Une Femme Libre

(Disclosure: the following poem contains allusions to suicide and self harm. If you struggle with these thoughts in any way, please, decide for yourself if you should read this. We should not be afraid to talk about mental health, and that's what I'm doing here today, but know your own limits and do not push yourself.) What use is the 999 when they won't send somebody unless there's a body Unless there's a villain masked and oddly enough 'Is the patient still breathing' is not something to be asked when the patient is alive but not well Living but no one can tell what hell she's lived through The things she's done or that have been done to You walked away your white jacket shining bright as the night enveloped you like a beacon to our wary eyes But we needed no beacon to hear your cries concealed behind the 'do you have a cigarette' and 'I want to be left alone' but you knew we wouldn't, couldn't do that Up...

Another milestone to check off the 'life' to-do list: the long-awaited university graduation. This occasion is traditionally celebrated by decking out the 'graduands' in black gowns that more closely resemble poorly tailored capes and matching caps that are equally unflattering. You have to give them credit, though; it must have been difficult to design a co-ord that nobody actually looks good in.  It doesn't take a Paris Fashion Week judge to notice that the 'academic dress' is ill-fitting in general: students of extreme stature are especially cheated. Despite inputting measurements of height and head size prior to ordering the dress, this feels like a farce as they appear to be a one-size-fits-all deal. Taller individuals show an excess of leg (scandalous!) - rather than the traditional mid-calf hem ending - which looks comical. While shorter students are positively swimming in their gowns, looking as if the shroud is trying to swallow them. Nevertheless,...

When anybody says the word 'diversity', I immediately think of race and ethnicity. I think about people of color and the dominance of Caucasians throughout history. I may even think about women and the patriarchy and the overbearing male presence in everything that we do as a species. But never do my thoughts turn to those with disabilities, either learning or hearing or otherwise. Never do I think about individuals with mental illnesses. And, for some reason, nor does the LGBTQ+ community come to mind. Until now. Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a panel discussion on diversity in theater, in Stratford-upon-Avon, where I met a deaf actress, a bipolar director, a writer who struggles with depression. All of these people expressed a desire to make classical works of art accessible to more people. Meaning they want to create and adapt pieces that feature more diversity, so that the wider audience can see themselves portrayed in art and relate to it through that exper...

F*ck the education of the younger generation, right? Because grades are getting lower and expectations are getting higher We're not allowed to ask why or how we're meant to pass our classes Passing out in bed after a long day, textbooks in the way of our closing eyelids Sleep Precious sleep that we can never achieve because wealth is more valued than health To hell with your Zs when all you need are As to get through this life To get a wife and a house and a kid and a car and a job and a dog and so what? For what? Divorce Joint custody Eviction Repossession Regression Depression If mental health was treated like abortion at least we'd talk about it more than the hushed voices and whispers of lives lost too early, of children turned surly, of thoughts turning sour in the darkest hour of our minds Be kind It's as simple as that Tell each other 'you're doing your best, and that's all anyone could expect' The insouciants who brush ...

By now you will have probably seen ads for the new movie Unplanned (2019), and if you're on Twitter you can clearly see the controversy and uproar the trailer alone has sparked (as it's only just been released in theaters March 29th). I'm here to point out the many issues (personal and general) there are with this film and its premise. Firstly, the directors/producers/screenplays Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman also co-screen-wrote God's Not Dead (2014), God's Not Dead 2 (2016), and Do You Believe? (2015) (I'm getting a distinct vibe from these titles). All of these are faith-based films and arguably Christian propaganda, designed to convert non-believers and solidify the faithful by providing them with a feel-good theatrical reinforcement of their religion. For those who haven't seen the trailer, Unplanned features Abby Johnson, a woman who works in an abortion clinic and identifies as "extreme pro-choice". However, she resigns from her pos...

I was recently in the toilets of a local pub with one of my best friends (where some of the best stories begin, I swear). She's definitely one of the coolest people I know, and this particular night she had a single cigarette earring dangling from one ear and a purple jewel stud in the other, with a stud and chain in her second lobe piercing. I should also mention she's planning to wear a suit to her Archery Ball, consisting of black platform heels, tight black leather pants, and a baroque burgundy blazer with nothing underneath. She's basically the definition of confidence. Now, any woman who's been out clubbing knows that bathrooms are where friends are made. And these two slightly tipsy women approached my friend and immediately started fawning over her single cigarette earring, asking if they could take pictures of it, where she got it, was it real? I stood back and watched this merry scene with a sense of realization washing over me. So much of my high school...

Last spring I had the good fortune of doing a week-long work experience at the big ad agency in Soho, London: Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH). During my brief time there, I had a work experience colleague, in her final year of 6th form, who was... for lack of better words, dim-witted. And as we know, the dim-witted can be source of laughter and entertainment for the slightly sharper-witted. Now, this workplace is already maxed out with brilliance. The dress-code is so laid back, I saw employees wearing 'distressed' jeans - but never without a fashionable turn up at the hem, paired with honey-oak colored Oxfords and a patterned button-up T-shirt. Free breakfast is served every day until 9:30, and Tuesdays and Thursdays are very special: bagel breakfast day. There's a free and fully equipped coffee and tea bar, complete with charming baristas, open all working day. Yoga classes are held in the mornings for those who are apt to waking up and starting their days a little earlier t...

Did you know high heels were originally invented for men? I know right. The most impractical, uncomfortable, and restrictive shoes were designed for and worn by the 'stronger sex'. In fact, contrary to the popular opinion that Europe (specifically Paris) is fashion-central, heels were brought to Europe from Persia by emissaries of the  Shāh Abbās I in the early 1600s. They actually used to serve a practical purpose. #shocker Historically, the Persian cavalry wore heeled shoes so that their feet fit into their stirrups better. After all, nobody likes falling off a horse going full gallop mid-battle. In fact, high heeled shoes have been dated as far back as 3500 B.C. when Egyptian butchers wore them to walk over the floors of their shops inevitably covered in the blood and guts of the carved up animals. And these butchers were all - you guessed it - men. (I know I know.. total badassery!!) (More on the history and development of high heels -  http://history-of-heels.we...