Media, art, business, photography and more, are all considered ‘soft subjects’, unworthy of study, and are often said to lead to little progress in life or education, with people saying ‘they won’t get you anywhere’ all too much. These ‘soft’ subjects are the creative ones, however, and the stigma placed on taking three of these subjects at A-level, for example, demeans the creative industry and alienates the students who know their future lies in the creative industry. This may explain the recent controversy around the government’s recent denunciation of the creative industry, when they created an advert about Fatima and her ballet career, which was said to be of little importance.
Even universities say that students should think very carefully about taking soft subjects and advise taking at least two facilitating subjects such as maths or English to have a good chance of getting into a university. But taking vocational subjects can be beneficial to those wishing to take a different route and if academia just isn’t ‘their thing’.
Whilst being informed about what universities are looking for is valuable, the stigmatisation of more creative routes, or those that centre around a “soft subject”, is unacceptable.
Written by Coco Clelland
Artwork by Zara Masood
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