Just why have geeky men become so popular?

The rise of the geek has been a fast and unpredicted one but now it seems more and more women want a man with intellect rather than muscles.

Recently, geeky men are becoming more and more attractive to women with men like Benedict Cumberbatch [who plays detective Sherlock Holmes], Professor Brian Cox and the current and previous Doctor Who actors, Matt Smith and David Tennant appearing on many ‘most fanciable male’ lists.

But just why have they ended up in these charts reviling the six pack clad men of Hollywood? What is it about a geek, whether the man themselves or the character they play on tv, that appeals to us women?

Though we have a very stereotypical view of geek that comes to mind as soon as we mention one, these men aren’t stereotypical in the way that they don’t hang around computers all day etc. These men are just simply actors or musicians who have a love and know a lot about what they do or love.

The characters Benedict Cumberbatch and Matt Smith play on TV are geeks but in real life are they really geeks? What is it that women are in love with the men themselves because they are good looking/talented or is it in fact the geeky and intelligent men that they are playing on TV?

Quite frankly, were not all that sure which one it is ourselves, but either way let’s take a moment to appreciate the rise of the geek from bottom of the food chain to a very fanciable male.

Let us know your opinions on whether you find geeks attractive or not, and what exactly you think it is that has attracted women to them recently.

Why us women should not be scared of the smear test.

Here at Pick and Mix we thought we should tackle a big issue for women of our age. We’re all 20 or 21 and smear tests are a big thing for our future so we’ve taken a look at why so many of us are so scared of a simple test.

In England, at the age of 25 all women will be called to the hospitals of the UK to have their first ever smear test. It’s a test that takes 2 minutes and could actually save your life as it is designed to detect whether you have cervical cancer or not.

The thing is that many of us girls are pretty scared about it but why? Is it the fear of the unknown due to lack of information? Scare stories? The fact that most of us have had cervical cancer jabs now so we feel safe? I asked some of my female friends exactly what they think this:

“Smears should be done from 18. And don’t think there is enough info or prep as to what will actually happen. I’m not scared would like it now as I’m a panicker but sure many girls are.” – Emily Kitchen, 21, student.

“I’m not worried about having it done, I think there probably is enough information out there, but I think it should be better promoted so that everyone knows about them and what they are for. I think more women would get it done if they knew how they could benefit from it. The age should be lowered” – Natalie Cutts, 21, student.

“There isn’t enough information unless you go out of your way to look. I think women are nervous because we aren’t told exactly what the procedure is. More information on how simple a test it is would be more encouraging. Perhaps it should be discussed in schools as it will normalise the test. The age should be lowered to 18.” – Sian Burke, 20, student.

“I’m not worried about having my first. There is information out there but it’s not easy to get hold of without going to a clinic, GP etc. I think people are scared because they don’t know what is going to happen or have heard horror stories from family/friends. Women could be encouraged by bigger campaigns like they have for cancer screenings to help get the message out there. I think it should be lowered to 18.” – Georgina Knight, 21, student.

Ever since, Jade Goody died back in 2009 at the age of 27 from cervical cancer there have been calls for the age of smear tests to be lowered in England. Currently the age limit is 25, some want it lowered to 23, others 21 and some 18.

Lowering the age limit is just one thing that can be done to help women scared of these tests. More information from GP’s and teaching about it in schools can only help girls preparing for the inevitable. The information is out there but it is hard to find, if it is given to young girls and women then surely they will see that what is hyped up to be a horrible test is in fact a simple, painless procedure.

I spoke to Maddy Durrant from charity Jo’s Trust to see what they think could and should be done to help remove the stigma of scary tests so that women can detect earlier if they do have cervical cancer.

“There are a variety of reasons that women don’t go for their smear test… fear of the test itself, whether it will be painful and embarrassing to the individual. Women may also feel anxiety over the results and so avoid taking the test all together, partly because of a misconception that this is a test to find cancer, not prevent it.”

“It’s important to reassure women that a smear is not a test for cancer but a test for abnormal cells that could, if left untreated, turn into cancer.”

“If you suffer from fear or anxiety around the procedure, you can find out exactly what the process involves which will help you feel more relaxed – sites such as www.jostrust.org.uk contain a plethora of information. Also remember you can ask as many questions as you need to, request a doctor or nurse that you feel comfortable with (including a female doctor) and you can take someone with you into the examination room.”

When it comes to detecting signs of cervical cancer without having a smear test done it is very difficult as there are usually no symptoms in the early stages. Some recognised symptoms from later stages are:

• Abnormal bleeding: after or during sexual intercourse, or between periods
• Post-menopausal bleeding, if you are not on HRT or have stopped it for six weeks
• Unusual and/or unpleasant vaginal discharge
• Discomfort or pain during sex
• Lower back pain.

If you are experiencing any or all of these symptoms then you should see your GP straight away, however these symptoms can also be related to many other conditions that are not cancer related.

The best thing that you can do though is to go to your GP or go online to trusted websites to find out more about this simple test and go and get tested as soon as you turn 25 because it is better to detect these things as early as possible.

Related links: Jo’s Trust Cervical Cancer Charity – http://www.jostrust.org.uk/

NHS overview of Cervical Cancer – http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cancer-of-the-cervix/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Petition to lower the age of smear tests from 25 to 20 – http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/3222 please take the time to sign this, it is an important issue.

Pick and Mix – Final Podcast

In our final podcast, we talk about if school P.E. lessons have ruined exercise for us for life, The Voice, expensive gig tickets and our plans for after university.

Thanks for listening!

Musicians with a passion for fashion.

Following on from my earlier blog about how important looks and fashion have become in the music industry, I am now looking at why so many musicians are starting up or running their own clothing lines.

Music and fashion have for a long time been associated with each other, with every new music genre there was a fashion trend that came along with it. Mods and rockers of the 60’s, disco in the 70’s and rave culture in the 90’s.

In most genres of music you will find someone who is obsessed with fashion as they are with music and some artists have started up their own labels or designed a collection for high street/designer stores. From the world of pop, there has been Lily Allen, Pixie Lott and Girls Aloud all creating their own lines for different stores and now Lily Allen has quit music and runs her own vintage store, Lucy In Disguise in London.

In rock/alternative music alone there are plenty of bands in the UK and US, who has a member or members running their own clothing lines bringing fashion that they like to their fans. It all started for the alternative scene back in 2001 when Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge of blink-182 started up their clothing company Atticus and their footwear company Macbeth and since then plenty of bands have followed suit.

So why are so many musicians trying to make a name for themselves in the world of fashion? Is it a genuine interest? Have they always wanted to do it? Or is it simply because being in a band doesn’t pay the bills anymore so they need something else to make a bit extra money?

Last year Sheffield’s Exposed magazine went to take a tour of Drop Dead Clothing’s warehouse prior to the launch of their winter collection. Drop Dead Clothing was set up in 2005 by Bring Me The Horizon frontman Oli Sykes and it has fast become one of the most popular clothing lines around. Oli’s mum, Carol Sykes, talks about where the inspiration comes from; “To quote Oli, the inspiration comes from everywhere with travelling around he sees things that he likes and imagines,”

In 7 years, the brand has gone from small to shipping worldwide from their online store, opening a store in London and has collaborated with a number of designers. But where does Drop Dead go from here? Julia Beaumont, head of PR at Drop Dead told Exposed about future plans; “We had hoped this year we would open a shop in L.A., it’s definitely something that we would like to do… Apart from that we never have any goals, we always strive to do what we’re doing as good as we can.”

The fact that music and fashion crossover so naturally is a great thing for music fans as it means they can express themselves and their interests through clothing as well as the bands they listen to. But, I wanted to know what you guys thought about musicians owning their own brands, did you think it was just to make money or do you believe it is a good idea? I went on the streets of Sheffield to find out:

“I think it is a really good idea for band members to have their own clothing lines. Their interests usually represent the fans interests so it seems like a natural step and most brands out there are really good.” – Tom Murphy, 22, student from Sheffield.

“Band members having a clothing line is a good thing as long as they are talented enough at designing/drawing. Nobody wants to wear terribly designed clothes and there are a lot of brands popping up that aren’t brilliant and in that case I’d say they were just doing it to make money.” – Carla Adler, 28, shop assistant from Leeds.

“Bands should concentrate on being bands, not designing clothes. That is what the high street is for.” – Spencer Gregson, 21, student from Liverpool.

“Musicians are creative people and if they have an interest in designing clothes and they are good at it then let them do it. There are some brilliant brands around at the moment, some though are not so good.” – Jodie Owens, 18, college student from Doncaster.

So there we have it, music and fashion will forever go hand in hand with one another. Whether it is right for musicians to be designing our clothes for us seems to be an issue that has split people. Let us know your opinions.

Related Links: http://www.exposedmagazine.co.uk/fashion/fashion-features/drop-dead-gorgeous/

Pick and Mix – Podcast 5

In this week’s podcast we talk about St. George’s Day, Shakespeare, living without make-up and Katy Perry’s new man.

Pick and Mix – Podcast 4

In this podcast, we talk about our Easter holidays, the Tupac hologram at Coachella festival and who we would like to see in hologram form and Brangelina’s recent engagement.

The CD’s Death? And the Vinyl Revival.

With CD sales dropping, is this the end of the music CD? And since when did vinyl become so popular again?

Throughout the years, the way in which we buy our music has changed starting out with vinyl records, onto tapes, then CD’s and now an electronic file on your computer also known as an MP3 file. The CD has been the prominent option for many years now but it is in trouble with sales falling, are we about to see the death of the CD?

CD’s first hit the music industry in back in 1982 with the release of Billy Joel’s ‘52^nd Street’ in Japan. Since then it has grown and grown overtaking previous formats and making them obsolete. In 1997, music downloading first became popular when Napster was released. Downloading music off of the internet has become popular fast because of its speed, ease and in some cases because you can get it for free by downloading it illegally.

When I was a teenager going to HMV to buy a CD was a big thing for discovering music and our parents all talk about the first record they ever bought and being able to remember it as some special event. The artwork and reading the booklet from cover to cover is definitely something I miss about a file downloaded onto my computer.

Even though the internet has opened our eyes to more music that we may never have heard of and a quicker, cheaper way of getting hold of music, has it ruined the connection that you get from buying a CD?

I spoke to Dave [@jmyorks], a journalist from Leeds about whether the internet is destined to wipe out CD’s; “the mainstream market I think will be almost exclusively served by the net in coming months never mind years. A whole generation has grown up without having a physical release to queue up for and hold.”

“I think this is purely and simply because of the culture we live in, we want it all, we want it now. Its immediate availability, hear the record, click the link, a minute later it’s on your iPod, android whatever…The fact that with albums now you can pick and choose what tracks you want.”

However, it is a good time if you are a fan of vinyl at the moment as it is making a return to popularity years after going out of fashion. More and more people are buying record players and 12’ singles/albums are making a return to shops. A lot of bands put out limited edition vinyl over the past few years to get people buying actual physical copies of music again but now it is becoming the popular way to buy music again.

I spoke to Dave about the recent revival of vinyl; “Certainly some dj’s are going back to vinyl… for some people they are becoming merely something to own and display, others it’s something to show off and collect as they usually come in limited numbers. I am tempted to think it is more about the collection and sound aspect as many vinyl releases are of albums previously released so it’s not being bought for content – maybe the sound but not the content.”

But is this just a short lived fashion statement by a culture of youngsters obsessed with reliving the past or can vinyl really make a comeback and have a place in the music market like it once did?

Again, I asked Dave his opinion; “I think it will last yes because all of the reasons above will remain and more people will discover what it’s like to hold a vinyl album and look at the sleeve notes, its old school and retro and there is a love for that.”

“if you look at the releases that are coming on National Record Store Day they are for want of a better phrase, established credible artists. Other vinyl releases tend to be artists, I would imagine, appeal more to dj’s – for example the new Ting Tings album.”

“I think once you get into vinyl you will always love it, it’s not this generations fault they never had the pleasure.”

Let us know your opinions about CD’s and vinyl.

Two vinyl records

DJ’s using vinyl

How obsessed with looks has our music industry become?

Is the music industry too over concerned with looks and appearance rather than talent and ability?

From fashion magazines and blogs to the social media like Twitter, everyone is out to pass opinion on every area of a famous person’s life and career. Musicians are not exempt from this and even though fashion and music have gone hand in hand for decades now, has it got to the point where we focus too much on the way a band/musician looks rather than their music?

I took to the streets of Sheffield to find out what you guys thought of this:

• “I do agree that the music industry has become too looks orientated now, it seems more like it’s acceptable for people to like and band or artist because they are attractive rather than whether they have any talent or not.” – Sally James, 23.
• “I don’t really think it is any different to how it has been in the past, music and fashion has always been linked.” – Robert Crookes, 34.
• “I think there is an emphasis on looks as there is in every industry but I think for most people looks don’t detract from whether they think they are a good musician or not.” – Darren Salling, 25.
• “I’d rather have someone good looking to look at so I think it is important but that won’t stop me from liking a band just because I don’t find any of the members attractive.” – Louise Fletcher, 21.

While the likes of Lady Gaga, Madonna and Rihanna are spending their time changing their looks to stay in the news, artists in other genres of music are finding ways of putting their music out there while staying anonymous to the world. Dance artist SBTRKT is fast making a name for himself in the music industry after his successful slot supporting Friendly Fires on their UK tour in November last year.

The man behind SBTRKT, Aaron Jerome, wears masks onstage in order to shield his face from the crowd whilst playing his set. In an interview with A Hidden Place, the anonymous designer and visual arts director they spoke about the masks he designs for him and the privacy that comes with wearing them. “The fact of wanting the focus to fall on the music and trying to avoid all the kind of tabloid style music blogging.”

So, while some artists are trying to flaunt their looks, others are trying to hide them. Is this really an issue, should musicians just be musicians and nothing more or is it inevitable that they will always be judged on fashion and looks by the media and the public?

Let us know your opinions!

Related links:

To read the full interview with A Hidden Place click here.

Is this the end of rock bands?

There has been a lot of talk about the state of rock music recently and apparently it is dead. All these articles hold no truth for me personally because I look at the rock/alternative music scene and right now especially in the UK it’s probably the best it has been in a long while and it’s set to get even better over this year.

The singles charts are full of indie, dance and r’n’b but there are bands making a name for themselves in mainstream music. Over the past couple of years, Bring Me The Horizon released their third studio album and received amazing praise from critics and fans, entering charts all over the world and getting a number one album in Australia. You Me At Six released their third album and scored a number 3 album in the UK album chart which is no mean feat for a rock band these days in a music industry saturated by pop acts. Architects released their fourth album, The Blackout and Kids In Glass Houses released their third albums and together all these bands have put the British alternative scene back on the map. Even American bands such as All Time Low and Foo Fighters put out two of the best albums of last year. So far in 2012, St Albans’ Enter Shikari and High Wycombe’s Young Guns have put out two groundbreaking albums and scored a top 5 and top 20 album respectively. Enter Shikari especially have been dubbed the voice of young people today with their lyrics which focus on society and politics, something real that you can relate to.

Magazines such as Rocksound and Kerrang! are heavily promoting the Best of British too, with both magazines putting out special issues dedicated to British rock bands of today, surely this wouldn’t be possible if rock music was ‘dead’. It seems like there has never been a better time for the alternative scene in the UK. Speaking in Rocksound magazine a couple of years ago, Josh Franceschi, lead singer of You Me At Six, spoke about why British bands are doing so well at the moment; “I think British bands have stepped up recently. There are only so many times that the same-sounding US music can come in and take over.”

If you look at festival line up’s from last year with its heavy presence of rock bands from the UK or US. Also, on daytime Radio One you will hear songs from Bring Me The Horizon and Architects, if you are not familiar with these bands their music contains screaming vocals and heavy guitar riffs, music you wouldn’t expect to hear on this station apart from on The Radio One Rock Show but to hear it in the day surely shows that rock music is making a mark that can’t be ignored.

In terms of the alternative scene it is amazingly strong and full of talent whether established like Bring Me The Horizon or up and coming like My Passion and Young Guns. But in terms of big, stadium rock bands it is not really a brilliant time for them. The UK has about 2 or 3 really big bands such as Muse and Kasabian and the US is not that much better with Green Day, Foo Fighters and Metallica. If this is what they are referring to by saying rock music is dead then I guess they are sort of right. A messed up music industry is never going to help these bands and more time and money needs to be put into finding these new artists and giving them a chance on records labels instead of dropping them straight away if record sales are bad.

But all that doesn’t mean that one of this new wave of British rock bands can’t become the next big stadium filling band to sell plenty of albums and have success worldwide as well as on these shores. It is inevitable that it will happen at some point, it is just a matter of when and who.

But don’t just take my word for it, I hit the streets to find out what other people thought about the current state of the rock music scene in the UK and in general and here is what they had to say:

• Ben Jones, 22, student from Norwich says “I think rock music is in the best place it has been in years especially in the UK. There have been so many brilliant albums and tours over the past couple of years, that if anything we are spoilt for choice.”
• Sian Halfpenny, 20, student from Sheffield says “I don’t think that rock music is having a particularly brilliant time right now, it’s not in the charts at all really. I don’t listen to rock music anyway but I think it needs to do something in order to be more popular.”
• Adam Barnes, 23, retail assistant from Leeds says “I really think the rock music is having a bit of a revival right now, being updated for the 21^st Century. There are so many amazing bands around right now which is brilliant for me as I love rock and metal music.”