Words by: Marla Sommer Art by: Therese Dias
I was 12 when my parents bought what is now our family home, nestled in between beach and parkland. I remember being the first to slide my hands across the sold sticker; while my parents were busy adulting, I was already picking my room. It never occurred to me how much being at that one auction would shape what I’d come to know as home.
… A House is Not a Home
Words by: Daisy Henry Art by: Stephanie Wong
Being in your twenties is a confusing time. Graduating from Year 12 feels like it could have been mere years ago and the idea of people you know getting engaged or owning property seems absurd — surely we’re too young for that! Yet as I think about it, my valedictory was six years ago, some of my friends are in long-term relationships and a lot of young people are already saving for house deposits. Um, when did everyone turn into grown-ups?
… The Harsh Realisations of Growing Up
Photo essay by: Lauren Gallina
I am lucky enough to be surrounded by so many incredible women. When I need to turn to someone in my life for much-needed advice, a warm embrace, a hearty giggle, a night of drinking and dancing, or an emotional cry, I turn to one of these confidants.
… Humans of My Life
Words by: Caitlin Cefai Art by: Victoria Loizides
Commuting is one of the most universal human experiences: bumper-to-bumper in early morning traffic jams, stumbling while standing on a moving bus, or the sweat on your brow after a cycle to work. What is even more human is being nosey — and there’s nothing quite like peeking at what other people are reading while sitting on the train.
What someone is reading can tell us an awful lot about them, and so below we’ve decoded some of the most popular books you might be caught reading, and what it tells other people about you.
… Literary Clout
Words by: Felice Lok Art by: L. Ching
I love writing, but I didn’t always realise I did. It must have begun when my uncle would return from Sydney every Christmas and pull beautifully wrapped storybooks out of his denim satchel for me like Mary Poppins. I soon fell in love with the touch of textured paper under my fingers as I diligently sounded out the ‘big words’. When I was 12, my mum sent me to an English tutor who left me in tears after every lesson because my stories were simply not interesting enough. In hindsight, I have both of them to thank because my stories were, in fact, not interesting at all. This tutor had made me realise it wasn’t that I lacked great ideas, but that writing was a skill I had to patiently practise in order to captivatingly convey what I wanted to say. When I reached uni, I began watching Gilmore Girls and started living vicariously through the protagonist, Rory Gilmore, who inspired me to study journalism. All these people (real and fictional) made me realise the value of words. Through words, I get to read the most interesting stories, pen thoughts to paper when I am anxious, and shamelessly share carefully crafted puns with my friends. For me, words are a vehicle for self-expression which have become a significant part of who I am.
… How I Got Here: A Recipe
Words by: Chanttel Forbes
Now how many times have you been telling your friend about a new guy, and it goes something like this?
Example A: omg he’s so amazing he says good morning to me
Example B: omg he checks up on me throughout the day
To which she replies: I can literally do that for you, that is the bare minimum.
That was the wake-up call I needed to realise I was accepting far too little, forcing me to take a deep dive into why that is and just how influential seeing positive relationships around you can be.
… An Ode to the Talking Stage
Words by: Soraya Rezal Art by: Madison Marshall
People always say, ‘never meet your heroes’. Often the expectations are set so high that when you finally get the chance to meet them, you’ll be disappointed when they’re not at all what you imagined them to be. Not for me, though. The first time I met my idol was definitely one for the books, despite me making a complete fool of myself.
… Never Meet Your Heroes
Words by: Alice Wright Art by: Annabel Condon
After a few years of failed situationships, awkward first dates and many aunties and uncles asking, “are you seeing anyone at the moment?”, I have somehow found myself in a place of comfort in my independence. But I can confidently say: this wasn’t an easy place to get to.
… How To Be Single
Words by: Emma Sudano Art by: Lauren Easter
We all want our BFFs to be happy in love, on one condition: that I’m happy, too. It’s an age-old dilemma, you don’t like your friend’s partner. So, what do you do?
You probably want to yell ‘you can do so much better!’, maybe even grab their arms and shake some sense into them. You think back to all the wine-induced hours spent mapping out their ideal partner, based on everything from personality to how they will look in the wedding photos. For fuck’s sake, there were probably even Pinterest boards made. Why didn’t they listen to the Pinterest boards?! You love your friend and vow to always be there for them — yet any time they mention their significant other, you cringe with every fibre of your being. But what are you going to do? Tell them that their partner is a jerk? Is it truly your place? Should you shut the fuck up, keep your head down and secretly loathe their spouse? None of these seem to be viable possibilities.
… A Guide To Dealing With Partners You Cannot Stand
Words by: Tess Kent Art by: Jessica La
TW: Infertility
As if it were the most casual of conversations, my gynaecologist handed me my prescription and let slip, “when you start thinking about wanting kids, come see me 12 months earlier to begin fertility treatments”.
I’d just come in for a check-up as my period erred on the side of few and far between. Instead, I found out that I had polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and potentially endometriosis, and had just been slapped with the fact that I don’t ovulate properly. Suddenly, I was very aware that having children would need to be an incredibly conscious decision for me. I would have to try very hard to conceive, and even then, it would most likely be a rigorous process of testing and heartbreak.
… I Don’t Want Kids
Words by: Coby Renkin Art by: Lauren Easter
I spent a lot of my high school years feeling a little disconnected from the people I surrounded myself with. I had friends — people I adored and spent all my spare time with, but I often found myself questioning whether they were really ‘my people’.
… Finding My PeopleWords by: Eden Hopgood
Fashion has always been the way I like to express myself the most. Coming from a smaller country town, this has been harder to do, but since moving to Naarm (Melbourne),I have been able to progress my personal style and dress for myself rather than the expectations of others.
… It’s Called Fashion, Look It UpWords by: Sarah Arturi
To the women of today: you are nothing short of unstoppable.
You’re fearless, empathetic and strong.
Women are shapeshifters. Gone are the days when the role of a woman was restricted to ‘mother’ or ‘wife’, and when human shapeshifters were considered a ‘fictional element’. In fact, women have been shapeshifting for years — adopting the many roles expected of them and more to keep the world moving.
… Women We StanWords by: Ashmitaa Thiruselvam
Cardi B once said, “I don’t dance now, I make money moves”. Well in my case, only half of that statement is true. I don’t dance — in other words, strip — for money because one, I’m just way too insecure for that and two, my Asian parents would straight up disown me. As for the second statement, I do make some money but I quite envy Ms Cardi. Money naturally falls into her bank account, must be nice. But enough about Cardi B — in the most humble way possible, let’s talk about me.
… Making Money Moves
Words by: Kate Zhang
Sex therapists can be mysterious. Maybe this is the first time you’ve heard about them. Maybe Dr Jean Milburn in Sex Education is the first and the only sex therapist you know. Maybe your knowledge about them is based on assumptions, or even imagination.
… Nine Assumptions About Sex Therapists
Words by: Kiera Eardley
It’s a phrase that’s all too familiar for women who grew up quickly, matured early, felt ahead of their years as a teenager: “you just need to meet an older guy”. All the shortcomings of the seemingly clueless boys our own age could easily be attributed to immaturity and slower brain development, so the obvious solution for us was to date older. With age comes inherent maturity and life experience and security, they say, and that was an appealing prospect as a young girl whose eyes glazed over at the mention of any testosterone-fuelled pastime. But when the age gap is substantial, is it really all it’s cracked up to be?
… Mind the Gap
Words by: Eden Hopgood
Here we are in 2022, and female body hair somehow continues to be taboo. Having permeated gender dynamics for centuries, it’s always been regarded as yet another beauty standard women are expected to abide by, and a lack of body hair in the female-identifying population has long signified the ‘ideal body’. But this has begun to shift. More attention in the beauty industry is being given to gender fluidity, body positivity, and more inclusive messaging. In recent years, norms are finally beginning to shift; almost one in four women under 25 no longer shave their armpits, compared with just one in 20 in 2013.
… Body Hair, Don’t Care
Words by: Amelia Swan Art by: Jessica La
“I think you should go on the pill.”
It seemed like an odd thing to say to me at 15. With a curly bob and a generous spread of bulging pimples, I was in the low-risk category for an unplanned teenage pregnancy. But still, here I was watching my GP write me a script for Femme-Tab ED 20/100.That story was the same for my sister a few years later, who was also put on the pill to help with her skin. Then a friend. And then another. It seemed every second girl was on the pill before they left high school, and almost all of us had an alternative reason for being on it rather than preventing pregnancy.
… The Rise and Fall of the Pill
Words by: Juliette Capomolla Art by: Shreya Mishra
I think it’s safe to say that we’d all be horrified if sex wasn’t a part of our futures. The thought that, at the ripe old age of 65, I might no longer be having sex, makes me shudder. We twentysomethings are expected to be crazed hornbags (sorry, I hate that expression too) and a lot of the time, we sure as hell live up to it. But do we really want to get shacked up, be intimate for mere procreation purposes, create a sex schedule (read: only Wednesday nights at 9pm) and then eventually just never have sex again? Dearest reader, I know our answers are both a firm no.
… Sexual Desire Does Not Expire
Words by: Zayan Ismail Art by: Therese Dias
Much had changed when the world witnessed the closing of the early noughties. It was an era of anticipation for transformation. On the internet, in music, on television: the zeitgeist of the 2010s ushered in something different — something reminiscent of love, transformation and yearning for tolerance and acceptance. I saw it first on MTV. Gaga, in a bright blue swimsuit and a blond bob singing ‘Poker Face’. The theatrics of ‘Paparazzi’, and then came ‘The Fame’, in which she coins the famous line “obsessively opposed to the typical”. I saw the outlandish outfits, chiffon and latex, shades and long trains — how camp and how strange. I was thoroughly intrigued. With ‘Born This Way’, I began to realise my uniqueness and accept that it was in many ways, totally okay.
… Into the Camp: A Journey
Words by: Jonathan Hawes Art by: Jessica La
When my girlfriend and I walk through town holding hands, we turn a lot of heads. I joke that it’s because they’re wondering how a beautiful woman like her ended up with an average Joe like me. Though underneath the humour, we both know why people are staring. She’s Black, and I’m White.
… Love Makes the World Go Round
Esperanto Magazine 