Rohingya. When you hear this word, does it spark any thought in your mind? Does it spark any segment on the news you’ve seen recently? Anything you learned in class? Does it sound familiar… at all? When I asked some of my friends if they’ve heard the word “Rohingya”, the answer was “no”. And this…
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Popular culture is full of images pressuring us to conform to so-called acceptable ways of being. These ideas are so all-pervading they become the norm and we forget that the stories we hear through our favourite characters are a deliberate social construction. Such as when we assert the stereotype that all fat people are lazy….
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Lucky enough to spy tickets to Bjork Digital Dj set for the 2016 Vivid Festival just minutes after their announcement via the Carriageworks Twitter feed, I was tapping away at the ticketing page quicker than you can say ‘no you have bills to pay.’ It’s Bjork; to hell with the financial repercussions. Thus I flew…
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Girlfriend magazine won the government’s Positive Body Image award for Media and Entertainment in 2012 for their efforts in portraying images of young women that are inspirational and truthful. In a world where young women are still constantly receiving an influx of negative images of bodies such as super skinny fashion models and skin perfected…
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A study by the US Women’s Media Centre (WMC) has found the majority of print, broadcast, internet and wires content is produced by male journalists. The WMC surveyed 27,000 articles, bulletins and the like to find across all platforms 63.4 per cent was man-made. News anchor positions are mainly held by men with the…
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If you were a teenage girl addicted to television programmes examining teen pregnancy and parenthood would you: a) Go out and get pregnant because it’s so cool and you’ll get on TV! Or, b) reflect on your sexual practices. Well, according to research into the impacts of MTV’s 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom, you’d…
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After the viral success of the Miss Representation project’s video on how the international media represented women in 2013, Lip has decided to apply the same analysis to Australian media. Perhaps unsurprisingly the international trend of gender discrimination is also apparent in Australia, with mixed coverage being provided by the media on key issues. Women…
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As 2013 draws to a close, activist organisation The Representation Project, looks back on the year that was in terms of the representation of women in the media. Whilst their focus was on American media, their message of gender discrimination is global. 2013 Media – The Positives In their video ‘How the Media Failed…
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Maybe it was the surrealism of policemen lying on their bellies, guns ready, between cafe tables; of shattered glass framing a deserted fast food complex; of a terrified family creeping past empty chairs to safety; of extreme violence erupting in a place identical to one we visit weekly. The world watched last week as a…
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From Parliament to Prada or Capitol Hill to Couture, it seems like fashion couldn’t seem further away from politics. But we mustn’t forget how easily fashion can change public perception of an individual, something that is utterly crucial in the political landscape. Some would argue that the image a leader projects is more influential than…
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In pop culture, plotlines are awash with strong male friendships. We are bombarded with “buddy movies”, bromances, and J.D. & Turk style “guy love” in everything from Superbad to Supernatural. While equivalent female relationships are not exactly in short supply – Lena Dunham’s Girls has been one of the most successful programs of 2013 – there is a disproportionately abundant representation…
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The federal election campaign is now officially under way, which means we’ve been plunged headlong into the black hole of empty slogans, tired clichés, insidious euphemisms, half truths, and complete lies. But, hey, at least we’re all in it together. There’s nothing like an impending election to lower the tone of political language and to…
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Trashy tabloids love a ‘Wardrobe Malfunction,’ and never fail to get all Shadenfreude on these unfortunate situations. The Daily Mail proved no exception when it covered alternative rocker and cult legend, Amanda Palmer’s recent performance at Glastonbury. Whilst performing, Amanda’s bra did that annoying thing it does where it rides up at the back when…
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2013 Australian of the Year Ita Buttrose has discussed misogyny, dementia, and women on television in an interview with the ABC radio’s Libbi Gorr. The former Cleo editor laughed off the suggestion that she had influenced the likes of Oprah when it came to creating a pathway for ‘controversial’ women in the media. However, she…
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