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Month: March 2019

Exploring eco-fiction: Margaret Atwood’s ‘MaddAddam’ trilogy

There is an increasing concern about our negative impact on nature and how to preserve the environment. In a fast-paced world, the question of how our actions impact what surrounds is undeniable. You might think this is only a matter of politics and lawmaking but literature plays a major role in understanding our environmental impact. Eco-fiction sees literature and the environment coming together. Believe me when I say that when these two join the stories they produce are shocking, to say the least.

We’ve all seen films and TV shows about how we destroy our own eco-system; dystopian films like Blade Runner and Mad Max come to mind. The alternative realities portrayed in dystopian science fiction resemble our own present time albeit completely distorted. In eco-fiction, alternative worlds remain recognisable. It is fairly easy to find similar patterns or societies, yet normally something is not quite right. One of my favourite alternative worlds is created by Margaret Atwood. No, not in The Handmaid’s Tale but in her ‘MaddAddam’ trilogy.

Serving as a great example of eco-fiction, the text revolves around a fictional United States which has been devastated by a man-made plague. As expected, human intervention in destroying the world as we know it.

The trilogy starts with Oryx and Crake, in which we meet Jimmy, a survivor of the plague and our leading character. Through Jimmy’s memories we are able to get an insight of what the world used to be before it ended: Jimmy’s dad worked at a lab creating pigs that grow organs and have human brain tissue. In this world, porn and online violence become one of the main sources of entertainment and people are separated in ghettos, echoing the dystopian society that Orwell created in 1984.

The narrative time of The Year of the Flood is the same as the one in Oryx and Crake, the difference however is that our protagonists here are Toby and Ren, two former ‘God’s Gardeners’ that have survived the plague secluded in a Spa Centre and a Striptease Club respectively. As well as reading their personal stories on how they became ‘God’s Gardeners’ (and what that entails), we see Toby and Ren struggling to survive and taking care of each other.

An interesting aspect of this trilogy is the fact that it not only focuses on how the world ended, but it also shows a lot of the aftermath and the creation of a new society. Finally, in MaddAddam, there is a growing sense of community as Ren, Toby, and Jimmy meet with some other survivors.

The books explore the futility of human life while the characters try to develop a sense of purpose by having to create new rules, new tools and figuring out how their new society will be reproducing. The focus on the impact of man over nature is key here. These texts invite us to pause and consider the consequences of human actions. Great authors like Atwood create stories that help us understand our environmental impacts, they are as enjoyable as they are essential.

Celebrate Irish literature this St Patrick’s Day

In the lead up to St Patrick’s Day, here are some of my favourite books by Irish authors, perfect to read to get in the mood for Sunday’s celebrations and perfect to read while recovering from them.

The Butcher Boy (1992) by Patrick McCabe: This tragicomedy is about a young boy called Francie Brady who lives in a small town in Ireland and retreats into a violent fantasy world when his home life begins to collapse because of his alcoholic father and suicidal mother. Winning the 1992 Irish Times Irish Literature Prize for Fiction, McCabe mixes first person narration and stream-of-consciousness to create a darkly comedic story of a child who struggles to deal with reality and has created a version of it where he justifies all his actions, including stealing, stalking, and murder.

McCabe succeeds in portraying issues such as psychological instability and family relationships in a way that makes the reader question if what they are reading is true. McCabe depicts the search for identity as an important theme, setting his novel during the 1960s/1970s when Ireland as a nation was searching for an identity in the midst of post-colonial rule and prominent sectarianism. The Butcher Boy is humorous, dark and confusing all at the same time and delivers a compelling storyline about the fine line between reality and fantasy.

Long Day’s Journey into Night (1941-42) by Eugene O’Neill: Irish-American playwright Eugene O’Neill situates family life, addiction, and miserliness as the focal points of his Pulitzer Prize-winning drama. Occurring over a single day, the play centres around the Tyrone family and shines an intensely negative light on them as they try to deal with addictions to morphine and whiskey, illness, mental instability and resentment for one another. Long Day’s Journey into Night is a semi-autobiographical play with O’Neill drawing inspiration from his own family as they also experienced financial troubles, alcoholism and failed career prospects. Powerfully moving and an emotional rollercoaster, O’Neill’s play shines a light on the seedy underbelly of family life in American society from the perspective of a second-generation immigrant family.

Room (2010) by Emma Donoghue: Irish-Canadian Emma Donoghue’s novel is about a young woman and her son’s experience of being held captive in a single room for many years and how they try to adapt to the outside world when they escape. Told from the perspective of five-year-old Jack, it is an emotionally charged narrative of a mother’s unique relationship with her child and the physical and psychological trauma she endures in order to protect him.

Donoghue based her novel on the real-life Fritzl case, where a young girl was imprisoned by her father in their basement for almost twenty-five years, giving birth to seven of his children. This historical foundation shone a controversial light on Donoghue’s novel for being ethically improper and immoral, a money-making scheme operating on the grief of victims. It didn’t however stop Room from being adapted into a film, starring Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay in 2015, and becoming a huge critical and commercial success.

Death of a Naturalist (1966) by Seamus Heaney: Seamus Heaney is recognised as one of the major contributors to poetry in the late 20th and early 21st century. Death of a Naturalist was Heaney’s first major published volume of poems and it won the Cholmondeley Award and Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize. Heaney’s poetry focuses on many topical issues, from family life and relationships to childhood and Northern Irish politics.

Growing up in Northern Ireland and living in Dublin, Heaney had a first-hand experience of The Troubles and sectarianism of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. His poetry is evocative in depicting life as a child, teenager and adolescent growing up in such a turbulent socio-political climate. ‘Mid-Term Break’ is a stand-out poem from the collection. It describes the day Heaney came home from school to find out that his younger brother had been killed in an accident. The poem is subtle yet emotionally charged as it depicts a personal experience from Heaney’s childhood of loss and grief, making it immediately relatable and relevant.

Brooklyn (2009) by Colm Tóibín: Set in 1950s Ireland, Tóibín’s novel focuses on the life of a young Irish woman who is unable to find work at home. After hearing about the tempting opportunities available in America, she decides to move to Brooklyn, New York, where she falls in love with a young Italian man. But when tragedy strikes home, Eilis has to return to her family in Ireland and face the decision of whether her life is in Brooklyn with her husband or in Ireland with another lover. Brooklyn won the 2009 Costa Novel Award and was shortlisted for the 2009 Booker Prize. Most recently, it was adapted into a feature film starring Saoirse Ronan and Domhnall Gleeson.

Review: ‘It’s Not About the Burqa’, edited by Mariam Khan

It’s Not About the Burqa: Muslim Women on Faith, Feminism, Sexuality and Race is a riveting set of essays by multiple voices, each unique. The collection, edited by Mariam Khan, follows a trend (I’m thinking of The Good Immigrant) in which peripheral voices are finally given centre stage.

‘I’m not here to speak on behalf of all Muslim women,’ Afia Ahmed writes in Clothes of My Faith, an essay in which she explores the notion of choice towards wearing a hijab. Ahmed remarks that this piece of clothing has become a politicised, fashionable contradiction far removed from what she believes are its theological roots: a statement of faith and Islamic identity.

‘You do not need to contribute to the dichotomy’ is a particularly powerful statement, at once asserting responsibility to support one’s own convictions as well as the power to break binary modes of thinking. Subtly, it advocates acknowledging that you need not explain your actions regarding clothing as a Muslim woman because the questions mask something bigger: the way a woman dresses is always open to criticism and Muslim women have become one of its biggest victims.

I found Salma el-Wardany’s A Gender Denied: Islam, Sex and the Struggle to Get Some an interesting read as gender segregation is not something I face much of. She interrogates interactions between the sexes especially when it comes to marriage and sexual fulfilment. Her essay centres around the idea that the repression of conversations about sex results in Muslim women being woefully underprepared for healthy relationships.

Also writing about sexuality and Muslim women, Afshan D’Souza Lodhi explores queer spaces as a hijabi woman of colour. Navigating these spaces, especially when wearing that all-defining piece of fabric, has interesting consequences.

Raifa Rafiq speaks on an important issue: the hegemonic image of a Muslim woman in the UK being a thin, South Asian and light-skinned. Rafiq writes earnestly about the intersection between race and religion: she says she feels more uncomfortable around non-black Muslims than non-Muslims because colonial ideas of beauty are more closely aligned to the make-up of South Asians with anti-blackness still rampant in many communities today.

In her essay, Nafisa Bakkar remembers an obsession of finding someone who looks like yourself in an unusual position. Bakkar recounts the time she discovered the CEO of PepsiCo was a woman of Indian heritage. Bakkar looked for every titbit of information that could reinforce the idea that women like her could be successful. Reading this collection, I found many women like me, all of whom have found success in some way.

It’s not about the Burqa is a timely collection; each essay is equally necessary in beginning to understand how Muslim women, across the intersections of race, nationality, ethnicity and sexuality, navigate their identity. It shows how every day Muslim women have to liberate themselves from identities that are thrust upon them.

Eating hummus with Ethan Davies

This is it: It’s the final issue. As such, we thought we’d save the best (if we do say so ourselves) until last – we’ve brought you an exclusive interview with the man, the myth, the legend that is Ethan Davies, Editor-in-Chief of The Mancunion and Head of the Manchester Media Group (MMG). From humble origins in Hull, he’s climbed to the dizzying heights of being (technically) my boss.

So, I find myself wondering, what does Ethan actually do? Well, apart from sitting in the office all day eating hummus, as he was doing throughout this interview, it turns out he actually does quite a lot.

He’s in charge of the Manchester Media Group, which broadly involves supporting the direction of Fuse FM and Fuse TV, including stuff like buying equipment and putting the committees in contact with the right people. He’s also an integral part of the Women in Media team – not just Venue Liaison – meaning he does a lot of the stuff that involves the SU’s endless minefield of rules and procedures, like sorting out those inevitable invoices.

“It’s a lot of basic admin, which is fun.”

However, his biggest responsibility is producing The Mancunion, from September until this, the final March issue. He estimates it takes up a whole four-fifths of his time, from sorting out any legal problems the paper might encounter to making sure all us section editors actually have stories for the week.

He also spends his Thursdays and Fridays sub-editing and publishing articles, alongside helping to design the paper itself, before it all gets checked over to make sure there aren’t any mistakes. On top of all this, all SU interns are expected to help out with student-focused activity like the elections or May’s Awards Ceremony.  

“It’s an intern position, which there are about five or six of every year, and because we’re all either in the middle of studies or have just graduated, we kind of have our finger on the pulse when it comes to student opinion,” he explains.

When I ask his if he’s enjoyed this year, he takes a moment to think — and crucially eat his hummus.

“Was it playtime? No. But I have enjoyed this year. It’s been very testing at times, which I knew it would be [when I started], but overall it’s been pretty successful. For one, I can now budget for hummus. Two, the paper’s done really well and I’m really pleased with everyone because they’ve all pitched in.

“Myself and Amy, who’s our wonderful Deputy Editor, said we wanted to make it the best student newspaper in the country [when we started] and everyone seems to have gone for it. Everyone, from the paper deliverers to the section editors, has really helped each other and made sure nobody’s been left behind. The contributors have made the editors’ lives as easy as possible and the design team, for a new team, have been absolutely stellar.”

The design team has been one of the biggest changes that Ethan’s made this year, with the introduction of the culture section and photo essays, which he doesn’t think you’ll find in any other paper throughout the country. In addition, he’s also introduced the new marketing team, who have managed to grow The Mancunion’s reach by about 900%.

“I really don’t know how they’ve done it, it’s mad.”

As mentioned, he has other duties, too. On the Fuse FM front, though they’ve faced challenges with equipment, Ethan believes they have faced up to them admirably. Going from a cupboard in the basement to a fully-fledged studio was always going to have teething problems, but this year has really been all about getting everything ready and working for next year, he says.

Fuse TV were given central funding during the refurbishment of the SU for new setups. However, for a variety of reasons, it’s only just being finished up now.

“If I had my time again I’d probably try and be a bit more pushy to get that completed; it’s probably my biggest disappointment of the year. I’m glad it’s there though, because the committee has done a great job this year so, next year, the people coming in will know more about the opportunities available to them.”

One of Ethan’s highlights of the year was the Women in Media Conference. If you didn’t go, you definitely missed out. It was a weekend full of workshops and talks from some incredible women in the media, and was a huge success.

“I’m quite a panicky person and to see it actually work was pretty good. Also, my mum came and she enjoyed it, so that’s a vote of confidence.”

“The Reclaim the Night issue was also another massive highlight. It was a really well-designed issue for one thing, it was really bold in what it was saying. There was also a lot of controversy around one of the exec officers, but we decided to go for a positive outlook on it and support the event rather than focusing on the controversy, in a way that a lot of national and regional newspapers wouldn’t have done.”

The paper has already won two regional awards this year, and hopes to win more in the nationals in a few weeks’ time. The only people that beat the paper to awards were Durham’s Palatinate, who were named the Best UK Student Paper last year, so there’s certainly stern competition in the Northern region.

As for why you should join MMG, “if you’re the kind of person who feels like they went out a lot in first year, stayed in a lot in second year, and now thinks it’s their last year and thinks they need to do something, you’re always welcome, and having that extra year’s experience really does help.

“Having said that, we’d love to have more first and second years to get involved. It’s nice to have a different set of friends to your house or your course, and you’ll get loads of employable skills, like learning how to work in an actual office.

“It’s not easy, because we want everyone to do as well as they can, but we have fun with it. We’re not cliquey, we just get on with it and try and make you a better journalist, presenter, or producer.

“If you do want to go into journalism after uni, you’ll find everyone has done student media in some form or another and, especially in Manchester, they’ll remember The Mancunion, or Fuse, and that network can really help you.”

Although the print run has finished for The Mancunion, Ethan still has months left in his role, so what does he envisage next?

“We’ve got some great ideas on how to improve the website and some cool things in the works that are currently under wraps, so stay tuned. The problem for the new team is that we’ve had such a great year, but you can’t always rely on having a story like ‘Clapgate’ to help get you there. You need to work out how you can keep people interested without a story that’s quite as dramatic as that one.

“Fuse TV are going to do really well next year, especially with the new equipment putting them on an industry level, and the fact that their volunteer pool has gone up by four-times this year.

“Fuse FM are quickly establishing themselves as a great events organisation, which is re-defining what a radio station should be. It’s not just people playing their favourite records every week, it’s now a real cultural hub.

“That’s one of the most exciting things about MMG. You don’t really know what’s going to happen until it does, because students have better ideas than a lot of people. The challenge is making sure that other students care enough about them.

“It’s kind of like if three years ago, if you’d worn Fila Disruptors around Fallowfield, you’d have looked really stupid. But after the first person did wear them, they caught on. So yeah, we’re like that.”

For Ethan personally, he’s looking forward to a break. He says that because he’s a June baby, he can afford to take some time off, which he will definitely be doing. It’s been a really busy and really rewarding year, but it’ll be nice to take a step back.

“It’d be a mistake for me to dive straight into something else because I don’t really know what I want yet. I’m young; I’m free,” he gleams.

When I ask him if he has anything to say to the world at large, he says he’d like to thank the readership for sticking with us all year, through the good times and the perhaps slightly less interesting times.

“Let’s face it, journalism can sometimes be boring, so thank you to everyone for actually reading throughout the year.”

“To the team, you’ve made this year as painless as possible. We’ve not had a single legal problem, badly designed issue, or a bad week for a section, so thank you for that.

“I feel like it’s really part of the student community and I’m really glad people care. We’re doing this [interview] just after the election controversy, but the only way issues in the uni can be changed is if you’re informed about them and you care enough to actually tell someone that you do care. If people can stand up and speak up it will get better.

“Read The Mancunion, listen to Fuse FM, and watch Fuse TV, because it’s your future on the line.

“If we start caring more, the world will be a better place.”

And on these poignant words, hummus finally finished, he leaves.

Interview: Saskia Vogel, author of ‘Permission’

I met Saskia Vogel on the day her debut novel, Permission, was released in the UK. The novel follows Echo, an aspiring actress drifting through life in Hollywood’s dream-machine. When her father suddenly drowns, Echo is left a little anchorless, until she finds an unexpected stability in LA’s BDSM community.

Vogel “really wanted to write a novel that had a carnal and erotic perspective at its centre.” Moving back to LA from London in her early twenties, she found a “new set of friends that were all sort of integral to the BDSM community in Los Angeles.”

Interested in “the questioning they did around heteronormative relationships,” Vogel started to write what would become Permission in the early 2000s. She “wanted to document and tell the stories of how these people came to shape their lives around this community,” and started the book as a non-fiction project. Over the years, “stories about a dominatrix and a foot fetishist” stuck with her, eventually becoming Permission’s other main characters, Orly and Piggy.

Both Echo and Piggy are infatuated with Orly, and the narrative orbits around her. Vogel “spent a lot of time considering perspective in the novel.” And in Permission, we alternate between both Echo’s and Piggy’s points of view.

“Echo’s parts are written in first person and I felt like I could speak about her journey with more authority. Piggy’s sections are Piggy’s stories as told to Echo as told to us in third person.” When writing Piggy’s stories, Vogel “wanted to play with what an aroused tone of voice would be. How desire might impact form.”

Echo’s sections are minimalistic and melancholic; Vogel’s well-wrought prose is stretched taut to cover everything from death and grief, to love and sex. While you’ll want to savour the writing in Echo’s narration, you’ll speed through Piggy’s sections, just as eager as he is to find some kind of conclusion.

The two sides of the novel have created “a split in the reviews so far,” with different readers preferring different narrators. Vogel said that “it was really important to me to have both a male and a female perspective, as the novel is about how the patriarchy fails us all.”

The one perspective we don’t get is Orly’s. “I didn’t want to speak for Orly but I also didn’t want her life to turn into just another story about a sex worker who’s objectified.” Vogel creates “a sense of both how she takes shape in their fantasies but also how becoming an object of fantasy is part of her job and something she enjoys.”

Orly enjoys becoming the person that Echo and Piggy need. She is a “a mutual creation of fantasy.” Vogel explained that “Piggy was someone who grew up during the sexual revolution but the sexual revolution wasn’t really for him. He wanted something different and we don’t always have the language and the skills to find what we want. Sometimes it’s inaccessible to us. That’s how literature felt to me for a while. Growing up in LA, publishing seemed so far away. Sometimes you need to go far to find what you want.”

Vogel has certainly moved a lot. “I’ve been an expat for most my adult life,” she said. “I came to the UK when I just turned 18, I went to high school in Sweden — I’m secretly Swedish — and I’ve had this long love affair with Los Angeles. It’s a long distance love.”

“There’s a kind of dizziness to LA that I really like,” Vogel said. “I wanted to bring together the madness of the city’s landscape, from the cliffs crumbling into the ocean and dangerous riptides just a few miles down from plastic beaches and some of the most intense urban spaces in the United States.”

These days, Vogel lives in Berlin and works as a Swedish translator— perhaps not so “secretly Swedish”. I asked her how working as a translator impacted the way she wrote Permission.

“Translating really humanised the novel for me. Novels can be so big when you’re thinking about starting.” She talked about how Raymond Chandler learned how to write crime fiction. “He copied out his favourite crime story again and again until he understood the mechanics of the story. I feel like translation gave me that same gift.”

When asked which Swedish writers she would recommend, Vogel didn’t pause. “Lina Wolff 100%. She’s one of my all time favourite writers.” Wolff’s latest novel, The Polyglot Lovers, comes out in the UK this May.

Despite being an accomplished translator, Vogel said she was “so nervous writing this book because it had been in my head so long.” In the years since she started it, “the landscape has changed so much.” Books like Fifty Shades of Grey “introduced the concept of BDSM and sadomasochistic relationships into an everyday lexicon. When I was 23 and workshopping these stories about S&M relationships, my classmates were like what? Please explain this acronym, I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Vogel said that she “wanted to open a window onto this world that’s so often misunderstood. To allow readers to recognise that [the BDSM community] isn’t so different from their own world of desire and confusion.”

Certain parts of the novel seem a little too familiar; Echo navigates the world of predatory casting agents and misogynistic musicians. But these men are marginal in Permission. When Echo is subjected to their male gaze, there is less a sense that she stares back defiantly, but rather that she stares beyond.

This perspective has lead some to call Echo a passive character. Vogel agrees. “Her passivity is the place from which she needs to come of age. She’s kind of poisoned by her environment— she just expects that things will work out.”

“There’s a strong tendency to grow up with princess fantasies, to grow up thinking that one day your knight in shining armour will rescue you. At the beginning when Echo is musing about what role she thinks love will play in her life, she is waiting for a force to shape her. I think that’s where she gets her interest in acting. She’s lost in a way, she might very well be happy to play any role, as long as she is given one. That’s what she breaks out of in the novel.”

Interview with Adam Szabo of Manchester Collective

Manchester Collective’s Managing Director Adam Szabo, a self-described “reformed cellist”, is originally from Sydney and also trained at the Royal Northern College of Music.

Szabo explained that Manchester Collective performances are created with “elements of theatre”. Szabo sees Manchester as a “culturally engaged city” with so many kinds of music and explained the importance of planning projects with a focus on how they can “best communicate [their] love and excitement for music”. There is a never a fourth wall in Manchester Collective performances.

Szabo humbly conceded that there are other organisations seeking to break boundaries in music and audience demographics. He described the Collective as “young, digital natives” and emphasised the importance of engaging with technology, including the frequent release of new music and music videos on YouTube.

The Collective is driven by “creative agency” as they are not “beholden to a subscriber audience”. Szabo described  the Collective as remaking “an arts organisation in our own image,” they seek to connect with diverse audiences that reflect the diversity of their performers. Manchester Collective first performed in February 2017 and the Collective has grown impressively since, performing across the U.K. and Europe.

When asked whether he felt music was political and impactful, Szabo replied that music has always been “inherently political” giving examples such as Shostakovich’s 4th Symphony being a comment on the Soviet system. The “universal” nature of music allows this to continue today.

Manchester Collective aims to present “incredible music out in the community” where different people can reach it. Szabo explained that in “the heritage classical world” there are limitations on the “fundamental truth of the music”. According to Szabo, there is the need to remove the “emotional class-based baggage” that is linked to predominantly orchestral music.

Manchester Collective combat this by performing a range of music in alternative venues: warehouses and clubs as well as major concert halls. Manchester Collective is about making music relatable and “intensely personal.”

For each venue, performances are remade in a “bespoke way.” Venue changes allow education and engagement on both sides. Bringing the music to audiences beyond the traditional and unusual venues to the traditional audiences. This was demonstrated most recently in Manchester Collective’s Black Angels performances at both the traditional venue of Stoller Hall, and also the White Hotel (a club in Salford). Szabo described the unorthodox staging of performing George Crumb’s music in a new version of the round. Involving the audience by having them in a semi-circle running through the musicians, creating an intimate space with this seating and the light riggings brought down from the ceiling.

Szabo encourages people to “be open, be brave” and see Manchester Collective perform” some of the “most powerful music ever written”.

Awe-inspiring women in science and technology

International Women’s Day was celebrated on 8th March and with it, a sense of universal female empowerment swept around the globe like an unstoppable tidal wave. Events and campaigns were held worldwide to showcase the progress made for gender equality and to raise awareness for the issues women still face.

There have been many truly inspirational women throughout history who went against the expectations and norms of their day. Particularly in the male-dominated STEM sector, there is an abundance of awe-inspiring stories of brilliant female scientists, engineers, and mathematicians that need to be celebrated.

One such woman is Chien-Shiung Wu: a Chinese-American physicist famed for her pioneering work in nuclear physics. She’s often referred to as the ‘First Lady of Physics’ or the ‘Queen of Nuclear Research,’ and it’s not hard to see why. She was enlisted by male colleagues, Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen Ning Yang, to devise an experiment to challenge the hypothetical theory of parity conservation. ‘The Wu Experiment’ successfully indicated parity violation, which resulted in huge implications for the standard model.

Yang and Lee received a Nobel prize for this achievement in 1957, but Wu was excluded from the award. Her recognition came late in 1978, winning the Wolf Prize in Physics. She was awarded the Bonner Prize and National Medal of Science in her career, and even became the first female president of the American Physical Society in 1975. If all that wasn’t enough, she wrote a highly regarded textbook called, ‘Beta Decay’ that is still very relevant for students today. Wu was inducted posthumously into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1998.

On the subject of incredible women in STEM, in this day and age, any pursuits in science and technology are heavily reliant on computers and programming. Whilst many may know that Alan Turing built the first computer, fewer may have heard of Ada Lovelace (possibly the world’s first computer programmer). Inspired as a young woman by her friend Mary Somerville, another amazing female mathematician, Ada Lovelace soaked up books and enthusiastically attended lectures on the subject.

She became interested in Charles Babbage’s idea to develop an ‘analytical engine,’ which could be programmed to perform calculations and would have a memory unit to store numbers. The machine was not completed in Babbage’s lifetime, but Lovelace had written a program that, theoretically, the machine could have used. Her genius has been recognised in more recent times. For example, the United States Department of Defence uses a computer language named ‘Ada’ after her and, since 2009, Ada Lovelace Day is celebrated every October.

A little closer to home, the University of Manchester’s very own Professor Sue Kimber was awarded scientific heirlooms at the fourth Engineering & Physical Sciences Suffrage Science Awards on International Women’s Day this year. Professor Kimber is a leading biologist, mainly studying human embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, and the extracellular matrix. Chosen by previous award holders, Kimber’s scientific achievements and ability to inspire her students were highlighted. She received an item of jewellery inspired by the Suffrage movement, the colours green and purple were aptly chosen. The heirlooms will be passed onto the next award winners, who Professor Kimber will help to decide, and surely she will be spoilt for choice.

From probing stem cells to uncovering the secrets of fundamental particles, this article has only briefly highlighted some key women representatives of the STEM sector, past and present. There are countless others whose achievements need equally be celebrated. This is all the more important as only 22% of STEM occupations were held by women in 2018. With the annual celebration of International Women’s Day, let’s make sure everyone knows that women have a just as significant role and capability in science and technology as their male counterparts.

HIV-1 remission achieved in second patient

In the 1980s, the letters HIV uttered in a doctor’s office were feared as a death sentence. In the years since, breakthroughs have been made in the field creating hope for the 36.9 million people worldwide believed to be living with the infection, as a second patient is now in HIV remission.

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. The virus attacks the body’s immune system by entering the T cells – a type of white blood cell – multiplying rapidly and damaging or destroying them. It reduces them to such a number that the body cannot fight off every day infections. These opportunistic infections, caused by ordinarily harmless viruses, bacteria, or fungi, take advantage of the weakened immune system and wreak havoc, spreading through the body with little resistance.

The current treatment is antiretroviral therapy (ARV), which consists of a combination of HIV medications to be taken every day, enabling people with HIV to live longer, healthier lives, as well as reducing the risk of transmission. Unfortunately, this is nowhere near a cure, and must be taken for the rest of the patient’s life.

The patient, known as The London Patient, was diagnosed with HIV in 2003 and began treatment in 2012. Later in 2012, the patient was diagnosed with advanced Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (a type of blood cancer), which led to him undergoing chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant in 2016.

The stem cell transplant contained a protein carrying a mutated version of the receptor CCR5, which essentially acts as a doorway for the HIV-1 virus into the T cells. The mutation on the protein means that the virus cannot enter the host cells.

For 16 months, the patient continued with ARV until his doctors decided to pause the treatment to see if the HIV would re-appear. In the 18 months since, the patient has not shown signs of the virus recurring and his immune cells have been unable to express the receptor used by the HIV virus.

Ten years ago, a patient at first known as The Berlin Patient, then revealed as Timothy Ray Brown, was the first person in the world to be cured of HIV. Diagnosed in 1995, he took protease inhibitors for 10 years before being diagnosed with anaemia, which led to a bone marrow transplant and a diagnosis of leukaemia.

From 2005 to 2007, Brown continued ARV until agreeing to a stem cell treatment containing the same protein The London Patient received, and stopped taking his medication the same day. Within three months of receiving the transplant, there were no signs of HIV in his body.

Notably, both patients experienced a mild case of graft versus host disease that can occur when patients receive a transplant and the body rejects it. This would have led to the body’s immune system going on the attack, contributing to the suppression of the HIV virus.

The International AIDS Society has described this as “a critical moment in the search for a cure.” While these success stories paint an optimistic future for those afflicted with HIV, it is clear that this is not a polished solution. Due to the intensity of chemotherapy and the high risks associated with stem cell treatment, it is hoped that scientists will find a better way to combat this deadly virus.

Review: Capernaum

Lebanon’s entry for this year’s Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film could never have been a more deserving winner. Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum is a searing sledgehammer of a movie which brutally confronts the devastating effects of adult behaviour and mistakes on our most vulnerable citizens.

The basic premise might at first sound like that of an offbeat comedy: twelve year old Zain (Zain Al Rafeea) sues his parents for the act of giving birth to him. But, as the flashbacks and ever-developing story unravel, we grow to completely empathise with him, witnessing the hell Zain is made to endure and the deceptive adults who forced him into it.

At the film’s chronological beginning, Zain is helping his parents and sister – Sahar (Haita ‘Cedra’ Izzam) – soak crushed tramadol into clothes and sell them to drug dealers. Their situation seems pretty dire, living in a slum under a shared roof with multiple members, to the point where Zain is unable to quote his own birthday since they misplaced his documentation years ago. Over time Zain grows continuously disgruntled with his aggressive and manipulative parents until he is pushed over the edge by Sahar being married off to a local market owner after her first period. The harrowing moment as a shaky camera follows Zain and Sahar’s cries out to one another as she is driven away from his life forever is just the beginning of one in many scenes where we’re forced to watch helplessly as those already suffering are unforgivingly maligned by the decisions of others.

Make no mistake, real-world issues are constantly at the heart of Labaki’s film. On Zain’s journey he encounters and befriends Syrian refugees, a single mother named Rahil (Yordanos Shiferaw) who grows increasingly desperate as her documents are about to expire and Rahil’s infant son who becomes a bargaining chip for a forger offering to give him up for adoption in exchange for helping Zain and Rahil. His story from a family perspective serves heavily as a microcosm for people who suffer at the hands of unjust wars and morally corrupt decisions. This is also further emphasised by how Zain is played by a real Syrian refugee as opposed to a trained actor, bringing a deeper level of intensity and empathy to such a demanding role.

It would also be important to note that Al Rafeea, has been resettled in Norway amongst the film’s release and is receiving an education. I say this because it’s somewhat telling of the film’s finale; even after such a journey through these unsettling images and harrowingly real stories, Capernaum ends on a symbol of hope and courage. I won’t spoil it, but it is what makes the film truly special. It recognises the reprehensible pain and misery that the most disadvantaged in society are forced to endure, empathising with them and building such an intimate portrait. Its closing message is one of hope for those people and it truly is magnificent.

5/5.

Event Preview: India Week 2019

The Indian Society of Manchester (ISoM) is launching its annual flagship event, The India Week 2019, and it has so much to offer.

It’s a non-profit series of events where we call upon students to contribute and have fun at the same time, celebrating Indian culture. This refers collectively to the thousands of distinct and unique cultures of all religions and communities present in India.

The week-long celebration of everything Indian will kick off on the 17th of March with a Sports Day. ISoM has collaborated with the Pakistan Society of the University of Manchester and offers sports such as cricket, football, and table tennis which will be conducted under a competitive environment.

The Indian Society is proud to host its first ever Boat Party on Monday, 18th March at The Quays, Salford. It’ll be a merry night with drinks and friends with soft Bollywood music to both appreciate Indian culture and feed your Instagram.

The 19th of March is booked for Games Night at the Hulme Hall Bar for an upbeat night featuring games such as FIFA 19, snooker, darts, and much more, starting at 7pm.

The most popular event of Indian Week will take place on 20th March at Alexandra Park from 3pm-6pm. We celebrate the Indian festival of colours, called Holi, in Manchester with the same enthusiasm as in India. Watercolours will be made available for everyone, accompanied by a DJ and food stalls. It’s usually attended by more than 400 people, comprising both Indians and many non-Indians, who will certainly be attracted by the theme of this festival. On top of this, it’s a free event!

We’ll then spend the Thursday night grooving to Bollywood-Bhangra-English songs at Viva in our pyjama-themed clubbing night.

On “Fundraising Friday” we’ll be raising money for the Red Cross Foundation. Expect to see two stalls at the Students’ Union,  accompanied by sweets, chai, and a flashmob to attract donors. Feel free to join in!

The 24th of March marks our biggest celebration of the year — ‘The Grand Indian Ball’ at the Marriott Victoria Hotel. As another year comes to an end, we’ll celebrate with this ball in the grandest and the most majestic way possible. This isn’t just another mainstream university ball, we’ll have our own Awards Ceremony honouring Mancunian student celebrities in our own filmfare-esque style, and a farewell for all final year students.

The Indian Society of Manchester is a voluntary, non-profit, student-led organisation, which aims to share the diverse Indian culture with people of from all ethnic backgrounds. If you want to get involved with the society or with India Week, more information can be found on their Facebook page.

If you ask me…

Whether you’re graduating this summer or you are just at the end of your first year, the future crosses all of our minds at some point. Throughout my time at university, I have always felt like there was a huge black hole waiting for me after graduation. When I started my final year in September, I decided I would finally do something about it. I booked an appointment with the careers service, and had a great experience with them. With the help of careers consultant Louise Setthi, I wanted to put together an article that would help students feel less alone when it comes to worries about their future.

Louise and I agreed that thinking about the future can be so anxiety inducing that it makes you shut down completely. Personally, the prospect of trying to find a job was absolutely terrifying until I actually started looking into it. The more I learned about application processes and career options, the less scary it became. Challenging that anxiety is not something you have to do alone.

Practically, the careers service offers so much to help you take small steps in thinking about your future. There are starting sheets for those of us who have no idea where to begin, and application, CV, and interview advice with friendly feedback. CareersLink can point you towards job opportunities specific to your degree or preferred location. Careers fairs can also be a great way to get started in finding out what path might be right for you.

Louise also pointed out that much of the journey of looking into future careers is about wellbeing and self-awareness. What matters to you? What do you need to feel fulfilled? It is important to know that no opportunity or experience is wasted if we choose to be proactive about reflecting on them. Even the most gruelling interview experience can teach us about handling the next opportunity that comes along.

You may be thinking that the idea of going straight into a ‘career’ after graduating is completely unappealing. That’s fine. Most students have been in full-time education from the age of 4. If you are anything like me, you have probably been stressed about academic work since sitting your year 6 SATs. That’s a long time to experience that sort of pressure. Louise and I agreed that it is important to consider what you need, not just what you think is right. It is okay to take some time off to figure out who you are without the pressures of academic work. There are plenty of ways to build experience after graduating that are not full-time career opportunities.

The careers service is available for students to use up to 2 years after graduating. However daunting it is to think about your next steps, make the most of university services while you can. You do not have to do this on your own!

For more information about the university careers service, visit their website.

MANIFF: A Great Day in Paris

A Great Day in Paris is a documentary about jazz musicians in Paris, of which around 70 gathered in Montmartre for a commemorative photograph in 2008.

This photo came to be because of Ricky Ford, a saxophonist, who wanted to create a permanent record of their presence and community. It was heart-warming to see the footage from this day, with friends reuniting and exchanging endless hugs.

Throughout the film we come back to this scene in 2008 which centres the interviews which would otherwise not have an over-arching narrative. Each interview is unique as each musician reminisces about their own experiences, and their decision to move away from America and to Paris.

Interjecting these interviews are scenes of performances and the camera work here really captures the physicality of a musician; watching them move,  their ever-changing facial expressions with beads of sweat rolling down their faces was mesmerising  to watch. Mark Foss, husband of Michka Saäl the director of the film, mentioned that Michka wanted to give the musicians the respect they deserve, instead of side-lining their music, which was definitely achieved in this film.

This film intimately preserves individual lives of each musician and will remain to be valuable archive footage of this community.

3/5.

The 5th Manchester Film Festival is taking place at the ODEON Great Northern from 2nd March to 10th March 2019.

 

MANIFF 2019: Stray

Stray is an independent film by New Zealand-based director Dustin Feneley, and tells the story of Jack and Grace, two isolated and alienated individuals who find each other in the darkest period of their lives.

This film does not feature much dialogue, and it doesn’t need it. The story is told through the beautiful cinematography, with lingering shots on the characters in large open areas of mountainous terrain, or in uncomfortable and claustrophobic rooms. The world the film presents builds the characters and allows the audience to invest in them even though we learn little about them besides a few details of their tragic backstories.

Jack and Grace are the only named characters and take up most of the screen-time. Both Kieran Charnock as Jack and Arta Dobroshi as Grace give outstanding performances, as we see them trapped in a lonely existence when they are together. In a film as slow-paced as this, the fact that these lead performances were so good ensured that I was hooked from start to finish. The pacing was strong, though I enjoyed the story so much I would’ve been happy for it to have been slightly longer.

I highly recommend Stray. It is a bleak story of two broken people, whilst also offering hope through the emotional change that takes place when they meet each other at exactly the time where they needed each other the most.

4.5/5.

The 5th Manchester Film Festival is taking place at the ODEON Great Northern from 2nd March to 10th March 2019.

MANIFF 2019: Awards Ceremony

The awards ceremony came on the final day of the Manchester Film Festival, where film makers and actors came together to celebrate their love of independent film.

The ceremony opened with a tribute to the late Laurelina Garcia-Bertaux, the producer of the film Gerry, and moved on to thank all the cast and crew who were instrumental in the production and operations of the festival. The atmosphere was lively and friendly, as the nine days that the festival had run for had connected all attendees, and raucous applause was heard after every winner was announced.

The evening concluded with the announcement for the winner of the award for Film of the Festival, which was revealed to be Cradle of Champions, directed by Bartle Bull.

The full list of winners of the MANIFF 2019 awards can be found here.

MANIFF 2019: Isabelle

What’s an apt way to criticise a film that suffers due to being so disinteresting? Isabelle is most certainly one of those movies. It tells the story of Matt and Larissa Kane, a young couple with a baby on the way and a new house they’re moving into. The neighbours of course have a creepy daughter who ominously watches Larissa from the window, something which intensifies after she suffers a miscarriage.

There’s an intriguing Babadook-esque supernatural grief metaphor underlying the story, but its problem is that this is a movie with no idea what to do with that. The scares become a repetitive sequence of “crying baby sounds, then GHOST JUMP SCARE!” after the ninetieth time. None of the characters are emotionally engaging at all, and there’s a somewhat gross anti-medicine sentiment that permeates any effort to get Larissa psychological help.

It feels like the script was cobbled together in an hour with regard solely paid towards scares aimed at twelve-year-olds rather than explore any deeper interesting themes or ideas. At best it’d make an interesting beer-movie, but if you’re looking for anything else stay at home and watch Hereditary.

1/5.

 

The 5th Manchester Film Festival is taking place at the ODEON Great Northern from 2nd March to 10th March 2019.

MANIFF 2019: Meeting Gorbachev

In this absorbing and well-researched documentary, Werner Herzog explores the rise and fall of the eighth and final Premier of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev.

This powerful piece doesn’t just capture the work of a revolutionary leader who strove for the betterment and protection of his country, but also the beautiful life he led. The stunning orchestral soundtrack created an emotional atmosphere, combined with excerpts from his days in power that showcase a capable and progressive man who united Russia and the West over a feud that had lasted nearly a century.

The film paints Gorbachev as a man not above his own people, a man who cared deeply for his country, and in the end betrayed by his own government with their vote to disband the communist party. Werner Herzog’s magnificent portrayal of the final years of the Soviet Union, and the man who saw it to the very end, illuminates parts of history usually overlooked.

The one drawback to this experience was the fact that the English subtitles for Gorbachev’s words had been cut off at the bottom of the screen, which slightly detracted from the significance of his words. But still, overall a truly fascinating documentary for any history buff with a fascination with the Cold War period.

5/5.

 

The 5th Manchester Film Festival is taking place at the ODEON Great Northern from 2nd March to 10th March 2019.

In Conversation with Larkins

Larkins, a self-confessed ‘indie pop’ band, are fast-earning a legacy as Manchester’s next big band, making progress towards taking their rightful place in the city’s vibrant scene. Hailing from the leafy suburb of Glossop, their sound is varied and exciting. Despite their firm pop roots, Larkins are “a bit more than just that”, with elements of funk and soul creeping into their songs too. Although confessing to being “not very Manchester”, it is clear they offer something more. Speaking to their frontman Josh, I learn of the important check list that they must consult as part of their creative process. Tracks must have a “killer lyric” and a “beautiful moment” — surely a good formula for success.

Legendary Manchester band The 1975 have been a big inspiration to Larkins, and it shows. It is not surprising that the comparison rumours have already started to be uttered from the cinematography of Larkins’ videos, to the dancing, visuals, and the overall experimental sound that they offer. “We’re already writing songs that would make Chris Martin green with envy,” says Josh. “We’re not concerned about who can make the most noise.” Perhaps Larkins will be next in the natural line of succession in the Manchester music canon, whether they know it yet or not.

Classing themselves as “indie pop with a bit of funk”, they revel in the fact that “the vibe at [our] shows is different.” When playing live, the band like to use a ‘theatrical’ element when playing, offering a mix of “deep, slow songs” as well as more danceable ones. They’re very much a ‘live band’, as their hope is that you will go away feeling like you have experienced some theatrics with all the ups and downs, and moments of silence building to chaotic crescendos, but always with a meaningful message behind it.

‘TV Dream’, the newest song from Larkins, has an upbeat 80’s pop-synth atmosphere. Posing as a post-modern criticism of how the media is brainwashing us, ‘TV Dream’ offers hope in a “world that has lost its mind, full of ‘plastic love’ whilst the news will say we will all be fine,” explains Josh. They even offer some bold, albeit necessary, commentary on the concerning rape culture we find ourselves in with, “can’t believe what I’m hearing, no excuses like why you wore a dress like that.” ‘TV Dream’ encompasses all of Larkins’ aims for a live performance — definitively pop synth, with lyrics offering a deeper element to the band’s initial light-hearted, fun sound.

After their recent release, and with their approaching Manchester homecoming gig, Josh seems to be positively buzzing about the band’s newfound success. Their authenticity shines through as he admits, “we thought we’d made it the first time we played a show,” then “[we] played Academy 2” and are set to “play Manchester’s Albert Hall.” But this has not been without hard work and graft. Josh explains that “a lot of work has gone into it. We gave up college and university to go on tour.” Not only is Larkins’ growing success all-encompassing but, according to the frontman, it “encompasses our whole lives.” But it seems that they wouldn’t want it any other way.

“We would do it for free. We have done it for free!” Josh jokes. Even despite being signed, he insists that money is “not what it’s about.” There seems to be a deeper, more philosophical reason as to why Larkins are releasing music, down to a feeling of “why we are here.” Josh puts it simply: “it is exactly what we want to be doing.” They are enjoying working on songwriting, researching, stagecraft, or production, to get to the point where they can release singles such as ‘TV Dream’.

When asked if there are any hopes for the future, Josh offers jokingly “world peace,” before settling perhaps more realistically on Glastonbury’s Pyramid stage as the main aim. On goals that are closer in sight, a single by the end of the year while working on the album and focusing on their upcoming O2 Apollo gig, which will be monumental in their career. Despite “bricking it and feeling the pressure,” it is a huge achievement and, with it meaning so much to the band, it is sure to be a significant marker in their career. If you want to witness a spectacle of theatre, this will be one not to miss. One thing’s for sure, Larkins aren’t done making tempestuous sounds in Manchester yet.

Don’t miss Larkins at their Manchester Albert Hall headline gig on 2nd March. Tickets here: https://www.alberthallmanchester.com/event/larkins/

Live Review: Arctic Monkeys – Performed Live By A 10-Piece Brass Band

Sold-out venue? Check. Legendary debut album from a mammoth band? Check. Legion of brass instruments to perform said album in its entirety… What?

The legion of brass instruments in question makes up Old Dirty Brasstards, a ten-man (that is, seven trumpeters, two drummers and a tuba player) ensemble gang from South East London. Tonight, as part of a string of nationwide gigs of the sort, they arrive at the O2 Ritz to perform Arctic Monkeys’ 2006 debut Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not from start to finish.

Arctic Monkeys haven’t paid the Ritz a visit since 2005. Instead, they have since preferred to sell out multiple dates at Manchester Arena in a matter of seconds. Still, it’s abundantly clear that a retelling of the early tracks is welcome to echo around the venue once more.

Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, now over 13 years old, is not a timeless record. Its scrappy attitude and references to Sheffield night clubs are not things you’re going to find in 2019 releases, even among the indie circuit. But this is no insult. The album was record-breaking, sweeping the charts to become the fastest-selling debut in British music history.

It’s a testament to how adored Whatever People Say I Am remains to those who witnessed the original hype that most of the crowd here tonight were probably about sixteen upon its release. The fact that they have journeyed out on a weekday night just to watch another band cover it shows the dedication to this beloved time in music.

There’s no support tonight. Rather, Old Dirty Brasstards go solo and split the album into two sets. The album, of course, is the home to a number of colossal tracks from indie-rock past. A trumpet-led ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor’ naturally is a singalong highlight of the night, sparking ignition in the audience early on. Flip to the other side of the LP and ‘When the Sun Goes Down’ has the same effect. Whilst notoriously an all-killer-no-filler album, however, even Whatever People Say I Am can’t escape a small helping of mostly-killer-some-filler when its less in-your-face songs are played through alien instruments.

There’s a sense of true camaraderie on stage that you’d be unlikely to find on a real Arctic Monkeys stage, whether in their sulky teen days or now, as choreographed rock stars. During the drum solo of ‘Perhaps Vampires Is a Bit Strong But…’, the other nine members head off stage and can be seen gleefully cheering on their bandmate from the wings. The joy of performing is clear, with each performer getting in on the on-stage banter and beaming. Perhaps as a self-described “tweed-clad 10-piece drum and brass powerhouse” it’s not every day that you find yourselves selling out one of Manchester’s biggest venues.

Of course, at £15 a ticket it would be hard for the troop to get away with just playing 13 songs. To loud cries from the crowd for more, Old Dirty Brasstards waltz back for three more.

The surprise feature of AM’s ‘R U Mine?’ launches a tizzy of excitement on the floor, but it’s the harping back to the good old days of ’07 that re-revs the nostalgia. Hit single ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’, apparently sounding like a closing number of a rom-com when performed on brass, follows. Closing tonight’s kickback to the indie heyday of the noughties is ‘Brianstorm’, in all of its percussion-led glory.

Take any half-decent album and play it with trumpets and the novelty is going to make it, if anything, fun. Take one of the most iconic British albums of the century and it has the potential to be a full-blown riot.

7/10

Evuna NQ: the hunt for tapas continues

Evuna is a tapas joint tucked away in the Northern Quarter. It was a toss-up between El Gato Negro and Evuna, but in the end my friend and I settled on Evuna because it was slightly cheaper. Two large glasses of sangria, three tapas dishes, and a large pan of paella came to roughly £40 — split between two, that’s £20 without student discount. Reasonable value for money, but still not worth it. One of my least favourite moments in life is the realisation that the meal just isn’t that good. I am the sort of person who studies menus a week in advance. I’m quite aware that I take food too seriously.

The restaurant itself is lovely, with its warm lighting and wood panelling. It felt like a cross between a Parisian bistro and a Spanish restaurant. The service was good. The sangria was excellent — often, you order sangria and you are presented with a sad glass of wine over-diluted with sparkling water. This sangria came in glasses the size of baubles, alongside healthy doses of brandy and lots of chopped fruit. We were eating it out of our glasses by the end of the meal.

In terms of tapas, we went for albondigas, or meatballs, chicken in paprika sauce, and chorizo in red wine. The chicken in paprika had an overly creamy, underseasoned sauce, which left little of an impression save blandness. Both the albondigas and the chorizo had a textural problem. If it was one dish, I could have put the blame on myself for ordering three dishes that were heavy on the sauce. But the meat felt a little too soft; it could have done with a sear in the pan before it was put into the sauce, just to vary the texture. The sauces were admittedly delicious; we ordered bread in order to wipe them up. Sadly, the bread was the best part of the tapas. It was served as it should be with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

I was hoping the paella could redeem the starters. Although it looked promising — loaded with monstrous prawns, and so filled with saffron that our fingers were stained a nicotine yellow the next day — it too felt bland. Even after I’d doused it with enough lemon to bring the prawns back to life, it wasn’t anything particularly special. One sub-par dish I can tolerate. Three, verging on four, and I won’t take the chance of another letdown. Stop by Evuna for a glass of sangria or two, but take your hunt for the best tapas in town elsewhere.

3/10

Waitress Tales: Spilling the hospitali-tea

We all want to be attractive. We all also want to be successful or at least respected by others in a professional capacity. But can these two co-exist in the hospitality industry? As a young woman who spent (and is still spending) her formative years working in hospitality, this is a problem that has always bothered me as it seems to be one that it is both inescapable and inevitable. Can you ever really be professionally respected in a workplace as an attractive young woman?

From comments by male colleagues, managers, and chefs to inappropriate behaviour from customers; the restaurant industry is rife with questionable conduct. And perhaps more honestly, I want to raise this discussion as I’m not sure what I think on the topic; but what I do know is that it’s something experienced by nearly every one of my peers; many being young women working in the hospitality industry.

As a young woman who wears make-up should I have to ‘deal with’ female colleague resentment or alternatively male belittlement? Is my perceived attractiveness to others my own responsibility? All interesting questions.

An anecdote from a friend who works in a high-end restaurant in Manchester illustrates this issue perfectly. She had slept in and so didn’t have the time to put on make-up. At work, she was berated by male colleagues for “scaring the customers” and was told to “get to the makeup counter” during her break before she “let the restaurant down” by looking so rough.

Though I’m sure we’ve all experienced something similar, I fail to recognise a painted face as the criteria for excellent customer service. God forbid Dave from Hulme is put off his medium rare sirloin with peppercorn sauce because he’s repulsed by my lack of faux mink lashes or bronzer.

Another waitress friend had an even worse experience in a similarly high-end Manchester restaurant. After spending an understaffed night doing an excellent job of running food for seven hours on a Saturday, she’d told her female manager that she felt she’d done an amazing job.

Her manager replied: “That’s only because the chefs want to f*** you.” One friend even divulged how following a hook up with another staff member, the male chefs stopped speaking to her as they felt they could no longer flirt with her as she’d “ruined” their perception of her as a pure, up-for-grabs virgin. Makes your blood boil doesn’t it?

Even from personal experience, I’ve had to work twice as hard in a restaurant with a female general manager to gain the same respect that my male equivalents earned. Because of what? The mantra drilled into many young women that the lack of positions at the top of whatever industry we choose to be in are so limited that we need to elbow every other woman out of the way for our own success? Or are we all secretly resentful of, in the words of Carrie Bradshaw “the hotter, younger, twenty-something woman”?

I suppose what I’m trying to raise are two parallel issues here. The first relating to the way in which some men in the hospitality industry see their female staff as dangling carrots to attract customers instead of legitimate, successful and professional individuals. The second being the hostility felt between women in the hospitality industry. Can’t there be enough room for us all to succeed without sabotaging each other?