Aboriginal woman, Veronica Baxter, was born in Cunnamulla country in outback Queensland and died in Silverwater Metropolitan Reception and Remand Centre, NSW. On 16 March 2009, she was found dead in her prison cell hanging from a bed sheet. She was just 34 years old. Veronica, a Sistagirl, had lived as woman since she was…
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As a preface to this column I advise you all that I am a woman. I am also quite tall, coming in at a fabulous 5 foot 11 inches in height. I also enjoy wearing high heels. Now you might be asking “Danielle, why are you sharing all of these benign facts with us?” Glad…
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The news has been rife with stories recently of women making cruel or nasty comments towards other women. It all started with Germaine Greer criticising Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s choice of jackets on the ABC’s Q and A. Later, we saw British Daily Mail columnist, Samantha Brick, claim that women are nasty to her because…
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For a very brief period some time ago, I enjoyed buying self-help books from op shops. I can’t remember why I did this, as I tend to avoid self-help sections for the most part (though this might just be my idealised self-image; upon reflection, I also used to go to Borders with a friend and…
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Over the course of the weekend, I strayed from my traditional toilet-time reading pile (which usually consists of Lawrence’s works or Donne poetry) for reasons that are still unbeknownst to me, and found myself instead reading what can only be described as ‘chick lit’. The toilet seemed to me to indeed be the only appropriate…
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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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We’re all pretty familiar by now with the Manic Pixie Dream Girl: the term coined by the AV Club’s Nathan Rabin to describes characters such as Natalie Portman’s Sam in Garden State, and pretty much every character played by Zooey Deschanel over the past few years. They’re essentially designed to catalyse a male protagonist’s development,…
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Albert Nobbs was a labour of love for Glenn Close. The Oscar-nominated actress performed the role in the stage production of George Moore’s short story in the eighties, and was so taken by the character that she would co-write the screenplay and produce the film. It underwent a series of transformations over time, which is…
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Men’s magazines aren’t generally known for fostering positive attitudes towards women, if at all. However, a recent study conducted by psychologists in the UK has revealed that most participants in the study could not readily distinguish comments made in popular men’s magazines from quotes from interviews with convicted rapists. Men between the ages of 18…
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As someone who is studying Primary School Teaching, and who previously studied Social Work, it was only a matter of time before I started talking about this issue. Namely the idea of ‘women’s work’ and ‘men’s work’ and how this idea still seems to be so prevalent in our society. In my social work class there…
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Today marked a momentous occasion for any man. One of those coming-of-age milestones (no, not of the sexual nature) but rather an event that made me realise that I am indeed encroaching on a new phase in my life in that I may actually be one of these adults I hear so much about… I…
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Christmas can prompt pretty ridiculous purchases (tis the silly season, after all). Even so, the concept of syringes and permanent marker on flabby body parts are not exactly festive imagery. Given that plastic surgery and anti-aging processes are actually pretty gory, what’s with their creeping into the market as a new Christmassy gift possibility? The…
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This new column will summarise events that have happened in the last week relevant to women, feminism, and sexuality and link you to related articles. It will also offer a brief analysis on some stories. Please feel free to give us feedback! You can read last week’s round-up here. This week has a mixture of…
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I was sitting with my ma when I told her I wanted to get portfolio photos taken so I could apply for minor acting and host roles, when she turned and said to me “You’d better stop shaving your head then.” We all know that I have a history of cutting my hair very short…
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