Opinion

Good Lord! They are appraising me! —Lady Elizabeth Murray, Belle When The Mates walk in, I avert my gaze and tuck my hair behind my ears. To my left, a friend prints a title, pauses, erases, rewrites. To my right, another checks the volume on their tablet, mutes, un-mutes, then mutes again. The group behind us, mere seconds ago debating the effect of water on excretion, watch their inhibition walk through the door and take its rightful place in the front row. Seven minutes have lapsed since most students convened for today’s class, but a workshop in the absence of

  Nowadays I scrub myself clean of anything representing a stereotypical mentally ill person. No more will people say I remind them of Harley Quinn or Ramona Flowers, no more will I meet their sexualised expectation of a mentally ill woman.  I’m dying my hair back, thinking carefully about the tattoos I want, I don’t fall asleep at 3am with some depressing playlist, and I’m finally selling all my lifeless clothes at the Sunday market. I no longer identify with that. I’m not proud of it, I wasn’t happy, it wasn’t me.  I’m not insulted that I dress “basic” now,

Often the older generations liked to reassure young people that “the future is bright and everything will be fine.  But the conversation below says otherwise.   “How do you know that everything will be fine?”   “I don’t.”   “Well don’t say it then! I’m not a child!” (excerpt from unknown)    We live in a world where life is a mystery and nothing is certain. Yet there is this shroud of toxic positivity and bragging that surrounds our culture. One had advised those experiencing newly grieving and loss to slow down. We have the right to choose not to

  Content warnings: Mentions of self-harm, mental health, and suicide    I was self harming in primary school. I’ve been in and out of psychologists’ offices since I was in my third year of primary school. I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression when I was in my second year of high school, at thirteen years old. I’ve been on and off antidepressants since then. I had a mental health relapse when my cousin died by suicide during my second last year of high school, when I was seventeen.    I say all these things not to brag about my

It’s no secret that Australia is in the midst of a housing crisis. With every passing day we’re one step closer to Jane Austen’s Georgian England, where you can only get a house through marriage or inheritance. Negative gearing and a capital gains tax concession for property investors are increasing demand, while planning restrictions, unsustainable immigration and government mismanagement is flatlining supply. A perfect storm. The effect of this housing quagmire impacts young people the most, locking them out of the housing market.   Naturally, this issue is becoming political. Max Chandler-Mather, the housing spokesperson for the Greens and one

Students across the country are set to see the education system turned on its head in the coming future. The release of the Australian University Accords comes as a 12-month long review of the university system to create a fairer and more equitable higher education system. The Honourable Jason Clare, Minister for Education says “The Accords will help to drive this change. It will help us build a better and fairer education system where no one is held back, and no one is left behind.” And to give credit where credit is due, I agree. However, as one of Monash’s

What is the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower? The ‘Sunflower’  is a global symbol for non-visible disabilities. The Sunflower is a way for people with hidden disabilities to let those around them know that they might need extra help, understanding, or just more time. Hidden disabilities come in many different forms. Some of our wearers live with chronic pain, Tourette’s, ADHD, and a lot of other conditions that aren’t immediately visible. Individuals can become Sunflower supporters by undergoing training about hidden disabilities and the Sunflower – this is done via a business joining the initiative.    How Did the Sunflower Come to

CW: Ableism  Embracing yourself has never been a great skill of mine. Less than a year ago, I was unsure if I should run for the position of MSA Disabilities & Carers Office Bearer because the thought referring to myself as disabled to a whole lot of people made me uncomfortable for reasons that I could not quite pinpoint.  The more I thought about it, the more I came to the conclusion that maybe it has got something to do with how my interactions in the world have changed since I have become disabled. It is a challenge to embrace

CW: COVID-19, Ableism  For most people, classes returning back to in-person was a huge relief. For me it meant a whole lot of stress.  In 2022, I completed my first year of my law degree and the second year of my arts degree online. This was not my first choice and was definitely not how I had pictured doing uni, but with COVID-19 numbers still very high and my immune system being compromised, my doctors advised that it would not be safe for me to attend in-person classes. This was not a decision that was made lightly and I would

What better way to welcome the academic year than with what is possibly the most nerve-wracking film about post-grad anxiety to date?  Shiva Baby (2020) is a comedy film that takes place at a shiva, a Jewish week-long mourning ritual for immediate relatives of the deceased, and follows Danielle (Rachel Sennot), a college senior, who, like many college seniors, is met with a barrage of questions about what their post-grad plans look like at every family gathering. It’s a time that dictates the climax of a young person’s life with decisions that will, supposedly, pave the path towards the rest

Disclaimer, this piece talks about the Monash Socialists and may elicit memories of traumatic experiences  Many young left-leaning students view the Socialist Alternative (or the Monash Socialists, as they call themselves) as a potential answer to global inequality and systemic class problems in capitalist societies. This view may stem from their encounters with the group and its tactics at weekly Pro-Palestine rallies held since the October 7th Attacks, or perhaps at a 'School Students for Climate Justice' strike. At first glance, this perspective is understandable. As someone who was once sympathetic to the group, I shared views similar to these.

*Disclaimer: I need to emphasise that this is my own story and experiences. I don’t want to see this used to campaign against the rights and lives of trans and non-binary people. Trans and non-binary rights are human rights; the right to self-expression, to self-creation, and most importantly, the right to personal safety. I grew up in an extremely conservative Christian household. My family was heavily involved with the Church that was attached to the school I attended for 16 years. Every part of my life was bathed in the blood of Christ and his doctrine, from my baptism at