Feeling Stagnant and the Joy of Missing Out:

The reality that no one tells you before starting university is that, getting through your degree might be the easiest part, everything else that follows afterwards is probably the most challenging. I have had to battle with the insecurities of losing some form of control over my career/life goals as well as battling with the fear of remaining behind whilst everyone moves forward. When I started university, I made a promise to myself that I would graduate with a first class degree and actively work towards improving my CV so that I would not struggle with securing a job after graduating. This meant I had internships over summer holidays and took 4 months out of my second year to work. Leading up to May 2019, I was certain this was a solid plan and to affirm my beliefs, I got offered a job role with the Civil service as an Assistant Economist, something I thought was almost too good for me. I then wrote my exams and graduated with a first class honours, everything sounds perfect right… wrong.

Kinks, Coils and Cowrie Shells: An insight into having 4c hair

As a black girl with no trace of a different race in me, I have thick tightly coiled 4c hair. A quick description of this hair type is that; It shrinks as soon as it has contact with water but also flourishes more when moisturised. The only time I know its true length is when its blow dried bone straight, but that causes heat damage, so truly 99% of the time I can only estimate its actual length. Most people with my hair type, rarely have it out due to the high levels of maintenance. It is rather fragile and tangles easily so having it in braids and wigs helps protect it and requires less manipulation. We can not just roll out of bed and have a “neat” looking hairstyle in 5 mins but just like my cowrie shell earrings, I see my afro as an accessory. With different hairstyles, I feel as though I embody different sides of my personalty and I love it. As cliche as it may sound, our hair is a crown. It can be moulded into all sorts of intricate braiding patterns and even when left on its own, it stands proudly. 

Shortly before moving to England, I had shaved my long relaxed hair, with the aim of not chemically processing it, and I remember feeling like I stood out as almost every black girl I saw did not have their natural hair out.

How your clothing could potentially impact the environment

ZARA

For quite a long time when I would think of sustainability, climate change and the environment, reduction of plastic  consumption would come to mind. As far as I can remember plastic has always been a known cause of environmental problems because its non biodegradable and it produces toxic fumes when burnt, we all probably know that. What fascinated me was finding out that clothing had an impact on the environment, the debate continues as to how bad the industry is compared to the oil and gas industry.

The problem with the clothing industry it seems is the mass production and consumption of clothing and a quick disposal rate which has coined the term Fast Fashion. In simple terms, I'm sure most of you, or someone you know, owns clothing from Zara, Primark, H&M, New Look, River Island, Boohoo, Missguided, Pretty Little Thing to name a few. These brands bring the latest fashion trends from the runway and offer them to us at a low price. An example is shown below, the chunky Alexander McQueen sneakers cost about £365/ ZMW5790/ P5120 however Primark sold a very similar version for only £8/ ZMW126/ P112, which sold out quite fast. It works for us as consumers