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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A couple of weeks ago, I was at a friend’s place and decided to mosey on over to his shelves of DVDs and find something to entertain me while he cleaned. After a ridiculous amount of time spent trying to decide what to watch, I settled on season one of an old favourite, The OC….
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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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Some time ago, I was privy to more private information about a girl whose name I don’t know than many of my close friends, simply because I was sitting near her on a train. I was certain that the conversation she was having with her friends would yield many a (sex)uality column due to the…
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You know the feeling. They look your way; maybe they wink or smile. Maybe they’re on the other end of the bar, or across the table from you at dinner, or cuddling you on a couch. You bite your lip, knowing that you’re thinking the same thing. Your muscles relax slightly, in anticipation of the…
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Without wanting to get Lily Allen on you all and divulge details of not only my own sex life, but also that of the men I’ve, ahem, ‘known’, I feel it’s time to right some wrongs often proliferated by both the media and feminists (which, to be fair, are both groups I technically belong to)….
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Slut-shaming is nothing new. When a woman sleeps with more people than whatever arbitrary number is deemed appropriate, her morals and sexual standards are quickly called into question. But then there’s also the school of thought that assumes there must be some longstanding emotional damage that propels women to have casual sex. Although this mentality…
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People are usually surprised to hear that I was bullied in high school. This is probably because I’m reasonably outgoing, well-adjusted, non-ugly, have friends, and just generally lack qualities that outwardly provoke harassment or comment (though my critics may tell you otherwise). Anyway, I’m not really sure how closely I approximate the average person who’s…
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A few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I caught the train to the city to meet some friends for dinner. As we presently live in different states, much of our time together is spent ignoring what is happening outside of our couple-bubble. But on this particular train ride, we were abruptly alerted to the presence…
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Slut. Just the word, written on the page like that, with no ‘connotations’ still makes me cringe. A word, used to keep women down, put them in their place, denigrate, shame. Slut. Well, no more shame. The Slutwalk is here. The Walk started in Toronto, Canada in January of 2011, because of a shocking statement…
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I recently realised I am still hyper aware of my body and how it can be perceived. I don’t know if this will ever change. If I am going out anywhere, I make sure I ‘dress to impress’, because I want to create some sort of impression on people. I still care about what strangers…
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I lost my virginity a couple of months ago. Whoa! I can already feel the judgement crashing around me. The moralistic voices in my head cry ‘slut!’ or demand accusingly ‘were you in a long-term relationship?’ The people I encounter in real life aren’t as harsh to me, but I still find their responses slightly…
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Recently, some cast members of Fox TV show, Glee have posed for racy photographs for GQ magazine. For the assumedly very few who don’t know, Glee is a comedy/drama set in an American high school. The characters in the ‘glee club’ are often unpopular so they use the club to find friends, and presumably find…
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I really don’t like the word slut, but I seem to have been hearing it everywhere lately. It started when a friend got a bit tipsy and very flirtatious with an ex of hers during a night out. He was flirting back, too. Then his girlfriend showed up. My friend later danced with another guy…
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