BELL HOOKS AND THE BIG ISSUE

Bell Hooks theory really links with the Big Issue as their mission is to help people in need. Bell hooks talks about the struggle to end sexist and patriarchal oppression and the idea of superiority and domination. With the Big issue the magazine breaks patriarchal oppression and makes everybody equal and gives everyone an equal chance as the vendors can work for when they want and get themselves off their feet in a different way, making money buying the magazine at half the price and selling it for its full-face value, making a profit without a contract and being able to do their own thing. This is a huge breakthrough for homeless especially as being at the bottom of a patriarchal society and no one really helps the homeless as they have stigmas of being bad/abusive people. They can make a living for themselves without being attached to the stigma of being homeless.

In Bell Hooks theory, it says it is the fact in the patriarchy chain is dominated by white men and The Big Issue fights at this. On the contents page it features an elderly man named Donato who is from all over the world but moved to England for a fresh start and used the Big Issue as a job. This exceeds bell hooks for the fact anyone can become a vendor and there's no limits to selling the Big Issue. To add to this all the profits for the Big Issue are put back into the community to help people live a better quality of life.

The Big issue’s mission is to “give a voice to the voiceless” This represents helping the bottom of the patriarchal chain. If you investigate the Big Issues history, one of the creators of the magazine was homeless and shows that they are a company with good morals and the right attitude. On the page about ‘moving on’ it shows a man who was homeless and at rock bottom and has now made his way up the chain and works in law, all down to the big issue. Another one of the ex-vendors was a woman in her teens sleeping rough and was helped by the big issue so much that she is now working a highly paid job and is at the high end of the patriarchy, aswell as setting up her own charity. This diminishes any confusion that the Big Issue is sexist as they are there to help anyone of any gender, age or ethnicity. This ends the stigma around people sleeping rough and especially around the idea that females can't to the same (feminism is a struggle - bell hooks), however as a woman of color and sleeping rough, Marvina Newton an ex-vendor set up a charity to help people who were in her same situation which shows in modern day even though women can be oppressed or discriminated against .

On the page "No soggy bottoms here!" it shows vendors going out and reporting on cakes, this shows that people who are oppressed and may have a stigma around their lifestyle can do more then society thinks and expenses how big Bell Hooks is. These vendors are a vital part of the magazine and The Big Issue isn't shy about it. It flourishes in the fact they're helping for the better, encouraging others to do the came and break the chain of hierarchy and help prove bell hooks wrong and take a step in the right direction where society isn't discriminatory or oppressed!

Bell hooks is such an amazing theory to pair with The big issue as it takes all the negative ideologies and breaks them like oppression and domination through hierarchy. Although, the magazine is quite political and may bring up sore topics such as breed and the general elections, it uses celebrities and inspiring people that will make you crave more, its even better that its exclusively sold by vendors instead of being in shops as it gives someone a living rather than helping to fund big corporations, which breaks the chain of dominance from other magazines who only sell through shops.