Fearnhill Year 10 Opinion Articles

Kids and teenagers are constantly changing. They grow up quickly and before you know it, that giggly, energetic toddler is a teenager who sleeps ‘til noon. As we grow it’s normal to experience changes but with all the changes going on, how can we tell which ones are actually normal? At what point should parents start worrying that their teenager's “mood swings” are just “growing pains” or “hormones”? It can be hard to tell. The truth is, for many teens, these changes aren’t just part of growing up. These changes are symptoms of mental illness. Mental illness can be disruptive to a teenager’s normal development that can affect them for the rest of their lives. The most common include anxiety disorders, anorexia, bulimia and depression. Around 15% of teenagers experience depression. It can affect attitudes and emotions, making teens feel sad or irritated. It causes people to experience low mood , loss of interest, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appe...

When we think of the word feminism, what comes to mind? Angry women, pitchforks in hand, screaming about how all men must be condemned to hell? Or perhaps a female that gets offended as soon as you demand she make you a sandwich? What feminism actually is, is the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of equality for both sexes. Many people often argue that feminism is not needed these days, how females are completely safe. However, I believe that it is very much needed. When you put a man in power who has been  accused of sexually assaulting and harassing women, then the result will always be biased. Look at  Kvanagh, Trump defended the perpetrator, degraded the victim and left her humiliated in the public eye. The bible refers to a part where Jesus mentions gouging every male’s eyes out who dared look at a female in an inappropriate manner. If we took that verse as seriously as we do about gay relations,  most men would probably be blind. Another...

Fashion. It feels like a competition to keep up with trends rather than a way to express ourselves. Fashion is no longer about what you want to wear, it's about: What do you wear so you can't be judged? It surprises me how much pressure there is on kids to have the latest and most popular clothes or brands. Time after time my kids tell me they NEED the latest pair of Adidas trainers or Nike t-shirt. I struggle to understand how not having them makes you so different. Furthermore, the rate and price of the ever-changing trends is ridiculous. How is my 11 year old son expected to keep up when they change every month? But (because of social media and other kids in school) I am forced to regularly buy my kids new clothes; to save them the judgement at school. So I think it's about time that brands like Adidas stopped using this to their advantage and began to think about the well-being of young people in this generation. Ellie

People caught lying on social media should be banned and removed!!! The one thing I hate the most is people caught lying on social media. The fact that people spend all their free time thinking of a lie to post so that they become popular. Why do you do this to yourselves? What for attention?  That’s it! Now I know why you do it. You just want to be the center of attention! Well it won’t work. Someone will call you out for lying.  JUST STOP!  It’s annoying. Do you do this? If you do just stop, it’s a waste of time. If that is all you can think about then get rid of your social media because it’s just stupid.  The other day I was on twitter looking through the posts when I saw a stunning photo of someone I follow, and just as I was about to say “OMG! You’re so beautiful”, I saw the caption which said “UGH! I’m so ugly.” Now you’ve done it. You’ve triggered the evil side of me. Now I’m going to comment saying “Yes! You are ugly.” Don’t expect pe...

Here are Fearnhill School, our GCSE students are never short of an opinion or two.  And being able to express their opinions is something we actively encourage, not only as a component of their English Language exam, but as a life skill. If we can persuade and entertain our readers, then we are well on the way to succeeding at life. Here, you will find a collection of opinion articles produced by our Year 10 students on a wide range of topics - from religion to music; from social media to snowflakes; from feminism to narcissism! Some of these are controversial; some are designed to get you thinking; some are intended to make you laugh. Whatever your reaction, we hope you enjoy!