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Chloe Lawson interviews Gabi Livingstone, the student behind the Instagram @theunheardgroup, which recounts the experiences faced by young people who have lost a parent to cancer or who have a parent currently fighting the disease. At age 15, amid National 5 exams, Gabrielle Livingstone was told her Dad had been diagnosed with terminal skin cancer. Her life was irrevocably changed. In her first years at University the anger and sadness she felt spiralled into a “fuck everything mentality”- her mental health deteriorated, effecting her life and studies. With around 1000 new Cancer cases daily in the UK alone, there is an abundance of support for those suffering from cancer themselves. Yet Gabi felt isolated in her experience due to a distinct absence of conversations and spaces dedicated to the young people whose parents are diagnosed. In October, she set up ‘The Unheard Group’ (@theunheardgroup) as a response to this absence. Primarily, the page is a space for the teenagers and young people such as herself who have lost a parent to cancer or have a parent currently fighting the disease. Alongside this, Gabi offers advice for students struggling as a result of the imposed solitude that has come from our current covid-19 reality. A frightening side effect of the Global pandemic has been the deterioration of the mental health of young people, with 8 student suicides in the first month of the last semester. This page offers much-needed advice and reassurance to those feeling disconnected and helpless as the world battles the coronavirus. The inviting, pastel-coloured grid includes self-care tips alongside personal and touching stories from Gabi and her friends. In the short space of time, the page has been met with enormous enthusiasm and appreciation, which is clear from just a short glance at the comments left on her beautifully curated and strikingly honest posts. At the time of writing, the page has nearly 2000 followers and has recently reached the attention of the BBC. I met Gabi on a typically cold Edinburgh morning in the Meadows. What became most evident during the short conversation was her bubbliness and dedication to her page and its followers. What has blown her away is the strength, resilience and support shown by the people who have reached out to her. She has plans to establish a Facebook page to properly respond to the copious amounts of messages she receives, as she emphasised how important it was to her to reply wholeheartedly to the incredibly personal and moving stories she receives. I ask her if she expected such a big response so quickly- “No!”, she says emphatically, “I am absolutely shocked at how crazy this has been, with the BBC involved and the incredible messages I have received”. Gabi has been heard on BBC Radio Scotland multiple times, appeared on BBC Scotland ‘The Nine’ last week and she can currently be spotted on the official BBC Instagram. The reception for her page and the emergence of such a compassionate community has allowed her to find new ways to cope with her Dad’s illness, “It’s such a great outlet to just rant and get out all my feelings and then to hear that all these people feel the same is just… wow, I have no words!” she says, with immense gratitude. The posts and stories on the page cover all manner of issues that affect young people today, including University drinking culture, ‘Hangxiety’ and Seasonal Affective Disorder (I followed the advice to buy a SAD light and I can highly recommend it!). In this way, the page brings together all teenagers and students, including those who have not been through the same experience as Gabi. One aspect that we discuss is the pressure to drink and use drugs at University, and the gut-wrenching ‘Hangxiety’ all too familiar to many students. “I think in the UK we have a big issue with glamorising alcohol and drugs, there’s so much pressure to ‘fit in’”, she says, able to reflect on her own experiences with drug and alcohol abuse in her early years at University. One of the aims for the page is to create an open conversation about the dangers and effects of drugs and alcohol. Gabi is incredibly honest about the experiences she has had in the past in efforts to cope with her Dad’s illness, encouraging others not to succumb to peer-pressure or FOMO. I finish our conversation by asking how she has found living in Lockdown for most of this year, and, like the majority of people, she struggled. Living in a flat in Glasgow was incredibly restricted, and it took a toll on her mental health. Back at University, she appreciates the Tier system and absence of the second lockdown in Edinburgh, but “I feel so much for people back in a proper lockdown” she sympathises. She is lucky to have supportive flatmates, whom she describes as “her sisters” and is enjoying spending time with them. Her methods for coping have been to “go on big walks, cook good food, watch good TV and focus on me!” Chloe is a History student at the University of Edinburgh. Gabi is a student at the Edinburgh Napier University. This article was edited by Tamara El-Halawani, a student at the University of Edinburgh.

Lucy Gavaghan takes a retrospective look at activism over the last few years. She tackles 'slacktivism' and the power that online activism can have. Image description: As a group, we’re based in different cities (even different countries) so in one respect our organising hasn’t changed significantly - we still communicate online (via Zoom and Slack) and much of our work is spread via social media. We also released a set of eight housing posters just before Christmas, because we see the need for housing organising as a response to people losing their jobs, not being able to pay rent etc. in the pandemic. We're giving these out for free for people to put up (just send us a message), or you can buy one for your room and support our work. If you’re a social media user, it’s safe to say that you will have likely seen or conducted some form of 'clicktivism' in the past weeks and months. The murder of George Floyd, coupled with the constraints on physical organising and protest produced by the pandemic, saw an explosion of internet activity and exemplified the powers of (and doubts circling) virtual activism. ‘Clicktivism’ refers to the relatively new phenomenon of digital campaigning and, namely, online petitions. Whilst many embrace e-petition platforms as a tool of empowerment for otherwise stifled issues and voices, some claim that online signatures only evidence shallow commitment to a cause and may even serve to quash more meaningful action. The argument sounds something like this: we see a trending campaign as we scroll down our social feeds; moved by the cause (or its perceived popularity) we press a link, fill in a few details, and voilà. Problem solved! This is where the idea of ‘clicktivism’ picks up a different neologism - ‘slacktivism’. Delving into this term can help us to challenge the assumptions it makes and the realities it obscures. Some would suggest that acts such as e-petition signing are ‘too easy’, that there isn’t any real commitment to the cause, or that it simply can’t create substantive change. This in itself is a lax argument to make. There should be no barriers to this kind of engagement - this is a key niche in politics and social change in the online world. Anyone and everyone regardless of identity or history should be able to use these platforms to put forward their call for change at any level of politics and society. It isn’t the fact of a petition taking an electronic form that determines its success, rather, it is the people behind it and the minds and voices it attracts along the way which infuse it with potential. Soaring signature counts are the product of passion and drive from the individuals and groups - and it would be a brave critic who calls the concrete changes sparked by online petitions a product of ‘slacktivism’. From overturning the Boy Scouts of America’s ban on gay youth in 2013 to galvanising demands for justice following the murder of George Floyd this summer with nearly 20 million signatures, petitions are proving their centrality in defending human rights and calling out systemic brokenness the world over. In our present era of information and technology, we need to envision e-petitions as an impeccably powerful, oftentimes crucial, tool in social change as opposed to an isolated means to an end. ‘Clicktivism’, be it sharing content on social media to spread awareness, viral hashtags, or e-petitions is an instrument and catalyst of deeper movements and a temperature gauge for public opinion. Laura Coryton launched the ‘Stop Taxing Periods’ petition in May 2014 and has been a key voice in the build-up of pressure on the government ever since. Campaigners have been working on the issue for decades and Rishi Sunak’s budget for 2020 marked a watershed moment for an inspirational force of activists including Laura. The battle for progress persists and Laura has captured the imaginations of many. Her supporters have been active in maintaining pressure over time, pulling issues of menstruation and inequality from the shadows of stigma and taking Sunak’s commitment as a step in the direction of a continuing movement. ‘Clicktivism’ is the public contribution to a rallying cry of others. The initial impetus to turn to the internet can stem from the most human of frustrations, often compounded over time and triggered in unexpected ways. Yes, virality is fickle. It often fades following an explosion in popularity, and some issues do slip beneath the radar of public attention. What we need to hold onto is the idea that successes embody more momentum, human energy and struggling than anyone headline can capture. Like-minded people who may be geographically or socially dispersed can join in solidarity. Activism is messy. In a way, that’s what makes it so beautiful. It’s easy to construct a critique of clicktivism by equating success with, for example, immediate policy changes. In this framing, if the calls of a petition or a movement birthed in online networks aren’t seamlessly absorbed into the political agenda, then we can dismiss those involved as slackers. Campaigns, whether they exist and play out online, in public spaces or develop in communities or homes, share a need for momentum. Energy is built over time and carried, not just in a click or any defining moment, but from the trials and tribulations of seeking growth and traction. COVID-19 has reinforced the value of online communication and the petition website Change.org has witnessed a remarkable spike in activity: recording 3 times usual rate of petitions started and 7 times the number of signatures. To extract the full potential of our current moment and seek a future of richer social and political engagement, we need to take a more conscious approach to online activism. One in which we challenge lazy dismissal of online engagement as pointless or performative. When the inherent power of the internet is harnessed effectively, marginalized voices and stories can be elevated alongside our understanding of our milieu. Couple that with the power residing in us all and we can crystallise our compassion around injustices on every level. Ultimately, ‘clicktivism’ has as much potential as we choose to vest in it. Lucy Gavaghan is a 1st Year International Law & International Relations student at the University of Edinburgh.

Tamara El-Halawani looks at why we need to replace 'cancel culture' with 'accountability culture'. Sitting with my Mum during lockdown, I was shown an article defending freedom of speech. Upon reading it, it appeared that most of my generation was regarded by hers as launching an attack against it, ready to rebuke anyone who said something that wasn’t ‘politically correct’. We were branded too sensitive, or told that we don't allow anyone to say anything in this climate. Moreover, many of us were lumped in with the Twitter mobs who angrily slammed their keys, igniting an internet attack as soon as they pressed ‘enter’ into a 280 character box. ‘Cancel culture’ has climbed its way back into our headlines. ‘Cancelling’ someone originated as black twitter users used the hashtag on the platform to voice their opinion on issues that mattered to them. It quickly gained traction as conversations grew over the #MeToo movement, holding public figures to greater accountability for their appalling actions. This person would be culturally blocked from having a distinguished public platform or career as the following ensued: a celebrity or someone of public standing would say or do something offensive, the public would retaliate on social media armed with politically progressive views and then the #cancel that person would begin. Those who engage in ‘cancelling’ someone often enlist activism as their justification for it. At its origins, this co-dependence appears true; those who are called out are used as an example of what you cannot say or do in society. Those who use racial slurs, that in our parents generations were acceptable, or stereotype whole groups of society, are publicly shamed by those who were oppressed. Yet, in its current form and as Obama stated, in October 2019, ‘woke [‘cancel culture’ is] ‘not activism’. It gives the perpetrator of ‘clicktivism’ a moral high where they feel superior to their peers but this doesn’t bring about change. It just ‘casts a stone’. It gives the perpetrator of ‘clicktivism’ a moral high where they feel superior to their peers but this doesn’t bring about change. It just ‘casts a stone’. The now infamous ‘Letter on Justice and Open Debate’ published in Harper’s Magazine in July this year, disputed ‘a stifling atmosphere [that] will ultimately harm the most vital causes of our time’. Over 150 academics, journalists, artists and academics signed it, declaring that society, and implicitly the left, has become more illiberal of opposing ideas. It suggested that free speech is being silenced and that this was a threat to democracy, built upon the free movement of ideas. It included JK Rowling, who recently tweeted ignorantly transphobic comments. What she and them were alluding to was ‘cancel culture’. Chanté Joseph said on the Podcast ‘Podulting’ that, ‘For a long time, I think that the media have painted young people who are socially conscious as this hungry, foam at the mouth mob who literally just want to tear people down. But actually no, we are some of the most forgiving people... We are so much more direct about what we like and what we dislike and what we find problematic...but that doesn’t mean that you’re below being forgiven or the capacity and space for change.’ It is wholly agreeable that the ‘mob mentality’ that comes with ‘cancel culture’ is wrong; no individual should be bullied or sent death threats. This is where the term ‘cancel culture’ is frustrating; sometimes it is used to downplay legitimate criticism where someone might be trying to contribute to the broader discussion of a topic. This means that when people are scared to admit that they are wrong, rather than owning this and doing better, they choose to aggregate those who are criticising them with those who are giving them abuse. As highlighted in Reno Eddo Lodge’s book ‘Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race’, those with anti-racist views were seen as oppressors of ‘free speech’ in the 2015 British Rhodes Must Fall Movement. Objection by students at Oxford University calling for the removal of the statue of colonialist businessmen Cecil Rhodes at Oriel College launched the nation into debate. Those against its removal argued that it would be an undemocratic erasure of history, with the Chancellor of the University Lord Patten stating that the students were stifling the freedom of speech by protesting. In trying to stop a conversation in which students criticised their institution, he was preventing free speech. More widely, in the context of racism, it becomes clear that equality to the privileged feels like oppression. This is where the term ‘cancel culture’ is frustrating; sometimes it is used to downplay legitimate criticism where someone might be trying to contribute to the broader discussion of a topic. Similar debate began when students from the BlackEd movement and Elizabeth Lund at Edinburgh University campaigned in a petition for the renaming one of the most prominent buildings on campus. It had been named after David Hume, who held racist beliefs. Those against the renaming argued that taking away his name would be akin to trying to remove Hume from history. The campaign was challenging whether Hume should be so visibly celebrated, not asking for his work never to be read or discussed. While the initial counter name suggestion of Julius Nyerere drew criticism, Elizabeth Lund amended the petition to ‘not replace one bigot with another’. The idea that we live in an intolerant censorship driven society is unsupported by reality. We now live in perhaps one of the most controversial times where people are allowed to administer provocative statements to the masses. Those who think that ‘social justice warriors’ are a threat to free speech and democracy appear to be people whose privilege has camouflaged their ability to distinguish between criticism and censorship. In fact, those who are supposedly ‘cancelled’ are least likely to be ‘cancelled’, leading to some rendering the term as non-existent; JK Rowling still has her career and is due to be releasing a book, Shane Gillis, who had made homophobic and racist jokes and was dropped by Saturday Night Live, has since hosted many shows and R.Kelly and Michael Jackson saw increases in their music sales in 2019. Katie Hopkins also complained recently about being ‘cancelled’ after her account was removed from twitter. Her presentation as ‘cancelled’ has brought new fans as she continues to grow a new platform on Instagram. She wasn’t ‘cancelled’; her account was taken down as she was promoting hateful speech, against Twitter guidelines. The idea that we live in an intolerant censorship driven society is unsupported by reality. The sad irony is that the people who openly criticise these ideas tend to be those who had been historically silenced, and are minorities at the greatest risk of cancel culture. This isn’t to say that some people’s infractions aren’t tone-deaf or offensive. However, it helps the people at the tops of companies to fire employees at the bottom of the pyramid; the minimum amount of social radicalism is done rather than a change made to the infrastructure in which these views were built. ‘Cancel culture’ needs to be changed; it is wrong for those behind a screen to send abusive messages to those who have been ignorant and made stupid mistakes. In cases such as Harvey Weinstein, the person ought to lose their platforms for the horrific acts that they have committed and profited from. When posts promote hate or violence, it becomes the duty of social media companies to remove the account. More generally though, it is unrealistic to think that humans are incapable of fault. ‘Accountability culture’ would allow for redemption, for someone to apologise and their wrong to be a step closer to a right. ‘Cancel culture’ is the scapegoat used when we don’t have time to attack the systems of inequality practically and productively. It is these structures that young people can tackle as we educate ourselves and those around us. Black Lives Matter is an example of what happens when people channel their frustrations productively. As a result and with this compassion, we are seeing a cultural shift in our generation towards progressive change.

Kiera Mann provides an interesting review into the series 'The Queen's Gambit', revealing where it falls short and where it may be redeemed. Artwork Description: Clean beauty’ is a collage which refers to a standardised and regulated idea of beauty that has persisted throughout western popular culture and is still ever present in today’s ‘progressive’ society. There is an obvious double standard in the ways we view beauty in terms of gender. The perpetuation of idealistic beauty standards and over sexualisation of women in the media is demonstrative of ideas which still place women’s physical appearance as a marker of their worth. The black gloves in the image serve to represent a sort of enforced sexuality that is never an expression of the individual, but rather an expression of what is expected of the individual. The Queen’s Gambit has taken Netflix by storm since it aired last month, and for good reason. If you’re one of the few people yet to watch, or should we say binge it, then this article is your sign. Following Beth Harmon, a Kentucky born orphan in the 1950s, the show tracks her journey to becoming a national chess prodigy. Being set against the backdrop of the Cold War, and showing the interactions between American and the Soviet chess stars, the show was always going to have some interesting politics. But, overshadowing the Cold-War references are the colourful and provocative gender tropes tackled by the producers. Despite revolving around the heavily male-dominated world of competitive chess, it is the plethora of strong female figures that advance and facilitate the plot. In doing so, they draw attention to long-standing, and all-too-familiar gender tropes that are still prominent in today's world. Beth’s adoptive mother, Alma Wheatley, tackles alcohol dependence, a distant and arguably abusive husband, and a shattered dream of being a concert pianist. Her virtuosity is something she shares with no other; her love of classical music thus becomes a guilty pleasure. She is the product of an invisible and mundane domestic life, with seemingly no friends or extended family. She is stuck in an unhappy marriage with Mr Wheatley, a cold and heartless man who is the embodiment of the individualistic 'American Dream’: a white man who has dedicated his life to travelling the country for work, whatever that mysterious work may be. Despite this unhappy existence and her initially rocky relationship with Beth, Alma is eventually seen in a favourable light through her dedication to aiding Beth in the pursuit of her dream as an international chess player. She is a lonely woman who is a representation of the outwardly-happy, inwardly-depressed housewife of 1950s America; she has the house, the husband, and the car, yet still feels unfulfilled in her seemingly meaningless day-to-day existence. It is unsurprising that as she passes through her teenage years, we see Beth herself begin to face some of these same demons. Maturing from an awkward schoolgirl into a sophisticated and chic young adult is not a smooth path for Beth. Her dependence on the tranquillising ‘green pills’ in her childhood orphanage safely plants the seed for her later drug and alcohol abuse. After errand-running for Alma in the local pharmacy, and becoming reconnected with the pills that played such a huge role in her young life, Beth succumbs to them once again. This growing dependence culminates in the months after the sudden death of Alma, where we see an on-screen depiction of Beth painfully mourning alone, in an unhealthy and upsetting way. These binges, unsurprisingly, threaten to ruin her chess career, something that could be taken as a reinforcement of the ever-present idea that women are biologically too emotional for important careers. However, a closer look into Beth’s lonely reality as the sole woman in the world of competitive chess offers a far more sympathetic understanding of her actions. As her success grows, we watch Beth amass some wealth and splash out on all the things she longed for growing up. Despite this, her way of life is an isolated one, and these material goods do not bring Beth the happiness she once thought they would. She has pushed everyone who cared for her away, most notably her ex-rival turned situationship Harry Beltick, and is left with nothing other than her material items. It is also interesting that after embodying the ‘not like other girls’ trope throughout her childhood, Beth undergoes a transformation by which she conforms to prevailing beauty standards as soon as she has the financial means to do so. This conformity is an interesting choice by the show; it appears to stick to the narrative that to become noticeable, women must first become physically desirable. It’s Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries, except this time, it’s 2020. The saviour of the show’s representation of female characters is Beth's childhood best friend, Jolene. After we see her struggle to get adopted as the only black girl in the orphanage, Jolene makes a surprise return when Beth is at her lowest, pulling her out of the darkness. Jolene breaks every on-screen stereotype she could have been subjected to as a woman of colour: she is independent, successful, and a kind and supportive friend to Beth. She also breaks down the societal norms of the time, being the only black woman at the law firm she works at and striving to become a qualified lawyer. Despite her limited role, a result of the fact that she never escaped the orphanage until she reached adulthood, Jolene’s character is a fan favourite, with many even calling for a spin-off series revolving around her future success. I think we can all agree that this would be an excellent and uplifting show, albeit in very different ways to Beth’s story. This is proof if proof were needed, that audiences respond to well-rounded, autonomous, female characters. Despite this last-ditch effort to portray a more balanced depiction of the plight of women in the 1950s through Jolene, I think audiences expect more than this in 2020. It is disappointing to see a modern show with so much potential for a progressive tackling of gender politics revert to the classic trope that a woman’s beauty can solve all her problems. Whilst the style transformation of Beth is impressive, through presenting this exterior change as a solution for her wider life problems, it perpetuates the message to the young girls of today that it is not what’s on the inside, but what’s on the outside that counts.

Nayna Florence Patel (@naynaflorence) is a 20-year-old influencer from London who studies at Edinburgh University. She has 202k subscribers on YouTube, and if that isn’t enough she also has 80.7k Instagram followers and recently became a podcaster. Her ethos consists of veganism and maintaining a sustainable lifestyle while being a student. She manages to build a connection with her followers which feels more like a friendship than anything else. Let's get to know her a little better ... Edinburgh - a guide to Edinburgh during a pandemic - Okay, that was all that was just like the little like Edinburgh guidance. R: So you study at Edinburgh University and have spent the past semester there. What have been your favourite things to do while being restricted by the pandemic? N: I recommend visiting Portobello beach, I sometimes even go swimming in the sea! I went to Stockbridge for the first time this semester, and it is nice, with some good charity shops. R: Since you are a big foodie, what are your favourite Edinburgh take-aways? N: Hula is an all-time favourite. I also love Brochan, the porridge place in Marchmont and Paradise Palms. University R: How do you balance the work that your degree in Economics demands of you, with creating content for Youtube, Instagram and now a podcast as well? N: Being organised and disciplined. I make lots of to-do lists and also try to have separation. So I'll try and do uni work in the library and then YouTube stuff at home. To be honest it is not that hard though. After a long day of University work, I am genuinely looking forward to editing a video or something. I find it enjoyable. R: After finishing your degree do you think you will want to go into a job that is Economics focused or would you consider giving all your time to this career you have created for yourself? N: I don't think I'd ever want to do solely this. I think what makes my content interesting is the fact that other things are going on in my life. Additionally, I think it's the kind of thing that if you were like relying on it for an income, it would be really stressful and potentially damaging to your mental health as it is all relying on other people's opinion of you. But I also don't know if I'd necessarily want to do something in Economics, I think I’d prefer to go into a business-focused career, or maybe humanitarian. YouTube R: You started your YouTube channel in July 2018 but often speak about wanting to start it up way before then. So I was wondering what gave you that final push of confidence to go for it? N: I think I was just scared of what people at school would think. I started it up when I finished school so I had the mindset that either no one could say anything or if they did, I could just cut them out. I wouldn’t have to see them anymore. Also, because I was going to University I thought that'd be interesting to document my time and look back on it even if I never posted the videos or anything. It would just be cool for me. R: Let’s talk about the growth of your channel - you are now at 202k subscribers which let’s be honest is a huge amount of people. What do you think were the main contributing factors to this growth? N: I feel like in part, you just kind of get lucky with some videos getting pushed to loads of people. I also try to make videos that are what I would like to watch and I try to have a different style of editing I guess. But honestly, I'd love to know why as well. R: Do you feel like you've come to terms of this growth yet? N: It feels unreal to me, especially because so much of the growth was during the pandemic. So I haven't gone to meet anyone or done anything like that, so it just looks like a number on a screen sometimes. In short, no definitely not. R: What is your favourite thing about doing all of this? N: Building a following and having people to talk to that are interested in the same things that I am. That's cool. Also because my degree is maths based and academic, it's cool to have something a bit more creative to put effort into. Especially this year I don't know what I would have done with my time if I didn't have all of this. Podcast R: You have recently started a podcast ‘Growing With The Flow’. I know you are a fan of podcasts - can you tell us your 3 favourites? N: The High Low is amazing but that has just ended. It is hard to narrow it down but I also love What We Said and the Deliciously Ella podcast. R: What made you want to branch out into podcasting? N: I think some topics don’t work well in video form because it's just me talking and I don't feel that makes for an interesting video. Also, the length of a podcast is a lot longer than a video so you can go into more depth. I always just want to be part of the things I like. I liked watching YouTube videos so I decided to make some, and I like listening to podcasts so I started recording them. R: For those who haven’t listened yet, what kind of content can they expect to hear. N: I want it to be a mix of stuff. I've done an episode on veganism and a couple of chatty episodes as well. I will also be covering topics such as sustainability and the pressures of University and imposter syndrome. I think whatever's relevant at the time as well. R: How has the reception been from the first three episodes you have already released? N: I think it's been really good. Podcasts are a bit different from YouTube because there's no comments or likes or anything. There have been a few reviews and I have positive DMs about it. Morals and ethics R: You have been vegan for 5 years now. How have you found maintaining the lifestyle and has it gotten easier over the years in terms of your personal growth and also how society has shifted? N: For me, at the start, I was focusing more on the health benefits, whereas now I do it more for the environmental benefits for the planet and animals. I think it's easier to maintain something if you're doing it for other people than yourself. In terms of more widely, I think it's become a lot more accessible. You can buy way more stuff in supermarkets and most restaurants will have at least one vegan option now. So that's better. Additionally, there's a lot more in the news and just in general, on social media etc., about climate change, and that sort of thing. So I think that's changed a lot in the last five years. R: It was more recently that you decided to boycott fast fashion brands and only shop second hand (like from depop and charity shops) or from ethical, sustainable stores. What made you decide to adopt this lifestyle, and how would you encourage others to do the same? N: I watched a couple of documentaries on it and I got emotionally invested in that sort of thing. Once you have been shown the truth of where clothes are coming from, I find it difficult to ignore. It is important to remember that anything you do to make a change is positive. It doesn't have to be like all or nothing. Christmas R: What is your favourite vegan Christmas food? N: I love a nut roast, although I think we are having a mushroom Wellington this year as my whole family is now vegan. R: Finally what Christmas day activities do you enjoy the most? N: We don't have loads of crazy traditions. We normally go on a walk and I like a board game as well. My favourite is articulate. Nayna was interviewed by Rachel Watkins, a third year Economics and Politics student at the University of Edinburgh.

With national lockdowns and far more free time than we had been used to, more students than ever are starting up podcasts. A really fun way to share ideas and spark conversation, there are so many great ones local to Edinburgh run by students that we just had to chat with them. Starting off, we want to introduce you to Audacious Aunties by Mavir Dobb and Asyia Iftikhar, who have embarked on their third sensational season. K: Let’s start off easy: When did you guys start the podcast? What made you decide to do it? Why this particular subject? M: We started it out in the summer of 2019, after spending a long time thinking and chatting about all we had learnt at University in our first year; we were both unimpressed about how our curriculum hadn't really widened up to the world and was incredibly Western-centric. I study History and Spanish and Asyia does Classics and while they tried a little, neither were quite there. It’s frustrating for me that we’re at such a high level of education and nothing was being done to try and decolonise the curriculum; if it isn’t happening at university it won’t be happening at any of the lower levels. We also thought it would be a really great learning curve for us both; you’ll see in the podcast we don’t act as though we are professionals, we genuinely are just going on this learning curve with our listeners. It’s been really fun, I think especially within the arts which are considered to be heavily whitewashed. I know within countries like the UK its hard for people of colour to feel as though they are being seen and represented, but we’re able to show that art is happening everywhere. It’s nice to open people’s eyes to just how diverse the arts can be. A: I honestly couldn’t add any more. Manny’s genuinely summed it up perfectly. K: I love that. I do History too with English and we’re actively trying to write to the people higher up about how they need to change things. Do you think Edinburgh specifically is particularly bad and lagging behind? Within both the university and beyond? M: I think they are trying but sometimes I feel as though it's tokenistic; I remember in first year we had a course in medieval worlds. You’d think the course would be about the world because it literally says so in the title but they spent barely two lectures talking about what was happening outside of Europe. If the course is 22 lectures, it's really upsetting that we weren’t learning more. I’m in my third year now and I look at all the courses and whilst there’s a couple which are really good and very interesting when you look at them compared to the endless list of Western courses, it’s really problematic. I find it funny that there are courses dedicated to tiny moments in Western history, but there’s nothing that goes into that level of focus for the rest of the world. K: You can’t really specialise till honours level either so for all the first and second years, you only have what they feed to you. I’m not sure about Classics but within History and English, you can’t delve into things at all. A: It’s much the same really, you have a lot of compulsory stuff but we are given the opportunity to do some modules outside of the discipline. Often though they are very competitive so a lot of the ones I applied to I just didn’t get into because they were either already full or other students were given priority. I feel it’s very much for show; if you say to the department that you want more modules on something else they just dismiss it, saying that you do have the option. We don’t really though. M: The fact that it is so oversubscribed in itself shows that there are people who want to learn about what’s happening! A: Exactly. It’s infuriating. K: It’s important they try but it's so clear that there is just so much more that can and that should be done. I wonder if perhaps five years or so down the line whether or not things will have changed. I have this very real hope that things will change for the better-especially amongst students there is a clear demand for change. I just hope it does happen and the people higher up listen. M: Me too. I see there is this sort of attitude where they are patting themselves on the back thinking they have achieved it but clearly it’s not true. I think though at the moment with the added pressure of things like BLM and student protesting they will be forced to reanalyse the systematic racism in their departments. K: Goodness. Right, on a much happier note, the podcast! I absolutely love it; I’ve not found anything else like it and I love that it is so unique. There isn’t anyone else really who does what you guys do. I’m a big fan of the student podcast scene right now but especially in Edinburgh, I don’t see the diversity that we have in the city. A: Yeah. K: What are your hopes with it? Where do you see it going? I know the third season is upcoming but have you got any exciting things planned? What’s in the pipeline? A: Well! I guess it is kinda fitting that we are doing another season during this lockdown period; it’s funny because our last season was pushed on by the last lockdown. We are sort of hoping to expand out of just looking at specific areas of art and moving into wider movements which we think is quite relevant to what we have been seeing over the last couple of months. At its core though, no matter how many seasons we do it’ll always be us laughing over art, which I think is beautiful. M: We have to though don’t we, otherwise you’re always going to be inundated with stories of people of colour going through things. It’s always about the problem, whereas with us we’re showing that we actually can smile and have a giggle too. A: Yeah, definitely. K: Yes, completely. It’s funny you mentioned lockdown, I was going to ask about that actually. Has it made things harder? I know you aren’t living together so it’ll all be done digitally. How have you found that? M: We bought a microphone for Audacious Aunties which I own and Asyia, unfortunately, doesn’t have one. The way we work it then is that Asyia is on a phone-call with me and I record it through the microphone. It sounds very dodgy but so far the sound quality has been okay. It’s difficult but it has been a really fun challenge to try and navigate through. If anything really, not much has changed: we still have our chats pre-show and it’s still a very natural flowing conversation. Of course, there are bits when the Wifi goes a bit weird but thinking about it lockdown has forced us to think about the podcast more and think about what we want to do with it. A: Last time when we were restricted to recording in person because we were both at uni whenever we saw each other we would have to treat it like a business meeting and bulk record! We’d go delirious by the end of it! This though has opened up a whole new world of just being able to record when we are both able to and not record five at once. M: It’s hilarious, we listened over to bits of season one and there are points when someone is talking and it’s just so monotonous because we were so tired by that point. The other person was just kind of like ‘yeah, that’s great, yeah.’. K: I love it. That’s brilliant. With the future in mind, I don’t know what you’re thinking but I am hoping for seasons upon seasons upon seasons. Where do you see things going? I envisage so much change, I know it’s opened my eyes to a whole world of new things which now I love. What’s the dream? A: With Audacious Aunties, we want to get the listeners more involved and get more input and more voices. Up until this point, it’s very much me, Manvir and a Wikipedia page conquering the art world together. I’d love though to get guests in and incorporate more voices and just see where it goes from there. More generally though it would be nice to see change over the next couple of years or so. Right now, we’d find an artist or a poet and there would be very limited information on them; we really have to work with the one or two pages we can find or that one thesis someone wrote ten years ago. It would be nice to see active change and far more information out there that we can use and learn from. That’d be nice. M: I agree with everything you just said. I kinda have this hope that Audacious Aunties will someday take on the BBC? K: YES! I’d absolutely love that. M: It’s baby steps! Really though I just want it to grow. If we look at our audience at the moment it’s very heavily dominated by women, which is great, but I’d love to open things up to a wider audience. It’s great that we have the support of so many women and women of colour, but the white man is the one who needs to listen to it the most. Really, we just want to find a way to coerce them into coming over to our side. With the world though, as Asyia said it would be great to see more information that properly reflects the rest of the world and that generally, people are just more aware. Hopefully to the point where Audacious Aunties isn’t really even needed because people are already filled with so much information about the things we talk about. K: When you think about the fact you have only done a couple of seasons, the amount you have achieved already is incredible. I can only see you guys getting better. I know you were joking about it but I would love to see you guys on the BBC. M: We’ll put it in the plan. A: I don’t know how our chaotic energy will fit in with the BBC… K: It’d be fab. I guess finally, with the second lockdown looming up here in Scotland, I’d love your recommendations for stuff to listen to, read and watch. I’d love to discover some new things at the moment and I know there’s loads you chat about on the podcast but if you did have any recommendations what would they be? M: I can see Asyia rattling her head for just one recommendation already! Okay so barely five minutes before we started chatting I was reading this book; it’s partly for coursework but also for my own reading. It’s by the Nicaraguan writer Gioconda Belli and it’s called ‘El pais de las mujeres’ which means ‘the country of the women’. It’s about this world where women are in charge of everything and I think it’s going to be a really interesting take. It gives me Lord of the Flies kinda vibes but in a good way with women instead? We’ll see how it goes. I think in the 1980s there was a telenovela soap opera made about it as well, which I reckon especially in the 80s when feminist ideas were still evolving would be really cool. A: Recently I watched a series on BBC iPlayer called ‘The Art of Persia’ which was really really interesting; it takes you outside the Western perspective of classics as well as giving you the general history of Persia. I really enjoyed it, super interesting and good vibes. K: I’d love that. It pains me to say; I’m rubbish with world history. My sphere of history is very much Eastern Europe, I’ve dug deep into my Polish heritage, but I would love to know more. With what I want to do after uni, I want to celebrate and be able to tell people about the exciting things happening all over the place. A: That’s what I love about Audacious Aunties though; it can feel so scary and difficult to know where to start so I really believe in making things accessible. Hopefully, we can act as a good springboard for people to find things they didn’t know they would be so interested in. Interview conducted by Kirsty Thomson.

Maddie Noton explores how identity is impacted by digital media in what we are shown by others on social media and how we choose to show ourselves. Biometrics by Ross McDonald (Instagram: @weelecht) Description: My work focuses on the relationships between the physical and digital world and the possibilities that a mixed reality might entail. We often entertain multiple digital personalities that are loosely based off of our physical identity depending on the website we are using, It's humorous since the internet democratised information and communication, we've become free to be whoever we might want to be. I've been exploring new artistic mediums such as oscilloscopes, machine learning, VR environment design and generative/algorithmic arts. Having been the subject of philosophical thought and debate over centuries, the notion of identity remains, ironically, unidentifiable by finite definition. Throughout our lives, our self-image fluctuates back and forth, owing to chronological changes, external influences and our psychological programming. The statement “describe yourself” - in a non-physical context - elicits varying responses from an individual throughout their life as our interests and beliefs shape and reshape with time. However, identity and self-image are becoming slowly more ambiguous alongside the rise of technological advances, which glorify falsely constructed versions of ourselves through an online medium. Although social media profiles reveal certain interests and characteristics of a person, they also obscure our objective reasoning and detract from reality, suggesting that numerical popularity defines a person’s worth. Media exposure is undoubtedly potent in its contribution to self-image, especially in an age where we routinely encounter more online faces than we do real ones. Although social media profiles reveal certain interests and characteristics of a person, they also obscure our objective reasoning and detract from reality, suggesting that numerical popularity defines a person’s worth. What forms an identity? We often exhibit our personality traits through an amalgamation of interests, reflections of aspects we admire and potential familiarities which induce a sense of comfort. However, what subconsciously draws us to associate with these interests and hobbies is said to stem from early psychological development. Incapable of independently forming opinions and judgements from birth, we are naturally inclined to echo those of our superiors: perhaps teachers, parents and role models, among others. Interestingly, although our range of ‘role models’ broaden with age, we still aim to replicate those we deem icons: no longer a parent, but perhaps a globally recognised figure or celebrity. Memories and experiences often contribute to our current likes and dislikes and fears. For example, a fear of spiders is likely to have surfaced due to seeing a parent or carer negatively react when in contact with them. In particular, arachnophobia is further perpetuated by cultural influence. Owing to its celebration of horror and the grotesque, Halloween maintains the notion of spiders as something to fear, irrespective of their physical, harmless behaviour. Culture and tradition are large contributing factors in ascertaining how we define ourselves. Growing up in a religious household may encourage the continuation of cultural festivities and determine rigid belief systems. Not dissimilar, being born into a musical or artistic family often predetermines later interests and hobbies, which may even evolve into careers and full-time occupations. Perhaps the reason for this is an established sense of familiarity, which we seek to replicate within our own lives. Familial comforts and routines provide us with a sense of psychological direction and stability, owing to our primal instincts to establish safety in foreign environments. This could include moving away from home or certainly, for many of us, the move to university. It hints towards logical reasoning for our subconscious actions and points to the importance of our past: we collate our former experiences and manifest them within our modern self-perceptions. We collate our former experiences and manifest them within our modern self-perceptions. Aside from characteristics and qualities, the definition of identity also seems dominated by physical representations, an argument supported by our increased attention on appearance and image. Although our physical appearance has always been a large factor in our identities, the movement to an online existence forces greater attention to detail on our digital profile. Alongside an overwhelming reliance on technology to stay up to date with current events and affairs, our instinctual need to remain heard has shaped our digital presentations, casting light on a culture that values individuals through physical representation. Face-to-face interactions and social meet-ups in the modern-day rarely occur without the presence of a phone or item of technology. Indeed, we cannot be separated from our digital identities for a prolonged period. Dating apps like Tinder have eliminated the need to socialise in the real world, as we are presented with the necessary information all through a screen. Suddenly, finding a romantic match no longer requires a process of copious amounts of meet and greets - we now sieve through potential partners with a simple swipe of the thumb. However, this technology poses as many disadvantages as it does benefits. Despite a growing sense of established control over our identities and the choice between which photos and images we wish to share, owing to its anonymity, users are granted the publication of mostly unmonitored opinions and judgments – not all encouraging or supportive. This leads to physical appearance and presentation being defined and categorised into standards of beauty according to public opinion, often with ostracising and demeaning effects. Already fragile self-perceptions turn inwards and eat away at our confidence, leading to a desire to change and conform to outsider opinion. Already fragile self-perceptions turn inwards and eat away at our confidence, leading to a desire to change and conform to outsider opinion. As we slowly transgress into a society which attempts to categorise us, I bring to light Oscar Wilde’s perhaps bleak discernment on our existence in respect to its both contemporary and modern significance on our understanding of identity “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.” (Oscar Wilde, De Profundis). He deconstructs the very roots of our identity down to simply reflections and fragments of others. In an ever-growing world of digital media instructing us on what to think, wear and eat our self-presentations are being emptied of individualistic qualities and conforming to more collective identities, those approved by social standards. Therefore, our online presence becomes not a digital reflection of ourselves, but, instead, manifestations of how we seek the approval of others. We are careful about what we post because the repercussions threaten our online reputations and detract from a socially acceptable profile, regardless of whether or not they reflect our true selves. Therefore, our online presence becomes not a digital reflection of ourselves, but, instead, manifestations of how we seek the approval of others. Although the establishment of ‘Mass Culture’ is no new phenomenon, its effects seem to be advancing as we stagger in individualism. Most notable writers, who vocalised their despise of this cultural movement include T.S Eliot. I draw attention to Eliot in an attempt to outline the universality of Mass Culture and convey its representation throughout generations of time. Through poetic means, Eliot is openly critical of how we submerge ourselves into a collective and bleed dry independent representation. However, this explicitly pejorative approach to collectivism may possibly be rationalised by a more united perspective. In as much as it removes unique characteristics, collective identity also seeks to strengthen our feeling of belonging. Through association and familiarity, we may bond and connect to others with similar interests and qualities. This likewise stretches as far to ethnicity and cultural similarities. For example, finding a person who shares an interest in something as simple as a film or book may ignite an attachment and permits us to deepen our relationship to that individual. Internet activity has likewise fuelled this via the creation of terms such as ‘trending’, ‘trend-setters’ and ‘influencers’, jargon that simultaneously affirms our association with a collective, yet also unites us as a group. Thus, alongside the removal of individualistic traits, we may take comfort from a growing sense of united identity. Internet activity has likewise fuelled this via the creation of terms such as ‘trending’, ‘trend-setters’ and ‘influencers’, jargon that simultaneously affirms our association with a collective, yet also unites us as a group. As a final point of interest, I would like to refocus attention to our own understanding of what makes an identity. In an age where digital media seems to occupy an increasing proportion of our lives, we often struggle to disassociate ourselves from our online representations, believing these profiles to be the pinnacle of our reputation. However, our identities seem not to be a fixed concept. As previously mentioned, the aspects which both physically and psychologically stabilise us, as well as external influences such as culture, are continually shifting and developing. These, overall, are unable to distinctly and finitely categorise us. In attempts to find comfort, we often seek to withdraw into our past and self-reflect on aspects of ourselves which have made us who we are today. Thus, constructed on both a physical and psychological representation, identity remains a subject of unidentifiable ambiguity. Thus, constructed on both a physical and psychological representation, identity remains a subject of unidentifiable ambiguity. Maddie Noton is a second year MA Italian and English Literature student at the University of Edinburgh.

Laura Baliman describes how revisiting her old Tumblr blog was a reminder to appreciate art, rather than overcomplicate it now as an Art History Masters student. The micro-blogging site Tumblr is quite a strange place, full of fandoms for everything you could imagine, but as a teenager, I spent a lot of time on the “artsy” side of it. Having rediscovered my old blog recently, I realised that the art of Tumblr is something worth exploring. It became apparent as I scrolled through my old posts that the site was not just a space for teenager’s doodles or rudimentary memes, but also a space in which fine art was shared – like this painting, November Wind by Eric Sloane: If presented with such artwork now, as an Art History Masters student, I would think immediately of texture, shadow and historical context – all of which are helpful categories, but at the time of sharing this work, I probably just thought it was cute. Similarly with this artwork, “While We Frame Our Happiness, Sadness Frames Us” by Mahmoud Al-Kurd, I’m sure I was just struck with awe: Looking at it now, I jump quickly to thinking about postmodernism, digitality and perspective, but in many ways, I wish I could go back to seeing it like I used to. I don’t remember ever thinking about art or theory or anything like that, because it wasn’t taught at school: we were still drawing our shoes with HB pencils back then. Our relationship with art is definitely complicated by academia; having finished my Literature BA, I’ve found it difficult to pick up books and only recently coaxed myself into reading a page or two of Milan Kundera. I no longer enjoy art in the simple way I used to. This doesn’t mean that academics aren’t valuable – I can appreciate art so much more now, and understand it with far more nuance and complexity. But I think this appreciation and understanding could be enhanced by childish and simplistic enjoyment. Enjoying, or simply liking a piece of art doesn’t advance your intellect or bring great career prospects, but it is pleasant, and that’s what Tumblr art offered to me at the time. However, I probably did realise that the above works were fine art and that someone older and more educated would have a lot to say about them. But this awareness was not present for most other posts on Tumblr, which I just thought were pretty pictures. I assumed that fine art was just inclusive of the traditional canon – an assumption that I now firmly reject. I thought that I couldn’t possibly understand art, because we often tell children and young adults that they “simply wouldn’t understand”, or that certain books shouldn’t be read because they would be too advanced. Although I definitely didn’t have the vocabulary to properly examine these artworks, I do think I still “got” it. For example, I did not realise that a series of three photographs of undulating velvet material by ‘foxydreamgirl’ (since deactivated) could even be classed as art. Still, the sheen of the fabric caught my eye, and I saw that the three strong primary colours were put beside one another but softened by the velvet texture. Perhaps I wouldn’t have been able to explain that effect, but I knew about it. It is unhealthy to tell young people that art is a certain kind of thing that sits on the walls of museums and in textbooks. I believe now that pretty social media posts are art – just of a different category (and perhaps an even more fun one). Sharing such “pretty pictures” still goes on via many platforms – Instagram recently being more popular, but I hope now that we can see such posts as artistically valid themselves. One issue with Tumblr art is that credit was not always given to the artists. The velvet trio was uncredited, and I can only assume that the photographs were taken by the original poster. This reveals itself as a widespread issue as I scroll down my old feed, which is full of uncredited photographs and artworks. At the time and as teenagers, I don’t think we were aware of the necessity to credit artists or to support them, because we didn’t know anything about the art economy. Tumblr was also a particularly complicated place to credit artists because, with each reblog, the captions and tags got lost. But nowadays I don’t think there is an excuse for not including the name of the artist, especially when such a system like tagging is available on Instagram. Revisiting my old social media stomping grounds has reminded me to sometimes look at art and just feel it. It has also reminded me to follow accounts and artists because I like and support them – and to not always write essays on them, so that I don’t completely lose that romantically naïve outlook that defined my formative years. Laura Baliman is an Art History Masters student at the University of Edinburgh.

FX’s drama portrays a political war between American women in the 1960s & 70s, but can it illuminate how women continue to operate within society at large today? Olivia Humphrey evaluates the series’ more subtle indicators towards modern feminist debate. Whilst watching Cate Blanchett’s command of a drawing room filled with middle-class housewives, each one bewitched by her galvanising rhetoric of internalised patriarchy, I find myself becoming increasingly exasperated. I imagine this reaction was shared by many of those who have been following FX’s historical drama, Mrs America. Sitting alongside my mum as the tirade reached climax, preparing a biting remark, she looks at me and says, “But she’s absolutely right.” Mrs America dramatizes the narrative of the movement to get the Equal Rights Amendment ratified in the US, and the unanticipated counterattack from conservative campaigner Phyllis Schlafly (Blanchett). An illustrious cast, if nothing else, elevates the production’s profile; recurring members include Rose Byrne (Neighbours), Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black), Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games) and Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story), to name a few. Relaying the accounts of the leading women of the era – Schlafly, alongside renowned second-wave feminists, including Shirley Chisholm, Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan – the miniseries investigates how this theatre of war throughout the 1970s and 80s altered the American political sphere forever. Schlafly’s address in question, from the first episode of the nine-part series, is masterfully portrayed by Blanchett, who relays the contemptuous, yet keenly intelligent mechanisms of her vernacular and body language. The result is incendiary, riddled with personal strikes on Freidan and Steinem of the Women’s Liberation Movement. One statement, however, has continued to reverberate around my house: “What is going to happen if you push women out into the workforce, is that they are going to find themselves with two full-time jobs. And they’re going to be exhausted and unhappy, and feel like they’re not doing either well.” The smug resonance holds more truth than is comfortable to admit. At a first glance, this crusade perhaps seems worlds away from my own sphere of existence. As a young, white, female student, living in one of the most affluent cities in the UK, I am able to live a privileged lifestyle. I have access to free healthcare, incorporating sexual health, meaning I have autonomy over my reproductive rights. I have access to a community where LGBTQA individuals aren’t merely tolerated, but celebrated. What’s more, I have been actively encouraged to enrol onto an art degree – an arguably fiscally insecure decision – because I was lucky enough to grow up in a household where our finances were deemed stable enough to support our outlandish ambitions. In short: I have been afforded the luxury of idealism. This is where my mother and I differ – life has moulded her into a steadfast realist. Thrust into a career as a general practitioner by her parents, my mother’s life, up to the age of thirty-two, saw her check all the boxes of a respectable existence: career, husband, children, all whilst maintaining a size 8 waistline. However, throughout the majority of my childhood and adolescence, she functioned as a single mother, essentially balancing two full-time posts. Herein lies her sympathy with Schlafly’s rationale that, when given opportunities to do anything, women are expected to be everything. Herein lies her sympathy with Schlafly’s rationale that, when given opportunities to do anything, women are expected to be everything. It is simple to posit that this expectancy is intrinsic within women at large; that the tension between fulfilling oneself both professionally and personally is built within us, somehow. It’s a view my mother subscribes to. However, to my mind, this perspective seems reductionist and dangerous, and points towards an issue throughout society at large. Glossy magazine covers and diet teas consistently bombard their audiences with the reminder to maintain a certain figure, lest they dare lose their sex appeal, and TV advertising of home appliances regularly situate women in the kitchen. The illusion that perfection can be attained throughout all areas of life is seductive, yet inevitably unfeasible – it immensely endangers mental health by setting impossible standards and actively encourages women to perpetuate misogynistic ideologies. Schlafly’s continued rhetoric illustrates this perfectly. “… [Steinem] is the sort of miserable and pathetic woman they aspire to be… none of them can find a man who wants to marry them.” Moreover, modern ‘hustle’ culture, leaves little room for those who align themselves on one side of domesticity or professionalism; those who dedicate themselves to homemaking are often not taken seriously, and those who choose not to marry or have children are ‘incomplete.’ This apparent motif of women pitting themselves against each other resurfaces time and again throughout the show. There is a facet of the argument that still screams to be acknowledged: the strain of perfectionism would be significantly reduced if the dynamics of marriage and parenthood were allotted equally. This is not to say that the world is devoid of loving husbands and dedicated fathers – far from it. Nonetheless, there lingers throughout society a concept that women are duty-bound to be primary caregivers; a notion that is damaging to men also. In Mrs America, the implication that men be expected to raise children was met by Schlafly’s audience with hilarity, to an echo of “Oh, God help us.” Yet, whilst biology does not distribute the reproductive burden equally between the sexes, men are perfectly capable of emotional labour and the responsibilities of parenthood – to say otherwise is to do them a disservice. Consistently, Mrs America accentuates ways in which the key female players of the era navigated their own conflicts, not always to fruition. Issues concerning POC and LGBTQA characters cast a light on feminism as a movement that has historically prioritised white, middle class women. The political battlefield is represented much as one might expect: bloody, treacherous and duplicitous, and the war amongst women is a tragic narrative. The chronicle didn’t need to happen – women didn’t need to divide themselves, but under inflammatory leadership, did so anyway. It’s interesting to question whether Schlafly herself was truly invested in the lives of housewives, or whether she simply thought it would be a useful tool in increasing her following, to eventually place herself into office with a far-right president. It is widely believed that, had it not been for her opposition, the ERA would have been ratified victoriously; instead, the series concludes with no clear winners. Realistically, a turn through history books would tell me this was to be expected. But, somewhat satisfyingly to the idealist inside me, Schlafly herself discovers the bitter truth to Jill Ruckelshaus’ ominous words. The chronicle didn’t need to happen – women didn’t need to divide themselves, but under inflammatory leadership, did so anyway. “You want to get ahead by climbing on the shoulders of men, Phyllis? Well you go right ahead. Just know, they’re looking right up your skirt.” Mrs America is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Maddie Noton (M) and Kirsten Provan (K) briefly summarise several books, which will be later explored and discussed via a virtual Book Club. Dedicating a portion of our day to reading a mere page of a book has become an almost impossible feat. In an age where instant results seem to incentivise action, reading outside of the assigned reading list for work assignments is becoming infrequent (especially alongside the increasing volume of work!). Amid our busy lives, we often neglect reading anything that does not yield some sort of instant benefit (from acquiring digitally dispensed gossip via Instagram to crossing a tick box off your assignment list). However, this past year has seen a sharp uptake in those, who have decided to take up reading, and there is certainly no shortage of books from which to choose. Genres ranging from horror, fantasy, crime, science-fiction as well as non-fiction autobiographies and informative texts, are all available on multiple platforms: online, offline and even audiobooks. In this article, we have collated and condensed some worthwhile reads, which we believe will offer direction for those struggling to find the perfect book. Image Description: I illustrated this piece in response to a uni project, in which we had to create our own manifestos. I decided to make mine based around my workplace mindset and wellbeing. It’s essentially little reminders for me to work hard, remember to breathe every now and then. Macbeth, William Shakespeare (M) Perhaps a cliché, but Shakespeare never fails to amaze and inspire me. The thrill factor of his work evokes a sense of grotesque intrigue. As we see Macbeth and Lady Macbeth switch between their gender roles, as well as deteriorate in mental stability, Shakespeare appals his audience with scenes of theatrical horror. This sense of darkness, I think, ties in nicely with Edinburgh. Not only being “The Scottish Play”, but also its tales of Machiavellian manipulation and betrayal parallel the city’s dark past. There have been many variations of this work, both on the stage and screen, but if reading is not enough, then I thoroughly recommend watching it. Firstly, and my favourite, the 2015 film with Michael Fassbender as the lead. Filmed on the Isle of Skye, the eerie adaptation is in keeping with the traditional writing (the Scottish moors providing its setting), and Fassbender’s portrayal of the hauntingly monstrous title character merits his overall capabilities as an actor. Another favourite (yet slightly unconventional) version is James McAvoy as Macbeth, ShakespeaRe-told (2005). Released in the second episode as a part of a four-part series of Shakespeare plays, it showcases a Glaswegian restaurant that descends into anarchy after murder becomes the means of obtaining power. The modern setting allows for a wider scope of audience, who may be initially apprehensive at the archaic writing, but its gruesome plot lives up to the text’s gory reputation. This play goes well with a picturesque view of the Scottish Highlands (google images for southerners like me), a foggy night and a glass of brandy (for shock). Conversations with Friends, Sally Rooney (M) Eclipsed by the widespread popularity of its sister Normal People, this book parallels the similar social mundanities and routines of everyday life. However, it’s clever in the sense that we view one rather theatrical and striking character (Bobbi) against a backdrop of regular, every day, normality. I found this read to be strangely freeing, as it details the life of Frances – an introverted, awkward writer from Ireland. Overshadowed by her opinionated and somewhat possessive best friend, Rooney highlights her struggles with identity, sexuality and family. A reserved and partially vanilla individual, she perhaps doesn’t fit the archetype of the traditional protagonist, making her character arguably more compelling. The text does not shy away from political issues such as class, sexual liberation and feminism. Centred around university and student life, it speaks to my own experiences as a student – most notably the undercurrents of wealth division in a city as widely diverse as Edinburgh. This is also especially relevant at a time where we are viewing the repercussions of blind-sighted wealth in our government. This book goes well with a cup of tea, a self-reflective attitude and an appreciation of the Irish. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley (M) Possibly the founder of our preconceived notions around the term ‘Monster’, Mary Shelley continues to enthral readers in her creative construction (and deconstruction) of human identity. Told through the perspective of an ambitious traveller named Robert Walton, we learn of Victor Frankenstein’s devastating and destructive journey in which he seals his demise. His tales of reckless adolescence and relentless Hubris, all in efforts to usurp divine will and restore life to a corpse, are horrifying, harrowing and, yet, somewhat enlightening. What makes us human? The physical attributes of the Monster seem to contribute a lot more to his overall antagonistic character portrayal than his actions. Like any good piece of literature, this text forces us to reflect and question our judgments when faced with similar metaphysical obstacles as fictional characters. Although, I’m not expecting anyone to reanimate corpses in a German laboratory. This book goes best with a stormy night, some scientific understanding (although, I coped fine) and a good Swiss accent. Girl, Woman, Other, Bernardine Evaristo (M) Although divided into individual narratives, the characters in this text are united by their ‘Coming Of Age’ style reflections. Offering us an almost extended-family setting, we hear accounts of their lives and experiences - covering topics such as sexuality, race, education and class. The chronology of this writing also ranges across the century: despite taking place in the modern-day, the stories of these characters stretch back across the years, encapsulating change not only within themselves but also as a part of a wider, shifting society. One particular character, who stands out amongst this impressive crowd of individuals is Penelope, for whom we may feel little empathy due to her archaic ideology. Yet, it is this attitude and this character, which perhaps surprises us the most. Her development seems almost greater than any other, and the ultimate plot twist of this book makes it a heart-warming read. The words of this book encourage us to grow; to change and to mature. But it equally reminds us of our heritage and reinforces the vitality of maintaining our connections to the past. Above all, to our loved ones. To accompany this book, I would recommend a furry blanket, good attention to detail and a nostalgic mood. This Is Going To Hurt, Adam Kay (M) Unlike anything that I have read before, this book opened my eyes to the relentless tenacity and resilience of those who work in the NHS. Adam Kay (having been motivated by Jeremy Hunt’s 2015 attack on junior doctors over a contract dispute) published his documented accounts of his medical training from 2004 to 2010. The most prominent theme throughout this book draws on the improper treatment that the NHS receive in terms of government support. The repercussions of financial cuts, leading to overworked and underpaid staff take centre stage in his writing and offers an alternative voice to that of the front liners on the NHS itself. Alongside governmental neglect, Kay records his interactions with particularly “tricky” patients: interactions that make me feel almost embarrassed to be a member of the British general public. In its flinchingly gory accounts of past patients, this text elicits a holy trinity of hilarity, devastation and rage. Furthermore, despite some altered names due to privacy reasons, this book is far from fictional, making its writing further compelling for readers like me, who entered into reading with no background understanding of the inner workings of the NHS. For some, this may differ, but regardless of your medical knowledge, this writing is assured to gauge your interest. Goes well with a strong stomach, a box of tissues and a deep reverence of the NHS. A Brief History of Seven Killings, Marlon James (K) Anyone who knows me knows Marlon James. I never let a day pass without mentioning him and I refuse to stop. He’s the most refreshing writer I’ve read in recent years; a true individual with a distinct and confident style. A Brief History of Seven Killings, his most famous book, sees those allegedly on the fringes of the attempted assassination of reggae legend Bob Marley step into the spotlight. Throughout the novel, Marlon James explores gang culture; the toxic input of the CIA in Jamaica during the Cold War; and the impact of corrupt, violent, and powerful politicians and policemen. However, it is James’ characters that stand out here, as is true of everything he writes. James has a great knack for turning incredibly flawed, ostensibly unlikeable individuals into utterly compelling and strangely loveable people. He humanises the baddies and demonises the goodies. James’ prose throughout is poetic and lyrical; it begs to be read aloud. The novel incorporates myth, legend, folklore, and the fantastic, combining it all with a history that we know so little about. All this comes together to make a story that, at its heart, feels alive. The Driver’s Seat, Muriel Spark (K) The Driver’s Seat by Muriel Spark is the kind of book that it’s best not to know too much about before reading. Even the blurb feels like too much information. It follows a woman named Lise who decides to take a holiday, and that’s all you need to know. Spark, the queen of opening sentences, really strings her readers along with this truly bizarre little book. It’s one of the only novels I’ve come across that changes with every read. The first time, you are utterly manipulated by Spark, allowed to feel clever, before the proverbial rug is well and truly pulled. The second read, well, Spark expertly reveals every little thing you missed and everything you took for granted becomes skewed; characters somehow take on whole new personalities. The Driver’s Seat is completely mad, absolutely astounding, and clever at its core; the genius of Spark is out in full force here. It’s a book that destabilises and discombobulates; not once does Spark let her readers in the driver’s seat. Piranesi, Susanna Clarke (K) There’s nothing quite like a bit of escapism while the world burns around us. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke was that book for me in 2020. Clarke’s first novel since the highly-acclaimed Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell graced our shelves sixteen years ago, Piranesi is a quirky little book brimming with imagination, world-building, and mystery. Piranesi, the loveable protagonist, lives in the House, a large, labyrinthine building where forceful tides sweep through the rooms and statues make up most of the population. He and his curious friend, the Other, believe themselves to be the only living occupants of the House, but as mysterious messages start appearing in its vast halls, Piranesi must consider the possibility that they might not be alone. Clarke combines intricate, evocative descriptions of the House with a perfectly paced mystery, making Piranesi an intriguing little puzzle with the power to transport readers to a world blissfully far away from our own. Morvern Callar, Alan Warner (K) Morvern Callar by Alan Warner opens with the fairly gruesome suicide of Morvern’s nameless boyfriend. But far from remaining in a stagnant grieving period, Morvern Callar is a novel about impulsive decisions, action, and the need to always keep moving. Set primarily in an isolated, rather depressing Scottish port town, the novel charts supermarket worker Morvern’s desperate need to escape and the structures of society that make it almost impossible to do so. Strangely for the brusque young woman, it is only with the death of her boyfriend that Morvern’s own life begins. Though she remains lonely at heart throughout and does grieve for her lost love, Morvern moves from Scotland to Spain to London back to Scotland again, seeking pleasure and parties wherever she can. Warner’s portrayal of a solitary but steadfast Scottish girl is deeply skilful and sensitive. She truly comes alive on the page; her tenacity and self-assurance remain charming throughout. Undoubtedly, Morvern Callar is one of those great literary characters that persist. The Nickel Boys, Colson Whitehead (K) Colson Whitehead’s The Nickel Boys is not for the fainthearted. Set in a segregated reform school called the Nickel Academy, the story follows Elwood and Turner, two students, as they try to survive the torrent of abuse they experience there. Moving back and forth between Jim Crow-era Florida and 2010s New York, the novel, based on a real reform school, brings the devastating truth of such recent history to light. Whitehead, a double Pulitzer winner, very sensitively and deftly brings the Academy and all its horrors alive. While Elwood is devoted to Dr Martin Luther King’s peaceful protests, relying on corrupt, self-interested, abusive white men to see reason, by setting a portion of the novel in the present day, Whitehead shows how such abhorrent attitudes are not so easily overturned. It is a harrowing, haunting novel that forces readers to confront the brutality of the all-too-recent past, making it clear that the aftershock of such horrific events is still being felt today. Keep an eye out on our Instagram page (@theedimagazine) for when the book club is going live! Kirsten Provan and Maddie Noton are two students at the University of Edinburgh. This article was edited by Tamara El-Halawani, also a student at the University.

Since the start of February, increasingly horrific stories have come out of Myanmar following the Military’s seizure of power. In recent weeks, many civilians have been brutally murdered whilst fighting for their freedom. In this article, written in the earlier days of the coup, I spoke to my brother, who is currently living in the country, about what he believes we need to know about the events in Myanmar. In the early hours of the 1st of February, the State Counsellor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi and several other senior officials were detained by the military. The first I heard of this, by admission being someone occasionally out of touch with global affairs, was an exchange on the family WhatsApp group. My elder brother, Bertie Lawson, is currently living in Yangon running a travel business. Understandably, my parents were concerned by the announcement of the military coup and my brother reassured them that he was safe, before relaying his belief that there was no immediate security threat. The viral video of a fitness instructor capturing the beginnings of the coup on camera added an element of humour to the takeover. Alongside the nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement, the first group of protestors took to the streets on the 4th of February, waving banners and chanting, resulting in three arrests. In the early days, the atmosphere seemed almost convivial and marches appeared closer to parades as people from across the country stepped out against the coup. There were flowers, elephants, dancing and food given to the marchers. It was carnival-like. In the early days, the atmosphere seemed almost convivial and marches appeared closer to parades as people from across the country stepped out against the coup. There were flowers, elephants, dancing and food given to the marchers. It was carnival-like. Since then, protests have escalated and become increasingly violent. On the 9th of February, a 19-year-old protester Mya Thwe Thwe Khaing took a bullet to the head and died after 10 days on life support. The death toll on the 3rd of March alone was 38. In total at the time of writing, it is estimated that over 60 people have lost their lives on the streets of Myanmar and over 1500 people have been arrested, including journalists and public figures. Laws that demand court approval before arrest and detention have been dismissed by the junta. The military has begun firing live ammunition into the crowds of protestors, alongside the use of tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets. Internet access and use of social media platforms such as Facebook and Whatsapp are restricted in efforts to discourage protestors. My brother reports that the fear in the capital is tangible; “Some parts of Yangon resemble a war zone”. The internet is also shut off between the hours of 1 AM to 9 AM, paired with frequent, unsettling bangs throughout the night. If you support the Democratic movement in any way, you live in fear of a night-time arrest. It is undeniable that the goal of the security forces is to scare the population into submission. “Some parts of Yangon resemble a war zone”. Despite these troubling developments, the conversation about this amongst my peers has been limited. I find myself having to scroll for some time down the BBC news feed before I find any updates. Amongst the clamour of COVID 19 updates, Brexit aftershocks and spats in British politics, the voices of protest from Myanmar are somewhat drowned. I am in the fortunate, though the currently worrisome position of having a sibling in the country meaning that I was made aware of the circumstances from the beginning. That being said, I was still notably lacking in a comprehensive understanding of Myanmar’s recent political history. With this in mind, I asked Bertie what he believed were the most important things for us to understand about the violent seizure of power at the hands of the military. Myanmar became independent from Britain in 1948. Since then, it has seen a near 50 year period of heavy-handed military rule that came to an end in 2010. During this period protests arose in the 60s, 70s and 80s of which little was publicised to the rest of the world and for which records remain scarce. The moves towards Democracy began in 2010, and in 2015 the National League for Democracy under Daw Aung Sang Suu Kyi won by a landslide. In November of 2020, the NLD were once again voted indecisively, which appeared to take the military by surprise, and they began to protest in “Donald Trump-style” that the election was fraudulent. It was this that inspired their snatching of power on the 1st of February. Bertie emphasises, “the coup was the theft of a country. The smashing of dreams and hopes of over 50 million Myanmar people for the benefit of military generals.” Bertie emphasises, “the coup was the theft of a country. The smashing of dreams and hopes of over 50 million Myanmar people for the benefit of military generals.” Although some businesses have declared their disapproval of the Coup, such as Japanese brewer Kirin, it has become apparent that meaningful change must come from within Myanmar as opposed to the United Nations, action from which has been vetoed by Russia and China. The battle is for the entirety of the Myanmar population, but students, or ‘Gen-Z’ as they are referred to in the British press, have been at the forefront of the demonstrations from the beginning. This is a further reason why I thought it almost nonsensical that there was so little conversation amongst my peers. The younger generation in Myanmar are unwilling to surrender their connection to the rest of the world easily and are showing remarkable bravery and strategy when faced with military aggression. They are being shot at, beaten and murdered and continue to take to the streets in resistance of military rule. They write their placards in English in attempts to grab the attention of the international community. My brother emphasises that these students “Watch the same TV, listen to the same music, follow the Premier League and use Facebook, Instagram and TikTok daily.” They are fighting for freedom; “Freedom to vote in fair elections, freedom not to be harassed in the street by police and freedom to not have their private telecommunications tapped into.” They are fighting for freedom; “Freedom to vote in fair elections, freedom not to be harassed in the street by police and freedom to not have their private telecommunications tapped into.” He finishes by highlighting the importance of keeping yourself informed of the situation for their sakes, being aware of the horrific violence by the junta and engaging in conversations about what is happening. We must support by digging through the COVID updates and updating ourselves about the ongoing aggression in Myanmar. This article was written by Chloe Lawson, a History Student at the University of Edinburgh. It was edited by Tamara El-Halawani, also a student at the University.

After being described as ‘high maintenance’ during an innocent game, the more sinister and frustrating connotations of this term frequently played on the mind of Chloe Lawson, inspiring her to vent her thoughts on paper. This rant was fuelled during a recent round of a novelty card game played at the kitchen table between my flatmates and me. The object of the round was to decide who in the room was the most ‘high maintenance’ and votes were resoundingly cast for me, including my own. This was not something I found offensive at the time and no friendships were damaged. However, since then I have become increasingly bothered when thinking about the phrase and its connotations. In the context of the game, the term was not attached to a particular gender. Yet, it seemed inconceivable to me that any of the boys would ever have been described in that way. A quick search of ‘high maintenance’ on google, delivers high up on the suggested searches ‘high maintenance girl’ and the first result: ‘12 signs she’s a high maintenance girl: Should you date her?’ from a site laughably called ‘The Adult Man’. In the ‘Urban Dictionary’, you also find a definition for a ‘high maintenance woman’ but not a specific definition for ‘high maintenance man’. According to Grammarphobia, the term has been coined since the early 1980s to describe a demanding or needy person, of any gender. The words at a simple level bring to my mind an inanimate object or possession whose upkeep is more trouble than it is worth. Google’s definition of the term is ‘something requiring a lot of work to be kept in a good condition’. This image is problematic, implying an object that is essentially too much effort to be worthy of care. In the Urban Dictionary, ‘high maintenance’ is specifically defined as “a female that requires more than average hair/nail/pedicure/skincare services, the latest trends, name brand clothes/shoes and handbags, and lots of attention”. Essentially, an overly demanding ‘Miss Piggy’ type character or perhaps a botox-filled gold-digging second wife. I am neither of these things and I did not for a moment think that my friends were accusing me of being so. Nevertheless, the phrase does carry these connotations. I felt as though it were outdated, a misogynistic way of belittling people trying to communicate their needs in any relationship, romantic or otherwise. It is unanimously agreed by female writers that it is a phrase coined by men to manipulate and shame women who do not “line up with their subjective expectations” of how they should behave. Fundamentally it denigrates someone for knowing what they do and don’t want. When a man is clear about what he wants, he is never called ‘high maintenance’, but rather applauded. It is not simply a complaint from men; women and girls can perpetuate this idea, unknowingly or not. To describe yourself as ‘low maintenance’ is a conscious contrast to those hysterical ‘high maintenance’ women. This could be described as a ‘pick me’ habit because it implies that the ‘low maintenance’ people do not ask for anything and would be much less ‘hassle’ in a relationship. The women at the ‘low maintenance’ end of the scale are amusingly described on the blog ‘Sandria_Says’ as those who “embody the colour beige”, seeing as they rarely express a definite opinion on anything. In response, I would argue that to not ask for anything in any kind of relationship is not the sign of a healthy bond. Sometimes, it is vital to set boundaries and communicate to prevent or ease difficulties. When a friend or partner is, or is not, doing something that upsets you, it is important to voice these feelings understandably. If doing this is ‘high maintenance’ then let that be ‘high maintenance’. The negative implications disgust me in their potential to prevent anyone from voicing their feelings for fear of putting someone off them, friend or otherwise because they are ‘too much work’. To me, ‘high maintenance’ can be classed with other such demeaning turns of phrase such as ‘very difficult woman’, or describing a girl as ‘psycho’ in instances when she is expressing anger. These are terms that trap people into behavioural patterns to avoid upsetting others. They are used when a woman is acting contrary to society’s expectations. It reminds me of the unnecessary fuss surrounding Jennifer Anniston and the absence of a husband. I have heard it commented that ``she must be really difficult”. Why must she? And what do you know? These phrases have the dangerous implications of acting as potential ‘gags’ to reduce admirable qualities to unattractive vices and invalidate opinions. Why should anyone feel that they can’t communicate their thoughts or anxieties because it might mean they are too much hassle? I do not mean for this to come across as something that exclusively applies to women; anyone could be described as ‘high maintenance’ by someone else trying to put them down. It should not be forgotten that people are, by nature, complicated beings and therefore ‘high maintenance’. In a time when increasing attention is being paid towards mental health issues and understanding of them is encouraged at great lengths, lingering phrases like this must be understood for the connotations that they carry with them. If someone communicates their fears, concerns or boundaries and is met with a reaction that implies they are too much like hard work, they will likely be less willing to repeat the conversation for fear of being brushed aside for a more ‘low maintenance’ model. Of course, this goes both ways. You cannot simply ask and ask and ask and not respond with the same understanding. It is necessary to achieve a balance of reciprocal high maintenance. I have an idea of why I was voted the highest maintenance out of the people sitting around the kitchen table. However, what struck me as I wrote this rant is my apprehension about putting this on the internet. By freely describing myself as high maintenance and aggressively calling for an end to the phrase, I was still afraid that people would think of me as difficult and too much like hard work. I do not believe I am, yet this belief is still prevalent in society. I was irritated that I should feel like this. If anyone feels uncomfortable in a friendship or relationship, they should not feel straitjacketed by ridiculous notions about keeping feelings to themselves for fear of upsetting the apple cart. I was struck by an important thing to remember when writing this: you will always be high maintenance to the wrong people, if they are not mature or emotionally evolved enough to respect and understand your needs. As a Friends fan, I am reminded of Chandler’s words to Monica who has been accused of being high maintenance by Phoebe- “they can call you high maintenance, but it’s okay because I like maintaining you”. Cast aside the whinging babies who aren’t prepared to treat you as you deserve and find the Chandler Bings of this world. References: 1. Sigafus, Joshua; ‘12 signs she’s a High Maintenance Girl: Should you Date Her?’ The Adult Man. Accessed 20/05/2021. https://theadultman.com/love-and-lust/high-maintenance-girl/ 2. The Urban Dictionary, ‘High Maintenance Woman’. Accessed 20/05/2021. https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=High%20maintenance%20woman 3. Kellerman, Stewart and O Conner, Patricia. ‘When Harry Met High Maintenance’. Grammarphobia. Accessed: 20/05/2021. https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2020/04/high-maintenance.html#:~:text=very%20demanding%20or%20fussy%2C%E2%80%9D%20according,%2C%20April%2019%2C%201982). 4. The Urban Dictionary, High Maintenance. Accessed 20/05/2021. 5. @Sandria_Says. ‘What Men really mean when they call you high maintenance’. Accessed 20/05/2021. https://medium.com/@sandriasays/what-men-really-mean-when-they-call-you-high-maintenance-85a51b79e422#:~:text=I%20worry%20about%20doing%20good,to%20comply%20to%20my%20wishes%E2%80%9D. 6. Stern, Abby. ‘Why Calling Someone High Maintenance is so Wrong.’ The Zoe Report. Accessed 20/05/2021. https://www.thezoereport.com/living/relationships/high-maintenance-women-opinion 7. Sandria_Say, ‘What Men Really Mean’. https://medium.com/@sandriasays/what-men-really-mean-when-they-call-you-high-maintenance-85a51b79e422#:~:text=I%20worry%20about%20doing%20good,to%20comply%20to%20my%20wishes%E2%80%9D. This article was written by Chloe Lawson, a fourth year History student at the University of Edinburgh. It was edited by