ArtsFems Zine #1 by ArtsFems

ArtsFems Zine ArtsFems Zine Issue 1 Issue 1 Editors: AnaEditors: Oppenheim Ana Oppenheim Corie Denby McGowan Corie Denby McGowan Grace McLoughlin Grace McLoughlin Grace Scarlett Grace Scarlett Scarlett Shaney Langdon Scarlett Shaney Langdon Contributors: Contributors: Adriana Adriana Rodrigues Rodrigues Ana Ana Oppenheim Oppenheim Annabel Annabel Duggleby Duggleby Corie McGowan Corie Denby Denby McGowan Elisha Van Rijswijk Elisha Rijswijk Evie Evie Hatch Hatch Frances OBE Frances Corner Corner OBE Grace Scarlett Scarlett Grace Joseph Johnston Johnston Joseph Jūratė Gačionytė Gačionytė Jūratė Katy Jalilipour Jalilipour Katy Lorraine Smith Lorraine Smith Nelly Rose Rose Stewart Nelly Stewart Rebecca Livesey-Wright Rebecca Livesey-Wright Rosie Rynn Rynn O’Shea Rosie O’Shea Scarlett Shaney langdon Scarlett Shaney langdon Shelly Asquith Shelly Asquith Sofia Landström Sofia Landström Tuli Litvak Tuli Litvak For enquiries, comments or contributions, contact: For enquiries, comments or contributions, contact: artsfems@gmail.com artsfems@gmail.com Cover: Elisha Van Rijswijk Cover: Elisha VanCamberwell Rijswijk FDA Illustration,

FDA Illustration, Camberwell Back Cover: Ballu Koroma BA GMD, LCC Koroma Back Cover: Ballu BA GMD, LCC

welcome welcome

Hello! Salutations ArtsFems, feminists, I’m not a Hello! Salutations ArtsFems, feminists, I’m few not and a feminist but’s... and everything far and feminist but’s... and everything far and few and inbetween. If you’re new to University of The Art’s inbetween. If you’re new to University of The Art’s London, or if this is just the first you’ve heard London, or if this is just the first you’ve heard of us, ArtsFems is University of The Arts London’s of us, ArtsFems is University of The Arts London’s feminist society. Founded in 2013 by two first year feminist society. Founded in 2013 by two first year students and Rebecca Rebecca LiveseyLiveseystudents Rosie Rosie Rynn Rynn O’Shea O’Shea and Wright the society was formed due to the lack ofof Wright the society was formed due to the lack a a strong and consistent feminist society, at a a strong and consistent feminist society, at university which is 70% female, but in an industry university which is 70% female, but in an industry where commercial galleries galleries inin where only only 5% 5% of of the the 134 134 commercial London number of of male male and andfemale female Londonrepresent represent an an equal equal number artists*. open, inclusive inclusive society society artists*. We We aim aim to to be be an open, and backgrounds. We We don’t don’t andwelcome welcome members members from from all backgrounds. claim to to know know everything everything there claim there is is to to know know about about feminism, rather, rather, hope hope the society feminism, society will will provide provide a a platform for for likeminded likeminded individuals individuals to platform to get get together together and explore, discuss and expand our knowledge and explore, discuss and expand our knowledge onon feminism. We We don’t don’t strive strive to feminism. to follow follow one one coherent, coherent, all-encompassing definition of feminism as all-encompassing definition of feminism asthere thereis isnono single or ‘right’ way of doing or being a feminist. single or ‘right’ way of doing or being a feminist. feminist society society at at an AsAs a a feminist an arts arts university university it it isis our goal to encourage, promote and support the work our goal to encourage, promote and support the work of female identified and non-binary artists, in an of female identified and non-binary artists, in an industry which is particularly male dominated. industry which is particularly male dominated. With an emphasis on being actively involved in With an curating emphasis and on promoting being actively involvedthein making, female artwork making, curating and promoting female the society has organised a host of eventsartwork including society has organised a host of events including our first exhibition, A Voice of One’s Own, which our A Voice of One’s Own,during which ran first for aexhibition, week at ULU’s Playhouse Gallery ran a week Fems at ULU’s Gallery the for Students LondonPlayhouse conference 2014. during As the Fems London on conference 2014. wellStudents as a panel discussion Women Behind Art atAs well as a panel discussion on Women Behind Art at

Housmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bookshop, where we had four guest speakers Housmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bookshop, where we had editors four guest ranging from artists, curators, andspeakers gallery ranging from artists, curators, editors and gallery directors. We organise film screenings, discussion directors. We organise filmexhibitions screenings,and discussion groups, campaigns, events, this zine groups, campaigns, events, exhibitions and this zine you have in your very hands. We hope this zine will you have in your very hands. We hope this zine will offer you a little insight from some of our members offer you a little insight from some of our members into why feminism is as important as ever today, and into why feminism is as important as ever today, and what it means to them. what it means to them. Be Be the the fourth fourth wave! wave! Thank Thank you you for for reading, reading, we we meeting or event meeting or event in in the the near near like like the the zine. zine.

hope to to see see you you at at aa hope future, and we hope you future, and we hope you

Love, Love, Scarlett Scarlett && Adriana Adriana Co-Prexies Co-Prexies of of ArtsFems ArtsFems *East London London Fawcett Fawcett Group, Group, Art *East Art Audit, Audit, 2012-13 2012-13

Hi, Rebecca and Rosie here, co-founders of ArtsFems. Hi, Rebecca and Rosie Thanks for buying thehere, zine.co-founders We wanted of toArtsFems. give you Thanks for buying the zine. We wanted to give you a little info as to why we started the society and a little why We we thought started the society what we’veinfo doneassotofar. doing it in and the what we’ve done so far. We thought doing it in the form of a Facebook conversation would be best so we form of a Facebook conversation would be best so we could reflect on the past two years without talking could reflect on the past two years without talking over each other! (As we often do…) We hope this makes over each other! (As we often do…) We hope this makes sense. sense. Rosie: say it it all all started? started? Rosie: So, So, where where would would you you say Rebecca: I remember reading in Arts London Newswhen when Rebecca: I remember reading in Arts London News the President of our first year wrote about there the President of our first year wrote about there being Apparently there there had had been been being no no women’s women’s group... group... Apparently some but they had never lasted. some but they had never lasted. Rosie: they invited invited people people to to Rosie: And And at at Fresher’s Fresher’s they contribute societies that that weren’t weren’t contribute ideas ideas for for new societies represented represented at at the the fair. fair. Rebecca: about that. that. We We didn’t didn’t Rebecca: Oooh Oooh yeah!! yeah!! I I forgot about know suggest it? it? know each each other other then. then. Did you suggest Rosie: II don’t don’t think think I did, but Rosie: but II think think it it gave gave me me feeling of of permission permission or agency aa feeling agency to to go go ahead ahead with with the idea. idea. II think think it it might have the have been been one one of of the the first things we spoke about together? Shelly [the first things we spoke about together? Shelly [the SU SU President] was was super super encouraging encouraging as President] as well. well. Rebecca: She She came came to to our our film Rebecca: film screening screening week week which which was one of the first ever things we did as was one of the first ever things we did as aa society society when she she was was still still aa student. student. I when I remember remember the the society society all came about quite quickly after the all came about quite quickly after the initial initial conversations. It It just just seemed seemed to conversations. to make make aa lot lot of of sense sense to me that there should be some kind of feminist to me that there should be some kind of feminist society at a university that is 70% women. And also society at a university that is 70% women. And also at an arts uni which have reputations for being at an arts uni which have reputations for being quite radical and political... quite radical and political... Rosie: I was pretty surprised that the past societies Rosie: I was prettyfallen surprised the past had consistently flat. that I kinda felt societies that it had consistently fallen flat. I kinda was our responsibility to take it on felt and that give it a was our responsibility to take it on and new sustainable life, [I] hate [to] paraphrasegive Emmaa new sustainable [I] hate [to] paraphrase Watson, but it life, errs [on] the whole idea, “if Emma not Watson, but it errs [on] the whole idea, “if not 6

Hi, Rebecca and Rosie here, co-founders of ArtsFems. now, when? If not me, very to openly Thanks for buying the who?” zine.But We I’d wanted give and you honestly admit now and perhaps more coyly at the a little info as to why we started the society and time...but I barely knewWeanything what we’ve done so far. thought about doing feminism, it in the I just knew that it was necessary, that it was form of a Facebook conversation would be best so we something we should be thinking about. could reflect on the past two years without talking Rebecca: Absolutely! But I think that was something over each other! (As we often do…) We hope this makes we were very open about back then. I would always sense. say that a big part of starting the society was to enable ourselves to learn about feminism in a safe Rosie: you say people. it all started? space So, withwhere otherwould likeminded I feel very Rebecca: I remember reading in Arts London News when proud of what we’ve done and I’m so pleased now that the President of our first year wrote about there we have such a strong team of people who are working being group... The Apparently there had been with no us women’s in the society. exhibition team, the some but they had never lasted. zine team, our amazing secretary and all the members Rosie: Andto atmeetings Fresher’s they invited peoplewho to who come and events, the artists contribute ideas for societies that weren’t have submitted work to new our shows... represented the fair. Rosie: Yep, at I agree we have nurtured a society that Rebecca: yeah!! I and forgot about that. will helpOooh to encourage empower for yearsWetodidn’t come know each Speaking other then. Did you suggest Rebecca: of the future, I still it? do think that the society has think a lot of Rosie: I don’t I relevance. did, but ISometimes, think it because gave me am so involved deeply or in agency feministtoconversations, a I feeling of permission go ahead with it can be easy to forget why wehave started. think the idea. I think it might been But one I of the a good example comes from when I was asking my dad first things we spoke about together? Shelly [the SU to look over my super CV recently and - don’t get me wrong, President] was encouraging as well. my dad is an amazing person but he told me which that Rebecca: She came to our film screening week perhaps I should take out some of the stuff about the was one of the first ever things we did as a society feminist society because people still have this view when she was still a student. I remember the society of feminists being angry, stubborn man-haters. That all came about quite quickly after the initial made me realise why feminism is important, to not conversations. It just seemed to make a lot of sense just change attitudes towards women, but attitudes to me that there should be some kind of feminist towards feminists and to people who care and stand society at a university that is 70% women. And also up for women’s rights and empowerment at an arts uni which have reputations for being Rosie: Well said. I believe that’s why we’ve always quite radical and political... tried our best to maintain a space open to feminists, Rosie: I was pretty surprised that the be them women, men, trans alike. We past are societies standing had consistently fallen flat. I kinda felt that it united together for world domination equality. was our responsibility to take it on and give a new sustainable life, [I] hate [to] paraphrase Emma Watson, but it errs [on] the whole idea, “if not 6

* every band w/ an asterisk means itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still active: which means we should all go to their gigs together in london and support these lovely bands!!

Adriana Rodrigues BA CCC, CSM

Annabel Duggleby BA Fine Art, Wimbledon

Feminist Reading List Introductory Texts: Full Frontal Feminism- Jessica Valenti How To Be a Woman- Caitlin Moran Bitches, Bimbos, and Ballbreakers: The Guerrilla Girls’ Illustrated Guide to Female Stereotypes- The Guerrilla Girls The Essential Feminist Texts: The Feminine Mystique- Betty Friedan Fat Is a Feminist Issue- Susie Orbach The Second Sex- Simone De Beauvoir The Female Eunuch- Germaine Greer A Room of One’s Own- Virginia Woolf Against Our Will - Susan Brownmiller Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism- Bell Hooks The Beauty Myth- Naomi Woolf Backlash- Susan Faludi Feminism Is for Everybody - Bell Hooks Gender Trouble- Judith Butler The Feminine Ideal- Marianne Thesander Sisterhood Is Powerful- Robin Morgan Contemporary Feminist Texts: Female Chauvinist Pigs - Ariel Levy Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity- Julia Serano The Purity Myth- Jessica Valenti Words Will Break Cement: The Passion of Pussy RiotMasha Gessen Cunt: A Declaration of Independence- Inga Muscio Mad, Bad and Sad: A History of Women and the Mind Doctors from 1800 to the present- Lisa Appignanesi

Arab Feminist Reflections on Identity, Space & Resistance- Min Fami Meat Market- Laurie Penny Feminism and Art: The Guerrilla Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art- The Guerrilla Girls Renegotiating The Body - Kathy Battista Imagining Women: Cultural Representations and GenderFrances Bonner WACK! - Cornelia Butler Differencing The Canon: Feminist Desire and the Writing of Art Histories- Griselda Pollock Old Mistresses: Women, Art and Ideology- Griselda Pollock and Rozsika Parker Vision and Difference: Feminism, Femininity and Histories of Art- Griselda Pollock Feminism-Art Theory: An Anthology 1968-2000Hilary Robinson Just for fun: How Sassy Changed My Life- Kara Jesella BITCHfest: Ten Years of Cultural Criticism from the Pages of Bitch Magazine- Lisa Jervis Girl Power: The 90s Revolution in Music- Maria Meltzer Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution- Sara Marcus Riot Grrrl: Revolution Girl Style Now!- Nadine Monem The Bust Guide to the New Girl Order- Debbie Stoler and Marcelle Karp Be Awesome - Hadley Freeman

Evie Hatch BA Drawing, Camberwell

Katy Jalilipour BA PDP, CSM

What Feminism Means To Me It may be a surprise to people who know me now, but it took me a while before I realised I was a feminist. In my mid-20s I discovered a website called The F-Word and realised that I felt the same way as its writers did. I felt that women often got a rough deal in many aspects of their lives and clearly it wasn’t just me being a whiny little bitch, complaining about being hard done by, because others felt the same way. Perhaps I wasn’t imagining it after all. It wasn’t just the big stuff that bugged me – like the fact that, on average, women still earn considerably less than men – but also little things like female celebrities always having to be ‘sexy’ in photographs while their male counterparts get to be funny, interesting, business-like, intriguing, intelligent and fully clothed. Don’t even get me started on the pressure women have to stay looking young and slim. It’s not just how society behaves as a whole, either. Individual men and women can be spectacularly misogynist without even realising it. In her book How to be a Woman, Caitlin Moran suggests a handy test for working out if you are being faced with sexism, or simply just someone being rude: Would they say/do that if you were male? Basically, would this happen to a man? If the answer is no, then you’re facing sexist bullshit. Men may be surprised to hear that this happens quite often to most women. In fact, some women might be surprised to hear that it happens. They’ve been brought up in a world where we’re told that this stuff is OK, so they just shrug it off to the point where they don’t even realise it’s bad any more. Well, guess what? It is definitely not OK. All the little comments that we are told are just ‘harmless fun’ and we apparently ‘have no sense of humour’ if 16

we don’t laugh along… imagine life without that. Nicer, huh? Being judged solely on your appearance, having work contacts assume you’re not the boss because of your gender, extremely low rape conviction rates, the erosion of women’s reproductive rights, kid’s toys being segregated by gender, casual sexism making a comeback, women taking their husband’s name without even thinking about it, pink gadgets for girls, porn culture being normalised… all this stuff is just as damaging to men as it is to women. As a society, we’re all just sucking it up and questioning nothing. Men are conditioned to believe they should be active and aggressive – just as women should be passive and meek – and so any supposed ‘weakness’ is seen as an un-masculine flaw. Men are entitled to very little paternity leave and so they can rarely afford to become the primary care-giver for their new baby, even if they want to be. How is all this genderbased nonsense good for anyone? You don’t have to look a certain way to be a feminist. It doesn’t matter what clothes you wear, how much hair you have or what variety of genitals you possess. You don’t have to hate men, or porn, or cosmetics. You can be a stay-at-home parent who enjoys baking and still be a feminist. You just have to point out the bullshit and believe in a better world. To be honest, you don’t even have to like the word feminist! It’s just better if we all huddle together for warmth, support and getting our voices heard. Feminism to me means questioning things and, hopefully, making other people stop and think. Even though my feminism may be of the armchair variety, every movement needs talkers as well as do-ers so I’m just as welcome as anyone.

Lorraine Smith MA History & Culture of Fashion, LCF

Nelly Rose Stewart BA Fashion textiles print, LCF

Tuli Litvak BA Fine Art, CSM

In A Feminist Utopia F = Freedom The most important notion in feminism is a woman’s freedom. Freedom covers a whole lot of things, freedom over her own body, freedom of speech, and freedom in the public domain. Feminism works towards giving women freedom. So we can wear what we want, say what we want, walk where we want and be whoever we want, without anyone taking advantage of us, in any situation. E = Evaluation Feminism is about evaluation; it’s about analysing the society. Feminism is a tool to understand the world and why our society works like it does. Through feminism we can learn to see structures and evaluate behaviours, by looking at the world through feminism we can understand it and change it. M = Motherhood The notion of motherhood is a classic debate in feminism; it started during the 60s but is still on the agenda. There is still a stigma around abortion and there is still a stigma around women’s menstruation. Adding to this, women still take a bigger responsibility when it comes to childcare and household, this leaves women with lower payments and more part times jobs. It’s important that women can take independent decisions about their reproduction and their living situation. In a more feminist society we can talk openly about abortion and menstruation since none of this would be a stigma. In a more feminist society women can be mothers without getting poorer and dependent on others, and we would have workplaces that don’t see motherhood as a problem but as a rich experience to have in their organisation.

I = Intersectionality Feminism is not only about women; it’s about understanding all forms of oppression in society. It’s about understanding and questioning the white, male, western, heterosexual norm and work towards breaking power relations. Feminism has the power to see intersections between forms or systems of oppression, domination or discrimination. It’s not only about gender, to understand the world we have to see more cultural patterns of oppression. Oppression, domination and discrimination are not only interrelated, but are bound together and influenced by the intersectional systems of society, examples of this include gender, class, sexuality, ability, and ethnicity. Feminists coined the word intersectionality and as a feminist we have the chance to continue that discussion to bring recognition to social structures and help fight oppression and discrimination. N = News Feminism is a movement that comes from a long history and fight, but it’s also relevant for the world today. Feminism is about news, to keep updated and be aware of what’s happening today. Feminism for me is keeping me up to date, become aware and critically read how information and news are presented to us. I = Internationality Feminism is not just local; it’s not just you and your friends. I’m a feminist because I don’t want women anywhere to get raped, sexually harassed, suffer from domestic violence or die during childbirth. I’m a feminist because there are still countries where women are not able to vote. Feminism for me is an international movement; it crossed boarders and nations, its bigger then nations. Feminism is solidarity to other people; feminism doesn’t see boarders or walls. Feminism is an international 22

movement that talk about how we can change the world not just how we should manage to survive in it. S = Sisterhood For me, it’s all about sisterhood, we have sisters all over the world thanks to feminism. Thanks to feminism I can find affinity and fellowship with people everywhere. The idea of sisterhood makes me and my sisters strong, it makes the battle easier to fight because you never stand alone, when you scream for change you are not only screaming for your own rights but for everyone’s. To be in a sisterhood is one of the most important things in my feminism because it makes me and everyone less selfish, less individual, it bring us together into one unity and it makes me a better person. M = Matriarchy In feminist literature, matriarchy and patriarchy are not conceived as simple mirrors of each other, it’s not about the fact that women should rule men or the world, it’s about finding a new way of leading. Feminist theory often describes it as; patriarchy is held to be about power over others while matriarchy is held to be about power from within. Feminism to me is to try a new way of organisation, in governments, in parliaments, in offices, at home, in our social environment. Feminism and matriarchy is not about power, it’s not about strength or control, it’s about finding new methods for how to create a society and make it more equal for everyone. The world we live in today is filled with war, crimes and inequalities, in a feminist utopia it might not be better, but the fact is that we have never tried it either. If we try a different power relation, and try to break the power structures through feminism and the idea of matriarchy, we might get a more equal society. Sofia Landström MA Exhibition Studies, CSM

Girls don’t masturbate, do they? While female masturbation has become a lot less frowned upon in our post Sex and the City, post Fifty Shades of Yuck society, there is still a long way to go as our culture continually perpetuates the myth that heterosexual men somehow deserve more orgasms. Pick up any women’s lifestyle magazine and you’ll be sure to find some sexist bullshit on ‘the secrets of male arousal’ with ‘75 sex moves men crave’, ‘78 ways to turn him on’ or ‘BE A SEX GODDESS NOW’ (all real headlines courtesy of Cosmopolitan); fabricating the myth that female sexuality is all about man-pleasing. It is clear that the idea of female pleasure still causes great trepidation. Take the fact that films showing sex scenes where a woman is receiving pleasure are given higher ratings by the MPAA, while scenes that portray women in scenarios of sexual violence for entertainment is A-OK. Female masturbation is a normal, healthy part of growing up and while boys love to endlessly enthral us all with their tales of jerking off, teenage girls learning to explore their bodies is just, unheard of? Even amongst friends I feel as if it is not something which young women are comfortable talking about for fear of being deemed abnormal. I have vivid memories of being asked by boys in school if we ‘wanked’, with every girl vehemently denying it. And the worst part is that while simultaneously being sexualised, hassled and bombarded with objectifying images teaching them that their sole purpose is to be conventionally attractive; enormous pressure is also on young girls to be sexually active. Or worse be deemed ‘frigid’, before even being aware of their own sense of pleasure. As a young girl I knew all about hand jobs and blow jobs but the thought of being touched myself wasn’t even a concept that entered my mind. 26

While women’s magazines today do speak of female masturbation and sex toys, they make the whole endeavour into a high-maintenance affair, complete with rose petals, scented candles and Enya. The girl coded aesthetic of these images with the glitter, candles, flowers and pink coloured lighting is meant to represent a sort of sardonic look at female masturbation, as the magazines would have us believe. Making fun of societies expectations of women I wanted to give the ironic impression that women couldn’t possibly do something so ‘malecentric’ without having to make it pink, fluffy and ‘romantic’. But let’s face it, just how many women rely on aromatherapy and atmospheric lighting to get off?

Scarlett Shaney Langdon BA Fashion Photography, LCF

Jūratė Gačionytė BA Graphic Design, CSM

The whole whole concept concept for for this this artwork artwork derived derived from from The the interest interest my my baking baking had had received received during during the various artist artist talks talks and and meetings. meetings. II discovered discovered various that the the buns buns and and cakes cakes featured featured in in my my previous previous that video work work had had sparked sparked more more enthusiasm enthusiasm than than my my video actual artwork artwork itself. itself. In In fact fact II had had been been asked asked actual few times times if if II had had made made the the buns buns all all by by myself myself aa few in ‘Domestic ‘Domestic Ambitions’ Ambitions’ when when this this was was aa minor minor in part of of the the artwork artwork and and had had little little effect effect on on the the part overall piece. The whole concept of this piece overall piece. The whole concept of this piece was to to underline underline beliefs beliefs in in which which Women women are are was associated with with the the domestic domestic and and unprofessional. unprofessional. associated found it it rather rather ironic ironic that that II was was being being asked asked II found such questions questions in in regard regard to to my my practise, practise, as as aa such women Artist artist creating creating work work of of aa feminist feminist nature. nature. Women The main body of my artistic research for ‘Did you main bake body the cake, The of my yourself?’focuses artistic research on forthe ‘Did misconceptions thatyourself?’focuses associate women with the you bake the cake, on the domestic lifestyle baking.women I will taking misconceptions that and associate withbethe into consideration how still-life can form an domestic lifestyle and baking. I will be taking outerconsideration representation a particular into howofstill-life can identity form an and how female stereotypes are presented through outer representation of a particular identity the how media. Specifically observing how women are and female stereotypes are presented through treated within the fine observing art spectrum relation the media. Specifically how in women are to personal experiences as spectrum female identified treated within the fine art in relation artist. to personal experiences as female identified artist.

I wanted to created something with a grotesque approach so I whipped-up some scrumptious looking cakes which actually tasted repugnant. Again playing with the delusion that women are great at baking. Employing food as a fine art medium also encompasses the connotations in which viewers may identify with that particular food, these could be issues such as eating disorders. Having experienced an unhealthy relationship with food, the way food is executed in my work is seen as something quite pleasurable and indulgent. I find it rather comforting to look at food from this perspective. In the past I tended to play with my food a lot and sometimes chew it and split it out hence why these actions are re-created within the video creating beautifully coloured messes with squashed food. Visually I am aiming to make something that could be considered to be overly decorative while focussing in on the sensual and indulgent aspects of historical still-life painting as a source of inspiration. I admire the excessiveness and richness of feasts in paintings in which evoke my own thoughts of consumption and greed touching upon ideas to do with consumerism

Corie Denby McGowan BA Fine Art, Wimbledon

Feminism & Fashion Djurdja Bartlett, an expert on Soviet fashion and Senior Research Fellow at London College of Fashion, has written how ‘following the 1917 Bolshevik revolution, one of Lenin’s closest collaborators, Alexandra Kollontai, was shunned by her comrades because of her good looks, her smart dresses and her sexually liberated views.’ Bartlett continues on to remark, ‘This made me wonder, once again, why the Left historically has had such a hostile relationship to fashion?’ It is a question I often consider myself, particularly since we still wrestle with the legacy of such prejudices, which are not just the preserve of the Left. For most people, to be politically engaged means not showing an overt interest in fashion. I myself am a feminist and a fashion enthusiast. For some, this statement just can’t be true for being a feminist means avoiding all things feminine and fashionable in order to demonstrate a commitment to the cause. Their logic seems to be that Fashion is frivolous and fun, and that feminism is neither. But I see no contradiction. Politics, intellectual engagement and fashion are not mutually exclusive, whatever side of the political spectrum you fall on. As head of what is essentially a female college 85% of the students at London College of Fashion are female - feminism is very important to me. I have written much on this particularly in my book, ‘Why Fashion Matters’. Strong, confident, well educated women are important in all aspects of our lives and it is an issue not just for our female students but for our male students too. All aspects of society can benefit from feminism. I would therefore urge all 36

students to get behind the feminist issue. The women who have helped inspire my ideas and thoughts about feminism throughout my career include the artist, Frida Kahlo; Doris Lessing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; author of Golden Notebook, a seminal examination of the budding sexual and womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s liberation movements in the first part of the 20th Century; Julia Kristeva, a philosopher, literary critic, psychoanalyst, sociologist and feminist; and Nina Simone, who was not only a singer and musician but a civil rights activist. In terms of the fashion industry Mucca Prada and Rei Kawabuko have done much to strengthen the role of women in what can be a male dominated industry.

Frances Corner OBE Head of LCF/Pro Vice-Chancellor UAL

Treads and Threads I’ve recently become very interested in the experiences of women in public space and for this submission call wanted to create a series of images which reflected my frustration and anger with street harassment. I remember being ‘cat-called’ for what I think was the first time when I was around 12 years old. Since then I have been verbally harassed almost consistently whenever I leave the house, an experience which many girls and women will be able to identify with. This is not a compliment, and does not make me feel beautiful, confident, or empowered.

Within my images I wanted to depict my feelings of nervous hyper-awareness, entrapment and alienation. The images which use light grey thread extending from car windows to my body express how I am constantly aware of my surroundings, particularly when passing cars. The colour is important as I identify this light, ambiguous colour with hyper-awareness, with being uncomfortably outside of one’s mind and body. It is not a strong colour, but stark. The black thread depicts my feelings of entrapment, of being forced back against my immediate environment, of being made to feel small and weighed down upon. I think the image with the black spider web speaks for itself, but I’d like to point out that each strand of the web connects to a point that I may find threatening. Again, car windows feature, as do doorways and entrances to unknown places, and the fork-lift truck which within this context symbolises a very intimidating ‘male’ environment. In contrast, the two images which use red and orange thread extending from the lines of my body have been created to express defiance, confidence and 39

a reclaiming of public space. The threads boldly stretch across the space to the edge of the image, unbroken and full of colour. The use of red and orange was very important as I feel they represent me in these images – I have reddish hair and am wearing a red skirt and brown-red boots. All but one of the images were taken in places around where I live in London where I had been street harassed. One of the images was taken at the spot where I and a man stopped another man from following a teenage girl down a dark street. Therefore, all of the locations are important and relevant and even in creating the images which express negative feelings, there has been an element of reclaiming the places in which I have experienced or witnessed sexism. Lastly, the act of embroidery is very important in this work due to the craft being typically feminine. I was inspired to use women’s craft by Miriam Schapiro who is quoted as saying “…the culture of women will remain unrecognized until women themselves regard their own past with fresh insight… The answer does not lie in mainstream art at all, but in sharing women’s information with women.” I was also inspired by Rosalind Davis who spoke at the ‘Women Behind Art’ panel discussion and spoke of the importance of the feminine craft in her work.

Rebecca Livesey-Wright BA CCC, CSM

I was no more than six when, during a walk with my family, we passed by a young woman in ripped jeans who was spitting in the street. “Ah, these feminists,” hissed my uncle. Having just heard an unfamiliar word, I directed myself to my main source of information before Google. “Brother, what is a feminist?” I asked as soon as we got home. “In the old days,” he replied, “when women couldn’t work, vote or drive, feminists fought to be able to do all these things. But now that everyone is equal, they are just girls who dress and behave like boys.” I received this new knowledge with a mixture of fear and fascination. That girl at school who cut her hair short and never wears dresses, could she be a feminist? – I wondered. And how about these boys who like to play girly games? Maybe they’re feminists, too, and secretly spit in the street? I wanted to ask them about it, but was scared to sound rude. Who knows how a feminist might react? When I was a kid, many things seemed obvious. That, after my parents get back from work, dad goes to the gym or watches TV, while mom does all the cooking and cleaning. That I would always have to be back home earlier than my brother at my age, because “it’s more dangerous for girls.” That the worst thing to call a boy was “a girl,” and a girl, “a slut” – a word we all heard before we fully grasped the concept of sex. And that our science textbooks invariably depicted homo

Tuli Litvak BA Fine Art, CSM

sapiens as a white man. As soon as I started watching the news, I was bombarded with terrifying stories about women and girls around the world being denied education, forced to marry, beaten, raped and mutilated. I started to realize that there’s something very wrong with how society treats its female half. Were we, indeed, all equal? – I asked myself. At the same time, I kept hearing about ugly, fat spinsters who burn their bras and hate men. Growing up, I sought a label to identify myself with. One that would express my belief that people should be free and respected, regardless of their gender. After some research (this time Googleassisted), I discovered the term I was looking for. I was, indeed, the dreaded feminist. No ifs, no buts, no disclaimers. When I got to uni, I quickly joined the newlyformed Feminist Society (later renamed ArtsFems). I met feminists of all type: women and men, straight and queer, single and in relationships, in blue jeans and pink dresses. (Interestingly, not one that states her opinions by spitting in public.) We’ve had discussions, film screenings, an exhibition – and a great deal of fun. If you think that the F-word might also apply to you, don’t hesitate: come and join us now. Smashing the patriarchy is best done together!

Ana Oppenheim BA CCC, CSM

Boys Club

Tuli Litvak BA Fine Art, CSM

For several years my dad has referenced ‘The Boys Club’, the exclusive male half of humans who I will never be able to fully be accepted by. He has told me repeatedly that I won’t be able to get in, and there are a series of codes and rules (see: LAD bible) I’m not aware of. I see this ‘club’ in action when he has friends over, when his conversation becomes a little less PC and the gender stereotypes become a crux of conversation. A lot of winking and nodding and innuendo and whatnot. For a long time I tried to reach that point with my peers, I wanted to be in this exclusive club so bad and not be seen as a silly girl. It’s not hard to decode this *ahem* ‘secret language’. But in that pursuit of acceptance, I have found myself making statements which don’t line up with my personal values; objectifying both women and men in order to keep up with the status quo. Making sweeping generalisations to let the secretive males know it’s safe to come out of the bushes. After all that effort I really don’t think it’s a club I want to be a part of. It shows a certain level of cowardice to feel the need to create a barrier between men and women, and it’s sad that some guys still associate themselves with negative viewpoints that they know are not appropriate in mixed conversation. ‘Banter’ is a poor way of trying to cover up perpetual sexism in the Boys Club and I would formally like to pull my membership from the clubhouse. I’m taking off my jacket and badge, and I’m leaving my illconsidered comments at the door.

Grace Scarlett BA GMD, LCC