Society’s obsession with the female body… 3 Feminism and makeup …8 He won’t want to fuck you…10 Collective mixtape…11 #Bitch…13 Fuck you and your friend request too… 15 Beyoncé gifs and other feels… 17 Collected poems… 19 gurl hate…21 Contraception… 23 Straight, ok? … 27 Future bone moans…29 I need feminism…31 Why dating men is so hard…33
Front Cover art by Megan Muller Back cover art by Cindy El Sayed
FEMINISM AND MAKE UP by Cassie Hunt I’ve felt like this is something I’ve needed to write. Especially as my blog has been increasingly found by people in my life. It’s also something I have a lot of thoughts on, so I apologise if this is written poorly. One of my friends is a girl I’ve know most of my life. We went to primary and high school together, and have always been in each other’s lives. She is an absolutely incredible person and has an endless list of talents, one of which being she creates the most beautiful cakes you’ll ever see. She also wrote a piece on her blog about Feminism and baking. I recommend you read it micakela.wordpress.com One of the most important ideas she talks about is that feminists are attacking one another for returning to ‘traditional gender roles’. ie: baking or enjoying cooking. Some feminists see this as a failure of feminism. While I’ll never understand the humour behind the phrase ‘go make me a sandwich’, because seriously, what is funny about that? I do completely understand this movement of women attacking each other. I feel similarly about makeup in this way. There is a certain animosity between women who wear makeup and women who don’t. Somehow makeup has been deemed un-feminist by some people, and I can see how the argument begins. The beauty industry is really an industry that attempts to deem natural human features as problems, and then creates a product to fix that ‘problem’. However I see it differently. Because of my feminist sisters from the past centuries, I now have a choice. I have the choice to wear makeup and the choice not to wear makeup. It is my choice and mine alone. I’ve had numerous friends of mine here in the beauty blogging world tell me that they were being treated differently by friends after they became aware of their blog. Specifically I was told by a friend that her male friend asked her why she put so much make up on. She told him it was something she enjoyed doing, an artistic expression. He ignored that and told her it was only so she would look good for men. Firstly, to that guy, and to all other guys that think that. Where the fuck do you get off. The idea that I and any other female, do something every day to please you?
Please. Makeup is the way I express myself, and something I do FOR MYSELF. It is endlessly exciting to wake up, look in the mirror and think who am I going to transform myself into today? Shall I make my eyeliner so winged it could cut a throat? Or should I make my lips dark and moody? Increasingly on Facebook you see memes with the titles ‘And this is why you can never trust women’ followed by a photo of a girl with and without makeup. This idea of women deceiving men is also just utter bullshit. If a guy really thinks that my lips are naturally purple and that I have black lines above my eyes then he needs to go see someone. These memes are full of such a sense of self-entitlement. How dare females change their appearance so I can’t tell if they naturally look like that or not? How dare they do that to me? This idea that someone does something specifically to upset you needs to stop. I’ll be honest. I still struggle to like myself without makeup. But that’s okay. It’s something I’m working on and that I know that I’ll overcome. I still can’t leave the house without it on yet, but I’m getting there. Feminism isn’t about Females being better than Males, or taking power from them. It’s about equality. I should be given the same respect, choice and opportunity as a guy is given. If I chose to wear makeup, I should not be judged for that. Similarly with blogging about makeup. This is something I enjoy, and something I am passionate about. It’s also something that makes me happy and gives me and escape especially through uni semesters. I am a Feminist. I enjoy makeup and just a little FYI I make a mean cupcake. This doesn’t mean I cannot be a Feminist because I enjoy these things, nor is it a step back for Feminism. Makeup is empowering. I find power in it. So I think my final comments are this. If you want to wear makeup, wear it. If you don’t? Then don’t. But don’t attack one another for your choices. And don’t allow others to attack you for it. Originally posted at cassieandara.com
BeyoncĂŠ gifs and other feelings
GURLzz HATE by Ruby Rose Giles Okay. I know girl hate, sexual objectification and other similar issues are easily slotted into the Feminism 101/white girl feminism/Tumblr feminism categories. And the more I learn about feminism, the more I realize these things are smaller issues when compared to issues of intersectional feminism, and the issues facing WoC. However, as an ally, your opinions on these issues, as a white woman, are not and should not, be at the forefront of the cause. So I’m going to talk about a universal aspect of feminism that I know and understand from a personal perspective. Girl hate is pervasive; it has been so carefully integrated into popular culture that we barely notice that it’s there, it just seems like “oh, that’s the way women behave toward one another.” We take it for granted that girls hate girls. Girls hate girls who are prettier than them, girls hate girls who are more talented than them, and girls hate girls who are smarter than them. But most importantly, girls hate girls that get more male attention than them. Girls don’t hate boys that are prettier/smarter/better than them at something. And that’s the saddest part. We’re all discounting potential friends and allies for the attention of BOYS. The same gender that ranks girls into numbers, wears Lynx deodorant and comments on Rihanna YouTube videos listing the multiple sexual things they’d like to do to her. I know that’s a sweeping generalisation, and a statement heavy with misandry, but really how EMBARRASSING for us as a gender. I know there are so many lovely boys out there, whose attention is definitely worth caring about, but male attention as a conglomerate is not worth such destructive behavioural patterns. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s seminal TED talk; ‘We should all be feminists’ deals with this idea of socialized femininity and masculinity, and how it negatively affects the growth and development of both genders. She states “we raise girls to see each other as competitors. Not for jobs or accomplishments, which I think can be a good thing, but for the attention of men. We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys are.” Girls learn that their self-esteem, and therefore selfworth is defined by male attention. Therefore if another girl is getting this attention, she is a threat, and therefore an enemy (also, if you’re wondering why that quote sounds so familiar, Beyoncé sampled it on track ‘***Flawless’ from her self-titled album).
Imagine what we could accomplish if we use that wasted energy on something else, like reading, making friendship bracelets, learning German or watching YouTube videos of Christians rapping. I am in no way saying that disliking other girls, or hating them for perfectly good reasons isn’t valid, it would be naïve to expect to be friends with every single person you encounter, but to hate a girl just because your boyfriend checked her out as she passed by is not a positive action. Instead, question why your boyfriend feels the need to overtly objectify women in the street. So why has this negative societal pattern become the norm? Partially because it is used by the patriarchy as a tool of subordination, to keep women from reaching equality and greatness by tricking us into tearing each other down. We’ve been cleverly designed to selfdestruct, so we don’t achieve parity. We’ve been fooled into self-objectifying instead of self-bettering. Tavi Gevinson describes how this was born out of male insecurity, that a man could not possibly handle a girl being better at something than him, as that is “emasculating” (Adichie details how men are taught to be afraid of weakness and fear, and thus must be superior to women in all aspects, for fear of being the weaker gender). If women are only compared to other women, then they won’t be compared to men, and therefore a woman cannot be worse at something than a man. Theoretically. So we have to “unlearn many of the lessons of gender” (Adichie) that we have internalized from a young age. We must be stronger and better than this. To quote Tavi “I’m not saying we have to be sunshine, lollipops and rainbows all the time. I love my Daria’s and my Enid’s, and I think a good dose of angst is healthy.” It’s okay to have days where you only wear black and hate everyone (throwback to Town Hall steps c. 2008), and it’s okay to dislike other girls. But try and make sure it’s for a legitimate reason, not based on jealousy over how they look. At the end of the day, you can’t change genetics (unless you have a lot of disposable income and the drive and passion of Heidi Montag), but you can change who you are. You can become more Zen and more creative, and less inclined to lurk another girl’s Facebook photos and cry. You can see another girl looking good and be happy for her. At the end of the day we’re all just trying to take good Instagram photos and get by. To conclude with the words of Adichie “my own definition of feminist is a man or a woman, who says ‘Yes, there’s a problem with gender, as it is today, and we must fix it. We must do better.’
The combined oral contraceptive is a small pill containing estrogen and progesterone that is taken every day. It is not as effective as the IUD or Implanon, as it does not work if it’s not taken every day, or if you are sick with vomiting or diarrhea. The pill can also be prescribed to treat heavy or painful periods and hormonal acne. Side effects can include headaches, mood changes, nausea, bloating or sore breasts, however side effects can often be managed with a change to a pill with slightly different hormones. For some people there are health risks associated with taking the pill, so remember to talk to your doctor about all health issues when getting a prescription
Nuva Ring is a soft plastic ring inserted into the vagina for three weeks and then removed for one week to allow for a period to occur, before a new ring is inserted. If you wish to skip your period, you can insert a new ring straight away. It contains similar hormones to the pill, and so may have similar side effects. It can cost between $20 - $30 per ring.
Implanon is a small rod about the size and shape of a matchstick that is inserted under the skin of the upper arm by a doctor and can stay there for up to three years. It prevents ovulation and thickens cervical mucus to stop sperm entering the uterus. It can be removed at any time by your doctor, and once removed your cycle will return to normal. Side effects may include irregular bleeding or having no periods, weight gain and acne. Implanon has a 1 in 1000 failure rate and costs around $35.
A copper IUD is a small rod wrapped in copper that is inserted into the uterus by a doctor. There are no hormones in the copper IUD, it works by changing the lining of the uterus (endometrium) and affecting sperm to prevent fertilization. An IUD can stay in place for up to 5 or 10 years, depending on the type, but can be removed at any time by a doctor. Side effects may include heavier, more painful periods. It has a failure rate or 8 per 1000. A copper IUD can cost around $150
There are many other methods of contraception such as diaphragms, spermicide and DepoProvera injections. Contraception works differently for everyone, if you’re interested in finding out which method of contraception is right for you, make an appointment with your doctor. Don’t be afraid to ask for a female doctor if that would make you more comfortable.
Information and pictures by Hayley Anderson
There are two kinds of condoms: latex condoms and vaginal condoms. Latex condoms are used on the penis, and are easier to find (can be bought in most supermarkets and chemists) and cheaper than vaginal condoms. Vaginal condoms are often made of polyurethane, and are worn inside the vagina during intercourse. Condoms are not as effective in preventing pregnancy as the IUD or Implanon, however they do protect against sexually transmitted infections. Another possible use for condoms is as a makeshift dental dam (placed over the vulva during oral sex to prevent the spread of infection), if they are cut up the edge to create a flat sheet.
Danni Stevens
By Catherine Knight
I NEED FEMINISM I need feminism because race, class, and gender may define elements of humanity and identity, but shouldn’t devalue it I need feminism because, as a woman, I still get called a girl I need feminism because some women, are still not accepted as women I need feminism because 1 in 6 women in Australia will be raped, or have the serious threat of rape I need feminism because if you are a disabled woman, that statistic goes up I need feminism because some people think a serious threat of rape isn’t as bad as rape I need feminism because women and men suffer under patriarchal, heteronormative gender values I need feminism because women still earn less money for the same work I need feminism because this wage gap is even larger for women of colour I need feminism because I have been treated like a prize, and commodified I need feminism because I have been cat called and objectified I need feminism because I was told to take it as a compliment I need feminism because I still sometimes lay awake at night blaming myself for my abuse
I need feminism because every time I get home by myself, I have to text friends letting them know I got home safely I need feminism because when I walk home in my head I am planning how to deal with an attacker I need feminism because rape culture devalues anybody’s experience of sexual assault I need feminism because incidents of drunken male violence in kings cross led to legal change, while women’s levels of alcohol are used for victim blaming in cases of sexual assault I need feminism because people still laugh and question why I am a feminist I need feminism because I need equality and equity
-anonymous
WHY DATING MEN IS SO HARD (A QUEER, WOMAN OF COLOUR, FEMINIST PERSPECTIVE) BY JOSEPHINE OMASHAYE ITSHEYE AJUYAH
My problem with men (especially cisgender men) is that too many of them are heteronormative, like:
No, your jokes aren't funny, I pretty much hate all of your friends,
No, i won't have sex with you because you're 'nice',
No, i will not shave, No, i will not lose weight,
I will not alter my appearance in anyway so you find me 'attractive',
I will call you out in front of your mates-IDGAF, Queer-antagonism isn't sexy, it dries me right up, Wow...did you just call me hysterical/a bitch/a slut/a whore?
You are too tall and take up too much fucking space
You are scary, Controlling is a form of abuse, i hope your machismo goes and dies in a hole;
Either you fight the patriarchy and all accompanying intersectional oppressions or you're a waste of space.
I’d rather be alone by myself than be made to feel alone with someone else. I’d rather be afraid because I'm on my own than have someone else make me be afraid of them. I’d rather struggle to be happy than certain unhappiness with you.