Hello! My name is Lottie Horn and I live in Southampton, UK.
I recently graduated from the University of Exeter with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in English and Creative Writing. Having the freedom to choose the topics I could study, has meant that for three years the focus of my writing has centred around girl and womanhood and the recurring omission or misrepresentation of women in society and historical narratives. Studying Classics as a module within my second year, heightened my interest in the portrayal of the women of antiquity and their consistent positioning as scapegoats or vessels of blame, particularly throughout Greek Literature.
My final dissertation focused on female autonomy and the idea of womanly ‘taboo’. I studied the works of Carmen Machado and Saba Sams, considering how aspects of their prose narratives challenge the stereotype of female silence; focusing on the transformative power of such literature and its potential impact on young women navigating the threshold between girlhood and womanhood.
Whilst undertaking research for my dissertation, I was able to go on a trip to the London Vagina Museum (My now favourite museum!) with my best friend Ellie. It was an experience that added crucially to my writing, depicting unflinching exhibitions of topics of ‘taboo’ such as menopause and menstruation, that have historically been silenced and deemed far too vulgar for everyday conversation.
This silencing is one issue that concerns me significantly. The number of young girls growing up in environments that leave them uninformed about their anatomy, or feeling ashamed of their bodies and natural aspects of girlhood has been a constant issue in society. Going to school and being humiliated for bleeding through your trousers, or being told talking about your leg hair in front of your dad is ‘disgusting’, has always reinforced the detrimental idea that girls should be suppressed in order to please others, something that I feel like modern society holds the power to reverse.
Outside of writing, I love going to the gym, playing basketball and having art evenings with my friends. My dream job has always been something I’m uncertain about, however, following my passions and gaining as much experience as possible within them hopefully will one day lead to my forever career!
-Lottie Horn
Volunteer Writer
Girl Museum