Friday 8th May 2026
Blog Page 719

Union Slate-Gate!

Angus Brown
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Union Slate-Gate!

Members of the Oxford Union have called for the impeachment of Librarian, Brendan McGrath, following calls for his removal by former Chief of Staff Ray Williams, who resigned on Thursday night in protest of the Union’s decision to overturn the trial ban of slates.

Slates, the groups in which members of the Union stand for election, were banned in Michaelmas this year after a lengthy campaign. They were reintroduced in 2015 as part of a package of sweeping changes to the Union’s electoral rules, and are banned in the Cambridge Union.

McGrath raised an objection to the Union’s RO last Friday, calling for a ruling on whether the trial slate ban was invalid because the manner in which the ban was enacted was not of significant seniority in the Union’s rule-making process to overturn the 2015 rule reintroducing slates.

On Thursday afternoon, the Union’s Returning Office, Liam Frahm, issued a ruling in which he said that: “On Friday 1st February, Brendan McGrath, the Librarian, officially requested a Ruling into the validity of the trial ban on electoral pacts from MT18.”
“Having investigated the Librarian’s allegations, I can firstly confirm that the MT18 Motion was passed without either Rule 67(b)(iv) or Rule 67(b)(v) being invoked.”

He continued: “Having consulted the MT18 Standing Committee Minutes and unequivocally knowing that no requisition was posted, this Motion did not have special attention applied to it.

“Therefore, the Motion holds executive seniority of (3) as special attention applied to it. Therefore, the Motion holds executive seniority of (3) as outlined in Rule 73(A).”
He therefore concluded that “Having established a conflict in the rules, Rule 73 requires that precedence is granted to the rule with greater executive seniority.

“Therefore, as executive seniority is determined by the method by which the Rule is introduced and the HT15 rule was passed with greater seniority than the MT18 rules change, Rule 73 requires that the HT15 rules change take precedence over the MT18 private business motion that introduced rule 33e is ruled invalid.”

Rule 73 says “In the event of a conflict over a decision concerning a particular policy or the implementation of a particular policy, or concerning amendments to the Rules or Standing Orders, and the Rules and Standing Orders are otherwise silent, the following shall take precedence in the following order of seniority:
(1) A Poll of Members as under Rule 47(f);

(2) A Private Business Motion at a Public Business Meeting to
which Rule 67(b)(iv) or Rule 67(b) (v) applies;

(3) Other Private
Business Motions at a Public Business Meeting or any Special Adjournment Motion, as under Rule 45;

(4) A Private Business Motion at a Private Business Meeting;

(5) The Returning Officer, for the purposes of their duty only, as defined in Rule 32(e) only;

(6) A motion of an Ordinary or Emergency Standing Committee;

(7) A motion of a Vacation Standing Commit-
tee.”

This means that the previous trial slate ban is no longer in place, and the changes made last term (including the provision for a poll of the members on getting rid of slates next term) are rendered invalid.

The Returning Officer also ruled that changes made to Rule 33 last term are also invalid, and that a number of rulings in response to the trial ban will now need to be reissued by the Returning Officer.

Williams, who was the initial proposer of the trial ban, earlier issued an objection to the Returning Officer’s ruling invalidating the ban, but this was rejected.

Ray Williams told Cherwell: “‘I would never criticise someone for merely running on or forming a slate in an election where that is legal and expected.

“The problem comes when someone tries to dupe everyone into following one set of agreed upon Rules and then blindsiding them. That’s neither fair play nor is it democratic and for me that was one dodgy Union move too far.”

In his resignation speech, Williams declared that “it had shocked me that our Librarian had seeked [sic] to subvert the express will of the membership, conning potentially dozens of other candidates to satisfy his desire for the presidency.

“I cannot continue to serve as Chief off Staff in these circumstances. I thus support the impeachment of the Librarian which is being brought before the Standing Committee as I speak.”

Williams then formally tendered his letter of resignation to the President, before exiting the chamber.

In Williams’ resignation letter, seen exclusively by Cherwell, he said “When you offered me this position, I was honoured to accepted, [sic] believing you to be, as I am, firmly committed to reform and progress in the Union.

“I had previously believe [sic] that the best way to bring about change was from the outside, but under your Presidency, I thought things would be different.

“However, the recent action of the Librarian, as reported to the press, does not only fly in the face of the democratic principles upon which the Oxford Union was founded, but also risk doing enormous damage to the Union as an institution; the relationship between its Committee and Membership; and its enduring reputation.

“I have always been a believer that slates, although not wrong in principle, in recent times at the Union have degenerated by ambition and betrayal, and have toxified our elections.

“Last Trinity, I was incredibly proud to serve as a Member of Standing Committee – elected on a manifesto pledging to push for the abolition of slates. After months of effort, we passed a trial ban last term – yet the actions of the Librarian have robbed the Membership of the promised Referendum that was due to occur.

“Given the circumstances, I cannot in good conscience continue to serve as Chief of Staff. Therefore, please accept my letter of resignation, effective immediately.

“I am confident that despite my departure the Standing Committee and Senior Appointed Officials will be more than capable with ensuring the smooth running of this term’s events, which the Membership deserve more than anything.”

The Oxford Union Brendan McGrath have been contacted for comment.

Numbers Review – commendable but difficult to feel nuance

Cesca Echlin
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Numbers Review – commendable but difficult to feel nuance

CW/TW: Discussion of mental health problems and eating disorders. 

‘Jack has 931 friends on Facebook. He weighs 75 kilos, has a body fat percentage of 11 point 4 and the longest he’s gone without eating is eight and a half hours.’

Numbers by Alex Blanc is a piece of new writing on at the Pilch this week that explores the mental health of an individual through the ‘numbers’ that come to define us – our weight, height, calorie intake, amount of instagram likes or even the price of items we regularly purchase.

The plot follows Jack (Henry Waddon), who becomes increasingly absorbed in a rigorous gym and clean-eating regime. The first half of the play traces how Jack’s obsession turns toxic, and how in the process he pushes away close friends Brianna (Abi Harindra) and Darren (Hamish Venters). The second-half of the play paints a more hopeful picture of mental health, as Jack attempts to get himself back on track alongside the equally as problem-ridden Michael (Louis Cunningham).

Numbers draws attention to crucial issues. For a start, there are nowhere near enough narratives in popular culture that examine how mental health and masculinity intertwine, and in this way Numbers focuses on a pertinent topic. In line with this, I am glad to hear that the profits from Numbers will be donated to the hugely important mental health charity SANE. The play was particularly successful in its exploration of masculinity during a scene in which Jack recounts a story from the night before to his female friend, Brianna, and then to his male friend, Darren. The dialogue continuously switches back and forth between his conversation with Brianna and his conversation with Darren, and with these switches Jack’s tone shifts utterly from that of concerned vulnerability to laddish bragging. Staging at moments like these was effective, with Jack positioned in between Brianna and Darren, thereby pulled between these two conflicting sides of his identity. Later in the play we are reminded of the devastating effects of this clash between mental illness and masculinity, as Jack reminds us of the fact that, in the UK, suicide is the single biggest killer of men under 45.

Waddon provides a particularly compelling central performance as Jack, his performance studded with physical tics that reveal Jack’s consistent nervousness. A significant portion of the script consists of Jack addressing the audience directly, and Waddon did well to keep the audience engaged during monologues, displaying impressive variety in his acting. Harindra, Venters and Cunningham should also be commended for their supporting roles, providing unique counterpoints to Jack’s story and illustrating the fact that mental health affects everyone in totally different ways.

Numbers was extended by writer Alex Blanc from a ten minute piece to a two-hour play, and this becomes increasingly evident as the performance goes on. At times the narrative dragged a bit, and I believe the text could prove more effective if it were shorter. The main issue I had with the play was that it opened up multiple channels of thought, yet I was left with unanswered questions. What did Jack do for work? Where were his family? How old was he? These questions seem very literal – questions that needn’t always have answers provided by a two-hour play. Yet, issues arose because some aspects of the plot were more developed than others, which led to some confusion on my part. For example, Brianna’s situation at work was consistently touched on, but by the play’s end her emotional and mental decline felt barely explained. Equally, I had doubts about the function of Michael in the second half.

Ultimately, I think the script was too ambitious – it sought to do too much, and as such left the audience with loose ends. The script was at its best when it focused on Jack’s own journey, and I only wish we could have looked into his character’s background and personality with greater complexity. Amongst the barrage of numbers, it was difficult to feel the story’s nuance.

Numbers touches on intensely important issues. Whilst I commend Mercury Theatre’s production and encourage others to see it, I find myself wishing that it retained a sharper focus.

Fixed-term contracts disproportionately held by women and minority groups

Editor
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Fixed-term contracts disproportionately held by women and minority groups

A greater proportion of women and those from BME backgrounds hold fixed-term contracts at the University.

In 2018, the proportion of women in fixed-term contracts was consistently higher across the academic divisions, with the sharpest disparities in the Social Sciences where 56% of women were in fixed-term contracts compared with just 45% of men.

In the Medical Sciences Division, 85% of those from BME backgrounds were found to hold fixed-term contracts in 2018 in comparison to just 68% of those who identify as white.

For Social Sciences the respective figures were 66% to 45%, and in the Maths, Physical, and Life Sciences, the figures were 74% to 43%.

Overall, the proportion of all those of fixed-term contracts has increased significantly from 2008 across all divisions apart from Medical, with the Humanities Division seeing the biggest increase in the use of fixed-term contracts, from 23% to 32%.

In 2018, just under 50% of staff from the Maths, Physical, and Life Sciences, Social Sciences, Medical, and Humanities divisions, were on fixed-term contracts.

The University’s policy on ending fixed-term contracts requires dismissal to be “fair and transparent.”

Employees are informed three months before the end of their contract is “at risk”. When it is not possible to extend or renew the contract, an employee will be informed of the fact a month before its termination.

A University spokesman told Cherwell: “Oxford is the UK’s most successful University in attracting external funding to support our world-leading research. The funding packages support jobs for researchers at every career stage, including fixed-term posts. The larger number of fixed-term contracts results from this increased funding success, opening more opportunities for the next generations of world-class researchers. We have had particular success in attracting talented women to progress their careers with us, including those areas of the sciences where they have been traditionally under-represented.

“We do recognise that fixed-term work can create uncertainties and practical difficulties. We make extensive efforts to support staff on these contracts, including through personal and career development opportunities.

“All staff at Oxford, whether on permanent, open-ended or fixed-term contracts, benefit from our generous employment packages and support for future development. We are also working hard on moving staff onto open-ended and permanent contracts wherever possible. A growing proportion of these contracts are held by women, while the proportion of all staff on open-ended contracts in the sciences is now growing faster than those in fixed-term posts.”

The University’s policy is to ensure departments are “keeping contracts under active review and transferring staff to permanent or open-ended contracts wherever funding permits.”

The proportion of staff working on open-ended contracts in the sciences is now growing faster than those on fixed-term contracts. For example, in 2008, 75% of staff in Medical Sciences were on fixed-term contracts and 4% on open-ended contracts; By 2018, fixed-term contracts had fallen to 72% and open-ended contracts risen to 8%.

The proportions of women in permanent and open-ended positions has increased in some sectors. In Medical Sciences in 2008, 45% of permanent contracts and 53% of open-ended contracts were held by women. By 2018, women held 52% of permanent and 57% of open-ended contracts.

However, in a 2016 report the UCU also included open-ended contracts within their definition of insecure contracts, because their “employment is dependent on short-term funding.”

Their report read: “Employers like to emphasise the degree of choice and agency available to workers on casual or as they like to call them ‘flexible’ contracts, but it is obvious that your enjoyment of choice and flexibility will be shaped by which category you are in.

“It’s simply impossible to imagine that a workforce of this magnitude is comprised entirely, or even largely of the people who conform to the employers’ caricature of the jobbing professional who relishes the flexibility.”

Oxford UCU representative Patricia Thornton told Cherwell: ”Regardless of whether the University wishes to accept the UCU’s calculation of the HESA data on precarious contracts or not, it’s clear that in many divisions, the numbers of staff on casualised contracts have been rising.

“It’s important to note here that “open-ended externally funded contract” staff, whilst sometimes not counted as casualised, effectively face the same level insecurity: their employment is terminated if and when the external source of the funding is withdrawn. The key difference here is that, whereas a fixed-term contract employee is given an end date at the point of hire, the staff member on an open-ended externally funded contract is not; which is arguably even less secure for the member of staff, whose employment can come to an end suddenly and without sufficient warning if the funding is withdrawn.”

Just under 5% of staff in the Medical, Maths, Physical and Life Sciences, Social Sciences, and Humanities cumulatively are in open-ended or externally funded contracts in 2018. The figure was just 2.3% in 2008.  

Thornton continued: “Casualised contracts not only create a two-tier workforce within the university, with casualised members of staff effectively carrying out many, if not all, of the same duties as their permanent counterparts on a day-to-day basis, paid lower salaries and afforded a greatly reduced level of protection (and fewer benefits), but they also magnify pre-existing inequalities within the workforce, like the gender pay gap and the persistent underpayment of minority ethnic staff.

“There is a significantly higher proportions of women than men in fixed-term contracts across the divisions, and, disappointingly, that proportion has actually increased marginally since 2008 in the Social Science and MPLS Divisions, and increased significantly in the Humanities Division.

“Equally disturbing is that, despite Oxford UCU’s persistently raising this issue with the administration, and despite various commitments that have been verbalised across the university, the percentages of staff on fixed term term contracts have instead risen since 2008.”

One representative of the ‘Academic Precariat’ group, pointed out that these figures fail to account for those that have already left the sector due to casualisation.

They told Cherwell: “There are plenty of us around, but very little data or interest in us. I left the sector for a range of reasons, but most of them related directly to insecure employment and its consequences: a two-tier system in which casual teaching and research staff undertake work that mainly just enables senior academics to bring in big money projects, lack of respect for intellectual ownership of teaching/research materials produced on these contracts, feeling and being utterly disposable, lack of investment and interest in supporting career progression (why should they, when to offer us more secure employment would be to remove the props fora system which values REF and big grant money above all else?).

“Another big factor in my decision to leave after my short-term postdoc was the minimal prospect of ever being able to secure a contract long enough to actually qualify for maternity pay in the near future.”

Review: Shostakovich 7 with the Oxford University Orchestra

Alice Williams
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Review: Shostakovich 7 with the Oxford University Orchestra

Sitting squashed between the ribs of the Sheldonian I try and imagine the parental mind brave enough to take a young baby to hear Shostakovich 7. More than that, I marvel at the parent capable of keeping their child quiet for the full hour and a half, bar two impromptu crying-baby solos duetting the woodwind in the second and fourth movements. Parents of this child: I salute you.

The Oxford University Orchestra was similarly impressive, and (thankfully) rather different in acoustic output. This mammoth piece, conducted by Peter Stark, was crystal clear and slipped beautifully between the strange emotional contortions of Shostakovich’s score. The third movement was perhaps the highlight, combining loneliness, anger and ridged determination. I was repeatedly struck by the easy yet haunting warmth of the flute solos, which were some of the most beautiful moments in the performance.

The softer moments of anguished remembrance and forlorn song were more eloquent than the dramatic, combative fortissimos which, in the Sheldonian’s absorptive architecture, were sometimes so earth-shatteringly loud it was paradoxically difficult to hear, but then again there was something appropriate in that difficulty.

Shostakovich Seven is a piece that only really works in concert. Whilst many works have a dual life on the stage and the recording, I can’t imagine many people in their kitchen listening beginning to end to 90 minutes of suffering, pain, disturbing humour and joviality all rolled into one.  One of the piece’s most powerful characteristics is its severe ambiguity, its ability to morph between supposedly opposed emotions. The bassoon solo, for example, of the first moment (which was expertly played) achieves an unnerving stillness that should be at odds with the wriggling melody. And of course this same ambiguity allowed Shostakovich himself to escape the full force of Soviet denouncement. The OUO’s performance was a staggering feat that managed to find clarity in complexity and joy against deep pain.

On the way out I drop a pound into the collection for the orchestra’s upcoming tour to Japan, to do the same (maybe with more than a pound) visit http://ouo.oums.org/japan-project/

Union Chief of Staff resigns in protest

Angus Brown
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Union Chief of Staff resigns in protest

The Union’s Chief of Staff, Ray Williams, has resigned in protest at the recent decision by the Oxford Union to overturn the trial ban on slates.

Williams, who was the initial proposer of the trial ban, earlier issued an objection to the Returning Officer’s ruling invalidating the ban, but this was rejected.

His resignation came at the end of his speech in the debate on whether “This House believes Thatcher was a working class hero“, and was followed by Williams’ exit from the Union.

In Williams’ resignation letter, seen exclusively by Cherwell, he said “When you offered me this position, I was honoured to accept, [sic] believing you to be, as I am, firmly committed to reform and progress in the Union.

“I had previously believed [sic] that the best way to bring about change was from the outside, but under your Presidency, I thought things would be different.

“However, the recent action of the Librarian, as reported to the press, does not only fly in the face of the democratic principles upon which the Oxford Union was founded, but also risk doing enormous damage to the Union as an institution; the relationship between its Committee and Membership; and its enduring reputation.

“I have always been a believer that slates, although not wrong in principle, in recent times at the Union have degenerated by ambition and betrayal, and have toxified our elections.

“Last Trinity, I was incredibly proud to serve as a Member of Standing Committee – elected on a manifesto pledging to push for the abolition of slates. After months of effort, we passed a trial ban last term – yet the actions of the Librarian have robbed the Membership of the promised Referendum that was due to occur.

“Given the circumstances, I cannot in good conscience continue to serve as Chief of Staff. Therefore, please accept my letter of resignation, effective immediately.

“I am confident that despite my departure the Standing Committee and Senior Appointed Officials will be more than capable with ensuring the smooth running of this term’s events, which the Membership deserve more than anything.”

The Oxford Union and Ray Williams were contacted for comment.

Union RO overturns trial slate ban

Angus Brown
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Union RO overturns trial slate ban

Following a request last Friday for a ruling on the validity of the “Trial Slate Ban” introduced in Michaelmas 2018, the Union’s Returning Officer, Liam Frahm, has ruled that the trial ban is invalid.

In his ruling Frahm announced: “On Friday 1st February, Brendan McGrath, the Librarian, officially requested a Ruling into the validity of the trial ban on electoral pacts from MT18.”

“Having investigated the Librarian’s allegations, I can firstly confirm that the MT18 Motion was passed without either Rule 67(b)(iv) or Rule 67(b)(v) being invoked.”

He continued: “Having consulted the MT18 Standing Committee Minutes and unequivocally knowing that no requisition was posted, this Motion did not have special attention applied to it.

“Therefore, the Motion holds executive seniority of (3) as special attention applied to it. Therefore, the Motion holds executive seniority of (3) as outlined in Rule 73(A).”

He therefore concluded that “Having established a conflict in the rules, Rule 73 requires that precedence is granted to the rule with greater executive seniority.

“Therefore, as executive seniority is determined by the method by which the Rule is introduced and the HT15 rule was passed with greater seniority than the MT18 rules change, Rule 73 requires that the HT15 rules change take precedence over the MT18 private business motion that introduced rule 33e is ruled invalid.”

Rule 73 says: “In the event of a conflict over a decision concerning a particular policy or the implementation of a particular policy, or concerning amendments to the Rules or Standing Orders, and the Rules and Standing Orders are otherwise silent, the following shall take precedence in the following order of seniority:

(1) A Poll of Members as under Rule 47(f);
(2) A Private Business Motion at a Public Business Meeting to which Rule 67(b)(iv) or Rule 67(b) (v) applies; (3) Other Private Business Motions at a Public Business Meeting or any Special Adjournment Motion, as under Rule 45;
(4) A Private Business Motion at a Private Business Meeting;
(5) The Returning Officer, for the purposes of their duty only, as defined in Rule 32(e) only; (6) A motion of an Ordinary or Emergency Standing Committee;
(7) A motion of a Vacation Standing Committee.”

This means that the previous trial slate ban is no longer in place, and the changes made last term (including the provision for a poll of the members on getting rid of slates next term) are rendered invalid.

The Returning Officer also ruled that changes made to Rule 33 last term are also invalid, and that a number of rulings in response to the trial ban will now need to be reissued by the Returning Officer.

The Oxford Union and Liam Frahm were contacted for comment. Ray Williams and Brendan McGrath declined to comment.

Government announces new measures to improve access

Angus Brown
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Government announces new measures to improve access

The government’s Universities Minister, Chris Skidmore, and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster David Lidington have announced new regulations requiring universities to publish a record of their efforts to tackle ethnic inequality in the university admissions.

The new measures, organised by the Office for Students (OfS), will also hold universities to account on how they improve outcomes for underrepresented students.

Amongst the data which universities must now publish publicly are statistics on admissions and attainment, broken down by ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic background. League table providers will also be encouraged to take this data into account in future university rankings.

According to the OfS’ Race Disparity Audit, although record numbers of BAME students are attending university, only 56% achieve a First or 2:1, compared to 80% of their white peers, and that black students were the most likely to drop out of university.

David Lidington said: “I am determined that nobody experiences a worse outcome solely on the grounds of their ethnicity, which is why the Government is making a clear and concerted effort, alongside higher education partners to tackle these injustices.”

Meanwhile Chris Skidmore said: “I fully expect access and participation plans, which universities will be drawing up this year for implementation in 2020-21, to contain ambitious and significant actions to make sure we are seeing material progress in this space in the next few years.

“It is one of my key priorities as the universities minister to ensure that I work with universities to highlight examples of best practice in widening not only access, but also that we redouble our efforts to tackle student dropout rates.”

The Office for Students, which was formed in January last year, has previously threatened Oxford with sanctions if they fail to improve their access outcomes, making them one of just three higher educational institutions to have conditions placed on their registration with the OfS.

The University was contacted for comment.

Union RO announces ruling which could overturn slate ban

Angus Brown
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Union RO announces ruling which could overturn slate ban

The Oxford Union’s Returning Officer, Liam Frahm, has announced that he will rule tomorrow on whether the trial slate ban passed last year is invalid.

At the end of the Standing Committee meeting on Monday 4th February, Frahm told the committee that, as per Rule 73 of the society’s “Rules and Standing Orders”, the ban could be superseded, as the initial motion to introduce slates in 2015 was of a higher seniority than the slate ban.

In an internal email seen by Cherwell, Frahm informed the initial proponent of the ban, Union Chief of Staff Ray Williams of the following: “As I am sure you have heard, I made an announcement in TSC of the following:

“Last Friday, Brendan McGrath, the Librarian, made an official request of a Ruling regarding the validity of your Slates Ban Motion. The basis of this request regards Rule 73.”

In the Rules and Standing Orders of the Society, №73 notes: “In the event of a conflict over a decision concerning a particular policy or the implementation of a particular policy, or concerning amendments to the Rules or Standing Orders, and the Rules and Standing Orders are otherwise silent, the following shall take precedence in the following order of seniority:

(1) A Poll of Members as under Rule 47(f);

(2) A Private Business Motion at a Public Business Meeting to which Rule 67(b)(iv) or Rule 67(b) (v) applies;

(3) Other Private Business Motions at a Public Business Meeting or any Special Adjournment Motion, as under Rule 45;

(4) A Private Business Motion at a Private Business Meeting;

(5) The Returning Officer, for the purposes of their duty only, as defined in Rule 32(e) only;

(6) A motion of an Ordinary or Emergency Standing Committee;

(7) A motion of a Vacation Standing Committee.”

As the trial slate ban was passed by a Private Business Motion at a Public Business Meeting, the earlier “Special Attention” which granted the introduction of slates would take precedence on any overlapping decisions made by the two votes under this technicality. This means the later ban could be rendered invalid.

The rules changed by the Special Attention can only be changed by another Special Attention or a poll of the members.

The Oxford Union, Liam Frahm were contacted for comment. Ray Williams and Brendan McGrath declined to comment.

A matter of inches: corsets make a comeback

Sophie Grapentin
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A matter of inches: corsets make a comeback

Corsets are tangled in a variety of associations, bringing to mind anything from archaic eras of fashion to bondage fetishes. Personally, the story of my great-great-grandmother comes to mind. According to family myth, her hatred of wearing corsets drove her to embrace pregnancy as an almost permanent state of being – it was only during pregnancy that she was officially dismissed from wearing it. This tactic resulted in her having twelve children and these are just the pregnancies that she carried to term. Imagine the risks of childbirth at the time!

Can wearing a corset really be this awful? The generations of women after my great-great-grandmother were united in saying, ‘Yes!’

Early women’s rights activists with the backing of doctors began to campaign against the corset during the nineteenth century. Their success transformed corsets into a symbol of female oppression. The corset was displaced by bralettes, step-ins and other alternatives by the 1920s, and ‘casting off the corset’ as since denoted a turn towards liberated, healthier and independent women.

But fashion is a long way from fully abandoning corsets. Dior’s uber-feminine ‘new look’ dresses from 1947 evoked a silhouette of tiny waists and accentuated hips thanks to their underbust corset with attached petticoats. The feminist movement of the sixties then swept the corseted waist out of mainstream aesthetic once again. But from the 1990s onwards, the likes of Gaultier’s corset-inspired outfits for Madonna’s Blonde Ambition Tour and evening gowns by McQueen or Mugler have created the base for a twenty-first century corset revival.

As corsets lost their place in everyday wear, they gained creative potential, Nowadays, they can be underwear or outerwear, inspiration or construction, accessory or medical necessity. And they have certainly not stopped being fashion.

In the 90s Gaultier first sent his famous corset dress on the runway. In 1995, McQueen’s The Bird Spring/Summer Collection featured an appearance from Mr Pearl, a lacer and corsetiere who was sent down the runway in an extremely tailored blazer. Thierry Muggler used real, steel-boned corsets as a shaping part underneath a couture dress. These methods are far from outdated, and the legacy of the corset remains subtly present in fashion today: just look at modern wedding dresses with semi-functional lacing, or evening dresses with suggested boning channels. They all use visual elements that were originally part of the construction of a corset.

But why is the steel-boned corset experiencing a renaissance now?

Third wave feminism encourages individual expression like never before, combined with an unapologetic celebration of femininity. While our mothers burned their bras, we can reclaim and redefine the aesthetic of a patriarchal and heteronormative society. Red lipstick, push-up bras, all-over pink, or corsets. As long as it’s your choice, anything goes.

As subcultures like burlesque and drag gain recognition, corsets are returning into the spotlight. World-famous burlesque dancer Dita von Teese started performing in corsets in the 1990s. Drag performers and female impersonators have long used corsets for a more feminine appearance. Thanks to the popular American TV show ‘Ru’Paul’s Drag Race’ their art now has a growing audience all over the world. When Violet Chachki shows off her tiny 18-inch corseted waist, who is not holding their breath in amazement (or maybe solidarity)?

New techniques in the design process has reshaped the corset: current corsetieres are not simply continuing a tradition but are actively reinventing it. Laser-cutting allows for greater precision than a tailor could ever manage with scissors. Computer simulation allows perfect fittings, even with complicated designs and materials. Artificial whale boning made from plastic provides the same elasticity without harming animals.

Curiosity led me down a path of experimental fashion archaeology and I tried wearing a corset myself. I was immensely fascinated with my new look, examining the outline of my corseted waist in a series of pictures. Other people’s reactions were interesting. Some assumed this was a new kink, whilst others were concerned I had back problems. Well, neither reason applies! My great-great-grandmother could only escape the corset with medical reasons not to wear one, but today it appears that people expect an external reason to justify wearing one. But they couldn’t be more wrong. Modern corsets are worn for one and one reason alone: because the wearer wants to do so.

Interview: renowned opera singer Iestyn Davies

Lois Heslop
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Interview: renowned opera singer Iestyn Davies

International opera singer Iestyn Davies, has had a glittering career to date; I speak to him as he is about to sing Messiah at Saffron Hall as part of his season as Artist in Residence for 2018-19. He has recently given solo recitals to great acclaim at Wigmore Hall, Milton Court at the Barbican, and King’s Place. He rounded off his 2018 season with performances at the BBC Proms, Boston Symphony Hall, and Carnegie Hall.

I was first privileged to hear Iestyn sing in Handel’s Saul at Glyndebourne, and he has also starred in operas both ancient and modern at the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, and La Scala. He collaborates with contemporary composers such as Thomas Àdes, George Benjamin and Michael Nyman, and sung the title role in Claire van Kampen’s new play, Farinelli and the King, which also starred Mark Rylance, and transferred to Broadway from the Globe in late 2017, which earned him an Olivier Award nomination. Iestyn is a countertenor; he sings in his falsetto range above his regular speaking pitch.

You were a choral scholar at St John’s College Cambridge. Why did you decide to be a chorister instead of going straight to music college?

Being in a choir wasn’t new to me because I had been a boy chorister, also at St John’s – it felt like part of the DNA to go back there. I really wasn’t sure that I’d get in. When I applied to St John’s aged 18 to be a choral scholar, I was singing to the choir master who had been the choir director when I was a boy – Christopher Robinson – and so it was much more intimidating because I thought they would think “this isn’t the treble we remember from five years ago”.

I thought that if I can’t get into St John’s then maybe it’s a sign that the adult singer life wasn’t for me. I was quite straight-forward about it. If I don’t get in, I’ll go somewhere else and do Archeology. I applied to do music at Cambridge because I thought it showed interest, but when I got to Cambridge I changed to Archaeology anyway.

Singing in a choir, for a countertenor of that age, was the best thing I could have done – for me, my voice took time to settle in; it wasn’t something that came naturally to me when my voice broke. My natural speaking voice is bass, and I didn’t ever plan to be a countertenor. All I knew was choral music, so countertenors weren’t unfamiliar to me but singing countertenor as a professional job was something I hadn’t come across. When you’re singing in a choir every day, you learn so much musically anyway. My dad’s a cellist and he played in a string quartet for most of his career – he always said that chamber music is the best preparation for being a soloist and it’s the same for singing. If you sing in a choir which requires high-level listening skills, being able to sight-read, and perform consistently every night of the week – at St John’s where we had a high turnover of repertoire it was considered to be somewhere where you can’t do it by halves – it’s all or nothing.

I said to my singing teacher, David Lowe, that I wanted to apply to music college and he said he wasn’t sure about the idea, but I applied anyway against his better judgement and got in. Three years at Cambridge and then three years at music college gave me a chance to learn a lot rather than just show off as a singer – many young singers have naturally good voices but haven’t been particularly challenged so they don’t capitalise on their voices or push the limits of what they can do. It was always a bit of a struggle for me, so I always tried to prove myself. The choral scholar thing really helped some singers get annoyed about choral scholars becoming opera singers because they think we’re stuck in choir ways and don’t know how to act, but I think that’s nonsense. If that person wants to do it, they’ll find a way of taking everything that they’ve learned and applying it in a new way.

What’s the difference between opera singers who went straight to music college and those who were choristers?

In the early stages of music college, I was around people who had never really done any singing, apart from on their own in a room with a teacher. There’s lots of good things about that because they come at it from a technical point of view, but as a professional singer, you quickly realise that it’s like any job – it’s about getting on with people. If you’ve got good technique and you can look after yourself when you’re travelling, it’s great. It means you can focus on expressing yourself. Singing, whether it’s in an opera or recital, is about communication. If it’s not about communication, it’s just a beautiful noise which is what you can do standing in a choir singing polyphony and going “aah”. Lots of people like that, but it’s not necessarily communicating – if you listen to lots of choirs, they all sound the same.

I’m 39 now and I’ve done it for about 15 years and I think I’ve now got the choral scholar thing out of my system. Then you start to think it’s not much of an advantage being able to do things quickly and actually taking time to work on acting, on character, is much more crucial.

I saw you in two modern operas, Written on Skin (Benjamin) and The Exterminating Angel (Ades). How is contemporary opera different to singing Handel or Purcell?

People come to it thinking it’s really hard, but actually it’s kind of the opposite. It’s hard because you don’t know it that well but if you set out being scared of it, then it’s very difficult to get into it. If you go into it with the attitude that “I’m the only person that knows how this goes”, especially if the role has been written for you, and that there is only one way to go which is the way the composer’s written it, then it’s very freeing.
The Ades was like learning a new language.

Tom explains how he writes music: he starts off with a note on the page vibrating, going somewhere. Once you learn the grammar of it, it completely makes sense; you don’t go “that’s weird”, you go “that’s weird but it completely works”. If you walked up to me now and sung me a line, I could probably sing the rest of the opera to you. Much like reading a map, you learn to know the route.

But some contemporary opera isn’t like that, it’s much more about the subject; I’ve just done Nico Mulhy’s Marnie at the Met which is totally different; you can call it post-modern minimalism or whatever you want, it’s Nico’s music, but in a way it’s more baroque. For my part anyway, I had nice tunes, and that is more disarming; it’s harder to learn because his music has less variance in terms of tempo etc, so you found things like remembering how many rests there were between your two phrases much harder – there’s nothing telling you why it should be six beats instead of five beats. It’s disarmingly hard whereas with very difficult music there’s only one way to sing it.

Why is baroque music on the rise?

You’re not the only person to ask that question. To my mind it’s not something that’s recent – the resurgence of baroque music has been something that was happening well into the second half of the 20th century – if anything, when I was starting out ten years ago, there was a lot more. I think the popularity of baroque music has always been there, in terms of audiences in opera houses, and opera houses trying to put one on every year.

However, recently the music has found its groove and as a result it has opened people’s minds as to how they can be staged. Saul, who would have thought of staging that, it’s an oratorio! I think Glyndebourne staging Theodora back in 1998 gave everyone the green light. With this type of music you can choose, as a director, what the piece is trying to say, whereas with more traditional operas, like Wagner or Rossini, the story and music are intertwined much more strongly. It’s very difficult to divorce the material from the narrative, whereas with Handel it’s much more open to interpretation. In the 18th century, they would have been presented in a much more abstract, more allegorical way relating to politics of the time.

Directors and producers are trying to find reasons why opera is still valid and if you’ve got something that offers a much more modern interpretation or modern take or modern connection with the audience, then it goes a long way.

Why has acting and storytelling improved so much in opera recently?

It’s a lot to do with the modernisation of opera direction – finding directors who haven’t just worked in opera or aren’t just designers. People have been scared of opera because they think of it as being dominated by the music, dominated by the power of singers. But look at Richard Jones, Deborah Warner, Barrie [Kosky]. People who have worked a lot in theatre come along and look incredulous that people would just stand still and sing. Music colleges also have a lot to do with that. They don’t train their singers as actors – they do a bit of acting in the college but really it’s still a time when your voice is forming and you’re learning technique. It’s down to your own ingenuity to be relaxed enough to work with a director who’s going to push you.

What advice would you give your teenage self?

I had a really great time at Cambridge, but I didn’t do much work – I did enough to get a 2:1, but I wish looking back I would have been more organised. I talked to the Master of St John’s and he said that because students at school are under much more pressure now because of exams and getting into Oxbridge, they are all very good at being organised and doing revision, and often forget to enjoy themselves.

I suppose I enjoyed myself and got everything out of it that I could have done, but some people were more mature than me when they turned up to university, and I kind of felt like I knew it all because I’d been to school at St John’s. I watched people work really hard and I felt like they were missing out, so I suppose it’s ironic to say “be more organised” because I also want people to relax a bit, but they are the best years of your life.

Live every day fully at university because it goes so quickly. Also structure your day: if you’ve got work to do, do it, but also set yourself aside enough time to go out to the pub, sing, have fun.

Once it’s gone, you do miss the structure of “I have to go to the university library”. It’s funny that ten years later it only seems like yesterday that I left, and I would change a lot: I would be more organised, try and get loads more out of it, because there’s so much on your doorstep there that you’re not necessarily required to do. Get everything out of Oxford that you can, make every day really long and enjoyable – don’t spend days in bed.

Be hungover but also get up! Look around you and seize every opportunity that you get, because it goes so quickly.

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