This episode was recorded before the true extent of the Sarah Everard case had become public knowledge. We are grieving with women everywhere. We are horrified and upset by everything that has come to light over this past week: the reality that we have been made aware of since we first learned how to walk down the street, the reality that this could have been any one of our friends or ourselves. Sarah and her family are in our thoughts, along with every single woman who has experienced harassment, abuse or unwarranted attention from men simply just for being and breathing in this world. We are tired too but we are with you. 

We were unsure whether to carry this series on given the nature of the discussions, however, we will not back down in the face of misogyny, fear and murder. If you have felt particularly overwhelmed by everything in the media this week, please save this episode for a later date. We discuss consent, both sexual and otherwise, and the insidious nature of rape culture that is maintained by silence. There are helplines linked below for anyone who is particularly vulnerable and our Instagram DMs are a safe space, 24/7 (@housewineandwellness). You do not have to suffer alone.

To any men listening to this, now is your time to act. By staying mates with the guy that thinks it's funny to joke about rape, by staying silent when one of your family members makes derogatory comments about a woman's body, by being adamant that it's 'not all men' but doing absolutely nothing to prevent these situations, you are playing a part in the problem. We need you to educate yourselves and your friends. We have been doing the work our entire lives and it is simply not enough to keep us safe. 

Please take care of yourselves, we love you. <3

Helplines:

Samaritans: 116 123

Refuge (24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline): 0808 2000 247

Rape Crisis: 0808 802 9999

BY PRESSING YOUR LOCK BUTTON 5 TIMES IN A ROW, A LOUD SIREN WILL BEGIN BEFORE IT COUNTS DOWN TO THREE. AFTER THREE, IT CALLS EMERGENCY SERVICES AND SENDS A TEXT TO YOUR SELECTED EMERGENCY CONTACTS, ALERTING THEM TO YOUR LOCATION.

*Trigger Warning: Brief mentions of sexual assault.*

Hello dolls! In honour of Women's History Month, we are bringing you a four-part series over the course of March in which we'll be chatting about all things women (we love u gals). From societal pressures on body image to the blurred lines of consent, each episode will be breaking the stigma and raising awareness of ongoing issues we are yet to make adequate progress in as a society. 

To kick things off this week, we're tackling the conversation of the male gaze, catcalling and harassment of women in public spaces, and the sexualisation of women's bodies in the media and sex industry. We discuss the normalisation of catcalling and how comments yelled across the street are often justified as 'compliments'. Then it's onto the roles the media and porn industry play in the sexualisation of women's bodies and how platforms such as OnlyFans are actually enabling women to take back control of their bodies and weigh in on the profit being made off of them (much to the dismay of some men, surprise surprise). 

These conversations are nuanced and there is so much more we have to say but at the root of it: it is not a women's responsibility to 'prevent unwanted attention', it should not be down to us to keep ourselves safe, and it is not a woman's fault if she ends up in a situation in which she is not, BUT we cannot be ignorant to the dangers and we have to do all we can to keep ourselves and our friends safe. We love you Queens <3

Please review, share, and subscribe, and follow us on Instagram @housewineandwellness for updates, and we'll see you same time next week for part 2!! <3

Disclaimer: We are two 21-year-old girls using our platform to speak about the things that are important to us. We are speaking purely about our own personal experiences and understand that we cannot speak on behalf of those who may have experienced trauma or abuse on levels we are not qualified to speak on. If you feel as though you need to seek help for any of the issues mentioned, there are helplines below.

Recommendations:

It's A Sin (Channel 4)

How To Be Single and Happy - Jennifer L. Taitz

Helplines:

Samaritans: 116 123

Refuge (24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline): 0808 2000 247

Rape Crisis: 0808 802 9999

For an extensive list of sexual abuse helplines, visit the Mind website: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/abuse/sexual-abuse/

Happy Valentines Day you lovely lot! We're back after a week off of recording (but we didn't miss a week so go and listen to last week's episode if you haven't already pls and thanks) with more recommendations on either end of the spectrum. First up, Niamh is reading How To Be Single and Happy by Jennifer L. Taitz, meanwhile, Charlotte can't stop watching Married At First Sight Australia (don't say we don't give you options). Then it's onto this week's topic of Valentines' Day and why we just don't really care about it all that much. While we appreciate it for those who want to participate in it or use it as a way to celebrate our gal pals, we discuss why the capitalist exclusivity and dramatisation of it can make some of us try in a desperate attempt to ignore everyone around us and pretend it's just any other day. Either way, we love you all millions and hope you can make the most of it this year, whatever your situation (unless you plan on putting rose petals on someone's bed, then it's House Wine and Wellness disapproved). 

Please review, share, and subscribe, and follow us on Instagram @housewineandwellness for updates, and we'll see you same time next week. <3

Recommendations:

How To Be Single and Happy - Jennifer L. Taitz

Married at First Sight Australia (Channel 4)

Hello angels! This week, Niamh is coming to you live from isolation after testing positive for coronavirus, Charlotte's spent the week having sympathy symptoms on her behalf, and we're only going slightly crazy from being stuck inside (if you make it to the end of this episode, bless your soul). From acknowledging the mental and physical toll the virus is having on all of us and accepting how difficult it is to feel as though time is disappearing, to trying to navigate social media fatigue while still trying to stay connected and taking one day at a time, we discuss what and how we're staying sane during this lockdown (or not, you decide). This phase of our lives is tough, scary, and lonely but it's temporary and it will pass. Keep your friends and family (virtually) close and be kind to yourselves, the best is yet to come.

Please review, share, and subscribe, and follow us on Instagram @housewineandwellness for updates, and we'll see you same time next week. <3

Recommendations:

Ted Talks (Youtube)

Such A Fun Age - Kiley Reid

Hello darlings! This week you'll be glad to know we have a short but sweet recommendation section for you: Melody Beattie's book Codependent No More, an exploration into our need to control other people's behaviours and why we need to set healthy boundaries within our relationships, which feels more relevant than ever despite being published in 1986 (wild). After finishing The Crown, Charlotte's recommendation this week is the Netflix Documentary Diana: In Her Own Words (are we surprised?). Shown through archived footage and audio recordings, it details the dark realities of Princess Diana's life from her side of the story. Then it's onto this week's hot topic of placing people on pedestals and why we really need to stop doing it (@ us). Why is it that we project false narratives onto others based on our own insecurities? Why do we feel as though our disappointment is justified when people don't live up to the expectations we projected onto them in the first place? We discuss why placing people on pedestals is a toxic mindset to inhibit and why it only ever ends up hurting us in the long run.

Please review (we can only review ourselves so many times), subscribe, and share, and follow us on Instagram @housewineandwellness for updates and we'll see you same time next week. <3

Recommendations:

Codependent No More - Melody Beattie

Diana: In Her Own Words (Netflix)

Hello angels! As we sat down to record this episode, the UK was put back into a national lockdown for the foreseeable future which brings us almost to a year since we found ourselves in this situation to begin with. Like many of you, we are feeling extremely deflated to be starting the year this way BUT we are here and hopefully listening to us slowly lose our minds will bring you some comfort in these trying times. This week's recommendations include Home Body, Rupi Kaur's latest poetry collection, The Crown (yes we're still talking about it, yes Charlotte's finally finished watching it, no it's probably not the last time it'll be mentioned), and the new Netflix show Bridgerton which has somehow taken over everyone's lives in a matter of weeks (spoiler: Bath doesn't look like that). Then it's onto the topic of self-worth and how to get to a point of feeling enough on your own. Why does society treat single women as though they are waiting for their next relationship? How do we stop feeling as though we need someone else to validate our worth? We discuss why spending time getting to know yourself should be embraced and why it's so important to want to date yourself first. 

Please rate, share, and subscribe, and follow us on Instagram @housewineandwellness for updates (our DMs are also always open), and we'll see you same time next week <3

Recommendations:

Home Body - Rupi Kaur

The Crown (Netflix)

Bridgerton (Netflix)

'From The Archive - Emma Watson On Being Happily 'Self-Partnered' At 30' https://www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/emma-watson-on-fame-activism-little-women 

Codependent No More - Melody Beattie

Hello angels and welcome to the first episode of 2021!!! This week, we're back and (not so) better than ever with our biggest technical glitch to date and our very first five star review!!! (only to discover Charlotte left it a few weeks a go and forgot about it). We have a hefty recommendation segment for you this week, starting with a card game from We're Not Really Strangers which is designed to deepen your connections with existing and/or new relationships (prepare to listen to us get very carried away and fail to pull ourselves away from the game for about twenty minutes, 10/10 from us). Charlotte's newfound obsession this week is tracking the moon phases and using the new moon and full moon to set intentions and be more productive (expect monthly updates unless it doesn't work). Then it's onto the topic of processing emotion and getting to the root of the things that hurt us in order to heal from them. Why is it that we so often seek out distractions from the things that are causing us the most pain? And how do we do the work to stop our unhealed emotions affecting us in future situations? It is also important to keep in mind that some difficult emotions and trauma are too much to handle on our own and require professional help to properly process and heal from. Let this be the year we ask for help when we need it. <3

Please review (we beg), subscribe, and share, and follow us on Instagram @housewineandwellness and we'll see you same time next week. <3

Recommendations:

We're Not Really Strangers (Instagram: @werenotreallystrangers)

Happy New Year angels!!! This week we're drinking mulled wine and reflecting on the year that was and how glad we are it's finally over. We discuss the much anticipated annual fad that is New Years Resolutions: how they can often make us feel worse rather than better and why buying into them can sometimes set us up for feeling like a failure by March (let's face it, the novelty of exercise wears off pretty quickly). This year, we're setting aside the resolutions in favour of intentions for 2021 and focusing on the things we'd like to work on within ourselves and achieve by the end of the year rather than things we want to change about ourselves. And despite all of it's chaos and disappointment, we look back on what 2020 has taught us, from learning to show up for ourselves to appreciating the heck out of our friends. 

Thankyou for listening and for all the support over the tail-end of this year, we appreciate you endlessly.

Please review, subscribe, and share, and follow us on Instagram @housewineandwellness for updates, and we'll see you in 2021!!! <3

Recommendations:

Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion - Jia Tolentino

Think Like A Monk - Jay Shetty

PSA: This episode was recorded before the most recent government guidelines were announced. All plans that are mentioned have been changed accordingly. Stay safe <3

Hello angels and welcome back to a very chaotic Christmas special. This week we decided the only way to get into the festive spirit was by getting a little bit drunk and dedicating an entire episode to Christmas (you're welcome). We discuss the national treasure that is Love Actually, our favourite part of the roast dinner, and our Christmas day traditions and routines (if anyone else has melon balls as a starter, please DM us asap). This year has been a tough one for everyone, more so for some than others, so this time of year we're feeling more grateful than ever for our loved ones' and our own health. 

Merry Christmas from us, we're sending love to each and every one of you. If the Christmas period is a particularly tough one for anyone listening, please don't hesitate to drop us a message.

Please review, subscribe, and share, and follow us on Instagram @housewineandwellness and we'll see you same time next week. <3