feminist of the week: shannon mckeogh

Name: Shannon McKeogh
Age: 22
Occupation: Student

How would you describe yourself and your life?
I’m your typical cardigan-wearing arts student. I study, I write a fair bit online and sometimes (if I’m lucky!) it gets published in other places. I’m originally from the regional city of Albury – you’re not allowed to bag it out unless you’re from them, alright? I’ve had as many jobs as I have toes. Some of them are pretty interesting, like being a promotional zombie and working in a Kids Play Centre/café. Although cleaning the ball-pit not as much fun as you think it would be.

I have a lot of crap music on my iPod like Aaron Carter and Nikki Webster. I usually tell people ‘I have no idea how that got on there…’ or, ‘stupid sisters must’ve downloaded it.’ But that’s a lie. Crap music is inspirational. Feeling down in the dumps? ‘High’ by the Lighthouse family will cheer you up. Or anything from the 80s is usually gold.

What does Feminism mean to you?
I never really thought much about feminism until I started studying it at uni. I’ve always been a bit outspoken and I have two older sisters and an encouraging Mum so I’ve always been a feminist but without labeling myself as one. To me, feminism purely means that women are given the same opportunities as men. We should not be divided or judged differently purely by our gender. I think this is something that Western culture struggles with as woman are often over-sexualised in the media. I remember something my tutor said in a literature class where I had a Fabio-like ‘I can’t believe it’s not butter!’ realisation, that many males have a ‘Madonna or the whore complex’ towards women. They either see woman as a whore or as a mother-like figure they can have respect for. I am still learning when it comes to feminism but I find all these social studies very interesting.

Do you think feminism has a place in today’s society?
Definitely, we should always have feminism as it is about having respect for yourself and your gender.  Blatant sexism is still very apparent in the workplace and in media so it is important to have these values and to stand up for your beliefs. Otherwise, how can we expect progress?  We should always question what is fed to us, especially by media, and think for ourselves. I think we can complicate feminism by putting too much pressure on women. The problem nowadays is we are expected to have it all: careers, perfect Vonn Trapp type children, a Ryan Gosling husband. Perhaps we should be more accepting of women who value being stay-at-home mothers rather than career-chasers

Which feminist stereotype annoys you the most? Why?
That feminists are man-haters. OK, some probably are but the rest of us are pretty nice people who won’t make fun of a man’s eyebrows or push in front of them in the supermarket line. Look, we’re all adults so can’t we sit down and have a chat? But if a man thinks that he deserves higher pay than a woman purely because of his man-bits, things may get a little ugly.

If you could pass on one piece of advice to other feminists, what would it be?
I don’t think I’m qualified to give advice – I’m still learning myself! I think reading different types of publications and online magazines like lip are a good place to hear some interesting stories and challenge your own opinions.

Do you have any feminist heroes? Who are they and why?
Mia Freedman, writer and editor at the Mama Mia website. I like her because she’s one of those people who seem really friendly but also know when to dig their heels in. I think she’s a great role model because she’s accessible to the main stream media but without compromising her own values – although sometimes being in the public eye can be a bit shitty, like when Mia got berated by Karl Stefanovic and the general public for saying athletes should not be glorified as heroes.

Mia has set up her own website which is like a huge community for woman to comment and get support in their own lives. She’s a great advocator for feminism, campaigning against stick-thin models and photo manipulation used in the media to create ‘perfect’ but unrealistic woman. Mia’s website also encourages woman to talk about mental health, equal rights, domestic abuse and everyday issues woman experience (including a humorous post about female vaginal wash)

Mostly I like that Mia is authentic. Heroes don’t need capes.