Latest Stories from Annie
Understanding the rise of ‘brocialism’ in the UK
Babe, wake up... you're not actually a brocialist are you? The UK is now witnessing the horrifying rise of the alt-right Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage, of anti-migrant poster fame. Just last week, the party topped polls for the first time. The former UKIP leader’s fascistic political views include: boosting police numbers, leaving the European Convention on Human Rights, and achieving “Net Zero Immigration”. Given his politics, it...
Is patriarchy to blame for steadily rising male suicide rates?
Men continue to experience disproportionately higher rates of suicide, homelessness, and addiction. When will we finally admit that patriarchy is just as damaging to men as it is to women? Every International Women’s Day (8th March), Twitter is harangued by angry men asking, “and when is International Men’s Day?” Often, the sorts of accounts asking this question are also those posting sexist jokes like, “Can’t blame me for...
Is crochet anti-capitalist?
Are we so obsessed with watching other people document their creativity for profit that we’re unable to separate our own creativity from capitalism? Crochet has gone through several evolutions since its (debated) origins in Europe. It is widely agreed that Chinese craftsmen introduced a needlework style known as tambouring to the French in the late 1700s. The first mention of crochet was in Dutch magazine Penélopé in the 1800s,...
Hunger is at the heart of Indian farmers’ 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 don’t prioritise the wellbeing of the nation’s people. Over the years we’ve 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 government’s 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 women’s online trends, and it’s 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?
It’s long been posited that money can’t buy happiness – apart from maybe the £9.90 it costs for prescribed antidepressants – 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
There’s 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. She’s about my age and the...
Opinion – 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? 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 it’s too loud to even attempt conversation with, and the ‘profound’ conversations with strangers you meet for a...
Opinion – a woman’s business is not to be beautiful
From the 1874 Ugly Girl Papers to the overt normalisation – and promotion – 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? ‘The first requisite in a woman toward pleasing others is that she should be pleased with herself,’ begins chapter one of The Ugly Girl Papers;...
