The Black Hair Tax: No Breaks for Black Women Who Want to Avoid Breakage
Gotta Be Cool to Be Queer: Expectations of Appearance in the Queer Community
I’ve always been aware of the shallowness of the queer community. However, I managed to delay the confrontation of this issue through my heterosexual relationships. Now that I’m single and that particular shield is no longer available to me, I am face-to-face with the undeniable truth: girl, you got a big bum bum and a butch aesthetic that isn’t matching…
Ditch The Chemicals: Natural Alternatives for Skincare
As sustainability continues to be a central theme in 2022, many can agree that less is more when it comes to our lifestyle choices. Skincare is no exception: it’s time to ditch the chemicals and opt for natural ingredients!
Culture, Growth, Rebellion: The Symbolism of Hair Change
Each new colour and cut marked a new season of my life, a new personality I wanted to try on. For me, hair change was a way to demarcate and bookmark a transition. I desperately wanted something to indicate to myself that time was passing and that I was growing. Or maybe, I facetiously sought maturation and healing in the hair salon chair…
Religion, Culture and Consumerism: Searching for a Definition of Beauty
‘I like the bit where she says beauty is a currency.’ We had been reading Naomi Wolff’s The Beauty Myth, a book so quintessentially nineties that I could almost hear the melody of an Aqua song, feel White Musk burning the inside of my nose. Both the book and the reading group prompted an inner discussion about the beauty we are defined by…
‘Every Day the Strokes Become Steadier’: My Eyeliner Will Not Make Me a Bad Surgeon
That eyeliner, a line drawn from the outer corner of my eye that is aligned with the curve of my waterline, required steady fingers – like a surgeon. Placing the tip of my brush at the end of the line and gently swiping it over my eyelid demonstrated a muscle memory that takes years of practice – like a surgeon. My eyeliner had required me to use as many fine motor control muscles as it takes to deftly hold a scalpel…
