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The reason why Remain lost
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Contents ✳ Christmas traditions ✳ ✳ ✳ ✳ ✳ ✳ ✳ ✳
Representation of Women in Hollywood
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For journo students
What’s it like to be a young woman in 2017?
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Why we need to start celebrating anti-heroines 4
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around the world................................. 2017 was about 2, 3 & 4 wheels...... The lure of Christmas.......................... Interview: Christopher Ritchie.......... The UK’s weird and wonderful events of 2017...................................... 5 cheap New year city breaks............ Are financial problems worsening student mental health?...................... 9 New Year’s resolutions you can actually stick to................................... Best albums of 2017 and one to watch out for 2018.............................. The new MG ZS: it’s like 3 cars in 1.. The media racket................................. The quarter-life crises: Life begins at 23...................................................... My favourite ‘spoons: The Cornfield Garage........................... Make do and trend.............................. Moving forward with fashion and the new year ........................................ Poledancing saved my life.................. The spoken word poets reviving the form for the modern world................. Vegan friendly and cruelty-free beauty products................................... Christmas gifts for beauty lovers...... Four Stories & A Dilemma: The tale of journalism in the modern age....... Transitioning to freelance journalism.......................... What’s it like studying journalism in London?............................................ The benefits of a vegan diet................
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Editor in Chief Leon Wingham Winter edition Editor Millie Finn
All images from www.pixabay. com unless otherwise stated.
Contributors Sophia Bi William Sancroft Dean Adams Amy Taylor Cameron Ridgway Lucy Skoulding Lauren Wise Elaine Mead Charlotte Bradford-Gibbs Jenny Edwards Fergal Harnett Michael Doherty Connor Gotto Millie Finn Chloe Sayers Aziza Makame Jasmine Butler Rita Cunha Shonagh Mulhern Zoe Little Leah Walker Lucy McLaughlin Alex Veeneman Ellen Manning Picture Editor Nick Banks Designer Christopher Wolsey Kettle Mag is published by Red Chilli Publishing Ltd 273-287 Regent Street London W1B 2HA www.redchillipublishing.com
Editor’s Letter Hello and welcome to Kettle’s latest edition of our printed magazine. As usual we have a veritable smorgasbord of literary delights for your reading pleasure and for the first time, a section dedicated those of you wishing to pursue a career in journalism. As I write this, there is snow coming down thick and fast, with no sign of abating. This is literally the best thing ever. Snow has the ability, even for the briefest of moments, of bringing out your inner 5 year old. It’s that feeling you get when you awake to an unnaturally still morning, open the curtains and gaze upon a natural display of thick, brilliant-white snow, that stirs memories of childhood in all of it’s excitable fuzziness. Sadly it doesn’t last long - about as long as the snow, in fact. Actually a bit less. The reality of snow in this country is that everything grinds to a halt and everyone moans about the fact that it has ground to a hault. In fact people are so busy moaning about grinding haultedness that they forget to stop what they are doing and look around. Look around at the way the snow has transformed familiar landmarks and scenery into something quite different - quite magical. They forget about their 5 year old self and the fun and excitement that snow used to bring. They forget about snowball fights, snowmen and whizzing down hills in their parent’s best frying pan (ahem!). We all need to take more time to embrace our inner child, for too often life can cause us untold amounts of hassle and stress. Adulting is hard and happiness can sometimes seems an unreachable distance away. So next time it snows - put down what you are doing, go outside and do something childish. Even if it’s only a few minutes, you’ll thank yourself for it. Enjoy the Winter LEON WINGHAM
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Kettle contributors People what did write in this here mag...
Millie Finn is 23, born and bred in Bimingham, and is a professional travel writer/editor for an online travel bulletin. She is an English Literature graduate and spirited writer with a love of all-things fashion, pop culture and travel. Millie is your frivolity editor and contributing writer for KettleMag. Alex Veeneman is one of the Managing Editors for Kettle. He oversees the Kettle Academy project and is a contributor to Kettle platforms. Outside of Kettle, he is an active member of the Society of Professional Journalists in the United States, serving on its Ethics Committee. He is based in Chicago. Jenny Edwards is the Film Editor at Kettle Mag, who also works as a social media manager, and freelance writer. She is an English and American Literature and Creative Writing graduate with a passion for all things film, writing, and photography. Lauren Johnston is a TV & Radio graduate from the University of Salford, during which she worked with companies including the BBC and the Radio Academy, and managed the course’s student radio station. She’s written the words to a musical and is looking for the Elton John to her Tim Rice. Cameron Ridgway is Media Editor at Kettle and Modern Languages student currently on a year abroad in the South of Chile. Interested in media and world news and drinks far too much coffee…
Rita Cunha is the Women’s Editor at Kettle Mag, and a Literature student in Lisbon. She works as a freelancer editing, proofreading, and translating from English to Portuguese. She has an interest in literature and journalism, and wants to work in these fields in the future. 6
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Lucy Skoulding, 22, works as a junior editor in London while studying her NCTJ with Press Association. She has also co-authored a trilogy of books called So Great a Man, the first of which will be published in 2018. She is a Warwick English graduate and your Kettle Mag Culture Editor. Chloe Sayers is 21, and has been Kettle’s Food & Drink editor for almost three years. She became an NCTJ qualified journalist at Brighton Journalist works, and lives in Eastbourne, East Sussex. She is passionate about food & wine, and always looks to try new recipes and restaurants. Leah Walker is the Books Editor at Kettle Mag and is also a final year English and Creative Writing student, who hopes to one day write her own novel. She’s a complete bookaholic, coffee addict and a serial Netflix binger. Charlotte Bradford-Gibbs is a 21-year-old living in Salford, Manchester, but is a Devon girl at heart. She is a final year English Literature student, and Student Life Editor here at Kettle Magazine. She likes to read and write, being particularly passionate about 20th century literature, culture, theatre, and film. Shonagh Mulhern is a full time law student and part time explorer. Her solo travels have helped accumulate various interesting and inspiring tales of human interaction, tribulation and triumph. With a passion for culture, humanitarian issues and travel, her content may vary but her style never does. Victoria Blake is a writer of several disciplines including Journalism and is World Editor at Kettle Magazine. She regularly contributes writing to the magazine and outside of Kettle is active in the Society of Professional Journalists in the United States.
Jasmine Butler is a second year Journalism student based in Devon. Currently as KETTLE magazines fashion editor, she oversees and writes articles for the top trends, style and advice circulating within the fashion world. She also blogs on the side, and loves a good shopping spree. www.KettleMag.co.uk
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Christmas traditions around the world By Sophia Bi
It’s the most wonderful time of the year where neighbours compete for the best Christmas decorations, hang their stockings above the fire, wrap countless presents and enjoy the festive season with their loved ones. Christmas all over the world is celebrated in December but have you ever wondered what traditions take place in other countries? Well let’s find out...
Italy
One of the most recognised ways to celebrate Christmas in Italy is the Nativity crib scene; using a crib to tell the Christmas story was made very popular by St. Francis of Assisi in 1223. A lot of Italian families have a Nativity crib in their homes which are put out on the 8th of December, but the baby Jesus isn’t put into the crib until the evening of 24th of December. One old Italian custom is that children go Carol singing and playing songs on shepherd’s pipes, 8
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wearing shepherds sandals and hats. On Christmas Eve, it’s common that no meat is eaten and instead a light seafood meal is enjoyed before Midnight Mass. The celebrations start eight days before Christmas Day with special ‘Novenas’ or a series of prayers and church services.
China
In China, only about 1% of people are Christians, so most only limited knowledge of Christmas itself. Because of this, it’s only often celebrated in major cities and Santa Claus is called ‘Shen Dan Lao Ren’, which means “Old Christmas Man”. Few have Christmas trees and if they do, it’s normally a plastic version that might be decorated with paper chains, paper flowers, and paper lanterns. A Chinese tradition, that is fast becoming popular on Christmas Eve, is giving www.KettleMag.co.uk
Brazil
In Brazil, Nativity scenes known as Presépio are very popular and they are set up in churches and homes throughout December. Christmas plays called ‘Os Pastores’ (The Shepherds) are also a big hit. Most people, particularly Catholics, will go to a Midnight Mass service or Missa do Galo (Mass of the Roster) which normally finishes about 1am. Afterwards, there is often impressive firework displays and in big towns and cities, there are big Christmas tree shaped displays of electric lights. ‘Secret Santa’, known as ‘amigo secreto’ (secret friend) is popular in Brazil at Christmas, too. It is traditional to give small gifts all through December using a pretend name (apelidos). On Christmas Day, people reveal who their amigo secreto was. The most popular Christmas song in Brazil is ‘Noite Feliz’ (Silent Night). Favourite Christmas foods in Brazil include pork, turkey, ham, salads and fresh and dried fruits. Everything is served with rice, cooked with raisins and a good spoon of “farofa” and most popular Christmas desserts include tropical fruits and ice cream.
Australia
In Australia, Christmas is at the beginning of the summer holidays as this is some time from mid-December to early February, so some people www.KettleMag.co.uk
might even be camping at Christmas! Australians hang wreaths on their front doors and sometimes go out Christmas carol singing on Christmas Eve, whilst neighbours sometimes have small competitions to see who has got the best light display. Australians also decorate their houses with bunches of ‘Christmas Bush’, a native Australian tree with small green leaves and cream coloured flowers. Most people have a cold Christmas dinner, or a barbecue with seafood such as prawns and lobsters along with the ‘traditional English’ food. Many towns, cities and schools also hold their own Carols by Candlelight services, with local bands and choirs sometimes helping to perform the Christmas Carols and songs. As it’s the middle of summer, the words of the carols about snow and the cold winter are sometimes changed to special Australian words!
USA
America has many different traditions and ways that people celebrate Christmas because of its multi-cultural nature. The traditional Christmas dinner usually features either roasted turkey with stuffing, ham or roast beef, potatoes, squash, roasted vegetables and cranberry sauce are served along with tonics and sherries. Some Americans use popcorn threaded on string to help decorate their Christmas tree. Many churches have special Christmas Carol services and events where the story of Christmas is told. People in America like to decorate the outside of their house with lights and sometimes even statues of Santa Claus, snowmen and reindeer. Cookies and glass of milk are often left out as a snack for Santa on Christmas Eve. KettleMag
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apples. Many shops sell apples wrapped in coloured paper. People do this on Christmas Eve because the night itself is called Ping’an Ye, meaning a peaceful or quiet evening, which has been translated from the carol, Silent Night. Some people go carol-singing, although not many people understand them or know about the Christmas Story. Jingle Bells is a popular in China!
The reasons why Remain lost William Sancroft Many dubbed the 27th of June 2016 as ‘our independence day’. It was a momentous day for the British people that voted to leave the EU and a very sad day for the other 48% who voted to remain.
UK in regards to the single market? What role did the media play? And most importantly, did the Russian government try and influence the British electorate through the use of social media?
Since last year, change has come thick The final question is one that is being and fast in the UK. Prime Minister worked on by journalists at the top of their game. They have David Cameron resigned threats and after saying he wouldn’t, The unknowing received ridicule in the public Theresa May took over at public didn’t sphere, mainly by those Number 10 and installed who were donors to the bumbling Boris as her stand a chance Leave campaign like Arron Foreign Secretary. It all of making Banks. seemed to be changing far quicker than anyone could an informed There is strong evidence have expected. decision that the right-wing, Tory backed media launched The referendum has meant so much to so many over the strong and competitive campaigns to past year and a half. Many feel they leave the EU. Editor of the Daily Mail have reclaimed their sovereignty from Paul Dacre, a well-known eurosceptic, the EU whereas many see it as, now, was joined by News Corp owner, and a much harder process to visit other frequenter to Number 10 via the back countries that are on the UK’s doorstep. gate, Rupert Murdoch. Between the two, they drummed up the masses who Many questions have arisen since the staunchly opposed any decision that vote however. Why didn’t as many resulted in the UK remaining within people vote? What will happen to the the EU. 10
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The Daily Mail, which supported David Cameron for years and subsequently ravished the Labour Party over two elections, threw ‘dodgy D a v e ’ Will I be able to get under the bus when a job in the field? it came Did I make the right to Brexit. With over choice in studying a million journalism? Will I be r e a d e r s able to do meaningful d a i l y , the Mail work? had one messageIf you believe in Britain, vote leave.
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inches with a brash antiEuropean agenda. The propaganda that was released by Britain’s biggest circulated paper ran headlines like ‘Independence Day’, ‘Up Yours Senors’, and ‘Draw A Red Line On Immigration Or Else’. These types of headlines shook and unearthed forgotten Britain. The section of the public who were scared of immigrants ‘flooding’ into Britain with their boats landing in swarms like those on D-Day, but this time just below the white cliffs. The fear employed by more than the media outlets mentioned above, but mainly by these two, has given a platform for prejudice, bigotry and a false sense of self-worth to take centre stage.
It was reported on Newsnight, at the start of the year, Dacre had been told by a close source that Cameron was trying to have him relieved from his position as editor. This started the wheels which would see Cameron lose a nailed-on referendum and therefore find his own position untenable.
Britain has seen more terror attacks on domestic soil than it had in the previous decade. Unfortunately, the notion that terrorism divides and segregates us into higher insecurity and fear is true. The attacks, even after the vote, have been used by the media and therefore ‘Brexiteers’ to re-establish its position, no matter the consequences.
The Mail were not alone as The Sun also filled their front pages, editorials and column
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Both the Daily Mail and The Sun ran stories filled with malicious lies which, it has been proven, swung the minds of those that were not sure which way they would end up voting come referendum day. It also reiterated points that stirred up emotional, and sometimes racial, hate amongst voters that were sure they wanted to leave.
reinvigorate our industries in the North. As if, as soon as Britain was officially no more in the EU, the PM would turn the keys, the engine would combust into life and the empire would finally strike back. All these points of view, which are believed to be independently curated, examined and justified, have actually come from the stories they read in their papers. Obviously, these papers do not reach the kind of audiences that social media does. The likes of Facebook and Twitter reach tens of millions of British citizens daily. They are very powerful marketing tools which advertisers paying through the nose to get a piece of.
carry the baton across the line to win the battle. The average person in the UK found themselves with an uphill task. Learning all possible about the EU and Britain’s position within it in such a short amount of time all while Rupert Murdoch, Paul Dacre and Cambridge Analytica stood above them as puppet masters pulling the strings. The unknowing public didn’t stand a chance of making an informed decision and, consequently, didn’t.
Many will not have heard of Cambridge Analytica - CA, as it is known. It combines data mining and data analysis with strategic information. What this means in layman’s terms is that this is a company that takes users data from websites like Facebook and ‘strategically’ analyses it to change the minds of voters. It has worked extensively with the Donald Trump Presidential campaign as well as the Vote Leave campaign. Although nothing has been proven yet, CA is under criminal investigation in both the UK and US for its part in the above election and referendum. The investigations will, hopefully, find out if the methods used and the party who hired them, deliberately broke election rules. Julian Assange confirmed in late October that CA had contacted Wikileaks and had requested the release of Hillary Clinton’s emails which some political commentators say, swung the election away from her. It seemed that when facts were blurred and lies were pushed to the front pages, there was still space for a data mining company to make an appearance and 12
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2017 was about two, three, and four wheels!
Image: freepik.com
Dean Adams on a fairly unusual year for the automotive world.
It’s not been the most eventful year, that’s for sure, with most of the talk centred around that of electric cars and futuristic concepts. But there has been a world record, the sad passing of a legend and the sale of an iconic car.
Formula 1 also got a bit more exciting after Sebastian Vettel caused chaos at the start of the Singapore Grand Prix, causing a bust-up with Max Verstappen whilst the Koenigsegg Agera RS broke its own 0-400-0kph speed record.
The year started with the sad death of the legend that is John Surtees, the only man to win World Championships on both two and four wheels.
And then there was Richard Hammond with yet another crash which almost took his life.
And on three wheels we had the sale of a 1968 Reliant Regal which featured in a 2001 episode of Only Fools and Horses, and proceeded to sell for almost double the asking price. 14
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John Surtees CBE 19342017 The death of John Surtees CBE was a sad and emotional moment earlier this year. John Surtees CBE was an English Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and www.KettleMag.co.uk
Koenigsegg Agera RS breaks 0-400km record The Koenigsegg Agera RS has broken the 0-400-0km/h record which, incidentally, broke just a month ago. The record run took just 33.29 seconds, nearly nine seconds faster than the mighty Bugatti Chiron, and four seconds quicker than its previous record set in early October (37.28 seconds). The Agera RS has a 5.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with 865kW (1160hp) of power and a massive 1280Nm of torque, while weighing just 1395 kilograms. But you will be lucky to own one as only 25 examples of this all-out hypercar will be manufactured.
Vettel’s opener in Singapore Sebastian Vettel was looking to leapfrog Lewis Hamilton in the world standings with victory in Singapore. Vettel started on pole and got away cleanly, but with his Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen getting past second-on-thegrid Max Verstappen, the Red Bull of Verstappen was squeezed out by the Ferraris and suffered damage to the front of his car. Raikkonen spun off the track and turned back into the opening corner only to wipe out Verstappen. Vettel was then to spin on the track, www.KettleMag.co.uk
seemingly on some oil as he tried to maintain his racing line. In the ensuing carnage, Lewis Hamilton managed to steer his Mercedes to the front having started from fifth and the safety car was deployed.
Iconic car makes a lovely jubbly sum of £41,625 A flurry of bids saw one mystery owner walk away with one of the most iconic cars of recent times. The 1968 Reliant Regal, which featured in a 2001 episode of Only Fools and Horses, was one of many they used throughout the 22 years it ran on the BBC. The motor features the iconic Trotters Independent Traders logo on its side and Del Boy’s favoured tiger-print interior. A spokesman for Silverstone Auctions said: “I think most people thought it would settle around the £15k mark so the amount it sold for was fantastic. You could say it was cushty! The vendor was delighted with the outcome.”
Richard Hammond nearly loses his life – again! The former Top Gear presenter, and now Grand Tour frontman, had another major accident earlier this year. On 10th of June, Hammond crashed a Rimac Concept One whilst filming for The Grand Tour in Hemberg, Switzerland. Hammond was on his last run up a timed hill climb course when, just after crossing the finish line, he lost control of the car rolling it several times before it came to rest on its roof. He managed to escape before it caught fire. He suffered a fractured knee, but was “conscious and talking” after the crash, according to a source from the show. KettleMag
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Formula 1 driver. He was a four-time 500cc motorcycle World Champion, winning the title in 1956, 1958, 1959 and 1960, and was also the Formula 1 World Champion in 1964 (remaining the only person to have won World Championships on both two and four wheels). John Surtees died of respiratory failure on 10 March 2017 at St George’s Hospital in London, at the age of 83.
Representation of women in Hollywood Amy Taylor
It’s fair to say that 2017 was an important year for gender equality. With numerous allegations of sexual assault arising in Hollywood, the Government’s ruling on women wearing heels in the workplace, and women’s marches for equal rights, this year has seen a major rise in talk of the term ‘feminism’.
Image: Defence Images, Flickr
Female empowerment hasn’t just been making its way into the news, but onto our screens too.
Dr Foster — A Woman Scorned It was the BBC drama that gripped the nation. A female doctor, passionate about her career, was cheated on by her husband who chose to love another woman, someone who had more time to devote to him. While many newspapers criticised the 16
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character, played by Suranne Jones, claiming that Dr. Gemma Foster was simply a woman seeking revenge, the show brought to light the true impact of adultery. Gemma was a woman trying to have it all, whilst her husband was desperate to dominate all of her time and attention. The Daily Mail published an article in September using the headline “PLATELL’S PEOPLE: Women bent on revenge against their ex-partners only hurt themselves”. The article, by Amanda Platell, explores the idea that Foster shouldn’t be hailed, but rather that revenge is a dish not to be served cold. The viewers of the show strongly disagreed and many took to Twitter to show their support for the heroine. Whilst you may take the position that Foster is deranged and should just move on — in reality, that isn’t going to happen. This is the beauty of the show — Jones shows the stages of a husband www.KettleMag.co.uk
The Handmaid’s Tale — A Dystopia Another show that was praised this year wasn’t strictly based on real life, but rather on a dystopian world scarily close to the one we are growing to live in. The Handmaid’s Tale brought Margaret Atwood’s 1985 best-selling novel to life.
During four feature-length episodes, we caught up with the girls who really proved women don’t need men. Rory and Lorelai rely heavily on each other, but never on males. If they taught us anything ten years ago, it was that you truly could do anything you wanted to; you just had to put your mind to it. Yes, the girls did end up in relationships and this did shape their characters, however they continued to work hard, independently, and arguably become key role models for young women everywhere.
Wonder Woman — Female Heroine
Set in the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian society which was formerly a city in the United States, Offred, Another woman who knows about played by Elisabeth Moss, being independent is is forced to become a Wonder Woman. This year In the film handmaid under new laws. saw the heroic and powerful This means she must serve her body isn’t Justice League member as a sex slave, working as a her own feature-length enhanced, she get surrogate for couples who film. This was an incredibly isn’t slimmed ground-breaking film due to want children but cannot have them themselves. down, her boobs the fact that never before had a female comic book aren’t perked character had her own focus The show explores female empowerment and we up, and her bum movie with a budget as large watch as women try as one hundred and fortyisn’t rounded nine million US dollars. to break free from this regime they are forced to off. She looks live under. Gal Gadot, who gives life to realistic. the heroine was about to Alexis Bledel, who brings end her acting career before Ofglen to life, is a key character when it she landed the role, instead deciding on comes to empowerment. As a member embodying the iconic character before of the underground resistance Mayday, saying goodbye to the big screen. In the she becomes close friends with Offred film her body isn’t enhanced, she isn’t to show her another way of living and slimmed down, her boobs aren’t perked that it is possible to help other women. up, and her bum isn’t rounded off. She looks realistic.
Gilmore Girls — After Ten Years
Alexis Bledel isn’t just a key figure of female power in The Handmaid’s Tale, but also in Gilmore Girls, a show that returned to Netflix after 10 years. www.KettleMag.co.uk
She plays the character with strength and dignity, something we can all admire, and helps showcase the powerful nature of females, something Hollywood desperately needs to be reminded of. KettleMag
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cheating on his wife, and how it can affect one’s mental state. For this reason, she has been praised for her honest potrayal, leaving the show with an overall positive reaction.
Hollywood’s Scandals
manage the former.
Earlier this year, allegations began to surface about world-renowned producer Harvey Weinstein. These allegations included that of sexual assault claims were made by many prominent figures including Lupita Nyong’o, Rose McGowan, and Cara Delevingne.
Through television, film, and heroic acts, the women of the media have helped thousands of others realise that it is okay. Everything is going to be okay. All of the programmes reflect a true reality, even those set in fictional worlds, of the power women can have when they band together.
The amazing thing about this story was the support these women, as well as others who admitted to having been victims of sexual assault in the past, received from prominent figures in the public eye. In a a statement to Variety magazine, Kate Winslet said “The fact that these women are starting to speak out about the gross misconduct of one of our most-important and well-regarded film producers, is incredibly brave and has been deeply shocking to hear”. Meryl Streep and Judi Dench classed the claims as “horrifying” and “inexcusable,” saying those who spoke out against him were “heroes.” Weinstein was just the tip of the iceberg. Once a few women came forward, more flooded after. Louis CK, Ed Westwick, Dustin Hoffman, and Kevin Spacey were just some of the names brought to light over allegations of assault, harassment, and rape. The #MeToo campaign has allowed numerous victims of these crimes to come forward and share their stories. These heroic acts gave confidence to women everywhere to speak out against what had happened to them. The hashtag went viral with thousands using it to share their past experiences and seek help. The media is a powerful world which can empower and evoke fear in the public. This year saw Hollywood 18
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BECOME A KETTLE CORRESPONDENT Kettle is looking to add university correspondents to it’s “Student Life” section.
If you fancy representing your university and reporting on from around your campus then please contact: info@kettlemag.co.uk www.KettleMag.co.uk
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The lure of Christmas advertising Cameron Ridgway For many, Christmas is a time for giving, caring and sharing. While this may be the case, it is also a heavily commercialised and ad driven. Revenue from both TV and online advertising is higher at Christmas than any other time of the year. According to The Guardian advertisers are planning to spend £1.2 billion on TV advertising alone this year, and a record £6 billion across all forms of advertising. Each year advertisers are finding new and innovative ways to get you to engage with their products – actively or otherwise. While eagerly awaiting the John Lewis Christmas advert each year has now become an annual tradition recently, the advent of social media has meant that advertising is now going much further to attract eager Christmas shoppers. Indeed, even the aforementioned television adverts now also fight for dominance and to elicit an emotional reaction on Facebook 20
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and Twitter. The often-critical nature of posts on both Twitter and Facebook, which has expanded as both networks grow in popularity, also drives viewers of these adverts to interact with the organisations that they are promoting. Christmas advertising is also a useful business – rather than just having just a seasonal effect, a good Christmas advert can bring both short and longterm gains in terms of increasing sales and profits. More popular adverts will endure for longer and have more of an impact on a given company’s success – as an example of this, John Lewis estimates that its sales have increased by around 35% since 2012 as a result of its Christmas adverts alone - which have set a now common trend followed by many companies in Christmas advertising of focusing on emotion and stories rather than putting a company’s branding front and centre. www.KettleMag.co.uk
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However, some factors are well beyond found online retailer Amazon’s to the control of advertisers. It has been be the strongest overall advert. It estimated that due to the change in scored highly in seven areas including buying habits across 2017, and in some persuasion – making it the most likely cases simply because of the changed to convert a viewer into a purchaser. national mood this year, that it will Despite their reputation and the high be much more difficult for retailers to expectations that now surround the get shoppers to splurge on so-called releases and first showings of their ‘big ticket’ upgrade items – such as adverts every year, John Lewis’ new electrical goods and gadgets. emotional ‘Moz the Monster’ was only Interestingly, the advertisements the 13th most persuasive of the adverts released by some retailers still centre judged, perhaps due to the fact that it around such goods, in spite of their was less festive in feeling than some of decreased popularity – companies the others. including Curry’s PC World and a supermarket have chosen to emphasise Among the other most persuasive this, whereas others have instead adverts were Argos’ “Ready for Take chosen to emphasise their range of Off” and Aldi’s “Kevin the Carrot”. The smaller items to fit in with 2017’s most enjoyable adverts for viewers were judged to be Aldi’s, followed changed buying habits. As by Marks and Spencer wages have fallen the price Despite its and Morrisons. Despite of consumer goods has increased by 3.3% this year clear emotional its clear emotional appeal, – representing the highest appeal, perhaps perhaps the weakness of John Lewis’ 2017 ad lies in year on year growth in the weakness the lack of information it prices since March 2012. of John Lewis’ contains, which along with Debenham’s 2017 advert Overall, however, the 2017 ad lies was judged to “generate amount of purchasing made in the lack of some enjoyment but little from High Street retailers such as those mentioned information it else”. above (traditionally contains... Given all this, making an the companies which advert both memorable invest most in Christmas advertising) has increased, according and effective at promoting the brand to the latest available figures from the it is showcasing is a difficult balance to Office for National Statistics. Even if we strike, especially given that this must may be spending less money, it would be done while remaining conscious of seem that adverts are still encouraging the changing needs of consumers. For us to spend time and money at retailers, Christmas adverts to truly connect with if perhaps on a smaller scale compared prospective buyers and purchasers, a delicate balancing act of incorporating to in previous years. all of these considerations must So, which has been the most successful be achieved. Intense criticism on of this year’s crop of ads? A study of social media and a lack of the now 17 of the most “talked about” festive traditionally expected benefits in sales adverts released for the 2017 festive may face those companies who do season by brand valuation agency not successfully engage with festive Kantar Millward Brown, which shoppers and TV watchers. judged them on 12 different areas including persuasion, entertainment, involvement, originality and likeability,
Interview: Christopher Ritchie Lucy Skoulding
By lucky coincidence, and a very supportive publisher, I had the chance to interview award-winning author Christopher Ritchie recently. Chris is the author of four adult fictions and a series of children’s books. His first novel, House of Pigs was a finalist in the 2013 Indiefab awards, and his second, The ordinary, won the award two years later. I decided that this was someone I would immediately get on with when his answer to my ‘tell me an interesting fact about yourself’ question is that he can spell ‘supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ in under five seconds. Chris was born and raised in Waltonon-Thames in Surrey, where he still resides today with his family. His mother was a teacher, his father a journalist. “I followed in dad’s footsteps” he explained, “and nowadays work as a freelance writer and editor.” Chris is married with two children, Maddy, 22
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10, and Henry, 8, who he describes to me as “awesome”. He tells me that his children’s series, Rebecca and George’s Detective Casebook, is largely based on Maddy and Henry and revolves around them travelling all over to solve crimes and mysteries. He speaks of his ambitions for the series, “I’m hoping the books will run into the dozens, so they will follow a realistic time scale as they grow older. Maybe in 15 years I’ll be writing them as adults.”
Dreams When asked what motivated Chris to start writing, he answered “dreams”. He was interested in writing as a child and, in middle school, he was pulled out of class to do a creative writing course in which 15 children had work printed in an anthology. But the idea for his first published novel came from a dream he had. “I woke up and thought, ‘Hey, www.KettleMag.co.uk
House of Pigs is frightening and disturbing, aiming to push the reader’s imagination beyond the limits of ‘normal’. It all starts when officer Joe Gullidge, also known as ‘Gully’, is sent on a routine police call which quickly turns into a sequence of terrifying events. Gully is forced into a search for the truth, and must grapple with the difference between reality and that of a parallel world. Chris describes his protagonist as “husk, a shell, and occupying someone else’s place in the world. But as he comes to understand who and what he is, he tries his best to push back and be a force for good.” The novel is very reminiscent of Stephen King’s The Shining, which Chris pinpoints as his favourite book. Chris’ unique way with words is something I have noticed throughout his books. He manages to stimulate your imagination so you feel like you are standing right next to the characters, but also feel absolutely terrified of the image he is painting. He names his parents as the source of his impressive vocabulary knowledge, as they are “both very good at English, sticklers for getting things right, and encouraging www.KettleMag.co.uk
me to look at things from different perspectives”. Chris is fascinated by the many different words we can use to say the same thing, and he mentions that the lyrical comedy of Monty Python, Spike Milligan, and Tommy Cooper, among others, was his inspiration.
An ordinary idea The ordinary, was Chris’s next novel, published in 2015. It is about “the spread of fear through a rampant global media, which manifests as an evil virus that makes the world sick”. Politically and socially, The ordinary conveys a number of key messages, including “concern about the increasing prevalence and acceptance of pornography, the global problem of sex trafficking, and mainly the way the media is deliberately dramatic and designed to frighten people”. News is shown as quite problematic in The ordinary. It suggests that there are “so many negative messages delivered to us in the theatre of ’24-hour news’, and it feeds our fear…the media is to blame for most of our problems in society”. Chris believes this to an extent. The other, perhaps more sinister, aspect of the novel is the debate of how well we really know our neighbours. Chris puts this into context, pointing out that everybody is a neighbour to someone, including criminals. “I find myself staring at buildings, wondering what goes on inside…who lives in them, what are they like, and what are they capable of? What secrets do they have? People’s personal demons lurk behind a thin curtain. Everyone’s on the verge of something.” Writing is not Chris’s only creative outlet. He is also a great lover of making KettleMag
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that’s not a bad idea for a book,’ then immediately started writing it and about two years later, in 2013, finally got it finished.” Chris’s published work all starts as “fragments of stories and imagery which I then piece together”, and now he can’t imagine writing one which he doesn’t dream up. Following the dream, he spends a lot of time thinking and planning to come up with the final, coherent plot. “For House of Pigs particularly, a lot of the extra stuff came from time spent in the New Forest; there’s a sort of magical thing at play down there, and something quite dark, that inspires me.”
music, and has made two soundtracks to accompany House of Pigs and The ordinary. The albums are 15 and 12 songs long respectively, and all the music is inspired by the books, aiming to enhance your experience of reading them. You can find the albums on the Bandcamp app. Chris’s musical history is rich. He can play the violin, the drums, the guitar, and has been in bands on and off since he was 15. About 15 years ago, he set up a studio with a friend and they made a lot of electronic music. Nowadays he makes it all using his iPad, “it’s incredible what you can do with one of those”.
The end of the world Returning to Chris’s more recent writing, I first ask him what is the most important thing that a book should do? “A book just has to hold the reader’s attention, be that through excitement or mystery or whatever makes the reader want to turn the page.” He adds that there has to be enough ‘story’ there which unfolds at the right pace to make you want to read until the end. “Characters have to develop along with the story, which means drip-feeding characterisation throughout, so that by the end you care enough about them to want to see what happens to them.” You certainly get this feeling with Stop the ‘Pocalypse’s protagonist, Marty. ‘Pocalypse was Chris’s third piece of adult fiction, and was originally published as a 5-part episodic story, starting in 2016, and later released as one book in July this year. The satire is set in a world which has all but destroyed itself due to political squabbling and growing racial, sexual, and religious tension. It is very clearly responding to occurrences on the world’s political stage in 2016-2017, but as Marty stumbles into his duty to save the world, it asks the timeless 24
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question: is humanity worth saving? Chris’s idea for the story came this time from a daydream. “I was on holiday in Cyprus last summer and the news was full of Donald Trump beginning his Presidential campaign in the US.” The feeling that people can really make a difference interested him. “I approached Brexit on the basis that if I voted, it would be my single vote that decided it… So ’Pocalypse reflects that: one man for good goes up against one man for evil. It goes a bit deeper than that too, because it also explores the idea that ‘nothing matters and everything matters’. We’re told the universe is infinite, and we are but tiny specks of dust floating in it for such relatively short periods, but what we do while we’re here does make a difference.” ‘Pocalypse confronts the intrinsic self-obsession which haunts society today, especially with the growth of social media. “There’s this giant ball of narcissistic chaos forming online. I’m convinced that when the apocalypse does come, people will be videoing it on their phones and it’ll be ‘trending’ on Twitter: #endoftheworld.” I asked Chris to what extent he believed ‘Pocalypse could become true and he responded with a hasty “all of it!” Chris emphasises that he doesn’t want to come across as a doomsayer but admits that “whichever way I look at it, the world is becoming sicker; physically and psychologically”. Issues like domestic poverty, racism, sexism, and other prejudices are growing, while the government continues acting as if it is not accountable to us. “There’s this pervading ‘life goes on’ attitude, where people just get on with it. Out of sight, out of mind. Meanwhile, there are homeless people freezing to death and www.KettleMag.co.uk
The future Chris’s fourth and most recent adult work is This is Where We Go When We Die, which, in Chris’s own words, is a “departure” for him from previous work. Starting in 1879, it follows a private detective called Norton Brand who lost his wife eight years previously, and then his detective partner a year later. Chris explained Norton is “hired by a housewife to see if her husband is being unfaithful, he witnesses a murder and is then drawn into a series of events that sees him becoming involved with an occult sect. It’s in the style of the old ‘Penny Dreadfuls’, a really dark gothic horror mystery with lots of twists and turns”. It is going to be published episodically, and part one is already available to buy as a Kindle exclusive, with the next one coming out in the new year. With this departure and movement into a different genre, Chris hopes to demonstrate his range as an author. “For an author to stand out, I think, he or she needs to create a diverse body of work… Although I’m not motivated by money and don’t feel any inclination to become famous, naturally I want people to read and enjoy my books.” When asked what other genres Chris would like to tackle he replied, “I’ve been considering writing what some label as ‘literary fiction’.” One specific idea he has is based on the romance between Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, with elements of Diana and Charles thrown in. It would be a “serious book that looks at the emotional and psychological side of entering into the royal family – www.KettleMag.co.uk
kitchen sink drama rather than satire”. Unfortunately, because this idea didn’t come to Chris in a dream, he said it may not happen. The future looks bright for Chris. He plans to “keep transferring [his] dreams to the page for as long as he can”. His Rebecca and George casebook series will continue, and as well as this he is currently working on a screenplay called Millionaires, which he intends to finish in the next year, as well his next full novel, which is called Nuclear Rock. His final comment, “best crack on then”, is an appropriate description of his life right now, with a lot of writing on the go. If you would like to buy any of Chris’s books, you can find them on GB Publishing’s website, www. gbpublishing.co.uk or on Amazon. They are all available as E books.
WIN win win... Kettle Mag is giving away some of Chris’s books. If you would like the chance to win a free copy of House of Pigs The ordinary Stop the ‘Pocalypse All you need to do is tweet KettleMag with the name of the book you fancy winning and tag Chris in your tweet (@theordinarypigs). The giveaway is open until Sunday 28 January, and winners will be selected at random and announced in the following week. KettleMag
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young kids stabbing each other on sink estates. The world needs a good kick up the arse.”
The UK’s weird and wonderful events of 2017 Lauren Wise
Every year the UK manages to outdo itself with another wacky event to top them all. From gravy wrestling to cheese-rolling, our wonderful country always has something new to bring to the table when it comes to cracking out the creativity and working on fresh, and sometimes plain bizarre, event ideas. And 2017 was no different. This year it was pram racing and black pudding throwing competitions that caught the eye in the north west while in the south, focus was on pig-racing and worm-charming. Here’s our countdown of the top wacky, weird and wonderful events that 26
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brought communities together across the UK this year:
10. World Bog Snorkelling Championships August saw bog snorkelers come from across the globe and gather in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales, to put their goggles to the test. Both spectators and competitors were in for a fun-filled weekend with other bog-related events taking place, including a bog triathlon and bog cycling – we can feel our thighs burn already! If you don’t mind the mud, the World Bog Snorkelling Championships could be one for you to check out next year. www.KettleMag.co.uk
For the dare-devils of the country, the annual World Nettle Eating Championship should be enough to get you excited. Taking place in Dorset, the competition sees a group of fearless competitors make their way through stinging nettles until the last person standing claims the crown. It might not be the tastiest competition around but for the champions, it’s certainly worth bragging about!
8. The South West Birdman Competition If you’re more of a highflyer, the South West Birdman Competition could be more up your street. Makeshift aviators fly their own contraptions off Devon’s Ilfracombe Pier to become a pilot for a brief few moments and put themselves in the running to become the Birdman of the South West. The competition is judged on who can fly the furthest in their costume, and is accompanied by a beer & cider festival along with numerous live bands to keep spectators’ spirits up.
7. Worm Charming www.KettleMag.co.uk
Think you’ve got a special connection with the animal world? You may want to enter yourself into next year’s Blackawton International Festival of Worm Charming. Taking place in April this year, the festival saw the local community raise funds to help create a night landing site in the village for the Air Ambulance. Entrants aim to collect as many worms as possible in a 15-minute window by either tapping or ‘twanging’ the ground using a pitchfork to entice worms to the surface. Luckily no worms are harmed during the festival!
6. World Black Pudding Throwing Competition Black pudding lovers look away, because the next wacky event on the list doesn’t treat your beloved food with great care. Instead, the aim is to fling it at a stack of Yorkshire puddings in an attempt to topple their tower. The World Black Pudding Competition takes place in Ramsbottom, Bury, and originates from the War of the Roses. Legend has it, troops at a battle in 1455 between the House of Lancaster and the House of York ran out of ammunition and ended up throwing food KettleMag
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Legend has it, troops at a battle in 1455 between the House of Lancaster and the House of York ran out of ammunition and ended up throwing food at each other instead
9. World Nettle Eating Championship
at each other instead – black puddings for those from Lancashire and Yorkshire puddings for those from Yorkshire. If you like a history lesson alongside your weird events, this one is for you!
5. Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling For more food flinging, look no further than the Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling. This annual event is well-known across the world, and for good reason. It’s held each Spring Bank Holiday and, until 2013, consisted of folk running down the hill after a 9lb round of double Gloucester cheese with the aim of catching the local delicacy. However, with a one second head start and reaching speeds of up to 70mph, it’s no wonder that the cheese was replaced with a foam replica for safety reasons. The first to reach the finish line then wins the round of cheese and of course, the prestigious title.
4. World Gravy Wrestling Championships Continuing with the theme of food, our next wacky UK event is Lancashire’s World Gravy Wrestling Championships. Each summer money is raised for charity with a wrestling competition with a twist. While some may opt for mud-wrestling, this community have decided that gravy wrestling is the next best thing, with points scored for costumes, fun moves and how much you can make the crowd laugh.
played between Bourton Rovers’ first and second XI, with spectators able to head along and cheer on the team of their choice.
2. Pram Racing This is an event that’s yet to happen, but we’re sure that it will be one to head down to. Windlesham’s annual Boxing Day pram race combines a pub crawl and a race with a twist – you have to push a pram too! Contestants work in teams of two and must stop off at each pub on the race route, collecting a token to prove they have had their pint. he winner is then the first team to cross the finish line with their pram and all their tokens – quite the Boxing Day spectacle!
1. World Pooh Sticks Championships Any fan of Winnie the Pooh will be more than aware of the game Pooh Sticks, and will have most likely spent a good chunk of their childhood running across a bridge to see who would be crowned winner. Well, if you’re not ready to let those memories lie, you can enter the World Pooh Sticks Championships to be crowned the World Championship. The event helps raise funds for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, so you don’t need to feel too guilty about acting out your childhood game!
3. River Football Another sport with an eccentric twist is Bourton-on-the-Water’s river football. While many sports have their own crossovers, there has never been one that pushes the boundaries quite like this. Rather than grass or astroturf, it’s water that’s the playing field of choice for this event. The game is 28
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5 Cheap New Year City Breaks Elaine Mead
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Looking to see in the New Year in style with an exciting break away somewhere but worried about the dent on your bank balance? The good news is that celebrating the New Year somewhere new doesn’t need to cost the earth. There are plenty of incredible European destinations you can snap up for a small fee, or how about trying a stay-cation and checking out a UK city you haven’t explored before? Below are our top recommendations for a cheap, but exciting way to spend the New Year:
Amsterdam
Whether you’re travelling with friends and looking for a big New Year party scene, fancying a romantic getaway for two or travelling solo, Amsterdam has something for every www.KettleMag.co.uk
holidaymaker. The Dutch are a gezellige (warm and friendly) bunch and it’s the perfect environment for New Year celebrations. With its easy-to-navigate city centre and pretty cobbled lanes, you’ll find impromptu street parties as crowds gather to watch the sky light up with traditional fireworks. Finish your night off in one of the city’s many clubs or late-night bars and you’ll be sure to make a night you won’t forget! Return Flights: You can pick up a return flight to the city with EasyJet for between £65-£200 (depending on where you’re travelling from). Accommodation: If you’re after the cheapest option then a hostel or dormitory will only set you back £20-£50 a night. Low cost hotels are available for around £80200 a night. KettleMag
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Barcelona
After a more culture oriented getaway? Look no further than the beautiful city of Barcelona. With a rich history of architecture, art and delicious food, it’s the perfect place to spend New Year (even without the heavily anticipated Nochevieja festivities!) Barcelona upped their New Year celebration game back in 2013 and now the official party takes place at the Montjuic’s Magic Fountain. With breathtaking views across the city, this is not to be missed! If you prefer a low-key scene, there are street parties a-plenty, and bars to suit every budget. Return flight: A return flight will cost you between £125-£240 (depending on where you’re flying from). Accommodation: Hostels start from £15 a night, with budget hotels starting from £70 a night. There are also some excellent Airbnb options, but get in quick (the dreamiest ones are usually snapped up well in advance)!
Edinburgh
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Event tickets can be bought online, or if you’re really sticking to a budget you’ll find many bars and street parties tucked away across the city with free entry and plenty of reasonably priced booze to help you celebrate without destroying your bank balance! Return Flight: You can pick up a return flight for as little as £60. There’s also the option of travelling by train depending on where you’re travelling from, but flights are generally cheaper (and much quicker!). Accommodation: Hostels are always your cheapest bet, with the better ones starting from £20 a night. Budget hotels are available across the city starting from £65 a night
Budapest
Referred to Szilveszter in Hungary (the last day of the year), if it’s somewhere a little more on the romantic side, Budapest is the city for you. With breathtaking views over the Danube river and an amazing midnight firework display, you can take your pick from anywhere in the city to enjoy the lights and excitement. With more upmarket offerings such as river cruises and gala dinners, you can splash what you save on travel on a more refined New Year experience. Or simply join in one of the many street www.KettleMag.co.uk
parties. Kazinsky Street in the Jewish Quarter is renowned for its nightlife scene, which often carries on until the small hours – New Year or not! Return Flights: Anywhere between £70 - £250 depending on where you’re flying from. Accommodation: As with Barcelona, keep an eye out for some great Airbnb finds. Keep it cheap with a hostel from £12 a night, or find yourself a cosy hotel from £60 a night in the city centre.
Manchester
If you really are after the cheapest of the cheap but still want to see the New Year in with a bang, then Manchester has your name on it. Pretty much known for being the party capital of the North, the city plays host to numerous events for locals and visitors alike to enjoy the New Year. From street parties to intimate bars, from warehouse raves to champagne dinners – there’s something to suit every taste and budget. You don’t need to leave merry old England for a memorable city break. As far as budgets go, Manchester has you covered. Getting there: Depending on where you’re travelling from, the train is your cheapest bet. Return fares from London start from as little as £22. Accommodation: Manchester is full of hotels and B&Bs to suit every budget, with real low-cost hotels in the city centre starting from £40-50 a night. Whatever your budget, there are plenty of great options out there for seeing in the New Year. Whether you decide to have a staycation or venture further afield, just remember – it’s not always about where you are, but who you’re spending it with. KettleMag
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might be the city for you. Severely underrated, it’s a majestic city from which to see in the New Year. Hogmanay is a big deal for the Scots. Spanning three days of events and festivities, there’s something for every age and taste. From street parties to concerts, from dance parties to impressive firework displaysthis is one of the world’s greatest New Year bashes.
Are financial problems worsening student mental health? Charlotte Bradford-Gibbs In June 2017 I produced a written piece for Kettle online, which discussed the services available at my university for students suffering with mental health issues. This came about following my own personal experiences earlier in the year, and the lack of professional help readily available to me. The aim of this piece is to delve further into the topic of student mental health, identifying possible causes and solutions to deteriorating mental well-being. Let me take this opportunity to present to you some statistics which I discovered back in June: one in four university students suffer from mental health problems. Of that, just over a quarter, 76% suffer from depression, and 74% from anxiety, with some people experiencing both at once. Of course, there are other mental health ailments presented to students too, including a range of eating disorders. My point is, a lot of students are suffering.
Image: freepik.com
What’s really to blame?
The above data is all according to the 2016 YouGov survey, which also states that university work is the primary source of stress among students at 71%, with during and post-grad job hunting, family, friends, and relationships all 34
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mixed in too. What I find strange here is that money worries and student debt are not explicitly listed as contributors toward this “stress”, and thus toward mental health struggles. Job searching was offered to the participants of this survey, yet actual problems with money was not an option. Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but it seems to me that YouGov are avoiding the pretty big debt-coloured elephant in the room here. From my experience, money is one of the most discussed topics within friendship groups at university, with spirits rising dramatically immediately around the infamous “loan drop”. So, do financial difficulties have a profound effect on the mental health of students in the UK? I decided to conduct research myself to get a glimpse at what troubles friends and acquaintances of mine (who are also students) are suffering with, and test whether last year’s survey can be assumed to be entirely accurate. As it turns out, over a quarter of the participants of my own survey listed financial difficulties as their number one source of stress. Numbers two and three were also money-related: having a job whilst studying and post-graduate www.KettleMag.co.uk
they have other children who still live at home to care for. But outgoings aren’t taken into account when applying for Student Finance. Their rent equates to more than they receive in their loan (which, realistically, most rent across the UK does), so they have to take a part-time job in order to make up for this. That takes time away from their studies, which in turn puts pressure on them academically.
The cyclical struggle
The Dead End
Currently, student debt seems to be This scenario is not uncommon among something that most people assume students, with many receiving loans is just a problem after university and that do not even cover rent, let alone although it definitely is, it must be food, medicine, travel, or any other considered how it affects the lives basic living necessities. And yet the UK of current students as well. Many government still see it fit to continuously universities offer financial help to their raise tuition fees. As if thousands of students, which is students each year don’t already YouGov are fantastic. But it is not have to make the life-changing an easy application avoiding the decision of whether or not to go process and students to university, solely dependent pretty big will only be offered this on financial issues. help should they meet debt-coloured the multiple (and quite elephant in the The choice to progress to specific) requirements. university should be based upon room This is a completely a keen appetite for learning, understandable and about passion for academia, and reasonable process for universities to thirst for knowledge. Yet it seems that it apply, as it enables the money set aside has become a case of whoever can afford for student financial help to be allocated it can go, and if you can’t then tough correctly. luck. A university education seems to edge further towards that of private However, consider this. A final year schools each year, and it isn’t right. university student suffers from fairly regular drops into depression for The pressure that monetary worries unknown reasons, which are only - both intra and post study – puts on deepened by money troubles. This students is abysmal: it completely student comes from your average-waged tarnishes the university experience, not family (£27,000 in 2017), with parents to mention can have a severely damaging still together. The student therefore effect on students’ mental well-being. A receives the minimum maintenance degree shouldn’t be available to people loan from Student Finance. Despite simply because they are wealthy, and this calculation for Student Finance, a human being’s mental health should their parents actually can’t afford to not be compromised just because they give them money all the time, because aren’t. www.KettleMag.co.uk
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job hunting respectively. Obviously, my survey was conducted on a much smaller scale than YouGov’s, with 27 participants, so I know that the results I collected cannot speak for everyone. However, neither can YouGov’s. The underlying point made here is that financial difficulties should be highlighted as one of the main causes of student mental health struggles in the UK, and this definitely needs addressing.
9 New Year’s resolutions you can actually stick to Jenny Edwards
New Year is almost here and so is the time for the “New Year, New Me” tweets and Facebook statuses. Supposedly around 80% of resolutions fail by the second week of February, so it seems as if we need to stop being idealistic and start creating some realistic resolutions to start in the New Year. When you’re a student, it’s not the first thing on your mind to make a New Year’s Resolution, however they can be fun and they CAN work – so here are a few resolutions that you can stick to next year.
Get Organised
Too cliché? Okay, so this resolution might be a boring, typical one, but hear me out. Students NEED to get organised in order to survive happily at University. The secret to success within this one is to plan just how you intend to be organised, for example, starting a bullet journal! Bullet journals are all the 36
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rage at the moment, just check them out on Instagram; you can make them as creative, or as simple as you want them to be. If you intend on getting a journal, try to make it fun for yourself so that you’re more likely to stick with it: buy pretty stationary, notepads, binders, and sticky notes.
Make Money
It’s no secret that students tend to overspend and are just generally poor all the time, but it doesn’t need to be that way. I got my way through University by freelance writing and being a virtual assistant; there are so many websites that you can find opportunities like this, and a lot of them are particularly looking for students! Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the best paying gig. So, if you’re not happy with that kind of thing and you have the spare time, try and get a parttime job in retail, or even babysitting. www.KettleMag.co.uk
different cultures makes you much I’m not saying that you have to go to more open minded and knowledgeable. bed at 9pm and wake up at the crack of dawn, but perhaps think about cutting Work Experience down on the 4am Netflix binges and Yes, another boring resolution, but are constant nights out. At assignment they supposed to be fun? Trust me, your time, it was common for people in my time at university will absolutely fly by, dorms to wake up late afternoon and and everything that you said you were go to bed early morning – ‘going to do’ will become very weird. But you know, as it’ll be too Studying and impossible if having an erratic sleep late. Your final year will working 24/7 undoubtedly be jam-packed cycle isn’t affecting your grades…go with it, I guess. so you probably won’t feel will take its like partaking in work toll on you experience- this is why it’s Get a Hobby Although you should be after a while... best to get this done in your first and second year. Work working, thinking of the experience is effort but future, socialising etc, you should always make time for a hobby it’s valuable, even if you despise your that both relaxes and stimulates you. placement, at least you know where you Whether it’s a sport, or something DO NOT want to work! creative, make sure you don’t give up the things you love!
Get the most out of University
If you aren’t already a part of any clubs, societies or teams, join some (even just one)! There are plenty to choose from at university, so there’s definitely something for everyone. As well as that, there are lectures, workshops and volunteering opportunities to get involved in, they may seem like effort at the time, but you’ll look back on the experiences positively once you leave. University is the best time to get involved in extra-curricular stuff, and it looks amazing on your CV.
Meet New People
One of the best parts about university is meeting people from around the world, so it’s a great opportunity to talk to people that you might not usually find yourself talking to in normal circumstances. Having friends from www.KettleMag.co.uk
Learn to Chill
This one is for all those hard workers out there (unfortunately, this was not me) who rarely take time out for themselves– relax! Yes, university is an educational place and you’re there to work, but it’s also one of the best experiences of your life and so you should slow down and enjoy it. Studying and working 24/7 will take its toll on you after a while, so enjoy the social side of university, and the freedom that you have whilst you’re there– not too much though.
Be Independent
This probably doesn’t apply to everyone, but I knew so many people (including myself) at university who didn’t know how to use a washing machine or tumble dryer (there were even people who never cooked for themselves). I was guilty of taking my washing home on the weekends… university is the best time to learn all of these things because so many people are in the same boat. KettleMag
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Sort Out Your Sleep Cycle
Best albums of 2017 and one to watch out for 2018 Fergal Harnett
Twenty Seventeen has been a horrorshow of a year but, amongst all of the madness, the year has still managed to offer up a vast array of music: from the overdue breakthrough of all female based bands such as The Big Moon and Goat Girl, to the emergence of Grime onto the forefront of the radio and festival circuit. So, lets take a look at the years best 5 albums whilst noting one important artist to look forward to in 2018. Stormzy: Gang Signs and Prayer Michael Omari, moniker ‘Stormzy’, released Gang Signs and Prayer in 2017 on his own #Merky records which deservedly shot to number 1 38
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in the charts. Gang Signs and Prayer is the inaugural offering of Stormzy, capitulating his initial underground success with freestyles on YouTube channels such as ‘Link Up TV’ and ‘SBTV’ to his star-studded status being nominated for a Brit award and winning a BET. Stormzy’s most popular singles, such as ‘Shut Up’ and ‘Big For Your Boots’ represent a more classic grime sound that he has crafted so well, whereas slower songs such as ‘Cigarettes And Cush’ and ‘Blinded By Your Grace’ show a slower and more diverse side to the artist who really has brought Grime from the underground shadows to the red carpet. www.KettleMag.co.uk
‘ B e a u t i f u l l y Unconventional’, with its twangy guitars and ethereal vocals, demonstrate Wolf Alice returning to their Pop-sensibilities whilst ‘Don’t Delete The Kisses’ hits cosmic heights with whirling melodies that makes the track feel as if it should be the fitting soundtrack to coming of age cult-classic. Between the bands incredible presence and Ellie Roswell’s observational lyricism, and her ability to scream vicious vocals in one breath and fragile whispers in the next, ‘Visions Of A Life’ has undoubtedly became a classic which may keep them busy as the popularity of this band www.KettleMag.co.uk
will keep them touring and selling out venues for a long time to come. Kendrick Lamar; Damn Kendrick Lamar’s Damn, winner of Album of the Year at the 2017 BET Hip-Hop Awards, follows on from widely praised To Pimp A Butterfly, represented a darker and ambitious album where presentation and conception were at the forefront. Kendrick’s sinister ramblings on Damn as well as the philosophically focused track headers reflect an introspective look on the artist’s upbringing, exploring topics such as his faith and family which makes the album both intriguing and personal. On both ‘Humble’ and ‘DNA’, Lamar’s message is over an upbeat, driven and layered track whereas on ‘Fear’, the most intimate moment of the album, Lamar reflects on his many anxieties and his relatable fear of losing his creative-drive; lets hope this is only a fear, as Lamar’s Damn indicates a lot more to come from the artist. KettleMag
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Wolf Alice; Visions Of A Life Wolf Alice built on their popular debut album My Love Is Cool by releasing Visions Of A Life this year which is as bold and brilliant as it is sonically endearing. The band’s first release from the album YUK FOO boasts a persistently powerful and punk aesthetic and certainly encapsulates the band at their raw best.
The Moonlandingz: Interplantery classics The Moonlandingz are an unholy mash-up of Saul Adamczewski and Lias Kaci Saoudi from the Fat White Family, backed by members of the Eccentroni Research Council and co-fronted by Rebecca Taylor of Slow Club (a mouthful I know). Initially, the project suggests an unlikely collaboration that should have been left unexplored, however the end result and iconic on-stage performances have left the album as a notable release of 2017. The semi-fictitious band managed to travel to the end of sanity and returned with interplanetary classics, a freeform psych/electro/ synth-driven album and pop craving album that was produced with Sean Lennon is certainly an interesting album for 2017. Sampha; Process Sampha has earned influential direction on artist’s albums such as Frank Ocean and Kanye West which lightly uncovers why the artist’s exposure of himself to the forefront of his art led to him being selected as the winner of this year’s 40
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Mercury Prize with his debut album, Process. Sampha’s somewhat sober yet stunning album shows depth from the scenic ‘Blood on Me’ to the ‘(No One Knows Me) Like The Piano’ where heeloquently searches his upbringing, backed by his own families piano. From start to finish, Process can be viewed a lyrical master class which makes the artist’s previous production seem merely preliminary to his self-focused release.
The One to Watch In 2018 Rex Orange County The English singersongwriter, known to family as Alex O’Connor, released LP Apricot Princess in 2017 which acts as a showcase for the artist; representing both his ability to make melodic popenthused songs as well as slow, jazzy numbers which earned him a collaboration on Tyler, The Creator’s ‘Flower Boy’. If you didn’t already need a reason to watch out for him, he’s just been named BBC Music Sound of 2018 after selling out his very first tour, being forced to switch to larger venues in order to sell more tickets to his shows. You heard it here first. www.KettleMag.co.uk
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UNITY
Ongoing Education, Recognition & Intervention in Mental Health
Every year, 1 in 4 people in the UK experience a mental disorder Almost a quarter of a million children and young people in th UK are receiving help from NHS Mental Health Services Up to 1.5 million people in the UK care for someone with mental ill health ...and millions more suffer who SIMPLY aren't diagnosed.
We need to stand up against this crisis
With your help we can make a difference Visit our website to find out more...
unity-mhs.org
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The new MG ZS: it’s like 3 cars in 1 Michael Docherty got to road test it at a special launch event held at Whittlebury Hotel and Spa in Towchester.
First launched at the London Motor Show earlier in 2017 and taking on a badge made famous by MG saloons of the past, the new ZS sits under the larger GS in the range (joining the already successful and nippy MG3). After driving the GS in 2016, it was clear to see MG was going for the market trends and listening to what 42
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customers wanted from their new cars. The company claims to have “taken on feedback from customers” when developing the ZS therefore have tuned it to meet UK road demands. Let’s see if it can really take on the Nissan Juke head-to-head. However, it’s safe to say the Dacia Duster and Ford Eco-Sport are the perfect rivals for the price. www.KettleMag.co.uk
Entry-level models, the Explore, starts from £12,495 and is cheaper than the Juke, by almost £3,000. We tested the top-of-the-range model, the Exclusive, which costs £17,495. MG has claimed the ZS will continue the brand’s plans for “affordable prices” and “customers will agree” the ZS is their “best car yet”. So, is it? With the ZS, there are two engines available. The first is a 1.5-litre, 105bhp engine from the MG3 and a General Motors co-developed 1.0-litre, which we tested here, with 109bhp. This is mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox: smooth and responsive. As well as the conventional engines, the ZS is expected to be launched with a plug-in hybrid powertrain during its life span. Emissions are a real problem with the ZS, as the larger engine is the most economical. The ZS has been tuned for UK roads and has three driving modes to choose from – Urban, Normal and Dynamic. MG claim it’s like having “three cars in one.” But unless you really want to try them all, the Normal mode will suit all driving tastes.
noise is apparent, but isn’t unbearable. Higher revs and the engine becomes a little coarse. MG are making big claims about the car’s interior quality and space, with an aim of doubling sales by “attracting new customers.” Load space inside of the MG is good, and is allegedly “classleading”. With 448 litres of boot space with the seats in place, it has a splitlevel boot, meaning the seats can be folded to maximise 1,375 litres of boot space. The interior from the drivers view isn’t all that bad either. There are some nice design touches in the cabin, but the steering wheel can become uncomfortable at times, as there’s no reach adjustment. Some of the interior quality is questionable, but it is a stepup from the MG6 and showcases the brands future. Some of the plastics are a bit rough around the edges and the faux carbon fibre doesn’t really look that great. The new ZS gives customers a new option to consider alongside the ‘run of the mill’ models which they seem to just add to their lists. And what’s even better is that it also features a seven-year/80,000 mile warranty: an industry-first that should keep Kia awake at night.
Handling is good, but it’s not the best. The MG ZS rides well and the body is under control at high speeds. Wind www.KettleMag.co.uk
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Looking at the ZS from the front, you’ll instantly see the new MG design language coming through with the new face. This will feature on all new MG models going forward. Carl Gotham, design director for SAIC Motor, has already shown off his new design language on the recently revealed MG6 in China and will feature on a facelifted version of the MG3 supermini.
The media racket
Connor Gotto
Following a year of fake news, how much can we look to the media for accurate and impartial reporting on world events, and how much of a responsibility do they have to do that?
Helen Newstead, Collins’ head of language content, suggested that repeated use of the term has contributed to “the undermining of society’s trust in news reporting”.
If there’s one thing we can be sure of in these strange, often disturbing, times, it’s this: 2017 has been the year of ‘fake news’. Described as “false, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting”, use of the term has risen by 365% in the past year. An increase unsurprisingly fuelled largely by world politics. ‘Fake news’ fast became a favourite expression of Donald Trump during his turbulent ascent to the presidency of the US, often in response to defamatory news reports. More recently, the term was named as ‘Word of the Year’ by Collins Dictionary– a testament to its enduring prominence throughout the last year.
In the UK, both the BBC and Channel 4 are publicly owned. ITV and Channel 5 are similarly obliged towards the public sector, as contracted within their license to broadcast.
Now, though, it seems that the term is being used against President Trump.
funded outlets often won’t broadcast anything against the government,
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Furthermore, private outlets are often sponsored by major corporations, many of which have governmental connections, or carry an agenda to which the news must cater. Often implicitly, outlets will cater their news accordingly so as not to lose their sponsorship– for, without it, they cease to exist. As a result, it can be difficult to source objective news reporting: government
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from those that he promised to promote when taking the position as editor. Subsequently, the magazine publicly condemned the tweets and distanced itself from Rivers completely. But, had those tweets not been uncovered, no one would ever have known, and Rivers would have carried on the job, earning a presumably weighty salary, and publishing material that would “best serve the magazine’s diverse and culturally inquisitive audience.”
Research from advertising specialist Teads found that, in 2015, 62% of adults did not know that advertising was the main source of revenue for around half of UK newspapers, editor of and 75% of online outlets. Furthermore, the Gay Times vast majority of adults Magazine, believed that free/low-cost newspapers were a pivotal Josh Rivers, part of society, yet of the 15% who had downloaded was suspended ad-blocking software, from the role, 12% favoured low cost as tirade of publications.
This is just one example of the problem at hand, and it only came to light because of Rivers’ irresponsible use of social media. So, the question remains, how many others say one thing to the world and another behind closed doors?
unfavourable It is an epidemic that’s out of our control, and not a new It’s a vicious cycle; the tweets was one at that. But, thanks to media relies on funding unearthed the internet and readily from external sources that available information, we often harbour ideologies that inhibit the broadcasting of do have the means to investigate just objective news, which is what we seek. where our news is coming from. Not Fortunately, nowadays, it is becoming only can we track down sources and increasingly easier to uncover the funding but through poorly curated sources of news reporting, and the social media accounts, and years worth agendas behind them– not only in terms of digital traces, we can often unveil the face behind the mask of those who run of outlet, but also individuals. the media. Recently, newly appointed editor of Gay Times Magazine, Josh Rivers, was And it’s often not a pretty one. suspended from the role, as tirade of unfavourable tweets was unearthed Let’s use it to our advantage. Let’s not after he had been in the position for less believe wholeheartedly in everything than a month. Upon his appointment, we hear. Let’s consider the other side. Rivers suggested that he had been Let’s make our own judgements, and promoted as a result of his “keen eye for cast away the prejudiced ideas of those detail, well-honed leadership skills and who want to make a few cheap bucks at the expense of truth. the ability to execute [his] vision.” The tweets, published between 2010 and 2015, harboured strong racist, ableist, It’s a racket– but let’s not fuel it ... misogynistic and anti-Semitic ideals; one can imagine as vastly different www.KettleMag.co.uk
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whereas privately owned/funded outlets will often report with a bias (either informed personally, or by their main source of investment). In addition, the majority of independent publications rely heavily on selling advertising space to fund their publications, but economic strains and ad-blocking software are making this increasingly difficult.
The quarter-life crises: Life begins at 23 Millie Finn
It all happened a couple of Wednesday’s ago when I came home from a sunny week in Portugal. A whole week where the hardest decision you make in a day is between a cocktail or cider is hard to recover from. Naturally, I spent the following week at the office attempting to keep the holiday bubble secure: no scrolling social media, no bad vibes and a merry Saturday spent at the last local festival of the year. But, sure enough, Sunday morning greeted me with a heavy cold that confirmed summer is over, and so is putting off any problems that don’t go well with beer garden daydrinks and spontaneous anything. Cue quarter-life crisis. I don’t care what the positive-minded 20-something’s preach; millennial life is a tough one to live in. The 46
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constant reminders to live in the moment actually has me doing the complete opposite, and how ironic that I read this advice online from the very smartphone I’m urged to spend less time on. Being a 90’s kid means knowing my parents were married with a house at the same age that I’m more familiar with an overdraft than I am a mortgage. It also means reading countless articles on how me and my generation care more about avocados and gin bars than we do our future (and I can assure you, I care for all the above, thank you very much). So, with all this combined, is it really a shock that I’ve just endured a mild quarterlife crisis in the realisation that I have no idea what the hell I’m doing unless I’m ordering falafel in the rain from a festival stall? www.KettleMag.co.uk
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a quarter-life crisis can’t be worse than the mid-life version when 40 years of your life have been spent winging it?
all, months on end spent planning my dissertation got me the degree I needed for the job I’m in now; dragging myself to the gym everyday meant I could do the charity run that helped me to raise my target for Alzheimer’s Society; and saving money every week gets me on the regular city breaks that put me right back in that holiday bubble I was talking about. Strictly living in the now could mean you miss that big break at work you needed because you didn’t stretch yourself that little bit more for six months. It could mean missing opportunities to push yourself, prove yourself and enjoy yourself.
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So, to those shaming millennials today for their quarter-life crises with the criticism of being too young to worry, then are you telling us to only really start living when we’re 40? That’s what they say isn’t it? Life begins at 40. But surely a quarter-life crisis can’t be worse than the mid-life version when 40 years of your life have been spent winging it? Sure, you’ve spent your weeknights on the sofa only thinking about the television show you’re watching, the food you’re eating and the person you’re sat next to, and that is truly living in the moment. But you’re only just realising now that you wished you’d dyed your hair candyfloss pink when it was still in good condition, that you’d have liked to volunteer at a dog’s home when you actually knew what spare time was like to have, and that jumping in a mosh-pit at your favourite band’s gig would’ve been better without your bad knee. I may have been in my holiday bubble in Portugal when Liam Gallagher’s tour tickets went on sale, but the alarm I’d set for first thing that morning meant that within minutes I had what I wanted (December’s version of me was to be a very happy one), and hours later I was laid on the beach drinking wine safe in the sandy knowledge that I was then living in the moment, thinking only of my next glass. Look far enough ahead to get what next month’s version of you might want, then go get it; living from day to day stops you from seeing what you might want tomorrow. So, why the hell should ‘life’ not start at 23? It’s better than starting at 40.
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I can’t deny that life up until 23 has been a whirlwind of rash decisions, and while this is the way to live in your teens (while you can still pick yourself back up again), it’s time to start realising things now. I knew nothing in primary school when I was crying over which friendship group got to sing S Club 7 in the talent show, I knew nothing in sixth form when I almost picked the entirely wrong course to study at university for three years and I might know nothing at work tomorrow when I prioritise wine and Netflix over sleep tonight. But living in the moment only works for certain things (I’m talking impulse buys in Aldi when popping in for bread has me walking out with an entire gingerbread house). After
My favourite ‘spoons: The Cornfield Garage Chloe Sayers
Who isn’t partial to a cheeky ‘Spoons? It suits all occasions - meeting up with friends and family, your mate’s birthday pre-drinks, or a decent, cheap breakfast. Craft beer and ale, cheap pitchers of cocktails and wine, and endless amounts of deals (you cannot beat a Thursday curry club night!); the list goes on and on and on. There are just fewer than 1,000 branches of Wetherspoons in the UK: an increasingly growing figure. It even introduced a smartphone app in which you can actually order your food and drink to your table. I’ve visited several Wetherspoons in the UK - all of the Brighton branches, several in London, Gatwick Airport, Chichester, Bognor Regis, Tunbridge Wells and even Cardiff. However, none of these have stood out to me like my local Wetherspoons in Eastbourne - The Cornfield Garage. 48
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The Cornfield Garage was renovated in January 2015- it was previously incredibly cramped and impossible to get seated, and just generally chaotic. The garden was average- nothing special and once again, not always possible to get seated. However, after only being closed for a few days (although the garden had been closed for at least a couple of months for landscaping), they managed to transform it into this amazing and spacious bar, pretty much doubling its capacity. The garden now has a proper smoking area shelter which is well lit with fairy lights and lamps, so smokers don’t have to stand outside getting drenched during the miserable months. When it isn’t raining, there is extended seating, a comfortable gazebo, an electric fireplace (although misleading as it doesn’t give off any heat!) and two separate areas for smoking and non-smoking. www.KettleMag.co.uk
Even though I come here on at least a fortnightly basis, I decided to do a review of one of my visits. After a stressful morning of having an appointment at the bank, I headed to The Cornfield Garage before I went on to complete my shopping. Arriving at around 11.40am on a rainy, miserable Saturday in November, I was surprised at how busy it was. I managed to get a table in the dining area, and surprisingly it even had the correct amount of menus, a bit of a luxury for any Wetherspoons! (I recently visited the Bright Helm, Brighton, and not even the staff had a single food menu!). The Christmas menu had just come out, so I opted for a halloumi and cranberry panini accompanied by chips and a large glass of rosé. The other Christmas meals included a chicken, stuffing and cranberry panini, a brie and cranberry burger, a chicken and stuffing burger, stuffed turkey and winter vegetables or a creamy mushroom risotto. The cost of the meal? £6.09! You really cannot knock their prices, and it was hardly a surprise that it’s always so busy. In most places, you cannot get a glass of wine alone for that price. www.KettleMag.co.uk
Anyway, even though the bar was fairly busy, they had four (incredibly efficient) staff working, so the queue quickly dwindled. When it came out, it was presented rather averagely. The chips were absolutely gorgeous- light and fluffy in the middle, and a deliciously crispy batter on the outside. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the combination of cranberry with halloumi in Panini, although once I tried it, I’m glad that I did. The cranberry sauce, although very sweet, went well with the saltiness of the halloumi. The texture was lovely; the rubbery feel of the halloumi with the soft bread complimented the crispy chips perfectly. My one complaint is that the Panini could have been warmer, although the waiting staff were absolutely rushed off their feet, so it’s likely my meal may have been waiting for a few minutes before I received it. On the whole, I left as a very satisfied customer. I visited again once I had finished shopping for another glass of rosé (or two!). I wanted to order online, however the ordering app was unavailable on my phone. This was my fault though, as I hadn’t updated it for a while. I was a little disappointed that they didn’t have the mulled cider which was my absolute favourite drink this time last year. I went for one of my favourites- the Hardy’s Private Bin 2016 rosé. It was refreshing and quite sweet, with notes of strawberries. At a reasonable 11.5%, I felt fine to walk home in the cold and rain afterwards- although a little mellow! In my opinion, this is the best Wetherspoons to exist and a must visit if you ever happen to visit Sussex. I also recommend the West Quay in Brighton if you ever happen to be there, although it is a little out the way unless you are driving. KettleMag
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The extended area for diners only, has a real fireplace, making it feel homely and you often feel like having a nice nap having consumed several glasses of prosecco. It re-opened just in time for the night out I had to celebrate my 19th birthday, hugely convenient as on my actual birthday we had a “quiet one” in Eastbourne’s other Wetherspoons: The London and County, which is in need of a refurbishment, in my opinion. They are both located in the middle of the town centre and receive a lot of passing trade for shoppers in need of refreshment, elderly people having a catch up and youngsters meeting there before they hit the bars and clubs.
Make do and trend Aziza Makame
Image: freepik.com
So, its December and funds are low. Money starts to disappear on allthings-Christmas. But, did you know that inside your wardrobe are hidden gems that just need a little sprucing up? Here’s how to turn last season’s items into this season’s trends!
That Old Blazer
That old blazer sitting in your wardrobe, the one you hardly wear because it’s too plain. All it needs is a little sparkle in the form of brooches, badges or some cool iron-on patches. Designers such as Dolce and Gabbana are adorning work 50
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wear with embroidery and trinkets to make tailoring more exciting.
Rip ‘em up buttercup! Ripped jeans are a huge hit this year with most costing you £20. But by upcycling a pair of old jeans, it can cost you nothing. Best thing to to do is rip ‘em up! There are several tutorials on YouTube (warning, may include razors), or you could go crazy with a pair of scissors and see where your creativity takes you. www.KettleMag.co.uk
Summer dresses take up all that extra hanging space you could be using for cosy knitwear. Here’s a thought, why not wear a jumper under the dress? Layering up is a great way to keep warm and on trend. Shift dresses with jumpers and some boots are a season look that every blogger and fashionista loves.
Shoes blues Don’t get rid of those courts just yet. Most shoes can be re-heeled/ soled, extending their life. A popular choice for updating old shoes this season, whether it’s trainers or dressy shoes, are shoe embellishments. Just add to laces or the front of shoes to give them some glam.
Hey, stud! This upcycling method can be used on literally anything, an old leather jacket or a pair of jeans. All you need is a studding kit. If you don’t like studs, a cute alternative is embellishing using Swarovski crystals and a glue gun. You can reproduce this season’s www.KettleMag.co.uk
embellishing fashion at home.
Makeup shake up. It’s not just clothes that can be given new life, makeup can too. Cracked powder? How about adding it to your favourite face cream to make a tinted moisturiser or a creamy blush? Lipsticks that have neared the end can be added to some Vaseline, Shea butter or coconut oil to keep your lips chap free but also fabulous. Keep any old makeup containers, pumps or spray bottles to re-use and refill this can save some money on cosmetics over the festive period.
Mama’s got a brand new bag. Bags aren’t as easy to transform, but it can be done. Old scarves or foulards can be tied around an old handle to hide any wear or tear to give it that Hermes impression. A great idea for side bags with a strap that’s been worn through, is to just swap it with a strap from another bag. Mismatched straps are quirky and ontrend this season – and gives your favourite side bag a makeover - Maison Valentino style. KettleMag
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Two becoming one, layering like the pros.
Moving forward with fashion and the new year Jasmine Butler
Every year, tonnes of people decide on their New Year’s resolutions. Do they stick to them? Well, that’s up to you to decide! However, every time it comes around, I am one of those people as I try to budget more when buying clothes. But of course, with all the sales to look forward to, it’s not exactly hard to find an excuse to spend my Christmas money.
Image: Twitter
And there I find myself in the same position as the previous year…skint. This new year I have come up with a slightly different resolution, to help myself and anyone else with the same problem. Rather than cut out my high spending at the shops, I will simply set myself small goals to create the perfect 52
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wardrobe. So here are my personal thoughts on great resolutions to get you ready for strutting straight into the new year: First things first: detox your wardrobe. I mean, personally I have what feels like six million pairs of jeans that I never ever wear. I have other garments that I’ve always kept but never wear either. I start by taking these to a charity shop, or selling them on Depop or even Facebook. Even though I find no use for them, someone else might and besides, it’s great to know that they are being put to use. With all this extra space in my drawers, I can focus on the pairs I love and fill the void with something I know I will wear. www.KettleMag.co.uk
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them often, and not shy away from choosing it for your day to day wear. Dhani Mau, editorial director for FASHIONISTA magazine, agrees with this all the way and states that one of their new year’s resolutions has been to ‘’focus on more of the small details... looking more at the fit and fabric of the things I do buy, investing in more subtle, pretty jewellery that I can wear Next, organise your wardrobe. Now every day … and only purchasing ‘that that you have hopefully cleared out the spark joy’.’’ stuff you don’t use, you can utilise the space and make it neat. Try organising Not only are we sorting our fashion it differently than before, either by resolutions for the new year, but a colour co-ordinating, creating outfits lot of what we go to buy will influence for the week, or putting it in order of us. Retailers, particularly big named garments. This may make you more brands, will have an overhaul and begin selling what they believe likely to see everything you ocus on more will be the next new trend. have to offer and wear more of the small Of course, by this point, often. details.. looking brands and companies already released With a clean and fresh more at the fit have their version of the spring/ wardrobe, you can move and fabric.. summer 2018 wardrobe. on to the thing we all love… shopping. This time however, invest right. Rather than Be experimental with your new year buying odds and ends, try and buy set fashion, like these designer brands, and outfits or things you really need. A develop your style. great way to do this is by purchasing staple items and basic clothes. Staple Don’t be afraid to be yourself and necklace, shoes or a coat can transform love your own fashion. Hopefully with outfits from day to night, for example. these new year’s resolutions for your Basic clothes in natural colours can be style, you too can have a perfect and interchangeable and creates more than satisfying wardrobe! one outfit! If you’re ever short for some inspiration On the other hand, you can also start in 2018, take note of these Fashion to experiment with colour. Buy staple Week dates for your diary. Stay tuned items that pop with colour to give and spot the different trends that are outfits a wow factor. Personally I have about to take off! always played it safe with black and grey but, for 2018, I aim to wear more New York: February 8th-16th 2018 colour. To break yourself into this habit, London: February 16th-20th 2018 start with a bag, shoes or a scarf to add Milan: February 21st-27th 2018 to your wardrobe. This way you know Paris: February 27th- March 6th 2018 you can stretch the confidence to wear If you’re stuck doing this, be harsh on yourself. Someone once told me a great trick: start with all your hangers turned the other way in your wardrobe (hung backwards rather than the usual way) and once you wear the item on the hanger, turn it the other way. By the end of the week, month or even year, you will see what you have never worn. Next step: recycle it.
What it’s like to be a young woman in 2017 By Rita Cunha Whilst researching for this feature, I wanted to know more about what women thought about a controversial and highly talked-about topic: feminism. After a tumultuous year filled with sexual assault allegations against prominent figures, human rights violations against women in third-world countries, and threats in change of legislations concerning female sexual health, I thought this feature was warrented.
Being a Woman in 2017 Would you consider yourself as being feminine? What makes someone feminine and does it have an impact on how much of a woman they are? Millie Finn: I think being feminine is all about the traditional traits of women, such as being ladylike and ‘girly’ so to speak, enjoying wearing make-up, jewellery, and skirts. If that is what feminine is then I do consider myself to be feminine, but any women that aren’t interested in that side of things do not constitute as being any less of a woman! It’s personal preference, regardless of gender, in my eyes. Shonagh Mulhern: Physically I would consider myself to be quite traditionally feminine. I have midlong hair and wear considerably girly, gender dominant clothing and colours most of the time. However, in regards 54
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to my lifestyle, personality and future goals, some may deem me less feminine as a result. I am extremely independent and do not fit —nor wish to fit— the stereotype of what a woman should be (mum, maternal, homemaker). I have absolutely no desire to have children. I’m not a naturally maternal person; if anything, children scare me. I’m also not ashamed that I value my own passion and career in life above creating a life just for the sake of it, knowing I wouldn’t have the time to look after children without sacrificing my own goals. Phil Hill: On occasion, but generally no. I don’t think there’s a clear-cut answer to that. For me, personally, it’s about how I feel. For example, wearing my hair down makes me feel more feminine even if my entire outfit is made up of “men’s” clothes — this might not make me appear feminine to passers-by, but again, it’s how I feel. What is your favourite thing about being a woman? Millie: It seems more socially acceptable for women to express themselves through their image— I enjoy the freedom in this sense of being able to express myself through wearing bright clothes and feel like a different person if I want to, even if it just means doing my hair and makeup differently! Although, with this comes the sad www.KettleMag.co.uk
Shonagh: My favourite thing about being a woman is how far we have come and developed throughout the years — gaining our right to vote, breaking the borders and the old-school stereotype of what it is to be a woman. Phil: Society doesn’t tell me to “man up” if I cry.
fields (films, books, tv shows, music)? Millie: I think there are enough typical examples where women are the damsel in distress in films, books and TV shows. It would be so much nicer to see producers throwing something different at us and challenging the stereotype we’re so bored of. How about a man in trouble, having lost his job, and needing the help of a powerful woman? I’m sure it would be refreshing and more realistic for everyone to watch or read (and not just for the women!)
What is your least Shonagh: I think women favourite thing about ...everyone are typically viewed in one being a woman? needs to be of two ways in books and Millie: I loathe the reminded film. As either a sexual stereotype that women are lumped with before you’ve that being a object of desire, or a helpless even spoken or gotten to feminist is just victim. I’m glad in recent years franchises such as know somebody. From believing in The Hunger Games have assumptions that what you wear reflects your equal rights championed intellectually personality or intentions, to and wanting and physically strong, selfreliant women such as smaller things that women nag and moan about all day to stand up for Katniss Everdeen. them! long. Women have to spend Phil: I definitely think a large portion of their time proving this wrong when they never women allow themselves to be portrayed as sex objects in music asked for it in the first place! videos. As for film and TV — it varies, Shonagh: My least favourite things but a lot of the time I think they’re are periods and hormones generally. portrayed as “sexy” and ditzy, or the Also, feeling unsafe in general because cliché “nagging wife”. I don’t think of the rape culture, vulnerability, and either does us, women, any favours. receiving copious amounts of sexual Do you think that gender roles that harassment at work in my bar job. hinder women’s potential in Western Phil: Having society insist that I WILL societies still exist? If so, which ones want children —despite me saying I and how do they affect you/women in general? don’t— just because I’m a woman. Millie: The stereotype that women are How Society Views Women sexual objects— I never feel comfortable walking alone down the street, even in What do you think about the way daylight, and am consistently catcalled. women are portrayed in cultural It makes me feel unsafe and devalued. www.KettleMag.co.uk
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truth that if men wanted to express themselves through their image, it’s socially frowned upon.
Shonagh: Yes, as I earlier stated I have felt unsafe and demeaned whilst working in pub environments. Frequently punters have overstepped the mark and made me feel uncomfortable. I once had a man put a five-pound note down my top/bra, because I wouldn’t accept his tip. I had to go off shift and cry because I felt so violated.
just because I’m a woman and deemed weak is another.
The Future for Women
Would you consider yourself a feminist? Millie: I believe in women having equal rights to men and I think that absolutely constitutes someone as a feminist! Although I do think there Phil: Yes, although I don’t think it’s as is a stigma attached to the word bad as it used to be and I think gender ‘feminist’ that has developed over the stereotypes are a bigger problem. past few years. Women are standing Again, people don’t seem to up for their right to have respect my opinion to not I wish there control over their bodies, want to get married and pay, and a variety of would be less equal have children. other topics in a very vocal pressure for way that has attracted Have you ever felt more and more attention. women to discriminated against While a lot of us see this as marry and because you’re female? a good thing, it can lump Millie: I regularly feel have children feminists with a negative discriminated against and less strain image of rioting and uproar. because of the gender pay I think everyone needs to put on men gap that still exists! Men be reminded that being a on my level of experience to financially feminist is just believing in in my workplace sit on a equal rights and wanting to fund the higher salary than me, stand up for them! A man lifestyle of solely because of their can be a feminist too. their entire gender and I always feel family. looked down upon because Shonagh: Yes. I believe of this. It will always be a in championing and problem until our salaries are balanced campaigning for equality for both out with men’s! women and men. Shonagh: I think the gender pay gap that exists still is one of the most ridiculous realities of the modern age. Phil: There’s a guy I work with who will literally take heavy things out of my hands and start carrying them for me without asking. I know his heart is in the right place and he’s just trying to be helpful, but I find it incredibly frustrating. It’s one thing to offer, but to insist or physically take them off me 56
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Phil: I don’t go around labelling myself as one, but I guess I am in that I want equality for all. What puts me off using that label is that I volunteer with CALM; a male suicide prevention charity. Often I’m learning about the pressures men face and the way they are treated unfairly in society. Plus, personally, I also witness more sexism towards men than women in my day-to-day life. It seems a lot of feminists —although I appreciate not all— seem to think men www.KettleMag.co.uk
Do you think feminism still has a purpose in 2018? Millie: It absolutely does and it always will. I feel like we are getting closer to succeeding in getting what we want and deserve. Our voices are finally being listened to and if we stop now, then we are not doing ourselves, our mothers, our grandmothers, our sisters, our aunties, our cousins, and our friends justice! I truly believe a year from now things will look and feel a lot different.
fund the lifestyle of their entire family. I wish it would be acceptable to be as you are, not as what you should be. Phil: That sex and gender are two different things and it’s OK if they don’t align. That there are more than two genders so it’s OK if they don’t identify as “little boy or girl”. That gender isn’t even that important.
Shonagh: Absolutely. There’s no doubt that we have come so far but still, we have a long way to go. Phil: How can it not! It will have a place until there is equality for all. What is something you wish was taught to every little girl and boy? Millie: Equality is not something I remember being taught a lot at school. It isn’t that I was taught the opposite, but it wasn’t mentioned enough. Too much time is spent focussing on topics we will never go on to use when we should have more social and topical information filling our brains! Even trivial things like only girls being taught sewing at school— this leaves an impact on us at a young age! Shonagh: I wish gender typical notions weren’t forced upon children in general. Men are strong, women are weak. Girls wear pink, boys wear blue. I wish there would be less pressure for women to marry and have children and less strain put on men to financially www.KettleMag.co.uk
Millie Finn: 23 years-old, grew up in Birmingham, Editor & Feature/News Writer for a Cruise Bulletin Shonagh Mulhern: 23 yearsold, grew up in Ireland, fulltime Law student and parttime bar tender. Phil Hill: 25 years-old, grew up in Buckinghamshire, host in a restaurant and a volunteer at CALM. KettleMag
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have it better, but I know first-hand this isn’t always the case. Based on this, my interests lie more in getting men equality. Don’t be fooled, though — if I see unfair behaviour against women I will definitely call it out.
*Warning: This article may contain content some readers find triggering. Pictured above is my friend Marianne and this is her story. I met Marianne some years ago through a summer job and we instantly clicked. She had a natural warmth about her: always smiling, happy and cracking jokes. To date, one of the loveliest, funniest and most genuine girls I have had the pleasure of knowing. But as life moved on, so did we. As the summer ended, so did our contracts and as a result, I moved to England in pursuit of work. Shortly after, Marianne announced the pregnancy of her now, beautiful daughter Sarah. We stayed in touch as most 90’s kids now do, via social media. Every now and again I would check in with her, and vice versa. Months passed, a year in fact, when I came across something I will never, ever forget. As I scrolled my Facebook timeline I saw a post Marianne had shared to her Facebook page. It detailed her story which I will now, with her permission, share with you.
Poledancing saved my life
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Although her labour resulted in a beautiful baby girl, the experience itself was anything but. Unlike the celebratory and joyous occasion it is often painted to be, Marianne’s labour was extraordinary for all the wrong reasons. Complications during labour meant an emergency C-section was necessary in order to deliver baby Sarah safely; little did anyone know how unsafe this would be for Marianne. Due to the excessive amount of blood lost in surgery, Marianne had to receive an emergency blood transfusion. In spite of a traumatic total of 24 hours in labour, her pain was far from over. Baby Sarah was born with an infection www.KettleMag.co.uk
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and due to this, was rushed to the When people are suffering with Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit. depression or mental illnesses, we For three days Marianne was unable are often told not to give them empty to hold, bathe or change the nappy of advice but what if someone gave you her daughter. Marianne recalls how active advice? this reality made her feel like a bad person and an unfit mother. “I felt like If I told you that swinging around a pole a failure. I couldn’t give birth myself would lessen your stresses, would you which is a natural thing to do. I wasn’t turn your nose up or would you turn up capable of doing it. I needed all this and try it? help, it was a terrible experience.” She also describes how these feelings were There is no denying that this activity accompanied by irrational behaviour is certainly an alternative method of and mannerisms. She tells KettleMag therapy, but a triumphant therapy how she was very possessive of Sarah none the less. In the case of Marianne, and would not allow anyone else to take attending this class not only relieved her out. She also found herself shouting the extent of stress on her life but also and snapping at her partner Richie saved it. “The first time I got on the pole, I felt free...it just felt which was not in her gentle so amazing and felt like I nature prior to labour. “Mental had taken a big step. The health does focus of trying to learn a It was at this point that she not have to spin on the pole distracted reached out to her Mum, telling her “I don’t feel like be terrifying. me from my own thoughts.” When I asked Marianne if myself, I feel like I don’t want to be here.” However, Embarking on she felt her recovery was as this was shortly after committing to complete, she said, “My the birth, her mother forming self- recovery is ongoing. I still bad days but not to the initially put it down to a care steps can have extent that they use to be. I hormonal imbalance and change your have more good days than thought it would quickly pass. Unfortunately for life and let you bad. I feel like I am not the person I was before I Marianne it didn’t. In fact, live a highly same got ill. I’m a better person it got progressively worse. functioning now with more confidence. She said, “I couldn’t open up I actually love the person to anyone as I felt like they life.” I have become. I wouldn’t didn’t understand. I felt change what happened to like I was going crazy and started doing things that I had never me as I wouldn’t be the person I am done before, such as self-harming. I today.” started to make plans on how to end my life. I knew I didn’t want to do Marianne is not alone in this this, but something inside me was actualisation. A group of young women controlling me. I wasn’t strong enough with ranging backgrounds, ages and to overpower it. I had written letters for behavioural or mental problems my family. I remember thinking “Why including depression, anxiety and am I doing this?” whilst I was writing eating disorders have found a safe haven both physically and mentally them...but I couldn’t stop.”
in the form of ‘Pole Infinity & Beyond Gravity Yoga’ based in DerryLondonderry, Northern Ireland. Karen Baldwin, an accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist and Pole Fitness instructor, has worked her magic on numerous women over the past three years with a number of triumphant success stories. “I opened the studio with my two business partners just over three years ago with the main ethos of helping ladies improve their confidence and self-esteem.” After much success with their infamous specialist programmes it is of no shock that they have been followed beyond the Emerald Isle. In fact, Karen is currently in the process of helping set similar self-help Pole classes up as far as Egypt.
To anyone suffering with suicidal thoughts or tendencies, you can seek help via the following avenue: www. samaritans.org or alternatively call 116 123 (24/7).
There’s a certain amount of solace in knowing you aren’t alone and acknowledging that, although your problems are your own, the whereabouts of where they stem from are most certainly, shared. It’s clear to see this realisation, social interaction and the physical side-effects of pole dancing have been unbelievably beneficial for the mind, body and soul of the women participating. Mental Health blogging guru Caroline McMenamin AKA ‘The Red Dutchess’ says to anyone suffering with a mental illness, “Mental health does not have to be terrifying. Embarking on committing to forming self-care steps can change your life and let you live a highly functioning life.” She uses herself as an example of someone who can lead a full life despite suffering with a mental health condition, in her case Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – “the tenth most debilitating disorder in the world.” 60
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Why we need to start celebrating anti-heroines Zoe Little
If the past year (let alone the past few centuries) has taught us anything, it is that men are in a position of undoubtable power over women. It is outdated, it is archaic, and it makes for a world full of anger and hostility. The perception that men and women cannot live together in an equilibrium of equality is a puerile notion, put forward by patriarchal ideologies feigned to keep a glass ceiling over the heads of the female gender – as well as many other groups of people too. It’s not surprising, nor is it anything new, despite the leaps forward society has taken to achieve, or at least highlight the importance of, equality. And so why are the arts, arguably the most liberal and progressive industry there is, still oppressive of women, and in particular one female archetype almost above all else: the anti-heroine? The anti-heroine is far from the top of the list when it comes to discriminated women in fiction. It is imperative that we have more leading ladies who are of different cultures, ethnicities, sexuality and gender, along with women who are simply more than the prize to be 62
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kissed by the hero. However, the lack of appreciation for female antagonists is still an issue which needs to be broached. Whilst the film industry remains as hypocritical and two-faced as it ever was (looking at you, Hollywood), the literary canon must also be held accountable for the treatment of such an archetype. Women of villainous means have always lurked within the literary canon, but they so often act as a springboard within a text to pivot the story forward, whereas anti-heroes or male villains are of the most importance within a story. The best example of this is Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’. Within this play we have an eponymous anti-hero, a soldier of honour in the initial scenes; a man with the potential to become great and celebrated on his military prowess alone, who falls into a chasm of greed and paranoid vanity. It is of course the act of women which pushes him off the precipice of pride and down into the much more exciting chasm of tyranny, perhaps like Eve enticing Adam with forbidden fruit. It is a notion as old as Genesis, and yet what do these women get from this story? Nothing. www.KettleMag.co.uk
Similarly, we have Morgana le Fay from the King Arthur legend. Within the legend, Morgana becomes a wicked temptress: the nemesis of her half-brother Arthur and his beloved Guinevere. Whilst Guinevere has become an epithet of womanly grace, regardless of her affair with Lancelot, Morgana is the vile, darkly sensuous witch with sociopathic tendencies. It is a classic case of the virgin-whore binary, in which a woman is either the domesticated princess or the licentious bitch with an agenda, and as with Lady Macbeth, it is the latter which excites the story. However she is not an outright villain, nor is Lady Macbeth; in an age in which we have rooted for the death of Joffrey Baratheon in ‘Game of Thrones’, can we even consider fictional regicide a true cause to brand a character villain? And unlike most villains, Morgana has her moment of repentance at the end of ‘Le Morte d’Arthur’, in which she holds the wounded Arthur, referring to him as ‘dear brother’. So she is not a villain, but an anti-heroine, akin to Circe from www.KettleMag.co.uk
Homer’s ‘Odyssey’, or Medea. Yet she is rarely presented as an appreciated figure from the legend, despite being such a driving force throughout it. Nevertheless, there are exceptions to this, in which the anti-heroine of the story takes on an eponymous role. Daphne du Maurier’s 1939 novel ‘Rebecca’ is one of the stars of the female gothic genre, featuring a femme fatalestyle character who seamlessly haunts a plot without making a single physical appearance. Although the novel could be critiqued as two women being pitted against each other, or more specifically, a woman who feels inadequate because of the memory of another woman, this is merely the surface of the plot – to say it is only that is to forgo the complexities which make this novel about the power of women. Not only is the text pivoted by the memory of an anti-heroine of such presence that she need not appear physically to become such a renowned character, but we have a heroine who, despite her conflict with Rebecca, learns much about independence and selfworth from her. And so, anti-heroines are so much more than the ‘bitches’ of a text, and yet they are suppressed, reduced to shoddy character development and grizzly ends which verge on unnecessary. They are women who still are neglected in literature and film today, with exceptions such as ‘Penny Dreadful’, ‘Game of Thrones’ and Disney’s ‘Maleficent’, but it begs the question why, when society is crying out for independent and complex female characters, are they still passed off as the nasty ‘other woman’ who’ll get what’s coming to them? And why, when we think of anti-heroines, do no modern characters from literature spring to mind? KettleMag
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It is witches who plant the seed into Macbeth’s head, but it is his wife, Lady Macbeth, arguably the most important and fascinating character within the play, who puppeteers him into regicide. Lady Macbeth and the witches do the most important thing within this tragedy, and that is set the sequence of events in motion. Without Lady Macbeth’s ambition, what we have are hours of Macbeth skulking around a castle, discontent with his social position but without the gall to do anything about it. If this play is to be celebrated, it is down the enigmatic Lady Macbeth that it is. But unfortunately, she is not appreciated for being such an integral part of the foundations, but rather dispensed of and forced to suffer a fate which jars with her character.
The spoken word poets reviving the form for the modern world Leah Walker If I said the word ‘poetry’ to you, it’d probably be met with yawns, a few eye rolls and a general lack of enthusiasm. This is probably down to the fact that poetry has long been associated with ‘classic poets’ like Shakespeare, W.B. Yeats, John Keats and so on… More than likely you were forced to read their work during your school years so now Shakespeare’s ‘Shall I compare thee to a summers day…’ is enough to send shudders roiling down your spine. But what if I told you that poetry isn’t all about rhyming, metre and precision? What if I told you it could be so much more than that? Now, this is where spoken word poetry comes in. In the broadest sense, spoken word poetry is poetry that is written with the intent to be performed. The genre is really all about how the poem is acted out and the poet uses techniques such as: repetition and improvisation, and usually presents it in front of a live audience. The way they choose to perform the poem ultimately affects the audience’s interpretation of it which is part of the beauty of the form. 64
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And there’s so many different forms of spoken word; there’s slam poetry – a competition where poets battle it out to perform the best piece, and there’s even spoken word poets that specialise in comedy. No matter what kind of thing you’re into, there’s a spoken word poet out there for you. I was introduced to the genre a few years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since. But who should you be listening to? Well, allow me to introduce you to a few poets that are taking the spoken word poetry scene to the next level: The first spoken word poet I ever got into was Neil Hilborn, a slam poet that writes about his struggles with mental health. I’d never heard of the form until his poem ‘OCD’ went viral, and when it popped up on my Facebook feed I was a little apprehensive because I didn’t consider myself a ‘poetry lover’. However, putting my doubts aside, I clicked play. The first time I watched ‘OCD’ I cried. Hard. Not just because the content of the poem was painfully sad, but because of the way Neil delivered it. He delivered it like he was a man on a www.KettleMag.co.uk
into her honest, lyrical truth.
‘Fantastic Breasts and Where to Find Them’ is the title of Brenna Twohy’s most well-known poem. Being a lover of all-things Harry Potter, I was hooked and engaged from the moment I read that title. The moment she bursts to life with the opening line: ‘ask me what kind of porn I’m into, and I will take you on a magical journey to fanfiction.com…’ I was on the edge of my seat, howling with laughter, I thought it was going to be one of those ridiculously hilarious After Neil Hilborn opened up my eyes poems. However, around the half-way (and ears) to the spoken word world, point, Brenna’s humour started to hit a I went in search of other poets that real hard point on the topic of feminism she twists the genre of really resonated with me. It was during this ask me what kind the piece and launches an incredibly search I stumbled upon of porn I’m into, into powerful speech about Sabrina Benaim and and I will take the place of women and her poem ‘Explaining My Depression to My Mother’ you on a magical sex in society and her refusal to be reduced to about her struggle with journey to depression and her fanfiction.com…’ an object by men. Her poem is perhaps one of mother’s inability to understand it. From the moment I the most intelligently written, thoughtstarted watching I was gripped by her provoking pieces I’ve ever encountered powerful performance style, and as and not only is Brenna Twohy a with Neil Hilborn, you could literally magician with her words, she’s also feel the truth of the words pouring a badass feminist that takes no crap. out of her. As the poem built, so did Convinced yet? Sabrina’s performance as her tone got more desperate, her words louder, her These poets are just a few that are voice urgent. “Mom says, “Happy is a taking the scene by storm right now decision” But my happy is as hollow as (and also my all-time favourites) that a pin pricked egg. My happy is a high you should definitely watch (or listen fever that will break.” Her words made to) to be introduced to the wonderful her depression feel like a tangible thing, world of spoken word poetry. Spoken like it was something that physically word covers such a vast number of held her down and prevented her from topics that there’s something that living her life. Sabrina’s now considered everyone can listen to and be inspired to be one of the most-viewed spoken by, and with the increasing popularity word poets in the world and her latest of it there’s even hundreds of spoken book ‘Depression & Other Magic Tricks’ word poetry nights popping up all over documents her struggles with mental the country. Who knows? Maybe you health, family and love. It’s guaranteed could be the next Grand Slam Poetry to move your soul and sweep you up champion. www.KettleMag.co.uk
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ledge and every sentence was his last; like every plosive and fricative on his tongue was aching with the effort. I could feel the truth in his words and see how much it took for him to speak them aloud. Afterwards, I listened to every poem from his ‘Our Numbered Days’ collection and every single one was just as powerful and moving as the last. Neil Hilborn’s words are the kind that resonate so hard that you want to write them all over your walls and onto your skin.
Vegan friendly and cruelty-free beauty products Jenny Edwards I’ve been vegan for almost two years now and although people always ask “don’t you miss cheese?” I have actually found it hardest to find products that are vegan-friendly and cruelty-free. The food is the easiest part in my opinion. Luckily, it’s a pretty good time to decide to go vegan and cruelty-free as companies are realising that there’s a demand for these productsand so they’re producing so much more. It’s still nowhere near as progressive as the food industry, but I’m sure we will get there eventually. 2017 has been a pretty good year for vegan and cruelty-free makeup, and it’s just going to get better each year. I’m going to share with you 4 of the best vegan and cruelty-free products that were released this year. I’ve chosen a mixture of high end and drugstore because we all love to have a bit of both, right? The Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminiser: Fenty Beauty Of course, Fenty Beauty just had to 66
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make this list. Fenty Beauty was actually chosen by Time Magazine as one of the ‘Best Inventions of 2017’ and don’t we know it! It was obviously going to be an instant success; it raked in $72 million in media values during its first month. I could have put money on Rihanna’s makeup being incredible, however, I didn’t actually anticipate it being cruelty-free, or vegan at all. There are a handful of vegan Fenty products, and one of the best is definitely the lip luminiser. It’s subtle, sexy, and Rihanna herself explained that it’s not supposed to make your lips look too outrageous – less is more! It’s bold to only create one shade, but I kind of like that there’s no nonsense with too many shades to pick from. The thick wand allows for easier application, and the formula is non-sticky with a scent of peach-vanilla. No need to worry about chapped lips everyone, the Shea butter in the luminiser will hydrate you! The Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminiser comes in a rose nude shade and claims to fit every skin tone, and we believe you, Rihanna! www.KettleMag.co.uk
Barry M Strobe Cream The dewy look has been so on trend lately, and so there have been many fabulous glowy products for us to choose from. This product can be applied to the high points of your face to create a subtle dewy glow, or layered for an intense strobing look. www.KettleMag.co.uk
I love stick products that you can just directly apply to your face without a brush; it’s so easy and perfect for popping in your bag. I feel like if you’re usually the liquid or powder highlighting type, you’ll be converted to cream once you try the Barry M Strobe Cream!
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Kat Von D Farm Sanctuary Everlasting Liquid Lipstick Kat Von D, the queen of vegan and cruelty-free makeup, released four lipsticks to benefit animals in need, as well as compassionate vegan living. Kat partnered with ‘Farm Sanctuary’, which is a charity that rescues, rehabilitates, and provides refuge for factory farm animals. It’s amazing that she is using her fame, and influence to do such good things for animals. For every lipstick sold, 20% of the retail price will go directly to the non-profit organization! So onto the actual product, each of the shades are super pigmented, creamy and have long-lasting wear. It glides on easily just like a lip gloss, and dries completely matte to give you a perfected and finished look. There’s Vitamin E and Sunflower Seed Wax in the formula so it’s constantly nourishing your lips whenever you’re wearing it. I particularly love the ‘Hilda’ shade in terracotta brown, it’s sophisticated, sultry, and perfect for everyday wear as well as a night out.
Nip + Fab Contour Palette Have we finally found our dupe for the Kat Von D Light and Dark palette?! Okay, maybe let’s not get that ahead of ourselves, but the Nip + Fab palette is seriously great nonetheless. At £15 it’s not the cheapest drugstore contour palette on offer, but in all fairness, you’re getting six shades, and all are pretty good. The highlight isn’t anything to rave about, but the very buildable and easily-blended contour certainly makes up for what the highlight lacks. The palette comes in three shades, light, medium, and dark. So there you have it, that was some of the best vegan and cruelty-free beauty releases of 2017. Hopefully, I have convinced you that these products are certainly worth trying out; if more and more of us create a demand for ethical beauty, then the companies will deliver! More brands to check out that have a substantial vegan and cruelty-free range include Becca, Lush, Too Faced, and Anastasia Beverly Hills. KettleMag
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Christmas gifts for beauty lovers
Image: freepik.com
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It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The beauty-conscious among us will have a Christmas list inundated with those products we’ve been wanting to try all year. One of the best ways to do this (without jumping straight in on an expensive item that you’re not fully sure is right for you or your presentee) is a gift set. Not only can you try lots of products in adorable miniature form, their packaging is always fantastic for that presentopening wow-factor. What’s even better is that Christmas gift sets are perfect if you have a beauty-lover in your life but you don’t quite know what they want. Brands come out with new, more extravagant sets each year and the choice can be overwhelming, so here’s a selection of some of this year’s best- both high and low end gift sets, all cruelty-free. Treat your loved ones to one of these carefully curated sets (or even take on Parks and Recreation’s mantra: Treat Yo’ Self). Makeup Revolution #Revoholic Edit Makeup Revolution have dominated the drugstore beauty market for the past few years, and it’s not hard to see why, offering top quality dupes of high-
end brands’ products at a fraction of the cost. Their #Revoholic Edit set is a must-have for any Makeup Revolution fan, containing their golden, purple-tipped Ultimate Nudes brush set, Ultra Pro Glow palette, Ultimate Blush palette, Luxury Banana Powder, Rose Gold Skin Kiss Highlighters and 3 (three!) eyeshadow palettes: Flawless Unlimited, Flawless 4 and Revoholic Eyes, all of which are packaged into a makeup storage case. This set might be pricey at £100, but the sheer quantity of incredible products means it has to be worth it. Makeup Revolution are also offering a variety of other fantastic gift sets, including their Dazzling Lights Collection (£25), Amplified Sculpt and Fix (£30), and Ultimate Pro Collection (£35). Jouer’s ‘Best of…’ Collections With their ‘Best of Nudes’ Lip Creme Collection selling out super fast last year, Jouer Cosmetics have come back with not only a re-release of this fantastic set of 8 miniature nude liquid lipsticks (at only £30!), but with an extension of their collection to include a ‘Best of Deeps’ (8 minis, £30), ‘Best www.KettleMag.co.uk
NIOD Introductory Set No1 NIOD’s tagline is ‘Skincare for the Hyper-Educated’, with formulations firmly based in science. Their product names are very literal and nongimmicky, meaning trying to choose what’s best for you can be a little overwhelming. Introductory Set No1 is a great way to get started; a selection of their best, universal skin solutions. It contains Low-Viscosity Cleaning Ester (it’s even got everyone’s favourite, avocado, as a key ingredient!), Fractioned Eye Contour Concentrate, Multi-Molecular Hyaluronic Complex and their incredible Photography Fluid Opacity 12% (wear it under foundation and watch your skin glow and imperfections blur away). At just £50, Introductory Set No1 is a steal for some top quality skin care. Sleek MakeUP Essentially Sleek Kit One of drugstore’s best, Sleek MakeUP haven’t played around when it comes to Christmas gift sets. £10 will get you their Essentially Sleek kit, consisting of three miniatures of their most-loved products - an ii-Divine eyehshadow palette, a mascara and a Matte Me lip cream, along with a golden cosmetic purse. If you want more, you can get their Hella Good Eyes set, made up of two full-size i-Divine palettes (£16), or their Ready To Party kit (£50), an incredible selection of full-size products, including an i-Divine platte, a highlighting palette, two Matte Me lip www.KettleMag.co.uk
creams (one metallic), a Full Fat Lash mascara and three different eyeliners. At the smaller end of the scale, there’s a set of four mini Matte Me lip creams for £6 or a Pout & Polish Set (£8.50), with a full-size lip cream and a nail varnish. Pixi Best of Bright kit Pixi’s pretty pastel offering unites their famous Glow Tonic toner with its equally radiant sisters, Glow Mud Cleanser and Glow Mud Mask. This cute set is ideal for the skincare connoisseur in your life, with perfectly-sized miniatures giving the perfect opportunity to try these universally superb treats. Even better, it’s only £20! Real Techniques Colour & Contour Set Real Techniques run the makeup brush game, offering high quality products at a decent price. Each year they bring out a Christmas gift set, and this year’s is no disappointment, including two multitasking brushes, two different lip brushes, a miracle sculpting sponge and a mirror. With shiny, pink-purple mermaid-esque packaging, you can’t go wrong with this set. Beauty Bay’s ‘Take The Crown’ Collection For a spot of variety this Christmas, try Beauty Bay’s ‘Take The Crown’ collection, consisting of six carefullycurated sets of eye makeup from the best brands in the game. Each one contains a different range of palettes for the perfect look from a variety of brands, including Makeup Geek and Juvia’s Place, along with Morphe brushes (one even contains two Morphe liquid lipsticks), Laura Geller highlighters, Festival Face glitter and even a magnetic eyeshadow palette. All six sets are packaged in an exclusive glittery pouch, adding that extra sparkle. KettleMag
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of Metallics’ (6 minis, £30) and ‘Best of Lip Toppers’ (7 minis, £29). This is perfect if you know a lipstick lover but don’t know what shade they’d like, or if you simply can’t choose which shade you want yourself- now, you can have it all. Not only this, Jouer are also offering two miniature trios of their famed Powder Highlighters (£35).
For journo students
Four Stories & A Dilemma: The tale of journalism in the modern age. Alex Veeneman
My reaction is intermittently similar to that of Hugh Grant’s character in Four Weddings and a Funeral. As Charles prepares for his first wedding, he awakens in his London flat in a stupor and looks to the clock on the table beside him. It only takes three words to sum up how he’s feeling: “Oh, fuck. Fuck!” In the course of the film, which focuses on an ensemble of friends and their encounters at a series of weddings, a funeral and other happenings, that four letter obscenity he utters is the accurate reaction of how he is feeling at the time: from its simplicity to the usage of it as two words in the first wedding between the ensemble’s mutual friends, Angus and Laura. “Fuckity fuck!” As I sit down and try to think, I realise 70
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that despite our different problems, the character, albeit fictitious, and I have something in common – well, sort of. Charles wants to settle down and find that perfect person to be with for the rest of his life. He has a few ideas but is afraid of commitment, until ultimately he finds that perfect someone at the end of the film. And yet, along the way, he is uncertain – uncertain about events around him, uncertain about interactions, uncertain, most of all, about himself. Though the concerns, worries and anxieties I face are not the scale of what Charles faced, the amount of uncertainty is the common point. My problem is one about creativity – centred around a desire to do the best work that I can possible, a desire to be authentic, but most of all a desire to attempt to make a difference, while trying to keep going all the while. www.KettleMag.co.uk
For journo students
It is a tricky balance – whether to do something that is meaningful in a time where the subject(s) have been discussed at length, or produce something that you know straight off the bat will be an instant hit. The questions about how to navigate journalism in the digital age are constant, and early career journalists, whether they’re studying at university, pursuing their NCTJ or in an apprenticeship, have been asking those questions a lot over the course of the past few years. As the business model changes and the methods of consumption evolve, the questions arise. Will I be able to get a job in the field? Did I make the right choice in studying journalism? Will I be able to do meaningful work? Stress exacerbates this – the worry that you’ve let everyone you know down, the personal stresses from student life and the convincing thought that you need to do more and more as you try to keep your own head afloat. The resonant piece of advice has come from my mum (and has likely been said by your family and your mates)– keep going. Indeed, it would be immature to write off the industry that you envision your www.KettleMag.co.uk
career in as you know you can’t imagine yourself doing anything else.
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Journalism is going through a period of evolution. In this digital age, the culture of the internet and social media has resulted in a crowded and noisy environment, where all that appears to matter is not the type of content you produce, but how much reach it can have.
But the questions are still nagging at you in the back of your mind, and they will always be constant. While I don’t have the answer that will solve the million-pound question, I know that journalism will continue to be necessary, even if you’re shouting obscenities inside (as I have on multiple occasions). We’re all human. We’re all trying to figure out how to make this work with the cards that we are dealt, and while Will I be able to get the longt e r m a job in the field? answer is Did I make the right not easy, choice in studying the short term one journalism? Will I be is– just able to do meaningful keep going. work? Even if you have no idea what you’re doing, just keep going. If Richard Curtis allowed Four Weddings and a Funeral to have an analogy for life in the 21st century, it’s this– we’re all human and we’re doing the best that we can under the circumstances, even if we should be doing more. We still have questions, and those questions will still worry us, but all we can do is keep going, even if we don’t know what the end is going to be like. You have to keep going, even if you have to internally shout Charles’ favourite obscenity, “Fuck,” along the way.
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For journo students
Transitioning to freelance journalism Ellen manning I spent more than 12 years working as a staff reporter at a range of publications - from my local weekly paper to becoming the chief reporter at the Press Association. I had opportunities and experiences that saw me kicking myself to check I wasn’t dreaming - travelling to warzones with soldiers, interviewing royalty, covering major national events, or going to Las Vegas for the biggest consumer tech show in the world. For years I declared I would never turn freelance. Why, when I was having all these adventures in the name of ‘work’ AND enjoying all the security of full-time employment? Of course, all the rock’n’roll stuff came with its fair share of mundane days. But why jack in such a great job plus the benefits of full-time employment like a steady pay-check, pension, paid holiday - for a life of uncertainty? I suppose the answer is freedom. For many different reasons, I wanted the freedom to choose what to write about, when to write about it, and who to write for. That in itself sounds wonderful, and wonderfully simple. But let’s not forget that the mechanics of working as a freelance journalist are far more complex and challenging than simply choosing a subject, picking a publication, and writing. I’m a few months into freelancing, and the transition hasn’t been easy. I love it, but it’s not without its challenges. The 72
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key is being aware of those challenges and how to best tackle them so you can actually enjoy freelancing and take advantage of all the benefits it can bring. The pros of freelancing revolve around flexibility, whether that be in subject matter, publication, working hours, working location. You don’t have a set holiday allowance, set working hours, managed lunch breaks, workplace rules. Hell, you don’t have a boss! But don’t be fooled - for every pro there is a potential con. Yes, you don’t have a boss. You also don’t have a salary. If you don’t work, you don’t earn. So if you have images of flouncing around being creative in your pyjamas, remember that won’t pay the bills. You don’t have set working hours, which means you can easily find yourself working from dawn until dusk, and you very quickly learn that you may be the harshest boss you’ve ever had. Also remember that as a freelancer you’re not just a writer, you’re a salesperson. You’re selling yourself, you’re selling your ideas. And when someone doesn’t like those, it can hurt. The transition from staff to freelance has been harder than I had anticipated. It would have been tough anyway, but I sometimes wonder whether the fact I had spent more than a decade in secure staff jobs made it more of a shock to the system. www.KettleMag.co.uk
For journo students
Contacts and experience are the biggest bonuses I brought with me from my time as an employed reporter. Contacts are one of the most useful tools any journalist can have, whether in print or broadcast, news or features, and they are not easily gained. You can’t ‘buy’ them like buying followers on Twitter. They’re hardearned and closely-guarded. But if you value them, they tend to value you back. Contacts I hadn’t spoken to or heard from for years, or hadn’t even thought of as people to go to for opportunities, have reappeared in my life and been unexpected sources of work. And even if not as a source of cold, hard cash, my contacts have been invaluable for advice and support at a time when I’ve needed it most in my professional life. Experience is another vital tool and my 12 years in journalism have been infinitely more valuable than I had realised. I may not be the most experienced freelancer, but I am an experienced reporter. When people ask me for something, I generally know what they want and can work out how to deliver it - even if it’s not exactly along the lines of work I’ve done before. But alongside discovering the advantages I’ve got, in these early days I’ve stumbled over the things I need to improve – new skills, new attitudes and improvement to some of my own personality traits. I’ve had to diversify. I’d always written for newspapers, but earning a crust is sometimes about branching out and finding a balance between trying to do what you love and paying your bills. There are a myriad www.KettleMag.co.uk
of ways to earn money as a writer and they may not necessarily be what you dreamed you would do, but I think if you asked any freelancer if every piece of work they undertake is their dream writing project, they’d say no. I’m still not doing as much of what I really would love to do – writing creatively, writing longer-form pieces – but patience is a virtue as they say, and any dream takes time to achieve. I’ve also had to grow a thicker skin. Never before in my life have I heard the words ‘no thanks’, or just been flat ignored, as many times as I have in the past three months. It’s hard, and no matter how much you tell yourself it’s not personal, it can feel that way. Again, patience is key. Everyone I have spoken to has said this – the word ‘yes’ will come, then it will snowball as you build contacts and gain experience. From just a few months in the big, bad world of freelance journalism, I have learned that contacts and experience are invaluable, but so are confidence, tenacity, and the ability to get back up when you’re knocked down – and patience. Medieval Persian poet Saadi once said: “Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy.” That’s true of many things, and true of turning freelance as a journalist. But isn’t it usually those difficult things that are the most rewarding?
Ellen Manning is a freelance journalist and was formerly the Chief Reporter for the Press Association. KettleMag
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I’m definitely no expert, but in these past few months I’ve learned how those 12 years have stood me in good stead for the jump to freelance, as well as the things I’m yet to learn.
For journo students
What’s it like studying journalism in London? Lucy Skoulding
Brene Brown, said “I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness - it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude”. I think it’s important to be grateful when you’re chasing you’re dreams. Grateful for the opportunities you have had and the chance to pursue what you want to do. It’s gratitude that keeps me working hard, along with coffee and relentless determination! I am currently working as a junior editor, studying journalism, and living in London. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe it’s actually happening.
Why study journalism?
Around a month before I was due to start my English degree at Warwick, I decided to join the Facebook page for The Boar, the University’s student newspaper. The Boar is still the best journalism experience I’ve had to date, because not only did I have the opportunity to write for a range of different sections, but I also experienced life as an editor, doing everything from editing and laying up print issues to building a social media presence and looking after a team. It was joining The Boar which 74
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turned journalism from a mild interest to a career dream. The end of my degree came flying towards me, and before I knew it, it was a scorching summer’s day in July 2016 and I was swooping around Warwick campus in my graduation gown. I was happy, but there was something nagging at me in the back of my mind; I did not particularly have a plan careerwise. So in September 2016, I moved to London without a job or a plan. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
London
How do I describe London to someone who has no idea what it’s like? Fascinating, different, chaotic, busy, cluttered with history, and full of future promises. The air smells like opportunity and, unfortunately, vehicle fumes. London is wonderful, if you’re interested in meeting people who are different to you, in never going to the same place, and in having new experiences every week. Having grown up in the countryside, I can understand why some people dislike the chaos, lack of fresh air, and cost of pints, but aside from this, I see it as a perfect place to be a journalist. www.KettleMag.co.uk
For journo students
Why the Press Association?
page together to avoiding getting your publication into trouble.
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Something is happening on every street, around every corner. The other day, a student on my course reported on the Oxford Circus Black Friday incident, and before that, course mates were at the scene of the acid attacks in Westfield Stratford.
What is it like right now?
I enrolled on the part-time NCTJ course with PA because it allows me to work full-time alongside it and financially this was the only way I could live in London and study. I’m eternally grateful that PA offer parttime course, and I can’t imagine doing it any other way. Your job may give you impressive skills which help you gain a journalism role in the future. Plus completing the course alongside working proves your dedicated and hard-working attitude.
I am currently studying for an NCTJ qualification, the qualification which many publications and broadcasters ask for these days. I chose to study with the Press Association in Victoria because publications and broadcasting houses widely respect it. If you’d like Studying part time to do a fast-track course I am excited by means attending rather than a masters, the adventures class on Tuesday there are also other in store for me evenings and all day excellent centres which Saturday. You are deliver the accredited when I begin full- expected to work course, such as News time work as a outside of class too, Associates in Wimbledon practicing shorthand journalist. or Manchester, Brighton daily, completing Journalist Works, or homework tasks, many colleges across the UK. and building your portfolio. It might seem like balancing this with a PA gives you the chance to gain job would be extremely difficult, the NCTJ’s Gold Standard Diploma but I think that as long as you are qualification, which requires organised and you are prepared to learning to write shorthand at 100 be busy, then anyone can do it. words per minute, taking exams in essential journalism, media law, The future… court reporting, public affairs, I am excited by the adventures in and production, and submitting a store for me when I begin full-time portfolio of published work. work as a journalist. I am currently reading Tina Brown’s The Vanity I believe the main difference Fair Diaries and I am enthralled between a focused NCTJ course and by the glistening life she led, the a masters is that the former is very unimaginable range of interesting practical, treating journalism like a people she got to meet, the parties vocational skill to be learned. All of she attended, and the influence she our tutors are working journalists, got to have on people’s lives. Every and have excellent industry now and then something in life contacts. All elements of the course makes me feel even more certain are different but all are teaching that journalism is what I want to do. you how to act when you enter your first job, from how to put a front www.KettleMag.co.uk
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The benefits of a vegan diet Rita Cunha
Vegetarian diets are becoming increasingly famous. Celebrities are now more vocal about changes they’ve made to their lifestyle, restaurants (both pricey and more affordable) are investing in vegetarian options so they can cater to a growing percentage of the population, and supermarkets, now more than ever, offer an abundance of fresh and frozen produce all yearround giving the consumer more options to choose from. Because people choose to go from the “standard� diet that includes both meat and fish to one that eliminates completely these two, it is natural to wonder: are there any benefits to a vegetarian diet?
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Different Nutrients being consumed Vegetarians tend to consume less saturated fats and cholesterol than meat eaters and consume more vitamins C and E, dietary fibre, folic acid, potassium, magnesium, and phytochemicals such as carotenoids and flavonoids, according to the Harvard Health Publication[1]. This difference in nutrients and macronutrients being consumed influences overall health, and studies show that vegetarians are likely to have lower total and bad (LDL) cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and lower body mass index (BMI)[1]. These three parameters are indications of a reduced risk for many choric diseases and are associated with longer longevity. www.KettleMag.co.uk
For heart-protection, it is wise to choose highfibre, whole grains and legumes (a big part of most vegetarian diets) because they are digested slowly and help keep blood sugar levels steady throughout the day. Foods like chickpeas, black beans, lentils, chia seeds, and quinoa are great for this purpose, and the upside is that they’re cheap and easily included in a variety of dishes! Another heart friendly food is nuts, as they contain antioxidants, vegetable protein, fibre, mineral and healthy fatty acids such as omega-3. Cancer It is suggested by hundreds of studies that diets which include lots of fruits and vegetables, at least five servings a day, reduces the risk of developing certain kinds of cancer, and evidence shows that
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vegetarians have a lower incidence of cancer than meat-eaters do[1] [2]. Although it is obviously possible to consume a healthy amount of fruits and vegetables without giving up meat or fish, vegetarians have an easier time reaching, and even surpassing, the five servings a day recommended by doctors. However, diets that don’t contain any red meats (whether or not it still includes other animal products) lead to a much lower chance of developing colon cancer, and research is being done to determine if other meats (such as poultry and fish) also lead to higher levels of carcinogenic substances in the colon[1]. Type 2 Diabetes Research cited by the Harvard Health Publication shows that vegetarians’ risk of developing type 2 diabetes was about half that of non-vegetarians, taking into account age and BMI results[1]. According to research cited and credited by Boston University, nonvegetarian men were also twice as likely to die from a diabetes-related cause than vegetarian men, however, no similar link was found in the study when comparing women from the two dietary groups[2]. KettleMag
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It takes seven kilograms of grain to produce just one kilogram of beef, which highlights the high demand for crops to be grown at a fast and effective rate
Cardiac Health People following vegetarian diets have a lower chance of having cardiac problems, such as strokes and heart attacks, when compared to those who consume meat and fish as part of their daily diets. According to studies cited by the Harvard Health Publication (a part of the Harvard Medical School), they are 25% less likely to die from these cardiac events[1].
Environmental Downsides of Meat Consumption Emission of greenhouse gases The meat industry is responsible for the emission of 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, while the transportation sector (including cars, tractors, boats, and planes) is responsible for 13 percent of the same types of gases[3]. Carbon dioxide and methane are byproducts of animal’s digestions (particularly that of cows) and they are one of the culprits for the rise in global temperature that has been registered. Methane also traps around 72 percent more heat in the atmosphere when compared to carbon dioxide, and its most prominent source worldwide is the agricultural sector (also tied to the production of meat). Use of land and water We are currently using 30 percent of the planet’s land surface area to produce meat, and this number includes land used for grazing and for growing crops that will be fed to animals, especially cows since they are the most grain consuming[4]. It takes seven kilograms of grain to produce just one kilogram of beef, which highlights the high demand for crops to be grown at a fast and effective rate[5]. According to several reports, somewhere between 70 and 80 percent of Amazon’s deforested land area in the past years are now being used to raise cattle or to grow crops to feed cattle[6]. On the other hand, the amount of water needed to produce one kilogram of animal flesh such as pork or beef is exponentially higher than that needed to grow an equivalent amount of plant78
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based products like soy, for example. In fact, you need 15.415 litres of water to raise just one kilogram of bovine meat[7] — a figure that is much higher than the 2.000 litres of water needed to grow one kilogram of soybeans (a plant-based protein source)[8]. Intensive Fishing Sonar and radar technologies started being applied to the fishing industry, which made big schools of fish easier to detect and catch. With this, over the years, we have witnessed a phenomenon called overfishing, which basically consists in the fast decrease of the specimen of a given species due to intense fishing. This creates a gap in maritime food chains leading to an imbalance and consequent disruption of normal interactions between sea animals[9]. While many fishing practices can be good at target fishing (capturing only the intended species), there is still the issue of the bycatch. This happens when certain fishing methods, namely the one known as longline, cause the death of species considered useless for human consumption, for example, sharks and sea turtles. Just over the past twenty years, an estimated 85,000 sea turtles were killed as bycatch, and 3 million sharks are lost to bycatch each year[9]. This also causes a deregulation of other marine animal populations due to the loss of their primary food source or predator. As a number of studies on the impact that the meat and fishing industries have on our health and our planet increases, the scientific community and politicians have been joining efforts to inform the population and implement environmentally friendlier policies regarding these economical practices. www.KettleMag.co.uk
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Sources: [1] https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/becoming-a-vegetarian [2] https://www.bu.edu/themovement/past-issues/spring2011/being-avegetarian/ [3] http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000448/index.html [4] http://science.time.com/2013/12/16/the-triple-whopper-environmentalimpact-of-global-meat-production/ [5] http://www.earthsave.org/environment.htm [6] http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/beef-production-is-killingthe-amazon-rainforest/ [7] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/06/30/how-meat-isdestroying-the-planet-in-seven-charts/?utm_term=.35b9ec5564f5 [8] http://www.unwater.org/water-facts/water-food-and-energy/ [9] https://www.environmentalscience.org/environmental-consequences-fishingpractices
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