The F Word: Misconceptions by The F Word

The Langton Feminism Society Presents

The F-Word The Langton Feminist Society is a student run and student funded organisation encouraging the advocacy of Women’s Rights. We aim to raise social consciousness of feminism, and in doing so challenge the sexism still inherent in our society. In this issue, we explore popular misconceptions of feminism and debunk the myths surrounding ‘the f-word’.

Who Are We? Greta Gillham – Co Founder, Editor, Contributor and Arts Contributor For me feminism is a conscious label to how I world. My feminist bible is “independent women”

already perceive the by Destiny’s Child.

Beth Madeley – Co Founder, Editor, Contributor and Arts Contributor I am a feminist because I can’t conceive how someone’s gender can affect their legal, economic or social standing in the world. I’ve always been perturbed by sexism and injustice but it was really through the internet and my teen idol Tavi Gevinson that I began identifying with feminism. Paige Williams – Editor, Contributor and Arts Contributor I am a feminist because I believe oppression in any form is a uniquely dangerous act of human cruelty in that it is harmful both to the enforcer and the victim. I have faith that through education we can make the world a better place and empower those who for too long have been told they are not worth as much as they are. Mrs Creaney – Patron Vera Brittain made me a feminist when I was 15 years of age! The circumstances of my conversion were quite unusual and were to do with the fact that my father was in love with an actress called Cheryl Campbell. It was for that reason, that in 1980, we watched a television adaptation of Vera Brittain’s autobiography, ‘Testament of Youth’. Now, this was way before my love of literature of the First World War, but the thing that had me hooked immediately was Vera’s story of being denied an university education, simply because she was a girl. Our personal circumstances couldn’t be more different: she came from a wealthy, upper middle class family and I came from an ordinary working class background, only leaving Dagenham when I was 12! However, our stories seemed to parallel our lives, for as Vera raged about the fact that she was denied a university education and was only destined for marriage to an unlikely individual called Bertram Spafford, I raged about the fact that I was apparently destined to leave school at 16 to become a secretary in London, prior to finding ‘Mr Right’! So, ‘Testament of Youth’ became my feminist Bible, as I realized that 60 years had passed and women were still not being treated as equals. Indeed, it is still my most treasured book, and as relevant today as it was when it was first published and when I first read it: look around you. Women may have achieved equality in education but in the workplace? So many clever women achieve first rate educations but they are still not in positions of influence and power. Until that happens, I will proudly call myself a feminist. Cover by Amy Moss

Amy Moss – Arts Contributor I’m a feminist because ‘every man for himself ’ should be ‘every man or woman for his or her self ’. Emma English – Contributor I’m a feminist for the same reason someone is against racism or homophobia; because there’s still a need for the belief to achieve equality. Lauren Henry – Arts Contributor Despite the obvious strength of the feminist community in certain places, it never ceases to amaze me how few people consider sexism to be an issue. The general dismissal of such a huge topic is astounding and it frustrates me greatly so naturally it is the least I can do to try to allay some of the misconceptions about the subject through my art. We all believe in human rights, so why not feminism? Sami Henry– Arts Contributor I don’t always find it easy to express my views and I often find that I am the one who tends to keep quiet and agree with the crowd. I find however, that when it comes to important issues, it is wrong to think ‘this doesn’t affect me’ or ‘I don’t have an opinion’, especially when it comes to feminism which is such an integral part of our school. I try instead to show my views through art, my favourite medium, to produce cathartic and thought provoking work to make others stop and consider how this does affect their lives. Sophie Quinn – Contributor I’m a feminist because a person’s gender, sex or sexuality shouldn’t invalidate their humanity and change can’t occur without awareness. Kate Harris – Contributor I’m a feminist because I’m a human being and find it hard to believe anyone would be so backwards to think that all human beings shouldn’t be held in equal regard. Jasleen Dhindsa – Contributor I’m a feminist because I’m a female. Anna Fulcher – Arts Contributor I am a feminist because I believe that in the long run the equality feminism stands for will benefit everyone, of any gender.

Contents What the %@£! is Feminism? - page 6 Greta Gillham “...But this bra is too good to burn!” - Confronting 100 years of misconceptions page 7 Sophie Quinn Painting Words (pt. 1) - page 10 Sami Henry Lap Dancers and Girls’ Choirs - A Local Guide - page 11 Emma English Painting Words (pt. 2) - page 12 Lauren Henry Lines about Blurred Lines - page 13 Jasleen Dhindsa Painting Words (pt. 3) - page 14 Anna Fulcher Feminists Don’t Care About Your Genitals - page 15 Paige Williams Booty and the Beast - page 16 Greta Gillham “Girl I Didn’t Know You Could Get Down Like That” - Mixtape of feminist tunes Beth Madeley - page 17 GoT Females - page 18 Kate Harris Women of the World – Frida Kahlo - page 20 Beth Madeley A Word from the Wise: Teacher Tributes - page 22 5

What the %@£! is Feminism?

he best place to start when defining feminism is its nemesis, sexism. If Feminism is the wonder woman of society, with a lasso of justice and – importantly – fantastic hair, then sexism is the mogul in the corner, who seeks to undermine and intimidate our heroine. But what exactly is she fighting for? Haven’t we achieved what the Suffragettes set out to do? Well, in short, no. True, we have not been burned as witches since 1727, and in most countries we have the vote. But what of the 30% pay gap between equally qualified men and women, and that fact that two thirds of children denied education are women? This is where feminism comes in, with the lasso and everything. But what actually is it? The Oxford dictionary definition reads that Feminism is “the advocacy of women’s legal, social and economic rights”, and whilst it primarily focuses on confronting issues of female inequality, it essentially aims to establish equality between all genders*. When identifying feminist issues, the legal, economic and social inequality between women and men presents itself as the most obvious forms of oppression, however, today we find many

subtler forms of sexism that are so inherent in our society that it is often hard to distinguish them, such as the ‘slut-shaming’ concept, or the female ‘perfect’ ideal that we are almost continually bombarded with as women. While these may at first seem harmless, they are perhaps the most dangerous forms of sexism, because we, as a society, are encouraged to accept them. Feminism seeks to challenge and critique this social climate we live in, and because our society continually changes, feminism must also continually examine and develop itself. For example, in the 1980’s there was the theory that it was un-feminist to shave your legs, but thankfully the argument has moved on, and decisions on whether or not to shave your legs bare no relevance to your

“For me, feminism is a hugely positive movement” 6

political views. Furthermore, it is important to remember when reading this magazine that we are all young women, and therefore are arguments too, are developing. However, we feel that this society is a vital contribution to the school, because it confronts the issues of female inequality which will, if not already does, affect every one of us. An important strategy in feminism is laughter, which can be used to critique oppressive social attitudes, but we also obtain the ability to laugh at ourselves; as laughter can dispel the misconceptions facing feminism that so often prevent the possibility for open conversations confronting sexism in our society. Therefore, it was important to us to present this magazine in a way that would not portray feminism as a series of angry, men hating rants fuelled by negativity, because for us that is not what feminism is about. For me, feminism is a hugely positive movement which seeks to celebrate the unique individuality we possess as women, whilst challenging aspects of our culture to create a society whereby equality exists for all genders. And for that reason, feminism is #?£%!$@ fantastic! *Including gender-variant people - Greta Gillham

“...But this bra is too nice to burn!”

very aspect of Feminist history has been accompanied by a misconception of some sort; lazy, outdated responses to feminist issues. For instance, do you believe that men and women should be equal? You’re probably a man hating, bra burning, radical witch. To this we feminists laugh tremendously and stand on our chairs, waving our fists and shouting “fools. FOOLS. Bra is my friend! Man is my friend!” and then choke on our crisps. Fist waving aside, here are some of the modern misconceptions challenged. All Feminists are Radical Feminists! Identify yourself as a feminist and many people will immediately assume you are man-hating, bra-burning, whiny lesbian. Have you ever bought a bra? No one would burn them because they’re freaking expensive. Even among more seemingly reasonable people, feminism is still seen as too radical, too uncomfortable, or simply unnecessary. Feminism is both misunderstood and belittled regularly in society, often labelled as anti-male or antifamily. But feminist does not mean “person who hates men.” Feminist means “person who

believes people should have equal places in society regardless of their gender.” Most feminists actively disagree with the belief that women are better than men and think that feminists who are anti-men are going against the fundamental principles of feminism, which says people of all genders are equally valuable and worthy and should be treated as such. Those who are opposed to achieving the goals of feminism, presumably because they believe it would be of no benefit to them or have some misconception of the way it could harm their lifestyle, try to contradict feminist theory. One way to scare people out of educating themselves about feminism is to declare it a radical movement, in hopes that it will be promoted as a ridiculous and worthless theory. Radical feminism is an inaccurate and over generalising ideology, and though it has existed and continues to do so, it is not the same as the feminism that believes in equality, the feminism that we support. Radical feminism considers all men as oppressors and all women as oppressed, 7

despite their age, class or individual belief. Setting men and women up as enemies isn’t constructive to gender equality, and seeing all women as oppressed generalizes and undermines female experience. Feminists do not hate men. They do not all look a certain way, or have a certain lifestyle, and they are not hateful or narrow-minded. Those who oppose feminism for their own ignorant, intolerant, or reactionary reasons use radical feminism as a device to deter people from supporting it, which is why we all need feminists to educate society on the importance and necessity of feminism. We still have a lot to accomplish. -Sophie Quinn Feminists hate men! When you believe that all gender should have equal rights in terms of legal, economic and societal status then you are a feminist. However many people have the idea that feminists hate men and instead desire a world where women

dominate over men. When the feminist movement first started the women involved were labelled as anti-family, antiGod and anti-men by wealthy and powerful men who feared a change in the hierarchy of society, and sadly this misconception still remains today. Many men feel that feminists hate them, believing that feminists blame them for hundreds of years of sexism. But this is simply not true! It would be backwards – and pretty tiring – if women went around grabbing every man by his collar and personally blaming him for our oppression. In reality what feminists advocate is

stopping the everyday sexism that is inherent in our society, whilst of course recognizing that not all men hold sexist views. Feminism is about equality, not domination! Feminists hate men! When you believe that all gender should have equal rights in terms of legal, economic and societal status then you are a feminist. However many people have the idea that feminists hate men and instead desire a world where women dominate over men. When the feminist movement first started the women involved were labelled as anti-family, anti-God and

anti-men by wealthy and powerful men who feared a change in the hierarchy of society, and sadly this misconception still remains today. Many men feel that feminists hate them, believing that feminists blame them for hundreds of years of sexism. But this is simply not true! It would be backwards – and pretty tiring – if women went around grabbing every man by his collar and personally blaming him for our oppression. In reality what feminists advocate is stopping the everyday sexism that is inherent in our society, whilst of course recognizing that not all men hold sexist views. Feminism is about equality, not domination! - Ciara Leonard-Booker

Feminists can’t be feminine!

- Amy Moss 8

- Beth Madeley

Painting Words (Pt. 1)

- Sami Henry

Lap Dancers and Girls’ Choirs A Local Guide

ecently, Canterbury has seen two big events revealing its attitudes towards women. Firstly are the plans at Canterbury Cathedral to create an all-girl choir, which will substitute for the boys’ choir when the boys are away. In contrast to this, a new lap and pole dancing club, named The Bing, was opened in Canterbury on August 29th. The club, which is run by Mr Ralph Noel, calls itself an ‘adult entertainment venue’ and claims to be for both sexualities and genders and have both male and female dancers. However, with images of the interior of the club on the website showing only pictures of female dancers on the walls, and the ‘ladies nights’ running only one Wednesday a month, I am made to wonder whether the establishment is mainly for male customers?! The business, run by two men (!), also has a twitter page. There are three consecutive posts labelled ‘THE GOOD ~ these girls have some serious skills’, ’THE BAD ~ these girls are not so skilled’ and, ‘THE UGLY ~this girl, the clip speaks for itself ’ , followed by links to You Tube videos. It is arguable the sex club industry is not such an awful idea; it provides many people with entertainment, and also employment. It is the sort of disrespect (most often

towards women), though, seen in the club’s twitter posts, that it engenders which is the problem. One article in The Guardian, interviewing a pole dancer from a London club, quoted her as saying ‘a lot of men are totally blunt’ and that ‘you’re acknowledging that you are something they can pick and choose from, in that dehumanising way’. With this attitude, of course, comes harassment. A body of research in the US showed that 100% of dancers asked had suffered verbal harassment, and physical and sexual abuse. In an area of London the amount of rape cases went up by 50% and the number of indecent assaults 57%, after four new strip clubs opened. It is not difficult to find statistics to back up the link between these clubs and harassment. Is the addition of this club to Canterbury a good idea or not? On the one hand it will bring in business and many may find it enjoyable (including some dancers, who claim to find the work empowering), but on the other it can be degrading, has links with rape and harassment, and can encourage sexist views. So then, the promising 11

step forwards for feminism in Canterbury, in the form of the new all girls’ choir. After nearly 1000 years of solely schoolboy singing, the Canterbury cathedral will be selecting around 20 girls aged 12-16 to form the choir, exciting for singers at our school. Already, in fact, our choir were filmed and interviewed by the BBC as part of the coverage for the event, and we have already had one singer selected, with the potential for more to join her. But what does this mean for feminism? Though it is a long way from total equality with the boys, it is still a huge progression, considering that for a long time just the idea of a female choir representing the Cathedral would be deemed controversial. Perhaps, though, the idea of the girls standing in for the boys as a substitute, instead of as a choir existing for its’ own beauty and merit, leaves something to be desired. Maybe the next step could be a mixed choir in which both girls and boys sing, another ‘new way of making music’, as the new girls’ choir has been described by David Newlshome, the future director of the choristers. It is, after all, a main aim of feminism, to create more of a sense of unity between all genders, not just in cathedrals, but in the wider world. - Emma English

Painting Words (Pt. 2)

- Lauren Henry

Lines on Blurred Lines

e’re all familiar with Robin Thicke’s massive summer hit single Blurred Lines. At first, it seems like all the other chart nonsense that pop stars seem to be producing this century; a harmless song about sex accompanied with a tongue in cheek video. But since its release in March, Blurred Lines has found itself to be in the midst of a very controversial and current debate. On one team we have those saying the song glorifies rape culture. This argument is primarily based on the song’s heavily explicit lyrics. Sociological Images, a website offering sociological based commentary, have compared the lyrics in Blurred Lines to photos from Project Unbreakable; a campaign that features rape victims holding up signs of what their attackers said before their assaults. SI states that the lyrics used in Blurred Lines are almost identical to that of some of the signs featured in Project Unbreakable. Some submissions to the project are shocking; with officers on the cases of rape asking questions such as ‘why didn’t you stop it?’, ‘Why did it take you so long to report it?’, ‘What were you wearing?’. Each of these questions and cases are examples of how our society has become so accustomed yet dismissive of rape. Demographics such as the

fact that in 2009, less than 1 in 100 rape victims saw their attacker convicted make it no wonder how a song like Blurred Lines reached number 1 in 14 countries. Blurred Lines is yet another song that undermines women, because even though the lines of consent are blurred, it doesn’t matter. Because all that matters is the fact that Thicke knows “you want it”. But on the other hand, there are those saying the song is just a bit of tongue in cheek humour. Thicke himself has responded to the bombardment of negative press he has received over the song; stating that the press is ironic as it is “everything that is completely derogatory towards women.” Whilst many women say that this is hardly an excuse to defend the songs misogyny, perhaps the song itself does 13

not subordinate women, but instead liberates them. This is apparent in some of the lyrics such as “go ahead get at me” which perhaps suggest a challenging of traditional gender roles in which men are expected to approach women they are attracted to. Not only is this significant, but the lyrics that have been associated with rape can be interpreted as an egotism that the majority of pop stars, male and female, possess in today’s culture. “I know you want it” shows Thicke’s unmistakable arrogance that no one woman will ever reject his advances; and similar lyrics have been present in the lyrics of empowering women such as Beyoncé, who’s song Check On It features the lines “boy I know you want it”. Whether you believe the song had conscious misogynistic intentions or not, the controversy associated with the song has undoubtedly generated important debates about sexism and the way we respond to rape culture in the 21st Century. - Jasleen Dhindsa

Painting Words (Pt. 3)

- Anna Fulcher

Feminists Don’t Care About Your Genitals

eminism is the advocacy of equal rights for all genders, though unfortunately many feminists forget this as a result of the gender binary. The gender binary is the pigeonholing of gender and sexuality into ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’, with no in-between. Many people grow up believing this is fact because they are taught so in school and it is reinforced by the society they live in. Unfortunately, the limitations of the gender binary often exclude and alienate those who do not conform to it. Transgender people face great difficulties as a result of the enforcement of the gender binary. The word ‘Transgender’ is “an umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from the sex they were assigned at birth”. A person’s genitalia does not define their gender, though it can be thought of as defining their sex. Feminists aim to discourage the idea that all women have vaginas because this model of thinking is a direct result of genderbinarism and thus is exclusionary of women who do not. Feminism that is not inclusive of trans-women is destructive and counter-productive.

sometimes causes people to question the use of the word ‘Feminism’ as opposed to something like ‘Humanism’. The word feminism is used because feminists aim to dismantle the patriarchy which oppresses gender-variant people with ideals of what a man and a woman should be and how they should behave. These paradigms are reinforced by stereotypes, such as “boys don’t cry” and “girls have to put their family before their career”

“the limitations of the gender binary often exclude and alienate those who do not conform to it” which make it harder for people to break the mould and live their lives as they choose. It is easy to assume feminism is not beneficial to men when in fact it aims to quash the idea that anything feminine is considered the lesser so boys can feel free to cry without being ridiculed.

Of course, we can’t go without at least mentioning the Feminists stand for the rights stereotype that all feminists are of all gender minorities. This lesbians. Let’s get this straight: 15

this is of course an absurd myth brought about by people seeking to discourage people from identifying as feminist. One can only decipher the logic behind this as “If a female wants women in her Parliament she must want women in her bed”. In doing away with gender roles we are liberated and those who do not conform to the gender binary are able to live without fear of persecution. Every day that passes is one day closer to this. - Paige Williams

Booty and the Beast

rom a feminist perspective, as long as Cyrus is expressing her sexuality in a way that she initiates and feels comfortable with, then twerk away! Many feminists would have a problem, however, if Cyrus was using her sexuality in order to ‘play the game’ of the music industry, because A) By doing this, Cyrus would be inferring that the only way a woman could be successful would be by taking off her clothes and appealing to the men who dictate the industry. B) She would subsequently be stating that her worth as an artist and woman is in her body and her sexuality alone, which would completely undermine her art and intellectual capacity. Whether Cyrus is twerking for her personal joy or just submitting herself to the industry is debatable. Personally, I think that Cyrus is desperately trying to break the mould which encapsulates her as a child star, and is doing this through the only medium she knows; which brings us onto the real issue surrounding this debate: why do female artists have to uphold that sense of sexual appeal which male artists do not? For the male artists the music has always been about, well, the music; whereas female artists must

provide not only the music but sell themselves as a brand. So is feminism saying that all female artists who express their sexuality are playing up to the sexist game of the music industry? Not at all! There is an inherent difference with artists such as Beyoncé and Lady GaGa; because we get the sense that they are doing it for themselves, and us women. Beyoncé is not wearing fantastic knickers so that she can appeal to male spectators; she is wearing fantastic knickers because a) She looks great in them and b) She is not undermining her artistic integrity, because in an industry where female artists must be branded, she is her own boss. Beyoncé does not play the game of the music industry by using her sexual appeal, but rather is a

great artist in her own right, who plays up her sexuality when she wants to, because she wants to. So, when comparing Cyrus to Beyoncé it seems her hammer licking to claim her own sexuality wears a bit thin. But if Cyrus is really trying express her sexuality in the only way she feels comfortable, who really blames her for trying? -Greta Gillham

GoT Females

ou’ve probably heard of Game of Thrones, whether you watch the show or have read the series or both or neither, it’s kind of hard to avoid. It’s that show with all the nudity and gore and dragons, right? If that was all you knew about the series and are just learning about it for the first time, more than likely you’d expect it wouldn’t be that progressive in terms of feminism and instead only cater towards the “wow boobs!!!!” type of people, but in reality it’s a lot deeper than that.

The original A Song of Ice and Fire series (written by George RR Martin) is set in the deeply patriarchal society of Westeros (much like that of Medieval Europe) where women struggle to be more than anything than pawns for the ‘all powerful men’ to play with and use to their advantage. This scenario in itself sets up the perfect opportunity for GRRM to explore a wide variety of complex female characters in his writing that each react and work within this society differently, and he delivers. There are characters such as Arya Stark and Brienne of Tarth who rebel against the part that they’re expected to play, consequentially rebelling against their femininity, instead opting to adopt more typically masculine roles, as shown by Arya in the first season of the show as she learns to swordfight and by Brienne taking on the role of one of Renly Baratheon’s knights. Arya and Brienne (Brienne in particular) are

also not portrayed as attractive by Westerosi standards, which puts an interesting spin on things as there is always a tendency among writers to make even the supposedly ‘undesirable’ and ‘quirky’ female characters unconventionally attractive (a certain Bella Swan springs to mind), since who wants to read about an ugly girl? And here is where GRRM avoided the awful trap that some writers also seem to fall into, that after these two characters that’s it in terms of “strong female characters”. There’s a status quo that seems to be shared amongst the majority of people that the only “strong” female characters must be women who reject their femininity and instead embrace masculinity, which is sexist in itself as that’s basically the same as saying yeah a female character can only be good and complex and interesting if they adopt traits that men typically possess and in the process completely write off women who find strength in femininity as weak and whiny. Sansa Stark, Catelyn

Stark and Margaery Tyrell are great examples of female characters that are just as valid and strong willed as the likes of Arya Stark and Brienne of Tarth, but unlike those two find their strength in femininity as opposed to masculinity. “Softspoken, sweet smelling Sansa, who loved silks, songs, chivalry and tall gallant knights with handsome faces” is often seen as a parallel to Arya, in that they have the same story arcs (without spoiling anything, general loss of identity) but navigate their situations differently. Sansa survives in King’s Landing amongst the Lannisters because of her grace and courtesy, and she chooses her battles carefully, subtly influencing situations in her own way (getting Joffrey to fight in the frontlines of the Battle of the Blackwater, anybody?) but more than anything enduring and yet retaining her kindness as a direct result of her own strength she finds in her femininity. It goes without saying at this point that Sansa and Arya are often pitted against each other by fans of the series, usually in favour of Arya, and 9 times out of 10 it’s all down to the sexist status quo mentioned before. Similarly Catelyn Stark and Margaery Tyrell are both highly intelligent women who work within the bounds that the Westerosi society has set for women, often being the ones who have the strongest grasp of politics and at the same time are unfortunately not listened to by the men (I still stand by the theory that if Robb and Ned had actually listened to Catelyn, nothing bad would have ever happened, but I guess that doesn’t make for the best

story), and this is evident in the case of Margaery who is more or less able to make the whole general public of King’s Landing adore her and in doing so working towards securing a strong political place for House Tyrell in the capital. This, however, is all spun completely on its head when it comes to Cersei Lannister, the Queen Regent. A woman who has completely succumbed to the patriarchy, wishes she was a man and herself hates other women because of the society she’s grown up in and been forced to adapt to from a young age, all while her twin brother is groomed to be the ideal successor to the throne. She’s abused physically and emotionally by her husband and you can’t help but feel sorry for her despite her constant paranoia and subsequent ruthlessness, knowing that this is nothing more than how the Westerosi society is choosing to breed its women.

making reference to Daenerys Targaryen, a woman who goes from being sold into a marriage for the benefit of her brother to mother of dragons to the beloved leader of an army of ex-slaves, and not only that but she manages to stay real too. She messes up, she’s a teenage girl with hormones running rampant and it’s so apparent in the text and show that it makes her all the more interesting and awe inspiring that you can’t help but feeling you’re watching the progression of a damaged young girl to a fierce leader, and growing up with her too. So thank you George RR Martin, for writing real women and not portraying them in a way that our society deems the “right way”. - Kate Harris

Of course, this article couldn’t really be written fully without

- Beth Madeley

A Word from the Wise: Teacher Tributes

We asked teachers to respond to the formation of the Langton Feminist Society, resulting in an advocacy for feminism and the work of the society throughout the departments. These are some of their responses. “I am a feminist. There seems to be a great deal of ignorance about what that means. Firstly, feminism is not some outdated form of protest. Secondly, men can be feminists because at its heart feminism is about opposing discrimination and oppression.” - Mr Spray “The individual who inspires me from a feminist History perspective is Mary Wollstonecraft. She was a woman born in the eighteenth century yet her ideas about feminism could easily be applied to the modern world. In her book, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, published in 1792 and described as the first great feminist study, she says, “I do not wish them [women] to have power over men; but over themselves.” A woman with ideas way ahead of her time.” - Mrs Challis “Feminism is one of the great political movements in the world today (look at what happened in Russia) and some of my idols are strong, creative and funny women. I grew up thinking Annie Lennox of the Eurhythmics was the voice of my generation and now I think Caitlin Moran and How to be a Woman is the funniest and most inspiring thing I have read in years. Caitlin Moran tackles the issues other writers shy away from – she is dangerous, edgy, provocative, thoughtful and empowering. These are all the things a modern feminist should be.” - Mr Hayes “There are many examples of the misogyny that still exists today and women ignore these attitudes at their peril; we are guilty of supporting and reinforcing them ourselves. Women can be their own worst enemies. During the witch-hunts of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century it was often women who accused other women of witchcraft. We need to be more supportive of each other and more confident of their ability to achieve.” - Mrs Addison “When I was little I didn’t think there was any need for feminism; I thought I could sort out any injustice myself. If my mum gave my brothers bigger portions at the dinner table or more pocket money, these were localised inequalities and nothing to do with the grander scheme. However, as I got older me and my friends started seeing how (often previously invisible) underlying attitudes were affecting a wider world. Feminism can teach us to analyse the situations and predicaments we find ourselves in. It presents an opportunity for men and women to meet as equals and allows the qualities that women bring to be genuinely, rather than superficially, valued and appreciated. Maybe more 22

of us could have relationships that are more loving, interesting, and fun via a fuller appreciation of feminism, and maybe men would be released from too often having to adopt some very dull versions of manliness. Feminism can imagine a world with less macho posturing, for example. Macho posturing, which, I would argue, can be seen as sometimes underpinning and escalating into, violence, intimidation, and terror, from everyday settings through to international conflicts and atrocities. Feminism can teach us to hope that the future can be better than the past (and the current day?!).” - Mrs Williams “Nobody wants to hear the F word it seems. And yet really they should. Feminism is not something from the past which is no longer relevant to us. Neither is it something to be laughed at or mocked. All around me, every day, I see young women taking control of their lives and showing just how able and brilliant they are in such different ways. Their opinions are strong and their voices loud, their confidence is growing and their ambitious are big. When someone says they’re not a feminist or don’t see the point in feminism, then they have taken what they have for granted and they’re not seeing the bigger picture. Imagine a society where you couldn’t vote, couldn’t do certain jobs or pursue certain dreams just because of your sex. We have a lot to thank the Suffragettes for and those who fought the cause after them. However, we are still not there and society is still not equal. In many industries women are being paid less than men despite doing the same job; this is one of the many issues nationally which still needs to be dealt with. I have an eight-monthold daughter and I want her to grow up knowing she is the equal of anyone she meets, knowing that her dreams won’t be capped, that her voice will be heard. I want her, and all of our girls here at Langton, to feel proud and powerful and that is why it is so important that we support the society and all it stands for. Be proud of who you are.” - Mr Green

The next issue of The F Word will focus on representation of women in the media and we are looking for pieces on representation in the film, art, music and gaming industry, as well as how the pressure to conform to a certain ideal affects women and men. If you have any questions or suggestions for the society visit our Facebook page. If you would like to get involved with the society you can join our Facebook group or contact greta.rae.gillham@gmail. com, bethmarimadeley@gmail.com or paigeot@ gmail.com. Please feel free to talk to us any time with queries regarding the society or feminism.