Hey guys! HAPPY NEW YEAR (for tomorrow)!!! Last post of 2015!
Seriously, where has the year gone?
I did my 2015 round-up last week, so back to a fairly normal topic for me, inspired by talking feminism down the pub with my mates.
Here I am, interviewing myself with hopefully relevant questions to people who aren’t sure about the point of feminism. I’m like a sad teenager with a teddy bear and a hairbrush, talking to myself in the mirror. Here goes (it’s a long one).
“Do you describe yourself as feminist?”
Yes. There is a general view that women are equal now, which we aren’t. People believe women have the same rights now, so they pay less attention to ingrained culture and media portrayal of gender roles, stereotypes and body image.
“Is it right to ban the Sun from SUs and campus shops because of page 3?”
Nobody is forced to read the Sun. I think it is a terrible newspaper and Page 3 is degrading, but you need to educate people to make their own choices rather than banning it for them – that way they don’t learn anything and dismiss the feminist cause as a killjoy. But seriously, people who still read that need to ask themselves whether it gives a message they want their sons and daughters receiving – that it’s OK for boys to ogle girls, because that’s what they’re there for. Yeah, healthy…
“Do women shave their body hair due to pressure from men?”
Yes, but men are often influenced by what they see in porn and the media. And I think women are more influenced by competition from other women and their beauty standards, who are influenced by other women in magazines and TV. I’ll never forget one of my close male friends saying once, “I think body hair on girls is just gross.” Why?? Do you not see that that’s really hurtful – and purely from social conditioning?
“So – porn?”
I think it’s probably OK in small doses as a healthy functional adult – but I’m really worried about kids watching it, seriously, the idea really freaks me out. The general aim of porn is to get a guy off as quickly as possible – no actual pleasure, the woman is frequently dominated or even abused, it’s full of smooth hairless bodies, there is no emotional bond, and the sex is not real sex. If this is what kids are using to learn about sex, it’s so messed up. And don’t watch too much of it, please. As an adult, you need to be aware of all times what’s real and what’s not. And porn, definitely, is not.
“Should boys be taught in school not to rape?”
Yes. Women are taught not to get raped – don’t go out alone, don’t walk at night, don’t wear revealing clothes – when they are perfectly entitled to walk around safely, whatever their situation. People don’t really say look out for women and respect them because they are people. Men are taught that their desires come first, and that masculinity is virility. This is so wrong. It does not even give men credit for being able to control themselves – it teaches them not only that they can’t, but that they don’t have to try. Women are blamed for men’s lack of control – but men CAN control themselves and it’s insulting to suggest they can’t. And it should be taught not just in school, but from birth, that boys and girls are equal, equally deserving of respect, and that neither sex has any superiority over the other, despite historical views (which also need to be taught, and then explained why they are wrong).
“Do you have a feminist idol?”
I don’t have just one. I respect and admire all the women (and men) who have worked for women’s rights, from when that was gaining the vote and constitutional rights, to being able to wear trousers or choose who, and whether, you marry, and now trans and racial feminist issues – these aren’t separate and the movement is widening (hooray!!). I think Jesus comes pretty high – he was the original feminist in Westernised culture.
The Mighty Girls page on Facebook is great for learning about feminist role models and game changers.
“Is lad culture a problem at university?”
The drinking culture, ‘beer goggles’, the groping in bars – ‘lads’ think that if a woman is in a club, she is there for their entertainment. If they buy a girl a drink (whether she wants it or not) they think she owes them sex. They take conversation as a green light for snogging/groping. They brag about who they’ve slept with and call them slags or bitches, and I find their double standard infuriating – they gain status while women lose it for exactly the same behaviour. They egg each other on to see who can be the most degrading towards women. They think they are God’s gift to women, but they deliberately target girls with low self-esteem because they believe they’re more likely to get them into bed. They treat women as sex objects, not people. This is fuelled by male competition and alcohol, on top of a lack of basic understanding. They will try to excuse their behaviour as ‘banter’ without realising the damage they do. So yeah, it’s a problem. And not just at university.
“What is the overall reputation of feminism?”
It’s still got a negative connotation (man hating, bra-burning, no fun, ugly, lesbian… all used as insults) but perception is changing, with a new wave of young, intelligent women, and popular culture figures identifying as feminist. A better understanding of the issues being fought for is coming through. People are beginning to realise there is still a problem. However, feminism still causes people to judge you, feel it’s OK to ask you personal questions, or deliberately insult you to get a rise. And many people, bizarrely, even if they agree with your argument, have a problem with the word ‘feminism’. I think this is very odd – and if someone has an issue with the name of the movement being female-centred (after its inception and history) it just proves how much work there is still to be done.
“Are most men sexist?”
It is frequent, but they don’t actually realise it – but so are many women! For instance, a man buying a girl a drink and then sticking to her all night – and the girl expecting a guy to buy her a drink. My dad lets my brother do things he’d never have let me do – biking, camping with friends, going out alone. Sometimes women have this terrible double standard of accepting sexist behaviours which might fall in their favour (opening doors, paying for dates) which really aggravates me – you want equality, or you don’t; you can’t pick and choose. As for the gallantry side, which is seen as ‘positive’ sexism – well, can’t you just do those things for everyone, regardless of gender? Traditional gender roles remain strong – in my house, my mum and I do all the cooking and cleaning. The roles are even present in my flat. There are sexual double standards regarding ‘numbers’. Adverts appeal to men using women in revealing clothes, or in subordinate physical positions, and men respond to these. Men, and women, are so conditioned to these roles that it takes someone to call it out before anyone normally even sees it.
So I’m here to call it out!
Thank you for reading this far, maties.
Yours feminininististly, Georgie
In Other News, No Make Up
I’m a bit iffy on the area of make up to be honest. I’d rather everyone agreed it was just fine for us all to wear it, than for someone to take away my eyebrow pencil because as a feminist I should stoically stand up for my eyebrowlessness, because I should not be judged for my exterior…
So anyway, new boyf about to see me without make up for the first time.
“Are you ready to see me without eyebrows?”
“I don’t know – it can’t be that much of a shock, can it?”
“Well, I don’t quite turn into Sloth Fratelli when I take my make up off, don’t worry.”
“I have no idea who that is,” he says, smiling.
He wasn’t smiling for long when I told him to Google it.
thoughtsunqualified 