Voting #1: Education

Hi again,

The 7th of May is the General Election, a momentus occasion for us of all in Britain. It really, really matters, and therefore our vote really does matter - it's your
 chance to tell the government what you want to happen in the coming years. And, as teenagers, our vote just might swing it, so we need to take this seriously.

This is a little bit of a 'seasonal' blog post if you will, as the timescale is quite short before the 7th of May. 

It's also a bit of a regional blog post, which mean that it only really applies to British readers but I'll try and incorporate some general points as well.

Make no mistake, the point of this series of blog posts is not to convince you to vote for any one party. I am aiming to lay out important policies that affect us as teenagers.

Enjoy!
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As teenagers, we need to be clued-up on who we're going to vote for, and you have to take it seriously. I often engage arguments with some of my friends who are under the impression that they don't really need to know who to vote for, because they're all the same. This is a DANGEROUS PATTERN OF THINKING and totally untrue.

Today's topic is Life after School: Further/Higher Education and The Workplace

We as teenagers need to make sure that whoever we vote for has an educational plan for us, whether that be at university or in an apprenticeship scheme.

Before we begin however, there are just a couple of general points to consider:

• The first thing to bear in mind when choosing who to vote for is that the Conservatives have held the reigns for the last 5 years, and things have improved significantly in many areas since Labour was in government before them. That's not to say that one shouldn't vote for another party if you feel that they will provide better for you in the next five years, but it is a point worth thinking on.

• Please, please, please DON'T JUST VOTE FOR WHO YOUR FRIENDS VOTE FOR! THINK about it. READ into it. 

• Think critically about policies. Don't just take them as hard facts. Try to consider these questions: can the prospective government logically afford these promises, given their plans for the economy? If you think they can, ask yourself where the money is coming from. Is it coming from an increase in tax, or a cut in government spending?

• This is a tricky one because it's embroiled in regional politics but try not to just vote for who your area votes for. I know that in some areas it's almost forbidden to vote for certain parties, so if you have to, just don't tell anyone who you're voting for! Lie and tell them you're voting for another party if you have to! (Obviously, if everyone in your area does the same then you're going to have a bit of an issue, but at least you'll have thought about who it is you want in power!).

First up, the Conservatives. The Conservatives say that they are going to:

• Deliver 3 million more apprenticeships over the next 5 years

• Introduce a Youth Allowance, which will replace Jobseeker's Allowance for 18-21 year olds. This will be time limited to six months, after which we'll have to take an apprenticeship, traineeship or do daily community work for the benefits.

• Replace class-room based Further Education courses with high-quality apprenticeships that combine training with experience of work and a wage

• Provide many more Degree Apprenticeships

• Publish more earnings and destination data for Further Education courses

• Abolish the cap on higher education student numbers - removing what they call "the arbitrary ceiling on ambition"

• Introduce a National Postgraduate Loan system, for taught masters and PhD courses.

• Encourage universities to offer more two-year courses

• Encourage the development of online education as a tool for students, whether studying independently or in our universities

(It is also worth noting that the Conservatives are also promising to improve rail travel in East Anglia to places like Norwich, which notably has the University of East Anglia, and Ipswich, and this is important to consider for university/apprenticeship placements.)

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Moving on to the Labour Party's Manifesto. This is VERY different but bear with it.

They promise to:

•  Introduce what they are calling The Technical Baccalaureate, which is a vocational award for 16-18 year olds.

• Students will continue to study English and Maths to age 18 but will additionally undertake work experience between the ages of 14 and 16.

• In terms of our teaching, teachers will now be able to achieve a new 'Master Teacher' status.

• Work to stop homophobic bullying.

• Cut tuition fees from £9,000 to £6,000 a year.

• Introduce a Compulsory Jobs Guarantee, which will provide a paid starter job for every young person who is unemployed for over a year.

• They are also guaranteeing every young person an apprenticeship who leaves secondary school with the right grades.

• Create new Technical Degrees.

• Support part-time study.

• Also introduce a new Youth Allowance, dependent on recipients being in training.

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Lib Dems Policies:

BEWARE, that when looking at the Lib Dems' Manifesto, they ask you to sign up to email updates. You don't need to to look at their policies though.

It is worth noting that when you first go onto the Lib Dem Manifesto page, very few policies can be found. It seems as though they have no discernible policies on Further Education, aside from simply "protecting the budget" and trying to justify why they promised to keep tuition fees down but failed.... I said no political bias, but just sayin'. However, this is not quite the case, but I think it is important to note that they don't make any sort of fuss about the policies relating to us.

• They will introduce a Young Person's Discount card for young people aged 16-21 giving a 2/3rds discount BUT the crucial part of this policy is that they end it with, "as resources allow". It's hard not to feel that this is a premature "out", for if they don't deliver.

• They will also allow Government departments, local councils and private businesses to add discount offers to the Discount Card.

• They are going to review access to transport for students and apprentices in rural areas where no schedules services may be available. 

• Develop, what they call. the "NHS student guarantee", which makes it easier for students to get care and support while at university. This is aimed at those with long-term health conditions or caring responsibilities.

• Promote social action and volunteering at school, college and university, and work to raise the status of youth work and youth workers. 

• Improve links between employers and schools, encouraging all schools to participate in mentoring schemes. 

• They will seek to inspire more children and young people to follow technical and scientific careers through partnerships with businesses.

I know I said I wouldn't present any sort of political biases in this blog post but it is important to think about when considering voting for the Lib Dems that NONE of these policies are concrete promises. They have no economic bearing and you need to consider really carefully, given their past record whether they are realistically going to be able to provide anything for us young people. 

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UKIP's Policies:

• In terms of Secondary Schools, they will introduce a range of different types of schools, including grammar, vocational, technical and specialist schools.

• Re-introduce grammar schools, and what that means for us is testing in a similar style to 11+ at ages 12, 13 and 16.

• Abolish the AS level exam as being a stepping stone to A Level, whilst keeping it as a standalone qualification in its own right. 

• Make First Aid training a statutory part of PSHE in the national curriculum. Peoples can earn a 'Basic Life-Saving Diploma' at the end of secondary school, as well as instruction in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation for all secondary school pupils. 

• They also promise to drop the "arbitrary 50 per cent target for school leavers going to university".

• "UK students taking approved degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM), mainly at universities funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, will not have to repay their tuition fees, on the condition that they work in their discipline and pay tax in the UK for at least five years after they complete their degrees".

• UKIP will also remove all tuition fee loans to EEA students when we leave the EU (under their government we will have left the EU). We will welcome international students at our universities, but they will have to be self-supporting students.

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Green Party:

The Green Party do in fact have an entirely separate manifesto for us teens, called 'The Youth Manifesto'. I'm not 100% sure how I feel about this. On one hand I find it sort of patronising that they don't think we're capable of finding and understanding these policies in the bigger manifesto. On the other hand, it could have been a useful document, until you notice that one of their policies on Education isn't even in their Youth Manifesto! And then I just found it incredibly annoying. Anyway, their education policies are:

• Greens will abolish student tuition fees in Higher Education, re-introducing living grants to support time at University.

• They would cancel all student debt issued by the Student Loans Company.

• They would restore the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) for 16 and 17 year olds, and prioritise the increase of funding for Further Education.

• They will also create 2000 Young People's Centres, dedicated spaces for young people to meet and access information and specialist support.

• Increase spending on youth services by over £1bn each year, protecting funding for youth councils, youth clubs and non-curricular education and training.

• They will would also entitle every young person under the age of 18 and in full time education to free off-peak bus fares.

• Increase funding to mental health provision and ensure that every young person should have 24 hours a day. 7 days a week access to support services.

• Provide apprenticeships to qualified young people aged 16-19 who do not have one and want one, and extend it to age 25. Can I just point out that this policies is not in the Youth Manifesto, which annoys me no end.

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Scottish National Party Policies:

Now, although only Scottish Nationals can vote for SNP they are an important consideration in this election, given that they will, in all likelihood win around 50 seats in Parliament. As such, it's good to be aware of their policies on Education. It is worth noting that SNP's Manifesto is exceptionally difficult to navigate, but the link is below anyway. So:

• SNP will deliver 30,000 Modern Apprenticeships each year and continue to keep university education free. 

• Back an increase in the minimum wage rate for 18-21 year olds to £6.86 by 2020, with the same rate applied to apprentices. (Having said that, they believe it "should" be applied to apprentices. There's no promise it will be).

• Maintaining 116,000 full time equivalent college places Though I didn't find this is the manifesto, but on this website: http://www.snp.org/progress/education

And that's all I can really find.... 

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Plaid Cymru:

Plaid Cymru will only win around 4 seats realistically in Parliament in the coming election, but in terms of our Welsh readers they are a significant party. Their manifesto also has a separate section dedicated to Higher Education, Training and Skills. So they get a thumbs up for that. Their policies on education are as follows:

• Provide a subsidy to students resident in wales who wish to study in Wales.

• They will also target subjects vital to the Welsh economy and public goals. The students studying these degrees will pay no tuition fees in Wales, including those taking up key healthcare posts, studying science, engineering and technology. 

• They will work with their universities to investigate increases in capacity and funding with an emphasis on making sure that Welsh universities get a fair share of UK-based research funding.

•  Continue to promote apprenticeships, particularly Higher Level Apprenticeships.

• Introduce a Citizens' Service which focusses on skills on learning, so that young people are ready for the world of work.

• Increase provision of Welsh language courses and tutors in Further Education.

• They are also going to ensure that training for providers of educational, training nd careers services includes an improved understanding of the effect of gender on learning and how this can be tackled.

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I'd just to put a little disclaimer in and say that if I have made any mistakes, and quite frankly it would be a miracle if I hadn't, please do just write a comment so that everyone knows what the correct version is. I'm more bothered about my readers having accurate information than my talents as a writer. Kindly try and avoid political opinions though where possible.

Stay tuned folks because in the next couple of days I'll be covering Living Wages and Zero-Hour Contracts and Housing Policies, all in good time before Thursday's election.

If you'd like to check all the policies out for yourselves, either in addition to reading my blog, alongside or simply just instead of, the links to each party's manifesto is below:

Conservatives: https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/manifesto2015/ConservativeManifesto2015.pdf

Labour: http://www.labour.org.uk/page/-/BritainCanBeBetter-TheLabourPartyManifesto2015.pdf

Liberal Democrat: http://www.libdems.org.uk/manifesto or for their full manifesto: https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/libdems/pages/8907/attachments/original/1429028133/Liberal_Democrat_General_Election_Manifesto_2015.pdf?1429028133

UK Independence Party (UKIP):  http://issuu.com/ukip/docs/theukipmanifesto2015/1?e=16718137/12380620

Green Party: Manifesto: https://www.greenparty.org.uk/assets/files/manifesto/Green_Party_2015_General_Election_Manifesto_Searchable.pdf

Youth Manifesto: http://younggreens.org.uk/assets/images/younggreen%20images/documents/Youth_manifesto1.pdf

(I just have to mention that when I clicked onto the Green Party's Manifesto, my computer flashed up "Do you want to trust the Green Party?" which I found ridiculously and disproportionately funny.)

SNP (for our Scottish readers if you're out there): http://votesnp.com/docs/manifesto.pdf

Plaid Cymru (for our Welsh readers): https://www.partyof.wales/2015-manifesto/


Cheers,

Philly x

My Performance Anxiety

Dear lovely readers,

Nice to see you all again.

I thought I'd try something a little different for this one. 

Below is an essay I wrote whilst still at university this year on the subject of Performance Anxiety. This is a pretty personal thing for me to share with you all, as I have suffered from crippling stage fright since the age of about 7. As an aspiring opera singer, it has been the bane of my life. Exams, singing, public speaking (on that note, just normal speaking!), you name it, I've been anxious about it. And so when we had to write an essay at uni about any 21st century issue that had affected us, and combined our disciplines (mine being Music and Psychology) I was pretty sceptical about whether this was something I wanted to share with the lecturers at university. But eventually, my seminar leader (also a musician) convinced my to write this essay, and it was met with critical acclaim.

On the off chance that what I've written below helps any of you, my lovely readers, please do comment and let me know. I'd love to hear from you. 

Cheers x

Philly

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An AutoEthnologic Approach: How effective are current methods for dealing with performance anxiety?

The definition given in Collins’s English dictionary for performance anxiety is “the stage fright that a person feels when they are about to perform (a play, piece of music etc) in front of an audience”^[1] . When reading this, I felt as though this definition was extremely limited in its description: it is an enormous understatement of performance anxiety, and fails to explain that performance anxiety does not simply relate to the performance of music but can affect many other areas of life. I have suffered from anxiety in exams, and in public speaking, but it can affect other disciplines in which performance is a regular occurrence, such as in sport or acting. Since the age of eight I have wanted to be an opera singer, despite my crippling stage fright, and have spent the last seven years trying to overcome it. This essay aims to give an overview of the evolutionary basis for performance anxiety,  and explore three different methods for lessening its impact: Visualisation, Alexander Technique, and Biofeedback. I will also argue that a personal approach to one’s anxiety is the only way to combat it, as it is an inherently personal problem, with personal causes and personal effects.

Anxiety is one of man-kind’s oldest and most effective mechanisms for coping with life threatening situations^[2], and therefore has its roots in evolution. The anxiety we feel in emergency situations is a modern manifestation of  the ‘fight-or-flight’ response to danger, which is instigated by the Central Nervous System (CNS). The CNS is split into two parts - the sympathetic nervous system and its parasympathetic counterpart. The sympathetic nervous system is the part of the body that controls the release of adrenaline to trigger the ‘fight-or-flight’ response, and is tempered by the parasympathetic nervous system, which counteracts some of the effects. “The sympathetic nervous system prepares an animal to respond more vigorously and accurately during an emergency”^[3] but, unfortunately, the side effects of this are that it increases one’s heart and breathing rate, causes one’s palms to sweat^[4]  and also causes trembling from the surplus adrenaline. Given that this evolutionary mechanism was designed in order for us to decide whether the predator in front of us could be successfully killed, or whether we should run away, it is clear to see that this is now a defunct and outdated response to ‘danger’, and side effects of this defence system make comparatively low-stress situations very difficult. 

According to Dr. Lynne Bloxham, a general practitioner with personal experience of performance anxiety, some of the most common causes of performance anxiety are: early psychological trauma; familial, including personality; stressful life events; and faulty learning^[5]. The origin that correlates with me from this list is the idea that anxiety is caused by familiar, or specifically personality, traits. I can recognise that my anxiety is caused by my ongoing worry that the audience will dislike my singing voice and that I will make a fool of myself doing the thing that I so desperately want to do as a career. My anxiety causes me to actively anticipate audience disapproval, and worry that I have not done enough practice for the recital. This leads to a sense of dread and self-doubt prior to the performance, and most of the time, throughout it. At the worst moments of my anxiety, I have experienced uncontrollable shaking, crying, and nausea, but in psychological terms, anxiety instigates a voice in my head that is just repeating insults and criticisms. In terms of the effect that anxiety has on the music itself, it is remarkable how little rhythmic control one possesses when at the hands of performance anxiety. It is important to remember that someone suffering with performance anxiety may indeed not suffer from any of these symptoms but could suffer from an entirely different set of responses, and they could be caused by any set list of origins, not included in the list above.

There are a number of physical and emotional strategies that are advocated by healthcare professionals for dealing with performance anxiety, and I will discuss three in detail: Visualiation, the Alexander Technique, and Biofeedback.

Visualisation is a strategy by which one visualises an upcoming recital, or audition every day for two weeks prior to the performance. In order for it to be most efficiently utilised, one must visualise every element of the performance perfectly and in detail: clothing; the room in which the performance will take place; where and how you will stand; how it feel to walk into the room; how it will feel to walk out of the room; what you will play and crucially that you will perform it perfectly. A major ‘pot-hole’ of this technique is that the majority of the time, performers do not know and cannot predict what conditions they will be playing with and what equipment will be available to them, which clearly makes visualising it impossible.

Another strategy for combating anxiety is practicing the Alexander Technique. The Alexander Technique is a very effective way of dealing with performance anxiety that involves a series of exercises that help identify the root of one’s anxiety and eliminate habits one may have adopted as a result. This, as with many of the strategies for aiding performance anxiety, has been introduced into the musical world from the branch of Sports Psychology^[6]. The Alexander Technique is a way of releasing tension from every part of the body, in order to increase feelings of relaxation which can then be applied to performance. One of the biggest criticisms of Alexander Technique however, is that it is an expensive process, with the “majority of students [coming] for a few months, taking between twenty and forty lessons during that period”^[7]. However, several of the exercises can be done in the home.

Biofeedback, or applied psychophysiological feedback^[8], is a method by which involuntary physiological processes, such as increased heart rate, blood flow and adrenaline secretion, when anxious, can learned to be controlled. It is describes as a “therapeutic tool to facilitate learning self-regulation of autonomic functions for improving health”^[9], according to Psychiatric Times, and is commonly used to treat General Anxiety Disorder. As with the Alexander Technique, this is not a free process for helping to treat anxiety. It is also, unlike the Alexander Technique, not a fully-recognised form of therapy - but rather is a branch of homeopathy, and as a result there is limited evidence that it makes any difference to anxiety levels.

I have suffered from performance anxiety for seven years, and have tried countless methods to try and combat it, but it is only in the last few weeks or so that I have created a method that consistently and without fail reduces my anxiety prior to a musical performance. This process has involved a regime of occasionally ruthless self evaluation after performances combined with a self-devised, audible ‘pep-talk’ of all of my musical achievements, in the remaining few minutes prior to the performance. I have found, that although one should try as many different strategies for combating anxiety as they can, whilst evaluating exactly what effect each one has on their performance, there can be no generalised solution but analysing the fundamental causes of one’s own anxiety, and combining, or indeed creating from scratch one’s own programme of stress-relieving exercises in relation to these causes. It is also worth noting that ultimately the only way to combat one’s performance anxiety to such an extent as to make it an asset, as opposed to a liability^[10], is to push oneself to do as many performances as possible, because music is as much about the performance you give, as it is about getting the notes right.

In conclusion, in the last seven years, I had not really advanced from simply acknowledging that I had stage fright to such an extent that it needed to be dealt with. However, having approached this essay from an auto-ethnographical perspective, which reconciles a concept from both psychology (anxiety) and of music (performance) I have managed to successfully pinpoint exactly what it is that causes my anxiety, and appeal to my sense of egocentricity in order to combat it. Indeed, I found that the actual process of writing became part of the solution itself - the methodology of autoethnography forces the writer to analyse exactly what it is about themselves that has caused the issue they are writing about, and in my case, this has allowed me to come to terms with the precise root of my performance anxiety. I believe that approaching anxiety from a personal perspective is the most effective method of dealing with anxiety, because its roots are different for every performer, and as helpful as advocated strategies are, they are a generalised solution to an inherently personal problem.

Bibliography:

•   Collins English Dictionary, ‘Performance Anxiety’ (n.d) [Online] (http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/performance-anxiety). [Accessed 3 December 2014].

•  Marks, Isaac M., Randolph, Nesse, M.,  ‘Fear and Fitness’, in An Evolutionary Analysis of Anxiety Disorders (17 September 1994) [Online] (http://www-personal.umich.edu/~nesse/Articles/Marks-Nesse-FearAndFitness-EtholSoc-1994.PDF). [Accessed 8 December 2014].

•   Smith, Edward E., and Kosslyn, Stephen M., Cognitive Psychology: Mind and Brain, (Essex: Pearson Education Limited, 2014), 31-32

•   Bloxham, Lynne, (2014) “Performance Anxiety”, [Lecture to BMus, BA Music], [Newcastle University]. 20 November.

•   The Complete Guide to the Alexander Technique, ‘What Happens During an Alexander Technique Lesson or Class’ (n.d.) [Online] (http://www.alexandertechnique.com/lesson.htm). [Accessed 7 December 2014].

•   Brauer, Alan, ‘Biofeedback and Anxiety’, Psychiatric Tines (1 February 1999) [Online] (http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/articles/biofeedback-and-anxiety). [Accessed 7 December 2014].

•   Kageyama, Noa, ‘How to Make Performance Anxiety an Asset Instead of a Liability’, The Bulletproof Musician (n.d.) [Online] (http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/how-to-make-performance-anxiety-an-asset-instead-of-a-liability/). [Accessed 6 December 2014].

•   WedMD, ‘Stage Fright (Performance Anxiety)’ (4 May 2013) [Online] (http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/stage-fright-performance-anxiety). [Accessed 6 December 2014].

•   Goddard, Philip, ‘The Alexander Technique: A brief guide to the basics’, Self Realization & Clear Mindedness (n.d.) [Online] (http://www.clarity-of-being.org/alextech.htm#mozTocId916068). [Accessed 2 December 2014].

•   British Association for Performing Arts Medicine, ‘What BAPAM can do for you’ (n.d.) [Online] (http://www.bapam.org.uk/perf_intro.html). [Accessed 2 December 2014].

•   Morland, Polly, ‘Terror behind a rising curtain: Why do talented performers get stage fright?’, The Independent (26 April 2013) [Online] (http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/terror-behind-a-rising-curtain-why-do-talented-performers-get-stage-fright-8587709.html). [Accessed 1 December 2014].

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^[1] Collins English Dictionary, ‘Performance Anxiety’ (n.d) [Online] (http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/performance-anxiety). [Accessed 3 December 2014].

^[2] Marks, Isaac M., Randolph, Nesse, M.,  ‘Fear and Fitness’, in An Evolutionary Analysis of Anxiety Disorders (17 September 1994) [Online] (http://www-personal.umich.edu/~nesse/Articles/Marks-Nesse-FearAndFitness-EtholSoc-1994.PDF). [Accessed 8 December 2014].

^[3] Smith, Edward E., and Kosslyn, Stephen M., Cognitive Psychology: Mind and Brain, (Essex: Pearson Education Limited, 2014), 31-32

^[4] Ibid.

^[5] Bloxham, Lynne, (2014) “Performance Anxiety”, [Lecture to BMus, BA Music], [Newcastle University]. 20 November.

^[6] Bloxham, Lynne, (2014) “Performance Anxiety”, [Lecture to BMus, BA Music], [Newcastle University]. 20 November.

^[7] The Complete Guide to the Alexander Technique, ‘What Happens During an Alexander Technique Lesson or Class’ (n.d.) [Online] (http://www.alexandertechnique.com/lesson.htm). [Accessed 7 December 2014].

^[8]Brauer, Alan, ‘Biofeedback and Anxiety’, Psychiatric Tines (1 February 1999) [Online] (http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/articles/biofeedback-and-anxiety). [Accessed 7 December 2014].

^[9] Ibid.

^[10] Kageyama, Noa, ‘How to Make Performance Anxiety an Asset Instead of a Liability’, The Bulletproof Musician (n.d.) [Online] (http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/how-to-make-performance-anxiety-an-asset-instead-of-a-liability/). [Accessed 6 December 2014].

'How To Be a Woman' - Caitlin Moran

Dear all,


Welcome to my first ever book review. Exciting stuff!

A few months ago, I had in my usual fashion been harping on and on about how much I wanted a read a book called 'How to Be a Woman' by Caitlin Moran, a TV critic and columnist for The Times. As a regular old teenage girl with regular old insecurities I was hoping the book might provide some enlightenment on not only my crippling personal, womanly issues, but perhaps also with my changing career aspirations.

The book follows Moran's life experiences, from a 13 year old girl with six siblings growing up in Wolverhampton, right up to her thirty-something year old self today. She stops along the way to cover the ordinary growing up issues, but also incredibly controversial ones, such as abortion, pornography and feminism. With the occasional experience we're more unlikely to share, like meeting Lady Gaga in a club.

As an 18 year old woman reading the book it covers things I've experienced (and, let's not lie, at times been scarred by), like first periods, shaving and young love. But it also touches on things I'm hoping to experience but terrified of doing so in the future, like getting married and having children.

So, after reading a few chapters a day for about a week, I finished 'How To Be a Woman'. 


And. Just. WOW.


GIRLS. You know that well-worn feeling of nausea and dread you get every time you have one too many glasses of wine where you think you're alone in the world and no one else suffers from the problems that you do and you'll just have to struggle through every day life until you die in a saggy heap of unhappiness? Well... would you believe me when I told you that that doesn't need to be a thing any more?

No, really. I'm serious.

This book is remarkable.

Moran articulates perfectly everything we've been thinking about, crying about, complaining about, keeping bottled up, in a way that made me laugh-out-loud. And not in a sort of 'quiet-sniggering' way. In a "I'm-on-a-plane-to-Budapest-with-all-my-university-friends-and-I'm-guffawing-at-this-thing-while-they-all-give-me-the-'what are you smoking?!'-eyes". Before this book, I could not have imagined laughing about the things that have kept me up at night, on the brink of tears, trying to convince myself it was all going to be ok.

Don't get me wrong, there are moments where our opinions don't concur. For example, I don't agree with her love of the term "c**t". I think it's a horrible word, one which I certainly wouldn't use about anyone, never mind my own... you know... But it doesn't matter that I don't agree with her. I support the sentiment entirely: reclaiming and rebranding "c**t" as a 'strident feminist's word' is a brilliant idea, and one that should be admired.

Because after all, feminism, to a certain extent*, is about us all having our own ideas on what constitutes feminism and us sharing solutions to our every day feministy problems, like that arsehole on the bus who wolf whistles at you every morning, or that guy in your A level maths class laughing at you because he's insecure that you're better at Maths than him.

*NB expect a stern post about feminism relating to Page 3 of The Sun and 'choice' feminists in the near future. SPOILER: they do not impress.


Rating: 4.5 / 5 stars


Age group: For women, I would say from around 16 to 40 and for men from around 20 up.


Final Comments: Absolutely cracking book. Wonderfully written, comic in places, emotional in others. In terms of emotional education, this book is a must-read. Men AND Women.

Men, the sooner we all get on the same page about feminism, the better, and I really believe that this book can give you some insight into the problems women face every. single. day.



For those of you wanting to read 'How To Be a Woman' or if you just want to check Caitlin Moran out there are some useful links below:

The link for 'How to Be a Woman' on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Be-Woman-Caitlin-Moran/dp/0091940745/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430251340&sr=8-1&keywords=caitlin+moran+how+to+be+a+woman

And the link for her most recent novel, 'How To Build a Girl': http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Build-Girl-Caitlin-Moran/dp/0091949017/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1430251378&sr=8-2&keywords=caitlin+moran+how+to+be+a+woman

Caitlin Moran also has her own website, where she sells absolutely hysterical tea-towels, t-shirts and a particularly humorous pair of briefs... Here's the link to that too: http://www.themerchandisingshop.co.uk/shop/shop/product_list.php?&shopid=592

Give her Celebrity Watch a read in The Times on Fridays if you want a little taster of Moran's hysterical writing but otherwise enjoy the book and do comment and tell me what you thought.

Lots of love,


Philly