Cancel or Keep? Canta Edition
As 2023 begins to complete its final few chapters, the sickening scent begins to linger of those things that 2023 has brought or kept that just stink. It’s hard to summarize the year when it’s flown by so fast. So let me help bring to light some of the wonderful and stinky components of 2023 as we reminisce.
Fashion world tombstones
It aches me to say that Cargo pants have officially left the building. They had a good dash, and they were such fun, but now our world is infiltrated by cargo pants and there is no escape. The moment I clicked they needed to go was when my mum wanted to try a pair on, and it was officially time for mine to be handed to the opshop.
Skinny Jeans, need I say more. Give yourself some room to breathe.
Ugg boots and slippers have absolutely shot up the fashion ranks this season after a brisk winter, but are they actually cute appropriate to be strutting around uni? Don’t get me wrong I love a little library mish in my slippers, but it appears those puppies belong in the comfort of a home space after a few side eyes from students.
And the number one prize for fashion cancellations goes too….fast fashion! This sh*tty way to process clothing is dated, terrible for the environment and just straight cringe. It’s an absolute shocker that companies like Shein still have customers, and if you’re one of them, boooooo. It’s not cute to dress cheap anymore, buy from the Op Shop.
Fashion trends that deserve to be kept
I love jorts on all genders. Some people have mixed opinions on this but I believe jorts have been such a fun fashion addition especially for the ladies. That’s a keeper in my books.
Another classic from a classic brand is the Birkenstock Boston’s. Versatile for winter and summer, can be classy or cute. Can see this shoe being a timeless classic honestly.
Cowboy Boots eeeeek, biased opinion but with jorts or long jeans or even with a cute summery dress?! Such a fun wee trend that deserves to stick around.
Aspects of student life that need to graduate
It has been a monumental year. But at the same time, it’s hard to even process what has been monumental when it’s gone so fast and there’s only a few months left. But as students, we’ve been engulfed in a world of study that has no longer taken the hit from Covid, so how have we coped in the 2023 circumstances when Covid 19 hasn’t been the thing to cancel?
Something we unfortunately didn’t cancel but got wiped anyway was the beloved Mono. Thursday nights have never been the same. It was so riveting to convince your friends to drink despite their three-hour lab in the morning, to go watch a DJ that you probably don’t know any songs of. May Mono rest in peace.
Let’s just cancel vapes. Everyone’s addicted, they’re about to ban disposables but they’ll just get sold on the black market, and now people are turning to cigarettes to stop vaping. It’s gone too far! And now cigarettes are getting more alty with ‘tumblr like’ writing on them, so they look even more aesthetic. Oh, and lets also cancel people saying “nah bro I’m actually going to quit this week”. Bffr, you’re going to buy one more lychee dispo when you pick up your tui box so may as well just not announce it to everyone else to save yourself the shame.
Canada’s new branding: printing warnings directly onto individual cigarettes in a bid to deter young people from starting smoking and encourage others to quit, 2023.
Why is student parking so expensive when you can’t even find a park at uni ever unless you arrive at 8am? Cancel student parking. Just everything about it. It’ll save the same of driving around the arts car park about 10 times in hope you catch someone walking to their car to you can awkwardly wait to take their park. I think it’s time to bring back hoverboards.
Students were very grateful that this winter season flew by because student housing is colder and damper than ever. It’s unfortunate that wet and dark flats have become normalized in order to live cheaper, as wellness does not follow suit. A perk of flatting in Christchurch was that living was cheap but cold. Now, rent in 2024 has increased by at least $18 per flat, heading from the early $150’s to now boarding the $200 mark. Let’s hope this uphill trend of price increase ends in 2023.
Sophie Renton posing Infront of her student flat that is increasing $18 dollars in rent next year, 2023.
Some are fresh out of high school, others may be mature students, but most people really don’t give a sh*t about what high school you went to (except for finding mutuals which is 100% valid). A chat among many is that Christchurch high schools have a hierarchy, and people from CHCH get it, and the rest just don’t care enough. High school was an interesting era, but let’s just temporarily cancel the conversation for the moment.
Honorable student things that deserve to be kept
The Club Scene! It is ironic considering what I just wrote about high school, but the UC club scene feels like fun interpersonal high school events again and it is one of UC’s coolest aspects. From flat crawls to law balls, to information nights and slightly dangerous jungle juice, the club scene provides so much opportunity for connection and growth. Honourable mention to Lads without Labels who go above and beyond to bring the community together to spread awareness and fundraise for mental health. Run72 was epic, and brought so many individuals together for a wonderful cause.
Keep the free stuff. People lurrvvvvv free stuff. Those sausages will always be a treat with a sweet little fresh up to brush off the four snags. Any food that is free will always catch the eye of a broke student, keep it up UCSA.
Subsidized dentist care is one of the UCSA’s greatest and hidden assets. The subsidized dental scheme provides $385 to students per year for dentist care at either Ilam Dental or Moriarty Dental, amazing!
Worldly fucked up shit that needs to go
The biggest weakness of our society that still needs to be cancelled is the use of slurs. It is appalling how common derogatory terms are being ripped around friend groups, and it appears that those using the bad terms hang around others who also speak in such a foul way. Don’t be that guy. It’s not funny or attractive, and people will remember the words you use. It’s going to be embarrassing to reflect on when you’re 40, so nip it in the bud now and educate yourself.
Underpaying teachers, writers, nurses, etc! The strikes that have occurred this year has been insane. Do you know some high school students have been attending school only four days a week due to teachers striking? It’s incredibly unfortunate that valuable citizens are having to risk their jobs and sacrifice their time in order to get paid what they deserve. Society needs to back those fighting for pay in order to cancel these strikes.
Margot Robbie at the Sag Aftra strike, joining the picket line 2023
A ‘For You’ page killer in Aoteraoa has been the infiltration of Politicians on TikTok. To see Christopher Luxon doing ASMR through the cutting of sand whilst explaining a policy was genuinely mind blowing. As Beccy Arnold (Canta Feature Writer) said in her article on the topic, “New Zealand’s political parties are putting their low-wage Gen Z interns to work and they’re all fighting each other for the attention of people aged 18-25.” They need to be cancelled. It’s amusing, but definitely cancel worthy.
Chris Luxon doing ASMR whilst talking about policies, 2023.
2023 witnessed a mixed bag of fashion trends, ranging from bidding adieu to cargo pants and skinny jeans, while questioning the appropriateness of Ugg boots at university. The student experience revealed the return of cherished traditions like the UC club scene and the allure of freebies, juxtaposed against mounting student housing costs and exorbitant parking fees. On a broader scale, the year emphasized the urgency of canceling hurtful language, advocating for equitable pay, and even scrutinizing the unexpected appearance of politicians on TikTok.
Life’s moving quickly, but we’ve got to move with it. Unload the unnecessary baggage you deem ‘cancellable’, and keep those special wee things in your life that evoke and provide richness of life. The journeys what you make it, so keep it as un-cancellable and clean as you can!