What’s new for you in 2014?

On Boxing Day I received an email about getting fit in the New Year. I immediately put down my huge turkey and stuffing sandwich and deleted the message before it got to me and stopped me enjoying the last few days of overindulgence. At least wait until after New Year’s Eve to make me ‘lose the mince pies’, I thought to myself.

But with Christmas well and truly over, it seems toning up and saving up are the nation’s top priorities for 2014. According to Gocompare.com, around half of us will try to get fit, eat more healthily or lose weight this year, while a third of us will endeavour to sort out our finances.

Other priorities include:

·         Taking up a new sport or hobby (27%)

·         Spending more time with family/friends (26%)

·         Finding a new job (25%)

·         Reducing or quitting smoking (22%)

·         Cutting down on or cutting out alcohol (17%)

Claire Peate, Gocompare.com’s customer insight manager, said: “For many of us, a new year represents a fresh start; a time to think about things we want to achieve or behaviour we want to change. But despite beginning the year with good intentions, our survey suggests that most people fail to keep their resolutions.”

I guess that’s not what you really want to hear if you’ve made grand plans to set the world (or at least your world) to rights this year. But while you think about what you want to give up or take up, it’s worth thinking about how you’re going to see your resolutions through this year.

Who are you going to hang around with more and what books are you going to read to get inspiration and keep you focused? What can you stop doing that will make it easier to avoid temptation in a few weeks’ time?

Whatever your aims are for 2014, the key is to prepare well and to start now. And if you do have any relapses, don’t give up! Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and try again. Statistics show that the more times you try, the more likely you are to eventually succeed.

We’d love to hear what your New Year’s resolutions are in the comments below. And if you are planning on making some changes, Sorted may be able to help. We are currently working on our March-April edition and it’s packed full of useful tips on fitness, finance and a wide range of other issues.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!   

Uni Lad has had its day; Sorted mag is here to stay!

Imagine your daughter has just left for university, excited about the new friends she’ll meet and the wonderful things she’s about to learn. The world is her oyster!

Then picture her hitting the local student bar, knocking back shots of what tastes like paint stripper and probably has a similar effect on her stomach/brain.

Her makeup is smudged all over her face and she’s slumped over the bar looking as though she’s about to vomit and pass out simultaneously.

I know this isn’t what any father/grandfather/brother wants to hear, but if you knew what was coming next, you’d understand why I’m putting you through this.

At this point, some sleazy guy who’s been staring at your little girl all night decides to make his move. He pretends to be helping her but what he’s actually doing is taking advantage of her in her semi-conscious state.

I imagine he is the kind of guy that reads Uni Lad, a publication you wouldn’t use to wrap your fish and chips in. The website of this ‘mag’ provides links to topics such as – and I quote – “how to pull a fresher”; “the blood jizz cocktail”; “Halloween: the easiest night to get laid?”; and the “vagina vomit bucket” (I kid you not).  

But this all pales into insignificance once you read a post that appeared on its site in January. Here’s a snippet:

"And if the girl you’ve taken for a drink happens to belong to the ‘25%’ group and won’t ‘spread for your head’, think about this mathematical statistic: 85% of rape cases go unreported. That seems to be fairly good odds."

I don’t think you need me to unpick the various levels of offence this short extract contains. I’m not easily shocked, but this genuinely made me feel sick. And incredibly angry. And then sick again.

In a previous blog I wrote about the link between the content of lads’ mags and the attitudes of convicted rapists, and I think this probably even tops that. Joking about rape is not ‘banter’. It’s not big, clever or funny. It’s an absolute disgrace and should have resulted in immediate legal action.

Picked up on Twitter, there was a massive reaction to this post, which has since been taken down. In fact, the whole site is being revamped and an apology has been issued. But this kind of filth needs to stop once and for all, as I’m sure most men would agree. It’s demeaning to women, but it’s also insulting to men when sites like this assume their readers condone rape ‘jokes’.

So should we hoik our daughters out of university before anything terrible occurs? Should we start an Occupy Uni Lad protest? Possibly. It’s absolutely right to stand up against this kind of poisonous prose, but in my opinion it’s just as important to take positive action.

The first step is to make sure you aren’t reinforcing negative stereotypes about women yourself. Your sons and daughters will subconsciously take your attitudes on board and may either mirror your misogynistic views (boys) or start to see themselves as worthless objects (girls).

The second step is to offer a better alternative. I know I’m biased, but Sorted magazine is perfect for uni-goers. It’s already available at many universities, but we want to make it available to every male student across the UK.

If it’s banter guys want, they can get it in Sorted. If it’s lifestyle tips or sex advice they need: Sorted. If they’re interested in film, music, celebrities, finance, politics: Sorted. If they want to ponder the meaning of life: Sorted, Sorted, Sorted!

You can help to make this vision a reality. We need financial support from individuals, churches and Christian Unions to provide the nation’s braniacs with something that’s a lot more wholesome.

Provide your son or daughter’s university with 50 glossy copies for just £70; the impact it has on university culture (and the future of our country!) will be priceless.