Image via Flickr What comes to your mind when you hear the term ‘pin-up girls?’ Do you think of objectification or old fashioned and out of dates values? Or do you think of a celebration of women, of the female form, of a time filled with glamour, femininity and a more simple life? For me…
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Victoria will become the first state to erase the criminal record of men who were previously convicted of having gay sex before homosexuality was decriminalised in the state in 1981. The state government announced the policy on Sunday at the launch of Midsumma, the state’s annual gay and lesbian event, to a crowd of over…
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Ah, the vibrator. A beacon of hope for singletons and a symbol of sexual liberation, this natty device has been making good vibrations since the 1870s. And what’s better than a machine which doles out orgasms? Okay, probably not much. But, if the response of film critics is anything to go by, the 2011 film,…
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A few weeks ago I wrote in my article ‘My Inclusive and Supportive Workplace‘ of my anticipation and enthusiasm for attending Ally Network training at the university where I work. The Ally Network at my workplace consists of staff members, ‘Allies,’ that offer non-judgemental support for LBGTQI staff and students on issues such as discrimination,…
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*Disclaimer: This is an opinion piece reflecting the views of the individual writer. Do you have a very different take on Bamboozled and Tropfest 2013? We would welcome submissions of a counter-article on this subject. To contribute, get in touch with the friendly Lip crew here. Tropfest is in its 22nd year this year, with people…
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Stuck on a bus—on roads known best as car parks—I opened my laptop and typed down my screeching thoughts. “I’m not fucking normal. All people are different. What are my differences? I feel emotional writing these blatant statements. Feelings of regret, confusion, anger and ignorance flood like the fury of the stalled traffic and make…
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Australian filmmakers seem to have a penchant for creating either self-deprecating comedies or hard-hitting dramas. Perhaps the intention behind Australian film is to shatter a myth; to uncover the tensions lurking beneath the perfect Australian façade, or to break the illusion of the idyllic seaside. It’s clear that Australian-made erotic drama Adoration—albeit by a French…
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A new study claims that women are ‘hardwired’ to regret casual sex and one-night-stands. Men, on the other hand, are ‘hardwired’ to regret not having sex. Apparently this has nothing to do with society – it’s nature over nurture. The research, published in The Archives of Sexual Behaviour, gives several statistics of people’s attitudes towards…
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Fourteen-year-old Layla is a 21st century Lolita, and like her antecedent, she’s not one to shy away from a man’s attention. She knows that all it takes is a gesture, a look, and she can have almost any man she wants. It makes her feel powerful, like she matters. But what she really wants is…
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NB: Some sites linked to within this article refer to sexually explicit adult material that may not be suitable for work. Earlier in the year I went to a live art installation project that featured some nude displays (both male and female). The event was quite an upmarket artistic event and there was nothing gratuitous…
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Playwright Michele Lee admitted in a recent interview that writing a memoir at such a young age could be interpreted as ‘self-absorbed.’ However, Banana Girl thrusts us into her twenty-somethings with such intimate realism that any self-indulgence on her part is completely excusable. In the lead up to a four month literary residency in her…
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If you passed me in the corridor at work you wouldn’t assume I am a lesbian. I look neither butch nor femme. In my dress, make-up and hairstyle I appear to conform to traditional notions of a feminine appearance. Sometimes I wear badges featuring LGBTQI symbols or pin-up girls, subtly expressing my sexuality. Although I…
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A Brazilian woman who controversially attempted to auction off her virginity for charity is starting the bidding again. Catarina Migliorini, 21, was offered more than AU$800,000 by a Japanese bidder to do the deed late last year, but refused to consummate the deal on meeting with him. ‘I am the sole owner of my own…
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Rapunzel fashioned it into a handy grappling cable. Mary Magdalene used it to wash the feet of Jesus. Clearly, hair is among the most versatile parts of the human body and because of this, it is oft imbued with a myriad of socio-cultural meanings. In 1957, anthropologist E.R Leach published an essay entitled ‘Magical Hair,’…
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