Hey, beloved readers! This is a hello from the brand-new Identity team, created to level the playing field for voices which are underrepresented in the media. It is currently grouped into five subsections in order to facilitate the grouping of articles: ERM (Ethnic and Religious Minorities), LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities, Feminism, and Working Class (our newest addition to the team, hence the lack of her presence in the illustration – I have been assured that she doesn’t mind). But of course, each person’s identity is intersectional, so the subsections (and their editors) are by no means restricted to themselves, and are in fact encouraged to overlap; we hope you enjoy the exciting things we’ve got planned for you! In the meantime, here are some answers to questions that will let you peek into our personalities:
- If you could have one superpower, which one would it be?
Ellee – Senior Identity Editor: Shapeshifting, no doubt. Because then you can embody so many abilities. Flight? Shift into a bird. Super speed? Cheetah. Mind-reading? My mum.
Laura – People with Disabilities Editor: If I could have any superpower, it would probably be to understand animals. Not very creative, but I wish I could see what was going on behind those elevator-music eyes.
Taylor – Feminism Editor: Light bending powers, so I can get more sun to shine through my window for my plants. I’d leave candles alone though, they’re pretty enough in their own right.
Isidor – LGBTQ+ Editor: Time travel! I would leave mysterious clues about the future all throughout history.
Anmol – ERM Editor: Being able to complete my essays at least a day before my deadline instead of hanging by minutes!
Jenni – Working Class Editor: Being able to teleport myself whenever I needed to would be great – there really are not enough hours in the day in Oxford!
- What are two things that you wish more people knew?
Ellee: That kindness is a show of strength, and what linguistics is. The number of people who have asked me what that half of my degree is… and how I consequently struggle to explain what exactly it encompasses. I just stick with ‘the study of languages’ as a baseline answer, now.
Laura: I wish people knew how to do magic tricks and had cool cocktail recipes on memory.
Taylor: About me? I can’t stand on one leg with my eyes closed for longer than 10 seconds… About the world in general? Look up how African Jacana birds carry their young.
Isidor: The poetry of Frank O’Hara, and how to make an excellent cocktail.
Anmol: I wish more people knew that wearing a mask without covering their nose isn’t really effective (sorry, I’m a little bit paranoid), and that typing really loudly and aggressively in the library does not guarantee them a first!
Jenni: Chilli makes all food taste better and that no matter how many times people ask me – no, I do not know what I want to do after University!
- What are three things on your bucket list?
Ellee: Dog café, learn how to play poker, a proper road trip with friends.
Laura: I’ve never really thought about my bucket list, but if I had to choose three things to put on there I would like to visit every continent, write a full length book (even if I could never bring myself to face the judgement of publishing), and finally create the DnD campaign based on Stardew Valley I’ve been talking about for years.
Taylor: Learn how to do a handstand, visit Iceland, learn what all the different names of coffees mean instead of panic ordering a cappuccino or latte all the time.
Isidor: Breakfast on a Parisian balcony, road trip across the US on a Harley Davidson, to publish a novel.
Anmol: Reading Ulysses by James Joyce, learn how to fly an airplane, prove a conspiracy theory right.
Jenni: Live in a foreign country, be able to ‘properly’ speak French (doing it at A-level really doesn’t mean that I can) and (sorry to repeat other people) write a novel, because I really do think that there is one in everyone.
- Four favourite people/ characters from any form of media. Go!
Ellee: Romesh Ranganathan – one of the funniest comedians ever. Have you seen that show where he travelled with his mum? His deadpan delivery and dry-as-a-desert sense of humour is god-tier level.
Cate Blanchett – I mean, come on. Also, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is one of my favourite films!
Anne Lister – iconic historical figure from the 19th century, she was a multilingual businesswoman who ran rings around her competitors and charmed everyone she met, and also was a lesbian… do yourself a favour and look her up.
And Bibble from the ‘Barbie: Fairytopia’ franchise.
Laura: Winnie the Pooh – I cannot explain how much this funny little bear charms me. He was certainly one of the most important characters to me growing up and even today his little jokes and quirks still get me.
Isabelle from Animal Crossing – nothing beats slamming my little doggy bike into Bowser on Mario Kart. Nothing.
Marnie from Stardew Valley – I finally found a character who loves animals like I do, plus without her I wouldn’t have my chickens.
Bean Bunny from The Muppets – He’s so adorable, his tiny beady eyes fill my heart with unadulterated joy. I love him.
Taylor: James Acaster – his Repertoire series is always a pick-me-up when I feel down
Clancy from Midnight Gospel – he travels through the multiverse interviewing various characters for his ‘spacecast’ (based on actual podcasts by his voice actor Duncan Trussel). Lives through crazy, chaotic, and catastrophic experiences, and yet still manages to connect with people and have deep conversations.
Banks, the singer – her music is perpetually on and my Spotify algorithm hates me for it
Juror 8 from 12 Angry Men – so calm and collected, he managed to convince 11 other jurors that the boy they wanted to sentence to death was not guilty (highly recommend the watch, the way he did it is brilliant, and props to the director for making a 90 minute film of 12 men in an office so engaging).
Isidor: Jo March, Little Women – for her unrivalled wit, charm and familiar adolescent angst
Fry and Laurie, A bit of Fry and Laurie – for the joys of understated parody
Stephen Gordon, The Well of Loneliness – the heart-wrenchingly earnest protagonist of Radclyffe-Hall’s lesbian classic
Bertie Wooster, the novels of P. G. Wodehouse – a smattering of undergraduate qualms, a glorious aesthetic backdrop and more puns than you could shake a stick at
Anmol: Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird – He’s the ideal dad, lawyer and human
Kevin from The Office (The American Version- I’m sorry!) – Don’t think I’ve ever come across a character as relatable as him
Eugene from Tangled – He breaks the disney stereotype of “Prince Charming” and his friendship with Pascal is the absolute most wholesome.
Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon – If I could have one pet in the world, it would be him; he’s loyal, funny, smart and caring.
Jenni: Shirley Valentine – An absolute icon if you’re from Liverpool, it was so refreshing to see a familiar world on screen – a world in which a working class woman commands power… plus she is just so funny.
Bob Dylan – great music, great poetry, great guy.
Christine Lady Bird McPherson – Greta Grewig manages to capture the struggles of female adolescence flawlessly in this character – without hesitation or second guessing.
Molly and Amy (they come as a duo sorry) from Booksmart – mainly because their friendship reminds me of all of my secondary school relationships.
- Lastly, what are five things that you think are underrated?
Ellee: Physical calendars, McDonald’s hash browns, clear communication, rhubarb as a sweet thing, and waistcoats.
Laura: The zero sugar versions of drinks, non-mint toothpaste, Quorn chicken nuggets, Monopoly (I really think it’s a good game) and using subtitles when watching Netflix are all underrated in my opinion.
Taylor: Being able to think of exactly the right word to convey what you want to say, cute post-it notes from friends, when you find new music that grooves so hard it makes you do the stank face, jasmine tea, and light peeking through the blinds in the mornings (I’m not a fan of blackout curtains).
Isidor: Thunderstorms, k.d. Lang, the green bits of strawberries, typewriters, and sparkling water.
Anmol: Ketchup, Pete Buttigieg, Bruno Major, Hassan’s (it can never be rated enough!), and humanities degrees (STEM people, read that again).
Jenni: Looking up when you walk down a street, listening to whole albums from start to end, Everton Football Club, giving yourself time to do absolutely nothing, and hugs.