swell
ISSUE 01 | FEBRUARY / MARCH 2020
for curious, connected and conscious students
mind | body | soul
contents 03 EDITOR’S NOTE Our Editor outlines what to expect from the first issue of Swell. 04 TRUE BLUE We deep-dive into Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2020. 06 TREAT YOURSELF Gifts to give yourself this Valentine’s Day.
mind 08 OVERCOME INTERVIEW ANXIETY Read our tips on how to cope with those tricky job interviews. 12 PICKING APART DERMATILLOMANIA Better understand this notorious condition that makes you ‘skin-pick’.
body 18 BLOOD, SEX & BIAS A look at existing regulations preventing gay men from donating blood.
soul 24 TEA WITH AN XR REBEL An inside track into the ideals and mental health of a 20-year-old climate activist. 30 A SWELL DECADE A run down of the positives to come out of the 2010s. 2 SWELL MAGAZINE
COVER PHOTOGRAPHY BY TALIA WOODIN
21 FOR THE LOVE OF FOOTBALL The English love their football. What’s the score?
Welcome to the launch issue of Kingston University’s very first student wellness magazine—Swell. A magazine made by KU students for KU students, Swell offers an insight into the wellbeing of the mind, body, and soul. We understand the pressures and challenges you go through as students and we’ve put together stories to help you not only to better understand them but also fill you with positivity and the confidence to overcome them. At Swell, we give the utmost priority to that positive approach because our aim is to create a conscious student community that supports and listens without being preachy. We, as students of MA Magazine Journalism and MA Media, are proud to be able to give back to the student community by helping you lead a creative, mindful and vibrant life. In this issue, we introduce you to a style of magazine, which deals with the current challenges of eco-anxiety, pressures of job interviews, and physical and mental wellbeing. No matter your age, gender, race, sexual orientation or ethnicity, Swell is for every student, so we hope you enjoy reading it as much as we’ve enjoyed putting it together! Stay Well, Saloni Patel Editor
editorial team EDITOR
DEPUTY EDITOR
DESIGN/SUB EDITOR
Saloni Patel
Anugraha Sundaravelu
Eve Crosbie
MARKETING
FEATURES
SOCIAL MEDIA Gazal Sharma
Izabela Chmielewska
Ram Kumar
WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO: Jan Goodey, Dan Newman, Dave Wood SWELL MAGAZINE 3
WORDS BY SALONI PATEL, PHOTOGRAPHY BY THACH TRAN VIA PEXELS
editor’s letter
S
tarting the year, and the decade, on a calming note, Pantone has chosen Classic Blue as their Colour Of The Year
2020. Described by Pantone as a “boundless blue evocative of the vast and infinite evening sky,” the colour is soothing and pleasing to the eye, and can instantly evoke a feeling of calmness. It has been known to symbolise depth and stability, often signifying trust, confidence, faith, and wisdom. Reflecting both water and skies, the colour has the power to instil within us the serenity that we often find in them. It’s no surprise then that it has also been dubbed ‘Anti-Anxiety Blue’. In our always-on world, anxiety continues to rise among young people, with students being no exception. Many universities and schools thankfully now have support systems in place so students no longer have to suffer in silence, but the numbers continue to rise. In a survey of over 38,000 UK students conducted last year, almost nine in 10 (88%) said they struggled with feelings of anxiety while at university, up 19% from 2017. You’re definitely going to be seeing this colour a lot more this year so we’ve picked out some of our favourite blue-hued student buys for you. We suggest every time you spot Classic – or Anti-Anxiety – Blue, whatever you want to call it, use it as a reminder to take a moment to just stop and breathe.
4 SWELL MAGAZINE
ALLBIRDS UNISEX TRAINERS, £95 Crafted from wool and recycled plastic, Allbirds are putting a sustainable spin on 'athleisure' with their trainers.
allbirds.co.uk
true CHILLY’S X REFILL BOTTLE, £20
Stay hydrated throughout the day with a reusable water bottle. 50% of proceeds for this exclusive, and appropriately blue bottle from Chilly’s go towards fighting plastic pollution here in the UK.
chillysbottles.com
HOUSE OF MARLEY HEADPHONES, £49.99
Made from sustainable wood and recycled fabric, these Bluetooth headphones have up to 12 hours playback time, making them perfect for a long library session.
thehouseofmarley.co.uk
ADDITIONAL WORDS BY EVE CROSBIE, STATISTIC FROM THE UNIVERSITY MENTAL HEALTH SURVEY 2018, THE INSIGHT NETWORK
PAPERCHASE NOTEBOOK, £14
This hardback A5 ruled notebook is perfect for writing down your 2020 intentions.
paperchase.com
blue Words by Saloni Patel
FJÄLLRÄVEN BACKPACK, £105
This larger version of the best-selling Kånken backpack is big enough to fit all your daily essentials and more.
fjallraven.co.uk
KINGSTON UNIVERSITY SWEATER, £24
Study in style with an official Kingston University sweatshirt. Plus, it’s WRAP certified, meaning it has been sourced and produced fairly.
kingstonstudents.net
SWELL MAGAZINE 5
COLOUR THERAPY
PUPPY LOVE
Colouring helps ease anxiety and stress by anchoring you to the present moment. It works well as a meditation tool too!
If you have a pet, take some time to cuddle with them. If you don’t, you can always pet-sit or head to a pet-friendly cafe!
Swell recommends: The Little Book of Calm Colouring
Swell recommends: Borrow My Doggy Wags n’ Tails
treat yourself Gifts to give yourself this Valentine's Day Words by Saloni Patel
LITERAL LOVE
Is it even self-love if you don’t literally love yourself? Take some time out to explore your body. Swell recommends: Smile Makers
SELF CARE
Self love begins with physical self-care and we don’t mean only hitting the gym and eating healthy. Try turning off your phone and relaxing with a face mask instead. Swell recommends: GlamGlow Supermud Mask
6 SWELL MAGAZINE
Young people, especially students, face immense pressures, which can lead to poor mental health and stress. In this section, we look at some of these issues and also help you deal with them.
SWELL MAGAZINE 7
WORDS BY SALONI PATEL, PHOTOGRAPHY BY DARIA REM VIA PEXELS
mind
mind
6
ways to overcome
interview anxiety
Words by Ram Kumar
R
acing heartbeat, clammy palms and a sudden parched throat? Either you’re on a first date or you’re sitting in front of a potential employer. If job interviews are giving you sleepless nights, we’ve rounded up some tips that can help.
8 SWELL MAGAZINE
While stress can manifest itself in many ways, the anxiety surrounding job interviews is perhaps the most gruelling for students and fresh graduates. Having invested so much time and energy into searching for opportunities and completing job applications, the prospect of being scrutinised under immense pressure can be unnerving. Receiving that call or email for a coveted job interview only puts you a step closer to securing a job. What follows is the fear of facing that interview and acing it. So, here are six tips to crack that interview.
STAY COMPOSED Put in effort and prepare for the questions expected at a job interview. This will help you get into a composed frame of mind. Take a few minutes before entering the meeting room and settle your nerves.
BE ON TIME When it comes to interviews, some say you can never be too early. By this we don’t mean ten minutes early; we mean at least half an hour early. You don’t have to go in right away but you can hang around in a coffee shop nearby to calm those nerves. It gives you the time to sit down and mentally prepare for what’s coming.
BREATHE It might sound like the most basic thing but the most effective way to steady the mind is by controlling your breathing. As you begin to consciously focus on your breathing, you will feel your anxiety start to dissipate and be replaced by a sense of optimism. SWELL MAGAZINE 9
ADDITIONAL WORDS BY ANUGRAHA SUNDARAVELU PHOTOGRAPHY BY NIK MACMILLAN VIA UNSPLASH
mind
mind STAY CALM
DON’T LOSE YOURSELF
During the interview, the urge to convince a potential employer of your potential can sometimes result in coming across as desperate or cocky. So, remember to project a calm and cool demeanour to your prospective employer.
In case you’re in a situation where you’re being asked questions you don’t know the answers to, don’t try to fake it. Be honest that you don’t know the exact answer and give the closest related response. This shows your ability to withstand pressure and think on your feet.
BE YOURSELF
The chances of acing any interview depend upon a number of things, some of which might be beyond your control. However, mentally preparing for the things that you can control will make the challenge seem so much easier.
You don’t need to hide your true self behind an artificial mask when it comes to job interviews. Employers will quickly see through that. It’s nice to have a personality that shines and it helps if you don’t feel like you’re playing a part. Being yourself is the right way to go rather than pretending to be something you aren’t.
You can follow Kingston University Careers team on Twitter for more advice @weareKUCareers
bonus tips from an expert Judy Holman is a Placements Officer at Kingston University’s School of Arts, Culture and Communication. She recommends:
PHOTOGRAPHY: CHARLES VIA UNSPLASH
LOOK THEM UP “If you know who you are meeting with, look them up on LinkedIn so you get a feeling for the kind of person you are going to be speaking to.” GET THERE EARLY “Get to the interview early and sit down in a nearby coffee shop and mentally prepare from there.” STEADY YOUR BREATHING “Breathe in to the count of four. And then breathe out to the count of four. This will steady your heart-rate and help mentally balance you.” SWELL MAGAZINE 11
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WILLIE B. THOMAS VIA GETTY
mind
picking
12  SWELL MAGAZINE
mind
apart dermatillomania It can be both mentally and physically damaging so why don’t more people know about it? Eve Crosbie explores the compulsive skin-picking disorder of dermatillomania and opens up about her own struggles with it.
T
he first time I realised I had a problem, I had just been to the cinema to see the film Room about a young woman who escapes after being held captive for seven years. The film had played out one of my (many) irrational fears, and as my boyfriend and I walked into the brightly lit lobby he turned to me in horror. asked.
"What have you done to your face?" he
Catching a glimpse of my reflection in my phone screen, I realised that, engrossed in the film, I had absentmindedly managed to pick away an entire layer of skin from my bottom lip, leaving it bloody and sore. SWELL MAGAZINE 13
mind As I flashed him a reassuring, albeit painful smile, and explained that I must have gotten nervous during the film, I decided that I had to do something about my constant skin-picking. It was no longer just a bad habit, it had become an unconscious reflex, and I couldn't stop. By that point, picking at my skin had become a daily occurrence. While reading or watching TV, I would find myself routinely plucking at my lips until they bled. As I sat in lectures, I would gnaw at the skin around my nails to the point that I found it too difficult to type out notes. Alone in the privacy of my bathroom, I would spend hours scanning my body for spots and ingrown hairs that I could poke and prod at to my heart's content. The morning after that bloody-lip incident at the cinema, when I found myself tearing away at my still-raw lips again, I grabbed my phone and tapped into Google, 'can't stop picking at my skin what to do'. I discovered two things: one, that I was not alone (there were others like me, flooding message boards and social media with posts about their skin-picking) and two, my problem had a name: dermatillomania. "Dermatillomania, or skin picking disorder, is a Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviour Disorder (BFRB)," says Dr Tara Peris, psychiatrist and professor at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behaviour. Along with trichotillomania (hair-pulling) and onychophagia (nail-biting), it is characterised by the urge to 'self-groom' to the point of physical injury. "Picking at your hands, lips, face, arms or other body parts occasionally is common human behaviour but someone suffering from dermatillomania might not be able to stop once they've started, which often results in scarring, discolouration or even tissue damage," explains Dr Peris.
There's also a strong link between skin-picking and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Dr Peris tells me. "Similar to OCD, many people experience a compulsion-like urge beforehand and a sense of relief once that compulsion has been met". Since 2018, dermatillomania has appeared under obsessive-compulsive related disorders in the International Classification of Diseases, the healthcare manual used by medical professionals. Up until then, it was not officially recognised as a disorder. It remains a notoriously under-researched area of mental and physical health, and precise causes have not yet been identified. "A hair-pulling or skin-picking coping mechanism could be triggered by any number of things," Dr Peris says, citing hormonal changes such as the onset of pu-
“Picking at my skin was no longer just a bad habit, it had become an unconscious reflex and I couldn’t stop”
14 SWELL MAGAZINE
berty, post-traumatic stress disorder or the existence of other underlying conditions as just a few of the causes of dermatillomania. According to the Trichotillomania Learning Foundation (TLC), which has been supporting individuals with BFRBs for almost 30 years, 75% of people affected by skin-picking disorder are female. However, Dr Peris advises that the numbers may not be entirely correct. The condition is often misdiagnosed as a symptom of stress or anxiety. Men are also statistically much less likely to seek treatment than women. Likewise, research indicates that skin-picking affects 1.4% of the global population, but she suspects the number is much higher.
mind
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WILLIE B. THOMAS VIA GETTY, STATISTICS FROM THE LC FOUNDATION FOR BODY-FOCUSED REPETITIVE BEHAVIOURS
"There's a massive disparity between those who don't know that they're suffering from dermatillomania and those who do, which explains the underreporting," Dr Peris says. "For people who have skin-picking or hair-pulling tendencies, there's a lot of shame attached to the behaviour, which could stop someone from seeking help." For me, it was something else entirely that caused me to wait almost a year to set up an appointment with my GP after I recognised I had a problem. It just didn't seem as important as other things people go to their doctor for. Like any bad habit, picking at my skin when I was bored or anxious was surely something I could and should learn to manage on my own, I thought. So instead, I trawled internet forums and found advice on how to control my urges, such as amping up my skincare routine and rewarding myself when I manage to resist picking for a day. The impact dermatillomania can have on someone's life shouldn't be understated, Leslie Lee, Communications Director at the TLC Foundation, says. "Dermatillomania can cause significant emotional distress which could affect other
“Dermatillomania can cause significant emotional distress which can affect other areas of life” areas of life. At one end of the scale, people end up avoiding social situations or activities out of embarrassment and on the other end, we've seen people lose their jobs from it." "If it's gotten to the point where it's really affecting your ability to function – maybe you're not seeing friends, or you're afraid to date or show your partner your skin – it's advised that you seek professional help," Lee adds. The primary treatment for dermatillomania is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and according to Dr Peris, it's the most evidence-based treatment for sufferers. "Your therapist will help you understand your behaviour and come up with a plan that addresses your own particular drives and triggers with alternative behaviours." Unlearning unhealthy behaviours is never easy. Even as I write this, the temptation to pick at my skin is almost overwhelming. But through getting the help I needed, I've learnt how to resist my impulses and recognise what triggers them. Most importantly, unlike that night four years ago, I know that even if I do start picking, I can stop myself before it gets out of control. For advice and support you can reach out to the Kingston University Wellbeing Services at health@kingston.ac.uk SWELL MAGAZINE 15
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Our inner wellness depends a lot on external factors that are seemingly beyond our control. How we respond to them defines the quality of our mental health. In this section, we try to understand how we can react constructively to what’s going on around us. SWELL MAGAZINE 17
WORDS BY SALONI PATEL, PHOTOGRAPHY BY NICHOLE SEBASTIAN VIA PEXELS
body
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS VIA SHUTTERSTOCK
body
blood, sex bias
&
Government legislation prevents sexually active gay and bisexual men from donating blood even if it’s perfectly safe to use. Izabela Chmielewska speaks to the men campaigning for change.
18 SWELL MAGAZINE
body
W
hen Ethan Spibey’s grandfather underwent a major operation that left him in need of over eight pints of blood, it was thanks to generous blood donors that he survived. As a gesture of good faith, he and his family decided to be blood donors themselves so they could help families like theirs in the future. Yet when Ethan turned up at a blood bank, he found himself being turned away. “I wasn’t ‘out’ to my parents at the time and I didn’t realise the restrictions on gay and bisexual men existed. Reading the [form] where it asked if I was sexually active with a man, my stomach plummeted, knowing I couldn’t do the same thing that someone else had done for my grandad.” As it stands, men must wait three months after having oral or anal sex with another man before donating blood to the NHS. Many gay and bisexual men, Ethan included, believe they are being prevented from giving blood that could poten-
tially save lives due to outdated legislation they say, is rooted in discrimination. After Ethan’s failed attempt to donate blood, he decided to set up the Freedom To Donate, an organisation that campaigns against the existing UK policy. Freedom To Donate successfully lobbied the government to change the deferral period for gay and bisexual men who are sexually active from 12 months to three in 2017. However, Ethan says the fight is nowhere near finished. “Bundling the whole gay and bi group together ignores the reality within that group,” he explained, “there are potentially thousands of safe donors,
and that’s why we are asking for the government to consider an individualised risk-based policy.” There has been a 40% drop in blood donations in the past ten years in the UK, according to Freedom To Donate. Under this new proposed policy, each individual wanting to donate blood will have to go through thorough assessments based on their medical history, as well as sexual activity, not just their sexuality. This, Ethan believes, would considerably increase the number of individuals donating blood, and as a result, the number of lives being saved.
W
elsh-born poet and activist RJ Arkhipov supports Ethan’s cause and campaign through art. Using his own blood as ink, he creates powerful poems. His film Visceral: The Poetry of Blood shows Arkhipov writing in blood to protest against the current legislation. “There is an undeniable poetry to blood. In both the science and the symbolism of blood, there is great beauty and ambiguity,” Arkhipov says, “It is an unfixed and universal element on which to focus my poetry.” He believes, “It hardly seems appropriate to exclude long-term monogamous gay couples from donating blood SWELL MAGAZINE 19
while permitting heterosexual donors who might be engaging in risky, unprotected sex with multiple partners.” According to Arkhipov, speaking “openly and unapologetically” about sex would help reduce the stigma surrounding it, regardless of whether it is homosexual or heterosexual. He urges others to not “be afraid to criticise the organisations that uphold the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) policy, including the NHS. "This change," he says, "will be achieved as much through grassroots activism as through lobbying the policymakers.” “Much of the issue with this particular inequality is that it is relatively unknown among the wider population. The first step to resolving a problem is acknowledging its existence.” Arkhipov adds.
community, and that includes ending blood donation bias. Freedom To Donate’s petition to change the law has already had 61,000 signatures as well as 4,904 ‘pledged pints’ from those who would like to currently cannot
“The next generation is vital in creating change in the LGBTQ+ community, and that includes ending blood donation bias”
A
ccording to the NHS, the three-month abstinence time-frame exists because, while all donations are screened, there is a small chance the tests they carry out to detect bloodborne viruses will not be able to pick up recently acquired infections. The next generation is vital in actively creating change and equality among the LGBTQ+
20 SWELL MAGAZINE
do so. Freedom To Donate say that this shows how much potentially lifesaving blood could be made available under new legislation around donating. Ethan encourages students to get involved in the campaign in any way they can to help spread the word. “It’s easy to say that a person’s voice doesn’t matter, but Freedom To Donate was started by four people
in their spare time, so just imagine what we could do if others got involved and helped spread the message,” he says. For those interested in getting involved, Ethan urges, “Support and share the petition. People can say some pretty nasty things, but the fact is, we’ve helped to rewrite the policy, which is a breakthrough for gay and bisexual men. So, no matter what people may say, we’re making a tangible difference, and that means more to us than anything else.”
Learn about blood donation bias at freedomtodonate.co.uk
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ETHAN SPIBEY, STATISTICS FROM FREEDOM TO DONATE
body
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TEMBELA BOHLE VIA PEXELS
body
for the love of
football In the UK, football is a near religion. Gazal Sharma looks at the birthplace of the sport and its people’s never-ending love affair with the game.
SWELL MAGAZINE 21
body
B
ill Shankly, best known for his time as Liverpool’s manager, is quoted as saying, “Somebody said to me, ‘Football’s a matter of life and death to you.’ I said, ‘Listen it’s more important than that’.” The love for football in England is unparalleled. We choose our teams based on where we live, family loyalty or out of love for an individual player. Fans offer support with full fervour come what may, whether it’s wins or losses and it is quite normal to see fans thronging the streets for a ‘victory parade’ when their team wins the cup or league, lending an infectious, electric vibe to the whole city. Today there are over 40,000 registered football clubs in England. The clubs hone young talent by teaching and training players with potential from a tender age. Children join club academies, are homeschooled and trained till they are old enough to compete and
then sent to clubs for playing time and experience. The Premier League boasts of some of the world’s biggest teams – Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham to name a few, all from the UK. The sport draws hundreds of thousands of fans from all over the world. Oliver Roeder, a PhD in Economics focusing on game theory, and James P. Curley, a psychology professor, investigated the reason for the ever-increasing popularity of English football and its dominance over other leagues in Europe. They credit the ‘aesthetics’ of the game, the physicality of the players and the vocal fanaticism and allegiance of the fans as perhaps the reason why English football is the “most visually appealing broadcast spectacle the world”. Curley and Roeder also point out that the English are said to be more demanding of their teams’ players in terms of intensity, work rate, tempo and
agility. The ‘blood and thunder’ style of football played in England is more interesting to watch than the more technical style of other European nations. Fans all over the world often engage in pro/anti club banter on podcasts, Youtube channels, in the stadium or in pubs and bars both before and after a match. The stadiums of even League Two teams have spectators swarming them. Almost every university in England has its own football team, and some even employ coaches who have been ex-professional players or exclub managers. Some students discover their love and talent for football at university level and eventually start pursuing football professionally. “The hardest time for me is the off-season. I get football withdrawals. I have gotten so used to watching football on Sundays. Being a football fan is like a second job!” says Arsh Mohammad Khan, who plays for Kingston University’s football team.
the history of football d e lan t h gu o c a n t c e a , io S L e iat l m and lub nded all c a th c b l o n s t l ou s d o a n o i n ti b o f As d 6 dw 2 erna ngla 57 foot FC 88 sh F 63 ball 6 e 7 n 8 8 8 9 1 st 1 gli d 1 ot 1 gla Cup 18 int n E rm ld o r e e n i o f e t d F effi E n F A) En rld 1s twe u o h o F e S f ( W b
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r 92 19 emie ed Pr und fo
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gu
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It isn’t always internal or self-factors that affect wellness. Sometimes, it’s elements that are beyond our control but still have the power to impact upon our souls. In this section, we find a way to be well with external pressures. SWELL MAGAZINE 23
WORDS BY SALONI PATEL, PHOTOGRAPHY BY DARIA REM VIA PEXELS
soul
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOE TWIGG
soul
tea with
24  SWELL MAGAZINE
soul
a rebel Would you drop out of university to fight for the environment? Talia Woodin did. A youth climate activist and photographer, she speaks to Anugraha Sundaravelu on what drives her and the toll that activism takes on her mental health. SWELL MAGAZINE  25 
soul
I
take the train to Brockley on an overcast Thursday afternoon to meet with Talia Woodin. Never having met an environmental activist before, I feel a tad self-conscious in my £10 Primark puffer jacket as I ring the doorbell of a house with an “I’m Voting Labour” sticker on the window... Talia answers the door, looking like an average 20-year-old in her olive green jumpsuit and shimmery eyeshadow. Eight months ago, she was studying Anthropology at Goldsmiths. Today she is the youth representative for Extinction Rebellion (XR) UK media. Over a cup of tea (with oat milk, of course), she tells me that she can’t see herself going back. “It would feel like a step backwards because I’m already doing what I want to be doing.” According to a national YouGov poll, 70% of young people aged 18-24 are more worried about climate change than they were a year ago. Having met her fair share of these young people, Talia tells me, “There is a lot of fear [among
young people], but that has been a driving force for many of them. It can be quite debilitating, but especially within XR Youth, there are remarkable communities and networks being built on a local and international scale.” Referring to the youth movement, she says that it’s mostly kids united by a real fear for their futures. “The feeling of being let down and abandoned by older generations has gotten to the point where the youth are turning to activism to try and engage governments,” she says. “There have been so many movements throughout history whose driving force has been students but having a mass movement this strong that is solely led by kids? It’s crazy!” she says. It was her disillusionment with formal education that made her feel being on the
“My first active rebellion was eating McDonald’s and shopping at Primark” 26 SWELL MAGAZINE
ground made sense. “I think mainstream education systems, especially in the west, hugely fail us by brainwashing young people to fit into this system of needing to learn in order to get qualifications, to make money, to be successful. There are these constant hoops that we have to jump through and at the end of the day, there’s just huge rates of unemployment. It’s ridiculous,” she says. Talia adds that it’s no wonder that so many young people feel lost with what they want to do with their lives because they’re given no alternatives. “I’ve been really lucky that it made sense for me, but I have
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TALIA WOODIN
soul
so many friends that go to university because they think it’s what’s expected of them and all it does is gets them into debt.” Talia speaks with a conviction that’s rare in someone so young. Maybe it has to do with the fact that both her parents were actively involved in Green Party politics. You could say that activism was in her blood. Growing up in a middle class neighbourhood in Oxford, she describes her childhood as “unusual” and “interesting”. Surrounded by wealthy, stereotypical families, her family already stuck out by being a single mother household after her father died really young.
“I was always seen as the ‘hippie’ kid, but I guess I’ve come full circle,” she says laughing. Their family never owned a car or TV; they didn’t go abroad that much, and they never bought flashy computers or iPads. Her mother appears to be the driving influence in her life but like with most mothers and daughters, they didn’t completely see eye to eye. “A lot of it for her became: ‘The world is evil, and we’re just trying our best.’ I do remember a lot of the time when I was young, not understanding that what we were doing was good because there was no community around it.”
Having a mother who was a passionate, vocal figure in the community did bring with it the tension of feeling different, and she admits to feeling a lot of resentment. Knowing that it was the right thing didn’t make it any easier. “It’s difficult when you’re 13, and all your friends are shopping at Primark, but you’ve been taught all your life that it was wrong. We only bought from charity shops or got hand-medowns and we’d never shop fast fashion,” she says. In fact, her first real rebellion was eating McDonald’s and shopping at Primark. “Which is what normal teenagers do, but SWELL MAGAZINE 27
soul
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TALIA WOODIN
for me, it was a big deal because that’s not how we lived. But I always say to my mum that I’m doing everything that she did but better,” she says with a smug grin. So is it all about getting more people to go vegan and recycle? She pauses and says, “I’m always hesitant to talk about lifestyle changes because there’s not much point if you’re not going to be actively engaged in the movement. We know that lifestyle choices aren’t going to get us anywhere. I think it’s a good start but for too many people, saying ‘Oh, I don’t eat meat, so I do my bit.’ feels enough. If we’re not all engaging to the greatest extent, then we are still complicit,” she says. Lately, sustainable alternatives have become more fad
28 SWELL MAGAZINE
than solutions and Talia says that the problem is the consumption, not the product. “For example, palm oil in itself is one of the most sustainable plant-based oils that you can get a lot from a relatively small amount of crop yield. It’s the fact that we have it in so many products and consume so much that we have to produce so much, that’s causing so much deforestation,” she says. Talia’s mantra is ‘Recognise, Research, Rebel’. “I think you’ve got to start with recognising the reality of the situation that this crisis is so much greater than an individual or even collective action. It’s something that’s been going back to the very root of how dominant societies have exploited and oppressed other societies, populations and the natural world,” she says. “Un-
less we acknowledge that it is still controlled by those at the top that have the power, we’re not going to get anywhere because the people at the top shape our consumption.” She says that her biggest revelation was understanding the bigger, underlying picture. So what should people do? “Allow yourself to think about it and prioritise the understanding of it. Research is the most important thing because if you just believe everything you see in media that says ‘it’s sustainable’, that’s not getting you anywhere because it’s all just greenwashing. You have to put in the time to research what you’re spending your money on.” In spite of being so self-assured in her ideals, the mental toll that activism takes on her is visible. “Burnout is real. After
soul the first set of protests in October, I spent about two weeks in bed. I just had the life drained out of me. You just constantly feel like it’s you against the world, and it is. There’s always more you can be doing, and it’s so hard to stop and take a break.” Again, this is something she’s dealt with from a young age. “I remember being as young as six or seven and getting depressed about the fact that the society I was living in was causing so much shit for so many people. I remember thinking ‘I don’t want to hurt people and animals by buying clothes or eating certain foods or travelling a certain way.’ It seemed ridiculous to me, and the fact that it was just the way
our world worked was something I could never wrap my head around.” It’s our generation’s existential crisis, and there’s a name for it—eco-anxiety. So how does one deal with it? “You’ve got to find a middle ground. My mum stopped reading the news a long time ago and began working in her community, but
“After the first set of protests in October, I spent two weeks in bed” it’s still making a difference. If more people disengaged from the news and did small things within their community to make it a more supportive and healthier place, it would make a difference.” she says. She says that’s what XR has given her—a sense of community, where people care about the same thing and want to do something about it. It’s safe to say that the ones who really test her patience are the adults. “I have to be so patient because I’ve known this since I was like six-years-old so
when I talk to adults I just want to say ‘Come on, get a grip’!” But being a spokesperson for XR has made her more confident. Enough to turn around to someone older and say, “You won’t be here, so I don’t care what you think.” Having grandparents with dismissive views herself she says, “If they don’t feel disappointed in themselves at the state of the world they’ve left their children and grandchildren in, then they don’t get a say. There are young people who are giving up so much because they have no choice now and no one can say they didn’t know about it because people have been shouting about climate change for decades. They won’t be here in 20 or 30 years. We’ll be the ones here and having to deal with it.” “What’s the worst that can happen? We all drown? We all burn? Well, that’s already happening. We’ve got nothing else to lose,” she says defiantly. She says that’s the reason she could never just get a job and go on holiday with the money that she’s earned. She tells me “Nothing will ever be as important as this,” and I believe her. Sign up to Kingston’s XR group at kuxrsociety@gmail.com SWELL MAGAZINE 29
2011
In a ground breaking achievement, NASA snaps the first-ever close up of Mercury.
2010
2012
The Olympic Games are held in London, with the Queen, James Bond, David Beckham and Mr Bean all taking part in the opening ceremony.
Kathryn Bigelow becomes the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Director.
a swell decade
2019
4 million people worldwide take to the streets to protest for action against climate change.
2013
In the US, Barack Obama is elected for a second term in office.
The best things to happen in the 2010s as chosen by the team.
2017
Single-use plastic bag use in the UK falls 86% following the introduction of the 5p charge.
2015
2016
30 SWELL MAGAZINE
Apple embraces racial and sexual diversity with 300 new emojis.
The giant panda is taken off the endangered species list thanks to China’s conservation efforts.
WORDS BY SALONI PATEL, EVE CROSBIE
2018
India, the world’s largest democracy, decriminalises homsexuality.
Malala Yousafzai wins the Nobel Peace Prize for her fight for the right of every child to receive an education.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY REX FEATURES, TALIA WOODIN
2014
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