Growing up in today’s world is no easy task. Many of the women we look up to and aspire to be like, tend to be online, from hundreds and thousands of miles away or even both. It’s easy to forget that many inspiring women come from the little island of Ireland. From modern-day to those
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I was in class one day and the lecturer started speaking about how death affects us all in different ways but also how there is a common theory among the mental health community. It is that when we experience a breakup, leaving/losing your job, the death of a family pet, or when you end a
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Dear Steph, Sometimes I get really down and I can’t seem to snap out of it. Some days I literally wake up, just sad. Nothing major has happened, I have friends, my family are great, I’m happy enough in school, but I still get this really sad feeling. It doesn’t happen every day, maybe every
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The last few months have been overwhelming, to say the least. On a personal level, it feels like my life has become almost unrecognisable from what it used to be. Okay, maybe that’s a bit melodramatic, but it has to be admitted, life has changed immensely over the past 14 weeks. And to be quite
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A large part of the LGBTQ* community but one that is often silenced is the ever-growing transgender community, or trans for short. Trans people often face more oppression that other members of the community with threats of sexual assault and physical violence looming over the very existence of these people. The often unaccepting social atmosphere
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With Pride week upon us, we decided to share some of our favourite LGBTQ characters and heroes with you. Some play LGBTQ characters, some are strong allies/members of the LGBTQ community and most importantly, some are both! 1. Derry Girls’ Clare Devlin We don’t know who puts a smile on our face more, the adorable
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Dublin Pride is the largest fundraising event of the year for many LGBTI+ community organisations and charities in Ireland. The yearly festival is held to celebrate LGBTQ people and the people who love them and want to support them and its not to be missed! However, this year everyone from all walks of life have
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If there’s one thing we know for sure here at Shona, its that nothing is more powerful and magical than when women come together to create change. Since lockdown began, there has been a 25% increase in domestic violence calls to An Garda Siochana, and Women’s Aid have reported a 39% increase in calls. Inspired
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There was a period of time in my life where I’d have given anything to be white. I thought my life would be easier if I was white because I wouldn’t feel like I stuck out like a sore thumb when I walked into a room full of people or out onto a camogie pitch.
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In secondary school, it can seem like the course of action you choose after your leaving cert will define your entire life and future career. I‘m Maeve and I was a sixth-year student who had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do after the leaving cert. At the time, I thought I needed to know
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Alexandra is many wonderful things, and being a member of the trans community is just one of them. This is her story, which we originally shared in 2017….. I currently occupy what I like to call the middle space. The middle space is that gap between male and female. It’s the difference between ‘sir’ and ‘miss’
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Dear Steph, I can’t stop eating! I mean it! Ever since we’ve been at home, I’m eating non-stop. I’m not even hungry half the time. Some days I’m not bothered but some days I get really upset and annoyed with myself. What’s going on and how can I stop? Hi there, Thanks so much for
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The most important day is the day you decide you’re good enough for you. It’s the day you set yourself free. Brittany Josephina This quote means a lot to me as a young woman. My name is Sophie and I am an Applied Health Care student studying in Waterford. The reason I chose to study
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It isn’t in my past, it’s in my everyday. There’s a mental health condition that’s not often talked about and can sometimes be misunderstood: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a condition that can occur when someone has experienced or witnessed an event that threatened their life or safety. PTSD is most commonly associated with
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Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself. – Rumi. If we’ve learned anything over the past year, its that the world can change in a heartbeat. We can no longer just look after ourselves. None of us can make it alone, we need
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Most people will tell you that the older they get, the more they learn about life. Your loved ones have made many a mistake and made many a blunder which is what makes themso utterly and eternally wise.The good news is, if you listen to them, and hear what they have to say, you may
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Dear Steph, I think my friends have set up a new WhatsApp group without me. I said it to my mam and she said I’m probably just paranoid and imagining it. But I know they have. Because we have a Snapchat group and in there one of the girls said, “go check our WhatsApp group”.
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Growing up, media representations I encountered of women always showed them hairless, smooth and shiny. I used to think only hippie type radical feminist women didn’t shave. Seeing body hair on women was something I never saw on TV or magazines. I think I was 11 when I first starting shaving, and from then on
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