I have come to the interesting realisation of the juxtaposition between ‘isolation’ and ‘escapism’. Isn’t it funny that during lockdown we have become isolated in our homes, yet we have found it possible to feel enjoyment, escapism, and freedom through our hobbies?
Read MoreThese lockdowns have one rule: no guests in your home. Otherwise, go off sis. Do literally whatever you want. Go to a bar and ‘socially distance’. Go for a cheeky Nandos with your Gran - but don’t you DARE go to her house for a cuppa, for fuck’s sake, what’s wrong with you? Do you want your precious Gran to die? For shame! For SHAME!
Read MoreMost of us will have a vague three part tier in our heads of the class system: the upper class (who own yachts and brush their teeth with truffle), the middle class (in nice five bedroom suburban houses and a golden retriever), and the working class warehouse workers in council flats. But note the imagery - all the markers are superficial. Types of houses, holidays, food, and accents are things we use to assume someone’s class and economic standing. It is simply too reductive. Class is way more nuanced than that.
Read MoreI don’t know how long I’ve had a low sex drive, but it’s had a marked change over the years. Going without sex for months would have felt like a death sentence in my late teens and early 20’s, but now I just view it with a ‘it is what it is’ mindset.
Read MoreTwelve years after the pain started it turned out that I had a hiatal hernia, which is basically when your stomach bulges back against your oesophagus. Your oesophagus has a small opening that should close off to stop food and stomach acid etc to stop it leaking back into your oesophageal tract. Mine wasn’t doing that and my stomach acid was basically burning me.
Read MoreArrogant. Self-absorbed. Superior to others. Unique than others. Lacking in empathy. Manipulative. Patronising. Selfish. Exploitative. Demanding. An excessive need for admiration. These are a few of the traits that Narcissistic individuals display. Even though it may not seem obvious as physical injuries, the consequences of being involved with a narcissist – regardless of whether they’re your partner, parent or family member – can be traumatic.
Read MoreGardening has been a source of enjoyment, the joy it brings to the senses has meant I have experienced freedom from responsibilities in life.
Read MoreI always imagined that working from home would be the ultimate scenario. Snuggled on the sofa in my favourite pyjamas with a soft blanket slung over my shoulders, a hot cup of tea to my side and my laptop balanced on my knee firing off emails and getting everything ticked off from my work to-do list.
Read MoreSome people you meet are funny, or cruel. One thing is evident, though. You are your nationality, and that is the umbrella under which all of your traits are rationalised. Your new companions have to make sense of you, and everything has to be explained in order for them to feel comfortable around you.
Read MoreA big question that plays on my mind is where would a trans kid apply? A Boys Grammar or a Girls Grammar School? Or what about a non-binary person? Grammar Schools as a concept have this ingrained binary in most cases, with mixed Grammar Schools being few and far between (I certainly have never come across one).
Read MoreFor seven years advocacy groups and patients called out this study, urging it to be retracted, and it eventually was after outcry on Twitter. The fact that it took seven years, ironically often how long it takes for people to be diagnosed with the disease, shows how much patients are left out of the conversation about their own bodies and that ultimately the only thing worth evaluating is their appearance, not their chronic pain
Read MoreThe media workforce is 94% white and many publications have no black journalists in high-level positions. There have been efforts to diversify, with schemes, training and pledges, but we need to look at whether this is enough. It seems that more needs to be done collaboratively and with intention and awareness.
Read MoreAs I wrote to my friend Gen, writing letters made me feel like I should be in a Jane Austen novel. Sappy and sentimental, maybe, but would you expect anything less from an English Literature graduate?
Read MoreAt the end of the day, it all comes down to context and/or permission: if Adele dressed like this with no reference to the black community, or did so just to be trendy or different, we’d have a problem. As it stands, I see no problem here.
Read MoreOn Pornhub, the last three months have produced 1670 videos with the tag “coronavirus”, 1396 with “Covid”, and 1050 with “quarantine face mask”. Although this explosion might seem like we’re kinkier than ever and obsessed with pushing sexual taboos (or taboobs to coin the term), this particular face mask epidemic is less to do with breaking taboobs, and more to do with a defining object of our current culture.
Read MoreLike Hercules with a discounted PureGym membership, they appeared as if they had spent lockdown in a home-made prison, furiously pushing and pulling household objects in the garage, and chewing on the cud of Tupperware broccoli chicken and rice. Being in the gym is like being in Vietnam, except with a lot more protein shake.
Read MoreWhat makes someone regard a project as a ‘business’ or a ‘hobby’?
When I was researching, business owners often initially lamented by saying ‘Would I be spending this much time and money if it was just for casual enjoyment?!’
Read MoreFor black businesses, mercy and second chances are denied. This essentially gives them the added pressure of having to work harder to inaugurate a respectable brand for themselves, and to live up to the unrealistic expectation of perfection.
On the 23 March Boris Johnson put the UK into lockdown. Pubs, restaurants, offices, non-essential shops, non-essential everything, closed. This included gyms. For the first time in 5 years I didn’t have a gym membership (well, I did, but couldn’t use it). For the first time in 3 years, my go-to stress relief wasn’t available for use. I struggled through home workouts. Zoom HIIT classes are not my thing.
Read MoreI feel like somehow, the media has lost sight of some of the miraculous events that have continued, and always will continue to exist. So, I am here to make these dreams a reality, and provide a wonderful list of some of the incredible things that may have been missed.
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