BAGS, POCKETS AND A BROKEN HEART

Section Editor Nilab Siddiqi recalls how a lack of pockets led to disappointment at a concert.

It is the 5th of February, the night before my long-awaited Phoebe Bridgers concert, and I am pacing around my room, stressing out about what to wear. I plan to line up one or two hours before the doors to the venue open and it’s set to be a scorching day, so I have to wear something breathable, otherwise I run the risk of suffocating before I even make it to the mosh pit. Dress it is. There strolls in the issue of the pockets. Stupid fucking pockets. Wait. Let me not get ahead of myself.

Where was I? Ah, yes. I pick the outfit, sleep sweet and sound, lounge around the next day, pack my bag, and head out. I immediately encountered a few issues.

Issue 1: The line is fucking astronomical.

Issue 2: I have no pockets, so I was forced to bring a bag, so now I have a son-of-a-bitch tote bag sliding off my shoulder every minute, while I line up for hours in 30ºC temperature.

Issue 3 is where I really start to get peeved. After waiting for hours in an infernal line: alone, sweating and standing in uncomfortable platform Doc Martens (as was absolutely everyone else), I came across a bottleneck in the entrance, split into two different sections: express and non-express. I very quickly found out that, as I did not have an itty-bitty petite little clutch, and had taken a tote bag instead, I was being thrown into the non-express lane (after being yelled at by an attendant for bringing a bag so big).

Why is this annoying? Well, after hauling my ass over to the city and standing around for hours on end, I was now being punished by God and thrown into the back of the mosh all because my dress had no fucking pockets and I had to take a bag. Pockets. Pockets were the reason I was stuck in the back of the mosh, pushing one foot on top of the other to give me some more height and barely seeing Phoebe Bridgers. The lack of pockets on my stupid dress was the reason all my lining up had gone to waste.

What made it worse was that there was a guy in front of me in the non-express line who pointed and giggled at the woman in front of him for wearing a backpack to the concert. A man with plenty of pockets might I add (which he obviously did not use, as he was thrown into the non-express line as well), because apparently identifying as a man awards you with the rights to ample pockets on all your clothing.

While bags are a staple accessory for the masses now, regardless of gender, it’s important for us to remember that for women they’re usually the only option you have if you plan to carry anything other than your phone. Oftentimes the very rare pocket included on an item of women’s clothing won’t even have room for a phone, let alone anything else.

Although the issue of pockets may not seem very important in the grand scheme of things, and, well, it isn’t, it is still very important to consider. The lack of pockets on women’s clothing is no coincidence; it all stems down from the heinous gender conventions which have been restricting and burdening women for centuries now.

It all boils down to the idea that women dress for beauty, while men dress for utility, as posited by chelseagsummers[1]. This also explains why the pockets that are included on women’s clothing are borderline useless, or in many cases, simply an aesthetic façade, as men’s pockets are made to aid them, while women’s pockets are made for decoration. I can’t even begin to count the amount of clothing items I have with fake pockets, or pockets so small that nothing fits into them except my hand.

Logically, I know that there were multiple reasons that contributed to being stuck in the back of the mosh pit, but never in my life did I suspect that the lack of pockets on my dresses would be one of those reasons!

Frankly, after being snubbed at a Phoebe Bridgers concert, of all places, I’m tempted to pile together all the clothing I have with no pockets or shit pockets and light them up, but sadly I would then only be left with one pair of denim overalls. Maybe I should’ve worn those to the Phoebe Bridger’s concert?

So…pockets. Hate ‘em, or love ‘em, they serve a purpose. They also serve as a reminder of how far our society has to come in liberating women from the silly centuries-old gender norms holding us down till this day.

by Nilab Siddiqi

[1] chelseagsummers. “The Politics of Pockets.” Vox, 19 September 2016, https://www.vox.com/2016/9/19/12865560/politics-of-pockets-suffragettes-women

GENERATION OF GIRLS: FIVE RISING GIRL GROUPS CHANGING THE KPOP SCENE

Timothee Luong breaks down the rising stardom and talent of Kpop bands, sharing song recommendations and descriptions and spreading a wider appreciation for kpop artists and fans worldwide.

Until recently, Kpop (short for Korean pop music) was once thought of as three things: eccentric and bubblegum, a knock-off of Japanese pop music, and a hobby exclusive to teenage Asians. But since the rise of household names like BTS and Blackpink, the Hallyu wave has garnered millions of listeners worldwide from outside its traditional demographic, including in Australia.

However, while most people are aware of the top two powerhouses, there are other fresh names in the past two to three years who are making waves in the scene, with unique sounds that differentiate them from both Kpop colleagues and Western counterparts. From bubblegum to RnB, from HipHop to EDM, these girl groups serve a diversity of flavours and emotions to audiences, changing the face of Kpop one song at a time.

Note that this is not a ranking of any kind, and that the groups and their songs included on this list were chosen by the author as a personal recommendation.

NewJeans

The five-member girl group that came fresh out of the oven this August 2022 are slowly becoming the next icon for their generation. Their surprise debut EP New Jeans produced two hit songs “Attention” and “Hype Boy,” which are still keeping Korean music charts under a chokehold. If you’re a fan of RnB and HipHop with a minimal and nostalgic taste and cinematic music videos, NewJeans is the group for you!

• Company: ADOR Labels (under HYBE Corporations)

• Members: Hanni, Minji, Danielle, Haerin, Hyein

• A must-listen song from them: “Ditto” (2023)

Stayc

Having debuted at the same time as several girl groups from bigger companies, StayC has been able to maintain their popularity thanks to their bright and bubblegum sound that embraces an authentic girly and youthful image. Their music is just the perfect soup whenever you’re feeling down and need an extra cheerful song to lift up your mood. They also have some of the catchiest choreographies that you can easily move along!

• Company: High Up Entertainment

• Members: Sumin, Sieun, Isa, Seeun,

• Yoon, J

• A must-listen song from them: “ASAP” (2021)

Le Sserafim

These five ladies are on their way to become the femme fatale icons of their generation. While being under the same HYBE family as NewJeans, their discography is completely different and has a more mature and sensual tone. If I had to compare them to a Western artist, the closest person would probably be Olivia Rodrigo in her SOUR era, but with extra sexy and badass energy.

• Company: Source Music (under HYBE Corporations)

• Members: Sakura, Chaewon, Yunjin, Kazuha, Eunchae

• A must-listen song from them: “Blue Flames” (2022) aespa aespa’s debut was the experience that made the year 2020 a whole lot more tolerable. They have a unique futuristic artificial intelligence concept, with a highlydeveloped and invested storyworld. Their music is heavily influenced by EDM, trap and HipHop with plenty of singing raps. Also, they’ve inherited from predecessors of the same company an interesting style of mixing different genres into one piece of music, essentially creating “songs within a song.”

Company: SM Entertainment

Members: Karina, Winter, Giselle, Ningning

A must-listen song from them: “Illusion” (2022)

Variegated Variegated

NMIXX

A controversial choice to put on this list, as NMIXX’s music is definitely not public-friendly. It’s loud and chaotic, but also bright and fun. Their songs are also well-known for super high notes and backbreaking dances. I’d recommend checking out their B-sides Tank or COOL (Your rainbow) if you’re not a fan of noise music - these are more toned down than their main tracks, but still kill it with some crazy vocals!

• Company: JYP Entertainment

• Members: Lily, Haewon, Bae, Sullyoon, Jiwoo, Kyujin

• A must listen song from them: “Tank” (2021)

Honourable mention: Kwon Eunbi (soloist)

Okay, technically I’m breaking the rules here because one, this is an article about groups, and two, I promised to write about five only.

However, I can not stress enough how terribly lacking this article would be if it didn’t mention THE upcoming queen bee. Eunbi’s discography is an underrated gem filled with godly and seductive music that’ll make you want to break into dance (probably because it’s so influenced by House and UK Garage). She serves the anti drop the justice it deserves.

• Company: Woollim Entertainment (under SM Entertainment)

• A must-listen song from her: “Glitch” (2022)

by Timothee Luong

All images sourced are courtesy of each group’s respective companies. Ent. is short for Entertainment.

Logo credits:

• NewJeans: ADOR - HYBE Ent.

• LE SSERAFIM: Source Music Ent.HYBE Ent.

• StayC: High Up Ent.

• NMIXX: JYP Ent.

• aespa: SM Ent.

Image credits:

• NewJeans: ADOR - HYBE Ent.

• LE SSERAFIM: Source Music Ent. - HYBE Ent.

• StayC: High Up Ent.

• NMIXX: JYP Ent.

• aespa: SM Ent.

• Kwon Eunbi: Woollim Ent. - SM Ent.