Egham – Page 4 of 12

31Jan

By Madelaine GrayNo Comments

News, Opinion

A Litany of Insults

Why women never seem to win in the world of casual sex. Modern society has undeniably done a lot for the rights of the ‘fairer sex’. The right to vote, first and foremost. The right to own property. The right to open a bank account, to work outside the home, to enter any career we may choose. And of course, the sexual revolution went some way to reducing stigma around premarital sex, decentring the myth of virginal purity. With that came the right to choose – in the form of access to birth control, as well as freedom to terminate unwanted (or unviable) pregnancies. Despite all of this, it is clear to many that in contemporary sexual culture, the odds are still strictly not in our favour. There is a litany of insults directed at women, and the way they choose to navigate the world...

31Jan

By Max FlemingNo Comments

News, Opinion

Are Bisexual People Greedy?

Max Fleming on why we need to consider love as a spectrum. The Bisexual community is often misunderstood by those in the LGBTQIA+ community and heterosexual folk alike. The spectrum of love that Bisexuals feel isn’t often brought to the attention of others and so hides in plain sight, perpetuating loneliness and isolation. The simple answer to the question ‘Are Bisexuals Greedy?’ is no. We are not greedy; we are not disloyal. We are not recognised for who we are. The easiest way to describe the feeling of being Bisexual is to liken it to a spectrum. On one side, you have an interest in one sex, and an interest in another sex on the other side. For example, some Bisexual men might lean towards other men. This does not mean that they are ‘gayer’. They simply have a preference ...

31Jan

By Elena-Teodora ChiujdeaNo Comments

News, Opinion

The Taboo of Virginity

University through the Eyes of a Virgin Over the years, a stigma has been attached to virginity. Whilst the 1960s praised the idea of innocence and purity, particularly amongst women, we now feed off sexual empowerment and diversity. Yet, we still live with this irrational thought: ‘I must be the only virgin on campus’. Not true. We are the generation that is having less and less sex; 18.9% of 18 to 24-year-olds were sexually inactive in the early 2000s whilst in 2018 it was reported that 30% of students and young adults were not having sex. So, isn’t virginity amongst students more normal than abnormal? Why are we avoiding sex like the plague when we are such a sexually aware generation? The logical answer might be the Covid-19 pandemic that forced students to live at home l...

31Jan

By Cecilia Munoz FernandezNo Comments

News, Opinion

The Journey to Self Love

Surely we have all heard the myth about how you can’t love somebody else if you don’t love yourself. As much as self-love is something everyone needs to work on, healthy relationships can actually become a solid foundation for your journey towards self-love. When in a romantic relationship where there is good communication, genuine friendship and companionship, intimacy, sex and affection can become a source of confidence and reassurance. When it comes to sex or intimacy a majority of people find it hard to be naked in front of their partners, it is very common to feel uncomfortable with nakedness for a variety of reasons (like traumatic experiences, purity culture, beauty standards and body dysmorphia) that usually come in hand in hand. Healing your relationship with your body a...

Women & Royal Holloway: December 2021 Issue

18Jan

By Bridget OSullivanNo Comments

Digital Copies

Women & Royal Holloway: December 2021 Issue

https://issuu.com/orbital-royalholloway/docs/issue_2

7Dec

By Bridget OSullivanNo Comments

Features, News, Opinion

ERICA OSAKWE: ‘I CHANGED THE LAW’

Trigger Warning: the following deals with themes of domestic abuse. Domestic abuse is defined across government as any incident of coercive, threatening or controlling behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 and over who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of their gender or sexuality. It wasn’t until Summer 2021 that the Domestic Abuse Act was introduced, creating the first ever statutory definition of domestic abuse in Britain. The bill was rushed through in response to increasing domestic violence reports since the onset of Coronavirus. In other words, it took a pandemic for British politics to formalise its definition of domestic abuse in law. This lack of consolidation only serves to feed the tragic reality that one in ten offences ...

7Dec

By A.L WalesNo Comments

Creative Writing

ET EGO BRUT

REBUTTAL I remember you magenta and idle, hiding in plain sight a fidget of rats in a man-suit. Did you not think I would notice? You tremble in polyester and I have no pity for the moths like you - they know what it is they do I imagine you taut and xeroxed stretched out on linoleum your saline drip defunct chewing on consonants like coaxial cables your world in laminate left-slant font

7Dec

By Zaki ChanNo Comments

Creative Writing

i am

i am, as a man and asian and cognizant and selfaware and godfearing and afraid and angry and hellbent,incapable of romance, affection, love, lust, touch, being capable of not having being capable in anything of worth,and i blame it on myself and see that my hands are the things that push everything away. i am, as a fragment and chinese and broken and malay and unbending and terrible and aware and tumultuous,capable of belief, faith, friendship, telling someone to the face that they mean a lot to me and that i cannot in fact live without them,and i am in fact lying to them and see that my tongue is black with sinuous twisting lies. i am, as a white orchid and a yellow marigold and a red spider lily and a yellow chrysanthemum and decaying,incapable of thinking trust as a rock in an oc...

7Dec

By Alice ClarkNo Comments

Creative Writing

in sooth

in sooth, i know not why i am so sad i miss u in cerulean and orange emotional support jumper in full force one not to be reckoned with but dear god my intrusive thoughts are trying it’s not very late but i’ve got a tired ache brain ache self hate my favourite animal is you i am consumed with insatiability and itchy ankles when i open my mouth songbirds fly out which is actually very inconvenient my mouth is full of feathers and bird shit now damn that analogy i’m learning to exist soundly love vulnerably instead burn incense until the smoke makes it smell safe again i’m too afraid to leave the house most days anxious twitch anxious twitch ghost therapist dear god i feel pathetic in my bedroom tonight Image credit: Ph...

7Dec

By Emily WindleNo Comments

Creative Writing

Spiking…

Going out should be fun with lots of drinking, Dancing away, not overthinking. But what can you miss even if you quickly blink? The substance that was quickly put into your drink! Our mums always told us cover it with your hand, And do not become a one man band. Stay with your friends and don't be too late! Otherwise you could end up with an unwanted date. The problem with spiking is it’s not taken seriously. The victims are just looked at pitilessly. We need to do more to stop this crime. So girls can go back to having a good time. Image credit: Photo by Michael Discenza on Unsplash