InQuire Issue 14.4 (This Girl Can) 26th October 2018

IN UIRE 26 October 2018

DEAR READER When asked to head the InQuire campaign for This Kent Girl Can, I was baffled by why society still has to be reminded of women’s achievements. The phrase ‘she’s good… for a woman’ still rings loud and clear in my ears.

Kathryn Bigelow’s films, for example, stand amongst the best, not because she’s a female director, but because they are objectively good; just as, Simone Biles’s international success in gymnastics is not due to her gender identity, but her hard work and physical abilities.

Girls are still fearful—afraid to stand up in a society that has been dominated by men for so long, believing the narrative that they are unable to compete against the opposite sex.

We propose that This Girl Can, that Every Girl Can. We know that inequality still exists.

This Kent Girl Can is not about pointing out the obvious. It is about celebrating those that have stood up, and embracing those who have-yet-to-do so. Lizzie, Samira, and Sasha, the girls on the front cover of this edition, are embodiments of what This Kent Girl Can be. Empowered.

Strong. Proud. Diverse.

This Girl Can is neither about placing women’s achievements above men’s, nor is it about excluding men from the campaign. It is about making sure that the oppression that kept women from being included, ends.

Women should not feel inadequate. They should not be scared to go to the gym or join a male dominated sport or speak up in a seminar. No one should be made to feel inferior.

Women should not be acknowledged because what they are doing is extraordinary, for a woman. They should be acknowledged because what they are doing is extraordinary.

This Girl Can be, and This Girl is, extraordinary.

Sincerely, Megan Warwick Website Sports Editor

CAMPUS ASSAULT SURVIVOR

SPEAKS OUT

‘Bloodied and sprawled on the cold pavement, she opened her eyes as her attacker walked away into the night, laughing’. PAGE 17

InQuire

The University of Kent’s Student Newspaper Issue 14.3 Friday 12 October 2018 inquirelive.co.uk FREE

Union to progress with ‘Fancy Dress Guidelines’

By Bill Bowkett Newspaper News Editor

A

student has said that the proposed ‘Fancy Dress Guidelines’—which sees students banned from wearing sombreros, dressing like members of the Conservative Party or pretending to be another gender – will be going ahead, despite backlash from students.

Christopher Bernard, Secretary of the UKC Liberty Union and Politics and IR academic representative for Kent Union, confirmed the news last week in an interview for InQuire, calling the proposed guidelines ‘ridiculous in nature’ and ‘unrepresentative’ of the student population The draft guidelines serve to respond to recent complaints made by Union members over some student groups’ choice of fancy dress during social events on campus and in locations such as The Venue.

The outfits listed by Kent Union are among many that could threaten students with the ‘right to a safe space at our university’.

The guidelines state: ‘Students

groups are free to engage in fancy dress whilst ensuring they abide by the Fancy Dress Guidelines which include being offensive, discriminatory and prejudice to an individual’s race, gender, disability or sexual orientation or based on stereotypes.

‘This would promote an unsafe and exclusive campus to which we do not tolerate.’

Among the outfits deemed ‘offensive’ by the Union include celebrities known for their sexual misconduct or abuse of power, like disgraced DJ Jimmy Saville and Harvey Weinstein, as well as historical or religious figures such as the Crusades and Nazis.

Other costumes cited by the Union as unacceptable apparel include; priests and nuns, cowboys and Native Americans, ISIS bombers, Israeli soldiers, The Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him); and political stereotypes, including ‘chavs’ and Harry Enfield’s ‘Tory Boy’ character.

Students have also been warned by the Union against dressing up as a gender they do not identify with ‘if the purpose is to belittle’.

Contrarily, the Union has said that it is acceptable to dress like doctors or professionals, certain cartoon characters, letters of the alphabet, cave people, Ancient Greeks, Romans, the United Nations, Medieval villagers and aliens.

Union members originally drafted these guidelines ‘as a discussion point with some of our groups and as part of a proactive approach to ensure that student events remain inclusive’.

The news garnered national and international press coverage from outlets such as The Times, The Sun and Time Magazine, provoking angry responses from students.

Jak Allen, a PhD candidate in History, said: ‘It’s a shame that students are so disinterested in their student union votes. If Kent students were active and scrutinised their candidates, I’m sure they wouldn’t vote for such moronic people.’

Former student Alex Tiley stated how Kent Union ‘were always a complete joke when I was at Kent and wI see that [they’re] still on form as ever in your sycophantic role as the impotent, inclusivity w**k, fun

VERA KICHANOVA: THE FEMALE FALCON: AN INTERVIEW WITH RUSSIA’S FIRST ELECTED LIBERTARIAN OFFICIAL PAGE 7

BEING IN A MALE

DOMINATED SPORT

PAGE 33

Photo by Lily-Rose Dibella and Anna Nicolaou (@ukcwomenslax)

police’.

In a statement, Kent Union wrote: ‘We of course want students to enjoy themselves and often host fancy dress parties in our own nightclub, but we would ask students to be mindful of their choices and whether any offence could be caused.

‘We are being proactive in looking out for all students

whilst empowering them to have a great time at Kent and this is the narrative which is seemingly being missed in the headlines.

‘We believe it is important to raise awareness of potentially problematic themes and work with our student groups to ensure successful student run events.’

Continued on pg.2

A BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR STORY PAGE 28

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News

2018/2019

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News

Bill Bowkett

‘We, students, are not made of snow’

Hundreds of students sign petition created by UKC Liberty Union calling for Kent Union’s ‘Fancy Dress Guidelines’ to be abolished

Newspaper News Editor

Interview by Alex Johnson, Writer Written by Bill Bowkett, Newspaper News Editor

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K

ent Union is under pressure from University of Kent students to scrap its ‘Fancy Dress Guidelines’, after an e-petition surfaced online calling for the proposals to be jettisoned.

UKC Liberty Union, a new society focusing on ideas of freedom and discussions on campus, started the petition last week on Change.org calling to ‘Overturn Kent’s proposed SU fancy dress ban’.

The petition reads: ‘Whilst Kent Union’s intentions may have been well-meaning, banning outfits are steps in the wrong direction. The authors of this petition consider dressing how you want a fundamental of the freedom of expression, which falls under the freedom of speech, and would not normally endorse things banned.

‘We, the students, are not made of snow.’

One student commented on the change.org page that their union is ‘out of touch with reality’ and has ‘no right to govern how we have fun amongst ourselves on campus’.

The petition has already garnered more than 370 signatures at the time of writing and every registered Kent

The resistance (left to right): Joe Simons (UKC UKIP President), Chris

Union politics society on Barnard (Liberty Secretary), Freddie Manson (Young Liberals President) and campus – Conservative, Tom Colsy (Liberty President). Photo by Alex Johnson Labour, Young Liberals, UKIP, Greens, Palestinian ‘The guidelines also say that highly supportive of our motion, and Marxist– are against the students are not allowed to and we hope to make issues like motion. dress as a Tory, yet with this this become more prominent as The news of the petition’s somehow dressing up as a part of our fight for liberty’. momentum resulted in UKC socialist or communist is fine Another critic of the policy, Liberty Union being interviewed and not on the banned list.

Joe Simons, who is President by national media outlets, such Colsey went on to add: ‘It is of the UKIP Society, recited as The Times and BBC. also seen that the Union may be how in 2016, Kent Union used UKC Liberty Union, UKIP accused cultural appropriation Zayn Malik and Sadiq Khan Society and the Young Liberals themselves given that every year as its key figures during Black caught up with InQuire to talk they hold Octoberfest, which is History Month and how the about the ‘inconstancies’ of the a clear exaggeration of Bavarian Union threatened to shut UKIP guidelines and how Union are culture which has nothing to do Society down because of their acting hypocritically when it with modern day Bavaria. social event commemorating comes to causing offense.

‘This is not in line with Kent the Crusades.

Tom Colsey, UKC Liberty Union’s own ideals of being When asked about the nature Union President told InQuire: inclusive given that the Union of offensive costume choices, ‘These places should be centres is pandering to one religion’s Simmons noted: ‘Costumes for academic freedom. When political or cultural demands.’ aren’t inherently racist, you do you come to university you Members from inside Kent need to look at [costume ideas] should not be protected and Union have labelled the national on a case by case basis. If the isolated, you should instead be headlines calling the proposals Gulbenkian decided to put on uncomfortable and constantly a ‘ban’ misleading, with the a production of Mel Brook’s challenged. guidelines only serving as The Producers, you would ‘The [union] are conflating recommendations to students have to have people dressed as that dressing up as a Nazi is on campus.

Nazis, but that is not inherently the same as dressing up as a Colsy said that ‘maybe they hateful.’ cowboy. [the media] have been alarmist Freddie Manson, President ‘The policy is inconsistent. It because they need stories” . of the Young Liberal Society, bans dressing up as Mohammad ‘[The union] are just trying to added: ‘Students who use (peace be upon him), but nanny students into what they costumes to cause offence, I Guru Nanak, Moses, Jesus, should behave like, whereas have no respect for and I don’t all religious figures else are we are adults, we are studying think they deserve to wear completely fine. serious degrees, there should be whatever they want a degree of trust that we won’t ‘However, it is an extremely dress as Nazis.’ slippery slope banning any Secretary Christopher Barnard type of fancy dress given the said that the whole event ‘might broad way the guidelines can be be a bit of an overreaction, but at interpreted.’ the same time, with perception In response to the petition, nowadays, it is almost seen as Kent Union student trustee Lily fact’.

Dedman said that if the petition Both Barnard and Colsy also were to be put into place, then it represent Students For Liberty would have to be done through (SFL), an international student Kent Union’s ChangeIt Idea organisation that stands up for webpage. the value of liberty and personal She said: ‘If you get 200 freedom. signatures, then the Union has Barnard said: ‘SFL has been to implement it in their policy.’

Friday 26 October 2018 InQuire

FTOs respond to criticsm Interview by Jesse Bedayn, Newspaper Editor and Bill Bowkett, Newspaper News Editor

Just to clarify, are these guidelines in place right now?

‘It is currently a draft. People have attached the word “ban” to “guidelines” as a synonym, so we may have to change the wording to recommendations ‘Things will inevitably come in and out of the policy, but the most extreme examples such as blackface will stay permanently ‘We will be working with our outlets on campus, such as Woodys and The Venue, we have not been in discussion with them as of yet, so they will have their say on the issue.

‘These guidelines will up after Halloween.’

Many news outlets have called these proposed ‘Fancy Dress Guidelines’ a ban. Is it?

‘It is not a ban. But at the same

time, there will be implications and consequences for wearing offensive costumes on campus, which can be taken up by both us and the university.

‘The recommendations have to align with our values; we want to be inclusive and supportive to everyone.

‘If you’re purposely going out to diminish someone’s beliefs and values, then it is going against what we believe in.’

Will there be penalties for those who do not follow the recommendations that will be put in place?

‘We do not know; the bill is currently as draft, and it will need to be approved by the FullTime Officers.

‘It also depends on the intentions of the subject, so we will be dealing with reports of offensive costumes on a case-

K

ent Union have created a proposal supporting ‘a “People’s Vote” on the terms of the Brexit deal and being ‘in favour of Remain’.

The document was submitted

by Stuart Lidbetter, Kent Union’s Vice-President for Education, on behalf of the Union.

The proposal, submitted on the Union’s ChangeIt Idea webpage, puts increasing pressure on the National Union of Students (NUS) to call for a second referendum and ‘encourage students to go out and vote in favour of the option which benefits students the most’.

The Union outlines several reasons for the proposal, one of them being: ‘a number of

promises which were made by the official Leave Campaign (members of which are now very senior members of Government) have at best been made to have seemed ill-advised and absurd, or at worst outright lies.’

Voting on the proposal finished last week, with the Union securing 208 votes from students, which means the bill has now been implemented into Kent Union policy.

Brexit has been a contentious issue in Kent since the 2016 referendum, with 59% of the county having originally voted to ‘leave’ the European Union.

Calls for a second referendum on Brexit have been growing in recent months, with YouGov poll in July showing that more people supported a second referendum (42%) than those who do not (40%).

Gavin Elser, Chancellor of the

News

At a glance

Photo by Achim Raschka | Wikimedia Commons

Draft Fancy Dress Guidlines

Scientists have made a selflubricating latex condom that can withstand the force of 1,000 thrusts. The condom, which will become slippery on physical contact, will help to make contraception more appealing to use, thereby preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as well as unwanted pregnancies.

Unacceptable: Cowboys, Mexicans in sombreros, ‘Tory’ stereotype

Acceptable: Aliens, Ancient Greeks, Doctors

Photos by Disney Wikia, Natalino Maria | Flickr, Teacher Dude | Flickr, Crobard | Wikimedia Commons, Wellcome Trust and Public Domain Pictures

by-case basis.

Having these proposals are a positive way of safeguarding.

‘It is better to have them in place and in writing rather than waiting for something to happen and dealing with that individually.

‘As a student union, we need to make sure student know how to act appropriately.

‘People are arbitrarily, but that is not knowledge to all people, because there have been cases like this happen at other universities.

Union backs second EU referendum

By Jordan Ifield Website News Editor

5

An initiative led by Kent Hospitality, Kent Sport, the Gulbenkian, and the estates department, along with the Kent Union Environment Officer and student and staff representatives, is encouraging students and staff to eat less meat as part of a new sustainable food strategy to help reduce the University’s environmental impact. The outlets are also planning a cut down on single-use disposable items, using more locally produced food and drink, as well as phasing out palm oil.

Photo by Kent Union

University of Kent, described earlier this year how he had changed his mind ‘completely over the last two years of lies’, with the former BBC journalist in favour of ‘a truly fair, free, and informed vote’.

Opposition to the Union’s proposal has come from the UKIP society on campus, who claim that a second referendum is ‘simply unnecessary’.

‘While students should of course be able to campaign about the issues they choose, it is somewhat inappropriate for Kent Union (which is supposed to represent the entire student body) to take an official stance on what is a very divisive topic.’

‘If the Union were to take up an official stance on Brexit they

would inevitably fail to fully represent a significant number of students on campus.’

Daniel Sydenham of the Conservative Society has also expressed his concerns about the proposal, labelling it as ‘just the latest in a long list of publicity stunts’.

‘The Union has no mandate to petition for a people’s vote.

There was no mention of it in anyone’s election campaign.’

Both societies, along with the Liberty Union, have submitted a counter-proposal to Kent Union, calling on the Union not to campaign for a second referendum, which has not been approved by the Union at the time of writing.

PEOPLE’S VOTE: ‘I’M MARCHING FOR MY FUTURE’

O

n Saturday 20 October, Kent Union took to the streets of London demanding a ‘People’s Vote’.

The demonstration was the largest of its kind since the protest against the Iraq war in 2003.

President Aaron Thompson said: ‘ It was great to lead [the march] with my fellow officers at the front.’

6

News

Council to construct £9.1 million multi-story in Canterbury West

By Alejandro Javierre News Sub-Editor

C

anterbury City Council has announced that it will be pushing ahead with the construction of a controversial £9.1 million multiple storey car park as part of a new integrated transport hub in St Dunstan’s next to Canterbury West Station.

The announcement comes following a lengthy 2-year proposal process that saw the development’s original design revised and multiple consultations with residents and focus groups.

The planned development, originally proposed in 2016, plans to increase the number of spaces on the Station Road car park from 125 to 380, with room for a further 20 blue badge holder spaces.

The development will also see a large-scale rollout of the new license plate recognition software, currently trialled elsewhere in Canterbury, that can detect the type of power a vehicle runs on, as well at up to date vehicle data.

The most recent design proposal was released

to Canterbury residents in January 2017 to open consultation by the Council.

The Council received over 600 responses to the planned proposal and 5 extended responses from local lobbying groups.

Out of these responses, only 46 comments were in direct favour of the proposal, while 86 were in direct opposition.

Another 482 were in opposition to aspects of the proposal, two of the interest groups responded in complete opposition to the bill, and two other groups raised concerns over aspects of the car park plans.

In June, the Canterbury Liberal Democrat Party announced their own proposal for an alternative integrated transport hub to the current Conservative backed plans.

The alternative to the multistorey car park plans is to have a more environmentally friendly hub layout which is more in line with local architecture.

The plan also aims to retain a similar parking capacity as the current plans by turning the disused office spaces on the other side of the rail-line

A Liberal Democrat has called the announcement ‘beggars’ belief’ into extra parking spaces.

Liberal Democrat Councillor for Canterbury Mike Dixey called the original announcement ‘beggars’ belief’

and that the Tory-dominated Canterbury County Council’s plans will be a ‘magnet’ for anti-social behaviour and drug dealing in the area.

Cllr Dixey also argues that the estimated £9.1 million car park would be much better spent on council housing and repairing roads and pavements.

A recent petition organised

by The Canterbury Society in opposition to the development reached 2,000 signatures from Canterbury residents.

Most Council members in favour of the motion were from towns around Canterbury whose constituents would most benefit from increased parking on the busy HS1 London commuter line.

The Canterbury Society has also accused the Council of not tendering offers for building prices, and instead have settled for the first offers placed on the plans to speed up development times but potentially increase building costs.

Photo by Canterbury City Council

Happy Birthday Keynes College

By Meg Warwick Website Sport Editor

K

eynes College is celebrating its 50th Birthday this year and a programme of events has been put together to celebrate that landmark.

From exhibitions and presentations, to competitions and festivals, there many events, all of which you can find online on the ‘Campus Life’ section of the University website.

The College was named after the leading 20th century economist, John Maynard Keynes.

Widely considered the founder of modern macroeconomics, Keynes’s ideas are the basis for the school of thought known as Keynesian economics.

Keynes, who died in 1946, was also instrumental in

establishing the Arts Council of Great Britain and was later its founding chairman.

Keynes was the third College to open at the University of Kent A different firm of architects were hired to build the college in 1968, which resulted in a different style and framework to the Eliot and Rutherford Colleges built beforehand.

The building was much lighter and more open with the removal of wash-basins from the majority of study bedrooms.

Keynes College is based on central campus, and at present accommodates 650 students in bed and breakfast, en-suite rooms.

Facilities located at the College include: Student Support and Wellbeing, Dolche Vita, K-Bar, Careers and Employability Service, Staff Common Room

(with a grand piano), and a duck pond.

The College is home to the School of Psychology, School of Economics, and the Safety, Health and Environment Unit.

Keynes is known as the ‘Art’ College, frequently holding exhibitions from a variety of artists.

For more information on any of the events, please contact Chloe Gallien, Master of Keynes at C.Gallien@kent.ac.uk.

Photo by Keynes College

Friday 26 October 2018 InQuire

7

News

VERA KICHANOVA: RUSSIA’S LIBERTARIAN REVOLUTIONARY Interview by Bill Bowkett

Russia’s first elected libertarian Vera Kichanova on the importance of her education in Moscow, the revolutionary nature of her presence and the concept of liberty.

R

ecent demonstrations across Britain, such as the ‘People’s March’ for a final deal on Brexit, and across the Atlantic against the appointment of Brett Kavanagh to the Supreme Court, are increasing signs of rising political participation amongst citizens. These movements are allowed through the free exercise come civil liberties, especially the freedom of expression, something that is lacking when you travel 3,000 miles east of Britain to the nation of Russia.

Grassroot activity and expressionism is something of a challenge for a country currently run under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, where peaceful demonstrators are arrested and organisations that receive outside support are smeared as foreign agents.

Opponents of the regime are silenced in fear of assassination, imprisonment, and censorship, which does not bring much hope to those who wish to overthrow the ongoing despotism.

But Vera Kichanova, 28, has other ideas. Inspired by the civil uprising in Russia, Vera is part of a new generation of nationals who decided to get involved in politics to offer a new way of thinking to the Russian people, one that that protects and enhances the freedom of the individual, whilst also highlighting the way that government itself can pose a threat to liberty.

A political philosophy we know as libertarianism.

Born on 24 May 1991 in Moscow, Vera said that her interest in politics began at an unusually young age, thanks, in part, to her parents.

‘I have always been critical of the Russian government, and so are my parents,’ remarked Vera who began her political career by writing for her local newspaper aged 14.

‘I always wanted to change the world and I was trying to find the best way to do it.’

‘None of my parents approved with what I wanted to do because they were scared for my security.

It is dangerous to protest in Russia. Imagine how brave people are for defending their freedom of speech on the streets of Moscow?’

At 18, Vera started to become more involved in political activities. She did this by going to rallies on the streets of the capital, because she ‘was angry about what was going on in Russia’. It resulted in Vera being taken into police custody at least six times for her peaceful protesting and democratic activism.

After graduating from school, Vera then read journalism at Moscow State University, with most of her work dedicated to real-time journalism and the interaction between traditional media and citizen journalists.

In 2008, Vera and fellow colleagues of hers came together seeking to challenge the political system from within.

They founded the Libertarian Party of Russia, whose political philosophy rests on the values of libertarianism, selfownership, and non-aggression.

Vera and her party’s central concern was to enhance the voices of Russia’s constituents.

The party’s first move was to organized educational discussions, lectures, and seminars with the help of supporters such as Students for Liberty and Liberland.

The second, and more straightforward option, was politics and running candidates in local and state elections.

Vera herself ran for a seat as a municipal deputy in Moscow’s Yuzhnoye Tushino district, with funding primary coming from her friends and family.

Vera talked about how her party was not regarded as a serious competitor among the more established parties.

‘We were a new party to start with. No one had any

previous experience in frontline politics. Back then, were just idealistic students who were reading Hayek and Friedman, with all of us having a vague understanding about how we can embrace the ideas of liberty.’

To the surprise of many, Vera won her seat making her the first libertarian elected to public office in Russia, an amazing feat for a party whose humble beginnings began in a small basement in downtown Moscow. Vera achieved all this at 20 years old, making her one the youngest representatives in Russia.

The news of Vera’s victory caught the attention of media outlets and newspapers such as The Washington Post, who called her ‘The new face of Russia’s opposition’.

As a delegate, Vera fought to reduce the democratic deficit of local politics by seeking greater transparency on the part of the local authorities.

She succeeded by designing a website giving constituents easier access to their deputies and the district’s spending records. She also published regular articles on her blog recounting her daily activities as a local council deputy.

She also launched several campaigns, including Girls Against Draft, which opposed Russian lawmakers’ preliminary approval of a bill that would oblige draft-age men to report for military service even if they have not received a conscription

n o t i c e .

As a result of her work in Russia, Vera was invited to Washington to accept the National Endowment for Democracy’s 2 0 1 3 Democracy A w a r d alongside other young activists from Zimbabwe, Cuba, and Pakistan.

After moving to London this decade, Vera made the decision to study Public Policy at the Photo by Vera Kichanova | Facebook University of Oxford, while simultaneously of Russia is emerging, one doing research into free market that is striving under the urbanism. She is currently watchful eye of her party. working towards a PhD at Grassroots politics has always King’s College London, while proved to be a challenge in simultaneously working as countries that crackdown on a policy researcher at Zaha civil society, but Vera sees hope Hadid Architects, and as in all of this for a women still Editor-in-Chief for the Atlas in her twenties. She envisions Network in Kiev, Ukraine. a Russia that will in future Vera has remained an emphasise freedom of choice outspoken critic of her home and individual judgment nation and United Russia, over the oppression currently the ruling party headed by experienced under Putin. A Putin. Although Vera believes decade ago, libertarianism that Russia is far from being began with a small group the idealistic nation it is, of likeminded people who she believes that a new type shared commons values.

On Jeremy Corbyn:

“

I am very much worried about Jeremy Corbyn’s popularity. There are so many people in your country that support his ideas and beliefs.

You people need to realise how dismal socialism as an ideology can be. Just look at countries like Latin America and Communist Russia as examples of that.”

David Hunt | Wikimedia Commons

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Opinion

ARE INFLUENTIAL WOMEN ‘INFLUENTIAL’ IN 2018?

By Isabel Rozanski Writer

F

rom the growth of the #MeToo movement originating from Tarana Burke, outing many of Hollywood’s esteemed for sexual misconduct, to Emma Gonzalez advocating for stricter gun control following yet another American school shooting, women are leading some of the largest social movements of the century. Do they, however, earn the same respect?

Try scrolling through the #MeToo movement hash-tag for a few moments before internet trolls fill up replies with mentions of exaggeration and false accusation, or turn the movement into a joke. It seems that being an influential, woke woman necessarily entails

ridicule from far right antiFeminist groups as well as the likes of Donald Trump. Trump has easily claimed his part by tweeting ‘if Hilary Clinton couldn’t satisfy her husband, she couldn’t satisfy America’.

Take Eve Ensler, a women’s rights activist who developed the movement ‘V Day’, which has educated millions about violence against women along with measures to end it. It has raised over $100 million to this date. The movement has helped reopen shelters and funded over 12,000 community based antiviolence programmes and safe houses in Haiti, Kenya, Egypt, and Iraq that provide women sanctuary from abuse, female genital mutilation, and honour killings.

How far have women come

in being influencers since ‘V Day’ events took place in 2010?

The case of the Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh

Influential women are not just people of high power, status, or fame. showcases how even influential women can be let down by the justice system. This is less of a surprise following Trump’s accession to Presidency despite

his inappropriate ‘locker room talk’.

Many people who came forward put their reputation and career on the line. These women as some of the most influential females today. It seems as though we still have a long way to go as despite this, Kavanaugh was still sworn in as the 144th Supreme Court Justice in October 2018, sadly forcing one to question if influential women, are, in fact, influential.

All these women have strong leadership, determination, a desire for change, a need for a voice, in common, but most importantly an impact on those around them. Influential women are not just people of high power, status, or fame.

Sure, CEOs of corporate

companies or founders of distinguished women’s rights movements pave the way for young girls to dream big and aim high.

The most important influential women, though, are the ones all around us. For example, spoken word poet Claire Schwartz, or actress Amandla Stenberg, who demanded a voice, at 19 years old, in a sea of people that did not believe she should have one.

The most influential women are those directly around us: our mothers with selflessness and patience, or sisters, who help their fellow sisters find a voice when they are lost in the crowd.

To be an influential woman in 2018 is to be whoever you want to be.

WE ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL, DESPITE WHAT MEDIA SAYS

By Beth Mason Writer

Y

ou would struggle to find a girl that didn’t have insecurities about their appearance. We aren’t skinny enough, or we’re too skinny.

Our noses are too big and our bums too small. We’re too tall, or too short. Always too much or not enough.

We use makeup and clothes to look certain ways, while using Facebook and Instagram to create glamorized versions of our lives. We’re living under immense pressure to live up to certain standards, pressure provided mainly by mainstream media, and reinforced by our own peers.

It’s not hard to see the damage being done.

The images of perfection streamlined to us every day in forms of models, actresses, and celebrities, create an unachievable ideal. The media hand-picks the women they see as ‘beautiful’. They put them on a pedestal, as if this is what we should be aiming for. They spread an unhealthy belief that looking like them will make us desired, and consequently

happy. We easily witness female figures being torn down online when they decide not to subscribe to the feminine ideal of beauty. The media can so easily limit women’s decisions, confiscating their right to pursue happiness by being who they are.

Every image we see is a perfectly edited beauty shot or

a contrived candid of women who often look the same. What is less shown is the work that goes into constructing those images and lifestyles by the media and related businesses.

It’s easy to look like a model when you have a team of beauticians, stylists, personal trainers, and dieticians to make you look that way.

are more money-making schemes than informed guides to healthy living.

They say we will become beautiful if we can only entirely change the way we look. They say we can be beautiful if we just tried hard enough. What they’re really saying, is that we aren’t good enough. The women we see in mainstream media are indeed beautiful, but the implication beneath the extravagance is that looking like those women is the only way to be beautiful. Most of us will never look like them, whether that is down to our lifestyle or genetics. That doesn’t, however, mean we are all hideously undesirable.

There is not a single way to be attractive, and being Photo by relatably attractive is not a decisive element in determining your Not to mention the amount self-worth.

In some ways we of celebrities who have had are already moving towards cosmetic surgery. this. More diversity in the These lifestyles are advertised media, more emphasis on to us as if they were effortless, body positivity, and nurturing besides expense, while only young girls’ confidence is the showing a specific body type.

They convince us our self-worth beginning of this long journey ahead of us. We’re on the right is defined by how we look. track, but we are nowhere near We’re sold diet programmes the finish line. and exercise regimes that

Friday 26 October 2018 InQuire

9

Opinion

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A FEMINIST TODAY?

By Maxine Meixner Writer

D

uring my very first year at university, my housemate and I had a heated discussion about his casually sexist remarks and attitudes towards women. He then angrily scrawled the words ‘dirty feminist’ next to my name on the house noticeboard.

It was the first time that someone had used the word ‘feminist’ as an insult against me. He twisted an empowering and important word into a negative joke. He, surprisingly wasn’t alone in this view.

If you ask a group of 10 people what ‘feminism’ means to them today, you will get 10 different answers. There are many different interpretations of the word feminism and

the movement. This lack of universal definition is what makes some people so hesitant to identify themselves as feminist. They fear being labelled the stereotypical ‘feminazis’ and ‘man-haters’ by those who refuse to educate themselves.

The first time I heard a succinct definition of feminism was in 2014, when Beyoncé released her song Flawless. She makes use of an excerpt from the renowned Nigerian novelist and speaker Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED talk We Should All Be Feminists.

Adichie defines feminism to be ‘the belief in the social, economic, and political equality of the sexes’. It was with this definition that I chose to call myself a feminist, yet I am sure that there are other feminists

out there who would prefer to define themselves another way. That is just the nature of feminism.

The anticipated disagreement from some on the right is, ‘women are already equal.’ We have suffrage. We can own property. We can study what we want and where we want.

We can work, start our own businesses, hold positions of power and influence, we can do everything a man can do—less than a century ago this would have been impossible. What more could feminists possibly complain of?

Many things.

Rape culture and sexism remains pervasive across the world. A study by The Independent showed that men still earn 9% more than women in the UK. Women

make up only 18% of directors, writers, producers, and cinematographers in the film industry. More than 137,700 girls in the UK have missed school in the last year because they could not afford sanitary products.

Most recently, Dr Christine Blasey Ford came forward, compelled by what she called her civic duty, in an effort to stop Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court. She testified before the Senate to make the President and the US Senate aware of an incident in the 1980s, where Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her.

The bravery. The strength it took for her to come forward and relive one of her most traumatic events on a national and global stage, is what

defines women, sexual assault survivors, and feminists of 2018.

To receive death threats, to be accused of being a pawn for the Democrats, to be mocked by the President of the United States of America.

She came forward, told her credible story, and was still not believed.

These are the reasons why we need feminism. While there may be disagreements about how best to go about it and how women should empower themselves, at the end of the day it shouldn’t matter.

If you say you’re a feminist, you’re a feminist.

And there is nothing dirty about it. If you believe in the equality of the sexes, you’re a feminist.

Photo by OpenCliparts-Vectors

THE PATHWAY TO INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM

By Maisie Lee Newspaper Opinion Editor

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eminism doesn’t have borders but neither does hatred and bigotry. Feminists are called feminists in most languages, but the insults and slander against them take many different forms.

I come from the other side of the world, where feminism and the movement towards gender

equality have only recently started to speed up. While the many waves of the Western feminism discussed wage gaps and breaking the glass ceilings, we talked about abolishing stigma against female dress codes and illegal filming in public toilets that is circulated as ‘porn’. Female celebrities have ended their own lives, because they were forced to sleep with high-profile politicians and businessmen.

Sexual harassments were reported amongst the female prosecutors. The entertainment industry has pumped out female ‘idol groups’ formed with teenage girls, actively marketing their sexuality targeted towards older men.

This was the extent of nonsense I had to witness in a country with the 11th biggest economy in the world.

That is why moving to the west was an entirely different experience, but at the same time, surprisingly similar. I no longer had to worry about going bra-less or wearing cropped tops, or using public toilets in fear of getting filmed by a random pervert.

Wearing Photo by Karim Manjra | Unsplash thick layers of

make-up no longer meant I was ‘spoilt’. There was less pressure placed on conforming to a certain image of ‘fragile and weak’ girls—the quintessential definition of femininity I was used to. Being introduced to diversity and self-representation was a truly liberating experience.

Nevertheless, it was still an uncomfortable environment to introduce myself as a feminist.

The US #MeToo movement has proven that women in the US and Europe are not exempt from harassment by men in powerful positions. I now see tiers of oppression the women of racial and ethnic minority groups are facing. People are allowed to lend support to ‘gender equality’ but not ‘feminism’. The skepticism of feminism, so deeply entrenched within people’s subconscious, was not so different from what I escaped from. I was often stunned by the acts justified in the name of convention, culture, and ‘this is how it is supposed to be’.

To witness the recent ‘globalisation’ of feminism, therefore, is empowering.

Movements like ‘This Kent Girl

Can’, effectively asks people, what are feminists trying to say? What are feminists in Europe, America, Asia, and Africa are trying to achieve in the end?

We would all say female empowerment, education, representation, and liberation from stereotypes and gender roles. What would the world then look like? Both men AND women would be free from any frameworks or presumptions deriving from their sex.

Liberation of individuals.

That is the essence of feminism and it is happening in lot of places, both where I am from and where I live now.

Feminism could be that language we all speak, to bring about the next level of human liberation.

10

Opinion

THE MORNING-AFTER PILL SHOULDN’T BE A BITTER PILL TO SWALLOW

By Caitlin Casey Writer

T

his September, ellaOne—a leading brand for the morning-after pill in the UK—released their #MyMorningAfter campaign to dissolve negative preconceptions of emergency contraception and flatten the slut-shaming stigma surrounding it.

Heading to summer festivals like Bestival and Leeds, the movement reported that 46% of women surveyed had unprotected sex at least once during the year, but less than a third of those had used the morning-after pill to protect themselves. Why are over 70% of women putting themselves at risk of unwanted pregnancy?

Shame might be the first reason. Inconvenience may be the next. Even fear of infertility or repercussions may become a deciding factor in not taking Plan B. The campaign statistics show that only 1 in 10 feel comfortable taking emergency contraception. The pill that gives us autonomy over our sexual freedom is something that 90% of women don’t

confidently choose.

Licensed for UK use in 1984, Emergency Hormonal Contraception has become more accessible. It is available as ellaOne or Levonelle through the NHS, in sexual health clinics, online, and even at high street pharmacies like Superdrug and Boots. In 2015, progresses allowed the pill to be used for up to five days, giving women more time to take control than the mere 72 hours in place before.

Despite these developments, the morning-after pill is not the most convenient contraception.

Where condoms are thrown out and given away at freshers’ fairs and student unions for free, the MAP is more of a pursuit. It can be heavy on the pocket, costing up to £30.

When going into high-street stores or pharmacies, you may be snuck into the back room with a questionnaire about your experience. Not so reassuring.

Rumours and misguided

knowledge burden women as well. It is commonly believed that using the MAP puts your womb at risk. According to the Family Planning Association, two thirds of women believe that emergency contraception jeopardises fertility. In fact,

other forms of contraception is lacking, and the psychological burden following the use of MAP is often overlooked and unspoken.

At the University of Kent, the morning-after pill was previously offered at the 24/7 University Nursing Services.

Last year, when legislation restricted administrable bodies, students in freshers week could no longer simply take it from the nurses. Kent students today have to talk to three different people before obtaining the pill. You have to be referred by nurses in Keynes, grab your Photo by Bgtp | Wikimedia prescription from the there is no scientific evidence Medical Centre, and pop to the to suggest that it stops your University Chemist to collect ability to become pregnant. it. If your accident happened It’s a myth. MAP is not a on Friday night, you may face form of abortion. They are rushing around on Monday preventative. Whilst sperm can morning, while the pill loses live in the uterus for up to five its effectiveness over time. days, the morning-after pill Although attainable, a once stops ovulation and prevents comforting service at university potential conception. Sufficient is now an extensive, and often education of young females upsetting trip. and males about MAP and Disapproval of sexual liberty

is still a pressure that many women face. The NHS was recently criticised for its advert concerning emergency contraception, which patronisingly asked: ‘Would you give up heels and lipstick for a baby?’ How can women’s liberation grow when even national health services are giving an ultimatum between sexist stereotypes or the autonomy of childbirth?

It should be pointed out that amongst these anxieties over the morning-after pill, there are a few things that are true. It doesn’t protect against STIs, nor is it 100% effective—just like any other form of contraception—and some people face side effects.

The stigma, rumours, and misconceptions, however, are forms of distraction from the problem at stake: our sexual protection.

The truth is, accidents happen. Your morning-after shouldn’t ruin your night before. Women should be celebrating the chance to take back our autonomy. Reclaim your body, reclaim your protection, and reclaim your sexual freedom.

ARE MODERN MEN EXCLUDED FROM THE FEMINIST MOVEMENT?

By Lucy O’Brien Newspaper Opinion Sub-Editor

T

his Kent Girl Can has been, and continues to be, a great way to celebrate the growing recognition of the power of femininity and strong females here on campus and internationally. Along this escalating Feminist movement, though, is it fair to say that men are being left behind?

Women have long been mistreated, undercut, underrepresented, and overshadowed by their male counterparts, and continue to be to this day, which is why campaigns for female empowerment has been so crucial to changing societal attitudes towards gender and equality. The end of this long journey will include the equal

treatment, expectations, and quality of life of both sexes and all genders, not just the female.

The term ‘feminism’ is often associated with prejudiced ideas of radicalism, ‘antimale’ attitudes, or overbearing women who push for female domination. The most common reaction is to say ‘I am not a Feminist, but I do believe in gender equality’, as though the two concepts are not tautological. Some men are excluding themselves from a movement towards equal rights because the phrase ‘Feminism’ scares them away.

Indeed, there are many instances of male discrimination and mistreatment that are overlooked in the media. The feminist movement, however, is in favour of complete gender

equality, we aim to shed light on men and their problems as well as women’s.

Male mental health, for example, is a growing issue.

Just as much as women are socialised into bearing traditional ‘feminine’ traits such as emotionalism, men are raised to be unemotional and ‘strong’, often at the expense of their mental health and ability to deal with their emotions.

According to the Mental Health Foundation (MHF), of 6,233 suicides in Britain in 2013, 78% were male.

Expectations of ‘masculinity’ can lead to damaging experiences of emasculation, where men can feel ‘unmanly’ if they cannot conform to the ‘macho’ identity expected from them. By defying the gender stereotypes that have been long

entrenched and resided in our lives, feminism benefits both men and women.

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) refers to the term ‘Feminism’ as ‘the advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes’. Under this definition, we should all be feminists.

Women’s rights deserve a form of priority because we, as a gender, are still catching up from centuries of oppression and discrimination based on the assumption of our being the ‘inferior’ sex.

The march towards the ‘equality of the genders’ will always remain all-inclusive, recognising the struggles and challenges facing not only women, but people of all genders in society.

Photo by Marc Nozell | Wikimedia

Interview

Friday 26 October 2018 InQuire

11

INQUIRE INTERVIEWS: THE FEMINIST SOCIETY Interview by Maisie Lee & Lucy O’Brien

F

or This Kent Girl Can, InQuire has once again sat down with the Feminist Society, who actively campaigns at the forefront of various feminist and genderrelated issues. We talked about what it is like being feminists, intersectional feminism, and how can feminism become more inclusive.

the political world around us.

We’re starting a new campaign and are working not only in the local sphere of the University, but also in a wider network.

Marie: The campaign we are doing is called ‘the red box’.

We will be raising money and awareness for period poverty.

We want to gather people from the university and outside, to either give sanitary towels

Q: We are going to open the interview with the same question from last year. What does being a Feminist mean to you both individually?

Nelle: For me, feminism is something that is rooted in our lives, not just by our gender but in the society we live in.

For me personally, as a mixedrace, gay woman, intersectional feminism is the only feminism I can see working . I feel like everyone should have an equal footing and to achieve that, we obviously should recognise that some people need more help and suuport to get there.

Marie: For me it is about being able to help women who do not have previlege as much as other men and women do in the world; for example, women who are transgender or women who are gay. I think it is important thatwe use the power that we have to make a change.

Nelle: To tag on to that, our society is definitely not just for women. There is a focus on that, but it’s also for men, for non-binary individuals, for everyone that needs it.

Q: Could you tell us what you do as a society?

Nelle: We have two main platforms: entertainment and activism. For entertainment, we have things like socials and just gathering like-minded people to make new friends and mingle. We are also getting ourselves more involved in

and hygiene products, or give money so that we can partner up with a homeless shelter and help them. Not many women can obtain these products because they simply cannot afford them. Even when girls go to school and are just starting their period, some of their families cannot afford to give them these products.

Nelle: We have many goals along the way. We’ll have an overarching campaign for the month and then we’ll have many aims. For example, we are wanting to get sanitary bins all over campus because of course trans men, for instance, still need these products and facilities but do not necessarily feel comfortable in the bathrooms that are currently offered.

Q: Is your society still based on the belief of intersectional feminism?

Can you explain a bit more of what it means to our readers?

Nelle: Definitely. That’s at the root of our society. There

are generally three sections of feminism: The first wave, which is the suffragette era feminism and was very antiblack. Second wave, the traditional feminism, was very trans-exclusionary. I feel like all of these steps have had some sort of negative backlash, or elements that made feminism inaccessible. Intersectionality in general refers to the belief that everything links with each

we are tackling. It is simply untrue. We are here to try and break through these stigmas.

Q: What do you expect from ‘This Kent Girl Can’ this year? What could be different or better from the previous years?

Nelle: I think the campaign is amazing and we would love to do some kind of collaboration with one of the sports societies here. Last year, for example, I did a fencing ‘this girl can’ event.

It’s just nice to include women in a conversation that is so often male dominated.

Photo by UKC Feminist Society | Facebook We can be strong. It is other. Things like race, gender, nice that all of these societies disability all link to each other are coming together. It is very and intersectionality is there to powerful. encompass and help all of these issues rather than just tackling Maire: It is also important to one. We are not just there for make women feel comfortable, white women, we are here for as I feel like many do not when people of colour, trans and it comes to sports, due to non-binary people, disabled concerns on such as how they people, and the list goes on. would look. It’s a great way for girls and women to get together Marie: It is about recognising and not be embarrassed to people have different sweat, for instance, or wear no experiences and there are makeup. different factors such as class and race that will amount Nelle: In relation to the to people having different makeup topic for example, experiences. in no way do we feel women should be limited to what the Q: A lot of people claim media says. But also, if that is that they believe in the how some choose to look then equality of the genders that is just as valid. To be a but are afraid to identify woman is not simply as black themselves as feminists. and white as wearing makeup Why do you think this is or not. It is so much more and how can we change complex. this?

Q: How can this Feminist Nelle: I think it’s just the major and gender discussion be stigmas and stereotypes that more inclusive, not only to surround it. People will often men, but also to LGBTQ+, assume that feminists must be to disabled people, and to staunch and radical, hate men so many other identities in and conform to other horrible society? stereotypes. This is something

Nelle: As a committee we are very diverse. We have LGBTQ+ individuals, people of colour, etc. We are therefore able to look at feminism from different angles, and recognise that each one is just as unique to the other. I would say getting the word out is the answer.

Listening to other people’s stories and sharing your own makes you realise that our experiences are actually very similar in some ways. Even if they are different, we must recognise that is their struggle.

Marie: I feel like by us speaking out about our experiences and what we believe in empowers other women to realise that it is okay to be outspoken and it is okay to be a feminist. Lots of people may claim that ‘it’s not my thing’, but I think feminism is everyone’s ‘thing’.

Nelle: I think when it comes to men’s role in feminism, it is very important to tackle toxic masculinity because it is a major problem in today’s society. Feminism works really hard to break through this issue, and it is something that everyone should care about and work to improve.

Q: Do you have any messages you want to leave to our readers about Feminism in general?

Nelle: Honestly just come to our events. We cater to everyone and are very accessible.

Marie: Yes, don’t be scared. We won’t penalise you for being outspoken because that is what feminism is about.

Being powerful.

12

Lifestyle

‘A WOMAN’S SAVAGE X FENTY: GLORY IS IN ALL WOMEN HER HAIR’

By Aaliyah Harry Writer

ARE BEAUTIFUL

T

his was the first thing my dad said to me, after he got over the initial shock of my new short hair. It wasn’t as dramatic as it sounds, I only shortened it to a pixie cut; but, to him, losing my long hair was a feminine travesty. He couldn’t understand that wearing something I loved, in the face of people who clearly did not like it, made me feel liberated—I had never taken a risk like this before.

Although through childhood and adolescence, I ‘fit’ the conventional beauty standards, I always felt uneasy about it. It felt as if I was at the mercy of some power greater than myself.

Most of my self-worth was placed in my appearance – I felt good when someone complimented my looks, if the boys in my class noticed or the person I liked. This is where the unease originated from. I began to realise that I didn’t have control over my self-confidence, because of where it came from.

As beauty standards changed, so too could my self-confidence. My weight, skin, hair, are all subject to change, all out of my control, and I realised that trying to keep in line with what’s perceived as pretty would become a self-defeating process. And without being perceived as pretty—what would I have left? Not much, because most of my confidence relied on my appearance. It was at this point that I found myself picking up an interest in new clothes.

I started seriously considering what I was wearing, putting together new and eccentric outfits—it felt great.

Not because people liked what I was wearing, but because people liked that I was comfortable, that I could wear whatever I wanted, regardless of the trend, and feel happy. Things started to change. My confidence grew. I walked through school feeling less and less conscious of what everyone was thinking.

This all peaked when I cut my hair. It was an impulse decision – my parents are old-fashioned and wouldn’t allow it, so I hopped in a taxi. At the hairdressers, I asked to get it chopped all off, not knowing what to expect. I called my mum on the way, warning her.

By Katinka Pim Newspaper Lifestyle Editor

O

Photo by Katinka Pim

Interrupting her wails, I told her that my femininity does not lie in my hair.

That I can still be beautiful without long hair. She reluctantly agreed.

This was a game changer. People from all over school were commenting on how great I looked, how brave I was, how much more mature I seemed. Looking back, my first haircut was pretty terrible. I can’t imagine it was the actual style people were commenting on, but more the fact that I did it. I remember my heart racing when I walked through the school dining hall for the first time afterwards.

Afraid people would laugh or make snide comments.

I was prepared for it, however, as of course noone wants to be made fun of, but things were different. I cut my hair for me and me alone.

Eventually I stopped messaging 3 different group chats asking whether I should buy something, or about what outfit I should choose.

It was incredible, my confidence grew in every aspect of my life – in my relationships, in school, and in myself. I didn’t feel nervous talking to a new group of people or in front of class – because I no longer cared about what people thought.

If I were to give any advice, it wouldn’t be to go buy a new outfit and voila. It would be to find that magic thing that makes you confident.

Believe me, that’s much more worth it, rather than seeking validation from others.

ne rarely thinks of terms such as ‘acceptance’ and ‘empowerment’ when thinking about the fashion industry; Rhianna’s new line of Savage X Fenty lingerie, however, explores these boundaries, among many others.

With the help of choreographer Parris Goebel, Rhianna created an artistic masterpiece during New York Fashion week. This showcase brought acceptance of all women to the forefront.

The award-winning singer turned beauty mogul has now turned her attention to the fashion industry. The lingerie collection entitled ‘Savage X Fenty’, caters to women of all shapes and sizes, her show being a representation of just that. Brooklyn Navy Yard was full to the brim with women from all walks of life. Nude lace bralettes and bright fuchsia underwear was the norm, worn by dancers and pregnant models among many others. The pieces ranged from daring harnesses to

feminine silk robes. All of which were specifically designed to complement the model that took to the stage.

The show championed diversity and inclusivity. Set to moving dance performances by the charismatic dance collective, The Royal Family, and choreographed by New Zealand native, Paris Goebel, the cast of dancers followed the models emerging in and out of the botanical domes that created Photo by Getty Images

Rihanna’s savage, sultry world. They took this show to another level, bringing symbolic movement that complemented the models walks.

A stand out performance came from the stunning Slick Woods, a model whose ‘look’ defies western beauty standards in itself. Her walk was powerful, moving in a daring body harness perfectly showcasing her pregnant belly. Woods cradled her stomach proudly as she wowed the audience with her poise and grace.

She was one of two pregnant women to walk the runway. The other, Janina Thompson, wore a nude plunge-cut bodysuit. It must also be noted that Woods went into labour straight after the show. No doubt, the baby was as eager to see the iconic show as the rest of us.

The final bow included Rihanna walking down the runway in a figurehugging brown tube-dress with lace detailing. She paired the look with small brown cat-eye sunglasses shielding her eyes—though she couldn’t hide her smile . At the end of the show, the female models and dancers held hands as a sign of solidarity and unity. The idea of women supporting each other was in full effect. Savage X Fenty’s inclusive artistic masterpiece was a breath of fresh air—this is the future of fashion.

Rihanna continues to rewrite the rules within industries that have historically kept women trapped in projected boundaries. Previously, her Fenty Pro Filt’r Foundation range included a record-breaking debut of 40 shades and shook the foundations of the makeup industry. This inspired change, and seeing the continued efforts through her display at New York Fashion Week, the event will hopefully have the same effect. It seems she has a magic touch.

The Savage X Fenty show highlights a wish I have for all women, and the remainder of the world. No matter what differences—size, colour, shape, eyes, feet, or anything else—we are all beautiful and achieve anything we aspire to. My hope is that this is a defining moment for fashion, where women of all shades, shapes, and sizes can continue to be represented on the runway.

Friday 26 October 2018 InQuire

INTERVIEW WITH MICHELLE NORMAN: AN ARMY MAJOR W

13

Lifestyle

By Sophie Christodoulou Writer

hen Michelle Norman, an army Major for the past eight years, was deployed in Afghanistan for several months, a primary responsibility she had was liaising with their Afghan army counterparts. This was the most notable challenge Michelle faced during her time as a Major. Due to cultural differences, her gender made it particularly difficult for her to work with Afghan men, as they didn’t give her the same deference they would a male Major. Michelle’s work and ideas had to be presented through her sergeant major—a man. This made the whole process much quicker and easier for both parties, but reveals some of the injustice she faced as a woman.

There are 66,000 more men in the army than women, a fact which Michelle

feels. She said: ‘It can be lonely being a woman in the army, surrounded by such a significant number of men. Despite the bond I have with my colleagues, it’s not the same kind of friendship I have with women. I think that it’s helped develop my character, however, and I definitely think that I’m stronger for it’.

When asked about the respect she received from her fellow male soldiers, Michelle said: ‘You do have to work hard to gain their respect, but once you have it, you have it’. At one point in her position, she had control over a Royal Artillery Battery of 140 soldiers, and obtaining their trust and respect was crucial. Upon hearing this, I asked if being a woman affected how she managed her role. Did she feel like it differed from that of a male Major? ‘I

think having a female around makes the environment more normal and structured for the soldiers—it definitely makes them better behaved. I think that women are more emotionally intelligent. By that, I mean I can pick up on emotional issues easier than perhaps a male senior officer. Like anxieties or homesickness. Women just have that instinct, I guess.’

Michelle has a husband and son whom she loves dearly, she misses her family, but has ‘a massive support system at home, which makes it a hundred times easier. Everyone is in the same boat when you’re deployed. You become a family away from home, we all support one another. Besides, when you’re out there you have a serious job to do and that preoccupies your mind a lot.’

Photo by Michelle Norman

EXPERIENCE OF WOMEN IN NEPAL A

By Charlotte Maguire Writer

rriving in Nepal, in the lovely Lakeside of Pokhara, I was vastly unaware of the experience I was about to embark upon, especially the culture shock that I was to endure. I travelled to Nepal in order to work on a women’s empowerment course, which encouraged girls to stay in school, fight poverty, and work towards closing the unemployment gap between men and women. As a part of this, women from the local community came to learn various skills, such as arts, crafts, and languages.

When helping one of the school girls with her homework, I was startled when asked whether I was married. My automatic response was that I was only 19 (just nine years older than the girl). She then asked me why that was a problem.

Although the concept of marriage and having children are something I see in my future, these considerations are on the conscience of girls as young as nine in Nepal. Their society expects women to be married at this young age to husbands who are sometimes much

older than them.

I also spent time with the Sasane organisation, which was created by (and for) survivors of human trafficking. Whilst teaching us how to make their traditional dish of Momos, a type of dumpling, they

Photo by Terry Boycott | Unsplash

traumas to empower others, it was disappointing that it was up to the victims to start such a movement. Human trafficking is the world’s second largest form of organised crime, and still remains a huge problem in Nepal. Approximately 54 children go missing every day in connection with this crime.

While the wheel is slowly turning Photo by Janaya Dasiuk | Unsplash in favour of equal rights, women are still definitely under the control of a told heavy-handed patriarchy. Women in us their the west still horrific stories of being have a long way taken away from their families to go in regard and sold into sex slavery—and to obtaining how upon returning some were disowned by their families. Sasane, equal rights, it is important, meaning ‘let’s protect ourselves,’ however, to works with women by integrating recognise that them back into the community and by training them so that they can work other women across the independently in a male-dominated world who system. Welcomed into their homes, are struggling I felt a bittersweet sadness, though I through similar felt fortunate to be stood among such a conditions. group of strong women who used their

Food WOMEN AND EATING DISORDERS

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oth men and women are under the pressure of living up to the expectations created by the social media. We see celebrities living the life most of us can only dream about, reminding us of all that we lack, specifically concerning body and beauty.

Although men equally suffer from unobtainable expectations set by society and the media, the issue seems to raise more concern for women. Out of the 1.6 million people who currently suffer from an eating disorder, 89% are women.

Perhaps it’s because society has developed its definition of beauty into an unachievable goal, where we suffer from underlying pressure to look like the Kardashians, Hadid sisters, or any

of the numerous models invading our screens and magazines. Photoshop, however, creates these images of the ‘perfect’ woman. Regardless, many girls and women are deceived into believing that if they just take the right pills, do this particular routine, follow this new diet, they, too, can look like the new cover girl.

I interviewed two students who decided to speak up about their battle with eating disorders. The first has had an ongoing struggle against Bulimia Nervosa. I asked her if she had any triggers and how her disorder made her feel: ‘Sometimes, I feel okay about myself. But then I’ll see a photo taken a few years back and I’m reminded of how skinny I used to be. It’s hard to believe that I thought I was fat at

size 8, when now I’m size 12. Purging makes me feel better for half a second or so. Then I’m consumed by regret and disgust. It’s a horrible cycle and I want it to stop. I’ve started therapy and it’s helping me more than I ever thought it could.’

The second student I spoke to overcame her anorexia a few years ago.

They said: ‘Instagram was my trigger.

I was surrounded by girls I knew I could never look like. I wanted to be as thin as them, as beautiful as them.

But I never saw my own self-worth.

Sometimes I would only eat an apple a day, or a garden salad, and I always made sure I ate in front of people, so they would think I’m eating. When I was losing more and more weight, I couldn’t stop myself. I thought I would

reach my goal, but I never did. I was never thin enough. Eventually, after an eventful year, I got the help I needed.’

After hearing their stories and reading the statistics, it was clear that this modern perception of the ‘perfect woman’ has to change. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate among psychiatric disorders, and only 50% of those who have suffered will ever fully recover. Therefore, if you feel like this, like any of the above, then speak out. Talk to a doctor, a friend or family member, or even the wellbeing team here at Kent university.

Remember, every single woman is different. But they are all beautiful.

By Sophia Christodoulou Writer

HEALTHY DIETING QUICK COOKING TIPS D already eating. There are loads of healthy alternatives to extreme dieting that will help you achieve your goal weight.

Everybody is unique and as a result, our healthy weight bracket is always specific to the individual. Constantly checking your weight on the scales is not necessarily going to reflect your progress for dieting. Body Mass Index (BMI) is not always a genuine depiction of your health, and checking progress using scales can often be disheartening. We don’t always see weight changes at the same speed as other people.

If you reach your desired body type sooner than you expected, then don’t rigidly stick to weight change goals.

You should never try and change the way your body looks for anyone but yourself.

Body shaming is an unfortunately common thing that many members of society experience. If you start a diet because other people have pressured you into it, or made comments about how you look, this will most likely lead to eating disorders and other mental health troubles.

It is imperative to approach dieting with a positive mindset, and not for a quick fix. If your dieting is starting to take over your life, then this is a sign to leave it for another time. There is no shame in retreating from a diet that isn’t right for you.

Photo by Charles Deluvio | Unsplash

ieting can be difficult, however, it can also be a great way to make yourself feel more confident and healthier. If done for the wrong reasons, however, it can be a major contributor to falling into a dangerous mindset about health and well-being.

There are too many misleading and unhealthy ‘fad diets’ floating around on the internet, promoting weight change that is ‘scientifically proven’ to work.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case and these ‘fad diets’ can end up impacting people’s lives for the worse.

The first thing you should consider when thinking about dieting is, why do you want to do it?.

Sometimes it’s necessary for us to lose or gain weight for health reasons, or if done safely, to change the way our bodies look. There are many healthy and positive reasons for going on a diet, however it’s important to stick to a diet that is a healthy way for you and your body, whether that’s to lose or gain weight.

If you’re losing weight, don’t starve yourself. Follow whatever diet plan you’ve chosen, but remember, if it is fairly restrictive, and the hunger is difficult to cope with, then it is okay to eat. Maybe just have a healthy snack or a piece of fruit and cut back on the number of fatty foods you’re eating instead. Rather than skipping meals, you could increase your exercise regime to something a little more challenging.

If you’re putting on weight, stay away from binge eating and simply increase the calorie counts of meals you’re

By Lauren Innis Writer

By Lindsay Crissey writer

Photo by rawpixel | Unsplash

•Buy Tupperware and Cook more than one serving – Cooking multiple servings ensures that you can enjoy the same delicious meals without spending additional time in the kitchen. On average, cooked food can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and 1 month in the freezer (actual storing times may vary). With appropriate Tupperware, you can portion the meals ahead of time and just heat one container when it’s meal time.

•Cook food that makes great leftover meals – an alternative to eating the

Ingredients: •2 cups - Leftover cooked rice (cold) •1 cup or 1 steam bag Cooked Mixed vegetables •250 g - Cooked meat or meat substitute (optional) •2 - Eggs •1 stalk - Spring Onion (chopped) •2 tsp - Oil •1 tbsp - Soy Sauce •1 clove - Garlic (crushed)

same meal repeatedly is to prepare key ingredients in large quantities. This can then be turned into a different dish the later on. For example, leftover rice makes amazing fried rice the next day, and leftover cooked meat can be tossed with pasta and pasta sauce (my favourite is marinara).

•Skip the fresh seasoning – For recipes that require freshly chopped seasoning, powdered or pre-packaged seasoning can be substituted saving a lot of prep time. Of course, you will be sacrificing flavour for convenience but as long as Gordon Ramsay isn’t sampling your dishes, it should be an adequate substitute.

•Use pre-packaged sauces – supermarkets offer a wide range of sauces and marinades that can take any dish to the next level. Some recommendations for meat and meat substitutes are teriyaki, tikka masala and jerk bbq sauce.

Directions:

•In large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tsp of oil and scramble the eggs. Remove from pan and set aside •Add the remaining oil and sautee only the white pieces of spring onion with the garlic.

•Add the rice and the soy sauce and stir until the soy sauce is coating the rice •Add the cooked mixed vegetables, and the meat or meat substitute. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes stirring occasionally •Add the scrambled eggs and the green spring onion and remove from heat •Serve and Enjoy

Friday 26 October 2018 InQuire

15

Lifestyle

LIVING WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME: KATIE LIVINGS Interview by Bill Bowkett

Photo by The Mount School

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raduating from sixth form and gaining a place at university is a unique experience for everyone. It is a time when the student feels excited, sad, and everything in between. It is a huge accomplishment which brings inner pride to those who had to go through tough times. But for Katie Livings, 18, from York, that very much was the case.

Katie suffers from Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), a long-term illness with a wide range of symptoms, with the most common symptom being extreme tiredness.

People with ME may have other symptoms, including sleep problems, headaches, problems thinking, remembering, or concentrating and many more.

Katie, who was diagnosed with the condition in 2013, has said that the journey from being diagnosed has been one of great difficulty and shock.

‘Living with ME can be quite difficult.

I was quite surprised when I found out I was diagnosed, although it took a while for me to realise the full extent of

‘I was quite surprised when I found out I was diagnosed. It took a while for me to realise the full extent of the condition.’ the condition.’

Her constant feeling of tiredness and other physical symptoms makes it hard for Katie to carry out everyday activities. Not only that, but the severities of her symptoms vary from day to day, or even within a day.

‘Having ME means that I am able to do less studying and that it takes me longer to complete work, especially when I am not feeling well.’

The causes of ME are one of great mystery, but there are a number of theories put forward. For instance, it may be triggered by an infection, or certain factors could make you more

likely to develop the illness. Suggested triggers for ME include viral infections, such as glandular fever; bacterial infections, such as pneumonia, problems with the immune system, genetics within the family, mental health problems, and more.

Types of ME treatments may include cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), a structured exercise programme called graded exercise therapy (GET), medication to control pain, nausea, and sleeping problems, and more.

As a result of her diagnoses, Katie had to leave secondary school and be home-schooled to cater to her condition, something which Katie finds particularly difficult even today.

‘It can be quite difficult to do activities with my friends if I am feeling unwell,’ said Katie.

‘However, all my friends are very understanding about this; I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them and their support.’

As well as asking for her family and friends for support, Katie found it useful to talk to other people with ME through the different charities which

highlight the condition.

Most people with CFS get better over time, Katie being one who has seen improvements over time, although many people that suffer from the condition do not make a full recovery.

‘I was told it would take 6 months to a year to recover, although I am much better now than I was then, I still suffer from ME.’ When the time came for Katie to sit down for her examinations this year, her college, The Mount School, put the interests of Katie first by letting her take her exams at home and invited teachers to invigilate her examinations in order boost the chances of her succeeding amidst her condition. She cracked down and battled through with the dream of gaining a place at a law school in Britain.

To the delight and surprise of Katie, her results saw her achieve an A* n French and in Extended Project Qualification writing about the illness she has suffered for the last five years and As in History and English.

‘I was really surprised and very happy,’ recounted Katie, who thanks to her determinations and outstanding grades allowed Katie to gain a place at the University of Kent to study Law and French Law, which I am delighted to say Katie has been ‘enjoying a lot’ since joining in September.

‘I really struggled with ME during my A-levels, so I was really happy to have got the grades to be accepted into the Kent Law School which I really wanted to join.’

She added: ‘The University and Union have been really supportive since I have joined Kent. Student support have been amazing and the support through the KLS student support has been great. It has really helped with my studies.’

Katie is not completely sure what career she wants to pursue in the future, but she said after working as a receptionist in the Kent Law Clinic that she would like to do a job that can help others.

‘This has got me considering becoming a solicitor after finishing my degree.’

16

Entertainment

TV

MOST ICONIC FEMALE CHARACTERS

By Jake Yates-Hart Writer he Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) – Doctor Who Doctor Who focuses on the titular time-travelling alien, who on the lieu of death, can regenerate into a new man. For the first time, however, the thirteenth incarnation of the Doctor is being played by a woman, Jodie Whittaker.

Amongst the controversy on whether the Doctor can or should be female, Whittaker has already excelled in the iconic role with Photo by 20th Century Fox the charisma, humour, and dramatic flair that her predecessors have presented in the past.

T

Photo by BBC

Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) – Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Photo by Netflix

Photo by Wikicommons

‘One girl in all the world. One chosen with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires’ is the tagline to this iconic 90s show that focuses on teenage Photo by 20th Century Fox Buffy Summers, who of course, slays vampires.

Sarah Michelle Gellar played Buffy wonderfully, and the character herself underwent amazing character development. Buffy was the pinnacle of how feminism was represented in the television during its air, and the feminist teachings and metaphors (a slayer being an allegory for woman power as well as sexuality) still holds up to this day.

Lisa Simpson (Yeardley Smith) – The Simpsons: Intelligent, empathetic, and creative, Lisa acts as the perfect role model for children everywhere, as well as the voice of reason in the otherwise absurd, fictitious Springfield town. For an animated cartoon, Lisa also goes under important character development; from becoming a vegetarian, to turning to Buddhism for religious expression, to even becoming President of the United States. Lisa’s character has continued to inspire children who ever felt like the wallflower in school or even in their own family.

Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) – I Love Lucy: For a show that aired during the fifties, ‘I Love Lucy’ was groundbreaking, earning huge praise from fans for Lucy’s pregnancy storyline—to the point that more people tuned in for the episode where Lucy gave birth to Little Ricky than the broadcasting of President Eisenhower’s inauguration.

Lucy is also cemented as an iconic and influential character in comedy because of the pure charisma and slap-stick humour that emulates from her, due in no small part to Lucille Ball’s excellent portrayal as well as the clever writing from those such as Jess Oppenheimer.

Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) – How to Get Away with Murder: Annalise Keating is a character, unlike anyone, has ever seen on television.

Played by Emmy-winning Viola Davis, Annalise is an intelligent black woman, a ground-breaking representation for women of colour in television. She doesn’t live between the margins in How to Get Away with Murder, she is the main character. Flawed but layered in her storylines, as well as earning a successful career in law, Annalise has been able to overcome any hurdle that she’s faced. Her influence on the representation of women of colour is what has helped put her on this list of iconic characters.

Friday 26 October 2018 InQuire

Film

Entertainment

KATHRYN BIGELOW: DEFINING THE EXTREME

By Yoan Dzhugdanov Writer ver since her classic 1991 blockbuster ‘Point Break’ hit cinemas, Kathryn Bigelow has transgressed Hollywood convention, and, ultimately, re-defined the action film with her approach to directing.

She is, as critic Jim Hemphill argues: a filmmaker whose work ‘both satisfies and transcends the demands of formula to create cinema that’s ideologically complex, viscerally thrilling, and highly personal’. Bigelow herself prefers to not directly brand her films as action, but instead says they have the ‘potential to be kinetic.’

There is a dynamism and energy invested into her work, which makes her films unique, as a result of her ‘purpose-built’ camera equipment, allowing her to create a variety of extremely mobile shots, reinforcing how much she values practicality and physicality as part of her approach to filmmaking.

Bigelow shot to mainstream Hollywood success with her 1991 crime thriller Point Break which starred Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze.

It told the story of an undercover rookie FBI agent who is tasked with investigating and infiltrating a band of surfers who commit a series of bank robberies. The film was a critical and

box-office hit with Bigelow receiving from the highly-stylized manner of her acclaim for her direction. The film was previous work, and instead adopting praised particularly for its stunning a more experimental approach, with action sequences with which Bigelow the film’s fast-paced editing, handmade a name for herself, and held cameras, and rapid zoom showing her ability to techniques. Following the direct spectacular film’s release and critical thrilling action success, it triumphed scenes made for at the following the big screen. year’s awards For the season. It was next decade, nominated for Bigelow’s 9 Academy career Awards, ventured winning 6 into a of those, series of including Best critical and Picture and commercial Best Director, failures with making Bigelow films like the first and, to ‘Strange Days’ date, only woman to Photo by The Cinessential and ‘K-19: The ever win an Oscar for Widowmaker’, which Best Director. received mixed reviews Bigelow’s next film, ‘Zero Dark and bombed financially. It wasn’t Thirty’, released in 2012, about the until 2008 that Bigelow made her manhunt for Osama Bin Laden, was comeback, with the award-winning similar to ‘The Hurt Locker.’ It saw ‘The Hurt Locker’, which follows Bigelow advance with the same style members of a bomb squad serving of filmmaking, whilst maintaining in the Iraq War. It was with this film the geopolitical undertones and that Bigelow transitioned into a more commentary. The film may have serious style of filmmaking; deviating sparked controversy in its depiction of

By Holly Winder Writer 1. Wonder Woman - Patty Jenkins The DCEU origin story for the Diana of Themyscira aka Wonder Woman had a lot of anticipation built around its development. The final result, personally, was well worth the wait.

Gal Gadot is fantastic in the title role: a strong, Amazonian woman, taken from her relatively peaceful world and plunged into one of men and warfare, wherein Jenkins captures the moral struggle of this heroic figure with profound depth.

2. American Psycho - Mary Harron A tensely chilling thriller, narrated by the protagonist, Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), is given a fantastically twisted comedic effect in this adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s novel.

Harron juxtaposes the relative quiet of everyday life with the sinister edge of a

psychopathic killer who is losing hold over the desire to express his violent need. With a killer 80s soundtrack you should watch this edgy flick.

3. Awakenings - Penny Marshal Poignancy and heart-wrenching loss are what characterises this real-life drama, as Marshall directs two top dollar names, in Robert De Niro and Robin Williams. Both of whom give incredible performances as a catatonic patient and his doctor, respectively, both working to cure the former of his ailment. The delicate nature of the film is treated with the utmost dignity, as the ‘awakening’ from his coma leaves De Niro with the understanding that his new lease of life may not last as long as he wishes.

4. Boys Don’t Cry - Kimberly Peirce A powerful, biographical

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the CIA’s torture practises, however, it was once again a critical and financial success, which saw Bigelow’s film earn a further 5 Academy Award nominations. Bigelow inverted genre conventions by placing a female lead at the film’s centre, portrayed by Jessica Chastain, who subsequently went on to win a Golden Globe for her performance.

Bigelow’s latest film, ‘Detroit’, released last year, about the city’s 1967 riots, may have been a financial disappointment, but it certainly pleased critics, with Bigelow once again receiving high praise for her direction. Her last three films have been substantial proof of her ability to tackle controversial and daring themes and issues, whilst producing films that are captivating, meaningful and that challenge her audiences.

Arguably, there is no other female director like Kathryn Bigelow. She has defined what the extreme film is and can be for over two decades, whilst tackling the political, and doing it well. Her filmmaking is visceral, immersive, and utterly relentless, and we shall certainly be anticipating her next cinematic endeavour: the black American.

5 GREAT FILMS DIRECTED BY WOMEN dramatisation of the story of Brandon Teena, a transgender man, is given life on the screen by Kimberly Peirce. In an Oscar-winning performance, Hilary Swank portrays the main character, a young individual in Nebraska who lives and finds love as a man, keeping the truth of his biological sex a secret for fear it will claim his life.

Photo by Warner Bros

5. Point Break - Kathryn Bigelow With this classic cop-action film starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, Bigelow truly directs what has become, for many, an all-time favourite.

The rookie FBI agent, Johnny Utah (Reeves) infiltrates a surfing ring to investigate a string of robberies, and leads to what is, personally, one of the most cinematic and brilliantly rendered end sequences ever seen in film.

Audiences are left spellbound at the simple perfection of its finale.

18

Entertainment

Music

THE MOST EMPOWERING FEMINIST ANTHEMS

By Charlotte Hirst Writer

‘You Don’t Own Me” – Lesley Gore Lesley Gore recorded the song in 1963 when she was 17 years old. It soon became popular among young women at the time—it expresses a need for a woman’s respect and freedom within a relationship. Gore tells her lover that he does not own her or possess her like a mere objectified trophy. The song’s lyrics became an inspiration for young women at the time and are oftentimes cited as an anthem within the second wave feminist movement. Gore said of her work: ‘I’m 17, what a wonderful thing, to stand up on a Photo by Legacy Recordings stage and shake your finger at people and sing you don’t own me’.

God Is a Woman – Ariana Grande Ariana Grande’s ‘God Is a Woman’ was released in July 2018 and soon became heralded as the feminist anthem which the world was so desperately in need of. Mike Nied of music blog Idolator referred to the song as ‘a sexually liberated bop.’

The music video featured a voiceover monologue by Madonna as well as a homage to the creation of Adam, Romulus and Remus, astrological Photo by Genius imagery, and visuals illustrating the power of female pregnancy.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper Hard Out Here – Lily Allen Re-released in 1983, Cyndi Lauper’s From Lily Allen’s 2013 album version of the song gained immediate ‘Sheezus’, this song was followed by attention as a feminist anthem, as it a stream of critical acclaim due to its conveyed the message that all women pushing back against the body image really want is to be able to have the same and misogyny issues within the music experiences and enjoyment as men. The industry itself. Rolling Stone called upbeat tempo accompanied lyrics which the song a ‘feminist anthem through emphasise the every-man desire to be and through’ as Allen tackled the accepted. Lauper used the theme in her ‘tired gender roles and expectations to music video by finding women of all double standards regarding sex and shapes, sizes, and colours to represent appearance for men and women.’ those around the world.

U.N.I.T.Y – Queen Latifah The Grammy Award-winning song

by Queen Latifah was released in 1993 from her album ‘Black Reign’. In the song, she spoke out against the mistreatment of women within society by addressing issues including street harassment, the commonality of misogynistic language, and domestic violence.

Her aim was to call out those, especially within the music industry, who would seek to tear women down for fear of their success outshining their own.

Respect – Aretha Franklin A 1967 hit for Aretha Franklin, the song is a declaration of a strong and independent woman who knows that she has all that her man wants and thus demands his ‘respect’. Her version of the song was considered a social demand for increased respect to women during the Civil Rights Movement as well as the Vietnam War, where women were playing roles as civil rights activists oftentimes without suitable recognition and acknowledgment.

Just a Girl – No Doubt From American band No Doubt’s third album and written by Gwen Stefani, the song was considered “new wave” due to the sarcastic lyrics as well as the title of the song itself being an ironic inversion of the helpless woman stereotype.

Written from the perspective of a girl frustrated with her parents, Stefani vocalises the disgust of all women at being referred to as ‘just a girl.’

Photo by Billboard

I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor Sung by American singer Gloria Gaynor in 1978 the song’s lyrics tell of an inner discovery of personal strength and the desire to persist following the end of a relationship.

Since its release 40 years ago Gaynor’s evocative track has been heralded as a symbol of female empowerment and a gay anthem, due to its message of strength and finding one’s identity despite hardships.

Photo by Wikicommons

Photo by Genius

Listen – Beyoncé Written for the 2006 musical film ‘Dreamgirls’ and recorded

by Beyoncé, Listen is sung by the singer’s character Deena Jones.

The emotional punch of ‘and I am telling you I’m not going’ comes at a time in the film where Deena reveals her disdain and frustration at being seen merely as her manager’s property. The song is a guttural exclamation of independence and the right to exist as a woman without needing to have an attachment to a man to succeed.

PYNK – Janelle Monáe Released in April 2018, this song is from Janelle Monáe’s third album ‘Dirty Computer’ and currently has over 10 million views. Due to its euphoric expression of female empowerment and embracing oneself, the song has been dubbed an iconic feminist anthem for the modern age.

Monae herself describes the song as ‘a celebration of creation, self-love, sexuality’ and the colour pink was chosen as it ‘unites all of humanity’ as it is ‘found in the deepest and darkest nooks and crannies of humans everywhere.’

Friday 26 October 2018 InQuire

19

Entertainment

Trench by Twenty One Pilots A

fter their last album ‘Blurryface’ was released in 2015, Twenty One Pilots returns with the conceptual album ‘Trench’.

The American duo, Josh Dun and Tyler Joseph, returns with a more cohesive and mature fifth album. After a break on social media last year, they decided to create unexpected album.

Indeed, Tyler said in an interview for Beats 1 ‘sometimes it’s hard to just start creating’, but the bet seems successful.

Indeed, the releases of the marketing music videos ‘Jumpsuit’, ‘Levitate’, and ‘My Blood’ have hit the charts. They have already reached 39 million views on YouTube.

As a continuity to ‘Blurryface’, they still explore themes surrounding insecurity, faith, and mental illness by framing them within the conceptual world of Trench. The whole album is about a fictional destination, the walled city of Dema, ruled over by nine bishops who keep its population suppressed. Josh and Tyler have shifted from a character-

By Charlotte Delangle Writer

music and the decisions made in it.

Twenty One Pilots’s style is mainly alternative rock and rap rock but they also combine hiphop, reggae, techno, and indie pop. Trench reflects all these eclectic styles and it matches the songs well. The dystopian narrative is clearly the best they have done since now, and we can even hear the story in the musical continuity between the songs. The opening song of the album, Photo by Mighty Ape ‘Jumpsuit’, is similar to based concept, Blurryface, to an entire the fuzzing guitar riffs world. They wanted to understand and of The Black Keys. It ends by Joseph dissect people around them. During the screaming the chorus as a sign of his conception of the album, it appeared distress: ‘I crumble underneath the essential to Tyler to dive deep. Trench weight / Pressures of a new place roll also expresses comments about the my way’. It fades into the next song of

the album ‘Levitate’. With the only love song ‘Smithereens’, everything shatters and it frames the way to the punchy rap song ‘Neon Gravestones’, exploring the reasons for suicide and describing how the media glorifies famous people after they die: ‘an earlier grave is an optional way. No.’ In ‘Nico and the Niners’ there is a lighter vibe as Joseph alternates between rapping and singing.

As the final climax track, ‘Bandito’, the insurrectionary organization enters the story.

These cryptic stories cover the prevalent issues of anxiety, depression, and suicide prove Twenty One Pilots are an urgent and vital band.

People who have seen them on stage know that they have a huge tendency to be completely off their rocker. It’s sheer lunacy. They will give three Wembley Arena concerts in London on 7th, 8th, and 9th March 2019.

Maybe you will have the chance to carry the drum which is moving around above the crowd.

20

Feature

UNIVERSITY ROAD SPEAKS OUT AFTER

This article contains sensitive and graphic content that may be dusturbing for some readers.

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loodied and sprawled on the cold pavement, Olivia opened her eyes as her attacker walked away into the night, laughing.

A year later, every face turned to look at her as she walked into the court room. People had asked her why she wanted to go, why she wanted to face the man who had attacked her. She wanted him to look into her eyes, she told them, and know the suffering he had inflicted on her, silently asking him the question that had plagued her mind for the last year, ‘Why?’ In the early hours of 2 June 2017, Olivia (fake name), 19, began her walk back to campus after a night out with friends at The Cuban. ‘We were meant to get a taxi, but I didn’t want to pay’, it was a warm night after all and she had her headphones with her. Her usual route home took her underneath a dimly lit bridge, so she decided to take a longer way home, a ‘safe route’, along the main road.

As she approached University Road, a car came up alongside her. A man rolled down the window and shouted something incomprehensible before driving away. Olivia pulled her headphones from her ears and watched the car leaving, increasing her pace. ‘Nearly home’ she thought, looking behind her. She couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was following her, even though the road was silent and empty aside from her quickened footfalls. As she turned on to University Road, she felt momentary relief before she heard a second pair of footsteps, ‘I knew someone was running up behind me’.

She turned to look moments before she was violently thrown to the ground.

She was strangled and then he began to beat her. ‘I was punched in the face over and over again, there was so much blood. I remember pulling my hand away from my face, staring at my blood covered fingers. I was trying to hold him back, kicking him. It was terrifying, I was so scared.’ ‘The last thing I heard him say was “this is going to happen”,

and then I blacked out’.

Olivia finally regained consciousness and saw her attacker laughing as he walked away, leaving her bloodied and stunned on the ground. In a daze, she collected her things and instinctively ‘just started sprinting’.

As she stumbled home Olivia’s only thought was, ‘I don’t want anyone to see me’. Disorientated, fearful, and in pain, she still felt somehow ashamed of what had just taken place. But as she passed The Venue, two girls noticed her and ran over to help. ‘All I remember thinking is: I want to go home’ but she knew that if those girls hadn’t been there she ‘probably would’ve gone back, showered, and tried to forget it ever happened’. They led her back to her flat, phoned the ambulance, the

‘THE LAST THING I HEARD HIM SAY WAS “THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN”’ police, and her mum.

The police and the ambulance came immediately. They asked her questions, the women in the ambulance was nice, Olivia said, ‘she added me on Facebook, we’re still friends’; but the poking and prodding for evidence samples felt ‘invasive’, especially only minutes after her attack. After being driven to hospital she spent three hours waiting to be seen by a doctor, and was then questioned by the Major Crimes Unit investigators, having to go over and over the attack just hours after it had occurred. The woman who led the investigation was kind, she said, and they all took care of her; but it was still exhausting. ‘They were all telling me “do this” and “do that” and I was put in the back of a car,

driving to place after place’. She wasn’t allowed to shower, hadn’t slept, and was only able to return home nearly twelve hours later. This began her long and tiresome journey into what became a nine-month investigation to find the person who had done this to her.

As the investigation stretched on, she began to lose hope.

The police were no closer to finding her attacker and no matter how much information she provided it was never enough. She never felt ‘believed’ or ‘supported’ by the police, they told her ‘well you were drunk, you don’t remember that’. She couldn’t help but question herself, but she knew what happened that night. ‘You believe it, you stay strong’, she would tell herself.

In the days and weeks that followed Olivia felt lost, ‘I remember just sleeping for hours. Not doing anything. I didn’t even want to train, and I love training’. Her determination to push the memory as far out of her mind as possible made it difficult for her to finally admit, ‘I’m not okay’. When first attempting to seek help she came across agencies with two year waiting lists. She finally found a professional therapist who helped her come back out of her shell. ‘She listened, she offered support, gave me different ways I could cope with things. Because I wasn’t coping in the right ways. I was isolating myself.’

At the time of the attack, Olivia was in her first year at the University of Kent. She’d ‘always been outgoing’ but the events of that night were enough to make her never want to leave the house again; but ‘I knew that if I didn’t go out then, I would probably never go out again. Putting myself back out there was the only way that I was going to start moving forward’. Two weeks after the

attack she returned to The Cuban and began her journey of overcoming the trauma that haunted her.

After a long summer with no leads on

Friday 26 October 2018 InQuire

21

ASSUALT SURVIVOR TWO YEAR SILENCE

By Molly Hope Editor-In-Chief & Ellie Fielding Food Sub-Editor

her attacker, she made the decision to start fresh.

The therapy she had been attending taught her how to understand and communicate her emotions, something she had struggled with her whole life. Olivia decided to start university again with a different course so she could follow her new dream of joining the Major Crimes Unit.

‘I’ve been through it, I know what it was like, and if it happens to anyone else, I really want to help’.

The thought of going through first year again terrified her, heavy drinking and many nights out were now things she feared— Olivia, however, was determined not to let her new fears hold her back.

By February, seven months after the attack, Olivia had given up on the possibility of finding the man that had

assaulted her; but, one night, whilst hosting an event, she got a call from the police. They needed her to come in and try to identify him from a selection of pictures, immediately. Filled with relief, she rushed down to the police station the following morning. They showed her the pictures and her heart sank. ‘I couldn’t identify him.

I had tried so much to forget, that when I was looking at the images, I just wasn’t connecting to anything’. Again, Olivia was faced

with reporters, investigators, prosecutors, her attacker, and his family. His wife, consumed in sadness, sobbing at the scene of her husband being sent away—’They really thought he hadn’t done anything’. Although attending the sentencing was optional, Olivia felt sure she needed to be there. She wanted him to look at her and know what he had done, know of the suffering he had inflicted. He was charged with committing assault with the intention of committing sexual assault, and sentenced to 8 years, only three of which he will need to spend in jail.

She had hoped it would’ve been longer, but at least he was behind bars. ‘He might never have been found, so I am glad he was sentenced.

Do I agree with his sentence?

No. But I’m glad that there was justice’.

Not only did Olivia’s report prevent the attacker from doing this again, it allowed the police to connect him to similar crimes he had committed in the past, providing closure for other girls just like her.

Olivia spoke out about what happened to her that night,

‘IT’S NOT GOING TO STOP ME FROM DOING WHAT I WANT TO DO’ with the possibility that her attacker would go free, but this time, she felt like it was her fault.

Luckily for Olivia, through DNA evidence, they found him.

A 30-year-old, with one wife and two kids. He was arrested, and the trial date was set. On the morning of the trial, he pled guilty in order to avoid a longer sentence. It wasn’t over, she had one last challenge to overcome: the sentencing. A room filled

she called the police, and used different tools to move forward. To any girls who have gone, or are going, through a similar experience, ‘speak out.

You need justice for your own peace of mind. There’s so much help the police and different agencies can offer you. By speaking out you can get help’.

Olivia has gone on to excel in her education and social environment, proving that no matter what you’re going through, you can still live a full, happy, and successful life. ‘It’s not going to stop me from going on. It is not going to stop me from doing what I want to do’.

If you have just been assaulted, are on campus, and you or others are at risk, please immediately call: Campus Security: 3333 or 01227 823333 For support, contact the Wellbeing Team: www.kent.ac.uk/ studentwellbeing/counselling Tel: 01227823206 Crisis drop-in sessions are available with a Wellbeing advisor. Monday-Friday 2pm3:30pm

22

Games

Heat Signature review

By Chris Atkinson Writer

H

eat Signature is a 2017 game developed by a small, 5-man team called Suspicious Developments.

Developed by Tom Francis, John Winder, and John Roberts, with music composed by John Halpart and Christopher James Harvey, Heat Signature is an action and stealth game played from a top-down view. The player takes control of a member of a group of mercenaries who embarks on a variety of missions.

The aims of these missions vary, from rescuing prisoners to assassinating crewmembers or stealing technology. To aid them in these objectives the player has a variety of different weapons and gadgets, ranging from swords to guns, to devices that can swap your location with someone else.

This game might also have the greatest modern use of procedural generation I’ve seen in a while.

Everything from the galaxy your

campaign is set into the equipment and stats that your character has will be

randomised. Perma-death is another system that is used in this game, and, while I haven’t had too much experience

with the harder missions, the game can still be brutal when you leave your

players to pause missions whenever they want, which opens a multitude of new options I’ll avoid spoiling.

While it is entirely possible to complete your objectives in realtime, it is a lot more fun to break into a room, kill a guard, pause the game, and then teleport his gun to you before neutralising his companion. There is something about using this system to plan your attacks and how you’re going to complete your objectives that feels incredibly exciting in a way that I can’t quite explain.

Heat Signature is one of the most interesting and innovative games I’ve played in a while.

The fact that so few people have heard of it is almost insulting considering how good it is. Trust Photo by Suspicious Developments me, buy this game when you get the chance. It’s worth it too. Go guard down. on, grab your sword. Fire up your ship’s One of the few parts of Heat Signature engines. We’ve got people to kill and a that is unique is the system that allows universe to save.

Science and Tech Henrietta Lacks and the HeLa cell line Friday 26 October 2018 InQuire

By Meera Solanki Writer ts January 1951 at the John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, USA and an African-American woman is diagnosed with cervical cancer. This is Henrietta Lacks. Henrietta underwent radium treatments in an attempt to cure the disease, but sadly, that same year she passed away aged 31. She left behind a husband and five children. Unknown to her family until 1976, Henrietta also left much more than this behind – her HeLa cells.

During her treatment at the hospital, a biopsy of Henrietta’s cervical tumour was isolated and later investigated

by Dr George Gey. Dr Gey had been analysing cervical cancer cells from various patients and monitored their ability to grow in vitro - in the lab, outside the body. He hadn’t had much success in doing so until the cancer cells from Henrietta were investigated.

Surprisingly, Henrietta’s cancer cells had the ability to grow and reproduce rapidly, unlike any of the other cells Dr Gey analysed before. It was this ability to continuously divide that researchers named the cells the first ‘immortal cell line’, meaning that they were the first culture of human cells to grow and proliferate in vitro.

The cell line was named ‘HeLa’ after Henrietta Lacks, but she wouldn’t ever know about them, and they wouldn’t be

traced back to her for another twenty years at least. In the meantime, the cells were often mistaken for other false names like ‘Helen Lane’ to avoid traceability. The HeLa cells were grown into cultures, and would have enormous potential in cancer research and other medical fields.

Around the same time of Henrietta’s death, there was an outbreak of the polio virus which had infected over 60,000 children in the USA alone.

Researchers were keen to find a vaccine that was effective at preventing infection, and needed cells to test these vaccines on. Originally they had been using cells from Rhesus monkeys, but of course, the vaccine was targeted towards humans, so the use of human cells was needed.

Jonas Salk, a virologist studying the polio virus, gained cultures of HeLa cells and studied those infected with the polio virus, in an attempt to develop a vaccine. In 1953, he did just this and was so confident in the vaccine’s protection from polio that he tested it on himself, his wife, and his children.

A large trial was conducted a year later evaluating the effectiveness of the vaccine tested on HeLa cells and in the following year, the vaccine was licenced for public use.

According to the World Health Organisation, the cases of polio have decreased by 99% with the vaccine

being a main contributor of this trend. This would not have been possible without Henrietta Lacks and her HeLa cells. But it is not just polio that has been combatted by the HeLa cells. These ‘immortal’ cells have also been used in developing techniques for analysing chromosome structure and number, and in the development of the HPV vaccine used in 12 to 15 year old girls for protection against cervical cancer.

As uplifting as these advances have been, what’s tragic, is that Henrietta never knew that her cells would have such an influence.

And, whilst most of us would disagree in the use our cells without our permission, in this case, maybe those retrieving her cells could be forgiven. This is emphasised in the contribution of HeLa cells to scientific research, with more than 65,000 published studies utilising the HeLa cells since their isolation in 1951.

It’s almost certain that, if not in the past, then in the future we will all benefit from the research into HeLa cells, and should be thankful for Henrietta Lacks’ legacy.

By Steven Allain Writer limate change probably isn’t an alien subject to most people. It’s the name given to the man-made changing of the planet’s climate due to the action of burning fossils fuels and deforestation, among other things.

Worryingly, a report recently published by the Intergovernmental

Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that ‘unprecedented’ changes are needed to stave off dire impacts if the world warms 1.5°C beyond the preindustrial period. A rise of 1.5°C doesn’t sound like much, but it is enough to cause havoc on a global scale, causing changes to weather patterns leading to more extreme weather.

Hurricanes such as Katrina could

be the new norm, or even worse. This will lead to famine, flooding, lack of resources such as food and water, and ultimately to war over available resources. The target of keeping rising global temperatures to within 1.5°C and 2°C was one of the key points of the Paris Agreement, which became effective as of 4th November 2016.

Currently humankind is altering the landscape and atmosphere of the planet at a rate which is has not been seen in its 4.5 billion year history. Species are becoming extinct at an accelerated rate—extinctions have historically taken place over relatively short periods of geological time, not a generation or a lifetime.

Even the extinction of the dinosaurs, which most people think of as an instantaneous event, took around 1,000 years. The burning of fossil fuels is returning carbon that was once locked up inside the fuel to the atmosphere where it traps heat which would usually escape into space.

The loss of rainforests, that would usually act as a sink to hold all of this additional carbon, isn’t helping. All of

these interplay, and by altering the way weather systems and oceans function, we are putting our own survival in jeopardy.

There is hope though as the report states that the target is still affordable and feasible, although it lies at the ambitious end of the Paris Agreement, which is still within reach. This is a battle that isn’t just going to be won by governments alone. The people of each nation need to come together to put the pressure on policymakers to delivery radical change. There are a number of online resources where you can find how to reduce your carbon footprint, such as eating less meat and recycling. The report states that we would need to cut carbon pollution by almost half by 2030 to have any chance of starting to reverse the changes we’ve already initiated.

With more need than ever to reduce our damage to the fragile ecosystems on Earth, it is hoped that new technology and a growing conscious society will help to fuel the green revolution. If we don’t then the evidence is clear, our species as well as countless others may very well go extinct within our lifetime.

I

Photo by Oregon State University| Flickr

Climate change catastrophe C

Photo by Thomas Hafeneth| Unsplash

24

Culture

Arts

POLE FITNESS

‘WE ARE NOT SEXY’ T

he stigma attached to pole dancing has resulted in it being seen as a promiscuous, sexual, and immoral art. That however, is no longer the case.

Having spoken to the pole fitness committee, they heavily emphasised that pole dancing was a sport far from being sexy. Instead, it is about embracing your strengths and empowering yourself.

Q. What do you enjoy most about pole fitness?

Lauren Henson (Vice): I really like that it is something a bit different and an art that has allowed me to gain a new type of individual strength. It is not like going to the gym, it’s more fun. It feels like a family because everyone is such good friends and we enjoy cheering each other on. The atmosphere is friendly. We have an interuniversity pole competition, which is fun.

You get one person in a beginner, an intermediate, an advanced, a semi-professional, and a group category. We will be auditioning for that fairly soon. It is a mixed sport, made up of 90% girls and 10% guys.

We had a male president two years

ago, who was incredible.

Leah Bird (PR): My answer is similar, it is different each time in regards to being able to move up levels and learn new moves. It is something to work towards.

Henson: It is interesting doing something that is viewed as so sexually orientated, but really is not. It’s about strength. We are smashing the stereotype, because we are not sexy. But it is so much fun! That is the most empowering thing – taking something that has been

‘We are smashing the stereotype’

Q. Do you prefer the

socials or the actual pole fitness?

Bird: I love both, but I would have to say the socials. The reason I stayed was because the committee was so lovely, and now this year I love everyone. It makes it such a good experience.

Henson: I love the sport but it is the same for me, it is essentially the people that make it.

Q. How is pole fitness empowering?

percieved as promiscuous within mainstream society and making it into something powerful.

Bird: Because there is different levels and moves, when you finally get the hang of it, it is such a great feeling. It is an ongoing journey but everyone is so supportive.

Lauren: We are all involved in each other’s progress.

Q.How have you empowered women and supported the This Kent

By Megan Warwick Website Sports Editor

Girl Can campaign?

Henson: For our previous years social, the theme was empowerment.

Bird: Yes, the showcase was based on female empowerment.

Henson: You do a two to three minute performance.

Bird: Last year’s committee had the t-shirts, which we will also be getting. The merch is the main reason I knew about the campaign.

Q. How can others get involved in empowering women and joining your society?

Henson: I think when it comes to empowering women, everyone should talk to each other and listen to one anothers stories. I think listening to what other people have been through actually is a form of self-help.

Bird: Come along to our sessions, they’re a lot of fun!

Contact Pole Fitness to attend their events.

CAROLE MACINTYRE’S

LOW LEVEL PANIC

C

lare MacIntyre’s 1988 play, Low Level Panic, is best known for being a gritty, empowering, feminist masterpiece free from the concept of the male gaze. When I staged extracts from this play last year, I found that it heavily tackled issues with female identity.

Low Level Panic is set simply in a household bathroom, arguably one of the most intimate and sacred spaces women share. In this bathroom we are introduced to three housemates: Jo, Celia, and Mary. They explore each others deepest desires and deepest fears. Most of which would resonate with a female audience, of any era.

The issues and concerns raised by MacIntyre range from superficial ones, such as selecting the correct eye shadow for date night, to more intense dilemmas, such as having to face the physical and psychological aftermaths

of sexual assault.

In my selected extract I was faced with the challenge of playing Jo - a sex and image obsessed twenty-somethingyear-old, who could easily be labelled as a narcissist. As the play progresses we see the layers of superficiality and self obsessiveness crumble. Jo begins to show elements of her true vulnerable self, revealing her past of wrestling with constant rejection and self-acceptance.

In playing Jo, I initially struggled to see a side of her beyond the facade but as the piece began to develop, I saw more of myself in Jo than I ever expected to. I can imagine any woman sat in the audience would have also sympathised with her. Low Level Panic forces us, as women, to witness the raw and unedited sides of ourselves. It pushes it’s audiences to embrace the parts of themselves that society has tried to make them conceal for so long.

The parts we hesitate to tell even our closest friends, even in the most sacred of spaces.

Mary’s character is a true example of the female power of concealment. She is sexually assaulted in an alleyway after work whilst trying to unlock her bike.

MacIntyre implies this act through the use of a solitary spotlight illuminating only Mary as she monologues her attack, alongside absent bodied voices heckling and harassing her in ways many of us have heard too many times before. In the aftermath of Mary’s assault, she attempts to dissolve her femininity in a desperate bid to avoid any similar scenario occurring. She fixates herself on the skirt she wore the night of the assualt, blaming it for being too short and too provocative.

In this way she becomes just as image obsessed as her seemingly opposite housemate, Jo.

The

By Sarah Saxby girls Writer end up mirroring each other in the worst of ways. They are both made to feel ‘less than’ by the men in their lives, which results in them picking themselves apart over their respective bodies and clothing.

MacIntyre also, in a stroke of genius, gives us Celia. The girl who seemingly has everything is in fact berated by her flatmates, and therefore forced into holding her innermost struggles to herself. Celia is the epitome of what happens when we forget to hold one another up. She falls victim to the toxic competitive culture that is thrust upon us.

In Low Level Panic, MacIntyre maturely but realistically captures what it means to be a woman in present day.

Friday 26 October 2018 InQuire25

Miss Poneko brings her powerful feminist works to Canterbury

BEYOND THE BARRICADE EXHIBITION

Culture

A

s with most political and social issues, change is only possible if there is force.

Alannah Currie, working under the name of Miss Pokeno, infuses her work with a lot of that much needed driving force. Her art is

By Violeta Ivanova and Oliver Trapnell Writers at a closer look, the words written on the wood elicit introspection. The table is branded, like most if not all

TAMARA DE LEMPICKA: The hidden art deco painter T

Photo by Ivanova and Trapnell unapologetically feminist and striking to the point where a discussion is not only needed, but necessary.

Miss Pokeno provided four pieces for the Beyond the Barricade exhibition, taking place in Studio 3 of the Art Building.

On your way into the studio there is an armchair intrusively hanging from the ceiling. The ‘Riot Chair’, that was created in 2013, boasts striking scarlet colours which immediately grab it’s viewers’ attention. In my mind, it perpetuates the message of militant feminists on which the piece is based on. Further to this, the words ‘the Sisters of Perpetual Resistance’, implies the strong unity of women who campaign for equality and justice, a message made more poignant in light of the #MeToo movement.

The second piece, called ‘Strange Fruit’, is another chair but in a different condition. The chair is hung up on a tree and set ablaze, transforming it away from the static object to an uncomfortable force. The burning ‘Lotte’ is remarkable, and as it falls and lands on all four legs it exudes confidence and power.

The centrepiece of the exhibition is a long wooden table surrounded by chairs.

‘Too Ugly for Words’ is what appears to be written, but

women, with slur words such as ‘slut’, ‘c***’ and ‘bitch’.

To create the table, Miss Pokeno would invite women over to have conversations about their experiences and struggles in life; she would then use a pyropen to burn the words that were used to belittle them into the surface of the table.

There are various books and journals that lie on the table, allowing audiences to engage with the artwork and understand its underlying messages.

On exiting the studio, you come across the hanging exhibit of ‘Fuel for the Fires’. It once again portrays striking scarlet colours, but for a different purpose. Twentyeight red rags hang by a single washing line, which metaphorically refers to the menstrual cycle. This however, can be further interpreted as a change in mentality, by which Miss Pokeno is literally ‘airing out the dirty laundry’. It can be seen to criticise antiquated gender roles, telling women all across the world to refute outdated patriarchal practices and create their own ideals.

Without a doubt, Miss Pokeno’s exhibition is thought provoking. This exhibition serves as an inspiration to all women and everyone who supports gender equality.

By Timea Koppandi he streets of Paris flooded with wellWriter dressed women, the magazines full of beautiful and extravagant women, the world of art bursting with female perspectives, and yet, all these women were not allowed to vote.

On the same day that the French government voted against the vote for women, Victor Margueritte’s novel ‘La Garçonne’ was attracting an enormous amount of attention. The title of this shocking novel which openly presented lesbianism and single motherhood, became a crucial term for 19th century liberating androgynous style.

Tamara de Lempicka became one of the daring women who embraced change, glamour, and ‘the garçonne’. A lively, determined, and fashionable figure, de Lempicka was set to conquer the best and only the best. Tamara introduced a new style of painting to the Parisian society and the rest of the world. She stated: ‘My goal in never to copy. Create a new style, clear luminous colours and feel the elegance of the models’. She did. Her style took Paris by storm. It is a combination of the shading and smoothness of the classical masters, the harshness and crude geometrical forms of cubism, mixed with the sensuality and mystery of the painter herself. There was something in her paintings that attracted the crowds, especially the Parisian aristocracy and upper-class.

Overnight she became a sensation in the artistic world. Scandal magazines depicted her as the femme fatale painter, with exquisite taste in fashion and great talent.

She was not always like this. Born to a wealthy family, in Warsaw in 1898, she was a rebellious Photo by Flickr | Renaud Camus and stubborn child, who refused to conform to her parents’ wishes. She was only 13-yearsold when she met her husband, Tadeusz, in Moscow, and managed to successfully seduce him at a party held by her aunt Stefa. It was love at first sight, but she failed to see beyond his façade, and his radically political views essentially held her back. Not only did he force her to remain in Moscow at the time when the Bolshevik party was in power, but he also led her and her daughter into poverty when they moved to France.

A femme fatale who paved the road for modern female painters and who worked relentlessly, regardless of external conditions, Tamara de Lempicka was a figure of high importance in the world of art and in the emancipation of women in 19th century.

26

Culture

Books

SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR’S

THE SECOND SEX W

ork place sexism, reproductive slavery, feminine destiny, and the continuous pursuit to try to please our male counterparts. First published in 1949, The Second Sex was a highly controversial novel, which landed itself on The Vatican’s list of prohibited books.

Unfortunately, it has aged very well even 69 years after its French publication. With similarities reaching the present day, the fight for female liberation continues with the rise of the #MeToo movement and the advances in abortion rights in Republic of Ireland, just this year. This book is not only a cornerstone to second-wave feminist critique, but also a solid

By Eve Edinburgh Writer either ‘the working, emotionless woman’ or the ‘domesticated housewife’.

Womanhood requires so much costume change and emotional labour, that it results in the inability to be able to authentically find ourselves and established our own identities.

Additionally, Beauvoir also described the work place as still not being a place of freedom for women, due to the pay gap and what is argued to be an inferiority complex. This may explain why many women strive to please male counterparts and shy away from reaching their

foundation ambitions to begin and taking with if you on more want a better leadership understanding roles. Women Photo by Pixabay of the western must learn to give feminist movement. themselves permission, Beauvoir imposes the question they must take advantage of that is seemingly simple but their social advancements, and proves difficult to answer – “What constantly push out the socially is a woman?” submissive roles, society loves The title itself ironically soured placing them under. by women’s extrinsic need to Whilst Beauvoir explores shape themselves around male many ideas regarding her initial superiority and coming “second”. question, she does not provide a Proceeding for the rest of the text straight-forward answer, instead, to strip women of their societal she leaves it up to the readers to conditioning for us to discover come up with their own subjective what is left when all is removed. thoughts. This could lead one The question bares relevancy to to reach a possible conclusion: the 21st century, as the demand that we could not possibly ever for a more inclusive feminist provide a singular answer. This movement has become louder leaves women with an exciting than ever, thanks to BAME and alternative: to be whatever they LGBT+ communities who are want to be. efficiently utilising their social Beauvoir acknowledges the media platforms. progress that has been made, but Beauvoir writes about the she still highlights the torment difficulties that the ‘female’ must every woman must face on a “woman and unwoman” herself to daily basis. The message at the survive in the separate male and beginning of this book is clear female spaces. Women must exist and prevalent to this day – strides as walking contradictions within have been fought and made, yet the patriarchal society: as either there is still much work to be the “slut” or the “virgin”, and done.

INQUIRE INTERVIEWS

KENT UNI BOOB TEAM

By Katinka Pim

Q: Tell me a little bit about who you guys are and what it is you do.

A: We are the University Boob team, which is a branch of Coppafeel. Coppafeel is a charity that works towards spreading awareness about breast cancer in young people. The charity was set up by Kris Hallenga about nine years ago. She was diagnosed with stage 4 terminal breast cancer when she was about 23. She found a lump, didn’t think anything of it, mentioned it to her mum who had the same reaction. They both assumed young people didn’t get breast cancer. It was only when she began experiencing pain that she went to the doctors. She has been living with it now for the last ten years, spreading to her bones and brain. She began the charity only nine months after her diagnosis, wanting to spread awareness that breast cancer can also affect young people. There are about 60 University Boob teams in the country, all funded by Coppafeel.

Q: What is the importance in targeting young people?

A: Awareness. 18-24 year old’s are least likely to check their boobs. Young men especially don’t know that they can also get breast cancer, however 400 men a year are diagnosed with it in the UK. When you’re growing up, your body changes a lot, which makes it that much harder to spot, compared with those who are older and know their bodies well. It’s just about knowing what signs to looks out for. For example, with women, our boobs can change size and shape with our period and cycle, so it’s about knowing what happens for you every month. When something changes, go and get it checked out. Even if you’re not sure. Coppafeel have three main aims: to Engage, Educate, and Empower.

Empower is what they are really focusing on right now, as it’s important to feel comfortable going to the doctors to check things out. It’s about giving young people the confidence to do it. Doctors are never going to laugh at you, your GP is there for you.

Q: How do you plan to go about this, Coppafeel’s three aims?

A: The whole idea of Coppafeel is that it’s meant to be lighthearted, engaging young

Photo by Facebook | KUBT people whilst making it fun. For example, in freshers we had a glitter stand at the Freshers ball, in order to raise money.

It’s only £1 and we’re going to continue that throughout the year. We also do temporary tattoos, for the text service we have that people can sign up to – a text for a tattoo. All the University Boob Teams across the country are in competition with each other, and we were top of the leaderboard for September, getting 115 text sign ups. These are completely free, you just send ‘UBT KENT’ to 70500, and get regular reminders to check your boobs. The university in second place only got 33, so we smashed it out of the park. The competition is continuing in October, so we’re pushing a lot of sign ups this month.For This Kent Girl Can we’re doing workshops with sports societies next week, such as the upcoming dodgeball tournament, or ‘Boob-ball’. ‘Boob’ dodgeballs are just one example of some of the fun things the charity provides us with.

We’re also sponsored by Lovehoney this year, so they’ve sent us a load of goodies to give away as prizes (all PG). This is to support part of Coppafeel’s aim to destigmatise and desexualise boobs.

Q: Do you have any final advice for those with boobs?

A: Coppafeel’s tagline is ‘Guys, gals, and non-binary pals’, because anyone can get breast cancer. Breast tissue runs up to your collar bone and into your armpit, so it’s about checking more than just your boobs.

Knowing that the symptoms are more than just lumps, such as dimpling of the skin, rashes, change in sign or shape, and nipple discharge. It’s about looking at them as well as feeling them. Just once a month, or with the reminders from the text service.

The main message is to get to know the shape and look of your boobs—and if it changes, go and get it checked out.

Friday 26 October 2018 InQuire27

Culture

BOOKS THAT ‘SHAPED’ ME B

ooks are timelessly powerful.

Having the ability to capture one’s attention and completely submerge them into a new world and impact their way of thinking, is perhaps something far more incredible than most people would think. A single book can change the way we see our present situations, it can make us reminisce memories, and even make us question our future aspirations. It was therefore a challenging process when deciding which books had influenced me, as I would essentially have to expose the moments in which I was vulnerable enough to be consumed by someone else’s imagination. I can only assume whether books have shaped me in some way or another, as the most powerful books, are often the ones that change our lives without us even realising.

1) Khaled Hosseini A Thousand Splendid Suns

An all-time classic and one which left me thinking about it even weeks after I had finished the book. The combination of Hosseini’s female characters, and his ability to fully emerge his readers into their lives, essentially portrays women as an extremely powerful and diligent group of people. His vivid depictions of what life was like for women in

Afghanistan, during the latter half 2) Sylvia Plath The Bell Jar of the 20th century, constantly leave It is scary how much this book can its readers raging from within and still resonate with so many people even screaming ‘why, why, why?’ at the 50 years after its first publication. I pages. become unhealthily obsessed As a young, Britishwith Plath’s novel and her Asian woman, some semi-autobiographical aspects of the novel protagonist, Esther still surprisingly Greenwood, a reminded me character I held of the social close to my heart, barriers and and sympathised taboos that with through are embedded and through. so deeply Esther’s within my complete own culture. rawness It essentially and realism left me reminded me comparing of another my version doomed heroine, of ‘struggling’ Marilyn Monroe. with Mariam Both women were and Leila’s severely victimised Photo by Unsplash | Gezalian versions of by men and their ‘struggling’, which public personas put the novel into contradicted their internal perspective for me, once mindsets. It highlighted again. the fact that women are constantly The female protagonists demonstrate battling with the many constraints acts of self-sacrifice, self-survival, of society. The same society which and self-belief, all of which show how claims to encourage individuality but strong-of-a-force women can be. also ironically encourages people to

By Maryah Chughtai Newspaper Culture Editor

be ‘easily categorical’ people. By classifying myself as a woman of colour, a British citizen, and a young Muslim, essentially puts a million constrictions around myself as an individual and prevents me and those around me from being able to see me outside of these social constructed boxes. The Bell Jar is a coming-of-age novel but also a symbolic scream for change.

3) Angela Carter The Bloody Chamber

Not a ‘feminist-take on fairy tales’, but, a ‘new beginning of new stories.’

I was intrigued to see how she would turn the stories – we all knew so well – on their heads, and whether I was able to look past through the storylines that have been so heavily engraved into our minds. She is writer who does not shy away from acknowledging the transformative power of sexual passion, even if the object of that passion is dark and corrupt. Her dark reworking of Bluebird’s Castle, Puss in Boots, Little Red Riding Hood, (and many more), demonstrate the frankness and clarity of her creativeness, making these tales so powerful and liberating.

Interview

28

BEATING BREAST CANCER WITH ONE OF THE COPPAFEEL ‘BOOBETTES’

Article by Emma Leach Science & Technology Editor Interview by Meg Warwick Website Sports Editor

C

ole Larkin was diagnosed with breast cancer at the young age of 31, joining the ranks of the 55,000 people who get diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK every year. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK. That was seven years ago. Cole has since been successfully treated, and she is now a dedicated volunteer ‘Boobette’ for the charity CoppaFeel, a charity which aims to give everyone the best possible chance of surviving breast cancer by educating people on the importance of knowing the signs, and more importantly, knowing your own body.

The initial reaction to her diagnosis was that of fear, Cole lost an Uncle to cancer when he was only in his 30s and was aware that most cancer stories she had heard ended in death. She was shocked that she could be diagnosed with breast cancer at such a young age, breast cancer is more commonly found in older women. She also felt stupid for not checking herself, even going so far as to blame herself for her diagnosis.

Fear is clearly a natural response to a cancer diagnosis; 11,400 people die from breast cancer in the UK every year.

The good news is that survival rates have been increasing with time, and early intervention significantly improves the chances of survival. That is why the work of charities such as CoppaFeel are so important.

It is clear from the offset that Cole’s experience has not diminished her sense of humour. She is quick to talk about being lead singer in her cover band ‘One of these kids’, as a more interesting pastime to that of her career in insurance. Her humour also extends to the physical scars left from her cancer, describing the scar left from her lumpectomy as her ‘ice-cream scoop’.

Though she notes that her relationship with the dark tan across her chest that remains from her radiotherapy treatment has its ups and downs.

Friends and family are a huge part of any cancer diagnosis, and Cole makes it clear that the support of friends and family was hugely important. She notes that she had friends who stood up to the challenge, and those that ran away from it, and it was not possible to predict with any accuracy who would fall into which category.

Many people may only think of the physical impacts of cancer, but Cole points out that it can change your personality too. She describes

becoming feistier and more outgoing, and at one stage she even says that her diagnosis was one of the best things that ever happened to her. The experience she says has made her a lot less selfish, made her feel more empowered and confident, and has allowed her to better focus on her priorities and meet some amazing people along the way.

One of the most difficult aspects of her breast cancer story is a surprising one. Cole makes it clear that finally getting the good news can be one of the strangest parts to deal with: ‘Once you get given the all clear, everything for everybody else just goes back to normal. And they just expect that you are the same person, and the same normal that you were before.

But you feel like a completely different person, with different wants and desires.’

Due to breast cancer being more common in older women, it was sometimes difficult to find support designed for younger women. Cole recounts how there was one point where a reproductive specialist was sent away, as she was the only patient in the group young enough to be concerned. During a lot of her treatment, she was surrounded by women much older than herself.

Finding CoppaFeel made her realise that she wasn’t alone in being a young woman in her position, and it gave her a support network that made her feel less alone.

Joining CoppaFeel certainly changed things for Cole, and you can tell from her voice that she is proud of the charity that she is a part of. She now speaks to thousands of people every year, and is proud to say that there are women she has spoken to who found the courage to visit their doctor about their concerns, and had a breast cancer diagnosis, but caught it early.

A big part of

CoppaFeel’s mission is to to feel embarrassment. She points ‘Once get women, and men, out that knowing your own to get familiar with body, and knowing what you get given their own bodies, is normal for you, is the all clear, everything actually empowering to find what is ‘normal’ for everybody else just goes when seeking for each medical care. It is back to normal. And they just also likely to get individual.

There is expect that you are the same you taken more a stigma seriously. person, and the same normal For those attached to these that you were before. But you going through things, what she has feel like a completely different gone through, Cole recounts how person, with different wants Cole advises to talk embarrassed about it as much and desires. That is she was initially as possible. She said to go and speak to a that even when you don’t quite strange.’ male doctor about such really know what to say, often issues. But she reminds us that it feels better to just say something. It doctors are professionals, and there is is also important to remember that all no need treatment eventually comes to an end, even when it feels like it is dragging on forever. Equally, friends and family don’t mind if you cry or get upset.

She also points out that it is a time to become a little selfish, and to reassess what is going on in your life: “It’s a time to stop and think about your priorities, are all the things you are doing making you happy?”

CoppaFeel has a text reminder service, which provides monthly texts to remind you to check for signs of breast cancer. You can sign up on their website, or by texting BOOBS to 70300.

Photo by Cole Larkin | Facebook

Friday 26 October 2018 InQuire

or your pecs - guys, we’re talking to you too!

Did you know that both men and women can get breast cancer? So get into a habit of regularly checking and be aware of the signs and symptoms below. Ladies - remember that some of these changes may occur naturally with your cycle and can be perfectly normal. But if in doubt, get it checked out...

Look

look

Feel

Feel

look

look

look

look

changes in skin texture e.g. puckering/dimpling lumps and thickening

nipple discharge

nipple inversion and changes in direction

swelling in your armpit or around collar bone constant, unusual pain in your breast or armpit a sudden change in size or shape a rash or crusting of the nipple or surrounding area

Need a reminder? Text BOOBS TO 70300 for a free monthly text from Boob HQ We’ll never send you spam or ask you to donate money, you’ll just get a friendly reminder to

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Friday 26 October 2018 InQuire Our Head of Photography, Emily Heath, took the photos for this edition, including the wrap photos. She is a freelance photographer that specialises in portraiture and fashion editorials. She is working, and has worked, with agencies across the UK, including Savalas Models Newcastle, Nemesis Manchester, and First Models London. She has also had 3 photos published on Vogue Italia. Instagram: @emheath.photo

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Classifieds

Friday 26 October 2018 InQuire

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InQuire For students, by students

Want to write for us?

Email: editor@inquiremedia.co.uk Meetings Mondays at 6.15pm, Student Media Centre, above The Venue

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What’s on...

Coraline 27th Oct 2018

UNASSAILABLE US:

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE CHOREOGRAPHER

The Rider 27th Oct 2018 The Little Stranger 27th-31st Oct 2018 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 28th Oct 2018 The Predator 30th Oct 2018 Human Flow 2nd Nov 2018 The Wife 3rd - 8th Nov 2018 Skate Kitchen 3rd - 8th Nov 2018 Faces Places 4th - 8th Nov 2018 A Star is Born 10th - 16th Nov 2018 Blindspotting 10th Nov 2018 Columbus 11th Nov 2018 Vertigo 13th Nov 2018 Johnny English Strikes Again 17th - 25th Nov 2018 Venom 17th Nov 2018 Tehran Taboo 18th Nov 2018 Anchor and Hope 19th Nov 2018 Suffragette 21st Nov 2018

Prices Full - £8.50 GulbCard Member - £6.50 Senior - £7.50 Registered Disabled - £7.50 Student - £5.30 Student GulbCard Member - £4.30 Unemployed - £7.50

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By Kateryna Slobodian Gulbenkian Correspondent

ot long left until the ‘Unassailable Us’ is coming to the Gulbenkian.

On 16 November Rachel Birch-Lawson and Khyle Eccles will present an emotional and intimate performance, that will lead viewers through love and struggle, development and growth of long term relationships. The story is based on Rachel and Khyle’s own 10 year anniversary. I spoke to Rachel about the role of gender in ‘Unassailable Us’, her own experiences in the performing arts industry and her inspirations that influence her work.

It all started in childhood, when Rachel went to dance classes – mostly ballet – and on and off considered dance as a career. She had many different interests and studied music quite seriously, but it was not until she was 15, that she realised that dance was what she wanted to pursue as a career. During her work experience in the wardrobe department of Rambert Dance Company she realised, that this was ‘the tribe she wanted to belong to’.

Rachel says, it is not dancing itself she loves so much but the people who work in dance. Her passion shines through in her words when she speaks of what bringing people together in a dance studio in order to create something new. She thinks it can bring out the best in them.

Her parents both worked in the arts and her music teachers were exceptionally supportive. Although she was a bit of an outsider in the ballet world, teachers recognized her potential, encouraged and supported her through the journey of discovery of new movement techniques and contemporary dance. Most importantly, her pursuit of her passion was funded through the multiple schemes that allowed her to attend endless dance and music classes. Because of the generosity of specialized organisations and individuals who funded her pre-vocational training, she was able to achieve what she has today. She says with sorrow, that many of those opportunities have disappeared in the recent years.

Rachel believes in diversity. It is because she had brilliant female teachers and mentors who were at the top of their fields that she always knew

it was possible for her to build a successful career in dance.

Rachel is very careful when talking about gender and its role in the lives of dancers.

She acknowledges that all genders face great struggles to train and work in this industry and she stresses that it is her very personal and subjective opinion, before telling me, that she feels we do not give millions of girls sufficient attention. Despite that girls constitute a bigger proportion of dancers in the field compared to boys, they are often overlooked. That is because their engagement with dance is more normalized. But it does not mean that they should not be celebrated, supported, nurtured and encouraged.

She points out, there that there has been a lot of debates recently regarding visibility, opportunity and support for female choreographers. Rachel feels excited for these opportunities and their purpose (link attached).

Her work ‘Unassailable Us’ that she created with her partner in work and life – Khyle Eccles - is a reflection on a long term relationship, that touches upon things such as social stigma and struggles around male mental health, the burden of care that places on the partner, conversations around emotional labour and how gender plays into that. She says, either one of them could have played either role in the piece – as one begins to struggle, the other has to cope with and navigate that. They both felt that this is the time to tell the story this way. She thinks, it has been a difficult and risky, but beautiful process that she would compare to couple’s therapy, but without a safe space. This performance is personal for Rachel and Khyle, but universal as well: we have all loved, trusted, struggled, despaired, given up and tried to start it all again.

Rachel thinks we have a long way to go to make sure that there is more diverse representation of all kinds in creative teams and on stage. She says it just doesn’t make sense when there are proportionally fewer men than women graduating from vocational

Photo by The Gulbenkian training, but there seems to be an equal or greater number of men performing on stage. Recently, she went to an entire arts festival, and over a day of multiple performances she noticed that there were only two female performers in total – and they were doing more informal walk-about performances. The ‘main stage’ performances, Rachel says, were exclusively performed my men.

Considering, that more women are in training, statistically it cannot be that none of them are as good as the men.

Representation should be diversified in many ways in order to get the best talent and the best performances.

To all the future generations looking to get into dance Rachel’s advice is to ‘get the best help you can’. You should surround yourself with people who are brilliant at their jobs and demand and expect the best. Also, it is important to be nice to work with. Being pleasant, organised, turning up and answering emails on time – a strong work ethic will help you in the profession. Rachel does not buy into myth of the flakey artist – if you are surviving as a dance professional, you are effectively running a small business. For those, who want to choreograph, Rachel suggests, they should find their mission and their values.

Knowing what you stand for and what purpose your work has is essential when working with people.

Sport ANGELS AND DEVILS

Angel: Karen Carney – The Chelsea midfielder (below) highlighted the amount of abuse directed at female footballer players, having been targeted with sickening rape and death threats online, following Chelsea’s Champions League victory against Fiorentina. By raising the issue, Carney has possibly left herself even more susceptible to social media attacks, but has potentially done much more to raise awareness of the issue.

Devil: Attendances – England’s 1-1 draw Australia last week saw a rather pathetic turnout of 6,068 despite Craven Cottage’s seating being just short of 26,000. While the standard of woman’s football continues to rise by the year, the support, and media coverage, continues to be a mix of indifference and derision. Ahead of next year’s World Cup, the country has to get behind the Lionesses again.

Friday 26 October 2018 InQuire

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Sport

THE FEMALE FALCON

By Samira Conteh Writer

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y name is Samira and I was the first woman to join the Kent Falcons American Football team at University of Kent. I’ve played sports my whole life, starting off with football when I was in primary, then I moved onto basketball in secondary school and now I play American football. Although I love sport, I’ve also dipped into T24the Drama society and enjoy traveling. I’ve visited 15 states in total on my year abroad to West Virginia – only 35 more to go!

Funny story, I honestly had no intention of joining a sport at all in university.

I’d never watched American football, never played – I knew nothing. I saw them at Fresher’s Fayre, where I asked if they had a women’s team. They replied with “no, we’re a mixed sport”, to which I thought “no thanks”. First term passed and I still hasn’t found a society that was for me. I was persuaded by my friend to give The Falcons a go

in January at re-freshers.

There were still no women on the team.

I decided to sign up for the taster session and give it a go just to prove a point that women could play American Football. I tried to convince my friends to go with me, but no one did so eventually I bucked up the courage to step out onto the 3GX alone. I was surrounded by a large group of boys in helmets and pads, I could barely see their faces.

Some people spoke to me but some barely acknowledged me. This could have been for a multitude of reasons; they were in the middle of the season, focused on training and getting reps, didn’t have time to mingle with the newbie etc. In the back of of my mind, I couldn’t help but think “maybe it’s because I’m a girl, they don’t take me seriously, they probably don’t think I’m actually going to join so what’s the point”. Yet, it was all very encouraging.

I genuinely had fun at the training sessions and the guys helped me out along the way. I didn’t intend on sticking it out

but I felt like I was included as part of the team.

One of the big turning points was the chat I had with one of the guys on the sideline who was injured. He took the time to actually talk to me, explain the sport and how the Falcons worked and encouraged me to stick at it and join the team.

I decided to joined the Kent Falcons.

Being the only woman in a male dominated team was weird at first but I got used to it and just saw myself as another Falcon. I was the first girl to join, voted onto committee twice and that guy I had a chat with at my first session is now one of best friends. However, it wasn’t until people started to recognise me as “the only girl on the team” did I start to feel like a token.

Naturally I felt like I had a responsibility to get involved in the TKGC campaign to highlight more people like myself, to highlight all the other amazing women in sport societies and to encourage more people to join American Football. The Falcons

were hugely supportive of my involvement with the campaign. This year, for the first time ever myself and committee have organised a session called, ‘This Kent Girl Can: Play American Football’ to encourage more women to try the sport.

If I empower women or not, I guess that’s for others to decide. But I feel like my hard work and commitment to the team has led to more women joining the Falcons. We had more women than ever come down to our taster sessions and try the sport, which is a huge improvement and now we have three registered women on the team. It’s it’s a victory for me and I hope I’ve lit a spark to more women joining the team and playing the sport.

Considering I wasn’t going to join permanently, I understand the predetermined ideas against girls in sport but I think very quickly I proved those people wrong by committing to the team, turning up to training and socials and actively being a Falcon.

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO PMS EXERCISES It’s the time of the month to think about new ways of getting fit, we need to stop making excuses. Period.

By Maxine Meixner Writer t’s hard to feel motivated to work out when Aunt Flow arrives. The cramps, bloating, low mood, and fatigue that accompany your period hardly make you want to leap out of bed and hit the gym. But studies have shown that exercising while you have your period has some amazing benefits for your body as well as your mental and emotional wellbeing.

Exercise increases blood flow, delivering more oxygen to your muscles, helping to alleviate cramps. Working out also encourages you to keep hydrated, which is important in general, but even more so when you have your period.

So what sort of exercise can you do?

I

- Running: Low-cardio the heaviest flow and/or the workouts are great to help lowest levels of energy. raise endorphins—your body’s - Dancing: feel-good hormone—which Going will lift your mood and to a help reduce cramps and headaches.

- HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training): Your body is more effective at blasting fat during your period compared to any other time Photo by Kent Sport| Facebook of the month due to a drop in oestrogen Zumba and progesterone levels. class This makes carbohydrates/ (seriously would recommend glycogen more accessible to this, they are an amazing your body, so you can push workout and make you feel for more energy during those fierce) or just dancing at home intense workouts. But take it can help brighten your day easy during the first few days and get you moving. of your cycle, which is when - Strength training: You can most women tend to have typically keep to your normal

workout routine, but just bear in mind that weights can put pressure on your core and may worsen cramps.

- Yoga: So many yoga positions help stretch out your lower back and muscles around your pelvis, which is fantastic when you have your period. The deep breathing and stretching helps to relax your muscles as well, alleviating cramps. If you can’t find a class that works for you, I’d recommend checking out Yoga with Adriene on YouTube—she’s fantastic and has many videos for you to try, plus you can do it in the comfort of your home.

Whatever workout you decide to do, or whether you even decide to work out at all (no judgement, we’ve all been there), be sure to drink lots of

water and listen to your body.

Every woman is different, and every cycle is different, so find what works for you. If you’re not feeling up for anything intense, remember even a gentle stroll counts as exercise and can help alleviate your symptoms and make you feel better.

You don’t have to let your period hold you back from achieving your fitness goals— you’ve got this, girl.

Sport BUCS Results

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October 17th:

London 1st UKC 2nd 1-13 UCL 1st

Badminton (MEN) UKC 1st 3-5 London School of Economics 1st UKC 2nd v SOAS 1st TBC (WOMEN) UKC 1st 0-8 Imperial College London

Netball (WOMEN) UKC 1st 47-52 King’s College London 2nd UKC 2nd 32-28 Imperial College 1st UKC 3rd 27-31 Queen Mary UKC 4th 23-36 CCCU 3rd

Basketball (MEN) UKC 1st 57-48 East London Men’s 3rd UKC 2nd v UCL 2nd POSTPONED (WOMEN) UKC 1st 55-35 UCL 1st

Rugby (MEN) UKC 1st 16-13 Hertford 1st UKC 2nd 34-24 Royal Vetinary College UKC 3rd 70-5 City University 5th UKC 4th 41-0 Hertfordshire 2nd (WOMEN) UKC 1st WIN-London South Bank FORFEIT

Fencing (MEN) UKC 1st 121-118 UCL 2nd UKC 2nd N/A (WOMEN) UKC 1st 115-114 Queen Mary London 1st Football (MEN) UKC 1st 4-4 Essex 1st UKC 2nd 2-0 Essex 2nd UKC 3rd N/A (WOMEN) UKC 1st 0-10 St Mary’s College Hockey (MEN) UKC 1st 3-2 UCL 1st UKC 2nd v Royal Vetinary College 3rd TBC UKC 3rd 0-14 Queen Mary 2nd (WOMEN) UKC 1st v Royal Vetinary College 1st TBC UKC 2nd 1-8 Imperial College 2nd UKC 3rd 4-0 Sussex 2nd UKC 4th 1-11 CCCU 2nd Lacrosse (MEN) UKC 1st 10-15 King’s College

Squash (MEN) UKC 1st 5-0 Squash 3rd UKC 2nd v King’s College London 3rd TBC (WOMEN) UKC 1st NO MATCH Table Tennis (MEN) UKC 1st v Queen Mary’s 1st TBC (WOMEN) UKC 1st WIN-Essex 2nd FORFEIT Tennis (MEN) UKC 1st 2-10 UCL 2nd UKC 2nd 4-2 Queen Mary’s 1st UKC 3rd 6-6 UCL 3rd (WOMEN) UKC 1st vs Surrey 1st TBC OVERALL WINS FOR UKC: 16 OVERALL LOSSES: 14 OVERALL DRAWS: 1

Photos by Kent Sport| Facebook

SPORTS VP:ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS KENT GIRL CAN clubs to host them. Lynsey

By Kiro Evans Hooper, a sports journalist, Newspaper Sports Editor will deliver a workshop for t’s about empowering our students. You don’t need our female students to a Kent gym membership to get involved, to any degree, attend and all the events are in sport. This year, I’ve free, we are trying made the campaign to open in up two weeks long to everyone. instead of The one, and I’m sessions collaborating are also with open CoppaFeel in our the second transweek for students breast cancer and nonawareness. binary There’s more students Photo by Inquire Media sessions, led by because the students, this year campaign is and we’re reaching out to about encouraging

“I

participation and removing barriers.

You can join a sports team at any time of the year, it doesn’t have to be in September. And [the This Kent Girl Campaign] it will all go out on the Kent Union Social Media channels, the Team Kent Exec will push it, I’m hoping clubs and groups and Kent Sport will share it. It will also be physically advertised in the Parkwood student hub and posters put around campus This year I have a feeling the engagement is going to be strong, especially because, so many clubs are behind it. I really hope people get involved.”

THE CASE FOR MIXED SPORT U

By Billie Becker Writer

the implications of this in the sense that it would make it more difficult to implement men and females lacrosse teams into one. I also spoke to 1st team Rugby’s Demi Kuteyi who thinks that “mixed sports are a great concept as long as the sport is introduced to both genders at a similar age.Eventually physiological differences between men and women will mean that it may not be appropriate

KC sport societies have held taster sessions in order to encourage further female participation in sport.

These include some typically male dominated sports such as American Football and Rugby, sports that have a high level of contact and aren’t normally associated with women. The point of This Kent Girl Can is to encourage women to participate in sport. A TKGC tagged rugby session runs on October 27th at 12:00 at Parkwood. American Football runs on the 26th at the Sports Centre at 16:00 and will teach about “how to kick like a punter, catch like a receiver and throw Photos by Kent Sport| Facebook like a OB” This will cost £2, with the money donated to the charity Coppa Feel - for breast cancer awareness. This is a great opportunity to support a good cause and try something for them to play full contact or new, but it also raises some semi contact sports”. questions about why there are There are reasons why so few mixed sports. women and men cannot InQuire’s sports website always be part of the same editor Meg Warwick, who is sports teams that are often currently second team captain due to concerns over safety, for Women’s Lacrosse, told biology and implementation. me of the level of contact On campus we have a variety differences in Lacrosse and of sports that are mixed

although these are mainly racket based sports. These include Tennis, Table Tennis, Badminton and Squash. To see what mixed sports are like in practice and what it is like to be part of a highly male dominated team at UKC, I got in contact with Kent Falcon’s Samira Conteh and asked her about what it is like to be in a majority male team.

The Falcon’s have been very involved with This Kent Girl Can. Samira explained: “It was a daunting experience at first because despite knowing that it’s a mixed sport, I was still essentially joining an all boys team.” She added: “It was weird being the only girl and I didn’t expect to stick it out. But I’m so glad I did”.

Being a part of a male majority at UKC, therefore, doesn’t matter to be the intimidating experience it first appears and the Kent Falcons seem very welcoming and can boast their success in recruiting more girls for the team this year.

It’s so important that we encourage more women into sports that are predominantly associated with men, and TKGC is the perfect opportunity for women to do exactly that.

Friday Friday 29 26 September October 2017 2018 InQuire

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Sport

THE GAP NOT YET BRIDGED: WOMEN’S INEQUALITY IN SPORT

By Meg Warwick

Website Sports Editor

W

hen watching the Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor UFC Championship, I was distracted from the match by one thing in particular. The matches for the event were set in a particular order: women’s match, men’s match, and so on, switching off. I thought this was done to reflect equality and fairness, to show that the women’s wrestling is comparable to men. I was overly-optimistic. I noticed that whenever the males match was on, the audience would be completely engrossed in the television screen. Yet, when the women’s match started, over 75% of the audience would go to the bar to get another drink or a cigarette break.

Why were they treating the women’s matches like a television advert? There answers were simple: they

just didn’t care. This became a continuous cycle which made me wonder, why is female sport so unpopular?

Growing up with three older brothers, sports was never pressed upon me in the same way it was with my siblings.

I was never encouraged to join the football team, never exposed to rugby, never expected to play a male dominated sport. Primary school was the same, gender constantly divided as the boys would lead the playground games, while the girls would sit on the side-lines, plaiting each other’s hair.

In secondary school, there were only two girls in the PE class of twenty.

University is the closest to equality, with women’s sports teams growing by the second, Women’s Lacrosse being the second biggest club at Kent.

Although UKC has many women in sport, the tables are still not balanced. An example

of this is the men’s Rugby Union, which is favoured due to the team winning BUCS matches. Yet, in comparison to the female team who have one BUCS team, men’s rugby has four teams. The problem is not the success of the men’s rugby, but the lack of representation for the women’s team in comparison.

Many would blame women for lacking an interest in sport, consequently being underrepresented in this field.

On campus, the lacrosse and hockey clubs, however, are at least twice as big as the men’s—women’s lacrosse boasting over one hundred members and men’s lacrosse only having sixty, in spite of limited advertisement for women’s sport societies.

Sport remains unequal around the globe. During the tennis match last month, where Serena Williams lost to Naomi Osaka in the US Open, the American felt the

umpire was being unfair to her throughout the match due to her gender and race. She showed her anger by arguing against the Umpire, Carlos Ramos, and his controversial decisions and was criticised.

In previous matches, however, Andy Murray showed signs of very similar behaviour and it was defended as passion. This suggests that due to Williams’s gender and how she failed to conform to the stereotype of females being passive, her actions were frowned upon.

Another area of the biggest global inequality is football.

As a female Sports Editor, I am seen as abnormal when I ask, ‘did anyone watched the football match last night?’.

It is similarly uncommon for women to be commentating on or presenting football in any form. Although people such as Clare Balding have smashed the stereotype, for every Balding there are still thirty Gary Linekers.

Looking at The World Cup, one of the biggest sporting events of all time, it is a huge example of inequality. Where is the women’s World Cup? I guarantee that if you asked, most individuals would be completely unaware that there is even a Women’s World Cup, let alone have watched it. Why does the media choose to advertise men’s matches so much more than women’s?

What matters is the mindset of those who still believe that ‘This Girl Can’t’.

To attain equality, individuals need to change their mindset.

No one should think that ‘This Girl Can’t’ and no one should believe that ‘That This Girl Shouldn’t’. It is not about disregarding the men’s achievements, but recognising the women’s as well. Women’s matches should be championed and women in sport should be taken seriously. This Girl Can be a sporting icon.

WORLD CHAMP BATON TWIRLING BETH BARBER TALKS SPORTING SUCCESS

By Meg Warwick What is baton twirling Website Sports and what do you like most about it? eing a world champion at It is gymnastics with a metal seventeen years stick. People think it’s like old, Beth Barber is majorettes, but baton twirling obsessed with Sport. is more gymnastics based, you Studying law and can do illusion tricks which is Crime, Beth engages based on speed and power. in many University Sports teams. She I most enjoy the training, is the development working together alongside my coordinator for team of mainly women, but, as Lacrosse and is a part of now, four men as well. of Cheer, Rowing, I’ve won 22 national titles and Yoga. She has individually, I don’t know also been a part of how many titles we’ve won archery, football, as a team. We enter four speed skating, events a month and hopefully and trampolining we always win four events. pre-university.

It’s probably been above fifty Her main sporting since I’ve joined. Then, I’ve passion, however, won Europeans and world is baton twirling, championships. Europeans in which she has was a year and a half ago competed regionally, and worlds was three years nationally, and ago, so I was 17 years old. I internationally.

B

Photos from Facebook

still compete regionally, but I pulled out of competing nationally because it is so time consuming.

There are new categories for disability also, so it’s becoming more inclusive.

Do you have any female inspirations?

There’s two Americans who baton twirl that have inspired me. The first is Savanna Miller, who is a strong solo baton twirler. Adeline Bebow, another inspiration, always won an event called Extra—a solo event based on flexibility and ability where you have to do gymnastic moves in beat with the music. I wanted to be just like her in that event, and gradually started to win the event more and more.

What have you done so far for TKGC and empowering women?

I used to teach lots of different sessions for baton twirling, I still teach a few times a month. I’m also leading sessions for This Kent Girl Can lacrosse, which is on this Sunday (28th October), so everyone should come to that.

Getting involved is key not only for physical health, but also mental health. Everyone should get involved. I feel I have empowered women through all my different sports, encouraging females to get involved and not feel oppressed in a male dominated field.

S“DON’T port www.InQuireLive.co.uk/sport

InQuire

BE SCARED OF MESSING UP YOUR HAIR” LYNSEY HOOPER ON SPORTS JOURNALISM, FEMALE EMPOWERMENT AND OVERCOMING BARRIERS

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By Meg Warwick Website Sports Editor

urrently in Prague taking some time off from her busy schedule, freelance sports journalist Lynsey Hooper joined InQuire for an exclusive interview. As a graduate of Loughborough university, Hooper has done work for the BBC Final Score and Match Day Live. She discussed being a female journalist in a male-dominated sport and encouraged females to get more involved in the medium.

What encouraged you to get involved in sports journalism?

I think sports was always engrained in me, my family, especially my grandfather and my uncle, are very football mad, and it was infectious.

I don’t know where it came from, but I’ve enjoyed it from a young age. I used to sit and listen to football results with my grandfather on the radio.

On top of my love for sport, I developed a fascination with radio. When I was 14 I had my own radio show locally and

loved it. I never considered of combining my two passions, sport and radio.

In the early 21st century, there weren’t that many female journalist role models, especially in sport, and I didn’t think it was a job I could do; but then I started getting positive responses to my application. It all went one way from there.

Who is your biggest female inspiration?

I used to be a long-distance runner, which is why I ended up going to Loughborough university, and I’d run for county cross country. My heor is Paula Radcliff. While I was at university, she broke the world record in the marathon.

She went to my university and I ended up having the same coach as her for a short period of time. She is someone whose drive, determination, dedication, and passion were incredible. If I had the application that she had, then I’d try to do all that she does.

My ultimate goal was to have been an Olympian of some sort, but I was one of those people who was good at a few

sports, but I wasn’t excellent at any. I quickly realised that I should probably focus on something else in sport, which is why I focused on sports journalism.

Photo by Lynsey Hooper| Twitter to get involved. Individuals should start listening and enjoying football content that is provided by women.

boxes. I think we are seeing so much more diversity as well.

It’s nowhere near perfect, but occasionally you have breakthroughs.

How do you think you empower women?

In regards to your role, what is the biggest obstacle in your career?

Why and how should women get more involved in sport?

I hope in the most blatant sense that just by hearing my voice, maybe not even knowing it’s me, but hearing a female talk football or seeing a women’s face will empower women. Especially someone knowledgeable, for a long time men have been seen as experts in sport and women have been seen as the arm candy.

I’m hoping that in the next ten years that will change.

It’s created this space where people feel more comfortable.

I think equality may still be far off, but we are getting closer every day.

In my own, small way, I hope I have managed to help with that in the UK. I set up this all female podcast called the off-side rule, which has been going for six years to promote women having a voice in football. I really hope that has encouraged more women

When I was starting in television, there was a preoccupation with looks.

I hated the fact that, as a broadcaster, I was being judged so much on my looks.

I don’t think men are judged in that way as much. Not for a minute am I saying that if you enter the media that it’s not important to present yourself well; but we don’t all have to have a certain type of look to be understood or appreciated. We are brought up on fashion magazines and TV shows that tell us we have to look a certain way. I think I had a crisis of confidence at one point, I didn’t know who I was trying to be. I remember crying about hair extensions and thinking ‘why am I doing this’?

I do, however, see a lot more people on television now that don’t tick the old fashion

The first thing is letting go of inhibitions. Don’t be scared of looking sweaty or messing up your hair. Let yourself go and don’t feel that pressure.

If you’re interested in sports media, put yourself forward and say yes to opportunities.

Don’t be scared. I want to say to young women; don’t always think you have to tick the check list of a job application.

You don’t have to one hundred percent meet the criteria.

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