I think of myself as a “baby feminist.” It wasn’t until I had started reading Katie’s blog that I became aware of the intricacies behind the movement, and what a huge role it played in something as complex and important as the social media phenomenon. Surfing through my Facebook newsfeed, I noticed at least two…
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Name: Kate Bart Age: 20 Occupation: Musician How would you describe yourself and your life? Well I moved from Perth to Melbourne almost a year ago now, to pursue music and I’m still a little lost, the only thing I know is Melbourne feels right. I know more Irish in Melbourne than I do Australian…
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It is only a week till the Melbourne Writers Festival and I can’t wait!! I’m excited not only because I will be close to bakeries that make delicious cupcakes but also because I am going to see Germaine Greer. I find her fascinating not only as a person but also because no matter what anyone…
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I’ve mentioned before that I don’t read print magazines much anymore. Nowadays, I will usually only read if I’m bored, or if I’m at the airport and need to kill time. There’s too much in “women’s” magazines that raise my blood pressure and I like to keep it low. Caffeine addiction already does the damage,…
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There has always been a division between feminists over whether men can really call themselves “feminists” or not. I have always been on the “the more feminists the better” side of the fence, and have never really been able to understand why so many women are against men joining the fight for women’s rights. Luckily,…
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It goes like this: A glossy lifestyle mag interviews a swish “It” girl. She’s at the top of her field. She’s worked hard to get there, and has plenty of tips for goal setting, confidence and “keeping calm, carrying on”. The journalist fawns over this success, and asks if maybe the equal rights movement had…
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Sylvia Plath is a bit of a feminist icon. In her book The Bell Jar, there are plenty of hints as to why that might be. Set in the 1950s, Esther Greenwood, the narrator, is an ambitious character, smart and well-educated. She professes to never wanting to marry because she didn’t much like the idea…
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There are lots of fashion labels and companies that have savvy fashion marketing and do it well. Domino Dollhouse, an independent American plus size brand is one such company I can think of. Autograph, an Australian brand, does a relatively decent job too. Then, there are the companies that make you think, at best, that…
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More women than ever have competed in the 2012 London Olympics than any previous games. For the first time, every country represented at the Olympic Games has sent women to compete in London. This includes Saudi Arabia, a country that has never previously sent any women athletes to the Olympics. Women’s boxing also made its…
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Pussy Riot, a punk band from Russia, was charged in February with hooliganism. Their perceived hooligan behaviour was to perform a punk prayer against Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, at Moscow’s main cathedral. In most of the media coverage, Pussy Riot is labeled as not just a band but a “feminist punk band” and…
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It seems about time that a column was dedicated entirely to pointing out the sexist undertones (and overtones) in our nation’s media. Whether in newspapers, on television, on the radio, in music, film, literature, art, whatever; misogyny runs rife. It’s there and someone needs to point their middle finger up at it in a far-fetched…
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The Olympics are occurring as I type and what better way to comment on them than to make disparaging and sexist comments on the women athletes and their bodies! Why, that’s my favourite thing to do! We’ve all heard the speculation that was around before Leisel Jones, Australian Olympic swimmer, competed in the Games. Why,…
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Clementine Ford recently wrote an article about our obsession with plus sized role models over at Daily Life. She speaks about the “real woman” debate (we all know my feelings on that, repeat ad nauseum until I’m blue in the face) and the pitting of women against women. She makes mention of the fact that…
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As well as writing here, for Lip, I also write a fashion blog – Australian Fatshion. I focus mainly on fashion trends for each season, where to get them in plus sizes and how to wear them. I sometimes run competitions and talk about clothes I’ve bought myself or things I want to buy. I…
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