For these Muslim and Jewish women, 'modest fashion' isn't what you think it is.
MAMAMIA - It was New York Fashion Week, 2016. Indonesian designer Anniesa Hasibuan was the first designer to present a collection where every woman on her runway wore a hijab. It was a moment for ‘modest fashion’. It had arrived in the mainstream…
'I'm a 29-year-old private investigator. Here's what my life looks like.'
MAMAMIA - You've got to be able to run fast. That's the overarching lesson I glean from Sydney-based private investigator, Amy Elliott…
Kiani Mills was a broke single mum of 2. A $1600 loan from her nanna changed everything.
MAMAMIA - "You have everything you need inside of you. Just believe in yourself and hold on for the ride because it's going to be a bumpy one." It's the advice that Kiani Mills, 35-year-old single mum of two, would give her 16-year-old self if she had her time again. And the ride was bumpy indeed…
This week an Indigenous woman and her baby were killed. We need to talk about it.
MAMAMIA - We don’t know her name yet. Or the name of her little baby. For now, they are known as the 40-year-old woman and infant child whose bodies were found at an outstation north of Alice Springs on Sunday. With them, was also the body of a 41-year-old man. A firearm was located at the scene and the police are treating the “horrific” incident as domestic violence. But perhaps you didn’t hear about it?…
EXCLUSIVE: As Russia declared war, Yulia and her family fled Ukraine. A few ordinary Australians saved them.
MAMAMIA - As Yulia Konokhovych flung open the front door of her unassuming 1950s brick veneer in Melbourne’s south-east, I was met with her kind smile. The mid-30s mother of two has her hair gathered into a neat plait. Her top eyelids are each lined with a simple black stroke. “Please, come in,” she implores, a melodic lilt to her accent…
'I’m a short size 14-16. This is my quest for finding the right jeans.'
MAMAMIA - It’s them and me; staring each other down from our separate sides of the cubicle. I take a deep breath, give them one final look from top to bottom before cautiously taking a step forward. My palms are clammy. The fear is palpable…
At 33, mum of 4 Sandra Creamer left her violent marriage with nothing. This is her success story.
MAMAMIA - As proud Waanyi/Kalkadoon woman Sandra Creamer reflects on the hardships she has faced, there is one memory in particular that hangs heavily on her words. After mustering the courage to leave her violent marriage, she found herself at 33 years old, with four children in tow, and "as poor as a church mouse”…
EXCLUSIVE: Bringing Alba home – The Australian baby born as war began in Ukraine.
MAMAMIA - It’s 7am London time when Jess van Nooten and I first speak. Her words are hushed through the phone. Her voice is friendly, but strained. Tired. And then I hear Alba’s cry; the little baby that made headlines, born 11 weeks premature via a surrogate in Ukraine - two days before Russia declared war.
Nightclubs are dying. Here are 8 things we certainly won't miss.
MAMAMIA - When I was - ahem - younger, Saturday nights used to mean one thing. Get out the Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs, prepare to be cold (because no jacket will spoil this outfit, sorry Mum), and gather ‘round the ‘goon bag’ because tonight we’re going clubbing…
'For 20 years, I supported my husband wearing women's clothing. But now I'm ending the marriage.'
MAMAMIA - It was a month into Rosie* and Danny’s relationship that she discovered a pair of stockings. In his cupboard…
Undrinkable water and casual racism: The reality of Indigenous health in Australia.
MAMAMIA - She goes to turn on her kitchen tap, but the water is undrinkable. Not because it tastes a bit ‘chlorine-y’. For years, the water has been contaminated with uranium, more than three times the concentration limit recommended in Australia’s drinking water guidelines...
This is what diversity looks like.
MAMAMIA - I want to ask you a favour. Put aside who you voted for in last weekend's federal election. Just for a minute, please…
A third of migrant women experience domestic violence in Australia. But there's more to it than that.
MAMAMIA - Prisha* was 10 years old when she and her family migrated to Sydney from Uttar Pradesh in northern India. After graduating high school, she studied to become an engineer – the same profession as her soon-to-be husband.. …
'I’m a size 14-16 woman who grew up in the ’90s. This is what it did for my body image.'
MAMAMIA - Flower-adorned bucket hats upturned at the front, 50 cent mixed lolly bags from the local milk bar, diaries with a lock and key, and low-slung cargo pants - the more zips, the better. Yep, the late-90s and early-2000s were a mish-mash of… everything. …
Lisa spent 92 days at sea. Now she's made history.
MAMAMIA - Yesterday morning, Aussie solo sailor Lisa Blair, 37, made history. As her yacht sailed in to Albany, WA to jubilant cheers and the sounds of ship horns, she became the fastest person to circumnavigate Antarctica - solo, non-stop and unassisted…
'Last night, I attended a domestic violence vigil. I didn’t expect to be triggered.'
MAMAMIA - It was such a long time ago now, and he is someone buried deep in my past. But at the time, we were in our 20s and in love, and so when it happened, I was in shock. My trust had been shattered…
On the eve of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a woman was allegedly murdered.
MAMAMIA - "Another woman taken." It's just one of the handwritten notes that sits alongside tumbled flowers, part of the makeshift tribute that lines the front of her Croydon North home.…
'I work in news, but as I prepare to vote on Saturday I’ve never felt less inspired.'
MAMAMIA - As a journalist, my days are book-ended in the same way. With news. I read it first thing in the morning. I watch it before I go to bed. And each day, I bear witness to The Latest Adventures of ScoMo and Albo: On the Campaign Trail…
Men are calling domestic violence helplines more than ever. This is what they're saying.
MAMAMIA - It’s a quiet day at the Men's Referral Service (MRS), run by the organisation No to Violence in Melbourne…
'I had COVID three months ago, and I’m still not back to normal'
MAMAMIA - I've been sitting here for the last 30 minutes trying to find the right words to describe my reality since COVID - but they evade me…