Can't Touch This

Today I ended up drunk because I was scared of an interaction between myself, a friend, and two strange men,

It's a pretty abrupt entry to this blog post. But it's the truth. And I'm writing this because I'm sick of men grabbing me. Like really, I'm totally bloody sick of it.

So today I went Christmas shopping with a really good friend of mine. It was going great. We got some Secret Santa stuff, and presents for others, and then decided to get a drink. Me, being me, I decided to go to an Irish pub I haven't been to since my 18th birthday, and decided to introduce my friend to it. It's actually a really nice pub, hidden away, a total gem in Liverpool if you ask me.

So I went to the bar and was told that they were doing a deal on two drinks and decided on two big bottles of cider, with the intention of spending over an hour there and to enjoy the Irish music. Let's face it, most Irish bars don't play REAL Irish music, and coming up to Christmas I'm bound to feel homesick.

My friend goes for two drinks too and takes a seat next to me, ready to enjoy a nice chat and some music, when all of a sudden two random fellas decide to approach us. They must've been in their forties or something (and we're only 19 and 21). They want to know our names (fake ones are given to them) they want to know where we are from (they also claim that we are probably related to our entire villages #racism). One uses derogatory terms towards lesbians and also insists that we dance, which I repeatedly and quite blatantly refuse.

Then he copped onto my tattoo on my arm and repeatedly asks what it is of and also why do I have it? It shocks him why I would ever want a tattoo. I didn't tell him. I played dumb, as I usually do. I don't have to explain my body, or any forms of ink on my body. My personal reasons are my own. And if you don't like that, you can piss off.

While all of this was going on, I was trying to chug down my 2 pints, in under half an hour so I could make a run for it as soon as I saw an opening. Eventually, they disappeared (Where to, I haven't the slightest) and we ran to the nearest friend's apartment. It was horrible.

I had gone to that pub with the intention of having a quiet and slow few drinks, enjoy music, and talk to one of my best friends. Instead, this guy barges in, uses derogatory words, and demands answers from me about my body, and also that I dance with him.

And the worst part of it all?

He fucking touched me!

I'm fine with brushing against someone's arm or lightly turning them by the arm (even though I wouldn't dare do it myself) but he literally ruffled my hair and started touching my head. And the worst of the worst?

This isn't the first time!

Less than 6 months before, a man in a bar caught me by the arm and wouldn't let go. And before that? A man forcefully caught my arm and forced my hand away from my face. And that friend of mine? Was groped by a stranger less than a month ago. Why do some people think it is okay and appropriate to grab people? Why do some people seem some fucking entitled?

I am sick and tired of people grabbing me and my friends. I am sick and tired of double standards, towards both men and women. But these men are the reason that there are some feminists in the world who are radically anti-men.

There are some genuine guys out there but these guys give the rest of them a bad name, just as radical feminists give us other feminists a bad name.

Besmirching of reputations aside. Please stop bloody touching me! I am not your property! I don't owe you anything! Women don't do this to you so why do you think that this is okay? How on earth are you entitled to me? I am not going to dance, drink, or sleep with you! Yes, some women may consent, but not me! So don't touch me!

You don't know the people that you approach. They could be assault victims, they could like women, they could be asexual, they could have any back story! And you are not allowed to lose your shit and get angry with them about it! In the case of victims, they are who they are because some other asshole kinda like you turned up one day and felt entitled to someone else's body and that is not okay. You cannot  go around doing this. It is so uncomfortable having people touch you with your consent.

You have no idea how scary it is!

Do you know what it is like to be underage and have a drunk guy refuse to let go of you, and fear the idea of possibly being raped? I do. It's not nice.

Thankfully someone saved me in time.

But drink is no excuse. If you know that you are a misogynistic and disrespectful asshole when you drink, then it's easy, just don't drink!

This is why girls travel in packs, even to the bathroom. We live in constant fear. We aren't in a society of 'don't attack', sadly we live in a society of 'don't get attacked'. And to be quiet honest, I don't regret leaving those guys and their bags behind.

You can come over and chat to me, Introduce yourself and be nice. But don't insult minorities in front of me and don't you dare lay a finger on me.

The Single Stigma

So I'm a 21 yr old female. A single 21 yr old female.

And there is one thing that is bothering me, apart from the fact I'm more likely to be sexually assaulted, I have men explaining things to me because they don't think that I already know, and I have to wait till next year for Game of Thrones to come back. And it's this:

People remind me that I'm single.

I Was That Girl

People love to complain about other people, and it's a well-known fact. Even people who try to never say a bad word about anyone else secretly enjoys pointing out the vices of others, or at least listening about the drama in their friend's lives.

One of these biggest faults has recently come to light, and that is girls who 'only hang out with boys because it's less drama'.

I admit, I was one of these girls.

I know, I know, I'm red with embarrassment but it had to be admitted.

Don't get me wrong. I wasn't a total tomboy. I refuse to participate in sports. But I love hard rock bands, and I have certain interests that wouldn't be classed as being feminine.

I'm not like this anymore though, although I still listen to AC/DC and watch the goriest films I can find. Things have changed since then, obviously. Such as 3 different educational institutions, the entrance into adulthood, emigration, a wider reading into the feminist movement, and a lot of friendships. So this post is obviously going to be written from personal experience.

Growing up, I was placed into mixed schools and always befriended both girls and boys. But I tended to gravitate towards the same 3 girls in primary school. But once we were separated at the age of 12 and all went our separate ways to other schools, I found myself talking to the boys more. I had originally tried to talk to the girls but there were SO MANY, and I'm sorry but I can't keep up to date with all of their information. If I was a computer, I would have crashed. But the biggest thing I hated, was all of the back-stabbing, and low-key catty remarks. The boys I spoke to were never like that, in fact they kept everything light and just spoke about TV and games, so I was perfectly content in my little world of male small talk, and maybe two other girls who also didn't want to be in a huge group of girls who, like me, just wanted to keep things light and talk about the latest episode of American Horror Story.

Looking back on it, the biggest wedge that was driven between myself and these groups of girls was the lack of mutual interest. I genuinely didn't want to go out to nightclubs at 15 and wear short dresses. I wasn't confident enough for all of that. And I liked reading and discussing what was happening in the world, rather than who to date or what make up was the one to buy. I didn't like spending the money they did. I had my own life problems, and even though I didn't talk about it in school, it didn't mean that it didn't affect me.

Don't get me wrong, I still wore makeup, and watched Glee and nerded out over whatever consumerist phenomenon teen girls at the time were eating up, but I just never clicked with the other girls.

Skip ahead another few years.

I get to England, I start at college and I enter into a friend group of girls and boys. Yes, they discuss who is dating who, and their significant others, but they also nerd out over what I nerd out over, they like my music and my books and I'm enthralled because I am finally in the presence of like-minded individuals. These were people who had read the same books as me and knew the bands that I knew. In secondary school I was tormented over my music tastes. The people that did the tormenting may not have viewed it as such and instead may have seen it as 'a laugh', but it actually did hurt me and made me feel alienated. Which, again, caused a wedge between me and these big groups.

A few more years later, I'm in University and I have an all girl group, just like how it all started. I have 3 girls that I gravitate towards. And I've kept in touch with some other girls along the way. They mention their boyfriends, and I actually find it interesting. Another girl might complain about someone we know, and I just live for the details! I haven't become one of the girls from Secondary School, I don't wear ridiculous dresses, I've started wearing skirts and feeling more confident in myself, however.

Yes, there is drama, but it isn't exactly ours, it's someone else's and we are just discussing and dissecting it and it's amazing! It gives you this great feeling of 'if something happens, these girls have my back'. I have found my tribe! I am part of a sisterhood. I am really seeing and experiencing, firsthand, just how amazing women are! And it makes me proud to be a woman.

So what have I learned in my 17 years of mandatory educational socialising?

Boys can be the dramatic ones.

I have partially blamed all of my social problems on the fact that people who come from all-girls and all-boys schools create an expectation that they must immediately begin to date once they enter into a situation which requires a mixed environment.

But I have still met guys who have come from mixed school who tend to spark drama, or whine and 'complain like a girl'.

But while girls are given dirty looks and turned into memes for having the capability to vocalize their discomfort, a guy doing it has actually led to the emergence of 'a guy's girl', whereby a girl might choose to act as masculine as a boy and surround herself by boys, in the hopes that she will be taken seriously, but why should she have to feel like she needs to renounce some of her feminine qualities just to be taken seriously? She's human, shouldn't people be listening to her anyway?

Of course, some women are taken seriously, and some men aren't, it's always going to be a two sided coin, but this is the way that the media and representation has gone. It's often we hear of a girl who surrounds herself with  men because it's 'less drama', or see the Facebook meme about a demanding and overbearing girlfriend.

But let's face it, you can still wind up with a demanding and overbearing boyfriend, or meet a guy who stirs up all of the drama. Most sexual assault against women is committed by a man who won't take no for an answer, which, in itself, is quiet dramatic! Most people would just say 'okay' and leave!

We need to stop acting like one action is always committed by, or can only be committed by, the one gender.

Life isn't a film, it is possible for girls and boys to have a platonic friendship where no romance ensues. Some boys hang out with girls groups because that's what makes them happy and good on them! You go boys!!!

Just please try and get your other guy friends to stop making us feel like one of those girls who should hang with boys because, at the end of the day, it makes us females ashamed of other girls, and we shouldn't ever feel ashamed of our own, or of who we are.

 You aren't, so why should we?

I do not own any of the above pictures. All rights go towards their respected owners.

The Thorn In The Rose of Tralee - Women's Rights, Abortion, Class?

As an Irish citizen, born and bred in the Emerald Isles, it has become a right of passage to watch the Rose of Tralee for two nights in August, every single summer.
We've all been there. Running to get to the telly for half past nine, with your PJ's and some chocolate with all the girls in the house.
As children we idolise these women, we ogle the dresses, we watch how the jewellery gleams in the light and try to retain how they did their makeup so we can copy them later on. The mothers say how lovely the girls are for their volunteer work in Africa and how they have lovely singing voices.

A Response To The Latest Question, 'Are Women Funny?'

Lately, all of my social media news feeds are clogged full of memes claiming that women aren't funny. Like, WTF? Not funny? Dude, who gave you Parks and Recreation? Amy Poehler, a woman, that's who! How many viewers does Ellen DeGeneres have? Women have been doing nothing lately but prove how funny they are! Just go onto a site like Tumblr and you will see it for yourself. I'm a female, and I've often had people laugh at my jokes (not just at my face). 

After getting to see the new Ghostbusters film with Melissa McCarthy, you know, the one with all the women? Yeah that one, the one that was actually given a blessing by the original cast. I loved it! I even heard my brother laugh next to me. Yet when we left he said that he was disappointed and felt that there hadn't been enough comedy.

Confessions of a Serial Friendzoner.

I promised myself I would get back to updating between now and September, and this is dedicated to a friend of mine I am currently on holiday with, and who I always tend to debate feminist ideology with. This is for you x

Everyone loves to complain.
And when it comes to feminism, or women putting their foot down, they love to complain about being friend-zoned. You know those guys, right? They don't believe in feminism, instead arguing that it does nothing for men? We all know at least one.
It's a topic that seems to re-emerge now and again, and I've noticed it cropping its ugly head up again lately.

I confess, I'm guilty. I've said no to a few guys in my two decades on this planet. Most of them were lovely people, funny, smart, filled with good intentions. And I enjoyed being in their company too. They were some of the best people I got to know in my life, and I would do anything to prevent hurting their feelings just like with my female friends, but what I can't do, is prevent these feelings being hurt if it means compromising myself in the process.

It's not a case of refusing to settle for second best, although to all women, and men, out there I suggest you don't settle for second best.

Wouldn't I be the bigger villain in the story if I were to just say yes and lead these people on, knowing that I don't feel the same way? How do you know what love is if you're not supposed to have felt anything like it before?

Admittedly, whenever I've been asked out, it has just had a negative effect on me. It feels like a horrible joke, and someone is just going to laugh. Or it feels like the other person is just doing it because their settling for second best, and I know that they can do better than me. But this post isn't about my insecurities, it's about giving a voice to all of those people who have been villainized because they friend-zoned someone.  When you are still a friend to someone (thus the title FRIENDzone), it means that that person still cares for the person asking them out and that they still want them around in their life, it doesn't mean that they should just leave once someone says 'no'.
I once said no to a guy I knew for over ten years and he kinda just disappeared in and out of my life for a while. But whenever we meet nowadays we always have great and honest conversations and everything is easy breezy.
There was another guy who asked me out after four years (looking back we weren't even that close of friends when we were hanging out), and he just disappeared from my friend group afterward. I still don't know if its out of embarrassment (because I would have gone back to normal and pretended it never happened if he wanted me to) or if he had just been a part of my group because of me the whole time.
Actually, out of everyone who has outright asked to become more than friends, we always just drift away.

I admit that I need some time to myself afterwards, but it doesn't mean I want to lose the friendship altogether. It's guilt that eats at me. And that is what society has done to girls. We feel bad about saying 'no' when we shouldn't be. We feel bad for disappointing someone and saying no to their advances. Some guys take 'no' really well, in my experience, but others tend to act like total dicks, which I, again, have experience with. I don't know how this even happens since I rarely leave my house, or perhaps this is the reason I don't leave my house. I guess that is something to ponder for another time.

And also, girls have been forced to lie in today's society too. Most of the time, beginning from even age 4, a girl will say 'sorry, but I like someone else', and while they are sometimes telling the truth, this is mainly a lie to get people away from them. Some believe that this eases the disappointment, whilst others feel it is a safer option because it then looks like there is another guy in the picture that could potentially protect her, if her saying no to someone ever morphed into a violent attack. It's a scary experience saying no. Guys can say that they're nice and all, but all 7 billion people on the planet don't exactly get a memo saying 'Yeah lads, by the way, Steve is a nice guy and won't try to attack you if you turn him down'.

The friend zone isn't the be all and end all, because at the end of the day if you actually like that person you won't want them disappearing from your life and would be content being their friend. You can't demonize someone for saying no, and for not seeing you in the way you demand to be seen. If anything it means that there is someone out there waiting for you that you haven't met yet.

We live in a society where films are made where women are best friends with a guy and then end up together in the end, Pretty in Pink, The Princess Diaries, etc. It tells girls that this is the way that things should be and that the way to get a girl is to basically be manipulative and pretend to be a friend. Don't get me wrong, some of the friendships are real with no other hidden agendas.

Also, women face the friend zone just as much as men.

I know of a girl who has been seriously friend zoned, and it burns. But she tries, in her defense, to clear her head of him and to move on with her life, meeting new people, and talking to other guys, because she knows that at the root of it all, she has better in store for her, much better. And I admire her on so many levels. I think she's brave, and I'm seriously honored to have the privilege of knowing her.
Actually I know a girl back home in the same position too. In fact I see women coming forward more often, having 'fallen victim' to the friend-zone, although they don't complain about it as much and dedicate Tumblr blogs to it.

Oh and one last point. If someone refers to themselves as a 'nice guy' but are complaining because their advances were shot down, then that doesn't make them nice, it means they are a self-entitled asshole. So don't start buying into those Psychology Today articles on how to escape or avoid the Friend Zone, because that, my friends, is manipulation, and you wouldn't like someone doing that to you, now would you?

Women Being Pitted Against Women

Is anyone else here sick of that feud between Katy Perry and Taylor Swift? And everyone has seen Nicki Minaj asking Miley Cyrus "What's good", right?
Well back in the 90's Kathleen Hanna was pitted against Courtney Love. It seems the more you look back on the past, when you're dealing with the media, women are always being pitted against women, and that sucks. I mean, as a gender that demands equal rights, isn't kind of wasteful and time-consuming to be fighting amongst ourselves? Can't we have the Civil War after the Independence? Isn't that the way history generally tends to go anyway?

The Punk Singer: A Review

How did it take me three years to watch this actual masterpiece?

The Punk Singer is the 2013 documentary (or should I say rockumentary?), by the amazing Sini Anderson, covering the life and career of Kathleen Hanna, the voice behind legendary feminist punk band Bikini Kill, and also Le Tigre and Julie Ruin.

Since I was around the age of 14/15 I have been totally immersed in nineties rock music, being awed by bands like Hole, Nirvana, L7 and so on. I mean, I love rockumentaries and the 90's. I'm sure I've seen like every Hole and Nirvana related documentary ever made, even the ones I found to be one-sided and bullshit, I still watched those too. So as you can imagine, when I was told to go and watch this documentary for University, I

An Emigrant Without A Say

Today I came across an article on Facebook that mentioned the fact that Irish emigrants still do not have the legal right to vote outside of the island of Ireland, so I decided to do a little digging.

I already knew this, of course, a fact that I, unfortunately, learned during the May referendum concerning same-sex marriage. While all of my family and friends got a say on this pivotal moment in history, I could only watch from the sidelines and listen for any news I could.

Tracing the Tree: Experiences and Tricks

By now you've probably noticed that my posts are either personal, reviews, or something to do with feminism.
I haven't been active the past few months because of technical issues and the fact I was jumping from country to country but I'm officially back!

Anyway, lets talk about genealogy.

So over a year ago I decided to cross something off of my bucket list, and that was to finally trace my lineage. Growing up I was always quite limited in the way of family, in comparison to all my friends. In school people always had 30 cousins and knew who their 2nd cousins once removed were, but I never exactly  had a  clue. I knew immediate 1st cousins and aunts and uncles and that was it. People could also claim relatives in Australia, America, England, Canada, and so on, whereas I couldn't.
Up until last year.

Here is a list of things I learned which I hope you find useful.

Why Tomitago is The Cream We All Need

This cream is the Jack of all trades, and masters all of them5/5

Usually whenever I am asked to rate something, I never give it full stars. It can take a lot to impress me. I always manage to find flaws. But this cream is an absolute miracle.
For all those people who are burdened by numerous creams, fear no more. Tomitago is here, and it will definitely stay!
A few weeks ago I got my pot of Tomitago to try out, and was immediately impressed.

It comes beautifully, yet simply, packaged in a transparent grey netted bag with a small spatula (for those who worry about using too much at a time).
This cream also smells wonderful and so fresh and clean. It isnt too strong or sweet, and it isn't a smell that would knock the consumer. It smells very natural and organic, which is exactly what it is. This is a chemical free product!

The Thing About Living With An Artist

.

The other day I found myself in a warm and full bath, fully clothed, with some milk and flour mixed in.
I am a twenty year old who sat in a bath, that was basically cake ingredients.
I felt like Cruella de Vill when she got turned into a giant cake.

This is basically because I live with an artist, and my literal dunk into confectionery was in the name of photography.

This isn't the first odd thing I have been asked to do.

Snug Platters - Label Launch

So Saturday night I was lucky enough to be one of the few, chosen to go to Manchester for the official launch of the new record label, Snug Platters, where they were to show off their first big artist, Steve, and her (yes her) EP Danger! High Failure Rate.
With music by the woman herself and support from Joseph Lofthouse, it really made for one hell of a night where live music was concerned. A friend of mine had seen the latter previously, but I hadn't heard any of his material. Needless to say, I walked into that room (with a fireplace halfway UP the wall) with a tabula rasa.

Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to take a picture at this stage, and the ones my friend took were only for snapchat, I'm so sorry. (So obviously this isn't mine)

At first I began to get some Paolo Nutini vibes from this guy (which is an absolute compliment, have you heard Nutini?) but as he began to progress into some more of his songs like 'Kerosene' (I went home and did my homework on him after), I went from Nutini, to Mumford vibes, to originality. This man is setting a new barrier for solo acoustic music, and also had a great connection to the crowd, interacting and throwing out a few bad snowman jokes.
This was to be the first of two nights, where he would play at the Eagle Inn, but sadly I couldn't go to the next gig because this Bad Blogger had to set off for Wales instead.

After a short interlude, consisting of the DJ'ing of Guy Garvey and Magic Alex (and this writer getting her fourth pint), the act of the night, Steve, finally came on, a vast contrast to the depth of Lofthouse and his songs about vanity and growing old, in comparison to her songs of independence.
To be honest, I'd actually seen her around earlier on and admired her curly purple locks from afar, but no one had told me that she was the one we were all there to see. I also ended up admiring the fact she wore comfortable looking shoes and ended up saying 'fuck' at least once in every song she played, the absolute ledge.

In my life, I have ever only seen someone play a guitar and have it on a loop, while playing another rhythm on that same guitar simultaneously, once before. And that was by a blues musician who had come to Liverpool Philharmonic from Australia, or at least I think it was Oz.
Anywho, this one definitely showed that whatever the men can do, women are just as capable, and did it herself. Not only did she have her guitar but she also had all of this technical electro-equipment, and a voice that could compete with Bjork and Natasha Khan.
Her music was absolutely entrancing, especially her single 'Emergency Art Rate'. And she was as real on stage, as she was outside having a smoke. Like Lofthouse before her, she interacted easily with the crowd, even convincing someone to get her a drink, a gift I'm sure a lot of people would kill for (including me).

All in all, this vinyl-only label is easily going to prove to be a success. I overheard a lot of people claiming that they would get a copy of her EP even though they didn't have a record player, and others saying that they would take someone elses player. If Jack White can try to revive vinyl in America, why can't it be done here on the other side of the Atlantic?
Either way it is nice to know that there are still musical superheroes out there, trying to defeat corporate evils, and save music and it's lifeblood.

I predict a success for Snug Platters, especially its main attraction Steve. Now the music industry doesn't just have B.O.B, but they also have Steve, and she's going to be putting people in their place, and kick some seriously musical arse.



For once, photos are actually mine, from my night in 'Bants-Chester', (well the last two anyway)

Eyebrow Fashion

Growing up for me, fashion wasn't something I was overall interested. I think that, looking back now, I always saw how subjective the concept of fashion really was.

The whole concept of 'dressing up' was wearing your best clothes that you rarely ever wore, and put on some make up, again rarely worn.

I don't know if its an age thing, a change in society, if I ignored it originally, or if its the fact that I am now living in another society, but make-up seems to be much more of a daily thing nowadays. And while I feel the need to inform people that they don't need it and that as long as they are happy with themselves its okay, I still enjoy wearing eyeliner everyday.

I think the biggest thing that had me noticing eyebrow fashion in today's society, was the fact I now live near Liverpool and have come face to face with the infamous 'scouse-brow'. When done correctly  this can actually look pretty cool, but if over done, it can lead to certain ridicule.

But one thing that everyone seems to be obsessed with nowadays, when tending to their make-up, is eyebrows.

Whether it is done using clear mascara, eyebrow pencil or eyeshadow, people seems to be hell bent on achieving the perfect brows to furrow in class, work, or in the middle of a good book on the train home.

Admittedly, when I was younger I used to cut the eyes out of old Avon catalogues, in the hopes of learning all the different ways to apply and blend eyeshadows, always looking for the perfect winged eyeliner on my top lids, but now it seems everyone wants the perfectly defined eyebrow.

Some tweeze, others wax, and sometimes you even get people who just shave them altogether and draw them on from scratch in a 1920's, silent cinema sort of way. Some even decide to just tattoo them on.

I don't hate this fashion, I admit that it is sometimes ridiculous the way that people go about it but if it makes someone feel good about themselves, then they shouldn't feel upset for doing something that makes them happy. I now find myself watching TV and observing the eyebrows of the actresses and try to take care of my own, but not really to the extent where I mascara them or draw on them, I tried the latter once and it just grew to be a chore I hated and didn't see any result in.

Whether you  want them as thin as Jean Harlow, or as thick as Frieda Kahlo, don't let your eyebrows dominate your life. Do whatever you want with them, just try to make them become time consuming, or really unrealistic. You don't want to forget their function to keep sweat and dirt from your eyes, or how they originally look, unlike some people.

Four eyebrows? Must beat a record of some sort.

Disclaimer: None of these pictures are mine, all credit belongs to the respected owners.

Wombats at the O2 Academy Liverpool

So I was quite literally back in Liverpool (see what I did there?) after my two week visit home to Ireland, and I was already getting a bus into town to go to the O2.

The last I saw of The Wombats was last January at the Magnet, and that had been my first time ever (unlike my companion who has seen them 13 times). Not that I didn't listen to them before, but I did, it's just a nightmare trying to get to a gig in Ireland.
From my experience at the Magnet I gathered two things:

1/ This was an amazing band live, and well worth seeing again
2/ I was never going to go to the Magnet again.

The band had been amazing and electric, with a great connection to the audience, but the venue was too small and where we were standing, a light on the wall was broken, my friend was pushed through a door, I was constantly being shoved, and I nearly died of panic as I had just gotten my first tattoo and it was still raw and sore, but this girl in the itchy jumper in front was making it worse by constantly pushing against me, making me worry the ink would fuck up. I saw a photographer near the front, directly under an amp, standing at around maybe 4'3, and she looked like she was on the verge of tears because she couldn't take a picture.

Ended up with a good view in the  end

But apart from the venue, the rest had been amazing, from waiting DJ music in the beginning to the last encore at the end. It took two days for my ears to go back to normal, until I finely relented and had to consult Google on how to fix it.

But anyway, I'm writing about the Academy, not the Magnet.

I had never been to the Academy in Liverpool before. The only one I had ever been to was Manchester for Courtney Love and Kate Nash.

Because I had just gotten off a plane and had to drop off bags, we were late. So we missed the support band, only barely catching the end of the set. Finding somewhere to stand was tricky. I'm a tiny 5'2 Irish girl, not a 5'10 model. And with the place already filled, we ended up standing on the stairs which led to an upstairs balcony of some sort.

I have to admit that I was at home in Ireland when the new album came out, so I never got to have a proper listen, I only went into this knowing three of the new songs and all the old stuff. But these guys are so good live, that it doesn't matter, by the end of it, you'll probably be able recite a chorus of one of the new songs, and the crowd always go mental enough to have a good time, with drink flying all over the place.

A good blend of new and old was played, adding to the high that the crowd was on because nothing says good time like screaming 'Kill the Director', right? Some say that pets reflect their owners? Well I think that the greatness of a crowd is a reflection of the greatness of the band, and with the energy of this crowd, it is obvious that these lads will definitely wind up going places. I get excited when their music is featured on the Vampire Diaries, its only time before they wind up on a blockbuster soundtrack.

Again, there was great crowd interaction, from just talking to the crowd, to getting into the crowd. The nights performance was met with great reception by the crowd. I bet a lot of people are already counting down the days for the next Liverpool gig.

The new album 'Glitterbug' can be found in shops, on iTunes or Spotify now, and will probably wind up becoming part of the summer playlist for people.


Oh and a quick word of advice, if you have epilipsy, there is a lot of flashing lights, fair warning.

All pictures are mine, for once, and as usual, all comments are welcome.

The First One (Tattoos)

You see. At 17, I wanted this Irish sentence on my arm, I knew that I'd be leaving Ireland and immigrating and I wanted a piece of home with me, and the phrase itself just always spoke volumes to me. I had been mulling it over for months and I knew I wanted it. Hell, I still know I want it and I'm going to be 20 in a few months.                                                              

So when I was around 17-ish, I was watching TV with my mother when I randomly broke the silence with 'What would you think if I got a tattoo?'

She wasn't against it, which I still don't know how I feel about. I mean on one hand, you kind of expect mothers to fly off the handle and come out with things like 'I basically created your arm and you want to vandalise it?!'

But on the other hand, my father has tattoos, and my mother always said that she would like one, but never knew that to get, or where to get it.

She asked me what kinda of tattoo I was thinking about, and where I would like it, and then text my dad to ask for his opinion. He didn't mind, but he gave me two rules (one which I later broke).

1. Get it in a spot where you can hide it in the event of a job interview or a court hearing, etc.
     Reasonable. I didn't want my first tattoo to be a picture of Homer Simpson on my face, or any of those huge Chinese ones on my neck anyway. I don't want them in general either. The only way that could happen is if I ever got drunk in the likes of Magaluf.

2. Get it done by the guy that does his own tattoos.
     I broke this one. I actually got mine done in another country. I wasn't going to wait months and months to go to Ireland just for a tattoo, and I had seen the work of the person near my house, so I got her to do it.


Anyway, to cut a long story short, something also popped up, and I ended up having a different tattoo for my first experience. But I plan on getting my Irish one next.

Before you go into the studio, you may be shaking in fear. That's fine. It's your first time repeatedly being stabbed by a needle that will leave a mark on your body forever, and you have no idea how it will feel until it actually happens! There's no backing out, in your mind now. You just need to place one foot in front of the other and do it.

You will see the drawing of the tattoo before the outline is transferred onto your skin, so you can tell them if there's something you're not happy with, after all you'll be the one living with it for the rest of your life.

Then you'll be covered in disinfectant, and the process shall begin.
When I first asked someone what it felt like, I got the response of a 'burning or hot scratch'.
They weren't far off the mark, it was, or else I would call it the slightest of electrocution.  I don't want to scare you off with that comment. I think I came up with it because it was near veins and nerves, and the wire kept touching my hand, giving me the feel of vibrations,
Let's just say, it's tolerable. And if you want to stop and have a break, you're allowed to do so.

So when mine was finished, it was wrapped in cling film. Everyone I know who has gone through this, had the same thing placed on it, but I've read about other cases that bandage it. But in this scenario, I was told to leave it on for an hour, and then wash it with warm water and place some Bepanthen (also heard E45 can be used) on it.

All I remember is going into the chip shop next door and staring at it like, 'woah, I've got a tattoo. I'm an adult! I see blood! Woah!'

Killing the hours wait is fine. I just watched an episode of the Simpsons and Futurama, and it was fine. The area will be a little raw for around 3 days, just make sure DON'T SCRATCH IT! (you'll ruin the ink and need a touch up)

Apparently, they take up to six weeks to heal.

My tattoo will be a week old tomorrow, and it's already beginning to peel. It's odd, watching blue skin peel away from your arm.

When I'm out, it's covered, when I'm home its airing, and I try to apply cream whenever I can. I finally feel like an adult, buying alcohol, a nose piercing, some permanent body art, budgeting my own finances and going out on nights out.

Let my twenties begin!


All reviews and comments are welcome! Again, pictures are not mine, but obviously the anecdotes are!

Versatile Blogger Award

So I have had the privilege of being nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award, thanks to my good friend Eilis! (nocatgotmytongue@blogspot.ie)
So a big thank you to her!
Also, I apparently have to nominate some people (15) to do this, but I don't know that many bloggers so, I nominate my roommate (sunrisewithmysadcaptains.blogspot.co.uk) and my friend Rob(marvellousmusing.blogspot.com). Don't be shy to go and give them a read!

And with those thank yous out of the way and the nominations (which are mandatory, those I nominate need to do the same. And don't forget to link who you nominate and who nominated you!)


1/ I'm half blonde. Literally. Over the summer I got the great idea to try and be like Kate Nash, Caitlin Moran, Imelda May, perhaps even a bit like Gemma Teller, which resulted in me dying half of my head a white platinum blonde, and leaving the other half my usual dark brunette. People tend to like it, and not a lot of people have it, so until I get tired of it, it stays.

2/ My music taste is so versatile (haha get it?) that I've seen both the Glee Cast and AC/DC live. Yep, I can go from showtunes to heavy metal, from rockabilly to Irish Trad, and from Taylor Swift to the likes of Evanescence. But both groups were amazing live, and I'm proud that I'll be able to tell my grandkids that I saw Cory Monteith before he died.

3/ I have a facial piercing and a tattoo.
    Yes this one is true. I turned up to my prom/debs with my nose pierced, and I'm after getting a tattoo on my arm, so I'm basically experiencing all life has to offer, well most of it. I don't think I'll be dabbling in the likes of heroin anytime soon.

4/ I'm a chronic nail biter. As a toddler I sucked my thumb until it bled, and it later progressed into full-on nail biting. This year I will be entering into my twenties, and I have yet to find a way of quitting. I've painted it in that bad tasting stuff, I've painted it in nail polish, I've even tried bandaging each individual finger. Nothing works! And as a psych student, I don't know for sure if hypnotherapy would work.

5/ I have recently gotten an offer to study Criminology and Psychology at Liverpool John Moore's University. This one has me very excited! I've accepted! Now I just need to step up my game andget passed a C in my summer exams.

6/ I found out that I have para-somniatic tendencies a few years ago. Turns out it's the reason I locked myself out of the house when I was eight, at 3am. And it's also why I talk in my sleep, growl (occassionally) and hit people. God love whatever guy I wind up with.

7/ I have had music lessons in: Piano, tin-whistle, guitar and African drumming. And I'd say if I were forced to play them all now, I'd be worst at the piano, which pains me. I'd rather learn the fiddle to be honest. My family is big into music, and my mother has a history in the accordian and the tin-whistle. Growing up I've listened to all genres, and while I'd never be one of those people to say 'music saved  my life' or 'music is a big part of me', I will admit that it is  everywhere I go in life.
But seriously, until Courtney Love pulls me from a river to save me from drowning, music has not saved my life.

We Used To Be Friends, Now You Suck At Hate Mail

Friends right?
If they aren't right for you, it won't last. I know I write about my opinion quite a bit. but I don't always write about my personal life, so why not.
So I was once great friends with this girl. I stayed at her house every other weekend and we had music in common, and I turned to her when a lot of problems started up in my personal life.
We went around for days out and stuff and for a while I thought 'woah, she's so real. We know the truth, we're smart'. And for a while there she really inspired me in my writings, although upon reflection of what I wrote at the time, I feel as if I predicted our ending.

Good band, just kept me depressed when I had them on loop

You see, we're not friends anymore.
In fact she's admitted that she's wanted to rip me apart.

A year on from not speaking to her, and a year on from immigration and making new friends across the Irish Sea, I think that I've finally found true happiness.
When we were friends we listened to Nirvana a lot and felt that the world is a horrible dark place, and that we always needed eyeliner and converse. That every other person was fake and that people sucked. At the time I thought I was being mature and clever. Looking back, I was a fucking eejit dresses in black. Although I do tend to still dress in black.

While I feel free from this, I think I may have reinforced it for her. And in a way it's one of the things that have made me feel bad. But I remedy this with these thoughts:

1/  I shouldn't feel guilt for doing something that has made me happy. I shouldn't have to live in sadness, especially when she would have remained just as pessimistic anyway. Sometimes in life when we make decisions there will always be the people that think we've made the wrong choice, while there is also simultaneously those who think that we did the correct thing. I like the fact that I did what I did to make her hate me,  and I can't regret that, because it's opened doors for me. I'm now and on the path to a BA in Psychology, and my mind has been opened and expanded through sociological and theological conversation, which I never got at home, or with her for that matter.

2/ I've become mentally stable and happy. When we were friends all we did was wear jeans, eyeliner, listen to Nirvana and discuss how people are shit. A year away from this and I wear dresses, skirts, heels, lipstick, and I can happily listen to some pop or rap and not get judged for it. I feel less judged. Life has become a breath of fresh air.
Back when we were friends, I didn't talk to the other girls in my class. And I found it increasingly difficult to trust people. Now, for the first time in my life, I have a group of friends I can always text, make plans with and meet up with for lunch. I never had that in school before, so it's kinda sad that I only started having this in college. Granted, I still have trust issues, but I'm working on it.

We even have a Central Perk by our college and our own couches.

You see this falling out spawned from the fact that I said I couldn't live with her in England, when we moved for college. I believe that if I had actually gone through with it, I'd be in prison now for attempted murder or battery at the very least.
It had immediately been assumed that we would live together, and I have always been the little mouse who had trouble saying no, so I played along, which I admit is wrong, and I shouldn't have done that. My living plans had already been made and I found it difficult to say it.
Luckily, months before I finally left, I told the truth and said that I couldn't live with her in England, which resulted in her not being allowed to go to England.

I still immigrated and went to college, while she stayed in Ireland with no college, or job to fall back on.

David Bowie during his Ziggy Stardust era

I am glad that I told her months in advance. It makes me feel better as it would have given her enough time to plan something, but nothing materialized. She just sat around and wrote David Bowie lyrics on her bedroom wall.

I don't mean to sound like a bitch here, I just need to be blunt, but I do not miss the friendship. I don't miss being told I looked stupid, I don't miss being told that I couldn't do something right. And I don't miss the fact that most conversation revolved around bitching, or musicians who committed suicide 20 years ago. There was no nurturing or sensitivity there. I was demeaned and made to feel little for someone else's enjoyment. Whenever she had a problem, I listened, but whenever I had a problem it was just 'shut up, you always go on about this'.

In fact if I have any regrets, it's buying her a tenner's worth of cigarettes on the last day I saw her.

If I had never met her, I may not have survived, or I wouldn't have felt as depressed as I did back then, and I may have actually made friends with most of my class in school, had a normal social life, maybe had had a boyfriend and done normal teenage things.

It makes me feel like a weirdo now, in some ways. I'm the second eldest in my current friend group, yet most of the group has experience with being in a relationship. But I know that I don't need it, at the end of the day. I can be such a mess some-days as a single person, that I'd never want to drag someone else down with me. I already feel sorry for my first real boyfriend.

The girl, that this post is about, may think that I'm a bitch, but I'm not that much of a bitch. I'd never purposefully drag some poor guy down with me intentionally, if I had a bad day.

From her point of view, I know how hard it had been for her. But I'd had my back up plan, and she should have too. I know it's easy to now say that such and such should have been done, but I really did try to stay her friend. She's the one who cut contact, not me. I really tried, which is sorta why I got her ciggys in the first place.

But overall, I feel sorry for her. I really pity her.
I pity the fact that she thinks about me a year later.
I pity the fact that she feels compelled to find me on Tumblr.
I pity the fact that she needs to send me anons at 3pm on a Saturday because she has nothing else to do.
And I pity the fact that she will only ever watch Friends on TV, but never really experience the Friends-esque lifestyle that I do.

Yes, I lost one person, but I've gained so much more, both literally and mentally. When I go home to Ireland, I've got people who will try to go out of their way to see me, and when I return to England I've got friends that I can text all through the night. And it's these people that I truly can't live without, no matter what happens.

So, if you are reading this, you can do whatever the fuck you want. You want to get married at 18 to a guy you've met once? Go ahead, I've got nothing to say. I'm not jealous. I'm not angry. I'm not phased. You always said you didn't believe in it, but if you really want to, go ahead, whether it be because you really like him, or you want a Green Card.
I've got a good life going for myself. I've got work in the morning, then two days of exams, a day of drinking, and I get a tattoo next week, followed by a concert. I'm doing really great.

If anyone wants to talk about their own issues feel free to email me. 
I always enjoy comments or responses.

As is usually the case, pictures aren't mine and are the property of their rightful owners.

Unemployment Pains

Seeing as the title of this blog is called the 'Inner Dialogue and Ramblings of an Irish Immigrant', I feel it is time to discuss the pains of actually being an immigrant. I may touch on this later, in fact I can tell you about culture clashes, home sickness, learning that Matalan does NOT sell beds, among other things. But I think I may begin with the biggy.

And that is, of course, employment.

This is something that I still lack. It's a big reason for the mass immigration of Irish citizens within the past few years, and has reached high numbers that haven't been seen since the last recession of the 1980's. I've applied to numerous jobs within Liverpool, even going across the water in search of jobs on the Wirral and I've still had no luck whatsoever. I mean, I have a little bit of experience, I now know my general surroundings and understand the trains. I'm not calling that my experience by the way, I know how to take messages and I can do hands-on work. So its a bit of a bummer that the moment I'm finally settled to work, no one will take me on. The Christmas Rush has been and gone people! I need money! Don't you need people for the New Years Sales?!

This college student is in desperate need of funds! I may not drink it all! I may actually want to get a plane home for the holidays or buy a new pair of boots because I've fucked up my Doc Martins (which I still can't figure out how I did that).  Better yet, maybe I actually want to be able to buy people presents, in YOUR shop, where I want to work! I'll take Part Time, or one day a week if that's all that I can get! I'll take anything at this stage!

When I was a kid I thought : I'm gonna grow up, get one of those fur coats like the cool girls, get a job, do exams, live in my own flat, make friends and so on. I actually thought that I'd move to Waterford city and share my flat with some girls I'd grown up with.

Now I'm grown up, forced to immigrate to England, and on my own, I have no umbrella, just broken boots. I'm not one of the cool girls, barely passed exams, unemployed and I live with my best mates family. In fact all I did was make friends. I'm not complaining, in fact it's nice having friends to complain to.

With these stories from home emerging about these water charges, it makes me want to get work even more.

They say that I don't have enough experience? Well how am I meant to get it unless you give me a chance and hire me?

At this stage, I'm looking into volunteer work, so at least that way I can say that I am trained on a cash register, and it would look good on a University Application, so in a way I'm killing two birds with one stone. So far I've gotten some part time experience at a charity shop for Meals on Wheels, which not only makes me feel like a silent protester, or invisible Samaritan, but will benefit all those involved. The women there are lovely, all older than me, but lovely all the same.

This year I will be entering into my twenties, and I hope to do so with an actual job. Hopefully entry into University and employment. It's why I immigrated after all.

I recently went back to Ireland over Christmas and saw that while parts of the country was healing, other problems have just been growing worse. While I was in Dublin trying to get to the airport, I saw a lot of homeless people outside on the footpaths in the cold.
I may write an article on this in the future, but for now it will just be an idea in my head.
I may even do a countdown of the biggest trends in 2014.

Thank you for reading this, comments are welcome below! I'd love to hear from people in the same situation

Problems That Put People Off of Feminism - Part 2

Here it is, as promised!

The next part of my Feminist Problems.

I could start on ranting about that 'Why We Don't Need Feminism' site, which may be a post for another time, but let's just start discussing something else. I don't want to start off by ranting about something deep and sensitive so, if you think that the first topic is kinda deep, I'm sorry in advance, I tried.

So guess what! Men exist just like we do! And they have emotions, again, just like we do! And they want women safe, you know, their sisters, mothers, aunts, and so on? And they don't want their loved ones being overly sexualised by the media. They exist!! Men aren't monsters! Hurrah! Someone call the press! Quick, we need to contact the Guinness Book of Records!

Radical Feminists, you can put down the lighters and the petroleum, we're safe.



But you know what they don't want?

They don't want women to oppress everyone, which is really what most radicals are looking for, if you think about it. They argue so much about male oppression and the past, that it sounds like all they want is to rule themselves, which sounds hypocritical, as if they want to flip patriarchal oppression for matriarchal oppression. Which kinda contradicts the feminist ideology, don't you think?
'Oh we don't like men because they oppressed us. We're so much better. I know, lets do the same thing back and stoop to this imaginary level!' So now what? We give ourselves a 'Glass Floor'?

So in the men's case its just a case of being stuck between a rock and a hard place. If they ignore these problems, they're seen as misogynistic pigs, and if they try to help, then the feminists don't need the help of these misogynistic pigs. There's just no winning, I'm afraid.

And God help you, if you're a woman that goes against them. You're apparently some Judas, or you're a poor blind little girl that can't see past the brainwashing and socialization, because apparently the patriarchy is making us believe what it wants us to believe.
So even women can't have their own opinions on things.

I'm a feminist. I'm a Liberal though, not Radical. I believe in fair legislation, and if that sometimes works against us, so be it, as long as we are equal. I don't believe that we should sometimes get shorter prison sentences just because we have different body parts and functions to that of a man. If a woman kills someone, she actually picked up a weapon and killed someone. Her boobs didn't accidentally pick up a gun and fire, her 'time of the month' didn't make her lose the plot and attack someone. Murder is murder. And I admit, there are cases where the accused may actually be innocent, but hundreds of men in the past have been imprisoned while innocent, some even executed! We shouldn't be left off the hook just because we have the ability to give birth!
But on the other hand, fair legislation means no more discussing pay gaps or unfair job dismissals, it means equality in the work place for both men and women, meaning we won't just stop moaning about fair pay, but men will able to properly have Paternity Leave when they become parents.

Something I've been known to say in the past is 'women have the right to have wages similar to mens and not to be treated like meat'.

And while I've just argued fair legislation, I think I'll turn to objectifying and ogling the opposite sex now.

Feminism really argues equality at the end of the day, and not all of us want to burn our bras and kick men around. And I admit that I don't like the hyper-sexualisation of women in the media. I don't like how we have to be skinny, I don't like how we have to feel forced to dress a certain way, I don't like the fact that we need to look good for men all the time (this ain't the 50's anymore) and I most definitely don't like the fact that we aren't allowed to age in the media! Everyone is giving poor Renee Zellwegger so much shit for looking different, but she only went under the knife and did that to herself because of public opinion and pressure from the media! (I plan on writing about this whole thing some time).
In a way, it is like the media are forcing us to dress in such a way that we look like the meat, that we are apparently treated as. Johnny Depp is 52 and everyone is fine with it, but the moment a female celebrity turns 40 she needs botox. Kim Kardashian already gets it and she's what, in her late 20's, early 30's? When my mother was that age, she was getting a job in a store and investing in a boiler, not botox.

Let's get something straight here.
I'm a straight, feminist, female, and I like to stare at men! There, I said it. I went to visit my friend the other day and we spent half an hour on Google Images just staring at hot male celebrities. And sometimes when I'm in Liverpool and I see a good looking guy, I'll turn to be friends as if to say 'is he real?'
My point is, women stare at men, and men stare at women. It's not a one sided thing. Men get into trouble for it. The reason that we have a problem with this staring scenario, as women, is the fact that men, more often than not, start shouting obscenities at passing women and some of us don't like it. I admire Lena Dunham for admitting that she enjoys the catcalling. Every woman deserves to be proud of herself and her appearance, and it takes a big person to admit to something that is seen as a social stigma. Mental illness was a stigma years ago, and now it's almost 'fashionable' to suffer from anxiety. So by the time I'm retiring, it may be fashionable to say you like the opposite sex shouting at you across the road, about wanting you to sit on their knee.
But think about it, what are you more likely to see, a group of men calling to a woman, or a group of women calling to a man?

I know that Lena Dunham is actually being slated at the moment over her new book, which I have in the house now, so once that's read make sure to look out for my review.
But back to the original topic, we stare at each other. Evolutionary Theory states that we stare at each other because genetically, we want to reproduce with one another to keep those genes going! It's simply science, and you can't just deny it because Darwin was a man.

But seriously men, cut out the whistling, it's really annoying. Even if you're a chav or just trying to act like a tough guy. We find it unattractive and you will most certainly not get lucky.

And to be honest, I don't see catcalling ,especially if it's double sided, enough of a reason to warrant phrases like 'kill all men' from feminists. It's sort of the reason none of us feminists are taken seriously and everyone knows that, well apart from the radical feminists themselves.
You're making the rest of us look bad!

And there is so much of this 'kill all men' vibe going around, that no one thinks to actually protect the men! Nobody takes the idea of an abused man seriously. Only lately is the media bringing the whole topic to light, like how a few years ago the Irish soap 'Fair City' dealt with the topic of domestic abuse against Damien, which Leanne was inflicting. She beat him to a pulp, yet everyone thought he was attacking her, or just being clumsy.
Some people would argue that male oppressors have socialized us into thinking that they are strong, invincible beings. But we all have weaknesses and no one ever remembers the unspoken rule of 'you can't hit a woman', so what are men to do when a woman goes to attack them? If he strikes in defense, he apparently warrants every derogatory name under the sun and maybe a prison sentence, and if he doesn't defend himself he's what? Forced to take it?
That just makes men much more vulnerable because they won't be able to admit it. Men are made to grow up thinking that they are strong and need to protect themselves, women and children, so to turn around and to admit defeat like that, is a huge blow to the ego. It takes some serious amount of courage for a man to admit to something like abuse at the hands of a woman.
Not to mention the after math. Women that are abused are offered all forms of councilling, are men offered as much as the women? How are they to trust another woman after? And how are these Radical Feminists helping matters? This is a father, a brother, an uncle, they (the feminists) are basically attacking their own family! I say this because the word 'all' doesn't usually come with any exceptions. So when they say 'kill all men', that is probably including their male relatives, whether they are lesbians or not, they still have fathers and brothers etc.


Did you know there is only one organisation in Ireland for domestically abused men?
A friend of mine told me a few months back that while there are 7500 shelters for female victims of domestic abuse, there are only 60 for men. If that's not shocking, then I don't know what is. The men are basically being ignored! He also went on to tell me that 90% of cases where the male is the victim, the abuser isn't arrested, and also that in 60% of the cases, the men are investigated as the abusers.

Lets just take a step back here.

Why the fuck are people hitting each other in the first place? Should we be sending our kids to workshops, anger management classes and sitting down to discuss feelings? (I'm all for the latter, personally). Gender differences aside, we shouldn't be attacking each other in the first place. We share the planet, we have the food we need, women can provide for themselves and we can get our aggression out through sports. So we are we even attacking each other? And do these people even think of their children.
When I was a kid I witnessed an accident that resulted in a lot of blood, and I sometimes think that it effected 5 year old me and somehow shaped my personality. Now, that was in no way connected to domestic abuse, but it had such a profound effect on me, that I can't imagine what must go through the heads of people who come from households where violence was the norm.

I get the fact that we can hate each other. Women hate women, men can hate men, we can all hate the opposite sex while we're at it too, we all have enemies either online or offline.But, fuck 'em. What good are they in our lives? We know they must be nice to other people, have relatives and loved ones, and we know that violence is wrong. So we're not exactly going to track them down and throttle them, are we?

But I really think that we need someone to argue on behalf of men.

They really are stuck between a rock and a hard place. They can't hit anyone in defense, they can't stare at us, and they can't even give a compliment without it being harassment.

Yes folks, I'm now starting to get into the murky subject of sexual harassment.

The definition of rape is constantly argued by feminists. So here is my take on it:
'Unwanted and non-consensual sex at the present time of said thing occurring'

That sound legitimate enough for you? It does to me.

Now it is a bad thing. We all know. I've had friends that this has happened to and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I'm not denying that the world is a scary place and there are some pretty dangerous people out there. But some feminists are defining it a little too broadly for my liking. It has actually been made so broad that women are now claiming rape after regretting sleeping with a man the next day! Excuse me missy, but you were all for it last night, so that wasn't rape. That's you just being picky and trying to prevent yourself from feeling awkward the next day.
I admit there are drugs out there that alter your senses and very manipulative people that groom others. Some I'm trying not to generalize here. I'm here to slate radical feminists, not anyone effected by real rape cases. This broadness is making it more difficult for the real victims.
They don't want to go to a group counselling session, being forced to relieve that horrible moment, only to hear someone going 'yeah I slept with him, then realized it was a total mistake'

Okay, now I may understand why we sometimes opt to attack each other.

But with a movement as big as the radical feminist movement, and it's domination of certain sites like Tumblr, why are they not using their influence to solve serious issues? Like the mutation of female genitalia in the East? Or the fact that women in Saudi Arabia can't drive? What about the right to female education? Or the right for women to work? Why are they wasting their time just nagging everyone here in the West when they aren't really doing anything, except said nagging?
Do us a favour lassies, give a hand to the genuinely oppressed.
Oh sorry, is referring to people of my own gender as 'lassies' harassment? I wasn't informed. I usually don't mind it when people refer to me as a 'lass'

 And with that I will leave you. The final (and this time I mean it) bit to this little feminist rant shouldn't take as long as this one did, and it will look a bit into religion, and a bit more.
Thanks for reading!