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Is s
That’s What She Said
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Who are they? Meet the TWSS team Iona Holmes - Senior Editor Leo Rising Projects: Legally Blonde Actually: Clueless
Maegan Farrow - Arts Editor Leo Rising Projects: Nala Actually: Pumbaa
Delara Youssefian - Senior Editor Aquarius Rising Projects: independent boss lady Actually: dependent ‘needs help’ lady
Rivka Cocker - Arts Editor
Gemini Rising Projects: queen of recycling Actually: men are trash
Grace Wright - Events Manager Libra Rising Projects: organised Actually: disorganised
Clara Heffernan- Online Editor Leo Rising Projects: self-love icon Actually: crying in the club
Maia Miller-Lewis - Secretary Cancer Rising Projects: a cool hat Actually: a bad hair day
Domi Rybova - Treasurer
Leo Rising Projects: loan shark Actually: lawful good
Contents
Issue 18 // Winter 2019
Editor’s Letter...................................................................................................................2 Opening artwork...............................................................................................................3 Rising above expedited ambition - Maia Miller-Lewis..............................................4-5 Women-won justice - Noor Evers.................................................................................6-7 Poetry: Of colonisation and polite hello’s- Neha Masqood......................................8-9 The seas are rising and so are we - Emma Lewins..................................................10-11 Photo series: Children of Compostela and Cebu – Anna Olivia Spenner Hernández.....12-13 Men made climate change and womxn will suffer: we have the power and the anger to stop it - Claire Muscat......................................................................14-15 X-Ray Spex and Pussy Riot: Inspiring a global feminist revolution- Tom Taylor............16-17 Poetry: Personality purgatory - Lucy Cooksedge.....................................................18-19 ‘Forces for Change’: The women in politics - Molly Downham ..............................20-21 Beyond your tasseled caps - rising to the challenge of adulthood - Iona Holmes........22-23 Resist, Reuse, Recycle: The Co-operative Manifesto - Rivka Cocker..................24-25 Horoscopes - Delara Youssefian.....................................................................................26 Closing artwork.................................................................................................................27 Quiz: What kind of eco-warrior are you? – Clara Heffernan......................................28 1
Editor’s
Letter
Hey guys, gals, and non-binary pals, We have some new TWSS faces to introduce to you this year (don’t worry, none of us have given birth). Along with the OG five team roles, we now have an Events Manager (Grace), Treasurer (Domi), and Secretary (Maia) to keep us and our mental sanities in check. We welcomed back Rivka from the land of despair and misery (America) with open arms, adopted Iona and Clara into the TWSS family, while Maegan and Delara, our resident feminist geriatrics, are still hanging around for another year. When we were brainstorming ideas for the theme of Issue 18, one thing every team member was united on was that we wanted to create something uplifting and hopeful, in this world of Boris-es and rising global temperatures. Touching on world issues such as the climate crisis, to personal battles with mental health, we were really energised by the way our writers and creatives interpreted the theme of ‘Rising’. From taking inspiration from feminist punk bands, to using poetry to help you make major life decisions, we’ve seen a real diversity of ways people rise above today’s challenges. It’s not all just fun and games here at TWSS, but we have included another set of verified, fully accurate horoscopes for your rising star sign. Also, if you want to relive your childhood days, take our ‘Seventeen’ magazine style quiz to find out what kind of eco-warrior you are! We hope this magazine will help you round off the 2010s with a bit of hope and optimism for the start of the next decade, and that it gives you the passion to rise above both personal and societal obstacles. Stay zen, Delara and Iona x
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Illustrated by Agnes Tait and Rivka Cocker
Issue 18 // Winter 2019
By Rivka Cocker
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Rising Above Expedited A mbition By Maia Miller-Lewis
Ambition is an expedited, strange sensation. It pushes you to take every possible opportunity in the hope that it will somehow enable your future goals or at least direct you towards what they should be. Simultaneously, it is also overwhelmingly stressful. It can make you wake up in the middle of the night, stressed about something that to others may seem insignificant but to you can be equated to the end of the world, or at least your immediate present. Often, it can make you falter on the very tasks and opportunities you have accepted in the pursuit of whatever aim you are striving for. Accelerated aspiration also has a problem with perfection. When you take on multiple things at once, it is inevitable that not everything will be impeccable. There is simply not enough time in the day to fulfil your own expectations and the expectation you perceive others place upon you without imperfection. Avoiding this reality can drive you to exhaustion, cause you to deprive yourself of food, sleep or social activities. This deprivation can be conscious or unconscious; aimed at ensuring you meet a deadline, or that you punish yourself for your self-imposed sins. At the end of the day, we are all human. We all want to be loved, appreciated and, if we are honest, admired. I certainly have been that person stood in the corner of a busy room, looking at the person in the centre receiving the attention or accolade. It does not always come from a place of jealousy, motivated by questions around the theme of ‘what makes them special’. It is more an envy of composure, a niggling anxiety that causes you to question what you have done wrong, or rather, what is wrong with you then has meant you are not that person. Yet, what we neglect to acknowledge in these situations is that we are just seeing the surface, other people’s façades. We have no idea what is going on underneath that gleaming smile or apparent endless calm confidence.
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Inside, they may be a bubbling pot of emotion, primed to spill over at any time. On the other hand, they may simply be very lucky, having already found the one thing they are really good at which motivates them to go through trial and tribulation to get their desired outcome. Nevertheless, in that moment, we are not rational animals. I myself often wonder how people can do so many different things at once and still do a brilliant job. I can no longer count the number of times I have looked on with longing confusion at friends who juggle a million and one things and still stay happy, healthy and sane. If you are expecting me to jump out of a metaphorical cake and announce my marvellous realisation of how these people do it, I am sorry - I have still not figured it out. All I have done is tried and tried to be like those people, taking on things that, quite frankly I have no real interest in but somehow have managed to convince myself that I need to do them to feel fulfilled. It is a pernicious state of mind, but it is not unique. Indeed, people have developed a variety of different coping mechanisms to deal with their feelings of inadequacy. Some retreat inwards, absolve themselves of all responsibility so as to avoid the weight of let-down expectations. Some charge ahead convinced that they must carry on even if it is making them unhappy because that is the only way to achieve greatness. The only thing I think any of us struggling with this quandary can hope to find is a happy medium. My friend summed it up perfectly for me the other day during a complexly profound, innocuous conversation. I was detailing to her how stressed I was feeling about the fact that I did not have anything to do at the weekend, how the long, two-day expanse was causing me to go deep into the recesses of my mind and question my life plan.
Looking me with a sense of amused confusion, she queried as to why I could not simply just bumble around, enjoy the time and space I was to be afforded by having nothing to do. I think without knowing it, she had struck gold. Because that’s the point. Society is so obsessed with doing and being seen to be doing whatever it is, we do not let ourselves simply be. I cannot remember the last time I sat down to read a book for more than twenty minutes, or simply sat in bed and watched a film without feeling a burrowing sense of guilt worm its way into my head. We constantly talk about self-care, but even that is a loaded term. For what is selfcare if not just another self-imposed practice, enabling us to do more, to seek the next star and jump the next hurdle. When, and more importantly why, did peace become something we have to actively carve out, allow ourselves to enjoy without remorse? From conversations I have had around this theme, the only conclusion I have come to is the ability to let go of ambition and quietly let ourselves be in the present is something that, ironically, we have to train ourselves to do. It may appear to come naturally to some, floating day to day in an apparent serine manner.
For most of us, however, plugged into the social mainframe 24/7, buzzing with anxiety and stress, it can seem like an altogether impossible task. So, give yourself some time. Be kind to the person inside your head and try to understand the complex mix of emotion driving them to push and test to be better. Because I think that at the crux of it all, everyone is fundamentally scared of slowing down, and that is okay. But ultimately, the only one who is going to turn off the mental treadmill is you. Illustrated by Nia Jones
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Women-won Justice On a sweltering summer morning this June, I sat in a dark grey, functionally-furnished conference room in Bosnia-Herzegovina. As part of Humanity in Action’s month-long human rights programme, I was about to learn a lesser-told story of the 1992-1995 Bosnian War: an estimated 20,000 - 50,000 women were subjected to horrific sexual violence as part of a wider ethnic cleansing strategy. Gender-based mass rape, sexual enslavement, torture and forced impregnation were deliberately employed as military tools. Approximately 3,000 men were also affected by this but, due to the separate challenges this brings, this article will focus on women. Twenty-four years later, justice for these survivors is yet to be realised - the physical consequences, psychological trauma and stigmatisation persist today. According to a 2017 Amnesty International report, the Bosnian government has failed to provide reparations and rehabilitation: less than 1% have received a court trial and only 800 have been conferred the status of civilian war victims. Consequently, most victims lack any form of psychiatric support or compensation and experience poverty on the margins of society. By 2017, only 123 cases of wartime sexual violence had been completed by domestic courts, with many perpetrators receiving reduced sentences or avoiding prison. Although this paints an incredibly bleak picture, during my stay I was privy to examples of women demonstrating incredible persistence, courage and resourcefulness to secure some form of transitional justice. Two survivors – judge Nusreta Sivac and prosecutor Jadranka Cigelj - fled to Croatia and began gathering
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testimonies to create a dossier of legal evidence. They presented this at the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia, the ad-hoc court tasked with prosecuting crimes committed during the war. Partly due to their efforts, this body pioneered the prosecution of sexual and gender-based violence within international criminal law. It was the first to sentence individuals for rape as a form of torture, which led to rape being recognised as a war crime under the Geneva Conventions. It also deliberated the gendered elements of enslavement as a crime against humanity. Whereas rape was previously considered a ‘byproduct of war’, it was now treated as a ‘clear war strategy’ that ‘threatens international peace and security’, signifying a large shift in the attitudes and punishments for sexual assault in conflict. Defining what happened to these women as an international crime has helped legitimise their struggle and remove some of the social stigma and victim-blaming tendencies. When I visited one of the Tribunal’s original courtrooms, I was struck by the significance of the polished wooden desks and the judge’s ceremonial solemn robes; the air felt heavy with the severity of the abuses the ICTY sought to redress. We also met with attorney Armela Ramić, a lawyer who advised and represented women in sexual violence cases. Despite the harrowing process of testifying and the complexities involved in legal proceedings of war crimes against women, slowly, she said, progress is being made. Since 2015, it is no longer necessary for prosecutors to prove the element of force in cases of rape, and
Issue 18 // Winter 2019
the statute of limitations was removed in part of the country. Legal assistance, the methods through which testimonies and statements are collected, questioning and the overall treatment of victims are more in line with women’s fundamental rights. It is the first country in the world to apply ‘war victim’ status to survivors of sexual assault in conflict. Furthermore, the judiciary as a whole has augmented their proficiency in international law and jurisprudence, and increasingly consider special evidentiary rules in sexual violence cases. Nevertheless, many felt that the redress these criminal trials offer was limited and, as a largescale collaborative effort, a Women’s Court was set up in 2015. This innovative method aimed to foster restorative, reparative justice and recognition by creating a safe space, where 36 women shared stories of resilience, suffering and bravery. Although much work remains to provide reparations for these women, it is important to recognise the advancements gained by survivors, activists, lawyers and NGOs in ensuring these abuses are acknowledged and punished. Collectively, they rose to deliver justice that was not feasible in the existing system, and changed the global legal landscape for women in conflict zones.
By Noor Evers Illustrated by Domi Rybova
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the conversations girls have at midnight By Neha Masqood
i asked her did you hear about the monsoon rains killing 15 in Pakistan do you really want to become a Wall Street banker rather than retain your sensibility why does my depression metastasize within things i touch why can’t i be fluently bilingual without compromising on my native language why is our fluency in the coloniser’s language an indicator of our worth how do we stop feeling ‘lesser than’ the white people at university do you know that white people are surprised we exist but the diaspora knows we do do you think Allah will forgive me for my indecency or is jahannum my next destination speaking about going to hell, how do i look into my conservative mother’s eyes and tell her that i’m not her little girl anymore how do I tell daddy that medicine is his career goal and not mine how many times do I reiterate to aunties that I’m not a child producing factory but would much rather retreat to the mountains & dissolve lakes into diamonds do you think trump’s america is better or worse than johnson’s england i ask her if these anxious thoughts are recurring does she know the world bailed on us? jahannum - hell
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Illustrated by Maegan Farrow
Issue 18 // Winter 2019
Of colonisation and polite hello’s By Neha Masqood loosely steeping fingers into the seams of the Empire which presumes colours don’t exist but Diaspora knows they say things like this don’t happen anymore so stunt masses with a colossal Brexit tranquilize them with a ‘sorry’ here and a ‘cheers’ there covetously steady the pearls studding their necks, but the weather’s finally good today you see? the sun’s come out they say that things like this don’t happen anymore, but the Diaspora knows it does. a game of endurance, only the whitest colour wins. black, brown, yellow, strike, you’re out.
Illustrated by Maegan Farrow
The Seas are Rising and So Are We
The Climate Emergency is one of the biggest threats facing us, and there are some incredible activists who are rising to meet the challenge and hold people in power to account. Everyone has heard of Greta, and there are thousands of others like her who deserve to have their names known too! I interviewed a few women who are doing fantastic work. Renata has been working on climate justice and gender equality for over four years and founded EmpoderaClima. Ayesha is the National Coordinator for the Japan Caribbean Climate Change Partnership and founder of Young People for Action on Climate Change Jamaica. Crystal is an environmental journalist in Hong Kong.
1. When did you first get involved in climate activism?
2. What are you working on at the moment?
Renata: I became a climate activist and environmental advocate in a “backward manner”, by first studying the effects of climate change and getting involved in larger movements, and then developing my inner passion for Mother Earth and becoming a vegetarian, using more public transportation and speaking up for climate justice. Ever since I got involved in the climate movement I’ve been unstoppable, and after founding my own platform about gender equality and climate action, I’ve been lucky enough to present it at international conferences like the Global Landscapes Forum in Germany and the ACE Symposium.
R: As a young woman from the Global South, an issue that is very close to my heart is climate justice. In the past four years of my engagement in climate issues, I’ve had opportunities to study and present on gender and climate at youth conferences in China, Bangladesh, and the U.S. One thing I noticed, especially in my community, is that the topic of gender equality in climate action is not properly addressed, or even known, by people in the Americas. Many do not know how women and the youth are disproportionately affected by climate change, especially in poorer areas in developing countries. There needs to be more public awareness of this issue, not just in Brazil but internationally, so that the voices of women who suffer environmental impacts can be heard and acknowledged. EmpoderaClima aims to address this issue by going beyond the efforts that already exist toward awareness of women’s rights for climate action, making all types of high-quality content, such as podcasts, videos and research documents, accessible in the main languages spoken in Latin America. We believe education is the best tool for change.
Ayesha: I attended Global Power Shift in Istanbul, Turkey in 2013 - an event that brought together over 600 climate activists from across the globe. At the time I had just started graduate studies in climate change and was simultaneously working with young women in leadership development at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. Global Power Shift ignited a fire in me that has been sustained over the years. I was so impressed by the activists from across the world that were leading actions in their countries. Upon returning home, I along with four other activists from across the Caribbean, started Global Power Shift-Caribbean, which served as a platform for advocacy and activism. Crystal: I had always been aware of the issue but, growing up in Hong Kong, I used to focus more on political and social issues such as civil rights and social welfare. It wasn’t until I spent six months in the Philippines for an NGO placement program upon graduating from my university that I began to acutely realise how our region is exposed to the climate risks and why it is a matter of justice and survival.
A: I am employed by the United Nations Development Programme under the Japan Caribbean Climate Change Partnership project. It is a regional project that seeks to build resilience and promote mitigation through policy-level actions and build resilience by promoting adoption of adaptation infrastructure amongst indigenous communities and rural farmers. C: I’m working to better inform the Chinese-speaking audiences of the multifaceted human impact of the global climate crisis. This has always been my professional aim as a feature writer. I have recently started to explore the ways climate change would affect our food production, land use, public health, and migration patterns.
4. How can we be better allies to women and girls in the Global South? By Emma Lewins Illustrated by Danni Pollock
3. If you were a student now, what would you do to tackle the climate emergency? R: I just recently graduated college with a degree in International Relations, and although the Fridays for Future movement wasn’t global when I was still in school, I did similar activities to tackle the climate emergency. I believe that one of the most important things young people can do is use their voice and their energy as the global youth to speak up about our right to a sustainable future, for us and for the next generations. As a student, I wrote research papers about global climate policy and climate justice and volunteered with a Brazilian NGO as a member of their climate working group - which allowed me to attend COP21 in Paris as a delegate of Brazil, and present a climate education project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A: If I were a student now, I would be in the streets with my peers. I applaud the young people who are leading climate strikes and lobbying governments to step up their actions on climate change, particularly for emissions reduction. I would lobby governments to act and I would educate my peers about what each of us has to do to avert the climate crisis. I think the power of personal action must be underscored. Leading and living by example. Empower, educate and engage youth. Be strategic. Use all platforms to spread the message. I think it is important to use our platforms to share the stories of those worst affected. So along with the marches and protests, I would show how climate change impacts and worsens the lived realities of men and women all over the world. I would also wish to see greater acknowledgement of my peers in the Global South who are leading climate strikes and taking climate action in contextually relevant and meaningful ways.
R: Everyone can be an ally of women and girls in the Global South by hearing their stories. Rural women in developing countries are the first ones to be impacted by climate disasters such as droughts, and their position as women in an outdated patriarchal society poses a challenge for them to be the leaders they truly can be for climate action. A bottom-up approach is necessary for effective solutions such as national and global policies that support gender equality in island states and rural areas of the world. Projects like EmpoderaClima serve as a tool so more people can learn about this very important issue. I encourage everyone who’s passionate about gender and climate justice to do some research, write blog posts, make videos, host talks - or anything else that is within their capacity - and highlight these fierce women that are leading the efforts for a more just planet, especially indigenous women. C: First, stop saying there’s an “overpopulation” crisis. Not only is this notion empirically ungrounded but it also carries racist undertones. We should instead look at ways to improve women’s access to healthcare, for instance, as well as empowering them to become the environmental stewards of their communities.
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The theme ‘rising’ invokes a sense of growth; an upward movement, an ascension through time. There is the physicality of growing but also the development of your being. The combination of the two is what shapes a child. The children I photographed in the Philippines portray that vision of rising. I had the opportunity to stay in a village in Compostela, Philippines, with my best friend, whose stepdad had funded the establishment of the housing. This created the opportunity for families living in the dumpsites of Cebu to move to a safer and healthier environment. Sadly, many families, partners and friends still remain in the dumpsites due to the easy access to scavenging work. That is why most of the photographs were taken in Compostela, but a couple were taken in the dumpsites of Cebu. Despite the circumstances, the children were still children. They rose with smiles and laughter, by playing and learning, eating and working. They rise together. By Anna Olivia Spenner HernĂĄndez
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Men made climate change and w we have the po
Extinction Rebellion (XR) have presented the world’s middle classes an opportunity to exploit their privilege for the benefit of our environment. XR are not without their flaws. Critics have highlighted the problematic “arrestable” system of protest which unintentionally enforces imperialist values. XR’s exponential growth into a global movement reflects the international community’s desire for action on climate change. The use of non-violent direct action is imperative to the ethos of XR – who draw on centuries of revolutionary theory and tactics of Page 14
re Mu s ca t
The United Nations recognises the correlation between climate change and gender. 70% of the world’s poor are women and it is these women who are tasked with gathering and producing food. Climate change is intensifying the strains on already vulnerable communities as we witness an acceleration of unprecedented weather events. There have been thunderous calls that climate change needs to be understood as a human rights issue. A feminist framework helps to explain this, but when science is discarded for capital, what hope do we have that world leaders, elected by big businesses, will listen?
One of Extinction Rebellion’s demands is “beyond politics”. Specifically, partisan politics. When climate action is at the mercy of a political party’s ideology, there can be no action. We need to start pressuring our government to adapt a “free vote” for matters on climate change. Free (“unwhipped”) votes were enacted to allow MPs to vote on ethical issues without pressure from party leaders.
lai
We can no longer drink our “mylk” lattes from a KeepCup and think that we’re making meaningful change. We need to rewrite the narrative that consumers are able to control climate change with individual commercial choices. It’s time to rise up against our governments and masspolluting, multi-national corporations alike.
civil rights movements – and it’s time we took a leaf out of their book (and plant a tree to replace said leaf).
By C
Womxn and minorities share a history instilled with fear. We’ve persevered. We’ve survived. But now, there is a threat to each and every human: climate change (or less palatably, but more accurately, climate catastrophe). I offer you an unapologetic proposition: rise up, make noise, smash patriarchy, save the planet.
Issue 18 // Winter 2019
nd womxn will suffer: he power and the anger to stop it So why is our parliament overlooking their democratic responsibilities? Free votes need to become mandatory for all climate related votes at every level of government. Audre Lorde once wrote, “your silence will not protect you”. Being passive only serves the oppressor. Indifference to global politics and governments’ failures to adequately address climate change is an abuse of privilege. Our willingness to ignore future threats to our planet has reinforced class inequality and given power to the filthy rich who continue to grow their wealth by exploiting our natural resources.
When the scientific evidence in support of climate change can only be described as “unequivocal”, the air-time given to climate-deniers is at best illogical and at worst, malevolent. We could be facing the end of civilization, and it’s the most vulnerable who will suffer first. It’s womxn and minorities who are systematically excluded from politics and society who will suffer first. Remember at the start when I made my proposition and it was relatively positive until we nose-dived through the truth? Well, here is what you can do. Feeling angry? Good, you should be. Harness that ‘unladylike’ anger and use it as fuel. Become more proactive in your community—and it doesn’t have to mean lying down in the middle of the road. We must put more pressure on our political systems.
Ill us tra ted
by Th ea
Ge
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If your purse strings are menstrual-cup-suction tight which doesn’t allow for donations to NGOs and charities, then there are other options too. Use your social media to share the truth. Sharing information is what we youth do best. Educate those around you and be proud of your contribution. If you are a womxn who is physically able to join rallies, do so. If you are a womxn who is able to speak confidently, call out people who don’t address climate change through a feminist lens, which also means tackling colonialism. If you are a womxn who’s intimidated by crowds, be open about that with your friends and maybe attend as a group. If you are a womxn, remember that you are powerful, but we are more powerful together. It is time we rise up, together. Never apologise for telling the truth about climate change. Never apologise for your anger. Never apologise for the wrongs of patriarchy. We are womxn and we will continue to rise above. 15
X-RAY SPEX AND PUSSY RIOT: INSPIRING A GLOBAL FEMINIST REVOLUTION On February 21st 2012, five women walked into the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow wearing thick winter fur coats. They approached the altar, then suddenly jumped onto it, throwing their coats to the ground to reveal colourful outfits. Each woman wore a knitted fluorescent balaclava, in stark contrast to the black suits of the men who, within seconds, rushed to remove them from the altar. Dodging the security guards, they began to punch the air and dance around, shouting lyrics to their latest song: ‘Mother of God, Drive Putin Away’. Thirty-five years earlier, Marianne Joan ElliotSaid went to see the Sex Pistols on Hastings Pier for her 19th birthday.
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Inspired by the punk band’s raw, do-it-yourself attitude, she decided to form her own band: X-Ray Spex. There is no indication that the women protesting Putin’s misogynistic, authoritarian regime in Moscow, who announced themselves to the world as Pussy Riot, were inspired directly by X-Ray Spex. Yet, it’s hard not to make comparisons when listening to Marianne, who performed under the name ‘Poly Styrene’, scream ‘Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard / But I say… Oh Bondage! Up yours!’, at the opening of her 1977 single. Born of Somali and British heritage in 1957, Marianne was known for her uncompromising,
Illustrated by Rosa Stevens
energetic vocals and wrote about topics from consumerism to feminism. She cut-through the sexualised, male-dominated record industry, once stating that ‘I said that I wasn’t a sex symbol and that if anybody tried to make me one I’d shave my head tomorrow.’ In an interview with the Guardian in April 2017, Marianne’s daughter explained: ‘Even Mum didn’t like a lot about punk, too. There was loads she found exciting, of course, but she’d tell me plenty of the negative stuff: the aggressiveness of the crowds, the spitting on stage, how very few women were present at many of these gigs – and how that made her terribly anxious about performing.’ X Ray Spex only released one album, ‘Germfree Adolescents’, which gained critical acclaim and is regarded by many punk fans and music critics as a classic of the genre. Whilst the band’s music could more easily be labelled anticonsumerist and anti-capitalist than feminist, the very fact that Marianne appeared as a strong frontwoman in a heavily male-dominated industry inspired feminist punks for years to come. Six musicians have comprised X Ray Spex since their formation: Poly Styrene (vocals), Lora Logic (saxophone), Jak Airport (guitar), Paul Dean (bass) and B.P Hurding (drums). Pussy Riot have a largely anonymous revolving membership of around eleven women. They were founded in August 2011, inspired by the 90’s Riot grrrl movement as well as groups such as Oi!, Bikini Kill and the Cockney Rejects. Pussy Riot rejects what they see as systematic discrimination against women in Russia and the merging of Putin’s government with the Russian Orthodox Church.
Journalist Elianna Kan emphasises that the band has to be seen in the context of Russia, where highly conservative opinions on sex and the role of women in society are the norm and often enshrined in policy. Weeks after their Cathedral performance, three members of the group were arrested and shamed in what was essentially a show trial. Maria Alyokhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova were held without bail and eventually sentenced to two years in prison. The trials attracted global attention, inspiring similar protests around the world and prompting Amnesty International to criticise the Russian government. The view in Russia, however, was much more critical of what many saw as indefensible blasphemy against the Church. Pussy Riot continue to perform and protest, with a noticeably higher production budget, and made headlines with ‘Make America Great Again’ in October 2016 which heavily criticised the U.S President’s sexist and misogynistic attitudes. Marianne sadly passed away in April 2011 at the age of 53 having released a final album ‘Generation Indigo’ which received excellent reviews. X-Ray Spex and Pussy Riot, although different in many respects, both inspired women around the world to rise up against oppressive regimes and patriarchal societies. Watching Nadezhda Tolokonnikova scream in defiance in Red Square and Marianne wail in her distinctive style on The Old Grey Whistle Test, is certainly inspiring to me.
By Tom Taylor
personality purgatory
Illustrated by Lucy Ford
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Issue 18 // Winter 2019
By Lucy Cooksedge
it’s hard to know who you are when you no longer Wish Beg Headspin Stars to shrink til you’ve shrunk to no more. spiralised pride or shame more like regret Nobody prepares you for it: some maple syrup sticky limbo can’t quite let go ecstatic survivor who told them so! but this isn’t Bliss Ball Heaven yet there’s no more to prove just a lot to do I have to navigate around my own head I am not that brittle liquidised girl. no more freezing cold in a monosaturated world. this life is once more mine sometimes it’s stunning, mostly it’s fine and there is so much more space to occupy.
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FORCES FOR CHANGE THE WOMEN IN POLITICS In September 2019 there were two very different publications sitting on my desk. The first was a copy of Vogue, guest-edited by the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle. She named the issue ‘Forces for Change,’ selecting fifteen empowering women who have made a revolution in their professions.- I felt inspired! The heap of worn-down paper next to it was the tattered pages of the news. Typical to the UK politics of 2019, the discussion was concentrated around Brexit. The first page, plastered with alarming updates following PM Boris Johnson’s attempt to dissolve Parliament set the tone... Flicking further through the pages, I was confronted by more worries of climate change, conflicts surrounding Trump, social inequalities, poverty and immigration - the paper felt very heavy… However, a few days later hopeful headlines regarding Lady Hale exploded into the press as the first-ever woman to serve as President of the Supreme Court she had officially ruled the suspension of Parliament to be “Unlawful.” The bombshell bought with it a beacon of hope amid the Brexit crisis and from then on, I began to explore other headlines that initially upset me. By the time I reached the end of my battered copy of the weekly news I saw that if you looked deep enough into each global problem, countless women were striving to solve it. By merely researching into the political section of the Guardian, I had single handily created my very own forces for change. Dominating the pages of foreign affairs was alarming controversies in the United States. In July of this year, Trump targeted a racist attack on four progressive Congresswomen tweeting, “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime-infested place from which they came”. Now known as ‘the squad,’ Ilham Omar is the only member to be born outside of the United States. Today these congresswomen work together. As women of color and lawmakers, both call out Trump on his politics regarding the Israeli conflicts,
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the humanitarian crisis of immigration across the Texas border, poverty in the punitive state - the list goes on. Central to ‘the squad’ is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Representing the Bronx, Ocasio-Cortez is now the youngest woman ever to stand in congress rising from a working-class, Puerto Rican immigrant background. As one of the most social media savvy members of congress, she uses her four million followers to advocate “medical care for all” and the ‘Green New Deal’, matching the activism of Greta Thunberg. The next woman to rise to the top of her game and join the ‘squad’, is the first black woman to represent Massachusetts, Ayanna Pressley. Vocal about her roots, Pressley grew up with an incarcerated father and openly identifies as a rape survivor, claiming, “the people closest to pain should be closest to the power”. She joins Ocasio-Cortez in the democratic party and individually works directly with women, calling out against the Alabama abortion laws earlier this year. The final two progressive liberals are Rashia Tlaib and Ilhan Omar. As of 2018, they have made history in becoming the first two Muslim women to be sworn into congress and nevertheless remain fierce in igniting their own debates. Somali-born refugee Omar was quick to vocally slam an audience member at a Washington Press Conference who asked her to condemn female genital mutilation, believing the question to be Islamophobic rhetoric, undermining the leadership of Muslim women. Omar announced, “I want to make sure that the next time someone is in an audience and is looking at me and Rashida and Abdul that they ask us the proper question that they would probably ask any member of Congress, any legislator, any politician”. Although heavily criticized for her answer, Omar made a valuable point. As a woman of minority, she has worked tirelessly to be treated as an American politician equal to any other of her male counterparts, she is well in her jurisdiction to shout for equality.
Issue 18 // Winter 2019 Rashia Tlaib, the first Palestinian- American congresswoman, is equally vocal. Only hours after being sworn into Congress, Tlaib announced to her audience concerning president Trump, “we’re going to go in there and we’re going to impeach the motherf*****r!” . These women are vocal. Not only because they are politicians but because they have been through immense struggle. The four congresswomen have come together to create one of the only voices in the United States of America that shouts just as loudly as Trump and echoes through the walls of the White House, creating an undeniable impact. But beyond these four voices there are other women whose voices hold a magnitude which resounds across the globe. Decades of struggle in developing countries have seen women strive to even greater positions of power. Aja JallowTambajang is the vice president of Gambia, mother of eight children and fierce protector of female rights. Working through the late twentieth century, negotiating with warlords, dictators in destroyed and burnt-down regions, she has overcome dictatorship and now passionately works for social justice across West Africa. Neighbouring Jallow-Tambajang is the history maker Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, standing as the first ever elected
female President on the African continent. Forced into exile after Liberia was launched into civil war in the 1980s, Ellen Johnson has served ten years imprisonment for criticizing the dictatorship but has since restored democracy. Raised in a small rural village and surviving domestic violence, Ellen has since said: “…if your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough”. Aside from the influence held by very powerful women in Africa and the growing strength of Congresswomen, rising UK female politicians are working on our doorstep. It is our responsibility to be aware of the not always recognized work of Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, the first Muslim woman to serve in a British cabinet as of 2010. There is Mhairi Black, elected as the youngest MP aged only twenty. She uses her voice to push forth LGBT rights. And finally Jess Phillips, MP for Birmingham who fights for women’s rights after becoming a young mother in her teens. There will always be a struggle. Brexit remains unknown, immigrants remain displaced across seas, climate change remains an unavoidable threat and foreign affairs remain tense. All these issues seem steadfast but the different diversities and genders working to overcome them are striving. Sparked by the work of Lady Hale, I’ve seen a new kind of politician emerging across the globe in all different political climates. One that is passionate, committed and gets the job done. By Molly Downham Illustrated by Alex Porter
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rising to the challenge of adulthood beyond your tasseled caps
Leaving the university bubble is daunting. Not only is there pressure to get an actual, real life adult job, but the days of free rein over how you spend your time suddenly disappear. Don’t get me wrong, university has its ups and downs. But studying (hopefully) engaging subjects, revolving your time around friends and finding people passionate about the same things as you, is a pretty sweet lifestyle. As I’m approaching my final term, this is something I’m trying to keep in mind.
Speaking to friends who’ve already made the transition to working-life, I’ve realised how important it is to embrace the opportunities open to us – whether that’s throwing yourself into campaigning, finally learning how to tango or simply enjoying the luxury of spending a Thursday hungover in bed. In our last few months, we should reflect on what we’ve learned throughout our uni years, both personally and academically. Recognising the hurdles you’ve already cleared is just as important as looking for the obstacles up ahead.
Illustrated by Laura Stewart-Liberty
Issue 18 // Winter 2019 Despite my best efforts to focus on the here and now, inevitably, the dreaded question hangs over me. Whether it’s from distant family members round the Christmas dinner table, or school friends I haven’t seen for months, the words ‘so, what are you going to do next?’ seem to be coming at me from all angles. I know they don’t have malicious intentions, but this doesn’t stop the fear setting in as I reluctantly admit that I’m not quite sure. As much as I’m delighted for friends who have had their five-year plan in place since day one of freshers’ week, I find it terrifying how secure the next few years of their lives are, while I’m still floundering in a state of limbo. Whenever I feel a bit lost about what to do, I turn to Maya Angelou’s ‘Letter to my Daughter.’ Part memoir, part poetry and all-round feminist guidebook, her words echo like comforting, blues rhythms. With graduation looming, I’ve been flicking through the pages, searching for both comfort and inspiration around approaching the next chapter of my life. As I’d
ever, have
Ms Angelou’s this extract
words etched
of wisdom onto the
deliver. walls
If of
I were Hugh every teaching
Brady, space:
‘Look beyond your tasselled caps, And you will see injustice. At the end of your fingertips You will find cruelties, Irrational hate, bedrock sorrow And terrifying loneliness. There is your work.’ Her advice seems intuitive but is often obscured in anxiety-inducing conversations about the future. Find what moves you. Find what makes you feel, what makes you outraged and what you want to change. Of course, this line of thinking does not directly lead you to a job. But, it’s an important starting point. Sometimes, it may even be a case of carving the space for that work by yourself. Sarah Leigh and Martyn Day recognised that they wouldn’t be able to support underprivileged individuals within the existing legal landscape. So, they set up their own firm which is now one of the leading civil liberties organisations holding the government to account in the UK. Once you’ve worked out where your passion lies, reflect on your strengths and what you can contribute to the big picture. This could be conducting empirical research, directly supporting vulnerable individuals or developing budgets – we need to utilise our various skills and work collaboratively to make a difference. Beyond this, consider what you want to achieve outside the workplace. Just as essays aren’t all there is to university, work isn’t the only component of ‘adulthood’. Ponder how much time you want to spend working, where you want to be located and the role you want to play within your community. The career path you follow will impact what you’re able to do out of the office. It’s also important to remember, that even if you think you have it all planned out, your first grownup job may not be everything you hoped. Our expectation that things will fall into place once we land that grad job tends not to reflect reality: things are always messier than we’d like. Your 20s are your time to explore your options and allow yourself to grow. A significant part of this is being able to admit when things haven’t quite gone right and figuring out how to move forward. To rise to the challenge of adulthood, we should continuously reflect on what we’ve achieved, where we are now and where we want to go. Nobody can tell you exactly what to do next and nor do you need them to, because in Maya’s words: ‘’you are intelligent and creative and resourceful, and you will use your life lessons as you see fit.” By Iona Holmes
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Resist, Reuse, Recycle: The Co-operative Manifesto
Written and illustrated by Rivka Cocker If you’ve heard of co-ops before (which I hadn’t until I moved into one last year), the stereotype you’re probably envisioning might be along the lines of a hippie house, vegan commune or anarchist retreat. I can’t argue with all of these generalisations but nonetheless, the things I learned from living in a student cooperative house in the US, in contrast to my crumbling Bristol flat let by Digs, might make you wanna convert your student house into a co-op. The questions I’m often asked when people find out where I lived are: Did you have to do jobs / chores around the house? Did you grow all of your own food? And did you have to share a room? The respective answers being yes, we distributed labour equally; some, mainly herbs and fruit but not enough to feed a house of 25; and no, I didn’t but the option was there. The co-op realm was and is unique and radical: this Manifesto is about more than just a lifestyle change. It’s time for you to rise up, resist oppression and reuse and recycle anything and everything you can. Please do try this at home!
A for Anti-capitalist job economy and Activism The anti-capitalist job economy works through accountability and distributing physical and emotional labour fairly among housemates.
Cleaning the shower and cooking dinner are ranked differently based on time then jobs are given out to distribute the points equally among members. Dividing labour in your house doesn’t have to involve a full-on job economy spreadsheet (but who doesn’t love a bit of colourcoded organisation?). This year for example, I introduced the peg system into my flat where everyone has a wooden peg with their name on that hang on a mini washing line in the kitchen. No time to wash up you bowl before your 9am? No problem! Peg it as a reminder to you and others that you’ll do it later. See your flatmate run out the door and leave their cuppa? Peg them! This has reduced awkward confrontation and feeling so frustrated by your messy kitchen that you end up with cleaning up after others. The peg jokes are an additional bonus! Challenging classist, ableist, gendered and racial microaggressions is an important part of any activism. Being conscious of your everyday interactions and calling people in, not out. Make your house a safe space and question language choices – practice saying ‘hey folks’ instead of ‘guys’, or ‘period products’ instead of transexclusionary and sterile sounding ‘feminine hygiene products’.
B for Bulk buying We all need washing up liquid, toilet paper and some kind of food staple (pasta, couscous, nutritional yeast?) so why not order it in bulk.
Issue 18 // Winter 2019
Set up a Splitwise or kitty fund and enjoy the costeffective advantages of sharing. Economically beneficial and sustainable! Yes please. In addition, feel free to ‘borrow’ toilet paper from any greedy corporation.
C for Creativity, Consensus and Community Communal decision-making is vital and makes communication a key component of any community. At the co-op, we had house meetings with proposals and discussions every Sunday which began with everyone checking in – your name, pronouns and a check in question which didn’t have to hold any level of truth. It could be anything from the colour of your blood, to your last interaction with a cat. Be imaginative and have a giggle. Using consensus for
group discussions or proposals to buy something communal, alongside routinely checking in on jobs and each other felt healthy and ensured that all voices in the house were heard. Creativity was at the heart of the house as we held art nights and could decorate the already mural filled walls. The second option is obviously less viable for Bristol student properties considering the very valid fear of losing your deposit over a bluetack stain. Still, art nights with your housemates and friends can foster a supportive and creative environment! Plus, you can send in whatever you make to be published in TWSS – a win-win situation. So, is it time to convert your house into a co-op? 25
That’s What the Stars Said By Delara Youssefian
I see you Capricorns rolling your eyes at this page, but whether you’re a sceptic or fanatic, astrology can be a real source of hope and inspiration to some people. Even if you don’t believe in it, don’t act like you don’t want to scan down the page and see what your sign is in for this month. You might fall in love, win the lottery, or suffer a tragic loss…the stars will decide. ARIES (March 21st – April 19th) If you’ve been thinking about getting some new fairy lights, a nice winter throw for your bed or maybe a new candle, treat yourself! For you, it’s all about creating a cute and comforting environment so that you can thrive and be a positive influence on others. TAURUS (April 20th - May 20th) You’ve been feeling super chill lately, congrats. The relationships in your life have been running smoothly, friendships and lovers alike. If you’ve been putting extra effort into your work because of this, keep in mind that relationships always need nurturing, even when things are going well. GEMINI (May 21st - June 20th) Your closest relationships are flourishing right now. Maybe on a mini-break over a weekend, or at a Christmas party, or a market stall, you’re gonna meet people soon who will shape your upcoming years. Keep up the socialising in December - your future looks bright. CANCER (June 21st - July 22nd) Beyoncé really did say ‘Me, Myself and I’, and she wasn’t lying. If you’ve gone through a break-up recently, I’m sorry for your loss but also happy for your growth. This is the time to focus on personal development and self-love. Maybe get involved in some community activities, get to know your neighbours, and watch yourself and your community blossom. LEO (July 23rd - August 22nd) This December, take a trip to a Christmas market or a cute ice rink with someone close to you and spend some quality time together. Even though you Leos love to act like you’re independent and don’t need anyone, we all know you find great happiness in your relationships.
VIRGO (August 23rd - September 22nd) Feed your creative side this month, get yourself some new art materials and go to town. Fill your environment with colour and explore some new music genres. Art is going to be the key to happiness for you, and if you exercise your artistic side you’re going to have a super peaceful month. LIBRA (September 23rd - October 22nd) Group settings will be where you thrive this month. You’ll need to secure help from your friends to reach your goals successfully because group effort is always more powerful than individual effort. Organise some cute dinners or a day trip somewhere with your close friends or family, and remember to take loads of pictures for the memories. SCORPIO (October 23rd - November 21st) You’re going to be tempted to blow all your savings this month. I know those sales look irresistible, maybe you gave into the pressure of Black Friday discounts, but don’t get sucked into the rush of Boxing Day sales. Focus on why you’re saving money, think about the future, and remember that you don’t need another fluffy coat. SAGITTARIUS (November 22nd - December 21st) Get back to basics this month. Instead of continuously trying to feed your social life, take a break from constantly meeting up with friends and always being on your phone. You don’t need to go out and get drunk to have fun, try having a night in spending time with yourself instead. CAPRICORN (December 22nd - January 19th) Be confident in your ideas this month, and promote them with determination. The hard work you’ve been doing recently will pay off soon. Remember not to be too attached to your ideas and expectations. Flexibility is key in everything we do, and all ideas need developing and adapting, especially when you’re working with other people. AQUARIUS (January 20th - February 18th) Surround yourself with the people you love this month. Organise trips to visit friends you haven’t seen in a while, get in touch with family members across the globe that you’ve lost contact with. This is going to be a huge source of comfort during this busy period where you’ll feel like you have a million things to juggle. PISCES (February 19th - March 20th) Remember that being in a relationship isn’t the solution to all your problems. If you’re constantly searching for someone, you’re never - I mean never - going to find them. If you’re not in a relationship, stop looking, focus on other aspects of your life for now and who knows what could come along in 2020.
Illustrated by Domi Rybova
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By Maegan Farrow
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You would describe your fashion as… a) Something that allows me to be warm and comfy during a long protest b) Anything I fancy on Depop or in charity shops c) Anything from Pretty Little Thing, Boohoo, or Missguided; so cheap and quick! At Uni, your go to lunch is… a) Falafel with hummus and a piece of fruit, all in reusable Tupperware b) Whatever I find in the café on campus, but I always have my keepcup! c) A Sainsburys meal deal, which I chuck the remains of on the floor when I head back to class
You’re heading over to a friend’s house but you’re running late, do you… a) Give them a heads up that you’re leaving and it’s about a 20-minute walk b) Get the bus c) Order an uber from door-to-door Your flatmates would describe you as… a) Headstrong, confident and decisive b) Conscientious, caring and sensitive c) I’m not sure, they never want to speak to me? Your dream Christmas present this year is… a) Some sustainable art supplies to work on my placards and banners b) Maybe a cute new Chilly’s bottle? c) A whole new wardrobe! And a new phone… and new headphones… and plenty more stuff too!
Illustrated by Nia Jones
On a Saturday Afternoon, you’re often found… a) At a meeting with your local Extinction Rebellion team b) Probably enjoying a soy-milk latte, upcycling my old clothes to the latest trend c) Chowing down on some red meat while tossing all my recyclables straight into the landfill
By Clara Heffernan
What kind of eco-warrior are you?
Mostly C’s: Wasteful Winona Dear oh dear, the planet is really not high on your list of priorities, is it? Take my advice, it’s time to make some real change. It doesn’t need to be scary, just start small; swap out your plastic drinks bottles for a reusable one, walk rather than drive, or use those recycling bins Mostly Bs: Small-acts Sonia You might not love the idea of a three-day long protest against climate change, but you’re still doing your bit to help! Whether it’s switching to oat milk or cutting out single-use plastics, you try your best to make a difference where you can. If you want to dip your toe into the more radical lifestyle, why not try an Extinction Rebellion weekly meeting? It’s less scary than you may think, and there may be more ways to make a difference behind the scenes that you don’t even know about yet! 28
Mostly As: Marching Maya You’re the first to be found on any march, protest or gathering to do your bit for the environment! Strong, bold action is the way you plan on making a difference, and nothing is going to stop you. Just make sure you set some time aside from your planet-saving to check on yourself, and keep fighting the good fight!
Cover by Danni Pollock Created by Maegan Farrow and Rivka Cocker
Contributors: Iona Holmes, Maia Miller-Lewis, Rivka Cocker, Maegan Farrow, Delara Youssefian, Clara Heffernan, Domi Rybova, Noor Evers, Lucy Cooksedge, Claire Muscat, Neha Masqood, Emma Lewins, Molly Downham, Tom Taylor, Anna Olivia Spenner Hernรกndez, Alex Porter, Thea Gegeshidze, Lucy Ford, Rosa Stevens, Laura Stewart-Liberty, Nia Jones, Agnes Tait and Danni Pollock