Assemblage by University of Hertfordshire

Spring Into Action Real Girls Real Issues Assemblage content

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Contents click on pictures for article

Let’s Discuss News 06 To be or not to be in the EU All you need to know about the EU Referendum COVER Photographer: Jason Hargrove + Stylist: Jason Hargrove + Hair & Makeup: Julia Crimson Model: Breanna Pugh (Sutherland Models) Producer: Alanna Joanne Creative Commons; Flickr

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08 Women Suffering in Silence Hate crimes on the rise

Opinion 10 BBC Bias

Assemblage is an online magazine, designed and edited by students on the MA in Journalism and Media Communications at the University of Hertfordshire, supervised by their tutors Mimi Tessier and Alan Clark. The MA aims to develop professional skills and confidence for students pursuing careers in journalism and the creative industries.

Let’s Talk Lifestyle

Sports 14 Girls breaking down barriers

24 Fierce Female Leads

Fashion 17 Spring streetwear

Travel 26 Travel Trips and Tips

Get motivated and prove them wrong!

How to make streetwear your own

Health 20 Laura Jane: Invisible Suffering

The Youtuber with Chronic fatigue Syndrome

Why Young People found the San Bernardino shooting unfair

Beauty 12 Spring Beauty Tips

Foreword

Let’s Talk Entertainment

TV 22 The Truth about Hulu

Why Hula might not come to the UK

How to prepare for your skin for spring

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The TV shows you need to be watching

Let’s Explore

Everything you need to know about travelling alone

Let’s talk Real Education 28 Masters manual

Eight Things you should know before you start your postgraduate course

Careers 30 Why you teach abroad

Find out what why young women are choosing to live abroad

Assemblage embodies four main principles: ACTION THROUGH STORYTELLING Articles which inform and question the way we think about our society. For example in the article our magazine focuses on real issues that young women face daily, we write about topical issues instead of how to fit into the newest trends. Our magazines covers travel experiences, political news, and opinions. We want to give our curious readers information on important matters. INNOVATION THROUGH SCHOLARSHIP AND PROFESSIONALISM Assemblage is a magazine that forges links between communications and cultural theory through professional practice. MEDIA COMMUNICATION THROUGH TECHNOLOGY Web 2.0 brought conceptual change to the way media professionals communicate with their readers. The development of broadband empowers a more engaging hybrid approach which might involve podcasts, video and embedded social media. These are no longer perceived as brand extensions, they are now an integral part of publishing. Readers, who more often than not will be encountering published work on tablets and iPads are coming to expect this kind of rich content. Assemblage is a multimedia magazine with video interviews, audio playback and links to social media and the web, all available through touch as well as conventional mouse clicks. ETHICS THROUGH INTEGRITY Recent history has reminded us that journalists have always had an obligation to maintain the highest legal and ethical standards. New technologies have been the impetus for new legislation and there is an ongoing debate about crucial issues such as freedom of speech and privacy. Assemblage aspires for the highest professional standards and stories in our pages will have complete integrity in the ways in which information is gathered, composed and attributed. Assemblage is a combination of original articles, multimedia content and creative commons material.

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team

Meet the girls behind the Assemblage magazine rain or shine, they never give up!

Editor’s note

Meet the

And.... the woman who’s constantly working round the clock! Editor-in-chief Warda Mahdi Commissioning Editors Mimi Tessier Alan Clark Assistant Editor Annam Hassan Art Director May Tan

DEPUTY EDITOR— Annam Hassan

MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR— Sarah Shideler

Multimedia Director Sarah Shideler

ART DIRECTOR — May Tan

@assemblageuk @assemblageuk

As a person who has a keen interest in world affairs I was extremely excited to work on the more serious topics included in the magazine. I wanted to ensure that the magazine had more to offer than a typical girl’s magazine and dealt with real world issues. In my spare time, I enjoy travelling and immersing myself in local cultures, this has opened my eyes to the inequalities of the world. annam_h

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I am an avid traveller and love seeing new places, especially if there is a sea nearby. I use my personal experiences heavily when writing and editing videos. I was so happy to try new things while writing these articles and filming our interviews. I hope every 20 something year old can find an article they enjoy and relate to within our magazine.

Hello! I am a huge beauty and lifestyle enthusiast and love keeping up with the latest beauty trends. I think this magazine is perfect for women and girls who want to feel powerful and comfortable with their own identity as this magazine has a balance of everything – exactly how I like (or try) to live my life! If you feel like you can relate to any of us or this magazine, don’t be shy to drop us a line!

When we started Assemblage magazine and started creating the first issue, my team and I wondered what would the 20 something year old be interested in? What’s important in today’s society, how will this issue be different from other magazines targeting the same age group? We sat down with our coffee cups and started to think about things we liked. Just like us, the 20-somethings are passionate about travel, lifestyle and politics. We have incorporated this in this issue and my team and I are extremely proud of this issue. This issue is bursting with colour and captivating images that provide you with that springtime feeling. The A-Team is dedicated to providing content for real girls with real issues! Warda Mahdi

@okayishGrace

@OkayishGrace

@thefifthmonth

@thequirkykind

okayishgrace

/SarahGraceonFaceB

thefifthmonth

/siewmay.tan

@thequirkykind

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Editor In Chief

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@assemblageuk One College Lane, Hatfield AL10 9AB T: 02079874320 W:www.assemblageuk.co.uk E:Assemblageuk@gmail.com

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Let’s discuss: news

WHAT IS THE REFERENDUM ABOUT? Britain’s future in the EU is now uncertain due to the upcoming ‘Brexit’ referendum in which all Brits have the chance to vote on whether we should stay in the EU or opt to leave. The official question that will be asked is “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?” Everyone of voting age will be able to answer to this question with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. WHEN IS THE REFERENDUM? The referendum will be held on Thursday 23 June. HOW TO VOTE This referendum will be of similar style to that during other elections. The first step will be to register to vote online, if you have already done this you will automatically be sent a card telling you when voting takes place and more importantly where you should go to vote. On the day of the vote once you go down to your local polling station you will have to register your name there and will be given a paper with the referendum question on it. A booth will be provided so that your voting can be done in private. Simply put a X in the box which reflects your choice and the put the paper in the ballot box. Alternatively there is the option to vote by post.

You may have heard of Nigel Farage ranting about why we should leave the EU, you’ve possibly received a handful of letters about why you should stay in the EU. If you are still deciding what to vote then you are in luck because this article is about everything you need to know the EU Referendum to make your vote count! Words by Annam Hassan 6 | assemblage

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Images: Pexel

In or Out?EU Referendum

WHY IS THE REFERENDUM BEING HELD? There has been on overall call from both the public and politicians to have a referendum because it has been argued that the EU has changed a lot over the past 40 years with many new countries joining. With new additions to the EU there has been an increased control by the EU on the member countries. This is something that those opposing we should stay in the EU are strongly against and therefore has lead to a vote on what should happen.

THE PROS AND CONS OF LEAVING THE EU If you are still having trouble deciding whether to vote in or out, worry no more as below we have compiled a list of the pros and cons. PROS Economic costs- It has been estimated that the EU membership is costing around 11% of our annual GDP, this would work out to about £200billion. The exit campaigners say this money could be better of spent on Britain itself.

CONS Economic benefits- EU is one of the world’s largest economic markets, making it our biggest trading partner. Currently 45% of our exports are to EU, and 50% of our imports are from the EU. Having the backing of strong economy from the EU makes us more of an attractive investment for international traders. The pro EU campaigners say this balances out the £200billion annual cost of membership because even though we are giving a lot we are also receiving a lot.

Trade- Without the EU Britain can trade independently with countries such as India and China. We would not have to follow EU laws and regulations regarding trade laws.

Workers rights- The EU has introduced rights that potentially protect British workers from being exploited. These include the legal working hours and break times, annual leave, paid parental lave and anti discrimination laws.

Bureaucracy- Some argue that the EU is an over-regulate, bureaucratic burden. Therefore, they say, leaving would allow Britain’s government and financial services to function the best it can for our benefit and not for the benefit of other EU members.

Food, health and animal rights- Most of our food standard laws originate in the EU this means that any potential additives are banned. Furthermore, the EU has banned animal testing across its members and the animal welfare standards have been imposed since 2012.

Immigration- This is arguably the most controversial issue of the referendum debate. Many feel this is the sole reason as to why Britain should exit the EU. The EU has always allowed a ‘free movement’ of people between the member states. This essentially means that there is no need for a visa for us to go to other countries and settle and vice versa. As a result of this, Britain does not have control over immigration numbers from other member states. Many pro campaigners feel that this number will only increase in the future and that we are helpless over deciding what is best for Britain in terms of immigration.

Travel- Travelling around the EU is so easy- all we need is our passport. There is currently no need for us to require a visa to visit most of Europe. Also our driving licenses are valid in all EU countries and we can work without having to apply for a work visa. -

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Having seen the different pros and cons of leaving the EU it is now upto you to decide whether or not you want to continue being a part of the EU. It is important to understand that you should vote whatever you feel would be best for the country in the future as you are the future working generation and remember every vote counts!

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Hate CRIMES

British Muslim women are suffering in silence from “hurtful” hate crimes Words by Warda Mahdi 8 | assemblage

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Images: Warda Mahdi and pixabay

Let’s discuss: news

magine sitting on the bus, scrolling through your Twitter feed and minding your own business but someone starts shouting remarks about the way you have dressed. Well, it’s happening to women and young girls all over London. This year alone, 845 Islamophobic offences have been reported to the police. Hate crimes have tripled after the Paris Terror Attacks, and have continued following the attacks in Brussels, with the majority of the incidents relating to harassment. According to Tell MAMA, an independent organisation that measures hate crimes, found that most victims of hate crime were Muslim women and girls. The report carried out

by organisation found that the perpetrators were mainly white than me so I consider myself lucky.” males aged between the ages from 15 to 35. Although hate Nehan Sarfaraz, a Customer Engagement Advisor says crimes are on the rise, most Muslim women argue that it has hate crimes are “hurtful”. Sarfaraz describes a recent experience always been an issue. Particularly for women who wear the hijab where a customer asked her ‘Are you Muslim?’ Sarfaraz explains and the traditional Islamic dress known as an Abaya. that the customer become aggressive after she revealed she was a Saphia Mohamed, An Arabic Teacher said: It’s common Muslim. Sarfarz said the customer “ wanted to report me”. to get verbal abuse and stares when you’re wearing a Hijab.” Sarfaraz explains that she does not report her experiences of Mohamed told the HuffPost UK: “people often give me dirty hate crime. She told HuffPost UK: “I experience things like this looks.” She adds: “As women we are not confident”. The Arabic every other day.” She said: “reporting hate crimes to the Police is teacher works at the Al-Furqan Education Trust and Mosque, useless”. She adds, “The police don’t know what it’s like to suffer recalls her recent experience on the train to Paddington. She from hate crime.” said: “One woman hid her face in the newspaper because I was However, some Muslim women argue that it’s wearing a hijab. She adds:“ It was as if she was disgusted.” “frustrating” that women are not reporting hate crimes. Suad Mohamed said: “I’m very lucky because I have not Jama said she has not suffered directly from hate crimes but she suffered anything serious.” She explains: “I have heard some feels that it’s important to report it if it happens. Suad Jama, a crazy stories from my students”. She said: “ we are all scared volunteer at the Somali Youth Union in UK said: “ Hate crimes anything could happen to you.”Muslim women are less likely to should be taken very seriously.” The volunteer works alongside report hate crimes committed against them even if the incident the MET police and Police Community Support Officers, to is serious. Tasneem Nasir, a postgraduate student from the bridge the gap between the local community and the police. She University of Hertfordshire said: “I have suffered from hate said: “people generally don’t report hate crimes because they crimes twice.” Nasir describes her first experience that occurred don’t believe in the police.” Jama adds: “People need to start on a train to London from Luton. She said: “ It was three guys believing in the Police because they are there to help.” on the train they looked young, in Jama told HuffPost UK: “If people don’t “They were strong and they report hate crimes, they are undermining their early twenties.” She explains: “ They started shouting at us and the seriousness of the crime.” She adds: “It’s a just grabbed me. ” chanting words about Allah and our scary thought that someone is discriminating Prophet.” She adds: “This went on for about ten minutes.” against you based on your beliefs and what you look like.” The postgraduate student admits: “we didn’t do She explains: “you can’t resolve the issue of hate crimes if you anything.” Nasir said: “we got off at Kings Cross and the police don’t report that it’s happening.” She adds: “In order to help talked to the guys”. She said: “I think somebody on the carriage stop hate crimes it must start with us.” Suad Jama said: “ We reported it”. She adds: “ The police didn’t take a statement from as a community should encourage other to report hate crimes, us or anything.” Tasneem Nasir recalls a more serious incident so it can be taken seriously.” Mohammed Karim, a Police that occurred outside the Malaysian Embassy. The postgraduate spokesperson said: “We will not tolerate hate crime and no one student said: “ It was late at night around 11pm.” She said: should suffer in silence. We urge people to report hate crime “There were two men that were drunk.” She adds: “They were to us as soon as possible so we can act. We have more than 900 strong and they just grabbed me.” specialist officers across London working in our Community Nasir told the HuffPost UK: “I managed to run away.” Safety Units who are dedicated to investigating hate crime.” She said: “ I was so scared, it really affected me.” She adds: “ I The police spokesman told HuffPost UK: “We know kept thinking what could have happened.” The student said: Muslim communities in London are feeling anxious and we “They saw that I was afraid and took advantage of that.” She told are providing extra patrols and are speaking regularly with HuffPost: “I am a woman and I was alone, I couldn’t hide my local mosques and community leaders to reassure and address scarf. Tasneem Nasir said: “I didn’t report anything.” She said: concerns, while closely monitoring the situation.” The Police are “ I should have reported it but I didn’t.” She explains: “ I didn’t working closely with mosques and organisations representing want to go to the police and go through that process.” Nasir said: different faith groups regarding hate crimes issues, such as Tell “People kept telling me that I was just unlucky so I didn’t think MAMA for incidents relating to Islamophobia. to report it.” She adds: “I know people who experienced worse

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Let’s discuss: opinions

urn on the TV, chances are mass shooting are taking place in the USA. It has become a common phenomenon with almost one taking place every week, making it hard to keep up with the latest shootings. However young people are paying attention and are noticing some inconsistencies with news outlet’s coverage specifically the BBC. The recent San Bernardino shootings that occurred in California received worldwide attention as it received extensive news coverage. The world was kept up to date since the outbreak of the event, with every detail being reported as the police uncovered them. What made this shooting different from other shootings? Could it be the increased public interest in Islamic style terrorist attacks? Over the past few months, there has been an increase in terror related attacks such as Paris and Brussels Terror Attacks. As a result, there has been a rise in hate crimes targeting Muslims in the USA and European countries. In London alone there has been a staggering 70 per cent increase in anti Muslim hate crimes in a 12-month period from last year, Metropolitan police have said that this is possibly due to world events. Research led by London metropolitan police has shown that over the past few years the sudden spike in anti-Muslim hate crimes have increased after a well-covered story of a terror related attack linked to Islam. In the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in the USA anti Muslim crimes increased by 1600 per cent. Following the 2005 London bombings, police reported that the rate of hate crimes had increased six fold. Also within the three weeks following the attacks on Charlie Hebdo in France earlier last year, anti-Muslim incidents rose up by 281 per cent. What has caused this trend in increased anti Muslims crimes following an attack? Many would argue that it is natural for these sort of hate crimes to increase as the media influences people in such a strong way that they often are led to retaliate. The media is one of the strongest factors that influences a person’s thought process. With the hard hitting headlines and the interviews with victims of crimes, it can be easy to begin to see things from the point of view of what the media wishes to show. Taking this into account, you can see how important “words” and “phrases” are in news articles as they have influence in how the population interprets news. This has especially been intensified in the last few years due to rise of social media and traditional news channels and newspapers going online. The media reaches out to people on various different platforms.

Taking into consideration how much power the media has over the thoughts of society, two high-profiled shooting news stories by the BBC were shown to 10 people aged 21-34. The San Bernardino shooting story was one, whilst the other story was the well-documented Dylann Roof case. The Dylann Roof case was a particularly interesting case because the attacker had a clear motive of why he carried out the attacks and this was reported right from the start. It was a racially aggravated crime that left nine people dead in June, last year. The victims were all from an African American descent. Roof was arrested shortly after the shootings and has since then claimed that he intended to start a ‘race war’. The 10 interviewees were given the two articles and were asked whether they felt there was a difference between the reporting styles. The article regarding the San Bernardino case was released a day after the shooting took place therefore the BBC had not received most of the details regarding the attackers. Basic information concerning the details of the casualties and the location were revealed, however at this stage there was a lot of speculation over the cause of the attack. The second article about the Dylann Roof case was written two days after the shooting took place and it is immediately clear that once reading this article there are more facts supported by evidence regarding the motives of the shooter and why the attack took place. 9 out of the 10 students overall deemed the San Bernardino shooting report as being “unfair” when comparing to how Dylann’s Roof case was handled in the article. May Tan, a full-time masters student, found that the San Bernardino shootings had “very little factual information” and that the use of the words ‘domestic terrorism’ and ‘Islamiststyle terrorist attack’ should not have been used at this stage “without sufficient evidence”. Tasneem Zihni, another student, interestingly added that these sort of bias reports in the media have become “normal’ and continued to say “Muslims have to accept these unfair reportings because the media has become so bias following certain terror attacks such as 9/11 and Paris that it has become the norm”. Student Nicholas Cox stated, “There was no mention of Roof ’s background and religion in the article, however without even knowing all the details of the attackers in San Bernardino there was an accusation of Islam style terrorism”. He then went on to say “what is Islamist style terrorism anyway? Aren’t all shootings a ‘terror attack?’ “

The remaining seven people interviewed voiced similar opinions as those already mentioned. However sales assistant Jyoti Vaswani, disagreed with the opinions of everyone else interviewed by saying “the BBC have the right to report to use the word terrorism when it comes to certain incidents as these style attacks have been becoming more frequent since the rise of ISIS” she then goes onto “people should know where another potential terrorist attack has happened as it is within the public interest”. The BBC follows strict editorial guidelines to ensure that the content broadcasted and printed is impartial. The Agreement accompanying the BBC charter requires the BBC to do they all they can to guarantee controversial subjects are treated with due impartiality in the news and other output dealing with mattes or public policy. However this impartiality does not require absolute neutrality on every issue. A BBC spokesperson has been contacted to clarify whether the San Bernardino news article they published does indeed fall within these guidelines.

BBC Bias

Why young people found the coverage of the San Bernardino shooting “unfair” Words by Annam Hassan

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Image: Creative Commons;Google

“Media has become so bias following certain terror attacks”

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BBC’s HQ

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Let’s talk lifestyle: beauty SWITCH DOWN YOUR SKINCARE REGIME Time to put away all the heavy moisturizers you once used during winter. It is absolutely essential especially if you suffer from oily skin to switch your face creams back to any non-oil based moisturizers. I recommend a gel or water based skin cream, it is light and works just the same. Using such a heavy product in such hot weather will only promote clogged pores, milia/oil seed development and breakouts. Gross! SPF I cannot stress enough how important SPF is in our lives. The harmful UVA and UVB rays are out working at full force during the spring and summer to make our lives a little bit more of a hassle. You want to apply any sunblock or sunscreen to your whole body if you are going to be outdoors to refrain from any sun burns. Alternatively, to save time and money, use products that are already incorporated with at least SPF 15-30 – majority of body lotions, foundations, moisturizers and lip balm already have them. P/S: If you’re going to be on a night out, avoid SPF at all costs, unless you want a white cast on your face when someone takes a flash photo of you. SOOTHING BURNS Just in case you do end up with a sun burn on your body, use a milk soak for a sun burn relief. All you have to do is to just pour some cold milk with some cold water into a bowl and soak your wash cloth in it. Apply it on the affected area for 10 minutes and feel the relief. Aloe vera gel is also another good alternative as aloe vera contains healing and cooling properties. Just dab some into the affected area and apply as and when needed.

We’re back to this time of the year again – the sun is out, the shades are on, and flowers are blooming into all kinds of pretty shades. Winter was hard, with crackling skin and chapped lips but that doesn’t mean you can slack on your beauty regime. Time to put away those fuzzy jumpers because some the spring sun is finally here. Words by May Tan 12 | assemblage

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Images: Pexel

Spring-proof BEAUTY

GO WATERPROOF When the sun is out, you are bound to break (at least) a little bit of sweat. To avoid any smudges from your eyeliner or mascara, go waterproof. I live by waterproof products and can personally vouch for it. Yes, removing it might be a pain, so if you’re planning to go waterproof, make sure you use a cleansing oil or an oil-based remover so that you don’t tug on your skin, it comes off like a dream, I promise. Dab a little powder on your lipstick to set it as well, and just lightly powder your face so that all that product don’t melt off from the heat! SWEAT-PROOF YOURSELF Did somebody say panty liner? Yes, you heard me right. Panty liner is a good way to absorb sweat and some women have been

“Did somebody say panty liner? Yes, you heard me right”

using this method for years. Who wants to see sweat stains on your shirt anyway? This works best on your back – stick a panty liner underneath your shirt, wherever that you perspire the most, because the liner is so thin people won’t be able to tell. Never worry about having those sweat stains again. But please, don’t skip on the deodorant or anti-perspirant spray under those arms.

H-2-O(h my god it’s so hot) Keeping yourself hydrated is absolutely essential when it comes to the hotter months. Hydration and moisturization are two separate things. Hydration retains water internally whilst moisturization keeps moisture on the outer layer of the skin. So whilst it is still important to slather that body butter all over you, it is just as important to keep hydrated especially if you are going to be

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engaging in activities. Budget beauty: Just drink plenty of water. You can never go wrong with water. SPRING ESSENTIALS Whatever the weather during this season, make sure to keep prepared. Things that you need to keep around you at all times are – an umbrella, a pair of shades and a really big over the top hat. We know that spring is fun, but the sun can cause some potentially harmful medical conditions like skin cancer. So don’t forget that really big hat! It’s spring and you’re allowed to go all out and fancy. However, if you’re not that hat kinda gal, just make sure you spray your hair with some heat protectant before leaving the house. If it’s bad to use heating tools on your hair, it is just as bad as exposing your hair to direct sunlight.

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Let’s talk lifestyle: sports

It seems like most women and young girls put up a wall when it comes to being physically active. Women should be able to jiggle and wriggle around without having to worry about being judged, but girls are now kicking down that barrier. Words by May Tan

Background: Pexel Images: Megan Key, Amanda Lee

PUSHING The barrier in sports

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ou’ve tried going to the gym, you’ve tried jogging in the park, but each time you put your trainers on, you take them off again. Whether it’s ‘my dog ate my gym clothes’ or ‘I just don’t feel like it today’, there’s something stopping these women from working out. Most women know that exercising is healthy and the right thing to do, but they just can’t get round to it. Thus, ‘This Girl Can’ was born. This Girl Can is a national campaign developed by Sports England to get women of all ages, sizes and abilities to get involved in sports. According to Sports England, 13 million women and girls in England actually said that they would like to participate more in sports – so the initial motivation is already there, but the barriers are everywhere. Here we investigate what the underlying barriers are and how to overcome them PRACTICAL BARRIERS Lack of money, transportation and time happens to be one of the top issues hindering women and girls from being active. For young girls and women with low financial income, they are not willing to spend their money on a gym membership, or neither do they own a car to drive to the gym. For career-oriented women or mothers, they simply don’t have the time. So why waste their money on a gym subscription if they can’t even go? But who says keeping fit requires you to go to the gym? Simple workouts like running, jogging and even cycling around your area is a solution.

SOCIAL BARRIERS When you flip the paper over to the sports section, majority of the highlight are on men’s sports. There is just 7% of sports media coverage devoted to women. Why are men dominating the sports industry? Glamour’s campaign ‘Say No to Sexism in Sport’ aims to change just that. As a result of men ‘dominating’ the sports industry, women sometimes feel invisible and this can stem from the lack of support from teachers back in school. Jasmin Gray from JasFit in East Sussex, is a Level 3 personal trainer with a level 2 coaching award in football and netball. She previously worked as a football coach for school kids. She says that there is a difference between girls and boys when they play. “Nine out of ten boys are really involved with their sports meanwhile the girls just treat it as a social setting.” Most women don’t really want to be seen working out or exercising alone as well, so why not tag a friend and drag them along with you? It’s healthy, and it’s fun. Plus, major bonding session!

All England Club admitted last year that ‘good looks’ are indeed a factor when it comes to choosing players. Megan Key, a 41 year old trans-woman who is a keen advocate on trans-women and women participation in fitness told me: “Why should we hide away just because we don’t look pretty?” While Megan was still ‘living as a man’, it was easier to step into the gym, however after her transition, she felt intimidated at first, but she stepped out of her comfort zone and has now the self-confidence of a beauty queen! As she had to be of a certain BMI to undergo the gender reassignment surgery, she had to work out because she was overweight and even had suicidal thoughts. “Running saved my life. I was ready to kill myself but I shifted my negative energy towards exercise”. »

PERSONAL BARRIERS Women are insecure when it comes to their body, but it’s not just that. “Why It’s understandable that it is mildly should we hide intimidating to walk into the gym and away just because we see all these big muscular man carrying don’t look pretty?” weights, but guess what? They’ve probably -Megan Key got the same goals as you – keeping fit or working out. However, this could stem from the popular ideals of beauty that the media portrays as well.

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Megan Key

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Let’s talk lifestyle: fashion

Let’s talk lifestyle: sports

LOVE Love is such a powerful thing. It makes you giddy, it makes you swoon and it make you want to be a better you. Amanda Lee said her fitness junkie boyfriend was the reason why she started working out, she wasn’t shy to tell me that she weighed 14 stones before, but dropped to 11 stones in just over two months. She claimed that he didn’t make her do anything, but since she had the right person to help her, she might as well make full use out of it. She cheekily added: “I’m basically dating my personal trainer!”

Follow Amanda’s amazing transformation on her social media here: mandyleighhxo

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LOSING WEIGHT According to Jasmin Gray, you shouldn’t be aiming to lose weight, you should be aiming to lose fat. Sometimes it just gets to a point where you realize that you just can’t go on with that lifestyle any longer and something needs to be done. You really just have to be brave, go out and try it. When you see

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the results in yourself, it’s one of the most satisfying feeling ever. Gray also says that’s the biggest gratification from her job; seeing the results in her students. ”That’s the reason why I do what I do”.

How to make streetwear your own: Street-wear is all about expressing yourself, so wear bold colours that represent your personality. Wear comfortable clothing that makes you feels awesome, try adding a personalised hat with your favourite # for that ultimate street look.

PROVING THEM WRONG Has anyone ever told you ‘There’s no way you can do it’? Trust me when I say you’ll come running back for more once you see the amazing wonders your body can become. Megan Key used to be the ‘fattest kid’ in school: “I was basically a loser in sports, I got bullied, and humiliated”. Today? She’s training for the Warwickshire 100k charity sporting event held in July next year. The body is a wonderful thing. When you push it, it becomes stronger. Ladies, it’s time to let the walls come crashing down. Now let’s give the boys a run for their money. Learn more about This Girl Campaign here: http://www.thisgirlcan.co.uk/ Get in touch with Jasmin Gray here: https://www.facebook.com/JasFitJG/ Learn more about Megan Key’s story here: http://www.thisgirlcan.co.uk/stories/megan-key/

Image: Pexel

3 key motivators

SPRING Streetwear

Primark hat £12; ASOS jumper £24

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Let’s talk lifestyle: fashion

Images: Left;Pexel Right;Abir Mohamed

THIS PAGE Zara shirt £19.99; H&M leggings £12; Adidas shoes £70; OPPOSITE PAGE New Look cami £14.99; River Island dungarees £39.99; Converse shoes £49.99; Topshop cap £22

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Laura Jane:

Let’s talk lifestyle

The invisible suffering Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) or the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a chronic illness that has affected millions of people around the world. Youtuber Laura Jane, 22, opens up about how having ME/CFS has affected her life and what had inspired her to start filming YouTube videos.

Image: Patrick Fore

Follow Laura’s journey to recovery on her social media here: laura7383

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aura Jane is from New Zealand where the YouTube community is fairly small, yet this funny, quirky and witty Kiwi is slowly making a name for herself. Just in the span of two years of being active in this community, she has garnered over 123,000 views on her channel. Her first official video entitled ‘CFS: Living with Chronic Fatigue System’ attracted the attention of many, including other CFS sufferers where she speaks and discusses her illness. There are over a 160 comments on this particular video where her viewers share their own ME/CFS experience with her. When asked what made her start a YouTube channel, she answered: “I made one video about my CFS just to explain everything to my friends and family so I wouldn’t have to repeat myself, but I noticed more and more people online watching it, so I sort of created a community of people with CFS to support each other.” “ME or CFS is an illness where one would feel extreme exhaustion and tiredness that can be very debilitating as sleep does not relieve the feeling,” Jane told me. “To be diagnosed with CFS, you have to be suffering for over 6 months and have all other illness ruled out. As each case in different pertaining to each individual, treatments that have helped reduce particular symptoms can be proven counterproductive and ineffective in others.” According to Associated New Zealand ME Society (ANZMES), ME/CFS has affected over a million people in

Words by May Tan the US, 150,000 in the UK and about 20,000 sufferers in New Zealand, just to name a few. As Laura Jane is from New Zealand, the economic cost to each family with a sufferer had an estimate of NZ $35-45,000 per year. As Jane had to quit her job as per doctor’s recommendations, she signed up for benefits to support herself and her illness.

“To be diagnosed with CFS, you have to be suffering for over 6 months and have all other illness ruled out.” Prior to that, Jane’s YouTube channel is not just all about her illness. She attended film school and worked for a huge TV company before getting diagnosed with CFS two years ago. Jane’s channel fuses on her beauty expertise from her own life to fun and silly question tags and even some easy cooking and DIY videos. A good day for Jane would mean she gets to film a video, go to the movies or have dinner with her friends.” Jane’s decision to start a YouTube channel has been fairly approved by all of her friends and family members, despite her illness. It is undeniable that it is a good outlet for her to express herself and it is a hobby that is able to take up her time when she is not physically and mentally fit to work. She then adds: “My parents are proud of my CFS video and that I decided to share it

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as they have seen my personal experience help others, especially the ones that are newly diagnosed.” Jane always receives supportive comments from her viewers and she has always found the strength to reply each and every one of them. She replies to comments as they come or after she gets up in the morning. “They come in ebbs and flows so I never get overwhelmed. Besides, it doesn’t take too long to type a quick thank you.” However, it is not all sweet and kind, it is rare, but Jane sometimes receives hateful and bashful comments. Most of her hate comments comes from her CFS and tattoo videos. “Usually on my CFS video the hate comments that I get are from ignorant people who don’t understand my illness, they just think I’m being lazy. Most of the time I will just ignore it, or delete it.” Jane stresses that her optimism has helped her not to slip into depression as most sufferers tend to have as they can lose a lot of freedom to this illness. Jane would never film on bad days or the days where she does not feel uninspired as it comes across on camera. “It is important to me to make my videos the best quality I can.” As it currently stands, Jane is feeling much better than she felt two years ago, as she claimed retraining her breathing has helped to provide her more energy. She is now able to walk at least 3km a day and claims that she would start looking for a job again soon.

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Let’s talk entertainment

Why Hulu won’t be coming to the UK Words by Sarah Shideler

I stream, you stream, we all stream for HULU

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television. With a Hulu membership, you can gain access to certain channels and programs that you are willing to pay for, without the exorbitant cost of a cable package. If there is something you aren’t explicitly interested in then there is no need to have the channel. Hulu does not offer full seasons of series like Netflix does, but it has the most recently aired episodes. Subscriptions with on demand streaming are inexpensive compared to overspending on cable with limited options. The prices vary depending on which memberships you want for a streaming website, but remain lower than getting into a contract with a cable company. The U.S. prices for a Hulu Membership would be either $7.99 or $11.99 a month, depending on whether you wanted ads or not. However, it is still cheaper than Netflix and Amazon Prime. A local cable employee, Vivian Phelan, of CCTV believes that Hulu has cast a shadow over cable. “Many households simply don’t want to deal with the hassle of installing and maintaining additional equipment (satellite dish or cable box) in their homes, when it could be easily accessed on their laptops or phones”. People want to have instant access, instant gratification rather than having to go out of their way, she believes. Kagan has found that subscriptions to extended cable channels have had a slight decrease from 101.9 million in 2012 to 101.3 million in 2015, though that doesn’t seem high, it is significant. Due to the extreme costs of cable compared to Hulu and Netflix the subscribers to major cable companies have dropped below 40 million people. Hulu CEO, Mike Hopkins, said in an interview with Business Insider that he believes cost is the biggest problem cable companies are now facing. Phelan believes that cable companies are falling further into irrelevance because they are giving the rights to their shows to companies like Hulu and Netflix. “Cable is playing catch-up,” she adds, “whether networks license their programs to Hulu or

Does this mean cable is dying? “Absolutely,”

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t’s no surprise that that online streaming has become popular, what’s better than watching your favorite TV shows back to back from the comfort of your own bed? Yeah going out on the weekends is cool but watching your favorite characters in your pajamas is slightly cooler. Streaming is so easily accessible. It is available at your fingertips, conveniently through apps on your smartphone, personal computers, and televisions with WiFi capability. In surveys conducted in the last week, Netflix beat cable subscriptions. Twenty UK Students were surveyed; aged between 18 and 24, 75% said they would rather watch their favorite shows on Netflix than any program on live cable. Men and women surveyed between the ages of 25 and 40 said it was more like an even split between the two. Although watching TV shows are fun, choosing a new program to watch can be a really hard decision; you can literally spend hours deciding what you want to watch. Wouldn’t it be great if series were suggested for you based off of past shows you watched and loved? Yes, I am talking about streaming websites like Hulu. Chances are you have heard of Hulu, seen it online, but unfortunately the American online company might not be coming to the UK. Hulu is unlike Netflix, its updated weekly, the day after the program airs, if it has the licensing. Not only does Hulu air content from cable television, but also they have their own original series. They’ve been creating new television shows that can only be accessed on their website. Katie Jensen, a Hulu employee discussed the possibilities and difficulties of moving to a new country. “We would love to be in other countries but right now that’s something that would become more of a focus further down the line (in a few years or so). No major plans right now,” she explains, “but it faces some difficulties in entering new markets”. Jensen knows streaming has become extremely popular. Hulu and streaming websites are surpassing cable

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put them on Pay-Per- View, there is a major loss in revenue”. Cable is on its last leg because “Generation X” doesn’t want to pay for things they are not interested in. “People don’t want to pay for something they don’t intend on watching or using,” Phelan adds. She believes this is especially true because cable is not able to cater to your needs; there are not targeted packages available. Network companies are attempting to be content creators rather than just airing television series. Does this mean cable is dying? “Absolutely,” replied Jensen, “I believe it is already in full swing”. Cable has been falling at a steady rate, “autumn releases saw the lowest ratings ever this year and it is a trend that will continue,” Jensen continued. So why would Hulu not want to infiltrate other countries if there is. Jensen admitted that there were no plans in the near future due to the fact that it can be extremely difficult. The deals with companies in other countries are hard to confirm due to law fluctuations. “It can be tricky to obtain the rights to stream content in different countries,” she believes. This would be the biggest roadblock for Hulu to get past. UK cable companies have reason to be nervous. But, with fresh-faced services like Amazon Prime and Now TV making rapid gains, Hulu’s delayed expansion may leave it little room in an increasingly saturated market.

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Let’s talk entertainment

The shows that you need to be watching! Girls are taking TV by storm with bad-ass female leads; finally TV just got interesting. Take that patriarchy!

FIERCE female leads The 4 TV shows you need to be watching

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Images: Creative Commons;Youtube, Wikepedia,Comedy English Movies,Glynlowe

Words by Warda Mahdi

SCANDAL When Shonda Grimes makes a TV show, you know it’s going to be good and Scandal is no exception. Scandal follows the story of the brilliant, smart Oliva Pope that dedicates her life to “fixing” other people’s problems; everything from cheating husbands to bringing down powerful politicians. Oliva Pope’s team of gladiators, fight for their clients no matter what. Oliva is the girl that we all want to be strong, savvy and ready to anything. You can watch Oliva handling it on Sky.

JESSICA JONES BROAD CITY MASTER OF NONE *Warning may contain tears of laughter* Jessica Jones is not your typical superhero; she’s Master of None is the brainchild of the loveable, dark, insecure, and can fly, sort of. She’s in your face It’s the friendship that you have always talented Aziz Ansari, who is also a feminist. Although, it’s from a male perspective, it is and doesn’t really care what people think about her, wanted, the trouble you secretly craved, the incredibly insightful and doesn’t fall short of smart, which is kind of inspiring. She’s a private investigator adventures that would make awesome stories. by day, mostly getting paid to find out whether a Yes, I’m talking about the Hit TV show, Broad awesome women including his best friend Gina. The TV show tells the story of a guy in his late spouse has cheated. Jessica always gets the job done City. People have compared Broad City to the twenties navigating through the difficult dating using her super impressive abilities. Despite being critically acclaimed TV shows Girls, but it’s world. He is a romantic seeking a love that you find abnormally strong and the ability to jump really high, unlike any other show on TV. It’s super funny, creative and bizarrely relatable, it’s no surprise in all romance movies. The show highlights the she’s got some real issues, human ones like PTSD struggles of social media and finding yourself; a (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Her story is that it holds 100% certified fresh on rotten theme we are all too familiar with. You can find Azizstrangely relatable, she’s just a girl hurt by a guy but tomatoes. It’s a tale of two girls living in the the only difference is he has the ability to control hectic city of New York; it centres on the Ansari being awesome on Netflix. eccentric, confident Ilana and Abbi, the cool minds and potentially ruin the world. Jessica and upbeat one. Broad City is Feminism at Jones represents the girl you want to be, a bad ass superhero minus the ridiculous outfit! You can catch its finest; it perfectly highlights the struggles of being a girl in their 20s, capturing from her attempt to save the world on Netflix. catcalling on the streets to the tussles of working in low paying jobs (the graduate life). You can catch the girls doing something awkward on Comedy Central.

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Let’s explore: travel

The houses along the Nyhavn River are beautiful colours and so picturesque. The restaurants are so amazing and delicious.

Travel never goes exactly as planned! There are days that I have wanted to leave the country I visited, but if you try to see the positive side I know that I will have an amazing time! Just make sure that you remain positive.

Crosby Beach, ENGLAND

HAIRBRUSH

The statues on Crosby Beach in Liverpool are amazingly eerie. There are 200 life-size statues that expanse the entire beach and ask the tide changes the statues become more or less covered.

Saint Maarten, CARIBBEAN

Another beach location! The beaches here are beautiful! The water is a beautiful bright blue and so warm. You can be on the French side or theDutch side in the matter of seconds!

New Orleans, AMERICA

In New Orleans you can wake up with a nice cup of coffee from Cafe Du Monde and spend the night in the French Quarter. The French Quarter has the most amazing food.

Cliffs of Moher, IRELAND

Never in my life have I experienced something as amazing as the Cliffs of Moher. They are expansive and breath taking. There is lush green grass and bright blue waters. There is also a little rock in the water that was used in the filming of Harry Potter.

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AN OPEN MIND

This seems completely random, but there are so many cities that have large buildings that cause wind. This wind constantly tangles my hair so I like to have one in my purse at all times.

FRIENDS

click on thumbnail for video

TOP 5 trips and tips

Traveling alone can be terrifying at first but once you try it the experience is so rewarding, these are the top destinations in my list and things I can never live without when I travel!

Although this is written for ‘solo’ travel, if I can bring a friend with me then I will always be sure to have someone with me! I am always ready to travel whenever, especially of friends.

CELL PHONE/CAMERA

This seems like common knowledge, but some people forget! I use my camera that is built into my iPhone 6 Plus and I make sure to bring my GoPro Hero+.

BOOK OR NOVEL

Every time I go travelling, I make sure to bring a book or novel with me. My most read book is ‘Nine Stories’ by J. D. Salinger. Its great to have something for down tme.

Words by Sarah Shideler

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Photographs: Sarah Shideler and Pexel

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Copenhagen, DENMARK

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Let’s talk real: education

8 THINGS

you need to know before you start that postgraduate course

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Images: Pexel, pixabay, Karolina Grabowska and Splitshire

Completing a postgraduate degree is a massive accomplishment and has become increasingly popular over the last few years. Maybe because it can help you stand out from the crowd of undergraduates or because it’s an indicator that you’re super hard-working. Whether you have completed an undergraduate course or you have been working in an office for years, there are some things you need to know to before you board onto the postgraduate train. No, it doesn’t matter if you wish to study the science behind computers or important EU legislations and directives with Law; a postgraduate degree will be tough, get a pen and start taking notes, yes seriously!

ALONE TIME Studying a Postgraduate course means you are likely to be spending a lot of time carrying out independent research. There’s no hand holding, it’s up to you do all the necessary reading at research.

MOTIVATION IS KEY In the words of DJ Khaled the key to success is motivation. You must be extremely motivated and dedicated because doing postgrad is hard.

THE MONEY PROBLEM Studying a Postgraduate degree is expensive and requires self-funding. You will have to decide whether you want to do it part or fulltime.

ABOUT TIME You will need to balance your time wisely; the key to studying a postgraduate course is planning your assignments ahead.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING Thinking of research topics can be timeconsuming and you are likely to spend day searching for sparks of creativity for killer research ideas.

IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! When you are studying a postgraduate course, you are free to explore what you want to research; it’s entirely up to you as long it’s feasible, obviously!

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WORK WORK WORK Work experience is necessary for both before and after your postgraduate course. It illustrates that you are serious about your topic and many courses, work experience is requirement. Additionally, after you complete your course, work experience can help you stand out from the crowd.

WELL READ You will be spending a great deal amount of reading, like seriously you will read A LOT! You will start to appreciate the works of brilliant scholars that will kind of inspire you.

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Let’s talk real: careers

WOMEN teaching abroad Ladies, pack your bags, you can teach abroad too! Words by Sarah Shideler

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Images: Pexel, Oyvind Solstad,Flicker and Creative Commons; WikiMedia

SEARCHING FOR THE PERFECT PROGRAM

Many young women are taking adventure to another level by moving abroad to teach English. The popular destinations include Japan, South Korea, France and South America, with some girls even going to Saudi Arabia! The JET Program (Japan Exchange and Teaching) which allows you to move to a completely new and different country. The requirements for applying are: native English speaker, bachelor’s degree in any field, be a citizen of USA, AUS, NZ, CAN, IR, or the UK, TEFL certificate that they provide, and teaching experience preferred but not required. The compensation would be roughly £1650 per month. The JET program is extremely exclusive. The application would be going directly through the Japanese Government. Contracts are exactly one year, starting from July/August, but can be renewed for up to four years if mutually agreed upon. The monthly payment would be roughly £1750, which is only £100 extra pounds, but it could help a lot. There is insurance, but it would need to be paid for personally. Because it is a government-based program, the visa process is extremely easy. The organization will help find participants housing and rent varies depending on location. There are 10-20 days of vacation time and 15 Japanese national holidays. There is also the possibility of return air travel if the contract is completed.

JAPAN

“It seemed to me that they were looking to see what the interviewees could do for Japan, not just what teaching in Japan could do for the interviewee”, Holowczyk explained.

“Most students are terrified to speak English despite having an extremely strong capability”

Jackie Holowczyk taught English at a school in Tokyo, Japan. She was attending university getting her MS in TESOL when she stared looking into teaching overseas. Holowczyk had never lived abroad or even visited abroad, she liked the JET Program because it essentially held her hand through the process of settling in. Before teaching in Japan, Holowczyk had experience teaching English in England. She already had a MA in teaching and because of that, she was placed in one of the highest schools in the prefecture. The people she taught with became a family; they were kind and generous and they taught her how important teaching English in Japan is.

Though the interviews seemed daunting at first, with multiple people waiting in the consulate, once in the room it was a very relaxed atmosphere. “I really fell in love with Japan while on the JET Program. I knew I wanted to come back—but only if I could find a university job. Amazingly, just seven months later, I’m back in Japan,” she told Assemblage. “I love my job here. It is my preferred age group to teach. I currently teach at Kanda University of International Studies”. When Cosmo UK asked her the strangest thing or hardest thing to get used to in Japan, she laughed initially and replied, She couldn’t believe that this was a real thing and was even more astounded when she realized the noises were not in male restrooms as well.

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“The ability to play music from the toilet to cover any ‘noises’!” Holowczyk told us that she doesn’t really know the language fully, yet. She is planning within the next three years of being there to speak it fluently. Right now it’s conversational at best, but she is attending night classes to learn it more in depth.

EXPERIENCE

Holowczyk recommends living and teaching abroad to the highest extent. Though she faced some difficulties when first moving to a new country, but has learned o much and were able to teach people from their experiences.

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