Nobody Minds If Men Go Shirtless On A Beach, So Why Can't We?

"I still don't think we're there 100 percent. I mean, guy rappers grab their crotch all fucking day and have hoes around them, but no one talks about it. But if I grab my crotch and I have hot model bitches around me, I'm degrading women? I'm a woman -- I should be able to have girls around me! But I'm part of the evolution of that. I hope," - Miley Cyrus 

Post-feminists, celebrities, good will ambassadors all fight for equal rights for women across the globe but, are they being taken seriously and if so, will they benefit our generation? 

Recently there has been a recent rise in women displaying their private bits to the world to promote feminism however don't you think there could be more done by celebrities to make this issue more global? 

On the August 1st, a friend and I went to Brighton Pride where we danced until 8 o'clock (due to my friend unfortunately having work the next morning), met new people and drank until we couldn't walk but what was more interesting was the amount of women baring their breasts (covered in a variety of different colours of glitter) and not caring who see's them. 

Miley Cyrus is a celebrity who has taken charge of the herd of feminist's in the world and has named herself one of the world's biggest feminists in the daily telegraph. Cyrus, who was once a innocent Disney child star previously starring in her hit show 'Hannah Montanna' is now a controversial, unstoppable young adult who doesn't take no for an answer. When she isn't either touring or creating music in the stuido she is either snapping naked pictures, displaying her hairy armpits on instagram or giving her opinion about double standards in the world today. I understand that she's taking a stand but, I don't see how her actions pushes the equality movement forward instead of kind of looking stupid? How are her actions bettering my generation? Instead, it is making young girls run around with their breasts hanging out (because queen Miley said so) and letting old men glare at them. Ugh! 

Another celebrity who is raising awareness is Good will ambassador Emma Watson however she is taking a completely different turn. The 25-year-old actress is addressing the problems within society and asking young men to sign up to her 'HeForShe' petition on their website and help make this movement become worldwide. The difference between the two is that people would actually listen to Emma as she has clothes on! See Miley, it isn't about stripping, but about speaking about the issue at hand and making sense while doing that. Even though I do think Emma's way is more effective, is it enough? I don't feel as though the public need a celebrity taking control of this movement, I think they need someone who can relate to them and be able speak with them about things that happen in their day to day lives, and of course understand. 

Rapper Azealia Banks tweeted "I find that non-coloured feminists cloud the feminist sphere with shit like free the nipple and hairy armpits" and I agree as most of them which are shown by the media are white.

Is this enough? Is showing displaying your breasts enough to tell the world that you (feminists) are trying to make a change in the world and if not, what are you going to do to encourage more men to take a stand with you and demand equal rights (and even though I love Emma Watson, please don't hire another celebrity for a political endorsement deal). Lets make this into something amazing as I am all for it! 

The Student Debt: It Just Got BIGGER

"The recent announcement that the maintenance grant will be changed into a loan has been a blow to many students hoping to enter higher education. Will this put them off applying?

As if tripling the price of university was not bad enough, following George Osborne’s budget announcement this month it seems that that the maintenance grant will be scrapped and converted into a loan. The grant supports university students from low income families in the UK and the change is due to come into place in September, 2016. This means that in the past you haven’t had to pay back the grant money – now, you will. 

Coming from a working class background, I can’t help feeling like the Conservative government is constantly trying to make it harder for me to go to university. It’s almost as if they want class inequality to continue. By cutting the maintenance grant they are not only preventing young people from poorer backgrounds succeeding, they are also widening the gap between the working and upper class.

"Whilst this could save the UK around £2bn annually, for me it would mean graduating with a debt of £53,000.” 

Needless to say, that ‘gap’ is already massive. Statistics prove that there is not much working in our favor. A recent report from The Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission, revealed that children from wealthier backgrounds but with less academic ability, are 35% more likely to become high earners than smarter, working- class children. My ambition and willingness to learn could potentially mean nothing over good contacts and the right networks. Whilst the Government believe their reforms will help disadvantaged people ‘catch up,’ I don’t see how converting the grant into a loan will help me. In fact, I feel that they are doing the complete opposite. Without the maintenance grant, a lot of young people may start to think that their chances of going to university are very small and that scares me. After all, we are the future generation of doctors, lawyers and politicians. 

By stalling access to professional careers, it feels like these roles may be limited to those of a higher class. Whilst this could save the UK around £2bn annually, for me it would mean graduating with a debt of £53,000. How will this help us ‘catch up’? The majority of people in my year (going into final year of college) are now considering applying for apprenticeships. If we go to uni, will we be able to afford to eat? One of my friends, Sarah may have the answer to at least one of our worries. She said:”At this rate, I’ll have to turn to cannibalism and eat my roommates.” How delightful! 

Aren't female celebrities with pear-shaped bodies going a bit OTT?

Here we go again guys. 

Jesus have mercy, Khloe Kardashians recent cover for Complex has turned the internet upside down (keep on breaking the internet Kardashians). The 31 year-old ‘KUWTK’ star looked fantastic in a sheer plunging leotard, showcasing her curvaceous body adorned with her beautiful long blonde/brown locks, she looks fantastic honestly however, aren’t you getting a bit tired of explicit images of women and their favourite ‘assets’ taking over your screen? 

For a few years now, female celebrities have been displaying their bottoms all over the internet and Tv, whether you want to see it or not. Its either on social media; Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Tumblr or on out Tv screens being talked about on the 6 o’clock news but, why do women find the need to present themselves in a demoralising manner? 

There have been a number of cases where women have gone all out, just to resemble the stars they see on Tv but subsequently dying. I believe if the media carry on concentrating on this ‘controversial’ act, then there will be an increase in women dying due to them not having enough money to get the proper surgery, resulting in them going for the cheaper, illegal route and unfortunately taking their last breath. 

Kelly Mayhew 34, was the most recent victim of the ‘butt implant’ which was performed in basement in Queens New York. Another is Wykesha Reid 34, a mother who got hooked on the ‘booty silicone shots’ died after having her fourth black market booty shot injection. Now that is crazy. 

I asked five young men, what was the first thought that came into their head when they saw Khloe Kardashians recent complex front cover and three our of five of them didn't approve of her explicit cover. One said "it's fucking boring" and another said "media". After that, I asked how they felt about it and one comment that struck me was "it isn't very good, it's basically telling women how you're supposed to look" and that I believe is true. 

Women across the globe now feel inferior towards other women with a pear shaped figure and feel that they NEED to get that shape, if they don't obtain already. The media have a massive influence on this matter and I think that they should support every shape a women has, embrace it with open arms and champion it, to make women of all shapes and sizes feel beautiful no matter what. 

Celebrity Icons like Nicki Minaj, K Michelle and obviously The Kardashian sisters have been one of the most 'influential' stars in the 'booty catergory' but what are they trying to achieve and what statement are they trying to say? I understand that some post feminists promote this sort of behavior, and I respect that but displaying the same old promotion technique (flaunting your enormous derriere and saying that you're uplifting women's right and trying to make a change) why don't you all work together as one and come up with a creative campaign to draw in those who think against it.

The Trendiest Trend in 2015: Cultural Appropriation

"They want our culture but not our struggle"

Is cultural appropriation becoming the new trend in 2015? 

You could be a seventeen year old aspiring make-up artist and you want to re-invent your look and so, you decide to draw lip-liner around your lips to enlarge them and make them look a bit more plump and juicy. As you walk around the corner, you bump into a friend and they are the first to see your "new look", and instead of giving you a compliment they say your look counts as cultural appropriation. Is that fair? Why is it a big issue now? 

In today's age, by adopting a popular style from another culture, you are "stealing" that style from that culture to try and fit in with today's fashion trends. Nowadays, celebrities have been abused for their use of another cultures popular style, fashion or the way they physically look (Hello Khloe Kardashian), and have received a massive backlash.

Allure Magazine have featured a brief article teaching "straight haired girls" (white girls) how to get an afro and calling it a "trend" even though this particular natural black style has been around for years. What is even more saddening is whenever a black women wears cornrows or want's to feel free with her hair and pulls out her afro, she is looked at like she is some sort of creature by other people from different cultures who don't understand, and this is why it is a massive slap in the face for black women. What Allure magazine didn't do was credit black women for having this particular style from day dot and take into account that this type of hair isn't just a style but a historical legacy. Furthermore, why didn't Allure magazine feature a beautiful black women as the face of this feature as they grow that type of hair? That beats me. 

There isn't just cultural appropriation in the black community but there is live in the Asian community with the 'bindi' becoming a style trend for women and men (yes, some do look lovely with a bindi) wearing it at festivals like Coachella and Lovebox earlier this year. Bindis are ancient in Hindu culture, carrying meanings such as wisdom and spiritual development however, they were being worn to match people's Bohemian style while drinking uncontrollably while listening to one of Drake's emotional songs about love. What was even worst is the amount of abuse Hindu's get when wearing their Binid's (for the right reasons might I add) compared to those who wear it as a prop which makes their outfit look at lot more prettier but, in today's society this isn't the only issue causing an uproar. Fashion magazine 'Elle UK' have just recently heard about baby hairs and have since announced it as a new “trend.” In a recent article, the fashion magazine used images of Katy Perry with her 'baby hair' but it looks like some have had just enough of this! 

Amandla Stenberg (known best for her role as Rue from the Hunger Games) released a video called "Don’t Cash Crop On My Cornrows", which highlights the frequent appropriation of black culture and hip hop. She pinpoints the fact that cornrows, (a hairstyle prominent in black culture since 3000 BC) have been labelled as a ‘new’ and ‘urban’ craze everywhere from high fashion runways to pop videos and gracefully explains the difference between cultural APPRECIATION and cultural APPROPRIATION. 

I personally think that someone from another culture trying out another cultures style, fashion or the way they look isn't a problem but when that culture isn't credited or recognized that becomes a massive issue.

Canary Wharf Presents Mick Hume's, Ally Ross and Brandon O'Neil'sSpecial Sessions

"This business area in east London is so smart and clean, it makes the other parts look like hippie villages."

Sitting down in the air conditioned room of Level 39, awaiting the presence of the editor-at-large of 'Spiked'Mick Hume and impatiently waiting for his talk about how to write good quality content.

Captivating, confident and clear, Mick Hume started off my YJA experience with a bang by introducing me to the three main letters of the alphabet that I should abide by to make sure that my work will become unstoppable, ABC. The British Journalist and Author took me by surprise by heading straight into the session and gave us a honest talk about how the media industry actually is. One of the things I loved about Mick's session was how clear he was, especially about his own experiences in the Journalist world and how he found himself in one million pounds in debt and found the strength to push on, clear his debt and create the UK's first web-only comment and current affairs publication. Now that is inspiring. 

Accuracy brevity and clarity were the key words that I noted down instantly and made sure that each point was followed by a detailed follow up to ensure I soaked up all of his knowledge! I actually laughed while writing down his notes as he was speaking so quickly, I couldn't keep up, and so my page turned into a tornado full of ink. 

The sun was shining bright and it was such a glorious day and after Mick Hume's intense, clear and inspiring session the next speaker was due and set, TV Critic Ally Ross. 

What I loved about Ally's session was that he was very humble and seemed quite nervous speaking in front of a group of hungry aspiring journalist waiting to devour every sentence he finished. I was stunned about how hard it was to write a review! I'm not going to lie, I thought I would of breezed straight through that task, but you need to think about what you're going to write very carefully and as we didn't watch the show beforehand, it was a lot more difficult. Recently, I have been thinking to myself that I need to stop sitting on the fence and get out there and that's exactly what Ally said, and I am glad he did as it has made me realize I have a short time on this earth and I need to be a lot more honest in my articles. 

After another intense hour, lunch was finally served and the group received a five pound canary wharf voucher to spend to our hearts content (obviously on food as that's all we could afford but, if we had more, I'd spend it on Emma Watsons British Vogue Cover haha). As I was stepping down the stairs from the building it hit me that this is the life. Working in the city, meeting new influential people, discovering different places to have lunch and just enjoying the trendy London scene. Jeez, how could I complain?

As I arrived in Costa, the distinct smell of fresh healthy food which was accompanied by the distasteful smell of fish welcomed me into their home and in moments I quickly grabbed something to eat as I was starving and ran out before I was late to the next session (and of course scared of Viv letting me have a taste of her angry side). 

The last session was with Brandon O'Neil a versatile journalist who captured my attention by not bullshitting about the world of Journalism and letting us know that the Opinion Writing section is already filled up, and if we chose that specific category, we basically need to work our asses off and make sure our content is quality and different to become the top dog in the industry. Well spoken and perfectly dressed for the weather, Brandon spoke to us about how to make a great opinion piece and gave us vital notes to jot down on how to 'break' the industry. What I grasped from Brandon was that we needed to be brave and not be taken back when being knocked but to push forward and be better, write better and grow thicker skin as you will be presenting your opinion on matters to people who may totally disagree with what you have to say. 

When I presented my piece in front of Brandon, I was actually quite nervous however, I am glad that I did it because even though I enjoyed his compliment (flicks hair) I really loved his critic about my short opinion piece and the way he pointed out my faults. 

As the day came a to close, I told myself I will have to keep in touch with today's speakers as I know I have so much more to learn from them.