NAGmag by Sophie Malone

nag CONTEMPORARY FASHION & FEMINISM

June 2014

nag

is a magazine dedicated to generating interesting and thought provoking content that establishes what modern female equality is all about. We aim to Represent and connect like-minded women through fashion and art. We push forward ideals of gender parallelism in an engaged and thoughtful response.

content PAGE 04

Nag: Who We Are

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Charlotte Emily Fisher: Sneak preview of her final collection

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The Shrinking Woman: A poem by Lily Myers

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The Sexuality Double Standard: How Is a gay woman treated differently from a gay man?

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Edie: We cath up with model, jewllery and student, Edie Charles

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Feminism: A man’s point of view

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Think in Pink: Our pick of new designers lingerie collections

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W.O.W Festival: A review of the recent Women Of the World Festival

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Epidermisvision: A look into how we see skin

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Sophia Ward: Views on feminism from a young designer

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The Electric Lady: Review of Janelle Monae’s performance at Brixton Acadamy

Illustration

Sophie Malone

contributors Photography - Maxime Imbert / Shaima Ayoub / Kez Coo/ Sophie Malone Words - Tina Ledger / Jack Winter / Lily Myers / Pages Matam Stylists - Phoebe Wilson / Sophie Malone Illustration - Lauren Humphrey / Sophie Malone Talent - Charlotte Fisher / Sophia Ward / Edie Charles Models - Jade Anderson / Bonie Bowely Editor - Sophie Malone

Charlotte Emily Fisher Photography

Sophie Malone

Model

Jade Anderson

Charlotte is studying Jewellery Design at Central Saint Martins, we teamed up to show off parts of her final collection in the making. Charlotteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pieces make a connection between the way we feel towards an object when it fits so perfectly in your hand, giving a sense of unity between object and body. To acheive this Charlotte started by looking at the negative space of a body and the trace that the body leaves behind. This has resulted in a combination of chunky stones hand made incapturing her own hair and blood within. All pieces are made using casts of her own hands to insure a comfortable and satisfying fit.

Trousers All Jewellery

American Apparal - Charlottle Emily Fisher

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the shrinking woman Poetry

Lily Myers

Across from me at the kitchen table, my mother smiles over red wine that she drinks out of a measuring glass. She says she doesn’t deprive herself, but I’ve learned to find nuance in every movement of her fork. In every crinkle in her brow as she offers me the uneaten pieces on her plate. I’ve realized she only eats dinner when I suggest it. I wonder what she does when I’m not there to do so. Maybe this is why my house feels bigger each time I return; it’s proportional. As she shrinks the space around her seems increasingly vast. She wanes while my father waxes. His stomach has grown round with wine, late nights, oysters, poetry. A new girlfriend who was overweight as a teenager, but my dad reports that now she’s “crazy about fruit.” It was the same with his parents; as my grandmother became frail and angular her husband swelled to red round cheeks, round stomach and I wonder if my lineage is one of women shrinking making space for the entrance of men into their lives not knowing how to fill it back up once they leave. I have been taught accommodation. My brother never thinks before he speaks. I have been taught to filter. “How can anyone have a relationship to food?” He asks, laughing, as I eat the black bean soup I chose for its lack of carbs. I want to tell say: we come from difference, Jonas, you have been taught to grow out I have been taught to grow in you learned from our father how to emit, how to produce, to roll each thought off your

tongue with confidence, you used to lose your voice every other week from shouting so much I learned to absorb I took lessons from our mother in creating space around myself I learned to read the knots in her forehead while the guys went out for oysters and I never meant to replicate her, but spend enough time sitting across from someone and you pick up their habits that’s why women in my family have been shrinking for decades. We all learned it from each other, the way each generation taught the next how to knit weaving silence in between the threads which I can still feel as I walk through this evergrowing house, skin itching, picking up all the habits my mother has unwittingly dropped like bits of crumpled paper from her pocket on her countless trips from bedroom to kitchen to bedroom again, Nights I hear her creep down to eat plain yogurt in the dark, a fugitive stealing calories to which she does not feel entitled. Deciding how many bites is too many How much space she deserves to occupy. Watching the struggle I either mimic or hate her, And I don’t want to do either anymore but the burden of this house has followed me across the country I asked five questions in genetics class today and all of them started with the word “sorry”. I don’t know the requirements for the sociology major because I spent the entire meeting deciding whether or not I could have another piece of pizza a circular obsession I never wanted but inheritance is accidental still staring at me with wine-stained lips from across the kitchen table.

T H E

S E X U A L I T Y D O U B L E S T A N D A R D Words - Tina Ledger

Art - Sophie Malone

Time to address the sexuality double-standard, which treats gay men as sexually aggressive perverts and lesbians as conquests. Porn culture has helped to create some warped and distorted views regarding sexuality; society still revolves around the ideals of the man, and he has a very sensitive ego – there is, therefore, no possible way that a woman could have an orgasm without a penis (plastic or otherwise) being involved. Good illustrations of this are available through many media examples within popular culture, where men and women’s sexuality are treated very differently; T-Pain spoke about homophobia within the music industry last week, mainly within hip-hop culture, where male artists are often boycotted if they identify as gay or bisexual. Through Katy Perry we have seen how sexuality can be used in order to promote record sales; though ‘bisexual’ Perry may like kissing girls, promoters are keen to make everyone who buys into this image aware that she would, in fact, rather have sex with men.

However, we have also seen how sexuality can be somewhat damaging to a musical career; Frank Ocean also identifies as bisexual and sings about kissing people of the same gender, but has subsequently suffered at the hands of prejudice. It’s as though buying Frank Ocean’s music is an admission of holding suppressed homosexual fantasies, and no self-respecting straight men should even think about going to his concerts; it would be like taking a shower in prison – whatever you do, don’t drop your wallet, you know what these perverted gays are like! Lesbian and bisexual women are often represented as mostly straight, but occasionally experiment with other women, whereas gay and bisexual men are portrayed as mostly gay, but occasionally have girlfriends in an attempt to hide their sexual orientation. This kind of sexuality double-standard is not just something that I write about, but something that I, and many other individuals who identify as LGB (lesbian, gay or bisexual), experience almost daily. Firstly, you can put the violins down; I am not asking for sympathy or pity, just simply demonstrating my frustration with porn-fed, close-minded individuals, which there are far too many of.

For example, I learned pretty fast that it was a lot easier telling horny boys in clubs that I’m ‘in a relationship’, as opposed to ’I’m a lesbian’, as apparently all they hear is: ‘I’m a challenge’, ‘I’m a cock tease’, or ‘threesome!’. But as I have said, it’s not a matter of life and death and I do not lose sleep over it, it’s just fucking annoying when nobody takes your relationship seriously because drunk girls decide to play gay at clubs, and snog their girl friends for the benefit of all the leering men. However, I cannot imagine that two men kissing in a straight bar would receive the same sort of positive attention, from men or women, and again, it is as though just being comfortable with another’s sexuality will result in having your own sexual orientation questioned. I have heard heterosexual men state how two men kissing ‘turns their stomach’, but they would happily watch two women. But what is so repulsive, are you scared you might like it? Because I’ve never heard a homosexual person question their own sexuality, after watching a heterosexual couple kiss.

Another thing that I found quite frustrating recently is the reaction to Ellen Page (Juno) coming out, sorry to piss all over your equality parade, but seeing the massive media reaction to Page ‘outing’ herself marked as a step back, rather than a step forward, for me – I actually look forward to a time where honesty is not so ground breaking. Though this was probably not her intention, I am fairly certain that this move will reignite an otherwise relatively quiet career and I now await the headlines of: ‘Lesbian Actress Ellen Page Stars in New Romantic Comedy, Alongside Amber Heard‘, or ‘Lesbian Actress Ellen Page Seen Walking With Unknown Attractive Female, New Girlfriend?‘, or more simply ‘Lesbian Actress Ellen Page Leaves Apartment to Buy Milk‘. This media obsession with sexuality doesn’t sit well in my stomach; it’s like when a racist declares how many ethnic friends they have, so therefore cannot possibly be prejudiced. But what do you think, is homophobia such a burning current issue? I end this with a quote from my new favourite philosopher, T-Pain: ‘Attention all you homophobic idiots: if you’re not attractive to straight women, you’re probably not attractive to gay men. You can unclench now.’

E DIE

Edie Charles is a model and jeweller from New York. She was spotted for her first major catwalk show last year for Meadham Kirchhoff. Since then she has been involved with lots of exciting new projects and shoots. She recently appeared in a shoot for Barneys, New York window campaign representing equal rights and work for transgender models, titled â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Brothers, Sisters, Sons & Daughtersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. As well as modelling work keeping her busy, Edie has also managed to fit in a jewelery design degree at Central Saint Martins - She is definetley one to watch. We were lucky enough to catch up with her to discuss inspirations and future plans.

Photographer

Maxime Imbert

Model/Talent

Edie Charles

Words

Sophie Malone

Coming from New York, why did you choose London to study jewellery? I always loved to travel and I knew that I wanted to study abroad so I looked into some different options and London seemed like the best fit. I first visited London with my parents when I was twelve. My dad was on a business trip, and my mom, brother, and I tagged along. I instantly fell in love with this city. For me it embodied the romance of Europe and the metropolitan feeling that I knew growing up. It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t until I moved to London that I decided to study jewellery. I had done silversmithing in high school, but was unsure if that was really what I wanted to do, but two months into my foundation it became instantly clear that jewellery was my passion.

How were you first noticed/discovered? I was scouted for the Meadham Kirchhoff AW13 show on the way to the library at CSM. Someone stopped me in the hallway and asked if I would come to a casting the next morning. The whole interaction happened very quickly and I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t actually understand what she said but we exchanged contact details and I showed up to the casting the next morning. Only then did I learn what it was all about.

Did you think about a modelling career before being discovered, or did this come as a surprise? I always fantasised about a career in modelling. I had a lot of model friends growing up and it always seemed like a very glamorous lifestyle. I had a few photographer friends that would sometimes take pictures of me but when I moved to London and grew out my hair and started presenting myself more femininely i started getting approached a lot more for various modelling jobs. Modelling wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, however, something that just landed in my lap - it is definitely something that I pursued. I went to different agencies, and dealt with some rejections. So, when I was stopped for the Meadham Kirchhoff casting, despite not knowing anything about it, I was eager to attend. A few months ago I booked an amazing campaign and signed with my current agency, Profile Model Management.

How did you feel on the runway during your first big walk for Meadham Kirchhoff? Do you get nervous? I was absolutely petrified. When I booked the job, they never actually said that it was for fashion week. So, it wasn’t until I was looking up my travel route the night before that I connected the dots and realised the magnitude of what I had agreed to do. I was so nervous my hands went bright red and they had to cover them with makeup. It wasn’t a typical runway either. The models were choreographed to walk really quickly along a winding path throughout a wide open room. Not to mention the moderately heeled but very slippery and oversized shoes. Despite my nerves, I was so excited to be there and I felt really empowered. I was so overwhelmed with everything that had happened that I got lost on my way home! I was too excited to be paying atten tion to where I was going.

Do you have a favourite designer? This is an impossible question. At the moment I’ve been really loving Missoni. It’s very classic and slightly more mature but I love knitwear and interesting prints.

Who/what is your biggest inspiration in your own jewellery work? I find materials hugely inspiring, organic and engineered, old and new, precious and nonprecious. I like to feature a bold combination of materials in my work. Recently I have been working with wood, silver and resin. I also find geometry and architecture to be very inspiring. In terms of jewellery, I take a lot of inspiration from tribal forms and textures fused with the simplicity and modernism of Art Deco. 27

Do you own any jewellery that tells a story, or has significant meaning to you? I have a really delicate gold ring that my mother gave me in high school. It’s a Mexican peso in an unnecessarily high prong setting. It’s so special to me and definitely one of my most prized possessions. I had been using coins in my jewellery at the time, and so my mother knew that it would be the perfect gift. It is the first nice piece of jewellery that I had ever received and it happened to be a gift to my Mom, from my great aunt, when she was 16. It has a matching necklace that my Mom has since given to my brother.

Where do you see yourself in the future? In the modelling or jewellery industry? A career in modelling is very short lived, and so I don’t see much of a future in it. I will capitalise on the modelling opportunities while I can, but I am also very excited to start my jewellery career. I’m working on my final collection at the moment and I hope to launch my own company in the near future. I hope that the connections I have made through modelling, and the insight that I have gained working in the fashion industry, will be an asset to my future jewellery endeavours.

1329

w h a t e v a w h a t e v a

i d o w h a t

w a n t.

Illustration

Lauren Humphrey

feminism: a man’s point of view Words - Jack Winter

About a year or so ago after a night out and a few drinks, I met a girl. We got along well and at the end of the night we got in a taxi, when we pulled up outside mine I asked if she wanted to stay the night and I’ll spare you the details but we ended up in bed together. It was at this point where she became a little awkward and apologised, because she didn’t want to have sex with me. Two things really shocked me about this… Why was this girl surprised that I hadn’t, as she put it, ‘Kicked off’ about her not wanting anything to happen? And The idea that the girl was in the wrong echoes all too strongly of a culture which is naturally inclined to foist the blame onto females, even at the expense of hypocritically expecting them not to sleep with loads of men whilst, apparently fostering the belief that a woman shouldn’t be saying no after a certain point after a night out. It’s the ugly ‘shit lock/master key’ idea rearing its head. The press is rife with stories to this tune, women referred to as ‘getting around’ for being seen with different men, whilst men are the cheeky playboys. It’s this portrayal, these more subtle representation of women that are just as, if not more, damaging to women than the hangover of yesteryear that is page three. Essentially it’s insidiously reminding women, keep in line, behave yourself, ‘calm down dear’ - that sort of behaviour is for men.

Whilst these issues have been on the feminist radar for some time now, as a guy in my early twenties, I’m always taken aback by the number of men who have absolutely no idea about these values. What’s often far more upsetting is when a girl gives me a funny look for saying I’m a feminist, and then tells me she isn’t one. The quite brilliant ‘I need feminism because…’ campaign hit the nail on the head when one guy had ‘I need feminism because my friends would laugh at me for doing this’. It is so refreshing to see the new wave of feminism emerging as more and more young women get involved, it’s vitally important however that young men are as involved. If one generation can change then as so many times before in history, those that come after will follow suit. secondly she’d felt the need to apologise, as though for stopping over at mine she was obliged to have sex with me - implying that she was in the wrong by not consenting. It’s only really in the past couple of years that I realised that feminism isn’t about hating men, dressing like a 1930s school Ma’am and all those other myths peddled by Britain’s wonderful media. A friend of mine once put it incredibly well - ‘Do you believe women are equal to men? If the answer is yes, you’re a feminist’.

think i Photography

Shaima Ayoub

Styling

n pink Phoebe Wilson

Model

Harness - Clare Payne Bra - Topshop Latex Frill Suspenders - Beth Parkin Tights - Henry Holland Knickers - Models Own

Bonnie Bowley

Bra - Beth Parkin Tassel - Beth Parkin Knickers - Models Own Hold Ups - American Apparal

Pom Pom Boa - Clare Payne Lace Top - Topshop Latex Hold Ups - Beth Parkin

Latex Corset - Beth Parkin Bra - Topshop Tights - American Apparal

Orange Bra (worn under white bra) - American Apparal White Bra - American Apparal Latex Knickers - Beth Parkin Pink Knickers (worn under latex knickers) - Topshop Tights - American Apparal Waist Frill - Stylists Own White Trainers - Primark

“I ’ m n o t a s h a m e d t o d r e s s ‘like a woman’ because I don’t think it’s shameful to be a woman.” Quote

Iggy Pop

W.O.W FESTIVAL WORDS

TINA LEDGER

Events reviewed: Rape and the Law - Crash and Burn Supported by Bloomberg and hosted at The Southbank Centre, Women of the world Festival (W.o.W) celebrates the successes of women and also discusses some of the most pressing topics regarding women today, including female genital mutilation, sexuality, sexual violence and modern feminism. W.o.W festival features talks by some of the worlds most prominent figures, such as fashion designer and business woman Vivienne Westwood, education activist Malala Yousafzai, and Ronnie Spector, of the 60s super girl- group The Ronettes. Founder and director of the festival Jude Kelly says: ‘The idea of a woman being the leader is still, I think, something people have to double-check. There’s always that “Can she do it?” As soon as you ask the question, the possibility is that the answer can be “no”. The fact that you ask the question simply because she is a woman is one of the problems. I don’t feel like I’ve got a chip on my shoulder,I’ve had a fantastic career, but I felt that because I’m in a senior position it’s important not to be on the fence. I like being able to make younger women feel they’ve got an ally – women should support other women.’

Rape and the Law: Chaired by Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman, panelists Dru Sharpling CBE, Jason Ashwood and Professor Joanna Bourke, author of Rape: A History From 1860 To The Present, discuss rape and the law.

Cathy Newman opens with shocking statistics surrounding rape and conviction, for example the detection rates, which is the proportion of reported rapes that are solved, are only 18% in London, and less than 10% in the rest of the UK. Newman then rounds these statistics off with a quote by Betsy Stanko, who said: ‘It is as though rape has been decriminalised.’ This invites serious discussion about how rape victims are treated within British society. Jason Ashwood, from Sexual Offenses, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command in the Met Police, stated that sexual assaults are the most challenging area of policing as it is hard to provide the right support to victims, to collect the evidence needed in order to support the case, and it is also difficult to escape the social stigma, for which Ashwood argues: ‘public scrutiny is insatiable.’

Mr Ashwood also stated the top 3 key reasons why rape victims do not come forward, which are that they are embarrassed, they question whether they are to blame, and thirdly, that they fear they will not be believed. He then adds that, last on the list of reasons for why women do not come forward, is that they did not want to go to court, alongside fear of the police. I felt that Mr Ashwood appeared to use these facts in order to paint the justice system in a more positive light, for which he was later criticised by another audience member for being ‘dismissive’ of the fact that so many rape victims do not manage to get justice. Professor Joanna Bourke spoke about how so many rape victims do not manage to get justice; she recalled how, in the 1970s, there was a 1 in 3 conviction rate in relation to rape allegations, in the 80s this fell to 1 in 4, in the 90s just 1 in 10, and more recently it fell even further to a harrowing 1 in 20. Professor Bourke also drew attention to the gender double-standard for rape, where drunk men are seen as less responsible for their behaviour, yet women are more. She also noted that in this great hall, there were only 3 male audience members. I agree that rape needs to also become a greater issue for men; very few men are actively involved in rape campaigns, despite the fact that men can also be raped. Key Points Made - It is as though rape has been decriminalised - A culture of disbelief within some police forces - 1 in 8 Hollywood movies contain scenes of rape - In the U.K, an average of 2 women a week are killed by their husband or partner - Rape needs to become an issue for men

Crash and Burn: Margaret Aberdeen founder an organisation that supports victims of domestic violence, Zoe Webber founder of Full Petal Jacket, Jessica Jones author of The Elegant Art of Falling Apart and journalist Tanya Gold open up about depression, addiction and coming back from the brink.

Despite what the event title might suggest, Crash and Burn was both extremely funny and heart warming. All the panelists shared their personal struggles with the audience, and how they were able to overcome them. How addiction is viewed in society was discussed and debated, regarding whether it should be considered as a mental illness. Tanya Gold believes that an individual is born with addictive qualities, and full blown addiction can be brought on through traumatic experiences. Zoe Webber also stated that once you become vulnerable, it is very difficult to ‘claw’ your way back, due to the stigma attached to both mental illness and addiction.

‘You have to be incredibly unlucky, to be convicted of rape in this country.’ – Professor Joanna Bourke.

I also agree that addiction should be treated more sympathetically within society, as there still lingers the idea of choice in relation to addiction, Tanya Gold says: ‘I could not stop. I could not stop; though I was taught to say I would not stop.’ The panel was a host of colouful life experiences, to say the very least, but one thing they all shared was that they were all recovering. The panel shared their triumphs and relapses, and gave suggestions of how others, who may also relate to their personal stories, can also improve their lives. Margaret Aberdeen spoke about thinking positively and choosing to be happy. I have, personally, always found this approach to mood disorders too simplistic and quite patronising. Although I agree that there are certain activities people can do to brighten their mood, similar to addiction, I believe this idea of control feeds the mental health taboo and stigmatises sufferers. Jessica Jones argued that positive thinking is often used as ‘a stick to beat people with’, and offered her advice for recovery; she uses the metaphor of viewing your life as if it were a mountain, made up of millions of experiences. At first, the mountain can appear quite daunting, but Jones finds that, just by living in the moment and being the best possible person she can right now, this breaks a mountain down to a grain of dust. Key Points Made - Is addiction a mental illness? - Happiness is a choice - Shared experiences aid others - Friendship and support - Living in the moment

‘I keep hoping that next year I’m going to be here speaking on a panel called “I fell in love, won the lottery and lived happily ever after.’” – Jessica Jones.

e p i d e r m a Photography

Kez Coo

This is an extension of the project, epidermavision. The photographer creates thought provoking images set out to change peoples ideals on skin. This series of photographs explores ideas about women and race.

v i s i o n

sophia ward Sophia Ward is an innovative fashion designer, currently studying Surface Textile Design at London College of Fashion. Her work is always playful and colourful, concentrating on bringing texture and intricacy to fabrics and crafting her creations into wonderful wearable peices straight from her imagination. It is plain to see her personality is sewn into every inch of her exciting designs.

What is it about fashion that interests you more than any other creative subject or art form? Fashion bridges the gap between art and practicality. A piece of clothing can literally be a wearable sculpture, which is great! Also, beyond the clothes themselves, there is the individual take on them by the wearer although two people might wear the same garment or outfit, the scope of outcomes for the way the clothes are presented is infinately variable. It’s the most accesible and playful form of creative self expression. And nobody can escape that, we all put stuff on in the morning, why not exploit that everyday freedom and have fun with it! Another brilliant thing about fashion is that there are basically no copyright laws which apply. This means designers can afford to literally re-cycle odds and ends from a huge variety of sources with total freedom. Fashion has such a rich and ever-morphing history that innovation is now about an amalgamation of ideas and putting-together as much as radical new movements.

How do you keep your ideas new and fresh but without leaving your designer identity behind? It’s the bane of creative work to stay true to your ‘vision’ whilst constantly considering development and other factors, such as the irksome need to gain approval from some sort of audience. I think the key is to never compromise. I’m not saying that we should all ignore valuable critism and live in a bubble - that is a bad idea, but it is important to have real self belief and know when (and when not to) fight your corner. I think what I’m saying is that being adaptable and fluid and all that stuff is imperative, but you’re in murky ground once you start watering down ideas. Because essentially then you’re just trying to be more ‘normal’ with it, and normal is boring in creative terms.. Not much point in trying to make ‘normal’ art. Despite all this nonsense I still have a very long way to go and a lot of learning to do until I feel like my designs are properly communicating what I want them to, but hopefully I’ll never feel like I’ve completed or perfected anything, because then I’d lose the most important driving factor and stop creating!

Does your views on feminism ever inspire your work or overlap with your design process? This is a tricky one to answer, because fourth-wave feminism is a tricky topic in it’s current state. People are very confused about what feminism means now. In the past, calling yourself a feminist meant attaching yourself to a more concrete manifesto, where views tended to be much more extreme and erring towards the man-hating, dungaree wearing, bra burning, A N G R Y W O M E N. But now things are rather complicated, because people have realised feminism was alienating most women, and that telling someone not to wear makeup is just as opressive as telling them to wear more. So I think feminism is being redefined as plain old equality (most importantly defined by the individual) and freedom of expression....So with that in mind, yes it does inspire my work. I aim for my designs to appeal to a very expressive and creative kind of person that is interested in celebrating their freedom by wearing waddeva the fuck they want. I think it’s a good thing to be unafraid of wearing bright pink plastic head to toe with a see through skull cap, because WHY NOT! You can. 59

Piñata Poetry

To the man on the bus I overheard tell a woman in conversation - presumably a friend: “you are too ugly to be raped...” ...Dear man on the bus, Tell the one in five women of this country, that they are beautiful, their four counterparts, spared torment ugly. Tell the one in three women of this world, That you will not make piñatas of their bodies. Watch morsels of them, spill greedily to the famished smiles of your ignorance Shaped like bloodthirsty children. How your words Hit repeatedly, until they broke open Like shattered papier-mache cradle How their blood flowed like candy until Hollowed insides Jaws mangled into misfortune from when they tried to scream For their Legs torn into a crucifix Loud cry of eyes muted Tell them how beautiful their silence is. ...Dear man on the bus From smothering cat-calls, to quickened pace of trek home Rape with a dress on. Rape without a dress on. Raped as children, who couldn’t even dress themselves. Tell them how ugly their consent was. Tell the depression, the post traumatic stress The unreported. Tell Mahmudiyah, A footnote in the history of crimson Iraqi sands How beautiful the military’s silence is Cloaked in how we don’t ask, and they didnt tell, in the name of country. Tell Elizabeth Fritzl How pretty the flame of her skin was, that turned her Father a torturous moth of incest

Pages Matam

‘til she gave birth to 7 choices she never had ...Dear man on the bus Tell my 11th grade student, Lauren That she wanted it, her beauty had them coming. Tell my 7th grade student, Mickayla That she wanted it, her beauty had him coming. Tell my 3rd grade student, Andre That he wanted it, his beauty had him coming. Tell the 8 year old me, The God in me I loved fiercely was so gorgeous, that cousin twice my age, wanted to molest the Holy out of me, Peeled raw until I was as ugly as she was. Rape is a coward hiding its face in the make-up of silence. A murderous fruit, that grows best in the shadows of taboo. A Vietnam prostitute with red white and blue skin, A murmur of bodies left vacant by the souls that spend years, pills, poems, and death trying to learn to reclaim them. ...Dear nameless assailant How this bus carries the burden of your stick and blindfold Patriarchy that has only taught you to treat women like ceiling strung jugs Violence claws up from your throat, Like a monstrous accomplice to the 97 percent that will never see jail ...Dear man on the bus As these words fall out of your mouth, I pray no one finds your children beautiful enough to break open, making a decorative silent spectacle out of them.

THE ELECTRIC LADY Janelle Monae Live at Brixton Acadamy - Review Words - Tina Ledger

Intelligent, Sexy and Extremely Talented Janelle Monae brings the funk and soul to Brixton!

An energetic execution to rival that of Little Richard and Michael Jackson; Janelle Monae delivered an exceptional performance last night, leaving the audience in awe of her immense passion and talent.

The guitar arrangement was amazing and when the beat dropped before the second verse the whole room felt the love. It might even have been, dare I say it, better than the original!

Brought to the stage wearing a straightjacket, Monae is brought to life by the crowds cheers, as she opens the show with ‘Givin Em What They Love’ - a perfect reflection of the atmosphere within the venue. Through her android character and alter-ego Cindi Mayweather, queen of poppolitics, Janelle Monae, addresses a variety of social issues within her music, such as sexism, racism, classism and homophobia.

Janelle Monae played a variety of hits from Both ‘The Archandroid’ and ‘The Electric lady’, including ‘Q.U.E.E.N’, ‘Dance Apocalyptic’, and ‘Tightrope’.

As the instrumental introduction to ‘Cold War’ plays, which is one of the most popular hits from her previous album entitled ‘The Archandroid’, Monae holds up several signs stating: ‘#BringBackOurGirls’. project Q.U.E.E.N is a freedom movement disguised as songs, emotion pictures and works of art.’ Monae then discusses the current global mistreatment of women, specifically the recent event in which 276 young girls were kidnapped from their school by extremists in Nigeria. Monae stresses the importance of education and equality, and states: ‘you better know what you’re fighting for’ – a powerful line from the song ‘Cold War’. She also pays homage to the workingclass community and her parents, whose mother worked as a janitor and father as a truck driver, through the running black and white theme, which she describes as her ‘uniform’. Though some of the topics that Monae discusses through her music are very serious, she does it in such a way to make it a fun and uniting experience of celebrating the ‘other’. An incredible moment of the show was the performance of ‘Prime Time’, which is an extremely popular track from Monae’s current record ‘The Electric Lady’. Also being one of my own personal favourites, I had eagerly awaited the rendition – and I was not left disappointed!

Trying to decide my favourite moment of the concert is like tying to trying to decide my favourite colour of M&M’s – impossible! Although touching Janelle Monae’s bottom was definitely one of my personal highlights (call me a perv, or a misogynist, whatever! If Janelle Monae’s rear is gliding, unsupported above your head, you ‘support’ it). The night just kept getting better: from gracing us with her amazing live vocals, to walking in the crowd, crowd surfing, and initiating a giant pillow fight – Monae made sure that no ‘fandroids’ were left feeling less than amazed. The crowd definitely appreciated Monae’s efforts, and seemed to reflect the running theme of acceptance and unity. It might all sound very ‘hippie’ and pretentious, but you could feel that everyone in the room just came to share in their love for great music; there was no awful moshing or drink throwing, just swaying and singing. Brixton may have a bad reputation, but never before have I heard someone shout during an interlude: ‘Has anyone lost their glasses?’. The entire audience left on a natural high, which stayed with us long into the night. People were discussing the experience and sharing their pictures on the tube… I mean, strangers talking to one another on the tube – what the fuck?! I would certainly recommend getting tickets to see Janelle Monae if you have the opportunity, the only possible downfall is the strong likelihood that no other live performance might ever top it – what an experience!