Emotional abuse is rarely obvious at first. It is often subtle, gradual, and disguised as concern, humour or ‘just the way relationships are’. In recent years, conversations around ‘red flags’ have become more visible across social media and popular culture. Clips from reality dating shows, viral TikToks and comment sections regularly debate whether certain behaviours are romantic or problematic. Yet despite this growing awareness, many harmful patterns in relationships conti

Stalking is never simply unwanted attention; it is often behaviour that goes unchallenged and consequently ruins lives.   When watching Zara McDermott’s BBC documentary To Catch a Stalker, I felt both enthralled and apprehensive. Within society we often see stalking broadcasted as something that occurs to celebrities or in extraordinary news stories. However, this documentary dismantles that notion. Instead, through the voices of ordinary women, we see how ex-partners, acquai

Sex, relationships, mental health & the patriarchy affects us all. So why don’t we talk about them properly? A bare-all, refreshingly honest guide for young women, written by young women who are still figuring it all out too... Explore the story behind our StrongHER Together book.   When I was asked to write this book, I was really excited because it gave me the opportunity to talk about topics that I feel are so important for young women. From my own experience, there were

A reminder of our organisational stance on porn: We believe that porn can perpetuate, condone & profits from violence against women & girls. Upon viewing, porn can influence attitudes towards & distort views surrounding bodies, relationships, consent women & sex.   Whilst it is very important to draw attention to the negative effects of mainstream porn, its role in shaping unhealthy attitudes towards sex, its potential to normalise violence against women and detrimental impac

The Gaming world continues to rise as a cultural phenomenon. Over 40 million people in the UK play video games, with over 53% of women and 51% of men considering themselves gamers. Gaming has been found to foster a sense of community, as well as serving to develop a wide range of skills, from logic and decision-making to creativity, the ability to multitasking and improved hand-eye coordination. Around 70% of UK gamers say that playing games makes them helps them to feel happ

Writing a blog post directed at men poses a difficult task, especially since I am not one myself. As a woman sometimes engaging in conversations about manhood or boyhood with those who identify with these experiences can feel fraught. It can come across as though I’m trying to somehow catch them out, trapping them into saying something slightly sexist or provocative, as an excuse to launch into a feminist rant.   However, this is not my intention here. I want to use this blog

The fear of false accusations of sexual assault and violence seems bizarrely ever-present in the minds of men across Western civilisation. Most frustratingly, I’ve most often seen the topic brought up in response to concerns about sexual assault, and it tends to be used as a method to speak over those coming forward. Instead of showing empathy to those subjected to sexual assault, they ask, “What about the men who have their life and careers ruined by false accusations? Those

Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. I wanted to come on here to talk about a very unhelpful thought cycle that can make navigating life after sexual abuse or violence even more difficult. I’m talking about the worry that what you were subjected to was not ‘bad enough’ to justify the impact it’s having on you and your life. These feelings can turn into an uncomfortable internal battle and leave us feeling out of touch with ourselves. On the one side, no one understands better

The absolute hostility and disdain with which many men treat women’s football has always baffled me, and it becomes especially apparent whenever there’s an important women’s football tournament. It’s gotten better in recent years, but it’s not hard to find men who still scoff at the game and don’t take it seriously, while they go feral over the exact same sport when men play it. A few seem to take offense at the idea that women could ever play; in their minds, football is ‘a

People often use alcohol as a kind of crutch to lean on, to inspire confidence in social settings. This is especially the case with young people; I know I’ve used it to raise my self-esteem a little, and a lot of my friends would admit to having a drink before a date or party. This liquid courage is not a bad thing when it comes to having fun and initiating sexual intimacy, but it does heighten the need for communication if you and/or your partner have been drinking to ensure

Have you ever found yourself unnecessarily apologising, or noticed it from someone else? In my first few driving lessons, the amount of times I said sorry for my shoddy driving was so ridiculous that my driving instructor told me to stop, because I was learning, and it was fine, and wasn’t driving badly on purpose. I thought that was nice of him, but then I realised that he was right. Why exactly was I apologising, when it was my first time behind the wheel and this was liter

We all know about the psycho-ex trope; she (yes, she , because let’s face it, it is a heavily engendered trope) turns up at your house crying for you to take her back, she blows up your phone with messages and calls, she will go to extreme lengths to take out her rage and upset on your new partner who ‘stole’ you from her. She may or may not have severe mental health disorders which are often used against her – and she is old ; she has cropped up across history from Jason and

. ‘Red Flags;’ the term given to describe behaviours in a relationship that could lead to harm, be it physically, mentally or emotionally. In short, red flags are literal warning signs. There are countless articles, videos, tiktoks that give us all the ‘hints and tips’ of how to spot red flags, obvious red flags we shouldn’t ignore, and even examples of ones that are harder to spot. So why is it, with this wealth of information and resources at our fingertips, do we still som

. Hey! How are you all?! I have been umming and ahhing how to write this blog post for months. I haven’t been sure how to express myself writing this. I have written it in so many forms and then torn it up because I wasn’t happy with how I said it, or what I said. And maybe my views have changed with time in the last few months too. I think one of the hardest but most important acts after an experience of sexual assault is knowing how and when to set your boundaries. But GOD,

Note: this post acknowledges that the definition of ‘sexual liberation’ is an open one, with this term being ambiguous in nature - there is no set definition of a sexually liberated woman; this will mean something different for every woman. Hey! Welcome back to the May instalment of the blog that I have just about managed to write before the end of May… I hope you’re good and looking after yourself! I watched the new Sex and the City recently, and that, as well as some conver

Hello, Welcome back! It’s been a couple of months since I last wrote for this blog. I promise it’s all for good reason though… exciting things are coming soon!! April is sexual assault awareness month; it seemed fitting for me to make my return on here this month, because I think it’s really important, we talk about this month and everything that comes with it. Because April can be hard. At least I know I have found it hard before. They say ‘ignorance is bliss’, and during se

“We have to highlight the ways women perpetuate and sustain patriarchal culture.” ~ Bell Hooks Hello Hey there! I hope you are all doing well. Mother daughter relationships are a complex phenomenon that most women I have come across seem to be able to relate to. Quite often, I think there is a perceived pressure on these relationships to be “perfect” and both mother and daughter to be each other’s best friends. For a long time my relationship with my mother was very conflict

Note: GINA does not support the use of the term ‘bitch’ in alignment with sexism & misogyny… This piece explores the reclaiming of the word ‘bitch’ (in this case, the term is coined within the parameters of confidence & self-validation). Instead of men using this word for the degradation of women (in alignment with misogynistic views & female oppression forming part of the patriarchy), this piece removes the male power & privilege within this word & places it in the hands of

Hello everyone…season's greetings! I hope you are all staying well over the festive period! When I first started this blog I wanted part of it to be about empowering other women and talking to individuals with interesting stories who I also personally looked up to. Over the last couple of years, I have had the pleasure of getting to know Anna on a personal level as my best friend’s mum. I’ve always looked up to her how she has managed to balance a hugely successful career wit

Trigger Warning: post contains some videos with sensitive content. Writing poetry can help us understand the overwhelming thoughts we sometimes have. It can help you structure these complex feelings in a way that is manageable and safe. According to various studies, writing and reading poetry can be therapeutic and help “alleviate anxiety” amongst other emotional benefits. Journaling is already an established practise in therapy but poetry goes a step further and provides su