By Catherine Redfern | 29 May 2006, 18:58

Features

Real Female Heroines
As FHM publishes its ‘100 sexiest women’ list, Maxine Frances goes for an antidote and pays tribute to her own female idols, whilst pondering the effect female heroines can have in inspiring young women and girls.

New Rights, Old Wrongs
Civil Partnerships being restricted to same-sex couples is more than a strange and irritating political decision - it’s an indefensible refusal to create real legal equality for all citizens. Susan Hunter explains how the Equal Partnership Campaign is fighting to end 400 years of sexual segregation - and how you can help.

The ‘Right’ Time for Motherhood?
Some women are attacked for being ‘too old’ to have children (selfish!), some for being ‘too young’ (irresponsible!), and yet others for choosing to remain childfree (even more selfish!). Lorraine Smith discusses recent press coverage of pregnancy and women’s choices.

Oh, Mr Darcy!
Why do so many heterosexual women still find the Darcy figure attractive? Sheryl Plant ponders the influence of romantic fiction on women’s expectations of love and relationships. She discusses how lusting after the dominant male archetype can be interpreted both as resistance to patricarchy and compliance with it.

Reviews

The Spice Girls’ Legacy
Sarah Parry defends the legacy of the oft-ridiculed Spice Girls. She argues that 1996 should be seen as a feminist renaissance, and explains how the band promoted ideas of individuality and female friendship that were hugely influential to girls at the time.

How Opal Mehta Got Kissed Got Wild And Got A Life
Clare Burgess reviews Kaavya Viswanathan’s ‘coming of age’ story. Purporting to be about a teenage character finding herself, it is in fact is a rather predictable tale where the happy ending involves - guess what? - finding a boyfriend.

Munich
Maria Seijo-Richart examines how Steven Spielberg’s Munich repeats trends first identified by feminists in the 1970s; that sexually active female characters who deviate from traditional female roles must be punished.