Yudy Wu

Exeter Student Launches “Januhairy” to Promote Body Positivity

‘Januhairy’, a body positivity campaign that aims “for women to come together, encourage one another, and grow out their body hair for the month of January” has been launched by Exeter student Laura Jackson.

The project aims to raise money for Body Gossip, a charity that campaigns through its film and theatre program, and “combines Arts and Education to empower everybody to be the best version of themselves and rock their own brand of gorgeous.”

Jackson’s campaign is growing and has gained participants from around the world including Spain, Germany, Russia, the USA and Canada.

“This project is about showing that we have a choice… we should not feel judged for whatever choice we choose to make.”

– Laura Jackson

The project has gained much attention in the media, including from the BBC, the Guardian, and Good Morning Britain. However, it has also received many negative responses, particularly on the ‘Januhairy’ Facebook page.

Speaking to Exeposé, Laura Jackson offered her response to this criticism: “I think that there is a lot of love and support for the project, but there is also a lot of hate and disgust with it… Of course a campaign this big is going to get this reaction; however, it’s important that we see these comments because it reminds us why we are doing this campaign and what opinions we are trying to change. These people don’t understand this yet, and that’s okay… that’s what the campaign is for. At least we are all talking about it!”

Jackson continued to discuss the aims of the campaign, which, she explained, “is about showing that we have a choice… we should not feel judged for whatever choice we choose to make… to shave or not to shave… that is the question!”

University of Exeter approves new pornography module

New module ‘Pornography: Bodies, Sex, and representation’, led by Dr. João Florêncio, will be added to the department of Art History and Visual Culture. Since the University of Exeter agreed to accredit the module, it will be the first module in British universities that focuses on the study of porn.

Dr. Florêncio’s module is concerned with the history, conventions, and social context of pornography, and discusses the boundaries between art and pornography. It aims to improve students’ critical skills and awareness of such social issues. The module will begin in the 2020-21 or 2021-22 academic year, after Dr. Florêncio’s research leave which is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

“… the first UK University with one such module! Porn literacy matters!”

– Dr. João Florêncio, University of Exeter

Dr. Florêncio told Exeposé:

“I am really proud that the University of Exeter will be joining other institutions like UC Berkeley (USA) and the University of New South Wales (AUS) and become part of only a handful of global universities offering academically-rigorous modules on such an important and widespread genre of contemporary visual culture.”

“Pornographic images have never been as produced, reproduced and consumed as they are today; they are a ubiquitous feature of contemporary visual culture. It is thus not surprising that public debates on the role and/or danger of porn have increased in recent years. However, those debates often depart from unexamined assumptions and moral positions, with little time and space given to critical engagements with pornographic images and to develop porn literacy.”

“Students will, I hope, leave the module better equipped to think critically about issues of power, censorship, obscenity, sex, sexualities, subjectivities, desires and pleasures”

– Dr. João Florêncio, University of Exeter

“I think it is of the utmost importance to bring those images and those debates, as well as scholarship from the emerging field of Porn Studies, into the classroom as objects of rigorous academic enquiry. As such, this new interdisciplinary module aims to give students a better understanding of the history of porn and of its conventions, as well as of the modern and contemporary contexts—social, political, and juridical—that have shaped and continue to shape its production, distribution, and consumption. It will cover a wide rage of materials, ranging from literature to early visual erotica; from historically-censored films to the so-called ‘Golden Age of Porn;’ from gay porn to feminist and queer ‘post-porn;’ from online amateur pornography to artworks that blur the boundaries between art and pornography. Students will, I hope, leave the module better equipped to think critically about issues of power, censorship, obscenity, sex, sexualities, subjectivities, desires and pleasures as they intersect and are co-shaped by modern and contemporary pornography.”

He also expressed his excitement about this on twitter, saying that he is “Chuffed to bits that [his] new undergrad module […] has been accredited and that Exeter will be the first UK University with one such module! Porn literacy matters!”

Dr. Florêncio focuses on the study of visual culture and sexuality, in 2017 he published Viral Flows: Dark Ecology, HIV and Community in Bareback Porn. Doing Sex: Men, Masculinities and Sexual Practices. Earlier this year, Dr. João Florêncio’s research project in Porn Studies, ‘Masculinity and the Ethics of Porosity in ‘Post-AIDS’ Gay Porn’ has been awarded a Leadership Fellows grant by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The project involved with many outputs and activities, including the creation of a Masculinities Research Unit at Exeter.

Undercooked Caramel: Live review of Jorja Smith @ O2 Academy Bristol

Wearing a short orange robe, warmly illuminated by “Hollywood backstage” styled lamps, Jorja Smith is like the sweet, dreamy 80s nostalgia you’ve always wanted. When her record-perfect voice hits the first note of “Lost & Found”, the venue becomes her pajama party — laidback and chill, yet everybody is excited; as for herself, she’s your best friend and older sister, her gentle voice comforting you all the way.

Bristol certainly loves her. You can hear that from the people who constantly threw shade at the opening singer, “When will this warm-up girl finish?” Smith surprised the audience with the rapped freestyle “Lifeboats,” showing her abilities go beyond singing. The night finished with “Carry Me Home,” a lovely ending that soothed the crowd’s reluctance to leave.

Jorja Smith is like the sweet dreamy 80s nostalgia you’ve always wanted

However, Smith’s beautiful voice was cramped by the perfunctory, uninspired setting — the only thing that changed on the stage was the colour of lighting. Smith stands at the same spot without even moving for a whole hour and barely interacts with the audience. Her performance is professional – and that’s basically it – no big ideas were raised in the concert, and the songs turned into meaningless glitz. The venue was crowded enough to leave no doubt that O2 sold more tickets than their capacity. I didn’t get to move around and dance — or even have room to breath and enjoy the music.

Sure, there’s nothing wrong with that, since most of her fans are pleased. However, in that case, what’s the difference between a concert and average pub music? Why don’t you just play the vinyl in your bedroom? This concert didn’t give the audience any better understanding of the music; it just felt incomplete. Neither her talent as an artist or her stellar album deserves to be limited in by this clingy venue and the boring stage setting. Where are all those deeper aspects of “Lost & Found” – the social consciousness, the understanding of love, the confusion and frustration of life? This concert brought me unexpected disappointment. Smith might still be at the start of her career, but she is more than capable of presenting herself in a better way.