By Lindsay Shimizu, Third year, EnglishFrom the worries of ‘tech neck’ to the invention of ‘posturemaxxing’, there’s been more and more talk about improving our posture, but here’s why I don’t think you need to fix anything. If you were ever told to stand up straighter, you were also probably told that doing so would help prevent back pain. Conversely, you were told hunching over would make the pain worse. Having good posture has never just been about the physical health benefits. Whilst our bod...

By reading the stories of the past and observing the people who visited the exhibition, my time working as a steward at Bristol Women’s Voice’s International Women’s Day event allowed me to thoroughly appreciate how far my Bristol community has come and where it’s going.On each side of Bristol’s City Hall building is a small, echo-y room called a vestibule. Every year that Bristol Women’s Voice puts on its International Women’s Day event, these vestibules hold two ar...

Last semester I took advantage of my noise-cancelling headphones to fill in the gaps in my day unoccupied with lectures, seminars, or studying. My walks to school were filled with news debriefs and I brushed my teeth to podcasts about T.S. Eliot. When I wasn't fixated on cramming in more information, I soon found comfort only in blocking out every other noise. I soundtracked every errand and task in and outside my flat. By the end of term, I wore my headpho...

By Lindsay Shimizu, Third Year, EnglishAs the Arts and Social Sciences Library (ASSL) reopens, I picture swarms of students rushing to gawk at the improved design complete with a cafe and fancy new enquiries desk. People will fight over seats moving into reading week and then all too quickly into exam season. The ASSL's renovation will spark interest because shiny new things always excite us. But as a library lover, this rare attention on campus gives me the perfect opportunity to explain just h...

By Lindsay Shimizu, Second Year, EnglishIt is no secret that Christmastime is hallmarked by tradition. One of my favourite festive rituals is camping on the couch with a blanket and hot drink to rewatch the same Christmas movies again and again. Whether you're looking for a new tradition, or you just can’t bring yourself to see Will Ferrell in tights this year, here are four films to get you out of your rewatching rut and into the holiday spirit. If you're in the mood for a cozy romance set in t...

Lindsay Shimizu discusses the capitalistic commodification of hobbies and the societal distaste for ‘feminine’ downtime.


I am a girl proud of her many hobbies. Some obvious ones are reading, writing, baking, and crocheting, but I will also include watching TV and listening among the others. I am sure you would agree that it feels wrong to accept that all of these activities are indeed hobbies, but why?  


It’s crucial to preface a conversation on hobbies by reminding ourselves that, as a so...

By Lindsay Shimizu, Second Year, EnglishThere is something wrong with you. You don't have the confidence that your essay will earn you a first. You made a mistake during a seminar that makes you look ridiculously unprepared and scattered. You got lost in the Arts Complex yet again. Now, you sit in your lecture and the girl next to you has been intently listening to the lecturer drone on and on about Tristram Shandy. You should be interested, this is the degree you chose after all, but you don't...