Don't Judge a Book Or a Person For That Matter By The Cover

I'm a bit of bookworm I have to admit. I love reading, and a massive part of my love for reading is choosing my next book. Nothing beats going into Waterstones and walking peacefully around the shelves studying the books as you go. Without fail, I'll pick up a few books for closer inspection. 

I'm guilty of choosing books because of their covers. Whether it's the colours used, the eye-catching images, the name or the brilliant reviews highlighted on the front. There I said it. However, I do make a conscious effort to buy books I've done research into whether that be through Goodreads, YouTube or even through word of month. I refuse to buy the books which look the best and neglect the unloved treasures on the shelves. 

Unfortunately, this blog post isn't really about books. Sad face. In my eyes, books are like people, which is why I use them as an analogy to describe human behaviour. You see for the most part we're a hugely judgmental society completely oblivious to it. Humans are like the books on the shelves. Often left for a constant game of who gets picked first to be part of the PE team in school. But they are also like the humans, choosing the best ones by simply what they see externally. Picking your mates for the sports team instead of people who have genuine talent. 

How To Look After Your Mental Health In The Colder Months

Looking after your mental health can be a tiresome task all year around for some. For others, who suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective disorder) autumn and winter are their worst enemies. I love autumn and winter. They are my favourite seasons of the year. Not only because my birthday and Christmas fall within the same month, but I also love the change in weather, bringing out the warm jumpers and of course, not forgetting my favourite holiday of the year, Halloween! However, I'm fully aware not everyone shares my excitement for this time of the year.

Whether you struggle with a diagnosable mental health disorder or you just find your mood lowers and motivation decreases during the colder months, it's important to acknowledge that and take steps to look after your mental health. We all have a mental health. Therefore, we can all take steps to ensure we look after it. Just like we wouldn't go out in shorts and a vest in December in fear of catching a cold, looking after our physical health- we can do the same for our mental health.

Of course, taking steps to look after your mental health in the darker, colder months of the year isn't going to always prevent depression and SAD. Instead, it's about being prepared and taking time to help minimise the risk or the impact it has on your life. Think stock pilling Lem Sip in the cupboard for an inevitable sore throat. Here are just a few simple things you can do to look after your mental health doing the colder months. 

If It’s Not Intersectional Feminism Is It Really Feminism?

No by the way. The answer to the question of this blog post is a no. I’m a feminist. For a long time, I thought that just meant ‘smashing the patriarchy’ campaigning for equal rights for men and women. In my understanding, there was radical feminists; those who wanted men to be banished from society. Liberal feminists; those who had a more gentle approach to feminism, often found recognising the march of progress and Marxist feminists; those who believed society works for the benefit of capitalism.

It wasn't till I started doing a bit of research and digging around the subject, more than just reading my sociology A-level textbook, I realised there was a whole other branch of feminism that we had never even studied or acknowledged. Intersectional feminism.

For those of who have no idea what I'm going on about at the moment, let me start with a few basic definitions. Intersectionally is a feminist theory which was developed by Kimberle Crenshaw in 1989. It argues that there are multiple facets to a person. For example; class, sexual orientation, race, disability, etc. Stereotypical white feminism ignores these facets of a person's identity which can contribute to social injustice and inequality, alongside and more so than just being a man or a woman.

Suicide- It's Not Just a Man's Problem

Warning: This post contains detailed descriptions of suicide. 

Suicide is suicide. It doesn't matter if your black or white. A child or adult. Homosexual or heterosexual. Male or female. Suicide is a tragic and devastating sociological problem which 6,188 people felt like they had to result to in 2015. (source) But of course, it's not just the one person affected. The pain never ends it just passes on to the people left behind. 

It's a very well known fact that more men take their own life. In 2015, 75% of men took their own life compared to 25% of women. (source) But that's still 25% too many. The media likes to drill it into us that suicide is the biggest killer of men with those between the ages of 40-44 being at highest risk. But by constantly campaigning for more awareness around male suicide, people start to forget that it's not just men who are affected by this terrible circumstance. 

In fact, female suicide statistics are on the increase. In England, 2015, suicide rates had increased by 3.8%. The highest in the decade. (Source) But do we ever hear about this? No, we don't. The news is always dominated by stories which are affecting men. Like most industries and jobs, if there is a top spot it has to be filled by a white, abled bodied, cyst, heterosexual man. I'm by no means dismissing the tragedy of male suicide, but it has to be questioned if breaking everything including suicide statistics down into male and female, ignoring other intersects is actually counterintuitive. 

Who Run The World...Girls

Well apparently if you ask Google, that's not strictly true. Let's look at fashion. 85-90% of sweatshop workers are women. Yet, who are the three most famous fashion designers that come up on Google? You guessed it, men! Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs and Tom Ford. 

What about food? Who has made the most cooked meals through history? Let's face it, it's women! If women make the most meals then why the hell, does Gordon Ramsey, Paul Bocuse and Thomas Keller pop up as the most famous chefs on Google. 

Let me ask you another question? Who does the most organising in the family? Who actually makes sure Christmas happens every year? Women! Yet, when it comes to directing films, that's a male's job of course. Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino are the most famous film directors according to Google.