Tanyel Mustafa's Recent Articles - Refinery29

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Salary Story: No Maternity Pay Forced Me To Have An Abortion

We Called Off Our Engagements — & Celebrated It

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The Scenic Route: Why Taking The Train To Scotland Is The Ultimate Travel ...

Gyms Are Helping Gen Z Feel Back In Control — I Get It

Gen Z is flooding the UK’s gyms, according to new research. 11.5million people aged 16 and over now have a gym membership, which is a record high and an

by Tanyel Mustafa

“I Spent £1,400 Spontaneously”: 5 Women On The Expense They Regre...

We’ve all done it. Whether it was an impulse buy or a heavily researched investment, we’ve all got it wrong at some point. The thing we thought we’d

by Tanyel Mustafa

The “You Meet Them Twice” Theory Probably Isn’t Your ...

I remember being 22, fresh in the throes of my first heartbreak, and being told by an ex-colleague about a woman she knew who’d been let down by a romant

by Tanyel Mustafa

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Is Your Situationship Draining You? End It (For Good This Time)

Forget spring cleaning your wardrobe, spring clean your dating life. There’s never been a better time to end it with your situationship: Spring is here,

by Tanyel Mustafa

You’re Not An Empath, Actually

Raise your hand if you’ve heard someone call themselves an “empath”, or you yourself have claimed the label. It sounds virtuous, right? An empath is

by Tanyel Mustafa

Salary Story: I Quit While On Holiday

by Tanyel Mustafa

Meet The Best Friends With Decades Between Them

WRITTEN BY TANYEL MUSTAFAPHOTOGRAPHED BY LAURA MCCLUSKEY & ISOBEL RAE ART DIRECTION BY KRISTINE ROMANO “You’re my best friend and you always will b

by Tanyel Mustafa

I Stick To My “Fitness Activity Cocktail” — & It’s Ma...

I’ve been going to the gym for about 10 years now. My goals and motivations have shifted during that time, as has how I’ve trained. I started off exclu

by Tanyel Mustafa

11 Women On What Getting The Coil Is Really Like

Much like everyone’s “first time” story, women’s IUD experiences are often completely unique. Some insertions feel like just another annual exam. F

by Tanyel Mustafa

“I Ended Up In An All-Women Orgy”: 4 Women On Going To Kink & Sex...

The dancefloor is filled with bodies clad in latex, leather and wet-look pleather. They move to the techno DJ set, flirt at the bar, and watch performers o

by Tanyel Mustafa

Salary Story: I Took A £20,000 Pay Cut To Change Career — & Strug...

by Tanyel Mustafa

Salary Story: I Left My £75k Salary To Start A Business For Myself

by Tanyel Mustafa

Your Exercise Routine Can Be Compatible With Your Period — Here&#...

No one enjoys a period, and certainly not exercising on one, either. It’s a multiple day event in the calendar (if we’re lucky enough to have it come a

by Tanyel Mustafa

R29 Editors On The Nostalgic Things They Turn To For Comfort

by Tanyel Mustafa

I Went To 5 Singles Events & It Gave Me Hope

I’m single and have been for so long, it feels like a core part of my identity. When the right man comes along, it’s going to be an adjustment. But it

by Tanyel Mustafa

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Time Doesn’t Matter In Friendships — My Best Friends Came L...

This Women’s History Month and beyond, we’re celebrating the people who have our back: the day ones, the real ones, the plus ones. They are: The One(s)

by Tanyel Mustafa

5 Years Later, Women Are Still Living With Long Covid

March 2020. Say that date, and everyone will shudder. The beginning, for most of us, of the Covid pandemic. Everyone knows that time period well, what it d

by Tanyel Mustafa

Salary Story: I Let My Boss Talk Me Into Lower Pay

by Tanyel Mustafa

Girlies, Here’s How To Hold Your Own Space At The Pilates Studio

Women have spoken time and time again about experiencing more “gymtimidation” than men. These conversations have often focused on the weights room, whe

by Tanyel Mustafa

The Big Night Out — & The Even Bigger Risk Of Mixing Alcohol & Co...

Trigger warning: This article contains discussion of suicide. While travelling as a 20-year-old, Jess* (now 27), partied hard. It was a typical rite of pas

by Tanyel Mustafa

If Your SAD Symptoms Aren’t Shifting, Get Distracted

This winter has felt that much worse than ever before. Whether or not it’s true, it seems greyer, colder and the sun is currently only gracing the UK wit

by Tanyel Mustafa

“But Then I Met Cara”: Women On Finding Love While Chronically Ill

“Initially I felt responsible for my last breakup, as it happened when I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia,” says Chloe Bennet, 34, from Florida, US, who

by Tanyel Mustafa

“I Thought ‘I’m Not Someone Who Gets HIV'”...

“I felt like I was a lesser person. I felt like I was dirty. I felt like I deserved it somehow.” Victoria Roscow, 30 and from Manchester, UK, learned o

by Tanyel Mustafa

10 Women On Getting A HPV Diagnosis After Their First Cervical Ca...

by Tanyel Mustafa

Salary Story: Now I’m Debt-Free, I’ve Stopped Chasing...

by Tanyel Mustafa

Salary Story: It Took Years To Mentally Recover From A Toxic Manager

by Tanyel Mustafa

R29 Career Advice

So You Got Bad Vibes At The Job Interview — Now What?

Landing a job interview is a win in itself. In the UK, research estimates as many as 76% of people will want a job change this year. Especially in this tou

by Tanyel Mustafa

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