The Voices Issue 2018 by Orbital Magazine

O R B I TA L THEORBITAL.CO.UK

Est. 1986

#METOO: A YEAR ON

THE VOICES ISSUE

CO N T E N T S 2

THE TRUTH ABOUT ESSAY MILLS

FREE SPEECH?

FINANCIAL PRIVILEGE IN ACADEMIA

COVER FEATURE: A YEAR ON FROM #METOO

A STAR IN EGHAM: CHELSEA PERETTI

DEBRIEF: LILY MADIGAN

TALES OF A STUDENT SEX WORKER

ROHOROSCOPES

WORKWEAR

LUNAR CYCLES

PLEASE, JUST USE A CONDOM

FROM THE EDITOR:

How is it possibly November already? It feels like we just started university a few days agao and yet, here we are, on the second issue of my tenure as Editor of this magazine. I know we’ve only had two issues, but this one is the best one I swear. I think this is the best content we’ve ever had in my years here at RHUL, and that’s saying something considering the high calibre we’ve already seen before. Orbital was lucky enough to gain so many new writers this month – if you’re new to Orbital then welcome and I hope you see yourself in these pages! If not, please don’t be disheartened because all of your content goes on theorbital.co.uk and is just as important (if not more). The theme of this issue is VOICES, which perfectly aligns with the incredible content we have in this issuue which, while all completely different, aims to tackle the topics of speaking up, speaking out and the freedom to do so.

Anyway, shall we start at the beginning? We’ve got a miniinvestigation of sorts conducted by Caroline Husby regarding the use of Essay Mills. Then, we’ve got one of the most ambitious and well-written investigative features I’ve ever seen in Orbital: Becca Bashford asks whether the line between free speech and hate speech is being blurred here at Royal Holloway. If you’re interested in the fundamental right of freedom of expression, this is the article to read. Maliha Reza’s comment article about financial privilege in academia follows on from her viral twitter thread about levels of privilege among university students, giving us a unique insight into working-class backgrounds at university. This is followed by our cover feature – isn’t that illustration gorgeous?! thanks Jack Waters! – about the year since #metoo started. Amal Abdi tells us that it is time for us to be angry and fight ever harder, as the #metoo movement clearly hasn’t fixed everything yet. If that’s not your bag, how do you feel about celebrity interviews? We managed to snag an interview with the infamous Chelsea Peretti, from Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She used to go to RHUL did you know? Read the interview to find out more! Debrief is always about championing inspiring people and showcasing their phenomenal work. Deputy Editor Jasmine Cox interviews

Labour trans-activist Lily Madigan who, at the young age of 19, is fighting hard for trans rights in the UK at large. Her interview is full of quotable and poignant ideas. Page 24, go go go! A student sex worker here at RHUL anonymously confided in me about her work. Her story is told here, a searing account of what the industry is like and why she does what she does. It’s been two years in the making but we have finally collaborated with the Fashion Society to do a wonderful photoshoot regarding workwear and the working person. If you’re doing an internship or work experience and are struggling with outfit choices, head over to Page 36 for some inspiration. For the first time, The Orbital is publishing creative pieces – and we will continue to do so in the future so get in touch with our Culture editors if you’re interested. Shloka Ramachandran has written a poem named ‘Lunar Cycles’, a vulnerable yet occasionally angry piece about her experiences as a woman. Science & Gaming have been hitting it out of the park this month – there’s been too much content to put in so make sure you read them in print and online! Lastly, I’d like to thank everyone for their hard work for this issue. I am so proud of everyone in the Orbital team. Enjoy!

mi chele t h eil EDITOR@THEORBITAL.CO.UK

INVESTIGATIONS

THE TRUTH ABOUT ESSAY MILLS BY CAROLINE HUSBY

£150. The person in the chat-room was extremely pushy and wanted me to decide immediately whether I wanted their service or not.

An essay mill is a company that provides provides academic essays in exchange for money, tailored to any course, module, or specific essay question.

Several media outlets have recently commented on the use of essay mills, ’40 university Chiefs have written to the Education Secretary calling for a ban on essay mills’ (The Guardian, 2018). Universities have previously raised their concerns regarding the ‘integrity of degree courses’ as more students are using these services than ever before.

very student at Royal Holloway knows the feeling of stressing over deadlines, essays, and assignments. From midterm to the end of the term, the level of stress reaches an all-time-high. Some students decide to take the weight off their shoulders by contacting ‘essay mills’ or by using fellow students to write their essays.

These companies have professional business models; they are very easy to find and contact. I decided to get in touch with an essay mill to see just how easy it was to commission a piece. Within five minutes, I received an offer of a 3000-word essay for a price of

Swansea University has been conducting a study since 1978 on the use of these services, and found a 15.7% increase between 2014 and 2018. University Chiefs look to other countries that have banned essay mills and

INVESTIGATIONS

endeavour for the UK to do the same. ‘Sam Gyimah, the universities minister, says outlawing the services remains an option, although work is ongoing to tackle the problem by other means’ (The Guardian). These ‘other means’ have been to educate students on the consequences of using these services and have successfully lobbied YouTube to ban essay mill adverts. These measures will never be fully successful as there will always be ‘ghost writers’ at universities: students who willing to write assignments for fellow students. I spoke to two so-called ‘ghost writers’ who have been paid to write essays, and even whole dissertations, here at Royal Holloway. The pay rate depends on the amount of work and normally starts at

50 pounds and goes up to 500 pounds and above. These ‘ghost writers’ have different reasons for doing this extra work alongside their own studies.

which will affect the continuity of the individuals’ essays. Without using essay mills for all essays during their degree, it seems illogical that they won’t get caught. However, since there is no plagiarism in the works of the ghost writers it is hard for universities to detect this form of cheating. It is problematic that students who have chosen their own degree have such a lack of motivation that they wish to use these services; they will finish university with a flawed degree.

The biggest motivator is their economic gain, but they have also mentioned the academic challenge and educational benefits of writing essays on – and learning about– different topics. Students who contact them have a lack of interest in their course and lack of motivation to do their own work; laziness seems to be a contributing factor. A common Norwegian saying is “pissing in your pants to keep warm” – an analogy As long as there is a demand for these for short-sighted strategies which services, there will always be some form backfire as it freezes after two minutes of supply, which enables the development of warm, wet bliss. The use of essay mills of this market. It is no surprise that if a and ghost-writers is definitely a classic student is caught using essay mills, their “pissing in your pants to keep warm” degree is annulled. The ghost-writer scenario – nasty and short-sighted. • will always have their own writing style

“It was a photo that I took on my solo trip to Iceland. I felt like this image of the empty red bench against the red building really summed up the atmosphere of the city. It’s also very aesthetically pleasing.” • By Emily Bradbury

FREE SPEECH?

The line between free speech and hate speech is being blurred; but is anyone paying attention?

illennials’, ‘snowflakes’, ‘triggered’, ‘lefties’, ‘vegan hippies’; without a doubt, there is a fiery debate taking place about Generation Z and our ability to debate without getting offended. Usually, these criticisms come from the older generation - those who cry: “I miss the good old days when no-one complained about Yorkies not being for girls, and now Greggs are changing their name to be more gender neutral! The world has gone mad!”. We all know that person. They’re the kind of people who read the Daily Mail, love Piers Morgan, or think Tommy Robinson is a top bloke. However, beneath the surface of this war, there is something darker. Underneath all of the insults is the idea that people are somehow entitled to offend others. While everyone is entitled to their own opinion, there is no promise that anyone will accept it, and there is certainly no guarantee that people wont argue against it. Recently, there has been a trend of people - largely the self-proclaimed ‘Alt-right’ - who say that the introduction of trigger warnings, safe spaces, and essentially being more considerate to others is an infringement on free speech. But is the term ‘free speech’ being used to masquerade what is actually hate speech?

become inundated with radical, right-wing fascists; rather, there are a handful of people at Royal Holloway (some of whom publicly identify as Neo-Nazis) who are weaponising free speech. The lines between free speech and hate speech are being blurred, and hardly anything is being done to stop it. For a wider discussion of the issue of free speech and its ties to far-right politics beyond the Royal Holloway campus, I spoke to James Smith, a lecturer at Royal Holloway from the English department. I asked James what he thought about the exploitation of the term ‘free speech’ by the far-right: “Free speech is crucial to the selfrepresentation of these new forms of rightwing movements. They come to us arguing that they are simply here to defend debate and open dialogue of different views, which they say has been betrayed or in some way stifled by todays liberals and left-wingers.

Royal Holloway’s past is rooted in the pursuit of equality and diversity. However, a quick glance at our universities favourite meme page (Royal Hateoway), and it would seem that our campus is completely polarised: The Left vs. The Right. But is it really the case that our university has become a hotbed for far-right views? The general consensus is: not really. our university has not

But there has also been this kind of anarchic, trolling culture within this new right, where you were getting really extreme things being said, but always with some form of plausible deniability. There was always this claim that it was all just a transgressive joke, and if you took offence to it you were just humourless or ‘politically correct’. These versions of free speech make the error of pretending that simply stating something is an innocent thing that happens in vacuum. If we buy into this definition of free speech, we overlook the fact that speech is always performative. So, when these people say, ‘I’m merely stating statistics or facts’’, they are never merely doing that. They are always saying it in a certain political spirit, or with the intention that these ‘facts’ will be interpreted in a particular way. This extends even to the claim that their free speech is being suppressed. If I say I am being censored, it affords what I have to say the appearance of a special heroism. It invites people who might otherwise not agree with me to come to my aid.” I wondered about incidents which have taken place at Royal Holloway, most of which were generally shoved aside as inconsiderate, but not outright dangerous to students. The most notable event being the appearance of the ‘Its OK to be White’ posters around Englefield Green. Most have been removed, but this is exactly the type of act James is referencing. The posters may be defended because they don’t explicitly incite hatred anyone specifically, but they have a performative role. The signs, which originate from 4Chan, were soon adopted by the far-right, white supremacists, and even the KKK. Clearly, these posters serve a darker purpose. I spoke to a few students to see what their concerns were surrounding free speech - do they feel its being exploited, or suppressed? Peter Dowling - Treasurer of Mises society, ‘right of centre, Conservative, and libertarian minded’ says that free speech should have no limitations: “I believe universities should have a completely open attitude to free speech. Regardless of how controversial certain issues are, they all need to be discussed freely so we can formulate balanced and fair opinions on them. Even the most repulsive speakers - who I would never endorse - should have the opportunity to speak… If there are certain topics that are completely taboo to discuss under the banner of ‘political correctness’, then that can become an infringement on free speech.” The Mises society have recently been subject to criticism because of their use of the Gadsden flag during the freshers fair; a flag has been linked to white supremacy.

Peter responded: “It was a flag that was created during the American revolution and it simply means that we ‘don’t want to be tread on’. It has become a symbol of libertarianism”. The flag’s creator was a prominent slave trader, so I asked Peter if it was possible to remove the flag from its dark history. He said: “I think you need to understand the social context. In those days of colonial America, huge amounts of industry relied upon the slave trade. It was a tragic, terrible fact, but it was a fact of daily life in America.” After receiving complaints about the flag, the Mises Society were forced to remove it from their stall. To some, this might seem like an example of peoples free speech and political expression being (ironically) trod on. This is where the complexity of the issue lies. To some, free speech entails allowing a flag with a bloody history to fly. To others, it would be best just to avoid the flag completely. On the other side of the political spectrum, I spoke to Molly Arthurs: Treasurer of Young Greens, an eco-socialist, and a member of the Green Party. I asked Molly if she thought the line between free speech and hate speech is being blurred. She said it is: “The entire concept of free speech is that you have the freedom to call out oppression, being able to speak against the government without being shut down, but for some reason these days people see ‘Free speech’ and they think it means they can go around using slurs and no-one can criticise them. Free speech does not mean the right to an audience. People are creating an environment where minorities feel unable to speak. Students need to feel safe on campus.” Under the banner of “free speech”, ‘OK’ posters, transphobic literature, horrific sexist and racist comments on social media, and chanting for Tommy Robinson in Founders Square have been ignored. These incidents are not merely harmless jokes or provocations, but very real indications of something dangerous brewing at Royal Holloway. If you are one of the people who is unconcerned by these events, perhaps you need to check your privilege. The students who are suffering most are scared to speak, and their identities are being threatened ion subtle, yet completely recognisable ways. Looking forward, it would be nice if Royal Holloway would unequivocally say that our campus has no place for such threats. In fact, it wouldn’t just be nice, it is crucial for the safety of our students, the integrity of Royal Holloway as a whole. • BY BECCA BASHFORD

COMMENT

Financial Privilege: Academia’s Worst Kept Secret

cademia is limited to a privileged few, and there needs to be a more significant push to create a space for those lacking such privilege.

security plays a minor role in their success. Some also feel that in recognising such privileges, you place yourself in the position of an oppressor.

The means test is a critical part of the university admissions process but, regardless of the support systems fashioned by some institutions, many students from low-income backgrounds fall at the first financial hurdle. Universities, or more specifically the makeup of the university; its staff and students, need to acknowledge that this is a systematic failure that they are all too complicit within.

This idea is supported by Diane Goodman, in her article ‘Helping Students Explore Their Privileged Identities’, where she states that ‘students may equate being part of the dominant group with being an oppressor.’ The dominant group, in this case, being the financially privileged. Acknowledging that your financial privilege helped you, in no way invalidates your academic achievements- you are just aware that a system provided you with some level of support that is denied to others.

Some students are unable to wage a space in the academic world as it becomes a commodity that is afforded by a few. This embrace of commodification favours those with an element of financial privilege. However, the growing marketisation of academic institutions is onlyone contributorin the marginalisation of poorerstudents- the inabilityto recognise the dominance of some students’ financial privilege is another. There is a pattern across society by the beneficiaries of financial privilege that an acknowledgement of their privilege is a taboo. In the case of some university students, denying their financial privilege stems from the idea that their place is earnt through academic success and that financial 10

Fear of accepting privilege is, in part, driven by a lack of awareness that privilege and oppression can be intersectional. For instance, your socioeconomic status may put you in a position of privilege, but your race may deny you other forms of privilege. Race, sexuality, gender, class and socioeconomic statuses are nuances to a person’s identity but, often, it is a focus on an oppressed nuance that can produce a denial of any privileges a person may have. The intersectionality of such identities mentioned can make discussions uncomfortable for some. As such features are a significant facet of our identities, criticisms can be challenging to take on board; nonetheless, It

COMMENT

is important to establish that you can simultaneously benefit from privilege while suffering from oppression. Often, in not recognising financial privilege, people end up denying students from less financially privileged backgrounds a chance to convey their concerns. Derald Sue Wing argues in Microaggressions in Everyday Life, that ‘perpetrators are usually unaware that they have engaged in an exchange that demeans the recipient of the communication.’ Some people may be ‘unaware’, but it is vital, for academia to become a diversified space, that people acknowledge patterns of microaggression stemming from privilege and work towards dismantling it. University educators can also help students better understand their privileged backgrounds and identities by having open and honest discussions about the politics of privilege. Further steps can be made; for instance, diversify your curricula- make it more accessible to those from all backgrounds and not just aimed at a select few. Check in with your students who may be falling behind and don’t make assumptions. Support initiatives that help students enter universities through paths that may not be conventional (i.e. students who studyAccess Programmes or BTEC Diplomas.) Simply, the cycle of meritocracy on a financial basis can be cracked slightly by providing a more inclusive curriculum and improving pastoral care.

Academic attainment is often linked with a student’s socioeconomic status.Studentsfrom private orgrammar school educated backgrounds are more likely to have access to materials and stimuli that prepare them well for university-level study. Universities UK addressed the dropout rate of students from areas with limited higher education progression, stating that it was at 8.2%. With such a high dropout rate, it is evident that universities are failing students. In response to the rising issue in lack of academic progression and social mobility for students, universities are pursuing much-needed research projects. The Paired Peers Scheme at the University of Bristol explores how class poses a barrier to social mobility. More specifically, it tackles socioeconomic issues by pairing undergraduate students from all walks of life and tracking their process through the years. There is still a long way to go until academia becomes a wholly inclusive place. We can begin to take steps towards this by understanding the privileges afforded to us. By supporting initiatives that work with students to diversify the academic space; by pushing for your departments to have curriculums that welcome all levels of knowledge and interest- we can break academia’s worst kept secret: financial privilege. • Words by Maliha Reza.

THE RISE OF THE FAR-RIGHT Rawan

El-Aalem

writes

about

the

recent

rise

he rise of far-right groups So, I am sure at this point we all have heard about the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting that happened in America just at the end of October, and are we honestly surprised? Maybe you might be, but it seems history is repeating itself all over again. This is the problem when we give far right groups platforms, when we elect people, like Trump, who normalise this sort of behaviour, when we elect a fascist as the president of Brazil. Are we really surprised that history is repeating itself? One reason why far right groups are on the rise is because we fail to distinguish the difference between hate speech and free speech. The definition of free speech according to Article 19 in the declaration of human rights by the United Nations is “the right to express any opinions without censorship or restraint”. For example, if you support the conservative party and believe in the right to having free markets, then this is permitted under “Article 19 - Freedom of Expression”. The difference between someone expressing their thoughts and opinions and spewing out hate speech is that hate speech is inherently violent against mass groups of people, whether that be because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, or other reasons. What happened at the Pittsburgh synagogue was the result of allowing hate speech to continue under false pretences of “Freedom of Speech” and creating a narrative where this is deemed acceptable. By supporting these white supremacist views, the false idea that they are in some way superior is perpetuated. Sure, these are just individuals acting out of their own free will and should not reflect badly on the entire race, but is it right to give them a platform which in turn helps them push their propaganda down society’s throats, forcing them to digest this kind of information? We can argue that far right propaganda would not work on us as university students, but that’s because they carefully choose people who are both socially and economically alienated to force their beliefs onto them, in turn eventually brainwashing them.

far-right

groups

both

here

and

abroad.

By individualising white supremacist terrorists attacks, we lessen the threat of these groups. Once again, just because some white supremacists waged a terrorist attack on innocent civilians, does not mean the entire race does the same, but we need to understand that the group they are a part of are violent and are not practising freedom of speech. They are going against our basic human rights to not be discriminated against (Article 2 – Do not discriminate). By having some people undermine the very definition of hate speech, which is “expressions of hatred toward someone on account of that person’s colour, race, disability, ethnic origin, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation” as said by UK laws, these groups feel like that they can get more violent without any consequences. It means that these groups can freely spew hatred at marginalised groups. It’s important to see the problem is not just affecting the United States. It’s affecting the world. Just last week we saw a Ku Klux Klan incident outside an Islamic Centre in Belfast, on the 29th October 2018. That’s right, in 2018. From 2017 to 2018, there was a 17% increase of hate crime, and within the 94,098 cases that have been reported to the police, 76% were categorised as race hate crimes. By turning a blind eye to the rise of far-right groups, by not helping tear down their platforms, by not stripping their power before it peaks, means we are allowing it to get worse. It means that this is going to keep progressing, even in the UK. We like to say we have developed as a civilisation and have turned away from the times when segregation was normal, but in actual reality, we are in a cycle, going towards what happened in the holocaust. By normalising white supremacists, we are giving them the opportunity to progress into more violent tactics; we are approving their actions and increasing their support. What happened in Pittsburgh will continue to happen, but only if we keep giving them the opportunity. • 13

IT’S TIME TO BE ANGRY

Amal abdi discusses the collective anger around brett kavanaugh.

or as long as feminism has been around, the angry feminist has been a stereotype used to dismiss the claims of women. Calling a woman angry is the best way to ignore what she is saying, after all, who would listen to a screaming woman who cannot control her emotions. In the Supreme Court hearing last month, Brett Kavanaugh revealed himself to be an angry man.

Whilst Dr Ford spoke clearly and calmly, Kavanaugh almost cried through his opening statements, and his anger throughout was palpable. All of this was part of the Republican party’s tactics surrounding Kavanaugh’s confirmation, Senator Lindsey Graham yelled on behalf of Kavanaugh’s saying “this is not a job a job interview, this is hell”.

Throughout American history white men’s rage has been seen as righteous. An angry man is a hero, he is a revolutionist, maybe he is an American Founding Father, a symbol of patriotism to be loved and his anger fetishised. But why is it that every woman that is enraged is immediately dismissed?

All the theatrics of the GOP made it evident that their anger was legitimate, the anger of the women who confronted was unjustified and inappropriate. When Clarence Thomas was up for nomination, he said he was receiving a “hightech lynching”. Being the second black man up for the Supreme Court, Thomas faced a host of racial problems but he also benefited from a patriarchal society which let him get away with harassment of a black woman.When Anita Hill came forward she put sexual harassment on a national stage, but now we are all aware of it. Now in the era of #MeToo, men have decided that reputation is just as important as woman’s safety. As Kavanaugh wept he said that his family name had been “totally and permanently destroyed.”

In 1991, Clarence Thomas was nominated to the Supreme Court by George H.W. Bush. After his nomination, Anita Hill, a law professor who had previously worked under Thomas accused him of sexual harassment eventually testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Almost immediately, Hill became a target, there was a brutal smear campaign used to discredit her, not to mention the trauma of having to recall and relieve the harassment and share it with the world. This October, Dr Christine Blasey Ford was subjugated to this same experience when testifying against her alleged abused, the new Supreme Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh. After being questioned she received death threats forcing her and family to move out her home, she was laughed at by the media who didn’t believe her and even mocked by the president.

With all of this, it’s easy to think that nothing has changed since 1991, Trump admitted to assaulting women and is now president and once again a predator has been given a lifetime appointment to make the highest judicial decisions in the US. But we have to remember that this is the work of centuries of patriarchy. Progress may seem glacial but it will, of course, take more than a year the change the global culture. In the meantime, women need to keep being angry. •

ILLUSTRATION BY JACK WATERS.

A YEAR ON FROM #METOO MICHELE THEIL REFLECTS ON THe tumultuous year of #metoo.

ILLUSTRATION BY JACK WATERS.

n the last 525,600 minutes, a lot has happened. We’ve seen the release of Ariana Grande’s amazing new album, thousands of dog instagram accounts, over 300 mass shootings in America and more - it’s been tumultuous and polarising. But, one of the most important things that have happened in the last year has been the immense cultural shift surrounding catcalling, sexual harassment, inappropriate conduct and sexual assault. In October 2017, Alyssa Milano drew attention to the hashtag #metoo, orginally started by activist Tarana Burke, after numerous allegations against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was published in The New York Times.

for sleeping with other people and call you a bitch for not wanting to sleep with them.

Since then, the movement has grown in leaps and bounds and has even made it to places like South Korea, Japan and the UK recently with allegations coming out against tycoon Sir Phillip Green. So much good has come out from #metoo, with one poignant example being the group ‘Time’s Up’, which was founded in early 2018 to give legal aid to survivors of sexual harassment, abuse and assault. The UK equivalent is called the Justice & Equality fund, which has the support of Emma Watson, Keira Knightley and Jodie Whittaker – when she’s not jetting around space and time of course. Additionally, female journalists in the UK have started The Second Source, a group aimed at helping young women who may feel intimidated, harassed or abused in a maledominated industry.

The journalists who investigated Green on behalf of The Telegraph were women. Those at the New York Times who first revealed Harvey Weinstein’s actions were also women. The top-tier celebrities supporting ‘Time’s Up’ and the Justice & Equality Fund are made up of mostly women. While it may seem fairly obvious that women would be supporting other women, it is wonderful to see that they are, in fact, believing and supporting the women around them. That cannot be said for all women, which is another thing we must reflect on from the past year and in the years to come. There were plenty of high-profile women who came to Harvey Weinstein’s defence, most notably fashion designer Donna Karan of DKNY and ‘Mean Girls’ actress Lindsay Lohan, while Big Bang Theory star Mayim Balik wrote an op-ed that was criticised by many for ‘victim-blaming’.

But, while #metoo has done a lot of good, women are still being harassed, abused, intimidated and murdered all around the world. The response to #metoo was largely positive but it has also coincided with the heightenened ‘Incel’ movement, which originally started on Reddit but has quickly moved into the mainstream. ‘Incel’ refers to those who identify as ‘involuntarily celibate’ – it is not by their choice that they don’t have sex, it is because women are “shallow” and “rude” and refuse to have sex with them for whatever reason. These are the type of guys who say they respect women but will call you a slut

Meanwhile, The Telegraph’s recent investigation into Topshop owner Sir Phillip Green allowed those who work under his “climate of fear” to speak out against him, in a surge of a British #metoo movement, according to prominent journalists. However, the fact that it’s taken almost a year to the day for #metoo to come to our door says a lot about the patriarchal society we live in, where women are still afraid to speak up against abusers despite encouragement from other women who did it before them.

Brett Kavanaugh’s recent confirmation as a Supreme Court justice despite credible testimony about his despicable actions towards Dr. Christine Blasey Ford was shocking to many. But, it was shocking in particular to women who found themselves defending their belief in Ford against other women who supported Kavanaugh instead. Republican women across the United States were standing by President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, choosing to ignore the allegations. In fact, support of Kavanaugh rose to 69% among

COMMENT

“

These ‘supportive’ women should tell us the truth; they just don’t care. Republican women after testimonies from him and Ford in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee were broadcast. In the final confirmation vote, a handful of female senators voted to confirm him, including Joni Ernst, Cindy HydeSmith, Deb Fischer, Shelley Moore Capito and, most notably, moderate Republican Susan Collins. Collins, who is a supporter of abortion rights, was expected by many to vote against Kavanaugh due to his inherent threat to the landmark abortion rights case, Roe v. Wade – which is something that many Republicans want overturned – in addition to the sexual misconduct allegations that Ford had lobbied against him. But, Collins ultimately voted to confirm Kavanaugh, which was seen by many Americans to be a betrayal of her consituents, of the #metoo movement and of women in general. Collins’ confirmation of Kavanaugh showed a lack of support for Ford and for women overall. And, sadly, it is reflective of a large number of women in the US, who see the #metoo movement not as something to be celebrated but as something to be feared. Social media has shown clearly that they fear for their sons, brothers, husbands etc., who might be “falsely accused” and have their lives ruined, more so than they would their daughters or sisters or themselves who might become victims of sexual misconduct in the future. The problem with this narrative is that many men do not have their lives “ruined” because of sexual misconduct allegations. Donald Trump ascended to the Presidency with relative ease despite his claims of “grabbing her by the pussy” and almost nothing has been done regarding Stormy Daniels’ accusations against him. People will likely still continue to shop at Topshop and other Aracadia offshoots like Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins and Burton. Louis C.K, a comedian accused of sexual misconduct months ago, recently did a comedy show, with the audience erupting into applause as soon as he walked onto the stage while

there are calls for Kevin Spacey, the House of Cards actor, to return to the show despite those sever sexual assault allegations. These ‘supportive’ women should tell us the truth; they just don’t care. Sure, they might fear for the men in their lives, or whatever, but it’s clear that there is no allegation big enough to get their attention. As Amal Abdi wrote, it’s time for women to be angry at what’s happening and continue to fight for what’s right. We should we angry at other women as well as the men who continue to commit such horrific actions unencumbered, who say that all women are liars and hungry for fame. Hundreds of people, including President Trump, either implied or outrightly stated that Dr. Ford was a liar, arguing that she couldn’t possibly be remembering correctly and that it was suspicious timing for her to reveal the details of her traumatic rape at age 17. This raises the following question: if someone like Dr. Ford, who has a degree from one of the most prestigious universities in the world, won’t be believed then who will?! The allegations against Weinstein also came from prominent, trustworthy women, and yet many stood with Weinstein and defended him either by dismissing the allegations or by ignoring them altogether. And the women who are not supporting the #metoo movement and an overall change in the “climate of fear” are inherently part of the problem. We, as ordinary citizens, don’t stand a chance. Society wasn’t ready for #metoo in 2017 and in 2018, just one year later, it isn’t any better. But, we have to work with the hand we’re dealt as #metoo is a cultural phenomenon that is here to stay. We’ve got to hustle hard and fight for an end to the harassment, abuse and assault we are subject to, to varying degrees, on a daily basis. And hopefully, one day no one will have to use #metoo ever again. •

a e s l e o Ch x i t t e Per

“Did no one know women were treated horribly, both within comedy and throughout the world?”

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A few of you might remember a certain tweet last June by Brooklyn Nine Nine star and comedic genius, Chelsea Peretti, which sent the RHUL twittersphere into a frenzy. We only thought it appropriate to catch up with the woman herself. Can you tell me a bit about your background and how you ended up at RHUL for your junior year abroad? I grew up in California (in Oakland, the East Bay Area near San Francisco). I went to school in New York. I don’t remember how I heard about Royal Holloway but I do know I was under the impression it was a “hop, skip, and a jump” from London. Many freezing post-club train rides later I deduced that it was advertised a wee bit closer than it was...but it’s all water under the bridge at this point (London Bridge). I don’t even know if that joke works geographically but I’m too tired to google map it and see the Surrey/London relationship. Why did you choose to attend RHUL and what year did you attend RHUL? I probably chose RHUL because they said it was close to London. Spoiler alert: it isn’t. See question 1. But I’m guessing the other reason I wanted to study abroad in “London” was because I loved English comedy - specifically Alan Partridge and The Holy Grail, but also others. When I was there, my new friends showed me Ali G which I instantly loved and it made it a bit more exciting to be so 20

close to his hometown of Staines. I attended in 1999 which makes me 301 years old. What did you study at RHUL and was it the same as what you studied at your U.S college? Did you join any societies or sport clubs? I studied Media Arts and learned about Wong Kar-Wai and his cinematographer at the time Christopher Doyle. I fell in love. At my school in NY (Barnard), I was studying English with a concentration in Writing. I was in the Improv group at Columbia called “Six Milks” and I created a theme house called The Sojourner Truth House. Do you ever miss Egham? Have you ever visited or would you want to? LOL re Egham. Good one. I miss the people I hung out with? The school was beautiful. I came back once to see my friends and go to some sort of on-campus party with them, I forget the name of it, but RH had an astounding number of pubs and theme parties. I also went for a cream tea in a neighboring town with one of my friends who had a fancier accent than the other ones. I remember that cream tea being very good and I would teleport back for that. I also loved the little melted cheese sandwiches I’m blanking on the name (cheese toasties?) and there were a couple nearby pubs that had nice food. I guess what I’m

“When I was starting out it was a regular thing for people to come up to me after shows and feel comfortable to say: I usually hate female comedians but I liked you.” saying is if I could teleport there for 15 minutes to an hour - I’d do that, and mainly for food. Do you remember The Orbital from your days at RHUL? Did you ever read it? Vaguely. I can’t be certain if I read it or not, so let’s just say YES! Loved it! Read it like crazy. You are very active on Twitter, why do you think it is important for people to be politically engaged at the moment? Because climate change and human rights issues and a swell of international conservatism mean our lives depend on it and we have to fight for ourselves and for those who have no defenders. People seem to have forgotten the horrors of history and seem hellbent on recreating them. And to ignore science and distort the truth (aka lie) has become the dangerous norm here in the US. As a strong female comedian, how did you respond to the rise of the #metoo movement last year as well as the many allegations against male comedians? Well. I have to say the tone of shocked reactions to it all was surprising to me. Did no one know women were treated horribly, both within comedy and throughout the world? This was their first awareness of it? Seems odd that one day everybody suddenly cared. Comedy for me starting out was an insane boys club, whether in the clubs or the so-called alternative rooms which were also run by men and

primarily featured men. When I was starting out it was a regular thing for people to come up to me after shows and feel comfortable to say: I usually hate female comedians but I liked you.” It was and still is, even with the prominence of many female acts, very common for me to do shows at clubs where I am the only woman in the line-up of hours and hours of comedy. I always felt/feel like a freakshow. So my response to the movement that Tarana started is complex but I am happy that some semblance of justice has been served and some darkness has come into the light. It’s unclear what happens next. Brooklyn Nine Nine is a very popular show in the UK and almost everyone I’ve met at RHUL watches and loves it. What would you say to those students at RHUL who are such big fans of yours? Thank you! I love that. I have been really happy with the response from the UK because, as I said, I’ve always been such a fan of English humor. I have a fantasy of living there again at some point. Your character on Brooklyn Nine Nine, Gina Linetti, is beloved by so many people. Many regard her as a funny, strong-willed and ‘awesome’ character. Do you think Gina is a role model? If so, in what way? It has always been important to me to make Gina the best she can be. I wanted her to be outspoken, eccentric, and bright. I wanted her to love her 21

“My response to the [#MeToo] movement that Tarana [Burke] started is complex. But I am happy that some semblance of justice has been served and some darkness has come into the light.” friends and come through for her job and her co-workers but still be able to be rough-around-the-edges and funny. I’ve read so many comments from fans saying her confidence inspires them and I only wish they could meet me, because I am also incredible. What’s your favourite thing about playing Gina? She is powerful even though some would say she is lowest on the totem pole. I think that’s inspiring for people to remember: your job title doesn’t have to define your potential or your self-worth. If you could play another character on Brooklyn Nine Nine, who would it be? If I could play another character on the show it would probably be Charles 22

because he gets to do weekly pure comedy with high stakes. His stories are often like buddy cop movies with Andy. And their friendship is so well defined. Plus a ton happens in his personal life. How did you get into stand-up comedy, acting, and writing comedy? I was temping after I graduated from college and I met an open mic comic who took me to an open mic. My plan was to act, but once I saw the stand up world I liked the idea of writing my own material and having more control than simple auditions afforded. Eventually that led to writing jobs, including moving to LA to write for the Sarah Silverman Program, then Parks and Rec. I left that writing job to act and the creators (Mike Schur and Dan Goor) had me come in for Brooklyn 99. I auditioned to be a cop, didn’t get it, but they added a new role for me which was Gina. Who inspired you when you were in college? Who inspires you now? I interned at SNL in my junior year (the semester before I went abroad to RH). That was a pretty inspiring weekly look at comedy talent. Who inspires me now? My husband and my son. And funny women in the comedy world. Women in general. Moms. Smart people who know things. And peonies. They are so pretty. Wait what was the question? •

Francesca Tyer looks into the recent backlash surrounding the spelling of ‘woman’/’women’ with an x or a y.

t the beginning of October, the BBC published an article titled ‘Should women be spelt womxn?’ This piece discussed the recent backlash directed towards the spelling of ‘women’ with either an x or y. The comeback was particularly prevalent on Twitter, following the use of the altered word by a London museum and library. Following this news piece, I decided to ask other students for their opinions on the matter. The quotations used below are comments from students whose names have been excluded. “Changing the spelling is completely unnecessary. This is a completely redundant move solely destined as some power play on the part of the feminist movement. It will in no way affect or help women around the world suffering from actual issues such as sexual assault.” The idea has been particularly identified with feminists but some have also linked it to trans-phobic ideas. However, many uses of the word have been made in order to be more inclusive. Variations of the spelling were initially created due to objections that the roots of ‘women’/’woman’ stem from the words ‘men’/’man’. “If we choose to see that ‘woman’ was taken from the word ‘man’ and that it doesn’t stand as a word on its own, why can’t we equally choose to see that perhaps ‘man’ was taken from the word ‘woman’ and equally doesn’t stand on its own? Either way it doesn’t matter much, does it?”

Several of the posts made on Twitter in response to the London museum and library suggested that the changed spelling was perhaps more degrading and offensive than the original one. Some of the responses I received felt that there are far greater issues relating to gender than this altered spelling. “I feel like we should concentrate on paying women the same as men first. Also woman/women is a lot easier to say.” “I believe that there are more pressing issues surrounding the oppression of women than the simple spelling of a word. Yes, the word woman contains the words man, so what? Man or woman, we’re all human beings. I don’t see why it needs to be made into a problem.” Oxford Dictionaries Online define ‘womxn’ as: the non standard spelling of ‘women’ adopted by some feminists in order to avoid the word ending -men. “Of course, this is merely my opinion, but I don’t personally believe changing the spelling would serve any purpose, and as far as I can tell is being ridiculed by both men and women alike.” The responses I received were only taken from a small percentage of people. Whilst these generally revealed an aversion to the idea, there are of course people who support and advocate for the altered spelling. •

Academia? It’s a mans world. S

exism in the workplace is nothing new. In the year since the first allegations of sexual harassment against Hollywood mogul, Harvey Weinstein, stories of women struggling against patriarchal traditions have dominated the headlines. From Hollywood to Westminster, the glass ceiling is as prevalent as ever. Academia is no different. I sat down with female academics, all at different points in their career, to hear their thoughts. It will come as no surprise that women are judged on their appearance differently from men. In the campus environment, the pressure for female lecturers to dress smartly in order to command respect from their students is great. As in so many professions, there is a paradox in expectations for women. To look feminine but not unprofessional, to be smart but not uptight. Where their male colleagues can turn up in jeans and trainers and hold a room, females and younger females in particular struggle to strike the right balance in how they look. One senior lecturer told me she was tired of peoples’ surprise on learning her profession as she ‘doesn’t look like a mathematician’. It begs the question of whether her male counterparts would face this same reaction. As long as women have been working, they have been forced to choose between career

and family. This is an age old issue, one that is particularly relevant for female academics. In academia, how far you progress in your career is based hugely on what you publish and how often you publish it. For women, taking time out to have and raise a child comes into direct conflict with this pressure. One professor I spoke to admitted that she was wary of when she’d have children, citing this very reason. On the theme of academic research, another example of sexism is obvious. The women I spoke with agreed that, generally speaking, male research is taken much more seriously than that of female academics. Academic conferences are a hotbed for sexism. Many female academics lamented having their own research ‘mansplained’ to them. Often, female writers both in and outside of academia will initial their work, rather than use their full first name for fear of sexist assumptions. Statistics show that it is women who make up the majority of workers on part-time or precarious contracts. For some, this is a positive. The flexibility of these types of contracts can appeal to young mothers. However, workforce casualisation can and does hit women the hardest. In academia there is so much more to the job than just delivering lectures. There is a huge pastoral role that comes with the job,

“To look feminine but not unprofessional, to be smart but not uptight. Where their male colleagues can turn up in jeans and trainers and hold a room, females and younger females in particular struggle to strike the right balance in how they look.”

something that often ends up on the shoulders of women. For males, society advises against being in touch with their feelings, instead adopting a ‘stiff upper lip’ attitude. It then falls to the women to provide the traditional caregiver role. Earlier in the year, Orbital Magazine broke the story of Paul Layzell saying women have a ‘natural tendency’ not to put themselves forward for promotion. Naturally this was met with frustration across the college. ‘It’s 2018, why are we still having this conversation?’ was the response from so many of the women I spoke to. It feels like women must be ten times better than their male counterparts to even be considered for promotion. When I approached the college for a refined statement from the Principal, a spokesperson for the University admitted ‘there is always more we can do to champion equality and diversity’.

Curiously, their plans to carry this out were unclear. According to the same statement, Royal Holloway has seen a ‘5.1% increase in the total number of female professors since 2015’. The national benchmark for female professors at any one institution is 24.6% which in itself is shockingly low. The figure for Royal Holloway is 30.5%. Above the national average but still leaving room for improvement. Academia is clearly still very much a man’s world. Whether it’s being judged on how you look or what you say, it’s obviously not an easy place to be a woman. A final piece of advice for aspiring academics? Be confident, be you and don’t let anyone drown you out. • WORDS BY ABBY KING

TALES OF A STUDENT SEX WORKER A RHUL student bares all and tells orbital about her experiences in sex work.

started doing sex work just after turning 18. I was in a bad place financially and so I started escorting as a safe way of entering the industry – it’s seen to be safer by most people. But, it wasn’t great to earn money because men would often see it just as dating rather than as a form of sex work and they think they don’t have to pay you money to be there just because they’re rich and buying you dinner or something. I had loads of men trying to get freebies essentially and I had to put too much into it to get something good out of it. Only 10% of pot dates (first dates through sugaring) end in me receiving payment. I might get travel expenses but I wasn’t earning anything from them. So, it was just… annoying. It was also too much of a social thing as I had to put up with these men, who I didn’t like, texting me all the time and I had to smile and be nice and pretend I wasn’t grossed out; when, a lot of time, I was. I found it way too hard. I only made £3,000 in six months, which was not worth the hours I was putting in to it. For such a stigmatised profession, it was not well-paid. So, I cut my losses and went into full-service sex work, working for myself. I found it difficult to find the motivation to make bookings at first, because I didn’t really want to go and do it. Sure, it was my choice, but it’s hard to get the motivation to do these shifts that you’re not that enthusiastic for. It’d be the same as doing a retail shift: sometimes you just don’t want to go to work. There’s also so much admin! You don’t think of sex work as being admin-based but, you know, unless I want to die, I have to screen everyone and that takes up so much time.

I would spend at least an hour “stalking” them online before meeting up with them and using this great website called National Ugly Mugs – they have a database of bad clients basically. I realised that I had to change it up, because what I was doing wasn’t working for me. So, I made the decision to stop doing independent sex work, much to the shock of the sex-worker community around me. In independent work, you’d get paid more because you can keep all of the money you earn. I now work in a brothel, where the amount of money I get is maybe half of what I was getting independently. Many people were very confused by why I did that. But, I do less admin and it gives me the freedom to do a shift and then just come back to university and be normal. It evens out in the end. It’s just like a job. And, it’s so much safer for me. There’s security in the building, and a panic room if that’s necessary. Plus, I can kick clients out if I want to – it’s always down to me in the end. We don’t give refunds so the client can respect my boundaries or leave. There’s such a community surrounding sex work, in London especially. They told me about these resources, like National Ugly Mugs and SAAFE, which helped me do my work safer. People don’t want to acknowledge that sex work exists or that they do sex work but it happens and we can make sure that people are safer if we just help them. 20% of students have considered sex work while 5% have stated that they have done some form of sex work. Clearly, it’s something we need to be looking at, that students are participating in sex work. •

DEBRIEF

L I LY M A D I GA N W

e met Lily at the rather over-crowded London Waterloo station some time last week, and after some travel miscommunications, we finally found each other opposite the underground and headed straight to Starbucks for some much needed coffee. Knowing that Lily was the former Labour Women’s Officer for Rochester and Strood Constituency, and the first transgender person to hold such a title, meeting her in person reminded me of how much she has achieved at such a young age. Being friendly and confident, I was surprised when Lily told me that she had felt the need to get drunk before her first ever interview; I was surely glad that Michele and I were not intimidating enough for Lily to go to such lengths for this interview. Being a young woman, Lily remarks that she is told “all of the time” that she is too young to be in the world of politics. She stated “there is this horrible idea in politics that you have to have done a certain amount of campaigning and canvasing and stuff like that really takes away from allowing young people to be able to run for positions”. Lily is optimistic that “the way that politics is going to thrive is when we have a variety of people from different backgrounds, different ages and different opinions being given poll positions”. Joining the Labour Party at the age of 17, Lily describes how her involvement with politics began when she first came out as trans. With the lack of support at home, she turned to politics, and as she sipped on her iced caramel macchiato she recalled to us “reading Labour’s Equality Act” for the first time and “thinking, yay, politics is good, Labour is good, so I joined”. Lily reminds us that activism and young peoples involvement with politics still often comes from under represented groups of people, and they see politics as a way of overriding their oppression; when I asked her if she would consider herself an activist, she modestly replied “hmmm, yeah, maybe more of a change maker. That is the phrase I have in my head, although they are probably the same thing”.

As we chatted about how activism in Britain tends to be lacking in comparison to the USA, for example, the taking off of the #MeToo movement, Lily reminds us that activism in Britain is a lot more party based and online. Lily has quite a strong social media presence herself as a prominent figure in Britain’s LGBT community, and although she reiterates, “hate is always louder than the support”, I asked her how she deals with detractors online and beyond? With wit she gives possibly the most iconic answer during this interview that she “mostly ignores them, but I use them to fuel me. I like to say ‘bigots are the lemons to my lemonade’”. Lily is currently in her first year at Goldsmiths University, and is already taking on exciting new projects such as her speech at Teen Vogue Summit this December; Lily tells us she will be discussing “being a young woman and the politics of the U.K and America, I’ll be talking about sisterhood and activism and counteracting the Trump narrative. Through the activism of young women, saying that they want to get involved and they want to speak about what they are passionate about, I’ll argue that that’s how we stop what is happening in the U.K. It will be how we get what we want on the political agenda”. With the recent sexual harassment allegations against Phillip Green, I asked Lily whether she thought a #MeToo movement will spark in Britain, and what comes to mind when she thinks of #MeToo as a broader concept? Lily explains: “I hope it will. It brings to light people with power complexes and that it is a problem here in the U.K. There have been cases in the past couple of years come up in British politics, but I feel like we don’t take it any where near seriously enough” and “#MeToo reminds me of the word sisterhood. Women standing together against their oppression and calling people as a collective”. In the fight for free speech, Lily reminds us all that “free speech is important, and it’s important for all of us, not just bigots”. •

DEBRIEF

Read the full interview detailing more of Lilyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work at theorbital.co.uk. Words by JASMINE COX PHOTOGRAPHY BY EMMA HALAHAN.

LIFESTYLE

A GREENER CAMPUS I

mages of pizza boxes and a dozen vodka bottles lining the window sill tend to spring to mind when most people think of halls life. It is true that student life is not the healthiest, nor the most environmentally friendly. However, with a sustainability society on campus, there is certainly a greener side to freshers’ life.

Most will agree that the amount wasted in your first year at university is unimaginably greater than the precedent years. The reason for this is that eighteen-year-olds who have never lived alone don’t have a clue how to minimise their waste. So here is your guide to both on-campus and off-campus saving:

Buy Local! Stop buying things online – you are wasting your own money on delivery, and it comes with packaging you will only throw away as soon as it arrives. The petrol for the delivery van and the amount of additional resources going into a product which you can easily buy nearby.

Buy Loose! The Student Market runs every Tuesday and you can get fresh fruit and vegetables in there for brilliant prices. Take your own shopping bag and you won’t have to throw anything away when you get home.

Use your leftovers! Made a bit too much pasta for dinner? Don’t throw it away! Offer it to one of your flatmates or put it in a box for tomorrow’s lunch. It will save you money and it will help out the planet a little bit.

Get a KeepCup! They’re sold everywhere, youu get your first coffee free and a discount thereafter. Carry it with you everywhere – all of the main coffee shops will happily put your drink into it for you. A reusable water bottle will also come in handy!

Get a Bento Box... or any kind of lunch box! Those living in catered accommodation are going to use a crazy amount of takeaway boxes this year, don’t be among them! Ask the staff to put it in your own box if you want it to go.

LIFESTYLE

Walk more! Not only is the fresh air going to be good for your hangover, but you can also save yourself the money you would’ve spent on an Uber. Alternatively, the SSHH bus runs on functions nights if you’re living off campus and an annual pass is only £20.

Get a compost bin! Off-campus students, Runnymede Council do indeed have food waste collections, but you can save yourself a lot of time and effort by getting a small bin for the garden and doing it yourself.

Start thrifting more! If you can swear yourself off buying new clothes entirely for a while that’s wonderful, but if you can’t, start buying second-hand. Not only is it a fun thing to do with your friends, it also helps to save the planet. And, when you’re throwing things away, do your best to donate instead of dispose.

Buy plastic-free alternatives! You want to splash that loan on something? Make it something that will last! Boots sell bamboo razors and toothbrushes that will last you far longer than your plastic disposables. Switch cling film for foil which is recyclable and switch toothpaste tubes for jars.

Go paperless! You know you don’t want to walk all the way to the post room anyway. So, switch all your bills to online and save yourself the hassle. They’re also harder to lose! •

Words: erin leonard photography credit: emily bradbury

#GIRLBOSS PROFILE: RIHANNA Chloe Hill looks at Fenty Beauty & how Rihanna’s makeup brand transcended the industry.

ithin a year, Rihanna has taken the world by storm with her Fenty Brand. Having already established Fenty Beauty and Savage x Fenty, Rihanna is showing no signs of stopping there - she’s even hinted that her next venture could be her own furniture line. Yet, for a girl boss like Rihanna, this comes as no surprise, as she clearly has her sights set on global dominance. Named as one of Time Magazine’s 25 best inventions that same year, Fenty Beauty was launched in September 2017. Within a mere 40 days, the brand had already made $100 million and showed no signs of slowing down. Rihanna’s revolutionary makeup line is cruelty-free, with a foundation that boasts an impressive 40 shades and an advertising campaign that features one of the most radically diverse casts seen in the beauty industry. A line that caters to all skin tones has unsurprisingly gone down a treat for mass audiences and has even earned the approval of the albino community. Albino blogger Krystal Robinson even posted on social media to praise shade #110: “I had a small freak out today.. my neck and face finally match each other.” Finally, there was a shade for fair skin with a cool undertone.

Naturally, the beauty industry caught on to such rapid success and the obsessive Fenty effect was underway. Rihanna had set the bar and had set it high, leaving brands with no excuse but to follow suit. No longer would brands receive approval if they failed to cover the majority of the skin tone spectrum. The beginning of 2018 saw Tarte release their highly anticipated Shape Tape Foundation, offering only three shades for darker skin tones. Social media jumped at the chance of slandering such a tragic shade range, leaving Tarte with no choice but to publicly apologise and promise to do better in the future. Rihanna was not willing to stop at beauty, however. In May 2018 Rihanna expanded her Fenty empire with the launch of Savage x Fenty. This body-positive range comprises lingerie, sleepwear and accessories, with a more X-rated BDSM range that the brand describes as “risqué and ultra-sexy.” Savage x Fenty closed NYFW FW18 with a celebration of all shapes, sizes and skin tones, with models ranging from Audrey Ritchie to Duckie Thot, to Bella Hadid. Slick Woods revelled in her womanhood, as she walked down the runway nine-months pregnant debuting Rihanna’s maternity lingerie. Whether it’s music, fashion, or beauty, Rihanna continues to inspire with her international success. Her feminist and all-inclusive vision serves to abolish beauty standards, whilst simultaneously shunning the male gaze and its stereotypical expectations for what defines the perfect female. The Fenty empire continues to thrive, and I for one cannot wait to see the success it has reached next September, on it’s two-year-anniversary. •

o matter who you are, how confident, how independent or how optimistic, change will always be a daunting obstacle that will loom in every aspect of our lives. Personally, although the butterflies that I encounter with every new and unfamiliar move or event are powered by an excitement for the opportunity and experience that may lay ahead, they are also laced with a fear of the unknown. September has seen Fresher’s Week come and go (featuring an all-too brief sighting of Jack Fowler) and October has brought new and returning students into a routine of several cups of coffee alongside their 9AM lectures. However, as a new student, I was apprehensive as to how easy it would be to not fall into the trap of the pressure to “make friends for life” in the first few weeks of being enrolled at university.

STRESSED, DISTRESSED, WELL-DRESSED by dani darrah

Whenever I’ve felt nervous or anxious I have been in the past, I’ve almost never failed to put my theory into practice - the Fake It to Make It theory. This theory unearths the idea that regardless of how nervous or overwhelmed you are, by masking these emotions with self assurance and optimism, not only through thoughts but also through clothing, hair, make up and even music, your confidence will begin to rise and the initial emotions you felt will begin to fade as the materialism brings you the tenacity you need to thrive in stressful or new places. However, as I explore my theory more, I begin to question whether the best way to get through events is to mask how I feel. Had I used it during the Fresher’s Festival events, I most likely would’ve been sucked into the appealing idea of trying to be funny, fashionable and entertaining all the time - attempting to be the friend that everyone wants to have. Although this may work for some people, it becomes draining when you want to talk about the worries or queries that you have and feel as though you need to put a brave face on. In these moments, masking how you feel is one of the worst things you could do - talk to someone about it and let yourself become slightly more vulnerable. It is these times that ultimately bring people closer together. The Fake It to Make it theory comes in handy with situations such as a job interview, an exam or public speaking when you need the boost of any kind of positive emotion possible to help you through a nerve-racking event. However, although the theory will remain close to my heart - and will no doubt be used time and time again - I have become aware of how vital it is that we stay true to ourselves and don’t feel any kind of pressure, especially in an environment that is, or will become, a second home to many, to change for anyone or anything. There is enough change happening as it is and you are so much better off embracing what makes you who you are and what you want to be. •

LIFESTYLE

Taurus

20 April - 20 May

Cancer

Those around you rely on you for your stable outlook – it’s time to help those who come to you for advice. You can be possessive at times; don’t forget to be generous with those around you.

21 June - 22 July

22 July - 22 August

You may need to use your persuasive skills to aid you, but ensure that you don’t manipulate the ones you’re convincing. Your ongoing tenacity in times of struggle will be rewarded.

Your warm-hearted nature will bring someone new into your life, either platonically or romantically. In your work, don’t let your tendency for procrastination keep you from doing the best you can.

Scorpio

Sagittarius

Don’t let jealousy get the better of you, remember that you have plenty in your life to be thankful for. You may become closer to a friend this month, who appreciates your passionate outlook on life.

Remember not to make promises you can’t keep – you’re idealistic and people trust you, so don’t let them down. Your sense of humour will help someone in need of laughter.

23 October - 21 November

22 November - 21 December

Pisces

19 February - 20 March

Your compassionate nature will make you ideal when a friend’s in need. Try your best not to worry or be fearful this month, as overcoming your fears will take you far. 34

Leo

LIFESTYLE

Gemini 21 May - 20 June

Your gentle nature makes you an easy person to work with, but don’t let your opinions fade into the background in your professional or academic circle. When an opportunity for learning comes along, take it.

Virgo

Libra

23 September - 22 October

23 August - 22 September

Try not to let your worries overcome you this month; your loyal attitude is appreciated by everyone. It’s time to try something new and out of your comfort zone when it is offered to you.

This month will require you to be fair-minded in your work, ensure that you take on everyone’s opinions. A new friend or love interest may be on the horizon, if you can use your social skills to put yourself out there.

Capricorn

Aquarius

22 December - 19 January

20 January - 18 February

Your responsible attitude in trying times will be rewarded – rest assured that you did the right thing. However, don’t act condescendingly to those that might not have always made the same decisions as you.

It is possible that your drive to succeed may falter this month, but strive to remember all you yearn for and you will overcome it. A decision between you and another may require you to compromise.

Aries

21 March - 19 April

Your growing impatience with everything is nothing to ignore – think about making some changes to find further happiness. Be honest, their reactions might surprise you. 35

TRAVELLING WHEN IN ROME Samantha Davis has got low-down on Where to Stay, What to See and Where to Go.

henever I meet up with my best friend from home, it always ends up with a spontaneously booked trip to somewhere we don’t have the money to go to. This year led us down the road to Rome. Before You Go: With too many plans and not enough days it was fundamental for us all at meet beforehand. Here we got hold of a large map of Rome and circled all 21 of the places we hoped to visit, making it easier to then plan what circles we could move in and create paths to follow each day depending on what was close together. Sorting out a rough schedule before we left was definitely one of the reasons the trip managed to run as smoothly as it did. It also allowed us to get on the same level about the balance we wanted to create between a historical and leisure based holiday. Where to Stay: As a group of four university students we knew we wanted to stay in a hostel, we also wanted to be within walking distance to our destinations to further save some travel costs. Although this still gave us a very wide catchment area, we were able to narrow it down by searching for hostels with our specific needs: breakfast had to be provided, all four of us wanted to share one room, we wanted our one luxury of air-conditioning, and we all agreed some free Wi-Fi wouldn’t hurt. We stayed at the Hostel Friend House and I couldn’t recommend it (or the pastry provided for breakfast) highly enough.

to discover and although this sounds cliche it’s true: we stumbled upon the Pantheon completely accidentally having got lost down some back streets. Don’t be afraid to conform to the tourist norms and see some of the stereotypical hot-spots. The Colosseum was an exceptional sight and venturing into the Roman Forum really brought to life a period of history that I had been long fascinated with. The Pantheon (once located) was also stunning inside and out. My favourite sight of the trip was the Trevi Fountain, which although was incredibly crowded, created a hub of joy and excitement. It is also a beautiful sight and the detail on the sculpturing is incredible. I would highly recommend a trip to Vatican City and taking the time to visit the museums. Even if history isn’t your area of expertise, the culture is something worth taking the time to fully absorb. The full walls of Di Vinci and Michelangelo artwork are astounding and completely unmissable. I would also suggesting blocking out the whole day for this adventure so you truly have enough time to explore at your own pace. Where to Shop:

Where to Go and What to See:

You don’t have to go much further then outside of your hostel to immerse yourself into the shopping world. We stayed just outside the main train station and nearly every one of the cobbles streets is lined with a mixture of cute boutiques, souvenir shops, and food stores. Local street vendors also resided on almost every corner and offered a wide range of both local products and cheap quirky toys.

This was definitely the least of our concerns. Every corner you turn has something new for you

Overall, Rome is an absolutely fantastic place and I honestly can’t wait to visit again. •

A WORKING WARDROBE STYLING BY THE FASHION SOCIETY PHOTOGRAPHY BY EMILY BRADBURY & MICHELE THEIL

WORK WORK WORK S

eeing as this month we’re celebrating all things women, we thought it would be apt to organise a photoshoot with RHUL’s fashion society. Most of us are riddled with fear at the thought of interviews for jobs, internships and graduate schemes, so we decided to thematise the photoshoot around office-wear/work-wear. We wanted to find the middle ground between stylish and super professional, to offer inspiration to those seeking it (or simply to enjoy the extremely aesthetically pleasing photos – as they all look fierce!) Fashion society certainly delivered. They offered a spectrum of androgynous fashion – mixing masculine and feminine silhouettes to create the perfect look. Mara and Safi looked amazing in power suits, which screamed executive chic, whilst Maria’s incorporation of accessories such as braces and a Chanel pin transformed her look into

something completely unique and representative of her style. What they presented to us was the concept that women are so over the confinements of the expected office-wear. No longer are our choices restricted to the standard feminine expectation of a pencil skirt and white blouse. The photos showcase a range of ways to not only overturn this stereotype but offer a new dimension that celebrates androgyny in the best way. Ella’s look was very utilitarian, whilst Hredi and Kimono sported a more conventionally feminine take on workwear. Hredi had a fur coat and tote in hand, whilst Kimono had a leather jacket draped over a cute blouse. Hopefully these looks will offer some sort of inspiration next time you’re desperately trying to decide how to perfect that ‘corporate-chic’ look. A huge thank you to Fashion Society for taking part. •

WORDS BY CHLOE HILL PHOTOGRAPHY BY EMILY BRADBURY

“We wanted to find the middle ground between stylish and super professional...” 39

MODELS: Mara Pem Munoz Maria Ding Safi Liesnham

Ella Pernet Hredi Chhabria Kimono M Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Souza

STAY HUMBLE, HUSTLE HARD 40

With thanks to the Fashion Society.

NOt a friendly ghost Natasha

Lam

talks

all

things

dating,

hosting has been a popular topic with every infamous dating columnist in the last few months. From Sunday Times journalist Dolly Alderton to Cosmopolitan sex writer Carina Hsieh, it’s really all anyone’s been talking about. Ghosting is when a person ends a platonic or romantic relationship, or in the vernacular of university dating - a “thing”, by not replying to messages or calls and just ignoring you until you ‘get the message’. If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of ghosting, you can attest that it is The Worst. It’s horrible when someone you liked, care about or even love decides one day that they don’t want to talk to you again, wihtout any explanation. But, while we all condemn the ghoster and sympathise with the ghosted, can we all honestly say that we haven’t ghosted anyone? Not even once? Not even a pushy Tinder boy whose messages go unanswered until you feel emboldened enough to unmatch them forever? We’re all friends here. I bet that every single one of us has ghosted someone before, and while that doesn’t take away the hurt when it happens to us, it bears remembering when we’re ready to condemn ghosting and proclaim that we’d never do something so cruel. A very insightful person said: “Ghosting is a natural evolution of our dating culture.” As we are greeted by

focusing

the

worst

dating

trend

ever.

a new dating app every day, a new way of dating and a new way of hurting each other emerges. Where before our dating pool was limited to those in our schools, jobs, local areas and cities, technology has made it possible for us to date anyone in the world. If you’ve ever watched the show Catfish, you’ll know that people maintain relationships across the internet without so much as a picture or a voice note from their ‘bae’. There are too many people to date, and we are constantly left with the question, what if there’s someone better out there? Which then leads us to ghosting someone perfectly nice based on any singular character flaw, big or small. At the moment, ghosting is a part of our everyday lives. With faster communication comes the ability to delay or withhold communication, and we are falling for it hook, line and sinker. Even if consciously you abhor ghosting and hate slow replies, like me you might find yourself playing ‘the game’ and going with the status quo. There’s no way to change it, unless we all collectively agree that ghosting is a horrible, annoying and, frankly, impolite, and that we shouldn’t do it ever again. Let’s all endeavour to be more honest with each other and, most importantly, with ourselves. •. 43

CULTURE

salman RUSHDIE is no joker Helena

Keeble

recounts

Salman

Rushdie’s

event

the

Southbank

Centre.

n 23 October, the London Literature Festival at the Southbank Centre hosted the novelist Salman Rushdie in conversation with Erica Wagner on his thirteenth novel, The Golden House. Rushdie is a British Indian novelist, well known for his 1981 novel, Midnight’s Children, which won both the Man Booker Prize during its year of publication.

Rushdie explained that in his writing he is ‘just trying to respond to the world I’m in.’ Rushdie described the subject of identity as ‘very much at the heart of the book’ due to it being an issue ‘everywhere at the moment’ with Brexit in the U.K. and Trump is creating the question – ‘What is it to be an American now?’ Rushdie therefore wanted to write this book since it is such a relevant issue.

Wagner opened the conversation, pondering on the character, ‘the Joker’ in The Golden House, asking why Rushdie didn’t call him, Donald Trump. Rushdie wittily responded, ‘I didn’t want the name of the 45thpresident to be in my book. I thought it would pollute it in some way, and so I thought, in a deck of playing cards there’s only two cards that are unusual to play. One of them is the Trump, and the other is the Joker’, to which the audience broke into laughter. Rushdie explained that he ‘wanted to look at that rift in America’ in The Golden House. Surprisingly however, Rushdie admitted that his main character wasn’t based on Trump from the start.

Wagner then moved the conversation on to Rushdie’s fascination with storytelling. Interestingly, Rushdie studied History rather than Literature at university, which he claims ‘was very helpful to me as a writer.’ As a young novelist Rushdie found that he ‘needed a lot of architecture’ in order to write, but his development as a writer has allowed him to become freer, ‘What’s happened now is, I begin to think of it more like jazz. Yes, of course there is a kind of structure, but … I have more of a willingness to let it be discovered in the act of making it.’ Finally, Rushdie was asked more about the importance of story telling to which Rushdie finished the night highlighting our uniqueness as humans as storytellers, and the importance it holds to us.

‘The thing that is weirdest about this book is that, when I started writing it, no one was thinking about Trump. […] When the phenomenon on Trump started, I realised that I had a character who was a corrupt billionaire, […] who liked to have his name very big on buildings and had a much younger Eastern European trophy wife. I thought - what? It’s as if the thing had jumped off the pages from my book into the real world.’

recent

‘We are the only creatures [on Earth] that tell stories. We are narrative creatures. We tell things in order to understand. That desire to be told a story, and to understand a story, is absolutely central to being Human. Stories aren’t always comforting. Sometimes they are things that people fight over. […] We are the creatures that tell stories… good or bad – it’s what we do!’ •

CULTURE

HIGHBROW HORROR? Is this the golden age of scary cinema? Noah Keppen explores the recent smattering of critically beloved horror films.

omething strange is happening in the film industry today: horror, the longstanding recipient of film critics’ harshest vitriol, is experiencing its very own renaissance. The genre, which for decades has been derided as only a source of schlocky thrills and cheesy plotlines, is finally gaining positive attention, thanks to a new wave of horror films garnering rave reviews. Films like The Babadook, The Witch, It Comes At Night, and Hereditary are challenging viewers’ suppositions of what a horror movie is, and how good it can be. These films eschew common horror tricks like numerous jump scares or gratuitous gore, instead choosing to find horror in more thought-provoking places. It Comes At Night in particular foregoes the inclusion of a supernatural entity or crazed serial killer at all, instead depicting a post-apocalyptic word that tests how far people are willing to go to protects the ones they love. This display of regular peoples’ capacity for violence is as horrific as any monster created by special effects. My personal favourite of this recent crop of horror flicks turned critical darlings is It Follows, written and directed by David Robert Mitchell. The 2014 film centres on a young woman who is unrelentingly pursued by a supernatural being after a sexual encounter. Instead of relying on jump scares, the film instead gradually builds a sense of dread with long, hypnotic shots in which the viewer can’t help but search for the titular entity. The film also boasts a striking visual palette, a pulsating

synth score by Disasterpeace, and accessible themes of coming to terms with mortality while straddling the precipice of adolescence and adulthood. Another critically praised modern horror film, whose acclaim translated into significant box office success, is Jordan Peele’s debut film Get Out. The film was lauded by critics for its timely social critiques of racism in America, as well as its balance of horror and comedy. With just a $4.5 million budget, Get Out grossed $255 million worldwide, making it the tenth biggest box office success of 2017. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won the award for Best Original Screenplay. This made Get Out only the sixth horror film in history to be nominated for Best Picture, demonstrating the industry’s previous reluctance to recognize that horror films can be of much artistic merit. Get Out’s Oscar nominations and the general critical heralding of all the films I’ve mentioned demonstrate not only that horror movies are getting better, but also that their value is becoming increasingly accepted by the upper echelons of the film community. As the gap between horror and traditionally admired cinema closes, filmmakers will hopefully continue to consider the genre as a valid vehicle for their artistic endeavours. This should result in more of these ‘prestige horror’ films being made, something I will await eagerly, popcorn in one hand, security blanket in the other. •

LUNAR CYCLES By Shloka Ramchandan

i. i was born in the capital of the country and grew used to gazes ii. madras found me shoving my hands in the pockets of my too-short shorts or so the aunties and teachers and friends’ mothers thought got pulled aside one sunny afternoon (but then most afternoons were sunny) when i was sitting by the library (the safest spot on the campus) my physics teacher asked my why i wasn’t wearing shorts under my uniformed regulation skirt and wasn’t i sending the boys the wrong idea, somehow? madras found me laughing in the face of my modern-day medusa asking her whether she thought boys staring up my skirt might already have completely the wrong idea through no encouragement of my own through no intention of mine medusa and i called an uneasy truce after that but i could feel her stone eyes whenever i walked through the mud through the grass over the basketball court a friend with whom i’ve long lost touch asked me, aged nine, whether my top was slightly too revealing and showed too much of my midriff i felt her eyes on my stomach on my yet-flat chest still-growing body

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‘that’s what my mother thinks anyway’ she said and took a sip of her juice madras found me combatting many modern age medusas worried about my honour and my prepubescent body littered with skinned knees and adorned with shorts i learnt then to avert the eyes of those that wanted me turned to stone iii. i moved back to the capital and watched it grow around me and it silently watched me right back it lurked uneasily at the side of barely-developed roads men looked at me through car windows and whistled they watched me wait for my uncle at the airport they watched me walk down the path to school they watched me fling myself across a court to catch a ball delhi waited for me to step a single toe out of line so that it could claim me for its own

growth spurts meant being hauled up in front of class and being loudly asked by my chemistry teacher (is it any wonder that i never took a shining to science?) about whether my pink bra was appropriate within hearing range of every boy in class who asked me every day for a week whether my breasts were appropriate (i was eleven when i was called a slut for the first time she’d probably learned it from her mother back then, it meant girl who wasn’t scared of her own body now, it means girl i don’t like because she has an opinion) growth spurts meant being let into adult-rated movies at fourteen once i leaned in to look at the show timings and the man at the box office looked down my shirt through a plastic counter iv. growing up meant being terrified of newspapers because every day was a new atrocity growing up was feeling the country beat around me pulse, silently, with ever-growing anger at people who looked like me, shared so much of mine except my luck (we learned to laugh it off, of course my friends and i enjoyed the film just fine and i didn’t think of the man again when asked, i just said i had no time for the news) when i was fifteen i was at a school fair in line for some food a man my father’s age came up behind me in line i didn’t think anything of it until he pressed his body to mine and i could feel more than i ever had before through my jeans through his terrycot trousers of course i didn’t say anything this was delhi and i had fear constantly lurking under the bravado i waited and i waited and i took my burgers and ran back to my friends they thought i was imagining everything, of course they thought it wasn’t on purpose, of course they thought i was thinking ill of a poor old man and i turned around and saw him staring at me and licking his lips

v. fear waits around dark corners when the sun’s long gone down fear persists no matter how many people you surround yourself with despite how loudly feminist you are (because of how loudly feminist you are) fear manifests fear remains fear waits for a single misstep to come up behind you and hold you close and suffocate you and strangle you and leave you in the dark gasping for breath grateful you’re safe now but you’ll never really be safe again and nothing ever happens until it does fear lurks behind every closed door fear lurks in me it comes to me as natural as breathing fear rises in me and meets the moon every night fear would have me believe that inside every person is a werewolf and the lunar cycles dictate when he loses his humanity and ravages the town the world would have me believe in man’s cursed lycanthropy the world would have me sympathise with men who do not have men in them any more the world would have me blame my skirt my behaviour my volume my inebriation me for a poor man’s loss of control but there is nothing poor about a man and the moon there is nothing pure about the cold sinister rage that lurks behind the surface there is nothing pure about the way an entire country watched me grow up just beyond my field of vision they wait for me to fuck up they wait for a single slip in my vigilance all it takes is a single careless moment

CULTURE

gaga for gaga Becca Bashford gushes about Lady Gaga’s new film.

he only think I disliked about A Star is Born is that it ended. The world has fallen in love with A Star is Born, and its not hard to understand why. Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut is a stunning, glamorous and heart-wrenching rendition of a decadesold love story. Ally (Lady Gaga) and Jackson (Bradley Cooper) first meet in a low-lit drag bar, when Ally captivates the crowd - and Jack - with a sultry rendition of ‘La Vie en Rose’. As soon as Ally glances over at Jackson, sparks fly. From that moment, I was more invested in their story than I have been with any other film. Jackson Maine is a lost soul, always trying to suppress the memories of his dark childhood with alcohol and drugs. Meeting Ally finally gives him a sense of direction, so much so that he flies Ally to one of his gigs the night after they meet to perform ‘Shallow’. With little hesitation, Ally stands in front of thousands of people and belts out ‘I’m off the deep end, watch as I dive in, I’ll never meet the ground’… which is pretty reflective of the events to come, and of her relationship with Jack. From the get-go, their romance is intense and unwavering - until Ally is signed by talent scout Rez Gavron. Ally’s rise to fame is swift, and so is Jackson’s simultaneous emotional decline. After a few scenes of dreamy romance, touring, a wedding, and even the adoption of an adorable dog, Charlie Jackson’s alcoholism shatters the bubble that had encased him and Ally from the moment they met. A heart-breaking bathtub scene shows us what drink does to Jack; Ally is no longer excluded from his hostile and bitter verbal attacks. This moment marks a shift in the film - their relationship isn’t just about two stars who collide and create magic onstage anymore, its about survival. Ally battles to keep her career intact after Jackson publicly humiliates her at the Grammy awards, and Jackson battles just to survive inside his own head. From here on, tragedy is waiting to strike. The film is entwined with perhaps one of the most sublime and fitting soundtracks, well, ever. Cooper and Gaga wrote and performed every single track together, and its simply outstanding. Every key moment in the film is met with a song or performance that takes your breath way, most notably ‘Always remember us this way’ and ‘I’ll never love again’. Casting Gaga as Ally was a stroke of genius on Cooper’s part, but its important not to forget that Bradley Cooper shines, too. Together, they are a formidable force. To me, this film is nothing less than a masterpiece. Gaga and Cooper have unparalleled chemistry, and the story is timeless. I don’t know what else to say apart from SEE THIS FILM. You won’t regret it. •

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CULTURE

PUNK’s NOT DEAD Insanity Radio’s Head of Music and resident punk, Phoebe Hagan, is here with her latest music column to update you with everything you need to know about the greatest and latest music.

ell, last time I spoke to you, I was just about to head off to my final two festivals of the season - Reading and End of the Road - and boy, were they brilliant. I caught a number of bands I hadn’t gotten the chance to see before – The Orielles! Iceage! Thee Oh Sees! – and at Reading, we chatted to a huge number of incredible artists including Sunflower Bean, Yonaka, Sports Team, King Nun, and Bad Sounds! But, festival season is now but a distant memory, the nights are drawing in, Halloween has come and gone – but that doesn’t mean that the steady stream of gigs and artists releasing music has stopped. In fact, quite the opposite. I told you in my first column that I’d be bringing you the greatest and latest music news in every issue, and believe you me, I have a whole bunch to tell you. I’ve recently sat down with a whole host of bands to chat about anything and everything, from whenyoung recalling when they went to Shane McGovan’s birthday party and were sat next to Nick Cave and Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie, who were fighting over dessert, to Izzy from Black Honey chatting about the films that inspired their debut album. If you want to keep updated with what I’ve been up to don’t forget to tune in to Insanity Radio! I mentioned in my last column that Bristolian punks IDLES were gearing up for the release of their much hyped second album, and, well, it’s out now, and yes, it really IS as good as

I thought it would be – if not better. Blending political and cultural commentary with loud, noisy punk is what they do best, and ‘Joy As An Act of Resistance’ is an absolute belter of a record. It even won them the Best Breakthrough award at this year’s Q Awards , which was also jointly won by Goat Girl, another punk band that are truly one to watch. Guitar music really isn’t dead folks – in fact, it’s not even taking a nap – if you want further proof, just check out the latest release from Norwich’s very own Gladboy. Blending psychedelia with dream-pop undertones and a biting edge above all else, their debut EP, ‘Egopushin’, is one of the strongest debut releases I’ve heard from a band in a very, very long time. Nothing is more exciting than discovering a band that produces truly exciting music, and Gladboy are certainly that. Anyways, I’ll catch you next time – and, as always, keep supporting your local scene. • PHOEBE’S TOP PICKS: 1. King Nun – Greasy Hotel 2. Gladboy – Egopushin’ 3. Sit Down – Take a Seat 4. Peeping Drexels – Ray Purchase 5. PUSSYLIQUOR - My Body My Choice 6. FREAKOUTS – Downers 7. Crewel Intentions – Youth In Overload

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SCIENCE & GAMING

TO L I K E O R N OT TO L I K E ? Sure, Twitter might be better without likes, but we shouldn’t let that distract us from the issue at hand.

By Jack CHELLMAN

as a corporation and community, we must remain committed to more systemic efforts to salvage it.

on’t miss the Twitter forest fire through the trees. Last week, Twitter’s CEO Jack Dorsey cited “[incentivizing] healthy conversation” as justification for removing the social network’s ‘like’ button sometime soon. Many of Twitter’s 326 million monthly active users have responded with frustration at the proposal, fearing the impact of such changes on the fabrics of their online communities and the safety and productivity of their internet exchanges. But, while we’re right to tread carefully around the makeup of our online worlds, we should remember the corrosive effects that “like” buttons and other such features often have on our social psyches. And more importantly, we must keep holding Twitter accountable for the massive moral wildfire it has allowed to spread across its platform. As bigotry, deception, and violence threaten Twitter’s integrity

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Dorsey’s threat to axe the ‘like’ button follows a string of similar changes to Twitter’s user interface, with more on the way soon. In 2016, the site introduced a nonchronological timeline organized according to its own internal algorithm. It doubled the number of characters permitted in tweets last year, and this February it added a ‘Bookmarks’ feature to save tweets for later reading. Proposed tweaks for the future include a verification system open to all Twitter users. Those users often express concern over such changes, rightly perceiving the close relationship between Twitter’s technical features and the discursive qualities of its digital forums. When it comes to losing the ‘like’ button, users have lauded the ‘like’s’ easy positivity and worried about the logistics of needing full tweets to express support. Among other difficulties, tweeting agreement or solidary as a substitute for ‘likes’ exposes a person to greater hostility from Twitter’s many trolls.

As we weigh the effects of these changes, however, we must also take social psychology into account. Much of what draws us back to our devices so frequently is their distribution of variable rewards–– what a 2017 article in The Guardian calls “the same psychological susceptibility that makes gambling so compulsive.“ ‘Like’ features are the paragons of these dopamine distributors, and they may have disastrous implications for our ability to focus and think logically. Though Dorsey’s plans may be a little extreme, then, we might do well to think about minimizing the addictive metrics of approval that Twitter offers. Perhaps we could opt-in to seeing ‘likes,’ or perhaps the platform could integrate barriers to seeing a tweet’s “likes” and retweets: metrics hidden in dropdown menus or that need a extra few clicks to reveal. But my openness to Dorsey’s suggested change comes in no small part from my openness to any change to Twitter at all. Because the truth is that we’re in a social media crisis of which Twitter sits at the very heart. For years, Twitter has wrestled with what kinds of speech to permit on its platform, tending to favor what Jeffrey Rosen calls “democracy rather than civility.” But Twitter’s open digital community

SCIENCE & GAMING seems to have spiraled radically out of control, with hateful and false speech mixing to create a toxic cocktail of misinformation and bigotry. Fake news is 70% more likely to be retweeted than truth, and insidious Twitter bots are only becoming more powerful with time. Violence, meanwhile, has become one of the platform’s most persistent exports; recent news of the American pipe bomber’s threatening Twitter messages represents only the tip of Twitter’s iceberg of aggression. In the face of this crisis, even tweaks to Twitter’s user interface can feel like steps in the right direction–– any change carries the possibility of some relief from the platform’s turmoil. But we cannot permit these tweaks to be the only changes made. Addressing Twitter’s anarchy in a meaningful way will be difficult, and those at the top may be avoiding the issue. Few incentives exist for executives to tackle hate speech head-on, and those executives seem hesitant to acknowledge the immense power of their platforms in the first place. With executives acting coy or defensive or even downright deceptive, we cannot allow our online worlds to take the easy way out. We need massive reforms to these systems: changes to algorithms and content moderation and policies toward hatefulness. We need transparent systems by which to hold companies accountable for these changes, whether that be through government regulation or other third-party watch dogs. And we need to call for these changes, loudly, whether we’re worried about like buttons or not. These are our digital worlds, and we know that they’re falling apart. •

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PLEASE, JUST USE A CONDOM Holly Feeny tells us why you shouldn’t be using, or trusting, an app when it comes to contraception.

ertility app Natural Cycles is described on its website as “an effective, natural method of contraception.” It is essentially a smartphone app, for which users pay £5.99 monthly or £39.99 annually to access, along with their own oral basal thermometer. The user takes their temperature every morning and inputs the reading into the app. Along with information about the individual’s menstrual cycle, it decrees whether that day is ‘green’ (i.e. you are presumed not to be fertile, and are safe to have unprotected sex) or ‘red’ (i.e. you are presumed to be fertile, and should either abstain from sex or use additional protection). It is marketed both to help those who want to get pregnant soon, and those who wish to prevent pregnancy. The main issue with this app’s method is its reliance on temperature readings to determine fertility. Whilst the company argues that their readings being to 2 decimal places makes them more accurate, they seem to forgo the concept that other things can affect a person’s temperature. Some of those factors include: weather conditions, stress, medications, physical exercise and illness. Simply testing your temperature is not enough to tell you whether you are safe to have unprotected sex. Not to mention, you can still get pregnant by having sex before ovulation, as sperm can live in the uterus for up to 5 days, so long as it has cervical mucus to reside in. Despite being a certified medical device by the EU, the ASA received many complaints over an advert stating that the app was “highly accurate” and “adapts to every woman’s unique menstrual cycle”. The ASA made the decision that the company’s claims were overly exaggerated, and the advert was removed.

The app claims to be accurate, and yet has been linked to more than 30 unwanted pregnancies. Of course, no form of contraception is 100% foolproof, but the issue with Natural Cycles is that it is a business. While the pill and other contraceptives available on the NHS are provided by nurses and doctors with no other agenda other than to help you be protected, the owners of Natural Cycles aim to make a profit from the sale of their app. How can we possibly trust that they have our best interests at heart? Many women have spoken out after using the app and getting unwanted results, and that is simply because it markets itself as more effective than it truly is. The attraction of the app is that it is natural, hormone free, and doesn’t require putting anything into your body, like you would with the pill or the implant. However, this kind of natural contraception is only really viable if you’re in a position where getting pregnant wouldn’t be a disappointment or an inconvenience. For instance, if you weren’t actively trying to get pregnant, but you wouldn’t particularly mind if you did. If you are wanting to avoid pregnancy entirely, an app like this simply isn’t the right sort of contraception; the risks are too high. The ongoing aversion to hormone-based contraceptives is completely understandable, particularly as we learn more about it. But, that’s why hormone-free contraception, such as condoms, and diaphrams, exist. Honestly, if you want to avoid getting pregnant, it’s better to just use a condom. •

THE END OF THE KEPLER MISSION Jessica Copeland pays tribute to the now-defunct Kepler satellite and tells us why it was important.

fter 9 years in operation, the Kepler space satellite has finally run out of the hydrazine fuel used to control its orientation. NASA has decided to retire the satellite while it is still in a safe orbit far from Earth. Launched in March 2009, Kepler was originally intended to look at one patch of the sky and detect planets orbiting around distant stars. This patch in the constellation of Cygnus contained 150,000 stars. Four years in, a fix for a mechanical issue led to the development of the K2 mission where the satellite had to be periodically reoriented, expanding its field of view to a further 500,000 stars. How to Find a Planet The satellite’s only scientific instrument was a photometer designed to detect drops in brightness that occur when a planet passes in front of a star, blocking some of its light. This way of detecting a planet is known as the transit method. This data alone is not enough to confirm the existence of an exoplanet, so a candidate is then either imaged directly with more advanced telescopes or confirmed by detecting a wobble in the movement of parent star due to a shifted centre of mass between the two objects. Notable examples of exoplanets discovered include ones with surprisingly low densities; planets lying in habitable

zones and other multi-planet systems. Aside from exoplanets, Kepler observed white dwarfs, supernovae and, in tandem with the Hubble satellite, a candidate for the first exomoon. Kepler’s Legacy Kepler was designed as part of NASA’s Discovery program: the aim, to collect excellent data more frequently with smaller missions, while keeping total costs low. The original lifetime of Kepler was three and half years, but it has lasted 9 years and data delivered is outstanding. The 2,681 confirmed exoplanets and a further 3000 candidates, including 30 potential Earth-like worlds, will allow astronomers to develop and adjust theories about planet formation. Already we have learnt that the most common size is between that of Earth and Neptune; that many planets are closer to their parents star than expected and that there are more planets than stars. Kepler also gave ground-breaking access to data to the general public, a scenario nicknamed as Citizen Science. Since 2010, Kepler was involved with Planet Hunters and Stargazing Live, encouraging people to spot transit events computers might miss. 90 exoplanets were discovered this way and their discoverers were co-authors on research papers. •

SCIENCE & GAMING

LIFE IS just A BATTLEFIELD

Samantha Davis discusses the recent controversy surrounding the upcoming release of Battlefield V.

t is undeniable that there is a need for diversity and equality in anything created in the modern day. However, there is still a question as to whether this holds in the recreation of historical events that were dominated by white males. This debate has been forced back into the public’s attention after the release of the trailer for DICE’s upcoming Battlefield V. Promising to be the most realistic World War II first person shooter game, Battlefield V is said to allow gamers’ to explore “unseen locations and untold stories”, creating the most genuine representation of the gritty realities of the war. Consequently, when the trailer first premiered with the inclusion of female soldiers the creators received a lot of backlash. Some fans of the previous Battlefield games took to the internet to question why the creators felt the need to address the diversity issue in a game that is supposedly supposed to be historically accurate. One Twitter user complains that the game shows a “blatant disregard for historical events and mindless political correctness” This controversy seems to echo that of the uprising when Battlefield 1 used a black soldier on the cover of their game, with people claiming that the creators were “black-washing” history and adding diversity just for sales, as opposed to replicating and creating an authentic experience. Now, with

a female on the game’s box and women appearing as main characters, the hashtag #notmybattlefield has gone viral. People sharing this view defend their opinion by simply stating that there were no female soldiers in World War II. Historically however, this is not the case. It is estimated that over 640,000 women worked for auxiliary services and were trained how to be drivers, how to use rifles, and to fire anti-aircraft guns during their time at the batteries. 700 women died serving the Auxiliary Territorial Service, proving that when there was a shortage of men in 1941 women proved more than willing to committed soldiers to their cause. In fact, one of the most renowned and successful military snipers of all time is Lyudmila Pavlichenko who totals 309 credited kills. It’s not just historians who have taken to defending the game: the creator Oskar Gabrielson used to Twitter to explain and defend DICE’s choice. He states that “Player choice and female playable characters are here to stay. We want Battlefield V to represent all those who were a part of the greatest drama in human history”. Even though it is completely undeniable that there were a greater number of male soldiers and deaths, it is important that everyone’s version of history gets represented. •

SCIENCE & GAMING

CLIMATE CHANGE science Jessica

Copeland

gives

the

science

ith the stark warning from the UN’s Climate Council (IPCC) that we only have 12 years left to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5C or face irreparable damage to our planet, it’s worth taking another look at the science of global warming and how we can use that knowledge to ameliorate our behaviour. The Carbon Cycle Left to itself, Earth regulates the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, and hence global temperature, through the carbon cycle. The Earth is warmed by solar radiation and without an atmosphere containing greenhouse gases to trap this radiation it would be reflected away and the surface of our planet would be well below freezing and inhospitable to life. Aside from water droplets, the dominant greenhouse gas is CO2. There are natural processes on Earth that introduce CO2 into the atmosphere such as volcanic eruptions or combustion/respiration from organic life. However, these effects are offset by our oceans and forests, acting as carbon sinks, absorbing CO2 by dissolving into the water and photosynthesis in plants respectively. For example, photosynthetic algae in oceans metabolize CO2, producing oxygen. The Effect of Humans Problems arise when more greenhouse gases are produced than the Earth can cope with and we are definitely the culprits. The world is currently one degree warmer than preindustrial

behind

climate

change

and

global

warming.

levels. This may not seem like a massive increase but a small change in global temperature can severely affect the climate system. Levels of CO2 and methane have increased by 30% and 148% respectively since 1750. Around 75% of the increase comes from burning fossil fuels to produce power in transportation and factories, while 25% comes from factors including deforestation and manufacturing cement. Half of the extra CO2 is not being absorbed by the oceans or vegetation, due to deforestation, so it is just sitting in the atmosphere. Higher concentrations of greenhouse gases trap more heat which then causes the melting of ice caps and glaciers that decreases the planet’s reflecting ability leading to more trapped heat. Some people claim global warming is not a result of human activity. They consider a change in solar activity as a cause, or attribute it to variations in tilt of the Earth’s axis or the planet’s orbit. However, for the former a change in solar output would see change in both the lower and upper layers of the Earth’s atmosphere, but while we see warming in the lower atmosphere, in fact there is cooling in the upper atmosphere. For the latter, currently we expect a slow cooling trend where we see only warming. What can we do? Already we are seeing the effects in more extreme weather events; sea level rise; major outbreaks of infections like malaria; increased ocean acidity affecting coral reefs and fisheries. We need to seriously consider how we live to help counter global warming. This includes how we produce our power, our food, our clothes and how we travel. •

SPORTS & SOCIETIES

THIS GIRL CAN. T

ake your mind back to 2015, before university was even a thought for you freshers, and think whether you can remember the ‘This Girl Can’ campaign. It was a national campaign set up by Sport England, that encouraged both girls and women to celebrate being active. At some point in their lives, I feel like every girl can relate in that they’ve felt the fear of judgement and lacked confidence in taking part in sport. Research has shown that there is a mix of practical and emotional pressures that stop many women from being as active as they would like, with over 40% aged 16 and over, not getting enough exercise to healthily benefit them. This is something the ‘This Girl Can’ campaign aimed to tackle. However, we’re now nearing the end of 2018 and the newest movement to launch is the ‘Fit Got Real’ campaign. This is the third phase of the ‘This Girl Can’ project, and as of October, it has been projected into the public eye to try and celebrate the creative and often unconventional ways many females can fit exercise into their lives. It specifically targets those, of all ethnicities and backgrounds, who feel left behind by the traditional

With the birth of a new campaign, Hefina Everard explores more into the newest phase of the ‘This Girl Can’ movement and how it can inspire women here at Royal Holloway. view of exercise. The campaign has highlighted that women in lower paid jobs or in a routine (such as university) are twice as likely to be inactive to those higher paid, with more time; in addition to this, Asian and Black women are also more likely to be inactive than white women.

is a perfect example of a way to get involved socially, as well as getting in a little bit of exercise during the week. Not only do both Sports and Societies increase your levels of activity, they also provide a chance to join in with the movement and let yourself believe that sport is not exclusively for men.

So here at Royal Holloway, it’s important we preach that any girl can partake in exercise whenever they want to, and however they want to. We want to promote and inspire women that judgement, money and energy are just barriers that can easily be overcome. With so much to offer both on and off campus, it is nearly impossible to feel as though you’re restricted.

But even then, taking part in anything at university might not be ideal for you, so it could give you the chance to explore more into other types of exercise. Taking a run around Virginia Water, choosing to walk instead of taking an Uber to Tesco, even dancing away at the SU- all of these provide you with some form of activity which will increase your exercise intake each week. Anything that says ‘I can, and I will’ when it comes to keeping active is a step in the right direction to help increase positivity and confidence for women exercising.

Firstly, you have the option to join a sports club where you are guaranteed to get your fair share of exercise- clubs like, Cheer, Hockey, Lacrosse, Football and more, all have an amazing reputation for empowering the female within sport. On the other hand, a society might be more your thing. The Dance society

Sport England have tracked that over 1.6 million women have started to exercise as a result of the ‘This Girl Can’ campaign – so are you going to be inspired and add to this statistic? •

SPORTS & SOCIETIES

O mental health & movember:

n the pitch, Royal Holloway Men’s Football team excel in supporting one another- however, this year they’ve extended this support to off the pitch, with their ongoing charity work in support of ‘Mind’ and ‘Movember’. Hefina Everard spoke to Jack Colman, Vice President of the club. “Royal Holloway Men’s Football is a family. It comes with fun, incredible memories, and at times hardships and struggles. Our year-long fundraising and charity campaign focuses on men’s mental health, particularly targeting and supporting the well-known charity ‘Mind’. Our reasoning behind choosing mental health as our charitable campaign is that several of our members in their lifetime have either gone through, or are currently going through, stress or mental health issues. We want to be there to support our players as both friends and confidants and we try and help in any way we can. Football as a team sport acts as a brilliant stress reliever and in many ways can help a person’s mind navigate through the dark cloud that is mental health. The two charities we’re working with this year are: ‘Mind’ and ‘Movember’, two charities that target mental health. So far, for ‘Mind’ we’ve raised over £300 with our hugely successful bake sale and “free hugs” action in the library. That action was surprisingly a big success and we received commendations from fellow students, staff and the Runnymede Police force. Moreover, with our current ‘Movember’ campaign and newly released video we’ve raised over £700 in a single day, adding up to over £1000 for men’s health, both mental and physical, around the world. We’ve set ourselves a small target and we only wish to keep going, onward and upward, as a team, as a family.

mens football

According to Samaritans, in 2017 there were over 6,000 suicides in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Together, we can fight to change this devastating fact. Men’s Football here at Royal Holloway plays a small part in the movement to help men across the UK, but with help, we can connect with people all over and together and only together can we move forward and aid others in their search for help and a brighter future.” If you want to know more about the campaign, check out the Men’s Football on Facebook. •

LENTIL BOLOGNESE Ingredients: 75g Pasta per person 200g Dried Lentils (or one tin) 100g Mushrooms 200ml Vegetable Stock 400g Tinned Tomatoes Tomato Puree 1 Large Onion Dried Basil

Oil Salt Red Wine (optional) Soy Sauce (optional) Miso Pasta (optional) Fresh Tomatoes (optional) Nutritional Yeast (optional)

Start by cooking your lentils according to the instructions on the packet, I use dried lentils as these work out cheapest, but you can use precooked lentils from a tin or a pouch. Whatever variety you are using you want them to be cooked but not too soft when you add them to the sauce, otherwise they will go mushy.

Heat a large, heavy based frying pan on a medium heat, then add 1-2 tablespoons of oil. I use olive, but anything you have will be fine.

Finely dice the onion while the oil heats, any colour will work, or you could even use shallots. Add the onion to the pan, once they have cooked for a few moments sprinkle over the salt. Adding salt at this stage of cooking draws the liquid out of the onions and helps to make them really tender.

Cook the onions for a couple more minutes, stirring often. They should be soft and almost translucent, but not browned. Sprinkle over the herbs, I like dried basil, but you can use anything that goes with a tomato based sauce.

Stir the herbs through the onions before adding a splash of wine to ‘de-glaze’ the pan, gently scraping any bits that are stuck off the bottom of a pan with a wooden spoon. If you don’t want to use wine, you can use soy sauce.

Once the wine has bubbled and reduced slightly add the finely chopped mushrooms.Allow the mushrooms to soften and release some of their juices, again making sure to stir frequently.

After a few minutes of cooking, add a splash of soy sauce, a tablespoon each of tomato puree and miso paste, and the veg stock, and stir through the sauce. Although not traditional, this step is my favourite part of the recipe, as it deepens the savoury base, and makes the sauce really luxurious.

Next, add the tinned tomatoes and stir through again. If you are using fresh tomatoes as well, now is the best time to add them so that they soften, but don’t lose their shape – make sure to add them whole. Turn the heat to low and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the sauce begins to thicken. Cook your pasta according to instructions.

Add your cooked lentils to the sauce, stir through, and leave to simmer on low for 5-10 minutes while the pasta cooks. If using nutritional yeast add it at this stage to really enhance the savoury depths of the sauce.

10. Keep stirring every few minutes, and allow the sauce to cook until it reaches the consistency you desire. A

couple of minutes before dishing up, add a ladleful of pasta water to the sauce – the starch will help the sauce to thicken and be really silky.

11. For extra indulgence I drain my pasta, add it back to the saucepan and stir through a dairy-free spread, but butter or whatever you put on your toast will do.

12. Serve up in warmed bowls, using tongs to twirl long pasta into a dome – this helps to keep in the heat, and ladle 58

a generous helping of sauce on top. I usually sprinkle with more nutritional yeast, and add a handful of spinach on the side, but add whatever you fancy – garlic bread is the true soul mate of Spaghetti Bolognese. •

EDITORIAL TEAM EDITOR

MICHELE THEIL

DEPUTY EDITOR

JASMINE COX

NEWS EDITOR

BECCA BASHFORD

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IZZY SWANSON

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ABBY KING

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FRANCESCA TYER

LIFESTYLE EDITOR

CHLOE HILL

DEPUTY LIFESTYLE EDITOR

HOLLY FEENY

CULTURE EDITOR

MARIA GREEN

DEPUTY CULTURE EDITOR

JEYDA HASIP

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LOVETTA PUJEH

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HEFINA EVERARD

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OLIVIA DUCKWORTH

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SUB-EDITOR

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CONTRIBUTORS JACK CHELLMAN JESSICA COPELAND DANI DARRAH RAWAN EL-AALEM CAROLINE HUSBY PHOEBE HAGAN HELENA KEEBLE

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