Oh Comely - Issue 49

What do you think of when you conjure up the colour blue? Oceans, forget-me-nots or endless skies? Perhaps Matisse’s blue nudes, a salt and vinegar crisp packet, a bruised knee or your favourite jumper... This issue we are celebrating all the hues of blue. We dress head to toe in it for a day at the seaside and activist CN Lester tells us why it’s the “colour for girls” in an essay about why they’ve chosen to live a life beyond that pink/blue divide. We also pen a love letter to pockets. Why aren’t they in every piece of clothing we own? And we meet some incredible women who harness the elements – earth, water, air and fire – helping us to think about how we interact with and affect the world we live in. Elsewhere, we explore how important our hair is to our identity, get drawn completely naked and take a peek inside a bookshop selling titles only by women. And what we’ve learnt from compiling this issue? Blue doesn’t mean the same thing for everyone, and that’s okay – let’s unite in our different interpretations of the world and learn from each other... Come join us.