April has been a bit weird. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.
Favourite part?
As it was the Spring holiday, I went to see my family for nearly two weeks. It great to see them, not work for a while, and to have lots of cuddles with my cat! While I was back I also saw some friends who I haven’t seen for 16 months. It was so great to see them, and weird being in the middle of Southampton again after probably the same amount of time. I now can’t wait to see them again in the summer!
It was Fashion Revolution Week 19th-25th April! I wasn’t intending to do a lot during this week as I was going to rest a bit more, and I did, but I also seemed to accidentally have a lot on too. I recorded a podcast episode for my uni’s Feminist Society all about Fashion Revolution Week and some key issues activists are focusing on at the moment. Please go and give it a listen! I also gave a talk to members of Leena Norms’ Gumption Club on why Fashion is a Feminist Issue – it was so lovely and I enjoyed chatting with everyone a lot! I also had an article in The Tab published on different things to do with your clothes that doesn’t involve throwing them away or donating to charity shops (as much as I do love charity shops).
I've done some other things with friends, including a gardening social with FemSoc where I separated a cactus plant, and walks with my flatmates.
I also handed in my dissertation! It was a weird moment as I’ve been editing it for the practically the past month, but it’s now handed in and completed. I just have to wait a couple of months to find out what mark it received. On day it was due, my flatmates and I went out for a meal at Chucho’s, a Mexican restaurant in Byker. The food was great and I look forward to going back again!
Best read?
I finished reading Charlotte by Helen Moffett at the beginning of April. I then read Loved Clothes Last by Orsola de Castro just before Fashion Revolution Week. It was so informative and easy to read. As well as discussing fashion’s impact on workers’ rights, I learned a lot about different fabrics and how sustainable they are. I would highly recommend to anyone!
As I may have mentioned before, I run the Book Club for my uni’s Feminist Society. This month we held our last event of the year, which was focused around Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde. This book is incredible and I would encourage everyone to read it. It’s a book I know I’m going to return to again and again, and will learn something new every time.
I finished the last book of my course with The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. It was a pretty good one to end on, but I won’t lie it’s weird not having set books to read every week. It’s like I’ve forgotten what it’s like to only read for fun!
During Fashion Revolution Week I started reading Stitched Up: The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion by Tansy Hoskins. I’m really enjoying it so far, and it contains a lot of useful and important information about the fashion industry, as well as using various pieces of political theory. See more on this and other books on the fashion industry in a later blog post!
Since I finished reading The Picture of Dorian Gray, I have realized that I need to be reading some kind of fiction at all times. I was only reading non-fiction and having something fun to read that’s not heavy information about the climate crisis or worker exploitation is needed. So I’m now working my way through some of the fiction books I’ve been designating for ‘after uni’. First one is The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford, which I’m about half way through and am really enjoying so far!
Favourite listen?
I started out the month listening to a lot of Dolly Parton on my runs, but I then switched to podcasts. I know a lot of people don’t like listening to podcasts when running but I find they distract me more from the fact that I’m running and therefore make it a little bit easier.
I’ve been loving Close-Up by Aurelia Magazine, Common Threads, and The Yikes Podcast. I particularly loved The Yikes Podcast’s recent episode on internalised capitalism and productivity and oof did it hit home. I related way too much to the discussions in that episode, but hey at least it helps explain some of my recent crises!
Favourite watch?
As usual in pandemic life, a lot of television has been watched! The Doghouse has been a firm favourite. I was first introduced to it by my flatmate and in turn introduced it to my family, who, unsurprisingly, loved it too. It’s such a wholesome show, and frankly, we could all do with seeing more cute dogs right now.
Since finishing all the Grey’s Anatomy available on Disney+, I have been rewatching The Office. I need some comfort TV!
New series of some of my favourites have returned though, including Made in Chelsea and Glow Up!
What did I learn?
I need to learn how to function when I don’t have 101 things to do. Like seriously, why do I go into panic when a project is done? But that’s not an answer with a simple question!
What’s happening next month?
I have my last deadlines of my degree, so I’ll mostly be finalizing essay plans and secondary reading, and then actually writing those essays. And then I’ll be done with uni! *tries not to panic*.
It will also be my blog’s 6th birthday! I will probably celebrate with a tweet as long as I don’t forget.
Favourite blogger/vlogger?
Not a very exciting answer but I’ve been keeping up with Hannah Witton’s latest series of the Hormone Diaries and Leena Norms new videos. I been feeling like I need some video essays on film and TV back in my life soon!
Favourite post?
I loved writing 8 Years After Rana Plaza and Fashion Brands Still Aren’t Keeping Their Workers Safe. To me, it’s so important to keep the memory of Rana Plaza alive and active in our work to improve the fashion industry. The people lost and injured by the collapse can’t be forgotten, but we also can’t see the problem as fixed, because it most certainly is fair from it.
Biggest inspiration?
I may not have felt great more generally this month, but Fashion Revolution Week was genuinely great. I loved seeing the amount of action people were taking, and all the different ways I participated. We just have to keep that momentum up all year-round!
Any other favourites?
I’ve been trying a few new recipes this month! Mostly recipes by Max La Manna. I’ve tried his tofu butter ‘chicken’, which I’m now obsessed with, as well as making crumpets from scratch. I also made Madeleine Olivia’s crepes and more recently have been loving rhubarb crumble now that it’s back in season!
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