Empire Times 50.5

EMPIRE TIMES Vol 50 Issue 5

SEX & BODY POSITIVITY POETRY | CREATIVE PIECES | PORN INDUSTRY | SEX WORK | STUDENT COUNCIL | POLTICAL CORRESPONDANCE| SELF-IMAGE 1

Art By Brad Wright 2

Art By Alysha Dinning

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY Nina Marni (translation: hello, how are you?).

Empire Times would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands in which the editors, contributors and readers live, and honour elders past, present and emerging. Bedford Park is a significant site in the complex Dreaming of the Kaurna ancestor Tjilbruke. We write on behalf of the students and faculty on this land, First Nations, Non-Indigenous and Immigrant, who work and learn here. Empire Times is edited and distributed on the traditional lands of the Arrernte, Dagoman, First Nations of the South East, First Peoples of the River Murray and Mallee region, Jawoyn, Kaurna, Larrakia, Ngadjuri, Ngarrindjeri, Ramindjeri, Warumungu, Wardaman and Yolngu people. We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded, and that this land is stolen.

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Contents PA G E

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Contributors

Editorial

Education Officer Address

Horoscopes

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LRC Left Right Centre, Your politics central

Playlist

Poem by Sharleen Apranik

Tabletop Times

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Looking For Real Beauty Katie Steadman

Mirrors

By Katia Rawlings

Wait, What!

With Margot Albrecht.

Art by Brad Wright

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Is Porn Bad For Us?

Warm Bodies

Reality for SA Sex Workers

Romanticising Your First Time

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Schrodingers Uterus

Puzzle break

Fuck Your ‘Love Your Body’ Movement

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Toddlers in Tiaras

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Puzzle Answers

Next Edition

Bowie: The Quiet Activist

ISSUE 5 EDITORS Katia Rawlings Rachelle Summers Katie Stedman Georgia Nolan WRITERS Evangelia Karageorgos Kat Morrison Mahalia Clark Margot Albrecht Oliver Land Sharleen Apranik Sadie Smith

Find Flynn the Mallard Duck and win!

Hidden on one of the pages in this magazine you will find Flynn. Send a picture of Flynn in his hiding spot and your student ID number to empiretimes@flinders.com.au to claim your prize!

The winner will be announced when the next Empire Times issue is released.

(This image of Flynn above is not the one you need to find.)

LRC Lachlan White - Unite Tom Gilchrist - Socialist Alternative Gwydion Rozitisolds - Young Greens Graci Andrea - Young Liberals COVER ARTIST Liam Vander Lampero ARTISTS Alysha Dinning Harry Kellaway Brad Wright

WHAT IS ET? Empire Times is a publication of the Flinders University Student Association (FUSA). It is your student magazine. The opinions expressed within are not necessarily those of the editors, Flinders University or FUSA. Reasonable care is taken to ensure articles are accurate at the time of publication.

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Editorial A warm welcome to all our readers; particularly, students who are in the thick of Semester 2!

The theme we’ve chosen for our fifth issue is by no means an original one, but nevertheless, it is an integral one. Every year, Empire Times has an issue on Sex and/or Body and we’re certainly not here to disappoint!

Talking about sex and body image is not taboo, nor should it be censored - it is a central theme in our lives. We feel it is important to normalise talking about personal and global attitudes towards sex and bodies and unpack harmful stereotypes.

In Issue 5, we explore body inclusivity, consent, sex work, the porn industry, sexual health, and much more.

Peicing this issue together was not easy, and couldn’t have been done without our amazing contributors. A big thanks to all our writers, artists and FUSA for helping us bring Issue 5 together.

We are always looking for more writers, artists, columnists, etc.! If you’re interested, please send as an email at empiretimes@flinders.edu.au or visit our website empiretimesmagazine.com As always, thank you for your support. We look forward to hearing from any exisiting and upcoming contributors.

From Katia, Rachelle, Katie and Georgia

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© Harry Kellaway

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HOROSCOPES FOR SEPTEMBER

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Aries

Ta u r u s

Ge m i n i

It’s time to put your Zen hats on this September, Aries.

You’ve been completely zapped of energy and ambition, sleeping all day, but always waking up tired.

It’s time to change that. Go outside for a stroll, download a meditation app that doesn’t charge you monthly, stop eating out and start making acai bowls at home.

Time to put your health first and everything else second.

All that fiery ambition will make an appearance again, I promise—just not now.

Taureans are super excited for something this month.

Perhaps they’re seeing a friend they haven’t seen since 2019 (terrible year, that was), or maybe a new season to their fave TV show is coming out, or they’ve expecting yet another package from online (the AusPost person thinks you’re a nutter, by the way).

Whatever it is, enjoy it! You deserve some happiness this September.

Geminis need to find an intellectual pursuit this September; otherwise, they’ll perish of boredom.

Try not to play mind games with others, Geminis, to curb the ennui you’re feeling. What goes around comes around, right? I’d suggest finding a topic to research obsessively or reading a book you find interesting, or solving a 1000-piece puzzle. The last one might test your patience, but I did say ‘a challenge’, did I not?

Cancer

Le o

V i rgo

Miraculously, you’ll be in a good mood this month, Cancers. Perhaps you’ll spend a lot more time with your family and friends, or you’ll finally cut off that emotionally unavailable dead weight you’ve been entertaining. Set your standards higher, Cancers.

You’ve got a lot on this month. Work is crazy busy this time of year, and you can’t seem to get a break.

Even if it’s not actually busy, the atmosphere is chaotic, and everyone’s aura is gross.

Don’t know what I’m talking about? Neither do I!

Happy birthday for August!

I’ve noticed a lot of famous people are August Virgos… maybe you guys are destined for stardom? Just don’t get famous for doing something dumb—you Virgos know better (can’t say the same for Pisces though…). You’ve got a streak of celebrity in you— people will be watching you this month, so wear your Sunday best and behave.

Lib ra

Sco r p i o

Sa gi tt a r i us

Guess what? Semester 2 has arrived, and we are now well into term 3! My lovely, lively, luminous scales will shine brightly this month.

Whether that’s because you’ve started a new skincare regime or simply because you accidentally swallowed a flashlight, is entirely up to you. This month is a time when you will feel more productive and energetic, I hope you enjoy all the good vibes!

Scorpio, I sense an epic enemy! This month you will have an adversary who loves to prove you wrong. Anxiety? That you? Or perhaps that kid from primary school still remembers that argument you had at recess? This secret enemy will be eager to spread anger and doubt, but you must hold strong!

Be the main character of your own life, this enemy is just a small climax to your actual epic plot.

Welcome to September, Sagittarius! Last month, Jupiter went retrograde, starting you on a spiritual journey that might’ve shaken up your social group. During the Aquarius super full moon on Saturday, September 29th, you will see changes in your friendships. You might go through a breakup, maybe gain a partner, or disconnect from a once close friend. You may be a badass independent archer, but change is hard on everyone.

You got this.

Capricor n

Aquarius

P i s ce s

Capricorns! Unfortunately, uni is unlikely to be smooth sailing this month. The stars are far from favourably placed! Your usual selfassertive superpowers might be negatively influenced. This is going to make learning a bit difficult if you’re constantly disagreeing and arguing with your teachers and peers. Try and exercise restraint and control. Might I recommend a stress ball?

Hello Aquarians, so overall, the planets in September are a mix of challenging energies. This could be a time of great growth and transformation for you, but it’s important to be patient and stay focused on your goals, we don’t want you getting washed up in all of the different currents this month.

Careful Pisces, on September 16th the Moon will be near Mars and Spica. Neptune will be in opposition on the 19th.

People can be discouraged, weaker, and find themselves more inadequate than usual at this time. Make sure to keep your head in the game.

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Left, Right, Centre

**TW - Mention of Sexual Assault and Rape

1. What is your opinion on the Australian minimum wage increase to $23.23, effective as of July?

Is an 8.65 increase enough to combat inflation?

2. What is your opinion on SA’s change in protest laws? Should ‘conduct that obstructs free passage of a public place’ be prohibited and penalised?

3. Consent is an agreement between people to engage in sexual activity.’ (SHINE) Do you believe the topic of ‘consent’ is being taught satisfactorily across Australian schools and

workplaces.

LEFT

Young Greens at Flinders 1. Fundamentally, no. While more money of course is always better to have than not, the fact is that even with this rise, the real value of wages has flatlined, and have not kept up with productivity. According to the Australia Institute, productivity has risen 11%. Wages on the other hand have fallen, and even with this increase, do not match the increase in productivity since 2012, a time when productivity already outpaced minimum wage growth. Business interests and corporate lobbyists claim that increasing minimum wage above inflation will have an inflationary impact on the economy, but again, real wages have been flat for the past 10 years, and we are still seeing massive inflation. What is the main driver of inflation? Those same business interests who, during the COVID pandemic, saw fit to loot Australia of billions, reporting record profits while so many were suffering. We need to question why we live in a society where it is deemed necessary to force people to live in poverty, in order to fund the lifestyles of billionaires. The first priority of any progressive government should be ensuring that all people have their needs met, regardless of the cost.

2. These laws are a direct attack on our democracy. They were written solely to defend SANTOS, the employer of Premier Malinauskas’ brother, from climate protestors. Climate change is here, and it requires action now.

The IPCC tell us we, as a globe, are on pace for extinction and aren’t slowing. A far better way to prevent climate protests from being disruptive is to give in to their demands, listen to the science, and massively cut emissions now, for the good of the planet. Instead, Labor has teamed up with a far-right Liberal party lead

by David Spears in order to defend SANTOS. Shame. The reflexive defence of SANTOS will also massively threaten other groups. Striking unions risk prosecution under these laws, as does Pride March, as does the Invasion Day rally. It completely harms the ability for any group to stand up and demand justice. And all for the sake of unobstructed passage of a public place. Or at least, unobstructed the next Tour Down Under, where Victoria Square and many roads across the state will be blocked, just to make space for a bike race and its principal sponsor, SANTOS. 3. Straight up, no. We need to improve consent education in Australia. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics at least 22% of women and 6.1% of men in Australia have experienced sexual assault. Better consent education will not put an end to sexual violence, but it is a start. A child safety curriculum that includes teaching about consent from reception exists, but there is no guarantee that it will be taught well, or even taught at all by overworked teachers in underfunded schools. We need to invest into consent education, and education more broadly to address this need. More than education, however, we need accountability. More and more horror stories emerge everywhere from parliament to retail outlets of specifically men in positions of power assaulting people they have power over. These predators don’t need education, they know what they are doing is wrong, but they believe that they will not face consequences for their actions. Shamefully, they are often correct. If we want to stop sexual violence, it needs to be taken seriously by our justice system: actually investigated, and the perpetrators made to face genuine consequences for their actions, not just given a slap on the wrist.

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Socialist Alternative 1. Wages across the board should be going up by more, including the minimum wage. As it currently stands most of the wage increases workers are earning are being eaten up by inflation, and most people’s actual living standards are going backwards. According to Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe, keeping wages low is the way to fight inflation, but what he proposes is just a lose-lose scenario for workers. Workers are cutting back but still finding themselves spending more. Meanwhile companies are continuing to make larger profits: in the last half-year Coles was up more than 11 percent after tax (some $600 million in profit), while Woolworths was up 14 percent: $900 million. The whole capitalist economy is rotten. Governments should be doing more to tax the profits of corporations and the wealthy, and putting that money into housing, welfare and wages. Trade unions should be fighting to maintain and increase workers’ living standards.

2. We think the new laws are an appalling attack on our democratic rights and should be immediately overturned. They are designed to intimidate people from protesting, but disruptive protest is how we win things.

From the gay liberation movement to the battle against apartheid in South Africa, from the campaign for the eight hour day to the protests against the Vietnam War, from land rights to women’s liberation, social struggles have always involved interrupting business as usual. In a society as unequal as ours, most people have very little power compared to that wielded by corporations and the mega-rich. What we do have is our power to protest, to occupy public places and to go on strike. Increasing the potential penalties for these activities is an attack on our ability to campaign, and only benefits those who might face those protests, such as fossil fuel companies. The Labor and Liberal party have shown whose side they are on.

3. There are some disturbing attitudes towards consent amongst young people in Australia. A 2022 report from Kantar Public found that more than one in four young people aged 10 to 17 agreed with the statement “rape results from men not being able to control their need for sex”, and about one in four young men agreed “women find it flattering to be persistently pursued, even if they are not interested”. These attitudes are terrible and need to be countered. Better consent education is part of that, but that needs to be combined with a wider battle against sexism in society. It is unfortunately little wonder that such attitudes exist when we have young men and boys watching misogynists like Andrew Tate, who excuses and defends sexual domination and violence, or when we have Liberal politicians and right-wing media more concerned with Brittany Higgins’ private text messages than her allegation of rape. Consent education can only go so far if young people then encounter the opposite attitude as soon as they step out of the classroom and open up YouTube and TikTok, so fighting against these broader expressions of sexism is crucial.

CENTRE Unite

1. Good start, however, isn’t enough to pay the rent or groceries. It’s worrying that students are focusing more on where they are going to live next month or what to cut in their grocery list than their studies. We should start addressing the real problem - corporation profits which are driving up inflation. The RBA is intent on putting Australia at risk of recession with non-stop interest rates. And on that, it isn’t the lowest-paid workers of our country driving inflation up, it’s corporate profits driving inflation up. That’s backed up by economists from the Australia Institute, who say that corporate profits account for two thirds of inflation. Australians’ wages have fallen behind, while big businesses and wealthy elites are pocketing the cash. Corporations shouldn’t be paying near to nothing in tax while Australians can barely afford rent. This has been a result of a decade of neglect from the previous Liberal government, in which low wages of Australians were a core economic ‘policy’ and ‘feature’. The Coalition government - a government that we saw failed to address Wage Theft, promoting insecure work and the rise of underemployment, and record-low wage growth.

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2. The protest law represents a direct assault on the fundamental right to engage in peaceful protests. It originated from a hastily drafted bill by the Liberal party in a gut reaction to a protest stunt by a member of the Extinction Rebellion. The bill itself contains problematic vague terminology, which raises serious concerns about its undemocratic nature. These rights are crucial for a vibrant and inclusive society, as they allow citizens to hold their government accountable, raise awareness about important issues, and advocate for positive change. The Labor Party has historical roots in labour movement protests, exemplifying the significance of such demonstrations. Disappointing to see them employ a bill drafted by the Liberal party which attacks trade unions, student organisations (e.g. FUSA or NUS), political organisations, and the individual. The bill could affect union protests such as TWU blocking a road in memory of truck drivers that have died in road accidents, which reminds us of the need to improve road safety. While public safety should be considered, it is crucial to find a balanced approach that ensures individuals can express their opinions peacefully.

3. While there’s been imporvement, there’s still progress to be made. Even our own university, as good as it is,

is still using a video that FUSA made from many years back. This highlights how important the need for ongoing updates to FUSA and the university’s awareness campaign on consent. In schools, students are being taught more about consent than we used to, it’s very important to teach our future adults the meaning of consent - they need to know why it’s so important. Only by continuing to prioritise consent education in schools can we ensure that future generations are engaged and equipped with the knowledge and understanding about consent.

In workplaces, unions (like the ASU) have campaigns to raise awareness around sexual harassment and consent, but this varies from industry to industry, and there is nothing really from the workplaces themselves.

Workplaces need to take a more proactive role in educating their employees of respect and consent.

RIGHT

Flinders Liberal Club 1. A positive thing in a wave of negatives, higher taxes, higher interest rates, higher bills. Obviously this few dollars extra will go a long way for a lot of people, but nowhere near far enough to fix the economic hellscape that has gotten completely out of control in the last year. To make these dollars even reach the pockets of the Australians left behind by the budget, we need to bring back our tax offsets as soon as possible.

2. Adelaide has relatively calm protests, but in Melbourne people can get stuck between blocks during angry protests that they happen to be walking past/through (I know I have) and that goes beyond inconvenience, that’s really scary and often times dangerous. We believe that the law should not be there to oppress freedom of political activity, protest or speech, but rather be aimed at violent protesters who do physically assault and harass others. A docile group chanting in Victoria Square isn’t a threat to public safety, but protesters who are empowered by labelling anyone they disagree with ‘nazis’, ‘bigots’ or whatever other phrase vindicates their decision to physically threaten another person should have harsh penalties for their poor, anti-democratic behaviour and as a preventative measure to protect peaceful protesters from violent morons veiling their inability to display a semblance of self-control or maturity under the guise of a sign with a very average rhyme on it.

3. Evidently not, we think that there are a lot of tokenistic and performative acts toward it like the ridiculous cup of tea video. Sexual assault and rape are serious issues that are very nuanced and awareness of the many forms these crimes come in needs to be ingrained into our cultural psyche. It goes beyond the classic concept of someone being held and touched against their will, it’s in pressuring people, it’s in sharing other people’s nudes around, and so many other heinous acts. It comes down to entitlement and lack of respect, but by making the shades of grey that don’t get discussed enough culturally shameful at a mainstream level, we take a step forward in making the world a safer place and not accepting that boys will be boys or that being too stupid to know what you’re doing and the impacts it has makes it okay. It’s not only the agreement, but also what comes before and after and that can sometimes be the part that’s the most damaging of all.

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Our Body Positivity Playlist!

The Songs in this playlist are

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Build God, Then We’ll Talk - Panic! At The Disco

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Girls/Girls/Boys - Panic! At The Disco

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Get You - Daniel Ceasar, Kali Uchis

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Pretty Hurts - Beyonce

18.

Sit Still, Look Pretty - Daya

19.

Work It - Missy Elliot

1.

Let’s Talk About Sex - Salt-N-Peppa

2.

S&M - Rihanna

3.

I’ll Make Love To You - Boyz II Men

4.

Feels Like The First Time - Foreigner

5.

No Diggity - Blackstreet, Dr. Dre, Queen Pen

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The Bad Touch - Bloodhound Gang

20.

Love Myself - Hailee Steinfeld

7.

All About That Bass - Meghan Trainor

21.

Juice - Lizzo

8.

Strip - Little Mix, Sharaya J

22.

Scars To Your Beautiful - Alessia Cara

9.

Tissues - YUNGBLUD

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Crooked Smile - J. Cole, TLC

10.

Cotton Candy - YUNGBLUD

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Perfect to Me - Anne Marie

11.

Sex On The Radio - Good Charlotte

25.

Born This Way - Lady Gaga

12.

Red Lights - Stray Kids

26.

Most Girls - Hailee Steinfeld

13.

Nicotine - Panic! At The Disco

And Many More!!

Scan this Spotify QR code in the search bar of the Spotify app to listen as you read!

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#ihavesmellyballs A response to the hashtag #ihavesmellyballs by Sharleen Apranik I am a wild girl, in this wild world, I did not get tamed.

My vagina smells, my armpits sweat, and sometimes after drinking Coke, I burp loudly, and laugh.

I dare to love myself, even though I’m not very successful at showing kindness to myself, I keep trying. Today was International Woman’s Day, and I said: “Excuse me doctor, this patient has not blinked for at least one minute, she needs artificial tear drops.” It seemed like the male doctor didn’t hear me, even though I was right by his ear.

This constant invisibility wears on me… but I make sure to go the extra step for my patients.

I’d love to be the hero of their stories.

For the brave women of Iran, I am an obedient servant.

I have chosen to make them the queens and the liberal men of my land the kings of this world.

I am the superhero of my own story and you my friend who is reading this, I shake your hand firmly.

My hand is always extended for friendship! Even for the Kurds outside Iran’s current borders, for Afghans inside and outside Iran, Arab speakers, Balouches, Turks, Tajiks, and Turkmans of EVERYWHERE! To hell with all these poppycock borders drawn by the British in the Middle East!

All of us belong to the Persian Empire and Cyrus the Great who have gifted the world with the first charter of human rights.

The United Middle East must be the centre of the world’s peace and civilisation, not terrorism.

I am restless for the day I am able to take a piss on religion. To watch the religious leaders disappear, and show the honor killers, and those who dare to violate women and children, their place.

All in all, I’m disgusting and lovable! I am a woman; I am alive, and I am FREE! The future and peace in this world depend on our smelly vaginas.

About the Author: Sharleen is a senior medical student and an activist for the Woman Life Freedom movement in Iran. She has been captured by the morality police in Iran in the past, she has escaped Iran and lived as a refugee by herself for 10 years. She was not allowed to attend university but has successfully pursued her dream of becoming a doctor in Australia. This is a piece she wrote on International Women’s Day in response to the #ihavesmellyballs to spark change in the world.

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Tabletop Times With Oliver

I think there’s something on a bit more of a serious note that I’d like to talk about concerning Dungeons and Dragons this week.

I’d like to talk about setting boundaries, and specifically Session 0.

With this issue all about sex and body positivity, I think its important that this is openly talked about here, with forewarned being forearmed and all that. I don’t know about you, but I’ve heard horror stories about how people have joined groups, only to find that the DM or dungeon master, and the other players, are a lot more comfortable with things that can be quite extreme.

Unfortunately, its usually women who are the victims of these stories, finding creepy guys who tell dirty jokes, or gruesome stories.

I think the first important thing is that idea of a session 0, and what that can be. Session 0 is firstly for information sharing.

- What’s the general story?

- What sort of characters are a good idea? Can we play any races, or just the main ones in the players handbook?

- What about homebrew content, or unearthed arcana?

All these questions are good things to be talked about here, to figure who you’re going to play, how it’s all going to fit into the DM’s story, and whether this is even going to be the game for you. The other part of a session 0, is establishing things you’re okay with hearing about, and things you’d rather avoid entirely. There are somethings you can simply fade to black for, and some things that can be entirely avoided. If your DM is planning some sort of horror thing, you might mention that you’re alright with blood, guts and screaming, but absolutely no claustrophobia stuff.

This comes especially true on the subject of sex. You might say that you don’t see the

point in having it in the story, you’d rather avoid it entirely. You might say hey man, lay it all out! I want total emersion! (Which is admittedly a little weird,) or, like most of us, your happy with a little fade to black, and some implied morning after glow.

I think, sometimes, there is a narrative necessity for horrible things to happen to characters in stories, especially games like DnD, with characters given the change to overcome insurmountable odds, and become better people. I think there can be a place for assault, murder, torture and all sorts of other crimes in our stories (if negotiated).

The general rule I live by is “does this effect the story?” Is this important, is there a good direction for this to go where everyone gets to learn and become better.

There is a little bit of room reading required, ensuring you’re not making people uncomfortable. But you should be encouraging your players to speak up, to help keep you in check. You also have to learn to keep other players in check, and ensure they aren’t encroaching on areas other players aren’t comfortable with.

There are plenty of ways to deal with this, I always recommend asking nicely and explaining first, but as a DM, the ultimate power is with you. Simply tell them they aren’t welcome anymore. Be nice, but stern.

Like many other things, its all about consent.

Everyone is here to have fun, feel safe, and that’s what session 0 is for. Establishing those ground rules. Remember as well, that people can change their minds about things.

Some people might think that they’d be okay with copious amounts of blood, right up until you get to the bit where the BBEG (big bad evil guy) starts hacking peoples heads off and suddenly it’s stop Oliver, that’s too much, ew gross. Some people can be sensitive.

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Looking for Real Beauty

By Katie Stedman We take a look into the Dove Real Beauty Campaign over the last 20 years.

I was on YouTube a few weeks ago when I came across an unusual ad. It was different in that it wasn’t promoting a sale or product, it wasn’t overtly trying to sell me something, it wasn’t comparing brands, and it wasn’t a government ad. In a way, it was trying to provide me with tools to support myself. Sadly, this stood out to me as something strange and meant that I didn’t use the skip button like usual.

The ad was part of the Dove self-esteem project and is one of many resources that make up the Dove Real Beauty campaign, which has been running since 2004.

The campaign has gone through many different phases over the years. Dove brings out new ads and videos highlighting different areas of the campaign. In the first 10 or so years of the campaign, the message mostly revolved around redefining beauty and helping girls and women see beauty within themselves.

One of the most recognised videos from this period is a video called Real Beauty Sketches. The video has 70 million views on YouTube, and there is an extended version which also has 11 million views. Within the video, subjects sit behind a forensic artist and are asked

to describe themselves. Once the subject has left, someone who met the subject once is asked to describe that subject to the forensic artist.

The two sketches of a subject were then displayed side by side and a very clear pattern could be seen. We can be our own worst critic and judge ourselves more harshly than those we meet. Many of the negative traits that the subjects believed were their most prominent features, weren’t even picked up by those that met them. The sketches that were described by someone else also often looked happier and more open.

In more recent years, there has been a heavier focus in the campaign videos about social media and its effects. This focus has arisen due to the selfie, and how easy it is now to make comparisons online.

The Reverse Selfie video from 2021 is a video with a social media focus that still carries themes of redefining beauty.

The other slant of Dove’s videos focusing on social media are towards parents becoming aware of how social media affects their kids, particularly their daughters. A 2022 Dove video called Toxic Influence throws mothers into the deep end of what their daughters are seeing

on their social media feed. In mother and daughter duos and using AI technology, the mother’s face was shown with voice-overs of toxic and harmful beauty videos. The mothers could not believe the directions and thinking that their daughters were being taught to follow. Upon making the discovery, one mother said, “I can’t prevent them from seeing this, but I can talk to them about it.” That, at least, is heading in the right direction.

What’s great is that a lot of the recent videos bring a young girl’s true role-model into the picture, but it’s unfortunate that that is the stage we are at – it’s not something that we can easily do by or for ourselves, and is something that we need help with.

What is interesting about all these campaign videos is that, apart from the Dove logo, there is no product placement or even discussion about products. There is no push to purchase anything, only to educate yourself and others.

While the project is something that needs to be done well and appropriately, and there are certainly issues with parts of it, I think it is a step in the right direction of what is a very real issue.

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Mirrors Written by Katia Rawlings

Reflective glass as far as the eye can see.

Colours fracturing off a thousand frames every second. I see endless copies of myself in the reflection before me as I turn and glance off the mirror behind me. Mirror mazes have always made me curious, even as a child I was interested in the way the reflections refracted off mirrors and created the most curious shapes. I loved how at the fair, like I am today, I could puzzle over the way certain mirrors could contort my body to look long or short, fat or thin and my favourite of all was the wobbly ones. Looking in these mirrors today though I don’t see anything good.

I stare at my reflection in one of the normal mirrors and attempt a smile. My front incisors are too big. My dentist told me that once.

I can see the dark bruise looking pimple discolouring my cheek which makes me remember what I told my dermatologist about an acne cream. My dirty blonde bob hangs limply down the sides of my face, greasy, I need to wash it. The longer I stare the more things I see that I need to change.

I feel a tug on my arm which pulls me out of my self-pitying haze.

‘This is isn’t even the first room in the maze, don’t stop here.’ My friend Lily says as she drags me away from the mirror.

We walk slowly through the building, Lily stopping to giggle at her reflection. She never has anything to worry about. She looks like a literal goddess that has been dropped onto the earth. Her tall thin frame becomes short and fat as she stares into a misshapen mirror.

‘Come stand with me Nora, look at how silly we look.’ She says between giggles.

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I stand with her and stare at our reflection. We look nothing alike. I can’t help but notice how my reflection is a bit plumper and a lot shorter than hers. I fake a smile and look at her.

‘How do you still manage to look good short and fat?’ I say only half joking.

‘Natural talent’ Lily grins widely at me before prancing off to the next mirror.

I stare at a reflection of myself in a mirror that is shaped like an hourglass. My waist cinches nicely in the middle and my boobs and butt look great! If only I could look like this without the mirror. I give myself an appreciative look as I gaze at my reflection.

‘You look slamming girl!’ Lily says staring at my reflection. ‘But then again you always do’ she winks at me.

We continue on and the room opens up to this massive hall like space. There has to be a hundred mirrors in this room, covering every surface and wall around. I can see our reflections a million times over in each mirror, doubles upon doubles.

A million copies of myself stare back at me.

The same form repeated a million times. A million chances to spot the imperfections in my frame. My eyes too close together, my nose disproportionate to the rest of my face.

The acne scars and freckles that obscure my otherwise good features. The red mark on my cheek from my current pimple making it look like I’ve been punched in the face.

I can’t look away, every time I turn away all I can see is myself. My breathing starts to get heavy, my chest is tight and I can feel a panic attack coming on.

I quickly make my way out of the room and into the next. Lily calls to me as I leave but I don’t hear her.

I find a bench and sit down hard, breathing heavily.

Lily comes up and sits beside me. She doesn’t say anything but her presence is comforting.

She waits until my breathing settles before she grabs my hand and without a word leads me to the exit of the building.

I look back towards the maze and stand up, resolved in my decision.

‘Come on, lets go back inside.’ I hold out my hand and pull Lily up beside me.

We walk hand in hand back into the maze. This time I see all the beauty in the maze.

The light refracts off of one mirror making rainbows shine through the room and across my face. I smile at my refelction.

How beautiful.

The breeze hits my face and the pressure releases from my lungs. I no longer feel like my chest is about to burst open. I sit on the kurb and take a deep breath.

‘You know you’re one of the most beautiful people I know right.’ Lily isn’t looking at me as she says this. It takes me a second to realise she’s even talking to me.

I stay quiet, my head pounding as I think through her words.

‘I know’ I say quietly. ‘I just need to convince myself of that sometimes.’

‘Your head can be the hardest to convince sometimes.’ Lily says and I nod to myself.

‘I’m working on it.’ I look towards her, and I see a grin take over her face.

My thoughts finally settle as I say this and I can feel a little piece of my heart repair itself.

19

OF AVIAN ORIGIN “Wait! What?”

Margot Albrecht’s Column

In the new Millennium, after a string of shitty

I instantly responded with my truth; I hadn’t

relationships, I finally met a guy I really liked. He

had any sexual encounters with anyone while he’d

had no chronic addictions; no excessive emotional

been away. He said that neither had he. I believed

baggage; he was uber smart and funny to boot. We

him. It was completely baffling. My mind was

bonded over Buffy and beer. We’d been dating for

spinning with all kinds of irrational explanations

a few months and the Lword had been mutually

… might one of us have been unwitting hosts to

mumbled. But looming over us was a six-week

a sexually transmitted critter from the previous

separation as my new boyfriend was venturing on

century; one that had lain dormant, like a Jurassic

a long-booked trip to Greece and Turkey. We were

mosquito preserved in amber, only to be reanimated

both aware that it would be a ‘make or break’ test of

on the back of our newfound happiness?

our loyalty to one another.

We agreed to meet at Clinic 275; a city clinic whose After what seemed an eternity, he returned

name, with my penchant for pop culture, became

from six weeks of Mediterranean backpacking,

lodged in my brain as Studio 54 (New York’s

sporting a tan and a commitment to a shared future

legendary 70s A-lister nightclub, infamous for its

together. In the 24 hours following our big reunion,

drug-fueled disco depravity, before an FBI raid and

all was well in my little world … that was, until my

the AIDS epidemic ended the party).

loved-up bubble of bliss was burst by a phone call from him at work. His voice was tinged with caution

Once inside the clinic, though, my

and confusion. He told me he’d found ‘something’

idiosyncratic Studio 54 brain glitch evaporated.

crawling around in his nether regions.

There’s a distinct lack of glitter or glam when undergoing a full STI screening. However, the staff

Wait! What?

were good-natured and non-judgmental. While we both received a clean bill of (sexual) health, the

Though unspoken, the implication was plain;

clinic doctor determined that my partner was indeed

one of us must have been unfaithful to the other and

hosting ‘something’. The doctor told us that under

potentially picked up an STI.

the microscope, the solitary remaining ‘mite’ they’d managed to extract off him appeared to be of avian origin.

20

Wait! What?

One of the lessons I took away from our Clinic 275 experience was the importance of not

Avian!

only establishing your sexual health status but to also guard it. Don’t let it be compromised by

I fleetingly side-eyed my partner; wouldn’t it

anyone. Whether you’re into casual hook-ups or

be just my luck to have fallen for a guy harbouring

in a relationship, you owe it to yourself (and your

some kind of weird ornithophilic fetish?

sexual partner/s) to keep your sexual health status up

Thankfully, we rapidly pieced together the culprit.

to date. After all, the only sexual health history you

Just that morning, my partner had disposed of one

truly know is your own. So, own it.

of his chooks. It had died overnight, most likely from the same poultry mites that had transferred

If you want to know more about sexual

onto his body when he picked up the carcass to

health, SHINE SA is an awesome place to start.

remove it from the chook pen and the same mite

They offer a safe, supportive, and welcoming

that had landed us at this clinic. When I now recall

space for all. Their sexual health, reproductive

this moment of shared realization, I picture us both

and relationship wellbeing services are discreet

cracking up with unhinged stress-relief laughter.

and confidential. They have clinics in the city and

But laughter aside, this incident was a significant

Woodville that provide free responsive access to

turning point in our relationship. I often wonder how

young people under the age of 25 or you can speak

it might have played out if one of us had jumped

to a sexual health nurse for free through SHINE

to conclusions and accused the other of infidelity.

SA’s Sexual Healthline service. The number is

Instead, we drew upon the trust we had built over the

1300 883 793 and the line is open Monday–Friday,

previous months and didn’t lose our heads. And, as a

9:00am – 12:30pm.

bonus, we both had our sexual-health baselines from which to move forward in our relationship. Twenty-

Visit their website for more information at:

two years later, we’re still together and still mumble

shinesa.org.au

the L-word to one another.

Please share your own Wait! What? moments where you’ve kept your cool and reserved judgement about someone or something until you’ve had a chance to learn the facts (especially when others around you have already pre-judged). Flick us an email or contact us through our socials with your thoughts and opinions.

21

Art By Brad Wright 22

23

Is Porn Bad for Us? Sex, sex, sex.

Words By Georgia Nolan

Jess Hill, presenter for SBS documentary Asking For It, claims there’s a ‘really fuzzy

We live in a hypersexualised world. Content

boundary’ when it comes to consenting in

creators, whether that be music producers, TV

porn. ‘Around half of [pornography] clips

showrunners, or magazine editors, know that

depict physical aggression towards women.’

‘sex’ will make a profit.

These women commonly appear to not want sex, but then all of a sudden, when subjected

In fact, the porn industry faced a significant

to the act, change their minds. This imbalance

increase in viewership during the COVID

in exchange is fed back to the people watching

pandemic. Viewers likely found pornography

and transmitting the harmful message, if she

to be a suitable distraction during social

doesn’t want it, keep trying, because eventually

isolation, momentarily curbing feelings of

she will. In other words, mainstream porn is

boredom and anxiety (Grubbs, 2020). In fact,

feeding into ‘rape culture’. It might even be

most of these viewers were young people, with

creating it.

27% of PornHub users being 17 to 24 years of age. Whilst nothing suggests this response is

One instance of this kind of behaviour springs

unhealthy or a sign of eventual distress, I’d like

to my mind. It was back in my Tinder days,

to point out a discrepancy in most, if not all,

many moons ago. I matched with a guy who I

porn videos that is already causing harm.

thought was pretty cool. We chatted regularly, flirting here and there, until one night, he tried

Consent. Or, a lack thereof.

to sext me. Now, there’s nothing wrong with testing the waters, but I wasn’t quite ready

24

to explore that level of intimacy with Tinder Guy yet. I explained this and he claimed he understood, assuring me he’d ‘take it slow’.

After attempting to chat casually with Tinder Guy, he immediately tried to sext me again (with even more intensity). I was bewildered.

Hadn’t I just told him no? I felt like I had no agency. I know Tinder is known for being a ‘hook-up’ app, but even if I wanted to get intimate, Tinder Guy still could’ve respected

nice, in my opinion, to hurt your partner whilst having sex and that be ‘kinky’.”

What’s also scary is, a lot of porn is actually non-consensual. Over the last five years, Mindgeek, the parent company of PornHub, has faced multiple lawsuits. The company has been accused of ‘facilitating and profiting from criminal acts including sex trafficking, filmed sexual abuse of children, and non-consensually

my boundaries.

recorded and distributed pornography’

It’s not uncommon for boundaries to be

Parliament conducted an investigation which

crossed in the bedroom, especially when it concerns bodily harm. One of the many issues discussed in Asking For It was dangerous kinks - in particular, strangulation, known colloquially as ‘choking’. Choking is common in porn, and it’s almost always a woman who’s being choked. Sexual Assault Specialist Dr Vanita Parekh spoke about an increase in ‘strangulation involved in sexual violence’ over ‘the last 20 years’. ‘This is one of the most lethal forms of violence you can have,’ Parekh added.

One can accidentally kill another by ‘choking’ them in only 6.8 seconds, and many of Parekh’s patients did in fact believe they were going to die in the bedroom. Parekh thinks that pornography is playing a large part in the rise of strangulation cases, with many mainstream

(Liszewski, 2021). In June 2021, the Canadian exposed MindGeek’s inaction in removing illegal and non-consensual content online. ‘In many cases,’ Pornhub only removed harmful content if there were ‘legal threats, police reports or indications that the victim was considering suicide’ (ETHI, 2021). Some victims also found that, after having successfully gotten their content removed, Pornhub reuploaded it (ETHI, 2021). It’s hard to believe that such a mainstream company like PornHub isn’t putting a stop to criminal activity, but rather propagating it, or at the very least, turning a blind eye.

This is not to say that porn is evil, and all who watch porn must be punished. Absolutely not. There is nothing wrong with wanting to

videos normalising the potentially fatal act.

watch porn, just like there is nothing wrong

I reached out to our readers and asked

you about your sexual preferences, spice up

them about their experiences with watching mainstream porn with violent undertones. One of them gave a revealing response. “When I first watched porn it was sort of [...] my proper sexual awakening outside of softcore scenes in movies and in general talking about sex. Often the sex I was watching involved a lot of rough, physical sex with a lot of choking. When I watched that kind of porn, I had an assumption in my head that [it] was normal. But, as I grew into an adult, as I watched it I became very doubtful. It came to be really awkward. It’s not

with wanting to masturbate. It can teach your relationship, and give you pleasure. But I challenge you to think carefully about the porn you’re watching and ask these questions: • Are the lines blurred? Or, are two people (or more) actively consenting?

• Is it derogatory, defamatory, or made to humiliate someone?

• Is what’s being depicted realistic, or even dangerous?

Let’s make porn a part of the conversation.

25

- poetry -

Warm Bodies

By Sadie Smith

Warm bodies meld at melting point.

Desire at its peak, When want becomes need.

A knowing gaze, a gentle touch, To feeling everything, and all that’s in between.

Hurried breaths, little deaths On the ascent to each other’s Heaven.

Committing to memory their beloved’s face As they reach a sweet succession.

And after the storm, the waters settle, Until there’s a single moment of peace.

Wrapped in each other’s arms, Lovers say “I love you”, Before joining again in sleep.

26

The reality for SA Sex Workers Article by Kat Morrison, SIN

Standing at the counter of the regional op-shop, I watch as the woman folds my purchase, a vintage wool blanket, and punches some numbers into the manual old till. “That will be $35,” she says.

I hand over the money and, momentarily pause.

What would she think if she knew this money had been earned last night, in a hotel down the road, from offering a commercial sexual service? Would she be offended? Curious? Shocked? Would my money suddenly lessen in value? Would I suddenly lessen in value?

The reality for South Australian sex workers in 2023 is a criminalised legislative landscape.

We are the only Australian jurisdiction to still experience the full criminalisation of sex work.

However, this criminalisation is coupled with a broader social ideology that seems to be slowly shifting. The lackluster ability of the legislature to keep up with the morphing social norms is frustrating at best, and harmful at worst. South Australian sex workers work beneath a punitive set of laws that define a brothel as “any premises used for the purposes of commercial sexual services” (paraphrase). Any form of sex work in SA – from brothel-based sex work to street-based sex work – is criminalised and policed. In an unworkable and ironic dichotomy, the SA Police (SAPOL) are both our protectors and our prosecutors.

But, as I said, the tide is turning. Polls undertaken by mainstream media outlets, like The Advertiser, show overwhelming support for sex industry law reform. Organisations like Amnesty International, The World Health Organisation, the United Nations, and, locally, the Working Womens Centre and Shine SA, all support decriminalisation as a best practice legislative framework.

law with their own (often biased) moral and value judgements regarding sex work. Examples of the harm inherent in criminalisation, the benefits of law reform, and the voices of the affected population (read sex workers) have been cast aside. Progressive politics appears to have taken a back seat to nimbyism.

Be assured that sex workers are still actively policed in 2023. For SAPOL we are often soft targets. Burdened by criminalisation, we either don’t report or under-report crimes committed against us – including reporting police misconduct or lodging grievances with relevant authorities.

In examples of blatant discrimination, sex workers have had bank accounts closed by financial institutions, we’ve had our personal lives investigated, our parenting abilities questioned, and our morals scrutinised.

Work is work. And capitalism demands it of us.

In the current cost of living crunch, we are seeing more and more people turn to sex work as either a side hustle or a full-time occupation. However, in SA, sex workers have no industrial protections nor safeguards.

We demand the removal of any mention of sex work or the sex industry from the criminal code.

We demand spent convictions, equal opportunity and anti-discrimination caveats in any legislation.

We demand recognition. We demand rights. Quite simply, sex workers demand decriminalisation – the legislative framework that provides the best health and wellbeing outcomes.

Flying back to Adelaide from my regional sex work tour, I take in the vastness of our state from my plane seat. I marvel at the checkered rural Many efforts have been made to reform the law landscape and watch as it morphs into suburbia. over the years... Fourteen, to be exact. We’ve had The diversity of my industry is housed in the many champions in political spaces, but as sex gabled roofs and plots of land. We are mobilised, work law reform falls beneath the banner of a we are robust, and we are many. I close my eyes “conscience vote” for sitting politicians, no party and rest my head… I’m just another fly in/fly out line nor policy must be followed. Our elected worker providing a service, snoozing on a plane officials are delivered the privilege of stamping the beneath a vintage wool blanket.

27

Romanticising your first time Words By Taylah Michaels

My first time was when I was 18. I wanted to wait for my boyfriend’s birthday to “gift” him my virginity as if it was some kind of present for him to cherish, but that didn’t really go to plan. We had been dating for over a month before we decided it was the right time. I didn’t know very much; I knew how sex worked but had never explored anything about it. I was too anxious to talk to my parents or friends, it was a taboo subject in my brain, and I was scared. Penises are scary, and all actions involved were intimidating to me.

A friend of mine’s first time was at 16 but hers was a race to get it done. She and another friend were discussing having sex for the first time and the friend said she was going to do it that night. My friend and her boyfriend had been together for about a year by this time and our other friend had only been with her boyfriend for a few months.

Because of this my friend decided to beat her to it. She and her boyfriend had sex that night and the other friend didn’t and never did throughou the whole relationship which was okay. Everyone has their own

28

timeline, and my friend wanted her timeline accelerated.

When I officially told my friends about my first time the first thing one of them said was “that was fast”. I felt ashamed and embarrassed immediately, like I had done something wrong. Every time we discussed anything about sex from that time on, she would always say that we “did things fast”.

We were both adults and understood what it was that we wanted and despite only being together a short time we had known each other for years. It’s easy to judge another person when you don’t know the kind of situation, they are in.

The truth is that the first time isn’t always that memorable. I always thought it would be, but I honestly can’t remember much about it other than that I loved him and that he loved me. I remember it being a bit awkward and uncomfortable but that because I was with him it was amazing. He was comfortable with me, and I was comfortable with him.

I’ve always struggled with body positivity so I was anxious in myself and worried what

he would think but he embraced me wholly.

It was pitch black and we had to be quiet because his parents were in the next room.

There wasn’t anything hugely romantic about the situation which made it less intimidating.

Honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Not everyone’s first time is with the right person. Not everyone’s first time is good.

Some people get assaulted or regret what happened. Some people think they are invincible and go without contraceptives the first time and end up pregnant. Some people do things ‘too young’ and cause themselves trouble later in life. For some people it’s what they have to do to survive. Sex is a life changing decision, you are putting many parts of your wellbeing at risk. There are risks of unwanted pregnancies and STD’s.

Trauma can occur from sex, both from sexual assault victims and the regular person. If something goes wrong or is unexpected then it can cause trauma to your partner and yourself.

thing when it can be for some but might not be for others. It’s always this grand event where they book a hotel room and spread flowers around with some mood lighting.

Or it’s a wait til marriage situation where they can’t control their urges and suddenly all they want is sex, so they do it in a weird location. They make it seem as though because of this one thing changing everything in their life changes and they’re a whole new person. This was not my experience. Sex didn’t change much about my life; I am still the same person I was before.

Everyone’s experiences are different, some have tragic stories and others have stories with a little more romance involved than mine, but sex is a deeply personal thing to everyone. Whether it be with your partner or a total stranger. The most important thing to remember if you are intentionally planning on having sex is to be safe. Have confidence in yourself and your partner that both of you will leave the encounter safe before embarking on any sexual acts.

Tv shows and movies make it seem like your first time having sex is this revolutionary

29

Schrodinger’s Uterus A Literary Essay by Mahalia Rose Clark I don’t often think about having kids. I’m scared that I won’t be a good mum. As people say it is always the mothers fault. You loved them too much or not enough. So, there is no way I will get mothering right, but how wrong will I be?

There’s not proper guide to it and everyone has an opinion. What would happen if I messed them up? I can barely handle my anxiety, mistakes and depression let alone someone else’s. And let’s be honest, kids are gross. I’m the youngest in my family, so I never had to look after anyone else. Even my childhood cats were older than me.

As a writer I often give my characters’ happy endings like getting married or having babies.

I give my female protagonists all these heroic and badass moments and they end up having babies. Maybe I do that because I am neither a badass nor like the idea of children.

So having said all that, why did I freak out when I was told I might not be able to have children?

When I was nineteen my doctor wanted me to have a blood test because of an ongoing health issue. So, I went to get bloods done and turns out I like my blood to stay inside my body. I lost count of how many times this scary and quite rude nurse stuck me with needles. I felt like a voodoo doll of her worse enemy. Even my chatty dad who took me to this appointment was too nervous to breath loudly. I had drunk two bottles of water that morning because it is easier to get blood when you’re hydrated. I was busting for a pee and felt uncomfortable in multiple ways.

After realising she wasn’t going to get any blood the nurse said, “I don’t like to fail,” and sent me home. A week later I went to a different doctor’s 30

where the nurse got the blood first go, in the room less than five minutes.

I went back to my doctor who I rather enjoy seeing. He was always lovely to my mum and me. He always wore bright, fun patterned socks under smart neutral shoes. I thought he was going to say I have type two diabetes, but to my surprise he informed me a few of my hormone markers were off and he needed more bloods to be taken but I had to be on my period this time. He explained there were two things he thought it could be one was that my pituitary gland wasn’t working right or another thing. So, I got more blood taken, another two trips to the doctor’s office. The next time I go to see him, he tells me that he thinks I have polycystic ovarian syndrome. There are three check boxes for PCOS. 1. The hormone markers that will show that I have too much testosterone - Check 2. Abnormal period. They had changed quite a lot that year. Even being on the pill which made them regular I had noticed changes - Check 3. And an internal scan to look for cysts of my ovaries... Which my doctor advised against because it can be uncomfortable and inconclusive because it hard to tell eggs and cysts apart.

So, he diagnosed me with PCOS. For the most part it did help me understand myself. I grew up thinking I was gross because I was always the biggest in the friend group and I struggled with diets and eating healthy. My friends never seemed to deal with body hair like me.

Possible symptoms of PCOS, Abnormal menstruation, obesity, weight gain, acne, depression, inappropriate male features (whatever the hell that means), loss of scalp hair, oily skin, hirsutism, and infertility.

There isn’t a cure for PCOS. I’m expected to just kind of manage it, and I can’t even manage keeping a plant alive, how am I meant to stop my uterus from falling out! (disclaimer: that doesn’t happen with PCOS.) My doctor prescribed two medications.

Levora, which I happened to already be taking.

It’s the ‘pill’, so it adds estrogen to my body and helps counteract all the testosterone.

I’m also taking Metformin. Which is a diabetes medication. I am taking it as a preventive because 50% of people PCOS end up with diabetes. That’s what my doctor said. Metformin must be taken in the morning with food, and I am so not a breakfast person. But if you don’t eat it really messes with your gut and for the cherry on top, I can become immune to it.

So, in my head my future looks lonely, fat, bald, and hairy. A really shit thought for a twentyone-year-old that already has issues with self-esteem and loving themselves. To make things worse, my best friend is transgender.

Female to male. I find it a cruel twist of fate that he had bigger boobs than me and I have more testosterone. But of all this, the biggest gut punch was the idea of infertility.

My doctor said we can cross that bridge when we come to it. Meaning don’t worry about it because you may or may not have issues. So apparently, I have Schrodinger’s uterus. The eggs could be bad but maybe not. My mum was diagnosed with Endometriosis in 1993. She

was told that she probably would not be able to have kids. Then she had twins in 1996 plus me in 2002, so...

I think the most annoying thing, apart from having less of a choice in having kids, is that I didn’t realise there was anything wrong with me. Girls always get told that it takes a while for periods to settle and become ‘regular’. What they don’t tell you is ‘a while’ means years. I started the pill early because I had bad cramps, still do. So, the pill changed my period which was great it was easier to manage. For almost eight years my periods would go for seven days. Then in 2020, they went to one day, two if I was lucky. And I didn’t notice.

My dad was pretty sweet about it. When I told him about the PCOS he tried his best to comfort me. He stumbled his way through telling me no matter what I decide to do he would support me. He mentions me being a single mother at one point and I couldn’t help but laugh. Even he thinks I’m not great at the relationship thing, or maybe he didn’t want to think about his daughter getting pregnant.

Because that means his daughter would have had to have sex or been artificial inseminated.

Which I don’t think any father wants to think about. I’m sure he didn’t mean it like that. He just wanted me to feel better, and I really love him for that. He gave me this big, long, hug.

Which did make me feel better. Which made me think, cause I, by no means was an easy kid...and my parents still hold my hand and give great hugs and we make each other laugh so hard, we can’t breathe. They really do make me feel like everything will turn out alright.

In conclusion I came from great parents, I might be a good one, but if not, I would be a good spinster... Great spinster!

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7/12/23, 12:18 PM

Maze Puzzle | Discovery Education Puzzlemaker

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Word Scramble YETHLAH HPAYP CNOTDEINF SIEOVTPI LRSYUEOF VOLE INSKSNDE MLIDNFU IMAINOOCNCUTM PPOTUSR

Copyright © 2023 Discovery Education. All rights reserved.

5 4 2 3

4 5 1 9 8 2 ®

9

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6

7 9 8 3 4 6 5 2 8 7 1 4 7 9 6 3 7

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5

32

9 4 6 8

2

This is a logic puzzle. To solve this puzzle you will need to match the relationships with the characters in this puzzle. You can do this by using the clues below and crossing out the boxes until you get to the right answers.

The first clue has been filled out for you.

Group 2 M i k e

R e l a ti o n s h i p

Dating

Ex

T r e v o r

S a r a h

E r i c

J a s p e r

F r a n c i n e

L i l i b e t h

X

“Friends”

Sibling

G r o u p 1

J a n i c e

Group 1

X X

X X X

Eric

Jasper

Francine

Lilibeth

1) Janice is dating someone.

2) Trevor’s relationship is with Jasper or Eric.

3) Eric’s Relationsip is not with Sarah 4) Mike doesn’t currently have an active realtionship 5) Lilibeth is recently single 6) Sarah’s relationship is complicated 33

Fuck Your ‘Love Your Body’ Movement...

Why the body positivity movement is turning toxic It can be hard work loving your body and even harder when that body means you are oppressed in society and are denied things others take for granted. The body positivity movement promotes loving your whole body, without trying to fit yourself into a social stereotype. And while this movement has been and continues to be needed, it has also, in ways, become toxic.

Toxic because we are over-saturated with mostly positive stories on social media.

And because of the ease of access to so much information. Information that is not always correct.

Body positivity does expand the concept 34

of beauty, but at its core, still encourages a hyper-focus on one’s appearance. This can be toxic as it still implies that one’s value lies mostly in their appearance. We are given the idea that we should always be positive about our bodies and that we should not listen to our negative emotions.

This expectation we feel is a form of ‘toxic positivity’. Negative emotions are a normal part of the human experience. Ups and downs are a part of life and denying them could lead to a bigger emotional collapse.

Social media has intensified these messages, and they are in our faces even more. We are targeted by algorithms

based on what we view and are shown more of this harmful content. Flooded with stories of happy people accepting their differences, who have no negative stories.

We are told by this ‘toxic positivity’ that we must love ourselves at any size, or with any difference. We must love ourselves all the time and push away negative thoughts.

And then, when we can’t achieve this magical state that so many ‘influencers’ appear to have, we are left feeling like dejected failures. Left feeling useless because we can’t achieve this same fake life, we see portrayed all over social media.

So, is ‘toxic positivity’ a form of gaslighting?

Gaslighting is the subjective experience of having your reality continually questioned by another. It is when someone causes you to question your sense of reality, causing you to disassociate yourself from your negative feelings, rationalise an unacceptable experience and sometimes even gaslight others.

‘Toxic positivity’ pushes the idea that people should only feel some of their emotional experiences, thus overtly and covertly telling them that there is something wrong with them feeling any other way. This impacts their mental health in many ways, including, experiencing shame, increasing stress, lowering selfefficiency, and impacting connections.

of body neutrality is that you don’t have to think either way about your body. You can feel good about your body one day and not so good about it the next. And you don’t have to feel bad if you are having a bad day and cannot be positive. You can simply exist and feel how you feel without shame or feeling like a failure.

Nevertheless, in the end, any movement can become toxic - they all have toxic parts. The internet and social media amplify these toxic parts because it’s given us ease of access to everything, good, bad, and ugly. All we can really do is try and filter it for ourselves and try not to promote the bad.

So, remember, it is not ableist of me to not love my disabled body, it is not fatphobic for you to not love your body. It is ok to hate the body you live in. It is ok to love it sometimes, it is ok to want to change your body and to work on it. I wish I could lose my disability, if there was an exercise, a pill, or a surgery I would do it. I am not ashamed of this. I am not ashamed because it is ok to want better. It’s ok for me to not love the body I am stuck with.

I don’t love the challenges it comes with.

I don’t love the pain it brings.

I don’t love the exhaustion or the recovery time.

Sounds like gaslighting to me.

I don’t love the judgement it brings.

So, what is a good alternative to this ‘toxic’ body positivity that thrives on social media? What is a more realistic reflection of life outside of social media?

And I do not love burning my face when I am trying to use a frying pan (context: I am a midget).

I think it is body neutrality. The foundation

Words by Evangelia Karageorgos 35

Bowie: The Quiet Activist Words By Oliver Land

36

I think I’ve found it. The perfect time to discuss something that I’ve thought about trying to include in every article. Someone that my mother always says “well, you could’ve written about …” That someone is David Bowie!

Now I know. An icon, a legend, with such a wide career and so much to talk about, that it seems a shame almost to only focus on one part. However, that part is super interesting and I think was a very big part of who he was.

Throughout his career, Bowie would portray many characters, and raise many questions about his own life. With very little googling, you’ll run into the inevitable question that surrounds this man. Was he straight?

came Aladdin Sane, the most recognisable of Bowie’s characters, with his red lightening bolt across his face. Next was Halloween Jack, a futuristic pirate character, who was very flamboyantly dressed. Bowie had one more character after this, the Thin White Duke, although he changed his style completely for him. The reason I’m writing about this was that I think Bowie is a good example of someone who was constantly exploring boundaries, and part of that was clear in his sexuality.

Through this time, he dressed androgenous, and although he was married, he said in an interview in 1972 “I’m gay. And always have been.”

In 1972, David Bowie released an album called “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars”, which is one of the best albums he did in my opinion. Alongside this album, David Bowie adopted the stage persona of Ziggy Stardust. Bowie was quoted saying that he found it a lot easier to perform in character and would go on to adopt other personas. Ziggy was described by Bowie as an androgenous alien from outer space, dressed in wide shouldered shiny suits and a bright red mullet, and David remains the influence for glam rock through this style. This type of character would continue to be represented through his next two albums, with the characters accompanying them being just as strange, and just as androgenous. After Ziggy

This is why I’ve chosen this subject to talk about. Once this was said in the public forum, David has constantly had to answer questions around this, even later in life having clarified that he wasn’t gay and regretted answering that to the question. He mentions that it was possible he was so deeply in character that he was answering this question in character as Ziggy (Backed up by a fairly serious cocaine habit), and this would be something that he would continue to do through his career, getting lost in these personalities, having changing answers to interviews. I believe his lifestyle, music, and characters made a whole lot of people realise that they could be outlandish and brilliant and be themselves.

It’s certainly beautiful that Bowie was as

progressive with his identity as he was with his music. If he ‘played coy’ with his sexual identity, or simply was happy to change and never try to narrow himself down, it means he really was ahead of his time, and will always continue to be.

While there are plenty of other examples of progressive celebrities, and icons for traditionally misunderstood and oppressed people, I’ve always enjoyed how honestly Bowie supported people, remaining honest to himself, without ever saying empty words he allowed his own actions and music to make himself an activist without declaring himself an activist. While he never outright made statements in support of any groups, I believe he was quietly supportive of LGBTQ communities on his interviews, making jabs at the authority figures only just changing laws around being openly gay. It was something no one could argue with, and it helped many people accept themselves. Having a person up on a stage be so fluid and ethereal and yet so famous and impactful was such an inspiration to many of his fans struggling with their own identities, and there wasn’t anyone else out there doing it so nonchalantly and yet so openly. I believe it’s this effortless ability to be true to himself, and yet always be exploring the boundaries of his music and his personality, that keeps his legacy alive and continues to help people.

37

Taryn Brumfitt Words By Katia Rawlings imagine we take action! We are adventurous, audacious and always go the extra mile as a sign of our commitment to the cause.”

Before

Taryn Brumfitt born in Adelaide was named Australian of the year for 2023 because of her work in body positivity and helping people change their perceptions of themselves. Brumfitt the 42-year-old mother is a body positivity advocate, writer, photographer and film maker. Her company Body Image Movement is an Adelaide based organisation that teaches people to love their bodies for what they are.

Brumfitt, after her third child wanted to reobtain her pre-pregnancy figure and briefly though of plastic surgery before deciding to go through a weight loss and body building journey. She realised though that having the perfect figure did not bring her happiness.

Brumfitt posted a photo to social media of before and after her body had changed which went viral and sparked the idea for her company Body Image Movement. Brumfitt founded the Body Image Movement in 2012 their aim is to -

Educate our global community and provide tools to promote positive body image.

Celebrate body diversity in shape, size, ethnicity and ability.

Promote positive physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

Combat toxic messaging in media and advertising.

They have speaking events, educational resources, books and documentaries all designed to inspire, engage and create fun for all audiences. The Body Image Movement “dream big, we don’t just 38

As a part of Brumfitt’s journey she has published four bestselling novels, Embrace, Embrace Yourself, Embrace Your Body and Embrace kids and has released a documentary Embrace in 2016 and Embrace kids in 2022.

Her accolades include finalist in 2019 for Australian of the Year, and Australian Financial Review 100 Women of Influence awards in 2018. She also received the SA award for excellence in Women’s Leadership from Women and Leadership Australia and was named Entrepreneur of the year in SA in 2018. Her work has reached more than 200 million women and is recognised by UN women.

Her goal now is to spend more time advocating for children and body issues that they may have.

She is meeting with the Australian government to address pediatric health issues among children battling mental health issues and eating disorders. Speaking to the ABC she said, “It’s getting younger and younger. I only spoke to a six-year-old recently who was dieting. We need to help our kids across Australia and the world because rates of suicide, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, steroid use, are on the increase, related to body dissatisfaction.”

After

Call-out for Test Screening Audiences!

Do you like watching movies?

YOU are invited to watch a short 20 minute film made by an up and coming graduating student.

Come watch their short film at an exclusive test screening!

After watching, you’ll provide some feedback in a small group discussion, and asked some short questions to see what you thought.

This screening will take place on campus between late September and early October.

Send an email with the subject ‘Test Screening Audience’ to li2178@flinders.edu.au to express your interest and get more information about the event!

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