Articles

On 21st February 2026, in the skinniest jeans I own, surrounded by heavily foundationed second-years dancing to Calvin Harris, I realised I, too, was gripped by the desire to return to simpler times. A disco ball wasn’t needed with the amount of highlighter I had swatched on my cheeks. 2016 was back. From the renaissance of Frutiger Aero – the futuristic design aesthetic prevalent in early 2000s tech – to the idealisation of drawn-on-finger moustaches and galaxy leggings, it

If you want to make a Gen Z crowd uncomfortable with a single question, ask them "What are your hobbies?" Upon being asked this question, one immediately thinks of those rare guitar lessons you had in secondary school, or the fact that you actually finished that film three weeks ago, or perhaps you get flashbacks to that intense HIIT gym class you endured when you still felt optimistic about your New Year’s resolutions. It goes without saying that time glued to our screens ha

On the 30th of January, 3 million pages of the Epstein files were released to the public. In them, thousands of accounts of sexual abuse, manipulation and heinous crimes spilled over each and every page. I scoured newspapers and social media searching for anything other than more scandalous photos of Prince Andrew. How about the President of the United States, who we know was a very close friend of Epstein? What about the countless millionaires, billionaires, politicians and

I am writing in my living room. My housemates criss-cross the floor, with coriander flopping from the crook of their elbows, shouting some important orders from the kitchen. Our house is full of vibrancy and laughter as we prepare the space for the incoming dinner party guests.   As I sit across from my friends, I am aware of how many dinners I substituted the golden glow of candles and homemade vegan tacos for a youtube video, propped up against a salt shaker. At this point

Ever since we were little, we’ve been taught to be kind to each other, to have empathy, to treat people the way you want to be treated . So why is it that when it comes to our younger selves, especially those awkward pre-teen and teenage years, we are so relentlessly cruel? We talk about them as if we’re our own school bullies. It is completely normalized to pull up younger photos of yourself with friends and laugh at your gap tooth, your scruffy haircut, your knobbly knees.

I think I can confidently say that the first thing I do every morning is check my phone. I scan for Snapchat notifications that I'll never respond to, skim through Outlook to see if my lecture has been cancelled, and space out as I look through Instagram stories of people I met once and never spoke to again. After that, the next thing I do is check the news. Reading the news is something I think everyone should do. But if someone right now told me they didn't want to listen t

In 2023 to 2024, I spent most of my gap year working in Miami. During this time, I can remember listening to stories about journeys through jungles, detention centres, and dangerous border crossings that felt like survival more than migration. The people I met and spoke with from these backgrounds were ecstatic to be living the American Dream and working any available job. Now, a couple of years later, these stories echo on global stages, from the Grammys to political rallies

There’s no shortage of online content telling men how to be ‘good in bed’: from which lingerie turns men on most, to the best moves, the right dirty talk, and even instructions for their hands. It’s all very loud, very intentional, and honestly a bit repetitive. What I rarely ever see talked about are the small, everyday things, the innocent, almost accidental moments that lodge themselves in my brain and replay until the moment I’m finally asleep. So I sat down, reflected, a

Over Christmas, I was having lunch with my godfather and my dad. Because both are businessmen, naturally they started talking about how each of their careers were going (which I can only involve myself with for a maximum of five minutes before boredom takes over). However, my godfather quickly got onto how AI has helped him get three months of work done in less than a day’s work, and how my dad should utilise this ASAP. I am, and have always been, an open hater of AI. Natural

I’ve spent some time staring at a blank Word document, trying to think of where to start. This hesitation is the whole point – symptomatic of the broader condition of self-awareness. It’s like my brain won’t let me be earnest without footnoting myself. It hits me in the most arbitrary moments. In the midst of friendly conversation, I find myself dissecting the most intrinsic aspects of myself: my logic, my cadence and inflections, the way my eyebrows arch and furrow as part o

Recently, the internet has been reminiscing about a simpler time – a time when Snapchat filters and Musical.ly had all the hype, and AI chatbots like ChatGPT were a foreign concept that no one was concerned with in their seemingly blissful existences. Harper's Bazaar described 2016 as ‘the last good year’. From Zara Larsson’s ‘Lush Life’ to skinny jeans and ankle boots, 2016 is being framed as a time of innocence and authenticity, when things weren't so performative. The ‘201

“No matter how far you travel, you can never get away from yourself” -Haruki Murakami. Through literature, art, culture, and media, I have forever been inclined to travel; to see the world for what it is, in all of its glory and freedom. So far, I have seen a fair lot: gazed out of a Parisian balcony, gawked upwards at the sheer verticality of New York, strolled through Verona, cycled through German and Dutch streets, and walked through countless other towns and cities abroad

Amongst our generation, it is undeniable that running and fitness have erupted in popularity both on social media and in everyday life. We see it everywhere. From 5ks and Kudos to running clubs and the newest Hokas. As a 21-year-old woman, running is a part of my weekly routine and lifestyle, helping with both physical and mental health. Yet, I would run out of fingers to count the number of times that a car has aggressively beeped, a group of scaffolders have shouted, or a s

I may be wrong, but I feel fairly confident that when you read the title of this article, at least one man came to mind. Maybe more. That alone feels like a small cultural emergency. How is it that women with such a lust for life, so much joy, humour, and potential, keep ending up with the most deeply uninteresting men alive? I have watched it happen to friend after friend, each time different, and yet somehow exactly the same. And to be clear, I am not writing this from a pl

Over the past few months, the fate of America has taken a turn. Every day, a new story appears of Trump’s plans to take over countries, whilst forcefully deporting those in his own. It’s impossible to confine all the events surrounding the USA in one article, nor would it convey the true gravity of the situation at hand. So, for now, I’ll focus on the big picture – how the USA is impacting international politics.   Trump’s intention to take control over various nations is no

For most of my life, I have scoffed at people who take horoscopes seriously, people who dedicate time to reading their astrological charts and interpreting their personalities through star signs. I used to think it was cringe, something only hippies or free spirits could enjoy. How could millions of people born around the same time of year possibly share the same traits? It does not make scientific sense. But recently, I have been asking myself a different question. Does it a

As a law student at Leeds, I’ve been reminded time and time again of Keir Starmer's alumnus status. In my very first week I remember his name being mentioned in nearly every lecture, albeit with varying tones of enthusiasm. Starmer's premiership began on a strong footing, successfully ending 14 years of Tory rule. His 2024 manifesto promised ‘change’ which proved to be exactly what the British public wanted. Yet, while hope for the future stood at the forefront of his campaig

Growing up surrounded by religion, alongside the stark objection to it, I have struggled all of my life with my relationship with what God is, and what faith is. Constantly fighting against myself, trying to force belief, and then picking away at whatever belief I thought I had. Most people I know attended religious schools, and although that religion was different to the one I was raised in, the ideals of God, traditions, and teachings were always there for everyone, lurking

(Trigger warning for grooming and emotional abuse) I was at my sexiest at 17. I would wear lacy g-strings seven days a week, I was fully shaven constantly, and I would rarely be seen without my cleavage on display. At this age, I was groomed by a manipulator. Someone I thought was my first love was actually just a man desperate for control, for power. Age-gap relationships are often romanticised in the media. It can feel exciting and scandalous. Lana Del Rey's aesthetic somew

It’s a sunny morning in May, and instead of getting out of bed, washing my face, or doing anything even slightly productive, I submitted to the will of Mark Zuckerberg and opened Instagram Reels. A few (dozen) scrolls later, there is a break in the goofy memes and NBA edits: a man wearing a suit, a tie, and a massive grin was strolling across my screen, sharing some Islamophobic comments he had received due to being the “first Muslim elected official to ever run for mayor.’’