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Murdoch Empire Telegraph & Indian Ocean Review

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Edition #6 November 2014

The Annual Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Edition

Murdoch Empire Telegraph & Indian Ocean Review â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Since 1975 Edition 6, November 2014 Metior acknowledges that this is and always will be Aboriginal land. Metior is a Murdoch University student publication. For latest Guild news, events and info go to www.the-guild.com.au Find us on Facebook & Twitter metiormagazine metiormagazine Want to catch up on previous issues? Go to www.the-guild.com.au/metior Editor Olivia Gardner

Cover Photo Ava Mandal

Sub-Editor Madura McCormack

Photographers Adam Semple Ava Mandal Caleb Davenport Chelsea Carter Daniel Lim James Ahern Kristal Zhang Michaela Carroll Michelle Karas

Graphic Design Karmen Lee Our talented team of writers... Isabelle Lange Adam Semple Jesse Johnson Anastasia Sproull Jess Senz Caris Horton Lisa Townsend Cecilia Allen Michaela Carroll Chelsea Carter Nick Hosking Gabrielle Walker Phil Woods Geoffrey Power-King Sigrid Edwards Ian Malcolm

If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to contribute writing, photography, poetry, illustrations or ideas please email us at metior@the-guild.com.au Editor Olivia Gardner

Advertising Will Perera

Email metior@the-guild.com.au

Phone (08) 9360 6562

Address Murdoch University Guild of Students 90 South Street, Murdoch WA 6150

Email W.Perera@the-guild.com.au

This magazine is printed using vegetable based inks onto paper stock which is manufactured from pulp sourced from plantation grown timber. Both paper manufacturer and printer are certified to ISO 14001, the internationally recognised standard for Environmental Management. Disclaimer Metior is published by the students of Murdoch University, under the governance of Murdoch University Guild of Students. Content should not be regarded as the opinions of the Guild unless specifically stated. The Guild accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of any of the opinions or information contained within the magazine.

CONTENTS Prez Sez ��2 Editorial ��2 Opportunities.................................................................................5 Creative Non-Fiction Products for you and your gender................................................8 Inspiting Women ........................................................................15 Far Removed No More................................................................27 Features #Womenagainstfeminism.............................................................9 Has Feminism Made Us Sexier?..................................................12 Disecting Feminism.....................................................................18 The Story of My Eating Disorder.................................................22 100 Women.................................................................................26 Are Music Festivals Female-Artist Phobic?.................................28 Fiction Emily’s Choice..............................................................................13 Corner Pocket...............................................................................21 Photography Caleb Davenport............................................................................3 Adam Semple.......................................................................6 & 20 Kristal Zhang................................................................................10 Ava Mandal.........................................................................14 & 17 James Ahern................................................................................24 Michaela Carroll...........................................................................27 Daniel Lim....................................................................................28 Michelle Karas.............................................................................31 Chelsea Carter..............................................................................32 Reviews Film..............................................................................................30 Theatre.........................................................................................31 1

PREZ SEZ Words by Roland Belford And so we close the curtain on another year at uni. You’ll be happy to know that the experience as Guild President is also as hectic and overwhelming towards the end of semester as study is. I imagined it would be winding down by now but now I have to produce all this evidence of doing work, organise all my files and help ease my successor Raeesah Khan into the role. It really has been an honour representing Murdoch students all year and I encourage everyone reading to get involved with their university life as much as they can, be it volunteering with events, contributing to Metior or serving on a club committee there are lots of ways to get involved. My path to Guild Presidency all started with signing up to play hockey. We don’t even have a hockey club on campus anymore, maybe I’ll try and get that going next year before I eventually graduate. I’m just rambling but this is my last chance to drop all these feels. A lot of people see university as this one final obstacle they have to overcome before their life truly begins. People constantly ask me “why haven’t you finished yet?” As though I’m holding them back as well. That’s the wrong approach. University is as much a part of your life as any other part of it and if we embrace that, and aim to contribute as much as we can we’ll all have a better experience for it. This campus has never been worse off for a student’s involvement in it.

EDITORIAL Words by Olivia Gardner So, I’ve been staring at this blank page for a few days now and it’s becoming a bit of a joke. As I’m sure you can imagine, with every other stress that comes around this time of year like ‘oh shit, that assignment is due this week?’ or ‘really, its end of semester already… I have to find a job, w-w-what?’ finding a little inspiration and motivation can be difficult, I can tell ya that for free. So being in a little bit of an inspirational slump I decided, ‘hey, what better way to be inspired than to check in with the internet’. (Yeah right Liv, like peering in the toilet bowl of the universe is going to help). But I did it anyway… Do you know what happens when you google ‘something inspiring’? Basically nothing, just a bunch of random websites with entirely uninspiring inspirational quotes over muted images of children’s hands or chess boards and butterflies – nowhere near as many cats as I was hoping for – although there was a photo of a cassette made out of salami which, I’m not going to lie, was pretty inspiring. I clicked on a link that read 15 quotes to inspire you to do something meaningful today (I was going to shuffle one in right about here to make fun of it) but as I scrolled lower and lower down the page, pausing briefly on a particularly quizzical quote by Kanye West about believing in what you believe in if you’re the only one who believes, I realised how particularly un-funny this attempt at inspiration had become and how inspiration truly requires something more. It really had me thinking, who or what inspires me, have I really become that damned apathetic? Then I remembered an article that I read the other day about a woman in Africa, Fatu Kekula. Not only was it a refreshingly happy story to come out of a news media saturated with tales of death and fear mongering that has come hand in hand with the Ebola crisis, it was a truly remarkable story about a 22 year old woman who had successfully cared for numerous members of her family who had contracted the disease without the protective gear of healthcare professionals, practically just using gloves and garbage bags. I couldn’t even imagine, however, it did remind me that everyday people are capable of achieving such profound outcomes in the most unfathomable circumstances when they put their minds to it, and that in itself was uniquely inspiring. So on that note, this particular Metior goes out to all the ladies. It’s our annual women’s edition for 2014, that special time of year when the magazine opens its doors to all manner of discourse of the female persuasion. And so within these pages you will find a plethora of fascinating fiction, photography, and factual debate from our team of contributors who are ever brimming with inspiration.

PHOTOGRAPHY Photography by Caleb Davenport

OPPORTUNITIES Do you know what’s great? Equal opportunity. No matter gender, sexuality or ethnicity. Whilst we work for that to happen, along with flying pigs and competent politicians, below are a few opportunities to take a swing at. United Nations Women Emma Watson’s #HeforShe speech created a groundswell of support for the movement and spurred, again, the discussion of gender equality. It brought awareness to the plight of women and the fight for their rights. If you’d like to do more than sign a petition or use a hashtag, the UN Women’s Organisation has something to offer. Brief: UN Women is the driving force behind the #HeforShe campaign, and has a whole section dedicated to internships on their website. Positions range from ‘Programme Specialist’ in Port Moresby to ‘Humanitarian Gender Adviser’ in Jerusalem. Deadline: Depends on position applied More information and application: http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment#current Banksia Association Honours Scholarship Oh hey look, another way to get those monies for higher education. As you may have heard every day for the past 6 months, education fees are about to cost more than either of us can afford. The people over at the Banksia Association are offering $10,000 to a high achieving Murdoch student to pursue their honours at beloved South St. Brief: One student, with a ‘record of high achievement in previous studies or professional work’, will be awarded with $10,000 to enrol full-time in an honours level course at Murdoch University in 2015. Said student must be an Australian Citizen or permanent resident and be able to address the Banksia Association members when accepting the award in November. Deadline: 31 October 2014 Entry form: http://our.murdoch.edu.au/Student-life/Finances/Honours-Scholarships Kinder Surprise Design Competition Cue the nostalgia. Remember opening those plastic eggs, finding a puzzle and dying a little bit inside? Well its time to take matters into your own hands. Kinder Surprise is giving you the chance to design what they then encase in chocolatey suspense. Brief: Formally Kinder is looking for ‘innovative toy concepts’ that are tailored to the ‘specific need-states of children’. After mastering child toy psychology and presenting the design, the winner will receive €5000. Deadline: 14 November 2014 Entry form: http://desall.com/Contest/Surprise-me/Brief Red Cross Community Visitors Scheme Let’s take a step back from me, me, me for a moment and look at an opportunity that allows us to give back to society. The Community Visitors Scheme has been around in Western Australia for 21 years but was recently expanded to provide regular social visits to ‘socially isolated people living at home’. Basically people who may rarely, or never, have anyone visit them. Brief: The Red Cross will match volunteers with a person who may be living alone or socially isolated and have them drop in for a visit every week or fortnight. The visits may involve ‘anything from sharing a cup of tea, reading together, playing a board game, or simply having a chat and a laugh’. Volunteers are needed across metropolitan and regional locations. Deadline: The sooner the better Information and sign-up: sbahremand@redcross.org.au

PHOTOGRAPHY Photography by Adam Semple

PRODUCTS FOR YOU AND YOUR GENDER Words by Caris Horton Have you ever wanted to buy a product but felt like you needed one that specifically caters to your gender? Well, you’re in luck. There are hundreds of great products that you can buy to fit your needs. The products below are 100% real and can be bought online or in store now, so hurry and get your gendered products today. BIC pens for her We all know women can’t use heavy, manly pens for fear of breaking a nail. Luckily, BIC has been kind enough to create a pen that is light enough for our delicate female arms to lift and it even features a ‘thin barrel designed to fit a woman’s hand’. This pen range also comes in beautiful pastel colours like pink or purple so you never have to worry about using an ugly green pen by mistake. Could you imagine the consequences if someone caught you with a green or even blue pen? BIC has finally freed women from the horror of using male pens that have been plaguing womankind for generations. As an added bonus, this pen will also suit all of your womanly needs such as writing down shopping lists or penciling in your manicure appointment.

be careful, side effects may occur if a male happens to eat a pink Kinder Surprise, this includes the development of breasts and a sudden lack of driving ability. Honda Fit She’s This car is like the Barbie dream car you have always wanted. Honda has created a small car especially for us ladies, with all the special features that we desperately need. How many times have you driven around and thought ‘Gee, I wish my car was more pink?’ Well, with the Honda Fit She’s, everything is pink! From the exterior to the pink stitching in the seats, Honda has you covered. If you are a wacky woman that doesn’t like the colour pink, there are other shades like brown and white that “match the colour of eyeshadow”, according to a helpful Honda executive.

Kleenex Mansize tissues Men, don’t feel left out. You too can now partake in blowing your nose without fear of your snot tearing a delicate tissue in half. It is a scientific fact that being a man means having stronger mucus so finally there is a tissue tough enough to deal with your sneezing. Leave the delicate lady tissues behind and solve all of your snot problems with bigger and stronger tissues that finally cater to your enormously powerful sneezes.

It also comes with a special air-conditioning system that works to improve your skin quality and stop those nasty wrinkles in their tracks. If you ever do get one wrinkle while driving this car, Honda has made a personal promise to give you a free Botox treatment in return so you can be wrinkle-free and full of chemicals for the rest of your driving days! Now all we need in this car is a lipstick holder and inbuilt tissues, just in case our estrogen sends us into a manic crying fit, and it will be complete.

Kinder Surprise - Girl and Boy Editions The goodness of a yummy chocolate egg now comes with toys that helpfully reinforce gender roles! For the girls, you may be lucky enough to snag a pretty pink bracelet. For the boys, a plastic ball is an exciting prize you might just get. By giving your daughter a Kinder Surprise specific to her gender, it allows her to know just how important it is to start accessorizing as soon as possible! After all, ladies, we all want to make sure we have the perfect accessories that can match our shoes. Meanwhile the boys can show off their athletic nature, young girls everywhere can happily watch the ball games while primping and preening. Neat! The eggs are even helpfully colour coded (blue for boys and pink for girls). But please

#WOMENAGAINSTFEMINISM AND THE END OF FEMINISM Words by Isabelle Lange The rise of #womenagainstfeminism as a credible movement is an interesting phenomenon. Its journey from the periphery of Tumblr (womenagainstfeminism.tumblr.com) to the storming of blogs and newspapers worldwide reminds us of the spectacle of social media, and the dangers of the often flippant dismissal it receives as a credible platform. Essentially, Women against Feminism is an argument that not all women need, or want feminism. Generally speaking, the movement places criticism upon feminism for the perceived association of ‘female’ with ‘victim’ and favouritism of women over men:

what feminism is’ or ‘should give up their rights to vote and work’ if they do not support feminism. Whilst indignation is a natural response to such denial of, at the very least, a historically significant cause, the resulting backlash from an obviously disengaged audience serves little purpose and the allusion to poor education is a disservice to the experiences of these women. So does feminism need ‘rebranding’ in order to bring about support from disenchanted groups such as #womenagainstfeminism? Perhaps, but it may not be in the sense that many perceive. Whilst #womenagainstfeminism undoubtedly has some misinformed and rather vulgar statements contrary to feminism, it is symbolic of wider speculation within the community that conceivably feminism has had its hey-day.

“I don’t need feminism because I was raised to be an independent woman and not a victim of ANYTHING!” “I don’t need feminism because I enjoy makeup and like feeling pretty!” These are some common responses which women post on placards to Tumblr and the #Womenagainstfeminism Twitter page. Judging from such responses, it would appear that for the women in support of this movement, ‘feminism’ is a word of negative connotation that has been deemed irrelevant to how they live their lives today. The most glaring issue with such comments is that by all accounts, the freedom to feel pretty and exert independence are considered inherent to feminist thought. For feminists, the decision to wear or not wear makeup is symptomatic of the ability and acceptance of women being able to make decisions about their own lives - similar is the desire to foster independent women.

However, recent efforts have provided a voice on feminism and an opportunity for individuals to express their concerns and experiences. The efforts of Laura Bates and her project Everyday Sexism has stimulated wider community discussion in regards to the everyday experiences of sexism for women (but has also expanded to include the experiences of men and LGTB individuals):

Perhaps most troubling of all, it would appear that at least some of the participants of #womenagainstfeminism have developed a particular set of assumptions about what a feminist is. By relegating the notion of feminist as out-dated and reinforcing iconic ‘man-hating’, ‘hairy armpits’ tropes, opponents to feminism are able to dissuade thousands of individuals from ascribing themselves as feminist based on the narrow perception of what they most definitely are ‘not’. This poses a significant risk to feminism, as it devalues the complexities of the movement, its diverse supporters (hairy armpits or no), and fails to acknowledge the significant differences and debates within the ideology itself.

Everyday Sexism enables people to catalogue their often heartbreaking experiences of sexual harassment and assault on Laura’s website (http://everydaysexism.com), allowing frustrated and alienated individuals to reach out using an anonymous online platform. Such methods of communication provoke similarities to the #womenagainstfeminism movement but also provide a voice to the denial of the ‘need’ for feminism. By offering alternative platforms to #womenagainstfeminism, feminism is able to challenge fundamental presumptions held against it in an open and honest manner whilst standing in solidarity with women and those constrained by lack of choice. The certainty in the redundancy of feminism is probably not quite as imminent as #womenagainstfeminism would have us believe.

There have been claims by some supporters of feminism that #womenagainstfeminism ‘do not know

“I was brought up in a culture where a woman’s greatest asset is her beauty and sexiness and if we are acknowledged by passing strangers, surely we should rejoice.” “Walking into a meeting when I was 20 or so a man looked up from his laptop and asked if I was here to give him a blowjob.”

PHOTOGRAPHY Photography by Kristal Zhang

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HAS FEMINISM MADE US SEXIER? Words by Michaela Carroll

Women are having more sex than ever before, female erotica is becoming more and more popular and dominatrix fantasy among females is the rising star in fantasy research. In a world of female empowerment, are women sexier than ever? When 50 Shades of Grey was released, it became the fastest selling novel ever. It sparked international debate about whether it encouraged misogyny and was snubbed by many feminists as breeding masculine dominance but it did serve one undeniable function; proving that women want erotica and are willing to shout about it. The new NATSAL figures, one of the largest studies of sexual behaviour since the 1950s, released this year showing that more women than ever are engaging in sex with multiple partners or simply having more sex. Is the sexual landscape changing before our eyes?

“Women’s sexuality became chewing gum flavor; disposable and the mass availability of porn on the internet became the ‘norm’ for teenagers trying to understand sexual behaviour. The stories we are told have changed behaviour but the structure has remained very much intact; it’s a man’s world. The porn industry is largely run by men from a male perspective for a male consumer,” Zapak says. This criticism of the porn industry is common. Many people believe, like Alex, that the industry encourages negative attitudes towards women. Dubberley and a significant amount of the third-wave feminist movement see pornography as simply a way of accessing sexual pleasure whatever your gender. Of course there are problems in regards to how women are presented and idolised, indicated by the pay gap between male and female stars; women can earn almost triple that of men.

Emily Dubberley is the author of Garden of Desires – a research book on sexual fantasy, and founder of female sex magazine Scarlet and also erotica website Cliterati. She believes that as women become more empowered, their sex lives are following suit. “When Nancy Friday was writing My Secret Garden in 1973, (the first book researching women’s sexual fantasy) there were a handful of transgender fantasies. I had enough material to write a whole chapter. There were also a lot of violent, surreal fantasies earlier but I found that a lot of women were fantasising more about dominance and realistic sex,” she says.

Presumably as a way of leveling the playing field, Alex is a massive advocate for women using porn. One aspect of porn that is often ignored is erotica and it just so happens that this is the most popular sexual content for women. On the Cliterati website, Emily says that, “The web is full of smut but there’s very little out there for the discerning woman.” This idea that women actually want and have been searching for porn and erotica is only beginning to be recognised and very rarely is it seen as a positive thing. Search for figures on porn and you will come across hundreds of statistics created by religious groups and family care websites, however, very few without an agenda that are up to date. Mike Lousada, one of London’s leading sex therapists believes that this is changing. “There is a general trend occurring where women are giving themselves permission to have sexual pleasure. Just like in the 80s and 90s where the men’s porn movement made it acceptable for men to watch porn, there is a new wave of women, call it new wave feminism or simply empowerment who are liberating themselves enough to use it.”

Of the women she spoke to, 30% of fantasies featured submissive sex, 50 Shades style, and 20% on dominance and rape fantasy where the women is the perpetrator. “Everyone apart from asexual people wants sex at some point. If they can’t have it, there is porn and erotica so they can have fun on their own,” Dubberly claims Self-proclaimed ‘situationalist feminist agitator’ and performance artist Alex Zapak, however, believes that sexual liberation has not gone far enough. According to Zapak, “On the one hand there is supposed to be a sexual revolution and freedom which really meant that sex was kind of devalued but we still have all these hang-ups about the female body. Misogyny is worse than ever and our society tells us that our dreams and what we think is not more important than what we look like… with the added part that in order to be desirable we need to buy [products]”

And so, as Femen take off their bras and Pussy Riot bring sex to the church, women everywhere can finally shout that they are riding the top of the sexual wave.

EMILY’S CHOICE Words by Jess Senz

Over the years the rights of women had come such a long way. Things that were never offered before, such as birth control, were now greatly available for a large chunk of the world and Australia was no exception. With this in mind, Emily concluded that there was no real excuse for having gotten herself into this situation. There she sat, eighteen and pregnant, in the driver seat of her car looking at the brick wall of the Nanyarra Medical Group building. The abortion clinic.

She closed her eyes and put her hand on her stomach. This had to be thought through properly. It was this decision that would shape the rest of her life. The rest of both their lives.

A week ago over the phone, the receptionist of the centre had told her to shower and bring a change of underwear with her for the appointment. She had done exactly what had been asked, the whole time feeling sick to the stomach. She didn’t know if it was her nerves that had made her feel that way, or whether it was just the morning sickness that she had been suffering. Either way, from the moment she had woken up until now her stomach had been tied in knots.

“Are you scared, Em?”

“Is it time?” Jake had woken up and was looking at her with his sleepy green eyes. “Almost.” Almost? Was that the best she could manage with all the thoughts that were running through her head? It seemed like such a simple question. Such an obvious question. But until that very moment, she hadn’t let herself consider it. She turned away from him and let out a breath that she felt she had been holding in this entire time. There was no hiding from it now, she was scared, the most scared she had ever been. Now she was queasy, angry and scared all in one. “It’s almost eight, we’d better go in,” Jake said while he opened his door to get out.

She looked at the clock on her dash; 7:47AM. The appointment was in less than fifteen minutes.

She stayed where she was still staring at the wall, saying nothing.

Beside her, Jake rustled around in his sleep. She wished she could be sleeping right now, instead of contemplating the biggest decision of her life. As she stared at her boyfriend, she started to feel rage welling up inside of her. How could he sleep at a time like this? How could he get her to drive here, so he could sleep, at a time like this?

He crouched down beside the open door. “Babe, we don’t have to go in if you don’t want to. It’s completely up to you.” She turned to look at him, the boy that she loved more than anyone else, and gave a half smile. Suddenly, Emily wasn’t angry or scared anymore. He had said exactly what she needed to hear. In that moment, she didn’t care that he had slept while she had driven them there. All that mattered was what she wanted to do. It was her life that she had to think about above all else and Jake had been smart enough to see that. Now she was seeing it too.

She turned her head away from him and caught herself in the rear-view mirror. Had her eyes always looked this sad? She shook it off, focusing back on the brick wall. It struck her as odd that the clinic was so small. Then it struck her as odd that she thought it was odd. Of course it wasn’t a huge building, it’s not like having your pregnancy terminated was an everyday occurrence for women. At least it wasn’t for the women that Emily knew anyway.

Turning off the ignition, she unbuckled her seatbelt and reached into the back for her bag. She climbed out of the car and breathed in the most freeing breath she had ever taken, the fresh morning air soothing her upset stomach.

She shook her head again, trying to focus her thoughts. This was it. This was where she would either go inside or not. The decision had been so simple last week, she and Jake hadn’t even needed to discuss it. They were too young, too inexperienced. She had been strong then, last week. She had made all of the necessary arrangements. So why did she feel so weak now? Was she second guessing herself? Did she actually want this baby?

Emily locked the car, grabbed Jake’s hand and walked over to the building. It was her right to choose after all, and this was her choice.

PHOTOGRAPHY Photography by Ava Mandal

INSPIRING WOMEN We’ve asked a handful of our writers to open up about a woman that has left a lasting impressing on their lives in some way. What follows is a collection of short creative stories about individual and inspiring women. Words by Lisa Townsend It was in the eighteenth year that the balance was disrupted and the eyes began deceiving her. Numbness followed all the while with the growing belly and he came three days before her nineteenth birthday, the first miracle. The recollections that followed remain hazy. I was fifteen and in constant battle with a world full of questions and very few answers. No cause, no cure and twice as common in women as in men. Unspoken thoughts screamed among the silence in our house and denial became the new law. Externally, only subtle changes appeared but an internal chaos deviously progressed within her like an invisible demon forcing a merciless path only satiated by the destruction of myelin. Within three years, miracle number two arrived and succeeded in allowing us to live in ignorance a while longer. She was tough, unbreakable and determined but with each child came another attack and more pronounced symptoms. Medical warnings went unheeded and in her twenty sixth summer she brought into being her third and final miracle. Still young and beautiful yet pallid, her enduring weakened frame perpetually crumbled but her strength of mind stood firm. This was not something she was going to die from; it was something she would learn to live with. Like a tigress she was fierce but patient and tolerant with her young and she taught them lessons of survival. In return they energised her soul with their love and appreciation and she became empowered. When muscles spasmed and cells broke down her spirit refused to surrender and as each challenge arose, it was confronted and disposed of. It was in her forty seventh year that some balance was restored and across six months the miracles continued as three grandsons were laid before her eyes. A mother, a grandmother, a daughter, a sister, a wife, a teacher and a warrior is she.

cannot describe her, it does not define her, and it will not defeat her. Words by Phil Woods In thinking about the women in my life; sisters, mother, friends, former girlfriends turned memories and painful lessons, I began to realise that none of them really could hold sway as the most influential in my life, with the possible exception of my mother, which is about as cliché as you can get; not to mention worryingly Freudian. My favourite authors are male, directors are notoriously patrician and the musical influences in my life, predominantly hip-hop and rock, are dominated by the Y chromosome. So where to turn? In my introspection, I began to realize that the female influences in my life, although seemingly subtle, were actually some of the most driving and focusing of all; engrained since birth and tracing their lineage through millions of years of evolution. The desire to find a mate (or get laid, depending on how poignant you’re trying to be). The first line in Eddie Vedder’s classic, Hard Sun, a song on my playlist of favourite’s and, if the universe had any sense at all, would exist solely on ratty, scrawled-on cassette-tapes, rather than on the soulless, but convenient digital playlist, is “When I walk beside her, I am the better man”. This is what drives me; the need to find a woman that makes me want to be better. It is what makes me drag my drastically un-caffeinated body out of bed at seven in the morning to go the gym, to stay up well past any sensible hour in an attempt to educate myself and break down the barriers society builds in our minds; to, in every metaphorical sense of the word, give a shit. The most influential woman in my life does not inhabit a singular body, at least, not yet. Rather, she is a metaphor, a concept. She is the girl you make eye contact with across the crowded lecture theatre, she is a glint in the eye, a turn of the neck, she is the girl you don’t know yet but for unknown reasons makes you forget how to use words good. The desire to be worthy of her is what makes me want to be better; to be able to walk beside her. She may not exist; we may never be destined to meet, or I may never be worthy of her. But if she does, to her, and to females everywhere; Thank you.

Half a century old now and still at war, she is weary but battles on without complaint. Sadness lies within me as I watch her body fail but she, my sister, bares no understanding of weakness. Only strength is present within her and she unwittingly inspires with each interaction. Unresponsive her body may be but a vessel is all it is and her wits are still about Continued on pg 16 her. Funny, intelligent, wise and sassy, a disease 15

INSPIRING WOMEN We’ve asked a handful of our writers to open up about a woman that has left a lasting impressing on their lives in some way. What follows is a collection of short creative stories about individual and inspiring women. Words by Chelsea Carter Inspiration is an emotion used to pick up people from the depths of their own self. It’s supposed to say, “Hey, you should be like ME, because I do THIS” or “Hey, I got here—so can YOU!” These phrases are inspiring and helpful for most people because they’re striving to attain someone else’s life or lifestyle. I am not someone who has wanted to follow in another’s footsteps. So how did I get inspired? I didn’t want to be a basketball player; I didn’t get any of the hundreds of Michael Jordon inspirational posters. Instead I had my wonderful mother.

Words by Madura McCormack A whole new world. She pushes the young child to read the words off the page. The child is struggling to recognize the words, face in knots and close to tears. Learning to read is hard. The frustration will pass she says, but you have to do your best. Always do your best. Never try, always do; because mediocrity is unacceptable in this house, mediocrity is not a trait of leaders. Is it too hard? Are you tired? Well life doesn’t give you breaks, it doesn’t slow down. Keep pushing, keep striving and soon you’ll see.

I know what you are thinking, not another my mom inspires me blurb, but this is not the case. My mom didn’t inspire me, she challenged me. She challenged me to stick with my teams when I wanted to quit, she challenged me to think differently than the average Joe, she challenged me to endeavor to get the best grades possible, and she challenged me to always be true to myself, whoever that may be.

A new fantastic point of view. The child, slightly older now, points to a trinket on the shelf. Would you like it? she asks. Nodding, the child says yes, beaming with eyes wide. Well you’ll have to earn it. No matter the cost, no matter the size, everything must be earned. Nothing in life is free. The child stands over the kitchen sink, washing the dishes from their lunch. It is tough work for a small person and it seems unfair. Why do other kids get things by simply asking? Tears well up on the scrunched up face. She passes the child a coin. Go get it now; you’ve earned it she says. See what you can get when you do? It may seem unfair at first but soon you’ll see, if you work hard there is no one to tell us no, or where to go.

In school I didn’t always feel like I fit in completely and I didn’t understand yet that I had the power to change things for myself. My mother challenged me to fix this problem, she offered to get me “help” (whatever that is, really), but I didn’t need that. I needed to remember that this is MY life and I’ve got the steering wheel; I really felt this when I was in Year 10 when she unexpectedly asked me where I would like to go to university. At that time I had heard about the University of Colorado at Boulder (Yes, I’m American) and I felt like it was a far away dreamland and that the amazing rumors of happiness must be false. Hours later we were there—yep, she bought a plane ticket minutes later—and I was overwhelmed by my future home.

What do you want to achieve? she asks the teenager. What is your purpose? Why are you here? The teenager doesn’t know. It is not that you don’t know, it’s that you haven’t looked. You may not know yet, but if you do look (do not try) then you’ll find it. Remember that you can traverse the world but it is within you, in your soul. What do you want to achieve? she asks the young adult. Have you found your purpose? Do you know why you’re here? The young adult says yes now, because of her guidance. Because of her wisdom and her all encompassing love, the young adult is ready to blaze a path. You have done it she says, you are seeing with your soul. You see now why it is important to be pushed. You see now that there are choices; you can try or you can do. You taste now the bitterness and hardship that comes before achievement. No one can ever tell you that you’re not worthy, or that you won’t make it or say we’re only dreaming.

My mother didn’t just take my word she turned it into action. We didn’t talk logistics or look on a website, I smelled my school and fell in love. I breathed in that fresh mile-high air and my eyes leaked seeing the mountains I now call mine. Because my mom has challenged me my whole life instead of waiting for me to somehow “catch” inspiration from some MJ poster, I have learned how to inspire myself and how to set, see, work at and accomplish my own goals and dreams.

PHOTOGRAPHY Photography by Ava Mandal

DISSECTING FEMINISM

Words by Sigrid Edwards & Geoffrey Power-King It is almost impossible to avoid the word “feminism” on the Internet right now. Over the last few years feminist discussions and analyses of popular media and world events have become steadily more prevalent on social media such as Twitter. In response to this constant distribution of pro-feminist discourse, many anti-feminist or otherwise apathetic sentiments have begun to diffuse online. Hashtags and accompanying Tumblr page(s) such as #womenagainstfeminism are representative of this. One needs only Google Emma Watson’s recent #HeforShe campaign or UN speech for further examples of anti-feminist, largely misguided perspectives on feminism.

of a response to feminism, which is popularly associated with vicious anti-feminist sentiment online. Some examples of issues addressed by MRA are parental visitation and custody/family law matters, domestic abuse as experienced by men, and media representations of men that can be analysed as damaging. MRA sounds like a positive response to feminism. Give men their own movement too, feminism is too narrow, feminism is anti-men, men are not catered for under feminism. This, however, is simply misguided. “To end sexist oppression”, as bell hooks (sic) identifies as the goal of feminism, does not mean the privileging of one gender. It is undeniable that over the course of history, masculinity has undergone difficult cultural revisions. As one example, the Vietnam War triggered a cultural re-evaluation of what constituted masculinity. From the dominant conceptualisation of masculinity as stable, heroic and strong, soldiers returning home after their service forced us to confront the reality that masculinity could be fractured, vulnerable, and ineffective. This is one very simplified example of the cultural revision of male gender roles/attributes. However, what is important to recognise here is that these effects are not the result of any “feminist attack”, or the result of feminism not privileging men’s issues. It is one of many results of a devastating war. Feminism values a dismantling of the societal structures that enable and maintain any sort of disempowerment based on gender, race or class – the aim of feminism is not to cripple men. Feminists, women, do not benefit from this.

In her speech, Watson asks, “Why has feminism become such an uncomfortable word?” This is a question many people, particularly right now, have an answer for. One feminist response might be, there has been no unified definition of feminism for a very long time, and this sends at least two messages. First, without an explicit unifying solution, feminists are unlikely to be progressing toward the same goal – if any. Second, as an effect of this, feminism’s purpose would seem irrelevant, out-dated, or practically useless to those not invested in its goals. In short, without a structure, the movement is arrested. An anti-feminist response to the same question might be, simply, that women (at least in our Western context) are liberated. Most women we know have agency and most women we know understand the term “agency” and its cultural and individual implications. In short, we don’t need feminism any more, and women don’t need feminism anymore. These are only two answers, one from each opposing side. These are the sorts of opinions and perspectives saturating the Internet at the moment and we would like to explore them to ultimately suggest that feminism should not be an uncomfortable word. There are endless conflicting opinions online on the name and the purpose of the movement, and we would like to attempt to clear up any confusion we can here. We aim to provide as informative an explanation of feminism as is possible within the constraints of this article; to educate anyone reading this that feminism does not denote hatred of men; and to defend the name feminism against the numerous alternatives currently circulating online.

Some people might generally say that feminism aims to achieve equality for men and women. While this is a positive and useful sentiment, it is also brief and lacking clarity. If we achieve equality, who are we all then equal to? Are the marginalised women of our society, such as Aboriginal Australian women, equal with their male counterparts, who under our current social and political systems are still themselves marginalised? Aboriginal Australian men are victimised by existing power structures, though perhaps not in some of the same ways as women. Or are these marginalised men and women then elevated to be equal with white, middle class men and women who suffer independent and shared examples of victimisation, and whose narratives of masculinity crisis are the most popular? In short, do we

The ostensibly positive movement Men’s Rights Activism, or MRA for short, is a well-known example

DISSECTING FEMINISM

Words by Sigrid Edwards & Geoffrey Power-King elevate marginalised, victimised citizens to share the victimisation of the upper class? Clearly, we cannot simply talk about equality under current social conditions. Feminism aims not to achieve equality between men and women. It aims to dismantle the power structures in place that maintain all marginalisation and victimisation. So now for the really big question: why then, if it’s not about any one gender, do we still insist on calling it “fem”inism?

stops being relevant, when women are no longer disrespected in the same sorts of ways as any of the women whose photos were leaked online, then the “fem” in feminism will be irrelevant. Unfortunately, we don’t see that happening any time soon. The crisis in masculinity is not a result of feminist work, it’s a result of the same institutions that keep women down, keep them economically unequal, keep them sexual first, and intelligent second. The aim is to break down the system, and #womenagainstfeminism is actually right about something: “we can make more change united rather than against each other”.

The movement, as we have just pointed out, is concerned with the systematic destabilisation of enforced power structures that maintain gender/ race/class inequality. So why not call it humanism, as suggested in numerous blogs, as it seems to be more focused on our humanity as opposed to gender? Why not egalitarianism, as it seems to be more focused on social, political and economic equality?

The question isn’t “why don’t you just change the name?” The question is “why are you so bothered by the gendered nature of the name?” And the answer is simple: you’re bothered by gender, and that’s the reason we still need feminism.

Because the fact of the matter is, gender still drives this discussion. Each of the waves of feminism were inspired by specifically female issues – women’s right to vote, the hyper-sexualisation of women’s bodies, the economic and political underrepresentation and misrepresentation of women in the media. And right now, it is obvious to see a gender-inspired hatred, manifest in the supremely venomous backlash against figures like Emma Watson speaking out in favour of feminism. These are still gender issues. Feminism was originally a movement to draw attention to women’s issues, but it evolved into a movement to draw attention to all forms of oppression, stemming from gender. To change the name of feminism is not a light task. It implies that women’s issues are no longer specifically important issues; however, as the misogynistic backlash against Watson after she spoke out regarding the most recent celebrity nude photo leak demonstrates, this is not the case. Changing the name of feminism implies “we did it, we won, let’s turn our attention to different things now”. It implies that women aren’t the original inspiration for feminism, and that remembering that they are now is somehow offensive. It implies that we are ready to take a broader approach to fixing what’s wrong with our society because we’re not focused on feminism anymore, we’re simply focused on political in/equality. But under what conditions? Against which existing structures? We must focus on the “fem” in feminism because it is clearly still a big, unresolved and negative issue. When it isn’t any more – when gender

This is in no way a comprehensive article; it tackles not even a whole percent of the issues relevant to this discussion. The authors’ aim was to inspire a positive discourse on feminism and attempt to clarify why sentiments like “we don’t need feminism any more” are misguided when considering the bigger picture of our culture’s attitude toward women – and men. Be unified in your mistrust of the power structures you observe that can facilitate and nurture masculinity crisis. Be critical of the power structures that maintain the gender pay gap. Be strong against the sexism faced by all races and classes of women on a daily basis, that, much like the racism in this country, we label as “casual” and forget to care about. Chances are you are a feminist even if you do not identify as one. Embrace what feminism means. Use the word positively and use it correctly. Read more, educate yourselves. Feminism is not a hate movement, and accepting that doesn’t mean you’ve lost a semantic or an ideological fight – it means you’re ready to put your potentially already feminist beliefs in with the rest of us. For further reading, we recommend in particular bell hooks’ (sic) From Margin to Center as an accessibly written, sophisticated account of the purposes and functions of feminism. It is especially relevant now, 30 years after its publication.

PHOTOGRAPHY Photography by Adam Semple

CORNER POCKET Words by Jesse Johnson

I’ve bitten my fingernails right down, down to you and I can’t stop moving Culled all my sulky inclinations Thought I did, thought I eliminated it/them/I guess Some things will always feel comfortable Familiar wall for my back to recall old flame, Allure is ebbing truly All I’m missing is sleep and the chance to repeatedly Pick and unpick all my seams. I drummed my fingers on the window, eagle-eyed raindrops as they hurled themselves into traffic and smiled, uneasy I braced myself and drank myself colossal I knocked and you opened, all nervy, distracted I told you how good dinner looked You asked if I’d changed my hair She was there and she was lovely I liked her immediately But when she walked out the door she took your lungs in her fist You lost the fever in your cheek You went to bed early I smoked and I drank in your honour and tried to be Exceptional. You get a little mean when you get a little scared You’ll be meaner if you don’t try a little harder To kiss her. I left for the veil, corner pocket, aphotic I scaled the stone steps to your new place You always seem so happy to see me Even at three in the morning Seven years of I miss you’s and fuck you’s I said I felt lost and you let me fall asleep on you Leather stealth trench for bruised up twin shoulder I flew down those steps, shallow breath For another backseat and the schism of the Vault Starred, relic from night smoked down to the filter I shivered unwillingly, hands under my jumper My key in the lock and the throe in my legs The last five days, insistent passengers Head replete with the green of your eyes.

THE STORY OF MY EATING DISORDER Words by Anastasia Sproull Society is constantly throwing at us new ways in which we can compare ourselves to others and sometimes it’s hard to ignore. With Facebook, Instagram and Twitter providing a real-time feed of the lives of others straight into our homes, handbags and back pockets, not judging ourselves based on someone else can be easier said than done. For women, this comparison seems to occur primarily around body image and weight. As a little girl, I was anything but little – I was obese. At the age of 12 I weighed more than I do now as a 22 year old. People would always tell me “you have such a pretty face”, as if deliberately leaving out the rest. I knew I was larger than all the other kids, but it never bothered me. I never thought it was something that needed to be changed and I felt confident in the person I was. All I knew was that I loved pasta, and it loved me back. When I was 13, I moved to a private school that placed a heavy emphasis on athletic skills – so many of the other students were fit, athletic and sporty. It was an entirely different culture to the school I had come from – everyone was on their phones constantly, and Myspace had just begun to take off. Wanting to fit in, I followed suit. The more I used social media, the more I began to compare myself to others. My previously confident self suddenly didn’t want to be seen. I was ashamed of my body. In comparison to all the other girls around me who were so pretty, popular and fit, I felt disgusting. I set a goal of losing 10kg to get me to a healthier weight by cutting back my portion sizes and eating healthier, and achieved this goal. People looked at me differently - like I was worthy of attention, and not just because it was funny to look at the fat girl. I validated my self-worth based on the number of positive comments I received on my pictures on Myspace, telling me how great I looked. It felt good to feel like I was one of the “hot girls” that I had idolised. If strangers on the internet told me I was hot, it must be true right? One day, two of the girls in my class began to send me hurtful messages on MSN messenger about my weight, and sent me thinspo websites to look at – telling me that maybe I could get a boyfriend if I looked “normal”. It hurt. I thought I looked good, so why were they still telling me I was fat? Their cruel actions played on my insecurities. I joined some thinspo chatrooms and asked strangers for advice on starving myself. One girl told me that as long as I didn’t make myself vomit, then I don’t have an eating disorder. “Starvation is the best diet you can get,” she told me – and I found myself agreeing. I began a nightly ritual of stalking those girls’ Myspace profiles endlessly – I envied the male attention they got. Why did my photos have fewer comments than theirs? In my mind, skinnier was the solution to getting more comments and thus more male attention. The more weight I lost, the better I felt about myself. I got a boyfriend, which I attributed to my weight loss success. “Just a few more kilos”, I told myself as I forced myself to eat less and less. My original plan of healthy eating had bordered into a full blown eating disorder as I stopped eating almost entirely. I ate basically nothing every day for a year and a half. My weak body was temporarily boosted by energy drinks, which gave me a false sense of vitality and health. But I was anything but healthy. In total, I wound up losing 45 kilograms – a shell of the person I used to be. No one told me I was fat anymore, instead the comments on my photos were all on how sickly skinny I looked. A few friends showed some concern, but I didn’t listen. It felt so good to be thinner than everyone else. Deep down, I knew I was too thin, but I misinterpreted people’s concern as a compliment to my appearance. I felt “perfect”, but couldn’t I let it slip. I couldn’t let anyone weigh less than me and take my crown of “skinniest girl in school”. I would check the photos on the social profiles of every girl in my year, trying to guess if they weighed more than me. I wouldn’t let myself go to sleep until I found at least one person who I thought might weigh more than me, if only by a little bit. I kept a set of scales underneath my bed,

THE STORY OF MY EATING DISORDER Words by Anastasia Sproull and would weigh myself at every chance I got. The mean girls from school kept sending me hurtful messages online – but instead of calling me fat, they began taunting me as “Anorexic Anastasia”. It became daily abuse – and not abuse that I could get away from once I left the school grounds. It was in my house, in my laptop and in my bedroom each night as I meticulously scrutinized every inch of myself in the mirror. It hurt, but I’d settled on my obsession with perfection and a tiny figure as not just a diet, but a way of life. One day, I knew I’d gone too far. I realised I had lost so much weight that my period had stopped. In fact, I hadn’t had one in almost a year. This terrified me – was I damaging myself forever? I wanted to be able to have kids one day! I looked at myself in the mirror and saw something different to what I’d been seeing every other day – I no longer saw a perfect, tiny figure. I saw an emaciated girl with stretched out skin where her once full boobs and bum used to be. I saw a gaunt face filled with sadness and insecurity. It wasn’t me, and that scared me. The fear changed me immediately. I went into the kitchen, and grabbed as many carbohydrates and fatty snacks as I could carry back to my bedroom. I was desperate to put some weight on again and make myself healthy. I ate as much as I could per day, and would go to bed feeling full and bloated. It worked – I put on around 30 kilograms of what I’d lost, and although my method of weight gain wasn’t exactly healthy, I eventually got back to a healthy weight. I initially was saddened that I could no longer see my ribs, spine and hip bones poking out, but I knew I had done the right thing for my health. I began receiving negative messages on social media again, this time through Facebook. Almost by default I began stalking their photos again and checking the thinspo sites for the images that I had learned to worship… but this time, something in my head clicked. I knew it would lead me down a harmful path again. So I deleted my social media profiles and I made a deal with myself not to reactivate them until I felt confident in my body and my emotional state – and to this day, I maintain that this is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Had I kept in my cycle of self-inflicted negativity and comparison through social media, I think I’d be in a very different place today. It took about a year, but I began to love myself again. I learnt that loving yourself is the most important thing of all, not conforming to something that you’re not. And from that point onward, I was passionate about promoting a positive body image and letting others know that there was no such thing as perfect. The truth is that there’s no magic secret that will give you the perfect celebrity hair, makeup, skin, body, weight, lifestyle, career or relationships. There is no such thing as perfect. We can only ever be the best version of ourselves. And that’s awesome. If I could give any advice to people struggling with their body image, it would be to allow yourself time to disconnect from social media and focus on reality. Delete your profiles temporarily. Set an embargo on yourself, be it for a day, week, month or year. You are in control of your life, and you get to choose whether you feel happy in yourself or compare yourself to everyone else. Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle… or to any other part of someone else’s life, for that matter. Social media is there to enrich our lives, not to give us a tool with which to hate ourselves. Stay beautiful, stay wonderful, stay unique, weird, flawed and imperfect… stay you.

PHOTOGRAPHY Photography by James Ahern

100 WOMEN

Words by Gabrielle Walker “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together” – African Proverb The world is becoming increasingly globalised. One of the downsides of globalisation is feeling bombarded by information from across the world. At times I feel overwhelmed by the multiple issues appearing in the media and having to understand which information I should pay attention to. The contradiction of living in a city of opportunity, such as Perth, while knowing people elsewhere do not have the same opportunities is troubling to me. Deciding where and how to engage can become a fraught terrain, yet I still have the desire to make the argument to resist apathy. I believe we underestimate the power of the individual; especially the individual combined with likeminded others. The people who understand this are the leaders I desire for this and future generations. Danielle Tansino is one of these people, an everyday goddess I met through the Red my Lips campaign. The campaign is designed to encourage conversation surrounding sexual consent and associated topics motivated by the emotion of anger. Danielle was raped on a night out, she filed a police report and following a traumatic experience with the court system was told by a female district attorney “Jurors don’t like girls that drink” and not to prosecute. Channelling this experience into the group has connected and mobilised numerous women, and men, who have had similar experiences. Danielle has admitted to me, she had no idea how the organisation would be received and has been overwhelmed by the growth in the few short years the campaign has been running. Closer to home, another individual who inspires me is Anthony K J Smith, a politics and theatre major here at Murdoch University, who having been inspired by Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues, developed a theatre piece entitled Sex and Sensuality in 2013 and is currently working on a show on Gender for 2014. The series of monologues in this show aim to encourage discussions about different realities we may experience. All proceeds were donated to Family Planning Western Australia. The thread linking these two stories is the creation of a community, albeit virtual or temporary, aimed at contributing. Both collectives donate to other charities that share their values. This idea of contributing is a concept I have been pondering recently, after becoming involved in a philanthropic organisation, 100 Women. 100 Women is a giving circle with the mission to ‘ignite women’s philanthropy through the power of collective giving to advance the empowerment of all women’, by collecting large sum donations from individuals or mini giving circles, and grants up to $40,000 to women-centred initiatives or established programs. The word philanthropy consists of two elements philo: ‘loving’ and anthro: ‘(wo)mankind’ and is linked to benevolence, two concepts that infuse my life. Personally, my involvement in this organisation has expanded my ability to connect with issues I am passionate about and to connect with other likeminded women who respect individuality and the means to achieve that. As women we may pause when it comes to speaking up, or refrain from highlighting our talents and become involved because we have been inadvertently socialised to be silent, and while the debate surrounding this claim is more complex than this article, there are many opportunities to use our voices. The examples I mention here are only a snippet of the many amazing people and organisations that grace my life. Living in a city of privilege means lending our voices to local and global issues affecting women, mental health issues, and climate change, it comes with the terrain. I encourage you to use your time in this life to explore the power you have as an individual, and find the collectives that resonate with you. Don’t ignore the hard stuff, no matter how overwhelming it may get. It may be worth much more than you imagine! For more information on Red My Lips see redmylips.org and for more information, to contribute to the Gender Monologue project, please email anthonykhsmith@gmail.com For information on 100 Women please visit www.100women.com.au and join us for connect networking events each month where you can meet other likeminded individuals.

FAR REMOVED NO MORE

Words by Madura McCormack & Photography by Michaela Carroll Tear gas canisters spin on the street, the eyes of citizens burn, quelled slightly by the water that is poured into them. The sound of gunfire rattles bones. Bombs strapped onto bodies go off, people die. These are events that we read about in the news, we watch the three-minute news packages presented to us. We sit behind our screens, in the safety of our homes, so far removed. This breeds a certain kind of apathy. We are aware but we can’t act, so we don’t feel. It’s a decent day in late September, a typical day of class. Across from me, my classmate Annie sits with her face buried behind her screen. She is frantically refreshing her Facebook news feed. She’s looking for updates. Halfway across the world, her classmates are marching for democracy in the largest case of civil unrest Hong Kong has seen since 1997. The police have come down hard on the protesters; blinding them with pepper spray and tear gas, and dispersing crowds with rubber bullets. Amongst them, her friends, her schoolmates, her comrades. A second classmate sits next to her; searching for answers she wouldn’t be able to find should she look for them on the sites she’s familiar. Her government, on mainland China, have heavily censured all reports on the uprising. To her, the citizens of Hong Kong are gathering on the streets to commemorate China’s national day. Today they sit united in understanding that the climate is changing, in a random classroom during their semester abroad. “It reminds me of the Maidan Revolution in my country last November. And the smell of tear gas, I will never forget it,” someone chimes in. Oksana, in her heavily accented English, refers to the protests in her home country of Ukraine. The mere mention of the on-going struggles and flagrant breach of Ukraine’s sovereignty stings her skin and makes her eyes glisten with pain. The two women find comfort in the discussion. The situation in both lands breeds a sickening sense of familiarity. We pass around a phone, on it an aerial picture of the massive swarm of Hong Kong citizens that surround the city centre. The three girls from Egypt lament how it looks a lot like the protests of Tahrir Square in Cairo, what to them is a monthly affair. The never-ending entrails of an uprising that has not fulfilled its goal, constantly visible on dusty streets. There is a surge of emotion now. Separately, this event would have barely skirted our consciences. Again people attempt to stand up, only to be forced to sit back down. Again aggression, fear and exhaustion. Again just another large protest in some far-flung place, too far removed to incite any real emotion, opinion, or concrete action. But before us now, sitting as a group of journalism exchange students from a multitude of nationalities, the conflicts are real. The bombs, the protests, and the people are real. None of us are at ground zero, but the connections we make pushes us to realize that the things we read and the images we view may be affecting someone we know personally. We are now forced to look at these events through their eyes. The distance is removed. The apathy is removed.

ARE MUSIC FESTIVALS FEMALE-ARTIST PHOBIC? Words by Ian Malcolm & Photography by Daniel Lim If you take a look at the photo from this year’s Listen Out Festival that accompanies this article, you’ll notice it’s one of Australian hip hop’s fastest rising stars – Tkay Maidza. Already coined as our own Azealia Banks (although I will argue she’s already surpassed that particular artist if not in talent, definitely in attitude), Maidza was the only female artist to grace the 2014 Listen Out touring lineup. Sure, there were some local acts in each state of the female DJ variety, but for the purpose of this article we’ll just be looking at the headline artists, the ones put on the bill to try and get you to buy a ticket. The headline touring party for Listen Out featured 15 artists, of which only one (Maidza) was female, with UK – male – duo Bondax’s live show also featuring a female vocalist. Funnily enough, Maidza wasn’t even originally announced to be joining the festival, only being added to the lineup (along with Sydney producer Kilter) following the departure of American rapper YG. While Listen Out’s lineup is definitely a lot smaller compared to larger touring festivals (and this article isn’t here to just bash that particular event), it is endemic of Australia (and the world)’s music festival culture. The upcoming Stereosonic Festival features just over 70 international and Australian acts, of which females make up 7% (Alison Wonderland, Nina Las Vegas, Nervo, Tigerlily and Nina Kraviz), which sits at just above average for the percentage of female performers on US dance music festival bills. While it is up from just 2.5% last year (on a lineup that also featured Nina Las Vegas), it’s still a pretty paltry number, which begs the question – are female producers/DJs being ignored by festivals, or are there just none worth booking? When you look outside of the dance realms, numbers do fair a little better. The recently announced St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival 2015 lineup has a roughly 30% ratio of female – or female-featuring acts – on the lineup (it varies from state to state). This number is actually up from last year, although it was Laneway’s 2014 female stars Lorde and HAIM who took top billing to close the festival out. So is it just the lasting effects of sexism in the industry – which of course still run strong today as a way for female artists to gain a leg-up at the behest of credibility? (Looking at you, Miley.) Or will dance music festivals begin to follow suit with the larger, broader-genre festivals like St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival and Splendour In The Grass, and start giving more female producers and DJs a chance? With DJing and production becoming less-and-less the boys club it has been in the past, the door is being opened wider and wider to a larger section of people. It’s really now up to the industry, the punters, and young artists themselves to stand up and be counted – it doesn’t matter what you’re packing in your pants, if you’ve got the skills to back it up there’s no reason you don’t deserve a place on any one of these festival lineups.

FILM REVIEW Advanced Style Words by Cecilia Allen Dismiss any conventional ideas you have about beauty, style, fashion and aging in Advanced Style. Director Lina Plioplyte and street photographer Ari Seth Cohen’s warm-hearted documentary showcases an array of New York women who express themselves through their proud and unique individualistic styles. Ranging in age from 60 through to 90 and from majestic to harlequin like flamboyance, these ladies illustrate the benefits of aging without abandoning their unique style or fundamental approach to aging. Western culture’s increasing obsession with youth and beauty is large on scale. Cohen poses the question “Why do we only look towards young people as our fashion and beauty icons? Why not older women?” Based on his own Grandmothers unique style and vibrant approach to aging, Cohen set out to prove to the world that aging can be anything but daunting. “These women really challenge our notion of getting older, they really embrace their age, feel good about themselves; and every time they leave the house, they look and feel their best,” he says. The old saying age before beauty implies one is exclusive of the other, but the woman photographed and written about by Cohen in his famed blog Advanced Style and consecutive book of the same name dismiss the conventional ideas about beauty and ageing and show us, that with age comes grace and confidence. The film delves into the lives of seven New York women, these women are not the rich upper class women with wardrobes full of designer labels that you would expect – apart from one woman who promises her granddaughter she will inherit a collection of Chanel handbags - instead these are women from across different lines of wealth and ethnicity. One of the glamorous ladies says it might take years to fully complete one outfit, from finding the right set of earrings to a hat that matches. The women, of whom the film focuses, speak openly about their lives, their experience of aging and their style. Some of the women have partners or families but a number of them are single and openly admit that finding love or having children was not a priority. One of the interviewees, Tziporah Salamon, quite simply says “My hats and bags are my children.” Among the most captivating interviewees is Jacquie “Tajah” Murdock, who started out at 17 as one of the original Apollo Theater dancers in Harlem and at 82 landed an ad campaign for Lanvin. She recalls that in her era people dressed to the nines to hit the town on Friday and Saturday nights even if they were domestic workers. The documentary is sweet and funny with just an occasional hint of melancholy. The pace of the film seems too quick for any of the subjects to leave a strong impression and also raises some questions which could have been explored further. Among the films strengths is its democratic embrace of woman from different backgrounds and the message it sends to its audience. The women in this film prove style is ageless and with age come grace. The film is now showing, for further information visit: www.lunapalace.com.au

THEATRE REVIEW What Do They Call Me? Words by Adam Semple & Photography by Michelle Karas I couldn’t imagine a more visceral window into modern indigenous life, than Eva Johnson’s performance What Do They Call Me. So often in our assuming world, can the ‘big powers’ conveniently ignore the facts behind family-based circumstance, and Eva Johnson’s artwork illustrates to us how easily assumptions can be made and how oppressive the consequences can be. The piece calls into attention the vicious pulling of identity of Indigenous peoples, from both the sides of white conformity, and traditional heritage. The concept of ‘what we are,’ of being asked to confirm exactly the heritage that influences our appearance, is a fantastic metaphor for the potential superficiality of judging a person by what they look like. What Do They Call Me balances this issue so delicately, with three amazing actors all taking their turn - literally one at a time - in showing the audience their microcosm in the macro-environment of the confusion and cultural dismemberment that is racism. The occurance of whether Indigenous culture is being torn away, or completely restricted from birth, varies vastly through the three family members tales as their stories of development have all been so drastically different. Underlying this, are the many themes of cultural confusion and racial oppression that the women experience on a daily basis. To be shown such a world of disrespect and dishonour so vividly, so up close and personal, was truly special. It was riddled with goose-bumps and left me in a state of shock that will hopefully remain for a long time. Eva Johnson has crafted a performance that brings the audience into the very reality of how potentially unfair the judicial system can be, based on prejudices and race; she has shown us how unbelievably non-judgmental an idealist society can appear on the outside, whilst subtly imbuing it’s consumerist desires below the surface; and she has shown us that whether we are black, white, gay, or straight, society wants to know exactly what we are, have us labelled and ready to slot into a preordained space for ease of judgement and understanding, and that this system horrendously, and unrelentingly, oppresses those who wish to remain uncategorisable.

PHOTOGRAPHY Photography by Chelsea Carter

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