In 2009, the Salvation Army capitalised on the discrimination of sex workers through a derogatory promotion for their Red Shield Appeal. After protests and a threat of a “red ban”, the Salvation Army were forced to publically apologise and withdraw their ads about “Rick”, an alleged sex worker they had “rescued” from his industry. Unfortunately…
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Slut. * “After Kim Kardashian posted her nude photo in early March, I read several pieces on the double standards in the uproar that it prompted. These articles addressed, in particular, the ease with which we accept women’s bare bodies in our advertising, film, television and music videos when they are affirming the male gaze…
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Emily Lindin founded The UnSlut Project in 2013 after American teenager, Rehtaeh Parsons, committed suicide. She had been gang raped and consequently labelled a “slut” by her classmates. Emily decided to publish her own diary entries dealing with sexual shaming in high school as a blog to provide some perspective for other young girls experiencing…
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There’s a new one woman show in town and it’s just jumped to the top of my ‘must see’ list! Handle It, written, produced and performed by the very talented Laura Jackson, tackles the dirty side of the internet in what promises to be a compelling and witty exploration of sexism, social media and male-female…
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Women are conditioned to live in fear. All over the world. Don’t walk on those streets, don’t wear those clothes, don’t be too intimidating, complex, complicated, loud, because men don’t like that. We live in patriarchal societies in which we pander to male preference. In Nairobi, men on the streets got to do what every…
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A school district in the American state of Mississippi has foregone discussion of condoms in sex education to go on a slut shaming lesson using the confection York’s Peppermint Pattie. In possibly the worst metaphor ever, students shared the chocolate by putting it in their mouth and then passing it on to their classmates. This…
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Middle-school girls at Haven Middle School, Evanston, Illinois, are picketing this week for their right to wear leggings to school. The school informed the young teens this month that leggings are ‘too distracting to boys’ to be fit for the classroom. Thirteen year old, Sophie Hasty, told the Evanston Review that her and 500…
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New anti-pornography legislation passed by the Ugandan government has been criticised by activists for its impact upon women. The new legislation covers a range of issues related to pornography, including child pornography, pornographic publications and even suggestive music videos. However the main controversy to arise from the changes was the provisions surrounding dress code. According…
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Since reaching global success with her debut album, Pure Heroin, 17-year-old Lorde is becoming a spotlight for media attention. The pop star frequently discusses her views on feminism and over-sexualisation, and has recently been associated with ‘slut shaming,’ after comments she has made about other young starlets. The critical responses to Lorde’s ideals can be…
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While on exchange at UCLA, I went to a Halloween party dressed as Lolita. In hindsight, it’s the dumbest outfit I’ve ever worn – and that’s including the booty-shorts, body paint and handkerchief I partied in at Burning Man. I thought I had a good reason for dressing like a pre-teen temptress, and that reason,…
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What is it about our society that is so hellbent on reducing mothers (especially new mothers), to soft, cuddly Mrs Brady types whose sole purpose is to produce milk for their nascent offspring, devote the entire fibre of their being to their children and stop caring about themselves? Why are we so threatened by women…
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You’d be hard pressed to find a person who hasn’t seen, or at least heard about, Miley Cyrus’ performance at the 2013 VMAs. Without a doubt, it was full on, and made it clearer than ever that Miley no longer seeks the all-American image of her Hannah Montana days. The performance wasn’t to most people’s…
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**Editor’s Note : We have chosen not to publish the original photograph referenced in this article, as we will not condone or perpetuate slut shaming. ** An image has gone viral across the Internet out of Slane, Ireland, following an Eminem concert which demonstrates that slut shaming and sexual double standards are still, unfortunately, alive…
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The bad girl of pop rock, Pink, recently claimed in an interview with Glamour magazine that she is a ‘reformed slut.’ Discussing her most recent album The Truth About Love (2012), which features songs that explicitly deal with feminine sexuality and being known as a ‘slut’, Pink expressed her concerns for a sexual double-standard that…
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