Today, women and men have more choices than ever when it comes to their reproductive health. Reproductive technology has advanced to the point families can forego pregnancy altogether, or help families conceive through less traditional means. Though many of us are used to the reproductive advances that have been made available throughout the years, it’s…
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Feminist fans of the popular television show Gilmore Girls will be happy to know that one of its lead actresses has described the series as ‘sneakily feminist’. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lauren Graham (aka Lorelai Gilmore) expressed frustration with the collective obsessing over the love lives of the Gilmore girls in the…
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With today’s power and abundance of social media, it’s very rare to discover an artist’s music without already having some sort of preconceived idea about what you’ll think of them. Lana Del Rey’s music has always been clouded for me with the pervasive opinion that she’s a fake. Little criticism about Lana Del Rey’s career…
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There are two reasons why it was easy for me to travel and explore new cities. First, I lived in Kuala Lumpur for most of my life until I moved to Melbourne. Kuala Lumpur is a 2 hour flight to most South East Asian cities, food havens and tropical islands. Second, budget airlines expanded in…
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An official investigation into gender discrimination in Hollywood could be the first step in a class action lawsuit against major Hollywood studios. Fifty female directors have been asked by The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to detail any mistreatment they may have experienced in relation to their work. The investigation is in response to a formal…
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If you so much as logged in to social media in the past few months, you’ve likely seen two hashtags surface: #IStandWithPP and #PPSellsBabyParts. In July, a video surfaced from an anti-choice organisation that allegedly showed Senior Director of Medical Services at Planned Parenthood, Dr Deborah Nucatola, addressing the sale of fetal organs and body…
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There’s a very good chance that Harper Lee never meant for you to read this book. This is an important fact to bear in mind when considering cracking the spine of Go Set A Watchman, the “sequel” to Lee’s classic 55-year-old novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. It is a fact that I didn’t know when…
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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…
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When I first saw the ‘catcall’ video, showing the harassment experienced by Shoshana Roberts as she walked through New York City, I was disturbed. I wasn’t disturbed by incessant and often aggressive intrusions into her day, however. My knee-jerk reaction was to be offended for myself. I had, at various points in my life, engaged…
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Can you imagine at 13 years of age having access to a world of stories, secrets and insights that could have offered you an alternative to the mainstream? If given the opportunity, what would you tell your 13-year-old self? For me it would be the following: 1. Do not buy those pink pants – they…
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I was riding through the park with my girlfriend on a recent warm summer evening. As we cycled down the path we approached a group of men. Upon passing the group, an object was thrown at my head. A water-filled balloon exploded on my face, followed by another, which hit my chest. We halted and…
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**Trigger Warning: Discussion of sexual and emotional abuse** Between the ages of 13 to about 16, I used to watch Law and Order SVU religiously every Thursday night. Recently, on holiday in Italy, I indulged in watching SVU while eating smallgoods and drinking wine with my best friend. I saw an episode in which a…
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Natalie Portman has weighed into the debate over women on film in an interview for the forthcoming edition of Elle UK. The actor has expressed her opinion that feminism is more than women being ‘kick-ass’ on screen, and that she would like to see a world where every single construction of a man and woman…
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Israeli Justice Minister, Tzipi Livni, has announced the drafting of legislation that will outlaw all gender-based segregation in public spaces. ‘Today, I instructed the Justice Ministry to draft legislation … that will make any segregation of women and their humiliation in a public space a criminal offense,’ Livni posted on her Facebook account. The proposed…
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