Love from, Florence Grace

Bullying. A word we all learn to become familiar with from a young age- which in itself says a lot about the society we live in. Bullying can take many shapes and forms and isn't always recognizable. It can affect people mentally, physically and emotionally. It can be done in the work place, in the street, in schools or clubs, over the internet. And most importantly of all- it can happen to anyone. Here in the United Kingdom, there is currently no legal definition of bullying. This only proves more so that it can be so complex, and sometimes so hard to pinpoint in all of its forms. Defining bullying does seem nearly impossible when it can cover so much. So whilst we can't define exactly what bullying is, what we can define is what a bully is. A bully is "a person who uses strength or influence to harm or intimidate those who are weaker". That is what bullying ultimately comes down to- having power and control. Bully's often feel the need to have power and con...

WARNING:  The following content may be upsetting for those suffering from/recovering from/have suffered from cancer. No harm is meant by my words but if you are easily upset regarding cancer please do not read on. So, August 2014 has seen the newest craze spread over the internet- the Ice Bucket Challenge. Not sure what this is? Google it. The Wikipedia definition reads "an activity involving dumping a bucket of ice water over someones head to promote awareness of the diseases amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ASL)". Once this has been done, the participant nominates some friends to also participate and donates to the charity. It's an excellent way to promote awareness of a disease that I will admit I did not know about until now. The videos posted on facebook are also humorous and encourage other people to join in, spreading awareness even more- excellent. Except that, it seems a lot of people are missing the point of the Ice Bucket Challenge now. Lets just take a min...

David Cameron,  I am an 18 year old student from a small town, with no interest in Politics whatsoever. But I am an opinionated 18 year old, and I have very strong opinions on some of the things going on in this country. They may not be right, they may be ridiculous to someone who really  knows how to run a country, but it doesn't stop me from wanting to express my opinions to you.  One thing that really grinds my gears is benefits- or rather, who receives benefits and for what. If you are physically disabled and really can not work, benefits are needed. If you are plain fat and can't work because you've sat around eating one too many pizzas, you do not need benefits. You need to get off your fat behind, lose weight and get a job. There is a difference between people who physically cant work and cant earn enough money to support themselves and people who put themselves out of work because they refuse to act in the appropriate way to keep a job, or they make themsel...

As humans , we have the capability to love very intensely- and the capability to love everything! We find it very easy to declare our love for something, whether it be for our new shoes, the latest TV sitcom on E4 or our best friend, the word love is tossed around more than a bottle of coke on the river Thames. And yet whilst we find it so very easy to love things, both people and inanimate objects, we find it so very difficult to love the most important thing in the world- ourselves. It is very rare that you come across a girl who isn't constantly aware of the flaws she believes she possesses. More often than not the issue is weight, but it is other smaller things too, like boob size, the amount of visible pores she has, height, foot size, even intelligence- or lack of it. A lot of the time, she comes with a some groupies who support her- they tell her how wrong she is, how amazing her figure is and how smart she is. This is very nice of them, obviously. It's never okay to m...

The year is 2014. It is now easier than ever before to modify the way you look be it through body piercings, tattoos, plastic surgery etc.. If there's something you don't like about yourself you can upgrade it to a better, newer look- or eradicate it completely. It is in fact so advanced people can even change the gender they are. You can literally be whoever you want to be. But it's not always easy being who you want to be. Whilst you may finally feel happy with the person that you have become, it might not please everyone else quite as much. It is widely acknowledged that if you look too 'different' it can effect other areas of your life- such as job opportunities. Whilst this is superficial and cruel to judge someones appearance in order to determine whether they are suitable for a job, is there a beneficial reason for doing so? The question we must ask ourselves in this modern day in age is: should how you look have an effect on your job opportunities? When...

WARNING:  This poset contains content that may be found triggering to those suffering from /recovering from/have recovered from eating disorders due to mental health problems. Katie Hopkins, a woman infamous for her controversial opinions and brutal honesty, aired through her weekly columns and over her Twitter account. Some say her honesty is a fresh new change for someone working in the media industry and agree that she says what everybody else is thinking but too scared to say, whilst others believe that she takes her opinions to far until they become rude and targeting towards certain subcultures. The former 'Apprentice' stars most recent opinions have been aimed at overweight/obese people- including celebrities such as bolshy pop star, Lily Allen . Katie frequently tweets about how if you are over weight it is through no fault of your own. Many people seem to respond positively, telling her their own story and saying how it is all down to you. Others don't agree a...

So summer is drawing to a gradual close, and September- a.k.a the start of school- is drawing ever closer. Whether it is a new school you're starting, University or a new career path, you're going to be meeting a lot of new people. You might not love them all- you might not love any of them! But everywhere you go, you find the same groups of people. When you do meet them, check them off of this list... 1. The 'it' girl. Her presence will be made clear as soon as you step foot in the building. You may not see her straight away but you will feel her presence. She will be all smiles and hugs and act thrilled to meet the new girl- but look into her eyes and you'll see they have hell behind them. She is the queen around here and you aren't to do anything to ruin that, or disturb her empire. Get in line, peasant. 2. The eager beaver. Someone who is eager to stick to your side- either because they have no friends of their own or are trying to impress someone high...

After the greatly anticipated launch of 'Celebrity Big Brother' (CBB) last night, I think it's safe to say viewers were more than a little disappointed at the programs idea of a 'celebrity'. Guests included former Made In Chelsea star, Stephanie Pratt, Ricci Guarnaccio from Geordie Shore, Angelique Morgan- no one has a clue  who she is!- and infamous 'White Dee' from Benefits Street. Although I do not watch Celebrity Big Brother, 'White Dee' being crowned a 'celebrity' really ground my gears. Having earned herself the title 'Queen of Benefits Street', the woman has a don't-care attitude, with no motivation for life. Instead, she prefers to sit around sponging off the hard working tax payers- at least, she used to- and she see's no problem with this. Furthermore is her blatant racism to differentiate herself from another woman, who is black, with the same name. 'White Dee' and 'Black Dee'. Does anybody else se...

As if the death of the late, great actor, Robin Williams, wasn't devastating enough for both family and fans, it has now been reported that members of Westboro Church, based in Kansas, are planning on disturbing the memorial service held for Williams, for no reason other than their dislike towards one of his previous roles- the role of a gay man. Westboro Church, based in Kansas, is infamous for its controversy, but letting its members make the effort to travel to the memorial service and interfere with it is not only disrespectful to the actors family, but completely out of order. Members of the church have announced over their official twitter page that they plan on picketing the memorial service and preaching the message "Repent or likewise perish". Repent or likewise perish. Likewise perish. Let's just take a look at Robin Williams and the person he.As an actor he was extremely versatile, and took on many wonderful roles for both children and adults to enjoy...

WARNING : The following content is sensitive and may be found triggering to those suffering from, recovering from or those who have recovered from an eating disorder or mental health problem. When we think eating disorders, we think skinny. We think sagging skin and jutting bones, two fingers down a throat forcing food to reemerge from our system. We do not often think of the other end of the spectrum- not the people who refuse to eat, but rather, the people who can't stop. Obesity effects between 16 and 33% of young adults and kills 300,000 people a year. Although it is one of the easiest medical conditions to diagnose, it is one of the most difficult to treat. In comparison to anorexia and bulimia, obesity is not regarded as an eating disorder. Rather, people will look at a victim of obesity and think "they clearly eat too much" or "they're so fat it's disgusting". People don't often stop to think about why  the victim may be eating too muc...

Feminism is something we hear about all the time- girls defending it and boys taking the mickey out of it. It is an important movement that should not be forgotten, and it moved women forward in society, into the position that we find ourselves in today. So many opportunities women have are down to the feminists who lived before us, fighting for women's rights and equal opportunities. I for one am pleased with how feminism has changed the lives of so many woman and, although we aren't completely there yet, how it has helped some  men understand that women are in fact equal to men. Yet, although I am a feminist myself, I do think that somewhere along the line, something has gone wrong. Somewhere along the line, whilst fighting for women and men to be equal, we decided that actually, not all men were equal. Somewhere along the line, we started treating men the way men treat women. Doesn't this defeat the point of feminism? Feminists, including myself, are continuously put...

Sexualising females in the media is not a foreign concept. It is something we understand and are forced to see every single day- the way we have been for years and years and years- only, recently it seems to be getting worse. In advertising, in artwork, in music, the sexualisation of females is everywhere. There's no denying that the feminists from 100 years ago achieved excellent results. At last, all females can vote. Females can work in all kinds of jobs, not just "feminine" ones. Females don't have to be married to be respected. Females are undoubtedly more independent than they were 100 years ago, and it progresses all the time in leaps and bounds. But one area we seem to be going backwards  is in the representation of women in the media. Whilst women are feeling stronger and usually feeling more equal to men than ever before, the media are doing their best at trying to reverse over 100 years of hard work that has got women to the position they are in today. Mu...

WARNING:  The following content is sensitive and may be triggering to those suffering from, recovering from or recovered from depression and/or other mental health problems. We all know when somebody is ill, or not quite right. It is normally quite obvious. If it's anorexia, they look frail and you can see every bone in their body through their skin. If it's a cold, we see the victim with a red raw nose, tissues in hand. If someone has broken a bone, we see a cast, or crutches. If it's cancer, we see people who are losing their hair, in wheelchairs or maybe even hooked up to an oxygen tank. Most of the time, when we see these people, we feel sorry for them. If it's a friend, or a family member, we might even buy them a card and some flowers, telling them we hope they get better soon. Depression is not the same as the other illnesses above. Yes, it is like anorexia and can take over your life, affecting every aspect of it. Yes, like a cold, it will affect you for th...

WARNING:  The following content is sensitive and me be triggering to those suffering from, recovering from or who have recovered from eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia and other health problems such as depression. As I sit down in my local pub ready to tuck into my generous portion of gammon and chips, I feel a prickle on the back of my neck- that all to familiar feeling of knowing that someone is staring at you. As I whip my head around the dining area, my eyes fall on the slender figure of a girl, probably around my age, maybe a few years younger, looking at me with disgust in her eyes- disgust clearly at the way I look and what I'm eating. I feel fat, bulky, uncomfortable and I let my glance fall to her own plate, noticing she has a salad, mostly untouched. She sips constantly at her water like it's the only thing keeping her alive. It probably is. It is a sad but true statistic that over half of teenage girls and one third of teenage boys use unhealthy wei...

As a child, we are taught from a fictional nursery rhyme that little girls are made from "sugar and spice and all things nice". In the modern era we live in, this can be translated to 'sweet' as a lover, a wife and a mother, 'spice' to keep our partners satisfied in the bedroom and 'all things nice' to please everybody around us- family, colleagues, lovers and friends. From a young age, this nursery rhyme drills into us that girls are 'all things nice'. But as we get older, staying sweet and nice becomes more of a challenge as we lose our naive sight of the world and the people around us and start to become more cynical in the way that we view things. Sometimes in life though, we want to be a ' bitch'. Opinionated and bolshy with a sharp tongue and blunt words, the only term that has come to describe a woman with these attributes is 'bitch'. Screw manners, screw politeness and screw being sweet. This is no longer the 1800...