Coming off the pill and the unexpected death of my pussycat has left me wondering what it means to truly love one’s pussy. Throughout my life, caring for my vagina has been about altering its appearance, or concealing its machinations somehow. I’ve been like a Sim waiting for directions. Stories about hair, or lack of…
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This is a tribute to my favourite pussy. A pussy I treated far better than my own. A pussy that taught my partner and I so much and, through his unexpected death this week, has weaved a delicate symmetry between his proud little life and my own mysterious pussy. This pussy was a bit…
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I have reached a new level in this game of Killing Pill. Before me are the gatekeepers who guard the unopened door; the unread chapter; the entrance to another realm of understanding and embodiment. They are moonlit, glowing women, who go by the name of The Fifth Vital Sign (or Kelsey Knight and Emily Varnam)….
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The veil has been lifted this week in No-Pill Land and I’m seeing the world much more clearly. It’s still my subjective experience of this realm we live in called Earth, but I feel awake, engaged and ready for action in it. Hello, good morning, rise and shine, time to get up because…
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Hey, Where the Bloody Hell Are You? Can you see me? I’m waving across a deserted beach but there’s no one here and it looks like there’s no one coming? The sun is shining – surely you’re on your way? I’m trying to smile! I thought you saved me a spot, but you’re not here,…
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My worst fear has come true. I’m free. Coming off the pill has cut this puppet’s strings. But instead of running around gaily, skipping and twirling, I’m lying on the ground, writhing in frustration, trying to figure out how to get up and walk. I’m faced with how uncoordinated I am, and how much I’ve…
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My sweat patches smell sweeter. My hair is greasier. My orgasms feel deeper. Words are bubbling out. I can’t stop eating tofu. Dogs seem to be barking at me more aggressively. I prefer the scent of the Bulgarian Rose candle to the Almond Milk one, which is very strange. Very strange indeed. My skin is…
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Content warning: eating disorders I have an image of the characters from Reservoir Dogs sitting around a table eating burgers inside my uterus. But instead of having names like Mr White or Mr Pink, they’re Mr Bloating and Mr Blood. And they’re probably ladies, not men. I’ve spent the last week eating metaphorical burgers…
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Fragile: Handle With Care A sinking feeling unrolls itself in my chest and out my eyes when I think of readers who may be experiencing my writing as shaming or ridiculing them. Please forgive me and my work if that has been the case for you. Through choosing a different path from hormonal contraceptives and…
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Join Madeleine Ryan on her personal journey from hormone-controlled fembot to reclaiming who she is, Kill Pill, a new weekly series on Lip. “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Just ingest it at the same time each day & don’t ask too many questions.” I’m a 27-year-old woman living in rural Victoria….
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This is the final instalment of Period Pieces, upcoming Melbourne Fringe Festival comedian Loani Arman’s hilarious series on menstruation. You can look back over her pieces here. When I tell people I’m doing a stand up show called “PERIOD” for Melbourne Fringe, I’m usually met with a whole minute’s silence. There has been surprise,…
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This is the final instalment of Really Honest Postcards from Lyon, April Smallwood’s six part series on life as a young Australian expatriate in France. You can look back over the series here. Dear Ike, I love that the French expression for placing an object down so as to not surprise you is, ‘Op!’, and…
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Period Pieces is upcoming Melbourne Fringe Festival comedian Loani Arman’s hilarious series on menstruation. Be sure to check Lip for new instalments every Wednesday. Hey Loani, Miss me? It feels like ages since I last saw you. I heard you spent a lot of time with PMS when she was in town last month. Sounds like PMS…
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Period Pieces is upcoming Melbourne Fringe Festival comedian Loani Arman’s hilarious series on menstruation. Be sure to check Lip for new instalments every Wednesday. 1. Flush tampons We all know it’s not the right thing to do environmentally, but we’ve all done it. And we all know that when the work toilet blocks up and the plumber…
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