Emily Brown – Plymouth Gazette

The Healing Power of Pole: how the world’s most taboo sport aids eating disorder recovery

25Jul

By Emily BrownNo Comments

The Healing Power of Pole: how the world’s most taboo sport aids eating disorder recovery

BY EMILY BROWN TRIGGER WARNING: mention of eating disorders throughout, but every effort has been made to ensure that no harmful behaviour associated with eating disorders is discussed explicitly in this article. According to the Anorexia and Bulimia Care website, “young people, aged 14 to 25 are most at risk" from eating disorders. With the average student being in this age demographic, it’s unsurprising that eating disorders affect many university students. Something that did surprise me, however, was how many students I would meet through the University of Plymouth Pole Dancing Club (UPPDC) who have experienced an eating disorder. Pole dancing is a sport which intimidates many, often due to its connections with the sex industry and the 'revealing' outfits that are worn. Being ...

The Fight Against Racism Takes More Than a Two-hour Protest

BY EMILY BROWN Photography by Lucas Voss A few weeks have now passed since the people of Plymouth took part in the Black Lives Matter Solidarity Protest, where 1000 people were estimated to have gathered. The organisers of the two-hour demonstration iterated on their Facebook page that it would be “a peaceful protest for the racist killings of Black people and those affected by police brutality,” which is not just a reality for those living in America, but also for Black people living in the UK. Black people make up 3% of our population yet 8% of all those who die in police custody are Black. Even in the middle of a pandemic, racism and police brutality could no longer be brushed aside in the UK, and white people could no longer choose to ignore racism which continues to occur. D...

Five Things I Have Learnt In Lockdown

BY EMILY BROWN ©ayapach Since the UK entered a national lockdown, there has been added pressure on social media to be proactive and productive. This endless free time pushed me to finally commit to learning sign language, something I have been wanting to do since I was given my late granddad’s ‘Dictionary of Signs’ as a little girl. Despite this, lockdown has left me feeling unmotivated. Now should be the time for me to practice French again, to read, to get in shape, but, even simple tasks such as putting away laundry or cooking something other than cheesy rice seem to be an impossible feat. Should this make me feel guilty? No. I haven’t seen my family since December and had to be updated on my dad contracting and defeating COVID-19 via WhatsApp. These are not ‘normal’ times, s...