Little Women or Confused Men?

Toni Stephenson on 17 February 2020

The lack of diversity in this year’s award season nominations has not been overlooked, receiving criticism from many of the nominated artists themselves, with the hashtag ‘#OscarsSoWhite’ trending on social media. Just a few weeks ago at the BAFTAs, Leading Actor winner Joaquin Phoenix called out systematic racism prevalent in society. Rebel Wilson highlighted the lack of female nominees in the Best Director category, joking she couldn’t match their success because she doesn’t ‘have the balls’.

The latest comments to spark debate on twitter have been those of an anonymous member of the Academy made to the Hollywood Foreign Press whilst shedding light on his votes for last weekend’s Oscars. In discussing his Best Picture vote, he stated, “With Little Women, the timeline was ridiculous — I was really confused sometimes, and I know I’m not the only one. Thank God she [star Saoirse Ronan] cut her hair, because that at least gave me a bit of a reference point.” He also commented on his Best Adapted Screenplay vote:

“I think Greta Gerwig is really great, but I shouldn‘t need a scorecard to keep track of a movie‘s timeline, so I ruled out Little Women first.“

Granted, art is always subjective to individual audience members and these comments from a single Academy voter cannot be taken to reflect the institution as a whole, nor all men in general. For example, former US President Barack Obama included Little Women in his 2019 best films list. This Academy member, however, isn’t the first man to criticise the timeline of Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of the classic novel which begins in the middle of the book and shows the March Sisters’ childhoods as flashbacks during their early adult lives.

Upon hearing there was another adaptation of Little Women in the works a few years ago, I admit I questioned whether it was needed. The 1994 version starring Winona Ryder has stood the test of time, and if this wasn’t enough, Call the Midwife’s Heidi Thomas adapted the novel for a four-part BBC series in 2017, starring Stranger Things’ Maya Hawke. A minute into the film, however, Gerwig convinced me she had brought something new to the table as we were hurled straight into following Jo run through the busy streets of postbellum New York to offer a piece of her writing for publication instead of the book’s starting point: the young March sisters as children during the Civil War. Speaking with female friends and family, it seemed we all agreed with this fresh adaptation using flashbacks and flashforwards, which served to draw together themes and parallels in the narrative that heightened emotion and allowed for new interpretations of characters to be made.

It’s worth considering, therefore, the basis of these comments and why so many male critics were confused by the timeline. The Academy voter demographic, which in 2019 was 77 per cent male, had no trouble awarding Tarantino’s notoriously non-chronological Pulp Fiction Best Original Screenplay at the 1995 Oscars and Christopher Nolan’s Inception received critical acclaim for its complex narrative. Although film comparisons aren’t always the most effective when illustrating a point since there are numerous elements contributing to particular films gaining recognition, in this case and plenty others, it does appear that, the majority male Academy membership find it easier to engage with films that feature men, are about men and are made by men.

In some ways it makes sense, given the demographics of the Academy voters, that female filmmakers have been overlooked. Art interpretation is personal and members will likely cast their votes in favour of those they most identify with. This is where the problem lies in the film industry; whilst membership remains predominantly white and male, funding and recognition are less likely to be given to marginalised filmmakers because within this demographic, the audience for it just simply isn’t large enough. This means we’re missing out on the stories and art of huge sections of society simply because the industry doesn’t accurately or fairly represent the population of filmgoers in terms of gender and race. Calls for a wider diversity in the industry have been a hot topic in awards season for several years now and until the Academy membership changes, it seems snubs of this kind are set to continue.

3 Easy Noodle Dishes

Anushka Searle on 14 February 2020

If you’re someone that practically lives off pasta, then why not try expanding your range of carbs. There is more to noodles than just a pot noodle, or super noodles (not that these aren’t tasty). Noodles can be extremely easy to make, and these recipes will give you a range of delicious, cheap, and quick ways of expanding your carb cooking. I know that supermarket stir fry kits can be very tempting, but I promise that these dishes will be much more satisfying. All recipes below are either vegetarian or vegan but can be adjusted easily.  

1. Simple Soy (serves 1) 

This dish requires the least amount of ingredients and effort. This is my go-to recipe for a quick meal.

Ingredients:

One packet of “Straight to wok” noodles (or dry noodles slightly softened in boiling water) 

Half a white onion

1 clove of garlic/ ½tsp ready chopped 

Half a bell pepper (cubed) 

Soy sauce (2tbsp/adjust to taste)

Olive oil (or any you have)

Black pepper

Optional:

5 florets of broccoli chopped into small pieces 

Sesame seeds 

Method: 

First, heat 1tbsp of oil in a frying pan at medium heat. Then, dice half of a white onion (place the other half in a sealed container for 7-10 days!) and add to the oil. Stir the onion to make sure it doesn’t burn.

Once the onion is translucent, add the garlic, peppers, and broccoli, and any veg you might want. Turn the heat up slightly and stir fry the veg until mostly softened, as you still want some crunch. 

Add the noodles and stir fry for a minute before adding about two tablespoons of soy sauce and stir fry for a further minute until dry. Transfer to a plate, top with a bit of black pepper, and enjoy!


2. Reliable Ramen (serves 1 very hungry student)

This is slightly more complicated than the first dish, but it’s worth it! This is the dish that’ll warm your cockles on a cold Yorkshire morning. 

Ingredients: 

1 half white onion (leftover from previous recipe)

2 cloves of garlic 

1 half a carrot (chop thin pieces for quick cooking) 

1 spring onion 

Handful of spinach/chopped cabbage/bok choy 

Red chilli flakes (to taste)

Vegetable oil 

One vegetable stock cube

Soy sauce (1tbsp)

1 nest of dry noodles 

Optional:

5 florets of broccoli chopped into small pieces 

Miso paste (2tbsp)

1 egg (optional)

Method:

Chop all the veg to make the assembly of the dish quick and easy. Next pour 500ml of boiling water into a jug and add the stock cube, soy sauce, and miso paste if using, stir until combined. 

Heat a small amount of oil in a saucepan (low heat). Add the onion, garlic, chilli flakes to the oil and fry until fragrant but not browned. Add the stock liquid and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the hard veg you are using and reduce heat to medium and leave for 8 minutes (if you are using cabbage and/or egg, add these now).

After 7 minutes, remove the egg and place in a bowl of cold water (if using make sure to peel before serving). Now you’ll want to add your noodles and spring onions and simmer until noodles soften.

Before serving, add the spinach and stir until wilted (if using). Serve into a large bowl, use tongs for the noodles, and ladle in as much soup as desired. Top with chilli flakes, black pepper, and egg (halved).


3. Practical Pad Thai (serves 2)

Out of all the dishes this is my favourite. This one is a fairly simple Pad Thai, but is immensely flavoursome. This dish works best as vegetarian, but if vegan just don’t add the egg and use Udon noodles.

Ingredients: 

1 whole white onion (finely diced)

2 spring onions 

3 cloves of garlic 

1 carrot (julienned/thinly sliced) 

Cooking oil – Sesame wok oil (1tbsp)

Chilli flakes (to taste)

Sesame seeds 

Two handful of peanuts roughly chopped (unsalted)

2 nests of dry egg noodles 

Fresh beansprouts (canned if more convenient) 

1 large egg 

Sauce:

Juice ½ Lime (half for garnish)

Soy sauce (4tbsp)

Rice wine vinegar (2tbsp)

Brown sugar (2tsp)

Sriracha (1-1½ tbsp)

Tamarind sauce (1½ tbsp)

Method:

Place the noodles in a jug of boiling water to soften. In a large pan/wok heat the oil at medium heat. Then in a small bowl, add sauce ingredients and whisk to combine. 

Once the oil is hot, add the onion and carrot, frying for 1 minute. Add the garlic and continue to stir to avoid burning. After 6 minutes add noodles, sliced spring onion (leave some for garnish), and beansprouts. 

After 2 minutes, add the sauce and use tongs to toss the noodles. Move the noodles to the side of the pan add sesame seeds to lightly toast, then and add the eggs to the empty side of the pan. Stir the eggs for 1 minute, and just before they reach a soft scramble mix them into the noodles.

Plate noodles and garnish with spring onion, raw beansprouts (if desired), lime wedges, and chopped peanuts.

Bon Appetit! 

Header Image Credit: Tesco Real Food

Here’s Why Slang Should Not Be Verboten

Séamus O'Hanlon on 13 February 2020

Schools across the country, mostly in urban areas including London, have being prohibiting students from using slang such as ‘peng’, ‘calm’ and ‘fam.’  Immediately, I remembered my first day at my new secondary school in Sheffield where I was publicly complimented as ‘peng’. I had never heard of the word to the astonishment of my much cooler class; I guess the equivalent in my rural hometown was ‘salty’ which I believe trickled down from TOWIE to be used cringingly by ‘thirsty’ Year 8s. ‘Peng’ has a nice ring, almost onomatopoeic like the sound of a social media like affirming the individuals worth.

‘Peng’ originates from Jamaican Patois in black communities across the UK and it has proliferated into the mainstream in the past two years. ‘Peng’ most likely has increased in usage due to Grime’s increasing influence, and with ‘fam’, it epitomises UK Black culture’s current dominance. Headteachers’ egregious attempts to silence slang ranging from ‘innit’ to ‘beef’, is part of the systematic attack on race and class.

If the Normans never lent us their words, we would be calling the dictionary a wordbook. The English language is so complex on account of waves of invaders adding to its lexicon. It is presumptuous and egotistical of teachers and academics alike to think that our language is suddenly now fixed. Students using slang words shows an appreciation of other cultures: schools should recognise that, as a multicultural society, some children will refer to things differently.

We need to stress to school boards that differences are okay. Restricting language is just one of many incursions by the educational system which has been asinine with uniforms, despotic with haircuts and exorbitant with exclusions. Academies are the main culprit of these with their cookie cutter policies designed with the argument that it will improve employability. Banning slang so we all speak in received pronunciation is akin to telling children that polished shoes and crisp collars are what gives you the advantage, rather than the networking or small class sizes that academies will never be able to provide. It is a lazy school policy that will discourage pupils from speaking: it won’t progress their careers or necessarily enrich their vocabulary.  

Words can be like fads: a buzzword that seeps into public consciousness to the point of overuse can be accepted into the dictionary, where it becomes a window into the culture of the time. Students should, however, be equipped with more words. The real scandal is how one in five English pupils cannot read well by the age of eleven. Furthermore, sixteen per cent of adults, equating to 5.8 million, have low levels of literacy. Instead of posturing on a few words, teachers should focus on promoting reading which includes fantastic words like ‘verklempt’, ‘lollygag’ and, hopefully soon, the beautiful ‘peng’. 

Seamus O’Hanlon

Image: Flickr.

Should you shave your armpits?

Lauren Woodley on 8 February 2020

I, amongst others, wish to seek to find out why so many people find it repulsive when someone has made the personal decision not to shave their armpits.    

As a female, I shall be focusing on the pressures that women face surrounding the shaving of underarm and other body hair. However, my overall belief is that for any gender, it should be your own decision to do whatever you want to your body. Only you control your body, and no one should force you to do anything you do not want to.

The history of shaving armpits

Women in the early 20th Century did not care about shaving their armpits, in fact, it would not be surprising if a woman had lots of hair. The debate of shaving is a very modern issue, most likely developed due to the loosening of rules on how females dress, and the development of razor technology. By the 1950s, legs and underarms were targeted in ads and many women were encouraged, even expected, to be smooth, silky and stripped.

Thankfully, as we entered the 21st Century, it became more common for women to not feel like they have to shave, and many women now embrace the ‘au-natural’ look. It is more common to see celebrities with unshaven arms, and many women feel more comfortable to talk about it.

So should you shave your armpits?

No matter how much you may convince yourself, when you see an image of a woman with long underarm hair, you will subconsciously notice it and form an opinion. Yet, if it was about our male counterparts, there would be no disbelief.

I am guilty of doing this myself. A friend of mine recently decided to grow out her underarm hair and I naively pointed this out to her. Whilst I am completely supportive of her decision, I still brought attention to it. Why? Because, I suppose I wasn’t expecting it. Because, it is still not considered the ‘norm’.

It is seen as powerful and inspirational when a woman chooses to grow out her underarm hair. I think that it is a statement and takes a lot of confidence and bravery. From experience, people may pass comment. I personally choose not to shave my leg hair, and I have faced so much judgement from this decision in the past. Am I not womanly enough? Does body hair really change a person’s appearance so much?

The solution is to not say anything at all. Some people may think it is funny to pass comment, but it can make someone feel insecure and pressured into shaving their body hair, when it should not.

Of course, some women do prefer to be shaved and smooth. It is a luxury, can make you feel more confident, or they simply might not find their body hair attractive. There is nothing wrong with this either.

Shaving your body hair will always be your own personal choice. No matter what anyone says, it doesn’t make you any different whether you have body hair or not.  So, as long as you are shaving your body hair for YOU and YOU only, then all women should support each other on the fight against the stigma of shaving armpit hair.