Gender Pronouns

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This June is pride month for the LGBTQIA+ community. During this month it is more important than ever that everyone within that community and ally’s of it show their respect, support and understanding of the difficult issues those in the community face.

I am a pansexual and gender-neutral person myself. I have been in relationships with beautiful people of all genders and sexual preferences. So, I thought I’d give you a little insight as to what is important for the LGBTQIA+ community right now and what you can do to show support.

I am going to be covering the topic of gender pronouns. You might read this and already be tensing your muscles in a confused panic, especially if you are a heterosexual cis-gendered person. Not to worry, I understand that there is some doubt around this topic as people commonly fear causing offence or think that it is too complex  of a topic to get their head around. I am here to explain to you what it means to be non-binary or gender-neutral, how to be respectful/supportive and why it is important that you state your preferred pronouns, especially if you are cis-gendered!

Who are we talking about?

Non-binary / gender queer people use gender neutral pronouns. Some people don’t fit into categories of ‘male’ or ‘female’. Some people have a gender that blends elements of being a man, a woman or have a gender that is different than either ‘male’ or ‘female’. Some people don’t identify with any gender and some people’s gender changes over time.

Some society’s, like ours in the UK, tend to recognise just two genders. The idea that there is only two genders is sometimes called a ‘gender binary’ because the word binary means ‘having two parts’. Therefore, ‘non-binary’ is a term people use to describe a gender that doesn’t fall into one of these two.

 

Some things important to know!

Non-binary is nothing new!

Non-binary people are not confused about gender or ‘following a fad’.

Non-binary identities have been recognised for a millennia by cultures and societies all around the world. In some cultures, gods have been depicted as genderless or gender-fluid for thousands of years.

Not all people undergo medical procedures, but for some it is critical and even life saving!

Most transgendered people are not non-binary. These people often identify as either ‘male’ or ‘female’ and want to be treated like any other cis-gendered person, so should be!

Being non-binary is not the same as being intersex. Intersex people have different anatomy or genes that don’t fall into typical ‘male’ or ‘female’ biology.

 

How to be respectful.

You don’t have to completely understand in order to be respectful. However, it is important to educate yourself as much as you can.

Always use the preferred name a person asks you to use.

Try not to make any assumptions about a persons gender, If you are unsure you should ask.

Advocate for policies that are inclusive to non-binary or gender-neutral people in public spaces. Something as simple as going to the bathroom can be very difficult for a these people due to fear of being verbally or physically assaulted.

 

Why you should state your pronouns.

You can now add your preferred pronouns to Instagram, and I highly encourage you to do so! Even if you feel as though you don’t really need to. The more people that do, the more we can normalise this behaviour and make the process of sharing and accepting pronouns better for all of us.

The University of North Carolina wrote: “Normalising and using correct pronouns leads to acceptance and de-stigmatisation of individuals who ‘deviate’ from traditionally used pronouns or pronouns that do not align with their physical appearance or gender-based name. By stating one’s pronouns the need for explanation is eliminated”

Including pronouns on your social media profiles, in email sign offs and when you introduce yourself to someone is a small step that cis-gender people can – and should – be making.

 

Why it is so important?

The Trevor Project’s 2020 National Survey on LGBTQIA+ Youth’s Mental Health found that a heart-breaking fifty two per cent of trans and non-binary youth have seriously considered death by suicide.

Those who reported having their personal pronouns respected by all or most people in their lives attempted suicide at half the rate of those who didn’t have their pronouns respected.

It is evident there is more to be done in normalising pronouns and it is vital that it comes from cis-gendered people! This is because cis-gendered people have a privilege that allows the opportunity to work to normalise without the risks that trans, non-binary and gender-neutral people face. It is essential that they use this privilege to cultivate a environment where trans and non-binary people don’t feel alienated!

 

Written by Charlie Greening (She / They)

Reclaim The Night

I think it is safe to say that none of us ever want to be a victim of crime. No one wants to be robbed or have their home broken into. Even if not much is taken, something like that can lead cause you to feel violated, vulnerable, angry and upset.

NOW IMAGINE there was a particular kind of crime, a crime that is so violating and traumatic that it left almost all victims subject to it with symptoms of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Symptoms like; nightmares, flashbacks, insomnia, chronic irritability, emotional numbness and difficulty concentrating. IMAGINE a crime that was so serious it left most people who’d experienced it with depression, chronic pain or suicidal thoughts. IMAGINE that this crime adversely affected relationships, careers, livelihoods, families and communities. IMAGINE these impacts were so severe they were often long-term, sometimes even lifelong.

NOW IMAGINE that one in every five women living in England and Wales today, had experienced some form of this crime since they turned sixteen years old. Take a moment to reflect on the women in your life and how many women that would represent.

IMAGINE that one in every thirteen adults in this country, that’s 2.4million women and 709 thousand men, had been subjected to some form of this crime before they were sixteen years old, when they were children.

NOW IMAGINE that less than one fifth of the victims of this serious traumatic crime, which don’t forget may have left them with long lasting health and social impacts. Less than one fifth of those people ever reported what had happened to them to the police. Imagine that these people didn’t report this crime because they feared they would not be believed.

Even with it being a given that none of us wants to be the victim of crime, imagine being worried it may be implied that actually they did want this horrible thing to happen to them, and even really it was kind of their own fault.

IMAGINE that out of those one in five people who decide to report this crime, only 1.4% if them ever saw their perpetrator prosecuted. Not convicted, not sent to prison just legally prosecuted for what they had done.

IMAGINE that an overwhelming majority of the people perpetrating that crime were just freely walking around the streets of our country.

BUT OF COURSE WE DON’T HAVE TO IMAGINE!

Approximately 85,000 women (aged 16 – 59) experience rape, attempted rape or sexual assault by penetration in England and Wales alone every year; that’s roughly 11 of the most serious sexual offences (of adults alone) every hour.

When I first wrote this, I put sadly before that fact, but it isn’t sad, it is simply outrageous. We shouldn’t be feeling sad about this, we should be feeling angry. We should be raging. Raging because there are millions of victims and survivors living in England and Wales right now and they are being failed.

Since the tragedy if Sarah Everard’s death, women across the country have taken to social media to discuss their own experiences of walking the streets of London and the lengths we go to in order to feel safe. One movement that has been extremely prevalent is RECLAIM THE NIGHT.

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“Reclaim the night means reclaim the day, reclaim our safety, reclaim our bodies, reclaim our confidence, reclaim our freedom. With this very important conversation finally happening, it has caused many of us to feel uncomfortable. Mainly because of the sheer horror that this is our reality, that we have subconsciously accepted and programmed into our lives. That we mustn’t walk alone, we should never be on our phone, we should always get taxi’s home, when the taxi comes, we should be certain it’s the same reg, when he’s being overly friendly, you tell him you’re being dropped at your boyfriends.”

“Reclaim the night means reclaiming our reality. For too long we have warped our reality to fit that of misogyny and patriarchy. For too long we have dramatized our reality for the fear of our safety. For far too long we have been shunned in our own reality, whether in a social setting or a professional, we’ve all been the ‘only female’ token that sits quietly, just showing up. While we continue to break the misogynistic culture that has determined our lives, men and women for as long as we can remember, we must continue to support each other in this. To listen, to understand, to hope for better.” – BLUP50 TALENT, LIV WEST [@liv.west]Reclaim the night gold knuckleduster – Copyright Studio BLUP

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Reclaim the Night came to the UK over 40 years ago. In 1977 women in Leeds took to the streets to protest the police requesting women to stay at home after dark in response to the murders of 13 women by (recently deceased) Peter Sutcliffe.

Placards read “No curfew on women – curfew on men”. It is hard to believe we are still marching, but we will not cease until we can walk the streets at night, without the fear of rape. Women still face widespread violence from day to day harassment in the street to sexual assault, rape and murder. And yet we remain in a climate where this is still normalised as acceptable ‘banter’, where prosecutions for assaults are decreasing, and specialist services for women are under attack.

Women are speaking up, breaking the stigma that it shouldn’t be talked about. We are demanding better from men, demanding safety, equality and change. Some of you reading this may be male, and to you I say thank you for educating yourself. You might be thinking ‘hey, but this isn’t all men?’ 

In response to those behind the ‘Not All Men’ movement I’ll agree that not all men harm women, but I’ll ask you this. Do all men make sure that their fellow men do not harm women? Do they interrupt troubling language and behaviours? Are they having conversations with their sons about safety and consent? Are ‘all men’ interested in women’s safety? 

WILL YOU START NOW?

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Reclaim the night article written by BLUP50 talent Charlie Greening [@chazzabel]

Want to write for theblup.com please contact talent@studioblup.com

Coping with social anxiety as lockdown restrictions lift.

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As the UK starts to get back into motion, people are beginning to crawl out of their hiding holes. Switching track suit bottoms for party dresses and cups of tea for pints of beer.

Understandably, after a year of avoiding social interactions some of us are struggling to get back into it. What do I talk about? How do I function in a social setting? Social Anxiety is a very common disorder amongst people prone to anxious thoughts. Things like ‘FOMO’ and social media can be a stimulant to this, so it is understandable that a year of social restrictions may have some effect. Symptoms of social anxiety include worrying about speaking to people, dreading social events, avoiding eye contact and low self-esteem.

For those of us with social anxiety, lockdown has been both a blessing and a curse. In a strange sense, it feels as if we are being rewarded for doing what we do best: keeping ourselves to ourselves and staying away from others. But there are downsides to this, too. The prospect of having to socialise with others again after the best part of a year spent isolating is absolutely terrifying for those with social anxiety.

The most Human beings are social creatures, we thrive off of the chemicals released when we spend time with others. Something as simple as a hug has the power to change our entire state of being. Personally, I felt both the pros and cons of the most recent lock-down. I didn’t see anyone outside of my household for three months in hopes of helping reduce the spread of the virus. During this time I tackled feelings of loneliness, isolation and boredom. However, I found it gave me a new opportunity to adjust my focus onto myself rather than the expectations of those in my social circle. It is normal for us to be swept away into social situations, trying to fit in and be part of a tribe. This comes from our innate human instinct to be part of a group in order to protect our lives. This is unnecessary in today’s world as we aren’t going to be attacked by a Lion, most of the time. Never the less, this fear of abandonment or not being part of a community still stands.

So, what can you do to help ease anxiety as we start to make our way back into the world again? Here are some of my best tips and tricks to tackle these worries.

Talk to someone you trust. Sharing your concerns and worries can help alleviate them, so find someone you can trust and who you feel comfortable talking to. There’s a good chance that they are feeling a similar way, which will help you to feel supported and like your worries aren’t unwarranted.

Pre-plan situations. You know yourself best, so consider the situations where you’re feeling the most anxious and think about how you can ease the nervousness you feel about them. For example, if the thought of taking public transport and being surrounded by crowds fills you with dread, is there a different way you can travel that will make the situation easier for you?

Stay informed. Misinformation only fuels anxiety and makes social situations seem even more terrifying, so remember that education is key. Make sure you’re armed with the facts from reputable, reliable sources so that you can be confidence what is safe and what isn’t.

Show yourself compassion. The easing of lockdown and returning to normality is another big adjustment, after over a year of strict guidelines, so be patient with yourself. There’s an expectation that once social activities are available, everyone should be returning to pre-pandemic life immediately. But that’s not necessarily the case for everyone, especially those with anxiety. So, don’t feel pressured to get involved if you’re not ready – take it at your own pace and be honest with those around you if you need more time to adjust.

Focus on the positive. Anxiety can shroud the positive aspects of situations, making it feel like there’s nothing enjoyable to look forward to. But remember that this is the anxiety talking and not the reality.  You may find it helpful to list out the things you’re looking forward to, so you can refer to it when you’re feeling anxious.

As the world slowly returns to ‘norm’ we have a new found appreciation for the relationships dearest to us. There is an energy in the air – prioritising community, acts of kindness and love. I hope that we can build a new world as we put it back together. One that encourages us to look out for one another, minority groups and the natural world.

9K for what?

Lockdown university students are currently paying nine thousand pounds per year for an 80% studio course with no studio access. 

Every school is being affected by the decisions around our education system. Since 2015 every Prime Minister has claimed to be putting more money into schools than ever before. But the hard truth is that nearly all schools in England are worse off now than five years ago.

In 2015, David Cameron promised that his government would continue to protect school funding. 

During the 2017 election, Theresa May promised to spend £4bn more. 

In 2019, Boris Johnson promised to level up school funding and ensure no more winners and losers. 

But even if you fast-forward to the highest point in the Prime Minister’s plan, in three years, our schools will still be reeling from a £1.3bn funding shortfall in 2022/23 compared with 2015/16 — the biggest in a generation. 

How is the current pandemic affecting university students?

The most prevalent issue for current university students is the substantial tuition fees still being paid. The standard fee in England is £9,250 per academic year. The standard fee for International students is a whopping £12,750 per year. Many of these students have had to return to their countries of origin thousands of miles away from the university they pay so much to ‘attend’.

Why are these costs too much to ask for?

Let’s say you plan to go out for a meal one weekend. The restaurant asks you to pay for the meal ahead of time. Feeling confused as to why you’re expected to pay for your meal before you eat it, you politely do so anyway. Once at the trendy restaurant, your waiter comes up to your table halfway through your dinner date and takes your unfinished plate away. Frustrated and hangry, you try to fill up on the breadbasket that is left on the table. Moments later, the restaurant manager exclaims “right were closing due to the pandemic, everyone out”. You’d quite rightly expect a full refund in this situation, right? So why would we treat university students paying for their education any differently? 

Under section 56 of the consumer rights act; students who have received a substandard quality of education this semester are entitled to a refund.

How do you request a refund on your tuition fees?

Go to the quality assurance agency to check if you have a case.

Complain directly to the university – they can refund students directly.

If the university does not refund you, go to The Office of Independent Adjudication and fill out a complaints form.

Here are some petitions you can sign that could have an impact on this current education crisis.

Students need wifi to have access to online learning. Pay for the wifi services that are compulsory for students who are living and learning in student homes. Here is a petition to fund free wifi for university students forced into online learning.

petition

Call on the government to consider holding debates in Parliament between MPs and university students to raise/discuss issues that affect them. It will allow students to voice their opinions and concerns about tuition fees of £9250 a year which are too high, especially as grants have been removed. Here is a petition to reduce university tuition fees from £9250 to £3000.

petition

This is an open letter to the universities across the UK from their students, intended to lay out our concerns regarding the necessary changes to teaching this academic year and to dispute the failure to introduce national, fair mitigation policies to protect our futures. 

petition

You can also get more resources via social media with the hashtags #9kforwhat and #saveourgrades

The other pandemic happening right now.

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As we slouch into a new year with lockdown 3.0, the mental health impact remains significant and shows no signs of abating. 

Though the pandemic has certainly affected the mental health of all demographics, research from the UK’s Mental Health Organisation showed that young adults ages 18-24 are more likely to report stress from the pandemic than the population as a whole, with a frightening 22% stating that they’ve had suicidal thoughts or feelings in the last year compared to 10% of the overall UK population. This is a likely result of the triple whammy; curtailed education, diminished job prospects and reduced social contact. 

So what can we do to support strength and unity in the next generation?

The innovators that the future of society relies upon for climate justice, global equality, and change?

Anxiety is the most common mental health concern globally. Often anxious thoughts stem from regret about the past and worry for the future. Our anxious thoughts steal the present moment from us as we are often too concerned with that we can’t control. 

Here are five things you have control over right now;

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The news you consume. 

Your expectations.

Who you interact with.

Your response.

Your Social Media consumption.

While we wait for the Tories to address uncertainty around employment opportunities and education provision, most young adults turn to social media as a learning tool for contemporary issues.

Social Media can be an invaluable platform for keeping in touch with loved ones during lockdown restrictions. The human race is made up of social creatures who need the companionship of others to thrive. Social Media has become a replacement for real-world connections but does not trigger the same stress-alleviating hormones that in-person contact can.

Commonly, Social Media can affect your mental health in many ways. With the majority only sharing the highlights of their lives and not the low points dealt with off-camera, you may be comparing yourself to others and feeling insecure. Even if you know the images are manipulated they may cause a feeling of envy, dissatisfaction and inadequacy about your life and/or appearance possibly leading to body image issues. It is also common to experience self-absorption and unhealthy self-centeredness.

How to reduce your screen time during the lockdown.

We often talk about wanting to live in the moment and develop deeper relationships. We complain about how we have no time for hobbies or exercise — but no one is willing to put their bloody phone down.

1. Put your devices in another room. Once you do so it may highlight exactly how dependant you are on your technology. You’ll likely feel an impulse to reach for your phone and check social media, but fight the urge and see how you feel, I dare you!
2. Decide what you want to do instead. What would you rather do with your time? Come up with a list of things you want to do that you think you don’t have time for. When you put away the screens, do those things! It will reinforce the positivity of less screen time when you realize that you’re getting to do more of what you want. 
3. Move or remove apps. Which apps are the biggest time-absorbing voids for you? Is it Instagram, Facebook or Plants Vs Zombies? If you’re feeling brave, delete them. 
4. Ask for accountability. You could say that you want to spend 6-8 pm off of all devices and let everyone in the house know. I bet they’ll help you stick to your commitment! 
5. “Wherever you are, be all there.” This quote from Jim Elliot sums up what I want from life in general, and definitely with my screen usage. As a society, we need to get back in touch with the present, with reality.

Here are some useful resources for helping with mental health. If you are struggling right now then reach out for help, It can only get better one step at a time.

Anxiety UK 

Charity providing support if you have been diagnosed with an anxiety condition.

P: 03444775774

W: http://www.anxietyuk.org

CALM

Campaign Against Living Miserably. A charity providing a mental health helpline and webchat.

P: 0800585858

W: http://www.thecalmzone.net

Men’s Health Forum

24/7 stress support for men by text, chat and email.

W: http://www.menshealthforum.org.uk

Mental Health Foundation

Provides information and support for anyone with mental health problems or learning disabilities.

W: http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk

Mind

Promotes the views and needs of people with mental health problems.

P: 03001233393

W: http://www.mind.org.uk

New Year New You

As we try to shake off the dirt of 2020 and pave the way for 2021, it might be easy to feel deflated and unmotivated. This past year has been the toughest yet, testing our endurance, patience, both physical and mental strength.

I want to start by saying well done for getting through 2020. This year, Social Media has brought about a notion that during lockdown one should be working on themselves as they ‘have no excuse not too’. I argue this, we all have different ways of coping with adversities. In my opinion, if you can go through all the bollocks this year may have thrown at you whilst still being compassionate to yourself and others, then that is something you should be very proud of.

If you are reading this, I assume you are the kind of person who wants to set some new year’s resolutions for this coming year. Here are some of my top tips in setting yourself goals and sticking to them in order to get more of what you want out of life.

First and foremost, sit down with a pen and paper and have a chat with yourself. This might seem silly but with the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, we very rarely take the time to check in with what WE want and need, rather than what others expect from us. What you might not know is that the answers to the big questions in our lives are already within us.

Humankind has evolved and achieved because we are natural problem solvers. As an example, what is something you’ve been worrying about? Take a deep breath, ask yourself that question, and listen, your inner guide will automatically come up with a solution regardless of if feels like the right one.

Our inner voice is there to protect us, to keep us in our comfort zones. I like to use the metaphor of an elastic band. Most people start their year tackling their goals head-on and build some momentum, but sure enough, fall back into their old habits. This is like stretching the elastic band further and further but as soon as you let go of that grip, it springs back to its original form. The best way to achieve your goals is to find awareness of that inner saboteur and tell it to ‘politely piss off as I’m trying to make a change’.

So on that note, I’ll ask you this; What stopped you achieving your goals in 2020? I want you to reflect on this without blaming any external circumstances. Obviously, the pandemic has set us all back but the harsh truth of the matter is that we’re our own worst enemy. What have you let hold you back?

Once you feel you’ve come up with some of the ways in which you’ve prevented your own success, now ask yourself, who do I need to be in 2021 in order to have the success I want? Do you need to be someone who puts their own needs first, someone who prioritises their health, someone who wakes up earlier? Now you have painted a picture of who you need to be, visualise becoming that person, how will you do it? What do you need to stop doing? What do you need to start doing?

Imposter syndrome is something that affects absolutely everyone, every successful person once started at nothing. The difference between someone who is successful and someone who isn’t is that the successful person will choose not to listen to that inner voice telling them they aren’t good enough and just get on with it, win or lose.

If you want to gain confidence in yourself and your ability to do what you love then I need to tell you something. Even with Amazon Prime, confidence can’t just be bought and delivered to you. You are still going to have to do the things that scare you. If you don’t think you’re ready now then you will never be. Confidence comes from action, doing what you’re scared of doing even though you don’t want to and reaping the benefits when it works out.

Make your will power stronger, do something even when you don’t feel like it, that is you stepping outside your comfort zone. That is how you change your life, your habits, your success. Conquer yourself, bring about a brand new comfort zone in 2021.

And if no one has told you yet, I’ll tell you. You’ve got this.

All Worn Out.

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Article written and illustrated by Charlie Greening

Do you have too many clothes in your life? There’s a club for that and everyone is in it. We meet every morning, throwing heaps of rumpled tops around the room and shouting, ‘I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR.’ The full wardrobe meltdown is my signature move. Grunting, screaming, and sweating usually. Often I am still in my pants, whirling rejected pairs of trousers around my head like a discus gold medallist. 

The sheer scale of fashion options available to us in the 21st century isn’t only a problem for the planet and the people making them, it’s messing with our heads, too. Abundant choice is one of modern life’s biggest privileges, but it can also be a mental burden. This is one of the contributing factors that led me to break up with fast fashion.

Like many relationship dramas, it all started around the festive season. Buried under an impressive collection of Christmas gifts I pulled my hungover ass out of bed at 5 am to head to the boxing day sales. My palms are clammy, pupils dilated, on a mission to buy ‘stuff’ hastily and hungrily with an adrenaline rush as I see the sexy red reductions.

The pursuit of new is human instinct. It’s what we do, and always have done – we push forward, innovate, then get bored and start sniffing around for the next micro-hit of dopamine.  

In the following weeks, I found myself choosing the clothes I had recently bought again and again each morning, not just because they looked particularly great on me but because they were the newest things I owned. And newness is everything. 

So, for my 2019 new year’s resolution, I decided to boycott fast fashion. My material pursuit for happiness was now limited to second-hand clothing, I have achieved two years without buying any new clothing except for underwear (understandably) and my one obsession, Doc Martens. 

When I began my #notnewyear, I found it surprisingly easy to limit my spending to second-hand. Rummaging through local charity and vintage stores. I have saved a lot of money and what I have spent has gone toward essential causes.  I often get bragging rights when complimented on an outfit that cost me £5 from a charity shop, knowing that my carbon footprint has been significantly reduced.

‘Fast Fashion’ has no official definition, it’s characterised by two things: low prices and relentless pace. It cycles through fads so rapidly that transience has become almost the defining trend of a generation. 

Those of us who love fashion have come to use it as a multi-purpose cure-all for everything from headache to heartbreak. The old trope of ‘retail therapy’ is taken to an all-too-literal conclusion, a place where buying non-essential ‘stuff’ can be classed as vital self-care.

The average person buys 60 per cent more items of clothing than they did 15 years ago and keeps them for half as long. We are becoming overwhelmed with clutter, both physical and mental, starting to look around and ask: Have we reached a saturation point? Is it possible we have.. too much stuff?

THE ANSWER IS YES, OBVIOUSLY.

So, what are you going to do about it? We can’t keep consuming at our current rate, it’s not possible. At current growth rates, it will take 200 years for the population of the world to double, and yet we’ve somehow produced twice as many clothes in the time since Facebook was invented. By 2050, the equivalent of almost three earths could be required to provide the natural resources it would take to sustain our current lifestyles.

As the world locked down to minimise the spread of COVID-19, the fashion industry turned upside down. Trends are beginning to slow down with less disposable income to spend on non-essentials. 

The second-hand fashion market is set to explode as we clean out and sell from our closets to make a little extra cash or donate to charity shops. People will still be eager to buy stuff, if they can afford it, but are less likely to jump on something new. This is why the likes of Donatella Versace, Rick Owens and Guram Gvasalia of Vetements have indicated they are looking forward to slowing down and creating season-less clothes.

THE TRUTH IS, FASHION NEEDS US MORE THAN WE NEED FASHION

Without thousands of thirsty shoppers emptying their racks every week, companies will be forced to take stock and do things differently.

Maybe we’re so used to feeling enslaved to the high street that we’ve lost sight of our own clout as consumers. While we still believe that fashion has the power to validate, fix, comfort and complete us, it’s hard to feel as though we hold any cards at all. Besides Visa.

This feeling has been drummed into us for most of our lives, by an economy that relies on us believing that too much is never enough. We’ve grown up in a world that tells us we’re only as good as our last outfit.

Once we believe that we have the collective potential to slow down fast fashion, it makes the break-up feel less like a miserable sacrifice and more like a positive action. A power move. We may have done nothing wrong, but this doesn’t mean we can’t try to do things right.

We can think a little more and buy a lot less. We can acknowledge the part we play in feeding the monster, however small and inconsequential it might seem in the vast, messy scheme of things. We can learn. We can listen. We can fight that impulse (entirely natural, I think) to stick our fingers in our ears and lalala the facts away. 

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I buy my clothes from the array of charity shop stores in the suburbs of South-East London. My favourite being Scope, who have paired up with ASOS in a new scheme to encourage more people to buy second hand. ASOS give their new, unworn sample sale items straight to charity stores rather than contributing them to the already alarming amount of landfill in the UK. Thus meaning you can find some brand new reduced items from ASOS you won’t find anywhere else.

Some other great stores include; Rokit, The Red Cross, The Salvation Army, Oxfam, Sense and Rokit Vintage.

After working for Depop , a global online community platform where you can buy and sell garments, I learnt a lot about up-cycling and reusing old clothes by turning them into something new and selling these one of a kind pieces on the mobile application. I have made a large sum of money from selling old clothes online.

Another great Depop user is a friend of mine Alice, her shop @alicefletchdf is great for vintage designer brands. It has been recognised by celebrity influencer Devon Carlson on instagram recently.

Written and Illustrated by Charlie Greening @chazzabel

Can I ‘boro’ that?

John Galliano Fall 2003 Ready-To-Wear Collection

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Sustainable Fashion Trends in 2020

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