Who’s afraid of pithair?

It didn’t start out as a statement. It just kinda happened. I haven’t been out of the house for three months while recover

Intergenerationele vrouwen, een fototentoonstelling van Juan Martin Monte Casablanca

English translation below. Juan Martin Monte Casablanca groeide op in Argentinië, waar hij al snel in aanraking kwam met foto

Whatever the result is, this referendum has changed Ireland forever

Friday May 25th, the people of Ireland will take to the polls to decide if the 8ththth Amendment should be removed from the co

It seems that Ireland hates women

This morning a friend sent me a photo of a Belgian newspaper article and I cried. I have been involved in the Irish women’s

The strength of Irish women.

I am auctioning this painting to raise funds for #repealthe8th. 100% of the final sale price will be donated to Together for Y

The story of how I found my Dalilla

Bless me, friends, for I have sinned. It’s been seven years since my last painting. 🙂 Seven years ago I made a painti

“This happens every day. To women that you know. To women you love”

After the Harvey Weinstein scandal, the conversation about the continued sexual harassment, objectification and degradation of

Irish man goes on “hunger strike” against women’s rights

Let me tell you the story of a 28 year old man called Tim. Tim supports the 8th amendment which was voted into Irish Constitut

Baby Shaped Hole

Baby Shaped Hole August 2008 Acrylic on canvas 60x80cm (Sold) “One morning I awoke and understood the hole in the middle

Frida love

Dearest Frida, Your art touches me in ways that I never imagined possible. It claws at my heart. I feel it ache in my bones. B

How Ireland treats a pregnant 14-year-old in 2016

As an Irish native living in Belgium, Charlie editor Hilary is concerned with Ireland’s current affairs. This week a report

The unimaginable evil done to mothers and babies in Ireland

In 1975 human baby bones were found in an underground chamber believed to be a septic tank on the grounds of a Catholic Mother

Song of Good Hope

Fifteen years ago, in my first week of university, a girl pushed a CD into my hands and said “You HAVE to listen to these gu

License To Pee

Picture the scene; a person is having a drink in a bar when they feel they need to use the toilet. They get up and walk to the

Say My Name. It’s time we learned about the female body.

Recently a teacher in America lost her job for using the word vagina while discussing Georgia O’Keeffe paintings in her clas

“In onze manier van leven is weinig ruimte voor rouw en verdriet”

Jelle en Sofie zijn twee filmmakers die een verleden als koppel delen. Toen Sofie zes jaar oud was, pleegde haar moeder zelfmo

When having an abortion makes you a criminal

This Friday the 26th of February, the people of Ireland will take to the polls to elect a new government. One of the topics ne

In search of what makes me Irish

“You know, an immigrant is just someone who used to be somewhere else.” said comedian Russell Brand. Whatever you

Watch What Happens When You Kill The Clickbait

Sometimes you just can’t resist those seductive headlines. Links like I’ve Been Brushing My Teeth Wrong All These Year

Needles, laziness, x-rays and a check-up.

On Christmas day it will be exactly one month since I left hospital. Being at home has run more smoothly than the nightmare sc

15 x Laziness

I am learning how to be lazy. I practice every day. I’m getting quite good at it. Sounds strange, I know. Laziness is not co

Sinead, you’ve got more than 8 good reasons to stick around

Sinead O’Connor is no stranger to controversy. In 1992 she tore up a photograph of the pope while signing the word evil on l

Day by Day – The Back Operation

In an effort to keep a short diary over the next week I will update this post each day with some news. If you have no idea wha

Saying goodbye to the whole world.

I feel like I’m saying goodbye to the whole world. Sounds dramatic right? Starting tomorrow I will have a different life. In

George and Milly

George and Milly is run by my sister the fashion guru. She mainly focuses on making stunning scarves, perfect for brightening

Learning to love my self(ie)

I don’t know what I look like. I can’t visualise the shape and size of my body. I look at women and try to figure out if t

The story of how my heart broke. Why we should talk about suicide.

It’s estimated that around one million people die by suicide worldwide each year. It is the most common cause of death in t

Do you mean ‘seriously hilary the painter’?

I used to know who I was. It was easy. hilary is a painter. hilary is ‘seriously hilary’. ‘seriously hilary the painter�

Don’t you see, Mia was the fox

Mia by Gorki was the first Belgian song I learned by heart. This song is on my lovers’ mixed tape, on my office playlis

Give me a YES!

This morning I cried when a very dear friend of mine told me he would leave Ireland if the Referendum did not pass this Frida

How Modeling Lingerie At La Fille d’O Made Me Think About Shaving, Breastfeeding, Feminism, And Vanity

Something I never imagined myself doing is modeling lingerie. It’s probably because I am absolutely terrible at posing for p

A Chubby Story

Two things hit the news this week (well, on a twitter level anyway) that are related in a way like you’re related to someone

OMG I’m a Charlie!

Becoming a writer for Charlie feels like coming home. A group of writers who write from the heart. Honest, real, inspirational

What It’s Like To Be “The Girl With Long Hair”

For most of my life, I had really long hair. I mean really, really, really long. (In my 20s, it even went past my knees.) 

Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf?

I am not usually one to be scared of things, I think spiders are cute, can handle heights reasonably well, no sign of a boogey

Why to Love Walter Van Beirendonck’s Designs

The one and only designer dress I own is a 2009 Walter Van Beirendonck, and the reason I could afford (or pretend to afford)

11 Things You Didn’t Know About Redheads

Do redheads come from another planet? Do they have super powers? These aren’t uncommon questions thrown around at the gi

13 Fashion Problems That Only Extremely Sensitive People Will Understand

We have all dealt with uncomfortable items of clothes from time to time, sometimes we make that choice before going out the

I Fucking Love Science

I enjoyed science in school but haven’t kept in touch since then. The I Fucking Love Science site is a superb way to cat

Bustle Bustle

Bustle was my first writing job ever. I always enjoyed writing down my ideas but never imagined that someone would pay me to d

Is Fashion Supposed To Be A Fairytale Or Should We Expect A Bit More Realism?

Fashion designers are often asked why they don’t opt for more realistic looking models to wear their creations on runwa

Here’s What Not To Wear To A Kids Party

Whether you have kids or not, the fact is that once you hit 30, you’re going to start getting invited to kids birthday p

No One Agrees on the Color of This Dress

Today was one of those days that upon waking up and checking the state of affairs on the internet (while still in your pyjamas

Victory Parade Lets You Create Your Dream Dress

Finding your dream dress is no easy task. After all, it must be the right shape, style and color — and it has to match that

Don’t believe everything you think – what we think about gender.

In general I strive to treat people like people and to not treat anyone differently because of their appearance, gender, race,

Abortion and Ireland, some more broken mother hearts.

In the tourist travel book my boyfriend had when he first came to Ireland it warned “don’t start conversations wit

FYI, Your Hair Has 5 Seasons

We live in a world where we seem to be moving further and further away from nature whilst forming habits that go against our

9 Absolutely Cringeworthy Lingerie Disasters

Whilst researching horribly embarrassing stories in preparation for Valentine’s Day, I discovered that there are two par

The Mermaid Trend is All Over Fashion, But Why Do We So Love These Creatures of the Sea?

Back in November of 2014, The Little Mermaid celebrated a 25th birthday, so it’s no surprise that most thirtysomethings

What’s in Store for Body Image in 2015?

In the last couple of years, a few fashion designers and department stores have begun to realize that there is a need for div

Why We Need To See More Real Bellies

All day long, we are presented with photos of humans in the mainstream media, but very rarely are we presented with “av

13 Things That Happen To You And Your Wardrobe When You Know You Won’t Be Seeing Anyone For A Week

What would change in your daily fashion and beauty routine if you didn’t have to leave your house for a week? I mean,

Creepy Flashing Guy Update

I’m sure you have all been waiting with bated breath to find out how my crusade against Creepy Flashing guy is going! I&

Not in the Party Mood? These Quotes Will Help!

Theoretically, I think parties are great. I love them, because what’s not to love, right? But in reality, we all know th

Cute Sheep, Poisonous Plants and a French Dress.

Proud moment of the week: I made a Belladone! I bet you think I’m talking about Deadly Nightshade Atropa belladonna righ

Sewing Tips for the Pseudo Dressmaker

It has happened to the best of us: The shopping disaster day. We drag ourself from shop to shop, searching for that perfect dr

Why I’m Buying My Son a Lammily Doll For Christmas — And Why Our Fear of “Average” Kind of Needs to Go

The Lammily doll was born in 2013 out of a Photoshop experiment (oh, the irony!) by Nickolay Lamm, who wondered: What if fashi

Photoshop me pretty.

After reading about this photoshop experiment: I Asked 21 Photoshop Experts From Around the World to Make Me (A Plus-Size Wo

Down with this sort of thing

On my daily school-route cycle I pass a piece of graffiti that bothers me greatly. Complaining about grafitti is not something

Soft Cactus in the sun

I made this scarf with three prints from the first range of  Soft Cactus fabrics based on a George and Milly design. This ran

Lena

I want to be more aware of passing time. A year flies past as if it was a month… Four years, five years… whoosh

Lucy Takes Photos

Lucy Takes Photos is a long time friend and lady after my own heart when it comes to love of colours. This is clear to see in

Great Expectations

In my teenage years I was in love with the 1998 version of Great Expectations with Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow. I spent ho

Girl

Hey-Day Florist

The official bio: “At Hey Day Wedding Florists our team of expert and imaginative designers can cater for your every wed

Bobby Sewing

At Bobby Sewing in Mortsel you can find the most lovely fabrics, and lots of friendly advice from Joanna. If you’re not

Nele Needs a Holiday

This is my favorite song from the Nele Needs a Holiday album It’s my Party  

Mums days

Mum’s days is a fab parenting and general all round life blog run by the wonderful Hannah Parker. “Every Mum’s

Bouquet of Buttons

Bouquet of buttons is a lovely sewing and style blog, I will let Lieke introduce herself: “I like beautiful people, beau

Unbearable + Lightness + Being

“Is heavyness truly deplorable and lightness splendid? The heaviest of burdens crushes us, we sink beneath it, it pins u

Day Dream

  Day Dream January 2008 Acrylic on canvas 120x80cm  

Be the change you want to see in the world…

This is an article I wrote for my mum in February 2013 when she decided to close her business and asked me to write something

Mother and Baby – A Mother’s Heart

Over the last few weeks it has come to light that, following the research of Catherine Corless, 796 children, most of them inf

How to Fashionably Keep Warm in the Winter

Sorry to be the one to say it, but summer is long gone and it’s time to find ways to deal with the extreme cold that has

Seriously hilary: The Newsletter

I really should send out more newsletters than I do. My current record is one mail in the last 6 years. So there is no need to

Hurt

September 2004 Acrylic on canvas 51x75cm There was a person who brought love and light and beauty into my life. And I felt dar