A Girls Guide to Rugby

It’s a known fact that rugby is a little like marmite. You either love it.. or you hate it. The most likely reason for hating it, no doubt has something to do with loving the complete opposite sport.. football. Ok so that’s all a little confusing. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I have always loved marmite on my toast, and therefore rugby it is!

I’m not denying the talent footballers possess when bending it like Beckham and dribbling all over the pitch. And I’m not denying the fact some fans are quite literally dribbling all over the toned bodies revealed when shirts are removed at the end of a game, often following a victory. BUT what is it that makes Rugby the clear winner for me you ask? It may have something to do with not grasping the offside rule, despite numerous attempts by boyfriends via the tomato ketchup and vinegar bottles after an evening meal. 

All jokes aside about rugby being the game for “gays,” it in fact revolves around strong, talented individuals who are determined to drive that ball over the try line no matter who gets in their way. After being brought up in a household where visits to Twickenham and grounds alike are as regular as trips to the supermarket, I hold much respect for those men getting out there and getting dirty in order to bring home a try. Unfortunately after enduring lessons as a child in the ‘under sevens’ team, I decided ballet and remaining mud free was actually for me, as opposed to countless manic seven-year-old boys wrestling with you in order to give up the ball. From then on I’ve watched my dad and brother from the sidelines, and been quite content in doing just that.

At the height of the Six Nations this is no doubt the most exciting time for all rugby fanatics. With the competition rising, so is the pressure for each and every player, in particular those playing for England. England’s date with destiny will be the final game of the championship this weekend when they take on Ireland, the team that have one won six of the past seven Tests between the two sides. 2003 saw England clinch a Grand Slam with an impressive 42-6 win over Ireland, but can they do it again in Dublin in the final part of what has been a fantastic sporting event for them?

I’m not going to lie, if they play anything like they did on the 12^h February against Italy.. then it’s a sure bet. Witnessing the 59-13 triumph from Twickenham air was an experience I’ll never forget. Sitting next to the Italian girlfriend of an England supporter is also something that will stay with me for a long time to come, especially her reaction when the whistle was blown, and the future of their relationship fell under serious jeopardy! Flood was on form as ever, with conversations coming as easy to him as us fans found cheering for each converstion made. Other favourite players, Wilkinson and Care, found their feet as England made a raft of replacements, and ultimately concluded in Italy’s defeat.

So back to the debate of which sport rules the pitch.. it is what happens off the pitch that is equally important, and therefore I believe this to be another advantage rugby has over football. Despite the exception, in general, rugby fans hold a high reputation for taking games in their stride, with the word ‘hooligan’ often falling after that of the word ‘football.’  It is not unusual to hear of football fans being trampled down after an unwanted result by an extremely competitive fan based side.

Both being contact sports, it is also the players that appear to suffer through foul play and bad sportsmanship. Yet is it a fair statement to make that one of these two sports inflicts much more pain and angst on its players? Scrums and tackles find rugby players being battered and bruised, although this abides by the rules of the game. Kicking up a storm in the mud is not quite a footballers idea of kicking a ball. Scoring a goal untouched is the idyllic game for any Wayne Rooney, and with the average footballer earning enough for numerous cosmetic surgery procedures a week, it is in fact those that play rugby whose play comes at a price. Broken noses and the famous ‘cauliflower ears’ are just some painful trophies that these ‘rugger buggers’ famously endure, in comparison to the gold studded boots and associated with Becks and his pecks.

The controversy between whether football or rugby should take to the top will never cease, but for now, lets just enjoy those men in shorts.. what ever shape ball their playing with!

“Clothes Have No Sex”

It is fashion, not biology that defines us..

That feeling of androgyny finds us all in the fashion world. Despite the actual fact of our gender, whether we are male or female, we attach other characteristics to the experience we believe should coincide with it, clothing being no exception. This becomes our gender 'identity,’ but what if we want a mix between the two?

It is fair to say a lot of controversy comes with the word ‘Transgender.’ This may have something to do with the fact that not everyone is entirely sure of its definition, and the unfair stigma that surrounds those believing they were born into the wrong body.

Some argue having a gender identity is not only unavoidable, but a necessary stage in our development. Others state it can restrict our ability to be ourselves, often having an impact on our perception, in this, giving us a stereotype. It is an accurate statement that gender identity solely comes down to fashion, or at least in the respect that clothing holds the key to the gender we want to be identified with.

It is not uncommon to walk down the street and see those that are difficult to associate as either male or female, due to the items they have chosen to wear. I myself sometimes prefer to browse in Topman, rather than Topshop, for that oversized hoody you want for either lounging around in sofa-style, or to run in when you’re feeling that little but more productive. It is fashion, not biology that should define us. In the words of Lionel Vermeil “Clothes have no sex.”

We, as women, are often taught to celebrate our bodies, dressing them in a way to suit our shape. It would be deemed fashion suicide for a curvaceous girl to cover up in a frumpy jumper, as this is considered both unflattering and unfeminine. But with more and more fashion lines releasing items usually associated with the opposite sex, no wonder it all gets a little confusing. 2010 saw man bags flying off the shelves for all the wrong, and right, reasons.

Yet it remains unacceptable for a guy to bare all in lingerie and heels when they decide they prefer to present themselves in a more feminine light. Is it because he is not in fact female by outer biology, or because women feel threatened by this sexually confident individual imitating woman and their ‘assets?’  The real question posed is whether we should doubt someones sexuality based merely on the clothes they choose to present themselves in. With idols such as Nick Rhodes remaining the most feminine straight man in pop 33 years after he co-founded Duran Duran, and Marc Jacobs presenting a camp epicene spring collection on androgynously styled girls for Louis Vuitton, the answer should really be no.

Last week ‘Love’ magazine released their fifth issue titled ‘The Androgyny Issue.’ Gracing the cover was model Kate Moss captured in an intimate pose with famous transgender phenomenon Lea T, an immediate eye catcher for any fashionista who loves ‘Love.’ As the public face of Givenchy through modeling and its advertising campaign, Lea T has kicked up a media storm ever since her reveal as transgender. Lea T's andogynous looks have caught the attention of the fashion world after Riccardo Tisci spotted potential in his young assistant. Lea, born Leandro Cerezo, the son of football player Toninho Cerezo, first discovered her transsexuality when Tisci encouraged her to attend a party wearing high heels.

Katie Grand, editor of the successful bi-annual magazine states: “Glamour, flamboyance, decadence; hair, clothes and make-up, all exaggerated and souffléd up to a rousing crescendo of excess, creating a glorious sense of artifice that entrances the beholder so much more profoundly than the matter of the gender of the person beneath it all.”

She really is a storm in a T cup..