e2 #270

Happy New Year from e2 new year...new perspectives

Editor: Tori Halman living@ epigram.org.uk

@e2Living

Deputy: Deputy: Sophia Hadjipateras Izzy Kerr shadjipateras@ ikerr@ epigram.org.uk epigram.org.uk

Online: Morwenna Scott livingonline@ epigram.org.uk

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Restaurants start their January special offers -2 for 1, 25% £10 off you name it. Broke or not you now have an excuse to spend the dollah.

BFF? Having returned home from university and found myself reunited with the friends I’ve had since literally the first day of secondary school, we found ourselves reminiscing on what it was that made friendships so complicated and structurally flawed. It’s only once you have truly bonded for life that you are able to treat each other with utter disdain and unflattering honesty.

My friend at Queen Mary’s could only describe her new friends as “in-betweeners” by which she meant that they were not yet at the point of solidarity that she could overtly disagree with the things they did. “I was stuck in this club with them until 4 IN THE MORNING” she exclaimed, “and if it had been YOU GUYS there I would have left you without a second’s thought once I was tired”.

Charming. But also distinctly accurate in its sentiment.

As much as downing cornflakes from the packet and swigging cocktails from pyrex jugs bonds you, at what point does friendship graduate into this stage of stability where anything and everything is acceptable?

To me, the crucial ingredient is time and towards the end of my first term I found myself leaning more towards my true self and away from what I felt a university student ought to be.

At what point does friendship graduate into this stage of stability where anything and everything is acceptable?

New year, new you so you ate a bit much at Christmas and did a few too many all nighters last term – you now have a guiltfree, clean slate.

over an evening shuffling awkwardly around a dance-floor with drunken strangers. My very own ‘in betweeners’ began to change before my eyes into actual, 24-carat friends. Once I found myself engaging in casual insulting banter, I realised that the hardest part was over and that I was beginning to find my feet at uni.

With term two fast approaching I know that it’s a matter of time before the people I’ve met in the last couple of months find themselves cemented into my life and are stuck with me until my last, shuddering breath.

I openly professed my preference for tea, biscuits and Love Actually

What’s On

Back in the bubble of Bristol, it’s time to celebrate as the memories of those dreaded exams fade away and you can finally leave the confines of the library and enjoy your glorious freedom.

Whether you are finally kicking that habit, taking on a new hobby or reorganiSing your life, the new year is a time for beginnings and fresh perspectives. This issue, we’re looking at different ways to make the most of 2014 and happily reminiscing over the past year.

Whether it’s a review of how to reassess your wardrobe and rejuvenate old styles, or top tips to ‘procrastinate your term away,’ e2 will show you why this year is something to look forward to.

Kati Taylor

Snow - who doesn’t love a snow day? Uni is usually cancelled and it provides the perfect opportunity to throw snow at people and drink hot chocolate endlessly.

Post-Christmas blues - all the parties, home friend reunions, opportunities to eat copious amounts of food, and of course all the presents – and now nothing.

Refreshers - that guilt-free period between the end of exams and the start of next term where you’re free to go out every night and obliterate everything you revised for the past month.

Start of a new term - previous units you hated will be over, deadlines won’t be for a while and you can put your new organisation resolutions into practise.

Christmas TV has ended.

The vast array of movies and Christmas specials have hit a solemn brick wall meaning less procrastination methods and, worse, no more festivities.

NOT

e2 wants you!

Write for us by emailing our section editors or meeting them at the times below

Meet the e2 team!

Living: Tori Halman, Sophia Hadjipateras and Izzy Kerr will meet at the ASS Library café on Thursday 30th January at 1.15pm.

Travel: Olivia Lace-Evans and Andrea Valentino will meet at the Refectory on Thursday 30th January at 12.15pm.

Style: Maddy Streets and Deanne Ball will meet at the ASS library café on Friday 31st January at 12.30pm. e2 is edited by Alex Bradbrook deputy@epigram.org.uk

27.01.2014

THE STUDENT NOTEBOOK: My shit week so far

Buzzfeed Because we all need to see knitted tortoise costumes, the ranking of all 107 men in Sex and the City and the 20 best extreme selfies.

They’re providing a well-rounded education.

hello

We have all had our fair share of gluttonous joy and goodwill over the Christmas break. It has been splendid with the endless supply of mince pies, the awkward embraces with distant relatives and the lbs piling on. Now, the January blues are upon us with the return of the 9 to 5 and looming threat of exams. Or, in my case the distressing Monday morning which contains half my contact hours. You could say that you need a high stress threshold to juggle revision, torturously long essays and all those extra-curricular things you committed to before having any tangible obligations. Indeed, the same could be said about being abandoned by your parents for a weekend and left to watch the house and of course, the dog. But this ain’t no ordinary dawg, this is Mia the Princess of West London.

We clapped eyes on a little Yorkie, or rat as some wish to call her, 6 years ago in Harrods to be precise. Now, she has lived up to this snobby reputation as if her life depended on it - especially the week el Diablo was left in my care. Obviously I tried to care for her just like the boss does; take her to the park for walks, give her a scrub and feed her well. This should be easy, right?

Think again. The first obstacle was when I dragged her to the park – yes, dragged being the operative word – and when we entered the meadows of what should be doggy heaven, the imbecile ran away from it. Have you ever heard of a dog running AWAY from the park?

Our little darling also had other tricks up her sleeve; she continuously differentiated between different supermarket brands of carrots, M&S being her favourite, ooh she can’t possibly have Tesco’s, ‘that’s too plebbish for my Harrods ways’ she would bark.

Nevertheless, we love her still, and I loved her even more when the boss flew back to the nest and order was restored to our little world. But next time you see a snooty little dog walking down the street no matter how unbearably cute they appear to be; think of the owners, what they must suffer at the hands of their pup. Dogs can be just as ridiculous as people, and I think Mia seriously takes the cake here.

HOW TO . . . PROCRASTINATE YOUR TERM AWAY

Stephanie Rihon

Merry Giftmas?

Youtube

When you need more than just a Buzzfeed list, there are hours of countless videos at your disposal. What might have started off as an innocent documentary based around your revision topic, suddenly spirals into the cinnamon challenge, Jenna Marbles, and numerous other video-based websites...

Interpretive Dance When alone in your room, you play a little music, only to discover you’re destined for a life of choreography, or Strictly. This activity has numerous benefits, not only are you opening doors to successful career prospects, you’re also getting fit Zumba style. And you look damn good.

The Fridge Hunger is an irrelevant aspect of the studying student. When staring at the essay title in front of you, last night’s left-over curry seems overwhelmingly appealing. So does the couscous, Muller corner, five Galaxy bars, and pint of milk.

Become a smoker This way, you have a legitimate, medicinal, reason to leave your studies every half an hour. You become an expert in the varieties of cigarettes on offer, and disposable brightly coloured lighters? They’re for amateurs.

Assess your future real-estate It’s only good, careful planning for the future to check out a few houses that you might, one day be able to afford. Trawling through Rightmove and Knight Frank for mansions in Chelsea and vineyards in Southern France will only save you house-hunting time in later life.

Gym

It takes you 20 minutes to get into gym-kit, 10 minutes to set up your i-Pod, 15 to get to the gym, 5 to organise yourself in the changing rooms, and over 1 hour to recover afterwards. What’s not to love? Plus, you can watch The Big Bang Theory whilst you work out.

about them, but nonetheless I thought they would probably be ‘On the first day of Christmas my true useful for neatly love sent to me - a partridge in a pear tree’. To me, this song is the most truthful organising my work at uni at some point - good one. This year I was less fortunate. reflection of Christmas. Why? Because One promising looking present turned however much I love the turkey-eating, out to be a big foam bicycle seat cover. film-watching and bauble-decorating ‘That’s useful’ you say… except it’s not festivities, the present-giving has become out of control. This whole song is dedicated because I haven’t ridden a bike since I to describing the ridiculous, useless crap a was about 13. Turning to another package and really quite relieved to be moving on I person once misguidedly gave their loved find a flask-holder for, you guessed it, my one. Think about it, can you imagine ten bike. As if I was competing in some sort lords leaping, a group of pipers piping, of bicycle marathon. The ordeal wasn’t drummers drumming and all manners of even over then as the grand finale was a birds swamping the place? It sounds like bright, fluorescent yellow bicycle jacket. some sort of weird, raucous, zoo-themed To be honest at this point I was trying to disco. Let’s face it, the ‘true love’ in this bike song sounds like an imbecile. In reality, who remember if I even had a would receive three ‘French hens’ from their anymore because I was sure some burglar had partner at Christmas and think, “oh wow, ridden off on it years how did they know?!’ ago. I sometimes Frankly, I get so many appalling pointless gifts every year that I’m starting to become wonder if my family secretly takes the immune. Last year was good, as amongst the haul were giant paperclips and a plastic piss out of me or if folder. I can’t pretend I was overly enthused they are genuinely

just that clueless, like the time my dad stopped his story to check that I knew what a ‘cigarette-lighter’ was…

At least with close family you can be a bit honest about your rubbish presents but with relatives you don’t know very well you have to be so polite. The worst thing with my relatives is that they hear about me liking or being interested in something and latch on, making it a theme for every single present they buy me thereafter. When I did ballet I was receiving ballet pyjamas, ballet skirts, ballet dolls and mugs with ballet dancers on them for years, even after I had quit. Then from the moment they heard I got a cat all I ever received were cat slippers, cat calendars, cat birthday cards, t-shirts with cats on them and cat mugs - one of which I have just noticed I’m sipping tea from as I write this. The mugs are admittedly a bit cute. But the point is, while I appreciate the effort, there’s nothing more painful than trying to act like you love something that is totally shit. Or

acting like you love something when you still cannot for the life of you even figure out what it is, how it works or why they’ve given it to you.

I reckon we could save so much unnecessary awkwardness and embarrassment if we just ask ourselves three simple questions before buying Christmas presents: a) Is this useful? b) Will the person receiving this recognise the joke it represents and find it funny? Or c) are you sure the person will at least enjoy looking at it? If the answer to all three questions is yes then it is officially an amazing present. If the present is none of the above you should consider writing a cheque instead or even better moving somewhere remote without a post office so that the only way you could send gifts is via carrier pigeon. And then hopefully it’ll get shot or hit by a large van within ten minutes of setting off.

Emily Hooley

@e2Living

2. There are rats in our garden. Over the summer, our ‘garden’, using the term loosely, turned into an overgrown weed pit where the table and chairs quite literally disappeared underneath the huge jungle of bushes. One day, my flatmates were having lunch. One says to the other ‘oh my god, a RAT!’ The other, panicked, replies ‘where?!’ ‘In the garden! Look!’ ‘Oh right I thought you meant here in the room. Ah well.’ Not fine. Also, not the end of the wildlife situation in the household.

Being in my last year of university is something I don’t like to admit or dwell on too much. The thought of moving my things out of my student house in Bristol and back home to my small, dingy hometown brings tears to my eyes and fear to my heart.

However, it wasn’t always like this. I had a shaky start in first year, amid severe homesickness and phone calls to my Mum such as claiming my single bed sheet is ‘way too small, you’ve definitely bought the wrong one’ for my single bed. This was greeted by a lot of laughter from her, with the realisation she probably should have made me engage in a few more chores at home which hints at only child syndrome and a sharpish visit from a flatmate who proceeded to do it for me. A year on and I have now settled down and made home in the comfort of what we lovingly refer to as 46, our student house for second and third year. After claiming I never want to leave, I will now go on to explain why I very much want to leave.

I’ve come to realise I am living in the epitome of the student cliché.

I should probably admit to you now that, furthering the student cliché, my flatmate and I were incredibly hungover when we attended this house viewing.

Weeks of looking at dingy above-a-corner-shop-and-smelling-like-weed properties, we finally found a house in a great location and for a reasonable price. So we did what any rational person would, booked a viewing for first thing on a Thursday morning and proceeded onwards to a Bunker Wednesday sports night. Fast forward a few hours and we are zombie-like, propped up in the doorways of rooms and mumbling ‘mm good size’. Potentially with alcohol still in our systems we, looking back rather rashly, headed straight for the estate agents and put down our unreasonably gigantic deposits. Moving in day rolls around and feeling like I’m in an episode of Cribs, I think to myself... ‘Wow. We’ve done pretty well here guys.

It’s clean, it’s fresh, it’s modern. Everyone is going to wish they were us. Where do those horror stories of gross, mouldy, rat-infested student houses even come from?!’…I’ll tell you.

3. Slugs. We have numerous slugs inside our house. This was the last straw for me; having been sheltered by an incredibly house-proud mother whose house is dominated by white carpets with barely so much as a fly to visit. Cue another angry email to our landlord from me, with photos of the slugs attached so she can absolutely see the severity of the situation. A reply. ‘Put down some repellent, it’s the time of year’. Right. Apparently I didn’t get the well-known memo that it was the season for slugs to invade your home and move in with you. I wasn’t standing for this, so again, she sends Nick round to check out this situation. Nick, the mould-painter-overer and general handyman of the house rocks up and into my room without any warning and in his thick Bristolian accent states, ‘landlord said you had a flood’. Confusion is on his face and worry in his eyes. This is a big plumbing deal. ‘No Nick’, I reply, ‘we have SLUGS’. ‘OH!’ He chuckles to himself and walks away and with not even a hint of sarcasm tells me, ‘that’s alright then’.

My best friend and I have a saying that we tell each other, often after a particularly regretful night out, ‘you live and you learn’. Whilst I will you to laugh at my life, I think we should always have an educational message.

So, lessons learnt: 1) Never go to your house viewing hungover.

2) Never move into a student house if you can possibly help it.

And 3) always, always move into a new property armed with slug repellent for when that infamous time of year comes around.

Long Distance Love For me, 2013 was a year of long distance love. Anyone who has ever experienced the raw emotional roller coaster that is long distance love will know where I’m coming from when I say that it was one of the hardest years of my life. For me it began with a holiday romance. Boy meets girl in a paradise setting? Well, not quite.

It was a Berlin hostel which was falling down and the first time I laid eyes on him I was soaked to the skin with a giant backpack and a scowl, flanked by my best friend who was similarly agitated. Yet, somehow, against all odds I got him to fall in love with me.

He was an American boy and I am an English girl.

We had 22 sunsoaked days of pure perfection until goodbye came and it was a long five month wait until we could be together again. Now, the notion of transAtlantic love letters and daydreams of reunions may all seem unbelievably romantic but believe me it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I wrote letters, I lamented, I cried, I kept a countdown of the days until I’d see him again and, as far as possible, I got on with my life. I worked 9-5 in a local shop to fund my gap year travelling and from there I watched the days roll into weeks and into months. My life was punctuated by Skype sessions, phone calls and occasional flurries of precious time together - my visit to LA in March followed by a 7 week

summer spent travelling in California.

As 2014 begins I consider myself incredibly fortunate in that my boyfriend has chosen to study at Bristol for a year. Having undergone the transition from long distance to walking distance I just keep my mind away from the fact that the next two years will once again be filled with yawning absences and eight hour time differences. Far from ideal and potentially heart breaking but I tell myself to savour each moment of his company until we are once again divided by more miles than I care to count. Someone once told me that love could only last if you were 8 blocks away from the person you loved.

Although long distance may well have been a miserable experience it has also made me stronger, in myself and my relationship, than I

ever knew I could be. University is a time of so much change and as friends and I moved away from home to begin this new chapter of our lives I saw many of their college relationships fall apart in the face of distance.

At the risk of sounding

clichéd, I truly believe that love can conquer obstacles which seem impossible at first glance and, if there’s one thing that the previous year taught me, it is not to underestimate the power of myself or my emotions.

Long distance love is hard but it is also precious and I have no regrets about the sadness I felt over this last year. It has been

Laura Burridge far outweighed by the joy and the laughter that our time together brings me, no matter how sparse it may be.

So to anyone who will face the prospect of long distance in 2014 - don’t give up on the things that matter because, and I leave you with the words of James Morrison, “if it was easy it wouldn’t mean nothing”.

Kati Taylor

Compfight: Luz Adriana Villa

What’s On

Style

Travel

Living

Room 101: Home sweet home?

1. We have mould. We have a lot of mould. Our landlord thinks a suitable solution to my angry, concerned for my life emails is to send over Nick, who I will return to, to paint over it every couple of months and to ‘keep the door open’ despite the fact that Brittany Murphy died of mould in her mansion. This is obviously great advice for the most private room of the house where it is most of the time imperative that the door is shut.

27.01.2014

BRISTOL vs. AMERICA

George Robb

‘SUBSCRIPTION TO HIPSTERISM IS AN ATTEMPT TO DISTANCE ONESELF FROM THE NORM’ I have never been more revolted and sickened in all my life than when I landed at Heathrow after a term abroad in America. Yes, I was jet lagged. Yes, I had gorged myself on complimentary salami sandwiches. Yes, I had lapped up too many 7Ups with extra-large, highaltitude-sized bubbles.

But that wasn’t why I felt repulsed.

The reason I wanted to catch the next flight back to Richmond, Va, was because English university undergrads are far less attractive than those across the pond.

I will not deny that the college I was at was an anomaly when it comes to undergrad beauty. As a private, liberal arts college, it attracted the children of the rich. Now before high-horses are mounted and prepped for a cyber cavalry charge, I’m not trying to say that wealth is beauty, but more often than not wealthy people are also more attractive.

On one level, they could afford designer clothes, expensive make-up, and better haircuts etc. On another, wealthy people tend to attract better looking spouses, regardless of the podginess and ugliness of the hand holding the platinum-

member credit card. This improves the number of beauty genes in the couple’s gene pool, which generally makes their spawn more physically attractive.

Bristol is also an elitist anomaly in terms of socioeconomic backgrounds, but sadly students aren’t using their assets to maximum effect. Whilst working in the library in America, I was distracted by beauty for what would have probably accumulated to 32 hours. In Bristol, my eyes are probably diverted for a couple of seconds, and that’s when they’re bored of work and roving for distractions anyway. Of all the American and Bristolian women and men I spoke to on the matter, they also reported similar findings.

The reason male and female Bristolian students are comparatively butters is not through lack of effort, but through misplaced effort. We can thank hipster fashion-ideals for that.

Before I go on, I would like to make it clear that everybody dresses in order to contribute to their sense of identity. Subscription to Hipsterism is an attempt to distance oneself from the norm and place oneself

in a group which believes itself to be more cultured than others. Vintage fairs are so enticing because they offer one-of-a-kind clothing which show your respect, reverence and knowledge of the glorious cultures of old whilst simultaneously rejecting the flaws of the present. You may look good to others, but the main point of it is that you feel good to yourself because you have a sense of identity which you perceive to be unique.

By these standards, Americans are cattle. They wear T-shirts emblazoned with their sorority or fraternity’s abbreviated titles. The guys wear the same colour chinos and shirts when dressing up and similar tank-tops and shorts when working out. The girls strive for blonde, flowing hair, wear conspicuous neon bras whilst working out, and put on almost identical girly dresses when partying. Preps wear preppy clothes and jocks wear jocklike ones. It is undoubtedly homogenous and categorised.

Despite the superficial differences, the truth of the matter is that Americans and Bristolians are both cattle, except that Bristolians have dyed their bovine hair in

funky colours so that they look and feel like something else, just like every over multi-coloured cow.

Americans acknowledge their homogeneity whilst hip Bristolians do not, preferring instead to live under the fallacy that they are somehow unique.

Americans are honest about their conformity and subscription to campus cliques whilst Bristolian hipsters live a lie.

The reason Americans are more attractive is only partly to do with superficiality.

The majority of it comes from their genuineness and authenticity, even if it results in small groups of clones. By acknowledging that individualism through fashion is futile, Americans are able to put more effort into actually looking good.

So next time you’re out shopping, think a little bit before you hand your cash over to the man running the second-hand clothes stall, because a well-fitted shirt would definitely look better than the baggy, pink, paisley monstrosity in your hand. It would also be as unique, if not more, when considering the campus’ current clothing climate.

To still be eating turkey well into the new year. Mum’s got a bad eye for birds… a 7 kilo turkey is NOT suitable for 4 people.

To buy all your books for the next teaching block back in November with the aim of reading every one of them over the holidays but instead not laying a finger on them until lecture one. The intention was there – that must count for something?

To spend an extra £25 online shopping just so you get free delivery.

It makes sense. Kind of...

To bring a healthy packed lunch to work and abandon it at the first sight of your colleague’s hot cheese toastie.

To finish all the alcohol you brought/stole from home before the end of January – it’s been a tough month.

thecompanystore.com

To ignore those never-ending app updates.

How can there be another new version?!

Kids it ’s okay...

To have every intention of being superproductive at the weekend. Yet it’s 1pm and you’re still in your pyjamas.

To start living off of baked beans in a bid to fulfil your new summer plans of interrailing/travelling.

To spend a whole day in your nearest high-street returning all the presents you didn’t enjoy and whilst you’re at it murdering the January sales. w .or

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To have a great new year’s resolution to end your drunken escapades in Bunker toilets or bad behaviour in the streets of Redland but alas! There you are doing precisely that, the first Monday back!

Editor: Deputy: Online Olivia Lace-Evans Andrea Valentino Emilia Morano-Williams travel@ deputytravel@ travelonline@ epigram.org.uk epigram.org.uk epigram.org.uk

@e2Travel

What’s On

Style

The plight of Venezuela

The women in the photograph below are just a few of the mothers whose children were recently murdered in Caracas. Venezuela’s spiralling murder rates have unfortunately made tragic scenes like this common, almost banal. Oliver Robinson, who visited Venezuela in 2011, considers the country’s recent troubles.

Flickr: IPS Inter Press Service

Travel

Living

Revolutionary Terror

In recent years, South America has become an increasingly popular holiday destination for young English people, especially among so-called ‘gap yah’ travellers. But one country that is seldom, if at all, included in these popular backpacker routes is Venezuela. With its beautiful landscape boasting the Andes mountain range, Caribbean beaches, and the stunning Canaima National Park (home to Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world), it has all the makings of a traveller’s paradise. However, the recent murder of Monica Spear - former Miss Venezuela and soap star - along with her British ex-husband Thomas Berry near Caracas, has sparked off a wave of protests across the country. Believed to have been a botched gang robbery, the event has brought the country’s drastically high murder rate to the attention of the international media.

The UN declared Venezuela the South American country with the highest rate of crime and violence in 2011. With 3,164 killings in Caracas that same year, it was technically the world’s most dangerous city outside of declared war zones.

Following the death of the long-ruling Hugo Chavez in March last year, hopes for profound change and a new era of politics were high. However, for many, Nicolas Maduro’s (still disputed) triumph in the fierce election battle against Henrique Capriles in April only doomed the country to more years of instability and violence. Capriles vowed to continue his predecessor’s ‘socialist revolution’.

Having lived in Venezuela for several months teaching English in 2011, it saddens me that it took the murder of a celebrity for this problem to be politically acknowledged. I was lucky not to witness any violence, though other people I met

had not been so fortunate. Most of my Venezuelan friends had been robbed at gunpoint – one group of university students recalling a gunman holding up their maths exam to steal calculators. The thought of this happening in Wills Memorial

countryside. Kept for four months by his captors he was eventually released when relatives paid the ransom, having received no help from the police. “His family were quite worried”, his friend casually remarked, “but kidnapping is an everyday business here.” The truth in his seemingly flippant

e

ur

Building or Coombe Dingle this January is almost laughable.

One of our mature students was kidnapped the previous year because his family owned a farm in the

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comment was confirmed when F I visited Caracas, the nation’s capital, near the end of my stay.

Posters of missing people lined the walls of many buildings in the city centre, and vast sums of money being

k lic

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offered for their return. These haunting faces reflect the brutal reality that many Venezuelans are faced with each day.

While Hugo Chavez was widely regarded as a revolutionary hero, the murder rate in the country more than doubled under his rule. We must challenge the widespread effects of Chavez’s socialist policies that Capriles intends to continue – as demonstrated by the government seizing privately owned businesses in the name of ‘the people’.

Unemployment and inflation have hit record highs in the country, with the number of beggars and shanty towns around major cities constantly growing.

As one girl explained: “He needs people to be poor for him to stay in power. He offers them enough financial aid to survive, but no job opportunities. Our situation will never improve like this.”

This widespread poverty has fostered violent crime and corruption, which has reduced confidence in the political system as a whole – including in the police force. Bodyguards and excessive housing security have become commonplace for those who can afford it, with many downtown parts of cities being abandoned in favour of overpriced, but safer, shopping centres.

My stay in Venezuela coincided with the London riots, which will be talked about for many years as one of the biggest breakdowns of public order in Britain for decades. Bewildered by the extensive coverage of the incident on the news, a Venezuelan friend simply laughed, saying: “This happens every week in Caracas.”

If that doesn’t put our grievances about the British political system into perspective, I don’t know what does.

27.01.14

Bordeaux-line Crazy: A student in France

One of the best things about studying a language at Bristol is that every student has the opportunity to experience a year of life abroad. We gain new skills and enjoy new experiences. We’re immersed in a new cultural, political and economic landscape.

And for those lucky enough to study during their year away, we get a whole new perspective on student life. Last September I began my year abroad at Université Michel de Montaigne in Bordeaux, excited about the chance to experience a university semester the French way.

To begin with, university is considerably more accessible in France. With no UCAS, less competitive entrance requirements, comparatively cheap fees and the opportunity to claim CAF (a type of housing benefit for students), it seems easier to just ‘give university a go’ here - and from personal experience this is definitely the

case. The number of students over the first semester of Year 1 almost halved, transforming classes from over-subscribed into comfortable. During a first year Philosophy lecture - with students sat on the floor to take notes - we were told by our professor how perfectly normal this was, as so many students drop out in the first term.

However, the drop-out rate of first-year students is not necessarily due to apathy, but potentially more due to the fact that the consequences are less steep, and so trying out higher education first-hand is a perfectly viable option. Quitting university after one year in France can cost as little as €188.10 – the enrolment fee at Bordeaux 3.

With a pricey (but well-organised) railway system, students cut transport costs by using covoiturage – a car share with other people making the same journey, found through websites such as BlaBlaCar. Students also use online sites to find

single rooms in flats rather than sharing with friends. This tradition of colocation is a brilliant way to meet new people – or for Erasmus students, to live with locals.

Furthermore, while university sports teams are not as popular in France, the Varsity-style week here in October was a completely different experience. Intramural games for competing faculties (rather than sports teams) from Bordeaux compete in a bull ring...with actual bulls! In the style of an assault course, with the bulls acting as another obstacle to slow down the teams, the Feria takes place in a huge temporary bullring built in the city centre. To meet a student not attending was rare to say the least, and the atmosphere was electric.

A night out in France is almost equally as mad. Happy hour lasts whole afternoons, and never-ending student nights and ‘ladies nights’ mean that there’s always a crowd somewhere. Furthermore, the clubs aren’t afraid to give away free entry – so in a town with more than 70,000 students, this means a lot of fun!

Also, the climate allows for outdoor gatherings well into the winter semester, and as in England, there is usually a pub quiz on somewhere any given night of the week.

But the thing I love most about French student life is how cool it is. Wine is pretty much cheaper than chips, so taking the lead from French students and turning pre-drinks (or a ‘before’) into an open-bar is not such a mad idea. The kissing-on-bothcheeks is a great way to meet everyone at a party, and the Bordelais students are really friendly. Student life really is pretty fun here.

Catherine Cartner

Civil War, Civil Impression: Libya world heritage site of Sabratha, on the exact spot I had stood just months earlier. A single snapshot of the Arab Spring

been shattered by violence.

While the streets of Libya appeared calm during my visit, they were lined

Flickr: American Press Abroad

For many, Libya may seem like a hostile place – a land filled with violence, retribution and oppression. I can’t provide a grand dissertation or decades of research, but what I can offer is an observation; an observation of what I witnessed with my own eyes during a week in the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in October 2010.

This was in the days before revolution, the days of Gaddafi, the days of that famous plain green flag. In a sense, it is a past perspective I am presenting. I hope, however, that I can draw out a deeper, more nuanced view which might challenge one’s image of this fast changing nation.

As a tourist in a relatively closed country with our very own ‘security guard’, it was natural to assume that we were shown a packaged version of Libya with many elements hidden away. So what could I possibly appreciate from such a censored and fleeting glance? By seeing a country on the cusp of such change, however, the subsequent transformation became so much sharper.

Eating pizzas in Tripoli’s Green Square with scores of school girls walking happily past, I couldn’t have possibly imagined that within months this harmonious scene would be morphed into the battleground of ‘Martyrs’ Square’.

In 2011, I saw a photograph in The Times of demonstrators at the UNESCO

cannot wholly reflect the Libya we see today.

However, this month a foreign couple were murdered in the same area.

Regardless of the ‘seen’ and ‘unseen’ nature of the country I visited, it would appear that what once was peaceful has

with towering Orwellian posters of Gaddafi, plastered with slogans of “our saviour”. These were no politically airbrushed election placards. Were it not for the bright yellow sun rising above the map of Libya they could have come

straight from 1984. I may not have witnessed the later violence, but such an abrupt statement of dictatorial power points towards a government which was propped up by brutality.

But in searching for the qualities that truly lie within a country, one must not let the immediate circumstances of violence obscure our view. In many ways, the truest, deepest nature of a country comes not from its politics or propaganda but from its landscape. The Libyan Sahara was glorious. The vast rocks had been carved into the most breath-taking sculptures by the wind.

Ancient paintings tucked away in small caves illustrated how long the beautiful landscape has enticed people.

Yet, for me, the most endearing quality of Libya was the sincere friendliness of almost everyone I spoke to. The smiles and conversation of the Libyans I met were a world away from the cold reserve of the British stranger. Libya is characterised by something more than destruction, it is characterised by that embracing warmth and natural splendour. So while the temporary perspectives of power and violence may come and go, we must believe that those deeper attributes can remain: the alluring beauty and friendliness at the heart of Libya.

Ed Henderson-Howat

Editor: Deputy: Online Olivia Lace-Evans Andrea Valentino Emilia Morano-Williams travel@ deputytravel@ travelonline@ epigram.org.uk epigram.org.uk epigram.org.uk

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A FINAL THOUGHT ON... fur and fashion In our first ‘A Final Thought...’ column of the new year, Jess Piette revisits Switzerland and discusses fur’s return to Swiss fashion boutiques.

Who would choose Nicaragua as a holiday destination?

Before I visited this Christmas, I certainly wouldn’t have. It was on my radar only as one of the dangerous, drug-infested Central American countries you shouldn’t really visit.

However, having visited I can hold up my hands and say I was woefully misinformed.

Nicaragua is one of the most beautiful, welcoming countries I’ve ever been to, and part of its charm is that few tourists know about it.

Nicaragua has had a tumultuous recent history.

Following centuries of Spanish colonialism came General Sandino, a revolutionary hero in Nicaragua (there are statues of him everywhere).

Rivals murdered him in 1934 and the subsequent sixty years have contained political upheaval, incredibly unhelpful interventions by the USSR and Americans, and corrupt leaders galore. It is Nicaragua’s tumultuous past that gives it a bad reputation and stops it being on the map as a popular tourist destination, despite its many attractions.

One of my highlights was Lake Nicaragua, the tenth largest freshwater lake in the

world and a postcard-perfect sparkling oasis. We took a boat around a section of the lake, in the Asese Peninsula recreation area, passing lush forested islands and exotic wildlife.

The lake was so picturesque; in many countries it would have been thick with holiday homes, jet skis, and yachts.

We didn’t see another soul on the entire lake. A crying shame for Nicaragua, which has some way to go before fulfilling the potential of its natural beauty for tourists, and the benefits the industry can bring to the local people. But it’s great if you get there before everyone else does. Ometepe, a large island on the peninsula which is popular with backpackers, reminds me of what Koh Phangan might have been like before full moon parties: a hard-to-reach traveller outpost with a great vibe. It was well worth the hour-long ferry ride.

For a (only slightly) more urban experience, head to nearby Granada. It’s a colonial town founded in 1524 which has enhanced its Spanish-era prettiness by having every building painted a different colour of the rainbow. A

re! e h e r e w u o Wish y

vibrant peach church overlooks a madly colourful square, with even each chair at the cafes a different colour. Although I saw more tourists here than elsewhere, it still retained the authentic feel that was somewhat lost in other tourist hubs. A community exists here, not just overpriced restaurants and souvenir shops. It’s high on my list to visit again.

So for a new perspective this year, don’t write Nicaragua off. Yes, its recent history is violent, and it has received a bad press. But to dismiss it would be to deny yourself the beautiful lakes, rainforests, and friendly people. I haven’t even mentioned the amazing Pacific beaches, sunny December weather, or the delicious food - though you should get ready for a lot of rice and beans!

Don’t think of Nicaragua as a wartorn, drug ridden wasteland – get ready for colourful cities, idyllic countryside and a country brimming with life.

I’m walking along a street in Montreux, Switzerland. It’s the Christmas holidays, and all the shop windows are sparkling enticingly, tempting the passer by with luxurious displays of lights and fake snow. I stop in front of a clothes shop. Behind the glass, an immense stuffed polar bear stares back at me, its claws raised above the mannequins that are dressed in shining, floor length fur coats. I can’t believe my eyes. Yet, as I look around I can see women walking about in fur, clutching it to their bodies in the cold. Shops are selling it everywhere, and people seem to buying it.

Being half Swiss, I return to Switzerland once every year to visit my family, and it’s getting more difficult every time. To me, Switzerland is stuck in the past: though it is a first world country, I am still shocked by some of the racist, sexist and homophobic views that I encounter whilst over there. However, there is no doubt that at one point it was considered shameful to be sporting real fur clothing, and I remember my grandmother lamenting the fact that her mother’s beautiful mink coat was going to waste in the attic. For all the great words made in the defence of animal rights, people are acting like it never happened, as if the fur campaign has become old, or perhaps even boring.

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Discovering Nicaragua

Sarah Brodie

Dear e2, taken This was unny s on a hot, rka day in K rk, Pa National njoy!

E Croatia.

Love, owell Annie St

There are great misconceptions about the fur industry, and perhaps it is this lack of awareness in the consumer that has contributed to a backlash in the fashion world. Browsing through a boutique, I saw labels reading ‘Mink fur, 100% farmed’. The fact that it is ‘responsibly sourced’ may create the illusion (however thin) that wearing fur is more ethical than it used to be; the word ‘farmed’ doesn’t recall the terrible massacres of baby seals in the commercial seal hunt. But the truth is far from pleasant.

Associations such as The Animal Rights Alliance have been making investigations into the fur trades of Sweden, Finland and China.

They have reported back with images and films of animals in distress, trapped and starving in tiny wire cages. They are to be skinned alive and left to die in a heap, living for up to ten minutes after skinning.

This winter, reportedly up to 70% of designers used fur in their styles during fashion week, including Marc Jacobs, Altuzarra, Burberry and Luis Vuitton. The change in mentality is not limited to Switzerland, it is something that is happening world-wide.

People in the UK are buying vintage fur coats, under the excuse that it’s second hand and therefore isn’t contributing towards the fur industry, yet the message is still the same; fur is back in fashion. Graham Norton once said carelessly, ‘Fur campaigners are so dull. Why won’t they just lighten up, and find a new topic to bore us about?’

It is this attitude that allows space for fur to creep back into our culture, as if for most people, the animal rights campaign was just a mere fashion stunt, which, like every other fad, has begun to grow old.

Editor: Maddy Streets style@ epigram.org.uk

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Deputy: Deanne Ball deputystyle@ epigram.org.uk

Online Amelia Impey onlinestyle@ epigram.org.uk

The Girl in the Magazine Living

Deanne Ball catches up with 22-year-old model, Emma Appleton, to talk modelling, style and guilty pleasures restaurant and bar at Center Point on Tottenham Court Road is amazing. It’s on the 33rd floor and has incredible views over London, especially at sunset.

Favourite food?

My all-time favourite food is the cheeseburger; you can almost guarantee that if I’m at a restaurant I’ll order one!

What is your career highlight so far?

My career highlight was a TV commercial for Rimmel which was amazing. I’ve also really loved working for smaller, individual companies recently as well, for example The Ragged Priest. It’s always a pleasure to work for a brand that you’re already a fan of!

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How do you stay body confident?

I always remind myself of one of my favourite quotes: ‘the girl in the magazine doesn’t even look like the girl in the magazine.’ I refuse to put pressure on myself to look a certain way, especially for the industry I’m in; if you do that then you lose all confidence. I make sure that I’m happy with myself first and foremostconfidence comes from a healthy mind-set.

What are your plans for the future?

I have to say I’m not much of a planner; I’d like to see how far modelling will take me but other than that, I’ll just see what happens!

Describe yourself in three words...

Sarcastic, compassionate and creative.

Do you have any advice for aspiring models?

My advice would be to look for opportunities, for example modelling for friends that are photographers, getting in touch with photographers about shooting.

Get involved with events such as Oxford Fashion Week as they have open castings. Most importantly I’d say to be yourself, don’t act how you think a model should act- personality and a good attitude are extremely important!

What’s your favourite item in your wardrobe and why?

My favourite item would actually have to be my pyjamas if I’m being completely truthful! I almost always put them on as soon as I get home, they’re red tartan and ridiculously festive.

What’s your current obsession?

My current obsession would have to be Pinterest!

It’s such a good time waster, especially when I’m traveling around. I can be looking on it for hours!

Tell us about your tattoos...

I have a total of seven tattoos: a diamond on my wrist which was my first when I was 16 (don’t get tattoos when you’re 16!); a moon on my hand because I’m fascinated by space; a small elephant that I got in Las Vegas; Life on my inside arm, written in the font used on the front of Keith Richards book as its one of my favourites; a derringer gun on my left rib and ‘this too shall pass’ on my other rib- it’s a saying that I always say to myself whenever I’m having a bad day. I also have a small cross on my ankle that I did myself.

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Do you have a guilty pleasure?

My guilty pleasure is definitely listening to Daryll Hall & John Oates. It’s a bit cheesy but their music never fails to cheer me up!

t o o h Ever fancied taking S n part in a fashion shoot? o i Well, now’s your chance! sh

a F m

a r g Epi

What’s your favourite London hangout?

I don’t get to hang out in London much but the

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How did you get into modelling?

I started modelling for friends that were doing photography when I was 17 and enjoyed it so, after finishing my A-Levels, I decided to apply to agencies to see if I could do it professionally and five years later I’m still enjoying it!

Describe your style...

My style always changes with my mood, one day it’ll be a dress with a kimono and ankle boots and the next it’ll be black skinny jeans with a Fred Perry polo and Doc Martens. I love mixing and matching all my clothes to create different outfits that match my personality.

We’re still recruiting the following positions for our shoot taking place next month (dates TBC): Hair Stylist Male and female models Contributors must be available on weekends. Send your applications to deputystyle@epigram.org. uk. Models, please attach at least one head shot and full length photograph.

In this week’s Centre Spread, Photogrpahy Editor Markéta Brabcová showcases some of her photography.

Editor: Maddy Streets style@ epigram.org.uk

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Deputy: Deanne Ball deputystyle@ epigram.org.uk

Online Amelia Impey onlinestyle@ epigram.org.uk

#Menswear: Men’s fashion on Tumblr in the eighties- and power shoulders could be seen well into the early noughties. That was, until, Hedi Slimane’s tenure at Dior Homme heralded in a narrow lapelled hegemony that was to last till, well, now. All this is to say that, mainly due to tiresomely outdated perceptions of male interest in clothing as somehow ‘feminine’, it is still not as acceptable as it might be for men to be as preoccupied with the fluctuations of fashion as women.

Having said that, I would suggest that it is platforms such as Tumblr, whose menswear community started as a group focused on a distinctly masculine ‘Americana’ or ‘Workwear’ aesthetic, but has now moved into a more subversive ‘high-fashion’ realm, that have, in the space of a few years, managed to quickly change perceptions amongst men. Where once one would encounter mainly hardy denim and tough brogue boots online, now one is bombarded with pictures of A$AP Rocky in extra long shirts and exposed to the bizarre silhouettes of Rick Owens. One needn’t prefer one style over the other, but as a demonstration of changing perceptions in gender thinking, I see this as an interesting development.

In many cases, the blogosphere, far from being an arena for some kind of politicised reclamation of stylistic agency, has instead become simply another facet through which large companies can market their products. Infamously, ‘freebies’ from designers encourage street-style heroes and Tumblr celebrities to create what is in fact simply a ‘new-media’ equivalent of the glossy print advertorial. If the blogging superstars had an individual integrity at the beginning of the socialmedia age, whether they still do is debatable. However, I’m not here to offer a pseudo-Marxists deconstruction of fashion. Instead, I wish to turn some attention to the often overlooked menswear blogging scene and, specifically, the #menswear tag of Tumblr.

mensfashionworld.tumblr.com

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Social media’s influence on mainstream high fashion –particularly women’s clothing– has been well documented and widely discussed; Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram have, as far as some are concerned, heralded in a so-called ‘democratisation’ of fashion. Whilst I accept Fashion Weeks and individual shows are more accessible than they were in the pre-smartphone era, the term ‘democratisation’ – bandied around to the point of oversaturation – seems to me, misleading. Blogging may have opened up a new arena for critical appraisal of designers’ work, as well as unleashing a whole host of critics of varying quality, but whether any power has shifted away from global Houses and designers is another matter.

Admittedly, the question is, are these changes purely occurring within the microcosm of those already interested in looking at menswear blogs, or is a more liberal and open-minded approach to dressing disseminating more widely amongst men? Either way, with platforms like Tumblr growing in size and appeal at an unprecedented rate, who’s to say what the future holds.

Men’s fashion moves at something of a glacial pace; whichever cut of suit supplants the previously fashionable one is likely to stay there for a decade or so. After all, Giorgio Armani’s drapey tailoring- which first found fame

Benji Walters

Having a Moment: Ear Cuffs

Kira Wheeler on the rediscovery of old clothes

For 2014, it seems rejuvenation is once again on the horizon. Although admittedly, reading that wide-leg ‘skater style’ jeansas seen at Louis Vuitton- are soon to become the order of the day does not fill me with glee. This is one trend to which I sincerely hope I never revert; ‘Mom’ jeans are definitely my limit. Perhaps it could be said that there are some styles, unlike the fluffy jumper, that should remain abandoned in the cupboard.

Celebrityredcarpet.co.uk

In months past, my sister complained to me of how her friends mocked the hair scrunchie she sported on a regular basis, only to gain the satisfaction of being asked if they could borrow said velvet hair accessory come Christmas. I have noticed similar occurrences with regards to club wear, particularly for guys, with

The New Year is a time of both reflection and reinvention. It seems appropriate, therefore, to consider how within 2013, designers- and consequently high street retailers- took items which were once seen as distasteful- something to be abandoned along with the slinky and the VHS- and instead injected them with a modern twist. Perhaps it could be suggested that we feel such an affinity with these fashions because they rekindle fond childhood memories of times when caring about our appearance was a far more fleeting thought.

Thefashionvisuals.co.uk

When reflecting upon 2013’s fashion fads, such enthusiasm to wear items from one’s childhood, for me at least, seemed to be a recurring theme. The aforementioned tartan skirt- a piece I once regarded as exclusively punk or promiscuous school girl- is now regularly worn. The same could be said for dungarees, platform shoes, New Balance trainers- the list goes on. Still, I have found comfort in knowing that I am perhaps not alone in my altered perspective towards these nostalgic items.

‘wavey garms’ such as Tommy Hilfiger windbreakers and the retro futurist look of Nike huaraches re-emerging in the Lakota smoking area. I am, personally, still on the fence about the attractiveness of a cagoule, although I am certain that there were once many mothers ecstatic with their sons’ willingness to wear a waterproof ‘mac in a sac’- “finally, something practical”.

Coolspotters.com

At home for the holidays, I had a moment of realisation whilst rooting around in a cupboard of discarded clothes. In an attempt to ‘revitalise’ my wardroberestricted by my ever diminishing bank balance- I found myself clutching a fluffy pastel blue polo neck sweater, circa 2005. Once a standard fit, I could now wear it cropped and with the vision of transforming into Cher Horowitz from Clueless, matching it with my black watch tartan skirt. It was at this point that I realised the extent to which I had gained new appreciation for the unwanted Christmas gift I had once despised.

The non-commitment alternative to the cartilage piercing, ear cuffs are having a moment.

Ashish SS13

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Oh, this old thing?

27.01.2014

The Power of Makeup Lauren Landon on our cultural perspective of makeup My self-confidence is applied in the morning. It is contained in tubes of foundation, palettes of eye shadows, lipsticks, mascara and kohl pencils. Each individual tool does a different job in masking my insecurities. If I have to go out bare faced, I panic. I walk down the street with my head down, wishing for a balaclava, a face veil - anything! The psychological power of makeup is astonishing - it gives me confidence and it makes me happy. That is the ugly truth.

In her provocative book, The Beauty Myth, feminist Naomi Wolf challenges this view. Wolf states that ‘women are mere beauties in men’s culture so that culture can be kept male.’ Therefore, the 21st century woman who wears makeup conforms to a system that was created to oppress her. Historically, biological views of innate female inferiority created

Society tells us that women should be beautiful.

Professor Mary Beard recently received death threats for not wearing makeup on television, with commentators tweeting that she was ‘too ugly for TV’.

Appallingly, British writer A. A. Gill stated that Beard should be ‘kept away from the cameras’ on the basis of her looks. Beard’s male colleagues (think David Starkey, Simon Schama) are never judged on their appearance, let alone critiqued. The age-old ‘seen not heard’ atrocity still lives on and puts an unbelievable pressure on women to strive for ‘beauty’, which is both psychologically and physically damaging.

The beauty industry is even uglier. The UK cosmetic industry thrives off women who feel inadequate with their naked face. It functions in perfect tandem with the toxic British media, who constantly tell us we can be slimmer, we can be prettier; that natural is never enough. I have been caught in the midst of it all and of course I’m not going to stop wearing makeup. I have been told too many times by popular culture, by modern laws of attraction and by constructions of gender that natural is not enough and I’ve started to believe it. Beware of the power of makeup.

Thenailandbeautylounge.net

Without a magic wand or a surgeon’s knife, I can change my bone structure, widen my eyes, plump my lips and cover my acne. But why does this make me more attractive to society and why don’t I feel comfortable in my own skin? In Freudian manner, psychologist Dr. Buss has linked the wearing of makeup to the laws of biological attraction. Men are attracted to healthy-looking, unblemished women.

Thus, women wear makeup because it increases their chances of reproducing.

the infamous ‘seen not heard’ hypothesis. However, in an age where women are allegedly as equally ‘heard’ as men, why is so much emphasis still placed on how women are seen?

The Return of the Supermodel Ftape.com

The eighties and nineties saw a glossy wave of supermodels, ubiquitous in advertising, music videos, and covers of top magazines like Vogue, Elle, Playboy and Sports Illustrated. This path to modelling fame was trodden by, to name but a few, Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford, Elle Macpherson, Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell – who danced in videos for musicians from Bob Marley to Culture Club. The late nineties and early noughties, too, gave rise to supermodels such as Gisele Bündchen and Adriana Lima; contracts with big companies such as Victoria’s Secret are always guaranteed to create a buzz.

Fanshare.com Fashionhoster.com

But the fashion world, like the rest of the world, has expanded enormously with the rise of technology. Fashion is instant – we’re only ever just a click away from seeing the latest runway shows, street style and behindthe-scenes glimpses at campaigns. We don’t have to wait to buy the next issue of Vogue to see what’s being talked about, or get tips on how to improve our own style. And the most important thing technology has led to? Direct communication with the fashion world. No more do we have to suffer the pangs of envy upon seeing a model’s outfit and wondering where to get it – we can simply tweet them.

And more often than not, models are ready and willing to discuss their style with fans, knowing it will increase their reputation and open up opportunities for them. This is how the modern-day supermodel is created.

So which models in particular have ridden the wave of social networking? Well, unless you spent 2013 under a rock, you must have heard of Cara Delevingne. She and fellow models Karlie Kloss, Jourdan Dunn, Chanel Iman and Joan Smalls all have big Twitter followings. But it’s not just Twitter that gets you seen and heard – indeed, we may ask, is a model truly a model nowadays if

she doesn’t have Instagram? Instagram is a shameless platform for selfies, an important modern phenomenon for supermodels, as well as providing an intimate, backstage look into their lives. Jourdan Dunn has made use of the modern obsession with YouTube by creating a series of cooking videos and promoting them there – each video has around 100,000 views. Thus the modern supermodel is accessible and constantly updating their profile to show everything – from fashion shows to gym workouts – taking place in their busy lives.

Of course, today as with in the past, a little controversy can go a long way. Tabloids delight in supermodels since stories about their love lives are abundant. They are the ideal figures to link with the top footballers and rock stars of the day – it’s a glorified version of the cheerleader-jock duo so typical of American high school films. Recently, more serious controversy over Robin Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines’ video has boosted the careers of the models who appear in it. Emily Ratajkowski was previously only vaguely known in modelling circles; since appearing in the video, she’s done numerous interviews, attended several high-profile events and notably risen to 197,000 followers on Twitter and 614,000 on Instagram. For her, the video’s controversy – a controversy aided by discussion on social media – was enough to get people talking about her as a model, giving her fame to build on in her own terms, via sites such as Instagram.

And naturally, being a supermodel nowadays requires the same credentials it always has – a certain ‘X factor’ as well as beauty and a sense of style. A model doesn’t have to be well-connected in terms of the Internet to be considered a supermodel, as Kate Moss shows. Her Twitter profile has sadly not been

updated for a few years, yet she continues to make best-dressed lists, garnered huge media attention with her wedding in 2011, and recently covered Playboy magazine.

The ‘Instagram supermodels’ of today haven’t entirely pushed out the still-relevant supermodels of the nineties. Take Tyra Banks, whose modelling heyday was now twenty years ago, but continues her fame as a supermodel through television and books, and whose Twitter following beats that of any young models’, at 11 million.

Queens of Social Media – which supermodel takes the cake?

Twitter Cara Delevingne (@caradelevingne) 1,340,000 followers Karlie Kloss (@karliekloss) – 332,000 Chanel Iman (@chaneliman) – 205,000 Joan Smalls (@joansmalls) – 184,000 Jourdan Dunn (@missjourdandunn) – 143,000 Instagram Cara Delevingne (@caradelevingne) – 3,790,000 followers Karlie Kloss (@karliekloss) – 694,000 Chanel Iman (@chaneliman) – 412,000 Jourdan Dunn (@officialjdunn) – 393,000 Joan Smalls (@joansmalls) – 273,000

Victoria Roskams

What’s On

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What’sOn

Editor: Josie Benge whatson@ epigram.org.uk

The best pick of this fortnight’s theatre, film, music and more.

Stage

Pretty Ugly A show about rating each other based on our looks, our obsessions, pretensions, and teenage girls. This event is part of the Full Circle season of work by Alumni of the Department Drama.

Wednesday 5th February, Wickham Theatre, 7:30pm Ten Thousand Million Love Stories A two person, multi character improvised longform

by Heather Urquhart and Jules Munns. A balance between realism and hilarious slapstick, this is a show about love, what it means and how we succeed and fail in it.

Friday 7th February, The Wardrobe Theatre,

West Side Story Joey McKneely’s vibrant stage production of the classic dance musical returns to the UK after international sell-out success. West Side Story, based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juleit is packed with amazing choreography and unforgettable music.

28th Jan – 8th Feb, The Hippodrome, 7.30pm

Extras

Screen

Dallas Buyers Club Matthew McConaughey stars in this incredible true story of a man who takes on the medical establishment after being given 30 days to live. Texan electrician and Rodeo cowboy Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) refuses to accept his death sentence. Investigating alternative treatments, he begins to smuggle unapproved anti-viral drugs from Mexico to help others as well as himself.

Cineworld Bristol preview, Friday 3rd FebFebruary

Sound

Just Jack 8th birthday The popular club night celebrates turning 8 years old with no less than 8 headline acts and array of bizarre entertainments.

Saturday 1st February, Motion

JFlickr: showbizsuperstar

Extras

Chinese New Year at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery To celebrate the Year of the Horse, Bristol museum and art gallery are hosting an variety of fabulous dance and music performances, providing an exciting insight into Chinese Culture.

Saturday 1st February, 11.15am

Artful Dodger and Low Steppa The most successful act to emerge from the UK garage scene, Artful Dodger have produced a string of classic hits, remixes & a platinum selling albums, whilst Low Steppa is one of the finest producers in house music.

Thursday, 30th January, Blue Mountain

East India Youth East India Youth is in fact just one man –a brilliant up and coming London producer offering an original mixture of techno, Pet Shop Boysesque synth-pop and electronica.

Tuesday 4th February, The Louisiana