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...
Current in Culture
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 β despite growing representation β disabled individuals are still pushed to the fringes. Unless youβve been living under a rock, youβll be well aware that Wicked, a movie adaptation of the award-winning...
Global cities set alcohol and firework bans ahead of New Yearβs Eve
Hoping to ensure safer New Year celebrations for all, several global cities are introducing alcohol and firework bans, while others are closing off central areas altogether. December 31st is arguably the worldβs biggest annual celebration, with friends and family gathering together to usher in the start of a new calendar...
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...
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. Squid Gameβs second season is one of the most...
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. Itβs unusual for a comedy drama, no less a feminist one, to smash...
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...
The power of swearing in positions of powerlessness
Is being explicit how we cope with how out of control things are β and how out of control we feel? Recently, internationally acclaimed Irish popstar CMAT (Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson) posted an Instagram story responding to someone who criticised how much she swears on social media. She explained that, sometimes, when thereβs nothing else you can do to relieve yourself from the shittyness of a situation (like an underpaid job that...
Opinion β itβs time to abandon our βalways onβ culture
While smartphones have granted humans the remarkable ability to stay in touch from anywhere in the world, we need to acknowledge the consequences of never getting a chance to properly 'shut off'. Throughout history, no other group of human beings have lived the way we do, that is, completely immersed in and unable to escape a culture of being βalways onβ and βavailableβ. The seamless connectivity offered by modern technology...
Exploring Mexicoβs tradition of the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe
When culture, tradition, and religion meet From October 13th to December 12th, the streets of Nuevo Leon, Mexico are painted with colors, street vendors, and food stalls in preparation for the hundreds of pilgrimages arriving at the sanctuary of the Virgin of Guadalupe. When we think of Mexican celebrations, what comes to mind is usually the Day of the Dead, a celebration characterized by the fact that anyone can celebrate it,...