One thing I love about Feminism today is that it feels so inclusive; The modern feminism umbrella is so wide that all kinds of feminists are provided shelter. The problem for me, however, comes when I realise that I foster several little feminists within my own brain – all huddling out of the downpour – and I wonder how I can justify harbouring such seemingly conflicting interests. Most of the time I am happy to have the advantage of accessing various viewpoints… but sometimes, sitting on the fence can be a mighty pain in the ass.
So here I am, listening to Beyonce’s Freakum Dress and feeling appalled as I read Grazia’s latest online report on which trends men equate with promiscuity. Who are these men to pass judgement? And, I wonder, is this really required reading for the modern fashionista? Should women care whether 57% of men think that those who sport body-con might *gasp* be a little on the loose side?
Apparently so, because Grazia advise their readers to ‘Just be careful your dress sense doesn’t give out false messages. We don’t mind men thinking we’re unfashionable (what do they know) but ‘easy’? That’s another matter.’
Thankfully, the writer of this piece, Amy Molloy, pointed out that the poll (conducted by Mycelebrityfashion.co.uk) can be taken with a huuuge pinch of salt since these men clearly had no clue about AW10’s big trends (I’m being serious here! If a man thinks I’m wearing a pencil skirt for his benefit, rather than for the fact I am channelling this season’s Mad Men vibe, then he really should brush up on his pop-culture homework) and, worst of all, almost a quarter of the males questioned said they ‘wouldn’t allow’ their partner to go out in an outfit that didn’t meet their approval. Epic. Fail.
Still, the fact that this poll was deemed of importance for Grazia’s savvy, fashionable and independently minded audience (and I should know, because I count myself as one of them!) is kind of distressing. I’m reminded of a very similar poll flagged up on Sociological Images; Young Christian men were surveyed on what items of clothing/ways of dressing/behaviour (intentional or not) they deemed ‘immodest’. It made for distressing reading, as the results began to weave a tangled web of impossible expectations from women – boiling down to the infuriating notion that women are expected to be the guardians of straight male sexuality. As Lisa Wade wrote of the results;
The lust is men’s; the bodies are women’s. It’s an asymmetry built right into the survey design. Modesty is something pertains to only girls and immodesty is something that guys get to define. This may be even more pernicious than women’s constant self-monitoring. It erases women’s own desires and the sex appeal of men’s bodies, leading women to spend all of their time thinking about what men want.
So what to do? Don one of those ‘promiscuous’ trends, regardless of the male gaze, and team it with an empowered attitude? That’s certainly my first reaction. But perhaps not the best course of action – since, as one Grazia commenter points out; ‘I find it decidedly ironic, yet perfectly 21st century that women would go on a feminist march in bodycon and fishnets. Germaine Greer must be weeping.’
For now all I know is that, on a personal level, I make a conscious effort not to judge women on what they wear. My umbrella is open to all; stilletto heeled or sturdilly booted, seamed stockinged or hairy legged, bare faced or fully made-up, body-conned or baggy. I’ve sported all these looks and will most likely continue to flit between them whenever it takes my fancy… and I know that, whatever I’m wearing, I’m still the same person with the same (admittedly *ahem* diverse) belief system. Whilst I delight in fashion, what I wear has little bearing on my persona, and so I am content in the knowledge that what other women wear tells me little about their personalities and values.
The fact that this question still niggles, though, is testament to my personal fear that, one day soon, the goddesses of feminism will strike me down for wearing heels. Or lipstick. Or stockings and suspenders. But I’m aware that the guilt of hypocrisy is tiring and sometimes living is hard enough. There are otherimportantthingsthat require attention, so I will just put this blog out there, hope it lets other flip-flopping feminists see that they’re not alone, and perhaps we can move on for a bit… until the guilt niggles again.
Yoohoo, all you girl groups out there! Whether you’re the next Le Tigre, Destiny’s Child or Shampoo, if you’re looking for your big break then now is the time to take off your head phones and prick up your ears…
Big supporters of women in music, The Girls Are, are running a competition for bands to battle it out for a coveted slot at Ladyfest Ten in November. The competition, Just A Girl, will be judged by women in the know from publications such as The Fly and Wears The Trousers, as well as Charlottle Richardson Andrews from the legendary The Slits.
Not only will the winning band be playing alongside some huge names at the festival, but the talented group will also receive radio airplay and feature as part of a Ladyfest Ten documentary. Find out all the T&Cs here, and then hurry to get your demo track in – the deadline for entry is the 8th of September! Good luck!
Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love seems, to me, to be one of those Marmite-like dividers of women. Whilst the Sunday Times has declared the memoir to be some sort of feminine gospel, saying ‘Eat, Pray, Love has been passed from woman to woman like the secret of life’, there are still those who are reluctant to fall for its charms. Bitch magazine, for example, accused the book of being ‘priv-lit‘ - saying that Gilbert’s path to enlightenment is greatly smoothed by her wealth – which is fine for her (and her equally privileged readers) but rather annoying for anyone else who can’t afford to traverse the globe to find themselves.
And then there are those who, like me, seem to be almost allergic to the self-help genre. When a considerate friend kindly offered up a quote from the book, in a bid to help me through a break up, my cynical soul simply refused to take it in – I refused to become one of those simpering women who find quotes that ‘resonate’. An ‘Eat, Pray, Lover‘, if you will.
Still, there’s obviously something about Eat, Pray, Love that attracts readers time and time again; The book has sold over 7 million copies and is about to be unleashed on to our UK screens as a major motion picture (starring saccharine sweetheart Julia Roberts, natch) on September the 24th.
It is for this reason that Gilbert finds herself on a new journey that will bring her slap bang into the spotlight for an event hosted by Intelligence Squared (IQ2) on September the 15th. Speaking with host Paul Holdengräber, Gilbert is sure to pass on plenty of pearls of wisdom from her travels… but I am also expecting a little light grilling too. Is ’spiritual journey’ travelling a new form of colonialism? Does self-help culture perpetuate selfishness? And where can us poorer gals go to eat, pray and love?
In readiness for the talk next month, I have finally bought a copy of the book (online, to avoid blushes at the book shop!) and I can actually admit that I’m glad to have the excuse to read it. Perhaps I am being overly negative. Perhaps a little Eating, Praying and Loving will be good for me… I’ll be sure to let you know in my review of the IQ2 event!
Elizabeth Gilbert speaks at Cadogan Hall, London, on Wednesday September 15th. The event will begin at 7.00pm and finish at 8.30pm. Tickets are from £20 and all details can be found here.
Ooh, and before you see the film, take a look at these great reviews over at Bust and The Salon!
Today is August the 26th which, for our American sisters, means it’s time to celebrate women’s equality! Women’s Equality Day marks the day that the 19th amendment was signed in 1920, an act that granted American women the right to vote. The day was first marked in 1971, after congresswoman and social activist Bella Abzug established it as a date worthy of attention and celebration.
This year is the 90th anniversary of US women’s suffrage - adding significance to a day which naturally gives women’s rights campaigners a chance to reflect on how far women have come… and how far they still have to go.
Learn more about US Women’s Suffrage in this video below (from the National Women’s History Museum) and read commentary from Nancy Pelosi (Speaker of the House of Representatives) on the day over at Women’s eNews.
Image of Betty Friedan leading a group of demonstrators outside a Congressional office in 1971 found here.
They say ‘Never judge a book by its cover’ but if you’re up for allowing others to judge you by sporting a book cover across your chest, then these tees, from Out Of Print clothing, are just what you’ve been looking for!
There’s just something about old book covers that, upon seeing them, transforms me into an old grouch – wailing “They just don’t make ‘em like they used to in the good ol’ days!” But this iconic collection is testament to this truth; No ‘Richard and Judy Book Club‘ stickers here! Just gorgeous hand-rendered type, blocky prints, and bold, Bauhaus sensibilities.
So, the vintage designs are striking and the books are complete classics…. but, if you needed any more persuading to wear your literary leanings with pride, then how about the fact that Out of Print are working in partnership with Books For Africa? For every tee that they sell, one book is donated to a community in need. Good books, good design, good cause… it all adds up to ensuring that you’ll be judged positively when you wear one of these tees!
Shop here, or donate to Books For Africa here. All images from Out of Print.
I get a thrill from learning about kick-ass creative females, so you can imagine how glad I was that tonight’s Culture Show had a whole segment devoted to abstract expressionist painter Joan Mitchell.
Now, I must admit that I had not heard about Mitchell before… but this is not so surprising since, whilst she has been described as ‘one of the most important and singular American painters of the post-war period’, Mitchell (born 1925) has been largely obscured by her male contemporaries. Her peers in the macho world of the abstract expressionist movement included art superstars Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock – and much has been made of Mitchell’s work falling by the wayside due to gendered favouritism.
Still, it seems Chicago born Mitchell was tough enough to carve a path out for herself in the art form; an assertive, sometimes stand-offish, foul mouthed female, Mitchell carried on perfecting her craft long after abstract expressionism had fallen out of favour with fickle critics. She continued creating her vibrant and lively works up until her death in 1992.
Having remained obscure to far too many for far too long, Mitchell now seems to be getting the recognition she so rightly deserves – and the first British exhibition devoted to her works is set to open at Edinburgh’s Inverleith House on August the 27th. Find out more here.
You can catch the Culture Show episode which features Joan Mitchell here (it’s the Edinburgh Festival Special, Part 2)
If you want to improve your fitness whilst doing your bit to promote women’s rights, then One World Action have got the perfect challenge for you! As part of their More Women More Power campaign, One World Action are inviting female fitness fanatics to run, jog or walk the Women’s 5K challenge in Hyde Park this Sunday 5th of September.
Participants will join the More Women More Power campaigners and Women’s Rights Champion Heidi Alexander MP on a walk (or run!) of ’solidarity with our sisters around the world who are fighting to be heard’. It should prove to be a fun and sociable opportunity for supporters and campaigners to meet, and raise the profile of international women’s rights.
This week is your last chance to sign-up to participate, so get a move on! You can register your interest here and the More Women More Power team will be in touch.
I’ve just heard word of yet another fabulous fund-raiser for Ladyfest Ten!
Have Your Cake And Eat It is the love-child of two of London’s top creative organisations, Diy Womp and Storm in a Teacup, so a good time is practically guaranteed! Taking place this Saturday at East London’s George Tavern, the event is yet another in a fantastic string of shindigs that raise funds for the very good cause that is Ladyfest Ten.
Personally, I’m already sold on the cute Russian Doll flyer, but if you need any more persuading to attend then here’s what to expect:
Unique art-works (all around the the theme of influential women) created specifically for the event by the best up and coming artists in and around London.
A bargain at £5 on the door, the event kicks off with some genteel art appreciation at 6, with bands taking to the stage from 8. Need to know more? Click here!
One of my day-jobs right now includes working in a clothes shop with a ridiculous sizing policy – Size 14 is the largest women’s size they stock and, to add insult to injury, it is classed as an ‘XL’. Explaining this sizing policy to customers is always tricky (especially when I’m not totally on board with it) but one recent customer took the news particularly badly; ‘That’s not fair!’ she exclaimed, before sighing ‘Oh well, just have to lose some weight I suppose…’ It was heart breaking to see her leave the shop, her self image called into question by the silly sizing policy of one shop.
That a woman over a size 14 feels abnormal and isn’t catered for by British high-street fashion stores is ridiculous – Especially in light of the recent news that over a quarter of women in the UK are a size 18 or larger, whilst the average dress size is 14.
Denying larger ladies stylish clothes in their size is not just bad for women, but it’s bad for business too; As Mintel fashion analyst Tamara Sender has said of the findings ‘Given the numbers of not just plus-size women, but also men, these consumers can no longer be considered a minority or niche sector and retailers need to wake up to the potential of this market.’
Plus sized fashion retailer Evans has, naturally, always been aware that a pretty penny can be made by satisfying the needs and desires of women sized 14 and above – but the store has just announced an exciting new development: Evans are set to launch the first online store dedicated to catering for the teenage market.
This is great news for bigger teens hankering after the on-trend looks that are often only available in smaller sizes. As Gabi Gregg of Young, Fat and Fabulous has said “I think people underestimate how difficult it is to stay current, because the options are very limited.”
Here’s hoping that Evan’s new commercial venture will open up others retailer’s eyes to this fashion savvy market… giving big women more choice, more style and, most importantly, a feeling that fashion is for them too.
The Department for International Development (DFID) has announced its commitment to ensuring every pregnancy in the developing world is wanted, and every birth is safe… but to do this, they need your views.
The DFID have created a survey to find out more about which issues people think they should try to tackle first (reducing unsafe abortions, increasing availability of contraception etc.), which countries they should prioritise (those where the poorer members of society find it hard to access health care, for example) and how women’s rights can be improved.
Failure to address the issues of family planning, adolescent fertility, unsafe abortion, delivery and antenatal carecontributes to up to 1,000 women dying needlessly in pregnancy, during childbirth or due to an unsafe abortion every day.
The decision to open up the consultation to the public has come after Secretary of State for International Development Andrew Mitchell declared reproductive, maternal and newborn health to be “the most off-track of all the Millennium Development Goals.” Mitchell also promises that, to get things back on track, “DFID will now have an unprecedented focus on family planning, which will be hard-wired into all our country programmes.”
Please make your voice heard and take a few moments to fill out the questionnaire HERE. The results will help prioritise the government’s work in following through on its G8 pledge to improve the health and well-being of women and children in the developing world – so the few moments of your time really will be worth it!
Stephanie Phillips, of Don’t Dance Her Down Boys blog, went along to the launch event for UK Feminista to see what prospects the site might hold for the advancement UK women’s movement.
Women-only Hip Hop Festival b.supreme kicks off this Friday. Roshni Goyate speaks to festival co-founder Holly McCartney and finds out what we can expect this year.
