Elle Magazine - "Meet The Radical Women Who Are Resisting By Existing.
Greta Bellamacina is the 27-year-old poet who has caught the eye of the fashion world (she's now the face of Ghost). The mother, documentary film-maker and actress spoke to us about deciding to have a child and writing as a woman today.
'I became a mother last year, while still in my early twenties, and was overwhelmed by how many people suddenly have an opinion on your body.
'There are so many expectations to being a female. If you wear pink, you can't be a feminist. If you speak out, you're too pushy, too ambitious.
'But the experience of motherhood presented a whole array of taboo subjects which don't often get spoken about in the media, but which women face every day, such as IVF, sex and pregnancy, fear, depression, abortion, and age.
'Luckily, I surround myself with incredible powerful women who I can call my sisters. I recently did a reading for International Women's Day with Salena Godden, Lisa Luxx and Joelle Taylor - there was so much love and respect in the room. I felt so privileged to be female.
'As a young poet I always struggled with how to make any kind of living from my work. Now I'm older, I realise there were so many other poets in the same boat. Someone once said to me that poetry is the last 'incorruptible art form' because there is no money in it.
'It wasn't until I met the love of my life and partner, Robert Montgomery, and started working together that we started to make some progress. Robert makes his living as an artist, and together we run New River Press to publish other poets we love and our own books. New River is like our own poetry 'indie label'.
'What makes me despair is the increasing capitalist society we live in. It seems in many ways that we are moving backwards. Public libraries are being made into luxury flats and gyms, universities fees keep going up, working class kids can't afford to be artists. So many people I know can barely pay their rent.
'The media puts too much emphasis on reality TV-style celebrities, famous people's children and pointless news - I find it sickening. We have become removed from our emotions.