by Zara Denham ❀

Sex work has long been a point of controversy. Porn, prostitution, and camming are all leading topics in public discussion, with their necessity and consequences being debated from every angle. Strip clubs are no different. Across the world, sex entertainment venues (SEVs) are subjected to varying levels of regulation with places like Portland in the US proudly boasting more than twice as many strip clubs as public toilets, while countries like Norway hold a total ban.

by Ella Pitt ❀

As I pressed down onto the nozzle of my newly bought perfume, what should have been cloying and sweet remained scentless. The only evidence that I had sprayed it at all was the sticky residue left on my skin. My inner nostrils, once full of the mundane scents of life, washing up liquid, clean socks, fried onions… now dry and slightly painful, but most of all depressingly devoid of the ability to smell.

by Lauren Burns ❀

Women Plot is an Italian publisher with a focus on sharing stories by and for women to close the ever-present gender gap within the publishing industry. Helmed by Erica Isotta, Women Plot aims to be a community first and foremost. It has a colourful and well-put-together Instagram and website/blog, which exists to bring female writers and creatives together. Bloom recently had the chance to talk to Erica, and we learnt a lot about her route into publishing and what it takes to be a woman in the industry.

by Millicent Stott ❀

It is true that leaving home changes you as a person. It is also true that when I look back on who I was a year ago, I barely even recognise myself. I’ve learnt, of course, the boring basics of looking after myself, the time management and the turmoil of navigating a new city when moving from a small town. But no one prepared me for the seismic changes I would experience in my first year at university, the things I have learnt about myself, other people, and my outlook on life.

by Lauren Burns ❀

An artist who blends bright colours with bold and impactful messages, I wrote about Artist Named Nobody AKA Rachel Harvey for Bloom in March and knew we’d have to follow up the article with an interview. We met via Zoom during June, ahead of the publication of Bloom I02 (July 10th) and spoke about Rachel’s creative process, inspirations, and how she has found starting and running a creative business in the age of Instagram and coronavirus.

by Meg Morrison ❀

Since the 3rd March, I have seen a face popping up on my Instagram more times than I can count: Sarah Everard. Posts from my friends, family and people from all over the country who shared stories and posts in a collective urgency to find her. When you hear of a missing person case it is always devastating, but there was something about Sarah Everard’s disappearance that felt different. Sarah was walking home at 9pm and did everything right –she wore sensible shoes. She called her boyfriend. She walked on lit streets. She wore bright clothing. She walked past CCTV. She followed all the unwritten rules and that still didn’t save her.

by Nikita G ❀

I've always wanted to be a mother. The idea of bearing my very own Mini Me and teaching him or her about life has always brought me immense joy. As a young girl, I adored a baby doll that my Aunt bought me for Christmas. She was adorably cute. I play-fed her, sang to her and tucked her into bed each night. Once I entered my teenage years, I would voluntarily babysIt my nieces and nephews whenever the opportunity arose. I found it to be an extremely fulfilling duty.

by Becky Martin ❀

Japanese tennis player and people’s champion Naomi Osaka, an advocate for women in sport and racial injustice at the age of 23, also happens to be the first Asian player to hold the top ranking in singles and is a four times Grand Slam singles Champion, as well as reigning Champion of the US Open and the Australian Open. Naomi, often thought of as having a shy personality, has more recently become known for her strong impactful opinions, her influence stretching far and wide. In May 2021, she made headlines for putting her mental health first by outlining her decision not to take part in any press conferences during the French Open tournament;

by Millicent Stott ❀

First coined by the founder of Nasty Gal, Sophia Amoruso, the term ‘girl boss’ is used to describe self-made women, often successful businesswomen. And while focussing on spreading messages of female empowerment is a step in the right direction, many of us are beginning to see through the glittery pink façade of the ‘girl boss’. The damaging effect of hustle culture on social media washes over the variety of struggles women face in our society – more importantly, it disregards any intersectionality in its view of the issues of class, race and sexuality. How can all women become empowered when this culture maintains that hard work and a positive mindset can get you anywhere?

by Yana Hrytsan ❀

When I think about over-sensuality, trauma and loss, the first thing that comes to mind is Sylvia Plath’s poetry.

In the American cultural space, Sylvia Plath was given a special place. Thanks to the supra-emotional discourse, the transcendental orientation towards the appellative and the meaning in her poetry, Plath became an expresser of bold feminist ideas in a world ruled by men. She was also destined to inspire the next generations of young women of letters in the United States, previously deprived of their own room.

by Seigar ❀

This series is a collection of non-photographs framed. The missing photos have been replaced by messages that explain the empty frames. This work is a personal response to the conceptual art tradition. The Franklin Gothic Medium font was used to reinforce the direct and clear approach to the words and the two-color combinations were chosen to create some modern harmony conveying the message. Seigar understands art as a form of communication, and this statement goes in the same direction, there is a willingness to get answers from viewers, to provoke reactions, and at the same time, it connects to the pop art tradition that he loves and admires so much.

by Ella McManus ❀

Suicide is such a complex issue to talk about because, although there are common areas within suicide, no one ever really knows what is happening inside a person’s head. Yes, there are signs that some people can show that indicate suicidal feelings but, suicide is the opposite of black and white, it is a field of technicolour in which people get lost in. I am an advocate for fighting the stigma against suicide, trying to normalise it in conversation and support training to help spot the indications of someone feeling suicidal but, it pains me to say that I have felt ashamed by suicide.

by Emma Chatterton ❀

Scrolling through social media is a part of everyday life for many of us. We follow influencers, comment on and like endless photographs, but why do we do this? The same subjects are portrayed in very similar images: lattes in coffee shops, views of clouds from plane windows, Instagram pool parties with inflatable floats. Why do we find this content interesting? Why do we engage with it, over and over again?

by Millicent Stott ❀

‘Sorry for the inconvenience, we are trying to change the world.’

The newly proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is harmful for so many reasons. Along with criminalising the travelling community, who are already grossly mistreated by the government and police, it also could be used to expand stop and search powers, and slaps a ten-year sentence on damage to memorials.

This is also a bill which curbs our right to protest, our right to advocate for our equality and make our voices heard, loud and clear. The bill will allow police chiefs the ability to impose start and finish times on our protests, set noise limits, and prevent any protests which cause ‘public nuisances’. The police do not need more power – this new bill is a direct assault on our freedoms.

by Simran Kaur ❀

I’m Simran Kaur, I’m Punjabi and I’m 19 years old. I’m a surrealist still life and creative portrait photographer and artist based in London (England). My Instagram account is @simran_k_01 and I do also have a website if you wanna have a look. On my website you can find my biography and also my work.

by Ella McManus❀

Growing up, we idolised Hollywood romance that taught us about a version of intimacy, love and affection that only one type of heroine would be truly suited to. We romanticise the idea that we only get one, true love in this world, a soulmate, that we spend eternity searching for so that when we find them, we are so overcome with compassion and lust that we create a scene of torn off clothes and sweaty bodies in perfect entanglement. This is a fantasy we all aspire to, but our world is changing, and these ideas need to adapt to fit the freedom that is coming. Lately, the chaos of love is becoming more apparent, but we are still pinpointing ourselves to this idea of normality, and a healthy relationship is one in which everyone else in the world shares, but this is no longer the case.

by Faye Minton ❀

March 2021 marked Endometriosis Awareness Month; it brought with it an influx of conversation surrounding the condition, fertility, contraception, and menstruation. It’s been a long time coming – but at the same time, it was a surprise that these topics were still seen as fresh and new. Periods happen to almost half of the population, yet are a source of awkwardness, misunderstanding, and sometimes discrimination. Just because March is over, we can’t let this topic die out; we need to keep talking about periods to normalise them. Because they are normal. They’ve always happened. So why do we even have to give them a second thought?

by Millicent Stott ❀

As we are often being told, this past year has truly been one of unprecedented events. Between unexpected lockdowns to distressing news coverage to job losses, much of our everyday stability has been snatched away from us. So, it’s little wonder that the past became a favourite source of solace for a lot of us. We longed for an escape, a look back on more innocent times when our biggest worries were what sleepover invites we’d received, and remembering our PE kit for school. Many of us turned to old films, music and books to ease the struggle of the pandemic, to feel once again the safety of the mundane and the predictable.

by Ella McManus ❀

I miss being naïve to how sexualised I am as a woman. I miss being able to live life, going day to day without having to worry who is behind me, what someone is saying about me or even worrying about what I am wearing as it might cause too much unwanted attention. I first began to realise how my existence as a woman was under surveillance by a society of sexually uncontrollable men when I began familiarising myself with feminism and paying more attention to the way I am treated at work. I used to love my job but somehow my application was a waitress got misconstrued as one as a prostitute.

by Ella McManus ❀

When I was 14 years old, I was introduced to the world of contraception. My first period graced me with its presence when I was 12 years old in my P.E class, playing dodgeball for the first time. Luckily for me the school P.E uniform called for us to wear red shorts but the blood running down my leg caused a stir. Classic noises of shock and disgust leaving bewildered kids’ mouths, unknowing that this situation was bound to happen to them in the next few years of their life, but I wasn’t going to ruin their childhood just yet.