Are music festivals facing extinction?
With difficulty booking headliners and rising costs, music festivals face their toughest year yet.Β Music events are often signposts of our year. Memories with friends, seeing acts youβve only dreamed of witnessing play live. These near-mythic gatherings of collective euphoria are a mainstay of modern culture. But theyβre facing a...
Current in Culture
What men got wrong about the #WomenInMaleFields trend
As they did with the Man vs Bear debate, straight men have once again tried to satirise one of womenβs online trends, and itβs only made them look worse. The #WomenInMaleFields trend that dominated social media not long ago satirises behaviours associated with toxic men and the dating habits they...
Is it really lonely at the top?
Itβs long been posited that money canβt buy happiness β apart from maybe the Β£9.90 it costs for prescribed antidepressants β but can alienation caused by excessive wealth harm our ability to form interpersonal connections? The other day I was walking through the display rooms in a well-known, Swedish, affordable...
Why we should be redirecting our gaze towards male bodies
Thereβs a distinct lack of body positivity discourse for male, masc, and non-binary bodies. We need to challenge the attitude that views a specific type of body as more beautiful than another and start to praise all kinds of peaches. Scrolling on social media, I come across a before and...
Opinion – Blake Lively drama shows weβre still quick to hate women
Blake Lively proves our desire to watch successful women burn is both pervasive and insidious. But are times finally changing?Β When Colleen Hooverβs wildly successful novel βIt Ends With Usβ was released as a feature film last year, the media went wild. But besides the dedicated fans who lined up...
βFogvidβ was our favourite conspiracy theory of 2024
As barmy conspiracies go, Fogvid 24 made a late play for the title of most baseless and far-fetched of 2024. Letβs get into the details still spreading throughout the tendrils of Facebook. Last year was a great year for conspiracy theories, creatively speaking β in terms of plausibility, perhaps not. In...
Opinion β Gen Z are becoming more about crochet than clubbing
Gen Z seem to be more about crochet than clubbing these days. When did this shift happen and what are the probable causes, though?Β I love going out. I love the loud music and the pulsating walls. I love dark rooms and sporadic lighting. I love the throng of people that itβs too loud to even attempt conversation with, and the βprofoundβ conversations with strangers you meet for a...
Why ZAYNβs all-female band is so important
The singer has been praised for spotlighting the seven-women brand supporting on his latest tour.Β Zayn Malikβs decision to tour with a seven-woman band had people talking, and for good reason. While male-dominated lineups are the default in the music industry, this ensemble βΒ featuring Molly Miller on guitar, Baby Bulldog on drums, and Tina Hizon on keys βΒ breaks the mold. The question is why itβs still a rarity. The music...
Wicked star slams ableism on social media
Marissa Bode has called out βvery grossβ comments about her βWickedβ character Nessa Rose, as internet trolls prove that βΒ despite growing representation β disabled individuals are still pushed to the fringes.Β Unless youβve been living under a rock, youβll be well aware that Wicked, a movie adaptation of the award-winning Broadway show of the same name, is one of the most commercially successful films of 2024. The glittering sets, showstopping musical...
One of the worldβs greatest female footballers faces transphobic abuse
Barbra Bandaβs mistreatment highlights the insidious misogyny and transphobia launched at women in sport. Barbra Banda, a Zambian footballer, was awarded the BBCβs Womenβs Footballer of the Year last month. The prestigious award marked a milestone in Bandaβs illustrious sporting career and should have been an opportunity to spotlight womenβs football, which continues to grow in popularity. Soon after she was surprised with the award by her teammates, Banda shared...
