Mancunion Issue 7 (2021-22)

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Issue 7 / 31st January 2022 News

www.mancunion.com

Opinion

Science Molly Mae-Be Who’s ‘packing’ in the downfall of the girlboss the primates

UCU Strikes Back: 5 days of strikes confirmed for semester two Page 5 Page 12

Page 9

Lifestyle Agony Aunt Angela: Love triangle gone wrong

Page 13

Film Spider-Man: No Way Home review Page 24

Womb with a view?: The abortion debate on university campuses Read more on pages 6 & 7

Photo: Antonio Ross

ISSUE 7 / 31st January 2022 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

2 Contents

25.

Where To Catch Theatre in Manchester

Page 23 6.

Stepping Up Drug Awareness

31. Creative Submissions

Page 19 Page 24

Page 13 Page 26

Page 28 Page 30

Page 13

Page 22 Page 17

22.

Billy Lockett Contact us Editor-in-Chief: Jess Walmsley mancunion.editor@gmail.com Managing Editor News & Current Affairs: Ella Robinson Managing Editor Michal Wasilewski

Culture:

Print Editor: Clem Lawrence Online Editor: Sophie Berkley

Head News Editor: Archie Earle Deputy Editor: Shikhar Talwar news@mancunion.com Co-Science & Technology Editor: Sam Bronheim & Emma Hattersley Investigations Editor: Joe McFadden Features Kenny

Editor:

Serafina

Deputy Features Editor: Steffie Banatvala Opinion Editor: Annie Dabb Deputy Editor: Gemma Brown Music Editor: Reece Ritchie Deputy Editors: Sarah Taylor & Jack Greeney Lifetsyle Editor: Erin Botten

Page 23 Film Editor: Benjy KaluberGriffiths Deputy Film Editor: Florrie Evans

Food & Drink Editor:Katie Hourigan Food & Drink Editor: Izzy Langhamer

Fashion Editor: Alex Bikard Deputy Fashion Editor: Zahra Mukadam

Theatre Editor: Jay Darcy

Beauty Editor: Alice Henderson Sport Editor: Arsh Asthana

Books Editor: Aileen Loftus Deputy Books Editor: Ava Innes Sub-editors: Elinor Burt, Katy Bray, Naziha Mardem-Bay, Florrie Evans

Designers: Emily Turvey, Jonno Hadfield, Roisin Haver, Sam Bronheim, Anja Samy, Jess Walmsley, Ella Robinson, Mariam Hussain, Serafina Kenny Marketing Team: Conrad Pope, Eleanor Fisher, Jimena Gonzalez, Martina Ferrara, Camille Garret Follow us @themancunion on Instagram

What’s on 3

ISSUE 7 / 31st January 2022 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Ones to ...

Here's everything The Mancunion team are looking forward to in February.

Experience HOME is hosting the Manchester Open Exhibition showing 400 artworks made

by Manchester.

Meme of the Week Follow @uniofmanchestermemes for more

Read

Photo: H

OME MCR

Instagra

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Keep up with your New Year's Resolution reading habits with this coming of age novel released Feb 1st.

Watch Pam & Tommy - the highly anticipated Hulu series surrounding the sex tape scandal of Pamela Anderson and then husband Tommy Lee will be released on Disney+ on February 2nd

Follow @secretmanchester is a great account to follow for new places to try across Manchester whether it’s a fun activity or a new restaurant

Photo: Hulu

Watch The semi-autographical film set in the late 1960s. The latest work of Kenneth Branagh is out now.

Listen Mitski's new album Laurel Hell is coming out on the 4th of February, her first full release since 2018 and one our Music section is hotly anticipating.

Photo: Bundobust

Eat Bundobust have launched a 'meat' collection for Veganuary and beyond, in collaboration with Meatless Farm.

Listen Don't Tell Me To Smile is our FuseFM show Spotlight of the week. Discussing all things feminism - give it a listen on Spotify.

and Flea Fair

The Craft and Flea fair is coming to Manchester Cathedral on the 5th of February. Shop local, independent makers for just £2.50 entry - a great day out.

Experience Victoria Baths are hosting a pop up cinema for Valentine's Day on February 10th and 11th - including a showing of Mean Girls.

@ Wikimedia

Commons

Make you laugh The award-winning venue in Oldham is well worth a visit. UoM alum Jack Whitehall even performed there in his early days!

Shop

Photo: C\raft

Photo: Bruce

Photo: I Love Manchester

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News

ISSUE 7 / 31st January 2022 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Manchester’s Clean Air Policy - May Be Changed Given the changes in the vehicle market, the GMCA may have to reconsider their Clean Air policy or look for more funds.

Photo:ChrisClarke88@wikimediacommons

Shikhar Talwar News Editor

I

n June, 2021, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) agreed upon a plan to reduce air pollution in Greater Manchester as, according to Councillor Andrew Western, there are 1,200 deaths in Greater Manchester every year due to poor air quality. However, this plan may have to be changed due to a problem with its funding.

In March 2020 it was noticed that 152 locations in Greater Manchester had NO2 levels over the legal rates due to vehicular exhaustion. A plan was set forth to rectify this completely by 2024, and was agreed in June 2021 by the GMCA. Andy Burnham announced this plan stating: “Everyone in Greater Manchester deserves to breathe clean air but we have always said this cannot be at the expense of those who cannot afford to upgrade their vehicles to make them compliant in this timeframe.”

Given the fact that the GMCA and the Mayor were looking to fund people to upgrade their vehicles, the original plan required £120 million of government funding. The initial plan was further set out in two phases.

The first phase was due to start in March 2022, and involved any Heavy Goods Vehicles, Buses or nonGreater Manchester taxis or private hire cars being given a daily charge.

The second phase, starting in June 2023, would add the same charges to light goods vehicles, vans, coaches,

minibuses, all taxis and private hire vehicles. However, most vehicles are not affected, as the scheme does not include private cars, mopeds or motorbikes.

It was realised earlier in January, 2022, that given the changes in supply chains and inflation, local business may suffer by the clean air policy.

Along with this the GMCA have seen that there have been changes in the vehicle market since 2020. They believe that now there are more vehicles on the street that will be disobeying the regulations set by the Clean air plan. Hence questions have been raised since on whether the funding would be sufficient, as in both cases the GMCA would need to provide additional funding to the owners of the vehicles for them to upgrade it.

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Everyone in Greater Manchester deserves to breathe clean air but we have always said this cannot be at the expense of those who cannot afford to upgrade their vehicles to make them compliant in this timeframe Andy Burnham believed that the policy may have to be changed.

This would be considered if the government does not agree to the GMCA’s plan to require more funding.

Hence, the GMCA decided that on the 20th of January they would meet and look over the plan again. The

meeting’s results were announced by Andy Burnham on twitter.

Burnham stated that the GMCA would be referring the clean air zone policy back to the Government. He believes that the current plan would cause hardships to the residents of Manchester. Hence they want to push towards getting the legal direction of getting the plan in place. He also stated that he understands that this is a frustrating process but would none the less try to get the plans to the “right place.”

However, student areas are amongst the illegally polluted areas of Manchester. Wilmslow road, the part of the Oxford Road that runs through the main campus of the University, along with areas in Rushlome and City Center are all pointed out by the GMCA. A second year undergraduate student is disappointed by the constant delays in plans. They stated: “Personally I believe that the current delays in plan do not abide with the urgency of it. Me along with many others prefer to bike around the city and we have to breathe air that is illegal according to the amount of air pollutants it has. These delays could severely hurt many of us, so i personally hope that something is done about it soon.”

The date for the government to announce that it has accepted the changes to the policy is still unknown.

However, clean air zone boards around Manchester, have still not be changed, which means it could be assumed that the changes would be accepted soon.

UoM Financial Statements: 5 Key Points

What is happening with UoM’s finances and how is the university going to deal with the impact of the pandemic?

Archie Earle News Editor

A

t the turn of the new year, the University of Manchester released its financial statements for the year 2020/21. The statements are released every year and are publicly available to anyone, yet often pass by most who work and study at the University. We’ve boiled down the 88page text, to highlight the key areas so that everyone knows where their money is going: Research Highlights The University of Manchester owes part of its reputation to the research making an impact in the real world.

Research highlights from this year include the launch of an advanced nuclear energy roadmap, the global development institute securing £32 million for research on the development of urban areas in Africa, £32 million funding for the productivity institute and £5 million to launch the Christabel Pankhurst Institute

for Health Technology. This is in addition to a marginal 0.7% increase in research spending on the previous year.

Total Income for The University Rises The total income for the university rose by 3.4% in the year to July 2021 compared on the previous year, with the main source of increased income being increased income from student tuition fees. Whilst this is true the total income for research decreased by 10.5%. The report did go on to highlight that the Covid-19 pandemic remained a significant risk but that they would be able ‘to continue to operate with confidence’, after securing a £250 million revolving credit facility.

Income from International Students Rises The report states that ‘international full-time fees make up an ever-larger proportion of our tuition fee income’, highlighting the importance of money coming from international students. This was followed by the recognition that the international student population is reliant on a small number of countries, whilst stating that they would attempt to

diversify the intake. It was not made clear in the report how this would be achieved.

UCU Strike Action Acknowledged UCU strike action is mentioned by the report, acknowledging the concerns of staff raised in the strike action. After actuarial reports have been conducted, there has been an increase in the USS pension provision. The report does suggest that the university has ‘limited influence’ over the growth wages and salaries as this occurs at a national level. However, ‘projects to improve the efficiency of teaching, research and professional services are being progressed to balance cost growth with income’.

Borrowing and Spending Borrowing from external resources slightly decreased in this period from 37% to 35.8% on the year before. However, a big point is made of the operating surplus of 5.6%, up from 0.5% in the previous year, with general expenditure controls being implemented, as a part of the reason for this increase.

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ISSUE 7 / 31st January 2022 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Student Union Elections: All You Need To Know The student union election period will be going on form 7th February to 11th March, and this is your guide to what the elections will be.

Shikhar Talwar News Editor From the 7th February to the 11th March the Students Union (SU) is going to be filled with the election buzz, as students gear up to elect the Exec Officers for the forthcoming year.

The elections exist to try and improve the experience of all students involved, with the aim of democratically electing eight different Exec Officers along with ten Association Chairs. This vote looks different from that of previous years, as earlier in this academic year a vote was carried out open to all students to change the structure of the student union executives.

All students are eligible to run for the elections, including international students, postgraduate students, or any non-final year students. You can only run for one position at a time, because the Exec roles are paid and you would not be able to dedicate enough time to more than one role.

The differences between the Exec Officer roles and Association Chair roles are that the Exec roles are are full-time, paid jobs that last for one year, which you can either take a break from your studies (a ‘sabbatical’) for, or complete in the year after you finish university. The Association Chair roles are part-time, so you would work alongside your studies.

In the past the Exec Officers have

been able to bring about impactful change to the university life, including providing sanitary products across campus, organising Global Week, starting an anti-spiking partnership with Andy Burnham, organising Girls Night In, and more. The eight Officers will work together but will each have their own specific responsibilities. During their tenure it will be expected that they meet with University leaders; work with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and the Mayors office; work with students on campaigns; and network with SUs across the country to learn and improve from each other.

The six Exec Officer positions you can run for this year are:

Humanities Officer/ Biology, Medicine and Health Officer/ Science and Engineering Officer – these 3 different exec officers each look after students in their respective faculties and look for ways to improve the student experience City and Community officer – making sure that the students are engaged with their local communities.

Along with the eight Exec Officers, there will now also be ten Association Chair positions that students can run for.

Duties for these roles include: starting campaigns, organising events, running safe spaces, meeting university decision makers and external partners such as the GMCA, and working with the exec officers.

The available association chair roles are:

Union Affairs Officer – organising meetings and establishing networks to promote and defend the rights of students Activities and Culture Officer – looking after the development of student societies, along with advocating for international students Research Officer – advocating for the wellbeing of post-graduate research students, both socially and developmentally Wellbeing and Liberation Officer – championing the causes of diversity, equality and liberation, as well as supporting liberation campaigns and under-represented student groups

Women’s Association Chair Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Association Chair LGBTQ+ Association Chair Disabled Students’ Association Chair Trans Students’ Association Chair Humanities Faculty Association Chair Biology, Medicine and Health Faculty Association Chair Science and Engineering Faculty Association Chair Postgrad Research Association Chair International Association Chair

to complete an online form available on the SU website. Students can nominate themselves, or recommend other students who would suit a role well. Nominations will end on the 21st February 2022 at 12pm.

The nomination form is your first opportunity to tell students why you are running for this post and what they can expect if you are voted in. Once you are made a candidate you will be asked to campaign to get your message out to students. Candidates will be given budget of £50 by the SU to fund their campaigns, and the SU will also be running training sessions for candidates to help them write manifestos, conduct campaigns and understand the rules of the elections.

Students can also email the SU’s election committee (suelections@ manchester.ac.uk) with any questions or queries, and if students believe any candidate is not following the rules during the election period they can use the same email to complain.

The voting will begin on 7th March and end on 10th March 2022. The voting system is the Single Transferable Vote system, meaning you list the candidates according to your preference. If your most preferred candidate does not get 50% of the vote, then your vote transfers onto your second candidate, if not that then third and so on.

Hence every vote counts in this election.

Elections results will be announced on the 11th March 2022.

The applications open on the 7th of February, 2022, and students can will need

UCU Strikes Back: 5 Days of Strike Action Scheduled for Semester II Archie Earle & Shikhar Talwar News Editors

T

he University of Manchester’s University and Colleges Union (UMUCU) will be on strike between the 21st-22nd February and 28th Feburary-2nd March over the four fights issues of pay, equality, workload and casualisation. The strikes will affect 68 universities in the UK, with the UCU labelling them as a “fight for the future of higher education”.

The final day of the strikes, March 2nd, will coincide with the NUS-led strike calling for an end to the tuitionfunded university system and better working conditions for university staff.

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It is a damning indictment of the way our universities are managed that staff are being left with no option but to walk out again.

This round of strikes follows on from strike action that took place at 58 universities in December over the same issues. However, following a reballot over the Christmas period, 10 additional UCU branches have joined the strikes. Strikers at the previous UoM march labelled working conditions as ‘insane’ and implored universities to

take action to protect staff.

However, during the re-ballot, the UMUCU failed to hit the 50% threshold required to strike over pensions for the second time. This means Manchester academic staff will not be striking on the 14th-18th February, whilst 44 other universities walk-out over the USS Pensions dispute.

The dispute comes after Universities UK (an advocacy organisation representing all the universities) pushed through cuts to the defined benefits section of the pension scheme.

This was allegedly to avoid having to pay higher contributions, despite the fact external professional advisers have said they have the budget to do so.

The union is set to meet with employer representatives on Friday 11th February, to potentially resolve the dispute should the conditions of the UCU be met.

Staff will also be taking part in action short of strikes which involves working strictly to contract, not covering for absent colleagues, not rescheduling lectures or classes cancelled due to strike action, and not undertaking any voluntary activities.

UCU secretary Jo Grady said: “It is a damning indictment of the way our universities are managed that staff are being left with no option but to walk out again.”

NUS national president, Larissa Kennedy said: “Students’ unions and student

organisers have a proud tradition of standing in solidarity with staff, and we saw this in action up and down the country in December.”

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Students’ unions and student organisers have a proud tradition of standing in solidarity with staff, and we saw this in action up and down the country in December.

In response to the USS re-ballot, a University Spokesperson said: “Our turnout was 47.77% of eligible UCU members, so failed to reach the legal 50% threshold required to give a mandate for strike action in relation to this ballot. 84% (836 staff) of those who voted were in favour of strike action.

In total, we have about 6,300 USS members across the University.

Pension negotiations are conducted at a national level for USS, so we are unable to make changes at a local Manchester level. We do recognise how important pensions are to colleagues and we take those views very seriously.

It is of fundamental importance to the University that we remain a great place to work, and study.”

They have been contacted for comment on the strike dates announcement.

Photo:Alarichall@wikimediacommons

6 Features

ISSUE 7 / 31st January 2022 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Womb with

The abortion debate on university campuses

What are university pro-life societies? We spoke to two such societies and UoM’s Feminist Collective to find out Annie Dabb and Erin Botten Opinion Editor and Lifestyle Editor

S

hortly after the discovery of Exeter University’s Pro-Life Society, thousands of students found it shocking to learn that in fact, 17 of the 24 UK Russell Group universities have similar Pro-Life societies.

It turns out these societies have always existed on the fringes of university campuses, even in the most supposedly liberal of cities, such as Oxford.

These societies have received enormous amounts of backlash and attention on social media, but what exactly are they for? Do they just meet to talk about abortion? And can they be feminist and pro-life? We spoke to pro-life Societies from Cambridge and Bristol universities to find out, and approached the University of Manchester’s Feminist Collective (the nearest thing we have to an oppositional organisation) to weigh in.

Cambridge Students For Life (CSFL) One of the things we were really eager to talk about was Cambridge’s society’s thoughts on the terms terms ‘pro-life’ and ‘pro-choice’. Joanna (Society President), rejected this immediately: “Part of what we do is making sure there are more choices for women”. She explained, “A woman wants an abortion like an animal caught in a trap wants to gnaw off its leg”.

Both she and Hannah, the Vice President, suggested that there is a plethora of information around abortion, but less information around other options such as pregnancy support, adoption, and other alternatives once the baby has been born.

The society was passionate about breaking the stigma around the struggles of having a child and achieving career success. In a university context, they questioned why it’s currently so difficult to be a pregnant student, and presented their society as a support system for people who find themselves in difficult situations like this.

Hannah directed us to websites such as Pregnant at Uni which offers grants and financial support to those who find themselves in this difficult position. The website provides aid on deadline extensions, welfare support and a parental learning allowance. So the support is obviously there, but why don’t more people know about it? A question we, regardless of our stance on the issue, found ourselves asking as well.

What became apparent during our conversation was that those who are ‘pro-life’ view the blastocyst or embryo as a life. The choice, therefore, centres around killing. Yet if you view the embryonic stage as prelife, then abortion becomes not a violent but rather a scientific act, removing a fertilised egg from a womb.

Cambridge does not consider its society to be political. Their main focus is promoting a ‘consistent life ethic’ from ‘womb to tomb’. Given the religious nature of the Cambridge academic calendar, it will come as no surprise that CSFL considers itself a Christian-based society. Thus, their pro-life stance comes from the belief that every human is made in the image of God. Whilst abortion and its surrounding stigma was the main topic and reason for our interview, both Joanna and Hannah were happy to talk to us a bit about other aspects of their society’s ‘consistent life ethics’. They suggested that there is much more polarisation around the value of life before birth than there is once the baby is born; it’s obviously much more difficult to argue that a baby’s life is less important than the mother’s. For an embryo though, there is still much contestation.

Whilst both Joanna and Hannah acknowledge that “there are a lot of things that have to happen before you can put a legal end to abortion and there not be serious repercussions” (like back-alley abortions), on their website they do express the ‘hope that one day in Cambridge, abortion and euthanasia will be considered unthinkable’. Their approach is softer than others, but the underlying goal is still there, buried behind stigma.

The issue becomes even more pressing when considering the privilege of many students, especially at Cambridge. At a university with such prestige, it’s great to see people focusing on sexual and societal inequality.

Certainly, an advantage of being pro-life from a privileged background is that you’re able to do more. However, it could be argued that this bespeaks Christian missionary rhetoric and assumes that women need ‘saving’ from abortion. From a position of such privilege, is it enough for CSFL to not have a political agenda?

Naturally, we also wanted to touch on how they’d reacted to the backlash they’d received recently. “[We don’t] think it’s ever easy to be pro-life,” they explained, particularly with the rise of female bodily autonomy.

However, we couldn’t disagree when Joanna stated that “society really isn’t geared to support women”, the reason why CSFL opposes female systemic injustices that make abortion seem like the ‘right’ choice for many women. In this sense, CSFL’s intent “to see abortion end but in a sustainable way” comes across almost as a secondary aim. Primarily, Cambridge Pro-Life encourages people to think about life-ending procedures, including euthanasia, ” [giving] them the space to process things.” The society provides this through talks, such as ‘The Effect of Abortion in the Developing World: an African Perspective’.

Furthering the discussion around how society has failed women inevitably brought up the topic of rape. Due to their Christian basis, this evoked complications around the conception of a child out of such a horrific act and all being made in the image of God. Hannah clarified that no matter what has led to the creation of that life, it still has value, respecting that that decision carries much more emotional weight.

Leading on from this, we questioned whether CSFL’s stance was in the interests of women’s emancipation.

The society’s representatives asserted that whilst they do consider themselves strongly pro-women, they recognised the controversy around openly depicting themselves as feminists.

Whatever their beliefs around life ethics, Joanna and Hannah both agreed that they would be able to put them aside in order to be a good friend and not “be annoying” if someone came to them for support regarding pregnancy concerns.

Perhaps the charitable rather than political inclinations of their society serves as a justification for their somewhat inconclusive views on the issue. However, we’d question whether it’s enough to just talk about an issue that has such a lasting effect on someone’s life in such a highly politicised society as we find ourselves in in the 21st century.

Bristol Pro-Life Feminist Society (BPLFS) Having grown up in Bristol, I (Erin) was always reminded of how liberal the city was. We voted in an 18-year-old Green councillor and the UK’s first black mayor, toppled Colston, and became Europe’s Green Capital and the UK’s most sustainable city. So, when I heard that the University of Bristol, located in the city’s heart, had a pro-life society, it seemed a stark anomaly. Founded just months before the Covid pandemic began, Bristol’s Pro-Life Feminist Society’s main goal is to ban abortion, something that I believe doesn’t align with their ‘pro-

ISSUE 7 / 31st January 2022 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

a view?

women’ aim, stating that “abortion is a human rights violation [that] we want to abolish that as soon as possible.” In the eyes of the society, who also advocate against the death sentence and euthanasia, the ‘unborn’ life should have rights from conception.

In their eyes, there’s no justification for killing “an innocent life.” Therefore, during pregnancy, BPLFS argue that the rights of the infant outweigh that of the woman’s, and abortion is not a woman’s right, so their argument that they support a woman’s bodily autonomy only seems to apply until another (potential) life becomes involved. Cécile. the Vice-President, suggested as an example that the national lockdown imposed as a result of Covid-19 demonstrated a similar restriction of bodily

autonomy in order to save the lives of society’s most vulnerable. Of course, those lives are outside of the womb already…

To accompany this ideology, the BPLFS supports various social justice causes and charities. These include advocating for an improved foster care system, paid parental leave and food or financial support. These are the services they refer students to if they’re in need, expressing that people are ‘misinformed’ in regards to abortion, and that this lack of information can ultimately make the experience of abortion more traumatic. President Fennie was strong in her belief that pregnancy should not be a setback, stating “we want to take away all the reasons you might have for a woman seeking abortion in that sense.”

BPLFS regularly holds events and debates throughout the year to explore injustice issues and find common ground.

Occasional debates are held with other societies such as Philosophy, attracting regular audiences of 15-30. Bristol Pro-Life also “go out and find people” to continue these conversations, adding “we love people to oppose us [and] to find common ground”. This belligerence alongside backlash to Exeter’s Pro-Life society led to student action against the group in 2021. Directed by Bristol BPLFS and the Women’s Network, an open letter was sent to the University of Bristol’s Student Union with over 500 signatures demanding BPLFS be shut down for violating the SU’s policies, but ultimately no violations were found.

It’s clear to see from both ProLife groups that their existence is contentious. Both hold conservative and arguably patriarchal views, particularly when it comes to sex and feminism. Yet both groups take different approaches when advocating against abortion. Cambridge isn’t advocating for the law to be changed but instead are a welcoming grassroots group. The society genuinely listens to those who need support, and don’t attempt to sway or shame people’s opinion – particularly those who are vulnerable.

Bristol is far more outspoken and politicised in their approach, hence why they’ve received far more backlash. It seems the society is far less concerned with listening. When we raised the point that it’d be naïve to discuss abortion as if it doesn’t affect young girls, particularly those in deprivation, the response was blunt, and along the lines of ‘we all know how sex works’. Contraception is not an issue supposedly, even for young girls. Bristol”s pro-life society approaches abortion as if it is just a middle-class inconvenience at best, whilst Cambridge is far more socially aware, despite the socio-economic privileges that one might associate with the university. If abortion is to be discussed or even debated, little discussion can be had if groups don’t think beyond the scope of their own privilege – something prolife societies often neglect.

The University of Manchester’s F e m i n i s t C o l l e c t ive ’s thoughts on the Bristol Pro-life Feminist Society It felt only right, journalistically, to interrogate our own university students about the debate and gain a balanced view on the topic. However, the closest

Features 7

thing the University of Manchester (UoM) has to anything even remotely in the realm of the abortion debate is our intersectional Feminist Collective. So, we sat down with Amber, the Feminist Collective’s deputy chair, to discuss the issue. The Feminist Collective describes itself as an ‘anti patriarchal’ organisation supporting ‘people of marginalised genders’ and standing ‘against all forms of bigotry”. It wasn’t exactly a light topic for a Monday afternoon interview.

We were eager to see if the Feminist Collective involved as much charity work and social justice focus as that of the two pro-life societies we spoke to. Amber explained that they do raise money for charities, but that their main focus is about “raising feminist consciousness”, which she defined as “discussing an issue and realising that it isn’t necessarily black and white”. This was something we felt was lacking in our discussions with Cambridge and Bristol.

In true leftist, Manc manner, Amber explained that she’d considered running an abortion session, but hesitated on what the debate would be, believing the outcome would be, “you all have the right to pick, it’s your body”.

That being said, we returned to the fundamental question we’d been struggling to comprehend: whose life comes first? Surely in prioritising the life of an embryo over that of an actual human being, you’re ultimately depriving bodily autonomy for that being, who has to live with the consequences regardless.

This led to an interesting conversation about the term ‘feminist’. We explained that whilst Bristol had named themselves a ‘Pro-Life Feminist Society’, Cambridge had expressed more trepidation around the use of the term.

Amber hastily eschewed the notion that there was an all-ornothing feminist criteria, disagreeing with “gatekeeping the word feminism”. Although, when it came to virtue signalling, Amber opposed the use of the label “without doing the work” to stand against the patriarchy. At least on that note, it would be impossible to accuse ‘pro-lifers’ of accepting the label without recognising their own advocacy and experiences similar to that of other feminists.

In a manner not wholly antithetical to the views of Cambridge Pro-Life, Amber speculated on the possibility of “a utopian world where every child gets adopted, and the way that you go through pregnancy is really nice”. Moments later she brought us back to reality, asserting “But it’s not what we have right now .”

We moved on to talk about the use of the actual terms ‘prolife’ and ‘pro-choice’ themselves, in relation to euthanasia and other life-ethics issues. Amber took a much more empathetic approach to ‘the idea of trying to protect life’ in terms of euthanasia. By redefining ‘pro-life’ to “pro-human life and human rights”, the discussion moved to the “more immediate concerns than people who have the potential to life” – something pro-life groups quietly advocate for.

Importantly, no one wanted to sugar-coat abortions as a pleasant experience. However, perhaps controversially, Amber expressed that she felt she should be able to have an abortion if she “just didn’t feel like a baby right then”, confessing she doesn’t see abortion as the “necessary evil” that many people on both sides of the debate see it as.

This led us to talk about individuals’ potential abuse of abortion services, using it as an alternative to contraception.

Rather than condemning these women, Amber attributed this to a “failure of the wider sex education and access to contraception system that we exist in”.

CSFL would agree that the system is failing women. The fact that this view is shared by both parties clearly indicates the need for feminism today, whether conservative or more liberal. Women are still repeatedly harmed by systemic oppression and deprivation, and whether you stand with them or not, everyone we spoke to is trying to fight that in their own way.

Since our interview, Amber has discussed ‘Abortion, Contraception, and the Right to Choose’ in her podcast Don’t Tell Me To Smile , which you can find on Spotify.

8 Science & Tech

ISSUE 7 / 31st January 2021 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Is our craving for

comfort food thanks to society or evolution?

Constantly ordering Uber Eats? Our eating behaviours may actually have more to do with our innate biology than our individual preferences

Joseph Blake Science Writer

Disclaimer: some of the content of this article may prove distressing for individuals who battle with eating disorders. he choices we make about the foods we eat are complicated. Individual preference, health beliefs, and societal expectations all play a role, however, it is an area that is rarely considered is evolution.

It is common knowledge that humans, and pretty much all life, are intrinsically adapted to conserve energy by doing as little as possible. This survival strategy has allowed us throughout history to have stored calories readily available for hunting and for when food is scarce. All this equates to us generally opting for high-calorie and low-effort options.

Though this has benefitted us in the past, today it is more likely to bring about health problems.

Junk food can broadly be categorized as food that is high in calorie content whilst being relatively low in nutritional value. Some common examples include cheeseburgers, frozen pizzas, cakes, and almost anything fried. Several brain imaging studies have shown these are the goodies we crave the most.

The hippocampal region in the brain is primarily in charge of forming new memories, but it has a secondary role in food recognition and craving. Brain imaging studies of humans show increased activity – a ‘lighting up’ effect – when images of high-calorie foods are shown to subjects. This increased neural activity ties in with the memory of eating the food and elicits the positive reinforcement pathway.

The result is that we are intensely aroused at the prospect of consuming that particular food and will be similarly stimulated by other high-calorie foods in the future.

The consumption of calorific food also taps directly into the dopamine pathway in the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter

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Photo: ROBIN STICKEL @ UNSPLASH

that plays an essential role in the regulation of reward and addiction. When we consume calorific food, the corresponding Dopamine release generates a positive emotional response, making us think it is beneficial to our survival.

It’s the same as when we have sex or exercise; they are considered to be evolutionarily positive and survival-promoting by our brain.

However, in societies where food access is readily available, we can comfortably satisfy the body’s demands. The danger then becomes that the reward pathway designed to keep us alive can actually condemn us to eat above our requirements.

Much like food consumption, stress is an absolute necessity for our survival. Historically, the stress response was key for the evasion of predators, whereas today it helps with avoiding contemporary dangers like getting hit by a car when crossing the street. However, the prevalence of chronic and maladaptive stress has increased due to the changing nature of modernity and new age stressors. This form of stress can significantly influence our eating behaviours.

The stress hormone cortisol is the principle orchestrator, where an upsurge of it drives cravings for high sugar and fat foods. The hormone is attempting to replenish energy supplies in the wake of a stressful situation. But this system can be inappropriately activated by, for example, a constantly pinging phone or distressing social media posts. It’s easy to see how the fast-paced and digital nature of our society might be causing an endless cycle of stress and craving comfort food.

Whether it’s stressors in our environment, our brain’s ancient pathways, or both, it seems our tendency towards unhealthier food options is a consequence of modern life. Especially as university students, it can be easy to succumb to stress, so looking after your health – mental and physical – with a good diet is key. But most importantly, eat what makes you happy.

Everything you need to know about

The James Webb Space Telescope The world’s largest and most powerful space telescope and successor to the Hubble telescope has finally reached it’s observation post one million miles away from Earth. Here’s the rundown of what this means for space exploration Sam Bronheim Science and Tech Editor

Mission goals • • •

To identify and explore the creation and evolution of other galaxies Learn more about the chemical and physical properties of the universe To search for the start of the Big Bang

How long will it take?

• •

•

The telescope was launched on on Christmas Day It took 29 days for it to reach its point of orbit, which is 1 million miles away from earth The mission is projected to last 5-10 years

Key facts and figures • •

•

It cost $10 million to build There were 344 steps required for the telescope to be fully operational, that’s 344 opportunities for things to go wrong More than 1200 scientists were involved

How does it work?

•

•

A 6.5m wide mirror collects infrared radiation to detect celestial objects in space Has a sunshield the size of a tennis court to ensure it stays at the right temperature to function (around -220ºC!)

Science & Tech 9

ISSUE 7 / 31st January 2022 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

LET ’S

GIC O L O I B GET

AL

Who’s ‘packing’ in the primates?

Jess Ferguson Science Writer

Photo: Eric Schmuttenmaer@flickr

Pig heart transplant sparks controversy The world’s first successful human-pig heart transplant procedure has swung open new doors in medicine, but how ethical was the experiment?

Amelia Cummins Science Writer

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n the 7th of January 2022, 57-yearold David Bennett received a transplant of a genetically modified pig’s heart, the first operation of its kind. In the following days, the transplant was widely hailed a ‘success’ by news outlets, with reporters and medical professionals alike praising it as a huge step forward for organ transplantation.

However, as the story unfolded, animal rights organisations responded and news of the recipient’s background broke, questions were raised over the ethical minefield that is the use of animal organs for human transplants. Is this transplant 2022’s first great medical advancement or its first unethical experiment?

The Transplant David Bennett, the transplant recipient, had arrhythmia and was attached to a heart-lung bypass machine pre-surgery.

He was deemed ineligible to be placed on the human transplant waitlist, as he was too sick and would be unlikely to survive the surgery. He was out of options until an experimental procedure using a genetically modified pig’s heart was suggested by one of his doctors, as a last-ditch attempt to save his life.

Transplanting an animal organ into a human, officially known as xenotransplantation, has never successfully been done, although previous attempts have been made. In 1994 a baboon’s heart was transplanted into a baby girl, who died 21 days later, while in October 2021 a pig’s kidney was successfully transplanted into a hu-

man, although the recipient was already brain dead. But with 17 people dying every day in the United States while waiting for organ transplants, many are wondering, what’s there to lose?

It’s a ‘no’ from the animal activists In the wake of the news of this transplant, widespread outrage from the animal rights community followed. Both PETA and Animal Aid, a UK-based animal rights group, condemned the use of an animal’s organ, declaring the operation ‘unethical’ and ‘a waste of resources’ . They argue that breeding and raising animals just to be killed for human use is wrong, especially as it is unknown how painful and harmful the procedure to genetically modify the heart is. This is of particular concern as pigs are believed to be highly sentient and intelligent beings, so much so that, according to another animal rights group, they are the fifth most intelligent animal. This leaves us to question whether is it ethical to breed and kill animals in the name of potentially saving human life?

A religious dilemma Questions have also been raised over the religious ramifications of using an animal organ, particularly pig organs, for transplantation. In many religions, including in Judaism and Islam, it is forbidden to breed or consume pigs. As xenotransplantation is a novel concept, there is no precedent for it within religious organisations, with many people wondering if accepting an animal organ for transplantation would be permitted.

In response a senior rabbi and mem-

ber of the UK’s Moral and Ethical Advisory group, Dr Moshe Freedman, declared that being a recipient of a pig’s heart is acceptable, as it is for the preservation of human life and does not violate Jewish dietary laws. Several Islamic organisations have responded similarly.

To pick and choose In the wake of the reveal of the recipient’s identity, it was reported that Bennett is a convicted criminal who received a ten year sentence after stabbing a man in 1988. This raised questions as to whether Bennett was a suitable choice for such a ground-breaking procedure. The victim’s sister, Leslie Shumaker Downey, criticised the hailing of her brother’s attacker as a hero, wishing the transplant had been performed on “a deserving recipient”.

However, many others argue that Bennett’s history is irrelevant. Medical ethics is built on the foundation that everybody is entitled to equal and fair medical treatment, regardless of background. Convicted criminals, including those currently serving a sentence in prison, cannot legally be excluded from the organ transplant waitlist. Furthermore, a criminal conviction cannot be used as a factor to argue in favour of a person being placed further down the list. Bennett’s conviction was not a factor in his ineligibility for the waitlist, and should not be a factor that excludes him from receiving experimental medical treatment.

This novel surgery may pave the way for new treatments and could one day save the lives of thousands of people, but so far it has only raised more questions than it has answered.

Did you know that male silverback gorillas weigh around 250 kilograms, but their penis and testes are only 10 grams? That’s equivalent to a vending machine having a testis the weight of 10 paperclips. Whilst this may seem surprising, gorillas don’t need massive genitals given the sexual dynamics of this species. Silverback males own a group of three-four females, known as a harem, who are constantly either pregnant or breastfeeding. What’s more, each of these females are only fertile about once or twice every four years! So, a large penis is not exactly necessary.

Chimpanzees are pretty promiscuous creatures with several males mating with one female whilst she is fertile. This results in sperm competition whereby each of the males need to produce lots of sperm to outcompete the other males. The more sperm produced, the more likely it is that the female’s offspring will have that chimp’s DNA (which is the main goal in all primates, and indeed many animals). To accommodate this increased level of sperm production, the chimpanzee’s testis is relatively large, at a weight of 150 to 170 grams. This is a third of the size of its brain. To put that into perspective, a human’s testis is only 50 grams, so chimps have a testis that is 3 times that!

However, the penis size of many primates is much compared to the testes. The largest gorilla will only have a penis that is two and half inches long when erect. In fact, humans have a proportionately large penis size compared to their body size - but length is not everything (am I right?). The size and shape of penises in primates vary too and compared to other animals, the human penis is actually rather dull.

We are the only primate without a bone in the penis and have a relatively more simple structure. Primates with simpler penises tend to be monogamous (only have one partner) or polygynous (mate with only a few partners). The more complex penises belong to primates like bushbabies and lemurs, who mate with many partners in their lifetime.

Say what you will about animal penises but they’re a perfect example of how fascinating, diverse, and maybe a bit weird, nature truly is.

Next time: Bonobo menstruation.

10 Opinion

ISSUE 7 / 31st January 2022 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

One Year of President Biden: A Progressive Revolution or an Uninspiring Façade?

The Mancunion takes a look back at Joe Biden’s first year in office, assessing whether there has actually been a progressive revolution between Biden and his predecessor’s presidencies Joe McFadden Investigations Editor

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anuary 20th will mark one year of Joe Biden’s Presidency. Amidst a pandemic, economic crisis, and increasing political polarisation it is fair to say that the issues Biden met with upon his inauguration are some of the most difficult challenges a President has faced upon taking office in American history. Indeed, Biden’s inaugural challenges are comparable to those faced by Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln; the Great Depression (1933) and the Secession Crisis of 1861, respectively.

Another unprecedented event in the days leading up to Biden’s inauguration last year was the January 6th Insurrection. Domestic terrorists, called to action by lame duck President Donald Trump, besieged and then stormed the Capitol building. Meanwhile, Congress attempted to count the electoral college votes which confirmed Biden as the winner of the 2020 election. This failed coup d’état would set the stage for the first few weeks of Biden’s presidency as the nation came to terms with the shocking events that had transpired.

All of this is important because it contextualises the political realities that Biden took the Oath of Office in. With all that in mind, let’s look at Biden’s first year in office.

The Good Despite my many misgivings with Biden and the Democratic Party, it would be unfair to focus solely on their shortcomings. First and foremost, the largest success of President Biden’s Administration has been the greatest vaccination effort in US history. At the time of writing, more than 520 million doses of the vaccine have been administered (Bloomberg, 2022). This means that 63% of the US population have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Now, for a country as arguably advanced as America its percentage is relatively low when compared to other countries (e.g. China with 87% fully vaccinated, and Brazil with 79%).

However, Biden cannot be fully blamed for this. The federal nature of the USA means that, even though the federal government orders and distributes the vaccines, it is up to individual state governments to administer the shot. This means that Biden is not technically responsible for the varying rates with which each state has vaccinated its population. This is particularly important when taking into account how misinformation has caused vaccine hesitancy in many states, especially in the Deep South and Rocky Mountain regions. Therefore, the vaccine effort can be attributed as a win for Biden because it has been largely successful in spite of the surge in “Anti Vaxxer conspiracy theories” that have hampered the rollout.

Another success for Biden was passing a $1.9 trillion stimulus bill into law. This relief package gave $1400 in direct aid to all eligible

adults. Unlike previous stimulus packages, it included adult dependents like college students or those in receipt of social welfare. Also included in the bill were tax provisions like increasing child tax credits alongside $130 billion i n education funding for costs associated with introducing Covid-19 measures like social distancing in classrooms.

Passing the bill into law was a clear success for Biden, especially considering no Republicans in the House of Representatives voted for it (although the Democrats majority in the House nullified their opposition). The economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic is forever evolving as governments and markets react to the changing world. Thus, for Biden to have passed a stimulus package of this magnitude is a resounding success. Whilst it does not represent an overhaul of the American economy or is even comparable to the measures introduced by Roosevelt’s “New Deal” in ‘33, Biden’s economic investment will always be a positive aspect to his Presidency.

One final positive of Biden’s first year in office has been his climate policy. In a clear refutation of his predecessor anti-science policies, on his first day in office Biden signed an Executive Order recommitting the US to the Paris Climate Accords. He also cancelled the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. He also created two new important roles in the fight against climate change after establishing the role of White House National Climate Advisor (Gina McCarthy) and U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate (John Kerry).

These actions are the most significant part of the Biden Administration so far. It is no secret that the fight against climate change is a dire one. Inarguably it needs global leaders to take notice and join the fray.

Through the

Whitehouse Photo: Louis Velazquez @ Unsplash American Flag. Photo: Markus Gjengaar @ Unsplash

aforementioned acts, Biden has sent a clear message that he is willing to do something about the climate crisis. He has demonstrated that whilst his Presidency may not represent a transformation of the American economy, or a drastic constitutional shake-up, it may be remembered as the moment that the US government began to take climate change seriously and, more importantly, do something about it.

The Bad On the reverse side of Biden’s end of year report card is his failure to push through more relief measures that are part of his “Build Back Better” policy initiative.

“Build Back Better” is a legislative framework that aims to reform and improve the American economy whilst boosting social provisions and fighting climate change. Despite being similar in intent to FDR’s “New Deal” or LBJ’s “Great Society” initiatives, Biden’s plan is relatively tame by comparison.

The issues arise from B ide n’s majority of just one vote in t h e Senate. Currently, the Build Back Better Act i s being held to ransom on the senate floor by Senator Joe Manchin III (D-WV) who wants it lowered to $1.5 trillion after already having it lowered from $3.1 trillion to $1.75 trillion.

Another disappointing aspect of Biden’s time in the White House has been the Democratic Party’s unwillingness to take advantage of their control over both Congress and the White House for the first time since 2011. As the Republicans have proven over the past decade, control of Congress is crucial for a President seeking to legislate effectively. So far, the Democrats appear to be lacking.

Control of Congress is not just important for legislation but also for political control of the judiciary. Currently, there is a 6-3 Conservative majority on the Supreme Court and with important votes on civil rights like abortion scheduled for 2022, the Democrats should have taken the opportunity to expand the Supreme Court. Now, such a move would be hugely controversial. Biden himself may not even be in favour of it. However, with polarisation at its worst since the Secession crisis, expanding the Supreme Court may be Biden’s only hope – short of constitutional amendments – to protect the civil rights intrinsic to the American ideal that “All Men are created equal.”

Furthermore, another possible solution to Biden’s woes

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ISSUE 7 / 31st January 2022 WWW.MANCUNION.COM could be expanding the Senate by way of approving statehood for Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress has the power by way of a

Despite a mixed first year, hope is not lost for President Biden. Even though his approval ratings are declining and the Democrats are projected to lose the

simple majority to admit the aforementioned places into the Union as their citizens have already voted in favour of statehood. By admitting D.C. and PR, the Democrats would create four new Senate seats, making a GOP senate less likely due to the two potential states’ political leanings.

However, any such move would, whether that be Senate or Court expansion, be hugely controversial. It would almost certainly split the centre-right Democratic Party right down the middle. Therefore, even if he did have radical intentions, Biden would struggle to pass any such constitutional measures without Bipartisan support – something that is becoming increasingly rare in Washington these days.

House and possibly the Senate in the 2022 Congressional midterm elections, Biden still has an opportunity in the next 6 months to push policies through that will have positive, tangible effects for the American people.

And the Ugly Despite domestic negotiations over ‘Build Back Better’ being an issue, Biden still has the potential to resolve them. What is unresolvable, an unforgivable, however, is the USA’s calamitous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

America first sent troops to Afghanistan in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, beginning with covert CIA operatives and Special Forces aimed at surgically weakening the Taliban government and Al-Qaeda cells residing in the region. What followed was a long and brutal 20 year war that has now culminated in the fall of Kabul and a Taliban resurgence in Afghanistan.

The complete withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan was a result of the Trump Administration’s 2020 Doha Agreement - a treaty with the Taliban that circumvented the Afghan government whilst agreeing to a total withdrawal based on a “promise” that the Taliban would not challenge the government. Despite multiple analysts predicting that Afghanistan would fall within weeks of US withdrawal, and skirmishes beginning as soon as the first troops withdrew, the Biden Administration still made the disastrous decision to follow through with the plan.

As a result of this haphazard approach to foreign policy, Afghanistan is currently experiencing a humanitarian disaster of catastrophic proportions.

A recent UN report has projected that by the middle of 2022 Afghanistan will experience near-universal levels of poverty, with 97% of the population living below the international poverty line of $1.90 a day.

Now, I am not an advocate of the so-called “War on Terror”, nor am I a proponent of military occupations.

However, it is crystal clear that the Biden Administration’s decision to continue the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan is one of the biggest humanitarian failures of recent years. It marks a complete abdication of America’s moral responsibility as a global leader. It is also unfortunately ironic that the past three decades worth of American foreign policy, dating back to Ronald Reagan’s support of the Mujahideen, were directly responsible for causing the conflict which saw Afghanistan thrown into turmoil.

One year into his four year term, Biden’s path forward is still unclear. It is yet to be seen what the long term fallout of the January 6th insurrection will be and how that may affect Biden going forward, but the fact of the matter remains that America is now more deeply polarised than it has been at any time in modern history.

Ultimately, we cannot judge an entire presidency on its freshman year alone. However, what we can be certain of is that President Biden’s remaining time in office will be crucial for defining what America’s legacy will be for the rest of the century.

“And that’s the way it is” Clearly, President Biden has achieved some important policy objectives in his first year in office.

His trillion dollar stimulus package came as a relief to many American families facing economic uncertainty amidst the pandemic.

Meanwhile, his strong stance on climate change signals a return to global leadership in an age where there is an endless abdication of it.

However, despite his strong domestic policies, Biden’s foreign policy has been nothing short of a disaster. The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is inexcusable and comes disappointing shock that experienced politician like could have let this happen.

morally as a a n B i d e n

President Joe Biden Photo: The White House @ Wikimedia Commons

Empire State Building Photo: Juan Pablo Mascanfroni @ Unsplash

Statue of Liberty Photo: AussieActive @ Unsplash

Washington Monument Photo: Brian Erickson @ Unsplash

12 Opinion

ISSUE 7 / 31st January 2022 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Molly Mae-Be the downfall of the girlboss Prepare to be influenced! Molly-Mae’s handy little guide on how to amass wealth and exploit workers under the guise of feminism will mean that you too can be a #girlboss!

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op quiz! ‘You can’t just be happy with where you are… there’s always more to be achieved’ is a quote by which #girlboss – Margaret Thatcher or Molly-Mae Hague?

That’s right! Our favourite neoliberal icon Molly-Mae came under fire at the start of the year; comments she made owing her fame and success to simply working hard went viral.

‘When I’ve spoken about that before in the past I have been slammed a little bit with people saying… you’ve not grown up in poverty, you’ve not grown up with, you know, major money struggles, so for you to sit there and say that we all have the same 24 hours in a day, it’s not correct’, she said on Steven Bartlett’s The Diary of a CEO podcast, ‘But technically what I’m saying is correct. We do’.

‘It just depends to what lengths you wanna go to get where you wanna be in the future. And I’ll go to any length, like, I’ve worked my absolute arse off to get where I am now’.

This claim by the multi-millionaire influencer unsurprisingly evoked backlash on social media.

Twitter users mocked her by calling her ‘MollyMae Thatcher’, ‘Theresa Mae’ and ‘Fiat 500 Führer’. One disparaging comment read, ‘if you’re homeless just buy a house’. Her suggestion that people are poor because they don’t ‘go to any length’ or work as hard as she does, led to ‘MollyMae = Tory Scum’ being written on the side of Sainsburys in Fallowfield.

Photo: Sainsbury’s Graffiti : Farris Ramzy @ MSG Facebook

While Molly-Mae may have worked her ‘absolute arse off’, her comments are simply representative of the illusion of meritocracy in a society established on social inequality.

Dismissing her privileges of being conventionally attractive, white and middle class – as well as the boost of appearing on one of the most famous reality TV shows in the world – she implies that the answer to escaping poverty is simply to work harder.

In reluctant defence of Molly-Mae, her comments stemmed from the common phrase that everyone has the same 24 hours in a day as Beyoncé. Her claim that ‘if you want something enough you can achieve it’, isn’t much worse than inspirational quotes such as ‘she believed she could so she did’ plastered on notebooks and t-shirts. The likes of which are peddled to the public for profit.

While her comments are ignorant, they appear to be a misguided attempt at motivation.

She is undoubtedly one of the most successful Love Island contestants since the show began.

She has even managed what other reality stars have been unable to achieve – to avoid fading into obscurity. She didn’t accept any old brand deal or #ad, but collaborated with companies that would fit her brand and form long-term alliances with her.

Her success became the blueprint for young women wanting a successful career in social media, showcasing how seemingly ordinary people can be elevated into fame and fortune in a short space of time. While many high-earning, high-exposure careers are built on nepotism, w e a l t h y backgrounds and private education, influencing is far less exclusive and can be attempted by anyone with an internet connection and a half-decent

personality.

Yet it is here that the pointy-nailed, pinkpower-suit-wearing influencer becomes an extension of the ‘girlboss’. Under the guise of female empowerment and inspirational financial success, the girlboss is a symbol of brutally competitive individualism and vicious exploitation utilised to maintain wealth.

Who can forget our socialist queen Zoella!

After gaining millions of followers by humbly reviewing Primark clothes and Superdrug makeup, she turned to selling novels written by ghostwriters and flogging advent calendars containing paper clips and stickers for £50 a pop.

“

The girlboss is a symbol of brutally competitive individualism and vicious exploitation utilised to maintain wealth.

her comments were called out by so many. It’s not like she’s really taken any notice – after making a half-hearted, non-apology on Instagram, she went straight back to posting selfies of herself in designer clothing whilst simultaneously advertising a full-time job for her company that pays just £16,845 a year.

Yet we can hope that the backlash has cast doubts over the supposedly empowering, ‘girlboss’ era, as well as demonstrating that such criticism is not an attempt to undermine feminist movements but rather to expose the injustices of capitalism. It also leaves me optimistic for the diminishment of the influencer, who’s ignorance simply reflects a nation’s ignorance to social inequality and its consequences.

Or maybe Molly-Mae will just be happy that I’ve written an article all about her using several of my ever-so-precious 24 hours.

“

Gemma Brown Deputy Opinion Editor

As PLT posts neon-pink empowering quotes on women’s self-care and mental health, they offer appalling wages in an industry where 80% of workers worldwide are women. ‘Your only limit is you ’ and ‘‘You don’t need a man. You need a holiday, a payrise + a tan’ are claims made by the Boohoo Instagram account, yet apparently they do not consider the £3.50 hourly wage of their garment workers in Leicester a ‘limit’.

Whilst, for obvious reasons, bullying and harrassing Molly-Mae is unacceptable, I’m glad

Photo: Instagram @Mollymae

“I don’t want anyone to show me that my body is a before, and that I should be looking for an after” : Debunking diet culture The damaging effect of diet culture on our society and how it exacerbates the conditions of already oppressed groups.

Syd King Opinion Writer TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains discussion around diet culture and eating disorders. If you are struggling, please contact https:// www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/getinformation-and-support/get-help-formyself/online-support/ e’ve all been there. New years day, surrounded by friends and family. Everyone resolving to lose weight, go on a diet or hit the gym – talking about how ‘naughty’ they were over Christmas, eating all those ‘bad’ foods. Now imagine you’re recovering from an eating disorder. You are going through months of therapy, maybe even hospitalisation, to try and recover to a point where you can feel secure in your body & eat intuitively. Sitting through these conversations can be triggering and have horrific effects on your health and recovery, and for many of us, we turn to social media for escape.

But it doesn’t stop there, social media is filled with ‘diet & lifestyle’ ads that are unavoidable and triggering.

For many of us, the options are limited.

Either we stick it out, get triggered and often never fully recover from our disorders, or delete the internet forever and resolve to live under a rock with no life, friends or jobs – not really much of a choice, is it?

The war against diet culture can seem hopeless, but one activist, Katie Budenberg (@make_love_not_ diets), started a petition to allow Instagram users to ‘filter out’ weight

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loss & diet adverts. She is an “anti-diet content creator”, dedicated to “body acceptance, love and debunking diet culture”, and she is a force for good. Far from trying to ‘censor’ or ‘ban’ weight loss companies from social media, this option would allow users the freedom of choice to make their own informed decisions about whether they can handle seeing weight loss and diet content.

During an interview, Katie (she/ her) recalled years spent “putting up with an influx of diet ads after Christmas and New Year’s”. She found these triggering, even when she was in a “good place mentally”. She talked about how social media can be “so wonderful and so horrendous”; it allows users to create a space that feels inclusive and safe, but also pushes diet ads that “permeate that bubble… with whatever shoddy product they’re trying to sell me”.

And with the petition rapidly becoming one of Change.Orgs biggest ever in under a month, with almost 30,000 signatures, users clearly agree.

Katie described the popularity of the petition as “bittersweet”, as the solidarity shows an amazing effort, but also shows just how many people’s health is being affected by these ads.

Signatories of the petition stated: “When I was in recovery, this sort of option would have made it so much easier, and I want better for those who recover after me.”

“I shouldn’t be shown ads which claim I’m not good enough as I am” “Death to a billion dollar industry – diet culture. Time to end preying

on people specifically after a holiday period, guilting them into feeling bad about their body and throwing them into years of disorderly eating and body dysmorphia” Instagram already offers the option to filter out certain ads including; parenting, pets, alcohol and drugs and politics/social issues. There is no clear reason why the company did not include more triggering areas in this list. Katie argued this means Instagram already recognises that certain content can be triggering. So its just a case of expanding the categories they consider to be dangerous.

Katie hopes that the petition will lead Instagram to allow users to choose whether they see diet and weight loss ads or not, and that other social media platforms will follow suit, as they usually do. Ultimately, she dreams that, “all the ads would be cancelled, advertising agencies can recognise that ads can be harmful, that’s why we banned cigarette ads…with about 25% of people who take up a diet having disordered eating or an eating disorder (one of the deadliest mental health issues), this should shock [them].”

Katie ended the interview by stating “I don’t want anyone to show me that my body is a before, and that I should be looking for an after”.

I don’t have an eating disorder – why should I care about Diet Culture?

Racism: Imagine a weight loss advert, a skinny woman, doing yoga in a field – what does she look like? What colour is her hair? What about her skin?

Most of the time, diet culture pushes the idea of the ‘perfect’ body, and this

is usually white. As well as generally presenting white people in the space of having the ‘ideal body’, diet culture also assumes that we have access to the same resources and income as everyone else – and this is not the case for a lot of people of colour, especially those that identify as black. Often, especially in the UK) black people are more likely to live in poverty, thus having less access to resources and time for diets and working out.

Fatphobia: Diet culture’s very foundation is that being fat is bad. Not only that, it’s so bad that everyone should go through huge amounts of physical and mental pain, and spend thousands of pounds to avoid it at all costs. Often, diet culture takes aspects of disordered eating, and promotes them as ‘effective’ ways to stay skinny – regardless of the cost to your health.

Realistically, it is a myth that all fat people are unhealthy. Every person has a different natural body weight; someone can be healthy at size 10, whilst their friend can be healthy at size 16, size 20 or above. I wish I could say that ‘only a doctor can tell you if your size is unhealthy’ but even the medical community is rife with fatphobia.

AbleismLike with racism, diet culture relies on portraying a specific body type as the ideal, and this body type is non-disabled for one, and often extremely inaccessible to disabled people. The same issues with poverty apply to disabled people as people of colour, (1) and even more so when they intersect. Alongside this, the world in general is very unwilling to make

accommodations for disabled people – with sports centres and gyms often having little to no accommodations.

Moreover, a lot of disabilities make it incredibly hard to work out anyway; with chronic pain or fatigue being some of the most common side-effects of disabilities. This poses huge barriers to exercising. Diet culture doesn’t accept this as an excuse however, and shames people all the same.

Transphobia : Again, diet culture does not portray the ideal body as being trans* – it presents a type of body that for a lot of trans* people, we can never achieve. Scars, in particular, are presented as ugly, but they’re a necessary byproduct for a lot of us. Furthermore, the issues of poverty apply to trans* people as well. Moreover, diet-culture doesn’t accept the systematic abuse and discrimination against trans* people as an excuse to not work out. Oftentimes, simply by going to the gym, trans* people risk being attacked; gyms often involve use of gendered toilets or changing rooms, or even entirely gendered gyms, as well as potentially being unable to safely hide certain things that ‘out’ us as trans* to passersby. (2).

Overall, as well as being rooted in bigotry and colonialism, forcing diet culture on people has a very serious negative impact on their health – a needless one. The profits of diet companies should not come at the price of people’s health.

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ISSUE 7 / 31st January 2022 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Agony Aunt Angela: Would it be wrong to go back to him?

Submit your worries, queries or quandries to Aunt Angela

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y method of determining if I like some is to ask myself two questions: Could I date them? Could I sleep with them?

This is pretty effective, especially when you’re sat opposite them on a first date. If the answer is no to both, especially if the idea of either makes you feel a bit sick, then you definitely don’t like them.

However, if you’re thinking about him every day and missing him … yeah, no you have a fat crush on him luv. The thing is, I don’t think you have an issue about whether you like him. Instead, I think you have a fear of commitment, particularly if you’re already aware that you have different priorities. Now I don’t mean that in the sense that you can’t keep a man down for a week, but rather you’re second-guessing your possible relationship with him because you don’t want it to go wrong. You guys jumped the gun by separating without really exploring what your relationship would look like.

I had the same situation as you where a guy friend became close – that’s how most of my relation-

ships start. We’ve been dating now for four months and it’s one of the healthiest relationships I’ve been in. I put that down to being friends first, but also being open with each other. We’re aware we may not always have the same priorities, particularly at uni. The main thing is neither of us went into it thinking we would ultimately get married and live happily ever after. No one does that.

My advice is to first unpick why you think it wouldn’t work. Again, you’re not marrying the guy so there’s no pressure for it to work.

Relationships are meant to be fun, not hard work. If you decide to date him, take it slow and be open with each other. If you work as friends you’ll probably work as a couple. It definitely wouldn’t be wrong to try.

As Justin Bieber once said, never say never.

Whatever you do, don’t do friends with benefits. Trust me …

Kisses! Aunt Angela x Need some advice? Send in your mishaps and worries by scanning here:

Jamaica: A Reflection of My Trip Nicola Miles Lifestyle Writer

I

’ve never been to Jamaica as a tourist. Over Christmas, I jetted off to the birthplace of reggae and jerk to spend the holidays with family.

But also, to indulge in authentic jerk chicken and reggae music, of course.

Out there, I spend most of my time with my grandma. Her home sits on a beautiful topography of hills that boast an array of vibrant upmarket houses.

W h e n telling m y

friends my plans were to go to Jamaica this Christmas, I was met with jaw drops: “You’re so lucky. You’re going to be spending every day at the beach”; “You’re going to get such nice pictures”.

They all seemed to have this romanticized idea of Jamaica and the lives of the people that live there – as if the only things people do on the island is float on bamboo rafts and spend all day drinking out of coconut shells on platinum beaches.

As a non-tourist, my time spent in Jamaica is a lot more ordinary than it sounds. But, despite not swimming in crystal lagoons and climbing up waterfalls 24/7, I find anything I’m doing in Jamaica is always a magical experience.

Every time we go to Jamaica we visit my great grandmother’s house in the rural areas up in St Ann’s province, the largest parish in Jamaica. Located north, St Ann is often called ‘The Garden parish of Jamaica’ for its natural floral beauty. As Jamaica’s ‘capital of adventure’, Ocho Rios (locally referred to as Ochi) was close by we decided to do something fun for the day.

A family friend sug-

gested we go to Dolphin Cove, a marine attraction in the heart of Ochi. “You want to be able to go back to the UK and show off!” Berkie says to us, “You want to show your friends back at home what Jamaica is made of, give them stories to tell”. He was right. My family would always take us to Ochi on every visit to do just that.

Ocho Rios is a stark difference from the capital Kingston which I’m used to. Covered by extensive emerald rainforests and lush waterfalls, Ochi is magnificent. Many can attest to that. Its enchanting beauty was featured in the first Bond film, Dr. No. In fact, Ian Fleming birthed James Bond in Ochi in his cliff-hanging home which overlooked a private beach. Fleming saw the allure of the Jamaican idyll in Ochi.

We decided to squeeze in a visit to Dolphin Cove – a natural cove surrounded by five acres of tropical rainforest. And as the name suggests, is home to dolphins!

Walking in, I was welcomed with sounds of splashing, squeaking dolphins, and many American accents. The cove is designed to be a counterpart of a holiday resort.

Beaches, crystal pools, slides, and jacuzzies – turned out I was living it out the way my friends were expecting me to after all.

The dolphins aren’t shy and say hi when you come over to them – you can also swim with them if you fancy. Up in the tropical rainforest, there is also a mini zoo where you could get up and close with parrots and iguanas.

I’m not going to lie; the whole marine attraction was giving me Blackfish vibes.

My mum and I were even joking with the instructors about it, telling one, “Once you watch that documentary, you’ll want to quit your job”. However, he assured us both that

the dolphins were happy and if they wanted to leave, they could easily jump over the floated footpath they were enclosed in. “Here [Dolphin Cove] is their home”, he told us. If what he was saying was true, most likely the dolphins were staying because they were being fed. I was reminded that a day out in Ochi is guaranteed to refresh and reconnect you with nature. Friendly conversations with dolphins, walking through glistening forests, and quick dips in the ocean, I felt re-energized and optimistic on our journey back home.

Overall, my trip to Jamaica revitalized my spirit. The break prepared me for an intense week of studying for upcoming exams that were waiting for me once I got back to the UK. I’m hoping to go back to Jamaica this year as a traveller. Even though it’ll be m y ninth time visiting, there is so much t h e

country has to offer, you can never get enough. The beauty, excitement, and thrill of Jamaica is never-ending.

22/03/2022 MANCHESTERSTUDENTSUNION.COM/RECLAIMTHENIGHT

Horoscopes 31.01.22 - 13.02.22 Fortnightly Astrological Prophecies from Catherine Shatwell (charlatan in training)

Sagittarius (23.11 - 21.12)

Capricorn (22.12 - 19.01)

Aquarius (20.01 - 19.02)

You’ve already failed your new years

Why not try going the whole year without

You might as well drop that new ‘upbeat’

resolution, even if you think you haven’t.

visiting the bastion of whiteness that is

attitude you’ve adopted for the new year.

Starbucks.

There’s no way you’ll keep that going.

Pisces (20.02 - 20.03)

Aries (21.03 - 20.04)

Taurus (21.04 - 20.05)

Is this the year you’ll broaden your horizons,

If you wonder why you get in lots of

Heavily drinking as soon as you wake up does

open your mind and stop bad mouthing

confrontations, its because everyone hates you.

not count as a personality, you need help.

Cancer (21.06 - 22.07)

Leo (23.07 - 22.08)

spiritualism?

Gemini (21.05 - 20.06)

As a parasite who just causes strife and misery It will happen next tuesday

everywhere you go, you’d be a perfect fit for

Leave that copper piping alone.

politics.

Virgo (23.08 - 22.09)

Libra (23.09 - 22.10)

Scorpio (23.10 - 22.11)

You couldn’t work in sales because you don’t

Everything you thought might happen this year

This might be the year you finally lose that

have a personality

probably isn’t going to. Give up on your deams.

attiude.

Word Games

because apparently somethingcalled ‘Wordle’ is popular now

Word Ladder WINE

Riddle You saw me where I never was and where I could not be. And yet within that very place, my face you often see. What am I?

Make as Many Words as Possible Using the Middle Letter

BEER

N A I B G I T N O

22 artists to look out for in 2022 Rest assured, there are plenty of hot, intelligent people here at the University of Manchester - we are apparently the 11th most attractive university in the country.

“

CULTURE

20 Music

CULTURE

ISSUE 7 / 31st January 2022 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

IN CONVERSATION WITH ALT -J Alannah Williams Music Writer

K

nown for their effervescentcome-psychedelic soundscapes and blissful stylings, Alt-J have been taking the indie world by storm over the last decade and a half.

With their fourth studio album due out early next month, I shared a phone call, with the then-isolating Gus to discuss The Dream LP and creating safe spaces at concerts.

How have you been doing in the last few weeks?

What have you been up to?

I’ve had Coronavirus, which has been quite boring.

But I’m feeling a lot better now. So hoping to come out of isolation quite soon, which is good.

Oh, are you still isolated now?

Yeah, I’m just at home. I’m living in a sort of garden office. So I’ve been living out there to try and not give my wife and child COVID. So you’ve just been living in a little man cave in the garden for the past week?

Exactly! It will be nice to re-enter my house at some point. Other than that, it’s been good. We’ve been in rehearsals for the band, which has been fun, like learning all the new songs and getting ready for the tour next year. So, it feels good to be getting the getting the engine running on the band again.

Amazing! The Dream is set for release Feb 11th. Are you excited for that to come out?

Very excited. We finished it back in June. So yeah, I just really can’t wait for everyone to hear it. To be honest, it’s been so long I need to keep reminding myself that people have only had two singles from it.

Are you planning on releasing any more singles from it?

Oh, no, there’ll be another single. Just after the new year, we’re going to release ‘Hard Drive Gold’ as a single.

I think that’ll be the last one before the album comes out.

In terms of your music in general, it spans across quite a lot of genres. Like you’ve got your alternative electronica and then there’s like some almost dance-fused cuts in there. Is there any particular genre that you’d slot the band into? Or do you not like being pinned down?

I think we try to avoid kind of being too pigeon-holed just because we’ve got this far, without ever feeling like we needed to. We know that we broadly fit into the indie corner, as it were, but I think within that we’re able to kind of like, you know, try our hand at lots of different things. And I think ultimately, our fan base has always liked the fact that we try

different things and are quite experimental. So in that sense, I think we’ve got this freedom to sort of do what we want musically, and having Joe as the lead singer, which is quite a unique voice. I think ultimately if we make a song, you know, musically sounds a bit like house music and then another one that sounds more like post-punk but Joe’s singing on both of them it’s still has a sort of that sort of voice that ties it all together.

What else can you tell us about The Dream? What does the album mean to you?

I think it’s a very personal album, you know, it’s the first time we’ve ever recorded we’ve ever had our own studio to write and recording. That was a really nice thing. And we sort of like we tried to get lots of our friends and family and wives and partners, and stuff involved in the recording process doing little kind of vocal samples.

And that makes that feel like a very, very personal album and hopefully, that comes across to listeners as well.

In your songs you have quite a lot of hidden vocal accompaniments like you had Ellie Rowsell on ‘Relaxer’. Are there any more surprise features on this record?

Like features in the same way that no and say that we found that we tried to use more people – we’ve got like, my mom and Joe’s mom doing little sort of like vocal samples on ‘Hard Drive Gold’ – we just want to make it more personal really.

Oh, that’s so sweet that you got people you know actually getting involved with your music as well, especially with the lead single ‘U&Me’ – that is very much a song about togetherness and friendship and having everyone you love around you. Is that a theme that you think carries on throughout the album then?

I think that song in particular, felt like an important one – that was the first one we released from the album, it felt like an optimistic song to kind of kickstart the recording process and also felt like a good kind of optimistic message to give people when we were returning as the band, and particularly given what the world’s gone through in the last two years. We just wanted to kind of just try and say to people, like, you know, “good times, they’ll come back eventually“, and we’ll be back in a field with our arms around each other, you know, singing and dancing and having a good time.

Is that the reason you chose it to be the lead single, like an optimistic beacon of hope to open up the world back to Alt-J? I would say so – we released it towards the end of summer, and it was literally about going to a festival. So yeah, it felt like a good thing too, and optimistic note to return to music.

So in terms of the album as a whole, are the any themes that are veined throughout it, like the togetherness and friendship?

Well, we’ve always ended up seeming to reference water quite a lot in our lyrics. And again, in this in this song, there’s mentions of swimming pools and like drowning and swimming. I’m not sure why that seems to preoccupy Joe, so much as a lyricist. But I think, again, it’s the sort of love and loss are our kind of bread and butter.

Lyrically, I

would say, and thinking about death, and thinking about losing people and stuff is something that’s always on our minds. I suppose it’s just about trying to do that in a way that doesn’t that doesn’t feel completely hopeless.

Is it mainly Joe that writes the lyrics? What does the writing process look like?

Yeah. I would say generally, the music comes before the lyrics.

When was the album written and recorded?

We started recording, in summer 2020 of the first lockdown. And we finished recording this summer.

So you’ve gone through being out of lockdown to going back in it again, and coming out again. How did that affect the recording process?

I think in a way, it actually was quite beneficial.

Because we had a bit more time – more songs were being written and it took the pressure off us timewise. It’s just, you know, ultimately, it’ll be done when it’s done. And the whole world is kind of like being thrown into a bit of, you know, no one really knows what to expect at the moment. So, you know, no one’s going to be tapping their watch saying, “it’s about time for an Alt-J release”. It’s just like going well, f*ck knows what’s going on? Yeah, it was nice, to have that slight feeling of being able to just pause time.

With previous records, have you felt that kind of pressure to get something new out as soon as possible?

I think with our third album, we committed ourselves to reach a really tight deadline to sort of record the album.

And ultimately, I think that was to its detriment, you know, we had to rush and we were not as many songs on there as we would have liked, but we just pretty much run out of time. And that was not a nice feeling. I think we kind of said to ourselves after that, that we would never work like that again. And so I think the release of The Dream is a product of that product, basically.

So you’ve recently released ‘Get Better’ – what’s the story behind that track?

It’s song which was written very much during the pandemic and sort of about a man losing his partner to an illness. And, you know, lyrically, it does kind of make references to the pandemic, and talking about frontline workers. The more we talked about this song in interviews, I think the more we realised how much it was a product of a pandemic and the lockdowns and stuff and the things we didn’t realise, at first quite how, at the time it affected us and to the point where we actually wrote a song about it. And that’s a new thing for us, because normally, none of our songs really deal with like, shall we say, Current Affairs, but I think the momentousness or the pandemic definitely, is such that it did end up, you know, having a song written about it.

I think it’s quite strange to think about as well that if the pandemic didn’t happen, that song probably never would have existed, and the album could have looked so much different.

That’s very true. I like thinking that.

ISSUE 7 / 31st January 2022 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

So you how did you find lockdown, then creatively, you said you did like quite a lot of writing and recording?

Yeah, I mean, you know, I think it was just good to have that breathing space. Actually, went into the studio in January 2020, and then had a few weeks in there of writing, then we had to go into lockdown for a few months, then we came back and started recording.

So that was kind of like quite a good way to work. And then we sort of recorded for a few weeks, or months.

And then then we had another lockdown. What was it I can’t remember, I think we carried on recording, and writing until Christmas? And then there was another whole big lockdown wasn’t there beginning of next year. Then Joe had a baby, then we kind of got back into the studio in like, April, and kind of finished out and then but I think having those break just mentioned every time he came back to the studio, he felt like quite revived and quite restored. And that was a nice feeling. Being in the studio can be pretty draining, you know, it’s not always the most creative process or the most creative time really, quite often. It’s a lot of doing nothing and waiting for your turn to do something.

And also being in this environment, this like, quiet, windowless environment that can be physically quite airless, but also, you know, quite emotionally kind of cramped as well. So actually, having the enforced break by the pandemic was, I think, really good. It meant that we, we didn’t get too much.

What was it like working with Charlie Andrew on the album?

We’ve worked with him since 2009. So it’s always been great working with Charlie, you know, he’s a member of the band, basically. He’s just somebody who really gets what kind of sound we want to make. He’s really curious and inquisitive, musically. He’s always up to try new things, if we say we want to try something like an opera singer, or, you know, a children’s choir or something, he makes it happen straightaway. He’s got lots of contacts and all different kinds of musical worlds. And, you know, he just likes to make recording as creative a process as possible. And that’s a really nice thing.

Is there a favourite track on the album of yours that you’ve recorded?

I think it might be the first track - it’s such a journey and it starts off with this kind of like weird, medieval kind of, sort of long intro, strange times maturing and sort of segues into you know, a kind of a bit of a trip-hop track, and suddenly has this big kind of like chorus that sounds a bit like Queen or something. It’s so varied.

And so it’s almost like a microcosm of the whole album in one song. So I think that’s my favourite.

You mentioned as well that you’re heading out on tour next year, is there anything you’re most excited about with being back on the road again?

I think it’s gonna be reconnecting with our fans, you know, when touring, our fans get to see us also, and we get to see them, you know, and I don’t just mean like, seeing them from the stage - meet and greets, and we get to chat them after gigs. And we get to remember,

Music 21

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like, there are lots of people out there who love our music.

And that’s a really nice thing. I think it’ll be really lovely to just to sort of speak a little bit see our fans again, you know, ones that I know, personally, and just more generally, as a group of people.

Is there anything you don’t like about touring?

I always put on weight. It’s not the healthiest of lifestyles, I would say - eating quite badly drinking too much. And, you know, that kind of thing. But other than that, I like, I like it a lot.

I think you’ve just described the life of a uni student.

But when you’re at uni, you’ve got this very fast metabolism, you know, I definitely didn’t put on any weight when I was a student and suddenly 25 and realise that eating pizza every night and drinking like a beer was actually not great for the figure.

Since the COVID 19 pandemic is kind of like slowed down a bit in gigs are back on, people out clubbing again, there has been like quite a rise in the amount of spiking and sexual assaults at gigs. Do you think it’s quite important for bands to ensure a safe space for their fans?

Yeah, I mean, absolutely. I think it’s important for gigs to be a safe space. I mean, I don’t know exactly what bands could do to to ensure that but I would certainly like to educate myself about that more. Yeah. I mean, it’s very frightening thing, absolutely. And something that I hoped would never happen to one of our gigs. I mean, I would definitely like to do everything to think that we’re doing everything we can to prevent it.

It can be very hard to see what’s going on, particularly past the first few rows. And I suppose, you don’t know who’s with whom, or what constitutes unwanted, you know, touching and stuff, or contact to you. You know, I can’t say for certain, whether that guy who’s, got his arm around that girl is her boyfriend, or whether he’s just some creepy stranger? Yeah. I suppose one thing that one could do, I suppose is, you know, if there are venues, which are consistently failing to provide a safe environment, it’s boycott those venues as an artist. And, if I found out that we were playing at a venue, which, you know, had a really bad history of sexual assault, and they’re not providing a safe environment for women to go to gigs - I would like to think that we would not play at that venue. And, you know, if your readers want to get in touch with me and tell me a place where I can read about this stuff or, or anything that like that, I’d be extremely interested to read about it, I would love to do what we can to join that fight.

I know that there have been a few boycotting events at the University of Manchester, where the students have just like gone together, got on protests, or boycotted all the clubs in Manchester.

Was this to do with the injections?

Yeah, that’s happened a few times in the city.

I read about that in the paper was shocking,

shocking, J e s u s Christ, like, really horrible.

Ultimately, if the clubs are not going to, you know, instruct their security to properly charge people and properly weed out these, you know, horrible individuals who are doing this kind of thing - then we should just say ‘we’re not going to your clubs until this is sorted’.

Because, ultimately, you’re voting with the feet and with your pounds, and that sort of thing, sadly, is what makes them listen a lot of the time.

Yeah, definitely. It is really nice to hear as a female that, if you heard of a venue that weren’t particularly, in allegiance with women who don’t want to get sexually assaulted, that you would not play that venue?

Oh, well, I hope they would.

And certainly, you know, as I said, I am not very well educated on the specifics of where we shouldn’t be playing. But yeah, very open to being educated on that and doing what we can.

We went on a bit of a tangent there! Are there any plans in the works for a fifth record?

Because I know it’s been a five-year wait!

I’m sure it will happen. But you know, I think that right now, we’re just enjoying basking in the afterglow of making this last record.

And, you know, we’ve written some new songs already that are not on this album. And so it will happen, and I’m sure it’s going to be even better than this.

With that in mind, what do you think 2022 holds for Alt-J? Yeah, I mean, lots of touring, and lots of touring, basically, which is exciting. I’m very excited about getting back out on the road.

The Dream is out 11th Feb 2022.

22 Music

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ISSUE 7 / 31st January 2022 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Lobsters, Wet Dreams and a Chaise Longue: Who are Wet Leg? Owen Scott Music Writer

H

aving seemingly conquered the world with just two songs, 2021’s ‘Wet Dream’ and ‘Chaise Lounge’, asking “who are Wet Leg?” is a very fair question. I didn’t know until I saw them supporting another band and, only having the name Wet Leg to go on, it’s fair to say I didn’t know what I was in for. Despite only having two songs to their name at the time, they played song after song— they played for so long in fact that they were told they needed to leave the stage for the main act.

Their onstage performance had an intensity that’s hard to match, reminiscent of a 90s Riot Grrl band, and, so, with their attitude and their brash lyrics, my interest was piqued.

How the Isle of Wight duo are set to take over the world of indie music with just four songs

From the Isle of Wight, Wet Leg are a duo formed in 2019.

Its founding members are two friends, Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, who rocketed to fame with the release of their single ‘Chaise Longue’, earning millions of streams and views when it was released, allowing them to tour with Inhaler, with just this song and another single, ‘Wet Dream’. It’s hard not to see why they achieved such immediate success with their eccentric lyrical style, such as quoting the 2004 film Mean Girls with “Is your muffin buttered? Would you like us to assign someone to butter you muffin?”. Combine this with the deadpan, confident tone they deliv-

UK TOUR DATES

er their lyrics with and the playful, catchy riffs of their songs and you can see there’s something truly unique about their music. The irreverence of their songs is infectious enough to have a room full of your friends singing along.

We t Leg’s e c centric v ideos

help create an aesthetic that is totally theirs, abstract and imaginative, with the video for ‘Wet Dream’ featuring Teasdale and Chambers wearing matching lobster claws.

In ‘Chaise Longue’, they’re balancing on rocking horses and dancing in a field, and in ‘Too Late Now’, they’re exploring Croydon in their dressing gowns and their hair in towels. It’s mix of images and ideas that seemingly wouldn’t work, but fits perfectly with the surreal aesthetic Wet Leg have crafted for themselves, with their videos taking on an al-

most pop art feel.

They’ve played at Latitude, toured with Inhaler and played on Later...With Jools Holland; it seems they’ve taken over the world. Now, they have two new songs, ‘Oh No’ and ‘Too Late Now’, each complete with lyrics that could only be Wet Leg, such as “life is hard, credit card, oh no, you’re so woke, Diet Coke”. Following their meteoric rise, they are set to release their eponymous debut LP on April 8th, 2022, so watch out for that.

CULTURE

ISSUE 7 / 31st January 2022 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

DON’T LOOK

Film 23

UP Michal Wasilewski Managing Editor Culture

4.5/5

Full of black humour and intentional heavy-handedness, Don’t Look Up is a hilarious satire for our times and a wakeup call for humanity.

A

Jay Darcy Theatre Editor

L

et me begin by asking an important question: was this movie edited by the same people who edited Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’? If I had a shot every time a scene was cut mid-sentence, I’d need my stomach pumped. That’s the only real criticism I have of this movie, though. Sure, there are problems with the movie as a movie, but this movie is more than just a movie. In a way, it’s an anti-movie.

It’s unsurprising, then, that it has received mixed reviews from critics. I’d argue, however, that those critics are missing the entire point of the film. To focus on things such as cinematography is reductive, for this film is more than just cinema.

I’d also add that the way they have discussed (and criticised) the film is proving that point: it illustrates the issues that the film is trying to draw attention to. Some of the criticisms look like they belong in the film itself. Don’t Look Up is by no means a masterpiece, but it’s arguably the most important movie of the year.

The movie has also been attacked by the Right, unsurprisingly, given its many allusions to President Trump and his (mis)handling of the pandemic. However, given the film was actually written prior to the pandemic, the dismissive stances adopted by both the fictional President Orlean’s (Meryl Streep) and the not so fictional Mr Trump in the face of natural disaster, is frighteningly accidental. Life imitates art, but that’s what this movie is: a reflection of real-life.

I mentioned Meryl Streep – she’s one of many well-known actors in this film, which is crammed with characters, all well-written and well-acted but criminally underdeveloped. Each character is an archetype, shedding light on a different culture or subculture be it celebrity culture or proto-anarchy.

The cast alone is sure to attract audiences. I just hope those viewers can get past the flaws of the movie and lack of character development and see through the glossy aesthetic

of this Hollywood epic.

People on the Right love to complain about “woke” movies and TV, from the most recent incarnation of Doctor Who to the new film version of West Side Story. They can scream “woke” (their new favourite buzzword since they tired of being unable to define “Marxist”) as much as they like, but putting a message in a movie is not a new phenomenon.

All art is meaningful – if there isn’t meaning, it isn’t art.

In an era of fake news and alternative facts, the movie offers a groundbreaking analysis of misinformation and a cutting portrayal concerning the collapse of journalism as a pillar of accountability and truth. Is it any surprise, then, that many in the media are not so fond of the movie?

Whilst some might criticise the movie for suggesting Americans are dumb sheep – and by “some”, I’m obviously referring to Americans – they’re missing the finer details. Don’t Look Up explores the catastrophic consequences when the pursuit of profit is made more important than the protection of people. Do I need to remind you how much richer the rich have gotten since the pandemic began? The movie shines a light on how billionaires (and celebrities) manipulate us into trusting them.

Think about all of the ordinary people swooning over Elon Musk and Donald Trump (if he really is a billionaire, that is).

And whilst the American Right enjoys electing celebrities to the White House, the adoration of billionaires and celebrities is not a partisan issue. The film masterfully explores this in President Orlean.

Proudly displaying her photo with Mariah Carey in the Oval Office, constantly referring back to her high approval ratings and cynically appropriating the impending disaster by creating a pop song about it with the virulent celebrity Riley Bina (Ariana Grande) are but a few of her repellent misdeeds which so satirise this brand of celebrity president.

There are plenty of real-life parallels – think Ellen DeGeneres

espousing a “Be Nice” mantra on air before going home and screaming at her staff, or Leonardo Dicaprio flying in a private jet whilst preaching about climate change (and starring in this movie).

Ostensibly, Don’t Look Up is a satire, and it’s really quite funny. It perfectly encapsulates both public and political indifference to crises.

On a deeper level, the movie is a horror, it’s horribly horrifying, because it’s a horrific reflection of real-life: a horror. Humanity is facing an impending crisis (anthropogenic climate change), and we’re doing nothing. In just a few decades, the planet as we know it could cease to exist, and we’re all just sat here on Insta, scrolling: “Oh, look, those wilful wazzocks from Love Island have broken up”, as if anybody actually gives a flying faeces.

Heck, we have people who deny climate change even exists. The same for coronavirus. We have people refusing to get vaccinated because they think medical professionals are going to inject us with microchips – and they say that whilst carrying the latest mobile phones. The lack of self-awareness is astounding.

The lame-brained response from many to this movie proves its point, and I – ever the cynic – wonder if it’s further proof that we’ve had our time. Perhaps we’re beyond saving (the Earth certainly seems to be).

Perhaps the only good humanity is a humanity that ceases to exist.

But whilst the movie presents an event so catastrophic that we’d die instantly, the reality is that we will suffer and suffer for years before our death. We’ll suffer so much that we will dream of death. Whilst the British Right uses this dumb metaphor of a sinking island to argue against the acceptance of asylum seekers – who will only increase with further climate change – they’ll be in for a nasty shock when our indifference to the climate crisis sees our island literally sink into the ocean.

This movie, if anything, is a warning. So, I beg you, watch it and listen: Just. Look. Up.

Photo : Don’t Look Up @ Netflix

dam McKay’s latest is an instant attention grabber.

With its star-studded cast (DiCaprio, Lawrence, Streep, Blanchett, Chalamet, to name only a few), Don’t Look Up is one of Netflix’s main awards players of the year, a film set for widespread success. Despite poorly edited trailers and lack of critical acclaim, it proved to be a hilarious satire for our times and one of the most important films to come out of Hollywood in recent years.

The story follows an astronomer and university professor Dr Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his grad student Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence), who discovers a comet about to hit the Earth directly, a planet killer large enough to wipe out all human life. Being the first ones to know about the imminent danger, the two embark on a journey to warn the media and politicians. Going from newspapers to White House offices to TV stations, they’re met with disregard and made fun of, struggling to find anyone who would take them seriously and start acting to save the planet.

Although McKay began working on the project before the coronavirus pandemic, the similarities are glaring.

Ignorance from American political elites and masses who question whether the discovered comet even exists, it all seems almost too real. From yet another wake-up call for the world, this time more straightforward than ever, Don’t Look Up morphs into a frustration-fuelled satirical analysis of everything that happened in America in the past years.

The president of the United States, a conservative played by Meryl Streep and an obvious parody of Donald Trump, becomes interested in the comet only when she discovers she can use it to her political advantage.

Meanwhile, the billionaires of the world, symbolised here

by Mark Rylance’s character, the weirdest combination of Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg imaginable, only look at the life-threatening danger in terms of potential profits.

Above all the jokes, there’s a constant palpable sense of a looming disaster, with Nicholas Britell’s haunting score never letting the viewer feel safe or at peace. Even when the ‘villains’ of the films deliver their wittiest punchlines, the fear of the approaching comet is never forgotten, even for a brief moment.

Using pitch-black humour and intentional heavyhandedness, Adam McKay pokes fun at politics, media, Hollywood, and the public, combining it all into one clearcut and engaging narrative. It works as a clever commentary on the coronavirus pandemic and the way it’s been handled in the US, but also as a universal satire on the modern world in general, without a need for specific points of reference. It paints the world in bleak colours, stripping away any kind of hope that humanity could ever come as one. Because if a scientifically-proven threat to the existence of all of humankind is as divisive an issue as everything else, what could possibly make people unite?

Don’t Look Up is two and a half hours of hilarious satire, a highly entertaining laugh-through-tears approach to being troubled by ubiquitous decay and ignorance. It is aware of its straightforwardness and embraces its forceful nature, being consciously built around that approach; after all, there is nothing subtle about the end of the world.

Above all that, it is a film fully aware of its limitations, ultimately recognising that, sometimes, however much we try and however right we are, we will remain powerless.

24 Film

CULTURE

ISSUE 7 / 31st January 2022 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Spider-Man: No Way Home review Tom Holland holds his own in a thrilling Spidey flick for the ages Warning: this review contains multiple spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home – if you haven’t seen it yet, read at your own risk.

Joe McFadden Investigations Editor

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n Wednesday 15th December 2021, myself and thousands of other film fans up and down the country were lucky enough to be amongst the first of the general public to see Marvel’s much-anticipated Spider-Man: No Way Home.

After multiple trailers, countless leaks, and levels of “hype” that were last experienced during Marvel’s history-making Avengers: Endgame (2019), the pressure was on for Marvel and Sony to deliver on what, only a few short years ago, had seemed like an impossible dream. The crossover of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s previous incarnations of Spider-Man with their MCU counterpart, Tom Holland, had finally arrived.

It is safe to say that it lived up to the hype.

Directed by Jon Watts and written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, Spider-Man: No Way Home is the 27th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the 8th live-action SpiderMan film. No Way Home picks up straight after 2019’s SpiderMan: Far From Home. Media mogul J. Jonah Jameson, a role reprised by J.K Simmons from Sam Raimi’s original SpiderMan trilogy (2002-2007), reveals Peter Parker’s identity to the public, blaming him for the ‘murder’ of Quentin Beck/ Mysterio.

Following the fallout, Parker asks Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to cast a spell making the world forget his

identity. However, when the spell goes wrong, Strange accidentally opens the multiverse, a new fictional realm that is going to be central to future MCU projects.

This allows anyone who knows that Peter Parker is SpiderMan to come to Peter’s world from theirs, creating chaos and wreaking havoc whilst providing plenty a call back to past Spidermen.

Now, despite a seemingly convoluted plot, the film is actually fairly straightforward in its approach. The first act is very fast-paced and shows a side of Peter Parker we’ve never really seen before. Having his identity revealed allows a more vulnerable side of the character to be portrayed. However, this fast pace is not without its faults as the film moves at almost breakneck speeds for the first 45 minutes, leaving dangling story threads that could have easily been their own movie.

Recently, as its budgets have grown and popularity becoming something akin to a global religion, the MCU has had an issue with almost going overboard with its action scenes, sometimes trading character moments for big bombastic action set pieces that add little to the film. Marvel and Disney have essentially got a “do whatever the f*ck they want and get away with it card” because their films are such huge tent poles that audiences will flock to see them on brand recognition alone.

Where No Way Home is concerned this means that it had an opportunity to really explore what it means to be a hero when falsely blamed and painted to be a villain. To be fair to the

creatives, they did do this to an extent, but they could have gone further and explored characters at their most vulnerable, before moving onto the action set pieces the audience are familiar with.

As the film continues we are treated to more of this blend of action and character that makes No Way Home one of the best Marvel movies to date. Following a mind-bending action sequence with Doctor Strange, Peter resolves to help cure the multiversal villains from past Spider-Man movies at Aunt May’s (Marisa Tomei) urging, leading to a story that actually feels fresh and is not a rehash of past Marvel movies or directly lifted from an acclaimed comic book run.

This story development is welcome because, whilst we have seen sympathetic villains in comic book movies before, this is the first time a hero has tried to help the villain instead of fighting them. The multiversal villains in No Way Home include Willem Dafoe’s Norman Osborn/ Green Goblin, and Alfred Molina’s Otto Octavius/Doc Ock, with both reprising their roles from the Raimi trilogy. Dafoe is somehow even more terrifying than he was in 2002, with his performance being one of the films strongest points (no one does insanity quite like Willem Dafoe). Similarly, Alfred Molina is as charismatic and intimidating as he was over a decade ago.

Peter’s desire to cure these villains leads to what many have called the film’s best sequence, which sees Osborn brutally murder Aunt May in a shocking twist. Uttering the iconic phrase

“With great power, comes great responsibility”, May’s death is the catalyst that sees the film eschew its traditional MCU format and really opens it up, providing many emotional beats that other Marvel movies falter on.

What really separates No Way Home from its MCU predecessors is its ability to elevate character beyond the traditional trappings of the hero arc. Here, Peter Parker feels like a real character with thought and intent behind him. This is mainly due to Tom Holland’s standout performance. Throughout his five films as the web crawler, Holland has demonstrated time and again why he is the best live-action Spidey. His ability to portray a wide range of emotions, showcasing Peter’s vulnerability, whilst retaining his charisma and charm, without ever veering into melodrama as Tobey Maguire occasionally did, is what makes him the most believable iteration of Marvel’s most iconic hero.

Tom Holland’s performance is also what anchors the film in its final act when fans across the world had their dreams come true after two multinational media conglomerates realised they could make more money if they… compromised!

No Way Home’s third act sees Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s versions of the character team up with Tom Holland in a final showdown to cure/defeat the villains and send them back to their own realities.

Predictably, fans screamed with delight when the two actors were finally confirmed to be in the film. Now, many have taken

to social media to decry such behaviour from fans however in my experience it actually made the film better. Obviously, 5 minutes of straight cheering would have been irritating but the fans in my screening knew when to cheer and when to shut up. These films are made for the audiences and being able to share such a moment with hundreds of other strangers, each with their own personal connection to Spider-Man, is what made this film special.

However, as soon as the three “Spider-Men” began interacting as a trio Tom Holland’s strength as an actor anchored the film and refocused it back on his SpiderMan’s mission. The final fight scene was predictable as ever but still thoroughly enjoyable and gripping. Its main flaws were Marvel’s tendency to make everything grey. Whilst Sam Raimi’s films were full of bright colours reminiscent of Steve Ditko’s original illustrations, Jon Watts’ use of colour leaves a lot to be desired (although it is a fault across the MCU, not just his films).

Ultimately, Spider-Man: No Way Home is a delightful, emotionally resonant, film that gives fans what they want whilst reminding everyone why they fell in love with Spider-Man and Marvel in the first place. The film is not without its faults, and it is so packed that this review barely scratches the surface both critically and “theory-wise”, but at a time when the MCU is (fairly) criticised for being formulaic and predictable, No Way Home stands out as a mature, truly original instalment when compared to its peers.

Film

ISSUE 7 / 31st January 2022 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

The Lost Daughter: Psychological drama delivers gut-wrench of a film Long gone are the days of Peep Show for Olivia Colman’s flawed but beguiling lead in Netflix’s latest awards contender.

Daniel Collins Film Writer

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ave you ever sat somewhere and simply just observed the people going by? Maybe you’ve even sat and became fixated on a particular person with no conscious reason why. This observational, perhaps sometimes voyeuristic, gaze is cinema in its simplest form – the camera acting as proxy for the person who simply just wants to look.

The opening act of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut The Lost Daughter bathes the viewer in this gaze and dares us to contemplate what drives this desire to look. From the outset, the atmosphere is tense and uncomfortable as the gaze sways from innocuous to threatening to seducing and back again. Then, like signs sent from heaven, strange things begin occurring. A sudden attack from a falling pine cone, a bowl of fruit coated in mould, the hissing of a large insect and the harsh rotating beam of a lighthouse through your window. And the looks. So many looks. The stares of unwelcome, even envy.

This array of visual titbits, engrossing and yet repellent sites build to a dramatic confrontation with the past. They lead to a poignant examination of trauma and depression concerned with questions of parenthood, sexual pleasure and independence.

The film does not have a traditional plot but rather creates an atmosphere to soak in, much like the characters who spend most of their days beach side on an unnamed Greek island. The journey through a past marked with tragedy and unfulfillment begins as something in the film’s present triggers a string of traumatic memories for the protagonist Leda (Olivia Colman). Every memory is then realised with an unflinching intensity and a sense of deep repression, superbly brought to life by Jessie Buckley who plays Leda’s younger self.

As the film progresses, the knot in your stomach only clenches tighter and begins to twist like an agitated snake. There are brief moments of respite, including a passionate sexual encounter and a dance/sing along to Bon Jovi’s ‘Livin’ on A Prayer’, reminiscent of the euphoria and liberty found in a similar scene in Call Me By Your Name. Yet, inevitably, the intense stares return. Somehow the film simultaneously has the coldness and hostility of a Yorgos Lanthimos film and the insular, psychological approach of Lynne Ramsay works like We Need To Talk About Kevin. Yet this is still not enough to describe the particular space in which this film occupies.

The score is particularly noteworthy in contributing to this as its brooding but sensitive strings combined with a simple, repeated piano phrase evoke the strangely seductive yet menacing trauma that haunts the film. Moreover, its intermittent presence imbues the film with an overall sense of dread – we are either left to suffer with the often grating sounds of the natural scene or invited back down

by Dickon Hinchliffe’s score. However, this is not a horror movie and the characters, whilst deeply flawed, never seem truly irredeemable.

Moreover, this does not appear to have a specific agenda, since the same images that feed the viewer’s deep unease can transform into ones that are so quietly moving you may shed a tear.

The result is a film that is ambiguous in most aspects yet profound in its questions and confrontations, drawing the viewer into its singular atmosphere of dread and discomfort like a snake slowly constricting on its unassuming prey. An affect not only for arts sake but to explore the heavy weight that our patriarchal society puts on women’s shoulders and the possible repercussions of rejecting it.

The Lost Daughter is available now on Netflix.

The Tragedy of Macbeth - Joel Coen avoids tragedy in this masterful reimagining Benjamin Klauber-Griffiths Film Writer

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hen I first heard about Joel Coen’s upcoming adaption of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, I was left slightly bemused.

Why revisit a text that has arguably been done to death? Why now?

As far as I’m aware we aren’t currently gripped by a Shakespeare fervour, a cultural yearning for early modern theatre.

And yet The Tragedy of Macbeth manages to do something new, and incredibly beautifully, with this tragedy. Coen’s black and white drama captures what we’ve lacked in every previous iteration of the famous Scottish Play- the sheer weirdness of it. Whether its Kathryn Hunter’s chillingly physical performance as the three witches (yes, she plays all three at once) or the strangely hypnotic shapes cast by the wonderfully lit sets, this version of Macbeth is as visually intriguing as it is dramatic.

Opening with the now infamous line; ‘When shall we three meet again’ audiences first see Hunter covered in a weather beaten cloak hunched, birdlike on the moor. The weird sisters have seen many incarnations, some definitely better than others. And yet seeing this decrepit shape mumbling the play’s opening lines and pecking at the ground felt like a wholly new, rather disturbing experience. Coen has somehow taken a staple of weirdness and made it even stranger with the unusual decision to house multiple personalities in a single body. Let me tell you, it works.

From there we are introduced to Macbeth (Denzel Washington) and Banquo (Bertie Carvel) who are confronted by the strange witch. Macbeth is told that he will be named the Thane (Lord) of Cawdor and then after that, King. The scene is one of the most chilling of the film. Initially sceptical, Macbeth is soon rewarded for his wartime successes and is named Thane, quickly renewing his faith in the witch’s prophecy. Fuelled by greed and ambition, Macbeth and his scheming wife (Francis McDormand) begin to plot the King’s downfall and claim the throne for themselves. Using Shakespearean language throughout, the play stays true to its original source material and follows a now well-known trajectory.

Macbeth kills King Duncan (‘is this a dagger before me’), becomes King, kills more people and is eventually overthrown after another, even stranger prophecy comes true. All pretty standard.

Except it’s not. The black and white colour palet combined with the geometric artificial edges of the set design creates an unusual detachment from the events going on. The whole event feels not quite

real. Audiences will view the film almost like a play, strangely distant and full of drama that seems just out of reach. On the one hand it loses the dramatic gravitas many attach to Shakespeare’s more notorious works. It means that despite the intrigue and visually arresting quality, viewers can never really empathise or feel immersed in this strangely spectral world. The performances, whilst all excellent, feel largely individual, a soliloquy here, a soliloquy there, but nothing that really unites its characters, or gives the impression that they are interacting within the same world.

However it’s worth saying that this isn’t really a criticism of the film.

In fact, it is this detachment that makes the tragedy what it is. Audiences have got far too comfortable with Shakespeare going through the motions, standardising moments of drama and occasionally offering as a slightly different vision of spectral terror or jealous rage. This film offers something completely unique. Joel Coen clearly understands the text he’s working with. And it really shows. The awkwardness, the slight detachment of The Tragedy of Macbeth renders it all the more engaging, appealing in the fact that it doesn’t quite feel real. Whilst it follows a narrative we all know well, the prevalence of such surrealism, the meticulous focus on the its weirdness, enables Coen to retell the story in a way that resists categorisation whilst paying homage to the number of discrepancies in the original play.

McDormand shines as ever in the role of Lady Macbeth, perhaps the most threatening and unstable version of the character witnessed on screen to date. Washington similarly plays the title role with admirable reserve. You can feel him holding back inside, writhing with ambition and guilt until it bursts out as he realises his world is crumbling around him. Neither are sympathetic, neither admirable. This humanising is one area where the film falls short of the original text, but perhaps thats the point? Importantly, The Tragedy of Macbeth recognises that it doesn’t need to be easy. It undeniably has its flaws. Some viewers may hate the artificial feel and staged appearance. Others the language and absence of traditional Shakespearean drama. But central to the film is something all filmmakers should be aspiring towards. A preoccupation with reinvention, a realigning that makes old texts, old forms and old characters all the more thought provoking.

And so, to answer my initial question, why now? Simply put, don’t we all need a bit of change? Don’t we all need the old formulas of the last few years to be shaken up a bit?

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King Richard: Tennis tale is inspiring and entertaining in equal parts Will Smith delivers a powerhouse performance in the true story of Venus and Serena Williams’ rise to stardom.

Daniel Collins Film Writer

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ennis is a sport which has historically been one of social exclusion. It takes money to become the best; to pay for training, one-on-one coaches, travel to tournaments, rackets, shoes – the list goes on. In addition to financial boundaries, geography is very much a factor which affects access into the upper echelons of the sport – all of which is inextricably linked to race.

King Richard is very much about these obstacles, telling the story of the upbringing of Venus and Serena Williams with a focus on their divisive father Richard Williams’ role in their historic rise to success.

Richard, played with a fascinating mix of charisma and obsessiveness by Will Smith, has had a plan from the beginning: he is going to make Venus and Serena tennis stars. However, this is not merely a story of one father’s unbreakable dedication but one of black people having to negotiate both intolerant white spaces and cynical black communities.

The result is an inspiring tale filled with excitingly shot tennis scenes and stellar acting, most notably by Aunjanue Ellis whose performance as Oracene Williams (now Oracene Price) truly understands that although the story of Richard Williams is one of triumph and admirable dedication, it is also one that is obsessively ego driven.

In many ways, the film is a spiritual successor to the basketball movie Coach Carter, which similarly begins within a predominantly black neighbourhood in California and deals with issues of youth violence and gang culture alongside it’s underdog sports story. Both coach Ken Carter and Richard Williams ensure that their athletes maintain good school grades whilst pursuing their goals. However, whilst this mixture provides the opening act of King Richard with a palpable sense of urgency, the fundamental difference between the two films is that Venus and Serena get out, as the whole family packs up to follow a coaching opportunity at a top academy in Florida.

This is the moment where, whilst retaining some of its personality through Richard’s idiosyncrasies, the film certainly begins to look and feel slightly sanitised, transitioning into a more typical sports biopic. However, this is no mistake since the gloss and luxury of their new tennis academy/private country club is only accentuated in comparison to the rain-soaked neighbourhood courts back in California. Moreover, as the film shifts to focus more on Venus who is on the cusp of making it as a pro, the tennis scenes themselves are executed with an almost musical rhythm that makes her journey gripping to watch even if you may already know the outcome.

However, for some the outcome itself may not be as satisfying as it could have been, since it leaves so much more to be told. Yet, for better or for worse, this is not Serena’s story nor is it Venus’ and all one can hope for is that this shows studios that people are interested in seeing these stories told. A film that narrates these success stories but through the perspective of someone whose dramatic influence is less recognised is an interesting way to bring such stories to the fore. It shows that not only do Venus and Serena deserve their own films but the names who have not entered the public consciousness, such as Althea Gibson, who was the first African-American to win a Grand Slam title in 1956 and one of the best of her era, require recognition.

Ultimately, King Richard is both a sports movie, a social commentary and a reminder that more black stories are waiting to be told if executives listen. It may be somewhat flawed in not having fully explored the shortcomings of its main character or perhaps for feeling too much like a typical sports biopic in its latter half, but it is a film that is joyous, inspiring and truly entertaining – a remarkable combination that cannot be undervalued within the world’s current climate.

26 Theatre

ISSUE 7 / 31st December 2022 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Review: Madison Emmett Theatre Writer

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he Rocky Horror Show has returned to Manchester this week, just months since its last run. That’s testament to the tremendous talent of this tantalising piece of theatre, and everyone involved with it. In anticipation of its return, I thought I’d share my thoughts about this mega, meta musical, so you know what to expect if you decide to give it a go (and I really think you should).

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a well known classic, largely due to the popularity of the 1975 film adaptation, which was renamed The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The film was remade in 2016, now called The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again – but that’s all we’re going to say about that…

I went to see the stage adaptation last year, after wanting to see it for years. I knew it was certain to

Harriet Cummings Theatre Writer

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n its fifty-year anniversary, The Rocky Horror Show did not fail to send the whole audience of the Palace Theatre into one bellow of “LET’S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN”. Christopher Luscombe honoured the work of Richard O’Brien’s cult classic: the iconic characters, the costumes, the music, all re-kindling the hilarious and tantalising essence of the rock n roll-infused show that has kept its fans coming back for so long.

The story revolves around a recently engaged couple who plan to visit their good friend Dr Everett. V Scott. However, before they reach his home, they fall upon some car trouble and find themselves seeking assistance at a castle oozing with ominousness. Once inside, they discover a raucous party of strange individuals who introduce their master, Dr Frank-NFurter. He invites the couple to stay and witness the birth of his recent experiment – a scientifically-made man named Rocky (named so because of the rocks in his head). The couple stay the night and find themselves compelled by the seductions of Dr Frank-N-Furter, who spoils their

attract a full house because of its die-hard fandom, but I wasn’t prepared for the wonders I would witness in the auditorium. The entertainment started well before the show began, with a good 70% of the audience dressed as their favourite characters from the show.

This atmosphere was perfect for a return to the theatre after the dreariness of the prior 18 months. The cast seemed as delighted as the audience to be back on stage performing such an iconic piece of theatre – when they could get a word in, of course! Fans were on top form with the usual heckles and squeals, as expected. I felt rather left out!

Ore Oduba (Brad Majors), who last performed in Curtains, was the stand-out star for me. He brought a new spark and freshness to the character, and his energy was contagious. The chemistry between him, Haley Flaherty (Janet) and Stephen Webb (Frank-N-Furter) was special to witness and truly brought life to the genius of the screenwriting.

The ever witty Philip Franks gave an outstanding

seemingly naïve and innocent image, making them feather-bowered spectators to the unravelling secrets of the sweet transvestites from Transylvania.

All of the cast deserve to be credited for their faultless performance. The charm of the starring characters: Brad (played by Strictly Come Dancing winner Ore Oduba) and Janet (played by Haley Flaherty) were captivating and carried us through their beguiling experience under the roof of Dr Frank-N-Furter. Stephen Webb’s performance of everyone’s favourite character, Dr Frank-N-Furter himself, was sexy and enthralling. I was most apprehensive about the performance of the Dr – the delivery of such an iconic figure can really be the make or break of a beloved show – but Webb could not have fulfilled the demand better.

Philip Franks’ (The Darling Buds of May, Heartbeat) p e r for m a nce as the

performance as the narrator, whose breaking of the fourth wall had the whole auditorium in stitches. He had perfect capture of the audience and was able to whip them back into shape at any given moment to allow the cast to continue the madness on stage.

An audience can always be sure that a night at the theatre watching Rocky Horror is going to be a marvellously fun experience for all – and this cast really brought the magic and mayhem of the much-loved story to life.

A perfect celebration of ridiculousness, gender fluidity and musical theatre – The Rocky Horror Show will never grow old. In fact, I loved the show that much that I went home and watched the original film the very same evening!

The Rocky Horror Show is back at Manchester’s Palace Theatre this week, playing until 22nd January, before continuing its UK tour throughout 2022 – and, no doubt, it will be back here in no time (warp). But with COVID constantly coming back with a vengeance, why risk it?

Book your tickets today!

narrator was sensational from the second the play began. He played with the heckles of Rocky Horror Show familiars in the audience expertly, as well as delivering satire comedy about contemporary politics that sent audience members into hysterics.

The perfect dose of resonant comedy in a legendary play to take a chuckle and carry it until you convulse with laughter.

The spiritedness of the audience’s costumes didn’t disappoint, evidencing how the loyalty of Rocky Horror Show fans is never faltering and made an especially enthusiastic comeback after so many months of lockdown. It’s fair to say, the theatre was missed through such strenuous times, but that has not rendered the Time Warp forgotten; far from it! Everyone was up and out of their seats for all the major numbers – ‘Dammit Janet’, ‘Sweet

Transvestite’ and ‘Touch-A-Touch-ATouch-A-Touch Me’; to name but a few. I spoke to a lady that told me she’d been a follower of the show since (in her words) “before you were born”, and she was not let down by the energy, wit and flirtation enveloped in this particular production.

As a first-time viewer of the show, I fail to comprehend any critique that could have improved it. Nor can I imagine how any future interpretations may rival it. But that will not prevent me from becoming yet another devoted fan that follows the show around for many years to come. I will forever be encouraging any musical lover to watch this outstanding play.

Pretty groovy!

The Rocky Horror Show plays at Manchester’s Palace Theatre until 22nd January, before continuing its UK tour throughout 2022. It was last in Manchester in August last year, so no doubt it’ll be back here in no time (warp)!

ISSUE 7 / 31st January 2022 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Review:

CULTURE

Theatre 27

Aayush Chadha reviews Andrew Lloyd Webber’s School of Rock at the Palace Theatre Aayush Chadha Theatre Writer

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usicals with the word “Rock” in their title always scare me a little bit. The nights before are filled with terrorising dreams of shaking uncomfortably in my seat and walking out with ear drums that are more like ear flaps by the end. You can imagine my unease then when a long day at university was to be wrapped up with an evening in the School of Rock.

To say I was pleasantly surprised by what ensued would be a massive understatement. In all these years of attending musicals in Manchester, the only other musical that was as delightful, if not more, was Matilda.

Personally, I find London and New York quite unenviable for the most part. After all, who would want to live in a city where a fortune gets you a shoe box at most to live in and you have to breathe the same air as Boris Johnson and Donald Trump. Despite that, I have to concede to the ability of the two cities to turn me green with envy (better people than the environment, right?) by playing permanent host to such fine musicals such as the one I had the pleasure of watching on the 4th of January.

Then again, School of Rock does feature an all-star team of writers and musicians.

For starters, the script is written by Julian Fellowes, the fellow who created Downton Abbey and then immediately exchanged Harris Tweeds for some Mick Jagger-esque leather pants to bring us this. In case that doesn’t get you excited enough, the music

Photo: Paul Coltas

is composed by the grand old doyen of musical theatre on both sides of the Atlantic, Andrew Lloyd Webber.

In case you have been living under Rock (sorry, couldn’t resist, but also, it’s a terrific place to be!), the story of this musical revolves around impostor teacher but dedicated rocker, Dewey Finn, and his class of prep school kids who find expression for their feelings in rock music. It’s a musical that remains diligently committed to the idea — if you can’t find words to express it, sing it, and when the emotion is too overwhelming for singing, dance it. And it does all this while containing a cast of adorable and supremely talented children, without overdoing the sweetness and the sentimentality to the point where it becomes off-putting.

The musical has several things going for it, but it does come across as inconsistent in places. It starts off timidly but I can’t complain about that; it helped preserve my hearing for the witty and sassy dialogues.

It is very topical for sure. In a scene that features Dewey Finn (played by the energetic Alex Tomkins, who came across as reticent initially but settled in well) asking his students about what makes them angry, we hear anger about issues ranging from unrealistic body image expectations on social media, environmental damage to the poisoning of political discourse.

If one had to imagine a class full of Greta Thunbergs, this one wouldn’t be too far off the mark.

Nonetheless, I couldn’t help but feel this scene was a missed opportunity. I don’t have many complaints about this performance,

but I certainly have one here. In a show that is meant to be about questioning the status quo (much like the pioneers of rock did in the 60s) and giving voice to people we think to be too naive to be concerned about the world, this scene comes across as antithetical to its initial commitment. In buzzing past these dialogues at lightning speed and papering over them with humour, it glosses over the issues raised instead of letting them sink in amongst the adults and precocious kids in the audience.

Having said that, there are moments when it reinforces its commitment to challenging norms while ensuring the humour doesn’t distract. Most notably, this occurs when Summer (played by the effervescent Florrie May Wilkinson) asks Mr. Finn (pretending to be Mr. Schneebly) why it is “Stick it to the Man” and not The Woman and brings up the gender pay disparity in the line, “She probably earns 70c to the dollar”. Hopefully, future adaptations can take more away from a scene like this.

In a similar vein of inconsistency, the casting and the characters, while belonging to various ethnic backgrounds on the surface, come across as a mere nod to diversity rather than a genuine inculcation when one considers who occupied the most prominent roles. Maybe this is just me quibbling.

But that’s where my complaints end.

The children — Eva McGrath as the drummer Freddy, Marikit Akiwumi as the bassist Katie, Oliver Forde as the keyboardist Lawrence, Jospeh Sheppard as Zack the lead guitarist, Riotafari Garden as James the bouncer, Elodie Salmon and

Kyla Robinson as Sophie and Shonelle the backup singers, Wilf Cooper as Billy the glitter loving, sassy stylist, Caelan Washington as Mason the techie, Inez Danielak as Sophie the roadie and of course the standout act, the Beyonceesque Souparnika Nair as Tomika with the astounding vocals — are undoubtably the stars of the show. Even though the adult cast features the likes of Rebecca Lock (who played Carlotta in The Phantom of the Opera on West End) as Principal Mullins and who is able to break into an amazing rendition of Mozart’s Queen of the Night aria, the kids, with their live rock performance (they supposedly play the instruments themselves in addition to the singing) steal the limelight by a country mile as they holler, skip, run, tiptoe and rock across Anna Louizos compact yet well designed sets.

School of Rock, at the end of the day, is a feel-good musical for the entire family, and it does that job quite well by mixing humour with talented singing and dancing that starts off slowly at first and then has you off your seat by the end with its energy.

One almost wishes there was enough space in the aisles to channel that energy and bounce up and down with fervour just like the kids do in the finale.

Oh, and did I mention, it remains gentle on your ears throughout!?

School of Rock plays at Manchester’s Palace Theatre until the 15th of January before continuing its UK tour throughout 2022.

28 Food & Drink

CULTURE

ISSUE 7 / 31st January 2022 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

In conversation with the creator of ‘Chicken and Bread’ Zine

Chicken and Bread zine aims to celebrate food as art, and centre people of colour. We spoke to Hope Cunningham, founder and editor in chief, to find out more about her creative process, and the complexities of an English culinary identity.

Katie Hourigan Food & Drink Editor

I

for the publication Shades of Noir. I’d

in a whitewashed cream-tea way,

Yeah, it was interesting- we only

studied English Literature, so I knew

but England through its chicken

had one submission from a man. It’s

that writing was always going to be

shops, walkers crisp packets in

so sad, we’ve been told for so many

ssue one, the nostalgia issue, of

a part of how I made a living, but

hedges, messy picnics. Even here in

years that this kind of cooking isn’t as

Chicken and Bread Zine, sets

making zines was new.

Manchester, one of the most diverse

valuable, when there’s so much magic

cities in the UK, there is a ‘world food’

that happens in home kitchens. It’s

section in Sainsbury’s – and it just

wrong to not write about it.

out its intentions on the first page: “Celebrating food as art and centring

Tell me more about Shades of Noir.

voices of colour”. It’s a slim volume,

Their mission is to combat racism

feels so redundant and ridiculous,

Have you got any resources you’d

compact with food stories that use

in higher education and the arts. I

when every other aisle is also made

recommend to people or sought

nostalgia as a lens through which

was writing an article for them each

up of ingredients and produce from

inspiration

to

week, which helped give me some

the ‘world’. I guess it makes me ask,

Chicken and Bread?

experience.

what is English food? Is there such a

explore

familial

relationships,

memories, and questions of class,

from

when

making

Shades of Noir, as I mentioned

race and belonging. Food is an

Having never made a zine before,

accessible entry point into otherwise

where did you begin? It can be

I was born and raised in England

education. A friend has her own

sensitive,

knotty

difficult to gather submissions unless

and spent most of my childhood

zine The Yellow Zine, spotlighting

questions. The experience of eating

you have a big enough platform to

here, so when I think of Englishness I

POC in the arts. Black in the Day is

is simultaneously universal, relatable

start with.

think of chicken shops, rice and peas.

another one, an archive photography

complex,

and

thing? Is it just a constant evolution?

earlier, looks at racism in higher

to all, yet unique to the individual, the

I graduated in 2017 in a place of

I think of my grandma in Manchester,

project. I’d sort of looked at all these

food on our plate revealing so much

really not knowing what I was going

the food she ate in Barbados and

projects and hoped to mix them into

about our sense of place, identities,

to do with my life. I had the idea of a

brought over; just all of the things

one. I reached out to Ruby Tandoh,

circumstances, histories, likes and

food zine as a starting point, but just

I grew up eating. English food is an

who shared the Chicken and Bread

dislikes.

thought, ‘how would I ever make

evolution, but the question is who is

Instagram on her story, and we

and

that materialize?’ I wanted to make

allowing that evolution to happen. For

got a load of new followers and

Bread zine offer reconciliation with

it happen but didn’t know where to

example, kimchi right now is having

submissions following that which

coriander and it’s stubborn presence

start. Then I started the Instagram,

such a big moment, but we have to

was so valuable.

in Egyptian cooking, a love letter to a

just posting pictures of food and

ask, who brought it here? Where are

family meal deal chicken bucket, and

things I thought were cool, I spoke

its origins?

poems on London gherkins and okra

to friends and just got some initial

The best cooks have it up there,

(or lady’s fingers). Recipes passed

interest. But I didn’t know a single

in their heads, it’s second nature to

to put into it, using my own baby

down by grandmas are interlaid with

food writer, and couldn’t write the

them. These people deserve to be

pictures and old photos, or those of

scans of old photographs, the familiar

whole magazine myself. At one point

celebrated as much as the white chef

contributors, was a way of getting

and musty images of disposable

I thought, ‘I’ve just got to do it’. I did

that’s been famous for 20 years. It’s

amazing pictures for free. It was about

cameras, at birthday parties and

a call-out on Instagram, and a few

about balancing the playing field, and

pooling the resources I had in those

family gatherings, so that the zine

people were interested. I slowly but

celebrating the art of home cooking.

initial stages.

resembles a sort of communal album.

surely built up enough submissions,

The role of the home cook is

Any upcoming projects? Will

We spoke to Hope Cunningham,

and things fell into place. Lockdown

so important. Whether we deem

there be a second issue of Chicken

founder and editor in chief, to find

gave me a theme to tie everything

someone a cook or a chef, whether

and Bread?

out more about the creative process

together – nostalgia. I felt that looking

it’s a chore or an art form, has

There will be a second issue next

behind the zine, the complexities of

at food through nostalgia made it

traditionally been decided by where

year. I’m looking at doing a video series

English culinary identity, and where

accessible rather than being this big

it takes place: a professional kitchen

– on nostalgia again, just cooking and

to find resources to diversify the

pretentious thing. Anyone can write

or the domestic sphere. Of course,

talking with friends. I graduated with

media we’re consuming.

about nostalgia. It was an accessible

the kitchen has always been such

a masters in screenwriting so that

Firstly, I’m just interested in the

theme, which was the whole point. I

a gendered place. I really liked the

would be a nice mix. It’s about starting

process behind making the zine. Had

know I used to feel like I didn’t have

aunties, mothers and grandmothers

my own platform.

you ever made a zine, or attempted

any right to write about food – and I

that cropped up throughout the zine’s

this type of project before?

do.

pieces – was this an intentionally

https://shadesofnoir.org.uk/ and find

feminist move or did this feeling

a copy of chicken and bread zine at

come about organically?

https://www.chickenandbread.com/

The

pieces

in

Chicken

No, this was a first. I had written before, as the News editor at my

I

loved

the

exploration

of

‘Englishness’ within the zine, not

As someone with no background in publishing, no connections to photographers,

and

no

money

You can read Shades of Noir at​​

university, and in my masters at UAL

Ruby Tandoh’s Permission to ‘Cook As You Are’

Reviewing Ruby Tandoh’s ‘Cook As You Are’, Tandoh’s most politically radical yet practically reasonable book yet.

Katie Hourigan Food & Drink Editor

R

uby Tandoh’s career in food

practically reasonable book yet. In

with anchovies, tomatoes and olives.

les fat-phobia, disordered eating, and

her own words, these are ‘Recipes for

A separate ‘easy-read’ version of

Real Life, Hungry Cooks and Messy

the cookbook offers ten adapted reci-

Kitchens’.

pes, including staples such as a fifteen

Where we may expect aspira-

I

f you spend any time on food Tiktok, you will have seen Pho Cue’s iconic videos outside their restaurant in Chinatown. It’s a family-run restaurant serving homemade traditional Vietnamese food. Nikhil has wanted to go for a while now, so here’s his review on what we got when we went for dinner!

To start some sweet and spicy pork ribs – these were AMAZING!!

Soft succulent pork and then a lovely chew from the BBQ’d exterior. Highly recommend. We also got the pork spring rolls but unlike any others tried before. Clean fresh flavours delicately wrapped in rice paper.

For mains I had the fried chicken Pho and Lini went for the traditional Chicken Pho. The fried Pho does what it says on the tin. Chicken, noodles, veg and a bit of sauce- all perfectly balanced to satisfy any craving.

The traditional chicken Pho on the other hand. Now this was something else. Clean and crisp flavours combined with strong deep richness that comes from hours of simmering, attention and care led to a beautiful bowl of Pho that just enveloped you like a warm hug. This dish showed off the very best of Pho Cue. To try next time: Butter and Garlic squid, King Prawn Banh Mi (till 4pm), street boxes (till 4pm) & Vietnamese Dripping Coffee The restaurant has the appreciation it deserves, when we went the queue was very long but luckily we’d made a reservation so managed to skip these – so if you’re looking to go for dinner try to book ahead! The service is fast and the staff were so lovely, giving explanations of what is on the menu and helping us with our selection. Give them a follow on their Instagram! @phocuekitchen

other issues around food and body image.

began in the politically neu-

Conversations on accessibility in

minute homemade cream of tomato

tional photographs, there are only

tral, brexit-less environment of BBC

the kitchen must account for those

soup, and wonders such as the ‘salted,

delicate, simple illustrations by the

gingham and bunting. But since leav-

more than just a restricted budget, but

malted magic ice cream’ reduced into

artist Sinae Park. While some may

ing the Great British Bake Off tent in

reach to include those with limited

clear, step by step instructions. It’s a

miss flicking through polished pages,

2014, she has gone onto become an

time, learning or physical disabilities,

great alternative for those with learn-

the removal of food stylists and filters

outspoken voice in addressing the

and dietary requirements of all kinds.

ing disabilities, or anyone who may

keep these recipes grounded, remov-

elitism that underpins much of the

A short note on ‘Making This Book

struggle to digest the dense volume

ing one site of inevitable comparison.

food industry and its media.

Work For You’ invites a flexible read-

of text a recipe book usually entails.

It is yet another attempt to look be-

Alongside a column for the Guard-

ing of each of the recipes, and recog-

Whilst the physical copy for the easy-

yond ‘only one very narrow vision

ian, essays in the New Yorker and Vit-

nises that this ‘you’, her audience, is

read has sold out, the text has been

of what cooking looks like and who

tles, Tandoh has written four books

impossible to pin down.

made available as a free PDF at https://

these recipes are for’.

that stretch beyond our expectations

For those low on time, energy,

of what a cookbook can be. ‘Flavour:

or mobility, the sections ‘feed me

Several original bakes are dot-

compassionate tone, practical in its

Eat What You Love’ offered joyful

now’ and ‘more food, less work’ are

ted throughout, such as an orange,

substance. We are eased into these

recipes within reach of even the most

designed with simplicity and speed

olive oil and black pepper cake and

recipes in a way that is gentle, flexible,

stumbling home cook, whilst ‘Eat Up:

in mind. One-pan jobs such as the

a marbled chocolate and almond

but never patronising. In the place of

Food, Appetite, and Eating What You

‘one-tin smashed potatoes’ produce a

cake. Here, there is a deliberate and

a ‘tin-pot dictatorship’, Tandoh offers

Want’ interrogated the politics be-

manageable pile of washing up, while

welcome absence of emotive lan-

an alternative as soothing as her Ko-

hind greed, glut, and pleasure. ‘Cook

tinned goods, cheap and easy to buy

guage regarding ‘clean’ or ‘unclean’

rean soft tofu stew, as utopian as her

As You Are’, her most recent publica-

in bulk and store, are put at the centre

eating, ‘treats’ or ‘cheats’. We are in-

Eden rice.

tion, is her most politically radical yet

of recipes such as the pearl couscous

stead offered a reading list that tack-

www.rubytandoh.co.uk/books.

@tendercubeofchillipaneer are The Mancunion’s latest food columnists reviewing the latest food trends in Manchester. Lini and Nikhil are the foodies behind the account, creating content on independent businesses, recipes and the best food trends to try yourself! For their first column, Nikhil and Lini visited the infamous Pho Cue.

This is a cookbook radical in its

Food: 4.2/5 Experience: 5/5 Price: ££ – deffo worth the money and good portion sizes Nikhil + Lini @tendercubeofchillipaneer

CULTURE

ISSUE 7 / 31st January 2022 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Food & Drink 29

The Allotment: A Veganuary treat Fancy trying a new city centre restaurant? The Allotment is a great place to give a fully plant-based menu a chance! With offers suitable for a student budget, there’s no excuse not to visit The Allotment.

Asha Lawson-Haynes Food & Drink Writer

T

he Allotment is the perfect place for foodies who are currently doing Veganuary, ‘do what you canuary’ , veganish January or just want to cut down on meat. The city centre plant- based restaurant offers the finest array of both small and large plates all bursting with flavour. For those on the student budget, I noticed some deals on at the minute which are too good to miss. The multi-awardwinning restaurant is offering 20% their entire menu from Monday to Thursday throughout January. As well as this, there’s a lunch offer on all year round where you can enjoy two small plates and a hot drink for only £10! (available Monday to Friday from 12pm-3pm).

The place serves food which is entirely vegan, and not only this but their selection of wines, cocktails and beers are all vegan too! The restaurant moved 3 years ago from Stockport to Deansgate to suit consumer demand and have a more central location. Yet they continue to source their ingredients from a local delivery service named ‘Ametto’ meaning they are actively maintaining a low carbon footprint. As well as this Liam, our lovely waiter for the night, informed us that the opening times of the place tend to work around bus timetables and that the owner is very keen to get his staff out on time meaning they don’t need to drive to work.

Upon first entry the ambience is set, lit by a combination of candlelight and electric lights the wooden floor and greenery scattered around the dining area contribute to the totally immersive experience. Lining the walls are some gorgeous artwork of vegetables, painted by the owners wife, which add bursts of colour to the restaurant and are being sold for around £100 a piece.

The menu itself is split into two sections, smaller and larger plates. The smaller plates can act as a starter, side or a few can be ordered and dined on as if tapas. We opted to share two small plates as a starter. The Cauliflower Wings (for £6) and one of their best sellers, the Miso Maple Mushrooms (again for £6). The wings were extremely crispy, and the cauliflower had a dry spice, I couldn’t manage the siracha mayo which they were paired with, so if you aren’t good with spice I would recommend asking for normal mayo. The cauliflower beneath the crispy batter had the perfect texture, andante.

Mushrooms and aioli are a classic combination, yet often the aioli becomes overpowering and all you can taste. Therefore, I was pleased to see small amounts of the sauce dotted around the plate meaning the balance between taste of the miso mushrooms and the garlic was perfect. A nice addition to this plate were the crispy onions which added more depth to the texture of the dish.

From this section I was also tempted by the Tofu Satay Skewers (for £5.25) and the Roasted

Butternut Squash with pomegranate and spinach (for £6.50) . But after having a late lunch I didn’t want to fill myself up as I was looking forward to my main course, Mushroom Ramen.

We ordered three mains and decided to share them all, meaning we all got to try each of the dishes. The wild mushrooms in the ramen were cooked beautifully, each bite bursting with sweet flavoursome juice. The portion size was large for £13.50, and I enjoyed the Pak Choi and Kale hidden beneath the noodles in the broth.

The broth itself was extremely Moorish and despite being full I managed to almost lick the bowl clean.

Another dish ordered was the Jackfruit Tacos which was served with guacamole and fresh salsa. These were probably my favourite dish of the night. Unlike Quorn or Beef tacos, the Jackfruit provided a sweet barbeque like taste which lingered on the tongue. Alongside the kick from the siracha mayo this acted as a perfect combination of contrasting tastes. I liked the fact that the sauces came in small dishes on the side meaning you could add the guacamole to preference, mainly because it meant I could pile it on top!

Finally, I was lucky enough to try the Chestnut Bourguignon (£14) served with mashed potatoes. Having never tried a chestnut before I was pleasantly surprised at the soft, grainy texture. It made for a tasty dish and again the

portion size was large.

Alongside the main dishes a side of Polenta Fries were ordered (£4.50) and they were deliciously crisp on the outside yet melted in your mouth once you broke past that barrier.

The crystals of salt as a garnish added was simplistic but ever so effective, I could’ve eaten three more portions of the deep-fried goodness.

I also enjoyed a pink Pamplemouse rose cocktail made with Manchester signature gin for £8.

Then came my personal highlight of the experience, dessert. I chose the Hazelnut Slice (£6.50) which was served with Belgian chocolate ganache, salted caramel praline and ice cream.

If served this in a non-vegan restaurant I would have had no idea the ingredients used were entirely plant based. The ganache was sweet, smooth and oozing from the slice. Around the plate were dots of a sour raspberry garnish which broke up the intensity of the chocolate.

The ice-cream was one of the smoothest I have ever encountered, after finishing the desert I just wanted more! You can also choose from Sticky Toffee and mulled wine Poached pear and many other sweet treats to finish off your meal.

The relaxed atmosphere, beyond delicious food, incredible morals and friendly staff made for one of the most enjoyable dining experiences I’ve had. I would definitely recommend this place whether you’re vegan or not, and its open every day from 12-9pm so there’s plenty of time!

Photo: The Allotment

Recipe: Aubergine parmigiana croutons)

Izzy Langhamer Food & Drink Editor

2tbs red wine vinegar A splash of white wine

T

his recipe takes us over to Italy for a hearty evening meal. An adaptation of a BBC foods recipe, this aubergine parmigiana is rich, cheesy and the ultimate warmer.

1tsp of brown sugar 3 cloves garlic, chopped All measurements are to taste – it really depends how cheesy you want your dish!

Ingredients: 1 aubergine 1 tin of spicy chopped tomatoes (can be found in lidl or simply add paprika and chili powder to regular) Dried thyme, sage and rosemary, plus salt & pepper to season 1 ball mozzarella Half a block of parmesan 2 handfuls of breadcrumbs (I used smashed up

Method: Drizzle oil into a frying pan and add garlic, red wine vinegar, a splash of white wine and the brown sugar. After several minutes on a medium heat and the garlic browning, you can add the chopped tomatoes and stir. Leave on a low heat for 15 mins, stirring and adding water if necessary to make a thick sauce.

Slice 1

aubergine vertically into strips- they should be very thin so they soften fast. Lightly drizzle each side with olive oil and put in a separate frying pan, on low heat to prevent burning. When each side is browned, put aside.

Layer a small baking tray with the tomato sauce and add a thin layer of aubergine on top.

Scatter a good handful of breadcrumbs, half of the parmesan and half the mozzarella ball over.

Repeat this process, and make sure that the top layer has lots of cheese over it.

Put in the oven at 200 degrees for 10 mins, or until crispy on top. Rest for 5 mins before eating.

30 Books

CULTURE

Make 2022 the year you read Some advice on how to start (or get back to) reading this new year and a list of books that are a good starting point Ausrine Naujalyte Books writer

T

he New Year inspires people to promise themselves something grand… which often ends in dropping it after the first week. “I’ll start reading”, “I’ll get back into reading”or “I’ll read every day” are common resolutions and I want to help you stay on track with them if you’ve struggled with keeping up with reading.

We’ll start with how. How do you make sure you make reading a habit and follow your reading goals?

Tip #1 Firstly, I like to decide how much time I want to spend on a specific book. It can be a week, two or more but the most important thing is to identify the number of days you are aiming for. Then take the page count and divide it by the number of days. If you are just getting into reading, 10-25 pages is a good start, and you can always adjust this method in the process.

Personally, I like to mark the ‘target’ page with a page marker so I can visibly see what I have to reach. Reaching your daily quota is very satisfying and it can inspire you to read even a tiny bit more, which lowers the number of days you aimed for and feels like an additional achievement.

Tip #2 Try having a specific time of day you read, even if it’s just for 10 minutes. In the morning, just after waking up, maybe in the afternoon, during a study break, or at night just before sleep (which helps you to fall asleep or, if the book is captivating, ruins your sleep schedule, so take this into account). Implementing reading into your routine guarantees that you’ll read at least a little bit every day and adds up to finishing the books faster than expected.

But what do I read?

Finding the right book is difficult, especially if you don’t know yet what you like, and everyone’s taste is wildly different, so here is a short list of easy-to-read, engaging books of different types:

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett Witty and captivating, this book can make you audibly laugh. You follow an angel and a demon from the beginning of time to the end of the world, the latter of which, of course, happens in England. The writing flows well and the fascinating characters lead the story in funny and unexpected directions.

Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O’Malley Graphic novels can definitely help you get into reading.

Beautiful illustrations, great stories, they seem to have it all. The Scott Pilgrim series are mostly known for the Edgar Wright movie, but I would argue that the comics are worth the read and include details that would have made the movie better.

Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language by Gretchen McCulloch Do you prefer nonfiction? Have you noticed how emojis and their m e a n i n g changes over time? Do your grandparents write ellipsis/ dot dot dots at the end of every sentence…?

This book has the answer to this and many other linguistic questions that are presented in an accessible but interesting way.

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is written in a simple, clear style, and is so realistic, it hurts. This account of one (and e v e r y ) woman’s life is a piercing look into the way women are treated in South Korea but will resonate with people of all backgrounds. Another book at just 150 pages long, it is perfect for getting back into reading.

I hope you’ve found this list helpful and added something to your to-be-read list! Best of luck in your reading journey.

ISSUE 7 / 31st January 2022 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Examining our past for a better future: in conversation with Dr Clara Dawson about decolonising the curriculum Jacob Folkard Books writer

R

ecently, it was reported by the Telegraph that the University of Edinburgh was looking to pay students £15 an hour to become “critical readers” in order to decolonise their curriculum.

This news story did not materialise out of the blue, no matter what the Facebook comments may say. It is representative of a change that is sweeping across education in its entirety, and is gaining more and more prominence with every passing year.

In order to discuss this topic and find out what the University of Manchester is doing to take an active role in the changes education is undergoing, I talked to Dr Clara Dawson, a senior lecturer in the English and American Studies Department, to discuss the decolonisation of the curriculum at Manchester and, particularly, of the literature course.

First of all, it is important to understand what the ‘decolonising of the curriculum’ actually means. Dr Dawson states that, although it is a subjective term and every individual and institution approaches it in a different way, she sees it as broken down into two general branches: 1) what we teach and 2) how we teach.

Not only, as Dr Dawson explains, must we think about what we teach in terms of syllabi, authors and the balance of curriculums, we must also think about how and under what guise we do that. This could involve, she suggests, considering ideas such as universities examining their own links to colonial history and the sole authority of the lecturer perhaps needing to be decentralised in order to motivate a more diverse conversation around education.

Having established the ‘what’, the next logical question would be ‘why’. Why do we need to decolonise the curriculum, where has this motivation come from? In fact, Dr Dawson goes on to explain, a lot of the drive has come from students themselves. There is, she says, a desire from a growing number of students to look honestly at their own and their education’s history, to reject a complicity in the present as well as analysing the past.

This desire can also be seen to be intertwined with the recent progressive

movements that have pushed ideas of race, class and gender into the spotlight and out of the rugs they have been swept under.

For example, as Dr Dawson elucidates on, her own work in Victorian literature has become ever more pertinent due to the re-examination of eminent Victorian figures and their links to discrimination, which has often resulted in the toppling of statues during protests. Such protests and movements have brought the past into the present and has re-examined it, linking history to issues that are still highly relevant in today’s world.

However, the decolonisation of the curriculum is not just a theory or a movement, all around the country it is being practically implemented and Dr Dawson outlines just how this can be and is achieved practically. She outlines that the practical implementation is a combination of both short and long-term goals that will shift the curriculum to a more progressive point, something she and her department are actively aiming to achieve at The University of Manchester.

Certainly, she asserts, whilst shortterm solutions such as adding authors that deviate from the white male canon in order to create a more equally diverse course certainly provide a starting point, much more must be done over a longer period of time in order to fully address the issue.

Dr Dawson goes on to outline what the University of Manchester is doing in the long-term, with ideas such as possibly adding an MA in critical race theory, designing specific modules around race and empire and shaping degrees on a macroscale to promote a far more diverse experience.

The next 10-20 years will certainly be a crucial point in the decolonisation of the curriculum. As Dr Dawson states, the decolonisation movement is not going to go away until not only education, but society in general, as a product of the educational systems we all pass through, is far more aware of itself and its position in its past, present and future and how we can achieve equality in social justice in everything we do. But, although we have a long way to go, positive change certainly is happening, and there is no doubt we should all do our bit to embrace, support and champion that change for a more enlightened future generation.

CULTURE

ISSUE 7 / 31st January 2022 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Fashion & Beauty 31

2014, is that you?

The ‘Tumblr Girl’ aesthetic and its return Take a step back and relive the once-loved fashion trends of 2014 Tumblr. Is it time for the Tumblr girl fashion aesthetic aesthetic to make its return?

Zahra Mukadam Fashion & Beauty Editor

I

’ll set the scene: it’s 2014. You’re listening to the 1975 in your favourite band tee reblogging a Tumblr post with the quote “stay real, stay loyal or stay the hell away from me”.

You send your friend a vine of 19-year-old Jared who can’t read and caption it “lmao EPIC”. You’re weirdly obsessed with mustaches and giant glasses for some reason and carry your copy of The Fault in our Stars around as an accessory. Doc Martins, winged eyeliner, chokers and ripped tights are the epitome of coolness and you idolise Effy Stonem from Skins. It was a good time, but the spotlight shifted to VSCO girls, E-boys and a whole lot of collective identity crisises disguised as trends. Through it all, the 2014 Tumblr girl still lurks in the shadows waiting for her comeback.

Could that comeback be now?

In the Tumblr era, grunge, emo-esque styles were no longer regarded as outcast forms offashion, but rather cool and desirable. It takes its roots from 90s grunge fashion which has strong links to trendy indie music at the time and is a style that will always remain in society even if it is not prominent. A typical Tumblr girl wardrobe would

consist of fishnet tights, ripped skinny jeans, Doc Martins, band tees, oversized flannels and they’d all be in dark colours. Some of the Tumblr girl fashion consists of items that most Gen Z still have today such as denim jackets and oversized shirts, making it easy for the trend to make a comeback.

However, Gen Z are swapping out some items for others, giving it their own new twist. Boyfriend jeans over ripped skinny jeans, tennis skirts over skater skirts… the resemblance is there but made different. Combat boots and miniskirts are becoming increasingly popular and the new altgirl aesthetic is essentially the Tumblr girl of the modern day. If you want to recreate a Tumblr Girl look, you undoubtedly have some items lying around in your wardrobe.

Tiktok has also assisted in surging this trend with hashtags such as #2014TumblrGirl and #TumblrGirlAesthetic which has over tens of millions of views. These videos give people outfit inspirations and add to the Tumblr Girl aesthetic trend by keeping it popular and trendy. The Tumblr app itself, ironically, is not as thriving as other social media apps today. It has seriously declined since its 2014 peak but still has 16.74 million active users in the US. In a global pandemic that leaves us feeling like

Get the look :

we’re stuck in time, a lot of Gen Z and millennials are taking a look back to feel the comfort of nostalgia.

Tiktok fuels the resurgence with people reviving old songs on the app and remaking makeup looks from 2014. For those in their early 20s, the Tumblr era was a simpler time where we weren’t plagued with the dawning responsibilities that come with adulthood. We remember it as fun and cool.

However, nostalgia fails to point out the flaws in a time that seemed so great. The Tumblr girl aesthetic was so much more than fashion choices.

It extended over to personality traits, music tastes and also mental wellbeing. There was a sense of sadness and moodiness that branched from it.

Those who wanted to have that cool, Tumblr girl vibe, also got sucked into everything else that came with it. The depressing music, emotional quotes and the gloomy mentality. The fashion may have been elite, but there was a certain darkness that came with it.

The new Tumblr Girl aesthetic attempts to drop this negativity and focuses more on the fashion, being experimental with hairdos and doesn’t shy away from colour. Is the 2014 Tumblr Girl coming back? Probably not. Not in its raw form, at least. But maybe a fun, punkish, new scene is slowly creeping its way back into our wardrobes.