Hi Everyone!
I’ve been busy asking women from across the globe to participate in the AW80W project but felt I should lead by example and share more of my own story.
Born with a Plastic Spoon
I grew up in a former mining town in northern England with a predominantly working-class population. Even though I currently live in Edinburgh, Scotland, I’m a Yorkshire girl at heart!
At school, I was often targeted because I wasn’t working-class enough due to how I dressed or my softer accent.
This experience was repeated when I got a job at the local Working Men’s Club (WMC), where some of the regulars would imitate my way of speaking or call me things like ‘Brain of Britain.’
They’d also scrutinise how I looked, with one older man grabbing the flesh above my jeans and telling me I was getting fat.
Needless to say, I ended up in the toilets crying.
Get Yer Education
When I began my English course at university, I had the opposite experience.
In higher education, my accent and where I came from were too working-class.
I’d frequently receive comments about my accent so I learned to tone it down even more.
Who Am I Now?
I’m much more secure in who I am now and don’t let my accent or the fact I’m from a working-class background negatively impact me.
In fact, I’m using it as a superpower to inform my literary fiction novel that I’m currently writing.
My novel uses the Yorkshire accent – loud and proud!
My Story
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Take care,
Rachel : )
