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Edgy Leeds: has the phenomenon come full circle?

4 Nov Screenshot_2014-09-26-11-47-47-1

Comparing student fashion fads from South Carolina to Leeds: do all edgy nonconformists now look the same?

Since returning from my study abroad adventure in South Carolina and delving into a whirlwind schedule of final-year studies at Leeds, I’ve started to appreciate certain aspects of British university culture in a new light.

While the edgy Leeds phenomenon is nothing new to me, coming back to campus after a year away has made the grungy, vintage, second-hand look seem even more distinct than ever.

For anyone who hasn’t stumbled across what it means to be edgy in Leeds, all you have to do is (look out the window) or Google ‘edgy Leeds’ to get the gist. There you’ll find numerous news articles by The Tab and The Gryphon mulling over the trend, and the Twitter accounts of ‘edgy girl’ and ‘edgy boy Leeds’, tweeting utter gems like:

The nucleus lying at the core of the stereotype is a student dressing exclusively in vintage, second-hand clothing, wearing hand-made jewellery, (preferably accumulated from gap year travels) travel pants from India, oversized jumpers, Nike Air Max, stuff with holes in, (both deliberate and accidental), oversized scrunchies, chokers, and championing a refined taste for house music and borderline club nights the rest of us mainstream cattle haven’t a hope of knowing about.

The edgy look couldn’t offer a sharper contrast to the nature of college fads back in Columbia, South Carolina. Fashion trends in the Palmetto state are much more safe, careful, clean-cut and often preppy- as perfectly exemplified by the existence of a Ralph Lauren shop in the University of South Carolina’s student union, a sharp contrast against LUU’s in-house charity shop.

To any valiant South Carolinian hipsters out there: I know you exist, but you must know that to the observances of a foreign visitor, the majority outnumbers you remarkably.

As my year abroad progressed, I realised it wasn’t that the majority of students in South Carolina were simply unafraid of conformity, but that wearing similar items of clothing from the campus sports shop was a deliberate statement of solidarity: a pledge of loyalty to their beloved football team, their university, and their community.

If dressing alike in Garnet and Black is a statement of solidarity in South Carolina, dressing ‘edgy’ in Leeds is West Yorkshire’s irresistible fashion spin-off.

Except- and it’s a drastic exception- the edgy fashion phenomenon appears to make a statement of nonconformity, individuality and distinction rather than unanimity and team spirit, like our friends across the Atlantic.

The ultimate irony of the edgy fad is that so many people have jumped on the bandwagon that some are daring to tout it as ‘mainstream’. The effortless, alternative look that once began as a coveted trend only for those who knew its dark secrets, is coming full circle to create a sea of students treading through campus in swathes of chokers and a sea of oversized denim jackets. 

Surely, then- merely by innocent implication- mustn’t mainstream folk like me, who have been ignorant of the edgy fad from the outset, now be considered as truly edgy, wrapped in our block colour New Look cardigans and carrying our trusty River Island Handbags?

Edginess has quickly become an inescapable, polarising identity model. If I happen to like a vintage jumper or go to Flux, all of a sudden I’m accused of trying to imitate the over-saturated fad, whereas maybe, I rather plainly just like that jumper and I’d prefer to join my friends at Flux rather than sit at home on the sofa, agonising over the latent implications of my lifestyle choices amid a headache of conflated edgy-mainstream confusion.

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In the diverse society we live in, there are millions of ways to stand out from the crowd. Perhaps the edgy look does have individualistic intentions, but from the outside, it looks as if the outcome has created exactly the conventional, popular and common clothing phenomenon it set out to escape. The edgy innovators that began the trend, now scratching their half-shaved heads in despair, are probably better off moving to Columbia, South Carolina- a hipster’s utopia- where the fashion majority and minority remain strictly separate.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , modern, , , study abroad, trend, , vintage

Up-and-coming women’s magazine is turning heads in Liverpool

27 Aug

As a long-established blogger and columnist, I’ve managed to pester enough magazines, websites and PR companies to publish my writing over the years. Many students looking to elbow their way in to the blogging world and boost their CVs often ask me for recommendations for who they could submit their work to. I’d like to endorse an up-and-coming women’s magazine in Liverpool that showcases a whole variety of women’s artistic creations.

Heroine Zine's lovable logo

Heroine Zine’s lovable logo

Heroine Magazine, affectionately known as Heroine Zine, was set up just over a year ago by two creative writing graduates, Abi Inglis and Phoebe Dunnett, both 22,  from Liverpool John Moores University. They publish anything that comments on the female experience and explores the history of women’s culture. The duo don’t just publish work from women, though- as they believe that ingenuity and flair are genderless attributes.

Heroine Zine's Issue 3

Heroine Zine’s Issue 3

What started as a Summer project at university and has grown into a print magazine that highlights women’s creativity, ranging from poetry, prose, photography, art and articles. The duo have enjoyed numerous successes over the past year, from holding open mic nights in the city centre, gaining a loyal band of worldwide subscribers and even hosting their very own festival in Chavasse Park, Liverpool One.

Abi said: “We’re so passionate about Liverpool and all the fantastic creative projects that are happening here. We love to support the women involved in these and help provide a space where they can create and perform.”

The magazine even has ‘manifesta’ of principles that outlines the wholesome ethos of its editors. Phoebe explained: “We feature all types of creativity that celebrates women exactly as they are. We want to be the type of magazine that doesn’t feature airbrushing, body-shaming or product placements. Just creative ingenuity.”

Heroine Fest in Chavasse Park, Liverpool One

HeroineFest in Chavasse Park, Liverpool One

HeroineFest in Chavasse Park was a particular highlight for the pair, who brought workshops, discussion groups, stalls and live music to the top of Liverpool One. Many other creative women’s groups from the North West attended the festival, including the Lady Parts Theatre Company, Queen of the Track Zine and a female Beatles tribute band, The Beatelles.

Abi said: “We wanted to celebrate some of the awesome women we know in Liverpool and the North West. It was a great day and we got some fantastic feedback from the public.”

“Having HeroineFest take place in Chavasse Park, a very public space in the middle of Liverpool One, really showed us how open and welcoming people were about the idea of having a women’s arts and culture magazine in the city.”

The editors are now taking submissions for issue 4, which will be published in October. To get in touch, visit facebook.com/heroinemagazine or email [email protected]

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How Tough Mudder changed my ideas about body confidence

6 Aug

This column has also been featured by The News Hub and can be viewed on their website here.

Battling through the world-renowned mud run gave me more than just cuts and bruises

As a young woman growing up in the 21st century, I’m well aware that the mainstream media is infiltrating my ideas about what the female body should look like. Thirty squats a day and I could achieve the thigh gap. Cut down my calorie consumption to get V-shaped abs. Repeat lunge sets with weights to achieve an instant butt lift. From music videos to Facebook memes to billboards: the modern media is constantly trying to convince me that I’m chasing slightly behind the latest coveted body goal.

Despite the diverse array of body shapes that exist in the world, media firms and advertising agencies are cropping, cutting, highlighting, fixing, shadowing, blurring, streamlining and photo-shopping the hell out of their images to subscribe to the singular Barbie-Doll criterion of the female physique.

Meme by soulpancake.com

Meme by soulpancake.com

I know I should be exercising because it’s healthy, because I enjoy it and because it’s part of making the most of the one and only life I have. But there’s still a part of me that’s guilty of exercising with the intention of chasing those media-induced body goals.

I’ll go to the gym if I can’t fit into my favourite jeans and I’ll only leave once I’ve burned enough calories. One of my most energising workout motivations is knowing I’ll have to wear a bikini on an upcoming holiday and I’ll start a panic-induced gym regime after watching the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Whether I’m playing netball or running on the treadmill, I’ve always got an ingrained sense in the back of my mind that as long as I’m burning calories, I must be moving in the right direction.

But I recently completed Tough Mudder and have started to gather very different ideas about fitness and the female body.

For those who don’t know very much about Tough Mudder, its creators describe it as ‘Probably one of the toughest events on the planet.’ Valiant participants are let loose on a military-style 12-mile obstacle course designed by British Special Forces to test mental and physical strength. The obstacles test common fears such as heights, fire, water, electric shocks and claustrophobia- sometimes separately- and sometimes all at once.

What makes Tough Mudder so gruelling is that it requires a combination of physical strength and mental grit to see participants through to the end. I could never have jumped into a pool of ice and water, pushed myself over the edge of ‘Walk The Plank’ or crawled through a trench of live electric wires if I didn’t have the mettle and courage within to just shut my eyes and go for it. What’s more, I wouldn’t have had the energy or the strength to complete the course if I’d been on an unbearable juice diet.

Not only am I proud to have simply survived Tough Mudder but I’ve come away from the course with a life-affirming realisation about body confidence. Having battled through one of the world’s toughest obstacle courses I’ve realised that body confidence isn’t about what my body looks like, but what my body is capable of. While the media would have me believe that I’m always one step behind achieving the perfect body, Tough Mudder showed me that I already have what it takes to be strong. DSC03520

From now on, when I play netball, go running or hit the gym, I’ll be training with a purpose and a new set of goals. I won’t be thinking about the fastest way that I can slim down and look skinny. I’ll be working towards new ways that I can overcome challenging hurdles and develop my strength. The media are targeting women and girls with relentless propaganda that’s pushing our body ideals down a particular path. Thanks to Tough Mudder, I’ve realised that there’s nothing more empowering than taking over the reigns and going in my own direction.

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Top ten life lessons learned while studying abroad

13 Jun

I recently returned from my exchange year at the University of South Carolina. Study abroad years are notoriously well known for being similar to gap years, placing emphasis on immense personal development rather than academic growth and attainment. For this reason, my past year, and those of many other students around the world, have been judged on a pass/fail basis. So after the party’s over, the beer pong tables are a mess, camera rolls are brimming with glitzy pictures, friends have parted ways and events of the past year start to feel like an idyllic dream- is there anything left behind? Here are my top ten deep and meaningful life lessons from the past year that thrust a confident ‘yes’ in the face of that all-important question.

10. If you like or love a person, let them know. Life’s too short to be shy. DSC02971

9. Life without laughter is no life at all. Screen Shot 2014-06-13 at 11.21.52

8. Money can buy you nice things, but some nice things are nicer than others. Would you rather buy yourself more clothes, or save up for a weekend trip in the great outdoors with your friends? Screen Shot 2014-06-13 at 11.23.41

 7. There’s a fine line between assertiveness and confrontation- but it’s an important one. Assertiveness- especially for young women- is crucial to holding your head above water. DSC02996

 6. Life is not meant for spending every day in the gym. When you reflect back on life, will you be happy that you had a hot body, or that you read books, travelled, got outdoors and spent time with loved ones?  DSC02878

 5. Alcohol is not necessary for a good time. When you find friends that make you laugh until your stomach hurts, being drunk isn’t important. Screen Shot 2014-06-13 at 11.22.06

 4. You can be friends with people even if you’re completely different. Having made friends from all over the world this year, I’ve come to realise that the best friendships are the ones that make me see the world in a new light. Screen Shot 2014-06-13 at 11.21.14

 3. Sometimes there isn’t a ‘right’ and a ‘wrong’ decision- there’s just the decision that, on reflection, that will leave you with the least regrets. Screen Shot 2014-06-13 at 11.21.25

 2. People are the best thing in life. Screen Shot 2014-06-13 at 11.51.08

 1. Martin Luther King once said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” It may not feel like it at the time, but the hardest times in life are learning experiences that come to define the residue that is left behind after life’s luck and fortune have evaporated. Screen Shot 2014-06-13 at 11.26.04

Tags: , , gap year, happiness, laughter, learning, lessons, , love, overcome, personal development, , study abroad,

17 #californiaproblems only tourists will understand

12 Jun

When travelling in California, you can be mistaken for thinking that you’ve wound up in paradise. San Fran, San Diego, Los Angeles, Yosemite- Cali has it all, from world-class stardom, to breath-taking national parks, to luscious beaches. Those lucky enough to enjoy California life will notice that during their time in the Golden State, all of life’s usual worries melt into a distant haze, to be replaced by a set of gloriously trivial #californiaproblems that make you ask- why don’t I live here again?

1. Lying on the beach for hours and suddenly realizing you can’t remember the last time you wore socks DSC03401

2. Having a nervous breakdown because you can’t sunbathe without sandflies hopping all over your body

3. Forgetting what day it is DSC02729

4. Agonising over what message to write in the sand for a super grainy new Instagram pic

5. Not being able to take said Instagram pic because the sun is too bright DSC03184

6. Being late for dinner because it took so long to peel your wetsuit offDSC02775

7. Comparing watch and flip-flop tan-lines with your friends at dinner

8. The overwhelming desire to abandon all forms of normal life and become a hippy in Haight Ashbury

9. Buying an inappropriate number of woven bracelets and never wearing them again once you’re home

Screen Shot 2014-06-12 at 21.55.25

10. Constantly bumping into fellow pedestrians because you’re taking pictures of everything. All the time. Especially on the Golden Gate bridge.

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 11.  Buying trail mix that has a disproportionate nut to chocolate ratio. Let’s face it-you only bought it for the M&Ms.

12. The indescribable displeasure caused when you offer trail mix to other hikers and they cherry-pick all of the chocolate bits

13. Not being able to hear your music on the beach because the sound of the waves crashing on the shore is too loud #inconsiderate DSC02740

 14. Worrying about the increasing size of your calf muscles after walking around San Francisco DSC03299

 15. Spilling your complimentary wine on a San Francisco boat tour because the waves are too choppy DSC03243

16. Walking down Muscle Beach and forming the sudden urge to eat steak and workout

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17. Coping with post-Cali traumatic withdrawal disorder DSC03386

Tags: #californiaproblems, beach, , hiking, , Instagram, Los Angeles, , San Diego, San Francisco, sand, study abroad, sun, surf, tourism, tourist, trail mix, , trekking,

On the importance of humour

10 Apr

This semester I’ve taken a senior seminar about suffrage and women’s rights, and have been fortunate enough to meet and interview incredibly influential feminists from the women’s movement in South Carolina. These women are from different creeds, different backgrounds and fought for various different rights within the feminist movement. But a resounding message that surfaced from these interviews touched upon a particular life lesson that I have found especially worthwhile.

We asked one of our esteemed guests how she chose to deal with gritty disputes and confrontation. She responded forcefully, “Never, ever, forget to use humour. You have to try on different styles and see what works for you, but I chose to approach confrontation with humour. I’ve had men come up to me, yelling, and calling me a bitch. I used to respond with, ‘Well if life’s a bitch, so am I.’”

Call it wit, call it sass, call it a pinch of salt, call it banter, satire, or flair- whatever you call it, there’s no doubt that using humour in politics is an enormously beneficial skill. Winston Churchill, the stalwart bulldog of British politics once said, “Tact is the ability to tell someone to go to Hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip.”

Responding to opposition through equally derogatory slights- even if they deserve it- will always blacken your own reputation before it exposes their ill repute. But responding to opposition with humour maintains a level of dignity, intellect and style that rises above cheap and petty insults.

After I met with the South Carolinian feminists, it occurred to me that the importance of humour is not simply confined to the world of politics. As a viewpoints columnist, I often have to write about potentially provocative topics without adding provocation or causing offense. Renaissance philosopher Desiderus Erasmus mused over this topic, “I long ago persuaded myself to keep my writings clean of personal invective and uncontaminated by insults. I wanted to mock, not to attack, to benefit, not to wound; to comment on men’s manners, not to denounce them.” Using humour in writing allows writers to get their point across in an entertaining, skillful and sharp way while keeping their reputation and grace in tact.

This valuable lesson also applies to the modern world of social media. Nowadays, when celebrities’ lives are thrust into the public eye, they come into contact with unscrupulous criticism on a daily basis. But the best comebacks are the ones that throw wit and banter in the face of ignorance and discrimination. Leading actress from the 2009 film ‘Precious’, Gabourey Sidibe, replied to criticism about her Golden Globes outfit by tweeting “To people making mean comments about my GG pics, I mos def cried about it on that private jet on my way to my dream job last night.” Humour breaks the tension, lightens the tone, and challenges ignorance to think outside the box.
President Pastides recently showed the USC community that he has a fun-loving sense of humour, when he endorsed the satirical front-page story about his sporting enthusiasm in the April Fools’ edition of The Daily Gamecock. Whether it’s politics, speech, writing, social media or simply daily life, a little humour goes a long way. The feminists of South Carolina reminded me that of everything we learn at university, not all of life’s most important lessons can be taught by the book.

Tags: , , conflict, confrontation, feminists, gabourey sidibe, golden globes, humour, outfit, politics, satire, seminar, , , tweet, winston churchill, wit,

The struggles of a British pedestrian in America

8 Apr

You might have seen me around campus. I’m the bewildered pedestrian found visibly regretting the maverick decision to jaywalk across Columbia’s roads.

No matter how many times I take a confident step from the curb, my brazen decision is always met with an unwelcome reminder that America doesn’t rank the rights of pedestrians very highly on it’s list of concerns. So much so, that allowing them the simple right to cross the road wherever they want is against the law.

America’s motoring lifestyle has been one of the greatest sources of culture shock during my year abroad. I am 21 years old, and I can’t drive. I have never had a driving lesson, nor have I ever wanted one. More to the point- I have never needed to drive. England is home to an extensive public transport system that, despite inflated ticket prices over the years, has allowed me to go about my daily life without having to spend thousands of pounds on a car with all the trimmings.

When I applied to study abroad at USC, I read some feedback from a previous exchange student that explained how difficult it is to get around Columbia without a car. Having already fallen much too far in love with the prospect of becoming an honorary Gamecock, I applied anyway and decided that, if I got accepted, I’d worry about the small print later.

I’ve been in Columbia for seven months, and I’m still worrying. I open the fridge to see nothing on my shelf and worry about how I’m going to hitchhike to Wal Mart to get some food. I stand on the curbside in the rain and worry that the taxi I ordered to take me to Publix is never going to turn up. So I walk up the hill to Russell House to become an honorary meal-planner, and worry that my savvy decision not to invest in driving lessons is becoming nullified by spending my grocery money at Marble Slab.

Overcoming logistical difficulties hasn’t been the only shock. The extreme degree to which Americans rely on their cars has provided me with an endless source of bafflement. I’ve been offered rides to CVS from the Byrnes building, and from the volleyball courts at Blatt to go ‘back to campus’. I’ve also realized that for an American teenager, not only is getting a car a logistical necessity, but it is perceived as a right of passage to adulthood. In my first week at USC I was stunned to learn that it’s quite normal for American students to drive four-by-fours, pick-up trucks and family saloons around campus. In England, new drivers can be seen squeezing into Clios, Ford KAs and smart cars in a bid to reduce their insurance quote.

I knew something was wrong since the very first day that I spent in Columbia. In a bid to explore my new home, I decided to walk from campus to Five Points to have a look around. I started to get a sense that I was Columbia’s lonesome pedestrian when a taxi driver spontaneously pulled over and asked if I needed a ride. Other trepidatious highlights experienced when commuting by foot include setting off on a trip to Todd and Moore to find the pavement stop dead. It suddenly just ceased to exist. So my innocent attempt to buy new trainers turned into a life-threatening expedition along the side of the road and across train tracks like I was some sort of Hobbit on the road to Mordor.

Before I departed for the US, a member of staff from the study abroad office at home told me that the degree to which I would become acclimated to my host culture will be phenomenal. He told me that when he was my age he studied abroad in France, and recounted the night that he realized he was fully acclimatized to France because he started dreaming in French. It just so happens that the night that I became fully acclimated as an honorary Gamecock was the night that I dreamed, for the first time ever, that I could drive.

I will be returning home in June having overcome many obstacles. Some have tested the heart, some have tested the mind, but battling against daily life as a pedestrian in Columbia will forever remain to be the ultimate test of my soul.

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Tags: , British, driving, Hobbit, jaywalk, jeep, pickup, road, study abroad, tourist, truck

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