Violence often happens in plain sight — Swim Lessons I lost my kid at the pool. She’s seven. She loves to swim. She was supposed to be sitting on the bench waiting for lessons to start, but when I walked over to help her get into the right group, she wasn’t there. …

Words really do matter — At one point or another, we’ve all worried about our weight, leading us to exclaim something along the lines of “Urgh, I look so fat today!” Or worse, some idiot has made a nasty comment, calling us fat, intending it as an attack. And without fail, there’ll be a well-meaning…

One group of women you don’t hear enough from — those who can’t conceive. — You’d think women who are biologically unable to conceive and carry a child would find an unborn life precious, right? You’d think all those couples struggling to conceive would want every embryo to be saved, wouldn’t you? The fact is, the fertility community hates the abortion ban. I can’t speak…

A valuable lesson I learned in my postpartum journey — Four weeks ago my daughter was born. She arrived at sunrise after a fast and intense labor. My husband caught her after two easy pushes. We were the first two people to touch her. I had her at home, with just my husband and midwife present. …

There are two types of confidence, one that repels and one that attracts — The cursor blinks on my screen, the steam has long since stopped rising from my cup of tea and if I don’t show signs of life soon my neighbour who walked past my window an hour ago may return and think me a mannequin. While my surface is still, my…

Has the time come to censor what is classed as ‘entertainment’? — When I heard Amanda Palmer and Reb Fountain’s mash-up of “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke and “Rape Me” by Nirvana I was stunned into silence. It is raw, cathartic, and deeply revealing about the music we currently call popular, but who were these women? Amanda Palmer is a performance artist…

There’s a society-wide abusive relationship. Let’s end it. — I’ve been stuck in a loop, thinking about the changes that haven’t quite happened. The movements that rise and fall, again and again, gathering momentum as the public voice swells, only to fizzle out like a birthday balloon with a tiny hole. It mirrors an abusive relationship but it’s almost…

‘My Dark Vanessa’ explores the ‘How’ and ‘Why’, and most of all, ‘are we complicit’? — I didn’t want to read this book, I would never have picked it for myself. That’s the trouble with a book club and a bestseller list. While ‘My Dark Vanessa’ is not a book you can ‘enjoy’, there is no denying the brilliance of the writing. It takes a special…