Have a flick through this week’s top stories, curated by Isabella Zeidler
Top Stories: 24th September
24th September 2021
Social Media is Making us Lose our Individuality
24th September 2021
From fashion trends to personality traits, even down to how we eat, social media controls everything. In the 21stcentury, social media has been embedded in our society to such an extent that it is now slowly becoming impossible to function without it. Since the post-industrialisation aesthetic movement in the 19th century, the appearance of oneself has never been as significant as it is now. Although the beauty standards between then and now are of stark contrast, they are just as prevalent in the modern day.
Should We Listen to Nicki Minaj About the Vaccine?
24th September 2021
If you were thinking about getting vaccinated, you might want to check out Nicki Minaj’s ‘science-based’ tweet. In case you missed it, she tweeted that her cousin’s friend in Trinidad had got the vaccine and this, she implies, resulted in him getting swollen testicles. While her intention was to inform her almost 23 million followers of the dangers of the vaccine, she seems to have only caused outrage and very unfortunately exposed her cousin’s friend.
Modern Beauty Standards in Period Dramas
24th September 2021
ince the start of the pandemic, my family have begun refusing to watch period TV with me. They say they are sick of my complaints about historical inaccuracies in set design and mannerisms, but mostly, my constant criticisms of women’s costumes. For several years now, fashion history has been something of a pet interest of mine, I don’t think I flatter myself too greatly when I say I know a fair bit about it by now. That said, sometimes I feel that all I’ve gained from hours and hours of independent research is an inability to enjoy anything historical without judging and, consequently, being put off by shoddy costumes.
Gene Editing and the War Against the Pine Beetle
24th September 2021
Driving up Highway 40 in Alberta, Canada, a couple summers ago, my eyes were glued to the expanse of harsh, red dead-standing forest climbing the mountains. This would turn out to be one of the most significant forest disturbance episodes recorded in North America. hese dying red pine trees were due to the ongoing outbreak of the Mountain Pine Beetle (dendroctonus ponderosae, or MPB).