The F-Word Forum, part of the Ideas at the House series, was held at the Sydney Opera House this past Sunday and promised a robust discussion on modern global feminism, featuring world-renowned feminists, Germaine Greer and Naomi Wolf. Greer and Wolf both had hour-long slots for the first portion of this day of feminist debate,…
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A few weeks ago, we published this piece on Lip, by Jamie Freestone. Jamie argued that in the movement of feminism as we know it today, there is no place for men or men’s issues. He said that, considering the wealth of oppression and subjugation experienced by women at the hands of men globally, feminism…
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Name: Jamie Freestone Age: 27 Occupation: English teacher, radio announcer and science communicator How would you describe yourself and your life? I grew up in the brave city of Wollongong and now live in Canberra. I am a perpetual student and I am blessed/cursed by being interested in virtually everything and everyone — except politics….
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Name: Tara Mitchell Age: 23 Occupation: Activist How would you describe yourself and your life? I never imagined I’d be a Feminist. Being a transsexual, I was brought up with male privilege for the first 20 years of my life, and this left me quite blind to the reality of women’s lives and the toll…
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Right now, I’m reading Full Frontal Feminism, by Jessica Valenti, the founder of Feministing. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it – on the one hand, I find it a very accessible read, especially for younger feminists or for people who are first starting to get into feminism and who find a lot…
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I teach Year 11 and Year 12 English at a state school in Canberra and towards the end of last year a student of mine delivered a presentation about the book, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I haven’t read the the Steig Larsson trilogy but my ears pricked up when my student informed us…
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I have always been what is derisively referred to as a “bleeding heart”. I’m not a sucker for a sob story, but people being treated poorly is one of my trigger points. I may have spoken before about a project I’ve become involved with — a friend of mine is doing a study and a…
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I sure as hell never envisaged myself reading a book with Porn in the title when I was fifteen, but here I am five years on having thoroughly enjoyed just that. Pornland: How porn has hijacked our sexuality by Gail Dines is an exploration of the effects porn has had and continues to make on…
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Name: Nayree Mardirian Age: 20 Occupation: Student and Sales Assistant 1. How would you describe yourself and your life? I am currently a student just trying to make my way in the world. I am always busy and eager to engage in new experiences. I love music, film and have a passion for foreign affairs…
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The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler is a book I honestly believe every man, woman and young adult should read – excuse the cliché. It is unlike anything I have ever read before and was so gripping that I read it in one very emotional sitting. The book was first written in 1966 after Ensler…
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I clearly identify myself as a feminist. I write for lip and link articles from Jezebel on facebook. I can identify advertisements or warnings which work to blame the victims of rape; I tell my brother off for buying Lynx deodorant; “the pay gap”, “the double-shift”, and “double standards” are phrases that regularly feature in…
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In ‘Female Chauvinist Pigs’ author Ariel Levy questions what it means to be sexy today. Her search takes her all over America into strip clubs, women’s living rooms and onto a Florida beach where girls are encouraged to strip off their clothes for the cameras of hit TV show ‘Girls Gone Wild’. She finds a…
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Name: Stephen Benko-Nehme Age: 31 Occupation: Library / AV Technician How would you describe yourself and your life? I’m a Western Caucasian male nearing middle age, living in middle-class suburbia. Why are these specific details important? Because my relatively easy existence alluded to by my demographic puts me in a unique position – I…
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The main thing I learnt by reading this book is that the sexism that existed pre-1950s is definitely sneaking back into society. While today it is mostly swept under the rug and hidden away, there remain aspects that are right out in the open just begging us, as women, to make a move to change…
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