She/her

Skills

I am a skilled writer as I am able to adapt my writing style to fit the purpose of the piece. In addition I am a creative person who enjoys making vidual communication aids.

i love to develop concepts and carry them out through different media forms. I particularly enjoy mixed media art forms such as collage and I believe that it is a unique way to share information in a visually pleasing way.

Get in touch- I would love to hear from you!

My email address: mollybohannon1@gmail.com

My linkedIn Profile: www.linkedin.com/in/molly-bohannon-b421a5279

Harry Styles: Redefining Masculinity?

Harry Styles rose to fame on the singing competition X Factor when he joined the boyband One Direction. Throughout his career both in the band and since its breakup, his fashion style has developed. However, in recent years he has taken it to the next level by expressing himself through his flamboyant clothes. He has worn sequins, feather boas and perhaps most notably, a dress. In 2020 Styles made history by appearing as the first solo man on the cover of Vogue in 127 years and he did it while wearing a dress. This simple act created an uproar and was viewed very controversially. In the interview with Vogue, he stated “I just find myself looking at the women’s clothes thinking they’re amazing. It’s like anything—anytime you’re putting barriers up in your own life, you’re just limiting yourself. There’s so much joy to be had in playing with clothes. I’ve never really thought too much about what it means—it just becomes this extended part of creating something.” (Bowles,2020). To him, fashion is a way to express himself and be creative in a visual way and, in this case, he did this by wearing a dress. However, there was public outcry about a man wearing a dress. Candace Owens, an author, tweeted that it was too feminine and that we needed the return of ‘manly men’ (Owens,2020). Furthermore, there was dispute over whether Styles should have been chosen for the cover in the first place.

Billy Porter, an actor, singer, and queer icon who frequently speaks about social issues such as his struggle with HIV, commented publicly on the cover. He stated that Styles being on the cover was cultural appropriation and a result of white privilege as Porter has been fighting for years to be able to wear dresses on the red carpet without being the subject of hate. In contrast he believes that for Styles “All he has to do is be white and straight” (Franklin,2023). It is important to note that Styles has never defined his sexuality but has implied that he is not straight. While Porters criticisms may be valid, Styles is still promoting a healthier version of masculinity. In contrast, there has been a rise in toxic masculinity in the form of what Hakim (2018) calls Spornosexuals. This term refers to the increase in the number of men using the gym for reasons of appearance and then sharing images of their bodies on social media. The word is a hybrid of sports star and porn star due to the erotically charged nature of the pictures. This is due to men no longer being the sole breadwinners, so they are creating a new way to feel valuable. However, Hakim’s research shows that this can be detrimental to the men’s mental health by causing things like body dysmorphia, anxiety and a need for external validation. Therefore, Styles promoting masculinity as a subjective thing rather than the dominant hegemonic (Salamini,1974) version presents men with an alternative way of viewing themselves. By seeing such a popular celebrity showing a softer side of what it means to be masculine, young men will feel less pressured to conform to the typical more aggressive ideas of masculinity.

While Styles might not be the pioneer of challenging gender norms, he is helping to redefine what it looks like to be a man for a new generation. This representation is invaluable considering that in 2021 approximately three quarters of all suicides in England and Wales were men (ONS,2022). While there are many reasons for this, an overarching reason is “men’s active pursuit of hegemonic masculinity via emotional restriction” (River and Flood, 2021). Therefore, increasing diversity of male role models for young men to identify with is essential in deconstructing these harmful masculine ideals. Instead of bringing back manly men, we need to allow men to be who they are as everyone should be able to express themselves and their emotions however they choose without fear of persecution.

Clinique-

Black Honey, almost lipstick

A classic for a reason

First launched in 1971 the lipstick/lipbalm hybrid has stood the test of time. As women were breaking into the world of work they needed a product that looked good with minimal effort. Enter black honey. The product experienced a second wave in the 90's with the rise of supermodels and red carpets.

-Kate and Lila Moss-

the 90's it girl for the new generation

partnered with vougue beauty secrets, the mother daughter duo share their makeup routines complete with their signature product-clinique black honey

[re]Launch

PARTY

fashion show

LIVE

MUSIC

FREE

drinks

reading is cool

I have been a prolific reader for my entire life. I consider it to be my favourite thing in the world as I have always loved the fact that I could travel anywhere I wanted to. From fighting monsters and meeting Greek Gods with Percy Jackson to running through fields with Anne Shirley I was always somewhere else as a child. This has continued throughout my teenage years and now into adulthood. I read a wide variety of genres including (but not limited to as I will basically read anything) children’s books, young adult, graphic novels, mystery, classics and romance. I try to convince everyone I know to read as I feel it is such a valuable hobby. Personally, it has really helped me with my anxiety and is a healthy coping mechanism. I find that being able to escape into another world really helps me interrupt my anxious thoughts and calms me down. My love of reading has been a constant thing that I could depend on even through the most tumultuous times and I can return to the worlds and characters that I have loved for so long. Recently, I have developed a love for memoirs as I enjoy reading about others experiences in different cultures. I am currently an undergraduate sociology student and my interest in society and the way it functions has extended to my reading habits. I recently read Trevor Noah’s memoir ‘Born a Crime’ and I loved learning about the experience of growing up in South Africa post-apartheid. I believe it is so important to read books written by a diverse range of authors in order to learn about different situations, cultures and experiences. Books have an incredible transportive quality that is unlike anything else, and I truly believe it is the closest we can get to magic in our everyday lives.

The Frazzled english woman

What is it about rom coms and their obsession with English women who look like they are clinging on for dear life? They’re always hopelessly in love with an awful man who will never care for them and treats them terribly. He’s always wearing a suit and he’s a bit slimey to be honest. He leaves the office with a wink after convincing the woman to stay late to finish HIS work so he can go out on a date with a perfectly well-groomed woman. Then the protagonist goes home and sobs into a bottle of wine while sad songs blast on the cd player. You know the ones I mean, think Bridget Jones, Iris Simpkins. Basically, just picture a woman in her 30’s who hasn’t brushed her hair in a while, cries a lot and is usually found wrapped in a duvet. They also seem to wear the most horrendously ugly outfits that include obnoxiously bright mittens, ill fitting cardigans and ripped tights.

Growing up, every rom com I watched had a woman like this as the protagonist. Everyone felt sorry for her, and by the end of the film a man had decided she was a diamond in the rough, whisking her off her feet and saving her from her pathetic life. They were simultaneously romanticising being a mess and being misogynistic by suggesting that these women needed a man to show her what she really deserved. In reality, they were just women in their thirties who didn’t have their lives completely together yet and were just trying to survive. I think we can all relate to the frazzled English woman aesthetic (I will be going out to purchase pink mittens tomorrow).

In honour of International Womens Day I wanted to share a spec campaign image that I designed and created for Dr. Martens plc

The piece focuses on the Riot Grrrl movement that gained popularity in America in the 1990's and was created by punk feminists. The movement had so much anger and passion behind it as these women were sick of being treated as passive objects. The general public found the movement shocking and viewed them as radical due to their zines, concerts and protests.

Dr Martens have been a punk staple for decades and are certainly a necessity for any Riot Grrrl out there who wants to smash the patriarchy- after all, they are the best boots for stomping!

Blah, Blah, Blah

I recently read a chapter in a book by Naomi Klein called “Doppelgänger: a trip into the mirror world” which really got me thinking. The book is basically about how the journalist and author of the book, has a doppelgänger who is the complete antithesis of her called Naomi Wolf. Naomi Klein is a supporter of eco-feminism and a critic of capitalism, while Naomi Wolf is a third wave feminist writer who gained notoriety in the 1990s. Now, I hear you say, “well they don’t sound too different to me”. This is where is starts to get a bit crazy.

In the past couple of decades, Naomi Wolf has become an anti-vaxxer who has been banned from X for sharing harmful information and views. She is essentially a conspiracy theorist who spouts dangerous theories that are designed to fearmonger about all manner of things like covid-19. I know. Talk about a complete personal rebrand.

So, Naomi Klein became fascinated with how conspiracy theories are spread and how they are so convincing, and she discovered that they are diminishing the power of words. She explains how perfectly legitimate phrases like ‘fake news’ have now been completely tarnished by conspiracy theorists and are no longer considered legitimate. Instead, these phrases conjure up laughable images of overly spray tanned politicians. Klein describes how we have entered an alternate reality or, as she calls it, mirror world that looks similar to the world we used to live in but is different. Now, everything is changeable because words do not hold the same meaning.

To illustrate this, Naomi Klein recalls a speech that Greta Thunberg gave at the 2021 climate summit in Glasgow. Many times, Greta says ‘blah, blah, blah’ and she wasn’t singing a Kesha song. Greta was tired. Tired of politicians making false claims about reducing carbon emissions and giving speeches that ultimately lead to no action. Greta states that “our hopes and dreams drown in their empty words and promises”.

This got me thinking about how really, words are useless if they do not enact the action that they are promising. How, someone saying ‘I will do this’ has no real meaning if they don’t actually do it. For someone who loves words, this is deeply troubling. I know it sounds strange to say that I love words, but I really do. I love to read, listen to music, gossip with my friends, watch movies. Would all of these be possible without words? Maybe. But it would be very depressing and difficult. So, the thought that in contemporary society words are meaningless, is terrifying.

I am currently trying to reconcile this in my brain. Although I agree with Naomi Klein and Greta Thunberg, I do not want to. I have to believe that words still have power. While they may be twisted by people with ulterior motives, I believe they can still hold immense power. All I have to think of are words like “I have a dream”, “I can’t breathe”, “my body, my choice”, and my brain is filled with formidable images. These words changed lives and changed the course of history. The people who spoke these words were forces of nature who called hundreds of thousands of people to action and command respect.

No other form of communication could do this. Words hold a unique power. The power to hurt and to heal. The power spread love or hate. The power to enact change, or to stop it in its tracks. In a world that is saturated by words in the form of never-ending media, we must remember that our words have power. We must remember to use them for good. We must remember those forces of nature that inspired us.