Do we have low standards? The past few weeks have had us questioning the popularity (or lack thereof) of Australian film, literature and culture generally. There’s talk of us still subscribing to ‘Cultural Cringe’, and failing to value Australian cultural products. This analysis has been largely related to film and literature, but does it apply…
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In ‘Female Chauvinist Pigs’ author Ariel Levy questions what it means to be sexy today. Her search takes her all over America into strip clubs, women’s living rooms and onto a Florida beach where girls are encouraged to strip off their clothes for the cameras of hit TV show ‘Girls Gone Wild’. She finds a…
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Set in 1930s France, Hugo is the story of an orphan boy living in a Parisian train station. Having learned the trade of a clockmaker from his father, Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) spends his days winding the station’s clocks, stealing food from stalls and evading the station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen). On the side he…
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Florentina (right); vocals and drummer for Ride Into the Sun (pictured) and The Sunbirds It’s a likely fact that more than half of you reading this have wanted to be a rock star at some point in your life, and perhaps you still do. If the rock star life isn’t your cup of tea, there…
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Summer, for me, generally means a very sweaty face and body. Hell, winter generally means a very sweaty face and body for me. I guess I’m just a sweaty person. I used to think it was because of weight, but after talking to a few people, including my mother, I concluded that it was just…
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The dangers of high heels: study Three male scientists who study the biomechanics of walking at the Musculoskeletal Research Program at Griffith University in Queensland, ‘began to consider what might be happening at the muscle and tendon level’ of women who wear high heels. The scientists recruited 9 young women who had worn high heels…
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With a sound like Lou Reed hi-jacked The Shangri-Las and took a trip down memory lane, this is Hunx & His Punx with their debut album, Too Young To Be In Love. Coming about a half century after the doo-wop, beach pop it lovingly channels, this collection of tunes can’t be solely judged on its…
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I recently reviewed Public Relations dynamo Roxy Jacenko’s debut novel Strictly Confidential. Large parts of Strictly Confidential are inspired by Jacenko’s own career, particularly when her protagonist sets up her own PR firm with barely any funds. She speaks to us below about PR, writing, and what’s coming next.
Miss, Mrs or Ms. These were the choices afforded to me on countless Centrelink forms, competition entries and mailing list subscriptions. And ever since I can remember I have chosen ‘Miss’. First, it was an age thing. I chose the title that was most fitting to my limited years and experience. But after I turned…
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While Australia has produced an array of highly acclaimed features over the years, interest in Australian Cinema has been experiencing a steady decline. It’s been over 20 years since Baz Luhrman’s Strictly Ballroom (1992) reached number one at the Australian Box Office, and no other Australian film has reached these heights in audience engagement since. As an independent…
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There is so much I want to achieve. It can feel incredibly daunting and overwhelming trying to choose your next move. We really are spoilt for choice. There are so many different career paths I would love to head down, romantic cities across the world I would love to live in. I graduate university at…
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Name: Stephen Benko-Nehme Age: 31 Occupation: Library / AV Technician How would you describe yourself and your life? I’m a Western Caucasian male nearing middle age, living in middle-class suburbia. Why are these specific details important? Because my relatively easy existence alluded to by my demographic puts me in a unique position – I…
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“You and me, Reader – we’re in this together. I know more about you than you think. I know you’ve worn a scarlet letter (though it wasn’t necessarily an “A”). I know because we’ve all been the adulterer and the cuckold, the widowed and the one dearly departed; we’ve bared everything from crosses to…
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If I had a dollar for every time someone has asked me ‘what do lesbians do in bed?’ I’d be a lot richer than I am today. However, right after that they usually ask how difficult it was to come out. It’s an interesting question, because the coming out experience is unique to the queer…
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