Calypso Lloyd-Davies

Calypso Lloyd-Davies

Journalist / Freelance Writer

Top Picks

Shout Out UK •

The Problem With Social Media's 'Female Gaze' Trend

The female gaze …
A success on the screen, but one that has not transferred all too well onto our smaller screens. The term originates in film theory, countering ‘male gaze’ cinema and the objectification of women that follows. But on social media, the female gaze appears to morph into its misogynistic predecessor, used to rank women based on appearance, judging and objectifying them just as before.
This disturbing similarity highlights the deep-rooted and often subconscious nature of the male g...
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S-Bars on hosting open mic poetry nights: “I can be unmasked” 

Letting vulnerability and authenticity shine through spoken word, non-binary poet S-Bars brings something raw and real to queer poetry. The poet hosts LGBTQIA+ open mic poetry nights throughout the year, amongst many other queer-centric events. 


We chatted to S-Bars about these poetry nights, the importance of queer spaces and their journey. 







The support. There’s such support and wholesomeness in the room, and everyone is truly just so lovely, whether that’s the audience or the per...
Medium •

‘But I’m On the Pill’

Although great breakthroughs in pregnancy prevention have taken place over the last few decades, they are perhaps not as progressive as we’d hoped. Though the growing fight for increased access to abortions and the availability of birth-control pills, signals to the liberation of women, the hidden social meanings behind it all limit her freedom once more. The patriarchy uncovers once again how deeply entrenched its claws are, that progression towards freedom from its grip can never come easy.Rad...
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Who is CMAT? Everything you need to know about this rising star 

Irish singer CMAT has been all over the festival scene this summer. From her music going viral on social media to her political activism on stage, we’ve got all you need to know about this brilliantly wacky queer icon. 


The 29-year-old uses the acronymic stage name, CMAT, representing her full name Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson. She spent most of her childhood in and around Dublin, including her studies at Trinity College Dublin, before dropping out to focus on her music in Denmark. Now living in...
Medium •

The Artworld: Exclusive and Offensive?

What is art? How do we define something so broad and complex? Has anyone got it right? George Dickie gave it a go back in 1974, but the definition he posed faced much backlash. Although his definition did partially succeed by casting the net wider for art that was not typically ‘aesthetic’, it encountered issues of exclusion and authority. The Institutional Theory ultimately failed to encapsulate non-Western artworlds as well as any female input. How we think of art today would be entirely different...
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New animated series showcases how to do representation right 

Today (22 August) sees the return of Raphael Bob-Waksberg, creator of BoJack Horseman, with his new animated series Long Story Short. Praised for his emotional and sharp animation, BoJack Horseman, Bob-Waksberg knows just how to do queer representation right, and this new adult animation is no different. 


Long Story Short is centred around a Jewish family, the Schwoopers, with key focus on the overbearing but proud mother and her three children, Avi, Shira and Yoshi. The series takes the uniq...
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Here’s what you need to know about Bisexual Visibility Month

It’s almost September, which can only mean one thing… It’s time to celebrate our brilliant bisexuals. 


September is bound to be bi-conic with Bisexual Visibility Week running from 16 September to official Bisexual Visibility Day, 23 September. The entire month is seen as a celebration of bisexuality, so how did Bi Visibility Day come about, and why is it so important? 


Back in 1990, in San Francisco, it was first officially declared that there would be a Bisexual Pride Day. Originally, thi...