It’s a Friday night. You’re sitting around a table in someone’s kitchen, drinking vodka out of a Deloitte promo mug. To disguise the uncomfortable atmosphere, you play ‘Never Have I Ever.’ It gets to one […]
‘No girls allowed!’: Students face sexism at Varsity
Two female University of Leeds students were victims of sexist abuse at the Varsity grand final according to a complaint put forward to the University. The incident is said to have occurred during the Varsity […]
Interview | Dawn O'Porter – 'TV networks don't think women are as good as men.'
You’d be mistaken for thinking that Dawn O’Porter is some kind of superhero. Journalist, reporter, performer, documentary maker and novelist are but a few of the titles she’s achieved in under a decade. Yet she […]
Comment | Why we need Jennifer Lawrence
The second instalment in the hugely popular Hunger Games trilogy ‘Catching Fire’ is out in cinemas at the moment. I for one will most definitely be taking advantage of Orange Wednesdays to go see it, […]
Comment | An end to LAD culture
Lad culture is a club promoter asking young men to explain the details of how they intend to “violate a fresher tonight”. The crude misogyny that characterises it so conclusively courses through the response: ‘she’s […]
Comment | Your face or mine? The women of I'm A Celebrity
To the joy and celebration of many, I’m a Celebrity Get Me out of Here is back on our screens once more. This programme is now in its thirteenth series, and its enduring popularity is […]
Comment | Airbrushing Austen
The compulsion to airbrush images of women is now so entrenched in our media that even those born before the invention of the camera aren’t exempt from manipulation. This week the Bank of England were […]
Comment | Bake takes the cake
Last Wednesday morning I found myself hunched over my bag, blocking my ears in the middle of Leeds Student Medical Practice. Was I nervously awaiting the results of a chlamydia test or some other form […]
Comment | Slobs, Snobs and Bigoted Banter
In principle, the idea of Varsity seems like a fantastic event; collaboration on such a scale with our neighbours down the hill is a rare occurrence and it’s a great opportunity for student sports clubs […]
Comment | Rape Is No Joke
There are three certainties in life: death, taxes and the flogging of tat though salacious adverts. As my generation are primary targets for sexualised marketing, we are no strangers to sexual images. However, there comes […]
‘That’s what she said’: ‘lad culture’ on our campus
In March 2013 the NUS issued a report called ‘That’s what she said: women’s experiences of ‘lad culture’ in higher education’. Based on interviews with 40 female students, it was prompted by the NUS Hidden […]
Comment: “Our campus has not escaped the ‘lad culture’ identified by the NUS”
‘Lad culture’ is epitomised by websites such as ‘UniLAD and ‘the Lad Bible’ through offensive and misogynistic photos and jokes, and has been linked to the amount of harassment and assault experienced by students. The […]