Personal Essays

Sep 28, 20215 min read

The streets are not safe for women. Does it all start with catcalling?

Catcalling is nothing new. But has it become worse since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic? As society opens back up, am I...

Aug 5, 20214 min read

Why thirst traps are an empowering force

By Marie Goodwin Note from the editor: Although thirst traps are not reserved for heteronormative relationships nor are they solely...

Jun 8, 20215 min read

The myth of pandemic productivity

The year is 1665. Isaac Newton has been sent home from Cambridge University following an outbreak of the Great Plague. Just another...

Jun 6, 20214 min read

How running helped reclaim my body from anxiety – 20 minutes at a time

When I am running, I am body and breath and thumping footsteps, and when I finish my lap of the woods, I feel capable. This is my love...

Mar 31, 20217 min read

Bristol’s Kill the Bill protest: A view from Rupert Street

By Sacha Perera On Sunday 21 st March, Bristol burst. After a year of lockdown after lockdown after lockdown, the city – which prides...

Mar 30, 20214 min read

It’s time to recognise the constraints and discrimination imposed by society’s gender norms

By Phoebe Baltazar I’m angry, sad and hopeless. In the space of just one week we began with the celebration of International Women’s Day,...

Feb 19, 20215 min read

The innate loneliness of being an only child

By Andrea Butler As my parents and I get older, the reality of my lack of siblings begins to set in. My lack of siblings was never...

Jan 31, 20215 min read

What being a virgin in my 20s is teaching me

At Candid Orange, we continuously advocate deconstructing the notions that heterosexual sex equates to penetration, and that virginity is...

Jan 14, 20214 min read

Erasmus: The government fails students. Yet again.

By Florine Lips As part of the Brexit deal announced at the end of last year, the UK is withdrawing from the Erasmus programme. Although...

Dec 23, 20204 min read

Why the hospitality and retail industries should be closed over Christmas

By Lauren Taylor Having worked in retail for several years I have experienced the festive season from behind a till in a high street...

Dec 2, 20203 min read

Life before death: Obituaries should be for the living

Obituaries are important for paying tribute to the deceased and allowing people to recount the person’s life. But shouldn’t we be...

Oct 20, 20205 min read

It’s Not Just “Hypochondria”: Health anxiety in a public health crisis

The pandemic has taken a toll on everybody’s mental health, but those with health anxiety have been more severely affected. How can we...

Oct 13, 20204 min read

Blinded by diet culture

I’ve been blinded by diet culture since my early teenage years. Throughout the years, I realised that it deprived me of meaningful...

Oct 2, 20205 min read

Triggered on Depop

Hidden amongst the vintage gems there’s a lot of harmful content on Depop – but who’s really responsible? My relationship with fashion...

Sep 26, 20204 min read

My education made me a feminist for all the wrong reasons

By Marie Goodwin Feminism today is still viewed by many as an outdated relic of the past. Unfortunately, it appears that a lot of us have...

Sep 18, 20204 min read

I am sick of bartending equalling objectification

By Olivia Stringer I thoroughly enjoy bartending. I enjoy making cocktails, staying for drinks after work, chatting to slightly bevved...

Sep 17, 20205 min read

Ageing like a fine vintage: Reflecting on the world of sustainable fashion

By John Ogundele On a classic rain-soaked Manchester evening, sheltered under the roof of a photography studio, I had an aha moment. I...

Jun 6, 20203 min read

When this is all over

By Ellie Taylor Talk of the government’s exit strategy has dominated the news in recent weeks. The other day, a tweet appeared on my...