Recycled Tampons + er, do I have to?

 

So you’ve moved with the green revolution: recycling, re-using carrier bags and you endeavour to sort waste for compost. Due to lock-down you’ve reduced use of the vehicle and invested more time to walking and cycling. The next step: they want us girls to use re-cycled tampons, your first thought?

Someone else’s discharge! ew…ew…ew.

Your initial intention: to reduce your carbon footprint by all other means keep sanitary produce; new, pure and cleanly raped.

It’s time to re-think the matter of eco sanitary products, they are not what you imagine!

1.5 billion sanitary products are flushed down the lav every year in Britain. An average woman will use 11,000 sanitary items over her lifetime. It’s time to consider greener alternatives.

Okay, I understand recycled tampons are actually made from used tampons, but aren’t they less pure?

Wrong – many are actually made from organic cotton and often, unlike regular varieties, free from chlorine bleach. They frequently exclude rayon and chemically produced fragrance. If polymers are used, medical-grade is usually stated. Further claim to be hypo-allergenic, highlighting their superiority to standard produce.

Are there genuine environmental benefits?

So, so, many: regular tampons are around 90% plastic and ultimately not biodegradable, taking up space in landfill and the oceans of the planet. Green alternatives use cardboard applicators, paper wrappers and compostable film. Some utilise re-usable applicators which are purchased separately.

Any other plus factors?

There are animal cruelty-free and vegan alternatives, some donate to charities that act against period poverty and FGM.

Then there’s straightforward vanity: the packaging looks amazing. A luxury supplied in a 5-star hotel or first class lounge at the airport.

So are you with me?

Yeah, I’m with you, recycled tampons are for me and forever!

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The Man Who

Dave, my partner died from covid-19 during the pandemics deadliest week in Britain. This poem was written for him and read at his funeral. Due to the circumstances only 10 could attend the service and we were seated 2 metres apart. Now, as we progress towards some kind of pre-coronavirus normality, only without Dave and so many others, it feels right to reflect on those lost to the pandemic.

 

The Man Who

Dave; lost 3 weeks ago
Covid-19 took from our throw
Laughing, joking till the end
Paramedics struggled, too late to mend

Never shy
Tears, to cry
To show emotion
Animated in notion

A time of lock-down
Leaving house necessity bound
Bars void of serving beer
Brass’ brandishing running gear

Shutters shut on Breck Road
Supermarket queues overload
City traffic ghost-ridden
Parks crammed, exercise-driven

Countries closed down globally
Coronavirus expands robotically
Fatality toll gets bigger
Home death’ omitted figures

An engineer well-travelled
Shores and jobs marvelled
World wide memories collected
To all, much respected

Nigeria
Nicaragua
New York
New Orleans
New Mexico

Dry docks of Cammell Laird
Oceans of the Med
Sights few make comparison
Might of Hurricane Alison

Should Athletico have come
3000 fans, epicentre were from
Post pandemic, answer we will get
Till then we can only threat

He could do the Twist
Dancing moves blitz
Sofa based arm bopping
Laughter, joke swapping

Boris got Better
Death count fewer
Fate, the decider
Dave smiles wider

Up there in heaven
Still a lover of women
A flirt and a tease
Eager to please

To remember:
the jokes
the laughs
the banter
the frolics
a man never afraid to say that’s bollocks

The Man Who was Davy Jones

Alison Little

Brit Pop Guitar

The Brit Pop Guitar is a sensation: Visual arts meets music culture with the dynamism of the Nineties which we all love to remember.

The iconic Union Jack which was imprinted on many of the bands of the era immerses within the surface of the guitar. A gritty rendition, presenting many blemishes, reflecting the disenchantment of the decade.

An unusual vision of beauty, the sexy NHS spec wearing girl, projects from the base with the same impact she made in the Pulp’ Common People music video.

Towards the lower section, we have a crowd at the festival which pre-dates Christianity: Glastonbury. Taking us back to a simpler time when entrance meant scaling the fence, away from the inflated cost of festival tickets commonplace within contemporary culture.

On the other side of the bridge, two fingers affront our focus. The insult which many, Jarvis Cocker of Pulp, in particular, brandished throughout appearances. A decade which encountered economic decline, instigating uprisings of dissident activism. The generation which fought back against the raw deal they were inheriting.

Centrally we engage with the Oasis symbol, the motif printed over two levels, dominating the sound-hole. Rendering Britishness, red white and blue, backing the stretches of the guitar strings.

Negativity and dissatisfaction, prevalent of the era, is projected from the upper section:

‘Modern life is Rubbish’

A term coined by the staple of Brit Pop: Blur. The graffiti-style conveys the widespread anti-establishment dissatisfaction of the Nineties.

Butterflies flutter over the neck of the instrument. Our late Millennium radio stations were taken over by Richard Ashcroft of the Verve belting out:

‘Don’t go chasing butterflies.’

A sobering, reflective lyric in a time when heroin was being widely consumed across our nation. A drug which had not only engulfed our cities but had filtered out to our towns and villages.

The head-stock displays one of Noel Gallagher’s acclaimed anoraks. Oasis refashioned the anorak, making it desirable once again. Iconic of Britain, not only due to the protection it offers from our frequent rain showers, but equally re-visualizing the white on the red of the St Georges Cross.

The three-quarter sized Brit Pop guitar is set to make as much impact as its full-size contemporaries. A spectacular string instrument which reminds us why we still celebrate Nineties Brit Pop.

£350

Contact for more information.

 

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1970s: girls now get wet!

Learning to read, the ultimate voyage of discovery for today’s youngest, but this has been the custom since literature became widely available in the nineteenth century. We look at the differences in culture, relationships, and gender in the reading books of the sixties and those of the seventies.

In the books of the sixties, the body language of boys is confident and pro-active while girls are more cautious. Boys take on more active roles when playing games and getting wet, girls sit sunbathing and keeping their delicate dresses smoothed in place. Leaning out and taking risks is commonplace with males, while the females shelter and ensure they remain safe. Boys run speedily ahead taking the frontward position as girls lag dramatically behind.

We address a common Ladybird book published during the sixties: ‘Happy Holidays’. Traditions of the British sea-side holiday are explored throughout ‘Happy Holidays’, ice cream treats alongside the ritual of a pot of tea.

In the books, the girl appears to be much more advanced than boys at academic tasks, such as reading and writing. All the children featured are white and often Aryan, most appear to be British through traditional attire. Boys clothing is much more practical, T-Shirts and shorts while girls are dressed in delicate sun-dresses. Girls are shown to be interested in traditional female pursuits, identifying wild-flowers.

The seventies saw revolutionary progress in the content of children’s reading books. In this, we identify characteristics of the Ladybird classic, ‘Out of the Sun’.

As of the previous decade, the cover presents us with an image of the boy ahead assisting the weaker female. Boys are drawn toward hunter-gatherer activities while girls occupy themselves with female pursuits, such as picking flowers. Again the girls seek out feminine activities while the boys occupy themselves with the use of tools.

Aryan culture is being promoted, however children with varying hair colours and alternative features are now included. Although the children are predominantly white, those from ethnic minorities are now being visualized as active members of groups of friends. The notion of healthy eating is introduced and the ideals of patriotism presented through the Union Jack duvet cover. Girls now wear practical clothing and are clad in T-shirts and jeans. Rough and tumble games are explored by females, a girl tackles a dog with a walking stick. However, most revolutionary, we now see a girl getting wet and enjoying water sports games. Soaked in water, drenched through she emerges from the swimming pool, triumphant in her games play.

In the space of a decade, we move from girls sunbathing as boys play actively in the water to girls being fully emerged in water and pro-actively involved in pool sports. Although traditional male and female pursuits are still being presented in the seventies, the more practical clothing of girls is a significant step towards equality. The inclusion of ethnic minorities can be seen as a progressive move. The decade which embraced second wave feminism influence shown through children’s literature, a decade which laid the foundations for the gains we benefit from in contemporary society.

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