Objects are designed to break under consumerism, otherwise no one would bother buying new. And when the waste generated by decades of constant buying, breaking, and binning gets too much, we get another spin. We are not doing enough to fix it. We are not good enough at recycling, or at eating vegan, or at sacrificing the convenience we have been told to desire to solve the overwhelming problems of climate change, of poverty, of war.
Read MoreIt is the day of my tahoor, or purification; it is the day that I am to be cut. I am feeling joyous but slightly nervous (and a different feeling I couldn’t quite categorise) about the occasion: the communal ritual which will, in my eyes, make me a woman!
Read MoreBDSM is frequently captured as a manifestation of misogyny, and its practice is presented as wholly derivative of patriarchal culture. On social media platforms such as TikTok, or more specifically ‘Kink Tok,’ you might find assertations made by women in comment sections, such as: “call me vanilla, but I don’t find violence sexy,” or “why does nobody like vanilla sex anymore?”
Read MoreBefore, I was not a divided person. I took pride in my decisiveness, and my ability to dissect, understand and articulate my own feelings. That was until chronic illness split me down the middle, like a kitchen knife through an overripe avocado.
Read MoreFeminist algorithms on TikTok have sweepingly moved away from meaningful discussions or helpful political praxis anyway, regardless of such internal infiltrations. #Feminist videos now filter through harmful and outdated strands of feminism, which ultimately disguises privilege or which neatly rebrands and repackages misogyny, whilst claiming to be ‘empowering’ women.
Read MoreIt has become a concerning trend that “my anecdote beats your expertise.”
Read MoreA weird thing started happening to me a few years ago, I started to become invisible. It wasn’t everywhere or all of the time - in the private sphere of my life I was still very much solid, visible and three dimensional, but I started to notice it happening occasionally on the public stage, like some sort of glitch. Groups of teens and twenty-somethings would start looking through me as I walked along the street towards them. Or I’d stand waving a tenner at the front of a busy bar for what felt like hours whilst the staff served everyone to either side of me.
Read MoreTo all these companies, who claim to be diverse and inclusive, is it just a publicity stunt so that they can maintain their image in front of shareholders and stand out from their competitors? Diversity and inclusion are merely words that carry no weight unless they are put into practice.
Read MoreLeaving aside the vested interests of those who stand to materially benefit from the status quo, let’s assume most people do not want to bring about climate destruction. Fairly uncontroversial. Why is it, then, that we struggle to collectively reckon with its significance?
Read MoreAre people having children without realising what it will mean for their life? Did you feel unprepared for the impact parenting had on your life?
Read MoreThe UK Government’s response to Ukrainians fleeing their country is a conscientious commitment to an ideology piously hostile towards refugees and asylum-seekers. Initially resistant to opening any adequate routes to asylum, the government has resolutely maintained their stance on requiring visas for those escaping Putin’s aggression. Every other country in Europe has waived them.
Read MoreIs plastic surgery a symptom of a patriarchal society or should we let women do whatever they want with their bodies?
Read MoreBeing Wiccan isn’t about the fancy altars or acquiring vast amounts of knowledge. I know that it requires me to just exist in the world, and harm none. All I have to do is be present, and find joy in the world – and if that’s in the middle of a supermarket, then so be it.
Read MoreAt the end of February 2022, government ministers announced a controversial set of plans to make over the requirements for student loans in the UK, to address the so-called ‘crisis’ of student loan debt in the country.
Read MoreWe live in the age of the Instagram traveller. They have a perfectly curated feed, have most definitely travelled to Cambodia, Thailand and Bali, and often [if they’ve done said travelling in their gap year] come to university laden with experiences from their ‘crazy’ overseas adventures.
Read MoreOn the evening of Transgender Day of Vibisility, the UK government decided to introduce a conversion therapy ban in England and Wales, but only focused on sexuality rather than gender identity. This means that on Transgender Day of Visibility, our PM took the logical, but equally horrific, next logical steps in what has been a systemic and quick erasure of transgender rights in the country.
Read MoreBosnia and Herzegovina is facing one of its worst political crises since the end of the Bosnian War in 1995. The high representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt, has warned that the country is in imminent danger of breaking part, with a “very real” prospect of a return to conflict.
Read MoreAll of them had: my parents, my teachers, my friends, my pastor. They had lied to me at school, at church, at home. They had kept that information from me, and used that ignorance against me. They had forced me to pretend for years to be someone I was not. They had made me feel pathetic, trapped, suicidal.
But telling me I was a woman wasn’t the last lie they would tell me, and far from the last one I would believe.
Read MoreDisabled LGBTQ+ folk should not be, and should never have had to consider, giving up something that should ordinarily be a wholesome and enlightening experience. Disabled LGBTQ+ people should not have to forgo the feeling of being special, included, and seen due to inaccessibility. Many people have no experience of their health, wellbeing, and safety being disregarded and therefore put at risk due to a lack of accessibility. Yet disabled people are often made to compromise our health in the name of inclusion or opt out of attending. Why?
Read MoreSince my early teens, I have carried a sense of shame for being interested in and enjoying sex. I come from a family (and culture) where sex is not openly discussed, and it has taken some considerable effort, discomfort, and re-learning to understand what sexual power means to me and how I can harness it for my overall empowerment.
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