One to Watch: Florence Given

A young creative is making art with a purpose.

London is one of the main art capitals in the world. Exhibitions, galleries, screenings and performances are spread across our cultural city, but why do these places choose to home more male art then womens?

In 2013 campaigners, the East London Fawcett (ELF), gathered research over a year with the aim of showing the gender imbalance in 134 commercial London galleries. The results concluded that sadly out of 3,163 artists, 31% were only women. Women's rights have been rightly thrust into the media, and at the tail end of one of the biggest International Women's Days yet, has much changed in these four years?

With radical feminist group the Guerrilla Girls still fighting sexism in the arts world since 1985, artist Florence Given, 18, is also using her talent as a voice. 

"I think being a young female creative is powerful". She added, "It’s our voices that are often shoved under the rug, and now, we have our own movement."

Her latest project focuses on sexual harassment and raising awareness of it to men in the UK. Florence wants to show men, that the F word is nothing to be sniggered at, and we're not talking about that F word, we're talking about feminism guys.



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Her creative influences come from more of the underground scene, but she assures if it wasn’t for the internet, she wouldn’t be creating the work that she is today. One of her favourite pieces of work is a shoot she did with her friend Jenni. Florence explains that it was not the most conceptual, but it was visually beautiful. She said Jenni was "actually crying about how crap she felt about herself before the shoot, and then we made some magic".


Model Jenni
So what does the future hold for Florence? In September, she will be making the big move from Plymouth to London to study Styling & Production at London College of Fashion. But longterm? "I never really want to pigeon hole my profession, because I want to be many things in the future. Photographer, image-maker, stylist, illustrator, director, activist etc."

"I am and always will be an advocate for female empowerment and equality."

Check out the rest of Florence's work on social media,
Instagram - @florence_photo


Another piece of Florence's work
The artist in question, Florence Given

Woman Crush Wednesday


On a belated note, it was International Women's Day yesterday.

It's like Chaka Khan says, "I'm every woman, it's all in me", and in cities across the world, women gathered to show what exactly they were made of, by participating in marches and events for gender equality.

According to the UN, it is “a day when women are recognised for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women."

IWD is not officially attached with a particular organization, but it does bring together female groups, governments, businesses and charities.

The roots of IWD began on February 28th in 1909, when it was originally called International Working Women's Day. It was first celebrated in remembrance of the 1908 International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union strike, when 15,000 workers marched through New Yorks lower east side demanding social and political rights.

In 1996, the UN decided to allocate the day a theme, with this year being "Be bold for change". It's an inspiring message that encourages women to take to the streets, particularly to protest over divisive and controversial politics.

Iceland became the first country in the world to make businesses prove equal pay, it also further promised to abolish the gender pay gap by 2022 this week. Meanwhile, the World Economic Forum said the gender gap in the rest of the world won't close until 2186. In the USA, Women's March on Washington held A Day Without Women yesterday. Women were encouraged to strike for economic inequality, prejudice and insecurity faced by women in the workplace. They are also encouraging women to wear red to show their solidarity with the movement

In Ireland, women are still not allowed a legal abortion. Currently, 12 women a day travel to the UK for a termination. It is still one of few western European countries that has the ban, and having an abortion is punishable with a prison sentence of up to 14 years in Éire. Repeal are an activist rights group who are calling for a referendum to change this law, which was written into the constitution in 1983. Action's were louder then words on Wednesday afternoon when Repeal the 8th strikers brought O'Connell bridge to a standstill, whilst in London, women gathered outside the Irish Embassy to voice their anger.

Nicola Nevin outside the Irish Embassy on her lunch break 
Fíodhna Horan-Murphy taking part in the Repeal protest in Dublin yesterday
Events including workshops, inspiring talks and fundraisers were held all across London yesterday. Just off Shoreditch High Street, Nike Women print artist Kelly Anna was hosting an evening in Mother. Organised by Women Who, the lively event brought together females from all walks of life (and one man) to drink some gin based cocktails and get crafty.

The sponsors of the Woman Who evening
Gin, tumeric and ginger ale cocktails
It wasn't your average table spread. Sketch books, Winson & Newton markers, female empowerment stickers, and scissors were at your disposal to design a print to be plonked on a white t-shirt, that came in your limited edition tote bag from Kelly's latest collaboration with Nike Women. Otegha K. Uwagba, owner of Women Who, and Kelly, kept their speech short and sweet and ended it by introducing the Female DJ's, which kept the room lively with some classic r&b and trap anthems.

In an Instagram post after the event, Otegha thanked all the "super females" who showed up and said the result was "a reminder of the magic that happens when you get a bunch of women together".


The table spread


"NEVER TAME YOUR GAME" Kelly Anna Nike Women tote bag
My design, ready to print
The result
A quick speech from the organiser and the artist
Attendees of this sold out event all came for the same reason - to celebrate being female. In a world that's so overcrowded with testosterone, it's time to stop comparing. Amongst repulsive sexism, social issues or division of any kind, it's important to have a day to remember that we are all, and should be, equal. No ovary-xaggeration.

Under Pressure


So, I've just started getting anxiety attacks, and well, they're just awful aren't they? You're already feeling shit, but your body decides to give you one last kick whilst you're down.

According to the HelpGuide.org, anxiety is the body’s natural response to danger, an automatic alarm that goes off when you feel threatened, under pressure, or are facing a stressful situation. Defined by the NHS, an attack is a rush of intense anxiety and physical symptoms. They can be frightening and happen suddenly, often for no clear reason.

February was full on. A very disturbed sleeping pattern, copious university assignments, late nights, a lot of coffee, even more tears, and I can't even remember how many rude customers I encountered at work during the 6 Nations, never mind the male work colleague who aggressively told me to "go fuck myself". I'm well and truly exhausted.

Zzzzz
Amongst all this, I completely forgot to make time for me. Looking back, I wish I had. It would of saved me a trip to the hospital for an ECG. Whilst it's never good to stay stuck in the past, I'm using this post to not only educate myself, but hopefully inform others to always put yourself first, because after all, your health is you wealth.

The stickers which attach to the heart monitor
The ECG machine
The first one happened on Wednesday evening about two weeks ago. Staying up to work late on an article, I eventually closed my laptop with red hot eyes. Stressfully, I wrote in my diary what work there was to do tomorrow. Suddenly a pain like heartburn, but worse, hit me straight in the middle of the chest, and it scared me.

In a twisted fortunate way, I knew what to do because my father has suffered from panic attacks for over a decade. Once I realised I wasn't having a heart attack, I got up, walked around the flat, and busied myself to distract from the pain. Deep breathes to help stop the dizziness, and about 20 minutes later, it was all finished. Exhausted with worry, but wide awake.

It happened again a week later.

Professor Paul Salkovskis, Professor of Clinical Psychology and Applied Science at the University of Bath, said to the NHS that it's "important not to let your fear of the attack control you".

"Tell yourself that the symptoms you're experiencing are caused by anxiety", he continued.

One of my pet hates is doing anything last minute. Personally speaking, it's important to be prepared. I carry a diary, and love nothing better then making plans. I might be borderline OCD about my organisation but I feel like you've got to look forward to things, especially when you've worked hard.

I would definitely say I put myself under unnecessary pressure, but when you put the graft in, you get the results. In hindsight, this crippling pain wouldn't exist if I took a more relaxed approach in my work, but nobody is perfect right?

On friday it all got a bit too much for me again, and I had to leave my class early, because let's be honest, we all have bad days. A reassuring friend reminded me, "It's strong to feel things. People who are weak ignore stuff. You aren't weak."

According to the NHS, anxiety can have both psychological and physical symptoms. The psychological symptoms can be:


feeling worried or uneasy a lot of the time 
having difficulty sleeping, which makes you feel tired 

not being able to concentrate 

being irritable 
being extra alert 
feeling on edge or not being able to relax 
needing frequent reassurance from other people 
feeling tearful 


The physical symptoms of anxiety can include:

a pounding heartbeat 

breathing faster 

palpitations (an irregular heartbeat) 
feeling sick 
chest pains 
headaches 
sweating 
loss of appetite 
feeling faint 
needing the toilet more frequently 
"butterflies" in your tummy


When you’re feeling anxious or stressed, your body releases stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. Whilst feeling under pressure may be unavoidable at times, here are stress buster tips that should help when you're feeling a bit on edge.

You can be your own worst enemy. Take 10 minutes of quiet time for yourself each day. Take a bath, listen to a podcast, draw, knit, or whatever brings you peace.

Meditate! It's also a great way of practicing your breathing exercises when an attack does happen. There's plenty of apps to choose from. The Guardian wrote an article last year about five of the best, check it out for yourself.

Cut out caffeine, even those Jagerbombs. Caffeine effects can last 4-7 hours.

Grab a cup of camomile tea and meet a friend. It's good to talk about how you're feeling to build your emotional strength.

Not getting enough sleep causing a variety of issues, including anxiety. Try and get a regular sleeping pattern. Wind down and switch off your brain before bed. The recommended amount for 18+ is 7-9 hours.

Do some exercise. It helps release tension and improve your mood.


In Loving Memory: Skinny Jeans



Maybe I'm buying into some consumerist shit, instead of trusting my own style instincts, but when Vogue announced that the skinny jean trend were no longer, a little part of me panicked.

Yes, it's slightly sad and say what you will, but when you have a curvy shape like mine, buying jeans is something of a self-conscious torture.

In retrospective, the death of this trend has been a long time coming. I guess the desperate part of me hoped that I could squeeze some more time out of these narrow legged trousers. Nonetheless, I'm a grown woman, and like all things associated with a ex boyfriend -- you must move on. But where to start?

Call me old-fashioned, but my love affair with skinny jeans began back in 2007. My first pair of tube-legged denims were a pair of reduced high waisted MOTO Red Leigh Jeans, and before you even think about judging me, this was when Nu-Rave was a thing and dressing like a professional dickhead was cool. Plus, Kate Moss wore them, and that was good enough for me.

Whilst I can look back and cringe at my bright red Leigh's, the trouser style became embedded into my wardrobe. My backside looked good, and my legs appeared long. Shopping for jeans became much easier. These jeans are also a garment that you can wear casually, but then throw on a pair of heels and head into town, not to mention the utter convince of wearing black skinny's when you're working in the hospitality industry. Whatever the reason, skinny jeans just suited.

As time moved on, so did fashion. It was when my beloved skinny jeans suddenly became fashionable to be worn with the knees cut out, that I thought this trend was really struggling to think of ways to stay relevant. The step too far came when high street brands were selling distressed denim at a cost of the factory workers health. Enough was enough.


Bound for the bin
I'm sure there's many girls, and men for that matter, who like me own a favourite pair of jeans. But once your back pockets have dissolved into frayed threads and you're giving the public a show of your delicates on the daily, it's time to say au revoir.

For me the thought of looking for a replacement pair, never mind a whole other trend which complimented my backside as much as the skinny jeans did, was going to be like this. It might sound over-dramatic but the grief process definitely followed, not because I was so utterly distraught that the skinny jean was dead, but because every pair of MOM jeans I tried on made me feel like a troll.

Androgynous and relaxed shapes are in. Unfortunately, not only were these jeans totally unflattering on me, but I couldn't get my head around the fact that my parents wore these jeans in the 90s, and former president Obama wears on the regular.


Style tips from Obama
Aside from my skinny dungarees, I have been sadly searching for a pair of MOM-esque jeans for about a year and a half, but alas, determination paid off. Last week, slightly sleep deprived from university assignments, I tried on a pair of black Orson Jeans at Topshop last week. A fusion of the MOM and skinny, they sat perfectly on mu curves and didn't make me feel like I was a character in Three Billy Goats Gruff.


The top half fits like a skinny, and has a bit of stretch denim but features a nice thickness like the MOM jean
The ankle has a loose fit
I know it may be a long post about something so inconsequential, but with any eulogy, you just want to say your goodbye's respectfully.

Fashion is a system of recycling trends. I don't doubt that skinny jeans will become pertinent again, but until next time, my Orson's will keep me warmed up for you.
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