Before 50 Shades of Grey inspires you to go paddle shopping, I feel like I should butt in (see what I did there?). It’s actually kind of hard to tell whether spanking is: (a) the mark of a free woman who apologises to no one in search of her own pleasure, or (b) the patriarchy…
Read more
The most painful whipping anyone in the BDSM community has ever handled is the defamation the lifestyle has suffered at the hands of EL James. The 50 Shades of Grey author has crafted a public relations nightmare for a community that does not necessarily have communications professionals to put forward its interests, particularly in…
Read more
I recently read a feature on the #meninism social media “movement”, which has been described as everything from satire gone wrong to a mockery of first world feminism. The piece was written by Jesse Fink, well known to leagues of Aussie sports fans for his columns and commentary across all spectrums of media. It wasn’t…
Read more
Last month, UK broadcaster Channel 4 released a music video starring Viktoria Modesta, dubbed “the first bionic pop artist”, performing Prototype. The launch is part of Channel 4’s Born Risky brand campaign, with Modesta featured as a “new kind of artist” set apart from the “painfully dull and manufactured” pop stars. What sets her…
Read more
It is often said that we ask far fewer questions about the world as we get older; that we settle into complacency and begin to feel less curious about this big, wondrous universe of ours. And in some ways, that’s true. I personally no longer throw a barrage of questions to those around me about…
Read more
Australian organisation Play Unlimited’s new “No Gender December” campaign sparked a storm of controversy and vitriol last week. The clear message of the initiative centres upon a rejection of gender-based marketing and advertising of children’s toys. No Gender December advocates that children should choose the toys with which they engage, without being limited by gendered…
Read more
Why does referring to someone as ‘love’, ‘sweetheart’ or ‘darling’ cause offence? There is no set of conditions that outlines when terms of endearment are appropriate. We have all used them, or been called them, at some point in our lives. In a recent article by the all-around awesome Annabel Crabb, she ponders this issue…
Read more
It’s no surprise that the G20 Summit has a common theme: wealthy, powerful people dictating how we should manage the wealth of poorer, less powerful people. I cringed as I heard my television bark at me that the G20 is a gathering of the ‘most powerful men in the world’. This begs the question: where…
Read more
[WARNING: This article contains spoilers for the film Gone Girl. Read on at your own risk. -Editor] Female villains in film, if well executed, make for interesting, complex and credible characters. As audiences, we do not see enough of them. Recently, a film adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s best-selling novel Gone Girl was released in theatres…
Read more
Scarlett Johansson recently appeared as a sexy space thang in the Jonathan Glazer-helmed Under The Skin (2013), a film that my housemate denounced as a ‘goddamn rip-off of Species (1995).’ Feminist critics have been similarly quick to deride it as male fantasy fulfilment posing as art, where one can imagine being boinked to death by a…
Read more
A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to attend Oz Comic-Con in Sydney and meet Buffy the Vampire Slayer stars Nicholas Brendon and Emma Caulfield. I managed to keep my cool during my very brief chat with them, but on the inside I was squealing at a decibel that would have rivalled that…
Read more
Name: Phylisa Wisdom Age: 28 Occupation: Academic Researcher and Freelance Blogger, although I’ll be swapping around a little bit over the next few months! #expatlife Location/Hometown: Living in Melbourne currently…via Boston, London and hometown San Diego, CA. Describe yourself in one word: passionate What is your feminist philosophy? It’s pretty basic: everyone, regardless of…
Read more
Name: Sophie Verass Age: 26 Occupation: Radio Presenter and Writer Location/Hometown: Canberra, Australia Describe yourself in one word: #freethenipple What inspires you? My friends. I feel very fortunate to have so many interesting and engaging people in my life. Whether they’re discussing gender in Government or chewing my ear off about DnB music, I…
Read more
Among the countless Twitter users live-tweeting Monday night’s Primetime Emmy awards was Janet Mock, an author and transgender activist from New York City. Her tweets were unrelentingly funny, astute and honest about the awards, as well as the industry being awarded. None were as biting, however, as one of her most popular tweets of the…
Read more
