ISSUE #7 - PRIDE + EMPOWERMENT // March 2016

ISSUE #7

MARCH 2016

pride + empowerment

Local Riot is a collaborative magazine

created by two girls who wanted to

provide an outlet for the creative souls

of the world to share their work,

thoughts and opinions. It is a magazine

for young people by young people and

is a place to come together, a place to

be free of ridicule, a place to make

friends, a place to educate yourself, a express yourself, a place to be place to

heard.

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MAN Y THAN KS TO: • Allie for the cover and contents photo.

• Everyone who contributed in ‘Your Say’.

• All those who submit work.

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CONTENTS

CLASSICS: monthly mixtape monthly favourites your say: PRIDE pursuit of positivity audio sensual judging a book by its cover

FEATURES: fare bella figura “they call me cry baby, cry baby, but I don’t fucking care!” kota lama – the old town empowered women, empower women why loving yourself is cool proud to be proud let go + let pride suffragette – film review dear asshole fashion empowerment

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9 10 11 15 22 25

// 18 // 27

// 30 // 37 // 40 // // // // //

46 47 51 53 54

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

Hey Riots!

When deliberating over the theme for this months issue, we got quite stuck and asked our beloved interns for help. Our music columnist informed us that March was typically the month of pride and thus, the pride issue of Local Riot was born. This issue is somewhat of a guide, to how to be proud of yourself and what to do when you're not. What are you proud of? It's something we don't typically think about, we fail to look at our lives and ourselves and think, “I'm so proud of me!� Instead, we crave it. Think about the last time someone told you they were proud of you, think about how it gave you an uncontrollable smile and made your heart beat.

Now let yourself feel that again, from you to you.

Love always, Ailish and Maisie

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Get to Know the March Team

REGULARS MAISIE EVASON:

Twitter: @thebrkfstciub Instagram: @thelittlemermais

issue seven – PRIDE + EMPOWERMENT // march 2016

Social Media

localriot.weebly.com twitter: @localriotmag

Co ntact

localriotblog@gmail.com

Co -owners

Ailish Delaney Maisie Evason

Graphic Desig n Ailish Delaney

Co ntributing Writers Ioana Florescu Lily Midgett Ellie Connor-Phillips Maile Edwards Sam Passman Domonique Harris Ava Whybrow

Co ntributing Photograp hers Caroline Gadsby Alexandra Paffenholz Ellie Connor-Phillips Millie

AILISH DELANEY: Twitter: @probablyailiish Instagram: @ailish.delaney Tumblr: lazyplum.tumblr.com LILY MIDGETT: Twitter: @LilyMidgett Instagram: @lilymidgett MAILE EDWARDS: Instagram: @maileinthewild ELLIE CONNOR-PHILLIPS: Twitter: @elliecp Instagram: @elliecp_ DOMONIQUE HARRIS: Instagram: @babeypeach Blog: babeypeach.wordpress.com IOANA FLORESCU: Twitter: @preachitjessie Instagram: @isthatioana CAROLINE GADSBY: Twitter: @CarolineGadsby_

SAM PASSMAN: Instagram: @samstarkid Tumblr: hadesgf.tumblr.com AVA WHYBROW: Twitter: @avawhybrowx Instagram: @avawhybrowx

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Get to Know the March Team

RIOTS NIAMH WALLACE: An awkwardly average person, trying to make my mark in the world, in terms of transforming set ideals. I believe power of speech in our patriarchal society is key to transform, after having personally experienced hatred from bigots, whom have only added fuel to my fire of burning the out dated society in which we live.

Instagram: @niamhwallace JESSIA KHALIS: Hi! My name is Jessia (pronounced jay-see-ah). I'm a 19-year-old writerphotographer from Indonesia and I studied in Singapore. I'm currently in between schools, and I've been doing lots of writing and photography, either for online publications or just for the fun of them. Aside from that I also enjoy running and reading.

Instagram @jessiakhalis Blog: thepebblehuntress.wordpress.com

MILLIE: A 17-year-old girl who’s forever dreaming of travelling the world and documenting it for everyone to see.

Twitter: @httplants Instagram: @httplants

Want to see your work here?

If you’re a creative soul and want to see your work, whether it be art, modelling, writing, poetry, photography, etc, just email it to us at localriotblog@gmail.com local riot magazine // 8

1. Respect // Aretha

3. Salute // Little Mix 4. Can’t Hold Us Down //

Franklin 2. Same Love // Macklemore

Christina Aguilera ft. Lil Kim

5. Fucking Perfect // Pink

6. Masterpiece //

01/06/15 Santa

Jessie J

Monica Beach

7. Run The World // Beyoncé

8. Secrets // Mary Lambert 9. Brave // Sara Bareilles

10. Fighter // Gym Class Heroes 11. Bo$$ // Fifth Harmony 12. Do What U Want // Lady Gaga ft. R. Kelly

13. Fight Song // Rachel Platten

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INTELLIGENCE Now you may be thinking, “How can intelligence

be a monthly favourite?” Well, if I'm being honest, intelligence is my favourite thing all year round. I love intelligent people and intelligent conversations. They fuel me. I joined the debating club at my school purely so I could sit and listen to smart people argue. I think sometimes people are more intelligent than they let on, they keep their intelligence hidden because it may not be cool or they don't want to look like a try-hard. Please don't. Share your intelligence with the world.

Share it with me.

DR MARTENS I bought a pair of docs at the beginning of January and I don't think I've worn another pair of shoes since. They go with every item of clothing and any outfit is automatically made better by docs and a cute pair of socks. Once you break them in (warning: when you first buy them bandaids will be your best friend) they're super comfy you could practically sleep in them. Actually I did once, but that's another story.

POETRY SLAMS Instead of studying for my Italian oral, I thought it would be a good idea to spend two hours going through the Button Poetry YouTube channel. Turns out, it was a great idea and now I've spent the past two weeks going through the never ending collection of spoken word poems the internet has to offer. They are incredibly powerful and they'll have you laughing and crying within the space of 3 minutes. Also a quick life-hack: use them as a study break because they go for about 2-4 minutes so you can take a break and watch a few without losing too much precious study time. (Must watch slams: Rape Joke by Rhiannon McGavin and Belinda Escobedo, Fantastic Breasts and Where to Find Them by Brenna Twohy and Dear Ursula by Melissa May!!!)

- Maisie

CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN I’ve heard people rant and rave about Catfish and the Bottlemen for a while but never got around to listening to them until now. Ever since I started listening to their album, The Balcony, I haven’t stopped. It seems to be all I listen to. Their songs are a mix of upbeat and catching and chilled out, slower songs. They have such an interesting sound that you just want to keep hearing. I feel like they would be amazing to see live, hopefully they come to Perth in the near future. If you’re into their kind of music most definitely check them out! Their new album comes out in May, have a look into it; I know I’ll do so.

THE FOSTERS Another thing that I had heard about for ages but only got around to watching recently. I’m hooked.

I’m not too sure what it is about this show that has me wanting to stay up till 2am binge watching the episodes, but it’s there. The characters are loveable and, some, infuriating and the show knows how to tug on your heartstrings. It has a good representation of people of colour and the LGBT+ community. You find yourself hoping for a better future for the characters, hoping that they find the love they deserve. It’s a show I highly recommend if drama shows are your thing. (Also it rekindled my love for Maia Mitchell, whom I’m low-key obsessed with again).

DRIVING A weird thing to be included in my monthly favourites but here it is anyway. I find that I really enjoy driving, even though I’m still learning. I like the control you’re able to have whilst driving; definitely something I need more of in life at the moment. I can’t wait until I get my license and gain the freedom to go where I want, when I want, within reason. Road trip anyone?

local - Ailish

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PRIDE “A feeling of d eep plea sure or satisfaction d erived from one’s own achievem ents, the achievem ents of others, the achievements of one’s close a ssociates, or from q ualities or possessions that are wid ely admired.”

“Consciousness of one’s own dignity.”

The definition of pride varies from person to person. Each individual finds pride in them for different reasons. Pride is something personal, but can be shared. Everyone has different aspects of their lives where they will feel proud of themselves; it may be an academic achievement, pride in sexuality, or maybe doing something brave.

Some people may feel proud of themselves often, however, others may not. We wanted to know why you, the readers, were proud of yourselves. We asked the world, “When was the last time you were truly proud of yourself?” and the proud people responded.

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When was the last time you were truly proud of yourself?

“The last time I was truly proud of myself was when I reached my one

year anniversary with my girlfriend at the time. I was proud because I achieved something with someone I loved. I was proud that I was good enough for that person at the time and I worked hard to make her happy.” – Anonymous

“The last time I was truly proud of myself was last weekend when I performed fourteen dances in my annual dance show, including a solo, in front of a huge audience and performed with all my heart and passion. Hearing compliments from others is always so much more rewarding when you know for yourself that you worked hard and deserve them.” – Anonymous “The last time I was truly proud of myself was about 1 week ago. My teacher told me I got the highest mark in the maths test in the whole class. I’m not good at maths at all, so that boosted my self-esteem and I was so happy and proud… I still am.” – Anonymous “About three days ago. I finished two drawings, something I haven’t done in months, and when I looked at them, I was proud of what I had created – something that hasn’t happened in forever.” – Anonymous “It was today actually [March 9], I got the first part of my listening test back and on that part I had zero mistakes. I’ve had a rough time at school lately with my grades and such, so I was really happy.” – Lieve “When I had started thinking about dieting again but then reminded myself that eating makes me happy and if someone can’t accept me for who I am, they aren’t worth my time.” – Anonymous “Last week when I got a perfect score my chemistry//quiz!”

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“The last time I was truly proud of myself was when I gave this super kick ass speech on international education inequality. I was super nervous about it, but it turned out really well! A bunch of my pals said they loved it and it was the best feeling in the world!” – Anonymous “When I got a very good grade on the last math test. It was a really great moment and I was proud of myself because I had never done so well at maths and it was the first time I did that well.” – Anonymous “The last time I was really proud of myself was when I got voted in to be the ballet representative for my university last month.” – Grace “The last time I was truly proud of myself was when I saved someone’s life.” – Anonymous “Last time I was really proud of myself was when my art teachers complimented me on my painting.” – Katta “When I published an article, about three weeks ago, which was shared over 9 times and had garnered over 300 views. I was so surprised by how many family members and friends were supportive and actually interested to read my stuff. I also received a lot of compliments which helped so much because I’m insecure about my ability.” – Celine “The last time I was truly proud of myself was when I put myself first.”

– Anonymous “When I accomplished a school task that I felt I did well on.” – Aly “When I put two balls playing pool just then.” – Eleanor local riot magazine //13

"At least 260 species of animal have been noted exhibiting homosexual behaviour but only one species of animal ever, so far as we know, has exhibited homophobic behaviour — and “The last time I was proud of myself was when I made my friend laugh so hard she nearly peed.” – Anonymous

“I think the last time I was proud of myself was when I worked up the courage to tell somehow how I really felt and that led to sorting things out for the better, which was really nice, and of course the 90% in my maths test, I’m never letting that go.” - Fran

“I was proud of myself when I got the highest score in the maths test out of my year.” – Libby “The last time I was truly proud of myself was when I created some amazing art and felt proud and content of it.” – Aly

“Probably when I did well in my maths test because I’ve never been good at it but it was a massive improvement from last year.” – Anonymous “I don’t remember feeling extremely proud of myself, but the other day I went back to drawing after months of not doing it. I made a beautiful drawing of my boyfriend and I felt kind of happy about it.” – Anonymous “Last time I was truly proud of myself was when I beat my personal record on bench reps.” – Sloan

“I don’t often feel proud of myself, but the last time I did was when I did a photo shoot in the woods with my friend, and it turned out pretty good I think.” – Macy “The last time I was truly proud of myself was when I finished a six

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By Ailish

Delaney

To the quiet ones who keep to themselves, I am proud of you.

To those who are not afraid to express their beliefs and opinions, I am proud of you.

To those who are struggling with their image and view of themselves, I am proud of you.

To those who feel like they are alone and don’t belong, I am proud of you.

To those who do not fit these categories, I am proud of you.

I am proud of you for waking up today, and the day before and the day before that; for finding the courage to drag yourself out of bed and put on a brave face, for finding the courage to go out and face the world, for recognising the beauty that there is to go and see. I am proud of you.

I am proud of you for getting through

school; for raising your hand to ask a question even though the fear of getting it wrong and having people laugh at you eats you up inside, for getting an awesome result on something you worked hard on, for passing, for welcoming the new student, for joining a new club. I am proud of you.

I am proud of you for facing your demons; for recognising that you have self-worth and you are a unique and valued individual, for realising that it’s okay not to be okay, for allowing yourself to open up to someone, for accept or giving help, for forgiving someone or yourself.

I am proud of you for loving, both yourself and others. For recognising that everyone is different, everyone has flaws, and for accepting and embracing those flaws, even within yourself. For opening your heart and letting people in. For being brave.

I am proud of you for doing that “thing”; whatever has been on your mind, causing you to nervously bite the skin around your nails and roll your teeth over your lips. For

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finding the courage to step out of your comfort zone and try something different, something scary. For being brave and talking to that person, asking that question, accepting that opportunity. For embracing the new and the unknown.

I am proud of you for learning, from your mistakes, changing uneducated opinions, understanding others perspectives and the world around you. For not taking the opportunities you are presented with for granted and for making the most out of what you have.

I am proud of you for the impact you have made; on the lives of others, on the environment, the mark you’ve made on the world. You have touched the lives of each individual you know, in one way or another.

You’ve impacted the lives of strangers by being polite, complimenting their appearance or smiling at them as they walked passed.

“I’m proud of you, not for surviving, but for living the life that you live despite those difficult times.” – Denise Foster

Most importantly, I am proud of you for being here. For staying strong throughout all the times that life has been hard. For continuously getting back up, whether it’s by the helping hand of another or on your own, when it seems like life is just knocking you down again and again. For holding onto hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. For finally being able to reach a time in your life where you are happy, happy with yourself and with your situation. I am proud of you for being yourself and for being here.

Give yourself more credit for the little things and be proud of yourself too.

Yours sincerely, Ailish

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FARE BELLA FIGURA MAISIE EVASON

La frase fare bella figura vuol dire dare una buona impressioni.

(Starting the article with a quote in another language, could I be any more pretentious?!)

In Italy, the term “fare bella figura” means literally “to do beautiful figure.” Which, like most literal translations, makes absolutely no sense. However, when you look deeper into it, as I'm currently doing in Italian class, you see the true meaning of the phrase. It's all about making a good impression and taking pride in yourself. Appearance is important to most Italians and if it's not, well it's certainly important to their mothers. In Italy, you dress well no matter where you're going. Whether it's the piazza to see friends, church on a Sunday morning or the dentist, you make sure you look like a million euros. In Australia, we chuck on a pair of thongs and a singlet and we are just about ready to take on the world.

But fare bella figura is more than just taking pride in your appearance. It's about taking pride in the way you carry yourself, in the way you act and in the way you treat others.

In today's world, people have become so caught up in taking pride in the way they look. They must dress impeccably, their hair must be the perfect combination of sun-kissed blonde with traces of light brown, and god forbid their eyeliner doesn't match. I know that I plan outfits weeks in advance when I have parties to attend, to ensure I'm looking my best. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, because we all know taking pride in your appearance is important. It makes you feel good about

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yourself. Unfortunately, I think that for many people how a person looks has begun to take precedence over the way they act.

I know people who are gorgeous. I know people who are so gorgeous, when they walk past me my heart skips a beat because it astounds me that a person can be so magnificently crafted.

I know people who are so unbelievably gorgeous, but I don't wish to be most of them. Because they take pride in their looks, but that's where it ends for them. They forget to say please and thank you. They mutter monosyllabic words at people who are trying to help them. They bump into people in the halls and don't bother to say sorry. All little things that seem irrelevant, things that seem normal even. Everyone, including myself, is guilty of doing them. We forget for a second to use our manners or take the hand that's stretched out to us, we are only human. The problem arises when it becomes a daily occurrence, when people fail to stop and think about how they treat others and how they would like to be treated. Think about it for a second, if all of us walked around with paper bags on our heads, would you be proud of the person you are?

In a world so heavily focused on appearances, it's of the utmost importance that we remain proud of who we are. Not just in terms of our appearance, but also in the way we treat others. Smile at strangers, say thank you to the lady who made your coffee and help someone pick up their books when they drop them. It'll not only benefit those around you but you'll find yourself happier, because even when you look like you've been dragged through a tsunami, you'll still have a reason to be proud of yourself. Remember to smile more and use manners and ask people how they are. Remember that people may not remember how nice your hair looked at their party but they'll remember that you never thanked them for the invite. Remember that it's great to take pride in your appearance, but remember that you have so much more to be proud of.

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Photographer: Alexandra Paffenholz

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“I hope that you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you are not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald local riot magazine //21

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Domonique Harris

Vinyl & Cosmic Porta ls

I wanted to talk about a new record I got, but then I realized I have not yet talked about vinyl and how important it is, in general. So that is why I have gathered you here today, to talk about vinyl records and why no matter what it's one of the most satisfying purchases you'll ever make. It's worth more than whatever you end up paying, it truly is.

I've had two record since I was in fourth grade, part in thanks to my parent's divorce and my mom wanting to throw them out. Jimi Hendrix and Michael Jackson. The anticipation I had leading up to getting the package and putting it together, made my hands shake. I was already in mad love with it and it was my first time ever getting the chance to come face to face with it.

Getting my first record player and being able to listen to music as the needle moved along the tracks was almost life changing. I don't even know why. But it was like the music had finally come to life. You not only hear just the music, but you even hear the friction between the vinyl-the musicand the empty space... You hear any scratch, every dip in the record is a dip you're going to hear. And it's all so needed. It's one of those things you don't understand how badly you needed it until you've listened to it or actually buy one.

And then I put Jimi Hendrix on, listened to the crackling of static and the smile that was on my face as the music came rolling. I felt so in touch with myself and with everything around me, which doesn't make a lot of sense, but it felt as if someone had opened up a portal to a new world and here I was, just soaking it all up.

I felt like I was having an awakening to something much bigger than just a record player and music. Bigger as in the whole universe is a bunch of

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goddamn rocks and gas in this huge unfathomable space, but for hell's sake can't you see that you're in it!

Like I was one of the lucky few to step through this portal and find myself on the other side of somewhere new.

Even when I came back, nothing was the same. I've been seeing things through a series of opportunities and what will happen nexts. I fell in love with life.

So maybe next time I'll talk about that new record I got or maybe not. But either way, get a new record player some old records and see where the music takes you. See if by chance you get thrown into the same wonderful hole I did or if not just relax and enjoy the music. Go find your own universal loophole...

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“Often it’s the deepest pain which empowers you to grow into your highest self.”

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Maisie Evason

Breakfast At Tiffanys - Truman Capote

And now you're all singing to yourself “And I said what about Breakfast at

Tiffanys?�

I'm sorry and you're welcome. Now I must admit, this was a

book I read after I watched the film. Which is not like me at all! However,

it's one of the very rare cases in which I actually preferred the film to the book. Maybe it's because Audrey Hepburns portrayal of the ever so incredible Holly Golightly never fails to tug at my heartstrings, I'm not sure. But my mum and I are defiant in our belief that the movie is better than the book. In saying that, the book has its moments because if it didn't the movie wouldn't be great. I applaud Truman Capote for the creation of Holly Golightly and I would recommend reading the book purely so you can learn more about her. She's worth it. Other than that, I don't think this book was a real stand out.

2.5/5 STARS Happy reading Riots, Maisie.

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Photographer: Alexandra Paffenholz

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Maile Edwards.

"They call you cry baby, cry baby, but I don't fucking care!"

The song "Cry Baby" by Melanie Martinez is very special to me. It was the first time that I heard anyone in music not feel ashamed or small because of their tears, and that was really empowering for me as someone who’s always felt ashamed of emotions. That track kind of sparked something in me and made me understand that how I am is okay, even if I'm not okay.

It's hard to feel good about yourself all the time. I can blast Confident, Flawless, and Work all morning long and it could still turn out to be ‘one of those days’. I used to think that to be confident you couldn't allow yourself to be vulnerable.

Nothing could get you down, and you were able to roll with the punches and let things roll off your back with ease. I'm discovering that allowing yourself to be vulnerable and to be okay with not being okay is a very empowering thing. Instead of hiding your emotions out of fear of being judged or shamed, you can give yourself permission to acknowledge that your feelings are valid, and you are entitled to them. You can be confident and still allow yourself to be vulnerable too.

This journal entry was from a while back. I was dealing with things emotionally, feeling like I didn't have any direction that I was going in, and that I was stuck in a rut. Basically, I was feeling like crap. A good cry and writing this love letter to myself was comforting, because I let my feelings flow, and just sort of said, "This is how I'm feeling now. It may not be a big deal, and it may not be forever, but this is now and this is valid and I am still me."

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Photographer: Millie

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Kota Lam a – The Old Town Jessia Khalis

I come from Indonesia and from 1820­1950; the Dutch colonized our nation.

These photos were taken in Kota Lama (The Old Town in English) and it is a site that the government has chosen to preserve for years. You can still see some of the old western styled buildings and the Blenduk Church (aka GPIB Immanuel), which is one of the oldest churches in Asia.

The upholding of this site, coupled with the effort in refurbishing it, goes to show how our society has chosen to move on from the past and empower ourselves. Now, Kota Lama has become a source of pride to our city and it is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Semarang. Its beautiful architecture also attracts many photographers from all around the world.

When talking about pride and empowerment, I think it's not just about our own personal endeavours. The idea of accepting our pasts, and using it to fuel ourselves for the future, is something that can be applied in many aspects. I want to use these photos to talk about it in a societal scale. Because alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.

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Photographer: Jessia Khalis

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Photographer: Jessia Khalis

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Photographer: Jessia Khalis

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Photographer: Jessia Khalis

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Photographer: Jessia Khalis

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"Why is it that, as a culture, we are more comfortable seeing two men holding guns than holding hands?" — Ernest Gaines

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AILISH DELANEY

There is a social expectation of women to be degrading towards other women; it’s part of our stereotype. Our society has normalised tearing others down and internalised misogyny. Everywhere you look, from magazines to social media, there are headlines and messages about women, often by women, picking out and highlighting their flaws, judging their lifestyle choices, criticising them, often none of which relate to the authors own lives. There is an ideology held that it is okay to belittle women who show skin when they dress. They cannot be respectful people who place a high value on themselves purely because of the way they dress. This idea is absurd as the way that someone chooses to present themselves, their own personal style and self-expression, impacts no one else but them. It is possible to have selfrespect and still wear short skirts and tight dresses. It is also possible for others to mind their own business and realise that how someone dresses does not impact their live and they should not be belittling their worth and judging them when they know nothing about them.

In our society there are multiple double standards, which women have to deal with on a daily basis. Women are shamed, by men and other women, for their sex lives.

Women are slut shamed constantly for their personal choices, whilst men are praised.

A woman will be shamed for sleeping with multiple partners but not for sleeping with her partner multiple times, it doesn’t make sense. Women are shamed for taking naked pictures, but men are not shamed for asking for them, spreading them against the other persons will or taking them themselves. You can’t say that you embrace body positivity and self-love then shame others who don’t fit your concept of a body to be proud of. This shaming of the choices women make is from both men and women. You can’t pick and choose whom to include in your idea of female empowerment, intersectional feminism doesn’t work like that. You cannot endorse double standards and continue the internalised misogyny that is present in our society.

Kim Kardashian recently posted a nude picture of herself on the Internet. This caused controversy around the globe and resulted in multiple people, mainly women, shaming her for this choice. Women who identify as feminists shamed Kim Kardashian for the picture, such as Pink urging girls to use “their brains”, not their bodies, and actress Chloe Grace Moretz claiming, “we have so much more to offer than just our riot magazine //37for bodies.” One cannot identify as a feminist if they local tear down another woman

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embracing her sexuality and freedom. The media forces ideas into your head from a young age to pick out the flaws in others and accept the stereotype of being “bitchy”. If we don’t break out of this stereotype we will continue to live in a society where females are victims of internalised misogyny. People will not be able to change their views unless they are educated and empowered with the knowledge that it is wrong.

Society has misconstrued the relationship that women should have with one another and encourages tearing them down as apposed to building one another up and supporting their choices. One should not be focusing on miniscule details of life, such as other people’s dress choices and sex lives, and tearing others down; that is not the idea behind female empowerment. Women, as a collective whole, should be focusing on accepting and embracing themselves as individuals and then doing the same with others, “Empowered women, empower women.”

We need to reclaim the term “slut” and rid it of the negative connotations. In order to make a change women need to come together, break the social expectation of women being degrading towards one another. We need to unite to end the stigma attached to the word and remove women from these confining gender stereotypes and categories in which they are placed. How can we expect to progress towards equality if we are still tearing our own gender down? If we are able to embrace who we are and recognise that we are each individuals with talents and abilities, we each make different choices, have different views and beliefs, and live our lives different ways, we will be able to come together as a unified force to be reckoned with. By lifting each other up and empowering one another we will be breaking the stereotypes and barriers places upon us by the patriarchal society and redefine the idea of women and how we are meant to interact with each other. Together we can empower one another and make a change in the fight for equality.

Fight the pa triarchy; do it together.

I W ILL NOT

I’m only a “slut” because my sexuality scares you.

It’s MY body I do what I w ant

BE SHAMED

FIG HT THE PAT RIARC HY!

End slut sh aming!

local

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why loving yourself is cool TRIGGER WARNING: EATING DISORDER/SELF HARM Body image is something that almost everyone will struggle with. I struggled seriously for two/three years from the ages thirteen to fifteen. I, driven with self-hate and embarrassment, started self-harming, isolating myself and developed bulimia.

Now, aged sixteen, I am proud of myself. I am proud that I went through such turmoil and still managed to come out of it.

Weight started becoming a problem when I was thirteen and I noticed that not only was I taller than all my friends, but I was bigger. It alarmed me. No one told me that I was going to put on weight when my friends weren’t. As a 13-year-old girl, everything I did had to be compared to my friends. If I liked this band, did my friends? If I had started my period, had my friends? If I was gaining weight, were my friends? When it became apparent that they weren’t, I went into panic mode. It was simple; I had to stop gaining weight. I stopped eating breakfast (I never was a breakfast person I told myself), and lunch (who had time? Lunch was for gossiping with friends and flirting with boys, right?) But I couldn’t avoid dinner. Dinner was family time. We’d sit around the table, talking about our day, like the perfect family.

It made me feel sick. Swallowing the food down, then having to talk to my family like nothing was wrong. I felt like I could physically feel the food adding weight onto my thighs and stomach. So I started throwing up after meals. It was simple, I mean I looked it up online and I found a website that said forcing yourself to be sick after a meal was fine, could be healthy even. Of course the website also said that it should not be a regular thing and that it was only acceptable if you had overeaten.

But I ignored that part because I needed to convince myself that it was fine.

But bulimia is not as simple as poking two fingers down the back of your throat, throwing up your dinner and wiping your mouth. It took me almost an hour the first time. No one was in and I sat, crying over the toilet; begging and pleading for it to stop hurting and for this goddamn food to come up. Eventually it did and all I did was cry because that was when I realised that I wasn’t ok. But like I said, I ignored it,

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because to me I was different. My eating disorder was fine because I wasn’t skinny.

All these black and white Tumblr posts and books showed skinny girls who had EDs, who had family members who noticed their weight loss and were worried. That never happened to me. No one stopped me and asked me if I had lost weight so I assumed I hadn’t.

I was so ashamed that I couldn’t lose weight enough for people to notice that I became jealous and bitter. It wasn’t fair; all my friends were skinny and weren’t going through what I was. I was desperate for attention and told a boy I liked that I had an eating disorder. I drank up the support he gave me. He told me that he was always here for me and that he didn’t want me to hurt myself. I told him I wouldn’t and that he really helped me. Of course this simply fuelled my ED. He liked me! I told myself. He likes me! He cares about me! All because I was skinny. He never really paid attention to me before I told him about my ED so this whole skinny thing is working, right? But my happiness was short lived as he and my best friend started going out. Now this sounds petty but being rejected at thirteen years old, in my eyes, is a big deal. Now I was alone. I couldn’t impress him anymore because he had her, my family wasn’t paying attention to me because a close family member was ill and I just felt like I was going through a lot and no one really noticed. Selfharm became easy for me, like a ritual. It was simple to do, it hurt like crap so it made me feel like I was paying for how petty and angry I had become. I loathed myself for hating my best friend and her boyfriend because I knew they weren't at fault. They had done nothing wrong. And how could I blame my family for not paying attention to me when my family member had cancer. Fucking cancer. I would lay awake at night with my phone’s torch shining over my thighs as I slit the razor across them. It felt so good. It was like my own thing. I became so obsessed with harming myself that weight became so, not unimportant, but irrelevant. I had found a new way to yet torture and satisfy myself at the same time, it was perfect.

I went on like this for months, it wasn’t until almost a year later that my best friend (now broken up with her boyfriend) saw my cuts and yanked me out of the miserable, repetitive life I had been living. She explained so much to me, that living numb and quietly, wasn’t living, that I was isolating myself and if I didn’t let her help me, she was going to tell the school. It was exactly the kick up the ass I needed.

She, and a few other friends who she convinced me to tell, helped me stop loathing myself. We were all open with each other and when I found out that some other friends of mine too had self harmed and struggled with weight, it was like a weight had been lifted. I wasn’t alone. I know it sounds like a cliché end of movie scene but

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it was what happened. I am still best friend with everyone who helped me and I cherish them. No one knows all the reasons I hated my weight or myself, including myself, and I doubt anyone really ever will.

All I know now is that I love my body. I really, really never thought it was possible. I mean there are parts I’m not particularly fond of but I still love them. I love how my cheeks are ridiculously chubby and how my tummy always looks like I’m three months pregnant. I love how my bum is covered in stretch marks and how my boobs are ridiculously small. A lot of it took my friends to convince me that I was full of worth and deserved love. But a part of it was me. I allowed my friends to show me the right way and for that, I am proud of myself. One of my favourite feelings in the world is when I get up and look in the mirror and I’m just like, “Hey, it’s so cool that you’re happy” or when I’m going out with friends and I just feel good, I’m going out and I’m so excited because I am so comfortable. That’s not to say I don’t get stressed my skin is bad or I ate too much before wearing a tight dress but now I just think, “You’ve been through worse.”

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“Love yourself and be proud of everything that you do, even your mistakes. Because even mistakes mean you’re trying.” - Chrisje

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Photographer: Millie

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Photographer: Millie

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Proud to be Proud

Sam Passman

Throughout the years of my life, I've always been a very negative child. I used to insist that I wasn't pretty, to the point where I couldn't even imagine myself being happy. I've changed, and sometimes, changes are really good. I'm proud of my accomplishments in positivity, amongst others.

I made a promise to myself that I would begin to be kind to myself. It was a huge "fake it till you make it" strategy, and for a while I felt really guilty. I felt undeserving of positivity and it destroyed my self-esteem. But, I kept at it. People would compliment me, and I would thank them instead of negating their words.

I'd go out with friends and buy things for myself for fun. I'd willingly tell people of the accomplishments I was proud of, like writing to Homer Hickam and getting a response. I would ask questions in class and be more active in discussions. I began to blossom into a more confident, happy, and content person.

I'm proud of myself. I love how I've changed for the better. I feel like I'm reaching my potential, because I'm reaching out to opportunity. I have lots of things to be proud of, but accepting myself is one I believe truly resonates.

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Let Go + Let Pride Ioana Florescu

Pride can be defined as a wave of absolute contentment that accompanies your achievements. There are often times where society blindly perceives taking pride as continuous boasting and having a sense of superiority. Personally, I find that idea very ironic.

We live in a day and age where self-centeredness has become a quotidian affair.

Does that puzzle you at all?

Be honest.

The concept of "selfies", also known as self-portraits is a good example to begin with. However, it is widely mistaken for illustrating vanity and shallowness. The human kind goes deeper than their exterior, it's just that sometimes we all need a little bit of self-love.

Maybe your hair and makeup looked good that day and you wanted to remember it. There is nothing wrong with embracing that. If you’ve got it, flaunt it.

Since that was just an exemplification to sustain the fact that self-absorbed people can be found at just

about any corner, let me delve into the main focus here. Someone once said, "In a selfish world, the selfish succeed." That came from a Barbie movie, unbelievable, right? As weird as it may sound to you, that quote alone represented a wake up call for me.

I am proud, for the right reasons. I have learned how to let go of people, to stop living for others and live for myself. I took responsibility for my own life, instead of desperately clinging to those around me as if they were my lifeboat.

This is not to say that I alienated myself from friends and family but rather I began seeing life in a different perspective when I started focusing on my wellbeing.

I have more free time than ever before. Things like playing the piano, learning multiple languages at the same time, trips to cultural attractions are now possible.

You might wonder "Don't you feel lonely? Does it ever get boring?" And to that I say: it gets boring when you stop

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enjoying it. That's why I strive to have diversity in my hobbies. To keep my mind occupied from helping others and to concentrate on helping myself. Because not everyone will seek what's in your best interest. Not everyone will care what you're up to, as they're tangled up in their own dilemmas. And when no one will help you, you have to help yourself.

Is it selfish? It may look like that. But in reality, it's like a breath of fresh air. Bliss replaces that constant feeling of overwhelm, even if it's for a brief period of time. It's still better than nothing at all. Allow yourself to be a priority. Do not feel like you have to apologize for what you did if it made you feel better. Be considerate when it comes to other people's feelings but do not disregard your own.

You're a person too. You have feelings. It's okay to want some space. Do what you must.

Be proud of your choices.

It's your life to live, not someone else's.

IO

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“You are the most influential person you will talk to today.” – Zig Ziglar Inc.

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Photographer: Caroline Gadsby Photographer: Caroline Gadsby

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A few months ago, my mum took me to see ‘Suffragette”, which is not only a brilliant movie, but an empowering portrayal of the struggle women in the 1920s England faced in gaining their right to vote.

To summarise it to those who haven’t already seen or know about the

Suffragette movement, in which the movie was based on, I will try find

the words to express how magnificent this movie was in the sense of

empowerment.

The women in Suffragette were characterised as quite ordinary women, yet they achieved extraordinary means, in the terms of empowerment. The Suffragette movement believed the treatment of women, at ease of the patriarchal society, was unfair, and advocated for gaining their right to vote. A simple, yet empowering thing is to give someone such a right.

It makes not only their opinion, but also their whole existent significant, as they are contributing to the society in which they live, and their say is just as important as the next persons is.

Many of the women were imprisoned for protesting, organising demonstrations and rioting, the only way that their voice could be heard, after several failed attempts at forming a bill to be passed in parliament. Many of these women went on to hunger strike whilst in prison, which resulted in many being force fed through tubes. Many women died in doing this. Many women’s children were unlawfully taken off them for being a suffragette. Many women sacrificed their lives, to fight for this right to vote, that would lift the unjust attitude towards women, from men, off their shoulders, giving them a chance of an equal life.

This first wave of feminism, the suffragette movement, shook the world and empowered many other women, and men, to join in the fight to gain equality for all, regardless of gender.

Today, I sometimes feel scared to share I am feminist. No, not a man hating, over opinionated feminist, who shares way too many gender driven articles on Facebook, ‘forcing’ it down your throat.

I am a feminist who believes in equity, one that empowers all to work together harmoniously, with an understanding we all have different opinions, to achieve a just humanity that our future generations shall live in, without fear of prejudice. It saddens me to witness first hand the lack of empowerment that many people who surround me have. Many are so oblivious to the struggles women faced less than 100 years ago, and laugh in the faces of today’s feminists, for their passionate, yet unambiguous opinions on basic, human, equal rights.

Empowerment is a wonderful thing. Whether you are young or old, male or female, embrace your ability of freedom of speech in our Western society. Don’t be afraid of bigots, with which their narrow-minded comments may deflate your hope. Whether you are a feminist, an environmental activist, whatever you feel passionate about, embrace and share it, just like my mother did when she brought me with her to watch Suffragette.

In doing so, I hope you may empower another to fight for what is wrong to be right.

Suffragette – Film Review local riot magazine Niamh Wallace

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Photographer: Millie

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Lily Midgett

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Fashion Empowerment: finding self-pride through fashion Ellie Connor-Phillips

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It’s 2012. I’m fourteen years old, flicking through the pages of Teen Vogue and wondering what it would be like to be one of the girls smiling prettily on it’s glossy pages. I wanted to be confident, but had no idea how to get there. The gap between these laughing, happy teenage girls and myself felt so inexplicably large and impossible to cross; I just couldn’t quite work out a way to overcome it. Fast forward a few months into 2013 and I discover Rookie magazine.

Everything felt so genuine, so teenage, and so real; girls of all kinds graced its homepage and Tavi Gevinson herself seemed to ooze this modest confidence that made my heart skip a beat. I decided instantaneously that this was the answer; I fell deep into the ‘teen girl’ hole (literally, as the soundtrack to this time period in my life was the band Hole) and simultaneously discovered teenage fashion blogs and vintage clothing, which resulted in an eclectic mix of granny-chic vibes, dancing to hunx & his punx and updating social media. I felt the best I had in years, and my new found comfort in who I had become led me to make new friends with similar interests, gain confidence with stepping outside of my comfort zone, and just generally be a better me. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what made me transition from the shy girl who likes reading about fashion to the more confident, crazily-dressed and active individual I am today, however I think it would be lying if I didn’t say that clothes and fashion in general had one hell of a lot to do with it.

Finding ‘your style’ is hard. Firstly, it’s very difficult to define a ‘style,’ and it’s unnaturally limiting in most cases to try and restrict yourself to one thing. Also, there are so many different interpretations of what style is, how to discover yours, and what you should or shouldn’t wear…ultimately, lots of people simply never explore fashion enough to find their style, and instead go with simple and easily accessible choices. Also, some people are confident enough in themselves already to be able to relax more when it comes to clothes or external appearance, whereas there are people like me who need the sort of protective shell that my style has become. It’s not that I don’t have personality; it’s merely that my personality seems to come out more when it is also expressed through my clothing choices. I also have found that dressing differently has given me the memorable and standout edge I always dreamt of having; being sometimes quiet, I felt as if I passed through the school system pretty much unknown for a good few years. By making myself physically noticeable, I was able to make more of an impression on my peers and felt my

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voice could be heard more, even though this could just be the sort of placebo effect from feeling more confident.

“My personality is definitely shown through my clothing, but sometimes it feels like an armour. I’m not hiding who I am, however if I need to feel confident and comfortable, clothing is a great way to do that if you have an amazing piece that will transform you both physically and mentally,” Jamie Windust told me via twitter message, after I confronted him about whether clothes were a projection of your inner self, or rather a physical identity that you create and effectively play along with, like an actor taking on a new role. “Pride is knowing you look good for you and only you, and being content and at peace with that. If not caring about other people and using fashion as an expression to further yourself, whether it be bold or toned-down, makes you feel better and feel pride about yourself then that’s what’s the most important.” As a blogger, fashion student and generally stylish individual, Jamie encapsulates for me the idea that pride can be gained by taking an interest in something and pursuing it, cultivating something you will then become proud of. Whether that is investing time into your outfits and fashion, writing, making art, or studying, it is clear that putting effort into doing what you love creates a sort of power that can leave you feeling incredibly proud, as anything you achieve will be down to the care and time you put in.

The catch with using fashion as a way to take pride in yourself is that yes, it can be argued to border on the lines of vanity. For the last 3 years, I have regularly asked people to photograph my outfits for my blog, sharing these images on my social media accounts, and relying on comments and feedback to work out whether I’m doing a good job. Yes, I care about what I look like, and yes, I do feel better when I see a good photograph of myself. I also feel good when I receive good feedback on a photo-shoot or an outfit. You could easily think of this as vain, however as a strong believer in the importance of self-love and selfrespect, I think being a little bit vain is never really a bad thing. You only have one body (or so we assume) and so you might as well try to love it. Usually the physical image side of fashion merges with the mental state that dressing up creates – for me, I started trying to dress in a style I liked, but that soon led to me becoming a more grounded and confident person, as my mental state was as secure as my confidence in clothes and putting together outfits. I asked Jamie

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whether he thought that finding pride in fashion was directly linked to physical appearance, and whether you needed body confidence to be proud of your look.

“I think you can learn one from the other interchangeably. I used to have really bad skin and still do, and that was the primary reason I started wearing makeup and then it grew from there into self-expression. Also, clothing can help you love your body and embrace yourself, and vice versa!” He also agreed with me on the vanity and social media issue, explaining that “so many people say it’s unhealthy to have other people validate yourself, however I use it as a boost and to spur me on, never to limit myself or change myself because it’s never a bad thing to be told someone enjoys what you’re doing with your life!”

In short, I think simply pursuing your interests is the answer to finding a sense of pride and feeling empowered; it doesn’t necessarily have to be through fashion or clothes, but in mine and Jamie’s case we found that expressing ourselves physically through our outfits helped us to work out who we were, and present ourselves to the world in a way that made us feel more comfortable and confident. Fashion isn’t always the answer for everyone, but for a lot of people wearing what you like (even if that’s cosy pajamas!) can be a real key to taking pride in whom you are.

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“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

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Photographer: Millie

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“I’m not interested in competing with anyone, I hope we all make it.” – Erica Cook

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Photographer: Caroline Gadsby

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Photographer: Caroline Gadsby

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