scare-free Sundays

Positive news, Harry Styles’ new album and a whole lot of things to look forward to: relax and wind down with a carefully curated pop culture tonic

Hero image in post
photo: Team Woo
Hero image in post
photo: Team Woo

Positive news, Harry Styles’ new album and a whole lot of things to look forward to: relax and wind down with a carefully curated pop culture tonic

By Eve Walker22 May 2022
10 mins read time
10 mins read time

Weekend's are great and all, but as they come to a close, they're often tainted by a weirdly unsettling feeling. Sunday evenings; it's a period where we find ourselves simultaneously anticipating the stresses of Monday morning while grieving the freedom of the weekend. Time seems to speed up as the modern cultural phenomenon that is the "Sunday Scaries" kicks in.

That's why, we're providing an antidote. Every Sunday, we bring you a roundup of the weeks ICYMI moments. From the news that might make you feel good, to the TV shows to binge and playlists to get lost in. Reader, go forth and reclaim your Sunday night!

RECAP ON POSITIVE NEWS

This week, Love Island made the headlines for all the right reasons. ITV announced that the iconic show is ditching it's fast fashion sponsors in favour of a new partnership with Ebay. 2022’s Islanders will wear second-hand clothes, in a first for the show which has previously aligned itself with brands like Missguided

In other positive news, Spain has become the first country in Europe to offer menstrual leave of three days a month to people with painful periods. Spain’s government is also planning to make abortion free, as well as allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to get the procedure without parental consent.

GET INTO MASTURBATION MONTH

The tradition started when Dr. Joycelyn Elders, the American Surgeon General from 1993-4, was fired for saying that masturbation should be a part of sex education. As a reaction to this, Good Vibrations, a San Francisco-based sex shop, launched International Masturbation Month later that same year with the aim “to affirm the inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness and sexual pleasure”.

Catch up on all things self-pleasure and maybe even buy yourself some sex toys to celebrate with our round up off the best egg vibrators, gender neutral gems, cock rings, and discreet dildos.

TREAT YOURSELF

Cult British fashion destination Goodhood have just released a selection of own-label pieces. The new line is inspired by vintage sportswear, 90’s street culture and slacker art. Think staple basics, cosy tracksuits, colourful T's “for the enjoyment of everyone.”

GET LOST WITH THE BIGGER TRIP

Enter a psychedelic state of mind. Join host Emma Breschi in our new three part docuseries delving into the world of psychedelics and their newfound healing properties. From Ketamine therapy, to psychedelic fuelled creativity bringing people together, Breschi unpacks the power of tripping.

TUNE IN AND ZONE OUT: THE MUSIC YOU MISSED THIS WEEK

Harry Styles’ long awaited album Harry’s House dropped on Friday, and if you haven't had a chance to listen, why not spend your Sunday with Styles? Celebrating his newfound dexterity as an artist, the former One D star seamlessly moves through moments of folk to funky. Lead single As It Was makes us want to cry on the dance floor in a way we haven't felt since Robyn first danced on her own.

To celebrate the launch of our new three part docu-series, The Bigger Trip, London-based neo-soul singer JGrrey curated a playlist especially for Woo, titled Self-medicate. To the London artist, music is a form of therapy, and this exclusive playlist includes all the songs that help her self soothe and feel better.

ESCAPE TO AN ICONIC DESERT ISLAND

BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs has been going since the 1940s. While the hosts and guests have changed, the format remains: politicians to popstars are interviewed about the defining moments of their lives and the music that means the most to them. From Aretha Franklin and George Michael, thousands of iconic guests have revealed their eight favourite songs and it's well worth digging through the classic radio shows archives. We'd recommend rewinding two years to Arsenal legend Ian Wright's 2020 episode.

You don't have to be a football fan to fall in love with the former England player. His episode is completely heart-warming. From a beautiful story about an early teacher, to an unexpected Mozart song choice, it's an intimate depiction of the life of a national treasure.

GO WATCH THE FILM EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT…

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Think Dr Strange in the Multiverse of Madness but better. This futuristic indie film may have had a limited budget, but actress Jamie Lee Curtis (who stars in the flick) boasted on social media that it still “out marvels any Marvel movie”. Michelle Yeoh (Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, Crazy Rich Asians) plays Evelyn Wang, a Chinese American woman who runs a laundromat with her husband, Waymond (Ke Huy Quan, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom). While trying to escape the wrath of IRS auditor Deirdre Beaubeirdra (Jamie Lee Curtis, Freaky Friday), they also embark upon a mission to find “the one” who can save them from a “verse jumper” who threatens their very existence. While the plot is action packed and filled with fantasy, the themes running throughout are universal; family dynamics, coming of age, closeted queerness and what it means to belong.

…OR CURL UP TO A CLASSIC CATHARTIC GEM

Catharsis is the ultimate cure for melancholic Sundays, helping us to release all the pent up emotions of the week. From the 1940s to last year, there are so many films out there that deserve to be watched this rainy May just as much as the next blockbuster. Assuming you're not able to escape to the Cannes Film Festival this week, why not watch these incredible award-winning films from the comfort of your own bed? Snuggle up and let yourself feel all the feels…

Language Lessons

Directed by Natalie Morales (Parks and Recreation, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Dead to Me) and produced by the Duplass Brothers, this poignant film should’ve won more awards than it did. The narrative takes place entirely through video calls, following the course of a grieving man’s 100 language lessons. Made during the pandemic, this cleverly written script found a way to film during COVID without mentioning it once, and is surprisingly captivating. You will be hooked from the get go, and feel a profound connection to both protagonists.

The Lives Of Others

This breathtaking Academy-Award winning 2006 German Drama will both break your heart and restore your faith in humanity. Featuring powerful performances with haunting eyes that say more than words ever could, The Lives of Others weaves together the lives of a Stasi captain and the East German artists who’s houses he bugs. Set just before the fall of the Berlin Wall, this movie will for sure spruce up your knowledge about the divided Germany, shedding light onto the hedonism that is still rife in Berlin today. Prepare to be glued to the edge of your seats and probably shed a few tears.

Brief Encounter

Winner of the Palme D’Or at Cannes in 1949, this beautiful black and white flick will change the way you think about love. Exploring emotional repression in middle-class suburban England through an emotional affair, protagonist Laura’s dreamy voice-over narration throughout provides a sense of escapism, transporting us to the post-war world. As censorship was rife at the time Brief Encounter was made, the thrills come from the little things – a shared look, the touch of a shoulder, the love scenes interrupted before they could ever happen. Watching this melancholy movie is the ultimate act of catharsis and totally perfect for a Sunday eve.

PLAN A HOLIDAY…

Why not plan ahead for some summer stay-cations this Sunday? With so many fab recommendations coming out during English Tourism Week (May 20-30), we truly are spoilt for choice. The theme for the 2022 annual celebration is “You’re Welcome”, highlighting that the tourist industry is ready to welcome visitors back after the turbulence of the pandemic. Here are our top picks for places to go.

Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear

With the new Lumo trains, tickets to the North-East are finally affordable again. There aren’t swarms of crowds on the beaches here like there are down South – expect peace and tranquillity by the fresh sea air on Long Sands Beach, and the best fish and chips you’ve ever eaten. Visit Riley’s Fish Shack for delicious food right on the beach, or jump on a bus to the quaint Low Lights Tavern for an ice cold pint – you can find Sam Fender’s Brit Award sitting behind the bar of this iconic local.

Just a short bus ride away from Newcastle city centre, you can easily get to the booming nightlife with drinks so cheap Londoners will feel like they’re stealing. What are you waiting for? Howay the toon!

Polperro, Cornwall

Arguably the most iconic and gorgeous fishing village in Cornwall, this artist’s paradise is filled with boutique shops and little eateries along main street The Coombe. Sandy beaches with turquoise waters are dotted all along the south coast; you can find a small beach on the harbour, and the star of the show Lansallos Beach is only 2.5 miles away, which has a simply breathtaking waterfall to the west of the beach.

There is an abundance of dog-friendly cottages, luxury homes and bigger properties all fit for every group, whether you’re after a romantic getaway, a family holiday or a trip with friends.

Muker, North Yorkshire

Home to only 300 people, this little village has a multitude of the most charming bed and breakfasts and two local pubs and is a short distance away from other equally lovely villages.

Beloved by walkers as it lies on the route of both the Pennine Way and Coast to Coast, paths go from the village and cut through delightful hay meadows. The most recommended walks from Muker goes through Hay Meadows, around Kisdon Gorge and up the valley to Keld. On this route you will pass four instagram worthy waterfalls, and with Keld being recently restored by the Keld Resource Centre, it is particularly scenic.

Close by is the pretty village of Gunnerside, where you can find the Old Working Smithy and Museum to discover how lead mining played an integral part in the economy of the Yorkshire Dales for centuries.

Visit Muker June, which is the best time to visit to see the fields in full bloom, or September for the annual show, which kicks off with the Muker Silver Band parading through the village, followed by sheepdog trials, fell races and other family activities.

THE LONG READ

This must-read follows Paolo Pellegrin, celebrated photojournalist and winner of ten World Press Photo awards, on his search for the sublime while grappling with blindness from an aggressive case of glaucoma.

SHELF LIFE

Read the LGBTQ+ graphic novel Heartstopper that the Netflix show of the same name is based on, following two schoolboys who form a friendship after being sat next to each other and eventually fall in love.

Heartstopper Volume One

By Alice Osman

By Alice Osman

Heartstopper Volume One
£$9.99