2015 was the year Australians weren’t quite sure who their Prime Minister was. As of this year, ‘Netflix and Chill’ has officially been around long enough to be embarrassingly misused by big brands and your clueless uncle alike. And 2015 has brought hashtag activism into its own, with everything and everyone having their own Twitter…
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There are literally thousands of historical films that document the tragedies and triumphs of men. From war epics to biopics about world leaders, scientists and rock stars, according to the cinema the history of mankind is considered to be more important than the history of womankind. That’s not to say that there aren’t a…
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Every day in Australia, police face 657 cases of violence against women. Every week, 2 women are murdered, often by somebody they know. While watching Hitting Home, Sarah Ferguson’s new documentary on Australian domestic violence, my friend wonders aloud, ‘Has it always been this bad?’ I answer: ‘Yes.’ It’s just that this year, we’re paying…
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Tonight at the Athenaeum Theatre in Melbourne, ActionAid, a Sydney based international development organisation that empowers women who are living in poverty across the globe, is hosting Frocking Hilarious – an all-women comedy fundraiser. I spoke with ActionAid’s Media and Public Relations Officer Anna Fraser about the event and about the important work that ActionAid does for…
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With the latest instalment now in cinemas, Kate Voss takes a look at the history and evolution of the Bond girl, and what it means to be a woman in James Bond’s universe. Very few film franchises over the past fifty years have been more packed with more pure masculinity than the James Bond films. While these…
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On the list of winners for the 2015 Australian Financial Review and Westpac 100 Women of Influence Awards is Anna Shepherd. She is the CEO of Regal Home Health, which offers nurse-led private home healthcare. In addition, she is also an Adjunct Associate Professor with the University of Sydney Nursing School. She has contributed to…
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‘When are you planning to have kids?’ I’d bet you good money that every woman has been asked this question at some point in her life. More than once. This question is almost always well-intentioned but, at the same time, works on the assumption that not only is procreation inevitable, but something that every rational…
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There are many aspects of London Road that are just plain weird. This musical-turned-film is based on the true events surrounding the serial murders of five female sex workers in 2006 by Steve Wright, taking interviews about the crimes verbatim and turning them into snazzy show-tunes. But perhaps what is most unique about London Road…
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One of the most complex and perilous issue facing Mexico-US relations in the twenty-first century are the treacherous drug cartels, corrupting every aspect of day-to-day life in border cities like Tijuana and Juarez, and the intricate infiltration of these cartels by FBI agents. This complicated issue is incredibly difficult to grasp, let alone to translate…
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I texted my housemate recently to sadly inform him that I had broken ‘the gentlemen’s agreement’, and that I felt yucky. The ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ was an understanding that we would never, under any circumstance, indulge in red wine after drinking an indulgent amount of beer. He texted me back, informing me that I deserved my…
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Hey Hollywood producers, here’s a radical idea: did you know that women can be action movie stars? Over the last year or so on Lip, I have been exploring my favourite female action heroes in a regular piece called Kickass Feminists on Film. Apart from being an eye-opening exercise, it is becoming harder and harder…
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*TW: Discussion of domestic violence* Domestic violence is a horrific epidemic. One in three women experience a form of domestic violence from the age of 15, and almost two Australian women are killed by partner abuse each week. Persistent gender inequalities continue to run rampant in our society. This can be seen in double-fold: the…
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Sarah Gatehouse has 20 years’ experience working in HR and currently leads the Human Resources department for Fujitsu General (Aust.) Pty Limited and also acts as a member for the organising committee of the National Association of Women in Operations NSW branch. This year, Macquarie University’s Women Management Work conference ‘The Power of Inclusive Leadership Through…
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Everyone knows that complex and empowering female characters are difficult to find in mainstream films. But there are some who have stood out and become the changing faces of feminism in cinema. In this regular column, Jade Bate looks at her favourite film heroines who are strong, empowering and kick ass. Before he was spewing…
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