Words by: Binari Almeida Art by: Betty Gu
CW: This article discusses sexual assault, rape, torture and mental health.
Note: The term “women” in this article refers to anyone who identifies as a woman.
… Free Britney (and All of Us)
Tag: Art
Who is That Girl?
Words by: Maya Art by: Jessica La
There’s a new trend going around, and if you’re addicted to TikTok like me, you’ve probably seen at least one video about becoming “that girl”. Basically, it’s where influencers — generally White, skinny girls — make TikToks about becoming the best version of themselves by sharing aesthetically pleasing moments from their day. This often includes a 5am wakeup to watch the sunrise, followed by morning meditation, a perfect piece of avocado toast, a 5km run and a green juice smoothie — all before 10am. For some, this might seem like a perfectly harmless trend designed to improve your life, but for others, it can be incredibly toxic.
… Who is That Girl?
Save the Trees (And My Sanity)
Words by: Mia Deans Art by: John Macatol
The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report has been released and well, things look even less optimistic than in the last edition. This is the sixth assessment of its kind by the IPCC, the results of which are momentous to our understanding of and response to climate change. Naturally, the reality of the most recent report is nothing less than confronting.
… Save the Trees (And My Sanity)
Tough Bitches Say No
Words by: Dena Tissera Art by: Lauren Easter
This July I decided to quit playing basketball. I haven’t picked up a ball since. If you know me, you might think this is a bit strange because I probably mentioned my interest in exercise and basketball as soon as we met. The sport has always been a central tenet of my being and yet, when I finally had the chance to play post-pandemic, it only took six or seven games for me to call it quits.
Let me explain.
… Tough Bitches Say No
RIP to the #GirlBoss Mentality
Words by: Hannah Cohen Art by: Ruth Ong
Girl boss. A title that signposts an era when women were suddenly hypnotised by the tranquilising idea of self-made capitalist empowerment. Almost collectively, the desire to kick off an entrepreneurial career and subsequently build an empire became the motivation for women of the western world.
… RIP to the #GirlBoss Mentality
Road Testing the Saviours of 2021: TikTok Food Trends
Words by: Coby Renkin
In a year that’s thrown Melbourne in and out of lockdown more times than I’d like to think about, I, like many others, have taken comfort in two things: food and TikTok. Without sounding too sad, both have brought me a lot of comfort… and cured a LOT of boredom. I mean, only so many hours of the day can be taken up by walks within my 5km bubble and chaotic Zoom calls with friends.
… Road Testing the Saviours of 2021: TikTok Food Trends
Who, What, Watch
Words by: Sanjiv Raveendiran, Lara Christensen, Joseph Lew & Chanttel Forbes Art by: Madison Marshall… Who, What, Watch
Do Ye Take This Woman?
Words by: Stephanie Booth
From ‘Love Lockdown’ to actual lockdown, Twitter rants to Trump sycophants; the K’s have run the gauntlet of woes, rows and alleged hoes. Are we now witnessing the greatest love tragedy of our time or the greatest marketing move since Onlyfans tried to remove sexual content from their platform? When it comes down to it, will Ye or won’t Ye?
… Do Ye Take This Woman?
Gratitude Diaries
Words by: Tiffany Forbes Art by: Carla J. Romana
A friend once told me that the world is just one big ol’ floating rock. And in some ways, she’s right. It is just a big ol’ ball of floating nickel and granite spinning somewhere in the middle of our expansive galaxy. But on other days, it feels like so much more than that.
… Gratitude Diaries
Taliban Rule in Afghanistan, 20 years later: How Did We Get Here?
Words by: Emma Spencer
CW: war, violence, terrorism, misogyny
… Taliban Rule in Afghanistan, 20 years later: How Did We Get Here?
Lil Nas X; Man, Myth or Legend?
Words by: Juliette Capomolla Art by: Marissa Hor
I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I’ve been waiting for the perfect moment to do a profile on Lil Nas X — and yes, I know that’s really lame. But the man need not be underestimated. With a career spanning less than three years, and a discography of a little over 10 songs, somehow the singer is managing to break records.
… Lil Nas X; Man, Myth or Legend?
The Death of the Tabloid
Words by: Gitika Garg Art by: Brooke Stevens
Enter the tabloid 一 a well-oiled rumour mill, relentless in churning aggressively yellow headlines and scathing paparazzi pics. Crowding supermarket shelves and doctors’ waiting rooms, we’ve grown up with these glossy pages always in sight.
Barely Moving, Yet Moving Forward
Words by: Lily Anna
I think about being young and foolish as frequently as I do washing the dishes and changing my bedsheets
I often think about romanticising the heat of summer and drinking in beer gardens,
when really I hate the lack of productivity and sticky feeling the warmth brings.
… Barely Moving, Yet Moving Forward
Frigid Jones’ Diary
Words by: Sohani Goonetillake Art by: Gabrielle Poh… Frigid Jones’ Diary
A Day in the Life of a Billionaire
Words by: Thiamando Pavlidis Art by: My Tieu Ly
Billionaires are just idiot man-babies with too many resources, with many of whom are clearly just overcompensating for at least one little… thing. This is the sentiment I have tried to convey in this story, where many of the jokes and anecdotes are actually based on real-life billionaire antics — the gag is, without the context, it’s impossible to tell what’s made up and what’s real. With that in mind, here is what I imagine a day in the life of a billionaire is like.
… A Day in the Life of a Billionaire
Things I Miss From the Pre-Pandemic World
Words by: Victoria Baikie Art by: Mei Li Tan
A lot has changed over the past two years since COVID-19 hit Australia, including my grasp on time. The pandemic has shifted us into a whole new way of living, where open borders, limitless outdoor time, and not having to do Zoom catch-ups are now distant memories that we once took for granted. So much has changed that looking back, how we used to live is almost foreign.
… Things I Miss From the Pre-Pandemic World
2020-2021
Words by: Petula Bowa Art by: Adrienne Aw
The years everything went dark. Went quiet. We were confined to the careful solitudes of our own homes. Of our own minds.
… 2020-2021
Bla(c)k Lives Matter (BLM): A Year in Review, A Lifetime of Change
Words by: Zayan Ismail Art by: Monica Ouk
I remember when it all started in 2013. Black Lives Matter (BLM) was never strictly a 2020 thing. Its (grass)roots date back to nine years ago when Trayvon Martin’s murderer was acquitted. At the time, there was strong opposition to BLM, as well as the odd belief that it was simply a fringe movement, and that all lives should matter.
… Bla(c)k Lives Matter (BLM): A Year in Review, A Lifetime of Change
The Reasons Why: Reality TV
Words by: Elodie Ricaud Art by: Brooke Stevens
Whether you love it or cringe at it, reality television — or what some prefer to call ‘constructed’ television — has truly taken hold of our viewing habits. From cultivating countless pop culture memes, to being deemed a major topic of discussion, reality TV is the second most-watched genre in Australia.
… The Reasons Why: Reality TV
How It Started Vs How It’s Going
Words by: Xenia Sanut Art by: Emma Lucas… How It Started Vs How It’s Going
If You Liked Sally Rooney’s Normal People, You Will Love Diana Reid’s Love & Virtue
Words by: Tiffany Forbes Image: Instagram/@ultimopress
Are you a good person? Or do you just look like one?
… If You Liked Sally Rooney’s Normal People, You Will Love Diana Reid’s Love & Virtue
Esperanto Magazine 
