Words by: Vivian Tang Art by: Brooke Stevens
As the year 2021 bloomed, a prevailing pandemic saw us once again recoil in our homes, clinging to any frothy distraction. Enter Big Brother, The Bachelor, RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under — shows at the epicentre of Australian reality TV to cure us from our daily burnout. Yet even they no longer provide a place of security or refuge. A misguided fantasy. BIPOC evicted. Sashayed away. Given a rose, only to be punctured by a thorn.
… The Real Mirror
Words by: Madeena Rohaizad Art by: Adrienne Aw
You may have heard of the lockdown blues, but thanks to TikTok there’s a new colour tinting our once-achromatic routines. The ‘Follow the Colour’ trend encourages spontaneity in our generally structured lives, asking us to choose a colour and simply follow it. This colour influences our actions and choices for the day, and thus breaks up an otherwise monotonous routine. As someone who has found themselves in a bit of a slump during Lockdown 6.0, I felt that this was a recurring trend for me, so I decided to switch things up. That’s why, on the 27th of August 2021, I let purple run my day.
… The Several Shades of Lockdown
Words by: Stephanie Booth Art by: Ruth Ong
We oscillate daily between hopeless optimism for spring and summer liberation and the inevitable knowledge that freedom may be farther from reach as cases increase and vaccines decrease.
… How to Party When the Virus Particles Depart
Words by: Sarah Arturi Art by: Anita Thuon
Dear TikTok,
You went from being an app that I figured was going to be another millennial phase like Musical.ly or Dubsmash — one where in two years time we look back on the videos and ask ourselves: ‘just why?’ Instead, the day eventually arrived when my sister came into my bedroom and popped the big question: ‘do you want to make a TikTok with me?’ That’s when I realised you had finally cracked her.
… The Encyclopedia of TikTok
Words by: Dilshi Perera Art by: Mei Li Tan
I remember laying in my bed one Sunday evening, in a cloud of nostalgia and feels after I stumbled across the latest Tiktok trend — the one where people look into the camera and name a certain phrase or habit that they do because somebody in their life, present or past, once did it. Not only was this the most poetic, heart-warming and wholesome content I had ever witnessed on the platform (and I may or may not have shed a few tears), but it really brings you back to the simple things in life.
… Sliding Doors
Words by: Alice Wright Art by: Marissa Hor
You definitely did not hear it here first: Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez (Bennifer) are back together. The ‘it’ couple of the early 2000s have found their way back into each other’s arms and it’s all pop culture fanatics, like myself, can talk about.
… Bennifer
Words by: Amy Jenkin
Ah, the joys of late-stage capitalism. Everything essential like food, electricity and housing is becoming disastrously expensive. Everything that appears free comes at a cost — usually your privacy. Every single purchase, subscription, moment your eyes linger slightly longer on your screen embeds you deeper into the system.
… Get Your Bread but Eat the Rich
Words by: Ruby Ellam Art by: Stephanie Wong
Lockdowns suck. They fucking suck! As the sixth Victorian isolation orders are extended, I find it harder and harder to fulfil the brief of this article — contemplating the benefits of a snap-lockdown. I cast my mind back to the 10 day orders of the last six months, peppered into my (somewhat) back-to-normal life. All I can come up with is:
This is hard.
I really hate lockdowns.
… Ode to a Snap Lockdown
Words by: Atara Thenabadu Art by: Ruth Ong
Like many young women in their early twenties, Taylor Swift has prominently featured on my Spotify playlists for many years. Ever since I first searched up ‘You Belong With Me’ on YouTube, I fell in love with Swift’s songwriting and storytelling.
Fast forward to 2021, I am still crawling through her social media quotes trying to decode her music videos to see if I can spot any clues regarding her next creation.
… Is Miss Americana Fearless?
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)
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?
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)
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
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
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
Words by: Sanjiv Raveendiran, Lara Christensen, Joseph Lew & Chanttel Forbes Art by: Madison Marshall… Who, What, Watch
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?
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
Words by: Emma Spencer
CW: war, violence, terrorism, misogyny
… Taliban Rule in Afghanistan, 20 years later: How Did We Get Here?
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?
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.
Esperanto Magazine 
