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Warning: this piece contains slavery, abuse, and implied sexual abuse Rumour had it that Mr Williams’ new wife was the most exquisite creature bestowed upon man. That’s what I heard Dr Jones say when he came by last night. He said you gave her something blue alright. Brides had to wear something blue, didn’t they? Sarah in the kitchen said her name was Georgette, but I’d heard from May that her name was Adriana—something exotic—like the Adriatic Sea, if that was even a real

please do not unravel me do not inspect me or my belongings a set of teeth in my jaws hands to go with my claws and a brain behind painted skin i am tau(gh)t pulled tight around my edges not all of me should be seen i am burdened by awareness self and otherwise everything is open/bare/and there i need to be hidden from all wandering eyes by Ella Barker

Warning: this piece depicts scenes of assault. The world fractures through the lens of the kaleidoscope. Concrete and plaster become paper, folded by its refractions. They twist and turn, a scape of endless collapse. “It’s yours now,” comes my mother’s voice, hushed. “We pass it down through generations. I figure now’s a good time to congratulate you on your first job.” My stomach twinges and I avoid her gaze by keeping my eye fixed on the heirloom. I haven’t told her the

Contributor Lucille Fulcher yearns after the fantasy of what it would be like to be the default in society; the fantasy that is being perceived as a person before a woman. Before I am a woman, before I am anything else, I am a person. However, the world doesn’t seem to view me the same way. There was once a time when I thought I wanted to be a boy. I remember trying to explain it once, but I wasn’t even sure what I meant. It wasn’t that I hated being a girl. I didn’t feel wro

Contributor Muskan Sandhu takes a shot at answering whether or not we will ever escape the shackles of patriarchy by examining choice feminism and its shortcomings. Choice feminism allows women to avoid confronting their own actions that serve the patriarchy, keeping them concealed away with a sense of freedom that doesn’t really exist. Believing that every choice a woman makes is a feminist one, solely because they are a woman, is overlooking the women in the past and presen

Contributor Zara Matthews urges readers to put their Doc Martens on as they thumb through their Gothic classics, to stand with the punkish Feminist rebellion that exists in their subtext. At different points in time, every society succumbs to its own form of chaos. From that chaos stems oppressive circumstances that weigh heavily on individuals, with women often bearing the brunt of these constraints. From there, we see rebellion. I like to think of Gothic works as the punks

Editorial Assistant Navdha Thakkar lifts the veil from the strategies femmes use to hide in plain sight, to be perceived as palatable enough to deserve some semblance of safety. Women are either overlooked or observed. Rarely understood. There are the women you never see; the ones who learned early how to disappear politely. And then there are women who are seen constantly, flattened into images, mood roles, aesthetics. Both are forms of erasure. Both are taught. One side hi

Editorial Assistant Elizabete Lasmane delves into the internal dilemma that presents when deciding between authenticity and hiding to keep up expectations as the ideal woman. I cannot answer honestly how true my goals, desires, and ambitions are. Is there a part of me untouched by society? Without confusion in my own sincerity? How much of me is shaped by expectations because I am a woman? How much of me is me? To be a woman is to not know who you are, but to perform. It is t

News Editorial Assistant Maryam Bokhari explores her cultural connection to this issue’s theme by diving into contemporary discourse around the Hijab and what it means to her. Growing up, I always thought my mum’s hijab collection was the coolest thing in the world. Leopard prints, pashminas and shimmery organzas would spill out of her wardrobe every morning as she’d decide on which one to wear and how to style it. When she’d leave for work, I’d pick out a few and clumsily wr

Megha Mahesh dissects the controversial new penal code introduced by the Taliban in Afghanistan and its dangerous ramifications for women in Afghan society “A bird may sing in Kabul, but a girl may not in public. This is extraordinary. This is a suppression of the natural law” - Meryl Streep [1] A man may face fifteen days in prison if he beats his wife and children to the point of fractured bones or opened wounds [2]. A woman, by contrast, is not to be heard in public nor i

Editorial Assistant Jordan Jayanthi examines the contemporary usage of technology in tactics of digital violence and its hazardous ramifications for vulnerable women. Content Warning: this article contains mentions of online sexual harassment, deepfakes, and grooming. Imagine discovering footage of you has been altered into explicit content and splashed across the internet—images of you circulating without your consent. Technology mediates our lives now, and the use of socia

Editorial Assistant Alicja Krotofil probes into shocking Sydney death of elderly man Chris Baghsarian and what next steps are to be expected as the situation unfolds Content Warning: this article contains mentions of murder On Wednesday 25 February 2026, two men were arrested for the alleged kidnapping and murder of Chris Baghsarian, aged 85. Nearly a fortnight ago, Baghsarian was reported missing from his home in North Ryde, and just one day later, his body was found and ide

Editorial Assistant Alicja Krotofil unveils the reality of the recent shark attacks along the Australian coastline and questions whether animals should bear the blame for these events, or the humans In the summer of 2026, New South Wales saw a shocking four shark attacks occur on its beaches within the span of 48 hours. All victims of the attacks suffered major injuries, and unfortunately, one of the victims—a twelve year old boy—suffered fatal wounds and did not survive [1].

Editorial Assistant Maryam Bokhari celebrates Australia’s international wins in the recent Winter Olympics events and unravels how Australians have been able to consistently succeed in an unlikely athletic environment. Neither sunburn nor frostbite could stop our Australian athletes as they concluded their historical victory in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. With a record-breaking total of three gold, two silver, and one bronze medals, this year has been Austra

Meet the students who advocate for us through meetings, events, and more. William John Francis Postgraduate Representative An insurance broker and financial analyst who builds ventures with surgical focus on risk, capital efficiency, and disciplined growth. He blends technical underwriting insight with market strategy, preferring evidence over hype and execution over theory while pursuing scalable, defensible businesses across insurance, finance, and emerging commercial oppo

Editorial Assistant Amy Shelton catalogues the variety of women-centred clubs and committees available on Macquarie University’s campus for the inclusive benefit of students Macquarie University has a range of initiatives and spaces aimed at improving gender equality and women’s safety. WOMEN IN MANAGEMENT AND FINANCE SCHOLARSHIP Macquarie University offers a Women in Management and Finance Scholarship for female international students who wish to undertake a Master’s cours

Editorial Assistant Shreya Arora breaks down the first-ever Model UN Conference to exist between three major Sydney institutions and importance of discussions about diplomacy to exist in the daily life of students Jointly hosted by the Macquarie University United Nations Society (MQUNSOC), the Society of International Diplomacy and Domestic Affairs (SIDDA), and the Western Sydney University United Nations Society (WSUUNS), Down MUN’der launched its inaugural Model UN confere

Editorial Assistant Vanessa Bland ruminates on where she grew up in Little Bay and how it has since changed, but the ghost of its past lives on in those who remember. When I was a kid, my sister and I used to write letters to the boogeyman. He lived behind a door at Prince Henry Hospital, hidden behind filing cabinets in the medical records department, permanently locked and completely irresistible. Our mum worked evening shifts there and we’d spend hours drawing, playing hid

Contributor Deanna Arudselvam investigates how True Crime is making waves in the cultural zeitgeist through her exploration of Netflix’s Tiger King , an infamous series that took the world by storm . Exotic animals, eccentric zoo owners, and murder plots collide in Netflix’s Tiger King , turning real crime into addictive entertainment. This highlights why true crime has become one of modern media’s most powerful niches as it blends shocking reality, larger than life character

Editorial Assistant Katrina Wang divulges her love for Tolkien’s Legendarium and how fans have curated a niche community that traverses worlds way beyond his renowned literary works. I can hear you already: Tolkien? Niche? Dear writer, have you been living under a rock? The answer is very much no, but let me preface by saying, I have not met in person anyone else who has delved as unnecessarily—maybe dangerously so, like the Dwarves of Moria—deep into Tolkien's legendarium as

Editorial Assistant Martha Florence analyses five scientist’s dedication to their special niche. I’ll let you decide: this can be a vaguely interesting—or unquantifiably boring—article to skim and forget, or an informative guide on the myriad ways to perform totally ethical and above-board experiments. Your choice, no judgement will be held. Speaking of upstanding ethics, that line of thought often naturally leads to stereotypes of the mad, Frankensteinian scientist. Those w

Deputy Editor Niamh McGonnell-Hall investigates the hot vampire niche and how it exposes our darkest desires. Trigger warning: this piece contains sexual references and references to Gothic sexual fear. In the beginning… We all know the bloodsucking, mountain-dwelling, dismemberment-crazed vampire. It is what most would consider a niche within the Gothic horror genre of literature and film, with many variations, adaptations and allusions to this shadowy figure appearing thro

Newly appointed Section Editor Juliette Allen introduces Jules’ Journal, where she ventures into all things Film & Television. Hello Grapey readers and welcome to the first issue of 2026. Welcome to my new segment entitled Jules’ Journal where I plan to have a lot of fun this year. If you, like me, enjoy getting film ‘recs’, then look no further! I present to you some of my more niche recommendations to check out. I also wanted to briefly talk about the word Niche and how

Editorial Assistant Alicja Krotofil explores the obscure world of Birding, and gives us an exclusive guide to the birds you might spot around campus. So, you’ve heard this phrase used in social circles or thrown around on social media, but you’ve got no idea what it means? You’re exactly where you need to be right now, because I’m about to take a little deep dive into what birding is—and bring you along with me! Birding , also known as bird watching, is the act of observi