Hi. Hannah here a.k.a alittlebitbroadway on YouTube

Well hey there! My name's Hannah. You don't really know all that much about me so I'll start by saying, I'm 15, I like music, writing and warm hugs... and Frozen. I'm not ashamed to say that!!

So, today's post is going to be about something major in the modern world, something which I think should be discussed. Feminism. Yes, I know this is a very controversial topic of discussion and most likely top in the list of "things to avoid in your first blog posts", however my take on it is not your typical passionate speech type of thing. I am going to tell you about my life outside feminism.

Now, before I start, I want to clear something up. I believe that men and women should be equal. I do not support gender inequality in any way and I have great admiration for feminists. But, as much as I love the pride we as a sex have for who we are, I do not class myself as a feminist.

Now, I'm pretty sure at least half of the people reading this won't like my opinion there and that's fine. That's good actually. You see, the reason why I don't class myself as a feminist is because I believe in the individual happiness of every person, rather than fighting for something which won't make every person happy. I know it will make 90 percent of people happy but there are some who believe one gender to be superior to any other genders. Therefore, they would not agree with equal rights for all, nor would they agree with feminism.

Let me explain myself better. Everyone is entitled, not just to their own opinion, but to an opinion which they are proud of and believe wholeheartedly in. If people are happy with their own beliefs then I'm happy not fighting for something which might deprive them of that happiness, however wrong everyone else might believe that opinion to be. I am happy with the world we live in, though not always fully satisfied with the actions of a few people in it. It's not that I don't want equal rights, it's just that at the moment I feel that I have equal rights, personally. Therefore, I wouldn't class myself as a feminist because I can't see the destruction gender equality causes.

Of course, now most of you will be saying, "Hannah, that's so selfish!" "Hannah, do you know the facts, the statistics?" And my answer to that is yes. Yes, I do know about the horrible gap between pay, I know about the percentages and proportions and I do care about them. I do care about helping others in the battle against discrimination and I do care about and fully support those who fight, not just for their own rights, but for the rights of others as well. I admire them.

To me, feminism is a personal battle. It requires life experience and a lot of guts. In the past, I have had someone say to me, "Are you a feminist?" And when I've said no, they've said to me, "Well, you're not a real girl then." So, let me get this straight. If I'm not a feminist, is it right to say I can't be part of my own gender? Am I to be categorised by a belief I should hold, but don't? What are we fighting for here - gender equality for only those who fight, or gender equality for all? Now, answer me this. How can we fight for equality between men and women, if there isn't equality between women alone?

There's a television advert in the UK called This Girl Can. I expect other countries have seen it too - it's all over YouTube. It's a very inspiring, beautiful and motivational advert, showing women competing, doing sports and lots of other activities which show off what they can do. I think it's great, so great that women are speaking up, being given a chance at anything they want to do and I'm glad that we're reaching a stage where women can do whatever they want to do, no matter what that entails. Every day at school, we're encouraged to take science and maths, showing universities what tough, powerful, inspirational women we are.

But that's just it. Do you have to do that to be one of those "awesome girls"? Do you have to be a doctor, lawyer, physicist or accountant to be tough, powerful and inspirational? Are women getting equal rights by doing things society has classed as "manly jobs"? And what happens to those of us who aren't any good at maths or science, or have more interest in music than maths, who place art and design over chemistry? Where do we fit in with this ever-changing society? Sometimes at school, I'll be told it's "wise to take maths A-Level" because it's "more impressive" and "employers regard it highly". So, does taking English Literature make me less impressive? Do drama and music make me less employable? Because every subject, every skill, every gift teaches you something. And, as every person is unique, no one else can do what you can do. "This Girl Can" tells girls they can do all the things we've been told we can't. But what about those things we can do already? We seem to be falling into the mindset that, unless you take science and maths, unless you play sport and want to go into well-respected, highly paid profession, "you're not a real girl".

So, here comes the real point of my post. I'm here to say that yes, feminism is fantastic. Yes, you can take science, maths, sport and do all those amazing jobs which women simply didn't have the chance to do a few years ago. Yes, I am so proud and supportive of you if you are a feminist. But I'm also so proud of you if you're not. I'm proud of you if you, like me, don't want to put your name down for something you don't fully understand or necessarily want to believe in. I'm proud of you if you've realised that feminism is, at first, a personal battle; that, to begin with, you have to feel worthy yourself, so you have the strength to fight for others. I'm so proud of you if you dropped out of school and threw your calculator over a cliff!! If that made you happy, that was the right thing for you at the time.

So yes, maybe in 5 years time I'll call myself a feminist. I'll be happy to say, "I am fighting for global gender equality". But for now, I want to be accepted for my passions. I want to know that, even though I want to act and sing and write, I am still a "real girl". I want there to be equality amongst everyone, not just between genders. I want finding personal happiness to be a priority for everyone, because only then can we fight for others as well. Above all, I want to know acceptance and know that This Girl Can do whatever the hell she wants to do.

I love the fact that every single episode of our lives will eventually become part of a large piece of social history. Yet I don't think that we, as a society, acknowledge this enough. That's why I have so much praise for my most recent discovery www.whowerewe.com

Set up by Yve Blake, this project aims to produce a show and a collection of music inspired by the experiences of people from all over the world. Individuals can anonymously upload old photos, memories or funny stories from their past, with the knowledge that this information will one day be looked at by future generations through a museum website.

I double dare you to give this a go! (Photo copyright Yve Bates)

I so urge everyone reading this to take five minutes of their time to go and submit something. With the advent of social media and the decline in the use of photo albums, diaries and letters, it is so important that the history of our generations is documented by enthusiastic individuals and initiatives such as Blake and the Who Were We project.
Have I uploaded anything? Well yes I have. Some random memories from my school days and comments about the toys I used to play with when I was small. It was so easy to do and only took five minutes.

I hope you have been inspired by this blog to submit your memories to this amazing initiative, or perhaps have even been spurred into archiving your own memories in your own special way. Either way, I would love to hear about it in the comments below!

Bethany x

History is a heavy subject. It requires a lot of work to get the top marks and grades. But there's always time to procrastinate right? Here's my top tips of what (not) to do whilst studying...


Those statements are just a few of the things that I have encountered these last few years, and although we can all laugh at them it's important to remember that studying does need to be done, regardless of how hard it may be!
I hope everyone who has exams and is reading this right now are feeling positive! GOOD LUCK!!

My school days our numbered - I am 5 days away from leaving sixth form and being dunked head-first into the big wide world. Yet whilst some would be scared and upset about the prospect of leaving such a familiar place, for me the thought of moving on to university and a world of the unknown really excites me. But before I leave school for good, I wanted to show everyone who is reading this just how much my time at school has meant to me, and more importantly just how much the people around me have made my days at school the best they could possibly be. 

July 2010 was our first trip abroad! Germany was our destination.  Certainly one  of the most memorable trips!

Looking slightly older in this photo - the German Homestay 2012 was a trip we will all never forget, I couldn't have chosen a better bunch of people to go with either. We need to go on this trip again!! Highlights included ice cream at 9 am...

We marked our last day of Year 11 in style - School of Rock style!!

None of us could really do science (or so we thought), but what our science table could do was muck around. AND we all passed!

We've been in the same form for two years, and I honestly wouldn't have missed a day of it. I suppose it does help that we both love Fall Out Boy and All Time Low - probably a bit too much!

Look at this lot!! It's going to be strange not seeing them every single day! Sixth form shows you who you are closest to, and these five girls are some of my closest friends. As you can see, whilst most 17/18 year olds are on the alcohol, we just like to wear our pajamas and eat Chinese.

I bet your all wondering who that chick is on the right? Well, this is Sophie, and we're going to uni together this September. I may have only gotten to know her properly the last couple of years, but she's a keeper.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is THANK YOU!! Each and every person featured here today has made such a difference to my experiences over the last seven years - and believe you me, I'm going to be stalking you all for the rest of our lives! There's so many other people as well, who I simply couldn't fit in to this post, but they definitely know who they are.

Let's make this summer a good one, eh?

Bethany x

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Okay, so its only April, but I truly believe that I have heard the best album of 2014. On March 31st The Kaiser Chiefs released their new album entitled Education, Education, Education and War, to much critical and public acclaim. Yet whilst the album can simply be appreciated as a great British Rock album, Wilson and Co. have created something much more lyrically compelling and beautiful than first expected.

The Making of Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio Tour was so magical (pun absolutely intended) that I just needed to share some of my favorite moments with the world! 

Hermione's Yule Ball gown was even more gorgeous off screen than it was on screen - the craftsmanship which goes into these costumes is unbelievable!!

Diagon Alley is spectacular, but what particularly impressed me was the attention to detail of the shop windows and interiors. Flourish and Blotts' Guilderoy Lockhart display was so authentic and was just how I imagined it to be in the books.

The chance to sit in a replica flying Ford Anglia was an unexpected treat for everyone- There's quite a few other surprises too!

The music, lighting, and atmosphere really made the model room so effective. I have to admit that all three of us  shed a little tear when we saw our dream school stood right in front of us. I think we spent just under an hour gazing at this masterpiece - yet it only felt like 10 minutes!!

Whilst the French Revolution occurred over 200 years ago (1789-92) ,too many landmarks remain for Paris to claim that it is a brand new city. Yet whilst these homages to an iconic and somewhat uncertain turning point in history are on display for everyone to see, it is questionable whether both residents and holiday makers really appreciate their significance.

October 2013 saw myself and a group of friends head off to Paris on an eventful school residential. As historians, artists, and linguists it is safe to say that although we were all looking forward to soaking up the typical sophisticated Parisian atmosphere, we were also keen to explore the heritage and overwhelming significance of the city. Our four days were spent hopping from metro station to metro station, exploring places of historical importance such as the Arch du Triomphe, Napoleon's Tomb and Palace of Versailles (to name but a few!)

The Champs du Mars, taken from the Eiffel Tower

The integration between the past and the present Paris really fascinated me to the extent that it has taken me this long to fathom what I saw and to be able to put it into words. Whilst walking along the Champs du Mars, directly opposite the Eiffel Tower, it occurred to me that I was walking in the same place in which hundreds of radical Parisians were massacred by the monarchy for daring to sign a petition asking for a constitutional monarchy. Yet at the same time that I was pondering why on earth I was allowed to walk across such important ground, at least a hundred people were standing by the grass taking selfies and eating crepes. On another occasion, whilst standing by the wall of a church which had visible bullet holes from the weapons of the revolutionary armies, so many people were walking past with Chanel and other designer handbags. In the light of this, is it really reasonable to argue that Paris is the city of history that it has claimed to be?

Well, it certainly cannot be ignored that these monuments exist, and no one can argue that the French Revolution and the era of Napoleon never happened - we can see that with our own eyes. Perhaps what has changed is the relative importance of such heritage. Everyday citizens within Paris are as accustomed to the Eiffel Tower and Louvre as Londoners are to the House of Parliament and the Tower of London. Understandably, when you live somewhere that is so culturally rich, it must be hard to fully appreciate it as you've been exposed to it your whole life. But perhaps the advent of social media and a growing online community has meant that people do not need to go abroad to experience history for themselves. Why travel to Paris to see the Arch du Triomphe when you can watch someone else's trip on YouTube? The time that would have been wasted whilst appreciating history can be spent shopping for macaroons and I love Paris t-shirts!

I will never forget my trip to Paris - both the history and the company were incredible.

History needs to be seen up close and personal to be truly appreciated and believed. Whilst a day trip around Paris is indeed fun however it is spent, I cannot champion enough the importance of spending time uncovering the city's heritage for yourself - it's too important to forget.