Issue One

A Body Positive Magazine by Girls for Girls

Issue One
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Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

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Illustration: Fuschia MacAree
 Issue 1

Silkie magazine is a body positive

magazine written for girls, by girls.
Counter to the many magazines
which depict a standard view of the
teen girl mind-set, Silkie magazine
aims to represent the authentic and
diverse identities of teen girls raised
in Ireland.

This issue contains sharp wit,

feminist talk and discussions that
may make you feel things.

I find it refreshing that Queen
Latifah is comfortable in her
own skin and does not let the
medias perception of perfect
affect her.
Melissa Hughes
With the push for gender
equality men will be free to
act how they want without
seeming to be less of a man.
Aisling Carberry
One day, I would love to be
able to say that I have the
same amount of courage that
Emma Sulkowicz does.
Shona Mynes
The Girls
Activism for education has
become remarkably strong over
the last decade and is continuing
to grow in followers and aware-
ness today.
Sarah Talbot
I love the western culture that
I live in, but sometimes it gets
to me, the stigma around the
LGBTQ+ community.
Emily Peat
Theres a reason why there are
so many quotes that say you
never work a day in your life,
doing what you love.
Beibhinn McCarthy
We all feel down sometimes.
Theres no avoiding it. It just
happens, and thats okay. Youre
not alone, we all feel like this.
Amy Russell
There is no one feminism,
but rather limitless feminisms.
Ailbhe McDonald
The only way we can evolve
and grow as a species is if we
start supporting each other
as equal, deserving human
beings.
Ciara O Sorin
A lot of young women and
teenagers dont know what
sexual objectification is, and
they often do not fully under-
stand how to recognise it.
Kerrie Patten
I wonder how many people
have stopped eating red meat
because one celebrity had said
it helped their weight loss.
Sinita Azubike
Personally I think the
prettiest thing a girl can wear
is not skinny jeans, but a
smile with pride about how
she looks.
Aoife Hanway

I was the person that was
really self conscious. Then
I felt that it was crazy for
me to be uncomfortable
with myself.
As a society we have an
unhealthy attitude in which
we dont want to share our
problems, even if that helps
solve them.
Being a girl I know that girls
are judged upon a number
of things just to name a few;
weight, skin, fashion, sexua-
lity: But why do we do this?

Emma Hyland Aine Marsh Maeve McDermott

I created Silkie magazine in

the hope that it would be a
source of comfort and inspi-
ration to the girls and women
who read it. That it would aid
their feelings of empower-
ment.
I never realised that in its
creation, it would do the same
for me as well.

Eleanor Jameson
 8

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

Contributing Illustrators

Fuschia MacAree

Clo Meldon

Julianna Szab

Shauna Woods

Siobhn O Riordan

Katie Kidd

Luiza Abend

Hollie Leddy Flood

Louise Smith

Lisa McHugo

Lauren Tracey

Fiona Suttle

Leona Gonnelly
9
Mice Hell
 Contents

15. Silkie Talk

Silkie talk discusses the emotional, the
confusing and the uplifting. The form-
ation of identity and what influences us

Dealing With Negativity 16
Feeling Down 22
The Stigma Around Crying 26
Body Conscious 32
Feeling the Guilt 36
You Are Who Youre Friends Are 42
Beauty is a Concept 46
Self-love 52
Making decisions 58
Dont Judge 62

72. Silkie Loves

The Silkie team recommends their
favorite books and films to the Silkie
Readers and also does a body positive
photo shoot.

Silkie Books and Films 70
Silkie Photo Shoot 72
 Contents

76. Silkie Social

Questioning the social norms prevelant
in our society, Silkie Social discusses the
fearless, the prejudiced and the inspiring.

Its Just Hair 79
Body Taboos 85
Laverne Cox 89
Strength 97
Coming Out 101
Ruby Rose 105
Internet Feminism 109
The Internet and Body Image 117
Emma Watson 123
Barbies Body 127
Disney Diversity 133
Misty Copeland 139
 12

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

 Silkie Talk

Silkie talk discusses the emotional, the

confusing and the uplifting. The discussions
range from food shaming to feeling down to
being body conscious.
13
Illustration: Fuschia MacAree
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Silkie Talk

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

Written by Melissa

I really feel it is important to preface this by saying that I am sure that

those who do this do not mean to be offensive or disrespectful towards
others and I am certain that they would not continue to if they were aware
that they did this. To be derogatory means to have a critical or disrespect-
ful attitude towards an entity, which is something that is becoming increas-
ingly more evident in todays society. Fat-shaming, skinny-shaming and
other things of similar nature is a grossly publicised disposition that some
people are guilty of presumably unbeknownst as to how it can actually
damage anothers self esteem. While we have all, at one time or another,
probably been guilty of this, we may have also found ourselves to be a
victim of this, and I think it is a subject that we can all relate to and
connect with.

It is really tough being a teenager. It can be hard dealing with your body
changing constantly, your health, school, relationships, accepting yourself
Illustration: Mice Hell
Dealing with Negativity

and upkeeping some sort of social life so that you dont go crazy from the
stress. When you throw dealing with other peoples acrimony and judge-
ment on top of all that, it can be crippling and make things very difficult
for you. When faced with such hostility at a vulnerable time, it can lead
to low self-esteem. Its important to take time out for yourself and to put
yourself first.

Personally, I had never had much experience with negative remarks until I
was about 13 years old. I was walking past a group of boys and they laughed
and told me that my thighs and belly jiggled and that it was really en-
tertaining to watch. Im not going to lie to you, that comment really hurt
me at the time. I cried and I convinced myself that I was the size of Jupiter.
Looking back, I laugh at how small and silly their comment actually was
but I suppose I had never been exposed to such ridicule of my physical
appearance before. However, the fact that I laugh at it now is exactly why
this convention of shaming people needs to stop. We have been desensi-
tised to any negativity and hurtful comments that are directed towards us
because we are either used to it, or told that we need to toughen up
We need to stop the passivity, or even the acceptance, of being vexed as
such as it can have a very negative impact on a persons psyche.

So how do we do this? Well, it begins with how you acknowledge the nega-
tive comments you receive. One of the most important things to remember
is to remain dignified. Reacting defensively or rashly towards an offensive
comment puts you into a negative light that you dont deserve to be in.
It is important to remain calm and composed, and to really process the
comment, to try and understand why the person may have said it. Avoid 17
confrontation. I mean, people will appreciate the person who calmly re-
sponds more than the person who is red faced and screaming that the oth-
er person is this and that. If at all possible, you could remove yourself from
the situation in order to give yourself time to form a gracious response.
Be a lady, or a gentleman, about the matter - it is not reputable to respond
to negativity with negativity. I understand that it may be quite difficult to
do this. It can be hard to respond to bitterness with decency, but it is very
important in order to rise above the negativity. You cannot change the
other person so the most you can do is focus on yourself. Another persons
Dealing with Negativity

negative comment has nothing to do with you. It does not define you and is
most likely untrue, and if it happens to be true, has been said for no posi-
tive outcome or purpose.

All that being said, I think that the key to dealing with negative and deroga-
tory comments is to be confident. Im sure youre rolling your eyes right
now and thinking its easier said than done, but trust me. I was a major
introvert in my early teens. I was awkward and I kept to myself a lot and
had very low self-esteem. I just wasnt a big communicator. It was around
that period of time that I took every negative comment to heart and let it
consume me and it made me sadder and sadder, and thats not a healthy
way to deal with negativity. It was when I grew older, and came out of my
shell a little bit, that I became more confident. I put myself out there more
and I did things that scared me, just because I knew it would benefit me.
I did more for myself. I started to take care of myself, I realised that I am
important and I soon began to care less about what other people said to
me. It soon became apparent to me that there is a link between confidence
and your ability to deal rationally with others. As my confidence grew, I
found myself more able to deal with negativity and my self-esteem gradual-
ly grew to match.

So why did I write this? I want the social convention of shaming others
in order to make them conform to the medias perfect person to stop.
People should be free to look whatever way they please without fear of
judgment or disapproval. We all have a right to be who we want to be
and nobody should tell us that we are wrong or stupid for wanting to be
ourselves. There is beauty and perfection in everybody and its up to us 19
to make sure that we protect ourselves and dont let negativity affect us.
What some-body else thinks of you is none of your business.
 20
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

Written by Amy

Okay, lets start off by being honest. We all feel down sometimes. Theres
no avoiding it. It just happens. And thats okay! Youre not alone, we all
feel like this. So now that we know that feeling blue happens every once
in a while, now we can look at ways to deal with it. Firstly, I think its best
to realise that your sadness wont last forever even if it feels like it might.
Itll go away eventually and we just have to ride the wave until it does. If
talking helps, do it! Loads of people dont like talking about their problems
which is okay, as long as it doesnt get to be too much for them but if you
think itll help you, I guarantee, youll find someone to listen - even if it
is your dog! Talking through the feelings and the thoughts behind them
can sometimes allow you to find the problem or maybe realise there is no
problem at all. And even if you dont realise anything from it, at least its a
shoulder to cry on, right? You often hear exercise is a way to escape from
Illustration: Katie Kidd
Feeling Down

your problems. Its all those endorphins apparently. For me, it would just
cause more problems exercise and I dont mix! But for others its a bril-
liant way to release stress and clear your head! And knacker you out if you
find youre not sleeping!

Distractions are key when feeling down. Netflix! Ah Netflix! Netflix is the
perfect distraction for some people (including me!). Or even just TV or a
movie. Takes you away for a while, doesnt it? Baking or cooking is another
recipe Ive heard works when feeling down. Most likely some of us would
burn the house down but if you enjoy it, sure why not? Food, glorious food!
Thats an amazing distraction. Maybe for you its going out to dinner with
someone you love or maybe its just getting the worst food for you possible
and stuffing your face. Mine is Cadburys Swiss Gateau cake...I love that
stuff. Give me a slice of that when Im down and the smile will be back on
my face in no time! Maybe retail therapy is your thing. Unfortunately, we
dont all have to money to go out buying things every time were down but
if youre in the money and it works for you then you might as well! Some
people find confronting their problems helps them over come them, others
feel hiding from their problems will be better. Both ways have flaws but its
always up to you and only you how you want to face your problems.

Lastly, I think the most important thing we need to realise is that its okay
to feel down. Its not strange or a sign of weakness. Allow yourself to be
down, to be moody, and to be a bit spoiled and bratty sometimes. Youre
fully entitled to it! Now Im not saying go around and be rude to everyone
all the time but allowing yourself one off day every once in a while will not
kill you (or those around you!). In fact, itll probably give you the chance to 23
see your life more positively. Sunshine isnt sunshine without a little rain.
If all else fails and things are really getting you down maybe its best to try
talk to someone who knows what theyre talking about. Maybethats a par-
ent, a teacher or a counsellor but remember if things really are getting past
feeling a bit down every once and a while, address the problem.
 I have hidden all sorts of problems from even
my closest friends all because of a random statement once
said by someone who probably doesnt even
remember it.

The Stigma Around Crying

Written by Aine

From childhood, boys and girls are inundated
with images of what is right or wrong for either
gender. Before they even begin in school, a line
is created separating the idea of a man and a
woman, each being vastly different to the other
and it is only right each takes up the correct,
traditional role. Women are the mothers. They
are passionate, caring and expressive. Men are
providers. They are hard working and support
the family but they are not emotional the way
the mother is.
The world is changing. We believe we are be-
coming more accepting of sexualities that are
not heterosexuality and the idea that people are
not necessarily the biological gender they were
born. A couple does not have to be a man and
a woman. Just because someone is born with a
biologically male body, people are beginning to
understand that it does not mean they identify
as male. And yet we still teach children archaic
and biased gender values.
Dolls are marketed to girls, cars to boys. Blue is
a boy colour and pink is a girl colour. Boys play
sports, girls take dance classes or art lessons.
Over the Easter break, I worked as an assistant
teacher in a childrens art camp, teaching a class
 Silkie Talk
of all girls and stopping them from arguing over
who got the pink marker, while in the next room
there was a boys basketball camp. How do we ex-
pect society to become more open minded if we
continue guiding children towards old-fashioned
gender standards? If we keep teaching them that
a family must have a woman and a man as a
mother and a father, then that is what they
will believe as they grow up.
Since we make such strong distinctions between
boys and girls, children often do not want to be
associated with those of a different gender. Girls
dont want to be friends with boys, for fear that
others may then identify them as a boy, or at
least as a masculine girl, and vice versa. Youre
such a girl becomes a common playground in-
sult when a boy expresses any kind of weakness
or fear. Some people say that children grow out
of this, but I dont think we really do complete-
ly. Girls grow into women believing that they
should act feminine so that people will like
them, and boys are urged to act manly.
What is manly? When Google defines mas-
culine, some of the synonyms offered include
26 muscular, strong and powerful. Men are shouldnt cry in public. I dont remember what
told they must withstand whatever comes at
them with resilience. They are taught that
they ought not show that they are suffering
emotionally, because that means that they are
weak. As a result, few men are diagnosed with
mental health disorders such as depression,
because they do not wish to show vulnerabili-
ty by expressing their emotional weaknesses.
Sharing something this personal is hard enough
for a woman, as well as suffering through these
emotional issues by oneself or with help, but
I cannot imagine how much more difficult it
must be when you are actively discouraged from
sharing feelings. This is more than likely the
reason three times more men died by suicide in
the UK than women in the year 2012. In the US it
is four times more men than women. Obviously,
there are many factors that contribute towards
considering killing oneself, but there is clearly a
problem if the statistics are so drastically differ-
ent per gender.
Id like to step back from our expectations of
men and look at the way everybody feels about
sharing our inner emotions. I said already that
men are discouraged from sharing their emo-
tions in order to appear masculine, but I think
that as a society everyone fears sharing their
inner negativity. Whenever someone asks how
you are, one generally says that they are alright,
but this is rarely the case. We dont want to bur-
den others with our problems, or we are afraid
of what people might think if they knew how we
might be aching inside.
When I was young, someone once told me that I
I was crying about, but that statement has stuck
with me for years. I have played those words
over and over in my head until they have be-
come twisted. I now think that I just shouldnt
show that I am upset at all. I bottle things up un-
til one day everything spills over and I cant hold
it back. Things that were a little bad get ampli-
fied and snowball together until I just think that
everything is going wrong. That one bad grade
means that will fail my leaving cert.
27
Illustration: Fuschia MacAree
Illustration: Clo Meldon
 Silkie Talk
When I was young,
someone once told me that
I shouldnt cry in public.
I dont remember what I
was crying about, but that
statement has stuck with
me for years.
A small misunderstanding with my friends
morphs until I worry that maybe they dont like
28 me at all, maybe they just pity me or maybe I
force myself on them. I have hidden all sorts
of problems from even my closest friends all
because of a random statement once said by
someone who probably doesnt even remember
it. To this day, the only person I told when I was
suffering from depression was my mother (and
now all of you, readers).
When Im in a good state of mind (and not in
emotional turmoil) I think that surely I cant be
the only one who feels this way. As a society, we
have developed an unhealthy attitude, in which
we dont want to share our problems, even if
that helps solve them. We dont like to believe
that our problems are worth crying over, or
that we are important enough to anyone that
they might want to help us feel better. So many
people have a low sense of self-worth, because
we condemn those who express pride and con-
fidence in who they are (though, really I think
most people are jealous of them). We need to un-
derstand that being emotional isnt a bad thing.
Why should we all feel like we have to hide it?
 30
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

Written by Aoife

Personally, I think the prettiest thing a girl can wear is not skinny jeans, or short
skirts, but to wear a smile with pride, and be happy with how they look. If you feel
beautiful, you will look beautiful. Im not saying being confident with yourself is
easily achieved,W because it isnt, but shouldnt being confident in our own bodies
be the norm? Instead of the majority of teenage girls struggling to be happy in their
own skin? Im not saying that Im 100% confident with my own body, but in recent
months Ive come to realise I have cared too much what other people thought of
me, and of what others around me considered to be the perfect look; tall, big
boobs,a skinny, curvy waist and a flat tummy. Being the tiny little kid I was in first
year, with my flat chest, zero waist definition and being barely 5ft tall I was far from
confident and would constantly find myself crying in the mirror, hating the girl
who looked back at me. When I eventually reached puberty, and my body started
to change I found I was hating myself even more, even though I was beginning to
 32
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Siobhn O Riordan

Body Conscious

be the girl I so desperately wanted to be. It was a vicious circle of self-hatred, until
I eventually realised there is no perfect look, I am who I am, and I should love
myself for that. One major reason girls tend to have a bad image of themselves is
that they compare themsleves to other girls. These girls can be in their school, be
childhood friends or celebrities in magazines, comparisons are constantly being
made. The unrealistic, photoshopped images of women portrayed in magazines is
also no help in regaining confidence in ourselves, as we constantly try do anything
possible to achieve this perfect look. Shouldnt perfection really be when were
truly happy with ourselves? The bottom line is that no one is perfect, but once
youre truly happy with how you look, embrace it.

A really shocking amount of girls are unhappy with how they look; and unfor-
tunately this self-consciousness can lead to self-hatred and going to extreme and
unhealthy measures to achieve dream bodies. Love yourself for who you are girls!
This extreme self-consciousness can mean devastating embarrassment when get-
ting changed in front of, (god forbid), another person and potentially overwhelming
fear when involved in sexual encounters with a partner. As embarrassing as it may
be when someone sees you naked for the first time, dont let yourself think Oh
theyre definitely silently judging my stretch marks or staring at my oddly shaped
bellybutton, because believe me; theyre not. Theyre more than likely in awe of
the sheer fact you are naked in front of them, rather than critiquing every inch of
your body.

Not caring what anyone thinks of you is easier said than done, I know, but dont let
the fear of negative attention consume you. When I was told I had really stretchy
skin on my tummy, it honestly felt like someone had just ripped off my leg and
began beating me with it; I was so hurt (not like having stretchy skin is anything to 33
be ashamed of, or really an insult at all). For a solid year I would never show anyone
my stomach, and I would wear my Dads XL tees to the beach while all my friends
would be wearing gorgeous bikinis or swimsuits; purely because I was embarrassed
of a little excess skin on my tummy. When I finally realised a bit of stretchy skin is
nothing to be ashamed of (and actually kind of cool), I stopped wearing my Dads
tees that would be past my knees, and went out and bought plenty of bikinis for
the coming summer. Now I will show my stretchy belly to anyone who will watch,
and started to consider it my party trick when I finally realised its my body and I
shouldnt be conscious of it because I am who I am.
 34
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

Written by Sintia

That was so good, I really want another one. I wonder how many calories
it contains. I really shouldnt have eaten that. I wonder how much exercise
I have to do to burn that of. Im never going to get that thigh gap. Maybe
Ill skip dinner or I could just puke it all out and it will be like I never ate
it in the first place. Stop! How can one piece of food make someone feel
so bad about themselves? Having one chocolate bar, a packet of crisps or a
brownie and feeling like you just gained 3 stone but in reality nothing has
happened to your body you are the same weight and you just enjoyed an
amazing brownie! Its okay to have a piece of chocolate, its okay to have
a packet of crisps or two. Why must you feel so bad for eating something?
Why is it bad to eat something thats not the healthiest of things? Its be-
cause youve been told not to eat something unless its good for your body
or it helps your weight loss. Even though you might not even need to lose
 Silkie Talk

any weight, youve been told by the media, by magazines, by your peers
and even by celebrities with the perfect body not to eat certain things that
you might personally enjoy so much because they are not good for your
weight loss and that if you have it you will automatically be unhealthy and
that its shameful. But what is really good for you? Forget about your body,
what would make you happy and make you feel good? Sometimes when
feeling down all you need is a small bit of junk food to make you feel all
better not worse. To be okay with having a girls night in having a munch
(a load of junk food) and happily enjoying it not sitting in the corner
dreaming of having some of it.

All this is almost like a competition; if you dont eat healthily you will be
shamed by others. I remember once I brought a Caesar salad to school
and I said I love Caesar salad and its healthy. But of course someone
had to look over their shoulder to tell me Its actually not healthy, Cae-
sar dressing is really fattening. Im not going to lie, that made me think
twice about eating it, but why should I miss my lunch because someone
says its not good for me, its salad? It contains lettuce therefore its healthy
and I will eat it. I enjoyed that salad so much and I dont regret eating it
at all. What would make me happy is having a cup of tea with 4 chocolate
digestive biscuits while watching TV and simply relaxing. To do that with-
out feeling like I have to skip lunch or feel guilty for the rest of that week
because I just ate a couple of biscuits. I want to be able to have a chocolate
bar in front of everyone and not feel like I just ate a giant cake to myself
(which I could easily fight through). I want to say that Im eating healthily
and still be able to have a packet of crisps without anyone pointing out
36 I thought you said you were eating healthy. Its a packet of crisps!

I recently read an article where a celebrity who lost a lot of weight in a

short time said I have stopped eating red meat. I wonder how many peo-
ple have stopped eating red meat because one celebrity has said it helped
their weight loss, I wonder how many people have though Oh I better not
have red meat if I want to lose weight. Red meat is good for you! Please
dont listen to every celebrity out there. It is suggested that dietary restric-
tion increases desire for forbidden foods, in the form of craving, and may
induce negative emotions in affects such as guilt, anxiety and depression.
So let your self have a bit of whatever youre craving and feel much better.
37
Illustration: Fuschia MacAree
Illustration: Lisa McHugo
Silkie Talk

Please dont make yourself go through guilt, anxiety or depression be-

cause if you eat that one food that you grave so much you wont achieve
the perfect body or that thigh gap. What even is the perfect body? The
body on the cover of a magazine? Completely photo-shopped! We want
something that is non-existent. We are putting ourselves under so much
pressure to look like someone in a magazine that doesnt even look like
that in real life. We need to learn how to love our bodies and just because
youre thin or over-weight it doesnt mean your unhealthy, the media has
put a label on those people as unhealthy, but until you are told by your
doctor that you should watch out for your health keep enjoying life!

I completely agree with healthy eating and that having too much junk
food is not good for you and you will eventually gain weight, but what
Im trying to say is that you should be able to go out and if youre really
craving something thats not the healthiest but will make you happy to go
for it. To be able to eat out and just get something that you would enjoy
not a plate of lettuce because you think thats what you should eat to lose
weight or to look healthy. And After eating it to feel content, not to feel
like you have committed a huge sin and that you have to work out for 3
hours or skip a meal, and starve yourself or think that vomiting it is okay.
I want you to sit there with a full stomach and be happy. Its okay to have
unhealthy food, its not a sin.
 Without them I wouldnt be the person I have found myself
as and I know for sure, after all the instability and chaos
riddling my life, I have found a foundation I can depend
on in the form of my friends.

You Are Who Youre Friends Are

Written by Emily

This time two years ago, I certainly was not
the person I am today. As a shadow of myself,
I wasnt filled with much. And although it was
the most stressful thing Ive ever experienced,
moving schools brought me the best gift life has
ever given me; the gift of my friends. Theyve
helped shape and mould me into my true self
and bring me an infinite amount of happiness I
couldnt find in anything else. Thankfully I have
a lot of friends, but my close nit group I have in
school are the foundation of my life and Im for-
ever grateful to them for all theyve done for me,
even the things they arent aware theyve done.
I started school in 2010. Undoubtedly I had an
amazing group of friends who loved me dearly,
and having to leave them in third year because
my family moved house was extremely difficult.
Yet, I feel that the move made me stronger and
helped me understand a lot about life. When I
came to Holy Faith at the start of third year I was
a seriously bitter person. I didnt think anything
in my life was stable, I was angry over the deci-
sion my parents made to move and of course I
was lonely. But then I met my friends and every-
thing seemed to brighten up.
Shona Mynes has been a positive motivating
force within my life for the past 2 years and
I couldnt be happier about it. With her as a
crutch when times got bad and a voice of wis-
dom when my spirits got low, my quality of life
 Silkie Talk
To these two girls,
although I see them as
my equals, I find myself
looking up to them.
has skyrocketed to infinity and beyond with her
as a confidant. Shona has helped me come out
from the shadow I was hiding behind prior to my
move in third year and has giving me, through
words and actions, the support I need to become
the person I am today. My thoughts, my words
and my happiness are not afraid to show their
faces, my actions are not second guessed and my
smile is genuine with her encouragement and
support. She is trustworthy with all her heart
and kindness is in the marrow of her bones;
42 I couldnt ask for a better friend.
Sarah Talbot and I became friends in the early
days of forth year, and our friendship has blos-
somed ever since. Sarah is the first person in
my life who has taught me how to laugh with-
out inhibition and to live without the restraints
of what others might think holding me back.
She helped me understand the meaning of being
content with myself, and is constantly remind-
ing me of it. She inspires me through her pas-
sions and her words that I should be the pers-
on I want to be, and is consistently someone I
can count on. Sarah has a caring disposition,
and once you earn her trust, you have a spot in
her heart for life. She is completely truthful to
herself as well as others, and I look up to her in
many ways. I admire her strong nature, value
her weakness and will always cherish her dearly.
To these two girls, although I see them as my
equals, I find myself looking up to them. They
are the epitome of good friends, good people
and spectacular role models and I find myself
feeling immensely lucky at the thought of them
infinitely being part of my life. Without them I
wouldnt be the person I have found myself as
and I know for sure, after all the instability and
chaos riddling my life, I have found a foundation
I can depend on in the form my friends. You are
who your friends are.
 44
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

Written by Ciara

In the last few years, an incredible emphasis has been placed on exterior
beauty as a way to identify ourselves. We value our looks only for what the
media and our society view as beautiful and good looking. We, as wom-
en, judge each others looks based on high cheek bones, on tiny waists, on
big breasts, on long, slim legs and the list goes on and on. But why do we
find these things attractive? Just because we are told to? What benefit is
it for us to envision a thin, attractive, blonde bombshell Victorias Secret
model as our role model and inspiration? In this article, I plan to pick ap-
art what beauty means to me, on a completely personal level.

First lets just look on the surface and understand why we look the way
we do. Its genetics right? When I look at myself I know I look just like my
mother, who looked just like her mother too. We all share the same high
 46

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

Beauty Is a Concept

cheekbones, the same thin, pink lips, the same brow line and tiny, mouse-
like nose. But lets face it, these things arent really beautiful on their own
or even together. They are just features. So why should I beat myself up
because my genetic pool doesnt allow for Nike tick eyebrows or big, Why
should I value something so incredibly useless to me when I get to share
genetics with two of the strongest, most wonderful women Ive ever got
the pleasure to meet, let alone call family, so who on Earth has the right to
tell me that I am not beautiful for having those things? No one. Not a single
person can put an imagined value on perfect, freckle-less skin and a size 0
body when I get to share forever features of this ideal.

Do this test for yourself. Pull out the features you share with your favourite
aunt, uncle, cousin, grandmother etc. Arent you proud to be part of this,
to share genetics and features with people as incredible as they are? Even
if its dull, mousey brown hair or too bushy eyebrows (which are always
portrayed as unappealing in media) who can really tell you those traits ar-
ent beautiful? That these features passed down generation after generation
like heirlooms, are not valuable, precious things? Once you start noticing
how priceless your looks truly are, without any input from society, you
can truly accept that you are incredibly beautiful, and a mix of wonderful
people with their own strengths and successes passed down to you. Your
exterior identity is an invaluable source of pride and inspiration to be just
who you are.

When a child is born, the comments made about its looks are usually all
based around what features it has inherited from each parent. The moth-
ers side of the family will all rejoice over the news that the newborn baby 47
has its mothers, beautiful green eyes, alike to her whole side of the fami-
ly, whereas the fathers side may celebrate the tuffs of blonde hair on the
babys head, alike to all of his side of the family. These family character-
istics shared in this child now bond two families together. Instantly, this
child has a network of family that will adore them, regardless of whether
they are deemed beautiful by society, but because they are one of them. I
myself have experienced this feeling of immense pride of family and bond
between my little cousins and myself. Both my little cousins share my nat-
ural dirty blonde hair colour and high cheekbones. When they were born,
 Silkie Talk

I remember looking into their cots and seeing tiny versions of my aunt,
my grandmother and myself. I felt an enormous connection to these little,
tiny babies, not because they were beautiful, which they were, but because
they were family. And now that my cousins are older, both around 8 and 11
years old, they both compare themselves against me, using my features to
guess what they might look like at my age. They ask me numerous ques-
tions about when I started getting taller, about when I grew hips and all
other horribly awkward questions I wish they would save for their mother;
but they ask me this, not because they think my being tall or having hips
is beautiful, but because they see themselves in me. They are curious as to
what they will look like but not out of fear of not being beautiful or per-
fect. That innocent way of looking at ourselves is enviable but not out of
our own reach. By loving our physical appearances purely for the bond they
represent between the people who love us, we can throw the medias repre-
sentation of what beauty is under a bus or out the window (whichever you
prefer), and cherish in ourselves what is truly valuable and precious.

Beauty is entirely conceptual. Be the kind of person who is strong enough

to reject what society deems as beautiful and find for yourself what you
truly consider to be amazing. Life becomes a much simpler, happier place
when you cut out the pressure to be perfect, to be a size 0, to have big
breasts or hips, or long, spider legs. Finding what beauty truly means
to you is one of the most important and valuable things you can do for
yourself. You will be freeing yourself from endless pursuits of perfection,
from shackling yourself into fitting in with a flock of sheep, all looking the
same and being the same, never becoming more than beautiful. When you
48 give yourself all the power to define what beauty is to you, You are free.
Free to chase dreams more rewarding and precious than being considered
good-looking. Free to be whoever you want to be regardless of what you
are told, how people might see you. Finding your own definition of beauty
allows you to live independent and free from anyone elses expectations
of what you should wear or whom you should look like. To me beauty is
self-acceptance and appreciation for family and friends. To me, beauty is
what I make of it, not what some trashy magazine cover could ever tell me.
Beauty is a concept; own it.
 50
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

Written by Emma

I think it is important for everyone, but especially us girls to be able to say

that we love ourselves! In society today there is a lot of competition to be
the one who everyone looks up too. Yes okay, this can be a motivational
thing to some people but on the other hand people can be influenced to
put themselves at risk. I think this destroys the mind of young vulnerable
girls who have yet to discover who they are. This doesnt allow people to
develop properly into being themselves. They are just a mirror image of
someone else. Everyone deserves the chance to be happy. I feel that this can
be done by accepting who you are and being comfortable with that. The
key to a happy life begins with happiness within yourself.

Feeling comfortable in yourself is one of the most important things anyone,

male or female can do! In my opinion it is the key to a happy life. No one
Illustration: Shauna Woods
Self-love

should feel uncomfortable in their body. Feeling comfortable in yourself

enhances your confidence. Both socially and mentally. Personally I can say
that I am a confident person and yes I am comfortable in myself and my
body. Although I dont have the perfect body (what ever that perfect body
may be), I am still happy with the way I am. Feeling pleased with yourself
allows you to do a lot more things than just worry about how to change
yourself. It is also key to being comfortable with yourself for your relation-
ships and friendships to be positive (as if been a teenager itself isnt hard
enough). We should not inflict another burden upon ourselves. Ok, I know
everything Im saying is a lot easier said than done, but I was one of them
people before. I was the person that was so self conscious about who I was
and what other people thought of me. Then one day I felt that it was crazy
for me to be uncomfortable with myself. After all I cant change who I am!
Now, to this day I can accept who I am and what I look like and I am happy!

Something else that is important when it comes to being comfortable with

yourself, is coming to terms with your flaws. If you are able to do this I can
guarantee you will already start to be comfortable with you. Everyone has
flaws! It is unavoidable in life! The best thing to do is just figure out what
your flaws are and to just simply accept them. This will boost your confi-
dence so much. There is no one in the world like you. For things that you
think are flaws other people could envy. If everyone was able to accepts
their flaws, the world would be a much positive place. I feel that positivity
is exactly what society needs to try to help people to come to terms with
being comfortable with themselves.

Something that change the way with people feel about themselves is to 53
understand what actually makes you feel comfortable! Whether it would
be music, walking, talking to someone, having someone around, hobbies!
It really could be anything! For example there are three main things that
make me feel comfortable. Having someone around makes me feel at ease.
Some people would feel better being by themselves but I am the complete
opposite. Having someone around that you are able to talk to and just be
normal is the main thing for me! Second would be meditation. Most people
wouldnt turn to this sort of thing but it has really been an eye opener for
me. I have become more self aware by meditating and a lot more com-
fortable with myself. It gives you the chance just to have alone time with
Self-love

yourself recommend starting meditating. It allows you to be happy with

yourself and everyone around you. Lastly, something I think most people
should feel comfortable about themselves is because you are unique! I love
the feeling of being different from everyone. It allows a sense of happiness
because other people could idolise you for embracing your uniqueness.

Lastly, I think that being yourself is a very important component in rela-

tionships. Through out everyones life time we develop many relationships,
whether it be with friends, boyfriends/girlfriends and also family members.
Something that plays a huge contributing factor to a healthy relationship is
being yourself. This allows for a huge amount of trust to be built, and this
is key to any healthy relationship. In relationships if you are constantly try-
ing to be someone else it can cause a lot of stress to build up! Being yourself
lets you relax and be stress free. No one wants to have to play an act all the
time. It is so much better to just leave all negativity behind and allow who
you really are to shine through. People will prefer the honest you to the
fake person you try to be. I can honestly say that if people can be comfort-
able in themselves relationships will build and last strongly!

55
 56
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

Written by Beibhinn

As a seventeen year old student I am supposed to be able to decide now

what I want to do for the rest of my life, but I can hardly decide what I
want to have for lunch! It is an incredibly difficult decision and unfortu-
nately, in this country we have to face it when we are so young and so 57
clueless. There are so many options out there: science, art, English, history,
law, politics, the list goes on. The amount of options is bittersweet; there
is something out there for everyone, but most people will have more than
one thing that they are interested in, and choosing between those is near
impossible. Personally Im stuck between two completely different options:
Science and Art.

Science is the smart choice, I would go into a general science course, pick
what to specialise in, get a steady job in that area, and that would be my
Illustration: Fiona Suttle
Making Decisions

life. I know that I would be happy doing this; it would be simple, easy and a
lot safer, so why dont I choose it? I hesitate because choosing art would be
so much more exciting. I love art; I love to draw, to paint, to sculpt. Art Col-
lege sounds perfect for me, drawing every day, learning new skills, being
surrounded by people who express themselves and think like me, so why
am I finding it so hard to choose? It should be simple, follow what makes
you happy right? Do what you want no matter what anyone else says? But
its not that easy, I find Im at a crossroads because although I would love to
do art, Im worried that it isnt as secure as science.

It might be surprising to hear that my parents are fully supporting me if I

want to choose art; it is from elsewhere that Im getting my doubts. I have
a friend who knows exactly what she wants to do when she finishes sec-
ondary school. She wants to go into veterinary, a steady job that will earn
her lots of money if she succeeds. She has her whole life planned out and it
scares me that I dont. She has my best interests at heart when she tells me
things like you wont be able to afford that if you become an artist. While
being an artist is not my goal, and making a lot of money is also definitely
not my goal, she has a good point that the job options after Art College are
scattered and precarious, so I am back to square one: Science or Art.

The reason that I am writing about this is that I know that many people are
in the same boat as me, they have more than one option and they have no
idea what to choose. It is not an easy decision and not one that should be
made lightly, but what I keep saying to myself, whenever Im unsure or my
mind is changing, I think of what I will feel like if I choose the safer op-
tion. I know I will always be wondering what my life could have been like if 59
I went to art college,

To be honest I havent made my decision yet, but I know that what I am

doing is trying to plan out my life like my friend seems to have hers. But
nobody can do that, life is unpredictable and opportunities will arise and
change whatever meagre plans youve tried desperately to hang on to. My
plan is (and I know this is grossly clich but) to make sure that whatever
decision I make I will have made it because its what I want and like to do,
and I am going to work hard to succeed.
 Being a girl I know that girls are judged upon a number of
things just to name a few: weight, skin, fashion sense, sexu-
ality, how toned their body is, whether they have cellulite or
not, how many likes they get on their profiler on Facebook.

Dont Judge
Written by Maeve

I think we can all agree that being in an all girls
secondary school allows for a lot of bitchiness,
drama and unnecessary judgment of one an-
other. I feel we all have been exposed to, been
the victim of or taken part in this judgment for
some reason or another. Which probably leaves
you asking the question: why is she writing this
article and contradicting herself ?
I think we all can agree that we have taken part
in judging someone for something, but why do
we still do it although we know thats its wrong
and someone is going to end up getting hurt?
I think that girls need to accept each other for
who they are and allow for the expression of
their personality and appearance in general.
Being a girl I know that girls are judged upon
a number of things just to name a few: weight,
skin, fashion sense, sexuality, how toned their
body is, whether they have cellulite or not, how
many likes they get on their profiler on Face-
book, who their friends are and what interests
them. But why do we do this? Do boys do the
same? I can remember at a really young age,
maybe six or seven, being at a birthday party
and someone passed a remark on the clothes
a girl was wearing because she stood out from
Illustration: Louise Smith
Dont Judge
I find, personally, that this
constant feeling of being
judged leaves me feeling
on edge.
the crowd at this party. Instead of wearing pink
clothes that included things such as a skirt and
tights, this girl wore a pair of tracksuit bottoms
and runners which left everyone in shock due to
the fact she broke what was was considered to
be the norm. This exposure to judgment of what
is considered to be out of the ordinary has start-
ed from a very young age, in my case anyway.
I think that nowadays the Internet and the me-
dia has quite a big part to play in all this judg-
ment. When Im scrolling down through my feed
on Instagram, particularly on celebrities photos,
there is at least one comment passing judgment
on how they look, what theyre wearing, how
they seem to have gained weight or how ugly
they look. We can clearly see that judgment is
happening everywhere and everyone knows
how wrong it is and how it impacts on the lives
of those who are being judged. Which brings
me back to the question: why do we still do it?
Do girls judge each other because theyre bored?
Because theyre insecure? Because theyre trying
to impress their friends? There are a number of
different possibilities that spring to mind but
nobody can seem to come to a final decision as
to why girls judge each other.
I decided to take to my year group to see how
they feel about being judged, if they are/have
been judged, what they have been/are judged
about and why they think girls judge each other.
When I asked the question Do you feel that the
girls in this school judge you and your class-
mates?, every girl I asked answered yes. This
saddened me because knowing that a number 63
of girls are feeling this way indicates to me that
this answer probably would apply to majority
of the year group. We should feel comfortable,
happy and confident when were in school. Not
insecure, on edge and down in ourselves. When
I asked the girls what they think people are/have
been judged about, they came up with a number
of different things: what you wear, who your
friends are, financial stability, opinions, their
makeup (and whether or not they wear it), eating
 Silkie Talk
I dont think people reach
their full potential due to
the looming feeling that
they will be judged for
putting themselves out
there.
habits, body and fitness. The girls also thought
that when girls are bored all this judging and
bitchiness happens.
When I was interviewing my classmates I re-
membered back to 4th Year and came across
64 the perfect example of everyone judging each
other; the auditions for our school play Annie
These auditions meant that firstly we had to get
up in groups of ten and sing particular song and
gradually those groups lessened until you were
left singing on your own in front of half the year
group which would have been around fifty or
sixty people. I remember talking to girls at the
start of the auditions and everyone was saying
things like Who cares, Were all in the same
boat, Give it your all d
ont judge each other.
If only it was as easy as that! Even after girls
saying these things you could clearly see girls
whispering, passing remarks and laughing at
girls who were singing and acting. Consider-
ing we were all in the same position you would
assume that we would have been supportive and
encouraging of one another but it was quite the
opposite. As a result of this I dont think people
reached their full potential due to the looming
feeling that they would be judged for putting
themselves out there.
I find, personally, that this constant feeling of
being judged leaves me feeling on edge, intim-
idated and insecure and I dont think that I or
anyone else should ever have to feel that way.
In more severe cases I think that minor prob-
Dont Judge

lems like this can often lead to bigger and more

serious problems and affect peoples mental and
physical health. Words are thrown around too
easily without understanding the effect they
can have on a persons life. So the message Im
trying to get across is: next time youre going
to pass remarks on what someone is wearing or
how they look just stop and think. How would
you feel if this was said to you? How would you
react? Put yourself in their position for a mo-
ment and it might give you a different opinion
on what youre about to say. So lets start a trend!
Break the Internet like Kim K or get it trending
on Twitter, anything! Just stop judging people.

65
 66
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

 Silkie Loves

The Silkie team recommends their favorite

books and films to the Silkie readers and also
does a Body Positive photo shoot.

Mornings
in Jenin
Susan Abulhawas novel, first
published in the US in 2006
but since reworked, follows
the Abulheja family, Yehya
and Basima and their two
sons, in Ein Hod, a village in
Palestine. The pastoral open-
ing crams into 40 pages a
cross-faith friendship, a love
story, the Zionist invasion
of the village, and the theft
of one of Hasan and Dalias
sons, the infant Ismael, by an
Israeli soldier.
I Am
Malala
Malala Yousafzai is only 16
years old. Yet she has already
seen, experienced and done
Silkie Books
more than most of us ever
will in a lifetime. Malalas
unwavering support for the
important principles of lib-
erty, democracy and freedom
has inspired many people.
Perks of Being
a Wallflower
Charlie is a freshman.
And while hes not the
biggest geek in the school,
he is by no means popular.
Shy, introspective, intelligent
beyond his years yet socially
awkward, he is a wallflower,
caught between trying to
live his life and trying to run
from it.
Girl, Interrupted
Kaysens memoir encompass-
es horror and razor-edged
perception while providing
vivid portraits of her fellow
patients and their keepers.
It is a brilliant evocation of a
parallel universe set within
the kaleidoscopically shifting
landscape of the late sixties.
Divergent
In Beatrice Priors dystopian
Chicago world, society is di-
vided into five factions, each
dedicated to the cultivation
of a particular virtue. Can-
dor (the honest), Abnegation
(the selfless), Dauntless (the
brave), Amity (the peaceful),
and Erudite (the intelligent).
On an appointed day of every
year, all sixteen-year-olds
must select the faction to
which they will devote the
rest of their lives. For Be-
atrice, the decision is be-
tween staying with her family
and being who she really is.
She cant have both, includ-
ing herself.

Blue is the
Warmest Colour
Big success in the film busi-
ness often means opening
a can of worms along with
the champagne. The Palme
dOr at this years Cannes
film festival went to the epic
and erotic love story Blue Is
the Warmest Colour. But the
jury and its president, Steven
Spielberg, insisted the prize
should be accepted not only
by the director, Franco-Tuni-
sian film-maker Abdellatif
Kechiche, but also by his two
young stars, La Seydoux and
Adle Exarchopoulos.
Eternal Sunshine
of a Spotless Mind
Joel (Carrey) is stunned to
discover that his girlfriend
Clementine (Winslet) has
Silkie Films
had her memories of their
tumultuous relationship
erased. Out of desperation, he
contacts the inventor of the
process, Dr. Howard Mier-
zwiak (Wilkinson), to have
Clementine removed from his
own memory.
The Devil
Wears Prada
The Devil Wears Prada is
being positioned as a movie
for grown-ups and others
who know what, or who, or
when, or where, Prada is. But
while watching it I had the
uncanny notion that, at last,
one of those books from my
childhood had been filmed.
Call it Andy Sachs, Girl Edi-
tor. Anne Hathaway stars, as
a fresh-faced Midwesterner
who comes to New York seek-
ing her first job. I just grad-
uated from Northwestern,
she explains. I was editor of
the Daily Northwestern! Yes!
It had been a thrill to edit the
student newspaper, but now,
as I walked down Madison
Avenue, I realized I was head-
ed for the big time! The Devil
wears Prada is a humorous
critic of industry.
Ten Things I
Hate About You
10 Things I Hate About You is
a 1999 American teen roman-
tic comedy-drama film. It is
directed by Gil Junger and
stars Julia Stiles, Heath Led-
ger and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
The film, a modernization of
Shakespeares The Taming
of the Shrew, is titled after
a poem written by the films
female lead (played by Stiles)
to describe her bittersweet
romance with the male lead
(played by Ledger).
 Body Positive Photoshoot
Silkie magazine wants to celebrate women for
who they are. Therefore we conceived the idea to
have a body positive photo shoot involving some
of the team. For the photo shoot the team wore
attire that reflected an aspect of their identity.
The girls, dressed and ready to go were then
given a task. Each member of the team gave the
person beside them a positive word. This word
could be anything. The only rule was that it had
to relate to the persons character. That person
would then write down the word and hold it up
during the shoot.
We, here at Silkie, think its important to ac-
knowledge that social pressures to conform espe-
cially among friend groups, and especially when
it comes to dressing preferences can
feel restricting.
If a friend shows up looking drastically differ-
ent from you, that can feel upsetting and cause
anxiety. But that doesnt mean that one person
must change while the other holds her ground.
Finding ways to open up discussions, make
compromises, or work within multiple peoples
comfort zones can go a long way. We need ot
accept each others individual style. See their
clothes as a expression of that persons unique
identity, By doing this it is impossible to judge
people on a basis of what is right or wrong to
wear. Through photo shoots like this, Silkie aims
to encourage people to dress how they want.
71
 Silkie Talk

72
73
 74
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

75
Illustration: Fuschia MacAree
 76
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

 Silkie Social

Questioning the social norms prevelant in our

society, Silkie Social discusses the fearless,
the prejudiced and the inspiring. Topics range
from pink tax to hairy legs to the time of the
77
month taboo.
Illustration: Fuschia MacAree
 78
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

 Hair on women is considered unattractive and embarrass-
ing. Meanwhile men walk around in their shorts flaunting
their leg hair to the world.

Written by Aine

We know that all humans have hair growing
on their bodies. It is a natural occurrence and
in theory we should treat body hair like that.
But nowadays there is an expectation for all
wom-en to remove any hair that is not on their
head. How did this become the normal thing?
Why do we shave and wax, what do we really
think about doing it? I asked other young wom-
en their thoughts on hair removal and why they
do it, and I thought about my own habits too,
hoping I can understand why women are com-
pelled to do it, and do it so often.
Ill start with how I feel about it. I usually shave
my legs. Shaving takes such a long time that I
really couldnt be bothered to do it most of the
time. Dont get me wrong, I love how nice and
smooth my legs feel afterwards, but that feeling
doesnt last long. I often wonder whether the
amount of time it takes to shave my legs is worth
it when I have stubble again so soon after. What
it really boils down to is that I am lazy. If some-
thing will take a certain amount of work, but
does not urgently need to be done, I will put it
off as long as possible. This usually applies to me
 80
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Clo Meldon

Its Just Hair
They all said it was because
they like how it feels, but I be-
lieve something else is at play.
and shaving. I will wear tights or long trousers
if means I dont have shave. Just the idea of hav-
ing to sit in my bathroom for so long doing this
one thing seems so boring to me that I dislike it.
Not to mention that Im so clumsy that I will
probably cut myself as well! This tends to mean
that during the winter months I barely ever
shave. I mostly wear jeans in winter anyway,
so whos even going to see my legs anyway?
This makes me wonder why I really shave my
legs. I say its because I like how it feels, but if
I think so much about whether people see my
legs or not, surely that means Im doing because
of what other people think about me. When I
asked some other girls from my year what they
thought, they told me that they wouldnt ever
want to go out if they hadnt shaved their legs.
They would worry about what other people
would think if they came without shaving. How-
ever when I asked them at first why they shaved,
none of them said it was for somebody else. They
all said it was because they like how it feels, but I
believe something else is at play.
One girl who plays sports said that she doesnt
mind if she hasnt shaved her legs for her regu-
lar practice, but if they are playing in a match
against another team she feels very self con-
scious if she has any hair on her legs. When we
are with people we know, it doesnt usually both-
er us whether weve shaved or not. In fact, my
friends often talk about how we havent shaved
our legs and show each when we havent shaved
in a particularly long time. What bothers us is
what strangers think of us. First impressions
matter, and we think if we dont look perfect,
with nice clothes, great hair and completely
smooth legs, people will look down on us, or
perhaps just outright dislike us because of it.
Does anyone have any idea why we think like
this? If body hair is something that occurs
naturally, who is it that decided one day that 81
everyone should remove it? Evidence of women
removing body hair can be traced back as far as
ancient Egypt, where women removed hair using
pumice stones and tweezers made from shells.
This may have been in order to make themselves
pure for the gods, as the priests did. Now we
still keep up the arduous tradition of removing
almost all the hair from our bodies, but because
the media has deemed it unattractive. I think
that outside of aesthetics, there are very few
 Silkie Social
All our flaws should be
hidden, the things that
make us unique altered
to be like everyone else.
To conform is the norm.
advantages to hair removal. The only example
I can think of where hair removal is helpful is
for athletes. Less hair means less air or water
resistance, so you can run or swim faster. But
if you are not an athlete, hair removal is just
something that takes up your time and money.
Leg waxing in a salon will usually start at around
twenty euro per session and, of course, you have
82 to do it regularly. Removing hair takes a lot of
time, and honestly I personally could think of a
lot of things I would rather do at that time.
There is quite a double standard in our society
about body hair. Hair on women is considered
unattractive and embarrassing. Meanwhile men
walk around in their shorts flaunting their leg
hair to the world. In fact, some might consider
is immasculine for a man to remove his body
hair, which is about as unfair as telling women
they have to shave. It should be a persons own
decision as to how their body looks, and yet all
around us we have the media screaming at us
that we should be a certain ideal and every-
thing else is wrong. The fact that we live in a
world where some women dont shave as an
act of defiance is a sign of how twisted modern
beauty standards have become. All our flaws
should be hidden, the things that make us
unique altered to be like everyone else. To
conform is the norm.
I am not telling anyone, man or woman, that
they should or should not shave. I know I will
still shave whenever I want to wear a skirt or
shorts. I wish that we could some day reach a
perspective where people look and dress the
way they want to, without being dictated by
what is or isnt in fashion and what the media.
 84
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

 Its our job as young women to talk about periods,
especially those of us who have younger siblings
who will soon be experiencing what we experience
every month.

Written by Shona

It is evident from Instagrams latest censorship
war that there is a lot of unnecessary stigma
around the topic of menstruation. When Rupi
Kaur decided to highlight this as the theme for
her university photography project, chaos broke
loose as Instagram censored this picture.
She wrote on her Tumblr: I bleed each month
to help make humankind a possibility. My womb
is home to the divine. A source of life for our
species. Whether I choose to create or not but
very few times it is seen that way. In older civili-
zations this blood was considered holy. In some
it still is, but a majority of people, societies and
communities shun this natural process, although
half our population go through it every month.
Some are more comfortable with the pornifica-
tion of women, the sexualisation of women, the
violence and degradation of women than this.
They cannot be bothered to express their disgust
about all that, but will be angered and bothered
by this. We menstruate and they see it as dirty,
attention seeking, sick, a burden as if this pro-
cess is less natural than breathing. as if it is not
a bridge between this universe and the last, as if
this process is not love, labour, life, selfless and
strikingly beautiful.
Illustration: Luiza Abend
Body Taboos
Girls are taught when they
get their period that its some-
thing you keep a secret and do
your utmost best to hide.
Why was this picture censored? Im sure this
comes as a surprise, what the fuss is about this
photo is - its a bit of blood. But recent events
have made prominent what is wrong with soci-
ety today. Periods are not spoken of - She-Who-
Must-Not-Be-Named, and we need to understand
why. From the minute a girl makes the transition
into womanhood, this issue is concealed from
her peers and is seen as embarrassing. Periods
as a topic of conversation is unheard of. When
this topic actually does arise in conversation, its
quickly shot down as its seen as disgusting and
too personal for people to comprehend. Why?
Why do all of these issues arise just from men-
tioning the word period?
That is why Im writing this article. Millions of
women have their period every single day. Its a
common issue for women everywhere, so why
should we hide the fact that it happens just
because it makes people uncomfortable? Periods
are a natural bodily function, it is absolutely
necessary and it should be spoken about. Lets
stop pretending like theres something wrong
with the fact that it isnt. The mere mention of
the word period can sometimes genuinely make
girls uncomfortable, there have been many times
where Ive heard (or struggled to hear) women
in bathrooms trying to hide the fact that theyre
on their period when opening their toiletries,
and keeping their pads and tampons disguised in
their bags. Girls are taught when they get their
period that its something you keep a secret and
do your utmost best to hide. It doesnt help that
brands of toiletries promote this secrecy, intro- 87
ducing new discrete versions of tampons and
pads, as if nobody should know that someone
has their period. Far too many girls are taught
to feel disgusted by their own body, when its
something they cannot help. It seems comp-
letely unreasonable to me.
Its our job as young women to talk about peri-
ods, especially those of us who having younger
88
 My Role Model by Ailbhe
Laverne Cox
Depictions of people in the media can have an
enormous impact on the way society views them.
Unfortunately, media portrayal of transgender
people ranges from positive to very negative.
The transgender community is constantly bat-
tling with the negative image and trying to
overcome stereotypes in television, films and
other media. Usually trans people are not the
main characters, and most of the time fall into
the stereotyped supporting characters, or por-
trayed as a victim or villain. According to infor-
mation collected by GLAAD, which has been
cataloguing the appearance of transgender char-
acters on scripted television shows since 2002,
at least 40% of the time transgender characters
were cast in a victim role; transgender charac-
ters were cast as killers or villains in at least 21%
of the storyline; 20% of transgender characters
were cast as sex workers. Additionally, 54% of the
102 episodes GLAAD has documented were cate-
gorized as containing negative representations
of the transgender characters at the time in
which they were aired; transphobic slurs, lan-
guage and dialogue was seen in 61% of these
portrayals. Out of all these appearance, only
12% were considered groundbreaking, fair and
accurate enough to earn a GLAAD Media Award
nomination. Recognition of non-binary gen-
der in media is very rare. In fact, a large deal of
non-binary gender media representation hap-
pens in communities made by and for people
who identify as non-binary, and contain largely
self-made content, often about the content mak-
er. Basically, the majority of transgender repre-
Illustration: Julianna Szab
Laverne Cox
been negative, derogatory and just plain offen-
sive. Ignorance towards the full matter although
sometimes well meaning are contributers to this.
Despite this, there has been a shift in this rep-
resentation of transgender characters in the
past few years. This is most likely due to greater
awareness of transgender rights, and the addi-
tion of actual trans people acting in trans roles.
Laverne Cox has heavily influenced how trans
folk are represented in the media. She originally
rose to fame playing Sophia Burset on the Netflix
television series Orange Is the New Black. She
then became the first openly transgender person
to be nominated for an Primetime Emmy Award
in the acting category. Laverne is also a reality
television star, a television producer, writer, and
an LGBT advocate. In early 2014, Laverne was
given GLAADs Stephen F. Kolzak Award for her
work as an advocate for the transgender commu-
nity. Despite 91.5% of respondents saying that La-
verne should be included, she was omitted from
Time magazines 100 Most Influential People of
2014. Later that year, she became the first open-
ly transgender person to grace the cover of the
same magazine.
Laverne attempted suicide at the age of 11.
She had developed romantic feelings about her
male classmates and had been bullied for sev-
eral years; she refused to act the way someone
assigned male at birth was supposed to act.
Her mother would chastise Laverne after her
schoolmates attacked her, and refused to enrol
her in ballet because it was too gay. Laverne
praises the internet for connecting people strug-
gling with their sexuality and gender.
The internet and social media are of great im-
portance for young people struggling with their
identity, especially members of the LGBT+ com-
munity. She has shown us that it truly is possible
to make a difference not only to a community
but to the world also, even when it seems like
the whole world is against you.
Representation of marginalised groups is so im-
portant, Laverne has a hugely positive impact on
trans people who feel that they can relate to the
character of Sophia. On the topic of transgender
visibility in the media, Laverne says, So many
students have said, trans students have said; now
I can have a point of reference when I talk about
who I am. My friends are like, Oh, like Sophia
from Orange is the New Black? and theyre like,
yeah, and then they just move on and its not an
issue. I feel that most people dont understand
the importance of media. Laverne Cox playing
a multi-dimensional trans woman of colour in
Orange Is the New Black is ground-breaking.
It teaches people who arent like her to under-
stand and relate to Sophias humanity, and it
helps people like her to see that they arent
alone in the world and that their lives and stor-
ies matter. It helps people to accept all sorts of 91
definitions of womanhood. The more we under-
stand the diversity and validity of peoples lives
and experiences, the less likely we are to buy
into stereotypes and deny people their full hu-
manity. Stories are incredibly important because
they shape how we see the world.
On being a role model, Laverne says, I would
never be so arrogant to think that someone
should model their life after me. But the idea of
 92
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Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

93

Illustration: Julianna Szab

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree
 Silkie Social
We need trans writers
and trans actors to create
authentic media that is not
sensationalized or offensive.
We need to be willing to
embrace and celebrate
our differences.
out in public, hopefully will show to other folks
that its possible. So I prefer the term possibility
94 model to role model. Laverne is a down-to-
earth, compassionate and vivacious woman. She
inspires people from marginalised groups, and
shows us that differences should be celebrated.
Laverne teaches love and acceptance, and I feel
that she could have a positive impact on people
of all gender identities.
Change cant happen overnight, and behaviours
and attitudes take time to shift. However, if we
listen to trans folks stories and experiences, we
can become more willing to let go of precon-
ceptions we might have about people who are
different from us. It is important to remember
to listen to individuals in terms of how they
describe themselves. We cannot decide how
other people define themselves, so we must take
people at their word. We need to let trans people
write their own stories, so trans characters and
storylines can be most accurately represented.
We need trans writers and trans actors to create
authentic media that is not sensationalized or
offensive. We need to be willing to embrace and
celebrate our differences.
 96
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

 In my opinion the overall statement of men are
stronger than woman is ridiculous. Strength does
not depend on your gender. Its different for
absolutely everyone.

Written by Emma

Men and Women are very different in many
ways. Not only physically, but also emotionally
and mentally. Because of these differences, there
is also a distinction in the way men or women
are treated. When looking at the obvious facts
that set males apart from females, it is quite
clear to me that men definitely have the advan-
tage. Not only do men have defferent builds
than women, but men also do not have to go
through certain changes throughout their lives
like females do, such as menstruation. Also,
men and women are treated very differently in
society. These differences lead some people to
believe that men are stronger than women. This
statement causes a huge amount of controversy
worldwide. In my opinion I believe that woman
are in fact emotionally, mentally and in some
cases physically stronger than men. I also think
that the belief above Men are stronger than
woman is very unclear. You are not told wheth-
er it is physically, mentally or emotionally, but
most people act as if its physically.
Mentally and emotionally I think that woman
are stronger compared to men. I have deep sym-
pathy for men when it comes to this topic. Men
have been given the label that they have a heart
of stone. It is as though they are not accepted if
 98
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Shauna Woods

Strength
they show any sort of emotion whether its good
or bad. When it comes to women, we are able to
show any sort of emotion any time of the day. It
is just who we are, and I am very proud of this.
In my opinion and also in my past experiences I
know that it is much better for your own mind
to express how you feel and show your emotion.
Holding things in is never the healthy option.
This is why I feel sorry for men when it comes
to this hard subject. We live in a world where
equality is fought for on a day-to-day basis. Yet
no one is willing to reach out to the opposite sex
and help one another. Although men may try
to appear much stronger than woman, we may
have an advantage when it comes to this topic.
Whether every woman feels this is a good thing
I cant say, but for me I personally think it is one
of our best qualities!
Now, to speak about the dreaded idea that of
Men are stronger than women (physically).
I just want to say that this is the one thing that
annoys me so much. I am not a man hater and
I definitely am not a die hard feminist, but this
has to be one of the most outrageous statements
ever made! Yes okay it has been proven that
men are physically stronger than women, but
hold on. Say I go to a Boys School with boys
of the same age as me. I can proudly say that I
could be stronger than many boys, but of course
there will be boys that are stronger than me.
This isnt because men are stronger, its be-
cause maybe I dont have the same muscle as
them. So how about I bring in another girl my
age with the same muscle as these boys. She
will be stronger than the boys I was and just as
strong as the ones I wasnt. To me it has nothing
got to do with our gender. It is simply the way
your body is built and whether you go to the
gym and build your own muscle. For the people
who say that men are stronger than women it
really doesnt make sense to me. I could do the
same project in an all-girls school. A group of
girls could be ten times stronger than some girls
in the year. These girls could be the fittest girls
in the year that go to the gym everyday.
The overall statement of Men are stronger than
woman is ridiculous. Strength does not depend
on your gender. Its different for absolutely
everyone! Not just if youre a boy or girl. A great
example that men are not stronger is the great
success of Irish boxer and Olympic gold medal
winner Katie Taylor. In 2012 the Irish Boxing
team made headlines nationwide, but only one
name was most recognized. This name was Katie
Taylor. Katie is a woman from Bray who was the
only gold medal winner from the Irish team in
2012. Four men won medals in the Olympics but
none won gold. Katies fellow male boxers did
not win gold but silver and bronze. This opened
up a new era for female boxing to commence.
Although female boxing had been around for
years, after Katie won she brought light to the 99
female area of boxing. In my opinion Katie Tay-
lor destroyed this stereotypical world that only
men should box when she came home with the
gold medal. It gave women everywhere hope that
maybe one day this Men are stronger than wom-
en statement can be gone for good. If you train
your body hard to achieve certain bodily goals
they can be reached. It had nothing to do with
whether you are a boy or a girl. Being male or
female is not a contributing factor in my opinion.
 100
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Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

 I hope that it gets easier, the stigma wears off and
LGBTQ+ kids are finally allowed just be themselves
without the need to come out.

Written by Emily

Coming out wasnt exactly a topic of conversa-
tion on the playground when i was 7 years old.
We were simply born oblivious to certain ele-
ments of life like that, until something happens,
and our perception changes. What I want to
know is why does the transition between think-
ing nothing of liking the same-sex and feeling
the fear, or disgust, for those coming out hap-
pen? And what causes this change in our mind-
set? After thinking about it long and hard I can
only blame it on one thing; society.
Dont get me wrong, I love the western culture I
live in. But sometimes it gets to me, the stigma
around the LGBTQ+ community and the way it
twists society into thinking that anyone whos
not heterosexual is not normal. Lucky I was
brought up in a home that nurtured the idea
that love is love, no matter what shape or form
it came in, but I must remind myself that not
everyone was so fortunate. There are still peo-
ple out there who think being yourself isnt the
right thing to do.
My theory about society being the blame for
discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community
starts from the very beginning. Because we are
all born brand new, without a perception of
any- thing in our head, we are shaped by those
around us through opinions and thoughts to
 Silkie Social
Society has told us for
far too long that we need
to approach coming out
cautiously and that there
are certain rules attached
to it.
become the person we are today. Rather like a
flower, we blossom differently in whatever envi-
ronment we are placed in. Someone brought up
by homophobic parents, in a homophobic neigh-
borhood with homophobic friends are more
102 than likely going to be homophobic themselves,
because they know no other way of thinking
about the topic. This is slowly changing, and
rising generations are stepping up to the plate
and going against the grain of their ancestors to
think for themselves on the matter, but that is
only taking a small bite out of the problem.
Although it is hard for society to mould itself
to finally accept the LGBTQ+ community in this
day and age, its harder for those in on the queer
spectrum to accept it themselves because of the
harsh stigma attached to it they grew up know-
ing. Fortunately I was able to talk to a few people
who have dealt with coming out, or who have
avoiding up until this point, and I got to divulge
myself into their mindsets. One girl I inteviewed,
who never intends on coming out, states that
although shes in a stable relationship with her
boyfriend, she is still petrified at the thought of
her peers and parents knowing shes bisexual,
simply because of the community she lives in.
She also states shes too young to come out,
but what is really the right age to come out?
Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, now referred to as John, is only
eight years old and has decided, with the full
support if his parents, that he would wear a suit
Coming Out
to the Unbroken premiere and to cut his hair
short. This young hero has become themselves in
the media spotlight with such grace and support
and is a prime example of the fact that coming
out shouldnt be something we have to wait un-
til were a certain age to do. This again is a social
construct, that a person is too young to know
what they really are, and that doesnt justify
their sexuality or gender.
I also talked to a boy who told me that he came
out to his friends via Whatsapp. He was a ner-
vous wreak when he sent the text, but got noth-
ing but love and support back. Another girl told
me she had to be intoxicated to confess her true
sexuality to her friend, which causes me to ask
myself, why must people coming out need a
crutch to confess who they really are? Why do
they have to hide behind screens from those
theyve known their whole lives, and why
must they be drunk to finally feel safe telling
people something theyve hid for so long? I
blame this again on society. It teaches us that
coming out is a big deal, through books and
movies to personal experiences. I feel we can
slowly change this for the better, but not with-
out tackling the situation head on. Society has
told us for far too long that we need to ap-
proach coming out cautiously and that there
are certain rules attached to it. But why even
come out at all? Why make a big deal over
something that should be nothing?
103
 My Role Model by Sintia
Ruby Rose
Lets be honest, everyone has a small crush on
Ruby Rose, especially me, I mean she is beauti-
ful! Ruby Roses sharp bright eyes grabbed many
modelling agencies attention, but a model agen-
cies always want something to change. Whether
they want someone a little bit skinnier, a little
bit taller, a little bit prettier, but MTV want you
to be yourself! Not censoring anything and not
conforming to anything. Thank you MTV. Ruby
Rose then began to flower into the amazing
person she is now, she is open to be who she
really is.
In 2009, Rose won theASTRA Awardfor Favou-
rite Female Personality. She also travelled to
Kenya to highlight the amazing work done by
Global Vision International.She appeared in
the episode Media Virgins, ofAustralias Next
Top Model, acting as a guest judge. She also
worked as a correspondent for the finale of
Australias Next Top Model. From July 2009,
Rose along withDave Hughes,Charlie Pickering,
Carrie BickmoreandJames Mathisonhosted
The 7pm Project, an Australian television news talk
show produced byRoving Enterprises which airs
weeknights on Network Ten.
Ruby Rose isnt just hot and talented,she also is a
caring and kind person that has been through a
lot and wants to help other people. She is a sup-
porter of charities and Issues close to her heart
include animal welfare, campaigns for anti-bul
 106
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Illustration: Lisa McHugo

Ruby Rose
She also is a caring and
kind person that has been
through a lot and wants to
help other people.
lying and youth mental health and works as an
ambassador forHeadspace. She has also travelled
to Laos and Africa to volunteer each year.
Rosecame out as homosexual when she was 12.
As a teenager, she suffered from verbal taunts,
physical abuse from her schoolmates i.e. bullies,
due to her sexuality. As a little kid, Ruby Rose
was convinced that she was a guy. She used to
bind her breasts with ACE bandages, which is
really, really bad for you. She was really young.
In her teens, she tried to be quite feminine. Her
mother was pushing her to do some modelling,
as she was a very pretty girl. And then one day
it just got too much for her. Ruby shaved all of
her hair and just went Fuck you to everyone
who thought she needed to look a certain way.
She should do whatever she feels is right doing.
And then she got bullied after that. If a guy said
something to her like, What are you? Youre a
girl but youre trying to be a boy. or Look at
you, youre disgusting. If she tried to talk back,
sometimes she got hit by guys. Theyd say, I
would never hit a girl, but youre not a girl.
On July the 14th, 2014 a video called Break Free
starring Ruby Rose was up loaded by her onto
Youtube. In the video you can see a very beauti-
ful girl with long hair, in a lovely and flattering
dress, but the woman who is wearing it, Ruby
Rose is not happy with how she looks, because
she is not been herself. She begins to cut all
of her hair into a short haircut, then begins to
wash all of the makeup covering her tattoos off
revealing her true skin. She gets out of the dress
and gets changed into something that she feels 107
more like herself in. She changes into a shirt,
jacket and trousers. At the end of the video she
looks happy, confident and fierce, she is feeling
comfortable and like herself.
Ruby rose has and still is encouraging and help-
ing people to be open about their sexuality and
that you dont need to hide who you are. She is
now so happy doing and proving everyone who
ever doubted her wrong! Rose is an inspiration.
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Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

 Because of the internet, we question what we learn
in school and what our parents tell us. We dont rely
on a handful of sources to gain information.

Written by Ailbhe

Is there one true definition of feminism? For
most, it is something we define ourselves. It is
something that can evolve and develop as we
become more educated, and sometimes we feel
more drawn to one particular feminist school of
thought. There is no one correct feminism but
rather limitless feminisms. When I was young-
er, I never related to it. I heard about feminism
through my family and my peers, whose prior
knowledge was influenced by the media. I feel
that the media deviates from these boundless
definitions of feminism, and tells us something
untrue. The media tells us that feminists are
angry, hormonal man-haters who burn their bras
and refuse to shave. Although there is nothing
wrong with any of the latter, we are force-fed
what the media wants us to think. Is this not the
same media that benefits from the insecurities
of girls and women? The same companies, say,
that make money selling us razors and expen-
sive bras and things we dont necessarily need?
If feminism could make a profit for big corpora- 109
tions, I am sure feminists would not be painted
in such a bad light. Because our reality is heavily
influenced by the media, many of us have given
feminists a bad rep.
The internet has changed that. By providing
us with a different narrative, we see feminism
without the medias embellishment. Because of
the internet, we are offered an alternative defi-
nition. I discovered feminism through blogging
Illustration: Julianna Szab
Internet Feminism
Thin, toned, flawless, blemish
free women are idolised by the
media, but these images are put
through a tedious routine of
photoshop in order to be perfect.
websites and feminist zines. I found truth within
feminism. I stumbled upon people whose words
resonated with me, whose ideas fascinated me,
and whose ideologies I wanted to share. I found
concrete evidence of aggressions towards wom-
en, and new points of view I wouldnt have expe-
rienced without the internet. These people were
not only translating the multi-faceted concept of
feminism into eloquent yet relatable language,
they made me realise that the injustices between
genders didnt have to be accepted as a way of
life. Feminism is an easily-reached community
because of the internet - you dont have to be
an educated scholar to recognise inequality and
spread new ideas. Our voices are not alone.
Fortunately, we are not the only ones influenced
by internet feminism. A fourteen year old girl
named Julia Bluhm took the internet by storm
when she garnered 86,000 signatures on a
petition on change.org, in an effort to persuade
Seventeen Magazine to stop using photoshopped
images. Julia and other teen activists from an
organisation called Spark used Facebook, Twitter,
and Tumblr to shed light on the unattainable
beauty standards and unrealistic images in the
magazine. Julia and millions of other girls read
magazines like Seventeen and see these images
of uniformed beauty. Thin, toned, flawless, blem-
ish-free women are idolised by the media, but
these images are put through a tedious routine
of photoshop in order to be perfect. Eventually, 111
Seventeen magazine listened. They vowed to
celebrate every kind of beauty and feature only
real girls and models who are healthy. This was
a huge victory in the fight for gender equality; if
the internet can make Seventeen question how
their material affects young girls, we can have a
better understand of what is truly the norm and
learn to love our bodies more.
People like Julia are using the internet as a
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Illustration: Julianna Szab

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree
 Silkie Social
Online feminism is the future
of feminism. The internet can
keep an issue visible, alive, and
evolving so its always fresh
and relevant. We are able to
create a new culture of inclu-
sive and diverse feminism.
weapon in the fight for gender equality. It is
giving young girls voices, and making us the
most educated and connected generation yet.
The leaders of internet feminism are outspoken
114 and eloquent, and give voices to LGBT+ people
and women of colour where the first and sec-
ond wave movement hadnt. One of the original
movements biggest failings was inclusiveness.
Our generation of girls and women are raised in
a world where information is free to share and
receive, and the mistakes of past feminism are
no longer acceptable. Years ago a woman could
argue that she was only able to speak to her own
experience, and as a result, much of the dialogue
was about women who looked like them. Now,
modern feminisms challenge is to include wom-
en of all backgrounds and with all experiences,
and not always focus on one dominant voice. We
must not only include other women, but resist
the urge to speak for them. We must listen to
the experiences of people other than ourselves,
and the internet helps us do this.
Online feminism is the future of feminism.
The internet can keep an issue visible, alive,
and evolving so its always fresh and relevant.
We are able to create a new culture of inclusive
and diverse feminism. While feminists of the
past created a dialogue and a culture that has
led us to these conversations today, its up to us
Internet Feminism
to make sure our activism is continually inclu-
sive. The internet has provided a tool to connect-
ed us with like-minded people, but also made us
open to scrutiny if we mess up. Protests and sit-
ins are still important but, thanks to the internet,
anyone can be a part of the conversation. Be-
cause of the internet, we question what we learn
in school and what our parents tell us. We dont
rely on a handful of sources to gain information
and knowledge - we can educate ourselves with
the wealth of information available to us on the
internet with the click of the mouse. Our phones,
computers, and tablets aid us in questioning the
media and social norms. We now know that our
voices matter. We can create change. We can
make wavelengths from the comfort of our chair,
if we have the confidence to share our voice with
others. Us the next generation, have the power.
We must be brave enough to believe that change
is possible, and that we can spark it.
115
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Silkie Talk

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

 If we work hard we may in years to come create a
world where everyone, no matter what gender, may
stand on the same level.
Written by Kerrie
The internet has many positive attributes and
features for girls. It has completely revolution-
ised the way we communicate with one another,
the way we access information and the way we
live our lives. We can follow celebrities and blog-
gers we are interested in, keep up to date with
news and trends and we can communicate faster
and easier than we have ever before. Despite all
these positive attributes, the internet also has
a dark side in which can effect women directly
and indirectly. It can do a lot of damage to the
way we think and also our development into
adults.
The interaction with the internet, especially
social media, can have a profound effect on our
body image. Users of accounts on social media
websites such as Instagram and Facebook often
post pictures of the ideal or the perfect body
and tell others that this is how they should be
and look.. These pictures tagged as motivation-
al or inspirational and designed to make you
live a healthy lifestyle can sometimes have the
opposite effect on girls. Perhaps this is the rea-
son that in the UK the number of young people
seeking help for eating disorders have increased
by one hundred and ten percent in the last three
years. There are also thousands of pro-ana blogs,
accounts and websites that promote the eating
disorder anorexia nervosa, telling others that
its not an illness, but a lifestyle choice to loose
weight. These websites encourage crash dieting,
 118
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Leona Gonelly

The Internet and Body Image
Exposure to these kinds of web-
sites especially affects already
vulnerable girls who have low
confidence while making others
feel depressed about their own
physique.
the use of laxatives and give tips to girls on how
to hide their eating disorder from parents and
doctors. Exposure to these kinds of websites
especially effects already vulnerable girls who
have low confidence while simply making ot-
hers feel depressed about their own physique.
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and all other social
media websites are designed for sharing imag-
es, posts and experiences with the people we
love, but its known that it can get competitive.
We only put things online that show the best
of ourselves; the perfect profile picture and a
clev-er caption that is almost always re-edited
more than once before posting. We become
jealous of those who get more likes than we do
or who receive more comments on their photo-
graphs and we begin to over analyse what we
post and how they look to our friends. A lot of
us are even nervous about putting up posts that
may prevent us from employment in the future
which further adds to anxiety of being accepted.
A study by the journal Personality and Individ-
ual Differences showed that people who scored
higher on a narcissism questionnaire are more
frequent Facebook posters and photo taggers 119
and had more Facebook friends. Whether we
want to accept it or not, we upload photos and
posts with the intention of drawing attention to
ourselves and to show the world how great we
are, silently competing with everyone else. Ben-
jamin Grosser, an artist and software developer
created an open source web browser plug in that
stops the user from seeing how many likes they
have got on a particular post, replacing it with
people like this. He found that most people
 Silkie Social
Online bullying is a huge
problem in schools around
the country. Cyberbullying is
when instant messages, emails,
text messages or webpages
are used too spread rumours,
make threats or harass others.
were less obsessed about checking their posts
while using the plug in and enjoyed the relief
from competing for likes. Researchers found that
120 heavy use of Facebook may make certain people
experience feelings of envy which in turn could
lead to depression. These tended to be users who
compare their own lives to their friends photos
of luxurious vacations, status updates about
good news and the amount of likes they receive
on posts. Like one friend said to me Everyones
achievements seem to blend into the one perfect
person that you cant live up to, and this makes
us feel depressed and lowers our confidence in
ourselves.
Online bullying is a huge problem in schools
around the country. Cyber bullying is when
instant messages, emails, text messages or web-
pages are used too spread rumours, make threats
or harass others. It includes written messages,
photographs, videos or voice messages. An NUI
Maynooth study found that seventeen per cent
of children had been victims of bullying at some
point while almost one in ten had admitted
carrying it out. The research found that victims
were most frequently bullied by a single female
or a small group of females from a different class
but in the same year as the victim. Girls need to
stand up to cyberbullying immediately if we see
The Internet and Body Image
it happening to others in the year and support
each other against this. So what can we do to
spend time on social media in a healthy, safe
way while getting the full enjoyment from it?
Venture capital firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caulfield &
Byers did research which suggested that people
checked their phones 150 time a day. Its a good
idea to evaluate our own social media use and
determine if its helping us meet goals . Also, its
OK to take a break from your phone or laptop
once in a while and remind yourself what it
feels like to be unplugged from technology. We
need to find a space that isnt the web in which
to inform us for example going out an meeting
friends. This is much healthier too. We should
develop our own critical thinking to evaluate
what we see online. Finally, we should take re-
sponsibility from what we say or do online, and
to invest more time in things that help build our
confidence, because at the end of the day, likes
and comments on Instagram and Facebook wont
do that for us.
121
 My Role Model by Aisling
Emma Watson
Feminism in recent years has become something
of a taboo word, it has become associated with
man-hating and female domination. These views
have prevented many people from identifying
themselves as feminists, in particular in the case
of men. The HeForShe aims to involve more peo-
ple, especially men and boys, in the struggle for
equal rights for women all around the world. UN
Women have taken this huge step towards mak-
ing a change alongside the UN Women Goodwill
Ambassador, Emma Watson.
This campaign has come to light recently due to
Emmas speech at the UN going viral all over the
internet. In her speech she addresses the issue
surrounding the association of feminism with
radicalisation and man-hating She discusses
her struggle with being labeled by others. At the
age of eight she found that when she wanted to
be in charge of a school show people called her
bossy, but none of this was directed towards
the boys. She discussed how at the age of 14 she
began being sexualised by certain aspects of the
media, something that rarely happens to boys
of the same age.
These issues are relevant today, women are
expected at a certain age to stop what they feel
are boyish activities because girls are not to act
that way. Most importantly, Emma discusses the
issue of men being unable to express their feel-
ing in fear of appearing weak or hunman-like.
 Silkie Social
All of these issues are what drive Emma and
many other women, such as myself, to become
feminists. The issue of feminism becoming an
unpopular word is a large part of the HeForShe
campaign, they work to destroy this view of fem-
inists and encourage people to look past the ta-
boo and identify themselves as feminists. One of
the many important things about this campaign
is that feminism is not a word, it is the solution
to gender inequality.
In this video Emma talks about how it is right for
women to earn the same as men for the same job
and how it is only right for women to make deci-
sions about their own body. I recall when nudes
of many celebrity women were released around
the time of this speech, Emma was threatened to
have photos of her they supposedly had leaked.
It was an inspiring moment when Emma stood
firm against these individuals knowing she had
nothing to hide. Although our country is well de-
veloped, it is situations like these thathighlight
that feminism is still needed in todays society.
The HeForShe campaign is focused on the wom-
124 en who need it most, in her speech Emma tell
us of how lucky she was to not be any less loved
by her parents or given any less opportunity by
her teachers simply because she was a girl. These
feminist campaigns are fighting for the women
who need feminism, who dont have the same
privileges that many of us in Ireland and the UK
have. We are the lucky ones, but this campaign
as for any feminist campaign is for the women
who dont have the rights that we do, who are
discriminated against every day of their lives.
This campaign is largely to show men that femi-
nism is about them too. Men too are affected by
many of the issues HeForShe is fighting against.
With the push for gender equality men will
be free to act how they want without seeming
to be less of a man as is insinuated by many
people today. As the stigma behind men lessens
the progress for women will be a natural conse-
quence. The involvement of men in this cam-
paign is the key to furthering the success of the
gender equality movement.
As the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, Emma
has had a huge influence on women and young
girls throughout the world. It is well-known that
Emma played the role of Hermione Granger in
the film adaption of the Harry Potter book series.
Hermione as a young girl is also an inspiration
to children everywhere. This character showed
young people that not only can you be the smart-
est person in class but you can also be a loyal
friend and one hell of a badass when needs be.
As a child Hermione was my hero and she was
to many others like me. I think it is safe to say
that as I have matured my childhood hero has
become the hero of my adolescence. Emma has
grown up to be a huge inspiration to me and to
many others and it is her work with UN women
and the HeForShe that has helped me to realise
that I, myself am a feminist. The ideals that I
valued in Hermione as a child shine through in
the work Emma is doing for feminism today.
Emma Watson not only portrayed the young girl
I looked up to, but she has become the woman I
Emma Watson

It was an inspiring mom-

ent when Emma stood firm
against these individuals
knowing she had nothing to
hide. It is from these situa-
tions, that it is evident that
feminism is still needed in
todays society.
125
aspire to be. Through spending all of childhood amazing work she is doing Emma Watson is my
on a set, being sexualised from the age of 12 role model. This is the case for many women just
and experiencing constant harassment from the like me who found inspiration in her character
media this woman has maintained her dignity and in her true self. Having grown up with her
and courage. as a role model and then to have her influence
me in later life as well is fantastic. This influence
Not many people get to say that their childhood Emma has on so many people is what is needed
hero grows up to be their role model as an adult to encourage people to join in the HeForShe
but I feel privileged to say that because of the campaign and the fight for gender equality.
 126
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

 From a young age, the majority of young girls are
given Barbie dolls to play with- leaving them to
admire these dolls,

Written by Aoife

From a young age, the majority of young girls
are given Barbie dolls to play with- leaving them
to admire these dolls, and aspiring to one day be
like their beloved Barbie dolls in ev ery single
way possible. However, is it right we give young
children dolls to play with that portray women
in an unrealistic way? Although to many Barbies
body may be ideal, but this ideal body is also
next to impossible to achieve and in no way is
it even remotely healthy. For example, with a
neck twice as long and 6inches thinner than
the average womans neck, Barbie would be
incapable of lifting her head. Her head, 16 inch
waist (which is smaller than her head), Barbie
would only have room for half a liver and a few
inches of intestine. With 3.5 inch wrists, Barbie
would be incapable of doing any heavy lifting.
Barbies extremely long, thin legs are supported
by childs size 3 feet and 6 inch ankles, leaving
her only capable of walking on all fours. Barbies
weight and uneven body distribution would also
leave Barbie without a period and proper
menstrual cycle.
Even with all these factors considered, millions
of young girls still aspire to be like their beloved
Barbie doll physically. There are some girls all
around the world who pay hundreds of thou-
 128
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Siobhn O Riordan

Barbies Body
This ideal body is also next
to impossible to achieve and
in no way is it even remotely
healthy.
sands of dollars/euro on cosmetic surgery so
they can resemble this fictional character, like
29 year old Ukrainian model Valeria Lukyanova.
Described as the real life Barbie doll, and the
human Barbie, Valeria undergoes extreme gym
workouts to keep her slender, slim physique,
has had more than one operation for her breast
implants, spends an unreal amount of money of
cosmetics and makeup, and wears contacts to
disguise her naturally green eyes just to resem-
ble this plastic doll.
As of February 2014, Valeria has converted to a
practice called Breatharianism, where she an-
nounced that she would try not to partake food
or water for an unspecified length of time, in an
attempt to live exclusively on light and air. But
why go through all this trouble just to look like a
plastic doll? To go without food and water just to
look more like Barbie? Is this really the lengths
some people will go to in an attempt to be more
like a plastic doll?
In 1998 the dolls waist was expanded and bust
made smaller, and was said to reflect a more
real female body type, but still the dolls body is
in no way realistic or in any way helps promote
a positive body image as this more real female
body type remains unachievable. Young girls all
around the world look up to Barbie as sort of an
admirable role model, and thrive to succeed in
achieving her perfect body. Why cant Barbie
be a size 8, 10, 12 or 14 like most other women,
which will allow children to accept being bigger
than what Barbies body is, after being left to
believe it is perfect? 129
Not that there is anything wrong with being
slim, but to create a doll for young and impres-
sionable girls and allow them to think that their
loving doll is how women should look (with a
body thats next to impossible to achieve), is that
right? How come there is no dolls to represent
bigger women, or women who dont have a big
bust or long legs? Whos their representative?
 Silkie Social
To be called Barbie is seen
as a compliment to many
women and girls; but how
come we are flattered to be
compared to this piece of
plastic?
To be called Barbie is seen as a compliment to
many women and girls; but how come we are
flattered to be compared to this piece of plastic?
Personally, I think as a result of this doll being in
the majority of young girls homes and children
being brought up with this doll, we subcon-
130 sciously see this doll as perfection because we
are so familiar with it, when realistically this
doll doesnt portray a real female body type. And
still there doesnt seem to be any changes in the
manufacturing of this doll to help promote a
positive body image for young girls by showing
the more real body features women have; like
shorter legs, small breasts, or thighs that dont
touch off each other. We shouldnt judge each
other based on such minute details.
In March 2014, a prototype for a doll that is
said to be based on the average 19 year old girl
in America was made; complete with acne
cellulite and stretch marks - totally contrasting
to the Barbie weve known for so long. Lammily,
the new and improved Barbie, was created by 25
year old Nickolay Lamm, who himself had his
doubts on the success of this more realistic fe-
male doll, as he believed not many people would
stray away from the perfect Barbie weve been
familiar with for years. However, Lamms story
is a very successful one as he makes hundreds
of thousands of dollars from Lammily (which he
reinvests in this project). Lammily also comes
with a sticker pack for your doll that gives the
illusion of acne, cellulite, stretch marks, tattoos,
Barbies Body

moles, freckles and bruises, among many other

things. In an interview following the realease
of his doll, Lamm said Every one of our bod-
ies is different, so we should not be aspiring to
some idealized standard. Personally, I think
these dolls promote the beauty of reality. In my
opinion, I think from this study its clear that
these children dont see Barbie.. One child in
this group even said She, like, isnt, like, very
thin even at such a young age these children
noticed the extremely thin physique belonging
to Barbie. But will Lammily be a beneficial factor
as we try change the stereotypical body.
 132
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

 Representation in Disney films will always be
important because of the messages they send
to children.

Written by Ailbhe

Disney plays a huge role in most of our lives. As
kids, we sat in front of the television with wide
eyes, enchanted by Disney princesses eluding vil-
lains, dancing in pretty dresses and pursuing ro-
mance. But could Disney have a negative impact
on how we perceive ourselves? It may not seem
like young people could be effected by simple
cartoons, but we often internalise negative mes-
sages without realising it. For years, Disney has
bared the brunt of criticism for perpetrating ste-
reotypes and giving children the wrong message
in its films. Perfect princesses lacking in diversi-
ty, misrepresentation of different cultures, and
countless perpetrations of sexism are just the
beginning of Disneys issues. Nowadays, parents
want their childrens entertainment to be fun
and fulfilling. Many may stay away from a movie
that could promote harmful ideas. The company
has responded to the criticism by creating more
diverse storylines of late. This evolution is a
welcome one, but theres still a lot to complain
about in todays animated childrens movies.
Over the years, Disney has raised many an eye-
brow with their gender interpretations and lack
of racial diversity. We are forever seeing one type
of woman or girl being represented. She is un-
naturally thin, with flawless white skin and Eu-
Illustration: Julianna Szab
Disney Diversity
It tells us that people need to fit
a certain criteria to be valuable,
and that people who are different
dont matter.
ropean features. Sisters Elsa and Anna from the
Frozen franchise have practically identical fea-
tures to that of Tangleds Rapunzel. Under-rep-
resentation can impact different ethnic groups
negatively, resulting in the alienation of young
People of Colour. Only two out of ten Latino and
Asian children, and four out of ten African-Amer-
ican children say they see people of their race
very often on TV, compared to seven out of ten
white children. Four out of every five children
of colour agreed it was important for kids to
see their race portrayed. These sad statistics are
only worsened by the fact that cultures are often
misrepresented by Disney, with racial stereo-
types prevalent. In The Princess and the Frog,
Disney made a step towards inclusiveness with
a black princess named Tiana. Her suitor, Prince
Naveen, has an ambiguous accent and hails from
the made-up country of Maldonia. Many critics
have argued that Disney would not have made
Naveen identifiably black, as that would put a
black male in a position of power in their films.
In Aladdin, Princess Jasmines entire wardrobe
is socio-historically incorrect, and has more to
do with contemporary objectification of women
than it does historical accuracy. We even see a
scantily-clad Princess Jasmine trying to entice the
evil Jafar, a far cry from anything demure white
princesses like Cinderella or Snow White would
try. The Huns of Mulan have a much darker
skin tone than the films Chinese soldiers. The
Chinese soldiers and the emperor - on the good
side - have a peach, almost Caucasian skin color,
while the Huns have a significantly darker grey-
ish-brown skin tone. The Huns are also portrayed
with more stereotypically Asian features, such
as smaller eyes and wider, flatter noses. On the
other hand, the protagonist, Mulan, and and her 135
romantic interest, Shang, have extremely light
skin, small noses, larger eyes, and educated, re-
fined voices and vocabularies. They are made to
appear more familiar and approachable in many
ways, and this goodness is purposefully associat-
ed with whiteness in Mulan.
Even the way Disney portrays villains perpetrates
harmful ideas. Antagonists such as Alice in Won-
derlands Queen of Hearts, The Little Mermaids
 136
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Julianna Szab

Disney Diversity
They will internalise negative
feelings about themselves and
feel alienated from the nor-
mal people represented in
these movies.
Ursula and John Ratcliffe of Pocahontas are all
overweight. Disney demonises these charac-
ters by portraying them as fat, yet there are no
fat Disney princesses. Theres no protagonist
that fat children can identify with. If anything,
the fact that the only fat people in Disney are
villains only encourages fat-shaming at a young
age. Little girls see Ursula, see that shes fat, and
an association is formed between fat girls and
bad. Ursula doesnt get respect, therefore fat
girls dont get respect. They are never the heroes,
and only the villains. Disney also does a disser-
vice to the LGBTQ+ community by feminizing
male characters in order to make them seem
even more evil. In The Lion King, for example,
Scar displays traditionally feminine manerisms
before threatening Mufasa. In Hercules, Hades
adopts effeminate traits, and can also be seen
sipping a Cosmo. Governor Ratcliffe of Poca-
hontas wears pink bows in his hair and drinks
wine. Aladdins Jafar, too, adopts effeminate
mannerisms and patterns of speech throughout
the film. By sending the message that effeminacy
is villainous, these films create an association
between queer or feminine and bad. Not
only are gay men constantly stereotyped as ef-
feminate by straight people, but the devaluation
of femininity is also an urgent problem within
society.
Representation in Disney films will always be
important because of the messages they send to 137
children. If a childs body type, orientation, gen-
der or race is misrepresented, they will internal-
ise negative feelings about themselves and feel
alienated from the normal people represented
in these movies. The first messages we receive in
childhood, things that we may internalise, can
affect our point of view for the rest of our lives.
We need to strive to create diverse stories. We
need to learn from past mistakes and properly
represent people diverse identities.
 My Role Model by Kerrie
Misty Copeland
As a dancer, I always look for inspiration from
others. I aspire to be better than I am, to become
technically advanced and to perform well. With
all the youtube videos, Instagram pictures and
Facebook posts its easy to find people around
the world who can provide plenty of inspira-
tion and guidance for young dancers. However
the dancers we look to can be unhealthy and
underweight. It is well known that in the world
of dance, particularly ballet, there is a huge
pressure to be thin. According to David Kinsella,
the director of the documentary A Beautiful
Tragedy a ballet dancer in Russia should have a
BMI of 14, (under 18.5 is considered to be under-
weight). This pressure on girls to be thin dancers
is shown in the statistics, ballet dancers are ten
times more likely to develop an eating disorder
than others.
It is clear that part of the problem of body image
in ballet is that dancers are constantly striving
for the perfect ballet body; arched feet, long
lean legs, a short torso and a long neck. Like
the fashion industry, the business is obsessed
with appearance. This can make a dancer scru-
tinise their diets and to do what is necessary to
stay thin and maximise performance onstage.
Because of this some dancers choose extreme
calorie control and diets to ensure that they do
not put on weight. Gelsey Kirkland, a former
 140
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Leona Gonnelly

Misty Copeland
I think that most girls today,
dancers or not, can identify with
the struggles she faced with phys-
icality and race
principle dancer of the American Ballet Theatre
and Royal Ballet, famously turned to cocaine to
deal with stress.
However there are some healthy and positive
role models in ballet such as Misty Copeland, the
American Ballet Theatres first African-American
soloist in over two decades. Copeland seemed to
beat the ballet odds, she was old starting dance,
she was considered to not have the right figure
and there were very few African American danc-
ers in US ballet companies. Misty is considered to
be a prodigy, she only began dance when she
was thirteen years old. She was discovered by her
teacher, Cynthia Bradley at a boys and girls club
in San Pedrio, California. After auditioning and
attending ABTs (American Ballet Theatre) sum-
mer programme for two years, Misty was offered
a place as a corps member with the studio com-
pany in New York. However Misty was not aware
of the role that race played in her career. As the
only black dancer in ABT, she found it hard to
identify and feel belonged in the company. In her
second year in the company, she endured medi-
cally induced physical maturation, professional
pressure to conform to ballet aesthetics which
then resulted in a binge eating disorder. She was
able overcome her difficulties and in 2007 she
was promoted to a soloist in the American Ballet
Theatre.
Copeland aspires to become a principal danc-
er, and has many goals in terms of performing
leading roles including Juliet in Romeo and Juliet
and Odette/Odile in Swan Lake. She now has her
own line of dance wear, is an embassador for the
sports wear company Under Armour and has re-
leased a biography Life in Motion. In September 141
2013 Misty became a spokesperson for Project
Pli, a national initiative to increase racial and
ethnic representation in ballet. Misty Copeland
is an inspirational person and a role model. She
was able to overcome the pressures that she
faced and she kept going with something that
she loved doing, even though she was judged
by others in her profession. I think that most
girls today, dancers or not, can identify with the
struggles she faced with body image.
 142
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

 The media is abusing Photoshop for its own gain
and this is having a detrimental effect on people
across the world. Its got to stop.

Written by Aisling

Photoshop has become an essential part of the
printed media in recent years. Although Photo-
shop is an enhancement tool to be used in an
artistic way it is abused by the media in a way
that is detrimental to young adults. In one way
photoshop has many benefits when used on
personal or creative photos. Photoshop can be
used to add effects to the photos to make it more
desirable to the person who took it. This doesnt
have to be to the extent where the photo has
become so distorted that it is not even the photo
the photographer originally took but it allows
them to fix the parts of it that dont satisfy the
look they were going for. It can also be used for a
comical aspect, there have been many occasions
that people have photoshopped their friends
photos for a comedic effect. However, people
tend to only associate Photoshop with the media
and forget that its original use was to enhance
photos for a creative purpose. There is a reason
that it is associated with the detrimental effect
that it has on people due to the media more so
than the creative aspect of it and it is a problem
that needs to be addressed.
There are many examples of Photoshop in the
media that have sent people all over the internet
crazy, many of them have come from simple
 144

Illustration: Lauren Tracey

Photoshop
The altering of womens bodies
using Photoshop is one of the
many things that cause wom-
en to have low self-esteem and
doubt their own bodies.
clothing websites rather than anything else. An
example of this would be the Target models on
their website where their clothing line photo-
shopped a thigh gap and thinned their models
waist to such an extent that the models arm was
disproportionate to her torso. This particular
campaign caused outrage with people through-
out the internet so much so that Target was
forced to issue a public apology for that particu-
lar photo. Target Photoshop scandal model:
The Target scandal was one that was known
worldwide and other forms of media used this
idea of major Photoshop to cause a scandal of
their own as a publicity stunt. The most well-
known example of this would be the Kim Kar-
dashian cover for Paper Magazine using the
caption Break the Internet Kim Kardashian.
The purpose of this photo-shoot and the exces-
sive Photoshop was to abuse the beauty of the
editing technique to further the audience out-
reach of the magazine. Not only did the photos
cause an uproar they were shared and liked
so that nearly every person with Facebook,
Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest or any form of social
media saw these photos. With thee trimming of
Kim Kardashians waistline to the enhancement
of her derriere these photos set a standard no
woman not even Kim herself could achieve, lead-
ing women to believe they need Photoshop on 145
their photos to look as good as Kim did in those
photos that indeed succeeded in breaking the
internet.
It is campaigns such as the Break the Internet
and the Target Model that cause women to
believe that photos of themselves are not good
enough without enhancements. Many young
girls have begun trimming their own waists and
legs, Photoshopping photos of themselves. As
 Silkie Social

These perfect bodies we see

in the media have set an un-
realistic goal for women who
feel they need to look exactly
like the models and celebrities.

well as this many women have started trying

to look like these women in the magazines in
real life using devices such as waist trainers
which have been proven to be very dangerous to
a womans body. These perfect bodies we see in
the media have set an unrealistic goal for women
who feel they need to look exactly like the mod-
els and celebrities. This is the encouragement
the media gives to women today instead of the
encouragement to accept their own body shape.
146 This is the reason many women feel the need to
use extreme tactics and make themselves look
like a different person to whom they are. This
is extremely harmful to a womans self-esteem
and is an issue that needs to be dealt with in a
cautious yet strict manner.

The altering of womens bodies using Photoshop

is one of the many things that cause women to
have low self-esteem and doubt their own bodies.
 148
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

 I learned, with a lot of confusion, there were
different rules for boys than there
were for girls.

Written by Ciara

Ladies dont use curse words, Be a man and get over boys than there were for girls. I would get given out
it. Phrases like these are used every single day in our
society. Their negative impact affects us from the day
we are born until the day we die. But it doesnt have
to be this way. I entirely believe we, as human beings,
can achieve complete equality of genders, if only we
give up our ridiculous expectations and stereotyping
of each other. (And I dont think thats too much to
ask.)
When I was growing up, I was constantly absorbing
information about social conduct from my parents,
teachers and other children in my class. I learned,
with a lot of confusion, there were different rules for
to for wearing school trousers and shorts instead of
skirts. I would get in trouble for running and scream-
ing while at play and not sitting with some of the
other girls in my class who preferred to read during
their yard-time. I was scolded with the stern voice of
my teacher that it was inappropriate for a girl like
me and un-ladylike for me to do these things. But for
8 year old me, I couldnt understand this at all. While
sitting in a Time-Out at the side of the yard watching
all my friends run around, having fun without con-
sequence, I wondered: What was it about my gender
that made it bad for me to be boisterous and playful,
like every happy child is? What evil thing about being
Illustration: Fuschia MacAree
Lad vs Lady
a girl meant I couldnt dress comfortably or play
with my friends? This was the beginning of my
never-ending battle against gender stereotypes.
This stereotyping of genders continued into my
teens, with a lot of new rules and validations
of identity that I still dont quite understand.
Suddenly, I was in a world where women MUST
be thin, beautiful, sexy and quiet. The ideal
image of beauty is splashed onto magazines
and newspapers. When a woman is in control
of her sexuality and has many partners happily,
shes seen as negatively sexually promiscuous
and they are labeled with Slut. When a woman
gains a few pounds, which is natural and com-
pletely healthy as we grow older, shes labeled as
Fat. Or Ugly. This kind of bullying of women to be the more submissive and therefore female
out side of the perfect woman image is incred-
ibly unhealthy, leading young women and girls
everywhere to hate themselves and their bodies
just because they dont fit the medias portrayal
of beauty. What happens to the girls who arent
the high-cheekbone-blonde-haired-clear-skinned-
big-breasted-beauty that is portrayed everywhere
we look? It is insane how tiny that bracket of
perfection is, and how we try to squeeze roughly
3 billion + women into the same small category
of beauty instead of creating for ourselves our
own ideas of what beauty really is, and is it even
actually important, not just following the me-
dias ridiculous portrayal of women.
We are also told we are the weaker sex. We
are led to believe through TV shows and movies
that we need a man in our lives to handle all the
bills that of course a woman wouldnt be smart
enough to figure out. We are led to believe we
should be worried past our 20s if we havent
managed to rope down a guy just incase a flat
pack wardrobe appears and we cant handle the
DIY alone or worse what if we dont give birth?!
This portrayal of women as feeble and dependent
is incredibly damaging, leading strong, indepen-
dent women to be scrutinized and attacked for
being able to live their own lives freely. Even
in lesbian couples, there is ridiculous pressure
for one of the couple to be the more dominant,
and therefore male figure in the relationship.
And even when this pressure succeeds, theyll
still be labeled some new stereotype of butch,
and will be expected to have tattoos, a cropped
haircut and a whole lot of flannel shirts. And in
gay couples alike, society expects one of them
role in the relationship. And this person will be
expected to love musicals and theatre, flower
arranging and drink girly drinks like Appletinis.
It seems the media and society itself cant handle
the thought of a woman being able to take care
of herself or even more ghastly, being able to
take care of both herself and her partner. And
the thought of happy relationships outside of the
hetero bracket must try mirror their image of
perfect love as closely as possible, even at the de- 151
struction of a persons true identity and feelings.
And women are not alone in this horrible stereo-
typing war against real life and perfect imagery.
Men, as a result of needing to be the stronger
sex, are under horrible pressure to come out on
top, no matter what. They will receive abuse as
kids for showing interest in feminine things,
such as dresses or dolls or playing House with
the girls. I remember another story from when I
 Silkie Social
When I was growing up, I was con-
stantly absorbing information about
social conduct from my parents,
teachers and other children in my
class. I learned, with a lot of con-
fusion, there were different rules
for boys than there were for girls.
them see him playing with girls. What is wrong with
our society that a young boy cant show interest in
family? That a young boy should be so afraid of being
judged and losing his friends all because he wanted
to play with girls for a while? Why do we pressurize
young boys to fill this insane masculine stereotype
152 when they cant possibly understand why? This stupid,
unjustifiable pressure on boys carries onto their teens,
and sadly, it only gets worse.
As the boys hit their teens, they will be under incred-
ible pressure to succumb to Lad Culture, i.e drink
ridiculous amounts of alcohol, grow facial hair, have
sex and many sexual partners (and within this brack-
et, they cant dare to treat a woman as anything but
an object for their sexual desires, or else their mascu-
linity is at stake), hide their feelings and play sports.
Theyre suddenly being judged from every angle;
their hobbies and interests, what they wear, what
girls they date (especially if they havent any interest),
how manly they look and how well they can fight.
This Lad Culture is incredibly dangerous to young
men and how their thoughts and values develop into
adulthood.
It is the most primitive thing I think I have ever
witnessed watching two young boys have a fight. Of
course, they have downed about 8 cans each because
of the pressure of their sex to drink much more
than the girls (to prove their great magnificence of
being male) and both will be wearing their XS Top-
man t-shirts to try show off their muscles as much as
possible, because if a boy dares to look thin or weak
he is instant prey for bullies and, quite frankly, bone
Lad vs Lady
headed idiots. This fight can occur between two lads
from one of two things; they are both chasing the
same girl (who probably doesnt want either after see-
ing this display of stupidity.) or they have in some way
insulted each others masculinity The fight will occur
exactly as I describe it, I can promise you: They will
square up to each other, puffing their chests out like
gorillas. . They will start a pathetic; almost rap battle,
where they will scream a slurred line of badly made
up insults, usually including someones mother or
sister or any female member of their family. The fight
usually ends with slightly less drunk, more intelligent
creatures pulling both boys back into separate corners
and, of course, reinstating their masculinity by telling
them how they definitely couldve killed that guy if
theyd been allowed.
Why are the men of our countries raised to believe
violence is a mans game and why is their identity of
self so fragile as men that one slight degradation of
their masculinity results in, not being able to talk out
a problem like intelligent, mindful human beings, but
instead pummeling each other like wild animals? Why
are we encouraging men to hide their hurt and their
emotions and channel them into rage instead? And
why do we continue to be shocked at the rate of male
suicide in this country being so incredibly high, when
we pressurize men to live like this?
My heart goes out to all the boys Ive known who
havent been able to grow facial hair or chest hair
until their mid teens. To the boys who didnt hit a
growth spurt when everyone else was 6ft tall and
growing still. To the boys who liked playing piano
and singing over playing rugby because they just
didnt see the appeal. Because these were the boys
who grew into young men as the subjects of the most
scrutiny, the most abuse, and for what? Not fitting
into the medias portrayal of What Makes You A Real
Man. I watched their identities and comfort in their
genders become completely obliterated as they re-
ceived insult time after time for just being themselves.
Gender stereotypes are dangerous. Not only do they
destroy personalities as they naturally develop and
factor in the development of mental disorders such
as depression but they also create unhealthy relation-
ships between men and women alike. Women com-
pare each other and themselves and rip each other
apart to become the Perfect Woman. Men compare
themselves entirely against idiotic stereotypes that
define their masculinity and identity and then tear
each other down if they dont fit the mould to becom-
ing The Perfect Man. And both sexes attack each other
in a fight of genders about respect and dominance,
without realizing if we just allowed each other to cut
the BS stereotypes and just become honestly who we
really are, with no consequences, we would not have
the hostility that surrounds and stigmatizes both sexes
and creates such a huge gap between our understand-
ing of each other.
I hope in this article I have brought to light for you,
maybe, many things about gender stereotyping that 153
you might not have ever thought about before and I
really hope it has made you think twice about saying
things like Boys dont cry or Sit like a lady. It may
not seem like these phrases hold any real weight, but
in reality, they solidify the stereotypes surrounding,
and destroying, both genders. The only way we can
evolve and grow as a species is if we stop treating each
other as foreign, alien creatures, and start supporting
each other as equal, deserving human beings. Gender
stereotyping has to stop.
 154
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Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

 My Role Model by Melissa
Dana Owens
Dana Owens, better known by her stage name
Queen Latifah, is the woman that I would
consider a positive role model. She was born in
Newark, New Jersey in 1970. She skyrocketed
to fame as a rapper in the late 1980s and later
branched out to acting in film and television.
She was the first female rapper to be nominated
for an Academy Award and was ranked No 72
on VHIs Top 100 Greatest Women of Rock &
Roll list in 1999. Latifah has used her successful
Illustration: Fuschia MacAree
career as a platform to speak openly about, and
become an advocate for, race, social class and
gender equality.
As a young rapper in the 1990s Latifah was
known not only for her music, but for her
courage to speak out against the misogynistic
representation of women in the majority of rap
music. Many women considered this a very brave
action on her behalf as she was one of the few
females widely recognised in a predominantly 155
male genre of music. Her songs U.N.I.T.Y. and
Ladies First are centered around the idea that
women are to be respected as people, rather
than only objects to be looked at. Domestic
violence, objectification and the degradation of
women are common themes Latifah confronts in
her music, making her one of the biggest female
role models of the 1990s and early 2000s.
Queen Latifah has, on many occasions, stated
Illustration: Mice Hell
Dana Owens
She is a strong, established fig-
ure in the worldwide struggle
for gender and racial equality
that she is very comfortable with her body and
has discussed how she finds the term plus-sized
in fashion to be offensive and outdated. She has
also voiced her disgust with the unrealistic beau-
ty standards portrayed in the media that destroy
womens self esteem worldwide. In 2006, Latifah
promoted National Womens Confidence Day
and launched Project Confidence in an effort to
promote self-esteem in women and young girls.
Latifah has teamed up with Covergirl to launch
her own makeup brand The Queen Collection,
a collection focused mainly around makeup for
darker skin. She also has her own clothing line
of the same name that is designed for women of
all shapes and sizes, that was launched in 2011.
I find Queen Latifah inspiring for a number of
reasons. As a teenage girl living in a generation
where the media is considered vastly import-
ant, I understand that it is extremely easy to
be plagued with the idea that yourre not good
enough and to have a very distorted view of your
body. Every day, we are being bombarded with
harrowing images of unhealthily thin models
who have been photoshopped to the point that
they almost fall within the domain of the un-
canny valley. Unfortunately, the majority of the
population have become desensitised to these
images and most teenage girls strive to attain
the unachievable figures of models in magazine.
I find it refreshing that Queen Latifah is com-
fortable in her own skin and does not let the
medias perception of perfect affect her. She
proved that the size 0 image isnt necessary for
women to be successful, intelligent and to be
considered beautiful. She is a strong, established
figure in the worldwide struggle for gender and
racial equality and is in my opinion, the perfect
example of a woman who stands up for what she
believes in.
She had her own experiences with negative 157
body-image and lack of self-worth as a young
woman, but has overcome that to become one of
the strongest, most independent and confident
women in the world, which is a feat I consider
very admirable. In her autobiography Ladies
First: Revelations of a Strong Woman, she wrote
I dont want to be a supermodel. I want to be
a role model.This quote suggests to me that
she doesnt care about being the most beautiful
woman in the world, but is interested in being a
 158
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

 The media is abusing Photoshop for its own gain
and this is having a detrimental effect on people
across the world. Its got to stop.

Written by Kerrie

Can you put that in the English language?, was
the first response I got from a close friend when
I asked her for her opinion on sexual objectifi-
cation of women. When I explained the concept
she replied, I never really thought about that
before. Like my friend, a lot of young women
and teenagers dont know what sexual objec-
tification is, and if they do, often do not fully
understand how to recognise it.
The term Sexual Objectification means disre-
garding the personal and intellectual abilities of
a person and treating them as an instrument of
sexual pleasure. The concept of sexual objectifi-
cation is associated with feminism and is known
to play a big part in gender equality, as ninety
six per cent of sexually objectified images are
of women. The opinions of feminists differ in
where sexual objectification occurs, but some of
the most common examples would be of main-
stream media such as advertising and art where
women are portrayed as sexualised objects or
commodities instead of human beings. Prostitu-
tion, stripping, the presumed need for cosmetic
surgery and men evaluating and judging women
physically or sexually in public spaces and events
such as beauty contests are other examples of
sexual objectification.
 160
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Leona Gonnelly

Objectification
So how can you recognise Sexual Objectification?
Dr Caroline Heldman at a talk at TEDxYouth in
San Diego, California spoke about the Sex Object
Test she developed to help her identify sexually
objectifying images. She said if the answer to any
of the seven questions from the test were yes,
then the image was sexually objectifying. Some
of the questions include, Does the image show
only part(s) of a sexualised body? for example a
womans legs, Does the image present a sexu-
alised person as a stand in for an object?, Held-
man uses a picture of a table with the legs of a
woman, and Does the image affirm the idea of
violating the bodily integrity of a sexualised per-
son that cant consent? meaning is the person
being acted upon as though she is a sexual ob-
ject. Using these rules, you can understand what
images stand as sexual objectifying images, and
what dont. This in turn will then hopefully aid
you in understanding the harmful effects these
images can produce.
On average, a person is exposed to about 5000
adverts a day. The majority of these adverts
would have sexually objectified images in them.
When exposed to sexually objectifying images
of women, men are being sold the idea that they
are sexual subjects and women are being sold
the opposite... that they are the objects. This
means that men are sold the idea that they are
in control and this makes them feel powerful
whereas women are sold the idea that the way
to have value is to become a sex object. The
pioneering activist and cultural theorist Jean
Kilboune says that girls are expected to become
sexualised with little or nothing in return. As
they learn that their sexual behaviour will be
rewarded, they learn to sexualise themselves.
These ads put pressure on women to live up
to this unrealistic expectation of beauty and
behaviour and leads to constant body monitor-
ing, eating disorders, female competition and
depression. Perhaps thats the reason that only
63% of women aged between 18-34 are satisfied
with their appearance. As women we are con-
stantly trying to improve the way we look and
we compete with other women for attention
from men. And its not just teenagers and adults,
a report by the All Party Parliamentary Group on
Body Image found that girls as young as five are
worrying about their appearance and one in four
seven year old girls have tried to loose weight at
least once. Negative body image affects women
throughout their lives, and holds women back
by dissolving their confidence.
So how do we change the way women feel about
their bodies. We can start by educating ourselves
on the content that the media bombard us with
and to understand the messages that are behind
them. When we see these messages for what
they really are we can then make the informed
decision to reject them. We need to stand up
to the people making these harmful advertise- 161
ments and to change the way they portrait wom-
en. For example, Julia Bluhm, a fourteen year
old girl started a protest against photoshopping
on Seventeen magazine, and with 84,000 signa-
tures on change.org, the magazine pledged to
not use photoshopping on girls faces or bodies.
Its also time to put an end to the idealisation of
the perfect body type, be it thin or curvy, short
or tall and competing with other women for the
attention of men.
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Silkie Talk

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

 Idealistically, people will stop judging each other
enough and accept what everyone wears and feels
comfortable in.

Written by Aisling

There is much controversy over the insinuation
throughout the world that the clothing a woman
wears categorizes her sexual availability. This
problem is known all over the world with many
people being shamed about the clothes they
wear, it being widely suggested that if people
wear so-called revealing clothes that they
are asking to get hit on or indeed in some
cases it being suggested that the are asking
to get raped. As absurd as it might seem this
is a problem that is still very much evident in
todays society. A person could be walking down
the street and be sexualised by strangers as has
happened to many people, including myself, on
multiple occasions. It seems that because of the
freedom in society given to men that is not given
to women, to express their sexual lusts men are
lead to believe that they can comment on wom-
ens clothing and sexualise them for it. It also
leads some people to believe that the clothes
others wear are an indication of how sexually
available they are and indeed in some cases lead
people to believe that this is a form of consent
and that people are only wearing those clothes
in order to attract someones attention.
The whole idea of what has come to be known
as rape culture revolves a lot around victim
 164
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Lauren Tracey

Clothing Not Consent
blaming. Rape culture can be defined as a
culture in which dominant cultural ideologies,
media images, social practices, and societal
institutions support and condone sexual abuse
by normalizing, trivializing and eroticizing male
violence against women and blaming victims for
their own abuse. It has come to light that vic-
tims of rape have been asked in court what they
were wearing at the time of the attack as some
sort of justification for the rapists actions. It is
situations such as these that have made people
self-conscious about what they wear and become
afraid that if they wear a certain item of clothing
they are in danger of being taken advantage of.
It is the society today that gives the freedom of
sexual expression to men above women that has
caused many of the problems I have mentioned.
This has also led to other issues for young girls,
dress codes in schools being the main factor.
Young women throughout many countries across
the globe have been subjected to shame and
ridicule and have faced loss of precious educa-
tion for the clothes they choose to wear. In many
schools throughout the US leggings and sweat-
pants have been banned as well as many other
heinous restrictions to clothing. Sweatpants,
skirts/dresses that are longer than the girls fin-
gertips, shorts, off the shoulder tops, tank tops,
crop tops, these are all pieces of clothing banned
from a number of US schools and in most cases
the reason for this is that it distracts the boys.
Any tight piece of clothing or anything that
shows of a womans figure is banned from the
school for the sake of the education of the boys.
There have been many campaigns calling schools
out on these sexist dress code rules, many mak-
ing posters and arranging meetings with princi-
pals and some have even staged active protests
against the sexist regime. These include Isabella
Ryan from West Shore Middle School who faced
suspension from her school by wear the banned
leggings into school, this active protest caused
the school to lift the ban. In South-Orange Mid-
dle School, New Jersey one girl Frankie Lindsay
become an activist against the sexist dress codes
by meeting with her principal to discuss the
situation and also campaigning with the help
of many of the parents to invoke change in her
school. Lindsay set up a viral campaign #IAm-
MoreThanADistraction to raise awareness of
her cause. This caused young girls throughout
the country to protest and petition for equal
treatment. These girls braver invoked bravery in
others and the campaign continues in the US to
demolish the sexist rules of many of the schools.
The idea of slut shaming and being prude is
a serious issue today as there is only a fine line
between what people think is showing too
much or too little. People feel the need to stay
on this line regardless of what they feel comfort-
able wearing, in constant fear that they will be 165
judged and labelled.
It is my hope and the hope of many that these is-
sues come to light, not only do these issues affect
women but men as well, we together experience
these horrendous things as people and in order
to put a stop to it we need to reform the view
of society today and equalize and in some cases
contain the amount of sexual expressive free-
dom given to people. These are the steps need-
 166
Silkie Talk

Illustration:Lauren Tracey
Clothing Not Consent

There have been many cam-

paigns calling schools out on
these sexist dress code rules,
many making posters and ar-
ranging meetings with prin-
cipals and some have even
staged active protests against
the sexist regime.

ed to allow people to feel comfortable in what 167

they wear and not feel afraid that they might be
giving the idea that they consent or that they
will be judged. It is idealistic that people will
ever stop judging each other enough and accept
what everyone wears and feels comfortable in.
One day, none of this will matter and it starts
with us being okay with wearing what we want
confidently, because if we feel comfortable and
beautiful we are.
 168
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

 My Role Model by Shona
Emma Sulkowicz
Choosing one particular positive female role
model in my life was an extremely gruelling task.
After several hours of deliberating I came to the
conclusion that the person I would pick would
be Emma Sulkowicz. In my opinion, this young
woman is extremely inspiring to women across
the globe. Her perseverance and unbelievable
strength made her my number one choice. As
she has nothing but courage to offer females
everywhere.
Illustration: Fuschia MacAree
When Emma began her first year of college at
Columbia University she was raped, nothing was
done about this along with 23 other cases in her
university. She says that after she was raped by a
classmate in 2012, Columbia failed to punish her
attacker. Although two other women also public-
ly accused the same man of assault, the univer-
sity found him not responsible.Understandably,
Emma was devastated, in response to this she
began carrying a mattress around campus with 169
her. This mattress was similar to the one she
was raped on, back in her sophomore year. This
mattress symbolised the daily struggles she dealt
with as she stayed in college with her exonerated
rapist.
I was raped in my own bed and I carry that
weight with me wherever I go.
In her final year of her arts degree, Emma
Illustration: Luiza Abend
Emma Sulkowicz
moulded her senior thesis around the horrific
events that happened and used it to raise aware-
ness. Her endurance art performance project
was called Mattress performance: Carry that
weight. As part of the piece, she vowed to haul
her 50-pound univ ersity mattress wherever she
went on campus until her alleged rapist, a fellow
student, left, either by expulsion or his own
volition. Emma carried her mattress everyday
throughout campus from 8am to 10pm to class,
this symbolised the weight she had to carry
throughout her college life as she dealt with her
rapist still living on campus unconvicted. Her
discretion and the dark embedded feelings she
had towards her bed where she was raped, were
portrayed through her carrying of the mattress.
She accused the administration of her college of
systematic mishandling of sexual assault cases
and her ability to raise awareness about what
happened to her deeply inspires me and I find
her project extremely moving.
As her task became more difficult, her class-
mates began to help her carry her mattress
around. These classmates arent only helping
her get from class to class but also sharing in her
everyday burden; carrying the weight of her past
and present.
One of the rules of the piece is that I am not
allowed to ask for help in carrying the mattress,
but others are allowed to give help if they come
up and offer it. So, Im hoping that not only do I
get better at carrying the mattress, but other peo-
ple will learn about the piece Im not hoping
that everyone comes in and helps, butIm very
interested in seeing where this piece goes and
what sort of life it takes on. Emmas evocative
creative perspective about what happened to
her has a lot of influence on people as it causes
them to reflect on her project, sexual assault and
peaceful protests. Not only as an activist, but
as an artist, Emma demands a policy change in
colleges across the board in regards to sexual
assault. What Im trying to get at is that people
treat what Im doing as a protest with a set goal
rather than an art piece that I made out of per-
sonal necessity. I make artwork because its the
way I think; its the way I digest and metabolize
all the trauma Ive experienced for the past two
years of my life. Her strength has taught me that
it is ok to defend yourself regardless of the situa-
tion, and she has definitely had a positive impact
on my life and many others around the world.
Without a doubt Emma Sulkowicz is a huge
positive female role model in my life and I would
love to be able to say one day, that I have the
same amount of courage as she does, no matter 171
what curve-ball life throws at me. Emma contin-
ues to inspire myself and many other across the
world everyday and because of this she is the
perfect person to write about.
 172
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Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

 If we work hard we may in years to come create a
world where everyone, no matter what gender, may
stand on the same level.
Written by Aine
We all know that throughout history, women
have not often received the same rights and
privileges as men. Even now, career fields such
as politics and science are dominated by men.
Even today, in the twenty-first century, true
gender equality seems like a nearly impossible
achievement. But we have to admit that thanks
to the work of many brave women over that last
hundred years and more we are much nearer to
that goal.
The Suffragettes were women who fought to
gain voting rights for women during the 19th
and 20th century. These women risked their
reputations, and often their lives, in a battle for
something that ought to have been a basic right
for them. Many of the women were from upper
and middle class backgrounds. These women
were expected to be wives and mothers, and had
no other impact in society. Unlike women in the
working classes, who often had to work along-
side their husbands to make ends meet, these 173
women were not allowed to work, since their
households would have had enough money with-
out their work. Women were frustrated with the
restraints they felt from society and knew that
they wanted more.
In 1903, Emmeline Pankhurst founded the Wom-
ens Social and Political Union (WSPU) and she
became an influential leader in the campaign for
womens suffrage. She was born in 1858 and was
 174
Silkie Talk

Illustration: Fuschia
Illustration: MacAree
Clo Meldon
Fight for the Right
As women today, we have to
thank the brave Suffragettes, as
well as many other hard-work-
ing women around the world,
for our place in society today.
became known as the Cat and Mouse Act. This
made the hunger strikes legal, meaning that
a suffragette would be temporarily released
from prison when their health began to dimin-
ish, only to be readmitted to prison when she
regained her health to finish her sentence. This
enabled the British Government to be absolved
of any blame resulting from death or harm due
to the self-starvation of the striker, in addition
to ensuring that the suffragettes would be too ill
and too weak to participate in demonstrative ac-
tivities while not in custody. Dramatic behaviour
seemed like the only way for the Suffragettes to
gain attention, however they also had negative
repercussions. Many believed that the drastic ac-
tions undertaken by the women showed exactly
why they should not be granted an equal vote to
men. When Emily Davison threw herself under
the Kings horse at the Epsom Derby, losing her
life, some believed this expressed that women
were unable to think logically. Eventually the
women were listened to. In 1928, women over
the age of 21 were granted the vote in Britain.
This was only weeks after WSPU founder Emme-
line Pankhurst, so she never witnessed the full
victory of what she worked so hard for.
As women today, we have to thank the brave
Suffragettes, as well as many other hard-work-
ing women around the world, for our place in
society today. Women are no longer confined to
being a mother or a wife, or to working in areas 175
such as sewing or washing. We can now achieve
anything a man can. Even so, I think it is still
impossible to say that we live in a world with
complete gender equality. Women are expected
to be feminine and men masculine. Career
fields such as politics and science are dominated
by men. The world is far more equal than it was
when Emmeline Pankhurst was growing up, and
it definitely would not be that way without the
work of her and many like her.
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Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

 Activism for education worldwide has become
remarkably a much stronger force over the last
decade and is continuing to grow in followers
and awareness today.

Written by Sarah

Activism for education worldwide has become
remarkably a much stronger force over the last
decade and is continuing to grow in followers
and awareness today. It is with the help and
motivation of women such as Malala Yousafzai
and Michelle Obama that proves this statement
to be true, as they make their own journeys to
fight for children and womens right for quality
education
Malala Yousafai: Malala Yousafzai is a 17 year-
old girl from a small village called Swat Valley
in Pakistan. Her father is a Pakistani diplomat
and owns a chain of public schools, and taught
Malala the importance of education at a young
age. Malala grew up in a safe environment and
has called Swat Valley a second paradise. How-
ever, since in the year 2011 Swat Valley had been
targeted as a base of terrorist attacks, with the
Taliban destroying over 400 schools and cutting
off electricity lines, hence the water supplies,
in many villages and homes. This was devastat-
ing for the people of Swat Valley as they were
deprived of their power, natural resources,
and freedom.
In 2009 Malala first appeared in the public eye
in the New York Times Documentary Class
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Illustration:Hollie MacAree
Illustration: FuschiaLeddy Flood
Education
dismissed: The Death of female education. The
documentary profiled the 57 million children
living without education and girls like Malalas
struggles against education and the Taliban. Af-
ter it was broadcasted, The Taliban were enraged
and issued a death threat against Malala by 2012.
Malala was unaware at the time of her interview
with the New York Times that it would lead to
such danger and threat with the Taliban. Then
on October 9th 2012, her whole world turned up-
side down. She was commuting to school by bus
with her schoolmates when the bus driver was
ordered by the Taliban to pull over. A gunman
then boarded the bus and demanded to know
which schoolgirl was Malala. When she was
recognised the gunman fired three bullets at her;
one hit the right side of her forehead, and the
two others wounding two of her friends. Malala
was left unconscious and bleeding for two hours
until she was finally taken to a military hospital.
Her condition was too critical to be treated there
that she was flown to Britain in 8 hours to con-
tinue surgery. With almost complete heart and
lung failure, Malalas survival from the shooting
is still considered nothing short of miraculous.
It took Malala three months to recover from
the traumatic incident. She says that the shoot-
ing has only strengthened her to continue her
campaigning and fighting for quality education
for girls.
Malala was given a Nobel Peace Prize in October
2014 and was the first Pakistani and youngest
person ever to receive this award. At the ceremo-
ny she gave an exceptionally moving speech and
said I tell my story not because it is different,
but because it is not. Malala spoke for the 57mil-
lion children around the world who are deprived
of their education every day, and face the same
challenges that her and her friends had to face.
She thanked her family, who had been by her
side every step of the way, and her friends who
established the Malala Fund, which is an organ-
isation that is helping to reform the 400 schools
that had been destroyed by the Taliban.
Her voice and strength has inspired millions of
people worldwide, particularly teenagers of this
generation. Her iconic journey and bravery has
shown the world that change is possible with
means of hard work and determination. There
is no sign that Malala is stopping anytime soon
without a fight, especially since giving the state-
ment that she will not stop until every child in
the world is given quality education.
Michelle Obama: The First Lady Michelle Obama
has previously launched her own campaign
called Reach Higher. The campaign involves
students all across America to receive full edu-
cation all the way through High School and into
the college of their choice. Over the past 5 years
The Obama Administration has been working on 179
giving particular students a Free Application to
encourage them to reach third level education
and pursue their goals for the future.
Michelles main objective in this campaign is
to expand opportunity for high school students
across America. It is her initiative to help stu-
dents with issues such as financial difficulty to
receive the kind of college education and career
they are working towards. She is also working
 Silkie Social

There is no sign that Malala is

stopping anytime soon with-
out a fight, especially since giv-
ing the statement that she will
not stop until every child in the
world is given quality education.

on helping various high school counsellors to

encourage the high school graduates to continue
to third level.

By the year 2020 Michelle expects America to

reach the top college graduate rate in the world.
Over the last two decades the United States had
180 slipped from first in the world all the way down
to 12th. Michelle believes that with encourage-
ment, hard work and belief in Americas stu-
dents that this goal can be achieved for 2020.

Education is the key to success for so many kids.

And my goal specifically is to reach out directly
to young people and encourage them to take
charge of their futures and complete an educa-
tion beyond High School Michelle Obama,
Jan 16th 2014.
Education

181
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Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

 My Role Model by Sintia
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks is a hero, she is the woman who
inspires all women including myself. Rosa Parks
was born in Alabama on the 4th of February
1913. Both of her parents were born before slav-
ery was banished from the United States. Being
from a coloured family at this time was not
easy. After her parents had died racism was still
very strong. Black people were still treated as
worthless and were greatly discriminated against.
Rosa Parks is one of the reasons why racism has
improved.
Illustration: Fuschia MacAree
One day Rosa Parks had enough of white people
being treated as superior, as the elite. Rosa got
on the bus, paid her fare and sat at the front of
the bus. Black people were not allowed to sit at
the front, they were made sit at the back. As the
bus started to fill up, the bus driver told Rosa
Parks to give up her seat to a white man, as part
of the NAACP (Largest civil rights organization).
She quietly refused to give up her seat. This was
very spontaneous and not premeditated. People 183
were taken aback at her refusal to give up the
seat. They were shocked that she would even
dare stand up to the authorities for in their eyes
she did not have the right. Rosa Parks was then
arrested and convicted of violating the laws of
segregation, known as Jim Crow laws. Rosa
Parks appealed her conviction and thus formal-
ly challenged the legality of segregation. Rosa
spoke about her time in jail, she said when she
stood up to get some water she was told
Illustration:Lisa McHugo
Rosa Parks
If one person can make such
a statement, just imagine how
much a group of people can do.
to sit back down and that the fountain is only
for white people. This made her furious. They
messed with the wrong one now On the 15th of
December 1955, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King
Jr. and JoAnn Robinson stood on street corners
and noticed that there were barely any black
people on the bus since Rosa Parks was arrested.
Prior to this the bus was mostly filled with black
people, they were the majority who would take
the bus so this was a amazing. People stopped
riding buses all because Rosa Parks.
Finally the rules for the bus where changed.
Black people could sit wherever they wanted
Black people were able to apply for driver posi-
tions. Bus drivers were to respect all passengers
on the bus. In 1979, Rosa Parks received the
Spingarn medal. In 1980, at the 25th anniversary
of the bus boycott, Rosa parks was awarded the
non-violent Peace prize by Martin Luther King
Jr. In 1984, she was given the Eleanor Roosevelt
Woman of Courage Award. At this point Rosa
Parks has made it, she is now not just a woman
but a hero. Rosa Parks started to receive danger-
ous threats from people, aimed towards her and
her family. This scared her but it didnt stop her,
she continued fighting for her rights.
Rosa Parks greatly inspires me because she is a
very strong, courageous and wise woman. Rosa
Parks had a wonderful life as a person and as a
noble woman. She inspired everyone to do what
is best for everyone. The people who inspired her
were mostly her family and friends, the people
she cared for. Throughout it all, she stuck with
the people who believed in her and encouraged
her to do better in life. To help her by her side
was her husband, Raymond Parks. She just want-
ed to make the world a better place for everyone
to live and enjoy their life. She also taught every-
one including me an important lesson on how
to share the world and be thankful that you are
still living today. A hero should not be somebody
who has super powers and can fly anywhere
in the world, a hero should be someone who
does everyday things to make the world cleaner, 185
happier and safer for everyone. A hero should be
a noble woman like Rosa Parks.She has shown
people including me that actions speak louder
than words. Being a woman she encourages all
women, black and white, to stand up for what
they believe in and not to be discriminated
against. I see this as one of the main reasons to
encourage people to stand up against inequality,
to fight, argue and be heard. If one person can
make such a statement, just imagine how much
a group of people can do together.
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Illustration: Fuschia MacAree

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Illustration: Fuschia MacAree
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Illustration: Fuschia MacAree