I was nine and in my fifth year in elementary school when one day, out of curiosity, I pulled out my mother’s Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English and looked up the word ‘sex’. I wish I had spared myself that knowledge for suddenly, my little world took on a harsher hue. The second meaning of the…
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So, before I start I’ve got to admit I’m feeling a little bit like a radical feminist troll at the moment because every time I go on mamamia.com.au, “feminist” women’s news blog site, I find something I vehemently disagree with. A few weeks ago I blogged in response to their cute little playlist for women…
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‘A wife should no more take her husband’s name than he should hers. My name is my identity and must not be lost.’ – Lucy Stone This time next year, I will already be somebody’s wife. I will be married; legally tied to somebody ’til death do us part and all the rest of it….
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As a cake-loving, romantic sop, it should come as no surprise that I love weddings. They are like childhood birthday parties but with fancier lolly bags. I love everything about them, from the concept of love and commitment behind them, right down to the finer details that make a wedding day unique. So when I…
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Iran is taking an unconventional approach to stem falling marriage rates. Sports and youth minister, Mohammad Abassi announced that a spouse-finding website may soon be authorised in the Islamic country. Currently, online sites are heavily censored and access to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are limited (though a reported 17 million Iranians are…
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This is something that has fascinated me for a short while now and I have still not come to a definite conclusion. It’s an ever-so-slightly taboo subject but I’m curious to know what others views are. Should single girls wear a ring on their ring finger? First of all, I’ve been trying to think of…
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So you may have heard about or perhaps even read the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney’s opinions about marriage. The Anglicans decided to keep up with the times by updating their marriage vows – they changed the part about a new wife “obeying” her husband to her just “submitting”. Did someone remember to put up streamers?…
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‘The ayes have it.’ With four simple words Tasmania made history yesterday as months of protesting and political back-and-forth came to a head in Tasmania’s Parliament House. After legislation was shelved this week on federal marriage reform, the Same Sex Marriage Bill passed easily in the House of Assembly by a vote of 13-11. Shakespeare…
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The Marriage Plot has a marriage plot and examines marriage plots. The types of novels that initially sprang to my mind as marriage plots were older English novels by Jane Austin, George Eliot or Louisa May Alcott. With these associations in mind, marriage plots seemed anachronistic. I then considered the standard genre conventions of a…
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A few months ago at work a lovely new girl started, and at 19 she’s all rainbows and lollipops about life. We started talking about life and love and when she found out how old I was she exclaimed ‘What?! I don’t believe you! Why aren’t you married with kids yet?!’ I laughed, but then…
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Hollywood doesn’t anecdote the ‘happily ever after’ of modern love anymore without doctoring it with clichés, 30 second orgasms and a sense of overall perfection. This is what Sarah Polley tried to steer away from when she wrote and directed Take This Waltz. Take This Waltz is not a feel good comedy. It is a rich…
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barack obama says same-sex couples should marry In a mammoth political move, US President Barack Obama has declared his personal support for gay marriage. He said: “I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my…
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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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Afghan rape victim marriage pressure An Afghan woman who was raped and subsequently jailed for adultery has been pardoned for her ‘crime’ but upon her release, may be pressured into marrying her rapist. The woman, Gulnaz, who gave birth to a daughter in prison, apparently agreed to the marriage in a bid for freedom, despite…
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