Last night, I watched the feminist documentary ‘For Love or Money’ at my university. The documentary, created in 1983 by four prominent feminists at the time (Megan McMurchy, Margot Nash, Margot Oliver and Jeni Thornley), chronicles the working history of Australian women, and their contributions to both paid and unpaid labour from the years of settlement to today.

Watching the film, I expected to experience a sense of outrage for the past, and relief that things are so different now. Surely, I thought to myself, no working conditions could ever be that bad now. Women were working for less than half a man’s wage; relegated to ‘women’s work’, and marked as ‘unskilled’ workers; lectured on the importance of motherhood, and told that ambition is selfish.

Thank god things aren’t like that now! Right?

Wrong. As I sat there, waiting for the sense of relief and liberation to wash over me, I suddenly realized that every injustice suffered by our foremothers still exists today – it’s just dressed differently.

Women may not be working for less than half a man’s wage, but the pay gap between men and women is still at 17%, and female graduates from university can expect to be paid less in their first jobs out of their degrees than their male peers.

Certain areas of work are still culturally designated as ‘women’s work’, and treated accordingly. Child care, nursing, retail and teaching are just some of these areas, and they also have traditionally the worst working conditions.

And don’t even get me started on the whole career-woman vs mother debate! That women are expected to inherently consider the balancing of families and careers, and are judged according to their decisions, is a travesty, and one that can only be described as gender-based discrimination.

It’s enough to make me go a little crazy, and I spent the rest of the evening talking to my fellow feminist friends and getting more and more outraged. The worst part? Most young women aren’t even aware of these inequalities. Women’s liberation is thought to be over and done with, irrelevant, the domain of whining, unhappy girls with nothing better to occupy their time.

I know that, for many of you, all of this is nothing new. So why aren’t we doing anything about it?

Or, more importantly, what can even be done?

But I did notice Gabourey Sidibe. Nominated for Best Actress for her role in Precious (still must get around to seeing that, I’ve heard it’s fantastic), she’s a loud and proud fatshionista.

News articles about her tried to make out like she had a similar life growing up as Precious did, they tried to sell her story as poor girl makes good. She slammed back at these stories, basically stating that she has always been awesome, as has her home life and personal life (Source). The more I read about her, the more I like her.

What I don’t like? Was what I read when it came time to dress her for the Oscars. Leading up to them, she’s been dressed in mainly plus sized chain store clothing. But obviously the Oscars call for something much more special.

This is where the designers come in. You would think a Best Actress nominee would have all the designers frothing at the mouth to dress her. You would be thinking wrong.

Obviously there were still some clamouring to do so. But many weren’t. Perhaps they weren’t willing to dress a “big girl”. Perhaps they didn’t want their brand associated with her. Perhaps they thought that dressing her in the clothing she deserves would be doing something, like, promoting the OOGA BOOGA obesity “crisis.”

Well, no matter. Marchesa stepped in. I’m not usually a fan of Marchesa, I find them rather boring. But they are usually the go-to for big awards ceremonies because of their floaty/pretty and elegant dresses. And that’s exactly how Gabourey looked. Floaty, pretty and elegant. Well done, Marchesa.

In a unit I take called Online Journalism, we were told to re-evaluate our online presence to ensure it represented us as budding professionals, not the poor, fun-seeking uni students we probably are. We were warned not to post anything overly-personal, or not of a wider interest on our Twitter accounts, which should be treated more like news outlets. This is all practical advice, and something that’s important to consider. But personally, I’d rather delete my presence entirely than use “social” networks as nothing but a veiled CV. In a lot of instances it’s difficult to ensure profiles are privatised, although Facebook does allow almost complete ability to block your account from unauthorised views. I believe most people have the ability to be sensible enough about what they throw into the public eye that they can still enjoy the benefits of social media without having to screen their own conversations. I hope any future employees that may judge me for joining that group called ’If Mr Bean was an Avatar he’d look like this’ learn to see the humour in it, too. Maybe I’m just being optimistic – how many of you censor your tweets and posts?

We’re a notoriously lazy bunch. For most Australians, entertainment comes from that box in the lounge room, or that other box in the study, bedroom, or wherever your computer is located. It is playing Xbox, or watching DVDs. None of these activities require company, and for the most part, they don’t require much thought or effort. But are we getting so lazy we’re missing out on things we’re bound to enjoy just because we can’t make the effort to attend?

I’m a massive advocate of Australian theatre, and live arts events. It might feel good to watch So You Think You Can Dance, and it’s great to see performance headlining our TV programmes, but nothing beats the real thing. Even if it’s an underground one-man production at your local theatre, seeing a performance come to life before you is amazing. It’s comparative to listening to your favourite album, or seeing the band perform live. Which one would you prefer? So when you get a chance, head over to a show – it doesn’t have to be expensive – many events are free, some cost around $15. I’m so excited to see Avenue Q next week, which is winding down its Australian run, and is bound to be hilarious. Humour is most effective live, because it feels more spontaneous, and the audience is more connected to the performer. So why don’t those who love their comedy see stand-up as regularly as they do films? Love your SYTYCD? Why not spring for tickets to see The Australian Ballet in their upcoming production, The Silver Rose?

It’s hard sometimes to get up the motivation to venture outside, especially what with all we can do from home in our underpants. But it’s worth it every now and then to take off the PJs and brave the world past our screens. If nothing else, the performing arts are an opportunity to get dressed up, and soak up some culture, or some lovably culture-less trash.

Does it really matter how old a model is? All a model does is wear clothes and showcase them on a ramp! That’s all she is – a clotheshorse. So a model’s age shouldn’t hold any importance. Because wearing clothes and walking are things that we have all been doing since infancy. Why can’t a model do the same? Just because a model wears these clothes and walks on a ramp for money shouldn’t change anything, right?

Wrong.

We see the glamorous side of models walking on catwalks and shooting ad campaigns, but does anyone acknowledge what goes on being the super-exclusive closed doors of the fashion industry?

I can start by telling you, that it is by no means a place suitable for children. For one thing, illegal substances and alcohol are as common in the fashion industry as say, sandwiches and coffee are in an IT firm.  Models are subjected to all sorts of pressure – to be thinner, to network better, to eat less, to work out more, to be seen in the right places, at the right parties – the list is endless

Modelling is an industry that judges your face, your nose, your eyebrows, your chin until you are no longer even sure if you are indeed beautiful. Is it really fair to have a young girl who is in any case struggling with the insecurities of being a teenager, subjected to such grueling scrutiny and judgment?

The fashion industry is an environment where putting on a pound is a cardinal sin and the price for atonement is to face humiliation and to be subjected to criticism from the industry leaders. If you thought high school was bad, imagine something about a thousand times worse. THAT is what models have to go through almost everyday of their lives.

There is no denying that wearing high-end Chanel couture and mixing with the “elites” of our society is something that anyone would want to be a part of, but is it really worth the price models have to pay? Sure, the money is great. But is that money a fair trade for innocence and childhood? Is it worth having to grow up precociously? Is it fair for a fourteen year old to have to act as though she is twenty-four just to be a part of the industry?

Some may think that this rule is worth implementing while others would strongly disagree. Some may say that the earlier one starts out, the more the chance they have of making it big. A model’s career lasts for only as long as she looks young; which usually means that they can wave the industry goodbye on their 30^th birthday. So starting at 15 would give a model, not only more experience in the industry, but also a longer career. Others would argue that a longer career is no justification for giving up one’s childhood.

To say that this is a debatable issue is an understatement. Everyone is bound to have an opinion on a matter like this, but the person whose opinion should really matter – the model’s, is one that is hardly ever taken into consideration.

It has made some people scream “ENOUGH.” That they were there first and they did it better and for longer, without the kudos or heaped-upon praise. I’ll admit, that I privately though the same thing at first, rolled my eyes at yet another mainstream media outlet presenting this information like it was the hot new thing.

Until I realised that for some people? This is the hot new thing. They’ve never heard of the fat acceptance movement and the concept of being fat and fashionable was entirely alien to them. They haven’t been as utterly immersed as I and other bloggers have been in the fat acceptance and fat fashion crowd. I haven’t even been in it all that long, and haven’t been openly identifying as fat much longer either. Until a few years ago, I didn’t even know there was a movement and was astounded at the bravery of fat people showcasing their fashion and their bodies.

So, I’m cutting a little slack to those jumping on the bandwagon. Those people who are new to the fat acceptance movement as a political statement or those are just into the idea of fat fashion in general. Surely having more of a voice and being loud and proud about being large and fashionable is a good thing? Surely more and more people discussing the issues that larger people face daily, in regards to health, their bodies, even their clothing and visibility as a fat person is a good thing?

The louder we are, the harder we are to ignore.

Set in L.A, the film follows an Australian couple who are attempting to make it in Hollywood – Tom is a screen writer (played by Cameron Daddo) and his wife Melony (played by Angie Milliken) is an aspiring actress. It is obvious that the couple are experiencing issues after living away from home for five years, and viewers can immediately sense the emotional detachment between them in the opening scene.

Most of the film is shot within a car (a very intimate and claustrophobic space) as the couple travel through the notoriously stressful L.A traffic from their home in Santa Monica, to a dinner party in Hollywood. Daddo has noted that the film “was intense. I was actually driving the car in real traffic. I had the director in the car, the camera operator, the actress, the sound person, and the continuity person. There was a car full of people…and I guess that really forced me to focus on the material and the job at hand. I had to maneuver that vehicle through peak hour traffic for twenty nights”. This no doubt, is an expression of the director’s desire for realism.

Viewers may become uncomfortable at times due to the close up shots of the actors, which highlights their facial expressions while underscoring their inner pain. The cinematography is interesting: while most of the shots are medium close ups, there are some divergences, such as when the camera is placed on the front of the car, and cuts between shots of the couple on their own, emphasising their distance from each other. The car only detours once, when Tom makes a stop at Roger’s house (played by Oscar nominee Bruce Davidson) to discuss a script they’re working on together. Melony gets the opportunity to meet Roger’s much younger wife Pam, and she suddenly becomes suspicious of her husband’s fidelity. Ultimately, the couple don’t make it to the dinner party, and by the end of the film, their marriage is over.

As Daddo has noted, the themes in the film are universal, and viewers will certainly be able to relate to communication breakdown in relationships and the stresses that can result from living in another country. One comment that is particularly poignant is when Melony says that “time erodes our dreams”. Daddo has indicated that the central message of the film is to “listen to what your partner is saying, whether it’s a business partner, a sibling relationship, a parent-child relationship, or a lover. Stop and listen and pay attention”.

A plus sized blogger was contacted recently and asked to contribute to this article that was being written on a website. It was based on unflattering clothing for fat women and used photos (again, WITHOUT PERMISSION) to illustrate their point. The photos were sourced from the Fatshionista flickr pool. Once this blogger read about the article and looked at the website, she was insulted and disgusted. And told everyone.

Fatty internet users mobilise! And they did. The amount of people who have jumped up and joined this cause is astounding and kind of heart warming. Within a day, the website took the photos and the article down. (However, your tireless blogger has found a google cache version).

I really don’t want to link to their website and provide them with more hits (much like a certain vicious gossip columnist I refuse to click on or ever link to), but I feel people should know about it – it’s called BBSize.com and here is the direct link to the page the article was on.  To use an internet term – you’re doing it wrong. So very wrong.

Fat women, skinny women, in-between women, people who identify as women, should be able to dress however the hell they want to dress, in whatever the hell they want to dress in. Style (and I use the term loosely) websites who give insulting, paternalistic, and quite frankly, wrong advice, should, in using another internet term, STFU.

So let’s talk about your new film Passengers. Do you know when it is due to be released in Australia?

There is no release date yet. We are having sneak previews at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, in order to get distribution in Australia… Passengers had its festival premier at Mill Valley in California and did really well. Mill Valley is known as one of the top ten US Festivals, and we were very excited to get in there. The film has also been accepted into the California Independent Festival, and another festival that I’m not allowed to talk about because it hasn’t been announced yet!

In Passengers, you play an Australian living in L.A, working in Hollywood – how much of this character could you draw from your own experiences?

Well it’s hard not to draw from my own life, because it’s a story of how a couple are navigating the waters of living in a different country. It is a tale of how when you arrive at a place you make agreements about certain things, but then after five years or so, things change. Alison and I have certainly experienced that, so I was able to draw on that.

Passengers has been labelled “honest, thought provoking and confronting”… Was it difficult to bring a level of intensity to every scene?

It was intense. I was actually driving the car in real traffic and I had the director in the car, the camera operator, the actress, the sound person, and the continuity person. There was a car full of people… and I guess that environment really forced me to focus on the material and the job at hand. I had to manoeuvre that vehicle through peak hour traffic for 20 nights. It was nuts. I also produced the film as well, so I had a lot going through my mind.

What do you think is the film’s message?

The main message is that things aren’t always as they seem. Some people live in this world where their veneer is polished but on the inside they’re a mess. And then there are other people who are a mess on the outside, but they are harmonious. The second message in the film is.. listen to what your partner is saying. I feel we learn more through relationships than we do on an individual level. The two characters in the film find themselves in a place where they really haven’t been listening to each other, and they suddenly end up in this worm hole. Listen to what your partner is saying, whether it’s a business partner, a sibling relationship, a parent child relationship or lovers. Stop and listen and pay attention.

Audiences have commented that they can relate to the themes in the film. I remember some viewers saying “Oh my god, I’ve been in that exact situation. I’ve had that conversation, I’ve sat in that car”. The film could be set anywhere – in a restaurant, in a train, in a living room (well maybe not a living room because you can always leave!). But not when you’re stuck in a car, with the metaphor of the traffic… in the bloodstream of L.A.

Did you enjoy working with Michael Bond in his first feature film?

Yes. He is very thorough and smart. He has a great sense of humour and is very educated in film making and how he sees things. He knows his shots, knows what he wants, and is also collaborative. He is willing to let people run, which is great. It was a pleasure to work with him, and I’m sure it’s going to be the first of many joint projects.

What was it like producing the film?

I kind of remember comments that Mel Gibson made when he was shooting Braveheart. He was acting in it, but also directing and producing the film. [As a producer], there is so much going on 24/7. From the preparation of the film to post-production. I’ve produced three films now (the other two have not been released yet) but this was certainly the most ‘hands on’ work as a producer in terms of raising finances, organising cast and crew, post-production, and then selling the film as well. It’s a business. You’re like a contractor building a house from scratch.

Just briefly, you worked with David Lynch in Inland Empire a few years ago. What was it like working with him? And did you fully understand the script when you first read it?

(Laughs…) There was no script! David is a fascinating man to work with. I understand that the hallway in his house was covered in index cards and that was the movie. A lot of it was improv as well. It was ‘organised mayhem’. What a treat it was to work with a Hollywood legend and to talk to his muse, Laura Dern… he adores her. Harry Dean Stanton was in it as well… it was just a great experience. And when I saw the final cut, I didn’t understand it at all!

What are you currently shooting in the US?

I’m shooting a movie in Memphis about passa fino horses, with Amanda Santay and Luke Perry… it’s a lot of fun!

One last question: what have you missed about life in Australia?

The ironic sense of humour. And I do miss that very easy going quality of Australians, and the laid back attitude that Australians have. There are moments where I just go “oh wouldn’t it be nice to have levity”. To just go and have a beer, or a ‘cuppa’ tea, and take five minutes off to take in some fresh air. I also miss Australian wines and the freshness of the food. And, I’ve got to say the beach.

Passengers premiers at the Adelaide Fringe Festival on the 24th and 26th of February…