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 Media
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Opinion β social media platforms will see a mass exodus in 2025
Social media hasnβt been around for long, with the first platforms emerging less than thirty years ago. In this short time, theyβve become a breeding ground for annoying bots, rampant online hate, and the poor mental health of their users. Will they survive another year? By now, anyone with access to social media platforms will be well aware of the dangers they pose to our mental health. An ever-expanding mountain of...
Should cis-gender actors ever play trans characters?
Actor Park Sung-hoon has been criticised for playing a trans woman in the latest season of Netflixβs βSquid Gameβ. But those defending his casting say the issue of on-screen trans representation is more complex and layered than we'd like to think.Β Squid Gameβs second season is one of the most hotly anticipated shows arriving this side of the new year. Since the trailer dropped earlier this month, fans have been...
Chinese blockbuster Her Story sparks feminist discussion globally
The last week of November saw an unexpected champion at the Chinese box office. But beyond the numbers, βHer Storyβ has ignited debates about feminism, representation, and the global lens through which Chinese culture is often viewed.Β Itβs unusual for a comedy drama, no less a feminist one, to smash records in China's film industry. For a country known for boosting high-budget action and sci-fi movies at the box office,...
Musicians could lose β¬4 billion to generative AI every year
A first-of-its-kind economic study predicts that, in just four years, a quarter of music artists could see their earnings sabotaged by the rise of AI generated tracks. Itβs getting harder and harder to trust the authenticity of βleakedβ songs from our favourite artists these days, and thatβs all thanks to the rapidly improving capabilities of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). In just a few minutes, the vocal likeness of top artists can...
