Life & Culture1-5

In defence of gatekeeping

Holy-grail products and hidden gems go viral on TikTok every day – but perhaps some things should stay secret, writes Eve Upton-Clark

Life & Culture

Jul 05, 2024

Eve Upton-Clark
Art & PhotographyMarina Abramović Glastonbury Festival 2024

Why does political protest art feel so pointless right now?

Banksy and Marina Abramović both staged political performances at this year’s Glastonbury – why did both fall so flat?

Art & Photography

Jul 05, 2024

Thom Waite
FashionKeir Starmer Shein

The EU clamps down on SHEIN, while Keir Starmer cosies up to them

As the UK general election looms, the Labour leader’s stance on regulating fast fashion seems to be in stark contrast with our European neighbours

Fashion

Jul 03, 2024

Elliot Hoste
Film & TVPauline At The Beach (1983)

BFI Girl Summer: the new online trend that everyone is talking about

People everywhere are rejecting mainstream Hollywood and turning to the world of foreign-language art-house cinema. But why?

Film & TV

Jul 02, 2024

James Greig
Beauty1122094

Lorde has articulated how many of us feel about our bodies

The singer has opened up about her insecurities on the Charli xcx ‘girl, so confusing’ remix – and the core message is resonating with women all over the world

Beauty

Jun 28, 2024

Habi Diallo
Life & CultureUgly_Politicians_Dark_Blue

General election 2024: What 14 years of Tory rule has cost British youth

The Conservatives are finally on their way out – here, we look back at how their damaging policies may have cost them the Gen Z vote forever

Life & Culture

Jun 27, 2024

Kimi Chaddah
Life & CultureMixCollage-26-Jun-2024-01-52-PM-844_censored

Spying on strangers in public is not accountability

Online crusades against random people are inevitably going to cause more harm than good. We need to retire TikTok vigilantism and bring back minding your own business

Life & Culture

Jun 26, 2024

James Greig
Life & CultureSkibidi Biden

How brainrot humour infected the internet with surreal gibberish

Can you tell your Skibidi from your Gyatt? What was once a niche obsession has gone mainstream and irreversibly warped the way people speak online

Life & Culture

Jun 25, 2024

Kieran Press-Reynolds
Film & TVChallengersMCDCHAL_MG001-copy

Why are film fandoms so intense now?

From Challengers to Barbie to Saltburn, a growing number of films are inspiring frenzied responses in their audiences, writes film critic Broey Deschanel

Film & TV

Jun 24, 2024

Maia Wyman
Life & CultureLeader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn (L) and Stormzy

The death of the celebrity political endorsement

Taylor Swift is airing Joe Biden’s calls, the #Grime4Starmer movement has failed to materialise, and Dua Lipa is done with it all. Could the alliance between youth culture and electoral politics finally be over?

Life & Culture

Jun 24, 2024

James Greig
Life & Culture1619_Film_Jesse-Eisenberg-and-Christophe-Zajac-Den

How Bigfoot stomped its way into pop culture

From A24’s Sasquatch Summer to Nicki Minaj’s diss track, the hairy humanoid is leaving a footprint in culture on 2024

Life & Culture

Jun 24, 2024

Günseli Yalcinkaya
Life & CultureUniversity of Leeds Palestine encampment

British universities are rolling back protest rights – we can’t let them

A new wave of draconian policies will severely limit the right to free speech on campus, but they are a desperate attempt to curb an unstoppable movement

Life & Culture

Jun 21, 2024

Kendall Gardner
Life & CultureLekki Ikoy Bridge

The inhumane treatment of LGBTQ+ refugees in the UK has to end

On World Refugee Day, Nigerian activist Joel Mordi describes the harsh conditions and homophobic abuse he experienced at an immigration detention centre in Britain

Life & Culture

Jun 20, 2024

Joel Mordi
Life & Culture3099

The sickly rise of ‘twee misandry’

Popular fiction books featuring female vigilantes who kill predatory men are trending right now – but are these kitschy revenge narratives all that radical?

Life & Culture

Jun 07, 2024

Natalie Wall
Life & Culture1376744

Unpopular opinion: AI won’t kill the music industry

There’s no denying that AI is shaking up the music industry – but what does it mean for the future of our earwaves?

Life & Culture

Jun 07, 2024

Günseli Yalcinkaya