Review: Lana Del Rey's 'Ultraviolence'

 It's premature, I know, but if somebody asked me what my favourite album of the whole of 2014 was, I would probably say Ultraviolence. Yes, I am super bias, being a massive Lana Del Rey fan, but given that Born to Die is one of my favourite records, I was both excited and skeptical to see whether Ultraviolence would live up.

Everyone should watch Anime / In defense of "cartoons"

 I have vanished off the blogosphere and the face of the Earth for a few days, and coincidentally in that time I have watched the first season of Attack on Titan and in doing so, have subsequently ceased to care about anything else. Unable to fill the series hangover that is well into its ... eighth day or so, I've compiled here a little read about why anime is actually wonderful and why everyone needs to watch it. (Look at me here, trying to dictate tastes. I'm even bossy in blog posts.)


 I find Anime is usually dismissed for a few reasons. The first is that like foreign films, people fall under the assumption that it requires an acquired taste, for those who enjoy subtitles (please love yourself and don't watch badly dubbed anime!!!) and for those who care about Japanese culture. The second is the medium itself - everyone knows cartoons are for children. The third is that the terrifying fanbases can put people off, which links to both the first and second reasons - Anime is only for people who are crazily obsessed and who often cross the border.

 Whilst I'll admit I have grown up with it on TV as the alternative to Disney Channels and so on, and therefore probably have a better cultural knowledge of it that makes it more accessible to me, I'll make a case for it actually being really accessible to anyone. A lot of the humour and stylisation of anime (despite the huge range of subgenres, there are definitely conventions to the medium itself,) might seen very - wait for it - foreign to nonviewers, but it's (a) not particularly... difficult to follow or make sense of, and (b) you really do become more accustomed to it the more you watch.

 I'll also suggest that these conventions are what make anime series really good. Series can last anywhere ranging from 6 - 400+ episodes so it really depends what you're after, but because most of them are based on long-running manga series, there is plenty of character and plot development that can take place. Flashbacks and revelations through flashbacks are a really popular device, and the best series utilise plots within plots to give you a really in depth understanding of the characters and the world they inhabit. To touch upon the fictional worlds as well, anime diegeses are usually incredibly complex. Due to the long runtime of series and detail the manga is able to go into, the fictional world and its coherent rules and established and understandable, often expanding as we learn more about plot x and y. A lot of it does require commitment to a series, its characters, and its rules, but that's the joy of 20 minute episodes that there are a LOT of. Easy and fun to consume!

Attack on Titan, found on google.

 Although it's a cartoon and therefore for CHILDREN, anime is actually not for children. Well, some of it is, but a large majority of popular ones that people on the internet rave about (because that's the judging factor we are using here apparently,) are for a teenaged + audience. Plots are thus gory as heck (Attack on Titan being one of the goriest I've seen...) and complicated enough for an intellectual audience (again, depends on the actual genre / anime you choose.) It's pretty easy to get sucked into a series with good characters, promising plot, and a believably set-up yet mysterious fictional diegesis, right?

Ouran High School Host Club, found on Google.

 As said, however, all of this depends on the genre of your choosing. If you prefer romantic-dramas, you'll probably prefer a shoujo anime like the hilarious Ouran High School Host Club (my favourite!) or Toradora, and if you like Sci-Fi you might like mecha like Gurren Lagann or Code Geass. Horror fans might like series such as Elfen Lied, and if you like straight up action, there are ninjas (Naruto,) death gods (Bleach,) and brothers on an epic quest to bring their mother back to life (ish) (Full Metal Alchemist - watch Brotherhood over the normal though.)There is of course, a huge extensive collection of all subgenres within anime so these are just a few off the top of my head, and some of the most well known ones as well.

 Of course, I'm recommending Attack on Titan to anyone for messing me up like few others have done before. Rarely are TV series so expendable on their characters (yes, I do watch Game of Thrones as well,) and the battles are wonderfully gritty and exciting. Predictability is a feature you do need to be wary of due to Anime (or more realistically, the manga they are based off)'s conventions. New series keep things fresh however, and Titan is a huge contender for one of the best things I've seen pretty much ever.

 In short, give something a chance if you're bored. There's a series for everyone, and most of them incorporate all elements into their stories; I've laughed in horror/gory/intense action animes just due to the ridiculous humour and convention and have been left weeping over endings (Chrono Crusade, I'm looking at you.) Either way, it's easy to watch, easy to find, and offers something a little bit different. OH, but it's really addictive. I guess that's why there are so many rabid fans.

Some Good Revision Playlists

I can't just listen to any music when I revise. It needs to be intensely instrumental and inspirational at the same time. I know so many people who listen to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack whilst they work, but as amazing as it is, I usually gravitate towards game soundtracks of my favourite games just because they make me happy. Even if you don't know any of them though, here are some youtube playlists of my favourite ones. They're all beautiful, beautiful pieces of music.

Sometimes I get distracted and insist on humming along to all the instrumental parts.
*Aggressively tries to sing 3 different notes at once*



Final Fantasy IX Piano Collections
Although I literally love ALL the music in all of the games basically, FFIX may be the winner for most of my favourite songs. The piano collection is great because it's got songs of all tempos and they sound beautiful.




Spirited Away Soundtrack
Half the songs on here make me weepy. One of my favourite films of all time as I'm obsessed and grew up with Studio Ghibli as my Disney so half the time these are on I drift into nostalgic memories. The other half, I'm productive.




Suikoden Complete OST
Another game that has a special place in my heart. There is some really gorgeous music on here, and a lot of it is perfect for concentration. And like the others, a change in tempo to get you PUMPED to revise!




Final Fantasy VIII Piano Collections
I tend to gravitate towards the piano collections as they're a bit more relaxing without the multiple instrumental arrangements going on. FF8 has an amazing soundtrack (Fisherman's Horizon is one of my favourite songs ever,) and like IX, is lovely to listen to in the background whilst you be productive.




Anyway there are four of my favourite ones! I will stop making lists of youtube videos and posting them as "blog posts" soon. I also like keeping these up here because now it's easy for me to find them all... Happy revision!

Top 10 Favourite Disney Moments

Okay, I keep opening up new posts, start writing some stuff and ending up staring at the screen blankly, uninspired. I guess I need to just start writing about things that really interest me - there are a few topics that will get me rambling on for hours, and most of them are to do with pop culture. I was sitting happily revising as usual in the living room (that sentence has two lies in it...) when the TV, which my boyfriend had put on for "background noise," suddenly changed to a program about the 30 best Disney moments and I instantly tuned in and forgot about everything else in the world.

I've turned into a massive sop lately and recently watching things has been a nightmare as I find myself getting very overly attached and emotional at the most non-emotional things (pokemon tv series battles for example,) but anyway, here are my favourite moments. There's barely an order, and there isn't really a list of factors asides from "makes me feel mushy inside," but I figured if I'm happy to write about this, I may as well post it.

YES all of these are musical numbers. I love a good musical number and Disney really does the best ones.



10. Be Our Guest - Beauty and the Beast

I can't do a French accent except for when I'm singing along to this. Weirdly, I only noticed the magic of this sequence the first time I saw the Disney Philharmagic Orchestra 3D show at Disneyland, but it's so much FUN! Lumiere is one hell of a performer and you can't say that kitchen utensils singing and dancing doesn't warm your heart. It's just as well they stop there and don't animate the food as well cos I could imagine that would get very dark suddenly.

09. Everybody Wants to Be A Cat - The Aristocats

 This is a collection of some very talented felines, and I definitely wanted to be a cat during this sequence. Isn't Thomas O'Malley the coolest? I remember I had this song on one of my Disney sing-a-long tapes when I was younger and I definitely wanted to be Thomas O'Malley. Big dreams for a six year old girl, huh.

08. Prince Ali - Aladdin
 Another shout out to my Disney sing-a-long video tapes. Aladdin is chock full of amazing songs and musical sequences but Prince Ali was always my favourite. Just look at all the THINGS in it! Robin Williams does a phenomenal job singing as the genie, making this number so fun and energetic. I love Jasmine's eye roll and dismissal at all this spectacle, because I would have been very impressed. (I guess that's why she's such a cool princess.)

07. He Lives In You - The Lion King 2
 I love the Lion King 2. I don't care about its lack of critical acclaim, it's got a decent story, Simba, Timon, Pumbaa, and some beautiful songs. I couldn't actually choose which musical number was my favourite but I picked the opening because (a) I heard it live quite recently watching The Lion King at the West End and (b) it's so emotional. Given that Mufasa's death was one of the most touching and emotional fictional deaths ever probably - I used to cry myself into hysterics and was banned from watching The Lion King at one point - having a whole song dedicated his memory

06. I'll Make a Man Out Of You - Mulan
Is there a more motivational song? Boxing, fighting, sports films of all kinds have used training montages since the very beginning but nothing pumps me up more than seeing Mulan go from useless to her kicking Li Shang's BUTT. A definite crowd pleaser, I can't count how many times someone suddenly starts belting it before a physical task.

05. You Can Fly! - Peter Pan
Disney's Peter Pan is the ultimate story for kids who never want to grow up - pretty much everyone. Transforming the lives of the Darlings and taking them from their ordinary lives in London to Neverland via FLIGHT was absolute magic on the screen.

04. Zero to Hero - Hercules
This number was mainly chosen because of the Muses. I would happily watch any film with them narrating. I wish more Disney films were animated in the style of Hercules too - the colours are absolutely astounding throughout and this number is no exception. Another song chosen for how fun and uplifting it is. Can't help but cheer for Herc, even if Hades is a whole lotta fun.

03. Let It Go - Frozen
 Everyone's probably heard this song one too many times recently, but you can't deny it's not going to go down as being one of the most iconic Disney moments. Frozen was a massive achievement in animation and its Oscar winning song is proof of that. The moment of catharsis that happens just as the chorus kicks in is amazing and it's so beautifully animated. Also helps that it's a great song too, just saying.

02. Colours Of The Wind - Pocahontas

Not only is this song beautiful, but it sums up such a great message. I absolutely love Pocahontas, as unaccurate as it is. It's relatively simple in story and has a great - even if overly obvious - environmental message. Colours of the Wind is beautiful in both song and animation.

01. Be Prepared - The Lion King

Okay, so I've included a Lion King 2 song and a Lion King 1 song that isn't the circle of life... but just listen to this! Disney has some pretty amazing villains who I love almost more than the protagonists (I'm looking at Hades and Cruella in particular,) but Scar has got to be the winner here. No one seems to have as much fun as he does being evil, and he does it with such an attitude. PLUS, Be Prepared is clever in lyrics, great fun to sing and is beautifully animated... even with the third reich of hyenas. I would watch a whole film where it's just Scar singing about being evil.


There are so many other amazing films I haven't mentioned and an abundance of Disney songs that I frequently sing yet have not included, but if I was to include all my favourites it would pretty much just be the whole Disney musical number catalog! Hope this gives you a bit of inspiration to go onto youtube and waste away a few hours just watching musical numbers like I frequently do!

On Being a Teenage Feminist in the 21st Century

Yes, I absolutely identify as a feminist. Unfortunately to some, this already has connotations of radicalism. No, I don't burn bras, and I'm not secretly desiring for the matriarchy to overthrow the patriarchy in a revenge act of repression. All I desire is to see some gender equality. I've written a little bit about my stance and identification as a feminist in my about page, yet I thought I'd take an entry to expand on it a little more and talk about what it means to me - after all, it's always useful to, every once in a while, sit back and examine your own paradigms and ideologies.



Returning to the point about radicalism, it is undeniable that feminism still has a negative stigma in today's society. Although there is a rise of young feminists, and interest in gender politics is growing, old fashioned stereotypes still exist and with the rise of young feminists, comes the rise of male rights activists. (Male rights? Males have had rights for the entire time humans have been around you're a few centuries too late.) These activists, obviously concerned about the new upsurge of feminism, seek to undermine the attempt to establish equality, and argue against the oppression of men in order to keep the power structures that have been around since, well, the beginning of time. Surely it's time for a change.

I will argue that it's these stereotypes, old-fashioned notions, and most unfortunately, male opposition, that keeps more young women from identifying themselves as feminist. Feminism is the crazy, radical notion that both genders are equal. Why wouldn't anyone want that, in all honesty? We're looking to establish equal pay rolls, not reduce men's and raise women's. We think there should be equal paternity/maternity leave for those who want it, such as men who may actually want to, you know, be involved with their kids' lives. Naturally, the opposition mostly comes from men unwilling to lose their places of power in society. Let's look at common arguments about increased women in the workplace and female bosses - women are bitchy, emotional, and too controlling to make good bosses, for example. Since there's no real male equivalent for bitchy, we'll take 'bitchy' to mean assertive and confident, and hey, suddenly they become good qualities for a boss. But of course, professional women who act like professional men aren't socially acceptable because that's seen to not be feminine and women should be timid secretaries of course. As for emotional - yes, biologically and evolutionarily women are perhaps more emotional. Does this mean every woman will let her emotions control her work? Of course not. A shit boss is a shit boss, end of.

How many times though, do we hear the words, "I'm not a feminist but, ____ (something pro feminist)_____" ? People, particularly young women, are deliberately disassociating themselves from feminism. Why? Perhaps to disassociate themselves with radicalism, and unfortunately, to still remain appealing to men and other women who don't want the gender hierarchy disturbed. Feminists are seen as radical, aggressive man-haters who want to watch everything (particularly the beauty industry and children, of course,) burn.

So why do I still choose to identify as a feminist?

Modern Feminism
For starters, it's necessary still. Sexism exists, perhaps in a different way than to when women weren't allowed to vote, or work, yet it is still present. It exists primarily through societal standards which dictate what is acceptable for a woman to do, and how women are treated by other women and men. (And of course, the good ol' double standard, yet I hardly think I need to elaborate on this one. Why is it that we all know it's there... but it's still there?)

Like in my last feminist article on lad's mag and lad culture in general, the rise of lad culture (yuck,) has contributed loads to an already existing degradation and objectification of women. This is a culture that exists and builds up around treating women as objects for sex. And worse, women are buying into it, dressing provocatively for male attention, (as opposed to just because they want to, which is acceptable,) and acting as lad culture chooses to dictate.

It's not just young men though - women are degraded everyday by all sorts of people. Everyday Sexism (and here on twitter) is a great project that highlights and documents everyday events of casual sexism. Of course, these submissions are only a small fraction of what actually goes on everyday. And this is primarily in a privileged, first world context, (going by access to technology to submit.) Even scrolling through the first pages, it's pretty disgusting to see how misogyny is running so rampant. How Many Women Find Street Harassment Flattering is another great project that documents issues of street harassment - stalking, catcalling, you name it. And reading through it, as a young woman, it is terrifying. Why shouldn't I have the right to walk down a street without being afraid of being humiliated and made uncomfortable? And no, catcalling is absolutely not a compliment - it's objectifying and usually makes the victim feel like a piece of meat. Where I used to live in England, was down a long street known for being quite dodgy. Prior to me being banned from walking down it alone at night (a girl was raped in a taxi and after that my boyfriend would always drive and pick me up whatever the time,) I only really had a few comments (which I ignored and walked on faster, feeling super nervous and uncomfortable) and once a car driving alongside me creepily (luckily I turned in at the next street and then I flat out ran,) it's amazing that compared to a lot of these encounters, I would be considered lucky that I wasn't properly stalked/groped etc. It's the 21st century, this shit should not be happening anymore.

In terms of women being told what to do etc, gender roles, although far less harsh than they used to be, are still present. This is less prevalent so much in first world countries, where birth rates are declining, more women are becoming career women, and more men are helping with roles in the house - although 'career women,' often still contains negative connotations. Forced marriages, however, is still something that is rampant within third world countries. These young (often very young,) girls are being forced to become brides and childbearers, usually to much older men, and as such, are denied to right to have an adolescence, an education, a career, or the freedom to make their own decisions. I will admit that my only knowledge on this is only from articles I've read describing specifics, but this is definitely something I will be looking more into, as it plays interesting into the racial aspect of feminism.

The Beauty Industry
Another construct that represses women would be the beauty industry (as mentioned above.) This one lies the most personal with me - yes, I identify as a feminist, but I also am a victim of the beauty industry. Okay, perhaps victim is a little harsh a term, but I can't deny that it doesn't play somewhat of a role in my life. The industry has received huge criticism from feminists for reinforcing difficult aesthetic standards that women are expected to keep up to if they want to be aesthetically acceptable - and it's effective. The beauty industry makes a ridiculous amount of money for an industry that essentially functions off people not liking themselves. So is it okay to be both a feminist and to partake in beauty regimes?

I will (naturally,) say yes. It's certainly true that a lot of the ideal beauty standards are set by men, but at the same time, women are becoming more and more empowered by making their own choices in aesthetics. We can look at the presence of trends as an example - women, even if inspired by a reaction by men, set the trends, and women emulate the trends. Even if it's, for example, a new style of pants that men don't find attractive, if fashion and other women dictate it trendy, women will still wear it. (I picked this example due to the harem pants trend a few years back. Dad despised it. Mother wore them whenever she could, go figure.) In this case, is a trend-following woman just a sheep following the crowd dictated by the gatekeepers of the fashion industry? Perhaps, but as long as she makes her own personal choice to partake in trendkeeping, it still offers her the awesome power of choice. 

I wouldn't particularly say I'm much of a trend-follower - although when shopping, you're kind of forced to as stores stock whatever's in fashion/popular. However, I like to pick what I feel looks nice on me - not for male attention, not even for female attention, (this is probably a far more likely reason for a woman to dress nice, to be honest!) but because I just like to look nice. Call me shallow, but yes, I'll feel more put together and tidy if I feel I look good. Hey, I'm an unemployed (kind of,) student - how you look is an integral part of professionalism, I'm practicing! Maybe it's even worse that I'm a photographer - no one wants to have bad photos of them floating around on the internet (oh, this digital age!) for all to see. Maybe I shouldn't validate myself so much by a digitalised representation of me, but if it makes you feel good and more importantly, boosts your confidence, then go for it. Confidence is très feminist.

Let's talk about make-up. This one is funny, because men always claim to hate it (some of them do anyway,) and claim that girls always look better natural. I wear makeup everyday almost, but it's mostly just because I like to, for similar reasons as above; I feel like it adds to my overall look. I have my own makeup style and I actually enjoy putting it on (oh, what an artist I am!) I don't feel like there's anything wrong with it. The roots of the anti-makeup feminist argument stem in (a) standards and (b) femininity as a notion. In terms of the idea of femininity, I feel like we're finally at the stage where feminists are embracing it. Postfeminism as a definition almost sums this up - although there isn't really a solid definition, of course. I absolutely believe we can strive for equality whilst also maintaining and celebrating our differences if we choose to. Yes, I wear make up and have long hair, and I refuse to be ashamed of accepting my femininity - to do so would be utterly misogynistic! Women do not have to reject social aesthetic norms of femininity in order to be feminist - that idea indicates that masculinity is the true way forward. Instead, women need to both embrace feminism and the femininity that sets them apart if they choose to. Feminism is not asking men to stop being manly, or to stop doing 'man-things,' (only the gross, sexist stuff mentioned above,) - we are simply asking for women to be treated as equals, even if we look, act, and follow norms differently.

Problematic Raunch Culture: A Setback in Feminism
Despite all these great instances of progress with women and the beauty industry, there has been another wave of a setback: female raunch culture. Levy highlights this culture in her book (see below) wonderfully accurately; the book description states:

"Today's young women seem to be outdoing the male chauvinist pigs of yesteryear, applauding the 'pornification' of other women, and themselves. This is a world where simulating sex for baying crowds of men on shows like Girls Gone Wild and going to lapdancing clubs - as patrons - is seen as a short cut to cool."

This represents the negative side of beauty standards - the standards that directly appeal to male lad/raunch culture that sees women directly objectifying themselves. A false sense of female empowerment that comes out of negative, objectifying male attention concealed as positive validations of self worth. This applies particularly to modern teenage feminists - in a culture that simultaneously celebrates/disapproves of promiscuity linked with female 'empowerment,' raunch culture is offered as an aspect of teenage rebellion that is easy to buy into and is accepted by the very demographic teenage girls are often seeking to impress.

This however, as Levy discusses, is taking a backwards step for feminism. This is choosing aesthetics and actions directly to sell and objectify one's self to men. Whilst there's the appearance of choice, when it's to directly conform to a negative image imposed on women by men, it completely counteracts progression. Men have been dictating what women do for long enough - don't do it now by choice. This is using the beauty industry in a big no-no way.

Concluding Notes
There's still so much more to discuss on feminism, (particularly the race and class aspects, which I'm really interested in and will continue to research/write about in the future,) but these are some personal thoughts about what it means to me and why I choose to identify as a feminist. I know I've forgotten/left out loads of stuff - social politics are a pretty big deal to me, even if I'm just really getting into them now - but this has reached a length so I reckon I'll leave it there for now. Until next time!

Some of my favourite books I've read on feminism:

• The Second Sex, Simone De Beauvoir (given)
• Full Frontal Feminism, Jessica Valenti (excellent starting point!)
• Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism, Natasha Walters.
• How To Be A Woman, Caitlin Moran. 
• Female Chauvinist Pigs: Woman and the Rise of Raunch Culture, Ariel Levy (currently reading) 

Also check out the two projects mentioned above (if they don't disgust to you much) that air out sexist dirty laundry:

• Everyday Sexism
• How Many Women Find Street Harassment Flattering