Unfree. Yet Powerful. Exploited. Not Forgotten.

The demonstrations and resistance inside Yarl's Wood have been the most important fight in Britain for women's rights and for immigrants’ rights, because they have been inspiring - because the people in this struggle are fighting to win the most basic of demands as human beings.

March 12^th signified the National Demonstration at Yarl’s Wood, for all the men and women held like cattle inside detention-deportation centres.   For all looking to break out from under the shadow of detention.  It was for all those at the borders of Europe challenging the cynical leaders a demanding in real life the promise of democracy and freedom, of which sanctuary is fundamental.  Nearly 2000 turned up in support of this demonstration, making it the largest event against indefinite detention.

50:50 Parliament

It has frequently been argued that social movements carry little weight in the policy-making process and are therefore incapable of promoting change.  However, this pessimistic attitude is, more often than not, held by those who fear change.  And those who fear change are oftentimes the people with considerable power and privilege, and perceive social movements to be a threat to their current state of security, status and stability.

The Body Project

“In the affluent West, there is a tendency for the body to be seen as an entity which is in the process of becoming; a project which should be worked at and accomplished as part of an individual’s self-identity… [yet] Body projects still vary along social lines, especially in the case of gender.” [Shilling 1996: p.5]

Should Feminism Rebrand Itself for a Wider Audience?

It has been suggested that feminism, as we know and understand it, should rebrand itself because the brand of the movement, not the message, is turning people off and away from the realities of the feminist fight. 

Therefore, I find myself asking whether feminism should rebrand itself to appease those who dislike the brand so it can appeal to a wider audience.  And I find myself answering no.  Feminism should not need to rebrand itself to be duly accepted by the mainstream.  Feminism should be a movement with a name that continues to be unapologetic in its demand for attaining equal rights, the advancement of women and marginalised groups in society, and the restructuring of patriarchal demands.

In short, no.  Feminism should not rebrand itself.

UK Porn Laws

Before considering the latest governmental changes to porn laws, it is important to be aware of how the porn industry was already sexist, racist and degrading.  Yet new legislation in the UK makes these laws blatantly misogynistic, further devaluing women and their role within society.

Due to an amendment made this month on the 2003 Communications Act, a new list of sexual acts have been banned from being produced in British-made adult films.  On-demand adult films are now required to meet the same standards of production as those of films available on DVD in sex shops.  The list of banned acts consists of spanking, caning, female ejaculation and face-sitting, amongst others, due to being deemed life-threatening.  However, many of the acts that have been contributed to the list are those associated with female pleasure and sexual satisfaction. 

No More Page 3

The first responsibility that needs to be accounted for is to acknowledge that there is power in these images in a national newspaper.  Advertising, magazine covers and editorial spreads all have power.  There are people who have dedicated their lives to studying, researching and understanding how people will have an emotional, intellectual and moral response to an image, sound, voice or text.  This is what people have researched, and this is why they are paid such large salaries.  But to pretend that all this knowledge and the outcomes of research means nothing morally, that these people are servants of the people and seek to reflect back what the people want, is ridiculous. 

The Infamous “Friendzone”

The friendzone does not exist

The “friendzone” is a situation in which a friendship exists between two people, one of whom has an unreciprocated sexual interest in the other.  It is where men go – or where men perceive themselves to end up – when a woman of their desires fails to reward their friendship with sexual favours.

From a not-entirely feminist perspective (more so common sense), the friendzone has come to exist as a way of diminishing a woman’s right to say “no” to a person’s sexual advances.  Frankly, it is a sexist myth.  It is not real.

Silencing Women

The double-standards for men and women is an issue often discussed, but rarely so in the realm of semantics.  One double-standard particularly hits home time and again: when a man is opinionated, talks too much and demands the respect he deserves, he is seen as “confident”, whilst a woman who behaves in the same manner is deemed to be “attention-seeking”.  It’s a typecast entrenched deep in the human mind.  It’s a social tool for getting women to shut up and keep quiet, but it is also evidence that what she was saying has made an impact, that she has more power than she realises.  It’s a slur that should be a source of pride. 

Yet we are told that we have no power, we can make no impact on the world.  And this is done so through people’s choice of words, intentional or not.  But it works, and this should not be the case.

Rape Culture

Rape culture can be defined as, ‘a complex set of beliefs that encourage male sexual aggression and supports violence against women.  It is a society where violence is seen as sexy and sexuality as violent.  In a rape culture, women perceive a continuum of threatened violence that ranges from sexual remarks to sexual touching to rape itself.  A rape culture condones physical and emotional terrorism against women as the norm’. 

Rape culture can be seen in many, if not all, areas of social life, including the media, education, the workplace, and the law, as well as amongst peers, colleagues, family members and people in positions of authority.  Rather than seeing the culture of rape as a problem that can be changed, people within rape culture continue to view the persistent existence of rape as the way things are and as something that cannot be altered.  Therefore, by continuing to allow society to portray sexual violence, harassment, abuse and rape as acceptable, we, as logical and intellectual individuals, are casting a vote for the type of society we wish to live in.  Unfortunately, this leads to the perpetuation of rape culture and rape myths / misconceptions.

The Radical Notion That Women and Ethnic Minorities are People

Anybody would think that with the profound influence of feminism and equal rights campaigns, women and ethnic minorities would be on an equal par with white middle class men.  It is true that the rights of these groups in Western societies have evolved thanks to the rise of various movements, but there is still a long way to go until racist-patriarchal values are overthrown and equality for all is achieved, not just in contemporary societies.

Unfortunately, it is still a commonly held view that women and ethnic minorities are inferior to men and white ethnic groups, particularly those from the upper-middle classes.  It is claimed by some communities that ethnic groups and women should not have rights until they can ‘prove’ that they are deserving.

But when did white middle class men prove that they were deserving of their rights and supremacist privilege?