Skyrim, this upgrade is worth waiting

over 500 new items which includes quests,

virtual fishing can actually be somewhat

for!

Should GTA be remastered?

By Holly Jackson

a more accurate date, as it will not interfere

leave me wondering whether or not I will

with the release of GTA V’s upgrade, which

somehow be able to access the remaster,

is due on 11th November 2021.

which is the only potential downfall I can

The exciting news is that if all these

see so far, as Xbox One is still very much a

In August, several rumours were floating

speculations are true, then the trilogy is

popular console, so we will have to wait and

around suggesting that the original Grand

likely to become available on Nintendo

see!

Theft Auto trilogy could be seeing a remake.

Switch consoles, which is a great reason

I personally believe that a remaster of the

This includes GTA III, Vice City and San

for the games to be remastered. So far, the

trilogy would be brilliant as it would allow

Andreas, which was originally released

GTA games are available on consoles such

a lot more people to experience the three

for Xbox, and later re-released on other

as Xbox and PlayStation, so to see it on a

games by making them much more widely

platforms such as PlayStation 2 and 4,

handheld, portable console would be great

available. Additionally, those who owned the

Windows and Mac Os X.

and make it much more convenient and

trilogy originally would be given a chance to

accessible to play.

replay it with much better graphics, which

These rumours sparked from gaming website Kotaku, who seem fairly confident

Not only this, but the trilogy was

would seem like a more worthy investment

that the GTA trilogy will be remastered,

designed for older consoles, and whilst it is

than purchasing the older copies. The trilogy

stating they have sources from Rockstar

still accessible via backwards compatibility,

becoming available to play on Nintendo

Games that would suggest it may in fact be

this is reflected in their graphics. Hopefully,

Switch is also an excellent idea, as whilst

happening.

the re-release should resolve this as it is

there are plenty of games available on the

Initially, people suspected it would be

rumoured to be available on PlayStation

platform already, most of the ‘big’ titles on

released this Autumn, but this now seems

4 and 5, Xbox X and Series S, as well as

there include games such as Super Mario,

unlikely. A lot of people expect it to come out

PC, Nintendo Switch and Google Stadia.

more catered towards families, so this would

in 2022. Tom Henderson predicts this will be

However, as an Xbox One owner, this does

make a great change.

gaming How the pandemic has led to an increase in female gamers

21

By elizabeth woor Gaming is often perceived as a hobby

Furthermore, 49% of women are now likely

that some women might not want to partake

which is heavily dominated by men. This is

to invest time in the action and adventure

in an activity that often overly sexualises

especially true when thinking about heavy

genre – a typically male sector of the gaming

their own gender. The lack of female input in

combat and sports games such as Call of

world.

creating these games might also relate to this

Duty or Fifa.

So, why wasn’t gaming popular among

issue, as well as to why many women do not

recently

women before the pandemic? Well, a lot

feel welcomed by the gaming community.

published study by Outform, a staggering

of it is obviously due to an increase in free

As it stands, only 24% of people working in

20% more women are gaming compared to

time. However, games that appealed to a

the industry are women, which as Forbes

pre-pandemic levels. The study collected data

larger proportion of female players were

pointed out, is an unusually low figure

from over 1,000 gamers to help understand

also released, such as Animal Crossing:

compared to other creative and cultural

how gaming culture and player’s habits are

New Horizons. Portable consoles like the

sectors.

changing. It may not be surprising that more

Nintendo switch, which are perhaps more

The pandemic has given women the

women are gaming considering that the

appealing to women gamers, also became

free time and opportunity to explore various

industry thrived during lockdowns, it’s the

popularised. There has also been a rise of

types of games. This new fanbase can only

perfect Covid-19 safe hobby to distract from

female gaming YouTubers over the past

help the gaming industry to continue to

the outside world and pass time. However,

two years, with female gamers such as

grow and improve its inclusivity standards.

what is surprising are the differences in male

iHasCupquake and SSSniperWolf receiving

Hopefully, with this added push, we will

and female gaming habits.

millions of views.

continue to see more women joining gaming

However,

according

to

a

Despite only a quarter of women

Traditionally gaming has been seen as

identifying as ‘hardcore’ gamers compared

a ‘male’ interest for a number of reasons.

to three quarters of men, women are actually

One of the most significant is that characters

more likely to spend long amounts of time

in games are far too often portrayed as

researching and investing in paraphernalia

stereotypes. The ‘sexy female gamer’ image

that optimises their gaming experience.

is normalised in gaming, so it’s no wonder

communities and possibly even wanting to work in the industry.

Gaming

should,

and

can

be,

everyone.

Photo: Unsplash

for

gaming

22 Celebrities you didn’t know were gamers

Photo: Unsplash

By Molly Phillips

While the likes of Pewdiepie became a celebrity through a passion for gaming, there are many celebrities who also happen to be gamers. Be it living vicariously through The Sims or screeching our way into 3rd place on Mario Kart, there is something us noncelebrities may have in common with these six game-fanatic stars...

1. Elected first at the age of 29, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the youngest woman who has ever served in the US congress. She has an impressive social media presence, and did a twitch livestream playing Among Us in 2020 that was viewed by 439,000 people. The young congresswoman has an impressive gaming setup, too, and has even been known to pop over to people’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons islands and leave notes on their billboards.

2. Norwegian singer Aurora loves video games, in spite of owning a Macbook, which she proclaims is a ‘horrible

gaming computer’.

Nevertheless, she loves building houses and greenskinned Star Wars families in her Sims universe.

3. On The Graham Norton Show, actor Henry Cavill said that he discovered The Witcher through playing the franchise’s video games. The actor likes video games so much that, because he was in an important stage in World of Warcraft, he missed the call from Zack Snyder offering him the part of Superman. Unfortunately, he did lose the game, but he also gained a careerdefining role… so, you win some, you lose some...

4.

Many creative people find the things they enjoy influence the work that they produce. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have often drawn on their interest in video games when creating their comedies. In Spaced, Jessica Hynes is seen to have an argument with Pegg’s character, which is staged as a physical fight in a video game. In addition, the director of Hot Fuzz has

compared the structuring of the film’s final action sequence to completing the levels of a video game.

5. Season 3, Episode 20 of Community demonstrates the show’s creator, Dan Harmon, drawing on his passion for video game structure. The episode allegorises the story of Pierce (Chevy Chase) trying to claim his inheritance as an animated video game, seeing the characters overcome challenges along the way towards their goal.

Community’s creator is also a huge Dungeons & Dragons fan (a game which also features in several episodes of the show) and has been known to name-drop games like Skyrim while discussing his love for the art form.

6.

Samuel L. Jackson loves to play Grand Theft Auto, to the extent that he voiced a character in GTA: San Andreas. He also loves Call of Duty and even hosted The Spike TV Video Game Awards in four different years.

Editor: Holly Jackson

get settled faster with buddy(su) join the buddy scheme at uea.su/buddysu

advice & support to help you live, feel, and study well

contact us at advicecentre@uea.ac.uk

24

FILM

How To Be Part Of The Film Community This Year by hamilton brown If you want to be in the movie instead of watching the movie, then Film-Making Society is the place for you. The society makes smaller short films, and then bands together to put on a big film every year. At the moment, they are currently in the process of making a film called Isolationships, a film documenting a group of people and how their relationships have developed, been tested and strengthened by lockdowns.

There are also many cinemas to visit in Norwich, perfect for a rainy day or to catch the latest blockbuster. There are two big chain cinemas: the Odeon, located on Riverside, which has perfect popcorn, and Vue Cinema in Castle Quarter, which does great milkshakes!

For those of you wanting to see something a little different, I would recommend Cinema City, located on

St Andrews Street – in my first year at UEA I visited this independent cinema frequently. Here they do viewings of fewer mainstream films and instead focus on more alternative showings - I went to see Studio Ghibli’s Howl’s Moving Castle, for example. They screen Anime films, old films, foreign films, as well as staged West End musicals, plays and ballets.

There’s something for every filmlover in Norwich, I hope you find your genre!

Photo: Unsplash

If you love film, then you’re in the right place! UEA has multiple film-related societies suited for any taste - including Cinema Society, Bad Film Society, Film-Making Society, Disney Society and many more! It is the perfect chance to not only meet new people and make new friends, but to watch movies and discuss them with other like-minded people who might also believe that Shrek 2 is the best in the franchise!

I joined Disney Society in my first year and highly enjoyed it - I ended up meeting a friend there, who I am still really close with today. Of course we saw the newest Disney releases in the cinema, but the society also held really entertaining quiz nights, gettogethers and socials that I enjoyed a lot (there was some spark about going to Disneyland Paris, too, but COVID spoiled that!)

Norwich and Norfolk Spots On The Big Screen by laura patterson ‘A Fine City’ and ‘Home of the Wonderful’ are the words associated with Norwich, and they’re certainly not wrong. The landscape of our city and county has been showcased in many films we know, love, or need to watch - be sure to check out these films and hidden gems if you’re new to the Norwich area!

Norwich has been the setting for the renowned Alan Partridge series, and this remains the case in its spinoff feature film, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013). The plot entails the hilarious consequences of our much-loved radio DJ getting kidnapped, and Steve Coogan’s witty acting will never disappoint. Not only does the film show various shots such as Norwich City Hall, but it also presents an amusing showdown at Cromer Pier - only a speedy train trip away.

Fighting With My Family (2019) is another fun homage to our city and produced by Dwayne ‘The Rock’

Johnson himself. It tells the true and emotional story of the Norwich bornand-bred Zodiac family, whose great enthusiasm for wrestling leads to their daughter training for the WWE championship in the United States. In one of the opening scenes, you’ll see Paige (wonderfully played by Florence Pugh), handing out her wrestling club leaflets in front of the iconic Norwich Market.

The cobbled street and antique shops along Elm Hill are the perfect setting to capture Stormhold, the magical land in the film, Stardust (2006). A fairy-tale for adults, this film explores the tensions between the mortal and magical world when a star falls from the sky. The Briton Arms, a quaint tea shop, was brilliantly transformed into a guest house called The Slaughtered Prince for the film. The location manager of Stardust also described the residents and businesses of Elm Hill as, ‘a joy to work with.’

Did you know you study just metres away from a box-office success?

One of the biggest superhero franchises of the last decade has also set foot on our campus at UEA– the unique Sainsbury Centre art gallery performs as The Avengers headquarters in many of their films.

One of the most adored Norfolk coasts, Gorleston, is the location of a key scene in the music comedy Yesterday (2019), written by the British rom-com king Richard Curtis and directed by the talented Danny Boyle.

This wholesome film is about the big break of a struggling musician when he takes credit for The Beatles’ music in a world that has forgotten the bands’ existence.

It seems that Norwich and Norfolk have always been recognised for their underrated beauty by film production teams. Go and explore its beauty for yourself!

FILM

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Why ‘About Time’ Is My All-Time Comfort Film

by Lily Boag Sometimes there’s nothing better than indulging in a top-notch comfort film when you’re feeling down - films have the power to heal and restore. For me, the best comfort films are British romantic comedies. Not the cheesy cliché rom-coms which dominated the early 2000’s, but rather the light-hearted romantic comedies that make you feel warm and fuzzy. The kind of films that pull at your heart strings and still give you hope, ones that aren’t afraid to be deep and vulnerable, which is an honest depiction of life.

For that reason, my all-time comfort film is About Time (2013), a British romantic comedy that follows the romantic and socially clumsy character of Tim Lake, who learns from his father that he possesses the ability to travel back in time and relive past events. In learning the family secret, Tim begins to take advantage of this power to improve his love-life, fixing the mistakes he makes along the way. As Tim moves to London, he meets the shy but flirtatious Mary, and uses his abilities to win her heart.

Directed and written by the brilliant Richard Curtis, who’s well known for his portfolio of British Romantic Comedies including Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Notting Hill (1999), Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001), Love Actually (2003) and Yesterday (2019) – and with a terrific performance from a star-studded cast, including Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, and Margot Robbie, you simply can’t help but fall in love withthe charming and endearing storyline of this film, as well as the collection of lovable characters you’ll meet along the way. One cannot go without mentioning the Cornish coast and London settings that make this film feel like a British love-story through and through - and the therapeutic soundtrack is simply perfect in convincing you to feel all the emotions.

While this film is literally ‘about time’, it’s a little bit about everything: love and loss, family and relationships, growing up and growing old, as well as the happiness and hardships of life. It’s down-to-earth, yet still has a little bit of drama, fantasy, and adventure. But most of all, it’s a heart-warming and wholesome film that explores the opportunities we are given in our short lives, teaching us to make the most of the time we have. There are many important life lessons for the audience such as seizing opportunities, spending time with your loved ones, and appreciating the mundane and the ordinary-everyday - this film will even convince you to appreciate a rainy day.

A film about love and life and loving life, its positive spin will raise your spirits, connect you to the world around you, encourage you to change your perspective on life, and inspire you to live.

(PS: You’ll most likely want to watch this film on a rainy day, snuggled up under a blanket with a hot chocolate.)

Photo: Unsplash

26

FILM

The Fear Street Trilogy: Bringing Halloween to Summer 2021 by louise collins The Fear Street series, originally written by R.L. Stine, thrives off subversion.

So much about this trilogy rejects typical horror tropes.

As a newcomer to horror, I was nervous but excited to watch Fear Street. My intrigue won out. It seemed presumptuous to consecutively release all three films on Netflix in the weeks of July – usually one of the lowest months of horror releases.

Surely, you’d wait for reviews before even thinking of filming the sequel. But no, the Fear Street crew already knew they had three hits.w Alongside the subverting conventions of publication comes the subverted expectations of chronology. The films are Fear Street Part 1: 1994, Fear Street Part 2: 1978, and Fear Street Part 3: 1666. Typically, it would be the other way around, but the team knew EXACTLY what they were doing. They pull you in with Part 1, and up the tension with Part 2. Then they finish it all off by hitting you with a major plot twist in Part 3. You cannot watch them chronologically by date without completely ruining the impact of the story. The full tale MUST be experienced through jigsaw pieces of flashbacks and storytelling.

Much of the series has a focus on misdirection, as well as subversion. We’re told from the very beginning that Sarah Fier is the witch, and we never doubt this. This is unlike typical horror movies where the killer is a mystery, or you listen to doors slam for half an hour before realising there’s a ghost. It isn’t until halfway through 1666 that we realise there’s a lot more than

Photo: Unsplash

The line between good and evil is also majorly subverted. The trilogy is set in Shadyside, the ‘murder capital of the US’. Here, the people are underprivileged and battling their demons. The neighbouring town, Sunnyvale, is safe and privileged. The teenagers there have a future. The teenagers in Shadyside are at risk of going on a murder spree. Yet, in truth, the residents of Sunnyvale are the cruellest. They call their lessprivileged counterparts ‘Shadyside Trash’ and enjoy flaunting their superiority. In the series, it’s the kids who deal drugs who have the most courage, and it’s the cops, who’re meant to protect and serve, who don’t listen to people who need their help.

The final, beautiful matter of subversion is that of the characters. Throughout the series, the main characters are people of colour, who, in horror, are usually stereotyped. In Fear Street, they’re not tokenistic, or the first to die. Instead, they’re the most important characters. Alongside this, queer characters exist!

LGBTQ+ characters are a rarity in this genre, but again, Fear Street ignores the typical horror path and puts queer romance at the forefront.

If you haven’t already watched the Fear Street trilogy, then what are you doing? They bring a touch of Halloween to Summer, and I cannot hype them up enough.

EDITOR: Laura patterson

TV

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Interview: Paul Hayes on his new radio documentary about the original UEA Television station, Nexus: Norfolk’s Forgotten TV Station BY benjamin smith As a student at UEA in the early 2000s, Paul Hayes was a presenter at the university’s resident T.V station, Nexus.

While the station wasn’t at its height during this time, it was still active in producing daily news and their own shows to be shown in Union House, now named University House.

Hayes’ fascination with the history of the station started during his time there. ‘[Nexus] still had the studio upstairs in Union House, the one they built in the 90s, and there were loads of old stuff in there, old tapes and old photos and old documents and all sort of bits and pieces. It was clear to me then that it had had a really interesting history and I was fascinated by it, and I hung on to various bits and pieces from the history of it from when they were chucking some stuff out later on when I was there.

And so, I was always fascinated by the history of it.’

It was only when an alumnus of Nexus uploaded some old videos of shows from the 1970s onto YouTube a few years ago that his interest in the station re-emerged, and as Hayes began thinking of what the topic for his next documentary could be, the idea of Nexus popped up again at the beginning of this year.

Nexus was synthesised in 1970, although the exact year is disputed as to be between 1968 and 1970. Ran by students and financed by the SU, the station was initially set up for educational purposes as part of the Audio-Visual Centre at UEA, before students started to take an interest in producing their own shows to be shown on television, a luxury that was not found widely elsewhere in the UK, which allowed students to strive for achievement, such as potentially being the first 24-hour worldwide live stream on the internet in 1995.

Hayes’ documentary tracks the history of the station and big events in

its timeline, interviewing past alumni and famous faces like comedian Arthur Smith and BAFTA-nominated writer and director Gurinder Chadha, to tell their stories and fond memories of the station.

While Nexus has remained a hidden gem from the university’s past, having ended all production in 2009 after being dormant for several years before being revived as the current UEA TV, Hayes makes it feel completely revived, giving the station the personality and light that it once had, being a place for community and creativity at its height. Sadly, as the years went on and technology became more and more accessible, the station drifted into obscurity at UEA. ‘When I was there, I think we had very low awareness on campus. We did play in the pub on the big screen, but people didn’t really pay attention to it, it was kind of in the background. I don’t think many people would have known what Nexus was if you asked them, so certainly by the time I was there, we were more doing it for ourselves because we enjoyed doing it.’

The documentary also talks about this shift in audience and media technology, something that made the station so successful was its use of professional-grade equipment, which was the most up to date in the 1970s, but as technology developed and the station started to lag behind, audiences went elsewhere for their entertainment.

‘Particularly in the 70s and 80s was definitely [Nexus’] high point, people didn’t have internet, people didn’t really bring their own TVs to university, so it had a kind of captive audience at lunchtime in Union House, people would go along, eat their lunch and watch. It’s like how broadcasting, in general, has changed. Mainstream broadcasting has fragmented hugely and has so many different services, you’ve got catchup and streaming. Obviously, these days

something like, say EastEnders, 20 years ago it would’ve been getting 15 million views every episode, nowadays it gets 3 or 4 million because everything is so fragmented. And I guess that applies just as much to student media as it does to mainstream media, you don’t have these captive audiences like you used to in the 70s, 80s, going into the 90s, probably up until the turn of the century.’

For many, Nexus was a way of finding out what they wanted to do in future, whether just as a part of their individual university experiences or enriching their CVs so they can pursue further media exploits. ‘Even though the media changes hugely, there will always be media of some sort, obviously these days there’s social media… I think there will always be student media. What form it will take and what it will be, however many more years there’ll be a paper version of Concrete, for example. Back in the day, no one would have thought that Live Wire wouldn’t actually transmit over the air, presumably they are just online streaming now or however they operate. Things always change but there will always be a student media of some kind because there will always be students who want to be journalists or producers or be involved in media so there will always be students who will come together and form these groups or societies or stations or whatever so they will always be there. But in 20 years’ time, I’m sure you’ll look back at what’s happening at UEA, and it’ll be hugely different to how it is now, it’s difficult to imagine what it’ll be like in 20 years.

It’ll always be there, and it’ll always be something different.’

You can listen to Nexus: Norfolk’s Forgotten TV Station on the BBC Sounds app now.

TV

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Academic Entertainment to Settle you into University

By Louise Collins I’m the first to say that university isn’t what we see in TV shows, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be helpful in settling us into a new life.

Shows with high school/university settings can be extremely cheesy, but they’re also very easy watches. When you’re settling into a new lifestyle, and you need to get used to a new schedule, you may not have the brainpower to watch the latest crime show, or an intense sci-fi. What you may need is some light-hearted shows you don’t have to think about.

Glee - This show isn’t insightful, and some of it’s problematic, but it’s so

fun. The academic part of high school isn’t really touched on, but the ideas of clubs and societies are. Glee shows how beautiful friendships can blossom from these clubs, which is something I’ve found about UEA societies. So, whilst watching Glee and singing along to some banging music, maybe consider which clubs at UEA interest you.

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series - Another cheesy show about a High School club, HSMTMTS is all about found family, and learning how to express yourself. It’s a very easy watch, and it’s so funny. And again, this also gets you to maybe think about

joining a club.

Boy Meets World – Many of you may have seen this classic 90s show, but it’s still a good one to talk about. It brings on an air of nostalgia, especially as so many problems Corey faces are so relatable – from figuring out who he likes in High School, to what he wants post-University.

There’s an endless amount of academically set TV shows, from Sex Education to How To Get Away With Murder, but these are just a few easy suggestions to provide some light entertainment whilst you’re finding your feet.

Channel 4: If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It!

BY Matthew Stothard The government’s been knocking on the doors of the country’s cultural institutions for the last few years, and it seems it’s Channel 4’s turn for a visit. They are currently considering privatising the channel which has been publicly owned since its launch under the Thatcher government in 1982. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden says that it is because it would allow the channel to escape the ties of public ownership ‘to access new capital, create strategic partnerships, and reach international markets,’ whereas others may suggest a case of ideological revenge on the government’s part for seemingly anti-Tory content. Whatever the reason though, it is a terrible idea.

Channel 4’s ethos and business model are probably the most positive in television. It does not aim to make a profit, instead of ploughing the money from its advertising revenue back into making new shows. This allows it to fulfil its remit to create innovative, diverse, and distinctive programming, much of which, particularly its documentaries and investigative journalism, would likely not be made was the channel run for profit. It also means that it is not costing the taxpayer money, as it receives no funds from the government.

Channel 4’s programming is edgy,

different, and unique in UK television.

Although the government claim that they would maintain a similar remit if the privatisation was to go ahead, they have not committed to leaving it unchanged and realistically the more restrictive the remit, the less attractive the channel would be to prospective buyers.

One of the prime beneficiaries of this non-for-profit model is Channel 4’s coverage of the Paralympic Games.

This year they have broadcast around 300 hours of the 2020 games in Tokyo, a vital, world-beating commitment. For comparison, NBC in the US offered around 135 hours of televised coverage on a separate sports channel, whilst Ireland’s RTÉ offered around 52 hours.

The sort of coverage Channel 4 supplies for the games is crucial for encouraging them to be seen on an equal footing with the Olympics as if people cannot watch the games for themselves, how are they meant to appreciate their importance? It is a vital service, but one which Channel 4’s programme director Ian Katz has suggested could lead to the channel being privatised, the inevitable drive for profit reducing the incentive to invest in such public interest programming.

It would surely be a disaster for the Paralympics in Britain were this to happen.

Broadening out to another programming, one of the other key benefits of Channel 4 is its role in the British television economy of supporting ‘indie’ producers across the country. Since Channel 4 is not currently allowed to produce its own content, it has to rely on more than 300 external production companies to create its output. The government has said that these producers have nothing to worry about and would benefit from the additional capital of a private owner. However, many of them are worried, with Alan Clements, managing director of Two Rivers Media telling the Financial Times that there was a danger of ‘a wave of companies folding’ were the proposals to go ahead. The government may say they would protect the smaller production companies, but ultimately a privatised Channel 4 would be able to produce programmes inhouse, reducing the need for the ‘indie’ producers.

Ultimately what the government appears to be trying to do with Channel 4 is mend something which doesn’t need to be fixed. The broadcaster currently makes unique, innovative programming to fulfil its remit with the funds it has. At best privatisation is unnecessary, and at worst it could be catastrophic.

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29

Photo: Unsplash

Photo: Unsplash

‘Glee shows how beautiful friendships can blossom from these clubs, which is something I’ve found about UEA societies’.

EDITOR: Benjamin Smith

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31

VERA VENUE Love Triangles and that guilty feeling From Leah, 21

Q. ‘Recently, one of my friends told my best friend that she is in love with her, and it’s caused a big rift between the two of them because my best friend didn’t feel the same way. Even though neither of them were right or wrong in the situation, all of my other friends have ‘picked a side’ and it’s making it really hard to hang out with either of them without feeling guilty. Do you have any advice on how to stop feeling bad about spending time with them? Thank you!’

I think it’s fairly safe to say that most of us have found ourselves in your situation, Leah! Being caught in a conflict between two people you love is incredibly stressful, especially when there are such raw emotions involved.

I had a similar experience in college, when two of my closest friends broke up. It was really difficult seeing both of them hurt, and in my efforts to keep one happy, the other would feel put out. Eventually, once they were both over the hump of post-breakup blues, we all reconciled, but until then, it truly sucked. I feel you.

You’re completely spot on when you say that there is no right or wrong here. Both of your friends are entitled to their feelings, and in a way, it’s positive that those feelings have been put on the table. Even though this confession of love has complicated things in

upfront with both your best friend and the other pal. Keep in mind that they’re probably both quite sensitive, and most likely both in a defensive mindset: one has just been rejected after putting themselves out there, and the other has been put in the awkward position of having to hurt someone. Be gentle with your phrasing, and make sure to emphasise that you are not picking sides.

If either of them don’t like that you’re still friends with the other, then they’re simply not ready to take a mature approach to the whole thing. Even if they are upset, you have to stand your ground here! The easy thing is to give in to pressure and cast one of them out for the sake of the other, but that’s not what your gut is telling you to do. Just as your friends are both allowed to be upset about what went down, you are allowed to maintain a friendship with everyone. If your friends don’t respect

Photo: Unsplash

A.

the immediate aftermath, I’m certain that the friend who did so will feel better in the long run. Now that they have told the truth, they finally have a definite answer, and can start to take the next steps to moving on.

In regards to your wider friendship group, it must be frustrating to see them take sides, especially when you are putting in so much effort to keep a positive relationship with both parties.

Immediately siding with one friend over the other is never a great way to deal with any conflict, but it’s important to remember that your friends are probably just as stressed out and confused about the situation as you are! It might help to speak to some of them about it. There’s no harm in telling people that you’re feeling isolated and caught between two sides.

Speaking of which, the best way of avoiding any more tension is to be

32 VERA VENUE Brutal Breakups AND THE PROCESS OF HEALING From Connor, 23 Q.

‘I messed up two of my first major relationships. I tried to fix things as much as I could, but both gave me false hope (having a future, wanting to still fix things, building things from ground up etc), and then both have gotten into relationships very shortly after. I’m not sure what to do. I’m going back to mental health help again, but what else do you recommend for getting over a really quite brutal breakup?’

A. It’s great to hear that you’re seeking out help for your mental health!

Keep in mind that the last year and a half has been stressful and damaging for all of us, and even without the pain of a breakup, many people have been turning to therapy or counselling for support. You’re taking charge of your wellbeing, and that is always something to be celebrated.

First of all, let’s take a second to think about the language you’re using.

Obviously, I don’t know the specifics of how each relationship ended, but I’m sensing a lot of guilt and self-blame. No matter what you may have done, the important thing is that you’ve clearly assessed your own behaviour and seen your mistakes, so I think there is no need to say that you messed anything up. After all, you’re 23! No one has relationships figured out by this point,

and anyone our age who says they do is bluffing. You’ll learn from this, and grow from it, and the lessons you take from these relationships will mean your future ones are healthier and happier.

Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re only human.

Breakups are tough for a ton of reasons, but one of the main ones is that they take us out of the comfort zone we’ve gotten used to. We’re creatures of routine, and when you’re in a relationship, your partner inevitably ends up being weaved into lots of facets of your life. Your friends, interests, and even your home can all become heavily associated with someone, which makes it a huge shock when that person is suddenly cut out. It can be utterly paralysing, but it doesn’t have to be. Take this shock at your routine being interrupted as an opportunity to restructure things completely, and re-prioritise.

This next part is going to sound incredibly clichéd, but stick with me. You have to forgive yourself and your exes.

So many people never truly move on from their past relationships because they can’t let go of jealousy, guilt, anger, sadness, and regret. Your exes were important to your journey at one time, and it’s okay that they’re not part of it anymore. People aren’t meant to be in our lives forever, and it’s destructive to our happiness to try and force friendships or relationships to continue past their time. Don’t check your exes’ social media, don’t call them at 3am, don’t spend hours thinking about how you could have done things differently. Focus on yourself, on your wellbeing, and on letting go of the past. You’ve gotten through every other phase of your life that, at the time, you thought you would never be able to get through.

Given enough time, you’ll get through

About Vera: Maja Anushka is this year’s Vera, as well as Concrete’s Features Editor. As well as being almost as nosy as she is empathetic, Maja has almost a decade’s experience of making YouTube videos which have covered topics such as mental illness, LGBTQ+ issues, grief, relationships, body dysmorphia, and self-esteem. Her goal for Vera Venue is to promote self-love, mental wellbeing, and healthy relationships, and create a space where people can see that they are not alone.

Photo: Unsplash