Are all women masochists?
Perhaps the reason it’s so easy for women and girls to access the desire to violently attack themselves, is the fact that we are brought up to believe that pain and womanhood go hand in hand…
Male social status and the female body
The societal assumption is that body ideals are born out of what’s hot, what’s popular, attractive and appealing. Whilst this is somewhat true, a shifting ideal body type doesn’t originate with a woman’s looks. In fact, it’s all about social status. Particularly male social status.
I hate being cat-called. So why do I miss it when it’s gone?
We are conditioned to feel that all kinds of sexual attention is simply a welcome confidence boost, an antidote to how shit we are made to feel about our appearance.
Is body positivity making us more body conscious?
I know, it’s hard to imagine a world for women where what our bodies look like doesn’t take up so much real estate in our heads - but I think that would be the ideal solution. Not thinking about them quite so much, and therefore not basing our worth on how they look quite so much.
Are diets the modern day religion?
There is an astonishingly strong link between religious culture and diet culture. May seem rogue, but both cultures laud control, clarity, moral superiority and purity.
How to approach this New Year.
I’ve spoken about the tired old New Year-New Me fuckery before, (which you are very welcome to check out), but sadly this year, diet, exercise and self-improvement culture continue to be more rampant and pressurising than ever, so I thought that a little reminder of a few things wouldn’t go amiss.
The best Christmas present you can give yourself
Sending love to all of you this Chrimbo, it’s a weird and pressured time. Please don’t worry if you’re feeling a bit flat and shitty, but remember; denying yourself the simple pleasures of food won’t make you feel any better.
Hustle culture and finding your purpose.
It’s because capitalism has taught us that purpose = productivity and achievement (read: money and success according to capitalists). As a result, the search for meaning and purpose in life has become a fucking pressure cooker, fuelled by our fear of failure.
How to make life less stressful.
When life is scary, uncertain and full of grey areas we can’t control, it’s easy to be tempted into trying to secure our fate by following a set out plan to a T. But (without sounding too wanky) by doing this, we run the risk of closing ourselves off from the fruits of the unknown.