Latest Stories from Sofia
Meditating on our environment at ‘The River’
The latest in the Natural History Museum’s free contemporary art programme, The River – composed by acclaimed Norwegian sound artist Jana Winderen in collaboration with spatial audio expert Tony Myatt – explores the world below the surface of the Thames using underwater recordings, highlighting the importance of sound in this habitat and the impact that human activity is having on it. Lying on a beanbag at Jana Winderen’s The...
Is tackiness having a moment?
Judging by a few of the latest fashion trends, we appear to be in an era of unapologetic bad taste. Here’s why we should be celebrating the end of aesthetic and welcoming in tacky with open arms. When you hear ‘tacky’ what springs to mind? Is it the cheap nick-nacks you buy from Shein after seeing them on TikTok? Is it wearing white to a wedding? Is it those ‘I...
Severity of Just Stop Oil prison sentences causes a stir
Five supporters of the JSO climate campaign have just been handed the longest jail terms ever meted out in the UK for a non-violent demonstration. This has sent shock waves through the protest community and wider British public, who consider the punishment to be too harsh. In November 2022, forty-five Just Stop Oil protestors climbed gantries on the M25, forcing police to stop traffic. Their aim was to...
why is it so goddamn hard to be present?
try as I might to give the here and now my undivided attention, living in the moment is no easy feat when you’re navigating the chaos that’s your late twenties. In April last year, my reality was flipped on its head. The stability, security, and comfort that I was in retrospect a little too accustomed to vanished in a matter of seconds, leaving me with a ton of uncertainty. The thing is, despite the...
Opinion – We need better social media boundaries to prevent ‘sadfishing’
The internet may have done wonders for the mental health conversation, offering anyone struggling a space to feel heard, understood, and supported, but with sadfishing on the rise, is there a limit to how much we should be disclosing online? While I’ve always been one for the occasional #ootd on Instagram, a retweet of something I relate to, or a TikTok video of aesthetic moments I’ve compiled throughout my week,...
Opinion – the Back to Black biopic deserves the backlash
Just over a decade since the tragic death of Amy Winehouse, a film promising to chart her ‘intense journey to fame’ was released. While some fans have delighted in seeing her legacy play out on screen, many have criticised director Sam Taylor-Johnson for exploiting female pain. I vividly remember the day that Amy Winehouse died. Growing up, she was by far my favourite singer and despite being only 14-years-old,...
Opinion – we need to prevent ‘third places’ from disappearing
The mounting cost of living, social media prevalence, and post-pandemic isolation mentality is driving socialisation outside of school, work, or home underground. With loneliness now a global public health concern, physical community locations where quality connections can flourish have never been more important – or needed. Before the pandemic, you’d rarely find me by myself. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy my own company, rather that in the years between...
Noise-cancelling headphones are good for our ears
As it turns out, while many of us are steadily destroying our hearing with unsafe listening practices, noise-cancellation might actually be our one saving grace, protecting us from the incessant din of the outside world and the neglected effects of this on our health. I wear noise-cancelling headphones every single day, often for hours at a time. As someone who’s prone to sensory overload, they’ve changed my life, making commuting to...
Is Gen Z’s attitude towards hormonal contraception changing?
Influenced by a recent TikTok trend warning against the mental and physical health implications of artificial birth control, an increasing number of young women are ditching the pill in favour of more ‘natural’ options. Recent studies show that the intake of the pill is decreasing. Early this year, the UK government reported that the rate of ‘short-acting combined oral contraceptives’ remains 30 per cent below the pre-pandemic...
Scientists make progress on birth control options for men
The latest experimental product to show promise in early-stage clinical trials is a hormonal gel rubbed on both shoulder blades once a day to lower sperm count. According to a new study, it takes effect sooner than other methods. It looks as though birth control options for men may soon expand beyond condoms and vasectomies, as scientists have recently made progress on a hormonal gel that’s reported to work more...