Tuesday, June 9Royal Holloway's offical student publication, est. 1986

Lifestyle

The Benefits of a Mediterranean Diet on Mental Health
Lifestyle

The Benefits of a Mediterranean Diet on Mental Health

The expanding conversation surrounding mental health in recent years has led to countless new studies and suggestions on the best possible treatments. With this fusillade of facts, figures and findings, each claiming to have the best new solution to all things ‘mental health’ it can be hard to know whose advice to follow. 1 in 4 people in the UK suffer from mental health problems and whilst this number isn’t growing, recent years have shown that the way in which people cope with mental health problems may be getting worse. Surveys have shown an increase in people who self-harm and have suicidal thoughts[2]. This is not another article bragging to know the new, cure-all, magical ointment. Mental health is an enormous umbrella term that describes all sorts of complex issues and I don’t b...
WedderBURN Is Burning Down
Lifestyle

WedderBURN Is Burning Down

♫Wedderburn is burning down, burning down, burning down. Wedderburn is burning down, early in the morning♫ We've all heard it before. Wedderburn is notorious, or dare I say infamous for its fire alarms. It's likely that's what we're most known for. Sadly and rather suspiciously it seems that a week cannot pass without someone setting them off. Whether it's due to students burning their food, showering with their door open, smoking in the lifts or even, recently, spraying deodorant into a sensor. At the date that this article is being written, the 9th of October 2019, the alarms were set off at 7:30AM this morning due to unknown circumstances. Rumour states that this was another drill due to "unsuccessful attempts" last week, others say the officials claimed "someone left their cooking ...
A TEETOTAL GUIDE TO FRESHERS’ 
Lifestyle

A TEETOTAL GUIDE TO FRESHERS’ 

Ah, Freshers. For the majority, the most anticipated event of the year, for others an impending nightmare on the September horizon. For those of us committed to the atypical lifestyle of sobriety, ‘Welcome Week’ at Holloway can seem especially daunting and, in some cases, trigger extreme anxiety. With that said, here are a few tips to help those of you teetotallers and introverts alike survive the first phase of your university journey. Tip #1: Join Societies Whether you’re passionate about sports, itching to show off your musical flair, or simply want to further explore academia, there’s a society for everyone on campus. Being the sloth that I am, I tended to shy away from sports. Instead, I signed up for the uni’s acapella choir Absolute Harmony, the Harry Potter Society and, sinc...
Let’s get it on
Lifestyle

Let’s get it on

Seeing as February is the month of Valentine’s Day, we thought it would be rude not to discuss sex in all of its glory. From opinions on BDSM, to tips for spicing up a long-distance relationship, find out four people’s ultimate desires in the bedroom. Introducing: Bi-Babe Describes sex life as: “fulfilling, romantic and exciting” First time: I was 15, he was 19. Lasted about 3 minutes. Wasn’t a big deal.   Little Miss Curious Describes sex life as: “up for experimentation” First time: a complete mess. No one knew what they were doing. 100% would not recommend.   Luscious Lesbian  Describes sex life as a “sensual, romantic, emotional and passionate experience” First time: In a club bathroom toilet, in Thailand. Daddy Lover  Describes sex life as: ‘slutty by straight stand...
Bring it 2019
Lifestyle

Bring it 2019

2018, what a year! Here’s what we should bring into 2019 and what we never want to see again: Bring It – Memes Somewhere in the world there is an ancient calendar and engraved in a sacred rock it says '2018: the year of the meme'. BDE (big dick energy) seemed to be the term on 2018. Originating with Pete Davidson, it means confidence without cockiness. Of course, the person with the greatest BDE of all time is Rhianna. Obviously. Pete Davidson is also to be thanked for the Ariana Grande song Thank You Next, both the song and everything else that came from it. In our ever fracturing world, with extremist views on either side of the political spectrum, it was nice to see everyone rally over one thing: Twitter's white boy of the month. When it seems like no one can agree on anything any...
Changing the rules of workwear: a photoshoot with RHUL’s Fashion Society
Lifestyle

Changing the rules of workwear: a photoshoot with RHUL’s Fashion Society

Models featured: Mara Pem Munoz (Fashion Society President) Maria Ding Safi Liesnham Ella Pernet Hredi Chhabria Kimono M D'Souza   Seeing as this month we’re celebrating all things women, we thought it would be apt to organise a photoshoot with RHUL’s fashion society. Most of us are riddled with fear at the thought of interviews for jobs, internships and graduate schemes, so we decided to thematise the photoshoot around office-wear/work-wear. We wanted to find the middle ground between stylish and super professional, to offer inspiration to those seeking it (or simply to enjoy the extremely aesthetically pleasing photos – as they all look fierce!)   Fashion society certainly delivered. They offered a spectrum of androgynous fashion – mixing masculine...
#GirlBoss profile: Rihanna
Lifestyle

#GirlBoss profile: Rihanna

Within a year, Rihanna has taken the world by storm with her Fenty Brand. Having already established Fenty Beauty and Savage x Fenty, Rihanna is showing no signs of stopping there - she’s even hinted that her next venture could be her own furniture line. Yet, for a girl boss like Rihanna, this comes as no surprise, as she clearly has her sights set on global dominance. Named as one of Time Magazine’s 25 best inventions that same year, Fenty Beauty was launched in September 2017. Within a mere 40 days, the brand had already made $100 million and showed no signs of slowing down. Rihanna’s revolutionary makeup line is cruelty-free, with a foundation that boasts an impressive 40 shades and an advertising campaign that features one of the most radically diverse casts seen in the beauty indus...
Let’s talk: sexual assault
Lifestyle

Let’s talk: sexual assault

Although often considered a taboo subject, sexual harassment and assault are sadly far more common than we would like to think. It's an extremely upsetting topic to discuss, but part of some students university experiences nonetheless. Whereas most victims may not feel entirely comfortable discussing such a sensitive and personal topic, it's necessary for us to discuss the procedures and support systems available in order to help those who have suffered, and hopefully, help to prevent it as best as we can. I contacted Royal Holloway’s head of student wellbeing – Lee Fellows, to share with you all the procedures that the university has put in place to provide support for students, whilst trying to also prevent sexual assault and harassment from happening in the future. One of the most...
Staying Fit in February
Lifestyle

Staying Fit in February

January is like a 31-day long hangover of the previous year. Everybody is on a comedown from Christmas but has made it their resolution that this year is the year to get fit. This means that, for this month at least, the gym is an overcrowded hangout of people forcing themselves to be motivated, fighting the masses to get their turn on the equipment. Fortunately for regulars, this soon fizzles out by mid-January when the cold sets in and the summer body is put on hold because summer seems a long, long, long way away. This shouldn’t be the case. Being healthy and fit doesn’t happen over-night and takes time and motivation. And I’m here to motivate you with my 5 fitness top tips! Firstly, think about why you started your fitness journey, whether it was to lose weight or become healthier...
Please, Just Use a Condom
Lifestyle

Please, Just Use a Condom

Fertility app Natural Cycles is described on its website as “an effective, natural method of contraception.” It is essentially a smartphone app, for which users pay £5.99 monthly or £39.99 annually to access, along with their own oral basal thermometer. The user takes their temperature every morning and inputs the reading into the app. Along with information about the individual’s menstrual cycle, it decrees whether that day is ‘green’ (i.e. you are presumed not to be fertile, and are safe to have unprotected sex) or ‘red’ (i.e. you are presumed to be fertile, and should either abstain from sex or use additional protection). It is marketed both to help those who want to get pregnant soon, and those who wish to prevent pregnancy. The main issue with this app’s method is its reliance on tem...