#voxpop zine

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Mum; please don’t blame yourself

Contrary to false beliefs, the stigma around adolescent mental health still thrives to this day. With the recent Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, mainstream teens seem to be shocked by the effects of mental illness. However, I doubt they understand the real ‘face’ of mental disorders. I don’t mean to be obnoxious, it’s just, mental health difficulties vary for everyone, and I feel like this programme only highlights the most notorious problem; depression.

Anxiety is another well-known issue, I suppose. But, do people even realise that OCD branches as an anxiety disorder? If so, I think people would stop throwing about the ‘oh my god, my OCD is so bad today’ when all they’ve done is organised their school planner. What about eating disorders? People still aspire to be ‘skinny’, thinking methods of binge eating and starvation are just casual dieting cheats. And as for schizophrenia? That seems to be a very sheltered topic, that isn’t allowed to see the light of day, as that’s just a bit too scary for us ‘children’.

Mental health issues are not pretty. They’re awful, and sickening and will more than likely affect you for the rest of your life. It’s not all taking walks in a nature forest, and pampering yourself. Self-care does work, but there’s such a darker clinical side to it all. There’s times when you’re lay on a hospital bed, on the pysc ward, waiting to have your stomach pumped because of the amount of ibuprofen you desperately swallowed to try and just shut your own head up for one goddamn minute. There’s times when you have to attend group therapy sessions for weeks on end with short tempered workers and handfuls of messed up kids, just to try and appease you parents; ‘I’m getting better Mum, honestly’ (please don’t blame yourself). And let’s not forget the moments of running out of a class room to quickly vomit and hyperventilate to the extent that you black out, all because of the ever-looming exams that ‘dictate your whole entire life’.

People still don’t understand self-harm. Some people can’t even recognise it. Of course, people still continue to view ‘cutting’ as a joke; and then find it necessary to label it to certain social groups. What about banging your head violently against furnishings, almost giving yourself minor brain damage, just to try and alleviate the endless drones and screams of the ‘characters’ you see, but others don’t? But of course, the best part is when the CAMHS pyschiatrist verbally assaults and screams at you until you’re a retching mess on the floor, just to assess whether you really do have ‘panic attacks’ or just ‘the odd anxious wobble’.

Apart from this being utter word vomit, recalling many different mental health experiences, I do want to clarify that mental health services need to be better. Whether that’s being given a bigger budget, more training, more staff, whatever; something needs to change. I will always argue that these services need to improve, due to the horrendous experiences I’ve had with them. I underwent 25 weeks of DBT, 18 weeks of CBT and saw a psychologist once a week for almost 3 years, and still, my mental health was worse than it ever had been. Following the trial of some medication (an antidepressant called Fluoxetine) I was then diagnosed with moderate clinical anxiety, second hand depression and emotional behavioural dysregulation (as well as suspected autism, which, surprise surprise, I was never definitely diagnosed with as they’d discharged me from the service before they managed to get some ‘paper work’ about my assessment through).

By all means, I support the NHS, I couldn’t imagine the UK without free healthcare; it’s the best thing we have. However, it is not right that budgets are being cut on their mental health services when they need drastic improvement. Cut down the CAMHS waiting list to start. I’d love to have something improve following the release of this article, but I can’t imagine it doing so unfortunately. Again, us young people are left struggling without the support we need.

Hello! I’m Molly and this is my first ever published piece, which was included in the summer edition of the local Unmasked Zine, a sub-project of Flux magazine. I enjoy writing immensely and aspire to be a YA fiction author, hence the creation of ‘Voxpop’ along with my friend Colleen. We’ve recruited all of our friends who have an interest in writing and art and have created this little blog to upload to (we’re hoping it will be daily uploads but we’ll see how that goes) You’ll meet the rest of the team soon.

Hope you enjoy!

- Molly

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14/11/2017 - Emin Hanson, Nikita Gill and George Fletcher Knott

Featured Poet: Erin Hanson

First up we have Erin Hanson, a delightful Scottish poet who does not seem to put a title at the top of her poems, probably with the deliberate intention to confuse me. Anyways, she is our featured poet this week.

 Are they really “just words” strung out across paper,

Or are they answers to questions we’ve not learnt to ask,

If they’re really “just words” then how come when we read them,

We feel like somebody has seen through our mask,

I don’t think “just words” can hold such a power,

That makes us believe that there really is hope,

There has to be something in words that will help you,

Hold on when you’re reaching the end of your rope,

The people that write them are dealing with magic,

They change the whole world with a paper and pen,

And that I may be one is a dream I’d keep having,

If given the chance to live my life again,

They can’t be “just words” when you stop feeling lonely,

As if the author is someone you’ve always known,

Like a hand has reached out to brush tears from your check,

When you’re reading the words in your room all alone.

-          Erin Hanson

 Now then, since this is the first chapter of our Poetry Corner, I thought that one would have been appropriate, a poem for appreciating poetry and poets. The next poem by her is one for anyone who tends to see things in a negative light.

What if grass is greener on the other side,

Because it’s always raining there,

Where the ones who never fail to give,

Hardly have enough to spare,

Where the people with the broadest smiles,

Have pillows filled with tears,

And the bravest ones you’ve ever known,

Are crippled by their fears,

It’s filled with lonely people,

But they’re never seen alone,

Where those that lack real shelter,

Make you feel the most at home,

Maybe their grass looks greener,

Because they’ve painted on its hue,

Just remember from the other side,

Your grass looks greener too.

-          Erin Hanson

That poem is one of my favourites of hers, and one that brought me into her world of words in the first place, there will probably be a few more of hers in the coming editions, but I urge you to seek out and read some of her poems for yourself. 

Community Poet: Nikita Gill

Next up is ‘Tough Love’ 

You are not

some holiday destination

for people to have a good time in,

and then forget.

 You are not a grave

for people to bury

their pain inside,

never to be

remembered again

 You are not a piece

of toilet paper.

So why are you

letting outher people

use and dispose of you?

 You are made of magic,

don’t you dare

allow yourself

to be treated

like you are anything less.

 -          Nikita Gill

This poem was written by Nikita Gill, who, despite my limited experience of her work seems like an incredible poet, and person. 

Resident Poet: George Fletcher Knott

The next poem is one of my own and the only one out of this selection that is owned by me, if you seek to use/reference you would, of course, need to credit me, but you also need to send an email to me (georgiethebard@gmail.com), with the request and I will give you written permission to prevent any misunderstandings and the like. I hope to publish my work in a book in the not too distant future which is why I have to ask you to do this, I’m sorry but I need to prove that any poems of mine out there do in fact belong to me. The poem is entitled ‘The Pain Never Leaves’, I hope you like it.

The pain never truly leaves

I’ve learnt that over the years

I hate the fact that I’m still crippled

By my age old fears.

 Yet I can put on a smile

Go through life with a grin

Wipe away my tears

And one more raise my chin.

 After all the shit that’s happened

I’m not sure how I do it

God knows I’ve not healed

I sure as hell didn’t ‘get through it’.

 So I guess it must be the people

The ones that surround me

That must make my life worth while

And keep my head above the sea.

 We deal with our past together

In order to split the pain

This way we lighten each other’s burdens

Or at least that’s the aim.

 So that’s my conclusion

Of why I keep going on

I hope it helps you too

And that I’m not the only one.

-          George Fletcher Knott

Thank you all for reading, I hope you found at least one poem you enjoyed. Signing off ‘til next time, George.

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Getting to Christmas Means Getting Through Those Annoying Last Few Weeks of College: Is It Really Worth It?

It’s that time of the year where everything is hectic – whether that be finding socks that match in the morning or applying to universities/apprenticeships because the looming threat of your future is nearing. You just feel like curling in a ball on your bed and staring at your wall, wondering why you weren’t brought into the world as a puppy or some other adorable and stress-free animal, right? At least that’s what I daydream about when I should be doing my work.

By Aroob Raja

Being a teenager is already difficult enough with the mood swings and the acne and the drama, so piling onto that with college work and having a job and spending time with friends doesn’t exactly help. Especially when you’re a giant procrastinator. In fact, it does the complete opposite; I’m too busy stressing about my procrastination and lack of productivity that, ironically, I’m being unproductive.

It’s very easy to trap yourself in this negative mind-set. Believing you’ll never get things done, that you won’t have spare time to watch TV or read or whatever it is that you do. Maybe that’s because we feel like we’re all alone in this mess. That we’re the only incapable being that can’t manage their shit and move forward. So, the next step, after trapping yourself is thinking, what the heck? What’s the point in trying to do anything when I know it won’t get done? I could be scrolling through memes right now!

The thing is, it may be easy to not try, to give up and face the reality that nothing will get done, but soon enough, that list of things to do can grow and the pile gets bigger and bigger (like that pile of clothes on The Chair™ in your bedroom) and eventually it overwhelms you to a point that’s unsolvable.

We’ve all got things we would rather be doing than what we actually have to do, but the unfortunate truth is that we need to pull up our socks and (as Nike kindly put it) just do it. And if there’s a lot do, that’s where we need to start managing our time. However, it can be difficult to know what to prioritise when everything begins to surround you and push you in. So, what I tend to do is something that literally everybody says: make a to-do list.

Yeah, I know, I know, what am I going on about? To-do lists solve nothing!! They’re just placebos for productivity!! blah blah blah… But that’s where you’re wrong kinda.

If you’re like me and stress about every little thing that is out of your control, then this is the way to go! Keep a yearly planner with you and keep track of all the little things (even those things that you believe you’ll remember - let’s be honest, you won’t). Record homeworks, social events, work shifts etc., then section them into smaller, manageable tasks, if necessary. Maybe set yourself a goal for the week? Or even a small task a day? Something doable that doesn’t make you want to rip your hair out, ideally.

It sounds unhelpful and pointless to some, I know, but honestly? The feeling you get when you tick off that small task of the day is almost as good as it feels when you nick someone’s fries from the bottom of the McDonald’s bag.

In all seriousness though, physically seeing the tasks I need to complete helps me see just how much needs to be done. You might even surprise yourself with just how little actually needs to be done – stressing about things can make them seem long and tedious when, in fact, they’re the opposite! Seeing everything written down allows you to reorganise plans, cut out unnecessary tasks, and even link tasks together to kill two birds with one stone!

You could even make your to-do list worth paying attention to by decorating it. Washi tape, highlighters, felt pens, heck even glitter! Do whatever you need to do to make setting tasks seem almost enjoyable!

Of course, not everyone works productively this way, but maybe try something of this nature to help organise your thoughts clearly. Keeping track of the little things in life will ease you mentally and stop that overwhelming list of tasks and anxiousness from seeping into your free time.

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Welcome to Voxpop Magazine’s Poetry Corner!

Hi guys, my name is George, I’ll be hosting this section of the magazine. Here I will share four poems a week, two from a ‘featured’ poet, another from the poet community and one of my own which hopefully won’t be too far off the other three in terms of standard.

You can find this week’s here

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Bodies: What’s Not To Like?

“Ew, look at my belly fat”. “My legs are disgusting”. “I have huge bags under my eyes”.

By Ruth Wheeldon

Any of these sound familiar? In the world we live in, online ‘likes’ apparently equal acceptance making it hard to be sure if we truly are valued as people, rather than just our Instagram username.

When I was asked to take photos at a women’s event in Rochdale called ‘Flourish’, I was excited to talk to, and photograph, these inspirational ladies. When I asked if I could capture a picture of them however, I was met with a series of self-deprecating jokes. “Only if you airbrush my wrinkles,” “you better Photoshop away my double chin,” “make me look slimmer”. These genuine responses made me smile at first, but it got me questioning if they actually thought these were imperfections. To me these women looked perfect because I got to know how beautiful their personalities are, therefore it never occurred to me that “she’d look better if she lost some weight.”

After hearing women undervalue themselves so much in one day, I noticed more and more people doing it, including myself! Instead of celebrating our body we instead insult and critique it for no reason. Why can’t we see our own beauty?

Is it because we think it’s wrong or that we don’t deserve to be happy with our body? I’m definitely not saying we should walk down the street shouting how amazing you are to strangers because it can make other people feel intimidated (and well, to be honest, you’ll look like a nutter). I just think it’s important that we all gain some self-confidence to say “yes that scar on my knee may not be perfect, but instead of verbally abusing my body I’m going to grow to love it”.

Something that took me a long time to learn is that acne can be cruel, but it doesn't determine who you are as a person or how valued you are.

There was a woman I met at the event called Margaret. I had never met her before but I noticed the dress she was wearing and I complimented her on it. She smiled, said thank you and moved on. She approached me later on and told me that she doesn’t usually wear dresses and that she was worried about wearing it, but then she added that my compliment had made her feel much more confident in it. This interaction has made me realise that you don’t know what your friend, family member or the person sat next to you in class is insecure about. You don’t know how much a compliment can mean to them. This is why learning to love yourself is just as important as helping other people learn to love themselves.

So the next time you find yourself criticising an aspect of your body, just remember that those freckles you aren’t fond of? They’re cute. That birthmark on your arm that you try to cover? It belongs to no one but you. Your curly hair that you wish were straight? Rock it because it’s yours and it suits you. And that thigh gap you wish you had? Think of all the times not having it has stopped you from dropping your phone down the toilet!

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Vocals from David Bowie, Production from Ken Scott, Spiders from Mars.

The massively talented David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars reviewed and explained.

By Jordan Beresford

After a lengthy, and occasionally irrelevant, career, David Bowie has undeniably managed to leave his footprint on Earth as a Rock and Roll legend. For me, his most esteemed piece has to The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Exploring themes that were only dabbled with in previous albums, Ziggy creates a stunning representation of Bowie’s views on androgyny and gender identity, as well as telling the captivating tale of a non-binary, alien rock star who reaches fame in the last five years of Earth’s existence, only to be destroyed by his own ego. Only a mind like Bowie could pull off an idea so audacious.

The opening track introduces the setting of the story; Earth is dying and the human race has been given Five Years to live. News reporters are losing their composure and mankind goes into panic. The civilian telling the story, (possibly Ziggy himself) realises that other people are greatly under-appreciated and tries to reach out to the ones that he loves before it’s too late. Meanwhile, the rest of the world seeks salvation. These sombre lyrics are accompanied by a melodramatic piano score that helps set the scene for a tragic story of hope, betrayal and fame. I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s a lot of melodrama for a few catchy tunes.

The following tracks, Soul Love and Moonage Daydream, don't manage to live up to the storytelling of Five Years. Instead, 'Soul Love' talks of love and its painful complications through an interesting melody and an unsurprisingly exceptional performance from Bowie himself. Moonage Daydream, however, talks of sci-fi gibberish. And although the track features a thick, heavy guitar sound that supplies it with most of its charm, the song mainly acts as a way to emphasise the albums Sci-Fi theme. Next, of course, there's the big single: Starman. This song finally introduces the character of Ziggy Stardust as an extra-terrestrial who, according to the lyrics, wants to meet mankind but fears that his existence is too complex for us to fathom. The song overall is a well written and catchy crowd-pleaser that blends both theatrical and pop elements. Combined they produce a classic song that, over 30 years later, is bound to get arms waving at any gig.

Later tracks Star and It Ain’t Easy talk of the struggles and rewards of making it as a rock and roll phenomenon. With more heavy guitar and memorable choruses, the songs feel perfectly in place with the rest of the album adding a more Rock and Roll vibe to the album which feels refreshing in juxtaposition with the theatrical storytelling of other tracks.

In between these two songs, Lady Stardust tells us more about the androgynous rock star as he performs with his backup band, 'The Spiders from Mars'. The song talks about how fans react to his androgyny and in many ways celebrates glam rock and its impact on society. However, Bowie went beyond the point of Ziggy being a gimmick, but a part of himself. That being said, I feel that it's only fitting to mention Hang on to Yourself. The lyrics say “If you think we're gonna make it, you better hang on to yourself”. This is ironic seeing as, during Bowie's adaptation into Ziggy Stardust, he became so absorbed into his character that in order to stay sane and remember his actual identity, Bowie had to destroy Ziggy Stardust. In other words, Bowie struggled to hang on to himself.

Moving towards the end of the album, the storyline must progress in some way, and it does. One of the standout tracks in the album is Ziggy Stardust itself which explores, through the perspective of a band member, how Ziggy becomes self-indulgent and causes the other band members to betray him. The Spiders from Mars apparently “crush his sweet hands” in order to take away Ziggy's musical ability. As well as describing the fall of the character, it also acts as a tribute, talking about Ziggy as a legend. (“He took it all too far, but boy could he play guitarrrr.”)

Before the album’s curtains are drawn in a climactic finale, we hear Suffragette City. All business and straight to the point, the song throws yet another great riff at the listener and again uses the perfect blend of Rock and Roll and pop to create another classic. After the hard-hitting rock, the album reaches its serene, acoustic coda. Rock and Roll Suicide documents Ziggy's collapse as a rock star, showing his fall to a washed-up performer. The song moves from the slow acoustic guitar to full orchestration and you can, with ease, visualise Bowie screaming “Oh no love, You're not alone!” into the night.

The spectacle of this album is what makes it so ground-breaking. Being only 38 minutes long, the album is a powerful and snappy mix of Rock and Roll, glam rock, pop and theatrical storytelling that has found its place in history as a cult classic. For Bowie to take this story and bring it to life by actually becoming the character is something unseen in the music industry altogether, Bowie’s (successful) attempt to point out how “boring” the music industry can be. Bowie’s struggles with fame can’t be ignored and he did sometimes take it too far, boy could he play guitar.

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Getting Over the Horror Movie That is Your Future

By Aroob Raja

The future can be a daunting thought, especially when it feels like nobody can understand how you feel. But the thing is, people can; trust me.

Deciding what you want to do with your life; making sure it will allow you to make enough money so you can afford the essentials; learning to be independent… These things make you want to burst into tears, right? Okay, maybe not literally, but I know I’m already scowling at the sound of it.

All this change in such a short amount of time doesn’t appeal to everyone (or anyone, really), and unfortunately we can’t just watch Netflix and laugh at memes all day. (Though I can guarantee that I will probably be doing that when I grow up, too). We are expected to step up and take on real responsibilities as we gain independence, and that very fact is frightening. And gross.

Whether it be the fear of not having family support, or not knowing if you will be okay in “the big wide world”, we all have our scares. (Yes, not having someone to kill the spiders counts as scary). But I’m here to tell you that just because something is scary, doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Challenging? Yes. Impossible? No. Your fears are only there because you haven’t begun your journey into your future yet, but once you’re there, I guarantee that your fears will disappear.

An unknowing future is one of my biggest fears. Not knowing what tomorrow, next week, or even next year is going to be like frightens me because I will never know if what I’m doing right now will be enough to get me to my- well, I don’t know. Destination? Goal?

“You need to have a clear understanding of what you want in life or you may end up getting nothing!” says any adult ever when you tell them that you’re confused with your future.

Thanks so much for that, Becky, it really helped. I now know what I want in life!!

No. That isn’t how it works. As understanding and wise as adults, parents, teachers – whoever – can be, they just don’t seem to fully grasp the fact that we’re not being lazy, we’re not being difficult, we’re just genuinely scared. We want a future that will provide security, but finding one that will do both that and make us happy is the daunting part. We only get one life, and we want to live it right.

Of course, not every teenager feels like this, and kudos to those who know what they want in life and how to get it. Congratulations for figuring yourself out. However, if you are like me and aren’t blessed with that realisation just yet, then here are my words to you.

Live your life in the present, don’t dwell on the past, and don’t get lost in the future.

I either spend my life planning ahead or living in the past, both making me miss out on what I am doing presently. And with complete obliviousness, you’re probably doing the same. Having a life isn’t that. You need to make the most of every moment. Take a deep breath and embrace the now. Whether that be you sitting in class, or watching TV, walking your dog… focus on that and make the most of that moment.

See where it takes you.

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The Grand Opening

By Colleen Bingham

The UK has some really great things going for it (Sir David Attenborough, the NHS and roughly 15,000 types of wild fungi) but, as reflected by the weather, not everything is sunshine and rainbows. From the education system to social divides, there is plenty left to be solved and the most efficient way to come up with the best solutions is to give everyone the chance to contribute.

So this is it; our contribution. We are writers, artists, advice-givers and challenge relishers. We are Aroob, Charlie, Colleen, Eleanor, George, Hannah, Jordan, Lara, Molly and Ruth. We are young and we are few but we have thoughts, opinions and stories to share and, through Voxpop, we will share them.

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Boys, Stop Ovary-Acting to Periods

It’s time to open up the subject of periods so that we can break this idea of it being taboo. It’s all a bloody joke.

By Ruth Wheeldon

Offending people with the word ‘period’ happens all too often in my life. As some people are alarmed by this word and think that periods should never be conversed about, I will refrain from using it. This is so you won’t have to endure the awful pain of reading a word that describes female menstruation.

As a woman, every month “Aunt Flo Visits”; this means that for a week I have to deal with the pains and emotions which come along with “Shark Week.” I have no choice in this matter, so what I just can’t understand is how this huge part of my life (and half of the populations’) has to be hidden away as it’s viewed as ‘revolting’ and ‘inappropriate’. Now imagine I’m 13 years-old, sat in class and I need to go to the toilet. However, I’m too afraid to go because I know someone will spot me taking my bag and will know I’m shedding my uterus. At this age, when an immature boy finds out a girl is bleeding it can be humiliating for her. In my experience a boy would usually ovary-act and start making a fuss because he doesn’t like the sound of it – when we’re the ones living it.

Not only do we have to deal with the embarrassment of our “Leak Weeks”, but we also have to spend money on this stressful time. This isn’t always money that I have to spend, but as I can’t control my uterus – I have no choice. I started “surfing the Crimson Wave” at 11, meaning in the past 7 years my body has shed £1551.48!

I buy around 3 packs of pads a month meaning I spend £53.64 a year on them, I also buy:

• Paracetamol at £4.50 a packet = £54 a year.

• £8 a month in cravings = £96 a year.

• New knickers (3-4 times a year) = £18.

Not forgetting the 5% tax included in the price of pads and tampons. The government call this tax the ‘tampon tax’ and class them as ‘non-essential, luxury items’, believe me there’s nothing luxury about bleeding onto a bit of synthetic cotton. And obviously they aren’t a necessity, right? YOU TRY “PARTING THE RED SEA” FOR A WEEK THEN TELL ME HOW UNIMPORTANT THEY ARE.

All this money adds up, as menopause happens between the ages 45 -55, let’s say I bleed every month from 11 until I’m 55, within these 44 years I will have lost £9752.16! Instead of spending my money on “Satan’s River” I could afford to put a deposit on a house, buy a TOYOTA AYGO, pay for 9 people to go on a week-long cruise around the Mediterranean, or 1628 months of Netflix! All things I would much rather do than pay for my vagina every month.

On top of dealing with the stress of money, we have to deal with nausea, vomiting, backaches headaches, stomach cramps, PMS and other physically and mentally draining emotions that come along with “Being on the Blob”.

PMS (or PMT) is premenstrual syndrome (tension); women experience this from a day before their period to even 2 weeks before. When going through this phase, woman have awful mood swings, pain all over the body, bloating and irritability. And the last thing we need is someone thinking they’re Peter Kay by saying ‘Oh you’re well grumpy, is it time of the month?’… No, you’re just being an idiot that’s why I’m in a mood with you.

Imagine all of this happening to you and having to say nothing just because some low-life finds it ‘uncomfortable to listen to’. It’s not like I’m showing you the blood so how dare you complain about hearing about it. Having to hide my pads, my pain, emotions, and blame them on anything other than my “natural volcano” makes me feel ashamed to be a woman and like I am alone, when in fact there are many girls feeling the same way.

Because of the social stigma of “Being on the Rag”, girls are too afraid to speak out and get support in fear that they will be mocked. As a result of this they are experiencing their period alone with no support, this may be because they may not have a mother figure to confide in and ask for pads or tampons. I was once a, self-conscious, young girl struggling to cope with what my body was doing, so why are we mocked at our most vulnerable time, instead of getting the support we need from our peers and schools?

Live your life to the fullest, don’t be ashamed of your body, and don’t allow others to put you down.

Do not fear or be disgusted by the word ‘period’. If you put women down for mentioning it, you need to re-evaluate your life and stop pretending you have it worse off. No matter which gender you are, you should be proud of women, and everything they go through in order to maybe have a child one day.

You should never make a girl feel ashamed or like they are ‘disgusting’ for being on their period ever again.