Why I Consider Myself To Be A Feminist

I consider myself to be extremely lucky because I was able to grow up in a very gender neutral home. By this I mean that, despite my parents having 3 daughters and my poor father being massively out numbered, my parents had equal responsibility and control over taking care of us and of our home and security. As a family, we have never been rich but never been poor either. This meant that both of my parents had to work. They both had to be bringing in an income to put food on the table and keep us comfortable. They equally split expenses and bills and they've always had to share things like cars rather than have their own. Because of this, as a child I had no idea that gender inequality even existed. I didn't know it was a thing. I strongly believe this is how every child should grow up, regardless of whether their mum stays at home to take care of them and their dad works or the other way around. Whatever roles your parents play in terms of taking care of you, it should never be because they're a girl or because they're a boy. 

 A few weeks ago I had to write a speech for an english speaking exam and I talked about feminism and gender inequality in the music industry because I've come to notice sexism a lot more in the last couple of years. Music is my main hobby and so I notice these things a lot more than any others. Writing songs is a creative outlet for most musicians; it's therapeutic and it's their job. My absolute idol, Taylor Swift has been bullied and scrutinized at an extreme level over the last 4+ years by the media for writing songs about her ex-boyfriends. She has been made to feel like she can't even go out on a date with somebody because she has such horrible things said about her. The reason this is unfair isn't just because of the fact that it's her private life and her choice, but also because she's not the only artist to write about their exes. Nobody calls Ed Sheeran a slut for writing about Ellie Goulding. Nobody says that about Bruno Mars either. The whole outlook on female songwriters being sluts for writing about their partners comes from a place of such sexism that it worries me on a daily bases that young girls read these headlines and absorb the message that it's a reality that women are sluts but men can do whatever they want. Moreover, it worries me even further of how sexualised female musicians are. I personally do not approve of the way Miley Cyrus has taken her career in terms of exposing herself on that kind of level to an audience. This isn't because I think she's a slut because I don't, it's her body and her choice; however, what worries me is the fact that young, impressionable girls watch her and look up to her and she completely disregards what impact her choices have on young people. She claims that it's okay because she's not anyone's 'parent' but she has a responsibility that comes with fame to send out a good message and the message she is sending out is far from healthy. 

 She's sending out a message that says for a woman to be interesting and entertaining, she has to be sexually exploiting herself by wearing next to nothing and inappropriately touching herself. The worst part it, I don't blame her to be honest. I blame her production and management team for allowing it and probably encouraging it. The reason she's behaving this way is because the media encourages women to be sexy and desirable. You can guarantee that if Miley came out to perform wearing an elegant dress and she just stood and sang the song, she would be labelled as boring. Female singers are made to feel like they have to exploit themselves and that cannot be a nice way to feel. You never ever see male performers dancing around a stage in a Mancini... at least not very often. This is clearly because men aren't as sexualised as women. Women are expected to be sexy for male pleasure and it makes me so angry. We shouldn't be allowing the media to raise the next generation to be sexist and insecure but that's where this is going. 

 The media isn't the only example of sexism that I've noticed throughout my life. In fact, there have been so many things that I've seen as unfair especially when I was growing up. I've previously mentioned how I wasn't aware of gender inequality as a young child, I didn't notice any kind of injustice until I was at primary school. Sexism is so apparent in schools that it's worrying. The primary school I went to had a football pitch. Literally all of the boys would play football at play time because they liked it. I knew so many girls at primary school that loved sports and would have loved to play football at lunch times but I only ever saw a few of them over there. It wasn't that the boys wouldn't 'let them play,' if a girl was brave enough to ask (she had to ask mind you) the boys were happy enough to let them join in. What I noticed more than this was the fact that our whole team of FEMALE teachers would encourage the girls to play with the 'girl' toys at break times. This meant the skipping ropes etc. There were a fair few of teachers that would make derogatory comments very subtly to the girls who liked playing football which clearly made them feel uncomfortable with the fact that they liked the sport. Why are adults so keen to categorise certain activities with gender?

 Another issue at my primary school that I've always remembered was during the summer when my older sister wanted to wear shorts to school. Our summer uniform was a hideous summer dress for girls and black or grey shorts for boys. My mum went and asked our head teacher if my sister could wear shorts to school throughout the summer because she didn't like the dresses. My head teacher wouldn't allow it. He said to let her wear shorts would be 'opening a can of worms' and soon all of the girls would want to wear them. I've never understood that. Why are clothes not gender neutral? Why was it a bad thing for girls to wear shorts?

 I noticed this whole issue with schools and uniforms when I started at secondary school and realised just how much teachers sexualise girls. The main uniform rule at my school for girls is to wear your skirt on your knee or we are punished with detentions and/or litter pickings. The biggest uniform rule for boys at my school is that they have to wear black socks. The punishment for coloured socks is being told to wear black ones. Not only is that slightly unfair but the female uniform rules are completely unjustified. We have to wear our skirt on the knee because it will distract the boys, because it's provocative. Obviously most girls roll their skirts up and I can honestly tell you that the boys couldn't care less. What's negative about this message is that it instantly tells girls that for them to show skin is wrong. It's negative for them to want to look good in what they wear. Moreover, the attitude towards boys exposing themselves is completely unequal. The are several boys in my year group who like to walk around with their trousers covering very little of their backsides and exposing very disgusting and probably dirty underwear. The punishment for this, nothing. I've never seen a boy get in trouble for showing their UNDERWEAR but heaven forbid a girl reveals a tiny bit of her thigh. The over sexualisation of girls in schools isn't only unfair but it's dangerous to put those kind of opinions into young girls heads. It automatically makes girls feel dirty for wanting to look nice and makes boys think that girls dress a certain way only to impress them. It allows boys to assume that they have a right and control over the female body and how much they get to see. This isn't the case at all, we just want to look a way that makes us feel good and boys should be taught to accept how much or little is on show. 

 I didn't even know that feminism existed until last Autumn when Emma Watson kicked off the HeForShe campaign promoting gender equality. That's how little feminism was being encouraged. Listening to her speak about how she's seen women's rights disregarded and how she herself has been sexualised by the media made me realise something... I am a feminist. She spoke about so many things that I had been angered by and I finally felt like I had found a voice for my views. I've always looked up to Emma Watson. Not only is she talented and beautiful but she is so intelligent and so well educated. She has given out such a good message to young girls especially seeing as she went back to college post Harry Potter even though she had a career in her hands. I am so thankful that she is promoting gender equality because people look up to her. This is what we need to do. Use the media platform to promote equality rather than sexualising women. 

 One thing that bothers me more than gender inequality is the misunderstanding of the term 'feminism.' A friend of mine told me that he thinks the name is sexist and I can see why men get confused and think that feminism is man hating. The beliefs of a feminist are called feminism because for decades and centuries it was the woman's way of thinking. It was the feminine way to fight for gender equality because men used to have more power. I feel fortunate to be able to say that that it no longer the case; however, there are still issues of gender inequality that BOTH genders fall victim too. Feminism isn't just fighting to make women equal, but fighting to make everyone equal. We want equality for men too. 

 I watched This Morning on Tuesday and was so deeply offended by Peter Lloyd's opinions on feminism. He said that we'd gone too far and that women had too much power. He said that women were becoming more equal than men. This makes no sense. How can something be more equal than another thing? An equal split means 50/50 and that's what we're heading towards, for men and for women. He expressed that he thought the feminist view was destroying marriage and making men lose their manhood. For goodness sake. The tone in which he spoke correlated with the misconception that feminism means man hating. He clearly misunderstood feminism for trying to overtake men and therefore was afraid that he would lose his precious 'manhood.' This is so wrong. Feminism is the fight for equality not the fight for women. 

 There are so many injustices against men as well as women. I feel so sorry for men. It pains me to know that men are made to feel like they can't cry or show any emotion. The one thing that makes us human and allows us to express negative emotions and you have it stripped away from you in the need to appear strong and powerful. Let me tell you a secret, for women, there is nothing stronger than a man who can openly cry. It's the most attractive thing. You don't need to be robots and suppress your feelings because it's natural. Men shouldn't feel like they can't express sadness and they definitely shouldn't give off the impression to other men that it's wrong to cry.

 It's like men are made to feel like they can't be victimised and if they are, it's their fault. I watched a social experiment video the other day where 2 actors pretended to be a couple walking through a park full of unsuspecting people. The couple then began to argue and in the first experiment, the man hit the woman. So many people then came over and did the obvious: they yelled at him and comforted her. In the second experiment, she hit him. Nobody came to stick up for him. Most people only watched and the continued walking; one woman shouted 'good for you, don't let him push you around.' Why are there such double standards? Why do we assume that men can't be victimised? Men need just as much support as women do and violence is never okay whether it's a man to a woman or a woman to a man.    

 For women, I think one of the biggest issues of gender equality is that men seem to be able to go around and sleep with as many women as they like but if women do the same thing they're sluts. It makes me angry. Sex is a personal choice and nobody else's business. It shouldn't matter if a woman has slept with 2 people or 20. So long as nobody gets hurt by it who cares? The most worrying thing for me is that some of the harshest criticism I've received in my life isn't from men, it's from other women. How can we expect men to see us on an equal level if we can't support each other? Do you remember that epic line from mean girls: "You've got to stop calling each other sluts and whores, it just makes it okay for guys to call you sluts and whores" - That is the most accurate thing I've ever heard in my life. 

 There are such subtle issues of gender inequality that are brushed over in everyday life. For example, the idea that women will get paid less than men for the exact same job, the idea that men shouldn't wear makeup. There's also the idea of gender roles. Feminists are massively misunderstood when it comes to gender roles. I've mentioned that I was lucky enough to grow up in a house where gender roles didn't exist and so I've never understood the logic behind the idea. The whole 'girls belong in the kitchen' stereotype is so unhealthy and offensive! Many people assume that because I'm a feminist I would be unwilling to cook for my family and would put up a fuss if I needed to clean. 

 Let me tell you one thing and if you take only one thing from this post, let it be this: I would love nothing more than to take care of my family, cook for them, wash their clothes etc. but I don't want the to be expected of me because I'm a girl. 

 As soon as we breed out the idea of gender roles, I'm pretty sure the rest of gender inequality will follow. My generation is full of feminists and it's so uplifting to see. I genuinely believe that if we encourage feminism it will be achieved once the sexists die out. That sounds very fascist but unfortunately it the truth. Sexism is a very old fashioned thing that's becoming more dated as time goes on. It's now more accepted to be a feminist that it is to believe in sexism and if we encourage our children to practice equality then it will be achieved. For me, I am comforted by how much feminism has increased since the HeForShe campaign kicked off. In under a year, we have achieved so much and that can only increase. My message to you is don't misunderstand feminism, it's no longer the female way. Gender equality is for everyone, both genders. If men encourage each other and women and women encourage each other and men, we can start to have equal opportunities and equal expectations of ourselves and each other. We need to let go of all the prejudice and encourage feminism. It's not man hating. 

Spring Clothing Haul

I decided upon doing a much more lighthearted post this week that would be a little bit more fun and easy to read. I have recently done some online shopping which was a bit of a roller coaster. Being such an awkward size makes buying clothes very difficult because even small UK sizes are huge. I found myself spending a little bit more money than I usually would just to order from shops that feature petite ranges because at least then the clothes would fit properly. 

 A couple of months ago a ordered from Boohoo. I've always loved Boohoo because they feature pretty much every style and size you could possibly need; however, this time I was really disappointed. I usually buy clothes in a size 6 unless the shop stocks a size 4, in most cases its very rare for a shop to stock size 4 so my clothes are always a little baggy. I have this one pair of jeans that were a hand me down from my older sister and they are the most comfortable thing I own. They're from Boohoo. So I figured if I was to order more jeans in the smallest size Boohoo stock then they would be bound to fit me really well. I was wrong. A pair of what were supposed to be super skinny fit jeans in fact looked like this: ->

I wasn't too happy. So I sent most of my order back and received a refund after about 2 weeks. The only item I kept from this order was this really lovely dress. It is a bit too baggy but it fits and I figure it could last next summer too. It will be great for those hot summer days when you want a nice, light fabric that wont cling to you. I paid £8 for this which is a bargain. Despite the sizing issue, Boohoo is fantastic when it comes to prices. As shown by the image, it comes just above the knee and isn't too tight fitted but it's comfortable and looks elegant. Perfect to wear over a bikini on the beach this summer or just a classic outfit to keep you cool when the weather gets warmer. All was not lost. 

 After having to send the rest of the items back and wait for my refund, I decided to wait a few more weeks to let my wages build up and to consider shopping at some more expensive shops. I've always been put off Top Shop because their prices are so high and I could never afford more than a few things at a time. I'm not very patient with saving money so I've just never had the budget for them. However, having spent less money for clothes that didn't fit, I was looking for a shop that had a half decent petite section for me to shop in and I didn't really mind spending a little bit more for some clothes that would actually fit comfortably.

 When looking at the Top Shop online store, I already had an idea of the kind of clothing I needed. I was desperately lacking jeans that fit me well and so I decided to chose some nice jeans first. The jeans from Top Shop cost about £40 a pair and so I wasn't going to be buying many! But I really wanted some plain white jeans and so I fell for this pair with a subtle rip just across the knee.

 These are the smallest size they stock. They fit perfectly and comfortably and I can tell that they will go with so many of my tops so I'm glad I decided to spend a little bit more. I always have been wary of white jeans because they can sometimes be a little bit transparent but these aren't. These are a really good buy and Top Shop also stock some similar but with more or less rips in them so go and check them out if you're feeling adventurous!

Now, I'm a bit of a sucker for a midi dress when I see one. I think they're so comfortable and complimentary to wear. Black and White stripes are really in this spring so I really fell in love with this dress! It cost about £22 and I absolutely love it. I find dresses like these perfect to wear at gigs or just for a casual trip out. It's made of such a comfortable fabric and you can tell it's good quality! I can't wait to wear this. I think the black and white stripe look will look stunning with a simple makeup look and red lipstick



The next thing that caught my eye was this stunning white cropped T Shirt with black flower detailing. It looks gorgeous with my black jeans. Again, it's such a comfortable item to wear in the summer because it doesn't cling to your skin or smother you too much. It's such a simple design and was well worth £22. It gives the perfect finish to a casual day time look.
 Again, it is true to size and would look perfect on all different body types and figures. I cannot wait to show this little piece off!



The final item I bought from Top Shop is this simple but cute little crop top with black and white stripe detailing. As previously mentioned, the black and white stripes are very fashionable this season so I can't wait to wear this. Perfect for going out or even just to show off a tan. I love items like this because they go with almost anything be it a little skater skirt or jeans. I think I paid about £12 for this. The fabric it's made from is lovely. It's strong but is soft on your skin and again feels like it's good quality!






I then decided to have a look on the Miss Selfridge online store to see if there was anything that caught my eye. I had liked the look of a khaki green strappy top from Top Shop but they typically didn't have it in my size. I found this top in a similar colour but different style and fell equally in love with it. It's beautiful. It's the nicest design and goes with both black and white jeans. The straps are slightly too long but I can easily stitch them so it hangs comfortably. It is a crop top when it's put on which I didn't realise but it still looks lovely and I'm really happy with it! I again think this was about £22.



The last item I got was a pair of black ripped jeans. Jeans from Miss Selfridge also cost about £40 a pair. I love these so much! They're so comfortable and complimenting when you wear them. The rips fall just below the knee and are really subtle. They go with pretty much anything and complete the perfect outfit for going out.

 These are also in the smallest size that Miss Selfridge stock (in the petite section) and fit me so perfectly around the waist which is a miracle as I usually have to take in my jeans so they stay up!


I hope this helped you if you're like me and struggle to find clothing that fits! I would advise anyone to try spending a little more when you go clothes shopping as you will find the more you spend, the better the product in terms of description and living up to expectations.  

A Smile Is Contagious

I went busking about a week ago for the first time in a while. It took a lot for me to do it. I often feel very anxious about going busking, I'm not really sure why. I have to practically force myself onto the bus in the morning to do it. Even though I know for a fact that it's fine and it isn't scary and I always enjoy it, I still get nervous. The last time I went I almost didn't go; in fact, I had planned to go several times throughout Easter/Spring break and every single time I changed my mind or conveniently found something much more anxiety free to do (such as revision.) Of course, revision isn't a bad thing but I started to go a bit stir crazy and definitely needed to leave the house. So I dragged my sorry behind out of my living room for the day and did some busking. 

 I always think busking gives musicians a bit of a bad name because it's assumed we all do it for the money. It's true, you can make a fair bit from busking. However, I think for me busking is more of a chance to do what I enjoy. I get to sit for hours doing what I love the most (which I'd probably be doing at home in my room alone anyway) and I might make £30 from it. It gives you performance experience as well as time to try out new material. In most cases, people find buskers annoying and I, more often that not, get filthy glances off people as they walk past ignoring what I'm doing. But the reason I manage to drag myself into Stratford to do it no matter how anxious it makes me feel is that it makes so many people smile. 

 The amount of little kids that walk past mesmerized by what I'm doing in incredible. Most of them just get dragged along by busy mothers desperate to get to poundland before the bus leaves them behind but the occasional few parents will just let them watch for a while. And they love it. It makes them so happy and that makes me happy because I was always inspired by music from a very young age and if I can pass that along to younger people then I've achieved something amazing. It isn't just small kids that enjoy it either. I had a lovely mother and her daughter stop and give me a large sum of cash just because I happened to play her favourite song. And there was even a man who watched me for a good hour just to listen. 

 It wasn't me that they were captivated by, it was the music. 

Whenever I am out and about I will always give what change I have to a busker if I see one; I know what it's like to be sat there in the cold desperate to make enough cash to be able to afford that flashy guitar strap you've had your eye on. It makes them happy and it doesn't really cost me much. I think music that people can feel and relate to makes them happy, even if it's a sad song. Capturing emotions in something people can take with them and listen to is such an important thing to me and to be able to make someone smile just because they've heard a lyric as they walked past me that made them think of something is magical. It's all I've ever wanted to do. Even if you can't or don't wish to give 50p to a busker in the street, smile at them. If you smile at them it shows that you appreciate what they're doing which isn't trying to make money but to spread their passion. 

 Music is the most efficient way of storing memories that there is. I was listening to a whole bunch of old songs on my iPhone on the way into Stratford that day and I found myself spontaneously attacked by an army of nostalgic tunes that I had forgotten about. Songs that reminded me of old friendships or ex boyfriends or whatever it is. If you listen to a song or an album when going through a certain thing that feeling will always be echoed in that lyric or that melody. Sometimes it's inconvenient, for instance, if you associate your favourite song with a doochebag before you realise he's a douchebag... there's no going back. That song is ruined forever. But it's equally as magical. If you're lucky enough to capture the whole feeling of falling in love in a certain album or song, that will stay with you for as long as that album is playing. Forever. And that's what a musician wants. They want to give you a soundtrack to capture your memories in. That's what music is for us. So please don't glare at buskers when you walk past them. Smile and remember whatever lyric they're singing and then if you're to hear that lyric again you'll remember the 16 year old kid who woke up at 7am in their school holiday just to go stand in the cold and do what they enjoy. If that's not a nice feeling to remember then I don't know what is. It sound much nicer than hearing that lyric again and remembering the grumpy mood you were in when you were just to preoccupied with the thought of a latte from starbucks before you head back to your flashy office job. 

 If you don't want to give money, a polite smile costs you nothing.  

 Finally, I need to round this up in some philosophical way so I guess what I want you to take from this isn't just to be kind to buskers on the street but just to be kind to everyone. As previously highlighted, I myself used to think buskers just wanted money before I started doing it but now I understand it much better:

 You don't know what other people are thinking or what they're trying to achieve. The one thing I hate is cynical people. No matter what's going on smile at people. They might smile back. And then they might smile at someone else because you made them smile. Not only is it a kind thing to do but it's important. You might give someone the only smile they have that day. People have complications and layers. You won't always know what's going on so just smile. Don't assume that someone is rude just because they don't want to talk. Don't assume a busker is greedy just because they've gone out to earn themselves some money. Don't assume that someone is happy just because they're laughing. Kindness goes a long way. Smiles work like dominoes so go and spread the love. Or the Nutella. 

Second Thoughts About After School Plans

A lot of you reading this may think I've left it a little bit too late to write a post like this. I am well aware (believe me) that year 11 exams are literally a few weeks away (!) and plans for next year should be well underway and finalized by now. I've had conversations with so many people about what we're all doing after we finish year 11 and I have become increasingly concerned about how limited people think their options are.
 The sixth form at my school have completed their time table for A Levels and have met very little of my friends' requirements meaning a lot of them are forced into taking subjects they don't really want to in order to replace subjects that my school cannot be bothered to fit into their time tables. Most of my friends are unhappy. I've asked so many of them multiple times why they don't look for somewhere else to go and the reply I receive is tragically always: "It's too late." 

 I want to show people that it's not too late. Most colleges and sixth forms will accept applicants right up until the first few weeks of the next school year. That means you could change your mind even after starting sixth form where you are currently planning on going. So clearly you can change your mind now! My school is guilty of the following which gives students a misleading message; many schools that have sixth forms will say they want application forms in by the mid winter terms so they can figure out a time table. My school have clearly done a shoddy job of this but most colleges will allow you to apply at any point and will do whatever they can to fit your subjects in because they are typically more flexible. This is definitely something you should think about; If your school cannot give you what you need, go elsewhere. 

 My choice to abandon my school when it came to sixth form was a difficult one to make but I made it very early on into year 11. I've never ever been happy at my school as you can probably tell from my tone when discussing them. I have contemplated many times writing a blog post to review and warn people about my school because I am that disgusted by the way it is run but I feel like this wouldn't reach the right people considering I write a beauty blog and it wouldn't benefit anybody. Instead I am going to be more vague and just discuss the issues I have had so that anybody having similar issues can be inspired to take a leap and go elsewhere. 

 Clashes with staff are inevitable at a secondary school because they insist on treating you like a child and speaking to you with minimal respect. A secondary school's thirst for discipline often results in you constantly being spoken to like a delinquent rather than a human being with human and student rights. I have a few teachers who are willing to speak to me on an equal level; however, the rest seem to thoroughly enjoy talking down to us like we are an old piece of gum that has been flicked off the bottom of one of the desks. Not only do secondary school rules insist of stripping you of any personality you may have by banning jewelry, hair colouring etc. But they also encourage you to look and behave in a plain, boring manor by punishing you for any forms of expressing yourself that you may undertake and insisting you wear a horrific uniform that they seem to care more about that actual education. I've seen students who get admirable grades thrown into detentions and internals just because they've died their hair when students that muck about and get despicable grades get rewarded when they behave well! I'm pretty sure this isn't specific to my school but if it is, I'm extremely glad I decided to move. 
 Secondary schools commonly have a senior staff team that cannot wait and are desperately hungry for punishing and belittling students. There is no room for making mistakes at a secondary school because your teachers will soon forget all of the creditable things you have done over the years and immediately speak to you like you poses no rights or assets. Many secondary schools claim that once you reach sixth form you are spoken to with respect and like an adult. I have spoken to so many sixth form students that have informed me this isn't true. And even if that did happen, it should be the same for all students not just A Level students. My school and any other school that have this attitude need to have a serious re evaluation of their attitudes towards pupils and even their parents. 

 The social side of school can be very difficult also and stimulate a student's desire to move on. I have skipped through so many friendship groups whilst being at school. Mostly because for girls, the thirst for popularity is too much to handle and they forget which friends are their true friends which resulted in me getting dropped a fair few times because I didn't have my PE kit in a paper Jack Wills bag. Furthermore, for most of my secondary school life I have felt out of place and like I didn't belong anywhere. I've only the last year or so found a friendship group that I fit in with and get along with. 

 You may be wondering why I then chose to move schools after finally being accepted socially. Most of the reasons I have previously discussed when analyzing the attitudes of secondary school senior staff so I will highlight to you now why I think a college is a better environment for me. 

 First and foremost they encourage you to express yourself and your individuality which is key to finding who you are which is hard when you're 16-17. Secondly, they allow you to make mistakes and offer so much more support into setting things right. They offer much more facilities in terms of making important decisions such as higher education or career paths and they genuinely care about whatever you do. They wont be constantly pushing you to stay at their site. You are allowed much more freedom and space to do what you want and learn however you want which is better for young adults who will soon be expected to live independently. Moreover, you can guarantee that at a college you have much more space and will be in a much more positive enviroment which inevitably enables you to focus much more on the courses you are doing. 

 My advice to anybody who has had similar issues to me is simply to go somewhere else. Don't trust the school you are currently at because it's clearly not the right school for you. I had so many opportunities to move schools and was too afraid to. I kept trusting that as I got older school would get better and it never did. Move on, meet new people and try new places rather than staying in an enviroment that is unhealthy for you. Think of it as a relationship: you can't stay in an unhealthy relationship hoping it will just get better because it wont. It doesn't. No matter how numinous you feel about it, trust that it could get better if you leave and if it doesn't, you haven't lost out on anything because you weren't happy in the first place. 

 My advice to people who don't want to stay at a sixth form is literally to keep your mind open. You can honestly do anything you want. Don't allow people to tell you what you should be doing or what your parent's want. You can honestly do whatever you want to do. Look into some college courses or apprenticeships and see whats available to you. Make sure to go on taster days and to open evenings and just never tell yourself it's too late to change your mind because you can change your mind even when you start doing whatever it is you chose to do. 

 The most important thing is your happiness because if you aren't happy in what you're doing inevitably you wont be happy in the career you end up qualified for, so don't settle for anything less than what you want. If your school can't give you the A Level options you want then find another sixth form. If the college you're looking at doesn't offer the course you want find another college not another course. If your parents want you to be a lawyer and you want to be a magician tell your parents where to go. It's your life and your choice so ensure that you're happy and everyone else can figure themselves out.