Opinion – Page 22 of 31

31Oct

By No Comments

Opinion

Attitudes towards University Degrees

You’ve just moved into your university halls, it’s your first term of your first year, and someone else living in your accommodation thinks getting to know you would be a great way to break the ice, so they ask you what’re you’re studying, you appreciate the pleasant gesture and reply with: “I’m studying [insert arts related degree here].” “But you’re not studying a real degree.” It seems it’s one of those inevitable responses it seems that will be said sooner or later, be it from friends or family. According to Forbes.com film, video and photographic arts, fine arts, philosophy and religious studies are among the top 5 in the list of ‘The 10 Worst College Majors’, with humanities and liberal arts, social sciences, and law and public policy as the Jills that tumble shortly after t...

Should we stop calling ditching make-up ‘brave’?

18Oct

By Abbie CheesemanNo Comments

Opinion

Should we stop calling ditching make-up ‘brave’?

We all have one, a bare face I mean. At least we all did first thing this morning, unless you were a little lazy with the makeup wipes and instead prayed to the Garnier gods to rain down drops of micellar water (no I don't really know what those words mean either) and delicately melt your foundation off as you sleep. Wishful thinking of course, and inevitably you will wake up contemplating why oh why you bothered applying it in the first place. A bit of a deep topic to delve into before your first spoon of cereal, so you repeat yesterday and reapply that foundation before getting on with your day. But assuming you're reading this post-breakfast, we'll dive in. Why do so many women, and some men, not go bare-faced and wear makeup instead? For many it is a fashion statement, another way ...

What my first year at Royal Holloway has taught me

19Sep

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Opinion

What my first year at Royal Holloway has taught me

Connor Deith on his first year at Royal Holloway. It is absolutely inconceivable for me to think that my first year at Royal Holloway is over already, however with this article I intend to revel in the nostalgia in order to express what my first year has taught me. It has been a year I won’t forget, and I hope that, when the time comes, you won’t either. There are several things that my first year taught me, not necessarily out of choice but rather out of circumstance, however not all of them are equally important in my opinion. On the one hand, yes, perhaps staying up all night to write an essay I could've done three weeks ago wasn't such a good plan, but that stuff really isn't important to me. The things that have meaning are the things that revolve around the potential outcomes t...

5Aug

By Louise JonesNo Comments

Opinion

The Power of the Olympic Games 2016

In honour of the Olympic's opening in Rio this evening, it’s come to my attention that I may just be one of a minority that is truly excited about the Olympics games hitting our screens. Let’s be honest, 2016 has been a year of turbulent and testing times, in other words it’s been a load of rubbish. To be quite frank, the Olympic games 2016 has been rather over shadowed by the years other events: Brexit, Trump, America in general, the refugee crisis, "the war on terror." The list just goes on and on. I’m not saying that it’s wrong that such important issues have been such focus, but I think it’s rather sad that perhaps one of the main things the Olympic does for every country around the globe, has been buried underneath the other news bulletins. The Olympics is a sporting event for every...

12Jun

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Opinion

Keep CALM

I’m walking through Waterloo Station and around me are posters and screens showing me the new summer fashion line and the blockbuster movies. With summer here, we are more than ever exposed to what the consumer market says we should look like, eat like, act like, be like. While the pressure on women is intense, the less focused and damaging stress is on men. With chiselled abs on store fronts and male heroes blowing things up and punching it out rather than talking it out on the silver screen and sport season reaching its peak, men are more than ever told that overcompensation is a key trait of their gender and this is dangerous, especially for our generation of young men. Defined as the ‘exaggeration of male stereotypical behavior, such as physical strength, aggression, and sexuality’, ...

9Jun

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Opinion

That Deus Ex Machina Life

It’s a tragedy that I can’t recall a time without my phone in my hand, my laptop by my side and the answers to any question a simple googling away, and it’s a sense shared. While technology and knowledge has been the cause for human advancement through the ages, it seems now it’s a way to decelerate and hold us still. As a 90s baby I still recall VCRs, 248mb CDs, AOL dial up is drilled into my subconscious, when it was rare to even have a Nokia phone because they were expensive. Yet now it seems that every broke student has the latest smartphone (not to mention the indignity of eight year olds carting around an iPhone like they actually use it) and if it’s not our phone, we’re watching videos on someone else’s, wondering if getting a tablet is even worth it, face planting ourselves in fro...

28Mar

By Beth CarrNo Comments

Opinion

Has Facebook taken over?

Beth Carr explores how we struggle to switch off from social media Think about the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning. Or the last thing you do at night. Or the thing that comes top of your procrastination list throughout the day. If it starts with ‘F’ and ends with ‘book’ you are not alone, and for some students websites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram take up huge amounts of their time. What makes it worse is that social media is central to many aspects of student life and switching off is something that seems near impossible without extreme fears that you are missing out. Social media is the first port of call for sports, societies and media outlets to post their news and let members know what’s going on, because members are most likely to see it there. Before...

How companies are becoming exploitative.

11Mar

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Opinion

How companies are becoming exploitative.

Connor Deith investigates the rise of trans-national Corporations. It’s no secret that Apple Inc. has faced its fair share of criticism. From tax dodging to sweatshop labour, there’s very little doubt that Apple’s success as one of the world’s largest companies is due in some part to its ability to deflect such accusations and reign as a technological giant. Some of these problems manifest themselves in countries such as China and Taiwan, due to the extent to which Apple’s influence has impacted on the vast hordes of labourers which goes to show just how devastating the effects a large corporate presence can have. Investigations into the conditions of workers in Chinese factories have recently spawned from the news of the Foxconn suicides. Foxconn, a major manufacturer who have busi...

11Mar

By No Comments

Opinion

Can we define what is ‘sexy’?

In an article for Lenny Letter, Emily Ratajkowski raises awareness for what it is like for a young girl who is sexualised by others from an early age. She, like many others, was taught to be cautious about her own sexuality for fear of the way others looked at her. In many young girls this can create a sense of guilt or awkwardness in owning their sexuality, or simply dressing in the clothes they want to. We teach our children to be careful, to think about the message their behaviour or clothing sends to people. God forbid the message would be the “wrong” kind. She then brilliantly discusses what ‘sexy’ even means. Are we not taught that to be sexy is to be trashy, or is a tool that should be used to impress men? Why is it not something we own, or use as self-expression? It is important...

10Mar

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Opinion

Food for Thought

Ryan Woods on the wastefulness of Western culture. The French Senate voted unanimously on a law which forces supermarkets in the country to give all their unwanted food to charities, a move that was met with international applaud. Back in Britain, a few months ago, Morrisons became the UK’s first supermarket to do the same – surely now we can all sleep happier knowing the issue is solved. Wrong. It’s great that Morrisons have taken it upon themselves to donate unsold food, even better that France has made it law, but why has it taken this long, and why are we all so happy about it? Shouldn’t it be expected that all supermarkets do this, to help the communities they are so quick to say they are a pillar of? It isn’t hard to put unsold food in a box instead of a bin and simply let a chari...