Is Woke Culture as bad as we think it is?


Right, so I am going to begin this post in a slightly different way by apologising for the fact that some of the research for this post has come from sources with, shall I say, views of a slightly different political slant to my own. And I would think different to a lot of you who frequently read my posts.

For someone like me, it is slightly annoying when there are people out there whom once they have finished expressing their own personal views (which they are in every right to do so), they have the tendency to destroy the views of others. And to add the cherry on top, I reckon that many of them would like to destroy us! Absolutely f*cking wonderful. But it still leaves a space for us to ask ourselves, what is it that they seem to despise about our approach. As part of it, is seen as being “woke”, and whether one would actually want to identify as being “woke” or not, it is true that a lot of people seem to highly oppose to the idea of being “woke”, for one reason or another…

What is Woke?

Most of us have heard the term thrown around enough times, often in a derogatory way. One source states that it is “being plugged in and being actively aware of the world around you”. While the origins of the term actually stem from the “black community and its fight for equality”, mainly relating to the civil rights movement. In recent decades the term has become more common, while has evolved in meaning often used to describe (or poke fun at) people’s political views on the liberal left. An example would include when burger king used the term to describe their new Vegan burger, or better still, when one of their recent commercials was described as woke. Yet as well as just in a jokey way, “woke” has been used as an insulting term, therefore what is it that makes people sneer at the term?

Where it’s most hated

As you can guess, “woke” has received more backlash from the social right as opposed to the liberal left. These groups tend to express their concerns that woke people are inferior, for being “self righteous”, “judgmental”, “moralistic” and overly sensitive. Part of this could be down to how “woke” people are perceived to judge people who are less “woke” than themselves, or have contrasting political views. As well as due to the extent of political correctness on society today. As a consequence it can lead to those with diffferent political views feeling as if they’re prohibited from expressing their own beliefs. The impact of this has probably been enhanced, as a result off the recent phenonom, “cancel culture”, which often results in particular views (and people”, being “cancelled” on social media. This way, it can be understood why there is such a strong dislike of woke culture among many groups who may claim to feel surpressed. Which in turn, has led to a movement in which some refer to as “anti cancel culture”, whereby key figureheads include Pierce Morgan and Laurence Fox.

So What’s Actually Wrong with Woke Culture

So whilst it can be understood why people are against woke culture, surely at the end of the day it has got to be a positive movement considering how it basically encourages people to be “woke”, or “awake” of what is happening around them. Nonetheless while the meaning of woke can be interpreted in many ways, and while people have claimed that it can be used to describe a range of political views providing they have a good understanding of the issues, we all know it is mainly used to describe the standpoints of those on the lib left. This kind of culture means that often (although by no means not always), people who hold very different political opinions would feel prevented from speaking about them openly, which can result in them feeling as if their views are being suppressed. Because of this, rather than certain issues being up for discussion, “unwoke” views are just held within these people, preventing the chances of these people from being educated. This results in more people feeling as if they are unable to put their views forward, resulting in more feeling disengaged preventing people from becoming more educated. Furthermore, it can result in complaints among those who identify with being “woke”, or hold similar values due to feeling that they’re views are always going to be correct rather than being willing to further develop their political values.

So while the emergence of “woke culture” is likely to be a reflection of the growing number of young people politically engaged, it is also true that a large number of young people would probably turn their noses up at being referred to as woke, for a range of reasons. Therefore, while it is important or us to be as politically engaged as we can be, it is important not to close off some of the views which others may hold, and allow a platform for open and honest discussion.

Performative Activism on social media and how it affects people! – Youthdeck

The White Savior Complex – Contemporary Racism

5 Bad Habits “Woke” People Need to Break • EBONY

Why I’m Not Woke | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson (thecrimson.com)

The Promise and Problems of Being Woke | Psychology Today

How the word ‘woke’ was hijacked to silence people of colour | Metro News

Update-12/07/21


Hello, I know that when you are reading this it will no longer be the 12th, but as this is the day I am writing this, I have decided to keep the date the same!

First of all, I know this is the first update in a long time. In fact I know I haven’t posted much at all in a significant period of time. Apologies for not doing so, but I had chosen to take a break from blogging back when I had exams. And as you can guess, the break has been longer than anticipated (yeah, state the obvious). Yet as I went into the holidays I found that I was very busy working full time, seeing friends, while I needed to take time for myself as well.

I will continue to do all these, but I feel ready to dedicate more time to blogging again because I love doing it, and there’s an amazing blogging community.

So far the holidays have gone pretty well, and I know I have already mentioned what I have been doing, but it has been lovely to be able to catch up with friends and have more freedom (at least for the time being). Meanwhile as I write this, I am on the way back from Swansea, whereby the reason for visiting was to see the university, but we also explored the city and the surrounding area while we were there. The university seemed really good and I especially liked how it seems to be more focused on career prospects, extra curricular opportunities rather than plainly grades! Also the city is nicer than I had expected and south Wales is just beautiful! We went to go see the waterfalls, went to a few different beaches (along the Gower if this means anything to anyone), and I went swimming in the sea a few times. I really want to be able to travel more over summer as well.

Concerning work, I am actually starting a new job on Wednesday. And while I’m nervous, I’m actually looking forward to it quite a bit because a) is much more local so I don’t have to wake up as early, b) better pay and c) I hope it will be more varied. But the main reason for changing is basically because there was someone at my old work, in a position of authority, who was a dic*head, if I want to use a polite and rather modest word. And you could say he was, well, dirty 😕

Also I’m going to have an attempt at journaling (you know the thing where your supposed to write something along the lines of a “to do list”, a “gratitude” list, and whatever else you may want to include. I have just written a to do list for each day, a practice of good habits (like drinking 2L water a day, you get the guise), and a gratitude list. And while I don’t want to say that it not likely that I will stick at it for long because then it is almost manifesting that this will be the case, I know that often I’m not good at sticking at things for very long, so if I am still journaling by say this time next month, then I will let you know how it is getting on. Otherwise, I probably won’t mention it! I have also been trying to read more since the beginning of the holidays, and to be fair it is going OK. Oh, and I watched the final yesterday evening, and I mean why penalties? Although saying it, I wasn’t expecting England to win, and they did really well to get to the final.

Thankyou for reading, and take care:-)

Why Diet Culture is so Damaging!


Perhaps people of all shapes and sizes pop into your head when you think about a “healthy” person. They’re reasonably happy, they eat a balanced diet, don’t drink (too) much alcohol and they probably have a fairly active lifestyle. Alternatively however, we may subconsciously think of someone who is quite small. Or should I say thin. You would imagine they would spend a great deal of time exercising, while you envy them for the amount of vegetables they manage to consume within a day. In fact, you may have even wished that you were able to eat a more “balanced” diet yourself, so you perhaps attempt to follow along with some rather strange diet, which involves things like cutting carbs out, or even involving almost putting your body into starvation. But come on, we ought to know that all bodies are different, therefore for everyone to try and look as small as possible, even if it includes cutting out half food groups, cannot really be healthy. So why do we think that it is?

What is Diet Culture?

Without there being a rigid definition, there are a variety of views and personal definitions relating to this term. These have included involving a system of believes that “worship thinness and equate it to health and moral virtue”, “promoting weight loss as a means of attaining higher status” and “oppresses people who don’t match up with its supposed picture of “health”. This I would agree with, and would say that diet culture heavily promotes and glorifies weight loss, often at the consequence of people’s health. Furthermore it fails to take into account that we are all different therefore all of us are healthy with different bodies, and we metabolize food slightly differently from one another.

The pervasiveness of this can be seen by how brides are often encouraged to lose significant amounts of weight before their wedding so they can “look their best”, how women who lose weight quickly after pregnancy are often congratulated, even though the process is unnatural.

Loving your Body Should not be Dirty

One of the key messages that diet culture tends to send, is that us normal people shouldn’t feel good about ourselves. Instead it is often seen as “conceited” and “stuck up” to talk about out bodies in a positive way; while it is perfectly normal and accepted to talk about our bodies in a more self deprecating manner.

Simultaneously, we are taught that certain foods, such as those which may contain higher amounts of fat or sugar, or even carbohydrates are inherently “bad”, while those low in such are vegetables. To the point where we are often made to feel as if our bodies are poisoned! Therefore how should any (healthy) person be expected to love their bodies, when they are consuming such a considerable amount of these so called “bad” foods, in order to actually get a balanced diet?

Why is this so Unhealthy

Most of us probably know that it is essential to have a balanced diet, if we want to be healthy. Nonetheless, when we are exposed to content such as a photograph of a very skinny woman in sports wear, nibbling at a lettuce leaf, it can be easy to forget the importance of having an actual balanced diet. However let’s have a look to see how bad this can be for our bodies… For a start, as trivial as this may seem, popular doll Barbie, with a thigh gap and an 18 inch waist, portrays many modern beauty standards. However she would have a BMI of just 16.4, which would be significantly overweight. What’s more, a a 2015 study showed that the popular 1200- calorie meal plan actually fell into the clinical definition of starvation. As a consequence, diet culture has been scientifically proven to have a negative impact on cognitive function, heart health, and mortality, Therefore, the fact that 98% of diets fail shouldn’t come at a surprise.

Potentially this could explain why doctors often have the tendency to blame someone’s condition on their weight, rather than looking further into the actual cause of the condition.

Why the Diet Industry Gets away with it

Profiting from anyone willing to spend money in order to peruse the “ideal body”, the weight loss industry is worth $66 billion.  The first weeks of 2021, where new signups for virtual workout subscriptions and searches for “diet” on Google spiked, demonstrates the eagerness of people to commit to working toward a smaller body. But for one minute, have a think about why so many people end up coming back time and time again. Be it during the run up to summer, where there is the need to have a “bikini body”, Christmas where of course people want to look their best, and come the following January where people desire to change their ways for the upcoming year. From an outsiders perspective, this must seem rather strange, however when we consider that the vast majority of diets fail, this is not going to come at a surprise. Nonetheless, this certainly isn’t something the diet industry does on purpose. Instead, the diet industry usually know what they are doing, by releasing products that are unlikely to work, at least in the short run. leaving consumers in a cycle where they tend to lose small amounts of weight in the short run; only to put it back on and soon try another product.

What we can do to Fight Against it

When we are pretty much surrounded by this, knowing what to do about it can almost seem impossible. However there are ways in which we can distance ourselves from this. For a start, we can stop following those on social media who promote diet culture in an unhealthy way, especially those who have no actual health based evidence to back up what they are saying (many unfortunately don’t have this).

Instead, from my point of view, a healthy lifestyle should come first, regardless of size etc. Meanwhile, we should do what we can to appreciate our bodies for what they can do, and really for how they look. As at the end of the day, as clique as this sounds, all healthy bodies are beautiful.

The 22 Best Home Organization Tools and Hacks (greatist.com)

What Is Diet Culture? The Reasons Why Diet Culture Is Toxic (goodhousekeeping.com)

WHY DIET CULTURE IS A PROBLEM TO SOCIETY | WellSeek

What is diet culture and why is it so toxic to our health? – Fad Free Nutrition Blog (nutricionalgrano.com)

Diet Culture and Why It’s Harmful | Fulfilled Nutrition Therapy

Rainbow Capitalism


Each month seems to resemble something doesn’t it. It is no longer just Christmas that gets spoken about, often more than three months leading up to december, while now it is not even enough that mothers day, Halloween and Valentines day are hugely celebrated, or rather commercialized. Instead, as many of you are aware, there are many months in the year now that seem to have a specific theme. Such as Mental Health month, which was back in May, and now Pride Month. Both sounding like brilliant ways of raising awareness, yet meanwhile, it seems as if they are great ways for businesses to take advantage of these months.

But anyway, when you think of pride, a flush of rainbow parties, pride marches may spring to your mind. While most importantly, people who are part of the LGBT+ community may consider pride to be a time to reflect upon the the achievements of the movement, while continuing to be a voice for the millions of LGBT+ people, whom are still unable to speak up for themselves for a wide range of reasons. However the question which I would like to ask anyone who is reading this, is so far this year, what evidence have you seen of pride month? It would be nice if the former was true, but from my experience, there have certainly been more rainbow vodka bottles, floods of various rainbow coloured clothing as you walk through any mainstream retail store, not to forget the rainbow logo that Pret a Manger adopts for a month for a year.

What is Rainbow Capitalism?

While there have been many ways in which rainbow capitalism have been described, according to Wikipedia, rainbow capitalism is the incorporation of the LGBT movement, sexual diversity, and pinkwashing to capitalism, consumerism, gentrification, and the market economy. And you don’t need to go very far to find an example of it, as just by heading out, you are likely to find multiple brands incorporating the pride flag onto their products, or even evidence of their attempts to produce items relating to pride.

Why do Companies Bother?

It is obvious, companies want to make as much money as possible, therefore if they are able to win over some LGBT+ customers, or if they can get a little more money by selling products relevant to pride month, then it only makes sense that they would do so. Now while many have argued that by and large this is “ok”, as this is just another inevitable consequence of capitalism, which cannot be that harmful considering that it at least raises awareness; what gets to me is the sheer hipocrasy of some of the firms involved in this. For instance, American phone company AT&T who boasts about turning “up the love”, by “celebrating important moments for the community” and by “promoting acceptance”, also happen to be “donating money to politicians that describe gay marriage as a “breakdown of the family.”  Meanwhile in 2018, Pfizer proudly sported a rainbow logo during June, while they also donated nearly one million dollars to 52 anti-gay politicians between 2017 and 2018. While it is true that large companies are probably going to lobby whoever is in power, regardless of varying standpoints on a range of social issues, to me it still seems largely wrong that firms are “working with” politicians who stand against the cause that the firm is alegidely supporting. After all, it all boils down to money.

What Pride is Meant to be About?

Pride is said to have kicked off with the stonewall riots, at a time when homosexuality was still catagorised as a mental illness. While pride is said to be “rooted in riots and revolution, in self-expression, autonomy, and anti-capitalism.” While it is said to remain “a culmination of the trauma all queer people have suffered transformed into a righteous anger and a demand for equality.” Of course this meaning of pride is very important to the LGBT+ community, because it represents the struggles which the LGBT+ community has faced in the past, and continues to face today.

What can you do About it?

It can seem extremely difficult to know what to do, considering that it is extremely difficult if not impossible to avoid buying from these kind of corporations. Therefore, it raises the question as to whether we ought to buy pride related products, from firms who may not necessarily support pride. From my point of view, if possible, then buy from small queer owned businesses, who really care about the products in which they sell in order to support pride. Furthermore, if you are able to, then consider donating to small queer owned companies. However, most importantly, it is important for us to be aware of the issues relating to the way which corporations have the tendency to embrace pride month for profit, without necessarily being the most true supporters of pride.

‘Rainbow capitalism’ is pandering, pure and simple, but it can still help drive social change | CBC News

‘Rainbow Capitalism’ drives corporate transparency and authentic LGBTQ+ support – MiS Magazine | Daily exploration of Creativity & Innovation (madeinshoreditch.co.uk)

Rainbow capitalism: The companies that want your Pride money but have murky records with LGBTQ rights | The Independent

What Is Rainbow Capitalism? How Companies Exploit Pride (refinery29.com)

‘Rainbow Capitalism’ drives corporate transparency and authentic LGBTQ+ support – MiS Magazine | Daily exploration of Creativity & Innovation (madeinshoreditch.co.uk)

The Dark Reality of Rainbow Capitalism (shiftermag.com)

What’s Problematic About School Dresscodes?


It makes sense doesn’t it. For there to be something for children to wear, when they are incapable of choosing something that looks half decent and appropriate themselves. Even if that fails, and they somehow manage to make their outfit, or rather “uniform”, look inappropriate; then at least restrictions can be put on what they wear. You know, dress codes and the liking. But hang on a minute, because often children are left confused, not understanding the reasons behind why they have been told to wear a uniform. Therefore they certainly won’t understand any additional measures behind the dress codes. Not to mention the fact that often purchasing a school uniform isn’t exactly something that man y parents look forward to, where it can often take a large toll on their wallets. Therefore why is it that children are expected to wear school uniforms?

They Help you Learn

I know this contradicts my last paragraph, but the most obvious reason many think of in favor of school uniforms, is that they help students learn better. Yes, instead of being distracted by their surroundings, it does enable children to actually get on with their work! While they are adhering to an environment the same way to which one would be expected to dress in the workplace. In fact, 68% of parents participating in a program agreed, saying their children experienced a general increase in their academic performance, as a result of school uniform and the reason for this is thought to be mainly because they encourage students to “concentrate more on their studies and less on their wardrobe.” Now this perfectly makes sense when you think that children are really too young to know what is appropriate concerning choice of clothing, therefore a school uniform at least should put an end to the extensive period of time children would otherwise be choosing to focus on their appearance for.

“But What About school dresscodes?”

However strict the school uniform policy may be, there are always going to be ways in which students are able to get around the degree to which it aims to make people indistinguishable from one another, and instead choose to alter something else, in order for them to be able to express themselves. Thinking about it this way, there will inevitably need to be guidelines around aspects like hair styles, makeup and you know the guise, and also probably around how the uniform itself is worn. Come on, you know what I mean; skirt lengths and the like! And because children aren’t going to know what is appropriate and what isn’t concerning these things, it is only right that the schools use dress codes in order to show the children what is right and what is wrong, so that as adults they are able to choose the right clothing for the right occasion.

Running Wild

This said, if children are not able to even begin thinking for themselves at school age, then in reality, how good are they going to be at knowing what to wear and what not to wear as adults? Instead, if people have to begin thinking about the way that they dress from a young age, then surely as adults they are more likely to have the ability to dress for different occasions and dress according to their workplace. Because at the end of the day, school should be the place for learning, and if the outcome (and in this case the appearance of the students) even if it is cringy some of the time!

Furthermore, believe it or not, children do have a voice, and a good way for them to express themselves would be through clothing. An example of where this has been prevented, is when a girl was told not to wear a shirt with a pro LGBT+ message on it, supposedly as it may provoke other students to make her a target. And while this may seem petty, clothes actually play a rather significant role in a child’s life, when children lack control over most elements. Therefore, for many children, their choice of outfit may be rather significant.

Reduce Inequalities

When I was younger and was wondering what the point of a school uniform was, I was rather convinced when someone pointed out that they rreduce the chances of less well off students being teased, as a result of them making do with cheaper and a more limited range of clothing in comparison to their ffellow students ffrom wealthier families. You would also think that a uniform would take a significant toll off the worries of parents, considering that they only have one outfit to concern themselves with, rather than a large number. However, from ecperience, I know this most certainly isn’t always going to be the case. I would imagaine my old uniform, includingg the unnecessary items puirchsed in the “PE kit”, would now come to over £140, or something. This way, in reality it is probably cheeaper for many parents to simply buy “normal” clothes for the children!

Sexism

No one would want to be worried that something could happen to their daughter when they are on their way to or back from school. However, unfortunately in the messed up world wee are living in, this happens to be the case. Therefore, it could be argued that it is down to the school to make sure that the girls are going to be safe. In other words, it makes sense that schools are able to control the degree to which girls are allowed to show their bodies. Yet looking further into this, not only is it useless in that tragically girls can experience sexual assault regardless of what they are wearing, but it reinforces the view of women being as sexual objects. That’s because it suggests to girls that they should alter their choice of outfit, because boys are unable to control themselves. Further, it will soon become apparent to boys that this is the case, instead of teaching them to actually respect women! The long term impact of this is detrimental. Meanwhile, within the school environment, it means that girls are likely to be sent home in order to “fix” what they are wearing, far more often than boys, which subsequently disrupts the child’s education. Then, if you don’t think tat all off this is bad enough, I am going to finish this paragraph off with a dreadful example. Where there was a case where a high school in the USA told students not to wear leggings unless they were a size 0 or a 2 (so a size 4-6 in the UK). And while this may be an extreme example, it illustrates the extent to which teenage girls are sexualised within a school environment. Meanwhile at least in my view, discrimination on the basis off size (it’s ok not to be petite girls), is totally unacceptable. Additionally, it most certainly isn’t uncommon for girls to be

At least from my point of view, it is probably true in the case off school unifomrs and certainly true in the case of dresscodes, thatt they are not fulfilling their purpouses inn enabling people to learn. This is due to them being a reflection of some of the ills of the world we are living in. Instead, if schools choose to embrace school unirorms and/or dresscodes ffor the beneffits they provvide, they should do so while aiming to tackle some of the problems which we have att hand, so that some off the ugly “norms” relating to outffits in the UK can be challenged in the long run.

19 School Dress Code Pros and Cons – ConnectUS (connectusfund.org)

The Good and Bad of School Dress Codes – The Good Men Project

Sexist Dress Codes in Schools Are the Real ‘Distraction’ (bluenationreview.com)

Here’s What’s Wrong With High School Dress Codes (grownandflown.com)

Arguments Against School Dress Codes | LoveToKnow

Hustle Culture


What should I do with my life? This is a question that I expect you have asked yourself enough times, yet most of us have either already or will in the future may be asked this exact question by others. But how would we be expected to answer this? Work, work work. As the more that we do this, the more likely we are to become “successful”, therefore what other genuine options would there be? Just think, as long as we study hard, have a job, have some kind of “productive hobby” on top of many side hustles, then at least we have the chance of being ok!

Come on! Let’s just be honest and admit this is rather boring? As I would imagine that from deep down, you would not want this to be your life.

Hustle Culture

Described by Doctor April Wilson as being “about a human doing rather than a human being” hustle culture involves the American values being the national preoccupation with work ethic and individualism. Of course, there are many ways in which it can be interpreted, but generally it relates to working considerably long hours, normal than the “average” 40 hour working week. Often this can be in aim of becoming more well off, and can sometimes be as a rejection to working standard hours “to make someone else rich”, and instead involve the person working horrifically long hours, to make themselves wealthy.

Side Hustling

So if hustle culture is where all of us run about like chickens from from one task to another, then what on earth could a side hustle be? Well, the term side hustle originally came about in relation to the poor working conditions of black people in the first half of the 20th century. Traditionally used in black newspapers including the Chicago Defender, and described “what one did to survive in a climate hostile to the possibility of prosperity via traditional full-time employment.”

Now it is used to describe a job usually for additional income, which someone works alongside their full time job. Usually 6-15 hours are spent on it a week; while for 43%, it is a different job to their usual day job. It’s estimated that 1 in 4 Brits have a “side hustle”, on top of their normal day to day job. This “sharing economy” is increasing income inequality among the bottom 80 percent of earners, partly because some people working in the gig economy are highly educated, and performing traditional roles which would have previously gone to manual workers.

The Gig Economy

Ironically, markets within the gig economy have used hustle culture to idealize working for their companies. Which in reality, as most of us know, generally companies within the gig economy often get away with paying less than the minimum wage, workers are on zero hour contracts and workers do not receive the rights they would be entitled to if they were working for a different employer. An example of this would be with Uber, whereby their website had made a claim to the term, glorifying the term and portraying having a side hustle as freedom. This can lead to people seeing the Gig economy as a “flexible stepping stone to a better life”, contrary to the harsher reality, whereby most who take on a side hustle do it as they have no other alternative way of making ends meet; on top of the fact there aren’t usually any worker’s rights.

Furthermore it is estimated that 35 percent of the American workforce was a part of the gig economy. This may at first seem shocking, but considering the numbers of people with a “side hustle”, it is not too surprising.

Can Side Hustle Culture ever be Something to Yearn for?

One source likes to split a side hustle into two types. One as a “second gig”, which is basically something people would choose to do in order to make ends meet. The other, as the “life coach definition”, which would be another source of income, but it would also be something the person is passionate about. This way, many who may wish to pursue a side hustle, may actually be doing so because they wish to learn new skills or even be able to focus on a hobby, while getting paid a little. In fact, those earning £15,000 or less a year are significantly more likely to have a side hustle for their hobby rather than those earning £55,000 or more. However this could be because people on lower incomes feel that it is more important to be able to make money on their hobbies, however small the amount may be.

To sum up, the way I see it, side hustle culture seems to be about the “Gig economy” using the term to glamourise the harsh reality of it. This is seen by the way how Uber have adopted the term on their website. This has led to various elements of media, and really society to draw up upon hustle, and side hustle culture in a positive light. However, the way I see it, none of us were born on this planet to only work and do nothing else, it is exhausting and unhealthy. Instead, considering that we are human beings, it is important for us to be able to take time out and absorb our surroundings.

Side Hustle Culture: how poverty is forcing urban youth culture into precarious (and sometimes dangerous) informal employment – Bubblegum Club

3 Lies That the Side Hustle Culture Leads You to Believe (entrepreneur.com)

The ‘side hustle’ culture: Is this the new norm? – Hiscox Business Blog

The Startup Industry’s Toxic “Side Hustle” Fixation – The Ringer

Hustle Culture: Is It Time to Slow Down? | Daily Life

How can I trust anyone else, when I cannot trust myself?

April Update


Hello, first of all I need to apologise for not uploading or generally being as active on here as I am usually. Basically I have been pretty busy, and I have had less energy I guess to come up with some decent, hopefully interesting blog posts. This said, I have got some posts on their way😃

First things first, I literally have “mini exams” starting in just over a week (typing this now doesn’t seem real), and while I am fairly confident that I SHOULD get the grades needed for the university I want to go to, I am still sort of worried. Whilst I would like to do a bit better if able to.

Although what does annoy me as an A level student, is that pretty much most of us are basically having to cram for exams in literally 2-3 weeks, which we would have otherwise have had months to revise for, after being told that exams would be cancelled. Literally I am wearing a crystal to get myself through this, and I wish that I was joking…

With me, things still feel pretty weird. Not bad, but I suppose there are just a lot of mixed feelings. Without being too open here, there is a mixture of wanting to be more independent but also fearing it, wanting to work really hard in life then also wanting a lot of time just to relax and appreciate everything, whilst not really knowing who I am. As well as this, without getting too personal, I basically feel as if I am growing out of a friendship that’s been with me since a very young child,just as we are both going in such different ways (and other reasons which I won’t state here). I mean I know these sound like the sort of thing any teen would go through, but still!

Apart from that I am back at work, which is actually nice as I did kind of miss it there, and so far I have been surprised at the number of people actually going and sitting outside and eating, even though this last week has been pretty cold.

Finally does anyone else feel that this year, so far, has gone really fast. Perhaps it is only because for most if it we have been in lockdown, therefore it feels as if none of us have really done much. Felt a little like that last year as well to be fair, although at least now (I hope) we are going in the right direction. Now there’s probably quite a bit more I could say, but I think I will leave it here, otherwise my scattered ass brain will just ramble on about thing which no one is probably interested in.

But I hope anyone reading has a nice few weeks 🙂

The Working Class Aesthetic


Who here is either fed up of seeing multi-millionaire celebrities sporting a simple tracksuit, which you know would have been likely to cost them hundreds of pounds. Yet bizarrely, it resembles something similar to something which you might have wanted to wear to take the dog out for a walk. How about these apparently “hipster” coffee shops, where a few years ago, they seemed to be popping up everywhere. And even though they promoted a rather fun and laid back atmosphere, they were actually strangely expensive. Now let’s rephrase the question. Who likes to (or know someone who does) save up for some “casual” sportswear, which is rather expensive. And at the same time, you are probably not going to exercise while wearing it?

Now as random as this may seem, I am sure that most of us can relate to at least one of these scenarios outlined. Therefore why are basically more well off people falling for things which less well off people are interested in?

Why is there a Working class “aesthetic”?

Ask anyone who does any kind of menial work if they think their uniform is stylish, then they would simply laugh at you. And I can’t really blame them! Do you see anything attractive about an old, muddy, high-vis jacket? How about an old patched up hoodie? Yet somehow, the fast fashion industry has managed to successfully take images of Appalachia and re-brand them for profit. Meanwhile Nostrum, a high end department store, has somehow managed to sell “Heavily distressed medium-blue denim jeans… that’s seen some hard-working action with a crackled, caked-on muddy coating” also commenting that it “shows you’re not afraid to get down and dirty”. A bit odd, but what’s stranger is that it was priced at 425$. The same sort of clothing is also featured on runways. For the majority of us, anything which is directly marketed on runaways etc is going to be well out of our price range! However it is a reflection of how dressing in a more working class way is becoming more desirable, and this too can certainly be seen on the streets.

Why is this a problem?

As easy as it is to point out how clothing for the middle and upper classes seems to be becoming more casual, it is harder to understand at first how this can be such an issue. But to start with, it basically enables the affluent to appear poorer than what they are, in order to look “cool” etc. However these people are not going to share the same struggles of the working class. This way, they are almost able to dress up, without facing any prejudice or discrimination as a result of their class. Meanwhile, it is as if the working class subsequently lose something belonging to them, as because they can no longer afford to wear their traditional clothing and fashion, because of the brands which are popularising it.

Furthermore…

Yes, working class clothing has successfully been monatised. No, this is not a good thing. However many would rightfully argue that this process has been kind of inevitable. But what’s been more problematic has been the lack of understanding shown by the approach some upper and middle class people have taken toward working class culture. It is said that the brand Puma, threw a party inspired by council estate drug dealing. Meanwhile  4,000 teenagers from London are being exploited and trafficked to sell drugs in rural towns and cities. Furthermore universities (and I imagine more so ones which contain a higher proportion of students from private schools), have thrown raves where people have dressed up in various costumes, such as that of a Tesco or Deliveroo worker. Throwing away the costumes after use…

Cultural Approatiation

Whilst not directly relevant, Cultural appropriation is basically where individuals from one culture adapt some of the more desirable elements of another culture, whilst ignoring other aspects of it. Often being the oppression experienced by those of that culture. In relation to class, this can be seen by how many will choose to dress accordingly to someone of a lower class, or adapt some of their slang (also true in relation to other cultures), whilst turning a blind eye and/or mocking other aspects of it.

Conclusion

In my view, I don’t see anything wrong with some middle class or upper class people choosing to adopt some features of the working class. Or people engaging features different to their own culture. However this should only be the case if people are more aware on the oppression which these groups of people face, and are respectful of other elements. While concerning things like slang, we should all really have some idea on the origins of the terms, before being subconsciously embarrassed to use some terms, yet happily and freely use others.

PSA: Working class culture isn’t a fashion trend (thetab.com)

Working class appropriation is the new cool (epigram.org.uk)

How Brands Appropriate Working Class Fashion (refinery29.com)

How Working Class Culture Has Become Monetised | by Isabelle Drury | Medium

Appalachian Clothing and the rise of the “working class” aesthetic | by Maddie Harrison | Fall 2018 VT Intro to Appalachian Studies | Medium

The Gentrification of Depop


Charity shops. You either love them or you hate them. But I will admit that I am a fan. It is the thought of being able to walk into a shop and spot something really nice at a great deal; among a mess of baby stuff, shoes that are too small and clothing which you could picture your old English teacher in! But it is more than just that. It is that gratifying feeling of not only donating to a charity which you think is good, but also the thought that you are doing something really highly commendable known as “helping the environment”. Which of course is very important. Therefore it is only great that online second hand stores like depop have recently emerged, where people now have such an enormous choice on what cheap items to buy. And not only this, but it is a bit of a win win situation, because why would no clothes lover not want to make a few extra pounds on reselling some of the items which they no longer want?

So What has Actually Happened?

Depop was launched on the 1st November, 2011. Originally most of the buyers on there were using depop as a cheaper alternative to purchasing first hand fashion. However over time, depop has drawn in buyers usually interested in vintage fashion, helping the environment or both. More recently, it has drawn in sellers wanting to run a depop shop as a part time, or even a full time job. Over the pandemic, these types of sellers have grown due to lack of job security, while there are certainly enough monthly active users to facilitate this! As you can guess, this is because highstreet retail shops have had to close as a result of the pandemic. Where in the midst of the first COVID-19 restrictions, Depop’s sales went up by 54%!

Who is this an issue for?

As a result of the increased popularity of depop, prices in general have increased. This has meant that purchasing affordable clothing on depop, has become increasingly difficult for those who rely on it, as in time the popularity has and is likely to continue to make depop more exclusive to those on lower incomes. Ironically this is the exact group of people who need apps like depop the most, forcing them instead to rely on fast fashion. Furthermore because many sellers source their items from charity shops, it means charity shops then have reduced stock to sell to the public. Meaning that Charity shops could face stock shortages (which many have been facing during the pandemic anyhow), meanwhile reducing the choice for those relying on charity shops for clothing. Shop owners argue that this is just how business works and how profit is made, however it cannot be right when it is preventing lower class individuals from accessing affordable clothing.

Why is depop like this

While it is extremely sad thinking of some of the consequences which come with the increasing popularity of depop, you cannot help laughing at the extremes which you may come across in depop. For instance, there are some buyers who will label a simply nice, but cheap looking top, as something like “rare Y2K gem!!” charging something like £80 for it. The reason why sellers do get away with this, is basically as a result of fashion trends. Over the summer of 2020, this white Slazenger tennis skort became the subject of much scrutiny after it became a widely-hyped ‘Y2K’ style staple on apps like TikTok and Instagram.  This is simply because when something is trending, then the more wealthy someone is, usually the less they care about the price. Also being a seller on depop is going to be especially popular at the moment, considering the affects of covid. Need I say anymore. And while I don’t agree with this, one source stating that many sellers on depop acted like hustlers and girl bosses, does suggest how it is becoming more of a site which people utilize to make good amounts of money, rather than as a way to get rid of old clothes.

Can you Trust Depop?

As good as making clothing last longer may be for the environment, some sellers have taken advantage of their potential customers, and have instead purchased clothing first hand from fast fashion outlets such as boohoo. To then sell them off at an inflated price. This is clearly a problem, especially when the buyer has no idea that they have done this. Also it could be said that the importing and exporting of second hand clothing can be just as bad for the environment emissions wise. And while it is very hard to judge, I feel it is important to bear this in mind.

But Wait?! Depop is meant to be good

The UK is the fourth largest textile waste producer in Europe, discarding over 1M tonnes of textiles annually. 20% of which goes to dumps and 80% is incinerated. All of us will suffer from this, especially those living in the developing world. This way, it is a good move to keep textiles circulating for longer, before they need to be thrown away. It is likely that unless wealthier people have done some research into this, they are not going to realise some of the consequences off choosing to shop from depop, and they will not realise that what may appear to be sustainable, isn’t as sustainable in reality.

What can we do?

Just like my similar post about “What they don’t tell you about sustainable fashion”, I am certainly not dismissing the movement toward more sustainable fashion, which includes the selling of second hand goods. As buyers, we can feel rather powerless however against the more negative forces of depop and the market in general, however there are some small things which we can all do. For a start, try to avoid buying too many essential items from these outlets; especially if they are very cheap, as someone else may really need them. Also, while it isn’t easy to tell where the seller of a big shop sources their clothing from, there is no harm in asking the seller this! And usually they will be really friendly about it.

Furthermore, if you are a seller on depop, then while there is no harm in labelling something as Y2K to help it sell, refrain from selling products at a badly inflated price, because many sellers doing the same can further contribute to the problem.

What is thrift cycling? TikTok users concerned reselling is gentrifying shops (intheknow.com)

Depop and the gentrification of second hand shopping – Studio Magazine® (saintandsofia.com)

Charity shops, Depop and the gentrification of second-hand clothes – That’s What She Said (twssmagazine.com)

The gentrification of Depop — City Live (cityliveglasgow.com)

Mukbang


Who enjoys eating food? Most of us I expect. Yet who else knows that it is rather unhealthy to binge on half your weight of chocolate in one sitting. As tempting as it may be. Because come on! Most of us do like to think about food, many of us quite a lot. It is the topic of many conversations. Thinking about it from this point of view, it almost makes the thought of hundreds of thousands of people choosing to watch people consuming enormous amounts of food in one sitting, pretty understandable. But we all know that this is not at all normal…

What is Mukbang?

If you are wondering what Mukbang actually is, then don’t worry, because I wasn’t actually aware of it as a term until recently. Although I am sure most of us are at least familiar with eating challenges or contests, generally posted on youtube. And before the internet, then people would (and still do) challenge themselves on eating a certain amount of food under a certain time constriction. Yet Mukbang originated in South Korea, and has spread globally.

“Mukja,” means “let’s eat”; and “bang song,” means “broadcast.” It isn’t common for people to eat alone in South Korea, when people are unable to eat with others, so the watching someone eat while eating seems to replicate this experience. Meanwhile I am sure that many choose to watch these videos due to pure curiosity or interest.

What’s in it for the eaters?

Anyone who is familiar with the internet will know that just because someone is doing something which seems rather ridiculous and unhealthy, it doesn’t mean that this goes undervalued. Instead it is the opposite, with many crazy, and rather wasteful (in my view) “challenges”, gaining a lot of attention. Therefore money. Mukbangs are no exception, with top broadcasters to earn as much as $10,000 a month, not including sponsorship. An example of a well known Mkbang would be Trisha Paytas, who describes herself as the “Queen of Mukbang.” Across her two channels, she has ramped up over 6 million followers, by consuming vast amounts off food including in-N-Out Burger, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, and KFC.

Unhealthy🙄

We all know that eating vast amounts of junk food cannot be good for us. Although it is interesting to find that many of these Mukbangs actually chose to live super healthy lifestyles, aside from the time they spent filming themselves eating for entertainment. This could be partly why many seem to maintain a “healthy” weight, due to eating healthy foods the rest of the time, and exercising. Nevertheless, as healthy as someone may be between these videos, it is still likely that as a result of what they are still putting their bodies through, their health will still face drastic consequences.

Also this kind off eating, can encourage viewers to try similar things at home, or potentially encourage viewers to even develop eating disorders. However it was strange to see that for many who were already suffering with an eating disorder, it actually prevented them from engaging in the dangerous behaviors associated with them, such as binging in some cases. Or restrictive eating behaviors. However while it might help some, it is also true that it can encourage others to engage in unhealthy behaviors, due to the potential for the videos to encourage things like overeating.

My View on it

So I think it is reasonable to say that for most casual viewers, it is probably out of curiosity rather than anything else. Although in some cases, I feel that it can encourage unhealthy behaviors. While it is bizzare, once again it is not surprising considering that this is the internet we are talking about!

The Unspoken Dangers of ‘Mukbang’ Culture (theodysseyonline.com)

What is Mukbang and How Does it Affect Your Health? (bistromd.com)

Mukbang – Wikipedia

What is Mukbang? YouTube Stars Reveal Side Effects Of Bizarre Trend (menshealth.com)

Everything about Mukbangs: extreme-eating videos making YouTubers rich (insider.com)

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