Reading New York

Reading books set in places I am visiting has always been one of my favourite ways to get to know my new surroundings. When I visited Rome last year I spent hours bouncing… Continue reading →

On anger and unapologetic women

When I get angry, I cry. Or to be more specific, whenever I have to vocalise anger or confront someone with it, I cry. The crying stops me being able to express my… Continue reading →

Try to Praise the Mutilated World

Yesterday, along with thousands of others, I watched footage of Eric Garner being killed by police for doing nothing but asking to be left alone. This morning, I woke up to read that Australia… Continue reading →

Living in New York (what I’ve learnt so far)

Since moving to New York, I’ve been fascinated by trying to figure out how people live here. Not in the pejorative, ‘how can you possibly live here’ sense, obviously. I want to to… Continue reading →

First thoughts on Harlem

Driving through Harlem on my way from JFK, my taxi driver pointed out the places I shouldn’t go. “Be careful round that subway stop at night”. Looking out the window I saw concrete… Continue reading →

On Leaving Home

The first time I remember really leaving a place was standing on the deck of our boat, casting off from a jetty somewhere in New Caledonia and realising that I wouldn’t see my… Continue reading →

The silencing effect

I’ve ummed and ahhd and written and then put off posting this piece for a while now. Writing about body image feels both incredibly cliched and uncomfortably personal. But its a topic I… Continue reading →

Flea markets and Surrealism: or, a Love Letter to Op Shopping

Last Christmas, I was given a copy of On Photography by Susan Sontag. She is amazing, it is amazing and everyone should read it (really, if you are interested in photography, aesthetics, cultural… Continue reading →

Dressing “appropriately” overseas? Feminism and travel

Over the last week, a couple of articles in Daily Life have got me thinking about the politics of dressing while overseas. First, Georgia Arlott recounted her experiences of sexual harassment when travelling… Continue reading →

Fashion as a social marker

One of the things I find most interesting about fashion is how it works as a social or sociological “marker”, indicating a lot more about someone than just their aesthetic preference in clothing.… Continue reading →