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A Letter About Beauty Standards
“While toxic diet culture might seem a problem of a bygone era, we cannot ignore of the return of this devastating trend in today’s culture.” Jessica Gregory explores the damaging impact of unrealistic, fast-changing beauty standards. Image taken by Isobel Jessop. Used with permission.
WHAT’S NEW
The ‘Singapore Model’: Chasing a Red Herring
Singapore gaining independence was not part of the plan. Anyone given a civics education in Singapore will tell you that the original vision, realised in 1963 in what was known…
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From the Inside Out: My Disability
Avani Rao reflects on how chronic back pain has affected her time at Oxford, and the stigma that is attached to people with disabilities, particularly those that are “invisible”. Image…
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National flags on St Aldate’s put up by local group with far-right ties
A number of St George’s Cross and Union Jack flags have been put up around Oxford city centre over the last week, with a great number along St Aldate’s. These…
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The cost of money: New College’s economic aspirations threaten ethical standards
By engaging with the development, New College would be complicit in supporting this regime’s conduct and politics.
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Understanding our world through history – In discussion with Dr Shamara Wettimuny
For Shamara, the idea of a ‘real history’ is something we need to entirely move away from. Such a concept can never actually exist, and can certainly never be agreed…
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Second Draft: It’s my Lucky Day
“I’d like to remind everyone (but mainly myself) that you do not have to spend your morning highlighting to-do lists for it to be worthwhile. You do not have to…
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Oxford
Lord Hague at Oxford Politics Society: Trump, AI, and the “Fragmentation” of UK Politics
Having returned from the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Chancellor of the University of Oxford and former Leader of the Conservative Party, Lord William Hague, spoke on Thursday evening at the Oxford Politics Society. He reflected on his time in politics, today’s crisis in international order, and the “fragmentation” of UK politics. For Hague,…
A Guide to the Oxford University Student Union and its Upcoming Elections
Lewis Haynes previews the upcoming Oxford University Student Union elections, due to take place in February.
opinion
Not Choosing London
For generations, a certain golden path was etched into the national consciousness, particularly for those clutching prestigious degrees. The trajectory was simple: graduate from Oxford, Cambridge, or another elite university, and proceed directly to London. The capital was not just considered a city; it was the destination, the sole arena for ambition, culture, fame, wealth…
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Zero shades of grey: the death of nuance
When was the last time you viewed the content on someone else’s social media feed? Last week, I was sitting behind a man on the bus. I was on one of those raised seats, providing the perfect vantage point for a good snoop at his digital activity (I won’t make a habit of this). For…
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In defence of the assisted dying bill
My grandmother died in 2020. At the end of her life, she held on for months. Not because she wanted to — that much had become all too clear — but because her body wouldn’t let her go. My mother spent countless nights by her bedside, doing everything she could to ease what we saw…
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Outside OX1 Week 2: Winter Olympics, India/EU and South Korea
Welcome back to another issue of Outside OX1! After the winds Storm Chandra brought, resulting in obscurely alternating days of bright sunshine and grey clouds, we have somehow arrived to Sunday and the utter shock of discovering that it is now February. If, like me, you’ve gotten so lost in the busyness of…
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A Closer Look: The Grand Egyptian Museum
It certainly is an impressive sight. Enormous pyramidal glass panels line the outside of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), a site spanning 500,000 square metres. Inside, visitors are greeted by a gigantic, striding statue of Pharaoh Rameses II, often referred to as the “Great Builder of Egypt”. The Grand Central Staircase, lined with…
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Trump Suffers Setback on Greenland
U.S. President Donald Trump’s bid to press for influence over Greenland has suffered a significant setback. Firm resistance from European allies has forced an abrupt tactical reversal that underlines the limits of his foreign policy influence even among NATO partners, despite his posturing over his Western sphere of influence. Image Credit by Quintin…
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COLUMNS
InterMEDIAte: The Liminality of us all
“Whenever I feel unsure about my identity I play DtMF, while Lux accompanies me when I want to explore the female experience. They both take up space not only in music, but within my identity.” Eliza Kaminska-Benadat discusses the ties between Music and identity, particularly the new releases by Rosalia and Bad Bunny, in her…
Lady Grinning Soul: Movements Festival
“According to Stewart Garden, Movements will have something for everyone. The shows at Truck Store will be slightly more acoustic and stripped back, with heavier alt and post-punk features starting later in the day.” Julia Blackmon explores Movements Festival, including interviews from the organisers and performers, in her Music Column ‘Lady Grinning Soul’
Risk Appetite: On London and La Belle Époque
“I can’t help but think about how, maybe in the future, I’ll look back on this experience and be wistful for the amount of times I was challenged intellectually by my peers. Maybe, paradoxically, I’ll return to Los Angeles and miss all the restaurants I tried in London” Valerie Wu reflects on the feeling of…
CULTURES
Stephen Sondheim’s Company at The Oxford Playhouse: Reviewed
“the most fun you will have while thinking about the loneliness that seems intrinsic to human relationships” Jas Mauj reviews Fennec Fox Production’s take on Sondheim’s Company.
Rebecca Harper’s GREYJOY at the Michael Pilch Studio: Reviewed
[This review contains spoilers about GREYJOY. You have been warned!] White. Anyone at all familiar with a hospital waiting room knows all too well the cold and uninviting atmosphere that…
Sam Steiner’s Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons at the Burton Taylor Studio: Reviewed
Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons (or Lemons x5, as it has become known in the OxBlue writers’ room) is, fittingly, a play about words and how we use them. Its…
LIfestyle
Telltaylor: By a Lancashire Farm Shop, I Sat Down and Wept
“I was always a muse, a magician’s trick, bending my own image to enhance his own. He seemed to compliment me only if the words fit his rhyme scheme.” Alicia Taylor…
Telltaylor: Everything I Learnt From A Mackerel Fillet
“I suddenly became afraid of forgetting the year which may turn out to be the most important of my life.” In the debut article of her column, Alicia Taylor gives…
Proust’s Madeleine: The Hidden Power of Food.
“We have always known that food is a lot more than its taste, texture, and nutritional value. Every meal is an intense social and sensory experience that serves to nourish…
Identity
Oxford’s Visiting Students: Here, There, and Nowhere
Elias Mewe, a former visiting student at St. Anne’s College, reflects on the year he spent in Oxford. Image by Elias Mewe, used with permission.
Commodifying “Yellow Face”: A Reflection on Identity and (Self-)Representation
[Spoilers for Yellow Face (2007)] During the winter break, in preparation for my English Lit 20th-century paper, I read David Henry Hwang’s 2007 play Yellow Face. Having read and loved…
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