Holly Hostettler-Davies

Feminist writer and journalist specialising in women's rights, women's health and gender equality.

Youth Journalism International •

New 'Nutcracker' is an uplifting, colorful escape

Cardiff, WALES – Theater is renowned for its ability to allow you to escape from reality for a short while and immerse yourself in someone else’s world. And that’s exactly what choreographer Matthew Bourne’s Nutcracker did for me. Of course I was familiar with the popular Nutcracker ballet where a young girl befriends a nutcracker that comes to life on Christmas Eve and starts a battle against the evil Mouse King. But I was excited to see how Bourne and his New/Adventures Production team would
Youth Journalism International •

UK's sexual assault epidemic spurred me to act

Bridgend, South Wales, UK – As a young woman, I am horrified and hurt by the alarmingly high rate of sexual assault in my country. According to the Crime Survey for England and Wales, 20 percent of women and 4% of men in England and Wales have experienced some type of sexual assault since the age of 16. Now think about how many female and male victims you know. I can guarantee that your answer doesn’t nearly equate to the number of victims there really are. Perhaps this is where the problem l
Youth Journalism International •

A place where victims get support

Bridgend, South Wales, UK – One in five women and 4% of men in England and Wales have experienced some type of sexual assault since the age of 16, according to estimations from the Crime Survey for England and Wales. Take a minute to think about that harrowing statistic. That’s equivalent to 3.4 million female and 631,000 male victims. But a lot of it goes unreported. The latest estimates from the crime survey showed that in victims of sexual assault, aged 16 to 59, fewer than one in six fema
Youth Journalism International •

Students unsurprised to learn their schools were sites of sexual assault

Bristol Grammar School in Bristol, UK is on the list of schools alleged to be sites of sexual assault. This school serves children ages 4 to 18. (Emily Fromant/YJI) Throughout the UK, many young people learned earlier this year that their primary and secondary schools were named as sites of sexual assault and harassment. An organization called Everyone’s Invited made a list of the schools, numbering more than 3,000. Four Youth Journalism International students from different parts of the Unit
Youth Journalism International •

Thousands of UK schools were sites of sexual assault, survivors said

UNITED KINGDOM – After widespread engagement and responses to sharing her experience of rape culture on Instagram, Soma Sara of England founded Everyone’s Invited in June 2020 as a space for survivors to share their stories. Since its founding, over 50,000 anonymous testimonies have been submitted and shared. Sara, 22, and other activists hoped this movement would spark action to end rape culture in education and wider society. One of the most shocking revelations was a list of more than 3,00
Cosmopolitan •

"I'm finally loving exercise... after awful PE lessons made me hate it"

A tsunami of green and yellow rushed from the changing rooms into the hall, accompanied by the sound of squeaking trainers and teenage gossip. We all looked the same, thanks to our mandatory games kit, even if we didn’t feel it. Every PE lesson started the same way: I sat with my friends whispering about what our upcoming weekend plans were, whilst the teacher, Miss Williams*, called over the girls in her athletic club to discuss their next race – seemingly ignoring the rest of us. Eventually,
Woman and Home Magazine •

How to use a menstrual cup for a more comfortable and sustainable period

Knowing how to use a menstrual cup correctly could change the way you experience periods forever. From inserting to removing, and cleaning—here the experts share exactly how to use your menstrual cup for safe and sustainable period care. In recent years, the menstrual cup has risen in popularity as an alternative to sanitary pads and tampons. The eco-friendly product is rated for its sustainability properties and leak-free abilities. Those new to the world of menstrual cups can—understandably—f
Shout Out UK •

Love Islander's Misogynistic Comment Sparks Discourse on Women's Body Hair

British dating reality series, Love Island, is known for controversy. However, viewers were left angered by the show after contestant, Aaron Francis, revealed that ‘hairy arms’ are his biggest turnoff. The misogynistic comment sparked discourse concerning attitudes towards women’s body hair. But the topic is hardly new. For years, women have fought to destigmatise their natural bodies from the peculiar male aesthetic. Why we started to remove body hair The practice of removing human body hair
Writeous •

Why Denim Day Is So Important

Adultism is broadly defined by Merriam-Webster as “prejudice or discrimination against young people as a group”. The term is believed to have been coined in 1978 by journalist Jack Flasher, in which he used it to describe the ways in which adults abuse their power over children. However, the author Patterson Du Bois wrote in a 1901 article, “Let us see in the child something more than a symbol for our own emotions. Let us not obstruct his development by selfish adultism.” Du Bois’ earlier iterat
Writeous •

Women Are Not ‘Ovary-Acting’ When It Comes To Their Health

As discussed in a previous article, March is Endometriosis Awareness Month, and so it seemed like a fitting time to delve into some of the issues and myths surrounding women’s health and the out-dated belief that women are ‘hysterical’. Throughout the 18th and 19th century, female hysteria was one of the most commonly diagnosed ‘disorders’, that was believed to explain any behaviours or symptoms that simply made men feel uncomfortable.
Shout Out UK •

It's time women challenged media aggression

That was the overriding message of International Women’s Day 2021, an annual worldwide movement for the advocation of women’s rights. Whether you’re challenging the notion that feminism is a fight against masculinity, or the gender stereotypes that say women can’t fulfil certain roles, or perhaps the barriers put up against safe spaces to speak out and be heard — it’s crucial that we continue to challenge existing wrongs. According to the International Women’s Day website, ‘a challenged worl
Empoword Journalism •

It's time sexual harassment is criminalised

A harrowing study released last week on behalf of UN Women UK revealed alarming statistics about sexual harassment in the UK. With practically all young women in the UK being victims of sexual harassment, surely most women have now lost faith that such incidents will be dealt with justice? 97% of women and girls aged 18-24 said they had been sexually harassed. 80% of women of all ages said they had experienced sexual harassment in public places. These distressing figures have unfortunately not
Youth Journalism International •

Lessons from International Women's Day

The author took part in the United Nations International Women's Day event on March 8. (Holly Hostettler-Davies/YJI) Bridgend, South Wales, UK – As a young and upcoming journalist, International Women’s Day is important to me because it highlights the stories that we should be reporting, and sheds light on issues that impact women globally. To mark the occasion, I attended the 2021 United Nations Observance of International Women’s Day. The two-hour long event featured high-level dignitaries
Shout Out UK •

It's about time at-home abortions were legalised

In an attempt to stop the spread of Covid-19, temporary legislation was introduced at the beginning of the pandemic to allow women easier access to medical terminations in their homes with the use of two pills. Doctors are calling for at-home medical abortions to be made permanently legal here in the UK, after research found that between April and June 2020, 23,061 abortions took place at home, making up 43 per cent of all legal abortions. A revolutionary study of over 50,000 medical abortions
Empoword Journalism •

Celebrate International Women’s Day With These Feminist Books

International Women’s Day falls on March 8th, and what better way to celebrate the global movement than by collating the best feminist books? If you’re looking for your next read, then look no further! Note – this list is not extensive! There are so many amazing feminist books, but these are just a few of my favourites. Airhead: The imperfect art of making news by Emily Maitlis As a young journalist, I couldn’t miss out this fascinating glimpse into what making news is all about. If you’re lo
Empoword Journalism •

The Shamima Begum debate is one of human rights

Shamima Begum is a British-born woman who was one of three east London schoolgirls who left their homes and families to join the so-called Islamic State. The decision to deprive Begum of her British Citizenship is wrong: it denies her access to a fair trial and has reaffirmed old British colonial attitudes where we see the rest of the world as a ‘dumping ground’ for our criminals. In February 2019, the British government issued an order revoking Begum’s British citizenship, stating that she cou
Writeous •

An IWD Interview About Public Sexual Harassment

Every year since 1911, March 8th has been recognised as a global day which celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. International Women’s Day (IWD) has become one of the most important days in the calendar for celebrating women’s achievements, raising awareness about women’s equality and fundraising for female-focused charities. The power of International Women’s Day can be seen worldwide, with big strides being made towards gender equality. For example, in
Empoword Journalism •

Is Saudi Arabia Allowing Women to Join the Army as Progressive as it Seems?

Saudi Arabia has announced that women in the country are now allowed to participate in the military. Empoword Journalism investigates to see if this move is as much of a step forward as it seems. The conservative Muslim nation of Saudi Arabia has been known for its restrictive rules on how Saudi women can behave and what they can wear. It is believed that women’s rights in Saudi Arabia have been limited in comparison to the rights of women in many neighbouring countries because of Saudi Arabia’
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