Friday, March 29Royal Holloway's offical student publication, est. 1986

Author: Bridget OSullivan

KLKutz: In Review
Features

KLKutz: In Review

KLKutz is one of Royal Holloway’s underappreciated gems; too many students either go back home to their local barbershop or pay up to £40 for a sub-par cut on Egham high street. Well, they’re missing out and wasting money. Anthony Gidis started studying computer science at Royal Holloway in 2018. In the summer leading up to Freshers, he had a dilemma: Anthony wanted the university experience, he just didn’t want the university budget. It was either live in frugality or find a way to earn an income outside of maintenance payments. Frugality was the bleaker option.  Anthony had been getting weekly haircuts since his early teens; something he realised he’d have to forfeit on his university budget. Rather than mourning his haircuts, that summer he learnt how to barber for himself. ...
Which Undergraduate are you: Miracle Child or Hustler?
Features, Opinion

Which Undergraduate are you: Miracle Child or Hustler?

The ‘Are They Still Alive?’ One Whether you’re a halls resident plagued nightly by the 2am orchestral onslaught of returning Medicine and SU drunkards or living in a private house on the Shott where the thump of electro-beats is never far off, there’s no way you’re letting anyone interrupt your slumber. Throughout sixth form you were consistently deprived of sleep; you look back on those days and shudder. You’ll never take the bliss of an alarm-less morning for granted again. You’ll never feel anything but earnest gratitude on those cold, January mornings when you have the privilege of attending your lecture from bed (thanks to Royal Holloway’s adoption of the Open University model). You exploit the minimal university schedule for all it’s worth - midday begins to feel like 7am. When y...
There’s Something About Diana
Culture & Literature, Film & TV, Opinion

There’s Something About Diana

Diana Spencer, or Princess Diana, has had a stronghold over our screens for decades. She’s been depicted in film and television by a flood of actresses, including Naomi Watts, Toni Collette (a romcom that got shelved after Diana’s death. Don’t worry though, you can still buy it on DVD in Germany according to The Independent) and, most recently, Emma Corrin. At this point, more actresses have played Diana than perhaps any other member of the Royal Family, bar the Queen. I cannot help but think that this says something about the Royals: their deflectors, their outsiders, are more interesting than they themselves are. The public curiosity about Harry and Meghan testifies to this. It’s easy to see why: the institution that is the Royal Family is a dynastic business, which celebrates exclusivi...
The Cancer in K-pop
Opinion

The Cancer in K-pop

Trigger warning: mentions of abuse and suicide What comes to mind when you think of Korean popular music or as most of us know it, K-pop? Intricate choreographies, Stan Twitter, dedicated fandoms, BTS? Not that long ago, I would have rattled off a similarly vague list. But now, after researching the industry, my list looks more like this: weekly weigh-ins, slave contracts, long-term debt, misogyny, suicide, blatant abuses of power (and the list only goes on). Who’s financing all this? To a large extent, it’s the plethora of Western fans who plug enormous amounts of money into their love of K-pop. The problem is that this money is feeding the billionaire companies behind K-pop, not the artists themselves.             South Korea’...
Commercial (Oops, I mean Valentine’s) Day
Opinion

Commercial (Oops, I mean Valentine’s) Day

What exactly is Valentine’s Day for? Celebration; consumerist consumption; outward displays of love; cynicism? The subjectivity of Valentine’s Day is indisputable. It means something different to different people, and it means something different to those same people at different points in their lives.  Funnily enough, Saint Valentine wasn’t even associated with love or romance; a keen marketing team is responsible for that. By the mid-19th Century, the concept of a day dedicated to love had gained international momentum. Cadbury’s debuted a concoction they coined ‘Fancy Boxes’ for the purpose of Valentine’s gifting and postal systems were revelling in their February fortunes. It’s eerily reminiscent of Coca Cola’s invention of the modern-day Santa Claus, or how chocolate Easter E...
On Influencers who Flout Lockdown
Opinion

On Influencers who Flout Lockdown

Every member of the British public has been subjected to lockdowns and tiers for nearly a year now. No one has a free pass. Whether you’re in the top 1% of wealthy citizens or you’re just one of the millions of the rest of us, these legally-binding rules apply to you. There is no level of privilege that can counteract this fundamental fact.  It makes no difference whether you’re holed up in your £4 million pound estate in Cornwall (*Coughs* Gordon Ramsay), or in over-priced student accommodation: you’re expected to follow the rules. This may not feel fair to the physically healthy student being told to socialise no more to contain a virus they assume they’d get over. But that’s the thing about lockdown: its uniformity affects everyone differently. If you’re on the front-line, the ...
Vegan Versus Plant-Based: Which One Can Society Sustain?
Opinion

Vegan Versus Plant-Based: Which One Can Society Sustain?

Bridget O’Sullivan As the vegan movement has gained popularity in recent years, the word ‘vegan’ itself has gained a reputation of sorts. One could even argue that the label has become problematic. As a vegan myself, I can admit that, as a social concept, veganism has become inextricable from certain connotations. Can we really separate the word from the alarmingly pink smoothie bowls Instagrammed at 6 am to the tag ‘Post-yoga refuel’? I bet if most of us were asked to depict a vegan, the same attributes would come up again and again: pretty, skinny white girl with money to burn in Whole Foods, mantras to live by and a superiority complex she doesn’t know needs addressing. The word has been largely feminised and stuck on an array of overpriced foods no one really knows how to pronounce...
The Happy Depressive: A Long-term Perspective on Antidepressants
Opinion

The Happy Depressive: A Long-term Perspective on Antidepressants

Bridget O'Sullivan I recently got chatting to a group of friends about antidepressants and our experiences with them. The topic of brands came up. One friend ended up asking another, let’s call her Lucy[1], which antidepressant she takes. Lucy answered, very sure of herself, ‘serotonin’ (the neurotransmitter modulating mood…essentially our prime ‘happiness hormone’). We all looked at each other for a moment before cracking up. Someone corrected Lucy by saying ‘You mean sertraline? You can’t straight-up swallow happiness’. Lucy blushed a little, laughing along half-heartedly. The conversation moved on, but I doubt I was the only one left with questions. What exactly do antidepressants do to our brain chemistry? Whilst it’s not known exactly how, they transmit chemicals, namely seroto...
Invisible disabilities: Autism
Opinion

Invisible disabilities: Autism

Helen Nicholls What do I mean when I say a person is autistic? Well, according to the OED, autism is defined as “a      neurodevelopmental condition of variable severity with lifelong effects” and is characterized by “difficulties with social interaction and communication, and by restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behaviour.” However, the way that autism is perceived in wider culture is often like that of Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory (white, male, awkward and well… annoying). Before I talk a little bit more about autism, it is important to explain what I mean by ‘neurotypical’. Being neurotypical means that the individual is not affected by a developmental disorder, such autism or dyslexia. Don’t worry if this is something you are unfamiliar with, be...
We Should Never Have to Reach Rock-Bottom
Opinion

We Should Never Have to Reach Rock-Bottom

Elizabeth Ajao This morning I met with my first private therapist. Having worked hard enough to wriggle my way out of my overdraft, I could afford to splurge £50 on her. I selected one from an online list of specialists on Harley Therapy and met her via Zoom less than 24 hours later. I’ve suffered with my mental health for several years. I tried counselling at school, I found myself with the matron more times than I can count, and the pastoral care staff seemed to have me on constant watch. There was never anything seriously wrong with me. I had friends who had been hospitalised several times, others suffering with eating disorders who would push food around on their plates and disappear to the bathroom just seconds after finishing dinner, and others who were slapped with countless ...