Latest Stories from Annie
Hunger is at the heart of Indian farmersโ protests
Throughout history, protesters in India have been congregating in the streets to perform mass movements of solidarity against human rights offences and political policies which donโt prioritise the wellbeing of the nationโs people. Over the years weโve seen impressive gatherings of people protesting in India. From indigenous peoples to students, and even bull tamers, the diversity of attendees demonstrates that the people of India are not afraid to push...
The social smoker vs. the e-cig eremite
Both smoking and vaping have detrimental impacts on our physical health. But is the ease and subtlety of vaping creating yet another isolating habit amongst young people? Despite the UK governmentโs recent ban on disposable vapes, many young people are still turning to vaping instead of smoking cigarettes. According to a study carried out by YouGov for Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), around 400,000 11-17 year olds vaped...
What men got wrong about the #WomenInMaleFields trend
As they did with the Man vs Bear debate, straight men have once again tried to satirise one of womenโs online trends, and itโs only made them look worse. The #WomenInMaleFields trend that dominated social media not long ago satirises behaviours associated with toxic men and the dating habits they perpetuate. The general idea is: women overlay a photo/video of themselves with text quoting a heard-before excuse, as if they were...
Is it really lonely at the top?
Itโs long been posited that money canโt buy happiness โ apart from maybe the ยฃ9.90 it costs for prescribed antidepressants โ but can alienation caused by excessive wealth harm our ability to form interpersonal connections? The other day I was walking through the display rooms in a well-known, Swedish, affordable furniture retailer, when my best mate pointed out two sinks side by side in one of the show bathrooms. She made...
Why we should be redirecting our gaze towards male bodies
Thereโs a distinct lack of body positivity discourse for male, masc, and non-binary bodies. We need to challenge the attitude that views a specific type of body as more beautiful than another and start to praise all kinds of peaches. Scrolling on social media, I come across a before and after photo, taken a year apart, of a young woman at the gym. Sheโs about my age and the...
Opinion โ Gen Z are becoming more about crochet than clubbing
Gen Z seem to be more about crochet than clubbing these days. When did this shift happen and what are the probable causes, though?ย I love going out. I love the loud music and the pulsating walls. I love dark rooms and sporadic lighting. I love the throng of people that itโs too loud to even attempt conversation with, and the โprofoundโ conversations with strangers you meet for a...
Opinion โ a womanโs business is not to be beautiful
From the 1874 Ugly Girl Papers to the overt normalisation โ and promotion โ of harmful practices such as preventative botox, are we looking at the end of variety and youth in faces which have all been touched by the same needle? โThe first requisite in a woman toward pleasing others is that she should be pleased with herself,โ begins chapter one of The Ugly Girl Papers;...
The power of swearing in positions of powerlessness
Is being explicit how we cope with how out of control things are โ and how out of control we feel? Recently, internationally acclaimed Irish popstar CMAT (Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson) posted an Instagram story responding to someone who criticised how much she swears on social media. She explained that, sometimes, when thereโs nothing else you can do to relieve yourself from the shittyness of a situation (like an underpaid job that...
Opinion – stop letting men get away with silence
The belief that another person will complete us means that many people are settling for the bare minimum in relationships, rather than taking the time to get to know themselves as an individual. For modern dating to work, we need to recognise the importance of reciprocal communication between partners and an equal distribution of all kinds of labour. Before the evolution of the internet and international travel meant that you...
Modern medicine continues to neglect womenโs health
Women are disproportionately suffering from a lack of medical attention, facing difficulties seeking treatment for painful symptoms and having their needs misunderstood. In a supposedly developed world, we are consistently letting women down by failing to close the gender health gap. From Queen Elizabeth Iโs white face makeup โ which she used to cover smallpox scarring โ to well-known modern-day lipstick brands including Mac, LโOreal, and Maybelline,...
