Introducing...
Lauren Hossack and her blog Unthink That
Age: 19
Education:University of St Andrews, MA English and Modern History
Twitter: @LtweetH
What's your blog all about?
My blog covers loads of things: feminism, music, film... I tend to write on whatever grabs my fancy. It's where I share my reactions to the world as I see and experience it. It'll be interesting to look through it in a few years and see how the content and my writing style - as well as my opinions - have developed! Every time I post something it feels very 'final' - a snapshot in time, preserved in writing.
Describe your blog in three words
Three words? Hmm... I'd call it my 'world in words'.
Why did you start your blog?
I thought that blogging was the most obvious and easy way to get my writing out there. Ana Kinsella (who runs fashion blog 'Ripped Knees') was a particular inspiration. Clothing is the basis, but as a result the blog follows her life as a student going through university and breaking into that notoriously tough industry. I found her really interesting and relatable and this spurred me on to start blogging myself.
How long have you been running it?
Aged 15, I set up on Blogger, where I started my own fledgling fashion blog. But once I started university and it occurred to me people might actually read my blog, I started to feel a bit embarrassed by this attempt! By then, my interests had changed, and that was reflected in my choice to start a new blog. I switched to Wordpress (transferring some of my better older posts) and that's the blog you see today.
Lauren Hossack provides this week's student blog with Unthink That
What makes it different from the rest?
Because I post about what interests me there's scope for some rather diverse content! It's a bit of everything in that sense, but so many things fascinate me, and I want to show that as much as possible.
Who would be your dream guest blogger?
I would love to team up with any of the Jezebel contributors. They fearlessly confront contentious issues and use a brilliant tongue-in-cheek style to pull it off - two things I think I definitely need to develop.
What was your last blog post about?
My last post was called 'My Vagina Monologue' - a reflection on using (or rather, not using) words like 'vagina'. In my experience, words which describe the female anatomy are not deemed ok to say, and this can shut down what is actually completely healthy conversation from a pretty young age. It's been my most popular post so far, which is great considering it's the most rant-y piece I've ever let the internet see! (Shameless plug: it's featured here on the Huffington Post UK.)
What's been your "blog highlight"?
Every time someone likes or comments on one of my 'feminist rants' I get quite excited, not because they liked my writing or the message I'm conveying, but because it means that they're engaging with and relating to what I've said. For me, that restores a bit of faith that these sorts of issues matter to people - particularly those around my age.