Wednesday, 19 June 2013, 2:15 am

ITS NOT often I would want to write something myself in An Focal, I like to leave the Life & Style pages as a canvas for all of you to voice your opinions on everything from fashion to sex, cookery to relationships. But my two years as an editor for An Focal have come to an end and it wouldn’t feel right without saying a few words of praise and thanks to everyone that has contributed. Over the last two years I’ve been both Fashion Editor and then Life & Style Editor. I really appreciate Kelly O’Brien and Darragh Roche giving me these opportunities for the last two years an...

DESPITE the current year we live in, and the medical marvels that have come our way, the majority of womankind is still skeptical of birth control pills and the side effects that come with them. They hesitate before going on specific forms of contraception, weighing up the possible side effects that are usually heard through word of mouth. They base their decision on which seems the least extreme, whether it’s trying to avoid gaining weight, developing bad acne, suffering intense mood swings or having irregular periods. Yet these are all symptoms that have become case specific and mos...

THE ISSUE of sweatshops being run by large global companies such as Zara and Nike isn’t as black and white as you may think. The first image that comes to mind when the sweatshop topic is brought into conversation is workers cramped into a small factory with no heating or air conditioning and working 12 hour long shifts. This is obviously a sad and depressing image to have and unfortunately, is as close to the reality of it as you can get without having been to one. These workers are denied their basic working rights and work ridiculously long hours for less pay than you’d get for a...

THE MEDIA attention surrounding two Ohio high-school football players, who were found guilty in juvenile court of raping a 16-year-old girl, has caused immense debate in the last number of weeks. While they were found guilty of rape the media treated the Steubenville case as though they were the victims, not the girl, who was forced to confront her experience in public after photos and a video of her on the night in question were circulated on social media. Two girls made online threats to the victim via Twitter, menacing her with homicide and bodily harm for coming forward and launc...

THE FASHION industry is that intersection where the subtle meets the extreme and the innovative meets the downright crazy. Each season, designers have to come up with new ways to stay on top of the game, making their collections and catwalk shows as theatrical as possible, ensuring their show sticks in your mind. But when does the crazy become too crazy? There has been uproar in the fashion industry the last six months over the infamous brand Yves Saint Laurent. A fashion house that has been at the forefront of the industry, YSL was taken over by a new creative director last year called...

SPRING is finally here and in true student style the shorts are out at the first hint of Mr Sun peeping through the clouds. There may still be a chill in the air but the sky is clear and the cone machines are in full swing. If a 99 isn't your cup of tea then try your hand at making this easy and delicious ice cream. This honeycomb ice cream is sweet and creamy and is a great accompaniment to some of the other recipes given throughout the last couple of issues of An Focal. It's not as complicated as it sounds to make but of course you don't need to tell anyone else that!   ...

BEYONCÉ Knowles Carter is acknowledged across the globe for her talent and long-lasting success as a singer and actress.  Born in Houston, Texas, on 4 September 1981, Beyoncé always wanted to achieve world domination. In her recent HBO documentary, Life Is But A Dream, Queen Bey reflects on her childhood, how she dreamt of becoming as successful as Michael Jackson and how she told her family she would achieve her goal. Growing up and eager to succeed, Beyoncé tried to ‘make it’ in many forms, auditioning for talent competitions across the US. Before launching herself into a solo...

THE F word. The bad F word. Not Feck. You know the one I mean. Feminism. Feminism has a bad rep. It's generally associated with hairy men-hating lesbians who vomit at the very idea of a phallic-led society. There's no doubt a couple of people in the world like that, but there's also every day Joe and Jo Soap who think that women should be equal to men in every way, and then there's people who claim to believe that but who then make ‘jokes’ about women's rightful place being in the kitchen or on their knees. I have heard the phrase ‘I'm not a feminist but I believe women should be ...

IN TODAY’S society there is such a stigma attached to women choosing to bare it all and wear no make-up. It is odd that when women forgo the cosmetics routine in the morning and opt for a fresh faced look they are looked up on as lazy or in some cases not hygienic. Why do females need to plaster themselves in make-up or tanning products to avoid being labelled as ‘not presentable’? It is just one of those things that society has normalised and unfortunately this makes it unacceptable for women to not wear makeup in public. Many celebrities have been victims of bullying from the me...

DEPRESSION is a serious condition and a diagnosis given to people of all ages, both genders and any background. You would probably think that in a country like Ireland where as many as 450 000 men and women, one in ten are affected, you would hear about depression all the time. If you think so, you would be mistaken. Even though chances are you know someone who is depressed, this person might not feel like telling you or others because they are too scared, feel ashamed or like it is their own fault that they cannot shake the feeling of not caring about anything in their own life. Everyo...