Melon. by Jassmin Mihell

Th a n k y o u t o m y m o t h e r, f at h e r a n d s i s t e r f o r t e a c h i n g m e to speak up and not be silenced. I have been brought up in a household where my parents have applied feminist ideals in their own relationship. They have always treated each other with respect, kept the dynamic power of their relationship equal and they never had the stereotypical gender roles. They are equal partners w h o re s p e c t e a c h o t h e r. Th e y, a l o n g w i t h m y s i s t e r a re m y first feminist role models and I love them so much for it. To w h o e v e r i s r e a d i n g t h i s , y o u a r e s t r o n g , y o u a r e powerful and you deserve every opportunity in the world. Know your worth because all your sisters are by your side. -Jassmin Mihell

CONTENTS THE FEMINIST ISSUE - SPRING 2018

THE F WORD What is feminism?

WOMEN ARE AMAZING Incredible facts about women

ELEANOR HARDING A force for change in her community

THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENT The waves of feminism

MALALA YOUSAFZAI Educational advocate. Nobel peace prize winner. Feminist

AXE THE TAX Seeing red

INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN Women who have made history

CELESTE LIDDLE Australia indigenous feminist

JENNIFER HAWTHORNE Tamworth local making a change

WOMEN’S RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS I am woman hear me roar

LIVING IN A MANS WORLD Sportswomen still face sexism, but feminism can help achieve a level playing field

EMMA WATSON Enjoy Emma Watson’s 2014 UN speech on gender eqaulity

PRODUCING IN THE DARK: WOMEN BEHIND THE MUSIC Women in the music industry

BADASS WOMEN TO FOLLOW A list of amazing women you need to keep an eye out f

SELF LOVE The path to self love: the feminist way

THE F WORD F

eminism is not the belief that one gender should be raised in power above another. The very definition of feminism shows a complete opposition to this belief. So when people comment against feminism, they are supporting sexism. There is no sitting on the fence. You are either a feminist or sexist. Unfortunately, most sexists don’t know they are sexist, and compose the majority of the population. They are unaware that sexism is something that has been forced on to them through the brainwashed media of a patriarchal society. What is the patriarchy? patriarchy noun 2. a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it. “the dominant ideology of patriarchy” Generations of society before us have had strong patriarchal themes. People who speak against feminism are scared of change. They are scared of the idea of everyone being treated the same,

Why should one group of people be in control of another? Why have we, as a society, given them this “birthright?”

instead of one gender having control over another. They are scared of shedding the holds of patriarchy in society and accepting everyone as an individual human being, not categorizing them as male or female. Most of all, they are scared that they will not hold the same importance as a person if their power as a certain gender is taken away. Why should one group of people be in control of another? Why have we, as a society, given them this “birthright?” The answer is that the patriarchal ideals of past generations have descended onto us. Children today are still being indoctrinated with old concepts of gender roles, with “girls toys” focussed around child rearing and kitchen duties and “boys toys” focused around more “masculine” tasks such as building and fighting. We should be teaching our children that it doesn’t matter whether you are male, female, or other. Period. We need to stop thinking of people in regards to their gender. We need to stop associating people with a certain level of power over other people just because they were born with certain genitals. Power over another person is not okay. Rape culture has grown out the idea that someone can be controlled. It wasn’t so long ago that our culture took the step forward to make slavery a crime. People, regardless of their gender, race or upbringing, should be able to do what makes them happy. The idea that one

gender is inferior to another in any aspect is ridiculous and destructive. We are limiting opportunity for cultural, scientific, technological and medical breakthroughs by holding on to that idea. Each individual has their own special talents and abilities that they can choose to contribute to society, and if we start to embrace those abilities without prejudice and without controlling people with stereotypical gender roles, then we can tap into resources that have been greatly suppressed. We don’t need to be scared. Feminism is a movement towards equal society for male, female and transgender people, without discrimination. People should not feel discriminated against for being who they are. They should be able to live in peace, without fear of not conforming to the “social norm.” We need to change the social norm. We need to move towards a society where men are not afraid to be vulnerable and women are allowed to be independent; a society where being male or female has no impact on how a person lives their life; a society where the pressure is off and everyone can be themselves.

THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENT The waves of feminism

he feminist movement (also known as the women’s liberation movement, the women’s movement, or simply feminism) refers to a series of political campaigns for reforms on issues such as reproductive rights, domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, women’s suffrage, sexual harassment, and sexual violence, all of which fall under the label of feminism and the feminist movement. The movement’s priorities vary among nations and communities, and range from opposition to female genital mutilation in one country, to opposition to the glass ceiling in another. Feminism in parts of the western world has gone through three waves. Firstwave feminism was oriented around the station of middle- or upper-class white women and involved suffrage and political equality. Second-wave feminism attempted to further combat social and cultural inequalities. Third-wave feminism is continuing to address the financial, social and cultural inequalities and includes renewed campaigning for greater influence of women in politics and media. In reaction to political activism, feminists have also had to maintain focus on women’s reproductive rights, such as the right to abortion. First-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity and thought, that occurred within the time period of the 19th and early 20th century throughout the world. It focused on legal issues, primarily on gaining women’s suffrage (the right to vote). During the First Wave, there was a notable connection between the slavery abolition movement and the women’s rights movement. Frederick Douglass was heavily involved in both movements and believed that it was essential for both

to work together in order to attain true equality in regards to race and sex. The first women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York (now known as the Seneca Falls Convention) from July 19-20, 1848, and advertised itself as “a convention to discuss the social, civil, and religious condition and rights of woman”. While there, 68 women and 32 men—100 out of some 300 attendees, signed the Declaration of Sentiments, also known as the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments. The principal author of the Declaration was Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who based it on the form of the United States Declaration of Independence. She was a key organizer of the convention along with Lucretia Coffin Mott, and Martha Coffin Wright. Charlotte Woodward, alone among all 100 signers, was the only one still alive in 1920 when the Nineteenth Amendment passed. Woodward was not well enough to vote herself. Second-wave feminism is a period of feminist activity and thought that first began in the early 1960s in the United States, and eventually spread throughout the Western world and beyond. In the United States the movement lasted through the early 1980s. Whereas first-wave feminism focused mainly on suffrage and overturning legal obstacles to gender equality (e.g., voting rights, property rights), second-wave feminism broadened the debate to a wide range of issues: sexuality, family, the workplace, reproductive rights, de facto inequalities, and official legal inequalities. Second-wave feminism also drew attention to domestic violence and marital rape issues, establishment of rape crisis and battered women’s shelters, and changes in custody and divorce law. Its major effort was the attempted passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to

the United States Constitution, in which they were defeated by anti-feminists. In 1960, the Food and Drug Administration approved the combined oral contraceptive pill, which was made available in 1961. This made it easier for women to have careers without having to leave due to unexpectedly becoming pregnant. The administration of President Kennedy made women’s rights a key issue of the New Frontier, and named women (such as Esther Peterson) to many highranking posts in his administration. In 1963 Betty Friedan, influenced by Simone De Beauvoir’s book “The Second Sex,” wrote the bestselling book “The Feminine Mystique” in which she explicitly objected to the mainstream media image of women, stating that placing women at home limited their possibilities, and wasted talent and potential. The perfect nuclear family image depicted and strongly marketed at the time, she wrote, did not reflect happiness and was rather degrading for women. This book is widely credited with having begun second-wave feminism. Third-wave feminism refers to several diverse strains of feminist activity and study, whose exact boundaries in the history of feminism are a subject of debate, but are generally marked as beginning in the early 1990s and continuing to the present. The movement arose partially as a response to the perceived failures of and backlash against initiatives and movements created by second-wave feminism during the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s, and the perception that women are of “many colors, ethnicities, nationalities, religions, and cultural backgrounds”. This wave of feminism expands the topic of feminism to include a diverse group of women with a diverse set of identities.

hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to strong women. may we know them. may we be them. may we raise them.

Australia’s Gender Pay Gap Is The Lowest In 20 Years But there’s still a LOT of work to do - by Isabelle Truman

t’s hard to believe that in the year 2018, the gender pay gap still exists. When we’ve come so far in other ways - finally legalising same-sex marriage in Australia in 2017, the vote to legalise abortion in Ireland, the Women’s Marches against Trump and the rise of the #MeToo movement. But the gender pay gap is still a very real concern, highlighted almost daily by big-name celebrities using their platforms to speak out against pay inequality - something even the Queen can’t avoid: Queen Elizabeth II (Claire Foy) got paid less than her husband, Prince Philip (Matt Smith), in Netflix series The Crown. Ahead of equal pay day, we break down exactly what the gender pay gap means, what the difference is in Australia in 2018, how it differs industry to industry and how Australia compares to other countries.

What is the gender pay gap?

Does the wage gap exist in Australia?

The wage gap or gender pay gap is the difference between what men and women earn, expressed as a percentage of men’s earnings.

Yes. While the gender pay gap is slowly closing, employers are being warned not to become complacent because there is still a lot of work to do. “If every employer in Australia did a pay audit, analysed the results and then took action, we would eventually consign the national gender pay gap to the annals of history,” Workplace Gender Equality Agency director Libby Lyons said in a statement.

What are the gender pay gap statistics in Australia in 2018? The gender pay gap is currently at its lowest in 20 years. In Australia, it is now 14.6 per cent, down from 15.3 per cent in 2017. Full-time working women are taking home an average wage of $1433.60 a week, while men’s pay packets contain $1678.40, figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show. That’s an extra 62 days per year that women have to work to earn the same money as their male counterparts.

Why is there a gender pay gap? The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) says a number of factors influence the gender pay gap, including “discrimination and bias in hiring and pay decisions, women and men working in different industries and different jobs, with female-dominated industries and jobs attracting lower wages, women’s

disproportionate share of unpaid caring and domestic work, lack of workplace flexibility to accommodate caring and other responsibilities, especially in senior roles and women’s greater time out of the workforce impacting career progression and opportunities.” Why do people say the gender pay gap is a myth? Critics say the number doesn’t take into account variables that could skew results: Women who have less work experience, that women are more likely to work in lower-paying fields, and that women are more likely to work part-time or leave the workforce to raise children for periods. To combat this, further studies have been done, comparing women and men who have similar experience and are in similar fields and jobs: yes, a pay gap still exists. Furthermore, the higher up women go

in a company, the bigger the gap gets and the statistics don’t take into account the women who have been bypassed along the way. “ABS and WGEA data both show a gender pay gap favouring full-time working men over full-time working women in every industry and occupational category in Australia,” the WGEA website states. How does Australia compare to the rest of the world? In 2017, Australia was rated a “mid-range performer” when it comes to gender equality in a report released by the OECD. Australia’s gap was smaller than in the US (18.9 per cent), Britain (17.1 per cent) and Canada (18.6 per cent), but is four times larger than Belgium’s (3.3 per cent) and more than twice the size of New Zealand’s (6.1 per cent).

How to make a difference Employers can undertake a pay gap analysis to address gender pay gaps in their organisations. “All employers need to continue to ensure their employees are paid equitably. Do a pay gap analysis. Report the results to the executive and board. Pay gaps close when leaders see the numbers,” Workplace Gender Equality Agency director Libby Lyons notes. As an individual, participate in Equal Pay Day, research the expected pay range for your position, network strategically and ask for specific feedback from managers in reviews.

NAME: Cleopatra VII Philopater a.k.a. Cleopatra LIFETIME: Unknown – August 12, 30 B.C. When Cleopatra was only 14, she became the joint regent and deputy of her father. Four years later, Cleopatra became Pharaoh of Egypt and the first woman who was not subordinate to a male ruler. Cleopatra was worshiped by the Egyptians as the reincarnation of the goddess Isis. She was forced into exile when she entered combat against the powerful Romans but began a secret relationship with Julius Caesar. She gave birth to a son and (unsuccessfully) encouraged Caesar to recognize him as his male heir. Although he would not recognize his son as heir, Caesar did back Cleopatra’s claim to the Egyptian throne. Cleopatra was living with Caesar in Rome when he was assassinated. Shortly after his death, she began a relationship with Caesar’s close friend Mark Antony. She gave birth to twins and the couple would marry a few years later. Because of the inspirational power that Cleopatra had, Rome feared that she would try to take over and relations between the two empires began to crumble. Antony committed suicide, and her son by Caesar was killed. Legend says that Cleopatra killed herself by an asp bite to the breast.

NAME: Hilary Clinton

NAME: Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel

LIFETIME: 26 October 1947 -

LIFETIME: 19 August 1883 - 10 January 1971

When Hillary Clinton was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2001, she became the first American first lady to ever win a public office seat. She later became the 67th U.S. secretary of state in 2009, serving until 2013. In 2016, she became the first woman in U.S. history to become the presidential nominee of a major political party. Clinton

Chanel changed the face of fashion by challenging gender restrictions in women’s clothing. Famous for rebelling through fashion, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel broke down barriers in the fashion industry for women. She used masculine wardrobe to express herself. Taking the comfort of men’s clothing, she produced styles for women. Not all of her best inventions were instant classics. There were times when society didn’t understand or appreciate them until much later; however, Chanel is a recognized name, today.

addresses a wide variety of issues she believes in, among them: lowering student debt, criminal justice reform, campaign finance reform, improving the healthcare coverage and costs of the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare), and women’s rights.

Clinton addressed falling short of becoming the first female president of the United States: “I know we have still not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling, but someday, someone will, and hopefully sooner than we might think right now.” “We need you to keep up these fights now and for the rest of your lives and to all the women and specially the young women who put their faith in this campaign and in me, I want you to know that nothing has made me prouder than to be your champion,” she said. “And to all the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and

When Chanel was only Gabrielle or her nick-name “Coco,” men dominated the fashion business. Who knew that the key to her success was as simple as giving women the unusual ability to function in their own apparel? By altering the construction of women’s clothing to fit their bodies and not merely to attract the gaze of men, she achieved instant clientele from women. Coco took men’s clothing and transformed it for women. Likewise, she took women’s clothing and made it flexible like men’s. Before Chanel, pants were not acceptable for women, but one cannot move well in a dress. The corset was another common item in a woman’s closet, but Coco challenged it by designing relaxing yet elegant dresses. Women wore large hats, causing an array of issues; therefore, she made them in smaller sizes like those for men. By taking men’s designs and revamping them for women, she prospered from social rebellion. She created both for corporate and social situations.

NAME: Angela Davis LIFETIME: 26 January 1944 After she returned from studying abroad in Paris, she became active in the Civil Rights Movement. Her graduate and undergraduate studies under Herbert Marcuse led her to strongly believe it was the duty of the individual to rebel against an unjust system. She became involved in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee(SNCC), the Black Panther Party and the American Communist Party. She has lectured all over the world and is the author of four books. Angela Davis continues to stand up for oppressed people whether it is popular or not. She is mentally strong and capable of explaining her views clearly. She has made rebelling against an unjust system a lifelong goal, and she has accepted the responsibility with grace. For twenty-one years, Davis has been working to try and reform the prisons. She co-founded Critical Resistance, a national oganization dedicated to eliminating unjust imprisonment. She speaks and writes her mind about issues that are controversial without fear of being judged. She teaches classes on feminism and race at the University of California. In her lectures she challenges young people to think deeply on issues and understand history. Every organization she has ever been in has made society look at things they may normally not even think to question. When she was in the Black Panthers, she was closely watched because she was a powerful black woman. Most of America did not want to listen to a black person, let alone a woman.

NAME: Malala Yousafzai

NAME: Joan of Arc

LIFETIME: 12 July 1997 -

LIFETIME: 1412 - 30 May 1431

Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani education advocate who, at the age of 17, became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize after surviving an assassination attempt by the Taliban. Born on July 12, 1997, Yousafzai became an advocate for girls’ education when she herself was still a child, which resulted in the Taliban issuing a death threat against her. On October 9, 2012, a gunman shot Malala when she was traveling home from school. She survived and has continued to speak out on the importance of education. In 2013, she gave a speech to the United Nations and published her first book, I Am Malala. In 2014, she won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Joan of Arc (1412-1431) is a French heroine and Roman Catholic saint. Born in obscurity to a peasant family, she travelled to the uncrowned Dauphin of France, advising him to reclaim his French throne and defeat the English. Joan of Arc was sent alongside French troops to the siege of Orleans and rose to prominence after the siege was lifted after nine days. She was later captured and burned at the stake for heresy. However, as she predicted, seven years after her death, France was reunited with the English defeated and Charles crowned King.

Nine months after being shot by the Taliban, Malala Yousafzai gave a speech at the United Nations on her 16th birthday in 2013. Yousafzai highlighted her focus on education and women’s rights, urging world leaders to change their policies. Yousafzai said that following the attack, “the terrorists thought that they would change our aims and stop our ambitions, but nothing changed in my life except this: weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage were born.”

From the age of twelve, she began to have mystical visions. In these visions, she said she felt the voice of God commanding her to renew the French nation. At her later trial, Joan of Arc said she felt these visions were as real seeing another person. The visions were often accompanied by light and the presence of saints such as St Michael and St Catherine. These visions made Joan of Arc even more religiously inclined. She would frequently go to confession and, it is said that whenever she heard the bells for Mass she would immediately drop her work and run to church. Initially, Joan did not tell others about her visions and inner commandments but in May 1428 the divine messages urged her to seek an audience with Charles de Ponthieu currently an ineffective and relatively weak leader of the French.

NAME: Harriet Beecher Stowe

NAME: Benazir Bhutto

NAME: Amelia Earhart

LIFETIME: 14 June 1811 - 1 July 1896

LIFETIME: 21 June 1953 - 27 December 2007

LIFETIME: 24 July 1897 - July 2, 1937

Abolitionist author, Harriet Beecher Stowe rose to fame in 1851 with the publication of her best-selling book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which highlighted the evils of slavery, angered the slaveholding South, and inspired pro-slavery copy-cat works in defense of the institution of slavery.

Benazir Bhutto was born on June 21, 1953, in Karachi, Pakistan, the child of former premier Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. She inherited leadership of the PPP after a military coup overthrew her father’s government and won election in 1988, becoming the first female prime minister of a Muslim nation. In 2007, she returned to Pakistan after an extended exile, but, tragically, was killed in a suicide attack.

Even at a young age, little Amelia preferred to wear trousers instead of dresses and was interested in things that typical girls simply didn’t do at that time. She simply had no perception that women and girls should not be able to pursue the same careers as men.

Stowe used her fame to petition to end slavery. She toured nationally and internationally, speaking about her book and donating some of what she earned to help the antislavery cause. She also wrote extensively on behalf of abolition, most notably her “Appeal to Women of the Free States of America, on the Present Crisis on Our Country,” which she hoped would help raise public outcry to defeat the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act. Stowe published a second anti-slavery novel in 1856, entitled, Dread: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp. Although her later works did not win the same popularity as Uncle Tom’s Cabin, she still managed to publish novels, essays, and a volume of religious poems. In 1862, she published Pearls of Orr’s Island; Old-Town Folks was released in 1869; and her last novel was Poganuc People, in 1878.

Bhutto returned to Pakistan in 1977, and was placed under house arrest after the military coup led by General Mohammad Zia ul-Haq overthrew her father’s government. She moved to England in 1984, becoming the joint leader in exile of the PPP, then returned to Pakistan on April 10, 1986, to launch a nationwide campaign for open elections. Zia ul-Haq’s dictatorship ended when he was killed in a plane crash in 1988. And Bhutto was elected prime minister barely three months after giving birth to her first child. She became the first ever female prime minister of a Muslim nation on December 1, 1988. Bhutto was defeated in the 1990 election, and found herself in court defending herself against several charges of misconduct while in office. Bhutto continued to be a prominent focus of opposition discontent, and won a further election in 1993, but was replaced in 1996.

Her fascination with aeroplanes came about when she completed her first flight, as a passenger, in 1920, and she immediately switched her focus to become a pilot in her own right. Alongside the ultimate in personal freedom that this job promised, her flying was also an expression of equality, as in those early years, flying was an activity that was reserved for men. One of her most important goals was to become the first person to circumnavigate the earth by flying an aeroplane around the Equator. Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, had already completed most of the journey by 2 July, when they planned to make a routine stop along the way on Howland Island in the Pacific. However, the pair never made it and have been missing ever since, and many have speculated about their eventual fate. The most important legacy, however, is Earhart’s achievements as an aviation pioneer, which continue to fascinate women all over the world.

NAME: Bell Hooks

NAME: Jane Austen

NAME: Emma Watson

LIFETIME: 25 September 1952 -

LIFETIME: 16 December 1775 - 18 July 1817

LIFETIME: 15 April 1990 -

Considered among the foremost intellectuals of her generation, bell hooks is a social critic and educator who writes about social and cultural topics ranging from racism to feminism to the theory of art and the practice of education. Hooks’s experiences growing up in a segregated community have caused her to focus predominately on the effects of racism in much of her published work. Additionally, her father’s rigid traditional beliefs regarding gender roles made her question, early on, the sexism alive in both the black community and U.S. society at large. Her feminist stance is rooted in the strong female role models that figured largely in her early life; in fact, her adopted name is that of her great grandmother, adopted in order, according to Paula Giddings in Ms., to “honor the unlettered wisdom of her foremothers.” Hooks writes the name in the lower case, as she explained to Michel Marriott in the New York Times, “to emphasize her message and not herself.” The place of African-American women within the feminist movement of the late twentieth century is the focus of several of hooks’s essay collections, including her first, 1981’s Ain’t I a Woman. Begun when its author was nineteen years old, Ain’t I a Woman takes its title from a speech by the nineteenth-century former slave and abolitionist Sojourner Truth. In this book hooks challenges the minor role black women were given in both the feminist and black liberation movements, and champions the idea of sisterhood among black women.

The earliest readers of Pride And Prejudice were surprised that such a clever book could have been written by a woman. It is, of course, the book from which Austen’s most famous line comes: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” That her characters were strong, witty women might have surprised those who knew Austen – she didn’t openly sympathise with radical contemporaries such as Mary Wollstonecraft, the British writer and advocate of women’s rights. Austen’s feminism is more subtle, but she was still one of the first authors to suggest that women should marry for love, and not increased social standing or money. She gave her female characters the right to be happy too – a right we now take for granted, but certainly was not a given in Regency England. She also highlighted that women couldn’t inherit wealth – leaving many destitute on their husbands’ deaths. It’s a very dark subject, and one which many female novelists of the time shied away from. And her female characters are always reading, always educated, always well-versed in literature.

Many people know Emma Watson as the super smart, loveable Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series. Well, that may be how people originally came to know her but her career has since grown tremendously. At the very young age of 27, Watson has managed to inspire people and surprise them with her maturity. The actress may have started out in film but she is so much more: a UN ambassador, an advocate for several charities and a worthy role model to many young people. One thing that her fans have noticed about her is that she is very inspirational. Watson is knowledgeable about so much and still manages to keep her career going strong. Her knowledge has inspired many quotes that people live by. “I decided I was a feminist and this seemed uncomplicated to me,” she said. “But my recent research has shown me that feminism has become an unpopular word. Apparently I am among the ranks of women whose expressions are seen as too strong, too aggressive, isolating, anti-men, and unattractive.”

apparently it is unrgraceful of me to mention my period in public cause the actual biology of my body is too real it is okay to sell whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s between a womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legs more than it is okay to mention its inner workings the recreational use of this body is seen as beautiful while its nature is seen as ugly -rupi kaur

WOMENS RIGHTs are human rights I am woman hear me roar.

hy is it that men are often seen to be superior to women, it needs to change. Come on Australia, we need to get real and pick up our game. It’s the 21st century!

Australia’s full-time women’s workers pay gap is at 15.3 per cent. For those who aren’t entirely sure what a gender pay gap is; it is the difference in the pay of women and men, based on the average or median difference in pay,

Women have often been excluded from social, public and political life We are in the 21st century in Australian society. Examples of this inequality is that women weren’t and yet we are still fighting for elected to the Commonwealth some of the same rights from Parliament until 1943. Or imagine 100 years ago. not being allowed to go down to the local bar to have a drink? Women were denied both these rights until 1965. and expressed as a percentage of men’s Yes – 1965! It was only 50 years ago earnings. People might not think that this that women were made to resign from is a major issue, but over a lifetime it their public jobs once they got married. certainly adds up and the effect it has on A big congratulation to Australia for Australian women is that they can retire changing some things over the past 100 with far less superannuation than they years, but there are still many areas in should and this means that they can have Australian society in which females don’t a much higher risk of living in poverty in have equal rights. their retirement than men. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has a gender pay gap in favour of men in Canada, including Australia and Japan.

A study conducted by the Australian Government published at the start of this year showed some pretty shocking results. Women get roughly $253.70 less

than men a week. From 2014 to 2018 the gender pay gap has decreased by 0.6 per cent. Organisations like OECD and World Bank, are continually collecting data containing gender inequalities. This type of research can create a massive change for women around the world. Countries like Australia, the USA, Austria and Belgium have introduced gender equality reporting schemes. These reporting schemes require organisations to continually collect data, which includes salary and remuneration, to wage inequalities between women and men. Did you know that discrimination against women in the workforce is still a thing? Women don’t always get the same rights as men at work. Many women experience less work opportunities because of their responsibilities of taking care of their families. The field of Law has definitely not been immune to sexist attitudes. Women

weren’t allowed to practice Law in NSW until 1918 and it was dominated by rich, connected, and Caucasian males. Even now, the majority of senior positions and judges are mostly held by men and one wonders if this is because historically men have held these senior positions, with the general culture of law being of long hours deeming it to be more suited to males? Although this is now changing, albeit slowly. The High Court Chief now has its first female Chief Justice, Susan Kiefel. The NSW Crown Solicitor’s Office has its first female Crown Solicitor, Lea Armstrong. Fifth year law student Taylah M has been really lucky because in her particular field of interest (child protection / family law / community legal centre work) it is dominated by women. So Taylah said with confidence that she has never experienced any kind of discrimination at work, although she acknowledges that wouldn’t be the experience of many young women entering other areas of law like the corporate sphere. “Things have

changed and it is greatly improving in terms of diversity and workplaces culture, but it still has insidious elements and an overall ‘boys club’ culture,” she said. Taylah’s work has about 90 per cent of females in a range of positions from senior solicitors to paralegals to support staff. Flexible working hours are encouraged, as is taking parental leave. “I think this makes a difference in promoting a more positive workplace environment for women because, whatever your opinion on the issue, women are still the primary carers of children, more so than fathers. So flexible working hours to accommodate the needs of children is important.” Gender equality in the workplace is when all individuals are given access to the same rewards, resources and opportunities. Australia has come a long way in gender equality, especially in education, health and the actual number of females in the workforce.

This sounds all well and good, but the gender gap still needs ongoing and progressive work in Australia. Women are continuing to earn less than men and are still less likely than a male to progress in their careers. ‘The Sex Discrimination Act 1984’ protects both women and men against inequality. It is designed to protect people from being treated unfairly because of their sex, sexual orientation, intersex status, gender identity, marital or relationship status, pregnancy, breastfeeding and also protects women and men who have family responsibilities. To all the women and girls of the world. Dream bigger. Don’t be silenced. Fight harder. And always remember, the future is female.

Producing in the dark: Women behind the music Written by: Caitlin Greenwood

omen. They’re breaking records. They’re making the charts their own and sweeping the floor during awards season. Hell, women in the music industry are at the forefront more than ever before. But for women on the other side of the sound desk, it’s a different story.

There seems to be a feeling of shock and disbelief as Dominique, a New York based singer-songwriter and producer, learns that only six women (since 1974) have been nominated for Producer of The Year (non-classical) at the Grammys. As as of 2017, no woman has won.

Because less than five percent of engineers and recording producers are women.

And nothing needs to be said. It’s exactly the reaction one would expect from an up and coming female in the industry. The lack of female nominations doesn’t mean that they’re not creating quality work. Rather than reflecting the quality of female-produced music, the stats reflect the tendency for women to choose performance rather than production. Which begs the question, WHY?

What about music production and engineering? Who’s directing sound? Who’s co-ordinating the recording sessions and manipulating the record into the music you’re hearing today? When you come to think and then look into it, those roles are almost entirely men. Have a look at the credits of your favoruite albums, and you’ll be quick to note that names of women are almost non existent. Why? Because less than five percent of engineers and recording producers are women.

When you talk to music producers here (in Australia) and in the United States, it’s evident that there’s underlying factors contributing to the lack of female producers and engineers. Women (in production and engineering) “don’t have enough role models,” says Dominique. One only has to look at the last two

winners of Album Of The Year at the Grammys, to notice how glaringly obvious the lack of women is. In 2016 Taylor Swift took to the stage to accept the award. A group of 19 people, aside from Swift are credited with making ‘1989’ yet only two are female. Adele’s ’25’ was awarded the honour in 2017 and of the 13 producers credited, one was female. “I sometimes wonder whether it’s a case of women not pursuing music production or whether it’s people (including women) not believing fully in the abilities and skills they have,” says Australian music production student, Winona Gray. “Before I started, I saw how women (incredibly successful or not) are treated in the music industry compared to their male counterparts and it bothered me”. “I’ve been told many times that it’s more a males game and industry which yes, it is male dominated. That is a fact I personally wish would change,” says Gray. Like most things, the experience varies for each individual. Dominique believes

Singer-songwriter and music producer, Dominique

being an independent artist allows her to avoid a lot of the sexism that other women in the industry face.

critical of female artists. Seeing other women succeed in music would definitely help the women starting out”.

“It’s just us (my manager and I),” she says. “I do my own PR. There’s no label”. Though, she admits she can’t avoid it entirely, particularly when it comes to collaboration. “Certain men aren’t going to treat you the same. It’s frustrating”.

As an artist who has a self produced EP, Dominique has plenty of experience under her belt. She knows exactly how tough the industry is, but she’s also learnt that all the work, is worth it. “It’s cut throat,” and although women are “under represented”, they’re also “persistent” and “determined”, she says.

In order for things to change for the next generation, the attitudes towards women in production and engineering, need to change. Gray believes a greater diversity of lineups for festivals and giving women the recognition that they deserve, will help women like her enter into the industry. “I know a variety of female artists that haven’t gotten the recognition they deserve…and I don’t believe that it simply comes down to the quality of the music they create,” says Gray. “I do feel like some people are extra harsh on and

Dominique and Gray sit at different positions on the timeline of their career. But for now, women like Dominique in the mix will prove critical for those like Gray, entering the industry. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help,” Dominique says. “Be shameless”. For those thinking about a career in music production or engineering. Dominique believes taking classes are key. “If you know the sound you want, you can produce,” she says. “The hardest part is the software”.

While the lack of women in production and engineering is significant, those i n the industry agree on one thing. It’s a work in progress, and eventually things will change. For Gray, she’d love to see more learning opportunities for newcomers like herself. “I’d like to see panels and talks with women already in the music industry that have some experience with starting out,” she says. “Helping other women has to be a community,” says Dominique. Both women agree that empowering women, rather than comparing them, is the key to success. And although things are changing, Dominique knows “there’s a lot of history to overwrite”.

WOMEN ARE AMAZING and hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why

11.

Although male brains are 9% larger than female brains, both have the same amount of brain cells. The brain cells in women merely pack together more densely.

Zeng Jinlian, from China, was the tallest woman in recorded history. She stood an astonishing 8 feet 1 ¾ inches tall. That’s over a foot taller than Shaquille O’Neal!

In Greek mythology, the first god to be born after Chaos (the first element to exist) was a woman named Gaia, or Mother Earth. Gaia, without assistance from a male god, then birthed Uranus, (the sky) the mountains, and Pontus (the sea).

12.

A woman’s clitoris grows throughout her lifetime. This means that many women in their forties and fifties have stronger orgasms than they did during their teens and twenties.

When considering both paid and unpaid work (such as housework and childcare), women work approximately 30 minutes more per day (or 39 more days per year) than men.

Mary, Queen of Scots went into public a few days after her husband’s murder to play golf. She is the first recorded woman to golf in Scotland.

13.

Two of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were built by women: the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were planted by the Assyrian Queen Semiramis; and the Masoleum of Halicarnassus was built by Artemisia, queen of Caria.

During WWII, a female African American performer transported hidden messages to French soldiers through sheet music covered in invisible ink.

The earliest known female physician lived in ancient Egypt around 2700 B.C.

On average, women live 2–5 years longer than men, a fact which holds true in every country in the world. This isn’t limited to human beings; female orangutans and chimpanzees also outlive their male counterparts.

The vagina averages a 4.5 on the pH scale, similar to the acidity of a tomato.

10.

The two highest IQ scores in recorded history belong to women.

Women in their 30s and 40s report having more sexual fantasies, casual sex, and one-night stands than in their younger years, making middle-aged women, on average, more sexually active than college-aged girls.

14. Women, even from infancy, are generally more interested in facial expressions, emotional tones in voices, and non-verbal cues than men.

15.

The anterior cingulate cortex, the part of the brain that weighs options when making a decision, is larger in women than in men.

human rights have no gender.

malala yousafzai Educational advocate. Nobel peace prize winner. Feminist

alala Yousafzai is well known around the world mainly through her incredibly emotional diary which was published on BBC Urdu. The diary outlined her strong desire to continue to be educated and for other girls to be educated after she was shot in the head in 2012 by a rebel gunman from the Taliban. Malala was already known throughout Pakistan but when this disgustingly vile act happened she became famous around the world. She incredibly survived this vicious assault which occurred when a gutless militant gunman opened fire at her on her school bus in Pakistan’s Swat valley, which also wounded two of her school friends as well. Malala accepted an award in Oslo where she said she was “humbled” and ‘proud to be the first Pashtun and the first Pakistani to win the prize’. As terrible as her whole ordeal was, she still laughed and joked that she was probably the first winner who still fought with her younger brothers. Malala’s story is of recovery from surgeries and rehabilitation at a Pakistani military hospital as well as the UK. After all of her rehab, she then went global – and started to campaign for the rights of girls to have an education. She is followed closely by the world’s media. Malala has been an anonymous voice and chronicling the fears of schoolgirls who are under the threat of the Taliban. Militants destroyed girls schools and wielded power over the valley. They had an implacable attitude to female education and this was Malala’s primary concern.When she was discharged from hospital in January 2013 she did not

realise how different her life would be an the incredible impact she would have around the world. TIME magazine named her as the most influential people in 2013 and she was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. During this year she the European Parliament’s Sakharov price for Freedom of Thought. She also released her autobiography “I Am Malala”.

The Taliban said that they targeted her for “promoting secular education” and threatened to attack her again. Her anonymous diary captivated audiences and she was only 11 and she wrote under a pseudonym – named Gul Makai which is a heroine from a Pashtun folk tale. As the school was closing for the winter holidays in 2009 she wrote about the girls not being too excited about vacations because they knew if the Taliban implemented their edict which means banning girls’ education, they would not be able to come to school again’. Malala was of the view that the school would one day reopen but she spoke of her extreme anxiety she and her friends had as they saw students dropping out of classes as they were so fearful of being targeted by militants. She spoke of the girls attending the school in plain clothes instead of their school uniform so that no-one noticed anything.

Like many other Swat residents, Malala and her family fled when the government military operation began to clear the region of militancy. Malala was always a passionate campaigner and she received encouragement from her parents and even the idea for the blog was that of her father Ziauddin. Her father ran a local private school so was also passionate about education. A teacher at the school said Malala’s father “encouraged Malala to speak freely and learn everything she could”. Eventually her identity as the girl blogger became known and even then she became more vocal on the rights of girls to have an education. Many honours were bestowed on Malala such as; 2011 she was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize by The KidsRights Foundation; 2012 the Pakistani government awarded her the National Peace Award which was then changed to the National Malala Peace Prize - for children under 18 years old. Richard Holbrooke was from a US envoy who was in the region, and she even confronted him desperately pleading him to do something about the terrible state of affairs for females who want an education. Malala took advantage of improved security when she returned to Swat and she even went back to school but along with her family they were the subject of constant threats and in 2012 the terrible assault on her happened. The Taliban targeted her for “promoting secular education” and continued to threaten to attack her and her family. Malala was hit Malala’s on the left side of her head but it

didn’t penetrate her skull but it travelled underneath the skin along the length of the side of her head and then into her shoulder. There was a worldwide passive outpouring of global support and she was flown to the UK at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital where she received specialist treatment. Malala also had a titanium plate fitted and a cochlear implant to help her hear. Edgbaston High School was where she attended and father was given a position with the Pakistani consulate in Birmingham. In 2017, she began to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) at Oxford’s Lady Margaret Hall and she continued her campaign and took it around the world. There has been a fund set up in her name which helps children in education around the world. She has also been to Nigeria where she met President Goodluck Jonathan. She pressed him to free 200 girls held by Boko Haram Islamist militants. “Today, I also read my diary written for the BBC in Urdu. My mother liked my pen name Gul Makai. I also like the name because my real name means ‘grief stricken’.” It is all a far cry from the young girl who wrote this in her diary, never realising the amazing impact she has had around the world.

well behaved women seldom make history

Paige Parker

Celeste Liddle An inspiring Australian indigenous feminist

s an Aboriginal child who was born in Canberra, the nation’s capital, my immersion into politics began at a very young age. I spent my formative years surrounded by politicians, protest movements and several key figures just a few years after the Tent Embassy (semi-permanent structure erected in Canberra to protest for Aboriginal rights) began and the push for Land Rights and a Treaty was at its strongest. One of my first memories was of being over at Freedom Rider Charlie Perkins’s place, the home of my grandmother’s cousin, and witnessing the discussions and political debates happening around that table. I didn’t understand much of it, but I recognised the passion and the fact that those around me were driving for change. Those instances, combined with my mother’s deep social consciousness, led to a questioning mind and a knowledge that the world is much bigger than ourselves. The place that I occupied in the world made itself apparent very early. The first time I experienced direct racism was in my first year of primary school when a fellow pupil called me a “black bum” and I got in trouble for pushing her. Many incidents followed that point, throughout the schooling years. Some were blatant, but others were more subtle, such as a teacher informing my mother that I must have been “drawing attention” to myself when I’d complained about being bullied. I simultaneously encountered gendered comments that would make me feel uncomfortable. I knew that I wasn’t supposed to be as strong and boisterous as the boys. I was supposed to like playing with Barbies and My Little Ponies, and enjoying the ballet classes I was enrolled in despite my other inclinations. In short, I felt continually

limited and ridiculed by virtue of my race and sex and therefore considered the oppressions interconnected and to be contested together. That’s how I continue to see it now. My responses to issues of gender are very much informed by my experience of race, and vice versa. My experience of structural forms of oppression was heightened due to these intersecting forms of oppression, and are particularly acute due to being of a working class background. Therefore, when it comes to Aboriginal feminism, I very much see our questions and tactics occupying the more “radical” end of the feminist spectrum. By radical, I am referring to streams such as socialist/marxist feminism, anarchafeminism and radical feminism. I feel personally that the issue of race keeps me focussed on community rather than individual advancement, and therefore my feminism reflects this. Additionally, I seek self-determination as both an Aboriginal person and a woman, and therefore need to challenge the structures that negate this freedom. To borrow a quote from the Combahee River Collective Statement: “If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression”. In an Australian context this carries a slightly different resonance due to the experiences of colonisation, but to decolonise from both a race and gender perspective is imperative. I strongly believe that as Aboriginal women, whilst our fights are related to ongoing feminist struggles within other racially marginalised groups, they are not the same. By virtue of the fact that we are first peoples who have suffered

under the process of colonisation within our own homelands, our struggles can be quite unique. Recently, for example, I was engaged in a markedly frustrating discussion on the concept of “fair skin privilege” as someone of a migrant background took issue to how I was utilising the term “black”. Fair skin privilege of course exists to an extent in an Aboriginal context, however

“I knew that I wasn’t supposed to be as strong and boisterous as the boys. I was supposed to like playing with Barbies and My Little Ponies, and enjoying the ballet classes I was enrolled in despite my other inclinations.” the “Stolen Generations”, for example, highlight how limited this privilege has historically been. Additionally, migrant populations, whilst suffering marginalisation in Australia, also benefit from the displacement of Aboriginal people. Therefore there is a need to tell our own stories, and expand our own theories rather than simply drawing upon the experiences of others. When I am highlighting why I feel a specific Aboriginal feminism is necessary, I tend to point to three formative elements that structure this need: the white patriarchy, the black patriarchy and “mainstream” feminism. As a point of oppression, the white patriarchy

is self explanatory given its continuing historical legacy and political privilege. Aboriginal women feeling excluded by mainstream feminism is a topic that has been covered many times, most recently in an article by Kelly Briggs, which poignantly proposed that arguments regarding the lack of racial diversity in parliament are sorely lacking from mainstream feminism. Yet how the patriarchy operates within the Aboriginal community is not something that is discussed as often. It does have impact, even if the politics of race bind us. I am seeking to define how these elements play out in our communities more and more, because through better understandings we can build better and more inclusive movements that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t leave the most vulnerable behind. Many Aboriginal feminists have been rightly critical of mainstream feminisms in the past, due to lack of collaboration that centralized the individual over the communal, or the imposition of privileged viewpoints as if these were a universal experience for women. In addition, an â&#x20AC;&#x153;Orientalistâ&#x20AC;? understanding that misread Aboriginal culture has sometimes been applied by feminists to cultural issues and practices that are ours to challenge. This is not because we necessarily perceive these things differently but rather, we need the space to interpret and challenge these things in our own communities. One example I like to highlight is the constant questions I receive from non-Aboriginal feminists regarding whether women should be allowed to play the didgeridoo, an Aboriginal wind instrument typically played by men. Considering the multitude of pressing issues that Aboriginal women face in Australia, a question such as this is not a defining Aboriginal feminist question, and the

“It is difficult to pinpoint a time when I began to associate race politics with gender politics personally, but I do know that it was quite early on in my life.“

questioning of this cultural practice by non-Aboriginal women simply comes across as another act of imperialism. There is nothing to be gained for the feminist movement as a whole by nonAboriginal feminists challenging these cultural practices; rather it just negates our rights of self-determination and indeed cultural ownership. Over time, Aboriginal feminists (for example, Aileen Morton-Robinson in “Talkin’ Up to the White Woman”, 2000) have continued to highlight additional hurdles that they face due to the intersection of race and gender. Aboriginal women experience the issues that non-Aboriginal women experience due to the process of colonisation, but often there are additional complexities. For example, whilst equal pay is important for all of us, for many years Aboriginal people were historically not paid for their labour at all, and this acutely affected Aboriginal women working as domestic servants. Our wages were, in a lot of cases, held in trusts by the governments and therefore our “stolen wages” claims are ongoing many years later. “Victim blame” is something we face often, and indeed, a number of the Indigenous movements’ more conservative commentators tend to replicate these viewpoints. When we experience victim blaming as women, it is compounded by race to the point where Aboriginal women dying from domestic homicide at a rate ten times that of other women in Australia barely rates a mention. We tend to be subjected to the same issues of body shame and arbitrary and commercialised notions of beauty, but we are also judged on our skin tone and whether or not we possess certain features deemed to be tellingly “Aboriginal” (eg: a wide nose, deep-set eyes, etc). We can also experience fetishisation on the basis of

our skin tones despite being mainly socially excluded because of them. In short, our experiences can add layers to feminist understandings and there are many ways in which a notion of a universalised women’s experience can exclude us or only tell part of the tale. When it comes to the notion of a “black patriarchy”, I see this being perpetuated on two fronts. The first is through the patriarchal structures that we inherit through the process of colonisation by the mainstream culture, and the second manifests itself in our own community-based forms, through our traditional practices and how we view and deploy gender roles. To start with our internal patriarchy, it is always interesting to me when members of the Indigenous community argue that traditional societies had gender equality due to our understandings of gender complementarity, which presumes that the separate and set roles of men and women had equal importance in communities. This is not necessarily the case. From one side of this vast country to the other, different practices existed in different clan groups and therefore the experiences of “equality” for women via a notion of gender complementarity would have differed. If we state otherwise, then as black people we run the risk of universalising our own experiences similar to what mainstream feminism has been accused of doing. Secondly, gender complementarity has not been known to equal gender equality in many regions of the world. We have practices such as polygynous marriage that are arranged from birth, alongside norms such as specific forms of governance and punishment for women. At times, due to the fact that we (as Aboriginal people) are protecting family and culture in the face of ongoing colonialism, we lose the ability to critically examine our

own practices because we are worried that anything perceived as negative will be used to further discredit us as peoples. The patriarchy we inherited and in some ways continue to perpetuate from the dominant culture tends to manifest itself when we adopt external cultural practices and use them in ways that may enhance pride in Aboriginality but reinforce gender disparities. Examples of this are events such as the Miss NAIDOC pageants, which are based upon the idea that we need to celebrate the “beauty” of Aboriginal women. Beauty, as a concept, may be harmful to women as it often centralises the appearance of a woman as being her most important attribute. One of the points I made back when I first examined this in the above linked article was that we actually come from a culture that values age and wisdom, assigning great value to our older women. When it comes to beauty however, older women are almost completely excluded. Additionally, our women have been achieving highly in a number of fields for a long time; we have been obtaining tertiary education qualifications at a rate nearly double that of Aboriginal men. So why do we consider it important to celebrate the “beauty” of Aboriginal women whilst barely mentioning these wonderful achievements? The idea that something becomes empowering if it is community organised and run fails to examine what it is that we are instituting from the cultures of those we have been oppressed by, and if these are indeed worthwhile things to adopt. Without such questioning, we run the risk of merely contributing to the subjugation of our own rather than enacting true positive change. It continues to be imperative to challenge the prevailing structures of power on the dual fronts of race and gender,

both internally and externally. Australia, despite the rhetoric to the contrary, continues to privilege a very white and patriarchal culture in which exclusionary legacies, rather than being a source of shame, tend to be celebrated. I would even go so far as to argue that due to our complex history and culture wars, begun in the early 1990s then reinforced by the Howard government, we have gone backwards when it comes to being a space inclusive of race and gender. During the Howard years, Aboriginal people were continually rebuked for “focussing on the negative” when telling the true stories of what we have faced under centuries of colonisation. Women were told that fights for gender equality were “political correctness gone mad,” or otherwise not essential. Australia reflects this perspective today. Australia Day, which was of little importance to most of the population only a couple of decades ago, is now a day to drape flags across your shoulders and be “proud” at the cost of any acknowledgement of the true history of this day and what it has meant to Aboriginal peoples. ANZAC Day, which was also criticised because feminists drew attention to victims of war and rape as a tactic of war in particular, is again focussing on the “brave people who served our country” in the various conflicts. There is a need to challenge Australian historical narratives on a number of fronts, and Aboriginal feminists have an incredibly important role to play in this. I strongly feel that Aboriginal feminism is going to continue to grow and develop. We have a number of incredibly strong Aboriginal women who are moving to the forefront of public discourse.

If you want to run for Prime Minister, you can. If you don’t, that’s wonderful, too. Shave your armpits, don’t shave them, wear flats one day, heels the next; We want to empower women to do exactly what they want. -Emma Watson

LIVING IN A MANS WORLD Sportswomen still face sexism, but feminism can help achieve a level playing field The world of sports is flashy, wealthy, big, and masculine. It is a constant battle between cities. A warzone an inch deep in spilled beer, of belligerent men in bars who wear jerseys with someone else’s name on the back. The world of sports is a boy’s locker room, waving towels and popping champagne. It is a billboard 70 feet high, with a six foot two, 220-pound linebacker that looks down on the tiny cars, smirking with his arms folded. The world of sports is overrun by male athletes, with a male face on the label for its male fans. It is saturated in masculinity, which begs the question: where is a woman’s place is in this kind of a world? In magazines and the media, we see women athletes depicted in one of two ways: hypersexualized or hyper-masculinized with little in-between. The media focuses on women as sexual objects even as they compete in sports as serious athletes by sticking them in photo-shoots in bathing suits. Though this is often blamed on American society’s need to over sexualize nearly everything, at the same time, there is little to no sexualization of male athletes. This only creates a contrast in male and female athletes that heightens the idea of females being nothing more than a sexy flare to a man’s game. On the other side of the spectrum, if women athletes work too much on their bodies and become too muscular, they are stigmatized as too masculine. Stereotypes of the female athlete often imply manliness or homosexuality. However, these depictions of women in sports are rarely true.

I met Ellie in preschool where she recruited me to play on her little league soccer team that year. Even from a young age, Ellie was built to compete: she had muscular arms and defined abs by the time I had met her at age five. Mix this with her competitive nature and she was destined for athletic greatness. Ellie soared when it came to soccer. “I started playing when I could walk,” she laughed as if it were a rhetorical question when I asked her when she first began playing. “It was just a natural movement.” Watching her on the field, you can see just how natural the sport is to her. In suburban Philadelphia, I watched Ellie lead our middle and high school soccer teams to victory every fall season. She never thought twice when approaching the ball or another player: it was all one organic movement as she weaved and laced her way through each game. As a sophomore, the school’s track coach approached her with the intention to build a stronger team after many losing seasons. It was no surprise when after only one year of competing, Ellie was voted captain and won medal after medal for our once-underdog team. I asked her, “Do you think track worked out so well because your email address in third grade was speedygg98@hotmail. com?” It was a funny email address, but it exemplifies how Ellie felt even as a young girl about sports and how she was proud of her athletic abilities. Ellie was recruited to Middlebury College, an academically and athletically competitive division three school, for both soccer and track. She goes to track preseason in the mornings, class during

the day, soccer practice in the afternoons, and eats every meal with her teammates. Her closest friends are her teammates, they do everything together whether it’s sweating or studying. Because she is a two-sport college athlete, Ellie focuses on staying in constant shape as do her teammates. She recognizes that there are expectations for how a woman athlete should look. “Body images promoted by society plays a large role and female athletes are tricky. We are sensitive and competitive. This makes it really easy for coaches, teammates, or fans to get to us. There’s a lot of pressure.” Pressure to be the best they can be when it comes to body image, talent, and performance. Because of thispressure to be the best, most female athletes aim to flee femininity. While competing to be champions, femininity seems to be a woman athlete’s only disadvantage because it makes them soft, emotional, weak. Gymnast Shawn Johnson once described a usual woman’s hourglass shape as a vessel to sit on the shelf, be admired, and count down the seconds until time runs out. To be worthy of competition, many women athletes feel they must identify with men to be strong and to be champions. However, body image affects women in two ways: Ellie also worries about some of her teammates who skip lifting workouts in fear of looking too manly. Many of them, while working to be the best, are also still focusing on what society expects of them; the over sexualized object that the media portrays in advertisements.

“It’s sad to see at such a high level, women are still sacrificing strength of their performance in an attempt to live up to what the media deems is attractive.” There is a paradox in females of the sports industry. They are expected to perform at their best so women athletes must focus on gaining muscle and lean body mass, while at the same time still looking as sexy and girly as the woman on the cover of a Sport Illustrated swimsuit edition. What is most shocking about females in the sports industry is that not all of these women identify as feminists. There is a huge amount of anti-feminism throughout women in the sports world despite evident gender inequalities such as the recent United State’s Women’s National Soccer Team lawsuit. But why is this? Just like every male athlete, every women athlete wants to win and be the best. The way to do this is by being tough and hard,

which is associated as a masculine trait. When training to become unstoppable and unbreakable, women are essentially becoming masculine. At the same time, no woman wants to be called manly. No woman wants to feel self-conscious about what her muscular body looks like, especially in a society where women are expected to look softer than men. Therefore, by claiming that they are not feminists, they are trying to fit in as “one of the guys”. By denouncing feminism, women are still becoming tough in their training or in their work while also feeling that they are feminine by not being so opinionated or “irritating men”. In fear of being charged with lesbianism and manliness, some females in the sports industry turn their backs on phrases like feminism, invoking this post-feminist discourse in the world of athletics. However, as women turn their backs on feminism, they only promote inequality. “Most women in my tiny liberal arts school identify strongly as feminists,” Ellie told

me reassuringly, “But I know there are girls out there who think boys won’t like them if they’re feminists.” Even in our allgirl’s high school, Ellie and I encountered girls who did not identify as feminists because they still wanted a boy to open the door for them or carry their bag. Gender equality does not entail becoming a man yourself. Being a female athlete and a feminist does not make a woman manly, irritating, or a stand out, it only makes them an equal. If we stop comparing our female athletes to men and super models, and focus on their athletic abilities and achievements, women will be more confident in their bodies and their talents. We are not there yet; we are not living in a post-feminism world, we still need to fight. We still see women athletes in magazines ridiculed for their outfits and their bodies. Women athletes are plagued with stereotypes and are constantly harassed over their body shapes. Women have made great and important strides, but we are still not equal.

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Eleanor Harding A force for change in her community

unty Eleanor Harding was passionate about women’s issues and education and was a respected community member who fought hard to achieve a better deal for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Born in 1934 on Erub Island which is in the Torres Strait her mother, Emma Pitt, was from the Torres Strait and her father, Fred Nain, was from Cape York, Qld with Eleanor being the youngest of four siblings.

Eleanor was motivated by the hardships around her and she started to work alongside other dedicated individuals to help with some of the basic needs of the Aboriginal community. Eleanor always opened her heart to the neglected, and visited Aboriginal men and women who were incarcerated in the prison system in Melbourne’s supplying them with coffee and biscuits and often paid directly from her own pocket.

Eleanor left school at a very young age but also recognised the value of education and she was an avid supporter of Abschol, a program set up in the 1960s to raise money for scholarships for Aboriginal students. This later became the Abstudy scheme. Eleanor’s children went on to complete higher education and many of them are now high profile figures in the arts and Aboriginal affairs.

Several Aboriginal-run organisations, When she was eight years including the Motivated by the hardship she saw around her, old her father was killed Victorian Aboriginal when he was working on a Legal Service, the Eleanor worked alongside other dedicated pearl lugger and then she Victorian Aboriginal individuals to help fulfil some of the basic needs of Health Service and lost her mother and she moved to the mainland to the Aboriginal community. She opened her heart to the Aborigines live with her grandmother Advancement League the most neglected where they lived in a were fortunate to number of Aboriginal have Eleanor on communities around Cape York, before In the 1960’s, Eleanor helped with a their Board. She joined the Victorian settling at the Bloomfield River Mission — national campaign to secure equal rights Department of Community Services in which is known today as Wujal Wujal. for Indigenous Australians. She was a 1978 and worked with victims of domestic member of the Aborigines Advancement violence and homelessness among young At this particular time, Aboriginal and League and the Victorian branch of the Aboriginal women. She helped to set up Torres Strait Islander peoples of QLD Federal Council for the Advancement the Margaret Tucker Hostel in 1983 and were subjected to terrible laws in of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders worked there voluntarily until ongoing Australia and nearly all aspects of their (FCAATSI). The push for change to government funding was received. lives were controlled by the Government. the constitution resulted in the 1967 Eleanor moved to Melbourne in 1956 Referendum. It proved a symbolic win in Eleanor was a well-respected Elder and as she wanted to give her children a the battle for Indigenous rights. . a founding member of the Victorian better life and after a short stay in South As an executive member of the National Aboriginal Catholic Council, which later Yarra, she then moved to Fitzroy. Many Aboriginal and Islander Women’s Council became the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry. Aboriginal families occupied this suburb Eleanor, she organised for busloads She helped establish the Victorian Wongai and life was a struggle but Eleanor quickly of women to travel to Sydney and Torres Strait Islander Corporation and a began to work with the poor who were participate in protest to highlight what the memorial award is presented in her name part of a close-knit community. historic moment meant for Indigenous each year at the Victorian Indigenous Australians. They travelled to Canberra Performing Arts Awards. Eleanor sadly The residents of Fitzroy didn’t have a lot in 1972 in support of the Aboriginal Tent passed away in 1996 and was buried of material wealth but they were very Embassy. To mark the landing of Captain on Erub Island and is remembered with good people as shared their food and Cook at Botany Bay in 1970 and like many great affection as an integral member of helped each other looking after their Indigenous women, Eleanor made her the Indigenous rights movement in VIC. children. Eleanor purchased a toaster in home available to those people in need ‘respect each other and be proud of who her building and it became a communal and she would provide care to children you are’ was her message which was a appliance which was used by all the who would otherwise be institutionalised. simple but potent one. tenants and all the locals socialised every When Aboriginal people came to Fitzroy fortnight at dances held where Eleanor in search of missing relatives, she would even performed with a group called the assist them in finding their loved ones. Fitzroy Dancing Girls.

to the women. they all look like flowers. they all look like miracles. they all look like laughter. like the rain. like the fire. the sisters. the mothers. on this day and all days like these, they all look like the things our hearts are made of. cherish them daily, and if possible, dearly. they are the image of whatever goodness there is left. -r.m. drake

AXE THE (bloody) TAX Seeing red

he tampon tax issue has gained fantastic global momentum in the past few years, in countries like the United States, Canada, India, Australia, and beyond. Most recently the issue crossed my newsfeed following the Indian government’s 2017 tax circular, in which sanitary napkins were classified as a luxury good and taxed at 12% — and sindoor, the red pigment many women wear to indicate that they’re married, wasn’t taxed at all. As the folks at Feminism in India pointed out, the message was loud and clear: For the government, a woman’s marital status is more important than her right to access basic healthcare.

But never fear, feminists: The movement against menstrual injustice is gushing forth like my period on day 3, and in some places (like duh Canada) it has even

Here’s something I find more fun than squeezing clots of blood out of my vagina for five days a month: Being taxed for it. Oh wait, did I say fun? I meant total fucking bullshit.

And India isn’t the only country where these kinds of double standards are alive and thriving: As many American feminists have pointed out, we live in a country where most states tax menstrual products, but don’t tax Viagra and even some kinds of shampoo.

blue states, tampons are still taxed in the United States. The issue, however, has never been hipper (or vagina-er), with the tampon tax being described as “viral legislation.” A steady flow of state legislators have introduced anti-tampon tax bills this year alone, with women and democrats leading the way.

triumphed! So unwrap those pads, slide in those tampons, and let’s take a fun journey to just a few destinations in the global fight against the evil sexist tampon tax.

A growing trickle of true heroes has emerged. A group of Ohio women have sued the state to end its tampon tax. The city of Chicago has lifted its tax. New York lifted the tax on menstrual products in fall 2016 (enforcement, however, remains spotty). New York City, one-upping New York State in all things, has also voted to provide free menstrual supplies in public schools, shelters, and prisons. Louisiana is on the way.

The United States Ah, yes—ye olde USA. Red, white, and blue, baby—and by that I mean, lots of red on my white underwear because with the exception of a handful of mostly

India In response to the recent announcement of the 12% sales tax on menstrual products, a social media campaign, “Lahu ka Lagaan,” or “Tax on Blood,”

stormed Twitter. Tweeters asked the question: In a country where the majority of menstruating people can’t access basic sanitary products, shouldn’t the government get its priorities straight? Indeed, taxation on menstrual products is India is a small part of a broader structural and material problem: Menstrual products aren’t accessible to women in the first place. According to Feminism in India, there are roughly 335 million people who menstruate in India. Of them, an estimated 70% can’t afford, or don’t have access to, sanitary napkins. And what access they do have is eroded by inadequate waste disposal methods and menstrual stigma. Feminism in India’s recent campaign, “The Pad Effect,” coincided with global Menstrual Hygiene Day to increase access to sustainable menstruation products. The UK In the UK, the tampon tax has made its way into national elections. Thanks to the work of fabulous feminists, in 2016 Britain had gotten the EU’s permission to eliminate its tampon tax. But then—plot

twist—a little thing called Brexit happened, and hopes for an immediate end to the tampon tax (also hopes for a bright and inclusive future), were stalled. In a similarly disturbing twist, while the Conservative party had promised that proceeds from the tampon tax would be donated to women’s rights organizations, they actually ended up helping to fund an antiabortion group. Gross. But as the reality of “period poverty”— including girls unable to attend school during menstruation for lack of sanitary products—galvanizes action, the BBC reports that the tampon tax has reemerged as a national issue. The Green Party and the Liberal Democrats have already come out in support of removing the tampon tax and providing sanitary products free of cost to public school students and low-income menstruators. On the other end of the spectrum, the UKIP, which had pledged to remove the tampon tax by (this is super predictable) seceding from the European Union, has included in this year’s election manifesto, and I quote, “We will remove VAT from hot takeaway food such as fish and chips,

and from women’s sanitary products.” Yup, they mentioned fish and chips right next to the tampon tax—isn’t nationalism charming? Beyond the Tampon Tax But wait—like that little extra bonus on day five when I basically always assume my period is over and wear white lace panties without a panty liner, there’s more. Because when it comes to the right to a safe and stigma-free period, the tampon tax isn’t the only thing on the feminist agenda. Movements for “menstrual equity” include worldwide campaigns to destroy menstruation stigma, make menstrual care gender neutral, and promote access to sustainable menstrual products. So keep fighting the good fight, menstrual warriors. And meanwhile, if anyone has recs on a good menstrual cup in order to support my own personal period revolution (everyone keeps bragging about their menstrual cups and I want in), get at me.

Alexa Mazzarello 54

â&#x20AC;&#x153;each time a woman stands up for herself without knowing it possibly without claiming it, she stands up for all women.â&#x20AC;? - maya angelou

they wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell you fairytales of how girls can be dangerous and still win. they will only tell you stories where girls are sweet and kind and reject all sin i guess to them itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a terrifing thought, a red riding hood who knew exactly what she was doing when she invited the wild in. - nikita gill

Jennifer Hawthorne Written by: Anna Falkenmire

t’s 10am on a beautiful Sunday morning in Tamworth, NSW and people are beginning to trickle through the doors of Tamworth City Bowling Club. The club is decked out with a delicious spread of morning tea and the smell of a sausage sizzle dribbles in from outside. Tables are covered in raffle prizes, and posters and banners have been hung up inside and out. This is because Jenny Hawthorne began her day hours ago, and she’s been single-handedly setting up her annual “barefoot bowls” day to raise money for her humanitarian projects in Kenya. Jenny has been involved in the foundation “Friends of Rang’i”, originally established by her son Michael, for over a decade, but became deeply involved in 2009. The organisation’s main focus is education, the idea being “education gets them out of poverty”, says Jenny. Rang’i is the small area in Kenya where the organisation does most of their work. A retired school teacher herself, it is Jenny’s passion for education that led to the establishment of a new school in the area in 2009. Jenny humbly admits the school is named “Saint Jennifer Hawthorne Samber Quality School”, a kindergarten to eighth grade school that allows children in the Rang’i area to have an education and a safe place to go. St. Jennifer’s incorporates a funded feeding program for the students as “they’d either have no lunch or they’d walk home, which can take up to half an hour each way...they’d miss out on some of their afternoon classes.” The other schools in the district, according to Jenny, often have insufficient supplies of desks and chairs, rocks on the floor and no window panes. On top of this, a primary school class size can legally

have up to 120 students in one classroom with one teacher. At St. Jennifer’s there is a population of about 250-300 students, and Jenny is working with the locals to keep class sizes below 25 students — no doubt one of the reasons St. Jennifer’s is in the top five schools in the district out of 900. Jenny herself is a regular visitor to Kenya, having travelled there “12, maybe 14 times...I’m losing count!” she says with a laugh. Not one to shy away from a challenge, Jenny regularly takes a small tour group with her. Leading the group to tourist attractions initially, Jenny then takes them into the village as volunteers. “We fundraise, we take the money with us, we visit the schools, give them our donations...and we build a mud hut. Actually, one year we built two,” says Jenny. Jenny believes if people “go back to living like the locals” and experience life in Kenya, they are more educated and more likely to help the cause. Many of these adventurers were present at the barefoot bowls day, one of whom was retired nurse Judy Lobsey. Having known Jenny for “maybe 20 years or more”, Judy travelled on Jenny’s 2016 tour. “I’ve heard Jenny talk about it for a long time...I’ve always wanted to do what she’s doing!” explains Judy. “Actually, that’s the only way to see Kenya, I think...she has contact with the people that live there,” says Judy, “we were visitors rather than tourists.” She sums up the experience in two simple words: “Just go!” Other schools in the area are also subject to Jenny and her group’s tireless efforts —

and it’s the progress she sees each time that helps motivate her to keep going. One school was given a ‘science lab’ by the government which Jenny described as “a floor and walls. That’s it.” Jenny and the Friends of Rang’i team donated equipment over the years, ranging from benches to water tanks, and upon visiting the school last year, she was thrilled to find a fully functional science lab. The commitment to Kenya Jenny has given is made worth it as she sees the children who started in the Friends of Rang’i program go on to achieve things they simply wouldn’t have been able to do before. Jenny met one particular student from the program when he was a teenager in high school. “He is now in charge of security for an entire district in Kenya, the equivalent of a state in Australia,” she says proudly. For these children, it is not only the education but simply the joy that Jenny can bring them — some of the funds she raises go towards buying items such soccer balls and skipping ropes. “They love it. They hang out for it,” she says. She goes on to tell a story about an entire school, about 120 kids, chasing eagerly after a single soccer ball, playing one giant game. One of Jenny’s only complaints came, out of good humour of course, from a school she’d gifted second-hand soccer shirts to. Then one day they wore them to play a match, only to find she’d accidentally given the exact same shirts to the opposing school! Sometimes, the help from the foundation can simply mean survival. Jenny particularly loves following the story of one child she met when he was just three years old, starting in “baby class”. Born

HIV positive and orphaned soon after, the little boy is now thirteen and coming top of his class. He lives at St. Jennifer’s school.

When she’s not busy being “Mumma” or “Jen Jen”, as the Rang’i locals call her so endearingly, Jenny is home raising money. “I spend all my time doing stuff for Kenya!” says Jenny, laughing. A main source of fundraising is Jenny’s market stall. She purchases all kinds of original art, craft and jewellery from the Rang’i villagers and other Kenyan markets and sells it at Australian markets, with the profits going back into the foundation’s projects. “A lot of it is using recycled products, much more than we do in Australia...the ladies in our village make necklaces from recycled magazines and baskets made from packing tape,” says Jenny. The day has become a hot and dry Autumn afternoon, and everyone’s having a cool drink or heading home to the air conditioner, but Jenny’s still in action mode. She’s thinking ahead to the next raffle, to the Mother’s Day stall she’s going to set up at the local high school, to making the final travel arrangements for this year’s trip to Kenya, to what she’s going to cook her sister for dinner. Jenny is a humanitarian to her core. As Judy says, “She’s just amazing. To spend so much money and time over there, well, not many people would do that.” To read more about the Friends of Rang’i foundation, donate, or find out more about volunteering, visit http://www.friendsofrangi. org/home.

“You’re not gonna get rid of me until I get to see an equal number of female prime ministers and presidents and CEOS, and more men that feel like its okay to express how they really feel about things. And more fathers that are present in their children’s lives. And until I see us all not policing and oppressing each other and not ostractcizing each other. And when I live in a world where this isn’t a narrowly- defined definition of masculinity and femininity. I’m just not gonna go. “ - Emma Watson

EMMA WATSON 2014 UN speech on gender eqaulity

oday we are launching a campaign called HeForShe. I am reaching out to you because we need your help. We want to end gender inequality, and to do this, we need everyone involved. This is the first campaign of its kind at the UN. We want to try to mobilize as many men and boys as possible to be advocates for change. And, we don’t just want to talk about it. We want to try and make sure that it’s tangible. I was appointed as Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women six months ago. And, the more I spoke about feminism, the more I realized that fighting for women’s rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating. If there is one thing I know for certain, it is that this has to stop. For the record, feminism by definition is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of political, economic and social equality of the sexes. I started questioning gender-based assumptions a long time ago. When I was 8, I was confused for being called bossy because I wanted to direct the plays that we would put on for our parents, but the boys were not. When at 14, I started to be sexualized by certain elements of the media. When at 15, my girlfriends started dropping out of sports teams because they didn’t want to appear muscly. When at 18, my male friends were unable to express their feelings. I decided that I was a feminist, and this seemed uncomplicated to me. But my recent research has shown me that feminism has become an unpopular word. Women are choosing not to identify as feminists. Apparently, I’m among the ranks of women whose expressions are seen as too strong, too aggressive, isolating, and anti-men. Unattractive, even.

Why has the word become such an uncomfortable one? I am from Britain, and I think it is right I am paid the same as my male counterparts. I think it is right that I should be able to make decisions about my own body. I think it is right that women be involved on my behalf in the policies and decisions that will affect my life. I think it is right that socially, I am afforded the same respect as men. But sadly, I can say that there is no one country in the world where all women can expect to see these rights. No country in the world can yet say that they achieved gender equality. These rights, I consider to be human rights, but I am one of the lucky ones. My life is a sheer privilege because my parents didn’t love me less because I was born a daughter. My school did not limit me because I was a girl. My mentors didn’t assume that I would go less far because I might give birth to a child one day. These influences were the gender equality ambassadors that made me who I am today. They may not know it, but they are the inadvertent feminists that are changing the world today. We need more of those.

And if you still hate the word, it is not the word that is important. It’s the idea and the ambition behind it, because not all women have received the same rights I have. In fact, statistically, very few have. In 1997, Hillary Clinton made a famous speech in Beijing about women’s rights. Sadly, many of the things that she wanted to change are still true today. But what stood out for me the most was that less than thirty percent of the audience were male. How can we effect change in the world when only half of it is invited or feel welcome to participate in the conversation?

Men, I would like to take this opportunity to extend your formal invitation. Gender equality is your issue, too. Because to date, I’ve seen my father’s role as a parent being valued less by society, despite my need of his presence as a child, as much as my mother’s. I’ve seen young men suffering from mental illness, unable to ask for help for fear it would make them less of a man. In fact, in the UK, suicide is the biggest killer of men between 20 to 49, eclipsing road accidents, cancer and coronary heart disease. I’ve seen men made fragile and insecure by a distorted sense of what constitutes male success. Men don’t have the benefits of equality, either. We don’t often talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes, but I can see that they are, and that when they are free, things will change for women as a natural consequence. If men don’t have to be aggressive in order to be accepted, women won’t feel compelled to be submissive. If men don’t have to control, women won’t have to be controlled. Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong. It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum, instead of two sets of opposing ideals. If we stop defining each other by what we are not, and start defining ourselves by who we are, we can all be freer, and this is what HeForShe is about. It’s about freedom. I want men to take up this mantle so that their daughters, sisters, and mothers can be free from prejudice, but also so that their sons have permission to be vulnerable and human too, reclaim those parts of themselves they abandoned, and in doing so, be a more true and complete version of themselves. You might be thinking, “Who is this Harry Potter girl, and what is she doing

speaking at the UN?” And, it’s a really good question. I’ve been asking myself the same thing. All I know is that I care about this problem, and I want to make it better. And, having seen what I’ve seen, and given the chance, I feel it is my responsibility to say something. Statesman Edmund Burke said, “All that is needed for the forces of evil to triumph is for good men and women to do nothing.” In my nervousness for this speech and in my moments of doubt, I told myself firmly, “If not me, who? If not now, when?” If you have similar doubts when opportunities are presented to you, I hope those words will be helpful. Because the reality is that if we do nothing, it will take seventy-five years, or for me to be nearly 100, before women can expect to be paid the same as men for the same work. Fifteen and a half million girls will be married in the next 16 years as children. And at current rates, it won’t be until 2086 before all rural African girls can have a secondary education. If you believe in equality, you might be one of those inadvertent feminists that I spoke of earlier, and for this, I applaud you. We are struggling for a uniting word, but the good news is, we have a uniting movement. It is called HeForShe. I invite you to step forward, to be seen and to ask yourself, “If not me, who? If not now, when?” Thank you very, very much.

SELF LOVE The Path To Self Love: The Feminist Way

eminist self love is a rather simple idea. I have tried to incorporate whatever I have learnt from various feminist theories and apply them to the self love concept. I shall be enlisting some of the things that I deduced from feminism over the years. Most of these tips can be used by a person of any gender, but some of these are meant exclusively for women. This is due to the fact that the constant bombardment of unrealistic media and societal images mostly affects women’s self esteem to a large extent. This needs to be understood and rectified. It is a well known fact that unless one is full of unconditional love for oneself, he/ she cannot be a useful component to the society at large. Let us take an analogy of a jug of water and some small glasses. Only when the jug is full and overflowing with water, can it be used to fill up the glasses. And moreover , if the number of glasses increases, the jug needs to be refilled so that it can continue to be useful in the whole process.Similarly, the love that we have inside us needs to be constantly refilled before we can give or (even receive) love from others. In actual terms,the refilling is the tricky part. What most people tend to do is, they try to fill the inner void with the love or affection from others. But this never really works,since there is only so much love someone else can give you. This is due to the fact that they have their own priorities and varied life experiences to take care of. It would be ridiculous to expect someone to hold you as their constant object of attention/affection. So, the only solution is to fill up the inner jug, if you may, with affection and unconditional acceptance. No judgments, no feelings of guilt or anguish. Give more to yourself and in the process, nurture your inner being. This is what self love is all about. Now, to talk about feminist self love. Feminism, in many ways, has tried to

talk about how women need to stop seeking for validation outside and build self confidence (and this is of course not merely applicable for women,but in a patriarchal society, women are often filled with regret over looking after their own needs). The first step towards feminist self love is to stop the self hate and negative self talk regarding one’s own body. The societal pressure to adhere to a particular stereotype can be a very frustrating experience and this often leads to decrease in self esteem. It is imperative to take care of oneself no doubt, but it is another matter to obsess about one’s weight or body issues. This new year, why not start with a resolution to love your body more? Eat natural food, exercise more, meditate and more importantly, accept the way your body looks. Everyone is unique.There is absolutely no reason why you need to stick to a particular stereotype just because the media (through adverts,etc) or your peers expect you to. The other thing that women in particular need to do is to form strong friendly bonds with other females. That does not mean that they should avoid men or exclude them from their activities. But in today’s society,often times women themselves end up slut shaming or hating other women themselves. This might be due to the dependence women have on men in a patriarchy, ergo, leading to the competition between women for power that comes with being close to men (Women themselves are left powerless in a patriarchal arrangement). Instead of indulging in all this,women need to form strong sisterhood relationships with other women and celebrate womanhood while solidifying their own self love in the process. This would increase the level of positivity and self acceptance to a great level.

The third thing people can do is with respect to the kind of info-entertainment they indulge in. Since we know how harmful some of the mainstream media can be on the self esteem of women, we need to also watch stuff that is conducive to one’s self image.This can be done by applying the famous Bechdel test on the movies (or even television series/ books) they see.This test was created by an American queer feminist cartoonist called Alison Bechdel ,who enlisted some prerequisites that need to be met for a movie to be called GENDER FRIENDLY. These are: (a) The movie needs to have at least two women in it (b) The women need to talk to each other (c) They should talk to each other about any topic not involving a man. It was found out that very few movies can actually pass this test. Women should opt for more motion pictures that focus on (strong) female characters. In this way ,they can enjoy quality entertainment,while starting to enjoy their own womanhood.

In the end, everyone needs to embrace their own self, without any preconditions.One of the main things that one needs to understand is that it is okay to fail sometimes. The important thing is to get back on your feet and start afresh. Treat yourself the way you would treat people close to you. Feminism has always tried to focus on the importance of individuality and the need for being unique. So, take my advice. Start a revolution today! Love yourself more, The feminist way. http://www.womensweb.in/2014/02/feminist-path-to-self-love/

my heart aches for my sisters more than anything it aches for women helping women like flowers aching for spring - Rupi Kaur