The Founder January 2023

Celebrating the legacy of Vivienne Westwood

CHLOE PLUMMER | CONTENT WRITER

In light of Dame Vivienne

Westwood’s passing on December 29th, aged 81, it is important to remember and celebrate the trailblazing legacy that she left behind. Not only will she be remembered for her iconic punk androgynous looks which ruled 1970s London, but in more recent years, Westwood truly became a voice and a platform to discuss the climate crisis and the importance of sustainability in Britain.

Throughout this article

Vivienne Westwood’s career highlights will be celebrated as we look back on this antiestablishment designer’s life.

Vivienne Westwood started her iconic fashion career in 1971, at the epicentre of the punk movement, King’s Road.

Westwood’s close partnership with English punk band, the Sex Pistols, truly cemented her brand onto the fashion scene. Westwood’s ethos can be argued as going against the grain of government, shown with her iconic portrait of a graffitied Elizabeth II stating: “God Save The Queen”.

Source: Getty Images

Everything Westwood did in the 20th century was electric, innovative, and anarchic. Safety pins, bondage trousers and distressed t-shirts can be attributed to Westwood herself; indeed, she was the epicentre for most of the notable punk fashion movements.

Not only was the fashion of Vivienne Westwood revolutionary and insurgent, but her character will also never be forgotten. For instance, when the designer was awarded an OBE in 1992, and made a Dame in 2006, she went commando both times. Westwood was strong and played with authority, all the way up to the royals. Throughout her successful career hundreds of famous faces were clad in her exquisite work, from Emma Watson to the Official Queen Consort Camilla, Westwood’s punk charm touched every aspect of British culture

Prime Minister holds NHS winter crisis talks

ROBYN SPINK | NEWS EDITOR

Rishi Sunak has held meetings at 10 Downing Street with senior healthcare staff regarding the NHS winter crisis. The NHS Recovery Forum raised four main issues: social care and delayed discharge, urgent and emergency care, elective care and primary care. Healthcare leaders involved in the talks included England’s chief medical officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty and NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard. These discussions come as A&E face record waiting times and ambulance delays are at an alltime high, with doctors warning that hospitals are facing pressures that will ultimately lead to loss of life.

One of the main reasons for the NHS crisis to funding. With an ageing population, the NHS, along with other health services in developed countries, experiences pressure with over65s accounting for two-thirds of hospital admissions. In addition to this, the NHS budget has been a severe problem, despite it usually rising on average by 4% above inflation; since 2010 it has been half that. NHS Confederation chief executive Matthew Taylor highlighted the cause of the crisis being “decades of underinvestment”.

COVID-19 heightened these problems, with waiting lists increasing and discharge rates decreasing. As a result of the pandemic, flu cases have risen, with the worst flu season for a decade at the same time as the fifth covid wave, increasing hospitalisations and worsening waiting times.

Rishi Sunak has said that reducing appointment waiting lists was one of his main priorities. However, opposition parties have criticised the government’s response, with the Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper describing it as being “too little, too late”.

The Founder Board 2022

- 2023

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Source: The Guardian

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Sturgeon’s gender recognition law threatened by Sunak government

ROBYN SPINK | NEWS EDITOR

Ministers in Westminster have threatened to use never-used-before powers, known as Section 35, to veto Nicola Sturgeon’s gender recognition law to block it from receiving Royal Assent. The bill lowers the age that individuals can apply for a gender recognition certificate from 18 to 16, scraps the necessity of a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria and reduces the time needed for someone to live in their “acquired gender” from two years to three months for adults, or six months for 16 and 17-year-olds.

Whilst many trans activists have praised the new law, there have been concerns raised, particularly from feminist activists, most notably author J.K Rowling. Disputes over the bill have also been mirrored by government in Westminster. Prior to the vote, the government had urged the First Minister to scrap the proposed legislation, with senior political figures fearing single-sex spaces, such as prisons, changing rooms and public toilets, will be at risk.

MP’s have also put forward that the bill could result in “trans tourism”, meaning transgender people could travel to Scotland to legally change their gender and then use their new legal gender south of the border, with some suggesting this could hinder the safety of women and girls. Supporters of the bill have argued that it is necessary, particularly given its implementation in other countries, including Argentina, Malta and Iceland, and campaigners highlight how it will allow transgender people to “live with the dignity and recognition that everyone deserves”.

Source: The Telegraph

Under UK law, the government can override Scottish laws by reasoning that they would conflict with UK-wide equalities legislation, a decision which would undoubtedly be controversial and historical. The Scottish government have claimed a veto of the bill from Westminster would “undermine democratic will”.

Indonesia’s new law presents a significant setback for human rights

NEVE WATSON | CONTENT WRITER

Thismonth, on December the 6th, Indonesia’s government has amended the country’s criminal code to criminalise sex outside marriage and unmarried couples living together. The law was passed with support from all political parties but is not expected to come into effect for three years due to the transition from the old code to the new one. Targeting both Indonesian’s and tourists, infraction holds up to one year in prison.

Cohabitation will be punishable for up to six months in prison, however, can only be reported by parents, children, or a spouse. Following the announcement concerns have been raised for the future of tourism in the country, a sector which Indonesia’s economy relies on heavily. Tourism is still recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, with many worrying the new law will present yet another setback for the economy. The law may discourage tourists from visiting the country, as well as reducing international investment into the tourism industry.

Civil rights activists have expressed concerns on the setback the legislation presents for the country’s democracy, as public feedback on the draft law prior to its adoption were disregarded. Concerns for human development were also raised, as many claim the law represents a movement towards fundamentalism, with rights groups label it a crackdown on civil freedoms and political autonomy. Outlawing sex outside marriage presents a violation of privacy protected under international law and reduces the already shrinking civic space in the country. There is also unease for the effect of the legislation on women and minority groups, as it presents an opportunity for misuse to criminalise sexual assault victims and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Source: Aljazeera

The cost of joking crisis

KATHERINA HOI | CONTENT WRITER

But, while memes may be a generational protest or coping mechanism, they are still jokes. And joking about the cost-ofliving crisis, or “memeing” it, can normalise the actuality and extent of it.

VR headsets: The extinction of actuality

DAISY DYSON | CONTENT WRITER

Instagram @depopdrama. Haggling in the cost-of-living crisis

TheUK cost-of-living crisis has become a target for jokes; Cathedral Cheese costs now £5.25 at the Egham Tesco; cost of living crisis. The Student Union now charges for sparkling water as a mixer. Paid £8 for an Elf vape bar earlier instead of £5. That is so cost-ofliving crisis.

The critical state of the economy is defined by the language of the younger generation: memes. In a time where many of Generation Z feel as though they do not have a voice in politics, overshadowed by those older and more powerful, the digital world offers them a threshold that other generations cannot yet control. This is to say, memes are not always just memes but a digital protest against the injustices that Generation Z may be unable to speak up about. The Gen Z protest is thus not of swords or petitions but well-crafted JPEGs and tweets. The warfare of memes has worked, much to the confusion of the older generation. As Sophia White wrote for the McGill Tribune, “memes offer a unique way of coping with the looming threat of some of today’s biggest headlines, and as… tools for collective demonstration”.

Barbara Sanchez in her report for the University of Florida illustrates that the “application of humour … can also desensitise natural emotional responses to these situations, such as sympathy or empathy”. Take this comparison; ITV’s This Morning offered viewers a chance to win their energy bills paid via gameshow. This came at a time where there were warnings of potential death going into the 2022 winter. It was viewed by some as tonedeaf and insensitive, a clearly unsuccessful joke. This may parallel other generation’s views of Gen Z’s memes. It may attempt to keep morale up, but it does not always translate. Both examples risk trivialising and masking the dystopian nature of the current cost of living crisis. It is clearly nothing to worry about if television, Twitter, or a politically inclined actor can joke about it. The problem is not with memes and jokes, successful or otherwise.

The issue arises when a meme becomes more than the stakes at hand. Because the mask of humour can slip and reveal individuals ill-prepared for inflation or the brutality of the costof-living crisis.

Abarn full of cows with bulky, goggle-like masks forcibly attached to their faces by straps seems like a laughably dystopian fiction. It is even more-so imitative of dystopia when one considers the reasoning for this strange installation: the headset performs as a television of sorts, showing the animals imagery of lush green pastures- a far cry from the cramped pens they inhabit. Using the motion-tracking of the animal adds levels of depth and believability to the visual illusion. The cows are none the wiser to the dire reality of their circumstance: there is no field, it is merely a small screen fixed before their eyes, a sensory deception. In January 2022, this dire allegory became a reality: a Turkish cattle farm owner fitted VR headsets to his cows to see if imagery of sunny fields encouraged a more bountiful milk production. Startlingly, it proved successful, while also reducing the anxiety of the cattle.

Using technology in such a cruelly deceptive way to “trick” animals into happiness seems depraved and reminiscent of absurdist horror fiction. This Christmas, I could not help but notice these same VR headsets plastered in every technology storefront, supplemented by slogans of “Be everything you want to be” and “open your eyes”, with hefty price tags.

A trailer for the latest Oculus, one of VR technology’s most popular products, guarantees consumers “more freedom”. Gameplay examples show users capable of flying around, engaging in combat, or simply just moving around a building in a hyper-realistic visual experience.

The demand for VR products continues to climb as AAA games increasingly offer VR compatibility, giving a more active and immersive experience to gaming. Yet there is a strange ominousness of VR: foremostly, the technology itself just looks dystopian, like horse-blinders with a screen inside. The concept of a child hopping up and down in a bleak, cramped living room, convinced he is climbing a building or saving the world, is downright sad, for one can only imagine the profuseness of his disappointment when it is time to return to reality. It is entirely plausible humanity may become better adjusted to their virtual counterpart life, the version of themselves that is perpetually the hero or genius, and thus sink deeper into alternate reality as an escapism from an increasingly dire environment. In an ever-evolving era where technology rapidly develops to offer such frightening genius as the VR headset, is it more condemning to resist its encompassing influence, or go with the flow?

Source: Vice News

The NHS crisis and its relation to the government

LAURA BLOOMFIELD | CONTENT WRITER

TheNHS is facing a crisis. A winter which the Royal College of Emergency Medicine reports as the worst winter for A&E waits on record. Some hospitals have had to declare critical incidents due to their demand. In other places, for example, Shropshire and Gloucestershire, people are being advised to only visit A&E in absolutely extreme circumstances.

Health Secretary, Steve Barclay, has blamed the pandemic for the NHS’ struggles, saying that it has led to increasing numbers of people waiting for care. The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said he was taking “urgent action” and increasing NHS funding. For example, the “£500,000,000 of investment this year going into tackling the pressure in terms of social care” stated by Barclay. This funding will help hospitals discharge patients more quickly. In his speech on 4 January 2023, Sunak pledged that NHS waiting times will fall, however, as Becky Morton, from the BBC, reports Sunak “provided little detail on how some of the pledges would be achieved”.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said the PM was “asleep at the wheel”, and the SNP accused Sunak of making “flimsy promises”. Kier

Starmer, Leader of the Labour Party, says that the country is in a mess after 13 years of low growth and public services being pushed to their knees.

Since the Conservatives gained power in 2010, the government has been underfunding the NHS. The NHS Support Federation reports that between 2009-2019, the NHS budget increased on average 1.4%, compared to the 3.7% average since the NHS was established. There has been an increase in the number of nurses and midwives quitting the NHS, with The Guardian reporting that, in 2021, more than 27,000 quit. The Nursing and Midwifery Council asked 6,548 people who quit in 2021 for their main reasons. Factors included: too much pressure (18.3%), negative workplace culture (13%) and Covid (11.8%). However, retirement (42.9%) and change in personal circumstances (21.7%) were the most common answers.

NHS unions say poor pay is a fundamental problem. Also, Vishal Sharma, chair of the British Medical Association consultants committee said: “The government must immediately address the issues with recruitment and retention of staff by paying health and social care staff a fair wage for the work they do, reversing over a decade of successive real-terms pay cuts and by fixing the ludicrous pension rules that are driving our most experienced staff to reduce their hours or leave the NHS completely”.

The NHS crisis is the result of years of government underfunding and lack of support in both the healthcare and social care sectors. The government need to realise that it is the people who are suffering due to their neglect and need to fund these sectors well, as well as taking responsibility for the harm they have caused.

Source: BBC News

The cost of the beautiful game

ALICIA PRYOR | CONTENT WRITER

After29 days of football matches, Argentina emerges victorious from the 2022 FIFA World Cup. As the world enthusiastically celebrates that beautiful game, the corruption of FIFA at the 2022 World Cup should not be buried and forgotten. FIFA has faced multiple allegations and arrests on bribery, money laundering, and fraud over the years, such as the 2015 FIFA corruption cases. The events leading up to the 2022 World Cup have been no less different.There are only 24 members in the panel of FIFA offcials picking the World Cup hosts (a nation needing 13 votes to win), which is done so without checks and balances.Countries spend incredible amounts of money on public and private bids trying to win the rights to host the World Cup. Although Qatar was able to host the 2022 World Cup through excessive spending and alleged bribery, the cost of hosting it in this small Middle Eastern nation had dire consequences. After Qatar won the bidding, they had to build new football stadiums, hotels, airport, roads, sewage systems, etc. within a decade.

Although Qatar had already been rapidly developing prior to the bidding win, the recruitment of migrant labour intensified.

Migrant workers make up 95% of the labour force in Qatar, often coming from countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines, Kenya, and Sri Lanka. The kafala system, popularized in the Gulf nations, has allowed employers and the state to have full control over migrant workers’ immigration and employment status. Brought to Qatar with promises of good wages, these workers have been severely exploited instead. The living and working conditions of migrant workers have been horrific, as they work in extreme heat and unsafe workplaces. It is hard for migrant workers to leave their jobs as employers hold an unfair amount of leverage over them through the unscrupulous sponsorship system. The death toll of migrant workers building football stadiums and surrounding infrastructure in Qatar is estimated to be upwards of 6500 people.

Although the exploitation of migrant workers building infrastructure in major sporting events or advancing development in a country is not uncommon, this should not be the norm.

Despite the World Cup being one of the most popular sporting events in the world, the human cost and suffering of the competition should not have happened and should not be tolerated by FIFA.

Although there has been global backlash against labour exploitation in Qatar prior to the World Cup, the body of FIFA and the state of Qatar needs must show accountability for the corruption that has allowed for this abuse of human rights. The world’s attention has now diverted since the end of the World Cup, but the problems with migrant workers in Qatar remains, and it should not be forgotten.

Source: The Financial Times

Sugar and Spite: The internet in a nutshell

DANIEL PEPIN | FEATURES EDITOR

Iwas absentmindedly scrolling through Instagram recently and found a GQ interview with Sydney Sweeney. I have never seen much of Euphoria, but I have seen those Vibrant TikTok edits of various characters including Sweeney’s own Cassie Howard. I decided to click on the video and see the actor behind the manic but mesmerising character. The style of interview was a GQ classic: 10 essentials Sweeney cannot live without. The full video on YouTube included a “good book” and a bottle of Armani perfume – no doubt due to her new role as the face of Armani Fragrance. However, the Instagram reel focused on her love of sugar – “I live and breathe, like, sugar” Sweeney admits while showing off her favourite confectionary. It is a harmless, sweet (ha ha) video if a slightly “quirky”. Sweeney is charismatic and relatable. I decided to look at the comments which was, obviously, a stupid decision. Top comment: “I love sugar yet im so skinny!!!! *rolling eyes emoji*”. Ah. Others followed. Calling out the star for glorifying an unhealthy lifestyle and accusing Sweeney of promoting a poor diet. It appears to have slipped minds that she is discussing the snacks in her bag – I am sure if I could fit a plate of spaghetti carbonara in my bag I would.

I will settle for Squares bar instead. Amid the comments discussing her bodyweight and diet there was another sect of complainers; this time prophesising how a high sugar intake will lead to diabetes and Alzheimer’s and ruin her appeal. Considering the comments, the video appears to be a total disaster. And yet, all Sweeney does is admit she likes a sweet treat. The problem lies in the commenters and what they represent. This fixation on what celebrities do or do not eat is nothing new but should it really be happening in 2023? The past decade has seen incredible progress for body positivity and body neutrality. Indeed, this video promotes a healthy relationship with food, showing that candy and fast-food can be enjoyed without the guilt so readily attributed to them. This cowardly display of body shaming should be an endangered species and, thankfully, they are on the decline.

Sweeney is no stranger to bizarre hate; in August 2022 she was “cancelled” for supporting far right views because she posted a family photo that included a piece of clothing with a Blue Lives Matter logo. The idea that Sweeney should cut off her immediate family because of one member’s view is naïve and extremely idealistic and begets a different question of how woke can you go? Regardless, both of these examples show an uncomfortable, irritating but obvious truth: the internet sucks sometimes. It is very easy to sit behind a screen and hate (or behind a printed page). At risk of sounding hypocritical, this digital shield provides a cover to make damaging remarks on a platform that is very difficult to police. A place of contrast, the internet can do so much bad yet also good in more than equal measure.

Instagram @GQ, Sydney Sweeney interview

Ignoring the climate crisis

JOEL DAVIES | OPINION AND DEBATE EDITOR

InNovember 2022, UN secretary general António Guterres described the world as being positioned on a “highway to climate hell”. Indeed, each projection that is released now seems to forecast an even more dramatic and alarming future, with increased temperatures wreaking havoc upon our global systems. However, consistently and despite this, UK media outlets, specifically our television news networks and national newspapers, seem content to downplay, ignore, and dismiss these warnings. This might seem nonsensical to observers, as our newspapers in the UK have for over a century thrived on scandals, thrills, and terror to sell copies and retain their readers. Why then, is the climate crisis ignored to a large extent?

2022 was a year of exceptional climate crisis events. The extreme flooding seen in Pakistan, which at one point led to around one third of the country being underwater according to its minister for climate change, served to epitomise the severity of the climate crisis, and yet still did not make many headlines in the UK. Even traditionally leftwing newspaper organisations in the UK, such as the Guardian, did not lend much coverage to the crisis. Severe heat and severe cold snaps have become such a trend throughout 2022 that it is easy to raise the question of whether we should consider changing our perception of “extreme” temperatures altogether.

With the continuing gas and energy crises Europe is experiencing in this period it would have been a perfect opportunity for many outlets to discuss further renewable strategies, but this has usually been relegated to a small mention or afterthought.

One possible reason for the lack of coverage on UK TV channels is the requirements for impartiality on UK television news networks set out by the government. Despite the fact that scientific evidence surrounding climate change and its effects is correct beyond any reasonable doubt, the existence of climate change is increasingly considered as a politcial belief that can be debated over. In light of this, many news channels may steer away from in depth discussions of climate change to save face and avoid controversy.

The UK’s newspaper industry has entirely different reasons however, mainly down to it being skewered between political lefts and rights. Those newspapers on the rightwing of UK politics often find it unwise to promote climate change news as it does not play well to large constituencies of their readers who embrace climate denialism. Across the spectrum too, climate change presents a rather dull issue in the eyes of newspaper editors, as while it inspires fear (and therefore newspaper sales), as a problem it appears far in the future, and does not inspire the same compulsive readership as immediate problems which newspapers have traditionally relied upon, such as migration, war, or scandal. Overall, we can do more to raise awareness of the climate crisis in the UK this year. Traditional media outlets seem increasingly reluctant to take part in this messaging, and convincing them to give it the attention it requires may take more time than we can afford. Alternative methods, such as using social media, community groups, advertising, and TV documentaries to raise awareness have proved to be successful, and we should aim to embrace them going forward, while we still have time to fix this.

Andrew Tate, also referred to as “Top G” and “King of Toxic Masculinity” has been arrested in Romania alongside his brother and (as of the date written) has been placed in pretrial detention under suspicion of rape and human trafficking. For those unfamiliar with the professional kickboxer turned internet celebrity, Tate has used violent misogyny to influence and take advantage of the “incel epidemic” and convince men that by buying his online courses, they too can learn how to be a “real man” and make money fast. He has also gained fame on social media, where various sites such as TikTok, Instagram and Twitter platformed his misogynist views by allowing clips of him and his seemingly glamorous lifestyle long enough for him to gain notoriety, up until he was banned from social media in August 2022.

Source: Getty Images, huge parts of Pakistan underwater

Andrew Tate’s arrest explained KENZA GARMZI | CONTENT WRITER

Source: REUTERS, “King of Toxic Masculinity” in custody

OPINION AND DEBATE 8

Twitter reinstated his account in November however, and according to VOX “it had been removed since 2017, when Tate tweeted in the aftermath of the Harvey Weinstein allegations, ‘If you put yourself in a position to be raped, you must bare [sic] some responsibility’”.

Tate’s webcam business, set up after retiring from his kickboxing career, was a main driving force to making his first million dollars. Even in his business model, misogyny ran rampant. The reason Tate ended up in Romania, as a British American, was for a few reasons mentioned in a video on his YouTube channel (which has since been deleted).

In this he cited the #metoo movement as a catalyst for men getting accused of assault more often in the West, and argued that men have restricted rights because of it, saying quote “I’m not a f****** rapist, but I like the idea of being able to do what I want” and “If you’re a man living in England, or Germany, or America, or any of the Western world right now you’ve decided to live in a country where any woman… at any point in the future can destroy your life”.

Fear around false rape accusations is a prevalent talking point among the “manosphere”, which is problematic as these influencers often do not care about women being assaulted anyway. Coupled with their misogynist attitudes and victim-blaming mentalities, you can see why their concerns come across as disingenuous.

The NHS - soon to be a myth?

HANA NABIZADA | CONTENT WRITER

The NHS is in an undeniable crisis that cannot afford to be ignored or belittled any longer by the current government. With staff being overworked and underpaid, A&E waiting times averaging four hours, and Rishi Sunak denying the NHS is in a crisis, it is no wonder that the NHS is on the verge of collapse. This winter period has seen a severe flu outbreak as well as a rise in Covid cases, increasing pressure on the NHS.

This can be prominently seen in the Accident and Emergency department, where waiting times to be seen and be given a bed are at an all-time high. The soaring waiting times are so dangerous that a senior healthcare official has claimed that 500 people could be needlessly dying each week as a result of long waits.

Given the undeniable and inhumane pressures the NHS and its staff and patients are undergoing, it is a very clear, gross miscalculation for Sunak to claim that the NHS has the funding it needs to get through this winter period. Healthcare workers are struggling to provide quick and quality care under the weight of understaffing issues and are physically and mentally exhausted. It is no wonder that these unsustainable conditions have led to nurses and paramedics striking in December and will be striking again over several dates in January.

It is unfair that the NHS, an integral and deeply valuable public service, must be subject to such hardships. It does not need to be said how beneficial and important it is to the country and to its people, and the government clearly needs to do more to recognise the crisis the NHS is in and provide more adequate funding to ensure its viability. It is the hope of many, if not all, that the NHS is helped and does not become a myth.

In the case of Andrew Tate, it is clear how he has used this mentality for his material gain, both through radicalising young men to buy his online courses and his questionable businesses abroad. In a VICE article, his manipulation tactics were exposed in light of his arrest: “Tate has made no secret of using the exploitative ‘loverboy’ approach in his webcam business, boasting on sincedeleted sections of his website that, under his business model, ‘over 50% of my employees were actually my girlfriend at the time and, of all my girlfriends, NONE were in the adult entertainment industry before they met me’”.

This kind of coercion is a common technique among human traffickers to manipulate mainly young women into working under their control with little gain for them. What is frightening however, is the number of conspiracies surrounding Tate’s arrest and the fans who continue to support him, showing that although social media sites have tried to silence him, there continues to live a generation of insecure young men who still trust the grift of Andrew Tate.

Source: James Manning

Vision boards, journey boards and all the boards

NAJYAH RAHMAN | CONTENT WRITER

Vision boards, journey boards, action boards - whatever you call them, they are magic. So simple yet so effective. I am a huge fan.

They are widely supported by scientific research. Neuroscientists argue that staring at the pictures on a vision board prepares the brain to seize chances that would otherwise go overlooked. "Value-tagging," is a brain function that filters out irrelevant information, and then imprints crucial information into the best mind tool you have: your subconscious. Images have a higher "value" in the brain than written words. The more you look at those pictures, the more significance those pictures have. So, if science is a huge fan, what is there to lose?

Make a 2023 vision board in three easy steps. First, make a list of all your goals, no matter how big or small. Include habits, activities, items on your wishlist, and role models. Next, gather the pictures. Pinterest is a great place to go for this, but these can come from anywhere personal to you, like saved posts on Instagram. Also, if like me, you prefer everything to be aesthetically pleasing, pick a colour theme. Add motivational quotes and words of affirmation.

You want to look at the board and feel good and excited about your life. Finally, put them on a board. Remember that the board needs to be somewhere you look everyday, whether that is physical or digital. I like to arrange all the photos using Canva and create a wallpaper for my iPad lock screen. Especially during term, when my eyes are practically glued to the screen when I work, this is the most effective space for me. Others like to create a physical board for their bedroom walls, which is super helpful if you look at it every morning before you start the day, or before you sleep. As a matter of fact, while drifting off, the brain is more impressionable, and the images can be further imprinted, even appearing in your dreams.

TikTok knows that everything is better together, and I have seen a lot of people hosting “vision board nights”. Essentially, get together with some friends, maybe have dinner and create your boards together. Make a fun evening out of it. Afterwards, present your boards and talk about your goals (they feel more real to you when you say them out loud). Hype your friends up and make plans with each other to hit those mutual goals.

New year, new me - but where

MOLLY AINLEY | LIFESTYLE EDITOR

Constantly we hear the phrase “new year, new me” but where could we possibly start? The main thing I am currently dealing with is- the issue with style, I have decided this is the first thing I shall tackle. Here is the plan:

Use Pinterest for inspiration

The place of mood-boards, countless inspiration and links to shops where I can find the clothes. This place is perfect for such things. I will be drawing inspiration on what I like: what I do not like and trying to remember it will look different on me so do not hold expectations so high in case they do not meet my wishes.

Once you have a board, visualise and observe. The brain genuinely has a limited ability to distinguish between an event that occurred and a strongly imagined vision of it. So, tell yourself that this is who you are, this is your 2023. Notice how your mind gets suddenly ready to take action. Familiarising your mind gets rid of those pesky stress responses from your body when you want to do something big. Watch how your thoughts all bend towards your goals.

So, what are you waiting for?

do I start?

Shopping at charity shops

This may sound odd but hear me out: it is ethical, firstly! But also, by using charity shops I keep it cheap, meaning if I do not like it, it is not such a big portion that has left my bank. In addition, so many people of different sizes donate and therefore there is variety. You can also try things on and donate the clothes you do not desire anymore.

Source: Stock Images

Source: Unsplash

Experimenting

I will experiment with makeup and hair. I have 3 looks: space buns and eyeliner, half up/half down with eyeliner, and hair down with Vaseline. Now, this will not do for 2023. I need variety, I need range, please let 2023 provide a range. I have decided that the only thing I can do is experiment. I will be using work and university as my chance to experiment (if you see me looking exceptionally weird all you can do is forgive me).

So that is the plan, it is not very complex, but I do hope it gives me a sense of self, more than I currently have. I think this time of year is strange. I feel lost. Therefore, I believe we may as well abuse it and try and work on things we wish to change or explore. I even bought a new foundation!

I would like to suggest other things that we can use this time for, in case you feel lost:

1) Research and look into new hobbies. Inevitably people tend to give up things they wish to begin throughout the year but before you decide what you will give up, I do think it is important to try out as much as you can.

2) Begin that new show you have been wanting to watch. Start the year with something new and fresh but not too scary.

3) Make plans for the year. I do not mean academics or work. Those are the ones done too much, let yourself make plans for your enjoyment. Self-care and self-love. I wish every one of you the best year! I hope the third years soke up all they can enjoy. I hope the first years have enjoyed their first term. I hope the second years are enjoying their middle ground. I wish everyone in between hope and excitement. 2023 will be ours.

The dos and don’ts for this year’s Valentine’s Day

CHLOE PLUMMER | CONTENT WRITER

Somepeople dread Valentine's, and others believe it is the most romantic day of the year, either way, we have to face it, Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and there is really a lot to think about. So, whether you are stressed about what to buy a new partner for Valentine’s Day, or you just want to celebrate being single this year, here are some dos and don’ts for when the day of love comes around.

Number one: Do Celebrate whatever situation you have going on.

February the 14th does not have to be met with an eye roll and a sigh; you can always reinvent the day to how you feel love. This can be approached in many ways, for example, if you are not in a relationship this year, why not plan and romanticise a self-date? Independence and actually enjoying your own company can do wonders for your self-esteem, it can even help when interacting with others. At the end of the day, the most important relationship in your life is with your own mental and physical health, so why not celebrate that by getting yourself a favourite takeaway or buying yourself a bunch of flowers?

If that is not your cup of tea then friend dates will always be a fun distraction if you are missing the love, being comfortable and relaxed with friends will always produce positive endorphins and make you truly enjoy the day. On the other hand, if you are in a relationship, make sure the day is somewhat celebrated, whether that is a call on the phone or a home-cooked dinner, it is important to acknowledge Valentine's.

Number Two: Don’t leave things unsaid or unplanned.

This tip once again applies to all situations, if you want to have a happy and all-round fun day then the devil is in the details. Let’s start with people who are in relationships, there are a number of aspects when planning V-day. I would suggest when buying gifts for one another make sure you have discussed a budget, this may not seem important, however, the enjoyment of receiving a perfect gift could be tainted by comparing prices, (do remember that the thought is of primary importance).

Furthermore, planning a restaurant in advance is important, many places will not do walk-ins on February the 14th, or the service may be more rushed on the day. Single people, do not leave things unsaid, Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to take that risk and ask someone out finally, a date on V-day could be harmless and who knows maybe the feeling could be

Number Three: Don’t feel the pressure.

This angle could save you from a lot of aggravation or upset on the day. I know from experience when this day comes around, I always feel the pressure to find the perfect partner so I can have a romantic and idealistic Valentine’s, or just feel general pressure to find love in my twenties. But as hard as it is, external love is not everything. You are not defined as worthy if you receive a teddy bear or roses on the day. As well as this, do not feel the pressure to do anything just because it is Valentine’s Day. Whether that is going on a date with a person just because you feel lonely or texting your ex to have a Valentine's kiss. Remember it is only 24 hours, there will be days after that you will thank yourself for not piling on the pressure to enjoy this commercialised day.

Source: Wikimedia

Continued from the front page:

Interestingly, Westwood’s career was not always set to grace the Fashion Week runway. Westwood began her professional life as a teacher, a far cry from where she ended up. Although, her love for history never faded, as is seen in some of her later work; her use of corsets and pearls was the first time these aspects were seen back in fashion since the 18th century. The dichotomy between her distressed and riotous pieces from the 20th century to the Renaissanceesque and Romantic garments in more recent times does in fact showcase the beautiful range of Vivienne Westwood’s designs.

The size of the exhibition encourages, or rather, requires a longer viewing time. Gallerygoers can slowly make their way around The Procession, spending time really focusing on the complicated, almost messy, amalgamation of sculptures.

While the subject matter presented is heavy and often difficult, Locke expresses that his message through the piece is one of hope and positivity. His aim for his work is to be emotionally charged and emotionally evocative. With the human figures being true to size they are identifiable, and his use of cardboard which is such a familiar material resonates with the viewer, making this piece relatable and accessible.

This piece also references multiple of Locke’s other works as well, adding a more personal insight also, with “The Jurists” being embroiled onto the back of one of the mannequins’ jumpsuits.

In the last five years, Vivienne Westwood’s focus shifted from the gorgeous designs and importance of fashion to a more threatening cause: climate change. Westwood primarily focused on attending protests, discussions and events which dealt with the urgency of protecting the environment. Many of Westwood’s recent pieces spread awareness of anti-capitalism and the need for political change. Until the very end of Westwood’s career, she has stayed true to her brand, to be anti-traditionalist and a trailblazer, changing people’s perspectives of the fashion world.

This could be a reference to his permanent artwork The Jurors, which is a piece consisting of 12 bronze chairs that is placed in Runnymede in order to mark 800 years since the sealing of the Magna Carter. Locke’s Tate Britain exhibition is on display until January 22nd 2023, and is well worth a visit to experience the complicated beauty of The Procession

Hew Locke’s The Procession

LILY BIRCH | ARTS EDITOR

Theannual commission for the Tate Britain is a standout piece that is highlighted in the gallery. To create the 2022 commission, Hew Locke, Guyanese-British sculptor and contemporary visual artist, was chosen. Locke is an extremely talented artist, winning many awards for his pieces and has held exhibitions in the Tate in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The piece that he created for the annual commission is a large-scale installation called The Procession.

A Procession is a congregation of people aiming to usually celebrate or protest, but at the heart it is the coming together of people who share something specific and want to use their power as a group to be heard, which is what is at the centre of Locke’s work. The Procession invites visitors to “reflect on the cycles of history, and the ebb and flow of cultures, people and finance and power”. The large-scale installation takes up a whole room in the Tate, with true-to-size human mannequins created from cardboard, draped in gold flamboyant fabrics, and holding tapestries and banners that are filled with detailed symbols of cultural and historical baggage, along with imagery of global, financial, and violent colonial control.

How a fast fashion brand can increase their sustainability

LILY BIRCH | ARTS EDITOR

Following a report compiled by money.co.uk, the continuously controversial Shein was named as the most popular fashion brand of 2022. It is clear, then, that the extensive waste and negative effects of the fast-fashion industry are not slowing down. This being said, many brands are now implementing new methods in order to be more conscious with their clothes circulation and overall brand sustainability. The newest fashion brand to release a service in which customers can prolong the life of their garments and cut down on the companies’ waste, is high-street favourite Zara. Zara Pre-owned is a service that allows customers to buy, sell, donate, and repair their old Zara clothes.

Source: Lily Birch

Source: Wikimedia

The repair section mends anything from moth-eaten sweatshirts to the tailoring and hemming of jeans and trousers all for under £15. On one side of the argument, fast-fashion does have its benefits for some, as usually items sell at a much lower price point which is essential to many, especially considering the current cost-of-living crisis. However, instead of tossing away clothes with a small hole or a sweater that has gone a bit bobbly, customers are now presented with a cheaper alternative that allows their clothes to be repaired and continue their lifecycle.

The donation section allows customers to donate their Zara clothes to Zara for them to be recycled, sold in charity shops, or donated to those in need. Proceeds are then used to fund social projects by charities such as Red Cross, The Salvation Army and more. Furthermore, with the Depop-esque buying and selling section, more possibilities for old favourites are available again, and selling is made a lot easier with Zara providing descriptions of the clothing for the sellers.

Since this service has only been available since November, we are yet to see how successful this service has been, but this is a step in the right direction for fashion brands who are being urged to decrease their carbon footprint, and for people who prefer to shop more ethically with pre-loved garments. This step towards more a sustainable fashion brand is essential is maintaining a brands reputation and likability, with other fastfashion brands not taking action to slow down their carbon footprint, like Shein.

Therefore, with people becoming more aware about the alternatives to shopping from these “trendy” fastfashion brands, and wearing vintage or pre-loved garments becomes more popular in the world of fashion, there is hope that other brands will be more considerate and proactive with how they can increase their overall sustainability.

Fashioning a boy’s frame

ELYAS

MEEKCOMS | CONTENT WRITER

Fashioning a boy’s frame means wearing clothes, and not letting clothes wear him. Or stick to him. Or warp around him. Or cling to him restrictively. Enter larger sizes: t-shirts that fall over small shoulders (which he is working on make no mistake) but for the meantime: ahh, yes, let oversized shirts hang off sharp shoulders and drape carelessly for that chic, teddy look. It is this that flatters: his body being seen as such a structure that it must be adorned with cloth, draped in it, luxuriously. Start thinking of a top as a luxury, rather than a necessity. You are doing the fabric a favour by letting it hug your body. You do not need it, it needs you. Let it adorn you. And hang off you. And fall past you. Think of every top you wear as the white fabric that begs to be draped across the structure of an ancient prince. (Why else do you think I get dressed in the mornings?)

The t-shirt should not just be there to serve its function by narrowly covering the top half of the body. I might want to pull up the extra cloth at the bottom to wipe my chin, flashing my belly, or to tuck some of the cloth in one side of my trousers, giving depth to the fabric. Or alternatively, I might want to have a thin top to hug my torso paired with cascading cargo pants towering down my legs that kiss past the edge of my trainers. Kind of like one of those 2000s male Bratz dolls. Google them. One hoodie I am currently eyeing is a Maison Margiela hoodie with zip access over the shoulder and sleeve. The power that I would feel with a plain tee under this, the sleeve zipped open exposing the inner shoulder of the t-shirt flashing out, giving the illusion of a rugged, ripped hoodie fraying over my shoulder in such a modern couture way. The chic, teddy-look I spoke about was arguably paved by the forever-revered 80s and 90ss, with the finale in the early noughties for pop culture.

I say pop culture, because fashion houses did not completely disregard larger fits (take Alexander McQueen’s 2015 Spring men’s collection), but it just was not in. I am sure the now-precious parachute pants (sported, so well by Bella Hadid nowadays) paired with maybe a white tank top, would not be where it is now if it was not for the blue, baggy pants that 2Pac wore onstage in Chicago, 1994. His famous look was later recreated, in the render of his posthumous hologram performance in Coachella 2012.

I think that is all why skinny jeans are rapidly developing more of an uncertainty amongst the new wave of buyers right now, and some even see them as completely out; we do not need to see where your thighs meet your kneecaps. So, keep in mind that the today-man’s t-shirt sleeve length will not shy from sagging fashionably down past his elbows, nor his trousers from kissing past his Jordans.

Source: Flickr

All Down Darknes Wide: Fact that feels like fiction?

DANIEL PEPIN | FEATURES EDITOR

Iamusually not one for non-fiction. More at home in the vibrant aisles of contemporary fiction than the frequently austere nonfiction sections. I have always been under the assumption that fact cannot be stranger than fiction, to counter that common adage. Despite this predilection, during a recent trip to the Charing Cross Foyles, I found myself in the LGBTQIA+ theory section – vaguely looking for dissertation material when I happened upon All Down Darkness Wide. I will not be coy, I first picked it up because of its strikingly gorgeous cover but the blurb caught me in the trap set by the cover. All Down Darkness Wide is a memoir by Seán Hewitt that charters his queer life from an exhilarating university romance to a tragically beautiful relationship that traversed the world. Hewitt starts by capturing the mystifying chaos of being queer and realising that one is set apart with such stark honesty that “relatable” hardly seems appropriate. His ability to pinpoint universal moments of coming out while maintaining an intimate uniqueness reveals a depth of understanding that a work of fiction could not provide. Through a series of reflective speeches and vignettes dotted with literary nods, Hewitt explores his life at university and before, detailing all the times he understood that he was different and treated as such.

A standout moment for this was his description of a blood-donation in which he was forced to lie about his sexuality to both participate and maintain his “straight disguise”. Here, Hewitt introduced me to the term “gay shame”. Forget eyeopening, my eyeballs were wrenched free and doused in rubbing alcohol. Having this term in my arsenal and now being able to attribute it to so many (common) childhood events was incredible.

Then Hewitt turns to the real meat of the story: the recount of his relationship with Elias. A friendly, fun-loving, thrill-seeking, “seize the day” kind of man who Seán falls deeply in love with. Their relationship blossoms beautifully across the pages as Elias helps Seán realise he worth loving himself; and they overcome an adorable language barrier. Then, as is often the way, it goes wrong. Elias develops intense depression and drifts from the love that entwined them. As Seán was hurt so was I, every time Seán could not comprehend Elias’ pain, I felt utterly helpless. I was not reading a memoir, a piece of theory, or a bizarre chronicle of my own adolescence; I was reading a story. That is the highest praise I can give to this perfect meditation on the struggles and elation of queer life: it felt like fiction. I would be loathe to spoil anymore of this resonant yet personal book. I shall, briefly, return to the cover art. It depicts Phaeton falling while reaching upwards, cursed for trying to enter the realm of the Gods. To be sweeping, this book felt like I had stolen some piece of knowledge from the Gods – something vital that I should not know. But rather than falling, punished; it pulls you up higher so that you may see more.

101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think:

Inspirational or repetitive?

EMILIE WILLIAMS | CONTENT WRITER

In 2016, Brianna Wiest published her second collection of published writing: 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think. The collection has gone viral on social media and made it onto lists alongside popular selfhelp books such as Atomic Habits and The Alchemist. The popularity of this genre, however, is never without a cost. Many deem these reflections or meditations “cringeworthy” or repetitive as they often make statements that seem overly positive. There is much to learn from these types of books, but not many give them the chance to shine.

101 Essays has received mixed reviews from the literary world. Many have commented on Wiest’s lack of qualifications to write on such philosophical topics, or her young age, which seems unfair. Wiest did not claim that her essays would be revolutionary or groundbreaking but simply that they will change the way a reader would think. Some comment on the repetitiveness of the essays, which is understandable considering the large goal Wiest placed on herself by deciding to write 101 essays. But this repetitiveness does not have to be the book’s downfall.

All Down Darkness Wide by Sean Hewitt, photographed by Daniel Pepin

Many of the teachings such as how “growth equals pain” or “discomfort is progress” become more profound when shown how they relate to different scenarios or frames of mind.

Some of her advice reminded me of many of the self-help and development books I have read in the past but in a clearer format. As such, this collection would be a great introduction to some of the main lessons taught from some of the more extensive self-help or spiritual books. For example, it provides accessible summaries of some of the lessons taught from Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now. I found the book useful to pick up during short study breaks or car journeys as each page gave me something to think about and lingered in my mind throughout the day.

The essays in this book would be particularly helpful when thinking of the new year and how you will serve yourself in the upcoming months. Wiest includes many meditations on how our relationships with ourselves could be healthier, and how, by framing our thoughts differently, we could protect ourselves from negative people. Here are some of my favourite quotes from the essays:

“Make sure you’re living more than you’re thinking about living”

“The secret to finding love was not to actually look for it, but to heal the things that were preventing you from seeing and receiving it”.

“There is no such thing as letting go; there’s just accepting what’s already gone”.

Source: @balancebybecks on Instagram

Harsh Comedy: Philip Roth’s The Breast

RILEY MOORE | CONTENT WRITER

Perhaps 2023 will be your year of radical transformation. Dedicate yourself to gym-going, book-reading, and booze-reduction. Quit meandering on social media, unplug yourself from the modern anxieties. Nothing you do, however, will match the intensity of David Kepesh’s transformation in Philip Roth’s 1972 comic novella: The Breast. This is principally because in 2023, it is most unlikely that you will wake up one day and find yourself transformed into a 155-pound female breast. But that is what happens to Kepesh, a literature professor who teaches Kafka’s The Metamorphosis and Gogol’s The Nose

Narrated in the first person, Kepesh is an ordinary, six-foot, healthy 38-yearold man who, randomly, has a tingling in his groin. This graduates into a physical blemish. He notices a small, pinkish stain above his pubic area. Intercourse feels more pleasurable and more sensitive than before. His metamorphosis has begun. At this point, Roth interposes a scene break, and opens the next section with, “I am a breast”. The Breast is ridiculous and hilarious; it rebels against the academic impulse to locate a “message” in a story, and simultaneously handles deeper feelings, like loneliness and sexual frustration.

The hilarity and ridiculousness in The Breast is confined to Kepesh’s circumstances. Although it is funny that Kepesh mutates into a giant breast, his reaction is completely serious. He does not see the humour. Rather, he associates himself with the facts, and does so with anatomical exactness. He ensures that his cardiovascular and respiratory systems are functioning as usual and takes an inventory of his organs. Kepesh says that “At one end I am rounded off like a watermelon, at the other I terminate in a nipple”. His nipple is “rosy pink” and his skin is “smooth” and “youthful”. He speaks through a small flap in the middle of his body. This is funny, but not excessively done.

Roth said “Since the joke was there before I even began, perhaps the best thing was to stand it on its head by refusing to take it as a joke”. Since transforming into a boob is comic, there was no need to saturate the story with more humour. Roth did not want Kepesh to be goofy or cranky; Kepesh’s seriousness is the humour.

But there is no reason or message behind his transformation, and this, too, is true of the book itself. The Breast is not meant to teach you anything. For this reason, it is not a satire, for what would it be satirising? There is no agenda, no politics. It is a comical book treated seriously with hints of deeper feelings. Kepesh is trapped in a funny, but brutal circumstance. He feels stranded and alone as no one has ever suffered his affliction. It is agonising.

The agony of being condemned to something that one is not. And this happens for no reason. “No crapola about Deep Meaning”, is how Roth described it. The Breast is strange, but short, merely 70-pages. It adheres to Samuel Johnsons’ observation that, “Nothing odd will do long”. Weird, touching, and well written, The Breast is the perfect book to jumpstart your 2023 reading goals.

Autobiography of Red: Who can a monster blame for being red?

HARRISON PITTS | CONTENT WRITER

Built from the scraps of Stesichoros’ Geryoneis, Anne Carson’s Autobiography of Red crafts a world as touching as it is challenging. The text itself holds its foot out at nearly every corner, leaving you tripping until you learn to navigate and appreciate its idiosyncrasies. Carson creates a work which tells its story not only through its beautiful and endlessly creative prose, but also through its presentation. It reads like the life of its subject: painfully beautiful.

The first part of the book takes the form of a history lesson on Stesichoros, coloured by Carson’s wit and humour, along with the original fragments of Geryoneis. The fragments read as if the pieces had been buried in a box “along with song lyrics and lecture notes” and shaken haphazardly out onto the page. Carson encourages us to shake the box and find the story of Geryon for ourselves, as she will in the pages to come.

The second half is where Carson’s creativity and unconventionality shines through most. We follow Geryon, the winged red monster, tenth of Herakles labours, in part reimagined myth and part present-day romance. Much like in the original tale, a brief yet painful encounter with Herakles leaves his life a directionless shambles, though this time due to a fleeting love affair rather than a battle to the death. Traveling across South America while attempting to come to terms with his own red monstrosity and chronic heartache, Geryon meets yellow-bearded philosophers to discuss what time is made of and psychoanalyst tango singers to lament the fate of captive whales. It is until a chance meeting with Herakles and his new lover bring the shame and joy of the past back to the fore that Geryon is forced to choose between his cage and his wings.

In this, her best-known work, Carson expertly fuses the ancient and modern, the classic and contemporary in a way that stamps the presence of the mythical in the everyday indelibly on our souls. Her voice is unrelentingly unique, the many short chapters full of unorthodox imagery that never fails to ignite the imagination and spark a moment of contemplation. She reminds us of the eternal relevance present in ancient stories, the continuity of human connections. A story of photography, time, abuse, love and getting over it, Autobiography of Red is a cripplingly emotional coming of age read that despite its short length, will stay with you for an eon. I would encourage anyone with the patience for its unconventional prose to sit down and give it a try.

Source: @nytarchives on Instagram. Image of Philip Roth

Source: Unsplash. Mount Etna

Life of Pi: Coexisting with a Tiger

ANNIKA SWANSBURY | CONTENT WRITER

Thetime around the New Year often guarantees two things: attempting to coexist in spaces too small to house swathes of extended family; and seeing how various cultures and religions all celebrate a significant holiday at the same time. A novel that captures both of these ideas is Yann Martel’s Life of Pi.

The story, of a young man from India shipwrecked with a Bengal Tiger, explores ideas of coexisting both with other religions and with those who may be out to harm us, whether they be tigers or questionable members of family.

While living in India, Pi adopts the practices and beliefs of Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity, taking those with him on his journey across the Pacific. They guide him through the morality of fishing and hunting for turtles, and comfort him during the long nights of star-filled skies and endless days of mirror-like ocean. Pi finds a sense of peace in each of the religions, seeing how they can exist together in one soul through their similarities. These are things sometimes not shared by his family nor the local faith leaders, causing his desire to just love God be met with confusion by the Imam, Priest, and Pandit.

The holiday period can bring with it religious disagreement. Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanza all share one space on the calendar. Much like Pi and Richard Parker, the Bengal Tiger share the small lifeboat, and in today’s world wishing your grandmother a “Happy Holidays” might just elicit the same response as when Pi attempts to train Richard Parker. The religious themes of Life of Pi intertwine with the magical realism ones. So, whether you think religion is akin to a fictional magic system or something entirely true, you can still appreciate the beauty it creates in the world Pi lives in. Beauty but also danger. Pi encounters on his journey not only flying fish, whales, and every sky imaginable, but also bears witness to the viscous death of an orangutan representative of his mother, takes refuge on a carnivorous island and sails through an oil spill. He sees the very worst and best of what the world has to offer, even if some of these things are figments of his imagination.

Life of Pi is a novel that draws you in from the first accounts of Pi’s life in his father’s Pondicherry zoo and allows you to question whether you want to see the magic and fantastical side of life, or whether a more realistic tale would be more satisfying. I think it stands as an excellent benchmark for what genre of book you might enjoy. If you believe the story with the tiger, zebra, hyena, and orangutan then novels with elements of the fantastic might appeal to you more. If you believe the story the Japanese ministry of transport officials report with the French cook, Japanese sailor, Pi’s mother, and Pi himself, not an animal or carnivorous island in sight, then maybe you are just really boring.

Source: Alamy stock photo. Image of the cover of Life of Pi

Hairspray: White privilege and allyship

KENZA GARMZI | CONTENT WRITER

Hairspray (2007) is a film which served as one of my first introductions to real-world discrimination as a child. Its representation of intersectionality, fatphobia and racism is portrayed in a light-hearted, condensed manner making it perfect for PG audiences. This is important to remember when evaluating its overall impact on racial attitudes upon release and whether its message was conveyed effectively.

Set in the 1960s, Hairspray centres on protagonist Tracy Turnblad, an overweight sixteen-year-old who learns that her favourite dance show 'The Corny Collins Show' did not allow Black and white teenagers to dance together on air. It is synonymous with The Buddy Deane Show, which was cancelled in 1964 due to its unwillingness to integrate Black and white dancers, and was the inspiration behind the original Hairspray musical. Tracy auditions for The Corny Collins Show and is rejected by antagonist Velma Von Tussle, the manager of station WYZT and mother of the show's lead female dancer Amber Von Tussle, due to her weight and her support of integration. After the audition, Tracy meets Seaweed J. Stubbs and the other dancers on The Corny Collins Show’s monthly “Negro Day”, who are practising in detention at school, and quickly becomes enamoured with their style of dance. Subsequently, Tracy gets accepted by Corny Collins to dance on the show after leading male dancer, and love interest, Link Larkin convinces Tracy to dance at a record shop. Later in the film, Tracy uses her newfound popularity on the Corny Collins Show to protest with the Black dancers to integrate the show after “Negro Day” gets cancelled. The film ends with a police manhunt and a gate-crashed beauty pageant at WYZT, where the Corny Collins Show finally gets integrated and Little Inez Stubbs, Seaweed's younger sister, wins the pageant.

The show is apt in its portrayal of realworld events and instances of racism during the Jim Crow-era, through the blatant segregationist attitudes of the station manager and the show's sponsor (who later dismisses these views in favour of increased sales). It also remains relevant today as one of these scenes strikingly resembles the current controversy of cultural appropriation, where a performance on “Negro Day” of The New Girl in Town is also performed by white dancers. Velma Von Tussle accuses them of picking the same song and it is revealed by Motormouth Maybelle, the host of “Negro Day”, that it was in fact the Black performers who wrote the song. Scenes like this depict a simple understanding of other indirect injustices aside from direct racism that Black people faced, and still face, in society.

Throughout the film Tracy and her friends are not perfect allies, they are willing to help and have their hearts in the right place but find themselves being corrected earlier in the film due to their naivety regarding why Black and white issues are not so easily solved. Little Inez winning the pageant at the end was also a great example of uplifting Black voices, instead of allowing the “White Saviour” narrative to prevail. Had it been Tracy winning the pageant after aiding in the “Negro Day” protests, it would have been a different story altogether.

Source: @cinemartistry on Instagram. Image of a still from Hairspray

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas: Die Hard revisited

BEN AUDLEY | CONTENT WRITER

With this being the first Christmas since the news of Bruce Willis’ saddening retirement, many people’s annual rewatch of 1988 classic Die Hard will take on new significance this year. The film is no stranger to recontextualisation, however. In fact, it is only recently that the film has been widely accepted into the Christmas film discussion.

To some this may come as a surprise: can such violence be enjoyed with a glass of mulled wine in one hand, and a mince pie in the other?

Then there is the film’s original July release date, as well occasional drug references and nudity, which have understandably prompted many to put Die Hard firmly on the naughty list this time of year. It is rather understandable that its place in the festive film catalogue has been contested for decades; but if you look beyond the superficial, you will find a carol of hope, love, and the Christmas spirit.

The real thrust of the film is very much provided by Willis’ star-making turn as John McClane, a New York cop hoping to reconcile with his family for Christmas. His dreams of kisses under the mistletoe and presents by the fire are put on hold upon the arrival of a team of terrorists headed by Hans Gruber, brilliantly portrayed by Alan Rickman. Without spoiling anything, what follows is, at its core, a gripping conflict between a festive familyman, and a group of greedy grinches: what more coul a Christmas film have to offer? If that was not enough, a veritable Santa’s sack of Christmas songs and iconography is littered throughout (highlights include RunD.M.C.’s Christmas in Hollis, and a Rickman “ho ho ho”).

Thus, it can only be considered natural that Die Hard has grown beyond its surface-level reading and come rightfully to be recognised as a festive staple. Those Christmas conservatives who have historically given the mere mention of Die Hard a frosty reception during the holidays seem to have been opening their hearts, slowly but surely. It is irrefutable that as a culture, over the decades, the tide has been heading in only one direction. Internet searches for the film peak around December annually; and these peaks are increasing year in, year out. Whilst Die Hard may not have started out as a Christmas film, it is with great joy and cheer that we can safely say is has become inextricably tied to the holiday. This year, if you have not already, you are hereby urged to reflect on director John McTiernan’s masterpiece and fall in love with its unique take on what Christmas can mean. Consider yourself welcome to the party, pal.

Source: @obras.maestras.del.cine, Instagram

Taboo and the miniseries: That which isn’t spoken of

JETHRO ROBATHAN | FILM EDITOR

Taboo (2017) is a bit of an anomaly. A cinematic wallflower amidst a torrent of bingeable streaming releases, the BBC-broadcasted miniseries largely falls to the wayside in terms of recognition. This is not entirely surprising. Miniseries rarely catch public attention, beyond the odd exception such as HBO’s masterful Chernobyl, while also suffering from financially conservative production budgets compared to those of multiseason exclusives and box office hits. Even so, the undeniable appeal of the miniseries is oft understated: they are far more digestible than a five-plus season commitment (I myself am still working up the appetite for Better Call Saul), and can be viewed either in a prolonged single-sitting, or episodically over time. The “binge burnout” that accompanies marathoning through a boxset in a week(end) – the inevitable vacant and blurry memory after seeing a main character die, resurrect, die, repeat adinfinitum – is a non-issue. A miniseries is television’s equivalent to a rounded, nutritious meal. It is cinema’s answer to the buffets that dominate Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime and the rest. I digress. Back to Taboo. Tom Hardy leads in this dark, cult-y period drama written and created by Steven Knight, which follows Victorian adventurer and merchant James Delaney. The setup is rather run of the mill: Delaney’s father dies, Delaney (who was missingassumed-dead following a voyage to Africa) reappears and upsets English society by claiming his inheritance of Nootka Sound, a North American territory vital to trade and the American civil war. The East India Company are involved, the Crown are involved, American espionage is involved, whorehouses are involved, murder most foul occurs, sex occurs, drugs occur, you get the picture.

Beyond this smorgasbord of visual delights and sensory stimuli lies a production understated in its taut narrative, crisp cinematography and, yes, an attentiondemanding lead performance from Hardy himself. That is not to say the rest of the cast slack. Stephen Graham’s take on the mercenary-cum-spymaster Atticus is immersive and carries just enough panache to be memorable, yet not overbearing. David Hayman, who plays the family servant Brace, is master of silent emotional expression here. Jonathan Pryce is grotesquely funny and immensely dislikeable in his portrayal as Sir Stuart Strange, the Machiavellian Chairman of the East India Company.

With all those necessary (and they are certainly necessary) nods to a cast ripe in talent, it is Tom Hardy leading the foray in Taboo and who essentially keeps the motor running when the narrative slows down. Like many shows, Taboo does suffer from a stalling first episode that spends a little too long on establishing backstory and meandering in, admittedly beautiful, set design. Not enough screentime is invested in anchoring the story, although this issue is remedied by the end of episode two. Incest, slavery and cannibalism also feature in this series, so for the squeamish this is one to perhaps skip.

That said, I do feel that Kristoffer Nyholm and Anders Engstrom, as the series directors, do overegg the incestual, forbidden relationship between James Delaney and his sister Zilpha (Oona Chaplin). I understand that incest is a central theme to the show, what with the show’s title, yet the narrative relevance felt iffy at best and the context of their sexual history is poorly explained. Unlike the ritualistic throat-gorging, the James-Zilpha subplot unnecessarily complicates the central story in an overwrought sense, like excess icing on a cake already laden with sugar.

Plot twists and precipitous action are more footnote than focal centrepiece in this series. While occasional blindsides certainly occur, the strength of Steven Knight’s writing stems from a tautness which rarely slackens. The on-screen shoot-outs and explosions unexpectedly offer a gratifying reprieve from the unsettling, darker themes which colour Taboo. Hardy’s James Delaney is a character who is our medium in illustrating the role trauma, love and loss play on an individual. While not the most relatable of figures (let alone most sane), Delaney is a man broken thrice over yet resolute in seeking a personal kind of justice, and for this we can cheer him on. is a show where characters are varied, the visuals are gorgeous and, aside from pacing issues, the plot and overall timbre charters territory rarely ventured into so explicitly. You get the idea. Watch it.

Source: Image of Tom Hardy in Taboo

Aftersun: The family holiday

DEVESH SOOD | MANAGING EDITOR

Itwas a bleak, rainy November evening. Exams were rapidly approaching, and essays deadlines loomed, mere days away. But I needed a break, as did my mum. We opened the cinema app and perused through the options. Most were easily dismissed until we were down to our final contenders; Black Adam, a loud but voiceless movie that would certainly pass the time, while also providing us with a front row seat to the fall of the comic book movie genre. The other was the riskier option; a directorial debut, one that reviews had been raving about for months, despite knowing little about it. With a glint in my eye, I asked her if she wanted to try something different, to which she responded, “you choose”. So, I did just that. Beginning at 19:00 exactly, it was immediately evident I was the youngest one there.

The screen’s capacity was slight and the audience silent, even throughout the trailers. The entire duration of the runtime, there were sounds of anxiousness, frequent glances at watches and even a few walkouts. Even my own mother sat there, bored, confused and somewhat regretful. And it is easy to understand why. At surface level you have a 96-minute film that relishes in its meandering, a film about a girl and her father on holiday in Turkey.

To me, it was a 96-minute emotional rollercoaster, one that cherished its smaller, most personal elements with intent focus on reflection and regret. In a year with heavy-hitting blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick, mainstream surprise success Everything, Everywhere, All at Once and, most recently, the return to the world of Pandora with James Cameron’s long awaited Avatar sequel, it was Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun which secured my vote for film of the year.

While the performances of Paul Mescal, who stunned in Normal People (2019), and newcomer Frankie Corio are masterful, it is Charlotte Wells’ directing which is the true star of this piece. The film builds on the foundations laid in her 2015 short Tuesday, and reintroduces the tangibility and tactility which characterised it. The beauty of the holiday, demonstrated through the child-like wonder of the whole experience, whilst the lingering camera provides insight to the characters in their darkest moments.

When a film like this works as well as it does, it is so difficult to explain why. Where it lacks plot or complex problems, it more than compensates with beautiful cinematography and the humanity of its characters. More often than not, a rewatch is needed to fully appreciate Aftersun, or at least some time to digest it. Understandably, in our world of competitive attention spans this is something which not all audiences are happy to share.

I was working on one of my final essays before my next break, focused in.

My mum walked into the room, and we spoke. After discussing the task at hand, I prepared myself to continue. But first my mum told me that she had been thinking, or rethinking. While she would never watch it again, she had garnered an appreciation. A film all about looking back and reinterpreting the events that put you on this path, I was glad that she had been able to do the same. In the weeks since seeing it, she had been able to look back, and appreciate Aftersun.

Source: @mubiturkiye on Instagram. Image of Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio

Sound of 2023: Nia Archives’ Jungle Generation

ANNA ARMELIN | CONTENT WRITER

Nia Archives, the 23-year-old jungle and rave artist has come to the UK music scene with huge success. Following a breakout year, the Yorkshire-born musician and DJ is now leading the charge for a new generation of ravers.

Archives emerged from lockdown with a globe-trotting schedule of DJ sets and live shows, including three separate performances at Glastonbury in June last year. Her club anthems such as Mash Up The Dance and Baianá have proved incredibly popular, earning her an NME Award for the Best Producer and a Mobo Award for Best Electronic Artist. Now, she has come third in the BBC’s Sound of 2023, positioning her for a mainstream crossover in the next 12 months.

Her songs are rooted in her dual identity, blending the distorted bass of Jamaican soundsystem culture with the dark introspection of British indie. But most of all, Archives is known for reviving the sawtooth breakbeats and frenetic energy of Jungle. She is not only intent on bringing Jungle music back to the mainstream, but she also wants to reclaim the dance and electronic scene from its current white-washed, gentrified ways. Being a “Black woman making Black music”, it is important for Archives to not only be that representation for Black dance music fans across the world, but to use her power behind the scenes to bring about further progression.

Archives was born in Bradford and raised in Leeds, areas commonly overlooked by the London-centric UK dance music scene. Growing up, Archives benefitted from the prevalent dub and electronic scenes that were already established in Leeds by her fellow Afro-Caribbeans; in the 80s, DJ crews like the Ital Rockers and Iration Steppas made Leeds home to some of the best raves where all types of electronic music were welcome. Her parents would go to, and sometimes host, massive backyard parties, and it was here that she could hear an amalgamation of electronic sounds, reggae and other Jamaican genres.

Archives was further inspired by her early love of pop artists like Amy Winehouse and Rihanna, whose 2005 debut Music of the Sun was the first album she ever bought. They were a startling contrast to the sounds playing around the house, as well as the gospel music she hard during her Pentecostal church’s lengthy services. “I’m not religious at all, but I loved listening to gospel music at the church,” she says. “It was the thing that opened me up to hearing harmonies. It was my real introduction to music”.

All of these inspirations have led to her unique and creative sound, popular and prevalent in the new generation of rave-goers, and the young UK audience. As a BBC Sound of 2023 artist, Nia Archives continues to impress listeners with her inspired and outstanding tracks.

Source: @archives.nia on Instagram. Image of Nia Archives

Is Lionel Messi the greatest of all time?

IMAN AHMED | SPORTS EDITOR

The Qatar World Cup 2022 ended with the victory of Argentina against previous World winners, France. Here, one of football’s finest to have ever played, Lionel Messi, lifted the winning trophy for his nation.

Messi, born in Rosario, Argentina, is widely deemed as one of football’s greatest players of all time. Winning a record of seven Ballon d’Or, six European Golden Shoes, he further has many other victories throughout his senior career. For most of his career, Messi has played for the infamous Barcelona FC where he, alongside his team, have won 35 club trophies. This includes 10 La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles, and four UEFA Champions League trophies. As of 2021, he plays for Paris Saint-Germain FC. And his reign does not end there.

With the hopes of millions across the globe, numerous discussions posed regarding who would win the 2022 World Cup. Many hoped it would be either Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi to be the ones to lift the trophy, as although they are deemed as some of football’s greatest players, neither had ever won, and this World Cup was to be their last, allegedly. The debate as to which of the two was truly the greatest of all time would be ended once and for all.

Despite the controversy surrounding the tournament being in Qatar, this was a World Cup to be remembered forever. From Saudi Arabia beating Argentina in their first match, the losses of Portugal and Brazil in the quarter final, to Morocco being the first African nation to get into the semi-final of any World Cup tournament, this World Cup was one of unexpectedness. Such surprises caused doubts and confusion about who would win. But as captain of Argentina, Messi was to turn that around.

The final hosted Argentina against France. Whenever Argentina would lead, France would follow through the magic of its Kylian Mbappé. The whole world was on the edge of their seats for over 120 minutes, when the fate of Argentina was confirmed the penalty shoot-out. With four penalties scored against France’s two, Argentina was declared the winners of the 2022 World Cup. And finally, Messi, alongside his exceptional previous wins, had arguably completed the dream of a footballer like never before.

Magnificent celebrations were held in Qatar after their win, followed by an astonishing welcome home in Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, where they were welcomed as heroes. For Messi, despite his outstanding history within the world of football, this win was to be his biggest, with his pictures of the day now being the mostliked Instagram pictures ever.

For many, the popular debate between whether Ronaldo or Messi are the greatest of all time was answered. But despite differences of opinions, this World Cup will forever be known was Messi’s World Cup.

Source: @leomessi on Instagram

A Bleak Moment for Women's Sport

ALANA STODDART | SPORTS EDITOR

In deciding what I would write about for The Founder this month, I took a scroll down the BBC Sports webpage. Trawling through the headlines, I realised just how much the attached images were dominated by men. Out of 24 images on the homepage, just three featured women. The rest were dominated by the likes of footballer Harry Kane, Gareth Bale after announcing his retirement, tennis’s Andy Murray, and rugby player Tom Curry. Perhaps this is circumstantial, a result of the recent major sporting events featuring these big names, or perhaps it is a symptom of the undeniable lack of media coverage of women’s sport.

It's a similar story on ITV’s sports webpage. Here, between images featuring men and images featuring women, the score is 10-1 (and then that image of a woman includes only the side of her head). Over at The Mail Online’s sprawling sports page, within the first 40 news stories only two are about women’s sports. The Guardian’s online sports page is a slight improvement but still leaves much to be desired; it has four women’s sports-based stories out of 19.

We all know that there is a seismic gap between the representations of men and women’s sports, that is not a new or revelatory statement, but how and why are we accepting the media coverage being this onesided?

There are exciting stories about women’s sports emerging all the time. Take what we saw at the World Cup in Qatar as an example when Stéphanie Frappart became the first woman to referee at a men’s World Cup game. Recently we saw Beth Mead, one of the Lioness’s who took England to victory at the Euros last year, take home the Sports Personality of the Year trophy. This month alone England’s women are competing at the Vitality Netball International Series, Emma Raducanu will be in action at the Australian Open, and in football, the Women’s Super League and the FA Women’s Championship are progressing. There is no shortage of action, and yet such a shortage of coverage.

When the Lionesses captured the heart of the Nation at the Euros last year, there was the feeling that a change was afoot and that the dialogue around women’s sports would be improved and support of their games championed. That flame, however, seems to have been extinguished in the space of six months. It remains to be seen whether 2023 can offer an improvement on what, at this moment in time, feels like a bit of a bleak future for women’s sport.

Source: BBC News

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