Go Inspire Magazine - Volume 1

VOL 1

VOL. 1

It’s finally here!

I started to dream about this publication back in 2020, at a time when the future seemed dark and out of our reach. I never thought we would go live so soon. I also didn't expect this journey to be as challenging and empowering as it was but now it's a piece of our hearts.

The best part of this journey has been the effort and the passion of my team. I'm forever grateful to the women that worded every piece of this puzzle to shape and form the start of something new: GoInspire Mag. Shaping the ethos and goals of GoInspire has been both a duty and a pleasure of mine.

I value women's voices and the stories they share with an open mind and an authenticity that is hard to find in a world of pseudocelebrities and reality shows.

Is it time to let unique and powerful women inspire us?

We celebrate women, those that are actively working and reshaping the world we live in.

Women who challenge our perspectives and change the way things are. Women with patience and mastery. Women that juggle the busiest schedule but still make it home on time for dinner with the family. Women that are celebrating their successes with a solo glass of wine late at night after working 16 hours.

In our pages, you will find stories that deserve to be told, calls for action, food for thought, and open discussions about the issues that need discussing. We are not taking the easy path.

We are here to represent you and for you to represent us with an inspiring light. We are not perfect but we are amazing and we know it!

Own it!

by Marina Sardanopoli

CREDITS Produced by | GoInspire UK Cover | Artwork: Ella Grieves, Words: Bethany Rose.

Contributors | Chelsea Abbott, Leah Cunningham, Brooke Heneghan, Elizabeth Sorrell, Natasha Farwell & Bethany Smith.

Interviews | Styling and Art Direction: Marina Sardanopoli, Photography: Laura Pink Images | instagram @lgbt (pg. 7), Mercedes Mehling/Unsplash & Ian Taylor/Unsplash (pg. 8), Rafael Amorim Bertacini/Pexels & Cottonbro/Pexels (pg. 11), Tima Miroshnichenko/Pexels (pg.12), Flavia Jacquier/Pexels (pg.14), Dylan Bueltel/Pexels (pg.18), Steve Houghton-Burnett/Unsplash & John Cameron/Unsplash (pg. 19), instagram @Jessvos_art (pg. 23), instagram @OliviaRodrigo (pg. 24), Deon Black/Pexels & Ifonnx Toys/Unsplash (pg. 25), Maria Talks/Unsplash & Malvestida/Unsplash (pg. 26), Polina Tankilevich/Capturenow, Lisa Fotios/Pexels, Taryn Elliott/Pexels, Photolime/Canva, Dmitry Zvolskiy/Pexels (pg. 30), Courtesy of Ella Grieves (pg. 33 & 34), instagram @pixarturningred (pg. 35), Marina Sardanopoli (pg. 36), Marina Sardanopoli & Laura Pink (pg. 37) Courtesy of Sunsprite Studio (pg. 38)

CONTACT Media: goinspireuk.media@gmail.com Management: goinspireuk.management@gmail.com General Enquiries: info@goinspireuk.org goinspireuk.org

CONTENTS MADE FOR WOMEN, BY WOMEN

04 INTERVIEW: BETHANY ROSE A powerhouse of a Poet, meet the creative mind behind the fabulous book: NEON.

11 FEATURE: ME TOO MOVEMENT How the infamous Me Too movement has positively changed society by Brooke Heneghan.

14 FEATURE: FIRST GENERATION A Working-Class Student in a MiddleClass World by Elizabeth Sorrell.

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INTERVIEW: ELIZA HATCH

A photographer with a mission: storytelling against sexual harassment.

18 FEATURE: BREXIT Talks Across the Border: How Brexit Has Affected Women in the EU by Elizabeth Sorrell.

21 INTERVIEW: POLLY NEATE CBE, Human rights activist and chief executive of Shelter.

23 FEATURE: MIXED RACE IDENTITY Living with a mixed race identity by Natasha Farwell.

25 FEATURE: THE PLEASURE GAP

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FEATURE: QUEER CORNER

INTERVIEW: AMY SLACK

Internal Hierarchy of the LGBTQ+ community: How does it affect queer women? By Leah Cunningham.

Surfers Against Sewage is grassroots movement that has grown into one of the UK’s most active and successful environmental charities.

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INTERVIEW: ANGELA RAYNER Paving the way for working class girls that dream of joining politics: The Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.

GO INSPIRE: THE CHARITY What we do, why we love it and how to join our comunity events and volunteer with us.

Men don’t know where the clit is and women fake it til’ they make it – that’s right, we’ve all heard the jokes, but what if I told you there’s some semblance of truth to that? By Beathany Smith.

30 BEAUTY: SUSTAINABILITY The Perfect Sustainable Night-Time Routine by Natasha Farwell.

31 INTERVIEW: KATIE GHOSE Chief Executive of KIDS Charity with nearly three decades experience of leadership and management in the UK.

33 INTERVIEW: ELLA GRIEVES Our amazing cover artist and incredibly talented illustrator.

35 FILM REVIEW: TURNING RED Learn more about this inspiring Pixar movie. Its a MUST WATCH.

INTERVIEW

Bethany has shared her spoken word poetry on various wide-reaching platforms, speaking on BBC3 with her poem Pink, opening up about her depression in a stunning TED Talk, alongside creating crucial conversations about feminism and sexuality. GoInspire had the privilege of asking her about creative processes, performances, and the pandemic.

GI: What drew you to poetry as a medium to convey your desired emotions and/or messages?

BR: I seem like a really easy-going person, but I am actually really neurotic. I like an even space between my clothes hangers, my photos archived and dated in exact order, and every drawer and cupboard immaculate. I think it’s because I know deep down that I am a hoarder of memories and unfinished thoughts, so I have to create a clear space somewhere physical so that I can breathe. I have always been drawn to the idea of containing wildness - how to hold the unholdable. I think that is what I love most about poetry; that it tidies away chaos and big emotions into straight lines and metrics. I can’t tidy away my messy heart, but I can find ways in which I feel held. Language holds the things that my arms are too heavy to carry.

GI: How did you discover that for you poetry was the most effective creative outlet?

BR: When I was eleven, I wrote a poem in my English class. My teacher asked me to stay behind after class and told me that it was extraordinary. I couldn’t believe that I was actually being praised for having emotions, that I could actually make a piece of work out of the weird way my brain worked. I wanted and demanded a lot of attention when I was growing up, and this felt like a good way to harness my need to be seen, with an actual craft. I love drawing, painting, playing the piano, singing and writing songs too. These are the things that bring me comfort and joy. It’s actually the day to day practicalities of living that I have to work hard at getting right. I could happily keep my head in the clouds all day, dreaming of sky. What is harder for me is balancing my creative outlets against the need

for

creative

escape.

I

feel

like

poetry

encompasses both.

GI: Do you feel the literary world, specifically in poetry is a safe space for women or do you think it could be improved?

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Rose's words are so fervently profound, her organic emotion combined with her poetic fire resonates for many women who can find solace within Rose's words.

BR: This is such a complex and interesting question that I could talk for a long time about. I think that there is no place in any world where women are entirely safe, and there are a lot of male poets who are wolves in sheep’s clothing, hiding poor behaviours behind the guise of being gifted with their language skills. Not many happy people write poems, and the sadness in some of the rooms sometimes takes on a strange and dangerous energy. It’s the energy of desperation, a room full of people who are staring into the abyss and don’t know what to do about how dark it is, so they read each other poems into a microphone. To me, that isn’t a safe space in so many ways, but it also is - because there is solace in the togetherness and the collectiveness of our shared experience. At some queer nights, there is palpable joy in the room. Joy that we are all still here, making poetry and power out of our pain.

GI: What message do you have for young poets especially young queer poets or literary individuals who also find comfort in expressing themselves through words but are unsure on how to get started?

BR: I started doing spoken word in a time where it wasn’t popular or cool. There was often audiences of two or three, and it only picked up after a few years of working at it and going to every venue in the city. It is so much harder now that the market has become saturated with people, and I don’t know if younger me would have been able to have handled the pressure that is on young poets now.

I made sure that I went to all the spoken word nights, that I gave my best, that I always pushed myself. I entered contests, performed at venues in the middle of nowhere, wrote to publishing houses who didn’t even open my letters, let alone read them. But I am not going to say something pithy like ‘never give up'. Obviously, never giving up is important, but there is always an element of luck in this industry. People told me to listen to my guts - but then again, guts are hard to listen to if you have mental health issues because you can’t work out if the noise telling you to do something is 'the safety of your car engine or the panic of your car alarm'. All I can say is; what you say is important, and you matter. A poem that lives in a drawer is better than a poem that lives only in your head. And a poem that is read out loud to living, breathing souls is better than anything living in your drawer. If you use poetry as a means to connect with other vulnerable people, not as a means to get famous, then you will always find meaning in the most terrible of places.

Talent doesn’t always indicate success - but good work ethic helps as poets are notoriously disorganised. Sometimes I think the fact that I am organised, on time, and reliable is the real reason I get so much work - not actually for my poetry at all!

bethanyrosepoetry.com @bethany_rose_poetry 05

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FEATURE

QUEER CORNER: INTERNAL HIERARCHY OF THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY: HOW DOES IT AFFECT QUEER WOMEN?

BY LEAH CUNNINGHAM In mainstream society there is a belief that because all LGBTQIA+ people have similar experiences of discrimination, that does not mean that they will share the same mindset, especially considering the community is full of people of different genders, backgrounds, age, religion, and place of birth. This may lead to some hostilities towards some people within the communities due to personal bigotries still being at play.

I interviewed several queer women about their experiences in the community and asked about this phenomenon. There was a general consensus found throughout these interviews that there are many inner workings of the community that can negatively affect specific people within the community.

A notable experience that many of the women identified was the differential treatment of bisexuals, specifically bisexual women.

One interviewee described how “bisexuals are probably the most invalidated in the community, I’m someone who currently identifies as pansexual, and I’ve had my sexuality invalidated by people who told me that my sexuality is transphobic because it apparently infers that bisexual people are stuck up for only being into two genders. It’s weird.”

Another interviewee described the misconceptions around bisexuality. “There are still a lot of preconceptions that bisexuals are either greedy, romiscuous, or cannot "make up their mind".

These misconceptions rely on the idea that women who identify as bisexual “inevitably” end up with men.

One of the queer women interviewees stated that “I would try to explain [to my lesbian friends] why this seems like the case and how bisexual women hold a lot of compulsory heterosexual internalisations, but inevitably I would get nowhere with it.

[…] They can only wrap their heads around being gay or straight. Someone who exists somewhere in the middle is just incomprehensible and if they end up with someone of the opposite gender, they become a pariah in the community”. It is clear there is still a lot of distrust and misunderstanding when it comes to bisexuality, and within the LGBTQ+ community, women are still disproportionately criticised for their sexuality.

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The interviewees also brought the idea of a “gold-star lesbian” to the narrative. This is a lesbian who has only been with other women, and has never had a sexual experience with a man. If a woman who identifies as lesbian has been with a man before, or has never been with a woman, they can be referred to as a “baby gay”. This language creates a hierarchy within the community of people who are deemed “worthy” of the label they identify with, and those who are not, due to lack of 'experience'.

This notion is flawed as even if a straight person was still a virgin or had no encounters with the opposite sex, their sexuality would not be brought into question. One interviewee describes this experience: “It’s like trying to say that you’re a lesbian and you’re proud, but that also unintentionally negatively impacts lesbians who happened to date men in the past.”

"THERE ARE A LOT OF PRECONCEPTIONS THAT BISEXUALS ARE EITHER GREEDY,PROMISCUOUS, OR CANNOT MAKE UP THEIR "MIND".

THESE MISCONCEPTIONS RELY ON THE IDEA THAT ' WOMEN WHO IDENTIFY AS BISEXUAL “INEVITABLY” END UP WITH MEN"

Although the interviews carried out were only with women, several noted how they have gay male friends who also experience discrimination within the community. One interviewee noted how they have seen friends be rejected because they are effeminate. She notes how it is “so obviously just internalised misogyny”. Gay men disproportionately are glamourised by the typical straight cis woman, who see a gay man as “an accessory” or “gay best friend”. This type of faux allyship was explained by one of the queer women, “gay men for the most part are not considered men, not men that we are afraid of, so they are one of the girls”. This soothes the

"TO REVERSE SOME OF THESE NUANCES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, EVERYONE MUST ACTIVELY LISTEN TO EACH OTHER AND UNDERSTAND THE EXPERIENCES THEY SHARE"

egos of the straight cis women by not making the gay men in their group an equal.

This collection of interviews uncovers a lot of the universal experiences that most queer people are familiar with. In recent years, we have seen shows such as Pose highlight these struggles faced by the community right now. There was a general consensus that in order to reverse some of these nuances within the community, everyone must actively listen to each other and understand the experiences they share with their community. This way there will be more understanding and

less

misconceptions will be circulated. Therefore, with a collective effort, we can understand, connect, and respect each other.

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"GAY MEN ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY GLAMOURISED BY THE TYPICAL STRAIGHT CIS WOMAN, WHO SEES A GAY MAN AS A “GAY BEST FRIEND”. THIS FAUX ALLYSHIP WAS EXPLAINED BY ONE OF THE QUEER WOMEN, “GAY MEN FOR THE MOST PART ARE NOT CONSIDERED MEN"

INTERVIEW

As a creative, Hatch has

Eliza is best known for her social media campaign, Cheer Up Luv, a photography series

transformed her art into activism,

that helps victims of sexual harassment reclaim public spaces with power and

harassment and reinventing the

raising awareness for sexual

confidence. Soon to be launching her exhibition, Hysterical, alongside Bee Illustrates, it was high time for a chat with Hatch about the inspirations behind her work and the

streets of her city with female empowering creativity.

social backdrop that drives her.

GI: Why do you think it’s taken so long for sexual harassment to become a crime?

EH: There’s a multitude of reasons that factor into why public sexual harassment still isn’t a crime and also why it still goes unreported on a large scale. From the biases that people have towards victims and arduous reporting processes that can leave people more traumatised than before to the toxic behaviour that's so normalised, it still doesn’t even register as harassment to some people.

The latter was definitely the case for me when I was at school. There was such a lack of education around what was acceptable and unacceptable behaviour in the classroom. My friends and I just brushed off every experience we had with "at least it wasn’t rape”.

This was also mirrored in the actions of some of my teachers. If boys tried to put their hands up our skirts, we would be told off for the length of our skirts. If boys in our class pinged our bra straps, we were scolded for wearing colourful bras or makeup. The bottom line was: if we experienced sexual harassment, it was our fault for attracting the attention.

That's an unhealthy attitude to have ingrained into you from a young age.

The campaigners, @ourstreetsnow, released a survey asking students about violence and sexual harassment in the classroom. They found that only 14% of students had been told about sexual harassment and that 72% of pupils who did report public sexual harassment described receiving a negative response from their school.

I personally think that we need a two-pronged approach. We need to focus more on education around the issue rather than only focusing on carceral solutions. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that education would have a positive effect on the above statistics and would make children, adult women, and marginalised genders feel safer moving forward.

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MY MALE FRIENDS DISMISSED THE EXPERIENCE AS A“COMPLIMENT”, I FELT INSPIRED TO PROVE THEM WRONG. ELIZA HATCH

GI: What was the experience that made you decide to create the Cheer Up Luv Campaign?

GI: What’s next for you and Cheer up Luv? Have you got any projects in the works?

EH: Cheer Up Luv is a globally renowned photo series and platform retelling accounts of street harassment. I founded the campaign after being told to "cheer up" by a stranger in the street. After my male friends dismissed the experience as a “compliment", I felt inspired to prove them wrong. I realised not only was the issue completely normalised, but there was a huge lack of awareness surrounding it. I began taking portraits of friends in public places and posting the photos online. Each location reflected the testimony of harassment, the effect was empowering survivors by turning a negative memory into something positive.

But most importantly, taking back control of the experience and reclaiming the space.

EH: I just finished co-curating my first ever exhibition, Hysterical, with non-binary queer creative, Bee Illustrates.

We wanted to put on a group show that included work by women and marginalised genders who were using their voices for change, and advocating for causes they believed in through their art. I hope to put on more events and future exhibitions and keep pushing the platform forward in different and exciting ways.

Read the full interview online:

GI: Do you think the UK media has a responsibility in the way they cover harassment against women?

EH: I think the UK has a responsibility to report honestly and non-sensationally on crimes of sexual harassment, assault, and violence against women girls and marginalised genders. On the other hand, I also think the media and government has a habit of minimising experiences of sexual harassment, often referring to them as “catcalling” or “wolf-whistling” which detracts from the seriousness of the issue.

GI: What do you think is the next step for us as women combating this issue?

EH: Education, education, education.

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cheerupluv.com @cheerupluv

FEATURE

How the infamous

ME TOO MOVEMENT

HAS POSITIVELY CHANGED SOCIETY

by Brooke Heneghan

“Society has made girls passive” and as girls we are “too uncomfortable speaking out”. In a survey conducted amongst over 1,300 16-22 year old girls, over 80% of them had been victims of sexual assault, with over 61% having experienced this during school.

In a society that has arguably conditioned girls not to speak out. The power and influence of social media and our ability to freely speak out has increased awareness of not only assault, and more recently the spiking epidemic, but also the power of united women.

The growing social movement ‘#MeToo’, is largely responsible for the increased power women have found, regarding sharing their stories and experiences.

The MeToo movement was initially started by Tarana Burke in 2007, and she aimed to help raise awareness and understanding for women who had experienced any form of assault. The cause initially started as a helpline for all women, to help break millions of facades across the globe who, underneath, were experiencing trauma and distress from past or current experiences. The grassroots movement however became viral in 2017, following a string of women accusing powerful men of abusing them, through harassment and sexual misconduct. Since then, MeToo has been able to generate an international platform and following and has been able to positively impact our daily lives.

The movement has arguably changed social dynamics, in regard to female power and vocal strength. For example, the hashtag itself has united women, yet also provided so many with a chance to voice their emotions and as well as expose personal experiences. It has generated an online support network for women - no matter what age, race, sexuality or beliefs - and it has become a safe space for many. This newfound unity and community generated amongst women has helped encourage many to speak up about what happened to them.

For many women across the globe, daily life has been transformed through the movement, and has allowed for a feeling of solidarity and support to be formed between women on an international level.

More recently however, despite the movement initially being created to combat sexual assault, it has also helped assist the awareness of the spiking epidemic that has been hitting pubs and clubs across the country. Girls from as young as 18 have become victims to spiking, which involves injecting drugs into the body of an individual or placing drugs in their drinks, causing them to lose memory and become disorientated. Often, the spiking of drinks is an attempt to put someone in a vulnerable position, so that they are easier to assault or bring harm too.

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However, despite this, the MeToo movement has helped generate awareness, which has consequently resulted in positive changes in bars and clubs, to help prevent more people from getting spiked. The use of both the #MeToo as well as social media forced bars and clubs to introduce drink protectors such as StopTopps, as an optional method to prevent pills or powders being dropped into someone’s drink.

This small, yet highly effective move was a result of united women, as well as men, coming together to force change. It demonstrates not only the sheer power of social media, but also the level of change a group of united individuals can bring about.

Speaking to one individual who had experienced spiking recently, she said: “I never thought I would be someone who would get spiked. I never leave my drink so I didn’t use a cul cover. Those lids could save lives.”

The Office For National Statistics recorded 116,462 reported sexual offences in 2021 alone

The MeToo movement and the globally empowering community it has built has helped make a positive and arguably ever-lasting impact, generating awareness and conversation surrounding a large scale of topics that would often go unspoken about. The people who were not able to speak out and were unable to have a voice now, through this extremely important and vital movement, have the chance to be listened too. They have the chance to make their change in society. Their words and their courage to share their story can help encourage another individual to share theirs. The movement has for many years shown that nobody is alone, and ultimately, it has not only helped millions of women and individuals globally, it has more than likely helped save lives through the unity and compassion it shares with an individual.

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FEATURE

First Generation: A Working-Class Student in a Middle-Class World

BY ELIZABETH SORRELL

A first-generation student writing about their experiences at university is no new thing. ‘Fish out of water’ does not do justice to the culture shock that you go through when the drunken camaraderie of Freshers Week dies down and you actually have to contend with your environment and the people in it. My experience wasn’t that of blatant exclusion nor a crisis of class consciousness as the sons of Bullingdon make fun of my shoes and spit on passing proles. However, studying modern languages and taking a year abroad has exacerbated the differences that were little grievances before.

A bit about me: I’m an English and Spanish student from a singlemother household in South London. I’m among the first of my family to go to university and the first person in my family to learn another language.

With some individual merit but mostly the guidance of some amazing teachers, I’ve come out of Britain’s ever-disintegrating modern languages department with the tools to live in Spain without any major issues.

My family also prides itself on being well-read, fitting the space to read somewhere on a busy day. I wasn’t exposed to the classics that have become more relevant to me at uni (I didn’t know who Homer was until he was compulsory reading) but my relationship with language was undeniably nurtured by my mother and grandparents. I still remember the rising excitement of reading a new word in a Lemony Snicket book and thinking, “Yes, I will find a way to say ‘lachrymose’ at the dinner table tonight”.

During my childhood, my sister and I were constantly reminded of the importance of language by both sides of the family. My limited memories of my father involve lectures on ‘proper English’ as opposed to his thick cockney twang. I still remember the mantra “you don’t want to sound like me when you grow up”. As a result, my accent wouldn’t immediately reveal my social class until I’m in a room with my cousins. Even now, my natural accent that comes out with my cousins and sister is not the way I would speak to my own mother, let alone a lecturer at my university.

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The prestige of my uni isn’t on par with Oxbridge (no one goes punting along the Itchen River) but Russell Group universities are not exempt from elitism and class ignorance. I got into the uni after months of worrying about whether I would be able to afford the commute to my sixth-form college. After a surgery that knocked me out for weeks, I had to get cabs to school and back while I recovered from the anaesthesia.

Money has been an issue all the way through school and university. I didn’t erupt with joy upon receiving my invitation to my first-choice uni.

Instead, my mind became saturated with everything we’d have to buy and how quickly I could land a decent part-time job.

"I didn’t erupt with joy upon receiving my invitation to my first-choice uni. Instead, my mind became saturated with everything we’d have to buy and how quickly I could land a decent part-time job" As I say, I didn’t feel much of a difference between myself and my peers at university until the novelty of moving to a new city had worn off.

It was very much a slow-burning realisation that for all my merit and education, I was just born in a different world. From money talk to outside connections, it can be disheartening to immerse yourself in a world that so clearly wasn’t created for you. Everyone seems to have an uncle somewhere that can fix them up with some exclusive work experience, or even your dream job straight out of graduation.

Everyone’s parents have a company where they can conveniently slot in your classmates with no questions asked or have the disposable income to follow their postgraduate dreams.

I worked as a receptionist with my naive dreams of doing a masters and a PhD. I looked up the annual cost of both a casual afterthought to my lamination duties. It was there I had to start accepting that maybe my dreams might come true a bit further down the line.

I might have to make some judicious cuts to my ideal career path to support my family. I came to uni with that Girl Power outlook: career first, become independent, do whatever is necessary to get to that point. To this day, my education and career has always been a priority but not to the detriment of my family.

I think many single-parent children grow up with the fierce determination to give their parents something better than what they’ve had for so long. I want to get to a point where my mother doesn’t have to work anymore if she doesn’t want to; where my mother doesn’t have to take the minimum from employers that don’t appreciate her worth; where she never has to look for a man for financial security and the dangers that come with that. These sentiments often go amiss in higher education.

"I think many single-parent children grow up with the fierce determination to give their parents something better than what they’ve had for so long."

I remember sitting in a Spanish oral class in which the subject was wealth and poverty. One of the questions on the board to break the ice was “have you ever had to go a day without eating?”. This question would have been strictly out of bounds at my comprehensive secondary school.

Even then, my secondary school was predominantly middle-class but somehow still had some notion of class sensitivity. From casual conversation to obtuse lectures about travelling abroad to maintain your progress in your second language (“why don’t you just move to Barcelona for three months?”) I couldn’t help but feel alienated by a course that was supposed to open the world up to me.

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Of course, this experience isn’t limited to university. I wasn’t 18 the first time someone reacted with palpable discomfort when I said my father wasn’t around. I wasn’t 18 when I first became friendly with people whose lifestyles were too rich for my blood. I wasn’t 18 when I had to clarify that I can’t just ask my mother for money to compensate for reckless spending.

I still see university as emancipation, a direct means to achieving a better life for myself and my family. It’s just harder to keep up the optimism when you’re surrounded by a culture in which my way of life is inconceivable.

Despite the complaints, university is definitely the best thing that’s happened to me. It’s been my gateway to some degree of social mobility and to opening my mind beyond myself. I’m literally writing this in Spain during my year abroad which never would have happened without higher education. For all the compulsory reading, seminars and presentations, my relationship with language stems from a single mother and a family that banded together for a budding bookworm and her sister. My family has carried me to a place where we’ve since become inconceivable but I write this to make ourselves, and the families like us, known.

"For all the compulsory reading, seminars and presentations, my relationship with language stems from a single mother and a family that banded together for a budding bookworm and her sister"

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INTERVIEW

Rayner is a diligent and focused MP, who has spoken out about the

Angela Rayner is a member of parliament for Ashton-under-Lyne and a Labour representative.

She also undertakes the roles of Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Shadow Secretary of State for the Future of Work, and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. We visited Angela in the House of Commons to conduct this shoot.

GI: Your early life does not fit the mould of Eton and Oxford educated gentlemen having left state school at 16. Do you feel that this type of representation is important in politics?

Working class MPs are hard to come by.

AR: When I visit schools in my constituency and I talk to pupils, I always stress to them that they are unique and that is their strength. My advice to them is don’t listen when people say ‘know your place’. I was certain opportunities would be unavailable to me when I left school with no qualifications and a baby but I refused to listen. I represent a working-class area and I know my constituents appreciate the person that represents them understanding them. I think my life experience enables me to be a better MP as I have experienced the struggles that people come to me for help with. I wasn’t handed anything on a plate, I have worked hard for everything I’ve achieved.

GI: What inspired you to get into politics?

AR: Politics wasn’t something I was particularly interested in until I got involved with the trade union movement. I was working as a home help and my colleagues and I were unhappy with new conditions that were being forced onto us at work so we organised and refused to accept them. I worked my way up through the ranks at UNISON and became North West convener and realised where my true strengths lie. I found out I was pretty good at persuading people to listen to me.

LABOUR MAKES A DIFFERENCE FOR PEOPLE WHEN WE‘RE IN POWER. ANGELA RAYNER

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misogynistic remarks within The Houses of Parliament, a feminist crisis that has painstakingly been ignored.

GI: Being a woman in politics comes with its

GI: Do you consider yourself a feminist?

own set of problems, especially since the

I’d never really considered myself a feminist with a capital ‘F’ but some of my own experiences and people who have contacted me about theirs show

most well-known female politicians in British history

have

often

been

staunchly

conservative (Thatcher, Liz Truss, Priti Patel).

the barriers, challenges and different treatment women still face. There are certainly plenty of women that I admire. I will tell anyone who will listen to hunt down former Australian PM Julia Gillard’s speech on misogyny from 2012. It was voted the most unforgettable moment of Australian TV history and it’s not hard to see why. I am also hugely

Have you encountered any issues being a woman in politics as part of the Labour party?

AR: The Labour Party has had its own important women politicians from the groundbreaking Barbara Castle to Margaret Beckett and Harriet Harman, both of whom were Deputy Leaders of the Labour Party before me. I’m really proud that

inspired by my fellow women frontbench MPs and so proud to see so many women in positions of power within the Labour Party.

more than half of Labour MPs are now women.

There are still challenges for women in politics more generally as my own experience shows, but there are also fantastic organisations like the Labour Women’s Network that encourage participation.

GI: What are the biggest problems in our country and what kind of changes do you hope to see? This can also include within the Labour Party.

AR: The biggest challenge our country faces right now is tackling the cost of living crisis, and that’s our immediate focus - but we also need to secure a Labour Government with both a vision and a plan for the future. Britain deserves better.

GI: What would you say to a woman who is considering getting into politics but put off by the culture that we see from the outside? For example,

the

belligerent

shouting

in

the

House of Commons, the tone policing that women often face etc.

AR: I certainly don’t want the experiences I’ve had to put anyone from a background like mine off. I would love to see more women getting involved.

It sometimes feels like we don’t start on an even footing. When a man in a suit walks into a room, they are often automatically respected and know people will listen to them. When I walk into a room, I have to work twice as hard just to prove I have the right to be there. I’m no shrinking violet

Scan to read the full interview:

but I am often aware that women, and especially women from backgrounds like mine, have to ‘earn’ their place at the table despite the fact that our lived experience means we’re often much better equipped to tackle the issues that matter.

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labour.org.uk @angelaraynermp

FEATURE

TALKS ACROSS THE BORDER: HOW BREXIT HAS AFFECTED WOMEN IN THE EU

BY ELIZABETH SORRELL

(WOMEN) SUFFER

PUBLIC MORE

CAN

FROM

EXPECT

LOWER

SECTOR

UNSTABLE

CONTRACTS, ECONOMIC

AND

TO

PAY

IN

WORK,

ZERO-HOUR A

SAFETY

WEAKER NET.

Brexit was an inescapable topic ever since the Leave and Remain campaigns were in full throttle in 2016. Immigration, the economy, and freedom of movement were on the table for discussion every day until the very end of the negotiation process and the official withdrawal from the EU in January 2021. Regardless of whether you voted to leave or remain in the EU, it was staggering to witness how Brexit ricocheted throughout the rest of Britain’s domestic and foreign policy. Hard and soft borders, the Erasmus programme, and a myriad of other politicaleconomic advantages that were previously taken for granted were now on the line.

I was 15 when the result of the referendum was announced. I would never know a career within the EU, therefore I suppose I’ll never fully comprehend how much we gave up. As a student in the final cohort of the Erasmus programme, I have felt the fear of losing out on the opportunity to participate in a culture that I had studied about for years. We now have the Turing Scheme, which introduces a wider geographical scope and the potential to further benefit students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

This was just one concern among many that people in the UK felt about Brexit, which was arguably not among the most pressing issues surrounding the consequences of Brexit. We have already experienced some dystopian levels of chaos ignited by new obstacles to trade, especially in essential commodities and services such as petrol, water, treatment chemicals, and lorry drivers.

As most political discourses go, the particular effect of Brexit on women has been overlooked in mainstream media. As pointed out by Julie MacLeavy, the austerity measures of Ireland, Greece, and Portugal mostly resulted in deregulation of the workforce.

Whereas British austerity measures typically undermine the public sector, including public sector jobs and social security, both of which are of importance to women. The age-old problem of paid work overlapping while facing the brunt of unpaid caring responsibilities places women at an economic disadvantage as they can expect to suffer from lower pay in public sector work, more unstable zero-hour contracts, and a weaker economic safety net.

All this being said, little time and attention has been dedicated to the young people in the EU who are also facing economic disruption due to Brexit. Instinctively, Britain is at the centre of Brexit and its fallout. But the withdrawal from the EU was always a two-way street, the EU has had to accommodate and negotiate their own economic terms with Britain as well. For that reason, people within the EU have their own fears regarding the consequences of Brexit, particularly among young people who are just entering the labour market.

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"The government made it clear that they can’t give Northern Ireland a different deal to the rest of the UK. It needs to be different in Northern Ireland. The stakes are higher; we are in a very particular situation that the rest of the country is not and doesn’t necessarily understand. We knew that the effects were going to hit us pretty hard but there was more uncertainty about what was going to happen."

Within the EU, the level of concern varied between those who planned to go visit UK as an erasmus student and those who were content in their own nation states. Speaking with Sara (20) she expressed that her life in Spain was largely unaffected:

The European Commission has set aside billions of euros in the Brexit Adjustment Reserve to compensate for the economic damage that Brexit has caused for the member states, the most of which going to the Republic of Ireland.

For that reason, I have spoken to young women from both the UK and the EU member states to discuss their feelings around Brexit and what it means to them.

Chatting with Vicky (22) about her career path as a music journalist and language enthusiast highlighted several of the problems Brexit has brought about.

Particularly as a woman from Northern Ireland, the political tensions that have been rehashed over the past five years are especially relevant to her:

"It’s more directly affected my degree and the year abroad [...] in terms of what I want to do afterwards, music journalism, it has a big effect. Touring isn’t necessarily as easy for bands that want to come to the UK and Europe. I think there is a risk of less touring which would have an impact on what I do…"

Although it was a decision made for bureaucratic reasons, Vicky recognised the incendiary discourse around nationality in Northern Ireland. With the turbulent history between Britain and the Republic of Ireland, the economic and political implications of Brexit sparked both conflict and anxiety in terms of both trade, borders, and identity. Although there is the advantage of identifying as Irish in order to move more freely around the EU, the decision of nationality can weigh heavily on the people of Northern Ireland.

"That being said, I have a lot of friends who are now worrying about whether they’ll be able to go to England at all. The number of positions for erasmus students in the UK has dropped significantly. A lot are opting to go to Ireland instead because obviously Ireland is still in the EU but it’s changed a lot of people’s plans."

Sara was part of the group throughout all of the EU and Britain that acknowledged that Brexit could happen in 2016, but never thought that it would actually go through. Therefore, the attitudes of many in Spain have shifted in response to the rhetoric of the Leave campaign. Spain is one of the countries most exposed to the negative consequences of Brexit, estimated to lose about €307 million per year due to the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

'Brexit has called into question the harmony, the acceptance of others, and, at worst, the political stability of both itself and the way that outsiders to the UK will see it'

Britain acknowledged that Brexit could happen in 2016, but never thought that it would actually go through. Therefore, the attitudes of many in Spain have shifted in response to the rhetoric of the Leave campaign. Spain is one of the countries most exposed to the negative consequences of Brexit, estimated to lose about €307 million per year due to the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. As many of us know, Brexit has pushed a lot of people away from living and working in the UK and has also pushed many existing residents back into the EU. Although English can operate in Europe to bridge the linguistic divides between other EU nations, the obvious incentive to learn English in order to move freely in Britain has been halted to a standstill.

It is easy to see how British women have been affected by Brexit in the same vein as any worker or business-owner. But Brexit has inflicted its own set of problems on the EU and not just in a purely economic way.

Brexit has called into question the harmony, the acceptance of others, and, at worst, the political stability of both itself and the way that outsiders to the UK will see it. We can hope to move forward in the future and reforge the relationships we previously had with the EU member states.

But can we move past the years that campaigned for separation and rejection of our neighbours?

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Read the full feature on goinspireuk.org:

INTERVIEW

As the CEO of Young Women's

Formally working for Action for Children and Women's Aid, Polly joined Shelter in

Trust, Neate's vision is to help women gain economic justice

2017 in the role of Chief Executive. Taking some time to speak to us away from her

through free coaching, and

work at one of the biggest UK homeless charities, GoInspire wanted to get to know

homeless.

providing shelter for the

Polly and learn about what pushed her into her years of charity work across the UK. GI: Tell us about your current role and why you are passionate about it.

PN: I’m Chief Executive of Shelter, the charity that helps people who find themselves victims of the national emergency our housing crisis has become - either because they are homeless or because the safety or security of their home is under threat. I’m passionate about it because I believe that without a safe and secure home, we can’t build our lives, fulfil our potential, grow and develop. A home is one of the most basic human needs, and I believe it should be a right. But it’s very far indeed from being a right in the UK. GI: Can you describe the moment you knew this is what you wanted to spend your time doing?

PN: When I was a magazine editor, I had a moment when I realised that talking about how bad things are and analysing why things are going wrong wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to try and change things for the better. I was offered two really great new jobs in journalism, and when I realised my heart wasn’t in either of them, I started asking myself why, and found the answer. I was in my late 30s at the time, having spent many years as a journalist.

GI: Is there are particular moment or memory that stands out for you?

PN: One of the first ever features I wrote as a journalist was about families trapped in temporary accommodation. This was in 1990. I visited a family of five in one room in a horrible B&B. The whole room was beds, literally. No floor space, no privacy, no possibility of cleanliness or order, or any kind of normal life. All along the corridor were families in the same state. A communal kitchen at one end, a communal bathroom at the other. I joined Shelter in 2017 and since then I’ve met countless families in exactly the same situation. Every single one brings back that first family I met, and a sense of shame and anger that nothing has changed.

A SAFE HOME IS EVERYTHING 21

POLLY NEATE

GI: Is there an achievement or contribution that you are most proud of?

PN: When I was at Women’s Aid we campaigned for coercive and controlling behaviour to be made a criminal offence. This was incredibly important because “coercive control” isn’t just a type of domestic abuse, it is the heart of it, and the most dangerous aspecto of it. We were successful and it’s now a crime, which opens the door to freedom for many women. I’m also really proud of the work we did with The Archers to raise awareness of what coercive control is. They ran a long storyline about the abuse suffered by Helen Archer and it was incredibly powerful, made a ton of headlines, and made people much more aware.

GI: What inspires you? Who are your female icons?

PN: Feminists inspire me. The person I quote most often is Audre Lorde. The women I have met working at Shelter and Women’s Aid inspire me: they will never be famous but they struggle unbelievable odds. Celebrities don’t inspire me. I like watching lots of them, but inspire? Not really.

GI: What do you think other people should know about this organization?

PN: Shelter believes everyone should have a safe home, in which they can build a life for them and their family. We work alongside people to find and keep a home, and we work with communities and campaign across society to bring the day closer when there’ll be a safe home for everyone.

GI: Are you a feminist? How do you see the role of women in Charity and social work?

PN: Yes I am a feminist. Women have been at the forefront of helping others since charity and social work began, and we still are. Sometimes in roles like mine, but more often because it’s women who care for others, unpaid, unnoticed and often unrewarded.

GI: What do you think the future looks for women?

PN: We are not equal yet. Don’t let anyone tell you we are.

Women are still turning ourselves inside out and upside down to do the right thing, look the right way, please everyone. Actually in many ways the pressures on my daughters’ generation are worse than when I was their ages (23 and 17). But they are more confident than we were, so I have faith and hope in them to change things.

GI: During your period at Womens Aid, you worked with lots of women from different backgrounds. What was your biggest lesson learned from this time?

PN:

That domestic abuse is no respecter of wealth,

culture, or education.

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Read more at goinspireuk.org:

shelter.org.uk @sheltercharity

FEATURE

LIVING with a mixed-race identity

BY NATASHA FARWELL Throughout the 21st century and arguably more so in the last 10 years, mixed-raced people have been racially fetishised for their exoticism. The prevalence of social media has heightened this with many users on Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok exclaiming that they wish to date a BAME person so they can have a baby with olive skin, deep eyes, and luscious dark hair. For a mixed-race person, it can be perceived as a fetishisation of solely the ‘good’ features of being in a minority group whilst disregarding less popularised attributes.

There seems to be a preference for being 'exotic' but not too exotic that their children are burdened with racial microaggressions and an appearance that strays too far from western beauty standards. Mixed-raced people are ‘so beautiful!’ but only if they have the softer features of their BAME side. This picking and choosing of attributes often brushes aside the everyday complications of being mixed-race.

I am half Taiwanese and half British. Being a mixed-race Asian often raises a plethora of questions surrounding my native identity. People often question ‘what are you’ because you look ‘so exotic’, too exotic to be fully white yet too racially ambiguous to figure out where you are from. In a society that already supports social constructs (even if done implicitly), questioning someone’s identity in such an abrupt manner forces people into concrete categories of race, gender, and sexuality.

appearance doesn’t belong in western society.

Mixed-raced individuals are often expected to fall into social categories and stray from a single race. This questioning of identity insinuates a social narrative that the nuances of a mixedraced identity can be reduced to the singular identity whilst ignoring the needed celebration of diverse cultures. More sensitivity is required “ when asking around the topic of a person’s heritage. Asking about a person’s family, where their mother and father grew up, what it is like in their parents' family home is a supportive and gentle way to find out about a person’s history.

"TOO EXOTIC TO BE FULLY WHITE YET TOO RACIALLY AMBIGUOUS TO FIGURE OUT WHERE YOU ARE FROM"

FAMILY AND DATING:

An announcement that I am half Taiwanese, and half British becomes a shock. ‘You don’t look Asian’ or ‘you definitely look more white’ is a common response. The problem with these stark questions is the insensitivity. Growing up, being questioned for my ethnicity becomes an alarming occurrence.

Mixed-race people become conditioned to these questions and maintain a tolerant attitude, disregarding the patronising implications of asking ‘what are you’. Yet with a history of colonialism and imperialism targeted at minority groups, the question becomes negatively loaded with a perpetuation that one’s ambiguous

"Dating can be hard because my skin is not white enough to be white-passing and the question of my ethnicity becomes inevitable.

Once getting to know a potential partner, I must tell them the ins and outs of my culture to make sure that they are aware of how the Indian side of my family perceives dating. I often think it will be better to date a person who understands my culture to avoid complications, yet living in the UK, it is hard to do this."– Anonymous, BritishIndian.

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Finding a balance of respecting my Asian mother while accepting that my situation in British culture is conversely different to Asian culture has been a struggle. I often felt irritated that my mother would prohibit actions that I assumed were normal for a teenage girl.

DUAL IDENTITY IN SOCIETY: Growing up in London has been a hugely beneficial experience for me as a mixed-raced individual. Living in a city that celebrates multiculturalism through art, food, and events.

China Town is filled with a myriad of Asian cuisine that has brought the richness and and diversity of Asian food situated across the world in the heart of London. I appreciated the rise in multiculturalism within my city. The celebration of differing cultural communities, provided individuals a sense of belonging.

"MIXED-RACE INDIVIDUALS ARE EXPECTED TO FALL INTO SOCIAL CATEGORIES AND STRAY FROM A SINGLE RACE" Acknowledging that what seems harsh for a British teenager is a social norm within Asian society aided me to understand where my mother was coming from and my perceived intolerance with her house rules.

"GROWING UP, BEING QUESTIONED FOR MY IDENTITY WAS AN ALARMING OCCURANCE"

When I told my mother that I was going to pursue a degree in English and Philosophy, I was welcomed with an embracing support that comforted me with the fact that my Asian mother accepts me for who I am and my strengths. I appreciate the prevalence of Asian culture in my childhood. I will always devote my love of traditional Taiwanese cuisine, Buddhism, and the ability to speak Mandarin to my mother.

Nevertheless stereotyping is still prevalent for biracial women in London, especially through catcalling. For me, it seems that being mixedrace has opened the opportunity for targeted microaggressions towards me because my appearance is not overtly Asian, and therefore, people believe they can get away with racial insensitivity as I am not fully a part of a minority group. In a time where everyday sexism is still an issue, race becomes a catalyst.

My capability of merging Asian and British culture has taught me that my mixed-race identity doesn’t necessitate a linear experience. I can proudly wear my Jade necklace that my mother handed down to me and still get a tattoo although it is often shunned in Asian culture. This mixture of culture has formed my identity above anything else, and I will always thank my parents for their open-minded leniency for my dual culture.

Women of all races have been victims of sexual stereotyping. When a biracial or racial minority woman talks back to catcalling they will often be met with a range of steretypical comments about their ethnicity, such as Asian women are frigid and hispanic women are promiscious to sort of castrate women back into their stereotyped identity. Being a mixed-race woman means that your appearance is how you are stereotyped. Biracial individuals are often viewed as ‘attractive misfits’, and that’s only if you have the idealistic stereotypical attractive attributes of being mixed race.

" MIXED-RACE IDENTITY DOESN'T NECESSITATE A LINEAR EXPERIENCE"

Other stereotypes that come from being BAME include the instant expectation that Asians are high achievers in school which has detrimental effects on adolescent mental health.Asian prejudice in schools concerns bullying for the presumption that the high achiever is 'nerdy', or contrastingly especially ' stupid' for falling short of consistent good grades.

Yet, over time I have come to celebrate my biracial identity, finding it an absolute privilege to experience the cultural differences of my dual dentity, such as traditional Taiwanese cuisine, Buddhism, and the ability to speak Mandarin, to my mother. Yet also enjoying sunday roasts, Easter and the joys of British culture.

DUAL IDENTITY IN SOCIETY:

Read the full feature on goinspireuk.org:

Olivia Rodrigo has advocated for her biracial identity on social media, celebrating her love of Filipino food.

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FEATURE

THE PLEASURE GAP

BY BETHANY SMITH

Men don’t know where the clit is and women fake it til’ they make it – that’s right, we’ve all heard the jokes, but what if I told you there’s some semblance of truth to that?

Women face disparity in many facets of life, jobs, careers, income, education and much more, but the lesser-known disparity is that of sex and pleasure. Society says we shouldn’t talk about this because sex isn’t for women to enjoy, but artists like Megan Thee Stallion and more are taking a fiery, hot sledgehammer to that stereotype – so let’s get into it.

From the brutality and lack of female pleasure found within mainstream porn, to how Kim Kardashian is still shamed for filming a sex tape 15 years after the fact. Society has found lots of different ways to teach girls that sexual pleasure isn’t for them. Slut shaming, body shaming, 'it will hurt, you’ll bleed’ , young girls are sold this idea through a severely lacking sex-ed syllabus, stereotypes

women, I’ve learned that many had similar experiences and feel the same way. The idea of sex is so intrinsically tied to male pleasure that if you do not fit into that category, you are not given the space to learn you can experience those feelings too. But you can and you don't need anyone else's presence or permission to do so. The male gaze and heterosexuality has influenced so much of what we consider to be sex If you watch any porn video, you will likely see a whole lot of vaginal penetration, mixed in with a few moans from the woman to stroke the man's ego - let him know he is doing a good job, and the video halts once the man orgasms. When you merge this with the lack of sex education and general reluctance from most people to talk about it you end up with people using these porn videos as an educational tool (this was literally the case for my school’s sex ed classes, they took an old porno on and told us this is what happens).

"These things came together to teach me this false narrative that my body is not mine."

and popular culture that sex will be something you will struggle to enjoy.

Orgasm is elusive, but pain ever-present.

Growing up I felt a strong sense of shame around my own pleasure, as though it were some illicit feeling that I had to suppress. I suffered sexual harassment and assault and took part in sex ed classes that portrayed sex in a strictly heteronormative light, and all of these things came together to teach me this false narrative that my body is not mine. Watching documentaries, talking to friends, reading articles written by

This is an issue for a multitude of reasons; the aggression and roughness it can create within men, the pressure on women to meet these expectations on what enjoyable sex should look, sound and feel like. There is little consideration in mainstrain media that not everyone’s sex will look like the straight penetration that is so widely advertised.

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Whilst the porn industry does have a lot to answer for, they can’t be blamed for everything. The suppression and the exploitation of female sexuality has been going on for a lot longer than the mainstream porn sites of today have been capitalising off it. Adverts for deodorant, coffee, cars, and many more inanimate objects have been rooted in sexism and exploitation for as long as I, your parents, and your parents’ parents can remember.

Using the female body to sell material objects is a technique that many claim to be fruitful, ever heard the phrase ‘sex sells?’

But there’s a problem with using the female body as a marketing technique, it plays into the narrative that a woman’s body is an object with a price tag, a purchasable commodity for the masses.

maybe it’s time we take this seriously. New waves of popular culture are moving towards giving women that quality of life within their sexual encounters, taking control of their narrative and leaving behind the shame and stigma attached to the female orgasm. In the summer of 2020, as the world was shut down from Covid-19, Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B dropped a single so hot, so explicitly sex positive and loud about female pleasure, people were instantly hooked. People loved it, or hated it, blasted it from their car stereo systems, or took to Twitter to demonise the artists. I am, of course, talking about WAP. This song, with all its unabashed sexuality, seemed to take the conversation of female pleasure to the world stage – Women think about sex.

Women talk about sex. Women enjoy sex. It seems so simple but it’s an idea the world was, and still is, waking up to.

The impact these social messages and educational failings are having on women are staggering and undeniable. In straight relationships, 66% of women regularly orgasm, lesbian women experience slightly higher rates at 86%, but for men that figure jumps up to 95%. Various studies have found different statistics, with one I found going as little as 40% of women reach orgasm, compared to 80% of men during a causal hook up. No matter where you look, women are having significantly less pleasurable sex than men. This may seem like a topic that’s not important enough to discuss, just another disparity between men and women, but sex is so important that the World Health Organisation (WHO) consider it to be a fundamental to our quality of life. So, if the WHO consider sexual pleasure to be integral to our ability to live a rich lifestyle,

only 33% of women and people with vaginas reach an orgasm every time during heterosexual intercourse Women are taking up the space they need to learn and talk about their own pleasure in a way that is authentic, unbridled, and exciting. My hope is that in 10 years my words will be a relic, a snapshot of a distant past in a future where female sexuality is unchained from its male heterosexual keeper. No one’s permission is needed to solve this issue, let’s work together to close the pleasure gap for good.

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Read the full feature on goinspireuk.org:

@LAURAPINKPHOTO LAURAPINKPHOTOGRAPHY.CO.UK

INTERVIEW

Slack is raising awareness and

Permanently moving from busy Bristol to beautiful Cornwall, West Country activist Amy has actively campaigned for awareness of plastic pollution, ocean recovery, water quality and our ocean and climate. Her work with Surfers Against Sewage as Head of Campaigns and Policy is one of her latest journeys in what has been 10 years of work in the environmental sector. GoInspire was excited to hear more about Amy and her career.

GI: When did you start working in the environmental sector? What drew you there?

AS: I’ve been working in the environmental sector for over 15 years now, starting out working with the Isles of Scilly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty team, then working in Environmental Service in Local Government, before spending 7 years as an Environmental Consultant in Bristol. I’ve known I wanted to work in the sector since university really. I did an unusual joint degree in Psychology with Geography through which I really gained an understanding of the environmental and biodiversity crisis we are facing but also the importance of the environment to our health and well-being. That led me to do a Masters at the Centre for Alternative Technology which really cemented my passion for the environment and desire to do something worthwhile with my career to protect it. I’ve now got my dream job leading the Campaigns & Policy Team at Surfers Against Sewage. I’ve been a lover of the Ocean since I can remember so being able to campaign to protect and restore it is humbling.

GI: What do you believe makes your work, and Surfers Against Sewage so impactful?

AS: I think it’s the fact that we are a grass roots campaign organisation. We started 30 years ago as a bunch of surfers that were sick of getting sick from sewage in the sea. It was this raw passion that really cut through back then and led to huge changes in legislation around water quality. We are now more than surfers and campaign on more than sewage. We are passionate about the health of the ocean and really believe in what we are doing and stand for.

We could not have the impact we have without our huge network of supporters who that we refer to as ‘ocean activists’ who are so vital to our work.

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discourse surrounding such a pertinent and pressing issue for this generation. The environment and sustainability are topics that GoInspire is hugely concerned with.

They are the ones cleaning beaches, collecting evidence that’s invaluable in demanding change, joining our protects, writing to their MP’s demanding action. They are the tidal wave that create the change we need to protect and restore the ocean. It’s essential to us that we are open and authentic, telling it how it is and sticking to our grass routes heritage. We’re also not afraid to be daring in our campaigning to get our message across!

GI: Do you think environmental activism, and environmental careers are hard to get into? What could someone face - and did you ever encounter any problems going into it yourself?

AS: The environmental sector is a popular sector to work in and it can feel difficult to break into, particularly environmental activism. It might not be a career that you can get into straight away but look to try and get jobs that will give you some of those vital skills that you’ll need for campaigning. Also, it can be really helpful to bring expertise to a campaigning role. For example, my years as a consultant gave me a huge amount of knowledge and experience in the waste and recycling industry which has been really useful to Surfers Against Sewage in its work around plastic pollution. Always look for opportunities to get a foot in the door at junior positions as there are often opportunities to progress once you’ve got a bit of experience. On several occasions I have had to take the risk of moving ‘sideways’ or ‘down’ the career ladder to ultimately progress into the job I’ve wanted to do – that’s what I did in order to join Surfers Against Sewage actually!

THE UK RANKS JUST 25TH OUT OF 30 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES FOR BATHING WATER QUALITY EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENT AGENCY, 2019

GI: What, in your career, do you want people to notice? What impacts do you think you make/can create?

Ultimately, I want to make change that helps protect and restore the environment. I want the things I work on to actually make a difference. Sounds a bit cliché I guess but I have had jobs in the environmental sector where the things I work on don’t really go anywhere or I don’t really get to see the impact of my work. One of my proudest achievements at Surfers Against Sewage so far has been our #EndSewagePollution campaign that last year resulted in the government making a very public U-turn on amendments to the Environment Act last year resulting in much more ambitious legislation related to sewage pollution being adopted and skyrocketed the issue into the public consciousness. I really believe that the work we are doing at SAS is really helping to restore the health of the ocean. sas.org.uk @surfersagainstsewage

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Read the full interview online:

FEATURE

The Perfect Sustainable Night-Time Routine

by Natasha Farwell More than ever before, sustainability is necessary to preserve our natural resources for future generations.

Sustainability maintains our quality of life while simultaneously nurturing the world we live in. What's not to love!

L

3-Step Sustainable Routine:

Meatless Dinner:

1

"You have to hold yourself accountable for your actions, and that’s how we’ve going to protect the Earth"– Julia Butterfly Hill

Bath Time:

2

Bed Time:

3

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By choosing a meatless dinner, studies have shown an emission reduction of up to 30% per person once halving their meat consumption. Incorporating Quorn chicken pieces instead of chicken into your recipes is an easy way to start. The consistency of soya protein effortlessly mimics meat and is fantastic in a stir fry by soaking up the flavour from the sauce. A further recommendation of meal prepping for the following day promotes the practice of reusing plates, pans, and utensils instead of relying on store-bought meal deals for your work lunch.

Unwinding with a bath filled with natural products is one of the best ways to reduce stress and improve energy by using healthy products. Firstly, setting a relaxing ambiance with an eco-friendly candle is essential. Soy wax candles with plastic-free packaging are perfect guilt-free alternatives to scented paraffin wax candles, which release carcinogenic toxins. These toxins are harmful to your body and even emit the same toxins as burning fuel. Create the perfect bubble bath with mineral-infused products such as the Eco Bath Range Bath Salts from Holland & Barrett. Any bubble bath with a refillable product pouch appreciably reduces plastic wastage, Once out of the bath, it is time to get ready for bed.

Investing in an eco-friendly mattress removes the risk of the harsh chemicals from mass manufactured mattresses. An organic latex mattress is produced with higher quality materials, ensuring a better night's sleep. Lavender is known to induce a (mild) sedativelike sleep, and utilising natural stone diffusers prevents air pollution, unlike commonly used humidifiers, by emitting aromas from natural stone's essential oils. Moreover, Bamboo toothbrushes are significantly better for the environment due to their biodegradable and compostable packaging. End the day with an enticing book which limits screen time and toxin-free skincare from brands (such as Dr. Hauschka) that use green energy for a sustainable yet simple night-time routine!

INTERVIEW

As a non-profit organisation, GoInspire loves Ghose's charity work for victims of domestic

After reading law at Oxford, becoming a parliamentary researcher for an MP, and qualifying as a barrister who represented refugees, Katie Ghose left her career path behind to make her mark on the charity sector. Since, she has worked for a myriad of charities such as the British Institute for Human Rights, Women’s Aid, and in her current role as the chief executive of KIDS. GoInspire had the privilege of discussing what has driven Ghose to fight for those without a voice.

abuse, which has driven victims to recognise that abuse can never be condoned under any circumstance.

GI: What is KIDS, how is it run as a charity?

KG: KIDS is a national charity, founded in 1970, that provides a wide range of services to disabled children, young people and their families in England. We support children from babies through to young adults, whatever their disability. Our services include drop-in crèches and nurseries for the under 5s, youth clubs, short breaks, and residential stays for young adults.

KIDS works with around 12,000 disabled children, young people and family members each year across England.

During 2021, we delivered over 190,000 hours of support. We are continually developing our expertise and sharing it with others. We are proud of our achievements but know how far there is to go before every disabled child and young person leads a fulfilled life and families are supported at every stage.

GI: Can you tell us about your early career which led you to becoming the chief executive of KIDS? KG: My first job was in Parliament, and helping an MP’s constituents with immigration queries sparked an interest in this area of law. After working as a parliamentary lobbyist for a national charity, I qualified as a barrister and represented refugees. But campaigning for systemic change was my passion and I’ve worked for charities ever since, helping them to develop their voice and influence.

My first chief executive role was at the British Institute of Human Rights, where we worked to promote the rights of disabled people. Over a decade later, this chimes strongly with the KIDS ethos and our new vision of a society where disabled children, young people and their families enjoy equal rights and opportunities.

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GI: What drives you in this line of work?

KG: Citizens Advice was my first charity role and their twin aims inspired me: practical support and policy influence. This is still what drives me: changing systems based on evidence from the frontline of what really makes a difference in people’s lives.

Excitingly, we have now adopted this approach at KIDS. Our new strategy has two aims: 1) to provide disabled children, young people, and their families with practical, life-changing and creative support and 2) to empower disabled children and young people, to amplify their voices and to champion their rights.

Our early-years work at KIDS is a good example of this combined approach. We are delivering practical work with the under 5s and their families ‘on the ground’ and we are part of strategic alliances to make the whole system work better, because we know that early help makes all the difference. On my last visit to a KIDS creche I met Molly (age 4) and her mum, Jane (not their real names). Molly and I looked at dinosaur books together while her mum sat on the edge of the carpet – we chatted a little.

They had been found when Molly was a baby, living in appalling conditions. Jane, who has a learning disability, was doing her utmost as a mother but was completely on her own. When Molly came to KIDS, she was experiencing significant delays to her development and couldn’t walk.

Our staff provided therapies, the chance to play with children and helped Jane with practical tips for looking after herself and her little one.

When I met them, Molly was smiling and slowly walking across the room and her mum was looking forward with confidence to Molly’s first day at nursery school. These are the lifechanging stories that motivate me and provide us with the evidence of what works to improve the system for everyone.

DON’T HANG ON FOR THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY - DIVE IN AND DO SOMETHING! KATIE GHOSE GI: You also have a background in politics and law, how did you get into those fields?

KG: Law and politics have also been intertwined. My mum encouraged me to do law as a vocational degree, but straight afterwards I grabbed the chance to study abroad for a Masters in Political Science. I love politics and believe that we need to open it up so that everyone sees it as something for them, from parish councillor to PM. I’m glad I put myself forward to be a parliamentary candidate.

I didn’t succeed in being elected but I gave it my best shot and met some fantastic people along the way.

GI: Do you have any advice for women looking to go into any of these areas?

KG: Don’t hang on for the perfect opportunity - dive in and do something. You will learn and grow and it will open a door to another avenue.

Being a lawyer wasn’t right for me long-term but the skills and training I acquired have served me well in every role since. And I pooled my legal and political interests in my book Beyond the Courtroom: A Lawyer’s Guide to Campaigning. And DON’T wait till you have everything on the job description (plenty of men don’t!) to put yourself forward for an opportunity.

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Read the full interview online:

kids.org.uk @kidscharityuk

THE COVER ARTIST

Grieves's vibrancy paired with

Ella, founder of graphic design business Ella Grieves Designs, spoke to us about life after university in the corporate world, why 2021 was the year to start her new business and her love for typography in this interview. The team at GoInspire team adored Ella's work from the first look - including her typography on our cover and having the fantastic opportunity to speak to her about the beginnings of her business.

her usage of motivational typography creates perfectly satisfying and trendy pieces that we love!

Check her out: @ellagrievesdesigns

GI: What made you break from the corporate world? What wasn’t working for you that is working for you now? How has it changed/improved your life?

EG: It’s safe to say it was something I’d known I needed to do for a while. I joined a graduate level job after university because it seemed to be the right thing to do, looking back I didn’t really know any different. It wasn’t all bad and I genuinely did enjoy it for a little while, but once the reality of ‘this is it’ set in, it was hard to escape that mindset. I was feeling totally unfulfilled both mentally and creatively, which made me unhappy. I felt trapped in this vicious cycle of working all week, wishing my days away, counting down the seconds until the weekend, being hungover when that time came, and then doing it all over again. The ‘Sunday Scaries’ became an obligatory norm where I’d spend most of day feeling this awful dread in the pit of my stomach. Not to mention the impact it was having on my physical health too. I was drinking & smoking pretty much every day plus eating awfully. My skin suffered terribly because of these habits which further added to my unhappiness.

Overall, as someone who thrives in creative space, being stuck at a desk doing the same thing over and over every day was mind-numbing and it was time to do something about it. It took me almost a year of contemplation to pluck up the courage and make the jump, but when I finally did, it was honestly the most liberating feeling I’ve ever experienced! I remember how I felt coming off that phone call so vividly - pure relief! I moved back in with my parents, spent 6 months studying like I never have before, and launched my business in June 2021.

Fast forward a year, and the difference to my life and headspace is monumental. I now live back in London with my partner and puppy and run my business from home. Since starting Ella Grieves Designs I’ve been featured and stocked in Stylist Magazine, had my work appear in a gallery in Amsterdam, advertised my business across the London Underground and most recently signed with my first in-store retailer! It really is amazing what can happen in a short amount of time, and I do have to pinch myself when I think about how far I’ve come. I love my business and am proud of what I do.

It’s given me the freedom, confidence, skills and knowledge to work when I want and on my terms. There’s also no stress over hierarchy, micromanagement, career progression, promotions - the options for me are endless and I’m it’s exciting to think about where I could be in 5/10 years from now.

GI: Is there a message that you want to convey in your designs?

EG: Although all my designs are quite different from one another, I like to aim for positive, bold and uplifting themes throughout. If I had to choose an overall message, I’d say ‘Be yourself and have courage’ – these are the two important ingredients that go into Ella Grieves Designs. It took me a while to gain these aspects for myself- thinking about it now, perhaps portraying them through my work helped me get there!

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BE YOURSELF AND HAVE COURAGE ELLA GRIEVES

GI: What made you want to break away from traditional sign writing?

EG: It was more to do with timing than anything. I finished University and immediately felt that pressure to go to London and get a job like most of my peers seemed to be doing. This was also something I fully wanted to do at the time. I’d always wanted to experience living and working in London as it’s my favourite place and I’ll never regret doing so. I was 22, didn’t want to settle back in the countryside with my family and so just took the first job that came along. I still live and work in London- it just so happens I’m doing something completely different to what I’d ever imagined doing- which turns out to be way more up my street!

Furthermore, as much as I loved the traditional side of signwriting, I’d always had more of an interest in the graphics side of typography and feel like that’s where my more natural talent lies. Learning the Adobe Suite broadened my opportunities massively. I’ve still got a lot to learn but most of it comes as second nature to me now.

GI: What was it like setting up your own design business? Did you have a support network professionally or personally to help you through it?

EG: To put it bluntly, setting up your own business must be one of the most challenging things you’ll ever do. For those who have done it themselves, know that it isn’t just sitting down to make pretty pictures and upload them to your Instagram all day (oh how I wish!). That’s genuinely about 2% of what’s involved.

Without exaggeration, in those early days of setting up before the launch, there weren’t many days that I didn’t think about throwing in the towel. It’s amazing how many things can go wrong. For example, my laptop completely died on me 2 weeks before the launch. Everything was backed up luckily, however it meant sending it in for repair for a week which was a huge setback. I remember my Mum reassuring me that this was all just a test and that’ll I’ll be better off in the long run by dealing with these issues now rather than later. She was so right! After a while I learnt that every problem has a solution, there was no point stressing, and to just take a step back and address the problem in a calm way. Furthermore, I am so lucky to have an amazing support network around me. My family and partner backed me 100% from day 1 and I wouldn’t be where I am now without their support.

GI: Do you think it’s important to support other women in business?

EG: Yes, yes and yes! At the beginning of my business journey, I used to spend a lot of time comparing myself to the other incredible women artists & business owners on my feed. It wasn’t a healthy attitude to have, and it took me a little while to realise that. With time my perspective completely changed, and I now know how important it is to do nothing but praise & uplift one another! So much so, I even created a limited-edition print that focuses on this exact concept. Another obvious benefit is friendship! I’ve met some amazing women & fellow business owners on this journey and it’s so lovely to know you’ve got someone who completely understands how difficult small business life can be!

Read the full interview online:

ellagrievesdesigns.co.uk @ellagrievesdesigns 34

CULTURAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT:

TURNING RED REVIEW

BY NATASHA FARWELL

Pixar’s latest movie Turning Red follows 13-year-old Mei, a Chinese-Canadian who academically excels in every aspect of her eighth-grade life.

I admit, from viewing the first 10 minutes of Turning Red I was sceptical of the hit movie because of Mei’s characterisation, hoping that it would not present an oversaturated, stereotypical display of the ‘Asian Golden Child’.

Even Mei’s mother had a stereotypical flare to her, immediately asking Mei if she’s hungry and shoving a dumpling down her throat. It seemed to me that Pixar’s attempt at representing the Asian community fell short of success due to their rigid compliance with westernised stereotypes.

It was not until Mei returned to her home in Toronto that I realised how magnificent the cinematography represented Asian culture.

Elements such as the bright red lanterns, the shots of mouth-watering cuisine with perfectly sliced chilli dumplings under a glistening light, and the nostalgic Asian music that took me back to growing up in an Asian household. What particularly resonated with me is the profound and realistic representation of the Asian motherdaughter relationship.

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WHAT WE DO Women have not been given what we deserve. So, we have decided to give it to ourselves. Go Inspire is a platform designed to uplift, inspire, and support all women, no matter the woman.

We are a non-profit organization focused on women's wellbeing, led by women. Our main goal is to become a charity for the public benefit.

Our story starts in 2020. The first national (and global) lockdown of our time sealed forever more the extent of our nation’s, and our world’s, fragility of the mind. Social isolation meant social exclusion. We only fully realised then, just how much we depend upon social contact and community for the sake of our mental well-being and mental survival. Loneliness, depression, and anxiety spiked around the globe, linking all of us together in silence. In this moment, this life changing moment, silent vows were made across the world to never again take advantage of contact and people.

Amongst this quiet chaos, Go Inspire was born. Stemming from the newfound revelation towards the necessity of human contact, the need for a community was urgent. The goal of Go Inspire therefore is to create this community, of which we are achieving and hope to continue achieving.

OUR MAIN GOAL IS TO EMPOWER, INSPIRE, EDUCATE AND SUPPORT ADULT WOMEN AT EVERY STAGE OF THEIR LIFE, WITHIN A WELCOMING COMMUNITY. 36

Recorded domestic abuse cases (of which women are the main victims) rose not to mention the many more cases that would have gone unreported. Depression and feelings of loneliness spiked of which again women were the most subjected to according to multiple research studies and surveys done by licensed professionals of their respected fields. Go Inspire is the safe space that women desperately need.

CONNECT, LEARN AND BE YOU.

It is for this reason that we focus on having an all women team and space so that no women are discouraged to join us. The safety, comfort, and support, that comes with having an all women space cannot be understated. We are the best to understand ourselves and each other, accept ourselves and each other, console, support, and uplift ourselves and each other. The freedom that comes to us, when women are free from the male gaze, is invigorating and an overflowing source of refreshment. Go Inspire is the place that women deserve to have.

We often host these amazing events as a way for women to connect to one another.

The main ethos here is community building, and there’s no better community for women than a community filled with women.

We are passionate about sustainability, from rewilding to preloved fashion. We believe there is a strong connection within women wellness and nature so we use it as a learning and grounding tool. We believe that women can create positive change.

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