Quench magazine, REVIVAL issue 187, March 2022

REVIVAL issue, no. 187, MARCH 2022

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Quench is Cardiff University’s award-winning art and culture magazine, run by studetns since 2003.

From tackling taboo topics to creating editorial photoshoots, we’re leading the way in student publications and we’re always looking to expand our team!

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Special Thank You’s: Cover Design: Rahima Bhatti,@rahima.creative Photography: Hannah Layton,@laytonhannah Set design: Fleur Wiseman, @lookslikeshemade_it Model: Chloe Stewart, @chloelouisestewart

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Editor’s Letter

Hey everyone!

Here we are, at our second-to-last issue of the term! This year has flown by so quickly and I can’t quite believe that we’re now releasing issue 187. This time, our theme is revival! There is something about spring that makes me feel so nostalgic. The days in winter can feel so long, and, especially in Cardiff, rainy, so that first sunny weekend seems like something to really hold on to.

Recently, we’ve seen so many trends come back full circle. Whether it’s 90’s fashion, black and white film, TV reboots or vinyl records, there’s something in everyone’s life at the moment that is reminiscent of the past. So, it seemed to make perfect sense that our penultimate issue was a celebration of all these things.

Revival comes in so many different shapes and forms - from spring cleaning to digging out summertime favourites from the back of your wardrobe, it’s a subtle part of our routine as the seasons change.

Easter is just around the corner, which, for most of our readers, also means that exam season is approaching.

I’d like this issue to be a reminder of how important it is to take a break, rest up, and rejuvinate yourself in whatever way works for you.

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I’d like to say thank you to our team, who have worked hard throughout the course of this year to make these issues happen - you really are all so wonderful. I feel as though I say this every issue, but Quench wouldn’t be what it is without our editors, designers, social media managers, and of course our contributors. It also wouldn’t be what it is without our readers, so thank you for keeping up with us this year!

I can’t wait to share this issue with you, and I’m already looking forward to the next.

With love,

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Deputy Editor’s Letters

Phoebe Williams As we welcome in the warmer spring months with open arms, shaking off the colder Winter, it seems perfectly appropriate that our latest issue of Quench is themed Revival. Not only are the flowers around us reviving and the lighter days returning, but we can take this opportunity to revive our own self- give yourself that well deserved spring clean! We all know aspects of our lives can become a struggle in the Winter, the cold and darker days slowing us down, but now is the time to take back that spring in our step-excuse the pun- and renew! Been waiting for the motivation to work out? Or perhaps wanting to improve your creativity? Now is this time to do it.

From The Revival of Fashion Trends to Spring Awakenings, Issue 187 of Quench explores where revival can or already is taking place in our lives. Perhaps you can relate to the fantastic articles on revival, or you are needing to find inspiration for it, or maybe you just enjoy a great read! I cannot wait for you to read issue 187, and hopefully it encourages your own revival.

As always, I am hugely grateful for the contributors that take the time to write the amazing articles that make Quench happen, as well as the incredible designers who blow me away with their creativity and skill. Of course, we all must thank Isabel Brewster for being the best Editor-in-Chief, consistently producing such incredible issues of Quench.

We hope you enjoy Issue 187!

Maja Metera Almost as if quoting the famous Miranda Priestly – “Florals? For spring? Ground-breaking”, we said “scratch that” and focused on more broad sense of what this seasons brings us. Revival means coming back to life just like the world wakes up after winter. It is the new beginnings and perhaps forgetting about the past? However, we do not encourage you, dear reader, to forget anything. On the contrary as history is all that we are left with so we should use it in the best way possible – to learn from it.

It feels wrong to write about how trends are being brough back (please let’s leave low-rise jeans in 2000s where they belong!), about the sun, exams and all those things which are beautiful in the world when there are very powerful people who did not care to learn from the past.

We are told about this ‘time of peace’ we live in and yet it takes one disgusting human being to flood Europe with war immigrants. It takes an attack on a European country for us to realise the racism that war-related decisions are peppered with. It took my parents taking in a family in need for me to realise my privilege as a Polish student in the UK. It took my international friend saying she is not sure about coming home to Warsaw with me because of the Russian attack on Ukraine to truly understand how everything in the world is linked together.

Donate resources to designated charities. Send money.

Spread the verified news. Go give blood. There’s a lot a single person can do.

The cycle of life affects us all whether we want it or not.

We can either be passive standbyers watching the time flow or we can participate. So my message for you – in the spirit of Revival – is to learn to pull up your weight and a half, to not only be able to take a hold of your own life but also to help someone else out when life becomes to hard. It can be your best friend or a stranger in Prizm bathroom or a person from a country torn by war that seeks refuge. It does not matter who you choose to provide with aid.

And someone will always need it – because we just choose revival to be about forgetting and not learning.

Illustration by: Shafia Motaleb, @artsyfifi

Meet the Team

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Meet th

ISABEL BREWSTER Editor-in-Chief

SHIVIKA SINGH Literature Editor

CATRIN LEWIS Clebar Editor

PHOEBE WILLIAMS Deputy Editor

CATARINA VICENTE Literature Editor

LYDIA TOMKINSON Features Editor

MAJA METERA Deputy Editor

ANGHARAD ROBERTS Clebar Editor

MADDIE BALCOMBE Features Editor

Meet the Team

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he Team BETH MENDLETON Food Editor

HOPE DOCHERTY Spotlight Editor

EMUN YEAT Food Editor

GEORGIA MEROPOULOS Features Editor

MAGGIE GANNON Fashion Editor

SURAYA KAZZUZ Fashion Editor

PUI KUAN CHEAH Film and TV Editor

ZAINAB JAVED Film and TV Editor

Meet the Team

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Meet th

ROWAN DAVIES Music Editor

HANNAH LAYTON Head of Photography

SHAFIA MATULEB Head of Design

RUBIE BARKER Music Editor

SAHINA SHERCHAN Photographer

RAHIMA BHATTI Page Designer

HOLLY CHAPMAN Page Designer

SIAN HOPKINS Illustrator

ANNABELLE INGRAM Page Designer

Meet the Team

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he Team ESZTER GURBICZ Page Designer

MANON JONES Social Media Manager

MIA WILSON Page Designer

FATIHA PRATIWI Page Designer

EVE DAVIES Instagram Co-Manager

KATIE LESLIE Page Designer

TILDA SKENE Copy Editor

SARAH MASON Instagram Co-Manager

ALEKSANDRA BUBIENIEC Twitter Manager

Film and TV 5, 6, 7, 8: the return of the movie musical - page 14 - 15 all in black and white - page 16 - 17 TELEVISION REVIVALS: THE OBSESSION CONTINUES - PAGE 18 - 19

Music The vinyl revival - page 20-21 For the love of synth pop - page 22 -23 We’re getting the band back together - page 24 -25

Features mcdonalds, murals, and the revival of black art page 26 - 27 spring awakenings - page 28 - 29 Constants in my life - page 30 -31

Food and drink bringing back big breakfasts - page 34 - 35 CARBS OR HAPPINESS? POTAYTO, POTAHTO! - PAGE 36 -37

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C O N T E N T S

lITERATURE The evolution of f.iction from classic to contemporary - PAGE 38-39 The resurgence of Utopian Feminist f.iction - page 40 41 The legacy of African American literature: from Civil Rights to BLM - page 42 - 43

Clebar Natur Mewn Barddoniaeth - page 44 - 45 Adfywiad yr Iaith Gymraeg - page 46 - 47

Fashion fashion revival: Which Decade Do You Want To Make A Comeback? - page 50 - 51 The Return Of The Low-Rise - page 52 - 53 The Revival Of The ‘Twee’ Fashion Trend - page 54 - 55

Spotlight Sex and the City should have stayed in the 90s - page 56 - 57 Sex & Relationships: The Reunion - page 58 - 59

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C O N T E N T S

Photography: Hannah Layton, @laytonhannah Set design: Fleur Wiseman, @lookslikeshemade_it Model: Chloe Stewart, @chloelouisestewart

Film and TV

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5, 5, 6, 6, 7, 7, 8: 8: The The Return Return of of the the Movie Movie Musical Musical 2021 welcomed a wealth of movie musicals. Our screen saw revivals of old classics such as West Side Story and Cinderella, but also stage-to-screen adaptations of more modern-day musicals such as Dear Evan Hansen and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. Particularly throughout the pandemic, movie musicals have allowed us to have a piece of the stage at home when we weren’t allowed to see the live versions of our favourite characters and their stories. This leads us to consider how the pandemic has affected the growth of the movie-musical concept, the differences between the movie-musical and the stage versions, and what these screen adaptations do to help the arts industry.

The pandemic paused the live events industry - which has arguably suffered the most during the past two years. Arts venues were affected for the longest time by restrictions and therefore access to live arts was continuously postponed.

Many turned to the arts for comfort during this very difficult and ambiguous period. Hence, the movie-musical served of great importance as it was the only piece of the live arts one could consume to remotely return to the pre-pandemic experience and mindset. It also acted as a new form of escape for others who had limited theatre exposure prepandemic. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘The Show Must Go On’ initiative gave millions of those stuck at home free access to a musical each week, with some consisting of movie musicals, and others being the recorded stage versions. Even though we can welcome a piece of theatre into our homes with the movie musical – the atmosphere of the live venue was lost. The audience cheering, chatting to your neighbour in the interval – theatre is not just about witnessing, but rather a whole experience.

One of the major differences between the movie musicals and stage productions is the actors we associate with the characters. Who was the original Broadway or West End cast of the production, or who played that character within the movie adaptation? Who do we associate with the character when we hear their name? It’s just like reading a book and watching the film for the first time – does this actor meet the expectations of my imagination?

In the case of Dear Evan Hansen, Ben Platt serves as the original Broadway Evan Hansen and is also now the

permanent perception of Evan in the cinematic world.

Movie musicals remain permanent whereas on the West End or Broadway, every show is always different. We lose a variety of interpretations and unique elements to performance through the movie. However, the movie musical can be passed on through generations and offers a secure perception of a certain musical. When we see Ben Platt, we also see Evan. Movie musicals can arguably become frozen in time, but is this really a bad thing?

Even pre-pandemic, the movie musical gave those who could not access the theatre a chance to experience the music and stories at home. Take Tick, Tick,…Boom! for example. With only a brief West End debut in 2009, the UK hasn’t experienced a live version of the show. The movie musical generates interest and income for musicals that are not currently showing or touring. On the other side of this argument, movie musicals allow shows who have stopped showing and touring to keep generating income and interest. Singin’ in the Rain is set to go on a UK tour between March and August of this year, yet the 1952 film of the same name starring Gene Kelly still generates a lot of interest and remains a fond favourite of the older generation.

Finally, it is particularly the jukezbox musicals that can impact the arts as a whole by changing our listening to regular music. When we listen to Abba, do we listen to the Mamma Mia soundtrack or the original albums? Do we take a song with its raw lyrical meaning, or do we associate it with the characters that sing it in their films?

The movie musical ultimately offers a fresh, yet long-lasting perspective on what the stage has to offer. When the live shows cannot be found, the stage-to-screen adaptation can always be depended on to access the same magic of the stage.

Film and TV

Words By: Megan Shinner Design By: Fatiha Nur Pratiwi

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Film and TV

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Film and TV

The past year has been a triumph for monochrome cinema, with an astounding number of films shot in black and white, from The Tragedy of Macbeth to C’Mon C’Mon. To some, black and white implies a boring film. To others, it can promise a solemn tone.

Another perspective on the black and white aesthetic in films is that it can be a marker of quality. Many criticallyacclaimed films are shot in these shades: Manhattan, Schindler’s List, The Artist, and Roma, to name a few.

In other words, to see a black and white film is to see something that could be a ‘classic’.

While the industry has come a long way with colour film, filmmakers still occasionally turn to the monochromatic look to enhance their storytelling. Since this is how we experience our everyday lives, we take films in colour for granted. When presented with a monochrome palette, it jolts us awake to question why the filmmakers have chosen to deviate from the ‘norm’ – there is likely more than meets the eye. Not so black-and-white, as the saying goes.

However, sometimes it’s just to achieve a certain aesthetic – as director Noah Baumbach admits retrospectively about his 2012 film Frances Ha to IndieWire, “I really just wanted to make a movie in black-and-white”. Shooting in black and white also means even greater attention to makeup, lighting, costuming – anything that contains and supports the usual colour palette of a film. Turning to 2021, below are two films from the past year that utilised the monochromatic look to enhance their stories.

Belfast Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical film about life in the Northern Ireland capital during the start of The Troubles period in the 1960s was mainly monochromatic. While the film starts off showing present-day Belfast in colour, this quickly fades away as the film travels back in time. Another distinct moment that colour shows up is when 9-year old Buddy and his family head to the cinema to watch Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, where colour is isolated to the film being gazed upon in childish wonder by Buddy. This is felt by audiences, who after being adjusted to the monochrome tone, are surprised by the sudden pop of colour on the screen.

At first glance, going monochrome seems like an obvious choice for a film evoking the past, and in Branagh’s case,

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his childhood. However, as Belfast’s cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos elaborates to Entertainment Weekly, the elimination of colour meant a greater emphasis on the emotional story and performances playing out on screen.

He describes it as being an “immersive way of capturing emotion”, echoing the aforementioned sentiment.

Watching Belfast, the black and white filter definitely makes it feel like you’re peering at an old photograph and diving into the stories behind the photo. Nostalgia, if you will.

The film has these shades presented gently rather than harshly, adding to the childhood innocence and domestic realism apparent throughout the story.

Passing The directorial debut of actress Rebecca Hall, Passing deals with the topic of, as the title suggests, “passing”.

Clare passes as white and enjoys a life of wealth and assimilation into the white community, whereas her friend Irene remains among the black community.

Thematically, black and white fits into Passing perfectly, consistently being used to highlight the contrasts, especially between the two main characters. The film’s approach and intention to the monochrome are ever so different from Belfast’s, but still, it effectively contributes to the story – perhaps even more so.

Most important is the monochrome look’s ability to draw attention to the skin tones of all the characters in the film, a vital part of the story. It takes the notion of ‘passing’ both literally and figuratively, and by adjusting something as simple yet crucial as lighting, the audience’s perceptions of characters’ skin tones change, reflecting how ‘passing’ might even come about. Commenting on the start of the film, whereby the scene is overexposed, erasing much detail in the scenes and characters, Passing’s cinematographer Eduard Grau explained that the team “didn’t want to clearly show to the audience at first whether our characters were white or Black or mixed-race.”

Films in black and white should not be glossed over, and thankfully a lot of the times they aren’t. While they lack colour like we are used to, they can be rich in significance.

The next time you see a black and white film, ask yourself: what is the meaning of it all?

Words by: Pui Kuan Cheah Design by: Eszter Gurbicz

Film and TV

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Television Revivals: The Obsession Continues Have you noticed lately the amount of classic TV series returning in some form? Paramount+ has exclusive Star Trek spin-offs. Hulu boasts How I Met Your Father – linked to the cult series that substituted the last word with Mother. HBO Max promises House of The Dragon, a prequel to Game of Thrones, expanding on the storyline without dragging the original into a new season. All of these are combining both the old and new to tempt fresh viewers and satisfy the most devoted of fans. However, of all the latest streaming platforms, Disney+ is clearly the one vying for the crown.

Bob Iger, Disney’s current president, bought three of the most significant content producers in history - Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Pixar. The service has since used intellectual-brand properties to carve a successful arsenal.

Marvel-wise, the service has offered everything from established character series such as WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki, to new shows such as Moon Knight, She-Hulk, and Ms. Marvel. Even more hotly anticipated are the original series based on Star Wars, such as Andor, The Book of Boba Fett, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, with Ewan McGregor set to reprise his fan-favourite role. Their impressive objective, which their budgeting can certainly accommodate, is to have at least one series airing at all points throughout the year.

The concept of the “Marvel Cinematic Universe”, revolving around characters from Marvel Comics, has proven the considerable commercial gain of linking separate pieces of media to form a franchise – industry bosses must’ve been salivating at the fact that Avengers: Endgame, a pay-off to an immense 22-film story, became the highest-grossing film of all time with its $2.8 billion worldwide takings. This extensive model by Disney has since been replicated by other film studios that held rights to other beloved franchises, with some box office successes (Warners’ Monsterverse, featuring Godzilla and King Kong) and some failures (Universal’s Dark Universe, a fascinatingly ambitious “classic monster” concept, abandoned after 2017’s disastrous remake of The Mummy). Streaming services can meld together the habit of “binge-watching” and interest in textual universes to create programmes that get people talking. Therefore, these new shows are vindictive of a whole new kind of media-digesting culture where an audience is encouraged to follow along with the wider storyline over multiple media texts.

Peacemaker, a spin-off from The Suicide Squad, illustrates how a TV series can ride on the promise of more from fan-favourite actors, such as John Cena, and be a great way to prop up interest in a franchise without shelling out for a sequel quite yet. The timing of new releases is also crucial, when interest is dimming in a film or series, they come out with something else that drags you back in. Fascinatingly, Disney+ adopted a more traditional – and some say outdated – release format following a weekly episode schedule, akin to regular broadcasting television schedules. This builds hype, limits spoilers, and keeps conversation and speculation going, week-in week-out.

Expansion of output into television is a way to keep things fresh whilst also mining on one of the most powerful forces in media – nostalgia. Especially during the trying times of the past few years, audiences want distraction from uncertain futures – and so comes the familiar past of the TV shows they once watched and loved.

More than anything, it’s a safe bet – these programmes rely on tried and tested franchises with fanbases that are already established. It is particularly of note that these programmes benefit the streaming service platforms immensely as the new series can be hosted alongside the originals. Viewers less aware of the original text can be pointed along to watch the original, often to find out more about a certain character or event, and place the piece in context. The reinvigorated interest caused by the new series will lead an audience to re-watch the old one.

To encourage users to subscribe to yet another streaming service, these services will tap into the investment an audience has already made in a beloved film or terrestrial TV production. Producers are bringing back old programmes in new forms as we think fondly of a past where we’d never heard of COVID-19: they’ve looked at other producers who are doing exactly that and have found an audience. However, the streaming market is becoming increasingly bloated; a major sap on the wallets of many TV fans, easily confused by the sheer number of options and avenues. The prospect of whether these new offerings will prosper or be forced to consolidate with the bigwigs will be a keen one to see play out in the future.

Words by: Billy Edwards Design by: Isabel Brewster

Illustration by: Shafia Motaleb, @artsyfifi

Music

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Music

For Christmas 2020, I was gifted a record player along with a Fleetwood Mac Rumours vinyl. When I asked for this, my parents were understandably confused. I had noticed a lot of my favourite artists were releasing vinyl albums in limited numbers, and I had been noticing a lot of social media content surrounding record players and vinyl collections.

This resurgence of vinyl and record players was not small, in fact, vinyl sales in 2021 were the highest they have been in thirty years, contributing nearly £87 million to the UK’s music revenue. Artists such as Ed Sheeran, Abba, Adele, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift were all up there with the best-selling Vinyl albums and singles of 2021. And as it turns out, Rumours happened to be in the top three for most vinyl record sales in 2021 as their music resurfaced.

So, what is the This lingering nostalgia is another major characteristic surrounding vinyl culture, and the fact that our parents, grandparents, and possibly great-grandparents most likely had their own vinyl collection, whatever size, connects us in ways that other music listening mediums would not.

There is also the aesthetic appeal of vinyl records. People may deny that they buy vinyl records for the decorative attributes, but it’s not very often that you see people’s collections hidden away. Many albums come with posters and the cover is actually a major aspect of the music and the meaning behind the songs. On top of that, vinyl records make thoughtful gifts. You can’t really gift someone a downloaded song or album from a streaming service, and yes of course people having been gifting CD’s as presents for years, but in times when gift buying is so hard because everyone truly has everything these days, a vinyl can be a really unique and timeless gift.

It is difficult to identify what primarily caused this reawakening of vinyl listening, but there are a few obvious culprits of which contributed. The pandemic gave us a nudge into taking up random hobbies or developing new obsessions that we would not have otherwise, for some it was baking banana bread and perfecting iced coffee recipes, for others, it just so happened to be vinyl records. It could be that they dusted off their record player that they have owned for years and dug out their classic vinyl collection, or that they decided to trawl the internet and begin the expensive journey of collecting records.

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When it comes to considering why artists decide to release on vinyl, it seems that the music appeal of buying vinyl over streaming or CD’s? First of all, it’s more exciting than just tapping on your phone. Having a physical collection of all your favourite artists, albums and songs makes being a music fanatic and listening to music much more enjoyable. Also, the listening experience is just that, an experience, as the distinctive crackling sound, which simply cannot be replicated and with many record players now featuring head-phone jacks, you can truly immerse yourself in the nostalgia.

Industry has caught on to the fact that we are simply suckers for merchandise, and this has in turn prompted artists to sell their albums on vinyl on their own websites along with their hoodies, t shirts caps, water bottles, phone cases and much more. Olivia Rodrigo is a prime example of this as she released her debut album Sour last year, and not long after came the drop of her album on vinyl in six different colour options, and obviously fans went mad over them. With sales and demand being so high, it is no surprise that we are seeing so many of our favourite artists moving towards vinyl.

I think in today’s context, we should touch on the environmental impacts of products. They are made from a type of plastic which is difficult to recycle, and due to the toxic nature of the material, records usually end up in landfills.

However, there are more sustainable materials emerging such as “ocean vinyl” which is a totally usable record created from recycled ocean plastics and vinyl records are designed to last a very long time.

The real thing to consider is whether this comeback is temporary or if it is a permanent reinstatement of (in my opinion) the best way to listen to music. I personally hope record players and vinyl are here to stay, but collecting vinyl requires care, maintenance, and money, especially if you want your collection to last to its full potential life expectancy. There were also issues last year with supply and demand as manufacturers were struggling to keep up with the massive influx of orders. So, the only way is to wait and see if it can be sustained, and if people make the effort to maintain and add to their collections for years to come.

Words by: Elinor Pyman Design by: Mia Wilson

Music

For The Love Of Synth Pop Words by: Francesca Salmon Design by: Isabel Brewster

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Music Described as “eerie, sterile, and vaguely menacing” by some, it is no wonder that the birth of synth-pop in the 1970s and its subsequent progression into the latter decades provoked controversial reactions amongst its contemporary listeners. Though wavering in popularity toward the end of the 20th century, the turn of the century saw a veritable revival in the classification of synth-pop and its applications to social media and the music industry. It has fast become one of the most influential modes of technology within our present world, with platforms such as TikTok facilitating its name. So why is synth-pop so popular despite the conflicting opinions that have been linked to its existence, and how did it fuel the appreciation for new emerging genres?

Namely, because it elicited a sensory shift in the way that people of the age-connected with music and how it was interpreted. Avant-garde and exciting, it is hardly a surprise that this new wave of digitally generated sound had such an impact on our culture. Despite this, synthpop is, a lot of the time, overlooked or undermined as an autonomous genre of its own due to its close association with electronica/EDM, a label that appeals to us simply because it is easier to understand. Not only this but the term ‘synth-pop’ often gets interchangeably mistaken for the more contemporarily understood term ‘synth-wave’, though the two are not the same.

To the average listener, it is hard to pinpoint exactly what comes under the synth-pop category, because of its hyper-technicality and its evolution over time. We may think of bands like Tame Impala and Future Islands more distinctly or quite possibly individual artists like Gus Dapperton. The trouble with contemporary associations of synth-pop is that it ties in with many other sub-genres, or within a wider collective. Alternative R&B artists like Childish Gambino and The Weeknd are often lumped in amongst the synth-pop mode, however, the flippant technicities they acquire are more closely attributed to the synth-wave genre because of the compulsion toward synth-based vocals, not a holistic use of electronic synthesisers. The fundamental issue with the genre is that it isn’t understood within a realm that provides the right acknowledgement or appreciation for its musical history.

Synth-pop is somewhat of a chameleon in its itinerancy.

Older versions of synth-pop are silenced by new emergences, and new emergences are disregarded by older versions as “knock-offs” or discrediting the legacy. There are clear generational discrepancies. Wavering in popularity toward the end of the 1980s, it seems reasonable to view new releases as being synonymous with a fresh emergence of music, though this is not necessarily the case. We forget the influences from the ’60s that underpin its identity. It is far more relevant to appropriate new synth-pop creations as a revival of the genre, of a continuation of its legacy, rather than a new emerging order within the music industry.

So how did synth-pop come about? Electronic musical synthesisers first became available to be used practically in a recording studio in the mid-1960s, however, it wasn’t until the ’70s, that their application to popular music really took off.

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Synth-pop’s commercial success expanded across the world, most prolifically with bands like Depeche Mode and Soft Cell from England, and from Germany, Kraftwerk and Propaganda, though not failing to cause controversy in the event. Gary Numan in particular was also disparaged in the British music press of the late 1970s and early 1980s for their German influences.

The new space for experimentation in music allowed for a level of creativity and expression never experienced before. Associated with modernity and technological advancement, Kraftwerk dedicated a whole album to new innovative European travel, titled ‘Trans-Europe Express’.

Synth-pop also began to infiltrate the film industry, with soundtracks such as that from Martin Bregman’s 1983 ‘Scarface’. The Italian record producer Giorgio Moroder took the reigns, creating a soundtrack for the crime phenomena that is both piquant and sinister in its composition. The significance of the big screen in regards to synth-pop is vast, particularly in providing the genre with a cinematic platform upon which a wider influence could manifest. Specifically within the Sci-Fi domain, Vangelis’ soundtrack for ‘Bladerunner’ inclusive of heavy bass and haunting string synths, appears to be a possible antecedent for the soundtrack of the Netflix series ‘Stranger Things’.

With the arrival of indie rock bands in the UK and grunge in the US, there was a gradual slip in the popularity of synth-pop, which explains the gap in the genre for a 21st-century revival to fill. This renewed interest and nostalgia amongst artists for the electronic music of the 1980s resulted in the breakthrough success of artists like Lady Gaga with her 2008 hit single ‘Just Dance’ fuelling the height of the modern clubbing scene.

A new voice was given to rising female artists within the industry, which renders synth-pop strikingly powerful in the platform it has provided. The same era includes Calvin Harris, La Roux, Hurts and Empire of The Sun, no doubt facilitated by compulsions of our modern age, including the insurgence of iTunes, global listening apps such as Spotify, clubs, raves, the use of stimulants within these latter environments, and social media platforms like TikTok, assigning synth-pop a new breed of expression and creative escapism. SyKo’s single ‘#BrooklynBloodPop’ took the app by storm with its release last year. The song along with many other synth-pop creators on the app just seems to be more suited to the insurgence of social media platforms and the subsequent consumerism, which explains its current popularity.

The simultaneous migration into more selective forms of synth-pop like synth-wave proves that the genre is just as relevant now as it was preceding the turn of the century.

The history behind its name should not be forgotten if we are to uphold its legacy and appreciate a contemporary influence from original musical pioneers of the genre.

From Kraftwerk to The Weeknd, the potential for reimagining, redefining and reliving its foundations are stark and abundant, and we can expect many more surprises within the coming decades surrounding its natural progression into other areas.

Music

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It has happened countless times: a group of young, talented musicians combine their big dreams and create ground-breaking music. They make it big but soon fame and pressure take over and the group splits apart. Some band members carry on their career solo, others are never heard of again. Some musical groups lay their conflicts aside and, to the delight of their fans, make a comeback years later by setting out on a reunion tour. Others cannot stand their ex-band partners, forcing the group to vanish or go the dreaded ‘indefinite hiatus’.

Eight years after ending their tour in tears at the o2 Arena in London, the boys are back. Fans pulled out their JLS official, primary-coloured hoodies danced like it was 2012 at JLS’s long-awaited reunion tour. On tour, they visited 14 cities across the UK, including Cardiff!

JLS Reunite for One Shot

‘It’s our friendship that makes our career so long-lasting.

After 15 years, I’m pretty sure we’re a lot closer than most of the greatest bands in pop history.’ –– Aston Merrygold ‘We’ve gone from bandmates and business partners to family. I’m sure in another 15 years nothing will have changed, but maybe our kids will be running the show.

We’ll just be the dad taxis.’ –– Marvin Hume

2008 X Factor sweethearts JLS hit the limelight at the beginning of 2020 when they announced their reunion Beat Again tour. This tour was set to go ahead in November 2020. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing pandemic, it was postponed twice but finally took place in October / November 2021.

JLS were said to have performed ‘like they’ve never been away.’

Here’s what they had to say upon their revival:

Aston Merrygold, Oritsé Williams, Marvin Humes, and JB Gill got together in 2007 under the name UFO (an initialism of Unique, Famous, Outrageous). When they auditioned for The XFactor, they had to change their name for copyright reasons. This was when they became JLS, which stands for ‘Jack the Lad Swing’, combing the phrase ‘Jack the Lad’ with the urban genre of new jack swing.

‘We’ve got a genuine relationship with each other, and what you see is real.’ – JB Gill

They did amazingly on X Factor, taking to fame like ducks to water and finishing in second place. They had it all: the vocals, the dance moves, and the looks. After X Factor their debut album reached No.1 in the UK charts, along with their two singles “Beat Again” and “Everybody in Love”. They won Brit awards and curated a huge loyal fan base.

Another British boy band who has gone on a rollercoaster through their career is Take That. Gary Barlow, Robbie Williams, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, and Jason Orange formed Take That in 1990 in Manchester. They became a teen pop sensation, ruling the UK charts during the first half of the nineties. Given their youthful good looks, they were particularly a hit amongst young ladies.

It’s likely that your mother had a life-size poster of the band up on her bedroom wall; I know mine did.

However, JLS left many young girls in tears when they announced their split in April 2013. The band confirmed their plans to complete their third and final arena tour and release their album Goodbye –– The Greatest Hits later that year.

There were no juicy controversies; the boys simply explained that they agreed to split to ensure they went out ‘on top’. In their statement, they ensured fans that they would remain friends and brothers. Oritisé Williams and Aston Merrygold continued in the music industry as solo artists, Marvin Humes became a successful television and radio host, while JB Gill pivoted his career path to turkey farming in Kent.

‘There are 8 billion people in this world, so it’s a miracle I found these guys. I was obsessed with making it work – and it did.’ –– Oritsé Williams Take That Relight A Fire

Their history has been complicated and conflicting, to say the least. The main conflict in the group revolved around Gary Barlow and Robbie Williams, who both wanted to be the ‘front man’. Being the youngest in the group by two years, Robbie struggled more at the start of the band’s career than his older bands mates. He had issues with excessive drinking and drug use and started to dislike the music they were creating.

Blaming Gary, Robbie quit Take That in July 1995 to pursue a solo career. After leaving the band, Robbie was not shy in throwing insults at Gary in the media.

Music The 13th of any month is superstitiously unlucky, and it certainly was for Take That fans in February 1996 when the four remaining members announced they had split up.

Take That reformed in 2005 with one man down and went on to release new singles. Robbie and Gary tried to bury the hatchet, but tensions were still too high, so Robbie sat this one out. However, by 2010, the pair had resolved their feud through a long chat. As a duo they wrote ‘Shame’. The lyrics of this song reflect upon their broken relationship and how they came to ‘sweet surrender’ as more mature adults.

After this, all five men got back together for their iconic Progress Tour; arguably one of the most aesthetically charismatic and atmospheric concerts to grace British and European arenas. The boys did not hold back. There was a 60ft mechanical robot man, ginormous lit-up structures, roller skating bumblebees and bunnies, a giant caterpillar, towering walls of water, acrobats, and millions of arms waving in the air. Fifteen years later, Take That had certainly not lost their popularity, selling 1.34 million tickets in 24 hours.

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After the tour, the boys took a break. The last time Take That performed together was in 2019 for their sold-out Odyssey: Greatest Hits Live Tour. Jason and Robbie did not make an appearance during this campaign. But what’s on the horizon for Take That now, you ask? Well, Gary has recently confirmed plans for a tour next year as a three-man band. With this, he promises 2023 will be “a big year for Take That” – look out Mum! Words by: Eve Davies Design by: Holly Chapman Illustration by: Sian Hopkins

Features

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McDonald’s, Murals, and the Revival of Black Art On January 22nd a symbolic mural, located on the side of Mischief’s Café Bar in Butetown, was painted over in favour of a McDonald’s burger ad. However, in the wake of a social media backlash, the fast-food chain has requested the original mural to be repainted. Preceding these events, the wall featured a painting of a Welsh-African woman- Maimuna Indjai, donning a Cardiff City shirt as part of the My City, My Shirt Campaign. Fronted by Yusuf Ismail, this was a campaign created to celebrate the Black community through a universally loved sport.

The removal of this cultural icon for a burger promotion advertisement not only highlights the pervasive promotional culture of our times, but more obviously the begrudging attitude that the UK is consistently showing towards BAME communities.

What started as a photography exhibition was transformed into a beautiful large-scale portrait of Maimuna Indjai, who had moved from Guinea-Bissau to Cardiff four years prior. The bright blue football shirt complimented by a vibrant African headwrap emphasised her dual identity – a cultural moment that I wish I could have seen before it was erased. Butetown, a historically multi-ethnic community in the UK, has suffered enough at the hands of the people empowered to protect them.

After the death of British-Somali man Mohamud Hassan in 2021, Ismail wanted “to give the community something to celebrate…after [a] deeply challenging time.”

Residents were overjoyed to receive such an unabashed display of cultural and ethnic pride that would hopefully inspire more artworks with powerful messages in their hometown. Maimuna expressed in a BBC interview that the painting was important and meant a lot to her community. In an era of ‘GO HOME’ vans and discriminatory government bills, one can never underestimate the power of representation to solidify the identity of those who are constantly being threatened and undermined. Unfortunately, McDonald’s did just that in failing to accrue the important details that would have prevented such a crime from happening in the first place.

The corporation claims that the removal of Cardiff’s own ‘Mona Lisa’ was not intentional. In response to the social media frenzy, they explained that “the site was hired by a third party working with the artist who painted the original mural. We were unaware of what was on the site prior to our installation and have instructed the artist to repaint his original mural immediately.”

The third party, who was allegedly in talks with Ismail, ‘dismissed’ the cultural significance of the site and went ahead with its removal imminently. Although there was a clear lapse in communication, it is hard not to blame McDonald’s, who certainly have the means to assess the areas that they choose to colonize with their capitalist agenda. Their ill-informed actions sparked outrage on Twitter with one user writing, “This is absolutely disgusting!” Furthermore, Black Lives Matter Cardiff tweeted “This is exactly how the capitalist system works, it dehumanises Black lives, Black art and Black culture.” Indeed, this ordeal symbolises the inherent incompatibility between capitalist profiteering and social equality. Unless it serves their money-making ends, mass corporations are more than happy to trammel the creative expression of marginalised communities that inspire much more feeling than a blown-up burger bap. Promotional culture has been weaved into our everyday existence to the point where we just accept it as it is, but thanks to social media, there’s nowhere left for large corporations to hide.

As a result, society is waking up to just how cunning capitalism can be, rallying for change which prompted the McDonald’s U-turn.

Along with offering to pay for the artists’ resources for reinstallation, McDonalds UK are also keen to support the Cardiff creative community in any way that they can.

However, the revival of this mural would have not been possible without pushback from the public. Their willingness to come together and loudly denounce these injustices demonstrates the take-no-prisoners attitude that has become so pronounced over the previous years.

It is promising to see the co-operation of McDonalds attempting to remedy the situation, along with their desire to support Unify, the creative agency behind the mural.

Hopefully this will encourage other mega companies to pour into the young, creative talent of Cardiff because clearly there’s plenty.

A special mention must go to Cathy Owens – director of Deryn Public Affairs Consultancy, and Black Lives Matter Cardiff and Vale, for directly pressuring McDonald’s to renege on their plans. Discussions of how to secure long-term funding for the wall is ongoing so that Butetown’s cultural art and heritage is protected against future commercial whims.

Words by: Rume Otuguor Design by: Isabel Brewster

Photography: @_inco from @redbrck

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How I achieve a Sense of revival sense of revival

Features Spring has to be one of my favourite times of the year!

The subtle sunshine, relaxed atmospheres, and strolls in the park are just some of the things that re-energise me.

Going on walks around the city and listening to calming music is probably my favourite activity in Spring. Not only is it my go-to for achieving a sense of revival, but it also gets my creative juices flowing. I am pretty fond of creating art and capturing beautiful sceneries.

Something about the fresh spring breeze really drives my creativity, which also helps me be more productive!

Changing from the gloomy winter skies and the neverending wind and rain is refreshing- seeing more sunshine definitely lifts my mood. I look forward to saying goodbye to my winter wardrobe and wearing things that are more colourful and brighter; Floral prints and lighter jackets are refreshing and brighten up the mood after months of layers and puffer jackets. Not to forget, the spring décor and beautiful flowers are some things I look out for to jazz up my home. All in all, Spring really brings out my explorative and brighter side, making me feel so much happier and energised!

Words by: Soyal Khedkar As the weather begins to get warmer and there’s a stretch in the days, many people often find themselves attempting to feel re-energised for the season of Spring, myself included. Although the rain may have not stopped in Cardiff, I love Spring and all the changes that come with it. I have never been and most likely never will be a ‘Winter person’, I am always one for Spring and Summer. I definitely notice a change in my overall mood when Spring rolls around.

As the weather gets warmer, I am able to wear some of my favourite clothes again, not have to worry about if I’ll be freezing cold, and look forward to Easter. Although I do not specifically notice a major change in my sense of creativity, I often feel renewed to an extent in the weeks leading up to Spring. I find myself being more organised and meeting up with friends outside, whether it’s for a walk or a coffee in Bute Park. I also associate the Springtime with spending time at home with family during the Easter holidays and going on long dog walks. I believe it is a much calmer atmosphere compared to the constant chaos of those university deadlines.

Words by: Grace Dawson

29 As the dark, gloomy, and cold days of winter are coming to an end and the crisp air of spring is on the horizon, many of us may feel a shift in our energy. I for one definitely feel this shift in my day to day activities. Seasonal Affective disorder (SAD) definitely hit me this year! The stress of life and being a third year, where UNI really does becomes University, took a huge toll on my energy and well-being.

However, in the lead up to spring, and in a bid to reinvigorate myself I rediscovered my love for music.

Every morning, before I have to do the tedious message replying, checking of emails and sometimes (most times) the bank account- I put on my music. Investing in a pair of Beats Headphones definitely helped, I like to think of it as me blocking out the outside- headphones on, world out.

There is something immensely uplifting in music – from the beats of the songs, the words and the voices, they make me feel like I can conquer my day full of energy and positivity. My favourite activity? I am sure you’ve already guessed it. Morning showers with a whole load of horrifying vocals! As cliché as this sounds, it is something that needs to be done. Don’t knock it till you try it, trust me you won’t regret it. Spring is a beautiful time of year. If you are struggling just as I was, take yourself on a walk. Take in your surroundings and breathe. Don’t forget your music!

Words by: Aleksandra Bubieniec Design by: Holly Chapman

Features

Comfort television is described as “shows you watch or revisit when you need to feel better”. I think it’s safe to say that anyone who enjoys watching television will have a few shows that they find comfort in and are incredibly satisfied with watching repeatedly. This could be because it reminds you of a certain time in your life, or if it just improves your mood.

Although it’s hard to pinpoint my top comfort shows (I watch a lot of TV), for me, British sitcoms seem to have my heart. From Fleabag to Chewing Gum and Peep Show to Fresh Meat, there’s nothing like watching TV with characters who not only seem worse off than you, but can also make you laugh.

Although obviously fictional, there’s something reassuring about watching the characters from these shows and how they navigate their lives. In the most comedic way possible, they’re making mistakes, ruining any situation or relationship, and being downright outrageous. If that’s not going to put a smile across your face, whilst thinking “At least I’ve not done that”, then I don’t know what would.

The idea of comfort TV being a constant in my life and important to me dates back to anytime I’ve felt alone or isolated; An example of this is when I first moved to university. An overwhelming and probably relatable experience to many, not having anyone who was a close friend or family member in the same city, was new; a type of new that made me uncertain of whether I could do it.

But I did have those shows. These weren’t new, but I knew that they would make me happy, or even make me sad - whatever emotion I needed to feel. I knew I could

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CONST use them to fill up my downtime, and bring a sense of comfort with me to a situation that radiated the unknown.

That’s why comfort TV is a constant in my life. Although a very small part of my life, it’s still there, bringing a sense of reassurance and also a few laughs.

Words by: Kristie O’Connor Through friendships, relationships, and everything in between, a bond that has been constant in my life is the one I have with my sister. Since she came into my life, she has been my best friend and confidant.

My sister is stronger than she knows. She is smart, and hardworking, with a pure heart that would do anything for the people she loves. She is younger than me, but I have learnt more from her than she will ever know. Her importance to me throughout my life is immeasurable.

We have been through every big life event side by each other’s side. When we went through a recent life changing event, that I thought would shatter my world, seeing her braveness helped me through the darkest of times, but she has also helped me over smaller hurdles.

She has consoled me through heartbreak, stress, and too many arguments to list.

I like to think of our relationship through two lyrics from our favourite artist, Taylor Swift. The first, “I know you were on my side, even when I was wrong” from The Best Day. When small disagreements with our parents or my friends escalate, I find solace in knowing she will be there for

Features

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TANTS me. Through all my life lessons, she has been beside me, teaching me right from wrong without even knowing she is doing so.

The second is from Last Kiss, a love song by nature, but with one lyric that has always stuck out for me, “now I watch your life in pictures like I used to watch you sleep”.

I no longer live with my sister full time, but frequent her Instagram page, where I can watch her turn into a brilliant, beautiful young woman. Seeing her live her life so fully and gracefully inspires me to do the same, and has helped me navigate the trials of young adulthood and being away from home.

I still remember the first day I held her in my tiny toddler arms and told her I loved her, and I can’t believe how much she has grown, and how proud I am of her. My dad always told me that friends will come and go, but she will always be there, and I see now, more than ever, how right he is.

We are connected through more than blood, by a bond that will never be broken.

Words by: Sofia Mallia These last two years have dramatically affected my life and subtly changed everything around me; but what has never changed is my best friend, Kylie, who has companied me since I was 7 and has occupied two-thirds of my life. I don’t know if you have a close friend who grew up with you, but watching each other grow and become mature individuals is indeed precious and comforting. I can’t even describe that feeling.

Kylie and I went to the same primary school and signed up for the same violin extracurricular class, and that was how we met, at a very young age. I still remember how rigorous the violin tutor was. I didn’t like her, and neither did Kylie.

We secretly bad-mouthed the instructor and even hid in the toilet together to skip the classes, I guess that was how we got acquainted. Since then, we have almost spent every day together, like twins. I always feel at ease whenever she is there.

As we got older, the topics we talked about started to differ. From anime, movies and school stuff to boys and love; from kid’s games to make up. What hasn’t changed is that we’ve always had endless topics. Kylie witnessed everything I went through. The first time I wore clumsy make-up, the first time I chased a boy and the first time I got rejected. No matter what stage of life I’m going through, she’s there to comfort me and support me. I’m a sensitive and insecure person (sometimes I would say weird), but she understands all my emotions and feels the same as me. As we explore the world, we almost always share the same values and see the world from the same perspective.

Although Kylie is as vulnerable as I am, she’s always the first to embrace me when I’m feeling low. Sometimes I feel like she understands and loves me more than I do myself.

She is my best friend, my family, my partner in crime, my soulmate, my shelter.

People say nothing is constant. Isn’t it? Maybe. Life is so unpredictable, but the only thing I know is that she will stay. I just know it.

Words by: Nicole Wong Design by: Holly Chapman

Photography: Hannah Layton, @laytonhannah Set design: Fleur Wiseman, @lookslikeshemade_it Model: Chloe Stewart, @chloelouisestewart

Photography: Hannah Layton, @laytonhannah Set design: Fleur Wiseman, @lookslikeshemade_it Model: Chloe Stewart, @chloelouisestewart

Food and Drink

What did I have for breakfast? Why, thank you for asking. I prefer to start my days off with a nutritious mix of snooze button smashing and rolling around in bed, followed by a panicked sprint to wherever I need to be that morning. This routine has kept me going for the past six years and let me assure you -- that mad dash at the end provides you with the ultimate energy rush to kickstart your day. It might also give you a double dose of anxiety but I digress.

Then all of a sudden, after many mornings of running on zero fuel and then inhaling everything in sight during lunch, COVID happened. All routines, this included, went straight down the toilet.

Since working and studying from home became the new normal, my schedules upended themselves. I’d read two emails, watch six Netflix shows, sleep at four in the morning, then wake up at noon the next day like I didn’t have a job. And I probably won’t anyway, judging from the current pandemic job market.

But every cloud has a silver lining; and in this case, my diet has benefitted so much from the pandemic situation.

With way more time on my hands and a terribly flexible schedule, I could finally bid the snooze button goodbye.

Actually, it was adios to all alarms and hola to an infinite amount of time to prepare breakfast.

Because all my work had moved online, I could attend to most of them at my own pace so I started to make the habit of tackling my days with a full belly. Admittedly, my day did begin rather late due to the aforementioned sleep schedule, but still, a satisfied stomach made a huge difference to my productivity.

I could think, I could contribute, I could actually be helpful and come up with ideas that spanned past what my next meal would be.

And I know I’m not the only one who feels like this because according to a report released in September 2020 by Acosta, a Jacksonville-based sales and marketing agency, 55% of U.S. shoppers

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B R I N G B A C K B I G

Food and Drink

B R E A K F A S T S

Words by: E Mun Yeat Design by: Annabelle Ingram Illustrations by: Annabelle Ingram

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are eating at home more often since the pandemic began, with 44% of them eating breakfast at home each day, versus 33% before the pandemic. The study went on to say that these customers were initially making their own breakfasts only because they had extra time, but soon grew to like the routine and began enjoying prepping and eating their “most important meal of the day”.

While I can’t completely agree with the idea of how cooking can be fun, I do agree that having a morning routine that includes a substantial amount of food can be helpful. And so in the hopes of providing some inspiration for your mornings, I’ve kindly included a snippet of what my big breakfast looks like on most days.

Just a warning, there will be no oatmeal here. You are an adult with teeth and tastebuds so please act like one and leave the oats for those with dentures.

First of all, you need to have some form of sugar on your plate. Fruit, cereal, granola, it doesn’t matter. Sucrose is the building block of human DNA, you need sugar or you will crumble.

Next come the carbs. This changes daily but I usually go for toast or bagels. I love pancakes, but I don’t have the patience to stand by a griddle flipping them. I also don’t own a frying pan. I know, I know, judge me all you want.

Then of course, we cannot forget the eggs. You can have them any way you want, but just know that soft-boiled eggs are superior and supposedly better for you.

Finally, the meat. Sausages, ham, bacon -- pick one, or maybe all three. However, if you’re one of those people who prefer limp, non-crispy bacon, stop reading this article and get out. Go repent or something, you maniac.

By this time, your throat will be parched from all the chewing and swallowing you’ve been doing. Go on, pour yourself a glass of milk, or juice, or whatever liquid you’re feeling that day. You deserve it, you’ve worked hard!

Food and Drink

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It’s time to recontextualize carbs once and for all. Gone are the days of Regina-George-esque carb fear; no, butter is NOT a carb but if it were, I would love it even more.

If you grew up in the 90s or 2000s, you know that carbs have been given a bad rap. Diet culture heard the words starch and sugar and ran with it – framing them as temptatious, forbidden fruit that is just too good to be true. Well, I say down with this falsity, we need to give carbs the love they deserve after all these years of slander and celebrate how they fuel our bodies.

And how better to appreciate carbs in all their glory than to revive them from their seemingly plain, beige, unseasoned natural state. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take a bowl of pasta or jacket potato covered in butter and cheese any day, but there is so much more greatness just waiting to be unlocked.

Here, I’ll share my favourite ways to ramp up your carb game to say no to low-carb, low-happiness diets.

Bread I never understood the phrase ‘the best thing since sliced bread’, I’m pretty sure that’s when we peaked as a society, right? Nevertheless, there might be some tweaks to take it up a level.

As students we like our food cheap, easy, and great to share with our housemates. There is no way better to do this than with some tear ‘n’ share garlic bread. Whilst a garlic baton from lidl does enough to fill the garlic shaped hole inside of us, I think we deserve something a bit more indulgent at this point in the year.

Get yourself a tiger loaf (what else?!), a load of butter, at least two cheeses – I like using cheddar, mozzarella and maybe some parmesan if I have any. Then of course loads of garlic, parsley and whatever other herbs and seasoning you like – maybe some chilli flakes? Mix this all these ingredients up and add some mayo if needs a bit more moisture.

Words by: Beth Mendleton Design by: Annabelle Ingram Illustrations by: Annabelle Ingram

Slice through the tiger loaf, but not all the way through so the loaf stays in one piece – and fill with the cheesy, garlic mixture. Cover with foil and stick it in the oven for about 10 minutes, then 5 more without the foil for a crispy top. Enjoy!

Food and Drink

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Potato There are countless ways to elevate the humble potato, but today it is all about the jacket potato. I think it is the most student friendly and versatile potato when it comes to toppings. With that in mind here are some more quickfire potato-mods.

1. Use the pesto you just made! Of course, with some butter, salt and pepper – crumble on some feta and fresh tomatoes for a fresh and healthy lunch.

2. Pizza Potato. The two greatest things in the world. Top your potato with tomatoes, mozzarella, oregano and your go-to favourite pizza toppings.

Pasta The best way to level up pasta is no doubt making it yourself – but who has time for that? So the second best way is making your own pesto. Pesto pasta is a student staple, and as long as you have a blender or food processor it is so simple to make and is so worth it.

Take a decent bunch of fresh basil, 3-6 cloves of garlic depending on your taste, a few tablespoons of pine nuts, a hunk of grated parmesan, 1/3 cup of olive oil (extra virgin is best), and some salt and pepper. Whizz it all up and Bob’s your uncle!

To make it vegan just sub the parmesan for your favourite alternative or some nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor.

Also, if you are nut-free, try sunflower seeds! There are loads of subs you can make with pesto to change it up a bit, try adding olives for extra flavour, or switch pine nuts for walnuts!

Then of course drench your pasta of choice with the fresh pesto - I am partial to a rigatoni or good ol’ spaghetti. Top with extra cheese because, why not?

3. Bake those skins. A different take on the jacket potato, bake until the insides are fluffy, scoop out the steamy goodness and mix with butter, cheese, herbs – whatever you want. Then place the mix back in the skins and crisp it back up in the oven for 5 minutes – delicious!

I hate to leave out some other favourites – rice, cereal, noodles, but I went for what I think are the reigning holy trinity. Remember to cherish carbs as a food group that gives you energy and fuels your body and mind. Time to end the hate campaign on carbohydrates, if you want to hate on something, hate on keto...a bell pepper is not an alternative to bagel dammit!

Literature

“If nothing changes, nothing changes,” Courtney C. Stevens wrote in her novel The Lies About Truth, and this rings true when it comes to literature. If nothing ever changed, we would still be bombarded with novels about aristocratic dances, love affairs, and revenge.

There’s no denying that our world moves through different trends, eras, and styles at a rapid pace. As society churns through a continuous cycle of development, so does language and literature, and therefore fiction. There is an intrinsic relationship between fiction and society, in which society influences fiction. Therefore, fiction is shaped by the world in which it is written.

What Is Classic Fiction?

When I think of the Classics, realism and coming-of-age stories spring to mind. I think of language that is now considered ‘archaic’; of the Brontës, Jane Austen, George Elliot, Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens, and Shakespeare.

I think of the March sisters and their gifts, of Silas Marner in Raveloe, and Heathcliff and Cathy on the Yorkshire moors.

Classic fiction is usually narrated from an omniscient perspective where the narrator is all-seeing and allknowing, telling the story from a particular viewpoint. Vivid scenes are narrated in detail and there is little opportunity for the reader to question what is going on. Everything is written out for them in the heavy description that follows a rigid plot. There is a beginning, a long journey to a climax, and a resolution.

With this comes a memorable protagonist. Classic fiction tends to feature a main character with distinct personality traits and strong views. These characters often function as

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the reader’s eyes and ears through which they observe the events of the novel.

There are also distinct themes in Classic fiction that often explore the human condition. Common genres used by Classic writers include literary realism and bildungsroman, which focus on the protagonist’s journey through life. This means Classical novels span a large time frame. Dickens’s Classic novels are also notorious for their description of social class struggles.

The most notable aspect of Classical fiction is how it stands the test of time, finding contemporary audiences in every decade. Classic books gain an enduring cultural presence and possess a timelessness that new fctions struggle to obtain.

How Did Fiction Change?

Throughout the centuries, the fiction market has become more accessible to writers and readers. More people have become literate and novels have gained a wider reach, as new technologies have lowered the cost of print books and introduced digital formats. These social and economic developments made writing a more appealing occupation and reading a more accessible pass time. As a result, a broader range of fiction has appeared throughout the decades.

The most drastic change in literature came with modernism. Although it is an ill-defined period, it can broadly be considered between 1890 and 1945 and includes predominant writers such as Virginia Woolf and James Joyce. This generation of writers supervised the

Literature shift from Classical to contemporary literature.

The movement took place because intellectuals were not happy with rising literacy rates, therefore, they sought to make their work illegible to the average reader. They did away with rigid, basic styles and became experimental in their work. Their sense of superiority meant they took on avant-garde writing styles and this gave birth to contemporary fiction.

What Is Contemporary Fiction?

Contemporary fiction creates imaginary characters and situations that reflect our modern world. Modern writers have a broader scope of styles to play with, and if no existing styles seem fit for them, they make their own.

Modern genres range from science-fiction to fantasy to Scandinavian crime fiction and space opera. Many of these genres are influenced by scientific developments that give rise to dystopian, other-worldly imaginations.

These genres quickly overtook traditional ones such as tragedy, comedy, and romance.

39 Modern fiction puts a philosophical twist on everyday events, using fictional stories to teach moral lessons and raise awareness of societal issues.

So, what does a contemporary novel look like?

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo is an example of LGBT fiction, fusion fiction, and domestic fiction that explores the injustices faced by twelve women who represent a diversity of classes, cultures, and sexual identities. Evaristo’s book is considered a polyphonic novel about the intersections of identity. It is unique in the sense that there is no continuous narrative, yet the lives of some characters intersect. In true contemporary fiction style, Evaristo experiments by doing away with traditional punctuation. She does not begin or end sentences with punctuation; she only uses it within each sentence.

Contemporary fiction caters to a wider variety of tastes and abilities. It comes in a variety of forms beyond the novel and poetry, including flash fiction, short stories, and slam poetry.

Furthermore, Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine provides an example of psychological fiction. The protagonist suffers from multiple mental illnesses, including PTSD and alcoholism. She also shows signs of autism. Thus, Honeyman’s novel shows how contemporary fiction deals with social and individual issues. It celebrates ordinary acts of kindness and compels readers to regard others, and ourselves, with more compassion.

There is a broader range of narrative perspectives in modern writing: first person, second person, third person, stream of consciousness, or free indirect speech. Some writers jump between character perspectives to build up a story with conflicting opinions and viewpoints, which the reader must work through. This experimental narrative technique makes readers active, demanding more from their literary competence.

Indeed, classic fiction is usually targeted by academic bodies and students, or people who seek intellectual stimulation in reading rather than pleasure and escapism, and I can’t help but question whether this gives unfair prestige to writers from the past over our contemporary talented writers? Although I appreciate the genius of classic fiction, I think modern fiction can be equally as impressive and captivating as that of centuries gone by.

Words by: Eve Davies Design by: Eszter Gurbicz

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“Misogyny comes to taste like air, feel like gravity: so common we barely notice it, so entrenched it’s hard to conceive of a world without it…”

Feminist Utopian literature legitimises a hope that feminists past and present hold dear: that there is a world out on the horizon where misogyny doesn’t taste like air, where it doesn’t feel like gravity. Though gaining traction in the 1970s, the feminist utopia has been alive within both fiction and non-fiction since at least the 1800s and has resurfaced with each wave of feminism.

Although it rightly comes with its own criticism, as every corner of literature does, it also presents new opportunities for discussion and debate surrounding

the survival of feminism. As Carol Pearson states, authors of feminist utopian fiction usually begin by showing how women are profoundly alienated and limited by patriarchal society; they then go on to acquaint the reader with an alternative…’ They demonstrate to readers the reasons why we’re not living in a feminist utopia and then paint a picture of what it might look like if we were. Works within this subgenre have explored gender identity, such as in Mary Gentle’s Golden Witchbreed (1983), or presented singlegendered worlds and societies, like in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Herland (1915) where women can bear children through asexual reproduction. Without

Literature

the presence of men, the world is free from violence, control, and domination.

In the past few years, Feminist authors have resurfaced with new speculations about what a feminist utopia would be. Unlike in past feminist literature, men have a presence - and the focus is put on how technology impacts feminism and how we can use it in our quest to find a feminist utopia.

Two pieces of literature stick out amongst the rest as new modern classics in the feminist Utopian subgenre: Full Surrogacy Now by Sophie Lewis and Xenofeminism by Helen Hester. Both explore the timeless topic of women’s reproductive rights and gender identity, joining a long line of their predecessors, as well as assessing technology’s newfound role in reproduction.

In Xenofeminism, Hester asks readers how we should reimagine the ‘emancipatory potential’ of feminism in an era of increasing complexity and accelerating technological advances, and explores how gender politics should be reconfigured in a world transformed by automation, globalisation, and the digital revolution. Xenofeminism is being described as a ‘gender techno materialist proposal’ arguing for gender politics which facilitates alternative models of reproduction such as IVF. Along similar lines, Lewis’s part manifesto, part memoir presents a Utopian look at surrogacy as an industry, echoing the Marxist feminist view that reproduction should be recognised as productive work. Lewis’s Utopia is a ‘classless commune’ where children do not belong to anyone and commercial surrogacy is ‘render[ed] obsolete.’

The resurgence of feminist Utopian literature is doubtless, the only question left to ask is why is it making a reemergence? Feminist Utopia Literature has always been written in a time of feminist revolution: when women were leaving their home to work in the mills came Three Hundred Years Hence (1836); Moving the Mountains (1911) and Herland (1915) were written during women’s suffrage, women’s education reform, and contraception; during the struggles for equal pay, reproductive rights, shared housework and childcare came Woman on the Edge of Time (1976).

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Now, thanks to the internet, medical breakthroughs, and technology, society is rapidly growing and feminism is faced with new challenges and possibilities. IVF and Surrogacy have opened doors for people of all genders to take control of their procreation, however, with this has come with debates on choice and accessibility.

Additionally, despite societal progression in some aspects, women and non-binary people are being faced with century-old issues. The Center of Reproductive Rights found that 41% of women live under restrictive abortion laws, meaning that 700 million women of reproductive age are restricted from accessing safe and legal abortions.

As Jean Pfaelzer suggests, ‘The author of the feminist utopia writes of spaces in which women cannot live yet.”

For those who cannot access legal or safe abortions; for those who wish to conceive children without being pregnant; for those who wish to be fairly treated as a surrogate, the best way of coping with the state of feminism today might be by looking to what’s on the horizon for a utopian feminist progression. As well as this, these pieces of literature act as manifestos and guides, steering us towards a utopia that every feminist wishes for; a world free of patriarchal control and persecution.

Words by: Sophie Revell Design by: Rahima Bhatti

Literature

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The Legacy of African-American Literature: The Civil Rights Movement to the Black Lives Matter Movement African-American literature is the body of literature produced in the United States by writers of African descent launched in North America during the second half of the 18th century by writers such as Phillis Wheatley.

As African-Americans’ position in American society has changed over the centuries, so has the focus of AfricanAmerican literature. During the late 18th century, it was mostly dominated by autobiographical narratives.

However, towards the beginning of the 19th century, the conditions of slavery in the United States produced a specific genre of literature that would later be described as ‘Slave Narratives’. The Slave Narratives mainly consisted of accounts by people who had generally escaped from slavery, writing about their journeys to freedom and ways they re-claimed their lives. Later on, during the Civil Rights Era, it took the form of Black nationalism and in stories of racial segregation. In the present day, African-American literature has become accepted as an integral part of American literature, with many books written by African-American authors having achieved notable honors and the authors, such as Toni Morrison winning Nobel Prize.

It was the Harlem Renaissance during the 1920s and 1930s that gave new expression to African-American authors and led to a renewed expression of selfidentity and social consciousness. During the Civil Rights Movement, African-American literature focused on racial segregation and Black unity. In the midst of the Civil Rights Movement were protests, sit-ins, and demonstrations to upturn segregation. Jim Crow laws were still prevalent during the 1950’s and 1960’s.

African-American writers, poets and playwrights wrote to express feelings of self-worth and the importance of African-Americans in society as well as to generate feelings of self-worth, self-pride, and political activism among African-Americans. Some popular and impactful works of literature during the Civil Rights Era include James Baldwin’s novel Go Tell It On the Mountain, Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man, which confronted the social invisibility of Black people in America, and Richard Wright’s Uncle Tom’s Children, Native Son, and Black Boy that spoke of the experiences of AfricanAmericans and are considered classic novels today.

African-American poets also expressed their feelings of discomfort with inequality and the conflicts of the Civil Rights Movement in their texts.Some notable poets during this time are Gwendolyn Brooks, Margaret Danner, Langston Hughes, Robert Hayden. An eminent play, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry addressed segregated housing policies during this time in history and was the first play by an African-American woman to reach Broadway.

The wave of protests that erupted across the United States of America after the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis, intensified America’s long running issues with racism and policing. This was the biggest protest that the US had witnessed after Civil Rights that demanded an end to racism in the country.

Naturally, the movement’s effect became visible in the form of passionate storytelling and poems as authors and poets joined in the protests in large numbers to express their solidarity. Videos of protesters reciting poetry or singing a song narrating African-American stories at such protests became a common sight.

Examining how different African-American literature during this decade in comparison to Civil Rights literature, the modern day African-American literature explores the issues of freedom and equality long denied to Black people in the United States, along with further themes such as African-American culture, racism, religion, slavery, a sense of home, segregation, migration, feminism, and more - presenting experiences from an African-American point of view. As part of the larger Black Arts Movement, which was inspired by the Civil Rights and Black Power movements and as it expanded to all kinds of writing: science, fiction, horror, dystopian and so on, African-American literature began to be defined and analyzed as a crucial part of American literature.

However, Black issues and identity still remain central to this genre. The Internet has greatly facilitated publication of African-American literature. Founded in 1996 by Memphis Vaughn, TimBookTu has been a pioneer offering an online audience of poetry, fiction, essays and other forms of the written word. African-American literature has gained added attention through the work of Oprah Winfrey, who repeatedly has leveraged her fame to promote literature through the medium of her Oprah’s Book Club.

In the wake of the Black Lives Matter Movement, African-American literature is again being promoted as an educational tool to understand wider issues that the community faces. Publishing giants such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar have compiled and promoted their own list of African-American literature to help their audience educate themselves. Some of the best African-American books written in the past decade include The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson, The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones, We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris, Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates and the autobiographies of Former U.S. President and First Lady, Barack and Michelle Obama.

Words by: Shivika Singh Design by: Isabel Brewster

Illustration by: Shafia Motaleb, @artsyfifi

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Gellir dadlau mai natur yw un o’r themâu amlycaf sydd i’w gael mewn barddoniaeth Gymreig. Yn sicr, hawdd yw canfod ysbrydoliaeth yng ngwyrddni cefn gwlad Cymru ac o gynefinoedd heddychlon ein magwraeth. Daw hyn i’r amlwg wrth ystyried rhai o gerddi mwyaf adnabyddus yr iaith Gymraeg ble mae natur yn aml yn cael ei bersonoli er mwyn paentio darluniau sy’n gyfarwydd i ni gyd. Mae natur o’n cwmpas ni ym mhobman a hawdd yw uniaethu gyda’r portreadau hyn sy’n aml yn codi mewn barddoniaeth Cymraeg.

Mae casgliadau cyfan o gerddi ar gael am fyd natur Cymru gyda sawl Cymro a Chymraes balch yn mwynhau amsugno’r darluniadau rhamantus sydd yn cael eu paentio o’u cynefinoedd. Mae ‘Hoffi Gerddi Natur Cymru’ yn un enghraifft o gyfrol sy’n cynnig clasuron amlwg ynghyd ac ambell i gerdd ble nad yw’r thema o natur mor amlwg.

Dengys hyn pa mor amryddawn yw barddoniaeth natur mewn gwirionedd. Gall feddu diffiniadau gwahanol ymysg gwahanol aelodau o’r cyhoedd a gall fod mor amlwg neu haniaethol ag y mynnai.

Mae’n debyg bod cerddi am natur ymysg rhai o’r cyntaf i sawl un ohonom astudio yn yr ysgol. Caiff clasuron amlwg fel ‘Y Llwynog’ gan R. Williams-Parry eu cyflwyno i gynulleidfaoedd ifanc mewn ysgolion uwchradd ar draws y wlad yn flynyddol ac mae wedi dod yn un o’r ffefrynnau yn yr iaith Gymraeg. Cyfuna’r gerdd ddarluniau o’r llwynog a’i amgylchiadau er mwyn portreadu rhai o ryfeddodau byd natur. Trwy ddefnyddio’r elfennau o natur mae Williams-Parry yn llwyddo i ddod a’r olygfa’n fyw gyda llinellau megis “Ac anhreuliedig haul Gorffennaf gwych” yn llwyddo i bortreadu holl ogoniant yr haf ar y dudalen.

Gellir dadlau mai llwyddiant y bardd i ddweud stori yw beth sy’n gwneud y gerdd mor addas a chyffroes i rheiny sy’n newydd i astudio barddoniaeth.

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Natur Barddo Tra bod rhai beirdd yn rhoi trosolwg mwy cyffredinol o’r byd natur o’u cwmpas, yn y gerdd ‘Llyn y Gadair’ mae T.H. Parry-Williams yn ffocysu ar ran fwy penodol o gefn gwlad Cymru. Trafodai’r bardd harddwch y mynyddoedd sy’n amgylchynu’r llyn ond ar yr un gwynt mae’n awgrymu nad oes dim byd yn hardd nac yn arbennig am Llyn y Gadair mewn gwirionedd. Er hynny, mae’n amlwg bod rhyw rym yn ei ddenu at y llyn. Mae’n cydnabod bod yn rhaid bod rhywbeth yn arbennig am y llyn gan ei fod wedi dewis ysgrifennu amdano er ei fod yn honni bod ardaloedd gyda mwy o harddwch naturiol ar gael. Dengys hyn ddylanwad y byd natur ar weithiau creadigol ac nid oes yn rhaid i’r olygfa fod yn un mae’r bardd yn ei ystyried yn odidog er mwyn sbarduno creadigrwydd.

Fodd bynnag, mewn cerddi megis ‘Eifionydd’ gan R Williams Parry, sef clasur arall sy’n adnabyddus gyda disgyblion ledled Cymru, gwelwn darlun mwy cariadus at yr ardal wrth i’r bardd drafod yr heddwch sydd i’w gael yng nghefn gwlad Cymru. Er mai darlun eithaf negyddol o hanes diwydiannol yr ardal cawn ar y cychwyn, mae hyn yn gyflym newid i ddisgrifiad o’r harddwch sydd i’w weld ar Lôn Goed. Cawn ddisgrifiad o’r llonyddwch sydd ar gael yno ac er nad yw’r Lôn Goed yn arwain i unman mewn gwirionedd, nid oes ots gan y bardd. Y peth pwysicaf iddo yw’r gallu i ddianc oddi wrth unrhyw olion o ddiwydiant i mewn i ardal o natur pur.

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Mewn oniaeth Tra bod R Williams Parry yn trafod llonyddwch y byd natur, cawn yn aml ymdeimlad o gychwyn newydd a bwrlwm byd natur mewn cerddi Cymraeg. Gellir dadlau bod y gwanwyn yn un o awenau amlycaf sawl bardd gyda delweddau o’r byd naturiol o’u cwmpas yn aml yn cael eu cyfeirio atynt mewn cerddi Cymraeg. Mae I.D Hooson yn enghraifft o fardd oedd eisoes yn defnyddio themâu o fywyd y Gwanwyn yn ei gerddi. Yn ei gerdd ‘Y Cudyll Coch’, er enghraifft, gwelwn ef yn rhyfeddu wrth wylio’r aderyn uwch ei ben. Yn debyg, yn ei gerdd ‘Yr Ehedydd’ trafodai’r bardd ddewrder yr aderyn wrth i’r tymhorau newid. Ymysg ei gerddi eraill mae ‘Daffodil’ ble mae’n rhannu ei brofiad o ganfod cennin pedr ar gychwyn mis Mawrth a’r gerdd ‘Fioled’ ble drafodai gosod blodau ar fedd ei anwylyd. Mae’n cyfeirio at y ffaith bod y blodau hyn yn parahu i dyfu yn ei ardd flwyddyn ar ôl flwyddyn ond ni chai fyth yr un sydd wedi claddu yn y bedd yn ôl.

Dros flynyddoedd diweddar, mae darluniau mwy dinistriol o fyd natur hefyd wedi dod yn gynyddol boblogaidd o fewn barddoniaeth. Mae’n debyg bod hyn yn ganlyniad o’r cyfuniad o newid hinsawdd, llygredd a thrychinebau naturiol a dynol rydym yn eu wynebu’n ddyddiol. Yn ystod COP 26 llynedd, heriodd Ceri Wyn Jones, Meuryn y Talwrn griw o staff a chyn-fyfyrwyr Prifysgol Aberystwyth i ysgrifennu cerddi ar y thema o newid hinsawdd. O’r her daeth sawl cerdd bwerus a chofiadwy a oedd yn tanlinellu’r ymdeimlad o frys sydd erbyn hyn yn amgylchynu’r argyfwng hinsawdd. Yn ei cherdd ‘Drôn’ ysgrifennodd Marged Tudur y cwpled;

“Biti na all ei grafangau grafu’r saim o’r strydoedd, datgysylltu’r gwifrau trydan,” er mwyn creu sylwebaeth ar ba mor bell mae technoleg fodern wedi datblygu a hynny yn aml iawn ar gost yr amgylchedd. Yn ogystal, gwnaeth Gruffudd Owen sylwebaeth ddychanol at y broblem o fewnforio trwy gyfeirio at ddiffyg Wylys mewn archfarchnadoedd yn ei gerdd ‘Argyfwng y diffyg Wylys’, “Er taer chwennych, trychineb oedd Tescos a Waitroes heb un Wylys i’w anwlo.”

Er eu negeseuon tywyll, mae’r mathau yma o gerddi yn hanfodol fel sylwebaeth gymdeithasol ar sefyllfa’r blaned ac er mwyn ennyn ymateb emosiynol gan y darllenwyr.

Mae’n rhaid cyfleu’r mathau hyn o negeseuon o fewn barddoniaeth er mwyn ennyn sylw’r rheiny sy’n darllen y cerddi a sicrhau bod y mater yn cael ei gydnabod fel argyfwng difrifol. Mae’n deg i ddweud bod cerddi natur yn rhan greiddiol o farddoniaeth Cymraeg a bod y thema o Wanwyn a bywyd newydd yn un hynod boblogaidd. Fodd bynnag, os nad yw’r amgylchedd yn cael ei gwarchod a’i pharchu ni fydd modd cael y delweddau bywiog a lliwgar sydd wedi bod yn codi calonnau ers canrifoedd bellach.

Words by: Catrin Lewis Design by: Isabel Brewster

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Erbyn heddiw, mae’r iaith Gymraeg yn ffynnu gyda nifer cynyddol o raglenni, cerddoriaeth a gweithiau eraill cyfoes yn cael eu cynhyrchu drwy gyfrwng yr iaith. Fodd bynnag, mae’r iaith wedi gwynebu ambell i sialens dros y blynyddoedd ac wedi gorfod goresgyn sawl rhwystr i gyrraedd y sefyllfa ble y mae hi heddiw. Fel rhan o’r rhifyn adfywiad, dyma hanes yr iaith Gymraeg gan gynnwys ei llwyddiannau ynghyd a’r cyfnodau tywyll.

Er nad oes neb yn sicr, y gred yw bod yr iaith Gymraeg wedi dod i fodolaeth tua 4,000 o flynyddoedd yn ôl. Cyn yr Ymerodraeth Rufeinig, roedd ieithoedd Celtaidd yn cael eu siarad ar draws Ewrop. O’r holl ieithoedd, y rhai a fudodd i Brydain ac Iwerddon oedd y chwe iaith ag goroesodd sef Gaeleg yr Alban, Brythoneg, Gwyddeleg, Cernyweg, Manaweg a’r Gymraeg. Erbyn hyn mae amrywiaeth mawr yn y niferoedd sy’n siarad yr ieithoedd hyn gyda’r Fanaweg a Chernyweg yn ieithoedd sydd wedi eu colli ac yna wedi atgyfodi eto.

Deilliodd y Gymraeg Cynnar o’r Frythoneg erbyn yr wythfed ganrif a dyma’r iaith a ddefnyddiwyd gan y beirdd Cymraeg cynharaf gan gynnwys Aneirin a Taliesin. Mae’r Gymraeg Cynnar yn parhau i gael ei astudio hyd heddiw gyda gweithiau Aneirin a Taliesin yn rhannau creiddiol o hanes yr iaith ac astudiaethau o lenyddiaeth Cymraeg.

Yn ystod y bymthegfed ganrif cyfieithwyd y Beibl i’r Gymraeg gan William Salesbury a William Morgan ac roedd hynny’n garreg filltir enfawr yn hanes yr iaith.

Digwyddodd o ganlyniad i Elizabeth I yn pasio deddf yn dweud ei bod hi am i gyfieithiad Cymraeg fod ar gael ym mhob Eglwys yng Nghymru erbyn y flwyddyn 1567. William Salesbury oedd yn gyfrifol am gyfieithu’r Testament Newydd yn 1567 ac yna aeth William Morgan yn ei flaen i gyfieithu’r Beibl yn ei gyfanrwydd yn y flwyddyn 1588. Mae cyfieithu’r Beibl yn cael ei adnabod fel rhan hanfodol yn hanes a pharhad yr iaith ac yn rhan o’r rheswm bod yr iaith wedi llwyddo i oroesi. Roedd pobl mewn Eglwysi ar draws y wlad yn gallu clywed yr iaith bob Dydd Sul ac felly daeth yr iaith yn rhan fwy amlwg o fewn eu bywydau. Cyhoeddwyd y llyfr Cymraeg cyntaf gan Syr John Price yn 1546, cwpl o ddegawdau cyn i’r Beibl gael ei gyfieithu. Yn ystod y can mlynedd nesaf cafodd 108 o lyfrau Cymraeg eu hysgrifennu.

Mae’n debygol bod pawb yn gyfarwydd gyda’r Welsh Not a gellir dadlau mai’r cyfnod yma yn ystod y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg oedd un o’r cyfnodau tywyllaf a fwyaf bygythiol yn hanes yr iaith. Darn o bren oedd yn gorfod cael ei wisgo gan unrhyw un oedd yn cael eu dal yn siarad Cymraeg yn yr ysgol ydoedd ac roedd yn cael ei basio ymlaen pan fyddai rhywun arall yn cael eu dal yn defnyddio’r iaith. Fyddai’r plentyn oedd yn gwisgo’r

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Welsh Not ar ddiwedd y wers yn cael ei gosbi, fel arfer gyda’r gansen. Roedd y Welsh Not, felly, yn annog disgyblion i beidio â defnyddio’r iaith ac er nad oedd yn bolisi llywodraeth roedd sawl ysgol ar draws y wlad wedi penderfynu ei ddefnyddio.

Yn ystod y Chwyldro Diwydiannol yn yr 19eg ganrif ymfudodd gweithwyr o rannau gwahanol o Gymru i’r cymoedd er mwyn cloddio am lo. Cymraeg oedd y brif iaith yma gyda’r mwyafrif o bobl unai yn gallu siarad yr iaith neu yn ei ddysgu wrth weithio yn y pyllau glo. Fodd bynnag, wrth i fwy o bobl symud i Gymru o’r tu allan roedd Saesneg yn dod yn iaith fwy amlwg, yn enwedig gan nad oedd gan y Gymraeg statws swyddogol ar y pryd.

Chwaraeodd rheilffyrdd ran yn nhwf y Saesneg hefyd wrth i bapurau Prydeinig gael eu gludo i mewn i Gymru. Am y tro cyntaf ers tua 2000 o flynyddoedd roedd y Gymraeg yn iaith leiafrifol gyda chyn lleied â 43.5% o’r boblogaeth yn ei siarad.

Yna, yn ystod yr 20fed ganrif roedd pryderon mawr yn amgylchynu dyfodol yr iaith a bu llawer o ymgyrchu i adennill statws swyddogol yr iaith ac i gynyddu’r nifer o siaradwyr. Derbyniodd y Gymraeg gydnabyddiaeth gan Ddeddf Llysoedd Cymru yn 1942 a oedd yn rhoi hawliau rhannol i’r iaith o fewn llysoedd a dyma oedd un o’r camau cyntaf yn ei adfywiad. Yn 1962 darlledwyd darlith radio Saunders Lewis, Tynged yr Iaith, ar y BBC ble y bu’n erfyn ar y boblogaeth i wrthod llenwi ffurflenni, talu trethi a thrwyddedau oedd ddim ar gael drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg. Heddiw, mae’r ddarlith yn cael ei gydnabod fel un o’r darllediadau pwysicaf yn hanes yr iaith ac yn hanes Cymru.

Yn yr un flwyddyn sefydlwyd Cymdeithas yr Iaith, cymdeithas a chwaraeodd rhan allweddol yn y frwydr dros yr iaith ac i adennill hawliau iddi. O ganlyniad i’w gwaith ymgyrchu, daeth Deddf yr Iaith Gymraeg 1967 i fodolaeth er mwyn rhoi’r hawl cyfartal i ddefnyddio’r iaith ar lafar ac yn ysgrifenedig o fewn achosion cyfreithiol yng Nghymru. Lansiwyd S4C, y sianel deledu Cymraeg cyntaf yn 1982 ac yn 1988 sefydlwyd Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg er mwyn hyrwyddo’r iaith o fewn pob agwedd o fywyd yng Nghymru. Arweiniodd hyn at Ddeddf Iaith newydd yn 1993 a gosododd hyn yr iaith ar yr un sylfaen â’r Saesneg ym mywyd cyhoeddus Cymru. Er bod hawl cael gwasanaethau dwyieithog yng Nghymru cyn hynny, roedd y ddeddf yn arwyddocaol gan ei fod yn rhoi statws swyddogol i’r iaith.

Yn ystod refferendwm 1997 pleidleisiwyd o blaid cael Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cenedlaethol ac agorwyd yn swyddogol yn 1999. Erbyn hyn mae sawl cyfrifoldeb wedi eu trosglwyddo i’r Senedd ond mae llawer yn parhau i

Clebar i ddadlau bod angen i fwy o bwerau gael eu trosglwyddo.

Erbyn heddiw, mae’r Gymraeg ar dwf ac mae sefydliadau a mudiadau Cymreig amrywiol wedi bod yn gweithio i sicrhau bod hynny’n parhau. Mae’r Eisteddfod, S4C a’r Urdd yn enghreifftiau o sefydliadau sy’n sicrhau bod deunydd a digwyddiadau cyfoes a chyffroes yn cael eu cynhyrchu trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg a bod digon yn cael ei wneud ar gyfer cenhedloedd ifanc yn enwedig. Yn ogystal, mae targed Llywodraeth Cymru o filiwn o siaradwyr Cymraeg erbyn 2050 yn golygu bod ymdrechion yn cael eu gwneud i geisio cynyddu nifer siaradwyr yr iaith ymhellach. Yn sicr, mae’r Gymraeg wedi adfywio dros y canrifoedd diweddaf ac nid oes unrhyw arwydd y bydd hynny’n arafu. words by: Catrin Lewis design by: Rahima Bhatti

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Photography: Hannah Layton, @laytonhannah Set design: Fleur Wiseman, @lookslikeshemade_it Model: Chloe Stewart, @chloelouisestewart

Fashion

50s Revival – words by: Eve Davies One word that springs to mind when I think of 1950s fashion is CLASSY. Midi dresses, silk head scarfs, chunky belts, pearls, pin-up hairdos, and red lipstick give the ultimate look of sophistication and ultra-femininity.

Known as the boomer years, the 1950s were a decade of economic recovery and intense consumerism, and the fashion industry was no exception. In fact, 1950s styles exploded with new colours, new patterns, and new silhouettes, making the fashion scene much more varied.

Christian Dior’s ‘The New Look’, consisting of a tiny waist, a fitted top half with pointed breasts, and a full skirt to just below the knee, dominated 1950s fashion.

However, there was a striking increase of stylish options.

A group of women could walk down the street in totally different style outfits, yet all be equally modish. Popular dress styles included A-line polka dot dresses, solid colour peplum dresses, and ruffle cuff floral dresses.

As strict gender constructs slackened, practical clothing for women was in higher demand, which led to the introduction of playsuits, wide-leg pants, straight-leg trousers, women’s shorts, and sportswear. These looks

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were playful. Floral straight-leg trousers and combat shorts were often paired with a shirt or blouse, so women didn’t completely lose their class when ‘dressing down’.

The Great British seaside holiday came into its heyday during the post-war decade, and this was where summertime fashion came into full force. The ladies didn’t let their style slip while catching rays at the beach, instead, they brought a fashion show to the sand.

Along with modesty, 1950s bathing costumes had plenty of style and personality. Again, there were various styles: swim-dresses and tankinis, bubble and princess swimsuits, strapless and halter neck. On-trend patterns were geometrical, polka dot, striped, gingham, and tiki tropical. Bathing costumes dotted with red cherries were also sought-after. Navy, white, and red were predominant colours, giving off a classy sailor vibe.

Developments in material made these swim costumes practical as well as sexy. Thanks to nylon, elastic, acetate, taffeta, and cotton, bathing costumes were stretchy and dried quickly. Manufacturers strived to create pieces that hugged the body and accentuated ladies’ curves.

Nevertheless, lady’s swimwear in the fifties was more

Fashion about posing on a deck chair than physically swimming.

Although many 1950s styles creep up on our high streets, giving contemporary fashion a retro twist, I feel like these looks have been relegated to a ‘mumsy’ or ‘retro’ fashion category. I think this is particularly the case with polka dot dresses and gingham garments. They simply don’t hold the authenticity and glamour they did back in the fifties. If it were up to me, we’d all be rocking up to the SU in colourful gingham A-line dresses.

70s Revival – words by: Jasmine Jones Loud prints, flared sleeves, and eclectic accessories; the 70s were arguably the most vibrant decade for fashion trends. The evolution from the 60s hippie movement into creating a more gender-neutral visual identity accelerated the popularity of 70s styles, giving men and women alike confidence through fashion. So why is it that almost five decades later the groovy vests and retro flares are even more popular than the time of their origin?

Large global retailers such as PrettyLittleThing have catapulted the revival of 70s fashion making the trends accessible to the masses, as well as designers like Chloé and Hermès showcasing collections of fringe jackets and headscarves on the runways of London and Paris fashion weeks.

Celebrities also play a vital part in determining what is fashionable, with stars and models such as Kendall Jenner and Zendaya often sporting velvet fabrics and retro wide leg suits; a clear homage to the freedom of the 70s trends.

One particular staple piece of the 70s that has made the ultimate comeback are the bell-bottom jeans that have gripped the streetwear scene in the last few years. The fitted waist and flared legs are a stark contrast to the previously popular skinny jean and balance a more relaxed style with a vintage silhouette. Whilst trends come and go all the time, the sheer volume of sales suggests that the bootcut style will stick around. And this is further projected through the 70s obsession taking over TikTok, from music, bouncy hair tutorials, and of course, fashion trends.

The disco decade has made its way into everybody’s 2022 wardrobe in one way or another, whether it be platform boots or crochet tops. This clothing revival has certainly been the most successful comeback of the fashion eras and in my opinion 70s fashion is here to stay.

90s Revival – words by: Bethan Gwynne Something that comes to mind when thinking of trends throughout different decades is how the idea of ‘model offduty’ has developed and changed as a trend over time.

Whilst the term was most notably used in the early 2010’s when the likes of Cara Delevingne, Hailey Baldwin, and Taylor Hill began trending with their ‘basic’ and ‘clean’ looking style; including leather aviator jackets, blue skinny jeans, and suede ankle boots – the concept of ‘model offduty’ actually stemmed in the late 1980’s and 1990’s. With the emergence of the supermodel and ‘the big six’ (Linda Evangelista, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford, and Christy Turlington), the off-duty model looks suddenly became an influence on the fashion scene; something that runway collections and haute couture had previously only been able to do. There was an overlap between high-fashion and everyday clothing, and the supermodels of the 90’s helped create this. Though the concept of ‘model off-duty’ continues to this day and is

51 constantly changing, the 90’s saw what I believe to be the best era for ‘model off-duty.’

Beautiful pieces became basics in the everyday wardrobes.

Well-made straight leg denim jeans became a staple for a 90’s wardrobe, with thanks to Cindy Crawford’s iconic airport looks. Oversized blazers, masculine trouser suits, simple knits, and crisp collared shirts in neutral palettes consisting of blacks, white, and browns were the uniforms for the models of the 90’s. Pops of colour were integrated into looks using blue denim and leather in browns and reds, and comfortable footwear became essential for both men and women in the form of sleek leather boots or simple, chunky dad trainers. For inspiration, see runway collections for Calvin Klein Spring 1994, Ann Demeulemeester Spring 1997, and Balenciaga Spring 1998. Looking at these collections, you can see where the minimalistic off-duty model look began to the surface on the high-fashion scene.

This is a trend I hope to see make its way back into both ready-to-wear collections and everyday wardrobes. We are starting to see that 90’s minimalism filter into the modern runway by looking at the likes of Atlein Spring 2022 and Mônot Fall 2021 collections, with more neutral palettes and simple outlines, and even with modern twists including the use of cut-outs and contrast colours. However, though the idea of the ‘model off-duty’ look has not disappeared, it is specifically the 90’s charm of the simple, comfortable outlines and classic colours that I want to see make a return to the fashion scene. design by: Rahima Bhatti

Fashion

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tHE rETURN OF thE low-rise In fashion, people often say trends make a comeback every two decades. It seems to be true. As Y2K style was coming back in vogue in 2020, fashion items that were prominent in the early 2000s made an appearance again.

Low-rise and skinny jeans, which we abandoned years ago, are making a strong comeback in mainstream fashion in the 2020s. The trend of low-rise skinny jeans is now booming on multiple social networking platforms, like YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest. Celebrities and Influencers, such as Teyana Taylor and Rihanna, are leading this revived fashion trend.

As a millennial who gives close attention to fashion trends and outfit inspiration on social media, the growing tendency of low-rise skinny jeans has grabbed my attention. I used to own several low-rise and tight jeans when I was smaller. As I hit puberty, I abandoned my low-rise tight trousers and became a huge fan of high-waisted and wide-leg jeans since they can perfectly hide my body shape. No one can see my belly fat when I’m in high-waisted trousers. I’m usually the kind of person who embraces new stuff and loves following trends. The current resurgence of low-rise and skinny jeans somehow surprised me, yet it did not excite me. I subconsciously believe low-rise and skinny trousers are for those with a flat belly and perfect leg shape.

That is the problem. To say it frankly, low-rise and skinny jeans are toxic for the body positivity movement. It detrimentally influences how people see their body image.

When you search for low-rise tight trousers on the internet, you’ll discover people who wear low-rise jeans are often slim, such as Emma Chamberlain. When you google “low-rise jeans fashion”, the top search results are articles that emphasise the perfect body type for low-cut jeans and who should be wearing them. Not absolutely, but you do find bigger girls are less likely to wear low-rise skinny jeans as it has strict requirements on the figure and is intolerant of girls with normal bodies.

This trend promotes the idea of slim beauty and unreasonable body standards to a certain degree. It instills in women certain body-image expectations and unnecessary anxiety about their body image. The trend of low-rise tight jeans does not promote body inclusivity. Are people really into the low-rise skinny jeans trend? Or do they just want to flaunt their slender bodies?

I’m not degrading the trend of low-rise or skinny jeans. Yet, a wider acceptance of all body types should be

advocated in the fashion field. What we should abandon is neither low-waisted nor tight jeans, but rather toxic body standards. Make yourself confident and comfortable in any fashion items, don’t let them affect your self-perception. No matter what size you are, you all look good in low-rise jeans.

Words by: Nicole Wong Some may scream in horror at the thought of wearing lowrise or skinny jeans, whilst others are delighted with these fashion trends being back on the rise. The recent surge in Y2K fashion on Depop and TikTok has evidently resurrected the return of the low-rise jean, causing major discussions within the fashion world.

I, myself have not yet ventured into the low-rise department in stores or online, however, I always admire those who do. Although I do not own any low-rise jeans, I am happy they are making a comeback and may pluck up the courage to invest in a pair of my own once my bank account matches Urban Outfitters’ prices. Despite some controversial opinions, I have begun wearing my old skinny jeans from Topshop recently and pairing them with oversized jumpers, hoodies, and chunky trainers. For someone who is usually a big advocate for baggy jeans, there is a certain sense of comfort that comes with wearing skinny jeans. This may be because it reminds me of the Year 10 Joni jeans and Topshop winter coat phase from secondary school.

Whilst some articles from Vogue or The Guardian critique the return of the low rise, with others also claiming that the skinny jean look is ‘dead’, many celebrities and influencers are embracing this comeback. In the summer of 2021, model Bella Hadid was pictured wearing a pair of baggy low-rise jeans and a crop top. Some may argue that she is one of the key figures within this movement. Celebrities like Dua Lipa followed, posting a photo on Instagram wearing low-rise jeans with her underwear showing slightly over the top. The low-rise jean with a G-string strap being visible is now a major part of the Y2K movement, especially on TikTok. Some low-rise jeans even have this strap pre-sewn into the waistband. This idea of the jeans being so low that your underwear can be seen may resemble a sense of empowerment and courage for some women.

Even without a G-string strap showing, the low rise and skinny jeans are flattering to a women’s figure, hopefully helping some younger girls who follow this movement to feel more confident within their own bodies.

Fashion

As social media and the celebrity world continues to impact and influence trends and opinions within the fashion world, I believe that skinny and especially low-rise jeans will always be worn and honoured, whether they’re the main topic of conversation for magazines like Vogue or not.

Words by: Grace Dawson The idea of high wasted jeans being replaced by the lowrise is something which can both excite people and also create concerns. As we all know, fashion rotates. From the Hippie flares and baggy streetwear jeans, and now to the 90’s low-rise, fashion comes and goes. In the recent rotation, low-rise jeans have become popular amongst a lot of celebrities and influencers. This, naturally, is now amongst us, the recipients of such ‘trends’.

All well and good, models such as Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, etc…, wear these jeans with confidence and pride, as they photograph themselves and place images on their social media accounts. The problem? Our perception.

Low-rise jeans are difficult. Owning a pair of them myself, I can understand the hype behind them, but also, the scorching amount of body positivity I have to amount before I wear them.

Let’s be real, social media is amazing, right? We can communicate with anyone anywhere, get glimpses into people’s lives, and promote ourselves and our business in easier ways. However, with all great things also come great negatives, one of them being… the social ideals of beauty and body types.

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Looking at images of celebrities and influencers is great.

It’s what they are paid to do; take pictures, promote clothes, look good. What we don’t see, is really what we should be seeing. The beauty ideal of a flat-toned stomach, nice bum, and waist … impossible. Of course, you can work hard at the gym, eat right, sleep enough, mind what you eat, eat your five a day, only have one cheat day, do yoga in the morning, drink water, drink a slim tea? AND THE LIST GOES ON, but we women will never have those perfect flat tummies, why? Simply, because we have organs.

The list above, and I stress, is filled with sarcasm. I have typed into google many times ‘how to get a flat stomach’ and with no surprise one of, if not all of the things mentioned above were stated. What was the point of this little rant you may be asking? The point is body positivity. Lowrise jeans do not seem to be going away, and they are here to stay. So instead of shying away from them, beating ourselves down about not looking like Naomi Campbell, not picking up a pair when we’re shopping because of anxieties surrounding our bodies, we should all be trying trends. Because one day, we will all look back on the low-rise trend, and miss it, miss the opportunity to wear it whilst it was there.

Experiment with style, try things which you wouldn’t have before, and wear them with pride! Lastly, a quick reminder, do not believe everything you see on the internet! Photoshop is real, and even more real are the filters available to use with ease, there and then.

Words by: Aleksandra Bubieniec Design By: Mia Wilson

Fashion

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The Revival Of The ‘Twee’ Fashion Trend Peaking in 2014 on Tumblr, ‘twee’ was the feminine artsy sister of the Effy Stonen ‘Skins’ girl. The indie-adjacent aesthetic was defined by a love for ‘quirky’ Wes Anderson movies, indie music, and preppy fashion.

The distinct fashion trend included oversized collars, army jane flats, colourful tights and layered cardigans.

Twee combined classic shapes and mod culture from the 1960s and 70s with little A-line dresses, berets, miniskirts, and button-downs. Its colour palette included saturated pastels, shades of tan and brown and bright primary colours. The outfits were colour coordinated to an unnatural extent creating an idealised, perfect image.

The aesthetic of twee wasn’t just clothes. It included the love for outdated technology to seem quirky and unique.

The ‘twee’ girl almost definitely had a typewriter, vintage bicycle, and a vinyl record player. In general, appearance is valued over practicality.

Zooey Deschanel stood as the unofficial queen of twee with Taylor Swift, Alexa Chung and Zoella following closely behind. Zooey Deschanel was a fashion inspiration to millennials worldwide, noticeably through her popular show New Girl in 2011 where she wore peter pan collars, cardigans, and blouses. Zooey was perhaps the epitome of twee fashion.

Model Alexa Chung toned down twee, making it more digestible for the UK audience. She paired ‘girly’ fabrics with grungier tones like leather jackets and Doc Martens to create something more versatile. I must admit, in 2014 I loved Alexa Chung. Her fashion influenced me greatly and, like all other girls my age, I bought her book It on style inspiration. Chung still wears a similar aesthetic today, perhaps proposing the question, did twee even really go away?

Despite being a haven for personal style and self-expression, early 2010 Tumblr lacked diversity and glamorising thinness, it fostered eating disorders and unhealthy body image forums. So much so that Tumblr had to implement policy changes to take down blogs that “glorified or promoted anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders; self-mutilation; or suicide.”

But why is twee on the comeback?

The fashion trend cycle is faster than ever, with clothing sprinting through decades. Generation Z is bringing twee back in full force as a follow on from Y2K, led by It Girls like Olivia Rodrigo and Euphoria’s Barbie Ferreira and

and Maude Apatow. TikTok has become a breeding ground for fashion trends, its most recent trend comeback is the return of twee. Twee on TikTok included style inspiration, recreating Zooey Deschanel looks and millennials reminiscing on what they wore in high school, twee is the current talk on fashion TikTok. However, TikTok creators want to bring this aesthetic back whilst leaving the fat-shaming of this 2010 era behind. One person writes in the caption of their post, “It wasn’t all Zooey Deschanel and moustaches, it was racism, fatphobia, SH posts and ED forums.” With body acceptance more mainstream, Mandy Lee, a TikTok trend forecaster, points out that “if people come on TikTok and start glorifying the thigh gap, that’s not really going to fly in the way that it was accepted 10, 15 years ago. We all know this is harmful, and it’s not part of accepted culture.”

Coach’s spring 2022 collection predicted the return of twee even before TikTok. The runway opened with A-line silk and cotton anoraks printed with houndstooth and plaid patterns. “It’s a collaboration between Stuart and Bonnie through the lens of the future”. It was twee, and it was on its way back.

To get the twee look in 2022, you could root out your old ballet flats from school and buy some patterned tights. To modernise the Mary Jane’s that your mum would pick out at Clarks for school, you could opt for a chunky platform or a flared heel to tap into the 60s influence. To make it more twee, add some white socks or embellished tights.

Pick up some floaty blouses from your local charity shop and ask your older sister if she has any A-line dresses. school head girl. To do this I am beginning to add more colourful blazers and subtly patterned tights in my own wardrobe.

Twee has the potential to easily slot into an existing capsule wardrobe and hopefully avoid becoming a micro-trend. Hopefully, the new comeback of twee will include more diversity in both race and body type. Let’s adapt twee to fit the current 2022 customer and not the 2010s - as we are no longer in the Tumblr era anymore.

Words by: Amy Wild Design by: Isabel Brewster

Illustration: Rahima Bhatti, @rahima.creative

Spotlight

56

SEX CITY AND THE

should have stayed in the 90s

“Dirty martini? Dirty bastard.”

Condensed with unforgettable quotes and remarkable outfits, if there was one word to describe the impact Sex And The City had on audiences at the end of the millennium, it would definitely be phenomenal.

Posing provocative questions to the romantic backdrop of New York City, Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) recently returned on screen in the new HBO series And Just Like That to reconquer the struggles of balancing a relationship with being an independent, working woman. Whilst many fans were excited to re-immerse themselves in the extravagance of Darren Star’s depiction of cosmopolitan living, the show fell short of the tenacity and gumption it once dominated on screen. From the absence of audience favourite Samantha Jones (played by Kim Cattrall) to forced LGBTQIA+ community inclusion and even tokenistic spotlighting of characters of colour, the new show is a reminder of all the parts of the 90s which should’ve been

left in the last century. But just how catastrophically did the show flop? Was it destined to fail from the beginning?

Reprising their roles as Miranda Hobbes and Charlotte York Goldenblatt, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis reunited with Parker to explore the trials and tribulations of living in their mid-50s. Facing new challenges of supporting a grown family and bereavement, the trio returned to stride through their problems whilst continuing to wear the latest indulgent pair of Manolo Blahniks. Yet a heavy weight is felt in the absence of Cattrall and the seductive spirit of her character, which defined the coy attitude of the show.

Without her witty input (and yes, her antics which were a catalyst for many of the group’’s discussions surrounding sex and relationships) the show feels hollow and empty; indifferent to any other programme you can stream.

Albeit the show’s success should not be dependent – or scrutinised – for its inclusion of sex, its reduced focus on the character’s plotlines made them appear dated and

Spotlight unable to learn anything new. Even Carrie’s newfound enthusiasm in podcasting about sex and relationships appeared supplementary to the event itself happening, a device aiming to rekindle the sexual discourse it once had, which inadvertently presented a series no longer trademarked by explicit questionings of orgasms and marriage. If nothing new can be learnt from the characters which can apply to younger audiences, then the reboot subsequently distances itself from the younger demographic it once captivated. Whilst this isn’t inherently a bad thing, the show no longer equips young women with the confidence and empowerment it previously celebrated, at times appearing flat and unsubstantial. In reducing the youthful energy there once was, the passion of the characters has been left deceased in the 90s.

Transitioning into a new decade of dilemmas created an issue, highlighting the problems that were at the foundations of the show. Across the development of each of the original four character’s plotlines, little acknowledgement is given of the privileges they each had as straight, white, middle-class women thriving in a city of poverty and struggle. As they rejoiced in their secluded glamorous bubble, there were a mere handful of characters who didn’t match this description. And Just Like That introduced a vast amount of people of colour into the show, proactively working against its past critiques, including Sarita Chaudry as Seema Patel and Nicole Ari Parker as Lisa Todd Wexley. In attempting to overtly encourage diversity within the cast many events felt tokenised. For example, Seema’s Diwali celebrations in the show had the potential to educate and engage audiences with the glamour of New York outside the character’s domesticated understanding, instead rerouting as a commodified fashion opportunity for Carrie to splurge on a new outfit. Trivialising cultural experiences is woven throughout the show, with nonbinary characters being ridiculed in their representation.

57 Although understanding and development grows across the series, reinforcing non-binary identity as a fashionable phase undermines the struggle many people endure. This demolishes the gender fluidity that was previously a core element of the show’s ideology, which explicitly challenged expectations of women, reiterating how their closed mindsets aren’t cool and indicative of past beliefs.

Equally, it should be highly celebrated that And Just Like That doesn’t force middle-aged women into a caricature of femininity, where their futures are unable to change and they’re donned with eccentric wrinkles and grey hair (we’re looking at you Golden Girls). Miranda’s exploration of her sexuality in the series can often feel forced and destructive of her marriage, which viewers had been invested in, yet it emphasises how no one path is fixed once you reach your 50s. The process of generating this message was certainly flawed; essentially projecting the franchise’s first non-binary queer character of colour into a position where audiences would resent them immediately. However, it’s important to praise the reboot for leaving its ageist expectations in the last century and making 50 feel fashionable again.

In reprising a show which rewrote the genre of femaleled on-screen performances in both a serious and entertaining format, Sex And The City’s return was a reminder of why some things should have stayed in the past. Similar efforts to emulate the independence of the stylish working woman have been shown in Star’s creation of Emily in Paris, an equally criticised show which has notably had poor representation of people of colour. Though moving forward there should be several changes to the attitudes and opinions of the characters, it has the potential to develop into a lovable staple for regular viewing. After all, who can resist watching the glamorous drama unfold?

Words by: Alanya Smith Design by: Annabelle Ingram

Spotlight The Return of Sex:

Sex and Relationships:

The Reunion The Return of Dating: Now that the pandemic is starting fizzle, dating life is back, baby! But did it ever leave us? As lockdown stretched for the better half of two years, we’ve all had to adjust our dating ways from the usual techniques for flirtatious, sexual, and relationship pleasures, in order to do as the law said. How erotic. How has this affected our dating life? Has anything changed? I interviewed a wide variety of people, and here is the consensus on the effect of covid on the dating experience, and what changed for us. They were all within the demographic of 20-30-yearolds, arguably the most active and inexperienced dating age, but not always…

We definitely feel a greater surge to be curiously exploring the world of dating, with an immense sense of appreciation for even the chance to meet up with a person, talk face-to-face, and see what happens from there. The preference to meet in person is so much more saturated into dating, it’s a refreshing page turn to the 21st-century dating app frenzie. Whilst these apps are still very much used, we are getting the chance to re-learn what being in a crowded room feels like - and in that room, finding that someone who we want to take out on a date. If you are Cardiff-based, here are the best spots after that exciting first meeting, and you click send on that ‘wanna meet up at’ text, finish that sentence with: at Lab 22? The Dead Canary? Treetop Adventure Golf?

Escape rooms? The Woodville? All people interviewed said they got a second date. However, dating is much more than that sexy feeling you get. Covid has also shown us how much people can change, both ourselves and others. It is about discovering yourself, going with the curve of self-development, and how the ‘better you’ connects to someone else.

Is there someone from your past you now realise you’re compatible with? Or a whole new group of people you get along with? Is there a new activity you want to try out?

Do it. What could go wrong? If someone came to mind as you read this, I nudge you to ask them out; believe that you are good enough to ask them out, and you are going to have an even better time than you imagine. A date?

Friends meeting up? Who knows…but you have nothing to lose. Celebrate life out of lockdown. Let’s make the roaring twenties and go have some fun!

Words by: Sofia Lloyd-Escribano

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It is no mystery that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on our concepts and practices around intimacy, love, and sex. Two years of self-isolation, quarantine, and social distancing have imposed severe restrictions on our ability to find sexual partners and seek out help and advice for sex-related issues. So now that restrictions are easing, how are people coping with this newfound sexual freedom?

Anxieties around our health, social lives, and financial stability during the pandemic have undoubtedly led to an increase in stress, and for many, sex has been last on the list of things to worry about. This hasn’t been helped by our increased awareness of germs and diseases.

Eleanor Draeger, a sexual health doctor, noticed that having an STI was much more stressful for patients in the context of a pandemic. It is not possible to be intimate with someone without crossing a mental germ barrier, and so perhaps we are struggling with seeing sex as a ‘dirty’ act. But maybe this isn’t a total catastrophe; greater awareness of hygiene will likely lead to people practicing safer sex and getting checked for STIs more frequently, and teens may be more willing than ever to educate themselves about safe sex.

Also, as with all instances of collective trauma, individuals have varying responses to difficult times. Sexologist Marieke Dewitte points out that there is a great variety in how stress affects libido, depending on many individual and contextual factors. Some lose all interest in sex, while others experience increased libido and may even use sex as a coping mechanism. We can also imagine that many people have felt robbed of their sexual liberty during lockdown and will be eager to make up for missed experiences by having a lot of sex, now that we have more freedom.

So, for those who are seeking out new sexual experiences, will this be an easy task? Or are we a little rusty? Sex at its core is about connection, and throughout the pandemic we have been majorly disconnected. If we are looking to hook up with someone, especially a stranger, this requires overcoming many of the restrictions we have placed on ourselves over the past two years. We have grown accustomed to staying at home, talking to the same people, and having an abundance of personal space, so the idea of approaching a stranger and inviting them back to our home has certainly become more daunting. I have noticed a lot of my friends express major discomfort with hook-ups staying over, even not being able to sleep with someone else in the room. This is a real issue that we will simply have to work to overcome. Mental health expert Brandon Khort asserts that positive interactions with other people, including touch, are essential for emotional regulation – so I suppose practice makes perfect. The more we work to put ourselves out there and break down the social barriers we’ve built up, the better our social and sexual lives will be.

Words by: Paulina Wisniewska Design by: Isabel Brewster

Illustration by: Shafia Motaleb, @artsyfifi