Darling Magazine

by Josie Reaney I heard about the passing of Edna O’Brien a day after the news broke. I couldn’t believe how  understated it all seemed. In my mind, her passing should have graced the headlines as a celebratory tribute to a life of literary legacy, a flash of hope amongst the daily screening of horrors on the ten-o clock news.   Edna was an icon in literature and feminism. She was a figure of non-conformity and a symbol of bravery.  Her novels spoke to many women in a way that they had never been spoken to before, expressing the vulnerability, sexuality, and outrage of the female experience with no qualms or glossing.  In her words, “I’m very, very ruthless.” Josephine Edna O’Brien was born in Tuamgraney, County Clare in 1930. She dedicated her life to her writing, releasing over twenty novels. Her childhood was quintessentially Irish, making a permanent and poignant mark on her creative psyche.  Her girlhood in Ireland was bound to the Catholic Church, awash with scenes of pebble dash

by Veryan Zimber Fashion is described by many as art.  However, the collaboration between the Latvian brand BAÉ and fellow Latvian artist Elína Zanda Sake transcends the correlation between fine art and fashion as the dresses become the canvas. Elína’s art draws inspiration from the social normality with elements of pop culture and creates modern artistic paintings that are extremely thought-provoking and could mean all manner of different things to the viewer.  Her art is extravagant, vibrant and refreshingly honest, making it the perfect choice to be made into wearable pieces. BAÉ, just by entering the website, it is nothing short of beautiful and it becomes evident as to why this union of two artists has happened.  Self described as “sustainable elegance,” they vow that their commitment to sustainability goes beyond the design process. Ensuring that there is zero waste, they explain that they find a purpose for every scrap of fabric. You can see this with their touch of modern flare

by Lois Geal Aussie jiu-jitsu star Craig Jones has been rightfully criticised for his conduct towards female opponent Gabi Garcia.  The face-off before a big fight night doesn't usually start off with one competitor lunging towards the other and kissing them, but that's exactly what happened ahead of Jones' match against Garcia. Grabbed by the face, Jones pulled Garcia into an unconsensual kiss in front of an audience and cameras on Thursday August 15th.  Garcia is a four-time ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship gold medallist and six-time IBJJF world champion, who has been playing with the idea of facing a male grappler for years. She made it clear she did not find the stunt amusing and was filmed furiously pushing him away from her before chasing him across the room. Footage of the bizarre face-off subsequently went viral and social media users were all in agreement that Jones' stunt was completely out of order - whether it was just a tactic to unsettle his op

by Ana Badea Society has a way of simplifying things: whether it is to label strangers or make assumptions  about them, it all comes down to the comfort of stereotyping.   It’s just the human brain’s ‘shortcut’ for things that are too complex to understand immediately. For years, society has associated not conforming to heteronormative gender stereotypes as a clear indication of a person not being heterosexual (because women who like men need to be feminine in their appearance and men who like women need to be masculine in their appearance, right?). Instead, consider the concept of Revolianism. It argues why we should deconstruct the mental associations between self expression and sexual orientation. The way that somebody presents themselves on the outside is most likely the way they feel the most comfortable - but what about the cases where people present themselves a certain way not because they feel comfortable doing that, but because they feel like they need to in order to ‘ signal