Powered by a wave of determined motivation, I started a go-fund-me and used what was left of my summer-job savings to book my flights. Making sure there was no turning back, the preparation began. Research into where I was staying, endless vaccinations, reading government advice and spending way to long trying to memorise the airport map. Finally, I was confident in the decision.
Read MoreBEAT, an eating disorder charity, has claimed a 50% increase in calls to their helpline since the start of lockdown. The increased focus on being fit and healthy is affecting those who are already struggling. The rise in workout regimes and diet pill social media ads makes it impossible to get away from the so-called ‘ideal body’ we should be aiming for.
Read MoreAs a black pharmacist it’s quite difficult to dissociate the virus from racism. BIPOC people statistically are dying at a greater rate at the hands of COVID and this is combined with direct negligence.
Read MoreThis is a love-letter to words. William Golding spoke of the power of words and the role of the novelist: ‘I almost prefer the word craftsman, like one of the old fashioned ship builders who conceived the build of the boat in their mind, and after they had touched every single piece that went into the boat […] they knew it inch by inch […] I think the novelist is very much like that’. The author knows the book ‘inch by inch’: he handles every clause as the shipbuilder touches every bolt.
Read MoreI feel like the school curriculum is so narrow in terms of what they decide to teach you for you to become a fully fledged adult. They fling simultaneous equations, how to use semicolons successfully in a sentence, and how to make literal explosions in the chemistry labs, but they don’t actually make us aware of some of the things I am sure all of us would like to know the answers to.
Read MoreMy profession also had to move online. I work as a life model; posing nude for art schools, universities and community groups, as well as facilitating my own life drawing class in Bristol, with a collective of life models (United Models Life Drawing).
Read MoreNot only taking hormonal contraception can act as a plaster over our bodily symptoms, but it can also cause serious side effects. Weight gain, acne, depression, headaches, even agonising back pain.
Read MoreMany players said that they often tuned out the sounds of the stadium and focused on the game at hand. However, some suggested that the roar of the crowd from a big play revitalised a team’s efforts and morale and could occasionally be the catalyst that was needed for a big comeback.
Read MoreThe term Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) is problematic. It lumps together vastly different groups of people, ignoring that within all of these groups the socioeconomic conditions in which individuals evolve can be vastly different. The term inherently embodies the othering of people of colour.
Read MoreSo, whilst I know I would happily have endless video calls with my friends and family, as a woman, I think I find it easy to do that. Meanwhile, my boyfriend has very rarely video called his friends during lockdown, why would he when he can talk to them over a game of Warzone?
Read MoreLike most things, creating change ‘from the bottom’ is difficult and it definitely does not occur overnight; it is even more difficult to spark political and social change. Social and political change will take us to unify as one voice, educate ourselves daily, and question the world around us - the same world that has been fed to us as a delusion: a utopia. So, what can we really continue to do outside of protests?
Read MoreAs a woman growing up, I’ve rarely felt empowered in my own body. Its shape, its strength, its power, its intricacies. I have felt its weight, its fat, its rolls, its appearance to the eye of other’s. I’ve rarely felt ownership, pride and confidence in its beauty and everything it does to keep me alive.
Read MoreIt’s pretty clear by now that every facet of our existence is inextricably linked to capitalism. Race, class, gender, housing, climate change, happiness, sex, pain, life, death. Capitalism is designed this way; it is a work of pure genius. Capitalism is, as I have previously written, a process of osmosis; capitalism does not present itself as monstrous, but as freedom. But whether you are a free market capitalist or a hard left socialist, you cannot realistically deny that capitalism is no longer the choice-option it sells itself to be - like it or not, you participate, or are left to face the consequences.
Read MoreAfter joining a society in my first year of Uni that taught children and young people about sexual health, consent, relationships, and the importance of maintaining sexual hygiene - I quickly realised that these were all topics that had been avoided in my secondary school.
Read MoreAfter a childhood spent gaily skewering imaginary villains on perilous quests, my interests broadened. I found something mightier than the sword, a new Holy Grail to seek: a career in writing. After a blurry and rather pungent three years at university, I entered employment and – with no small amount of luck – I found my first writing job at 22 years old.
Read More“In an age where our digital footprint is having ever more bearing on our lives, and with the future threatening to digitalise our reality even more so, is it fair to create a digital footprint for our children before they are old enough to be taught what it may mean? Particularly when possess no certainty around what its impact might be”
Read MoreMasks have become, in this strange world of 2020, a flashpoint of conflicting ideologies, and much more than a thin flannel for your face.
Read MoreMy initial reaction, as an introvert, was glee: I was being told that I had to stay inside and work from home, which meant that I was saving money on transport, lunch, and events in the city centre. Plus, I could have more leisure time, something my 2-hour weekday commute did not easily allow. I also rarely get lonely, and I live with my partner anyway so I didn’t see the issue!
Read MoreThe UK’s cosmetic industry reached a value of 9.8 billion pounds in 2017. Yes, you read that right. Billion. That’s £9,8,000,000,000,000. That’s almost three times what Manchester United is worth. It’s about the same as the Duke of Westminster has in his bank account and he owns half of London.
Read MoreFrom Cobain we can learn about the psychology of fame and create a kinder culture, from Leelah we can learn and progress in how we protect and embrace the transgender community, and from writers such as Woolf, we can learn, as she intended, more about the beauty and talent of her greatest passion. I doubt, when she wrote her final piece, she wanted it to be labelled as context for further reading. I think she would have wanted it where it belongs, this honest, beautiful piece of work, in books, in discussions about depression, in dissertations written by those who value and continue to learn from her.
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