Student journalism. Images of Rory Gilmore and Logan Huntzberger pacing the corridors of Yale in Gilmore Girls come to mind. With tight deadlines, last minute changes and an ever present pressure to outdo your previous article, it’s a surprise we can think about anything other than Varsity in a given day. Guilty of taking our roles a little too seriously, student journalists are not usually hard to spot. For starters, it’s impossible to have a conversation without us suggesting that ‘you could write an article about that’ every 3 minutes. Attitude aside, how do these writers dress? Each section has a distinct look consisting of a number of fashion do’s and don’t’s. While the fashion girlies riffle through thrift stores to find their next prized possession, the news boys simply layer a plaid shirt over a t-shirt and call it a day.

News

News is the centre of the paper, and according to them, also the centre of the universe. Just as they all have the same sharp hearing for a potential lead, they also dress in the same disastrous outfits. At first I thought they were matching coincidentally with their beige chinos and plaid shirts. However, the more I observed them, the more this fluke seemed to be intentional. A ‘uniform’ to distinguish them from the rest of the paper. Fear not, they are real journalists.

Being real journalists, they have no time for the fun and frills that fashion has to offer. A charming addition to this uniform is a brown satchel. I can’t help but wonder what they keep in there. My best guess is that they are stashing the past three print editions of Varsity to parade their front page story to anyone who will listen.

The newbie newsie is even easier to spot, for they still have a glimmer in their eyes and are actually listening to you - not just listening for a potential story. However, it’s not long before they too begin to dress like Joseph Gordon-Levitt in (500) Days of Summer.

Fashion

Predictably, the Fashion section is the best dressed team in Varsity. Frankly, I cannot keep up. The pressure to dress well when you are a fashion editor is colossal. The fashion girlies are too sophisticated for a tote bag. Instead, they carry purses too small to carry anything other than a phone and a vibe. Single handedly responsible for giving student journalists a semi-stylish reputation, the fashion section is critical to the paper’s image.

Occasionally, we are guilty of going too far. With the experimentation of different colours, textures and layers, I can’t lie, sometimes it looks like a quaint charity shop has thrown up on the fashion team. Every now and then, I think that each fashion editor corresponds to a character in Pretty Little Liars. Anna Chan is, without a doubt, the modern day equivalent to Aria Montgomery.

Theatre

Their party tricks include reciting the entirety of Les Misérables and breaking out into tap dance. Who could that be other than the theatre section? Once theatre kids, they have bravely retired from their acting careers and adopted a new aspiration to be the next Michael Billington. With the scarves and the hats, together, the theatre team could make up the cast of Glee. Unfortunately, they would take that as a compliment. Who’s going to tell them that real life is not a show?

Sport

A sporty journalist? I’ve yet to see one. Although they write for the sport section, the only sport I can imagine them doing is rowing. With the deceiving quarter zips and basketball shorts, one may be led to believe that they practice what they preach, but don’t be fooled! Wii Sports are the only championships they come victorious in.

The Burnt-out Journo

An ex-Editor-in-Chief, a retired columnist, a burnt-out reviewer. Student journalism can become too much for some. The burnt-out journo can be spotted easily. They attend socials, they ask about the drama, yet they refuse to ever re-enter the game. Sporting their stash from three executive teams ago, you can’t help but worry that you may become them one day.