You are beautiful – it's time to start believing it!

This week is National Eating Disorders Awareness week and Mind Your Health society has put together a series of events across the week to promote positive body image. Here, Olivia Luder decides it’s time for everyone to start feeling as beautiful as they are…

What do you talk about with your friends?

Here are a few of my favourite conversation topics: my favourite TV shows, food, how much sleep I got last night and, oh, how much I hate my face, body and basically everything about myself.

Sadly, I bet that last one doesn’t make me such a special snowflake: I can’t remember the last time I had a DMC (deep meaningful conversation for all you not-so-clued-up individuals) with a female friend without mentioning something about how ugly we both feel.

Feeling ugly isn’t just something every girl seems to experience from time to time, it’s almost like a badge we display to the world to let everyone know that – yes, we know we’re not good enough. Dare to express any joy over your appearance and the monster of low self-esteem is sure to raise its head when you’re most vulnerable, punishing you for being so bold as to try and not hate yourself.

Obviously there are degrees here and I sincerely hope that there are girls, women out there who are completely happy with themselves. But if there are, I don’t think I’ve ever met one.

Image credit: Charlotte Astrid, CC license

Body Gossip, a campaign group that promotes positive body image, released statistics in 2013 stating that 30% of boys and 70% of girls aged 11-19 cite their relationship with their body their number one worry. One in ten will develop an eating disorder before the age of 25.

On a purely anecdotal level, it is rare that I’ve come across a female friend who has not struggled with some level of disordered eating as a result of negative body image.

Now, more than ever, we need to talk about these issues. But it is time to rework the conversation.

It’s time to stop letting each other insult ourselves. It’s time to stop your friends from grabbing a handful of their thigh and declaring it to be ‘disgusting’. It’s time we all stopped talking about how ugly we are and started talking about how we can change the way we think about ourselves.

As with all deeply ingrained thought patterns, it’s easier said than done. If I’m honest, I can’t really imagine being happy with myself – frustratingly, you can’t flip a switch and suddenly love your body Gok Wan style.

But that’s all the more reason to give this a try.

One of the most helpful ways I’ve found to approach this is to focus on how I feel when I listen to a friend, a beautiful, talented, funny, intelligent, wonderful friend who has everything going for her, confess how utterly, hopelessly ugly she thinks, no – knows she is.

I think about how sad it is that she can’t see how incredible she is and I think about how I wish I could say something to change her mind, even though I know I can’t. And then I remember that she’s just spent the past half hour listening to me go on about how miserably disgusting I  feel.

For all of you struggling to get past how monstrous you feel you look, have you ever once thought the same about your friends? Of course not.

Forgive me for being trite here but I can say with complete certainty that all my friends – male and female, young and old – are beautiful.

Granted this does ring a little false – not everyone is Bar Rafaeli – so, as with most things in life, I’m going to turn to Doctor Who for a little assistance. Amy Pond said it best when she explained what made Rory beautiful to her:

You know when, sometimes you meet someone so beautiful, and then you actually talk to them and five minutes later, they’re as dull as a brick?

Then there’s other people, and you meet them and you think, ‘Not bad; they’re okay.’ And then you get to know them, and their face sort of becomes them, like their personality is written all over it.

And they just turn into something so beautiful.

Four for you Amy Pond! You go Amy Pond!

You are beautiful every time you laugh really, really hard because your housemate did a spot-on impression of Grumpy Cat. You are beautiful every time you make someone a cup of tea because they look a bit tired.

You’re even beautiful when you’ve pulled an all-nighter and you probably haven’t washed in three days but still manage to break out into hysterical giggles when you see someone you know (I’m talking about you, Jon Jones).

So be your own friend, be your own cheerleader. Listen to the kind words you tell everyone but yourself. And most of all, when a random article on the internet tells you that you’re beautiful, believe it!

Olivia Luder, Online Editor

Do you struggle with negative body image? What can people do to help tackle it? Let us know on Facebook, twitter or in the comments below…

Late Night Lists: Low effort ways to get up Stocker Road

Stocker Road is the Mount Everest of Exeter. Climb it at 9 a.m. after a heavy night out and you truly can understand what Edmund Hillary went through.

I mean, yes there’s not really as much snow and yes, technically the altitude is not quite comparable. But screw all you doubters! Our lives are hard!

Here are our best suggestions of how to get up Stocker Road without any effort at all…

Sir Edmund Hillary knows what’s up!

1. The classic First Year Backpack Grab. Find a first year – much like those poor year 7s you used to mock back in the day, you spot them by their enormous backpacks. Grab onto the handle of said backpack and let the poor fresher mite drag you up the hill. If they complain, just ignore it. They don’t know how you feel.

2. Crawl. There’s no shame in getting on your hands and knees and crawling up Stocker Road as tears silently slip down your cheeks. You may never live it down, but if you want to get up Stocker Road in your own sweet time, you gosh darn will.

3. Pop on some skis and let a bike drag you. We’re all Exeter students so we’ve all been water skiing. Right? So you know the drill. Pop on some skis, find some annoying biker who’s probably out making better life choices than you and let them drag you up the hill. It won’t be quite like that time in Marbella but it beats actually having to use your legs.

4. Or go one further and campaign for a ski lift. Okay, so the campaigning requires a little bit of effort but we’ve all heard this idea so many times before that it’s time it was made a reality. Granted it would be a lot better if there was more snow in Exeter but this can’t be helped. We need a chair lift and we need it now!

5. Call Estate Patrol for a lift. But actually, really, really don’t.

6. Via pony. Here’s a suggestion that could be potentially extremely lucrative for Exeter’s Riding Society: let’s rent out horses to get us up to the Forum. Not only would you feel like bloomin’ royalty but you’d also have the advantage of dropping empty wrappers and used tissues on the idiots below you who are actually walking. It’s how Aragorn would do it.

7. Jetpack. That’s it. We’re out of ideas.

How do you manage to struggle up Stocker Road? Let us know on Facebook, twitter or in the comments below…

Alan Huffen-Puffen and Joseph Springletrim

Review: Ruby Burgers Modern Diner!

With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, we’re paying a visit to some of our favourite haunts in Exeter to bring you a few ideas of where to spend your evening. First up on the list, Ruby Burgers on Queen Street!

Ruby Burgers

If the name didn’t give it away, Ruby’s is an American style diner known for its wide range of burgers.

We took a seat in a comfy leather booth and started the evening with the highly recommendable Oreo milkshake, which was potentially a mistake as it was so delicious and thick and creamy, that it was probably too filling to wolf down before our burgers arrived!

Oreo Milkshake

But then again, when they did, we had no problem polishing them off; the meats are all locally sourced and the namesake ruby beef burger was certainly bursting with juicy flavour. We also tried the panco breaded chicken burger, another delight with generous helpings of cheese.

For those eyeing up a vegetarian option, the haloumi burger is an utterly delicious meat-free taste adventure. The pulled pork bun, and the ‘reuben’ are also house specialities to be sure to watch out for!

Pulled Pork Bun

The burgers come on their own so you do have to order any sides separately, but we certainly suggest adding a portion of the perfectly cooked hand-cut sweet potato fries, and if you fancy spicing up the date a little, throwing in a little more flavour with the poppers; breaded and fried jalapeno peppers with cheese.

Be warned though, these can get pretty hot!

Ruby Burgers

Despite being somewhat stuffed, we finished up the evening with a hot waffle topped with ice-cream and smothered with toffee sauce – a treat for any sweet tooth.

If you’re looking for a relaxed, casual feel-good evening, Ruby’s is a definite contender for your special night; sit back in a booth and let the American soundtrack wash over you while you enjoy an Oreo milkshake (it’s even better than it sounds!).

Stay tuned and check out our Facebook for a VERY exciting Valentine’s competition:

Ruby’s are offering a private booth and meal for two for Valentine’s Day!

Have you eaten at Ruby Burger? What did you think? Let us know on Facebook, twitter or in the comments below…

Emma Brisdion, Lifestyle Online Editor

(Images from Erin Allgrove, Ruby Burgers)

Late Night Lists: Ways to cope with the walk to campus

Perhaps you chose to live a little bit further out to have a nice house for less money, or perhaps you just get a bit bored with your five minute trek from halls to the centre of campus.

Whatever your situation, here are a few (mostly serious) suggestions on how you can liven up your walk to university when week three rolls around and it begins to get just a bit repetitive…

1. Listen to music. OK if you haven’t already picked up on this habit, it’s a good one. Plug into your iPhone/Android/MP3 player and get strutting. It’s like a movie soundtrack in your head and no one has to know what you’re listening to so it can be as embarrassing as you like. Time Lord rock, anyone…? No? Just me?

   

   Invest.
   Image credits: juanpol

2. Choreograph. This one’s probably just me as well, but get some dance inspiration going on when you walk. See me in the street and you can pretty much guarantee that I have some new dance routine under construction in my head. It’s the perfect opportunity to work out your killer routine for later that evening.
3. Actually dance. Go wild, let’s start a whole impromptu musical number! Depending on your levels of self-awareness, you might want to save this one until returning from your late-night library sessions when no one else is around, but kudos to you if you choose to lighten the rest of our mornings by busting a few of those Arena moves on the way to a 9am.

   

   One for Vic Street, perhaps.
   Image credits: donald judge

4. Knock on everybody’s doors/sing really loudly as you walk past. Waking people up because you need to be awake when they don’t is a great way to make friends. And once they’re up, they might as well get on with some work. You’re only helping them, really, it’s a win-win situation for all involved.
5. Go on Tinder in the middle of a mass student migration to campus. You know the ones, I mean, when you suddenly find yourself on Union Road and surrounded by about a thousand other students. Whether you use Tinder to simply amuse yourself or to actually find someone for later, you’re never in a better place than in a huge group of students. Just try not to let anyone catch your eye, that might be awkward.
6. Get a bike. As my housemate so scornfully commented when I mentioned this topic. If the walk is so bothersome, perhaps it is not for you. Why not invest in a bike and learn to cope with the traffic instead? At least you’ll be able to lie in a few minutes later in the mornings… (As long as you can find somewhere to lock it up when you get there!)

Try to stay on it though.
Image credits: Pascal Maramis

 Gertrude Pattenheimer

Golden Globes 2014: Fashion Round-up

Forget the films, music-scores and awards, this year’s Golden Globes was all about one thing (well, as far as we here at Expose Fashion are concerned anyway!), the dresses. From Taylor Swift to our very own and very lovely Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey’s Lady Mary), the stars came out in force for the 71st annual ceremony to show off their fashion credentials, and boy did they succeed. Not only was the fashion simply divine darling but we here in good old England have cause to be just a little bit proud as the red carpet was absolutely rocked by the British actresses in attendance (not that we’d ever be biased in such important matters). So, here at Expose, we attentively watched the proceedings in order to bring all you fashion-lovers the top five outfits from the night and aren’t there some stunners…

 

Emma Watson – Dior

redcarpet-fashionawards.com

 

 

 

Never one to play it safe when it comes to fashion, or for that matter look anything less than pristine, Watson once again showed the fashion world how it’s done in this elegant yet daring Christion Dior backless red gown, paired with silk cropped trousers and matching Rover Vivier navy pumps. What an outfit, what a girl.

 

 

 

 

Taylor Swift – Carolina Herrera

eonline.com

 

 

 

Yet another lady in red, Taylor Swift opted for a sophisticated and chic look with this strapless Herrera dress. Combining her stunning dress with beautiful soft curls and a touch of red lipstick Swift was without a doubt the queen of the red carpet this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michelle Dockery – Oscar de la Renta

popsugar.com

 

 

We’ve loved both Dockery and la Renta for rather a long time now so when the two came together in this absolute triumph of a look, we very almost cried tears of pure joy (we held back of course, we’re grown-ups silly!). This off-white sequined dress complimented Dockery’s pale skin giving her a gorgeous glow and the mullet-hem allowed her to show off just a little bit of leg. Fab!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dame Helen Mirren – Jenny Packham

dailymail.co.uk

 

 

British fashion royalty, Helen Mirren rarely puts a foot out of place when it comes to the red carpet and this year’s Globes was no exception. In a mint floor-length gown covered in glittery floral-designs and cinched at the waist to flatter her incredible figure the Dame didn’t look a day over fifty in this exceptional outfit. We, on the other hand, can only pray we look this good at sixty-eight!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zoey Deschanel – Oscar de la Renta

thefashionsupernova.com

 

 

Although causing some contention (some loved, some hated, we yawned), here at Expose we were completely smitten with Deschanel’s metallic two-piece from designer of the night – Oscar de la Renta. Although the detailed embroidery and beading of the outfit could have ended up looking overly cutesy, the kooky star of sitcom New Girl managed to pull off this tricky combo and look ridiculously gorgeous in it. Could she be our new fashion crush of 2014? Only time will tell…

 

 

 

 

 

Iona Swannell 

Late Night Lists: Reasons why committee meetings are the worst

If you’re the kind of person who likes to spend endless amounts of time discussing matters of little to no importance, you’ll have been on a society committee at some point.

One of the very worst parts of being on a committee is the meetings. Oh, the meetings. Passive aggression never had such a platform and let’s not even get into what happens when voting is involved.

Here we list reasons why committee meetings are just the worst things ever…

Clement, Harry and Josef know a thing or two about difficult meetings
Potsdam Conference 1945

1. Arranging the damn things. Doodle polls are great and all but only when people ACTUALLY FILL THEM IN. And then, what are you supposed to do when there is literally no time anyone can meet? Have a meeting at, like, 9 a.m.? Oh the travesty!

2. Someone is always late. And it’s usually you. You think they’ll understand but there’s an undercurrent of resentment that you can feel radiating from every, “Oh no, no. It’s fine. We’ve only been here for five minutes…”

3. The time split between ‘things that actually matter’ and ‘meaningless bluster’ is about 80/20. You would put up with your social sec’s endless need to pontificate if it didn’t mean listening to 20 minutes self-righteous ranting on why brownies really should not be included in the bake sale.

4. The answer to “Has anyone booked the [DJ/venue/seven dancing ponies?] is always no. The likelihood that people have actually gone ahead and done what they said they would last committee meeting is pretty much zilch. Unless you happen to be in a committee where things actually get done. In which case, it’s even more annoying when it turns out you’re the lazy one.

5. The general lack of snacks. On TV and apparently in much of the professional world, meetings mean tea, coffee and the possibility of pastries. At university, everyone is far too skint/in a hurry to bother with putting on a spread. If you’re lucky, it’s someone’s birthday or you’re in a committee with one of those beautiful people who “just love to bake!”. But mostly it’s a few dried apricots and a stolen swig of someone’s lukewarm water.

6. Anyone on a power trip. Facing down someone is hard enough in any situation but facing down someone in a committee meeting is downright dangerous. Things can easily spiral out of control until you find yourself in a shouting match with your president over whether or not the stash should be orange or magenta (obviously magenta) 

And lastly…

7. Accidentally ending up in the meeting of a committee that’s not your own. If there’s one thing worse than sitting through your own committee meeting, it’s having the misfortune to be around someone else’s. Trapped in the Kitchen Café or, for more relaxed societies, The Ram, you sit frozen with anything from extreme social awkwardness to morbid fascination listening to the inner workings of another committee. Expect unfathomable in jokes, “hilarious” digressions and the excitement level of a badly attended wake.

Do you love or hate your committee meetings? Let us know on Facebook, twitter or in the comments below…

Alan Huffen-Puffen and Ringo Staplee

The Editors Try: ZUMBA

Last term, the pair of us (that’s Ben and Emma, you lovely people) attempted the infamous Synrgy 360 programme at The Russell Seal Fitness Centre. Missed it? You can find it right here, silly video and all.

Image Credit: Ben Gilbert and Emma Brisdion

But what could we possibly do next? Well, we decided to try our hand at more gruelling challenges available to us in Exeter. This week, we take part in (you guessed it) Zumba®! Thanks to BodySoc, we took part in one of their sessions in the Lemmy, with hilarious results. What’s that? You don’t know about BodySoc? Well, click here to find out more.

BodySoc instructor Charlotte Griffin had this to say about Zumba®: “Zumba® is a high impact, dance-fitness party, with a Latin flair. It’s fun for everyone; whether that be people looking to shed a few pounds or people just trying to have an hour of fun with their friends. If you haven’t been along yet then you’re missing out!”

Image Credit: Ben Gilbert and Emma Brisdion

I think we can officially agree.

Irrespective of talent, previous experience (and even total lack of coordination in Emma’s case…) we both agreed it was a very funny way to spend a Wednesday afternoon. Especially as one of us may or may not have a background of musical theatre… What? It’s not hard to figure out which one!

Sweaty, a whole lot of fun, and definitely worth it. That seems to be what Zumba® is! The class was certainly “high impact,” as Charlotte claims! It was also insanely popular, as the video shows.

The question is, what will we be attempting next? You’ll just have to wait and find out…

Image Credit: Ben Gilbert and Emma Brisdion

Reckon you’ll be trying out Zumba anytime soon? Let us know on Facebook, twitter or in the comments below…

Ben Gilbert and Emma Brisdion, Online Lifestyle Editors

New Year, New You: A BodySoc Tale

With the dawn of a new year returns the seemingly futile act of compiling a list of activities you shall undertake to transform your body from that of a hibernating bear into a Victoria’s Secret model.

Just from speaking to friends I noticed that keeping (or more often than not – getting) fit is one of the most common resolutions to make. So the inevitable question is; how do we ensure that we complete this resolution?

If not just for the physical improvement we will see, but also for the psychological satisfaction we will get from having successfully completed a goal. While words like shredding, skinny bitch, abs, or calories slowly creep into your everyday vocabulary, you gradually try to convince yourself that this year you shall finally see your abs or that you will feel comfortable in a bikini.

But is it really realistic? Will you trek all the way up Forum hill and that extra bit to The Sports Park to make that 7am spinning class? Sticking to resolutions can be daunting, especially when you’re trying to go it alone.

Here is where BodySoc comes into the picture. Not heard of us? Oh well there is much for you to learn and an unlimited amount of calories to burn! Rather than obsessing over fad diets and killing ourselves at the gym, our ethos is based on working hard whilst having fun and looking a little bit ridiculous with your mates at the same time – you’ll be surprised by how much fitter you feel in just a few weeks!

Zumba anyone? Image Credit: Cimm

Classes run 7 days a week and range from Zumba®, a chance to feel like Shakira and shake your booty like J-LO, to Hybrid Flowga, something which I personally tried this weekend and has left my body tingling for days. We also offer the classical Pilates and Yoga classes to strengthen the core and improve your toning. Then there are the committee favourites; LBT (Legs, Bums and Tums) and Intervals. While the former aims to perk every bit of your body the latter is a high intensity cardio workout that will leave you panting and wishing the clock ticked faster.

Do not be fooled by the illusion that we’re a society that aimlessly squat and wear a lot of pink – these are some of the hardest classes you will ever do and will certainly leave you giving the sports members a run for their money at the gym! We’re certainly not just for the fairer sex either, but welcome guys at all of our classes. Real men wear pink and all that!

The prices per class will give you another reason to come, for a quid you can burn off all the guilt – alas not the shame – of your Wednesday TP burger at our cardio classes, Pilates and Yoga being £2, and if you want a quick blast at your Abs on a Monday evening it’ll only cost you 50p at Ab Attack Lite.

Aside from all of this we have an active membership which currently stands at 1100+ members, making us the largest society on campus, so there is also the chance to make new friends and get involved in the biggest and best socials. Last term our members enjoyed a cocktail master class, a £2 day trip to the Bath Christmas Market, discounted Itchy Feet tickets and much more and we’re following suit this term with a chance to reward your efforts and spend a whole day at a luxury Spa in Exeter. We shall be culminating the term with our very exciting and lavish Easter Ball which will indeed be a night to remember.

Not just a workout society… Image Credit Stewart Black

So to sum up, if you’ve made a resolution to get fit, feel comfortable in a bodycon dress or just simply to get more involved in societies on campus, come to our classes, like us on Facebook and find us via the Guild Website – but beware! Prices say £20 but they are actually £12 to join for the remainder of the academic year!

Bethany Stuart and Charlie Abrines

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Late Night Lists: Things that are bloomin' marvelous about eBart submission

There was a time when submitting your work meant buckling on your boots, zipping up your coat and heading out into the wilds of Streatham Campus in order to physically hand it all in.

Things have changed this year. And it’s time we gave eBart the love and attention it deserves. Instead of having to leave your house and potentially suffer through some social interaction, you can now give in your academically-dazzling assignments with a simple series of clicks.

We’ve listed the best bits of using eBart submission…

Image credit: Johan Summers

1. Pajamas. There is no need to dress to impress when it’s just you sitting alone in your bedroom with only the internet for company. Don those jammies and keep on jammin’.

2. Again, you can wear pajamas. Or a towel. Or nothing at all. It is completely and utterly up to you.

3. Multipel submitions. Multipel submissiosns. Mutliple submissions. Multiple submissions. Realise you never edited out that mid-essay swearword meltdown? Cited your mum as the author of all of your sources? Accidentally written that Amanda Kiss’n’hug was the person who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand? Fear not – you can upload as many crappy drafts as you like until the deadline’s up.

4. No grappling with those pieces of technological junk we laughingly refer to as printers. Seriously you mechanical ink boxes, you! It’s 2014 – up your game guys!

5. 9:55 a.m. has never been so full of promise. Instead of having to stumble back, half-asleep across campus, you can simply roll over and get that lie in you so deserve. You can also make a lot of toast if you want. Perhaps pancakes if you’re feeling adventurous. No holds barred my friends, no holds barred.

6. There are no staples involved, those dastardly metal devils. Or paperclips. Or paper. Or anything physical at all.

Are you an eBart fan? What do you wear when you submit your assignments? Let us know on Facebook, twitter or in the comments below…

Alan Huffen-Puffen

Late Night Lists: Awkward things that happen in campus Costa

Picture this: it’s 6pm, you’re popping by Costa for a quick coffee when all of sudden, tragedy strikes! You bump into that guy from Tuesday night and manage to spill his Caramel Latte all over his chino-covered crotch.

We all love having a Costa on campus. But somehow our tiny caff has infinitely more potential for awkwardness than your average Costa establishment. These are some awkward moments that have happened to us all…

Image credit: Johan Summers

1. Someone else takes your panini. You’ve been waiting ages for it. You really, really want to say something but you are too filled with indignant rage and a long standing commitment to English etiquette to do anything about it. Aaaah!

2. The awkward doors. Someone leaves the door open and it’s FREEZING. Or it’s closed, and you keep getting jostled by people attempting to get in and out as you stand awkwardly waiting for your coffee. You can’t win.

3. Accidentally stepping in front of a server. You nearly cause them to drop a tray of coffee, everyone looks. You apologise profusely, but inside, you’re just like ‘It’s not my fault that there is literally no space for more than two people to stand in here’.

4. Someone orders a small coffee. Just why?

5. Strange names for coffee. You realise that you don’t know what half the things listed on the board actually are and end up ordering something that tastes a bit like coffee if it was marinaded in a puddle and drizzled with molten wax.

6. There are no seats free. Except for outside. In the rain. Yeah, no.

7. The queue. There is always a queue, often it goes out through the door and you have to awkwardly hold the door open as you wait. I don’t care how very British we are – there is only so much standing in a line that one can take!

Have you had an awkward Costa encounter? Let us know on Facebook, twitter or in the comments below…

Alan Huffen-Puffen